Bryans Home vSphere 5.

0 Lab
Step-by-Step Instructions
Send questions/suggestions to bryan.sullins@gmail.com
Version 1.0 Jan 29, 2012

Please view the companion Visio Document (vSphereHomeLabDiagram.vsd) for hardware

specs and lab computer naming conventions. Install Visio Viewer.
Disclaimers The purpose of this lab environment is for practice with vSphere 5.0 only. It is not
intended for a production environment and is not supported by VMware. I make no guarantees
about performance. Please dont expect the VM you create in your vSphere Lab (its doublenested) to calculate meteor-movement trajectories from outer freaking space in a timely
fashion. You can, however, practice vSphere 5 with speed and precision. My goal was to create
a Zero-Cost (except the Caution in the next paragraph) home lab for students who dont have a
vSphere implementation at their disposal.
Caution The Main Host MUST have Hardware Assisted Virtualization for it to run the vSphere
Infrastructure VMs, which is a hardware requirement. Without it, the installations will fail
within the VMs on VMware Workstation. Check your hardware specs to verify. Additionally,
youll need 8GB of RAM on the Main Host to have tolerable (using the loosest possible
definition of the word) performance. If you have the capability of splitting up the vSphere
Infrastructure among multiple hosts, Id strongly suggest doing so.
Assumed Knowledge: I assume you have basic knowledge of vSphere 5.0 and VMware
Workstation. You do not have to be a vSphere 5.0 guru, but this document assumes that once
you have your vSphere 5 Home Lab up and running, you can perform basic tasks like initial
configuration of ESXi 5.0, using the vSphere client to connect to vCenter, importing Hosts into
vCenter, adding Portgroups to Hosts, adding Datastores, and creating VMs in vSphere 5.
Note on the subnet: All machines are on a 192.168.1.0/255.255.255.0 network, but you can use
any IP scheme you want. Just ensure that the vCenter Server, the nested ESXi hosts, the DHCP
Server, the default gateway, and the NFS Server all use static IPs. I also used sullins.local for my
domain name, but thats up to you as well.
*DNS Server: 192.168.1.200 (the vCenter Server)
*Default Gateway: 192.168.1.254 (must be a live Default Gateway)
*Once again, these were the IPs I used for my environment. The IP Scheme is up to you.
Assuming you have already installed Windows 7 64-bit (can also run on Windows XP 64-bit) on
the Main Host, the Main Host has Hardware Assisted Virtualization (a hardware requirement),
and you have an installed OS for the NFS Server (Ubuntu in my case):

Part 1: Download Additional Software to your Main Host

All VMware software listed below is fully-featured, 60-day Evaluation licensed (VMware Workstation is
30-day eval). The Windows Server 2008 R2 Installation is a 180-day fully-featured Evaluation version:
VMware Workstation 8.0, vSphere ESXi 5.0, and vCenter Server 5.0:
VMware Workstation downloads as an Executable Installation
ESXi and vCenter installations are *.isos
Windows Server 2008 R2 x64 Eval (to host vCenter):
Downloads as an *.iso.
OS of choice for the VM installed into vSphere:
I used CentOS 5 (free) but you can use whatever OS you want. Use a 32-bit OS. This VM is just for
practice within your vSphere Main Infrastructure. 32-bit Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 will do
just fine.

Part 2: Install VMware Workstation on the Windows 7 Main Host:

The default Installation will do. This will require a reboot.

Part 3: Install ESXi 5.0 as VMs into VMware Workstation:

Create 2 new VMs in Workstation. For each, take the defaults but make the following changes when
prompted:

I used VMware Workstation 7.1, but Im sure Workstation 8 probably has an updated option (not
verified). The ESX Server 4 option will work fine for the lab we are creating here.

With all other screens, simply take the defaults.

Before Powering on the VMs, install 3 more NICs into each ESXi VM. This will simulate a host
that has 4 NICs:

Install ESXi 5.0 into each VM. Setup (Host/IP) is as follows, please see accompanying Visio diagram:
ESXi01:

ESXi02:

Additionally:
DNS Server: 192.168.1.200 (The vCenter Server IP)
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.254 (Must be a working IP)

Part 3: Install vCenter 5.0 as a VM into VMware Workstation:

Create a new VM in Workstation. Specify Windows Server 2008 R2 as the OS and make the following
changes when prompted:

Let the Windows Installation complete.

Important: Rename the Windows Machine to vcenter and reboot. Assign it the 192.168.1.200/
255.255.255.0 IP Address and itself (127.0.0.1) as the DNS Server. Install DNS and create your DNS
zone. I am using local hosts files, but DNS is there to satisfy the DNS requirement. Use a live (real)
default gateway. Create the proper DNS entries in the DNS zone for all machines (including NFS). If
you do not want to setup DNS, then use hosts files throughout (entries below).
I placed the ip/hostnames for the infrastructure into the hosts file on the vCenter Server just in case:

Optional If you have it available, add the vCenter Machine into a Domain (must run a separate Domain
Controller and youd run DNS on that instead).

Be sure to do all of the above BEFORE you install vCenter.

Part 4: Install vCenter on your newly installed Windows Server 2008 R2 VM:
Line up the vCenter Installation iso using the Virtual Machine Settings menu from the Windows Server
2008 R2 VM in Workstation:

Launch the vCenter Server Installer inside the VM and take the defaults. It may not resolve the FQDN.
Ignore it. I strongly suggest using entries in the hosts file (as above).
Make sure that all 3 VMs (both ESXi VMs and the vCenter VM) are powered on in VMware Workstation
on the Main Host:

Part 5: Install the vSphere Client and Connect to your new vCenter Server:
Use any web Browser on the Windows Machine from which you intend to run the vSphere client.
Download and Install the vSphere Client from your new vCenter Server:

Connect to your vCenter Server using your new vSphere client:

After successfully logging in, add your ESXi hosts into your vCenter interface and you are ready to
rock!!!!

NOTE: If your client is not using the vCenter DNS Server, then connect using the vCenter IP Address.

Part 6: Setup the NFS Server (assumes Ubuntu Desktop 11.10):

Notes about the NFS host: It does not matter on what OS you run NFS. In fact, you can use any shared
IP storage type you like (iSCSI, NFS, etc.). I had an Ubuntu 11.10 Laptop with NFS at my disposal so I used
it. You can even setup NFS on a Windows Machine, provided it has Unix File System for Windows (which
is integrated into Windows Server 2008). E-mail bryan.sullins@gmail.com for more information and
alternatives.
On the NFS Host:
Hostname: nfs.sullins.local
IP: 192.168.1.201
Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
DNS Server: 192.168.1.200
Default Gateway: 192.168.1.254
To install nfs on Ubuntu:

To setup nfs:

Edit /etc/exports:

Exports Entry should read:

Export the NFS Share:

For giggles, ladies and gentleman, my high-performance NFS Server:

Connect both ESXi hosts to your new NFS Server using the same Datastore name:

REMEMBER ITS ALL CASE SENSITIVE!!!!

Now you can create a new VM in your vSphere Client and install the OS of your choice. Be sure to install
it onto the Shared NFS storage location you just created.
Portgroup Setup on each ESXi Host is as follows:
ESXi01:

ESXi02:

The Finished Product:

The Warnings on the ESXi Objects are because HA requires a minimum of 2 shared datastores.
As above we have only setup 1. You can either setup another NFS share or ignore the error
(which you would not do in a production environment).

A Successful vMotion: