VCP-VVF Admin (2V0-16.25) key terms

A named set of software packages (VIBs) that defines exactly which ESXi version and drivers a host runs; created and applied through vSphere Lifecycle Manager or Image Builder to keep hosts consistent.

The text-based menu shown on a host's physical or remote console, used to set the management network, root password, DNS, and keyboard settings, and to view logs when vCenter is unreachable.

A saved configuration template captured from a reference host - networking, storage, security, and advanced settings - that can be applied to other hosts and checked for compliance to enforce consistency.

A host setting that forces management access to go through vCenter Server, blocking direct logins to the ESXi host except for users explicitly placed on the Exception Users list.

A virtual network interface on an ESXi host that carries host-level traffic such as management, vMotion, iSCSI, NFS, or vSAN, and is configured with its own IP address and services.

A virtual switch created and managed separately on each ESXi host, providing port groups and uplinks for virtual machine and VMkernel traffic without a centralized management plane.

A virtual switch whose configuration lives in vCenter Server and is applied consistently to all member hosts, adding features such as Network I/O Control, private VLANs, and centralized port groups.

A named collection of network policy settings - VLAN, teaming and failover, security, and traffic shaping - that virtual machines and VMkernel adapters attach to on a virtual switch.

A distributed switch capability that divides host uplink bandwidth among traffic types such as vMotion, vSAN, iSCSI, and virtual machine traffic using shares, so one flow cannot starve others.

VMware's clustered file system for block storage that lets several ESXi hosts read and write the same datastore at once, which enables features like vMotion and vSphere HA.

A framework in which a virtual machine's storage needs - redundancy, performance, tiering - are declared in a policy, and placement or provisioning enforces those requirements automatically.

A group of datastores managed as one unit so Storage DRS can balance free space and I/O latency by relocating virtual machine disks between members automatically.

A software-defined storage product that pools local disks across a cluster of ESXi hosts into one shared datastore, with redundancy defined by storage policies rather than RAID.

The building block of vSAN capacity on a host: one cache device plus one or more capacity devices, claimed together and managed as a single unit of storage.

A cluster policy that reserves enough CPU and memory for a set number of host failures; powering on a virtual machine that would violate the reservation is refused.

Distributed Resource Scheduler balances CPU and memory demand across cluster hosts by live-migrating virtual machines, and it enforces affinity and anti-affinity rules during placement.

Live migration of a running virtual machine from one host to another with no downtime, requiring compatible CPU features, matching networks, and access to the same storage.

A cluster setting that hides newer processor features from virtual machines so every host presents a common CPU baseline, allowing vMotion between hosts of different generations.

A hierarchical container that divides cluster CPU and memory among groups of virtual machines using shares, reservations, and limits, without needing separate physical hosts.

Small agent virtual machines placed on each host that keep cluster services such as DRS and HA functioning when vCenter Server is unavailable; they must be allowed to run.

A saved point-in-time state of a virtual machine, capturing disk and optionally memory contents so changes can be reverted; long snapshot chains consume datastore space and slow performance.

A master copy of a virtual machine that cannot be powered on, used to deploy new virtual machines with identical settings; it can reside on a datastore or in a content library.

A vCenter-managed repository holding templates, OVF packages, and ISO images that can be published, subscribed to, or synchronized across vCenter Server instances and sites.

A specification applied when deploying a virtual machine that sets the guest hostname, IP configuration, domain membership, and licensing, using VMware Tools or cloud-init inside the guest.

The number that determines which virtual devices and capabilities a virtual machine supports; it can be upgraded but not downgraded, and the running host must support that version.

The authentication service of vCenter Server that validates users against configured identity sources and issues tokens, so one login grants access to vCenter and registered services.

A directory or user store - Active Directory over LDAP, plain LDAP, or local Single Sign-On users - that vCenter Server queries to authenticate users and resolve group membership.

An active-passive arrangement of three vCenter Server Appliance nodes - active, passive, and witness - that provides automatic failover if the active node fails.

A setup where multiple vCenter Server instances join one Single Sign-On domain, letting users log in once and view the inventory and permissions of every linked instance.

A file-based backup of the vCenter Server Appliance that includes its database and configuration, taken on a schedule or on demand and restored through the installer.

A reusable, named set of privileges, such as Read-Only or Administrator, that is assigned to a user or group on an inventory object in order to grant access.

The combination of a user or group, a role, and an inventory object; permissions flow down the inventory hierarchy unless inheritance is deliberately broken at a child object.

The built-in certificate authority inside vCenter Server that issues and renews certificates for vCenter and ESXi components; it can be replaced by an enterprise CA in hybrid mode.

An external server that stores the encryption keys used by virtual machine encryption and vSAN encryption; hosts must establish a trusted connection to it before encrypted objects can be used.

The vCenter service that remediates hosts to a desired-state image, baselines, or both, and can also check and update host firmware and drivers through hardware support managers.

A compressed archive of logs, configuration, and diagnostic data from a host or vCenter Server, generated in the UI or with vm-support and used for troubleshooting and vendor cases.

A vCenter Server rule attached to an inventory object that watches for a condition or event - such as low datastore space or a host disconnect - and triggers notifications or automated actions.

A command-line monitoring utility available on ESXi that displays real-time CPU, memory, disk, and network statistics broken down by world, virtual machine, and device.