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8 Replies Last post: Nov 20, 2008 9:23 PM by maurizio.omissoni
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Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420

Jul 31, 2008 7:04 PM

Click to view sajbeach's profile Lurker sajbeach 1 posts since
Jul 31, 2008
I have a Dell PowerEdge SC420 that I am trying to try to install ESXi on to test deployments with. I created the ISO and started the installation. The error message that I receive is 'Unsupported BIOS setting (CPUID is limited). Disable 'limit CPUID value' or 'Support legacy/NT4 OS' in BIOS.' I find nothing like that in the system BIOS. I know that the processor is probably not supported (2.53 GHz Celeron...stop laughing:), but I just want to test installing VMs with it. I've seen where people have added the line /vmkernel/checkCPUIDLimit = "FALSE" to the end of the /etc/vmware/esx.conf file with success, but I'm not sure how to go about that from the image loading from disk. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Steve
Tags: esx3i
Reply Re: Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420 Jul 31, 2008 10:55 PM
Click to view scowse's profile Lurker scowse 1 posts since
Jul 30, 2008

I have installed on SC430 but it is very different to yours. BIOS has CPUID settings and has a Pentium D 2.8Gig. The BIOS also allows me to boot from UFD :)

The storage controller is not supported so I am working on NFS.


Reply Re: Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420 Aug 1, 2008 5:42 AM
Click to view Jasemccarty's profile Virtuoso Jasemccarty 3,368 posts since
Apr 5, 2005
I had this issue on an Optiplex 620, with an older bios (A03). So I updated the bios to A11, and then could disable the setting in the bios.

Installed without a hitch on the 620 (other than that).

Jase McCarty
http://www.jasemccarty.com
Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach

Reply Re: Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420 Aug 2, 2008 2:17 PM
Click to view edifyyo's profile Novice edifyyo 11 posts since
Jun 2, 2007
I am having precisely the same problem. I solution to this will make my day!
Reply Re: Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420 Aug 2, 2008 5:13 PM
in response to: edifyyo
Click to view Jasemccarty's profile Virtuoso Jasemccarty 3,368 posts since
Apr 5, 2005
Do you have the latest bios for the 420?

Jase McCarty
http://www.jasemccarty.com
Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Reply Re: Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420 Aug 2, 2008 8:59 PM
in response to: Jasemccarty
Click to view edifyyo's profile Novice edifyyo 11 posts since
Jun 2, 2007

Jase,

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I am running the latest BIOS for the 420 (A02) - there is no option to configure the CPU ID.

Is there a way configure the boot options, when booting the ISO, to have it ignore the CPU ID?

Thanks!

Nathan

Reply Re: Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420 Aug 2, 2008 9:22 PM
in response to: edifyyo
Click to view Jasemccarty's profile Virtuoso Jasemccarty 3,368 posts since
Apr 5, 2005
The reason that I added the other bios links (in the other post), is because, maybe one of the others has the option. You could try them.

Jase McCarty
http://www.jasemccarty.com
Co-Author of VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Reply Re: Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420 Aug 2, 2008 10:32 PM
Click to view edifyyo's profile Novice edifyyo 11 posts since
Jun 2, 2007
SOLUTION is here: http://communities.vmware.com/message/1011419#1011419
Reply Re: Cannot install ESXi Dell PowerEdge SC420 Nov 20, 2008 9:23 PM
in response to: edifyyo
Click to view maurizio.omissoni's profile Novice maurizio.omissoni 7 posts since
Aug 13, 2008

Thank you all for the help. I had the same problem installing ESXi 3.5 3i to sc420 A02. Installation was done successfully, but after the reboot the same error occured.

With a life CD I edited the boot.cfg in the 5th partition and changed

kernelopt=

to

kernelopt=nocheckCPUIDLimit

Now it boots without errors.


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