ESXi on UCS c220 Boot issue

[Khurram Tariq]

dear all

i am confguring Esx 5.1 u2 on UCS c220-M3-S server, my CIMC version is 1.5(3). i have installed esxi 5.1 u 2 successfully but when it reboot for the first time to start it did not find any bootable device,even my boot order is hardrive in whihc installed esxi

Error: PXE-E61 media test failure chech cable

PXE-M0F exiting intel boot agent 

kindly help me out on this issu.

[Dragan Ilic]

Do you maybe have RAID config there? If yes I suppose it's not integrated controller because I think it's not supported in vmware environments...

Is there option to put RAID controller as boot device?

HTH,

Dragan

[Khurram Tariq]

no there is no option of raid controller in boot order but few days back i have configured esx 5.1 u1 on the same server only the difference was CIMC firmware. in previous installtion raid setting were predefined.

[Khurram Tariq]

there is two options in boot order one is IBA GE slot 0100 v1504 and UEFI built in EFI

[Dragan Ilic]

Do you have RAID controller in that server? And by that I mean not integrated one which is by default ON in this server?

BR,

Dragan

[Khurram Tariq]

no i am using it with default drives.

[Dragan Ilic]

If you configured RAID on integrated controller then ESXi is not going to see it - it's not supported.

You have to have dedicated RAID controller and then install esxi on drive created on it (LSI mezzanine card etc...)

BR,

Dragan

[Khurram Tariq]

can you guide me how to do this on raid ...??

and also esxi has been insatlled successffuly but at boot time its loading.

[Dragan Ilic]

If you have controller during boot-ing there will be option to enter configuration utility for that controller...I don't remember exact key sequence which has to be entered . Go there and create your virtual drive...

After that start esxi installation again and choose that drive for destination - it should see it.

Rest you will find out...maybe this can help:

https://supportforums.cisco.com/discussion/12004101/ucs-c220-m3-problem-after-installing-esxi-510-cisco-custom

BTW I see that someone make it possible to work with embedded controller and esxi on mentioned thread ...it's also using custom cisco esxi install - i suggest you do the same...

But officially as I said it's not supported using embedded controller and esxi hypervisor...

BR,

Dragan

[Khurram Tariq]

i dont understand how  he performed with embedded controller with custom cisco esxi, well in my case in raid controller its not hsowing any physical or logical drives there.i cannot create virtual drive through this

[Dragan Ilic]

Did you try disabling embedded controller first? I think it's enabled by default...maybe it's using your drives.

Try disabling it:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/hw/C220/install/C220.pdf

Here you have part "Disabling the embedded..."

HTH,

Dragan

[Khurram Tariq]

Model is SAS

now its showing HDD drive in CIMC and in Boot order as well, buit when i try to boot it from HDD it navigate me to Raid config utility where i still dont see any drives 

[Khurram Tariq]

i can see controller in Controller selection TAB on config utility but no drives available , how to reset the controller 

[Khurram Tariq]

there is no drive or disk in in the raid config utility, like physical view is empty and logical also empty so i cannot make a virtual drive if here is not showing.

[Dragan Ilic]

Please take carefully looking at this link:

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/td/docs/unified_computing/ucs/c/hw/C220/install/C220/raid.html#52681

There you will see options when migrating from one to another type of controller. You will see required cables also for cabling your RAID controller. Check that also...reseat PCIe controller also as Kenny said.

It should work...

BR,

Dragan