This document describes a problem encountered on a Unified Computing System (UCS) platform with an E7 processor where the Open Virtualization Archive (OVA) template loads but the host does not boot.
Systems that run a UCS platform with an E7 processor sometimes experience a problem where the host fails to boot after the OVA template loads. This failure produces this error message:
An error was received from the ESX host while powering on VM VaderServer1.
Failed to power on VM.
Could not power on VM : CPU min outside valid range.
Group host/user: Invalid CPU allocation requested for VM vmm0:VaderServer1.
(min: 5060 mhz, max: -1, minLimit: -1, shares: -3)
In Release 8.6(2) and later, Central Processor Unit (CPU) reservations are contained in the OVA. CPU reservation numbers are based on the Xeon 7500 processor which, when run on the E7 processor, are higher than the cycles available on a virtual CPU. Lab tests have determined that the 2.4 GHz E7 processor has the same performance as a 2.53 GHz Xeon 7500 processor; therefore, you can manually change the reservation numbers for 5,000, 10,000, or 20,000 deployment options on a virtual machine that runs on an E7 processor.