VMware VirtualCenter 1.1 Support Documentation

Features | Documentation | Knowledge Base | Discussion Forums

Understanding the Components

VirtualCenter components are discussed in the following sections:

Managed Components

VirtualCenter monitors and manages the listed components:

Virtual machines — A virtualized x86 personal computer environment in which a guest operating system and associated application software can run. Multiple virtual machines can operate on the same host machine concurrently.
Virtualization platforms are VMware products, such as ESX Server, GSX Server, or Workstation. These are used to create the virtual machines in the form of a set of configuration and disk files that together perform all the functions of a physical machine. Through the virtualization platform, you run the virtual machines, install operating systems and run applications, and configure the virtual machines, which includes identifying the virtual machine's resources, such as storage devices.
Hosts — The physical computers on which the virtualization platform software, such as ESX Server or GSX Server, is installed. It hosts the VirtualCenter virtual machines.
Note: When VirtualCenter refers to a host, this means the physical machine on which the virtual machines are running. All virtual machines within the VirtualCenter environment are physically on ESX Server or GSX Server hosts. The term host used in this manual, means the ESX Server or GSX Server host that has virtual machines on it.
Datastores — The storage locations for the virtual machine files. Datastores hide the idiosyncrasies of various storage options, such as VMFS, SAN, GSX Server and ESX Server, etc., thereby proving a uniform model for managing GSX Server and ESX Server hosts and various storage products in the context of virtual machine management.

Software Components

VMware VirtualCenter monitors and manages all the virtual machines and hosts registered with VirtualCenter. To perform these functions, VirtualCenter provides:

VirtualCenter client — A user interface that runs locally on a Windows machine.
The VirtualCenter client runs on a machine with network access. This can be on the same machine as the VirtualCenter server or on another machine with network access. The VirtualCenter client requires a computer monitor for access to the graphical user interface.
VirtualCenter server — A service that acts as a central administrator for VMware servers connected on a network, to direct actions upon the virtual machines and the virtual machine hosts. VirtualCenter server provides the central working core of VirtualCenter.
VirtualCenter server runs on a machine as a service. It can also, and typically is, another server machine in the network. It receives direction through the VirtualCenter client and executes actions upon the identified hosts and virtual machines.
VirtualCenter Web service — A service that can optionally be installed with the VirtualCenter server. It is a required component for third party applications that use the VMware SDK application programmer interface (API).
VirtualCenter agent — Installed on each virtual machine host, it collects, communicates, and executes the actions received from the VirtualCenter server.
VMotion — A feature that is activated by the VirtualCenter agent. It enables moving running virtual machines from one ESX Server to another without service interruption. It requires licensing on both the source and target host. The VirtualCenter server centrally coordinates all VMotion activities.
VirtualCenter database — A persistent storage area, for maintaining status of each virtual machine, host and user managed in the VirtualCenter environment. This can be local or remote to the VirtualCenter server machine.

The figure below illustrates the relationships of the VirtualCenter installed components. Refer to Abbreviations for a description of abbreviations.

VMware VirtualCenter Installed Components

VMware SDK Components

The VMware SDK works with VirtualCenter but is not required for VirtualCenter operations. The VMware VirtualCenter SDK contains the following two components:

SDK package — VMware SDK product documentation and examples files. This is installed through an external link and does not require VirtualCenter to be installed with it. This is typically for developers only. To install the SDK package, refer to: www.vmware.com/support/developer/vc-sdk
Web Service — A required component for third party applications that use the VMware SDK application programmer interface (API). This is installed through the VirtualCenter installer and requires that the VirtualCenter server is also installed.

Organizational Components

Organizational components assist in the handling of the potentially hundreds of virtual machines. They can be renamed to represent their organization purposes, for example, they can be named after company departments or locations or functions. The organizational components are:

Server Farms — The top level structure for the VirtualCenter server. Only one Server Farms object exists for each VirtualCenter server. Server Farms can contain multiple farm groups and farms. The term Server Farms is the default value, the actual name used can be changed.
Farm Groups — An optional grouping structure, it's hierarchically contained within the Server Farms structure. The VirtualCenter server supports multiple farm groups. Farm groups can contain other farm groups and farms.
Farm — The main structure under which hosts and their associated virtual machines are added to the VirtualCenter server. VirtualCenter server supports multiple farms.
Note: A host can be managed by only one farm at a time.
Note: All operations between hosts and virtual machines occur within a single farm. For example, hosts and virtual machines are not migrated between farms.
Virtual Machine Groups — An optional grouping structure, it contained within a farm. VirtualCenter server supports multiple virtual machine groups. Virtual machine groups contain virtual machines and other virtual machine groups.

All the VirtualCenter components, the hosts, the virtual machines, and the organizational groupings of server farms, farms, and farm groups are contained within the VirtualCenter environment.

The figure below illustrates the hierarchy of the VirtualCenter organizational components. Refer to Abbreviations for a description of abbreviations.

VirtualCenter Organizational Components

Functional Components

The functional components group the monitoring and managing tasks. The functional components are:

Inventory — Provides a view of all the monitored objects in VirtualCenter. Monitored objects include: Server Farms, farms, farm groups, hosts, virtual machines, and virtual machine groups.

Scheduled Tasks — Provides a list of activities and a means to schedule those activities.

Templates — Provides a means to import virtual machines and store them as templates for deploying at a later time to create new virtual machines.

Alarms — Provides a means to create and modify a set of alarms that you define. Alarms are applied to an object and contain a triggering event and a notification method. Alarms do not have a navigation toolbar option. Alarms are viewed through the Alarms tab for each object.

Events — Provides a list of all the events that occur in the VirtualCenter environment. Use the Navigation option to display all the events. Use an object specific panel to display, only events relative to that object.

The figure below illustrates the relationship of the VirtualCenter functional components. Refer to Abbreviations for a description of abbreviations.

VirtualCenter Functional Components

Access Privileges Components

Each VirtualCenter user logs on to the VirtualCenter service through the VirtualCenter client. Each VirtualCenter user is identified to the VirtualCenter as someone who has assigned rights and privileges to selected objects, such as farms and virtual machines, within the VirtualCenter environment. VirtualCenter itself has full rights and privileges on all hosts and virtual machines within the VirtualCenter environment. VirtualCenter passes on only those actions and requests from a VirtualCenter user that the VirtualCenter user has permissions to perform.

VirtualCenter grants access to each VirtualCenter object, farm, farm group, virtual machine, and virtual machine group. To do this, VirtualCenter assigns a role and a user (or group) to each object.

Individual permissions are assigned through VirtualCenter by pairing a user and a role and assigning this pair to a VirtualCenter object.

Users and Groups — Created through the Windows domain or Active Directory database. VirtualCenter registers users and groups as part of the assigning privileges process.
Roles — A VirtualCenter pre-defined set of access rights and privileges. There are four roles. Each subsequent role includes the privileges of the previous role.

The types of roles that can be paired with a user and assigned to an object are:

Read Only User — Users assigned this role for an object are allowed to view the state of virtual machines, hosts, farms, and groups.
With this role, view virtual machines, hosts, farms farm groups, and virtual machine group attributes, that is, all the tab panels in VirtualCenter — except the Console tab. You cannot view the remote console for a host. All actions through the menus and toolbars are disallowed. A Read Only User role can view the templates and scheduled tasks but not perform any actions with them.
Virtual Machine User — Users assigned this role for an object are allowed to perform power operations on virtual machines.
With this role, connect with a remote console and view the states of virtual machines. You cannot modify the configuration of hosts or virtual machines.
Virtual Machine Administrator — Users assigned this role for an object are allowed to add, remove, or modify objects. With this role you:
- Connect/disconnect host devices, migrate and migrate with VMotion, clone, remove and configure virtual machines.
- Create, import, and deploy templates.
- Add and remove hosts from farms.
- Create, remove, or modify farms, farm groups, and virtual machine groups and their content.
VirtualCenter Administrator — Users in this role are allowed to change privileges for an object.
With this role, add, remove, and set access rights and privileges for all the VirtualCenter users and all the virtual objects in the VirtualCenter environment.

The figure below illustrates the three users and their respective access to VirtualCenter objects. Refer to Abbreviations for a description of abbreviations.

VirtualCenter Access Control

Prev Contents Last Next

VMware VirtualCenter 1.1 Support Documentation

Support Resources