ESXi 4.0 on usb key

[fdevie01]

Hello,

Is it possible to install ESXi4.0 on an USB key from a server and then, to take this key and put it on another server which is exactly the same?

Is there any problem with Mac adress or WorldWideName...?

If it's possible, this will permit to install ESXi4.0 on several key from one unique server and put them only when necessary on other servers to make PRA.

Thanks for help.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Welcome to the VMware Communities forums.  I've moved your post to the ESXi 4 forum.

When you use the CD to install ESXi onto a USB key or disk drive, the installer copies over a default, unconfigured system image to the install location.  When ESXi first boots from that location, it runs through an initialization process which creates a basic, default configuration for the host.

If you remove the USB key from the source server after the install process, but before the initial boot of ESXi, then you'll be fine to move the USB key to another host.  You could even prep the USB key on a completely different server.

You can have a problem if you let ESXi boot for the first time and then subsequently move the USB key to another host.  The initial configuration of ESXi uses the MAC address of the NIC identified as vmnic0 for the management port of the host.  If the move the key to another host, you could end up with duplicate MAC addresses on your network.

Are you planning to install ESXi, configure it and then move it to another host?  You could manually change the MAC address used to prevent a duplicate issue, or you could create install script to handle the configuration of the host for you.  This is particularly useful if you're rolling out a number of hosts.

Dave
VMware Communities User Moderator

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[fdevie01]

Thank you for your response.

In fact, we want to prepare several keys with ESXi4.0 in case of disaster plan. If we must activate disaster plan, the persons who will install ESXi 4.0 are not administrator. So we want to make an easy process to install several server.

Is it possible to prepare usb key so that, at the first boot, ESXi4.0 install itself and configure the management network automatically with ip adress that we have pre-define?

[Dave_Mishchenko]

You could use a scripted install to configure the USB key with an IP address of your choice.  The user would simply have to plug in the key, boot the host, and you could then connect remotely to complete any further configuration.

[fdevie01]

Fine. is it possible to explain how to prepare the key in order to run the configuration of the management network after the first boot? I know how to put ESXi4.0 on the key but i don't know how to execute a script after the first reboot and so after the initialization process.

[fdevie01]

Hello,

i can't find how to install ESXi 4.0 and configure the management network automatically without human action.

Is there an easy solution to do that? If someone has a solution even if it isn't an installation on usb key, it interrests me anyway.

Thanks.

[Dave_Mishchenko]

A few sources of info -

http://blogs.vmware.com/esxi/2011/02/scripted-install-with-esxi.html

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1022263

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r41/vsp_41_esxi_i_vc_setup_guide.pdf - pages 35 - 46 -  after you create your script you can put in on the USB key and  change boot.cfg to have this option - ks=usb:/ks.cfg (assuming the script name = ks.cfg).

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r41/vsp_41_esxi_i_vc_setup_guide.pdf

[fdevie01]

Hello,

I've created a ks.cfg file and put it on the usb key (fat32). Then i've mounted the iso file (install binaries for ESXi4.0U1) as a cdrom from the IMM card of the server. The usb key has been connected too.

When i boot the server, i interrupt the boot when the "VMware VMvisor Boot Menu" is displayed and i modify the command as indicated, by adding ks=usb:/ks.cfg.

So the installation begin and at the end, after the last reboot, ESX4.0U1 is installed on the local disk of the server, but the configuration didn't run. So, all the configuration of the ESXi is by default. When must the script ks.cfg run? Is there a special format to create the ks.cfg file? I've created it on my computer with wordpad.

If someone has an idea...