Installation guide

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VMware ESX Server Administration Guide
Registering and Unregistering Virtual
Machines
ESX Server requires that each virtual machine's configuration file be registered before
it can be accessed by VMware Remote Consoles and the VMware Management
Interface. When you create a new configuration file with the management interface,
whether for a new or an existing virtual machine, the configuration file is registered
automatically with ESX Server.
You can have up to 80 registered virtual machines on a server at one time. If you
intend to run more than 60, you must modify some service console settings. See
Running Many Virtual Machines on ESX Server on page 170.
When you register a virtual machine, it appears in the management interface and the
Connect to VMware Virtual Machine dialog box that appears when you connect to
the virtual machine with the remote console.
If you are using a virtual machine that you migrated from another server or VMware
product, you must register the configuration file as described below. For more
information about migrating virtual disks and virtual machines, see Importing,
Upgrading and Exporting Virtual Machines on page 64.
If you do not have a current need for a virtual machine, you can unregister it instead.
This is useful if you have more than 80 virtual machines on the server and do not want
to delete any excess virtual machines. An unregistered virtual machine no longer
appears in the management interface and cannot be connected to by a remote
console.
You must have full permissions to the virtual machine’s configuration file (.vmx) in
order to register or unregister it.
Registering a Virtual Machine
Virtual machines created on the server are automatically registered. If you imported a
virtual machine from another server or from another VMware product, or if you
previously unregistered a virtual machine, you can register it by completing the
following steps.
1. Log into the management interface as the user with full permissions to the
virtual machine’s configuration file.
Note: Only the root user can register and unregister virtual machines through the
management interface. However, regular users can register and unregister virtual
machines by using the scripting API.