Specifications

--overwritevmfs
Required to overwrite an existing VMFS datastore on the disk before
installation.
--preservevmfs
Preserves an existing VMFS datastore on the disk during installation.
--novmfsondisk
Prevents a VMFS partition from being created on this disk. Must be used
with --overwritevmfs if a VMFS partition already exists on the disk.
installorupgrade
Either the install, upgrade, or installorupgrade command is required to determine which disk to install or
upgrade ESXi on.
--disk= or --drive=
Specifies the disk to partition. In the command --disk=diskname, the diskname
can be in any of the forms shown in the following examples:
n
Path: --disk=/vmfs/devices/disks/mpx.vmhba1:C0:T0:L0
n
MPX name: --disk=mpx.vmhba1:C0:T0:L0
n
VML name: --disk=vml.000000034211234
n
vmkLUN UID: --disk=vmkLUN_UID
For accepted disk name formats, see “Disk Device Names,” on page 193.
--firstdisk=
disk-type1,
[disk-type2,...]
Partitions the first eligible disk found. By default, the eligible disks are set to
the following order:
1 Locally attached storage (local)
2 Network storage (remote)
3 USB disks (usb)
You can change the order of the disks by using a comma separated list
appended to the argument. If you provide a filter list, the default settings are
overridden. You can combine filters to specify a particular disk, including
esx for the first disk with ESX installed on it, model and vendor information,
or the name of the vmkernel device driver. For example, to prefer a disk with
the model name ST3120814A and any disk that uses the mptsas driver rather
than a normal local disk, the argument is
--firstdisk=ST3120814A,mptsas,local.
--overwritevsan
You must use the --overwritevsan option when you install ESXi on a disk,
either SSD or HDD (magnetic), that is in a Virtual SAN disk group. If you use
this option and there is no Virtual SAN partition on the selected disk, the
installation will fail. When you install ESXi on a disk that is in Virtual SAN
disk group, the result depends on the disk you select:
n
If you select an SSD, the SSD and all underlying HDDs in the same disk
group will be wiped.
n
If you select an HDD, and the disk group size is greater than two, only
the selected HDD will be wiped.
n
If you select an HDD disk, and the disk group size is two or less, the SSD
and the selected HDD will be wiped.
For more information about managing Virtual SAN disk groups, see the
vSphere Storage documentation.
Chapter 7 Upgrading and Migrating Your Hosts
VMware, Inc. 187