linux on v mware esxi

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Linux on VMWare ESXiMasafumi Ohta

Japan OpenSolaris User Group/OpenNSUG User Group

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What is VMware?

Vmware is major application in Virtualization Solution. Many Applications are officially supported running on VMware. Vmware is now releasing ‘free’ Applications – ‘VMWare

Servers’,’VMWare Player’,’VMWare ESXi’.You might use such applications for evaluations.

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Why ESXi on laptops

ESXi is bare-metal systems – being closer to physical systems than OS virtualization like Vmware or VMware Server or Virtualbox.And it is ‘Free’.

Low consumption watts laptops have save the costs and running all the day without cooling conditions.

There were many laptops I didn’t use some of them would work ESXi so I would re-use them.

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The point of using ESXi on laptop

Does the laptop have Gigabit adapters?Gigabit is needed for network traffics.

Does the laptop have NIC for ESXi?Check carefully there are a bit adapters VMware has certificated except Intel’s NIC.• Check the link:http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/customize_oem_tgz.php

I strongly recommend CPU supports Intel VT or AMD-V so that Virtual Machines on ESXi would work fine.

I strongly recommend not to use Intel Atom.it Works Veeeery Slowly we cant impatient!

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Installation of VMware ESXi

Installing ESXi image to USB• I tried to use ‘unetbootin’ to make it.• Change customized ‘oem.tgz’ with ‘oem.tgz’ in USB image.

• DO NOT forget renaming the name for changing oem.gz

Installing ESXi on your laptop.• Following the menu,you can make it.but if you fail to change ‘oem.tgz’ installer

stops.

Making Linux LiveUSB image for mounting ESXi on your laptops• Just after the installation,we miss customized ‘oem.tgz’ so we should reinstall

customized ‘oem.gz’ on your laptops.• DO NOT forget including ‘customized’ oem.tgz to the LIveUSB.• LiveUSB running you should check with ‘mount’ command to find ESXi on your laptop.• Finding the mountpoint for ESXi,you should copy oem.tgz for it.

Then you can use ESXi :)

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Installation of VMware ESXi (Checking image with LiveUSB)Check the ESXi image in the disk with LiveUSB using 'mount -l' command.# mount –l...(snif).../dev/sda4 on /mnt/disc/sda4 type vfat (ro,uid=500) [Hypervisor0]/dev/sda5 on /mnt/disc/sda5 type vfat (ro,uid=500) [Hypervisor1]/dev/sda6 on /mnt/disc/sda6 type vfat (ro,uid=500)[Hypervisor2]/dev/sda8 on /mnt/disc/sda8 type vfat (ro,uid=500)[Hypervisor3]...(snif)…*/dev/sda5 is used for ESXi

# ls /mnt/disc/sda5boot.cfg cim.vgz mod.tgz pkgdb.tgz vmkboot.gzcimstg.tgz license.tgz oem.tgz sys.vgz vmk.gz

Checking the oem.tgz it is empty file and /dev/sda5 is prohibited writing so you should remount /dev/sda5 to overwrite customized oem.tgz

# umount /mnt/disc/sda5# mount /dev/sda5 /mnt/disc/sda5# cp -p /mnt/disc/sdb1/RTL8111_8168_P55_integr_SATA_Ctrl.\(AHCI\).oem.tgz /mnt/disc/sda5/oem.tgz

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Short demonstrations(connecting my home through pptp)

PPTP-VPN Network

Core2 Duo based Laptop

Atom based Netbook

\My Laptops bringing here

my home

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ESXi 3 running on ASUS N10Jb (Atom-based Netbook)

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ESXi 4 running on KOUZIRO Laptop(Core2-based Laptop)

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OpenSolaris Running on ESXi -using it on my ALIEN:))

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Wrap up

ESXi is useful bare-metal virtualization tool.and Free. Many of software vendor now have certificated their softwares on

VMware. ESXi works good on some Laptop,that has,you know,ultra low

consumption watts can work on all the day. Before you try it,you should consider network equitments built on

your Laptops(how it can work and it has a gigabit Ethernet) When you installing it,you should take care of changing 'oem.tgz'

for network driver for ESXi.(follow the instruction in this preso) I hope Client software (Vsphere Client) running on Linux or Some

OSS-based OS. Give a try,have a fun :)

linux on v mware esxi

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