VMware ESX/ESXI Interview Questions-Part1

What is Hypervisor?
Hypervisor is also knows as Virtual Machine Monitor/Manager (VMM) is
computer hardware platform virtualization software that allows several operating
systems to share a single hardware host.

Each operating system appears to have the hosts processor, memory, and
resources to it. Instead, the hypervisor is controlling the host processor and
resources, distributing what is needed to each operating system in turn and
ensuring that the guest operating systems/virtual machines are unable to disrupt
each other.


What is VMware ESX/ESXi?
VMware is industry leading virtualization software. ESX/ESXi installs a
hypervisor on the hardware. It acts as the intermediary between the hardware and
any virtual machines running on the server. Hardware device drivers are included
in the hypervisor. This is called a direct driver model.


What is Hyper-V?
Hyper-V also installs on bare metal. But all management functions and access to
hardware is controlled via a root partition that runs the Windows Server (or
Server Core) 2008 OS. This root partition is actually a special virtual machine,
through which hardware I/O requests from child partitions travel via the VMBus
architecture. This is called an indirect driver model. So basically before you enable
the Hyper-V role, your server OS is of the typical architecture, after enabling the
role, Hyper-V installs itself on top of the hardware, and places your original OS
into this special virtual machine, the root partition.


What is the difference between VMware and Hyper-V?
A comparison of certain key features between platforms:

1) ESX supports both 32 & 64-bit hosts, Hyper-V requires a 64-bit host that
supports hardware-assisted virtualization. All platforms support 32 or 64-bit
guests.
2) Maximum Logical Host CPUs: ESX = 32, Hyper-V = 16 (can do more,
but not supported)
3) Maximum Supported Host Memory: ESX = 256 GB, Hyper-V = 2 TB
(2008 Enterprise Ed.)
4) Maximum Memory per Guest OS (VM): ESX & Hyper-V = 64 GB
5) Maximum Supported Running VMs: ESX = 128, Hyper-V = limited only
by available resources
6) RAM Over-Commitment: Supported in ESX, not supported in Hyper-V.
(This allows RAM allocated to VMs to exceed actual available RAM in
host).
7) NIC Teaming: Native support in ESX. Hyper-V only supports via 3rd party
drivers.
8) Maximum # Virtual Switches: ESX = 248, Hyper-V = unlimited

What is VMware Library?
VMware Library is known as /vmlib. It is a directory on the ESX hypervisor host.
It contains the files to organize the tools and files that require maintaining and
managing the virtual Infrastructure.

I can't add a new virtual hard drive to my virtual machine. What should I do?
This could be with the following reasons
1) You may not have appropriate permissions to add new hardware to the
virtual machine and
2) VM might be in powered on state.

I just created a new virtual machine and attached to an existing disk. Every
time I power on the VM, I get a blue screen. What could the problem be?
It could be the insufficient or unmatched configuration of a new virtual machine
against to existing disk configuration files. The reason is existing disk
configuration might be different than the new virtual machine. Compare the
settings like as Storage controller, hardware properties etc., make the changes
accordingly and try powering it on the machine.

Active Directory Authentication Fails when logging into host or vcenter server
using Domain Credentials
Check the time on the esx host and on domain controller. The issue could be with
the following reasons.
1) Time synchronization issue from esx hosts to domain controllers. Kindly
review the system logs.
2)Network Latency Issue

How to troubleshoot PSOD Issue in ESX?
PSOD is known as Purple Screen of Death like as in windows BSOD- Blue Screen
of Death.
PSOD occurs due to the following reasons
1) Bad Drivers
2) Incompatible Drivers
3) Hardware Faults
4) Kernel Corruption
5) Application Corruption


How to export logs when PSOD occurs in the ESX host
You can export the logs either from vcenter using VI client or generating logs on
root directory in the host using commands.
1) Exporting Logs using VI client
Connect to Vcenter server using VI client and select the crashed host then
Click file (on the top-left side corner)>export>system logs> give the
temporary location path> click start. After couple of minutes logs will be
exported to temporary location
2) Connect to host in # prompt, type vm-support without any options. This
utility will create and saves the crash dump by default on /root directory in
.tar.gz format.


What are the reasons for Failed to load, swap file not found error
The Reason can be:
1. Lock was not free
2. Invalid metadata
3. Not found
4. Busy
5. IO was aborted
6. Permission denied
7. No connection
8. Not supported


How to troubleshoot failed to load, swap file not found error
Refer the KB article:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=dis
playKC&externalId=2013834
What ports does P2V uses
1. From Source Computer to ESX uses for communication are TCP Ports
443,902
2. From Converter server & client to Source Computer are TCP ports 445,
9089 or 9090,139 and UDP ports are 137, 138
Refer the KB article:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=dis
playKC&externalId=1010056