This morning’s keynote was more geared toward the engineer at least I felt more interested. Not to say yesterday was bad, today played more to my interest level.

The Wyse Pocket Cloud is one thing I will be sure to check out. Actually how usable it will be on AT&T shotty 3g network remains to be seen but if you are in range of a good wifi, you probably have your laptop around, but hey it is still freaking cool. Having tried RDP and Citrix via Mobile PC a couple years ago I am interested to see how far the usability has come. Before the usability was equal to zero so there was nowhere to go but up.

Springsource was on the stage again. I believe VMware is trying to show their relevance in the direction they are planning.

Attended a really good Exchange 2007 on vSphere session. Most of it I was familiar with having tried to keep up with the whitepapers on Exchange over the last year. It was good to see a customer success story. Technically the focused more on topology and server role layouts than any kind of “set this setting to x, to make it fast”. From what I can see you need a 3rd party snapshot (san level) software to protect the database from corruption. All other methods do not keep multiple copies of the data. It was good to see a baseline of 1500 users per mailbox server on a single vCPU VM when using the Intel 5500 series procs. That will be good ammo to build one vCPU box and scale out and use FT for hardware failure.

Related posts:

1. Virtualizing Exchange Mixed Messages from Microsoft, VMware
2. VMworld 2010 voting – Check out this VDI Session
3. VMworld 2009 – In-n-Out Burger Run

Note: I rarely do posts like this. I would rather explain an admin problem and solution. I hope this doesn’t scare too many away. I am in a rant mood.

Day 2 was a great day at VMworld. The key-note today combined with the announcement after the keynote sparked a couple thoughts. I would bet I am not the only one that noticed. VMware basically put Microsoft, Google and Amazon on notice. VMware now has the tools to make a challenge to these previously unchecked organizations.

Microsoft and Google
First the giant world domination bent company based in Redmond and its information hording rival from Nor Cal. The significance of the Springsource merger/purchase and vCloud API’s is telling everyone use your existing apps in the private/public cloud, also your custom developed applications will soon fly into the cloud. Nothing we didn’t already know but now they are all supplied by VMware. Virtualization in general can make Microsoft mortal, and who would use Google apps if the apps they actually know and like could be highly available in a per month charge model.

Amazon
The vCloud Express being made available means VMware can provide virtual services on demand to anyone with a credit card. All at the same time letting the hosting companies front the major expenses for datacenter buildout. The software gets sold no matter how successful everything is. How will Amazon be able to turn a profit when competing against the most proven Enterprise platform for providing virtual servers? Pretty hard to do in my opinion.

Now before being called a VMware fanboy. I think VMware is starting a game they better win. There may be a glimmer of hope that competition will benefit the consumer. The bullying by software vendors of their customers should turn into innovation to set themselves apart. The first company to become complacent will lose. At this point who would know what is going to happen.

Related posts:

1. The Philosophy of Cloud
2. VMworld Wednesday Morning – Keynote and Virtualizing Exchange Session
3. VMware ESX is the Industry’s First Hypervisor to be Validated by Microsoft, Offers Customers Expanded Support Options for Microsoft Applications – VMw

After you run the 10k on Monday evening what else do you have to do in the evening at VMworld? I know many of you will be shining your shoes and getting your top hats ready putting on your Ball Gowns for some big vendor party. Before that though, on Tuesday or Wednesday at 5:30 or 6 pm I will try to lead an expedition to a California classic, In-n-Out burger. For those of us exiled from California it is common to make In-n-Out a destination when we visit. Sound like you are a native Californian and order something not on the menu. Like a “4×4 Animal Style” – 4 beef patties, 4 pieces of cheese and all the onions and whatnot grilled to perfection.

So let me know if you are interested and while try to organize a meetup and trolley/train/cab/bus/walk over.

Related posts:

1. VMworld 2009 – I want to go to there.