VMware VS4-ENT-PL-A - vSphere Enterprise Plus Setup Manual page 130

vSphere Installation and Setup
Figure 6‑2. Overview of PXE Boot Installation Process
DHCP server
TFTP server
Web server
DHCP server
scripts depot
Sample DHCP Configuration
To PXE boot the ESXi installer, the DHCP server must send the address of the TFTP server and a pointer to
the or
pxelinux.0
The DHCP server is used by the target machine to obtain an IP address. The DHCP server must be able to
determine whether the target machine is allowed to boot and the location of the PXELINUX binary (which
usually resides on a TFTP server). When the target machine first boots, it broadcasts a packet across the
network requesting this information to boot itself. The DHCP server responds.
C Do not set up a new DHCP server if your network already has one. If multiple DHCP servers
AUTION
respond to DHCP requests, machines can obtain incorrect or conflicting IP addresses, or can fail to receive
the proper boot information. Talk to a network administrator before setting up a DHCP server. For support
on configuring DHCP, contact your DHCP server vendor.
130
Give me an IP
network adapter
UDP
IP & TFTP server
network boot loader
UDP
gpxelinux.0 or pxelinux.0
TCP for gPXELINUX
UDP for PXELINUX
kernel
Give me an IP
UDP
IP
installation script
TCP
ks.cfg
directory.
gpxelinux.0
ESXi target host
for the virtual
Give me the
Give me
the kernel
for the kernel
Give me an
Installer
starts
ESXi host
VMware, Inc.