VMWare newbie query
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Hi Gurus,
I have newbie questions about VMWare, please be kind :). I usually use MS 2012 HyperV, but will be using VMWare for my next job assignment. I was hoping to study VMWare by installing it to my laptop. The closest VMWare experience I have is my VMWare workstations on my laptop which I use for some VMs.
Will I be able to use my lenovo T440p laptop (home lab) as my VMWare ESX server and use it to study for my job assignment?
If my laptop is the ESX server, is there a way for me to run the Vsphere client or i will need another laptop/pc for that?Thanks and more power to mangolassi.it
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Or...can i install ESX on a VM of my current VMworkstations?
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ESXi has no local GUI, so to use it you need it on a headless machine. If you put it on a laptop, that laptop will be useless to you. You can access it remotely, of course, but the laptop itself will not be useful.
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@bishnitro said in VMWare newbie query:
Or...can i install ESX on a VM of my current VMworkstations?
Possible. I believe that VMware Workstation allows nesting. If you have nesting support, then it will work.
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Ideally you run ESXi on something like an Intel NUC that you can put on a shelf somewhere. Laptops aren't great for ESXi due to the headless nature of it.
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@scottalanmiller said in VMWare newbie query:
Ideally you run ESXi on something like an Intel NUC that you can put on a shelf somewhere. Laptops aren't great for ESXi due to the headless nature of it.
I attempted this before (before ML and SW) and it never worked out for me.
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@NerdyDad said in VMWare newbie query:
@scottalanmiller said in VMWare newbie query:
Ideally you run ESXi on something like an Intel NUC that you can put on a shelf somewhere. Laptops aren't great for ESXi due to the headless nature of it.
I attempted this before (before ML and SW) and it never worked out for me.
On a NUC? It should "just work". What kind of issues did you run into?
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@scottalanmiller said in VMWare newbie query:
@NerdyDad said in VMWare newbie query:
@scottalanmiller said in VMWare newbie query:
Ideally you run ESXi on something like an Intel NUC that you can put on a shelf somewhere. Laptops aren't great for ESXi due to the headless nature of it.
I attempted this before (before ML and SW) and it never worked out for me.
On a NUC? It should "just work". What kind of issues did you run into?
Nope, sorry for the misunderstanding. On a laptop.
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That was like 4 years ago.
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@NerdyDad said in VMWare newbie query:
@scottalanmiller said in VMWare newbie query:
@NerdyDad said in VMWare newbie query:
@scottalanmiller said in VMWare newbie query:
Ideally you run ESXi on something like an Intel NUC that you can put on a shelf somewhere. Laptops aren't great for ESXi due to the headless nature of it.
I attempted this before (before ML and SW) and it never worked out for me.
On a NUC? It should "just work". What kind of issues did you run into?
Nope, sorry for the misunderstanding. On a laptop.
oh yeah - not surprised - headless nature makes it nearly useless.
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So my best bet is to do nesting and run it inside my VMWorkstation or get another PC for my ESXi server.
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@bishnitro I think so. Suggestion would be to double check the HCL, but since it's not production environment, I wouldn't way too heavily on it.
I'd just go with a dedicated tower or nuc or something of that nature.
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Thank you very much for the reply, is there any fast track tutorial i can use that will give me knowledge about VMWare in shorter time? Or i will need to learn this the same way I learned the MS HyperV using the video and books?
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YouTube has been my friend in that respect. That and experience.
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I agree with @nerdydad about using YouTube to find tutorials on the install of ESXi. There are also some great step-by-step articles out there too. Do you have any idea what version you will be using since ESXi 6.5 was recently released? There's the version number but also the licensed feature set. Do you know if your new job will have vSphere Essentials, Essentials Plus, Standard, or Enterprise Plus? The name vSphere is an all inclusive name for the platform for which ESXi is the basic building block.
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@NerdyDad said in VMWare newbie query:
@bishnitro I think so. Suggestion would be to double check the HCL, but since it's not production environment, I wouldn't way too heavily on it.
I'd just go with a dedicated tower or nuc or something of that nature.
I agree. And if you cannot get something on the HCL, there may be a way around it using custom ISOs for whatever NIC drivers might be needed - https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/1968697-create-a-custom-vmware-esxi-iso-in-minutes.
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@scottalanmiller said in VMWare newbie query:
ESXi has no local GUI, so to use it you need it on a headless machine. If you put it on a laptop, that laptop will be useless to you. You can access it remotely, of course, but the laptop itself will not be useful.
Technically, ESXi hosts have the local DCUI, but you can't do much other than some minimal configurations there.
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@bishnitro said in VMWare newbie query:
Or...can i install ESX on a VM of my current VMworkstations?
This may be helpful in trying to put ESXi in a VM - http://www.vmwareandme.com/2015/02/Guide-Install-ESXi-6.0-on-VMware-Workstation-11.html#.WLCPYlXythE/.
One other thing I would suggest is signing up for a free PluralSight subscription. I think you get 14 days for free, and they specifically have a course that will show you how to build a lab using ESXi running as a VM.
