Auto Deploy does not store ESXi config or state data within the host (which is why it is "stateless"). After the hosts boot and are configured, they are managed by vCenter Server, as other ESXi hosts are.Īuto Deploy can be configured for either stateless caching or stateful installations: This host profile can be created to prompt for input. Hosts can be configured with a host profile created from a reference host. However, your vCenter server needs to be up otherwise, Auto Deploy does not work.ĮSXi 7 hosts use network booting to boot from a central Auto Deploy server.
By using Auto Deploy, experienced administrators can manage large environments efficiently.
VMware vSphere Auto Deploy makes it possible to install ESXi 7 on hundreds of physical hosts. There is a default installation script included with the ESXi installer that can be used to install ESXi onto the first disk that is detected. You could enter the following options to boot the host from a script named esxi-script residing on the server 192.168.1010.10 and set the IP address of the host to 192.168.100.101: If ks=filepath is not included in the script, the text installer is executed.įor example, at the runweasel command prompt, you could enter ks= along with the path to the installation script and the command-line options. The location of the installation script is set with the ks=filepath option, where filepath is the location of the kickstart file. If you are using a PXE boot to install, options can be passed through the kernelopts line of the boot.cfg file.
Press Shift plus O during the boot process At boot time, press Shift+O in the boot loader, enter boot options, and access the kickstart file. To start the installation script, enter boot options at the ESXi installer boot command line. The installation script can be stored on an FTP server, an HTTP or HTTPS server, an NFS server, or a USB flash drive. This script can be modified to specify settings that need to be unique for each host. Only supported commands can be used in the installation script. The script can be applied to all of the hosts that need to have the same configuration. You can use an installation script that includes the settings for installing ESXi. Scripted ESXi 7 installation ^ĮSXi Installation scripts provide an efficient way to deploy multiple hosts and to deploy hosts remotely. This, in essence, is all the magic of the process. The installer runs interactively or by using a kickstart script, as specified in the configuration file.The boot loader searches for a configuration file on the TFTP server, downloads the kernel and other ESXi components from the HTTP server or the TFTP server, and boots the kernel on the ESXi host.There is an additional boot loader that can be loaded after the initial boot it is also from the TFTP server. The TFTP server sends the network boot loader, and the ESXi host executes it.
Other steps, like networking or password configuration, are also easy so we won't go into much detail here. It is an interactive process in which you choose the disk or partition where you would like to install the ESXi 7 hypervisor.