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We have an old 2650 in use as a DC. It's so old, it has scsi drives. That's probably what's causing ESXi to die. It's probably doesn't support that raid controller.
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We have an old 2650 in use as a DC. It's so old, it has scsi drives. That's probably what's causing ESXi to die. It's probably doesn't support that raid controller.

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Thanks for these answers! &nbsp;Looks like I didn't do my due diligent researching first. &nbsp;*sigh* &nbsp;Thanks for links to compatible products.
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Thanks for these answers!  Looks like I didn't do my due diligent researching first.  *sigh*  Thanks for links to compatible products.

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Hi All,<br />
I'm trying to create install ESXi on an older server, to use as a dev/backup member of my Disaster Recovery cluster. &nbsp;The server is a Dell Poweredge 2650, with five 63 GB drives, controlled by a Perc 3/d raid controller. &nbsp;(I know, it's an old server!) &nbsp;I've tried many different Raid configs, but no matter what I try, when booting from the ESXi install CD, I get through the preliminary auto-installation tasks (eg. &quot;Loading /tboot.b00&quot;, &quot;Loading /tools.t00&quot;), the status bar shows 100%, and the screen rolls over to a blank screen, with a blinking cursur. &nbsp;CTRL+ALT+DEL won't do anything; I have to hard shut down and start afresh. &nbsp;It seems that nothing gets installed.<br />
<br />
Like I said, I've tried numerous disk configs, but nothing seems to accept the ESXi install. &nbsp;Any tips or suggestions?<br />
<br />
Thanks,<br />
Bryan
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Hi All,
I'm trying to create install ESXi on an older server, to use as a dev/backup member of my Disaster Recovery cluster.  The server is a Dell Poweredge 2650, with five 63 GB drives, controlled by a Perc 3/d raid controller.  (I know, it's an old server!)  I've tried many different Raid configs, but no matter what I try, when booting from the ESXi install CD, I get through the preliminary auto-installation tasks (eg. "Loading /tboot.b00", "Loading /tools.t00"), the status bar shows 100%, and the screen rolls over to a blank screen, with a blinking cursur.  CTRL+ALT+DEL won't do anything; I have to hard shut down and start afresh.  It seems that nothing gets installed.

Like I said, I've tried numerous disk configs, but nothing seems to accept the ESXi install.  Any tips or suggestions?

Thanks,
Bryan

installing ESXi 5.1 on a Dell Poweredge 2650

VMware, a software company founded in 1998,  was one of the first commercially successful companies to offer x86 virtualization. The storage company EMC purchased VMware in 1994. Dell Technologies acquired EMC in 2016. VMware’s parent company is now Dell Technologies.

VMware has many software products that run on desktops, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS, which allows the virtualizing of the x86 architecture.  Its enterprise software hypervisor for servers, VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi), is a bare-metal hypervisor that runs directly on the server hardware and does not require an additional underlying operating system.

VMware

Servers are computing devices that are similar to desktop computers in that they have the same basic components, but are significantly different in size, configuration and purpose. Servers are usually accessed over a network, and many run unattended, without a computer monitor, input device, audio hardware or USB interfaces. Many servers do not have a graphical user interface (GUI), and are configured and managed remotely. Servers typically include hardware redundancy such as dual power supplies, RAID disk systems, and ECC memory, along with extensive pre-boot memory testing and verification. Critical components might be hot swappable, and to guard against overheating, servers might have more powerful fans or use water cooling.

Server Hardware

Virtualization is the act of creating a virtual (rather than actual) version of something, including (but not limited to) a virtual computer hardware platform, operating system (OS), storage device, or computer network resources. Virtualization is usually the creation of a system that executes separate from the underlying hardware resources, or the creation of an entire desktop for systems located elsewhere, similar to thin clients.

Virtualization

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