Chapter 1. Virtual Machine Concepts

Ever since VMware was founded in 1998, it has been creating stable x86 virtualization platforms that allow multiple guest operating systems and applications to run on a single physical server. Before an administrator can begin creating and configuring vSphere virtual machines, it is important to understand what a virtual machine is and the concepts behind virtualizing hardware.

In this chapter, you will learn:

The multiple instances of Windows or Linux systems that are running on an ESXi host are commonly referred to as a virtual machine (VM). Any reference to a guest operating system (OS) is an instance of Linux, Windows, or any other supported operating system that is installed on the VM.