ESXi Debian 13 Zero-Touch Deploy

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name: esxi-debian-deploy

description: Zero-touch Debian 13 VM deployment on VMware ESXi 8. Builds custom preseed ISO, creates NVMe+vmxnet3 VM with serial console, and runs unattended installation. Use when deploying Debian VMs on ESXi, automating VM provisioning, or setting up serial console access for headless ESXi VM management.

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# ESXi Debian 13 Zero-Touch Deploy

Deploy fully configured Debian 13 VMs on ESXi 8 in ~8 minutes with zero manual interaction.

Required Environment Variables

| Variable | Required | Description |

|----------|----------|-------------|

| `ESXI_HOST` | **Yes** | ESXi host IP address |

| `ESXI_PASS` | **Yes** | ESXi root password |

| `ESXI_USER` | No | ESXi user (default: `root`) |

| `ESXI_DATASTORE` | No | Target datastore (default: `datastore1`) |

| `NETWORK` | No | Port group name (default: `VM Network`) |

| `DOMAIN` | No | Domain for VMs (default: `local`) |

| `VM_PASS` | **Yes** (resize only) | VM root password for disk resize script |

> **⚠️ Note:** The deploy script generates a random VM password and prints it to stdout. The password is also embedded in the preseed ISO uploaded to the ESXi datastore. Remove the ISO after deployment and treat stdout output as sensitive.

Requirements

Install on Debian/Ubuntu:

apt install xorriso isolinux sshpass
# govc: https://github.com/vmware/govmomi/releases

Usage

All credentials are passed via environment variables — nothing is hardcoded or embedded in process arguments.

export ESXI_HOST="192.168.1.100"
export ESXI_PASS="your-esxi-root-password"

bash scripts/esxi-deploy.sh [hostname] [cpu] [ram_mb] [disk_gb] [serial_port]

| Parameter | Default | Description |

|-----------|---------|-------------|

| hostname | random animal name | VM name |

| cpu | 2 | vCPU count |

| ram_mb | 2048 | Memory in MB |

| disk_gb | 20 | Disk size in GB |

| serial_port | random 8600-8699 | Telnet port for serial console |

**Example:**

bash scripts/esxi-deploy.sh webserver 4 4096 50 8610

What It Does

1. **Generate preseed.cfg** — German locale, DHCP, configurable user + `root`, random password

2. **Build custom ISO** — Debian netinst + preseed, patched isolinux for auto-boot

3. **Upload ISO** to ESXi datastore

4. **Create VM** — NVMe disk (thin provisioned), dual NIC (E1000 for installer + vmxnet3 for production), serial port via telnet

5. **Boot + unattended install** — preseed handles everything

6. **Post-install** — Remove E1000, eject ISO, set boot to HDD

7. **Output credentials** — SSH + serial console access details

Serial Console

Every VM gets a serial port accessible via telnet to the ESXi host:

telnet <ESXI_IP> <serial_port>

Works even when the VM has no network. Configured:

**ESXi firewall requirement** (activated automatically by the script):

esxcli network firewall ruleset set -e true -r remoteSerialPort

**Important:** Set serial port IP to the ESXi host IP, not `0.0.0.0`:

serial0.fileName = "telnet://<ESXI_IP>:<port>"

Online Disk Resize

Grow a VM's disk without shutdown:

export ESXI_HOST="192.168.1.100"
export ESXI_PASS="your-esxi-password"
export VM_PASS="vm-root-password"

bash scripts/esxi-vm-resize-disk.sh <vm-name> <new-size-gb>

Requires `cloud-guest-utils` on the VM (pre-installed by the deploy script).

Configuration

All settings are configurable via environment variables:

export ESXI_HOST="192.168.1.100"    # ESXi host IP (required)
export ESXI_PASS="secret"           # ESXi root password (required)
export ESXI_USER="root"             # ESXi user (default: root)
export ESXI_DATASTORE="datastore1"  # Target datastore (default: datastore1)
export NETWORK="VM Network"         # Port group name (default: VM Network)
export DOMAIN="example.local"       # Domain for VMs (default: local)

No credential store or external resolver is required. Pass secrets via environment variables only — they are never embedded in process arguments or URLs.

VM Configuration Details

| Component | Choice | Reason |

|-----------|--------|--------|

| Disk controller | NVMe | Faster than SCSI/SATA for modern guests |

| Production NIC | vmxnet3 | Paravirtualized, best performance |

| Installer NIC | E1000 | Kernel driver built-in, no firmware needed |

| Boot mode | BIOS | Simpler for automated installs |

| Provisioning | Thin | Saves datastore space |

Preseed Highlights

Customize the preseed section in `esxi-deploy.sh` for different locales or packages.

Security Considerations

- ESXi firewall rules (limit `remoteSerialPort` to trusted IPs)

- Network segmentation / VPN

- Disable serial port after debugging

Gotchas

References