Acknowledgments As I write this, i realize it has been over two years since i started writing in earnest for the 5.5 revision of the mastering vSphere series. In late 2012, Scott Lowe graciously handed me the mantle of keeping this tome up to date. In some ways it feels like it was yesterday but in others it feels like an eternity i was a few months into my new role as a consultant at vMware in Sydney, my son was only nine months old, and I had landed this huge writing opportunity. Since that time, I've updated this book twice, VMware relocated my family and me to palo alto, and i now have a lively three-year-old and baby girl on the way! Throughout all of this craziness, my wife has been my rock. always there when i need assistance(and coffee) after a long night of writing, always sympathetic when my lab or Word crashed for the umpteenth time and always, always patient and understanding when I couldn t spend time with her due to juggling work and writing. Nat, you're an amazing woman without whom i simply could not manage life. You are my everything; this project would not have happened without you (again) Thanks to my contributing authors and good friends, Grant Orchard and Josh Atwell. Grant thank you for taking on a large chunk of the work -there is no way i could have managed it all myself. Josh, thank you for your support again. Both of you are experts in your fields and i thank you for sharing that knowledge with the readers; they are better equipped because of your generosity. I would also like to thank elizabeth Watson and Stephanie atwell. I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or not but all three of our families were pregnant, moved house, and changed jobs in the process of writing this book. On behalf of grant and Josh, we thank you for all that you do in our lives and plan to spend some more quality time with you going forward While not contributing to this revision directly, Scott Lowe's work is still very much evident in this series. He gave me a very solid foundation from which to build. Thank you again, Scott, for your previous work, your continued support, and for writing the foreword. I look forward to working together more directly at some time in the future Id also like to thank my technical editor, Jason Boche. Jason, your insight Cand witty editing comments) never cease to amaze and bring a smile to my face. I'm glad you were on board with me for this journey.Acknowledgments As I write this, I realize it has been over two years since I started writing in earnest for the 5.5 revision of the Mastering vSphere series. In late 2012, Scott Lowe graciously handed me the mantle of keeping this tome up to date. In some ways it feels like it was yesterday, but in others it feels like an eternity. I was a few months into my new role as a consultant at VMware in Sydney, my son was only nine months old, and I had landed this huge writing opportunity. Since that time, I’ve updated this book twice, VMware relocated my family and me to Palo Alto, and I now have a lively three-year-old and a baby girl on the way! Throughout all of this craziness, my wife has been my rock. Always there when I need assistance (and coffee) after a long night of writing, always sympathetic when my lab or Word crashed for the umpteenth time and always, always patient and understanding when I couldn’t spend time with her due to juggling work and writing. Nat, you’re an amazing woman without whom I simply could not manage life. You are my everything; this project would not have happened without you (again). Thanks to my contributing authors and good friends, Grant Orchard and Josh Atwell. Grant, thank you for taking on a large chunk of the work—there is no way I could have managed it all myself. Josh, thank you for your support again. Both of you are experts in your fields and I thank you for sharing that knowledge with the readers; they are better equipped because of your generosity. I would also like to thank Elizabeth Watson and Stephanie Atwell. I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence or not, but all three of our families were pregnant, moved house, and changed jobs in the process of writing this book. On behalf of Grant and Josh, we thank you for all that you do in our lives and plan to spend some more quality time with you going forward! While not contributing to this revision directly, Scott Lowe’s work is still very much evident in this series. He gave me a very solid foundation from which to build. Thank you again, Scott, for your previous work, your continued support, and for writing the foreword. I look forward to working together more directly at some time in the future. I’d also like to thank my technical editor, Jason Boche. Jason, your insight (and witty editing comments) never cease to amaze and bring a smile to my face. I’m glad you were on board with me for this journey