Configuring or restoring networking from the ESX service console using console-setup

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides steps to configure or restore networking for an ESX host when you only have access to the service console.

Symptoms:

configure-restore-service-console-networking

Environment

VMware ESX 4.0.x
VMware ESX 4.1.x

Resolution

As of ESX 4.0 Update 2 a new command-line tool, console-setup, has been included to simplify the process of creating or restoring networking in the ESX service console.

VMware recommends that you use the physical console of the server rather than connecting via SSH as changing the network configuration might cause a disconnection, which can leave the server unreachable.

The tool allows you to perform the most common steps required to restore the ESX server's network connectivity via simple menu items, such as changing or correcting:

• IP address
• Net mask
• Default gateway
• VLAN ID
• Physical uplink (vmnic)

The tool does not currently support configuring the service console interface via DHCP. For this case, see Configuring networking from the ESX service console command line (1000258).

The command console-setup on the Service Console is menu-driven, and is to be run as user root.

Menu options include:

1. Show Current Service Consoles (vswif)

2. Show Network Adapters

3. Show vSwitch/vDS Information

4. Delete Service Console

4.1 Select the interface to delete, defaults to vswif0

5. Configure Service Console

5.1 vswif ID, default to vswif0

5.2 Name of service console port group: default to “Service Console”

5.3 vSwitch for service console, default to vSwitch0

5.4 IP Address:

5.5 Subnet mask:

5.6 Default gateway:

5.7 VLAN ID: default to 0

5.8 vmnic to use for the service console

5.9 Save Changes

5.10 Return to Menu

6. Exit

Use:

• Options 1,2 and 3 for display current information
• Option 4 to remove an existing service console interface (vswif). You may also do this, if you want to recreate it.
• Option 5 to change the configuration of an existing vswif interface, or for creating a new one.

Additional Information

Unable to connect to an ESX host using Secure Shell (SSH)
ESX サービス コンソールから console-setup を使用してネットワークを構成またはリストアする