VMware Infrastructure Overview

While you can install a Guardium® VM on any VMware product, the VMware ESX server is the recommended platform for a virtual solution and is presented here.

The VMware ESX Server on which you can install the Guardium VM is one component of the VMware infrastructure. Although not all VMware Infrastructure components are required to support the Guardium VM, you should be familiar with all components that are in use at your installation.

ESX Server: This component is used to configure and control VMware virtual machines on a physical host referred to as the ESX Server host. To install an Guardium VM, you first define a virtual machine on an ESX Server host, and then install and configure the Guardium VM image on that virtual machine. You can create multiple Guardium VMs on a single ESX Server.

VI Client (Virtual Infrastructure Client): This component is used to connect to a standalone ESX Server, or to a VirtualCenter Server. In the latter case, you can administer multiple virtual machines created over multiple ESX Server hosts.

Web Browser: Use a Web browser to download and use the VI Client software from an ESX Server host or the VirtualCenter server.

VirtualCenter Management Server (Optional): This component runs on a remote Windows machine, and can be used to manage multiple virtual machines on multiple ESX Server hosts. It offers a single point of control over all the ESX Server hosts.

Database (Optional): The VirtualCenter Server uses a database to store configuration information for the infrastructure. The database is not needed if the VirtualCenter Server is not used.

License Server (Optional): Stores and manages the licenses needed to maintain a VMware Infrastructure.

For more information, go to www.vmware.com and search for “ESX Quick Start”