Exercise 1:

Objective : Understand the ESX Server installation

1. Install ESX Server on Local storage with the following settings
a. Server name : esx001.xyx.com
b. IP Address : 192.168.10.201
c. Disk partitions : select Advanced and create following partition
i. / : 6000 MB
ii. Swap : 600 MB
d. Finish the installation
2. Login to Service Console
3. Check the ipaddress of the interface ( ifconfig)
4. Ping to nearest system ( 192.168.10.2) and verify the network
5. Check whether Web console is working ( On windows machine type https://
(ipaddress of ESX ) in browser)
6. Log into web access and verify the options available
7. Restart the server from Service Console ( Shutdown r now)
Exercise 2:
Objective : Understand the various methods to connect ESX server and
perform Administration activity
1. Install Virtual infrastructure client on any machine. https://(ipaddress of
ESX ) )
2. Browse all the tabs and menus of VI client.
3. Click on Configuration Tab.
4. Verify CPU Speed, Memory & Storage devices.
5. Create an user account by selecting users & Groups.
6. Login into service console using putty with the above user account, and
verify the features.
Exercise 3 :
Objective : Understand the Creation of Virtual Machine, Deploy Guest
operating system, .
1. Login into ESX Server using VI Client
2. Create a Virtual machine for Widows XP using base configuration, name
the VM as XPVM
3. Install Windows XP using host CD Rom.
4. Create Virtual machine for Windows 2003 Standard edition using base
configuration
5. Install Windows 2003 standard edition using client CDrom.
6. Create Virtual machine for windows vista
7. Install windows Vista using ISO Image ( Image available in D Drive)
8. Finish the installation of Guest operating system on all VMs.
9. Right click on XPVM and check whether shutdown and restart buttons are
enabled?
10.Install VMware Tools into XPVM and restart XP OS
11.Right click on XPVM and check whether shutdown and restart buttons are
enabled
12.Install VMware tools on all the Virtual Machines
13.Configure Virtual Machines to Automatically Start and Shutdown along
with ESX Server

Exercise 4 :
Objective: Understand to customize the VM settings, Addition of
Hardware
1. Login into ESX Server using VI Client
2. Select XP Virtual Machine and Edit settings
3. Increase another 512 MB Memory.
4. Add additional Harddisk.
5. Add additional Network card.
6. Increase Processors
7. Verify the changes in Guest Operating system.
Exercise 5:
Objective: Understand to manage VMs.
1. Remove XPVM from Inventory
2. Observe what happens
3. Verify in Datastore whether VM is available.
4. Add XPVM to inventory
5. Delete XPVM from the disk.
6. Verify in Datastore whether VM is available.
Exercise 6 :
Objective : Understand to Interact with VMs from ESX service console.
1. Login to ESX service Console using Putty
2. Identify the list of VMs running on ESX Server from service console
3. Identify the state of any one VM
4. Power off the VM & Observe in VI Client
5. Power On VM & Observe in VI client
6. Unregister the Powered on VM from Inventory & Observe what happens
7. Unregister the Powered off VM from inventory & Observe in VI Client
8. Register the VM which is removed from Inventory
Exercise 7:
Objective : Understand the installation of Virtual center server
1. Install Virtual center server with default options on windows XP/2003
machine
2. Login to Virtual Center Server
3. Observe the menus and tabs on Virtual Center server
4. Create a Data center ( Provide a valid name)
5. Add All ESX Servers into Data center
6. Create Virtual Machine & deploy operating system. Name ( VM01)
7. Set the Logon Banner message.
Exercise 8:
Objective : Understand Cloning and templates
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Login to Virtual center server

Select any VM and create a clone for it
Power on source VM and Clone VM and verify the settings.
Download sysprep files from Microsoft site for Windows XP / 2003 and copy
the same into Virtual center server.
Select any VM, create a clone and customize the settings
Poweron the cloned VM and verify the settings
Select any VM, create a clone, customize the settings and save the
settings into answerfile.
Select any VM and clone using the above answerfile
Select any VM and convert it to VM Template

10.Deploy VM from Template and customize using above answer file

11.Select Template and clone the template
12.Select any template and convert it to VM
Exercise 9:
Objective : Understand Cloning and templates
1. Clone the Virtual Machine ( VM01 to VM02) Dont customize
2. Login to VM02 and observe the settings
3. Clone VM (VM01 t0 VM03) use Customize method.
a. Change the hostname as VMname
b. Generate new SID
c. Save the settings as template
4. Power on VM03, login and observe the changes.
5. Clone VM (VM01 to VM04) use template and observe the changes
6. Power on VM04 and observe the changes.
7. Convert VM01 to template
8. Deploy Virtual Machine from VM01 Template.
9. Shutdown VM02 ,
10.Edit settings of VM 02
a. Increase RAM to 128 GB
b. Increase from 1 processor to 6 processors.
c. Add 5 network cards
(Note the limitations).
Exercise 10:
Objective : Understand configuration of ISCSI Storage
1. Login to Virtual center server.
2. Select first ESX Server
3. Configure VMkernel port for storage access.
4. Enable ISCSI Software client in security profile.
5. Configure ISCSI Adaptor.
6. Configure ISCSI storage, with 4mb block size.
7. Select another ESX Server
8. Configure VMkernel port for storage access.
9. Enable ISCSI Software client in security profile.
10.Configure ISCSI Adaptor.
11.Configure ISCSI storage.
12.Deploy Virtual machine from VM01 template into ISCSI datastore as VM05
13.Configure NFS Datastore
14.Clone Virtual machine vm02 into ISCSI datastore as VM06
Exercise 11 :
Objective : Understand VM register and unregister
1. Login into Virtual center server using VI client.
2. Select the VM05 and right Click - remove from inventory.
3. Verify in the ESX Server list whether VM05 is visible or not.
4. Open ISCSI Data store.
5. Goto VM05 folder.
6. Select VM configuration file and click Add to inventory.
7. Verify the inventory of ESX Server.
8. Select VM05 and right click - delete from the Disk
9. Open ISCSI datastore
10.Verify whether VM is available or not.

Exercise 12:
Objective : Understand the creation of Port groups, virtual switches,
Security settings
1. Login into Virtual center server using VI Client.
2. Select any ESX Server
3. Create a port group (Zone A) in existing switch Virtual machine port
group.
4. Create a new virtual switch.
5. Define network traffic shaping policy settings.
6. Edit the network adaptor of VMs and assign to the above port group.
7. Edit the network adaptor of few VMs and assign to the above switch.
8. Verify the configurations by pinging and assigning IP Address.
9. Add one more network Adaptor and configure failover policy and test the
same.
10.Verify the Failover by connecting 2 network adaptors and remove one after
the other.

Exercise 13 :
Objective : Understand the creation of Virtual Switches
1. Create a Virtual switches & Port groups to deploy VM as shown in below
diagram

2. Assign appropriate IP Addresses to VM and verify the same.

3. Login to VM0 and ping vm2 IP address
4. Login to Vm1 and ping vm0 and vm2 IP address and verify the same.
Exercise 14:
Objective : Understand Schedule tasks and Alarms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Create a schedule task to shutdown the VM at specific time

Create a schedule task to power on the VM at specific time
Create a schedule task to clone a VM at specific time
Create a schedule task to deploy VM from Template at specific time
Configure SMTP Server details in Virtual center server
Create an alarm for an VM
Create an Alarm for ESX Host

Exercise 15:
Objective : Understand resource pools & Performance monitoring
1. Set the below resources settings for Any VM
a. Set CPU Limit
b. Set Memory Limit.
2. Set the below resource settings for any VM.
a. Set CPU Reservation
b. Set Memory reservation
3. Increase CPU Utilization on VMs
4. Monitor the CPU Utilization
5. Set the VM priorities
Exercise 16:
Objective : Understand User access Control

1. Create user accounts ( user1, user2, user3, user4,user5) on Virtual Center

2. Create groups ( group1 , group2) on Virtual center server
3. Add users user1,user2,user3 into group1
4. Add users user3,user4,user5 into group2
5. Login into Virtual Center application using client
6. Assign Administrator role to user1 on hosts & Folders
7. Verify the permissions on Datacenter
8. Verify the permissions on ESX Server
9. Verify the permissions on VMs
10.Login with user1 to virtual center server
11.Verify the privileges
12.Assign Virtual machine administrator role for user2 on any ESX Server.
13.Login with User2 and verify permissions
14.Assign Virtual Machine user role for user3 on Datacenter
15.Login with User3 and verify permissions
16.Assign Virtual Machine power user role for user4 on one particular VM.
17.Login with user4 and verify permissions.
18.Remove all permissions assigned above
19.Assign Virtual Machine power user role on ESX host for group1
20.Assign Virtual machine user role on the ESX Host for group2
21.Login with user1 and verify the permissions on ESX Host
22.Login with user 5 and verify the permission on ESX Host
23.Login with user3 and verify the permissions on ESX Host
Exercise 17 :
Objective : Understand migration and Vmotion
1. Login to Virtual center server.
2. Migrate a Powered off VM from one ESX Host to other ESX Host
3. Migrate a Powered on VM from One ESX Host to Other ESX host and
observe the migration
4. Migrate a Powered on VM from local storage to common storage
Exercise 18 :
Objective : Understand Vmware converter.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Install Vmware converter standalone version

Convert Physical machine to ESX virtual machine
Convert Vmware workstation virtual machine to ESX Virtual Machine.
Install Vmware Enterprise converter
Convert remote physical machine to ESX Virtual machine using Enterprise
converter.
6. Convert remote physical machine to ESX Virtual machine and customize
disk sizes

Exercise 19 :
Objective : Understand HA Cluster.
1. Create HA Cluster
2. Add ESX hosts to HA Cluster
3. Power on one VM on ESX1 and other VM on ESX2
4. Shutdown the second ESX server part of cluster
5. Observe the VM which is on second ESX Server
Exercise 20:
Objective : Understand DRS Cluster.
1. Create DRS Cluster with Manual setup
2. Add ESX Hosts to DRS Cluster
3. Power on 2 VMs on each Server and observe the changes
4. Increase the CPU utilization on one of the VM. ( CPUkiller)
5. Observer the change for 5 min
6. Power off VMs
7. Edit the DRS cluster to partially automatic.
8. Power on 2 VMs on each Server and observe the changes
9. Increase the CPU utilization on one of the VM. ( CPUkiller)
10.Observer the change for 5 min
11.Power off VMs
12.Edit the DRS Cluster to Fully automatic
13.Power on 2 VMs on each Server and observe the changes
14.Increase the CPU utilization on one of the VM. ( CPUkiller)
15.Observer the change for 5 min
16.Power off VMs
Exercise 21:
Objective : To Monitor & Manage ESX Server Performance
1. Login to Virtual center server and monitor ESX Server performance
a. Observe CPU utilization
b. Observe Disk Utilization
c. Observe Memory utilization
d. Export performance report to Excel files.
2. Monitor the ESX Server perform from shell ( ESXTOP)
3. Restart Vmware services ( service mgmt-vmware restart)
4. Restart network services ( Service network restart)
5. Kill the process of VM
6. Verify the log files of any VM
7. Verify the log files of hostd services.