If you would like to harden the access to any ESXi service, you can also use the integrated firewall option of the ESXi hypervisor, so that only a limited number of IP addresses or IP ranges can access the service, as demonstrated in the following screenshot:
To reconfigure the ESXi firewall, perform the following steps:
- Select Networking in Navigator and switch to Firewall Rules
- Select the service you want to protect by a firewall
- Click Edit settings
- Configure the desired IP addresses or IP ranges
Note that you need to perform this configuration on every ESXi hypervisor. Also, keep in mind that misconfiguration can lead to several network-related consequences, as different VMware products may need to connect to the ESXi server as well.
More information about the required TCP and UDP ports can be found at the following link: https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/1012382.