Vmware ESXI hangs during install on IBM HS21

[harryhere]

I have an issue loading ESXi 3.5 on a new IBM HS21 server.

The image loads and then yellow start up screen appears.

It gets to the message "Starting the server" and then hangs. (the bar on the bottom is about 80%)

I have tried just about everything I can think of except replacing the blade.

I disabled the nic cards, pulled memory sticks, swapped slots in the server chassis,

downloaded the image again. Tried both remote and local installs.

I talked with someone with the same server and same config and his install works fine.

His only difference is the BOIS is one ver. older then the one we are using( 1.15)

See attached Image.

Any ideas?

[admin]

Yeah IBM can be very BIOS funny upgrade the BIOS if that fails swap the server out via your supplier, HS21's are fine with ESX / ESXi

[harryhere]

I have now rolled back my BIOS rev to 1.13 and am still having the same problem. Problem with the roll back is that the older bois does not support the processor stepping.

[Fulcrum72]

I doubt if it helps any, but I too am trying to install ESXi U3 on a HS21 MT8853 running BIOS version 1.15, and it hangs in the exact same place that you have described in your post.

[jungsberg]

Which specific model are you trying to install to ?

There is a lot of different HS21 on the HCL, and some of them are supported with ESXi, some are not.

http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php?action=search&deviceCategory=server&productId=1&keyBasic=HS21&maxDisplayRows=50&key=&release[]=-1&datePosted=-1&stepping=&nsockets=&ncores=&max_mem=

One thing I've read with the 7995 is that USB-drive must be disabled (http://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/supportsite.wss/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5073972&brandind=5000020)

Kind Regards

Torben Jungsberg

[harryhere]

I believe that am matching the list. I am using intel dual zeon 5430 processors. Yes I did run across the usb problem on other posts. I have tried both enabled and disabled.

Here is another issue. I reinstalled the bios 1.15 and then tried to install Windows 2008 server 64x. As per IBM's website there are no needs to do anything else but install the cd and do an normal windows install. The install blue screens. If I remember correctly it said something about processors not supported. I am starting to think I have a bad processor.

Thanks for your info.

[harryhere]

Looks like it was a bad processor.

[harryhere]

Looks like it was a bad processor.

[shalpern]

Glad you found the issue.

FYI, we have the same blades using v1.08 - 1.12 on the BIOS. The last two were installed in January and IBM had me download the 1.12 update at that time to fix a different issue.

[Fulcrum72]

I took a closer look at the processors, and while they are the same "model", they aren't exactly the same.

One processor is a "Family 6, Model 23, Stepping 10, Intel Xeon 5450 @3.00 GHz" while the other is "Family 6, Model 23, Stepping 6, Intel Xeon 5450 @3.00 GHz". Apparently the Stepping number is essentially a hardware revision, but it is still the same "processor".

Has anyone bumped up against something like this before?

[harryhere]

This appears to be the same problem here now. Even the lables on the processor are different. If I remove one processor, I can load any software, VM or windows 2008. I tried swapping processors and no problems but when both processors are installed nothing works. (but suse will load).

Working with IBM to get 2 of the same processor types.

Either that or the MOBO is bad. I am sticking with the prossor issue.

[Fulcrum72]

Let us know if you get anywhere with IBM on this... I was just about to pull one of the processors myself to see if it will work with just one, but based on your results, it seems that it will work.

On the HCL, there are notes about various HS21 and ESXi U3 supporting only a single proc, but with my particular hs21 (MT8853, Intel Xeon Quad Core 5400 series) it should be good to go...

[harryhere]

OK after working with IBM and changing out 5 motherboards, we narrowed it down to a stepping problem with the processor. Both processors are the same be the stepping is different. IBM screwed this one up. There are telling me that there are no processors like this left in the country. So right now I am stuck waiting. Now remember this was a brand new server, and now I have used motherboards.

Way to go IBM

[shalpern]

Why wasn't the processor the first thing to be changed?

They can't find two of the same processor in any warehouse in the US? Can you escalate this issue with IBM?

I was building two of those boxes just before Christmas. We found that the add-on processor came with a different heat sink that did not fit. The IBM tech I spoke with had me check the processors to make sure they were identical and then overnighted two of the correct heat sinks so I could build these servers on Christmas. Sometimes they do get it right. Sorry to hear about your problems.

[LeeSolt]

We are running into the exact same thing. Was not able to install ESXi nor Windows Server 2008 64-bit. During Windows install it blue screens with MultiProcessor_configuration_not_supported error. Am reaching out to IBM now.

[LeeSolt]

It was the CPUs!!

Since the Client purchased 7 servers with dual CPUs we swaped six of them and ESXi installed pefectly. The seventh was used for 32-bit version of Windows which is not as sensitive to this mis-match issue.