Running guest Windows Server 2012 R2 with Exchange 2016 in an ESXi 6.0 host. The issue I'm experiencing is a long time it takes for the server to start responding after each reboot. The guest will reboot, come up, allow me to log in and interact with it. However, it will takes several minutes (~10) past that before the server starts responding to external clients, even an RDP login. The built-in soft firewall is disabled on the domain network since I have a hardware firewall at the gateway.
When I log into the console right after a reboot but before the server is responsive on the network, any network-relate features such as the "Network and Sharing Center" or "Windows Firewall" don't come up. Blank windows just sit there for a few minutes in a "loading" phase and then they come up simultaneously to the server becoming responsive on the network.
I have another 2012 Server on the SAME esxi host and that one works fine! It's just this one with Exchange on it.
Guest: 2 x QuadCore Intel Xeons 2.266GHz / 32 GB RAM / 500 GB Storage
Adding results of Jetstress here as opposed to "comment" since those cannot be formatted, even with newlines:
Test Summary
Overall Test Result Pass
Total I/O Performance
I/O Database Reads/sec ~ 40.011
I/O Database Writes/sec ~ 21.361
I/O Database Reads Average Bytes ~ 84678.508
I/O Database Writes Average Bytes ~ 36612.187
I/O Log Reads/sec ~ 0.047
I/O Log Writes/sec ~ 5.632
I/O Log Reads Average Bytes ~ 2893.820
I/O Log Writes Average Bytes ~ 11454.790
Exchange is really hard on IOPS. It slow down all service to start.
I see that symptom often when Exchange is virtualized and that the storage controller is lacking power.
For one customer I have I was lucky and I was able to order memory for his storage controller, as without it it used to make the same symptom as you have. (with the memory it was better, but still slow, the server was not planned big enough)
Try Microsoft Jetstress 2013 (it work for 2016) and get a IOPS reports please.
To read the test result; Jetstress 2013 Field Guide v2.0.0.9 >> https://gallery.technet.microsoft.com/Jetstress-2013-Field-Guide-2438bc12/file/153482/1/Jetstress%20Field%20Guide%20v2.0.0.9.docx
A char example for above's document;