5punk

Anyone know anything about it? I've downloaded VMware ESXi 4.0 to familiarise myself with it, but when I boot from it it complains I don't have a compatible network adapter. Which considering it should be virtual is odd. But I don't really know what I'm doing, so has anyone done this at home before?

Doesn't ESX actually need compatible hardware? More efficient and stuff that way.

I'd say it's complaining about your network adaptor being incompatible because it is.

I thought the whole point of virtualisation is that you run it on software. Ah well, I may be boned then.

wiki say:

Architecture

VMware states that the ESX product runs on "bare metal".[3] In contrast to other VMware products, it does not run atop a third-party operating system,[4] but instead includes its own kernel. Up through the current ESX version 4.0, a Linux kernel is started first[5], and is used to load a variety of specialized virtualization components, including VMware's 'vmkernel' component. This previously-booted Linux kernel then becomes the first running virtual machine and is called the service console. Thus, at normal run-time, the vmkernel is running on the bare computer and the Linux-based service console runs as the first virtual machine.

I knew about ESX being bare metal, but didn't realise that the service console ran as the first VM. Very cool.

Pants, unless you want to get into linux, I'd just download and install VMWare Server and play with that first. Although I prefer Sun's VirtualBox (ooer) these days, just because it's nicer and lighter (IMHO, IANAL, etc)

Anyway there's plenty of VM apps to choose from

cheeseandham wrote:IANAL

You do?

Cheers C&H. The reason I was using ESX is because it's required for a job I'm applying for and I can then put on the application that while I've never used it, I've downloaded it and am investigating it. However, knowing about some form of VMware is better than nothing.

Hurrah! VMware server is up and running. I just need a copy of Server 2003 to install on it now. I think I have a trial version from a course somewhere.

Of course, if you want to run ESX for familiarisation, you can run it within VMWare Server (yes, very silly and not for actually using the product in production purposes)

Haha, a virtual server running on a virtual server. I never thought of that.