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VMware GSX Server 3.2


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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 Virtual Machine 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.
  • Modify virtual machine configurations.
  • Create and delete virtual machines.
  • Secure console and management interface sessions with SSL (administrator and root users only).
  • Answer questions and acknowledge messages posed by the virtual machine.

    • In order for a user to manage a virtual machine from the VMware Management Interface, that user must have at least read permission for that virtual machine's configuration file. For more information about permissions and GSX Server, see Understanding Permissions and 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 is installed on Windows Server 2003 or a Windows Server 2003 client machine that connects to a GSX Server host, you need to follow some special configuration steps in order to use the management interface. For more information, see Configuring Web Browsers for Use with GSX Server.

    The VMware Management Interface starts with a Login page, where you enter your user name and password to log on. The Login page contains links for downloading the VMware Virtual Machine Console for Windows and Linux hosts. For more information, see Downloading the VMware Virtual Machine Console.

    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 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 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.

    Your management interface sessions times out after a 60 minute period of idle time. For information on changing the timeout setting, see Setting the Session Length for the VMware Management Interface.

    This section includes the following topics:

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