VMware ESXi
Contents
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.
Compatibility
All products available have been verified to support ESXi 5.0. 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 VMware ESXi: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 5.0 | ESXi 5.1 | ESXi 5.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermicro | L5420 | X7DCA-L | Yes | Yes* | Yes* |
Workarounds
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.
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.
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/Tools, check out the FreeBSD mirror here.
