How to Create New Virtual Machine in VMware Esxi 5.5

Are you struggling to set up a new virtual machine on VMWare ESXi 5.5? Or maybe you’re just starting out and don’t know where to begin.

Fear not because this guide will take you through step-by-step instructions for creating a new virtual machine in no time!

Whether setting up your first server or adding another one to your cluster, this post will cover you from start to finish. So let’s get started!

Introduction to Virtual Machines

A virtual machine is a software computer that, like a physical computer, runs an operating system and applications.

The significant difference between a physical computer and a virtual machine is that the virtual machine does not exist as a separate entity-it is simply a set of files on disk that enables you to run a guest operating system in isolation from the host (physical) operating system.

This tutorial will show you how to create a new virtual machine in VMware ESXi. We’ll also cover some basic configuration options for your new VM.

Prerequisites for Creating a Virtual Machine in VMware ESXi 5.5

To create a new virtual machine in VMware ESXi 5.5, you will need the following:

• A physical server with enough capacity to support the new VM (RAM, CPU, etc.)
• A copy of VMware ESXi 5.5 installed on the physical server
• Access to the VMware vSphere Client (this can be installed on your local machine or accessed through the web client)

Creating a new virtual machine in VMware ESXi 5.5 is a relatively simple process, but there are a few things that you need to do first to get everything set up correctly.

Once you have all of the necessary prerequisites in place, however, the process is straightforward and should only take a few minutes to complete.

Steps for Creating a Virtual Machine in VMware ESXi 5.5

There are a few things you need to create a virtual machine in VMware ESXi 5.5:

1. VMware ESXi 5.5 Installable media
2. A computer with a CPU that supports virtualization and enough RAM to run the virtual machine
3. An unused hard drive or partition on which to install the VMware ESXi 5.5 hypervisor

Once you have these prerequisites, you can begin installing VMware ESXi 5.5 by following these steps:

1. Insert the VMware ESXi 5.5 installable media into your computer’s CD/DVD drive and boot from it
2. Select “Install VMware ESXi” from the main menu and agree to the terms and conditions
3. Choose whether to install ESXi on your computer’s hard drive or an external storage device.
4. If you choose to install to an external storage device, select the device from the list and follow the prompts
5. If you choose to install to your computer’s hard drive, select the appropriate drive and partition from the list
6. Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
7. Configure networking for your new ESXi server
8. Add storage devices for your virtual machines

Now that you have a working VMware ESXi 5 installation, creating new virtual machines is a breeze! To do so, follow these steps:
1) Log in to v Sphere Client
2) Select the server you want to create the virtual machine on
3) Click “Create/Register VM.”
4) Follow the prompts to select an operating system, assign memory and hard disk space, network settings, etc.
5) Click Finish to complete the creation of your new virtual machine
6) After the virtual machine has been created, power it on and install an operating system if necessary
7) Log in to configure settings and use your new virtual machine!

Allocating CPU and Memory to the Created Virtual Machine

When you create a new virtual machine in VMware ESXi, you must allocate CPU and memory resources to the VM.

You can do this by selecting the VM from the inventory list and clicking the “Edit Settings” button.

In the “Virtual Hardware” tab, you will see the CPU and memory allocation options. Each VM is allocated one virtual CPU and 1024 MB of memory by default.

You can increase or decrease the resources allocated to a VM as needed.

If you are unsure how much CPU or memory your application needs, you can start with the defaults and adjust as needed.

Once you have allocated the desired resources, click the “OK” button to save your changes.

Setting up Networking for Virtual Machine

To set up networking for the virtual machine, you must create a new network adapter and select the “bridged” option.

This will allow the virtual machine to share the same physical network as the host machine. You must also specify a static IP address for the virtual machine.

Once you have created the new network adapter, select it and click “Edit.” In the “Adapter Type” dropdown menu, select “Bridged.”

This will allow the virtual machine to share the same physical network as the host machine.

In the “Network Connection” dropdown menu, select the name of your physical network adapter. This is typically something like “Ethernet 1” or “WiFi”.

Click “OK” to save your changes and close the dialog box.

At this point, the virtual machine should be able to connect to the physical network adapter.

You can test this by pinging a website or any other IP address from the virtual machine. If it responds, then your networking setup is complete.

Connecting the Virtual Machine to an Existing Storage Device

If you have an existing storage device that you want to use with your new virtual machine, you can connect it by following these steps:

1. In the vSphere Client, select the Hosts and Clusters view.
2. Locate the datastore that contains the virtual machine templates and Right-click it.
3. Select Browse Datastore from the drop-down menu. The Datastore Browser window appears.
4. Locate the VM you want to clone under vm in the left pane and click Clone in the right.
5. Enter a name for the new VM in the Name field and click Next.
6. Select Linked Mode to keep your original VM and its settings, or Full copy if you want to create a new VM without retaining any settings from the original VM. Click Next.
   7 On the Select Components page, select Storage, then click Next.
   8 Review your choices on the Ready to Complete page, then click Finish to complete the process.

The virtual machine should now be connected to the external storage device and ready for use.

Finishing up by Installing an Operating System

Now that your new virtual machine is set up in VMware ESXi, it’s time to install an operating system onto it.

This is a pretty simple process, but there are a few things to remember. First, you must have an ISO image of the operating system you want to install.

You can usually download one online if you don’t have one handy. Once you have the ISO, mount it to the virtual machine and install it.

One thing to keep in mind during the installation is that you’ll need to select the correct storage device for the operating system.

Since we’re using VMware ESXi, this will be the “VMware Virtual Disk.” Once you select this option and proceed with the installation, everything should go smoothly, and you’ll be up and running in no time!

Conclusion

This article provides an overview of creating a new virtual machine in VMware ESXi 5.5.

We hope these steps have given you the foundation needed to create a new VM from scratch confidently and start using current or legacy applications within no time!

If there are any questions regarding VMs on ESXi, do not hesitate to contact us, as we can provide further assistance with setting up your virtual environment.