PowerEdge Virtualization

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StingerAlex
Posts: 5
Joined: 3. Dec 2014, 09:32

PowerEdge Virtualization

Post by StingerAlex »

Hello!

I am very confused. I am running PowerEdge T310 on Xeon 3480. All specs saying it has Intel Virtualization capability. However special intel tool downloaded off the site and ran on my server
suddenly contradicts to specs and states after checking that Intel VT-x is "No".

Nevetheless I open Set utility in Bios and see this feature under CPU properties and enable Virtualization.

Reboot.

After this I run VirtualBox and Acceleration Tab in the Guest System properties is greyed out period. And VM which was migrated from other Host with virtualization does not even boot (Linux 32 bit) reporting EIP error wich is VT-x problem.
Going after this to Hyper-V does not help - convert VDI to VDHX, creating the new VM and Linux going into dracut with boot and UUID completely destroyed. Which menad even Software virtualization does not work.

So, what to do? Which Dell Server actually supports it?

Thanks.
socratis
Site Moderator
Posts: 27330
Joined: 22. Oct 2010, 11:03
Primary OS: Mac OS X other
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Win(*>98), Linux*, OSX>10.5
Location: Greece

Re: PowerEdge Virtualization

Post by socratis »

Please go thoroughly through the FAQ: I have a 64bit host, but can't install 64bit guests.

According to Intel, Xeon x3480 (not 3480) has VT-x capabilities. If you say you enabled it in the BIOS, then something (program, feature) is stealing your VT-x. Nobody can say with certainty what that "something" might be. Get some potential candidates/ideas from the FAQ.
Do NOT send me Personal Messages (PMs) for troubleshooting, they are simply deleted.
Do NOT reply with the "QUOTE" button, please use the "POST REPLY", at the bottom of the form.
If you obfuscate any information requested, I will obfuscate my response. These are virtual UUIDs, not real ones.
erdeslawe
Volunteer
Posts: 241
Joined: 8. Jul 2015, 10:23

Re: PowerEdge Virtualization

Post by erdeslawe »

Attachments
Poweredge T310.png
Poweredge T310.png (103.2 KiB) Viewed 2187 times
BillG
Volunteer
Posts: 5102
Joined: 19. Sep 2009, 04:44
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows 10,7 and earlier
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: PowerEdge Virtualization

Post by BillG »

I thought that the last sentence was pretty relevant.

The PoweEdge T310 does not support Hypervisor.

The processor supports vt-x, but maybe the BIOS doesn't (although the OP states it does).

I can't make any sense of the last paragraph of the original post.

I had a Dell server older than that which did support hardware virtualization. I used it to test Viridian (the pre-release version of Hyper-V) or Server 2008.
Bill
StingerAlex
Posts: 5
Joined: 3. Dec 2014, 09:32

Re: PowerEdge Virtualization

Post by StingerAlex »

Thank you all!

Las paragraph means that I ran into the problem when tried to move VirtualBox Linux VM running on PE 2650 with Server 2008 32 bit to T310 Server running Server 2012R2 64 bit.

First Hyper-V did not work running into dracut prompt. Investigation showed UUID and boot problems. LIVE CD which is used in these cases for real systems does not work in our case.
So I installed VB on the Windows 2012R2 of T310. Copied Virtual Machine over, added machine to VB, corrected Network, started, and did not even boot to the login with message something like "EIP mistake" or so. Google search pointed to the same boot problem and hardware incompatibility.

After that I took old Vostro 270 with more than mediocre CPU i3-3220, installed VB, copied virtual machine, added, Acceleration in this student desktop immediately was available, VT-x already enabled, I started and...wow! It works like a champ and with the speed it never worked on the server!

That is the story. BIOS definitely has an option of Virtualization in the T-310, the question is - is it a real option, which does actually work? Processor is capable, but BIOS might not.

And where I can find the list of servers compatible with virtualization? If I buy next one it must have it real. It is too many confusing scenarios - CPU, BIOS, OS, virtualization engine.

God sake all of us!

Thank you for help!
BillG
Volunteer
Posts: 5102
Joined: 19. Sep 2009, 04:44
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Windows 10,7 and earlier
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: PowerEdge Virtualization

Post by BillG »

For other non-Linux users like me who have no idea what dracut is, see this.

http://www.techradar.com/news/software/ ... ut-1078647
Bill
StingerAlex
Posts: 5
Joined: 3. Dec 2014, 09:32

Re: PowerEdge Virtualization

Post by StingerAlex »

BillG wrote:For other non-Linux users like me who have no idea what dracut is, see this.

http://www.techradar.com/news/software/ ... ut-1078647
Sorry, "dracut" is an emergency shell when boot is not working.
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