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Step 5: Install and configure the host (ESXi)

You can install VMware ESXi on any server that meets the requirements for Lenovo XClarity Administrator.

Before you begin

If you intend to implement a high-availability environment, see Implementing high availability (ESXi) for more information about setting up the VMware ESXi cluster.

Ensure that the host meets the prerequisites that are defined in Hardware and software prerequisites.

Ensure that the host system is in the same network as the devices that you want to manage.

Important
You can setup XClarity Administrator on any system that meets the requirements for XClarity Administrator, including a managed server. If you use a managed server for the XClarity Administrator host:
  • You must implement either a virtually separate data and management network topology or a single data and management network topology.
  • You cannot use XClarity Administrator to apply firmware updates to that managed server. Even when only some of the firmware is applied with immediate activation, XClarity Administrator forces the target server to restart, which would restart XClarity Administrator as well. When applied with deferred activation, only some firmware is applied when the XClarity Administrator host is restarted.
  • If you use a server in a Flex System chassis, ensure that the server is set to automatically power on. You can set this option from the CMM web interface by clicking Chassis Management > Compute Nodes, then selecting the server, and selecting Auto Power for the Auto Power On Mode.

Procedure

Install and configure ESXi on the host using instructions that are provided by VMware. See your ESXi documentation for more information.

Note
You can also use ESXi with Lenovo customization. For information about obtaining that image, see the VMware Support – Downloads webpage.

During installation, you are prompted to select a disk drive where the image is to be installed. If you intend to run XClarity Administrator from a local disk drive, ensure that the disk drive has a minimum of 192 GB of space plus the size of the ESXi installation image.

Tip
After you complete the XClarity Administrator setup and manage your chassis and rack servers, you can deploy ESXi to the managed servers from the XClarity Administrator web interface. For information about deploying an operating system, see Installing operating systems on bare-metal servers.