HP VMware ESXi and vSphere 5.X and Updates Getting Started Guide for April 2013

2 Overview
Thank you for downloading HP VMware ESXi and vSphere 5.X and updates. HP has seamlessly
integrated VMware ESXi and vSphere, delivering active HP ProLiant management and consolidated
lifecycle management for a consistent, reliable ProLiant experience. For more information, go to
the HP website www.hp.com/go/vmware.
HP CIM (Common Information Module) providers proactively surface hardware monitoring data
to deliver the most up-to-date server state information possible. HP CIM providers and VMware
ESXi and vSphere provide active hardware management using HP SIM (Systems Insight Manager).
You can update VMware ESXi and vSphere using the standard VMware update tools. The integrated
hypervisor installation is partitioned with redundant images, enabling a robust upgrade and
recovery process.
The HP VMware ESXi and vSphere 5.X and Updates Getting Started Guide is provided for ESXi
and vSphere 5.X and updates Standalone Edition or as a part of a HP VMware vSphere fully
licensed product.
The ESXi and vSphere Standalone Edition is well suited for single server virtualization installations
and is managed using the free VMware vSphere Client management console. HP Technical Software
Support and Update Service is optional and can be purchased as a support pack.
The installation ISO includes a trial license for the standalone edition, found on the HP website
(http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/software/vmware/esxi-image.html). To obtain
a permanent license for the standalone edition, go to the VMware website (https://
www.vmware.com/tryvmware/) and register to obtain the serial number license.
You can also upgrade HP VMware ESXi and vSphere Standalone Edition to any of the fully licensed
products for VMware vSphere including Essentials, Essentials Plus, Standard, Enterprise, and
Enterprise Plus editions. For more information on support offered for HP VMware ESXi and vSphere
Standalone Edition and the other licensed products, see the HP website (http://www.hp.com/go/
VMware/esxi).
To learn more about license delivery and enabling enterprise entitlement, see “Activating the
standalone license” (page 12) or “Upgrading to a full license” (page 13).
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