How to install VMware ESXi 7 in a lab environment is a practical way to learn the installation process and understand the basics of VMware virtualization. In this guide, we will demonstrate how to deploy ESXi 7 step by step using VMware Workstation as the virtualization platform.
The procedure was performed using VMware Workstation 16 Pro installed on a Windows 10 machine. Although this example uses a virtual lab environment, the main installation concepts can also be applied to physical servers (real servers) or other supported virtualization platforms.
Before starting the ESXi 7 installation, we need to create and configure the virtual machine that will host the hypervisor. The following steps show how to prepare the VM settings, install ESXi 7 from the ISO image, and access the host management interface after the installation is completed.
The objective of this guide is to demonstrate the complete VMware ESXi 7 installation process, from creating the virtual machine and configuring the installation media to accessing the ESXi Host Management Interface after the system is deployed.
Create the Virtual Machine
The first step is open the VMware Workstation and clicks on “Create a New Virtual Machine”, as demonstrated in the picture below:
The next steps are very simple and intuitive. The images below will demonstrate all the steps:
Click on “Browse” and select the ESXi .iso file:
Type the Virtual Machine Name and the Location on your computer where the VM files will be storage:
As a lab environment, the Maximum disk size (GB) was changed to 20GB. The original value is 142GB. In this case, 20GB is a sufficient value to study and understand the installation process of the ESXi system.
By default, the virtual disk of the VM is split into multiple files. We will change this option to “Storage virtual disk as a single file”:
Maintain the option “Power on this virtual machine after creation” marked and click on “Finish” to complete the Virtual Machine creation process:
Follow the installation wizard
Now, the installation process will begin:
At this point, the Installer Wizard is showing. Click on “Enter” to continue the installation process:
Select a Disk to Install the ESXi. Click on “Enter” to continue:
Select your keyboard layout. Click on “Enter” to continue:
Define the root password. Pay attention, because is need to put the root password in the first space and is need to repeat the root password in the second space:
Select “F11” to start the install process:
At this point, the installation process was finished. Click on “Remove the Installation media before rebooting”. After that, the VM will reboot and the ESXi system will boot from the virtual disk:
Access the Host Management Interface
To access the web browser host interface, the address http://192.168.199.146 should be used in this example:
However, the network configuration for this VM is “NAT”. In my environment, the NAT interface on VMware Workstation has a subnet 192.168.199.0/24 and the DHCP service is enabled on this interface. So, you need to check it on your environment (probably the subnet for the NAT interface can be different):
To access the web management page of the ESXi host, put the management address on your web browser. Accept the warning message related to the certificate alert to proceed with login:
Put the root username and root password:
It is optional to join the Vmware Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP). So, in this case, I disabled this option and click on “OK”:
Here, we have the Dashboard of the ESXi host 🙂 :
Note: To get more details about the ESXi 7 install process, click on the link below:
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/vsphere-esxi-70-installation-setup-guide.pdf
