After Install of ESX 3.5 on an IBM Xseries 3250 server cannot mount root

[Lex_Frost]

I booted off the ESX 3.5 CD and ran through the install with no problems. Upon reboot after the install finsihed I now get "Mounting Root Failed. Dropping into a Basic Mainenance Shell".

Has anyone been able to successfully get ESX 3.5 to run on the IBM x3250 machines? Anyone have any ideas about what is happening?

Any help would be appreciated!

Thank you

Lex Frost

[bnosie]

Hello,

Any luck with this problem? I am running into it on a Dell 2600.

[baptista]

Nothing yet, but I have a ticket open with vmware trying to figure it out. I have the error on a Dell 6850. What is your configuration like, do you have 2 scsi adapters on the machine? And which scsi adapter (if any) are you using?

Robert

[bnosie]

I have a single embedded perc 4/di with 6 drives configured in raid5.

I just ran across this article:

I had just upgraded the firmware to 252D. I decided to try rolling back to 251X, and it fixed the problem. The server now boots with no problems.

What controller do you have?

Bill

[baptista]

My server has 2 controllers, LSI onboard, and a PERC 4/DC add-on. I removed the PERC and it installed and booted with the onboard just fine. So I downgraded the PERC 4/DC firmware to 351X (from 352D) which was recommended by VMware support and everything worked fine after that. Looks like the problem with the new firmware has crept back in with ESX 3.5.

Robert

[m_hoefle · Accepted solution]

I did also a successfull Installation on an IBM x3250, pure SATA Machine (4365-3BG).

After first boot, got the same error "Mounting Root Failed. Dropping into a Basic Mainenance Shell".

Solved the problem as follows:

In the BIOS I changed "Native Mode Operation" of the SATA Controller from "Auto" to "Serial ATA". See attached Picture.

Now the ESX 3.5 boots and runs without any problems.

[Lex_Frost]

That worked perfectly ... Thank you!!!!!

[kfkehua]

Just adding 2 cents:

IBM X306 gave me same error. Went into BIOS, both Parrallel ATA and Serial ATA were Enabled.

Disabled PATA, works fine.

[danielparraz]

Used the above action plan for IBM X Series 3250 - and it worked - thanks!

Box was running VMware ESX 3.0, updated to 3.5 update 2, and machine was acting normal - box rebooted and would not mount root partition:

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Used the plan to:

In the BIOS I changed "Native Mode Operation" of the SATA Controller from "Auto" to "Serial ATA".

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Just wanted to let others know that this works, and also to thank the folks that made it possible - you guys rock!