{"id":131493,"date":"2022-12-14T13:16:23","date_gmt":"2022-12-14T10:16:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/?p=131493"},"modified":"2023-12-02T01:56:32","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T22:56:32","slug":"create-vmware-esxi-bootable-usb-stick-linux","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/create-vmware-esxi-bootable-usb-stick-linux\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Create VMware ESXi 8 Bootable USB Stick on Linux"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The new release of popular VMware product – VMware vSphere 8.0 includes VMware ESXi 8.0 and VMware vCenter Server 8.0. These are stable releases and are fit for installation and use in Production environments. VMware vSphere 8 brings the benefits of cloud to on-premises workloads, supercharges performance, and accelerates innovation in your company \/ business. With this vSphere 8, VMware is delivering VMware Tanzu Kubernetes<\/a> Grid 2.0 that aims at addressing the growing complexity of agile development environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In this article we shall cover the steps that are used to create a bootable USB drive of VMware ESXi 8. Note that an account with VMware is required to download ISO files. When you download an evaluation you get free 60 days <\/strong>trial period for testing the virtualization software. For home use consider subscribing to VMware VMUG Advantage membership<\/a> which provides exclusive access to 365-day evaluation licenses for 15+ VMware solutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1 – Download VMware ESXi 8 ISO<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Visit the VMware vSphere Hypervisor downloads<\/a> page to get the latest ISO file. Choose the product from available list and proceed to download.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Confirm the ISO file is available locally before you proceed to the next step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

$ file VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0-20513097.x86_64.iso<\/mark>\nVMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0-20513097.x86_64.iso: ISO 9660 CD-ROM filesystem data 'ESXI-8.0.0-20513097-STANDARD' (bootable)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 2 – Prepare USB Stick for vSphere ESXi 8 installation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Insert USB stick into your Linux system and confirm it is in the list of devices plugged in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ lsblk<\/mark>\nsdb                         8:0    1   3.8G  0 disk<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Update your package index and install syslinux<\/code> and parted<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n
### Debian \/ Ubuntu ###\n<\/mark><\/em>sudo apt update\nsudo apt install syslinux parted\n\n### RHEL Based systems ###<\/em><\/mark>\nsudo yum -y install syslinux parted<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Set your device path<\/p>\n\n\n\n
mydev=sdX<\/mark> #e.g sdc<\/strong><\/em><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Unmount USB stick on the system if it is mounted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
df -hT\n# Example\n<\/em><\/strong>sudo umount \/dev\/$mydev1<\/mark><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Wipe the device while to clean state before using it using wipefs<\/code> command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo wipefs --all --force \/dev\/$mydev<\/mark><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Create an MBR partition table and FAT32 partition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We shall consider using fdisk<\/code> and using parted<\/code> commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Option 1: Using fdisk commands<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Copy and paste the commands below as a single command to wipe the target drive, create an MBR partition table, and create a single FAT32 partition (you can ignore any “Partition #1 contains a vfat signature.<\/strong><\/em>” warning message):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo fdisk -w always \/dev\/$mydev <<EOF\n  o\n  n\n  p\n  1\n  2048\n  -0\n  t\n  0c\n  a\n  w\nEOF<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Format the new FAT32 partition with a FAT32 filesystem:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n ESXI-8 \/dev\/${mydev}1<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Option 2: Using parted command<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Check partition tables on the device. If you used wipefs<\/code> it should not show unknown<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ sudo parted \/dev\/$mydev<\/mark><\/mark> p<\/mark>\nModel: JetFlash Transcend 4GB (scsi)\nDisk \/dev\/sdb: 4049MB\nSector size (logical\/physical): 512B\/512B\nPartition Table: msdos\nDisk Flags:\n\nNumber  Start  End     Size    Type     File system  Flags\n 2<\/mark>      281kB  7514kB  7234kB  primary               esp<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Remove the partition with the command rm<\/em><\/strong>. In this example, the number is 2<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo parted \/dev\/$mydev<\/mark><\/mark> rm 2<\/mark><\/mark><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Remove the USB drive then put it back and confirm partition is not available:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cat \/proc\/partitions<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Create msdos<\/code> partition table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo parted -s -a optimal -- \/dev\/$mydev<\/mark><\/mark><\/mark> mklabel msdos<\/mark><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Confirm the setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ sudo parted \/dev\/$mydev<\/mark><\/mark><\/mark> p<\/mark>\nModel: JetFlash Transcend 4GB (scsi)\nDisk \/dev\/sdb: 4049MB\nSector size (logical\/physical): 512B\/512B\nPartition Table: msdos<\/mark>\nDisk Flags:\n\nNumber  Start  End  Size  Type  File system  Flags<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Create a new partition with FAT32<\/em><\/strong> fileystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo parted \/dev\/$mydev<\/mark><\/mark><\/mark><\/mark> mkpart primary fat32<\/mark>  1% 100%<\/mark><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Give it boot flag:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo parted \/dev\/$mydev set 1 boot on<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Format the partition created with FAT32 filesystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo mkfs.vfat -F 32 -n ESXI-8 \/dev\/${mydev}1<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Validate:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ fdisk -l \/dev\/<\/mark>${mydev}<\/mark>\nDisk \/dev\/sdb: 3.77 GiB, 4048551936 bytes, 7907328 sectors\nDisk model: Transcend 4GB\nUnits: sectors of 1 * 512 = 512 bytes\nSector size (logical\/physical): 512 bytes \/ 512 bytes\nI\/O size (minimum\/optimal): 512 bytes \/ 512 bytes\nDisklabel type: dos\nDisk identifier: 0x221a4201\n\nDevice     Boot Start     End Sectors  Size Id Type\n\/dev\/sda1  *    79872 7907327 7827456  3.7G  c W95 FAT32 (LBA)<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Install the syslinux bootloader files<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Copy the syslinux<\/em><\/strong> executable boot code into the bootstrap code area of the MBR boot sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ sudo dd bs=440 count=1 conv=notrunc <\/mark>if=<\/mark>\/usr\/lib\/syslinux\/mbr\/mbr.bin<\/mark> of=<\/mark>\/dev\/$mydev<\/mark>\n1+0 records in\n1+0 records out\n440 bytes copied, 0.00130164 s, 338 kB\/s<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
You can use find<\/code> command to locate mbr.bin<\/code> in your system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
### Debian \/ Ubuntu ###<\/mark><\/em>\n$ sudo find \/ -name mbr.bin 2>\/dev\/null<\/mark>\n\/usr\/lib\/syslinux\/mbr\/mbr.bin\n\/usr\/lib\/SYSLINUX\/mbr.bin\n\n### RHEL based systems ###<\/mark><\/em>\n$ sudo find \/ -name mbr.bin 2>\/dev\/null<\/mark>\n<\/mark><\/em>\/usr\/share\/syslinux\/mbr.bin<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Finally install the syslinux bootloader files onto the FAT32 filesystem (ignore the “Hidden (2048) does not match sectors (62)<\/em><\/strong>” messages – modern systems use the partition table):<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo syslinux \/dev\/${mydev}1<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 3 – Create VMware ESXi 8 Bootable USB Stick<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Mount VMware ESXI ISO<\/p>\n\n\n\n
mkdir .\/esxi-8\nmount -o loop VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8*.iso .\/esxi-8<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Confirm it successfully mounts in read only mode.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ df -hT .\/esxi-8<\/mark>\nFilesystem     Type     Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on\n\/dev\/loop3     iso9660  620M  620M     0 100% \/root\/esxi-8<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Mount your USB device partition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo mkdir -p \/mnt\/usb\nsudo mount \/dev\/${mydev}1 \/mnt\/usb<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Check if you were able to mount USB device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ df -hT \/mnt\/usb\/<\/mark>\nFilesystem     Type  Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on\n\/dev\/sda1      vfat  3.8G  184K  3.8G   1% \/mnt\/usb<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Copy all ISO files to mount directory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo cp -r .\/esxi-8\/* \/mnt\/usb<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Navigate to USB mount point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cd \/mnt\/usb\/<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Move isolinux.cfg<\/code> to syslinux.cfg<\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo mv isolinux.cfg syslinux.cfg<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Edit syslinux.cfg<\/code> file and update APPEND line to APPEND -c boot.cfg -p 1<\/code> .<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using sed command for in-place modification:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo sed -i 's\/APPEND -c boot.cfg\/APPEND -c boot.cfg -p 1\/g' .\/syslinux.cfg<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Or by manually editing the file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ sudo vim syslinux.cfg<\/mark>\nDEFAULT menu.c32\nMENU TITLE ESXi-8.0.0-20513097-standard Boot Menu\nNOHALT 1\nPROMPT 0\nTIMEOUT 80\nLABEL install\n  KERNEL mboot.c32\n  APPEND -c boot.cfg -p 1<\/mark>\n  MENU LABEL ESXi-8.0.0-20513097-standard ^Installer\nLABEL hddboot\n  LOCALBOOT 0x80\n  MENU LABEL ^Boot from local disk<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Unmount both USB device and mounted ISO file.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
cd ~\/\nsudo umount \/mnt\/usb\numount .\/esxi-8<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n
Step 4 – Install VMware ESXI 8 using USB Stick<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Insert USB device into host where ESXI 8 will be installed and boot from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
Follow the standard VMware ESXI installation process to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
We hope the instructions given in this article were informative. Keep checking our website for the latest articles and reviews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The new release of popular VMware product – VMware vSphere 8.0 includes VMware ESXi 8.0 and VMware vCenter Server 8.0. These are stable releases and are fit for installation and use in Production environments. VMware vSphere 8 brings the benefits of cloud to on-premises workloads, supercharges performance, and accelerates innovation in your company \/ business. … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":131501,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[299,50,86],"tags":[38153],"class_list":["post-131493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-how-to","category-linux-tutorials","category-virtualization","tag-vmware-esxi-8-bootable-usb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131493","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=131493"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/131493\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=131493"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=131493"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=131493"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}