Virtual Machine Configuration and
Management
A virtual machine is a software
computer that, like a physical computer, runs an operating system and applications.
The virtual machine consists of a set of
specification and configuration files and is backed by the physical resources of a host. Each
virtual machine encapsulates a complete computing environment and runs independently of the
underlying hardware.
Starting with vSphere 6.5, you can create virtual
machines, configure virtual machine settings, and perform power operations on the virtual
machines through the
vSphere
Automation
APIs. Starting with vSphere 7.0, you can use the
vSphere
Automation
APIs to perform various virtual machine management operations. For
example, you can deploy virtual machines by using several approaches, clone an existing
virtual machine, create an instant clone of a running virtual machine. You can also install
VMware Tools which enables you to manage the life cycle and customize the networking and
identity settings of the guest operating system installed on the virtual machine.