6.0

4 Specify how to allocate CPU and memory resources.
The CPU resources for your resource pool are the guaranteed physical resources the host reserves for a
resource pool. Normally, you accept the default and let the host handle resource allocation.
Option Description
Shares
Specify shares for this resource pool with respect to the parent’s total
resources. Sibling resource pools share resources according to their relative
share values bounded by the reservation and limit.
n
Select Low, Normal, or High to specify share values respectively in a
1:2:4 ratio.
n
Select Custom to give each virtual machine a specific number of
shares, which expresses a proportional weight.
Reservation
Specify a guaranteed CPU or memory allocation for this resource pool.
Defaults to 0.
A nonzero reservation is subtracted from the unreserved resources of the
parent (host or resource pool). The resources are considered reserved,
regardless of whether virtual machines are associated with the resource
pool.
Expandable Reservation
When the check box is selected (default), expandable reservations are
considered during admission control.
If you power on a virtual machine in this resource pool, and the combined
reservations of the virtual machines are larger than the reservation of the
resource pool, the resource pool can use resources from its parent or
ancestors.
Limit
Specify the upper limit for this resource pool’s CPU or memory allocation.
You can usually accept the default (Unlimited).
To specify a limit, deselect the Unlimited check box.
5 Click OK.
After you create a resource pool, you can add virtual machines to it. A virtual machine’s shares are relative
to other virtual machines (or resource pools) with the same parent resource pool.
Example: Creating Resource Pools
Assume that you have a host that provides 6GHz of CPU and 3GB of memory that must be shared between
your marketing and QA departments. You also want to share the resources unevenly, giving one
department (QA) a higher priority. This can be accomplished by creating a resource pool for each
department and using the Shares attribute to prioritize the allocation of resources.
The example shows how to create a resource pool with the ESXi host as the parent resource.
1 In the Create Resource Pool dialog box, type a name for the QA department’s resource pool (for
example, RP-QA).
2 Specify Shares of High for the CPU and memory resources of RP-QA.
3 Create a second resource pool, RP-Marketing.
Leave Shares at Normal for CPU and memory.
4 Click OK.
If there is resource contention, RP-QA receives 4GHz and 2GB of memory, and RP-Marketing 2GHz and
1GB. Otherwise, they can receive more than this allotment. Those resources are then available to the virtual
machines in the respective resource pools.
vSphere Administration with the vSphere Client
354 VMware, Inc.