VMware vSphere ESXi 6.5.

x on Dell PowerEdge
Servers
Installation Instructions and Important Information Guide
Notes, cautions, and warnings

NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product.

CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem.

WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death.

© 2016 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws. Dell and
the Dell logo are trademarks of Dell Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of
their respective companies.

2016 - 11

Rev. A00
 Contents

1 Introduction................................................................................................................................................... 5
vSphere 6.5.x architecture............................................................................................................................................... 5
Overview of ESXi architecture.........................................................................................................................................6

2 Installing vSphere 6.5.x................................................................................................................................. 8

Download Dell customized ESXi image........................................................................................................................... 8
Important information for the Dell-customized ESXi image...................................................................................8
Installing, Enabling and Disabling ESXi.............................................................................................................................9
USB key or SD memory card installation.................................................................................................................. 9
Overview - Dell NUMA Fault Resilient Memory ......................................................................................................9
Enabling Dell NUMA Fault Resilient Memory............................................................................................................9
Overview - Dell Fault Resilient Memory.................................................................................................................. 10
Enabling Dell Fault Resilient Memory....................................................................................................................... 10
Installing ESXi on flash media.....................................................................................................................................11
Installing ESXi on the hard disk drive....................................................................................................................... 12
Enabling or Disabling Internal SD card..................................................................................................................... 12
Configuring one-time boot to ESXi.......................................................................................................................... 13
Configuring boot sequence to ESXi......................................................................................................................... 13
VMware ESXi Secureboot support for Dell PowerEdge Servers...............................................................................13
ESXi Secureboot workflow ...................................................................................................................................... 13
Downloading patches and updates for ESXi................................................................................................................. 14
Creating vCenter Server installation media...................................................................................................................15
Installing vCenter Server................................................................................................................................................. 15

3 Deploying vSphere 6.5.x.............................................................................................................................. 16

Important information...................................................................................................................................................... 16
vSphere configuration using Dell Fibre Channel SAN.................................................................................................. 16
vSphere configuration using iSCSI SAN........................................................................................................................ 17
Booting ESXi..................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Configuring the password............................................................................................................................................... 18
Configuring Lockdown mode.......................................................................................................................................... 19
Managing management network services.................................................................................................................... 19

4 Configuration back up and restore procedures............................................................................................ 20

Backing up the configuration of your ESXi host..........................................................................................................20
Restoring configuration of your ESXi host................................................................................................................... 20

5 Licensing information.................................................................................................................................. 22
License evaluation............................................................................................................................................................22
vSphere licensing............................................................................................................................................................. 22
Administering license keys.............................................................................................................................................. 22
VMware Product Licensing ........................................................................................................................................... 22

Contents 3
 6 Troubleshooting ESXi.................................................................................................................................. 24
ESXi installation................................................................................................................................................................24
ESXi does not boot or displays a no OS found message at start up ..................................................................24
Purple or pink screen while booting or running your ESXi....................................................................................24
Frequently Asked Questions...........................................................................................................................................24
What is the minimum RAM required to install VMware ESXi...............................................................................24
Why are network adapters not detected during ESXi installation.......................................................................25
Why are target devices not available in ESXi installer...........................................................................................26
Why does ESXi display the number of processors incorrectly.............................................................................27

7 Getting help................................................................................................................................................. 28
Contacting Dell.................................................................................................................................................................28
Related information for virtualization solutions............................................................................................................28
Technical support resources.................................................................................................................................... 29
Discussion forums......................................................................................................................................................29
Knowledge base......................................................................................................................................................... 29
Virtualization videos on Dell PowerEdge servers...................................................................................................29
Documentation resources...............................................................................................................................................30
Downloading the drivers and firmware......................................................................................................................... 32
Documentation feedback................................................................................................................................................32

4 Contents
 1
Introduction
This document helps you to deploy VMware ESXi 6.5.x on Dell PowerEdge servers, and provides specific information about recommended
configurations, best practices, and additional resources.

Dell offers the following VMware editions:

• vSphere Essentials Plus

• vSphere Standard
• vSphere Enterprise
• vSphere Enterprise Plus
• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware Virtual SAN
• vSphere Desktop for 100 VMs
• vSphere with Operations Management (vSOM)

NOTE: vSphere Essentials Plus is an all-inclusive package that includes licenses for three physical systems, each system with up
to two processors. It also includes VMware vCenter Server to centrally manage the systems. vSphere Essentials Plus edition is
supported only on two-socket systems. More licenses must still be deployed on approved systems for Dell support.
NOTE: With the release of vSphere 6.5.x, all Partner Activation Codes shipped with current systems are for vSphere 6.5.x
licensing. If you have an active vSphere subscription, you can downgrade or upgrade vSphere, as you choose. To get your
downgrade keys, register your Partner Activation Code and login to vmware.com/accounts. Go to Manage Product Licenses >
vSphere v6.5.x on the license administration portal.
NOTE: VMware Virtual SAN is licensed independently per socket, per server. To use VMware Virtual SAN, the server requires a
vSphere license ( per socket, per server) and a vCenter Server license.

Topics:

• vSphere 6.5.x architecture

• Overview of ESXi architecture

vSphere 6.5.x architecture

vSphere infrastructure consists of the following components:

ESXi Allows multiple operating system to run simultaneously on a single system.

vCenter server Monitors and manages the management application of VMs and copies of ESXi. With a vCenter server, you can
create, start, stop, and migrate VMs across the entire physical data center. vCenter server is optional, but it is
required for advanced management capabilities such as VMware vMotion, Distributed Resource Scheduling
(DRS), and High Availability (HA).
vCenter server Stores all the configuration data about a VMware infrastructure environment. Dell recommends you to use a
database production database such as Microsoft SQL Server or Oracle for the vCenter Server database.
vSphere Web Client Shares the functionality of the core administrative interface starting from ESXi 5.1, with the vSphere client.
vSphere client can be launched from Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox, without requiring a specific client
installation.

Introduction 5
VMware Host Client The embedded VMware Host Client is an HTML5-based client that has a similar interface to the vSphere Web
Client but is only used to manage single ESXi hosts. You use the VMware Host Client to conduct emergency
management when vCenter Server is temporarily unavailable.
Virtual Machine Stores VM configuration and virtual disk files. The VM storage can either be internal local storage to the ESXi or
datastore external storage. Multiple ESXi system share VM storage. Advanced features such as HA and DRS require that the
hard disk drive and configuration files are stored on the external shared storage.

The following figure shows the different components of vSphere.

Figure 1. vSphere components

Overview of ESXi architecture

ESXi is a bare-metal enterprise class hypervisor that can be preinstalled on Dell PowerEdge servers. With the reduced footprint of the
hypervisor, ESXi is integrated with PowerEdge servers by using embedded Secure Digital (SD) card.

Integrated virtualization by VMware offers the following features:

• Ease of deployment
• Integrated hardware monitoring
• Enhanced security
• Reduced patch management
• Improved reliability

The following figure shows an overview of the ESXi architecture.

6 Introduction
Figure 2. ESXi architecture

Introduction 7
 2
Installing vSphere 6.5.x
NOTE: If you have ordered VMware ESXi with your PowerEdge server, the PowerEdge server comes preinstalled on the system.

Topics:

• Download Dell customized ESXi image

• Installing, Enabling and Disabling ESXi
• VMware ESXi Secureboot support for Dell PowerEdge Servers
• Downloading patches and updates for ESXi
• Creating vCenter Server installation media
• Installing vCenter Server

Download Dell customized ESXi image

To download the Dell customized ESXi image:

NOTE: Ensure that you clear the web browser cache before downloading the drivers and firmware.

1 Go to Dell.com/support/drivers.
2 In the Drivers & Downloads section, type the Service Tag of your system in the Service Tag or Express Service Code box, and then
click Submit.

NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, select Detect My Product to allow the system to automatically detect your
Service Tag, or in General support, navigate to your product.
3 Click Drivers & Downloads.
The drivers that are applicable to your selection are displayed.
4 Click Change OS, and then select the appropriate version of VMware ESXi.
5 Expand Enterprise Solutions, and then click Download File.

For information about downloading the Dell customized ESXi image, go to Dell's Customization of VMware ESXi and Its advantages.

Important information for the Dell-customized ESXi image

• The Dell-customized ESXi installer ISO image content does not include Dell OpenManage Server Administrator (OMSA) and iDRAC
Service Module (iSM).
For detailed instructions to install and use Dell OpenManage Server Administrator, see the documentation at Dell.com/
openmanagemanuals.

For detailed instructions to install and use iDRAC Service Module, see the documentation at iDRAC Service Module.
• The files that Dell creates or modifies as part of customization are:
• etc/vmware/oem.xml
• etc/vmware/support

NOTE: The list of files appended, modified, or customized by Dell may change during a later release.

8 Installing vSphere 6.5.x

 NOTE: Dell-customized ESXi image may contain additional or VMware-I/O Vendor Program (IOVP) certified updated
drivers. For more information, refer to Important Information section of Dell customized ESXi image at Dell.com/
virtualizationsolutions.
• If required, Dell may update the customized ISO for a critical patch impacting Dell to include VMware patches or bug fixes for Dell
hardware.
• Dell OpenManage vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB) can be installed on ESXi systems, where ESXi is installed using either the Dell
Customized ESXi image or the ESXi image provided by VMware.

Installing, Enabling and Disabling ESXi

WARNING: Only trained service technicians must perform any installation that requires removal of the system cover. See the
safety document that is shipped with your system for complete information about safety precautions, working inside the system,
and protecting against electrostatic discharge.

NOTE: For important regulatory information, see Dell.com/regulatory_compliance.

NOTE: If you have not ordered order ESXi with your system, you can order the Internal Dual SD Module kit at Dell.com/support/
home and download the ESXi Installation media from Dell.com/support/drivers.. For information about creating your ESXi
media, see the Downloading the ESXi installer media section in this document.

NOTE: If you have ordered the ESXi separately and your PowerEdge server is not preinstalled with the software, to complete
the installation procedure see the Installing ESXi on Flash Media section in this document.

USB key or SD memory card installation

NOTE: For more information about supported configurations of the PowerEdge servers with the SD memory card, see the
VMware vSphere on Dell PowerEdge and Storage Systems Compatibility Matrix at Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions.
NOTE: For instructions to install the SD memory card on the system board for supported PowerEdge servers, see the system-
specific Owner's Manual or Information Update at Dell.com/support/home.

Overview - Dell NUMA Fault Resilient Memory

NUMA FRM is a new memory operating mode available on the BIOS settings of high-end Dell’s 13th generation of the PowerEdge servers
with at least two or four processors. This mode establishes an area of memory that is fault-resilient on all CPUs, providing the same
protection to the hypervisor against uncorrectable memory errors that would affect it, and maintaining NUMA memory functionality and
performance.

Enabling Dell NUMA Fault Resilient Memory

The following conditions must be fulfilled before you enable NUMA FRM:

• ESXi 6.5.x must be deployed on one the following Dell PowerEdge servers:
• R930
• R830
• R730xd
• R730
• R630
• T630
• M830
• M630
• FC830

Installing vSphere 6.5.x 9

 • FC630
• The BIOS version on your system must be 1.2.1 or later for 13th generation of Dell PowerEdge servers that supports VMware ESXi
6.5.x.
• The memory modules must be populated on the memory channels to support Mirror Mode. For more information, see your system
Owner’s Manual at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals.
• You need vSphere Enterprise or Enterprise Plus licensing to enabl15minse the VMware Reliable Memory technology.

To enable FRM on your system, complete the following procedure:

1 Turn on your system.

The Dell logo is displayed.
2 Press F2 to open the System Setup menu.
After the system boot is completed, the System BIOS configuration menu is displayed.
3 Using the up- and down-arrow keys, select the System Setup options, and then select the Memory Settings screen.
4 Select NUMA Fault Resilient Mode as Memory Operating Mode.
CAUTION: Dell recommends that you do not modify other settings unless you are familiar with the settings. Modifying
settings could cause your system to fail to boot or function properly.
5 Press Enter, and follow the on-screen procedure to save these changes.
6 Restart your system.

NOTE: No further configuration changes are required for ESXi to use the reliable memory region.

Overview - Dell Fault Resilient Memory

CAUTION: Do not attempt to enable Fault Resilient Memory (FRM) on vSphere versions earlier than VMware ESXi 5.5. Up to
25 percent of system memory may be consumed to provide the FRM zone in 12th generation of the PowerEdge servers and
12.5 percent of system memory may be consumed to provide FRM zone in 13th Generation of the Dell PowerEdge servers.
FRM is a Memory Operating mode available on the BIOS settings of high-end 12th generation Dell PowerEdge servers and later. This mode
establishes an area of memory that is fault resilient and protects the hypervisor against uncorrectable memory errors, the system stops
responding. Systems with ESXi that supports the FRM feature can load the operating system kernel to maximize system availability and/or
critical applications or services. VMWare ESXi version 5.5 update 2 and later supports FRM through its Reliable Memory (ReM)
technology.

Enabling Dell Fault Resilient Memory

The following conditions must be fulfilled before you enable base FRM:

• ESXi 6.5.x must be deployed on one of the following Dell PowerEdge servers:
• R930
• R830
• R920
• R820
• R730
• R730XD
• R720
• R720XD
• R630
• R620
• T630
• T620
• M830

10 Installing vSphere 6.5.x

 • M630
• M620
• FC830
• FC630
• The BIOS version on your system must be 1.0.4 or later for 13th generation and 2.0.19 or later for the 12th generation of the Dell
PowerEdge servers.
• The memory modules must be populated on the memory channels to support Mirror Mode. For more information, see your system
Owner’s Manual at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals.
• You need vSphere Enterprise or Enterprise Plus licensing to enable the VMware Reliable Memory technology.

To enable FRM on your system, complete the following procedure:

1 Turn on your system.

The Dell logo is displayed.
2 Press F2 to display the Setup menu.
After the system boot is completed, the System BIOS configuration menu is displayed.
3 Using the up- and down- arrow keys, select the System Setup options, and then select the Memory Settings screen.
4 Select Dell Fault Resilient Mode as Memory Operating Mode.
CAUTION: Dell recommends that you do not modify other settings unless you are familiar with the settings. Modifying
settings could cause your system to fail to boot or function properly.
5 Press Enter, and follow the on-screen instructions to save these changes.
6 Restart your system.

NOTE: No further configuration changes are required for ESXi to use the reliable memory region.

Installing ESXi on flash media

After installing the SD card in your system, locate the ESXi installer media that you had created in the Download the Dell customized ESXi
image section.
To install ESXi on the flash media, complete the following steps:

1 Turn on the system.

NOTE: Before installing ESXi, enable the flash storage device. For more information, see the Enabling or Disabling flash
storage device section.
2 Insert the ESXi installer media into the optical drive.
3 Restart the system.
4 When the Dell logo is displayed, press F11 immediately.
5 At the Boot Menu, use the up- and down-arrow keys to select the optical drive and press Enter.
The installer environment starts. When the installer image loads, the system is ready to begin the flash storage imaging process.

CAUTION: Step 6 deletes all data on SD storage device.

6 On the Select a Disk page, select the SD storage device on which you want to install ESXi and press Enter.
7 Enter the root password and press F11 to start the installation.
8 When the installation process is complete, press Enter to restart the system.
9 When the Dell logo is displayed, press F11 immediately.
10 At the Boot Menu, use the up- and down-arrow keys to select the SD storage device, and then press Enter.
The system boots and starts ESXi.
11 To enable recurring boot, see the Configuring boot sequence to the ESXi section.
12 Set the correct licensing mode.
For more information, see the Licensing information section.

Installing vSphere 6.5.x 11

 NOTE:
• As per the VMware Knowledge Base article 2145210, DRAM size of 6 TB memory-based server configuration requires 32
GB SD card size. Dell PowerEdge R920 can have a maximum of 6 TB memory. However Dell does not support 32 GB SD
card on R920.
• If you have R920 PowerEdge server with 6 TB of memory and plan to upgrade to ESXi 6.5, then you should configure
coredump partition outside of SD card. You may redirect the coredump partition to a local LUN or a network coredump
partition.
• Refer to the VMware Knowledge Base article 2002954 for configuring network coredump partition.
• Refer to the VMware Knowledge Base article 2004299 for configuring a diagnostic partition on a disk.

Installing ESXi on the hard disk drive

To install ESXi on the hard disk drive, complete the following procedure:

1 Turn on the system.

2 Insert the ESXi installer media that you created earlier into the optical drive.
For more information, see the Download the Dell customized ESXi image section..
3 When the Dell logo is displayed, press F11 immediately.
4 At the Boot Menu, use the up- and down-arrow keys to select the optical drive and press Enter.
When the installer image loads, the system is ready to begin the installation process.

CAUTION: Step 5 deletes all data on the selected hard disk drive.
5 On the Select a Disk page, select the hard disk drive on which you want to install ESXi and press Enter.
6 Enter the root password and press Enter to reboot the system.
7 When the installation process is complete, press Enter to reboot the system.
The system restarts and starts ESXi.
8 Set the correct licensing mode.
For more information, see the Licensing information section.

Enabling or Disabling Internal SD card

ESXi installs on an internal flash storage device.

1 Turn on the system.

2 When the Dell logo is displayed, press F2 immediately to open the System Setup page.

NOTE: If you press a key on the keyboard for extended time, it may result in a keyboard failure. To avoid possible
keyboard failure, press, and release F2 at even intervals until the System Setup page is displayed.

If the OS logo is displayed instead of the System Setup page, wait until the operating system finishes loading. Turn off the system,
and try again.
3 Use the up- and down-arrow keys to select Integrated Devices, and then press Enter.
4 To enable the Internal SD card:
a Set Internal SD card Port to On.
b Set Internal SD card Redundancy to Mirror.
c Set Internal SD Primary Card as SD Card 1.
To disable the Internal SD card:

a Set Internal SD card Port to Off.

CAUTION: Booting into an operating system other than ESXi, without disabling the internal SD card results in data loss.
5 Press Esc.

12 Installing vSphere 6.5.x

6 Select Save Changes and Exit.
7 Press Enter to exit the System Setup screen.
8 Reboot the system.
9 To complete the process, perform the procedure in the Configuring one-time boot to the ESXi section or the Configuring boot
sequence to the ESXi section.

Configuring one-time boot to ESXi

1 Turn on your system.
The Dell logo is displayed.
2 Press F11 to enter the one-time boot menu option.
The menu entry changes to Entering Boot Menu, confirming your selection.
3 The boot menu displays several boot options. Using the up- and down-arrow keys, select Hard Drive C:.
4 Use the right-arrow key to select SD Card.
5 Press Enter to boot to the internal secure digital (SD) card.

Configuring boot sequence to ESXi

To boot your system to ESXi, complete the following procedure. Once the internal flash device port is enabled, your system continues to
boot to ESXi.

1 Turn on your system.

The Dell logo is displayed.
2 Press F2 to open the System Setup page.
After you complete the system boot, the System BIOS configuration menu is displayed.
3 Using the up- and down-arrow keys, select Hard-Disk Boot Sequence, and then select SD card boot device.
4 Press the hyphen key (-) to move up the SD card up in the order.

CAUTION: Dell recommends that you do not modify other settings unless you are familiar with the settings. Modifying
settings could cause your system to fail to boot or function properly.
5 Press Enter, and follow the on-screen procedure to save these changes.
6 Restart your system.

VMware ESXi Secureboot support for Dell

PowerEdge Servers
VMware supports UEFI secureboot on versions ESXi 6.5.x or later. UEFI secureboot in general verifies the integrity of every package
loaded as part of the operating system (OS) bootup. secureboot verifies the integrity of the vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB) packages
loaded from the boot device.

ESXi Secureboot workflow

The mboot boot loader in ESXi contains a VMware public key and is validated against the Certificate Authority (CA) present in the
platform BIOS UEFI secureboot authorized Database (DB) during ESXi boot. The boot loader uses this key to verify the signature of the
kernel and a small subset of system that includes a secure boot VIB verifier — a VIB package that is used for validating the signature of
the drivers and other VIB packages loaded from the boot device. If any of the VIB installed on ESXi does not matchwith the signature of
the public key public key contained in the bootloader, then ESXi boot ends up with the Purple Screen Of Death (PSOD) mentioning a
signature mismatch for the specific failing VIBs.

Installing vSphere 6.5.x 13

Figure 3. ESXi Secureboot

The BIOS of Dell's 13th generation of PowerEdge servers is preconfigured with the VMware Certificate Authority (VMCA) in the UEFI
secureboot authorized DB. You should download the latest server BIOS from the Dell support page before enabling UEFI secureboot.

NOTE: UEFI secureboot is supported only on Dell's 13th generation servers or later.

Downloading patches and updates for ESXi

NOTE: To install any patches or updates for ESXi, ensure that you follow the instructions given in this section.

NOTE: Check for the latest patch and update releases for your ESXi version regularly and even after you installing ESXi. For
certain hardware configurations, VMware may list certain patches or updates as required on its hardware compatibility list at
Vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.

14 Installing vSphere 6.5.x

To check for and install the latest ESXi patch:

1 Go to Vmware.com/patchmgr/download.portal.
2 Select ESXi (Embedded and Installable) from the Product drop-down menu.
3 Select the version of your software from the Version drop-down menu.
4 Click the calendar icon to enter the Release Date of the patch or select the Release Date by clicking the calendar icon.
5 Select All Classifications from the Classifications drop-down menu.
6 Select Search.
The Download Patches page displays a list of all the patches that match the details you specified.
7 Select the required patch and click Download Now to download the .zip file.
8 Install the patch using any of the update tools provided by VMware such as esxcli or vCenter Update Manager.

NOTE: For more information on patch management, see Vmware.com/patchmgr/findPatchByReleaseName.portal.

Creating vCenter Server installation media

1 Go to Vmware.com/download.
2 Click the VMware vSphere 6.5.x download link.
3 Use your VMware store account credentials to log in to the download portal.
4 Follow the on-screen instructions to download the vCenter Server software.
5 Use a blank media to burn the ISO image.
You have now created your vCenter Server installation media.

Installing vCenter Server

Install and use vCenter Server to centrally manage your vSphere environment and to use all the features of vSphere Essentials Plus,
Standard, Enterprise, or Enterprise Plus edition.

1 Insert the vCenter Server media into the optical drive.

2 Follow the on-screen instructions.

NOTE: If the installation program does not start automatically, browse to the vCenter Server media directory and locate
autorun.exe. Double-click autorun.exe and follow the on-screen instructions.

Installing vSphere 6.5.x 15

 3
Deploying vSphere 6.5.x
Important information
• Dell recommends that you use the latest BIOS versions listed at Dell.com/support/home for the Dell PowerEdge servers.
• Dell’s 13th generation of the PowerEdge server supports the ESXi installation on the Non-RAID Logical unit number (LUN) or
passthrough Hard disk drive (HDDs) or the Solid state disk (SSDs).
• Dell’s 13th generation of the PowerEdge server supports the ESXi installation on an On-board SATA controller in Non-RAID mode.
• For Dell’s 12th generation of the PowerEdge servers having Intel Xeon E5-2600 processor series, with ESXi 5.0 and later updates, Dell
recommends that you upgrade to BIOS version 1.2.6 or later.

NOTE: BIOS version 1.2.6 contains a critical fix for the issue, which can result in a Purple Screen.
• PowerEdge servers shipped with Intel Xeon E5-26xx series processor and later versions support Intel Trusted Execution Technology
(TXT) with the latest shipping BIOS.
• You cannot automatically preactivate the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 and later versions operating system installed on virtual
machines by using the product activation code in the Dell OEM installation media. Use a virtual product key to activate the guest
operating system. For more information, see the Dell OEM Windows Server 2008 Installation on Virtual Machines Using Dell OEM
Media white paper at Dell.com/support/home.
• The ESXi image preinstalled on your PowerEdge server may not contain all the drivers required for peripherals. More drivers need to be
installed to enable certain add-on peripherals. You can download the drivers from Downloads.vmware.com.
• ESXi does not support storage LUN exposed from On-board SATA Controller with Software RAID.
• vSphere 6.5.x supports booting ESXi hosts in Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) mode. With UEFI, systems can be booted
with ESXi from local hard drives, CD/DVD drives, or USB media.
• On Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) enabled systems installed with ESXi, Dell recommends that you populate all processor
nodes with similar memory to enable balanced distribution of memory across nodes. With unbalanced memory distribution across
nodes, you may face performance degradation issues or ESXi may fail to boot.

NOTE: For more information about NUMA, see the VMware Knowledge Base articles: kb.vmware.com/kb/1003690 and
kb.vmware.com/kb/1570. Also, see VMware's Resource Management Guide for vSphere 6.5.x at Vmware.com/support/
pubs/.
• ESXi 6.5.x requires a minimum system memory of 8 GB on all supported servers. However, on some Dell PowerEdge servers with 4
GB, all the available memory is not allocated to the ESXi installer. This may result in an installation failure. Ensure more than 4 GB RAM
is installed. For optimal memory configuration on the Dell PowerEdge servers, refer to the Server Owner’s Manual.
• To enable the Virtualization Technology (VT) feature, select System Setup, and then Processor.

NOTE: To run 64-bit virtual machines on Intel processor-based servers, the VT feature is required to be enabled.

Topics:
• vSphere configuration using Dell Fibre Channel SAN
• vSphere configuration using iSCSI SAN
• Booting ESXi
• Configuring the password
• Configuring Lockdown mode
• Managing management network services

vSphere configuration using Dell Fibre Channel SAN

If you use Fibre Channel storage, you can connect a single Fibre Channel Host Bus Adapter (HBA) to a Fibre Channel switch that provides
paths to both the storage controllers on the Fibre Channel storage unit. To provide maximum protection against a single failure at the HBA,

16 Deploying vSphere 6.5.x

Fibre Channel switch, or SP level, Dell recommends that you use two Fibre Channel HBAs on the ESXi host connected to separate Fibre
Channel switches. The Fibre Channel switches provide redundant paths to the storage controllers on the storage unit. The following figure
shows the vSphere configuration using Fibre Channel SAN.

Figure 4. Configuring vSphere using Dell Fibre Channel SAN

vSphere configuration using iSCSI SAN

The iSCSI SAN provides a cost-effective solution. Dell recommends to use two iSCSI initiators on the ESXi host connected to two
separate ethernet switches to provide redundant paths to the storage controllers on the storage system. The following figure shows a
vSphere configuration using iSCSI SAN.

Deploying vSphere 6.5.x 17

Figure 5. Configuring vSphere with iSCSI SAN

Booting ESXi
This section describes performing the basic setup of your system based on the following assumptions:

• You have already connected a keyboard, monitor, and mouse.

• You have connected the first onboard NIC to your management network.

• The network infrastructure between the two systems is working correctly prior to working with your system and the VMware
management software.

To set up your system:

1 Turn on your system.

2 Press F11 at boot and select the internal storage device as the one-time boot device located under Hard Drives in the menu.

NOTE: If you ordered ESXi as the primary operating system, the boot order of the system is already set to boot from
ESXi.

NOTE: If the system fails to boot in to ESXi, set SD card as first boot device in boot sequence.

NOTE: If DHCP server is not configured in the network, valid IP address is not obtained by default.

Configuring the password

You can use DCUI to change the password for the administrator account. The administrative user name for the ESXi 6 host is root.

18 Deploying vSphere 6.5.x

To change the password:

1 Press F2 in the main ESXi Server host screen that is displayed after your system boots.
The Authentication Required screen is displayed.
2 Select Configure Password and then press Enter.
3 Enter the old and new passwords.
If the password is accepted, the main DCUI screen is displayed. The new password is now set.
4 Press Esc to log out.

Configuring Lockdown mode

Lockdown mode prevents remote personnel from logging in to the ESXi host by using the root login name. By default, lockdown mode is
disabled. If you enable lockdown mode and do not configure other local host user accounts to have standalone host access through the
vSphere Client, the root user does not have access through the vSphere API and CLI.
NOTE: When you enable the lockdown, non-VMware VIBs such as Dell OpenManage does not work.

You can continue to access the host through the direct console or through an authorized and centralized management application, such as
vCenter Server.

1 Select Configure Lockdown Mode and press Enter.

2 Press Spacebar to select Enable Lockdown Mode and press Enter twice.

Managing management network services

The ESXi 6 kernel supports IPv4, IPv6, and IEEE 802.1Q (VLAN tagging) for all management network connections. Configuration of
parameters including IP address, gateway, subnet mask, host name, and DNS systems occurs through the DCUI.

1 Press F2 in the main ESXi host screen that is displayed after your system boots.
The Authentication Required screen is displayed.
2 Type your log in credentials and press Enter.
3 Select Configure Management Network in the main DCUI customization screen, and press Enter.
The Management network configuration screen is displayed.
4 For the PowerEdge M-series modular systems enabled with FlexAddress:
a Ensure that the variable Net.FollowHardwareMac is set to 1.
b Use the vSphere Client to connect to the ESXi host.
c Navigate to Configuration > Software > Advanced Settings > Net.
d Set Net.FollowHardwareMac to 1 and reboot the ESXi host.
5 Back up your configuration settings. For more information, see the Configuration back up and restore procedures section.

Deploying vSphere 6.5.x 19

 4
Configuration back up and restore procedures
NOTE: Dell recommends that you back up your VMware ESXi configuration after you complete the initial setup on a routine
schedule that fits your datacenter environment. Backing up your configuration captures the license code (host serial number).

To back up or restore the configuration information, use the VMware vSphere CLI. The vSphere CLI is available in:

• vSphere CLI package — vSphere CLI package can be installed on either Linux or on Microsoft Windows operating systems.
• vSphere Management Assistant (vMA) — vMA can be deployed on an ESXi host.

Both of these software are available for download from vmware.com. For more information on setting up and running the vSphere CLI,
see the VMware vSphere Command-Line Interface Installation and Reference Guide and VMware ESXi Embedded and vCenter Server
Setup Guide at vmware.com/support/pubs.

The back up and restore steps are given in this section considering that:

• You have already imported the vSphere CLI to a system other than the one you want to back up or restore.
• You have installed the Windows or Linux management Application Programming Interfaces (APIs).

Topics:

• Backing up the configuration of your ESXi host

• Restoring configuration of your ESXi host

Backing up the configuration of your ESXi host

To back up configuration data of a host:

1 Start the vSphere CLI.

2 Run the vicfg-cfgbackup command with the -s flag to save the host configuration to the specified backup filename:
vicfg-cfgbackup --server< ESXi-host-ip> -- portnumber <port_number> --protocol
<protocol_type> --username root --password root_password [-s <backup-filename>

The -portnumber and -protocol options are optional. If you exclude them, the defaults are port 443 and protocol HTTPS.

NOTE: If you do not specify a password in the command line, you are prompted for one when the command executes.
For example: vicfgcfgbackup --server 172.17.13.211 --username root –s backupdate.dat

NOTE: If your administrative password includes special characters, such as $ or &, you must include a backslash
escape character (\) before each special character.

Restoring configuration of your ESXi host

To restore the configuration data of a host:
NOTE: The backup process does not support restoring to later builds. This requirement can be overridden by using the –f option.

1 Turn off any VM that is running on the host you want to restore.
2 Optionally, restore the host to the ESXi build number used when the backup file was created.
3 Start the vSphere CLI on a host other than the host you want to restore and log in.

20 Configuration back up and restore procedures

4 Run the vicfg-cfgbackup command with the –l flag to load and restore the backup file to the host.
vicfg-cfgbackup --server <ESXi-host-IP> -- portnumber <port_number> --protocol
<protocol_type>-- username <username> --password <password> -l <backup_filename>

The -portnumber and -protocol options are optional. If you exclude them, the defaults are port 443 and protocol HTTPS.

NOTE: If you do not specify a password in the command line, you are prompted for one when the command executes.
For example: vicfgcfgbackup --server 172.17.13.211 --username root –l backupdate.dat

After a successful restore, the system reboots using the new configuration. For complete instructions on backup and restore
commands, see VMware ESXi Embedded and vCenter Server Setup Guide at vmware.com/support/pubs.

Configuration back up and restore procedures 21

 5
Licensing information
This section discusses the different modes of obtaining license for your Dell PowerEdge servers.

NOTE: For more information about the different editions, see vmware.com.

Topics:

• License evaluation
• vSphere licensing
• Administering license keys
• VMware Product Licensing

License evaluation
VMware allows a 60-day free evaluation period for all enterprise-level features of vSphere 6.5.x. At the end of the evaluation period, your
ESXi hypervisor may stop managing all virtual machines in the inventory. To continue managing the virtual machines, upgrade the
evaluation license to a Licensed version by purchasing the OEM license mentioned below.

vSphere licensing
If you order any vSphere license (Essentials Plus, Standard, Enterprise, Enterprise Plus, Virtual SAN, or vCenter Server) with your server,
the Partner Activation Code (PAC) is shipped to the customer through an e-mail registered at the time of placing the order or the PAC kit
is shipped to the customer along with the server. To use the software and receive the subscription services, register, and exchange the
Partner Activation Code (PAC) printed on the license certificate for a license key or license activation code. The registration must be
completed within 30 days from the date of product purchase. With registration of the licensing or use of the ESXi hypervisor, you are
agreeing to the VMware ESXi and/or VMware vCenter Server End User License Agreement (EULA) posted at Vmware.com/download/
eula/.

For information about product features and licensing methods, go to vmware.com.

Administering license keys

You can administer the license key by using vSphere Client to manage the licenses individually on the ESXi system. Alternatively, you can
use vCenter Server to manage the licenses centrally.

NOTE: For more information about administering license keys and the VMware software licensing configuration, go to
Vmware.com/support/pubs.

NOTE: If you receive a warning that you are disabling certain features by switching out of evaluation mode, click OK, and then
click Yes.

NOTE: Use all licensing information according to VMware’s End User Licensing Agreement.

VMware Product Licensing

The list of the VMware product license offerings are:

22 Licensing information
• vCenter Server Standard
• vSphere Essentials Plus
• vSphere Standard
• vSphere Enterprise Plus
• vSphere Desktop for 100 VMs
• vSOM Standard
• vSOM Enterprise
• vSOM Enterprise Plus
• vSOM Standard Acceleration Kit for 6 CPUs
• vSOM Enterprise Acceleration Kit for 6 CPUs
• vSOM Enterprise Plus Acceleration Kit for 6 CPUs
• VMware Virtual SAN
• VMware Virtual SAN 6 Advanced

Licensing information 23
 6
Troubleshooting ESXi
ESXi installation
This section provides troubleshooting steps for common issues encountered during deployment of ESXi.

ESXi does not boot or displays a no OS found message at start

up
Check the boot order. The correct storage device may no longer be selected as the first boot device. This can happen if the device has
recently been removed due to failure. To correct this issue, ensure that the internal storage drive on which ESXi must be installed is
assigned as the first boot device in the hard drive sequence and the hard drive is assigned as the first boot device in the boot sequence.

Purple or pink screen while booting or running your ESXi

This is a sign of a serious misconfiguration or system error, similar to a blue screen for a Windows operating system or kernel panic occurs
for a Linux-based system. Contact Dell Support for technical assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the minimum RAM required to install VMware ESXi
The minimum RAM required for installing ESXi on Dell PowerEdge servers is 8 GB.

VMware recommends a minimum of 4 GB RAM to install ESXi. However, if you install ESXi on Dell PowerEdge servers with 4 GB RAM, the
installation may fail due to insufficient memory. This is because, a part of the RAM is occupied by the BIOS.

24 Troubleshooting ESXi
Figure 6. VMware ESXi installation failure

Why are network adapters not detected during ESXi

installation
Cause:
This issue occurs due to one of the following reasons:

• The ESXi image does not contain the latest version of network drivers, for Network Daughter Cards (NDCs) or network adapters used
in Dell servers.
• PowerEdge server does not have an NDC installed.
• The NDC installed on the PowerEdge server is faulty
• PowerEdge server has an NDC installed, but the NDC setting is disabled in the BIOS/UEFI.

Resolution:

1 Use the latest available Dell customized ESXi image, which contains drivers for all NDC or network adapters supported on Dell
PowerEdge servers.

NOTE: For more information about downloading the Dell customized ESXi image, see the Downloading the ESXi
installer media section.
2 Check if the NDC is working correctly.
3 Check if the NDC setting is enabled in BIOS/UEFI.

NOTE: For more information about installing and configuring the NDC on a PowerEdge server, see Dell PowerEdge
hardware Owner’s Manual at Dell.com/poweredgemanuals.

Troubleshooting ESXi 25
Figure 7. No network adapter error during ESXi installation

For more information, go to No network adapters were detected error message while installing ESXi on Dell PowerEdge 12th Generation
Servers.

Why are target devices not available in ESXi installer

Cause:
This issue occurs due to one of the following reasons:

1 There is no PowerEdge RAID controller or Internal Dual SD Module (IDSDM) installed on the server.
2 There are no PowerEdge RAID controllers installed in the IDSDM.
3 The drivers for the Storage controllers are not available in the ISO image.
4 In the BIOS configuration utility, IDSDM is disabled.
5 In the BIOS configuration utility, the Integrated RAID controller is disabled.
6 If the Storage controller is set to RAID mode, and virtual disks are not created with the hard drives associated with the controller.

Resolution:

1 Use the latest available Dell customized ESXi image, which contains drivers for all the supported storage controllers on Dell
PowerEdge servers.
2 Ensure that the SD card is installed in the IDSDM card before installing the IDSDM card on the server. In the BIOS configuration
utility, set IDSDM to Enable.
3 In the BIOS configuration utility, ensure that Integrated RAID Controller is set to Enable.
4 If the Storage controller is set to RAID mode, ensure that the virtual disks are created with the hard drives associated with the
controller.

26 Troubleshooting ESXi
Figure 8. Target devices not displayed

Why does ESXi display the number of processors incorrectly

Cause:
This issue occurs if the Snoop mode option is set to Cluster on Die in the BIOS Memory Settings screen of a dual processor system.

Resolution:
To display the accurate number of processors, ensure that the Snoop mode option is not set to Cluster on Die in the BIOS Memory
Settings screen.

Troubleshooting ESXi 27
 7
Getting help

Topics:

• Contacting Dell
• Related information for virtualization solutions
• Documentation resources
• Downloading the drivers and firmware
• Documentation feedback

Contacting Dell
Dell provides several online and telephone based support and service options. If you do not have an active internet connection, you can
find contact information about your purchase invoice, packing slip, bill, or Dell product catalog. Availability varies by country and product,
and some services may not be available in your area. To contact Dell for sales, technical assistance, or customer service issues:

1 Go to Dell.com/support.
2 Select your country from the drop-down menu on the lower right corner of the page.
3 For customized support:
a Enter your system Service Tag in the Enter your Service Tag field.
b Click Submit.
The support page that lists the various support categories is displayed.
4 For general support:
a Select your product category.
b Select your product segment.
c Select your product.
The support page that lists the various support categories is displayed.
5 For contact details of Dell Global Technical Support:
a Click Global Technical Support.
b The Contact Technical Support page is displayed with details to call, chat, or e-mail the Dell Global Technical Support team.

Related information for virtualization solutions

Table 1. Related information for virtualization solutions

If you need information about See

Dell VMware documentation Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions

OpenManage documentation Dell.com/openmanagemanuals

PowerEdge documentation Dell.com/poweredgemanuals

Basic configuration information for running ESXi on a Dell PowerEdge Getting Started Guide at Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions
server.

Installation Instructions and Important Information Guide

• Information about downloading, installing, and configuring ESXi
at Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions

28 Getting help
If you need information about See

• Supported hardware configurations for running ESXi on a Dell

PowerEdge server

PowerEdge servers and compatibility with vMotion VMware vMotion and 64-bit Virtual Machine Support
Compatibility Matrix at Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions

PowerEdge and PowerVault compatibility information for running ESXi VMware vSphere for Dell PowerEdge servers
Compatibility Matrix at Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions

About known issues and resolution VMware vSphere 6 on Dell PowerEdge server Release
Notes at Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions

ESXi ISO image customization information ESXi Image Customization Information at Dell.com/
virtualizationsolutions

ESXi Tech sheet VMware ESXi vSphere Important Information at

Dell.com/virtualizationsolutions

Technical support resources

• vmware.com/support
• Dell.com/support/home
• Dell.com/services

Discussion forums
• communities.vmware.com/community/vmtn
• en.community.dell.com/techcenter/virtualization/w/wiki/vmware.aspx
• Dellcommunity.com

Knowledge base
• kb.vmware.com/kb

NOTE: For more information related to the VMware ESXi installation on Dell PowerEdge servers, go to Dell Virtualization.

Virtualization videos on Dell PowerEdge servers

All the supported virtualization videos for Dell PowerEdge servers are available in the Supported Operating servers for Dell PowerEdge
servers playlist.

Table 2. Virtualization videos on Dell PowerEdge servers

Video title Links
Downloading the Dell customized ESXi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnVxtkAkYTI
image from support site

OS Deployment (VMware ESXi) - Installing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EbufUS86zA

Using CD/DVD

Getting help 29
Video title Links
Enabling and Configuring Fault Resilient https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=retSh-XlsK0
Memory on Dell PowerEdge servers

Documentation resources
This section provides information about the documentation resources for your server.

Table 3. Additional documentation resources for your server

Task Document Location

Setting up your server For information about installing the Dell.com/poweredgemanuals
server into a rack, see theRack
documentation included with your
rack solution Or the Getting Started
With Your System document that is
shipped with your server.

For information about turning on the Dell.com/poweredgemanuals

server and the technical
specifications of your server, see
the Getting Started With Your
System document that is shipped
with your server.

Configuring your server For information about the iDRAC Dell.com/idracmanuals

features, configuring and logging in
to iDRAC, and managing your server
remotely, see the Integrated Dell
Remote Access Controller User's
Guide.

For information about installing the Dell.com/operatingsystemmanuals

operating system, see the operating
system documentation.

For information about Dell.com/idracmanuals

understanding Remote Access
Controller Admin (RACADM)
subcommands and supported
RACADM interfaces, see the
RACADM Command Line Reference
Guide for iDRAC.

For information about updating Dell.com/support/drivers

drivers and firmware, see the
Methods to download firmware and
drivers section in this document.

Managing your server For information about servers Dell.com/openmanagemanuals

management software offered by
Dell, see the Dell OpenManage
Systems Management Overview
Guide.

For information about setting up, Dell.com/openmanagemanuals

using, and troubleshooting
OpenManage, see the Dell

30 Getting help
Task Document Location
OpenManage Server Administrator
User’s Guide.

For information about installing, Dell.com/openmanagemanuals

using, and troubleshooting Dell
OpenManage Essentials, see the
Dell OpenManage Essentials User’s
Guide.

For information about installing and Dell.com/DSET

using Dell System E-Support Tool
(DSET), see the Dell System E-
Support Tool (DSET) User's Guide.

For information about installing and Dell.com/asmdocs

using Active System Manager
(ASM), see the Active System
Manager User’s Guide.

For understanding the features of Dell.com/idracmanuals

Dell Lifecycle Controller (LCC), see
the Dell Lifecycle Controller User’s
Guide.

For information about partner Dell.com/omconnectionsenterprisesystemsmanagement

programs enterprise systems
management, see the OpenManage
Connections Enterprise Systems
Management documents.

For information about connections Dell.com/dellclientcommandsuitemanuals

and client systems management,
see the OpenManage Connections
Client Systems Management
documentation.

For information about viewing Dell.com/esmmanuals

inventory, performing configuration,
and monitoring tasks, remotely
turning on or off servers, and
enabling alerts for events on servers
and components using the Dell
Chassis Management Controller
(CMC), see the CMC User’s Guide.

Working with the Dell For information about Dell.com/storagecontrollermanuals

PowerEdge RAID controllers understanding the features of the
Dell PowerEdge RAID controllers
(PERC) and deploying the PERC
cards, see the Storage controller
documentation.

Understanding event and error For information about checking the Dell.com/openmanagemanuals > OpenManage software
messages event and error messages
generated by the system firmware
and agents that monitor server
components, see the Dell Event and
Error Messages Reference Guide.

Getting help 31
Downloading the drivers and firmware
Dell recommends that you download and install the latest BIOS, drivers, and systems management firmware on your system which is listed
in Dell Hyperconverged Infrastructure with Microsoft Software Defined Stack Support Matrix. Dell recommends that you download and
install the latest BIOS and drivers on your system.
Ensure that you clear the web browser cache before downloading the drivers and firmware.

1 Go to Dell.com/support/drivers.
2 In the Drivers & Downloads section, type the Service Tag of your system in the Service Tag or Express Service Code box, and then
click Submit.

NOTE: If you do not have the Service Tag, select Detect My Product to allow the system to automatically detect your
Service Tag, or in General support, navigate to your product.
3 Click Drivers & Downloads.
The drivers that are applicable to your selection are displayed.
4 Download the drivers to a USB drive, CD, or DVD.

Documentation feedback
You can rate the documentation or write your feedback on any of our Dell documentation pages and click Send Feedback to send your
feedback.

32 Getting help