I'm thinking about buying a used Dell R210 version 1 server off eBay.
I want to install VMWare ESXi on it and use the VMWare Direct Path I/O to communicate directly (bypassing the virtualization layer) with a PERC H200 SAS/SATA card that plugs into the PCIe x16 slot on the R210. Of course, I'll need a CPU with VT-d on it. I'll have one SATA drive connected to the H200 so that I can access the hard drive natively from within the VMWare VM. The other SATA drive would be connected to the SATA controller on the motherboard. I am thinking that the embedded SATA controller on the motherboard would be used by the ESXi hypervisor.
Does anyone know if the above scenario is possible?
I know that when the Dell 210 version 1 was being sold by Dell, that you were able to customize your order and choose a Dell PERC card instead of the embedded SATA controller. Does the R210 get shipped with a SATA controller regardless if the customer chose a Dell PERC card, or is the system shipped with a motherboard that does NOT have a SATA controller if the Dell PERC card is chosen?
I think I would need two different SATA controllers to make the setup above work.