Q:

Intel RAID Web Console 2 and ESXi 5

I have two ESXi servers with Intel SRCSASBB8I RAID controller.
When those server have installed ESXi 4.1 I was able to manage RAID configuration of those server using Intel RAID Web Console 2 running on Windows 7 workstation. It was possible without the need to install ANY additional software or drivers on ESXi servers (although RWC2 worked only in an old version 6.71.0100 - newer versions won't find my servers)
Recently we have upgraded to ESXi 5. RAID controllers are recognized by ESXi (on Health page) but I'm unable to use RWC2 any more (in any version, the newest one too).
Can someone confirm following things:

Did RWC2 can at all work with SRCSASBB8I controller from ESXi 5?
If yes, did it requires to install any additional software on ESXi servers (drivers from Intel, LSI Provider, etc.)? (I could just install those drivers I see what happens, but want to avoid "try and error" approach on production servers)
Are there any other means to remotely manage my RAID configuration without interrupting my VMs running on those servers?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

A:

Generally: 
You are required to install software to get RWC2 on ESXi 5.
Specifically:

Some controllers work directly with vmware's management facilities, and report disk health etc. You can check this on the health tab (or whatever it's called in recent versions) on your console.

As for the Rest...

If yes, did it requires to install any additional software on ESXi servers (drivers from Intel, LSI Provider, etc.)? (I could just install those drivers I see what happens, but want to avoid "try and error" approach on production servers)

Well, grab some old HW and test for yourself.

