Introduction

As a VMware enthusiast and home lab administrator, I’ve spent countless hours testing different configurations and setups. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced recently is getting VMware ESXi 8 running on older hardware. While VMware has strict requirements for ESXi 8, I’ve discovered several reliable workarounds that can help you build a powerful lab environment without breaking the bank on new hardware.

In this detailed guide, I’ll share my personal experience and the exact steps I used to get ESXi 8 running on unsupported hardware. Fair warning: this is for lab use only – don’t try this in production!

1. Understanding Hardware Compatibility for ESXi 8

Before diving into the installation process, let’s look at what VMware officially requires and what actually works in practice. I’ve tested these requirements extensively across different hardware configurations.

Official Requirements:

• 64-bit x86 CPU (2nd gen Intel Xeon or newer recommended)
• Minimum 4 cores (8+ cores work much better for multiple VMs)
• 8 GB RAM (I strongly recommend 32GB+ for a decent lab setup)
• UEFI boot support (Legacy BIOS is possible but tricky)
• TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot capability
• NVMe/SATA/SAS storage controllers

What Actually Works in Practice:

• CPUs: Successfully tested on 1st gen Intel Core i7 and newer
• RAM: Runs fine with 16GB, but you’ll want more for multiple VMs
• Storage: Most SATA controllers work fine with community drivers
• Network: Many consumer NICs work with community drivers
• TPM/Secure Boot: Can be bypassed entirely for lab use

My Test System Specifications:

• CPU: Intel Core i7-4770 (technically unsupported)
• RAM: 32GB DDR3
• Storage: Samsung 870 EVO SSD
• Network: Intel I211 Gigabit
• Motherboard: ASUS Z87-A

2. Preparing Your Installation Media

Required Tools and Downloads:

• ESXi 8 ISO (from VMware Customer Connect)
• Rufus for Windows users
• balenaEtcher for macOS/Linux users (my preferred tool)
• USB drive (16GB+ recommended)
• Network cable (WiFi isn’t supported)

Creating the Bootable USB:

Using Rufus (Windows):

1. Launch Rufus as administrator
2. Select your USB drive
3. Click SELECT and choose the ESXi 8 ISO
4. Important settings:

• Partition scheme: GPT
• Target system: UEFI
• File system: FAT32
• Cluster size: 4096 bytes

1. Click START and select “Write in ISO mode”

Using balenaEtcher (macOS/Linux):

1. Launch balenaEtcher
2. Click “Flash from file” and select the ESXi 8 ISO
3. Select your USB drive
4. Click “Flash!” and wait for verification

Pro Tip: I recommend using a high-quality USB 3.0 drive. I’ve had issues with cheaper drives causing installation failures.

3. BIOS Configuration and Pre-Installation Setup

This is a crucial step I’ve found many guides miss. Before booting the installer, you need to configure your BIOS correctly:

1. Enter BIOS (usually Delete or F2 at boot)
2. Enable these settings:

• Intel VT-x/AMD-V virtualization
• Intel VT-d/AMD IOMMU
• Execute Disable Bit
• No Execute Mode
• UEFI Boot Mode

1. Disable these features:

• Secure Boot
• Legacy USB Support
• CSM/Legacy Boot
• CPU C-States
• Power Management Features

4. Installation Process with Custom Modifications

Stage 1: Initial Boot

1. Boot from the USB drive (F11 or F12 for boot menu)
2. When you see the ESXi boot screen, quickly press Shift + O
3. Add these boot parameters:

allowLegacyCPU=true ignoreHeadless=TRUE autoPartitionOSDataSize=8192 skipPartitionCheck=TRUE

Stage 2: Driver Injection

If your hardware isn’t detected, we’ll need to inject community drivers. I’ve created a custom script to automate this:

1. Press Alt + F1 when the installer loads
2. Log in with root (no password initially)
3. Enable networking:

vmkload_mod ixgbe
vmkload_mod igb
esxcli network restore

4. Get your IP address:

vmkping 8.8.8.8

5. Download and install community drivers:

esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/net-community-driver.vib --no-sig-check
esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/datastore1/sata-community-driver.vib --no-sig-check

Stage 3: Completing Installation

1. Return to the installer (Alt + F2)
2. Follow the standard installation prompts
3. Select your installation drive carefully
4. Configure your network settings:

• Static IP recommended
• Set appropriate VLAN if needed
• Configure DNS servers

5. Post-Installation Optimization

After installation, I’ve found these optimizations crucial for better performance:

Performance Tweaks:

1. Enable SSH permanently:

vim /etc/vmware/service.xml

Find the SSH service section and set:

<startup>automatic</startup>

2. Optimize memory management:

esxcli system settings advanced set -o /Mem/AllocGuestLargePage -i 0
esxcli system settings advanced set -o /Mem/ShareForceSalting -i 0

3. Configure power management:

esxcli system settings advanced set -o /Power/CpuPolicy -s "High Performance"

Storage Optimization:

1. Enable SSH and configure advanced storage settings:

esxcli system settings advanced set -o /DataMover/HardwareAcceleratedMove -i 0
esxcli system settings advanced set -o /DataMover/HardwareAcceleratedInit -i 0

2. Adjust queue depths for better SSD performance:

esxcli system settings advanced set -o /Disk/QFullSampleSize -i 32
esxcli system settings advanced set -o /Disk/QFullThreshold -i 8

6. Troubleshooting Common Issues

Based on my experience, here are solutions to the most common problems:

Purple Screen of Death (PSOD):

• Usually caused by incompatible drivers
• Solution: Boot with noIOMMU=TRUE parameter
• Add to /etc/vmware/boot.cfg:

kernelopt=noIOMMU=TRUE

Network Issues:

• Missing NICs: Install community network drivers
• Random disconnects: Disable power management

esxcli system settings advanced set -o /Power/UseCStates -i 0

Storage Problems:

• Drives not detected: Try different SATA ports
• Poor performance: Enable high performance mode

esxcli storage core device set -d naa.XXXXX -O on

7. Creating Your First VMs

Now that everything’s running, let’s set up some VMs:

1. Configure VM Network:

• Create a new vSwitch
• Add physical NICs
• Create port groups for different networks

1. Optimize VM Settings:

esxcli system settings advanced set -o /Config/HostAgent/plugins/solo/enableMob -i 1

3. Create VM Templates:

• Install your preferred OS
• Install VMware Tools
• Update and configure
• Convert to template

Conclusion

While installing ESXi 8 on unsupported hardware requires some work, it’s entirely possible for a lab environment. I’ve been running this setup for several months now without issues. Remember to:

• Keep regular backups
• Monitor system stability
• Document any custom configurations
• Join the VMware community for support

Feel free to reach out in the comments if you need help. Happy virtualizing!

Disclaimer: This guide is intended for lab and testing environments only. Running ESXi 8 on unsupported hardware in production environments is not recommended and may violate VMware’s terms of service.