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rcflyer2005
Contributor
Contributor

Managing ESXI 3.5 For Free!!!

I understand the way to manage an ESXi 3.5 installation is to use VMware Infrastructure 3 which is not free software. In fact, the Foundation version costs$995.

As a home user, I obviously cannot afford to purchase VMware Infrastructure 3 . What free tool(s), if any, are available to manage installations of operating systems on ESXi v 3.5 U3?

Thanks much.

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9 Replies
depping
Leadership
Leadership

Why not use the VI Client? It comes with vCenter server and you can use it and directly connect to the host.

Duncan

VMware Communities User Moderator

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lamw
Community Manager
Community Manager

If you're looking for a way to manage your ESXi 3.5u{2,3} ( key is U2,3 ) then you can take a look at VMware RCLI, VI Perl Toolkit or VIMA, more information can be found at: http://engineering.ucsb.edu/~duonglt/vmware/#vmware_vima

As of U4, read/write access to the VI API has been disabled per an internal bug and you will need at least a Foundation license to use the tools mentioned above to manage your ESXi host(s), more info can be found at: http://vmetc.com/2009/03/31/esxi-u4-ends-free-version-read-and-write-access-from-the-rcli/

As Duncan as stated, you do have the free VI Client which is a graphical tool to manage your individual ESXi host(s)

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William Lam

VMware vExpert 2009

VMware ESX/ESXi scripts and resources at:

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rcflyer2005
Contributor
Contributor

I would very much like to use the VI Client to manage a ESXi v3.5 U3 server. It is my understanding, VI Client is part of VMware Infrastructure 3 which has a minimun cost of $995. I'm looking for a solution that does not cost $$$. Is there an open source or free version of VI Client ? If so, please let me know and where I can find i.

The closest software I've found is VMware ESX 3.x Open Source - VMware ESX 3.x, VI Client and VM Tools OSS Source Code at this link: http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/open_source.html. I downloaded VMware-esx-public-source-3.5.0-123630.tar.gz, but the software included seemed to be for linux solutions that required compiling C code or installing rpm packages.

Thank you.

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lamw
Community Manager
Community Manager

The VI Client is 100% free, you can download the client by pointing your browser to your ESXi host to download the client.

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William Lam

VMware vExpert 2009

VMware ESX/ESXi scripts and resources at:

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derektom
Contributor
Contributor

Hello,

I am running ESXi 4.1.0, 260247 on an HP DL160G6.

I can't find out how to download the 100% free "VI Client".

Or is there no longer a way to freely manage virtual machines on ESXi?

I would be very disappointed if that is the case because the cheapest option seems to cost a whopping US$1320 just for the first year.

Thanks for any clarification on this.

Cheers,

Derek

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logiboy123
Expert
Expert

You can manage any ESXi server for free. To do this you simply enter the IP address of the host into your web browser, you will get a downloadable application which is known as the VI Client. Once the client is installed, point it at the IP address of the ESXi server and input the root username and password. You now can manage the host.

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derektom
Contributor
Contributor

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your quick reply. It seems I have installed ESXi 4 and the only "GUI client" link on the web page I receive when I point to my ESXi host is for the vSphere Client. See attached. Any ideas?

I have set up 2 virtual machines using vSphere Client with its 60-day evaluation license but that license will expire for me in 45 days. I'm looking for a free, permanent solution to manage these VMs.

Thanks,

Derek

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ChrisDearden
Expert
Expert

the vsphere client is the new name for the VI client.

after the 60 day trial period your installs should revert to the free versino of the hypervisor. At the moment all the enterprise features are unlocked for the duration of the trial , however as you are not installing vCenter , that wont make any difference.

As long as you only plan on connected to the hosts as standalone instances then you wont have a problem.

If yiou require features like vCenter , then you might want to consider the vSphere essentials edition , which is $500 (ish) for 3, 2Socket Hosts and a vCenter licences to cover them.

If this post has been useful , please consider awarding points. @chrisdearden http://jfvi.co.uk http://vsoup.net
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derektom
Contributor
Contributor

Hi Chris,

Many thanks for explaining all of that and for your suggestion on the Essentials edition (I saw that it costs US$495 + $116 for the required subscription support and $299 for optional per-incident support - quite pricey). Definitely good to know.

I do think it would be good of VMware to clearly explain that on the webpage users see when they connect to their new ESXi host.

Thanks again.

Cheers,

Derek

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