How to find Esxi version of server

[akio63]

We have an old Esxi server that was running for several years.  The hard drive failed and we need to access the VMs once again.  

I would like to create a new install then try to access the VMs using the new install.  Problem is I don't know which version to install.  We have an Esxi 3.5 install disk, an Esxi 4.1 install disk and an Esxi 5.0 install disk.  On top of that when I opened the CDROM drive there was an Esxi 6.0 install disk in it.  

So my first question is does it matter which version I use or if it does can I somehow tell what version was previously used?  

[Maks Roshchyna]

Such ESXi versions like 3.1 and 4.1 are RIP already. 

I don't know if you will find an ISO for them. For newest smth like 6.0 I assume your HW is not supported

[akio63]

Oh I have the ISOs.  No problem there.  These VMs were running under one of them I just don't know which one.  I guess I will just start with the 3.5 cd and work my way up if the install doesn't see the VM.  

I was hoping someone would say, "Yeah, version 7.1 will allow you to see any of the VMs!"  But like you said, I doubt my hardware would even be supported.  

Thanks anyway.  

[a_p_]

You said that the hard drive failed, so what about the VMs? Were they stored on another drive?

Anyway, what's the vendor/model of your ESXi host? Based on that it should be possible to determine which ESXi version may work.

André

[akio63]

Oh I'm sorry.  The HDD that failed only had the Esxi hypervisor installed.  So yes the VMs were stored on 4 other HDDs other than the one that failed.  One was 500 GB, a second one was 1 TB and another was 2 TB.  I don't recall what the last one was.  The server was a PC clone, with a Supermicro X7DVL-E with E5450 Quad Core Processor by Intel and a (I don't recall ATM) an Intel Pro/1000 Quad Port Server Adapter.  

[a_p_]

I the newest "old" version that you have is 6.0 try installing that on a new disk.
I assume (hope) you also have a license key for that version, because VMware doesn't offer 6.x license keys anymore (at least not for the free Hypervisor edition).

André

[StephenMoll]

I think I would just try installing the newest version you have to hand, which seeing as it was already in the cd-drive is likely to have been installed before anyway.

If you had a way of browsing the content of the surviving disks with the VMs on them, which is admittedly isn't a trivial thing to do without ESXi installed, you can find in each VM folder the VMware.log files that are created each time the VMs have booted. The first line of which will detail the version of ESXi that the VM booted on.

Which for ESXi 6.0 will look something like:

2020-02-20T11:22:33.444Z| vmx| I125: Log for VMware ESX pid=12345 version=6.0.0 build=build-15517548 option=Release