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CHAPTER 1 VMware VSphere 4 OVerView
vSphere Command-Line Interfaces vSphere provides two key command-line interfaces
(CLIs) to automate common vSphere administration and management tasks: vSphere CLI
and vSphere PowerCLI.
In the next sections, we will provide more details about each of these management services.
vCenter Server
VMware vCenter Server provides a single-pane-of-glass view for managing and administering
the infrastructure and application services described in the previous sections. It provides visibility
into every aspect of VMware vSphere environments and enables unified management of all the
ESX/ESXi hosts and virtual machines in your data center from a single console along with aggre-
gate performance monitoring of clusters, hosts, and virtual machines. VMware vCenter Server
gives administrators insight into the status and configuration of clusters, hosts, virtual machines,
storage, the guest OS, and other critical components of a virtual infrastructure—all from one place.
VMware vCenter Server lets you rapidly provision virtual machines and hosts using standard-
ized templates. It creates a comprehensive map of the inventory and topology of your data center.
It also controls access to virtual assets and functionality through fine-grained access controls,
custom roles, permissions, and integration with existing Microsoft Active Directory authentication
mechanisms. VMware vCenter Server also gives administrators control over key capabilities such
as VMware VMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduler, High Availability, and Fault Tolerance.
In addition, VMware vCenter Server uses an open plug-in architecture to create a scalable
and extensible platform. This allows VMware partners to integrate with vCenter Server to
develop advanced management capabilities in areas such as capacity management, compliance
management, business continuity, and storage monitoring. The vCenter Server APIs also allow
customers to integrate physical and virtual management tools, using their choice of enterprise
management tools to connect to vCenter Server.
vCenter Server 4 has been enhanced to include several new features such as the following:
Simplified navigation and inventory search
•u
Host profiles •u
Linked Mode •u
Hardware monitoring with CIM•u
Centralized licensing•u
We will provide more details about these features in the next sections.
Si M P l i F i e d na V i g a t i o n a n d in V e n t o r y Se a r c h
VMware vCenter Server 4 has redesigned the landing page to provide users with an easy, one-
click access to the vCenter inventory, vCenter solution plug-ins, and key administration and
management tasks (Figure 1.16). In addition to the home page, vCenter Server also introduces
a globally accessible navigation bar that makes it easy to switch between different parts of
vSphere Client. The client application also remembers the view that was displayed when you
log out of vSphere Client and will return you to that view when you next log in.
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