Esxi Realtek Driver
The cleanest way to install ESXi on a Realtek-based machine is to create a custom ISO that includes the driver.
For homelab enthusiasts and small business administrators, one of the most recurring headaches during VMware ESXi deployment is support for consumer-grade network interface cards (NICs), specifically those manufactured by Realtek. esxi realtek driver
: The USB Native Network Driver for ESXi supports chips like RTL8152, RTL8153, RTL8156BG (2.5GbE), and RTL8157 (5GbE). The cleanest way to install ESXi on a