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ESX Deployment Guide
•
vCenter Server Database
— Stores all the configuration data about
vSphere. It is recommended that you use a production database such as
Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle for the vCenter Server database.
•
License Server
— Authorizes ESX hosts and vCenter Server as per the
purchased license keys and licensing agreement. It is recommended to
install the license server on the vCenter Server host. This can also reside
on a separate host.
NOTE:
A license sever is not required for ESX 4 hosts. However,
if vCenter Server manages the ESX 3.0.x or ESX/ESXi 3.5 hosts,
you require a license server.
•
vSphere Client
— Manages an ESX host by directly connecting to it or
through the vCenter Server. It is installed on a system running a supported
Windows operating system.
•
VM DataStore
— Stores VMs configuration and virtual disk files. The VM
storage can either be an internal storage local to ESX or an external storage
that can be shared by multiple copies of ESX. Advanced features such as
VMotion, HA, and DRS require that the disk and configuration files are
stored on VMs external shared storage.
•
vSphere CLI
— Performs many operations that you can also perform using
the ESX 4 service console. vSphere CLI commands are especially useful for
an ESXi 4 host because it does not include a service console. vSphere CLI
commands can be used in scripts that run on ESXi 4 and ESX 4 hosts
located remotely.
