To install GitHub Enterprise on VMWare, you must download the VMWare vSphere client, and then download and deploy the GitHub Enterprise software.
In this guide
- Prerequisites
- Hardware considerations
- Downloading the GitHub Enterprise image
- Creating the GitHub Enterprise instance
- Configuring the GitHub Enterprise instance
Prerequisites
You must have a GitHub Enterprise license file. To download an existing license file or request a trial license, visit enterprise.github.com. For more information, see "License files."
You must have a VMware vSphere ESXi Hypervisor, applied to a bare metal machine that will run your GitHub Enterprise instances. We support versions 5.5 through 6.5. The ESXi Hypervisor is free and does not include the (optional) vCenter Server. For more information, see the VMware ESXi documentation.
- You will need access to a vSphere Client. If you have vCenter Server you can use the vSphere Web Client. For more information, see the VMware guide "Log in to vCenter Server by Using the vSphere Web Client."
Hardware considerations
GitHub Enterprise requires a persistent data disk separate from the root disk. For more information, see "System overview."
For your storage device, we recommend a high-performance SSD, either directly attached or from a storage area network (SAN).
Based on your seat count, we recommend this hardware configuration:
| Seats | vCPUs | Memory | Attached Storage | Root Storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-500 | 2 | 16 GB | 100 GB | 200 GB |
| 500-3000 | 4 | 32 GB | 250 GB | 200 GB |
| 3000-5000 | 8 | 64 GB | 500 GB | 200 GB |
| 5000-8000 | 12 | 72 GB | 750 GB | 200 GB |
| 8000-10000+ | 16 | 128 GB | 1000 GB | 200 GB |
These are minimum recommendations. More resources may be required depending on your usage, such as user activity and selected integrations.
Note: The root disk can be resized by building a new appliance. For more information, see "Increasing storage capacity."
Warning: We recommend you use webhooks to fetch repository changes for continuous integration (CI) or similar systems. Regular automatic checks, or polling, will significantly reduce the scalability of your instance. For more information, see "About webhooks"
Downloading the GitHub Enterprise image
Navigate to the GitHub Enterprise download page.
To download your license file, click Download license.
Click Get the latest release of GitHub Enterprise.
Select GitHub On-premises, then click VMware ESXi/vSphere (OVA).
- Click Download for VMware ESXi/vSphere (OVA).
Creating the GitHub Enterprise instance
To create the instance, you'll need to import the GitHub Enterprise image to your virtual machine and attach an additional storage volume for your instance data. For more information, see "Hardware considerations."
- Using the vSphere Windows Client or the vCenter Web Client, import the GitHub Enterprise image you downloaded. For instructions, see the VMware guide "Deploy an OVF Template."
- When selecting a datastore, choose one with sufficient space to host the VM's disks. For the minimum hardware specifications recommended for your instance size, see "Hardware considerations." We recommend thick provisioning with lazy zeroing.
- Leave the Power on after deployment box unchecked, as you will need to add an attached storage volume for your repository data after provisioning the VM.
- Create a new virtual disk to use as an attached storage volume for your instance data, and configure the size based on your seat count. For instructions, see the VMware guide "Add a New Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine."
Configuring the GitHub Enterprise instance
Copy the VM's public DNS name, and paste it into a web browser.
At the prompt, upload your license file and set a management console password. For more information, see "License files."
In the Management Console, configure and save your desired settings. For more information, see "Configuring the GitHub Enterprise appliance."
The instance will restart automatically.
Click Visit your instance.
