Install vCenter Server 8 in VMware Workstation! Step-by-step process and error workaround

In this video we take a look at using VMware Workstation for your home lab environment to run vCenter Server 8. How can you install VMware vCenter Server 8 in VMware Workstation? We take a look at the process and a quirk to get this to work with vCenter Server 8.

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Introduction - 0:00
Going over the typical vCenter Server installation method - 1:05
Relies on vCenter Server or ESXi host - 1:36
Deploy the VCSA appliance from the ISO file - 2:00
Looking at the OVA appliance - 2:14
Describing an error I received deploying the vCenter Server appliance - 2:52
Describing a change needed to successfully deploy a modified OVF template - 3:00
Using the OVFtool to create an OVF tool to deploy vCenter Server - 3:42
Converting the OVA to OVF process - 4:14
The OVF file is successfully created - 4:40
Navigating to the directory where we created the OVF - 4:52
Editing the OVF file - 5:15
Searching for the change we need to make - 5:30
Opening the modified OVF appliance file - 6:35
The wizard kicks off for phase 1 in the deployment of the VCSA appliance - 6:52
EULA - 7:19
Name the VM and storage location - 7:25
VCSA sizing - 7:30
Networking configuration - 7:36
SSO configuration - 8:07
System configuration - 8:17
Domain search path - 8:22
Completing the phase 1 and import begins - 8:36
VCSA booted and navigating manually to the VAMI interface - 9:10
Familiar vCenter Server installer interface from the VAMI interface - 9:33
Clicking Setup box - 9:50
Verifying the network properties - 10:05
Changing time synchronization and SSH access property - 10:15
SSO configuration - 10:25
CEIP options - 11:09
Summary screen - 11:19
Warning about disrupting the process - 11:29
Phase 2 begins - 11:50
VCSA appliance successfully deploys - 11:58
Wrapping up talking about VMware Workstation for home lab - 12:10

Upgrade to ESXi 8.0 in three ways:

VMware vSphere 8 download links:

William Lam's blog post covering the error for vCenter Server 8 and VMware Workstation:

[Webcatman]

This trick is awesome, I spent also two night installed vCenter8 in VMware Workstation and keep failed, after your youtube video I success install it. Once again! Thanks a lot!

[Dechkaon]

I usually dont post comments but I really had to stop and say a huge thanks to you. I was dealing with 2nd stage deployment issues with Vcenter 7 deployment. Doesnt matter what i tried it didnt work. Then i came across this video and it actually worked perfectly for both vcenter 7 and 8. You rock man. Thanks again

[zuhirelgmati]

Thank you very much, you made my day !! after 4 days of struggling and searching for a fix to the STAGE2 error, nothing works for me, but your step works perfectly for me. By the way, I used your method to deploy VCSA 7, so it works in both VCSA 7&8

[jeanburgos]

Brandon, This is brilliant. I struggled for two days trying to set up VSCA from my desktop pushing it to ESXi running on Workstation 16. I finally got it to work. But I much rather use this method you described here.

[teedarling]

I followed your steps and set up vCenter Server 8 on VMware Workstation 17 Pro. Perfect! Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[poettone]

Very good content! Thank you for this as I struggled with a 2 host environment trying to setup HA was a pain point so needed to set this up on my workstation. Cheers!

[seths]

this is cool...will have to play with it in my infinite spare time. been using vmware workstation since version 6 in 2008 and is a great platform for testing and learning

[TheRightBet]

Thank you for such detailed instructions!

[homayoonsoleimani]

thank you. this way is very good.
very well.

[amitchettri_ac]

Hello Brandon,

Do you have a Playlist for end to end full homelab setup vmware cluster with storage may be with iscsi storage or free nas. As actual nas/San device all may not have at home.

Any lead is highly appreciated

[l.n.batista]

Thanks for the video! It works at Workstation 17 Pro?
I tried to install the vCenter but, in the page Stage 1, the loading bar stops at 77%

[richardborovansky]

Good afternoon Brandon, please I would need an advice : is it possible to upgrade VCSA 7.0 ( installed in VMWare Workstation v17 ) to VCSA 8.0 ( and keep it in the same Workstation instance ) ?

[oliveroctoso]

Hi im having this type or error while mapping
ovftool : The term 'ovftool' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet, function, script file, or operable program.
Check the spelling of the name, or if a path was included, verify that the path is correct and try again.

[edfocusnik]

i have vCenter 8 in format iso. how i can convert iso to ovf or install vCenter in format iso to VMware workstation 1?

[arjanv]

thanks. great video.

i'm getting this error. Will try to fix this, but can i restart the config or do i need to delete the whole and start over?

Error
The supplied System Name vc02.vsphere.local is not valid.
Resolution
If the supplied system name is a FQDN, then make sure the DNS forward lookup results in at least one valid IP address in the system. If the supplied system name is an IP address, then it should be one of the valid IP address(es) in the system.

[adsingh]

Hello, I have installed and configured vcsa successfully. But so far I am not able to access VCSA using the browser. I have tried on the domain-joined machine, and I have updated the "hosts" file in the system as well. Still, I am not able to access it. Please if you can guide me on this issue.

[fbifido]

- Can this be done also in ESXi v5/6/7/8 ?
because vCenter should be deployed inside of esxi, not outside of it.

but i did not know there was a manual way to deploy vCenter v8, so thanks.

I just hope no one doing HomeLab's take this as a learning step and try to do it in production.

[vinodkatla]

can anyone help to share link to donwload VMware vCenter Server Appliance 8.x OVF file trail version

[brandonbarr]

Do a video on installing 3 ESXi into workstation then install VCF. Using Nvem as RAM

[derppcannon]

how did you determine the values for the network configuration part?