Virtualize without data loss?

[politby]

I am currently running a Flex RAID array and a number of other applications on a physical windows server 2012 r2 Essentials machine. All the drives in the Flexraid array are connected to an IBM M1015 HBA running in IT mode.

I want to virtualize this server in ESXi 5. Preferably without having to rebuild the Essentials server from scratch. Here is what I am thinking of doing:

1. shutdown and disable flexraid services
2. P2V the Windows Server without the drives
3. Install ESXi on a USB drive connected to internal (Supermicro) mobo port
4. Boot up ESXi
5. Import Windows Server VM
6. Pass through IBM controller to VM
7. Boot up VM
8. Restart Flexraid

Will this work? Also will Flexraid recognize the drives as they were before the move? They will of course still be on the same ports on the controller.

And given that the server is a domain controller, are there any implications?

I posted this question in the Flexraid forum but there has been no response.

 

[TuxDude]

It should be fine - you can disconnect the M1015 during the ESXi install to be extra safe (either pull the card out of the PCIe slot, or unplug the SAS cables from the card, whichever is easier in your case). Once the windows VM is running and the HBA is passed to it, flexraid shouldn't care that it is in a VM.

The only issue I see is that I don't see anywhere that could hold the .vmdk file for the windows VM's C: drive - I don't think ESXi will let you use remaining space on a thumb-drive as a datastore. So you are going to need one more SATA drive in there connected to the MB's onboard SATA controller to serve as the ESXi datastore.

 

[pricklypunter]

With respect to placing your VM's on USB, it can be done, could also be done, with a faff about, in ESXi 5, but would you really want such a piss poor performing VM? My advice would be to use a decent SATA SSD to hold your VMFS

 

[politby]

With respect to placing your VM's on USB, it can be done, could also be done, with a faff about, in ESXi 5, but would you really want such a piss poor performing VM? My advice would be to use a decent SATA SSD to hold your VMFS

Good catch[emoji6]
I should have mentioned that the USB (actually an XDHC card in an adapter) will only be used to boot ESXi.
The virtual machines will be stored on two 128 GB M.2 SSDs on a PCIe adapter (Marvell chipset).

The other thing I forgot to mention is that I also have a small 64GB SSD used by flexraid as a landing disk. This will be connected to one of the motherboard (Supermicro X8SIL-F) ports. Will I be able to pass through the motherboard sata controller to ESXi?

 

[pricklypunter]

Using Intel Directed I/O (VT-d) to pass through on-board SATA ports is sketchy at best imho. Any time I have tried it in the past has resulted in either totally unreliable access with disks disappearing randomly, or everything appears to work in ESXi, but no disks are actually seen from the ports. This behavior may well have been addressed by now as it's been quite a long time since I tried it