VMware

VMware Infrastructure 3 Documentation
VMware ESXi 3.5 Update 2 Installable or VMware ESXi 3.5 Update 3 Installable
vCenter Server 2.5 Update 2 or vCenter Server 2.5 Update 3

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VMware Infrastructure 3 version 3.5 offers three server versions — ESXi Installable, ESXi Embedded, and ESX. The documents listed on this page cover ESXi Installable and vCenter Server. There are separate Web pages for the
ESX / vCenter Server and ESXi Embedded / vCenter Server combinations.

The documents in this documentation set use the term ESX Server when presenting concepts, behaviors, and tasks that apply to all ESX types. When a behavior, concept, or task applies only to ESXi and not to ESX, the documents use the term ESX Server 3i.

Deutsch, 简体中文, and 日本語 sites offer localized documentation for Release Notes and the main documentation set as available.

Product Name Changes in Documentation

VMware recently changed some of its product names. However, the software, documentation titles, and documentation text continue to refer to the affected products by their old names. For your reference, here is a list of new and old product names.

 New Product Name  Old Product Name
ESXi Installable ESX Server 3i Installable
vCenter Server VirtualCenter
VMware vCenter Update Manager VMware Update Manager
VMware vCenter Converter VMware Converter Enterprise for VirtualCenter 2.5

Compatibility Guides

•   Learn about hardware compatibility:

         Systems Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i (PDF)
         I/O Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i (PDF)
         Storage/SAN Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i (PDF)
         Backup Software Compatibility Guide for ESX Server 3.5 and ESX Server 3i (PDF)

         Note: If a component of your configuration is not listed in the Compatibility Guides above, contact the respective
         vendor for more information.

         Subscribe to be notified of Compatibility Guide updates via

•   Learn about VMware Infrastructure compatibility:

         VMware Infrastructure Compatibility Matrixes (PDF)

Release Notes

ESX Server 3i version 3.5 Update 3 Installable (HTML)
VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 3 (HTML)
ESX Server 3i version 3.5 Update 2 Installable and VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 2 (HTML)
VMware Consolidated Backup 1.5 (HTML)
VMware Consolidate Backup 1.1 Update 1 (HTML)

VMware Update Manager 1.0 Update 3 (HTML)
VMware Update Manager 1.0 Update 2 (HTML)
VMware Converter Enterprise Update 3 for VirtualCenter 2.5 (HTML)
VMware Converter Enterprise Update 2 for VirtualCenter 2.5 (HTML)

Patches & Updates

Visit the VI3 Patches & Updates page for current information.

Documentation

Read the documentation below to learn about installing, configuring, and using VMware Infrastructure 3 products, including the add-on modules available for vCenter Server. All the documents in this section apply to ESXi 3.5 Update 2 Installable or ESXi 3.5 Update 3 Installable and vCenter Server 2.5 Update 2 or vCenter Server 2.5 Update 3. However, the title pages of the documents refer only to ESXi 3.5 Update 2 Installable and vCenter Server 2.5 Update 2.


Main Documentation Set


Published on 7/25/08 for the following builds:
         ESXi 3.5 Update 2 Installable Build 110271 | ESXi 3.5 Update 3 Installable Build 123629
         vCenter Server 2.5 Update 2 Build 104215 | vCenter Server 2.5 Update 3

•   Learn about our main documentation set:

         Documentation Roadmap (PDF)

•   Search all the books in the set for the information you need:

         VMware Infrastructure 3 Online Library (HTML)

•   Read individual books in the set:

         Introduction to VMware Infrastructure (PDF)
         Getting Started with ESX Server 3i Installable (PDF)
         Configuration Maximums for VMware Infrastructure 3 (PDF, Updated 10/17/2008)
         ESX Server 3i Installable Setup Guide (PDF, Updated 10/17/2008)
         Upgrade Guide (PDF, Updated 10/17/2008)
         Basic System Administration (PDF, Updated 11/14/2008)
         ESX Server 3i Configuration Guide (PDF, Updated 8/15/2008)
         Resource Management Guide (PDF, Updated 11/14/2008)
         Fibre Channel SAN Configuration Guide (PDF)
         iSCSI SAN Configuration Guide (PDF)
         Virtual Machine Backup Guide (PDF, Updated 10/17/2008)

VMware vCenter Update Manager


         Administration Guide (PDF)
         VMware Update Manager Sizing Estimator (XLS)

VMware vCenter Converter


         Administration Guide (PDF)

Additional Resources


         VirtualCenter Database Sizing Calculator for Microsoft SQL Server (Excel)
         VirtualCenter Database Sizing Calculator for Oracle (Excel)
         Setup for Microsoft Cluster Service (PDF, Updated 10/17/2008)
         Remote Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide (PDF)
         VMware Infrastructure Management Assistant Administrator's and Developer's Guide (PDF)
         SAN System Design and Deployment Guide (PDF)
         Guest Operating System Installation Guide (HTML | PDF)
         Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide (PDF)

For Developers


         VMware SDK & API Developer Resources page (HTML)