The supported method of joining an ESXi host to the domain is from the UI.
To add an ESXi host to the Active Directory using vSphere Client (HTML5):
Config.HostAgent.plugins.hostsvc.esxAdminsGroup
Config.HostAgent.plugins.hostsvc.esxAdminsGroup
setting matches the Administrator group that will be used in the Active Directory. These settings take effect within a minute and no reboot is required. To edit, click the top right EDIT... link.Note:
Config.HostAgent.plugins.hostsvc.esxAdminsGroup
setting is changed, ensure to remove any invalid users from the Permissions tab of the ESXi host.
Note: For information regarding required ports that need to be open between the ESXi hosts and the Active Directory domain controller, see the VMware Ports and Protocols guide (Filter for "Microsoft Active Directory Domain Controllers")
Note: Joining an ESXi hosts to an Active Directory domain with a read-only domain controller (RODC) is unsupported. ESXi hosts only can join an Active Directory domain with a writable domain controller.