HP ML110 creating a datastore ?

[markroe]

I have installed esx 351 onto a HP ML110, however i cannot get the servers to see the local storage in order to create datastores.(off of the onboard SATA controller) . This is the same disk i used to install the O/S so i am thinking if you can install the o/s then you should be able to create a datastore (surely ?)

What do i need to do in order to create a datastore and then VMs ?

Please see attached screen shot

[weinstein5]

how do you have the storage configured? Did you take the defaults in installing 3.5 when you installed particularly during the setting up the partition table?

[dmaster]

Hi Markoe,

you can not install a VMFS partition (datastore) or a vmkernel partition on a SATA disk. Here for you need a SCSI device.

Hosting VMFS volumes on SATA disks is not supported by VMware.

There are some SATA raid controllers wich will recognize the disks as a SCSI device, there are also SCSI to SATA converters (cables) wich you can use in combination with a supported SCSI controller.

This works, but is not supported.

another option is to create a iSCSI server from an old pc with some cheap storage inside. and use this for hosting the vmfs datastores on wich the virtual machines resides.

[markroe]

On installation i used the default settings

I am aware that the ml110 is unsupported however there are many references on the web that show that it can work

if you look at the last screen shot in the blog below

the author has got an ML110 to present its local disk as a vmfs datastore

any suggestions please, i do not have budget to buy an array controller and i am not keen to fire up an old pc as iscsi storage

mark

[dmaster]

Hi Markoe,

this author uses the method i described about using a SCSI to SATA converter (cable)..

see the beginning of his blog "Required SAS/SATA cable"

and he also uses a HP e200i "SCSI" Array Controller as a requirement.

[markroe]

Dmaster - To quotethe website "One interesting point of note is that ESX see's the hard disk connected to the onboard SATA controller as a SCSI VMFS3 device so I could have saved some money and run my ESX install and the VM images off of the onboard SATA controller."

if you look at the datastore screen shot you can see local disk, So it must be possible

Could i have done something wrong during the instalation, ie partition table sizes?

are there any commands i can use to establishished whether or not the OS can see the disks ?

[markroe]

how do i see how the partition table is laid out ?

[dmaster]

Hi Markroe,

then you are one of the lucky ones who have a sata controller wich ESX recongnises as a SCSI controller with attached scsi devices.

to see the partition table, go to the service console and type:

fdisk /dev/sda

and choose option p (print partition table)

[markroe]

unable to open /dev/sda

any ideas how i establish what partition the disk is on

[markroe]

hope this helps

# mount

/dev/hda2 on / type ext3 (rw)

none on /proc type proc (rw)

none on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)

usbdevfs on /proc/bus/usb type usbdevfs (rw)

/dev/hda1 on /boot type ext3 (rw)

none on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)

/dev/hda5 on /var/log type ext3 (rw)

# clear

# mount

/dev/hda2 on / type ext3 (rw)

none on /proc type proc (rw)

none on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,gid=5,mode=620)

usbdevfs on /proc/bus/usb type usbdevfs (rw)

/dev/hda1 on /boot type ext3 (rw)

none on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw)

/dev/hda5 on /var/log type ext3 (rw)

#

[markroe]

Partition table

# fdisk /dev/hda2

Device contains neither a valid DOS partition table, nor Sun, SGI or OSF disklabel

Building a new DOS disklabel. Changes will remain in memory only,

until you decide to write them. After that, of course, the previous

content won't be recoverable.

Warning: invalid flag 0x0000 of partition table 4 will be corrected by w(rite)

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda2: 5239 MB, 5239503360 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 637 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

Command (m for help): q

#

[dmaster]

try..

fdisk /dev/hda

and then list partitions.

/dev/hda2 is a partition /dev/hda is the disk

[markroe]

I hope this helps

# fdisk /dev/hda

The number of cylinders for this disk is set to 30401.

There is nothing wrong with that, but this is larger than 1024,

and could in certain setups cause problems with:

1) software that runs at boot time (e.g., old versions of LILO)

2) booting and partitioning software from other OSs

(e.g., DOS FDISK, OS/2 FDISK)

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/hda: 250.0 GB, 250059350016 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30401 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/hda1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux

/dev/hda2 14 650 5116702+ 83 Linux

/dev/hda3 651 719 554242+ 82 Linux swap

/dev/hda4 720 30401 238420665 5 Extended

/dev/hda5 720 973 2040223+ 83 Linux

Command (m for help):

[dmaster]

hi markroe,

what do you want now ? You now know how to list the partion table of a hard disk.

a vmfs partition can be recognized as a partion with partition id fb (see my example below).

after you format a partion with type fb it will be visible as a datastore.

so what you can do is use the existing available space on your SATA disk and create a new partition with partition id "fb".

(option with fdisk: t change a partition's system id)

___________________________________________________________________________

# fdisk /dev/sda

The number of cylinders for this disk is set to 18275.

There is nothing wrong with that, but this is larger than 1024,

and could in certain setups cause problems with:

1) software that runs at boot time (e.g., old versions of LILO)

2) booting and partitioning software from other OSs

(e.g., DOS FDISK, OS/2 FDISK)

Command (m for help): p

Disk /dev/sda: 150.3 GB, 150323855360 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 18275 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/sda1 1 18275 146793873+ fb Unknown

Command (m for help):

___________________________________________________________________________

[markroe]

I would like to create vmfs volumes where i will be able to create vms

any help would be appreciated as i am stuck

[dmaster]

Hi markroe,

so if you can not create a new datastore with the VI-Client, you can use the fdisk command from the service console.

so go to the corresponding disk with fdisk. in your case: fdisk /dev/hda

then create a new partition with partition id fb and format it.

now rescan your storage adapters this will also result in a rescan of the vmfs datastores.

can you figure it out with this info ?

or at what point are you stuck now ?

[rpartmann]

Hi,

well your SATA controller is identified as IDE Controller.

On IDE drives are NOT supported as VMFS storage.

You could try to go into the bios of yor ML110 and look what seeting are available for you sata controller.

Do not choose anythilg like RAID or legacy, probably you have a AHCI whatever setting avail, then try that.

If having no RAID is no problem for you dont get VMFS on you internal SATA drive with the onboard-controller,

you could go for an Promise SATA300 TX4.

helpful link: http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3.5/Whiteboxes_SATA_Controllers_for_ESX_3.5_3i.htm

hth,

Reinhard.

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

[markroe]

dmaster - appologies, i am unsure of what i need to do, i must admit i am out of my comfort zone.

is there any possibility of you writting some more detailed (step by step) instructuctions

thank you in advance

[markroe]

rpartmann - SATA is not set to raid in the bios, i checked that yesterday

[dmaster]

login as root to the VMware ESX host service console

now type : fdisk /dev/hda

when you are in fdisk choose option "n" this means add a new partition

finally choose "w" to write the change .. you can play with the command but after giving a "w" changes will be permanent.

but before you continue.. just like rpartmann is telling you.. are you realy sure it is possible to host vmfs volumes on your SATA controller. Are you sure the other people on that forum also have a running VMFS datastore on the SATA disks wich the ESX server recognises as /dev/hda ?

because you should suspect that ESX server recognises your SATA controller as a SCSI controller.. connected disks should be recognised as /dev/sda or /dev/sdb etc.