Vcap-Dca Objective 9.1 – Install Esxi Hosts With Custom Settings

Front 1

Identify custom installation options

Back 1

Installation Guide

You can use ESXi image builder CLI to create ESXi installation images with a customized set of updates, patches, and drivers.

ESXi image builder is a PowerShell CLI command set that you can use to create an ESXi installation image with a customized set of ESXi updates and patches. You can also include third-party network or storage drivers that are released between vSphere releases.

You can deploy an ESXi image created with Image Builder in either of the following ways:

By burning it to an installation DVD
Through vCenter Server, using the AutoDeploy feature.

Front 2

Create an Installer ISO Image with a Custom Installation or Upgrade Script

Back 2

Installation Guide

1. Download the ESXi ISO image.
2. Mount the ISO image.
3. Copy the contents of the CD-ROM to another folder.
4. Copy the kickstart file to /esxi_cdrom
5. Modify the boot.cfg file to specify the location of the installation or upgrade script using the kernelopt option.
6. Re-create the ISO image.

Front 3

Identify ESXi Image Builder requirements

Back 3

Installation Guide

Microsoft .NET 2.0
Microsoft PowerShell 1.0 or 2.0
vSphere PowerCLI

Each Image Profile must have a unique name and vendor combination.

Each Image Profile has an acceptance level. When you add a VIB to an image profile with an Image Builder PowerCLI cmdlet, Image Builder checks that the VIB matches the acceptance level defined for the profile.

You cannot remove VIBs that are required by other VIBs.

You cannot include two versions of the same VIB in an image profile. When you add a new version of a VIB, the new version replaces the existing version of the VIB.

Front 4

Create Image Profiles

Back 4

Installation Guide, pages 131-139

1. Connect to the vCenter Server from PowerCLI with the connect-viserver command.

2. Run Add-ESXSoftwareDepot to import the base ESXi 5.0 image
(this can point to a zip file with the bits, or out to a URL, for example: Add-ESXSoftwareDepot -DepotURL https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PROUDCTION/main/vmw-depot-index.xml

3. Repeat the Add-ESXSoftwareDepot command to add additional modules as necessary (for example, to add the EMC PowerPath software package to the depot, run Add-ESXSoftwareDepot -DepotURL "C:/Software/EMCPower.x.x.x.zip")

4. To verify that the software packages were successfully added to the depot, run Get-ESXSoftwarePackage to retrieve a list

5. Run Get-ESXImageProfile to retrieve a list of all profiles associated with available software depots.

6. Create a new profile using the New-ESXImageProfile command (for example: New-ESXImageProfile -CloneProfile "ESXi-5.0.0-20120302001-standard" -Name "AutoDeploy_Profile"

7. Run Get-ESXImageProfile again to ensure that the profile was created successfully. Note the Acceptance Level column. The Acceptance level will dictate what types of VIBs can be added to the image profile.

Front 5

Export Image Profiles

Back 5

To export an image profile:

In ZIP format:
Export-ESXImageProfile -ImageProfile "AutoDeploy_Profile" -ExportToBundle -FilePath "C:\Software\Exports\AutoDeploy_Profile.zip"

In ISO format:

Export-ESXImageProfile -ImageProfile "AutoDeploy_Profile" -ExportToISO -FilePath "C:\Software\Exports\AutoDeploy_Profile.ISO"

Front 6

Install/Uninstall Custom Drivers

Back 6

1. Connect to the vCenter Server from PowerCLI with the connect-viserver command.
2. Run Get-ESXSoftwarePackage to retrieve a list of software packages included in all associated software depots
3. Run the Add-ESXSoftwarePackage to add VIBs to the image profile
(example: Add-ESXSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile "AutoDeploy_Profile" -SoftwarePackage powerpath.lib.esx)

4. Repeat as necessary to add additional software packages.
5. To verify that the software packages were added successfully, an administrator can use the Compare-ESXImageProfile cmdlet to compare the custom profile against the base ESXi image profile

6. An administrator may also remove a software package from an image profile by running the Remove-ESXSoftwarePackage command (for example, Remove-ESXSoftwarePackage -ImageProfile "AutoDeploy_Profile" -SoftwarePackage powerpath.lib.esx

Front 7

Configure advanced bootloader options

Back 7

Installation Guide, page 49

ESXi supports installing or upgrading an existing installation using scripts. You can utilize either of these by using supported commands from a boot prompt. To access the prompt, during the installer process press "Shift+O"

At the prompt, type the location of the kickstart file and any additional options to the right of the ks file location.

Example: ks=http://192.168.1.25/kickstart/ks-test.cfg nameserver=192.168.1.30 ip=192.168.2.210 netmask=255.255.255.0 gateway=192.168.1.1

From thee example above, the options are:

ks=protocol://serverpath

Performs a scripted installation with a script located on the network at the given URL. Protocol can be: http, https, ftp, or nfs.

nameserver=ip address
Specifies a domain name server to be used for downloading the installation script and installation media.

ip=ip address
Sets up a static IP to be used for downloading the installation script and the installation media.

netmask=subnet mask
Specifies subnet mask for the network interface that downloads the installation script and the installation media.

gateway=ip address
Set this network gateway as the default gateway to be used for downloading the installation script and installation media.

Front 8

Configure kernel options

Back 8

The boot loader configuration file, boot.cfg , specifies the kernel, the kernel options, and the boot modules that the mboot.c32 boot loader uses in an ESXi installation. You can modify the kernelopt line of the boot.cfg file to specify the location of an installation script or to pass other boot options. Below are the available commands?:

Command: title=STRING
Description: Sets the bootloader title to STRING

Command: kernel=FILEPATH
Description: Sets the kernel path to FILEPATH

Command: kernelopt=STRING
Description: Appens STRING to the kernel boot options.

Command: modules=FILEPATH1---FILEPATH2
Description: Lists the modules to be loaded, separated by three hypens.