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1 2 Previous Next 15 Replies Last post: Nov 12, 2009 3:16 AM by ndhert  

try out ESXi 3.5 posted: Nov 3, 2009 8:04 AM

Click to view ndhert's profile Novice
ndhert
15 posts since
Nov 3, 2009

ESX3i 3.5 is free. Doc says it installs on 'bare-metal' ...

Can one also install it on a separate disk partition (keeping other partitions with already

installed OS-es) and start ESXi 3.5 from a boot-manager as one other "O.S."

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

1. Nov 3, 2009 8:16 AM in response to: ndhert
Click to view AndreTheGiant's profile Guru
AndreTheGiant
5,916 posts since
Aug 28, 2008
I think that could be possible.
But you have to use another bootload to switch from your host OS and ESXi (see how to configure the boot loader to load another boot loader).

More "simple" could be use two disk and switch boot order from BIOS.

Andre

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

2. Nov 3, 2009 8:26 AM in response to: AndreTheGiant
Click to view ndhert's profile Novice
ndhert
15 posts since
Nov 3, 2009
could that also be an USB stick of say 8 Gb in a portable and at power-up get the BIOS boot menu and boot the machine from USB?

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

3. Nov 3, 2009 8:32 AM in response to: ndhert
Click to view Jain's profile Enthusiast
Jain
38 posts since
Dec 11, 2008

Check below links hope it helps :

http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2008/07/29/esxi-35-update-2-on-a-usb-memory-key/

http://www.vladan.fr/how-to-install-esxi-40-on-usb-memory-key/

If you found this information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful". Thanks!!!

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

4. Nov 3, 2009 8:48 AM in response to: ndhert
Click to view AndreTheGiant's profile Guru
AndreTheGiant
5,916 posts since
Aug 28, 2008
could that also be an USB stick of say 8 Gb in a portable and at power-up get the BIOS boot menu and boot the machine from USB?
Yes, with a 1-2GB USB key you can have a working ESXi.

See previous link.

Andre

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

5. Nov 5, 2009 8:27 AM in response to: Jain
Click to view ndhert's profile Novice
ndhert
15 posts since
Nov 3, 2009
OK, I used a 8Gb Kingston USB memory stick to install ESXi 3.5 update 4 using the webpage mentionned..
I can boot my system from the USB stick and it shows me the VMWare ESX Server 3i interface.

I want to try out with a mimimal network setup: just a cross network cable between my ESX3i system and a windows desktop (intended to have VI client on it)
Just need to configure my ESXi system nw card e.g. to IP 192.168.10.1 SM 255.255.255.0
no gateway no DNS en my Windows system nw card IP 192.169.10.2 SM 255.255.255.0
no gateway no DNS.

Where can I find VI client (is it downloadable somewhere)

There must be plenty of room free om the 8 Gb Kingston USB stick, since ESX 3i boot image takes only 750 MB.
Can I (I hope !) use that remaining 7 Gb space to create Virtual Machine(s) (say a WinXPprof, a Linux),

How do I do that?

2009/11/3 Jain <communities-emailer@vmware.com<mailto:communities-emailer@vmware.com>>
,

A new message was posted in the thread "try out ESXi 3.5":

http://communities.vmware.com/message/1407440#1407440

Author : Jain
Profile : http://communities.vmware.com/people/Jain
Message:

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

6. Nov 5, 2009 8:29 AM in response to: ndhert
Click to view Troy Clavell's profile Guru
Troy Clavell
6,238 posts since
Oct 12, 2007
ndhert wrote:Where can I find VI client (is it downloadable somewhere)
point your favorite web browser to the hostname or IP address of the ESXi host, there you can download the client.

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

7. Nov 7, 2009 12:57 PM in response to: Troy Clavell
Click to view ndhert's profile Novice
ndhert
15 posts since
Nov 3, 2009

Ok, I have set up VMware Infrastructure Client (VI client) on a WinXP PC and can connect to a another system (my ESX3i host), where I created a 50 Gb free disk space, and created, via VI client in that free space a VMware datastore. Then, in VI Client I used File / New / VirtualMachine to create a Linux (Ubuntu) virtual machine: it asks me for name, datastore, type of guest OS, network, virt. disk capacity (I choose 5 Gb) and sets aside 5 Gb for that. But now ? How do I install Ubuntu from my CD in that 5 Gb ?? It doesn't ask me If I want to start to install from a CD/DVD or an ISO file - In WMware Workstation 7 which I tried out before, I could point to CD/DVD or an ISO to start installing from there. ESX 3i is free, VI client could be extracted from ESX 3i, so also free, but do I need more free software or what ??

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

9. Nov 8, 2009 2:12 AM in response to: DSTAVERT
Click to view ndhert's profile Novice
ndhert
15 posts since
Nov 3, 2009

ESXi differs from ESX Server (to which that webpage applies): in ESXi your VM (without OS yet) MUST first be powered-on (in Edit VM setings, you can't select 'Connect at power on' if you want the DVD/CD of you VI client PC be the source to install an OS from ...). Your (yet empty) Virt. Machine MUST be powered-on before you can connect to an CD/DVD drive.

So after powering-on, and connecting, how to launch the OS installation from the DVD/CD?

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

10. Nov 9, 2009 12:30 PM in response to: ndhert
Click to view ndhert's profile Novice
ndhert
15 posts since
Nov 3, 2009
OK, I could create a Virtual Machine in ESX3i on the Datastore op my DELL PC.
So far, I used a USB stick with ESX3i 3.5.0u4 from which I boot ... and a datastore created in an empty partition on the DELL PC

Now, I want everything (ESX3i and datastore) on that DELL PC (no more USB stick booting)
Burned the ESX3I 3.5.0u4 ISO image on a CD, boot the DELL PC from that CD, I get some installatioon screen, but then:
Installation operation failed!
Unable to find a supported device to write the VMware ESC Server 3i 3.5.0 image to.
Following information will assist VMWare support team :
Manufacturer: Dell Comp Corp
Model : Optiplex 170L
Service Tag : JND0Y1J
BIOS Rev : A09
What email-address can I use to send this info and to ask support from VMware to check my PC?

Is my PC not good ? It can boot the ESX3i from a USB stick, why not from a hard disk?
Or need I first to blank out anything on that PC hard disk?? (now there is a linux on it and a large VMWare Datastore partition)

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

11. Nov 9, 2009 12:56 PM in response to: ndhert
Click to view DSTAVERT's profile Virtuoso
DSTAVERT
2,418 posts since
Nov 30, 2003
You do not have supported hardware. You can purchase support http://www.vmware.com/vmwarestore/support.html for ESXi but since your hardware isn't supported it probably wouldn't be a good investment. I would go to http://vm-help.com to see if there might be something related to installing on your hardware.

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

12. Nov 11, 2009 7:13 AM in response to: DSTAVERT
Click to view ndhert's profile Novice
ndhert
15 posts since
Nov 3, 2009
I want to try out the vi web access to an ESX Server 3i
The basic system admin guide specifies use the url https://<Host or server name>/ui (ui stands for user-inferace ?)
but this gives me: 503 Service unavailable
https://<Host or server name> does work, gives a welcome screen and access to downloading e.g. vi
why not .../ui ??

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

13. Nov 11, 2009 7:14 AM in response to: ndhert
Click to view Troy Clavell's profile Guru
Troy Clavell
6,238 posts since
Oct 12, 2007
as far as I know, there is no /UI for ESXi

Re: try out ESXi 3.5

14. Nov 11, 2009 7:29 AM in response to: ndhert
Click to view DSTAVERT's profile Virtuoso
DSTAVERT
2,418 posts since
Nov 30, 2003
As Troy said that is not available in ESXi. You can get similar access with the VMware mobile web access appliance. With the proper secured access you can access vCenter and or individual ESX(i) hosts from your mobile phone. Still in beta but pretty cool so far.
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