How too boot a client from USB-Stick?

[Coliban]

Hello,

i am trying to boot a vmware linux client from an usb-stick (which has an linux installer inside).

I can create a host controller and a usb-device. When i am booting the system says, that the usb-stick is connected to that client machine.

But i never managed to boot from usb-stick, the boot-process *always* tries to get a response from an dhcp-server. When i go to the bios setup, i can only select a "removable device", until now, i didn´t find any usb-device from which to boot.

Is usb-boot possible on esxi or should i try a workaround?

regards

[Coliban]

Hmm,

i´ve tried nearly all combinations, booting an iso image, but no success until now.

I´ve tried to connect the iso-imae to the CD-drive

i´ve tried too boot directly from an attached usb

i´ve tried to boot an iso image which i copied to the esxi-server

But no success, the boot-process never get aware that there is an iso-image. I took the us-stick and tried in in a regular machine, the machine booted correctly, so i guess that the stick is ok. When i copy the stick with "dd", the esxi-server seems not to recognize it, although the iso copy was taken from a regular and correct stick.

When i try to copy the image to the directory where the iso-images live, it says, "no space on device".

(It is an obstacle that esxi-gui is only running on windows, although the esxi -server is based on linux, that is an additional level of difficulties)

[a_p_ · Accepted solution]

It may be worth trying Plop Boot Manager 5.0‌ to see whether this works with your USB distribution.

André

[Coliban]

Thank you, Andre.

I´ve tried to start the plp iso in esxi within a new machine, but it is not recornized by the server, so it still searched for a dhcp server....

regards

Update:

Now, it is booting (i had to connect the iso file again to the vm).

I try to provide an iso file, perhaps over an usb stick. I will inform you about the progress.

regards

----

update:

The ESXi will let me connect the usb-stick, but the virtuell machine does not recognize the connected usb-stick.

regards