Installing ESX 3.5 on Dell Laptop (Kernel panic at apic.c:298)

[mobcdi]

I realise its not the first place to start installing ESX but I am hoping to be able to make use of some spare equipment we have, to gain experience in VI so i started to load ESX 3.5 on a Lattitude D630.

The install (GUI and text) both fail with a Kernel BUG at apic.c:298 invalid operand: 0000 when i try to install esx. I have also tried using the command esx noapic but that didn't solve the problem.

Laptop Spec

• BIOS is flashed to highest available

• Intel Core 2 Duo 2Ghz (06FB ProcessorID)

• 2048MB Ram DDR2

• 120 GB SATA HDD

Would welcome any more troubleshooting suggestions or am i barking up the wrong tree

[RParker]

You need something with a SCSI controller, IDE/SATA controllers won't work.

[mobcdi]

Would it be possible to use iSCSI to get around my SATA problem? or am i really easier off just getting a cheap scsi system

[piercelynch]

Still got to install the host ESX system to the local disk... so afraid that won't do much using iSCSI for that part.

To be honest.. I think its a lost cause using a laptop for ESX as it is completely unsupported hardware and obviously not designed to run such an OS as ESX. In my opinion you are better of writing it off, and using something a little more substantial than a laptop device. I mean you may get away from with desktop machines, which you can at least put a support SCSI controller in - but your wasting your time with a laptop

Also, in my opinion, learning ESX is great - but really it should be learnt as it is designed to be used which is with supported hardware, otherwise you will just spend most of your time messing around with issues which in a proper environment you are a lot less likely to come across... in partciuarl things like this.

Just my 2p.

P.

[mobcdi]

Appreciate the advice but am finding it hard to get access to the type of equipment needed to run VI3 in the real world, so I can learn and familarise myself with it. Was hoping to be able to set up a small test bed and get some hands on experience with it with the smallest financial outlay

[azn2kew]

If you want to test ESX out you could still load ESX 3.0.2 with Virtual Center Server and VI clients on your Dell laptop but you have to load VMware Workstation 6.0 and than load ESX 3.0.2 as a VMs and if you have USB storage device you can also create SAN using OpenFiler out there. You can install ESX 3.5 this way but you cant' boot up the VMs at all and that's the problem with the drivers and no one at this point make it to work in ESX 3.5. But you can test loaded ESX 3.5 on it using VMware Workstation 6.0 too and administer it using Service Console and also just dont' boot your VMs up. You could still test the VMs for Vmotion part at least. HA & DRS only work if both VMs are online which at this point weren't able to in ESX 3.5

Find installation guide on www.xtravirt.com about VMware Workstation 6.0 Part 1-3

YIM: igeeksystems@yahoo.com

Skype: igeeksystems

Hotmail:igeeksystems@hotmail.com

Google: igeeksystems@gmail.com

[piercelynch · Accepted solution]

Yeah, very much apprecaite that can be hard in the real world. Thing is, a lot of the time people will come across issues with the storage devices .. thats the bulk of issues I see around these forums really. So.. you may get away with a desktop machine that you can stick a controller in that will work.. which will just save a lot of hassle in the long run. I think your find the laptop hard work and not really get stuck into the fun and games of ESX and what it can really do.

Do you have access to any desktop machines - if I remember rightly it is possible to get it working on some of the Dell Optiplex machines (but don't hold me to that!)

P.

[piercelynch]

That is never going to give any performance indications of ESX though... I think that is even worse than trying to use a laptop straight baremetal!! That is opening a hole more load of issues.. plusing using unsupported 3rd party 'san-style' file mechanisms... sounds like trouble to me!!

[mobcdi]

I heard it was possible to use Workstation but have to agree with piercelynch and think it would be too slow. Maybe this should be the topic of a new thread

[piercelynch]

virtualising a virtualisation platform... something doesn't stick there! sorry! 😛 although a valid idea in principal, I really wouldn't go that route!

Yeah I agree, not going to off topic.. maybe another thread for that one.

back on topic...

[Dave_Mishchenko]

I'd suggest flashing the BIOS up to the latest and see if there are any settings for APIC / MPS.

ESX 3.5 can work (but isn't supported) on a number of SATA controllers. See the list here for systems / SATA controllers that aren't supported but do work with 3.5 - http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3.5/Whiteboxes_SATA_Controllers_for_ESX_3.5_3i.htm.

[mobcdi]

Hi Dave,

I did flash the BIOS but couldn't see anything for APIC/MPS. The latittude D630 i have has a ICH8M SATA controller and thanks for the link above but from skimming the postings listed there it seems that i would need a second nic because the internal NIC isn't supported even if i could get the install to work. Am i right on this point?

Michael

[Dave_Mishchenko]

Depending on the model of NIC, you might be able to edit the appropriate file in /etc/vmware/pciid/ after to load the a similar driver for your NIC if for example it is a broadcom or intel NIC. I have the procedure documented for SATA controllers here - http://www.vm-help.com/esx/esx3.5/SATA_mounting_root_failed.html and you could use lspci to figure out the PCI id for the nic and then edit the correct XML file to add an entry. Otherwise, you might have to look at other hardware.