It Is Time to Upgrade to vSphere 5 and Migrate from ESX to ESXi!
VMware vSphere 5.0 has finally arrived and includes several new unique features - such as Storage DRS and Autodeploy - that deliver unprecedented value to VMware customers. Unlike prior versions, vSphere 5 supports only the ESXi hypervisor architecture, the only thin purpose-built hypervisor that does not depend on a general purpose operating system. In order to benefit from the unique capabilities and features of vSphere 5 and ESXi 5, VMware recommends that customers:
- upgrade deployments of vSphere 4.x or older to vSphere 5
- migrate existing ESX deployments to ESXi 5
Learn About ESXi — VMware's Most Advanced Hypervisor Architecture
Like its predecessor ESX, ESXi is a "bare-metal" hypervisor, meaning it installs directly on top of the physical server and partitions it into multiple virtual machines that can run simultaneously, sharing the physical resources of the underlying server. VMware introduced ESXi in 2007 to deliver industry-leading performance and scalability while setting a new bar for reliability, security and hypervisor management efficiency.
Deploy ESXi — VMware's Most Advanced Hypervisor Architecture
So how isESXi different from ESX? While both architectures use the same kernel to deliver virtualization capabilities, the ESX architecture also contains a Linux operating system (OS), called "Service Console," that is used to perform local management tasks such as executing scripts or installing third party agents. The Service Console has been removed from ESXi, drastically reducing the hypervisor code-base footprint (less than 150MB vs. ESX's 2GB) and completing the ongoing trend of migrating management functionality from the local command line interface to remote management tools.
Migrate ESX Deployments to ESXi — Take Advantage of Unique Benefits
Thanks to its ultra-thin architecture with less than 100MB of code-base disk footprint, ESXi delivers the industry-leading performance and scalability of ESX with several additional benefits:
Improved Reliability and Security — with fewer lines of code and independence from general purpose OS, ESXi drastically reduces the risk of bugs or security vulnerabilities and makes it easier to secure your hypervisor layer.
Streamlined Deployment and Configuration — ESXi has far fewer configuration items than ESX, greatly simplifying deployment and configuration and making it easier to maintain consistency.
Higher Management Efficiency — The API-based, partner integration model of ESXi eliminates the need to install and manage third party management agents. You can automate routine tasks by leveraging remote command line scripting environments such as vCLI or PowerCLI.
Simplified Hypervisor Patching and Updating — Due to its smaller size and fewer components, ESXi requires far fewer patches than ESX, shortening service windows and reducing security vulnerabilities.
