Configuring UCS Servers for Hosting Operations Hub

Installing VMware ESXi

Table 1. Feature History

Feature Name

Release Information

Description

Support for VMware ESXi version 8.0

Cisco Smart PHY, Release 23.3

Installation of VMware ESXi version 8.0 is supported.

To install VMware ESXi version 8.0 or 7.0.3, perform the following steps:

  1. Download the ESXi server software from the VMware website download page.

  2. Install the VMware ESXi 8.0 or 7.0.3 version on the M.2 RAID 1 Virtual Drive (Boot Drive).

  3. Select a disk to install the VMware ESXi server software.

  4. Set a password for the root user during the installation process.

  5. Reboot the VMware ESXi host when the installation completes.

  6. Add the ESXi server in the production vCenter version 8.0 or 7.0.3.


Note

vCenter 8.0 can manage ESXi hosts running version 7.0 and version 8.0.

Rebooting the VMware ESXi Host and Setting the Boot Device

When the VMware ESXi host resets and boots into the BIOS mode, you must perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Press the F2 key to interrupt the boot process.

Step 2

In the Boot Options tab, set the Boot Option #1 to the UEFI target - VMware ESXi.

Step 3

Disable all other boot options.

Step 4

Click Save and Exit. Ensure that the host boots directly into VMware ESXi.

Adding ESXi Hosts to vSphere Virtual Infrastructure

  1. Configuring VMware ESXi Host Management Networking

  2. Adding ESXi Hosts to VMware vCenter Server

  3. Configuring and Enabling ESXi Host Features

  4. Configuring Virtual Machine Networking

Configuring VMware ESXi Host Management Networking

To configure management network settings for the VMware ESXi host, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

Log into the VMware ESXi host from the vSphere page as a root user.

Step 2

From the VMware vSphere page, choose Configure > Networking > Virtual Switches to open a Configure Management Network window.

Step 3

Edit the following details:

  • IP Address Configuration

  • DNS Configuration

  • Custom DNS suffixes

  • VLAN ID (optional)

Step 4

Click Save.

Adding ESXi Hosts to VMware vCenter Server

To add ESXi hosts to the VMware vCenter server, use the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

From the VMware vCenter page, select the VM cluster, and choose Add Hosts.

Step 2

In the Add Hosts window, enter the IP Address or FQDN hostname with credential, and click Next.

Step 3

Click Finish. The ESXi host is added to the vCenter.

Configuring and Enabling ESXi Host Features

Once the ESXi host is installed, you must configure the following key features:

  1. System Time or Clock—Configure time on the host. For this you must enable NTP on the ESXi host.

  2. Licenses—Apply the ESXi host licenses.

  3. Network settings—Create a new network configuration for the host

  4. Datastore—Create a new datastore on the data drive storage device in the ESXi host.

Configuring Virtual Machine Networking

To configure the virtual machine networking, perform the following steps:

Procedure

Step 1

From the VMware vCenter page, select the ESXi host.

Step 2

To configure the VMware vCenter management network, choose Configure > Networking > Virtual Switches > Add Physical Network.

Step 3

In the Add Physical Network window, enter IP address, Gateway and VLAN ID details.

Step 4

Click Configure. The physical network is configured for VM.

Preparing Supporting Software Components

To prepare the Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) servers for software installation, ensure that you have performed the following tasks: