VMware GSX Server 2.5.2

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One of the primary strengths of GSX Server is the ability to manage your virtual machines remotely — that is, from any machine that can connect to your GSX Server host. You are not restricted to interacting with your virtual machines only on the host on which they are stored.

Remote management has many components and levels. For a high level view of your GSX Server host, use the VMware Management Interface, a Web-based tool for managing your virtual machines and the server host. For more information about the management interface, see Using the VMware Management Interface.

If you need to interact with a virtual machine directly from a remote location, for instance, if you need to maintain a database stored in a virtual machine, use the VMware Remote Console. The remote console displays your virtual machine in a window, and you interact with the virtual machine in this window as you would use a physical computer. For more information about remote consoles, see Using Local and Remote Consoles.

For a more automated way to remotely manage virtual machines and the GSX Server host, use the VMware Scripting APIs. If you are connecting to a GSX Server host from a Windows remote machine, you can use the VmCOM and VmPerl Scripting APIs. If you are connecting to a GSX Server host from a Linux remote machine, you can use the VmPerl Scripting API. For more information, visit the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/developer/.

Another automated way to manage virtual machines is to use the vmware-cmd utility. For more information, visit the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/developer/.

Finally, you can use third party tools to remotely manage your virtual machines. You can use applications like Windows Terminal Services or Windows XP Remote Desktop. Your site may use one of these tools as a standard method for remote access. In some situations, a remote access protocol can provide better performance over slow speed connections than the VMware Remote Console. However, the remote console is a better alternative on networks when you need to work intensively in the virtual machine's graphical user interface, as mouse responsiveness in a remote console session that is remotely displayed is slowed somewhat.