VMware ESX

VMware ESXi (formerly ESX) is an enterprise-class, type-1 hypervisor developed by VMware for deploying and serving virtual computers. As a type-1 hypervisor, ESXi is not a software application that one installs in an operating system; instead, it includes and integrates vital OS components, such as a kernel.

After version 4.1, VMware renamed ESX to ESXi. ESXi replaces Service Console (a rudimentary operating system) with a more closely integrated OS. ESX/ESXi is the primary component in the VMware Infrastructure software suite.

The name ESX is an abbreviation of Elastic Sky X.

Architecture

ESX runs on bare metal (without running an operating system) unlike other VMware products. It includes its own kernel: A Linux kernel is started first, and is then used to load a variety of specialized virtualization components, including ESX, which is otherwise known as the vmkernel component. The Linux kernel is the primary virtual machine; it is invoked by the service console. At normal run-time, the vmkernel is running on the bare computer, and the Linux-based service console runs as the first virtual machine. VMWare dropped development of ESX at version 4.1, and now uses ESXi, which does not include a Linux kernel.

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