What does ESXI server do

I installed ESXI server on my machine hoping that it will be similar to workstation where i can install virtual machines.

But when i installed it , it shows one screen with no options for making virtual machines.

If can't make virtual machines from ESXI , then what is it used for.

I formatted my Harddisk just for ESXi but then again had to install windows and then VM workstation.

From serverfault Master

• The purpose of VMware ESXi is to use on server computers dedicated to hosting virtual machines. There is a minimal local management interface and no mechanism to interact with the VMs hosted by the server with its local keyboard, mouse, and monitor. There is a built-in installation for the VMware mangement utility inside ESXi. This utility allows to allow you to remotely interact with the ESXi hypervisor and the virtual machines its hosting (including creating new VMs). The installation for this program is accessible via a web browser from a remote computer and is only installable and usable remotely to the ESXi server computer's console.

  Basically, VMware Workstation is the right thing for you if you're interested in hosting virtual machines locally on the same computer where you'll be working. ESXi for running on servers that are dedicated to hosting VMs only.

  Master : Sorry for being ignorant but what i wanted was that i want to work on virtual machine. If i install workstation then i need OS first and that will consume some power , RAM because i want to use VMas main OS. What i deally wanted was that 1)Install ESXi on my mahine (it will use minimum resources) 2)Install Virtual Maachine on that 3)Use that as main OS As far i understand you , you mean that if i have 2 computers hosting Virtual machines with HOST OS as 2008 and VM workstation Then using ESXi server i can manage those machines But then whats the use of ESXi

  Zoredache : @Mirror51, what you want doesn't really exist yet as a usable product. But people are working on it.
  From Evan Anderson

• Read Evan's Answer and this is to add extra:

  • ESXi is designed to be headless. ie: managed from another device.
  • To interact with an OS inside your VM on your Workstation, you need a VM environment that supports this
    • These are the following:
      • VMWare Workstation
      • Virtual Box
      • VMWare Player
      • Microsoft Virtual PC
      • Windows 2008 Std Edition with HyperV enabled

  To use a Dedicated VM environment that you manage and interact from another computer you can use the following:

  • ESXi
  • Hyper V running on Windows 2008 Std Edition in Server Core Mode (smaller footprint)
  • Windows Hyper V Server (free version)

  If you are wanting to run UNIX based VM's then you can use:

  • BSD Jails
  • Solaris Containers
  • XEN on GNU/Linux
  • KVM on GNU/Linux

  Hope this helps. So to some up the quickest and easiest and cheapest solution for you is what Evan has suggested.

  Master : thanks buddy now i undertand!!
  From Wayne

• TO have the VM be your main OS is going to be difficult without an OS under it, least from my experience. Although the VM can run in a headless environment (such as ESXi) the console you need to access the VM does require a grahical environment to run into, and that in return requires an OS with a windows manager of some kind (windows, Gnome, KDE etc). so you are back to square one.

  I am wondering however, why do you want to run your main os on your system as VM ? Although it does provide some advantages you quickly run into some limitations since the VM will not interact as well with your hardware as a native OS would (by native I mean running directly on the hardware). Things such as 3d Acceleration will be limited or experimental. Also if you do not plan on running another OS at the same time then you would get little benefit other than the necessary overhead.

  This being said one possible solution could be to install a bare bone ubuntu on your system (xubuntu maybe, it is less resource hungry than it's bretherens) and from it install Virtual box or other free hypervisor, and from it install your OS of choice.

  Then you could probably set it up so that you get into the other os quickly but it is going to be slower than if it was directly installed.

  IF you describe to us what is it you want to acheive maybe we can steer you in a direction that would get you there that you may not have seen. Especially if you are new to the world of VM.

  Master : Thanks buddy for info. The reason why i want o use VM as main OS is that . I have seen that after few months or so my OS is corrupted due to viruses and updates. I again have to format it and then re-install OS again . Sometimes i nned to install second OS or linux on same computer, then something happens and agian install new OS. Few days back i installed VMWARE on my company server and installed 2008 server and ubuntu. Now I know i can take snapshots and experiment few things. I have copied the Virtual machines on separate hard drive that ican always revert later. IT has eased life so much

  Newtopian : I see. And I can understand why the VM seems so promising for you. Still, the current VM systems are not intended to be used as such, not that it is impossible to do so, just that you might need to do some fair amount of tweaking. However, having a linux based host should shield you from some of this frustration. Also it is easier to backup your config that windows based system. Then use VM to enjoy windows and roll it back at will.

  Master : Thats tru , but i miss 3D acceleration support. is there any solution for that

  Newtopian : 3d support is limited at best. I know some virtualization system offer some amount of support for it but the main use for the technology right now is for business servers so do not expect to run the latest and greatest 3d games there. Some of the older ones might run though provided you have support, ESXi should have support for 3d acceleration, I know Virtual box also have some amount of support.
  From Newtopian

• You can install ESXi inside VMware Server, thus giving you something you can run on your workstation, I've been thinking about that as a way to have a more complex environment simulated on a single box.

  MarkM : Why would you do that? If you're using Server instead of ESX, you will inherit the drawbacks of both.

  Helvick : The only practical reason to do this is to have a handy ESX test environment, I have ESX VM's running under Workstation for this reason, but the performnace of the ESX Guest is quite poor and any 2nd level Guests running inside it are not really usable
  From Ronald Pottol

• You can achieve what you want to accompish (testing out VMWware ESXi) by performing the following:

  Reinstall an OS on your computer

  Install VMware Workstation 7.1 Beta

  Install an ESXi VM within Workstation

  Install operating systems on top of ESXi

  Note that this may require a high performance computer as you will be running two layers of VM.

  From Brennan