Virualization

Easiest Way to Create a VMware ESXi 4 Bootable USB Flash Drive

Posted by Kenneth Ristau on July 7, 2010
Posted in: Technology, Virualization. Tagged: , , , , , , , .

Here’s a quick tip on how to create a bootable USB flash drive from which you can install ESXi.

  1. Download UNetbootin (available for Windows and Linux).
  2. Download the latest ESXi .iso file from VMware.
  3. Format your USB flash drive (1 to 2 GB should work, I used a 4 GB one) with a FAT32 file system.
  4. Fire up UNetbootin and select the option to use your own .iso file.
  5. Make sure you choose the RIGHT USB flash drive — Best Practice would be to have only your target drive connected while doing this!
  6. Click OK and let it cook. This may take a few minutes.
  7. Cancel the prompt at the end to reboot — you don’t want to reboot, really.
  8. Unmount your USB flash drive and test it on ESXi compatible hardware!

There are some limitations to this method:

  • Target system must support USB boot (very few don’t)
  • Won’t work with an EFI BIOS unless that BIOS supports booting a legacy mode BIOS. Even then, it still may not work.

And, yes, you can do this with the regular ESX .iso file, but you’ll need to purchase licensing for those installs eventually. You can register ESXi for free use!

TheVUG meeting notes for August 2009

Posted by Kenneth Ristau on August 14, 2009
Posted in: Technology, Virualization. Tagged: , , , , .
  • We met at Raccoon River Brewery around 7 PM.
  • The Iowa State Fair Parade was going on, so traffic was pretty bad getting in to downtown.
  • Microsoft Server 2008 with Hyper-V R2 is coming out soon. Sounds like there are going to be some Hyper-V improvements.
  • Debated security vs. business models for low-rate Web hosting. Many Web hosts do not pro-actively scan for security issues, adopting a strictly reactionary strategy. While economical, this can result in widespread outages if a vulnerability lands large numbers of hosts or entire subnets on black lists.
  • Several members are busy gearing up for VMWorld 2009

Meeting Notes: TheVUG, July 2009

Posted by Kenneth Ristau on July 9, 2009
Posted in: Technology, Virualization. Tagged: , , , , .

Theron Conrey demo’d Nexenta Systems, an enterprise storage solution built on top of an OpenSolaris kernel with ZFS, an Ubuntu user space and some proprietary elements for managing the storage. Check out Theron’s take on this storage solution.

Theron built a Nexenta storage array within a VM on his laptop — probably the first time such a feat has been performed at Raccoon River Brewery.

Also held a long discussion about Virtual Desktops, SunRays and their adoption by businesses of various sizes. We pondered why this cool technology isn’t getting adopted as quickly as it should and where the ROI “cut off” is in terms of business size.

We are working on lining up Impromptu Studio for next month’s meeting. Stay tuned to The VUG for details.

TheVUG Meeting. June 2009

Posted by Kenneth Ristau on June 11, 2009
Posted in: Technology, Virualization. Tagged: , , , , .

We had six show up for last night’s meeting (6/10/09) at Granite City in Clive, IA. It was mostly a social occasion, so there wasn’t a lot of Virtualization content to record. Here are a few points which stood out in my mind:

  • SuperMicro now offers blade servers which integrate a miniature SAS SAN on the back plane. Sounded pretty cool.
  • Josh More discussed some basic security concepts around Internet-accessible servers — Virtual or otherwise.
  • Had an impromptu “Name That Tune” competition between an iPhone and a G1. The iPhone won. This time. . .
  • Laserdisc video is analog, as I pointed out to some peoples’ dismay.

The conversation was, as usual, quite random so there were many, many more topics discussed than I’ve presented here. I guess you’ll just have to attend the next meeting so you don’t miss out!