New in Version 1.5.2
- Improved performance for workloads with large numbers of processes such
as Citrix Metaframe or Microsoft Terminal Services. This support is enabled
by a new configuration variable.Upgrading from ESX Server 1.5 to ESX Server 1.5.2.
- Enhanced integration with HP Insight Manager and Dell OpenManage. Storage
devices shared between the VMkernel and the console operating system are now
visible to these management agents.
- Updated drivers for HP SmartArray, IBM ServeRAID, DAC960, fibre HBAs and
Intel Gigabit Ethernet adapters.
- Patches for all known security vulnerabilities, including patches for
latent vulnerabilities.
- (Patch 5 only) Patches to OpenSSH version 3.5p1, which addresses a CERT advisory for a buffer management vulnerability in the version of OpenSSH included with ESX Server. Details on this advisory are available
at: http://www.cert.org/advisories/CA-2003-24.html
- Support for Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 2.1 as a guest operating system.
- (Patch 5 only) Support for
SuSE Linux 8.1 ,
SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 , and
Windows 2000 - Service Pack 4
as guest operating systems.
- (Patch 3 and 4, and 5 only)
Microsoft Windows Server 2003,
SuSE Linux 8.0, and
Red Hat Linux 8.0 as guest operating systems.
Technical Notes
Installation Notes
Configuration Notes
Guest Operating System Notes
Operation Notes
Support Requests
Before Upgrading to ESX Server 1.5.2
There are a few steps you should take before you install ESX Server 1.5.2
to ensure the best possible upgrade experience.
Resume and shut down suspended virtual machines
If you plan to use virtual machines created under a previous version of
ESX Server, be sure they have been shut down completely before you upgrade.
If the virtual machine is suspended, resume it in the earlier release,
shut down the guest operating system, then power off the virtual machine.
If you attempt to resume a virtual machine that was suspended under a
different VMware product or a different version of ESX Server, a message
gives you the choice of discarding or keeping the file that stores the
suspended state. To recover the suspended state, you must click Keep,
then resume the virtual machine under the correct VMware product. If you
click Discard, you can power on normally, but the suspended state
is lost.
Commit or discard changes to undoable disks
If you plan to use existing virtual machines that have undoable disks,
commit or discard any changes to the virtual disks before you remove the
release you used to create them.
Resume or power on the virtual machine in the earlier release, shut down
the guest operating system, power off the virtual machine and either
commit or discard changes to the undoable disk when prompted.
Back up virtual machines
As a precaution, back up the virtual machine files -- including the
.dsk and .cfg files -- for any existing virtual
machines you plan to migrate to ESX Server 1.5.2.
Upgrading from ESX Server 1.5, 1.5.1 or a Prerelease Version of 1.5.2 to
ESX Server 1.5.2
To upgrade from ESX Server 1.5, 1.5.1 or a prerelease version of 1.5.2 to
ESX Server 1.5.2, use the installation CD-ROM. This is the CD you received
from VMware or the CD you created from the ISO image file you downloaded
from the VMware site. Or use the upgrade-only tar archive you downloaded
from the VMware site.
|
Caution: The instructions in this section
apply only if you are upgrading from ESX Server 1.5, 1.5.1 or a prerelease
version of 1.5.2 to ESX Server 1.5.2.
If you are upgrading from ESX Server 1.0 or
ESX Server 1.1, see the appropriate set of
instructions below.
|
After upgrading your system, review the warnings log file. You can view it
from the VMware Management Interface. Log in to the management interface as
the root user. Click Configure System. Then, in the Server Management
section of the page, click Log File Viewer and open the warnings
file. If you see any lines that begin with SysAlert, check the VMware
Knowledge Base or contact your support representative for information on
how to correct the problem.
Manual Steps to Upgrade from ESX Server 1.5, 1.5.1 or a Prerelease
Version of 1.5.2 to ESX Server 1.5.2
If you experience any problems with the upgrade script, you can upgrade
manually by following the steps below.
- Reboot the machine and choose linux at the LILO prompt.
- Insert the VMware ESX Server CD and run the following commands to
update the ESX Server software.
mount /mnt/cdrom
rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMnix-*.rpm
rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/VMware-esx-*.rpm
cd /tmp
cp /mnt/cdrom/VMware-mui-*.tar.gz .
tar xzf VMware-mui-*.tar.gz
umount /mnt/cdrom
cd /tmp/vmware-mui-distrib
./vmware-install.pl
- Reboot the system by typing reboot.
- When the system reboots, go to the configuration pages at
http://<hostname>/vmware/config
Go to the Configuration Settings page and click Save Options. ESX
Server is configured and the VMkernel is loaded. ESX
Server is now fully upgraded. You may also want to look at the other
settings (NIC, security, etc.) to make sure that they still have
appropriate values.
After upgrading your system, review the warnings log file. You can view it
from the VMware Management Interface. Log in to the management interface as
the root user. Click Configure System. Then, in the Server Management
section of the page, click Log File Viewer and open the warnings
file. If you see any lines that begin with SysAlert, check the VMware
Knowledge Base or contact your support representative for information on
how to correct the problem.
Upgrading from ESX Server 1.1 to ESX Server 1.5.2
To upgrade from ESX Server 1.1 to ESX Server 1.5.2, use the installation
CD-ROM.
- Insert the VMware ESX Server installation CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive.
- Reboot the computer.
- At the first installer screen, choose Upgrade from ESX Server
1.0/1.1.
- You are asked if you have a driver disk provided by VMware for a
device that is not handled by drivers in this release of VMware ESX Server.
Choose No and continue with the installation.
- If you do not have enough swap space for the new console operating
system, the installer asks you where to place a new swap file. Accept
the default location unless you have a specific reason for using a
different one.
- The installer upgrades your VMware ESX Server installation.
- When the upgrade completes and displays the final screen, reboot.
The machine keeps the device allocations that you previously set up.
- After it reboots, from your management workstation use a supported
Web browser and go to:
http://<hostname>/vmware/config
- Log in as root, then go to the Network Configuration
(Configure System > Network Configuration) and Security Settings
(Configure System > Security Settings) pages to ensure that the
current settings are appropriate.
Go to the Boot Configuration page (Configure System > Update Boot Configuration
> Edit) and adjust the amount of memory allocated to the console operating system.
Change the number to 128MB for managing up to three or four virtual machines.
Increase this to 192MB for eight virtual machines, 272MB for 16 virtual machines,
384MB for 32 virtual machines or 512MB for more than 32 virtual machines.
After upgrading your system, review the warnings log file. You can view it
from the VMware Management Interface. Log in to the management interface as
the root user. Click Configure System. Then, in the Server Management
section of the page, click Log File Viewer and open the warnings
file. If you see any lines that begin with SysAlert, check the VMware
Knowledge Base or contact your support representative for information on
how to correct the problem.
Upgrading from ESX Server 1.0 to ESX Server 1.5.2
To upgrade from ESX Server 1.0 to ESX Server 1.5.2, use the installation
CD-ROM.
- Insert the installation CD into the server’s CD-ROM drive.
- Reboot the computer.
- At the first installer screen, choose Upgrade from ESX Server
1.0/1.1.
- You are asked if you have a driver disk provided by VMware for a
device that is not handled by drivers in this release of VMware ESX Server.
Choose No and continue with the installation.
- If you do not have enough swap space for the new console operating
system, the installer asks you where to place a new swap file. Accept
the default location unless you have a specific reason for using a
different one.
- The installer upgrades your VMware ESX Server installation.
- When the upgrade completes and displays the final screen, run the
Setup Wizard. From your management workstation use a
supported Web browser and go to:
http://<hostname>/
- Log in as root, then start the wizard by clicking the Setup
Wizard link at the top of the page. Each page of the wizard includes
instructions for the actions you need to take there.
On the Boot Configuration page, adjust the amount of memory allocated
to the console operating system. Change the number to 128MB for managing
up to three or four virtual machines. Increase this to 192MB for eight
virtual machines, 272MB for 16 virtual machines, 384MB for 32 virtual
machines or 512MB for more than 32 virtual machines.
Be sure to enter
your new serial number at the appropriate page.
After upgrading your system, review the warnings log file. You can view it
from the VMware Management Interface. Log in to the management interface as
the root user. Click Configure System. Then, in the Server Management
section of the page, click Log File Viewer and open the warnings
file. If you see any lines that begin with SysAlert, check the VMware
Knowledge Base or contact your support representative for information on
how to correct the problem.
Security Updates in Version 1.5.2
All known security issues have been addressed in version 1.5.2.
Security auditing procedures based solely on version numbers may indicate
a few issues, even though those issues have been addressed. The following
packages are affected:
- glibc 2.2.4-30 - Red Hat patch has been applied but does not change
the version number - fixes a buffer overflow in the
resolver; a buffer overflow in the XDR decoder; a buffer overflow vulnerability
in the way the glibc resolver handles the resolution of network names and
addresses via DNS; a bug in the glibc-compat packages, which provide
compatibility for applications compiled against glibc version 2.0.x; and an
overflowable buffer that exists in earlier versions of glibc glob(3)
implementation (the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures project
[http://cve.mitre.org]
has assigned the name CAN-2001-0886 to this issue)
- wuftpd 2.6.1-20 - Red Hat patch has been applied but does not change
the version number - fixes an overflowable buffer
Avoiding Interrupt Conflicts that Sometimes Block Installation
In some hardware configurations, installation of the ESX Server software
fails because devices do not properly share interrupts. Commonly, this is
an issue only during installation. Once the software is installed and
configured, some of the contending devices are assigned for use by virtual
machines and there is no longer a conflict between devices used by the ESX
Server console operating system.
To work around the problem so you can install and configure ESX Server,
use a special boot option when the system first boots from the installation
CD.
When the boot: prompt appears, enter esx apic at the prompt.
This enables APIC mode, which bypasses the interrupt conflict problem and
allows you to proceed with installation and configuration of the system.
Note: Immediately after you finish installing the software, log in
to the server with a Web browser and configure the system. You must not
reboot the system before you begin configuration. During configuration, be
sure to assign appropriate devices for use by virtual machines.
If device conflicts persist, you must identify the contending devices and
resolve the conflicts in some other way, such as removing devices or
installing them in different slots on the bus.
To view a list of the console operating system IRQs and devices, at the
server's keyboard press Alt-F2 to switch to a command console, then enter
cat /proc/interrupts.
Installing VMware ESX Server 1.5.2 on a 16-way IBM xSeries 440
To install and configure ESX Server, use a special boot option when the
system first boots from the installation
CD.
When the boot: prompt appears, enter esx apic at the prompt.
This enables APIC mode, which allows you to proceed with installation and
configuration of the system.
Note: Immediately after you finish installing the software, log in
to the server with a Web browser and configure the system. You must not
reboot the system before you begin configuration. During configuration, be
sure to assign appropriate devices for use by virtual machines.
All of the devices located in the secondary node or in Lookout units must be
assigned for use only by virtual machines. Devices in the primary node may
be used by the console operating system or by virtual machines or may be
shared.
For detailed instructions for installing on a 16-way IBM xSeries 440, see
the following page on the IBM Web site:
http://www-1.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=psg1MIGR-44890
Installing VMware ESX Server 1.5.2 on a HP ProLiant DL760 G2 Server
If you are installing VMware ESX Server 1.5.2 on a HP ProLiant DL760 G2 server, you
may see an incorrect message, stating memory controllers are not supported by the console operating
system. (ESX Server is performing a compatibility test on storage and network controllers.
However, it is compatible with all memory controllers.)
The incorrect message is similar to the following, and appears early in the
installation process:
In the Unknown PCI devices screen:
| Bus |
Slot |
Func |
VenId |
DevId |
SubvenId |
SubdevId |
Class |
| 00 |
01 |
0 |
0e11 |
b200 |
0ell |
002 |
Memory Controller |
| 00 |
01 |
1 |
0e11 |
b200 |
0ell |
b200 |
Memory Controller |
Ignore any messages you see in this screen about memory controllers and continue with
your installation.
Installing HP Insight Management Agents on the Console Operating System
ESX Server 1.5.2 provides a script for installing the HP Insight Management Agents
on the console operating system. To install the software, follow these steps:
Download the HP RPMS files listed below from the following location.
ftp://ftp.compaq.com/pub/products/servers/supportsoftware/linux/redhat/
- cmafdtn-6.00.0-6.i386.rpm
- cmanic-6.00.0-2.i386.rpm
- cmastor-6.00.0-3.i386.rpm
- cmasvr-6.00.0-4.i386.rpm
- cpqhealth-3.2.0-6.Redhat7_3.i386.rpm
- ucd-snmp-4.2.3-1.7.2.3cmaX.2.i386.rpm
- ucd-snmp-utils-4.2.3-1.7.2.3cmaX.2.i386.rpm
Copy these seven files to a directory of your choice on the console
operating system of the computer where you want to install the HP Insight
Management Agents. This example assumes you have copied the files to a
directory named /download.
Log on to the console operating system as the root user and change
to the /download directory.
cd /download
Run the installation script.
/usr/sbin/cmasetup.sh install
Reboot the computer when the script tells you to do so.
Installing Dell OpenManage 3.2 on the Console Operating System
Before installing the Dell OpenManage software on the ESX Server console
operating system, you must install some additional files as described below.
To install OpenManage 3.2, you need
- Your ESX Server 1.5 or ESX Server 1.5.x installation CD
- If you upgraded an ESX Server 1.5 or 1.5.1 installation to 1.5.2, the files
from the tar archive used for the upgrade
- The Dell OpenManage 3.2 installation CD
- Log in to the console operating system as root.
- Insert the ESX Server 1.5 or 1.5.x CD in the CD-ROM drive and mount it.
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
- Change to the directory where the RPM files are stored.
cd /mnt/cdrom/RedHat/RPMS
- Install the kernel source files from the CD.
rpm -ivh kernel-source-2.4.9-13.i386.rpm
- If you are using an ESX Server 1.5.2 CD, perform the next step
from the same directory. If you upgraded an ESX Server 1.5 or 1.5.1
installation, change to the directory where you unpacked the upgrade files.
- Force install the support files needed to run OpenManage.
rpm -ivh --force VMware-openmanagesupport-0.1-2.i386.rpm
- Eject the ESX Server CD.
eject cdrom
- Insert the Dell OpenManage 3.2 CD.
- Follow the Dell instructions for installing OpenManage 3.2.
Dell OpenManage can detect devices that are shared between the console
operating system and virtual machines, run diagnostic tests on them and, in
general, perform most operations it can on any console operating system
device. OpenManage cannot detect devices assigned exclusively for use by
virtual machines.
Note: If you want to use both the Dell OpenManage SNMP agent and the
standard ESX Server SNMP daemon on the same server, you must configure the
ESX Server daemon so it does not use the default port (161/UDP). To do so,
take the following steps:
- Log in to the console operating system as the root user.
- Find a UDP port lower than 1024 that is not already in use. All ports
that are already assigned are listed in /etc/services.
- In a text editor, open the file /etc/rc.d/init.d/vmware-snmpd.
Find the line that begins with OPTIONS=. Inside the quotation marks
that follow, add a space and -p <PORTNUM> where <PORTNUM>
is the number of the port you want the ESX Server SNMP daemon to use. For
example, if you want to use port 560 and the OPTIONS line currently
is
OPTIONS="-C -c $CONFFILE -P $PIDFILE"
change it to
OPTIONS="-C -c $CONFFILE -P $PIDFILE -p 560"
Using Fibre Channel Adapters with a SAN
Disks on a SAN seen through a Fibre Channel adapter are often displayed first in the
installer and may cause confusion when the ESX Server installer is installing
the server console on the boot disk.
Ensure that all Fibre Channel adapters (QLogic or Emulex) are NOT attached to the SAN.
Dedicate Fibre Channel Adapters to Virtual Machines
Fibre Channel storage adapters must be assigned for use exclusively by virtual
machines. They cannot be shared by virtual machines and the console operating
system.
If you attempt to share a QLogic or Emulex Fibre Channel storage adapter,
ESX Server may fail to boot.
Configuring Network Speed and Duplex Settings
When you use the VMware Management Interface to configure network settings
for the Ethernet adapters assigned to virtual machines, you now see the
actual speed and duplex settings for each adapter. If the adapter is configured
to Autonegotiate, these settings are those automatically negotiated by the
adapter. If these settings are not appropriate, choose the settings you want
from the drop-down list under Configured Speed/Duplex, then click
Update Network Configuration.
Configuring a Virtual Machine for Use with Citrix MetaFrame XP
If you are using a Windows 2000 virtual machine as a MetaFrame XP server,
be sure you are using FR1 or FR2, then take the steps described below.
If you are running MetaFrame XP in a Windows NT virtual machine, no
special steps are needed.
- Apply Citrix hotfix XE102W014.
For a download link and instructions
on applying the hotfix, go to the Citrix Web site (http://www.citrix.com),
navigate to the support section and search for XE102W014.
- Manually add a line to the virtual machine's configuration file. At
the top of the Edit Configuration page, click Use Text Editor, then
add the following line:
workload="TerminalServices"
Click Save Changes to save the configuration file.
For additional information on performance tuning, see article ID 869 in the VMware knowledge base.
Configuring a Virtual Machine for Use with Microsoft Windows Terminal Services
If you are using a Windows 2000 virtual machine as a Microsoft Windows Terminal
Services server, you should make one change to the virtual machine's
configuration file.
Manually add a line to the virtual machine's configuration file. At
the top of the Edit Configuration page, click Use Text Editor, then
add the following line:
workload="TerminalServices"
Click Save Changes to save the configuration file.
When to Use VMFS Accessibility Options of Public or Shared
When configuring a VMFS file system -- either during initial system
configuration or afterwards, using the VMware Management Interface -- you
specify a setting for VMFS accessibility. The options are:
- Private -- used for any VMFS partition that is accessible only from one
ESX Server computer.
- Public -- makes the VMFS partition available to multiple physical servers
and to virtual machines on those servers, but only to a single server at a
time (see the note below).
- Shared -- intended for failover-based clustering among virtual machines
on multiple ESX Server computers.
Note: If you set the VMFS accessibility to Public or Shared, the VMFS
file system is not automatically mounted under /vmfs on the console
operating system. This change in behavior is intended to avoid conflict,
since at most one ESX Server machine can access a particular VMFS file system
at a time. However, on any particular host, you can mount the VMFS on
/vmfs via an explicit command if no other host is currently
accessing that VMFS. For example, to mount the VMFS at vmhba1:2:0:1,
execute this command on the console operating system as the super-user:
mount-vmfs vmhba1:2:0:1
To attempt to mount all VMFS file systems, regardless of whether they are
configured as Shared, Public or Private, execute this command:
mount-vmfs -f
Removing Disk Partitions Using Expert Mode fdisk
Be careful about removing a disk partition in the Expert Mode
Fdisk section of the Edit Disk Partitions configuration page.
If you choose to delete a partition using expert mode fdisk, be careful to
remove partitions in reverse order of their listing.
That is, you should not delete a partition if there is another partition
still following it on the disk.
There is a known issue in VMware ESX Server if you delete a partition when
there is another partition still following it on the disk. When you delete
a partition, the starting sector of the following partition may be incorrectly
changed. This makes the data in that second partition inaccessible. If the
following partition is a VMFS partition, the VMFS files in that partition
become inaccessible.
If this problem arises, re-create the deleted partition immediately -- before
making any further changes to the partition table. When the deleted partition
is re-created, the partition following it is again completely accessible.
Using IBM FAStT Disk Arrays
An IBM FAStT disk array sometimes returns vendor-specific status codes
that ESX Server interprets as errors. These status codes are temporary --
indicating, for example, that the firmware has been upgraded or that the
battery for the disk cache needs to be charged.
ESX Server, in its default configuration, may interpret these status codes
to mean that a LUN exists but is not accessible.
You avoid this problem by setting a special ESX Server 1.5.2 configuration
option. Log in to the management interface as the root user, click Configure
System, then click VMkernel Configuration. Find the option
DiskRetryUnitAttention and enable it.
When this option is enabled, ESX Server automatically retries SCSI commands
when these vendor-specific status codes are received.
Editing the vmware-devices.map.local File
The /etc/vmware/vmware-devices.map file contains a list of devices
supported by ESX Server. This release includes support for a local version of
this file,
/etc/vmware/vmware-devices.map.local.
Modify the vmware-devices.map.local to select different device drivers.
This file is not modified during an ESX Server upgrade, preserving your customizations.
The vmware-devices.map.local is read when the VMkernel is loaded:
- Any changes to the vmware-devices.map.local file
require a reboot, or at least an unload/reload of the VMkernel to take effect.
- Entries in the vmware-devices.map.local files are used in addition to the entries
in the vmware-devices.map file. The vmware-devices.map.local file does
not need to mirror the vmware-devices.map file.
- Any vmware-devices.map.local file entries that correspond
to the vmware-devices.map
file entries supercede the vmware-devices.map file entries.
Using Failover Support in New Drivers for QLogic Storage Adapters
This release includes two new drivers for QLogic SANblade Fibre Channel
adapters.
- qla2200.o -- supports 2200 series adapters
- qla2300.o -- supports 2300 series adapters
A failover configuration using these drivers on ESX Server 1.5.2 has the
following characteristics:
- Failover is supported only on two adapters, where the second is a
failover adapter for the first one.
- The two adapters in the failover configuration must use the same driver.
That is, both must be 2200 series adapters or both must be 2300 series
adapters. You cannot use one 2200 series adapter and one 2300 series adapter.
- The two cards must see exactly the same targets.
- Load balancing is not supported; the second adapter is not used unless
the first one fails.
- The new drivers automatically provide failover support. No manual
configuration is needed.
- For the IBM ESS and FAStT disk arrays, you can have a maximum of
2 connections from the switch to the storage device. For other disk arrays,
you can have only 1 connection to the storage device.
You need the failover driver only if you need the failover function
(supported only with two 2200 series adapters or two 2300 series adapters).
Note: If you need one of the failover drivers for any of your adapters
for any reason, you should not use it together with the default qla2x00
driver. You must use the new drivers entirely or not at all, except as
described in the following note.
Note: As the new drivers do not support 2100 series adapters, you
cannot assign a 2100 series adapter for use by virtual machines and
simultaneously use the new driver for 2200 or 2300 series adapters
assigned to virtual machines. You can, however, assign a 2100 series adapter
for use only by the console operating system, then use the new driver for
2200 or 2300 series adapters assigned exclusively for use by virtual
machines. To do so, use the management interface to allocate the 2100 series
adapter to the console operating system and the other adapters to the virtual
machines before installing the failover drivers as described below.
Take the following steps to install the failover drivers:
If you installed more than one adapter that you intend to use in the
failover configuration, do not connect a cable to the second adapter during
the ESX Server software installation or steps 2-5 below. You should attach
the cable just before or during rebooting in step 6 below.
Log in to the VMware Management Interface as root, click Configure
System, then click Allocate Devices. Be sure the adapters are
assigned for use only by the virtual machines. If you make any changes,
click Save Configuration.
Use a text editor on the console operating system to edit (or create,
if it does not already exist) the
/etc/vmware/vmware-devices.map.local file. Add these lines:
device,0x1077,0x2200,vmhba,QLA2200,qla2200.o
device,0x1077,0x2300,vmhba,QLA2300,qla2300.o
device,0x1077,0x2312,vmhba,QLA2300,qla2300.o
Save the file.
Use the management interface to allocate all QLogic 2200 or 2300
series adapters for use by virtual machines. (Click Configure System,
then Allocate Devices.)
Be sure to click Save Configuration even if nothing changed.
Reboot the system. If you have extra adapters for failover, you can
attach the cables for these adapters now -- just before or during the
reboot.
To verify that the adapters' links to the SAN are up, check the LEDs
on the SAN device. For details, see the documentation for your SAN device.
To verify that the failover configuration is working properly,
initiate activity in a virtual machine that will read from or write to
the storage devices for a period of time, then disconnect the cable from
the first adapter. The second adapter should pick up the data transfer
after a very brief delay. The virtual machine will see I/O errors when
the cable is disconnected, and the virtual machine may stop responding to
input such as mouse movement for about 5 seconds. No disk or network data
is lost during this timeout, and data transfers will resume after the second
adapter becomes active.
The following guest operating systems have been tested by VMware and are
supported in failover configurations:
- Supported Windows 2000 guests with Service Pack 2
- Supported Windows NT 4.0 guests with Service Pack 6a
Using the Recommended Failover Drivers for IBM TotalStorage Enterprise
Storage Server (Shark) Systems
If you are using QLogic storage adapters with IBM TotalStorage Enterprise
Storage Server (Shark) systems in failover configurations, you should use a
special driver for the QLogic adapter.
Take the following steps to install the recommended failover drivers:
If you installed more than one adapter that you intend to use in the
failover configuration, do not connect a cable to the second adapter during
the ESX Server software installation or steps 2-5 below. You should attach
the cable just before or during rebooting in step 6 below.
Log in to the VMware Management Interface as root, click Configure
System, then click Allocate Devices. Be sure the adapters are
assigned for use only by the virtual machines. If you make any changes,
click Save Configuration.
Use a text editor on the console operating system to edit (or create,
if it does not already exist) the
/etc/vmware/vmware-devices.map.local file. Add these lines:
device,0x1077,0x2200,vmhba,QLA2200,qla2xxx/qla2200.o
device,0x1077,0x2300,vmhba,QLA2300,qla2xxx/qla2300.o
device,0x1077,0x2312,vmhba,QLA2300,qla2xxx/qla2300.o
Save the file.
Use the management interface to allocate all QLogic 2200 or 2300
series adapters for use by virtual machines. (Click Configure System,
then Allocate Devices.)
Be sure to click Save Configuration even if nothing changed.
Reboot the system. If you have extra adapters for failover, you can
attach the cables for these adapters now -- just before or during the
reboot.
To verify that the adapters' links to the SAN are up, check the LEDs
on the SAN device. For details, see the documentation for your SAN device.
To verify that the failover configuration is working properly,
initiate activity in a virtual machine that will read from or write to
the storage devices for a period of time, then disconnect the cable from
the first adapter. The second adapter should pick up the data transfer
after a very brief delay. The virtual machine will see I/O errors when
the cable is disconnected, and the virtual machine may stop responding to
input such as mouse movement for about 5 seconds. No disk or network data
is lost during this timeout, and data transfers will resume after the second
adapter becomes active.
Note: The MUI may issue a warning (even after you installed the failover driver):
Missing qla2xxx/qla2300.o module.
Because this driver is needed to load a SCSI or RAID adapter, you may not be able
to use some disks until this module is loaded. To load this module
manually, type at the shell prompt:
'/usr/sbin/vmkload_mod' /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/qla2xxx/qla2300.o vmhba
The following guest operating systems have been tested by VMware and are
supported in failover configurations:
- Supported Windows 2000 guests with Service Pack 2
- Supported Windows NT 4.0 guests with Service Pack 6a
IBM FAStT and "Shark" BIOS settings
If you are using an IBM FAStT or "Shark" storage adapter in a failover
configuration with ESX Server 1.5.2, you should change one setting in the
adapter's BIOS.
Change the value of Port Down Retry Count to 8.
Using New Drivers for Smart Array Storage Controllers
ESX Server 1.5.2 installs updated drivers for a number of Smart Array storage
controllers, used in ProLiant servers from HP and Compaq.
The cciss driver supports Smart Array 5i, Smart Array 5i+, Smart
Array 532, Smart Array 5300 and Smart Array 5312 controllers, including the
Smart Array 5302 and Smart Array 5304.
The cpqarray driver supports the Smart Array 431, Smart Array 4200,
Smart Array 4250ES, RAID LC2, Smart Array 221, Smart Array 3200, Smart Array
3100ES, Smart Array 2P, Smart Array 2SL and Integrated Smart Array controllers.
Under ESX Server, these drivers can be used for disk drive arrays; however,
adding and deleting logical volumes on the fly are not supported. The drivers
cannot be used with tape drives.
Setting Options that Control the Scanning of LUNs
There are two VMkernel configuration options that affect the way ESX Server
scans for individual LUNs on disk arrays.
To change these settings, log in to the management interface for the server
and click Configure System. On the VMware ESX Server
Configuration page, click VMkernel Configuration. On the
VMkernel Configuration page, look for the DiskMaxLUN option.
The range of LUNs scanned is 0 to DiskMaxLUN-1. The default
value is 8, but you may want to change it to something like 128 if you
have high-numbered LUNs. To change the value, click the
current value.
Also, look for the DiskSupportSparseLUN option. The default value is 0,
which means that scanning for LUNs on a particular devices stops when
the current LUN being scanned is not found. If you change the
value to 1, scanning for LUNs will always continue to DiskMaxLUN-1
on each device, even if there are missing LUNs during the scanning.
These options can significantly increase the time for starting up the
VMkernel during boot, because much more scanning for LUNs is required. You
should therefore use "sparse scanning" only if necessary, and you
should set DiskMaxLUN to be only as large as is needed to see all the
LUNs required.
Disk Error Messages on Windows Guests in a Clustering Configuration
When Windows virtual machines are configured in a clustering setup
(for example, using MSCS), some disk errors are recorded in the Windows event
log in normal operation. These error messages have a format similar to
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Scsi\BusLogic3
They should be reported periodically only on the passive node of the cluster
and should also be reported when the passive node is taking over during a
failover. The errors are reported because the active node of the cluster has
reserved the shared virtual disk. The passive node periodically probes the
shared disk and receives a SCSI reservation conflict error.
For more details on setting up clustering with ESX Server, see the
technical note Configuration for Clustering
(PDF format).
Adding More than Six SCSI Virtual Disks to a Virtual Machine
You can add up to six virtual SCSI disks to a virtual machine using the
VMware Management Interface. To do so, log in to the management interface
as a user with rights to configure the virtual machine, click the link
under the virtual machine's name, then click Edit VM Configuration.
Make the settings you want, then scroll to the bottom of the page and
click Save Changes.
To add more than six disks, you must edit the virtual machine's configuration
file by hand. At the top of the Edit Configuration page, click Use Text
Editor. Device ID 7 is used by the SCSI controller, so you cannot use
that ID for a virtual disk. For each disk you want to add from ID 8 through
ID 15, take the following steps.
- Scroll down to the section headed SCSI devices.
- Add a three-line entry in the following format:
scsi0:8.present = "TRUE"
scsi0:8.name = "<vmfsname>:<diskfilename>.dsk"
scsi0:8.mode = "persistent"
In these entries, scsi0 refers to the first SCSI controller and
8 is the device ID. The value of scsi0:8.mode can be
persistent, undoable, nonpersistent or
append.
- Click Save Changes.
Using a Physical Disk in a Virtual Machine
In some configurations, you may want to give a virtual machine direct access
to a physical disk partition, rather than using a virtual disk stored as a
file on a VMFS. This can be useful, for example, if the virtual machine needs
shared access to data stored on a physical disk.
In order for the virtual machine to access a physical disk, you must manually
edit the configuration file. This example assumes that the virtual machine's
first disk is a virtual disk and you are adding the physical disk as the
second disk.
- Log in to the VMware Management Interface as the user who will own the
virtual machine.
- Click the name of the virtual machine to which you want to add the
physical disk.
- Click Edit Configuration.
- Click Use Text Editor.
- Scroll down to the ### Ethernet Devices section and add the
following lines above it:
scsi1.present = "TRUE"
scsi1.virtualDev = "vmxbuslogic"
# This is one disk on the virtual machine mapped directly
# to a physical disk.
scsi1:1.present = "TRUE"
scsi1:1.name = "vmhba0:0:4:0"
scsi1:1.mode = "persistent"
Here, scsi1:1.name = vmhba0:0:4:0 means that the virtual disk is
actually the entire physical disk (LUN) at LUN 4, target 0 on adapter vmhba0.
The final :0 indicates that you are specifying the entire disk,
rather than a particular partition.
- Click Save Changes.
Forcing Network Adapters on the Console Operating System to Use Full Duplex Mode
If the network adapter being used by the console operating system is not
running in full duplex mode and you want to force it into that mode, you can
do so by adding the appropriate parameters to the file /etc/modules.conf.
If you want to load the module manually, note that insmod does not
read /etc/modules.conf, so you need to use modprobe to pick
up parameters specified in that file. Always specify the module name (such
as 3c59x) -- not the alias (such as eth0) -- on an options line.
Sample options lines:
Force the first 3c59x card to 100Full.
options 3c59x full_duplex=1 options=4
Force the first acenic card to 1000Full.
options acenic=0x242
Force the first bcm5700 card to 1000Full.
options bcm5700 line_speed=1000 auto_speed=0 full_duplex=1
Force the first e100 card to 100Full.
options e100 e100_speed_duplex=4
Force the first e1000 card to 1000Full.
options e1000 Speed=1000 Duplex=2
Using Parallel Ports in a Virtual Machine
To connect the virtual machine's first parallel port (LPT1) to the physical
computer's first parallel port, take the following steps:
Reboot the physical computer and enter the BIOS setup. Typically, you
do so by pressing F2 or Delete while the machine is booting. Find the
parallel port mode setting and set it to PS/2. (The typical choices are AT
and PS/2.) If PS/2 is not available as an option, set it to bidirectional.
Log on to the console operating system as root and enter the
following commands:
/sbin/insmod parport
/sbin/insmod parport_pc
/sbin/insmod ppdev
Type lsmod and confirm that these modules are in the listing of
loaded modules.
To make these changes permanent, add the three lines shown above to the end
of the file /etc/rc.d/rc.local.
Be sure the virtual machine is shut down and powered off, then add
the following lines to the virtual machine's configuration (.cfg)
file:
parallel0.present = TRUE
parallel0.fileName = "/dev/parport0"
parallel0.bidirectional = TRUE
Be sure the virtual machine is using virtual hardware version 6.
Look for the following line in the configuration file:
config.version = 6
This line should already be present in the configuration file for any virtual
machine created with ESX Server 1.5.x. If the virtual machine was created under
a previous version of ESX Server and has not already been updated, add the
config.version = 6 line to the configuration file.
Note: When the virtual machine starts after you
update the virtual hardware version, you see a dialog box with the message
"The CMOS of this virtual machine is incompatible with the current version
of VMware ESX Server. A new CMOS with default values will be used instead."
Click OK. As the virtual machine starts, the guest operating system
may detect new virtual hardware and install drivers for it. Respond to any
messages as you would if upgrading the hardware on a physical computer.
Start the virtual machine using the remote console. As it starts to
boot, click inside the remote console window, then press F2 to enter the virtual
machine's BIOS setup. Go to the Advanced I/O Device Configuration section and
configure the parallel port mode for the virtual machine to bidirectional.
Now your virtual machine can use a dongle or other parallel port device.
Note: As you start the virtual machine, you may see a message
warning that the parallel port is starting disconnected. If you do,
connect to the virtual machine with a remote console and use the remote
console's Devices menu to connect the parallel port.
Note: Only one operating system can be connected to the parallel port
at one time. You cannot configure more than one virtual machine to use a
particular parallel port at a given time.
Using Serial Ports in a Virtual Machine
To connect the virtual machine's first serial port (COM1) to the
physical computer's first serial port, edit the virtual machine's
configuration file. You may do so using the text editor in
the VMware Management Interface or a text editor on the console operating
system.
Be sure the virtual machine is shut down and powered off, then add the
following lines to the configuration file:
serial0.present = true
serial0.fileType = "device"
serial0.fileName = "/dev/ttyS0"
When you power on the virtual machine, you can configure the serial port in
the guest operating system.
When the virtual machine is running, you can use the Devices menu on
the remote console to connect and disconnect its serial port.
You may also control whether the virtual machine starts with its serial port
connected to the physical computer's serial port. To set the first serial
port so it is connected when the virtual machine starts, add the following
line to the configuration file:
serial0.startConnected = true
To reconfigure the virtual machine so it starts with the first serial port
disconnected, either remove the line or change it to:
serial0.startConnected = false
Note: Only one operating system can be connected to the serial port
at one time. You cannot configure more than one virtual machine to use a
particular serial port at a given time.
To use additional serial ports, use a higher number in the lines you add
to the configuration file.
Changing the number after serial affects the serial port that is
available inside the virtual machine. Changing the number after
/dev/ttyS affects the port that is used on your physical computer.
For example, to connect the virtual machine's second serial port (COM2)
to the physical computer's second serial port, add the following lines to
the configuration file:
serial1.present = true
serial1.fileType = "device"
serial1.fileName = "/dev/ttyS1"
Running a Windows 2000 SP3 Guest Operating System
A Windows 2000 guest with Service Pack 3 installed may fail to boot. A
user interface failure message appears, saying "The Logon User Interface
DLL msgina.dll failed to load." To work around this problem,
be sure the virtual machine is not running, then use a text editor to add
the following line to the virtual machine's configuration file:
MAGICBOOT1 = 700
If a value of 700 (representing 700 microseconds) does not enable you
to start the guest operating system, experiment with higher values.
Increase the number to 800 for the second try, 900 for
the third try and so on until the guest starts.
For faster boot times, you may also experiment with values between 1 and
700 to find the smallest value that allows the virtual machine to boot.
Message About "Tainted" Drivers in Red Hat Linux 8.0 Guest Operating Systems
When a Red Hat Linux 8.0 guest operating system loads the vmxnet networking
driver, it reports that the driver is tainted. This does not mean that there
is anything wrong with the driver. It simply indicates that this is a
proprietary driver, not licensed under the GNU General Public License.
Mouse Response is Slow in Windows Server 2003
Description:
In the Windows Server 2003 guest operating system, the mouse response
is slow and jerky.
Action:
Complete the following steps. Your virtual machine should be powered on and running.
- Right-click the desktop and choose Properties.
- Click the Settings tab.
- Click the Advanced button.
- Click the Troubleshooting tab.
- Drag the bar for Hardware acceleration from None to Full.
- Click OK to close the first dialog, and OK again,
to close the second dialog.
Fixing Intermittent Networking Failures in Windows Guest
Operating Systems
Description:
You have experienced intermittent networking failures in your virtual machine running
Windows NT, Windows 2000, or Windows Server 2003 guest operating system. This
virtual machine uses the vmxnet networking driver.
Action:
You need to upgrade your vmxnet driver. Refer to the proper set of instructions for
new virtual machines or existing virtual machines.
New Virtual Machines
If you are creating a new virtual machine with a Windows guest operating
system, then first create your virtual machine, selecting the vmxnet driver. Once you have created the new
virtual machine, then complete the following steps.
- Power on the virtual machine.
- When you log into Windows, a Found New Hardware: Ethernet Controller message appears. Then the Found New Hardware Wizard appears. Click Next.
- Click Display a list of the known drivers for this device so that I can choose a specific driver, then click Next.
- In the Hardware Types list, select Network adapters, then click Next.
- Ready the VMware Tools CD-ROM ISO image. In the VMware console (application) window, select Settings > VMware Tools Install, then click Install.
- In the Found New Hardware Wizard, click Have Disk.
- Browse to the vmxnet driver information file. By default,
it's located in D:\vmnet\win2k (Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003) or
D:\vmnet\winnt (Windows NT).
- After you select the file, you return to the Found New Hardware Wizard. VMwarePCI Ethernet Adapter is selected. Click Next.
- Click Next to begin installing the driver.
- Click Yes to acknowledge that the digital signature was not found.
- Click Finish.
- In the console window, select Settings > Cancel VMware Tools Install.
If you check the Driver File Details for the virtual machine's network adapter, you will
see that the VMware PCI Ethernet Adapter is pointing to vmxnet.sys.
Existing Virtual Machine
If you have an existing virtual machine with a Windows guest operating system,
then complete the following steps to upgrade your vmxnet driver:
- Shut down the guest operating system and power off the virtual machine.
- If necessary, edit the virtual machine's configuration
and select the vmxnet NIC in the VMware Management Interface.
- Save your changes.
- Power on the virtual machine. After logging into Windows,
chooseStart > Settings > Network and Dial-up Connections.
- Right-click on the adapter name and select Properties.
- In the General tab, click Configure.
- In the Driver tab, click Update Driver. The Welcome to
the Upgrade Device Driver Wizard appears.
- Click Next.
- Click Display a list of the known drivers for this device so that I can choose a specific driver, then click Next.
- In the Hardware Types list, select Network adapters, then click Next.
- Ready the VMware Tools CD-ROM ISO image. In the VMware console (application) window, select Settings > VMware Tools Install, then click Install.
- In the Wizard, click Have Disk.
- Browse to the vmxnet driver information file. By default,
it's located in D:\vmnet\win2k (Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003) or
D:\vmnet\winnt (Windows NT).
- After you select the file, you return to the Found New Hardware Wizard. VMwarePCI Ethernet Adapter is selected. Click Next.
- Click Next to begin installing the driver.
- Click Yes to acknowledge that the digital signature was not found.
- Click Finish.
- In the console window, select Settings > Cancel VMware Tools Install.
If you check the Driver File Details for the virtual machine's network adapter, you will
see that the VMware PCI Ethernet Adapter is pointing to vmxnet.sys.
Tape Drives Are Not Supported with IBM ServeRAID RAID Controllers
The ESX Server driver, that is based on the Linux ips version 5.11 driver,
only supports logical devices. Physical devices, such as tape drives, are not
supported.
Viewing Log Files on the ESX Server Computer
Log files for VMware ESX Server 1.5.2 are stored in new locations. Messages
from the VMkernel are stored in /var/log/vmkernel. VMkernel warnings
and the more serious system alerts are stored in /var/log/vmkwarning.
You can view these log files from the VMware Management Interface. Log in to
the management interface as the root user. Click Configure System.
Then, in the Server Management section of the page, click Log File Viewer.
Viewing the Full List of Help Topics on a Linux Management Workstation
If you launch help from the remote console on a Linux management workstation
and click Contents, you see an abbreviated list of topics. To see the full
list of topics, click the Help Index link at the bottom of the Contents
page.
An Attempt to Login to the VMware Management Interface May Fail
After a Long Wait with the Message "Connection lost: Connection terminated
by server"
If you encounter this error, you must restart the HTTP daemon. Log in to
the console operating system (either at the ESX server machine or over
a Telnet or SSH link) and issue this command:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/httpd.vmware restart
The Remote Console May be Disconnected or Show Errors When the ESX
Server Machine is Under Heavy Load
This behavior helps protect the virtual machines and the ESX Server
software from failure. If you encounter this problem, wait until the load
on the server decreases, then reconnect the remote console to the virtual
machine.
Suspending a Virtual Machine With More than 2GB of Memory
is Not Supported
Suspending a Virtual Machine With More than 2GB of Memory
is Not Supported
ESX Server 1.5.2 does not support suspending a virtual machine with more than 2GB
of memory.
Submitting Support Requests to VMware
When requesting support for ESX Server 1.5.x, please run the script
vm-support that is installed in /usr/lib/vmware and
provide the output file to VMware. The vm-support script collects
and packages all relevant system and configuration information and logs.
We need the information contained in this file to properly analyze the problem
you are encountering. Also, please provide the output of the command
vmware -v, which displays the version number and patch level of the
ESX Server software on your machine.
Release 1.5.2 Patches
Click Here