The Definitive Guide to Installing ESXi using iPXE...

[activedecay]

I successfully booted 6.7.0 with iPXE using this method below.

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I was looking for the `kernel` line to pass to iPXE so that I could boot ESXi-6.7.0. User `dontlook` found this page for me which shows the correct lines used to boot the ESXi kernel using iPXE.

Code:

:esxi67
kernel http://repo/esx/ESXI-6.7.0/os/mboot.c32 -c http://ipxe/esxi-6.7.0.php
boot
goto main

Also on that reversengineered.com page is a boot.cfg. You must remove all the `/` characters from the boot.cfg that comes with your install media, and add the `prefix=` line which will prepend your server to each lookup for the kernel modules.

I booted, but had a problem like this one here, but THIS VMWARE COMMUNITY POST IS A RED HERRING. All I had to do was add the `netdevice=vmnic<N>` to the `kernelopt=` and it solved the issue "There was a problem with the Network Device specified on the command line. Error: No NIC found with MAC address."

Code:

bootstate=0
title=esxi 6.7.0 - I find your lack of faith disturbing.
timeout=2
prefix=http://repo/esx/ESXI-6.7.0/iso-content
kernel=b.b00
kernelopt=cdromBoot runweasel netdevice=vmnic0 ks=http://ipxe/vmware-ks.php
modules= ... remove the '/' that prepends each of these modules ...
build=
updated=0

The content of my `vmware-ks.php` file is here

Code:

# Sample scripted installation file
vmaccepteula
rootpw --iscrypted $password
install --firstdisk --overwritevmfs
network --bootproto=dhcp --device=vmnic0
reboot

Then I finally booted but still had trouble with my password. I used the password.

Code:

rootpw Password123!@#

That password has a hash at the end, and I'm afraid that the hash made the password fail whenever I tried to log in.

So I tried encrypting the password, and mixing the location of the hash. I used this page to help me with how to generate the password.

Code:

bash$ openssl passwd -1 P#ssword123
$1$1lyb51Fp$e13aQCVYaRpICJnEWoL9n1

Then back in the kickstart file, change the password line like so

Code:

rootpw $1$1lyb51Fp$e13aQCVYaRpICJnEWoL9n1

I can now log in.