Configuring VMware ESXi Management Network from the direct console
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Configuring VMware ESXi Management Network from the direct console

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Article ID: 328870

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides instructions to configure the ESXi host Management Network from the direct console.
 
Note: If you are changing the IP address of an existing host which is part of HA cluster, place the host in maintenance mode before implementing changes to the IP address.


Symptoms:
  • Loss of connectivity to ESXi host.
  • If you change the host Management Network IP address, ESXi disconnects from the vSphere/VMware Infrastructure (VI) Client and vCenter Server/VirtualCenter


Environment

VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded

Resolution

Note: To perform the steps in this section, connect to ESXi using the remote access console tools (such as iLO, DRAC, RAS etc.) or KVM attached to the physical server hardware.
 

Configuring static IP settings from the console

To configure static IP settings from the console:
  1. Press F2 to examine the default configuration.
  2. Press the down-arrow key to select Configure Management Network and press Enter.
  3. Press the down-arrow key to choose IP Configuration and press Enter.
  4. Press the down-arrow key to choose Set static IP address and network configuration and press the spacebar.
  5. Press the down-arrow key to choose IP Address.
  6. Press the backspace key to clear the current IP address, then enter a new IP address.
  7. Press the down-arrow key to choose Subnet Mask.
  8. Press Backspace to delete the current Subnet Mask.
  9. Enter a new Subnet Mask.
  10. Press the down-arrow key to choose Default Gateway.
  11. Delete the existing Default Gateway.
  12. Enter a new Default Gateway.
     

Configuring DNS settings

When you configure DNS settings, you can choose either manual or automatic Domain Name System (DNS) configuration of the ESXi host. By default, DNS configuration is automatic. The automatic setting enables a DHCP server to acquire DNS information. For automatic DNS to work, your network environment must have a DHCP server and a DNS server. In network environments where automatic DNS is not available or not desirable, you can configure static DNS information, including a host name, a primary name server, a secondary name server, and DNS suffixes. If you configure static IP address networking for your ESXi host, you also need to configure static DNS information.

If you are local to the host, use the direct console to configure DNS information. If you are not local to the host, use VI Client to configure DNS information.

To configure DNS settings from the console:

  1. Press the down-arrow key to choose Configure Management Network and press Enter.
  2. Press the down-arrow key to choose DNS Configuration and press Enter.
  3. Press the down-arrow key to choose Use the following DNS server addresses and hostname and press the spacebar.
  4. Delete the current primary server, alternate server, and host name.
  5. Enter a static primary server, alternate server, and host name.
  6. Press Enter.
     
To configure DNS suffixes from the console:
 
Note: By default, DHCP acquires the DNS suffixes.
  1. Press the down-arrow key to choose Configure Management Network and press Enter.
  2. Press the down-arrow key to choose Custom DNS Suffixes and press Enter.
  3. Press Backspace to delete the current DNS suffixes.
  4. Enter new DNS suffixes.
  5. Press Enter.
     
To configure DNS settings from the vSphere/VI Client:
  1. From the vSphere/VI Client, choose the host in the inventory.
  2. Click the Configuration tab.
  3. Click DNS and Routing.
  4. Click Properties on the top right corner.
  5. In the DNS Configuration, specify the Preferred and Alternate DNS server.
  6. Click OK.

 


Additional Information

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