VMware GSX 3 - Manual (Page 229)

C H A P T E R 8 Glossary
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Legacy virtual machine — A virtual machine created under an earlier version of
GSX Server, ESX Server or Workstation.
See also Current virtual machine.
Network address translation (NAT) — A type of network connection that allows
you to connect your virtual machines to an external network when you have only one
IP network address, and that address is used by the host computer. If you use NAT,
your virtual machine does not have its own IP address on the external network.
Instead, a separate private network is set up on the host computer. Your virtual
machine gets an address on that network from the VMware virtual DHCP server. The
VMware NAT device passes network data between one or more virtual machines and
the external network. It identifies incoming data packets intended for each virtual
machine and sends them to the correct destination.
See also Bridged networking, Custom networking and Host-only networking.
New Virtual Machine Wizard — A point-and-click interface for convenient, easy
creation of a virtual machine configuration. To launch the wizard, choose File > New
Virtual Machine. It prompts you for information, suggesting default values in most
cases. It creates files that define the virtual machine, including a virtual machine
configuration file and (optionally) a virtual disk or physical disk file.
See also Virtual machine settings editor.
Nonpersistent mode — A mode in which all disk writes issued by software running
inside a virtual machine with a disk in nonpersistent mode appear to be written to
disk but are in fact discarded after the virtual machine is powered off. If you configure
a virtual disk or physical disk as an independent disk in nonpersistent mode, the disk is
not modified by GSX Server.
See also Independent disk, Persistent mode
Persistent mode — A mode in which all disk writes issued by software running
inside a virtual machine are immediately and permanently written to the virtual disk. If
you configure a virtual disk or physical disk as an independent disk in persistent mode,
the disk behaves like a conventional disk drive on a physical computer.
See also Independent disk, Nonpersistent mode
Physical disk — A hard disk in a virtual machine that is mapped to a physical disk
drive or partition on the host machine. A virtual machine’s disk can be stored as a file
on the host file system or on a local hard disk. When a virtual machine is configured to
use a physical disk, GSX Server directly accesses the local disk or partition as a raw
device (not as a file on a file system).
See also Virtual disk.