building white box lab test for vmware vsphere 6 essentials kit

[twisterice]

Hello guys,
i would like to build a whitebox lab test for support vsphere 6 essentials kit. What do you think about this configuration:

– Cooler Master Cosmos 2 atx case
– Corsair Psu AX1200i modular 80 plus platinum certified
– Cooler Master Nepton 240m for cpu liquid cooler
– Intel Xeon 2011 E5-2620v3 2,4Ghz
– AsRock motherboard X99 WS-E for socket 2011-v3
– LSI MegarRaid Sas 9240-4i SGL 4-PORT 6GB/s sata+sas
– Corsair Dominator Platinum Kit memory ddr4 2666mhz 32gb (4×8)
– Evga Video Card GeForce Gtx970 4gb ram
– 4 Samsung SSD 850 EVO 500gb mz-75e500b/eu
– Intel PRO/1000 PT dual port server adapter 10/100/1000base-tx

for storage i’ve alread a NAS Qnap TS-451 (with 2 gb port interfaces) about 4 tb based on raid5 (here i have 4 hd wd caviar for a total of 8tb)

Sure i would like also to reduce energy consumption...ok i want too much thinks
overall stay in a budget not exceeding to 2,500 euro...so with this configuration (hoping that it’s sufficient to run a good lab test), do you suggest me to install directly the vcenter or a nested...before windows 2012 (for example) and after vcenter etc…?
in any case i would like to have a your general opinion about to use at the best this hardware at least in the lab test. Thank you for all your suggestions.

 

[twisterice]

thank you for your information and don't worry...it's my decision....so now i will get more attention in the future....at the next for news of progress.

 

[twisterice]

ok i've just insert the 9240-4i card...but now in the error codes of dr.debug i see error code 62 ...in the manual (page 39) the message is: Chipset initialization error. Please press reset or clear CMOS.
I've cleared the cmos as indicated in page 31 but nothing is changed....if i try to boot....start with asrock logo and menu option...i try to push cancel button to enter the bios but the system not respond and go on...up to load the raid card...and here i see some words (lsi...model ..number) but here the system is blocked...
So after i remove the raid card and i can enter into the bios...all parameters seems to be ok...what's wrong? i need to make some settings in the bios to load correctly the raid card?

 

[twisterice]

ok i've just insert the 9240-4i card...but now in the error codes of dr.debug i see error code 62 ...in the manual (page 39) the message is: Chipset initialization error. Please press reset or clear CMOS.
I've cleared the cmos as indicated in page 31 but nothing is changed....if i try to boot....start with asrock logo and menu option...i try to push cancel button to enter the bios but the system not respond and go on...up to load the raid card...and here i see some words (lsi...model ..number) but here the system is blocked...
So after i remove the raid card and i can enter into the bios...all parameters seems to be ok...what's wrong? i need to make some settings in the bios to load correctly the raid card?

twisterice,

In retrospect I'm sorry to have mentioned the LSI 9300 series without differentiating the various models. The 9361 produces fantastic benchmarks, but the 9341 should have a warning label to study the caching design and motherboard and software compatibility. Again, there's this assumption that consumers are capable of fairly detailed system / software engineering analysis. I suppose the message is that RAID controllers are specialized and don't buy without serious study. It's a problem to have to make everything compatible with everything else from the beginning of time and I for one have gotten too casual.

The closer I've gotten to installing the PERC H310 in the Precision T5500, the more I begin to look for simpler alternatives such as a PCIe SSD or better, PCIe M.2 adapter.

Looking forward to news of progress.

Cheers,

BambiBoom

 

[bambiboom]

twisterice,

In general, I think the procedure is that you:

0. Download and add the LSI 9240 driver and any firmware onto a USB flash drive.

1. Install the RAID card and start the system. The RAID card has it's own BIOS and you have to configure the system to start on the card's BIOS instead of the motherboard. I hope I'm characterizing that correctly.

2. There will be a key to go into the configuration - possibly CNTRL-R or similar. You then let the chipset initialize - it takes some time I think- and go though to the next screen where if all is well, you see the drives currently connected listed by name and volume.

3. This is where I'm describing a procedure I'm not entirely sure about and have never tried: Put the Windows disk in the optical drive and start the installation. At some point when asking the target disk to load windows you select the0 volume on the LSI.

4. This is where (I think) you load the LSI driver from the USB and then install Windows to that virtual disk. When Windows asks for the destination- the target drive for the OS, there should show the listing of volumes on the LSI- possibly as virtual disks and possibly with an option to "Create VD". Select Disk 0.

5. Continue to create volumes and RAID on the other physical disks

It's something like that,...

>To anyone reading this: If this is all or partially bollocks, I would be grateful if you would correct it. I need to do this too very soon.

It takes great bravery to make a RAID !


Cheers,

BambiBoom

 

[twisterice]

ok i completely agree and reply under all points:

0. sure i've already downloaded
1. here is the problem...as i need to directly boot from esxi installer, in the boot order procedure, the bios should boot system....then raid...then ctrl-h or m or i...and then build the raid...restart and make the first esxi setup.
This should be the standar procedure to use the raid built from lsi raid card.

2. the problem is that during the boot...when i arrive to see the bios info of the raid card, if i try ctrl+h or m or i, does not works

3. yes but in this case i would like to boot directly esxi installer and not a nested installation (first windows and then esxi on windows)

4. sure if you want only windows installation

5. ...yes sure

but for what i've understand, my problem is to boot in the right mode
i'm studying better the bios, even if i do not see any other option that can help me to fix the problem

 

[bambiboom]

twisterice,

I'm at a disadvantage as I don't know anything specific about ESXI. I did have a look at a YouTube video about installing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQfTuAdLfYw

> and it's an hour long.

This seems to be a well-organized description and the video describes adding ESXI to a system with a RAID card. In that procedure, Windows 8.1 is already in place, and EXSI is installed off a flash drive that is configured as a boot drive. The video includes setting up VSphere, server appliance, the browser, network,licensing, "deploying the appliance"-everything? In that video, it seems to me that the boot order is set as a virtual machine that boots from the host.

I thought the key element was that Windows and the RAID card were in place and configured first.

That doesn't address the fundamental problem however and I think there has to be some fairly fundamental setting that's incorrect- memory, caching, or disk. There may be some value in trying the system on one CPU and then the other in case there is a fault in one of the CPU's, but it seems unlikely.

As this thread started as building the system, you might start a new thread focuses on the installation problem and perhaps focus the attention of forum members that are more expert in the troubles department.

Hmmm,..

BambiBoom

 

[twisterice]

Hello dear BabiBoom,
good news!!
at the end of the odyssey i found the solution to myself...raid card and motherboard firmware defected....i thought to follow a certain logic procedure (adapting the firmware update procedure)
and voilà now the uefi boot the raid card...now i've just built the raid only through the raid card and built the virtual volume....and during the installlation, esxi installer detect the volume for 1,3 tb correctly.

case closed ...i hope

 

[twisterice]

Hello dear BabiBoom,
good news!!
at the end of the odyssey i found the solution to myself...raid card and motherboard firmware defected....i thought to follow a certain logic procedure (adapting the firmware update procedure)
and voilà now the uefi boot the raid card...now i've just built the raid only through the raid card and built the virtual volume....and during the installlation, esxi installer detect the volume for 1,3 tb correctly.

case closed ...i hope

twisterice,

I'm at a disadvantage as I don't know anything specific about ESXI. I did have a look at a YouTube video about installing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQfTuAdLfYw

> and it's an hour long.

This seems to be a well-organized description and the video describes adding ESXI to a system with a RAID card. In that procedure, Windows 8.1 is already in place, and EXSI is installed off a flash drive that is configured as a boot drive. The video includes setting up VSphere, server appliance, the browser, network,licensing, "deploying the appliance"-everything? In that video, it seems to me that the boot order is set as a virtual machine that boots from the host.

I thought the key element was that Windows and the RAID card were in place and configured first.

That doesn't address the fundamental problem however and I think there has to be some fairly fundamental setting that's incorrect- memory, caching, or disk. There may be some value in trying the system on one CPU and then the other in case there is a fault in one of the CPU's, but it seems unlikely.

As this thread started as building the system, you might start a new thread focuses on the installation problem and perhaps focus the attention of forum members that are more expert in the troubles department.

Hmmm,..

BambiBoom

 

[twisterice]

yes probably when i will sure that this procedure can be replicated (at least with the same hardware), i will post a similar video like as you have indicated.
However, in this lesson i learned that manufacturers do not properly load their firmware in their hardware and it's rather annoying given the cost compared to the features