The following procedure will walk you through the steps required in setting up the TCP/IP configuration for the ESXi's Management Network:
- Connect to the console of the ESXi host. Hit the F2 function key to log in to the DCUI by supplying the root password.
- Select Configure Management Network and hit Enter:
- You will now be presented with options to select the Network Adapters for the management network, supply an optional VLAN, configure IPv4 and IPv6 settings, and DNS settings.
- The Network Adapters option can be used to assign more adapters to the Management Network port group. Once you have selected the NICs to use, hit Enter to return to the Configure Management Network menu:
- Select IPv4 Configuration and hit Enter. Use the keyboard arrow keys to select the Set static IPv4 address and network configuration option and hit the spacebar to confirm the selection. Supply the static IPv4 Address, Subnet Mask, and Default Gateway, hit Enter to save the settings, and return to the Configure Management Network menu:
- Select DNS Configuration and hit Enter. Supply the primary and alternate DNS servers and the hostname. Hit Enter to save the settings and return to the previous menu:
If you do not supply an FQDN, then make sure you configure a custom DNS suffix. The option to do so is available on the Configure Management Network screen.
- (Optional step) Use the Custom DNS Suffixes option to enter the Suffixes:
- (Optional step) To assign a VLAN ID to the management network, select VLAN (optional), hit Enter, supply the VLAN number, and hit Enter again to return to the Configure Management Network screen:
- Once you are done with all the network configuration, while on the Configure Management Network: Confirm screen, hit Esc to be prompted to apply the changes by seeking consent for a restart of the management network. Hit Y to apply the settings.
- If you go back to the DCUI of this ESXi host, it should now show the static IP configured:
- With the networking configured, you should now be able to connect to the ESXi host using the vSphere Client or add the host to a vCenter Server. Both can be achieved only if the ESXi management IP is reachable from the machine where the vSphere Client is installed or from the vCenter machine.