Install ESXi and deploy vCenter Server Appliance on the PowerEdge R640 host that will be the management server.

Although you can install ESXi locally or remotely, this section describes how to install it remotely through the iDRAC web interface. In this example, we assign static IP addresses to the management interfaces of the ESXi hosts. We do not recommend DHCP for IP allocation of management hosts.

To install ESXi and deploy vCenter Server Appliance on the management server, follow the procedures in this section to:

                  Ensure that you have met the prerequisites to complete the installation and deployment.

2. Mount the ESXi image.
3. Install ESXi.
4. Configure the ESXi management network.
5. Deploy vCenter Server Appliance.

Prerequisites

To complete the procedures in this section, you need:

• iDRAC IP addresses or FQDNs
• iDRAC credentials
• iDRAC Enterprise license applied on all nodes
• Dell EMC customized ESXi 6.7 image

For information about downloading the image, see VMware vSphere ESXi 6.7.x on Dell EMC PowerEdge Systems Image Customization Information. Note the image location on your system for your use when you mount the virtual media. The location must be available while you install ESXi on all the servers.

• Host names and VLAN management ID
• vSphere credentials
• Static IP addresses for each of the management servers
• (Optional) Records for hostnames to be added to the DNS server

Mounting the ESXi image

Mount the customized ESXi 6.7 ISO image:

1. Using a web browser, go to the iDRAC web interface at https://<iDRAC_Address>.

2. Log in with the appropriate credentials.

The default credentials for iDRAC are as follows:

User: root
Password: calvin

                  Next to Virtual Console Preview, click Launch to open the remote console, and then enable pop-up support for each iDRAC in your chosen browser.

4. Under Virtual Media, select Connect Virtual Media.
5. After the virtual media is connected, mount the customized ESXi 6.7 ISO image:
   1. Select Virtual Media, and then select Map CD/DVD.
   2. Click Browse and locate the customized ESXi 6.7 ISO image, select the image, and then click Open.
6. On the Virtual Media – Map CD/DVD page, click Map Device.
7. From the Virtual Console menu bar, select Next Boot > Virtual CD/DVD/ISO.
8. Click OK to continue and verify that the location of the ISO image you have mapped is available throughout the full installation process.
9. From the Virtual Console menu bar, select Power > Power on System or, if the system is already on, select Power > Power Cycle System (cold boot).

After the power on self-test, the Boot Menu appears, confirming that the virtual media has been mounted.

Install ESXi:

1. In the iDRAC Virtual Console, on the Welcome to VMware ESXi 6.7.0 Installation page, press Enter.

2. Review the terms of the license agreement, and press F11 to accept the agreement and continue.
3. When prompted, select a disk to install, use your cursor keys to select the SATADOM device, as shown in the following figure, and then press Enter to continue:

Figure 6.         Selecting the installation disk

4. If an ESXi Found message is displayed, use the cursor keys to select Install, press the spacebar, and then press Enter to perform a fresh installation.
5. Choose the keyboard layout for your environment, and then press Enter to continue.
6. At Enter a root password, enter the password that you want to use for the root account, reenter the password at the Confirm prompt, and then press Enter.
7. At Confirm Install, press F11 to install ESXi 6.7.
8. When the installation is completed, from the Virtual Console menu bar, select Virtual Media > Disconnect Virtual Media.
9. When prompted, click Yes to confirm that you want to close the session.
10. At Installation Complete, press Enter to restart the server.

Configuring the ESXi management network

After the ESXi installation is complete and the server restarts, configure the ESXi management network:

1. In the iDRAC Virtual Console, press F2 to log in to the Direct Console User Interface (DCUI).
2. At Authentication Required, enter the credentials that you created during setup and press Enter.
3. At System Customization, select Configure Management Network.
4. Under Configure Management Network, select Network Adapters.
5. Ensure that vmnic0 and any other NIC ports that are already connected show a status of Connected, as shown in the following figure, and then press Esc to exit the menu:

Figure 7.         Status of network adapters

If a port is not connected, check the cabling and status of the port on the switch and correct any issues. Press Esc to return to the previous page.

6. Select VLAN (optional) from the menu, and then press Enter.
7. On the VLAN (optional) page, enter the VLAN ID for the management network and press Enter.
8. Select IPv4 Configuration and press Enter.
9. On the IPv4 Configuration page, select Set static IPv4 address and network configuration, and then press the spacebar.
10. Enter the information for IP Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway, and press Enter to confirm.

Obtain the information from the Management Host Information section of the site survey.

11. Select DNS Configuration and press Enter.
12. On the DNS Configuration page, enter the IP address of the DNS servers and the FQDN of the host.

Obtain the information from the Customer Network Services section of the site survey.

13. If the environment has multiple domains, or if it uses subdomains and short names, add the suffixes under Custom DNS Suffixes.
14. At Configure Management Network: Confirm, press Esc to return to the main menu and press Y to confirm the changes and restart the management network.
15. Select Test Management Network.

The Test Management Network page displays the items that will be tested.

16. Press Enter to continue.

When the test is completed, results such as those in the following figure are displayed:

Figure 8.              Management network test results

This section describes how to deploy vCenter Server Appliance with an embedded Platform Services Controller.

Prerequisites

To deploy vCenter Server Appliance, you need:

• vCenter Server Appliance ISO image, which has been downloaded to a location that is available throughout the installation process
• IP address for vCenter Server Appliance
• Hostname and IP address that is fully resolvable (forward and reverse lookup) by DNS

Deploying the appliance

Deploy vCenter Server Appliance as follows:

1. Open the vCenter Server Appliance installation ISO image.

In this example, we are using a Windows workstation. Depending on your workstation operating system, you might have to use an external utility to mount the ISO image.

2. From the root of the ISO image, go to \vcsa-udi-installer\win32\.
3. Double-click installer.exe.
4. On the main menu of the installer, click Install.
5. Review the introduction, and then click Next to continue.
6. Review the End User License Agreement (EULA), select I accept the terms of the license agreement, and then click Next.
7. Select vCenter Server with an Embedded Platform Services Controller and click Next.
8. Enter the requested information for the first management host, as indicated in the following figure:

Figure 9.         Management host details

9. Confirm the details, and then click Next.
10. Verify the certificate thumbprint and click Yes.
11. At Set up appliance VM, enter a name and password for the VM, confirm the password, and then click Next.
12. At Select deployment size, select sizes and click Next.

The deployment sizing page includes a chart to help you select a deployment size.

13. Select the datastore where vCenter Server Appliance will be located and click Next.
14. On the Configure network settings page, enter the requested information and click Next.
15. Review the deployment settings and click Finish.

The installer displays a Deployment complete message and prompts you to continue to stage 2, appliance setup. 

16. Click Continue.
17. Review the introduction and click Next.
18. Select the time synchronization mode, enter the NTP server information, and click Next.
19. Enter the requested single sign-on (SSO) information, including the SSO domain name and site name, and click Next.
20. Review the information about the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program, choose whether to participate, and then click Next.
21. Review the summary information and, if it is correct, click Finish.
22. Review the warning about stopping the installation, and then click OK.
23. When the installer completes the setup, make note of the URLs that are provided, and then click Close to exit the installer.