Storage
A virtual machine uses a virtual disk to
store its operating system, program files, and other data. A virtual disk is a
large physical file, or a set of files, that can be copied, moved, archived,
and backed up like other files. To store and manipulate virtual disk files, a
host requires dedicated storage space. ESX/ESXi supports storage in multiple
ways. Hosts that are managed by a vCenter Server system can share storage.
Any type of network-attached storage requires
complete configuration of networking in the VMkernel to support network-based
access to the storage media. The VMkernel requires its own IP address. See
vsphere-networks.ditamap#GUID-BB8A1B43-8829-419E-8497-DA8FD039A6C1-en.