I am trying to install ESXi 5.5 for two weeks now, have been plagued with ESXi 5.5 U1/U2 hanging at random stages for no apparent reason. I am driven mad with absence of any log or error hint whatsoever.
Random stages involved are:
- user loading successfully
- loading lgb
- loading lacp
- loading ipmi_si_drv
I could not discern any pattern between these occurences (I have reset the system at least 100 times).
I have a full console capture of one of these hangs here -> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFzFjyw9kBU
This crash's been captured with ignoreHeadless=TRUE flag passed.....without that flag, this step is successfully resolved but fails on "loading lgb...." step.....result is the same - just a blank screen and either it resets the physical machine or the machine must be manually restarted.
This has been captured with ESXi 5.5 U1 but same thing happens with U2. I am literally lost and cannot even begin to think what to do next.....any help is greatly appreciated
Hardware is given in video, but here it is again:
- SuperMicro X10SLM+-F
- 16 GB Crucial RAM ECC
- booting off of Sandisk Extreme 32GB USB stick (used Rufus to put the ISO on stick, using MBR and not using UEFI)
ignoreHeadless doesn't help.
The ignoreHeadless=TRUE flag used to help until I had decided to further lower the fan speed and did the following:
- used freeIpmi 1.3.4 to checkout fan settings and commit new ones (went without problems)
- since the fans wouldn't change their speed initially I tried to Load Optimized Defaults (that didn't help but I soon discovered I had to turn off/on power to motherboard fully until IPMI loaded the new settings)
So I currently suspect that one of these things "broke" ESXi install - even though I would find that incredible. Trying to load Factory IPMI defaults didn't do anything.
Any ideas or suggestions? I am beyond desperate at these point.