vSphere 6.5 has been released! With the release yesterday of VMware vSphere 6.5, this is a quick post showing screenshots of the VMware ESXi 6.5 Install step by step and what to expect with the install. For the most part there are no surprises here with the installer as it keeps with the look and configuration that we have all come to know with vSphere 6.x.
First things first, you need to download the ISO from VMware. You can do that here directly from VMware.
There are some important compatibility considerations at this point. The following is straight from VMware:
Compatibility considerations
- These products are not compatible with vSphere 6.5 at this time:
- VMware NSX
- VMware Integrated OpenStack
- vCloud Director for Service Providers
- vRealize Infrastructure Navigator
- App Volumes
- Horizon Air Hybrid-Mode
- Integrated OpenStack
- vCloud Networking and Security
- vRealize Business for Cloud
- vRealize Configuration Manager
- vRealize Hyperic
- vRealize Networking InsightCustomers with these products are advised to upgrade to vSphere 6.5 when compatible versions become available. For more information, see the VMware Product Interoperability Matrixes.
- To revert a migration to 6.5 that contains these products see, Reverting a vCenter Server 5.5 or 6.0 to Appliance 6.x migration (2146453)
- To revert a Windows installed vCenter Server upgrade that contains these products see the Roll Back a vCenter Server Instance on Windows When vCenter Server Upgrade Fails section in the vSphere Upgrade guide.
VMware ESXi 6.5 Install step by step
The ISO image that I downloaded from VMware was 336,156KB and the build number for 6.5 looks to be 4564106. The screenshots below show the installer booting from the ISO. Keep in mind that you have many options with the ISO – burning the ISO to optical media, booting from it directly in nested install configuration, or creating a bootable USB disk with a utility like Rufus.
The installer begins with the familiar greeting.
As before, we select the disk to install or upgrade.
On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “wewill accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. Dnd stat block creator. The cost in lives on D-Daywas high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops.
Next, we choose our language.
Setting the root password…
Scanning for components screen is next.
The disk is repartitioned with the install by pressing F11.
The install begins!
After the installer completes, we are prompted to reboot by pressing ENTER.
The host reboots.
Below is a quick screen caught as the system was halted and reboot begins.
Alas, we are at the first DCUI spash screen for 6.5.
The DCUI menus look the same with no surprises here in the management network configuration or other options found in the menus.
Thoughts
There were no surprises in the VMware ESXi 6.5 Install step by step as the screens, colors, options, and expected behavior are a direct takeaway from 6.x installs that we are familiar with at this point. However, we didn’t expect much change here either. Next, we will take a look at the upgrade process to get a host that is running 6.0 U2 with patches up to version 6.5.
Can VMWare ESX or ESXi be installed and used inside a virtual machine?
It can be installed inside VMWare Workstation or Server, but then it doesn't work; the main symptoms are:
- It runs REALLY slowly.
- It lets you create VMs, but when powering up them it gives an error stating
'You may not power on a virtual machine in a virtual machine'
.
Massimo
MassimoMassimo
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3 Answers
VMWare ESX or ESXi CAN run inside a virtual machine, provided certain prerequisites are satisfied.
This kind of setup is of course completely useless (and totally unsupported) in a production environment, but can be very useful for two purposes:
This kind of setup is of course completely useless (and totally unsupported) in a production environment, but can be very useful for two purposes:
- Testing or studying ESX or ESXi if you don't have a physical server available.
- Testing or studying the whole Virtual Infrastructure if you don't have at least two servers and a SAN.
Prerequisites:
- You need some physical resources. In order to run ESX or ESXi in VM, the VM needs at least 1.5 GB of memory, two VCPUs and enough disk space for the server itself and for the VMs you will run inside it.
- You absolutely need a physical CPU with native virtualization support (Intel VT or AMD-V).
- You need to run VMWare Workstation 6.5, VMWare Server 2 or VMWare Fusion 5 on the physical host. Previous versions can't succesfully run ESX or ESXi in a VM.
- A 64-bit OS on the physical host is useful but not required.
Setup:
- Enable native virtualization support for your CPU in the motherboard BIOS (it's often not enabled by default).
- Install your preferred virtualization software. I've tested everything succesfully using VMWare Workstation 6.5.2 on a Windows XP x64 host, but it should work with VMWare Server 2.0 and/or Linux hosts, too.
- Create a custom VM using those setting:
- Hardware compatibility level: latest
- Guest operating system: other 64-bit
- Virtual CPUs: at least 2
- Memory: at least 1.5 GB
- Networking: Host-only or NAT
- SCSI adapter: LSI Logic
- Virtual disk type: SCSI
- Virtual disks: as you wish; I suggest using at least two virtual disks, a 10-GB one for installing the system and another one where to create a datastore. The space should be pre-allocated.
- Remove floppy, sound card, USB controller, etc. Leave only networking and storage.
- CPU Execution mode: Intel VT-x or AMD-V (very important).
- Manually edit the VMX file of the virtual machine you created, setting the following parameters:
guestOS = 'vmkernel'
monitor_control.vt32 = 'TRUE'
monitor_control.restrict_backdoor = 'TRUE'
- Start the VM and install ESX or ESXi from the installation ISO image.
- Configure the networking to allow the ESX or ESXi virtual server to talk with the host.
Usage:
- Use your web browser to connect to you virtual server's IP address and download the VI Client.
- Install the VI Client on the host.
- Connect to the virtual ESX/ESXi server.
- Create a VM as you wish.
- Power up the VM.
- If everything is done correctly, the VM will start. If it complains about not being able to power on a VM inside a VM, then there is an error with the `monitor_control.restrict_backdoor' parameter (or you're using an old version of VMWare Workstation/Server).
- Enjoy :-)
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Installing a 64 bit OS is pre required for installing the VM ware ESXi version.I dont think u can carry on with ths installation if the CPU dosent support.
asheshashesh
I was able to successfully install ESXi 4.1 into a Virtualbox VM. I had the same issue with the keyboard not being recognized. Out of a whim, I tried installing it on Virtualbox 3.2.6 making a few adjustments and found no problems.
When you create the VM, set memory to 2gb, the hard drive to 10gb, I changed the network card to Bridged so I could use the client from my host desktop, then click the advanced option and select the Intel 1000 Server MT card. I also changed the video to 128mb, but I doubt that would hinder anything if it were lower. Walla, no keyboard problems and the install completed fine. you can then do all your configuration changes with no problems.
Vmware Layer How To Installl Esxi Update
Ed B
protected by Community♦Aug 26 '11 at 16:00
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