Is a SATA controller required to use 3.0 TB drives in ESXi 5.0 with RDM?

Do I need a MV8/M1015 or can I do Raw Device Mapping to the 6 SATA ports of my onboard X9SCM-F mb controller?

Keep in mind this if for 3.0TB drives.

Because I keep getting

Failed to create virtual disk: The destination file system does not support large files (12).

:'(

I think the reason you're not getting much in the way of responses here is that 99% of us pass through a HBA controller and do it that way.  Are you following Johnm's instructions to RDM?  I do wonder then if the 2TB single .vmdk limitation is what you are hitting here, in which case the only alternative is to passthrough a HBA as the rest of us are doing.

Are those SATA ports on a X9SCM only used for datastores or are they used in other ways?

I use the 2x SATA 3 ports, one for a datastore drive and one for a cache drive that is RDM'ed to the unRAID VM.  I suppose you could conceivably pass through the motherboard SATA controllers to unRAID and attach drives to use in the array.. haven't looked into that myself.

ESXi only see's 2TB drives or smaller.  I am pretty sure this limitation prevents you from passing a 3TB drive using RDM.

You should pick up a compatible HBA.

I use the 2x SATA 3 ports, one for a datastore drive and one for a cache drive that is RDM'ed to the unRAID VM.  I suppose you could conceivably pass through the motherboard SATA controllers to unRAID and attach drives to use in the array.. haven't looked into that myself.

Then you would have no datastore...

You could get a cheap 2 port sata card. use the card for the datastore and passthough the entire onboard controller. I have seen that done before. It might have ill side effects though.

Then you would have no datastore...

Indeed.  Coffee before mouth next time!

Do I need a MV8/M1015 or can I do Raw Device Mapping to the 6 SATA ports of my onboard X9SCM-F mb controller?

 

Keep in mind this if for 3.0TB drives.

 

Because I keep getting

Failed to create virtual disk: The destination file system does not support large files (12).

 

:'(

File size is limited to 2T, so no RDM for 3T drives. This is fixable, but you probably don't want RDM.

Thanks guys, I've ordered an AOC-SASLP-MV8 with cables.

If your motherboard/processor doesn't support VT-d, RDM is all you have.  How would you use drives larger than 2 TB?

For anyone that wants to try (I have no 3TB disks to test with) I'd like to know if using the -z switch with vmkfstools under esxi 5 works to RDM a local SATA 3tb/4tb disk.  Can't seem to find firm information on that one.

As per the 2nd part of:  http://vm-help.com/esx40i/SATA_RDMs.php  (that's obviously based on esxi 4 but as I understand it, the commands are the same.)

If your motherboard/processor doesn't support VT-d, RDM is all you have.  How would you use drives larger than 2 TB?

I don't really understand your point but both my MB & CPU support VT-d:

• SUPERMICRO X9SCM-F
   
  
• Intel Xeon Quad-Core E3-1230
  

Not everyone's hardware supports VT-d.  I have a box that supports virtualization with dual quad core xeons and 32 GB of memory but no VT-d.

For anyone that wants to try (I have no 3TB disks to test with) I'd like to know if using the -z switch with vmkfstools under esxi 5 works to RDM a local SATA 3tb/4tb disk.  Can't seem to find firm information on that one.

 

As per the 2nd part of:  http://vm-help.com/esx40i/SATA_RDMs.php  (that's obviously based on esxi 4 but as I understand it, the commands are the same.)

Results:

/vmfs/volumes/4fb7d1cd-20448c10-4510-002590736374/RDMs # vmkfstools -r /vmfs/devices/disks/vml.01000000002020202020204d4a31333131594e47344b563041486974616368 HTC3TB-01.vmdk -a lsilogic

Failed to create virtual disk: The destination file system does not support large files (12).

/vmfs/volumes/4fb7d1cd-20448c10-4510-002590736374/RDMs # vmkfstools -z /vmfs/devices/disks/vml.01000000002020202020204d4a31333131594e47344b563041486974616368 HTC3TB-01.vmdk -a lsilogic

/vmfs/volumes/4fb7d1cd-20448c10-4510-002590736374/RDMs # ls

HTC3TB-01-rdmp.vmdk  TBA1TB-01-rdm.vmdk

HTC3TB-01.vmdk      TBA1TB-01.vmdk

@BetaQuasi: with -z, I was successfully able to create a XXX.vmdk & XXX-rdmp.vmdk files. using -z, there is a difference in the file name, it adds a "p" in one of the 2 files. -z and -r also don't act the same way when I add them in a ESXi VM, ie: a SCSI controller is NOT created when I add a -z RDM.  what I mean is I don't / can't complete the last step of the below's instructions as no SCSI controller is getting added in the VM settings at the same time as the RDMs -z hard drive.  It then shows up in unRAID and I've just assigned 1x3TB to parity an 1x3TB to disk1 and I've started the array so I can update this topic tomorrow. I had enver done anything in unRAID up to now so I guess it has to start the array and do a parity check first.

[...]

----

SUCCESS!!! Followed the following in combination to johnm's RDM instructions!

 

Taken from bryanr's thread "UnRAID on VMWare ESXi with Raw Device Mapping"

    For each of your physical disks:

    Add... Hard Disk

    Select the type of disk to use: Use an existing virtual disk

    Browse... datastore1 -> UnRAID -> diskname

    Virtual Device Node: scsi(1:0)

    Mode: Independent / Persistent

    (it should now appear as a Mapped Raw LUN in VM hardware list)

 

 

    Re-configure the SCSI controller that was added for you

    Change Type... LSI Logic SAS

    SCSI Bus Sharing: none

p simply denotes 'physical' as opposed to 'virtual' - (-r switch creates a virtual RDM, -z creates physical.)

Glad to hear it's working regardless, and that answers my question, so thank you!  If you've still got that HBA on the way, I'd definitely still go down that route.  It's a much easier option - RDM'ing becomes a pain very quickly when you have to replace a disk or want to upgrade disks etc etc, and if you ever intend to have more than 1 or 2 drives, can be an administrative nightmare!