Vmware Infrastructure Architecture - Dell External OEMR 2950 Deployment Manual

VMware Infrastructure Architecture

VMware Infrastructure consists of the following components as shown in
Figure 1-2:
• ESX Server — allows multiple operating systems to run simultaneously on
a single PowerEdge system.
• VirtualCenter server — manages multiple ESX Servers and runs on
Windows Server 2003. VirtualCenter is optional and is required for
advanced management capabilities such as VMotion, DRS, and High
Availability.
• VirtualCenter database — stores all the configuration data about a
VMware Infrastructure. It is recommended that you use a professional
database such as Microsoft SQL Server™ or Oracle™ for the VirtualCenter
database.
• License server — authorizes ESX Server hosts and VirtualCenter server as
per the purchased license keys and licensing agreement. It is
recommended to install the license server on the VirtualCenter host. This
can also reside on a separate host. License server is required when using
Served Licensing Scheme but is not required for host-based licensing. For
more information on the different licensing configurations, see the
Installation and Upgrade Guide under VMware Infrastructure 3 at
www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
• VMware Infrastructure client — installs on a system running a supported
Windows operating system and is the primary tool to manage an ESX
Server host by directly connecting to it or through the VirtualCenter
server.
• Virtual machine storage — stores virtual machine configuration and
virtual disk files. This can either be an internal storage local to the ESX
Server or an external storage that can be shared by multiple ESX Servers.
Advanced features such as VMotion, High Availability, and DRS require
that the virtual machines disk and configuration files are stored on
external shared storage.
• VMware Infrastructure Web Access — a Web interface for managing
virtual machines and accessing remote consoles.
Deployment Guide
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