Thank you for the clarification. Sometimes one can't see the forest for the trees! 
Referring to KB article (2058262): VMware KB: Installing the vSphere 5.5 Web Client on a Microsoft Windows platform
I supplied the following feedback...
I'm a new VMware customer so I realize there is a lot I don't know that others take for granted. Still, KB articles and documentation must accommodate the needs of new users.
To begin, I accept that the vSphere Web Client is needed to manage advanced features and is required for new vSphere 5.5 installations. There are many articles like this one describing how to install it therefore it must be a component I need to install. The original vSphere Client is installed on a Windows workstation so that must be where the vSphere Web Client is also installed. Right? Nowhere in this article does it say it has to be a Windows server let alone the vSphere server. This might be obvious or simply intuitive to someone installing vSphere server but I am deploying the vSphere server appliance. :-(
What needs to be done:
- Change this KB title to "Installing the vSphere 5.5 Web Client on a Microsoft Windows Server platform" or, better yet, "on the vSphere server".
- Clarify any potential confusion new users may have about the differences between the vSphere Web Client and the vSphere Client. The names are too similar.
- Emphasize the fact that customers who deploy the vSphere server appliance do not need to install the vSphere Web Client. This is needed primarily because of the many existing documents describing why it is needed and how to install it.