XenServer On ESX

Install XenServer

Procedure created using XenServer v5.6.0 on top of ESX4i, before you proceed ensure you have the following ISO's..

• XenServer Installer (eg XenServer-5.6.0-install-cd.iso)
• XenServer Linux Guest Support (eg XenServer-5.6.0-linux-cd.iso)

Be aware that it is impossible to run Windows VM's on an XenServer running on an ESX. To run Windows VM's XenServer needs to use the CPU virtualisation assist features (Intel VT or V-AMD), these are unavailable to ESX guests.

1. Create custom VM with following settings (use default if not specified)...
   • Disk (20 GB is fine)
   • VM hardware version 7
   • Guest OS: Linux | Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 (64 bit)
   • 1x CPU, 1GB RAM (minimum, suggest at least 2GB RAM)
   • 2x e1000 NICs
2. Install XenServer
   1. Connect ISO to CD-ROM and boot
   2. Accept default install (the installer will anyway after a brief pause)
   3. Select the appropriate Keymap
   4. Select OK to allow install to continue
   5. Select Accept EULA to proceed
   6. The installer will complain that Hardware virtualisation assist support is not available, this is to be expected (the ESX running on the bear metal uses this feature, it can't be presented to VM's running on top), select OK
   7. Leave on default Local media and select OK
   8. When asked Would you like to install any supplemental packs?, answer Yes (to allow install of Linux Guest Support)
   9. Checking the media shouldn't be necessary, select Skip
   10. Enter an appropriate password
   11. Select the first NIC to be uses for management.
   12. Change to Static configuration and enter appropriate network details.
   13. Enter the server's FQDN (eg xenserver1.mgmt.lab.int), and at least one DNS server
   14. Select your geographical location
   15. Select your capital city
   16. Unless you have an NTP server available to your lab, select Manual time entry
   17. Confirm Install XenServer
   18. When prompted to ...insert your Supplemental Pack, connect the Linux Guest Support ISO, and select OK
   19. Select Use to install the pack
   20. Select Skip to allow installation to complete
   21. When prompted (assuming you didn't select NTP), enter date/time (this should have been sourced from the VM's vBIOS so should be correct anyway - if not investigate the time on your host ESX), and select OK
   22. Disconnect any ISO's and select OK to reboot