You will need the ESXi installer ISO file and a USB flash drive with enough capacity for the installer (at least 8 GB is recommended). The following steps outline the process:

1. Download the ESXi Installer:
   • Obtain the ESXi ISO from the official VMware website. Make sure to download the version that you intend to install.
2. Insert the USB Drive:
   • Insert your USB drive into your Linux machine. Make sure to back up any important data from your USB drive, as this process will erase all contents.
3. Identify the USB Drive:
   • Run the following command to list all the disks attached to your system, including your USB drive: lsblk
   • Identify your USB drive by its size or name. It’s typically listed as /dev/sdx (where x is a letter representing your USB device).
4. Unmount the USB Drive:
   • If your USB drive is automatically mounted by the system, you’ll need to unmount it with the following command, replacing /dev/sdx1 with the appropriate partition:
   • umount /dev/sdx1
5. Write the ISO to the USB Drive:
   • Use the dd command to write the ISO image to the USB drive. Replace /path/to/downloaded-esxi.iso with the path to your downloaded ESXi ISO file and /dev/sdx with your USB drive:
     sudo dd if=/path/to/downloaded-esxi.iso of=/dev/sdx bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync
   • This process will take some time depending on the speed of your USB drive and system. The status=progress option will show the progress.
6. Ensure the Write Operation is Complete:
   • After the dd command finishes, sync the data to the USB drive with the following command to ensure all write operations are complete:bashCopy codesync
7. Eject the USB Drive:
   • Before removing the USB drive, eject it properly using the following command:
     sudo eject /dev/sdx
8. Boot from the USB Drive:
   • Insert the USB drive into the target system where you want to install ESXi.
   • Reboot the system and enter the BIOS/UEFI setup.
   • Change the boot order to boot from the USB drive.
   • Save the changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI setup.
   • Your system should now boot from the bootable ESXi USB drive, and you can proceed with the installation.

Remember to replace /dev/sdx with the correct device identifier for your USB drive, and /path/to/downloaded-esxi.iso with the actual path to your ESXi ISO file. Use the dd command with caution, as selecting the wrong device could result in data loss on another drive.

Example: Suppose your USB drive is /dev/sdb and your ESXi ISO is located in your Downloads folder. The dd command would look like this:

sudo dd if=~/Downloads/VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0.0-xxxxxx.x86_64.iso of=/dev/sdb bs=4M status=progress oflag=sync

After the process completes, proceed with the sync and sudo eject /dev/sdb commands.