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Howto install ESXi 3.5 update 3 on USB memory key

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How-to Install ESXi 3.5 U3 on USB Stick

If you do not want to install VMware ESXi 3.5 update 3 on your local drive, you can just follow a simplified procedure which you'll find below. You can find detailed information about what's new in this release at WMware website here.

All you need to do is follow this little howto about How to install ESXi 3.5 update 3 on a USB memory key. It's pretty straightforward and you should not have any issues with it.

1.) First get this freeware tools: IZArc, and also WinImage. (trial)

2.) Download the ESXi ISO file to your computer.

esxi-on-USB-2.jpg

3.) Open the ISO with IZArc

4.) Extract the file “install.tgz”

esxi-on-USB-3.jpg

5.) Then you will need to open “install.tgz” with IZArc

esxi-on-USB-5.jpg

6.) Click on the “install.tar”

7.) Browse to this directory: “usrlibvmwareinstaller”

8.) Then you'll need to open “VMware-VMvisor-big-3.5.0_Update_3-103909.i386.dd.bz2?esxi-on-USB-6.jpg

9.) And choose extract “VMware-VMvisor-big-3.5.0_Update_3-103909.i386.dd”

esxi-on-USB-7.jpg

10.) After that you'll need to open WinImage and go to Disk, click on “Restore Virtual Harddisk Image on physical drive”

esxi-on-USB-8.jpg

11.) Then just select a physical drive

12.) Select “VMware-VMvisor-big-3.5.0_Update_3-103909.i386.dd”

esxi-on-USB-9.jpg

13.) After just click “yes” to write the DD image to the USB Disk

esxi-on-USB.jpg

Enjoy..

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About Vladan SEGET

This website is maintained by Vladan SEGET. Vladan is as an Independent consultant, professional blogger, vExpert x16, Veeam Vanguard x9, VCAP-DCA/DCD, ESX Virtualization site has started as a simple bookmarking site, but quickly found a large following of readers and subscribers.

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Comments

  1. NiTRo says

    Hi Vladan,

    Nice Tutorial.
    Does it supports to be changed from one hardware type to another ? I’d like to test this stuff on different servers without to install ESXi every time

    Thx

    NiTRos last blog post..vmfs-undelete : l

  2. Vladan SEGET says

    Good question,

    But I’m not sure I’m getting it right. You want to test the USB key on different servers right? Then there should not be a problem, but every time you change the server with the same USB key, you’ll have to change your configuraiton (like IP adress etc…)

    The USB key does not install anythink on the server. The server just boots from it. If you test it, share your experience with the rest of us. The knowleadge is to be shared…. -:)

    Vladan

  5. Bruce says

    Great, except I get to 99% of writing to the usb – and WinImage8.1 fails – can\’t read the source file 🙁
    Tried three times with different filenames and paths. Tried unzipping the iso again. I use Win2000 – mebbe an issue there?
    Any ideas?

    • Vladan SEGET says

      I did not find any issues with that when I did that. Maybee try to change USB.. I might give it another try this week end.. Just to make sure…. -:)

  8. adi says

    PANIC: Error while reading file -1, cim.tgz

    and if I try the same with ESXi 4, I get a similar error

  9. Radu says

    Even this post is so old, I tried to test if the image works on an old intel server.
    The procedure above worked fine, but the server doesn’t boot from the usb key. I also tried to install from CDROM to the usb key, but it happened the same.
    I’m still not clear if it have to work on x32 server architecture

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