Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 9
Creating and Managing Virtual
Machines
The VMware ESXi hosts are installed, vCenter Server is running, the networks are blinking, the
SAN is carved, and the VMFS volumes are formatted… let the virtualization begin! With the
virtual infrastructure in place, you as the administrator must shift your attention to deploying
the virtual machines.
In this chapter, you will learn to
Create a virtual machine
◆
Install a guest operating system
◆
◆
Install VMware Tools
Manage virtual machines
◆
Modify virtual machines
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Understanding Virtual Machines
It is common for IT professionals to refer to a Windows or Linux system running on an ESXi
host as a
virtual
machine
(VM). Strictly speaking, this term is not 100 percent accurate. Just as a
physical machine is a physical machine before the installation of an operating system, a VM is
a VM before the installation of a guest operating system (the term “guest operating system” is
used to denote an operating system instance installed into a VM). From an everyday usage per-
spective, though, you can go on calling the Windows or Linux system a VM. Any references you
see to “guest operating system” (or “guest OS”) are references to instances of Windows, Linux,
or Solaris—or any other supported operating system—installed in a VM.
If a VM is not an instance of a guest OS running on a hypervisor, then what is a VM? The
answer to that question depends on your perspective. Are you “inside” the VM, looking out? Or
are you “outside” the VM, looking in?
Examining Virtual Machines from the Inside
From the perspective of software running inside a VM, a VM is really just a collection of virtual
hardware pieces selected for the purpose of running a guest OS instance.
