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DrewEinhorn
Contributor
Contributor

Problem with Devil Linux VM

The developers report routinely running Devil Linux on a GSX box.

I'm attempting to run it on an ESX Server 3.0.1 Build 32039 with Virtual Infrastructure Client 2.0.1 Build 32042.

When I hit the start button the screen rapidly changes shape a couple times like the VM is changing the video modes a couple time then everything stops with a black screen with a hyphen or underscore near the upper left corner. I have seen this behavior with other operating systems later on in the boot sequence when the video was badly misconfigured.

But something is happening the VM is grabbing all the CPU it can get.

One of the developers asked if I was running in "Standard VGA", but I have not been able to find any video configuration for ESX. Am I missing something, somewhere?

Ssh'ed into the ESX box and poked around in /var/log. Did not see anything interesting.

Tried clicking the VM's Advanced Option "Enable debugging information", but that did result in any more information I could find anywhere I could find.

Any ideas?

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sbeaver
Leadership
Leadership

Do you have the VMware tools loaded and running on that VM? If not then I think that is your problem

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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DrewEinhorn
Contributor
Contributor

This sounds like a chicken and egg problem.

I've never figured out a way to install VMware Tools in any VM, until after I get it up for the first time.

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DrewEinhorn
Contributor
Contributor

Received an excellent suggestion from the Devil Linux list.

Pretty sure I know what the problem is. But the solution is still elusive.

Think I have to get in and tweak the BIOS settings. But ESX does not pause for a couple seconds and give me a reasonable window in which to hit F2. And so far I have not been able to hit it at the magic moment.

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sbeaver
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Leadership

You need to reset and then start hitting the button. It is hit and miss so try different ways VC or ESX itself

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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DrewEinhorn
Contributor
Contributor

The box is about a thousand miles from where I am.

I have a lousy internet connection.

The VMware Infrastructure Client is not very responsive, it may not be possible to get into the BIOS. VMware should acknowledge this as a bug and add a delay of a couple seconds in the boot sequence. Or at least add a configuration option for the delay.

Browsing around in the forums I see users have been struggling with this problem for a long time.

But reading one post gave me an inspiration. There is a free VMware Server sitting right next to me. Does it use the same format format for .nvram files as ESX Server. If I get a .nvram file configured on my free VMware Server, can I push it across the network to the ESX box and expect it to work?

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Dave_Mishchenko
Immortal
Immortal

It's not the same disk format but you can

1) use VMware Converter: http://www.vmware.com/pdf/converter_datasheet.pdf

2) a. create the VM on VMware server using a SCSI driver in the VM

b. copy the VMDK file to the ESX server

c. run vmkfstools -i to import the VMFK file to the ESX format (vmkfstools -i //destination.vmdk)

d. create a new VM that uses the new vmdk file.

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sbeaver
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Leadership

The NVRAM idea just might work. Give it a shot you really have nothing to lose

Steve Beaver
VMware Communities User Moderator
VMware vExpert 2009 - 2020
VMware NSX vExpert - 2019 - 2020
====
Co-Author of "VMware ESX Essentials in the Virtual Data Center"
(ISBN:1420070274) from Auerbach
Come check out my blog: [www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog|http://www.virtualizationpractice.com/blog/]
Come follow me on twitter http://www.twitter.com/sbeaver

**The Cloud is a journey, not a project.**
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