Clarification on Vsphere/ESXi install on laptop

[jxl1145]

Hello,

I have looked on the forums and communities and cannot seem to understand the correct way of doing something.

I want to, for the moment, use a laptop to get some training on Vsphere/ESXi Server, VCenter while I save up for test Lab hardware.

I really would like  Steps 1,2,3,etc... from someone if possible.

I currently have a Lenovo T400s with Vista 64 bit OS.

I am confused about what order I do all this in.

I prefer to run everything off of USB Thumb Drives or all Virtual Machines. I do not want to use my Physical Harddrive on the laptop and change or wipe the partitions,etc...

Sorry for the confusion on my part but I promise to answer other noobs stupid questions when I get father along!

/Wayne

[harshahosur81]

use vmware workstation 8 and you can install ESXi 5 / 4 as a VM. You can run the ESXi VMs off the USB..There is no other way of installing ESXi on a laptop.

[ChintanWaghmare · Accepted solution]

Hello Wayne,

Yes, you can set up the lab on your laptop , provided you have sufficent amount of RAM avaiable on your laptop to support the operations

That is around 2-4 GB for a single esxi host vm.

around 3-4 GB for vCenter vm.

some for storage virtualization like openfiler,starwind etc if you wish to create a cluster.

and around 2 GB of RAM to support your local vista O.S on the laptop.

However, if you do not wish to use vCenter, you can install a single esxi host and conncet it using vsphere client directly. But then you wont be able to test features lile HA , DRS etc that depends on vCenter.

You can install and use vmware workstation or any other preffered software to virtualize the environment on your laptop

You can find more information on Scott Vessey blog

http://vmwaretraining.blogspot.in/2011/06/building-vsphere-home-lab-for-vcpvcap.html

[jxl1145]

Hello,

I have installed VM Workstation 8 trial.

I also installed the esxi server .iso image on the workstation.

Is it supposed to really do anything?

I have it installed and it boots up to a pretty plain black and yellow window.

Do I have to configure anything there?

Also, I am downloading windows server 2008 virtual machine.

Can you clarify am I downloading and installing:

1) VMWARE Workstation

2) Create 2 new virtual images that are ESXi

3) Create one windows server vm that will have ms sql express, vsphere, and vcenter client?

[christas]

Sounds like you have succeeded in installing the hypervisor (the pretty black and yellow GUI). Once that's complete, don't worry about configuring anything at this point. Look for the screen that says "to manage this machine go to 192.168.X.X (or something like that).." Use any web browser and type in that IP address.

Once in, you can download the vSphere client. Once installed on your local machine (not in a virtual machine) type in the IP address you just used, type in root for the user name, and then whatever password you set on the black and yellow screen.. (if you didn't set one, no worries, you can log in without one *not recommended in production*)

From there you'll get a warning window about certificates, click the little "ignore this" button then click yes. That installs the cert. Then you should see the vSphere screen. Become familiar with all the tabs, things you can click, and customize. Being familiar with where things are located can really come in handy later.

Afterwards, if you don't have a Microsoft OS License lying around, don't worry. VMware has created an awesome new version of vCenter, in an OVF package. It's linux based, and definitely lacks some of the features you might want in an enterprise environment, but it's free none-the-less. Here is a paper on what OVF's are and I think they even give you a guide on how to typically set one up:

http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/ovf/ovf10/ovftool_10_userguide.pdf

More specifically, how to deploy the vCenter virtual appliance: http://vmwire.com/2011/07/15/vsphere-vcenter-server-linux-virtual-appliance-quick-start-guide/

Ok. Take notes and always write things down becuase it can get tricky running a virtual machine in a wirtual machine! deploy the vCenter virtual appliance, then use the vSphere client you downloaded earlier, type in the vCenter IP address, user name and password... then your now logged into vCenter...!! The GUI is just like the GUI when you used vSphere and logged into the host, except from this one you can manage multiple hosts (servers with ESXi loaded) and other fun stuff like vMotion, etc).

I hope this helps to get you started. ANd never under estimate the benefit of youtube videos!! Watching other people install ESXi or vCenter Virtual Appliance can go a long way, sometimes much further than reading documents...

vCenter on Windows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzN53Qtjybs

vCenter LInux Appliance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6DY7FHEr2M

Best of luck!!