1. Linux on VMWare ESXi
Masafumi Ohta
Japan OpenSolaris User Group/OpenNSUG User Group
© 2009 VMware Inc. All rights reserved

2. 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.
2

3. 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.
3

4. 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!
4

5. 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 :)
5

6. 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/sda5
boot.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
6

7. Short demonstrations(connecting my home through pptp)
PPTP-VPN
Network
Atom based Netbook
My Laptops bringing here
Core2 Duo
my home
based Laptop
7

8. ESXi 3 running on ASUS N10Jb (Atom-based Netbook)
8

9. ESXi 4 running on KOUZIRO Laptop(Core2-based Laptop)
9

10. OpenSolaris Running on ESXi -using it on my ALIEN:))
10

11. 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 :)
11

12. Thanks! Have a Question?
Masafumi Ohta
Japan OpenSolaris User Group/OpenNSUG User Group
mailto:masafumi.ohta@gmail.com
© 2009 VMware Inc. All rights reserved