Installing vSphere on SATA RAID

[adamhodgkins]

Hi,

I'm trying to install vSphere on a HP ML110 G5 server. It will install fine on these servers as I have done it in the past, but this time I'm trying to install it on a SATA RAID 1 array......

I used the onboard RAID controller, created the RAID fine but when installing vSphere it still shows up as 2 drives not 1. I've been in touch with VMware support who initially told me that it was possible but I would need to get a 3rd party SATA RAID card and they were going to sort me a list of compatible ones. They gave me the link to the HCL website and said to search for SATA RAID which I did, and got some results, but I also read on there that vSphere doesn't support SATA RAID because of it using VMFS.

I've emailed support with this and they agree that it isn't possible to install vSphere on a SATA RAID, but it is possible to install ESX3 using SATA. I had a look around the Internet and found the following site:

http://www.tweaktown.com/pressrelease/1224/adaptec_unveils_s5_raid_w_vmware_vsphere_support/index.ht...

This explains that the new Adaptec cards will support vSphere..................

I'm starting to get very confused with all the conflicting information from VMware support and the Internet, and am wondering if anyone has done this / knows anyone who has done this and more to the point is it possible???

Thanks for your help

Adam

[AndreTheGiant]

Check on VMware HCL:

http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility

Note that a controller could be supported by ESX 3.x and not by ESX 4.0 and vice versa.

Andre

[adamhodgkins]

Hi,

I've just looked at the HCL again and it doesn't make much sense. It specifically says on there that SATA RAID is not supported for VMFS (vSphere file system), but I've just picked out a SAS/SATA card that it says is supported, gone to the adaptec website and it ways it's supported in VMware.........

http://www.adaptec.com/en-US/products/Controllers/Hardware/sas/entry/SAS-2045/

Confused!!!

[DSTAVERT]

The Adaptec site list support for ESX and does not show ESXi. Not necessarily an exclusion of ESXi.

The Adaptec card does show up on the HCL. There is a subscript to the listing on the HCL showing

1. aacraid version 3.5.10.5vmw I don't know what that means to you. It may be nothing more than mapping the PCI ID in simple.map

Does the card come with a driver disk and does it include anything for ESXi?

I would check with Adaptec who would have had to certify the card for ESXi 4.

I would update your ESXi to the latest patches in case updated drivers are included.

[adamhodgkins]

Hi, thanks for your reply

I haven't bought the card yet, and I haven't installed vSphere yet either. I'm looking to install ESX, not ESXi and at the moment I'm just trying to find out whether it is actually possible and if anyone has had success doing this.

Thanks

Adam

[xcfman]

I believe that VMware should give the users some choices to install VMware products on FakeRAID or SoftRAID, that's much better for data safety and  isolation.