dell perc h710 on esxi6 - can not access disks

[kxeuds]

Hello all,

Please excuse me if I am not posting to the right place, but any help would be appreciated. I am using a dell Perc h710 in a esxi-6.0 host. On the same machine, If booting with Linux, I can see and access everything (controller, disks, etc):

[root@localhost MegaCli]# ./MegaCli -AdpAllInfo -aAll

	Versions
	================
Product Name	: PERC H710 Adapter
Serial No	: 49400TY

FW Package Build: 21.3.0-0009

	Mfg. Data
	================
Mfg. Date	: 09/08/14
Rework Date	: 09/08/14
Revision No	: A06
Battery FRU	: N/A

	Image Versions in Flash:
	================
BIOS Version	: 5.42.00.1_4.12.05.00_0x05290003
Ctrl-R Version	: 4.04-0001

Preboot CLI Version: 05.00-03:#%00008

FW Version	: 3.131.05-3415
NVDATA Version	: 2.1108.03-0096

Boot Block Version : 2.03.00.00-0004

BOOT Version

: 06.253.57.219

If booting with esxi 6.0 (update 1, VMware ESXi 6.0.0 build-3380124), I cannot detect any disks connected to it, but I can see controller listed:

[root@localhost:~] esxcli storage core  adapter list |grep -i dell

vmhba1    megaraid_sas  link-n/a    unknown.vmhba1                (0000:05:00.0) LSI / Symbios Logic Dell PERC H710 Adapter

[root@localhost:~]

[root@localhost:~] esxcli software vib list|grep megaraid

scsi-megaraid-sas              06.805.56.00-1OEM.600.0.0.2494585    VMW     VMwareCertified   2016-02-04

lsu-lsi-megaraid-sas-plugin    1.0.0-2vmw.600.0.11.2809209          VMware  VMwareCertified   2016-02-04

scsi-megaraid-mbox             2.20.5.1-6vmw.600.0.0.2494585        VMware  VMwareCertified   2016-02-04

scsi-megaraid2                 2.00.4-9vmw.600.0.0.2494585          VMware  VMwareCertified   2016-02-04

[root@localhost:~]

Also nothing is appearing on Configuration -> Storage.

Something is missing but I have no idea what. Please help.

[staccato]

VSAN HCL

VMware Compatibility Guide: vsanio

[kxeuds]

Hello and thanks for answer, but I am completely lost. What to download? Where to get? Any URL please?

[zdickinson]

Good morning, I'm not sure what the previous post was implying.  It appears that the h710 is fully supported in ESXi v6.  It uses the inbox driver so you should be all set there.  Have you verified the firmware is at the correct level?  That card does not support pass through, do you have each disk in RAID 0?  Is it just vSAN that cannot claim the disks or does ESX not see them at all?

Thank you, Zach.

[kxeuds]

Hi Zach, I have 2 disks connected to perc H710 but none can be seen. see attached picture. If I am booting with linux, exactly on the same machine, I am able to see disks.

Got from linux, the following:

	================
Product Name	: PERC H710 Adapter
Serial No	: 49400TY

FW Package Build: 21.3.0-0009

	Mfg. Data
	================
Mfg. Date	: 09/08/14
Rework Date	: 09/08/14
Revision No	: A06
Battery FRU	: N/A

	Image Versions in Flash:
	================
BIOS Version	: 5.42.00.1_4.12.05.00_0x05290003
Ctrl-R Version	: 4.04-0001

Preboot CLI Version: 05.00-03:#%00008

FW Version	: 3.131.05-3415
NVDATA Version	: 2.1108.03-0096

Boot Block Version : 2.03.00.00-0004

BOOT Version

: 06.253.57.219

...

Number of Backend Port: 8

Port  :  Address

0        4433221106000000

1        4433221107000000

	HW Configuration
	================
SAS Address	: 5b083fe0cd750e00
BBU	: Present
Alarm	: Absent
NVRAM	: Present

Serial Debugger  : Present

Memory	: Present
Flash	: Present
Memory Size	: 512MB
TPM	: Absent

On board Expander: Absent

When I am booting with esxi-6.0, only controller is visible... and I am wondering what is missing

[zdickinson]

That's a good one.  Are there any partitions on the disks?  Being a Windows guy, I would use diskpart to clean them and then try again.  I'm not what the equivalent would be in Linux.  You might be at the point of opening an SR, I would be.  Thank you, Zach.

[kxeuds]

Hi Zach, No partions on those disks. Are brand new, unsealed yesterday. It matter are 6TB Western Digital WD60EFRX. See it here:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16822236737

Should I do something to add those disks on esxi?

[kxeuds]

and another question, for Zach or anyone else. When booting, I cannot see controller message press CTRL+R. Is this normal? How can I turn it on? Maybe esxi is right in its behavior and cannot see storage attached because perc H710 controller is not exporting any raid devices ...yet ... It is keeping 2 x 6TB HDDS inside it without being configured to export outside anything else and due to that, ESXI-6.0 cannot see anything ... right? So first thing to access perc H710 bios and put those 2 disk in a raid 1 array.

If CTRL+R is not available, how to build arrays or how to access perc H710 BIOS?

[zdickinson]

Good afternoon, I have had disks come out of the packaging with partitions on them.  Not often, but it does happen.

Perhaps you have quiet boot on.  By default Cisco, HP, and Dell all have quiet boot on.  Enter the BIOS and see if you can turn it off.  Perhaps then you will be able to get into the RAID config.  Thank you, Zach.

[kxeuds]

Hi Zach,

No. Quiet boot has been disabled. I've check it first. In my case, Supermicro X10SLM_-LN4F motherboard:

Supermicro | Products | Motherboards | Xeon® Boards | X10SLM+-LN4F

The problem has been elsewhere but still related to BIOS. And now for posterity

When server boot, press DEL and enter in BIOS. Go to Advanced -> Boot feature -> and be sure that AddOn ROM display mode is set to be FORCE BIOS (default is KEEP CURRENT which will display Supermicro logo instead to display all bios messages on screen). On the same section, continue to keep Quiet boot -> Disabled.

After that, I was able to see controller messages on screen and CTRL+R, so I was able to configure booth disks in one VD raid1 array. Now, esxi is happy and is using it as Storage .

Thank you Zach, you helped me a lot to open eyes and see the root cause of the problem. Indeed Perc H710 is supported and works fine on esxi-6.0, no addidtional software (vib) should be installed.

[zdickinson]

Glad I could help.  Thank you, Zach.