6.5.1

Upgrading Systems for Device Alias Profiles
In ESXi versions earlier than 5.5, the Device Alias Configuration profile does not exist. Consider the
following problems when you upgrade from previous versions of ESXi to ESXi 5.5 and later:
n
For installed hosts, that is, hosts not provisioned with vSphere Auto Deploy, upgrading the ESXi host
preserves aliases. After they are upgraded, aliases remain stable as long as the BIOS provides the
information.
n
When you upgrade a cluster of ESXi host provisioned with vSphere Auto Deploy image, the aliases
do not change because ESXi 5.5 uses the same algorithm to generate aliases as earlier versions.
Generate a new host profile for the reference host. This host profile includes the Device Alias
Configuration profile. Set up vSphere Auto Deploy to apply the reference host's host profile to all
other hosts for consistent device naming across your cluster.
n
When upgrading a system, do not flash the BIOS, because this action can change aliases. Flashing
the BIOS to the latest level is more appropriate for a new install.
Provision ESXi Host by Using an Image Profile Without VMware Tools
When you provision ESXi hosts with vSphere Auto Deploy, you can select to provision the host by using
the image profile that does not contain VMware Tools binaries. This image profile is usually smaller, has a
lower memory overhead, and boots faster in a PXE-boot environment.
If you find the network boot time too slow when using the standard image, or if you want to save some
space on the hosts, you can use the image profile that does not include VMware Tools, and place the
VMware Tools binaries on a shared storage.
Prerequisites
Download thexxxxx-no-tools `image profile from the VMware download site.
Procedure
1 Boot an ESXi host that was not provisioned with vSphere Auto Deploy.
2 Copy the /productLocker directory from the ESXi host to a shared storage.
3 Change the UserVars.ProductLockerLocation variable to point to the /productLocker directory.
a In the vSphere Web Client, select the reference host and click the Manage tab.
b Select Settings and click Advanced System Settings.
c Filter the settings for uservars, and select UserVars.ProductLockerLocation.
d Click the pen icon and edit the location so it points to the shared storage.
4 Create a host profile from the reference host.
5 Create a vSphere Auto Deploy rule that assigns the xxxxx-no-tools image profile and host profile
from the reference host to all other hosts.
6 Boot your target hosts with the rule so they pick up the product locker location from the reference
host.
vSphere Installation and Setup
VMware, Inc. 180