Prev   Contents   Last   Next 

When you create a virtual machine with ESX Server 2.0, you can choose to create it with one or two virtual processors. In order to configure a virtual machine with more than one virtual processor, you must meet the following conditions:

• The virtual machine must be created under ESX Server 2.0. VMware does not support upgrading a virtual machine created under ESX Server 1.5.2 to ESX Server 2.0 and configuring it as a multiprocessor or ACPI virtual machine. Nor can you create a virtual machine under VMware GSX Server 2.5.1 or VMware Workstation 4.0, import it to ESX Server 2.0 and upgrade the number of virtual processors.
• You must have purchased the VMware Virtual SMP for ESX Server product and you must have created the virtual machine under ESX Server 2.0. For more information on the VMware Virtual SMP for ESX Server product, contact VMware or your authorized sales representative. Once you have the license, you install the product by entering the serial number when you configure the ESX Server system. See Configuring the ESX Server System.
• The guest operating system must support multiprocessor systems. Examples include Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000 and Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 2.1. Review the list of Supported Guest Operating Systems to see which guests are multiprocessor- or SMP-capable.
• The virtual machine cannot have more virtual processors than the ESX Server system has physical processors. Thus, to create a virtual machine with two virtual processors, the ESX Server system must have at least two physical processors.

First you must configure the virtual machine to use more than one virtual processor. Use the management interface. For instructions, see Configuring a Virtual Machine's Memory and Virtual Processors. Then follow the steps appropriate to the guest operating system below.