Tutorial: Install DSM 7.x with TinyCore RedPill (TCRP) Loader on ESXi
Introduction
This tutorial is a supplement to the main TCRP installation tutorial located here:
https://xpenology.com/forum/topic/62221-tutorial-installmigrate-to-dsm-7x-with-tinycore-redpill-tcrp-loader/
You should be familiar with all the concepts and procedures in that tutorial, and general knowledge of VMware ESXi installation and virtual machine management. The focus here is on differences between installing on baremetal (with DSM as the only OS on the NAS), and
What you have described suggests that you have set the SATA1 controller up with two ports - i.e. SataPortMap=12 and DiskIdxMap=1000 (or 100002)
With RedPill, there will always be a gap from the last SATA controller to the first HBA device. You could delete your SATA1:0 controller and attached virtual disks(s) and then rebuild the loader with SataPortMap=1 - then your HBA would start at port 2. That's the best on ESXi unless you want to passthrough a real USB flash drive and boot from that.