Top 10 things you must read about ESXi By Eric Siebert published: Friday, September 26 2008
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Related Links:
Complete 'Top 10' Collection, Top 10 Things you must read about Performance , Top 10 news and information websites that VMware administrators must visit , VMworld 2008
Eric Siebert is a 25-year IT veteran with experience in programming,
networking, telecom and systems administration. He is a guru-status
moderator on the VMware community VMTN
forum and maintains VMware-land.com,
a VI3 information site.
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