#Vmware build numbers 6.0 software#

The vmkernel is a microkernel with three interfaces: hardware, guest systems, and the service console (Console OS). VMware dropped development of ESX at version 4.1, and now uses ESXi, which does not include a Linux kernel at all. At normal run-time, the vmkernel was running on the bare computer, and the Linux-based service console ran as the first virtual machine. The Linux kernel was the primary virtual machine it was invoked by the service console. In the historic VMware ESX, a Linux kernel was started first and then used to load a variety of specialized virtualization components, including ESX, which is otherwise known as the vmkernel component. ĮSX runs on bare metal (without running an operating system) unlike other VMware products. In September 2004, the replacement for ESX was internally called VMvisor, but later changed to ESXi (as the 'i' in ESXi stood for 'integrated').

The name ESX originated as an abbreviation of Elastic Sky X.

#Vmware build numbers 6.0 software#

ESX/ESXi is the primary component in the VMware Infrastructure software suite. ESXi replaces Service Console (a rudimentary operating system) with a more closely integrated OS. Īfter version 4.1 (released in 2010), VMware renamed ESX to ESXi. As a type-1 hypervisor, ESXi is not a software application that is installed on an operating system (OS) instead, it includes and integrates vital OS components, such as a kernel. VMware ESXi (formerly ESX) is an enterprise-class, type-1 hypervisor developed by VMware for deploying and serving virtual computers.