BetaQuasi Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 EDIT: I am no longer maintaining this as I have moved to unRAID bare metal/KVM. I will continue to add .vmdk's to this first post if people want to upload/host them. I won't be checking their content however, so please do find the person in the thread that has added it and speak to them if there are any issues. ________________________ I have been intending to do this for a while, since it often comes up as a requirement for various users. I will maintain this thread with each update of unRAID - essentially these are pre-built VMware virtual disks containing what is required to boot unRAID directly, and more quickly than booting entirely from a USB stick. 5.0rc11: https://app.box.com/s/8un6bssqjy8d1z761xputhhu4capgym4 5.0rc12: https://app.box.com/s/uysgq9ij5g3m0823vuio7isrpr4l7wpu 5.0rc12a: https://app.box.com/s/hs5w6ry8nimkt943u5iglobszpv47m90 5.0rc13: https://app.box.com/s/zujn4kj1yc1g5q0plu0tafxk7m38nhh4 5.0rc15: https://app.box.com/s/s82fgzzhp3uw3r2kg89pkjq6ntx27p6z 5.0 final: https://app.box.com/s/in501e2qda18p2k62x3pocnvx1v52698 6.0 b12: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B3cXNKF8ZrHsR0h3ZVFkVEtyZlk&authuser=0 6.0 b14b: http://goo.gl/T47Mh8 6.0: https://goo.gl/4oeTnG 6.0.1: https://goo.gl/vwg2Yr 6.1.9: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4uhfP2afCgiYm5IMXNOTmg1bUk 6.2: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4uhfP2afCgieklzUjc3N2VKREE 6.2.1: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4uhfP2afCgiRXFENXdxSks3bWc/view?usp=sharing 6.2.2: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4uhfP2afCgieFBLTU1uQ24tWW8 6.2.3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4uhfP2afCgiLVhPeDFRNVNKRk0 - 1Gb .vmdk with 100mb partition containing bzroot/bzimage etc - Upgrade/downgrade by mounting the .vmdk in another VM/direct to your PC/via ESXi (ask google) and replacing the bzroot/bzimage with the new version of these files, or simply download the new version from here as they are updated. - If you download the new vmdk from here, simply shut down your unRAID VM, upload the .vmdk over the top of the old one and restart your VM. - Use of these boot .vmdk's is quite simple (I will refine these instructions with more detail, or you can refer to Johnm's Atlas thread in the unRAID Compulsive Design forum: Create a new VM in ESXi, use the Ubuntu 32-bit profile When prompted to add a virtual disk, choose 'Do not create disk'. Upload the .vmdk into your datastore, preferably into the newly-created folder for the VM you just created Edit the new VM and add the disk - choose the .vmdk you just uploaded Map your unRAID USB stick through to the newly-created VM and boot your new VM up NB: Do not change the volume label on the virtual disk to UNRAID - your USB stick should be the only thing with the volume label of UNRAID. The USB stick is still required and holds your unRAID configuration files, all plugin files and your license key. NB2: These .vmdk's will only work in ESXi 5.x I also recommend coupling an ESXi install of unRAID with Zeron's VMware tools plugin, available here: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=11449.0 EDIT 23/03 - Added 5.0rc12 EDIT 24/03 - Added 5.0rc12a EDIT 12/01/15 - Added 6.0 b12 - note I am no longer running ESXi, now running bare metal unRAID with KVM VM's, so I won't be maintaining these any longer. I'll update this post to include vmdk's from others that are up to date however, as per above. EDIT 01/03/15 - Added 6.0 b12 EDIT 29/06/15 - Added 6.0.1 EDIT 03/08/16 - Updated links EDIT 01/12/16 - Updated to include links to 6.1.9 through 6.2.3 Quote Link to comment
jangjong Posted March 22, 2013 Share Posted March 22, 2013 This is awesome. Just what we needed. Quote Link to comment
BetaQuasi Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 OP updated with 5.0rc12a Quote Link to comment
Ice_Black Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 "Do not change the volume label on the .vmdk file to UNRAID" Do you mean the name of the VM in ESXi? Quote Link to comment
BetaQuasi Posted March 24, 2013 Author Share Posted March 24, 2013 No, the volume label of the (virtual) disk itself - edited to make that clearer. Quote Link to comment
Ice_Black Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Thank you I've got it to work and really fast boot! Quote Link to comment
Hesse34 Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 I also wanted to say thanks. I just got unRAID up and going on ESXi yesterday and you VMDK helped alot. Jesse Quote Link to comment
RockDawg Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Thanks a ton. This will be really helpful! Quote Link to comment
johnodon Posted March 24, 2013 Share Posted March 24, 2013 Hey Quasi...quick suggestion.... Maybe the VMDKs should contain the entire unRAID archive contents and not just the bzroot/bzimage. Here is my reasoning.... Users of the free version of unRAID could do so with also use a VMDK and ditch the USB key as long as: 1. The volume of the VMDK is named "UNRAID" 2. The VMDK contains a the configuration (config directory) 3. The VMDK is set to Independent - Persistent changes are saved Does this make sense? As far as I know, having the entire contents of the archive in the VMDK shouldn't hurt anything for Pro/Plus users since unRAID will look for the config and license on the USB key anyway. John Quote Link to comment
brian89gp Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Might add to add the VMDK as Indepentent - Non Persistent. That way if you somehow corrupt/delete/format the VMDK from inside UNRAID all you got to do is power cycle the guest and all is well again. I've also deleted the bzroot/bzimage off of my thumb drive and the config directory off of the VMDK I make so its impossible to get them confused with each other. Quote Link to comment
johnodon Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 Might add to add the VMDK as Indepentent - Non Persistent. That way if you somehow corrupt/delete/format the VMDK from inside UNRAID all you got to do is power cycle the guest and all is well again. This is a good idea but would nuke my suggestion above for people who are using the free version (no USB key required). they would lose their settings after every reboot. Maybe there should be two flavors...persistent and non-persistent. John Quote Link to comment
BetaQuasi Posted March 28, 2013 Author Share Posted March 28, 2013 I'm just doing what I'm doing guys, not really interested in making changes/modifications, as there is so many different ways to do this. Also, at 100mb a pop, I'd like to limit the amount of these things that are being hosted as I really don't want to start using a service like mega or 4shared or whatever as they are a pain. Perhaps you'd like to look at implementing/hosting these versions yourselves if you think it's warranted. I think the VM that another user has posted here ticks some of these boxes: http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=26634.0 Quote Link to comment
pjneder Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 It is great that you have posted these images! I'm just getting started with ESXi but I am not totally ignorant to VM's and Hypervisors. This is definitely a level of complexity above VMWare Workstation and V-box... I have a test rig that I am trying to experiment with. I've been reading a number of posts, but for some reason I'm still struggling. Here's what I've got and what I've done: Asus P5Q-Deluxe Q6600 CPU 4GB 60GB SSD (as datastore) 2x 1 TB HDD's (mapped http://lime-technology.com/forum/index.php?topic=7914.0) 16GB USB running ESXi 2GB SD-card volume = UNRAID setup with RC5.0-12a AiO ESXi 4.1 installed on USB stick and 60GB set as "datastore1" Created "VM-unraid" as Ubuntu 32b, no disk assigned. Went to Configuration tab for the server, right click on datastore1 and browse datastore. Uploaded the unRAID-flat.vmdk file. Went to VM-unraid machine and then Edit Settings Hardware Add.. "Hard Disk", Use an existing virtual disk, browse, go the VM-unraid folder in datastore1 and there are no files to select!?!?!? Any hint on what I'm doing wrong? I know it must be something painfully stupid. Thanks! Quote Link to comment
sureguy Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 ESXi 4.1 installed on USB stick and 60GB set as "datastore1" BetaQuasi appears to be using ESXi 5.1. Was 4.1 a typo? If not I'd recommend trying 5.1. Quote Link to comment
pjneder Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 ESXi 4.1 installed on USB stick and 60GB set as "datastore1" BetaQuasi appears to be using ESXi 5.1. Was 4.1 a typo? If not I'd recommend trying 5.1. Nope, not a typo, I just started with 4.1 since I found a lot of posts regarding that. It's all a big experiment, so I'll switch up to 5.1 and give it another go. This time I'll probably not install to USB and just install on the SSD, assuming you can use the same disk as the ESXi server install and a datastore... Thanks. Quote Link to comment
sureguy Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 Nope, not a typo, I just started with 4.1 since I found a lot of posts regarding that. It's all a big experiment, so I'll switch up to 5.1 and give it another go. This time I'll probably not install to USB and just install on the SSD, assuming you can use the same disk as the ESXi server install and a datastore... Thanks. If you install to SSD, you can still use whatever is not partitioned and used for ESXi as a datastore. The advantage to using USB is you can back it up more easily as the drive is normally plugged into an external port (don't have to open anything up), plus SSD for booting ESXi is overkill. Quote Link to comment
BetaQuasi Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Yes, my .vmdk's will only work in ESXi 5.0/5.1. I've edited the OP to clarify that. Quote Link to comment
peter_sm Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 Hi BetaQuasi Is it normal that it takes about 25 seconds for the boot menu shows up ? if not what can I have done wrong ? //Peter Quote Link to comment
BetaQuasi Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 No, the boot menu should appear instantly and disappear even quicker. Not sure what you have done wrong - what do you have your primary datastore on? Is it in the same host? Quote Link to comment
peter_sm Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I have my data store on sata port on the MB, all other disk for unraid on BR10i & 1430sa It is 2 files in your zip file I uploaded these to my data store ,add i hard disk in VM , and add unRAID.vmdk to this disk. //Peter Quote Link to comment
BetaQuasi Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 That's all you should have to do - really no idea why it boots slowly. What type of SCSI controller have you used? Also, what profile have you used to create your VM? (i.e. ubuntu linux, other linux etc.) Maybe post a screenshot similar to this: Quote Link to comment
peter_sm Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 I was using Ubuntu 32bit See some image for my config //Peter Quote Link to comment
BetaQuasi Posted March 31, 2013 Author Share Posted March 31, 2013 I'm afraid I have no idea - I don't see anything wrong with your config. That's downright weird! Quote Link to comment
peter_sm Posted March 31, 2013 Share Posted March 31, 2013 This my data store, It was formated with 1MB block ? is that right, but I didn't get any settings where I could chose a different settings When I come to the boot menu, it boots very quick, butits take about 25 sec to it shows up. See image of my data store //Peter Quote Link to comment
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