VMware ESXi 4: SD Flash in BL460c G6

January 12, 2010 in Virtualizationism by Eric Gray | 11 comments

HP has incorporated an interesting option for running VMware ESXi 4 from flash.  Instead of using a USB stick, an SD card can simply be popped in the embedded reader.  While any SD card would work, HP emphasizes that only a specific model is fully supported — the ones I received are actually made by Lexar and the official nomenclature is: HP 4GB SD Flash Media, Part Number 580387-B21.

In my HP BladeSystem c7000 enclosure with BL460 G6 (Nehalem) blades, the SD slot is easily exposed by sliding each blade out of the chassis:

Once the SD flash card is in place, it is trivial to install VMware ESXi:

You may also be interested in articles from Rick Scherer and TechHead on this topic.

Hyper-V on Flash?

Sure, Hyper-V Server — but not Windows Server 2008 with Hyper-V — supports boot-from-flash when purchased from a server OEM, but to the best of my knowledge there are no vendors shipping such configurations at this time.  Note that Microsoft recommends a 16GB flash drive for Hyper-V Server deployment (compared to a slender 1GB for ESXi 4), but a PlayStation Portable is an acceptable substitute in a pinch.

Motivation

Two great reasons for running ESXi from flash:

  • Eliminate the need for local disks — lower power and cooling requirements
  • Provide dual-boot capabilities in a lab environment

Why would you run VMware ESXi from flash?


Related posts:

  1. Create ESXi 4 USB flash drives with Workstation
  2. A very flashy hypervisor: Hyper-V Server R2
  3. The VMware ESXi 4 64MB Hypervisor Challenge
  4. If VMware ESXi 4 is so small, why is it so big?
  5. New VMware ESXi Management Kit

Tags: , , , ,


  • Share/Bookmark

  1. Vladan’s avatar

    Vladan on January 12, 2010 at 6:49 am

    Nice….

    I’m really into those energy economy features …

    With 10 blades in the chassis those monthly(yearly) economies in power consumptions are for sure to re-think twice when you’re planning your infrastructure…

    Reply

  5. Kevin Houston’s avatar

    Kevin Houston on January 13, 2010 at 6:26 am

    Eric – thanks for bringing this feature to light. I’ve posted some deeper insight into both HP and Dell’s SSD offerings on my blog at http://BladesMadeSimple.com. (I made sure to reference your blog several times.)

    Reply

  6. brandon’s avatar

    brandon on January 13, 2010 at 10:38 am

    Thats all great, etc, but HP recently released a critical advisory saying that the USB methods are apparently risky and can cause problems. I’m not at my usual work machine so I don’t have the advisories handy. They focus on the SD card method, which is great, but not for users who have already implemented one way on their blades, or frankly if they have G5 models (as my company does) compared to G6 models. So now I’m not supposed to use the internal usb method anymore, but I have this awesome SD card method which I can’t use at all since I don’t have the slot. HP really needs to announce that a replacement USB drive has been found that doesn’t have the problems of their original, or can ship me replacement blades. Either or.

    Reply

    1. Kevin Houston’s avatar

      Kevin Houston on January 13, 2010 at 12:39 pm

      Brandon – do you have a link to the HP Critical Advisory you referenced?

      Reply

  7. Collin C. MacMillan’s avatar

    Collin C. MacMillan on January 16, 2010 at 11:56 am

    Note that the HP CA implies the problem is due to port proximity to other functions and NOT the fact of running ESXi on USB flash. Key to this idea is this statement about a workaround:

    “Move the HP 4 GB USB Flash Media Key (Part Number 580385-B21) to an external USB port on the server. Ensure that the USB key does not interfere with closing the rear rack door.”

    Sound a lot like internal shielding to me :) Perhaps a better grade of USB key will be the fix. Of course, changing your ESXi settings to avoid post-boot I/O to the USB key could be another workaround if I/O driven interference is truly the cause…

    On the DL series, the problem is physical (doesn’t allow lid to close) so a low-profile flash will do the trick. Same proximity language with “possibility” of affect to “other electronic components” for this series too. Interesting that this did not show-up on testing at HP (flash vendor/model change in production?)

    If you have the SD slot – use it. Check the SD class ratings for better performance (2/4/6 MB/sec) which can affect boot times. If you’re logging to SD, try to find a class 6 card. We’ve been running ESXi from USB flash in the lab and in SMB’s since 3.5 without issues. It is especially handy for white box lab and laptop installs where on-board HD controller may not be supported.

    Reply