VMware ESX 4.0 - INSTALLATION GUIDE UPDATE 1, ESX 4.0, vCenter Server 4.0 Installation Manual
ESX and vCenter Server Installation
Guide
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-000258-02
ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
2 VMware, Inc.
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:
http://www.vmware.com/support/
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
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Contents
Updated Information 7
About This Book 9
1
Introduction to VMware vSphere 11
2
System Requirements 13
ESX Hardware Requirements 13
vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements 16
vCenter Server Software Requirements 17
vSphere Client Software Requirements 18
Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems 18
Requirements for Creating Virtual Machines 18
Required Ports 18
Supported Remote Management Firmware Versions 19
3
Introduction to Installing ESX 21
Prerequisites for Installing ESX 21
About the esxconsole.vmdk 22
Options for Accessing the Installation Media, Booting the Installer, and Running the Installer 22
About ESX Evaluation Mode 23
ESX Installation Options 23
4
Location of the ESX Installation Media 27
Download the ESX ISO Image and Burn the Installation DVD 27
Creating a Media Depot 27
5
Booting the ESX Installer 29
Bootstrap Commands 29
Boot the ESX Installer from the Installation DVD 30
PXE Booting the ESX Installer 31
6
Installing VMware ESX 41
Install ESX Using the Graphical Mode 41
Install ESX Using the Text Mode 45
Installing ESX Using Scripted Mode 47
7
ESX Partitioning 63
Required Partitions 63
Optional Partitions 64
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8
Post-Installation Considerations for ESX 65
Download the vSphere Client 65
Licensing the Host 65
Set an ESX/ESXi Host to Evaluation Mode 66
9
Installing, Removing, and Updating Third-Party Extensions 67
About Patching Hosts with vSphere Host Update Utility 67
About the vihostupdate Command-Line Utility 68
Update an ESX/ESXi Host Using Offline Bundles with the vihostupdate Utility 68
Update an ESX/ESXi Host Using a Depot with the vihostupdate Utility 69
Remove Custom Packages on ESX Using the Service Console 70
Remove Selected Custom Packages on ESX/ESXi Using the vSphere Command Line 70
10
Preparing the vCenter Server Databases 73
vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements 73
Create a 32-Bit DSN on a 64-Bit Operating System 75
Configure vCenter Server to Communicate with the Local Database After Shortening the Computer
Name to 15 Characters or Fewer 75
About the Bundled Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Database Package 76
Maintaining a vCenter Server Database 76
Configure DB2 Databases 76
Configure Microsoft SQL Server Databases 85
Configure Oracle Databases 89
11
Introduction to Installing vCenter Server 95
vCenter Server Prerequisites 95
Using a User Account for Running vCenter Server with SQL Server 96
About Installing vCenter Server on IPv6 Machines 97
Configure the URLs on a Standalone vCenter Server System 97
Running the vCenter Server and vSphere Client Installers from a Network Drive 97
vCenter Server Components 98
Required Data for Installing vCenter Server 98
12
Installing vCenter Server 101
Download the vCenter Server Installer 101
Install vCenter Server in a Virtual Machine 101
Install vCenter Server 102
13
Postinstallation Considerations for vCenter Server 105
Install the vSphere Client 106
Install the vSphere Host Update Utility 107
Uninstall VMware vSphere Components 108
14
Creating vCenter Server Linked Mode Groups 109
Linked Mode Prerequisites 109
Linked Mode Considerations 110
Configure the URLs on a Linked Mode vCenter Server System 110
Joining to a Linked Mode Group During and After Installation 111
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Join a Linked Mode Group After Installation 111
Isolate a vCenter Server Instance from a Linked Mode Group 112
Linked Mode Troubleshooting 113
15
Install Additional Modules 117
Install VMware vCenter Guided Consolidation 117
Install VMware vCenter Update Manager 118
Install VMware vCenter Converter 119
16
Managing ESX/ESXi and vCenter Server Licenses 121
About License Key Capacity 122
About vSphere and vCenter Server License Keys 123
About Using a License Server to Manage ESX 3.x/ESXi 3.5 Hosts 123
About the License Portal 123
About License Inventories 124
Controlling License Permissions 125
View License Information 126
Add a License Key to the License Inventory and Assign It to an Asset 127
Add Multiple License Keys to the License Inventory 127
Assign a License Key to Multiple Assets 128
Export Report Data 129
License a Host Without vCenter Server 130
License a Host When Adding It to the vCenter Server Inventory 130
View Which Features Are Licensed on a Host 130
Set an ESX/ESXi Host to Evaluation Mode 131
Troubleshooting Licensing 131
Index 135
Contents
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ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
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Updated Information
This ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide is updated with each release of the product or when necessary.
This table provides the update history of the ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide.
Revision Description
EN-000258-02
n
In “vCenter Server Database Patch and Configuration Requirements,” on page 73, Table 10-1 now
contains information that the patch version is updated to 10.2.0.4 for Oracle 10g database.
n
“vCenter Server Prerequisites,” on page 95 now contains information that to use vCenter Linked
Mode, multiple vCenter Server systems should be added to a domain.
EN-000258-01
n
Added a command to Step 1 in the topic “Use a Script to Create a DB2 Database,” on page 79.
n
Added commands to Step 3 in the topic “Use a Script to Create the DB2 Database Schema (Optional),”
on page 81.
n
Added commands to Step 4 in the topic “Use a Script to Create the Microsoft SQL Server Database
Schema (Optional),” on page 86.
n
Added commands to Step 3 in the topic “Use a Script to Create the Oracle Database Schema
(Optional),” on page 91.
EN-000258-00 Initial release.
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ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
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About This Book
The Installation Guide describes how to install new configurations of VMware® vCenter Server and ESX. It does
not include setup or installation information for ESXi.
Intended Audience
This book is intended for anyone who needs to install vCenter Server and install ESX 4.0.
The information is written for experienced Windows or Linux system administrators who are familiar with
virtual machine technology and datacenter operations.
Document Feedback
VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have comments, send your
feedback to docfeedback@vmware.com.
VMware vSphere Documentation
The vSphere documentation consists of the combined VMware vCenter Server and ESX/ESXi documentation
set.
Technical Support and Education Resources
The following technical support resources are available to you. To access the current version of this book and
other books, go to http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
Online and Telephone
Support
To use online support to submit technical support requests, view your product
and contract information, and register your products, go to
http://www.vmware.com/support.
Customers with appropriate support contracts should use telephone support
for the fastest response on priority 1 issues. Go to
http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.
Support Offerings
To find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs,
go to http://www.vmware.com/support/services.
VMware Professional
Services
VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands-on labs, case study
examples, and course materials designed to be used as on-the-job reference
tools. Courses are available onsite, in the classroom, and live online. For onsite
pilot programs and implementation best practices, VMware Consulting
VMware, Inc. 9
Services provides offerings to help you assess, plan, build, and manage your
virtual environment. To access information about education classes,
certification programs, and consulting services, go to
http://www.vmware.com/services.
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Introduction to VMware vSphere 1
These topics describe VMware vSphere.
The following figure illustrates the basic components of VMware vSphere.
Figure 1-1. VMware vSphere Components
databases
ESX hosts
vSphere Client
machines
vSphere Web Access
machines
vCenter Server
and
additional modules
Each vCenter Server system manages multiple ESX hosts. You can run the vSphere Client and vSphere Web
Access on multiple workstations.
The major VMware vSphere components are:
VMware ESX
Provides a virtualization layer that abstracts the processor, memory, storage,
and networking resources of the physical host into multiple virtual machines.
vCenter Server
A service that acts as a central administrator for ESX/ESXi hosts connected on
a network. This service directs actions on the virtual machines and the hosts.
The vCenter Server is the working core of vCenter. You can have multiple
vCenter Server systems joined to a Linked Mode group. This allows you to log
in to any single instance of vCenter Server and view and manage the
inventories of all the vCenter Server systems in the group.
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vCenter Server
additional modules
Provide additional capabilities and features to vCenter Server. Generally,
additional modules (sometimes called plug-ins) are released separately, install
on top of vCenter Server, and can be upgraded independently. You can install
additional modules on the same computer as the vCenter Server system or on
a separate one. After the additional module is installed, you can activate the
module’s client component, which enhances the vSphere Client with user
interface (UI) options. Additional modules include vCenter Update Manager,
vCenter Converter, and vCenter Guided Consolidation Service.
vSphere Client
Installs on a Windows machine and is the primary method of interaction with
VMware vSphere. The vSphere Client acts as a console to operate virtual
machines and as an administration interface into the vCenter Server systems
and ESX hosts.
The vSphere Client is downloadable from the vCenter Server system and ESX
hosts. The vSphere Client includes documentation for administrators and
console users.
VMware vSphere Web
Access
A browser-based interface for system administrators who need to access virtual
machines remotely or without a vSphere Client. vSphere Web Access is also
for people who use virtual machines as remote desktops.
Databases
Organize all the configuration data for the VMware vSphere environment. For
small deployments, the bundled Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express database
lets you set up to 5 hosts and 50 virtual machines. vCenter Server supports
other database products for larger deployments. vCenter Update Manager also
requires a database. VMware recommends that you use separate databases for
vCenter Server and vCenter Update Manager.
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System Requirements 2
Hosts running vCenter Server and ESX must meet specific hardware and operating system requirements.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“ESX Hardware Requirements,” on page 13
n
“vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements,” on page 16
n
“vCenter Server Software Requirements,” on page 17
n
“vSphere Client Software Requirements,” on page 18
n
“Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems,” on page 18
n
“Requirements for Creating Virtual Machines,” on page 18
n
“Required Ports,” on page 18
n
“Supported Remote Management Firmware Versions,” on page 19
ESX Hardware Requirements
Using ESX requires specific hardware and system resources.
64-Bit Processor
n
VMware ESX 4.0 will only install and run on servers with 64-bit x86 CPUs.
n
Known 64-bit processors:
n
All AMD Opterons support 64 bit.
n
All Intel Xeon 3000/3200, 3100/3300, 5100/5300, 5200/5400, 7100/7300, and 7200/7400 support 64 bit.
n
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:
n
Broadcom NetXtreme 570x gigabit controllers
n
Intel PRO 1000 adapters
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SCSI Adapter, Fibre Channel Adapter, or Internal RAID Controller
One or more of the following controllers (any combination can be used):
n
Basic SCSI controllers are Adaptec Ultra-160 and Ultra-320, LSI Logic Fusion-MPT, and most NCR/
Symbios SCSI controllers.
n
Fibre Channel, see the Hardware Compatibility Guide at
http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility.
n
RAID adapters supported are HP Smart Array, Dell Perc (Adaptec RAID and LSI MegaRAID), and IBM
(Adaptec) ServeRAID controllers.
Installation and Storage
n
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.
n
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.
n
Serial attached SCSI (SAS).
n
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.
n
Supported SAS controllers include:
n
LSI1068E (LSISAS3442E)
n
LSI1068 (SAS 5)
n
IBM ServeRAID 8K SAS controller
n
Smart Array P400/256 controller
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Dell PERC 5.0.1 controller
n
Supported on-board SATA controllers include:
n
Intel ICH9
n
Nvidia MCP55
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ServerWorks HT1000
When installing ESX on SATA drives, consider the following:
n
Ensure that your SATA drives are connected through supported SAS controllers or supported onboard
SATA controllers.
n
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.
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Recommendations for Enhanced ESX Performance
There are several things you can do to enhance ESX performance, including using multiple physical disks,
such as SCSI disks, Fibre Channel LUNs, and RAID LUNs.
Following are some recommendations for enhanced performance:
n
RAM – The ESX host might require more RAM for the service console if you are running third-party
management applications or backup agents.
n
Network adapters for virtual machines – Dedicated Gigabit Ethernet cards for virtual machines, such as
Intel PRO 1000 adapters, improve throughput to virtual machines with high network traffic.
n
Disk location – For best performance, store all data used by your virtual machines on physical disks
allocated to virtual machines. These physical disks should be large enough to hold disk images used by
all the virtual machines.
n
Processors – Faster processors improve ESX performance. For certain workloads, larger caches improve
ESX performance.
n
Hardware compatibility – Use devices in your server that are supported by ESX 4.0 drivers. See the
Hardware Compatibility Guide at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility.
Tested Software and Firmware for Creating ESX Installation Media
Before you install ESX, you might need to burn the ESX installation ISO image onto DVD or USB media. Review
the firmware and software that VMware has tested and has confirmed works.
VMware has tested these combinations, however, other combinations might work as well.
Table 2-1 lists the tested combinations for burning the ESX installation ISO image onto DVD media.
Table 2-1. Tested Combinations for DVD
DVD Drive (Make, Model, and BIOS) Software to Burn DVD DVD Media
Phillips + RW DVD8801 Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 SONY DVD +RW 120min / 4.7 GB
Philips PLDS DVD + RW DH-16A6S Roxio Creator version: 3.3.0 SONY DVD+RW
Philips PLDS DVD + RW DH-16W1S Roxio Creator version: 3.3.0 SONY DVD+RW
Philips BenQ PBDS + RW DH-16W1S Roxio Creator version: 3.3.0 SONY DVD+RW
HL-DT-ST DVD+-RW GSA-H53N Burn4Free V.4.6.0.0 SONY DVD+RW
Dell/_NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 Memorex DVD-R
Dell/_NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 Office Depot DVD+RW
Dell/_NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 Ativa DVD-RW
Dell/_NEC DVD +-RW ND-3530A Roxio Creator Classic version: 6.1.1.48 TDK DVD+R
Verbatim DVD+R
SONY DVD-R
Maxell DVD+R
Table 2-2 lists the tested combinations for burning the ESX installation ISO image onto USB media.
Table 2-2. Tested Combinations for USB
External USB DVD Drive Firmware Version
Iomega Rev: XY13
LaCie Rev: LA00
Chapter 2 System Requirements
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Table 2-2. Tested Combinations for USB (Continued)
External USB DVD Drive Firmware Version
LG 8x portable DVD Rewriter Rev: KE01
SONY DVD+- R 20X Rev: SS01
vCenter Server and vSphere Client Hardware Requirements
The vCenter Server system is a physical machine or virtual machine with access to a supported database. The
vCenter Server system and the vSphere Client machines must meet specific requirements.
Minimum Requirements for vCenter Server
n
CPU – 2 CPUs
n
Processor – 2.0GHz or faster Intel or AMD processor. Processor requirements might be higher if the
database runs on the same machine.
n
Memory – 3GB RAM. Memory requirements might be higher if the database runs on the same machine.
vCenter Server includes a service called VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices. This service
requires 128MB to 1.5GB of additional memory. The VirtualCenter Management Webservices process
allocates the required memory at startup.
n
Disk storage – 2GB. Disk requirements might be higher if the database runs on the same machine.
n
Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express disk requirements – Up to 2GB free disk space to decompress the
installation archive. Approximately 1.5GB of these files are deleted after the installation is complete.
n
Networking – Gigabit connection recommended.
See your database documentation for the hardware requirements of your database. The database requirements
are in addition to the vCenter Server requirements if the database and vCenter Server run on the same machine.
Minimum Requirements for the vSphere Client
n
CPU – 1 CPU
n
Processor – 266MHz or faster Intel or AMD processor (500MHz recommended).
n
Memory – 200MB RAM
n
Disk Storage – 1GB free disk space for a complete installation, which includes the following components:
n
Microsoft .NET 2.0
n
Microsoft .NET 3.0 SP1
n
Microsoft Visual J#
n
vSphere Client 4.0
n
vSphere Host Update Utility 4.0
You must also have 400MB free on the drive that has your %temp% directory.
If all of the prerequisites are already installed, 300MB of free space is required on the drive that has your
%temp% directory, and 450MB is required for the vSphere Client 4.0.
n
Networking – Gigabit connection recommended.
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32-Bit or 64-Bit Operating System for vCenter Server
When you have up to 200 hosts, you can use a 32-bit Windows operating system, but a 64-bit Windows
operating system is preferred. When you have 200–300 hosts, a 64-bit Windows operating system is required.
Recommendations for Optimal Performance
Depending on the number of ESX hosts and virtual machines in your environment, the following system
requirements should be used as guidelines for optimal performance.
IMPORTANT The recommended disk sizes assume default log levels. If you configure more granular log levels,
more disk space is required.
Table 2-3 summarizes the requirements for a medium deployment.
Table 2-3. Up to 50 Hosts and 250 Powered-On Virtual Machines
Product CPU Memory Disk
vCenter Server 2 4GB 3GB
vSphere Client 1 200MB 1GB
Table 2-4 summarizes the requirements for a large deployment.
Table 2-4. Up to 200 Hosts and 2000 Powered-On Virtual Machines
Product CPU Memory Disk
vCenter Server 4 4GB 3GB
vSphere Client 1 500MB 1GB
Table 2-5 summarizes the requirements for an extra-large deployment.
vCenter Server must be hosted on a 64-bit Windows operating system for this configuration.
Table 2-5. Up to 300 Hosts and 3000 Powered-On Virtual Machines
Product CPU Memory Disk
vCenter Server 4 8GB 3GB
vSphere Client 1 500MB 1GB
Requirements for Installing vCenter Server on a Custom Drive
If you install vCenter Server on the E:\ drive or on any custom drive, note the following space requirements.
n
601MB on the custom drive for vCenter Server
n
1.13GB on the C:\ drive for Microsoft .NET 3.0 SP1, Microsoft ADAM, Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express
(optional), and Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Redistributable
n
375MB for the custom drive %temp% directory
vCenter Server Software Requirements
Make sure that your operating system supports vCenter Server.
See the Compatibility Matrixes on the VMware vSphere documentation Web site.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
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vSphere Client Software Requirements
Make sure that your operating system supports the vSphere Client.
The vSphere Client requires the Microsoft .NET 3.0 SP1 Framework. If your system does not have it installed,
the vSphere Client installer installs it.
For a list of supported operating systems, see the Compatibility Matrixes on the VMware vSphere documentation
Web site.
Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems
ESX offers support for several 64-bit guest operating systems.
See the Guest Operating System Installation Guide for a complete list.
64-bit guest operating systems have specific hardware requirements:
n
For AMD Opteron-based systems, the processors must be Opteron Rev E and later.
n
For Intel Xeon-based systems, the processors must include support for Intel Virtualization Technology
(VT). Many servers that include CPUs with VT support might ship with VT disabled by default, so you
must enable VT manually. If your CPUs support VT but you do not see this option in the BIOS, contact
your vendor to request a BIOS version that lets you enable VT support.
To determine whether your server has 64-bit VMware support, you can download the CPU Identification
Utility at the VMware downloads page: http://www.vmware.com/download/shared_utilities.html.
Requirements for Creating Virtual Machines
To create a virtual machine, the ESX/ESXi host must be able to support a virtual process, a virtual chip set, and
a virtual BIOS.
Each ESX/ESXi machine has the requirements shown in Table 2-6.
Table 2-6. Requirements for Creating Virtual Machines
Component Requirements
Virtual processor One, two, or four processors per virtual machine
NOTE If you create a two-processor virtual machine, your ESXi machine must have
at least two physical processors. For a four-processor virtual machine, your ESXi
machine must have at least four physical processors.
Virtual chip set Intel 440BX-based motherboard with NS338 SIO chip
Virtual BIOS PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6
Required Ports
vCenter Server requires certain ports to send and receive data.
The vCenter Server system must be able to send data to every managed host and receive data from every
vSphere Client. To enable migration and provisioning activities between managed hosts, the source and
destination hosts must be able to receive data from each other.
ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
18 VMware, Inc.
VMware uses designated ports for communication. Additionally, the managed hosts are listening for data from
the vCenter Server system on designated ports. If a firewall exists between any of these elements and Windows
firewall service is in use, the installer opens the ports during the installation. For custom firewalls, you must
manually open the required ports. If you have a firewall between two managed hosts and you want to perform
source or target activities, such as migration or cloning, you must configure a means for the managed hosts to
receive data.
NOTE In Microsoft Windows 2008, a firewall is enabled by default.
Table 2-7 lists the default ports that are required for communication between components.
Table 2-7. Required Ports
Port Description
80 vCenter Server requires port 80 for direct HTTP connections. Port 80 redirects requests to HTTPS port
443. This is useful if you accidentally use http://server instead of https://server.
389 This port must be open on the local and all remote instances of vCenter Server. This is the LDAP port
number for the Directory Services for the vCenter Server group. The vCenter Server system needs to
bind to port 389, even if you are not joining this vCenter Server instance to a Linked Mode group. If
another service is running on this port, it might be preferable to remove it or change its port to different
port. If needed, you can run the LDAP service on any port from 1025 through 65535.
If this instance is serving as the Microsoft Windows Active Directory, change the port number from 389
to an available port from 1025 through 65535.
443 The default port that the vCenter Server system uses to listen for connections from the vSphere Client.
To enable the vCenter Server system to receive data from the vSphere Client, open port 443 in the
firewall.
The vCenter Server system also uses port 443 to listen for data transfer from the vSphere Web Access
Client and other SDK clients.
If you use another port number for HTTPS, you must use <ip-address>:<port> when you log in to the
vCenter Server system.
636 For vCenter Linked Mode, this is the SSL port of the local instance. If another service is running on this
port, it might be preferable to remove it or change its port to different port. If needed, you can run the
SSL service on any port from 1025 through 65535.
902 The default port that the vCenter Server system uses to send data to managed hosts. Managed hosts
also send a regular heartbeat over UDP port 902 to the vCenter Server system. This port must not be
blocked by firewalls between the server and the hosts, or between hosts.
902/903 Ports 902 and 903 must not be blocked between the vSphere Client and the hosts. These ports are used
by the vSphere Client to display virtual machine consoles.
8080 Web Services HTTP. Used for the VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices.
8443 Web Services HTTPS. Used for the VMware VirtualCenter Management Webservices.
If you want the vCenter Server system to use a different port to receive vSphere Client data, see Basic System
Administration.
To tunnel the vSphere Client data through the firewall to the receiving port on the vCenter Server system, see
Basic System Administration. VMware does not recommended this method because it disables the vCenter Server
console function.
For a discussion of firewall configuration, see the Server Configuration Guide.
Supported Remote Management Firmware Versions
You can use remote management applications for installing ESX or for remote management of ESX/ESXi.
Table 2-8 lists the remote management firmware versions that are supported for installing ESX 4.0 remotely.
Chapter 2 System Requirements
VMware, Inc. 19
Table 2-8. Supported Remote Management Server Models and Firmware Versions
Remote Controller
Make and Model Firmware Version Java ActiveX
DRAC 5 1.4 Not applicable 1.4.2_19
1.45 (08.10.06) 2.1,0,14 1.6.0.50
1.40 (08.08.22) 2,1,0,14 1.6.0_11
1.20 (07.03.02) 1.4.2_06 2,1,0,13
1.33 1.6.0_07 2,1,0,14
1.32 (07.12.22) 1.4.2_13 2,1,0,13
1.0 (06.05.12) 1.4.2_13 2,1,0,13
1.32 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,14
1.2 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,14
1.45 (09.01.16) 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,14
1.3 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,14
1.33 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,13
DRAC 4 1.7 1.4.2_06 2,1,0,14
ILO .26 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,14
1.7 1.4.2_19 Not applicable
ILO2 1.91 (07/26/2009) 1.6.0_07 2,1,0,14
1.29 (2/28/2007) 1.4.2_13 Not applicable
RSA 1.09 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,14
1.06 1.6.0_11 2,1,0,14
ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
20 VMware, Inc.
Introduction to Installing ESX 3
These topics discuss the prerequisites and options for installing ESX.
The ESX installation includes the following components:
n
ESX
n
vSphere Web Access
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Prerequisites for Installing ESX,” on page 21
n
“About the esxconsole.vmdk,” on page 22
n
“Options for Accessing the Installation Media, Booting the Installer, and Running the Installer,” on
page 22
n
“About ESX Evaluation Mode,” on page 23
n
“ESX Installation Options,” on page 23
Prerequisites for Installing ESX
Before you begin the installation procedure, ensure that the host meets the prerequisites.
The prerequisites are as follows:
n
Make sure the host has a supported network adapter.
n
If your installation will require a network connection or if you want to test out the network settings, verify
that the network cable is plugged into the Ethernet adapter that you are using for the service console. The
ESX installer needs a live network connection to properly detect certain network settings, such as the host
name under DHCP. IPv6 is not supported for ESX installation. Installation options that require a network
connection include PXE booting the installer, accessing a remote ESX installation script, and accessing
remote installation media.
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About the esxconsole.vmdk
A virtual machine disk file (.vmdk file) stores the contents of a virtual machine's hard disk drive. A .vmdk file
can be accessed in the same way as a physical hard disk.
In ESX 4.0, the service console's partitions are stored in a .vmdk file. These partitions include /, swap, /var/
log, and all the optional partitions. The name of this file is esxconsole-
<system-uuid>
/esxconsole.vmdk.
All .vmdk files, including the esxconsole.vmdk, are stored in VMFS volumes.
CAUTION Do not change the name or directory path of the esxconsole.vmdk file. If you rename the esxconsole
folder or the VMDK file, the ESX host cannot reboot. VMware recommends that you allow only administrators
to modify datastores and make certain that users who have permission to modify datastores are aware of the
problems that occur when the esxconsole-
<system-uuid>
folder or the esxconsole.vmdk file is renamed.
The esxconsole-
<system-uuid>
folder contains the following files and subdirectories:
n
esxconsole-flat.vmdk
n
esxconsole.vmdk
n
core-dumps
n
logs
n
logs/sysboot-vmkernel-boot.log
n
logs/sysboot-dmesg-boot.log
n
logs/sysboot-vmkernel-late.log
n
logs/sysboot-dmesg-late.log
n
logs/sysboot.log
IMPORTANT The service console must be installed on a VMFS datastore that is resident on a host's local disk or
on a SAN disk that is masked and zoned to that particular host only. The datastore cannot be shared between
hosts.
Options for Accessing the Installation Media, Booting the Installer, and
Running the Installer
When you install ESX, you have several options that allow you to customize the process to meet the needs of
your environment.
These options include how to store and access the installation media, how to boot the installer, and which
mode to use when you run the installer.
By default, when you boot the ESX installer from a DVD, the DVD uses the interactive graphical mode and
uses itself as the source of the installation media. You can modify the default installation process in the
following ways:
n
Storing and accessing the ESX installation media:
n
DVD (default)
n
FTP
n
HTTP/HTTPS (HTTPS with a proxy server is not supported.)
ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
22 VMware, Inc.
n
NFS
n
USB flash drive
n
Booting the installer:
n
DVD (default)
n
PXE
n
Running the installer:
n
Interactive graphical (default)
n
Interactive text
n
Scripted
n
For scripted installation, storing and accessing the installation script:
n
Default installation script
n
FTP
n
HTTP/HTTPS
n
NFS
n
USB flash drive
n
Local disk
About ESX Evaluation Mode
Evaluation mode gives you access to all features of ESX.
The evaluation period is 60 days and begins as soon as you power on the ESX machine, even if you start in
license mode initially. To make full use of the evaluation period, make an early decision on whether to use
evaluation mode.
If you do not enter a vSphere license key during installation, ESX is installed in evaluation mode.
ESX Installation Options
This topic describes the methods for installing ESX and the information required for installation.
The following methods are available for installing VMware ESX software:
n
Graphical mode – This is the recommended method for interactive installations.
n
Text mode – Use this method if your video controller does not function properly using graphical mode.
n
Scripted – An efficient way to deploy multiple hosts. See “Installing ESX Using Scripted Mode,” on
page 47.
NOTE The installer for ESX 4.0 is quite different from the installer for ESX 3.x, particularly in the text and
scripted installations.
Table 3-1 lists the information that you are prompted for during the installation. For future use, note the values
entered. Notes are useful if you ever need to reinstall ESX and reenter the values that you originally chose.
Chapter 3 Introduction to Installing ESX
VMware, Inc. 23
Table 3-1. Data for ESX Installation
Data
Required or
Optional Default Comments
Keyboard layout Required U.S. English
Custom drivers Optional No If you have network or storage devices that
integrate with ESX software and you need to
install custom drivers, you can do so during the
ESX installation. Post-install, you can use
vCenter Update Manager or the vSphere CLI to
install custom drivers.
If you PXE boot the installer, you cannot install
custom drivers during the installation.
vSphere license key Optional None If you do not enter a vSphere license key, ESX is
installed in evaluation mode.
Network adapter for
the service console
Required A network adapter that is
available and connected
Virtual machine network traffic shares this
network adapter until you configure a virtual
switch for another network adapter.
VLAN ID Optional None Range: 0 through 4095
IP address Optional DHCP You can allow DHCP to configure the network
during installation. After installation, you can
change the network settings.
Subnet mask Optional Calculated based on the IP
address
Gateway Optional Based on the configured IP
address and subnet mask
Primary DNS Optional Based on the configured IP
address and subnet mask
Secondary DNS Optional None
Host name Required for
static IP
settings
None vSphere Clients can use either the host name or
the IP address to access the ESX host.
Install location Required None Must be at least 10GB if you install the
components on a single disk.
Datastore Required in
advanced
setup
In the basic setup, the installer
creates the /vmfs partition for
the datastore.
A datastore is a partition that ESX uses to store
virtual machines. This datastore is used for the
service console (esxconsole.vmdk). The service
console must be installed on a VMFS datastore
that is resident on a host's local disk or on a SAN
disk that is masked and zoned to that particular
host only. The datastore cannot be shared
between hosts.
Time zone Required Pacific time
Root password Required None The root password must be between 6 and 64
characters.
Additional user
accounts
Optional None
Virtual disk
partitions
Required in
advanced
setup
The installer creates three
basic partitions: /boot,
vmkcore, and VMFS.
The service console VMDK file
resides on the VMFS partition.
The service console VMDK file
contains /swap, and /var/
log, by default, and any other
partitions that you specify.
In the advanced setup, you can edit the location
of the boot loader, edit the / (root), swap, and /
var/log default partition sizes, and create
additional partitions.
The disk that you install the /boot partition onto
must be the disk that the BIOS chooses to boot
from.
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Table 3-1. Data for ESX Installation (Continued)
Data
Required or
Optional Default Comments
Bootloader kernel
options
Optional None In the advanced setup, you can specify kernel
arguments to be written to the grub.conf file
and passed to the kernel every time ESX boots.
Bootloader
password
Optional None In the advanced setup, you can specify a
bootloader password up to 30 characters.
NTP server Optional None.
By default, if you do not enter
an NTP server name or IP
address, the installer uses the
system date and time, which
you can modify.
ESX uses the hardware battery-backed clock to
keep time while the system is powered off. ESX
always maintains the battery-backed clock in
UTC, even if you have set the service console to
display time in your local time zone. Therefore,
if you install ESX on a machine whose batterybacked clock was not previously set to UTC, ESX
initializes the system time to an incorrect value
when it first boots. Once you correct the system
time, however, ESX saves it to the battery-backed
clock, and the time will be correct on subsequent
boots. For best accuracy, VMware recommends
using NTP to correct and maintain the system
time.
For text-mode and graphical-mode installations,
you can enter an NTP server name at installation
time.
This feature is not available in scripted
installation (unless you script it in a %post
section). After installation, you can use the
vSphere Client to configure the host to use an
NTP server.
Chapter 3 Introduction to Installing ESX
VMware, Inc. 25
ESX and vCenter Server Installation Guide
26 VMware, Inc.
Location of the ESX Installation Media 4
Before you install ESX, you must select a location for the installation media.
The following locations are supported:
n
Local DVD
n
Local USB
n
USB DVD drive. This is useful if you cannot burn a DVD image or the host does not have a DVD drive.
n
Remote media (See “Using Remote Management Applications,” on page 39).
n
Remote location (media depot), accessible via HTTP/HTTPS, FTP, or NFS
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Download the ESX ISO Image and Burn the Installation DVD,” on page 27
n
“Creating a Media Depot,” on page 27
Download the ESX ISO Image and Burn the Installation DVD
If you do not have an ESX installation DVD, you can create one.
Procedure
1 If you are not already logged into VMware Communities, log on using your VMware store account.
2 Download the ISO image for ESX from the VMware download page at
http://www.vmware.com/download/.
3 Burn the ISO image onto DVD media.
Creating a Media Depot
The media depot is a network-accessible location that contains the ESX installation media. You can use HTTP/
HTTPS, FTP, or NFS to access the depot. The depot must be populated with the entire contents of the ESX
installation DVD, preserving directory structure.
If you are performing a scripted installation, you must point to the media depot in the script by including the
install command with the nfs or url option.
The following code snippet from an ESX installation script demonstrates how to format the pointer to the media
depot if you are using NFS:
install nfs --server=example.com --dir=/nfs3/VMware/ESX/40
If you are performing an interactive installation instead of a scripted installation, include the askmedia boot
option, which causes the installer to prompt you for the location of the media.
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You can type the askmedia option at the end of the boot options list. For example:
Boot Options initrd=initrd.img vmkopts=debugLogToSerial:1 mem=512M askmedia
The boot options list appears when you boot the installer and press F2.
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Booting the ESX Installer 5
You can boot the installer from the DVD using the local DVD-ROM drive, or you can PXE boot the installer.
This chapter includes the following topics:
n
“Bootstrap Commands,” on page 29
n
“Boot the ESX Installer from the Installation DVD,” on page 30
n
“PXE Booting the ESX Installer,” on page 31
Bootstrap Commands
Before the ESX installer Welcome screen appears, the installer displays a boot prompt where you can enter
bootstrap commands to pass arguments to the installer.
When the mode selection screen appears, quickly type F2 to stop the timeout counter. If the mode selection
screen times out, the default graphical mode is launched.
The supported bootstrap commands and subcommands are listed in Table 5-1.
Table 5-1. Bootstrap Commands for ESX Installation
Command Description
askmedia
Allows you to interactively select the location of the ESX
installation media. This option is required if the image is
hosted at an HTTP, FTP, or NFS location.
BOOTIF
Accepts the format for the boot network adapter as supplied
by PXELINUX.
gateway=<ip address>
Sets this network gateway as the default gateway during the
install.
ip=<ip address>
Specifies a static IP address to be used for downloading the
script and the installation media.
The IPAPPEND option is also supported if you PXE boot the
installer.
ks=cdrom:/<path>
Performs a scripted installation with the script at <path>,
which resides on the DVD in the DVD-ROM drive.
ks=file://<path>
Performs a scripted installation with the script at <path>,
which resides inside the initial ramdisk image.
ks=ftp://<server>/<path>/
Performs a scripted installation with a script located at the
given URL.
ks=http://<server>/<path>
Performs a scripted installation with a script located at the
given URL.
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Table 5-1. Bootstrap Commands for ESX Installation (Continued)
Command Description
ks=https://<server>/<path>
Performs a scripted installation with a script located at the
given URL.
ks=nfs://<server>/<path>
Performs a scripted installation with the script located at
<path> on a given NFS server.
ks=usb
Performs a scripted installation with the ks.cfg script in the
root directory of the USB flash drive attached to the host. If
multiple flash drives are attached, the installer cycles through
each one, mounting and unmounting them until the file
named ks.cfg is found.
ks=UUID:<partition-UUID>:/<path>
Performs a scripted installation with a script located on the
ext partition with the given UUID.
ksdevice=<device>
Same as netdevice
mediacheck
Checks the MD5 sum of the DVD media to make sure the
information is not corrupt. The media check operation adds
several minutes to the installation process.
mem= (required) Reserves a minimum amount of memory for the ESX service
console. The value must be at least 512M.
nameserver=<ip address>
Specifies a domain name server as the nameserver during the
install.
netdevice=<device>
Tries to use a network adapter <device> when looking for an
installation script and installation media. Specify as a MAC
address (for example, 00:50:56:C0:00:01). If not specified and
files need to be retrieved over the network, the installer
defaults to the first discovered network adapter.
The IPAPPEND option is also supported if you PXE boot the
installer.
netmask=<subnet mask>
Specifies subnet mask for the network interface that
downloads the installation media.
noapic
Flags the kernel to use the XTPIC instead of the APIC.
text
Starts the ESX installer in text mode.
url=<url>
Looks for the installation media at the specified URL. When
you are PXE booting the installer, the url= command only
works with earlier versions of SYSLINUX. The command
does not work with SYSLINUX/PXELINUX version 3.70 and
higher.
vlanid=<vlanid>
Configures the VLAN for the network card.
Boot the ESX Installer from the Installation DVD
When you boot the installer from a DVD, you use the local DVD-ROM drive or remote media, such as iLO or
DRAC.
Prerequisites
You must have an ESX installation DVD. See “Download the ESX ISO Image and Burn the Installation DVD,”
on page 27.
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