When you mount this ISO to a server (via iDRAC, iLO, or a USB stick), you are initiating a lightweight environment that installs the hypervisor directly onto your hardware, abstracting the CPU, memory, storage, and network resources for your Virtual Machines.
VMware offers a 60-day full-feature trial, after which you must apply a license key (Free or Paid). How to get it: esxi 7 iso
: While Broadcom initially restricted the free version, recent reports indicate it has been made available again . "Long" Feature: Support Lifecycle When you mount this ISO to a server
sudo dd if=VMware-VMvisor-Installer-7.x.x.iso of=/dev/sdX bs=4M status=progress && sync or a USB stick)
Are you looking to an existing host from version 6.7, or are you starting a fresh install on new hardware? ESXi Is Free ... Again
Once this is set, you can disconnect your monitor and move to your workstation.