David’s Cisco Networking Blog

VIDEO: Installing the vSphere Client in Windows 7

David Davis — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:52:57 +0000

While the vSphere Client does install fine in Windows 7, it is when you attempt to connect to your vCenter Server that you discover there is a problem. VMware doesn’t officially support the vSphere Client under Windows 7 but there is a workaround to make it work.

In this video, I cover how to get the vSphere Client working in Windows 7, step by step.

You can download the special system.dll file that is needed here.

How To Install VMware vSphere Client in Windows 7 from Train Signal. Your leader in Computer Training

Special thanks to those who have posted on this topic before me as I couldn’t have created this video without your help!

The ABC’s of Cyber Security

David Davis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:34:01 +0000

Did you know that October was the Nation Cyber Security Awareness Month, as declared by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)? In fact, this was the 6th year annual Cyber Security Awareness Month.

Cisco has put together some great articles and videos covering Cyber Security on the Cisco Security Blog. You can also checkout the DHS National Cyber Security Awareness Month homepage with articles and videos.

Here is a great Cyber Security video from Cisco’s blog:

Cisco Integrated 890 Series Router delivers completely

David Davis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 18:23:18 +0000

All I can say is “Wow”. This integrated router offers endless options including secure broadband with Metro Enternet capabilities for the small business world, eToken credentials and two 2.0 USB ports for security, 1000 Based T Gig and 10/100 Based T Fast Internet for WAN. The 890 Series router is incrediability versatile. It has Wan/Lan access with a built in Cisco web-based management tool for ease in set up. Additionally, it has enhanced firewall security options for control of email. I have not even scratched the surface on this router’s capabilities.

Looking fo a new Cisco router? Take a look at the Cisco 890

5Nine P2V Planner, Migrator, and Optimizer

David Davis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:21:46 +0000

The P2V Planner automatically collects all your hardware information and its utilization so you can make more sysync decisions regarding your business.

5Nine is unique because they are the only product out there to provide the financial calculations necessary to decide between Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware vSphere, including TCO and ROI numbers. Once you decide on your virtualization platform and have a plan, 5Nine’s migrator can actually migrate your physical servers to virtual servers for you. Then, once the P2V migration is done, 5Nine’s Optimizer can monitor your virtual infrastructure and advise you about statistics you need to be aware of. There are so many features and benefits to this product and oh yes, it’s simplicity of use is an extra bonus. View my Train Signal Video and white paper on these facinating new products.

You can also access 5Nine directly.

Petri IT Knowledgebase is the place to go for Windows 7

David Davis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 10:17:23 +0000

Daniel Petri has done a great job over at the Petri IT Knowledgebase covering Windows 7. Here are just some of the great new articles on this exciting new OS:

For all Petri Windows 7 articles, checkout the Windows 7 category at Petri’s Window 7

MCSE: Is it still worth the certification?

David Davis — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 06:16:36 +0000

I will say a resounding, YES. Even though Microsoft has done away with this certification, in favor of its MCITP path, there are still many senior level jobs on Microsoft’s own job search engine for MCSE’s and it is touted as a “badge of honor” in most of the business world.

For those of us who have MCSE Server 2003, Microsoft has provided a one certification upgrade exam that will equivocate to three Microsoft MCTS certifications. They are: Active Directory, Network Infrastructure, and Application Infrastructure Configuration. Read more on Brian Nelson’s articles, Why getting your MCSE is still a good idea and What’s The Next Step for MCSEs.

Speed up IE 8 with Accelerators and Private Browsing

David Davis — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 19:01:42 +0000

Jason Zandri, over at the Petri IT Knowledgebase, has recently posted some great articles on Windows 7 and IE8. They are:

In these articles, you will learn how to speed up IE8 with accelerators and how to use Private Browsing with Windows 7 and IE8.

Enjoy!

Windows Server 2008 R2 Videos now available

David Davis — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:52:01 +0000

As you know, Microsoft has released Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. So how are you going to get training on these new operating systems? Good News! Train Signal has just released their Windows 2008 R2 Training Video!

There are over 6 hours of training jam packed with new features to assist you with upgrading to Windows Server 2008 R2. What’s cool is that the videos can be downloaded via different media such as iPod, Mp3, among others.

Check out this link for the latest info- Windows 2008 R2 Training Video

How to verify if your processor is virtualization compatible

David Davis — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 06:49:07 +0000

Before you install VMware Workstation, vSphere, or even Microsoft Hyper-V, you first need to verify if your processor can utilize virtualization. Over at Train Signal’s Windows Server Blog, they have a great article by “Coach” covering how to tell if your CPU is virtualization compatible. To read the full article, checkout-

How to verify if your processor is virtualization compatible

Installing ESXi / vSphere version 4 and more

David Davis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:31:16 +0000

Tom Finnis, Technical Operations Manager for Help4IT, has recently written some excellent articles on VMware vSphere and ESX over at the Petri IT Knowledgebase.

Here are some of the VMware-related articles that he wrote:

Also, check out the VMware vSphere Training from Train Signal! This new course covers VMware ESX Server and the replacement for the VMware Virtual Infrastructure Suite – vSphere.

Also, did you know that VMware ESXi is FREE? You can register at VMware.com to obtain a FREE ESXi 4.0 download and license key for as many hosts as you would like.