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.

How to Configure Static IP Address Using nmcli in Linux

Configuring a static IP address is a common task for Linux administrators, especially when setting up servers or virtual machines that require consistent network settings. The nmcli command-line tool, part of NetworkManager, provides a powerful and scriptable way to manage network connections without a GUI. In this guide, we’ll walk through the essential nmcli commands to set a static IPv4 address, gateway, DNS, and disable IPv6 for a network interface.

Step-by-Step: Setting a Static IP Address with nmcli

Let’s assume your network interface is named ens33. Here’s how to configure it:

1. Assign a Static IPv4 Address
   nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.addresses "172.16.3.150/16"
   This sets the IP address to 172.16.3.150 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0 (CIDR /16).
2. Set the Default Gateway
   nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.gateway "172.16.0.1"
   This command configures the default gateway for outgoing traffic.
3. Configure DNS Server
   nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.dns "8.8.8.8"
   This sets Google’s DNS server for name resolution. You can add multiple DNS servers by separating them with a comma, e.g., "8.8.8.8,8.8.4.4".
4. Disable IPv6 (Optional)
   nmcli con mod ens33 ipv6.method "disabled"
   If your environment does not use IPv6, disabling it can simplify network troubleshooting and improve security.
5. Set IPv4 Method to Manual
   nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.method manual
   This ensures that the interface uses manual (static) configuration instead of DHCP.

Applying the Changes

After making these changes, you need to bring the connection down and back up for the settings to take effect:

 nmcli con down ens33 nmcli con up ens33 

Example: Complete Static IP Setup Script

nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.addresses "172.16.3.150/16" 
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.gateway "172.16.0.1" 
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.dns "8.8.8.8" 
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv6.method "disabled" 
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.method manual 
nmcli con down ens33 nmcli con up ens33 

Additional Tips

• Check Connection Name: Use nmcli con show to list all available connections and confirm your interface name (e.g., ens33).
• Disable IPv6 for Other Connections: Replace ens33 with your actual interface name as needed.
• Verify Configuration: After applying changes, use ip addr and nmcli dev show ens33 to verify your settings.

Summary Table: Key nmcli Commands

Command	Description
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.addresses "IP/CIDR"	Set static IP address and subnet
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.gateway "GATEWAY"	Set default gateway
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.dns "DNS"	Set DNS server(s)
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv6.method "disabled"	Disable IPv6
nmcli con mod ens33 ipv4.method manual	Set IPv4 configuration to manual
nmcli con down ens33	Deactivate the connection
nmcli con up ens33	Activate the connection

With these nmcli commands, you can quickly and reliably configure static IP settings on your Linux systems, making network management more efficient and consistent.

Installing PHP 8.3 on RHEL-based Systems: A Step-by-Step Guide

PHP stands as a cornerstone of web development, a versatile scripting language and interpreter renowned for its open availability and prevalent use on Linux-based web servers. Keeping your PHP installation up-to-date is crucial for performance, security, and access to the latest features. This guide walks you through the process of installing PHP 8.3 on your Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) based system, leveraging the EPEL and REMI repositories for a streamlined experience.

Adding the EPEL and REMI Repositories

To gain access to a wider range of software packages, including the latest PHP versions, we'll add the Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux (EPEL) and the Remi Community Repository (REMI) to your system's package manager. Execute the following commands in your terminal:

Bash

sudo dnf install https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm
sudo dnf -y install https://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi-release-9.2.rpm

Note: The dnf command is the package manager used in modern RHEL-based systems like CentOS, Fedora, and AlmaLinux. The -y flag automatically confirms the installation, so proceed with caution.

Installing Yum Utilities

The yum-utils package provides a collection of helpful utilities for managing your DNF repositories and packages. Install it using the following command:

Bash

sudo dnf -y install yum-utils

While the command mentions yum, it's often a symbolic link to dnf on newer systems, so this command works seamlessly.

Enabling the PHP 8.3 Remi Repository

The REMI repository offers more recent PHP versions than the default RHEL repositories. To enable the PHP 8.3 stream from REMI, you'll first need to reset any active PHP modules and then enable the specific PHP 8.3 module:

Bash

sudo dnf module reset php
sudo dnf module install php:remi-8.3

The dnf module reset php command ensures a clean slate by disabling any previously enabled PHP modules. Following this, dnf module install php:remi-8.3 activates the PHP 8.3 module provided by the REMI repository.

With these steps completed, your system is now configured to install PHP 8.3 and its associated packages from the REMI repository. You can now proceed to install PHP 8.3 and any extensions you require using the dnf install php php-<extension-name> command.