VMware in DMZ can be either deployed on physical infrastructure or in a virtual environment. Physical Environment: Uses separate physical hosts and physical firewalls. Virtual Environment: can be deployed in three ways. a- Partially collapsed with separate physical zones. b- Partially collapsed with separate virtual zones. c- fully collapsed.

1. VMware DMZ Design

2. Traditional DMZ
Environment
 Physical hosts and physical
firewalls.

3. PARTIALLY COLLAPSED
DMZ WITH SEPARATE
PHYSICAL ZONES
 Separate ESXi host (or cluster of
hosts) for each zone.

4. PARTIALLY COLLAPSED
DMZ WITH SEPARATE
VIRTUAL ZONES
 Different zones in a single ESXi
host (or a cluster of hosts).

5. FULLY
COLLAPSED
DMZ
 Virtual firewall appliance
(running as a VM on the ESXi
cluster) that handles network
segregation.

6.  Reference
 Guthrie, Forbes, and Scott Lowe. VMware VSphere Design, 2nd Edition.
John Wiley & Sons.