HP Microserver/ VMWare configuration

[Derf]

I have an HP micro server, would the following configuration be possible?

1) install ESXi to a USB flash drive, and make it the primary boot device on the internal USB port
[I have already accomplished this]
2) install OmniOS + Napp-it to a 16GB partition on a 32GB USB flash drive in a USB port
[I am having trouble with this as it seems the microserver does not support USB pass-through.]
3) install OS-X on the other 16GB partition of the 32GB USB flash drive
[reading up on how to do this after modifying ESXi]
4) allow Napp-it to create a ZFS mirror of the 16GB partition it is installed on, on a second 16GB USB stick (for redundancy and performance).
[Pretty sure this is doable]
5) allow Napp-it to configure the 4 hard drives to be a ZFS raid-z pool for data (no OS)
[I think this is definitely doable]

The hardest part seems to be that everyone has a tutorial for how to install guest OSes (VMs) for ESXi on hard drives, but not on USB sticks.

 

[sotech]

It's been a little while since I did an ESXi build (moved to Xen largely) but last time I did one you couldn't have USB datastores with ESXi, so unless things have changed #2 won't work

Passthrough doesn't matter here - it's an ESXi limitation.

Even if you could pass the USB through to a VM... you still need a datastore to store the VM config files etc. in, which necessitates a non-USB datastore.

 

[dswartz]

I believe that restriction still exists. e.g. no datastores on usb drives.

 

[levinagill]

I am currently using the HP Micro server in my home lab.I like it very much. but I think it's working as VM host which has bit underpowered CPU.