I have ESXi 5.1 update 1 installed on a Dell server. I login via the vSphere client no problem, can configure etc.
Problem: I put a windows CD into my CD rom, I try boot the VM with normal/custom (I have tried so many variations it is ridiculous), and it either went straight to the NIC looking for DHCP nonsense, or, after KILLING the nic for the VM, it now simply states Operating System not found. I have no idea how to troubleshoot the VM's not reading the CD-ROM drive, and I have been on the net for a few hours now looking up all sorts of things, only to find no solution.
Anyone seen this, or understand how to troubleshoot it?
Things tried:
BIOS (CD is at the TOP of the list)
CD/DVD drive 1 (hardware setting for VM)
Used setting of Client Device
Used setting Host Device
Used mode passthrough IDE and Emulate.
Tried selecting different virtual devices, even though it shows my CD as IDE (1:) CD/DVD drive 1, which doesn't work either.
Tried using Connect at power on.
Note: With all the CD/DVD settings changed, many times it then gives crazy errors and won't even boot the VM any longer. I can set it to anything I want to try and fix it, but the only fix is to delete the VM and start over again because it seems like it is completely corrupt or hosed at that point.
Opened console, connected the CD via the drop down icon, which gives the "select the host device:" Setting is /vmfs/devices/cdrom/mpx.vmhba32:C0:T0
Many times when I go to stop the VM, the lame thing says I can't because no VMTools are installed? I may be mistaken, but I thought you can ONLY installed the tools into the VM's client OS ONCE you get the dang client OS installed, which I am struggling with right? If this isn't true, please let me know as well, because from everything I have read so far, that looks to be the case, so why is it kicking back the error?
Also, this is a raid 5 setup, the VM Server, and the VM's themselves will all be running on it, so this isn't anything custom...very simple installation/setup.
Thank you,
Shomare