A free course in the installation and use of the free VMware vsphere Hypervisor (ESXi)

(1)

A free course in the installation and use of

the free VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi)

(2)



John Borhek, VCP3, VCP4, VSP, VTSP



VMsources Virtualization



1-866-644-7764



(3)

(4)

1. Introduction / Terms and Concepts

2. Installing the VMware Hypervisor (ESXi)

3. Configure ESXi

4. Building Virtual Machines & Installing

VMware Tools

5. P2V Migration with the VMware Converter

6. Creating a Virtual Router with PfSense

(5)

1965

• Mainframe Era

• Centralized

operations

1980

• Micro/Mini

Computer

1995

• The X86 PC

revolution

• Server Proliferation

2010

• Virtualization

• Centralized

operations

(6)



ESXi, VMware Hypervisor

◦

_{The basic package which is installed on hardware and}

makes possible virtualization.



Host

◦

_{VMware uses this term interchangeably with ESX or ESXi}



Virtual Machine

◦

_{A container which is capable of installing and/or running an}

operating system



Guest

◦

_{An operating system running on a hypervisor within a}

Virtual Machine container



COS

(7)



General Purpose (vestigial) Operating System

◦

_{Programs and data that provide common services for}

efficient execution of various application software not

specific to a hypervisor.



Bootstrapping

◦

_{A technique by which a simple computer program is}

required to activate a more complicated system of

programs.



Boot Loader

◦

_{A program required to bootstrap an operating system:}



GRUB for Linux, ntldr.exe for Windows



ISO Image

◦

_{A disc image of an optical disc. ISO images can be created}

from optical discs, or can be used to recreate optical discs

using software from a file.

(8)



A software layer or

operating system

which presents

hardware to the guest

operating systems.



Multiple instances of a

variety of operating

systems may share the

hardware resources of

(9)



VMware invented virtualization for the x86

platform



First product VMware Workstation released in

1999



GSX (Now VMware Server) and ESX Server first

(10)

X86_64 hypervisor

Virt

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hin

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M

an

agem

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pe

ra

tin

g

Sy

st

em

X86 hypervisor

Virt

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M

ac

hi

ne

Host OS (Linux/Windows)

Applic

atio

n

Applic

atio

n

(11)



Type 2 – “hosted” Virtualization

◦

_{Hypervisor runs as an application service on top of}

a full, traditional operating system

◦

_{All Virtual Machine hardware is presented by the}

host operating system (Windows/Linux)



Type 1 “Bare Metal” Virtualization

◦

_{Hypervisor runs in conjunction or in place of a}

traditional operating system

◦

_{Actual hardware resources from host server are}

apportioned to Virtual Machines

(12)



In the beginning, hypervisors ran in

conjunction with a traditional vestigial

operating system like Windows or Linux



Operating system was installed directly on

hardware and was required to bootstrap

hypervisor (virtualization)

(13)



Hypervisor starts first



No traditional /

vestigial OS



Management resources

(if any) run separately

as a VM or application

framework

X86_64 hypervisor

Virt

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vS

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agem

en

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Applia

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vM

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(14)



ESXi is just the VMware Hypervisor

◦

_{Onboard management limited to configuration of}

management network IP



ESX is the VMware Hypervisor and a Linux

Virtual Machine called the Service Console

◦

_{Full command-line COS on each ESX Server}



Configure hypervisor



Configure storage



Configure networking

(15)



Using the vSphere Client, you can:

◦

_{Create and run Virtual Machines}



Up to 4 vCPU per VM

◦

_{Connect to SAN (iSCSI or Fibre Channel)}

◦

_{Use NFS shares}

◦

_{Create and manage VMware Standard vSwitches}

◦

_{May be licensed for additional VMware services at}

(16)



Standalone use only, no vCenter server

precludes the use of many VMware Services:

◦

_vMotion

◦

_HA

◦

_DRS

◦

_{Fault Tolerance}

◦

_Clones

◦

_Templates

◦

_{Customization Specification (sysprep)}

◦

_{Much More…..}

(17)



Command line management with the vCLI or

vMA limited to queries (read-only)



Up to 256 GB RAM per Server



Symmetric Multiprocessing (vSMP) limited to

(18)



Use the VMware Compatibility Guide:

◦

(19)



Many resources available online



Must be true 64-bit capable hardware



Will need supported NIC

◦

_{Intel Pro 1000}

◦

_{Broadcom Gigabit}

(20)



Set BIOS time & date



Update Firmware



Enable hardware-assisted virtualization

◦

_{Intel VT}

◦

_AMD-V



Configure directly-attached storage

◦

_{RAID 1 recommended for supported SCSI}

(21)

Installing the VMware

Hypervisor (ESXi)

(22)



Download the free VMware Hypervisor (ESXi)

and license key



Burn ISO image to CD



Place CD in optical drive

(23)

(24)



Burn the ISO to a blank disk. Do not extract

(25)

(26)

(27)

(28)

(29)

(30)

(31)

(32)

(33)

(34)



Downloaded the free VMware Hypervisor

(ESXi) and license key



Burnt the ISO image to CD



Placed CD in optical drive

(35)

Configuring the free VMware

Hypervisor

(36)



Set Password



Configure Management Network



Download and install the vSphere Client



Connect to ESX Server



Apply License to ESXi



Configure NTP

(37)

(38)



The Management Network will be used to

(39)

(40)



Set an IP address which is part of your

(41)

(42)

(43)



Browse to the IP address of the ESXi



Download the vSphere Client

(44)

(45)



Place a check mark to “Install this certificate,”

(46)

(47)



Select:

(48)



Choose:

(49)



Choose

◦

_{Enter Key…}



Enter the license key

which was provided

when the VMware

Hypervisor was

downloaded



When key is entered,

allowed usage will be

shown

(50)



Set ESX Server to Stratum 1 NTP time source

◦

_{Individual server example}

time.nist.gov

◦

_{Pool example (preferred)}

0.north-america.pool.ntp.org

1.north-america.pool.ntp.org

2.north-america.pool.ntp.org



Use VMware Tools to set VM time to ESX time

◦

_{Ensure accurate logging}

◦

_{Prevent VM time drift}

(51)



Select:

(52)



Set the time manually to the correct time



Choose:

(53)



Choose:

(54)

(55)



Password is set



Management Network has been configured



vSphere Client downloaded and installed



Connected to ESX Server



Configured licensing



Configured NTP

(56)

Building Virtual Machines &

Installing VMware Tools

(57)



What is a Virtual Machine?



Create a new Virtual Machine



Install the Operating System



Install VMware Tools



Use VMware Tools to set Virtual Machine

(58)



A Virtual Machine is a container which has

been compared to:

◦

_{“an efficient, isolated equivalent of a physical}

computer.”



Virtual Machines have:

◦

_{Hardware (CPU’s, NIC’s, RAM, Disk)}

◦

_{Bios (Phoenix)}

(59)



It is important to relate the operation of a

Virtual Machine to its physical counterpart

◦

_{Do not begin to diagnose problems differently}

because a computer is a Virtual Machine

(60)



Right-click on the ESXi and choose:

(61)

(62)



Choose a name which is representative of the

(63)

(64)

(65)

(66)



Choosing fewer

CPU’s is often better

than choosing too

many CPU’s and

wasting resources.

(67)



Choose an

appropriate amount

of memory for your

requirements

◦

_{ESXi uses many}

techniques to “reclaim”

memory which is not

actively in use.

◦

_{ESXi is capable of}

efficiently over

committing memory

resources

(68)



Use the adapter

suggested by the

New Virtual Machine

Wizard, it will most

likely be compatible

with your OS choice.

◦

_{E1000 for Windows 7,}

Server 2008 and Linux

◦

_{Flexible for XP and}

(69)



Use the SCSI

Contriller suggested

by the New Virtual

Machine Wizard, it

will most likely be

compatible with your

OS choice.

◦

_{LSI Logic SAS for}

Windows 7 / Server

2008

◦

_{LSI Logic Parallel for XP}

/ Server 2003

(70)



Choose:

◦

_{Create a new virtual}

disk

(71)



Select disk size



Thin provisioned

disks will only utilize

allocated space on a

datastore but can

perform poorly



No need to “support

clustering features”

with free VMware

Hypervisor

(72)

(73)

(74)

(75)



Is used for Management and OS installation ONLY

◦

_{Not used for user/desktop connections}

◦

_{Not encrypted – should be run on secure networks only}

Power Off

Power ON

Connect Floppy

Connect CD/DVD/ISO

Create Snapshot

(76)



Virtual Machine must

power-on before

connection can be

made to CD/ISO



Until the VMware Tools

are installed, mouse

and keyboard are

either IN or OUT of the

console



Use Ctrl + Alt to

release mouse and

(77)



You can connect to:

◦

_{The CD/DVD on your workstation}

◦

_{An ISO image on your workstation}

◦

_{The CD/DVD of the ESXi}

(78)



Choose:

◦

_{VM > Guest > Send Ctrl + Alt + del}



You can also use the key combination

(79)

(80)

(81)

(82)

(83)

(84)

(85)

(86)

(87)

(88)

(89)

(90)

(91)

(92)



The VMware Tools are essential to efficient

Virtual Machine operation and interaction

◦

_{Mouse and Keyboard}

◦

_{Display improvement}

◦

_{Memory management}

◦

_Time

◦

_{Storage Drivers}

◦

_{much more….}

(93)



Choose:

(94)



The VMware Tools

packages are stored by

default on each ESX

and ESXi as ISO images



ESXi may not have as

many varieties of

VMware Tools as ESX



Previously connected

CD/DVD/ISO is

disconnected

(95)

(96)

(97)

(98)

(99)

(100)



May be a good time to change computer

(101)

(102)



Place a check mark in

◦

_{Time synchronization between virtual machine and}

the ESX Server

(103)



Virtual Machines defined



Created a new Virtual Machine



Installed the Operating System



Installed VMware Tools



Used VMware Tools to set Virtual Machine

(104)

Physical to Virtual (P2V)

Migrations with the VMware

Converter

(105)



Download and Install the VMware Converter

on a physical PC



Convert the physical PC to a VM



Edit the properties of the VM

(106)

(107)



Install on source PC

(108)



Choose

◦

_{I accept the terms in}

the License Agreement

> Next



Select a destination

folder and choose:

(110)



VMware Converter

Standalone can convert

both local and remote

PC’s. To install all

components choose:

(111)

(112)



Choose:

(113)



Choose

◦

_{Powered on machine}



Specify a machine

(114)



Destination type

◦

_{VMware Infrastructure}

Virtual Machine



Specify

◦

_{Server IP}

◦

_{User Name}

◦

_Password

(115)



Set Virtual Machine

(116)



Choose datastore



Set Virtual Machine

to

(117)



Options

◦

_{Edit Networks}



If physical machine

converts and NIC is

connected, a

hostname and/or IP

address conflict will

result!

(118)



Un-check

(119)



Check

◦

_{Install VMware Tools on the destination Virtual}

Machine

(120)

(121)

(122)

(123)



Before powering-on any converted Virtual

Machine, it is important to remove

unnecessary and/or obsolete hardware.

◦

_{Parallel ports}

◦

_{Serial ports}

◦

_{Floppy drive}

(124)



Converted physical PC’s

or Servers often contain

lots of unneeded

hardware

◦

_{Serial Ports}

◦

_{Floppy Disk}

◦

_{Parallel Ports}

◦

_{Extra CD/DVD}



Unneeded hardware

consumes resources on

both ESXi and VM

(125)



Either turn off source

physical PC –or- edit the

hostname and IP of this

VM before connecting

networking



Choose:

(126)

(127)



The VMware Tools

installation will cause

new hardware to be

found.

(128)



Disable unnecessary

services

◦

_screensaver

◦

_{display drivers}

◦

_sound

◦

_{CD/DVD Writer}

◦

_etc.

(129)



VMware Converter downloaded and installed

on a physical PC



Converted the physical PC to a VM



Edited the properties of the VM and removed

unnecessary hardware

(130)

Building a Virtual Router for an

all-in-one ESXi

(131)



Why use a virtual router



Download pfSense



Create a Virtual Machine use as a router



Configure networking for ESXi



Install pfSense router



Configure pfSense

(132)



Reduce physical hardware required



Improve firewall/router services

◦

_{Firewall Rules}

◦

_{Port Forwarding}

◦

_{Traffic Monitoring}

◦

_{Captive Portal}

(133)



We recommend doing a new install instead of

(134)



Pick a mirror, then download the installer:

(135)



The file is gzipped (*.gz) so Windows native

will not un-zip it.

(136)



Select:

(137)



This will be a Virtual Machine Connection

(138)



You will know which adapter is unclaimed

(139)



Label the new network

(140)

(141)



The new vSwitch appears right below the

(142)



Right-click on the ESXi and choose:

(143)

(144)



Choose a name that describes the Virtual

(145)

(146)

(147)



Choose:

(148)

(149)

(150)



Connect 2 NIC’s to the Virtual Machine

◦

_{Place 1 in the LAN (VM Network)}

◦

_{Place 1 in WAN}

(151)

(152)

(153)

(154)

(155)

(156)



Router is now

included in both

networks

(157)



Open Console



Power-on and allow to

boot to PXE on no OS

found

(158)



Virtual Machine must

power-on before

connection can be

made to pfSense ISO



Until the VMware Tools

are installed, mouse

and keyboard are

either IN or OUT of the

console



Use Ctrl + Alt to

release mouse and

(159)



You can connect to:

◦

_{The CD/DVD on your workstation}

◦

_{An ISO image on your workstation}

◦

_{The CD/DVD of the ESXi}

(160)



Locate pfSense ISO

◦

_{connect to ISO image on}

local disk…..

(161)



Choose:

◦

_{VM > Guest > Send Ctrl + Alt + del}



You can also use the key combination

(162)

(163)



Until you install it, pfSense runs as a live

(164)



Do not set up VLAN’s at this point (even if

(165)



Generally the adapters will appear in the

(166)

(167)

(168)



Quick/Easy Install (you can always change it

(169)

(170)



It’s not like boiling water, it goes pretty

(171)

(172)

(173)

(174)



Disconnect any existing

router from LAN, turn

off any DHCP service on

LAN



Plug the unused NIC on

ESXi into a WAN port



pfSense is now your

gateway



If pfSense is not on the

(175)



If your provider requires static IP, configure it

(176)



From a LAN attached

PC, do the following:

◦

_{Start > Run > cmd}



ipconfig /release



ipconfig /renew



Should see an IP

(177)



Browse to the IP address of pfSense (gateway)



username: admin

(178)

(179)

(180)

(181)



If pfSense is not configured for your network

(182)

(183)

(184)



Reload should take considerably less than

(185)

(186)



Browse to:

(187)



Click the + symbol to the right of

(188)



Takes about 5 minutes, screen reloads

(189)

(190)



Downloaded pfSense



Created a Virtual Machine for use as a router



Configured networking for ESXi



Installed pfSense router



Configured pfSense

(191)



Call VMsources

(192)



VMware, VMware vSphere, ESX, ESXi, VMware vSphere Hypervisor,

VMware vCenter, VMware vCenter Converter, VMware

Workstation, DRS, HA, Fault Tolerance, and VMotion are

registered trademarks of VMware, Inc.



This document was created using the official VMware icon and

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

is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual

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.



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