Troy Ostmark

Stop treating your vCLS VMs like regular Virtual Machines! 🛑 If you’ve seen those tiny "vCLS" VMs popping up in your inventory and wondered why they keep fighting you when you try to move or power them off, this one is for you. Here is the "No-Nonsense Guide" to vSphere Cluster Services (vCLS) for my VMware community. 🧵👇 🛡️ What exactly IS a vCLS VM? Think of vCLS as the decentralized brain of your cluster. Introduced in vSphere 7.0 U1, these VMs ensure that DRS and vSphere HA keep working even if your vCenter Server goes offline. * vSphere 7.x - 8.0 U2: These are "Agent VMs" (External). They have a small disk footprint and live on your datastores. * vSphere 8.0 U3+: These are now "Embedded" (CRX). They are stateless, have no disks, and are managed directly by the ESXi hosts. Super clean! ✨ ✅ The "Green Zone" (What you SHOULD do) * Designate Datastores: Use the "Datastore Allowed" list to keep vCLS VMs off your expensive Tier-0 storage or local drives. * Monitor Health: If the Cluster Health is "Purple," check your EAM (ESX Agent Manager) or storage connectivity. * Use Retreat Mode: If you need to perform a full site shutdown or deep troubleshooting, use the Retreat Mode setting to gracefully remove them. ❌ The "Red Zone" (What you MUST NOT do) Manual interference is the #1 cause of "DRS Disabled" errors. Avoid these: * Don’t Rename Them: The system uses UUIDs and specific naming; changing vCLS (1) to System-VM-01 will break the link. * Don’t Power Them Off: vCenter will detect the "power-off" as a failure and immediately try to restart it. You’ll just end up in a task loop. 🔄 * Don’t Back Them Up: There is no data inside. Backing them up is just consuming licenses and storage for no reason. * Don’t Edit Hardware: No extra NICs, no extra RAM. They are optimized to run on 128MB. Let them be lean! * Don't vMotion (in 8.0 U3+): For the new embedded versions, don't try to migrate them. If a host enters Maintenance Mode, the pod is destroyed and reborn elsewhere automatically. Keep your clusters healthy and your vCenter happy. 🛠️ #VMware #vSphere #vExpert #Virtualization #CloudComputing #SysAdmin #Broadcom #DataCenter #vCLS #ITInfrastructure Would you like me to create a quick "Cheat Sheet" image or a script to check the vCLS health across all your clusters?

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You’re in the mountains and it’s raining. You look at the raindrops from the window of a cozy hilltop hotel while having coffee with your girlfriend. You are enjoying peace, calmness, and beauty. Now imagine watching that same raindrop while sitting in a hut down in the valley, the roof leaking, and everything getting drenched. It's the same raindrop, but it gives a totally different experience. That is exactly how prompts work. The words may look the same, but what they mean—what they do—completely depends on context. Our understanding doesn’t come from the words themselves, but from where we stand when we read them. Words are like chameleons. Their meaning shifts with the reader—their perspective, emotion, or experience. They shift again with the model—shaped by what it has seen, learned, and remembered. And finally, they take form through the prompt itself—through structure, phrasing, and intent. That’s why Prompt Engineering is both an art and a science. In continuation of DBS's efforts for AI adoption, we kicked off another AI training series today to train our digital workforce on Prompt Engineering, Context Engineering, and the usage of tools like Claude Code. This initiative is aimed at making our teams more efficient at coding tasks and significantly improving overall productivity. #AI #GenerativeAI #PromptEngineering #MachineLearning #DataScience #Training

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"A manager’s true strength lies not just in technical expertise, but in the ability to inspire, listen, and lead people. Effective communication and people management are what turn strategy into success." Too often, organizations reward technical brilliance with management roles, forgetting that leadership is about delegation, trust, and guiding people—not doing the work yourself. #LeadershipMatters #PeopleOverTech #EffectiveLeadership #ManagementSkills #TeamSuccess #DelegationNotDomination #SoftSkillsMatter #LeadWithPurpose #ModernLeadership #WorkplaceWisdom

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CNCF Introduces a New Recertification Program - KCNA automatically renews when you pass or recertify CKA or CKAD. - KCSA automatically renews when you pass or recertify CKS. CARE (Certification Advancement & Recertification Experience) simplifies certification maintenance by recognizing continued growth. Advance or recertify eligible higher-level certifications and keep foundational credentials current automatically. #CNCF #Kubestronaut #Care_Program

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When Meriwest Credit Union partnered with Agility Recovery to test their mobile recovery center in San Jose, they didn’t just validate technology—they validated resilience. By testing that their custom mobile branch configuration and tech set up would meet their needs in an emergency, this exercise provided the Meriwest team with confidence that they can continue serving the community when disaster strikes. 📽️ Watch the full video to see how Meriwest tested, learned, and strengthened their recovery strategy with Agility. 👉 https://lnkd.in/gXwcNtgg #BusinessContinuity #TestYourPlan #Resilience #CreditUnions

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🔍 Problem Management: More Than Just Fixing Issues Effective problem management isn't just about resolving incidents—it's about building resilience, driving continuous improvement, and fostering collaboration across teams. These five key responsibilities that define a structured approach to problem management: 1️⃣ Coordinating communication across teams 2️⃣ Ensuring SLAs are consistently met 3️⃣ Managing the Known Error Database (KEDB) 4️⃣ Driving timely problem closure 5️⃣ Conducting reviews to extract actionable insights Whether you're in IT, cybersecurity, or business operations, these pillars help transform reactive firefighting into proactive strategy. Let’s move from resolution to evolution. 💡 ProblemManagement #ITIL #ServiceManagement #Cybersecurity #ContinuousImprovement #Leadership #SLAs #KEDB #ITOperations #Collaboration #BusinessResilience #TechStrategy

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The recent joint advisory from CISA, FBI, EPA, and DOE highlights critical cybersecurity concerns for operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) within U.S. critical infrastructure. Although not groundbreakingly new, it is a good reminder that the tactics used do not deviate far from common best practices. The document is a quick 3 page read, link provided below, but here's a quick summary of key mitigations: - Disconnect OT from the public internet: OT devices are vulnerable when exposed online. - Change default passwords: Use strong, unique passwords to prevent unauthorized access. - Secure remote access: Implement VPNs with phishing-resistant multifactor authentication. - Segment IT and OT networks: Reduce the risk of widespread disruptions. Maintain manual operation capabilities: Ensure continuity during cyber incidents. These recommendations align with the Cross-Sector Cybersecurity Performance Goals (CPGs) developed by CISA and NIST, providing a baseline for cybersecurity practices. For detailed guidance, refer to the full advisory: https://lnkd.in/eJ7WAzce #Cybersecurity #CriticalInfrastructure #OperationalTechnology #CISA #FBI #NIST #OTSecurity #ICS #CyberThreats #RiskManagement

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Dalibor Petrovic succintly articulates the What, Why and How to succeed. These skills are relevant for all professions…the arts, financial sector, educators, manufacturing…the future is today.

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