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
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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.
2. The installation routine will now execute, this may take a significant amount of time. Press Enter to install the ESXi hypervisor.
4. Select the hard disk drive you wish to install VMware ESXi to and press Enter to continue.
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installation.
ESXi will now be installed on the physical hardware of the machine you have chosen.
6. Remove the installation media and press Enter to reboot the server and boot into ESXi for the first time.
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• 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): http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?action=base&deviceCategory=se rver
• If your hardware is compatible, ensure you meet the minimum hardware requirements, which can also be found at the link above.
