How to Upload and Copy a Set of Files to ESXi (4034372)

Follow these steps to upload and copy a set of files to ESXi:

Step 1 – Enable SSH on ESXi (One Time)

1. On the console of the ESXi Server, on the ESXi server’s administration window where  <F2> Configure and <F12> Shutdown/Restart options display, press ALT+F1 to enter CLI mode.
2. Enter “unsupported” in the console, and then press Enter. (Note: You will not see the text you type.) If  “unsupported” is typed correctly, the Tech Support Mode warning and a password prompt displays.
3. Enter the password for the root login. You will then see the prompt of ~ #.
4. Edit the file inetd.conf (for example, enter the command vi /etc/inetd.conf).
5. Find the line that begins with #ssh and remove the #, and then save the file. If new to using vi, then move the cursor down to #ssh line and then press the Insert key. Move the cursor over one space, and then hit backspace to delete the #. Then press ESC and type in :wq! to save the file and exit vi. If a mistake is made, press the ESC key and then type it :q! to quit vi without saving the file.
6. Once the vi editor is closed, run the command /sbin/services.sh restart to restart the management services. Now the machine is able to connect to the ESXi host with an SSH client.

Step 2 – Copy the Files

• Use a free tool, such as winscp (http://winscp.net), to copy the export folder to ESXi. Make sure to change the default encryption cipher from AES to Blowfish to see significantly faster transfers.