Failed to release machine running ESXi

[maasuser1]

I got a Supermicro machine running ESXi 8.0U2 managed by MAAS. When I `release` it, it just reboots to ESXi instead of performing PXE. i.e. MAAS failed to boot this device into the network boot mode.

[Jacopo Rota (r00ta)]

Please provide all the rackd logs and ensure the machine is properly configured to pxe first

[maasuser1 (maasuser1)]

Hi Jacopo, I understood the manual workaround. But according to IPMI 2.`0 specs:

> The system should attempt to boot from the specified device instance first. If the boot fails the system should attempt booting using the system's boot order configuration.

https://www.intel.com/content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/product-briefs/ipmi-second-gen-interface-spec-v2-rev1-1.pdf#page=416.71

I think MAAS is supposed to boot the machine into PXE env.

[Jacopo Rota (r00ta)]

what's the boot order of the machine?

[Jacopo Rota (r00ta)]

also, if the machine has been released and it's in the Ready state, if you power on the machine what you would expect to happen?

[maasuser1 (maasuser1)]

> what's the boot order of the machine?

#1: UEFI Hard Disk (ESXi)
#2: UEFI Network PXE

> if the machine has been released and it's in the Ready state, if you power on the machine what you would expect to happen?

Dry run into PXE env handled by MAAS, then shutdown.

--

My point is that when it performs the "release" process, in general, such API provided by IPMI/Redfish allows MAAS to instruct the machine to boot into the PXE env, i.e. temporary boot option override. However, this doesn't work as expected on this machine with ESXi deployed.

[Jacopo Rota (r00ta)]

> My point is that when it performs the "release" process, in general, such API provided by IPMI/Redfish allows MAAS to instruct the machine to boot into the PXE env, i.e. temporary boot option override. However, this doesn't work as expected on this machine with ESXi deployed.

This is in general a wrong expectation. By design the machines must always PXE first. MAAS will then decide what to do with the machine depending on the status of the machine.

MAAS is only changing the boot order for the hmcz power driver.

I'm marking this as invalid then

[maasuser1 (maasuser1)]

Thanks, Jacopo.
May I ask why not MAAS run IPMItool to change the boot order for IPMI-capable machines, but only process this for IBM Z?

[Jacopo Rota (r00ta)]

Because some BMC do not allow you to change the boot order with IPMI

[maasuser1 (maasuser1)]

Thank you!