Objectives
| # | Objective |
|---|
| 1 | Understand the difference between Type-1 and Type-2 hypervisors and why ESXi is Type-1 |
| 2 | Identify the layers of the ESXi architecture: hardware, VMkernel, VMs |
| 3 | Explore ESXi host resources using esxcli system commands |
| 4 | Observe VM inventory and power states using esxcli vm process list |
| 5 | Open Architecture View — step through how ESXi compares to a Type-2 hypervisor |
| 6 | Knowledge check — hypervisor and ESXi architecture concepts |
Key Concepts
| Concept | What it means |
|---|
| Type-1 hypervisor | Runs directly on bare hardware — no host OS underneath. ESXi, Hyper-V, and KVM are Type-1. Lower overhead, higher performance. |
| Type-2 hypervisor | Runs as an application on top of a host OS (Windows/macOS). VMware Workstation, VirtualBox. Easier setup, but host OS adds latency. |
| VMkernel | ESXi's own micro-kernel. Directly manages CPU, memory, storage and network hardware. Not Linux — a purpose-built hypervisor kernel. |
| Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM) | Per-VM component that traps and translates privileged CPU instructions. Lets VMs think they own hardware they don't. |
| Management plane | ESXi's own management stack (hostd, vpxa) that exposes the host to the Host Client and vCenter. Runs in a privileged VM-like partition. |
Supported Commands (ESXi Shell)
| Command | Purpose |
|---|
| esxcli system version get | Show ESXi build version and release date |
| esxcli system hostname get | Show host FQDN, hostname, and domain |
| esxcli hardware cpu global get | Show physical CPU count, cores, and threads |
| esxcli hardware memory get | Show total physical RAM installed |
| esxcli vm process list | List all running VMs with their World IDs |
| esxcli system welcomemsg get | Show the DCUI welcome message |
| esxcli system settings advanced list -o /Misc/HostName | Show hostname from advanced settings |
After exploring the host, click 🏗 Architecture View in the top bar to step through a visual comparison of Type-1 and Type-2 hypervisor stacks.
Use Tab to complete commands · ↑ ↓ for history · Type ? for command help.