Create a Custom ESXi ISO Image Using VMware PowerCLI

You can use VMware Power CLI to create a custom ISO.

Prerequisites

VMware PowerCLI 12.0 or later.

Procedure

Gather the required information for the software spec that is used to create the custom ISO.
1. In VMware PowerCLI, use the Get-DepotBaseImages cmdlet to get the base image version from the zip file for the ESXi patch that you downloaded from the patches portal.
  For example:
```
Get-DepotBaseImages “c:\temp\VMware-ESXi-7.0U1d-17551050-depot.zip”
```
2. Use the Get-DepotAddons cmdlet to get the add-on name and version from the zip file for the OEM add-on for ESXi that you downloaded from My VMware. (if applicable)
  For example:
```
Get-DepotAddons “c:\temp\HPE-701.0.0.10.6.5.12-Jan2021-Synergy-Addon-depot.zip”
```

Create the software spec using the information you gathered in step 1.

The software spec is a JSON file that contains information about the ESXi version and vendor add-on (if applicable). For example:

{
    "add_on": {
        "name": "HPE-Custom-Syn-AddOn",
        "version": "701.0.0.10.6.5-12"
    },
    "base_image": {
        "version": "7.0.1-0.30.17551050"
    },
    "components": null,
    "hardware_support": null,
    "solutions": null
}

In VMware PowerCLI, use the New-IsoImage cmdlet to generate a custom ISO.
For example:
```
New-IsoImage -SoftwareSpec “c:\temp\HPE-70U1d-custom.JSON”  -Depots “c:\temp\VMware-ESXi-7.0U1d-17551050-depot.zip” , “c:\temp\HPE-701.0.0.10.6.5.12-Jan2021-Synergy-Addon-depot.zip” -Destination “c:\temp\HPE-70U1d-custom.iso”
```
Provide the path to the software spec you created in step 2.

The depot(s) include the path to the zip files for the supported ESXi version and vendor add-on.

The destination include the path and file name for the custom ISO file.

For more information about the New-IsoImage cmdlet, see https://code.vmware.com/docs/11794/cmdletreference//doc/New-IsoImage.html.