Automating ESX Install
Automating ESXi Lab Rebuild⌗
This is the first in a series of posts about rapid standup of the lab environment. Be it re-upping the trial period of ESXi, or just needing to blow everything away to get back to a fresh state after serious tinkering, being able to rapidly automate as much as possible is important to getting back to the fun of labbing. To help get this started, we’re going to leverage the ability to use the same USB drive as the install drive for ESX, and get basic information configured as well. This can also be extended to having a fleet of drives that can be stuck into servers for rapid pizza box standup.
Kickstarting ESXi to local USB⌗
- Download the image of ESXi ISO that is planned to be used.
- Use a tool like Rufus.io to burn the ISO to a flash drive
- Don’t eject the USB after burn, instead it’s time to dive into it for some modification. Edit both /BOOT.CFG, and /EFI/BOOT/BOOT.CFG to contain the same information:
bootstate=0
title=Loading ESXi installer
timeout=5
prefix=
kernel=/b.b00
kernelopt=ks=usb:/KS.cfg
modules=/jumpstrt.gz --- /useropts.gz --- /features.gz --- /k.b00 --- /chardevs.b00 --- /user.b00 --- /procfs.b00 --- /uc_intel.b00 --- /uc_amd.b00 --- /uc_hygon.b00 --- /vmx.v00 --- /vim.v00 --- /sb.v00 --- /s.v00 --- /ata_liba.v00 --- /ata_pata.v00 --- /ata_pata.v01 --- /ata_pata.v02 --- /ata_pata.v03 --- /ata_pata.v04 --- /ata_pata.v05 --- /ata_pata.v06 --- /ata_pata.v07 --- /block_cc.v00 --- /bnxtnet.v00 --- /bnxtroce.v00 --- /brcmfcoe.v00 --- /char_ran.v00 --- /ehci_ehc.v00 --- /elxiscsi.v00 --- /elxnet.v00 --- /hid_hid.v00 --- /i40en.v00 --- /iavmd.v00 --- /igbn.v00 --- /ima_qla4.v00 --- /ipmi_ipm.v00 --- /ipmi_ipm.v01 --- /ipmi_ipm.v02 --- /iser.v00 --- /ixgben.v00 --- /lpfc.v00 --- /lpnic.v00 --- /lsi_mr3.v00 --- /lsi_msgp.v00 --- /lsi_msgp.v01 --- /lsi_msgp.v02 --- /misc_cni.v00 --- /misc_dri.v00 --- /mtip32xx.v00 --- /ne1000.v00 --- /nenic.v00 --- /net_bnx2.v00 --- /net_bnx2.v01 --- /net_cdc_.v00 --- /net_cnic.v00 --- /net_e100.v00 --- /net_e100.v01 --- /net_enic.v00 --- /net_fcoe.v00 --- /net_forc.v00 --- /net_igb.v00 --- /net_ixgb.v00 --- /net_libf.v00 --- /net_mlx4.v00 --- /net_mlx4.v01 --- /net_nx_n.v00 --- /net_tg3.v00 --- /net_usbn.v00 --- /net_vmxn.v00 --- /nfnic.v00 --- /nhpsa.v00 --- /nmlx4_co.v00 --- /nmlx4_en.v00 --- /nmlx4_rd.v00 --- /nmlx5_co.v00 --- /nmlx5_rd.v00 --- /ntg3.v00 --- /nvme.v00 --- /nvmxnet3.v00 --- /nvmxnet3.v01 --- /ohci_usb.v00 --- /pvscsi.v00 --- /qcnic.v00 --- /qedentv.v00 --- /qfle3.v00 --- /qfle3f.v00 --- /qfle3i.v00 --- /qflge.v00 --- /sata_ahc.v00 --- /sata_ata.v00 --- /sata_sat.v00 --- /sata_sat.v01 --- /sata_sat.v02 --- /sata_sat.v03 --- /sata_sat.v04 --- /scsi_aac.v00 --- /scsi_adp.v00 --- /scsi_aic.v00 --- /scsi_bnx.v00 --- /scsi_bnx.v01 --- /scsi_fni.v00 --- /scsi_hps.v00 --- /scsi_ips.v00 --- /scsi_isc.v00 --- /scsi_lib.v00 --- /scsi_meg.v00 --- /scsi_meg.v01 --- /scsi_meg.v02 --- /scsi_mpt.v00 --- /scsi_mpt.v01 --- /scsi_mpt.v02 --- /scsi_qla.v00 --- /sfvmk.v00 --- /shim_isc.v00 --- /shim_isc.v01 --- /shim_lib.v00 --- /shim_lib.v01 --- /shim_lib.v02 --- /shim_lib.v03 --- /shim_lib.v04 --- /shim_lib.v05 --- /shim_vmk.v00 --- /shim_vmk.v01 --- /shim_vmk.v02 --- /smartpqi.v00 --- /uhci_usb.v00 --- /usb_stor.v00 --- /usbcore_.v00 --- /vmkata.v00 --- /vmkfcoe.v00 --- /vmkplexe.v00 --- /vmkusb.v00 --- /vmw_ahci.v00 --- /xhci_xhc.v00 --- /elx_esx_.v00 --- /btldr.t00 --- /esx_dvfi.v00 --- /esx_ui.v00 --- /esxupdt.v00 --- /weaselin.t00 --- /lsu_hp_h.v00 --- /lsu_inte.v00 --- /lsu_lsi_.v00 --- /lsu_lsi_.v01 --- /lsu_lsi_.v02 --- /lsu_lsi_.v03 --- /lsu_lsi_.v04 --- /lsu_smar.v00 --- /native_m.v00 --- /qlnative.v00 --- /rste.v00 --- /vmware_e.v00 --- /vsan.v00 --- /vsanheal.v00 --- /vsanmgmt.v00 --- /tools.t00 --- /xorg.v00 --- /imgdb.tgz --- /imgpayld.tgz
build=
updated=0
- Next up, creating the /KS.cfg
vmaccepteula
install --firstdisk=usb --overwritevmfs --novmfsondisk
reboot
network --bootproto=static --ip=192.0.2.13 --netmask=255.255.255.0 --gateway=192.0.2.1 --hostname=esxi1.vsphere.contoso.com --nameserver=192.0.2.10 --addvmportgroup=1
rootpw abadpassword
%firstboot --interpreter=busybox
# enable & start SSH
vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_ssh
vim-cmd hostsvc/start_ssh
# enable & start ESXi Shell
vim-cmd hostsvc/enable_esx_shell
vim-cmd hostsvc/start_esx_shell
# Suppress ESXi Shell warning
esxcli system settings advanced set -o /UserVars/SuppressShellWarning -i 1
- Eject the drive, put it in the server, tell it to boot, and wait while the server gets installed, and overwrites the USB that was configured.
Want to stick a license on there? In the /KS.cfg file, note that if this isn’t included, it will just install in the 60 day evaluation mode:
vmserialnum --esx=<license-key>
Other important flags⌗
A few other flags of note or the network option:
--bootproto=[dhcp|static]
--ip=
--gateway=
--netmask=
--hostname=
--vlanid=
What’s next⌗
Next time, we’re going to start standing up VMs. Leveraging the VCLI for some cloud deployments of OVAs.
References: Virtually Ghetto VMWare Docs on Kickstarter
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