Had my second Partner Technology Advisory Board (PTAB) meeting all day today.

Great conversation around vCloud: what does it mean, do customers care, how to make it work for customers, where does it fit.  Very lively discussion and great input provided to VMware.

Next up is VM availability discussion, including FT, HA and SRM.  Could VMware completely remove MSCS from the enterprise?  We’ve given them the target to aim for.  Many other interesting concepts in the pipeline for better availability in different locations.

Licensing is always an interesting discussion.  VMware is still trying to make licensing better, but it is a tough nut to crack.
I don’t always agree with the decisions they have made in the past, but I know they are trying to make it work for everyone (not just the stock holders).

Discussed troubleshooting with Scott Drummonds and how best to deliver troubleshooting and prevent issues to begin with.

VMware automation tools really need to be better integrated.  This will enable the true dynamic datacenter that VMware envisions.

All afternoon was dedicated to desktop virtualization.  Started off with a competitive discussion, then a discussion of PCOIP, a great view into the Client Hypervisor (CVP), View Storage and Desktop services delivery.  All very interesting topics and obviously a lot to come over the next few years.

Overall, this PTAB session felt more like VMware listening to us then the last PTAB.  My head doesn’t hurt as bad this time around, but I definitely feel just as exhausted.  I feel really privileged to have been a part of this.  Can’t wait for tomorrow!

I then had a nice dinner with the wife, after which we went to the VMWorld Extravaganza.  Great party, unfortunately it was a bit too loud for us, so we bailed after shaking a few hands.  I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity to catch up with people later.