white paper XD10004: How to Install VMware ESX Server 3.5 on VMware Workstation 6.5 as a VM ‘VI in a Box’ - the portable virtual infrastructure Title: Author(s): Target Audience: Current Revision: First Published: Vendor(s): Product(s): UID: How to Install VMware ESX Server 3.5 on VMware Workstation 6.5 as a VM Xtravirt (Paul Davey) Technical - Novice 1.12 (Feb 2009) Sep 2008 VMware ESX Server 3.5 U3 (tested), Workstation Build 118166 (tested) XD10004 Content Overview: • Step by step install guide for VMware ESX Server 3.5 as a virtual machine within VMware Workstation 6.5 • Why this is useful as a portable demo or training environment 1.0 Introduction In 2007, like others in the global VMware community, Xtravirt developed a common methodology to install and run VMware ESX 3.x on VMware Workstation 6 together with a shared storage solution based upon an iSCSI software target. We called it ‘VI3 in a box’. This allowed users and professionals in the IT community to create simple and cost effective VI3 infrastructures to test, learn about and demonstrate these environments. Upon the release of VMware ESX 3.5 we found that this methodology did not continue to hold true. Although still possible to install ESX 3.5, when attempting to start a nested Virtual Machine on the ESX VM, the ESX VM panics, and a stop message similar to the one below generated by Workstation appears. However, with the release of VMware Workstation 6.5, Build 118166, a revised solution exists. This white paper documents the process to install and configure ‘VI3.5 in a box’. Fig 1-1: Solution Overview information@xtravirt.com www.xtravirt.com © 2009 | 1 2.0 Pre-Requisites The following software is required: • • VMware Workstation 6.5 Build 118166 ESX 3.5 Update 3 Blue sky innovation meets Rock solid experience Xtravirt Services UK Note: earlier and later point revisions of both Workstation and ESX may also work; this document covers Xtravirt field tested versions only. We tested this installation on a Lenovo T60 laptop computer with the following specification: • • • Intel Mobile Core 2 Duo T5600 1.83GHz CPU 2GB Ram CPU virtualization extensions enabled in the BIOS Note: the minimum CPU requirement is a multi-core processor with either Intel-VT or AMD-V extensions. Quote from jmattson (VMware): “Intel VT-x is supported on all VT-capable EM64T processors (e.g. late model P4, recent Xeons, Core 2 or Core i7). In particular, it is not supported on 32-bit Core processors. AMD-V is supported on all AMD64 Family 10H or greater processors (e.g. Phenom or Barcelona). It is not supported on Family 0FH processors. To run ESX in a Workstation 6.5 VM, you need a supported VT-x or AMD-V processor.” If you want the best result for your next virtualization project, contact info@xtravirt.com *UK and Ireland only 2. Choose the Virtual Machine Hardware Compatibility. Ensure that Workstation 6.5 is selected in the Hardware Compatibility field. Click Next The PC was running Windows XP Professional with SP3 installed to current Microsoft patch levels 3.0 Install VMware Workstation 6.5 Close all running applications. Double click the installer program to launch setup. Each of the following steps represents a screen in the installation wizard. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Welcome. Click Next Setup Type. Select Typical. Click Next Destination Folder. Click Next Configure Shortcuts. Select shortcut preference. Click Next Ready to Install the Program. Click Install VMware Workstation will now install Installation Wizard Completed. Click Finish At the prompt click Yes to restart your computer 3. Guest Operating System Installation. Select ‘I will install the operating system later’ option. Click Next 4.0 Create ESX 3.5 VM 1. Start VMware Workstation. Start the New Virtual Machine wizard. Select the Custom radio button and click Next 4. Select a Guest Operating System. Select Linux, then in the Version field select Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 64-bit. Click Next information@xtravirt.com www.xtravirt.com © 2009 | 2 7. Memory for the Virtual Machine. Select at least 1024MB. Click Next. 5. Name the Virtual Machine. Enter a VM name and specify a location to store VM files. Click Next 8. Network Type. For this example the Use bridged networking option was selected. Click Next 6. Processor Configuration. Select One. Click Next 9. Select I/O Adapter Types. Select LSI Logic. Click Next information@xtravirt.com www.xtravirt.com © 2009 | 3 10. Select a Disk. Select Create a new virtual disk. Click Next 13. Specify Disk File. Rename the disk file if required. Click Next 11. Select a Disk Type. Select SCSI. Click Next 14. Ready to Create Virtual Machine. Deselect the Power on this virtual machine after creation checkbox. Click Customize Hardware 12. Specify Disk Capacity. 8GB was used in this example. Select the Allocate all disk space now checkbox and also select Store virtual disk as a single file information@xtravirt.com 15. Hardware. Remove the following hardware: Floppy, USB Controller and Sound. www.xtravirt.com © 2009 | 4 16. Hardware. Select Network. Tick Replicate physical network connection state 20. The virtual disk will be allocated. This step may take some time. 17. Hardware. Select Display. Deselect the Accelerate 3D graphics checkbox. 21. Once complete, double-click the CD/DVD (IDE) option to open the customisation menu 18. Select Processors. In the Preferred Mode field select the Intel-VTx or AMD-V option. Click OK 22. CD/DVD. Select Use ISO image file. Browse to the location of the ESX 3.5 Update 3 ISO previously downloaded. Click OK 19. Click Finish information@xtravirt.com www.xtravirt.com © 2009 | 5 23. A line needs to be added into the .vmx file for this virtual machine. Navigate to the Windows folder where the VM is stored. The location of the .vmx file is shown in the Workstation GUI 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 24. Edit the .vmx file using Windows notepad. Add the following line, monitor_control.restrict_backdoor = true to the file as shown. Save the file and close 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. CD Media Test. Select Skip Welcome to the ESX Server 3.5 Installer. Click Next Select Keyboard. Select your keyboard layout. Click Next Mouse Configuration. Click Next Warning - Initialize Drive. Click Yes End User License Agreement. Select I accept the terms of the license agreement. Click Next Partitioning Options. Accept defaults or modify accordingly. Click Next Warning - remove partitions. Click Yes Partition Disks. Modify as required. For this configuration we made the VMFS partition smaller and ensured that the SWAP partition was equal to the amount of configured memory in the ESX VM. Click Next Advanced Options. Click Next Network Configuration. Configure networking as required. Click Next Time Zone Selection. Configure time zone, UTC offset and location. Click Next Account Configuration. Set root password. Click Next About to Install. Click Next ESX Server will now install. Once complete click Finish. ESX server will reboot and start to load. The ESX iso can now be unmounted. Once the splash screen appears it may take a few minutes for ESX to complete loading. Check by pressing ALT-F1 - if you see a login then ESX has completed booting. Note: Alternatives to this .vmx file configuration can be found here: http://sanbarrow.com/vmx/vmx-examples.html 5.0 Install VMware ESX 3.5 1. Within Workstation power on the VM. The ESX boot loader screen will appear. Press the Enter key to continue. The following is a default GUI install of ESX; modify as required. Each of the following steps represents a screen in the installation wizard. information@xtravirt.com www.xtravirt.com © 2009 | 6 16. Using your Internet browser (IE7 in this case), navigate to the IP address of your ESX VM, eg: http://192.168.15.49. If using DHCP, press ALT-F11 to show the assigned IP address. At this point you can continue to configure the ESX server from the VI client. Optionally, create additional ESX Server VM’s, create a VM to run VirtualCenter and fully configure a ‘VI3.5 in a box’ infrastructure. 17. Accept any website certificate warnings, eg: Continue to this website 6.0 Create a Nested VM As mentioned at the start of this paper, the primary issue with ESX 3.5 until this release of Workstation is that although ESX could be installed, any VM’s deployed on the ESX VM would crash Workstation when attempting to power on. This severely limited the use of the solution as it could not be used to demonstrate key functions such as VMotion, DRS and HA. To illustrate that this release has resolved this issue, the next steps show the ability to create and power on VM’s. 18. Click Download VMware Infrastructure Client 19. Follow the installation prompts to install the VI Client. Once complete launch the VI Client. 20. Enter the ESX VM IP address, root username and its password. Click Login. Click Ignore at the Security Warning prompt and the client will continue to load. 21. The VI client interface for the ESX Server VM will be presented. information@xtravirt.com From the VI Client go File -> Virtual Appliance -> Import. Select the Import from VMware Virtual Appliance Marketplace and select a VM. Nostalgia was selected as it is only a small 6MB VM. Follow the import wizard and the VM will download and register with the ESX VM. Power on the VM. The screenshot below shows the VM having started up. And lastly, a game in progress. www.xtravirt.com © 2009 | 7 This concludes the ‘VI3.5 in a box’ white paper based upon ESX Server 3.5 Update 3 on VMware Workstation 6.5 (Build 118166). The information in this document has been developed by Xtravirt in conjunction with the VMware community. This document is a culmination of the combined effort. Xtravirt wish to acknowledge and thank everyone in the community for their contributions. References Tags 1. VMware, ESX, Workstation, Intel VT, AMD-V, VI in a box, install, VM, demo, training, ks.cfg, vmx, install Ulli Hankeln, http://sanbarrow.com/vmx/vmx-examples.html Useful Links 1. 2. 3. Xtravirt Document, http://knowledge.xtravirt.com/whitepapers/esx-3x.html “Guide to installing IET Virtual Shared Storage” esxpress Virtual SAN, PHD Software, http://engineering.xtravirt. com/products/phd-technologies/xtravirt-virtual-san.html VSA, LeftHand Networks, http://lefthandnetworks.com/ vsa_eval.aspx information@xtravirt.com www.xtravirt.com © 2009 | 8