Re: ReadyNAS does not boot internal M.2 SATA drive
This concludes my adventure with 628X. Here are my findings:
1. My favored option is still the native ReadyNAS OS with local repository.
2. Working alternative is the Xpenology 7.1.1. It is very easy to convert and runs flawlessly. You need a video output which is fairly cheap to accomplish and it is only one time setup: disable the internal USB boot and set the external USB as default.
I was able to install esxi to the HDD, but after every reboot, cirtual machines will disappear. I did not play further after a couple of attempts. I don’t think it is viable if you can not boot from the M.2 drive.
That is bit too much for technically for me. More importantly, I think the best use case is still ReadyNAS OS. To implement anything other than ReadyNAS OS, you can use much cheaper hardware. for a couple of hundred dollars, you can get an older used PC, small form factor if you wish, to install either Xpenology or ESXi. For ESXi, there are capable mini PCs as well. I turned my Lenovo P300 into a powerful Xpenology. (with a E3-1241 v3 CPU and cheap RAMs)
I will leave the ReadyNAS as it is. It is fun to explore. Excellent piece of hardware! those glowing LEDs are beautiful.
Re: ReadyNAS does not boot internal M.2 SATA drive
Re: the M.2 drive, after booting into the ESXi installation USB drive, the M.2 drive is not in there as a possible target for installation. So the ESXi does not detect the M.2. Does this mean you can not chain load the M.2 at all?
I understand bootable and accessible is not the same thing. BIOS controls whether a drive is bootable. Even if it is not bootable, it should still be accessible. You can still install on the drive, it just won't boot from it.
This is exactly the case with my Lenovo P300. I could install ESXi to the NVME drive, but I could not boot from it.
