Managing Virtual Machines with VMware ESXi

• dedicated-servers
• dedibox
• virtual-machines
• VMware-ESXi
• iso-file

VMware ESXi - Overview

VMware ESXi is a hypervisor developed by VMware to deploy and manage virtual machines. Unlike other solutions, ESXi is not a software application running on a traditional operating system. Instead, it provides vital OS components, such as a kernel.

Management of the virtual machines can be done through an easy-to-use web interface.

Before you start

To complete the actions presented below, you must have:

• A Dedibox account logged into the console
• Owner status or IAM permissions allowing you to perform actions in the intended Organization
• A Dedibox server that fulfills the VMware hardware requirements
• A valid license for ESXi (a 60-day free trial is available)
• At least one failover IP with a virtual MAC address

Installing ESXi

There are two ways to install EXSi on a Dedibox server: through the Dedibox console or through KVM over IP.

Via the Dedibox console

1. Access the server page of your Dedibox on the console and click Install:
   
2. Click VIRTUALIZATION DISTRIBUTIONS:
   
3. Select EXSi on the distribution menu, then EXSi 7.0U1c 64BITS under Choose a Version and click Install EXSI:
   
4. Complete the next steps by including your Partitioning and System Configuration preferences when requested and conclude installation.

Via KVM over IP

Your server can also be booted from an ESXi ISO file through a KVM over IP device if included in your Dedibox. This type of installation gives you the possibility of installing your own licenses or remote ISO files.

ESXi ISO images are available on VMware’s “Evaluate Products” page.

1. To begin installation via KVM over IP, access the server page of your Dedibox on the console and click Install.

2. Click KVM over IP:

   

   A Disclaimer window pops up.

3. Make sure you have read and agreed to the terms displayed and click I ACCEPT.

   

   You are redirected to your server’s status page.

4. Click the third button on the right. The model of the KVM over IP device is determined by the brand of your Dedibox chassis. For a Dell chassis, you will use IDRAC:

   

The process from this step forward may differ according to the KVM model being used. Refer to the Dedibox KVM over IP documentation to conclude the installation.

Registering ESXi

1. Open your web browser and go to https://your_dedibox_ip/ (replace your_dedibox_ip with the public IP address of your Dedibox).

   The ESXI login screen displays.

2. Log in with the user root and the password set during the installation of ESXi.

   

3. Click Manage (1), then Licensing (2) followed by Assign License and enter the license code for ESXi. A free ESXi license can be obtained directly from VMware.

   

4. Validate the license. The license details are shown:

   

Uploading ISO Files

The VMware ESXi hypervisor uses full virtualization for virtual machines. They can be installed directly from an ISO file, like a physical machine. To be able to launch the installation of virtual machines, ISO images have to be available in the local datastore.

1. From the ESXi dashboard, click Storage to view the storage dashboard. Click Datastore Browser to display the datastore content:
   
2. Click Upload and choose an ISO file on your local computer to upload it to the datastore:
   

Creating Virtual Machines

1. Click Virtual Machines in the side menu to display the virtual machines dashboard. Click Create / Register VM to launch the virtual machine creation wizard:

   

2. Select Create a new virtual machine and click Next:

   

3. Select a name and the guest OS type for the virtual machine:

   

   Choose the settings according to your guest operating system. For Ubuntu Linux go with the following settings:

   • Compatability: ESXi 7.0 virtual machine
   • Guest OS family: Linux
   • Guest OS version: Ubuntu Linux (64-bit)

4. Select the datastore in which to store the configuration and disk files:

   

The virtual machine settings display. 5. Set the amount of RAM and CPU cores according to your requirements. Click Add other device and choose CD/DVD drive from the list of options. 6. Click the Network Adapter 1 to display the advanced settings. Set the Mac Address settings to Manual (1) and enter the virtual MAC address (2) associated with the failover IP of the virtual machine. Click New CD/DVD Drive to display the advanced settings. Choose Datastore ISO file from the drop-down menu. Click Browse (3) in the CD/DVD Media section to select the ISO file containing the operating system installer.

A summary of the configuration displays. 7. Click Finish to start the creation of the virtual machine and to leave the configuration wizard:

8. Tick the checkbox of the VM (1) on the virtual machine dashboard, then click Power On (2) to boot the virtual machine from the ISO file.
   
9. Double-click the console preview to launch the console of the virtual machine. You can now run the installation of your operating system:
   

The network configuration of the virtual machine is done during the installation. Refer to the network configuration documentation to learn more about how to configure the networking on your operating system.