Command GetCapabilitiesVDS execution failed. Error: VDSRecoveringException: Failed to initialize storage

I have a functioning RHEV 3.1 environment with RHEVM on a 6.3 virtual machine and a RHEV-H 6.3 host.  I initially had local storage but have since configured the environment to use iscsi.   I can deploy virtual machines to the one RHEV H host.

I tried to bring in a RHEL 6.3 Linux host to the environment but it fails every time after the first boot. RHEVM starts spewing into engine.log:

2013-01-14 12:33:02,128 ERROR [org.ovirt.engine.core.vdsbroker.VDSCommandBase] (QuartzScheduler_Worker-58) Command GetCapabilitiesVDS execution failed. Error: VDSRecoveringException: Failed to initialize storage
2013-01-14 12:33:02,346 INFO  [org.ovirt.engine.core.bll.SetNonOperationalVdsCommand] (QuartzScheduler_Worker-49) [195801e5] Running command: SetNonOperationalVdsCommand internal: true. Entities affected :  ID: eb737b9a-5e7f-11e2-bee3-525400d12530 Type: VDS
 

At this point, the new host is placed in NON OPERATIONAL state and I can't do much with it until I stop vdsmd or reboot the node.  Then my only options are to reinstall or remove the node.

The Linux host's vdsm log file appears to complain only about being unable to run sudo without a tty in order to start ksmtuned, despite that being started automatically.  

I even get this trying to add the node to the default DC.  

Both nodes are in the same subnet - in fact both are nodes in the same blade enclosure.

I have not presented iscsi storage to the non-working node at this point.... but why should it matter?

Firewall is completely off.

Any ideas?  I'm stumped.

Rick