ESX 4.0 install issues

[TheHolyLancerHo]

Hi, I'm trying out esx 4.0 on a home test machine

But when I used the text mode to install it, after fully configure the installation process and at the end to actually install it, it asks me to "Insert the ESX Installation Media", which is wierd since I've booted from the DVD that I burned to start this whole thing!

This test rig isn't the best, but it should work aside from maybe some gfx issues (but that shouldn't be too much of an issue)

i7 920 d0

evga x8 3x sli (ICH10R)

gb ddr3 ocz ram

160 GB Seagate HDD

intel CT network card (on the HCL, since the built in marvell isn't supported)

7900GS video card (can support basic video card functions)

[theblackknight]

If you're just testing, why not install vSphere on workstation?

Here is the guide I used...

[Datto]

Three things to consider:

1) Is your cd/dvd drive a SATA drive? If so, try changing the mode in your System BIOS -- change to IDE mode.

2) Also, use MD5DEEP to check the validity of the download -- compare the results of your download file using MD5DEEP http://md5deep.sourceforge.net/ to the posted result you should see that is published by VMware.

3) Re-write the CD/DVD to different media to make sure the DVD was written correctly.

Datto

[TheHolyLancerHo]

@theblackknight:

like i said, this is a home test machine, built with a spare HDD and

didn't put in the nice gfx cards since I thought the latest and

greatest for gaming is not going to fly under ESX... This is strickly a trial for my own knowledge, so I don't want to spend on dime on expensive stuff

@ Datto, the dvd rom drive is on a JMicron JMB363 controller since it is a PATA drive, which is not native to the ICH10R chipset. Could this be an issue (it boots into the selection screen fine so it can obviously use it)

validity checked, is there such a utility for checking the stuff on the burned dvd? also, is there a known JMB363 issue out there? I can grab a sata dvd-rom and continue this test

also, since I'm here, do you know if there are supported nvidia video drivers? Or is the default ones good enough?

[admin]

There is a "mediacheck" boot option for having the installer run the check at startup.

As for the "Please insert the ESX boot media" prompt, this usually happens if the dvd drive is not recognized and the installer cannot read the dvd. Is there a bios setting for the drive mode? Alternatively, you can try an install using remote media.

[Datto]

I'd try a different DVD drive or check the PATA cable on the existing DVD drive (re-seat the cable on the drive side as well as the motherboard side or swap in a different PATA cable). If the JMB363 is RAID capable, I'd turn off the RAID in the System BIOS also (even though it's a DVD drive) just to be sure.

Datto

[TheHolyLancerHo]

Ok, so I've prepared serveral options, one of them is to use use boot disk as shown here:

http://blog.laspina.ca/ubiquitous/creating-usb-based-boot-media-for-esx-4-installs

with a different syslinux.cfg

default menu.c32

prompt 0

timeout 9000

menu title ESX 4 Install usb

label Default

kernel vmlinuz

append initrd=initrd.img ks=usb vmkopts=debugLogToSerial:1 mem=512Mb

will that work with all the files copied over to usb as perscribed in the blog article?

then I will go in and check the cable, atm the JMB363 is set to IDE mode, there are serveral other modes that I can set it to, one is raid but I'll avoid that

and of course I will reburn another image with imgburn set at the slowest speed possible and see if that helps.

any other suggestions? since the mahcine is a test machine from my gaming maching so each test better be batched so I don't need to change it ver often (I hope I dont nuke the SATA drive plugs lol....)

[admin]

Yes, just copy the boot files to the usb drive as described in the article. You can also copy the installer ISO image to the drive and it will be detected when used with the "install usb" kickstart command (or askmedia option if you're going through the gui).

[TheHolyLancerHo]

hmm how would I do that? like w/o copying any other file over and with a different syslinux.cfg?

I've never done this since usually cd/dvd rom works well and I don't need for mass rollout auto installs lol.

would it be like:

append initrd=initrd.img ks="install usb" vmkopts=debugLogToSerial:1 mem=512M

and just place the isoimg in root?

[TheHolyLancerHo]

ok here i will add what I've tried

when using f2 with the GUI mode, with ks=askmedia, I can't get to it because X cannot start on my 7900GS (goooo gaming card)

next up, trying usb install that is from the website

i will edit this as i go to not spam

ok try two, with the default install renamed to ks.cfg and placed under root of usb, with modifications of no serial, a boot drive of size 1100 instead of nothing (the esx manual had nothign there....) and "/" have size 5000 and grow, instead of 0 and grow...

and here I get a error of:

unmount: cannot unmount /mnt/source: Invalid argument

unmount: cannount unmount /mnt/media: no such file or directory

Insert the ESX Installation media (same as above, just didn't type it all out)

I will post my ks.config after with a modified rootpw since i used plaintext

here is my ks.cfg in root

#root Password

rootpw asdfasdf

1. Authconfig

authconfig --enableshadow --enablemd5

1. BootLoader (Use grub by default.)

bootloader --location=mbr

1. Timezone

timezone America/Los_Angeles --utc

#Install

install cdrom

#Network install type

network --bootproto=dhcp

#Keyboard

keyboard us

#Reboot after install?

reboot

1. Clear partitions

clearpart --firstdisk

1. Partitioning

part /boot --fstype=ext3 --size=1100 --onfirstdisk

part storage1 --fstype=vmfs3 --size=10000 --grow --onfirstdisk

part None --fstype=vmkcore --size=100 --onfirstdisk

1. Create the vmdk on the cos vmfs partition.

virtualdisk cos --size=5000 --onvmfs=storage1

1. Partition the virtual disk.

part / --fstype=ext3 --size=5000 --grow --onvirtualdisk=cos

part swap --fstype=swap --size=256 --onvirtualdisk=cos

#VMware Specific Commands

accepteula

I'm also getting an error where if I do insert the esx 4.0 media into the thing, it says that cannot mount /dev/cdrom and I'm thinking a reburn may not work if it isn't mounting it, strange as that other people with similar JMB363 controllers under pata/sata installed correctly but not this one... maybe the evga 3x sli is tuned more / less and can't play well?

I will try to reburn now...

edit: the cfg text are being auto converted to lists where there is a comment, how do i fix that....

ok reburn with another drive and found that maybe the drive it self is bad since I burned at 1x again, and with that cd drive it won't read it, this is weird since I just installed windows 7 and that one is a full 4.7 GB disk and it worked (with this other burning drive and that drive in the computer, same setup, same burning software and different results....) and before you ask, there is only one disk connected to the computer and there is no other hard drives with any other OS on it when I'm trying the ESX 4.0 install

[chrismir]

Same problem here. ESX 3.5 was installed and has been running for 2 months on this box. I'm installing 4.0 from scratch and after I did the initial settings and started the install, I get "Insert the ESX Installation media".