Chapter 8. Additional Support Methods and Tools

This chapter will focus on the tools you can use to monitor and troubleshoot your vSphere environment. The good news is that most of the tools listed in this chapter are free. The chapter will start with the VMware vCenter Support Assistant, which is a free solution from VMware that collects data from your environment and can package information to be submitted with a support request. The next section will introduce you to VMware Labs Flings. Flings are tools written by VMware engineers in their spare time and are normally targeted for a specific need. They are definitely worth looking at. The final section will highlight free tools that have evolved in the VMware community, along with websites that have some of the most comprehensive list of free tools that I have come across.