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simo79
Contributor
Contributor

Customizing ESXi install with oem.tgz

I have download the file ICH10_oem.tgz (source Kuldipsingh) from this link http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/customize_oem_tgz.php , this file is helpful to run esxi on ich10 controller, but I don't understand where can I copy this file in the cd and in which way...

Someone can help me?

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nick_couchman
Immortal
Immortal

What you need to do is extract the contents of the ISO/CD to a folder, replace the oem.tgz file with the new one, and then burn a new CD (correctly, with options for making it bootable) that has the new oem.tgz file on it.

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simo79
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Done.. I have replaced the original OEM.TGZ with the new one just downloaded from the site, but when I boot from cd I received this error:

Image Checksum error, sorry

Boor Failed

Smiley Sad

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nick_couchman
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If you look at the page you mentioned in your original post from the vm-help.com site, you should see this discussed in the comments on the bottom of the page...

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simo79
Contributor
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I have find this....

"I solved my problem, I wasn't compiling

the ISO right. Using the 'mkisofs' command, I entered this: (stolen

from http://syslinux.zytor.com/wiki/index.php/ISOLINUX):

mkisofs -o output.iso -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat

-no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table root-of-iso-tree

Although,

my paths were obviously different. I extracted the contents of the

basic ESXi ISO to the 'root-of-iso-tree' directory, altered the

oem.tgz, ran the above command, and burned the resulting ISO to a disc."

but when I try I received this error (look the attach) ...

Smiley Sad

</div>

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nick_couchman
Immortal
Immortal

Maybe try the following command, instead:

~/Scrivania/iso$ mkisofs -o ../myesxi.iso -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table .

This will execute the command in the current directory, write the output to a file in the directory above your current location. The command you were using was writing the ISO file to the same directory it was reading from to create the ISO file, which may cause some problems (at least, I've seen it cause problems before).

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simo79
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Done, but doesn't work.... look the attachment file...

One clarification .. I'm trying this command from a linux distribuition like ubuntu. It's correct?

thanks

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nick_couchman
Immortal
Immortal

You forgot the " ." at the end of the command - sorry I should have emphasized that in the last post. You have to specify a path, and instead of specifying the absolute path (/home/...), just specify the current directory using the "." as the last argument on that command.

And, yes, that should work fine for Linux - I run it here on my desktop at work, so that's the environment I'm coming from!

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simo79
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I have try this....

simone@simone-desktop:~/Scrivania/Iso$ mkisofs -o ../myesxi.iso -b isolinux/isolinux.bin -c isolinux/boot.cat -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table .

I: -input-charset not specified, using utf-8 (detected in locale settings)

genisoimage: Uh oh, I cant find the boot catalog directory 'isolinux'!

This the file in the iso directory... I have extract the iso here and replaced the oem.tgz file...

simone@simone-desktop:~/Scrivania/Iso$ ls -lt | more

totale 246516

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 22121438 2008-12-21 10:58 binmod.tgz

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 2048 2008-12-21 10:58 boot.catalog

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 11300933 2008-12-21 10:58 cim.tgz

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 9086186 2008-12-21 10:58 ienviron.tgz

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 207951865 2008-12-21 10:58 install.tgz

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 12241 2008-12-21 10:57 isolinux.bin

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 244 2008-12-21 10:57 isolinux.cfg

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 114 2008-12-21 10:57 license.tgz

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 99000 2008-12-21 10:57 mboot.c32

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 30668 2008-12-21 10:57 menu.c32

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 1434558 2008-12-21 10:57 vmkernel.gz

-rw-rr 1 simone simone 78214 2008-12-21 10:52 oem.tgz

simone@simone-desktop:~/Scrivania/Iso$

But, doesn't work... Smiley Sad

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nick_couchman
Immortal
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So, maybe try:

mkisofs -o ../myesxi.iso -b isolinux.bin -c boot.catalog -no-emul-boot -boot-load-size 4 -boot-info-table .

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simo79
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Done, good...

Now I have made the iso cdrom...

But when I boot from the cd in the server the installation failed because the hard disk is not recognized.

I have install windows xp to understand which controlled is installed on my Mb: I have intel ICH10 Family 2 serial Ata storage controller

with this "Id Hardware" PCI\VEN_8086&DEV_3A26&CC_0101"

I remenber that the oem.tgz that I have downloades is for the 8086:3a22 bu, if I don't mistake I have the 8086:3a26

********************

This is that I have read from the communities: http://communities.vmware.com/message/1062805#1062805

I managed to get my whitebox up and running. My solution applies to ASUS P5Q PRO Motherboard.

I have done the following

I updated simple.map and pci.ids files with the following information.

Add this entry in simple.map file: 8086:3a22 0000:0000 storage ahci

Add this entry in pci.ids file: 3a22 6port SATA AHCI Controler (ICH10)

Note: 0x3a22 is device id and 8086 is vendor id (Intel)

Make sure in BIOS storage is set for AHCI mode not IDE or RAID

***********************

So I have modify the downloade oem.tgz with:

Add this entry in simple.map file: 8086:3a26 0000:0000 storage ahci

Add this entry in pci.ids file: 3a26 6port SATA AHCI Controler (ICH10)

Summarize what I have done:

- modify the bios in the storage session and setto AHCI

- modify the original oem.tgz with the oem.tgz that I have download with the modify of 3a26

but.....

when I boot from cd rom the installation starts but it is blocked with yellow screen and the "configurarion VMKernel" voice...

What can I do?

Please help me..

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nick_couchman
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Try using AltF1 and AltF12 to go to one of the other consoles and see if it tells you why it's hanging.

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simo79
Contributor
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If I try ALT + F1 I receive this:

Using /mod/ehci-hcd.o

Module load of ehci-hcd succeeded

If I try ALT + F12 I receive this:

cpu2:1155)Mod: 1436: Initialization for ehci-hcd succeeded with..

cpu2:1155)ehci-hcd loaded successfully

cpu2:1155) Mod 1445: modLoaderHeap avail after: 7797296

cpu2:1155) Mod 1473: no private ID set

What is means?

Thank you

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simo79
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Someone can help me please?

Thank you

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Dave_Mishchenko
Immortal
Immortal

Have you tried this with a USB flash drive? One of the challenges with using a custom CD is that you'll have to modify oem.tgz in the root as you've been doing and you'll then have to modify another copy of oem.tgz that gets installed (it comes from a dd image within install.tgz).

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simo79
Contributor
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I have try to install esxi in a usb pen drive, I have follow the instruction from this link http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3i/customize_oem_tgz.php, I have modify the file pci.ids and simple map with the entry 8086:3a26.

I have reboot the host and now I'm connect with "wmvare infrastructure client" to the server, and in the storage adapter panel I see "usb storaga adapter" and "iscsi software adapter" but when I try to create a disk datastore I don't find my hard disk.. So I suppose that doesn't work...

What can I do to make it work? I need It...

:smileyangry:

please help me

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Dave_Mishchenko
Immortal
Immortal

If you run lspci -p at the console, does the device have a module loaded for it now?

simo79
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

with lspci -p I don't see 8086:3a26 but for example 3a22 and other...

So I think that something is wrong...

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simo79
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When I reboot the host I have checked that the file simple.map and pci.ids in /etc/vmware and in /usr/share/hwdata have my changes (3a26) and so is..

moreover the file oem.tgz in /bootbank is updated..

I don't know....

There is a way to be sure that my controller is 3a26 ?

thank you

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Dave_Mishchenko
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Immortal

lspci -v will give you more information. Could you post the output of those? If you're doing this at the console of your PC you might find it easier to enable SSH and then connect with a SSH client .

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