Hello everyone! I'm new to the forum though not necessarily new to Linux

I was wondering if someone out there could help me with a project. I need to slipstream a NIC driver to an ESX Vmware live cd; it has the 2.6 kernel I believe. I have ISO editing software so that's not a problem, and I have already compiled the appropriate driver as an rpm (I also installed it on a Ubuntu test machine so I know the rpm works). Does anyone know what files I need to edit to have the ESX live cd install the RPM automatically so it will read the network card? How do I need to modify them? Thanks!

Zach

Hello!

Are you trying to add in a new nic to the actual VMware esxi disk or is this an image of a system?

If the VMware esxi and you are trying to get it to boot on your non-supported system it might be more involved. I too tried to boot esxi in a test cpu but didn't have the few nic's supported.


I don't think I'd go rpm though. I think you might have to recompile the kernel outside of the cd and then return it.

Jefro,

Thanks for your response! I actually was trying to use the pre-installed NIC that was using an unsupported Intel Chipset (82567-LM3) for ESX 3.4 Update 4. I had to use that old version of the software for the Offline Desktop feature in VMWare View 4.0.

Fortunately, I was able to get ESXi 3.5 Update 4 to work! I used the instructions here http://vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/customize_oem_tgz.php to create a custom ESXi install disc with ISO Master; the instructions here worked perfectly and I was able to set up my demo.

I wasn't ever able to get ESX 3.5U4 to work, and I am still curious to know if any one out there knows how to slipstream RPMs into the disc (ESX is built on Red Hat Linux and does use RPMs. I was able to locate the folders with all of the .rpm drivers but I couldn't figure out how to edit the text files that indexed all of them and loaded them). If anyone figures that out, I'd love to hear about it.

Oh yeah -- the answer to your first question was I was trying to manipulate the install disc itself.

I think you would have to have an installed system or virtual system to use any rpm. The instructions for the oem.tgz looks like it should have worked but there may be other factors than just getting the pci info.

I'd look back at that link and email or pm some of those that made some of the changes for more clues as to how to fix your isntall cd/usb to what you need.