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February 2015

How to Install ESXi on 5th Gen Intel NUC (NIC and AHCI Fix)

Intel has begun to deliver their 5th Gen Broadwell NUCs. At the moment, only NUCs with i3 CPUs are available. NUCs with faster CPUs are available in the next few weeks. I could get my hands on the NUC5i3MYHE. That's the version with a 2.5" HDD slot and without integrated WLAN. This post quickly explains how to get ESXi running on the 5th Gen NUC. As known from 3th and 4th gen NUCs, it is not possible to use the ESXi Installer provided by VMware.esxi-on-5th-gen-NUC5i3MYHE

I'm confident that this guide will also work for i5 and i7 NUCs, as from what I've seen in the documentation they have identical controllers:

  • Intel NUC5i7RYH
  • Intel NUC5i5RYH
  • Intel NUC5i5MYHE
  • Intel NUC5i5RYK
  • Intel NUC5i3RYH
  • Intel NUC5i3MYHE
  • Intel NUC5i3RYK

Read More »How to Install ESXi on 5th Gen Intel NUC (NIC and AHCI Fix)

Last call to recertify VCP - Including Workaround for Pearson VUE Website Problem

VMware changed the certification policy and decided that VCP-level certifications will now expire after 2 years. The deadline for first certificates to expire is March 10, 2015. For those that have not recertified yet:

VMware supports you on your recertification process and offers a Delta Recertification Exam with great advantages:vcp5-dcv

  • No course requirements
  • Exam available online
  • Far less expensive (EUR 90,-)
  • 65 question exam with 75 minutes time limit

Read More »Last call to recertify VCP - Including Workaround for Pearson VUE Website Problem

ESXi 5 Network Troubleshooting Commands

Check if a remote host is online and reachable.

~ # ping 8.8.8.8
PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=0 ttl=58 time=13.701 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=58 time=10.176 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=2 ttl=58 time=9.055 ms

--- 8.8.8.8 ping statistics ---
3 packets transmitted, 3 packets received, 0% packet loss
round-trip min/avg/max = 9.055/10.977/13.701 ms

Ping from a specific VMkernel adapter.

~ # ping -I vmk1 8.8.8.8
PING 8.8.8.8 (8.8.8.8): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=0 ttl=58 time=9.991 ms
64 bytes from 8.8.8.8: icmp_seq=1 ttl=58 time=9.270 ms

Read More »ESXi 5 Network Troubleshooting Commands

VMware Homeserver - ESXi on Gigabyte BRIX

Beside NUCs and Mac minis there is another great barebone in the homelab market. Basic requirements for home server are a decent price, good performance and low power consumption. Gigabytes BRIX offers great performance and is small in size and power consumption and thus makes it a great candidate for running ESXi at home. To get started, first a look at the different models available at the moment.

BRIX: Basic Barebone, candidate for ESXi.brix-s

  • GB-BXi3-4010: Intel Core i3-4010U (2x 1.7GHz)
  • GB-BXi5-4200: Intel Core i5-4200U (2x 2.6GHz)
  • GB-BXi7-4500: Intel Core i7-4500U (2x 3.0GHz)

BRIX s: Identical to BRIX barebones but with 2.5" HDD/SDD support. Slightly larger case and a good candidate for ESXi.

  • GB-BXi3H-4010: Intel Core i3-4010U (2x 1.7GHz)
  • GB-BXi5H-4200: Intel Core i5-4200U (2x 2.6GHz)
  • GB-BXi7H-4500: Intel Core i7-4500U (2x 3.0GHz)

brix-proBRIX Pro: High performance BRIX with 2.5" HDD/SDD support and quad-core CPU. These are the only systems with VT-d support and thus the best candidate for ESXi.

  • GB-BXi5-4570R: Intel Core i5-4570R (4x 3.20 GHz)
  • GB-BXi7-4770R: Intel Core i7-4770R (4x 3.90 GHz)

There is also a Brix Gaming series with GPU support and a BRIX Projector with an integrated projector. BRIX with AMD and Celeron CPUs are also available but these are not the best candidates for ESXi. I'm listing them here for completeness.

  • BRIX Projector GB-BXPi3-4010
  • BRIX Gaming GB-BXi5G3-760
  • BRIX Gaming GB-BXi5G-760
  • BRIX Gaming GB-BXi7G3-760
  • BRIX Gaming (AMD) GB-BXA8G-8890
  • BRIC (AMD) GB-BXA8-5545
  • BRIX (Celeron) GB-BXBT-2807

Read More »VMware Homeserver - ESXi on Gigabyte BRIX

Preview on 5th Gen Intel NUC for VMware ESXi

Intel NUCs are small, silent, transportable and have a very low power consumption, making it a great server for your homelab. On CES 2015 Intel officially presented their new Broadwell NUCs which will be available in a few weeks.

Intel NUCs are not officially supported by VMware but they have a great community support. They are proven in many homlabs or even for demonstrating Virtual SAN deployments.

  • Broadwell CPU
  • i7 NUC announced (Q2/2015)
  • No changes in memory support (max. 16GB)
  • Available with and withouth 2.5" HDD slot

5th-gen-nucRead More »Preview on 5th Gen Intel NUC for VMware ESXi

How to Join AD Domain in vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 (vCSA)

In vSphere 6.0 the vCenter Server Appliance (vCSA) has been changed a lot. Joining an Active Directory Domain is now included in the infrastructure node configuration which is part of the Platform Services Controller. Please note standard AD requirements like time synchronisation and naming. You can't join an AD if you've set an IP address as name during the VCSA guided installer.

Read More »How to Join AD Domain in vCenter Server Appliance 6.0 (vCSA)