The authors of this new book really need no introduction. Duncan Epping and Frank Denneman. Both hail from the Netherlands and that company I talk about from time to time – VMware. The title of the book is of course VMware vSphere 5 Clustering technical deepdive and is available in three formats:
Kindle
Paperback (B&W)
Paperback (Color)
I’ve ordered the color paperback version and I also picked up the Kindle version for my iPad and iPhone 4 the day the book was announced – Tuesday July 12th, 2011. It’s quite ironic that this vSphere 5 book was debuted the same day VMware made its public announcement about vSphere 5, SRM 5, vCD 1.5, and the new vSA. I’m guessing VMware timed the release of its new cloud platform with Duncan and Frank’s new book. Steve Herrod didn’t get to where he is today without a solid background in strategy and tactics.
This is not a comprehensive book review. I’d be lying through my teeth if I said I had already finished this book. The fact is, having only the Kindle version right now, I’ve only glanced at it. I much prefer my books in hard copy format. I like to write a lot of notes and discussion points in the margins. However, the Kindle version makes a great searchable reference tool and I’ll almost always have the electronic copy with me on one of my Apple products. Add to that I’m currently a TE on another book project which keeps me busy along with the blog, my day job, and my vSphere 5 lab. There are seriously not enough hours in the day for a VMware enthusiast.
Duncan and Frank’s previous collaboration was the authoritative source on HA and DRS (as well as DPM). As you might have guessed from the title, this book covers more than just HA and DRS. The authors have built on the success from the previous edition by refreshing the HA, DRS, and DPM sections. From there they added additional content relevant to vSphere 5 clustering such as EVC, SIOC, and SDRS. At the moment, I don’t see much in the way of networking but in fairness, I’ll save the final review until after I have finished the book. 348 pages of vSphere 5 clustering technical deepdive is going to be thoroughly enjoyable. I’m really looking forward to digging in!
Yes Steve knows how to plan things 😉
Thanks Jason, much appreciated.
Argh, I can’t keep up… I haven’t even finished the HA DRS deepdive. I need a virtual version of myself to keep up with all of this reading 🙂
Since you have both the Kindle & physical version, you have reason to compare. Would you say having only a kindle version is sufficient, or does that miss out on the graphics placed in the book?
I’m curious how reading these “technical” books (usually with charts/screenshots/…) performs on the kindle, if it gives you a good enough impression of the book or not.
The color paperback version is on order. I should have that within the week I would imagine. The color and clarity of the Kindle version on iPad and iPhone 4 is of course beautiful. The iPhone form factor is pretty small for my liking. I won’t be reading novels on that device. The iPad is much better in terms of size but I still prefer old school books. I guess it’s the generation I grew up in.
Jas
Looks like a typo on the date you ordered the book, either that or you missed the much bigger story of how you traveled in time to next year.
“I’ve ordered the color paperback version and I also picked up the Kindle version” … “Tuesday July 12th, 2012”
Thanks for catching that!
Kindle looks as good as the printed copy in my opinion! I personally would recommend the black/white as the reference at work and the copy people can borrow. The kindle is useful to carry around anywhere any place.