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paulgca
Contributor
Contributor

Intel DQ57TM and ESXi 5.1 - total lockup at Loading/onetime.tgz

Hi Everyone,

I was hoping to replace my ESXI 5.0 host (DQ45CB Core4Quad) with a DQ57TM (Core -7 860), both systems have 8GB of memory. I was able to boot from the CD and install ESXi 5.1, but upon reboot it starts to load ESXi and it stops at Loading /onetime.tgz. The only optin at this point is a hard reboot.

I have the latest BIOS release 50 and I tried another system with BIOS release 38. BIOS is configured with defaults, but with UEFI Booting enabled. Anyone have any suggestions ?

I can upgrade the Core2Quad to ESXI 5.1 and use the Core i7 for Windows 8.

Best Regards,

Paul

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11 Replies
paulgca
Contributor
Contributor

FYI .....  I get the same results with ESXI 5.0U1 build 623860 Smiley Sad

Loading /uhci-usb.v00

Loading /imgdb.tgz

Loading /onetime.tgz  <- it stops here

I could always run EXSi a guest in a Hyoer-V host :smileysilly:.. That just doesn't seem right.

Cheers,

Paul

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codera
Contributor
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Hello!

I had the same problem with DQ57TM motherboard and i5 650 CPU.

It took me a lot of time, to get his combo working on ESXi 5.1.

First i had to downgrade my BIOS from version 50 to 47. Older version i wasnt able to test, because downgrade failed on AMT firmware.

For the installation i disabled almost all (sound, parallel port etc) that wasnt needed and also i disable AMT, then i could disable internal nic.

As i rember, UEFI booting was also not enabled. I´m not sure, if this was the problem, but after the installation, i enabled internal nic, configured AMT and ESXi boots without any problem.

For testing i installed ESXi 5.1 on a USB stick, but the installation showed my local hard drives and later on with the installation done, the vSphere client also showed drives, so I think there is no problem installing ESXi there.

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paulgca
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Thank You for taking the time to post a reply.

I went ahead and updated my Core2Quad to ESXi 5.1 and Win8 with Client Hyper-V on Core i7.

Thanks Again

Paul

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MarkNickson
Contributor
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We are also attempting to install using the same combination of h/w and s/w. DQ57TM, Xeon 3470 (which is basically an i7 with ECC memory capability).

Without UEFI enabled, the boot loader does not start, thus we've found UEFI is required (as per VM documentation).  We've attempted to run in IDE, AHCI, and Raid mode.  We disabled all the peripherals  and features as recommended by an earlier post on this topic.  So far, all roads lead to the lockup at onetime.tgz.  A slight variation on the theme is when Hyper Threading is disabled in the BIOS, the system resets/ reboots at the same point as which it normally locks up - onetime.tgz.

Any and all assistance is appreciated from the community!

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codera
Contributor
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What BIOS version are You using? I had to downgrade, to get the setup working.

Could You also confirm, that AMT and internal nic was disabled?

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MarkNickson
Contributor
Contributor

I determined there is a reliable workaround to the problem.

After installation completes (and you are informed to remove the installation CD and press return to reboot), reboot the system with the installation CD still in the CD/DVD Rom Drive and select "boot from local disk" (the same location where you normally would select "install EXSi", both in large characters at the very beginning of the boot from CD process).

The system will reliably boot and completely initialize resulting in a running system.

Every time you need to restart the system, it is necessary to boot from the installation CD and select "boot from local hard disk".  The system will start normally as it should (in theory as it would without this malfunction which appears to be specific to the Intel DQ57TM).

Note, the Bios version is .42 and this work around does not require AMT to be disabled.  Installation is also not possible if there a NIC with available driver is not present on the system during the installation process.

Our next step will be evaluating the system performance to make sure the malfunction is restricted to the boot up process and is not symptomatic of a larger more systemic problem when using VMWare vSpehere 5.1 with the Intel DQ57TM.

Sincerely,

Mark

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MAGura
Contributor
Contributor

Hello Everone!

I ran into the same problem with an Intel DG41MJ board. When I enable UEFI boot in BIOS, the machine can boot from the HDD, but during loading, at onetime.tgz the machine is rebooting (earlyer with older BIOS it was freeze at this point). When I disable UEFI boot, it can't boot from HDD, only if I select HDD from boot menu (F10), or when I select "Boot from Hard Disk" in the esxi install disk boot menu. But in this case it isn't freeze or reboot during the loading process and the hypervisor is starting successfully.

I solve this problem with an unmached accomplishment. With an ISO editor, I edited the ISOLINUX.CFG file in the installer's iso. I added "MENU DEFAULT" line in to the "LABEL hddboot" section. So when I boot from the installer cd now,the boot menu's default item is the "Boot from hard disk". I set the CDROM in front of the boot order, and leave the cd in the drive, and when I reboot the server from remote, it can start automatically. I attach the cfg file.

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MarkNickson
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Just a quick note to report the workaround has been exercised since my last forum posting.

Once VSphere is intialized and running, there have been no problems.  The problem appears to be contained to the boot process.

We'll plan to adjust the .cfg program as described by MAGuara so that the boot process does not need operator intervention.

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PhilippeNC
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

Same problem here with a DH55HC and esxi 5.1 :

  • hang at onetime.tgz if started from hard disk.
  • it boot correctly from the CD when I chose 'Boot From Disk'
  • It boot correctly if I use F10 and choose the hard disk

Nobody has a correction to avoid this problem ?

Phil,

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MarkNickson
Contributor
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Once the system is running, everything is normal, the system runs continuously for very long periods of time.

As a result, there has not been significant emphasis to troubleshoot and correct the problem as a patch.  We anticipate most likely it will be addressed in the next point release.

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HGarcia_tlp
Contributor
Contributor

Hi

I have one intel desktop board too with an I7 1st generation and was having same issues, had sata controller during install as ahci and was able to boot only with F10, tried to change sata controller to IDE and did not work then finally tried raid (i have 3 options for sata controller, ahci, ide and raid). After booting saw option to setup raid but did not care and voila, esxi 5.1 boots by itself now......

hope it helps...

thanks

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