Administering VMware vSphere 8 (Learn, Setup ESXi + vCenter) (Udemy.com)
You too can become a VMware Virtualization expert!
Created by: Emilio Aguero
Last updated March 2026
What you will learn
- Differences between VMware vSphere, ESXi and vCenter
- How to setup VMware ESXi and vCenter 8
- Building your own Virtual Machines, and keeping them healthy
- Using advanced vCenter features such Auto Startup, vMotion, HA, FT and DRS
- Using Virtual Networking switches
- Managing storage and datastores
- Diagnosing, Troubleshooting and Keeping your environment running great
How it compares
Against the other 1,182 rated Udemy courses in IT & Software on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 45% of them
- Reviews2,065#245 of 1,183 by number of reviews
- Length6.2 hourslonger than 54% of them
- Last updatedMarch 2026more recently than 70% of them
Course Description
Want to Learn all about VMware vSphere, ESXi and vCenter 8?
In this course we'll give you all the skills needed to start out with VMware, all the way up to becoming an expert.
We'll show you how to setup VMware vSphere 8, including VMware's Hypervisor ESXi and manaing vCenter. We'll also run you through the steps to start building your own Virtual Machines (VM's) and build your own Virtualization environment!
VMware is the leader in Virtualization technologies and used in thousands and thousands of businesses around the world. Whether you are new to IT or have worked in IT for a while we'll give you the skills needed to get that job, get promoted while improving your VMware skillset.
In this course we’ll cover -
- Differences between VMware vSphere, ESXi and vCenter.
- How to setup VMware ESXi and vCenter 8
- Building your own Virtual Machines, and keeping them healthy
- Using advanced vCenter features such Auto Startup, vMotion, HA, FT and DRS
- Using Virtual Networking switches
- Managing storage and datastores
- Diagnosing, Troubleshooting and Keeping your environment running great
** This course is aimed at VMware vSphere 8 administration, however it is also relevant to earlier versions of VMware vSphere including v7.0 and v6.x.
Do I need to be an expert?
No, this course is designed for people who may be starting out with Virtualization technologies but also forming a strong foundation for those who already work with VMware.
We'll give you the skills to become a lot more proficient in VMware.
What hardware and software do I need?
You can just follow along but to make your learning better it's best to also have -
- a copy of VMware ESXi and vCenter (we'll cover how to get these)
- a few spare computers to load VMware software onto them
- a number of ISO's to build some VM's. These could be copies of Windows and Linux.
Throughout this course, below are some tasks you can complete yourself
- download VMware ESXi off the VMware website
- setup some computers with VMware ESXi
- download or have ready some of your favorite Operating System ISO files
- build and configure a pool of VM's
- build and setup VMware vCenter
- Configure High Availability across a few hosts
- Deploy some virtual switches, both standard and distributed
Happy learning!
** In November 2023, Broadcom completed its acquisition of VMware.
As of early 2024 you can no longer get a free licensed copy of ESXi. Although there are still free versions floating around the internet, you'll now need to obtain the ESXi installer software either from an OEM or from the Broadcom Support Portal. You can also find cutomizable versions for Dell, HPE etc, ie if you search for HPE ESXi download.
Instructor Details
- 4.5 Rating
2,065 Reviews
Emilio Aguero
I help people accelerate their tech, leadership, and business careers. Through experience across leadership, technology and operations, I’ve developed a clear understanding of which skills actually move your career forward — and I teach them in a way that’s practical, efficient, and easy to apply.
I’ve led high-performing teams, delivered large-scale digital transformations, and advised professionals and businesses across IT and other industries. My focus spans leadership, technology, time management, productivity, communication, and building the mindset and habits that drive real career growth.
My courses are designed to give you real skills, real confidence, and real results — without fluff, jargon, or unnecessary theory.
What I teach —
- Modern IT systems, virtualisation, storage, cybersecurity, and homelab design
- Leadership, management, business thinking, time management, productivity, and career growth
- Practical, step-by-step frameworks you can apply immediately
- Interview strategies and career advice
If you want to level up your technical capability, leadership impact, and professional value, you’re in the right place. Let’s get you to the next stage of your career.
More courses by Emilio Aguero
Learning VMware vSphere 7 ESXi and vCenter Administration (2026)
4.4 (1,570 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 6.9h
$10.99
Windows Server 2019 Admin: Active Directory, DNS, GPO, DHCP
4.6 (318 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 5.6h
$69.99
Learn Windows Server 2022 (AD, DNS, GPO) Be a Great Admin!
4.3 (301 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 5.6h
$64.99
More IT & Software courses
D3.js Data Visualization Fundamentals - Hands On (2026)
4.9 (3,917 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 4.6h
$49.99
Hands-On Training: Streaming Data with Apache Kafka on Azure (2025)
4.9 (103 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 3.7h
$10.99
Oracle Grid Infrastructure and RAC using Oracle Database 19c (2026)
4.8 (2,499 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 8.7h
$19.99
PowerShell Scripting & Automation: The Complete Hands-On (2026)
4.8 (1,750 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 9.6h
$11.99
AWS EC2 Crash Course + Load Balancing with Demos and PDFs (2025)
4.8 (866 Reviews)
Provider: Udemy
Time: 3.7h
$19.99
Reviews
By Ryan Crosswell on 3/5/2026
Having used many hypervisors and being asked to use vSphere, this was extremely useful. I needed to know where everything was and what it did rather than a long lesson on concepts. There's enough technical guidance and real life scenario commentary to be able to get through all of this and know what you need to take with you.
By Marquis Cook on 9/19/2025
This course gives you all of the fundamentals of getting started with VMware. You'll still need to dive deeper into all of the different topics he touched on but you'll be comfortable by that point. Amazing course!
By Adam Gwozdz on 4/1/2025
This course offers a clear, hands-on introduction to VMware vSphere 8, making it perfect for beginners and IT pros alike. It covers ESXi and vCenter setup in a practical, step-by-step format that’s easy to follow. A must-have for anyone looking to build strong virtualization skills.Thnaks a lot
By Anonymized User on 7/7/2024
Curso muito bom e completo. Professor fala inglês muito limpo, não precisei usar legendas para entender, mesmo não usando inglês frequentemente em meu dia-a-dia. Recomendo fazer os labs indicados. Porém, com a atual política da Broadcom/VMWare de descontinuar a versão gratuita do ESXi, os Labs somente podem ter a duração do período de testes. O curso poderia ser atualizado com essa informação, após a efetivação recente da compra da VMWare pela Broadcom.
By Frank Klein on 1/12/2024
Thanks a lot for spending time to create this course; for me, as I’m working with VMware since server 1 on Linux, it was more a refresher and a way to structure my knowledge, and here I can confirm, good work, great course. Maybe, an additional lesson with a bit more detailed command line intro, would be greate. Thx Frank, DE
By Gideon de Clercq on 1/7/2024
This course get 10/10 for brevity. It's concise and to the point course. This is a good reference on "How To". Some of the short 2min topics do need a little more detailed introduction, but if you are familiar with the basics then it's no issue.
By Paul Creedy on 7/12/2023
Excellent coverage of what I needed to know without too much waffle which you'll find in other tutorials. Some issue I have is that the resolution that the tutorials are recorded in is too high and I'm struggling to see the detail on a smaller laptop screen. Another is some sections are out of order, for example the sections on DRS and HA. There are also inconsistencies in the example environment used. Don't let this put you off though, if you are new to vmware you'll learn a lot from this course.
By Teodor Cristian Pele on 4/24/2023
This course was really helpful for me, since i got a good overview of the VMware environment, but also a detailed view of many specific functionalities. It was exactly what I was looking for. I could easily follow along with Emilio and his explanations were on the point and concise. Many Thanks! Teodor.
By Ferhat Mimoun on 1/19/2023
I've already followed Emilio on Youtube since I discovered him. I manage to understand him well in English because he articulates perfectly. It really helps for a non native English person. Emilio clearly covers all aspects and takes you step by step to the next level. This allows you to progress without trouble. I definitely recommend Emilio's courses to anyone who needs to progress to the next level or to learn a new techno from scratch. Thank you Emilio for your lessons. Ferhat from France/Paris
By Randall C Udemy!@#12227 on 12/14/2022
1) Videos recorded at too high a resolution. Almost impossible to view on a 14" or 15" Laptop 2) Instructor appeared to be sick, especially in video 21 3) Lab environment no consistent from lesson to lesson. 4) Too much clicking around screens as if instructor did not know where to go
Quality Score
No CourseDuck member has rated this course yet. Taken it? Give each part a thumbs up or down.
Overall Score : 90 / 100









