Server Virtualization Course

Lesson 1 • What Virtualisation Is and Why It Matters

Defines virtualisation and contrasts it with traditional bare-metal deployments. Sets the business and technical context for the entire course.

Lesson 2 • Types of Hypervisors

Distinguishes Type 1 and Type 2 hypervisors by architecture and use case. Prepares students to select the right hypervisor for a given environment.

Lesson 3 • Core Virtualisation Concepts and Terminology

Introduces hypervisors, virtual machines, guests, and hosts. Provides the shared vocabulary used throughout all remaining chapters.

Lesson 1 • Virtual CPU Architecture

Covers vCPU scheduling, NUMA awareness, and CPU affinity settings. Connects CPU configuration choices to VM performance outcomes.

Lesson 2 • Virtual Networking Fundamentals

Introduces virtual NICs, virtual switches, and port groups. Provides the networking baseline needed for advanced network virtualisation topics.

Lesson 3 • Virtual Storage Subsystems

Describes virtual disk formats, storage controllers, and thin vs. thick provisioning. Establishes storage fundamentals required for later chapters on storage networking.

Lesson 4 • Virtual Memory Management

Explains memory ballooning, transparent page sharing, and swap techniques. Shows how the hypervisor reclaims and allocates RAM dynamically.

Lesson 1 • Management Console and CLI Basics

Introduces the graphical management console and command-line interface for the hypervisor. Students navigate both interfaces to perform common administrative tasks.

Lesson 2 • Initial Hypervisor Configuration

Sets up management networking, hostname, DNS, and NTP after installation. Establishes a stable management baseline for all subsequent operations.

Lesson 3 • Hypervisor Security Hardening

Applies principle of least privilege, disables unused services, and configures audit logging. Reduces the attack surface of the hypervisor before VMs are deployed.

Lesson 4 • Hypervisor Installation Process

Walks through bootable media creation, partitioning, and initial setup wizard steps. Students perform a repeatable, documented installation procedure.

Lesson 1 • Provisioning Virtual Machines

Covers new VM creation wizards, ISO mounting, and OS installation inside a VM. Builds the core deployment skill used in every subsequent lab exercise.

Lesson 2 • VM Power Operations and States

Covers power on, suspend, reset, and graceful shutdown operations and their effects. Ensures students choose the correct power action for each operational scenario.

Lesson 3 • VM Resource Allocation and Limits

Configures CPU, memory, and disk reservations, limits, and shares for VMs. Prepares students to enforce service-level agreements through resource controls.

Lesson 4 • VM Templates and Cloning

Explains how to convert VMs to templates and deploy clones for rapid provisioning. Reduces deployment time and enforces configuration consistency across environments.

Lesson 1 • Storage Performance and Troubleshooting

Identifies storage bottlenecks using latency, throughput, and queue-depth metrics. Equips students to diagnose and resolve common virtual storage performance issues.

Lesson 2 • Software-Defined Storage Concepts

Explains hyper-converged storage, storage policies, and virtual SANs. Prepares students to evaluate and configure modern software-defined storage solutions.

Lesson 3 • Advanced Virtual Switch Configuration

Configures distributed virtual switches, uplink teaming, and traffic shaping policies. Extends basic switching knowledge to enterprise-grade network designs.

Lesson 4 • Software-Defined Networking Concepts

Introduces overlay networks, logical routers, and micro-segmentation in virtual environments. Connects physical networking knowledge to software-defined network design.

Lesson 1 • Distributed Resource Scheduling

Configures automated load balancing across cluster hosts using DRS policies. Ensures optimal resource utilisation without manual intervention.

Lesson 2 • High Availability Configuration

Configures HA clusters, restart priorities, and VM monitoring for automatic recovery. Directly addresses the goal of minimising unplanned downtime in production.

Lesson 3 • Fault Tolerance for Critical Workloads

Implements continuous availability using synchronous VM mirroring across hosts. Students distinguish FT from HA and apply each to appropriate workload types.

Lesson 4 • Live Migration of Virtual Machines

Explains vMotion-style live migration prerequisites, process, and validation steps. Students perform zero-downtime VM migrations across hosts.

Lesson 1 • Capacity Planning and Forecasting

Uses historical trend data to project future resource needs and plan infrastructure growth. Connects performance monitoring to strategic procurement and scaling decisions.

Lesson 2 • CPU Performance Analysis and Tuning

Analyses CPU ready, co-stop, and steal metrics to identify scheduling contention. Students apply vCPU sizing and scheduling adjustments to resolve CPU bottlenecks.

Lesson 3 • Storage and Network Performance Tuning

Correlates storage latency and network throughput metrics with workload behaviour. Students apply queue-depth, MTU, and offload settings to improve I/O performance.

Lesson 4 • Performance Monitoring Fundamentals

Introduces key performance indicators for CPU, memory, storage, and network in virtual environments. Establishes the measurement baseline required for all tuning activities.

Lesson 1 • VM Restore and Recovery Procedures

Covers full VM restore, granular file recovery, and instant VM recovery techniques. Students execute and document recovery procedures to meet defined RTO targets.

Lesson 2 • Replication Technologies for DR

Explains synchronous and asynchronous VM replication to secondary sites. Provides the replication foundation needed to build a complete disaster recovery solution.

Lesson 3 • DR Testing and Validation

Executes non-disruptive DR tests and measures actual RTO and RPO against targets. Ensures recovery plans are proven before a real disaster occurs.

Lesson 4 • Disaster Recovery Planning and Orchestration

Builds DR runbooks, failover sequences, and automated orchestration workflows. Students create a documented DR plan aligned with business continuity requirements.