VMware GSX Server 2.5.2

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Using the VMware Management Interface

GSX Server provides the VMware Management Interface, a Web-based management tool that allows you to

Monitor the state of virtual machines and the GSX Server host on which they are running.
Control (power on, suspend, resume, reset and power off) the virtual machines on that host.
Connect the VMware Remote Console to a given virtual machine, for hands-on management.
View details about each virtual machine, including system summary, hardware information, any connected users and a log of recent events.
Create and delete virtual machines.
Secure remote console and management interface sessions with SSL.
Answer questions and acknowledge messages posed by the virtual machine.

To use the VMware Management Interface, make sure you set read permissions for all users for each virtual machine you want to manage from a browser when you register each virtual machine. Read more about security and GSX Server on Securing Your Virtual Machines.

To properly view the VMware Management Interface, you should ensure that style sheets are enabled in your browser, regardless of which browser and version you are using.

Note: If you intend to run the VMware Management Interface in Internet Explorer 6.0 on a Windows Server 2003 system, whether the GSX Server host installed on Windows Server 2003 or a Windows Server 2003 client machine that connects to a GSX Server host, there are some special configuration steps needed in order to use the management interface. For more information, see Configuring Internet Explorer 6.0 to Use the VMware Management Interface.

Note: You can only use ASCII characters when viewing the management interface.

The VMware Management Interface starts with a Login page. The Login page contains a download menu where you can download the VMware Remote Console for Windows and Linux hosts. This menu can be customized to suit your users' needs, for instance, if you want users to be able to install the VMware Scripting APIs on their remote clients. You can add more files to the download menu, hide items already listed and even hide the link or the menu itself. For more information, see Downloading Remote Management Packages.

Once your user name and password are authorized by the management interface, the Status Monitor page appears. The Status Monitor page contains high level details about all the virtual machines on the host server to which you are connected. The Status Monitor page links to a detailed set of pages specific to each virtual machine, where you find information about virtual devices, configuration options and a summary of recent events. In addition, you can create and delete virtual machines from your browser.

These pages refresh or reload automatically; refreshing every 90 seconds. You may want to refresh or reload these pages manually before you perform an operation like suspending, resuming, or powering on or off a virtual machine from the management interface — or after you perform a power operation in a remote console — in case another user has performed the same or a conflicting operation right before you. To refresh the page, click Refresh at the top of a page.

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