Installing VMware ESXi 4

Note: This is the base VMware ESXi 4. It does not include update 1

I’am using the following image:

VMware-VMvisor-Installer-4.0.0-164009.x86_64.iso

1. Burn the VMware ESXi ISO image to a CD. Insert the CD into the server and make sure that the server is set to boot to CDROM in the bios. Once the CD boots you will be presented with the VMware ESXi boot menu. Select ESXi Installer and press enter.

2. As ESXi continues, it will be loading various drivers and modules before being able to start the actual install process.

3. Once all the drivers and modules have installed, you will be presented with the ESXi 4 installer menu where you can (ESC) cancel the install process, (R) Repair a damaged installation or (Enter) continue with a fresh install. In this demo we will be pressing (Enter) to continue with a fresh install.

4. At this screen we press (F11) to accept the End User License Agreement.

5. Now we’ll select a disk that we would like to install ESXi 4 onto. If you have multiple hard drives installed, use the up and down arrows to select the correct disk and then press (Enter).

6. Once we’ve selected the disk, the following confirmation dialogue appears. Press (Backspace) to go back and change the hard drive destination, (ESC) to cancel the install or Press (F11) to install. We’ll now press (F11) to install.

7. You will be able to keep track of the installation progress with the status bar below.

8. When the screen below appears, you have successfully installed ESXi. Press (Enter) to reboot.

9. The following confirmation window appears shortly before rebooting.

10. Each time ESXi boots up, it goes through the process of loading drivers and modules

11. Once ESXi is fully booted you will be presented with the following screen. Congratulations, this completes the ESXi 4 installation process.

Disclaimer:
All the tutorials included on this site are performed in a lab environment to simulate a real world production scenario. As everything is done to provide the most accurate steps to date, we take no responsibility if you implement any of these steps in a production environment.