HOW-TO: Locate VMware ESXi Hosts in Your Infrastucture

There are times when you have to operate within the constraints of the environment in which you operate in -- like when you have a workstation that requires multiple operating systems (as well as multiple applications) and all that's available to you for network configuration is dynamic host configuration protocol (or DHCP).

This becomes even more complicated if the operating system installed on your workstation is a hypervisor, like VMware ESXi. Locating your host in the network segment can become a challenge. Especially when there are scheduled maintenance work that requires your workstation to be shutdown or when you leave the office on a weekend only to return the following week facing a host that is assigned a different IP. In case you are wondering, I don't have control over the DHCP server to reserve an IP address.

Given that constraint, I have to adapt and discover some things to make my life easier, accept the challenge and work around it. Fortunately, I'm not alone in this boat. Others have faced similar issues and have developed tools to specifically address this.

For this particular issue, the appropriate software is called "VMware Scanner". And it functions just like typical IP Scanners.

Simply input the range of IP Addresses to scan and let the application work for you. The application is very quick in locating ESXi hosts.

RELATED: Create a USB VMware ESXi 5.X Installer

Working within your constraints is necessary sometimes. This is where adaptability and resourcefulness come into play.

Hope this tip helps you face the same dilemma I was in.