Specifications
Table Of Contents
- Administration Guide
- Contents
- Introduction and System Requirements
- VMware Server Overview
- Features of VMware Server
- Support for 32-bit and 64-bit Guest Operating Systems
- Two-Way Virtual SMP (Experimental Support)
- Connect to VMware GSX Virtual Machines and Hosts
- Upgrade and Use GSX Virtual Machines
- Move Existing Virtual Machines
- Compatible with VMware Workstation 5.x Virtual Machines
- Configure Virtual Hardware Devices to be Automatically Detected
- Take and Revert to Snapshots in the Background
- Support for VMware Virtual Machine Importer
- Support for VirtualCenter
- APIs Included with VMware Server
- Before You Install the Release
- Host System Requirements
- Virtual Machine Specifications
- Virtual Processor
- Virtual Chipset
- Virtual BIOS
- Virtual Memory
- Virtual Graphics
- Virtual IDE Drives
- Virtual SCSI Devices
- Virtual PCI Slots
- Virtual Floppy Drives
- Virtual Serial (COM) Ports
- Virtual Parallel (LPT) Ports
- Virtual USB ports
- Virtual Keyboard
- Virtual Mouse and Drawing Tablets
- Virtual Ethernet Card
- Virtual Networking
- Virtual Sound Adapter
- Supported Guest Operating Systems
- Technical Support Resources
- Installing VMware Server
- Selecting Your Host System
- About the VMware Server Console on the Server
- Installing VMware Server on a Windows Host
- Installing VMware Server on a Linux Host
- Configuring Web Browsers for Use with VMware Server
- Installing the VMware Server Console
- Installing the VMware APIs
- Uninstalling VMware Server
- Migrating from GSX Server to VMware Server
- Preparing for the Migration
- Before You Install VMware Server
- Shut Down and Power Off All Virtual Machines
- Make Sure All Disks Are in the Same Mode
- Upgrading Virtual Machines with Disks in Undoable Mode
- Upgrading Virtual Machines with Multiple Virtual Disks
- Back Up Virtual Machines
- Take Note of Custom Network Configurations
- Remove Existing VMware Products
- Make the Virtual Machine Accessible to Its Users
- When You Remove a VMware Product and Install VMware Server
- Before You Install VMware Server
- Migrating to VMware Server on a Windows Host
- Migrating to VMware Server on a Linux Host
- Using Virtual Machines Created with VMware GSX Server
- Using Virtual Machines Created with Workstation 5.x
- Preparing for the Migration
- Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware Server Host
- Remotely Managing Virtual Machines
- Securing Virtual Machines and the Host
- Identifying a Virtual Machine by Its UUID
- Logging VMware Server Events on Windows
- Backing Up Virtual Machines and the VMware Server Host
- Using the VMware Management Interface
- Setting the Session Length for the VMware Management Interface
- Logging On to the VMware Management Interface
- Using the Status Monitor
- Viewing Summary Information About the VMware Server Host System
- Viewing Summary Information About Virtual Machines on the Host
- Using the Virtual Machine Menu
- Connecting to a Virtual Machine with the VMware Server Console
- Monitoring the Virtual Machine’s Heartbeat
- Viewing Information about a Virtual Machine
- Using Common Controls
- Configuring a Virtual Machine
- The Apache Server and the VMware Management Interface
- Logging Off the VMware Management Interface
- Deleting Virtual Machines
- Configuring the VMware Server Host
- Using VirtualCenter to Manage Virtual Machines
- Moving and Sharing Virtual Machines
- Performance Tuning and the VMware Server Host
- Using High-Availability Configurations
- Using SCSI Reservation to Share SCSI Disks with Virtual Machines
- Overview of Clustering with VMware Server
- Creating a Cluster in a Box
- Using Network Load Balancing with VMware Server
- Creating Two-Node Clusters Using Novell Clustering Services
- Clustering Using the iSCSI Protocol
- Mounting Virtual Disks
- Glossary
- Index
VMware, Inc. 145
CHAPTER 6 Performance Tuning and the
VMware Server Host
This!chapter!provides!suggestions!for!getting!the!best!performance!from!VMware!
Server!and!your!virtual!machines,!and!covers!the!following!topics:
! “Configuring!and!Maintaining!the!Host!Computer”!on!page 145
! “Configuring!VMware!Server”!on!page 146
! “Understanding!Memory!Usage”!on!page 154
Configuring and Maintaining the Host Computer
The!host!computer!is!an!obvious!place!to!look!to!improve!performance.!This!section!
discusses!these!key!areas:
! “Location!of!the!Working!Directory”!on!page 145
! “Defragmentation!of!Disk!Drives”!on!page 145
! “Adequate!Free!Disk!Space”!on!page 146
! “NIC!Interrupts!Coalescing”!on!page 146
Location of the Working Directory
The!installer!locates!the!working!directory—holding!the!virtual!disk!files—on!the!host!
computer.!You!can!customize!your!configuration!to!place!the!working!directory!or!the!
virtual!disk!files!on!a!different!physical!computer.!You!might!experience!performance!
advantages!to!such!customizing.
Defragmentation of Disk Drives
Host!disks!and!virtual!disks!affect!the!performance!of!VMware!Server.
Host Hard Drives
Performance!is!weakened!by!fragmentation!of!the!physical!disk!holding!the!virtual!
machine’s!working!directory!or!virtual!disk!files.!Fragmentation!of!the!host!disk!can!
affect!any!or!all!of!the!following: