Specifications

Disk Device Names
The install, upgrade, and installorupgrade installation script commands require the use of disk device
names.
Table 6‑6. Disk Device Names
Format Examples Description
VML vml.00025261 The device name as reported by
the vmkernel
MPX mpx.vmhba0:C0:T0:L0 The device name
NOTE When you use a scripted upgrade to upgrade from ESX 4.x to ESXi 5.0, the MPX and VML disk
names change, which might cause the upgrade to fail. To avoid this problem, use Network Address
Authority Identifiers (NAA IDs) for the disk device instead of MPX and VML disk names.
About the boot.cfg File
The boot loader configuration file boot.cfg specifies the kernel, the kernel options, and the boot modules
that the mboot.c32 boot loader uses in an ESXi installation.
The boot.cfg file is provided in the ESXi installer. You can modify the kernelopt line of the boot.cfg file to
specify the location of an installation script or to pass other boot options.
The boot.cfg file has the following syntax:
# boot.cfg -- mboot configuration file
#
# Any line preceded with '#' is a comment.
title=STRING
kernel=FILEPATH
kernelopt=STRING
modules=FILEPATH1 --- FILEPATH2... --- FILEPATHn
# Any other line must remain unchanged.
The commands in boot.cfg configure the boot loader.
Table 6‑7. Commands in boot.cfg .
Command Description
title=STRING Sets the boot loader title to STRING.
kernel=FILEPATH Sets the kernel path to FILEPATH.
kernelopt=STRING Appends STRING to the kernel boot options.
modules=FILEPATH1 --- FILEPATH2... ---
FILEPATHn
Lists the modules to be loaded, separated by three hyphens
(---).
See “Create an Installer ISO Image with a Custom Installation or Upgrade Script,” on page 91, “PXE Boot
the ESXi Installer by Using PXELINUX and a PXE Configuration File,” on page 95, “PXE Boot the ESXi
Installer by Using PXELINUX and an isolinux.cfg PXE Configuration File,” on page 96, and “PXE Booting
the ESXi Installer,” on page 91.
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