How to work comfortably with the VMware home lab
Here you will find out:
- what VMware is
- how to install VMware Workstation and ESXi
- how DiskInternals software can help you
Are you ready? Let's read!
What is VMware?
VMware is the most widely used virtualization platform for IT professionals and home users, as it provides high speed, scalability, reliability, security, and of course, convenience. VMware also offers one of two types of hypervisors:
- Type 1 (for example, ESXi Server) is installed directly on physical servers (thus it is known as a bare metal hypervisor). This type of hypervisor is used less often than type 2, since not every user has a free physical server on which they can try out the enterprise-level virtualization solution ESXi and VMware vSphere. Although some experts will disagree with this ESXi technically can be installed on your physical computer. To do this, if the ESXi installer is unable to detect some devices, you may need to integrate the VIB package into the ESXi installation disk image.
- Type 2 (such as VMware Player, Workstation, or Fusion) installs on existing operating systems running on desktops and laptops.
If you want to work comfortably with the VMware home lab
To do this, you need a computer that meets the hardware requirements for a home virtualization server; namely:
- 32 GB of RAM
- A multi-core x64 processor with a core clock speed of at least 1.3 GHz, and which supports Intel VT-x or AMD-V virtualization hardware extensions. The processor must have been manufactured no earlier than 2011.
- At least 200 GB of free space on a hard drive. if it is possible to use an SSD, it will be better, due to its higher read / write speed
- Ethernet network adapter
- Linux or Windows x64 (with a graphical interface)
How to install VMware Workstation on Windows
Installing VMware Workstation on Windows is not tedious or out of reach. To create a ESXi home lab, here's what you need to do:
Go to the directory and run the installer file (for example, the file name may be “VMware-workstation-full-15.0.1-10952284.exe”). The installation wizard will welcome you; follow its instructions.
You will need to accept the license agreement, select the installation location, decide on a few more important parameters, and finally click the "Install" button. If you are using the licensed version, you will be prompted to enter a license number. If you are using a trial version, you don't need to take any other steps. Just wait until VMware Workstation is installed.
How to install ESXi on a VM
You must read and accept the End User License Agreement (EULA). Press F11 to continue installation. Next, specify the disk for installation or update, and the keyboard layout. When prompted for a password, enter “root” and confirm it by pressing F11. After that, installing ESXi on a VM will start. Once the process is complete, restart the virtual machine.
If you need to recover your data
DiskInternals VMFS Recovery helps protect and restore your data, as it is designed to read VMware VMFS file systems quickly and correctly. This utility retrieves any files and folders from damaged or healthy disks in VMFS format remotely.
Recovery of VMDK images on ESXi and VMware vSphere servers is also available, which saves time for administrators. The program has a unique Recovery Wizard, which will ensure the smooth operation of the program and provide extremely positive results. The recovered files can be exported to local or remote locations (even by FTP).
Follow the step-by-step instructions for DiskInternals VMFS Recovery to help you avoid unnecessary errors.
Make sure SSH is configured in advance, if necessary.
Download the app and run the Recovery Wizard if it doesn't happen automatically.
Open a remote or local drive that requires a full or quick scan.
Once you find the VMDK files, mount them. You can now open them immediately (free).
Now that you are sure that the data is in order, it is time to click the "Buy a license" button and get a unique key with continuous access to the exported data.
Using DiskInternals VMFS Recovery, you can safely create a VMware lab and not worry about the safety of the stored data. If the VMware automatic recovery system fails, VMFS Recovery can always help you out!