VMware Cloud Community
JimCheetham
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

Is ESXi unsupported hardware available to guests?

With the information from the forums, I've managed to get ESXi 3.5.0 installed on my ICH10 SATA disks (Asus P5Q Pro motherboard).

Of course, the problem now is that the onboard network card is unsupported. I can get a supported card; but before I do that I would like to know if the onboard card will be available to the guest OSs at all?

The answer tells me whether I'm buying a 1-port or 2-port network card to place in my last PCI-E x16 slot Smiley Happy

Reply
0 Kudos
1 Solution

Accepted Solutions
TomHowarth
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

it your ESX Host can not see the NIC then your Guests will not be able to either.

If you found this or any other answer useful please consider the use of the Helpful or correct buttons to award points

Tom Howarth

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

Tom Howarth VCP / VCAP / vExpert
VMware Communities User Moderator
Blog: http://www.planetvm.net
Contributing author on VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment
Contributing author on VCP VMware Certified Professional on VSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410

View solution in original post

Reply
0 Kudos
5 Replies
weinstein5
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

Welcome to the Forums - Is this you only physical NIC in te box - Are you able to access you ESXi server via the VI Client? If you are then yes you will be able to use that card - in fact I do not think ESX or ESXi will install without a working NIC -

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful

If you find this or any other answer useful please consider awarding points by marking the answer correct or helpful
Reply
0 Kudos
JimCheetham
Contributor
Contributor
Jump to solution

At the moment, the onboard port (Atheros gbit) is the only one in the machine, and although ESXi is installed (with oem.tgz hacks to recognise the onboard AHCI SATA controller), it does not detect the network. I'm not expecting to find an Atheros driver for ESXi! I cannot manage this machine yet, it has no IP address at all.

lspci from a supported OS (Ubuntu 8.10 LiveCD) says

02:00.0 Ethernet controller: Attansic Technology Corp. L1 Gigabit Ethernet Adapter (rev b0)

Subsystem: ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Device 8226

Flags: bus master, fast devsel, latency 0, IRQ2299

Memory at feac0000 (64-bit, non-prefetchable)

I/O ports at ec00

Capabilities: Power Management version 2

Capabilities: Message Signalled Interrupts: Mask- 64bit+ Queue=-/0 Enable+

Capabilities: Express Endpoint, MSI 00

Capabilities: Advanced Error Reporting <?>

Capabilities: Device Serial Number ff-54-23-00-d3-f2-18-ff

Kernel driver in use: ATL1E

Kernel modules: atl1e

It's always a struggle getting a server-grade bit of software running on desktop-spec equipment Smiley Happy I have only one PCI-Express x16 slot left (there are three x1's spare), and I want the machine to have more than one physical network port available to the guests. If guests will be unable to use the onboard Atheros, that means I have to get at least a 2-port supported NIC. If guests can use the Atheros, I can save $$$ and get a single port NIC Smiley Happy

I see from the forums that many people with the P5Q Pro motherboard have purchased an extra NIC in order to get ESXi working; which is fine. I just need to know how many NICs I need to buy Smiley Happy so I need to know if the onboard Atheros NIC can be used by guests ...

Reply
0 Kudos
oreeh
Immortal
Immortal
Jump to solution

If ESX doesn't recognize the NIC your guests won't be able to "use" it.

Jackobli
Virtuoso
Virtuoso
Jump to solution

so I need to know if the onboard Atheros NIC can be used by guests ...

guests on ESXi are never using a nic (directly). So the nic must be seen by the ESXi host.

Go and buy an Intel dualport (or, if you can afford a quadport) card.

TomHowarth
Leadership
Leadership
Jump to solution

it your ESX Host can not see the NIC then your Guests will not be able to either.

If you found this or any other answer useful please consider the use of the Helpful or correct buttons to award points

Tom Howarth

VMware Communities User Moderator

Blog: www.planetvm.net

Tom Howarth VCP / VCAP / vExpert
VMware Communities User Moderator
Blog: http://www.planetvm.net
Contributing author on VMware vSphere and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing ESX and the Virtual Environment
Contributing author on VCP VMware Certified Professional on VSphere 4 Study Guide: Exam VCP-410
Reply
0 Kudos