Patent ID: 7194519

Claim:
A system, stored on a computer readable medium, that enables a server to manage a plurality of virtual servers, the system comprising: a physical server administrator configured to administer common physical aspects of the server; a virtual server administrator configured to administer logical aspects of one or more virtual servers of the plurality of virtual servers; an operating system of the server adapted to designate roles to the physical server administrator and the virtual server administrator, each designated role defined by a set of capabilities, the roles of the virtual server administrator and the physical server administrator distinguished by a destination IP address of a request for a service received at a network interface that is bound to an IPspace of the server; and the operating system is further configured to read the destination IP address of the request received at the network interface of the server, and to determine that the request is a command for either the virtual server administrator or the physical server administrator based on the destination IP address; wherein: if the request is a command for the virtual server administrator, directing the request to the one or more virtual servers of the plurality of virtual servers and executing the request by the one or more virtual servers; and if the request is a command for the physical server administrator, directing the request to the sever and executing the request by the server.