HP integrated VMware ESX Server 3i Getting Started

Understanding the VMware infrastructure
The following components comprise the VMware infrastructure:
• Virtual machine—A virtual machine is a software-based computer capable of
running an operating system such as Microsoft® Windows® or GNU/Linux as if
the operating system is installed on a physical machine.
• Host—A host is a physical machine running platform virtualization software such
as ESXi. Hosts provide processor, memory, storage, and network resources for
one or more virtual machines.
• VirtualCenter Server—VirtualCenter Server continuously monitors your virtual
infrastructure, automates system administration tasks, and centralizes remote
management sessions. It coordinates the resources and activities of individual
hosts to efficiently distribute virtual machines and tolerate hardware downtime
across a data center.
• HP Insight Control for VMware vCenter Server—The HP Insight Control extension
for VMware vCenter Server delivers powerful HP server host management
capabilities to virtualization administrators, enabling comprehensive monitoring,
remote control, and power optimization directly from the vCenter console. For
more information, see the HP website (
http://www.hp.com/go/icvcenter).
• VMware Infrastructure Client (VI Client)—VI Client is the primary interface for
interacting with hosts and virtual machines. VI Client can manage a standalone
host by connecting directly to the host, or manage multiple hosts by connecting to
a VirtualCenter Server machine.