can i not use ESXi?

[ramiatvmtn]

Hello

I was just wondering if it is possible to NOT use ESXi even tho i have ordered a server (HP Proliant DL380) bundleded with embedded ESXi and just proceed with normal windows server installation?and maybe later on deciding to use it knowing it is there? so is this possible or once a server is ordered with ESXi then i must deploy virtualization layer first??

Thanks in advance.

Rami

[avlieshout]

Rami,

I have no experience with embedded ESXi.

Afaik embedded ESXi is embedded on SD card.

So I guess you can remove SD card or disable it in BIOS.

And I can't imagine that HP sells a server that you can only use ESXi on.

-Arnim van Lieshout

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[AntonVZhbankov]

You can plug out USB with ESXi and use it as any other server.

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VMware vExpert '2009

http://blog.vadmin.ru

[ramiatvmtn]

so i would like to ask now where is exactly this embeded ESXi located on the board and can i just remove it?

[AntonVZhbankov]

HP usually uses USB Flash drives, so take a look at server scheme to find USB port.

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VMware vExpert '2009

http://blog.vadmin.ru

[avlieshout]

On DELL servers you can enable/disable internal USB port (with ESXi flash drive) in the BIOS, so I guess that you can enable/disable it on HP servers in the BIOS too.

This way you only have to enable it when you are ready to use the hypervisor, and you don't have to open your server and remove/reinstall the flashdrive physically.

There's is also no risk of loosing the flashdrive this way

-Arnim van Lieshout

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[jbogardus]

I'm not sure what HP does with ESXi embedded, but the couple of Dell's I've used ESXi embedded for at clients came with boot to ESXi disabled in the BIOS by default. If we didn't enable it in the BIOS to boot from the ESXi USB drive before the hard drives we could have used it as a normal server. If HP has the ESXi boot enabled by default I'd imagine you can change the boot order or other setting in the BIOS to have it boot from Windows on the hard drives instead.

[jbogardus]

Is there an echo in here? ZaWizZ beat me to the same comment. Oh well.

[avlieshout]

Yes, I won...LOL

At least you mentioned that on DELL servers the internal USB port is disabled by default, which I forgot to mention.

My guess is that it will be the same for HP

-Arnim van Lieshout

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