How to Install the VMware ESXi Hypervisor on Physical Hardware

Transcription

1 How to Install the VMware ESXi Hypervisor on Physical Hardware I am not responsible for your actions or their outcomes, in any way, while reading and/or implementing this tutorial. I will not provide support for the information herein. If you do not understand something, figure it out on your own. If you need help figuring it out, use Google to solve your problems. Introduction VMware ESXi is a free, installable virtualization hypervisor. It allows you to run multiple operating systems on a single piece of hardware, while allowing each operating system to act exactly the same as if it were installed on its own, dedicated hardware. ESXi also provides virtualization of networking hardware such as switches and network interface cards (NICs). The ESXi server from VMware is predominately managed remotely using the VMware vsphere client, which is also free. A physical console management system is also provided, and will be addressed in the tutorial, How to Configure an Initial Installation of the VMware ESXi Hypervisor. This tutorial will cover how to install the ESXi hypervisor on physical hardware using the installation CD provided by VMware. You can download the ISO image corresponding to the ESXi hypervisor from the VMware website. ESXi 4.1 will be used for the screenshots in this tutorial. It is important to note that the physical setup of the server, such as RAID array setup, should be performed before following this tutorial. Any management software and/or networks you desire to use, such as ilo from HP, should also be configured before applying the steps in this tutorial to install the VMware ESXi hypervisor. It is not required to setup a RAID array, or a management utility such as Drake from Dell, to install the VMware ESXi hypervisor. In order to successfully install the VMware ESXi hypervisor, your server must meet the minimum hardware requirements, and you must use hardware from the VMware compatibility list. Hardware compatibility is REQUIRED. To check the VMware ESXi hardware compatibility list, refer to the following link (as of the time of this writing): For further information on how to build a VMware ESXi compatible server from desktop components, refer to, ESXi on Desktop Hardware.

2 Before You Begin 1. You will need to set the boot order of your server so that it will boot from CD-ROM first. 2. If you are using a RAID array, that array needs to be created before installing VMware ESXi to the physical server. 3. If you need to setup any management software or networks, such as ILO from HP or Drake from Dell, do so before installing VMware ESXi. Steps 1. Power on the server, insert the VMware ESXi CD, and boot from the CD. You will be provided with an initial boot screen that looks like the following screenshot. Ensure, "ESXi Installer, is selected and press ENTER. NOTES: If you need to change the boot order of the BIOS on the server, do so and reboot the machine, ensuring that you are booting from the CD/DVD ROM drive.

3 2. The installation routine will now execute, this may take a significant amount of time. Press Enter to install the ESXi hypervisor. NOTES:

4 3. Press F11 to accept the End User License Agreement. NOTES:

5 4. Select the hard disk drive you wish to install VMware ESXi to and press Enter to continue. NOTES: The screen you see will most likely be different than the one in the screenshot. This is due to differences in hardware, and how the hardware is configured. These screenshots were taken from a VMware ESXi instance of VMware ESXi (ESXi installed virtually on an ESXi hypervisor).

6 5. Press F11 to install the ESXi hypervisor. This will erase any data on the drive you have selected for installation. ESXi will now be installed on the physical hardware of the machine you have chosen. NOTES:

7 6. Remove the installation media and press Enter to reboot the server and boot into ESXi for the first time. Once the installation is complete, you will be at the initial console screen provided by ESXi. Please refer to the tutorial, How to Configure an Initial Installation of the VMware ESXi Hypervisor, for further instructions. NOTES:

8 Troubleshooting The first thing to check after any failed installation is hardware compatibility. Refer to the VMware hardware compatibility list located at this URL (as of the time of this writing): rver If your hardware is compatible, ensure you meet the minimum hardware requirements, which can also be found at the link above. I am not responsible for your actions or their outcomes, in any way, while reading and/or implementing this tutorial. I will not provide support for the information herein. If you do not understand something, figure it out on your own. If you need help figuring it out, use Google to solve your problems.