The ESXi embedded host client is a fling developed by the folks at VMware labs, for accessing ESXi host over a web browser. The UI is built using HTML and is quite fast as compared to the flash based interface which was used by the host client released earlier with version 6.0 or the vSphere web client that is used today to access vCenter over the browser.
Personally, I’m a big fan of C# client and never thought that any client would ever come close to giving the feel of using the thick client. The embedded client not only beats it in the ease of use department but also aces the deck as far as the speed at which it works and the sleek interface goes. Now I use the embedded host client for most of my tasks and use the thick client only when it’s needed. Below are the top five reasons why the embedded host client is better.
User Interface :
The UI in the embedded host client is built on HTML5 and Javascript. The look of the client is sleek and makes everything else look better too. Since it is HTML, the objects are placed well on the screen and the graphs look better.
Resource Usage :
The thick client is written using C# and usually requires a good amount of resources to run a session. But when it comes to the embedded host client, resource usage is way less, as the client is directly rendered from the ESXi client. All the resource consumption will be on the browser where the client is being accessed. I’m sure this does not use up a lot of CPU cycles on the ESXi host either.
Size :
The embedded client is provided as a part of the vSphere installation bundle which is 2MB in size. This is a huge difference compared to the thick client which is a 350MB windows installable file whereas the vSphere web client consumes around 450MB of space.
No OS requirement :
The thick client typically requires a Windows OS to run on. Like the vSphere web client, the embedded host client can run on any host, be it windows or Linux as it is accessed over the browser. This is one of the best things about the embedded host client as it does not add the overhead of installing a solution to access the ESXi server. All you have to do is open one of the supported browsers and type https://<esxi-host-ip>/ui and it redirects you to the host client interface.
Speed :
The embedded client is faster as it is built on HTML5. The load time is faster and also the response time when clicked on the vCenter objects is way better. This is one of the reasons why I love the embedded client compared to the flash based vSphere web client.
All it takes is 5 mins to get this functionality on the ESXi. Go to VMware Labs and download the fling and install it on the ESXi. I have made a video tutorial for the same
The embedded host is still in the development phase and offers a defined set of features. So use it and submit your feedback and bug reports to the team so they can make it better. I hope this embedded client is included in the ESXi from the next version. I would love to hear what others have to say about the host client. If you feel I have missed any points, feel free to drop a comment below.