Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
operating systems, including all major versions of Windows Server, Windows 7, Windows XP,
and Windows 2000 as well as various l avors of Linux, FreeBSD, Novell NetWare, and Solaris.
Master It
What are the three ways in which a guest OS can access data on a CD/DVD,
and what are the advantages of each approach?
Solution
The three ways to access a CD/DVD are as follows:
Client device: This has the advantage of being very easy to use; VMware administra-
tors can put a CD/DVD into their local workstation and map it into the VM.
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Host device: The CD/DVD is physically placed into the optical drive of the ESXi host.
This keeps the CD/DVD trafi c off the network, which may be advantageous in some
situations.
An ISO image on a shared datastore: This is the fastest method and has the advantage
of being able to have multiple VMs access the same ISO image at the same time. A bit
more work may be required up front to create the ISO image.
Install VMware Tools.
For maximum performance of the guest OS, it needs to have
virtualization-optimized drivers that are specially written for and designed to work with
the ESXi hypervisor. VMware Tools provides these optimized drivers as well as other utili-
ties focused on better operation in virtual environments.
Master It
A fellow administrator contacts you and is having a problem installing
VMware Tools. This administrator has selected the Install/Upgrade VMware Tools com-
mand, but nothing seems to be happening inside the VM. What could be the cause of the
problem?
Solution
There could be any number of potential issues. First, a guest OS must be in-
stalled before VMware Tools can be installed. Second, if the VM is running Windows,
AutoPlay may have been disabled. Finally, it's possible—although unlikely—that the
source ISO images for VMware Tools installation have been damaged or deleted and
need to be replaced on the host.
Manage virtual machines.
Once a VM has been created, the vSphere Web Client makes it
easy to manage. Virtual l oppy images and CD/DVD drives can be mounted or unmounted
as necessary. vSphere provides support for initiating an orderly shutdown of the guest OS
in a VM, although this requires that VMware Tools be installed. VM snapshots allow you to
take a point-in-time “picture” of a VM so that administrators can roll back changes if needed.
Master It
What are the three different ways an administrator can bring the contents of a
CD/DVD into a VM?
Solution
The administrator can insert the CD/DVD into the system running the
vSphere Web Client and use the Client Device option in the Virtual Machine Properties
dialog box to mount that CD/DVD into the VM. The administrator can also attach the
physical CD/DVD drive in the host to the VM and mount the drive, or the administrator
can convert the CD/DVD into an ISO image. Once converted, the ISO image can be up-
loaded into a datastore and mounted into a VM.
Master It
What is the difference between the Shut Down Guest command and the
Power Off command?
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