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MikeGIllinois
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Drive Removal/Replacement?

I'd like to set up an ESXi workstation and put some op systems on it.

My configuration would be one drive that contains VMWare only and a second drive for all my virtual machines.

With this configuration can I:

1. Put a demo of VMWare Essentials or some other demo of some other VMWare product on the C: drive, boot it up, and

expect it to see and manage my virtual machines on the second drive?

2. Can I delete the contents of the first drive and put on ESXi free again and still see and manage my virtuals?

Get where I'm going? I want to know if every time I want to switch version of VMWare I can without affecting the integrity of the VM's

stored on my second drive. I'd even like to pop the 2nd drive out and put it in another computer and access my virtuals from

VMWorkstation, if I could.

Thanks much!

Mike Gallery

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Dave_Mishchenko
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The installation for any edition of vSphere is the same - even for the free edition.  All you have to do is to change the license key to enable the functionality of the license edition that you have.  When you install ESXi it will be in a 60 day eval mode for Enterprise Plus.  After that you have to apply some license key wether that be the free edition or a paid license.

You can switch between licenses at any time and I wouldn't reinstall just to change the license.

ESXi has pretty minimal disk requirements so if you're using RAID I wouldn't allocate an array just for ESXi as the disks will be under utilized.  ESXi uses about 5 GB of disk space and the remainder if formated as a datastore.

Dave
VMware Communities User Moderator

Free ESXi Essentials training / eBook offer

Now available - VMware ESXi: Planning, Implementation, and Security

Also available - vSphere Quick Start Guide

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Dave_Mishchenko
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The installation for any edition of vSphere is the same - even for the free edition.  All you have to do is to change the license key to enable the functionality of the license edition that you have.  When you install ESXi it will be in a 60 day eval mode for Enterprise Plus.  After that you have to apply some license key wether that be the free edition or a paid license.

You can switch between licenses at any time and I wouldn't reinstall just to change the license.

ESXi has pretty minimal disk requirements so if you're using RAID I wouldn't allocate an array just for ESXi as the disks will be under utilized.  ESXi uses about 5 GB of disk space and the remainder if formated as a datastore.

Dave
VMware Communities User Moderator

Free ESXi Essentials training / eBook offer

Now available - VMware ESXi: Planning, Implementation, and Security

Also available - vSphere Quick Start Guide

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MikeGIllinois
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That certainly sounds easy. So if I want to change from ESXi to VSphere Essentials, either on a demo basis or an actual purchase, I just enter a new key? And then all the new features are enabled? Sounds too easy!

I have a client running ESXi free. I guess I just buy Essentials for them, plug in the key, and the upgrade is done?

Thanks!

Mike Gallery

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DSTAVERT
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That's all there is to it.

There is no vSphere Essentials demo licence. With no license within the first 60 days you can switch back and forth between the Enterprise Plus trial version and the ESXi free version by applying the ESXi free license or disabling the license. After the 60 days the Enterprise Plus trial version no longer works and you will be forces to use the ESXi free license.

-- David -- VMware Communities Moderator
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Dave_Mishchenko
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You may have to configure additional features.  If you go from ESXi free to Essentials Plus and want to use vMotion then you have to setup the vMotion port group.

If you're getting the Essential Kit you would also need to install vCenter Server and then join the hosts to vCenter. But in all of this you don't have to reinstall ESXi.

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