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Install ESX host on new diskless Dell M600 Blades via ISCSI EqualLogic (newbie to both Blades and SAN). Mistake? Help!!

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OK. This might be a little too late to be asking some of these questions as we have already made the purcahse and have it in our rack but I'm really hoping someone can point me in the right direction.

 

We just purchased:

 

1 x Dell M1000e blade enclosure with 4 PowerConnect M6220 internal switches.

 

2 x Dell M600 Blade Servers (diskless) with onboard and add-on broadcom NICs.

 

1 x EqualLogic PS5000XV iSCSI SAN

 

 

 

I'm new to both blade servers in general and SANs. I've got the SAN set up and ready to go as far as I can tell. However, I cannot figure out how get ESX installed on to the blade servers. I have 4 internal 24 port switches and no ideas how the heck they are connected internally since they only expose 4 external ports per swtich.

 

 

First of the idea is to have the blades boot ESX from the iSCSI target via the on board broadcom NICs which have TOE and should be suitable for this. I have a bunch of questions I hope some one can shed some light on for. 

 

 

1. Will this even work properly? (Can I boot ESX from the iSCSI target? Is this proper? I couldnt get any other cards with the exception of a fiber channel card)

 

 

2. Can the two blades share one volume to boot ESX or do I need to make two different targets for each ESX Host Server?

 

 

3. How do I get ESX installed on to a diskless blade to the iSCSI target I have set up?  I know I can use the DRAC/Virtual Media but how do I get it to see the iSCSI targets?

 

 

4. Have I made a 90K mistake?

 

 

I'm getting worried that booting from iSCSI isnt supported with these NICs but I had no other options for NICs besides fiber. I'm not stupid, if you read this and can just point me in the right direction I know I can take it from there but I'm really confused at this point. I'm not even sure how the heck these 4 switches are connected to the blades and how I can choose which blades connect where.

 

 

PLEASE any one that can help, I would appreciate it so much. Thank you.


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