DUAL BOOT ESX (two esx on same phy server)

[danilodicesare]

Hi all,

for testing (some customer need esx 4.0 and other 4.1) purpouse i need to install a dual boot with esx 4.0 and 4.1.

Of course when i'll use one i will not use second one .

I know how to use grub but my 'problem' is partition table.

after installing first one (ex esx 4.0) i0ve got a table like this:

[root@esx grub]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sdc: 145.9 GB, 145999527936 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 17750 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sdc1   *           1         140     1124518+  83  Linux

/dev/sdc2             141         154      112455   fc  VMware VMKCORE

/dev/sdc3             155       17750   141339870    5  Extended

/dev/sdc5             155       17750   141339838+  fb  VMware VMFS

Disk /dev/sdd: 8392 MB, 8392802304 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 1020 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System

/dev/sdd1               1         127     1020096   82  Linux swap / Solaris

/dev/sdd2             128         382     2048287+  83  Linux

/dev/sdd3             383        1020     5124735    5  Extended

/dev/sdd5             383        1020     5124703+  83  Linux

Disk /dev/sde: 100.0 GB, 100000595968 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 12157 cylinders

timeout=5

title VMware ESX 4.1

        #vmware:autogenerated esx

        root (hd0,0)

        uppermem 512000

        kernel /vmlinuz ro root=UUID=717dbb01-8abc-427c-9866-44985fde5b03 mem=500M quiet

        initrd /initrd.img

title Troubleshooting mode

        #vmware:autogenerated esx

        root (hd0,0)

        uppermem 512000

        kernel /trouble/vmlinuz ro root=UUID=717dbb01-8abc-427c-9866-44985fde5b03 mem=500M trouble quiet

        initrd /trouble/initrd.img

and i've no idea how resize something (sdc3 maybe) and let second esx install without override first one (hd0,1 for grub)

any help is appreciate .

tnx

dani

[a_p_]

Not the answer to your question, I know...

Why don't you install e.g. ESXi on the server and run the different versions (ESX 4.0/4.1, ESXi 4.0/4.1) as virtual machines?

André

[danilodicesare]

thx for answer Andre,

but i need to put on ESX different VM....so that sometimes i'll activate one on ESX4.0 and other time one on esx4.1 (reason is different requirement for application)..

tnx again

dan

[RParker]

Technically 4.1 is nothing more than 4.0 with some patches.  It's NOT a different ESX version, so you can run either, they are identical, except for a very few changes in patches.

So there is really no need to run different ESX, for compatibility (althought technically 4.1 will STILL be the same) you could keep it at 4.0, but if a customer wants to test it, install 4.0 then upgrade it to 4.1.  You can always RE-install 4.0 at a later date and you won't lose your VM datastore.

You can't dual boot ESX.

[danilodicesare]

tnx a lot for answer.

if esx 4.0 and 4.1 are same may i manage 4.1 ith VC 4.0 and viceversa?

dan

[RParker]

if esx 4.0 and 4.1 are same may i manage 4.1 ith VC 4.0 and viceversa?

No.  VC 4.1 can manage 4.0/4.1 ESX, but VC 4.0 can ONLY manage 4.0 and lower, so upgrade VC to 4.1, that way no need to worry which version of ESX you have.

[DSTAVERT]

You can only manage 4.1 with vCenter 4.1. vCenter 4.1 can manage 4.0 and 4.1.

If you install ESXi to a USB stick it is easy to replace the stick and restart in an alternate version.

[danilodicesare]

i think i've simply done it.

destroyed raid 1 so i had 2 single HD.

esxcfg-boot -b

timeout=5

title VMware ESX 4.1

        #vmware:autogenerated esx

        root (hd0,0)

        uppermem 512000

        kernel /vmlinuz ro root=UUID=8acf24c3-8ab9-4651-af84-ee9801f6fe2c mem=500M quiet

        initrd /initrd.img

title VMware ESX 4.0

        #vmware:autogenerated esx

        root (hd1,0)

        uppermem 512000

        kernel /vmlinuz ro root=UUID=d304a608-945d-42bc-b8a4-d43ae156685a mem=500M quiet root=/dev/sdd1

        initrd /initrd.img

quite sorry that is not possible to create something like other OS (maybe yes but i'm not a linux guru ) as (hd0,1) or stuff like that.

tnx all

[danilodicesare]

first HD ESX 4.1

second HD ESX 4.0

command esxcfg-boot -b

grub.conf

timeout=50

title VMware ESX 4.1

#vmware:autogenerated esx

root (hd0,0)

uppermem 512000

kernel /vmlinuz ro root=UUID=8acf24c3-8ab9-4651-af84-ee9801f6fe2c mem=500M quiet

initrd /initrd.img

title Troubleshooting mode

#vmware:autogenerated esx

root (hd0,0)

uppermem 512000

kernel /trouble/vmlinuz ro root=UUID=8acf24c3-8ab9-4651-af84-ee9801f6fe2c mem=500M trouble quiet

initrd /trouble/initrd.img

title VMware ESX 4.0

#vmware:autogenerated esx

root (hd1,0)

uppermem 512000

kernel /vmlinuz ro root=UUID=d304a608-945d-42bc-b8a4-d43ae156685a mem=500M quiet root=/dev/sdd1

initrd /initrd.img

grub-install

double boot works