Host, Virtualisation & O/S

[Gnirheg]

Currently using VMware 7.1.4 on Windows 7 64-bit sp1.  What I am trying to find out is the prefered or best practice with ESXi.  Should one reload the system with ESXi as the base then segment the system for various operating systems or may one load ESXi on windows 7? If ESXi is used where does Workstation come into the picture.   Does ESXi replace Workstation?

[kmriaz]

Hello

ESX, ESXi & ESXi Free are different editions of vSphere and in a production environment it has to be installed directly on the Hardware. But before you install it directly on the hardware you should make sure that the hardware you have is compatible with ESXi to get the full performance. For testing purpose you can install ESXi on a hardware which is not in the HCL.

In your case, that is a lab environment, you can install VMware on a Windows 7 or Windows XP and then you can add ESXi as a virtual machine. This will help you to test the various features available. If you have spare hardware, then try installting ESXi directly on the hardware.

ESXi does not replace VMWare workstation. VMWare workstation can be used to run multiple VM's on a windows XP of Windows 7 host. Once you install ESXi directly on a hardware then ESXi is the host and then you can create VM's inside the ESXi.

Hope this helps. If you find this answer correct, please mark it as correct so that I can earn some points.

Thanks

Riaz

[ArvindChaudhar1 · Accepted solution]

Dear Gnir,

Workstation is a desktop vertualization apllication not host/harware vertualization.

Once you install workstation it just teat like a apllication to windows(OS). you can install and run ESX/ESXi in Workstation as VM, witht the help of vsphere clinet you can create the VMs in instaled ESX/ESXi as well which is known as nested VMs but this is all for testing environment like simulations, trainings etc. you can directly work on ESX/ESXi VM (installed inside Workstation) but cannt replace Workstation.

ESX/ESXi are hardware vitualization techniques which is being used in Servers and installed as OS not as application and this environment can have production servers as well.

So you can say Workstation is an application (Need OS as a base platform) and ESX/ESXi is OS(hypervisor directly installed on hardware)

-Arvind