HP Integrated VMware ESXi 4.0 and Updates Getting Started Guide

Understanding the VMware infrastructure
VMware vSphere includes the following components:
• 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.
• vCenter Server—vCenter 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.
• vSphere Client—vSphere Client is the primary interface for interacting with hosts
and virtual machines. vSphere Client can manage a standalone host by
connecting directly to the host, or manage multiple hosts by connecting to a
vCenter Server machine.