Cannot add Hard disks to ESXi

Angry

Limp Gawd
Joined
Feb 27, 2006
Messages
481
I have 4 250gb WD SATA drives that Im trying to add to ESXi for storage of VM's. They are not in raid or anything. Just straight to the SATA ports on the Supermicro X8DTU motherboard.

These are the drives:
rdXRG2u.jpg


And this is the error I get anytime I try to add any one of them. I have a 500gb segate SSHD that I added with absolutely no problem. Its hooked up the exact same way. I have used diskpart to "clean" the drives as well. These drives used to be in a raid 0 in another system but I have no need for it here until i get a dedicated raid card.
r9LxHA8.jpg
 
Here is what Ive found so far... not exactly sure whats going on here.


Code:
0:00:00:06.051 cpu0:65536)WARNING: Serial: 274: logPort initialization failed
0:00:00:06.051 cpu0:65536)WARNING: Serial: 283: gdbPort initialization failed
0:00:00:06.051 cpu0:65536)WARNING: Serial: 300: shellPort initialization failed
0:00:00:06.051 cpu0:65536)WARNING: Serial: 317: consolePort initialization failed
2017-01-27T09:37:21.914Z cpu13:66000)WARNING: Keyboard: 956: Ignoring registration attempt: External USB driver already registered.
2017-01-27T09:37:21.914Z cpu13:66000)WARNING: VMKAPICore: 2423: Failed to register external keyboard driver, type: 1
2017-01-27T09:37:21.914Z cpu13:66000)WARNING: Ignoring vmk_RegisterKeyboardDriver failure: usb keyboard driver is already registered
2017-01-27T09:37:26.064Z cpu0:65980)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ProbeDevice:No device
2017-01-27T09:37:28.073Z cpu8:66006)WARNING: ScsiPath: 7481: Adapter Invalid does not exist
2017-01-27T09:37:28.073Z cpu7:66008)WARNING: PCI: 1208: 0000:00:1a.7 is nameless
2017-01-27T09:37:28.088Z cpu0:65609)WARNING: xpt_scsi_adapter_discover:1224: unable to find target 1: No connection
2017-01-27T09:37:28.543Z cpu12:65926)WARNING: NetDVS: 681: portAlias is NULL
2017-01-27T09:37:28.809Z cpu2:66178)WARNING: Tcpip: 1282: failed to unset gateway (error = 0x31)
2017-01-27T09:37:32.986Z cpu5:66048)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 2
2017-01-27T09:37:32.991Z cpu8:65926)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715465850000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-27T09:37:33.040Z cpu10:66049)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 3
2017-01-27T09:37:33.045Z cpu14:65926)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715470090000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-27T09:37:33.098Z cpu8:66046)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 0
2017-01-27T09:37:33.103Z cpu14:65926)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715547750000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-27T09:37:33.171Z cpu0:66047)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 1
2017-01-27T09:37:33.176Z cpu8:65926)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715547920000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-27T09:37:47Z mark: storage-path-claim-completed
2017-01-27T09:37:38.194Z cpu10:66049)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 3
2017-01-27T09:37:38.194Z cpu0:66047)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 1
2017-01-27T09:37:38.194Z cpu8:66046)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 0
2017-01-27T09:37:38.197Z cpu5:66048)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 2
2017-01-27T09:37:38.199Z cpu2:65805)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715470090000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-27T09:37:38.199Z cpu0:65807)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715547920000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-27T09:37:38.199Z cpu0:65808)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715547750000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-27T09:37:38.202Z cpu6:65804)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715465850000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-27T09:37:38.799Z cpu10:66049)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 3
2017-01-27T09:37:38.800Z cpu8:66046)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 0
2017-01-27T09:37:38.800Z cpu5:66048)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 2
2017-01-27T09:37:38.800Z cpu0:66047)WARNING: vmw_ahci[0000001f]: ExceptionHandlerWorld:ERROR: Get error message failed for port 1
error
 
Im guessing there are protected MBR's on theses for some reason. (probably an old WIndows 10 install)

Code:
2017-01-28T02:58:31.213Z cpu11:67513)Partition: 1007: Failed to read protective mbr on "t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715465850000000000" : I/O error
2017-01-28T02:58:31.213Z cpu11:67513)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715465850000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-28T02:59:26.972Z cpu1:66077)NMP: nmp_ResetDeviceLogThrottling:3348: last error status from device t10.ATA_____ST95005620AS________________________________________5YX00V7J repeated 86 times

I have already used diskpart to clean the drives. That should have removed the protect MBR...right?
 
Im guessing there are protected MBR's on theses for some reason. (probably an old WIndows 10 install)

Code:
2017-01-28T02:58:31.213Z cpu11:67513)Partition: 1007: Failed to read protective mbr on "t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715465850000000000" : I/O error
2017-01-28T02:58:31.213Z cpu11:67513)WARNING: Partition: 1158: Partition table read from device t10.ATA_____WDC_WD2500SD2D01KCB0_____________________WD2DWMAL715465850000000000 failed: I/O error
2017-01-28T02:59:26.972Z cpu1:66077)NMP: nmp_ResetDeviceLogThrottling:3348: last error status from device t10.ATA_____ST95005620AS________________________________________5YX00V7J repeated 86 times

I have already used diskpart to clean the drives. That should have removed the protect MBR...right?
When you say clean the drives you literally mean used diskpart select disk then typed "clean"? That blows away the partition tables which completely wipes the drive.
 
When you say clean the drives you literally mean used diskpart select disk then typed "clean"? That blows away the partition tables which completely wipes the drive.

Yep, thats what I did.
And Ive done it a few of times. Cleaned, formatted as FAT and NTFS, or left cleaned, booted off a Win7 install disk and "deleted" the partitions with the installer.
.......And none of it has worked.

I gave up on ESXi for the moment,(I yanked the thumb drive) and loaded up Xenserver to a spare 160gb SATA drive, and it created a combined storage (raid?) out of all 4 250gb with no problem.
Been playing with it most of the morning off an on.
 
Yep, thats what I did.
And Ive done it a few of times. Cleaned, formatted as FAT and NTFS, or left cleaned, booted off a Win7 install disk and "deleted" the partitions with the installer.
.......And none of it has worked.

I gave up on ESXi for the moment,(I yanked the thumb drive) and loaded up Xenserver to a spare 160gb SATA drive, and it created a combined storage (raid?) out of all 4 250gb with no problem.
Been playing with it most of the morning off an on.
So you can unplug the drive in question, plug in the SSHD, and do the same process and add it. Using the same cables/ports/etc?
 
So you can unplug the drive in question, plug in the SSHD, and do the same process and add it. Using the same cables/ports/etc?

Pretty much.

Here is the setup, in case ive made it a little confusing.

I have four of these WD 250gb drives. All same make and model, they have spent most of thier life with me in raid 0 in different systems.
Right now they are combined in a single volume in Xenserver, which has had absolutely no issues with them.

1 16gb USB thumb drive (where ESXi lives)
1 WD 500gb Black (Has Win 8.1 on it....been using it for diskpart and whatnot)
1 Seagate 500gb SSHD (added as a datastore in ESXi,,current has just a few ISO's on it)
1 Seagate 160gb (where Xenserver currently lives)


I have used diskpart to "clean" every one of them. Without making any partitions, Ive restarted and loaded back into ESXi from 8.1, tried to add each drive by itself as a data store. No dice.
Ive restarted back into 8.1, partitioned each of the drives, 2 as NTFS, 2 as FAT. Restarted into ESXi, No dice.
Ive loaded up a Win 7 install, and wiped the drives in the installer, and restarted into ESXI, No dice.

Ive done the diskpart clean at least twice.

The 500gb Seagate SSHD, I can remove, wipe, clean and re-add pretty as I please. I can probably do the same with a 1tb and another 2 tb drives I have.

I literally just pulled the four 250gb drives from another system, same cables and all, and they had been just fine.

Ive also noticed, in the ESXi wizard for adding a datastore, it doesnt seem to be able to read anything on the drives other than their size. It cant see a file system type or anything and just says they are blank, even if Ive just paritioned them NTFS. But only with the four 250gb drives. Its completely weird.
 
I know this will take a long time but have you tried erasing an entire drive with something like DBAN?

I once had a similar problem with a drive I pulled from a Win7 computer - turned out it had been encrypted with Bitlocker and ESXi didn't like it at all, ended up using DBAN (the quick erase is sufficient) to get ESXi to actually use it.
 
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I will give that a shot, Im not sure im to fond of Xenserver at the moment. Remote desktop and console seem a little to slow for my taste.
 
Well...
The drives survived approximately 6hours of Dban...


....Esxi still can't add them.

So, whatever the issue is. Im at a loss. And Im just going to invest in a raid card, and/or pick up some WD Velicoraptors.
 
A few things... Make sure that your motherboard's raid controller function is turned off, even if the drives are not raided. You may need to update your on-board sata controller diver. I had this exact same problem, and that fixed it.
 
I think your on the right track, But I have raid turned off.

But, I ran back down to the cave after my last post and threw in a LSI controller card (one of the ones you can flash it i.t. mode....)
And low and behold I can add the drives to ESXi.
Well, after i got them all added as datastores, I shut it down and moved the drives back to the onboard sata controller, thinking maybe they would work now.....

....Nope. :(

So it some issue with the onbaord intel sata and the drives. Yet I can add the 500gb SSHD and delete it off an on all day.
 
I think your on the right track, But I have raid turned off.....

.

Yeah, sounds like a driver issue. If you're intent with using the on-board controller, you might want to use esxi customizer and load a custom VIB driver for the sata controller. Then do an upgrade install,.
I think your on the right track, But I have raid turned off.

But, I ran back down to the cave after my last post and threw in a LSI controller card (one of the ones you can flash it i.t. mode....)
And low and behold I can add the drives to ESXi.
Well, after i got them all added as datastores, I shut it down and moved the drives back to the onboard sata controller, thinking maybe they would work now.....

....Nope. :(

So it some issue with the onbaord intel sata and the drives. Yet I can add the 500gb SSHD and delete it off an on all day.

Yeah, sounds like you need the right driver then. It's just the matter of finding the right VIB if you are intent upon using the on-board controller.
 
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Switched the SATA conifg from AHCI, to Enhanced IDE, and it seems to be working now. Granted I know this will hurt me when I switch to Veliciraptors/SSDs at a later date, but by then Ill have a LSI Megaraid or something of that nature.

Thanks for the help guys, I wanted to learn and this has been a learning experience.
 
Last edited:
You always learn better from mistakes.

When you do it right you kinda sorta know what you did.

When you fuck up you know *EXACTLY* what you did :)

I had a different problem in that I can see the drives in ESXi but when I put the controller in passthru mode I could not see the drives, like what you are thinking I ended up putting in a LSI controller in IT mode.

I am seriously thinking of doing what you did, putting the SATA config to Enhanced IDE and see if they can be seen in passthru. Mind you I'm running FreeNAS as a VM so I'm not sure I want to take that performance hit, it would be far easier to buy a SAS expander and a pair of reverse cables and call it a day.
 
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