Installation guide

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VMware ESX Server Administration Guide
Preparing to Use the Remote
Management Software
You can manage VMware ESX Server from a remote workstation using the VMware
Remote Console and the VMware Management Interface.
Remote console software is available for Windows and Linux workstations. The
remote console lets you attach directly to a virtual machine. You can start and stop
programs, change the configuration of the guest operating system and do other tasks
as if you were working at a physical computer.
Note: If you need secure communications between your management workstations
and the server, be sure to choose the appropriate security level when you configure
ESX Server. See Configuring Security Settings on page 206 for more information.
Registering Your Virtual Machines
If you create your virtual machines using the Virtual Machine Configuration Wizard,
they are automatically registered in the file /etc/vmware/vm-list on the
server’s service console. The remote management software checks this file for
pointers to the virtual machines you want to manage.
If you want to manage virtual machines that you set up in some other way, without
using the wizard, you must first register them.
To do so, be sure the virtual machine is powered off. Then, on the Status Monitor page
of the management interface, point to the terminal icon for the virtual machine you
want to register and click Edit Configuration. Select Registered at the top of the Edit
Configuration page.
Note: Registered virtual machines appear in the list only if their configuration files
are stored locally on the ESX Server computer. If the configuration files are stored on
an NFS-mounted drive, the virtual machines are not listed.
You can also register the virtual machines from the service console. To do so, use this
command:
vmware-cmd -s register /<configpath>/<configfile>.vmx
To remove a virtual machine from the list, use this command:
vmware-cmd -s unregister /<configpath>/<configfile>.vmx