After installing the nVidia graphics cards on an ESXi 5.x host, the Xorg service fails to start
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After installing the nVidia graphics cards on an ESXi 5.x host, the Xorg service fails to start

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Article ID: 328828

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Updated On:

Products

VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

After installing the nVidia VIB on your ESXi host as per Installing and configuring the NVIDIA VIB on ESXi (2033434), you experience these issues:

  • The Xorg service fails to start on the ESXi host
  • Running the /etc/init.d/xorg start command fails to start the Xorg service
  • In the /var/log/Xorg.log file, there are no entries from the time the service was started


Cause

This issue can be caused by the hardware presented to the host and may occur if the nVidia graphics card used in the ESXi host is unsupported. For more information, see the VMware Compatibility Guide.

Resolution

If the nVidia card is supported in ESXi 5.5, confirm that the NVIDIA module is being loaded:
  1. Connect to the ESXi host using SSH. For more information, see Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.x (1017910).
  2. Run this command:

    grep -A 10 -i "Loading module nvidia" /var/log/vmkernel.log

    You must see an output similar to:

    2013-11-15T13:13:11.727Z cpu5:9641)Loading module nvidia ...
    2013-11-15T13:13:11.737Z cpu5:9641)Elf: 1852: module nvidia has license NVIDIA
    2013-11-15T13:13:11.882Z cpu5:9641)module heap: Initial heap size: 8388608, max heap size: 68476928
    2013-11-15T13:13:12.135Z cpu5:9641)Mod: 4485: Initialization of nvidia succeeded with module ID 80.
    2013-11-15T13:13:12.135Z cpu5:9641)nvidia loaded successfully.

If the module is loaded, confirm that the NVIDIA device is presented on the ESXi host:
  1. Connect to the ESXi host using SSH. For more information, see Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.x (1017910).
  2. Run this command:

    esxcli hardware pci list –c 0x0300 –m 0xf

    You see an output similar to:
000:001:00.0
Address: 000:001:00.0
Segment: 0x0000
Bus: 0x01
Slot: 0x00
Function: 0x00
VMkernel Name:
Vendor Name: NVIDIA Corporation
Device Name: NVIDIAQuadro 6000WHITE PAPER / 28
Virtual Machine Graphics Acceleration
Deployment Guide
Configured Owner: Unknown
Current Owner: VMkernel
Vendor ID: 0x10de
Device ID: 0x0df8
SubVendor ID: 0x103c
SubDevice ID: 0x0835
Device Class: 0x0300
Device Class Name: VGA compatible controller
Programming Interface: 0x00
Revision ID: 0xa1
Interrupt Line: 0x0b
IRQ: 11
Interrupt Vector: 0x78
PCI Pin: 0x69
Spawned Bus: 0x00
Flags: 0x0201
Module ID: 71
Module Name: nvidia
Chassis: 0
Physical Slot: 1
Slot Description:
Passthru Capable: true
Parent Device: PCI 0:0:1:0
Dependent Device: PCI 0:0:1:0
Reset Method: Bridge reset
FPT Sharable: true


If the Module Name is different than nvidia, the graphics card may not be presenting properly on the ESXi host, which results in the Xorg service failing to start.

To work around this issue, try these options in the order specified:
  1. Reload the NVIDIA VIB on the affected ESXi host. For more information on reloading the VIB, see Installing and configuring the NVIDIA VIB on ESXi (2033434).
  2. Disable the 64-bit PCI Resource Allocation option (sometimes referred to as PCIe 64-Bit Resource) through the UEFI/BIOS of the ESXi host. For instructions to disable this option, consult your hardware vendor.
  3. Confirm that the ESXi host is at the latest BIOS level per the hardware vendor.
  4. Confirm from the third party hardware vendor that there are no advisories regarding the affected nVidia graphics card.

If this does not resolve the issue, open a Support Request with VMware for further assistance and investigation. For more information, see Filing a Support Request in Customer Connect (2006985).


Additional Information


Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1, ESXi 5.x, and ESXi 6.x
How to file a Support Request in Customer Connect
Installing and configuring the NVIDIA VIB on ESXi
nVidia グラフィックカードを ESXi 5.1/5.5 ホストにインストール後、Xorg サービスが起動に失敗する