VMware GSX Server 2.5.2

Click the arrow to the right of the terminal icon ( ) to display a menu of options for the virtual machine. The menu includes the following commands, most of which can be performed using the buttons and other visual elements of the management interface. Depending on your permissions and the state of the virtual machine, some options may not be available.

• Attach Remote Console — launches the VMware Remote Console, which connects to this virtual machine. This is the same as clicking . You need to log in to the host. For more information, see Connecting to Virtual Machines from Local and Remote Consoles.

  Note: Netscape and Mozilla users must define a MIME type for the console first; Internet Explorer is automatically configured when the remote console is installed. For information, see Setting a MIME Type to Launch the VMware Remote Console.

• Properties — opens the Virtual Machine Overview page for this virtual machine in a new browser window. This is the same as clicking the display name link in the Display Name column.

• Shut Down Guest — shuts down the guest operating system, powers off the virtual machine then runs the script associated with this power state change. This is the same as clicking in the power state popup.

• Suspend after Running Script — runs the associated script then suspends a running virtual machine. This is the same as clicking in the power state popup.

• Power On/Resume and Run Script — powers on a stopped virtual machine or resumes a suspended virtual machine, then runs the script associated with this power state change. This is the same as clicking in the power state popup.

• Restart Guest — restarts the guest operating system and the virtual machine. This is the same as clicking in the power state popup.

• Power Off — powers off the virtual machine immediately without running a script. This is the same as turning off the power to a physical computer.

• Suspend — suspends a powered on virtual machine without running a script.

• Power On/Resume — powers on a stopped virtual machine or resumes a suspended virtual machine without running a script.

• Reset — resets the virtual machine immediately without running a script. This is the same as pressing the reset button on a physical computer.

• Delete Virtual Machine — lets you delete a virtual machine or just its configuration, provided the virtual machine is powered off. See Deleting a Virtual Machine Using the VMware Management Interface.

Depending upon your permissions, you can change the power state of the virtual machine in the management interface. Your permissions are listed in the Users and Events tab for the virtual machine. For more information, see Viewing a List of Connected Users.

To change the virtual machine's power state, click the button that indicates the virtual machine's current power state. A popup menu appears, displaying the following buttons:

Button	Description
	Shuts down the guest operating system and powers off the virtual machine. GSX Server closes any open applications and shuts down the guest operating system before powering off the virtual machine. VMware Tools executes the script associated with this power state change, if any. When this icon is red, the virtual machine is powered off.
	Suspends a running virtual machine or resumes a suspended virtual machine. VMware Tools executes the script associated with this power state change, if any. When this icon is amber, the virtual machine is suspended.
	Powers on a stopped virtual machine or resumes a suspended virtual machine. VMware Tools executes the script associated with this power state change, if any. When this icon is green, the virtual machine is running.
	Restarts a guest operating system. GSX Server closes any open applications and shuts down the guest operating system before restarting the guest operating system.

Changing the power state executes any script associated with the power state change. For more information about running scripts, see Executing Scripts When the Virtual Machine's Power State Changes.

Monitoring the Virtual Machine's Heartbeat

Under HB is a bar graph that represents the percentage of the number of heartbeats actually sent by the VMware guest operating system service to the virtual machine from its guest operating system, relative to the number of heartbeats the virtual machine expects to receive, for the minute before the page was last updated. Heavily loaded guest operating systems may not send 100% of the expected heartbeats, even though the system is otherwise operating normally; in general, only when the heartbeat percentage drops to zero should the virtual machine or guest operating system be considered abnormal.

Note: If VMware Tools is not installed or is not running, the guest operating system does not send any heartbeats to its virtual machine and this meter is disabled.

Viewing Information about a Virtual Machine

Important virtual machine information is readily available on the Status Monitor page.

• The link in the Display Name column indicates the display name for the virtual machine; if one is not specified, then the path to the configuration file for the virtual machine appears here instead. This column also contains the virtual machine's power state and its process ID (if it is running); it notes if VMware Tools is not installed and, if a local console is attached to the virtual machine, that remote management prohibited.

  If the virtual machine is waiting for a response to a system message, a "Waiting for input" link appears here. Click the link to view the message and respond to it.

  Click the virtual machine link for more details about the virtual machine. The Virtual Machine Overview page appears in a new browser window. For more information, see Viewing Details About a Virtual Machine.

• The value in the Up column indicates the length of time the virtual machine has been running.

• The value in the % CPU column indicates the average percentage of host operating system processor capacity the virtual machine used during the final minute before the page was last updated. More detailed processor information is available on the Virtual Machine Overview page.

• The value in the RAM column indicates the average amount of memory the virtual machine used during the final minute before the page was last updated. More detailed memory information is available on the Virtual Machine Overview page.

Creating a New Virtual Machine

To create a new virtual machine from the management interface, on the Status Monitor page, click Add Virtual Machine. The Add Virtual Machine page appears. For information on creating a virtual machine from the management interface, see Creating a New Virtual Machine from the Management Interface.

Deleting a Virtual Machine

To delete a virtual machine from the management interface, click the arrow to the right of the terminal icon ( ) and choose Delete Virtual Machine. The Confirm: Deleting <Virtual Machine> page appears in a new window. For information on deleting a virtual machine from the management interface, see Deleting a Virtual Machine Using the VMware Management Interface.

Configuring the GSX Server Host

The Options tab lets you make changes to your GSX Server configuration on the host. For more information, see Configuring the VMware GSX Server Host.

Note: Only a user with administrator privileges (Windows hosts) or the root user (Linux hosts) can access this tab.

Common Controls

In addition, the following links appear on most or all of the pages in the management interface.

Refresh — This link refreshes or reloads the current page. To avoid conflicts with other users, click this button before you perform an operation in the management interface like shutting down, suspending, resuming or powering on a virtual machine — or after you perform such an operation in a remote console.

Help — This link connects you to the GSX Server online documentation for the current page in the management interface.

Logout — This link logs you out of the management interface. You can only log out from the Status Monitor and Options pages. Click Logout to return to the Login page. See Logging Out of the VMware Management Interface.

Close — Closes the current management interface window. You can only close windows on the Add Virtual Machine, Virtual Machine Overview, Hardware and Users and Events pages.

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