Application Delivery Management

NetScaler Console on VMware ESXi

This document describes how to install NetScaler Console virtual appliances on VMware ESXi, using the VMware vSphere client.

Prerequisites

Before you begin installing a virtual appliance, verify that the following requirements:

  • Install a supported VMware ESXi version (6.0, 6.5, 6.7, and 7.0).

  • Install VMware Client on a management workstation that meets the minimum system requirements.

  • Download the NetScaler Console setup files.

Note

  • VMotion is supported only from NetScaler Console 13.0 Build 47.22 or later. You can schedule and automate migration of the NetScaler Console server deployed on an ESXi hypervisor, including vSphere high availability and vSphere DRS setups.

  • VMware Tools for NetScaler Console are delivered as part of the software build and they cannot be upgraded or modified separately.

To install NetScaler Console

Follow these steps to install a NetScaler Console virtual appliance on VMware ESXi.

Note

The steps and screen captures are based on VMware ESXi version 6.0. The GUI might differ in other ESXi versions. VMware ESXi version 7.0.1c build number 17325551 with VMXNET3 adapter is supported in NetScaler Console 13.0 71.40 or later. Refer to the VMware documentation for version-specific steps.

  1. Start the VMware vSphere client on your workstation.

  2. In the IP address / Name text box, type the IP address of the VMware ESXi server that you want to connect to.

  3. In the User Name and Password text boxes, type the administrator credentials, and then click Login.

  4. On the File menu, click Deploy OVF Template.

  5. In the Deploy OVF Template dialog box, in Deploy from a file or URL, select the .ovf file, and click Next.

    Note

    If a warning message appears with the following text: “The operating system identifier is not supported on the selected host, check to see if the VMware server supports the FreeBSD operating system.” Click Yes.

  6. On the OVF Template Details page, click Next.

  7. Type a name for the NetScaler Console virtual appliance, and then click Next.

  8. Specify the Disk Format by selecting either Thin provisioned format or Thick provisioned format.

    Note

    We recommend you to select Thick provisioned format.

  9. Click Finish to start the installation process.

    Initial configuration

  10. You are now ready to start the NetScaler Console virtual appliance.

  11. In the navigation pane, select the virtual appliance that you installed. From the Inventory menu, right-click on the Virtual Machine, and then click Upgrade Virtual Hardware. In the Confirm Virtual Machine dialog box, click Yes.

    Initial configuration

  12. In the Inventory menu, click Virtual Machine, and then click Edit Settings.

  13. In the Virtual Machine Properties dialog box, on the Hardware tab, click Memory, and then in the right pane specify the Memory Size as 32 GB.

  14. Click CPUs, and then in the right pane, specify the CPUs as 8. Click OK.

  15. Add an extra disk as per your requirement.

    Initial configuration

  16. In the navigation pane, select the virtual appliance that you installed. From the Inventory menu, click Virtual Machine, click Power, and then click Power On.

  17. Click the Console tab to display the NetScaler Console Initial Network Configuration options.

    Initial configuration

  18. After specifying the required IP addresses, save the configuration settings.

  19. When prompted, log on using nsrecover/nsroot credentials.

    Initial configuration

    Note

    After you log on, if you want to update the initial network configuration, type networkconfig, update the configuration, and save the configuration.

  20. Run the deployment script by typing the command at the shell prompt:

    deployment_type.py
    <!--NeedCopy-->
    

    Initial configuration

  21. Select the deployment type as NetScaler Console Server. If you do not select any option, by default, it is deployed as a server.

    Initial configuration

  22. Type Yes to deploy NetScaler Console as a standalone deployment.

  23. Type Yes to restart the NetScaler Console server.

    Note

    After you install NetScaler Console, you can update the initial configuration settings later.

Verification

After the server is installed, you can access the GUI by typing the IP address of the NetScaler Console server in the browser. The default administrator credentials to log on to the server are nsroot/nsroot.

The browser displays the NetScaler Console configuration utility.

Note

Typical NetScaler Console installation time is around 10 minutes on VMware ESXi but might take longer on some systems.

NetScaler Console on VMware ESXi