While designing and writing administrator guides, I often use pictures instead of words. In my opinion: a picture says more then 1000 words. When VMware vSphere 4 went live I started collecting pictures from  Sphere and the Virtual Infrastructure client, I combined them in a Microsoft Visio 2007 shape so I could track off them and use them more often in pictures and designs accompanying virtual infrastructures.

Using them in memo style documents to tackle known issues or incorrect handling is quit effective. Also with the new menu driven style of the vSphere VI Client combined with VMware vCenter Server some administrators are looking for the right path to get to the correct content.

This Visio stencil is a combination of different icons, shape and such. You can design a Host and Clusters drill down with it or use components to use in manuals or troubleshooting documents.

(more…)

A few weeks ago I downloaded the new ‘Diagram & Icon library’ from VMware, with this you can create the most amazing presentations. But what about Visio drawings to be used in design documents? I did have a Visio stencil with a few VMware shapes but the Powerpoint shapes looked so much better. So Anne Jan created a Visio stencil based on the Powerpoint shapes.

Both versions can be found here:

• Visio stencil
• Powerpoint Diagram & Icon library

Update(MeAgain):Now you can see that I’m slow sometimes.. Both VF_Matt and maishk reminded me that I should post the stuff right away and not a couple of weeks later. Other people also did this and perhaps better than me
Go to the VI:OPS page to check them out too.

After drawing another Host & Cluster configuration manually 

for a Technical Design I decided, enough is enough, lets automate this.

So a new visio stencil is born, nothing fancy but it does the job and you

can quickly draw a Host & Clusters configuration.  For example see the

picture on the right side.

(more…)