How to install free VMware ESXi 8.0U3e and create your first VM

Get ready and download ESXi

This walkthrough is for a spare physical server with local storage and a simple wired network. By the end, you will be able to sign in to the host from a browser and start a small Ubuntu test VM.

Broadcom offers the free VMware vSphere Hypervisor as ESXi 8.0 Update 3e, build 24677879. Its free licence is included in the download. Newer ESXi 8 security releases have since appeared, so use this particular installer for a trusted, private lab. A production host needs an appropriate supported and patched deployment.

• Check the processor, network adapter and storage controller against Broadcom's ESXi 8 compatibility guidance. A missing storage or network driver can stop the installer before you get very far.
• Allow at least two CPU cores and 8 GB RAM; 16 GB gives the host and its first guest a little more room. Enable the processor's virtualisation and NX/XD features in firmware.
• Identify an installation disk with at least 32 GB of persistent storage. Everything on the selected installation disk can be overwritten. You will also need free space in an existing datastore or another empty disk for virtual machines.
• Have local or remote-console access, an administration computer, a network cable and your lab's management IP address, subnet mask, gateway and DNS details. The examples below assume an untagged lab network.

1. Sign in to the Broadcom Support Portal and open My Downloads.
2. Choose Free Software Downloads, search for VMware vSphere Hypervisor and select the free ESXi 8.0U3e ISO.
3. Accept the terms and any download verification prompts, then save the ISO locally. Confirm you have downloaded the free installer rather than a patch bundle for a commercially licensed version.

Install ESXi on the server

Start with a machine you are authorised to wipe. This is a clean installation, not an upgrade of a running host. Make a verified copy of anything you need to keep before selecting an installation disk.

Mount the ISO as virtual media through your server's remote management or write it to a bootable installer USB. Creating the USB also erases the chosen USB device, so check which device you selected.

1. Boot the server from the ESXi installation media. The installer should open with its welcome screen.
2. Press Enter and accept the licence agreement using the key indicated on screen.
3. Choose your empty installation disk. Check the device and capacity carefully; use F1 for disk details where offered. If you find an installation or datastore you intended to retain, stop here.
4. Choose the keyboard layout, set a strong root password and review the destination again. Press F11 only when you are ready for the installer to write to that disk.
5. Leave the installation to finish. It may sit on a progress screen for a few minutes while files are written. When the completion message appears, detach the installation media and restart as prompted.
6. Check that the machine now boots into the ESXi direct console and displays a management network address.

Set the management address

The address on the ESXi console is what you will use to manage the host. A static address makes a lab server easier to find later. The following settings assume your physical switch port is on an untagged network.

Keep the console available while applying the changes: ESXi restarts its management networking and an existing remote session may briefly disappear.

1. Press F2 on the ESXi console and sign in as root.
2. Open Configure Management Network, then Network Adapters. Confirm that the chosen physical adapter is connected to your lab switch.
3. Choose IPv4 Configuration, select Set static IP address and network configuration, then enter the reserved address, subnet mask and default gateway.
4. Under DNS Configuration, supply the DNS servers and hostname. Press Esc and confirm the prompt to apply the changes.
5. Run Test Management Network and confirm the console shows the expected address. A hostname test can fail if you have not created its DNS record; check IP connectivity independently before assuming the host is unreachable.

Open the ESXi Host Client

You can finish the setup from a browser using the VMware Host Client. This is the standalone server's management interface; the free licence does not provide vCenter management.

1. From your administration computer, open the assigned host address over HTTPS and add /ui/ to the URL. For example, use https://192.168.50.10/ui/ only if that is the address shown on your server.
2. A newly installed host may present a self-signed certificate. Before accepting a browser exception, check the address and compare the certificate fingerprint against the SSL thumbprint shown under F2 > View Support Information on the server console.
3. Sign in as root, complete any initial experience-improvement prompt and check the host summary. You should see the installed ESXi version, physical hardware and the embedded free licence.

Check you have storage for a VM

A datastore is where ESXi keeps VM files and virtual disks. Open Storage > Datastores first. If an existing usable datastore has enough free space, keep it and move on to networking.

If you need to create one, use a separate empty disk. Creating a datastore can erase its partitions and anything already stored there. Do not reformat a disk simply because its contents are unfamiliar.

1. Open Storage > Datastores > New datastore and choose Create new VMFS datastore.
2. Give it a name such as lab-datastore and select the intended empty device. Check the device identifier and capacity. Choose VMFS 6 if offered.
3. Review the final partitioning summary, confirm only the intended disk is affected and finish the wizard. Once complete, check that the datastore appears with the expected available space.

Connect a network for the test VM

ESXi uses a virtual switch to connect a VM to its physical network. The port group is the named connection the VM selects. For this straightforward lab, we will use the existing vSwitch0 uplink and create a port group on the same untagged network.

Check that the existing uplink really reaches the lab LAN. Leave the Management Network port group and its adapter settings alone so you do not lose access halfway through.

1. Open Networking and inspect vSwitch0. Make sure its physical uplink is connected to the intended switch port.
2. Choose Add port group under Networking. Name the group Test-VMs, select vSwitch0 and use VLAN ID 0 for the untagged lab connection. Keep the inherited security settings.
3. Save the group and confirm Test-VMs appears in the list. Your future test VM can now select that connection.

Create your first virtual machine

We will use Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS as a small, disposable guest. Two virtual CPUs, 4 GB of memory and a 40 GB virtual disk are reasonable starting values for this example, provided your host has the capacity.

1. Download an Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS amd64 ISO from Ubuntu's official release directory. In the Host Client, open your datastore browser and use Upload to transfer it. Let the upload finish before attaching it to a VM.
2. Choose Create/Register VM, then Create a new virtual machine.
3. Name the VM ubuntu-test, select an appropriate Linux/Ubuntu guest type and choose your datastore.
4. Allocate two vCPUs, 4 GB RAM and a new 40 GB virtual disk. Connect the network adapter to Test-VMs and enable connection at power-on.
5. Attach the uploaded image as a Datastore ISO file on the virtual CD/DVD drive, choose Connect at power on and finish. The VM should now appear in the inventory.

Install Ubuntu and check the result

The VM is now a piece of virtual hardware waiting for an operating system. Install Ubuntu onto its new virtual disk, then check the address and route from inside the guest. These final commands inspect networking; they do not change the ESXi host.

1. Power on ubuntu-test and open its console. The Ubuntu installer should start from the attached ISO.
2. Choose the language and keyboard, then confirm Ubuntu has an appropriate network connection. Use DHCP if your lab provides it or enter an unused static guest address.
3. Choose only the VM's new 40 GB virtual disk for installation, create an Ubuntu user and complete the installer. Formatting here affects the VM's virtual disk.
4. When Ubuntu finishes installing, disconnect its ISO, disable the CD/DVD drive's Connect at power on setting and restart. You should reach a normal Ubuntu sign-in prompt. Installation and the first boot can take a few minutes.
5. Sign in to Ubuntu and run these two read-only commands. Look for the expected guest IP address and, if your lab has a gateway, a default route.
   shellCopy

   ip -brief address
   ip route

6. Replace YOUR_GATEWAY_IP with your lab gateway address and run the connectivity check. Replies are useful evidence of a working path, although a gateway that blocks ping can still be reachable. Finally, check the Host Client shows the VM as powered on.
   shellCopy

   ping -c 3 YOUR_GATEWAY_IP

If the installation or first VM gets stuck

Start with the part that failed. Once the Host Client works, you know the management connection is healthy, but the VM still needs its own network and boot media.

• No disk or network adapter in the installer: check the hardware compatibility information and whether your server manufacturer supplies a suitable ESXi image or driver.
• No Host Client connection: compare the address shown on the ESXi console with your browser URL, then check the management adapter, physical cable, switch network and configured IP details.
• No space for the VM: check existing datastores before attempting to create or format another disk.
• VM says there is no boot device: check that the ISO upload completed and its virtual CD/DVD drive is connected at power-on.
• Ubuntu has no network: confirm the VM uses Test-VMs, its adapter is connected and the vSwitch0 uplink reaches a working DHCP server or the correct static network.