Installing and configuring VMware ESXi

ESXi Server basics
The free version of ESXi can be either embedded on a server (boot from flash) or installed on existing servers using the Installable version. The free version of ESXi only includes support for VMFS and vSMP, no additional features are included. You can license ESXi as one of the VI3 editions that are available and you then are able to use the features that come with the edition you license with it.

The ESXi install takes about 5 GB of space on whatever drive you install it on. Remaining space it automatically formatted as a VMFS partition. The hypervisor only needs roughly 32 MB, the additional space is used for VMware tool installs, swap and core dump partitions.

There are four versions of ESXi: the ESXi base, which includes VMFS and vSMP; ESXi Foundation, which adds Virtual Center Agent, Update Manager and Consolidated Backup; ESXi Standard, which adds High Availability; and ESXi Enterprise, which adds VMotion, Storage VMotion, DRS and DPM functionality.

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If you already have existing licenses for ESX, you can also choose to deploy ESXi in place of ESX on a server. Simply download ESXi installable, install it and then license it with VirtualCenter as you would a traditional ESX server.

Other useful ESXi facts:

• The basic version of ESXi can not be managed by VirtualCenter, as it does not include a VirtualCenter agent.
• The ESXi installable version has it's own Hardware Compatibility List (HCL). While ESXi installable will run on other hardware, the hardware mentioned on the list is the only official hardware that VMware supports.
• The ESXi firewall is easy to manage because there is no Service Console to protect. Only two connection types are allowed by default.
• ESXi does not have a web access UI in any of its editions.
• Host hardware monitoring is built in to ESXi through CIM providers and can be displayed in the VI Client.
• The free version of ESXi must still be licensed. To obtain a license, register with VMware and they will email you a license key.
• Unlike ESX, ESXi has very few installation prompts to help configure the server. For example, network configuration are completed after it is installed.
• There is no support available for the free version of ESXi unless you purchase it at the VMware store for $299 for a single incident, $749 for three incidents or $1,149 for five incidents.

Installing ESXi ...

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installable version

1. Register for your free license.

2. Download the ESXi installable version ISO file.

3. Burn the ISO file to a CD and feed the CD to the server you wish to install ESXi on.

4. Once you boot from the CD the installer will load. Press ENTER to begin, then F11 to accept the licensing agreement. Next, choose a disk to install to (all data will be erased) and finally press F11 again to start the install after ejecting the install CD.

5. Once the install is completed, press ENTER to reboot and ESXi will start.

Configuring ESXi from the console
After installing ESXi, you will want to configure it. To do this, use the built-in console. Press F2 once the server boots. After you configure networking for ESXi, you can also configure it via the VI Client. Here is how to configure networking:

1. Once the server boots, it will attempt to use DHCP to get an IP address for the management network. If you are not using DHCP, it will fail, but you can configure it manually by pressing F2 to customize (configure) the server. Next, select the Configure Management Network option, select Network Adapters and select the network card (NIC) that you will be using. Next, select IP Configuration and select the option to use a static IP address. Set an IP address, net mask and gateway and press ENTER to save it. Finally select the DNS Configuration option and set your DNS servers and DNS host name. You can also restart and test the management network by using the menu options.

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2. Now that you have networking configured, set a password for the root account (blank by default). You can do this through the server console by pressing F2 and then selecting Configure Root Password.

There is also an option to display the server's serial number, the license serial number and the SSH thumbprint. To do this, select View Support Information. To display VMkernel and hostd log files, select the View System Logs option. Finally, the Restart Management Agents option offers the same functionality as restarting the mgmt-vmware service in ESX.

Configuring ESXi from the VI Client
Once networking is configured, if you have not yet set a root password connect to the host using the VI Client by logging in using the root account with no password. To set the password, click on the Users & Groups tab, right-click on the root user, select Edit, select Change Password and enter a password.

You should install your free license key next. In the VI Client, go to Configuration, Licensed Features. Edit the License Source and change it from Evaluation to Use Serial Number and input the serial number that was emailed to you when you registered.

That's it for the basic configuration, from this point the configuration is much the same as a regular ESX server. One additional step you should take for security purposes is to disable the special "Tech Support mode" which is enabled by default. This mode provides access to a limited number of console commands through the Busybox shell and is intended to be used by VMware support to help with troubleshooting and resolving problems. By default, this mode is only active through the physical console but can also be enabled for use with SSH by editing a configuration file.

To disable it, connect the VI Client to an ESX Server 3i host or a VirtualCenter Server. Browse to a host in the inventory list and click the Configuration tab. Then click Advanced Settings. In the list of parameters, deselect VMkernel.Boot.techSupportMode. Finally, restart the ESXI Server 3i host. Before restarting the host, shut down the host's virtual machines or migrated them to another host using VMotion or via cold migration.

In the next tip we will cover methods for patching your ESXi host which is important to ensure you are running the latest most secure build possible.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Eric Siebert is a 25-year IT veteran with experience in programming, networking, telecom and systems administration. He is a guru-status moderator on the VMware community VMTN forums and maintains VMware-land.com, a VI3 information site.

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