VMUG Newsletter May 2013

Share Your Knowledge to Help Launch the CloudOps SIG

IT Operations are changing in the cloud era. The people, processes, organizational structures and roles change as IT shifts from a technology focus to a service focus. But it’s hard to filter the noise to figure out what actually works in practice.

VMUG is working with VMware and independent research firm Management Insights Technologies to help shape CloudOps SIG priorities.If you have experience with changing IT operations in the cloud era, you can help.

Take this 25-minute survey to share your experience about what does and doesn’t work. The survey focuses on:

• Cloud era use cases
• Points of ops transformation
• Real results

By participating, you will receive a full report with practical ideas that you can apply at your organization. With our combined knowledge we can help successfully launch the CloudOps SIG. Take this confidential survey now to help make sure this new SIG gets started with a set of data around what works!

Get Certified In VMware Cloud Computing

Here is what you need to know to be certified in VMware Cloud Computing:

10 VCP-IaaS Must-Knows

1. The VCP-IaaS certification is now live and the homepage is – www.vmware.com/go/vcpiaas
2. The VCP-IaaS requires you have a VCP5
3. You do not need to take a class to achieve your VCP-IaaS (assuming you have a VCP5)
4. The VCP-IaaS exam is administered by Pearson VUE, a third-party, authorized testing center, with over 3500 locations worldwide.
5. The VCPVCD510 exam consists of 85 questions and you have 90 minutes to complete it
6. The passing score for this exam is 300, using a scaled scoring method. The scale is from 100-500.
7. A VCP-IaaS mock exam is available on the VCP-IaaS Homepage
8. The VCP-IaaS exam blueprint is the official list of topics that you need to study to prepare for the exam
9. You can register for the VCP-IaaS at http://www.pearsonvue.com/vmware by selecting the VCP5-IaaS Certification exam (exam code: VCPVCD510).
10. You can think of the VCP-IaaS as a VCP with VMware vCloud Director on top

Top VCP-IaaS Study Resources

With the VCP-IaaS blueprint published, we can now break it down and offer you some great study tips:

1. Read the VMware vCloud blog (or subscribe to our RSS) for the latest vCloud tips and news
2. Read expert vCloud blogs around the web such as Chris Colotti’s vCloud blog
3. Try vCloud Director (and vSphere with vCenter) FREE for 60 days, here, in your own lab to gain hands-on experience
4. Do self-study on vCloud Director by watching my TrainSignal vCloud Director Essentials video training course or the VMware Ed vCloud Director Fundamentals course
5. Checkout VMware’s mock lab on the product homepage
6. Know the 8 sections of the blueprint (below), and their subtopics, inside and out:

• Section 1 – Install and Configure vCloud Director
• Section 2 – Administer Users, Roles and Privileges in a vCloud
• Section 3 – Configure and Administer vCenter Chargeback
• Section 4 – Configure and Administer vCloud Networking
• Section 5 – Configure and Administer vCloud Organizations
• Section 6 – Allocate and Manage vCloud Resources
• Section 7 – Create and Administer vCloud Catalogs
• Section 8 – Monitor a vCloud Implementation

The new VMware Certified Professional 5 – Infrastructure as a Service (VCP5-IaaS) certification validates your ability to install, configure and administer a Cloud environment using vCloud Director and related components. VMware-certified professionals need to differentiate themselves by learning vCloud Director and proving that knowledge with the new VCP-IaaS certification.

Cloud computing

Cloud computing is a colloquial expression used to describe a variety of different computing concepts that involve a large number of computers that are connected through a real-time communication network(typically the Internet). Cloud Computing is a jargon term without a commonly accepted non-ambiguous scientific or technical definition. In science Cloud computing is a synonym for distributed computing over a network and means the ability to run a program on many connected computers at the same time. The popularity of the term Cloud computing can be attributed to its use in marketing to sell hosted services in the sense of Application Service Provisioning that run Client server software on a remote location.

Advantages of Cloud Computing

Cloud computing relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale similar to a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network.^[1] At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of converged infrastructure and shared services.

The cloud also focuses on maximizing the effectiveness of the shared resources. Cloud resources are usually not only shared by multiple users but as well as dynamically re-allocated as per demand. This can work for allocating resources to users in different time zones. For example, a cloud computer facility which serves European users during European business hours with a specific application (eg. email) while the same resources are getting reallocated and serve North American users during North America's business hours with another application (eg. web server). This approach should maximize the use of computing powers thus reducing environmental damage as well, since less power, air conditioning, rackspace, and so on, is required for the same functions.

The term moving cloud also refers to an organization moving away from a traditional capex model (buy the dedicated hardware and depreciate it over a period of time) to the opex model (use a shared cloud infrastructure and pay as you use it)

Proponents claim that cloud computing allows companies to avoid upfront infrastructure costs, and focus on projects that differentiate their businesses instead of infrastructure.^[2] Proponents also claim that cloud computing allows enterprises to get their applications up and running faster, with improved manageability and less maintenance, and enables IT to more rapidly adjust resources to meet fluctuating and unpredictable business demand.

Please refer to the attached document for key questions on cloud computing before implementing it in your organisation.

HP Discover

Las Vegas June 11-13, 2013 | Barcelona, Spain December 10-12, 2013

Free HP ExpertOne certification exams

Get certified, and help pioneer your team’s IT transformation

The HP ExpertOne program offers certifications and training in a variety of IT disciplines. It’s a great way to get the most out of your technology solutions – and be recognized as an expert in your field.

At HP Discover, you can take two HP ExpertOne proctored exams for free. Plus, we’ll give you a 50% discount on three more exams.

View the available exams.

Here are the details:

• You must take all the exams at HP Discover.
• You must register for your free exams before HP Discover gets under way on June 11.
• You may register for your discounted exams ahead of time or after you join us in Las Vegas.

And don’t forget to visit the ExpertOne Community Lounge at HP Discover. Our leading technologists will be there. Stop by and chat about cloud or converged infrastructure or whatever technology solution is on your mind. You can also meet HP ExpertOne community members and learn firsthand about the training.

Learn more about HP ExpertOne.

Red Hat Summit 2013

RATES

Day Passes

	Rate	Code
Wednesday	$400	RHDAYW
Thursday	$400	RHDAYT
Friday	$400	RHDAYF

		On-Site (June 8–June 14)
Full Conference		$1,975
Alumni – Full Conference		$1,295
Government & Academic – Full Conference		$1,395
Non-Profit – Full Conference		$1,395
Group Registration (5+ people)		$895

What's included

Full conference passes are an all-access ticket to all general sessions, keynotes, hands-on labs, breakout sessions, partner pavilion, meals, and all of the conference sponsored events (i.e. Wednesday and Thursday parties).

Alumni registration

Anyone who has personally attended a Red Hat Summit or JBoss World since 2005 is eligible to take advantage of this special discount offer. To access this discounted rate, simply identify which event you attended during the registration process and we will verify your eligibility. Please note that the alumni discount cannot be used in combination with any other discounts or promotions.

Government, Academic, and Non-Profit registration

This registration is solely for government employees and system integrators supporting government clients. Register using your government email address to verify eligibility for the government and academic discount. If you do not enter a government-issued email address during registration, you will be asked to submit verification to receive the discount. If registering for the Non-Profit discount, please provide verification of your organization's 501c3 status.

Group registration (5+)

Red Hat Summit is offering a group discount for five or more registrations from the same organization. All attendees in a group must register at the same time to receive the discount. For more information or to take advantage of this offer, please contact our registration headquarters (see below). Please note that the group discount cannot be used in combination with any other discounts or promotions.

Red Hat Summit Registration Headquarters

Toll-Free for USA/Canada: 1-888-261-7908

Non-U.S.: +1- 515-326-3059

Email: registration@redhatsummit.com

Cisco Live 365

Full access to Cisco Live 365 is FREE! Login today for unlimited access. You now get unlimited access to the world-class content and networking tools that are an essential resource to networking and communications professionals from more than 195 countries. Login now for instant access to this exciting global community!

Access Includes:
• View Cisco Live conference content only available in Cisco Live 365
• Use the integrated search and content recommendation tools to search thousands of sessions and partner content and bookmark them for later viewing
• Rate, review and share content with your network
• Receive content recommendations based on your interests
• Download Cisco booth content and partner information in the exhibitor resource centers
• Contribute to the conference conversation with social media, including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
• Throughout the year, view thousands of on-demand sessions and participate in monthly live events that will help you extend your existing network and learn the latest business practices.

Thanks,

Pawan

Peek Inside VMware vCloud Hybrid Service

VMware vCloud Hybrid Service quickly and seamlessly extends your data center into the cloud using the tools and processes you already have. Operated by VMware and built on the trusted vSphere foundation, vCloud Hybrid Service delivers the reliability and security you need, plus full compatibility with your existing environment. With these unique advantages, vCloud Hybrid Service is the best and fastest route to hybrid cloud, backed by VMware support and our global ecosystem of partners

This new service will include the vCloud Hybrid Service in action, including:

• Creating a new virtual machine from the cloud portal;
• Connecting your existing vSphere environment to vCloud Hybrid Service;
• Seamlessly migrating existing workloads to vCloud Hybrid Service.

See firsthand how your organization can combine the convenience and agility of an on-demand public cloud with the freedom to run and have support for over 3,700+ applications on a trusted infrastructure onsite, offsite or both – with ease and without compromise.

You can access much more information on this and the upcoming webinar on this page
http://www.vmware.com/products/datacenter-virtualization/vcloud-hybrid-service/overview.html

Thanks,

Pawan