How to Install VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0 (7.0b) on VMware and VirtualBox

In this article, we will examine how to install VMware ESXi 7.0 (7.0b) step by step on a server or virtual machine. And finally, we will create a virtual machine for ESXi using VMware and VirtualBox programs.

Installing and Running ESXi with VirtualBox and VMware on PC/Laptop/Server

As you know, VMware ESXi is a server virtualization solution. You can test the ESXi software better by actually installing it on a physical server.

Instead of a physical server, you can install and run ESXi on your computer using VMware or VirtualBox. But you may have problems with performance. The better the hardware features of your computer, the more performance you can get.

ESXi is a Hypervisor-based standalone operating system and a software layer that runs between hardware and virtual machines.

VMware vSphere Hypervisor 7.0b was announced by VMware on June 23, 2020. This version also includes ESXi 7.0b and vCenter Server 7.0b.

To review the 7.0b release notes and innovations, visit https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-vSphere/7.0/rn/esxi70b.html.

Version 7.0 basically includes the following new features:

• vSphere Lifecycle Manager
• Next-Gen Infrastructure Image Management
• vCenter Server Profiles
• vCenter Server Update Planner
• Content Library
• Identity federation with ADFS
• vSphere Trust Authority
• Dynamic DirectPath IO
• DRS
• vMotion

System Requirements

• Requires a host with at least two CPU cores.
• It supports 64-bit x86 processors released after September 2006. This includes a large number of multi-core processors. For a complete list of supported processors, see the VMware compatibility guide at https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility.
• Requires the NX / XD bit to be enabled for the CPU in the BIOS.
• Requires at least 4 GB of physical RAM. It is recommended that you provide at least 8 GB of RAM to run VMs in typical production environments.
• To support 64-bit VMs, hardware virtualization (Intel VTx or AMD RVI) support must be enabled on x64 CPUs.
• One or more Gigabit or faster Ethernet controllers. For a list of supported network adapter models, see the VM Compatibility Guide at https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility.
• SCSI disk with unpartitioned space for VMs or local, non-network, RAID LUN.
• For Serial ATA (SATA), a disk attached with supported SAS controllers or supported SATA controllers. SATA drives are considered remote, not local. These disks are not used as partitions from scratch by default because they are considered remote.

NOTE: Screenshots of the installation steps in this article are from version 6.7. However, you can easily install the latest version of ESX using the steps and images in this article.

First, download the ESXi 7.0b ISO file to your computer and then follow the steps below for installation on a physical server or virtual machine.

   Step 1

After booting your system with ISO file, press Enter on the ESXi-standard installer option on the boot screen.

   Step 2

Wait while installing the ESXi installer…

   Step 3

Wait while the files required for installation are being copied.

   Step 4

Press Enter to continue in the Welcome to the Installation window.

   Step 5

Press the F11 button to accept the license agreement.

   Step 6

Devices available on your system are being scanned …

   Step 7

Select the disk to be installed and press Enter.

   Step 8

Select your keyboard layout and press Enter.

   Step 9

In this step, you need to set a Root password. Make sure your password is complex and press Enter to continue the installation.

   Step 10

Press F11 to confirm the installation and continue.

   Step 11

Wait while installing vSphere …

   Step 12

Press Enter on the Remove the installation media before rebooting option.

   Step 13

Server restarts …

   Step 14

Wait while the last settings are made …

   Step 15

After successful installation, open the browser of Chrome, Opera, or Internet Explorer and connect to the server with the IP address obtained from DHCP.

   Step 16

After successful connection, type root in the username and enter the password you specified in the password section and click the Login button.

After connecting to the server, you can check the ESXi version from Help / About.

   Video

You can watch the video below to install ESXi step by step and you can also subscribe to our YouTube channel to support us!

   Installing ESXi with VMware Workstation

You can also use a virtual machine for your ESXi virtualization training or tests. It can do this on VMware Workstation, but your computer’s hardware features must be high.

Follow the steps below to install VMware vSphere on the virtual machine for testing purposes only.

   Step 1

First, open the VM Workstation virtualization program and click Create a New Virtual Machine to create a new virtual machine for it.

Select the Custom (advanced) option in the new virtual machine creation window and click the Next button.

   Step 2

Make sure that the latest version number of Workstation + X is selected in the VM hardware compatibility window and click the Next button.

   Step 3

To add the ISO file to the virtual machine later, select the option below and click the Next button.

   Step 4

Select the following options for the ESXi virtual machine in the operating system selection window and click Next.

   Step 5

Change the virtual machine name as desired and click on the Next button. Also, store the virtual machine disk on an External HDD.

   Step 6

Determine the number of processors according to the hardware features of your computer and then click the Next button to continue the installation.

   Step 7

If your computer has 16 or 32 GB of RAM, set a RAM size below these values ​​for the virtual machine, and click on the Next button.

   Step 8

Select NAT network configuration for network settings and click Next.

   Step 9

Select the Paravirtualized SCSI option and continue creating virtual machines.

   Step 10

Select the SCSI option and click Next.

   Step 11

To create a new virtual disk for installation, select Create a new virtual disk and click Next.

   Step 12

Allocate 100 GB HDD size for the virtual hard disk and select the Store virtual disk as a single file option and click on the Next button.

   Step 13

Click the Next button to leave the disk file name as default.

   Step 14

The summary information of the virtual machine you created on VM Workstation Pro is as follows. Click the Finish button.

   Step 15

Open the virtual machine’s settings and enable the processor virtualization feature as follows. Also, click on the CD/DVD to add the ISO file you downloaded to your computer to the virtual machine, and then click the Browse button.

   Step 16

Select the ISO file and click the Open button.

   Step 17

You can now start installing vSphere on the VM Workstation virtual machine!

   Video

   Installing ESXi with Oracle VM VirtualBox

It is possible to install and run ESXi 7.0b with VBox, but VirtualBox-Nested does not support virtualization. You can install and try it on VirtualBox for testing purposes only.

Follow the steps below to install ESXi on Windows PC/Laptop using Oracle VM VBox.

   Step 1

First, install VirtualBox on Windows 10 and then run VirtualBox and click the New button to create a new virtual machine.

   Step 2

Configure the 4 GB RAM size for the virtual machine and click the Next button.

   Step 3

To create a new virtual disk, check the Create a virtual hard disk now option and click on the Next button.

   Step 4

After selecting VDI (VirtualBox Disk Image) for the virtual machine, click Next.

   Step 5

Select the Dynamically allocated option and click the Next button.

   Step 6

Configure the virtual hard disk size and continue the setup steps after configuring the virtual machine disk storage in a different location.

   Step 7

Click Settings on the virtual machine.

   Step 8

Configure the virtual machine Boot sequence as follows.

   Step 9

Add 4 processors to the virtual machine system and then click the Acceleration tab.

   Step 10

Check Enable VT-x / AMD-V and Enable Nested Paging options to enable Hardware Virtualization.

   Step 11

You must configure the Bridged Adapter for the virtual machine on VirtualBox. Otherwise, you will not be able to access the virtual machine.

   Step 12

Select the Wireless or Ethernet network adapter for the Bridged Adapter.

   Step 13

Add the ISO file to the VirtualBox virtual machine and click the OK button.

   Step 14

Run the virtual machine.

   Step 15

As you can see in the image below, you can now proceed with the installation steps on VirtualBox!

   Video

   Final Word

In this article, we have reviewed how to install VMware vSphere step by step on a virtual machine. Thank you for following us!

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