Specifications

VMware, Inc. 239
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The!ESX!Server!virtualization!layer,!also!known!as!the!VMkernel,!runs!on!the!native!
hardware.!It!manages!all!the!operating!systems!on!the!machine,!including!both!the!
service!console!and!the!guest!operating!systems!running!on!each!virtual!machine.
The!VMkernel!supports!device!driver!modules.!Using!these!modules,!the!VMkernel!
can!
provide!access!to!all!devices!on!the!server.!
This!chapter!includes!the!following!sections:
! “Configuring!Your!Server!to!Use!VMkernel!Device!Modules”!on!page 239
! “Controlling!VMkernel!Module!Loading!During!Bootup”!on!page 243
Configuring Your Server to Use VMkernel Device Modules
Through!the!service!console,!you!can!configure!your!server!to!use!VMkernel!device!
modules.!
Loading VMkernel Device Modules
The!installation!process!should!detect!the!devices!that!are!assigned!to!the!VMkernel!
and!automatically!load!appropriate!modules!into!the!VMkernel!to!make!use!of!these!
devices.!
You!might!want!to!load!VMkernel!device!modules!explicitly.!Modules!supported!in!this!
release!are!located!in /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod.!The!command!vmkload_mod(1)!
loads!VMkernel!modules.
!
Using VMkernel Device
Modules
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