Posted on September 28, 2020
Backups & DR
About 9 in 10 businesses use the cloud for something. The rise of cloud storage solutions has brought new IT infrastructure options overall.
Companies like VMware are taking advantage of this switch by offering a virtual IT infrastructure. But what is VMware, and how can it help your business?
Keep reading to find out.
When looking at VMware, you have a few storage options. VMware products have two main storage methods: local and shared.
Local storage is simple to set up, and it lets you access anything that shares the same host as the hypervisor. You don’t need a storage network to connect to the host, and you can connect units individually.
However, local storage can crash if you lose the connection between your host and any of the units. You also can’t connect multiple things to the same storage device.
A shared storage network uses virtual boxes that allow multiple hosts to access the network. You can use hardware or software to create this type of system, and it’s easy to use.
It works similarly to a cloud storage service because it’s flexible and affordable. If you’re just getting started with VMware products, shared storage is the way to go.
When deciding how to use VMware, you should consider if you’re willing to pay for a plan. The free VMware ESXi can get you started, but it’s not perfect.
As a free plan, it doesn’t have a ton of options. For one, you can’t access vMotion, which lets you move between hosts. You also can’t manage your hosts through vCenter when running the free plan.
The free version doesn’t offer the Backup API that you get with a paid plan. Backups can come in handy in case something crashes or if your network goes down.
VMware offers a lot of features to users with a paid plan. You don’t need a huge budget for your IT infrastructure to take advantage of the upgrade.
However, any money you spend will be worth the investment in time and stress. If you work with the free version, you’ll have to spend time working around the limitations, so it’s not worth it.
When you use a cloud storage service, you want to make sure it can backup your data. If you ever lose your connection, you could lose your work without a backup.
But if your network can automatically save your files when you make changes, you won’t have to worry about that. Your data will be surprisingly safe in the cloud, so you can carry on with business as you did before.
You can access a backup from a few hours ago, and you may even be able to save backups for weeks. If you have to abandon a project temporarily, you can come back to it at a later date.
However, you shouldn’t confuse backups with snapshots. Snapshots are better in the short-term, and they typically go away after a couple of days.
You can use both backups and snapshots to capture your work. Then, if you ever need to revert to a prior version, you can access that.
Companies like NETdepot offer backups as a service (BaaS) and disaster recovery as a service (DRaaS). You can combine that with your VMware backups for even more security.
Another thing you should consider when looking at VMware is virtual disks. You can choose between thin provisioning and thick provisioning.
Thin provisioning disks start with a small amount of space. As you add more files and data to the disks, they’ll have more storage room.
This type of disk is perfect if you can predict how much you’ll need to store. When the disks fill up, you will get a notification to expand the storage.
On the other hand, thick provisioning disks utilize all of the available storage from the beginning. Even if there’s technically open space, you’ll need to add more room to store more files and data.
Both types of virtual disks have pros and cons. Depending on your storage needs, one may be better for you. So consider both of them to decide how to set up your VMware products.
If you ever encounter problems with your VM host, you should consult your logs. So as you start your VM hosting, it would help if you kept records.
While you may be able to get rid of logs from a month ago, you should keep more recent ones. Perhaps your network goes down, or someone can’t access a specific file.
You can consult the logs to see if something changed recently. If the VMware was working fine yesterday but is having issues today, you can check the last 24 hours.
Hopefully, you will find something in the logs that can tell you what happened. So make sure you have somewhere to store the logs and that you can get to them quickly.
When you first move your IT infrastructure to a virtual model, you should consider the network options. You can use different networks for VMs, and you can outline the steps for your network to function.
When setting up your network, you should make sure everything is the same for different users. The only factors that should differ are the hostnames and IP addresses.
It would help if you also considered what network adapters to use. The adapters have to work with the network OS, but there are a few common options.
First, you can use E1000, which comes from Intel, and it works on Windows and Linux operating systems.
Vlance comes from AMD, and it comes with a few Windows versions. If you get a computer with this network, you won’t have to change the settings to use it.
VMXNET 3 has a lot of fantastic features, and you can use it on more recent versions of Windows.
If you’re trying to decide on the best way to make your IT infrastructure virtual, you may be wondering what is VMware? VMware offers cloud-based storage, private data centers, and desktop software.
The company offers many different products you can use to manage a company’s IT services. ESXi is one option, and it is an operating system that you install on an enterprise-class server.
vCenter is another product, and it lets you set up and manage your virtual network. You can set it up along with vSphere, and you can use the system to manage different ESXi hosts.
VMware products all work together, so you can use as few or as many as you like. You can get help from VMware tech support, and you won’t have to set up your own virtual infrastructure.
After you decide to use one or more VMware products, you should consider how to use VMware. While your needs will depend on company size and projects, there are a few things to keep in mind.
That way, you can set up your system so that it works for you.
Before you sign up for VMware, you should consider what you need from it. The company offers everything from a cloud platform to server management.
Consider if you need a few things or if you want more intense help. You should also consider your budget and compare that to your needs.
You’ll need to decide how important various features are in relation to how much you can pay. That way, you can choose which things are more important, or you can decide if you should go over your budget.
Now, you can compare a few VMware products and plans to see what fits your needs. You can start with something small, and you can upgrade later.
After all, your IT infrastructure needs may change. So you should be able to change the plan to suit those needs.
VMware offers cloud storage, hybrid cloud storage, data center storage, and more. You can select one or more solutions and products so that you can set up the best infrastructure for your company.
Once you select the right VMware products for you, you can get started. You can sign up for the products and services, and you can download some of them directly.
If you’re not sure if VMware is for you, you can try it out for free with the free ESXi, and you can start paying later. You can also check out VMware consulting services to get advice specific to your business.
It doesn’t take too long to start using VMware, so you don’t have to worry about a big switch. Once you finish setting everything up, you can watch as your company productivity improves.
If you want to modernize your IT infrastructure, you have a few options. From cloud services to virtual infrastructures, VMware has you covered.
But what is VMware? It’s a company that offers a variety of products and services to help you streamline your IT department, and it’s worth the investment.
Do you need a simple cloud storage solution? Contact us for more information.