vsphere-esxi-vcenter-server-55-storage-guide

Chapter 8 Booting ESXi with Software FCoEInstall and Boot ESXi from Software FCoE LUNWhen you set up your system to boot from a software FCoE LUN, you install the ESXi image to the targetLUN. You can then boot your host from that LUN.Prerequisites• Configure the option ROM of the network adapter to point to a target LUN that you want to use as theboot LUN. Make sure that you have information about the bootable LUN.• Change the boot order in the system BIOS to the following sequence:abThe network adapter that you use for the software FCoE boot.The ESXi installation media.See the vendor documentation for your system.Procedure1 Start an interactive installation from the ESXi installation CD/DVD.The ESXi installer verifies that FCoE boot is enabled in the BIOS and, if needed, creates a standardvirtual switch for the FCoE capable network adapter. The name of the vSwitch isVMware_FCoE_vSwitch. The installer then uses preconfigured FCoE boot parameters to discover anddisplay all available FCoE LUNs.2 On the Select a Disk screen, select the software FCoE LUN that you specified in the boot parametersetting.If the boot LUN does not appear in this menu, make sure that you correctly configured boot parametersin the option ROM of the network adapter.3 Follow the prompts to complete the installation.4 Reboot the host.5 Change the boot order in the system BIOS so that the FCoE boot LUN is the first bootable device.ESXi continues booting from the software FCoE LUN until it is ready to be used.What to do nextIf needed, you can rename and modify the VMware_FCoE_vSwitch that the installer automatically created.Make sure that the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP) mode is set to Listen or Both.Troubleshooting Installation and Boot from Software FCoEIf the installation or boot of ESXi from a software FCoE LUN fails, you can use several troubleshootingmethods.ProblemWhen you install or boot ESXi from FCoE storage using a VMware software FCoE adapter and a networkadapter with partial FCoE offload capabilities, the installation or the boot process fails.Solution• Make sure that you correctly configured boot parameters in the option ROM of the FCoE networkadapter.• During installation, monitor the BIOS of the FCoE network adapter for any errors.• If possible, check the VMkernel log for errors.VMware, Inc. 63