VMware ESXi
Contents
Compatibility
- All products available should support ESXi 5.0 as is. Versions 5.1 and above have been known to work with slight modifications on some devices, which we will cover in detail below.
- ESXi 5.1+ is known to have some issues with the e1000 Gigabit controllers in our equipment. These issues can be mitigated by using an older driver for the NIC, please see workarounds.
- Dacentec's provisioning module currently only supports 5.0. If you would like to install a later version of ESXi, you may ask for a temporary IP KVM setup.
Compatibility Grid
| Manufacturer | CPU | Model | ESXi 5.1 | ESXi 5.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermicro | L5420 | X7DCA-L | Yes* | Yes* |
Workarounds
Supermicro X7DCA-L
The Supermicro X7DCA-L will work with ESXi 5.1/5.5, but requires an older version of the e1000e driver to be installed, otherwise you will have no network connectivity after installation. The driver from ESXi 5.0 is compatible and confirmed working.
I have prepared a modified ESXi 5.5.0 ISO following the steps below, which you can download here if you'd prefer.
Otherwise, follow the instructions below before installing ESXi 5.1/5.5:
1. Download the ESXi 5.0 vib update zip from VMware.
2. Extract it, and copy out the vib20\net-e1000e\VMware_bootbank_net-e1000e_1.1.2-3vmw.500.1.11.623860.vib file, this is the old e1000e driver that works with the X7DCA-L.
3. Replace the current e1000e driver in your VMware 5.1/5.5 iso with this one using ESXi Customizer
4. Mount the ISO under the IP KVM as virtual media, change boot order in the BIOS and proceed with installation!
If you already have ESXi installed and have a way to get files onto the box, you can just copy the vib file to the machine and run "esxcli software vib install <path to vib>". Keep in mind that any future ESXi patches/upgrades could BREAK your internet connection unless you make sure that this driver is never replaced or upgraded.
Is ESXi Free?
Yes. ESXi is available for free (with limitations) from VMware here. It requires you to create a free MyVMware account in order to generate a license key for the free version. Since version 5.1, there is no limit on physical CPUs/cores or RAM, however you are limited to 8 vCPUs for VMs. ESXi is not to be confused with vCenter, the VIM (Virtual Infrastructure Management) suite from VMware.
ESXi 5.5 Installation
The following guide was written for ESXi 5.5 on a Supermicro X7DCA-L (using a modified network driver). If you are installing versions 5.0/5.1 some steps may be identical or very different.
Note: You will need an IP KVM to proceed with installation of ESXi 5.1 and above.
If your server doesn't require any workarounds using ESXi Customizer, then you can download the vanilla ESXi 5.5.0b ISO straight from VMware or one of the mirrors.
If you are using any hardware raid, please make sure you have configured your raid sets before we proceed any further with the installation.
- After receiving your IP KVM information from Dacentec and mounting your ISO as virtual media, you are clear to modify the boot order in your BIOS. If you have a Latronix Spider KVM, the virtual media may be recognized as a USB CD-ROM device called "PepperC Virtual Disk #".
After booting, the ESXi installer will begin to unpack and load the drivers needed to proceed with the installation. This process can take quite some time, especially depending on your upload speed to the IP KVM unit. Once complete, you will be presented with a welcome screen. Press (Enter) to continue and accept the EULA.
Now, we will select the storage system that will hold the ESXi software. Local and remote storage systems will be shown here, so please make sure you have configured your HW raid properly if you are unable to see your devices. Remember that ESXi does not support software raid, and software raid devices will not be detected as one storage pool but rather a series of physical disks.
Next, we will select the keyboard layout and language, as well as the root password. Write this down somewhere safe!
- If you see a warning about "HARDWARE_VIRTUALIZATION", you'll need to enable Intel-Vt technology in the BIOS.
The installation will now proceed and can take several minutes to complete. When it's finished, you'll be prompted to reboot the host.
Please note that ESXi will operate with all functionality for 60 days after the installation (Evaluation Mode). To remove this limitation, you will need to grab your free ESXi key from your MyVMware account and apply it via the vSphere client.
Network Configuration
After a fresh installation, you may want to assign your ESXi host an IP Address from Dacentec so that you may login and manage it remotely with the vSphere desktop client.
To configure the network, press F2 to access settings. Type in your root password and then select "Configure Management Network". Fill out all the applicable information and be sure to include some DNS servers if needed, you can always use Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4).
After exiting this screen, you'll be prompted to restart the management network in order to apply the changes. If you'd like more information about managing this host, visit https://<your ip> in a web browser and read the Welcome to ESXi! webpage. If you leave your ESXi server on a public IP address, you may want to disable the welcome page later.
Software Raid (FakeRAID)
ESXi does not support software raid controllers. Hardware raid controllers are recommended (LSI/Adaptec, etc). There may be some workarounds that will allow you to use some software raid controllers with ESXi such as Intel ICH*.
ESXi 5.5 Remote Management
Since ESXi 5.5, VMware is moving away from the vSphere Desktop Client and towards their vCenter Web Client for host management. This is unfortunate for users of the free version of ESXi, since the web client requires a vCenter license. The vSphere Client can still be used to manage ESXi 5.5 hosts and their virtual machines as long as you don't upgrade the virtual hardware past version 8. Virtual hardware v10 is restricted to management via vCenter Web Client only.
VMware ISOs/Mirrors
If you are interested in any current/legacy VMware ISOs or Tools, check out the FreeBSD mirror here. Please note that this is not an official VMware mirror.
