ESXi Installation Guide

Overview

Complete ESXi installation guide for both Intel NUCs and MINISFORUM MS-A2 systems. This guide covers multiple installation methods and platform-specific considerations.

Supported Platforms

  • Intel NUCs: NUC6i7KYK (ESXi 8.0.3)
  • MINISFORUM MS-A2: AMD Ryzen 9 7945HX (ESXi 8.0.3+)
  • Mac Pro: Late 2013 (ESXi 7.0.3)

For the MS-A2, here are the most common ESXi installation methods:

Method 1: USB Flash Drive (Most Common)

What You Need:

  • 8GB+ USB drive
  • ESXi 8.0 U2 or U3 ISO (latest stable)
  • Rufus or balenaEtcher to create bootable media

Process:

  1. Download ESXi ISO from VMware Customer Connect
  2. Create bootable USB with Rufus (Windows) or balenaEtcher (any OS)
  3. Insert USB into MS-A2
  4. Boot and press DEL/F2 for BIOS
  5. Set USB as first boot device
  6. Install to your 500GB NVMe boot drive

Why This Is Better:

  • One USB with multiple ISOs
  • Test different hypervisors easily
  • Add ISOs by copying files

Setup:

  1. Install Ventoy on 32GB+ USB
  2. Copy multiple ISOs:
    • ESXi 8.0 U3
    • Proxmox 8.2
    • XCP-ng 8.3
    • MemTest86
  3. Boot and select from menu

MS-A2 Specific BIOS Settings

Before Installing:

  1. Enable Virtualization
    • SVM Mode: Enabled
    • IOMMU: Enabled
  2. Storage Configuration
    • SATA Mode: AHCI (not RAID)
    • NVMe: No special config needed
  3. Network
    • SR-IOV: Enabled (for virtual functions)
    • Network Boot: Can enable for PXE
  4. Power
    • Power Profile: Maximum Performance
    • C-States: Disabled for consistent performance

Installation Tips

Drive Selection:

  • Install to your 500GB boot drive
  • ESXi installer will show all three NVMe drives
  • Don’t accidentally install to your big storage drives!

Network Configuration:

  • Installer detects all NICs (2x 10GbE + 2x 2.5GbE)
  • Configure management on 2.5GbE initially
  • Set up 10GbE for storage/vMotion later

Post-Install Checklist:

  1. Install latest patches
  2. Configure NTP
  3. Set up SSH (for automation)
  4. Create distributed switch for 10GbE
  5. License (eval gives 60 days)

Alternative: Network Boot (Advanced)

PXE Boot Setup:

  • Requires DHCP/TFTP server
  • Great for multiple hosts
  • More complex initial setup

iPXE Option:

  • Chain-load from USB to network
  • Flexible boot options
  • Good for lab environments

Licensing Considerations

Options:

  • Free: Limited to 8 vCPUs per VM
  • VMUG Advantage: $200/year, full features
  • Eval: 60 days full features
  • vSphere Essentials: ~$560 for 3 hosts
  1. Create Ventoy USB with multiple hypervisor ISOs
  2. Install ESXi 8.0 U3 on first MS-A2
  3. Install ESXi or Proxmox on second (for comparison)
  4. Use vCenter trial for central management
  5. Consider VMUG membership for long-term

Quick Storage Verification

After install, verify all drives visible:

esxcli storage core device list | grep Model

Should show all three NVMe devices.

Want me to walk through the specific steps for creating the Ventoy USB or configuring the post-install networking?

Creating a Ventoy Multi-Boot USB Drive

What You’ll Need

  • USB drive (32GB+ recommended for multiple ISOs)
  • Computer with internet access
  • ISO files for your hypervisors

Step 1: Download Ventoy

Visit https://www.ventoy.net/en/download.html

Windows: Download ventoy-x.x.xx-windows.zip
Linux: Download ventoy-x.x.xx-linux.tar.gz
macOS: Use Linux version in Terminal

Step 2: Platform-Specific Installation

Windows Instructions

  1. Extract the ZIP file
    • Right-click → Extract All
    • Navigate to extracted folder
  2. Run Ventoy2Disk.exe
    • May need to allow through Windows Defender
    • Run as Administrator if needed
  3. Configure Ventoy
    • Select your USB drive from dropdown
    • ⚠️ VERIFY IT’S THE RIGHT DRIVE
    • Options → Partition Style → GPT (for UEFI)
    • Options → Secure Boot Support → Check if needed
  4. Click Install
    • Confirm the warnings (data will be erased)
    • Wait for completion (~1 minute)

Linux Instructions 

# Extract the archive
tar -xzf ventoy-*.tar.gz
cd ventoy-*/

# Run the GUI version
sudo ./VentoyGUI.x86_64

# Or command line version
sudo ./Ventoy2Disk.sh -i /dev/sdX  # Replace sdX with your USB device

Find your USB device:

lsblk
# or
sudo fdisk -l

macOS Instructions 

# Install using Homebrew (easiest)
brew install ventoy

# Or download Linux version and use Terminal
tar -xzf ventoy-*.tar.gz
cd ventoy-*/
sudo ./Ventoy2Disk.sh -i /dev/diskN  # Replace diskN with your USB

Find your USB device:

diskutil list

Step 3: Copy ISOs to Ventoy Drive

After installation, your USB will have two partitions:

  • Ventoy (EXFAT) - Where you copy ISOs
  • VTOYEFI (FAT32) - Don’t touch this
  1. Open the Ventoy partition in file explorer
  2. Copy your ISO files directly to the root
    • No special folders needed
    • Can organize in subfolders if desired
/Ventoy Drive/
├── VMware/
│   ├── VMware-ESXi-8.0U3-24022510-x86_64.iso
│   └── VMware-ESXi-7.0U3p-23307199-x86_64.iso
├── Proxmox/
│   └── proxmox-ve_8.2-2.iso
├── XCP-ng/
│   └── xcp-ng-8.3.0.iso
├── Tools/
│   ├── memtest86-pro-10.7.iso
│   └── gparted-live-1.6.0-3-amd64.iso
└── Recovery/
    └── systemrescue-11.02-amd64.iso

Step 4: Customize Ventoy (Optional)

Create ventoy.json in the Ventoy partition root:

{
    "theme": {
        "display_mode": "GUI",
        "resolution": "1920x1080"
    },
    "menu_alias": [
        {
            "image": "/VMware/VMware-ESXi-8.0U3-24022510-x86_64.iso",
            "alias": "ESXi 8.0 Update 3 (Latest)"
        },
        {
            "image": "/Proxmox/proxmox-ve_8.2-2.iso",
            "alias": "Proxmox VE 8.2"
        }
    ],
    "control": [
        {
            "VTOY_DEFAULT_SEARCH_ROOT": "/",
            "VTOY_MENU_TIMEOUT": "10"
        }
    ]
}

Step 5: Using Ventoy on MS-A2

  1. Insert USB into MS-A2
  2. Power on and press DEL for BIOS
  3. Set boot order to USB first (or use F11 boot menu)
  4. Ventoy menu appears showing all ISOs
  5. Select your ISO with arrow keys
  6. Press Enter to boot

Pro Tips

ISO Downloads:

  • ESXi: VMware Customer Connect (free account)
  • Proxmox: proxmox.com/downloads
  • XCP-ng: xcp-ng.org/download

Ventoy Features:

  • F5 in menu = Tools submenu
  • F6 = Browse and boot local disk
  • Can boot both Legacy BIOS and UEFI
  • Supports Secure Boot (with enrollment)

Testing:

  • Verify USB boots on another machine first
  • Check all ISOs show in menu
  • Test one installation before production

Troubleshooting

USB Not Detected:

  • Try different USB ports
  • Disable Secure Boot initially
  • Update MS-A2 BIOS if needed

ISO Won’t Boot:

  • Verify ISO integrity (checksum)
  • Some ISOs need specific options
  • Check Ventoy compatibility list

Want me to cover the ESXi installation process once you’ve created the Ventoy USB?

ESXi Installation on Minisforum MS-A2

Pre-Installation Checklist

  • ✓ Ventoy USB with ESXi 8.0 U3 ISO
  • ✓ MS-A2 connected to network (at least one cable)
  • ✓ Monitor and keyboard connected
  • ✓ Know which drive is your 500GB boot drive

Step 1: BIOS Configuration

  1. Power on MS-A2 and immediately press DEL repeatedly
  2. Navigate to Advanced Mode (F7 if in EZ mode)

Critical BIOS Settings:

Advanced → CPU Configuration
├── SVM Mode: [Enabled]
├── IOMMU: [Enabled]
└── C-States: [Disabled] (for consistent performance)

Advanced → Storage Configuration  
├── SATA Mode: [AHCI]
└── NVMe RAID: [Disabled]

Advanced → Network Stack
├── Network Boot: [Enabled] (optional)
└── SR-IOV: [Enabled]

Boot → Boot Option Priorities
└── Set USB as #1
  1. Save & Exit (F10)

Step 2: Boot from Ventoy

  1. Ventoy menu appears → Select ESXi 8.0 U3 ISO
  2. ESXi installer loads (~30-60 seconds)
  3. Welcome screen → Press Enter

Step 3: ESXi Installation Process

1. EULA

  • Press F11 to accept

2. Select Installation Disk

Available Disks:
- Samsung 980 Pro 500GB [Target - Boot Drive]
- Solidigm P5520 7.68TB [DO NOT SELECT]
- Samsung 990 Pro 4TB [DO NOT SELECT]
  • ⚠️ SELECT YOUR 500GB DRIVE CAREFULLY
  • Use arrow keys to select
  • Press Enter

3. Keyboard Layout

  • Default US, or select your layout
  • Press Enter

4. Root Password

  • Set a strong password
  • Confirm password
  • Write this down!

5. Confirm Install

  • Review settings
  • Press F11 to install
  • Installation takes ~5-10 minutes

6. Installation Complete

  • Remove USB when prompted
  • Press Enter to reboot

Step 4: Initial Configuration

After reboot, ESXi Direct Console (DCUI) appears

  1. Press F2 → Login with root password

  2. Configure Management Network

Network Adapters
├── vmnic0 (2.5GbE) ← Select for management
├── vmnic1 (2.5GbE)
├── vmnic2 (10GbE SFP+)
└── vmnic3 (10GbE SFP+)
  1. IPv4 Configuration
  • Set static IP (e.g., 192.168.1.100)
  • Subnet mask
  • Default gateway
  1. DNS Configuration
  • Primary DNS: Your router/DNS server
  • Hostname: esxi1-ms-a2
  • Domain: yourdomain.local

  1. Test Management Network (optional but recommended)

  2. Press ESC to exit, Y to save

Step 5: Web UI Access

  1. From another computer, browse to:

    https://192.168.1.100

  2. Login: root / [your password]

  3. Initial Web UI Tasks:

    • Accept SSL certificate warning
    • Note the 60-day evaluation banner

Step 6: Post-Install Configuration

1. Patch ESXi (Recommended)

Host → Manage → Packages → Install Update
- Upload latest patch bundle
- Install and reboot

2. Configure Time (NTP)

Host → Manage → System → Time & Date
- Enable NTP
- Add NTP servers
- Start service

3. Enable SSH (for automation)

Host → Manage → Services
- Find "SSH" → Start
- Policy: Start and stop with host

4. License

Host → Manage → Licensing
- Assign license (or continue with 60-day eval)
- Note: Free license limits VMs to 8 vCPUs

Step 7: Storage Configuration

1. Verify All NVMe Drives

Storage → Devices
Should show:
- 500GB boot (already has VMFS datastore)
- 7.68TB NVMe
- 4TB NVMe

2. Create Additional Datastores

Storage → Datastores → New Datastore
├── Type: VMFS 6
├── Name: VM-Storage-Primary
├── Device: 7.68TB drive
└── Use full disk

Repeat for 4TB drive:
├── Name: VM-Storage-Fast
└── Device: 4TB drive

Step 8: Network Configuration

1. Create vSwitch for 10GbE

Networking → Virtual Switches → Add
├── Type: vSphere Standard Switch
├── Name: vSwitch1-10GbE
├── Uplinks: vmnic2, vmnic3 (both 10GbE)
├── MTU: 9000 (jumbo frames)

2. Create Port Groups

vMotion Network:
├── vSwitch: vSwitch1-10GbE
├── VLAN ID: 20 (or your choice)
└── Used for: vMotion traffic

Storage Network:
├── vSwitch: vSwitch1-10GbE
├── VLAN ID: 30
└── Used for: iSCSI/NFS

Step 9: Prepare for Second Node

Document these settings for MS-A2 #2:

  • IP scheme (use .101 for second host)
  • VLAN IDs
  • vSwitch configuration
  • Datastore naming convention

Verification Checklist

  • Can access web UI
  • All 3 NVMe drives visible
  • All 4 network adapters detected
  • Time synchronized via NTP
  • SSH accessible (if enabled)
  • Datastores created on all drives

Next Steps

  1. Install vCenter (if using both hosts)
  2. Configure HA/DRS cluster
  3. Set up distributed switching
  4. Create first VMs!

Common Issues

Purple Screen (PSOD):

  • Usually driver related
  • Check VMware HCL for compatibility

Missing Network Adapters:

  • 10GbE SFP+ might need Intel drivers
  • Check community drivers if needed

Storage Not Visible:

  • Ensure AHCI mode in BIOS
  • NVMe drives should auto-detect

Ready to install the second MS-A2, or do you want to explore vCenter setup for managing both hosts?

This project is for educational and home lab purposes.