crownadmin Tracker

ESXi 6 with Web Ui installed vib

crownadmin — Sun, 31 Jan 2016 04:21:49 GMT

The new web UI looks real good and working well with managing VMs, some things that may not be working is VMtools upgrade function.

The new Web Console functions are excellent, actually better than Citrix ZenDesktop... wow it really pops and runs a whole lot faster then vsphere client.

Excellent job VMware. Also, love that I can manage the server via Ubuntu and any other OS finally!!!!

A general system error occurred: Logging into VSphere Client

crownadmin — Wed, 20 Aug 2014 17:27:07 GMT

If your using your AD to connect to your ESXi (either using the "Use Windows Session Credentials" radio or manually), and you you get the above error; go into Configuration tab > Under Software - Authentication Services. Click Properties. Click Leave Domain. Then reconnect to your AD.

The error can occur if your AD gets disconnected or rebooted, your ESXi may also loose connection to the domain and not reconnect.

How to use ESXi Datastore Browser to easily upload Tar, Zip, Rar without Network drives in VM

crownadmin — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:32:37 GMT

I have always had an issue creating a VM then having additional software needing to be transferred to it. Since ESXi does not have USB support your limited to Network Drives or downloading it from the website. From my own experience, using Linux Server Distro and other Win versions make drive connections a real pain. Use native ESXI functions to transfer these files using the Datastore Browsers Upload (file/folder) function and the VM's CDROM Image drives to move the files around.

What Software you'll need:

ISO Creating Software - I use PowerISO

full version. Pay the $9 and get the full functionality, as it limits

the ISO size on the shareware.

ESXi (any version) - "obviously"

Note ** all the below steps should be done prior to turning ON the VM and adding the needed hardware can be configured after initial creation of the VM

To start, download what your going to need to create the VM (in my case, my servers lack the CD Rom Drive, so Burning a CD is pretty useless, and a waste of a CD, and attaching a USB drive is a pain). My example project will be: To create an Ubuntu VCenter Converter Server. The OS will be any level of Unbuntu and I had the Ubuntu 9 Distro ISO on my PC, so I used Vsphere Datastore Browser to upload that ISO from my desktop to the datastore. But we also need the Linux VCenter Converter Tar.gz which I already had download also. So lets get going and get the tar.gz ready on the datastore 1st.......

Steps

#1 - Located the tar.gz in an accessible location, like desktop

#2 - Open PowerISO and add the file

#3 - Save this as an ISO file

#4 - Open Vsphere Client and log into ESXi

#5 - Now right Click your datastore were your going to install the VM and click Browse Datastore

#6 - Click "Upload files to the datastore" the Icon with the Disks with Up Arrow

#7 - Point to the ISO File you created and the file will be loaded to the directory

#8 - Now Create the VM and Make sure you add Hardware for a CDROM using image of Ubuntu ISO

#9 - (Configure VM for your Need)

#10 - Start the VM and it should boot from the ISO CDROM, follow normal Installation of OS (Bios should be set to boot off CDRoms)

#11- After Installation, power VM Down and Add/swap Installation ISO with Vcenter Converter ISO thats on the DataStore

#12 - Start VM and now Ubuntu will have a CDROM with the tar.gz waiting

#13 - Now transfer the tar.gz to your Ubuntu desktop or particular folder. Thats It!

Re: P2V Vista Home Premium Diagnosed, Now resolved

crownadmin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:51:46 GMT

I gues this should have been a document instead of a thread.....

I found out why it was repeating the driver installs, all my fault.

At one of my multiple reboots, the driver setup kicked off and I left it in the background with an open dialog, was looking to associate a drive manually using Device Manager. This is when I found the DriverStore directory was actually working, so in my haste I associated all the unknown devices manually. Well this pisses off vista, as since it wasn't allowed to finish its process, it did not want to remember my associations. So when I rebooted it wiped out the drivers that were associated and forces the automated association process.

This time I went thru all the click-points manually using the auto device manager, and on the last one it was done, it was happy and reboot was perfect then. What arrogance!

Well no need to respond to this thread and I hope this helps someone who runs into the same issues.... BTW Vista VM is pretty smooth with 1gig, 1x2.8 mgz xeon, 20 gig drive.. now off to making it my MS media server, well not that it works....

Re: P2V Vista Home Premium Diagnosed, not resolved yet

crownadmin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:01:31 GMT

I just posted the above....

After hours looking for drivers, they are already in Vista. There in c:\windows\system32\DriverStore... found them all...

I was able to manually update each unknown device and it found a driver in the DriverStore.Once I was all done, and it looked fine in Device Manager, I reboot the VM and when I came back in, all the Device Manager was still intact...!!! But Vista launched the "device driver software again", and I had to go thru it all again.. Not sure why its doing that.. anyone with a clue?

P2V Vista Home Premium

crownadmin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 01:06:00 GMT

I just did a P2V of my Lenovo Laptop. All went smoothly and I migrated it to my VMware Server 2.02. I boots up fine and I can get VMTools installed and network running. Then it goes into rounds of unidentifed device installations, many are or what looks to be PCI Bridge, PCI to PCI...etc.

Since this is a Lenovo Laptop, you do not get a Vista CD, but a hidden partition, so now how do I get these drivers? I was able to get my hands on the 2010 Cobra Vista Black CD, but that was no help as it identified the missing devices, but provided URLs to locations of possible drivers (Lame CD).

So that is not an option, so back to this forum. Has anyone done a P2V with a Laptop, and how did they get it installed with the proper drivers?

Boot VMWare Server 2 on Ubuntu 9.10 straight from a USB Memory stick – NO CD

crownadmin — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:32:40 GMT

History: I have been playing around with VMWare products for about a year+ (since I found they were free). I have a home 1u Server that is adequate to play around with and started with U8.04 with VMServer using an IDE drive. As most of you learned, it was very complicated installation. I really wanted to install ESXi 3.5 Upgrade 2 with a SATA, but it would always fail to install, but luckily there was help on the net that got me behind the gui and it installed. I was up and running in no time with a 500gig drive using bare-metal ESXi.

The one thing I did loose was the USB options in ESXi, which I used a USB sound card since my server does not have a sound card. When I was running U8.04/Server with VMServer it was sweet. I created a VM that allowed us to install all my son’s PC games and my own, so we can play each other over the network. Once I moved to ESXi that was all gone.

Now I'm thinking, can I go back to VMServer, but on U9.10. Now I don’t want to mess with my ESXi server, and wanted to test doing a package on a USB solution. So I downloaded Upgrade 4 for ESXi 3.5 as ESXi 4 is 64bit and I'm running only 32. I installed it onto a 4gig mem per a couple of web instructions and whoola, I booted my server and ESXi U4 was up and running. What was really need, it detected my 500gig drive with all my VMs intact and I was able to use it as a datastore, I was literally up and running in 30 min, amazing. (Note: I Backed up all my VMs to a SCSI datastore just in Case).

Ok so this is it, I can run my server via USB ESXi, I got my HDD as a backup in case something happens, now for the real test. VMServer with Ubuntu on a USB.

Another reason for moving to VMServer is that I liked that it was all Web based and nothing to install on all the PCs in the house. Now I don’t want to loose this flexibility that I have just got, and I like to keep this Hot-Swap VMWare going….

What you will need: Windows PC and the following...

Two(2); 2gig and 4 gig USB mem sticks (bestbuy.com for $12/$15 bucks cant beat it) – LABEL them with tape USB1 and USB2, it will get confusing in the steps below)

USB1 = 4gig
USB2 = 2gig
The USB# and size is important, as U910Server with VMServer will be bigger than 2gig. Follow my Steps....

1 x ISO of Ubuntu Desktop 9.10 --
1 x ISO of Ubuntu Server 9.10
VMWare Server 2 tar.gz (yeah
register yourself and get the key, don’t bother with torrents) --
UNETBootin for Windows --
_[http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/]_
~~WinRar Zip/Unip Software~~

Follow steps assuming you downloaded all the above already.

Step 1: Move your VMServer tar.gz & Ubuntu 9.10 Server ISO file to a folder that is easy to get to, as you will need this in Step 3 and Step 5.

Step 2: Setup USB1 as Desktop 9.10 LIVE

From a Windows PC/Laptop and using UNetBootin follow the steps on their website to install U9.10 ISO to USB1. Remember in UNetBootin, use LIVE settings

Step 3: Boot your PC or Laptop from USB1 (make sure Bios can do this, else forget it)

(DO NOT INSTALL UBUNTU, just use LIVE. Your problem if you wipe out your PC HDD!!!!)
Once the PC is all set up and running, put USB2 into your PC and let it AutoDetect.
Click System > Administration > USB Startup Disk Creator, from Ubuntu menu.
When it asks for ISO, navigate to the System HDD in Step 1 and use the Ubuntu 9.10 server ISO.
Make sure its pointing to to USB2 pen (Again! DO NOT Select your PC HDD)
Once Completed, you now can shutdown PC then take out USB1 & USB2

Step 4: Boot back to WINDOWS no USBs

Once your WIN is up and running plug USB1 back in and Format it. Yes, since we only invested in 2
USB’s one needs to be wiped out and the 4gig drive needs to be the installed U910 Server and VMWare. (now if your not cheap, then buy 3, but one has to be 4gig)
Shutdown WIN PC

Step 5: Boot USB2 in PC and start the Ubuntu 9.10 Server Installation

Put USB1 back in PC after USB2 boots
Now caution, depending on your PC’s USB ports it decides which one is first bootable. So play around to make sure USB2 is the first boot, otherwise you get that dreaded BLACK sceeen with no OS error.
Follow all the on screen setups until you get to DRIVE PARTITIONING

THIS IS CRITICAL, DO NOT INSTALL ON YOUR HDD ****

Make sure you pick MANUAL PARTITIONING!!!!!!! IM NOT KIDDING YOU MESS THIS STEP UP YOUR HDD IS GONE!!!! If you REALLY want to be careful disconnect you IDE/SATA cables and power cables to you HDD
Using Manual Partitioning, Make sure you select USB1 to partition and install Ubuntu Server. You can
allow it to do Auto partitioning.
Once you pass that step continue with the installation until the Software Selection Screen.

I normally do not install anything like DNS, SAMBA….etc these are only USB sticks and you can run out of space, don’t forget you need to install VMWare Server still
It will ask you to install GRUB it is autmatically will default to the USB1.

Continue until the Installation is complete. Shutdown the PC

Step 6: Get VMServer tar.gz onto a USB2 & mr. radu.ro script

Since Ubuntu 9.10 server is now ready to boot from on USB1, lets label it and put it to the side, we
want to get back into Windows and get VMServer & script.
Boot your PC/Laptop into Windows
Insert USB2 port and navigate to VMServer tar.gz file.
Copy the tar.gz file to USB2
Downloaded this script file to the same folder or root directory on USB2
_[http://codebin.cotescu.com/vmware/vmware-server-2.0.x-kernel-2.6.31-14-install.sh]_
Once complete shutdown Windows, your ready for VMServer Installation
Pull out USB2 NOW

Step 7: Reboot Ubuntu 9.10 Server

Make sure your connected via CAT5E to lan
Insert USB1
Reboot your PC/Laptop as Ubuntu Server. You now need to put your Userid and Password that you put in
during installation.
Insert USB2 back into your PC or At the time of Booting Server
Now Mount USB2

Find out
what drive USB2 was detected

sudo fdisk
-l (Mine was /dev/sdc1)

Make a mount folder

sudo mkdir
/mnt/sdc1

Add mount to folder: sudo mount -t vfat /dev/sdc1 /mnt/sdc1

You should now be able to navigate to the folder and read USB2

cd /mnt/sdc1
ls -l

Step 8: VMWare Installation with script

VMServer 2.02 will not install correctly and I prepared you in Step 5. This Blog provides an
explanation and what the script does.
_[http://radu.cotescu.com/2009/10/30/how-to-install-vmware-server-2-0-x-on-ubuntu-9-10-karmic-koala/]_

I will provide the same steps with some tweaks as I already made you download the script in Step 5

Navigate to the directory: cd /mnt/sdc1/
Run the script : sudo ./vmware-server-2.0.x-kernel-2.6.31-14-install.sh
(The script will take it from here, don't get nervous.. there are lots of stuff going on, and lots of errors... don't worry)
The Script will end with the prompt to start the Configuration, _before _hitting <enter> type NO then <enter>
NOW PLEASE CHECK THIS:
for my installation, I had to go to /usr/share/doc/vmware and rename eula to EULA before configuration would work. If your file is LOWER CASE then you will not get thru the configuration, so you will have to do the next bullet. If it is UPPER CASE, then skip th next bullet and proceed with the /usr/bin/vmware-config.pl
Type: sudo mv eula EULA
Now Configure: /usr/bin/vmware-config.pl
This will prompt you a couple of times, just leave the defaults

There are many webpages that will help you configureVMWare those I leave to you to find and use what best fits your solution