ESX / ESXi Bios Tools

[pix]

I've written a tool that I hope you'll find useful. It automates extraction or injection of bios440.rom files from / into ESX/i executables using a windows machine.

You can either grab the vmx executables yourself and work locally (if you're paranoid ) or enable SSH on the server and let the app do the donkey-work for you. The readme has all the info you'll need.

No roms are included in the package - don't ask me to include them please. You can use the same procedure as modding roms from WS 6.5 (use the search button!) It's a great risk-free way of learning to mod.

Thanks to @alex sikorsky for your guidance

Have fun and hit thanks if you like it!

EsxBiosTools.v1.1.4.rar

[sebus]

Thanks, need to try it

sebus

[pix]

v1.0.0.1

Fixed a bug working remotely with an upgraded ESXi server

[pix]

v1.0.0.2

[bug] Error picking bios file fixed

Link in first post

[deMarchi]

dose this tool work locally with vm's? or it requires remout connection to esxi?

thx

added: ok. I downloaded and read readme.txt and got an answer. ^)

[pix]

dose this tool work locally with vm's? or it requires remout connection to esxi?

thx

added: ok. I downloaded and read readme.txt and got an answer. ^)

If you're using ESXi, you'll need to extract the vmx file from sys.vgz yourself if you want to work locally. You'll need the vmtar tool to do that and that's only available on ESX/i afaik.

ESX is possible to just extract using scp / sftp as the file's not packed up.

[bobman]

being a complete nuibe at this. I have downloaded the bios tool and when atempting to remote extract the bios file i get the following error.

'Could not find datastore folder'

I am running esxi4 u1 from a usb stick.

i read on the post above that i wil need to manually extract the vmx file from the sys.vgz using vmtar

What is the syntax of this app? once extracted i take it i need to manually extarct the bios file to be patched.

[pix]

The tool looks for a datastore folder in /vmfs/volumes to put temporary files.

Do you have a datastore folder with a usb install? I've never booted it that way.

In VSphere client, what is the name of the folder where your vms are stored?

[bobman]

no i dont have a datastore folder.

im my /vmfs/volumes if have
1tb main store
Hypervisor1
Hypervisor2
Hypervisor3
4a4dfcd1-312d6e10-404b-001b21384daa
4b72c5e3-3a61e05b-ed4c-b9b6da83be5c
7c7b15ea-54f861ef-a388-473f43007b89
c2a427e4-2d317086-fef9-b5750d88536c

the numbered folders are the real folders and the named ones are links to the numbererd folders
I cant create a folder in there either

I have now also tried renaming my store to datastore in vsphere client, I still get the same error, the only thing that was changed in the folder was the link was changed

[pix]

The tool looks for a folder named datastore with a number on the end like datastore1. This is the standard name for the folder after a fresh install afaik.

So if you rename it to datastore1 not datastore, you should be in luck.

I'll put some logic into the tool to use the datastore that has the most free space some time.