How to install esx and samba.

Okay to install ESX boot from the cd and go through the prompts and install it. 

(as a side note Carl had troubles recently installing from a 3.0.1 cd so install esx 3.0 and then install the .tgz upgrade.)

Once you have it installed create another root user.

Login via infrastructure client and Click the host server.  Then go to Configuration Tab.  Then go to Security profile on the left.  Click it.  Then go to Properties on the right and click it.  IT will bring up a box.  Check the box under outgoing connections for SMB client.  Also for incoming connections make sure that SSH server is checked. 

Click OK.  Now click users and groups up at the top.  Right click where all the users are and click Add.

fill in the username and make a good password.  Make sure that the check box for shell access is checked. 

Now download putty (http://the.earth.li/~sgtatham/putty...putty.exe) and run it.

In the host box put in the ip address you gave the vmware server duing the install.  Login with the username and the password you just created.

From this point on all the commands are in Bold and they are to be executed in the ssh shell

Type in su -

It will give you a root prompt.  Now go back to your windows computer. 

Go on the local windows computer and create a user just for this samba share(samba as the username, sambas as the password)

Create a new folder for the network vmware share.  Right click it go to sharing and name the folder shared.  Make sure that the user samba has full control.  Okay now go back to the ssh session you have open.  On the prompt paste the following in.

mkdir /vmimages/isos/

mkdir /vmimages/upgrade/

mount -t smbfs -o username=username,password=password //ipaddressofwindowsshare/sharedfoldername /localmountpoint

So here is a real mount command which you can use if you set up the stuff liek I told you earlier.

mount -t smbfs -o username=samba,password=samba //ipaddressofwindowscomputer/shared /vmimages/shared

now type the following at the shell
nano /etc/rc.local

Hit enter after the touch line and then right click to paste the mount command.  Then hit control-X and then y.

Now the samba share will automatically mount after each reboot.

now type in

cd /vmimages/isos/

Now you are in the shared directory.  So now you have to go to vmware site(http://www.vmware.com/download/vi/index.html/http://vmware.com/download/">/)

And download the 3.0.1 upgrade script.  its in a .tgz extionsion.  Download it to the shared directory on your windows box.

(Take a break and have some coffee its 400megs :) )

Now go back to your shell and past the following in.

cp 3.0.1-32039-full.tgz /vmimages/upgrade/

cd /vmimages/upgrade/

tar -xzf 3.0.1-32039-full.tgz

cd 32039/

esxupdate -n update

After that is done type in reboot

And now you are good to go

If the update errors out reboot the server and then do it again.

To remove the package file and folder do the following commands at the shell

cd /vmimages/

rm -rf /vmimages/upgrade

then type in exit and then exit again to logout.

Have fun :)