VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center

The VMware ESX server is vital to virtualization methods used to perform server consolidation, software development, test automation, legacy Windows migration, and more. Server virtualization can drastically cut business costs, and considering that there are few experts in the field, VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center is an extremely valuable and distinctive resource. The authors present surprising new ways of using virtualization to accomplish tasks now performed at the physical level. All areas of business are examined, with text that features technical information and best practices, including business challenges and technology breakdowns to expedite effective allocation of time and resources.

About the Authors

David Marshall is an industry recognized virtualization expert that focuses on product marketing and community development. He has been in the industry for over 15 years and has been a virtualization industry advocate for the past 8 of those years. David is currently employed as the Director of Marketing at Austin-based Hyper9 and was at InovaWave before that. Prior to his marketing career, David was a Senior Architect at Surgient and a Deployment Manager at ProTier where he was responsible for creating and implementing a number of complex virtualization solutions for a number of Fortune 1000 clients. And before joining ProTier, he enjoyed a very successful 7-year career working in and managing a number of departments within BankOne. David is a co-author of the very successful virtualization book, Advanced Server Virtualization: VMware and Microsoft Platforms in the Virtual Data Center, was the Technical Editor of Virtualization for Dummies and VMware VI3 for Dummies, and he also authored numerous articles for a number of well known technical magazines. He founded one of the oldest and more popular virtualization news sites, VMblog.com, authors the InfoWorld Virtualization Report, and can be heard regularly on InfoWorld's Virtualization Report Podcast. He has also appeared on a number of conference panels focused on the subject of virtualization, including a well received session about performance at VMword 2006. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional and holds numerous certifications from CompTIA. David graduated with a bachelor's degree in Finance and an Information Technology Certification from the University of New Orleans.

Stephen S. Beaver is the Co-Author of Scripting VMware Power Tools: Automating Virtual Infrastructure Administration and How to cheat at configuring VMware ESX Server as well as the Technical Editor of VMware ESX Server: Advanced Technical Design Guide. Stephen is currently a systems engineer with one of the largest private hospitals in the United States, Florida Hospital in Orlando, Florida. Stephen is the lead architect for all the virtual systems throughout the hospital. As such, his main focus is to develop and touch every aspect off all virtual things throughout the systems complete life cycle from design, testing, integration and deployment to operation management and strategic planning. Stephen's background also includes a position as a Senior Engineer at the law firm Greenberg Traurig in Miami, FL, where he designed and deployed the firm's virtual infrastructure worldwide. Stephen has a solid background of over ten years in the industry and has been focused on virtualization for the last five years. Stephen is one of the most active participants and a moderator on the VMware Community forum. Stephen has been invited to speak at several virtualization seminars and events as well as being a presenter at the last three VMworld events.

Jason W. McCarty is currently a Senior Systems Engineer with an ASP component of Equifax Inc., in Baton Rouge, LA. As the team lead and virtualization architect, Jason is responsible for managing a datacenter that delivers loan origination software to banks, credit unions, and other lending institutions across North America. Through the use of VMware s virtualization technologies, he has created a dynamic and cost effective implementation of production, test, and development environments. Jason's education includes a Master's of Science in Engineering Technology, a Bachelor's of Science in Electronic Engineering Technology, and an Associate's Degree in Computer Information Technology, all of which have contributed to his technical and business success. Jason's background spans approximately 19 years, with technical experience in a wide variety of platforms, and business experience in areas including finance, insurance, academic, and military operations. In addition to technical and business experience, Jason taught technology courses as an adjunct instructor at Tulane University College in New Orleans, LA for 3 years and at the University of Phoenix in New Orleans, LA and Baton Rouge, LA for 5 years. Jason is a very active in the VMware Community Forums, and has obtained the rank of Virtuoso. Jason has presented on various topics through the years, as well as maintaining a technical blog on his web site.