6.7

You can restrict VMCI usage to a subset of VMCI-based services on each virtual machine. For example,
you can allow certain virtual machines to access VMCI services and deny access to others for security
reasons.
Currently, VMCI devices support guest to host communication. A virtual machine can communicate with
VMCI services through the following means:
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ESXi hypervisor
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Services installed on the host operating system in the form of a vmkernel module
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Applications installed by a verified vSphere Installation Bundle
Change the Serial Port Configuration in the vSphere Web Client
You can connect the virtual serial port to a physical serial port or to a file on the host computer. You can
also use a host-side named pipe to set up a direct connection between two virtual machines or a
connection between a virtual machine and an application on the host computer. In addition, you can use a
port or vSPC URI to connect a serial port over the network. You can add up to 32 serial ports to a virtual
machine.
Virtual machines can be in a powered-on state during configuration.
Prerequisites
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Check that you know the correct media types for the port to access, vSPC connections, and any
conditions that might apply. See Using Serial Ports with vSphere Virtual Machines.
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To connect a serial port over a network, add a Firewall rule set. See Adding a Firewall Rule Set for
Serial Port Network Connections.
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To use authentication parameters with network serial port connections, see Authentication
Parameters for Virtual Serial Port Network Connections.
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Required privileges:
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Virtual machine.Configuration.Modify device settings on the virtual machine.
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Virtual machine .Interaction .Device connection on the virtual machine to change the device
connection status.
Procedure
1 Right-click a virtual machine in the inventory and select Edit Settings.
2 On the Virtual Hardware tab, expand Serial port, and select a connection type.
Option Action
Use physical serial port Select this option to have the virtual machine use a physical serial port on the
host computer. Select the serial port from the drop-down menu.
Use output file Select this option to send output from the virtual serial port to a file on the host
computer. Browse to select an output file to connect the serial port to.
vSphere Virtual Machine Administration
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