One of the great tomes of design knowledge for virtualization beginners and professionals alike is the “VMware vSphere Design” book, written by Forbes Guthrie, Scott Lowe, and Maish Saidel-Keesing. I first read this book almost two years ago (when it was released) after just passing the VCAP4-DCA exam. I found that the book contained a treasure trove of information on how to move into a tighter, more functional state of mind around VMware design.

Because of this, I’m excited to share that the 2nd edition, written by Forbes Guthrie and Scott Lowe, has been announced and will be available on Amazon for purchase. Considering the vast amount of time that had to go into a book of this quality and size (528 pages), it is a steal for the price. Additionally, the second edition covers both the “new hotness” in vSphere 5.1 and has content around vCloud Director from the perspective of one Kendrick Coleman, who writes a blog over at KendrickColeman.com and has published a really detailed vCloud Director installation guide.

VMware vSphere Design Chapters

Here’s a list of chapters that will be included in the 2nd edition to whet your noodle’s virtualization appetite:

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Designing VMware Environment

Chapter 2: The ESXi Hypervisor

Chapter 3: The Management Layer

Chapter 4: Server Hardware

Chapter 5: Designing Your Network

Chapter 6: Storage

Chapter 6: Storage Chapter 7: Virtual Machine

Chapter 8: Datacenter Design

Chapter 9: Designing with Security in Mind

Chapter 10: Monitoring and Capacity Planning

Chapter 11: Bringing a vSphere Design Together

Chapter 12: vCloud Design

Thoughts

I really look forward to seeing this book hit the shelf and will definitely grab a copy (and probably one for the Kindle, too). Did you find the first book helpful to your certification studies or practical design applications? Any comments to share as we look forward to an updated edition that includes content on vSphere 5.1 and vCloud Director?