Performing Post-installation Configuration

Whether you are installing from a CD/DVD or performing an unattended installation of ESXi, once the installation is complete, there are several post-installation steps that are necessary or might be necessary, depending on your specific configuration. I'll discuss these tasks in the following sections.

Installing the vSphere Client

This might come as a bit of shock for IT professionals who have grown accustomed to managing Microsoft Windows–based servers from the server's console (even via Remote Desktop), but ESXi wasn't designed for you to manage it from the server's console. Instead, you should use the vSphere Client.

The vSphere Client is a Windows-only application that allows for connecting directly to an ESXi host or to a vCenter Server installation. The only difference in the tools used is that connecting directly to an ESXi host requires authentication with a user account that exists on that specific host, while connecting to a vCenter Server installation relies on Windows users for authentication. Additionally, some features of the vSphere Client—such as initiating vMotion, for example—are available only when connecting to a vCenter Server installation.