VMware ESX and ESXi Comparison http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=1006543&s...

VMware ESX and ESXi Comparison

Products

VMware ESX
VMware ESXi

Component

GSS_SYS_MGMT

Purpose

This article provides a detailed comparison of VMware ESX and VMware ESXi. The article is separated in to
capabilities or features and compared at that level.
Resolution

Capability VMware ESX VMware ESXi

Service Console Service Console is a standard Linux VMware ESXi is designed to make the server a
environment through which a user has computing appliance. Accordingly, VMware ESXi
privileged access to the VMware ESX behaves more like firmware than traditional
kernel. This Linux-based privileged access software. To provide hardware-like security and
allows you to highly customizing your reliability, VMware ESXi does not support
environment by installing agents and a privileged access environment like the Service
drivers and executing scripts and other Console of VMware ESX. To enable interaction
Linux-environment code. with agents, VMware has provisioned CIM
Providers through which monitoring and
management tasks – traditionally done through
Service Console agents – can be performed.
VMware has provisioned RCLI to allow the
execution of scripts.
Remote CLI VMware ESX Service Console has a host VMware ESX Service Console CLI has been
CLI command through which VMware ESX ported to a Remote CLI (RCLI) for VMware ESXi.
can be configured. ESX 3.5 Update 2 RCLI is a virtual appliance that interacts with
supports RCLI. VMware ESXi hosts to enable host configuration
through scripts or specific commands.

Note: RCLI is limited to read-only access for the

free version of VMware ESXi. To enable full
functionality of RCLI on a VMware ESXi host, the
host must be licensed with VI Foundation, VI
Standard, or VI Enterprise.

The following Service Console CLI commands

have not been implemented in RCLI:

ESXcfg-info
ESXcfg-resgrp
ESXcfg-swiscsi

Scriptable VMware ESX supports scriptable VMware ESXi Installable does not support
Installation installations through utilities like KickStart. scriptable installations in the manner ESX does, at
this time. VMware ESXi does provide support for
post installation configuration script using
RCLI-based configuration scripts.
Serial Cable VMware ESX supports interaction through VMware ESXi does not support interaction
Connectivity direct-attached serial cable to the VMware through direct-attached serial cable to the VMware
ESX host. ESXi host at this time.

1 de 3 9/2/2008 3:07 PM
VMware ESX and ESXi Comparison http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=1006543&s...

SNMP VMware ESX supports SNMP. VMware ESXi supports SNMP when licensed to a
VI Foundation, VI Standard, or VI Enterprise
edition. The free version of VMware ESXi does
not support SNMP.
Active Directory VMware ESX supports Active Directory VMware ESXi with a Virtual Infrastructure license
Integration integration through third-party agents and in conjunction with VirtualCenter allows users
installed on the Service Console. to be authenticated via Active Directory. In this
configuration, users can log in directly to an ESXi
host and authenticate using a local username and
password.

The free version of VMware ESXi does not

support Active Directory integration at this time.
HW Service Console agents provide a range of VMware ESXi provides HW instrumentation
Instrumentation HW instrumentation on VMware ESX. through CIM Providers. Standards-based CIM
Providers are distributed with all versions of
VMware ESXi. VMware partners may inject their
own proprietary CIM Providers in customized
versions of VMware ESXi. To obtain a customized
version of VMware ESXi, you typically have to
purchase a server with embedded VMware ESXi
through a server vendor.

At this time, HP also offers its customized

VMware ESXi Installable on www.vmware.com.
Dell and IBM will soon offer their customized
version of VMware ESXi on www.vmware.com.

Remote console applications like Dell DRAC, HP

iLO, and IBM RSA are supported with ESXi.

Note: COS agents have a longer lineage than

CIM Providers and are therefore more mature.
VMware is actively working with its 250+
partners to close the CIM Provider–Service
Console agent gap.
Software VMware ESX software patches and VMware ESXi patches and updates behave like
Patches and upgrades behave like traditional Linux firmware patches and updates. Any given patch or
Updates based patches and upgrades. The update is all-inclusive of previous patches and
installation of a software patch or upgrade updates. That is, installing patch version “n”
may require multiple system boots as the includes all updates included in patch versions
patch or upgrade may have dependencies n-1, n-2, and so forth.
on previous patches or upgrades.
VI Web Access VMware ESX supports managing your VMware ESXi does not support web access at this
virtual machines through VI Web Access. time.
You can use the VI Web Access to connect
directly to the ESX host or to the VMware
Infrastructure Client.
Licensing VMware ESX hosts can be licensed as part VMware ESXi hosts can be individually licensed
of a VMware Infrastructure 3 Foundation, (for free) or licensed as part of a VMware
Standard, or Enterprise suite. Infrastructure 3 Foundation, Standard, or
Enterprise suite.

Individually licensed ESXi hosts offer a subset of

management capabilities (see SNMP and Remote
CLI).

ESXi VI Foundation VI Standard VI Enterprise

(ESX not available without (with ESX or (with ESX or (with ESX or

2 de 3 9/2/2008 3:07 PM
VMware ESX and ESXi Comparison http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=1006543&s...

VI) ESXi) ESXi) ESXi)

Core hypervisor
Yes Yes Yes Yes
functionality
Virtual SMP Yes Yes Yes Yes
VMFS Yes Yes Yes Yes
VirtualCenter Agent Yes Yes Yes
Update Manager Yes Yes Yes
Consolidated Backup Yes Yes Yes
High Availability Yes Yes
VMotion Yes
Storage VMotion Yes
DRS Yes
DPM Yes

Last Modified Date: 08-25-2008 ID: 1006543

3 de 3 9/2/2008 3:07 PM