Troubles with VMware ESXi

[brittnib0]

Hi,

I'm using VMware ESXi 7.x and connecting to VMs using the Remote Console (VM is running on a remote server, and the USB devices are connected locally in a Windows desktop). My virtual machines are configured to use USB 2.0 and the memory stick that I want to boot is connected using a USB 2.0 HUB (to overcome USB 3.x troubles).

Here my experience:

- When using UEFI mode in the BIOS of the VM, then the last version of PBM6-EFI (pbm6-efi-20230206.zip) doesn't boot. However, the ancient version pbm6-efi-20221104.zip boots. You can check it at https://www.plop.at/en/pbm6/blog.html searching for the "2022-11-04  -  PBM6 - EFI: ISO fix" and "The ISO did not work under VMware. It is fixed now." I don't know why this ancient version is fixed but not the current release. Any reason for it?

- When using BIOS mode in the VM, the PLOP boot manager boots, but the USB devices aren't detected. This is true with any version (including pbm6-20240301.zip). If I boot any LiveCD with the same configuration in the VM all USB drives are detected. However, the PLOP never display any of them. But it does in EFI mode with the same VM configuration. Any idea to fix this?

I really apreciate the effort of the developer of PLOP. This tool is impresive. And I hope you will continue improving it. But IMHO the ESXi support is a very valuable functionality, and now is partially broken. So, please fix it. Thank you.

Regards.

[cloakedboing]

I agree with you. Everything works quite well but there are often errors, I don't know if it's due to my browser or it

[linnetmoan]

This seems like not a bad experience. Thank you for sharing useful information.

geometry dash online

[troubleban]

I agree with you. Everything works quite well but there are often errors, I don't know if it's due to my browser or it dinosaur game

You can test by trying another browser or try the same browser on another device. Then you can know if it is your browser error or not.

[tynsa]

The problem where pbm6-efi-20230206.zip does not boot under UEFI, but pbm6-efi-20221104.zip does, seems related to how VMware ESXi handles ISO images and EFI bootloaders. As noted on the Plop Boot Manager (PBM) blog, the 2022-11-04 version fixed a known issue where the ISO did not work with VMware. However, it seems that this fix may not have been carried over to later versions, or there could be a regression in the newer PBM6-EFI versions.

backrooms

[jackjohn]

Hi,

I'm using VMware ESXi 7.x and connecting to VMs using the Remote Console (VM is running on a remote server, and the USB devices are connected locally in a Windows desktop). My virtual machines are configured to use USB 2.0 and the memory stick that I want to boot is connected using a USB 2.0 HUB (to overcome USB 3.x troubles).

Here my experience:

- When using UEFI mode in the BIOS of the VM, then the last version of PBM6-EFI (pbm6-efi-20230206.zip) doesn't boot. However, the ancient version pbm6-efi-20221104.zip boots. You can check it at https://www.plop.at/en/pbm6/blog.html searching for the "2022-11-04  -  PBM6 - EFI: ISO fix" and "The ISO did not work under VMware. It is fixed now." I don't know why this ancient version is fixed but not the current release. Any reason for it?

- When using BIOS mode in the VM, the PLOP boot manager boots, but the USB devices aren't detected. This is true with any version (including block breaker pbm6-20240301.zip). If I boot any LiveCD with the same configuration in the VM all USB drives are detected. However, the PLOP never display any of them. But it does in EFI mode with the same VM configuration. Any idea to fix this?

I really apreciate the effort of the developer of PLOP. This tool is impresive. And I hope you will continue improving it. But IMHO the ESXi support is a very valuable functionality, and now is partially broken. So, please fix it. Thank you.

Regards.

First off, welcome to the forum! It sounds like you're having quite the adventure with VMware and PLOP. It's a bummer that the latest version of PBM6-EFI isn't playing nice with your setup. Sometimes newer isn't always better, right?
As for the BIOS mode issue, it's a bit of a head-scratcher that the USB devices aren't showing up. A couple of things you might wanna try:
Check USB Compatibility: Make sure your USB settings in the VM are correctly configured. Sometimes toggling between USB 2.0 and 3.0 can help, even if you're using a hub.
VMware Tools: Ensure that VMware Tools is up to date in your VM. It can sometimes help with hardware recognition issues.
Try Different USB Ports: If you haven't already, plug your USB stick into different ports on your hub. Sometimes the port itself can be the culprit.
PLOP Settings: Dive into the PLOP settings and see if there's an option for USB device detection that needs to be enabled.
It's great to see you appreciate the work the PLOP devs are doing! Hopefully, they'll get the ESXi support sorted out soon. Keep us posted on your progress!