Using the latest vCenter and ESXi 6.7 update, I've been trying to install a new Windows Server VM (tried both 2016 and 2019 - same behavior). By default, a 6.7 VM (VM Hardware Version 14) is configured to boot with EFI. Connecting the virtual DVD drive to the installation ISO on a local datastore, the machine boots to the usual DVD loader message:
"Press any key to boot from CD or DVD..."
If you press a key or wait for the timeout, you next see EFI boot messages indicating this failed and followed by an attempt to boot from the network:
"unsuccessful.
-> EFI Network..."
Once this times-out, you get sent back to the EFI Boot Manager.
I tried setting up a VM with VM Hardware Version 13 (for ESX 6.5 and above). This defaults to BIOS boot, but if I switch this to EFI, the results are the same as with the VM Hardware Version 14 machine.
Switching the machine configuration to boot from BIOS fixes the problem.
Any known work-around to this issue?