New VMware ESX Server Manages Virtual Environments
Virtualization specialist VMware recently launched ESX Server 3.5, a management solution for virtual environments. ESX Server 3i is a 32MB light version.
Simple virtualization of individual machines is no longer the major concern; and infrastructure mechanisms that give administrators the ability to back up virtual machines, or migrate virtual machines between hosts, are no longer sufficient. Instead the focus is turning to managing virtual environments, and the recent ESX Server 3.5 release by market leader VMWare follows this trend.
The many functions that improve handling and availability, and automate routine tasks, include Distributed Power Management, a function that distributes virtual machines (VMs) within a VMware cluster to give administrators the ability to power off hosts with low usage levels after moving the VMs to another place. This saves power and helps the environment in line with the current Green IT campaigns. As load increases, the hosts are powered back on without the users noticing.
The update management feature for both >VMware hosts and VMs is also new. It also relies on infrastructure layer capabilities to clear hosts prior to patching, and to provide a snapshot-based rollback option for VMs. In addition to the familiar Vmotion technology for VMs, Storage Motion has been added to move disk images, rather than virtual machines, between storage systems on the fly, thus supporting I/O load balancing.
Large data centers that are distributed over multiple sites for security reasons can use the new Site Recovery Manager to migrate all VMs to a backup data center in case of disaster. Availability is further enhanced by new monitoring components (Enhanced HA).
VMware has also released a lean version of the product known as ESX Server 3i besides the ESX Server update. Weighing in at just 32MB, it can reside in Flash ROM or on a memory stick to support diskless, zero-installation, zero-maintenance virtualization servers, which many manufacturers are working on according to reports. Dell is expected to release a product this year with the aim of both removing barriers for newcomers to virtualization, and giving data centers an easy option for expanding capacities.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Linux Hits an Important Milestone
If you pay attention to the news in the Linux-sphere, you've probably heard that the open source operating system recently crashed through a ceiling no one thought possible.
-
Plasma Bigscreen Returns
A developer discovered that the Plasma Bigscreen feature had been sitting untouched, so he decided to do something about it.
-
CachyOS Now Lets Users Choose Their Shell
Imagine getting the opportunity to select which shell you want during the installation of your favorite Linux distribution. That's now a thing.
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.