Specifications

Table 6‑5. Boot Options for ESXi Installation (Continued)
Boot Option Description
netmask=subnet mask
Specifies subnet mask for the network interface that
downloads the installation script and the installation media.
vlanid=vlanid
Configure the network card to be on the specified VLAN.
About Installation and Upgrade Scripts
The installation/upgrade script is a text file, for example ks.cfg, that contains supported commands.
The command section of the script contains the ESXi installation options. This section is required and must
appear first in the script.
Locations Supported for Installation or Upgrade Scripts
In scripted installations and upgrades, the ESXi installer can access the installation or upgrade script, also
called the kickstart file, from several locations.
The following locations are supported for the installation or upgrade script:
n
CD/DVD. See “Create an Installer ISO Image with a Custom Installation or Upgrade Script,” on
page 91.
n
USB Flash drive. See “Create a USB Flash Drive to Store the ESXi Installation Script or Upgrade Script,”
on page 89.
n
A location accessible with the following protocols: NFS, HTTP, HTTPS, FTP
Path to the Installation or Upgrade Script
You can specify the path to an installation or upgrade script.
ks=http://XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX/kickstart/KS.CFG is the path to the ESXi installation script, where
XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX is the IP address of the machine where the script resides. See “About Installation and
Upgrade Scripts,” on page 117.
To start an installation script from an interactive installation, you enter the ks= option manually. See “Enter
Boot Options to Start an Installation or Upgrade Script,” on page 115.
Installation and Upgrade Script Commands
To modify the default installation or upgrade script or to create your own script, use supported commands.
Use supported commands in the installation script, which you specify with a boot command when you boot
the installer.
To determine which disk to install or upgrade ESXi on, the installation script requires one of the following
commands: install, upgrade, or installorupgrade. The install command creates the default partitions,
including a VMFS datastore that occupies all available space after the other partitions are created. The
install command replaces the autopart command that was used for scripted ESXi 4.1 installations.
accepteula or vmaccepteula (required)
Accepts the ESXi license agreement. This command functions as it did in ESXi 4.1.
clearpart (optional)
Compared to kickstart, the behavior of the ESXi clearpart command is different. Carefully edit the
clearpart command in your existing scripts.
Chapter 6 Upgrading and Migrating Your Hosts
VMware, Inc. 117