What is defined as the physical computer on which ESXi is installed?

The term that defines the physical computer on which ESXi is installed is known as a host. In the context of VMware vSphere, a host is a physical server that runs the ESXi hypervisor, which is responsible for managing virtual machines (VMs). The host provides the necessary hardware resources, such as CPU, memory, storage, and networking, to run VMs efficiently and effectively.

Understanding the role of the host is crucial because it serves as the foundation for virtualization within the VMware ecosystem. Each host can support multiple VMs, allowing organizations to consolidate their servers, improve resource utilization, and enhance operational flexibility.

In contrast, a data center refers to a physical or virtual facility that houses a collection of servers, networking equipment, and other components essential for data management and processing. A cluster consists of multiple hosts grouped together to provide high availability and resource pooling, while a datastore is a storage repository used by ESXi hosts to store VM files and virtual disks. Each of these terms relates to virtualization but represents different aspects of the VMware architecture.