VMware Data Center Virtualization: Core Technical Skills — Lesson 2: Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies

Learning Objectives

• Assess dependencies, controls, resilience, and the intended service outcome for Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies.
• Demonstrate the workflow and leave reproducible evidence in network-storage mapping and connectivity validation.
• Recommend a preventive improvement after resolving a virtual machine connecting to a port group on the wrong VLAN.

Detailed Topics

• Virtual switches
• Port groups
• VLANs
• Vmkernel services
• NIC teaming
• Storage concepts
• VMFS
• NFS
• SAN
• Datastores
• Paths
• And storage policies
• Decision ownership, prerequisites, and acceptance evidence for Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies
• Relevant access, security, capacity, dependency, performance, recovery, and support considerations

Instructor Demonstration

Using realistic infrastructure, identities, and workloads, the instructor demonstrates Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies. Checkpoints are captured in network-storage mapping and connectivity validation, with discussion of alternatives, side effects, and acceptance conditions.

Hands-On Exercise

Build or execute Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies for a defined scenario. Introduce the condition “a virtual machine connecting to a port group on the wrong VLAN,” inspect the evidence, correct the cause without discarding the audit trail, and document the accepted state in network-storage mapping and connectivity validation.

1. Map the current workflow and mark where the expected result can first be observed.
2. Run the scenario while preserving timestamps, object identifiers, and relevant output.
3. Apply a reversible correction only after evidence supports the cause.
4. Retest the original case plus an unaffected case and update the handover record.

Scenario Analysis

• Clarify the service trigger, affected components and roles, prerequisites, and acceptable result for Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies.
• Compare at least two implementation or correction choices and identify which evidence would distinguish them.
• Decide how network-storage mapping and connectivity validation should be reviewed, approved, retained, and handed to the next owner.

Troubleshooting Guidance

Avoid changing multiple settings at once while troubleshooting Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies. Preserve the failing example, review network-storage mapping and connectivity validation, and verify whether “a virtual machine connecting to a port group on the wrong VLAN” is the root cause. After remediation, confirm downstream effects and add a monitoring action.

Validation Checklist

• The requirement for Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies is linked to an owner and observable acceptance condition.
• Network-storage mapping and connectivity validation contains enough detail for another practitioner to repeat the check.
• Normal operation, one boundary condition, and the identified failure path have been tested.
• Access, security, downstream impact, rollback, monitoring, and support ownership are recorded.

Lesson Outcome

Learners can apply Virtual switches, port groups, VLANs, vmkernel services, NIC teaming, storage concepts, VMFS, NFS, SAN, datastores, paths, and storage policies, explain the decisions made, and defend the result with network-storage mapping and connectivity validation.