Section 3 – Deploy DRS Clusters and Manage Performance
Objective 3.1 – Tune and Optimize vSphere Performance
Knowledge
- Identify appropriate BIOS and firmware setting requirements for optimal ESXi host performance
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=14
http://vmguy.com/wordpress/index.php/archives/362
http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-5101
- Identify appropriate driver revisions required for optimal ESXi host performance
Skills and Abilities
- Tune ESXi host memory configuration
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=25
- Tune ESXi host networking configuration
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=34
http:/virtualinsanity.com/index.php/2010/03/29/performance-troubleshooting-vmware-vsphere-network
- Tune ESXi host CPU configuration
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=19
http://www.virtualinsanity.com/index.php/2010/02/15/performance-troubleshooting-vmware-vsphere-cpu/
- Tune ESXi host storage configuration
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=30
- Configure and apply advanced ESXi host attributes
- Configure and apply advanced Virtual Machine attributes
- Configure advanced cluster attributes
Tools
vSphere Command-Line Interface Concepts and Examples
vSphere Monitoring and Performance Guide
Product Documentation
vSphere Client / Web Client
Performance Graphs
vSphere CLI
o esxcli
o resxtop/esxtop
o vscsiStats
Objective 3.2 – Optimize Virtual Machine Resources
Knowledge
- Compare and contrast virtual and physical hardware resources
- Identify VMware memory management techniques
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2017642
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/mem_mgmt_perf_vsphere5.pdf
- Identify VMware CPU load balancing techniques
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/techpaper/VMW_vSphere41_cpu_schedule_ESX.pdf
http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-4960
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1017936
- Identify pre-requisites for Hot Add features
http://www.boche.net/blog/index.php/2009/05/10/vsphere-memory-hot-add-cpu-hot-plug/
http://www.vmlover.com/2009/05/hot-add-cpu-vsphere/
https://adaptivethinking.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/vsphere-esx4-hot-add-memory-for-linux-guests/
Skills and Abilities
- Tune Virtual Machine memory configurations
- Tune Virtual Machine networking configurations
- Tune Virtual Machine CPU configurations
- Tune Virtual Machine storage configurations
- Calculate available resources
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=52
- Properly size a Virtual Machine based on application workload
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=37
- Modify large memory page settings
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=28
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/large_pg_performance.pdf
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1021896
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1021095
- Understand appropriate use cases for CPU affinity
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/Perf_Best_Practices_vSphere5.0.pdf#page=21
- Configure alternate virtual machine swap locations
Tools
vSphere Resource Management Guide
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
Product Documentation
vscsiStats
vSphere Client / Web Client
Performance Charts
vSphere CLI
resxtop/esxtop
Objective 3.3 – Implement and Maintain Complex DRS Solutions
Knowledge
- Explain DRS / storage DRS affinity and anti-affinity rules
- Identify required hardware components to support DPM
- Identify EVC requirements, baselines and components
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003212
- Understand the DRS / storage DRS migration algorithms, the Load Imbalance Metrics, and their impact on migration recommendations
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1007485
Skills and Abilities
- Properly configure BIOS and management settings to support DPM
- Test DPM to verify proper configuration
- Configure appropriate DPM Threshold to meet business requirements
- Configure EVC using appropriate baseline
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003212
- Change the EVC mode on an existing DRS cluster
- Create DRS and DPM alarms
- Configure applicable power management settings for ESXi hosts
- Properly size virtual machines and clusters for optimal DRS efficiency
- Properly apply virtual machine automation levels based upon application requirements
- Create and administer ESXi host and Datastore Clusters
- Administer DRS / Storage DRS
Tools
vSphere Resource Management Guide
Product Documentation
vSphere Client
DRS / Storage DRS Resource Distribution Chart
Objective 3.4 – Utilize Advanced vSphere Performance Monitoring Tools
Knowledge
- Identify hot keys and fields used with resxtop/esxtop
http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-9279
- Identify fields used with vscsiStats
Skills and Abilities
- Configure esxtop/resxtop custom profiles
http://vmtoday.com/2009/09/the-skinny-on-esxtop/
- Determine use cases for and apply esxtop/resxtop Interactive, Batch and Replay modes
- Use vscsiStats to gather storage performance data
http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2009/12/17/vscsistats/
http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-10095
http://ikb.vmware.com/kb/1012714
- Use esxtop/resxtop to collect performance data
- Given esxtop/resxtop output, identify relative performance data for capacity planning purposes
http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-9279
http://www.yellow-bricks.com/esxtop/
Tools
vSphere Resource Management Guide
Product Documentation
vSphere Client
vSphere CLI
esxtop/resxtop
vscsiStats