ESXi Installing OS using .ISO

[daKrisht]

Hey everyone:

I'm running ESXi 3.5 Update 3 on a Sun Fire X2250 w/ 2 datastores.

I've noticed that everytime I create a new Virtual Machine and "boot" the VM it trys to boot using the Intel PXE ROM.

Now, I use .ISO images that are on my local machine. By the time I click "Connect CD/DVD 1" browse to the .ISO and select it --- the VM has already skipped that device and is trying to use the PXE boot.

I've attached a screenshot.

Here's the question: How can I make sure that the VM I'm booting up boots from an .ISO on my local machine - without clicking the "Connect CD/DVD 1" button (I've managed to successfully get it going once or twice but it's like a video game, you only have a few seconds to click - browse - select!)

Thanks!!

[Dave_Mishchenko]

What I'll usually do is edit the VM, go to advanced settings \ boot options and set a 5000 ms boot delay. That'll give me the time I need to press the option to select a boot device. Then I power on the VM and select the option to select a boot device. Once I'm on that screen, I'll connect to my client side ISO image and then resume the boot process by selecting the CD option.

[Craig_Baltzer]

The VM will re-start the POST sequence at any time (including during the PXE search or when the "Operating System not found" is displayed) by sending it a Ctrl-Alt-Del (either from the "VM" menu or by clicking in the VM and hitting Ctrl-Alt-Ins), and that sequence does not cause the client-connected CD/DVD to disconnect. So what I do is just start up the VM, and connect the CD/DVD normally. As soon as I get it connected I send the VM a Ctrl-Alt-Del which causes it to restart the boot process, it now finds the conencted CD/DVD and off we go.

[daKrisht]

Great, thanks for your replies!

I'll try both methods...

[java_cat33]

And one more method that works.... you can edit the settings of the VM to boot the VM into the BIOS at next start-up - once in the BIOS connect the CD/DVD. To be honest - the method I always use is what Dave mentioned - change the boot delay.