Top 10 things you must read about ESXi
ESXi is a variant of ESX that VMware released so they could pre-load their hypervisor on server hardware and allow users to quickly get up and running with ESX. Functionally it’s the same as ESX but the Service Console has been removed reducing its total footprint to 32MB. While being very similar to ESX it also has its differences that you should be aware of; i.e. no web access UI, uses a RCLI instead of the Service Console, different patching methods, hardware monitoring through CIM providers. ESXi is available in two forms, embedded directly on newer server hardware and an installable version that can be installed on a wide variety of hardware. Now that ESXi is available for free there will probably be more wide-spread adoption of it. The resources on this list includes tutorials on installing, configuring and patching ESXi, some overviews of its features and benefits, the differences between ESX and ESXi and some advanced configuration technique.
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1
Installing and Configuring ESXi (Pt. 1)
http://searchvmware.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid179_gci1326038,00.html
A basic guide to installing and configuring the installable version of ESXi.
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2
Two ways to patch ESXi installable (Pt. 2)
http://searchvmware.techtarget.com/tip/0,289483,sid179_gci1325931,00.html
A basic guide on using two different methods for patching ESXi.
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3
VMware ESX Server 3i
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/ESX_Server_3i_presentation.pdf
A presentation from VMware on ESXi, this executive summary provides an overview of ESXi and its features and benefits.
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4
The Architecture of VMware ESXi
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vmware_esxi_architecture_wp.pdf
A white paper from VMware that provides technical detail on the archictecture and management model of ESXi.
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5
Managing VMware ESXi
http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vmware_esxi_management_wp.pdf
A white paper from VMware that provides technical detail on managing ESXi including interactive and scripted management, patching, backup and using 3rd party management applications.
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6
Getting Started with ESX Server 3i Installable
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi3_35/esx_3i_i/r35/vi3_35_25_3i_i_get_start.pdf
The official documentation from VMware on installing and configuring ESXi.
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7
Webcast: VMware ESXi: The Easiest Way to Get Started with Virtualization
http://www.vmware.com/a/webcasts/details/127
A webcast from VMware that covers the key capabilities of ESXi, steps needed for a typical deployment and the tools used for building and managing virtual machines.
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8
How does VMware ESXi Server compare to ESX Server?
http://www.virtualizationadmin.com/articles-tutorials/vmware-esx-articles/general/vmware-esxi-server-compare-esx-server.html http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1006543
Some comparisons of the key technical differences between ESX and ESXi.
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9
Boot ESXi from USB Storage
http://www.vminfo.nl/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/vminfonl-guide-create-an-esx-3i-usb-boot-key.pdf
A tutorial on how to create a bootable USB flash drive that can be used to boot ESXi from.
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10
Get full control over your ESXi server
http://www.run-virtual.com/?p=223 http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1003677
Describes methods for connecting to the command line interface that exists in ESXi that can be useful for support and troubleshooting purposes.
