Specifications

Administration Guide
30 VMware, Inc.
Service Console
This!section!discusses!the!service!console!functions,!processes,!and!files.
Service Console Functions
The!ESX!Server!system!management!functions!and!interfaces!are!implemented!in!the!
service!console.!These!include!the!HTTP,!SNMP,!and!API!interfaces!described!above,!as!
well!as!other!support!functions!such!as!authentication!and!low‐performance!device!
access.!The!service!console!is!also!installed!as!a!first!component!and!is!used
!to!bootstrap!
the!ESX!Server!installation!and!configuration,!as!well!as!to!boot!the!system!and!initiate!
execution!of!the!virtualization!layer!and!resource!manager.! In!ESX!Server,!the!service!
console!is!implemented!using!a!modified!Linux!distribution.
Service Console Processes and Files
The!service!console!provides!a!control!API!that!allows!the!virtual!machines!and!
resource!allocations!to!be!managed.!The!administrator!may!also!access!these!controls!
through!pages!accessed!through!the!Web!server!running!in!the!service!console.
Figure 1-4. Service Console processes and files
In!addition!to!the!Web!server,!the!following!processes!and!services!involved!in!
the!
management!of!an!ESX!Server!system!run!in!the!service!console:
! Server!daemon!(vmserverd)!–!Performs!actions!in!the!service!console!on!behalf!of!
the!VMware!Remote!Console!and!the!Web‐based!VMware!Management!Interface.
httpd
vmserverd
snmpd
vmauthd
API
Remote
console
Web browser
vmware
vmware
mk s KVM