Acknowledgments

When accepting the challenge to revise this book from our previous incarnation, I certainly underestimated the voluminous nature of vSphere 5 and the multitude of new and improved features. Indubitable credit is due to VMware for delivering such progress. But that's not the point I'm trying to make. I've spent many evenings and weekends laboring over this task. Second time around, it has only been possible to devote so much time to it with the help and support of my wife, Tarn. Without her encouragement, this book would never have had my initial contributions and never been updated this year. Her mateship continues unbounded, and I'm forever grateful for the partnership we have. I would never have gotten through it once more. Thank you. Again.

I would like to acknowledge the book's other primary coauthor, Scott Lowe. He has stepped up to the plate with this edition, and his deep knowledge, experience, and style has enhanced the book considerably. Kendrick Coleman has been a fantastic addition to the team. He worked hard to provide wonderful insight into his disparate design topic, in an area that now complements the rest of the book so well. Thanks!

I continue to be amazed at the number of publishing-house staff involved in a single project. First and foremost I would like to thank Mariann Barsolo, the acquisitions editor, for her project steerage and the encouragement she gave to all the authors. We were all incredibly blessed to have Jason Boche (the Virtualization Evangelist) as our technical editor once more to check the subject matter and make suggestions so that every area was covered appropriately and was technically correct.

I grew up and was educated in Scotland, and I've lived and worked across the UK and in several English-speaking nations including New Zealand, Australia, and subsequently Canada. My interpretation of country-specific English lexicon, mixed with unique colloquialisms, makes for a frankly weird concoction of vernacular English. The Sybex editors' ability to decipher and translate this into something representing a sane American English dialect was undoubtedly no easy task. (However, I still maintain that the Queen's English is the only true authority, and virtualization should really be spelt with an s.) Lisa Bishop as the development editor probably bore the brunt of this and was always central to the smooth passage of the editing process. The Sybex team of Pete Gaughan, Connor O'Brien, and Jenni Housh kept a close guard on standards and made sure things were ticking along. The production team, headed up by Eric Charbonneau as the production editor, with Tiffany Taylor as the copy editor tidying the grammar into something respectable. Proofreader Nancy Bell's rapier-like eye for detail helped spot all the little mistakes that the rest of us managed to miss along the way, and Ted Laux had the unenviable but crucial task of indexing the text—thanks, guys.

From a technical perspective, the vast collection of resources from the VMware community, the bloggers, the book writers, the podcasters, the VMworld presenters, the instructors, and the forum members all helped immensely. My knowledge and understanding of the vSphere product line is directly attributable to all of you. There are unfortunately too many people who deserve rich thanks, but for fear of this turning into an Oscar speech, I can only say a huge thank you. You all know who you are. Here is a big virtual pat on the back from me.

Finally, I'd like to thank the wonderful baristas of South Granville and Fairview in Vancouver for their delicious highly caffeinated beverages and working refuge. Caffè Artigiano, Waves Coffee House, and in particular Starbucks have provided decidedly agreeable cups of joe to fuel me this time around.

—Forbes Guthrie

As with any book, many people deserve credit for the book you're now reading. First and foremost, I'd like to thank Forbes for the opportunity to collaborate on this revised edition. Forbes's outstanding work and unwavering commitment to getting this book done (and done in the highest possible quality) is a testament to his character, and I sincerely appreciate the chance to work with him once again. We've collaborated a couple of times: first for the original VMware vSphere Design, and again when he was a contributing author for Mastering VMware vSphere 5. In all instances, his work has been exemplary. Thanks for everything, Forbes—it has been a blast working with you once again.

My thanks also go to Kendrick Coleman, who was willing to jump in and contribute his technical expertise. The addition of his vCloud Director material helps fill an important gap in providing design guidance for an important part of many vSphere environments, and I appreciate his participation in this project.

Of course, there are so many people who need to be called out that it would be impossible to list all of them. I'd like to echo Forbes in saying thanks to all the great bloggers and other VMware community participants for their selfless contributions. It is fantastic to have such a great community from which to draw support and encouragement.

I'd also like to thank the team at Sybex: Mariann Barsolo, Pete Gaughan, Lisa Bishop, Eric Charbonneau, Tiffany Taylor, Nancy Bell, Ted Laux, Neil Edde, and the rest of the Sybex/Wiley team who worked so hard to bring this book to print. As with the previous books I've done with Sybex, it's been a pleasure, and I'm looking forward to more books in the future.

My thanks once again go to our technical editor, Jason Boche, for his efforts on this book. Jason, thank you for your honest feedback; I do believe this book is better as a result of your input.

My thanks also go to my Chinese exchange student, Tim, for bringing so much humor and laughter into our house during the writing of this book.

Last, but most certainly not least, I'd like to thank my family for putting up with me as I raced to meet deadlines while trying to balance work and home life. There is no doubt that without the support of my wife and my family, I would not have been able to complete this project. It's for you that I work so hard—thank you for your support.

—Scott Lowe

I've been approached many times to help author a publication, but I have always turned down the chance for one reason or another. When I was offered the opportunity to publish a chapter alongside Forbes and Scott, there was no way I could ever turn it down. Many thanks to Forbes and Scott for allowing me to tag along and publish a chapter in one of the best technical books ever to hit the shelf. It's an honor to share the stage with these gentlemen.

The VMware community at large also deserves a great deal of gratitude for everything you read in this book. One person can't be held responsible for dictating best practices; we rely on a community to decide. Many bloggers deserve credit for the knowledge they've shared and that has been transferred to this book. Without your real-world experience in the field, we wouldn't have the vast amount of information that's available to us all. You all rock.

Thank you to the Sybex/Wiley team for giving me this opportunity. I'm very grateful and appreciate all the work that goes on behind the scenes that makes publications such as this a success.

—Kendrick Coleman