Creating a Windows 11 Virtual Machine with vSphere7

The purpose of this blog post is to provide the guidance and the steps needed to configure and install a Windows 11 virtual machine with VMware vSphere 7. This VM will be configured on a physical server (Dell PowerEdge R720) which includes the following hardware:

• 384GB RAM
• 2 x e5-2620 v2
• Dual SD module w\ 16GB SD cards
• H710 mini perc
• 16 x 2.5 bay system that includes 1TB hard drive in each bay
• Idrac express
• 4 x 1GB on-board NIC
• 2 x 10GB daughter NIC

Once the Windows 11 ISO was downloaded to my local machine, I created a Windows 11 Beta folder on my datastore (DS1) and uploaded the ISO to it (see image below):

Datastore

Once the folder has been created on the datastore (DS1), please select Upload Files:

Upload Files

Browse to the ISO on your local machine, select it and then upload:

ISO Upload

The Windows 11 Beta ISO has successfully been uploaded to the datastore (DS1):

ISO Upload Complete

Next, create the New Virtual Machine (VM) for Windows 11 Beta:

New Virtual Machine

Select Next to proceed:

Create a New Virtual Machine

Provide a name for the VM and then select Next:

Virtual Machine Name

Select Next once the Compatibility Checks have passed:

Compatibility Check

Select the appropriate Storage and then select Next:

Storage

Select the appropriate Compatibility and then select Next:

Compatibility

Select the appropriate OS. Since Windows 11 is not currently available in the drop-down list, I selected Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) and then Next:

Operating System

Select the desired hardware and then select Next:

Virtual Machine Hardware

Select Finish to create the virtual machine:

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  VM Hardware Settings

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  Windows 11 Virtual Machine

Edit the VM settings to boot to the ISO for the installation of the OS:

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  ISO Settings

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  Windows 11 ISO

Click Play to start the virtual machine:

Virtual Machine Summary

The installation of Windows 11 Beta begins:

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Once the Windows 11 installation is complete, please install VMware Tools:

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  VMware Tools

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  VMware Tools

Windows 11 Beta has been successfully installed and configured as a virtual machine:

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If I have missed anything or if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

Note: If you would like to achieve the same setup with Nutanix AHV, please check out Frederic Lhoest’s (fellow Nutanix NTC) blog post linked here for your convenience.

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