how to create a bootable vmware esxi 3

8/3/2019 How to Create a Bootable VMware ESXi 3

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How to create a bootable VMware ESXi 3.5 & 4.0 (vSphere) USB pen drive.

There are a couple of methods to create a VMWare ESXi 3.5 or v 4.0 (vSphere) bootable USB key. Firstly

though I should point out that at this stage you can only buy/create ESXi and not ESX (ie: the ServiceConsole version) on a memory pen drive or card.

A Choice of Methods

UPDATE: VMware have now provided a much simpler method of installing ESXi onto a USB pen drive asoutlined in method 3 below. For step-by-step instructions on how to do this check out my new posthere.

As with most things in the world of computers there are multiple ways of doing the same thing andcreating a bootable ESXi 3.5 or 4.0 USB pen drive is no exception. The most popular approach tocreating a bootable ESXi USB pen drive is to use WinImage so in this article I will be covering thismethod along with using an alternative Windows Command Line based method (DD for Windows).However with the introduction of VMware ESXi 4.0 there is an option to select USB pen drive as a target

during the installation process this being the easiest method of all.I have used both methods successfully but others have reported some problems when using DD forWindows under x64 Vista.

The reason for showing the DD for Windows method is that mostpostings youll come across only show examples of using WinImageto extract the relevant files from the ESXi ISO and to save theresultant image onto the USB key.

I thought it good to show an alternative as I have experiencedissues when using WinImage under Windows 7 beta (7000) & RC(7100) x64 though others report that it has run ok for them.

I found that WinImage installed just fine under Windows 7

though when I went to write an image to a USB key I waspresented with a RED X with no description or hint as to whatthe problem may be. Also the capacity of my USB key wentfrom 2GB to 4MB something a normal reformat could not fix !To get your USB key back to its original capacity download theHP USB Disk Storage Format Tool fromhereand run it againstyour USB key.

I tried running WinImage as an administrator and also tried running it with anXP and Vista shim under Window 7s compatibility mode still with no luck.Doh! So you may want to consider running WinImage under Windows XP orVista.

Why create a bootable VMware ESXi USB pen drive?

I really like the idea of having a bootable ESXi USB key around as it is useful forquickly spinning up an ESXi install on one of my lab machines. For this project(and also because I didnt have any spare USB keys or sufficient capacity lyingaround) I went out yesterday and bought 2 x 2GB USB keys (for 9.99).

In this article I will provide steps for both ESXi pen drive creation methods so you can take your pick.

Two easy methods:

1. DD for Windows (Command Line)

2. WinImage (GUI)

3. ESXi Install CD (ESXi 4.0 Only)

What youll need for todays project is:

1 x USB key (>1GB in capacity). Im using a 2GB Dane-Elec USB key never heard of them to be honestbut 2 for 9.99 I couldnt pass up that deal. I have heard from some that not all USB keys work thoughthat said I have never come across one so far that hasnt. Maybe we could start a list of known USBkeys (ie: Manufacturer/Model) that work/dont work at the bottom of this article in the Commentssection.
http://www.techhead.co.uk/how-to-create-a-bootable-vmware-esxi-usb-pen-drivehttp://www.techhead.co.uk/how-to-create-a-bootable-vmware-esxi-usb-pen-drivehttp://www.techhead.co.uk/installing-vmware-esxi-4-0-on-a-usb-memory-stick-the-official-wayhttp://www.winimage.com/download.htmhttp://www.chrysocome.net/ddhttp://www.techhead.co.uk/files/SP27608.exehttp://www.techhead.co.uk/files/SP27608.exehttp://www.techhead.co.uk/files/SP27608.exehttp://www.chrysocome.net/ddhttp://www.winimage.com/download.htmhttp://www.techhead.co.uk/category/vmwarehttp://www.techhead.co.uk/installing-vmware-esxi-4-0-on-a-usb-memory-stick-the-official-wayhttp://www.winimage.com/download.htmhttp://www.chrysocome.net/ddhttp://www.techhead.co.uk/files/SP27608.exehttp://www.chrysocome.net/ddhttp://www.winimage.com/download.htmhttp://www.techhead.co.uk/how-to-create-a-bootable-vmware-esxi-usb-pen-drive


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1 x Copy of the dd for Windows utility which can be downloaded from here. At the time of writing thisarticle the latest version is 0.5. After downloading install/extract it onto your PC and take note of thelocation.

or

1 x Copy of WinImage, downloaded from here.

1 x VMware ESX(i) ISO image either on CD or in file format. Just a reminder that you can downloadVMware ESXi for free from here.

1 x Copy and install WinRar (Shareware). If you havent already

got this installed then you should as its very useful. It can bedownloaded from here.

1 x Roll of Cello tape

1 x Pair of Scissors

1 x Clothes Peg

1 x Squeegee Bottle

Ok so ignore the last 4 items

Location, Location, Location:

There arent really any differences between creating a ESXi 3.5

or 4.0 bootable USB pen drive apart from the obvious difference between the actual image file names.

Both of the dd image files that you need are located in the INSTALL.TGZ file when this file isabstracted you will find the required dd image file in the directories outline below:

VMware ESXi 3.5 (U4)

VMware ESXi 4.0

Now onto the first method

Method #1 DD for Windows:
http://www.chrysocome.net/ddhttp://www.winimage.com/download.htmhttp://www.techhead.co.uk/how-to-create-a-bootable-vmware-esxi-usb-pen-drivehttps://www.vmware.com/tryvmware/index.php?p=esxi&q=esxi+download&btng=Google+Search&meta=http://www.rarsoft.com/download.htmhttp://www.techhead.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/image28.pnghttp://www.techhead.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/image27.pnghttp://www.techhead.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/image22.pnghttp://www.chrysocome.net/ddhttp://www.winimage.com/download.htmhttp://www.techhead.co.uk/how-to-create-a-bootable-vmware-esxi-usb-pen-drivehttps://www.vmware.com/tryvmware/index.php?p=esxi&q=esxi+download&btng=Google+Search&meta=http://www.rarsoft.com/download.htm


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Firstly we want to extract the relevant dd file from the VMware ESXi ISO image so that we can thenapply it to the USB key.

For the purposes of this exercise I am going to build a bootable ESXi USB key based on VMware ESXi U3

(it was a little while ago when I first wrote this article though the same still applies to ESXi 3.5 U4 andESXi 4.0). The file name for this is: VMware-VMvisor-InstallerCD-3.5.0_Update_3-123629.i386.

Using WinRar open your VMware ESXi ISO using WinRar.

Now whilst still in WinRar open (by double clicking) the INSTALL.TGZ file.

From here drill down the directories until you reach the usrlibvmwareinstaller sub-directory.

Now double click on the bz2 file to extract it (in this instance called VMware-VMvisor-big-3.5.0_Update_3-123629.i386.dd.bz2.
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You are now left with a single file with a dd extension. This is the file that we are after. Extract this fileto the same directory as where the dd for Windows utility resides. (Note: The other option would be toadd this directory to the Path environment variable within your Windows OS so that the dd forWindows util can be access via command line from any directory).

We are now at the stage where well use the dd for Windows utility to apply the image you justextracted to a USB pen drive. If you have any WinRAR windows left open you can now close them as wewill only be dealing with the file with the dd extension you just extracted.

Insert your USB key that you wish to have ESXi installed onto into your PC.

With your USB key inserted into your PC open up My Computer within the OS and take note of thedrive mapping letter that your USB key has been assigned.

In my case it is the F (Removable Drive) drive.

Open up a Command Prompt and navigate to the directory where the dd for Windows utility andVMware ESXi image file is located.

Run the command: dd -list (Note: there are two dashes before the list command)

If you are trying to run this from a Windows 7 Beta installation, as I am, you will notice that there is noentry for the USB pen drive (F:) under the NT Block Device Objects section (see image below) this iswhere wed usually expect to see an entry for the pen drive and the other attached hard disks. Imguessing this is down to some incompatibility between dd for Windows and Windows 7 Beta.

So this part of the process will need to be performed either using Windows XP or Vista.
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I dont have a Vista machine built up at the moment though so I will perform the remaining steps fromwithin Windows XP where we run the same command (ie: dd -list) we get the following output. I haverun this process multiple times from a Vista based PC in the past and can confirm it works the same asit does from an XP machine.

After running the dd -list from the XP machine notice how you can now see the hard disks and theUSB drive (e:) appear in the NT Block Device Objects

We are now ready to apply the ESXi image onto the USB drive. To do this use the following command(for more details on the commands click here):
http://www.techhead.co.uk/how-to-create-a-bootable-vmware-esxi-usb-pen-drivehttp://www.chrysocome.net/ddhttp://www.techhead.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/dd-list.pnghttp://www.techhead.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/image25.pnghttp://www.techhead.co.uk/how-to-create-a-bootable-vmware-esxi-usb-pen-drivehttp://www.chrysocome.net/dd


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dd bs=1M if=VMware-VMvisor-big-3.5.0_Update_3-123629.i386.dd of=\?DeviceHarddisk1Partition1 progress

The portion of the command that starts with \? specifies the location of your USB pen drive just toclarify this information you get from running the dd list (see above). This will most likely varybetween machines depending on how may hard disks and other USB drives it has attached.

With the dd process running you will see a number that increments like that seen below. The processwith generally run for a few minutes whilst the image is applied to the USB key.

Once the process has completed you are then a proud owner of a bootable VMware ESXi USB pen drive!

Insert it into a compatible server/PC and boot to test that it works.

Method #2 WinImage:

First begin with starting WinImage (assuming youve already installed it).

From the Disk drop-down menu select Restore Virtual Hard Diskimage on physical drive as youwant to restore the VMware ESXi image into your USB pen drive.
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The next screen (below) should show you a list of all your attached removable drives. If you havemultiple removable drives attached then take care to select the correct USB pen drive dont want any

accidents happening to we?

Select you USB pen drive to write the ESXi image to and click Ok

See image below to select your VMware ESXi dd image file.
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Once you have selected All files (*.*) and can now see you ESXi dd image file select Open

Select Yes at the Warning screen..

The VMware ESXi image at this stage is now written to your select USB pen drive.
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Once the ESXi image has been written when you open your USB pen drive within Windows Explorer,containing the ESXi image, you should see the following few files. You dont have to perform this step only if you want to check to see if the image was written successfully.

Method #3 ESXi Install CD (ESXi 4.0 Only):

This third option is the easiest and most hassle free of all. From ESXi 4.0 you get the ability to install aUSB pen drive into a USB port of your server and then boot from the ESxi 4.0 installation CD. When youget to to stage in the installation process to select the destination for the ESXi install you should seeyour USB pen drive as a destination along with your servers internal hard disk.

Just select your USB pen drive as the target for the ESXi 4.0 install and follow the rest of the installationprocess through everything going to plan you should see it install onto your USB pen drive.

Finished! Now go and put the cello tape, scissors and clothes peg back into the drawer..

Have fun..
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how to create a bootable vmware esxi 3

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