Workstation / ESXi issue - force vSphere Client to grab CD-ROM drive

[TBINaperville]

This week I started developing a practice system at home for me to learn VMware and systems administration.

I've installed ESXi 5 and Windows 7 in Workstation 8, which resides on Windows Server 2008 on a Dell T-410 server having one physical CD/DVD ROM drive.  In Win 7 I have the vSphere Client installed and I successfully get to ESXi to manage it and install other operating systems, which is where I get stuck.  Note that in Workstation I can take my Win 7 OS and in My Computer chose to "eject" the drive with the OS that I want to install.

I am trying to install several virtual machines and have created two "containers" / "stubs" for these virtual machines (one Red Hat and one Win 2008 Server) but cannot get the vSphere Client interface to grab control of the drive and pass it to the Open Console.

There is quite a matrix in the area of drive options that is available.  What is the secret to being able to doing this correctly, because every video that I have watched on YouTube where they are installing a system shows the OS that they are installing going in to ESXi very easily after chosing the CD/DVD ROM drive....when NOT being hosted in Workstation, which is where I am at.

How do I properly set up my CD/DVD ROM drives in Workstation so that ESXi installs the OS?  I've chosen every drive letter and option available but cannot get the OS to install.

Thanks,

Thomas

[TBINaperville]

Would I be better off asking this question in the vSphere ESXi forum?

[WoodyZ]

I never use Physical Optical Media to install any OS in a Virtual Machine and always use ISO Images.  Most I've downloaded from the manufactures web sites, however even if having to include the time it takes to make an ISO Image from Physical Optical Media it still installs faster from an image then from physical media and then you do not need to worry about controlling the physical device as well.  As a side note... For testing purposed I've run several VM's from the same Live OS ISO Image simultaneously and this cannot be done from Physical Optical Media.

Message was edited by: WoodyZ - Originally posted, Apr 22, 2012 12:05 PM.

[a_p_]

Discussion moved from VMware Workstation to Nested Virtualization

[TBINaperville]

To those reading this, let me restate the basics so they are clear.  I do not think I was clear in my first post.

In Workstation 8 I've installed ESXi and Windows 7.

On Windows 7, I've installed the vSphere Client and I have built two virtual machine "stubs" in ESXi that I now need to install the operating systems too.  In order to do that, I need to get vSphere Client to grab control of the CD / DVD ROM drive to access the media and pass it to ESXi.

That seems to be a problem and I must not have the settings just right because I am unable to get the system to access the media and in the Open Console window all that I see is the statement, "Operating system not found."

[a_p_]

I think we understood this and that's actually the reason why WoodyZ mentioned the ISO images.

I'm not sure whether it will work to pass through the virtual CD-ROM drive from the Windows 7 VM to the ESXi host. You may try a few things, like setting the CD-ROM drive to "Legacy Mode" for the Windows 7 VM, but I think it will be a lot easier to upload the ISO images to a folder on the ESXi host and run the installation using those uploaded images.

André

[WoodyZ · Accepted solution]

André Pett wrote: I think we understood this and that's actually the reason why WoodyZ mentioned the ISO images.

Yes, that is why I said what I did and also because it's been a while since I ran ESXi in a VM and when I did I think the only way I could install the OS in a VM when ESXi was a VM too was to use ISO images, which of course since that's my preference anyway it didn't matter.  Now I didn't mention this because I don't  remember for sure and using images is really the better way to go anyway.  Also I do not have the time to install ESXI in a VM and go through the motions again.

[admin]

You are passing the physical CD-ROM drive through to the ESXi guest, not to the Windows 7 guest, right?

[TBINaperville]

I wanted to temporarily install ESXi in Workstation 8 before I took a class VMTraining course, VMware vSphere 5 Bootcamp for some hands on in ESXi.  It was a temporary solution.  I've managed to back everything up and now the server that I had installed can be deleted and ESXi installed.  I should be instaling ESXi on bare iron tonight and will not be working on this issue any longer.  I appreciate everyone's help.

Sincerely,

Thomas