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JasonNB
Contributor
Contributor

LSI 1068e?

LSI 1068e

On VM-Help, this controller is listed as possibly working, but not alot of details. Has anyone tried it in RAID mode?

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Dave_Mishchenko
Immortal
Immortal

The 1068e is listed as supported here - http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vi35_io_guide.pdf. What sort of server are you planning on running these in?

JasonNB
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks Dave. I had overlooked that doc, but had seen another that listed that driver for the device. I just want to confirm it will let me use Raid1 and not just JBOD. Otherwise I come up with an alternative like boot from a SSD.

This is the built-in controller in SuperMicro's new SBI-7125C-S3 blade. The only other option i have is different blade with an Intel ESB2 chiopset that I know only lets me do JBOD.

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GrahamDunn
Contributor
Contributor

I'm trying to install onto the supermicro H8DA3-2 (uses this LSI RAID controller). The LSXi installer claims it can't find anywhere to install to. Any hints on how the RAID needs to be set up? I have it currently as 2 logical drives, a RAID1, and 6-drive RAID0.

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Virtuali3ed
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Hi GrahamDunn, were you able to use RAID with LSI 1068E? Thanks in advance!!

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ceemour
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

I have used the onboard lsi1068e on a tyan s2915-e motherboard with raid 0, 1 and 10 and it works fine. It is not fast however.

Chris

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Virtuali3ed
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Thanks Chris, so is lsi1068e a hardware raid then? Please advise.

Also which product ESX or ESXi and which version did you use it with?

Thanks!

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ceemour
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

This is a low end hardware raid. ESX and esxi does not do any sofware raid that i am aware of

I have used both esx and esxi (3.5 u3).

The LSISAS1068E is an eight-port 3 Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) controller that is based on the Fusion-MPT architecture and provides an eight-lane PCI Express interface.

Chris

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RTraetta
Contributor
Contributor

Hi All!

At this very moment I'm installing a VMware 3.5 U4, in a X7DVL-3 SuperMicro Motherboard.

This board uses LSI 1068E as RAID controller.

The thing is: This controller is NOT a hardware controller, it works as a Software RAID, so it needs a Driver to work.

Nevertheless, Neither SuperMicro nor LSI provides the Driver to make VMware find the Arrays made in BIOS.

"Ohh so what do I do now!?" That's a question I made 4 days ago and was trying to find out.

I found out that this controller will NOT work as RAID controller in VMware!!! Because the drivers provided by the manufacturers are only for, Windows, RedHat and SUSE!

"But how are you installing VMware as you said before?"

I had to update the Firmware to what is called IT Mode (Initiator Target Mode)

1st, you contact Supermicro and ask for the IT Mode files for your motherboard. Each motherboard has a suit of files as far as I know (that's what the support told me).

2nd, they will e-mail you the files in a ZIP archive. Unzip and copy to a Floppy disk or CD, Pen Drive etc...

3rd, move the Jumper JPA1 on your mother board from (1-2) to (2-3) that will allow you to update the Firmware.

4th, Boot up with a DOS Diskette.

5th, Change the floppys and execute the BAT file on the Floppy you copied the files you received.

6th, After the Update is done, Shutdown and remove the Jumper.

Your VMware now might be able to find the disks, BUT, the arrays you created before are gone, it will recognize each disk, not the arrays.

You will notice that when you boot-up, no LSI BIOS will show up anymore.

Well that's the best I could do after working 4 days on it, but as some say "the sky may open!", and we can get the RAID controller working.

If any of you make the Array workout please let me know!

PS.: Others already had this problem, what gave me a clue for this solution. http://communities.vmware.com/message/1128118

Thanks for your attention, sorry for my bad english, Hope I could help you with something...

Rafael Traetta

Brazil

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ceemour
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Both ESX and ESXi have a driver built in. It is the LSI Fusion MPT Driver.

If you look in the esx 3.5 io guide it is listed

and it works fine on the s2915-e motherboard I have................

and as fas as I can see it is hardware raid

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Virtuali3ed
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

Finally I called Tyan and asked if LSI 1068E is supported by ESX and the answer is yes.

My next question was if LSI 1068E was hardware raid and the anwer was no, he explained however that the ESX does work in RAID mode with LSI 1068 E and to do this it takes help from some other chipset embedded on the motherboard.

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RTraetta
Contributor
Contributor

Well, I did not realized how to make the LSI 1068E to work with VMware using RAID.

I'm using Supermicro X7DVL-3 motherboard, and I set the controller to IT Mode.

I answered Supermicro for this Mode and the answer was: "IT mode is non-RAID mode. If you want RAID

10, then you should not use IT mode."

In their FAQ they say: "(...) This controller must be in IT mode in order to be compatible with VMWare."

So, if VMware to recognize the HDDs must be in IT Mode, and the IT mode is a non-RAID mode, so Supermicro boards is not compatible for VMware using RAID.

I would like to know as well if this restriction is only for Supermicro boards, or is about the controller 1068E.

As Virtuali3ed said "he explained however that the ESX does work in RAID mode with LSI 1068 E.

Could you explain me how do I do that?

I ran out of knowledge about doing this, I tried everything I know, and I'm stuck on it.

Thanks in advance,

Rafael

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