VMware has designed the ESXi server to run only on specific pieces of hardware and
has removed support for any kinds of devices it is not interested in, thereby reducing
the kernel code. What remains is a stripped-down, fast kernel and tool package with
little to no extra overhead. This is one of the things that gives VMware an advantage
over other virtualization technologies that require installation on top of a standard
operating system, which will be filled with drivers and features you won’t need.
It is important to verify the hardware on which you will be running your virtualized
environment, because VMware does not directly support smaller desktop-related hard-
ware. However, everything that a server needs is well supported. This is a sleek oper-
ating system designed to put as little as possible between the virtual machines and the
hardware.
Refer to the VMware Hardware Compatibility list for ensure support for your hardware:
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php
1.6 VMware ESXi 5.0 Overview
ESXi is a newer form of the technology that strips down the ESXi server even further,
to the absolute bare minimum possible. It does not include or rely on a service console
and it can perform its hypervisor duties with an installation that takes up a mere 32MB
of disk space. In the ESX server, the service console runs on top of the hypervisor
alongside the installed virtual machines. In ESXi, the hypervisor is all you install on
your hardware. This allows for very fast hardware additions to existing pools. Want to
add a new server to your rack? No problem. Hook it up, power it on, install ESXi, set
your root password and networking details, take a minute or two to configure the virtual
network, and you’re all set. This is an amazingly quick way to create or expand an
existing ESXi hardware cluster.
Even more exciting than the installable version of ESXi is the embedded version. It is
now possible to buy hardware that is preconfigured with ESXi installed on it. This
completely eliminates the installation step and speeds up the configuration process.
Companies such as Dell, which graciously allowed us to borrow some of its equipment
as we were writing this book, are now selling servers that require only a little more than
racking, cabling, and powering on to expand your VMware cluster.
The benefits of using ESXi over the standard ESXi product are that it’s extremely light-
weight and installs quickly, it can be purchased on some servers from Dell and other
vendors as an embedded option, it has no service console, and it requires less patching
and maintenance. ESXi is also available for free and includes the basic functions needed
to start a virtual environment.
1.6 VMware ESXi 5.0 Overview | 13
(15 Seiten)
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