If you own or have recently purchased Crucial NVMe SSD such as CT1000P1SSD8 (1TB M.2 NVMe SSD) or CT500P1SSD8 (500GB M.2 NVMe SSD), please be aware that these devices may no be recognized by ESXi after upgrading to the latest release. Thanks to Pete Lindley, (OCTO for End-User Computing), who reached out last week regarding the observation as well as a workaround for the problem. This was also quite timely as I recently purchased a Crucial M.2 NVMe SSD and would have also ran into this problem.
It turns out these Crucial devices were working fine while running on ESXi 6.5 Update 2 but was no longer recognized in latest release of ESXi 6.7 Update 2. It is unclear whether support for these SSDs were removed intentionally or unintentionally, but in either case, these devices are not officially on VMware's Hardware Compatibility List (HCL).
UPDATE (07/29/20) - Over the past few months, I have had a number of folks share feedback that using the trick mentioned below for ESXi 7.0, they have had success of ESXi detecting their NVMe SSD. I wanted to share some of the model and/or vendors that folks have reported success with. I will keep this list updated, so feel free to leave a comment below.
- OWC Aura Pro X2 2TB NVMe
- ADATA XPG
- Sabrent
UPDATE (06/13/20) - Thanks to reader Dave, it looks like this trick also works with ESXi 7.0 but the filename has changed. Simply copy nvme.v00 VIB from the ESXi 6.5 Update 2 and replace it on ESXi 7.0 system (either live under /bootbank or part of the installer) but rename the file to nvme_pci.v00 which is the new filename for NVMe driver.
UPDATE (05/23/19) - After speaking with a few folks who took a closer look, the issue is due to the fact that we added support for NVMe 1.3 spec in latest ESXi 6.7 Update 2 release, but because these are "consumer" devices, they did not conform to the latest specification and hence the driver is unable to claim the device. This is another good reminder when using components not on VMware HCL, this is always a risk from a home lab perspective. In general, I know Samsung and Intel NVMe SSD usually works quite well without issues but always good to do some research. I think Engineering is looking to see if there are other workarounds for the future, but for now, you can use the workaround below.
The easy workaround that Pete found was to simply replace the NVMe driver from ESXi 6.7 Update 2 (1.2.2.27-1vmw.670.2.48.13006603) with one found in ESXi 6.5 Update 2 (1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253). To so do, simply copy nvme.v00 to /bootbank from either an existing ESXi 6.5 Update 2 system or directly from the ISO. Please note, any future updates or patches to the ESXi host will most likely override the updated driver.
For my 1TB HP EX920 I had to downgrade to 6.7 GA driver for NVMe to get 6.7u1 to see my drive. Haven't checked 67u2, but I recond it will be the same. Maybe 67GA is the same driver as in 65u2?
It was discussed here: https://www.reddit.com/r/vmware/comments/a80r3y/issue_with_hp_nvme_drive_in_esxi/
In my experience, I had the same issue with 6.7U1 and 6.7U2 - I'm assuming its using the same driver.
6.7U1 was when they updated the driver. The 6.7GA driver seems to work fine. I really wish this was resolved, makes homelab stuff kind of a pain.
Thanks for this! I got my 1TB back!
Does somone have the issue with samsung evo nvme?
Yes, the compatibility guide for vSAN is asking for a firmware version that couldn't be found anywhere in the entire universe.
Updated the firmware of my Crucial P1 (CT1000P1SSD8) to revision P3CR013 and now the installer VMware-VMvisor-Installer-8.0b-21203435.x86_64.iso recognizes it.
Turning off "Intel Rapid Storage Technology" worked for me to get a corsair MP510 detected and working
How did you do this? I cannot get this to work.
Hello mate, thank you for this. It worked for me! I'm running ESXi on an Optiplex 7060 Micro. It managed to detect Crucial NVMe SSD CT1000P1SSD8. I now have 1 NVME and 1 SATA -- booting VMware ESXi, 6.7.0, 15160138 on a 32GB USB Thumb Drive! I you giving me the idea appreciate it.
To those wondering where can this be found -- it's in the BIOS -- I've selected AHCI under SATA operation (it was previously set to RAID ON).
Works well now.
Cheers!
I did replace nvme.v00 with the the version from 6.7.0 GA.
Now ESXi is no longer booting 🙁
Did you get this working on ESXi 6.7 Update 2? I really don't need to rebuild ESXi again.
were you able to resolve? I cant discover my datastores
I also wonder if the samsung evo 970 nvme has the same problem. I just received my adata SX8200 pro and after rolling back the driver version it works fine..but I wonder if I should go for the Samsung after all, if it wouldn't have these driver issues.
Just stumbled across this article. I literally went to best buy after reading this and purchased a Samsung 970 EVO PLUS 500GB to test on a homelab system (ASROCK X470D4U Motherboard w/ AMD 2700x CPU) running a fresh install of ESXi 6.7 U2. ESXi had no issues detecting the drive, creating datastores, and VMs etc.
replacing the nvme.00 in the /bootbank per the steps provided will PSOD. You wont be able to boot anymore with error:
Failed to verify signatures of the following vib(s): [nvme]. All tardisks validated.
I am having the exact same error. Did you mange to find a solution?
I ran into this issue with my own HP Homelab setup. I documented it here:
https://www.ovdamn.com/2019/07/not-all-nvm-drives-are-created-equal.html
It's actually funny that you mentioned it, I tweeted at William Lam about this. He updated this post to show that the issue is that his Crucial drive didn't support NVMe 1.3, however the HP EX920 is listed as supporting NVMe 1.3. I also have the 1TB version. My understanding is that the EX920 gets pretty hot, I've never seen mine go offline, but I don't do a whole ton with it.
Running 6.5U3: Samsung 970 EVO = Yes + Intel 660p 1Tb = No. After cloning 6.5U3 image profile using Web Client/Auto deploy, deselect nvme 1.2.2.28 and select nvme 1.2.1.34, then generate install ISO. Shame, 660p officially supports NVMe 1.3 too
Thank you! That helped a lot! The only image available for download was the HPE one:
https://my.vmware.com/group/vmware/details?downloadGroup=OEM-ESXI65U2-HPE&productId=614
The last firmware version of the Crucial P1 seems to fix the problem (P3CR013).
Now I can see the disk in my ESXi 6.7u3
Thanks Benoit, much easier than injecting a deprecated driver. Helped me a lot!
The workaround Pete found is good! I was going nuts trying to inject the driver into the ISO.
/bootbank is /tmp ?
inject drivers into ISO steps
download ESXi Customizer Powershell script
https://www.v-front.de/p/esxi-customizer-ps.html#download
Download NVMe 1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253 from website below; direct download VIB link also below
https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/esx/vmw/vib20/nvme/VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253.vib
https://esxi-patches.v-front.de/ESXi-6.5.0.html
Create folder C:\VM and copy ESXi650-201908001.zip and copy ESXi customizer script into it
Create folder C:\VM\pkg (this is for you VIB files
Open Powershell as Admin
Goto C:\VM and you execute the following command
.\ESXi-Customizer-PS-v2.6.0.ps1 -zip .\ESXi670-201912001.zip -pkgDir c:\VM\pkg -v67
Now download Rufus, select ISO and write to USB, boot off USB
Happy to find this!! Thank you!! Just installing it outside the ISO solved my issue. Hopefully it'll make its way back into 6.7!!
The zip file should be ESXi670-201912001.zip going into the C:\VM folder
Also, add -nsc to the command line to stop errors from doing a signature check which stops ISO from being written.
.\ESXi-Customizer-PS-v2.6.0.ps1 -zip .\ESXi670-201912001.zip -pkgDir c:\VM\pkg -v67 -nsc
Also if you have any other package .zip or .vib files, just add them to the Pkg folder and it will add them also.
After updating NVMe back to ESXi 6.5 Update 2 (1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253) driver, when starting to transfer data onto hard drive it goes inaccessible and 0 bytes
Anyone else had any luck fixing this issue
Have a Samsung 970 Pro 1TB M.2
Hi, anyone know of a 2TB NVMe that is consumer grade and doesn’t suffer from this issue with ESXi 6.7 U1 and later? Preferably not Samsung. Thanks.
I did some testing with a few M.2 SSDs I had on-hand to try to help other with this. Installing ESXi 6.7 U3b on an Intel NUC10i7FNH, I had the following results:
Samsung EVO 970 Plus (500GB)
Unknown firmware version (whatever it shipped with)
Detected, fully compatible
Corsair MP600 (1TB)
Firmware EGFM11.3 (Most recent as of 2020-03-14)
Note my test setup only supports PCIe 3.0, no idea if PCIe 4.0 impacts compatibility
Detected, fully compatible
ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (2TB)
Firmware 42A4SANA (Most recent as of 2020-03-14)
NOT detected, NOT compatible
I'm disappointed that the ADATA didn't work since the 2TB is only $269 USD and it's a really good price for performance SSD. I specifically bought it to use in this ESXi build, but I'd rather return it for a compatible one. I did install the ADATA SSD in a Windows PC and it works fine there, just not in the latest ESXi update.
I'd love to hear reports of other compatible/incompatible SSD models!
I just bought the SX8200 pro on the island.
esxi did not see 6.5 u3 and 6.7 u3.
nvme drive saw that i installed old version. but there is a problem.
I am testing hdd speed in windows or other operating system
I see 3500mb / sec write and 3400mb / sec read values.
but i installed windows vm in esxi
I did the same test.
1500mb / s read gives 1300mb / s write value.
The adata xpg s40 product did not have such a resistance problem or speed issue.
I used windows vm in esxi while using xpg s40
I saw 3500mb / s write and 3400mb / s read values.
So when the driver sees the old version, he sees the SX8200 pro on the island, but the performance is halved. 🙁
note: the servers I've tested: dell r720 and r730 and esxi 6.5u3- 6.7u3
Has anyone tried this with ESXi 7.0? I have an SX8200 installed and working with the drive rollback on 6.7U3, and am holding off on 7.0 for now because of this.
Having the same issue with XPG8200 Pro and ESXi 7. Rolled back to 6.7 U3 with older nvme drivers. I hope if there is a way to fix this :/
thanks for testing that, have the same drive. hope there will be a fix soon.
To echo Michael, thanks for trying! 🙂 To confirm, you're saying the 6.5U2 driver referenced in this fix doesn't work on 7?
yeah exactly. I tried to install older nvme drivers at ESXi 7 as I did for 6.7 U3, but once ESXi 7 rebooted, I also noticed my nics couldn't be detected. I will give it a try again this weekend with "esxcli software profile update" command William mentioned at his latest post. I'm using E200-8D by the way.
Good to know – I have the same motherboard series (X10SDV)
Still no news with 7.0 and SX8200? I'm facing same isssue.
Download ESXi 6.5 U2 Driver Rollup from my.vmware.com and copy nvme.v00 to \bootbank\nvme_pci.v00 (7.0) or \bootbank\nvme.v00 (6.7). I used SCP to do this. My SX8200 works!
I just made a request (for Adata SX8200Pro) via https://www.adata.com/en/support/online/# to add NGUID and EUI64 NVMe Identifier, just like https://www.crucial.com/support/ssd-support/p1-support
Please also make the same request to Adata. I doubt they will add.. unless lot of people use ESXi.
Did that - thanks for the hint. Though I couldn't find the sx8200 as a SSD drive on the support page.
I need help, I have installed Esxi 7.0 on NUC10i7FNH installed with CORSAIR MP510 1.9TB PCIe NVMe Performance M.2 SSD, when i go in storage adapters it is showing me unknown and performance is not as it should have to be. Please can you suggest what drivers i can use to overcome this issue ?
Did you figure this out? I find my NVME drives in my NUC10 (with ESXi 6.7 and 7.0) are being claimed by AHCI and not working well at all.
Hi,
I try to install EVO 970 plus.
in ESXi 6.7u2 don't see disks but I can see the controller(BOSS-S1), I tried the steps of old driver, but ESXi don't see them in anyway.
Any idea?
Hi,
I have a Crucial MX 300 MVNe 275 Gb drive, and it is recognized by ESXi 7.0 (displayed under Storage as a local ATA Disk). It used to hold a Windows 10 installation in the same NUC7i3BNH. I have cleared partition table in ESXi. When I attempt to create a new data store, it fails with these log entries in wmkwarnong.log:
2020-06-29T17:07:10.197Z cpu2:526150 opID=33ff0c)WARNING: Vol3:
1410: Crucial 275 GB/5efa1fbe-aee2b6c2-0645-f44d306972ed: Error initializing JB SFD: I/O error
2020-06-29T17:07:10.197Z cpu2:526150 opID=33ff0c)WARNING: Vol3:
1651: Error creating system files: I/O error
I have tried the switch of 6.5U2 driver to \bootbank\nvme_pci.v00 and restarted, however it made no difference.
I have no reason to believe the drive is faulty as it booted Win10 just fine within the past couple of weeks.
Any idea what would cause this behavior?
Had to come back and share - updated a few more of my ESXi 6.7 instances to 7 and ran into my storage drivers not showing up again. Come to find out - the nvme_pci.v00 wasn't listed in the /bootbank/boot.cfg file. (Could have been removed at some point?) I still had to reapply the old 6.5 driver (6.7 wouldn't work...) - but seemed to help out. I do think I'm getting snagged by the consumer NVME drives that I'm using - as other drives work without the workaround. Of course - sent me into a bit of a panic hoping that I could scrounge up a fix!
1. Upload the following files to esxi "/tmp" directory
VMware_bootbank_vmware-esx-esxcli-nvme-plugin_1.2.0.32-0.0.8169922.vib
VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922.vib
(Files can be download from http://221.126.249.9/nvme.7z)
2. SSH run the following commands to install 2 files:
esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/VMware_bootbank_vmware-esx-esxcli-nvme-plugin_1.2.0.32-0.0.8169922.vib
esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922.vib
3. Reboot > Done !! Enjoy 🙂
Screen Dump:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
login as: root
Keyboard-interactive authentication prompts from server:
| Password:
End of keyboard-interactive prompts from server
The time and date of this login have been sent to the system logs.
WARNING:
All commands run on the ESXi shell are logged and may be included in
support bundles. Do not provide passwords directly on the command line.
Most tools can prompt for secrets or accept them from standard input.
VMware offers supported, powerful system administration tools. Please
see http://www.vmware.com/go/sysadmintools for details.
The ESXi Shell can be disabled by an administrative user. See the
vSphere Security documentation for more information.
[root@localhost:~] esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/VMware_bootbank_vmware-es
x-esxcli-nvme-plugin_1.2.0.32-0.0.8169922.vib
Installation Result
Message: Operation finished successfully.
Reboot Required: false
VIBs Installed: VMware_bootbank_vmware-esx-esxcli-nvme-plugin_1.2.0.32-0.0.81 69922
VIBs Removed: VMware_bootbank_vmware-esx-esxcli-nvme-plugin_1.2.0.36-2.48.130 06603
VIBs Skipped:
[root@localhost:~] esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.3
4-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922.vib
Installation Result
Message: The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective.
Reboot Required: true
VIBs Installed: VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922
VIBs Removed: VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.2.28-1vmw.670.3.73.14320388
VIBs Skipped:
[root@localhost:~]
thanks for posting the VIBs and the script! I tried this on ESXi 7, but wasn't successful. It did not solve the NVMe issue, but also caused my NIC driver not to be found. After reboot, it reverted back to ESXi 7 VIB and network restored. NVME is recognized under vmhba1 adapter as "XPG SX8200 Pro PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 Solid State Drive" ,but i can't create datastore from it as it shows no disks/LUNs.
I don't know how other folks managed to make XPG 8200 to work under ESXi 7, but I've tried everything and its still not recognized.
Sadly, I can't use this NVME anymore (used to run under 6.7 in my sys-300-9D
Has anyone been able to try PNY XLR8 CS3030?
Seeking advice.
I am using ADATA XPG, and trying to patch my Lab-ESXi and run into this problem. (again)
Sadly it's my boot drive, so the patching rolls back after 2nd reboot.. (somewhat magical that it even boots up to me)
Any one has similar encounter can post a solution?
Since you're using a device that is NOT detected automatically as boot, you could try re-authoring the patch image using Image Builder (UI or CLI) to incorporate the 6.5 NVMe VIB. If not, you may need to consider installing ESXi on USB device
Thanks for replying William,
Saw this 1 hours late, i ended up installing on another drive, i will definitely look into authoring the patch image in future attempts.
I gave up, installed a old intel ssd to replace the NVME as boot drive.
I also tried ESXi 7.0 from USB earlier and it's much easier to replace nvme_pci.v00 (renamed from nvme.v00).
For anyone who comes after me who is also new, here's what i did
1. SCP to the host (you need to enable SSH on host 1st. I used WinSCP)
2. browse to bootbank and replace nvme.v00
@Webster IP:
I followed your method. That let me boot (as opposed to PSOD when I simply replaced the NVME file) but then I regressed back to "No network adapter found" (previously I created a USB stick with Intel 219LM (Jacksonville) drivers for the 10th gen Intel CPU motherboards) -- I'm guessing that last part did it:
Step 1:
[root@localhost:~] esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/VMware_bootbank_vmware-esx-esxcli-nvme-plugin_1.2.0.32-0.0.8169922.vib
Installation Result
Message: Operation finished successfully.
Reboot Required: false
VIBs Installed: VMware_bootbank_vmware-esx-esxcli-nvme-plugin_1.2.0.32-0.0.8169922
VIBs Removed: VMware_bootbank_vmware-esx-esxcli-nvme-plugin_1.2.0.37-1vmw.700.1.0.15843807
VIBs Skipped:
Step 2:
[root@localhost:~] esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922.vib
Installation Result
Message: The update completed successfully, but the system needs to be rebooted for the changes to be effective.
Reboot Required: true
VIBs Installed: VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.670.0.0.8169922
VIBs Removed: VMware_bootbank_native-misc-drivers_7.0.0-1.25.16324942
VIBs Skipped:
Does anyone have any advice for how to fix this? Yes, I can reimage the USB stick with the ISO I made, which then gives me back the NIC but I lose the NVME drivers required for my 8200 Pro. If I use this process to put the NVME drivers in the right place, I lose my ability to use my NIC. 🙁
Lenovo M80q. 10th gen Intel i7-10700T with 219LM (Jacksonville) NIC. 🙁
I tried ESXi Customizer v2.81 to do the following:
PS C:\esx> .\esxi-customizer281.ps1 .\ESXi7\ESXi-7.0b-16324942-standard.zip -pkgdir c:\esx\pkg -v70
This is ESXi-Customizer-PS Version 2.8.1 (visit https://ESXi-Customizer-PS.v-front.de for more information!)
(Call with -help for instructions)
Logging to C:\Users\X\AppData\Local\Temp\ESXi-Customizer-PS-1992.log ...
Running with PowerShell version 5.1 and VMware PowerCLI version .. build
Adding base Offline bundle .\ESXi7\ESXi-7.0b-16324942-standard.zip ... [OK]
Getting Imageprofiles, please wait ... [OK]
Using Imageprofile ESXi-7.0b-16324942-standard ...
(Dated 06/02/2020 17:26:43, AcceptanceLevel: PartnerSupported,
The general availability release of VMware ESXi Server 7.0b brings whole new levels of virtualization performance to datacenters and enterprises.)
Loading Offline bundles and VIB files from c:\esx\pkg ...
Loading C:\esx\pkg\VMW_bootbank_ne1000-intelnuc_0.8.4-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922.vib ... [OK]
Add VIB ne1000-intelnuc 0.8.4-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922 [OK, added]
Loading C:\esx\pkg\VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253.vib ... [OK]
Add VIB nvme 1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253 [OK, added]
Exporting the Imageprofile to 'C:\esx\ESXi-7.0b-16324942-standard-customized.iso'. Please be patient ...
...burning that tells me the NIC drivers cannot be found. However, if I then do exactly the same sequence, just without the NVME VIB, the NIC works great - but then, of course, the NVME VIB doesn't install, and I cannot see my SX8200 Pro.
I tried just replacing the file per the 6/13/2020 post at the top of this thread, but the machine PSOD'd at bootup - could not verify drivers, exactly what Wissam Mahmassani wrote.
The pkg directory has two files:
-a---- 7/28/2020 9:22 AM 184184 VMW_bootbank_ne1000-intelnuc_0.8.4-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922.vib
-a---- 9/12/2020 10:40 AM 87418 VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253.vib
Help!? The stated goal: Working Lenovo M80Q Tiny, which has Intel 10th gen CPU with 219LM (Jacksonville) NIC on it, and an XPG (ADATA?) SX8200 Pro in it.
But wait, there's more!
Running with PowerShell version 5.1 and VMware PowerCLI version .. build
Adding base Offline bundle .\ESXi7\ESXi-7.0b-16324942-standard.zip ... [OK]
Getting Imageprofiles, please wait ... [OK]
Using Imageprofile ESXi-7.0b-16324942-standard ...
(Dated 06/02/2020 17:26:43, AcceptanceLevel: PartnerSupported,
The general availability release of VMware ESXi Server 7.0b brings whole new levels of virtualization performance to datacenters and enterprises.)
Loading Offline bundles and VIB files from C:\esx\pkg_nic_change\ ...
Loading C:\esx\pkg_nic_change\VMW_bootbank_ne1000_0.8.4-3vmw.670.3.99.32543355.vib ... [OK]
Add VIB ne1000 0.8.4-3vmw.670.3.99.32543355 [OK, replaced 0.8.4-10vmw.700.1.0.15843807]
Loading C:\esx\pkg_nic_change\VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253.vib ... [OK]
Add VIB nvme 1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253 [OK, added]
Exporting the Imageprofile to 'C:\esx\ESXi-7.0b-16324942-standard-customized.iso'. Please be patient ...
.... same result - no NIC found.
The change this time: I used the ne1000 843 VIB (ne1000 0.8.4-3vmw.670.3.99.32543355) rather than the newer VIB (ne1000-intelnuc 0.8.4-3vmw.670.0.0.8169922). The feedback from the ESXI-Customizer tool changed a bit ([OK, added] was the old feedback when the VIB was added; this time the feedback was [OK, replaced 0.8.4-10vmw.700.1.0.15843807]) but the end result was the same - NIC not found.
🙁
I face exactly the same problem with ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro and Intel I219-V Onboard NIC. If I add ne1000 VIB, the NIC is recognized by ESXi. However, If I add ne1000 and nvme VIBs, ESXi don't recognize NIC.
I had struggled for several hours, and I gave up ESXi 7.0. Now, it works well on ESXi 6.7.
Maybe that would be the case for you as well, but after i replaced NVME.v00 in 7.0 i was still unable to get ESXi to recognize it, but was able to do it from vCenter
With regards to the ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro, ADATA have said they will never add in the missing attributes to make it fully nvme 1.3 standards compliment.
I really guess this will be my only time buying from ADATA
WelshWizard..
That's too bad. Where did you come across this declaration? Their product page does say "supports NVMe 1.3" although I guess that's different from "fully complies with".
https://www.xpg.com/en/feature/583/
I'm still on 6.7 because I don't have the time right now to handhold my 8200 Pro through another upgrade after the first round of trouble.
@Mark
I was told this by someone who asked ADATA for me, i cant really expose who told me.
https://nvmexpress.org/wp-content/uploads/NVM_Express_Revision_1.3.pdf
The controller shall specify a globally unique namespace identifier in this field or the
EUI64 field when the namespace is created. If the controller is not able to allocate a
globally unique identifier then this field shall be cleared to 0h. Refer to section 7.11.
The controller shall specify a globally unique namespace identifier in this field or the
NGUID field when the namespace is created. If the controller is not able to allocate a
globally unique 64-bit identifier then this field shall be cleared to 0h. Refer to section 7.11.
The new vSphere 7.0.1 may have issue recognizing NVMe. Did any of you encounter the issue with this release?
same problem, im on 7.0.1 and cant detect ADATA XPG SX8200 ssd's, swapping out the nvme_pci.v00 causes Purple screen of death or no network adapter found error.
Hi All,
I've taken the file from a 6.5 release (5310538) and put it into my 7.0u1 build,
But its not showing the m.2 drive. Is this a issue with the 6.5 release i'm using or possiby something with the bios?
Thanks
Or even better a way to investigate if the drive is being seen at the lowre levels?
You didn't read the article. You need to use ESXi 6.5 Update 2, any other version hasn't been verified. See https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2143832 for the specific build number if you're still having trouble.
If you suspect the device may have issues, install regular OS (Windows or Linux) and make sure its showing up or look in the BIOS to ensure M.2 interface is enabled. In some systems, you can disable it and so its possible this could be an issue
Thanks so much.
Sorry I didn't understand the difference. But your direction is very helpful as well as the links.
The SSD works with Windows, so I know it works.
Thanks so much for the help!
I have insalled esxi 7 in 128gb samsung M.2 SSD and my 2TB Adata XPG SX8200 Pro M.2 1TB SSD is not detected in storage and also while installing esxi 7
2TB M.2 SSD is shown in in esxi PCIe list and also as vmba4 but not in datastore
I have installed esxi 7 and esxi 6.7 in USB 3 and only 128gb Samsung M.2 is detecetd and not the 2TB M.2 in storage
updated the latest patch and VIb as advised in forms and still not working
any help or advise please
HP Custom ESXI 6.7u3 did not detect INTEGRAL M SERIES M.2 2280 PCIE NVME SSD 1TB, mounted on HP Z Turbo Drive G2 in HP Z840 workstation.
The solution proposed here - to use an older NVME driver helped and now the drive is fully visible allowing for datastore creation and further VMs deployment.
Cannot confirm the speed yet, as it is a fresh install and had no time to test further speed wise on the VMs.
Important bit - the older driver from 6.5u2 (taken off the DELL customised ISO, as I had that at hand) worked well.
Wow, thank you SO much for posting this! I have a Transcend 512GB 220S (NVMe) that was not being recognized by esxi 7, but 6.5 worked fine. I copied the nvme_pci file like others mentioned and it now shows up!
Folks - For those of you who have used the workaround in this blog post, would you be abler to provide me with the following information for the devices:
Vendor, Model/Make and Vendor/DeviceID?
You can retrieve the VID/DID by using ESXi Shell and running "lspci -v" and look for your storage devices
For example, here is output for my 2 x Samsung NVMe (VID=144d and DID=a808)
0000:01:00.0 Mass storage controller Non-Volatile memory controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller SM981/PM981/PM983 [vmhba1]
Class 0108: 144d:a808
--
0000:04:00.0 Mass storage controller Non-Volatile memory controller: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd NVMe SSD Controller SM981/PM981/PM983 [vmhba2]
Class 0108: 144d:a808
I reinstalled ESXi on my server during the weekend, now I'm on version 7.0 Update 2. I exchanged the nvme_pci.v00 with nvme.v00 from ESXi 6.5 Update 2 on my installation media. Now when I do lspci -v it returns
0000:0c:00.0 Mass storage controller Non-Volatile memory controller: ADATA Technology Co., Ltd. XPG SX8200 Pro PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 Solid State Drive [vmhba1]
Class 0108: 1cc1:8201
I don't know if this has todo with how I applied the vib or something with ESXi 7 but now the model and brand is displayed in a more readable form. Also running esxcli software vib list now displays:
nvme-pcie 1.2.3.11-1vmw.702.0.0.17630552 VMW VMwareCertified 2021-04-09
I know the older vib is used because I can access the device but somehow ESXi still thinks it's running the latest version, or am I not understanding how things works?
Somehow Apacer's industrial grade NVMe (PV310-M280) having the issue as well... Did the trick and it manage to show now.
0000:65:00.0 Mass storage controller Non-Volatile memory controller: Vendor 1bcd Device 0310 [vmhba3]
Class 0108: 1bcd:0310
ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro (2TB)
Firmware SS0411BB
result of running "lspci -v":
0000:0c:00.0 Mass storage controller Non-Volatile memory controller: Vendor 1cc1 Device 8201 [vmhba1]
Class 0108: 1cc1:8201
What I don't understand is that even after applying the older NVMe driver from ESXi 6.5 Update 2 running esxcli software vib list on the host still displays version 1.2.2.28-1vmw.670.3.73.14320388 but non the less it works???
0000:02:00.0 Mass storage controller Non-Volatile memory controller: Silicon Motion, Inc. Device 2263 [vmhba3]
Class 0108: 126f:2263
This is for INTEGRAL M SERIES M.2 2280 PCIE NVME SSD 1TB
For my ADATA XPG SX8200 Pro 1 TB:
0000:02:00.0 Mass storage controller Non-Volatile memory controller: Vendor 1cc1 Device 8201 [vmhba1]
Class 0108: 1cc1:8201
Confirming this works for XPG SX8200 Pro 1TB NVMe with ESXi 7.0.2 using nvme.v00 from ESXi 6.5 U2.
Hello,
I am trying to install esxi v7.0.2 and I followed your post but after replacing using nvme.v00 from ESXi 6.5 U2 my intel boots with the following error:
The system has found a problem on your machine and cannot continue. UEFI Secure Boot failed: Failed to verify signatures of the following vib(s): [nvme-pcie]. All tardisks validated.
any help?
The error is due to Secure Boot being enabled on your system and this is expected as that’s its job 🙂
Disable Secure Boot and it should work
After sucessfull drvier injection by:
esxcli software vib install -v /vmfs/volumes/yourdatastore/VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253.vib
For those who have "datastore not consumed" please add datastore from vsphere(esx) not from vcenter.
Well, for me it was totally otherway, i were unable to add datastore via ESXi, but was able to do it from vCenter
Hi, I wonder if there is anyway to enable NVMe for Crucial P2 (ie, it's rebrand Micron) on the old ESX 4.1? Seems NVMe does support ESX 4.1 according to VMWare KB https://kb.vmware.com/s/article/2030423
Sorry, but is your hardware that old that it doesn't support 6.7 or your company doesn't want to spent ~900$ for new license (well, or just update with a tiny bit of breaking EULA)?
if you need to upgrade your network card for VMware vSphere ESX 7.x then can confirm INTEL X550-T2 DUAL PORT 10GBE ETHERNET ADAPTER works fine and can do 100Mb/1GbE/2.5GbE/5GbE/10GbE
Also installed ADATA XPG SX8200 PRO 2TB M.2 NVME SSD and worked fine after copying nvme.v00 from NVMe vib (1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253)
or https://hostupdate.vmware.com/software/VUM/PRODUCTION/main/esx/vmw/vib20/nvme/VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253.vib
AND renaming to nvme_pci.v00 then you will need this down further
To get this NVMe vib as nvme.v00 you can inject the vib into ISO image, use rufus tool to write ISO to USB and overwrite the existing ESX 7 nvme_pci.v00 with this older ESX 6.5 U2 one
Follow these instructions to install VMware Powershell CLI, download Customizer powershell script
Then run cmd if you have added the above VIB in the pkgDir (package directory) below on your computer VMW_bootbank_nvme_1.2.1.34-1vmw.650.2.50.8294253.vib
.\ESXi-Customizer-PS.ps1 -v70 -pkgDir C:\ESXi-Customizer-PS-master\
Kingston 1000 GB SA2000M8/1000G is working (at least with nvme driver from 6.5).
I just RMA'd an ADATA XPG SX8200 PRO 2TB M.2 NVME and the one that came back works with no workarounds. The firmware version is 42B9T6TB.
Hello, Toshiba Kioxia XG6-P Works fine is detected by ESXI and Windows. However in order to make it boot clover is needed but not unattended, it s needed to press F3 and select it in order to boot ESXI from Clover unattended. If someone has solved this issue, please let me know.
Running ESXi 7.0U2 with custom Dell image on an R720. I bought 2 NVME SSD's to try out, Samsung EVO 970 plus and an Intel 670p. I also bought an Ableconn PEXM2-130 Dual PCIe NVMe M.2 SSDs Carrier Adapter Card that plugs into a PCIe slot. Both drives are recognized without issue in ESXi 7 without the old driver trick and completed datastore formatting. I did not see anyone mention the Intel 670p being tested and hopefully helps others as it does use a slightly different SM controller than the 660p and 665p. Hopefully I can get a Samsung 980 at some point to test also.
A fresh (not upgrade) installation of ESXi 7.0.3 19482537 recognized my existing m.2 PCIe datastore that I had created under ESXi 6.5. It's a Dell SK Hynix 1TB that was pulled from an Alienware R10 desktop. I didn't have to slipstream any drivers or copy any drivers. It just recognized it on first bootup of the fresh install.
Hi! Has someone tried this on ESXi 8.0? I have 2 Hynix BC711 drives, and they both show up but with the same namespace "t10.NVMe____BC711_NVMe_SK_hynix_512GB_______________FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF"
The automatic naming scheme does not get the serial of the drive so in the serial number both appear as "FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF". I can see both drives, one on each vmhba adapter, but ESXi thinks this is one drive with 2 paths. If I mess with the PSP and set a fixed path I can access one drive or the other.
I cannot find a way to change the name of the device, I can see both legacy devices symlinks in /vmfs/devices/disks and the symlink points to the only device shown because of the name overlap.
I've been searching but cannot find anyone who has solved the issue without swaping for a different vendor.
Tried to install the nvme driver from ESXi 6.5 (which will probably break 8.0, but it's my homelab so... no big deal), but it refuses to install even with force and no-sig-check
Can someone please make a vdo for this on youtube? @William Lam
Just wanted to add to the list of NVMe drives that are compatible with ESXi 7.0.3 I installed this drive:
SABRENT 512GB Rocket NVMe PCIe M.2 2280 Internal SSD High Performance Solid State Drive (SB-ROCKET-512)
into my HPE DL360 Gen 9 server, using a NVMe PCI adapter card:
StarTech.com M2 PCIe SSD Adapter - x4 PCIe 3.0 NVMe / AHCI / NGFF / M-Key - Low Profile and Full Profile - SSD PCIe M.2 Adapter (PEX4M2E1)
Bought both from Amazon - The drive was detected by the ESXi host without installing any drivers and I was able to create a RDM to add it to a VM without any issues.
>lscpi -v
0000:05:00.0 Mass storage controller Non-Volatile memory controller: Phison Electronics Corporation E12 NVMe Controller [vmhba1]
Class 0108: 1987:5012
Hello
This brand and model is working smoothly and very healthy. It's been 6 months.
Hypervisor: VMware ESXi, 6.7.0, 20497097
ADATA_SX8200PNP
Samsung_SSD_980_PRO_1TB
PNY_CS3140_1TB_SSD
WDC_WDS200T2B0C2D00PXH0
Corsair_MP600_CORE
Force_MP510
Samsung_SSD_970_EVO
XPG_GAMMIX_S50_Lite
XPG SX8200 Pro PCIe Gen3x4 M.2 2280 Solid State Drive
Hİ
I bought it, it will come soon, let's see if it will work 🙂
Crucial P3 2TB CT2000P3SSD8 PCIe
Hiya,
Kind of at the end of my tether here. I have two 6.1 mac pro's, bought several years apart.
One system is working and sees the internal storage, the second (newer one) does not. The new mac pro is running firmware 470.0.0.0.0.
looking at the devicxe lists, the older 6.1 is running Sata SSD, the newer is NVMe:
Old 6.1:
Vendor Id.......................................0x144d
|----Device Id.......................................0x1600
|----Sub-Vendor Id...................................0x0000
|----Sub-Device Id...................................0x0000
|----Vendor Name.....................................Samsung Inc.
|----Device Name.....................................Samsung PCIe SSD Controller
|----Device Class....................................262
|----Device Class Name...............................SATA controller
New 6.1:
Vendor Id.......................................0x144d
|----Device Id.......................................0xa804
|----Sub-Vendor Id...................................0x144d
|----Sub-Device Id...................................0xa801
|----Vendor Name.....................................Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
|----Device Name.....................................SM963 2.5" NVMe PCIe SSD
|----Device Class....................................264
|----Device Class Name...............................Non-Volatile memory controller
Any help appreciated...
Just to add, both 6.1's are running 7.0 U3. The newer 6.1 fails to detect internal SSD on esix 6.5, 6.7, 7, 8...
Hello
Crucial P3 2TB CT2000P3SSD8 PCIe
I did not make any special settings.
Hello sonymuzik,
So did you confirmed that Crucial P3 2TB CT2000P3SSD8 PCIe worked without using the workaround? Thanks.
Hello
yes directly saw
these work flawlessly.
VMware ESXi, 6.7.0, 20497097
VMware ESXi, 8.0.0, 20842819
Thansk.
Thank you sonymuzik!
If you can also test on VMware ESXi, 7.0.3, 20328353; I would really appreciate it. 🙂
Does not working with esxi 8
For ESXI 8.0 it will not work because it is compiled against VMKAPI 2.4, which have been removed. On the positive side, VMWare made the source of the driver public (https://github.com/vmware-samples/nvme) however to compile it
VMKAPI DDK is needed, which is not public.
The source may however help to find if a debug option is enough to make it work with SX8200.