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43 Replies Last post: Dec 12, 2008 2:11 AM by guggo
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Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi?

Jul 25, 2008 10:36 AM

Click to view malebolgia's profile Novice malebolgia 13 posts since
Jun 12, 2007
I'm using the evaluation version of ESXi, and attempting to install it on an HP ProLiant DL160 G5. At first all seems well, but then the ESXi installer gets stuck at this part:

Starting VMware ESX Server 3i: Enabling interrupts ...

I was wondering if you had any workarounds for this, or perhaps knew why this was happening?

Tags: install, esxi_3.5, esxi
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Jul 25, 2008 12:21 PM
Click to view kjb007's profile Champion kjb007 3,310 posts since
Sep 18, 2006

I don't see the 160 on the HCL. http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi35_systems_guide.pdf

So, it doesn't look to be supported.

-KjB

Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 1, 2008 6:54 AM
Click to view CardConnection's profile Lurker CardConnection 2 posts since
Aug 1, 2008
Hello,
I was wondering if you ever got ESXi installed and running on your DL160 G5 as we are considering doing the same thing. Any first hand experience would be helpful before diving into this.
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 1, 2008 8:57 AM
in response to: CardConnection
Click to view malebolgia's profile Novice malebolgia 13 posts since
Jun 12, 2007
Sadly no, I'm looking at a RedHat 5 + Xen solution now.
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 15, 2008 9:35 AM
Click to view PNSRMPL's profile Lurker PNSRMPL 9 posts since
Aug 15, 2008

Hello to enable installing ESX on HP Proliant DL160 G5 you should:

1. Press Tab on very first screen of ESXi install

2. Move cursor just after first tgz filename and write "acpi=off"

3. press Enter and ESXi successfully install on DL160G5

4. Be careful because after this setting is lost and problem appears again - solution:

a) disconnect HDD, connect to computer with Win XP, then edit boot.cfg on second partition andin second line set "kernelopt=acpi=off"

b) after starting ESX go to console (Alt-F1, see also "usupported" mode and "enable SSH in ESX" topics) type vi /bootbank/boot.cfg and set "kernelopt=acpi=off"

This should solve problem permanently - I probably test it on monday if this problem cannot back.

Additional Comment:

I successfully Install and run Windows 2008 Server 64bit on my ESXi/DL160G5 config.

There are no problem with builtin network or storage controller - everything wotking fine. Must remember that ESX seen RAIDs defined on builtin SATA controller as individual disks.

Hope you find this solution usefull.


Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 16, 2008 1:02 AM
in response to: PNSRMPL
Click to view Dave.Mishchenko's profile Guru Dave.Mishchenko 6,710 posts since
Nov 15, 2005 Moderator
Have you tried this by unchecking the option vmkernel.boot.acpi instead of modifying boot.cfg.

One potential issue is that once you patch the system, you'll actually be booting from the 3rd partition.
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 16, 2008 9:25 AM
in response to: Dave.Mishchenko
Click to view PNSRMPL's profile Lurker PNSRMPL 9 posts since
Aug 15, 2008
Nope, but its interesting. Can you specify how to unchecking the option vmkernel.boot.acpi ?
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 16, 2008 8:23 PM
in response to: PNSRMPL
Click to view Dave.Mishchenko's profile Guru Dave.Mishchenko 6,710 posts since
Nov 15, 2005 Moderator
You can go to Configuration and then select Advanced Settings. Then look for VMkernel \ Boot and the apci option is first in the list. The change will be written to esx.conf and then to state.tgz when the host is shutdown or rebooted. Let me know if this works for you.
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 18, 2008 9:19 AM
in response to: Dave.Mishchenko
Click to view ricky_italy's profile Lurker ricky_italy 2 posts since
Aug 18, 2008
I have difficulty installing vmware ESXi 3.5 build 110271 on a DL 160.
I have followed these steps:
1. Press Tab on very first screen of ESXi install
2. Move cursor just after first tgz filename and write "acpi = off"
3. press Enter and ESXi successfully install on DL160G5
then restart still hangs the system on "enabling interrupts"
How can I fix this?
Thank you
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 18, 2008 12:54 PM
Click to view support@serial.ch's profile Lurker support@serial.ch 4 posts since
Jan 18, 2005

Hello,

I tried to install ESXi following your workaround :

1. Press Tab on very first screen of ESXi install ->OK

2. Move cursor just after first tgz filename and write "acpi=off" -> OK

3. press Enter and ESXi successfully install on DL160G5 ->OK

4. Be careful because after this setting is lost and problem appears again - solution:

a) disconnect HDD, connect to computer with Win XP, then edit boot.cfg on second partition and in second line set "kernelopt=acpi=off" ->Ok I used Knoppix to edit the boot.cfg on second partition.

b) after starting ESX go to console (Alt-F1, see also "unsupported" mode and "enable SSH in ESX" topics) type vi /bootbank/boot.cfg and set "kernelopt=acpi=off" -> NOK- the ESXi boot correctly no hang up on Enabling Interrupts but at the end when I launch the consol (alt F1) or go to customize system (F2) ESXi crash after few seconds and display a core dump containing Exception type 14... Chipset: 203: using mpsIntRouting/noACPI option, make sure it is on purpose...

I'm not able to find a solution to activate console before the esxi crash... for info we have the last version of the BIOS on our DL 160 G5, the one from 04/09/2008...

Any suggestion?

Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 18, 2008 5:28 PM
in response to: support@serial.ch
Click to view PNSRMPL's profile Lurker PNSRMPL 9 posts since
Aug 15, 2008

I haven't such a problem with crashing on Alt-F1 or F2. Maybe you add some additional HW ? Like disk controller, network, HBA ? I make my solution on very clean system with standard 160GB sigle SATA HDD and no additional HW. Only I add 4x2GB kingston memory (server the have 10GB memory).

Maybe you use USB keyboard or mouse (i use PS/2 in such situations only to avoid problems) ?

I also must correct a little my instruction - after point 4a I activate Alt-F1 for console and perform operations to enable SSH for ESX (you should find it here: http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/ESXi_enable_SSH.php) and the rest operations i perform from simple putty ssh client.

But i think best method is to connect your server from Infrastructure Client then make changes as suggested by Dave.Mishchenko (by the way -thanks Dave it was probably working for me - "probably" because I also make my vi /bootbank/boot.cfg edit).

I was restarting my server three times today to be sure and its working. Also last 72 hours server is up and stable. I create Windows 2008 64bit guest successfully, also migrate Windows 2003/ISA 2006 guest directly to this ESX (about 4GB vhd in 33minutes) from Windows 2005 Virtual Server (vmc/vhd).

Everything working well.

Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 18, 2008 5:31 PM
in response to: support@serial.ch
Click to view PNSRMPL's profile Lurker PNSRMPL 9 posts since
Aug 15, 2008

Also during installation of ESXi you can add not only "acpi=off" but also "noapic" and "nolapic".During my tests I use this arguments together but finally found that only acpi=off is necessary.
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 19, 2008 1:26 AM
in response to: PNSRMPL
Click to view support@serial.ch's profile Lurker support@serial.ch 4 posts since
Jan 18, 2005
Hello,

Our hardware is:


  • 2*250Gb SATA HDD

  • 4*1Go RAM

  • 1 internal DVD drive (added after) - maye the source of the issue ?

--> No additional disk controler, network adapter, no USB keboard or mouse only standard ps2

Actually in my last test (by doing it quickly before it crash :) ) I was able to launch console (alt-f1 +"unsupported") and cd /bootbank and vi boot.cfg the option kernelopt=acpi=off was alread set (with Knoppix I found a third partition with a boot.cfg and an oem.tgz

Well, maybe we are not lucky with our hardware... I will do a final test without de DVD drive and move to another solution for the server base OS.

EDIT: I did my final test without DVD drive and also with only one HDD, well it crashed... so we are indeed unlucky with our DL 160..

Best regards,

Message was edited by: support@serial.ch

Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 19, 2008 6:17 AM
in response to: support@serial.ch
Click to view PNSRMPL's profile Lurker PNSRMPL 9 posts since
Aug 15, 2008
Do you using standard HP RAM or some third party ? Such crashes may suggest memory problems. Maybe stay with HP original RAM and then try.
Reply Re: Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi? Aug 19, 2008 8:42 AM
in response to: PNSRMPL
Click to view support@serial.ch's profile Lurker support@serial.ch 4 posts since
Jan 18, 2005

Hello,

We have stopped our test with ESXi on this hardware... Thanks a lot anyway for your support...

Actually we did not plan when we bought this hardware to use it with ESXi as it was not released...

Next time we will use certified ESX hardware... Well it was a good experience anyway to see what problem can be encountered and how ESXi is packaged...

Best regards


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