The script provided by Varazir
http://code.google.com/p/mkesxiaio/
http://varazir.mine.nu/esxi/
help us to create

1) ISO installation - Create an ISO file with custom files
2) USB installation - Create a bootale USB key as VMWare ESXi Installer with custom files
3) USB boot - Install VMWare ESXi to a USB key
4) USB installation without custom files - Create a bootable USB key as VMWare ESXi Installer without custom files.
5) USB boot without custom files - Create a bootable USB key directly from the VMWare ISO

CHANGE LOG: http://code.google.com/p/mkesxiaio/wiki/Changelog



Prepare the necessary

If you have a Microsoft Windows OS, I think that the better solution is to install the latest version of VMWare Player (in the moment I'm writing is 3.1.0 build-261024) and to load a linux distibution like Ubuntu Lucid Lynx 10.04 64bit. You just have to create the virtual machine and then load Ubuntu from a CD or from the ISO file. We don't need to install anything, we will limit to use the LiveCD.
If you need to transfer files to Ubuntu the best solution is to share a Windows folder.
To connect to it from Ubuntu go to "Places" - "Connect to server...", in "Service Type" select "Windows share", and in "Server" write the IP of your Windows PC.
If we need to copy the VMWare ISO, Ubuntu will notify us that there isn't much free space available to copy the file.
Open "System" - "Administration" - "GParted".
Select "Device" - "Create partition table". Then right click on the "Unollacated space" and select "New" to create a new partition (the disk space that we left to the VM when we created it). Here at leat you can change the file system type (for ex. I changed from ext2 to ext4). Then "Edit" - "Apply All Operations" -> "Apply". Now from the "Places" menu select the disk to mount the partition and inside copy your VMWare files from the Windows share folder. You could have permissions problems, so open a Terminal and digit



The device UUID change on every disk.
Now make the Varazir script executable



and execute it





The Varazir's script

The first choice is to select the VMWare ESXi version you are going to modify



The script will check if everything is installed on the system



Then choose what you want to do





1) ISO installation

Work in progress



2) USB installation

Work in progress



3) USB boot

If you have multiple .tgz files, the script wil ask you to decide wich one to choose



Extra support



Then the script will ask you if you want to edit some files. Remember that the capital letter is the default chioce and if you want to select it just press Enter



The script will finish to create all the necessary and then it will ask you for the USB device



Insert it and tell VMWare Player to passthrough to the Guest OS. Update and select your USB device.
Some warnings



Wait until the script has finished (it will take a while...)



Finish!







4) USB installation without custom files

Work in progress



5) USB boot without custom files

Work in progress



Multiple oem.tgz

As pointed out by VMWare vExpert Dave.Mishchenko in this thread, if you need to customize your installation with multiple oum.tgz, you need to merge them.
In this example, I'm trying to merge driver for Realtek RTL81111 and dmraid. I have the following 2 files:
RTL8111_8168_P55_integr_SATA_Ctrl.(AHCI).oem.tgz
dmraid.zip

Extract both and copy dmraid.o to RTL8111_8168_P55_integr_SATA_Ctrl.(AHCI).oem/usr/lib/vmware/vkmod/
Now from a terminal, go into the RTL8111_8168_P55_integr_SATA_Ctrl.(AHCI).oem folder and compress :



Move oem.tgz to the folder where there is the script and the VMWare ISO