# VMware ESXi ~ Installation ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1680985197870/9087df24-8ece-445a-8906-5a3bf2cb13d9.jpeg) Virtualization has always been something that stood out to me ever since I started using Linux. I never had the guts to give up Microsoft's office suit and the application support 😢. So I virtualized my Linux machines with the help of VMware Workstation Pro. I recently came into contact with VMware ESXi during my internship and the Idea of a web interface version of VMware Workstation (with web console) which can be linked to multiple servers/datastores stood out to me. Have been dying to deploy it on my own environment ever since! So here's my shot at that. * * * Prerequisites ------------- * Somewhat Beefy Machine/Server * VMware ESXi Instalation ISO (burn the ISO to a USB with [etcher](https://www.balena.io/etcher/) if you're installing this directly onto a machine) Fun Fact: I'll be deploying this onto my machine with the help of VMware Workstation Pro. I don't have a server yet. Also can't let go of WiNDoWs! Technically if I were to deploy a virtual machines inside of ESXI, It would be me running a virtual machines inside of a bigger virtual machine! LOL * * * Installer ISO ------------- You would need to get ahold of a VMware ESXi 6.7 ISO Installer. Thankfully they do have a free version that anyone can make use of (from [here](https://my.vmware.com/en/web/vmware/evalcenter?p=free-esxi6))! 😊 ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-51.png) Just gotta sign up for an account via their customer portal to get access to this page. * * * Creating Installer USB (optional) --------------------------------- This step is necessary only if you're going to install ESXi on a physical server. My go to for flashing a USB would be [Etcher](https://www.balena.io/etcher/)! The process should just take a couple of seconds and we should be done. ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-53.png) * * * Creating the Virtual Machine ---------------------------- Not to be mistaken, this virtual machine is for the ESXi "host" itself. ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-54.png) Typical install ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-55.png) Installer ISO goes here | VMware should detect it ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-56.png) Tell it where it should be stored ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-57.png) Allocate storage ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-58.png) Allocate Memory | CPU | other resources Anddd we're done with the setup for virtualizing ESXi. * * * Installation ------------ Now for the installation! I was intimidated by this before I got to it. Turns out it was as simple as clicking a few buttons and setting up user credentials and you're presenting with the web UI. Once booted, The installer initializes itself and does most of the heavy lifting. ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-62.png) ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-63.png) ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-65.png) Once arrived at this page, hit enter and accept the EULA to continue. ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-66.png) ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-67.png) The installation would then start scanning for any disks that it could partition and make use of. Hit enter to continue. ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-68.png) ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-69.png) Language Selection, pretty self explanatory. ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-70.png) Password options, very important! ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-71.png) Disk Partition Warning, HIT f11 to start installation! ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-72.png) ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-73.png) Once you're done with that, remove the installation media and reboot! ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-74.png) And...we're done installing ESXi! * * * Accessing ESXi -------------- Once the machine's all booted, we will see an IP address which we can then use to access the web portal for management and deployment purposes! ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-75.png) ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-77.png) Once logged in with the credentials provided earlier, we'll be greeted with the dashboard which opens up a ton of possibilities!   ![VMware ESXi ~ Installation](/content/images/2021/03/image-78.png) I'll definitely be making use of this platform for a lot of  my upcoming projects! ~Nee.