VMware ESX 4.0 - GETTING STARTED UPDATE 1, ESX 4.0, vCenter Server 4.0 Getting Started
Getting Started with ESX
Update 1
ESX 4.0
vCenter Server 4.0
This document supports the version of each product listed and
supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced
by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this
document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
EN-000253-00
Getting Started with ESX
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Contents
Getting Started with ESX 5
Getting Started Tasks 5
ESX Installation 6
Prerequisites for Installing ESX 6
ESX Hardware Requirements 6
Install ESX Using the Graphical Mode 7
Managing Your First ESX Host 10
vSphere Client Hardware Requirements 10
vSphere Client Software Requirements 10
Download the vSphere Client 10
Install the vSphere Client 11
Start the vSphere Client and Log In to ESX 11
Add Your First Virtual Machine by Importing a Virtual Appliance 12
Managing Multiple Hosts with vCenter Server 14
vSphere and vCenter Server 14
vCenter Server Installation 15
Setting Up a Basic Inventory with the Getting Started Tabs 20
Start the vSphere Client and Log In to vCenter Server 21
Create a Datacenter 21
Add a Host 23
Create a Virtual Machine 24
Where to Go Next 25
The vSphere Tutorial 25
vSphere Documentation 25
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Getting Started with ESX
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Getting Started with ESX
Get started with ESX quickly with this information about installation and initial setup. Follow the procedures
included here to install and setup a basic inventory for a single-host virtualization environment. After your
host is set up with a working virtual machine, you can install vCenter Server and explore a multiple-host
virtualization environment.
This information is for experienced Windows or Linux system administrators who will be installing VMware
ESX to deploy virtualization for the first time. Specifically, it is for users who meet the following requirements:
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Do not yet have the ESX software installed
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Do not yet have the vSphere Client or VMware vCenter Server installed.
Getting Started Tasks
The getting started tasks take you from initial setup of a new virtualization host to a working virtual machine.
After you have a host and functional virtual machine, you can setup a managed host environment with vCenter
Server.
Getting started with ESX includes the following tasks:
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Installing ESX and adding the host to your network
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Installing the vSphere Client and connecting to the ESX host
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Deploying and running a virtual machine
Completing the getting started tasks sets up the single-host management system for virtualization as shown in
Figure 1.
Figure 1. Basic Single-Host Management System
After the initial setup of ESX, you can deploy vSphere 4.0 with vCenter Server to manage multiple hosts.
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ESX Installation
Install ESX to get started with running virtual machines. The machine running ESX virtualization software
will act as a host in your virtual infrastructure.
Hosts provide CPU and memory resources, access to storage, and network connectivity for virtual machines
that reside on them.
Prerequisites for Installing ESX
Before you begin the installation procedure, ensure that the host meets the prerequisites.
The prerequisites are as follows:
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Make sure the host has a supported network adapter.
ESX Hardware Requirements
Using ESX requires specific hardware and system resources.
64-Bit Processor
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VMware ESX 4.0 will only install and run on servers with 64-bit x86 CPUs.
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Known 64-bit processors:
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All AMD Opterons support 64 bit.
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All Intel Xeon 3000/3200, 3100/3300, 5100/5300, 5200/5400, 7100/7300, and 7200/7400 support 64 bit.
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All Intel Nehalem (no Xeon brand number assigned yet) support 64 bit.
RAM
2GB RAM minimum
Network Adapters
One or more network adapters. Supported network adapters include:
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Broadcom NetXtreme 570x gigabit controllers
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Intel PRO 1000 adapters
SCSI Adapter, Fibre Channel Adapter, or Internal RAID Controller
One or more of the following controllers (any combination can be used):
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Basic SCSI controllers are Adaptec Ultra-160 and Ultra-320, LSI Logic Fusion-MPT, and most NCR/
Symbios SCSI controllers.
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Fibre Channel, see the Hardware Compatibility Guide at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility.
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RAID adapters supported are HP Smart Array, Dell Perc (Adaptec RAID and LSI MegaRAID), and IBM
(Adaptec) ServeRAID controllers.
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Installation and Storage
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SCSI disk, Fibre Channel LUN, or RAID LUN with unpartitioned space. In a minimum configuration, this
disk or RAID is shared between the service console and the virtual machines.
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For hardware iSCSI, a disk attached to an iSCSI controller, such as the QLogic qla405x. Software iSCSI is
not supported for booting or installing ESX.
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Serial attached SCSI (SAS).
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For Serial ATA (SATA), a disk connected through supported SAS controllers or supported on-board SATA
controllers. SATA disk drives connected behind supported SAS controllers or supported on-board SATA
controllers.
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Supported SAS controllers include:
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LSI1068E (LSISAS3442E)
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LSI1068 (SAS 5)
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IBM ServeRAID 8K SAS controller
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Smart Array P400/256 controller
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Dell PERC 5.0.1 controller
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Supported on-board SATA controllers include:
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Intel ICH9
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Nvidia MCP55
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ServerWorks HT1000
When installing ESX on SATA drives, consider the following:
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Ensure that your SATA drives are connected through supported SAS controllers or supported onboard
SATA controllers.
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Do not use SATA disks to create VMFS datastores shared across multiple ESX hosts.
ATA and IDE disk drives – ESX supports installing and booting on either an ATA drive or ATA RAID is
supported, but ensure that your specific drive controller is included in the supported hardware. IDE drives
are supported for ESX installation and VMFS creation.
Install ESX Using the Graphical Mode
The graphical mode is the recommended installation method if you are installing ESX for the first time. The
graphical mode runs by default if you do not select an alternate installation method.
Prerequisites
See “Prerequisites for Installing ESX,” on page 6.
Getting Started with ESX
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Procedure
1 Use the BIOS to set the server to boot from the DVD.
a Reboot the machine.
b Press the key required to enter your machine’s BIOS setup or boot menu.
This key is often a function key or Delete.
c Set the CD-ROM drive as the first boot device.
2 Select Install ESX in graphical mode.
A series of installation messages scroll past until the Welcome page appears.
3 Click Next to continue.
4 Select I accept the terms of the license agreement and click Next.
You cannot install this product unless you accept the license agreement.
NOTE If the alignment of the license agreement screen is skewed to the left, you might need to auto-adjust
your host monitor.
5 Select your keyboard type from the list and click Next.
6 Select whether to install custom drivers with the ESX installation.
You might need custom drivers if your system is not listed in the Hardware Compatibility Guide and has a
network or storage device that was not originally compatible with ESX 4.0.
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Select Yes and click Add to install custom drivers. The installer prompts you to insert the media
containing the custom drivers. After you add the custom drivers to the list, the installer prompts you
to reinsert the ESX installation DVD and continue with the installation. Click Next to continue.
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Select No if you do not need to install custom drivers. You can install custom drivers after the ESX
installation is complete, using other command-line and GUI tools available to you, such as the vSphere
CLI and vCenter Update Manager. Click Next to continue.
7 Click Yes to load the required ESX drivers.
8 Configure ESX licensing.
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Select Enter a serial number now, enter the vSphere license key, and click Next.
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Select Enter a license key later and click Next. This choice allows you to evaluate ESX (or enter a
vSphere license key later using the vSphere Client).
9 Select the network adapter for the ESX service console.
Virtual machine network traffic shares this network adapter until you configure a virtual switch for
another network adapter. You can configure other network adapters at a later time from the vSphere
Client.
10 If the adapter is connected to a VLAN, select This adapter requires a VLAN ID, enter a VLAN ID number
between 0 and 4095, and click Next.
11 Configure the network settings.
VMware recommends that you use a static IP address to simplify client access. If you want to use static
settings but you do not have the required information, you can use DHCP for the installation and configure
static settings after you consult with your network administrator.
For the host name, type the complete host name including the domain. This option is available only if you
use a static IP address.
12 (Optional) Click Test these settings to test the network interface.
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