This section covers the following VMware ESXi installation topics:
Choosing the Installation Method
Preparing USB Boot Media
Installing VMware ESXi
Initial Host Configuration
This deployment guide assumes you are building an environment as a proof of concept and is not meant to be a production deployment. As a result, choices made are intended to speed up and ease the process. See the corresponding guides for each technology, and make choices appropriate for your needs before building your production environment.
ESXi offers flexibility versus local hard drive install to install from and onto an SD card or USB memory stick. Please see vSphere documentation regarding best practices for logs when booting from USB or similar.
For more information, see the VMware knowledgebase article Installing ESXi on a supported USB flash drive or SD flash card (2004784). Booting ESXi from a USB drive is useful if the host has an existing ESXi Version 6.X or an earlier installation that needs to be retained.
Use the following procedure to prepare a USB drive for booting:
Download UNetbootin from http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/. The Windows version of the application does not include an installer; however, the OSX version is packaged in a .DMG file that you must mount. You must also copy the application to the Applications folder before launching. Alternatively, you can use YUMI, which allows booting multiple installation images on one USB device, plus the option to load the entire installation into RAM. The download link is http://www.pendrivelinux.com/yumi-multiboot-usb-creator/.
Start the application, select Diskimage, and then click the … icon to browse for the installation .ISO file.
Navigate to the location that contains the installation .ISO file and then select Open.
Select the mounted USB drive on which to perform the installation and then select OK. The copying process begins, and a series of progress bars are displayed.
When the copying process is complete, click Exit and then remove the USB drive.
To install from this USB drive, insert into the host using either an internal or motherboard USB port, then set that as the primary boot source or select from the boot menu on power-up.
For this guide, VMware ESXi 7.0 Update 2 is used to capture content. Text, images, and screen layout may differ from version to version.
Use the following procedure to install VMWare ESXi regardless of boot source. Select the boot media with the ESXi ISO on your host’s boot menu.
Apply power to start the host.
Select the installer using the arrow keys and press [ENTER] to begin booting the ESXi installer. A compatibility warning is displayed.
Press [ENTER] to proceed. The End User License Agreement (EULA) displays.
Read the EULA and then press [F11] to accept it and continue the installation. The installer scans the host to locate a suitable installation drive.
It should display all drives available for install.
Use the arrow keys to select the drive you want to install ESXi, and then press [ENTER] to continue.
NoteYou can install ESXi to a USB drive and then boot and run the system from that USB drive. This sample installation shows ESXi being installed on a local hard drive.
The installer scans the chosen drive to determine suitability for install
The Confirm Disk Selection window displays
Press [ENTER] to accept your selection and continue.
Please select a keyboard layout window displays.
Select your desired keyboard layout using the arrow keys and then press [ENTER]. The Enter a root password window displays.
Enter a root password in the Root password field.
ImportantTo prevent unauthorized access, your selected root password should contain at least eight (8) characters and consist of a mix of lowercase and capital letters, digits, and special characters.
Confirm the password in the Confirm password field and then press [ENTER] to proceed. The installer rescans the system.
It then displays the Confirm Install window.
Press [F11] to proceed with the installation.
ImportantThe installer will repartition the selected disk. All data on the selected disk will be destroyed.
The ESXi installation proceeds.
The Complete Installation window displays when the installation process is completed.
Press [ENTER] to reboot the system. (Make sure your installation media has been ejected and your bios set to the boot disk.)
The installation is now complete.
A countdown timer displays when you first boot ESXi. You can wait for the countdown to expire or press [ENTER] to proceed with booting. A series of notifications displays during boot, which can take several minutes to complete. The VMware ESXi screen displays when the boot completes.
Use the following procedure to configure the host:
Press [F2]. The Authentication Required window displays.
Enter the root account credentials you created during the installation process and press [ENTER]. The System Customization screen displays.
Scroll down to select Configure Management Network and then press [ENTER]. The Configure Management Network window appears.
Select the Network Adapters window and press [ENTER]. Use the arrow keys to select the adapter to use as the default management network and press [ENTER]. More than one management network can be selected for redundancy.
Exit the menu with [ESC] and select the IPv4 Configuration window
Use the arrow keys to select Set static IPv4 address and network configuration and then enter the IPv4 address, subnet mask, and default gateway in the respective fields.
Press [ENTER] when finished to apply the new management network settings.
Navigate to and select the DNS Configuration window. Add the primary and (if available) secondary DNS server address(es) in the respective fields. Set the host name for this ESXi host in the Hostname field.
Press [ENTER] to apply the new DNS settings and return to the Configure Management Network menu..
Press [ESC] to exit the Configure Management Network menu. The Confirm Management Network popup window displays. Press [Y] to confirm your selection.
Select Test Management Network on the main ESXi screen to open the Test Management Network window.
Perform the following tests:
Ping the default gateway.
Ping the DNS server.
Resolve a known address.
Return to the main ESXi screen when you have completed testing, and then select Troubleshooting Options. The Troubleshooting Mode Options window displays.
To install the NVIDIA VIB in a later step, you will need to enable the ESXi shell. This can be accomplished by selecting Enable ESXi Shell.
The window on the right displays the status: ESXi Shell is Disabled. Press [ENTER] to toggle Enable ESXi Shell on.
The window on the right displays the status: SSH is Disabled. Enable SSH by selecting Enable SSH and press [ENTER] to toggle this option on.
