Authentication and
Authorization for ESXi and vCenter Server
Several
server-side mechanisms authenticate a human user when a client application,
such as the vSphere Client or a vSphere Web Services SDK application, connects
to the server. Because ESXi uses Linux-based authentication, and vCenter Server
ran on Windows, the two systems can use different approaches for handling user
accounts. The following illustration shows two different user management
mechanisms associated with the VMware vSphere server.
Managed Objects for Handling User Accounts
These services work together to ensure that only
authenticated users can connect to ESXi or vCenter Server systems, and that
they can access only those objects—folders, virtual machines, datacenters,
virtual services, and so on—for which they have the required privileges and
which they are authorized to use or to view.
In addition, the vSphere Web Services SDK supports
automated login through a credential store. See
Using the Credential Store for Automated Login.