Building a Virtual Datacenter in vSphere 5

Building a virtual datacenter is one of the most critical skills for individuals who design and manage virtualization environments. More and more companies are turning to the use of virtual datacenters for data storage in applications including data mining, customer analytics, web analytics and more. Those companies seek IT professionals with the necessary skills to build effective virtual datacenter solutions.

Whether you’re an IT professional looking to build a virtual datacenter for the first time or a veteran looking for a reference guide, VMware vSphere 5: Building a Virtual Datacenter covers every aspect of creating a virtual datacenter on vSphere 5. From design to troubleshooting, it offers information applicable to datacenters both large and small.

This comprehensive guide comes from two talented VMware professionals: Eric Maille and Rene-Francois Mennecier, who begin with reviewing the fundamentals of datacenter design. From there, this VMware datacenter guide dives into the business of datacenter creation – budgeting, scheduling, planning and how to compare and evaluate different datacenter designs and solutions. They then cover technical aspects critical to a successful virtual datacenter. These include the integration of vSphere with datacenter elements such as storage, backup and disaster recovery. This VMware datacenter guide also shows you how to seamlessly integrate other VMware solutions such as ESX and vCenter Server, allowing you to easily manage all components of your virtual datacenter. Once your datacenter is successfully running, Maille and Mennecier provide a wealth of knowledge on how to optimize performance and troubleshoot common issues within vSphere 5 virtual datacenters. 

From beginners to experts, there’s something for everyone in this guide, jam-packed with everything from the fundamentals of datacenters to advanced topics such as integration and optimizing your vSphere environment. Looking for more? Visit us at VMware Certification Marketplace for additional VMware books and reference materials that will help you master every aspect of the VMware platform, from designing and deploying vSphere to the development of applications using the VMware SDK! 

Master the VMware SDK to Get the Most from Virtualization

While offering an incredible amount of power and flexibility out of the box, VMware’s leading virtualization platform can be fine-tuned and adjusted to provide even more functionality! Like many software programs and platforms, VMware’s programs, such as vSphere, have a SDK (software development kit) available to developers and architects, allowing them to custom develop software solutions to implement on the VMware platform, as well as fine-tuning VMware performance. VMware also offers an API (application programming interface) kit, allowing for the development and delivery of custom applications on the VMware platform.

VMware’s SDK and API allow professionals to customize their VMware experience, making it possible to do everything from automating maintenance, to optimizing server performance, and delivering better end-user applications. 

There are many resources available to developers, architects and other professionals who want to unleash the full power of the VMware platform by developing within the SDK and API toolsets; however, one resource stands above the rest - VMware VI and vSphere SDK. Written by Steve Jin – a software architect and developer with extensive experience working on the VMware platform – this VMware API guide and SDK manual serves as both a learning guide and reference material, covering all the major aspects of both toolsets. Jin uses his extensive experience in VMware development and management to guide readers through common uses of the SDK and API, and introduces them to using the API to develop custom applications for end-users.


Not only does Jin’s guide cover all aspects of using the SDK and API, it also covers how the VI SDK and vSphere API fit into the VMware environment – showing you how to use them from the ground-up, starting with basic theory and instruction before moving on to more advanced applications. Everything from virtual machine management to using the SDK in monitoring VI performance is covered.

While the guide is useful to both beginner and advanced users, there are many other resources available, including official SDK and API documentation from VMware. There are also open-source vSphere simulators that allow you to practice your VMware development at home, like the SimDK kit from Sourceforge. However, be aware that open-source vSphere simulators are not endorsed by VMware and not certified to be accurate.