A user group with hands-on demonstrations and exhibits, along with in-depth technical sessions. Sounds good to me! When I take the time, and expense, to travel, I tend to be much more fond of seeing techies actually do stuff when I arrive, rather than salesy slide deck presentations. See also:
Too bad the locations chosen for the first few months aren't anywhere near, despite my proximity to New York and Boston. So if you get to one of these before my May 21 2015 Connecticut event , please us know how it goes, by commenting below this article.
Here's the email that the VMware VMUG organization sent out today:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: VMUG will host over 40 UserCons this year. Don?t miss your chance to experience what?s new. Event dates and locations are listed here.
The User Conference experience you know and love now has a fresh look- VMUG UserCon! Experience these must-attend events to stay ahead on the latest technology trends and products, and discuss effective solutions with your peers!
For the User, By the User
VMUG was created by VMware users for VMware users, and VMUG UserCons are no different. The content is selected by users with you in mind!VMUG UserCons bring together a community of VMware users, both locally and globally, where users can learn from VMware employees, a broad base of VMware partners, and most importantly, each other. Whether you spend the day swapping insights, sharing tips, or learning about the latest technology, VMUG UserCon is your direct connection to the VMUG support system that helps you enhance your skills and further your career.
Enhanced Experience, Refreshed Look!
VMUG UserCon is more than just a new logo. The events will also have these added features:
Demo Zones at select events will provide an opportunity for short product demonstrations, or real-life case studies from users just like you.
Identified Educational Tracks to help you better plan your day, provide more diversified content, and allow you to focus on your areas of interest. Tracks include:
MARK YOUR CALENDAR: VMUG will host over 40 UserCons this year. Don’t miss your chance to experience what’s new. Event dates and locations are listed here.
We can’t wait to see you at the next VMUG UserCon!
-VMUG UserCon Team
TinkerTry - PCs, EVs, home tech, efficiency and more, including virtualization. My opinions here. IT Professional offering part-time consulting.
These systems still work great for many even 9+ years later, mine included, even with (unsupported) vSphere 8 and Windows 11 Version 21H2. But unless you added the optional TPM module, it may be the end of the line as far as repurposing them for running the latest Windows 11 Version 24H2 and beyond.
After 6 successful years testing then shipping well over 1,000 Xeon D Bundles, Wiredzone had to stop SuperServer bundles in mid-2021 due to cost, supply, and logistics challenges. Bare bones system sales continued for years longer.
What's next in 2025? I don't yet have my answer for my home lab, especially now that VCF certification is required to keep non-production home lab licenses going, even as a vExpert and VMUG Advantage EVALExperience customer.
As for a SuperServer follow-on, the Xeon D-1700/2700 (Ice Lake D) was a minor refresh for 2023, with Xeon D-1800/2800 (Granite Rapids D) refresh slightly better in 2024, and hopefully Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids-D) much better in 2025 featuring PCIe Gen5, MCRDIMMs, and 100GbE networking, wow! Feb. 27 2025 update update looks promising, but pricey. Infortunately, it's become clear to me that Supermicro is less focuses on the mini-tower form factor these days.
As for the CPU industry, it's unfortunate that Pat Gelsinger was apparently ousted from Intel's helm in these challenging times, but I'm also grateful to have had the honor of working at VMware when he was the CIO there. I'll leave it at that, given the whole Broadcom thing.
These systems still work great for many even 9+ years later, mine included, even with (unsupported) vSphere 8 and Windows 11 Version 21H2. But unless you added the optional TPM module, it may be the end of the line as far as repurposing them for running the latest Windows 11 Version 24H2 and beyond.