I am pretty new here, and currently deployed - but I have been lurking about for a while trying to find some answers.
I bought a CS24-TY when they first started hitting eBay - currently it is overseas with me, being used as a "morale server" where we stream movies, share files, and host a few games. For myself a a couple more - we use Hyper-V to virtualize a couple Linux boxes and experiment.
Currently I am running the OS (Server 2012) and VMs off a Intel SSD in Bay 1. Bays 2/3 are loaded with 2Tb WD RE4s, and Bay 4 is empty.
I am starting to run out of storage space on the drives, and hoping to put at least one more drive in - but want to load all 4 bays with RE4s and boot ESXi off USB.
However, I am being told that is not possible because the only way to boot from USB is if all drives are unplugged? I am currently at BIOS revision 3A14 so I am trying to update it to 3B22 whenever I hit a port and download the BIOS - but still unsure as to the flash procedures. I am also not sure if that will solve anything for the USB boot.
Essentially, I am hoping to boot ESXi from USB, into a FreeNAS VM that will have all 4 drives as a ZFS share. Then, the remaining VMs (pfSense and Server 2012) will run from their stored location on the ZFS share. If I can put the SSD internal to the server, I would do that - but cannot see how I can tap power to add another drive. And I haven't come up with any other creative ways to run my server.
Is this at all possible with the hardware I possess, or am I better off just keeping the SSD and booting ESXi off that?
I bought a CS24-TY when they first started hitting eBay - currently it is overseas with me, being used as a "morale server" where we stream movies, share files, and host a few games. For myself a a couple more - we use Hyper-V to virtualize a couple Linux boxes and experiment.
Currently I am running the OS (Server 2012) and VMs off a Intel SSD in Bay 1. Bays 2/3 are loaded with 2Tb WD RE4s, and Bay 4 is empty.
I am starting to run out of storage space on the drives, and hoping to put at least one more drive in - but want to load all 4 bays with RE4s and boot ESXi off USB.
However, I am being told that is not possible because the only way to boot from USB is if all drives are unplugged? I am currently at BIOS revision 3A14 so I am trying to update it to 3B22 whenever I hit a port and download the BIOS - but still unsure as to the flash procedures. I am also not sure if that will solve anything for the USB boot.
Essentially, I am hoping to boot ESXi from USB, into a FreeNAS VM that will have all 4 drives as a ZFS share. Then, the remaining VMs (pfSense and Server 2012) will run from their stored location on the ZFS share. If I can put the SSD internal to the server, I would do that - but cannot see how I can tap power to add another drive. And I haven't come up with any other creative ways to run my server.
Is this at all possible with the hardware I possess, or am I better off just keeping the SSD and booting ESXi off that?