Intro to Hypervisors
Big Picture:
 “It’s like VMWare Player, except you can build
an entire network in it.”
 Multiple machines
 Switches
 Routers
 Multiple subnets
Hypervisor/Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM)
 HOST MACHINE – runs the hypervisor software
 Our is carol.cs.usna.edu
 GUEST MACHINE – any VM running on the host
 The host:
 Runs multiple guest VMs (much like VMware Player)
 Connects the hosts with virtual switches
 May allow the hosts to access physical hardware such as network
cards or Wireless AccessPoints
 Hosts can either:
1.
2.
be sandboxed in a virtual network (unable to access Internet)
access the outside world like any other server (e.g. webster)
Physical layout for Hypervisors
Type-1 (Native) hypervisors
Type-2 (hosted) hypervisors
 e.g. VMware ESXi
 e.g. VMware Workstation
VM
VM
Hypervisor
VM
VM
VM
Hypervisor
OS
Hardware
Hardware
VM
Examples of servers running inside a
hypervisor:
 rona – SI110 linux server
 nuzee – faculty linux server
Semester project
 We will spend the semester building a complete network in a
virtual environment (ESXi on carol)
 Add ESXi skills to your resume
 Hypervisors are your present and future
 4x student subnets + instructor subnet
 5x servers / subnet
 2x routers / subnet
 2x switches / subnet
 Total of 45+ devices replaced by a single rack-mounted server
Other names you will see
 vSphere – suite of tools to manage networks on an ESXi server
 vCenter – centralized platform for managing multiple vSphere
environments
 vCOPS – “vCenter Operations Manager”: a VM that runs inside
carol to manage its own ESXi server
gertie.cs.usna.edu
(vCenter server)
carol.cs.usna.edu
(ESXi server)
(VCOPS) Win 2008
(manages carol & peggy)
peggy.cs.usna.edu
(ESXi server)
Software for accessing virtual network
VMware vSphere Client
VMware vCenter Converter
 Access any VM in the
 Copy VMs from local
hypervisor
machine to hypervisor
Tour vSphere Client
 Home
 We will mostly be concenred with “Inventory” section
 Inventory → VMs and Templates
 Inventory → Datastores and Datastore Clusters
 Inventory → Networking