[ale] vmware ESX Server

[kaboom at oobleck.net (Chris Ricker)]

On Fri, 8 Dec 2006, Jeff Lightner wrote:

> Haven't played with vmware.  A Windows Admin here is tasked with
> installing this.  What he got (ESX Server) seems to be rpms etc... which
> implies it is a Linux load.  From what I can tell of a document he has I
> believe he needs to boot from CD and it actually loads a base operating
> system (Linux) rather than is something he loads on top of an existing
> installed OS (Linux or Windows).
> 
> Is this correct?   Any pointers?   (Note - we're not creating a virtual
> machine yet - just trying to get the server software insalled.)

VMware ESX is its own proprietary OS, but it comes with a modified Red Hat 
(currently based on RHEL 3) environment that functions as a service 
console to control the underlying vmkernel. You install the ESX cd onto 
bare metal (unlike the GSX or Server or Workstation products, which are 
apps you install onto either Linux or Windows)

later,
chris