So ive come across a werid issue in my new test system (just a test setup, esxi 6.5u2 , host only, no vCenter):
I have a 2.5" p3700 nvme disk attached to my supermicro x10 based system (its direct attached via a sm riser card= AOC-2UR8N4-i2XT , which has 4x nvme ports , which goes to a sm nvme backplane, i dont think this HW is relevant though).
I had been running the system great for about 2 weeks, i had a datastore created direct on the nvme disk with several VMs running from it.
Yesterday my power flickered and when it came back my nvme data store was gone, and under storage->adaptors the nvme "hba" wouldnt show up I tried removing and reinserting the nvme disk, trying a different nvme bay, shutdown/rebooting host a few times. nothing.
However, this entire time i could see the disk via gui, manage->HW->PCI devices (see image) and also via ssh LSPCI:
0000:08:00.0 Mass storage controller: Intel Corporation DC P3700 SSD [2.5" SFF]
assuming the flash was fried or something, i boot the sys into a ubuntu live CD, and under the disks utility, there is the p3700 disk, with its proper 1.6tb VMFS partition intact.
I then update/patch from 6.5U2 (may2018) to 6.5u2 (latest patches ~ nov1 2018). Reboot, still no nvme show up.
I happened to attach a random sata disk (to a MB sata port), format it as a datastore (VMFS), then reboot, and BOOM the nvme datastore is back! if i remove the sata disk, reboot (so that the nvme is the only attached disk appear to esxi), the NVMe again wont appear!
So it seems that as long as i have some kind of other disk attached, my nvme appears properly.
Any ideas what this is about?
thanks!