Can you manage ESXi servers with the Virtual Center Server?

[rsxsr]

Hello, So far I have gotten good quick replies from this community. Currently I am evaluating VMware ESX Server 3.5 as a host with 3 guests. I am also evaluating Virtual Center Server on a different hardware box. My sales rep is telling me, If I choose to use ESXi instead of the 3.5 server version, I would not be able to manage it with the Virtual Center Server. The reason for evaluating 3.5 was that the older Compaq server kept blue screening I was first testing with. I am happy with the 3.5 version, but am told I can purchase a new HP server with ESXi embedded/installed or download and install ESXi for free. Having tested with and without the Virtual Center Server supporting the host, I think in our environment we will need the Virtual Center Server. The client alone does not give enough functionality. Am I being given wrong information? I have a VM ware reseller coming on campus with an engineer tomorrow. I was tempted to take down one of my new HP servers and test for myself before they got here. Also the quotes I get include different levels of support. I am told that you can not purchase VM ware without purchasing the support. Is this also true? Thank you for taking the time to read this and hopefully reply. Regards mark

[patrickds]

There are several solutions available for using your server as a storage device.

Falconstore, Lefthand Networks, Stormagic are a couple of companies with products certified by VMware (on the HCL)

Falconstore and Stormagic offer a free version, which is a Virtual Appliance you can install on an ESX(i), which you can then use to share the local disks of the server over the network as iSCSI or NFS stores.

Lefthand has a certified virtual appliance as well, but i don't know if it has a free version.

I personally use Openfiler as an iSCSI target, which is also free (opensource), and installs directly on the hardware.(the others also have software you install directly on the box, but not for free).

Openfiler is on the Community Supported SHCL.

To get support for any of these, you'll have to pay of course.

Xtravirt also has a free SAN appliance, that can be installed on multiple ESX hosts, and provides storage replication between the appliances, so that losing the host with the storage appliance becomes less dramatic.

Openfiler apparently also supports Fibre Channel, replication and failover clustering, but i haven't tried any of that yet.

I'm sure you can get an iSCSI or even Fibre channel target running for free on just about any Linux distro; but not as fast and easy as with the aforementioned dedicated products.

[rsxsr]

Jeff, Now that I am familiar with the ESX 3.5 and managing it with the Virtual Center Server. I am concerned about this statement. ESXi when licensed provides all of the features and functionality of ESX 3.5, but it is based on a different architecture. Instead of having a service console to manage the ESX 3.5 host ESXi uses a thin hypervisor with the ability to use a RCLI

I have not evaluated ESXi yet or the thin hypervisor. All of my testing has been with 3.5 and Virtual Center Server. For now it looks like I am going to use two HP proliant DL 380s one that we own as hosts. We are also going to purchase a SAN to home the guest host Files. Am I better off sticking with what I have learned or going with the ESXi, but licensed? Since my reseller told me ESXi needed to run ontop of Windows or another OS and don't have a quote for the VM software, I am turning to the community for advice. Regards. mark

[patrickds]

ESXi uses the same license as ESX, so the quote for ESX also applies to ESXi.

It's basically the same product, in a different version.

[rsxsr]

I was more interested in the management gui differences. I am only barely familiar with Virtual Client Server managing an ESX 3.5 host. It sounds more unique to manage and ESXi server. Currently I am running Virtual Center Server on a seperate hardware server for the sake of matching VMwares power point. Thank you though.

[Troy_Clavell]

Maybe this KB will be helpful?

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1006543

[weinstein5]

It is the same VI Client that is used to manage individual ESX/ESXi servers and Virtual Center - so you will ave the same look and feel -

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[patrickds]

ESXi only differs from ESX in the way it is installed.

ESXi is like a firmware, ESX is a complete OS installation.

ESXi is also a lot smaller.

As management is concerned, ESXi lacks the service console that ESX has (the linux-like interface you see on the screen when booting your ESX), and only offers some basic setup options on the local system (network options, password setting,...), which is also the reason it is so much smaller.

For remote management, both are identical. They use the same Virtual Infrastructure Client, which you can connect directly, or use a Virtual Center to manage multiple hosts.

[rsxsr]

Thank you Troy, it gave me a headache. I don't see how to choose in the end. I was not able to get ESXi to work on my test server. Too old. I did get ESX 3.5 to work on an older server, Virtual Center, Virtual Center Server and convert hardware servers to virtual. I think I am answering my own question. I should go with what I have a comfort level with. I have the impression that ESX OS does not need much space and when it boots up, reminds me of Red Hat, so that is a little comfort two. So if you can give me a good reason to go one way or the other, I still have time. Evaluating ESXi is just not an option. I'd have to by and try. Damn economy. Thank you again.