In this video I demo how to install VMware vSphere ESXi 6 onto a Dell C2100 Server and I take you through everything from basic installation and configuration all the way up to connecting and managing the instance via the vSphere client.
You will need the following at the very minimum to run ESXi 6:
- A host with a 64-Bit x86 processor with 2+ cores and VT-x or AMD-V enabled in the BIOS
- NX/XD enabled in the BIOS
- 4GB RAM, 8GB recommended
- 1GB of local storage + additional storage for virtual machines
- One or more Gigabit or faster Ethernet controllers
To get a copy of ESXi browse over to www.vmware.com and sign up for a free account. After that you should be able to access the downloads section and get the .iso image along with your free license key. You may have to register or apply for the product before you can access the download and license key. The sign up process can be a little bit of a pia, but is well worth it in the end. If you want to manage multiple ESXi servers through one management console then it’s time for you to look into vCenter, that’s where they make their money.
To perform the install I created a bootable USB drive using the VMware ISO image and Rufus. I then use another USB drive as the destination drive for the install, this drive will stay in the server and be used to boot from after the install has completed. The ESXi install is relatively lightweight and gets loaded into memory on boot, so there is no point wasting an entire disk for the install when we can be using it for virtual machines instead. I will be using some cheap 8Gb Kingston Datatraveler drives I got off of ebay for around $10 for 3, but any decent USB drive should do.