VMware

Lab Manager 2.5 Release Notes

Notes on VMware Lab Manager 2.5, Build 405

The release notes contain these topics:

For the latest and in-depth information on the product, see the online Lab Manager 2.5 documentation set at http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/labmanager_pubs.html.

What's New in This Release?

Review these key new features for Lab Manager 2.5 since the 2.4 release:

Prior to Lab Manager 2.5 Beta:
  • Support for ESX Server 3.0.2. Lab Manager also continues to support ESX Server 3.0.1.
  • Support for 64-bit guest operating systems. See the guest operating system matrix in the VMware Lab Manager User's Guide.
  • Broader platform support for guest operating systems. See the guest operating system matrix in the VMware Lab Manager User's Guide.
  • SMP support. Lab Manager supports virtual machines with multiple CPUs.
  • Support for NFS storage as both virtual machine and media storage. Previously, NFS storage could only serve as media storage.
  • Automated server pool cleanup. You can automate undeploy and delete operations.
  • Managed Server maintenance mode. You can redeploy all virtual machines on a Managed Server system to other Managed Server systems.
  • Storage maintenance tools. Lab Manager provides a graphic and tabular view of disk space usage to support maintenance of datastore content. From one location, you can perform various operations at the virtual machine level and assess disk space that would become available if you delete a virtual machine and its "hidden" internal nodes.
  • Support for Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 and ASP.NET version 2.0.5.727.
After Lab Manager 2.5 Beta:
  • Support for Firefox. You can access the Lab Manager Web console with Firefox. See the client operating system and browser matrix in the VMware Lab Manager User's Guide.
  • DHCP IP address allocation. If you do not want to use a static IP address for a virtual machine, you can specify dynamic IP address allocation.
  • LDAP groups. You can limit the users of Lab Manager to a specific set of LDAP users.
  • Email notification. Administrators can send email to administrators, users without administrator privileges, and users with deployed virtual machines.
  • Undeploy options. You can save or discard the state of virtual machines during an undeploy operation.
  • Delete options. The Force Delete option allows you to delete published templates after a Managed Server system failure.
  • Deployed machines of a specific Managed Server system. From the Managed Servers page, you can navigate to the deployed virtual machines of a specific system.
  • User quota access. Users without administrator privileges can see the number of virtual machines you are allowed to deploy and store.
  • Online help. Context-sensitive online help is available in the Lab Manager Web console.
  • Support for ESX Server with Japanese language packs.

Requirements

For details on all requirements and procedures to set up the product, see the VMware Lab Manager Installation Guide. Make sure to review the hardware compatibility list for ESX Server 3.0.1 and 3.0.2 at http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vi_pubs.html. ESX Server 3.0.2 might not yet be available but will be supported by Lab Manager 2.5.

Upgrading Lab Manager

To upgrade Lab Manager from version 2.4 or an earlier stage of 2.5, see the VMware Lab Manager Installation Guide.

Resolved Issues

These issues and workarounds existed in Lab Manager 2.4 or Lab Manager 2.5 Beta and are now fixed:

Bug 131273 Resolved: If you see a script error regarding the ImportSSLCert.vbs file (Error 0x80004100E Code 8004100E), reinstall IIS.


Bug 134950 Resolved: If you uninstall Lab Manager Server, uninstall MSDE, and then reinstall Lab Manager Server, you might see an error regarding the C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$VLM\Data directory. To address this error, navigate to the directory noted in the error message, delete LabManager.mdf and LabManager_log.LDF, and reinstall Lab Manager.


Bug 158355 Resolved: All supported versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 (SLES) require a reboot the first time you create a Workspace virtual machine from a template.


Bug 158820 Resolved: For templates and Workspace configurations, a bug in the deployment lease feature exists. Lab Manager does not save the value of the deployment lease time that is supposed to start at deploy time. This issue might cause Lab Manager to automatically undeploy the template or configuration earlier than anticipated. This problem only occurs if an administrator explicitly changes the system-wide default lease time (in the Resource Cleanup tab of the Lab Manager administrator settings page) from Never to 90 days or less. The shorter the default lease time, the more acute the problem becomes. VMware recommends against changing the default deployment lease management options for templates or Workspace configurations.

Known Issues and Bugs

Review these bugs:

Bug 154419: Configurations based on 64-bit Microsoft 2003 and XP Templates Require Manual Logon

If you deploy configurations that use 64-bit versions of Windows 2003 and Windows XP guest operating systems, autologin does not work because of an issue with the LM Tools utility.

The workaround involves manually logging on to the system to allow LM Tools to operate properly.


Bug 166759: DHCP IP Address Allocation on Virtual Machine Running Windows NT 4.0 Fails

If you base a configuration on a Windows NT 4.0 SP6 template published with a static IP setting, and you select the DHCP IP address allocation option for a virtual machine in that configuration, Windows NT keeps the static IP setting of the template rather than the DHCP setting of the virtual machine.


Bug 167325: Lab Manager Cannot Recognize Changes to the VMkernel Network Configuration

If you make a change to the VMkernel network, such as adding or removing the VMkernel, Lab Manager might take up to five minutes (the default refresh period configured in the Lab Manager Web console) to notice the change. Errors might occur if you attempt operations before the refresh period.

If you need Lab Manager to become alert to the change earlier than the refresh period, restart the VMware LM Monitor service.


Bug 172561: Managed Server Systems with ESX Server 3.0.2 do not support .vfd Floppy Files

If you use ESX Server 3.0.2 on a Managed Server system, you cannot use the .vfd floppy format for media files.

The workaround involves renaming the file to .flp.


Bug 175907: Upgrading Lab Manager Server on a System with Multiple NICs Fails

If you upgrade Lab Manager Server on a machine with two or more NICS that have static IP addresses, the installer might generate error 1720.

The workaround involves disabling all NICs not associated with the current Lab Manager installation. The only active NIC left on the system must be the one with the IP address used by Lab Manager.


Review these Knowledge Base articles:

Reverting from a Snapshot Fails to Capture the Earlier Change in RAM (KB 1001475)
Uninstalling Lab Manager 2.4 and Reinstalling Managed Server Agent Software Generates NFS Datastore Error (KB 1001477)
Running Lab Manager Virtual Machines in a Domain (KB 1001491)
Changing the IP Address of a Managed Server System in a Lab Manager Environment (KB 1360208)
Lack of Network Connectivity Might Generate Errors During Import and Export Operations (KB 2116375)
LM Tools with SIDgen Fails on Windows 2000 With Mac Services (KB 2855541)
SIDgen Generates Error Because Of Account Access to Folders (KB 4369788)
Changing the IP Address of the Lab Manager Server (Moving the Lab Manager Installation) (KB 6310337)
Latency Disparity Slows Down Virtual Machine Console in Lab Manager (KB 6557579)
Accessing the Lab Manager Web Console on a Machine Running Vista Generates Error (KB 7802162)

You can also search for all Lab Manager KB articles. Choose VMware Lab Manager in the Product menu to narrow down the search process.