A Shiny New Way to Manage VMware Guests

Ansible

Way back in March of 2015, I wrote a post about managing VMware guests with the vsphere_guest module. A lot has changed since then with VMware support, including a whole bunch of new modules for managing the VMware infrastructure itself. We've also consolidated all VMware interaction around the pyvmomi Python library, replacing the aging and no longer maintained pysphere and psphere libraries. This support even extends to the VMware dynamic inventory, you will be pleased to know!

We took the opportunity to tidy up some of the parameters used in the old vsphere_guest module, and I think the new vmware_guest module is nicer to use. A couple of handy new additional parameters are validate_certs and wait_for_ip_address. I'm sure they don't need explaining, but for the sake of clarity they allow you to connect to vCentre servers that have a self signed SSL certificate, and for the module to wait for an IP address to become visible for the new VM.

This latter parameter is especially nice, because now you can have the single module wait for the IP address, instead of having to do something clunky with a block (as I did in my main demo).

So here is Continue reading

CCIE DCv2 Beta Rack Rentals Now Available

Our CCIE Data Center version 2.0 Rack Rental system is now in beta testing phase.  Click here to submit a request for beta access and I will contact you directly with more details on timing and availability.

Our CCIE DCv2 Rack Rentals consist of the following:

  • Nexus 9300 ACI Spines
  • Nexus 9300 ACI Leafs
  • Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC)
  • Nexus 7000s with F3 line cards
  • Nexus 5600s
  • Nexus 2300 & 2200 10GigE Fabric Extenders
  • UCS C series rack servers
  • UCS B series blade servers
  • UCS 6248 Fabric Interconnects
  • Nexus 1000v virtual switch
  • Dual 10GigE attached hosts for application testing
  • Fibre Channel SAN
  • iSCSI SAN

The visual topology topology diagrams are as follows:

Nutanix gets hyperconverged with PernixData and Calm.io

Nutanix has snapped up a couple of companies, PernixData and Calm.io, to extend its enterprise cloud platform.The company competes with the likes of Simplivity, Cisco Systems, EMC, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise on the delivery of hyperconverged infrastructure, a term it is credited with coining.The Calm.io acquisition will take Nutanix a step closer to its goal of delivering application and service orchestration, runtime lifecycle management, and policy-based governance across all application environments. The company plans to lean on Calm.io's devops automation capabilities to add new cloud automation and management capabilities to its existing software stack.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

25% off Logitech K380 Multi-Device Bluetooth Keyboard (Blue) – Deal Alert

The Logitech K380 Bluetooth Keyboard allows you to easily connect to and type on your computer, tablet, smartphone and more: Windows, Mac, Chrome OS, Android, iOS (iPhone and iPad) and even Apple TV 2nd or 3rd generation.  This keyboard allows you to connect to up to three devices simultaneously. Simply touch a button on the keyboard to start typing on another device. The keyboard recognizes each device and automatically maps keys to give you a familiar layout with your favorite shortcuts.  This keyboard currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 300+ customers (read reviews).  Save 525% off the regular $39.99 list price on Amazon, and buy it now for $29.99To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cloud giveth and cloud taketh away: Rackspace edition

Hosting firm Rackspace has been a well-known name in the cloud industry for a long time, but lately the company has been struggling to keep up in the core cloud computing competition.Instead, the firm has concentrated on becoming the “#1 managed cloud company,” mixing its own hosting services and cloud offerings while also cutting deals to provide “fanatical” service and support to users of market leaders like Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure.It seems that strategy wasn’t enough, at least not by itself.Even as AWS, Azure and Google Cloud Platform have been posting quarter after quarter of amazing growth that help cement their economies of scale, Rackspace’s stock stumbled, (the company had lost half of its market value before talk of a possible sale) which constrained its ability to find a better market position.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

St Jude calls easily hackable pacemaker claims ‘false and misleading’

After MedSec revealed remotely exploitable flaws in St. Jude pacemakers and defibrillators to financial research firm Muddy Waters, choosing to profit by how far St. Jude stock fell after the report (pdf) was made public instead of taking a “responsible disclosure” path, St. Jude struck back by basically calling Muddy Waters’ claims a bunch of lies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

St Jude calls easily hackable pacemaker claims ‘false and misleading’

After MedSec revealed remotely exploitable flaws in St. Jude pacemakers and defibrillators to financial research firm Muddy Waters, choosing to profit by how far St. Jude stock fell after the report (pdf) was made public instead of taking a “responsible disclosure” path, St. Jude struck back by basically calling Muddy Waters’ claims a bunch of lies.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Digify for Gmail: Mission Impossible for your email attachments

File sharing and the control over the data within file sharing sits on a continuum. On one end are the consumer offerings that are incredibly easy to use and come with enough, but not too much, functionality. That is the world Box, Dropbox and Google started with. And while these vendors have been moving towards higher-level features, it's fair to say that their start was in the ease-of-use court. At the other end, we have the solutions that are enterprise-focused. These solutions tend towards big, heavy, monolithic structures and myriad levels of control. They're all about ticking the boxes for enterprise security departments, and while they're certainly robust, they're not exactly known for user-friendliness. Indeed, the so-called "Dropbox problem" where enterprises see high levels of nonmandated solution use, came about largely because enterprise solutions are often so awful to use.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Digify for Gmail: Mission Impossible for your email attachments

File sharing and the control over the data within file sharing sits on a continuum. On one end are the consumer offerings that are incredibly easy to use and come with enough, but not too much, functionality. That is the world Box, Dropbox and Google started with. And while these vendors have been moving towards higher-level features, it's fair to say that their start was in the ease-of-use court. At the other end, we have the solutions that are enterprise-focused. These solutions tend towards big, heavy, monolithic structures and myriad levels of control. They're all about ticking the boxes for enterprise security departments, and while they're certainly robust, they're not exactly known for user-friendliness. Indeed, the so-called "Dropbox problem" where enterprises see high levels of nonmandated solution use, came about largely because enterprise solutions are often so awful to use.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Top 10 free troubleshooting tools for Windows 10

Top 10 free troubleshooting tools for Windows 10Into every Windows 10 user's life a little rain must fall. Sometimes it comes down in buckets.Windows itself has many built-in troubleshooting tools, but they can be tricky to find and even trickier to harness in ways that'll help you solve a problem -- instead of simply sitting there looking pretty and/or perplexed.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Are InfoSec vendors ‘sowing confusion’ and selling ‘useless’ products?

As a journalist, you know the drill at media briefings. Hosted and paid-for by a vendor, and with speakers from the company - as well as (usually) an end-user or an academic, the idea is to bring journalists together with the experts to discuss the prominent matters in the industry. And if those issues and industry challenges can be resolved with one of the vendor’s solutions then everyone’s a winner.The vendor gets the business, the press coverage and the thought leadership, while the journalist gets the story, the contacts and the free lunch. The speakers get some media air-time. It’s no surprise then, that these are usually enjoyable, if tame, affairs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5 hidden Android Nougat features you should be using

Nougat is here—finally! And we’re not just talking about the opt-in beta. Google has finally released Android 7.0 Nougat for Nexus users. With it comes a slew of new features, tweaks, and changes that should help make your Android experience even better than before.There’s been plenty of information published on Nougat’s new offerings—like its support for split-screen apps and direct reply messaging—but there are also a number of smaller features that are just as helpful that haven’t been touted as loudly. Here’s a look at some of those hidden features you should be using if you’ve got Nougat running on your Android device.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to spot signs your project is about to fail

Project management has many facets and anyone of them could derail even the best-laid plans. Recognizing the signs of an impending disaster can give a project manager the "heads up" before it happens. To help you spot the telltale signs, here are some of the more common signs grouped into three key categories.1. High-level objectives Missing strategic tie-in: Difficulty easily and clearly tie the project purpose and goals back to company-wide objectives is one of the biggest signals that project needs to be re-evaluated. Forging ahead without having a clear understanding of the project is beneficial to the company is a huge mistake in the making.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5 apps to help you get more done in less time

Do you ever feel like there aren't enough hours in a day? If you're looking to get more out of your work day, here are five apps -- recommended by Chris Battles, vice president and general manager, communications cloud division at Citrix, that he uses to improve his own productivity.Plan your days ahead of time According to best-selling time management author Brian Tracy, "The more time you take to make a list of everything you have to do, in advance, the more effective and efficient you will be." Battles suggests trying Wunderlist to help you stay organized during the week. You can create, organize and share your lists before you start your day -- from your daily to-do list to managing multiple, ongoing projects and goals -- ultimately helping you to stay on track and focused.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Deception technology grows and evolves

Deception technologies such as honeypots are becoming increasingly popular with enterprises as the products get more flexible and the tools allow security analysts swamped with incident reports to zero in on cases of actual ongoing infiltration.According to a report released in August by research firm Technavio, the deception technology market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9 percent, and is predicted to reach $1.33 billion by 2020.The technology includes not only the traditional honeypots but also a new class of multi-layered, distributed endpoint decoys, according to Technavio analyst Amrita Choudhury.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Deception technology grows and evolves

Deception technologies such as honeypots are becoming increasingly popular with enterprises as the products get more flexible and the tools allow security analysts swamped with incident reports to zero in on cases of actual ongoing infiltration.According to a report released in August by research firm Technavio, the deception technology market is growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9 percent, and is predicted to reach $1.33 billion by 2020.The technology includes not only the traditional honeypots but also a new class of multi-layered, distributed endpoint decoys, according to Technavio analyst Amrita Choudhury.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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