How to Change the ESX Host IP Address

Use PUTTY to telnet to server
login as root

To change the IP address, do the following
Delete the current IP setting: esxcfg-vswif –d vswif0
Add the new IP address for interface vswif0:
esxcfg-vswif –a vswif0 -p Service\ Console -i 192.x.x.x -n 255.255.252.0 –b 192.x.x.255
The ‘\’ between service and console is required.

After the change, type in esxcfg-vswif –l to verify that the change was applied

If the default gateway needs to change, edit /etc/sysconfig/network. Use VI or your favorite editor to accomplish this.
Example using VI:
Type vi /etc/sysconfig/network
Press the letter i to put vi into ‘insert’ mode
Use the arrows on the keyboard to navigate to the GATEWAY and make the change.
To save the change, press ESC then colon :, then w then q
ESC :wq
To exist without saving, press ESC, then colon :, then q
ESC :q

Restart networking
Execute /etc/init.d/networking restart

Other tasks
Update the IP address in DNS
Remove and re-add the host to Virtual Center