ESXi 5.x - pre-built VMDK for unRAID

[BobPhoenix]

I just have this in my GO file after emhttp to map the vmdk to a mount point:

mkdir /mnt/boothdd
mount -w -t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt/boothdd 2>&1

 

I also share it with an smb-extra.conf:

[boothdd]
comment = Public Folder
path = /mnt/boothdd
public = yes
writable = yes

Then I just copy across the network to both the flash share and my boothdd share and reboot the unRAID VM - done.  The only time I have to do anything is when I need to run make_bootable.bat again.

 

How do you know what drive to mount?  I tried with /dev/hda1 and the share just shows empty.  When I do /dev/sda1 it seems be the flash drive.

You have to change that /dev/hda1 to the vmdk if yours is not the first IDE vmdk on your VM then you might need /dev/hdb1 for instance.  I only have a single IDE device defined in the VM hence the /dev/hda1.  You need the 1 so that it points at the partition not the drive for the mount point.  I got that part of the code from unMENU which is what you can also use if you only want to make this temporarily available.  unMENU will mount it and share it for you.  I just put it in my go file and smb-extra.conf to make it ALWAYS available.  I use IDE on my VMs for the vmdk because I've never been able to make unRAID boot off of a SATA vmdk.  To use unMENU to temporarily mount the drive just go to the Disk Management tab and scroll down to the bottom you will see something like attachment.  The buttons to mount and share are at the bottom.  You have to mount it twice.  The first time just mounts it read only then gives you the option to remount read/write.  Then share it out.  Next boot it will be gone or if you unshare and unmount it.

 

Edit: Also by making my vmdk IDE I don't have to worry about unRAID/Linux changing the boot device location since it is the ONLY IDE HDD on the VM.

 

Edit2: Must admit I didn't try too hard to find the problem with booting to a SATA vmdk since I had this in mind when I setup my first ESXi build.

[BetaQuasi]

Have a look in your UnRAID gui, the vmdk shows up as one of the unassigned drives at the bottom, with a blue icon. If you used my vmdk it shows up as 1.07gb. In my case it was sda1

 

Sent from my GT-N7105T using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[siamsquare]

Thanks Mrow for the tutorial...works perfect although I couldn't inflate the vdmk!

Only problem I still have is the parity checks after each boot into Unraid!

 

Thanks alot...

[RockDawg]

BobPhoenix - I tired your method and I can't get it completely working.  First I had to use /dev/hda.  When I tried /dev/hda1, the boothdd share was empty.  Using /dev/hda, the boothdd share shows the expected contents, but whenever I try to write something it says I need permission.

 

When viewing the drive in unMenu, it only shows the hda, it doesn't show a hda1 below the hda like your screen shot does.  Any ideas?

[BobPhoenix]

BobPhoenix - I tired your method and I can't get it completely working.  First I had to use /dev/hda.  When I tried /dev/hda1, the boothdd share was empty.  Using /dev/hda, the boothdd share shows the expected contents, but whenever I try to write something it says I need permission.

 

When viewing the drive in unMenu, it only shows the hda, it doesn't show a hda1 below the hda like your screen shot does.  Any ideas?

I didn't use the vmdk's in this thread. I created my own in VMWare and formatted it in a Windows VM as FAT32 maybe that is why it is working as hda1 for me.  As to writing can you write to it using MC on unRAID directly?  If you can then it is in your smb-extra.conf file as that is where the permissions for writing from the network are controlled.  If you can't write to if from unRAID itself then it is the mount that needs to be changed in the GO file.  The -w on the mount command should make it writable.  I started out on this from unMENU.  I mounted it with unMENU and looked at the top of the screen to see the mount command used then copied it and changed the name of the mount point to be one I wanted and put it in my GO file and tested writes with MC.  Then I looked on the forum for smb-extra.conf directions and experimented until I got it working for write across the network.

[BetaQuasi]

My .vmdk maps fine as sda1 on my server.  The .vmdk appears as sda in the array screen, with the blue dot against it.  I couldn't get write access initially (trying to delete a file said I needed permission from TOWER\root, and I don't use the root account for any drive mapping.)

 

I then found I could copy the bzroot/bzimage over from within a SSH session, and since I store an unzipped copy of each unRAID release on the array, I'm happy with that.  As Bob mentions, it's probably the smb-extra.conf and network writing permissions, but I didn't bother investigating further.

 

[RockDawg]

If I add "force user = root" to smb-extra.conf then I can write to the share.  That's the only way I've found so far.  I created my own VMDK with WinImage.  Not sure why mine only works with /dev/hda, but I don't suppose it matters much.

 

BobPhoenix - Thanks so much for this tip!  Definitely useful.

[BetaQuasi]

Ahh nice one, the force user works for me as well.  Cheers!

[BobPhoenix]

You guys are correct.  Must have worked for me with 4.7 but it doesn't with 5.0rc16c.  Added the "force user = root" to my initial post.

[mathomas3]

Cal me a monkeys uncle but what is the user and pass to download the vmdks?

 

Thanks

[jazzyjeff]

Cal me a monkeys uncle but what is the user and pass to download the vmdks?

 

Thanks

 

I think you are using chrome browser?? You are probably being asked for your user pass to login to Google Drive.

-Jeff

[BetaQuasi]

Yep there's no authentication required on the downloads, just log in using your own google account if you can't get past it

 

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[reefcrazed]

I have a quick question, I searched and found nothing.

 

After I get my UnRaid installed in vSphere, how do you register pro? My pro key is tied to my flash drive serial. If I go to the USB port on the web server side it does not show a serial number, which of course makes sense.

[BetaQuasi]

No different to how you install the key for a standalone server - put it on the flash drive. This is assuming you have passed the flash drive through to the VM

 

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[rbreen]

Any chance we could get a 5.0 final?  I really appreciate all the hard work!

 

Thanks!

[Output]

When I follow the guide to update my exsi image with final it still shows as rc15, I have no clue why...

[BetaQuasi]

Final on its way up.. forgive my backwater internets, it may take a while!

 

EDIT: Final is up.. I set off the upload then promptly forgot about it   Link is there now.

[rbreen]

Thanks so much!  Got it up and running - time to bite the bullet and get the pro license!

[Output]

Thanks for the upload! Downloading now!

[mathomas3]

i would like to thank the OP for these files... they have helped greatly...

 

Thanks,

 

Mat

[Output]

Your update is running like a charm, big thanks. Kind of wish this was part of the regular release

[spylex]

Will this work in ESXi 5.5 i wonder..

[jay3712]

Will this work in ESXi 5.5 i wonder..

 

Yes sir, it is working fine for me at the moment. Upgrade ESXi from 5.0 to 5.1 to 5.5 last night... verified all was well with my M1015s (2x) and then upgraded to 5 final from 5 rc12. Not done any real testing, but no immediate problems...

[avilada]

Very interesting thread. I Have my UNRAID esxi VM pro running without any disk only for testing.

 

With other VM guest I can Add new disk (.vmdk) and they show up as a new physical drive in the Guest OS.

 

I tryed that in the Unraid appliance. but disks dont show up in the Unraid web server.

 

 

 

can you  use .Vdmk as  data Disks in UNRAID?

 

Should i Change LSI Logic parallel scsi controller?? which should I use?

 

Thank you!.

 

[avilada]

 

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