Best practices for ESXi host BIOS settings
The BIOS settings will vary depending on the hardware manufacturer and the BIOS version. Supported BIOS versions should be verified on the VMware HCL for the hardware selected. The following screenshot shows the HCL details of a Dell PowerEdge R620 with the supported BIOS versions:
If the hardware is supported but the running BIOS version is not supported, the BIOS should be upgraded to a supported version.
How to do it…
The BIOS settings will vary depending on the hardware manufacturer and the BIOS version. The settings available along with the layout and access will vary depending on the BIOS manufacturer and the BIOS version. The following screenshot is an example of a BIOS setup utility:
The following settings are provided as guidelines to optimize the BIOS for an ESXi installation. Ask the hardware vendor for recommendations on settings specific to the hardware and BIOS versions:
Enable Intel VTx or AMD-V.
Enable Intel Extended Page Tables (EPT...
