Virtual Machine Manager 2008 Glossary

Applies To: Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2, Virtual Machine Manager 2008 R2 SP1

Term Definition

agent

See Other Term: Virtual Machine Manager agent

All Hosts host group

The default host group that 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. See Also: virtual machine placement

checkpoint

A point-in-time snapshot of a virtual machine that enables an administrator to restore the virtual machine to its previous state.

clone

To create a new virtual machine by copying an existing virtual machine. The new virtual machine has the same identity as the original virtual machine.

cluster reserve

In Virtual Machine Manager, a property of a host cluster that specifies the maximum number of simultaneous node failures that the cluster must be able to sustain and still be able to keep all existing virtual machines running. See Also: overcommitted

Delegated Administrator user role

A role that is used to limit the host groups and library servers on which an administrator can perform Virtual Machine Manager administrative tasks. See Also: self-service user role

guest operating system profile

A Virtual Machine Manager library resource that contains common operating system settings—such as computer name, domain name, product key, and time zone—which can be applied to a virtual machine template.

hardware profile

A Virtual Machine Manager library resource that contains hardware specifications—such as memory, network adapters, and DVD drives—that can be applied to a new virtual machine or a virtual machine template.

host

See Other Term: virtual machine host

host cluster

A failover cluster that has been added to Virtual Machine Manager as a virtual machine host to support the deployment of highly available virtual machines.

host group

A custom group that an administrator can create to place virtual machine hosts for ease of monitoring and management.

host rating

A rating, consisting of zero through five stars, which is assigned to each host during virtual machine placement to indicate the host’s suitability for hosting the virtual machine.

host reserves

The CPU percentage, memory, disk space, disk I/O capacity, and network capacity that must be available to 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 the host reserves.

job

A series of steps that are performed sequentially to complete an action. Each job is comprised of one or more cmdlets available from the Windows PowerShell – Virtual Machine Manager command shell.

library

See Other Term: Virtual Machine Manager library

library server

A computer that makes shared folders available to store file-based resources in the Virtual Machine Manager library.

library share

A shared folder on a library server that has been added to the Virtual Machine Manager library and contains resources such as virtual hard disks or Windows PowerShell scripts.

load balancing

A placement goal that is taken into account during virtual machine placement, in which the suitability of each virtual machine host is rated based on the intent to distribute the processing load equally among all of the hosts scoped for virtual machine placement. See Also: resource maximization

maintenance mode

A state in which you can place a virtual machine host to perform maintenance tasks on the host, such as applying updates or replacing a physical component. Note: Maintenance mode is available only in VMM 2008 R2.

migrate

See Other Term: virtual machine migration

network optimization

An indication in the VMM Administrator Console during virtual machine placement that a Hyper-V host that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 has network adapters that support either the virtual machine queue (VMQ) feature or the TCP Chimney Offload feature. Note: Network optimization is available only in VMM 2008 R2.

overcommitted

The status assigned to a host cluster when it is unable to sustain the number of simultaneous node failures specified by the cluster reserve and keep all existing virtual machines running.

P2V conversion

See Other Term: physical-to-virtual (P2V) conversion

Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO)

A feature that uses performance and health data provided by specially designed management packs (called PRO-enabled management packs) in System Center Operations Manager 2007 to associate specific alerts to remediation actions that can be implemented automatically or manually in Virtual Machine Manager to return the virtualized environment to a healthy state. See Also: PRO tip

physical-to-virtual (P2V) conversion

The process of creating a virtual machine by copying the configuration of a functioning physical computer.

placement

See Other Term: virtual machine placement

PRO

See Other Term: Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO)

PRO tip

A recommendation provided by a PRO-enabled management pack that can be implemented automatically or manually to optimize performance or reduce downtime for workloads running in virtualized environments. See Also: Performance and Resource Optimization (PRO)

quick storage migration

The process of migrating a running virtual machine and its files to a different storage location on the same host with minimal or no service outage. Note: Quick storage migration is available only in VMM 2008 R2.

quota point

A unit by which the virtual machine quota for self-service users is calculated. Quota points are assigned to the templates that self-service users use to create their virtual machines. See Also: virtual machine quota

rapid provisioning

The capability to quickly create virtual machines from a template by using an existing virtual hard disk file stored locally on the destination host instead of copying a virtual hard disk file from the library. Note: Rapid provisioning is available only in VMM 2008 R2.

resource maximization

A placement goal that is taken into account during virtual machine placement in which the suitability of each virtual machine host is rated based on the intent to consolidate multiple low-utilization workloads onto a single host. See Also: load balancing

SAN transfer

The capability to migrate or store virtual machines by using a Storage Area Network (SAN) rather than by using a local area network (LAN). Note: SAN transfers into or out of a cluster are available only in VMM 2008 R2.

secure mode

The default mode of security for Virtual Machine Manager to manage a VMware environment.

Self-Service Portal

See Other Term: VMM Self-Service Portal

self-service user

A user who is allowed to create and manage one’s own virtual machines by using the VMM Self-Service Portal. A self-service user cannot perform administrative functions on hosts or library servers.

self-service user role

A role that is used to enable users to create and manage their own virtual machines by using the VMM Self-Service Portal. See Also: Delegated Administrator user role

stored virtual machine

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

template

See Other Term: virtual machine template

V2V conversion

See Other Term: virtual-to-virtual (V2V) conversion

virtual guest services

The set of software drivers and services (for example, Integration Services for Hyper-V) installed on a virtual machine that help improve performance and enhance the user interface experience for a virtual machine.

virtual machine host

A physical computer that is running virtualization software, such as Hyper-V, on which virtual machines can be deployed.

Virtual Machine Manager agent

The software that is installed on virtual machine hosts and library servers, 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. Examples of library resources include virtual machine templates, virtual hard disks, scripts, hardware profiles, and guest operating system profiles.

Virtual Machine Manager server

A computer that is running Virtual Machine Manager.

virtual machine migration

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

virtual machine placement

The process of selecting the most suitable host on which to deploy a virtual machine. See Also: automatic placement; host rating

virtual machine quota

A limit, based on quota points, that is placed on the number of virtual machines that a self-service user or group can have deployed on hosts at the same time.

virtual machine self-service

The ability for users to create and manage their own virtual machines by using the VMM Self-Service Portal. See Also: self-service user role

virtual machine template

A library resource consisting of a guest operating system profile, a hardware profile, and one or more virtual hard disk files, which can be used to create a new virtual machine.

virtual-to-virtual (V2V) conversion

The process in Virtual Machine Manager by which a virtual machine created in VMware is converted to a Hyper-V or Virtual Server-based virtual machine that can be managed by Virtual Machine Manager.

VMM Administrator Console

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

VMM Self-Service Portal

The Web site that users who are assigned to a self-service user role can use to create and manage their own virtual machines.

Windows PowerShell – Virtual Machine Manager command shell

The Windows PowerShell-based command shell that makes available the cmdlets that perform all functions in Virtual Machine Manager.