Xen and the art of Virtualization Certification

You know who you are, you’re the Xen-o-phile who backs Citrix to the utmost degree.   You are committed not only to the solution but taking things to the next level.  Certification.

Well, I’ll be the first to tell you – the value of certification is what you get out of them, and that’s often compounded by what you PUT into it.   But you can’t get value until you understand what lay before you.  Citrix has a number of tracks and strategies to address this with the Administrator (CCA), Engineer (CCEE) and Architect (CCIA) roles.

Administrator (Falls into two tracks, Enterprise and Platinum)

CCA for Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 5 CCA for Citrix XenServer 5 Platinum Edition
The CCA for Citrix XenServer 5 Enterprise Edition certification is designed to certify breadth of knowledge across Citrix XenServer 5 Enterprise end-to-end solutions. This certification is attained by passing the Implementing Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 5.0 exam, in which exam-takers demonstrate their knowledge and skills necessary to install, configure, and administer Citrix XenServer 5.0 Enterprise Edition in an enterprise environment The CCA for Citrix XenServer 5 Platinum Edition certification is designed to certify breadth of knowledge across Citrix XenServer 5 Platinum end-to-end solutions. This certification is attained by passing the Implementing Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 5.0 exam and one (1) exam in a XenServer Platinum component product.
Pass Exam

A09 Implementing Citrix XenServer 5.0
Pass pre-requisite exam:

A09 Implementing Citrix XenServer 5.0
Prepare with:

CXS-200-1I – Implementing Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 5.0
CXS-201-1W – Implementing Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 5.0
Pass 1 exam from the list below:

A06 Implementing Citrix Provisioning Server 5.0 (or)
900 Citrix Provisioning Server 4.5: Administration

As you can see, the Enterprise exam is a good start in your path to being a Citrix Xen Master, and then it builds upon that with skills of the Platinum track to becoming an Engineer.

Engineer

CCEE for Virtualization CCEE for Virtualization Upgrade Path
The Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer for Virtualization certification is designed to certify breadth of knowledge across Citrix Delivery Center virtualization solutions. The CCEE offers experienced IT professionals the opportunity to develop and validate their ability to combine the coordination of operational planning efforts with tactical design expertise and integration know-how.  The requirements and recommended steps to certification are as follows Individuals who hold a current Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator (CCEA) or Citrix Certified Integration Architect (CCIA) for XenApp (Presentation Server 4), MetaFrame Access Suite 3.0 or MetaFrame XP Presentation Server can update to the CCEE for Virtualization by meeting the requirements below.
Please note: This update path will be available to candidates who hold a CCEA or CCIA for MetaFrame Access Suite 3.0 or MetaFrame XP Presentation Server until 6/30/2010 only. After this point, these candidates will be required to meet the full CCEE for Virtualization requirements.
Attain Administrator Series Certification for each product below:

Citrix XenApp
CCA for Citrix XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2008*
Citrix XenServer
CCA for Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 5; or
CCA for Citrix XenServer Enterprise Edition 4
Citrix XenDesktop
CCA for Citrix XenDesktop 3; or
CCA for Citrix XenDesktop Enterprise Edition 2

Gain Administrative Experience:

It is recommended that update path candidates possess experience administering the products which comprise the Citrix virtualization solution – XenApp, XenServer and XenDesktop.  In addition, the content in the CCEE for Virtualization is based on XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008 and experience in and/or knowledge of Windows Server 2008 is highly recommended.
To deepen product knowledge, candidates can pursue product-specific Administrator Series certifications as needed.

Pass Advanced Administration Exam:

A08 Advanced Administration for Citrix XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008
Prepare with:
CXA-300-1I Advanced Administration for Citrix XenApp 5.0 for Windows Server 2008

Pass Engineering Exam:

A15 Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)
Prepare With: (Q4 2009)
CVE-400-1I Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution

Pass Engineering Exam:

A15 Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)
Prepare with:
CVE-400-1I Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)

 
Complete CCEE Program documentation:

To complete this certification, candidates must:
Agree to the CCEE for Virtualization program agreement available in Certification Manager (Q3 2009)
Complete CCEE Program documentation:

To complete this certification, candidates must:
Agree to the CCEE for Virtualization program agreement available in Certification Manager (Q3 2009)

As you can see there is an extended amount of effort and testing required in order to be seen as a Citrix Engineer, only to be rivaled by stepping up to the Architect level!

Architect

CCIA for Virtualization CCIA for Virtualization Upgrade Path
The Citrix Certified Integration Architect for Virtualization certification focuses on best practices for analysis and design of Citrix virtualization technologies. By testing a range of skills used to design strategic approaches to virtualization, the CCIA certifies the knowledge required for successful deployments, while providing recognition and credibility to IT professionals.  In addition to the required exams, a minimum level of real-world experience is recommended for candidates who choose to pursue this certification.  As the most advanced Citrix designation, CCIA expertise helps organizations lower implementation costs, increase implementation success rates and reduce implementation time
*Please note:  The content in the CCIA for Virtualization is based on XenApp 5 for Windows Server 2008 and experience in and/or knowledge of Windows Server 2008 is highly recommended.
Individuals who hold a current Citrix Certified Enterprise Administrator (CCEA) or Citrix Certified Integration Architect (CCIA) for Citrix XenApp (Presentation Server 4), MetaFrame Access Suite 3.0 or  MetaFrame XP Presentation Server can update to the CCIA for Virtualization by meeting the requirements below.

Please note: This update path will be available to candidates who hold a CCEA or CCIA for MetaFrame Access Suite 3.0 or MetaFrame XP Presentation Server until 6/30/2010 only. After this point, these candidates will be required to meet the full CCIA for Virtualization requirements.

Attain the following Engineer Series Certification:

Citrix Certified Enterprise Engineer (CCEE)  for Virtualization

Pass Engineering Exam:

A15 Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)
Prepare with:
CVE-400-1I Engineering a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)
Gain Architect-level field experience (recommended):

Successful candidates for this certification will have extensive field experience related to architecting Citrix virtualization-based solutions. Detailed information on this recommendation will be available in Q3 2009.
Gain Architect-level field experience (recommended):

Successful candidates for this certification will have extensive field experience related to architecting Citrix virtualization-based solutions. Detailed information on this recommendation will be available in Q3 2009.
Pass Architecting Exam:

A16 Architecting a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)

Prepare with:
CVA-500-1I Architecting a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)

Pass Architecting Exam:

A16 Architecting a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)

Prepare with:
CVA-500-1I Architecting a Citrix Virtualization Solution (Q4 2009)

Complete CCIA Program documentation:

To complete this certification, candidates must:
Agree to the CCIA for Virtualization program agreement available in Certification Manager
Complete online profile questionnaire available in Certification Manager
Complete CCIA Program documentation:

To complete this certification, candidates must:
Agree to the CCIA for Virtualization program agreement available in Certification Manager
Complete online profile questionnaire available in Certification Manager

With the tracks above, and your own desire to make yourself more credible, tangible and experienced – You should be set to be your own personal Admin, Engineer or Architect of the future of Virtualization!   There are many paths to pursue in the realm of Virtualization and they all tend to overlap one way or another which will bode infinitely useful when it comes to your experience.

Good luck out there, Get trained, Get Certified and Get Virtual!

NetApp and Virtualization One Stop Shop!

You ever ask the question “Wow, I wish there were a consolidated place to find everything* there is to find about NetApp and Virtualization?

I ask that question all the time.  The following is a release of my internal notes I’d forward to people when they say “NetApp + Citrix?” “NetApp + VMware” or “NetApp + Hyper-V”

This way, both you AND I have a single place to go look and I don’t have to reinvent my wheel!

Everything you wanted to know about NetApp and Virtualization but were afraid to ask.

 NetApp Virtualization Team Blog – Great resource of information and the definitive source on updates of new documents, TR’s, etc – It is where I’ll update new links like those above from. NetApp Virtualization Team Blog – Great resource of information and the definitive source on updates of new documents, TR’s, etc – It is where I’ll update new links like those above from.

VMware and NetApp

Microsoft and NetApp

Citrix and NetApp

Oracle and NetApp

And some definite –must- reads!

NetApp Storage Efficiency Calculator

NetApp 50% Virtualization Guarantee* (Effective until December 31, 2009)

Top Must Read Knowledge Base Articles (Virt-KB!)

NetApp Virtualization and Twitter!

Yes! I was able to track down the folks at NetApp who are on Twitter, so follow them here!

NetApp Virtualization and YouTube!

  • NetAppTV (Customer Success Stories and other cool videos)
  • NetAppTube (Demos from VMWorld and more!)
  • NTriantos (SMVI, VDI, OSSV and more!) 

NetApp Tools for Virtualization!

And last but not least!

 Vaughn Stewart – Virtual Storage Evangelist and all around great VM Guy! Vaughn Stewart – Virtual Storage Evangelist and all around great VM Guy!

So, hopefully these resources will be useful to you, I know they’re pretty useful for me and I reference them often.   Definitely read the Must Reads, regardless of Virt Solution!

Get Your Virtual On! (MS Virtualization Launch)

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Microsoft Virtualization launch

Attend the Microsoft® Virtualization Readiness Launch and Take Home the Latest Software*

Register Now

Get hands-on with virtualization—on us.
Attend the event that lets you touch, talk about, and experience Microsoft® virtualization solutions. Hear from Microsoft virtualization experts on how Microsoft uses virtualization in its own data centers. Dive into robust hands-on labs and gain a technical understanding of the Microsoft virtualization strategy. Then, take home a valuable set of free products and readiness-focused giveaways to help get you started:*

 

Find out all about Microsoft virtualization.
Spend a day learning how a well-designed virtualization strategy can help you control costs, improve service levels, and drive business agility. See solutions built on the Windows Server® 2008 operating system with Hyper-V™ technology, System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007, and Microsoft Desktop and Application Virtualization. And learn how you can leverage end-to-end virtualization to unlock benefits from the data center to the desktop.
The day’s agenda is simple.

  • Begin your day with 300-level technical seminars:
    • Session I: Server Virtualization and Management
    • Session II: How Microsoft Builds Dynamic Data Centers
    • Session III: Understanding Virtualization at the Desktop Level
  • Spend the afternoon with experts and technology partners in our Solutions Pavilion, and experience Microsoft virtualization via hands-on labs.
  • Go home with the knowledge and products you need to start putting Microsoft virtualization into place in your organization.*

*Free Microsoft evaluation software for all event attendees! You’ll take home an evaluation kit with versions of the latest virtualization products. The Microsoft Virtualization Evaluation Kit is available only for attendees of 2008 Microsoft Virtualization Launch event.
**Registered attendees must be an IT Professional or IT Decision Maker and 18 years old by September 8, 2008 to attend this event. Limit one kit per person. All kits must be claimed at the event. This offer is non-transferrable and expires on December 31, 2008 while supplies last. Offer is not redeemable for cash. Taxes, if any, are the sole responsibility of the recipient.

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And ofcourse, the fair Platinum Sponsors of the event! Oh, look there’s NetApp and Citrix! :)

Got Performance? XenApp on XenServer does!

So, today I read this Whitepaper published in May of this year – omg! Cool is what I say!

Discounting factors aside (And it makes for a great read) the excellent XenApp Citrix’s replacement for Presentation Server steps into the Virtualization Space on fire!

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While physical does get some presentation value, the fact that the Virtual instance running on XenServer vs a Physical is able to perform with an 8% penalty is amazing.

Citrix has been a player in this space (Well, really the only player) who is able to produce clear, consistent and reliable results.   And this just takes the cake to a new level.

 

I encourage anyone interested in Application, Presentation and OS Virtualization to this out.

Optimizing XenApp Performance with XenServer 4.1.0 Enterprise Edition

For a Whitepaper, it is a good, short and non-boring read.

This is only the beginning of a whole new Citrix and XenServer revolution, especially with their NetApp Integration, Partnership and NetApp Adapter

The heat is on – oh uh oh oh! :)

Am I ready for Hyper-V? (CPU Doubt)

So, this is often a debated question – Is my machine capable of doing Hyper-V?

Well, let the doubt be cast to the wayside a bit.

AMD Processor Utility to Check compatibility
Intel Checker (by GRC) to check compatibility
As seen in this screen shot as well

This alone will not dictate whether you can support Hyper-V as a lot of it falls upon your BIOS and whether the features exist there to enable. However, just to get past that initial conversation of “Is my processor supported” we have the following link and table.

Intel Core 2 Duo Processor Specification

As you can likely tell, all things being equal – All things are NOT equal!

From a validation perspective, all of the rules which apply to Microsoft’s Hyper-V should also apply to Citrix XenServer.

More on this later…