How to Install RHEL 8 in vm vSphere Client or VMware ESXi

How to Install RHEL 8 in vm vSphere Client or VMware ESXi

How to Install RHEL 8 in vm vSphere Client or VMware ESXi - Hello everyone, welcome to the kitsake.com blog. I hope you are all doing well and always blessed with ease in everything, be it in life or work. Amen.

Are you currently looking for a topic about Linux, particularly "How to install Red Hat Linux 8 step by step?" If so, then this post is the answer.

Installing Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 (RHEL 8) in a virtualized environment offers numerous advantages, such as resource efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the process of installing RHEL 8 on both VMware vSphere Client and VMware ESXi.

Without further ado, you can follow the steps I have carefully laid out in this post:

Preparation before Install RHEL 8 in vm vSphere Client

Download RHEL 8 .iso from Official Website

An RHEL 8 subscription and the RHEL 8 Binary DVD .iso file, which you can get at no cost by following the steps on the Get RHEL 8 page.

Your Red Hat username and password. Your account was created during step one. You will need this to register the system and attach it to your subscription. Completing these steps is required for your system to download software from Red Hat.

Upload File RHEL 8 .iso to Datastore in vm vSphere Client

After you successfully download the RHEL 8 ISO file, you need to place it into the ESXi datastore so that it can be mounted when you are ready to perform the RHEL installation.

Right Click datastore – Click Browse Files – Choose Folder ISO - Upload Files - Choose rhel-8.6-x86_64-dvd.iso – Wait until it's finished

Upload File rhel-8.6-x86_64-dvd.iso

Create New Virtual Machine in vm vSphere Client

At this stage, you will prepare a Virtual Machine that will later have Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 installed on it. This will be our minimal server.

Add New Virtual Machine

Right Click at Host – choose New Virtual Machine

New Virtual Machine in vm vSphere Client

1 Select a creation type – Create a new virtual machine - Click Next
2 Select a name and folder - Type Virtual machine name: "Kitsake" - Click Next

Note: Here, you can give your VM a name according to what you desire or its function as a server.

3 Select a compute resource - Next
4 Select storage - Next
5 Select compatibility - Compatible with : ESXi 6.5 and later - Click Next
6 Select a guest OS - Guest OS Family Linux - Guest OS Version Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7 (64-bit) - Click Next

7 Customize hardware

Note: Here you just need to fill in the hardware requirements for the VM. In this case, I will create it with low specifications because it's only for demonstration purposes. 

The setup will be different when you install servers for a web server, apps server, or database server needs. 

On tab virtual hardware

Here, you will configure the hardware requirements, including CPU, Memory, and Hard Disk. I will also enable the Hot Plug feature provided by VMware so that at certain times, when there is a need for additional hardware in this VM, you can add more CPUs and Memory.

CPU : Expand and Choose 2 vCPUs
CPU Hot Plug : Checklist Enable CPU Hot Add

Setup vCPU on vm vSphere Client

Memory : Expand and Choose 4 GB
Memory Hot Plug - Checklist Enable

Setup Memory on vm vSphere Client

New Hard disk : Type 20 GB

On tab virtual options

Also, I have selected an option provided by VMware, which is to synchronize the VM's clock with the host. This is very useful as the VM will instantly synchronize its time settings. It's important to note that you have already set up NTP on the host or ESXi.

Expand VMware Tools - Time - Checklist Synchronize guest time with host

Checklist Synchronize guest time with the host

7 Customize hardware - Next
8 Ready to complete – Finish

Mounting RHEL 8 .iso in vm vSphere Client

In the next step, we will be mounting the ISO file that we uploaded earlier. 

Right Click at VM Kitsake – Click Edit Settings

CD/DVD drive 1 – Datastore ISO File – Choose rhel-8.6-x86_64-dvd.iso - Status Checklist Connect At Power On - Ok

Mounting RHEL 8 .iso in vm vSphere Client

Right Click – Choose Power – Click Power On

Install Server OS RHEL 8 in vm vSphere Client or VMware ESXi

Okay, finally, we are entering the step-by-step installation phase of the Redhat Linux Server. 

Open with Remote Console

I really like VMware's Firur Remote Console compared to the web console. For those of you who want to use this remote console, you need to install dependencies on your computer first.

Launch Remote Console – Web Console

Launch Remote Console

Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6

Choose Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6 - Press Enter

Choose Install Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8.6

Choose Language

English – English (United States) - Continue

Choose the language would you like

Setup Time & Date

In this clock setting, try not to delay if possible because considering that time is crucial for log recording. If the clock is not accurate, it will be difficult when you are searching for logs with timestamps that are not synchronized with your current time.

Time & Date – Region (Asia) – City (Jakarta)

Time & Date

Software Selection

What I recommend is choosing the minimal install option. This is because only essential packages are installed, which typically include the core components of the operating system, essential system utilities, and basic networking tools. This minimal installation ensures a smaller footprint and reduces potential security risks since fewer packages are included by default.

Overall, the "minimal server" option in RHEL 8 provides a lightweight and efficient foundation for setting up a server with reduced overhead and fewer unnecessary components

Software Selection – Choose Minimal Install - Click Done

Minimal Install

Installation Destination

Installation Destination – Checklist Custom - Click Done

Installation Destination

Manual Partitioning

In this step, I usually create the partitions automatically first and then edit them manually until I find the right composition.

Click here to create them automatically - Click Done

Click here to create them automatically

Create partitions according to the needs of the application. When you have ample space, you can create multiple partitions. In my case, I only need the /root partition, as this guide is specifically for installing RHEL with minimal server configuration for this post.

Click Done - Click Accept Changes

Manual Partitioning

Click Done - Click Accept Changes

Network & Hostname

If you already have a Hostname for this new RHEL Server, Input the Hostname in the [Host Name] field. (possible to set it after installing)

Input Host Name : type kitsake - Click Apply

And then we will set up the IPv4 for this server:

Click Configure - Choose tab IPv4 Setting - Expand Method and choose Manual - Click Add - Input Address - Input Netmask - Input Gateway Input DNS Servers

And here, I also set up the IPv6 to be disabled.

Choose tab IPv6 Setting - Expand Method and choose Disable - Click Save - Click Done

Network & Hostname

Root Password

Provide your best password, one that is undoubtedly very secure, as a password is the most crucial aspect. You can also create it using a password generator to make it more unique and challenging, known only to you, and be sure to keep it safe.

Click Root Password - Input Root Password - Confirm Root Password - Click Done

root password

Installation Progress

Yes, the final step after configuring all the requirements of the RHEL 8 operating system is to proceed with the installation and format the configured system to become the coolest OS.

Click Begin Installation - Wait until it's finished - Click Reboot System

Reboot System

Login Prompt

After restarting the computer, the login prompt is shown as follows. Login with the root user or a common user you set during the installation. If logged normally, RHEL 8 Installation is successfully finished.

login prompt

FAQs

Q1: Can I install RHEL 8 on VMware Workstation instead?

Yes, you can install RHEL 8 on VMware Workstation by following a similar process. However, for this guide, we focus on installing RHEL 8 on VMware vSphere Client or VMware ESXi.

Q2: What are the minimum system requirements for RHEL 8?

The minimum system requirements for RHEL 8 are:

1. Processor: 1.5 GHz or faster multi-core processor
2. RAM: 2 GB
3. Disk Space: 25 GB

And that concludes my post about How to Install RHEL 8 in VM vSphere Client or VMware ESXi. I hope this post can serve as a reference for you when you want to install RHEL 8 operating system.

Maybe that's all I can share with you guys, hopefully, this article will be useful.

Thank You.