🔧 Custom ESXi ISO and Depot Creation Guide

This PowerShell script creates a custom ESXi ISO and Depot by injecting async drivers into a standard VMware ESXI image. The script supports both Windows and macOS.

This Version 1.0 supports VMware ESXi 9.0 Build 24755229.

---

Prerequisite for windows

Python 3.7.1–3.12 (As per current PowerCLI support, Python 3.12+ is not supported, as VMware PowerCLI doesn't yet support versions beyond 3.12, Support in script will be extended once PowerCLI adds compatibility)

📂 Required Files

1. ESXi Depot ZIP
   Download the ESXi base image (depot.zip) from the VMware website.(Required to create a custom ESXi ISO.) Example: VMware-ESXi-9.0.0.0.24755229-depot.zip

2. Driver ZIP
   Download the drivers .zip file from software.cisco.com (for example, Cisco_UCS_Drivers_ESXi.5.4.0b.zip) and from within that file extract the specific drivers .zip file matching the VMware release.
   Example: Cisco_UCS_Drivers_ESXi_9.0_24755229.zip(having all the required async drivers for creating custom image.)

---

Prerequisite for Mac

⚠️ PowerShell must be installed via Homebrew.

Steps to Install PowerShell

Install brew if it is not already available in your system using below cli command /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

CLI Command to install powershell

brew install --cask powershell

📂 Required Files

1. ESXi Depot ZIP
   Download the ESXi base image (depot.zip) from the VMware website.(Required to create a custom ESXi ISO.) Example: VMware-ESXi-9.0.0.0.24755229-depot.zip

2. Driver ZIP
   Download the drivers .zip file from software.cisco.com (for example, Cisco_UCS_Drivers_ESXi.5.4.0b.zip) and from within that file extract the specific drivers .zip file matching the VMware release.
   Example: Cisco_UCS_Drivers_ESXi_9.0_24755229.zip(having all the required async drivers for creating custom image.)

---

📦 Modules Installed by the Script

• VMware PowerCLI
• Python modules:
  • six
  • lxml
  • psutil
  • pyOpenSSL

---

🪟 Steps for Running script on Windows

Steps

1. Download the script files.(package_install.ps1 and cross_platform.ps1)

2. Open PowerShell as Administrator.

3. Navigate to the script folder downloaded.

4. Run the below command in powershell to create custom iso: Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass; Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser -Force; ./package_install.ps1

5. choose Yes, when prompted with "Performing operation?",

6. A graphical form will appear:

   • First, select the ESXi depot ZIP which was downloaded from VMware website defined in prerequisite.
   • Then, select the Driver.zip defined in prerequsite.

7. The custom ESXi ISO will be created in the same directory, named with the original image name and current timestamp.

Note: If we run the script for the first time it takes approximately 10 minutes to install all the required packages, but subsequent creation will take 1-2 minutes.

---

🍏 Running on macOS

Steps to Run the Script

1. Open PowerShell with root privileges using below cli command: sudo pwsh

2. Execute the script: ./package_install.ps1

3. A folder picker will appear:

   • First, select the ESXi depot ZIP which was downloaded from VMware website defined in prerequisite.
   • Then, select the Driver.zip defined in prerequsite.

4. The custom ESXi ISO will be created in the same directory, named with the original image name and current timestamp.

❗ Troubleshooting

If you encounter permission-related errors during execution, run the following command:

Set-ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser -Force

NOTE:

VMware PowerCLI does not officially support pre-release versions of Python.
To ensure full compatibility and avoid unexpected issues, please use a stable release of Python.

❌ Unsupported:

• Pre-release versions (e.g., alpha, beta, release candidate)
• Python versions not listed in official PowerCLI documentation

After Running the Script

The script will produce two files:

1. A Cisco Custom ISO Image that can be used to install or upgrade VMware ESXi hosts to VMware ESXi 9 with Cisco-recommended drivers. Once this host is built, its image can be imported into vCenter 9 vLCM to serve as a required reference image for the cluster. This reference image can be exported to JSON to be used by other clusters within the vCenter.

2. A Depot.zip file that can be imported into vCenter 9 vLCM to produce a required reference image for the cluster. This reference image can be exported to JSON to be used by other clusters within the vCenter.