PCI NVME for ESXI.

[Grinas]

Hey,

So I asked this question on the Vmware forums and never got an answer. This isn't really a truenas question but said i would ask here anyway.

So I am currently running Truenas as a VM in ESXI 6.7. All the VMs run on a NVME. Unfortunately my server Dell T20 can not boot from a NVME so it boots ESXI from a USB and then the VMs run off a NVME connected via PCI adapter.

The problem I am having is the latest version of ESXI 7 does not recognise my PCI adapter. Id like to be on the latest ESXI version if possible does anyone know of a work around or any other options.

thanks for any help or suggestions

 

[jgreco]

What's the PCIe adapter? Just a passive card (no chips)?

ESXi 7 got a lot pickier about hardware for several reasons, one of which was that it dropped the Linux kernel driver compatibility layer. In many cases, you just have to replace the hardware. That seems less-likely for an NVMe device, but it is still possible, especially for off-brand devices.

 

[Grinas]

it was just some cheap one i got on aliexpress. link is below.

25.09US $ |JEYI KNIGHT PCIE3.0 NVME Adapter x16 PCI E Full Speed M.2 2280 aluminum sheet Thermal conductivity silicon wafer fan cooling SSD|Fans & Cooling| - AliExpress

Smarter Shopping, Better Living! Aliexpress.com

a.aliexpress.com

Is there a list of support PCIe adapters.

this one was especially handy as it took 2 NVMEs and one i used for VMs and the other for the jails on Truenas

 

[jgreco]

Is there a list of support PCIe adapters.

Probably not. VMware doesn't usually go out of their way to support cheap generic whitebox hardware. But if it's a passive card, the issue is much more likely to be tied up in PCIe bifurcation support or the NVMe controller in use.

 

[Grinas]

Probably not. VMware doesn't usually go out of their way to support cheap generic whitebox hardware. But if it's a passive card, the issue is much more likely to be tied up in PCIe bifurcation support or the NVMe controller in use.

my server doesnt support PCIe bifurcation if it did i would have 4 NVMEs in raid.

it seems i dont really have any options so.

thanks for the response.

 

[jgreco]

my server doesnt support PCIe bifurcation if it did i would have 4 NVMEs in raid.

There are cards such as the Supermicro AOC-SHG3-4M2P which incorporate a PLX switch so that bifurcation support is unnecessary. No idea if that's helpful.

 

[Grinas]

after seeing that card is >€200 i think ill give it a skip.