Create VM

Jul 2017
This page is still Work in Progress - This message will be removed when page is complete.

Some things to remember

1. create vSwitch and Port Groups first
2. Create ISO folder on datastore and upload ISO first
3. Mysterious interface bug (port groups move to different interfaces)

Start VM Creation

After logging in to ESXi Web Admin, click Virtual Machines on the left.
Click Create / Register VM.

Select creation type

The New Virtual Machine wizard will start
Select Create a new virtual machine and click Next.

Select a name and guest OS

Here we must select a name for our VM, and what OS we will use.
Enter the following:
Name: A name you will recognise the VM by.
Compatibility: ESXi 6.5 virtual machine (unless you are using an older or newer version).
Guest OS family: Linux (unless you need something else).
Guest OS version: (CentOS 7 (64bit).
Click Next.

Select Storage

This is where we select our datastore (you will probably only have one, especially on a smaller test system).
Select your datastore by clicking on it, then select Next.

Customize Settings

This is where we set the parameters for our VM such as memory, hard disk space, interfaces etc.
In the above example, we can see the default settings that are set when you first open this page, these are not suitable however, and we need to change most of them.
If you are setting up an MFEL, use thse settings.
CPU - Set this to 8
Memory - Set this to 8192
Hard Disk 1 - 16B (default)
SCSI Controller 0 - VMware Paravirtual (default)
Sata Controller 0 - Blank (default)
USB Controller 1 - USB 2.0 (default)
Network Adapter 1 - (the setting depends on what port groups you created)
Video Card - Specify Custom Settings (default)
Do NOT press Next yet.
Below is the settings we require.
We also need to add a couple of Interfaces (depending on what you are doing). Click the Add network adapter link to keep adding adapters.
To enable us to boot up an OS, we will add a CD/DVD Drive (its a virtual one) and assign it an ISO image to boot from.
Click Add Other Device and then CD/DVD Drive.
When the CD/DVD device has been added, you will see it in the hardware list.
Click the device to see the options and select Datastore ISO file.
Select the datastore folder you created when installing VMWare, and the ISO file. Click Select. You can do this later if required.
Ensure you settings match the page above.
If so click Next.

Ready to complete

The Create VM Wizard displays a confirmation page of you selected settings.
If you are happy with your settings, click Finish.