I hope this helps you all!
I’m the only one who has managed to solve this issue, and so far, no one else has posted about it. That’s why I’ll be the first to share the correct solution because I’ve successfully done it.
To keep using ESXi, the first thing you need is an ISO that includes the correct drivers. I’ve prepared an ISO specifically optimized for OVH servers.
The ISO is: ESXi-8.0U3sb-24262298-nvme-usbnic
Link: Download ISO Custom ESXi-8.0U3sb-24262298-nvme-usbnic
This version contains all the necessary drivers to ensure a successful installation.
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Disable Secure Boot: Make sure to disable Secure Boot from the BIOS options, as this ISO will not work if Secure Boot is enabled.
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KVM Compatibility: I’ve successfully installed ESXi from:
- A machine with support for Java Applet (KVM Desktop).
- The web version of KVM.
Therefore, you can ignore the information in the following article: https://help.ovhcloud.com/csm/es-dedicated-servers-ipmi?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0044043, which claims that the web version of KVM is not compatible for this purpose. I’ve tested it myself, and it works!
If, when attempting to mount your ISO using the Java mode, the console closes automatically, please refer to this article: https://help.ovhcloud.com/csm/en-dedicated-servers-ipmi?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0044037 (Note: 64-bit versions of Java can prevent the Redirect ISO/Redirect CDROM menus from opening and may cause JViewer to crash.)
The recommended solution is to install Java SE 8 x86 (32-bit) for Windows.
Download the appropriate version here: https://www.oracle.com/java/technologies/javase/javase8-archive-downloads.html
After installing Java SE 8 x86, open the .jnlp file you downloaded from OVH with a text editor and delete the following lines:
<resources os="Windows" arch="amd64">
<j2se version="1.7+"/>
<nativelib href="release/Win64.jar"/>
</resources>This will force the Java launcher to use only the x86 version, preventing it from running in x64 mode. If you do not make this adjustment, the error will persist and the window will continue to close.
The ISO was created using the following script: https://github.com/itiligent/ESXi-Custom-ISO As of now, it still works well.
I hope this guide helps you solve your installation issue. If you need more details, feel free to ask.
Cheers! 🚀
Hey @jesussuarz this is really helpful.
I ended up building the latest ISO with the ESXi-Custom-ISO repo.
Just one question, to verify if a solution exists for this issue: OVH dedicated servers, at least in the Advance product line, assign a public IPv4 address with a 255.255.255.255 netmask and a host route gateway address totally outside any possible subnet (not even a /1).
If I try to force a default gateway address with esxcli, it will reject it because esxi seems to be the only hypervisor with strict rules for gateway addresses that must be within the host subnet.
Is there any way to customize or trick esxi into accepting that host route gateway address?
There should be some trick for this, because when OVH still offered ESXi install templates, they somehow managed to make it work.
Right now I can only use the primary IPv6 address with IPv4 disabled, and use one of my vRack IP block addresses assigned as management into the ESXi console, but having the primary IPv4 address would be optimal.