Specifications

VMware, Inc. 167
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In!this!chapter,!the!following!sections!describe!aspects!of!using!the!VMware!Service!
Console:
! “Characteristics!of!the!VMware!Service!Console”!on!page 167
! “Using!DHCP!for!the!Service!Console”!on!page 168
! “Managing!the!Service!Console”!on!page 168
! “Authentication!and!Security!Features”!on!page 180
! “Using!Devices!With!ESX!Server”!on!page 184
! “Enabling!Users!to!View!Virtual!Machines!Through!the!VMware!Remote!Console”!
on!page 185
Characteristics of the VMware Service Console
The!purpose!of!the!VMware!service!console!is!to!start!up!and!administer!your!virtual!
machines.!It!is!a!customized!version!of!Linux!based!on!the!Red!Hat!7.2!distribution.!It!
has!been!modified!so!it!can!be!managed!by!the!VMkernel.!
The!service!console!has!been!customized!to!disable!unneeded
!services.!Most!network!
services!have!been!disabled,!except!for!auth.!For!remote!access!to!the!service!console,!
ssh!is!enabled!by!default.!The!root!user! can!modify!settings!for!ssh,!Telnet,!and!FTP!
using!the!security!configuration!page!in!the!management!interface!
(http://<servername>/security-config).
The!service!console!is!scheduled!by!the
!VMkernel!like!any!other!virtual!machine.!Do!
not!run!heavy!workloads!on!the!service!console,!because!it!might!take!processor!cycles!
away!from!your!virtual!machines.!
Using the VMware Service
Console
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