I dont use ESXI but the workstation slic work with server v2.0 installed in linux, I'm goint got test ESX later, ESXI should work with workstation rom
ESXi is crap compared to Hyper-V Server R2. The hardware requirements for ESX are still retarded, where MS's hyper-visor will run on anything that supports Hardware Assisted Virtulization, and Windows WDM Drivers.