👉 Overview
👀 What ?
VMware is a leading virtualization and cloud computing software provider. Its core product is ESXi, a type-1 hypervisor that runs directly on hardware without the need for an operating system. VCenter Server, on the other hand, is a centralized management tool for VMware vSphere environments. It provides functionality for VM (virtual machine) management, migration, and configuration, as well as tools for disaster recovery, application deployment, and even automated operations.
🧐 Why ?
Virtualization is a significant aspect of modern computing. It enables the running of multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single physical machine, thereby maximizing resource utilization, promoting scalability, and reducing costs. VMware's products, ESXi and vCenter, are widely used in the industry due to their robustness, extensive feature set, and broad compatibility with various hardware and operating systems.
⛏️ How ?
To leverage VMware's products, one would first need to install the ESXi hypervisor on a physical machine. This involves downloading the ESXi ISO from VMware's website, burning it to a CD or creating a bootable USB, and then following the installation prompts. Once ESXi is installed, VMs can be created and managed directly on the machine using vSphere Client. For more complex environments, vCenter Server can be deployed on a separate machine. This allows for centralized management of multiple ESXi hosts and VMs.
⏳ When ?
VMware's products, particularly ESXi and vCenter, have been widely used in the industry since the early 2000s. Their adoption has grown steadily as businesses and organizations continue to realize the benefits of virtualization.
⚙️ Technical Explanations
Under the hood, ESXi uses a technique called hardware abstraction to decouple the physical hardware resources from the VMs. Each VM believes it has its own dedicated hardware resources, while in reality, these resources are being dynamically allocated and de-allocated by the hypervisor based on demand. VCenter Server, on the other hand, uses APIs provided by ESXi to manage the VMs and their resources. It provides a graphical user interface for administrators to easily manage their virtual environment, as well as a robust set of APIs for automation and integration with other systems.