Configuring, Removing, and Adding Virtual Devices
Configuring, Removing, and AddingVirtual Devices
Use the Hardware tab on the Virtual Machine Properties dialog box and the Add Hardwarewizard to view, reconfigure, remove, and add virtual hardware and devices.The following sections describe how to configure and add specific hardware and devices in avirtual machine:
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Configuring, Removing, and Adding Virtual Devices: Editing Hardware Settings, General Settings
Editing Hardware Settings, GeneralSettings
These terms are used in the topics about configuring virtual devices:
The host—in this setting, the ESX Server host—is the machine on which the virtual machineis running.Virtual devices are the devices inside the virtual machine.Physical devices are the real devices on a physical computer. The two types of physicaldevices are:Every virtual device has a backing, which is a real item used to provide the functionality of
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Editing Hardware Settings, General Settings
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Configuring Virtual Processors
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Configuring Memory Settings for a Virtual Machine
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Configuring a Network Adapter (NIC)
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Configuring Virtual Disks
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Configuring a SCSI Controller
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Configuring a SCSI Device
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Configuring a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive
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Configuring a Disk Drive
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Configuring a Serial Port
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Configuring a Parallel Port
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Viewing a USB Controller Configuration
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Adding a Virtual Device
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Adding an Ethernet Adapter (NIC)
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Adding a Hard Disk
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Adding a SCSI Device
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Adding a DVD/CD-ROM Drive
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Adding a Floppy Drive
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Adding a Serial Port
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Adding a Parallel Port
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Host devices, which are on the ESX Server host itself.
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Client devices, which are on the machine where the VI Client is running.
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the virtual device. The backing can be a physical device or a file that resides on the host.Most backings are fully specified as part of the virtual machine configuration. For example,for a device backed by a file, the exact location of the file is stored.Client devices are the exception. When a virtual device is backed by a client device, theactual connection is controlled from the actual VI Client instance that the user wants toprovide the backing. SeeConfiguring Virtual Machine Options and Resourcesfor moreinformation on using client devices.
To access the Virtual Machine Properties dialog box
To see what type of change has been made to a device in this edit session
Use the
Hardware
tab in the Virtual Machine Properties dialog box to view settings for,reconfigure, and remove virtual devices.All items in the list on the left of the
Hardware
tab represent configurable virtual hardwaresettings. Except for
Memory
and
CPUs
(if
CPUs
appears), each entry represents a singlevirtual device.The text of each item name is formatted in one of the following ways, with formats thatindicate the state of change for that device in this edit session.Generally, a device is in one of the first three states. The remaining two states occur when adevice is being replaced in its original position and apply only to SCSI controllers and to NICson some hosts and virtual machines. For these two device types, you can choose from morethan one specific virtual device implementation. For example, a virtual SCSI controller can bea Buslogic controller or an LSI Logic controller. When the device type is to be changed, theold device is replaced by a new device while preserving as many of the settings andconnections as possible. The “replacement” and “replacing” states reflect this compositeoperation.
docfeedback@vmware.com| Copyright © 2008 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved.
Configuring, Removing, and Adding Virtual Devices:Editing Hardware Settings, General Settings: Devices
Not Affected by the Add or Remove Buttons
Devices Not Affected by the Add or Remove Buttons
With the exceptions noted below, you add and remove devices by using the Add and Removebuttons at the bottom of the list.The entries for Memory and CPUs are unique. You can change the amount of memory or thenumber of virtual CPUs in a machine, but you cannot insert two motherboards.1. In the inventory panel, select the virtual machine object for which you want to configure,add, or remove devices.2. Right-click and choose
Edit Settings
, or choose the
Edit Settings
link in theinformation panel.
Format of DeviceName
State of Change for Device in ThisEdit Session
Plain text Device not changed.Boldface + “(adding)” Device added.Strikeout + “(removing)” Device removed.Boldface+ “(replacement)” Device added as direct replacement of another device.Strikeout + “(replacing)” Device removed and directly replaced byanother device.
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SCSI controllers are implicitly added and removed based on the assignment of devices tothem. If you change a device's SCSI node assignment, or add a new device, on a givenvirtual SCSI bus number (for example, a SCSI node setting of (1:3) on virtual SCSI bus 1)and no controller exists for that bus, a controller is immediately created. Similarly, when youclick OK after an edit session, any controllers whose buses are left empty are removed.Generally, all the SCSI controllers in a virtual machine are of the same type, and that type isbased on the VMware software recommendation for the virtual machine's guest operatingsystem. If a virtual machine has been manually edited to have more than one kind of SCSIcontroller and a new one is being implicitly created, its type is that of the existing controllerfor the lowest-numbered bus with a controller.
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Configuring, Removing, and Adding Virtual Devices:Editing Hardware Settings, General Settings:
Reconfiguring the Virtual Devices
Reconfiguring the Virtual Devices
The following sections describe how to work with the individual items on the Hardware list:
Note:
If you were directed to this topic from a Help button on a USB Port page, clickViewinga USB Controller Configuration.
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Configuring, Removing, and Adding Virtual Devices: Configuring Virtual Processors
Configuring Virtual Processors
If you enabled the VMware Virtual SMP feature for your ESX Server host, a virtual machinecan have multiple virtual CPUs within the following limits:Because of these limitations, the Virtual CPUs page might not appear in the
Hardware
tab.The page appears only if Virtual SMP is supported for the current host and guest operatingsystem or if the virtual machine is configured for Virtual SMP.
Conditions
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Configuring Memory Settings for a Virtual Machine
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Configuring Virtual Processors
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Configuring Virtual Disks
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Configuring a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM Drive
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Configuring a Disk Drive
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Configuring a Network Adapter (NIC)
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Configuring a Parallel Port
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Configuring a Serial Port
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Configuring a SCSI Device
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A virtual machine cannot have more CPUs than the actual number of logical CPUs on thehost. The number of logical CPUs is equal to the number of physical processor cores if hyperthreading is disabled or two times the number of physical processor cores if hyperthreading is enabled.
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Not every guest operating system supports Virtual SMP.Virtual Machine Properties tab:
Hardware
Virtual Machine Properties item:
CPUs
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Configuring, Removing, And Adding Virtual Devices
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