VMware Communities: SATA Support Clear as Mud!?

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 17, 2008 9:55 AM

in response to: asgard

Dave.Mishchenko 8,436 posts since
Nov 15, 2005 Moderator

You might want to try what I posted here - http://communities.vmware.com/message/834672#834672. Is it ESX 3i or 3.5 that you have installed and if you run lspci, what device ID does the ICH5 controller show.

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 17, 2008 10:19 AM

in response to: asgard

rpartmann 223 posts since
Feb 8, 2007

Hi there,

did your "mount" command execute succesfully?
try mount without parameters, and check what is where mounted.
/mnt/eroot ist the root (=/) partition of your new esx server.
make a ls -al /mnt/eroot and check what is there.

Check a running ESX server in /etc/vmware/pciid

hth, Reinhard

ps: Award points if you find answers helpful. Thanks.

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 17, 2008 11:12 PM

in response to: asgard

pdewild 7 posts since
Oct 14, 2007

Hi Asgard, the "script" is for nVidia controllers only. Perhaps it's an idea to expand the script for use with an Intel chipset based mainboard, but I'm not sure if that's an option

(because I don't have the Intel based option to try out)... Can you provide a "lspci" and seperate a "lspci -n"

.... Perhaps the SATA/IDE option in a BIOS would provide a solution, but again, I don't have one of those here....

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 24, 2008 7:15 AM

in response to: rpartmann

supz 2 posts since
Jan 9, 2008

So, I tried getting ESX 3.5 to install on an IBM x306 server with SATA drives am also having the root drive failing to mount problem. Attached are my lspci output as well as a modified version of the script rpartmann has graciously provided. I noticed that on Ubuntu 7.10, when running the script I was getting the following error:

./enable_ml110g2_sata_esx3.5_v0.1.sh: 61: lines: not found

Which turned out to be due to the way the script was doing its arithematic in bash... I put in a quick fix to use the bc command instead, and the script runs fine, however it still doesn't help me with booting up ESX properly.

The SATA controller is an Intel 6300ESB with a PCID of 25a3... Has anyone else tried installing on similar hardware?

Paul

Update: I had to go into the BIOS and totally disable my IDE controller, at which point I was able to boot and mount the local SATA disk with no issues. Thanks to everyone in this thread for the fantastic help!

Attachments:

enable_ml110g2_sata_esx3.5_v0.1.sh (2.3 K)
lspci.txt (4.5 K)

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 23, 2008 11:06 PM

in response to: supz

Dave.Mishchenko 8,436 posts since
Nov 15, 2005 Moderator

I have the controller recorded as working (on a supermicro motherboard) in a list I'm compiling here - http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3.5/Whiteboxes_SATA_Controllers_for_ESX_3.5_3i.htm - but make note of the BIOS changes that were required.

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 24, 2008 12:25 AM

in response to: Dave.Mishchenko

myxiplx 113 posts since
Apr 4, 2006

Dave, for the x2200 you're pointing to a source that doesn't appear to say anything about how to get it working, it might be worth directing people to this thread instead.

The x2200 uses the MCP55 SATA controller just like the HP ML115, and the script on this thread works fine if you're using SATA drives.

I believe (but have not tested) that with SAS drives ESX just works. The x2200 is on VMware's HCL, and from what I've read the server was certified for use with ESX with SAS drives fitted.

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 24, 2008 12:50 AM

in response to: myxiplx

Dave.Mishchenko 8,436 posts since
Nov 15, 2005 Moderator

I've updated it. Thanks.

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 24, 2008 4:27 PM

in response to: supz

supz 2 posts since
Jan 9, 2008

I'm able to boot into ESX after having disabled the IDE controller in my BIOS, however now the system recognizes the disks as /dev/hd* devices, and not /dev/sd* devices, so it doesn't mount any of the local vmfs storage I created to run my VMs off of.

Is anybody else experiencing a similar issue? Is there anyway to get ESX to recognize these formerly created VMFS partitions, or recreate new ones on the /dev/hd* partitions?

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 28, 2008 2:33 PM

stephdum 2 posts since
Dec 14, 2007

ESX Server 3i 3.5.0 build-70348 : setup ran just fine on an Asus Pundit P3-P5G33

SATA controller ICH9

only add to put an Intel Pro /1000 GT

(but no way to setup ESX Server 3 3.5.0 build 64607 - cannot pass the controler card choice stage)

steph

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 28, 2008 3:41 PM

in response to: Dave.Mishchenko

rpartmann 223 posts since
Feb 8, 2007

Hi Dave,

another system which works: hp d330 (intel 82801EB (ICH5) SATA Controller 8086:24d1 )
Is in the ata_piix.xml on the standard install.

(very similar to the hp d530 systems i think)

kind regards,
Reinhard

ps: Award points if you find answers helpful. Thanks.

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 29, 2008 12:50 AM

in response to: stephdum

Dave.Mishchenko 8,436 posts since
Nov 15, 2005 Moderator

I had a similar problem with an Intel board with the ICH9 controller and had to use an HTTP install to install ESX 3.5. http://communities.vmware.com/thread/123254

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Jan 29, 2008 2:19 PM

in response to: Dave.Mishchenko

stephdum 2 posts since
Dec 14, 2007

Many thanks, great news, So I guess it should work too. I was a bit frustrated not being able to choose between versions. I initially thought about this option, but it was really uncertain, so switched to 3i, and it was ok.

I will give a try when time permit on another disk and post the outcome.

steph

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Feb 4, 2008 1:46 PM

in response to: Dave.Mishchenko

jaapr 4 posts since
Jan 31, 2007

Hi,

I have a Sun Ultra 40 M2 with two internal SATA disks. It install well, but does not reboot.

I followed the "Service Console" procedure from Dave and also the "script" procedure

from Reinhard. In both cases I do not have a good result. It still fails on the mounting

root failed.

I have attached the lspcii output when I'm booted with the Ubuntu LiveCD. There are

multiple SATA controller entries with 10de:037f. This Ultra 40M2 has 8 slots for disks.

In the BIOS I did not configured RAID (I did one time, but ESX still sees two disks).

Hope sombody has another suggestion for me to fix this issue.

Thanks in advance,

Jaap

Attachments:

lspci-v-nn.txt (11.4 K)

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Feb 8, 2008 6:20 AM

in response to: Dave.Mishchenko

rpartmann 223 posts since
Feb 8, 2007

Hi Dave,

tested another SATA Controller
Intel SCRS28x / PCI-X 8xSATA Firmware rev. 814D RaidBIOS H431
http://www.intel.com/design/servers/raid/srcs28x/index.htm

/etc/vmware/pciid/megaraid2.xml

<device id="0409:8086:3008">
<vmware label="scsi">
<driver>megaraid2</driver>
</vmware>
<name>LSI Logic MegaRAID SATA</name>
<table file="pcitable" module="megaraid2">
<desc>LSI Logic|MegaRAID</desc>
</table>
<table file="pcitable.Linux" module="megaraid2">
<desc>LSI Logic SATA|MegaRAID SATA</desc>
</table>
</device>

as i figured out in that case it was important to also add the SUBSYSTEM ID´s because the boot process didn´t continue.

bye,
Reinhard

ps: Award points if you find answers helpful. Thanks.

Reply Re: SATA Support Clear as Mud!? Feb 8, 2008 8:32 AM

in response to: Dave.Mishchenko

rpartmann 223 posts since
Feb 8, 2007

Hi Dave,

next System for your list
hp xw8200 (Dual Xeon Workstation) ICH5 (82801EB)
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en/sm/WF10a/12454-12454-296719-307907-296721-424560.html?jumpid=oc_R1002_USENC-001_HP%20xw8200%20Workstation&lang=en&cc=us

bye,
Reinhard.

ps: Award points if you find answers helpful. Thanks.

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