Tag: vExpert

Posted on

vExpert 2023 – Subprogram Nominations

VMware annually grants the vExpert award to individuals who have made a special contribution to the VMware community. This can be either through publications, presentations, blogs, or work in the VMware User Group (VMUG). I am pleased to be part of the vExpert community for the seventh year in a row in 2023.

In addition to the common vExpert, there are subprograms for specialized application branches.

I applied for the three sub-programs vExpertPro, Application-Modernization and Multi-Cloud and was accepted in all three categories.

vExpertPro

The mission of the vExpert PRO program is to create a global network of vExperts willing to find new vExperts in their local communities, support them, and mentor them on their way to becoming vExperts.

For this purpose, vExpertPro exist in many regions of the world. I have been a member of this group since 2021 myself and have been confirmed for another year.

vExpert Multi-Cloud

The multi-cloud area covers large parts of the VMware Compute portfolio. The term cloud includes not only the public cloud, but also local data centers (private cloud) and combinations of both approaches (hybrid cloud). This includes numerous products such as vSphere, vSAN, VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), Aria, VMware Cloud on AWS, Site Recovery Manager (SRM) or vCloud Director (VCD).

I submitted my first application for this relatively new vExpert path in 2023 and was accepted. Many thanks to the business unit for the decision.

vExpert Application Modernization

Application Modernization is all about Tanzu and Kubernetes, as well as the ecosystem around these technologies. The background was described in great detail by Keith Lee in his article “Announcing the VMware Application Modernization vExpert Program 2023“.

Posted on

Heads-up: Linux Start- and Reboot-Issues with Maxtang NX6412 solved

Cohesity vExpert gift

I recently became the owner of a Maxtang NX6412-B11 Mini PC. Cohesity gave away these barebones to vExperts at the VMware Explore EMEA in Barcelona. Once again a big thank you to Cohesity for their support of the community!

The fanless MiniPC with Elkhart Lake chipset is well-equipped. It has 2x 1 Gbit LAN, 1x USB-C (front), 2x USB 3.2 (front), 2x USB 2.0, 2x HDMI 2.0, and an audio jack.

Featured ports on the rear side.

The MiniPC will be a great addition to my homelab. I had intended to install the Tanzu community edition for it. Unfortunately, the project has since been discontinued by VMware and the removal of the packages from GitHub has been announced. 🙁

Hardware finish

The barebone still had to be provided with RAM and a flash disk. I installed a Samsung SSD 860 EVO Series 1TB M.2 SATA and two SO-DIMM DDR4 3200 16 GB from Crucial.

Reboot Issues with Linux

With the SATA SSD and the RAM, the machine was ready to boot. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS was used as operating system. After installation, a usual reboot was requested. However, the PC did not shut down completely and remained in the “Reached target shutdown” state. The PC had to be powered off hard. The reboot also took several minutes, which is very unusual for Ubuntu. To rule out the possibility that the problem is specific to Ubuntu, I tried an installation with Fedora. The result was exactly the same here too.

The solution

After a lengthy search, I found a clue that was specific to the EHL hardware platform. The fix is to disable a kernel module for the Intel Elkhart Lake SoC chipset. This can be done by adding it to the blacklist.conf file.

sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

The line below must be added to blacklist.conf:

blacklist pinctrl_elkhartlake

Quit the vi editor with [ESC] [:] wq! (save and exit)

update-initramfs –u

The next shutdown was still delayed, but after a cold boot the OS came up within a few seconds.

I hope this hint helps someone – especially my vExpert colleagues who received the Cohesity gift too. Sharing is caring. 🙂

Posted on

Major Updates to vExpert Application Process

VMware has updated the application process for the vExpert program. The application is now possible all year round. Only during the selection process the portal will be closed for about 2 weeks. This is usually in February for the first half of the year and in the July/August area for the second half of the year.

For more details, check out Corey Romeo’s post at VMware vExpert blog.

If you have any questions about the application process or need assistance, please feel free to contact me or any of the other vExpertPro.

Posted on

vExpert Pro 2021

This year I applied for the VMware vExpert Pro program for the first time and was delighted to receive the news on Monday that I had been accepted.

What is vExpert Pro?

The idea behind the launch of the vExpert Pro program is to create a worldwide network of vExperts who are willing to find, support, and mentor new vExperts in their local communities.

VMware launched the program 2018 and describes vExpert Pro as cited below.

A vExpert Pro is a current vExpert who excels in their local region, adding value to the program and giving back to the community. This person has a strong relationship with the local IT community in general, and works as an advocate for the vExpert program, recruiting, mentoring and training people.

What does vExpert Pro mean for me?

I see it as an honor and recognition for the work I have been doing in and for the community over the last several years.

There is a large number of unknown experts around the world with a high level of knowledge and a willingness to share this expertise with others. They often lack just a little push to apply for the vExpert program. Many don’t consider themselves good enough or worthy of becoming part of the vExpert program. This is where the vExpert Pro will come into play. It is their mission as mentors to assist new experts in finding their way into the community.

I’ve been actively blogging since 2010, and for a long time I too considered my own content to be insignificant or not good enough. So it finally wasn’t until 2017 that I applied to become a vExpert for the first time. Back then, I would have appreciated a mentor like a vExpert Pro. This would have certainly helped me get to the vExpert program with more confidence and also much sooner. I consider this to be my primary mission as a vExpert Pro.

I have been actively mentoring in the VMUG Mentorship Program for some time now and have been coaching two candidates (mentees) from Indonesia and Poland. Here the focus is on personal development, training and improvement of communication skills such as public speaking. The vExpert Pro is the logical next step in this activity. I would like to guide talents in my region on the path to the vExpert and support them in every way possible.

Get in touch

Have you ever thought about joining the vExpert program? Did you abandon the idea because you lacked the courage or motivation? Then don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.

You can reach out on my Twitter handle @Microlytix, or LinkedIn, or my VMUG profile.