VMware ESXi Installation, Drivers and Troubleshooting FAQ

Archived Inspur VMware ESXi 5.x/6.0 FAQ covering installation, older OEM licensing, driver packages, selected hardware/CPU cases and log collection. The English account/licensing figures are clean reconstructions with personal information, passwords, activation material and license keys omitted. They illustrate the historical My VMware workflow, not the current Broadcom portal.

1. ESXi 5.0 installer: Fatal error 32 or 4

The OEM describes Fatal error: 32 (Syntax) and Fatal error: 4 (Unsupported) during installation. Its actual figure shows an empty command line followed by error 32.

Original English installer figure: Command line is empty; Fatal error 32 (Syntax). Error 4 is mentioned in the source text, not shown here.

For this specific ESXi 5.0 installation-media case, the OEM suggests booting the optical medium through a non-UEFI entry. Match the supported installation image, firmware and target boot scheme before changing anything. This is not a statement that all ESXi releases require Legacy mode: section 8 describes a different NF8470M3 case using UEFI.

The source cites historical VMware KB 2007475. Its old endpoint could not be verified during this review; the workaround remains attributed to the archived OEM case.

2. ESXi 5.0: Level 1 TLB machine-check case

The archived symptom is Machine Check Exception: Level 1 TLB Error, with a PCPU/world identifier in the PSOD or dump. The source associates its case with an Intel VT-x Flexpriority issue and identifies ESXi 5.0 Express Patch 5, build 1117897, as its workaround; it also discusses the corresponding platform microcode/BIOS update.

This preserves the OEM’s historical patch reference, not a diagnosis of every TLB machine check or a current supported-update recommendation. Confirm the actual CPU, firmware, ESXi build and diagnostic evidence against the applicable vendor guidance. Do not infer that every ESXi version numerically below that build is affected, or that installing an old patch resolves unrelated hardware machine checks.

3. Archived OEM activation and license-combination workflow

The following stages explain the old My VMware / Inspur OEM process. Account registration, an OEM partner activation code and the final product license were different steps. The source’s old URLs and account material are not required to follow these illustrations.

Register and verify your own account

Historical account entry reconstruction: blank login fields and the Register path; no source account information.

Clean registration reconstruction using user@example.invalid and Example Organization; secret and personal fields are empty, agreement unchecked.

Historical email-verification notice reconstruction; the example address is illustrative and no message was actually sent.

Schematic account-activation email content, not a literal email-client capture; verification address and token are omitted.

Historical account-activation password prompt reconstructed with an empty field.

Illustrative empty account overview; this is not proof of a product entitlement or deployed server.

Redeem the authorized OEM entitlement

The source then signs in through the OEM activation entry, supplies its own partner activation code and receives the applicable product-license information. The historical form allowed multiple codes; this is not a claim about the current portal. A registration confirmation alone does not activate a product.

Historical Inspur OEM activation entry reconstruction: existing-account login or registration; no default credentials.

Partner activation-code entry reconstruction: both activation-code and comment areas are empty.

Generic entitlement-document illustration replacing unreadable sensitive source material; no actual form or activation information is reproduced.

Historical activation-confirmation illustration; no actual account or product was activated during document preparation.

Locate and combine eligible legacy keys

The source account had one-CPU legacy licenses and illustrates combining appropriate quantities. That is not a general rule that every VMware license covers one socket, that every multisocket host requires this action, or that CPU/socket units describe current licensing. Check the actual product, version, edition, entitlement, required permissions and applicable licensing terms. The simplified two-row selection below is separate from the preceding 16-CPU account-total example.

Illustrative account overview highlighting License Keys; customer identifiers and order details are omitted.

Historical Combine License Keys action for vSphere 5 Enterprise Plus; 16 CPU(s) is an archived source-account example.

Simplified two-row selection example: Key A and Key B are redacted references, one CPU each; the source shows a larger account.

Illustrative review stage with acknowledgment unchecked and Confirm disabled; review the real warning before any intended operation.

Illustrative two-CPU combined result with the new key omitted; quantities are examples and no license operation was performed.

For the current portal, consult Broadcom’s English license-key merge procedure. Its eligibility, permissions and contract requirements differ from this archived portal; combining keys creates a new key rather than retaining the old ones. The figures here must not be used as the current interface or authorization to perform a license change.

4. Archived RAID-driver integration with ESXi-Customizer

The OEM attaches ESXi-Customizer v2.7.2 archives labelled for Win7 and Win10. The tool author’s English page explicitly says the old tool does not work on Windows 10 and has been unsupported since August 2015. An OEM filename is not proof that its modified package is verified or supported. The author describes ESXi 4.1/5.x input media, not a universal current ESXi image-building tool.

English Explorer localization: ESXi-Customizer.cmd is outlined; the tools folder remains selected. This is the extracted historical tool directory.

In the archived workflow, launch the script, select the correct ESXi ISO and compatible customization package, then select a local NTFS working directory. The source illustrates a VIB driver package; compatibility with the actual controller, firmware and ESXi build still needs verification.

Original English ESXi-Customizer GUI: ISO and customization inputs are empty, Force repacking selected, automatic update check unchecked and Run disabled.

The OEM asks to clear the update-check checkbox, whereas the author’s archived instructions encourage update checks. This is a documented difference, not a requirement to disable update checks on other tools. The pictured Run button is disabled because inputs are empty; the figure does not show a generated ISO or a validated installation.

5. ESXi 6.0 HBA/NIC driver-package example

Identify the exact adapter and OEM variant, then use the hardware vendor’s verified download channel and the package release notes. For the source QLogic example, the current official entry is Marvell Public Driver Downloads. The navigation illustration replaces the source’s general web-search screenshot; its adapter icon is schematic rather than a QLE2692 hardware drawing.

English official-source navigation illustration; current Marvell layout and supported versions may differ from the archived QLogic example.

Original English QLogic selector: Fibre Channel Adapters, QLE2692 and VMware ESXi are selected.

Original English archived results: ESXi 6.x driver 2.1.53.0-1 and ESXi 5.5 driver 1.1.73.0-1; boot-code upgrade 01.01.59 is a separate package type.

The 6.x row lists ESXi 6.0 U1/U2 and 6.5 in its description. These historical numbers are not latest-version recommendations and do not establish compatibility with every ESXi build. Do not substitute the Boot Code flash kit for the OS driver.

The source uses remote SSH access to upload and install a package. For that method, locate the intended host in the legacy client, then Security Profile → Services → Properties. An appropriately authorized local installation method may not require SSH.

English Service Properties localization: SSH selected and Stopped; Options is highlighted.

English SSH options localization: Stopped, manual startup policy selected, Start highlighted; Stop and Restart disabled.

If remote access is required, start it only for the intended administration scope and restore the required access policy afterward. The screenshots show the state before Start, not a successful SSH connection. Use the approved secure file-transfer method for the host; the source’s generic “FTP tool” wording does not establish that an FTP service is present or needed.

After identifying and staging the verified package, the source uses this command form. Replace the placeholder with the actual applicable file; it is not a package supplied by this document:

esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/verified-driver-package.vib

Inspect the package requirements, host maintenance/workload plan and installer output, including any restart requirement. No driver, host or access setting was changed during translation.

6. LSI RAID / megasas_isr PSOD case on ESXi 5.x

The source backtrace includes _raw_spin_failed and megasas_isr in a legacy LSI RAID-driver case. It recommends the applicable RAID driver at version 6.506.51.00.1 or a later compatible fix and cites VMware KB 2037763. The old KB endpoint was not verifiable during this review.

Treat that as an archived case reference. A megasas_isr frame alone does not identify every root cause, and “higher version” is not a compatibility rule across controllers or ESXi releases. Match the exact adapter, OEM support matrix, firmware and ESXi build before planning any driver change.

7. ESXi 5.x E1000PollRxRing / E1000DevRx PSOD case

The source describes a purple diagnostic screen with E1000PollRxRing and E1000DevRx frames and lists ESXi 5.5 Update 1, ESXi 5.1 Update 2 and ESXi 5.0 patch ESXi500-201401001 as its historical fixed releases. These references were not independently revalidated against a retrievable current official KB and are retained as the OEM’s case-specific information, not a recommendation to install obsolete media.

The source’s alternative is to use a VMXNET3 virtual adapter when the guest and environment support it. Confirm the guest driver/VMware Tools prerequisites, port group, addressing and change plan first; changing adapter type can interrupt connectivity or alter the guest’s device configuration.

English virtual-NIC wizard: VMXNET 3 selected, VM Network 2, Port Not available and Connect at power on checked; no adapter-addition success is shown.

8. NF8470M3 cannot boot after ESXi 5.1/5.5 installation

The OEM describes a blinking cursor after installation on NF8470M3. Its workaround is to use the intended UEFI boot scheme and place the UEFI OS disk entry first. Verify that this matches the installed system; a boot-mode change can prevent an existing installation from booting. This is a different platform/media case from section 1.

Original English NF8470M3 BIOS example: UEFI highlighted in Boot mode select.

Original English BIOS Boot Option #1 menu: Hard Disk:UEFI OS highlighted; this is a selection screen, not proof the change was saved.

9. NF5280M4 with two NVIDIA GRID K1/K2 GPUs: Xorg case

The source reports failure to start Xorg with two GRID K1/K2 cards while one K1 works. Its case-specific BIOS settings are Advanced → PCI Subsystem Settings → Above 4G Decoding = Enabled and Chipset → CommonConfiguration → MMIOHBase = 2T. Confirm the exact supported GPU, firmware and virtualization configuration; these are not universal values for other GPU models.

Original English console status: /etc/init.d/xorg status reports Xorg is running. This alone does not verify two working GPUs or assigned workloads.

10. Cluster / EVC operation reports missing CPU features

The source error asks to inspect BIOS settings for the CPU features needed by the cluster’s EVC mode. Check the actual CPU capability and cluster baseline as well as configuration; the dialog alone does not identify one BIOS switch as the cause.

English EVC error localization; the displayed historical KB references are 1003212 and 1034926.

For the source dual-socket M4 family, inspect the required XD, VT/VMX, AES and related settings according to its firmware guidance. Hyper-Threading is included in the OEM’s settings figure; it is not equivalent to every listed EVC feature. Do not enable unrelated settings merely because they appear nearby.

Original English M4 BIOS: Hyper Threading, VMX, Execute Disable Bit and AES-NI Enabled; Intel TXT and SMX Disabled. The source does not ask to enable all entries.

The OEM additionally notes a Monitor/Mwait default change for its general-purpose dual-socket M4 machines produced after April 8, 2017. Its older BIOS path is Chipset → Advance Power Management Configuration → CPU C State Control → Monitor/Mwait Support; the newer path is Chipset → Power/Performance Configuration → Monitor/Mwait Support. Verify the actual model/BIOS and required behavior before applying that case advice.

Monitor/Mwait relates to processor idle/power-management behavior; enabling it is not simply enabling whole-server sleep. The source pairs its setting with reviewing the ESXi High Performance policy. This is an archived configuration case, not a universal performance or energy policy.

English power-management summary: active policy Balanced; Properties is highlighted.

English Edit Power Policy settings: High Performance selected. The figure does not show the setting applied.

11. Collect system logs with the legacy vSphere Client

1. Connect to the intended vCenter Server and choose Administration → Export System Logs. The following four English illustrations simplify the background inventory and replace customer names with examples; they retain the controls relevant to collection.

English Administration → Export System Logs illustration; background inventory and some telemetry are illustrative, not a verified record of a customer system.

2. Select the intended hosts. The OEM’s example requests host-only evidence and asks to clear Include information from vCenter Server and vSphere Client. Choose the actual required support scope; vCenter information may be needed for a different investigation. The screenshot still has the box checked, with an annotation describing the next action.

English Source stage: hosts selected; Include information from vCenter Server and vSphere Client is still checked before the annotated action.

3. Review the available log categories and any warning before proceeding. The source says host 192.168.2.106 cannot export individual system logs, so all logs from that host will be exported. The checked category list is not proof that every selected host supports individual filtering. Collect performance data is unchecked; the disabled duration/interval values are 300 / 5 seconds.

English Select System Logs stage: unsupported individual-log export warning preserved; categories checked and performance-data collection unchecked. Background inventory is schematic.

4. Select a writable destination with sufficient space; E:\ is only the source example. Review the remaining wizard steps, run the intended collection and verify the actual exported bundle. A disconnected host in the tree is not proof that its logs were retrieved.

English Download Location stage: E:\ example destination; customer names are omitted. No completed-export screen is present.

English sources and figure scope

No corresponding complete English OEM FAQ or same-version English screenshot set was verified. Original already-English figures are retained; Chinese interfaces are localized, and sensitive account/license stages are reconstructed without their source bitmaps. Current official references are supplementary and are not represented as old-interface equivalents. No installer, account, entitlement, driver, BIOS, VM network, power policy or log-export operation was performed while preparing this article.