Installing ESX 3.5 with local storage

[shannonadams]

I just installed ESX 3.5 on a basic server that I will use for failover only. The server has one internal 750 GB internal SATA drive. I install ESX 3.5 going through the wizard just fine. But when I connect to the new server with the Infrustructure Client, I get an error that states - "The VMware ESX Server does not have persistent storage." - see attachment. It gives me the option to create a datastore. My options are Disk/LUN, NFS, or Diagnostic. I don't see where to add a local drive as a datastore. What I am I missing here? Is there some partitioning step that I missed when installing ESX.

[RParker]

I just installed ESX 3.5 on a basic server that I will use for failover only. The server has one internal 750 GB internal SATA drive. I install ESX 3.5 going through the wizard just fine. But when I connect to the new server with the Infrustructure Client, I get an error that states - "The VMware ESX Server does not have persistent storage." - see attachment. It gives me the option to create a datastore. My options are Disk/LUN, NFS, or Diagnostic. I don't see where to add a local drive as a datastore. What I am I missing here? Is there some partitioning step that I missed when installing ESX.

The RAID controller most likely is the problem or the type of SATA controller. It won't support PATA / SATA / IDE disks. That's the problem. And before you ask, no there is no work around.

ESX is a high end performance OS, so it supports high end RAID type cards and high end servers.

[MrPauloAndersen]

What is the make and model of the server you are installing this on? (or beige box, hard disk controller, SCSI/RAID controller model)

Second questions is have you tried the Disk/LUN option?

Assuming you are using the correct RAID controller and you have a VMFS volume available..... please login localy to the ESX host using root and post the out put of the command "vdf -h".

NOTE: The wrong command in fdisk will delete all disk data.

If you feel confortable in linux try the fdisk and print your partition table. Please post this if you can get it.

[kjb007]

If you installed ESX, and it didn't complain about storage during the wizard, then the storage is probably fine. If you did not choose to create a VMFS filesystem during the wizard, and you want to create it after the fact on the same drive, then you will probably have to use the manual fdisk method to create a new partition, change the type to 'fb', and then run vmkfstools -C vmfs /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhbax:x:x:x to create a vmfs on it. Then it will show up in your storage section after a refresh.

-KjB

VMware vExpert

[shannonadams]

Thanks for the responses. Here are more details:

1. vdf -h

Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on

/dev/hdc2 4.9G 1.3G 3.3G 29% /

/dev/hdc1 99M 27M 68M 29% /boot

none 132M 0 132M 0% /dev/shm

/dev/hdc5 2.0G 33M 1.8G 2% /var/log

/vmfs/devices 33M 0 33M 0% /vmfs/devices

1. fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hdc: 750.1 GB, 750156374016 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 91201 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/hdc1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux

/dev/hdc2 14 650 5116702+ 83 Linux

/dev/hdc3 651 719 554242+ 82 Linux swap

/dev/hdc4 720 91201 726796665 5 Extended

/dev/hdc5 720 973 2040223+ 83 Linux

It looks like I need to manually create a partition using fdisk on /dev/hdc4. What is the command to do that?

[runclear]

Did you manually partition the server or did you use the wizard? If you used the wizard and you are unable to format the disk to VMFS the disks may not be supported? Are these IDE/SATA?

Whats the hardware?

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[runclear]

It looks like I need to manually create a partition using fdisk on /dev/hdc4. What is the command to do that?

Read the previous response from he pretty much lays it out there for you... the guys with "vExperts" under their names.. id pay attention to those guys... they didnt get that badge for being slackers

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http://www.rack42.com

[kjb007]

Your drive shows up as an IDE drive (hdc, as opposed to sdc), so after the below steps, I hope vmkfstools will allow you to create the VMFS needed, but here goes.

1. Type fdisk /dev/hdc

2. Type 'n' for new

3. Select partition # (6)

4. Select the size you want in blocks, or use +xxxxMB

5. Type 't' to change type, and enter fb (fb is for vmfs)

6. Type 'p' to print out the new partition table, and make sure it looks ok

7. Type 'w' to write the changes to disk

8. Run 'ls /vmfs/devices/disks', to see which disk partitions are listed there. You should see the new one you created, it may look like 'vmhba0:0:0:6'

9. If you see 'vmhba0:0:0:6' from above, type 'vmkfstools -C vmfs3 /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhba0\:0\:0\:6'

10. Refresh your vi client storage section

-KjB

VMware vExpert

[paradoxxaz]

kjb,

Isnt the persistent storage error just a notification that he wont be able to use VMotion and HA feature?

Or is it just that he doesnt have a DS configured yet?

[kjb007]

Persistent storage holds true for local storage as well. Local storage can not be used for VMotion and HA, but that error means that ESX can't see any storage at all to create vm's inside of. No vmfs is seen at all.

-KjB

VMware vExpert

[toto11]

Hello Guys,

My colleagues installed ESX 3.5 u 4 on a Sun Fire server and I have the same problem ( no datastore) . I followed the instructions above and currently fdisk shows the following:

fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hdc: 250.0 GB, 250056000000 bytes

255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 30400 cylinders

Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System

/dev/hdc1 * 1 13 104391 83 Linux

/dev/hdc2 14 650 5116702+ 83 Linux

/dev/hdc3 651 719 554242+ 82 Linux swap

/dev/hdc4 720 30400 238412632+ 5 Extended

/dev/hdc5 720 973 2040223+ 83 Linux

/dev/hdc6 974 8269 58605088+ fb Unknown

However the /dev/hdc6 partition is not listed in /vmfs/devices/disks/ (it's empty) . This is why I cannot run the vmkfstools -C vmfs /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhba0\:0\:0\:6 command.

vmkfstools -C vmfs /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhba0\:0\:0\:6

Creating vmfs file system on "vmhba0:0:0:6" with blockSize 1048576 and volume label "none".

Usage: vmkfstools -C vmfs3 /vmfs/devices/disks/vmhbaW:X:Y:Z

Error: Invalid handle

I rebooted the machine after creating a partition and yet I cannot see anyting in /vmfs/devices/disks/ . Is there any way to make ESX re-scan the partitions and add the /vmfs ones to /vmfs/devices/disks/ ?

Thanks for your time and attention!

[kjb007 · Accepted solution]

Are those IDE drives? VMFS not supported on ide.

-KjB

VMware vExpert

[AndreTheGiant]

As you see with fsdisk -l you have only a hdc disk.

IDE disk (hdX disk) hare not suitable for VMFS datastore.

Andre

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[toto11]

Andre, kjb,

Thank you very much for taking time to review this. It seems that it's a IDE drive indeed:

hdparm -I /dev/hdc

/dev/hdc:

ATA device, with non-removable media

Model Number: HITACHI HDS7225SBSUN250G 0621NSL2WJ

Serial Number: VDS41DT4ESL2WJ

Firmware Revision: V44OA9CA

Standards:

....

Another funny thing - I tried a cheap trick - create an NFS share on the server and connect ESX to itself to create a datastore. It'd seem however that the NFS version installed on ESX 3.5 u 4 does not support NFS version 3 over TCP . Hence I cannot use the share to create a data store - does this mean you cannot create a share on one ESX server and use it on another?

If so I'd have to use a more recent linux ( something with a 2.6 kernel) and create a share there.

Thanks again though for the quick reply!

Best Wishes

Vesselin

[AndreTheGiant]

Does you system have a SATA controller?

In this case you can try to attach a SATA disk only for the VMFS datastore.

To a unofficial list of working SATA controller:

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

Andre

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[AndreTheGiant]

create an NFS share on the server and connect ESX to itself to create a datastore

This could be and idea.

But you cannot do with a ESX box.

You must use or an appliance, or a physical box with Linux or Windows, or a VM (not very good for performance).

Andre

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[kjb007]

Yes, you can definitely use NFS, but as you saw, it has to support NFS v3 over TCP. Also, doing it that way, you would have to have the space available on a VMFS to assign to a vm as a vmdk, to server it as NFS. Trying to run NFS services on ESX is not good. Not only is it a security risk, but the console is limited in bandwidth, so performance would be terrible, if not unusable. ESX was not meant to be a file server. You will either have to use a 2nd machine dedicated to NFS, or get a SATA/SCSI controller with proper disk, and use that formatted as VMFS to share out to other ESX hosts.

-KjB

VMware vExpert