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Use the VI Client Datastore Browser to Upload Files to ESX Hosts

PostDateIcon June 4th, 2008 | PostAuthorIcon Author: Rich Brambley

updated 013010: several commenters indicated an issue with trasfering large files via the datastore browser. As of VirtualCenter 2.5 Update 6, VMware has fixed this issue. So, be sure to upgrade! More on this here.

Running the latest version of ESX3.5 enables a lot of usability enhancements in the VI Client. Many of the administrative tasks and configurations previously performed on the Service Console or by third party tools are now accessible as new options directly from the GUI. For example, you previously could not use the Datastore Browser to upload files such as ISOs to the ESX hosts, but instead had to use a tool such as WinSCP or other similar methods. With the ESX3.5 VI Client you can now transfer files right from the client. What makes this native ability even cooler is the fact that you no longer have to enable remote root access or create a special user. If you connect the VI Client to VirtualCenter as a local administrator, or if you connect to the ESX host as root you can use the VI Client to upload files without any other configurations.

The following screenshot of the VI Client is showing the Summary Tab of the ESX host.

In the Resources box is the Datastore section. Right clicking any datastore listed and selecting Browse will open the Datastore Browser. In my example I am using a stand alone ESX Foundation host that only has local storage, but if this were a SAN connected host than all volumes available would be listed.

image001

You can see in the next screen shot that I have created an ISO folder on the local VMFS where I am storing copies of CDs needed by the VMs. The Upload button is next to the Create New Folder button and looks like a stack of disks with the green up arrow on it.

image002

Clicking Upload opens a window which lets you browse for the file to transfer. In this example I have the Windows 2003 R2 .iso files on my USB thumb drive.

image003

After selecting the cd1.iso the upload process begins!

image004

As Eric Sloof points out in the Nitro.nl post ESX 3i Uploading Files, using the VI Client is also the only option for transferring files to an ESXi host.

Related Posts

PostCategoryIcon Posted in esx, how to, vi client | PostTagIcon Tags: , , , , ,
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  • Rob
    Yeah - banged my head on the keyboard with SCP until I saw this. Here is the trick ->

    Enable SSH on the ESXi system (alt/f1, unsupported, root pw, edit inetd.conf, etc)
    Do your vmkfstools -i on the primary vmdk file then gzip the cloned disk and use the VI browse datastore function to download the file.

    Gzip turned a 12GB disk file (mostly empty space) into a 1GB file and it transferred in 3 minutes using the VI.

    Cheers.

    PS> Now testing transferring that cloned disk to a completely new host and building the exact same VMs. Doing this 16 times so I will make sure the hack works.
  • jdieter
    disabled usb controller on esxi machine. Didn't help.
  • jdieter
    i/o error uploading files. I get the same thing.
  • guest
    Dear all,

    I'm installaing ESXi and in top of it i have three VM runing different OS. One of them have federal OS "VMComputerA". I'm using another PC "PCManage" to access and manage the VM PCs on the ESXi server, but when i try to transfer file from a USB pluged in the PCManage, i can't see it in the VMComputerA.

    Can anyone please support me and tel me how i can access the USB key from the VM machain.?
  • Ahmad,

    For remote usb connectivity check out my post
    http://vmetc.com/2009/03/11/connecting-a-usb-de...
  • Anna,

    So if I understand your comment right you could not upload with the vi client from your desktop, but then you had no problem with the vi client installed on a VM hosted on the very same ESXi host? If so, what virtual networking config are you using. 1 vswitch with multiple port groups or multiple vswitches? Thanks.
  • Anna
    While attempting to translating post #32 it sparked the idea of installing the VMware client on one of the virtual machines on the same host. After copying the ISO files to that machine I was able to upload 2.5GB images with no I/O error. Hope this helps :)
  • Larry
    Which tip? Disable USB in bios or disconnect the IDE drive?
  • PJ
    I am sure this is the best tip I have ever found on ESXi. It saved a lot of trouble and works like a charm. Many thanks.

    Best regards

    PJ
  • I to am having the same problem with an ESXi install, it was installed from a burned ISO. I tried using the webserver to retrive the file in Internet Explorer it failed when trying to access the vmdk file, but I was able to access the other files.
  • ok. sorry it did'nt work for you, must be some other problem you have then
  • Larry
    Disabled USB in bios and removed the CD/DVD ROM drive. No luck, got the I/O error within a second of starting the down of the vmdk file.
  • I did a little more research into the problem, and it seems that the esx host see's and act as if an IDE cd-rom / DVD drive or any form of USB memory ( cd/dvd driv, memorystick etc. ) is accessed as it was a SCSI device, and that it may just be a problem related to certain chipset's.

    If it do not work just to disabling USB in bios, try to disconnect your IDE cd/dvd drive also.

    Larry, please let me know if this solved the problem for you.
  • Bo,

    Thanks.

    Larry,

    Let us know how it turns out.
  • Larry, i hope this will work for you to, as it did for me.
  • Larry
    Cool. I'll schedule time to take the VM's down then disable USB in the host bios. Might be early Wednesday before I can do it...

    I'll report back what I find.
  • Disable USB on the host, not the vm's
  • Larry,

    I assumed Bo meant at the hardware level of ESXi, but I am not sure now. Regardless, if you have virtual hardware in your VMs you will not use then remove it. No need to continuously poll the ESX host hardware from VMs for USB ports, floppy drives, com and parallel ports if the VM doesn't need them.
  • Larry
    Are you saying USB on the host? Or guest? Two of the three Guests have a USB port configured although I'd doubt Id every use it in that capaticy.

    I installed the host from a CD.
  • Bo,

    Thanks for the tip. I've never installed ESXi from a USB drive, and I've never had to disable USB in the server BIOS before either. This is interesting. I'm curious now if the others having problems with failed transfers installed from USB too.
  • I installed the server from my USB dvd drive, and after having the I/O error trying to copy files to vmfs, the server dropped the net connection. Then i thought i would try to reinstall, and connected my USB dvd drive and to my surprise the net connection to my server came back on.

    So i disabled everything with USB in bios, and havent had I/O error since.
  • Had the same problem with I/O error, but i found out by accident that is was related to USB. Try an disable everything with USB in bios. That solved the problem for me.
  • Peter,

    I have transmitted numerous files above 100 mb with the VI Client to ESXi. I just transferred a 8 GB VM on my home ESXi server yesterday with the VI Client. I have also v2v -ed several VMs using VMware Converter to ESXi.

    I would investigate your NICs and cables if you have not done so already. Maybe try a different port on the switch? Is your switch port set to 1GB Full? What is your ESXi NIC reporting? Make sure they match. Same for your desktop. Can you try the transfer with the VI Client from a server or another desktop?

    There has got to be something unrelated to ESXi that we are missing here.
  • Sounds like this is a pervasive problem with ESXi not being able to transmit files > 100MB via the datastore browser. The ESXi product seems completely worthless if it can't receive large files. The VMWare converter also fails (for the same reasons, I suspect).

    I did a network trace between the VMWare client and the ESXi server, and I found that there were large amounts of packet retransmission problems, which is baffling. This occurred between two different ESXi servers and two different VMWare clients on a network infrastructure that was reporting no bad packets on the switches.
  • Wilco
    You can enable SSH on ESXi, but it does not support scp. I tried different scp software and it simply does not work. I also got I/O error when I upload 100MB iso file and never get through it.
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