These settings can be changed using the Virtual Infrastructure Client or from t he physical or a remote console connection (ILO, RSA, DRAC, etc)

See the following sections for details on each method.

From the Virtual Infrastructure Client

1. Highlight the ESX Server host and click on the Configuration tab
2. Click on DNS and Routing
3. Click on Properties…
4. To change the hostname, domain, and DNS servers, click on the DNS Configuration tab and enter the appropriate values
5. To change the default gateway, click on the Routing tab and enter the appropriate values

Note: Hostname and domain changes through the Virtual Infrastructure Client do not take place until the ESX host is rebooted.

From the physical or remote console connection

Changing the IP for the Service Console must be done from the physical console or through a remote console session. If you make changes through a network connection such as SSH, network connectivity to the Service Console disconnects because the Service Console’s network interface changes.

For this example, it is assumed that vswif0 is the Service Console adapter that is the interface to which you are applying the IP address change. Running the following command sets the IP address to the value substituted for a.b.c.d and the subnet mask to the value substituted for w.x.y.z:

[root@server root]# esxcfg-vswif -i a.b.c.d -n w.x.y.z vswif0

After running this command, edit the /etc/hosts file with an editor (such as nano or vi) and modify it so that it reflects the proper IP address and hostname.

To change the default gateway address and the hostname for the Service Console edit the /etc/sysconfig/network file and change the GATEWAY and HOSTNAME parameters to the proper values.

After you edit these files, you must reboot the host or restart the network service using the following command:

[root@server root]# service network restart

Note: This command will break any current network connections to the service console.

You can also dynamically change the hostname using the command:

[root@server root]# hostname newname

Note: This command creates a temporary hostname change. This change is lost when the system is rebooted.

To change the DNS server settings, edit the /etc/resolv.conf file, update the nameserver IPs, and search domain if applicable.

——> This article was taken from the vmware website:
http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=4309499&sliceId=1&docTypeID=DT_KB_1_1&dialogID=9977371&stateId=0%200%209975318

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