ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on ESXi, which is a key component in VMware vCloud Suite. ESXi is one of the popular hypervisors for virtualization. It is compact in size but a feature-rich hypervisor. The chapter introduces the components included in ESXi and describes how the components are used to develop a virtualized environment. In cloud computing, the cloud services are supported by the virtualized IT infrastructure. Virtualization is a technology that can significantly reduce the cost of IT infrastructure. It can also improve availability and security. The chapter explains how to prepare and conduct the installation and configuration of ESXi. The hands-on activity in the chapter provides the steps for the network-based installation of ESXi. It also demonstrates how to configure ESXi through the vSphere Client software. The chapter describes some of the key elements in the ESXi architecture and also explains how the architecture meets the requirements of virtualization.
