[gotenks1321]

Hi all,

I'm new here so please go easy on me

I have ESX 2 installed on a machine for training purposes but unforunately I do not have any SCSI drives in that machine nor do I have one spare that does. I have another machine that is running FreeNAS for all my SAN needs and have an NFS server setup on that.

I have setup a share and am able to create a datastore in ESX 3 and create virtual machines with no problems. However I'm not able to configure version 2 to see this store and use it. Any ideas? I've already mounted the share on the ESX server but that seems to have made no difference

My linux knowledge isn't great but I'm very willing to learn, hence the setting up the server in the first place

Thanks

[jasonboche]

ESX 3 was the first version of ESX to support VMFS datastores on iSCSI and NFS. In other words, iSCSI and NFS datastores won't work with ESX 2.x.

Just curious, why in the world would you want to train on a 4+ year old product?

[gotenks1321]

Thanks. That's what I thought as I hadn't found anything to say otherwise but I was hoping there was a way

Basically I'm a lowly primary school technician and was thinking about moving on when I started talking to someone I know. He said he works setting up ESX servers for a company and could lend me the training materials and guides for me to have a look and see if that's the way I wanted to go.

I downloaded a trial version of ESX 3 from VMWare but by the time I'd managed to get everything setup and get FreeSAN working the license file had run out So now I have a fully licensed (for training anyway) version of 2.5 and a trial version of 3 that has run out.

[gotenks1321]

Hmm, after looking around on the VMWare website. Would it be better for me to download ESXi and use that instead?

Their registration seems to be down at the moment though

[jasonboche]

For sure you're better off training on ESX3 with a trial license or extended trial license. I have deep roots within VMware and may be able to get you a 60 or 90 day license. Before that happens though, make sure you've got hardware that it will run on so you don't waste any valuable license days trying to fix a hardware situation.

ESX3i versus ESX3: Personally I'm an advocate of ESX3. You'll be able to familiarize yourself with the full blown service console (COS). I'd avoid the "free" version of ESXi because it's going to be very limited in what features you can study. You'll want the trial license for VI Enterprise which can stack on top of ESXi, just be aware of the license key you have and whether or not its for ESXi or ESX - they are most likely different.

Jas

[gotenks1321]

Originally Posted by jasonboche

For sure you're better off training on ESX3 with a trial license or extended trial license. I have deep roots within VMware and may be able to get you a 60 or 90 day license. Before that happens though, make sure you've got hardware that it will run on so you don't waste any valuable license days trying to fix a hardware situation.

ESX3i versus ESX3: Personally I'm an advocate of ESX3. You'll be able to familiarize yourself with the full blown service console (COS). I'd avoid the "free" version of ESXi because it's going to be very limited in what features you can study. You'll want the trial license for VI Enterprise which can stack on top of ESXi, just be aware of the license key you have and whether or not its for ESXi or ESX - they are most likely different.

Jas

Hmm, ok. I have had it up and running but as I went to start the VM it decided my license file had run out I had a 30 or 60 day trial to begin with but another one would be great if possible I didn't know it was possible to extend it.

I've downloaded ESXi now but not got a machine with SCSI drives to try it. If it's as you say then I'll leave it for now

Thanks

[jasonboche]

You can't "extend" an existing license file. The fix is to obtain an additional license file from a VMware rep.

I've sent a note to my guy asking for a 60-90 day license for you.

Jas

[gotenks1321]

Ah I see. Thankyou very much

[jasonboche]

Bad news, I got shot down. They are limiting the extended license files for qualified accounts and proof of concept deployments only. Sorry.

[gotenks1321]

Ah ok. Thankyou for asking anyway I may one day be doing a proof of concept in the main school I work in but that won't be for a few years until I've at least got my head round it.

Thankyou again I shall soldier on and see what I can come up with using what I've got