VMware 4817V62 Administration Guide - Page 17

Chapter 1 vSphere Components Host agent LDAP On each managed host, software that collects, communicates, and executes the actions received through the vSphere Client. It is installed as part of the ESX/ESXi installation. vCenter Server uses LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) to synchronize data such as license and role information across vCenter Server systems joined in Linked Mode. vSphere Client Interfaces There are several ways to access vSphere components. vSphere interface options include: vSphere Client vSphere Web Access VMware Service Console vSphere Command-Line Interface A required component and the primary interface for creating, managing, and monitoring virtual machines, their resources, and their hosts. It also provides console access to virtual machines. vSphere Client is installed on a Windows machine with network access to your ESX/ESXi or vCenter Server system installation. The interface displays slightly different options depending on which type of server you are connected to. While all vCenter Server activities are performed by a vCenter Server system, you must use the vSphere Client to monitor, manage, and control the server. A single vCenter Server system or ESX/ESXi host can support multiple, simultaneously connected vSphere Clients. A Web interface through which you can perform basic virtual machine management and configuration and get console access to virtual machines. It is installed with your ESX/ESXi host. Similar to the vSphere Client, vSphere Web Access works directly with a host or through vCenter Server. See the vSphere Web Access Administrator's Guide for additional information. A command-line interface for configuring an ESX host. For an ESXi host, use the vSphere Command-Line Interface. A command-line interface for configuring an ESXi host. The vSphere Command-Line Interface can also be used to perform Storage VMotion operations on both ESX/ESXi hosts. Functional Components Functional components are used to monitor and manage your vSphere infrastructure. The functional components are accessible from the vSphere Client Home page. Functional components are divided into four categories: Inventory, Administration, Management, and Solutions and Applications. Inventory You use the Inventory functional components to view the objects managed by vCenter Server. Managed objects include datacenters, resource pools, clusters, networks, datastores, templates, hosts, and virtual machines. The inventory options are: Search Hosts and Clusters Allows you to search the vSphere inventory for hosts, virtual machines, networks, datastores, and folders matching specified criteria. Provides a hierarchical view of hosts, clusters, and their child objects. VMware, Inc. 17