VMware Management

Regular checks included in VMware management

vSphere management is not about an environment that runs on its own after installation; it requires a cluster that is constantly changing. The managed service performs the following checks periodically:

• Snapshot hygiene: finding and cleaning up old snapshots left behind by backup software or manual operations; growing delta disks affect both performance and datastore capacity.
• Datastore capacity: the capacity trend and the total overcommitment ratio of thin-provisioned disks are tracked.
• Resource balance: DRS recommendations, CPU ready time and memory pressure are reviewed, and virtual machines with too many or too few resources are reported.
• HA readiness: checking whether the remaining hosts can carry the load if a host goes down.
• Compatibility: ESXi, vCenter, driver and firmware versions are tracked for compatibility with the hardware and backup software.
• Certificate and account review: the validity of vCenter and host certificates, local administrator accounts and role-based permissions are reviewed.
• Configuration consistency: hosts in a cluster are verified to have identical network, storage and security settings; inconsistencies lead to unexpected errors during vMotion and HA events.

The results of these checks are compiled into a periodic report, so capacity trends, pending updates and recommended improvements can be seen in a single document.

In-house team, managed service or hybrid model for vSphere management

When choosing a VMware support model, the deciding factors are how critical the environment is and how deep the company’s in-house virtualization expertise goes.

The in-house model works well for organizations with deep virtualization expertise that can maintain an on-call rotation. A managed service suits organizations that would rather hand off the entire operation through documented processes than hire virtualization specialists. The hybrid model is a common choice for teams that have virtualization know-how but need a second pair of eyes for work such as version migrations and troubleshooting. For the platform’s core concepts, see our article What is VMware and what are its benefits?

Criteria that define the scope of VMware support

• Number of hosts and virtual machines: the number of clusters and the total workload.
• Location of the environment: on the organization’s own premises, in a colocation rack, or on MAV Cloud’s VMware infrastructure in the Equinix Istanbul data center.
• Storage architecture: SAN, NAS or local disk; whether SAN switch management is in scope.
• Backup and disaster recovery: Veeam integration and whether Disaster Recovery (DRaaS) scenarios are included in management.
• Support hours: business hours only, or 24/7.
• License and version status: the current licensing model, end-of-support versions, and any planned upgrade or platform migration.

Once this information is clear, the current state of the environment is reported through a health check, and the management scope is defined based on that report; for a pre-quote review, you can request a Free Infrastructure Assessment.

The licensing changes after the Broadcom acquisition and the options available are summarized in the VMware Broadcom licensing changes guide.