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I want to install ESXi 5.5 on a HP ProLiant DL380 G7 Server but it doesn't see any disks. Any idea why?

I don't see any option in the BIOS regarding storage. I have 8 SATA drives and want to use them as they are (SATA) not as RAID. I have tried disabling the raid controller but still no luck.

ewwhite
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Al Bundy
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1 Answers1

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There no way to pass raw disks through to an OS while connected to an HP server backplane that's linked to an onboard RAID controller (the Smart Array P410 in your case). You must create a "Logical Drive" in order to present a block device to ESXi.

To see RAW disks in this situation, you'd need a dedicated SAS HBA like an LSI 9211-8i to be connected to the server's drive backplane.

Can you tell us more about what you're trying to do? RAW unraided disks, SATA 2.5" drives, VMware ESXi and a high-end machine smells like a troubling combination to me.

ewwhite
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  • I'm trying to have the best performance possible to my virtual machines. This is why I don't want to make any RAID volume. I want each VM to have it's own drive. Backup is done remotely. – Al Bundy Nov 13 '13 at 15:37
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    You are trying to have the best performance possible, yet are eschewing a RAID controller? I don't think you've thought this through. – MikeyB Nov 13 '13 at 15:46
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    @AlBundy That is a terrible idea to have each VM have it's own drive. If you want the best possible performance, you would setup a RAID0 volume and put your datastore on that. That is still a bad idea as you have a large potential for data loss on a single drive failure. In theory, you can setup multiple single-drive volumes on your controller and setup RAW device mapping to your guests. But again, I would advise against that. – Rex Nov 13 '13 at 15:46
  • Or SSD... But either way, this isn't possible with the current hardware. – ewwhite Nov 13 '13 at 16:28
  • @ewwhite - 4-socket? – Chopper3 Nov 13 '13 at 16:29
  • Initially read it as "DL580 G7". – ewwhite Nov 13 '13 at 16:30