Virtualization, Cloud, Infrastructure and all that stuff in-between
My ramblings on the stuff that holds it all together
Getting access to VMworld content if you couldn’t make it in person
Now the noise around VMworld has calmed down I thought I would let you know that the vast amount of excellent technical content that was presented at the event itself is available to stream online or as an MP3 (audio only) or slide download (audio only).
As you’d expect, the catch is it’s not free to you unless you attended VMworld in-person. However, you can purchase a VMworld subscription which costs $699 USD per annum and gives you full access to stream and download content from the event, and all previous events back to 2004 – so if travel and time out of the office is not an option for you – how about you (or your employer) pay for a subscription to the content itself – which is obviously cheaper than attending in person.
I have pasted a full list of all sessions from VMworld 2009 US below – please don’t ask me to post the sessions online, this is explicitly forbidden as you’d expect – if you want the content I’m afraid you’ll have to pay – click the graphic below (but it’s excellent value IMHO
Note: you’ll need a vmworld.com account to view the session details linked below (it’s free and can be done here)
Super Sessions
SS4880 |
NetApp: Clear up the Cloud – Key Infrastructure Requirements and Real-World Implementations |
SS5000 |
Dell: How to Get Ahead in the Cloud With Your Feet Planted Firmly on the Ground |
SS5001 |
VMware: Extending Your IT Beyond the Datacenter: The vCloud Initiative |
SS5081 |
Wyse: Desktop Virtualization / Cloud Computing: We Did It – Here’s How and What we Learned |
SS5082 |
Cisco and VMware: Delivering Innovation for Virtualization |
SS5120 |
IBM: What You Need to Know to Virtualize Today’s Data Center |
SS5121 |
Intel: Technology transformations central to the evolution of flexible computing |
SS5140 |
EMC: Infrastructure Architectures Purpose Built for the Virtual Datacenter |
SS5160 |
HP: Stop Virtualizing Servers, Start Virtualizing Infrastructure |
SS5220 |
Symantec: Complete the Promise of Virtualization |
SS5240 |
VMware, Cisco and EMC: Engineering Developments Enabling the Virtual Datacenter |
SS5241 |
|
SS5440 |
VMware: Enabling Better Business Outcomes with Policy-Driven Service Level Management |
Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery
Business Workshops
BW4740 |
|
BW4741 |
|
BW4742 |
|
BW4743 |
Desktop Virtualization
Enterprise Applications
Technology and Architecture
Virtualization 101
V11721 |
|
V12226 |
Building a High Availability and Disaster Recovery Solution with VMware |
V12644 |
Designing a Virtualization Infrastructure for the Small Environment |
V12789 |
VMware vCenter Converter 101 (online only)* |
V13100 |
The VMware Competitive Advantage – A Comparison of Server Virtualization Offerings |
V13226 |
|
V13227 |
|
V13229 |
|
V13395 |
Getting to Yes! Keys to Launching a Successful Data Center Virtualization Program |
V13478 |
Executing Enterprise Virtualization – Continuing Case Study with USMC |
V13496 |
VMware vSphere and VI Best Practices – Tips and Tricks (online only)* |
V13760 |
Virtualization Management
Instructor-Led Labs (PDFs only)
LAB01 |
|
LAB02 |
|
LAB03 |
|
LAB04 |
VMware vSphere 4 – Performance Optimization & Troubleshooting |
LAB05 |
VMware vSphere 4 – Security Hardening & Best Practices (vShield Zones) |
LAB06 |
|
LAB07 |
|
LAB08 |
|
LAB09 |
|
LAB10 |
|
LAB11 |
|
LAB12 |
Self-Paced Labs (PDFs only)
SPL13 |
|
SPL14 |
|
SPL15 |
|
SPL16 |
VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Basic Install & Config |
SPL17 |
|
SPL18 |
|
SPL19 |
|
SPL20 |
|
SPL21 |
|
SPL22 |
|
SPL23 |
I wasn’t able to to go VMworld US in person this year because my wife and I were expecting a baby at that time, but luckily I received a VMworld subscription from VMware as a benefit of the vExpert programme; had I not I would have probably shelled out of my own pocket for one.
Justifying the spend
Whilst we seem to be slowly emerging from the economic apocalypse of the last 18 months it’s still very hard to get sign-off to attend such events in person and too many org’s treat VMworld/Tech-Ed as marketing type events – unless you are a vendor with a stand this couldn’t be further from the truth – these conferences are primarily technical training boot-camp camps, with some networking and general trade show features thrown in. However, they are what you make of them – the onus is on you to hunt down the sessions/track or people you are interested in – nobody drives your schedule but you – non self-starters need not apply.
I use the following analogy – which applies equally to Microsoft Tech-Ed and VMworld (..and I’m sure Oracle World, Apple World, etc.)
A typical 5-day technical training course on an individual product (Exchange, ESX, Windows 2008) in the UK will cost in the region of £1,500-3,000 GBP and those 5 days will be slow-paced (9.30 –> 4.30pm affairs). The course content and material has to cater to the lowest common denominator delegate, for a geek/experienced tech this can make for frustratingly slow progress and means you only cover a very narrow technical focus, or broad high-level overview – you can’t easily dive in and out of the bits that are relevant to you with a traditionally delivered course and even the best instructor in the world can’t dedicate that much time to you in a classroom environment.
So compare that training course is £2-3000 + travel + accommodation + time out of the office to VMworld (for example..), even at the most expensive register on-site on the day prices
- VMWorld Full Conference Pass* 1,260 EUR (£1,176 GBP at current exchange rate) (Tech-Ed 5 days c.£2000 full price* ticket)
- Travel (airfare from most of continental Europe, economy/flexible flight) c.£400**
- Hotel (normal business hotel, 4 nights) £900**
+Access to on-demand streamed and downloaded content following the conference (access allowed until the next VMworld) included
+Lunch/breakfast usually included
+Networking opportunities, access to product teams and managers included
+trade show with relevant vendors/suppliers included
+bag and pen included (ok, I’m struggling with that one! :))
note:
*Early registration attracts a large discount on the full conference pass – look for “early bird” tickets which can knock a significant percentage off the full price
**If you are prepared to “slum” it with budget airlines and hotels this is significantly cheaper.
Prices for reference:
With Microsoft Tech-Ed they usually give a complimentary Technet Direct subscription – which is worth hundreds of pounds on it’s own and gives you multiple copies of almost every Microsoft product for your own use.
So if you look at it pragmatically – VMworld/Tech-Ed give you the flexibility to tailor your content to what is important to you; as well as the ability to take all the information away with you to review online post-conference (even for the sessions you didn’t make in person)
With a training course you walk away with a nice certificate, some spiral bound manuals and if you are lucky – a pen 🙂
And they both come out to roughly the same price.
I’m not saying this is for everyone – you need to be a self-starter to make the most of these conferences, and if you do a limited scope day-job and that is all you are interested in doing, traditional training courses are probably your best bet but for those of us that work as consultants or want to broaden our horizons – go for it!
My write-ups of previous VMWorld and Tech-Ed events can be found at the following links:
Tech-Ed EMEA 2008
https://vinf.net/2008/10/31/off-to-microsoft-teched-emea-2008/
https://vinf.net/2008/11/04/teched-emea-2008-it-pro-day-1/
https://vinf.net/2008/11/04/teched-emea-2008-it-pro-day-2/
https://vinf.net/2008/11/06/teched-emea-2008-it-pro-day-3/
https://vinf.net/2008/11/06/teched-emea-2008-it-pro-day-4/
https://vinf.net/2008/11/07/teched-emea-2008-it-pro-day-5/
VMworld Europe 2009
https://vinf.net/2009/02/23/vmworld-partner-day-keynote/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/24/vmworld-partner-day-wrap-up/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/24/vmworld-europe-day-1-keynote/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/24/dc02-best-practices-for-lab-manager-vmworld-europe-2009/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/24/dc14-overview-of-2009-vmware-datacenter-products-vmworld-europe-2009/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/24/vmworld-europe-day-1-wrap-up/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/24/vmware-client-hypervisor-cvp-grid-application-thoughts/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/25/vmworld-europe-day-2-keynote/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/25/how-vmware-it-use-vmware-internally/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/26/hands-on-lab-01-vsphere-features-overview/
https://vinf.net/2009/02/26/hands-on-lab-12-cisco-nexus-1000v-switch/