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Also check out these other great VMware websites:
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VM Blog
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VM Professional
Virtualization.info
Vmweekly

You got questions?  Vmtn has answers!

If you use VMware products you’re probably aware of the incredible online community (http://www.vmware.com/community/index.jspa) on Vmtn (VMware Technology Network, VMware’s support website). The discussion forums are filled with other VMware users from all over the world who use their knowledge and experience to assist others with problems and questions. The level of participation in these forums is very high, it is not uncommon to get an answer to your question in minutes and usually by multiple people. The forums are un-officially known as VMware’s tier 1 support, you can usually get your problem/question resolved in the forums faster then it would take you to dial the phone to VMware. There are many VMware experts in these forums that help others just for the feeling of satisfaction that comes with helping someone else solve a problem. A point system also exists which allows the author of a topic to reward helpful answers with points as a form of recognition.

The forums are also a good place for users of all levels to discuss advanced subjects and share methods and experiences with each other. There is also a fair amount of participation from VMware employees who do their best to also lend a hand in the forums. This webpage will spotlight some of the most active Vmtn contributors who consistently go out of their way to help others in the Vmtn forums. These are a very bright, experienced bunch of guys and if you are fortunate enough to have one of them answer your question be assured that you are in very capable hands!

The Vmtn status levels based on reward points (6 or 10 points are usually awarded for helpful/correct answers):
Lurker: 0 – 5 points
Novice: 6 – 50 points
Enthusiast: 51 – 250 points
Hot Shot: 251 – 750 points
Expert: 751 – 2000 points
Master: 2001 – 5000 points
Virtuoso: 5001 – 10000 points
Champion: 10001 – 20000 points
Guru: 20001 – 50000 points

Jump To:
MR-T Sbeaver Jasonboche Oreeh Kix1979 Continuum Texiwill Dave.Mishchenko RDPetruska Mittell RParker King@it.ibm.com Tom Howarth Rsa911

Member Profile: MR-T (Stuart Thompson)
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Forum name: MR-T
Vmtn status level: Champion, also a Vmtn User Moderator
Actual Name: Stuart Thompson
My day job: Virtualisation Consultant
Hobbies: Football (Newcastle United) & Fishing
Family: Married with 2 young children
Pets: 3 Cats
Education: Lots of IT related stuff at school, college and uni
Location: Outside London
Why I post on Vmtn: I began posting back in 2005 after setting up my first large scale VMware farm and found the site better than any support centre for quickly answering questions. As my knowledge grew, I started answering rather than asking questions which was rewarding & I still get the same satisfaction today. In my current role, the real life experiences which people share on the VMTN are a valuable resource when you spend your days working in different environments implementing virtualisation solutions. Using VMTN is like having a 24/7 support line at your finger tips, the community has grown so much over the past few years and because it's global you'll always find someone online. I've actually made some good friends as a result of posting on this forum and it's nice to interact with people from all over the world.
VMware’s influence on my career: Without a doubt it's totally dominated my life for the last 3 years and as I now work as a virtualisation consultant, I think that speaks for itself. I'm also on the committee for the London VMware Usergroup which gives me a chance to meet people face to face and discuss issues. I believe the London usergroup is recognised by VMware as the most well attended and organised usergroup in the country and we work hard to ensure the events are worth attending.
These events don't just focus on the VMware products, but give people a chance to see some of the complementary software in the market without a hard sell. If you've not attended a usergroup, I'd encourage you to do so.
My advice for those new to VMware: Don't go into production without understanding the best practices. Too many people rush in and create all their VM's with 2 CPUs and 4GB RAM only to discover that's not the way to go. Use the VMTN forum to ask questions and find out how other people have setup their environments. Attend a usergroup!
How long have you been involved with VMware: I've been working with VMware products for around 4 years now although I didn't start using ESX until 2004. This opened my eyes to the possibilities and I've never looked back.
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: Workstation runs on my laptop, ESX & VC on customer sites.


Member Profile: sbeaver (Steve Beaver)
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Forum name: sbeaver
Vmtn status level: Guru, also a Vmtn User Moderator
Actual Name: Steve Beaver
My day job: Systems Engineer
Hobbies: Judo, D.J
Family: Wife and 2 boys
Pets: 1 dog named Karma
Education: 2 AS degrees
Location: Orlando, FL
Why I post on Vmtn: I like to learn and swap knowlege
VMware’s influence on my career: Took it by storm
My advice for those new to VMware: Hang on and join the party
How long have you been involved with VMware: Since ESX 1.5
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: Workstation, ESX, GSX, VI3, Server


Member Profile: jasonboche (Jason Boche)
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Forum name: jasonboche
Vmtn status level: Champion, also a Vmtn User Moderator
Actual Name: Jason Boche
My day job: Systems Engineer
Hobbies: Racing motocross, model railroading, computers
Family: 1 wife (3 years), 1 daughter (18 months)
Pets: 2 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Snickers and Duncan (3 years old), 1 cat Sylvester (getting older than dirt)
Education: Accounting Degree
Location: Bloomington, MN
Why I post on Vmtn: Various reasons. To help others. To seek resolution to issues. To increase knowledge. To watch for current events/trends. To assist a company I truly believe in. To spread awareness. To talk with friends.
VMware’s influence on my career: Fairly significant since becoming involved with and VCP certified (twice) on ESX and VirtualCenter. Not surprisingly, I'm the VMware technology lead in my organization. Although I have nearly ten years tenure with my current employer, I've had some tempting job leads recently. Virtualization is hot.
My advice for those new to VMware: First of all find the product that is right for you and your organization. Then learn as much as you can about it along with best practices. There are a few good books floating around. Find them. Read them. There are some fundamental rules to abide by when considering virtualization. Come to the VMTN forums. Ask questions. There is so much knowledge and people eager to help in the VMTN community. It's really a great asset for both VMware and VMware's end users.
How long have you been involved with VMware: Oh boy, since 2001 or 2002 I think? I was fortunate enough to have a co-worker in the office introduce me to it. I think I was hooked immediately. As a part time certification junkie, I'm able to put virtualization to good use in my lab.
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: ESX 2.x, 3.x, VirtualCenter 1.x, 2.x, Server 1.x, P2V Assistant, Converter, Workstation once in a while.


Member Profile: oreeh (Oliver Reeh)
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Forum name: oreeh
Vmtn status level: Guru, also a Vmtn User Moderator
Actual Name: Oliver Reeh
My day job: Systems engineer
Hobbies: Playing guitar
Family: Happily married
Pets: 2 dogs
Education: Study in computer sciences
Location: Germany
Why I post on Vmtn: To help others. To share knowledge, ideas and thoughts. To get answers to my questions.
VMware’s influence on my career: It was a boost
My advice for those new to VMware: Read the manuals and other available docs. Don't be shy: join the forum and ask.
How long have you been involved with VMware: Since 2000
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: VI3, Workstation, Server


Member Profile: kix1979 (Thomas Bryant)
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Forum name: kix1979
Vmtn status level: Champion, also a Vmtn User Moderator
Actual Name: Thomas Bryant
My day job: Sr. Technical Architect
Hobbies: Start-ups, Architecture, Photography, Travel
Pets: Cat & Fish
Location: Austin, TX
Why I post on Vmtn: To help the community and add value to virtualization
VMware’s influence on my career: It has definitely helped advance my career towards a single vertical in technology.
My advice for those new to VMware: Get your hands dirty. Working with the product on a daily basis.
How long have you been involved with VMware: Since 2003
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: ESX, Virtual Server, Lab Manager, Fusion, Workstation


Member Profile: Continuum (Ulli Hankeln)
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Forum name: Continuum
Actual Name: Ulli Hankeln
Vmtn status level: Champion
My day job: boring factory job (makings nuts)
Hobbies: VMware, BartPE, playing bass, singing, making guitars, autocad
Education: Study philosophy
Location: Germany
Why I post on Vmtn:
1. because I hope to find some guys to discuss my way of using VMware from LiveCDs
2. because I like puzzles and the "Sherlock Holmes work"
3. because I like to keep my english alive
4. because I think the manuals are poorly written and VMTN is the only place where complaining about that makes sense
5. because it is a good balance to my dull job
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in short: don't ask an addict why he does something - you will not get a reasonable answer
VMware’s influence on my career: bad - thanks to VMware I too often get too little sleep
My advice for those new to VMware: don't read too much of the manuals - think yourself and play with it
How long have you been involved with VMware: since WS 2
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: all that run on my cheasy hardware


Member Profile: Texiwill (Edward L. Haletky)
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Forum Name: Texiwill
Actual Name: Edward L. Haletky
Vmtn status level: Virtuoso
My day job: Software Engineer, AstroArch Consulting, Inc. ( http://www.astroarch.com)
Hobbies: Cooking and Woodworking
Family: Yes, got one.... Okay, Married to a wonderful woman.
Pets: 1
Education: BS Aeronautical & Astronautical Engineering
Location: Purdue University
Why I post on Vmtn: It is a great community and I like to give back to others. Alas it could also be considered part of my job. Regardless I really do enjoy helping others.
VMware’s influence on my career: I am just about finished with a book on Virtualization (ESX v2 & v3) due out later this year. In addition Virtualization and Security is my current career focus. I also teach specific Virtualization courses.
My advice for those new to VMware: Plan, Plan and then more planning. Many mistakes are made by just jumping in that are later very painful to correct.
How long have you been involved with VMware: Workstation Beta and every product since then including ESX 1.x, ...
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: VI3, ESX 2.x, VC 1.x, VC 2.x
Virtualization Wiki: http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Virtualization


Member Profile: Dave.Mishchenko (Dave Mishchenko)
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Forum name: Dave.Mishchenko
Actual Name: Dave Mishchenko
Vmtn status level: Champion
My day job: Systems Engineer
Hobbies: Camping, hiking, biking, fishing and hunting
Family: Wife (Marcia) and four kids (Karis, Luke, Ariana and Yerik)
Pets: 1 little fish
Education: Mechanical Engineering
Location: Vancouver, BC
Why I post on Vmtn: I first just started watching several of the forum categories to increase my knowledge of ESX and found that I could start to contribute with some of the topics that tend to come up. I continue because I enjoy helping others, find it a great community to be involved in and continue to learn from everyone who contributes questions and answers.
VMware’s influence on my career: As more of an end user of VMware's products, deploying and provisioning new servers, whether they be for test, demo or production, has never been easier. Personally, it's sure helped at home now that my test lab fits into one rack hidden away in the basement.
My advice for those new to VMware: Get a couple of test systems to work on. This can be done fairly cheaply with white box or old servers off of eBay. I don't think there’s much better than getting hands on and breaking things where it doesn't have much of an impact on things.
How long have you been involved with VMware: I started with GSX in 2002.
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: VMware Workstation, Server, ESX and VirtualCenter.


Member Profile: RDPetruska (Robert D. Petruska)
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Forum name: RDPetruska
Actual Name: Robert D. Petruska
Vmtn status level: Guru, also a Vmtn User Moderator
My day job: Process Control Engineer
Hobbies: Music, Computers
Family: Married, 1.5 children
Pets: Tropical fish
Education: BS - Manufacturing Systems Engineering
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Why I post on Vmtn: I enjoy helping others.
VMware’s influence on my career: Enabling me to program/develop/troubleshoot different software versions/OS's/etc. without the need for multiple computers on my desk; easy portable FAT test systems.
My advice for those new to VMware: Read the User manuals/help files; read/lurk on the forums.
How long have you been involved with VMware: mid 2003
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: Workstation!!, Player. Occasional VMware Server. Test of Fusion (inside an OSX VM).


Member Profile: Mittell (Alex Mittell)
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Forum name: mittell
Actual Name: Alex Mittell
Vmtn status level: Champion
My day job: VMware Systems Administrator/Consultant
Hobbies: Motorsport, biking, trackdays, generally anything to do with tinkering with cars, snowboarding, travelling and computers.
Pets: 2 cats - a Maine Coon and a black moggy.
Education: BSc Computer Science, MBCS, VCP
Location: Oxford - UK
Why I post on Vmtn: To help the community whilst at the same time honing my own knowledge and keeping up to date with current developments in the VMware world.
My advice for those new to VMware: Don't be afraid to get stuck in, and don't listen to the hype, try it for yourself. Use the wealth of knowledge available in the VMTN community and you can't go wrong.
How long have you been involved with VMware: Almost 3 years
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: Workstation, Virtual Centre, ESX3 Enterprise, ESX2.x, VMware Converter

Member Profile: RParker (Richard Parker)
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Forum name: RParker
Actual Name: Richard Parker
Vmtn status level: Master
My day job: IT Development/Support
Hobbies: World Of Warcraft, Movies
Family: Only child
Pets: None
Education: Tech School / Computer Science BA
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Why I post on Vmtn: To contribute and learn.
VMware’s influence on my career: Our company has embraced VMware, and I am the lead on everything VMware at my company. This is still new technology, but since I have been learning more about VMware, our company feels confident this is our future of Development and Production.
My advice for those new to VMware: Don't try to figure everything out. Digest as much as you can, and stick with the basics.
How long have you been involved with VMware: 9 Months. I knew ZERO about Linux and even less about VMware when I started. I thought VMware was a toy when I first learned about it.
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: ESX Server 2.5, 3.01, VMware Server, GSX.


Member Profile: King@it.ibm.com (Massimo Re Ferre)
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Forum name: king@it.ibm.com
Actual Name: Massimo Re Ferre
Vmtn status level: Virtuoso
My day job: IBM System x / Bladecenter Technical Sales Support
Hobbies: Travelling, Jogging, Biking
Family: Wife, no kids
Pets: None
Education: Secondary Studies (Information Technology)
Location: Milan (Italy)
Why I post on Vmtn: To help when I can, to get help when I need. I personally think that forums and web 2.0 in general is really (and I mean REALLY) changing the way people interact and create value around a piece of software or hardware.
VMware’s influence on my career: Very beneficial. It opened for me a lot of opportunities both within my company and outside.
My advice for those new to VMware: Virtualization is going to be very pervasive in the x86 space in the next few years. So if you are and end-user... you made a good choice... if you are a professional working with VMware... you made a good choice too. Either way a class is a good way to start, alternatively there are tons of documents out there (vmtn forums included).
How long have you been involved with VMware: Since 2001 (if I remember well... it has been too long ago)
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: Mostly VI3 (and VDI). I also work with VMware Workstation but from an end-user perspective.


Member Profile: Tom Howarth (Tom Howarth)
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Forum name: Tom Howarth
Actual Name: surpisingly Tom Howarth
Vmtn status level: Virtuoso
My day job: Independant IT contractor/Architect specialising in SBC and Virtualisation
Hobbies: Not got any as my family take up what ever spare time I have
Family: Happily married with 3 children (well one grown up now 21) and the others are 6 and 4
Pets: 2 cats
Education: LLB (Hons) in Law, and several IT certifications
Location: Chorley Lancashire (Thats in the UK)
Why I post on Vmtn: I get a perverse delight out of helping others, when I started here, people were very kind and patient with me and my basic questions, I just want to return that kindness
VMware’s influence on my career: VMware as a company have had no influence on my career, however virtualisation (all forms) is having a significant influence now, my previous passion for SBC has waned for the new flower of virtualisation, however both are virtualisation in one from or another.
My advice for those new to VMware: Read the fantastic manuals, and just ask questions on VMTN, we don't bite
How long have you been involved with VMware: I've been involved with VMware on and off for 5 years (workstation and GSX, however ESX has only had my attention since 2004
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: Workstion, Fusion, VMware Server, ESX 2.5, VI3 and beta 3.5 (ohhh arn't I the lucky one. )


Member Profile: Rsa911 (Michael Fiorini)
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Forum name: Rsa911
Actual Name: Michael Fiorini
Vmtn status level: Master
My day job: Freelance IT Consultant as System & Network Engineer
Hobbies: Travelling, Sport Cars (hence my nickname )
Family: Wife, no kids
Pets: Two cats, worse than kids sometimes
Education: Mainly Autodidact
Location: Brussels / Belgium
Why I post on Vmtn: Helping others helps me discover new ways of using VMware products, boost my experience for my daily job tasks and makes me feel better at the end of day, knowing I helped or at least tried to help others. It's also a great way to stay in touch with high profile IT Pros, exchanging ideas etc... I learned, learn and hope to continue learning a lot from other members.
VMware’s influence on my career: Using VMware for creating Labs reproducing customers environment really helped me proposing better advices and quicker support to our customers. It cut down time & resources needed to evaluate new products & O/S's.
My advice for those new to VMware: Read the manual! Then come on share your experiences / problems on VMTN, there's always someone with usefull advice.
How long have you been involved with VMware: I started with GSX 2.x, so about 3 to 4 years
Which VMware products do you use on a regular basis: W/S, Server and ESX / VI3, I would need more time to seriously evaluate VDI and ACE, both are on my waiting list of products to evaluate.