Home lab Internet access from new esxi host

[rondebbs]

I recently got an old Dell T5500 workstation and verified it can run esxi 6.7.  I'm waiting for hard drive to arrive so I can install 6.7 and then learn about VMware and then install some simulators from NetApp and EMC to better learn some new storage products.  I'll also create windows VMs to learn the latest SQL server etc.

Although I am familiar with with window servers I know next to nothing about vmware. That's what this  home lab is for  - to  learn.  Once I have esxi  installed I will need to get other software downloaded from the web to start building those  environments.  I'll have the 1GB ethernet cable running to my BGW210 gateway for internet access.  At this point the host will have no other OS on it other than esxi.  Is there anyway I can connect this host to the internet to start down loading VSAs and windows server etc.  Or do I need to create a Windows VM first to be able to get access  to internet? 

[ThompsG]

Hi there,

You will need to build a guest VM in order to do this. You will also need another machine to access the console or RDP to this guest. You will not be able to see the VMs console (screen) without something else.

This means you will require at least a second machine for management of the environment

Kind regards.

[Dave_the_Wave]

I don't know why people can't admit that ESXi is indeed an 'OS', as you correctly put it.

Some think that the ESXi 'OS' can be keyboard&moused at it, as discussed here:

How to view the Guest OS (VM) screen on a PC with ESXi installed

If that is important to a home labber, it may be better to use VMware Workstation as I discussed here:

Is Workstation the only container available from vmware?

Once you have ESXi installed on your Dell box, all you can really do with its monitor and keyboard is either to give it an IP address, or see its DHCP assigned address. Contrary to static IP freaks, ESXi works fine with a DHCP address. Once you got its IP, you can pretty much disconnect that monitor and keyboard.

At this point your ESXi host is a headless appliance. Just like your home internet router, you will web into it and manage it with another computer. Your current daily desktop computer will do.

When I was new to vmware, I too made the mistake thinking I had to "download stuff into it". Yes, you can create folders inside ESXi's datastore, and load it up with your favorite zips and isos, but its moot and useless. Keep those on your low cost Tb drives that are already in your personal desktop pc.

When you create your first Windows VM in your ESXi, you use the Remote Console client (just like VNC Viewer, Teamviewer), mount your windows .iso (just liike PowerISO or the like), and go thru the install as you'd expect. Your Windows VM is a new install of Windows, and can get DHCP from your home internet router, create drive shares so you can drag and drop stuff in and from it, you can install Google Chrome on it, not worry about malware and trojans jumping out of it.

Have fun!

[rondebbs]

Thanks Dave, great info.

I just got my 2TB disk drive tonight and installed into the Dell T5500.  I did the Rufus thing and created a bootable 6.7.0 usb.  Booted on usb and installed to the new 2TB drive.  Plugged in ethernet cable to the Bgw210 gateway (or router or what ever this is from ATT Dish) and got an IP from DHCP.  Went to my laptop and went to IP address and brought up the beautiful exsi client for the first time.  I see the datastore1 out there.

I created a new empty windows 2016 server VM called win2016-eval and just used the defaults of datastore1 and VM Network.  Tomorrow I will download the windows server 2016 ISO evaluation from Microsoft site to my laptop.  Hopefully I can use that.  If there is a good link to help create/install my first Windows 2016 VM that would be great.  So once I have the ISO to my laptop I'm not sure how to make it accessible to the esxi host.  Do I somehow do that in the remote esxi client?

Thanks - Brad

[Dave_the_Wave]