ESXi

Hi,

I'm using ESXI 8.0 on a Dell DXi 6900 server with Array module and expansion module connected through sas hba to the server.

My problem is i don't see my storage on esxi on storage i see my 2 adaptaters "Dell 12Gbps SAS HBA external" but no storage appear with it.

Did i missed someting ?

Thanks in advance.

Each product has it’s own area within the Communities, I have reported your post to the moderators asking them to move it to the area for ESXi.

I'm not familiar with the mentioned hardware.
However, a common reason for such issues is that either no logical volumes have been created yet, or not presented to the operating system.

André

Because there is no Dell DXi 6900 .  Thats a Quantum Backup Appliance similar to a DataDomain which use a Dell PowerEdge OEM Server Gen13? as a base. A OEM can be very different.

A DXi have internal drives and external JBODs and  the later ones are connected to the Dell 12G SAS HBA (non RAID!).

Regards,
Joerg

You're right it's a Quantum DXi 6900 G2 to be exact.

I can see all internal drives in ESXi 8 but not all JBODs connected through the Dell 12G SAS HBA. Is there a way to connect all those to ESXi and use them? I have 3 modules of JBODs (2 EBODs & 1 RBODs) it would be extremly sad if i can't use them.

All EBODs are connected to each others and the last is connected to the RBODs then the RBODs is connected to the server.

My projet is using all of those to make some virtualization.

If you need more specification just ask me.

Any help or suggestion would be nice it's my first time on ESXi system.

PS: Forgive my English it's not my native langage.

Two  Questions:

1. The SSiD and all other iDs match? https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/detail.php?deviceCategory=io&productid=34856&releaseid=589&deviceCategory=io&details=1&partner=23&keyword=12g&page=1&display_interval=10&sortColumn=Partner&sortOrder=Asc
2. Are the phys. Disks within the JBODs visible in the iDRAC or System setup?

 i ask because the JBODs arent looking like Dell style (MD14xx).  Last time with those kind of problem it was a layer8 one because the guys connects the 12G cable in wrong 180° direction.

"All EBODs are connected to each others and the last is connected to the RBODs then the RBODs is connected to the server."

it sounds that a RBOD is something with a Raid Controller like thing. So there is for sure  some configuration needed.

Regards,
Jörg

Ok so here what i saw :

On IDRAC : i don't see any drives except those of the server

On Bios : exactly the same

I see the 2 Dell 12G SAS HBA controller but nothing more...

I don't know what configuration i need to to.

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I don't find where i can configure them, in LifeCycle mode i can see physical disk on each dell 12gbps sas hba controller so they are there.

When i go to raid configuration it's only find the system raid i don't find anything else.

Hi,

You have to configure those "ROBD" RAID controllers, to expose the underlying storage to your host and how to do it you must know.
I doubt whoever made them considered and/or documented how to use them differently than the purpose for which they designed and sold them.

Regards,
Ferdinando

I'm sorry but those 2 Dell 12gbps sas hba controllers are not shown as RAID controller, that's why i can't figured out how to configure them. I have all the documentation, i've followed the cables management so everything is cabled as supposed to be.

I got my company's server back after it was decommissioned, I got it back as is.

I successfully installed ESXi with the internal drives used a RAID 10 but i don't know how to associate the RBODs with ESXi probably because it was used or configured in other way by my company.

Grrrrrr....... for sure the 12G SAS is NOT a RAID HBA and normaly there is zero configuration on that HBA because i bypass all devices which are visible for it.

You told use that you have (2 EBODs & 1 RBODs) and that you cabled the RBOD directly to the Server.  Dell dont use the term EBOD/RBOD and the available products from that time period are the Powervault MD14x0(JBOD = NONRAID)  and the Powervault  MD3 (RAID Device as a SAN like unit and  available as a shared SAS (4 ports per CM) one).

The products photos from Quantum doesnt match the MD ones from Dell.

So... please post a photo from the backside of the RBOD. I assume that there is a network or serial port shown.

Note: A MD3 is configured and managed with the help of the MD Storage Manager which can work over the network(outband) or when directly installed on the server where the unit is connected by InBand.  The iDRAC cant help here when it comes to configuring someting.

You need to register your SAS WWNs  on a raid like shared SAS Unit to creare a propper ACL.

The original software is named SanTricity or so and the old PowerVault MD was based on LSI Engenio which later was bought by NetApp and the products is now the NetApp E-Series.

I'm sorry if i misunderstood some concept, here the photo of the rear of the server and RBODS and EBODs that Quantum provided to me : (i'm currently at work i can post you a picture directly of my installer when i'm back home)

Server:

Expansion Module (EBODs) & Array Module (RBODs)

Ok so i've followed the cable management :

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Thanks you so much i figured out by plugin the 2 RJ45 from RBODs to the Node.

Thank you for being patient with me i can see now the Array module :

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Ok so now i can see all disk but can't use them for storage or create a VM because he always told me that he can't clear disk

How can i bypass that, i think that's because those disk are not empty and use an unknown partition table for ESXi, i can't delete data or partition table by BIOS so is there a way to do it with ESXi (SSH or stuff like that?).

Another weird thing is that the total capacity doesn't fit with real size, i have 2 EBODs and RBODs each 12x4To but it show me something like 16 disks of 16To, htat's pretty strange.