Installing windows server on a VMWARE server

You can either reformat and install server on the bare metal, or you can install BOTH 2008R2 and 2012 as virtual machines...
The screen tells you where to point your browser.

How difficult is it to bare metal install 2012?  Would I boot to a usb disk?  Never done it before.

you can use rufus to image the flash drive with the windows iso

http://rufus.ie/en_US/

or better yet, you can use ventoy; it formats and installs a boot loader on a flash drive then you copy your iso images there and you can select which to boot from

https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html

might have an issue with storage depending on what is installed and if there are included drivers

Would I be able to find drivers for this HP model on HP website and load them?

you  could use intelligent provisioning to install the OS
I generally just connect the ISO using ILO  

in all likelihood yurt machine is set to boot via internal SDCARD ESXI 5.5 is out of date

you can get a lot of stuff from the hpe.com site some tools are free, some require a login, and some require a service contract.

If I were you I'd stay with VMware and install Windoze as VM's on it. It makes things easier to setup a network with servers by just using one machine. You can then test things better. You can also install other OS's as VMs on the same Server, connect them etc. All you need is enough RAM and disk-space in that server so all the OS's can run simultaneously.

To connect to ESXi, you need to open a Web-Browser and enter it's IP as has been mentioned before. You will need the credentials so you can log-in. Then you get a Web-Interface where which you use to manage ESXi and also install and manage the VM's. You could also download a more modern version of ESXi.

Andrew Hancock said:  "A Web Browser will not work with ESXi 5.5 you will need the older vSphere Client, and use the IP you may be able to fetch the vSphere Client from the server, it's IP Address is as displayed.

But you will need the username, which is root, and the password ?"

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I have the password.  Screenshot shows the vsphere client I have and use for other VM's on our network.  I see an ip address of 192.0.0.100 on the first screenshot I sent.  I guess I don't know what the next step is before I use the articles sent by Andrew.

I have an issue.  The ip address that is on the screenshot (.100) is able to be pinged and the Proliant server is not powered on.

In that case, you have another device since, which has taken that IP Address!

Remove network cable from Proliant, Power-ON, login to console, using F2, and change network interface to DHCP !

Assuming you have a DHCP server, or obtain a new IP Address for that server from your IT/Networking Department.

Is this going to mess with anything on my current network?  This old server was replaced by the current one and all the vm's on the old server are now on the new one.  Ip addresses for the vm's did not change from the old server to the new.

Is this going to mess with anything on my current network?

Not if you do it carefully.

If you change the IP Address of the Host to DHCP, this server will obtain a new IP Address from your DHCP server. So it will have a new IP Address which is not used on your network.

Were the old VMs moved to the new servers and deleted from the OLD ?

Were the VMs set to Auto start at BOOT ?

They were not deleted from the old.  They were set to auto start on boot I believe but that is only for the new server.  I remember the vendor saying that once they booted up they would start.  I don't know about the old server.

That becomes a risk, then because you don't really want the old server to start-up all the old VMs, and they clash with your current VMs.

Do you have a standalone network switch you can connect a laptop and proliant server to ?

You can always just wipe the old server and install whatever server OS you want... It sounds like this was a retired server that might have just been kept for "emergencies"...

far easier to install older OS - 2008 R2 and 2012 which the OP has on ESXi 5.5, than try and find all those drivers from the HPE site, even if they exist anymore!

and kill two birds with one stone learn Microsoft WIndows 2008 R2 and 2012, and VMware vSphere 5.5.

I would rather not wipe the server and find all the drivers.  

I do have a stand alone HP switch available.  This is exactly what I was planning on doing.  I wanted to get the
server going and plug it into a switch that was not part of our network.  I have 3 desktop pc's with windows 8 on them
that are not being used and they are ready to be added to this network when ready.

I also have a laptop that I can use as well that has windows 10

FYI. All computers are either windows 8 Pro or Windows 10 pro that will be part of the network.

That will work,

OK.  So what is my next step?  Sorry if I'm not following what's next

which method physical or virtual on esxi ?

physical - you have to configure the bios of the server to set your boot options.
ESXI - you need to go into the console. setup your datastores, and create a new virtual machine. You will need an iso copied to the datastore and then once you setup the memory, disks, cpu you then boot from the iso and install the OS as per normal.

1. Connect all computers to your Lab LAN with switch.

2. Leave the IP Address of the ESXi server as is. So that 192.0.0.1, 192.0.0.2, 192.0.0.3 (mask 255.255.255.0)

3. Give all the computers on your Lab LAN similar IP Addresses in the same range as ESXi server.

4. Download the Client above.

5. Run it, enter IP Address with username and password

6. Follow the rest of the articles, all parts are in a series step by step tutorial with screenshots - I wrote them all!

It tells you everything you need to do in what order, if you don't understand or follow an article let me know.

What about my HP switch?  It has a default Ip address of:  192.168.1.1

Do I need to change this to 192.0.0.?  for it to work?

The switch address is only for accessing the command interface of the switch.
As long as it doesn't have a mix of vlans on it already you should be fine.

does not matter what the IP Address of the HPE switch is!

just allocate those other IP Addresses, as I posted to your Physical workstations

Still confused.  Is there any way to do this without having to ask my DHCP server for another address?  Can't I have a self contained system that does not have to be on our business network?  Just 3 client computers and the server on a switch?

Unless there is no way to change the ip address that has already been taken (.100) unless I switch to DHCP temporaily and plug it into our network to receive a new ip.  If I do this and it gives a new ip, can I then unplug from the business network and switch to the "LAB LAN?"

Also, what will the default gateway be in the network settings of the clients if, for example, I use the ip address of 192.0.0.101, 102, and 103 for the clients?  

 

If you are having it on a separate network, you do not need to change its address... That was way up the chain of responses when you were thinking of leaving it on your primary network.
If you are having a separate test network, it won't need a gateway since it is not going to be connected to your primary network

I already stated, on this Lab Network you DO NOT NEED DHCP server, LEAVE ESXi "as is" do not change anything, and give IP Addresses

You can use any IP Address you like on 192.0.0.x, I was just making it simple and going low! and I had specifically avoided anything above 100, just in case ESXi was using any other IP Addresses > 100.

So that 192.0.0.1, 192.0.0.2, 192.0.0.3 (mask 255.255.255.0)

The Default Gateway is irrelevant on your Lab network, not required you do not have one!

if you really want to fill in that blank use 192.0.0.254

OK. I have changed all the computers ip addresses and I have logged into vhspere client and I see the server in the list
of inventory.  I'll follow the instructions above to install windows server.  I can ping the server from the client computers, why can't I ping the other client computers? FYI:  They are all on workgroup "workgroup" right now.

Attached are screenshots of the datastore that was on the server.  I see some iso's in there.  Can I use these to create a new VM?  The other folders that say bisfp01 do not have any subfolders or files in them, only DC MEK.

If you can't ping clients they probably have their default firewall settings on.

@mkramer777 your question is now off-topic, and beyond the scope of this original question.

Please see and read my EE Articles, it shows you how to use ISOS and Create virtual machines.

I believe your original question has been answered, please post a new question if you have having issues with your virtual machine.