Glossary

action

A unit of work that is represented to users in the form of a command button, link, or menu item. In Virtual Machine Manager, each action is associated with one or more cmdlets in the Windows PowerShell – Virtual Machine Manager command shell.

Administrator Console

See definition for: Virtual Machine Manager Administrator Console

All Hosts host group

The default host group, which contains all host groups and all virtual machine hosts that are managed by Virtual Machine Manager.

automatic placement

The process by which a virtual machine is automatically deployed on the most suitable host that is available in a host group. Automatic placement occurs when self-service users create virtual machines and when an administrator migrates a virtual machine to a host group by using the drag-and-drop method.

See also: virtual machine placement

checkpoint

A point-in-time snapshot of a virtual machine that enables an administrator to roll the virtual machine back to its state at the moment when the checkpoint was created.

child host group

A host group contained within another host group, which can inherit host reserve settings and virtual machine permissions from its parent host group. All host groups are child host groups of the root host group, All Hosts.

cloning

The process by which a new virtual machine is created from an existing virtual machine. The new virtual machine has the same identity as the source machine.

cmdlet

A command-line element, formatted as a verb-noun pair, used to manipulate objects in Windows PowerShell.

computer name

A name with as many as 15 characters that identifies a computer to the network. The computer name cannot be the same as any other computer or domain name in the network. For a virtual machine, the computer name is the hostname assigned to the guest operating system.

deployment

See definition for: virtual machine deployment

Domain Name System (DNS)

A technology that translates Internet address names into numerical addresses (IP addresses) so that the address can be found over the Internet. For example, if you type www.microsoft.com into a Web browser, the name is translated into a numerical address and that address is used to connect you to the Microsoft Web site.

guest operating system profile

In Virtual Machine Manager, a library resource containing the most common settings from a Sysprep.inf file, including the computer name and domain or workgroup settings, which can be applied to a virtual machine template.

hardware profile

In Virtual Machine Manager, a library resource containing hardware specifications that can be applied to a new virtual machine or a virtual machine template. A hardware profile can contain specifications for CPU, memory, network adapters, a DVD drive, a floppy drive, COM ports, and the priority given the virtual machine when allocating resources on a virtual machine host.

host

See definition for: virtual machine host

host group

A feature of Virtual Machine Manager that enables administrators to create custom groups of virtual machine hosts for ease of monitoring and management. Host groups can be used to determine the resources reserved for host operating systems and to administer virtual machine self-service.

host path

A sequence of host group names that specifies the location of a virtual machine host or host group within the hierarchy of host groups. All host paths begin with the root host group, All Hosts. For example, the host path All Hosts\New York\Site21\VMHost05 indicates that the host VMHost05 belongs to the host group Site21, which is a child host group of the host group New York.

host rating

A rating, consisting of zero through five stars, that is assigned to each host during virtual machine placement to indicate the host’s suitability for hosting the virtual machine. The host rating is based on the virtual machine's hardware and software requirements and anticipated resource usage. Host ratings also take into consideration the placement goal: either resource maximization on hosts or load balancing among hosts. The metrics for rating hosts can be customized for Virtual Machine Manager and for individual virtual machines during placement.

host reserves

The percentage of CPU, memory, disk space, disk I/O, and network throughput that are set aside for the use of the host operating system on the physical host computer. A virtual machine cannot be placed on a host if the virtual machine’s resource requirements cannot be met without using host reserves.

ISO image

An informal term for a disk image (.iso file) of an ISO 9960 file system or any optical disk image. The disk image contains data files and all file system metadata.

See also: International Organization for Standardization (ISO)

job

A series of steps that are performed sequentially to complete an action. In Virtual Machine Manager, each job is represented by one or more cmdlets in the Windows PowerShell – Virtual Machine Manager command shell. A complex action in Virtual Machine Manager, such as performing a physical-to-virtual machine conversion, may incorporate a series of jobs known as a "job group."

See also: step, job group

job group

A series of jobs that perform a complex action in Virtual Machine Manager, such as performing a physical-to-virtual machine conversion.

See also: job

library

See definition for: Virtual Machine Manager library

library group

A property of a library server that can be used to sort and group library servers.

library refresh

The process by which all files stored on library shares are indexed in Virtual Machine Manager and file-based resources are updated in the Virtual Machine Manager library.

library server

A server that makes shares available to store resources in the Virtual Machine Manager library. The library is managed centrally through the Library view of the Virtual Machine Manager Administrator Console. A Virtual Machine Manager agent installed on the library server provides metadata to Virtual Machine Manager about the shares that have been identified as library shares and the resources on those shares.

See also: Virtual Machine Manager library

library share

A share on a library server, which stores resources that are used to create virtual machines.

load balancing

One of two placement goals during virtual machine placement. When load balancing is the goal, the suitability of each virtual machine host is rated based on the intent to minimize the processing load on any one host.

See also: resource maximization, placement defaults

managed host

A virtual machine host that is managed by Virtual Machine Manager.

migration

See definition for: virtual machine migration

P2V conversion

See definition for: physical-to-virtual machine conversion (P2V)

parent host group

A host group that contains another host group, which is known as a "child host group."

physical-to-virtual machine conversion (P2V conversion)

The process by which a functioning physical computer is "converted" to an identical, or nearly identical, virtual machine. During a P2V conversion, disk images of the hard disks on the physical computer are created and formatted as virtual hard disks (.vhd files) for use in the new virtual machine. The new virtual machine has the same computer identity as the physical computer on which it is based.

placement

See definition for: virtual machine placement

resource maximization

One of two placement goals during virtual machine placement. When resource maximization is the goal, the suitability of each virtual machine host is rated based on the purpose of consolidating multiple low-utilization workloads on a single host. Virtual machine placement in these cases involves determining the capacity limits for a particular host and placing virtual machines on that host until the limits are reached.

See also: load balancing, placement defaults

root host group

The default host group, All Hosts, which is the parent host group of all hosts and host groups in Virtual Machine Manager. The name of the root host group can be assigned during Setup.

self-service policy

A collection of configuration settings that determine the conditions under which a user or group can manage their own virtual machines through virtual machine self-service. The self-service policy assigns virtual machine permissions and templates. Self-service policies are configured for a host group.

See also: virtual machine self-service, virtual machine permissions

Self-Service Portal

See definition for: Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal

self-service users

Users who are allowed to create and manage their own virtual machines within a controlled environment by using the Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal.

share path

The full name of a resource on a network in the format \\servername\sharename, which can include a directory path under the share name.

step

A component of a job. To enable the administrator to monitor the progress of a job, Virtual Machine Manager displays the status of each step.

stored virtual machine

An inactive virtual machine that has been saved to the Virtual Machine Manager library.

template

See definition for: virtual machine template

virtual machine

Essentially a computer within a computer, implemented in software. A virtual machine emulates a complete hardware system, from processor to network card, in a self-contained, isolated software environment, enabling the simultaneous operation of otherwise incompatible operating systems. Each operating system runs in its own isolated software partition

virtual machine deployment

The process of moving the configuration files for a virtual machine from the Virtual Machine Manager library to a virtual machine host.

See also: virtual machine placement

virtual machine host

A physical computer that hosts one or more virtual machines. Also known as a “host.”

virtual machine identity

The virtual machine name in combination with the computer name of the virtual machine's host, which uniquely identifies a virtual machine in Virtual Machine Manager. The virtual machine name is a different property from the computer name of the guest operating system running inside the virtual machine.

Virtual Machine Manager

A member of the Microsoft System Center suite of management products, Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2007 (SCVMM) enables enterprise-wide management of virtual machines.

Virtual Machine Manager Administrator Console

The console that provides access to the administrative functions of Virtual Machine Manager.

Virtual Machine Manager agent

Software that is installed on either a virtual machine host or a library server, which enables Virtual Machine Manager to monitor and manage hosts, virtual machines, and library resources.

Virtual Machine Manager database

The SQL Server database that holds all Virtual Machine Manager configuration information.

Virtual Machine Manager library

The catalog of resources that can be used to create virtual machines in Virtual Machine Manager. These resources can include virtual machine templates, virtual hard disks, virtual floppy disks, ISO images, scripts, hardware profiles, and guest operating system profiles, as well as stored virtual machines. The library is managed centrally in Library view of the Virtual Machine Manager Administrator Console. Library resources can be stored on multiple physical servers, known as "library servers."

Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal

The Web site that users with the needed permissions and settings can use to manage their own virtual machines within a controlled environment. The Virtual Machine Manager administrator configures self-service policies to determine which users can use the self-service portal and what they can do.

See also: virtual machine self-service, self-service policies

Virtual Machine Manager server

A physical computer running Virtual Machine Manager.

Virtual Machine Manager service

The software component that runs Virtual Machine Manager.

virtual machine migration

The process of moving a deployed virtual machine from its current virtual machine host to another host. Also known as “migration.”

virtual machine name

The name that, in combination with the computer name of the virtual machine’s host, uniquely identifies a virtual machine in Virtual Machine Manager. The virtual machine name is a different property from the computer name of the guest operating system.

virtual machine permissions

Permissions that determine which actions self-service users can perform on their own virtual machines. The permissions allow users to create, delete, start, stop, pause, and resume their own virtual machines, serve as a local administrator on their virtual machines, and access their virtual machines remotely by using Virtual Machine Remote Control (VMRC).

virtual machine placement

The process of selecting the most suitable host to deploy a virtual machine on. Also known as “placement.” During placement, hosts are rated based on the virtual machine’s hardware and resource requirements and the anticipated usage of resources. Host ratings also take into consideration the placement goal: either resource maximization on individual hosts or load balancing among hosts.

See also: host ratings

virtual machine self-service

The Virtual Machine Manager feature that enables users to manage their own virtual machines within a controlled environment. The Virtual Machine Manager administrator configures self-service policies that determine the conditions under which users can manage their own virtual machines and what they can do. Self-service users manage their virtual machines by using the Virtual Machine Manager Self-Service Portal.

See also: self-service policy, virtual machine permissions

virtual machine template

A library resource consisting of a guest operating system profile, a hardware profile, and one or more virtual hard disks (.vhd files), which can be used to create a new virtual machine. Computer identify information must have been removed from the .vhd file that contains the operating system files by using the System Preparation tool (Sysprep.exe). Self-service users must use designated templates to create their virtual machines.

virtual-to-virtual conversion (V2V conversion)

The process by which a virtual machine created in VMware is converted to a virtual machine in Virtual Machine Manager.

VMMLibrary share

The default library share, which is created on the Virtual Machine Manager server during Setup to store resources in the Virtual Machine Manager library. The administrator can optionally specify a different default library share on the Virtual Machine Manager server during Setup.

Windows PowerShell – Virtual Machine Manager command shell

The command shell, based on Windows PowerShell (Powershell.exe), that makes available the cmdlets that perform all functions in Virtual Machine Manager.