How to Create a Virtual Machine in VMware ESXi 6.5

Are you tired of constantly juggling multiple operating systems on your computer? Do you want to experiment with new software without risking the stability of your main OS?

Look no further than VMware ESXi 6.5, a powerful virtualization platform that allows you to run multiple virtual machines on one physical server.

In this blog post, we’ll walk you through creating a virtual machine in VMware ESXi 6.5 – giving you ultimate flexibility and control over your computing environment. Let’s get started!

Introduction to VMware ESXi 6.5

VMware ESXi is a purpose-built bare-metal hypervisor installed directly onto a physical server. ESXi is the industry-leading, purpose-built bare-metal hypervisor.

It enables organizations to partition a physical server into multiple virtual machines and consolidate servers. This blog post will show you how to create a virtual machine in VMware ESXi 6.5.

Creating a Virtual Machine in VMware ESXi 6.5

1) Select the host on which you want to create the virtual machine.
2) Click the Configure tab and select Hardware.
3) Under Hardware, select Storage Adapters and identify the storage device you want to use for the virtual machine’s disk file.
4) Select New Datastore from the context menu.
5) Enter a name for the new datastore, specify the capacity, and click Next.
6) Review your selections and click Finish to create the new datastore.
7) Select an unused hard disk on the hardware tab of your chosen host system, right-click it, and select New Virtual Machine from the context menu that appears. The New Virtual Machine Wizard appears; follow these steps:
8) Enter a name for the virtual machine and select a version of VMware ESXi compatible with the hardware.
9) Select the amount of RAM, CPU cores, and hard disk space you want to allocate to the new virtual machine.
10) Choose an existing data store or create one.
11) Choose Generation 1 or Generation 2 virtual machines based on your usage needs.
12) Review your selections and click Finish to create the new virtual machine.

Preparation for a Virtual Machine Setup

1. Before you set up a virtual machine in VMware ESXi, you need to have the following:
   I) A computer with an Intel or compatible CPU
   II) At least 1 GB of RAM
   III) 10 GB of free disk space for the virtual machine’s files
   IV) A copy of the VMware ESXi Server
2. Once you have all of the required items, follow these steps to set up your virtual machine:
   I) Launch VMware ESXi Server and log in
   II) Create a new virtual machine
   III) Configure the settings for your new virtual machine, including the name, guest operating system, memory allocation, and disk space
   IV) Start your virtual machine and install the guest operating system
   V) Configure the virtual machine’s networking settings
   VI) Set up any additional software or services needed for your application
   VII) Edit security settings to allow only authorized users to access the virtual machine
   VIII) Save changes and shut down the virtual machine

Logging into the ESXi Host

1. To log into the ESXi host, you must have an SSH client installed on your local computer.
2. Once you have an SSH client installed, please open it and connect to the IP address of your ESXi host.
3. When prompted, enter the username and password for your ESXi host.
4. Once you are logged in, you will be presented with a command prompt. From here, you can begin creating your virtual machine.

Configure Hardware in vSphere Client

1. In the vSphere Client, select the host you want to create the virtual machine.
2. Right-click the host and select New Virtual Machine from the context menu.
3. The Virtual Machine Wizard appears. Click Next.
4. On the Select, a Creation type page, select Create a new virtual machine and click Next.
5. On the Select Configuration page, do one of the following:
   If you want to create a custom virtual machine configuration, click Customize Hardware and configure hardware options such as the number of processors, amount of memory, hard disk drives, and network adapters. When you have finished configuring hardware options, click Next.
6. If you want to use default values for all hardware options, click Next without making changes on this page.
7. Click Finish to complete the virtual machine wizard. The new virtual machine appears in the inventory.

Create and Customize a Virtual Machine

If you have installed and logged into VMware ESXi, follow these steps to create a new virtual machine.

1. Select the Host in ESXi on which you want to create the VM. Click on the Configure tab and then select Hardware.
2. Under Add New Device select New VM from the drop-down menu.
3. Enter a name for your VM and select the operating system you will be installing. Choose whether to Install the VMware Tools check box and click Next.
4. Allocate the appropriate amount of memory for your VM and click Next.
5. Select Create a new virtual disk or Use an existing one and click Next. If creating a new disk, specify disk size and other options as required, then click Next again.
6. Review your selections on the Ready to Complete page and click Finish if satisfied with the choices made. Else, click Back to make changes as necessary.
7. Click on the Summary tab to review the resources allocated to your VM, and click Close when done.

Now that you have created a virtual machine let’s customize it to meet your needs.

1. Select the newly created VM from ESXi and click Edit Settings in Configure tab.
2. Under CPU, specify the number of CPUs for your system, their speeds, and cores if necessary, then click OK.
3. Under Memory, allocate your system’s desired amount of RAM, then click OK or Add Resources if you need additional memory or hard drive space.
4. Switch to the SCSI Controllers tab and decide how many expandable virtual disks will be used by this VM to maximize disk performance, then click OK or Add/Remove Items as necessary for additional disk types/sizes, etc.
5. Under Network Adapter, select a network adapter for connecting your VM to the outside world, then click OK or Add/Remove Items as necessary for multiple NICs, etc..
6. Under Video Card, select an appropriate GPU type and graphics card options depending on what kind of graphics you need, then click OK or Add/Remove Items as necessary for upgrading graphics cards in the future.
7. Finally, select a Virtual Machine Type and click OK or Add/Remove Items as necessary for additional features such as GPU sharing, memory limits, etc.

You have now created and customized your own virtual machine!

Prepare and Install the Operating System

To create a virtual machine in VMware ESXi, you must first prepare and install the operating system.

This can be done by downloading the ISO file for the operating system you want to install and then burning it to a CD or USB drive.

You must also create a new virtual machine in VMware ESXi and assign enough resources ( RAM, CPU, etc.) to run the operating system.

Once the virtual machine has been created, you can boot from the CD or USB drive and follow the prompts to install the operating system.

Configure Networking and Storage on the Virtual Machine

First, you need to configure networking and storage on the virtual machine. You must access the ESXi host’s web client to do this.

Once logged in, click the “Networking” tab and the “Add Networking” button. You’ll be presented with a few options – choose the one that best suits your needs.

Next, click the “Storage” tab and the “Add Storage” button. Again, you’ll be presented with a few options – choose the one that best suits your needs.

Once you’ve added networking and storage to the virtual machine, it’s time to configure the operating system.

Final Steps of Setting Up a Virtual Machine in ESXi 6.5

Now that you have your VMware ESXi 6.5 server up and running and have installed the vCenter Server Appliance, you are ready to create your first virtual machine. In this final section of our guide, we will cover the last few steps required to set up a virtual machine in ESXi 6.5.

As with any other server type, you must choose an operating system for your virtual machine. If you are unsure which OS to choose, consider the most popular options: Windows Server 2016, Linux (various distributions), or FreeBSD.

Once you have selected an operating system, download the ISO file from the vendor’s website and upload it to your ESXi server. You can do this using the vSphere Client or the ESXi web interface.

Next, open the vSphere Client and log in to your vCenter Server. Select the “Hosts and Clusters” view and click on your ESXi server in the inventory.

Click on the “Storage” tab and select “New Datastore.” Select “Upload files to this datastore” and click “Browse.” Navigate to the location of your ISO file and select it, then click “Upload.”

Now that your ISO is uploaded go back to the “Hosts and Clusters” view and select your ESXi server again. Click on the “Manage” tab and choose “Storage.” Select your new data store and click the “Files” tab. Right-click your ISO file, select “Upload File to This Datastore,” and click “OK.”

You are ready to create a virtual machine after uploading your ISO file. Click the “Create/Register VM” button in the top right corner of the vSphere Client window.

Follow the wizard to configure your new virtual machine, including selecting your operating system and assigning resources such as memory, CPU, and storage.

Once your virtual machine is configured, press the finish button to start it. You can then log into your new VM using its IP address or connect via RDP (in the case of Windows machines). Congratulations – you have just set up a virtual machine in ESXi 6.5!

Conclusion

Once you understand the basics, creating a virtual machine in VMware ESXi 6.5 is easy. Following these simple steps, your virtual machine can be up and running quickly and easily.

With it, you can take advantage of the features offered by ESXi and VMWare’s powerful platform to gain performance benefits that drive up productivity.

Your dream setup can be brought to life with just a few clicks if you’ve followed all the instructions correctly!