Deploying OVA as an OVF Template on ESXi

You can deploy an on-prem host directly on ESXi, as an OVF template.

Deploying OVA via VMware 6.5.0

To deploy OVA via VMware 6.5.0, do the following:

Connect to VMware vSphere Client 6.5.0.
Select the OVA image downloaded from the Cloud Services Portal. Click Next.
Verify the information in OVF Template Details. Click Next.
Specify the Name and Location for the deployment image. Click Next.
Select the Resource Pool. Click Next.
Select the Storage where the virtual machine is stored. Click Next.
Select the Disk Format. Click Next.
Configure the Network Mapping. Click Next.
In Properties, customize the image for this deployment. Click Next.
Verify the configuration in Ready to Complete. Select the Power on after deployment checkbox to launch the virtual machine.
Click Finish.
To configure multiple network interfaces for your on-prem host, select the virtual machine from Inventory (in powered-off state), right-click the virtual machine, and select Edit Settings. For information about configuring multiple interfaces for on-prem hosts, see Configuring Multiple Network Interfaces.
In Virtual Machine Properties, open the Hardware tab and click Add > Add Hardware:
In Add Hardware > Device Type, select Ethernet Adapter. Click Next.
In Add Hardware > Network Type, select Adapter Type and Network Label. Click Next.
The Ready to Complete screen opens and displays the summary of the settings. Click Finish.
On the Hardware tab, the new network interface appears as New NIC (adding). Click OK.
Power on the virtual machine.
Note the IP address shown on the VM Console.
Launch the bootstrap UI by using the IP address shown on the console. In Login, enter admin. In Password, enter the last eight characters of the product's serial number. Click Login.
Specify the IP, Join Token, and other required configuration. Click Apply.
The on-prem host is visible on the Cloud Services Portal:

Note

You can perform the preceding steps directly on the virtual machine, without connecting to it with the VMware vSphere Client.