IBM x3850 M2 shows 8 sockets on ESXi 4.1

December 9th, 2010 by jason Leave a reply »

Working with an IBM x3850 M2, I noticed VMware ESXi 4.1 was reporting 8 processor sockets when I know this model has only 4 sockets.  It was easily noticable as I ran out of ESX host licensing prematurely.  The problem is also reported with the IBM x3950 M2 in this thread.

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Here’s the fix:  Reboot the host and flip a setting in the BIOS.

POST -> F1 -> Advanced Setup -> CPU Options -> Clustering Technology. Toggle the Clustering Technology configuration from Logical Mode to Physical Mode.

After the above change is made, sanity is restored in that ESXi 4.1 will properly see 4 sockets and licenses will be consumed appropriately.

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  1. Joe says:

    Thanks for the heads up Jason. We’re running 3850M2’s and are looking to upgrade to 4.1 ESXi next month.