Contributing Authors

Al Muller is a consultant for Callisma, a wholly owned subsidiary of AT&T. He has been in the IT field since 1995, getting his start as a database administrator in the Navy. In 2002 he began using VMware’s GSX Server and within a year was involved in his first virtualization project. Since then, he has been an eager proponent of virtualization technology and has worked on a number of different server consolidation and virtualization projects.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in English and plans on writing a series of books on the virtual evolution taking place in data centers worldwide and the tools required to leverage and support a virtual infrastructure.

Stephen Beaver (CCNA, MCSE, MCP+I, VCP), Technical Editor of VMware ESX Server: Advanced Technical Design Guide. He is currently a systems engineer with Florida Hospital in Orlando, FL. Stephen is the lead architect for all the virtual systems throughout the hospital. As such, he develops and touches every part of all things virtual through all the systems lifecycle – from design, testing, integration and deployment to operation management and strategic planning. Stephen background includes positions as a senior engineer with Greenberg Traurig P.A where he designed and deployed their virtual infrastructure worldwide. Stephen has over 10 years of experience in the industry with the last three years almost completely dedicated to virtualization. Stephen is also one of the most active participants in the VMware Technology Network forums as well as being a presenter for VMWorld 2005 and the upcoming VMWorld 2006.

David E. Hart (MCSE#300790, ASE #220919, VCP #4970) is a senior consultant with Callisma. He currently provides senior-level strategic and technical consulting to all Callisma clients in the south-central region of the U.S. His specialties include virtualization technologies, Microsoft Active Directory design and implementation, emerging technology planning, collaboration architecture and design, content delivery design and implementations, enterprise operating systems troubleshooting and optimization, and desktop architecture design and implementation. David’s background spans over 15 years in the industry and includes positions at one of the top five consulting firms as the “South Central Microsoft Practice and VMware Lead” for seven years, Microsoft Practice Lead and Senior Microsoft Consultant at a top three telecommunication company for five years, and Desktop Enterprise Practice Lead for a nationwide consulting firm for two years.

I wish to thank my peers at Callisma for asking me to contribute to this book. I also wish to thank my biggest supporters: my wife, Nirma, for putting up with me and all the noise and heat coming from my office, and my two sons, Izzy and Corbin, for letting me work when they’d rather have daddy time. Lastly, I’d like to thank my parents, Don and Judy, for always encouraging me to follow my dreams.

David Payne is an IT enthusiast with a decade of real-world experience in the data center. David is currently CTO of Xcedex, the only U.S.-based professional services firm solely focused on virtualization solutions. David has been key in developing the virtualization practice for Xcedex Professional Services. Specifically over the last four years, David has been engaged in dozens of virtualization initiatives, providing architecture guidance and hands on services for organizations of all sizes across the United States. His practical approach has taken some of the largest US companies in finance, retail, and manufacturing beyond the marketing spin and into real results with today’s virtualization technologies. David is a VMware Authorized Consultant (VAC) and a VMware Certified Professional (VCP).

Xcedex is a VMware Premier Partner, joining this invitation-only program as one of the first 10 partners in 2004. Xcedex is recognized nationwide for its professionalism, deep knowledge of virtual infrastructure, and experience in real-world implementations. With a laser focus on virtualization consulting, Xcedex has become one of the top go-to service delivery partners for VMware, Dell, and EMC.

Jeremy Pries is a Virtualization Architect at Xcedex. He has an extensive background in computing infrastructure dating back 10 years, with experience ranging from networking and storage to security and Intel based operating systems. Jeremy’s current focus is 100% on virtualization technologies, gaining valuable experience on some of the largest ESX implementations. Jeremy’s specialty is filling gaps in management tools to speed project timelines and increase accuracy. His expertise has made him one of the most sought after Xcedex architects. Jeremy is a VMware Authorized Consultant (VAC) and a VMware Certified Professional (VCP).

Xcedex is a VMware Premier Partner, joining this invitation-only program as one of the first 10 partners in 2004. Xcedex is recognized nationwide for its professionalism, deep knowledge of virtual infrastructure, and experience in real-world implementations. With a laser focus on virtualization consulting, Xcedex has become one of the top go-to service delivery partners for VMware, Dell, and EMC.

Paul Summitt (MCSE, CCNA, MCP+I, MCP) holds a master’s degree in mass communication. Paul has served as a network, an Exchange, and a database administrator, as well as a Web and application developer. Paul has written on virtual reality and Web development and has served as technical editor for several books on Microsoft technologies. Paul lives in Columbia, MO, with his life and writing partner, Mary.

Andy Jones (MCSE+I, MCT, CCIA, CCEA, CCI, CCNA, CCDA, MCIW, Network+, A+,) is the Services Director for MTM Technologies, previously known as Vector ESP. He provides comprehensive solutions focused on Citrix and Microsoft technologies for clients ranging from 50 to 50,000 users, focusing mainly on architecting and deploying Access Infrastructure solutions for enterprise customers. One of Andy’s primary focuses is in developing best practices, processes and methodologies surrounding Access Infrastructure that take into consideration and integrate with virtually every part of a customer’s infrastructure.

In addition to field work and business development, Andy regularly instructs Microsoft and Citrix courses. Andy holds a master’s degree from Morehead State University.

David E. Williams works as an Infrastructure Manager for the John H. Harland Company in Atlanta, GA. Harland is one of the leading software companies focused on financial institutions, one of the largest check printers in the country, and the leader in testing and assessment solutions for the education market. In addition to managing IT resources, he is also a senior architect and an advisory engineer, providing technical direction and advice to Harland’s management team in long-range planning for new or projected areas of enterprise projects.

He is also a principal at Williams & Garcia, LLC, a consulting practice specializing in delivering effective enterprise infrastructure solutions. He specializes in the development of advanced solutions based on Microsoft technologies and strategic infrastructure designs.

David studied Music Engineering Technology at the University of Miami, and he holds MCSE, MCDBA, VCP, and CCNA certifications.