Step-by-Step: Installing Home Assistant OS on VMware vSphere

This guide uses the official Home Assistant OS 12.3 VMDK image from GitHub and adapts it for vSphere environments.

Prerequisites

• VMware vSphere 7.0+ access
• Download haos_ova-12.3.vmdk.xz from GitHub Release 12.3
• 7-Zip or similar extraction tool

Installation Steps

1. Prepare the VMDK:
   • Extract the downloaded .xz file to get haos_ova-12.3.vmdk
   • Rename to home-assistant.vmdk
2. Create Virtual Machine:
   • Guest OS Family: Linux
   • Version: Other Linux 5.x kernel 64-bit
   • Hardware:
     • 2 vCPU minimum
     • 2 GB RAM minimum
     • Remove all default storage devices
3. Upload VMDK to Datastore:
   • Use Datastore Browser to upload home-assistant.vmdk
4. Convert Disk Format: (Required for vSphere compatibility)

   vmkfstools -i /vmfs/volumes/[DATASTORE]/home-assistant.vmdk \ /home-assistant-converted.vmdk

5. Configure Virtual Hardware:
   • Add SCSI Controller: LSI Logic SAS
   • Attach converted VMDK as existing hard disk
   • Network: Bridged adapter
6. Enable UEFI Boot:
   • Edit VM Settings > VM Options > Boot Options
   • Firmware: EFI
   • Disable Secure Boot

First Boot Configuration

• Power on the VM
• Access via web browser:
  • http://homeassistant.local:8123
  • or use assigned IP address

Troubleshooting Tips

Issue	Solution
"Unsupported disk type" error	Re-run vmkfstools conversion
Boot failure	Verify EFI settings in VM options
Network unreachable	Check bridged network configuration

After successful installation, you can expand storage or add USB controllers for Zigbee/Z-Wave devices through vSphere's hardware settings.