VMworld 2014 Roundup: Day 1

Another satisfyingly exhausting day of VMworld in the bag. TL;DR: Exercise, registration, on with the show, utter madness, and friends both new and old. On to the rundown.

Exercise

The day started with the VMworld 5k Fun Run at Chrissy Field. If I had to guess I'd say nearly a couple hundred turned up to contribute to the sea of white t-shirts. The course has you run from the Sports Basement, up to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge then turn around and ultimately complete a loop back to the store. It's a great run and a great way to start off the week, however I will admit that my feet and I aren't on speaking terms at the moment.

If you haven't run this 5k before or you haven't run any 5k before, I encourage you to sign up next year. The VMworld 2013 5k was my first metered run and the experience is satisfying, both then and now. If you're concerned about the running, you can also walk the 5k or do what a lot of people do which is alternate between the two at your discretion. The 5k has actually been an ice breaker a time or two both last year and this, with people recognizing you from the event. So it does have benefits both on and off the field.

Registration

Last year I managed to register on Saturday and it was a very quiet, straight forward affaire. This year I attended the VCDX Bootcamp on Saturday so I registered right after the 5k. Moscone West was a bit of a zoo. There were lines for getting in line to line up. At one point we may have been playing the world's largest game of snake.

It wasn't all questionable queueing, however. The express registration, for those who remembered they had a QR code in their email, was painless and fast. A hop and skip after that to get your backpack and you were away. After a brief repose at the hotel I was back at Moscone West to visit the VMUG booth. I was a little ahead of their schedule so offered to pitch in. The VMUG team eagerly put me to work prepping t-shirts. I was quite impressed with the amount of work they put in and their get-er-done attitude. If you get the chance, make sure to stop by the VMUG booth in the Solutions Exchange and thank them for all they do for the community.

On With the Show

New this year, through a collaboration between #VMunderground and #vBrownBag, were the Opening Acts. A series of panel discussions lead by and made up of people from the community. They ran discussions two at a time so you had to choose which to partake in. I took in the Social Media/Careers, Orchestration, Automation and Optimization, and Architecture & Infrastructure panels. They were all, to a panel, excellent. Audience participation has fairly high and the topics very relevant and interesting.

The only criticism I have is that there were far too many empty chairs. This really needs to be brought back next year and see what can be done about putting bums in seats. If you didn't know about this until now, leave a comment, or let the #vBrownBag or #VMunderground folks know. I'm sure they'd be happy for the feedback. Note that the panels were recorded, and I image that they'll show up online for your viewing pleasure sooner than later.

Utter Madness

This year I gave myself a reprieve from the crush that is the opening of the doors to the Solutions Exchange for the VMworld Welcome Reception. Instead I occupied my time in the VMworld Store, picking up two books I've had my eye on: "Virtualizing SQL Server with VMware", by Michael Corey, Jeff Szastak and Michael Webster and "Networking for VMware Administrators" by Chris Wahl and Steven Pantol. Do you have SQL in your environment? Do you have networking in your environment? Well then you have no reason not to pick up these excellent tomes.

Books secured I ventured down to the Solutions Exchange floor and into the cacophony that is food, booze and sales. I understand and appreciate the nature of the Solutions Exchange, however it can be at it's most rauckus after it first opens and the lead generation tickers begin. There's gold to mined there and it's worth the venture, especially if you have a plan in mind regarding who you want to talk to and about what.

I was quite pleased to pick up a copy of the PernixData Press vSphere Design Pocketbook 2.0 Blog Edition book. It's full of excellent information from a great selection of authors. I am humbled to have been included among their number. Make sure you stop by the PernixData booth to pick up your copy.

Friends Both Old and New

The day was capped off by the VMUnderground party. Think of it as a combination of a quiet house party and family reunion. While people enjoy beverages and snacks, old friends get together to welcome each other back to VMworld, and new friends are made as introductions are made. I managed to catch up with a few folks better known to me, as well as chat with a number of new people. Some were community folks I wanted to introduce myself to, and others were not as well known to me but just as welcome and welcoming. A quick shout out to Jason and Phil, with whom I had very interesting discussions about Canada, fast food joints, the tech behind the modern cinema experience and digital telephony systems. Only at the VMUnderground do these topics go together, and well!

Wrap Up

Another one in the can. Time to get ready to see what's in store in tomorrow's general session. VMware's sure to expand on their announced rebranding of vCHS to vAir, plus we're likely to be introduced to VMware's new convergence product offering. It should be a fun and interesting time. See you there!