VMWorld2008 - Las Vegas

VMWorld2008 - Wednesday Keynote

2008-09-17T08:52:00.000-07:00

Same content as Tuesday Keynote with a little more detail and screens from vCenter (new name for next version of VirtualCenter).

Same content from most of sessions.

Nothing exciting or new from previous keynote.

VMWorld2008 - Christiana

2008-09-16T21:51:00.000-07:00

I would like to say thank you to Christiana for a great VMWorld2008 and some great conversation.

p.s. I apologize if I did not spell your name correctly.

VMWorld2008 - Swag Day 2

2008-09-16T16:56:00.000-07:00

Microsoft
- recycled notepad and pen

Hyper9
- Neat little box of mints

Cassatt
- led lit swizzle stick

Platespin
- led lit dradel (mine the lights didn't work)

SUSEStudio
- led ice cube
- Customized SUSE CD
- 1GB usb stick (empty)
- lime green T-Shirt

Insight
- Clip-on light
- Mini football

Veeam
- Globe rubber bouncy ball

Parallels
- Blinky pin

FalconStor
- Key chain
- Bright orange T-Shirt "I made the Segway to FalconStor" (picture of a Segway)

Quest Software
- lime green T-Shirt "Can your virtual desktop stack up" (muscle man picture)

VMWorld2008 - Tuesday General Keynote

2008-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

VMWare 10th Anniversary
- History of VMWare in-line with growth of virtualization
- Looking towards a fundamental change in way of computing
- Very similar to all-encompasing Utility Computing architecture

1) Virtual DataCenter OS (VDC-OS)
2) vCloud Initiative
3) vClient Initiative

New software platform required.

vCompute
vNetwork
vStorage
vApp
vCenter
vCloud

MokaFive runs on iPhone and Windows Mobile.

* All VMWare employees run either iMac laptops or IBM Thinkpads.

VMWorld2008 - WiFi

2008-09-15T23:21:00.000-07:00

WiFi in my room is $9.95 every 24 hours, billed to my room.

WiFi at the conference is free.
Just connect to VMWorld2008 SSID.

Bring a second fully charged battery as you will most likely run out if you use your laptop at all during the day.

My cell phone also ran out, as it is roaming which takes up more juice, so I had to charge it via usb off my laptop.

VMWorld2008 - Food

2008-09-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

I have a room in the Palazzo, connected to the Venetian and the Sands Convention Center, where VMWorld2008 is.

The room is expensive but comparable to the other rooms at the other places in the area.
My window looks directly out onto the Pirate scene of Treasure Island.
I get to watch the shows every night, if I am even in my room.
They do not go on too late so it doesn't affect getting to bed at a reasonable hour.

The proximity to the convention is fantastic.

I haven't been outside since I got here from the airport.

Cost of food in the room and restaurants in the two resorts is between $38 and $58 for most common dishes.
Any surf & turf or specialties usually run around $85.
Meals tend to end up around $100 if you aren't careful.

The food is absolutely fantastic if you go and sit down at any of the restaurants.

Last night I ordered some braised short ribs.
They were melt-in-your-mouth but a little fatty.

Tonight I went to AquaKnox.
Food was pricey but well worth it. Service was excellent.
Got a front table to watch all the people go by.
They have this amazing wine tube with water falling down the face.
Their is a table and chairs to have dinner inside.
I didn't even ask how much that table would be to sit at.

VMWorld2008 - Contests - Part 1

2008-09-15T21:27:00.001-07:00

DataDomain
Win a 50" Plasma TV and a Nintendo Wii

Visit the following booths, talk with them, get your badge scanned, fill out their form
- DataDomain
- GlassHouse
- f5
- Cisco
- VizionCore
- BakBone

*************************

Symantec

iPod Nano or iPod Touch

Attend Veritas Cluster Server for VMWare breakout session.

*************************

INX

Instantly Win $25,000 + $25,000 for Children's Medical Center

Enter INX at http://inx.prizecode.com

*************************

Symantec

Apple iPhone

Collect 4 stamps, one from each podium at the Symantec booth

*************************

radware VirtualDirector

1st = Xbox 360 with Ace Combat 6 Game
2nd = Ray-Ban official aviator sunglasses
3rd = OGIO Backpack

1) Talk to VirtualDirector sales person
2) Get best score at Ace Combat 6 at their booth

*************************

radware VirtualDirector

3 x $250 Southwest Airlines Gift Cards

Fil out survey with Hosting.com

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Vicom

Two tickets to a New York event of your choice (Broadway Show or Sporting Event)

Attend a customized briefing at the Vicom Virtualization Center in Farmingdale, NY

**************************

** More to come when I get back to the Solutions Exchange.

VMWorld2008 - Solutions Exchange Swag - So Far

2008-09-15T21:16:00.000-07:00

Solutions Exchange is basically the vendors and exhibitors room.

It was scheduled from 5:30 - 7:30pm.
I was only able to get through 1/3 of it and I only stopped at 1 out of every 3 booths for about 7 minutes each.

- VMWorld 2008 blue button-pin as you come in the many doors (once they finally opened them).

Ubuntu Linux
- Several button-pins with their circle logo
- A few stickers "Ubuntu Virtually Everywhere"
- Some computer case stickers with the Ubuntu name and logo

DMTF
- Cute VMAN foamy toy not dissimilar from superman with red body, dark boots, dark cape.

Hitachi
- Very cute samurai with "Hitachi, Inspire the Next" on his belly.

LeoStream
- Foamy keyboard/monitor with "Broker This! leostream.com" on the monitor screen.

ThinPrint
- Tiny starter pot of Marigold seeds with ThinPrint logo on front.

Citrix
- Single LifeSaver mint in a plastic wrapper with Citrix printed on it.

Glasshouse
- Odd little blue thing they claim is for cleaning CDs/DVDs. You pinch one end and the other opens up like a clothes pin with foam inside.

NetApp
- Collateral mini-cd and IPOD speakers

BT
- Can coozie

Shavlik
- Green swag-bag that zips up into a little pouch
- Pen

Transitive
- Cool T-shirt

vKernel
- Pen

fortisphere
- Pen

** I'll post more when I find time between sessions to go back.

The first day was 5:30pm - 7:30pm.
The rest of the week it is 8am - 5pm (During sessions).

VMWorld2008 - Free Bag

2008-09-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

For paying over $3K and being an attendee, I got a free bag with a few items in it.

Flyers from :
- NEC, NetApp, Dell, Cisco, Symantec, EMC.

A Program guide with info about the sessions, labs and conference events.
A paper tag around the program guide from CiRBA.

A decent ring notebook and pen with VMWorld 2008 on it.

A Platespin water bottle.

An IBM drink can coozie.

A red wristband blinking yellow and red from HP.

A VMWorld 2008 T-Shirt with 9 faces in a mosaic on it.

A stylish black and red laptop/swag VMWorld 2008 bag.

VMWorld2008 - Future Sneak Peak

2008-09-15T16:21:00.000-07:00

PDTECH107

This sessions is supposed to be a sneak peak into future Virtual Infrastructure Products and Releases.

This ended up being a very fast speaking person with a tough accent, talking merely about VMWare VDC-OS Virtual Data Center Operating System.

This is merely their "NEW" way of looking at the data center operations processes for managing, provisioning and supporting hardware, software, networking, storage and associated services/functionality.

There were several basic questions about each of the components/topics relating to the products/solutions that make up the VDC-OS that the presenter and other "vmware tech engineers" had no answer for.....

e.g. Does vCenter Data Recovery product support file-level recovery on Linux hosts or VMs? None of the VMWare people in the room, I counted 7, knew.

There was nothing even mentioned about VI4, ESXi or any next generation products.

VMWorld2008 - PDTECH vs. Lab

2008-09-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

A PDTECH and other PD (Partner Day) sessions is that they are briefings using PowerPoint decks to provide you with information.

The LABs are hands-on labs where you actually touch/feel/smell the products and concepts that are being briefed

VMWorld2008 - Scheduler

2008-09-15T13:08:00.000-07:00

The scheduler is great to ensure attendance, however, there are non-registered lines for the sessions.

My schedule has changed 3 times already today and it is only 1pm on the first day.

Attendance has been about 60 - 70% for each session, even the ones that show as full online.

Waiting list status also is not a bad thing.

VMWorld2008 - Partner Day Lunch

2008-09-15T13:05:00.000-07:00

Good salad with choice of vinagrette or creamy italian.
Rigatoni with chicken and cheese.
Salmon (fish)
Decent chicken in a teriyaki sauce.
Rolls
Cola, iced tea, lemonade.

Decent for a free lunch.

Free 2GB USB stick from Intel containing a bunch of PDF Whitepapers.

Partner Day, Tech Exchange and Lab Attendees get free lunch.

VMWorld2008 - VDI

2008-09-15T11:22:00.000-07:00

PDSTX101 - VDI - 10:30am to 12:15pm

Good session.
Very detailed discussion of VDI front and back ends.
Nice whiteboard graphics.
Too brief touch on ThinApp, no reference to detailed ThinApp session later today.

Need to talk more about how fat is the thin client?
More terminal style client?
ESX with auto-start self launching client in futurescope?

VMWorld2008 - 10:30am

2008-09-15T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have ducked out of the security session early and am not going to the Partner Program Benefits TE session.

In place, I am attending the PDSTX101 (VDI) session. 10:30 -> 12:30

Feel it will be more beneficial.

VMWorld2008 - Security Session

2008-09-15T09:59:00.000-07:00

TE SEC-01
Security Directions

Talking about APIs and partner companies with products that integrate into VM Infrastructure.

Altor, McAfee,

Left early due to weak content.
More of a sales pitch for partner companies.

2008-04-15T08:35:00.001-07:00