VMware vSphere Design, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4

Server Hardware

All vSphere hosts rely on the underlying hardware to provide a suitable environment to run the ESXi hypervisor and the guest virtual machines (VMs). The server hardware is the most significant factor that affects the host's capabilities, performance, and cost. A vSphere design will never be successful if the server hardware isn't fit for the task.

Often, during the initial stages of a design, hardware procurement is on the critical path, because the process of selecting, approving, and ordering hardware and having it delivered can take several weeks. However, as this chapter investigates, you must review many considerations before embarking on the right server choice.

The chapter is split into the following sections: ...