VMware ESX Manual

A SERVICE OF

next previous

VMware, Inc. 23

Chapter 2 System Requirements

ESX Server 3supportsinstallingandbootingfromthefollowingstoragesystems:

 ATAdiskdrives–InstallingESX Server 3onanATAdriveorATARAIDis

supported.However,ensurethatyourspecificdrivecontrollerisincludedinthe

supportedhardware.

StorageofvirtualmachinesiscurrentlynotsupportedonATAdrivesorRAIDs.

VirtualmachinesmustbestoredonVMFSvolumesconfiguredon

aSCSIorSATA

drive,aSCSIRAID,oraSAN.

 SerialATA(SATA)diskdrives–SATAdiskdrives,pluggedintodualSATA/SAS

controllers,aresupportedforinstallingESX Server 3andforstoringvirtual

machinesonVMFSpartitions.EnsurethatyourSATAdrivesareconnected

throughsupportedSATA/SAScontrollers:

 mptscsi_pcie—LSI1068E(LSISAS3442E)

 mptscsi_pcix—LSI1068(SAS5)

 aacraid_esx30—IBMserveraid8kSAScontroller

 cciss—SmartArrayP400/256controller

 megaraid_sas—DellPERC5.0.1controller

 SCSIdiskdrives–SCSIdiskdrivesaresupportedforinstallingESX Server 3.

TheycanalsostorevirtualmachinesonVMFSpartitions.

 Storageareanetworks(SANs)–SANs,bothFibreChannelandiSCSI,are

supportedforinstallingESX Server 3.Theycanalsostorevirtualmachineson

VMFSdatastores.Forinformationaboutpre‐installationandconfigurationtasks

andknownissueswithinstallingandbootingfromFibreChannelSANs,seethe

SANConfigurationGuideatwww.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html

.

BeforedeployingESX Server 3onaSAN,seethelatestversionoftheESX ServerSAN

CompatibilityGuideatwww.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html.

N

OTESharingVMFSdatastoresonSATAdisksacrossmultipleESX Server 3hosts

isnotsupported.

N

OTETheminimumsupportedLUNcapacityforVMFS3is1200MB.