VMware VCP 4 Dumps|Pass your VCP 4 Exam Today

After choosing Advanced Setup, you are presented with ‘ESX Storage Device’ screen. Select the storage
disk and click Next.

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Enter the name of the new datastore and click Next.

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Now you are presented with the partitions that ESX created automatically. These are the required partitions.
You can add new partitions which are optional partitions. The recommended partitions are:
Primary:
/ – 5120MB
Swap – 1600MB
Extended Partition:
/var – 4096MB
/home – 2048MB
/opt – 2048MB
/tmp – 2048MB

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To do that click ‘New’.

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The define partition box appears. Enter /opt in the mount type, select ‘ext3′ as file system type, define the size
of the partition and click OK. Do the same for all the partitions defined above.

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Once you are done with the partitions, click Next.
You are presented with the ‘Time Zone Settings‘ where you need to set up the time zone for ESX. Select
your city and click Next.

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On the ‘Date and Time‘ screen, you can either select to configure time through NTP server or you can do it
manually. If you have an NTP configured, select the NTP option. Click Next.

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On Set Administrator Password screen, enter the password for ‘root’. You can also add additional accounts
and set their passwords. To add a new account, click ‘Add’.

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Enter username and password for the new account and click OK.
On the Set Administrator Password screen, click Next.

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On the ‘Summary of Installation Settings’ screen, review the settings you chose and click Next.

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The installation starts. Once the installation is finished, click Next.

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Note down the IP address mentioned on the Installation Complete Screen if the IP address is assigned through
DHCP and click Finish to reboot the ESX server.

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After the reboot, ESX 4.0 will start. The welcome or console screen will appear.

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You can open the ESX console by pressing Alt+F1. Bascially it is a command line environment that you can
use to configure various options including partitions and other important parameters.
References:
• http://vmwaretraining.blogspot.com/2009/09/studying-for-vcp-on-vsphere-4.html
• http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=
1009080

Lab Objectives
Using your personal lab equipment, install ESX Server on a recommended physical machine using graphical
mode.
Lab Solution
To install ESX server, insert the CD/DVD in CD/DVD drive. Boot the system from CD/DVD using the option
in the BIOS. The installation process starts and loads with the installation options screen
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Select ‘Install ESX in graphical mode’ The installation starts extracting the data.
Once the loading finishes, the installation wizard appears. Review the information and click Next.
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Accept the license by checking the box and hit Next.
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On Select Keyboard screen, select U.S English and click Next. You can also select the language you are
comfortable with.
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On the ‘Select Drivers’ screen, select No and click Next. If you have a hard disk or some other hardware that
is not supported by ESX server, you can install the driver by ejecting the ESX installation media and inserting
the driver media. Once the driver is loaded, it will show in the list. To install a driver, select ‘Yes’ and then
select ‘Add’.
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When you click Next, ESX installer will ask you whether you want to load the system drivers. Click ‘Yes’.
ESX will start loading the drivers. Once the loading finishes, click Next.

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Now you are presented with the License options. You can enter the license number and choose ‘Enter a serial
number now’ or you can choose to evaluate the software and select ‘Enter a serial number later’. you can enter
the serial number from Vcenter server once you evaluate ESX server. Click Next.
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On Network Configuration screen, select the network adapter from the drop down list. ESX has already
loaded the drivers for system components so you can select the required adapter from the list. The one the ESX
connects itself will show as connected. Click Next.
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On Network Configuration information screen, you can either use DHCP to automatically assign network
addresses and host name or you can select to specify IP addresses, subnet mask, Primary and alternate DNS
server and hostname. Once you specify the information, click ‘Test these settings’ to test them first. Click
Next.
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On the Setup Type screen, you are presented with two options. You can select installing ESX on a single disk
or LUN – Standard Setup. The installer configures the default partitions on a single hard drive or LUN where
you install ESX. The default partitions are sized based on the capacity of the hard drive or LUN. To configure
the partitions manually and create optional partitions as shown in the ‘Optional Partitions’ table in this lab,
select the second option – Advanced Setup. This setup allows you to specify esxconsole.vmdk partition
settings, kernel options, and a bootloader location and password. If you leave the Configure boot loader
automatically option selected, the installer places the boot loader in the master boot record (MBR).

Local Storage
Local storage can be internal hard disks located inside your ESX host, or external storage systems located
outside and connected to the host directly.
Local storage does not require a storage network to communicate with your host. All you need is a cable
connected to the storage unit and, when required, a compatible HBA in your host. Generally, you can connect
multiple hosts to a single local storage system. The actual number of hosts you connect varies depending on the
type of storage device and topology you use. Many local storage systems support redundant connection paths to
ensure fault tolerance. When multiple hosts connect to the local storage unit, they access storage devices in the
unshared mode. The unshared mode does not permit several hosts to access the same VMFS datastore
concurrently. However, a few SAS storage systems offer shared access to multiple hosts. This type of access
permits multiple hosts to access the same VMFS datastore on a LUN.

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ESX supports a variety of internal or external local storage devices, including SCSI, IDE, SATA, USB, and
SAS storage systems. No matter which type of storage you use, your host hides a physical storage layer from
virtual machines.
• When you set up your local storage, keep in mind the following:
• You cannot use IDE/ATA drives to store virtual machines.
• Use local SATA storage, internal and external, in unshared mode only. SATA storage does not support
sharing the same LUNs and, therefore, the same VMFS datastore across multiple hosts.
• Some SAS storage systems can offer shared access to the same LUNs (and, therefore, the same VMFS
datastores) to multiple hosts.
ESX hosts have required and optional partitions.
/boot and vmkcore are physical partitions. /, swap, /var/log, and all the optional partitions are stored on a virtual
disk called esxconsole-/esxconsole.vmdk. The virtual disk is stored in a VMFS volume.
ESX requires several partitions. If you delete a required partition, be sure to create a new one of the same type.
You cannot define the sizes of the /boot, vmkcore, and /vmfs partitions when you use the graphical or text
installation modes. You can define these partition sizes when you do a scripted installation.
Required Partitions
Following are the partitions required by ESX server.
Mount
Point
Type Size Location Partition Description
/boot ext3
The ESX boot disk requires
1.25GB of free space and
includes the /boot and
vmkcorepartitions. The
/boot partition alone
requires 1100MB.
Physical partition The boot
drive usually defaults to the
specified /boot partition
location.
Stores information required to
boot the ESX host system.
For example, this is where the
grub boot loader resides.
Not
applicable
swap
600MB recommended
minimum 1600MB
maximum Use the default
value applied during
installation.
Virtual disk in a VMFS
volume
Allows ESX to use disk space
when more memory is needed
than the physical RAM
allows. NOTE Do not
confuse the ESX swap
partition with virtual machine
swap space. Checkout the
“Resource Management
Guide”.
/ ext3
Calculated dynamically
based on the size of the
/usrpartition. By default, the
minimum size is 5GB and
no /usrpartition is defined.
Virtual disk in a VMFS
volume
Contains the ESX operating
system and services,
accessible through the service
console. Also contains thirdparty
add-on services or
applications you
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Not
Applicable
VMFS3 esxconsole.vmdk: 1200MB
Physical partition
located on one of the
following:
• Local or boot
• drive
• Local SCSI
• volume
• Networked SCSI
• volume
• SAN
The service console
must be installed on a VMFS
datastore
that is resident on a host’s
local disk or on a SAN disk
that is masked and zoned to
that particular host only.
Used to store virtual
machines. You can create any
number of VMFS volumes on
each LUN if the space is
available. VMFS2 is
supported in read-only mode
to import legacy virtual
machines.
Not
applicable
vmkcore
The ESX boot disk requires
1.25GB of free space and
includes the /boot and
vmkcore partitions. The
/boot
partition alone requires
1100MB.
Physical partition
located on one of the
following:
• Local SCSI
• volume
• Networked SCSI
• volume
• SAN
Cannot be located on
a software iSCSI
volume.
Used to store core dumps for
debugging and technical
support. If multiple ESX
hosts share a SAN, configure
a vmkcore partition with
100MB for each host.
Optional partitions
Mount
Point
Type
Recommended
Size
Location Partition Description
/home ext3 512MB
Virtual disk in a
VMFS volume
Used for storage by individual users.
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/tmp ext3 1024MB
Virtual disk in a
VMFS volume
Used to store temporary files.
/usr ext3
Virtual disk in a
VMFS volume
Used for user programs and data.
/var/log ext3 2000MB
Virtual disk in a
VMFS volume
Used to store log files. The graphical and text
installers create this 2000MB partition by default.
Following are the partitions that are not generally required by ESX server; however, it is useful to do these
partitions to manage important data. You can create these optional partitions during or after the ESX installation
procedure.
You cannot define the sizes of the /boot, vmkcore, and /vmfs partitions when you use the graphical or text
installation modes. You can define these partition sizes when you do a scripted installation.
The ESX boot disk requires 1.25GB of free space and includes the /boot and vmkcore partitions. The /boot
partition alone requires 1100MB
Lab Scenario
The Network Analyst has decided to install VMware Vsphere4 to manage host of applications and resources,
company uses at its headquarters. He has directed you to setup two ESX servers. The ESX servers will host
multiple virtual machines – each performing a set of important task concerning media storage. You need to
install ESX server as part of the VMware implementation procedure. After checking the physical server for
minimum requirements for ESX, you initiate the installation procedure using graphical mode.

Technology Background
Installing ESX Server

Before installing ESX server, you have to make sure that your hardware is compatible with the minimum
hardware requirements necessary for an ESX server. For minimum hardware requirements, checkout ‘ESX
and vCenter Server Installation Guide’.

Basically, there are three ways to install ESX server on a compatible physical machine:
1 – Graphical Mode
2 – Text mode
3 – Scripted mode

Graphical Mode
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Graphical mode the recommended option because you can easily configure ESX options without learning or
memorizing bootstrap commands of text commands in general. The Scripted mode is good for unattended
installation; however, you need to learn some advanced stuff to execute the installation of ESX on a server.
If you’re installing ESX for the first time, graphical mode is recommended. When the select installation options
screen appears, you need to select the installation mode, if you don’t, ESX will execute the graphical mode by
default.
Text mode
Text mode is normally used when your video card is not functioning well in the graphical mode. You can also
use text mode to configure some advanced options as well. It is only recommended for advanced users.
Scripted Mode
You can quickly deploy ESX hosts using scripted, unattended installations. Scripted installations provide a
efficient way to deploy multiple hosts.
The installation script contains the installation settings for ESX. You can apply the script to all your hosts that
will have a similar configuration.
Scripted installations include the following steps:
• Create a script using the supported commands.
• Edit the installation script as needed to change settings that are unique for each host.
• Run the scripted installation.
The installation script can reside in one of the following locations:
• Default installation script
• FTP
• HTTP/HTTPS
• NFS
• USB flash drive
• Local disk
Scripted mode is also ideal if you want to install ESX on multiple physical machines. You can install onto
multiple machines using a single script for all of them or using a separate script for each machine.
One of the settings that you can configure in a script is the IP setting, which can be static IP or DHCP for the
host on which you are installing ESX. Choose one of the following approaches:
• Create multiple scripts, each containing unique network identification information. The unique network
information includes the static IP address and host name of each ESX host.
• Create one script (or use a default script) that uses DHCP to set up multiple ESX hosts. After you
complete a scripted installation, you can then configure each ESX host separately to assign a unique host
name and IP address. VMware recommends that you use static IP addresses.
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ESX Storage
ESX storage is storage space on a variety of physical storage systems, local or networked, that a host uses to
store virtual machine disks.
A virtual machine uses a virtual hard disk to store its operating system, program files, and other data associated
with its activities. A virtual disk is a large physical file, or a set of files, that can be copied, moved, archived,
and backed up as easily as any other file. To store virtual disk files and manipulate the files, a host requires
dedicated storage space.
The host uses storage space on a variety of physical storage systems, including your host’s internal and external
devices, or networked storage, dedicated to the specific tasks of storing and protecting data.
The host can discover storage devices to which it has access and format them as datastores. The datastore is a
special logical container, analogous to a file system on a logical volume, where ESX places virtual disk files
and other files that encapsulate essential components of a virtual machine. Deployed on different devices, the
datastores hide specifics of each storage product and provide a uniform model for storing virtual machine files.
Using the vSphere Client, you can set up datastores on any storage device that your host discovers. In addition,
you can use folders to create logical groups of datastores for organizational purposes, and for setting
permissions and alarms across the datastore group.
Types of Physical Storage
The ESX storage management process starts with a storage space that your storage administrator pre-allocates
on different storage systems.
ESX supports the following types of storage:
• Local Storage Stores virtual machine files on internal or external storage disks or arrays attached to
your host through a direct connection.
• Networked Storage Stores virtual machine files on external shared storage systems located outside of
your host. The host communicates with the networked devices through a high-speed network.

Exam Objective: Perform a custom installation

Contents
• Introduction
• Technology Background
• Lab Scenario
• Lab Objectives
• Lab Solution

Customize storage layout for given situations

Introduction
ESX server – Bare Metal Hypervisor
To understand the whole virtualization concept of creating a datacenter on minimum resources, you need to
understand ESX server which is a bare metal hypervisor. Now that is difficult term to understand, so to make it
easy, we are rephrasing the term in simpler words: ‘ ESX server is a software that run independent of any OS
and it minimizes the use of hardware resources to the point where you can run multiple servers on a single
physical machine’
Due to the architecture of virtualization, each single physical server can run many virtual machines
simultaneously. Each of these machines believes it is running on its own dedicated hardware. So you can have
multiple servers on a single physical machine that can perform multiple tasks without creating a mess or going
low on resources!
ESX Server is, as mentioned above, an enterprise level virtualization tool. It utilizes services that manage
numerous virtual machines with greater reliability and efficiency than VMware’s more basic Server product.
The reason for this is because ESX Server runs on “bare-metal.” This essentially means that you install the ESX
Server software directly into the computer, without an operating system for it to run on top of.
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ESX Server is meant to be used by companies that need to streamline their server hardware as much as possible.
It can also be used to perform almost instant deployment of new servers and perform maintenance on existing
in-use servers without the need for downtime.
Another interesting use of ESX Server is for disaster recovery. Since ESX Server is hardware independent, the
applications (and operating systems) that run on it are instantly portable.
The necessarily uniform nature of the server’s hardware and ESX Server’s virtual specs make deploying,
maintaining, and remotely managing virtual machines extremely easy.
All of these amazing features don’t come cheap. VMware ESX Server is meant to be an enterprise-level
product, and it comes with an enterprise-level price tag. Add to this the fact that it requires a pretty beefy server
to run at its best.
In fact, ESX Server requires special CPU hardware from Intel or AMD to run the required processor
instructions efficiently. Also, you will need some kind of persistent storage solution to store all of the
information on the virtual machines and their virtual hard disks.
Of course these are minor inconveniences when considering how much the cost of buying and deploying the
same number of physical servers as you would use by virtualizing.
Now you can consolidate your servers and run more efficiently. Turn that server room from intimidating to just
timid. With ESX Server, you really can’t go wrong.
To aptly configure ESX server, you need to create specific partitions on a local storage. Since ESX server needs
to do a lot of stuff, it requires specific storage layout to store logs, configuration files, temporary files, user
accounts and various other configurations in specific storage layouts.