ProLiant Servers (ML,DL,SL)
1748117 Members
3654 Online
108758 Solutions
New Discussion юеВ

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

 
Henry Martin
New Member

Proliant ML110 G6 problems

I recently purchased one of the above servers to use as a VMware VSphere Server.

The first problem is the CD/DVD ROM. It isn't on the VMware Compatibility list and it won't 'see' the drives / DVD and even if I select the RAID option, it refuses to mount the ESX 4 DVD once the install starts properly and the Linux kernel is in use.

The second problem is the NIC. This also seems to be unrecognized, because it shows in VCentre Server as 100MB and not gigabit.

I have written to VMware and they tell me to contact HP, because HP haven't bothered to certify the drivers with them.

This is unacceptable. When is this going to be fixed. I can only install ESXi on it and the NIC is so bad it's unusable.
12 REPLIES 12
Michal Kapalka (mikap)
Honored Contributor

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

hi,

at first if the HW is not certified for the VMWARE, you shouldn't be suprised if something is not fully working. Yes of course you will be maybe able to install it but at the finaly it will not work.

Check this site, there are supported HP proliant servers :

http://h71028.www7.hp.com/enterprise/cache/505363-0-0-0-121.html

mikap
Henry Martin
New Member

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

If it isn't compatible with VMware and as MANY companies are deploying VMware, why isn't it clearly stated that this machine is NOT compatible with VMware and we can't be bothered to make it so?

That was NOT an answer to my question
M. Grunert HP
New Member

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

Its not even in the whitebox HCL.

http://www.vm-help.com//esx40i/esx40_whitebox_HCL.php

A promise which is never given nobody need to hold - keep your claims at the reseller which came to the "bright" idea not to check the HCLs first - claim a upgrade to a ML150.

The box is cheap and not considered for Virtualisation per design - maybe drivers will fit better some day for it.

Why need a optical drive for installing a kickstart aware OS ? The NIC can scope PXE - its not more complicated as installing Redhat.

The NC107i (aka Broadcom 5723) is supported by VMWare - i assume you need to set manual to 1GB or your media is not sufficient.

http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/detail.php?device_cat=io&device_id=4627

ethtool will you tell some details about media quality.
M. Grunert HP
New Member

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

I am not sure but i think the onboard NIC is a BCM5221 only considered as IPMI / BCM pass through interface.

http://www.broadcom.com/collateral/pb/5221-PB06-R.pdf

When boot a Linux Live CD you could check with lspci -vv the real model.
Henry Martin
New Member

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

Ah, silly old me! Last year I purchased a Proliant ML110 G5, even cheaper and that is perfectly compatible with VMware ESX3.5i, ESX3.5 and VSphere and this was even cheaper.

So according to HP, I should expect a lower and cheaper model to be totally compatible, but I shouldn't expect a MORE EXPENSIVE HIGHER model like the Proliant ML110 G6 to be somewhat better or at least as good / usable as the G5.

Don't try to wiggle out of this by blaming the reseller. There is a fine old saying "if it ain't broken, why fix it?" Seems the reasons that HP are giving is that we WANT to break it so we can disappoint and annoy our loyal customer base and lose as much of the lower end laboratory and small business customers as possible.

Well amigo, as a company that until now has promoted Novell, Compaq and HP, you are in serious danger of losing any sales that we might be making in the coming weeks / months / years, because if you DON'T fix it, we will start suggesting to our customers that they buy anything EXCEPT HP Products. we already dumped Novell because of THEIR buggy, unreliable product and poor support and we had been loyal to them since 1984. Seems like HP are on the same downward path.

Perhaps you have forgotten that there is IBM, Fujitsu. Dell and other vendors who might have a slightly more helpful attitude.

Years ago I went to business school and I was taught that you NEVER try to shift the blame to someone or something BELOW and only on very rare and true occasions is it permissible to try to shift the blame to someone / something ABOVE.

You have now succeeded in escalating the situation from a disappointed and inconvenienced customer to a VERY unhappy customer and this is usually a bad idea when they are resellers of your product.
M. Grunert HP
New Member

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

I am sure other vendors have also not their full product range certified for vSphere. You cannot measure the quality overall on the cheapest product. e.g. DELL PowerEdge T100 has no VMWare certification too. A ML150 G6 is certified to run vSphere 4 (not i).

If someone has promised you that vSphere will run on a ML110 then he responsible for trouble based on his promise - if he stated "it will work" let him install it - if he stated it as certified request a upgrade to ML150 G6. This is how i personal think as a by law pampered EU citizen.

HP does not "lock" any server for operation systems - they just design them along the targeted audience/usage. A ML110 is not redundant enough to host productive virtual machines. VMWare want to sell his product for the hardware on the market and does integrate the driver from the chipset manufactors after testing them on reliance.

Yes the ML110G5 is working with ESX - because he has older controller chipset.
But he is not supported for VMWare - you cant claim that it run stable.

Think about if Hyper-V R2 will not also maybe fit.

http://www.microsoft.com/hyper-v-server/en/us/overview.aspx

The G6 will maybe in future work with ESX too - you have not the right to claim that because no one promised. A up-to-date patched ESX 3.5 build 226117 use newer SATA/IDE driver and should handle your CDROM controller - but there is no install media available. If ESXi 3.5 is working you can be sure vSphere will too - just the install media boots a wrong driver - if you see a "syslinux" line at the bottom try to add a "nodma" to the line.

If you want to built up a lab enviroment with ESX on ML110G6 get yourself in touch how to install without booting from a optical media. There are several ways possible.

http://communities.vmware.com/blogs/StephenCampbell/2009/05/25/deploying-vsphere-esx-4-using-pxe

http://blog.laspina.ca/ubiquitous/automating-vsphere-esx4-host-installations

Also you could try to boot a CentOS 5.4 install media to recovery mode - change the CD - chroot yourself into the ESX 4 media and start the installation from there - i am 60% sure this may work.

About the NIC - you could upload a vm-support (VI Client -> File -> Export -> Export Diagnostic Data) from your working server somewhere.
Younes Amier
New Member

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

I too have issues with the CD-ROM drive on my ML110 G5. It has a DVD drive with the following details.

Model number: DH20N (E2C)
F/W: EB00
HP P/N: 410125-2M3
Date of manufacture December 2009.

Accoring to the white list my ML110 G% is supported. I am not impressed that I have 2 servers for VMware ESX4 testing that I cannot even use.
Henry Martin
New Member

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

Join the club!!!
Younes Amier
New Member

Re: Proliant ML110 G6 problems

Sorry I meant ML110 G5.

So what are they doing about about it? I dont want to go and and spent ├В┬г50 on two new DVD drives.