Problem booting VMWare Vsphere 5.5 USB Installer on HP ProLiant DL360 G8

[cryptogram]

Howdy,

I am not sure if this is an HP issue or a VMWare USB installer issue but I wanted to throw this out here in case anyone had any ideas or knew of a solution. I've already searched the web quite a bit to no avail on this issue.

My DL360G8p has no CDROM/DVDROM drive.. so naturally USB (or SD) is the way to install something on the device. I grabbed the most recent VMWare ISO today and made a bootable USB stick out of it. Only the ProLiant doesn't seem to recognize anything being there as bootable and just keeps restarting/retrying as if there's no drives. I've created the bootable CD a few different ways and no luck The system seems to recognize the USB as being plugged in (as it mentions attempting to boot from USB.. which it will not do if it's not plugged in). The end results is I cannot install VMWare on the box, which is pretty frustrating...

I can boot the VMWare installer USB on other computers (just tested). I also took the liberty of trying to use three different USB drives (1 Lexar standard rive, one Lexas Secure ||, and two different PNY small attache drives).. no luck. I have also been able to take one of the Lexar drives, put a bootable Debian Linux CD on it, and get the DL380 G8 to boot/load it. It seems to be specific to this VMWare image.

Any ideas?

[TedH256]

I would simply attach a usb dvd drive - not worth spending the time trouble-shooting why the bootable usb is not working.

[cryptogram]

I can't say that wasn't on my very next thing to do ... but your reply motivated me to go just buy an external DVD drive instead of waiting for an alternate resolution. This, of course, worked like a charm.. but still wish I knew why the booting from USB + VMWare on a DL360G8 is causing problems. thanks

[vlho]

Hi cryptogram

how you make USB key from VMware image?

I use this tool: UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads

with no problem.

Then you try:

- load default bios

- change USB port

[Gav0]

If you have configured ILO on your HP Proliant you can connect to ILO and use the Virtual Media Applet to mount the ISO and install ESXi.  You just copy the ISO to a network share and then mount it to a virtual DVD drive & boot your server up.

This much easier then physically swapping a usb DVD drive between hosts.

Gav

[kprokon]

Hi Cryptogram,

Use HP customized image for vsphere 5.5. Download it at HP's website. You can use HP intelligent provisioning or directly boot thru CD/DVD to install vSphere 5.5.

[TBKing]

As mentioned above - Use ILO to boot from an ISO image.

My process is to use ILO to first apply the latest greatest HP firmware by booting from the SPP ISO

Then using the HP supplied ISO image if ESX which has their drivers embedded.

.. all while watching the Conjuring, Bad Grampa, Iron Man 3....