ESXi is first installed on all hosts to prepare the virtual infrastructure layer of the management cluster and the edge compute cluster. Then the management network, DNS, PTP (host-level), and SSH services can be configured.
Fulfill prerequisites for the installation.
Install ESXi interactively on all hosts.
Install vCenter Server Appliance on the central management server.
Prerequisites for ESXi Hosts
Prepare for the installation and configuration of VMware ESXi on all hosts in the vPAC edge compute cluster. This guide assumes that the installation of ESXi is completed from a virtual ISO device (prepared and mounted within the host BIOS).
Gathering Information - IP Addresses, Host Names, and Network Configuration
The following values are examples and must be replaced with networking details that fit specific company’s policies:
vPAC Hosts |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
FQDN |
IP Address |
Default Gateway |
Primary DNS Server |
Secondary DNS Server |
vpacesx01.mycompany.local |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
vpacesx02.mycompany.local |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
vcenterOT.mycompany.local |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx |
Download ESXi and vCenter Server Appliance 7.0 U3 (or later) ISO installer files from VMware (Verify Installation Media, if required).
Create a bootable media from the ESXi ISO file (VMware recommends using a creation utility such as Rufus).
Insert ESXi hypervisor installation media into a host port (done for each server, one at a time).
Before installation, on each server, establish a connection to the host with a keyboard, video, and mouse, or using the server management network connection (for example, Dell iDRAC).
