no /dev/disk/by-id for scsi LUNs on VMWare ESX

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Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10

Situation

There is no link in /dev/disk/by-id for SCSI (sdx) devices.

The OS is running as a guest on VMWare ESX

Resolution

By default VMWare doesn't provide information needed by udev to generate /dev/disk/by-id.

This can be done by setting the following:

Start the vSphere Client, and log in to a vCenter Server.
Select Virtual Machines and Templates and click the Virtual Machines tab.
Right-click the virtual machine for which you are enabling the disk UUID attribute, and select Power > Power Off. (The virtual machine powers off.)
Right-click the virtual machine, and click Edit Settings.
Click the Options tab, and select the General entry in the settings column.
Click Configuration Parameters. The Configuration Parameters window appears.
Click Add Row.
In the Name column, enter disk.EnableUUID.
In the Value column, enter TRUE.
Click OK and click Save.
Power on the virtual machine.

Additional Information

This problem is also been seen on VMWare Workstation and VMWare Server. The previous mentioned settings cannot be found on these VMWare products and the problem can not be resolved.

Workaround:
Add the following to the *.vmx file for the virtual machine:
disk.EnableUUID = "TRUE"
Restart the vm machine and the /dev/disk/by-id/scsi**** should be visible.

Disclaimer

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