Index Of Vmware [2021] -

Version: 12.7 | Last Reindex: 2025-04-14T09:41:00Z Scope: Virtualization stack, from kernel to cloud. 1. /core/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | vmx | Process | The parent world. Runs one VM. Manages vCPUs, VMM, and device models. | | vmmon | Kernel Module | The hypervisor backbone. Traps privileged instructions, manages shadow page tables. | | vmnet | Kernel Module | Bridges, NATs, and host-only networks. Packet conduit between worlds. | | vmkctl | Interface | Control plane for ESXi. Talks to the VMkernel. | | .vmdk | Descriptor | The map. Points to extents, grain tables, and the virtual geometry. | | *-flat.vmdk | Raw Data | The raw monolith. Every byte the guest thinks it owns. | | .vmx | Config | The DNA of the machine. vCPU count, memory, NIC MACs, and boot order. | | .nvram | Firmware | The guest’s BIOS or EFI memory. Non-volatile, easily corrupted. | | .vmsd | Snapshot Registry | Master list of all frozen states. | | .vmsn | Snapshot State | The exact CPU, RAM, and device state at a moment. | 2. /network/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | VMnet0 | Bridge | Drops VM traffic onto the physical wire. Promiscuous by default. | | VMnet1 | Host-only | A private island. Host ↔ VMs only. No exit. | | VMnet8 | NAT | The sly gateway. VMs share host IP. Port forwarding optional. | | dvSwitch | Distributed | vSphere’s nervous system. Spans hosts, centralizes policy. | | VMXNET3 | Paravirt NIC | 10 GbE in a paravirtual envelope. Low overhead, high opinion. | | E1000E | Emulated NIC | Intel 82574. Slow but faithful. For old OSs that refuse to know better. | 3. /storage/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | VMFS | Cluster FS | The blunt instrument. LUNs formatted into lockable extents. | | vSAN | SDS Layer | Converged storage from local SSDs. Witnesses, components, and policy. | | RDM | Raw Device Mapping | Dangerous. Passes a LUN directly to the guest. No snapshots. No mercy. | | Thick Lazy Zeroed | Provisioning | Reserved space, old zeros. Fast create, slow first write. | | Thick Eager Zeroed | Provisioning | Reserved space, clean zeros. Slow create, fast cluster ops. | | Thin | Provisioning | Lies. Grows with writes. Until it doesn’t. Monitor free space. | | SEsparse | Snapshot Format | Delta chain for VMFS5+. Legacy. Fragile under heavy random I/O. | 4. /vmotion/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | vMotion | Live Migration | Moves a running VM. Memory, CPU, and state. Network stays alive. | | Storage vMotion | Disk Migration | Moves VMDKs while VM runs. Changes datastore without reboot. | | Long Distance vMotion | Latency-Tolerant | Cross-subnet, high RTT. Requires vSphere 6.5+ and patience. | | Shared Nothing | Hybrid | Both compute and storage move together. No shared storage required. | 5. /snapshots/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | delta.vmdk | Child Disk | Writes redirected here. Parent is read-only. | | Snapshot Tree | Metadata | Parent-child chain. Can become a forest of regret. | | Consolidate | Repair Action | Commits deltas back to base. Fixes “needs consolidation” warning. | | Revert | Rollback | Discards current state. Jumps to previous snapshot. | | Delete All | Purge | Flattens the entire tree. Irreversible. Frees space. | 6. /tools/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | vmtoolsd | Service | The guest’s embassy. Heartbeats, time sync, graceful shutdown. | | VMwareUser | Process | Drag-and-drop, clipboard, display resolution resizing. | | vgauth | Authentication | SSO from host to guest. Passwordless if configured. | | hgfs | Shared Folders | Host folder mounted inside guest. Slow but convenient. | 7. /errors/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | PSOD | Purple Diagnostic Screen | ESXi’s kernel panic. Often memory or driver. Reboot required. | | Invalid memory access | vmx Fault | Guest tried to write to protected host memory. Often a sign of malware. | | LOCK_EX | VMFS Lock Contention | Two hosts fighting for the same VMDK. Disable HA if risky. | | Timeout on world 12345 | Scheduler Stall | vCPU waiting too long for physical core. Check CPU ready %. | | Failed to power on: File not found | Missing VMDK | Someone deleted a delta. Pray for backups. | 8. /myths/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | Snapshots are backups | Lie | They are point-in-time states. One metadata corruption = loss. | | Thick disks are faster | Depends | On modern SSDs, thin can be identical. On spinning rust, thick reduces fragmentation. | | vSphere HA needs no shared storage | False | HA requires shared datastores to restart VMs on another host. | | ESXi is just Linux | False | It’s a proprietary kernel (VMkernel). Linux is only the service console in legacy versions. | 9. /unsorted/ | Entry | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | FT (Fault Tolerance) | Double VM | Two identical VMs, lockstep execution. One dies, other continues. Expensive. | | Host Profile | Config Template | Captures networking, storage, security. Applies to many hosts. | | Content Library | VM Template Store | Syncs OVF/OVA across vCenters. Central, versioned, beautiful. | | VMware Tools Upgrade | Maintenance | Outdated tools cause time drift, network loss, and mystery crashes. | End of Index This index is not exhaustive. VMware’s real index is a labyrinth of KB articles, deprecated features, and silent improvements. Use with curiosity. Snapshot before experiments. And always – always – validate your backups. EOF