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malebolgia
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Enabling Interrupts Preventing Install of ESXi?

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?

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kjb007
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I don't see the 160 on the HCL.

So, it doesn't look to be supported.

-KjB

vExpert/VCP/VCAP vmwise.com / @vmwise -KjB

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kjb007
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I don't see the 160 on the HCL.

So, it doesn't look to be supported.

-KjB

vExpert/VCP/VCAP vmwise.com / @vmwise -KjB
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CardConnection
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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.

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malebolgia
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Sadly no, I'm looking at a RedHat 5 + Xen solution now.

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PNSRMPL
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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.

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Dave_Mishchenko
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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.

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PNSRMPL
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Nope, but its interesting. Can you specify how to unchecking the option vmkernel.boot.acpi ?

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Dave_Mishchenko
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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.

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ricky_italy
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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

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support3
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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?

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PNSRMPL
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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.

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PNSRMPL
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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.

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support3
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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 Smiley Happy ) 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

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PNSRMPL
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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.

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support3
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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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PNSRMPL
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For true production enviroment we also purchase certified DL 380G5 Smiley Wink

As DL160 G5 is not on compatibility list we use our solution only for test and knowledge enviroment.

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iisat
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Hi!

I've changed last part of this instruction because 4b was not working. So my edition looks like this:

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) boot from any live cd, mount second FAT16 partition, then edit boot.cfg on this partition and in second line set "kernelopt=acpi=off"

b) after starting ESX run VMWare Infrastructure Client, logon to ESX, go to Configuration -> Software -> Advanced Settings -> VMkernel and disable VMKernel.Boot.ACPI option

This solution is tested with DL160 G5 and VMware ESXi 3.5.0 build-110271

Note: Stop error described in this topic still appears when you initiate shutdown process. Restart functionality works normal.

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Dave_Mishchenko
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Have you tried it with just the change in the VI client (i.e. step 4 b)?

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iisat
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Did you mean to do 4b without 4a stage?

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Dave_Mishchenko
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Yes - I'm wondering if it's just a duplicate and if that's the case, then 4b is more desirable as that setting will survive patches.

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