VMware Performance and Capacity Management - Second Edition

Physical server versus Virtual Machine

Hopefully, I've driven home the point that a VM is different from a physical server. I'll now list the differences from a management point of view. The following table shows the differences that impact how you manage your infrastructure. Let's begin with the core properties:

Properties	Physical server	Virtual Machine
BIOS	Every brand and model has a unique BIOS. Even the same model (for example, HP DL 380 Generation 9) can have multiple BIOS versions. The BIOS needs updates and management, often with physical access to a data center. This requires downtime.	This is standardized in a VM. There is only one type, which is the VMware motherboard. This is independent from the ESXi motherboard. The VM BIOS ...