Install Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on VMware ESXi 5.x

Dell OpenManage Server Administrator or OMSA  allows you to see detailed information regarding your Dell hardware. It also allows you to perform operations such as specifying hot spares, configure RAID arrays and setup hardware monitoring and alerts.

Download the OMSA Offline Bundle from the Dell Website

Visit http://support.dell.com, enter your servers ‘service tag’ then browse to ‘Drivers and Downloads’. Under ‘Operating System’ select the version of VMware ESXi you are using, e.g. VMware ESXi 5.5 then under the “Systems Management” download the “Dell OpenManageServer Administrator vSphere Installation Bundle (VIB) for ESXi X.X.X” where X.X.X is your version.

Enable SSH on your VMware Server

In order to upload the OMSA Offline Bundle and install it you will need to enable SSH access to your VMware server as follows:

Use the vSphere Client to enable local and remote access to the ESXi Shell:

  1. Log into a vCenter Server system using the vSphere Client.
  2. Select the host in the inventory panel.
  3. Click the Configuration tab and click Security Profile.
  4. In the Services section, click Properties.
  5. Select ESXi Shell from this list:
    ESXi Shell
    SSH
    Direct Console UI
  6. Click Options and select Start and stop manually.Note: When you select Start and stop manually, the service does not start when you reboot the host. If you want the service to start when you reboot the host, select Start and stop with host. Continue reading “Install Dell OpenManage Server Administrator on VMware ESXi 5.x”

Enable shell access for VMware ESXi 5.x

Enabling VMware ESXi shell access with the vSphere Client

Use the vSphere Client to enable local and remote access to the ESXi Shell:

  1. Log in to a vCenter Server system using the vSphere Client.
  2. Select the host in the inventory panel.
  3. Click the Configuration tab and click Security Profile.
  4. In the Services section, click Properties.
  5. Select ESXi Shell from this list:
    ESXi Shell
    SSH
    Direct Console UI
  6. Click Options and select Start and stop manually.Note: When you select Start and stop manually, the service does not start when you reboot the host. If you want the service to start when you reboot the host, select Start and stop with host.
  7. Select Start to enable the service.
  8. Click OK.

Enabling VMware ESXi shell access with the Direct Console User Interface

Use the direct console user interface to enable the ESXi Shell:

  1. From the direct console user interface, press F2 to access the System Customization menu.
  2. Select Troubleshooting Options and press Enter.
  3. From this Troubleshooting Mode Options menu, select Enable ESXi Shell.
    Enable ESXi Shell
    Enable SSH
  4. Press Enter to enable the service.

Note: This process has been tested on a Dell PowerEdge R320 using the VMware ESXi 5.1.0 custom installer available here.