1. What is the difference between vSphere and vCenter Server?

vSphere is a complete suite of products developed by VMware for building and managing a
virtualized data center. It includes tools such as ESXi , vCenter Server, and features like
vMotion and DRS. vCenter Server is one of the core components of vSphere and acts as the
centralized management platform for multiple ESXi hosts and all their virtual machines.
While vSphere refers to the overall infrastructure, vCenter specifically helps you manage it
all from one place, offering advanced features like automation, monitoring, and centralized
control.

2. What is the VMware vCenter Enhanced Linked Mode, and how does it operate?

Enhanced Linked Mode allows multiple vCenter Server instances to be connected so that
they can be managed through a single vSphere Web Client interface. It’s particularly useful
in large environments with multiple vCenters spread across regions or data centers. With
ELM, administrators don’t need to log in separately to manage each vCenter—they can view
and manage all the associated ESXi hosts, VMs, templates, and resources across the linked
vCenters as if they were part of one unified system. This improves efficiency and visibility,
especially in enterprise-scale environments.

3. What is a resource pool?

 A resource pool is a logical grouping of computing resources like CPU and memory.

 It helps in isolating and allocating resources to different users or applications within a

 Useful in environments where multiple teams or departments share the same

 Allows for prioritization of workloads by setting limits and reservations.

 It ensures that critical applications have guaranteed resources, even during resource
contention.

4. What is a Cluster in VMware vSphere?

A cluster is a set of ESXi hosts grouped together to provide a single resource pool and to
enable features like High Availability (HA), Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), and Fault
Tolerance (FT). By forming a cluster, workloads can be automatically balanced based on
demand and virtual machines can be restarted on another host in case of hardware failure.
This approach brings redundancy, better performance, and simplified management because
resources across all hosts in the cluster are shared intelligently. Clustering is a core method
to build reliable and scalable virtual infrastructure.

5. What are the Core Elements of the VMkernel Networking Layer?

 VMkernel Ports: These are used for special services such as vMotion, management
traffic, and storage access like iSCSI or NFS.

 Virtual Switches: They act like traditional network switches but operate inside the
host to direct traffic between virtual machines and external networks.

 Port Groups: Define network settings and policies for groups of virtual machines or
VMkernel services.

 NIC Teaming: Combines multiple physical network adapters to increase bandwidth

 TCP/IP Stack: Handles the underlying communication for various network services
running on the VMkernel.

6. What are Three groups that Are Configured in ESXi Networking?

 Virtual Machine Port Groups: These connect VMs to the network, allowing them to
send and receive traffic.

 VMkernel Port Groups: Used for host-related services like vMotion, iSCSI storage, or
management.

 Uplink/Physical NICs: These are physical network interface cards on the ESXi host
that connect virtual switches to the outside physical network infrastructure.

7. What are the Key Features of VMware NSX?

VMware NSX brings networking into the virtualization layer by allowing you to create,
manage, and secure virtual networks in software. Some of its standout features include:

 Micro-segmentation: Isolates workloads at a very fine level to improve security.

 Software-based Routing and Switching: You can build routers, switches, firewalls,
and load balancers virtually.

 Automated Network Provisioning: Reduces the time and complexity needed to

 Disaster Recovery Support: Helps maintain consistent network policies across sites.

8. What is the Difference Between Virtual Switch and Physical Switch?

A virtual switch is a software component inside the ESXi host that routes traffic between
VMs and connects to the physical network using uplink ports. A physical switch is a
hardware device that connects physical servers, storage, and other network devices. The
virtual switch does all its operations within the host and allows for VM-to-VM
communication and external access. Physical switches, on the other hand, manage
communication between real-world devices and are essential in the broader network
infrastructure. Both work together to enable full networking capabilities for virtual and
physical resources.

9. Explain the Different Types of VM Networking in ESXi.

 Bridged Networking: VMs connect directly to the external network as if they were
physical systems.

 NAT (Network Address Translation): VMs use a private IP and share the host's IP
address to access outside networks.

 Host-Only Networking: VMs communicate only with the host system, not with the
external network.

 Internal Networking: VMs can talk to each other inside the host but can't
communicate outside, even with the host itself.

Each type of networking is useful depending on the scenario—for example, NAT is good for
isolated testing, while bridged networking is used when VMs need to behave like normal
physical devices.

10. What is the Purpose of VLAN in VMware Networking?

VLAN (Virtual LAN) is used in VMware to segment and isolate network traffic logically, even if
the physical infrastructure is shared. By assigning different VLAN IDs, you can separate traffic
such as management, storage, VM traffic, and backup. This improves performance,
maintains security, and ensures better organization of the network. For example, production
traffic can be isolated from development traffic, and sensitive data can be separated from
general communication, all using VLANs within a virtualized environment.
11. What are the basic commands to troubleshoot connectivity between vSphere
Client/vCenter to ESX server?

 ping: Checks basic network connectivity between two systems.

 vmkping: Special command for checking network paths used by VMkernel services.

 esxcli network ip interface list: Shows available VMkernel interfaces and their
configurations.

 netstat -an: Displays active connections and listening ports on the host.

 esxtop: Used to monitor real-time performance metrics including CPU, memory, and
network.

 traceroute: Identifies the network path taken to reach a destination IP, helpful in
spotting routing issues.

These commands help identify and fix issues related to host management, storage
connectivity, or VM network access.

12. What are the types of Port Groups in ESX/ESXi?

 Virtual Machine Port Groups: Handle network traffic between VMs and external
systems.

 VMkernel Port Groups: Used for specialized traffic such as storage access, vMotion,
and management.

 Management Network: This is the default network used to manage the ESXi host
itself via vCenter or SSH.

Each type of port group serves a different function and allows administrators to assign
policies, VLANs, and security rules accordingly.

13. What is VMKernel? What is the use of VMKernel Port?

The VMKernel is a key component of the ESXi host that acts as the operating system kernel,
managing all underlying functions like resource scheduling, memory allocation, file system
operations, and network communication. It doesn't have a user interface, but it silently
handles all critical operations that keep the virtual infrastructure running smoothly.
The VMKernel port is a dedicated interface that allows the host to communicate with other
systems or services—for example, for management traffic, vMotion (live VM migration), or
accessing shared storage systems. It is essential for the host's operation in a networked
environment and ensures all internal functions can communicate properly.