Please help me to decide which is better for me. ESX 4 or ESXi 4?

[Eternal_Snow]

Hello everyone.

I need to make a decision about to use ESX or ESXi.

I have one server with AMD CPU (x64) and 8GB memory. HP P400 (with BBWC) is ready with 4*1T SATA drivers.

Please provide some information about:

1 If I want to install the ESX or ESXi 4 into a CF (IDE mode) or USB stick, is that possible? If it is, what is the minimal required space of this driver?

2 Need I install some driver package of P400 manually in ESX or ESXi?

3 I know that there is a way to install P400 management website onto ESX 4. But could I check each disk status by the client software of ESXi or some other way?

Thank you very much!

[AntonVZhbankov]

1. You can install ESXi on USB stick, 1GB is enough.

2. HP RAID should be on HCL, so I suppose driver is already included.

---

VMware vExpert '2009

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[bulletprooffool · Accepted solution]

Both carry the same functionality - though you access them slightly differently.

there is talk of VMware getting rid of the Service Console client . . meaning we'll end up with just ESXi.

I upgraded 40 hosts from ESX to ESXi and am SO happy I did. Patching has become a million times easier and quicker and I really feel that I have lost nothing.

In addition, my ESX environment is now more secure than before . . . win win.

Absolutely, I'd recommend ESXi

[Eternal_Snow]

Thank you all.

Is there anyone wanna talk about the topic 3?

[bulletprooffool]

You will get HP CIM providers with your ESXi install (or at least, you can chose to download this version and install them)

Once you have done this, and built your host, you will be able to monitor hardwrae status (including disk status) in the health status details for the ESX host in the VI client.

In addition, if you provide the relevant credntials in HPSIM (or whatever other HP monitoring tool you use), you will able to get the monitoring tool to also monitor all your hardware status (again including Hard drives attached to your P400)

[Dave_Mishchenko]

What sort of HP server do you have? HP's CIM providers will not work with all their servers and I'm not sure what you'll get for health status for the P400. Best to search around the forum to see if others have been able to get health status for the P400.

Dave

VMware Communities User Moderator

New book in town - vSphere Quick Start Guide -http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2009/08/12/new-book-in-town-vsphere-quick-start-guide/.

Do you have a system or PCI card working with VMDirectPath? Submit your specs to the Unofficial VMDirectPath HCL - http://www.vm-help.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=21.

[DSTAVERT]

In a supported HP server and the HP version of ESXi installed (or the HP CIM provider package installed to a generic ESXi install) you get hardware health for the p400 controller and disks. If the server has support for ILO2 or later you have web access to the ILO port as well.

[Eternal_Snow]

It's not a HP server but a server with HP P400 card.

[J1mbo]

Another option is to image a USB drive directly using the .dd file from the ESXi install ISO, the server should boot straight of that. You'll probably see the HP RAID card's health regardless of the server type (for example, I can see the Dell Perc 5's health in an HP server). Just download the 'vanilla' version and give it a whirl.

[DSTAVERT]

J1mbo

I'm pretty sure the generic CIM providers are LSI which is why you get the storage health with the PERC card (LSI). The HP controller would require the HP CIM providers. You might get some information from the controller if you installed the HP version of ESXi but you might have less information in other areas and you could run into other compatibility issues. I would't mess with stability.

[J1mbo]

Interesting, although HP Smart Array Controllers are on the HCL generally just like the PERC.

Also the HP version I found wouldn't work even on HP hardware that lacked the hardware monitoring stuff (i.e. ML115) so have the same issues on a white-box.

[Eternal_Snow]

Plz read this: http://communities.vmware.com/thread/219064

It seems that it is impossible for choosing esxi for me.