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After Installation, ESX Server 2.x Fails to Boot Due to Bad Partition Table

Details

During installation and configuration of ESX Server 2.x, I am prompted to create a partition for virtual machine core dumps. After the initial partitions are created, and the server is rebooted, the system will not come back up. I see a message that tells me to insert a bootable disk when I boot the server. What is wrong?

Solution

This happens most often when systems management software is installed on a utility partition within the server in question. Reconfiguring the server's partitions and reinstalling the management agent usually takes care of this problem. See Configuring Management Agents for ESX Server 2.5.1 (http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx25_cfg_mgmt_tools.pdf) for more information on that topic.

When the ESX Server system ends up in this condition, there are two ways to get around this problem.

Workaround One

Install LILO in the master boot record instead of the first partition.

This workaround gets you up and running quickly, but may cause the system partition to be inaccessible for some activities like setting up RAID.

Workaround Two

Perform the install again.

You may have installed, formatted the VMFS partition, and done some work on the VMFS partition. If this is the case:

  1. Re-install, but only reformat the /boot, / (root), and swap partitions, leaving all other partitions intact.

  2. When you get to the secondary part of the install, the vmkdump and VMFS partitions will still be there with their aliases intact.

  3. Make sure that LILO is again installed in the first sector.

  4. Finish the install, and the server should boot without errors.

Workaround to Access Dell PowerEdge Partition Utility

You'll need a Dell Server Assistant CD or equivalent Dell Utility Partition install media.
  1. Start with a drive prepared with the MS-DOS disklabel applied, but no partitions defined.

  2. Boot from the DSA CD, and install the Dell Utility Partition (60 MB FAT16 partition of type 0xde).

  3. Boot from the ESX Server install media.

  4. Select custom partitioning.

  5. Create /boot (ext3 partition of type 0x82) as the second primary partition. Mark the partition Active.

  6. Create the rest of your partitions as needed.

  7. Continue installing ESX Server.

  8. When asked where to install the boot loader (LILO), install it on the partition defined as /boot (most often, /dev/sda2 or an equivalent second partition, first SCSI disk device found).

    Important: Do not install the boot loader in the master boot record (MBR) of /dev/sda or equivalent (the default option).

  9. During the hardware BIOS POST, press F12. You can now access the option to boot into the Dell Utility Partition. If you don't press F12 here, you cannot get to the Dell Utility Partition, because LILO is loaded from /dev/sda2 immediately after POST.

Keywords

927; DL580; x440; x360; hp; compaq; ibm; dell; install; lilo; system; partition; SmartStart; dl580g2; mbr; boot; urlz

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