Connection and management of virtual machines (VM) running ESXI version 6.5.x and higher via the WEB interface

1. Connecting to VM via WEBUI

Please make sure before you start that your browser allows you to run the WEBUI web client and is included in the list of supported ones:

• Mozilla Firefox v. 39 or later (for Windows, Mac OS, Linux);
• Google Chrome v. 34 or later (for Windows, Mac OS, Linux);
• Microsoft Internet Explorer v. 10.0.19 or later (Windows only).

To access virtual machines via the WEB interface (on servers running the ESXi v. 6.5.0 - 6.7.0 hypervisor), you need to type the value "https://host_or_server_name/ui" from the service activation letter in the browser address bar.

Login WEB-interface

If necessary, switch the input language from your keyboard. Enter the login (in the "User name" field) and password (in the "Password" field) given to you when activating the service. After entering the control panel, in the window that opens, a list of virtual machines is available on the left (on the right there are tabs for management and monitoring).

Control panel WEB-interface

Select a virtual machine in the panel on the left, marking the line with the name of the VM with one click of the manipulator ("mouse" / "touchpad" / "trackball", etc.). Next, you can use the tabs on the right side of the panel to manage the VM:

• Console - select the type of console for working with VDS;
• Monitor - use the server resource monitoring panel;
• Power On/Off, Suspend, Reset - control on/off, suspension and restart of the server;
• Action - opening the server console, setting access parameters, and performing a "snapshot" of the server.

By opening the server management console, you can:

• manage its power supply;
• send a control key combination (for example, Ctrl-Alt-Del) to the OS using the "Guest OS" menu section and the "Send Keys" function;
• change the server name;
• select the required console screen resolution, etc.

Console WEB interface

To proceed, you need to mount the bootable ISO disk image to your VM's virtual DVD drive, using one of two methods:

• using a standard user web-panel (WEBUI);
• using the VMware Remote Console utility (application).

2. Mount ISO image using WEBUI, reorder devices on VM bootstrap

To connect a bootable disk image to a virtual DVD drive, in the context menu of your server, select the section "Edit setting", then "CD / DVD Drive" and click the on-screen button "Browse" to select the required disk image.

Mounting the ISO Image WEB Interface

Next, in the "Edit setting" section of the virtual machine settings, select the "VM Options" tab, then the "Boot Options" menu.

In the “Firmware” item, set the BIOS type, and in the “Force BIOS setup” item, activate (tick) the “The next time the virtual machine boots, force entry into the BIOS setup screen” mode. Reboot the VM.

BIOS Settings WEB interface

After entering the BIOS system menu, set the order you need to boot the VM from virtual devices (CD / DVD -Hard Disk - Network, etc.).

3. Mount ISO image in VM using "VMware Remote Console"

To download the "VMware Remote Console" plugin, open the context menu of the virtual machine, select the "Console" section, then the "Download VMRC" item. After being redirected to the download page, you will be able to download the plugin (according to your computer's operating system).

VMRC download

After downloading and installing this package, you will be able to launch VMware Remote Console through the context menu section of the virtual machine "Console", item "Launch remote console".

To mount an ISO disk image in this console, call the main menu and go to the "Removable Devices" section. Select "CD/DVD drive" and then "Settings".

Mounting the VMware Remote Console ISO Image

In the window that opens, in the "Location" item, select the "Local client" value, then the source type - the "Use ISO image file" mode.

Mounting your VMware Remote Console ISO

Specify the path to the location of the selected image file using the on-screen button "Browse.

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