Esx25 Admin

Administration Guide
VMware ESX Server 2
Administration Guide Version: 2.5.4 Revision: 20061006 Item: ESX-ENG-Q105-057
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on our Web site at http://www.vmware.com/support/ The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to: docfeedback@vmware.com
2006 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,397,242, 6,496,847, 6,704,925, 6,711,672, 6,725,289, 6,735,601, 6,785,886, 6,789,156, 6,795,966, 6,880,022, 6,961,941, 6,961,806 and 6,944,699; patents pending. VMware, the VMware boxes logo and design, Virtual SMP and VMotion are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
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Contents
Contents
P Preface 19
AboutThisBook 20 IntendedAudience 20 DocumentFeedback 20 ConventionsandAbbreviations 20 AbbreviationsUsedinGraphics 20 TechnicalSupportandEducationResources 21 SelfServiceSupport 21 OnlineandTelephoneSupport 22 SupportOfferings 22 VMwareEducationServices 22 ReportingProblems 22
1 IntroductiontoVMwareESXServer 25
VMwareESXServerSystemArchitecture 25 Virtualization 26 CPUVirtualization 27 MemoryVirtualization 27 DiskVirtualization 27 NetworkVirtualization 27 PrivateVirtualEthernetNetworks(VMnets) 28 VirtualizationataGlance 28 SoftwareCompatibility 29 ServiceConsole 30 ServiceConsoleFunctions 30 ServiceConsoleProcessesandFiles 30 UsingVMwareESXServer 31 FamiliarizingYourselfwithESXServer 32 WorkingWithESXServer 35
2 CreatingandConfiguringVirtualMachines 39
CreatingaNewVirtualMachine 39
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InstallingaGuestOperatingSystemandVMwareTools 43 InstallingaGuestOperatingSysteminaVirtualMachine 43 InstallingaGuestOperatingSystemonaFormattedRawDisk 44 InstallingVMwareToolsintheGuestOperatingSystem 44 StartingVMwareToolsAutomatically 48 UsingtheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemService 49 SynchronizingtheTimeBetweentheGuestandServiceConsoles 50 ShuttingDownandRestartingaVirtualMachine 50 ShuttingDownorRestartingaVirtualMachinefromtheVMware ManagementInterface 51 ShuttingDownorRestartingaVirtualMachinefromtheCommand Line 51 ExecutingCommandstoHaltorRebootaVirtualMachine 51 PassingaStringfromtheServiceConsoletotheGuestOperating System 52 ExampleofPassingaStringfromtheServiceConsoletotheGuest 52 UsingPXEwithVirtualMachines 53 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinetoUsetheLSILogicSCSIAdapter 55 AddingtheAdaptertotheVirtualMachinesConfigurationFile 55 ConfiguringtheLSILogicSCSIAdapterinaWindowsGuestOperating System 57 ConfiguringtheLSILogicSCSIAdapterinaLinuxGuestOperating System 58 Importing,Upgrading,andExportingVirtualMachines 60 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinetoUseMorethanOneVirtualProcessor 60 WindowsServer2003GuestOperatingSystems 61 Windows2000GuestOperatingSystems 61 LinuxGuestOperatingSystems 61 DowngradingtoOneVirtualProcessor 62 MigratingOlderESXServerVirtualMachines 62 UpgradingWindowsServer2003GuestOperatingSystemsCreatedbyESX Server1.5.2 62 RunningESXServer1.5VirtualMachinesinLegacyMode 63 UsingtheLSILogicSCSIAdapter 63 MigratingVMwareWorkstationandVMwareGSXServerVirtual Machines 63 DiskGeometryFailuresWhenImportingGSXServerVirtualMachines 65 PathNameFailuresWhenImportingGSXServerVirtualMachines 66 ImportingaGSXServerorWorkstationVirtualMachine 66 ExportingVirtualMachines 68 PreparingtoUsetheRemoteManagementSoftware 69
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RegisteringYourVirtualMachines 69 InstallingtheRemoteConsoleSoftware 70 ThirdPartySoftwareCompatibility 71 ConfiguringaVirtualMachineforUsewithCitrixMetaFrameXP 71 ExecutingScriptsWhentheVirtualMachinesPowerStateChanges 71 IssuestoConsider 72 ConfiguringVirtualMachines 73 RecommendedConfigurationOptions 74 SleepWhenIdle 74 OptimizingDiskAccessFailureModesinWindowsVirtualMachines 74 ModifyingtheSMBIOSUUID 75 GeneratingtheUUIDAutomatically 75 ComparingtheGeneratedUUIDtoConfigurationFileParameters 76 SettingtheUUIDforaVirtualMachineThatIsNotBeingMoved 77 SettingtheUUIDforaVirtualMachineThatIsBeingMoved 77 EnablingthePhysicalHardwaresOEMIDtoBeSeenbytheVirtual Machine 78
3 UsingtheVMwareManagementInterface 79
RunningtheVMwareManagementInterface 80 ConfiguringtheStatisticsPeriodfortheVMwareManagementInterface 81 UsingInternetExplorer6.0toAccesstheVMwareManagementInterface 82 LaunchingtheRemoteConsolefromtheManagementInterfaceonan EncryptedServer 82 ConnectingtotheManagementInterfaceOnaProxyServer 83 ConnectingtotheManagementInterfaceWithoutaProxyServer 84 LoggingIntotheVMwareManagementInterface 84 UsingtheStatusMonitor 84 ViewingSummaryInformationAboutVMwareESXServer 85 ViewingSummaryInformationAboutVirtualMachinesonVMwareESX Server 86 ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinewiththeVMwareRemoteConsole 86 UsingtheVirtualMachineMenu 86 ChangingthePowerStateofaVirtualMachine 88 SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachines 89 SettingtheSuspendDirectory 89 EnablingRepeatableResume 90 ViewingInformationAboutaVirtualMachine 92 DownloadingRemoteManagementPackages 92 CreatingaNewVirtualMachine 93
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UnregisteringaVirtualMachine 93 DeletingaVirtualMachine 93 ConfiguringVMwareESXServer 93 UsingCommonControls 93 ConfiguringaVirtualMachine 94 EditingaVirtualMachinesConfiguration 95 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesCPUUsage 96 UnderstandingPerformanceValues 96 UnderstandingResourceValues 97 ModifyingCPUValues 97 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesMemoryUsage 97 UnderstandingPerformanceValues 98 UnderstandingResourceValues 98 ModifyingMemoryValues 99 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesDiskUsage 99 UnderstandingPerformanceValues 100 UnderstandingResourcesValues 100 ModifyingDiskValues 100 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesNetworkingSettings 100 EnablingTrafficShaping 101 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesHardware 102 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesFloppyDrive 103 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesDVDROMorCDROMDrive 104 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesMemoryandVirtualProcessors 105 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesVirtualNetworkAdapters 107 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesSCSIControllers 109 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesVirtualDisks 109 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesDisplaySettings 111 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesGenericSCSIDevice 111 AddingaVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachine 112 AddingaVirtualNetworkAdaptertoaVirtualMachine 115 AddingaVirtualDVD/CDROMDrivetoaVirtualMachine 117 AddingaVirtualFloppyDrivetoaVirtualMachine 118 AddingaGenericSCSIDevicetoaVirtualMachine 120 AddingaTapeDrivetoaVirtualMachine 121 RemovingHardwarefromaVirtualMachine 122 SettingStandardVirtualMachineConfigurationOptions 122 SettingStartupandShutdownOptionsforaVirtualMachine 123 SettingStartupandShutdownOptions 124
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SettingStartupandShutdownOptionsbyModifyingtheConfigurationFile Directly(AdvancedUsersOnly) 126 ViewingaListofConnectedUsers 129 ViewingaLogofaVirtualMachinesEvents 130 ModifyingVirtualMachinePeripherals 131 AddingMorethanSixSCSIVirtualDiskstoaVirtualMachine 131 UsingaPhysical(Raw)DiskinaVirtualMachine 132 UsingParallelPortsinaVirtualMachine 133 UsingSerialPortsinaVirtualMachine 134 UsingDiskModes 135 DeletingaVirtualMachineUsingtheVMwareManagementInterface 136 ManagingESXServerResources 137 ConfiguringVMwareESXServer 137 LoggingOutoftheVMwareManagementInterface 138 UsingtheApacheWebServerwiththeManagementInterface 138 SettingaMIMETypetoLaunchtheVMwareRemoteConsole 139 SettingtheMIMETypeinNetscape7.0andMozilla1.x 139 EditingaVirtualMachinesConfigurationFileDirectly 140 ChangingYourVirtualSCSIAdapter 141 UsingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceFileManager 141 SettingPermissionsforOwnersofVirtualMachines 144 CreatingaFlagshipUser 145 RegisteringandUnregisteringVirtualMachines 145 RegisteringaVirtualMachine 146 UnregisteringaVirtualMachine 147 RunningManyVirtualMachinesonESXServer 148 IncreasingtheReservedMemoryfortheServiceConsole 148 AllocatingCPUResourcestotheManagementInterface 148 ChangingDefaultParametersintheconfigFile 149 IncreasingMemorytotheApacheProcess 149 IncreasingtheTimeoutValueforthevmwareauthdProcess 150 IncreasingMemoryforthevmwareserverdProcess 150 RunningManyVirtualMachineswithaSignificantCPULoad 150 AvoidingManagementInterfaceFailureswhenManyVirtualMachinesAre Registered 151 BackingUpVirtualMachines 151 UsingTapeDriveswithVMwareESXServer 152 BackingUpfromWithinaVirtualMachine 152 BackingUpVirtualMachinesfromtheServiceConsole 153 ProvidingOptimumDataIntegrityInVirtualMachineBackupsWithout Downtime 153
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UsingHardwareorSoftwareDiskSnapshots 153 UsingNetworkBasedReplicationTools 154
4 UsingtheVMwareRemoteConsole 155
UsingtheRemoteConsole 155 StartingtheRemoteConsole 156 RunningaVirtualMachineUsingtheRemoteConsole 157 SpecialPowerOptionsforVirtualMachines 157 OptionsforPoweringOffaVirtualMachine 158 OptionsforSuspendingaVirtualMachine 158 OptionforResumingaVirtualMachine 159 OptionsforResettingaVirtualMachine 159 VMwareToolsSettings 159 SettingOptionswithVMwareTools 159 ConnectingDeviceswithVMwareTools 161 ChoosingScriptsforVMwareToolstoRunDuringPowerState Changes 162 ShrinkingVirtualDiskswithVMwareTools 163 ViewingInformationAboutVMwareTools 164 InstallingNewSoftwareInsidetheVirtualMachine 164 Cutting,Copying,andPasting 165 SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachines 165 ShuttingDownaVirtualMachine 166
5 UsingtheVMwareServiceConsole 167
CharacteristicsoftheVMwareServiceConsole 167 UsingDHCPfortheServiceConsole 168 ManagingtheServiceConsole 168 ConnectingtotheServiceConsole 168 CommandsSpecifictoESXServer 169 IdentifyingNetworkCards 169 ManagingaVMwareESXServerFileSystem 169 AutomaticallyMountingVMFSVolumes 170 LoadingVMkernelDeviceModules 170 CommonLinuxCommandsUsedontheServiceConsole ManipulatingFiles 170 FindingandViewingFiles 172 ManagingtheComputerandItsUsers 173 SettingFilePermissionsandOwnership 175
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SwitchingUserNames 177 TheprocFileSystem 177 GettingHelpforServiceConsoleCommands 180 AuthenticationandSecurityFeatures 180 AuthenticatingUsers 180 UsingYourOwnSecurityCertificateswhenSecuringYourRemote Sessions 182 DefaultPermissions 182 TCP/IPPortsforManagementAccess 182 HighSecurity 183 MediumSecurity 183 LowSecurity 183 UsingDevicesWithESXServer 184 SupportingGenericTapeandMediaChangers 184 Editingthevmwaredevice.map.localFile 184 FindingDiskControllers 184 WhenYouChangeStorageAdapters 185 EnablingUserstoViewVirtualMachinesThroughtheVMwareRemote Console 185
6 AdministeringESXServer 187
StartupProfile 188 NetworkConnections 188 CreatingandEditingVirtualSwitches 189 CreatingPortGroups 190 DisablingvmkernelVLANTagging 190 ConfiguringPhysicalAdapters 191 ConfiguringNetworkSpeedandDuplexSettings 192 UsersandGroups 192 AddingUsersandGroups 192 EditingandRemovingUsersandGroups 193 SecuritySettings 194 UsingCustomSecuritySettings 195 SNMPConfiguration 196 LicensingandSerialNumbers 196 StorageManagement 196 ConfiguringStorage:DiskPartitionsandFileSystems 196 CreatingaDiskPartition 197 EditingaDiskPartition 199 SettingtheVolumesAccessMode 200
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ChangingtheMaximumSizeofaFileAllowedbyVMFS 200 SpanningaVMFSvolume. 200 ConvertingaPartitiontoVMFS2 200 RemovingaDiskPartition 201 ViewingFailoverPathsConnections 201 ConfiguringFailoverPolicies 202 ConfiguringFailoverPaths 203 ConfiguringaSwapFile 203 AdapterBindings 204 AdvancedSettings 205 ServiceConsoleSettings 206 ConfiguringtheServiceConsolesProcessorUsage 207 ConfiguringtheServiceConsolesDiskUsage 208 SystemLogsandAvailabilityReport 209 ViewingVMkernelWarnings 210 ViewingVMkernelMessages 211 ViewingServiceConsoleLogs 212 ViewingtheAvailabilityReport 213 HowMemoryIsUtilized 214 SystemSummary:PhysicalMemory 214 Memory 214 SystemSummary:ReservedMemory 215 VirtualMachines:VirtualMachineSummary 215 VirtualMachines:VirtualMachineName 216 VirtualMachinesStartupandShutdown 217 SystemConfigurationSettings 217 EnablingtheSystemsConfigurationSettings 218 DisablingtheSystemsConfigurationSettings 220 SpecifyingtheOrderInWhichVirtualMachinesStart 220 EditingtheStartupSequenceforVirtualMachines 220 RebootingorShuttingDowntheServer 221
7 UsingSNMPwithESXServer 223
UsingSNMPtoMonitortheComputerRunningESXServer 223 InformationAboutthePhysicalComputer 224 InformationAbouttheVirtualMachines 224 SNMPTraps 225 OverviewofSettingUpESXServerSNMP 226 InstallingtheESXServerSNMPAgents 226
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ConfiguringtheESXServerAgent 227 ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentThroughtheVMwareManagement Interface 227 ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentfromtheServiceConsole 228 ConfiguringtheDefaultSNMPDaemon 228 StartingtheSNMPAgentsAutomatically 229 StartingtheSNMPAgentsManually 229 ConfiguringSNMP 230 ConfiguringSNMPTrapDestinations 230 ConfiguringSNMPManagementClientSoftware 230 ConfiguringSNMPSecurity 231 UsingSNMPwithGuestOperatingSystems 231 VMwareESXServerSNMPVariables 231 vmware.vmwSystem 231 vmware.vmwVirtMachines 232 vmware.vmwResources 234 vmware.vmwResources.vmwMemory 235 vmware.vmwResources.vmwHBATable 235 vmware.vmwResources.vmwNetTable 236 vmware.vmwProductSpecific 237 vmware.vmwProductSpecific.vmwESX 237 vmware.vmwProductSpecific.vmwESX.esxVMKernel 237 vmware.vmwTraps 237 vmware.vmwOID 238 vmware.vmwExperimental 238
8 UsingVMkernelDeviceModules 239
ConfiguringYourServertoUseVMkernelDeviceModules 239 LoadingVMkernelDeviceModules 239 VMkernelModuleLoader 240 Options 240 Parameters 241 Examples 241 PreparingtoLoadModules 242 LoadingModules 242 OtherInformationaboutVMkernelModules 243 ControllingVMkernelModuleLoadingDuringBootup 243 CustomizingParametersofVMkernelDeviceDriverModulesonStartup 243 CustomizingLoadingofVMkernelDeviceDriverModulesonStartup 244
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9 StorageandFileSystems 245
FileSystemManagementonSCSIDisksandRAID 245 ViewingandManipulatingFilesinthe/vmfsDirectory 246 VMFSVolumes 247 LabellingVMFSVolumes 247 VMFSAccessibility 248 VMFSAccessibilityonaSAN 248 ChangingStorageConfigurationOptions 248 Usingvmkfstools 249 vmkfstoolsCommandSyntax 249 vmkfstoolsSyntaxWhenSpecifyingaSCSIDevice 249 vmkfstoolsSyntaxWhenSpecifyingaVMFSVolumeorFile 250 vmkfstoolsOptions 250 BasicvmkfstoolsOptions 250 CreateaVMFSonthespecifiedSCSIdevice 251 ListtheattributesofaVMFSvolumeorarawdiskmapping 251 CreateafilewiththespecifiedsizeonthefilesystemofthespecifiedSCSI device 252 ExportthecontentsofthespecifiedfileonthespecifiedSCSIdevicetoa virtualdiskonthefilesystemoftheserviceconsole 252 ImportthecontentsofaVMwarevirtual,plain,orrawdiskontheservice consoletothespecifiedfileonthespecifiedSCSIdevice 252 Listthefilesonthefilesystemonthespecifieddevice 253 SetthenameoftheVMFSonthespecifiedSCSIdevice 253 AdvancedvmkfstoolsOptions 253 Committheredologofthespecifiedfile,makingtheassociatedchanges permanent 253 SettheVMFSonthespecifiedSCSIdevicetothespecifiedmode 254 ExtendanexistinglogicalVMFS2volumebyspanningmultiple partitions 254 MapaRawDiskorPartitiontoaFileonaVMFS2Volume 255 DisplayDiskGeometryforaVMwareWorkstationorGSXServerVirtual Disk 255 ExtendthespecifiedVMFStothespecifiedlength 256 ManageSCSIreservationsofphysicaltargetsorLUNs 256 RecoversaVMFS 256 ScansthespecifiedvmhbaadapterfordevicesandLUNs 257 CreateorResizeaSwapFileinaVMFSVolumeofthespecifiedSCSI device 257 ActivateaSwapFile 258
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DeactivateaSwapFile 258 MigrateaVMFSfromVMFS1toVMFS2 258 ExamplesUsingvmkfstools 259 Createanewfilesystem 259 Extendsthenewlogicalvolumebyspanningtwopartitions 259 NamesaVMFSvolume 260 CreatesanewVMFSvirtualdiskfile 260 ImportsthecontentsofavirtualdisktothespecifiedfileonaSCSI device 260 MigratevirtualmachinestoVMwareGSXServerorVMwareWorkstation, thenbacktoVMwareESXServer 260 ListsthefilesontheVMFSofthespecifieddevice 261 AccessingRawSCSIDisks 261 UsingaPhysicalDiskinaVirtualMachine 261 DeterminingSCSITargetIDs 263 SharingtheSCSIBus 264 SettingBusSharingOptions 265 UsingStorageAreaNetworkswithESXServer 266 UnderstandingStorageArrays 266 InstallingESXServerwithAttachedSANs 266 ConfiguringVMFSVolumesonSANs 267 ScanningforDevicesandLUNs 267 ChangingVMkernelConfigurationOptionsforSANs 267 DetectingAllLUNs 268 UsingIBMFAStTDiskArrays 269 TroubleshootingSANIssueswithESXServer 269 UsingPersistentBindings 270 DeterminingTargetIDsThroughtheServiceConsole 270 ExampleOutputforanEmulexHBA 270 ExampleOutputforaQLogicHBA 271 pbind.plScript 272 ExamplesUsingthepbind.plScript 272 UsingMultipathinginESXServer 272 ChoosingPathManagementTools 273 ViewingtheCurrentMultipathingState 274 SettingYourMultipathingPolicyforaLUN 275 SpecifyingPaths 276 EnablingaPath 276 DisablingaPath 276 SettingthePreferredPath 276
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SavingYourMultipathingSettings 277 InCaseofFailover 277 SettingsforQLogicAdapters 277 FailoverinWindows2000andWindowsServer2003GuestOperating Systems 278
10 ConfigurationforClustering 279
WhatIsClustering? 279 ApplicationsthatCanUseClustering 280 ClusteringSoftware 280 ClusteringHardware 280 ClusteringVirtualMachines 280 ClusteringSoftwareinVirtualMachines 281 ClusteringScenarios 281 ConfiguringVirtualMachineClusterswithSharedDisks 283 ImportantNotes 284 TwoNodeClusterwithMicrosoftClusterServiceonaSingleESXServer Machine 284 CreatingtheFirstNodesBaseVirtualMachine 284 InstallingtheGuestOperatingSystem 287 CloningtheVirtualMachine 287 CreatingtheSecondNodeVirtualMachine 288 NetworkDeviceConfiguration 289 InstallingMicrosoftClusterService 290 RunningMicrosoftClusterService 292 TwoNodeswithMicrosoftClusterServiceonSeparateESXServer Machines 292 CreatingtheFirstNodesBaseVirtualMachine 292 InstallingtheGuestOperatingSystem 293 CloningtheVirtualMachine 294 CreatingtheSecondNodeVirtualMachine 295 ClusteringUsingaRawSCSIDisk 295 InstallingMicrosoftClusterService 296 AdditionalNotesforClusteringAcrossPhysicalMachines 296 RunningMicrosoftClusterService 299 VMFSLockingandSCSIReservation 300 VMFSFileSystemLocking 300 LockingatSCSIDiskLevel 301 UsingLUNMaskingtoAvoidLockingIssues 302 NetworkLoadBalancing 302
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CreatingMultinodeNetworkLoadBalancingClustersonESXServer 302 CreatingtheFirstNodesBaseVirtualMachine 302 InstallingtheGuestOperatingSystem 304 CloningtheVirtualMachine 304 CloningtheVirtualMachine,anAlternateMethod 305 CloningtheVirtualMachinetoAnotherESXServerMachine 306 CreatingtheSecondNodeVirtualMachine 307 ConfiguringtheNetworkLoadBalancingCluster 308
11 Networking 311
SettingtheMACAddressManuallyforaVirtualMachine 311 HowVMwareESXServerGeneratesMACAddresses 312 SettingMACAddressesManually 313 UsingMACAddresses 313 VMkernelNetworkCardLocator 314 findnicCommand 314 Options 314 Examples 315 ForcingtheNetworkDrivertoUseaSpecificSpeed 315 EnablingaVirtualAdaptertoUsePromiscuousMode 315 SharingNetworkAdaptersandVirtualNetworks 316 AllowingtheServiceConsoletoUsetheVirtualMachinesDevices 317 StartingSharedVMkernelNetworkAdaptersandVirtualNetworkswhenthe ServiceConsoleBoots 318 SharingtheServiceConsolesNetworkAdapterwithVirtualMachines 319 UsingVirtualSwitches 320 ChoosingaNetworkLabel 320 BindingPhysicalAdapters 320 FindingBondsandAdaptersintheServiceConsole 321 CreatingaVirtualSwitch 322 ChoosingaLoadBalancingMode 322 ConfiguringtheBondFailureMode 323 UsingBeaconMonitoring 324 ConfiguringExternalNetworkSwitches 325 Troubleshooting 326
12 VMwareESXServerResourceManagement 327
VirtualMachineResourceManagement 328 ServiceConsoleResourceManagement 328 UsingESXServerResourceVariables 328
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ImprovingPerformance 329 ImprovingSlowPerformance 329 ImprovingSlowPerformanceonESXServer 329 ImprovingSlowPerformanceonVirtualMachines 330 OptimizingPerformanceontheServiceConsole 330 CPUResourceManagement 331 AllocatingCPUResources 331 AdmissionControlPolicy 332 SpecifyingMinimumandMaximumCPUPercentages 332 AssigningVirtualMachinestoRunonSpecificProcessors 333 UsingProportionalshareSchedulingbyAllocatingShares 333 ControllingRelativeCPURates 334 ManagingCPUTimewithPercentagesandShares 334 UsingHyperThreading 335 EnablingHyperThreadinginESXServer 335 ConfiguringHyperThreadingOptionsforVirtualMachines 336 ManagingVirtualMachineCPUResources 336 ManagingCPUResourcesfromtheManagementInterface 336 ManagingCPUResourcesfromtheServiceConsole 337 EditingtheVirtualMachineConfigurationFile 337 Usingprocfs 339 Examples 342 MonitoringCPUStatistics 342 MemoryResourceManagement 345 AllocatingMemoryResources 346 SettingMemoryMinimum,Maximum,andShares 347 AdmissionControlPolicy 347 AllocatingMemoryDynamically 348 ReclaimingMemoryfromVirtualMachines 349 SwapSpaceandGuestOperatingSystems 350 SharingMemoryAcrossVirtualMachines 350 ManagingVirtualMachineMemory 351 ManagingMemoryResourcesfromtheManagementInterface 351 ManagingMemoryResourcesfromtheServiceConsole 352 ServiceConsoleCommands 353 MonitoringMemoryStatistics 356 Cautions 358 UsingYourNUMASystem 358 NUMAConfigurationInformation 358 ObtainingNUMAStatistics 359
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DeterminingtheAmountofMemoryforEachNUMANode 359 DeterminingtheAmountofMemoryforaVirtualMachineonaNUMA Node 360 AutomaticNUMAOptimizations 360 ManualNUMAOptimizations 361 AssociatingVirtualMachinestoaSingleNUMANode 361 AssociatingFutureVirtualMachineMemoryAllocationswithaNUMA Node 362 BindingaVirtualMachinetoaSingleNUMANodeonan8way Server 363 SizingMemoryontheServer 363 ServerMemory 364 ServiceConsoleMemory 364 VirtualMachineMemoryPool 364 VirtualMachineMemory 364 MemorySharing 365 MemoryOvercommitment 366 Example:WebServerConsolidation 366 ManagingNetworkBandwidth 367 UsingNetworkFilters 367 ManagingNetworkBandwidthfromtheManagementInterface 367 ManagingNetworkBandwidthfromtheServiceConsole 368 TrafficShapingwithnfshaper 369 ServiceConsoleCommands 369 Examples 370 ManagingDiskBandwidth 371 AllocationPolicy 371 ManagingDiskBandwidthfromtheManagementInterface 372 ConfigurationFileOptions 372 ConfigurationFileExamples 373 ManagingDiskBandwidthfromtheServiceConsole 374
Index 375
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Preface
ThisprefacedescribesthecontentsoftheESXServerAdministrationGuideandprovides pointerstotechnicalandeducationalresources. Thisprefacecontainsthefollowingtopics:

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AboutThisBookonpage 20 IntendedAudienceonpage 20 DocumentFeedbackonpage 20 ConventionsandAbbreviationsonpage 20 TechnicalSupportandEducationResourcesonpage 21
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About This Book

Thismanual,ESXServerAdministrationGuide,describeshowtoadministerand configureESX Server2.5andhowtoaccesstheserverusingtheVMwareManagement Interface.
Intended Audience
TheinformationpresentedinthismanualiswrittenforexperiencedWindowsorLinux systemadministratorswhoarefamiliarwithvirtualmachinetechnologyand datacenteroperations.
Document Feedback
Ifyouhavecommentsaboutthisdocumentation,submityourfeedbackto: docfeedback@vmware.com
Conventions and Abbreviations

ThismanualusesthestyleconventionslistedinTable P1. Table P-1. Type Conventions
Style Purpose Usedforcommands,filenames,directories,paths. Applytoindicateuserinput. Usefortheseterms: Interfaceobjects,keys,buttons Itemsofhighlightedinterest Glossaryterms Italic <name> Usedforbooktitles. Anglebracketsindicatevariableandparameternames.
Monospace
Monospace bold Bold
Abbreviations Used in Graphics

ThegraphicsinthismanualusetheabbreviationslistedinTable P2. Table P-2. Abbreviations
Abbreviation VC VI Description VirtualCenter VirtualInfrastructureClient
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Preface
Table P-2. Abbreviations (Continued)

Abbreviation server database hostn VM# user# dsk# datastore SAN tmplt Description VirtualCenterServer VirtualCenterdatabase VirtualCentermanagedhosts virtualmachinesonamanagedhost userwithaccesspermissions storagediskforthemanagedhost storageforthemanagedhost storageareanetworktypedatastoresharedbetweenmanagedhosts template
Technical Support and Education Resources

Thefollowingsectionsdescribethetechnicalsupportresourcesavailabletoyou:
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SelfServiceSupportonpage 21 OnlineandTelephoneSupportonpage 22 SupportOfferingsonpage 22 VMwareEducationServicesonpage 22
Self-Service Support
UsetheVMwareTechnologyNetworkforselfhelptoolsandtechnicalinformation:
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ProductInformationhttp://www.vmware.com/products/ TechnologyInformationhttp://www.vmware.com/vcommunity/technology Documentationhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs KnowledgeBasehttp://www.vmware.com/support/kb DiscussionForumshttp://www.vmware.com/community UserGroupshttp://www.vmware.com/vcommunity/usergroups.html
FormoreinformationabouttheVMwareTechnologyNetwork,goto http://www.vmtn.net.
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Online and Telephone Support

Useonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductand contractinformation,andregisteryourproducts.Goto http://www.vmware.com/support. Customerswithappropriatesupportcontractsshouldusetelephonesupportforthe fastestresponseonpriority1issues.Goto http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.
Support Offerings
FindouthowVMwaressupportofferingscanhelpyoumeetyourbusinessneeds.Go tohttp://www.vmware.com/support/services.
VMware Education Services

VMwarecoursesofferextensivehandsonlabs,casestudyexamples,andcourse materialsdesignedtobeusedasonthejobreferencetools.Formoreinformationabout VMwareEducationServices,gotohttp://mylearn1.vmware.com/mgrreg/index.cfm.
Reporting Problems
Theseguidelinesdescribetheinformationyoumaybeaskedtoprovidewhenyou reportproblems. Besuretoregisteryourserialnumber.Ifyouarerequestingsupportdirectlyfrom VMware,thenreportyourproblemsusingthesupportrequestformontheVMware Websiteatwww.vmware.com/requestsupport. WhenrequestingsupportfromVMware,runthe/usr/bin/vm-supportscriptonthe serviceconsoleandsavetheresultingesx-<date>-<unique-xnumber>.tgzfile.This scriptcollectsandpackagesallrelevantESXServersystem,configurationinformation, andESXServerlogfiles.Thisinformationisusedtoanalyzetheproblemyouare encountering.
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Ifavirtualmachineexitsabnormallyorcrashes,pleasesavethelogfile (vmware.loginthesamedirectoryasyour.vmxfile)andanycorefiles(coreor vmware-coreinthatdirectory).Also,pleasesavethevirtualmachines configuration(.vmx)fileandanyotherinformationthatmighthelpreproducethe problem. Besuretorecordadescriptionofyourphysicalhardwareandofthesoftware (operatingsystemandapplications)thatwasrunninginthevirtualmachine.This informationmayberequiredwhenyourequestsupport.
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Preface
AproblemintheVMkernelnormallycausesthemachinetodisplayanerrorscreen foraperiodoftimeandthenreboot.IfyouspecifiedaVMwarecoredump partitionwhenyouconfiguredyourmachine,theVMkernelalsogeneratesacore dumpanderrorlog.MoreseriousproblemsintheVMkernelcanfreezethe machinewithoutanerrorscreenorcoredump. WhenyoureportproblemsdirectlytoVMware,describethestepsyoutookinthe periodbeforethisfailure.Includethisinformationinyoursupportrequest,along withthecontentsof/var/log/messagesfromtheserviceconsole.Alsoinclude thecoredumpanderrorlog,ifany.Youcanfindtheseinfilesnamed vmkernel-core.<date>andvmkernel-log.<date>inthe/rootdirectoryafter yourebootyourmachine.
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Introduction to VMware ESX Server
TheVMwareESXServerAdministrationGuideprovidesinformationonhowtouse VMwareESXServerafterithasbeeninstalled.ForinformationoninstallingESXServer, refertotheVMwareESXServerInstallationGuide. Thischaptercontainsthefollowingsections:

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VMwareESXServerSystemArchitecture,next UsingVMwareESXServeronpage 31
VMware ESX Server System Architecture

VMwareESXServerincorporatesaresourcemanagerandaserviceconsolethat providesbootstrapping,management,andotherservices. ThedesignoftheESXServercorearchitectureimplementstheabstractionsthatallow hardwareresourcestobeallocatedtomultipleworkloadsinfullyisolated environments. Thekeyelementsofthesystemsdesignare:
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VMwarevirtualizationlayerProvidestheidealizedhardwareenvironmentand virtualizationofunderlyingphysicalresources. ResourcemanagerEnablesthepartitioningandguaranteeddeliveryofCPU, memory,networkbandwidth,anddiskbandwidthtoeachvirtualmachine. HardwareinterfacecomponentsIncludesdevicedrivers,whichenable hardwarespecificservicedeliverywhilehidinghardwaredifferencesfromother partsofthesystem.
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Figure 1-1. ESX Server core architecture
Virtualization
TheVMwarevirtualizationlayerbringshardwarevirtualizationtothestandardIntel serverplatform.ThevirtualizationlayeriscommonamongVMwaredesktopand serverproducts,providingaconsistentplatformfordevelopment,testing,delivery, andsupportofapplicationworkloadsfromthedeveloperdesktoptotheworkgroupto thedatacenter. Aswithmainframevirtualization,theVMwarevirtualmachineofferscomplete hardwarevirtualization.Theguestoperatingsystemandapplications(thoseoperating insideavirtualmachine)canneverdirectlydeterminewhichspecificunderlying physicalresourcestheyareaccessing,suchasonwhichCPUtheyarerunningina multiprocessorsystemorwhichphysicalmemoryismappedtotheirpages.The virtualizationoftheCPUincorporatesdirectexecution:nonprivilegedinstructionsare executedbythehardwareCPUwithoutoverheadsintroducedbyemulation. Thevirtualizationlayerprovidesanidealizedphysicalmachinethatisisolatedfrom othervirtualmachinesonthesystem.Itprovidesthevirtualdevicesthatmaptoshares ofspecificphysicaldevices.ThesedevicesincludevirtualizedCPU,memory,I/Obuses, networkinterfaces,storageadaptersanddevices,humaninterfacedevices,BIOS,and others. Eachvirtualmachinerunsitsownoperatingsystemandapplications.Theycannottalk toeachotherorleakdata,otherthanthroughnetworkingmechanismssimilartothose usedtoconnectseparatephysicalmachines.Thisisolationleadsmanyusersof VMwaresoftwaretobuildinternalfirewallsorothernetworkisolationenvironments, allowingsomevirtualmachinestoconnecttotheoutsidewhileothersareconnected onlythroughvirtualnetworksthroughothervirtualmachines.
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Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware ESX Server
CPU Virtualization
EachvirtualmachineappearstorunonitsownCPU,orsetofCPUs,fullyisolatedfrom othervirtualmachines,withitsownregisters,translationlookasidebuffer,andother controlstructures.MostinstructionsaredirectlyexecutedonthephysicalCPU, allowingcomputeintensiveworkloadstorunatnearnativespeed.Privileged instructionsareperformedsafelybythepatentedandpatentpendingtechnologyin thevirtualizationlayer.
Memory Virtualization
Whileacontiguousmemoryspaceisvisibletoeachvirtualmachine,thephysical memoryallocatedmaynotbecontiguous.Instead,noncontiguousphysicalpagesare remappedefficientlyandpresentedtoeachvirtualmachine.Someofthephysical memoryofavirtualmachinemightbemappedtosharedpagesortopagesthatare unmappedorswappedout.ThisvirtualmemorymanagementisperformedbyESX Serverwithouttheknowledgeoftheguestoperatingsystemandwithoutinterfering withitsmemorymanagementsubsystem.
Disk Virtualization
SupportofdiskdevicesinESXServerisanexampleoftheproductshardware independence.EachvirtualdiskispresentedasaSCSIdriveconnectedtoaSCSI adapter.Thisdeviceistheonlydiskstoragecontrollerusedbytheguestoperating system,despitethewidevarietyofSCSI,RAID,andFibreChanneladaptersthatmight beusedinthesystem. Thisabstractionmakesvirtualmachinesmorerobustandmoretransportable.Youdo notneedtoworryaboutthepotentiallydestabilizingdriversthatyoumighthaveto installonguestoperatingsystems,andthefilethatencapsulatesavirtualdiskis identicalnomatterwhichunderlyingcontrollerordiskdriveisused. YoucanuseVMwareESXServereffectivelywithstorageareanetworks(SANs).ESX ServersupportsQLogicandEmulexhostbusadapters,whichallowanESXServer computertobeconnectedtoaSANandtoseethediskarraysontheSAN.
Network Virtualization
Youmaydefineuptofourvirtualnetworkcardswithineachvirtualmachine.Each virtualnetworkcardhasitsownMACaddressandmayhaveitsownIPaddress(or multipleaddresses),aswell.Virtualnetworkinterfacesfrommultiplevirtualmachines maybeconnectedtoavirtualswitch.Eachvirtualswitchcanbeconfiguredasapurely virtualnetworkwithnoconnectiontoaphysicalLANorcanbebridgedtoaphysical LANbyoneormoreofthephysicalNICsonthehostmachine.
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Private Virtual Ethernet Networks (VMnets)

YoucanuseVMnetconnectionsforhighspeednetworkingbetweenvirtualmachines, allowingprivate,costeffectiveconnections.Theisolationinherentintheirdesign makesthemespeciallyusefulforsupportingnetworktopologiesthatnormallydepend ontheuseofadditionalhardwaretoprovidesecurityandisolation.
Physical NIC NIC vmnic0
Virtual machine 2 External Web server
Virtual machine 1 Firewall
vmnet_0
Virtual machine 3 Firewall
vmnet_1
Internal Virtual Network machine 4 On internal Virtual network Machine
Figure 1-2. Firewall configuration example InFigure 12,aneffectivefirewallcanbeconstructedbyconfiguringonevirtual machineonanESXServersystemwithtwovirtualEthernetadapters,oneboundtoa VMnic(givingitaconnectiontoaphysicalnetwork)andtheotherboundtoaVMnet. OthervirtualmachineswouldbeconnectedonlytotheVMnet.Byrunningfiltering softwareinthedualhomedvirtualmachine,ausercanconstructaneffectivefirewall withouttheneedforadditionalhardwareandwithhighperformancevirtual networkingbetweenthevirtualmachines. Youcanuseasimilarapproachwithmultitierapplications(withtheWeborapplication serversreachablefromothersystems)butwiththedatabaseserverconnectedonlyto theothertiers.
Virtualization at a Glance
ESXServervirtualizestheresourcesofthephysicalsystemforusebythevirtual machines.
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Virtual machine 1
CPU CPU1 Memory Mem1 Disk Disk1 NIC NIC1a NIC NIC1b CPU CPU2
Virtual machine 2
Memory Mem2 Disk Disk2 NIC NIC2a NIC NIC2b
Mem1
NIC1a
CPU1 CPU2
Mem1
Mem2
CPU
Memory
Disk
NIC NIC1b NIC2b Virtual network
Physical resources
Figure 1-3. virtual Machine configuration InFigure 13,eachvirtualmachineisconfiguredwithoneCPU,anallocationof memoryanddisk,andtwovirtualEthernetadapters.Inreality,theysharethesame physicalCPUandaccessnoncontiguouspagesofmemory(withpartofthememoryof oneofthevirtualmachinescurrentlyswappedtodisk).Theirvirtualdisksaresetupas filesonacommonfilesystem. EachoftheexamplevirtualmachineshastwovirtualNICs.VirtualNICs1aand2aare attachedtothevirtualswitchthatisboundtophysicalNICs1aand2a.VirtualNICs1b and2bareattachedtoapurelyvirtualswitch.
Software Compatibility
IntheVMwareESXServerarchitecture,guestoperatingsystemsinteractonlywiththe standardx86compatiblevirtualhardwarepresentedbythevirtualizationlayer.This providesthecapabilityforVMwaretosupportanyx86compatibleoperatingsystem. Inpractice,VMwaresupportsasubsetofx86compatibleoperatingsystemsthatare testedthroughouttheproductdevelopmentcycle.VMwaredocumentstheinstallation andoperationoftheseguestoperatingsystemsandtrainsitstechnicalpersonnelin theirsupport. Becauseapplicationsinteractonlywiththeirguestoperatingsystem,andnotwiththe underlyingvirtualhardware,afteroperatingsystemcompatibilitywiththevirtual hardwareisestablished,applicationcompatibilityisnotanissue.
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NIC2a
Disk1
Disk2
Disk2
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Service Console
Thissectiondiscussestheserviceconsolefunctions,processes,andfiles.
Service Console Functions

TheESXServersystemmanagementfunctionsandinterfacesareimplementedinthe serviceconsole.TheseincludetheHTTP,SNMP,andAPIinterfacesdescribedabove,as wellasothersupportfunctionssuchasauthenticationandlowperformancedevice access.Theserviceconsoleisalsoinstalledasafirstcomponentandisusedtobootstrap theESXServerinstallationandconfiguration,aswellastobootthesystemandinitiate executionofthevirtualizationlayerandresourcemanager.InESXServer,theservice consoleisimplementedusingamodifiedLinuxdistribution.
Service Console Processes and Files

TheserviceconsoleprovidesacontrolAPIthatallowsthevirtualmachinesand resourceallocationstobemanaged.Theadministratormayalsoaccessthesecontrols throughpagesaccessedthroughtheWebserverrunningintheserviceconsole.
Web browser API Remote console
httpd vmauthd vmserverd

vmware vmware
snmpd
mks KVM
Figure 1-4. Service Console processes and files InadditiontotheWebserver,thefollowingprocessesandservicesinvolvedinthe managementofanESXServersystemrunintheserviceconsole:

!
Serverdaemon(vmserverd)Performsactionsintheserviceconsoleonbehalfof theVMwareRemoteConsoleandtheWebbasedVMwareManagementInterface.
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Authenticationdaemon(vmauthd)Authenticatesremoteusersofthe managementinterfaceandremoteconsolesusingtheusername/password database.AnyotherauthenticationstorethatcanbeaccessedusingthePluggable AuthenticationModule(PAM)capabilitiespresentintheserviceconsolecanalso beused.ThisallowstheuseofpasswordsfromaWindowsdomaincontroller, LDAPorRADIUSserver,orsimilarcentralauthenticationstoretousewith VMwareESXServerforremoteaccess. SNMPserver(ucd-snmpd)ImplementstheSNMPdatastructuresandtrapsan administratorcanusetointegrateanESXServersystemintoanSNMPbased systemmanagementtool. Serviceconsole(inadditiontoVMwaresuppliedservices)Usetorunother systemwideorhardwaredependentmanagementtools.Theseinclude hardwarespecifichealthmonitors(suchasIBMDirector,HPInsightManager,and others),fullsystembackupanddisasterrecoverysoftware,andclusteringand highavailabilityproducts.
Theserverandvirtualmachineresourcesandconfigurationattributesthatareavailable throughtheSNMPandHTTPinterfacesarealsovisiblethroughafilesysteminthe serviceconsole.Thefilesinthis/proc/vmwarenamespacemaybeexaminedand modifiedbyusersloggedintotheserviceconsolewithsufficientpermissionsormay beusedasapointofintegrationforhomegrownorcommercialscriptsand managementtools.
Using VMware ESX Server

VMwareESXServercontainsmanyfeaturestohelpyoumanageyourvirtualmachines resources.Inthissection,someofthesefeaturesarehighlightedbylistingtasksthatyou performonyourESXServersystem. Theinformationcontainedinthistablepresumesthatyouhavesuccessfullyinstalled andconfiguredESXServeronyourhardware.Forhelp,refertotheVMwareESXServer InstallationGuide.
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Familiarizing Yourself with ESX Server

Table 11includestasksfromtheVMwareManagementInterfaceforanAdministrator (rootuser),whomanagesandmaintainsESXServer. Table 1-1. ESX Server Administrator Tasks
Task LogintotheVMware ManagementInterface andfamiliarize yourselfwithits features. Createusersand groups. Description Astherootuser,youhaveprivilegesthatotherusersdonthave.In additiontotheStatusMonitor,youhaveaccesstotheOptionspane thatallowsyoutoconfigureESXServer,includingnetworking, security,SNMP,usersandgroups,storageconfiguration,andsoon. SeeChapter 3,UsingtheVMwareManagementInterface. CreateusersandplacethemintogroupsfordifferentaccesstoESX Server.Forbestpractice,therootusershouldnotownvirtual machines.Userswhocreate,access,andmodifyvirtualmachines dontneedtheadditionaladministrativeprivilegesoftherootuser. Youmightchoosetohaveavirtualmachineownedbyaflagship userinsteadofarealperson.Byusingaflagshipuser,onlyone useraccountownsthevirtualmachinesthatareinproduction.An advantageofusingflagshipaccountsisthatflagshipusersnever leavethecompanyorgoonvacation. SeeCreatingaFlagshipUseronpage 145. Addadditionaldisks andpartitions,as needed. WhencreatingyourVMFSvolumes,keepthedefaultaccesstype public,unlessyouplantouseyourvirtualmachinesforclustering. Ifyouarerunningclusteringsoftware,selectsharedasyour VMFSvolumeaccesstype.SeeConfiguringStorage:Disk PartitionsandFileSystemsonpage 196andConfigurationfor Clusteringonpage 279. Thedefaultlocationforthesefilesisthehomedirectoryoftheuser thatcreatedthevirtualmachine.Inproductionenvironments,most virtualmachinesbelongtoteamsratherthantoindividuals.Setting upacentraldirectorystructureisagoodpractice. Themigrationprocedureisheavilydependentontheversionofthe VMwareproductusedtocreatetheoriginalvirtualmachine. Ifyouaremigratingavirtualmachinefromapreviousversionof ESXServer,seeMigratingOlderESXServerVirtualMachineson page 62. IfyouaremigratingavirtualmachinefromVMwareWorkstationor VMwareGSXServer,seeMigratingVMwareWorkstationand VMwareGSXServerVirtualMachinesonpage 63. Readtheseinstructionsbeforeattemptingtomigrateyourvirtual machine.
Decidehowtoorganize yourvirtualmachine configurationfiles. Upgradeanyexisting virtualmachinesfroma previousversionofESX Serveroranother VMwareproduct.
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Table 1-1. ESX Server Administrator Tasks (Continued)

Task Creategoldenmaster (template)virtual disks. Description TomanageESXServermoreefficiently,createasmallnumberof goldenmaster(template)virtualdisksforeasierdeployment. Thesearevirtualdisksthathavecompleteguestoperatingsystems, installedapplications,completemanagementagentinstalls,virus detectionsoftware,completeVMwareToolsinstalls,andsoon.You canimportthedisksintoaVMFSvolumetocreateanewvirtual machine. Besurethatthegoldenmasterhasthetoolsnecessarytoreset systemattributes(hostnameandIPaddress,NetBIOShostname, domain,andSID[Windowsoperatingsystems]forthevirtual machinesyouclone.Also,besurethattheuserthatwillberunning thenewlycreatedvirtualmachinehastheappropriateuserand grouppermissions. UsetheFileManagerintheVMwareManagementInterfaceto importthegoldenmastervirtualdisks.SeeUsingtheVMware ManagementInterfaceFileManageronpage 141. Setuserandgroup permissionsforthe ownerofavirtual machine. 1 2 3 4 5 LogintothemanagementinterfaceandclickManageFiles. Navigatetotheconfigurationfile(.vmx)ofthevirtualmachine. Selectthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfilecheckbox,and clickEditProperties. Chooseread,write,andexecutepropertiesfortheownerofthe virtualmachine.
Choosereadandexecuteprivilegesfortheownersgroup,and clickOK. Setreadandwritepermissionsfortheowneronthevirtual machinesvirtualdisk(.vmdkfile).Readpermissionsforavirtual diskfilearesufficientifthevirtualdiskisnonpersistent. SeeSettingPermissionsforOwnersofVirtualMachineson page 144andUsingDiskModesonpage 135. Thesameusermustownthevirtualmachinesconfigurationand virtualdiskfileandmusthavefullaccessprivilegesforbothfiles. Setuserandgroup permissionstoviewa virtualmachineonthe StatusMonitor. Forausertoseeavirtualmachineinthemanagementinterface,the user,oragrouptowhichtheuserbelongs,musthavereadaccessto thatvirtualmachine. SeeSettingPermissionsforOwnersofVirtualMachineson page 144.
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Table 1-1. ESX Server Administrator Tasks (Continued)

Task Setuserpermissionsto connecttoavirtual machinethroughthe remoteconsole. Description Forausertoconnecttoandpoweronavirtualmachineinthe remoteconsoletheuser,oragrouptowhichtheuserbelongs,must havereadandexecuteaccesstothatvirtualmachinesconfiguration file.Also,theusermusthaveexecute(x)permissiononallparent directories.SeeSettingPermissionsforOwnersofVirtual Machinesonpage 144. ESXServershipswithanSNMPagentthatallowsyoutomonitor thehealthofthephysicalmachinewhereESXServerisrunningand ofvirtualmachinesrunningonit. SeeConfiguringtheESXServerAgentThroughtheVMware ManagementInterfaceonpage 227.
ConfigureyourSNMP agent.
Table 12includestasksfromtheVMwareManagementInterfaceforavirtualmachine user,whocreatesandmodifiesvirtualmachines. Table 1-2. VMware Management Interface Tasks

Task LogintotheVMware ManagementInterface anddownloadthe remoteconsole package. Description Usetheremoteconsoletopoweronandpoweroffyourvirtual machines,connectordisconnectdevices(includingtheCDdrive andnetworkadapter),andsetpreferences(includingmouse, keyboard,andhotkeybehaviorintheremoteconsolewindow). InstalltheremoteconsolefromtheStatusMonitorofthe managementinterface.Launchtheremoteconsolefromyour desktop(Windowsoperatingsystems)orfromthemanagement interface. Clicktheappropriatelinkfortheoperatingsystemonyour workstation. Learntousethe managementinterface. Afterlogin,thestartingpageofthemanagementinterfaceprovides asummaryofthevirtualmachinesonESXServer.Dependingon yourpermissions,youllbeabletoviewandmodifyvirtual machines.SeeUsingtheStatusMonitoronpage 84. Clickingonavirtualmachinenameopensthedetailspageforthat virtualmachine,whereyoucancheckitsCPU,memory,disk, network,hardware,options,andusersandevents.Familiarize yourselfwiththeinformationcontainedinthesepages.See ConfiguringaVirtualMachineonpage 94
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Table 1-2. VMware Management Interface Tasks (Continued)

Task Createavirtual machine. Description TheAddVirtualMachinewizardletsyouaddasmallnumberof devicestoavirtualmachine.Thismakestheinitialcreationprocess simpler.AdddeviceslaterbyclickingAddDeviceintheHardware tabforthevirtualmachine. IfyoupurchasedtheVMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerproduct, youcancreatedualvirtualCPUSMPvirtualmachines. Takeintoaccountthetypeofapplicationsyouplantorunonthis virtualmachinewhenmakingyourchoicesduringitscreation. SeeCreatingaNewVirtualMachineonpage 39. Addadditionaldisks, drives,network adapters,andSCSI devices. Installguestoperating systemandVMware Tools. ClickAddDeviceintheHardwaretabforthevirtualmachine. SeeConfiguringaVirtualMachinesHardwareonpage 102.
VMwareToolsisasoftwarepackageinstalledintheguest operatingsystemthatgivesyoudevicedriversspecifictoVMware virtualdeviceswherenecessaryandincludescommunication channelsbetweenthevirtualmachineandtheESXServer virtualizationlayer. SeeInstallingaGuestOperatingSysteminaVirtualMachineon page 43,andseeVMwareToolsSettingsonpage 159.
Working With ESX Server

Thissectionincludesinformationonmaintenancetasks,performanceenhancements, andgeneraltroubleshootingtips. Table 13includesESXServermaintenancetasksforanAdministrator(rootuser). Table 1-3. Maintenance tasks for an Administrator
Task Backupyour virtualmachines. Description Youcandobackupsforeachvirtualmachine,orfromtheserviceconsole. Backupsfromtheserviceconsolearebestforsystemimages,becausethey resultinabackupbootablevirtualdiskandaresuitableforrapid redeployment.SeeBackingUpfromWithinaVirtualMachineon page 152. Backupsfromwithinthevirtualmachine,usingabackupagent, arebestforapplicationdatabecausenosystemshutdownisrequired.See BackingUpVirtualMachinesfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 153.
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Table 1-3. Maintenance tasks for an Administrator (Continued)

Task Usescriptsto schedule frequenttasks. Viewsystemlogs andreports throughthe management interface. Description FormoreinformationonVMwareScriptingAPIs,see http://www.vmware.com/support/developer. Asneeded,viewtheESXServerlogfilesforwarnings,serioussystem alertsandmessagesthroughthemanagementinterface. SeeViewingSystemLogsandReportsonpage 229.
Table 14includesESXServerperformancerelatedtasksforanAdministrator(root user). Table 1-4. Performance-related tasks for an Administrator

Task Enhanceperformance onvirtualmachines, basedonits application(s). Description ESXServerappliesaproportionalsharemechanismtoCPU, memoryallocation,anddiskbandwidth.Themoresharesavirtual machinehas,themoreCPU,memory,ordiskbandwidthithas. Forexample,virtualmachinesrunningaCPUintensive applicationshouldhaveagreaterminimumCPUandmemory sharethanavirtualmachinerunninganonCPUintensive application. SeeChapter 12,VMwareESXServerResourceManagement. EnhanceCPU performanceonvirtual machines. Setminimumandmaximumpercentagesaswellasmemoryshares foreachvirtualmachine.Alsoselecttheprocessorsonwhichthe virtualmachineruns. SeeConfiguringaVirtualMachinesCPUUsageonpage 96and CPUResourceManagementonpage 331 Enhancememory utilizationonvirtual machines. Youcansetmemorysharesforavirtualmachine.Ifyouhavea NUMAmachine,youcanalsoselecttheNUMAaffinitynodesfor thevirtualmachine. SeeConfiguringaVirtualMachinesCPUUsageonpage 96, MemoryResourceManagementonpage 345,andUsingYour NUMASystemonpage 358. Enhancedisk bandwidthutilization onvirtualmachines. Enhancenetworking performanceonvirtual machines. Youcansetdiskbandwidthforavirtualmachine.Avirtual machinewithmoreshareshasmorebandwidth. SeeConfiguringaVirtualMachinesCPUUsageonpage 96and ManagingDiskBandwidthonpage 371. Youcanmanagenetworkingperformancebyenablingtraffic shapingandspecifyingnetworkparameters. SeeConfiguringaVirtualMachinesNetworkingSettingson page 100 andManagingNetworkBandwidthonpage 367.
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Table 1-4. Performance-related tasks for an Administrator (Continued)

Task Removeunnecessary programsorservices fromyourvirtual machines. Makesurethatthe serviceconsolehas enoughCPUandRAM. Makesurethereis sufficientswapspace foryourguest operatingsystem. Description Removeunnecessaryprogramsorservices,suchasCPUintensive screensavers,fromyourvirtualmachines. RunLinuxvirtualmachineswithouttheXWindowsystem,if possible. IfyouarerunningalotofvirtualmachinesonESXserver,andyou noticeadegradationinsystemperformance,increasetheCPU minimumfortheserviceconsole.SeeManagingtheService Consoleonpage 168 Forresourcemanagementpurposes,ESXServermayincreasethe memoryutilizationwithinaguestoperatingsystem.Ensurethat theguestoperatingsystemhassufficientswapspace. Addadditionalswapspaceintheguestoperatingsystem,equalto thedifferencebetweenthevirtualmachinesmaximumand minimummemorysizes. SeeAdmissionControlPolicyonpage 332. Removeunnecessary programsorservices fromyourservice console. UseSNMPtowatch memory,resource usage,andworkloads onESXServerandits virtualmachines. DonotruntheXWindowsysteminyourserviceconsole.
SeeChapter 7,UsingSNMPwithESXServer.
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Table 15includessomegeneraltroubleshootinginformation.\ Table 1-5. Troubleshooting

Problem Cantstartavirtual machine. Suggestions Checkpermissionsonthevirtualmachineconfigurationfileandon thevirtualdisk.See Setting Permissions for Owners of Virtual Machines on
page 139.
Checkthatthereisenoughmemorytopoweronthisvirtual machine.See Sizing Memory on the Server on page 401. Checkthatthereisenoughunreservedswapspace.SeeSwap Space and Guest Operating Systems on page 388. CheckthatthevirtualdisksareinaVMFSvolume.Ifthevirtual diskfileisfromVMwareWorkstationorVMwareGSXServer,be surethevirtualdiskhasbeenproperlyimported,throughthe managementinterface,intoESXServer.See Migrating VMware
Workstation and VMware GSX Server Virtual Machines on page 50.
Cantconnecttothe VMwareManagement Interface.
CheckwhethertherehasbeenalossinIPconnectivity. CheckthattheNICduplexorspeedmatchestheEthernetswitch. Checkthattheserviceconsoleisnotswapping. Checkthattherootfilesystemhasavailablediskspace. CheckwhethertherehasbeenalossinIPconnectivity. CheckthattheNICduplexorspeedmatchestheEthernetswitch. Checkthattheserviceconsoleisnotswapping. Checkthattherootfilesystemhasavailablediskspace.
Cantconnecttothe VMwareRemote Console.
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Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines
Thischapterdescribeshowtocreateandconfigurevirtualmachinesandinstallthe VMwareRemoteConsole.Itcontainsthefollowingsections:
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
CreatingaNewVirtualMachineonpage 39 InstallingaGuestOperatingSystemandVMwareToolsonpage 43 UsingPXEwithVirtualMachinesonpage 53 ConfiguringaVirtualMachinetoUsetheLSILogicSCSIAdapteronpage 55 Importing,Upgrading,andExportingVirtualMachinesonpage 60 PreparingtoUsetheRemoteManagementSoftwareonpage 69 InstallingtheRemoteConsoleSoftwareonpage 70 ThirdPartySoftwareCompatibilityonpage 71 ExecutingScriptsWhentheVirtualMachinesPowerStateChangesonpage 71 ConfiguringVirtualMachinesonpage 73
Creating a New Virtual Machine

YoucancreatenewvirtualmachinesfromwithintheVMwareManagementInterface. Theprocesssetsupanewconfigurationforeachvirtualmachineyoucreatethisway. NOTE UseonlyASCIIcharactersintheentryfieldswhencreatingavirtualmachinewiththe managementinterface.Thevirtualmachinesdisplaynameandpathcannotcontain nonASCIIcharacters.Inaddition,donotcreatefilenamesanddirectoriesforvirtual machineswithspacecharacters.
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TheAddVirtualMachinewizardguidesyouthroughthebasicstepstocreateavirtual machineonyourserver.Anyuserwhohasanaccountontheserversserviceconsole maylogintothewizardandcreateavirtualmachine.Ifyouareloggedinasroot,you mightwanttologoutandloginagainasauserauthorizedtomanagethenewvirtual machine. NOTE CheckforanyVMkernelALERTmessagesinthewarninglogfilesbeforecreatinga newvirtualmachine. To create a new virtual machine 1 Logintothemanagementinterface,usingthisURL:
http://<hostname>
Onthemanagementinterfaceloginpage,enteryourusernameandpasswordand clickLogin. TheStatusMonitorappears.
ClickAddVirtualMachine. TheAddVirtualMachinewizardstarts.
Choosetheguestoperatingsystemforyourvirtualmachine. Defaultentriesappearforthenameofthevirtualmachineandthenameofits configurationfile.Youcanchangethesesettings. ThenameyouenterintheDisplayNamefieldislistedintheVMware ManagementInterface. TheLocationfieldcontainsthenameoftheconfigurationfile(thisfilehasa.vmx extension).BesurethattheentryintheLocationfieldisunique.
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Chapter 2 Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines
NOTE
ConfigurationfilesforvirtualmachinescreatedwithVMwareESXServer2.0 andlater,usethe.vmxextension.EarlierversionsofESXServerusedthe.cfg extension.Accessvirtualmachineconfigurationfileswitha.cfgextension byESXServer2.5.
5 6
ClickNext. IntheProcessorslist,choosethenumberofvirtualCPUsinyourvirtualmachine. Choose1or2virtualCPUs,buttheymustbelessthanorequaltothenumberof physicalCPUsonyourserver.
NOTE
Someguestoperatingsystems,suchasWindowsNT,canbeconfiguredwitha singleprocessor.Ifyouareconfiguringsuchavirtualmachine,anoteindicates thisandyoucannotselectmorethanonevirtualCPU. YoucancreatedualvirtualCPUvirtualmachinesonlyifyouhavepurchased theVMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerproduct.Formoreinformationonthis product,contactVMware,Inc.oryourauthorizedsalesrepresentative.
NOTE
Youmightneedtochangeittomeetthedemandsofapplicationsyouplantorun inthevirtualmachine.Youcanchangethissettinglateronthevirtualmachines Memorytabinthemanagementinterface.SeeManagingMemoryResources fromtheManagementInterfaceonpage 351. 7 IntheWorkloadslist,selectCitrixTerminalServicestorunCitrixMetaFrameon thevirtualmachine. DonotselectthisoptionifyoudonotplantorunCitrixMetaFrameonthe virtualmachine.Virtualmachineswiththissettingusemorevirtualization overheadandESXServerwillbeabletorunfewervirtualmachines simultaneously.
NOTE
8 9
ClickNext. Choosethetypeofvirtualdiskyouwanttoaddtothevirtualmachine.
!
ClickBlanktocreateanewvirtualdisk.Specifythefollowing: IntheVMFSVolumelist,choosethevolumeonwhichtolocatethevirtual disk.Theamountoffreespaceislistednexttothevolumename. IntheVMwareDiskImagefield,specifythedisknamewitha.vmdk extension.
a b
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IntheCapacityfield,specifythesizeofthevirtualdiskinMB.Thedefault entryindicatesthelesserofeither4000MBortheamountoffreespace availableonthevolume. SelecttheappropriateSCSIIDintheVirtualSCSINodelist. UnderDiskMode,clickPersistent,Nonpersistent,Undoable,orAppend. SeeUsingDiskModesonpage 135. ClickExistingtoaddanexistingvirtualdisktothevirtualmachine.Specify thefollowing: IntheVMFSVolumelist,choosethevolumeonwhichthevirtualdiskis located. IntheVMwareDiskImagelist,selectthevirtualdiskyouwant.Thesizeof thevirtualdiskappearsintheCapacityfield.Youcannotchangethisvalue. SelecttheSCSIIDintheVirtualSCSINodelist. UnderDiskMode,clickPersistent,Nonpersistent,Undoable,orAppend. SeeUsingDiskModesonpage 135. ClickSystemLUN/Disktoallowthevirtualmachinetoaccessaphysicaldisk storedonaLUN.Specifythefollowing: SelectUseMetadatatoenableaccesstothedisksmetadatafileinformation. ChoosetheMetadataFileLocation. EnteranameintheMetadataFileNamefield. SelecttheSCSIIDintheVirtualSCSINodelist. ChoosetheCompatibilityoftheguestoperatingsystem: PhysicalGivestheguestoperatingsystemdirectdiskaccess. VirtualLetsyouchooseadiskmodefortheguestoperatingsystem.
d e
a b c d
!
a b c d e
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ClickNext. TheHardwaretabforthisvirtualmachineappears. YoucanchangethedefaultsettingsESXServerassignedtothevirtualmachine (suchasthediskmode,networkcard,colordepthandanyremovabledevices)or configurationitemsyouspecified.Tochangehardware,seeConfiguringaVirtual MachinesHardwareonpage 102.
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Installing a Guest Operating System and VMware Tools

Thissectiondescribesthefollowing:
! ! ! !
InstallingaGuestOperatingSysteminaVirtualMachineonpage 43 InstallingVMwareToolsintheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 44 StartingVMwareToolsAutomaticallyonpage 48 UsingtheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemServiceonpage 49
Inmostcases,configureyourvirtualmachinewithablank(unformatted)SCSIvirtual disk.Youcaninstallanoperatingsystemonthisvirtualdiskjustasyouwouldonanew physicalmachine,usingastandardinstallationCDROMandformattingthevirtual diskattheappropriateplaceintheinstallationprocess. YoucanalsoinstallfromimagefilesISOimagefilesofinstallationCDROMsand floppyimagefilesofanyfloppydisksneededfortheinstallation.UsetheVMware ManagementInterfacetoconnectthevirtualmachinesdrivestotheappropriateimage filesbeforeyoubegintheinstallation. AnotherapproachistostartwithavirtualdiskcreatedwithVMwareWorkstation3.2 orhigherorwithVMwareGSXServer2.5orhigher,andconfiguretheguestoperating systemtoworkwithVMwareESXServer. Afteryourguestoperatingsystemisinstalled,followthedirectionsbelowforinstalling VMwareToolsandthenetworkdriver.
Installing a Guest Operating System in a Virtual Machine

Toinstallaguestoperatingsystemandothersoftware,usetheVMwareRemote ConsoleonadifferentsystemthantheoneonwhichyouveinstalledESXServer. Fordetailsoninstallingtheremoteconsole,seeInstallingtheRemoteConsole Softwareonpage 70.Followthedirectionsforstartingaremoteconsoleonyour WindowsorLinuxworkstationandconnectingtoavirtualmachine. InserttheinstallationCDROMforyourguestoperatingsystemintheCDROMdrive. ClickPowerOnontheremoteconsoletoolbartobeginsettingupyourguestoperating system.Seehttp://ww.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.htmlandtheESX Server2.5releasenotesfordetailsoninstallingspecificguestoperatingsystems. Toinstalloveranetwork,youneedISOimagefilesofinstallationCDROMsandfloppy imagefilesofanyfloppydisksneededfortheinstallation.Theinstallationinstructions inthissectionassumeyouareinstallingfromphysicalmedia.Ifyouareusingimage files,youshouldconnectthevirtualmachinesCDROMorfloppydrivestothe appropriateimagefilesbeforeyoubegininstallingtheguestoperatingsystem.
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NOTE
Whenyouinstallaguestoperatingsystemonanewvirtualdisk,youmightgeta warningmessagethatthediskiscorrupted.Itwillaskwhetheryouwanttoplacea partitiontableonthedisk.Thismessagemeansthatsomedataneedstobewrittento thefilethatholdsyourvirtualharddisk.RespondYes.Youalsoneedtopartitionand formatthevirtualdiskasyouwouldwithanew,blankharddrive.
Installing a Guest Operating System on a Formatted Raw Disk

Ifyoutrytoinstallaguestoperatingsystemonaraworphysicaldiskthatwas formattedwithafilesystem,youmightseeaNooperatingsystemerrorwhenyou poweronthevirtualmachine.Thisoccursbecausethebootorderspecifiedinthe virtualmachinesBIOSdefaultstothefloppydisk,harddisk,andthentheCDROM drive.InsteadofbootingfromtheinstallationCDROM,thevirtualmachinetriesto bootfromtheharddisk. Toworkaroundthisissue,dooneofthefollowing:
!
ChangethebootorderinBIOSsothevirtualmachinebootsfromtheCDROM drivebeforetryingtheharddisk.Whenthevirtualmachineboots,entertheBIOS andchangethebootorderontheBootmenu. Zerooutthefirst64KBoftherawdiskusingddorasimilarutility.Forexample, usingdd:

# dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/<device> count=64 bs=1024
Inthecommandabove,deviceisthedevicenameofthephysicaldisk.
Installing VMware Tools in the Guest Operating System

ThissectiondescribeshowtoinstallVMwareToolsandthenetworkdriverintheguest operatingsystem.Notethefollowing:
!
Thestepsforeachguestoperatingsystemassumethatyouareworkingfroma remoteconsoleconnectedtoyourvirtualmachine. Ineachprocedure,choosingSettings>VMwareToolsInstallpreparesthe CDROMdriveinthevirtualmachinetouseanISOimagefilecontainingthe VMwareToolspackages.Thisimage,whichappearsasaregularCDROMdiskin thevirtualmachine,wasplacedonyourservermachinewhenyouinstalled VMwareESXServer.
SelecttheappropriateprocedurebelowforinstallingVMwareToolsinyourguest operatingsystem.
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To install VMware Tools in a Windows Server 2003 guest 1 ChooseSettings>VMwareToolsInstalltoconnectthevirtualmachines CDROMdrivetoanISOimagefileontheESXServermachine. Ifautorunisenabledinyourguestoperatingsystem,adialogboxappearsasking whetheryouwanttoinstallVMwareTools. 2 ClickInstalltolaunchtheinstallationwizard. Ifautorunisnotenabled,thedialogboxdoesnotappear.RunVMwareTools.exe fromtheCDROMdrive(chooseStart>Run>D:\VMwareTools.exe)toinstall VMwareTools. TwoHardwareInstallationmessagesappear,statingthattheVMwareSVGAand VMwarePointingDevicedrivershavenotpassedWindowsLogotesting. 3 4 Acceptthesemessagesandcontinue. Reboottheguestoperatingsystemwhenprompted. Whentheinstallationcompletes,ESXServerdisconnectstheISOimagefileand returnsthevirtualmachinesCDROMdrivetoitsoriginalconfiguration. To install VMware Tools in a Windows XP guest 1 ChooseSettings>VMwareToolsInstalltoconnectthevirtualmachines CDROMdrivetoanISOimagefileontheESXServermachine. Ifautorunisenabledinyourguestoperatingsystem,adialogboxappearsasking whetheryouwanttoinstallVMwareTools. 2 ClickInstalltolaunchtheinstallationwizard. Ifautorunisnotenabled,thedialogboxdoesnotappear.RunVMwareTools.exe fromtheCDROMdrive(chooseStart>Run>D:\VMwareTools.exe)toinstall VMwareTools. TwoHardwareInstallationmessagesappear,statingthattheVMwareSVGAand VMwarePointingDevicedrivershavenotpassedWindowsLogotesting. 3 4 Acceptthesemessagesandcontinue. Reboottheguestoperatingsystemwhenprompted. Whentheinstallationcompletes,ESXServerdisconnectstheISOimagefileand returnsthevirtualmachinesCDROMdrivetoitsoriginalconfiguration.
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To Install VMware Tools in a Windows 2000 guest 1 ChooseSettings>VMwareToolsInstalltoconnectthevirtualmachines CDROMdrivetoanISOimagefileontheESXServermachine. Ifautorunisenabledinyourguestoperatingsystem,adialogboxappearsasking whetheryouwanttoinstallVMwareTools. 2 ClickInstalltolaunchtheinstallationwizard. Ifautorunisnotenabled,thedialogboxdoesnotappear.RunVMwareTools.exe fromtheCDROMdrive(Start>Run>D:\VMwareTools.exe,whereD:isthefirst CDROMdriveinyourvirtualmachine)toinstallVMwareTools. 3 Wheninstallationiscomplete,chooseSettings>CancelToolsInstallto disconnecttheISOimagefileandreturnthevirtualmachinesCDROMdriveto itsoriginalconfiguration.
To install VMware Tools and the Network Driver in a Windows NT 4.0 guest 1 ChooseSettings>VMwareToolsInstalltoconnectthevirtualmachines CDROMdrivetoanISOimagefileontheESXServermachine. Ifautorunisenabledinyourguestoperatingsystem,adialogboxappearsasking whetheryouwanttoinstallVMwareTools. 2 ClickInstalltolaunchtheinstallationwizard. Ifautorunisnotenabled,thedialogboxdoesnotappear.Runsetup.exefrom theCDROMdrive(chooseStart>Run>D:\setup.exe)toinstallVMwareTools. 3 Dooneofthefollowing:
!
Ifyouconfiguredthisvirtualmachinetousethevlancenetworkdriver,goto Step 5. Ifyouconfiguredthisvirtualmachinetousethevmxnetnetworkdriver, chooseStart>ControlPanel>Network>AdaptersandclickAdd.
4 5
ClickHaveDiskandtypeD:\Program files\VMware\VMware Tools\Drivers\vmxnet\winntintheInsertDiskdialogbox. ClickOKwhenVMwareVirtualEthernetAdapterappearsintheSelectOEM Optiondialogbox. TheVMwarenetworkdriverisinstalled.
ClickCloseintheAdaptersdialogboxtocompletetheinstallation. WindowsletsyouconfiguretheInternetaddressforthecard.
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IfyouareinstallingonavirtualmachinethatwascreatedwithVMware Workstationandusednetworking,useanaddressdifferentfromtheonethe originalnetworkconfigurationused(thataddressisassignedtothenow nonexistentvirtualAMDcard).OrchangetheaddressassignedtotheAMDcard. NOTE TheVMwareVirtualEthernetAdapterdriverrunscorrectlyonlyifyouhave ServicePack3orlaterinstalled.Ifyoudonothavethecorrectservicepack installed,youmightgetanerrormessagesuchas:

System Process Driver Entry Point Not Found; The \SystemRoot\System32\drivers\vmxnet.sys device driver could not locate the entry point NdisGetFirstBufferFromPacket in driver NDIS.SYS.
Wheninstallationiscomplete,andbeforeyoureboot,chooseSettings>Cancel ToolsInstalltodisconnecttheISOimagefileandreturnthevirtualmachines CDROMdrivetoitsoriginalconfiguration. Rebootthevirtualmachine.
To Install VMware Tools in a Linux Guest 1 ChooseSettings>VMwareToolsInstallandclickInstall. ThisstepconnectsthevirtualmachinesCDROMdrivetoanISOimagefileonthe ESXServermachine. 2 InyourLinuxguest,becomeroot,mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROM,copy theinstallerfilefromthevirtualCDROMto/tmp,andunmounttheCDROM.
su mount -t iso9660 /dev/cdrom /mnt cp /mnt/vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz /tmp umount /dev/cdrom
UntartheVMwareToolstarfilein/tmpandinstallit.
cd /tmp tar zxf vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz cd vmware-tools-distrib ./vmware-install.pl
4 5 6
Choosedirectoriesforthefiles. EnteradisplaysizeforthevirtualmachineandpressEnter. StartXandyourgraphicalenvironmentandlaunchtheVMwareTools backgroundapplication.

vmware-toolbox &
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NOTE
Ifyoucreatedthisvirtualmachineusingthevmxnetdriver,runnetconfig oranothernetworkconfigurationutilityinthevirtualmachinetosetupthe virtualnetworkadapter.
To install VMware Tools in a NetWare 6.0 SP3, 6.5, or 5.1 SP6 guest 1 2 Poweronthevirtualmachine. ChooseFile>InstallVMwareTools. Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine. 3 ToloadtheCDROMdriversthattheCDROMdevicemountstheISOimageasa volume,dooneofthefollowing:
!
InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare6.5virtualmachine,type:
LOAD CDDVD
InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare5.1virtualmachine,type:
LOAD CD9660.NSS
Whenthedriverfinishesloading,begininstallingVMwareTools. 4 Inthesystemconsole,type:
vmwtools:\setup.ncf
Whentheinstallationfinishes,themessageVMwareToolsforNetWarearenow runningappearsintheLoggerScreen(NetWare6.5guests)ortheConsoleScreen (NetWare5.1guests). 5 Inthesystemconsole,type:

restart server
MakesuretheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimage(netware.iso)isnot attachedtothevirtualmachine.Ifitis,rightclicktheCDROMiconinthestatus baroftheconsolewindowandselectDisconnect.
Starting VMware Tools Automatically

YoumayfindithelpfultoconfigureyourguestoperatingsystemsothatVMwareTools startswhenyoustartX.ThestepsvarydependingonyourLinuxdistributionandthe desktopenvironmentyouarerunning.Checkyouroperatingsystemdocumentation forthestepstotake.
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To start VMware Tools in a Red Hat Linux 7.1 guest using GNOME, for example 1 OpentheStartupProgramspanelintheGNOMEControlCenter. MainMenu(thefootinthelowerleftcornerofthescreen)>Programs>Settings >Session>StartupPrograms 2 3 4 ClickAdd. IntheStartupCommandfield,entervmware-toolbox. ClickOK,clickOKagain,andclosetheGNOMEControlCenter.
ThenexttimeyoustartX,VMwareToolsstartautomatically.
Using the VMware Guest Operating System Service

WhenyouinstallVMwareToolsinavirtualmachine,theVMwareguestoperating systemserviceisoneoftheprimarycomponentsinstalled.Theguestservicecandothe following:
!
Synchronizethetimeoftheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimeonthephysical computer.SeeSynchronizingtheTimeBetweentheGuestandServiceConsoles onpage 50 Gracefullypoweroffandresetavirtualmachine.SeeShuttingDownand RestartingaVirtualMachineonpage 50. Executecommandsinthevirtualmachinewhenitisrequestedtohaltorrebootthe guestoperatingsystem.SeeExecutingCommandstoHaltorRebootaVirtual Machineonpage 51. Passastringfromtheserviceconsoletotheguestoperatingsystem.SeePassing aStringfromtheServiceConsoletotheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 52. SendaheartbeattoVMwareESXServersothatitknowstheguestoperating systemisrunning.
Theguestservicestartswhenyoustarttheguestoperatingsystem. InaLinuxguest,theguestserviceiscalledvmware-guestd.Todisplayhelpaboutthe guestservice,includingalistofalloptions,usethefollowingcommand:

/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --help
InaWindowsguest,theguestserviceprogramfileiscalledVMwareService.exe.To displayhelp,rightclicktheVMwareToolsiconinthesystemtrayandchooseHelp.
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Synchronizing the Time Between the Guest and Service Consoles

Theguestservicecansynchronizethedateandtimeintheguestoperatingsystemwith thetimeintheserviceconsoleonceeverysecond.IntheVMwareToolscontrolpanel, ontheOthertab(OptionsinaLinuxguest),selectTimesynchronizationbetweenthe virtualmachineandthehostoperatingsystem.
Figure 2-1. Options (Other) Tab Inaddition,theguestservicecansynchronizethedateandtimeintheguestwiththe serviceconsoleinresponsetovarioussystemevents,forexample,whenyouresume fromdisk.Disablethisoptionintheconfigurationfilebysetting:

time.synchronize.resume.disk = FALSE
Shutting Down and Restarting a Virtual Machine

ESXServercansignaltheguestservicetoshutdownorrestartavirtualmachine.After theguestservicereceivesarequesttoshutdownorrestart,itsendsan acknowledgmentbacktoESXServer. YoucansendtheserequestsfromtheVMwareManagementInterfaceortheservice consolescommandline. Whetheritispossibletoshutdownorrestartavirtualmachinedependsonthestateof thevirtualmachine.
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Shutting Down or Restarting a Virtual Machine from the VMware Management Interface
Youcanclick toshutdownor torestartavirtualmachinefromtheVMware ManagementInterface.Afteryouselectoneoftheseoperations,clicktotheUsersand Eventspageforthisvirtualmachinetorespondtoanymessagesthatrequirea response. Shuttingdownistheequivalentofusingtheguestoperatingsystemsshutdown command,andturningoffpowertothevirtualmachine.Restartingistheequivalentof usingtheguestoperatingsystemsrestartcommand. Ifyoureceiveaneventlogmessagestating,Youwillneedtopowerofforresetthe virtualmachineatthispoint,connecttothevirtualmachinewitharemoteconsoleand clickPowerOfforResettocompletetheoperation. NOTE PowerOffandResetarenotavailablewhiletheseoperationsareinprogress. Youcanalsoforcepowerofforforceresetfromthemenu.Thesecommandsbypassthe guestserviceandperformthevirtualequivalentofshuttingoffthepowertoaphysical machineorpressingaphysicalresetbutton. Formoreinformation,seeChangingthePowerStateofaVirtualMachineonpage 88.
Shutting Down or Restarting a Virtual Machine from the Command Line

Youcanshutdownandrestartavirtualmachinefromtheserviceconsolecommand lineusingthevmware-cmdutility. Thefollowingcommandsreturnyoutothecommandprompt,beforetheyfinish executing,althoughtheshutdownorrestartprocesscantakesometimetocomplete:
vmware-cmd <vm-cfg-path> stop <powerop_mode> vmware-cmd <vm-cfg-path> reset <powerop_mode>
wherehard,soft,ortrysoftspecifiesthebehaviorofthepoweroperation <powerop_mode>.If<powerop_mode>isnotspecified,thedefaultbehaviorissoft.For moreinformation,seetheVMwareScriptingAPIUsersManual,availableat http://www.vmware.com/support/developer.
Executing Commands to Halt or Reboot a Virtual Machine

InaLinuxguest,youcanhavetheguestserviceexecutespecificcommandswhenESX Serverasksittohaltorrebootthevirtualmachinesguestoperatingsystem.Ifyouuse nonstandardutilitiesorwanttodoadditionalactionsbeforeshuttingdownor rebootingtheguestoperatingsystem,overridethedefaultcommandstheguestservice
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executesbymodifyingthe/etc/vmware/dualconf.vmstartupscriptintheguestto starttheguestservicewiththefollowingcommandlineoptions:
/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --halt-command <command>
where<command>isthecommandtoexecutewhenESXServeraskstheguestservice tohalttheguestoperatingsystem.
/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --reboot-command <command>
where<command>isthecommandtoexecutewhenESXServeraskstheguestservice toreboottheguestoperatingsystem.
Passing a String from the Service Console to the Guest Operating System
WithESXServerandknowledgeofascriptinglanguagelikePerlorNetShell,youcan passastring(machine.id) fromyourvirtualmachinesconfigurationfiletotheguest operatingsystemwhenyouusetheconfigurationfiletolaunchavirtualmachine. Determinethecontentofthestringyoupasstotheguestoperatingsystem. Foradditionaldetailsandsamplescripts,includinginformationonpassingmessages bothwaysbetweentheserviceconsoleandaguest,seetheVMwareScriptingAPI documentationathttp://www.vmware.com/support/developer/. Usethisfeatureonlyifyouhaveagoodunderstandingofascriptinglanguageand knowhowtomodifysystemstartupscripts.
Example of Passing a String from the Service Console to the Guest

Ifyouusemultipleconfigurationfilesthatpointtothesamevirtualdisk,each configurationfilecancontainitsownuniquemachine.idline. <config_file_1>.vmxcontains:
scsi0:1.present = TRUE scsi0:1.name = my_common_virtual_hard_drive.vmdk scsi0:1.mode = persistent machine.id = the_id_for_my_first_vm
<config_file_2>.vmxcontains:
scsi0:1.present = TRUE scsi0:1.name = my_common_virtual_hard_drive.vmdk scsi0:1.mode = persistent machine.id = the_id_for_my_second_vm
Usingmachine.id,youmaypasssuchstringsastheWindowssystemID(SID),a machinename,oranIPaddress.Intheguestoperatingsystemstartupscript,youcan
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havetheguestserviceretrievethisstring,whichcanbeusedbyyourscripttosetyour virtualmachinessystemID,machinename,orIPaddress. Inthefollowingexample,aLinuxguestillustrateshowyoucanusetheguestserviceto retrieveastringcontainingwhatbecomesthevirtualmachinesmachinenameandIP address.UseRedHat62VMasthemachinenameand148.30.16.24astheIPaddress. To retrieve the machine name and IP address of a Linux guest 1 Definethefollowingoptioninyourvirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
machine.id = RedHat62VM 148.30.16.24"
SeeSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsbyModifyingtheConfigurationFile Directly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126. 2 3 Launchavirtualmachineusingthisconfigurationfile. Retrievethemachine.idstringinthevirtualmachine. Inyoursystemstartupscript,beforethenetworkstartupsection,addthefollowing command:

/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --cmd 'machine.id.get'
InaWindowsguest,thecommandtoretrievethestringis:
VMwareService --cmd machine.id.get
Customizethisstartupscriptsoitusesthestringtheguestserviceretrievedduring startuptosetthevirtualmachinesnetworknametoRedHat62VManditsIP addressto148.30.16.24.Thisshouldbelocatedinthescriptbeforethenetwork servicesarestarted. Fromtheserviceconsole,youcanpreventtheserviceconsolefrompassingastringto theguestoperatingsystemthroughtheguestservice.Setthefollowinglineinyour virtualmachinesconfigurationfile:

isolation.tools.machine.id.get.disable = TRUE
Using PXE with Virtual Machines

Youcanuseaprebootexecutionenvironment(knownasPXE)tobootavirtualmachine overanetwork. WhenyouusePXEwithavirtualmachine,youcan:
!
Remotelyinstallaguestoperatingsystemoveranetworkwithouttheneedforthe operatingsysteminstallationmedia. Deployanimageofavirtualdisktothevirtualmachine.

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BootaLinuxvirtualmachineoverthenetworkandrunitdiskless.
UsePXEwithyourvirtualmachineinconjunctionwithremoteinstallationtoolssuch asWindows2000RemoteInstallationServicesortheRedHatLinux9.0installersPXE package.YoucanuseGhostorAltiristostreamanimageofanalreadyconfigured virtualdisktoanewvirtualmachine. Makesurethevirtualmachinehasavirtualnetworkadapter;oneisinstalledby default.ESXServersupportsPXEwhenthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouseeither thevmxnetorvlancevirtualnetworkadapter. Thevirtualmachinemusthaveavirtualdiskwithoutaguestoperatingsystem installed. Whenavirtualmachinebootsandnoguestoperatingsystemisinstalled,itbootsfrom devices(harddisk,CDROMdrive,floppydrive,networkadapter)intheorderin whichtheyoccurinthebootsequencespecifiedinthevirtualmachinesBIOS.Touse PXEwithavirtualmachine,putthenetworkadapteratthetopofthebootorder.When thevirtualmachinefirstboots,pressF2toenterthevirtualmachinesBIOSandchange thebootorder. Asthevirtualmachinebootsfromthenetworkadapter,ittriestoconnecttoaDHCP server.TheDHCPserverprovidesthevirtualmachinewithanIPaddressandalistof anyPXEserversavailableonthenetwork.AfterthevirtualmachineconnectstoaPXE server,itcanconnecttoabootablediskimage(suchasanoperatingsystemimageora GhostorAltirisdiskimage)andstartinstallingaguestoperatingsystem. VMwarehastestedandsupportsthefollowingPXEconfigurationswithESXServer:
!
RemoteinstallationofaWindowsServer2003guestoperatingsystemfroma serverrunningWindowsServer2003AutomatedDeploymentServices RemoteinstallationofaWindows2000guestoperatingsystemfromaserver runningWindows2000Server/AdvancedServerRemoteInstallationServices RemoteinstallationofaLinuxguestoperatingsystemfromaRedHatEnterprise Linux3.0ASPXEbootserver RemoteinstallationofasupportedguestoperatingsystemfromaGhostimage usingWindows2000andGhostRISBootpackage RemoteinstallationofasupportedguestoperatingsystemfromanAltirisimage usingaWindows2000Altirisserver NetworkbootingaLinuxvirtualmachinebyconnectingwiththeLinuxDiskless optiontoaRedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0ASserver
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NOTE
ESXServerdoesnotsupportinstallationofaWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem usingPXE.
Configuring a Virtual Machine to Use the LSI Logic SCSI Adapter

ESXServervirtualmachinescanusevirtualBusLogicandvirtualLSILogicSCSI adapters.Bydefault,virtualmachinesusetheBusLogicadapter.However,Windows Server2003virtualmachinesareconfiguredtousetheLSILogicadapterbydefault. YoucanaddtheLSILogicSCSIadaptertoanyvirtualmachinebymodifyingits configurationfile.ForanexistingvirtualmachineorforanewWindowsXPor Windows2000virtualmachine,furtherstepsareneededintheguestoperatingsystem. WindowsXPandWindows2000donotincludeadriverfortheLSILogicSCSIadapter, sotheseguestsusetheBusLogicadapterbydefault.TousetheLSILogicSCSIadapter withaWindowsXPorWindows2000virtualmachine,downloadthedriverfromthe DownloadCenterattheLSILogicWebsite.Gotohttp://www.lsilogic.com/andlook fortheLSI20320SCSIadapterdriverforyourguestoperatingsystem.Thefilesareina WinZiparchive. NOTE Linuxdistributionswithkernelsinthe2.4.18seriesorlaterincludeadriverthat supportstheLSILogicadapter.Ifyourguesthasanolderkernelandyouwanttouse theLSIadapterinsteadoftheBusLogicadapter,VMwarerecommendsthatyou upgradethekernelpackagestothelatestversionavailableforthedistribution.Youdo notneedtodownloadthedriverfromLSILogic.
Adding the Adapter to the Virtual Machines Configuration File

ForbothWindowsandLinuxvirtualmachines,modifythevirtualmachines configurationfiletousetheLSILogicSCSIadapter.Foranewvirtualmachine, completethefollowingstepsbeforeyouinstalltheguestoperatingsystem. ForanexistingvirtualmachinewithwhichyouwanttousetheLSILogicadapter,shut downtheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachinebeforefollowing thesesteps. CAUTION EventhoughSuSELinux8.1includesthecorrectdriverforLSILogic, becauseofanerrorinaSuSELinuxprocess,theguestoperatingsystem mustfirstbeinstalledwiththeBusLogicdriver.AftertheSuSELinux8.1 guestoperatingsystemhasbeeninstalledandboots,shutdownthevirtual machineandcompletethestepsbelow.
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To add the LSI Logic SCSI Adapter to the configuration file 1 2 Connecttotheserviceconsoleand,usingatexteditor,openthevirtualmachines configurationfile(.vmx). Dooneofthefollowing:
!
IfyouareaddingtheLSILogicadaptertoanewvirtualmachinethatis configuredforaBusLogicadapter,switchtheoriginalBusLogicadaptertothe LSILogicadapterbychangingthisline:

scsi<n>.virtualDev = vmxbuslogic
to
scsi<n>.virtualDev = vmxlsilogic !
IfyouareaddingtheLSILogicadaptertoanexistingvirtualmachinethatis configuredforaBusLogicadapter,addtheLSILogicadapterwithnodevices aftertheBusLogicdevice.Forexample,ifyouhaveoneSCSIadapterinthe virtualmachine,theconfigurationfilelookssomethinglikethis:

### ### SCSI devices ### # SCSI controller scsi0 scsi0.present = TRUE scsi0.virtualDev = vmxbuslogic scsi0:1.present = TRUE scsi0:1.name = vmhba0:6:0:1:win2k.vmdk scsi0:1.mode = persistent
ToaddtheLSILogicadapter,typethefollowinglinesaftertheBusLogicdevice information:
scsi1.present = TRUE scsi1.virtualDev = vmxlsilogic
Saveyourchanges,andclosetheconfigurationfile.
NowthattheLSILogicSCSIadapterhasbeenaddedtothevirtualmachines configuration,itwillberecognizedbytheguestoperatingsystem.Followthe appropriatestepsforeithertheWindowsorLinuxguestoperatingsystems:

!
FornewLinuxvirtualmachines(usingtheappropriatekernel),installtheguest operatingsystem,whichwillbeconfiguredforusingtheLSILogicadapter.No otherstepsarenecessary.ForanexistingLinuxvirtualmachine,completethesteps
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inConfiguringtheLSILogicSCSIAdapterinaLinuxGuestOperatingSystem onpage 58.

!
FornewWindowsvirtualmachines,completethestepsinConfiguringtheLSI LogicSCSIAdapterinaWindowsGuestOperatingSystem,next.
Configuring the LSI Logic SCSI Adapter in a Windows Guest Operating System
BeforeyoubeginconfiguringyourWindowsguest,downloadtheLSILogicdriver fromtheLSILogicWebsite,asdiscussedabove.
!
Foranewvirtualmachine,unzipthedriverfilestoafloppydisk.Thisfloppydisk isneededwhileinstallingtheguestoperatingsystem. Foranexistingvirtualmachine,unzipthedriverfilesintoadirectoryintheguest operatingsystem,thenshutdowntheguestandpoweroffthevirtualmachine.
To configure the LSI Logic SCSI Adapter in a Windows guest operating system 1 2 Poweronthevirtualmachine. Dooneofthefollowing:
!
Ifyouareinstallinganewguestoperatingsystem,pressF6atthebeginning oftheinstallationtohaveWindowspromptforadriverdisk.Whenaskedto loadadditionaldrivers,insertthefloppydiskcontainingthedriverfilesand letWindowscopythedriverfilesandcontinuetheinstallation.Donotremove thefloppydiskfromthefloppydriveuntiltheinstallerrebootstheguest. IfyouarechangingfromtheBusLogictotheLSILogicadapterinanexisting virtualmachine,theguestoperatingsystemrecognizesthepresenceoftheLSI LogicadapterandtheAddNewHardwarewizardstartsafteryoulogin. BrowsetothedirectorywhereyouunzippedthedriverfilesandletWindows copythemtothecorrectplace.
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AfteryouinstalltheLSILogicdriver,makesurethevirtualmachineboots completely. ChecktheguestoperatingsystemsDeviceManagertoensuretheLSILogic adapterappearsandisworking.

!
IfyouareinstallingtheLSIadapterinanewguestoperatingsystem,youare finished. IfyouareswitchingfromaBusLogicadapterinanexistingvirtualmachine, continuewiththeremainingsteps.
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Shut down and power off the virtual machine, then edit the configuration file. Switch the original BusLogic adapter to the LSI Logic adapter by changing this line: scsi0.virtualDev = vmxbuslogic
to:
scsi0.virtualDev = vmxlsilogic
RemovetheLSILogicadapteryouaddedbyremovingtheselines:
Saveyourchangestotheconfigurationfileandbootthevirtualmachine. Afterthevirtualmachineboots,verifyintheDeviceManagerthattheguestis usingtheLSILogicdriveronly.
NOTE
Theguestshouldfindthedriverautomatically.Sometimesmovingthevirtual devicesaroundcausesthePCIslotstochange,sotheguestmightdetectsome devices(likethevmxnetnetworkdriver)again.Lettheoperatingsystem detectthedevicesandcontinue.
Configuring the LSI Logic SCSI Adapter in a Linux Guest Operating System
ThefollowingstepsapplytoexistingvirtualmachinesrunningRedHatLinux7.3and toSuSELinux8.0guestoperatingsystemsandlater.Thekernelsthatcomewiththese andlaterdistributionsincludeadriverthatsupportstheLSILogicSCSIadapter.The driveriscalledmptscsihanddependsonanothermodulecalledmptbase.Earlier kernelsmighthavethemptscsihdriver,buttheydonotsupportthisadapter. NOTE ForanewLinuxvirtualmachineinwhichyouintendtoinstallaRedHatLinux7.3or SuSELinux8.0guestoperatingsystemorlater,installtheguestoperatingsystem.The guestisconfiguredtousetheLSILogicadapterduringinstallation. TousetheLSILogicadapterinanolderdistribution,upgradethevirtualmachines kernelorpatchthekernelwiththesourcefromtheLSILogicWebsiteandrecompile thekernel.VerifythattheLSILogicadapterisdetected.Atacommandpromptinthe guest,type:
modprobe mptscsih
Ifnoerrorsappear,verifywithlsmodthatbothmptscsihandmptbaseareinstalled, andcontinue.Otherwise,youmustdeterminewhythedriverdidnotload.
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ForanexistingLinuxvirtualmachinewiththemodifiedconfiguration,theguestneeds tobootwiththeLSILogicSCSIadapter,soittriestoloadthatdriverfromtheinitial RAMdisk(initrd)beforetherootpartitionismounted. To configure the LSI Logic SCSI Adapter in a Linux guest operating system 1 2 Edit/etc/modules.confandsetscsi_hostadaptertomptscsih. CreateanewinitialRAMdiskfortherunningkernel. mkinitrd --preload mptbase /boot/initrd-<kernelname>-lsi.img <kernelname> Where<kernelname>istheversionoftheguestskernel;suchas2.4.183. Themodules.confmodificationyoumadeallowsmkinitrdtoprovidetheLSI LogicSCSIdrivertothekernelwhenbooting. 3 Edit/etc/lilo.confor/boot/grub/grub.conf(dependingonwhichisinuse intheguest). Createanewentrythatusestheexistingkernel,butthenewRAMdiskfile.Keep theoriginalbootentry,incaseyouhaveaproblemandneedtobootwiththe BusLogicadapter.Installthebootloader(lilo,orgrub-install /dev/sda) again. 4 Shutdownandpoweroffthevirtualmachine,andedittheconfigurationfileinthe managementinterface. SwitchtheBusLogicadaptertotheLSILogicadapterbychangingthisline:
scsi0.virtualDev = vmxbuslogic
to
scsi0.virtualDev = vmxlsilogic
RemovetheLSILogicadapteryouaddedbyremovingtheselines:
Saveyourchangestotheconfigurationfileandbootthevirtualmachineagain. Ifthevirtualmachinedoesnotboot,switchtheconfigurationbacktoBusLogicand bootwiththeoriginalconfiguration,andtroubleshootthefollowingissues:

!
RAMdiskmightnothavebeencreatedcorrectly.Itmustpreloadmptbase andloadmptscsihasthemainSCSIdriver,whichyouspecifiedinStep 1. Verifythatbothoftheseactivitiesoccurred.
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Bootloadermightnothavebeeninstalledorwasnotinstalledcorrectly,which resultsintheloaderloadingtheoldramdiskimage.Checkthebootloader configurationandinstallthebootloaderagain. KerneldoesnotsupporttheLSILogicadapter.Checkthatyoucanmanually modprobe mptscsiwithouterrorsandthatitappearsintheoutputoflsmod. Ifnot,upgradethekernelandstartover. Youmightseedifferentresultsondifferentdistributions.
NOTE
Importing, Upgrading, and Exporting Virtual Machines

Importing,upgrading,andexportingvirtualmachinesinvolvesthefollowingtasks:
! ! !
ConfiguringaVirtualMachinetoUseMorethanOneVirtualProcessor,next MigratingOlderESXServerVirtualMachinesonpage 62 MigratingVMwareWorkstationandVMwareGSXServerVirtualMachineson page 63 ImportingaGSXServerorWorkstationVirtualMachineonpage 66 ExportingVirtualMachinesonpage 68
! !
Configuring a Virtual Machine to Use More than One Virtual Processor

WhenyoucreateavirtualmachinewithESXServer2.5,youcancreateitwithoneor twovirtualprocessors.Toconfigureavirtualmachinewithmorethanonevirtual processor,youmustmeetthefollowingconditions:
!
ThevirtualmachinemustbecreatedunderESXServer2.5.VMwaredoesnot supportupgradingavirtualmachinecreatedunderESXServer1.5.2toESXServer 2.5andconfiguringitasamultiprocessororACPIvirtualmachine.Creatinga virtualmachineunderVMwareGSXServer2.5.1orVMwareWorkstation4.0,and importingittoESXServer2.5whileupgradingthenumberofvirtualprocessorsis alsonotsupported. YoumusthavepurchasedtheVMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerproductand createdthevirtualmachineunderESXServer2.5.Formoreinformationonthe VMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerproduct,contactVMwareoryourauthorized salesrepresentative.Afteryouhavethelicense,installtheproductbyenteringthe serialnumberwhenyouconfiguretheESXServersystem.SeetheVMwareESX ServerInstallationGuide.
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Theguestoperatingsystemmustsupportmultiprocessorsystems.Examples includeWindowsServer2003,Windows2000,andRedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS 2.1.ReviewthelistofsupportedguestoperatingsystemsintheVMwareESXServer InstallationGuidetoseewhichguestsaremultiprocessororSMPcapable. ThevirtualmachinecannothavemorevirtualprocessorsthantheESXServer systemhasphysicalprocessors.Tocreateavirtualmachinewithtwovirtual processors,theESXServersystemmusthaveatleasttwophysicalprocessors.
First,configurethevirtualmachinetousemorethanonevirtualprocessorusingthe managementinterface.SeeConfiguringaVirtualMachinesMemoryandVirtual Processorsonpage 105.Followthestepsappropriatetotheguestoperatingsystem below.
Windows Server 2003 Guest Operating Systems

WindowsServer2003upgradestheHALautomatically.Usethemanagementinterface toconfigurethevirtualmachinetousemorethanonevirtualprocessor.Whenyou poweronthevirtualmachine,theguestoperatingsystemdetectsthenewprocessor andupdatestheHALaccordingly.
Windows 2000 Guest Operating Systems

ForWindows2000guestoperatingsystems,tousemorethanonevirtualprocessor, configurethevirtualmachinetousemorethanonevirtualprocessor.Upgradethe guestoperatingsystemsHAL.VirtualmachinescreatedwithoneprocessorinESX Server2.5usetheACPIUniprocessorHAL.Tousetwovirtualprocessors,usetheACPI MultiprocessorHAL.TochangetheHAL,followtheinstructionsintheMicrosoft KnowledgeBase.Gotosupport.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;ENUS;237556.
Linux Guest Operating Systems

Tocreateavirtualmachinewithmorethanonevirtualprocessor,createanewvirtual machinewithtwovirtualprocessorsandinstalltheguestoperatingsysteminthisnew virtualmachine. TheLinuxdistributionmustsupportSMP.SupportedLinuxguestoperatingsystems thatcanbeconfiguredwithmorethanonevirtualprocessorincludeRedHatEnterprise Linux2.1and3.0,RedHatLinux9.0,SuSELinux8.2,andSuSELinuxEnterpriseServer (SLES)8and9.0. ForthelistofsupportedLinuxguestoperatingsystems,refertotheESXServer InstallationGuideathttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/esx_pubs.html.
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Downgrading to One Virtual Processor

VMwareESXServerdoesnotsupportdowngradingamultiprocessorvirtualmachine toauniprocessorvirtualmachine.
Migrating Older ESX Server Virtual Machines

YoucanusevirtualmachinescreatedwithversionsofESXServerolderthan2.5.Virtual machinescreatedinESXServer1.5canworkasis.Totakeadvantageofthenew featuresofthecurrentrelease,upgradeyourvirtualmachines. IfyoucreatedthevirtualmachineunderESXServer1.5anddonotwanttoupgradethe virtualmachine,runitinlegacymode.SeeRunningESXServer1.5VirtualMachines inLegacyModeonpage 63. NOTE YoumustupgradevirtualmachinescreatedunderESXServer1.0orESXServer1.1to ESXServer1.5beforetheycanbemigratedtoESXServer2.5.Afterthesevirtual machinesrununderESXServer1.5,migratethemtoESXServer2.5.Seetheupgrade instructionsintheESXServerInstallationGuideat http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/esx_pubs.html. UpgradethevirtualmachineshardwareforanyvirtualmachinecreatedunderESX Server1.0,1.1or1.5.Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.OntheStatus Monitorinthemanagementinterface,clickthearrownexttotheterminalicon( )and chooseConfigureHardware.OntheHardwaretab,clickUpgradeVirtualHardware, andclickOKtoupgradethehardware. Assigndiskbandwidthsharestothevirtualmachine.SeeManagingDiskBandwidth fromtheManagementInterfaceonpage 372.
Upgrading Windows Server 2003 Guest Operating Systems Created by ESX Server 1.5.2
IfyouusedESXServer1.5.2tocreateavirtualmachinewithaWindowsServer2003 guestoperatingsystem,updatetheguestOSconfigurationparameterinthevirtual machinesconfigurationfile.Otherwise,thisvirtualmachinewillnotrunproperlywith ESXServer2.5. To update the guestOS configuration parameter 1 2 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceastheownerofthevirtualmachine orastherootuser. ClickthearrowtotherightoftheterminaliconfortheWindowsServer2003 virtualmachineandchooseConfigureOptions.
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3 4
ClicktheOptionstaband,underVerboseOptions,clickthelink. ChangethevalueoftheguestOSconfigurationparametertooneofthefollowing:
! ! !
winNetWeb(WindowsServer2003WebEdition) winNetStandard(WindowsServer2003StandardEdition) winNetEnterprise(WindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition)
ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
Running ESX Server 1.5 Virtual Machines in Legacy Mode

YoucanchoosetonotupgradeanESXServer1.5virtualmachineandrunitinlegacy mode.Thisletsyouusethevirtualdiskasis.Changescanbewrittentothevirtualdisk file.Youcanaddanyvirtualhardwaretoalegacyvirtualmachine,including upgradingVMwareTools. AnyvirtualmachinescreatedbeforeESXServer2.5canhaveonlyasinglevirtual processor.MultiprocessorvirtualmachinesmustbecreatedunderESXServer2.0.
Using the LSILogic SCSI Adapter

PriortoESXServer2.5,virtualmachinesonlyusedBusLogicSCSIadapters.Nowyou canchoosetouseeithertheBusLogicSCSIadapterortheLSILogicSCSIadapterfor yourvirtualmachines. IfyouareupgradinganolderESXServervirtualmachine,upgradethevirtualmachine hardwarebeforeproceeding.InstallthelatestversionofVMwareTools.Ifnecessary, poweroffthevirtualmachineandupgradethevirtualhardware.Makesuretheguest operatingsystembootscompletely.Poweroffthevirtualmachineandbackitup.You arereadytoaddtheLSILogicadapter. ToaddtheLSILogicSCSIadaptertothevirtualmachine,seeConfiguringaVirtual MachinetoUsetheLSILogicSCSIAdapteronpage 55.
Migrating VMware Workstation and VMware GSX Server Virtual Machines

YoucanmigratevirtualmachinescreatedwithVMwareWorkstation4orearlieror VMwareGSXServer2.5.1orearliertoyourVMwareESXServersystem. Thevirtualmachineyouwanttomigratemusthavebeenconfiguredwithavirtual SCSIdiskandhaveasupportedguestoperatingsysteminstalled.Forthelistof supportedguestoperatingsystems,seetheVMwareESXServerInstallationGuide.
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NOTE
VirtualmachinescreatedunderversionsearlierthanGSXServer2.0orWorkstation3.2 mustbeupgradedtoESXServer1.5beforetheycanbemigratedtoESXServer2.5.After thesevirtualmachinesrununderESXServer1.5,migratethemtoESXServer2.5.See theupgradeinstructionsintheESXServerInstallationGuideat http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/esx_pubs.html. Importthevirtualdisksandanyredologstotheserverandcreateanewvirtual machineconfiguration.SeeImportingaGSXServerorWorkstationVirtualMachine onpage 66. OntheVMFSpartitionwhereyoustoreyourvirtualmachines,haveenoughspaceto holdthefullcapacityofthesourcevirtualdisk.AvirtualdiskcreatedinESXServerhas itsfullcapacityallocatedatthetimethevirtualdiskfileiscreated.Fora2GBvirtual disk,thevirtualdiskfileis2GBatthetimethediskiscreated. InVMwareWorkstationandGSXServer,thevirtualdiskfileusuallystartssmallerand growstothemaximumcapacityasdataisadded.Youcancreatea2GBvirtualdisk, installtheguestoperatingsystemandthevirtualdiskmaybecontainedina500MBfile. However,whenyoumigratethevirtualdisktoESXServer,theimportprocessconverts thediskforESXServerandthediskoccupies2GBofspaceonthepartition. CAUTION Ifyoucreatedavirtualdiskthatiscontainedinasingle.vmdkfilelarger than2GBandwanttomigratethevirtualdisktoESXServer,FTPorcopythe diskfromtheWorkstationhosttotheESXServermachine.Afterthefilehas beencopiedtotheserviceconsole,usevmkfstoolstoimportthediskinto ESXServer.Forthesyntaxonhowtoimportthedisk,seeExamplesUsing vmkfstoolsonpage 259.
NOTE
ESXServerversion2.5usesadefaultfilenameextensionof.vmdkforvirtualdisks. VirtualmachinescreatedunderESXServer2.1andearliercreatediskfileswitha.dsk extension. Ifthevirtualdiskhasaredolog(GSXServer2.5orWorkstation3.2orearliervirtual machines)orasnapshot(Workstation4virtualmachines)associatedwithit,youcan doeitherofthefollowing:

!
Forthemostcurrentrepresentationofthevirtualdiskbeforeyouimportit,commit thechangesintheredologortakeasnapshotjustbeforeimporting. Tousethebasedisk,discardthechangesintheredologormigratethevirtual machinewithoutthesnapshot(.vmss)file.
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WhenyouinstallVMwareToolsintheVMwareESXServervirtualmachine,youcan setupanewnetworkdriver. VirtualmachinesmigratedfromWorkstationandGSXServercannotbeconfiguredto usemorethanonevirtualprocessor.
Disk Geometry Failures When Importing GSX Server Virtual Machines

IfyouusedvmkfstoolstoimportavirtualmachinecreatedunderGSXServertoESX Server,afteryouimportthevirtualmachine,youmightseethefollowingmessage: Diskgeometrymismatch.Topoweronthevirtualmachineyoushouldspecify scsi<adapter-id>:<target-id>.biosGeometry=<cylinders>/<heads>/< sectors>intheconfigurationfile. Asimilarproblemcanoccurifyouusedthemanagementinterfacefilemanagerto importthevirtualmachine,althoughnomessageappears.Ifyouhaveproblems poweringonavirtualmachinewiththeimporteddisk,youmighthaveamismatch withthevirtualdisksgeometry. VirtualdiskscreatedunderGSXServeruseadifferentdiskgeometrythanvirtualdisks createdunderESXServer.Todeterminethecorrectdiskgeometry,runthefollowing vmkfstoolscommandonthesourcevirtualdisk(thecopyofthevirtualdiskonthe GSXServerhost,notthediskinaVMFSpartition):
vmkfstools -g //path/to/<sourceVirtualDisk>.vmdk
Afteryoudeterminethediskgeometry,youcanaddthecorrectgeometryinformation totheconfigurationfile.SeeSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsbyModifyingthe ConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126. Createanoptioncalledscsi<adapter-id>:<target-id>.biosGeometryandsetthe valueoftheoptionto<cylinders>/<heads>/<sectors>,where <adapter-id>:<target-id>istheSCSIIDofthevirtualdiskontheESXServer systemand<cylinders>/<heads>/<sectors>isthenumberofcylinders,heads, andsectorsonthevirtualdiskreturnedbythevmkfstoolscommand. Forexample,ifthevirtualdiskislocatedontheSCSI0:0nodeinthevirtualmachineon theESXServersystem,andyoudeterminethatthediskgeometryoftheoriginalvirtual disk(theoneontheGSXServerhost)contains261cylinders,255heads,and63sectors, addthefollowingoptiontotheconfigurationfile:
scsi0:0.biosGeometry=261/255/63
Assignthefollowingvaluetothenewoption:
261/255/63
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Otherwise,ifyoudonotaddthenewgeometryinformationtotheconfigurationfile, whenyoupoweronthevirtualmachine,amessageappearsstatingError loading operating system.Topoweronthevirtualmachine,addthenewoptiontothe configurationfile,asdiscussedabove.
Path Name Failures When Importing GSX Server Virtual Machines

PlaindisksusedwithvirtualmachinescreatedinGSXServermightcontaindiskfile namesthatESXServercannottranslate.Versions2.5andearlierofGSXServerused absolutepathnamestoidentifydiskfileswhencreatingplaindisks.Notallplaindisks createdwithearlierversionsofGSXServercontainpathnamespreventingESXServer fromimportingthem.IfyoutrytoimportaplaindiskwithvmkfstoolsandESX Serverappears,checkthepathnameintheplaindisk:
DiskLib_Open() failed. No such file or directory (131591)
NOTE
Thisproblemappliesonlytoplaindisks.VirtualandrawdiskscreatedinGSXServer shouldimportcorrectlyusingvmkfstools. Opentheplaindiskdescriptor(.pln)fileandlocatethepathnametothediskfile.If thepathnamerefersoutsidethedirectorycontainingthedescriptorfile,youmust changeit. Forexample,ifthepathnameis:

C:\user\vmware\VMs\W2KServSP3\Win2KSv1.dat
ESXServercannottranslatetheGSXServerpathnametolocatetheplaindiskdata (.dat)file. Repairtheplaindiskbylocatingthedatafileinthesamedirectoryasthedescriptorfile andchangingthepathnametorefertothedatafiledirectly.Inthisexample,editthe descriptorfiletoremovetheabsolutepathfromthefilenameandsavethefile:

Win2KSv1.dat
Ifyouimporttheplainfile:
$ vmkfstools -i Win2KSv1.pln vmhba0:0:2:Win2KSv1.vmdk
thecommandlocatesWin2KSv1.datinthesamedirectoryandimportsitintothe specifiedESXServervirtualdiskfile.
Importing a GSX Server or Workstation Virtual Machine

ThissectiondescribeshowtoimportvirtualmachinesthathavebeencreatedinGSX ServerorWorkstationintoESXserver.
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To import a virtual machine into VMware ESX Server 1 Makesureyouhaveaccesstothefilesinthedirectorythatholdsthesourcevirtual machine. Youmightbeabletomountthesourcelocation,oryoucanFTPorcopythefilesto atemporaryfolderontheserviceconsole. Ifyouarenotsurewherethesourcefilesare,openthevirtualmachineinthe VMwareproductyouusedtocreateit,opentheConfigurationEditor(Settings> ConfigurationEditor).OnaWindowshost,clickthenameofthedriveyouwant tomigrate.IntheDiskfilesection,clickChoosetoseethelocationinformation.On aLinuxhost,expandtheSCSIDrivestreeandclickthenameofthedriveyouwant tomigrate.ClickChoosetoseethelocationinformation. 2 UsingaWebbrowser,logintotheESXServermachineasrootandclickManage Files. UsethefilemanagerintheVMwareManagementInterfacetoperformallthefile copystepsdescribedbelow.Formoreinformation,seeUsingtheVMware ManagementInterfaceFileManageronpage 141. 3 4 Inthefilemanager,navigatetothelocationofthesourcediskfiles. Selectthemaindisk(.vmdkor.dsk)fileforthevirtualdiskyouaremigratingand clickCopy. Toensurethatyouhaveabackupcopyofthevirtualdisk,donotcutthevirtual diskfile.
NOTE
NavigatetothevmfsfolderandopenthefolderfortheVMFSpartitionwhereyou wanttostorethevirtualdiskfileandclickPaste. AdialogboxappearswiththemessageYouaretransferringoneormoreconsole virtualdiskstoaVMFSpartition.Forvirtualmachinestoaccessthesedisks,they mustbeconvertedtotheVMFSformat.Althoughyoucanconvertconsoledisksat anytime,itisrecommendedthatyoudosonow. TheVMFSpartitionrecognizesthefilesasavirtualdiskandconvertsthediskto theVMFS2formatduringtheimport.Thisallowsthedisktobeaccessedby virtualmachinesrunningunderESXServer2.5. Thefileyouarepastingisselected.
ClickOK. ThevirtualdiskisimportedtotheVMFSpartitionandconvertedtothenew format.
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NOTE
Ifyoudonotseethemessageabouttransferringdisks,aproblemexistswith theimport.Makesureyouarepastingtothecorrectvmfsfolder.
7 8 9 10
Selectthenewlyimporteddiskfile(.dskor.vmdk),andclickEditProperties. Changetheuserandgroupnamesintherightcolumnsothefilesownerand groupmatchthoseoftheuserwhowillrunthevirtualmachineandclickOK. Logout,andlogbackinastheuserwhowillrunthenewvirtualmachine. CreateanewvirtualmachineasdescribedinCreatingaNewVirtualMachine onpage 39. Whenyousetthefilenameforthenewvirtualmachinesdisk,usethevirtualdisk fileyoucopiedtotheVMFSpartition.
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IfyouimportedthevirtualmachinefromESXServer1.5.2,GSXServer2.5.1or Workstation3.2orearlier,upgradethevirtualhardware. a b c Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff. OntheStatusMonitor,clickthearrowtotherightoftheterminalicon ( )andchooseConfigureHardware. OntheHardwaretab,clickUpgradeVirtualHardwareandclickOKto upgradethehardware.
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Intheconfigurationfile,lookfortheoptionscsi0.virtualDevandchangethe valuefromvmxlsilogictovmxbuslogic. Tomodifytheconfigurationfile,seeSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsby ModifyingtheConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126.
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BootyourvirtualmachineinaremoteconsoleandinstallVMwareToolsandthe networkdriverinthevirtualmachine. Someguestoperatingsystemsdisplaymessagesaboutdetectinghardware changesandrequireyoutorebootthevirtualmachine.Thisoccursbecause VMwareESXServerusesanemulationforchipsetsandBIOSthatisslightly differentfromthoseusedbyotherVMwareproducts.
Exporting Virtual Machines

YoucanexportavirtualmachinetoWorkstation4,provideditisauniprocessorvirtual machine.Multiprocessor(SMP)virtualmachinescannotbeexportedtoWorkstation4. Ifthevirtualdisksareinundoablemode,youmustcommitthechangesintheredolog beforeexportingthevirtualmachineforyourchangestocarryover.
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Workstation4doesnotsupporttheLSILogicSCSIadapter.TousetheSCSIadapterin thevirtualmachine,switchtotheBusLogicadapter. ESXServer2.5doesnotsupportexportingvirtualmachinestoESXServer1.5orearlier, VMwareWorkstation3.2orearlier,orVMwareGSXServer2.5orearlier. UninstallVMwareToolsfromavirtualmachinebeforeexportingitforusein WorkstationorGSXServer. UsethevmktoolscommandintheServiceConsoletoexportvirtualdisksassociated withavirtualmachine.Seethesectiononusingthe-exportfileoptionof vmkfstoolsinBasicvmkfstoolsOptionsonpage 250.Youcanfindanexampleof howtousethe-exportfileoptioninExamplesUsingvmkfstoolsonpage 259.
Preparing to Use the Remote Management Software

YoucanmanageVMwareESXServerfromaremoteworkstationusingtheVMware RemoteConsoleandtheVMwareManagementInterface. RemoteconsolesoftwareisavailableforWindowsandLinuxworkstations.Theremote consoleletsyouattachdirectlytoavirtualmachine.Youcanstartandstopprograms, changetheconfigurationoftheguestoperatingsystemanddoothertasksasifyou wereworkingataphysicalcomputer. NOTE Ifyouneedsecurecommunicationsbetweenyourmanagementworkstationsandthe server,choosetheappropriatesecuritylevelwhenyouconfigureESXServer.See SecuritySettingsonpage 194.
Registering Your Virtual Machines

IfyoucreateyourvirtualmachinesusingtheVirtualMachineConfigurationWizard, theyareautomaticallyregisteredinthefile/etc/vmware/vm-listontheservers serviceconsole.Theremotemanagementsoftwarechecksthisfileforpointerstothe virtualmachinesyouwanttomanage. Tomanagevirtualmachinesthatyousetupwithoutusingthewizard,youmustfirst registerthem. Besurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.OntheStatusMonitorofthemanagement interface,pointtotheterminaliconforthevirtualmachineyouwanttoregisterand clickEditConfiguration.SelectRegisteredatthetopoftheEditConfigurationpane. NOTE Registeredvirtualmachinesappearinthelistonlyiftheirconfigurationfilesarestored locallyontheESXServercomputer.Iftheconfigurationfilesarestoredonan NFSmounteddrive,thevirtualmachinesarenotlisted.
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Toregisterthevirtualmachinesfromtheserviceconsole,usethiscommand:
vmware-cmd -s register /<configpath>/<configfile>.vmx
Toremoveavirtualmachinefromthelist,usethiscommand:
vmware-cmd -s unregister /<configpath>/<configfile>.vmx
Installing the Remote Console Software

Usethepackagethatcorrespondstotheoperatingsystemrunningonyour managementworkstationandfollowtheinstallationstepsbelow. InstallerfilesareavailableonthedistributionCDROM.Youcanalsodownloadthe appropriateinstallerfromtheStatusMonitorofthemanagementinterface. To install the remote console software on Windows Clients 1 2 3 FindtheinstallerfileVMware-console-2.v.v-xxxx.exeonthedistribution CDorinthedirectorywhereyoudownloadedit. DoubleclickVMware-console-2.v.v-xxxx.exetostarttheinstallation. Followtheonscreeninstructions.
To install the remote console software on Linux using the RPM Installer 1 LocatetheinstallerfileVMware-console-2.v.v-xxxx.i386.rpmonthe distributionCDorinthedirectorywhereyoudownloadeditandchangetothat directory. Gainrootprivilegesbytyping:
su -
RuntheRPMinstaller.
rpm -Uhv VMware-console-2.v.v-xxxx.i386.rpm
To install the remote console software on Linux using the Tar Installer 1 LocatetheinstallerfileVMware-console-2.v.v-xxxx.tar.gzonthe distributionCDorinthedirectorywhereyoudownloadeditandcopyittothe /tmpdirectoryortoanotherdirectory. Gainrootprivilegesbytyping:
su -
Unpackthetararchive.
tar zxf VMware-console-2.v.v-xxxx.tar.gz
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Changetothedirectorywherethearchivewasunpacked.
cd vmware-console-distrib
Runtheinstaller.
./vmware-install.pl
Formoreinformation,seeRunningaVirtualMachineUsingtheRemoteConsoleon page 157.
Third Party Software Compatibility

Thissectionincludesinstructionsforusingavirtualmachinewiththirdparty middlewareandmanagementsoftware.
Configuring a Virtual Machine for Use with Citrix MetaFrame XP

IfyouareusingaWindows2000virtualmachineasaMetaFrameXPserver,besureyou areusingFR1orFR2,andcompletethefollowingstepstoconfigurethevirtual machine.IfyouarerunningMetaFrameXPinaWindowsNTvirtualmachine,no specialstepsareneeded. To configure a Windows 2000 virtual machine as a MetaFrame XP server 1 ApplyCitrixhotfixXE102W014. Foradownloadlinkandinstructions,gototheCitrixWebsite(www.citrix.com), navigatetothesupportsectionandsearchforXE102W014. 2 ClickSaveChangestosavetheconfigurationfile.
Foradditionalinformationonperformancetuning,seearticle869intheVMware KnowledgeBase.
Executing Scripts When the Virtual Machines Power State Changes

Youcanrunscriptsintheguestoperatingsystemwhenyouchangethepowerstateof avirtualmachine;thatis,whenyoupoweron,poweroff,suspendorresumethevirtual machine. Scriptscanhelpautomateguestoperatingsystemoperationswhenyouchangethe virtualmachinespowerstate. NOTE TherearenoscriptsforFreeBSDguestoperatingsystems.
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Youperformthesepoweroperationsfromthetoolbarbuttonsandmenusinthe consoles.Formoreinformationonchangingthepowerstateofavirtualmachineina console,seeSpecialPowerOptionsforVirtualMachinesonpage 157. ScriptscanrunwhenusingthepowerbuttonsintheVMwareManagementInterface. SeeRunningtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 80. ScriptscanbeexecutedonlywhentheVMwareguestoperatingsystemserviceis running.Theguestservicestartsbydefaultwhenyoustarttheguestoperatingsystem. SeeUsingtheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemServiceonpage 49. DefaultscriptsareincludedinVMwareTools.Thedefaultscriptexecutedwhen suspendingavirtualmachinestopsnetworkingforthevirtualmachinewhilethe defaultscriptexecutedwhenresumingavirtualmachinestartsnetworkingforthe virtualmachine. Inaddition,youcancreateyourownscripts.Thescriptsyourunmustbebatchfilesfor Windowshostsbutcanbeanyexecutableformat(suchasshellorPerlscripts)forLinux hosts.Youshouldbecompletelyfamiliarwiththesetypesofscriptsbeforeyoumodify thedefaultscriptsorcreateyourown. Ifyoucreateyourownscripts,associateeachscriptwithitsparticularpoweroperation. SeeChoosingScriptsforVMwareToolstoRunDuringPowerStateChangeson page 162. Forscriptsandtheirassociatedpoweroperationstowork,thefollowingconditions mustbemet:
!
TheVMwareguestoperatingsystemservicemustberunninginthevirtual machine. TheversionofVMwareToolsmustbeupdatedtothecurrentversion.Ifyouare usingavirtualmachinecreatedwithanolderversionofVMwareESXServeror anotherolderVMwareproduct,updateVMwareToolstotheversionincludedin thisrelease. Dependingupontheoperationthescriptperforms,thevirtualmachinemusthave avirtualnetworkadapterconnected,otherwisethepoweroperationfails.
Issues to Consider
WhenyoureinstallVMwareToolsafteryouupgradetheVMwareESXServersoftware, anychangesyoumadetothedefaultscriptsareoverwritten.Anyscriptsyoucreated onyourownremainuntouched,butdonotbenefitfromanyunderlyingchangesthat enhancethedefaultscripts.
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Configuring Virtual Machines

Keyconfigurationsettingsforanexistingvirtualmachinecanbechangedfromthe VMwareManagementInterface.Thevirtualmachinemustbepoweredoffwhenyou changetheconfiguration. To configure the virtual machine 1 2 3 4 5 Logintotheserverfromthemanagementinterface(http://<hostname>)asa userwhohasrightstochangetheconfigurationfile. Clickthenameofthevirtualmachineyouwanttoreconfigure. OntheStatusMonitorforthatvirtualmachine,clickHardwareorOptionsinthe Configurationsection. Selectadeviceoroptiontoconfigure,andclickEdit. Makeanychangestotheconfiguration,andclickOK.
DetailsaboutchangingtheseconfigurationsettingsarediscussedinConfiguring VirtualMachinesonpage 73. CAUTION Onlyoneuseratatimeshouldmodifytheconfigurationforaparticular virtualmachine. Youcanmodifyothersettingsintheconfiguration.Thesesettingsinclude:

! ! !
RecommendedConfigurationOptionsonpage 74 ModifyingtheSMBIOSUUIDonpage 75 EnablingthePhysicalHardwaresOEMIDtoBeSeenbytheVirtualMachineon page 78
Tomodifythesesettingsintheconfiguration,manuallyedittheconfigurationfileby doingoneofthefollowing:
!
UsetheconfigurationfileeditorintheVMwareManagementInterface.Pointtothe terminaliconforthevirtualmachine,clickthearrowtotherightoftheterminal icon,andselectConfigureOptions.UnderVerboseOptions,clickthelink.See SettingStartupandShutdownOptionsbyModifyingtheConfigurationFile Directly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126. Logintotheserviceconsoleanduseatexteditor.
Forpurposesofillustration,weassumethatyouareworkingwiththefilenewvm.vmx inadirectorynamed/virtual machines/vm1.
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Recommended Configuration Options

Thissectiondetailsoptionsthatcaninfluencetheperformanceofyourvirtual machines.ThesesettingsarenotrequiredtorunVMwareESXServercorrectly.
SleepWhenIdle
Theconfigurationfileoptionmonitor.SleepWhenIdledetermineswhetherthe VMkerneldeschedulesanidlevirtualmachine.Bydefault,thisoptionisenabled,a settingthatensuresmuchbetterperformancewhenrunningmultiplevirtualmachines. Whenyouarerunningonlyasinglevirtualmachine(suchasforbenchmarking VMwareESXServer),addthemonitor.SleepWhenIdleoptiontothevirtual machinesconfigurationfileifyouwanttoachievethebestpossibleperformanceinthe virtualmachine(attheexpenseofresponsivenessintheserviceconsole). Createanoptioncalledmonitor.SleepWhenIdleandsetthevalueofthisoptionto0, asdescribedinSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsbyModifyingthe ConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126.
Optimizing Disk Access Failure Modes in Windows Virtual Machines

ESXServerincludesconfigurationoptionsthatallowyoutooptimizehowvirtual machineshandlediskaccessfailures.ForWindowsvirtualmachines,usethe scsi<n>.returnBusyOnNoConnectStatusoptiontodeterminehowESXServer reportsafailuretoconnectwithavirtualSCSIadapterorfailuretoaccessitafter initiatingaconnection.BysettingtheoptiontoTRUEorFALSE,youcandeterminehow thefailuretoaccesstoaphysicaldiskisrepresentedtoyourWindowsvirtualmachine. Thevaluesaredescribedbelow:
! !
IftheoptionissettoTRUE,ESXServerreturnstheerrormessageSCSI BUSY. IftheoptionissettoFALSE,thevalueESXServerreturnsdependsonthetypeof SCSIcontrolleryouchoseforthatvirtualdevice:

!
IfyouchosetheBusLogicadapter(thatis,ifVirtualDeviceissetto vmxbuslogic),yourvirtualmachinereceivestheerrormessage DEVICE_NOT_THERE. IfyouchosetheLSILogicadapter(thatis,ifVirtualDeviceissetto vmxlsilogic),yourvirtualmachinereceivestheerrormessage BTSTAT_SELTIME0.
YoumightneedtosetreturnBusyOnNoConnectStatustoFALSEwhendisk managementsoftwareoperatinginaWindowsvirtualmachineneedstodetectaccess failures.Forexample,sometypesofdiskmirroringsoftwarewillnotselectaduplicate diskunlesstheydetectadiscretefailuretoaccessaprimarydisk.Reportingthata

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targeteddiskisbusy,ratherthanunavailable,maycausemirroringprogramstorepeat theconnectionattemptinsteadofselectingaduplicatedisk. ESXServerdoesnotincludeanexplicitreturnBusyOnNoConnectStatusoption definitionforeachSCSIdiskinavirtualmachineautomatically.Iftheoptionisnot definedforadiskinthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile,ESXServerdefaultstoTRUE. YouneedtobothcreateanoptiondefinitionforeachdiskandsetittoFALSEtooverride thedefaultvalueofTRUE.SeeSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsbyModifying theConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126. NOTE UsingreturnBusyOnNoConnectStatusissupportedonlyinvirtualmachinesusinga Windowsguestoperatingsystem.
Modifying the SMBIOS UUID

EachESXServervirtualmachineisautomaticallyassignedauniversallyunique identifier(UUID),whichisstoredintheSMBIOSsysteminformationdescriptor.Itcan beaccessedbystandardSMBIOSscanningsoftwareandusedforsystemsmanagement inthesamewaysyouusetheUUIDofaphysicalcomputer. TheUUIDisa128bitinteger.The16bytesofthisvalueareseparatedbyspacesexcept foradashbetweentheeighthandninthhexadecimalpairs.AsampleUUIDmightlook likethis:
00 11 22 33 44 55 66 77-88 99 aa bb cc dd ee ff
Generating the UUID Automatically

TheautomaticallygeneratedUUIDisbasedonthephysicalcomputersidentifierand thepathtothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.ThisUUIDisgeneratedwhenyou poweronorresetthevirtualmachine.TheUUIDthatisgeneratedremainsthesameas longasthevirtualmachineisnotmovedorcopied. TheautomaticallygeneratedUUIDiswrittentothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile asthevalueofuuid.location. Ifyoumoveorcopythevirtualmachine,youcancreateanewUUIDthefirsttimeyou poweronthevirtualmachine.ThenewUUIDisbasedonthephysicalcomputers identifierandpathtothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileinitsnewlocation. Whenyoupoweronavirtualmachinethatwasmovedorcopiedtoanewlocation,a messageappears.SeeFigure 22.
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Figure 2-2. UUID dialog box Thisdialogboxhasfouroptions:

!
Ifyoumovedthisvirtualmachine,youcankeeptheUUID.SelectKeepandclick OKtocontinuepoweringonthevirtualmachine. Ifyoucopiedthisvirtualmachinetoanewlocation,createanewUUID,because thecopyofthevirtualmachineisusingthesameUUIDastheoriginalvirtual machine.SelectCreateandclickOKtocontinuepoweringonthevirtualmachine. Iftheoriginalvirtualmachineisbeingusedasatemplateformorevirtual machines,youcancreateanewUUIDthefirsttimeyoupoweroneachcopy.After youconfigurethevirtualmachine,moveittoanewlocationandpoweriton. Whenthemessageappears,selectAlwaysCreateandclickOKtocontinue poweringonthevirtualmachine.Thevirtualmachineissetuptocreateanew UUIDeverytimeitismoved.Poweroffthevirtualmachineandbeginusingitas atemplatebycopyingthevirtualmachinefilestootherlocations. Tomovethevirtualmachinenumeroustimes,andkeepthesameUUIDeachtime thevirtualmachinemoves,selectAlwaysKeepandclickOKtocontinue poweringonthevirtualmachine.
Suspendingandresumingavirtualmachinedoesnottriggertheprocessthatgenerates aUUID.TheUUIDinuseatthetimethevirtualmachinewassuspendedremainsinuse whenthevirtualmachineisresumed,evenifithasbeencopiedormoved.However, thenexttimethevirtualmachineisrebooted,theUUIDisgeneratedagain.Ifthevirtual machinehasbeencopiedormoved,theUUIDischanged.
Comparing the Generated UUID to Configuration File Parameters

Whenavirtualmachineispoweredon,ESXServergeneratesaUUIDasdescribed aboveandcomparesittothevaluesforuuid.locationand(ifitexists)uuid.biosin theconfigurationfile. IftheautomaticallygeneratedUUIDmatchesthevalueofuuid.location,ESXServer checksforuuid.bios.Ifuuid.biosexists,itsvalueisusedasthevirtualmachines UUID.Ifuuid.biosdoesnotexist,theautomaticallygeneratedvalueisused.
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IftheUUIDdoesnotmatchthevalueofuuid.location,thenewlygeneratedvalueis usedasthevirtualmachinesUUIDandissavedtotheconfigurationfile,replacingthe previousvalueofuuid.locationand(ifitexists)uuid.bios. NOTE AnychangestotheUUIDtakeeffectonlyafterthevirtualmachineisrebooted.
Setting the UUID for a Virtual Machine That Is Not Being Moved
ToassignaspecificUUIDtoavirtualmachinethatisnotbeingmoved,addonelineto theconfigurationfile.UsetheconfigurationfileeditorintheVMwareManagement Interfacebycompletingoneofthefollowing:
!
Inthemanagementinterface,clickthearrowtotherightoftheterminaliconfor thatvirtualmachineandselectConfigureOptionsinthevirtualmachinemenu (seeUsingtheVirtualMachineMenuonpage 86).ClickthelinkunderVerbose Options.Createanoptioncalleduuid.biosandsetthevalueasdescribedbelow. Logintotheserviceconsoleand,usingatexteditor,openthevirtualmachines configurationfile(.vmx).Addthefollowingline:

uuid.bios = <uuidvalue>
TheUUIDvalue(<uuidvalue>)mustbesurroundedbyquotationmarks.Asample configurationoptionmightlooklikethis:
uuid.bios = 00 11 22 33 44 55 66 77-88 99 aa bb cc dd ee ff
Afteraddingthisoptiontotheconfigurationfile,restartthevirtualmachine.Thenew UUIDisusedwhenthevirtualmachinerestarts.
Setting the UUID for a Virtual Machine That Is Being Moved

TomoveavirtualmachineandhaveitusethesameUUIDithadbeforethemove,note theUUIDbeingusedbeforethemoveandaddthatUUIDtotheconfigurationfileafter themove. To set the UUID before moving a virtual machine 1 Beforemovingthevirtualmachine,examineitsconfigurationfile. Completeoneofthefollowing:
!
Inthemanagementinterface,clickthearrowtotherightoftheterminalicon forthatvirtualmachineandselectConfigureOptionsinthevirtualmachine menu(seeUsingtheVirtualMachineMenuonpage 86).Clickthelink underVerboseOptions. Logintotheserviceconsoleand,usingatexteditor,openthevirtual machinesconfigurationfile(.vmx).

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IfthevirtualmachinesUUIDhasbeensettoaspecificvalue,theconfigurationfile hasalinethatbeginswithuuid.bios.The128bithexadecimalvaluethatfollows isthevalueyoushoulduseinthenewlocation. Ifnolinebeginswithuuid.bios,lookforthelinethatbeginswith uuid.locationandnotethe128bithexadecimalvaluethatfollowsit. 2 3 4 5 6 Movethevirtualmachinesdisk(.dskor.vmdk)filetothenewlocation. Usethemanagementinterfacetocreateanewvirtualmachineconfigurationand setittousethevirtualdiskfileyoumovedinthepreviousstep. Editthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfiletoaddauuid.biosline,asdescribed inSettingtheUUIDforaVirtualMachineThatIsNotBeingMovedonpage 77. Setthevalueofuuid.biostothevalueyourecordedinStep1,andremovethe uuid.locationlineinthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile. Startthevirtualmachine. ItshouldhavethesameUUIDasitdidbeforethemove.
Enabling the Physical Hardwares OEMID to Be Seen by the Virtual Machine

EachvirtualmachineisassignedanOriginalEquipmentManufacturerID(OEMID), comprisingtheManufacturerandProductName,whichisstoredintheSMBIOS systeminformationdescriptor.ItcanbeaccessedbystandardSMBIOSscanning softwareandusedforsystemsmanagementinthesamewayyouusetheOEMIDofa physicalcomputer. Bydefault,theManufacturerstringisVMware,Inc.andtheProductNamestringis VMwareVirtualPlatform. Ifthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfilehastheoption:
SMBIOS.reflectHost = TRUE
theManufacturerandProductNamestringsinthevirtualmachinearethesameasthe ManufacturerandProductNameofthehostsystem. Thesestringsareupdated(copiedfromthehostBIOStothevirtualmachineBIOS)on everyvirtualmachineBIOSPOST(PowerOnSelfTest).
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Using the VMware Management Interface
YoucanmanageandconfigurevirtualmachinesusingeithertheServiceConsoleorthe VMwareManagementInterface.ThetheVMwareManagementInterfaceprovidesan easytouse,graphicalinterfaceforworkingwithyourvirtualmachines. ThischapterdescribehowtouseVMwareManagementInterfacetoconfigureandrun virtualmachinesandincludesthefollowingsections:

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RunningtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 80 ConfiguringtheStatisticsPeriodfortheVMwareManagementInterfaceon page 81 UsingInternetExplorer6.0toAccesstheVMwareManagementInterfaceon page 82 LoggingIntotheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 84 UsingtheStatusMonitoronpage 84 ConfiguringaVirtualMachineonpage 94 ModifyingVirtualMachinePeripheralsonpage 131 DeletingaVirtualMachineUsingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceon page 136 ManagingESXServerResourcesonpage 137 ConfiguringVMwareESXServeronpage 137 LoggingOutoftheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 138 UsingtheApacheWebServerwiththeManagementInterfaceonpage 138
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SettingaMIMETypetoLaunchtheVMwareRemoteConsoleonpage 139 EditingaVirtualMachinesConfigurationFileDirectlyonpage 140 UsingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceFileManageronpage 141 RegisteringandUnregisteringVirtualMachinesonpage 145 RunningManyVirtualMachinesonESXServeronpage 148 BackingUpVirtualMachinesonpage 151
Running the VMware Management Interface

VMwareESXServerprovidestheVMwareManagementInterface,aWebbased managementtoolthatallowsyouto:
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MonitorthestateofvirtualmachinesandtheVMwareESXServermachineon whichtheyarerunning. Control(poweron,suspend,resume,resetandpoweroff)thevirtualmachineson theserver. ConnecttheVMwareRemoteConsoletoagivenvirtualmachine,forhandson managementoftheguestoperatingsystem. Modifyvirtualmachineconfigurations. Manageusersandgroups. ConfigureSANs. Createanddeletevirtualmachines. Answerquestionsandacknowledgemessagesposedbythevirtualmachine. ConfigureESXServer(rootusersonly).
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UsetheVMwareManagementInterfacefromamanagementworkstation,notfromthe servermachinewhereESXServerisinstalled.VMwaredoesnotrecommendrunning theXWindowsSystemonyourserversserviceconsole. Tousethemanagementinterface,whenyouregistereachvirtualmachine,makesure yousetreadpermissionsforallusersforeachofthevirtualmachinesyouwantto managefromabrowser. NOTE IfyouareconnectingtothemanagementinterfacewithInternetExplorer6.0,youmust configurethebrowser.SeeUsingInternetExplorer6.0toAccesstheVMware ManagementInterfaceonpage 82.
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Chapter 3 Using the VMware Management Interface
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YoucanuseonlyASCIIcharacterswhenviewingthemanagementinterface. Afteryourusernameandpasswordareauthorizedbythemanagementinterface,the StatusMonitorappears,whichcontainshighleveldetailsaboutallthevirtual machinesontheservertowhichyouareconnected.TheStatusMonitorlinkstoa detailedsetoftabsspecifictoeachvirtualmachine,whereyoufindinformationabout virtualdevices,configurationoptions,andasummaryofrecentevents.Inaddition,you cancreateanddeletevirtualmachinesfromyourbrowser. Thesetabsrefreshorreloadautomatically,refreshingevery90seconds.Youcanrefresh orreloadthemmanuallybeforeyouperformanoperationlikesuspending,resuming, orpoweringonoroffavirtualmachinefromthemanagementinterfaceorafteryou performapoweroperationinaremoteconsoleincaseanotheruserhasperformed thesameoraconflictingoperationbeforeyou.TorefreshtheStatusMonitor,click Refreshatthetopofapage.
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Yourmanagementinterfacesessiontimesoutaftera60minuteperiodofidletime. Thissettingisrepresentedbythevariablevmware_SESSION_LENGTH,storedin /usr/lib/vmware-mui/apache/conf/access.conf.Youcanblockaccesstothe managementinterfaceforallusersbysettingvmware_SESSION_LENGTHto0minutes. Youcanalsoallowforpersistentsessionsthatnevertimeoutbysetting vmware_SESSION_LENGTHto-1.
Configuring the Statistics Period for the VMware Management Interface

Bydefault,theVMwareManagementInterfaceprovidesstatisticsabouttheserverand virtualmachinesthatreflectthepast5minutesofactivity.Thestatisticsareupdated every20seconds. Youcanconfigurethissettingforaperiodof1minutetoseemoreusagedetailsoryou canconfigureitforaperiodof15minutestosmoothoutshorttermspikes.Increasing thestatisticsperiodchangestheupdatefrequencytoeveryminuteinsteadofevery20 seconds.Italsoreducestheamountofloadontheserviceconsole,improvingthe performanceofaserverrunningalargenumberofvirtualmachines. To configure the statistics period for the management interface 1 2 Connecttotheserviceconsolewithaterminal. Editthefile/usr/lib/vmware-mui/apache/conf/access.conf.
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UnderthelinePerlSetEnv vmware_SESSION_LENGTH 60,dooneofthe following.

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Tosettheperiodto1minute,addthisline:
PerlSetEnv vmware_STATS_PERIOD 1
Tosettheperiodto15minutes,addthisline:
PerlSetEnv vmware_STATS_PERIOD 15
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Saveandclosethefile. RestartApacheforthechangetotakeeffect. /etc/init.d/httpd.vmware restart
Using Internet Explorer 6.0 to Access the VMware Management Interface

ToruntheVMwareManagementInterfaceinInternetExplorer6.0onaWindows managementworkstation,youmusttakestepstoconfigureInternetExplorer. Theconfigurationstepsallowyoutoperformthefollowingactivities:
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LaunchingtheRemoteConsolefromtheManagementInterfaceonanEncrypted Server,next. ConnectingtotheManagementInterfaceOnaProxyServeronpage 83
Launching the Remote Console from the Management Interface on an Encrypted Server
YoucanlaunchtheVMwareRemoteConsolefromtheVMwareManagementInterface automatically.TodothisinanInternetExplorer6.0browseronaWindowssystem whereSSLisencryptingyourESXServerremoteconnections,ensurethattheDonot saveencryptedpagestodiskoptionisdisabled. Forinformationonencryptingremoteconnections,seeSecuritySettingsonpage 194. Whenthisoptionisenabled,InternetExplorerdoesnotsaveanyfilestodisk,including thefilesitneedstohandofftohelperapplications.Thispreventstheremoteconsole fromlaunchingautomatically. CAUTION Thisoptionmightbeenabledtopreventsavingsensitivefilestodisk. Disablingitmightpermitothersensitiveinformationtobesavedtodisk.
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To disable the option to launch the remote console automatically 1 2 3 4 IntheInternetExplorer6.0window,chooseTools>InternetOptionstoopenthe InternetOptionscontrolpanel ClicktheAdvancedtab. ScrolldowntotheSecuritysectionanduncheckDonotsaveencryptedpagesto disk. ClickOK.
Connecting to the Management Interface On a Proxy Server

Ifyournetworkisprotectedbehindaproxyserver,youmustusethemanagement interfaceinInternetExplorer6.0onaWindowssystem.Followthestepsforthe appropriateWindowsoperatingsystem. To configure a proxy server on Windows Server 2003 Systems 1 2 3 4 LaunchInternetExplorer6.0. ChooseTools>InternetOptions,andclicktheSecuritytab. SelectTrustedsitesandclickSites. IntheAddthisWebsitetothezoneentryfield,type:
https://*.domain.com
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ClickAdd. ClickOKuntilyoureturntothebrowserwindow. WhenyouuseInternetExplorer6.0toconnecttothemanagementinterface, useafullyqualifieddomainname.
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To configure a proxy server on Windows Systems Other than Windows Server 2003 (Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows NT operating systems) 1 2 3 4 5 LaunchInternetExplorer6.0. ChooseTools>InternetOptions. ClicktheConnectionstab,andclickLANSettings. MakesurethatBypassproxyserverforlocaladdressesisselected. ClickOKuntilyoureturntothebrowserwindow.
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WhenyouuseInternetExplorer6.0toconnecttothemanagementinterface,donotuse afullyqualifieddomainname.
Connecting to the Management Interface Without a Proxy Server

IfyouareonaWindowssystemandyournetworkdoesnotuseaproxyserver,you mustusefullyqualifieddomainnameswhenconnectingtothemanagementinterface withInternetExplorer6.0.
Logging Into the VMware Management Interface

TousetheVMwareManagementInterface,youshouldberunning:
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InternetExplorer5.5(InternetExplorer6.0orhigherisrecommended) NetscapeNavigator7.0orhigher Mozilla1.x.orhigher
YoumustknowtheservernameorIPaddressoftheserveryouwanttomanage.You musthaveavalidusernameandpasswordonthatserver. Youcanconnecttotheserverwithuptoeightmanagementinterfacesessionsatatime. TheURLtoconnecttotheserverishttp://<hostname>. IfyouareusingNetscapeNavigatororMozilla,checktheadvancedpreferences(Edit >Preferences>Advanced)tomakesurethatbothJavaScriptandstylesheetsare enabled.YouneedthehostnameorIPaddressoftheserveryouwanttomonitor.You shouldalsoensurethatstylesheetsareenabledinyourbrowser,regardlessofwhich browserandversionyouareusing. OntheLoginpage,enteryourusernameandpasswordforthehostmachine,andclick Login.TheStatusMonitorpaneappears.SeeUsingtheStatusMonitoronpage 84.
Using the Status Monitor

TheStatusMonitorcontainsahighlevelviewofVMwareESXServerincludinga serversystemsummaryandlistofallregisteredvirtualmachines.See
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Figure 3-1. Status Monitor
Viewing Summary Information About VMware ESX Server

IntheSystemSummarypane,youcanview:
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NumberofprocessorsonESXServer,includingtheaveragepercentageofCPU usageusedbyvirtualmachinesandtheserviceconsoleandthetotalbeingusedby thewholesystemforthepreviousfiveminutes. AmountofmemoryonESXServer,includingtheaverageamountofmemory usedbyvirtualmachines,otherprocessesontheserverandthetotalbeingusedby thewholesystemforthepreviousfiveminutes.
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Youcanmodifytheperiodoftimethesestatisticscover.SeeConfiguringtheStatistics PeriodfortheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 81.
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Viewing Summary Information About Virtual Machines on VMware ESX Server

UnderVirtualMachines,youcanviewalistofallregisteredvirtualmachinesonthe host.Whenavirtualmachineisrunning,theStatusMonitordisplaysitsIDnumber afterthepowerstatusofthevirtualmachine.
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Virtualmachinesmaynotappearinthelist,iftheirconfigurationfilesarestoredonan NFSmounteddrive.WhenavirtualmachinesconfigurationfileisonanNFSmounted drive,therootuserisoftenunabletoaccessthefilebecauserootprivilegesarenot allowed.Also,youcannotseethevirtualmachinesiftheNFSdirectoryisnotmounted. Activitiesyoucanperformfromthisviewincludeconnectingtovirtualmachines, managingvirtualmachinestatus,andconfiguringthevirtualmachines.
Connecting to a Virtual Machine with the VMware Remote Console

Toviewavirtualmachinesdesktop,attachtheVMwareRemoteConsoleandconnect tothevirtualmachine.Clicktheterminalicon( )tolaunchtheremoteconsole.See UsingtheRemoteConsoleonpage 155. NetscapeandMozillausersmustdefineaMIMEtypefortheconsolefirst.Internet Explorerisconfiguredwhentheremoteconsoleisinstalled.SeeSettingaMIMEType toLaunchtheVMwareRemoteConsoleonpage 139. Theterminaliconappearsslightlydifferent,dependingupontheguestoperating systeminstalled.Thisvisualcuehelpstoidentifythevirtualmachine,forexample, whenthedisplaynamedoesnotindicatetheguestoperatingsystem.Belowarethe waystheterminaliconcanappear: IndicatesaWindowsguestoperatingsystem. IndicatesaLinuxguestoperatingsystem. IndicatesaNetWareguestoperatingsystem. IndicatesaBSDguestoperatingsystem. Indicatesotherguestoperatingsystems.
Using the Virtual Machine Menu

Clickthearrowtotherightoftheterminalicon( )todisplayamenuofoptionsfor thevirtualmachine.Themenuincludesthefollowingcommands,mostofwhichcanbe performedusingbuttonsandothervisualelementsofthemanagementinterface.
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Dependingonyourpermissionsandthestateofthevirtualmachine,someoptionsmay notbeavailable.
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AttachRemoteConsoleLaunchestheVMwareRemoteConsole,whichconnects tothisvirtualmachine.Thisisthesameasclicking .Youneedtologintothe host.SeeUsingtheRemoteConsoleonpage 155.
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NetscapeandMozillausersmustdefineaMIMEtypefortheconsolefirst.Internet Explorerisconfiguredwhentheremoteconsoleisinstalled.SeeSettingaMIMEType toLaunchtheVMwareRemoteConsoleonpage 139.

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PropertiesOpenstheStatusMonitorforthisvirtualmachineinanewbrowser window.ThisisthesameasclickingthedisplaynamelinkintheDisplayName column. ConfigureHardwareOpenstheHardwaretab,whereyoucaneditavirtual machineshardwareconfiguration.Youcaneditmostconfigurationoptionsonly whenthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Whenthevirtualmachineispoweredon, youcaneditremovabledevicesandthevirtualnetworkadapter. SeeConfiguringaVirtualMachinesHardwareonpage 102.
ConfigureOptionsOpenstheOptionstab,whereyoucaneditavirtual machinesstandardinformation,suchasguestoperatingsystem,displayname, andlocationofthesuspendedstatefile.Withtheexceptionofthedisplayname, youcanedittheseoptionsonlywhenthevirtualmachineispoweredoff. SeeSettingStandardVirtualMachineConfigurationOptionsonpage 122.
ShutDownGuestShutsdowntheguestoperatingsystem,powersoffthevirtual machine,andrunsthescriptassociatedwiththispowerstatechange.Youcanalso click inthepowerstatepopupmenu. SuspendafterRunningScriptRunstheassociatedscriptandsuspendsa runningvirtualmachine.Youcanalsoclick inthepowerstatepopupmenu. PowerOn/ResumeandRunScriptPowersonastoppedvirtualmachineor resumesasuspendedvirtualmachine,andrunsthescriptassociatedwiththis powerstatechange.Youcanalsoclick inthepowerstatepopupmenu. RestartGuestRestartstheguestoperatingsystemandthevirtualmachine.You canalsoclick inthepowerstatepopupmenu. PowerOffPowersoffthevirtualmachineimmediatelywithoutrunningascript. Youcanalsoturnoffthepowertoaphysicalcomputer. SuspendSuspendsapoweredonvirtualmachinewithoutrunningascript.
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PowerOn/ResumePowersonastoppedvirtualmachineorresumesa suspendedvirtualmachinewithoutrunningascript. ResetResetsthevirtualmachineimmediatelywithoutrunningascript.Youcan alsopresstheresetbutton. UnregisterVirtualMachineUnregistersthevirtualmachine.Thevirtual machinenolongerappearsontheStatusMonitorsoitcannotbemanagedor accessed.SeeRegisteringandUnregisteringVirtualMachinesonpage 145. DeleteVirtualMachineLetsyoudeleteavirtualmachineoritsconfiguration, providedthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.SeeDeletingaVirtualMachine UsingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 136.
Changing the Power State of a Virtual Machine

Dependinguponyourpermissions,youcanchangethepowerstateofthevirtual machineinthemanagementinterface.YourpermissionsarelistedintheUsersand Eventstabforthevirtualmachine.SeeViewingaListofConnectedUserson page 129. Tochangethevirtualmachinespowerstate,clickthebuttonthatindicatesthevirtual machinescurrentpowerstate.Apopupmenudisplaysthebuttonsdescribedin Table 31. Table 3-1. Virtual Machine Power State Buttons
Button Description Shutsdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpowersoffthevirtualmachine. VMwareESXServerclosesopenapplicationsandshutsdowntheguestoperating systembeforepoweringoffthevirtualmachine.VMwareToolsexecutesthescript associatedwiththispowerstatechange,ifany.Whenthisiconisred,thevirtual machineispoweredoff. Suspendsarunningvirtualmachineorresumesasuspendedvirtualmachine. VMwareToolsexecutesthescriptassociatedwiththispowerstatechange,ifany. Whenthisiconisamber,thevirtualmachineissuspended. Powersonastoppedvirtualmachineorresumesasuspendedvirtualmachine. VMwareToolsexecutesthescriptassociatedwiththispowerstatechange,ifany. Whenthisiconisgreen,thevirtualmachineisrunning. Restartsaguestoperatingsystem.VMwareESXServerclosesanyopen applicationsandshutsdowntheguestoperatingsystembeforerestartingthe guestoperatingsystem.
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Changingthepowerstateexecutesanyscriptassociatedwiththepowerstatechange. Forinformationaboutrunningscripts,seeChoosingScriptsforVMwareToolstoRun DuringPowerStateChangesonpage 162.
Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines

Suspendingavirtualmachine,andlaterresumingitsoperation,canspeedprovisioning tasksforexample,deploymentofstandbyservers.VMwareESXServersupportstwo configurationsforresumingasuspendedvirtualmachine:
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Youcansuspendarunningvirtualmachineatanytime,resumeoperation, suspendatalatertime,andresumewiththemachineinthesecondstate,andso on. Youcansuspendavirtualmachineatanypointinitsoperation,andlockinthe suspendedstateatthatpoint.Anytimeyourestartthevirtualmachine,itresumes inthesamestatethestateitwasinwhenyoufirstsuspendedit.
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Donotchangeaconfigurationfileafteryoususpendavirtualmachine,becausethe virtualmachinedoesnotresumeproperlyiftheconfigurationfileisinconsistentwith thesuspendedvirtualmachine. Also,donotmoveanyphysicaldisksorchangethenameofanyVMFSfilesystemsthat thevirtualmachineuses.Ifyoudo,thevirtualmachinewillnotbeabletoaccessits virtualdiskswhenitresumes. Youcanalsosettheconfigurationofeachvirtualmachinesothefilethatstores informationonthesuspendedstateissavedinalocationofyourchoice.
Setting the Suspend Directory

Whenavirtualmachineissuspended,itsstateiswrittentoafilewitha.vmss extension.Bydefault,the.vmssfileiswrittentoaVMFSvolume.Whenavirtual machineisresumed,ESXServerlooksforthe.vmssfileinthesameVMFSvolume. Thevirtualmachinemustbepoweredofftochangethedirectorywherethesuspended statefileforavirtualmachineisstored. To set the suspend directory 1 2 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterface,andclickthearrowtotherightofthe terminalicon( )forthevirtualmachineyouwanttochange. ChooseConfigureOptions. TheOptionstabforthisvirtualmachineappearsinanewbrowserwindow.
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ClickEdit. TheEditOptionsdialogboxappears. Forfastestsuspendandrestoreoperations,selecttheappropriateVMFSvolume fromtheSuspendFileLocationlist.ESXServeraddsasuffixtothenameofthe suspendedstatefiletoensurethatonevirtualmachinedoesnotoverwritethe suspendedstatefileofanother.
ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
Enabling Repeatable Resume

WhenyouclicktheSuspendbuttontosuspendavirtualmachine,ESXServerwritesa filewitha.vmssextensionthatcontainstheentirestateofthevirtualmachine.When thevirtualmachineisresumed,itsstateisrestoredfromthe.vmssfile.The.vmssfile ismodifiedwhilethevirtualmachineisrunning.Innormaloperation,the.vmssfile cannotbeusedtoresumeavirtualmachinefromtheoriginalsuspendedstate. Youcanuserepeatableresumetoresumeavirtualmachineinthesamestate repeatedly.Forexample,youcanhaveahotstandbyvirtualmachineinaparticular statesothatitisreadytotakeoverforafailedserver. To prepare a hot-standby virtual machine 1 2 3 Shutdownandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. Inthemanagementinterface,openthevirtualmachinemenu. Clickthearrownexttotheterminalicon( )andselectConfigureHardwareto displaytheHardwaretab.
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NexttoVirtualDisk,clickEdit. ClickNonpersistent,andclickOKtosaveyourchange. ClicktheOptionstabandclickthelinkunderVerboseOptions. Theconfigurationfileopensinaneditor.
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ClickAdd. Createanoptioncalledresume.repeatableandsetitsvaluetoTRUE. ClickOKtosaveandclosetheconfigurationfile. Poweronthevirtualmachine. Usingtheremoteconsole,placethevirtualmachineinthestateyouwantthe machinetobeinwheninitiatingrepeatableresume. ClickSuspendtoactivaterepeatableresume. Thevirtualmachinewillresumefromthesuspendpointyouset.
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WhenyouclickPowerOff,thevirtualmachinewillpoweroff,readytoresumeat thesuspendpointyouset. Ifyoudonotwanttoresumethevirtualmachineusingtherepeatableresumepoint, shutdownthevirtualmachineandmanuallyremovethesuspendedstate(.std)file fromthevirtualmachinedirectory.Afteritisdeleted,suspendthevirtualmachineina newstatetocreateanewrepeatableresumepoint.Otherwise,setthe resume.repeatableflagtoFALSEintheconfigurationfile.
Viewing Information About a Virtual Machine

ImportantvirtualmachineinformationisavailableontheStatusMonitor.
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DisplayNamecolumnlinkDisplaynameforthevirtualmachine.Ifoneisnot specified,thepathtotheconfigurationfileforthevirtualmachineappears.This columnalsocontainsthevirtualmachinespowerstateanditsprocessIDand virtualmachineID(ifitisrunning).ItalsonoteswhetherVMwareToolsis installed. Ifthevirtualmachineiswaitingforaresponsetoasystemmessage,aWaitingfor inputlinkappears.Clickthelinktoviewthemessageandrespondtoit. Clickthevirtualmachinenamelinkformoredetailsaboutthevirtualmachine. ThevirtualmachinesStatusMonitorappearsinanewbrowserwindow.See ConfiguringVirtualMachinesonpage 73.
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UpcolumnvalueLengthoftimethevirtualmachinehasbeenrunning. No.columnvalueNumberofvirtualprocessorsinthevirtualmachine. %CPUcolumnvalueAveragepercentageofhostoperatingsystemprocessor capacitythevirtualmachineusedduringthefinalminutebeforethepagewaslast updated.MoredetailedprocessorinformationisavailableontheStatusMonitor. RAMcolumnvalueAmountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine.See ConfiguringaVirtualMachinesMemoryUsageonpage 97.Forgeneral informationonmemory,seeVirtualMachineMemoryonpage 364.
Downloading Remote Management Packages

YoucandownloadaremotemanagementpackagefromtheVMwareManagement InterfaceStatusMonitor. TodownloadaremoteconsolepackagefromtheStatusMonitor,clickthelinkatthe bottomofthepagefortheappropriateinstallationfile.Thisallowsyoutoquickly downloadtheconsolewithoutloggingoutofthemanagementinterface.
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Creating a New Virtual Machine

Tocreateanewvirtualmachinefromthemanagementinterface,ontheStatusMonitor pane,clickAddVirtualMachine.TheAddVirtualMachinewizardstarts.See CreatingaNewVirtualMachineonpage 39.
Unregistering a Virtual Machine

YoucanunregisteravirtualmachinesothatitnolongerappearsontheStatusMonitor andcannotbemanagedoraccessed.SeeRegisteringandUnregisteringVirtual Machinesonpage 145.
Deleting a Virtual Machine

Todeleteavirtualmachinefromthemanagementinterface,clickthearrowtotheright oftheterminalicon( )andchooseDeleteVirtualMachine.TheConfirm:Deleting <VirtualMachine>paneappearsinanewwindow.SeeDeletingaVirtualMachine UsingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 136.
Configuring VMware ESX Server

TheOptionstabletsyoumakechangestoyourVMwareESXServerconfiguration.See AdministeringESXServeronpage 187. NOTE OnlyauserwithrootprivilegescanaccesstheOptionstab.
Using Common Controls

Thefollowinglinksappearonmostorallofthepagesinthemanagementinterface: RefreshRefreshesorreloadsthecurrentpage.Toavoidconflictswithotherusers, clickthisbuttonbeforeyouperformanoperationinthemanagementinterfaceor afteryouperformsuchanoperationinaremoteconsole. ManageFilesOpensthemanagementinterfacesfilemanager.Thefilemanagerlets youcanmanagethefilesystemofyourVMwareESXServermachineremotely.See UsingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceFileManageronpage 141. HelpConnectsyoutotheVMwareESXServeronlinedocumentationforthecurrent pageinthemanagementinterface. LogoutLetsyoulogoutofthemanagementinterface.Youcanlogoutonlyfromthe StatusMonitorandOptionspane.ClickLogouttoreturntotheLoginpage.See LoggingOutoftheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 138.
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CloseClosesthecurrentmanagementinterfacewindow.Youcancloseonlywindows thatwereopenedwhileusingthemanagementinterface.
Configuring a Virtual Machine

Toseeinformationaboutavirtualmachineandtomodifyitsconfiguration,clickthe linktothevirtualmachineintheDisplayNamecolumnontheStatusMonitor.The StatusMonitorspecifictothevirtualmachineyouselectedappearsinanewbrowser window.
Figure 3-2. Status Monitor Tab TheStatusMonitorcontainsthefollowinginformation:

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Currentpowerstateofthevirtualmachinewhetheritispoweredon,powered off,orsuspended. ProcessIDofthevirtualmachine. VMIDofthevirtualmachine,whichisthevmkernelversionofthePIDfora runningvirtualmachine. Minimum,maximum,andaveragepercentageofserverprocessorcapacitythatthe virtualmachineusedinthepreviousfiveminutes.Youcanmodifytheperiodof
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timethesestatisticscover.SeeConfiguringtheStatisticsPeriodfortheVMware ManagementInterfaceonpage 81.

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Minimum,maximum,andaverageamountofservermemorythatthevirtual machineusedinthepreviousfiveminutes.Youcanmodifytheperiodoftime thesestatisticscover.SeeConfiguringtheStatisticsPeriodfortheVMware ManagementInterfaceonpage 81. Thelengthoftimethevirtualmachinehasbeenrunning. VMwareToolsstatus;whetherVMwareToolsisinstalledandrunning. Averagepercentageofheartbeatsreceivedbyavirtualmachineduringthe previousminute.TheheartbeatsaresentbytheVMwareguestoperatingsystem servicetothevirtualmachinefromitsguestoperatingsystem.Thepercentageis relativetothenumberofheartbeatsthevirtualmachineexpectstoreceiveforthe minutebeforethepagewaslastupdated.Heavilyloadedguestoperatingsystems maynotsend100%oftheexpectedheartbeats,eventhoughthesystemis otherwiseoperatingnormally.
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IfVMwareToolsisnotinstalledorisnotrunning,theguestoperatingsystemdoesnot sendanyheartbeatstoitsvirtualmachineandNotAvailableappearshere.
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IPaddressofthevirtualmachine. Linkstoeditthevirtualmachineshardwareandstandardconfigurationoptions. ClickHardwaretoeditthevirtualmachineshardwareontheHardwaretab.Click Optionstoeditthevirtualmachinesstandardconfigurationoptions.TheOptions paneappears.Makechangestothevirtualmachinesconfiguration.Tochange mostoptions,thevirtualmachinemustbepoweredoff. Guestoperatingsysteminstalledinthevirtualmachine. Numberofvirtualprocessorsinthevirtualmachine. Amountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine. PathtothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileontheESXServersystem.
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Editing a Virtual Machines Configuration

Youcaneditavirtualmachinesconfigurationfromthemanagementinterfacebydoing oneofthefollowing:
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OntheStatusMonitor,clickHardwareorOptions.Thevirtualmachinemustbe poweredoffbeforeyoucaneditmostconfigurationoptions.
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OntheStatusMonitororadetailspaneforthatvirtualmachine,clickthearrowto therightoftheterminalicon( )andselectConfigureHardwareorConfigure OptionsintheVirtualMachinemenu.SeeUsingtheVirtualMachineMenuon page 86.
Anewbrowserwindowappears,allowingyoutomakechangestothevirtual machinesconfiguration.
Configuring a Virtual Machines CPU Usage

Toreviewandconfigurethevirtualmachinesprocessorusage,clicktheCPUtab.
Figure 3-3. CPU Tab TheCPUtabshowshowmuchoftheserverprocessororprocessorseachvirtual processorisutilizing,howCPUresourcesareallocatedtothevirtualmachine,whether HyperThreadingisenabled,andwhetherthereisanyschedulingaffinitytoany specifiedprocessorsontheserver.
Understanding Performance Values

ThevaluesunderPerformancearebasedonthepastfiveminutes.Theperiodoftime thesestatisticscovercanbemodified.SeeConfiguringtheStatisticsPeriodforthe VMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 81. PerformanceinformationdisplayedincludesCPUUtilization,whichistheamountof theserverprocessororprocessorseachvirtualprocessorisutilizing.
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Understanding Resource Values

ThevaluesunderResourcesindicatearangeofpercentagesofaprocessortowhichthe virtualmachineisentitled.Resourceinformationdisplayedincludes:
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MinimumMinimumamountofprocessorcapacitythatmustbeavailableto poweronthevirtualmachine. MaximumHighestamountofprocessorcapacitythevirtualmachinecanever consume,eveniftheprocessorisidle.Themaximumvaluecanbelargerthan100% ifthevirtualmachinehasmorethanonevirtualCPU. SharesArelativemetricforallocatingprocessorcapacity.Thevalueslow, normal,andhigharecomparedtothesumofallsharesofallvirtualmachineson theserverandtheserviceconsole.Shareallocationsymbolicvaluescanbeusedto configuretheirconversionintonumericvalues. Formoreinformationonsharevalues,refertotheresourcemanagementman pages:cpu(8),diskbw(8),andmem(8).
IsolatedfromHyperThreadingCPUoperationstateofthevirtualmachine. EnablingthisoptionpreventsavirtualmachinefromsharingaphysicalCPUwith othervirtualmachineswhenHyperThreadingisenabled. Enablingthisoptionpreventsothervirtualmachinesfromusingthesecondlogical processoraslongasthisvirtualmachineisusingthefirstlogicalprocessor. ForinformationonHyperThreading,seethehyperthreading(8)manpage.
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SchedulingAffinityRepresentswhichESXServerprocessorsthevirtual machinecanrunon,whentheESXServersystemisamultiprocessorsystem.
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Foravirtualmachinewithexplicitaffinitysettings,ESXServermightnotalwaysfulfill thespecifiedCPUminimum.Minimumswillalwaysbefulfilledforvirtualmachines withoutexplicitaffinitysettings,evenifothervirtualmachinesuseexplicitaffinity settings.
Modifying CPU Values

Thesevaluescanbemodified.ClickEdit.ForinformationonchangingCPUsettings, seeAllocatingCPUResourcesonpage 331.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Memory Usage

Toreviewandconfigurethevirtualmachinesmemoryusage,clicktheMemorytab.
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Figure 3-4. Memory tab TheMemorytabshowshowmuchmemoryisbeingusedbythevirtualmachineand howmemoryresourcesareallocatedtothevirtualmachine.

ThevaluesunderPerformancearebasedonthepastfiveminutes.Theperiodoftime thesestatisticscovercanbemodified.SeeConfiguringtheStatisticsPeriodforthe VMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 81.Performanceinformationvaluesinclude:
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UsedMemoryAmountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachinewhenitwas configured,howmuchmemoryhasbeenusedrecentlybythevirtualmachine,and howmuchmemoryhasbeensharedbetweenallrunningvirtualmachinesonthe serverandwithinthevirtualmachineitself. ReclaimedMemoryAmountofmemoryreclaimedbyESXServerunderheavy loadsorwhenyouareovercommittingmemory. VirtualizationOverheadAmountofextramemorythevirtualmachineprocess isusing,inadditiontotheamountofmemoryallocatedtoit.
Understanding Resource Values

ThevaluesunderResourcesindicatearangeofsystemmemorytowhichthevirtual machineisentitled.
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Resourceinformationdisplayedincludes:
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MinimumMinimumamountofmemorythatmustbeavailabletopoweronthe virtualmachine. MaximumAmountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachinewhenitwas configured. SharesArelativemetricforallocatingmemorytoallvirtualmachines.Symbolic valueslow,normal,andhigharecomparedtothesumofallsharesofallvirtual machinesontheserverandtheserviceconsole.Shareallocationsymbolicvalues canbeusedtoconfiguretheirconversionintonumericvalues. Formoreinformationonsharevalues,refertotheresourcemanagementman pages:cpu,diskbw,andmem.
MemoryAffinityIfdisplayed,theNUMAnodesontheESXServersystemto whichthevirtualmachinecanbebound,whentheESXServersystemaNUMA system.SeeUsingYourNUMASystemonpage 358.
Modifying Memory Values

Tomodifymemoryvalues,clickEdit.SeeManagingMemoryResourcesfromthe ManagementInterfaceonpage 351.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Disk Usage

Toreviewandconfigurethevirtualmachinesdisksettings,clicktheDisktab.
Figure 3-5. Disk Tab TheDisktabshowsvirtualdiskperformanceinformationandresourcesallocatedto thevirtualdisk.Diskbandwidthrepresentstheamountofdatathatiswrittentoorread fromtheserversphysicaldisks.
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ThevaluesunderPerformancearebasedonthepastfiveminutes.Theperiodoftime thesestatisticscovercanbemodified.SeeConfiguringtheStatisticsPeriodforthe VMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 81.Performanceinformationdisplayed includes:
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ReadBandwidthAmountofbandwidthbeingusedwhenthevirtualmachineis readingfromthephysicaldiskontheserver. WriteBandwidthAmountofbandwidthbeingusedwhenthevirtualmachine iswritingtothephysicaldiskontheserver.
Understanding Resources Values

ThevaluesunderResourcesindicatearangeofsystemmemorytowhichthevirtual machineisentitled.
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SharesRelativemetricforcontrollingdiskbandwidthtoallvirtualmachines. Thevalueslow,normal,andhigharecomparedtothesumofallsharesofall virtualmachinesontheserverandtheserviceconsole.Shareallocationsymbolic valuescanbeusedtoconfiguretheirconversionintonumericvalues. Formoreinformationonsharevalues,refertotheresourcemanagementman pages:cpu,diskbw,andmem.
MemoryAffinityIfdisplayed,theNUMAnodesontheESXServersystemto whichthevirtualmachinecanbebound,whentheESXServersystemaNUMA system.SeeUsingYourNUMASystemonpage 358.
Modifying Disk Values

Tomodifydiskvalues,clickEdit.Forinformationonchangingdisksettings,see ManagingDiskBandwidthonpage 371.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Networking Settings

Toreviewandconfigurethevirtualmachinesnetworkingsettings,clicktheNetwork tab.
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Figure 3-6. Network tab TheNetworktabshowsnetworkperformanceinformationandresourcesallocatedto thevirtualmachinesvirtualnetworkcard.Thereceiveandtransmitbandwidths indicatehowfastdataistransferredtoandfromthevirtualmachine. ThevaluesunderPerformancearebasedonthepastfiveminutes.Theperiodoftime thesestatisticscovercanbemodified.SeeConfiguringtheStatisticsPeriodforthe VMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 81. TheNetworktabalsoindicateswhethertrafficshapingisenabled.Thissettingcanbe changed.
Enabling Traffic Shaping

Whennetworktrafficshapingisenabled,outboundnetworkbandwidthislimited accordingtothevaluesspecifiedhere.Becausenetworktrafficisbursty,separate parametersareprovidedtocontrolboththelongtermsustainableAveragetransmit rateandtheshorttermPeaktransmitrate.TheBurstparametercontrolstheamountof datathatmaybesentinoneburstwhileexceedingtheAveragerate.ThePeakrate limitsthemaximumbandwidthduringsuchbursts.
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To enable network traffic shaping 1 IntheNetworktab,clickEdit. TheNetworkResourceSettingsdialogboxappears.
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Toenabletrafficshaping,selectEnableTrafficShapinganddefinenetworktraffic parameters. IntheAverageBandwidthfield,specifytheaveragevaluefornetworkbandwidth, andspecifywhetherthatamountisinMegabitspersecond(Mbps),Kilobitsper second(Kbps),orbitspersecond(bps). InthePeakBandwidthfield,specifythepeakvaluefornetworkbandwidth,and specifywhetherthatamountisinMegabitspersecond(Mbps),Kilobitspersecond (Kbps)orbitspersecond(bps). IntheBurstSizefield,specifyhowlargeaburstcanbe,andspecifywhetherthat amountisinMegabytes(M),Kilobytes(K),orbytes(B). ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethewindow.
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Forinformationaboutmanagingnetworkresources,seeManagingNetwork BandwidthfromtheManagementInterfaceonpage 367.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Hardware

Toreviewandconfigurethevirtualhardwareinsideavirtualmachine,clickthe Hardwaretab.
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Figure 3-7. Hardware tab TheHardwaretabliststhevirtualhardwareinthevirtualmachineconfigured deviceslikethevirtualdisk,removabledeviceslikefloppy,CDROMorDVDROM drives,virtualnetworkadapter,memoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine,andthe displaysettings.Moreinformationabouteachdeviceislisted,andyoucanconfigure eachvirtualhardwarecomponent. Youcanconfiguremosthardwareonlywhenthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Floppy Drive

Eachvirtualmachinecanaccessaphysicalfloppydriveontheserverorafloppyimage file.
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To configure the virtual machines floppy drive 1 IntheHardwaretab,underFloppyDrive,clickEdit. TheFloppyDrivedialogboxappears.
Toconnectthisvirtualmachinetothefloppydrive,checkConnected. Onlyonevirtualmachinecanconnecttothefloppydriveontheserverata time.
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Toconnectthisvirtualmachinetothefloppydrivewhenthevirtualmachineis poweredon,selectConnectatPowerOn. IntheDevicelist,selectSystemFloppyDriveorFloppyImage. EnterthelocationofthedriveorfloppyimageintheLocationfield. Forexample,theserversfloppydrivecouldbe/dev/fd0.
ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethewindow.
Configuring a Virtual Machines DVD-ROM or CD-ROM Drive

EachvirtualmachinecanaccessaphysicalDVDROMorCDROMdriveontheserver oranISOimagefile.
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To configure the virtual machines DVD/CD-ROM drive 1 IntheHardwaretab,underDVD/CDROMDrive,clickEdit. TheDVD/CDROMDrivedialogboxappears.
ToconnectthisvirtualmachinetotheserversDVD/CDROMdrive,select Connected. OnlyonevirtualmachinecanconnecttotheDVD/CDROMdriveonthe serveratatime.
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ToconnectthisvirtualmachinetotheserversDVD/CDROMdrivewhenthe virtualmachineispoweredon,selectConnectatPowerOn. IntheDevicelist,selectSystemDVD/CDROMDriveorISOImage. EnterthelocationofthedriveorISOimageintheLocationfield. Forexample,theserversCDROMdrivecouldbe/dev/cdrom.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Memory and Virtual Processors

Youcanchangehowmuchmemorytoallocatetoavirtualmachine.Youcanreviewthe amountofmemoryrecommendedbyESXServer,themaximumamountofmemory thatcanbeallocatedtothevirtualmachine,andthemaximumamountofmemoryfor smoothrunningofthevirtualmachine,giventhenumberofvirtualprocessors. Dependingontheguestoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachineandthenumberof processorsontheserver,youcanchangethenumberofvirtualprocessorsituses.
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Keepinmindthefollowing:
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Virtualmachinesrunningcertainguestoperatingsystems,suchasWindowsNT, canbeconfiguredwithasingleprocessoronly.Reviewthelistofsupportedguest operatingsystemsintheVMwareESXServerInstallationGuidetoseewhichguests aremultiprocessororSMPcapable. Virtualmachinescanbeconfiguredwithmultipleprocessorsonlyiftheserverhas morethanoneprocessor.Avirtualmachinecannothavemorevirtualprocessors thantheserverhasphysicalprocessors. Multiprocessorcapableguestoperatingsystemsconfiguredwithasingle processormightrequireadditionaltuningifyouincreasethenumberofvirtual processors.Atmost,avirtualmachinecanhavetwovirtualprocessors.See ConfiguringaVirtualMachinetoUseMorethanOneVirtualProcessoron page 60. Multiprocessorcapableguestoperatingsystemsconfiguredandtunedwithmore thanonevirtualprocessormaynotbootandwillprobablydegradethe performanceofothervirtualmachinesifyouchangetheconfigurationtoasingle processor. VMwarerecommendsthatyoudonotdowngradeamultiprocessorvirtual machinetouniprocessor.
NOTE
Youcanconfiguredualvirtualprocessorvirtualmachinesonlyifyoupurchasedthe VMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerproduct.Formoreinformationonthisproduct, contactVMware,Inc.oryourauthorizedsalesrepresentative.
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To configure the virtual machines virtual processors and memory 1 IntheHardwaretab,underProcessorsandMemory,clickEdit. TheProcessorsandMemorydialogboxappears.
Dependingontheguestoperatingsystemandthenumberofprocessorswith whichitisconfigured,amessageappearsunderEditProcessorConfiguration. 2 3 4 Providedtheguestoperatingsystemismultiprocessorcapable,andtochangethe numberofprocessors,clicktheclickherelink. ChoosethenumberofvirtualprocessorsintheProcessorslist. IntheMemoryfield,entertheamountofmemorytoallocatetothevirtual machine. Theamountmustbeamultipleof4. 5 ClickOKtosaveyourchangeandclosethewindow.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Virtual Network Adapters

Youcanconfigurethesettingsforthevirtualmachinesvirtualnetworkadapter.These settingsincludethevirtualnetworkdevicetowhichthevirtualmachineisboundand thenetworkdriverituses. Tochoosethevirtualnetworkdevice,selecteither:
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vmnicadapterConnectsthevirtualmachinetothephysicalnetworkadapter, allowingthevirtualmachinetolookandactasanothercomputeronthenetwork.
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vmnetadapterConnectsthevirtualmachinetoaninternalnetworkofother virtualmachines.Allthevirtualmachinesonthiscomputerconnectedtoa particularvmnetareonthesamenetwork.
Forthisnetworkconnection,choosebetweenthevlancedriver,whichinstalls automatically,andthevmxnetdriver,whichprovidesbetternetworkperformance.The differenceinnetworkperformanceismostnoticeableifthevirtualmachineis connectedtoaGigabitEthernetcard. NOTE IfyouusevmxnetinaWindowsorLinuxvirtualmachine,thevirtualnetworkdevice isnotvisibletotheguestoperatingsystemuntilyouinstallVMwareTools.SeeTo InstallVMwareToolsinaLinuxGuestonpage 47. Afterthevirtualmachineiscreated,usethistabtoassignadditionalnetworkadapters tothevirtualmachine. Todeterminewhichnetworkadapterisassociatedwithadevicename,usetheservice consolesfindniccommand.SeeVMkernelNetworkCardLocatoronpage 314. To configure the virtual machines virtual network adapter 1 IntheHardwaretab,underNetworkAdapter,clickEdit. TheNetworkAdapterdialogboxappears.
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IntheNetworkConnectionlist,selectthevirtualnetworkdevicethatyouwant thevirtualmachinetouse. IntheVirtualDevicelist,selecteitherthevlanceorvmxnetdriver. ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethewindow.
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Configuring a Virtual Machines SCSI Controllers

YoucanconfigurethesettingsforthevirtualmachinesvirtualSCSIcontroller.These settingsincludethevirtualSCSIcontrollerdriverandwhethertheSCSIbusisshared withvirtualorphysicaldevices. To configure the virtual machines virtual SCSI controller 1 IntheHardwaretab,underSCSIController,clickEdit. TheSCSIControllerdialogboxappears.
IntheVirtualDevicelist,selecttheSCSIcontrollerdriverthatyouwantthevirtual machinetouse,eithervmxbuslogicorvmxlsilogic. Beforeyouselectadriver,makesureyouinstalledthedriverintheguestoperating system.Otherwise,theguestcannotboot.Toswitchtothevmxlsilogicdriver, seeConfiguringaVirtualMachinetoUsetheLSILogicSCSIAdapteron page 55.
IntheBusSharinglist,selecthowyouwantthevirtualmachinetoshareitsbus:
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PhysicalSharediskswithvirtualmachinesonanyserver. VirtualSharediskswithvirtualmachinesonthesameserver. NonePreventsharingdiskswithothervirtualmachines.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Virtual Disks

Whenyouconfigureanexistingvirtualdisk,youcanchangeitsdiskmode.Youcan alsochangethevirtualdiskavirtualmachineusesorcreateanewvirtualdiskforthe virtualmachine.
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ESXServercanusedisksinfourmodes:
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PersistentDisksinpersistentmodebehaveexactlylikeconventionaldiskdrives onacomputer.Allwritestoadiskinpersistentmodearewrittenoutpermanently tothediskassoonastheguestoperatingsystemwritesthedata. NonpersistentAllchangestoadiskinnonpersistentmodearediscardedwhen avirtualmachinesessionispoweredoff. UndoableKeepordiscardchangesyoumadeduringaworkingsessionwhen youpoweroffthevirtualmachine.Untilyoudecide,thechangesaresavedina redologfile. AppendStoreschangesinaredolog.Itcontinuallyaddschangestotheredolog untilyouremovetheredologfileorcommitthechangesusingthecommit commandinvmkfstools.SeeUsingvmkfstoolsonpage 249.
To configure the virtual machines virtual disk 1 IntheHardwaretab,underVirtualDisk,clickEdit. TheVirtualDiskdialogboxappears.
UnderDiskMode,clickPersistent,Nonpersistent,Undoable,orAppend.
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Youcanchangethediskmodeforanexistingvirtualdiskthatisnotaphysicaldisk onaLUN. 3 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethewindow.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Display Settings

Youcanconfigurethedisplaydepthornumberofcolorsinavirtualmachine.Ahigher colordepthsettingslowsdownscreenredrawsandincreasesnetworkloadwhenyou usearemoteconsoletoviewavirtualmachineacrossanetworkconnection.However, withgreatercolordepth,yougetbettercolorresolutionandfidelity,whichmaybean issue,dependingontheapplicationsyouintendtorunonthevirtualmachine. To configure the virtual machines display settings 1 IntheHardwaretab,underDisplay,clickEdit. TheDisplaydialogboxappears.
IntheColorslist,selectthedisplaydepthorthenumberofcolorsyouwant availabletothevirtualmachine. Select256Colors(8bit),ThousandsofColors(15bit),ThousandsofColors(16 bit),orMillionsofColors(24bit).
ClickOKtosaveyourchangeandclosethewindow.
Configuring a Virtual Machines Generic SCSI Device

YoucanconfigureanygenericSCSIdevicesinavirtualmachine.Makesurethevirtual machineispoweredoffandcompletethefollowingsteps.
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To configure a virtual machines generic SCSI device 1 ToconfigureanexistinggenericSCSIdevice,ontheHardwaretab,underGeneric SCSIDevice,clickEdit. TheGenericDevice(SCSI<ID>)dialogboxappears.
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ToconnectthisvirtualmachinetotheserversSCSIdevicewhenthevirtual machineispoweredon,checkConnectatPowerOn. IntheDevicedropdownlist,choosetheappropriatedevice. SelecttheappropriateSCSIIDintheVirtualSCSINodelist.
NOTE IfthevirtualdeviceisonSCSIcontroller0:0,awarningappears,statingthat changingtheSCSInodemaycausethevirtualmachinetobootimproperly. 5 ClickOKtosaveyourchangeandclosethewindow.
Adding a Virtual Disk to a Virtual Machine

Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff,andcompletethefollowingsteps.
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To add a new virtual disk to a virtual machine 1 OntheHardwaretab,clickAddDevice. TheAddDevicewizardstarts.
ClickHardDisk. TheVirtualDiskTypepageappears.
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Createoneofthefollowingvirtualdisks:
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ClickBlanktocreateanewvirtualdisk.
Specifythefollowing:
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ImageFileLocationChoosethevolumefromthelistonwhichtolocate thevirtualdisk.Theamountoffreespaceislistednexttothevolume name,soyouknowhowlargeyoucanmakethevirtualdisk. ImageFileNameEnteradiskname,makingsurethefilehasa.vmdk extension. CapacitySpecifythesizeofthevirtualdiskinMB.Thedefaultentry indicatestheamountoffreespaceavailableonthevolume. VirtualSCSINodeSelecttheappropriateSCSIIDfromthelist. DiskModeClickPersistent,Nonpersistent,Undoable,orAppend.
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ClickExistingtoaddanexistingvirtualdisktothevirtualmachine.
Specifythefollowing:
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ImageFileLocationChoosethevolumefromthelistonwhichthe virtualdiskislocated. ImageFileNameSelectthevirtualdiskyouwantfromthelist.Thesize ofthevirtualdiskappearsintheCapacityfield. VirtualSCSINodeSelecttheappropriateSCSIIDfromthelist. DiskModeClickPersistent,Nonpersistent,Undoable,orAppend.
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ClickOKtoaddthedisk.
Adding a Virtual Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine

Beforeaddingavirtualnetworkadapter,makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
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To add a new virtual network adapter to a virtual machine 1 OntheHardwaretab,clickAddDevice. TheAddDevicewizardstarts.
ClickNetworkAdapter. TheNetworkAdapterpageappears.
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Toconnectthisvirtualmachinetothenetworkwhenthevirtualmachineis poweredon,selectConnectatPowerOn. IntheNetworkConnectionlist,selectthevirtualnetworkdevicethatyouwant thevirtualmachinetouse. IntheVirtualDevicelist,selectthenetworkdriver(eitherthevlanceorvmxnet driver)youwantthevirtualmachinetouse.
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ClickOKtoaddthenetworkadapter.
Adding a Virtual DVD/CD-ROM Drive to a Virtual Machine

IfyourservercontainsaDVD/CDROMdrive,youcanaddaDVD/CDROMdriveto thevirtualmachine.YoucanpointtheCDROMdrivetoanISOdiskimagefile. Youcanconnectadevicetoonlyonevirtualmachineonaserveratatime. BeforeaddingavirtualDVD/CDROMdrive,makesurethevirtualmachineis poweredoff. To add a new virtual DVD/CD-ROM drive to a virtual machine 1 OntheHardwaretab,clickAddDevice. TheAddDevicewizardstarts.
ClickDVD/CDROM.
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Thecdrompageappears.
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ToconnectthisvirtualmachinetotheserversDVD/CDROMdrivewhenthe virtualmachineispoweredon,selectConnectatPowerOn. IntheDevicelist,selectSystemDVD/CDROMDriveorISOImage. EnterthelocationofthedriveorISOimageintheLocationfield. Forexample,theserversCDROMdrivecouldbe/dev/cdrom.
ClickOKtoaddthedrive.
Adding a Virtual Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine

Ifyourservercontainsafloppydrive,youcanaddavirtualfloppydrivetothevirtual machine.Youcanpointthefloppydrivetoafloppydiskimagefile. Youcanconnectadevicetoonlyonevirtualmachineonaserveratatime. Beforeaddingavirtualfloppydrive,makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
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To add a new virtual floppy drive to a virtual machine 1 OntheHardwaretab,clickAddDevice. TheAddDevicewizardstarts.
ClickFloppyDrive. TheFloppyDrivepageappears.
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Tohavethefloppydrivebeconnectedtothevirtualmachinewhenyoupowerit on,selectConnectatPowerOn. IntheDevicelist,selectSystemFloppyDriveorFloppyImage. EnterthelocationofthedriveorfloppyimageintheLocationfield. Forexample,theserversfloppydrivecouldbe/dev/fd0.
ClickOKtoaddthedrive.
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Adding a Generic SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine

BeforeaddingagenericSCSIdevice,makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff. To add a new generic SCSI device to a virtual machine, 1 OntheHardwaretab,clickAddDevice. TheAddDevicewizardstarts.
ClickGenericSCSIDevice. TheSCSIDevicepageappears.
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ToconnectthisvirtualmachinetotheserversSCSIdevicewhenthevirtual machineispoweredon,selectConnectatPowerOn. IntheDevicedropdownlist,choosetheappropriatedevice(suchas/dev/sga.)
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SelecttheappropriateSCSIIDintheVirtualSCSINodelist. ClickOKtoaddthedevice.
Adding a Tape Drive to a Virtual Machine

Beforeaddingatapedrive,makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff. To add a new tape drive to a virtual machine 1 OntheHardwaretab,clickAddDevice. TheAddDevicewizardstarts.
ClickGenericSCSIDevice. TheSCSIDevicepageappears.
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ToconnectthisvirtualmachinetotheserversSCSIdevicewhenthevirtual machineispoweredon,selectConnectatPowerOn. IntheDeviceentryfield,type:

vmhba<x>:<y>:<z>:0
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SelecttheappropriateSCSIIDintheVirtualSCSINodelist. ClickOKtoaddthedevice.
Removing Hardware from a Virtual Machine

Toremovehardwarefromavirtualmachine,accesstheHardwarepage.Nexttothe itemyouwanttoremove,clickRemove.Youareaskedforconfirmationbeforethe deviceisremoved. NOTE Youcannotremovesomeitemsfromavirtualmachine,suchastheprocessor,SCSI controller,orthevirtualdisplay.
Setting Standard Virtual Machine Configuration Options

Toreviewandmodifybasicinformationaboutavirtualmachine,ortoaccessthe configurationfiledirectly,clicktheOptionstab.
Figure 3-8. Options tab
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TheOptionstabshowsstandardvirtualmachineinformation:
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DisplayNameIdentifiesthevirtualmachineinamoredescriptiveway. GuestOperatingSystemGuestoperatingsysteminstalledonthevirtualdisk. SuspendFileLocationLocationofthesuspendedstatefile(aVMFSvolume). Thisfileiscreatedwhenyoususpendavirtualmachine.Itcontainsinformation aboutthevirtualmachinesstateatthetimeatwhichitwassuspended.ESXServer addsasuffixtothenameofthesuspendedstatefiletoensurethatonevirtual machinedoesnotoverwritethesuspendedstatefileofanother. UnlikeearlierversionsofESXServer,thesuspendedstatefilecanresideonly onaVMFSvolume.Itcannotbelocatedinthedirectorywiththevirtual machinesconfigurationfileintheserviceconsole
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EnableLoggingWhetherloggingisenabled. RunwithDebuggingInformationWhetherthevirtualmachineisrunning withdebugginginformation.Whenyouareexperiencingproblemswiththis virtualmachine,youcanprovidetheinformationtoVMwaresupporttohelp troubleshootproblems. SystemStartupOptionsStartupoptionsforthisvirtualmachinewhentheserver starts. SystemShutdownOptionsShutdownoptionsforthisvirtualmachinewhenthe servershutsdown. Tochangeotheroptions,seeSettingStandardVirtualMachineConfiguration Optionsonpage 122. UnderVerboseOptions,youcanenterandmodifyconfigurationfileentriesby hand.SeeSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsbyModifyingthe ConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126.
Setting Startup and Shutdown Options for a Virtual Machine

Youcanconfigurewhatavirtualmachinedoeswhenthesystemstartsandhowitshuts downwhenthesystemshutsdown.Youcanenablethesesettingsonlyifthestartup andshutdownoptionsareenabledfortheserveroverall.SeeSettingStartupand ShutdownOptionsonpage 124.
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Thevirtualmachinestartupoptionsinclude:
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AtSystemStartupWhetherthisvirtualmachineshouldstartwhentheserver starts.Bydefault,virtualmachinesdonotstartautomaticallywhenthesystem startsup. ContinueStartingOtherVirtualMachinesAfterAmountoftimetowaitafter startingthevirtualmachinebeforestartinganothervirtualmachine.Settingsfor startingvirtualmachinesinclude:thesystemdefault,donotwaittostart,waitfor acertainnumberofminutestostart,orstartwhenVMwareToolsstarts.
Thevirtualmachinestartupoptionsinclude:
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AtSystemShutdown,AttempttoSetstheshutdownactionforthevirtual machinewhentheserverisshutdown.Settingsinclude:poweroffthevirtual machine,shutdowntheguestoperatingsystem,orsuspendthevirtualmachine. Bydefault,allvirtualmachinesarepoweredoffwhenthesystemshutsdown. ContinueStoppingOtherVirtualMachinesAfterAmountoftimetowaitafter stoppingthevirtualmachinebeforestoppinganothervirtualmachine.Settings include:thesystemdefault,nowait,orwaitforacertainnumberofminutes.
Youcansettheseoptionsindividuallyorbymodifyingtheconfigurationfiledirectly. Modifyingtheconfigurationfileisrecommendedonlyforadvancedusers.Selectthe sectionbelowforthemethodappropriateforyourcomfortlevel.
Setting Startup and Shutdown Options

Youcanconfigurehoweachvirtualmachinebehavesduringstartupandshutdownby configuringtheoptionsforthoseevents. To configure a Virtual Machines Startup and Shutdown Options 1 PoweroffthevirtualmachineandclickEditunderSystemStartupOptionsor SystemShutdownOptions. TheOptionsdialogboxappears. 2 3 Toallowthevirtualmachinetostartupwhenthesystemstartsup,selecttheStart VirtualMachinecheckbox. IntheContinueStartingVirtualMachinesAfterlist,choosethenumberof minutesorwhetherESXServershouldnotwaitbeforestartingthenextvirtual machine. IfyouselectOther,specifythenumberofminutestowaitinthepromptthat appears.
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TospecifythatVMwareToolsshouldstartinavirtualmachinebeforethenext virtualmachinestarts,selectthewhenVMwareToolsstartscheckbox. IfVMwareToolsdoesnotstartinthevirtualmachinebeforethetimespecified elapses,ESXServerstartsthenextvirtualmachine.
InAtSystemShutdown,Attempttolist,selectwhetheryouwanttopoweroffthe virtualmachine,shutdowntheguestoperatingsystem,orsuspendthevirtual machine. IntheContinueStoppingOtherVirtualMachinesAfterlist,chooseanumberof minutesorwhetherESXServershouldnotwaitbeforestartingthenextvirtual machine. Tochooseanumberofminutesotherthanwhatappears,selectOtherandenterthe numberofminutesattheprompt.
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ClickOKtosaveyoursettings. ClickCloseWindowtoreturntothevirtualmachinesOptionstab.
To change any of these options 1 PoweroffthevirtualmachineandclickEdit. TheOptionsConfigurationdialogboxappears.
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Youcanchangethedisplaynamewhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.
MakeyourchangesandclickOKtosavethem. Closethewindow.
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Setting Startup and Shutdown Options by Modifying the Configuration File Directly (Advanced Users Only)
Toaddorchangeaconfigurationoptionforavirtualmachinethatcannotbeaccessed fromelsewhereinthemanagementinterface,editthevirtualmachinesconfiguration file(thefilewiththe.vmxextension)fromtheOptionsdialogbox. Forexample,toenablerepeatableresumeinthevirtualmachine,seeToaddanoption totheconfigurationfile(.vmx)onpage 127. CAUTION Donotaddorchangeanyoptionsinyourconfigurationfileunlessyouhave beengivenaspecificoptiontoaddtothefileinanotherpartoftheuser documentationorifyouareworkingwithVMwaresupporttosolvean issuewithyourvirtualmachine. Beforemodifyingtheconfigurationfile,makesureyouareloggedintothe managementinterfaceasthevirtualmachineuserorauserwiththeproper permissionstomodifythisvirtualmachine(suchastherootuser).
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To add an option to the configuration file (.vmx) 1 UnderVerboseOptions,clickthelink. TheOptionsdialogboxappears.
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ClickAdd. EnteranamefortheoptionandclickOK. Forexample,toenablerepeatableresumeinthevirtualmachine,createanoption calledresume.repeatable.
EnteravaluefortheoptionyouspecifiedandclickOK.
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Forexample,setthevalueofresume.repeatabletoTRUE. 5 ClickOKintheOptionsdialogboxtosavethechangetotheconfigurationfile.
To change an option in the configuration file (.vmx) 1 UnderVerboseOptions,clickthelink. TheOptionsdialogboxappears.
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Locatetheoption,andchangethevaluefortheoptionintheentryfieldtotheright oftheoption. ClickOKtosaveyourchangeandclosetheOptionsdialogbox.
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Viewing a List of Connected Users

Toseealistofusersthatareconnectedtoavirtualmachinewitharemoteconsole,click theUsersandEventstab.
Figure 3-9. Users and Events tab: Remote Console Connections and Permissions ThelistunderRemoteConsoleConnectionsidentifiesusersconnectedtothevirtual machinewitharemoteconsole.ThelistincludesthetimeandIPaddressfromwhich theuserconnectedtothevirtualmachine. ThelistunderPermissionsindicateswhatyoucandowiththevirtualmachine.Youare eitherallowedordeniedthefollowingabilities:
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Viewingvirtualmachinestatus. Modifyingthevirtualmachinesconfiguration. Controllingthevirtualmachine:poweringitonoroff,suspendingorresumingit.
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Viewing a Log of a Virtual Machines Events

Alogofthe15mostrecentvirtualmachineeventsisavailable.ClicktheUsersand Eventstab.
Figure 3-10. Users and Events tab: Events TheEventslistdisplaysalogofthemostrecentactionsoreventsrecordedinthevirtual machine,suchasthequestionsVMwareESXServerasks,errorsandothereventslike thepoweringonoroffofthevirtualmachine.Theeventsappearinreverse chronologicalorder. Theeventlogdrawsitsdatafromthelogfileforthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile stored,bydefault,inthevirtualmachinesdirectory,<homedir>/vmware/<guestOS>. Whenyouperformanactionwithinthemanagementinterfacethatpromptsthevirtual machinetogenerateamessageforyourresponsebeforeitcanproceed,awaitingfor inputmessageappearsintheDisplayNamecolumn.Whenyouclickthatlink,apopup windowappears,promptingyouforaresponse.Afteryouprovideyouranswer,the popupwindowcloses.
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Thelogshowsthedateandtimetheeventoccurredandanexplanationoftheevent. Someeventshaveasymbolassociatedthatcorrespondstothetypeofeventthat occurred. Indicatesaquestionorawarningwasgeneratedbythevirtualmachine. Indicatesanerroroccurredinthevirtualmachine. Clickthetabsatthetopofthepagetoviewmoreinformationaboutthevirtual machine.
Modifying Virtual Machine Peripherals

Avirtualmachinesperipheraldevicescanbeviewedandmodifiedthroughthe managementinterface.Thissectionprovidesanoverviewoftheconfiguration modificationoptions. Thechangesyoucanmakeinclude:
! ! ! ! !
AddingMorethanSixSCSIVirtualDiskstoaVirtualMachine,next UsingaPhysical(Raw)DiskinaVirtualMachineonpage 132 UsingParallelPortsinaVirtualMachineonpage 133 UsingSerialPortsinaVirtualMachineonpage 134 UsingDiskModesonpage 135
CAUTION Theseproceduresinvolvemodifyingavirtualmachinesconfigurationfile settingsdirectly.Onlyadvancedusersshoulddothis.Considerbackingup theconfigurationfile(.vmx)beforemakingchanges.
Adding More than Six SCSI Virtual Disks to a Virtual Machine

YoucanadduptosixvirtualSCSIdisksonasingleSCSIcontrollertoavirtualmachine usingtheVMwareManagementInterface.Todoso,logintothemanagementinterface asauserwiththepermissionstoconfigurethevirtualmachine,clickthelinktothe virtualmachinesname,andclickHardwarenexttoConfigurationinthevirtual machinesummary.ClickAddDevice,andfollowthewizardtoaddanewHardDisk. Toaddmorethansixdiskstothesamecontroller(uptoeightmore),youmusteditthe virtualmachinesconfigurationfiledirectly.DeviceID7isusedbytheSCSIcontroller, soyoucannotusethatIDforavirtualdisk.
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To add SCSI disks with IDs between 8 and 15 1 OntheOptionstabforthevirtualmachine,clickthelinkunderVerboseOptions.
2 3 4 5
ClickAdd. Createanoptioncalledscsi0:8.presentandsetitsvaluetotrue. ClickAdd. Createanoptioncalledscsi0:8.nameandsetitsvalueto <vmfsname>:<diskfilename>.vmdk. Intheseentries,scsi0 referstothefirstSCSIcontrollerand8isthedeviceID.
ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosetheconfigurationfile.
Bydefault,thevirtualdiskiscreatedinpersistentmode.Tochangethediskmode,click theHardwaretab.EditthediskasdescribedinConfiguringaVirtualMachines VirtualDisksonpage 109.
Using a Physical (Raw) Disk in a Virtual Machine

Insomeconfigurations,youmightgiveavirtualmachinedirectaccesstoaphysical diskpartitionstoredonaLUN,ratherthanusingavirtualdiskstoredasafileona VMFS.Thiscanbeuseful,forexample,ifthevirtualmachineneedssharedaccessto datastoredonaphysicaldisk. Forthevirtualmachinetoaccessaphysicaldisk,addanewvirtualdiskasdescribedin AddingaVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachineonpage 112andclickSystemLUN/Disk.
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Using Parallel Ports in a Virtual Machine

Virtualmachinesmustbeconfiguredsothatparallelportsonthevirtualmachineare connectedtotheappropriateportonthephysicalmachine. To connect the virtual machine's first parallel port (LPT1) to the physical computer's first parallel port 1 RebootthephysicalcomputerandentertheBIOSsetup. Typically,youpressF2orDeletewhilethemachineisbooting.Findtheparallel portmodesettingandsetittoPS/2.(ThetypicalchoicesareATandPS/2.)IfPS/2 isnotavailableasanoption,setittobidirectional. 2 Logontotheconsoleoperatingsystemasrootandenterthefollowingcommands:
/sbin/insmod parport /sbin/insmod parport_pc /sbin/insmod ppdev
Typelsmodandconfirmthatthesemodulesareinthelistingofloadedmodules. Tomakethesechangespermanent,addthethreelinesshownabovetotheendof thefile/etc/rc.d/rc.local. 3 Besurethevirtualmachineisshutdownandpoweredoff,andaddthefollowing optionstothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileasdescribedinSettingStartup andShutdownOptionsbyModifyingtheConfigurationFileDirectly(Advanced UsersOnly)onpage 126.

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Addanoptioncalledparallel0.presentandsetitsvaluetotrue. Addanoptioncalledparallel0.fileNameandsetitsvalueto /dev/parport0. Addanoptioncalledparallel0.bidirectionalandsetitsvaluetotrue.
Lookforthelineconfig.version = 6 intheconfigurationfiletomakesurethe virtualmachineisusingvirtualhardwareversion6. Thislineispresentintheconfigurationfileforanyvirtualmachinecreatedwith ESXServer1.5.x.andlater.IfthevirtualmachinewascreatedunderESXServer1.0 or1.1andhasnotbeenupdated,addtheconfig.version = 6 linetothe configurationfile.
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NOTE
Whenthevirtualmachinestartsafteryouupdatethevirtualhardwareversion,the messageTheCMOSofthisvirtualmachineisincompatiblewiththecurrentversionof VMwareESXServer.AnewCMOSwithdefaultvalueswillbeusedinsteadappears. ClickOK.Asthevirtualmachinestarts,theguestoperatingsystemmaydetectnew virtualhardwareandinstalldriversforit.Respondtoanymessages. 5 Startthevirtualmachineusingtheremoteconsole. Youmightseeamessagewarningthattheparallelportisstartingdisconnected. Connecttothevirtualmachinewitharemoteconsoleandusetheremoteconsoles Devicesmenutoconnecttheparallelport. 6 7 Asitstartstoboot,clickinsidetheremoteconsolewindow,andpressF2toenter thevirtualmachinesBIOSsetup. GototheAdvancedI/ODeviceConfigurationsectionandconfiguretheparallel portmodeforthevirtualmachinetobidirectional. Nowyourvirtualmachinecanuseadongleorotherparallelportdevice.
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Onlyoneoperatingsystemcanbeconnectedtotheparallelportatatime.Youcannot configuremorethanonevirtualmachinetouseaparticularparallelportatagiventime.
Using Serial Ports in a Virtual Machine

Toconnectthevirtualmachinesfirstserialport(COM1)tothephysicalcomputersfirst serialport,editthevirtualmachinesconfigurationdirectlyusingtheVMware ManagementInterface. Besurethevirtualmachineisshutdownandpoweredoff,andaddthefollowinglines totheconfigurationfileasdescribedinSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsby ModifyingtheConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126.
! ! !
Addanoptioncalledserial0.presentandsetitsvaluetotrue. Addanoptioncalledserial0.fileTypeandsetitsvaluetodevice. Addanoptioncalledserial0.fileNameandsetitsvalueto/dev/ttyS0.
Whenyoupoweronthevirtualmachine,youcanconfiguretheserialportintheguest operatingsystem. Whenthevirtualmachineisrunning,usetheDevicesmenuontheremoteconsoleto connectanddisconnectitsserialport. Youcanalsocontrolwhetherthevirtualmachinestartswithitsserialportconnectedto thephysicalcomputersserialport.Tosetthefirstserialportsoitisconnectedwhenthe
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virtualmachinestarts,addanoptionserial0.startConnected totheconfiguration fileandsetitsvaluetotrue,asdescribedinSettingStartupandShutdownOptions byModifyingtheConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126. Toreconfigurethevirtualmachinesoitstartswiththefirstserialportdisconnected, changethevaluefortheserial0.startConnectedoptiontofalse. NOTE Onlyoneoperatingsystemcanbeconnectedtotheserialportatonetime.Youcannot configuremorethanonevirtualmachinetouseaparticularserialportatatime.Touse additionalserialports,useahighernumberinthelinesyouaddtotheconfiguration file. Changingthenumberafterserialaffectstheserialportthatisavailableinsidethe virtualmachine.Changingthenumberafter/dev/ttySaffectstheportthatisusedon yourphysicalcomputer.Forexample,toconnectthevirtualmachinessecondserial port(COM2)tothephysicalcomputerssecondserialport,addthefollowinglinesto theconfigurationfileasdescribedinSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsby ModifyingtheConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126.
! ! !
Addanoptioncalledserial1.presentandsetitsvaluetotrue. Addanoptioncalledserial1.fileTypeandsetitsvaluetodevice. Addanoptioncalledserial1.fileNameandsetitsvalueto/dev/ttyS1.
Using Disk Modes

ESXServercanusedisksinfourmodes:persistent,nonpersistent,undoable,and append.
!
PersistentPersistentmodedisksbehaveexactlylikeconventionaldiskdriveson acomputer.Allwritestoapersistentdiskarewrittenpermanentlytothediskas soonastheguestoperatingsystemwritesthedata. NonpersistentAllchangestoanonpersistentmodediskarediscardedafterthe virtualmachineispoweredoff. UndoableYouhavetheoptionlaterofkeepingordiscardingchangesyoumade duringasession.Thechangesaresavedinaredologfile.Whenyoupoweroffthe virtualmachine,youarepromptedtocommitthechanges,keepthelogby continuingtosavechangestotheredolog,ordiscardthechanges. AppendVMwareESXServersupportsanadditionalappendmodeforvirtual disksstoredasVMFSfiles.Appendmodemaintainsaredolog,however,nodialog boxappearswhenthevirtualmachineispoweredofftoaskwhetheryouwantto commitchanges.Allchangesarecontinuallyappendedtotheredolog.Atany
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point,thechangescanbeundonebyremovingtheredolog.Shutdowntheguest operatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachinebeforedeletingthatvirtual machinesredolog.Youcanalsocommitthechangestothemainvirtualdiskfile usingthecommitoptioninvmkfstools.SeeUsingvmkfstoolsonpage 249for details. Tochangethediskmodeforavirtualdisk,seeConfiguringaVirtualMachinesVirtual Disksonpage 109.
Deleting a Virtual Machine Using the VMware Management Interface

Youcandeleteavirtualmachineonlyifyouaretherootuser,theownerofthe configurationfile,orifyouhavethecorrectpermissionstotheconfigurationfileorthe directorywheretheconfigurationfileislocated. Whenyoudeleteavirtualmachine,thefilesassociatedwithitthatis,locatedinthe samedirectoryaredeleted.Thesefilesincludeitsconfigurationfile(the.vmxfile),log file,andnvramfile.Theredologandanylockfilesarenotdeleted. Anyvirtualdisksthatarenotassociatedwithanotherregisteredvirtualmachineonthe hostcanbedeletedaswell,oryoucansavethemforfutureuse.Thedirectory containingthesefilesisalsodeleted,unlessanydiskfilesorotherfilesnotdeletedstill remain. To delete a virtual machine 1 2 3 IntheVMwareManagementInterface,findthevirtualmachineyouwanttodelete, ifthevirtualmachineispoweredonorsuspended,poweritoff. Clickthearrowtotherightoftheterminalicon( )toaccessthevirtualmachine menu. ChooseDeleteVirtualMachine.
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TheConfirm:Deleting<VirtualMachine>dialogboxappears.Allthefilestobe deletedarelisted.
Foreachdiskfilenotassociatedwithanotherregisteredvirtualmachineonthis host,chooseoneofthefollowing:
! !
Tosaveavirtualdiskfile,selecttheSaveoption. Todeleteavirtualdiskfile,selecttheDeleteoption. Anyvirtualdiskfilesassociatedwithanotherregisteredvirtualmachinedonot appearinthiswindow.
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Todeletethevirtualmachine,clickDeleteSelectedFiles. TheConfirm:Deleting<VirtualMachine>dialogboxcloses.Thevirtualmachine nolongerappearsinthemanagementinterface.
NOTE
Ifyoudonotwanttodeletethisvirtualmachine,clickCancel.
Managing ESX Server Resources

Forinformationonmanagingserverresources,seeVMwareESXServerResource Managementonpage 327.
Configuring VMware ESX Server

ToconfigurecertainVMwareESXServersettings,ontheStatusMonitor,clickthe Optionstab. NOTE Onlyauserwithadministratorprivileges(rootuser)canaccessthistab.
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Figure 3-11. Options tab TheseoptionsallowyoutoconfigureESXServer.Forinformationoneachoftheselinks, seeAdministeringESXServeronpage 187. ClicktheStatusMonitortabtoreturntotheStatusMonitor.
Logging Out of the VMware Management Interface

WhenyouarereadytologoutoftheVMwareManagementInterface,clickLogouton theStatusMonitororOptionstab.Youarepromptedtoconfirmthatyouwanttolog out.Loggingoutdoesnotaffectthevirtualmachinesonthehostoranyremoteconsoles youopenedfromthemanagementinterface. VMwareManagementInterfacesessionsexpireautomaticallyafter60minutesof inactivityoridletime.
Using the Apache Web Server with the Management Interface

OnVMwareESXServer,anApacheserverisinstalledwiththeVMwareManagement Interface.Thesearethecommandstostart,stop,orrestarttheApacheserver. Tousethesecommands,youmustloginasroot(su -).
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TostarttheApacheserver,type:/etc/init.d/httpd.vmware start TostoptheApacheserver,type:/etc/init.d/httpd.vmware stop TorestarttheApacheserver,type:/etc/init.d/httpd.vmware restart
Setting a MIME Type to Launch the VMware Remote Console

Fromabrowser,youcanconnecttoavirtualmachinefromaremoteconsolebyclicking theterminalicon( )forthatvirtualmachine.Beforedoingso,NetscapeandMozilla usersneedtodefineaMIMEtypeofx-vmware-consoleandassociateitwiththe remoteconsoleprogramfile.InternetExplorerisautomaticallyconfiguredwhenyou installtheconsole.
Setting the MIME Type in Netscape 7.0 and Mozilla 1.x

IfyouareusingNetscape7.0orMozilla1.xandwanttolaunchtheVMwareRemote ConsolefromtheVMwareManagementInterface,youmustsetaMIMEtypeforthe remoteconsoleprogram. TheprocedureissimilarforWindowsandLinuxhosts.Bothinvolvewritingashort scriptthatprovidesthecommandtolaunchtheremoteconsole. To set the MIME type in Netscape or Mozilla 1 Openatexteditoranddooneofthefollowing.
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OnaWindowshost,writeashortbatchfilecalled vmwareConsole-helper.bat. Thebatchfilemustcontainthefollowingline: <path_to_vmwareConsole> -o %1 wherethedefault<path_to_vmwareConsole> is C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Remote Console\vmwareConsole.exe
OnaLinuxhost,writeashortshellscriptcalled vmware-console-helper.sh. Theshellscriptmustcontainthefollowingtwolines: #!/bin/sh <path_to_vmware-console> -o $1 > /dev/null 2>&1; wherethedefault<path_to_vmware-console>is /usr/bin/vmware-console.
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Savethefileinalocationofyourchoice. OnaLinuxhost,changetothedirectorywhereyousavedthefileandgiveyourself permissiontoexecutethefile:chmod +x vmware-console-helper.sh.
NOTE
3 4
Usethebrowsertoconnecttotheserveryouwanttomanage. Clicktheterminalicon( )forthevirtualmachineyouwanttoviewinaremote console. Adialogboxaskswhatyouwanttodowiththefile.
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ClickAdvanced. IntheNewTypedialogbox,intheDescriptionoftypefield,typeVMware Remote Console. IntheFileextensionfield,typexvm. IntheMIMEtypefield,typeapplication/x-vmware-console. IntheApplicationtousefield,typethepathto vmwareConsole-helper.batorvmware-console-helper.sh. ClickOKtwice. Yourbrowserisnowsettolaunchtheremoteconsolewhenyouclicktheterminal iconinthefuture.
Editing a Virtual Machines Configuration File Directly

Youcaneditspecificconfigurationoptionsforavirtualmachineintwoways:
!
OntheOptionstabforaspecificvirtualmachine,youcanaddandchange configurationoptions.SeeSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsbyModifying theConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 126. Youcanalsoeditavirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx)byusingatexteditor intheserviceconsole.Thisletsyouadd,change,andremoveelementsofavirtual machinesconfiguration.
Modifyingaconfigurationfileusingatexteditorisrecommendedforadvancedusers only.Thevirtualmachinemustbepoweredoff.Backupyourvirtualmachines configurationfilebeforemodifyingitwithatexteditor.
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Changing Your Virtual SCSI Adapter

Bydefault,ESXServerassignstheBusLogicvirtualSCSIadaptertoLinux,Windows NT4.0,Windows2000,orWindowsXPProfessionalguestoperatingsystems.Similarly, ESXServerassignstheLSILogicSCSIvirtualadaptertoWindows2003Serverguest operatingsystems. Youcanchangethesedefaultsettingsbyeditingthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile throughthemanagementinterface(describedinSettingStartupandShutdown OptionsbyModifyingtheConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)on page 126). To change the default settings 1 Lookforlinessimilartothefollowinginthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
scsi0.present = TRUE scsi0.virtualDev = vmxbuslogic scsi0.sharedBus = none
ChangethevirtualSCSIadaptertoyourchoice. Forexample,forthescsi0.virtualDevoption,changevmxbuslogicto vmxlsilogic.
3 NOTE
ClickOKtosaveyourchangeandclosetheOptionspane.
IfyouchangeavirtualmachinesvirtualSCSIadaptertoacustomadapter,yourchoice isretainedifyouchangetheguestoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachine. IfyouchangetheguestoperatingsystemonavirtualmachinewithaBusLogicorLSI LogicSCSIvirtualadapter,thevirtualSCSIadapterisupdatedtothedefaultforthe newguestoperatingsystem. Forexample,ifyouhaveavirtualmachinewithaLinuxoperatingsystemandchange theguestoperatingsystemtoWindows2003Server,thevirtualSCSIadapterisLSI Logic,thedefaultvirtualSCSIadapterforaWindows2003Serverguestoperating systems.
Using the VMware Management Interface File Manager

UsingtheVMwareManagementInterface,youcanmanagethefilesystemofyour VMwareESXServermachineremotely.Usethefilemanagertochangethepermissions ofanyfileonthephysicalmachine,createnewdirectoriesonthephysicalmachineor cut,copy,paste,anddeletefilesasyouwouldifyouwereworkingdirectlyonthefile systemitself.Tousethefilemanager,clickManageFilesontheStatusMonitoror Optionstabofthemanagementinterface.
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Figure 3-12. File Manager Intheleftpaneofthefilemanager,clickafoldertodisplayitscontents. NOTE ThetreeviewmayfailtoloadoronlypartiallyloadwhenviewedwithMozilla.To restoretheproperview,rightclickintheleftpane,andchooseReloadFrameor Refreshfromthecontextmenu. Somefileandfoldericonshavespecialmeanings. Table 3-2. Folder and File Icons
Icon Description Identifiesavirtualmachineconfigurationfile.Ifyouclickthefilenameoriconfora configurationfile,theEditConfigurationpageforthevirtualmachineopens. IdentifiesavirtualdiskfileonaVMFSfilesystem. Identifiesasetoffilesontheserviceconsolethatholdavirtualdiskintheformat usedbyVMwareWorkstationandVMwareGSXServer. IdentifiesaVMFSvolume.
Toperformanactiononafileorfolder(directory),selectthecheckboxbesideitslisting, andclickthebuttonatthebottomofthescreentodelete,editproperties,cut,orcopy. Afteryoucutorcopyafileorfolder,youcanpasteitintothesameoradifferentfolder. Ifyoucopyafileorfolder,pasteitintothesamefolder,thenewfileorfolderis renamed,withcopy_of_beforetheoriginalname.YoucanselectitanduseEdit Propertiestonameit.

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Whenyoustartalongrunningoperationforexample,pastingafilelargerthan10MB afteracopyormovingitbetweenlogicalfilesystemsaprogressbarappearssoyou cantracktheprogressoftheoperation. WhenyoucopyandpasteorcutandpasteavirtualdiskfilefromtheVMFSfilesystem totheserviceconsolesfilesystem,orviceversa,thefilemanagerusesvmkfstoolsto importorexportthefile,translatingtheformatappropriately.Thismeansthatavirtual disklargerthan2GBwillsplitintomultiplefileswhenitismovedfromaVMFSdisk orarraytotheserviceconsolesfilesystem. NOTE Thefilemanagerinthemanagementinterfacemaydisplayincorrectinformationorno informationforfileslargerthan2GB.Thismeansthatyoucannotusethefilemanager toimportcertainvirtualdiskfilescreatedunderVMwareWorkstation4.For backgroundonvmkfstools,seeUsingvmkfstoolsonpage 249. AfteryouselectafileorfolderandclickEditProperties,youcanchangeitsnameand permissions.Whenyouarefinished,clickOKtoapplythechanges.
Figure 3-13. Change Name and Permissions dialog box Ifyouselectmorethanonefileorfolder,youcanchangepermissionsforallthefilesat once.Anychangesyoumake,usingthedropdownlistsinthefilemanager,applyto allthefilesyouhaveselected. Usethefollowinglisttomakechanges:
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Aletter,correspondingtotheletteratthetopofthecolumn(read,writeor execute),indicatesthatthesettingisthesameforallfilesanditgrantsthe permissionindicatedbytheletter.
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Ahyphen(-)indicatesthatthesettingisthesameforallfilesanditdoesnotgrant permission. Ablankspaceindicatesthatthesettingisnotthesameforallfiles.
Figure 3-14. Settings to make changes to files Usethetoppaneofthefilemanagertonavigatethedirectorystructureandcreatenew directories. Tocreateanewdirectory,clickNew,enterthenameforthedirectory,andclickOK.
Setting Permissions for Owners of Virtual Machines

TheVMwareManagementInterfaceusesthepermissionsofthevirtualmachines configuration(.vmx)filetodeterminetheprivilegesauserhasonavirtualmachine. Theuserneedsread(r)accesstoviewthevirtualmachine,write(w)accesstomodify thevirtualmachinesconfigurationparameters,andexecute(x)accesstoperform poweroperationsonthevirtualmachine.Inaddition,theuserneedsread,write,and executeaccesstoregisterorunregisterthevirtualmachine.SeeRegisteringand UnregisteringVirtualMachinesonpage 145. PreviousversionsofESXServercheckedtheaccesspermissionsofthevirtualmachines configurationfileandtheaccesspermissionsofthedirectoryinwhichthe configuration(.vmx)filewaslocated.Inotherwords,theuserneededexecute(x) permissionsonalltheparentdirectoriesforaconfigurationfile. Forexample,ifaconfigurationfileis/home/foo/vms/win2k/win2k.vmx,theuser neededtohaveexecute(x)privilegeson/home, /home/foo,/home/foo/vms, /home/foo/vms/win2kandappropriateprivilegesonwin2k.vmx.
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Theremoteconsolestillrequiresthattheuserhasexecute(x)permissiononallparent directories.
Creating a Flagship User

Youmightchoosetohaveavirtualmachineownedbyaflagshipuserinsteadofa realperson.Byusingaflagshipuser,onlyoneuseraccountownsthevirtual machinesthatareinproduction.Anadvantageofusingflagshipaccountsisthat flagshipusersneverleavethecompanyorgoonvacation. Byusingaflagshipuser,youavoidproblemsinaccessprivileges,ifmultiple individualsinagroup,accessthesamevirtualmachine,throughtheremoteconsole. Thatis,youcangiveallgroupmembersexecuteprivilegestotheflagshipusers directories.thatcontainthevirtualmachines.Withouttheseexecuteprivilegeson parentdirectories,othergroupmemberswontbeabletousetheremoteconsole.
Registering and Unregistering Virtual Machines

ESXServerrequiresthateachvirtualmachinesconfigurationfileberegisteredbefore itcanbeaccessedbyVMwareRemoteConsolesandtheVMwareManagement Interface.Whenyoucreateanewconfigurationfilewiththemanagementinterface, whetherforaneworanexistingvirtualmachine,theconfigurationfileisregistered automaticallywithESXServer. Youcanhaveupto80registeredvirtualmachinesonaserveratonetime.Ifyouintend torunmorethan60,youmustmodifysomeserviceconsolesettings.SeeRunning ManyVirtualMachinesonESXServeronpage 148. Whenyouregisteravirtualmachine,itappearsinthemanagementinterfaceandthe ConnecttoVMwareVirtualMachinedialogboxthatappearswhenyouconnecttothe virtualmachinewiththeremoteconsole. IfyouareusingavirtualmachinethatyoumigratedfromanotherserverorVMware product,youmustregistertheconfigurationfileasdescribedbelow.Formore informationaboutmigratingvirtualdisksandvirtualmachines,seeImporting, Upgrading,andExportingVirtualMachinesonpage 60. Ifyoudonotneedavirtualmachine,youcanunregisterit.Thisisusefulifyouhave morethan80virtualmachinesontheserveranddonotwanttodeleteanyexcess virtualmachines.Anunregisteredvirtualmachinenolongerappearsinthe managementinterfaceandcannotbeconnectedtobyaremoteconsole. Youmusthavefullpermissionstothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx)to registerorunregisterit.
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Registering a Virtual Machine

Virtualmachinescreatedontheserverareautomaticallyregistered.Ifyouimporteda virtualmachinefromanotherserverorfromanotherVMwareproduct,orifyou unregisteredavirtualmachine,youcanregisteritbycompletingthefollowingsteps. To register a virtual machine 1 Logintothemanagementinterfaceastheuserwithfullpermissionstothevirtual machinesconfigurationfile. Onlytherootusercanregisterandunregistervirtualmachinesthroughthe managementinterface.However,regularuserscanregisterandunregister virtualmachinesusingthescriptingAPI.
NOTE
OntheStatusMonitor,clickManageFiles. Thefilemanagerappears.
Browsetothedirectorycontainingtheconfigurationfile(thefilewiththe.vmx extension)andclicktheconfigurationfileicon. TheVirtualMachineRegistrationStatuspaneappears,indicatingthatthevirtual machineisnotregistered.
Clicktheregisterlink.
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Amessageindicatesthatthevirtualmachineisregistered.
ClickCloseWindow. ThevirtualmachineappearsontheStatusMonitorandyoucanconnecttoitwith aremoteconsole.
Unregistering a Virtual Machine

Registeredvirtualmachinescanbeaccessedandmanagedremotely.Unregisterthe virtualmachinetopreventremotemanagement. To unregister a virtual machine 1 2 3 Logintothemanagementinterfaceastheuserwithfullpermissionstothevirtual machinesconfigurationfile. OntheStatusMonitor,ontherowforthevirtualmachine,clickthearrowtothe rightoftheterminalicon( ). ClickUnregisterVirtualMachine. TheVirtualMachineRegistrationdialogboxappears.
ClicktheUnregisterlinktounregisterthevirtualmachine. ThevirtualmachinenolongerappearsontheStatusMonitorandcannotbe managedremotely.
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Running Many Virtual Machines on ESX Server

Torunorregistermorethan60virtualmachines,youmustchangesomesettingsinthe serviceconsole.Bychangingthesesettings,youprovideadditionalCPUandmemory resourcestotheserviceconsole,allowingESXServertooperatemoreefficientlyunder thishigherload. NOTE Ifyoudecreasethenumberofregisteredorrunningvirtualmachinestolessthan60, revertthesettingsbacktotheirdefaultsthroughthemanagementinterfaceorthrough theserviceconsole.
Increasing the Reserved Memory for the Service Console

Increasingthememoryintheserviceconsoleallowstheserviceconsoletooperatemore efficientlywhenagreaternumberofvirtualmachinesareactive. To increase the memory allocation in the service console 1 2 3 4 5 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceasroot. ClicktheOptionstabandclickStartupProfile. IncreasetheReservedMemorytoatleast512MB,andupto800MB(themaximum recommendedsetting). ClickOKtosavethechanges. ClickOKandrebootESXServer. Formoreinformation,seeServiceConsoleMemoryonpage 364.
Allocating CPU Resources to the Management Interface

If,afterchangingthesesettings,youareunabletoopentheVMwareManagement Interfacetoyourserver,thenumberofoutstandingprocessesthatarewaitingtobe executedistoohigh.AllocatethenecessaryCPUresourcestothemanagementinterface byincreasingthepriorityforthevmwareserverdandhttpdprocesses. To increase the priority for the vmware-serverd and httpd processes 1 2 Loginastherootuserontheserviceconsole. Typeps auxwandfindtheprocessIDsofthehttpdandvmware-serverd processes. Iftherearemultiplehttpdprocesses,typetop.PressShiftp(P)tosorttheoutput byCPUusage.NotetheprocessIDforthehttpdprocessusingthemostCPU.
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Raisethevmwareserverdprocesspriorityto15sothatitcanconnecttoall runningvirtualmachines:
renice -15 -p <vmware-serverd_process_ID>
Raisethehttpdprocesspriorityto15:
renice -15 -p <httpd_process_ID>
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VerifythatyoucanlogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceandviewcorrect informationaboutthevirtualmachines,andcontinuewiththenextstep. Changethevmware-serverdprocessprioritybacktothedefaultofzero(0).

renice 0 -p <vmware-serverd_process_ID>
Changethehttpdprocessprioritybacktothedefaultofzero(0).
renice 0 -p <httpd_process_ID>
Changing Default Parameters in the config File

YoucanchangedefaultparametersfortheApacheprocess,thevmwareauthdprocess, thevmwareserverdprocess,andforthecpuresourcesavailabletotheServiceConsole inthe/etc/vmware/configfile. NOTE Ifyoudecreasethenumberofregisteredorrunningvirtualmachinestolessthan60, commentoutthenewlinesyouaddedordeletethemfrom/etc/vmware/config.
Increasing Memory to the Apache Process

Bydefault,Apacheallocatesasharedmemorysegmentof24MBtocontainallthe virtualmachinesdata.Thisvalueof24MBissufficientfor80virtualmachines.Ifyou havemorethan80(uptothemaximumof200)registeredvirtualmachines,Apache mightrunoutofmemory.YoumightseeaPanicoutofmemorymessagein /usr/lib/vmware-mui/apache/logs/error_logandtheVMwareManagement Interfaceshutsdown. To increase memory to the Apache Process 1 Useatexteditorandaddthefollowingoptionto/etc/vmware/config:
mui.vmdb.shmSize = 37748736
where37748736represents36MB(36multipliedby1024,multipliedby1024). 2 RestarttheApacheserver:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/httpd.vmware restart
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NOTE
Increasingthisvaluemighthaveanimpacttheperformanceofthevirtualmachines, becausetheApacheprocesseswillrequiremorememoryintheserviceconsole.
Increasing the Timeout Value for the vmware-authd Process

Asroot,useatexteditorandaddthefollowingconfigurationparametertothe /etc/vmware/configfile:
vmauthd.connectionSetupTimeout = 120
Thisincreasesthetimeoutvalueto2minutesfromthedefaultof30seconds.
Increasing Memory for the vmware-serverd Process

Asroot,useatexteditorandaddthefollowingconfigurationparametertothe /etc/vmware/configfile:
vmserverd.limits.memory = 49152 vmserverd.limits.memhard = 65536
Thesechangesraisethesoftmemorylimitforthevmware-serverdprocessto48MB(48 multipliedby1024)andthehardmemorylimitto64MB(64multipliedby1024). NOTE Restartthevmware-serverdprocessbyrebootingESXServerorbyloggingintothe serviceconsoleasrootandissuingthecommand:

killall -HUP vmware-serverd
Running Many Virtual Machines with a Significant CPU Load

Torunalargenumberofvirtualmachineswithapplicationsthatuseasignificant amountofCPU,increasetheserviceconsolesharesto10000. To increase the service console shares through the VMware Management Interface 1 2 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceastherootuser. ClicktheOptionstab,andclickServiceConsoleSettings. TheCPUpageshouldappear.Ifnot,clicktheCPUtab. 3 4 ClickEdit. Type10000intheSharesfieldandclickOK.
Ifthemanagementinterfaceisunresponsive,youneedtomakethesechangesthrough theserviceconsole.
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To increase service console shares through the service console 1 2 3 Logintotheserviceconsoleastherootuser. Typecat /proc/vmware/sched/cpu. Findthelinethathasconsoleforthename. Forexample:
vcpu 125 126 127 vm 125 126 127 name console idle1 idle2 uptime 71272.378 71272.378 71272.378 status RUN RUN RUN ... ... ... ...
Usetheechocommandtochangethenumberofserviceconsoleshares:
echo 10000 > /proc/vmware/vm/<name>/cpu/shares
Fortheprecedingoutput,type:
echo 10000 > /proc/vmware/vm/125/cpu/shares
Avoiding Management Interface Failures when Many Virtual Machines Are Registered
IfyouhavealargenumberofvirtualmachinesregisteredonasingleESXServer machine,theVMwareManagementInterfacemightshutdownandaPanic out of memorymessageisrecordedin/usr/lib/vmware-mui/apache/logs/error_log. Bydefault,theApacheWebserveruses24MBofmemorytostoreinformationaboutthe virtualmachinesontheserver.Theerrorsdescribedabovecanhappenwhenthis amountofmemoryisnotadequateforthenumberofvirtualmachines. Toworkaroundtheproblem,openthefile/etc/vmware/configinatexteditorand findthelinethatbeginswithmui.vmdb.shmSize =.Increasethenumberinquotation marks,whichisspecifiedinbytesofmemory.RestarttheApacheserverusingthe command:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/httpd.vmware restart
Backing Up Virtual Machines

Yourbackupstrategydependsonhowyouwanttoprotectyourdataandrecoverfrom problems.Therearetwomaingoals:
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Recoverindividualfilesonthevirtualmachine(forexample,ifauseraccidentally removesafile).
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Recoverfromcatastrophicfailuresinwhichyourentirevirtualmachineis damaged.
VMwareESXServerprovidesseveralapproachesforbackingupyourdata,whetherto tapeortoanothersystemoverthenetwork.Thebestdataprotectionforyourvirtual machinesisachievedwithacombinationoftheseapproaches.
Using Tape Drives with VMware ESX Server

Thissectiondescribeshowtomaketapedrivesavailabletobothyourvirtualmachine andyourserviceconsole.ThemanagementinterfaceallowsyoutoallocateaSCSI controllertotheserviceconsole,tooneormorevirtualmachinesorforusebyboth environments.TomakeaSCSItapedriveavailableinavirtualmachine,youmust allocatetheSCSIcontrollertowhichitisattachedforuseonlybyvirtualmachines. YoucanchecktheallocationsettingsfortheserversSCSIcontrollersinthe managementinterface.OntheStatusMonitor,clicktheOptionstab,andclickStartup Profiles. CAUTION DonotreassignaserversonlySCSIcontrolleriftheserviceconsoleis runningfromadriveattachedtothatcontroller.Ifyoursystemisconfigured thisway,youmustaddasecondSCSIcontrollertocontrolthetapedrive.
Backing Up from Within a Virtual Machine

Oneapproachistobackupaparticularvirtualmachinesdataasifitwereonaphysical machine.Youcanruneitheradirectbackuptoolortheclientcomponentofa clientserverbackuptoolwithinthevirtualmachineandconfigureitfordirectaccess tothenetworkortapedrive. NOTE Youcanalsouseavirtualmachinetoruntheservercomponentofaclientserver backupproduct,providedyougiveitaccesstooneormoretapedrives. Backingupfromwithinavirtualmachineallowsfinegrainedrecoveryofyourdata.
! !
Youcanrestorefiledatabytheindividualfile. Youcanrestoredatabasedatausingthenormaldatabasespecificmethod.
Ifyouneedtorestorethevirtualmachinefromabackupmadefromwithinthevirtual machine,recreatethevirtualmachineandloadrecoverysoftwareintoitbefore restoringdatafromthebackups. Toconfigureavirtualmachinesoyoucanuseatapedrivefromwithinit,seeAdding aTapeDrivetoaVirtualMachineonpage 121.
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Backing Up Virtual Machines from the Service Console

Youcanbackupyourvirtualmachinesbycopyingtotapetheentirevirtualdiskfiles andanyredologs,alongwiththebackupsoftheserviceconsole.Thisapproachmakes iteasytorestoreyourvirtualmachinesintheeventofafullsystemlossordatalossdue tofailureofunprotecteddisks. Thesefullimagebackupsdonotpermityoutorestoreindividualfiles.Youmust restoretheentirediskimageandanyassociatedlogs,andpoweronavirtualmachine withthesedrivesconnectedtoretrievespecificdata. Thenextsectiondescribeshowtoensuredataintegritywhenbackingupvirtual machinesfromthephysicalcomputerortheserviceconsole.
Providing Optimum Data Integrity In Virtual Machine Backups Without Downtime

YoucanusetheVMwareScriptingAPIincludedwithESXServer2.5inconjunction withbackupproductstoprovidesnapshotsorstablediskorredologimages.The appropriatefunctionscanbecalledfromwithinmanybackupproductstoestablisha safebasisforbackingupimagesorlogs.Youcanusethisapproachwithanydiskmode: persistent,undoable,nonpersistent,orappend. ForinformationontheScriptingAPI,seetheVMwareScriptingAPIdocumentationat http://www.vmware.com/support/developer/.
Using Hardware or Software Disk Snapshots

Youcanusethesnapshotcapabilitiesofferedbyyourdisksubsystem,filesystem,or volumemanagertoprovidestablecopiesofdiskimages.Aswithphysicalservers, considerusingsomelevelofapplicationintegrationsoyoucanbesureyourbackups havethelevelofdataintegrityyouwant. YoucancombinetheseapproacheswiththeESXServerredologAPI(describedin ProvidingOptimumDataIntegrityInVirtualMachineBackupsWithoutDowntime, previously)tokeeptheintervalduringwhichanextralogisusedtoaminimum.Todo this,takethefollowinggeneralsteps:
! !
Addthenewredolog. Takeasnapshotofthemirrorusingyourdisksubsystemsorvolumemanagers interfaces. Committhechangestothelivelog.
Youcanstillbackupfromthestablediskimageonthesnappedmirror,andreconnect themirrortohaveitpickupthelatestchangesintimeforyournextbackup.
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Using Network-Based Replication Tools

Youcanconfigureanyenterprisediskstoragesubsystemstoreplicate,ormirror,their datatoanothersubsystematalocalorremotelocation.Thisreplicationcanoccureither synchronouslyorasynchronously,asdescribedbelow:
!
Ifthereplicationissynchronous,awriteoperationdoesnotappeartobe completedlocallyuntilthedataiscommittedtodiskattheremotelocation. Synchronousreplicationimprovesdataintegritybutpresentsapotential performancebottleneck.
Ifthereplicationisasynchronous,theremotecopyispermittedtobesomenumber ofwriteoperationsbehindthemostcurrentlocaldata. Asynchronousreplicationacceptsahigherpotentialofinconsistentdataatthe remotesiteinexchangeforincreasedperformance.
YoucanuseeitherofthesehardwarebasedapproacheswithESXServer. Inaddition,somedisasterprotectionsoftwareproductsimplementremotemirroring insoftware.Thesetoolsprovideprotectionanddataintegritysemanticssimilartothose ofthehardwarebasedsolutions.However,theymightbemorecosteffectivefor configurationswithlowtomediumperformancerequirements. Thesesoftwaretoolscanbeusedinsideguestoperatingsystems. NOTE VMwarerecommendsthatyoudonotusesoftwareremotemirroringtoolsforservice consoledrivenreplicationonVMwareESXServer.Thisisbecausethesesoftwaretools usuallyrequirefilesystemformatawareness,addsignificantlytothenetworkI/Olevel andtheCPUrequirementstoservicethatnetworkI/O,andaremorecommonon WindowsandUNIXoperatingsystemsthanonLinux.
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Using the VMware Service Console
Inthischapter,thefollowingsectionsdescribeaspectsofusingtheVMwareService Console:
! ! ! ! ! !
CharacteristicsoftheVMwareServiceConsoleonpage 167 UsingDHCPfortheServiceConsoleonpage 168 ManagingtheServiceConsoleonpage 168 AuthenticationandSecurityFeaturesonpage 180 UsingDevicesWithESXServeronpage 184 EnablingUserstoViewVirtualMachinesThroughtheVMwareRemoteConsole onpage 185
Characteristics of the VMware Service Console

ThepurposeoftheVMwareserviceconsoleistostartupandadministeryourvirtual machines.ItisacustomizedversionofLinuxbasedontheRedHat7.2distribution.It hasbeenmodifiedsoitcanbemanagedbytheVMkernel. Theserviceconsolehasbeencustomizedtodisableunneededservices.Mostnetwork serviceshavebeendisabled,exceptforauth.Forremoteaccesstotheserviceconsole, sshisenabledbydefault.Therootusercanmodifysettingsforssh,Telnet,andFTP usingthesecurityconfigurationpageinthemanagementinterface (http://<servername>/security-config). TheserviceconsoleisscheduledbytheVMkernellikeanyothervirtualmachine.Do notrunheavyworkloadsontheserviceconsole,becauseitmighttakeprocessorcycles awayfromyourvirtualmachines.
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Using DHCP for the Service Console

TherecommendedsetupistousestaticIPaddressesfortheserviceconsole.Itisalso possibletosetuptheserviceconsoletouseDHCP,aslongasyourDNSservercanmap theserviceconsoleshostnametothedynamicallygeneratedIPaddress. IfyourDNSservercannotmapthehostsnametoitsDHCPgeneratedIPaddress, determinetheserviceconsolesnumericIPaddressandusethatnumericaddresswhen accessingthemanagementinterfacesWebpages. ThenumericIPaddressmightchangeasDHCPleasesrunoutorwhenthesystemis rebooted.VMwaredoesnotrecommendusingDHCPfortheserviceconsoleunless yourDNSservercanhandlethehostnametranslation. CAUTION Donotusedynamic(DHCP)addressingwhensharingthenetworkadapter assignedtotheServiceConsolewithVirtualMachines.ESXServerrequires astaticIPaddressfortheServiceConsolewhensharinganetworkadapter.
Managing the Service Console

Thecommandsummaryinthissectionprovidesanintroductiontothecommandsyou aremostlikelytouseattheserviceconsole.SomearespecifictoESXServer.Mostare commandsthatarethesameasthoseyouwoulduseataLinuxcommandline.
Connecting to the Service Console

IfyouhavedirectaccesstothecomputerwhereESXServerisrunning,youcanlogin tothephysicalconsoleonthatcomputer.PressAltF2togettotheloginscreen. DependingonthesecuritysettingsforyourESXServercomputer,youmightbeableto connectremotelytotheserviceconsoleusingSSHorTelnet.Forinformationonthe securitysettings,seeAuthenticationandSecurityFeaturesonpage 180. Detailedusagenotesformostserviceconsolecommandsareavailableasmanualfiles (manpages).Toviewthemanpageforacommand,usethemancommandfollowedby thenameofthecommandforwhichyouwanttoseeinformation.SeeGettingHelpfor ServiceConsoleCommandsonpage 180. Whetheryouusetheserviceconsolelocallyorthrougharemoteconnection,youmust loginusingavalidusernameandpassword.
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Chapter 5 Using the VMware Service Console
Commands Specific to ESX Server

Identifying Network Cards
Thefindniccommandletsyousendnetworktrafficfromaspecifiednetworkadapter soyoucanobservetheLEDsontheadaptersandseewhichphysicaladapteris associatedwiththatdevicename.Theformatofthecommandis:
findnic <options> <nic-name> <local-ip> <remote-ip> Option -f -i <seconds> Explanation Doafloodping. Sendpingsatspecifiedinterval.
Example:
findnic -f vmnic1 10.2.0.5 10.2.0.4
BindsVMkerneldevicevmnic1toIPaddress10.2.0.5,andtriestofloodpingtheremote machinewiththeIPaddress10.2.0.4. SeeVMkernelNetworkCardLocatoronpage 314.
Managing a VMware ESX Server File System

ThevmkfstoolscommandletsyoucreateandmanipulatefilesonSCSIdisksmanaged byESXServer. NOTE Youmustbeloggedinastherootusertorunthevmkfstoolscommand. Theformatforthevmkfstoolscommand,whenspecifyingaSCSIdevice,is:
vmkfstools <options> <device_or_VMFS_volume>[:<file>]
where<device_or_VMFS_volume>specifiesaSCSIdevice(aSCSIdiskorapartition onaSCSIdisk)beingmanipulatedoraVMFSvolume,and<options>specifiesthe operationtobeperformed. If<device_or_VMFS_volume>isaSCSIdevice,itisspecifiedinaformsuchas:

vmhba1:2:0:3
<device_or_VMFS_volume>canalsobeaVMFSvolumename,assetinthe managementinterfaceorwiththevmkfstools --setfsnamecommand. Thevariable<file>isthenameofafilestoredintheVMFSvolumeonthespecified device.
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Theformatforthevmkfstoolscommand,whenspecifyingaVMFSvolumeorfile,is:
vmkfstools <options> <path>
where<path>isanabsolutepaththatnamesadirectoryorafileunderthe/vmfs directory. Foranexplanationonusingthiscommand,seeUsingvmkfstoolsonpage 249.
Automatically Mounting VMFS Volumes

VMFSvolumesareautomaticallymountedinthe/vmfsdirectoryontheservice consolewhentheVMkernelisloadedasthecomputerboots.
Loading VMkernel Device Modules

Usetheprogramvmkload_modtoloaddevicedriverandnetworkshapermodulesinto theVMkernel.Youcanalsousevmkload_modtounloadamodule,listtheloaded modules,andlisttheavailableparametersforeachmodule. Theformatforthecommandis:
vmkload_mod <options> <module-binary> <module-tag> <parameters>
SeeVMkernelModuleLoaderonpage 240.
Common Linux Commands Used on the Service Console

ManyofthecommandsavailableonLinuxorUNIXarealsoavailableontheservice console.Thissectionsummarizesthemostcommonlyusedcommands.Formore information,seeGettingHelpforServiceConsoleCommandsonpage 180orconsult aLinuxreferencebook.
Manipulating Files
Tonavigatethroughthedirectorystructureandmanipulatefilesanddirectories,you musthaveproperpermissions.Insomeareasofthefilesystem,yourabilitymaybe restrictedwhenyouareloggedinasanordinaryuser.Youmightneedtologinasroot toperformsometasks.Table 51explainssomeofthecommonLinuxcommands availableintheserviceconsole.
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Table 5-1. Linux commands used on the service console
Command cd
Example and Explanation Changedirectories. cd /home/user Changetothedirectory /home/user(thehomedirectoryforauserwiththe usernameuser). cd .. Gouponelevelfromthecurrentdirectory.
cp
Copyafile. cp oldfile newfile Makeacopyofthefileoldfileinthecurrentdirectory.Thecopyisnamed newfile. cp oldfile /home/user Makeacopyofthefileoldfileinthecurrentdirectory.Thecopyhasthename oldfileandisinthedirectory/home/user.
ln
Createalinkfromonefileordirectorytoanotherfileordirectory. ln -s /bin/program prolink Createasoftlink(shortcut)fromtheexistingfile/bin/programtoprolink. Thelinkprolinkiscreatedinthecurrentworkingdirectory.Ifyouenterthe commandprolink,youruntheprogram/bin/program.
ls
Listthefilesinthecurrentdirectory. ls -al Listall(-a)thefilesinthecurrentdirectoryinlong(-l)format. ls *.html Listfilesinthecurrentdirectorythatendwith.html.The*isawildcard characterthatrepresentsanynumberofcharacters.The?isawildcard characterthatrepresentsasinglecharacter. ls /home/user Listthefilesinthedirectory/home/user.
mkdir
Makeanewdirectory. mkdir newdir Makeanewdirectorycallednewdirbeneaththecurrentdirectory. mkdir /home/newdir Makeanewdirectorycallednewdirbeneaththe/homedirectory.
mv
Moveafiletoanewdirectoryorrenamethefile. mv myfile /home/user Movethefilemyfilefromthecurrentdirectorytothedirectory/home/user. mv myfile yourfile Renamethefilemyfile.Thenewfilenameisyourfile.
pwd
Showthepathtothepresentworkingdirectory.
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Table 5-1. Linux commands used on the service console (Continued)

Command rm Example and Explanation Removeafile. rm deadfile Removethefiledeadfilefromthecurrentdirectory. rmdir Removeadirectory. rmdir gone Removethedirectorygone,whichexistsbeneaththecurrentdirectory.
Finding and Viewing Files

Table 52describessomecommonLinuxcommandsforfindingandviewingfilesthat canalsobeusedintheESX Serverserviceconsole. Table 5-2. Linux commands used on the service console
Command cat Example and Explanation Concatenatethecontentsoffilesanddisplaythecontentonthescreen. cat /proc/vmware/mem Displaythecontentsofthefile /proc/vmware/mem. find Findfilesunderaspecifieddirectorythatmatchconditionsyouspecify. find / -name myfil* Findfilesintherootdirectoryandalldirectoriesunderitthathavefilenames beginningwithmyfil.The*isawildcardcharacterthatrepresentsany numberofcharacters.The?isawildcardcharacterthatrepresentsasingle character. find -name '*.vmx' -print -exec chown User2 {} \; Findfilesinthisdirectoryandsubdirectoriesthatendwith.vmx,displaythe namesofallfilesthatarefoundonthescreenand,foreachfile(indicatedby curlybraces{}),changeitsownertoUser2. -printisnotnecessary,butithelpstotracktheprogressofthefind command.Ifyoudonotuse-print,thefindcommandissilentexceptfor errormessagesfromfindorfromchown. find -name '*.vmx' -exec grep -il 'SOMETHING' {} \; Findallfilesinthisdirectoryandallsubdirectoriesthatendwith.vmxandlook forthepatternSOMETHINGineachofthefiles.The-ioptiontogrepmakes thesearchcaseinsensitive.The-loptiontogrepcausesgreptodisplaythe namesofthefilesthathaveSOMETHINGinthem.Whenafileisfoundthat containsSOMETHING,thiscommanddisplaysthefullpathtothefilefromthe currentdirectory(forexample, ./virtualmachines/Linux/RedHat71Test/redhat71.vmx).
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Command grep Example and Explanation Searchforaspecifiedtextpatterninaspecifieddirectoryorlistoffilesand displaythelinesinwhichthepatternisfound. grep "log file" * Searchallthefilesinthecurrentdirectoryforthetextstringlog file. less Displaythecontentsofaspecifiedfileonescreenatatime.Usethearrowkeys tomoveupanddownthroughthefile. less myfile Displaythecontentsofthefilemyfile. grep "log file" * | less Searchallthefilesinthecurrentdirectoryforthetextstringlog fileanduse lesstodisplaytheresultssoyoucanscrollupanddownthroughthem.
Managing the Computer and Its Users

Therootuserorsuperuser(su)canrunallthesecommands.Someofthecommands, thosethatprovideinformation,areavailabletootherusers. Table 5-3. Linux commands used on the service console
Command apropos Example and Explanation Findcommandswithdescriptionsthatincludeaspecifiedword.Displaysthe nameofthecommandandthefirstlineofthedescription. apropos file Findcommandswithdescriptionsthatincludethewordfile. apropos file | less Findcommandswithdescriptionsthatincludethewordfileanduselessto displaytheresultssoyoucanscrollupordownthroughthem. du Displayusageinkilobytesforcontentsofthecurrentdirectoryorforaspecified fileordirectory. du /bin Showhowmuchdiskspaceisusedbythe/bin directory. du -h $HOME Displayhowmuchdiskspaceisusedbytheusershomedirectory,using familiarfilesizeterms. vdf vdfisanESXServercustomizedversionofthedfcommand.Usevdfinplace ofthedfcommand.vdfworkswithallthestandarddfoptions. Displaysfreespaceforallmountedfilesystems.Thelistalsoshowsthetotal space,amountofspaceused,andpercentageofspaceusedforeachfilesystem. vdf -h Displaythefreespaceinfamiliarfilesizeterms.
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Command fdformat Example and Explanation Doafloppydiskformat. fdformat /dev/fd0 Formatafloppydiskinthefirstfloppydiskdrive. groupadd Addanewgroup. groupadd newgroup Addagroupnamednewgrouptothesystem. hostname ifconfig Displaythesystemshostname. Displaythenetworkinterfaceconfigurationinformationforallnetworkdevices. NICsallocatedtothevmkernelareshownasvmnic<N>,whereNisthenumber oftheNIC(forexample,vmnic0,vmnic1,andsoforth.) Installaloadablemoduleintotherunningkernel. insmod parport Installtheloadablemodulenamedparportintotherunningkernel. kill Killaspecifiedprocess. kill 3456 KilltheprocesswithaprocessIDof3456. kill -9isthesurestwaytokillaprocess;however,useitonlyasalastresort becauseitwillnotsaveeditorbuffers. lsmod lspci Listallloadedmodules. ListPCIdevicesavailabletotheserviceconsole. lspci -v ListPCIdevicesinverbosemode. mount Mountaspecifiedstoragedeviceataspecifiedlocationinthefilesystem. mount /dev/fd0 /mount/floppy Mountthefirstphysicalfloppydrivesoitscontentsarevisibleinthedirectory /mount/floppy.Thedirectory/mount/floppymustalreadyexist. passwd Changeyourpassword. passwd user Changethepasswordforausernameduser.Youmustbeloggedinastheroot user(su)tochangeanotheruserspassword. ps Shownames,processIDsandotherinformationforrunningprocesses. ps -ef Showfull(-f)informationaboutevery(-e)runningprocess. shutdown Shutdownthecomputer. shutdown -h 5 Completelyhalt(-h)thecomputerin5minutes. shutdown -r now Shutdownandrestart(-r)thecomputerimmediately.
insmod
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Command umount Example and Explanation Unmountaspecifieddevice. umount /mount/floppy Unmountthedevicecurrentlymountedat/mount/floppy. useradd Addanewusertothesystem. useradd newuser Addanewuserwithausernameofnewusertothesystem. who whoami Showtheusernamesofallusersloggedintothesystem. Showtheusernameyouarecurrentlyusingonthesystem.
Setting File Permissions and Ownership

Filesanddirectoriesontheserviceconsolecanhaveread,write,andexecute permissions.Thosepermissionscanbeonorofffortheownerofthefile(generally,the userwhocreatedit),thespecifiedgroup(generally,agrouptowhichthecreator belongs),andallotherusersonthesystem.Permissionsareindicatedforeachfilewhen youdisplayalongdirectorylisting,asshowninExample 51.
[User@vmwareserver win2000]$ ls -la total 104 drwxr-xr-x 2 User User drwxr-xr-x 5 User User -rw------1 User User -rw-r--r-1 User User -rwxr-xr-1 User User
4096 4096 8664 77763 1307
Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul
17 17 17 18 17
11:15 09:51 16:17 14:14 11:20
. .. nvram vmware.log win2000.vmx
Example 5-1. File permissions InExample 51,inthetoptwolinesofthedirectorylisting,thefirstcharacteristhe letterdindicatingthelistingonthelineisforadirectory.Thesingledotattheendof thefirstlineindicatesthislistingisforthecurrentdirectory.Thetwodotsattheendof thesecondlineindicatethislistingisfortheparentofthecurrentdirectory. Thefirstcharacterinthelastlineisa-.Thisindicatesthatwin2000.vmxisanordinary file.ThewordUserinthethirdcolumnindicatesthefileisownedbyausernamed User.ThewordUserinthefourthcolumnindicatesthefilesownerisamemberofa groupnamedUser. Permissions Permissionsfortheowner,thespecifiedgroup,andallotherusersareindicatedinthe firstcolumn:-rwxr-xr--.Theownerspermissionsarespecifiedfirst:rwx(read,write, andexecute).PermissionsforothermembersofthegroupUserarer-x(readand
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execute).Thefinalclusterofthreecharacters(r--)indicatesthatallotherusershave permissiontoreadthefilebutnottowritetoitorexecuteit. Changepermissionsforafileusingthechmodcommand,showninTable 54.Oneway tospecifypermissionsisbyusinganumericalshorthand:

! ! !
Read=4 Write=2 Execute=1
Specifycombinationsofthesepermissionsbyaddingthenumbersforthepermissions youwanttoset.Forexample,readandexecuteis5.Read,write,andexecuteis7. Permissionsarespecifiedinthesameorderastheyareshowninthedirectorylisting owner,group,allotherusers. Youcanalsoaddordeletepermissionsbyspecifyingthembythesymbolsdisplayedin thelongdirectorylistingsdiscussedpreviously:

! ! !
Read=r Write=w Execute=x
Identifythesetofpermissionsyouwanttomodifybytheirsymbol:
! ! ! !
User=u Group=g Other=o All=a
Table 54listspermissionsandcommands.
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Table 5-4. Permissions and ownership commands

.
Command chmod
Example and Explanation Changemode(permissions)foraspecifiedfile,groupoffilesordirectory. chmod 755 *.vmx Setpermissionsonallfilesinthecurrentdirectorythatendwith.vmxtobe -rwxr-xr-x. chmod 660 nvram Setpermissionsonthefilenvraminthecurrentdirectorytoberwrw. chmod g+x /usr/local/bin Changepermissionsonallfilesin/usr/local/binsothattheycanbeexecutedby otherusersbelongingtothegroup.
chown
Changetheownerofaspecifiedfile.Changetheownerandthegroupforafile atthesametime. chown User2 win2000.vmx Changetheownerofthefilewin2000.vmxtoUser2. chown User2:VMUsers win2000.vmx Changetheownerofthefilewin2000.vmxtoUser2andchangethegroupto VMUsers.
chgrp
Changethegroupforaspecifiedfile. chgrp VMUsers win2000.vmx Changethegroupforthefilewin2000.vmxtoVMUsers.
Switching User Names

Table 55describesthecommonLinuxcommandsforswitchingusernamesthatare alsoavailableintheESX Serverserviceconsole. Table 5-5. Commands for switching user names
Command su Example and Explanation Switchuser.Bydefault,thiscommandletsyouloginastherootuserifyou knowtherootuserspassword.Youcanalsousethecommandtologinasany otheruserifyouknowtheusernameandpassword.Enterthecommandand enterthepasswordwhenprompted. su User2 LoginasUser2.
exit
Logout.Ifyouusedsutologinasadifferentuser,thiscommandreturnsyou toyourprevioususername.
The proc File System

Theprocfilesystemisasetofdirectories,beginningwith/proc,thatexistinmemory whileESXServerisrunning.Thecontentsofthesedirectoriesarenotstoredondisk.
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The/proc/vmwaredirectorycontainsinformationspecifictotherunningoftheESX Servervirtualizationlayerinvirtualmachines. Youcanusethecatcommandtocheckstatusandusetheechocommandtowrite valuestocertainfilesintheprocfilesystemtochangetheconfigurationofESXServer. NOTE MostofthisinformationisavailablethroughtheVMwareManagementInterface. VMwarerecommendsthatyouobtainandsetinformationthroughthismanagement interface.Donotaddorchangeanyoptionsinthisdirectoryunlessyouareinstructed tobyVMwaresupporttosolveanissuewithESXServer. CAUTION Donotusetheprocinterfacetosetanyvaluesotherthanthosementioned inthesesections:
! ! ! !
ManagingCPUResourcesfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 337 ManagingMemoryResourcesfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 352 ManualNUMAOptimizationsonpage 361 ManagingDiskBandwidthfromtheManagementInterfaceon page 372 ManagingDiskBandwidthfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 374
NOTE
Thecontentsandformatofthe/proc/vmwaredirectorymaychangebetweenreleases ofESXServer. Table 5-6. procfilesystementriesanddescriptions

/proc/vmware Entry chipset config debug filters interrupts log loglevels Description Stateofinterruptcontrollers. AdvancedESXServerparametersavailablethroughtheVMware ManagementInterface. Debugginginformation. Networktrafficshaping.SeeTrafficShapingwithnfshaperon page 369. Used,togetherwithchipset,todeterminethestateofinterrupt controllers. VMkernellogoutput. Amountofdebuglogging.
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Table 5-6. procfilesystementriesanddescriptions (Continued)

/proc/vmware Entry mem migration net pci procstats pshare Description Memoryparameters.SeeMemoryResourceManagementon page 345 Reservedforfutureuse. ConfigurationandstatisticsforvirtualNICsandbonddevices.See BindingPhysicalAdaptersonpage 320. StateofPCIadaptersinthesystem(whattheyareandhowtheyre partitioned). Statisticsforthe/proc/vmwaredirectory. Pagesharingstatisticsformemoryresourcemanagement.See SharingMemoryAcrossVirtualMachinesonpage 350 and MemorySharingonpage 365. Statisticsonremoteprocedurecalls(RPCs). SchedulerstatisticsonmemoryandCPU. InformationonSCSIdevicesandmappingsbetweenstorage controllersandvirtualmachines. Statisticsonshareddevices. CountsofvariouslowleveleventsinESXServer. Swapstatistics. ThermalmonitoringinformationforeachPentium4processor. StateofESXServerinternaltimedeventscheduler. ESXServeruptime. StatisticsforindividualvirtualmachinesbyVMID. StatisticsonESXServerperformance. Statisticsfordebugging.
rpcstats sched scsi shrdev stats swap thermmon timers uptime vm vmkperf watchpoints
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Getting Help for Service Console Commands

Detailedusagenotesformostserviceconsolecommandsareavailableasmanfiles.To viewthemanpageforacommand,usethemancommandfollowedbythenameofthe commandforwhichyouwanttoseeinformation. Table 5-7. man command
Command man Example and Explanation Displaysthemanpageforaspecifiedcommand.Pressthespacebartogotothe nextscreenoftext.Pressqtoexitfromthedisplay. man cat Displaythemanualpageforthecommandcat. man -f cat Displayabriefdescriptionofthecommandcat.
Authentication and Security Features

Thissectioncontainsthefollowingtopics:
! ! !
AuthenticatingUsersonpage 180 DefaultPermissionsonpage 182 TCP/IPPortsforManagementAccessonpage 182
TherearethreekeyaspectstosecuritywithVMwareESXServer:
!
VMwareESXServerauthenticatesallremoteuserswhoconnecttoaserverusing theVMwareManagementInterfaceortheVMwareRemoteConsole. Securityfornetworktraffictoandfromtheserverdependsonthesecuritysettings intheserverconfiguration. ThreeormoreTCP/IPportsareusedforaccess,dependingonthesecuritysettings inyourESXServerconfiguration. Dependingonyourremoteaccessrequirements,youmightneedtoconfigureyour firewalltoallowaccessononeormoreoftheseports.Fordetailsonwhichports areused,seeTCP/IPPortsforManagementAccessonpage 182.
Authenticating Users
VMwareESXServerusesPluggableAuthenticationModules(PAM)foruser authenticationintheremoteconsoleandtheVMwareManagementInterface.The defaultinstallationofESXServeruses/etc/passwdauthentication,asLinuxdoes,but
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itcanbeconfiguredeasilytouseLDAP,NIS,Kerberos,oranotherdistributed authenticationmechanism. ThePAMconfigurationisin/etc/pam.d/vmware-authd. EverytimeaconnectionismadetotheserverrunningESXServer,theinetdprocess runsaninstanceoftheVMwareauthenticationdaemon(vmware-authd).The vmware-authdprocessrequestsausernameandpassword,andhandsthemoffto PAM,whichperformstheauthentication. Afterauserisauthenticated,vmware-authdacceptsapathnametoavirtualmachine configurationfile.Accesstotheconfigurationfileisrestrictedinthefollowingways. Theusermusthave:
!
readaccesstotheconfigurationfiletoseeandcontrolthevirtualmachineinthe VMwareManagementInterfaceandtoviewthevirtualmachinedetailspages. readaccesstotheconfigurationfiletousethelocalconsoleontheserviceconsole ortoconnecttothevirtualmachinewiththeVMwarePerlAPI. readandexecuteaccesstotheconfigurationfiletoconnecttoandcontrol(start, stop,reset,orsuspend)avirtualmachineinaremoteconsole,withtheVMware PerlAPIorwiththemanagementinterface. readandwriteaccesstotheconfigurationfiletochangetheconfigurationusing theConfigureVMpageinthemanagementinterface.
NOTE
Ifyouhaveuserswithlistaccess,butnotreadaccess,theymightencountererrorsinthe VMwareManagementInterface. Ifavmwareprocessisnotrunningfortheconfigurationfileyouaretryingtouse, vmware-authdexamines/etc/vmware/vm-list,thefilewhereyouregisteryour virtualmachines.Iftheconfigurationfileislistedinvm-list,vmware-authd(not necessarilytheuserwhoiscurrentlyauthenticated)startsVMwareESXServeras ownerofthisconfigurationfile. Registeredvirtualmachines(thoselistedin/etc/vmware/vm-list)alsoappearinthe VMwareManagementInterface.ThevirtualmachineslistedontheStatusMonitor mustbelistedinvm-list,andyoumusthavereadaccesstotheirconfigurationfiles. Thevmware-authdprocessexitsassoonasaconnectiontoavmwareprocessis established.Eachvmwareprocessshutsdownautomaticallyafterthelastuser disconnects.
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Using Your Own Security Certificates when Securing Your Remote Sessions
WhenusingtheVMwareRemoteConsoleortheVMwareManagementInterfaceover anetworkconnection,theusername,password,andnetworkpacketssenttoESX ServerareencryptedinESXServerbydefaultwhenyouchooseMediumorHigh securitysettingsfortheserver. WithSSLenabled,securitycertificatesarecreatedbyESXServerandstoredonthe server.However,thecertificatesusedtosecureyourmanagementinterfacesessionsare notsignedbyatrustedcertificateauthority;theydonotprovideauthentication.Ifyou useencryptedremoteconnectionsexternally,considerpurchasingacertificatefroma trustedcertificateauthority. YoucanuseyourownsecuritycertificateforyourSSLconnections. TheVMwareManagementInterfacecertificatemustbeplacedin /etc/vmware-mui/ssl.Themanagementinterfacecertificateconsistsoftwofiles:the certificateitself(mui.crt)andtheprivatekeyfile(mui.key).Theprivatekeyfile shouldbereadableonlybytherootuser. Whenyouupgradethemanagementinterface,thecertificateremainsinplace.Ifyou removethemanagementinterface,the/etc/vmware-mui/ssl directoryisnot removedfromtheserviceconsole.
Default Permissions
WhenyoucreateavirtualmachinewithVMwareESXServer,itsconfigurationfileis registeredwiththefollowingdefaultpermissions,basedontheuseraccessingit:
!
Read,execute,andwriteFortheuserwhocreatedtheconfigurationfile(the owner). ReadandexecuteFortheownersgroup. ReadForusersotherthantheowneroramemberoftheownersgroup.
! !
TCP/IP Ports for Management Access

TheTCP/IPportsavailableformanagementaccesstoyourESXServermachinevary, dependingonthesecuritysettingsyouchoosefortheserver.TomanageESXServer machinesfromoutsideafirewall,youmightneedtoreconfigurethefirewalltoallow accessontheappropriateports.Thelistsbelowshowwhichportsareavailablewhen youuseeachofthestandardsecuritysettings.
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ThekeyportsforuseoftheVMwareManagementInterfaceandtheVMwareRemote ConsolearetheHTTPorHTTPSportandtheportusedbyvmware-authd.Useofother portsisoptional. NOTE ForcompatibilitywithGSXServer,TCPports8222and8333arehandledasHTTP redirectstoTCPports80or443.
High Security
Thefollowinglistshowstheportnumbersanduseforhighsecurity:
! ! !
443HTTPS,usedbytheVMwareManagementInterface. 902vmware-authd,usedwhenyouconnectwiththeremoteconsole. 22SSH,usedforasecureshellconnectiontotheserviceconsole.
Medium Security
Thefollowinglistshowstheportnumbersanduseformediumsecurity:
! ! ! ! ! !
443HTTPS,usedbytheVMwareManagementInterface. 902vmware-authd,usedwhenyouconnectwiththeremoteconsole. 22SSH,usedforasecureshellconnectiontotheserviceconsole. 23Telnet,usedforaninsecureshellconnectiontotheserviceconsole. 21FTP,usedfortransferringfilestoandfromothermachines. 111portmap,usedbytheNFSclientwhenmountingadriveonaremote machine.
Low Security
Thefollowinglistshowstheportnumbersanduseforlowsecurity:
! ! ! ! ! !
80HTTP,usedbytheVMwareManagementInterface. 902vmware-authd,usedwhenyouconnectwiththeremoteconsole. 22SSH,usedforasecureshellconnectiontotheserviceconsole. 23Telnet,usedforaninsecureshellconnectiontotheserviceconsole. 21FTP,usedfortransferringfilestoandfromothermachines. 111portmap,usedbytheNFSclientwhenmountingadriveonaremote machine.
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Using Devices With ESX Server

Inthissection,wediscussconsiderationswhenusingdeviceswithESXServer.
Supporting Generic Tape and Media Changers

Fortheguestoperatingsystemtoseeandcontrolthemediachanger,theSCSIIDinthe targetrawdevicesconfigurationfilemustmatchtheSCSIIDthatESXServerseesfor thatdevice.ChecktheSCSIIDseenbyESXServerbyviewingtheoutputofthefiles /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba<x>/<y>:<z>,where<x>istheHBAIDassignedbyESX Server,<y>istheSCSItargetID,and<z>istheSCSILUNID. SeeAddingaTapeDrivetoaVirtualMachineonpage 121.
Editing the vmware-device.map.local File

The/etc/vmware/vmware-device.mapfilecontainsalistofdevicessupportedby ESXServer.Thisreleaseincludessupportforalocalversionofthisfile, /etc/vmware/vmware-device.map.local. Modifythevmware-device.map.localtoselectdifferentdevicedrivers.Thisfileis notmodifiedduringanESXServerupgrade,preservingyourcustomizations.The vmware-device.map.localisreadwhentheVMkernelisloaded:
!
Anychangestothevmware-device.map.localfilerequirearebootoratleastan unload/reloadoftheVMkerneltotakeeffect. Entriesinthevmware-device.map.localfilesareusedinadditiontotheentries inthevmware-device.mapfile.Thevmware-device.map.localfiledoesnot needtomirrorthevmware-device.mapfile. Anyvmware-device.map.localfileentriesthatcorrespondtothe vmware-device.mapfileentriessupersedethevmware-device.mapfileentries.
Finding Disk Controllers

UsethevmkpcidivycommandtolistphysicaldiskcontrollersrecognizedbyESX ServerandthedevicenameslinkedtothemintheServiceConsole.Physicaldisk controllersmaybeSCSIorblockdevices,suchasdiskarraycontrollers. The-queryoptionofvmkpcidivyreportsESXServerconfigurationdetails. Forexample,displaydiskcontrollersandtheirdevicenameswithvmhba_devsquery:
$ vmkpcidivy -q vmhba_devs vmhba0:0:0 /dev/ida/c0d0 vmhba1:0:0 /dev/sda vmhba1:0:1 /dev/sdb
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Youcanalsofindthedevicenamelinkedtoaspecificcontrollerwiththesingular vmhba_devquery:
$ vmkpcidivy -q vmhba_dev vmhba0:0:0 /dev/ida/c0d0
Thevmhba_devqueryacceptsoneormorecontrollernamesasarguments.
When You Change Storage Adapters

WheneveryouchangestorageadaptersonanESXServersystem,runthevmkpcidivy utilitytoensureproperloadingofthekernelmodules. To run the utility after changing storage adapters 1 2 Afterinstallingthenewhardware,boottheESXServersystemtoLinuxmode. Runvmkpcidivybytyping:
vmkpcidivy -i
ReboottheESXServersystem.
Enabling Users to View Virtual Machines Through the VMware Remote Console
ThedefaultsecuritysettingforESXServeristhatusersmusthaveread(r)andexecute (x)accesspermissionstoconnectaremoteconsoletoavirtualmachine.Toallowaccess touserswithonlyreadpermissions,usethefollowingglobalconfigurationsetting:
authd.policy.allowRCForRead = TRUE
Addtheprecedinglinetothe/etc/vmware/configfile.Thissettingallowsuserswith onlyreadpermissionstoconnecttoavirtualmachinethroughtheremoteconsole. NOTE ThisconfigurationsettingaffectsallvirtualmachinesonanESXServermachine.You cannotchangethissettingforindividualvirtualmachines.
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Administering ESX Server
YoucanmodifyESXServerconfigurationoptionsbyloggingintotheVMware ManagementInterfaceasrootandclickingtheOptionstab.Thesettingsyoucan changeandactivitiesyoucanperformincludeupdatingthestartupprofile,configuring storageandnetworksettings,andconfiguringotherserveroptions. RefertotheVMwareESXServerInstallationGuideforadditionalinformationabout serverconfigurationduringinstallation. Thischapterprovidesanoverviewoftheconfigurationmodificationoptions:

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StartupProfileonpage 188 NetworkConnectionsonpage 188 UsersandGroupsonpage 192 SecuritySettingsonpage 194 SNMPConfigurationonpage 196 LicensingandSerialNumbersonpage 196 StorageManagementonpage 196 AdvancedSettingsonpage 205 ServiceConsoleSettingsonpage 206 SystemLogsandAvailabilityReportonpage 209 VirtualMachinesStartupandShutdownonpage 217 RebootingorShuttingDowntheServeronpage 221
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Startup Profile
FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheStartupProfiles optiontocreateandmodifyESXServerbootconfigurations.Foreachconfiguration, youcanspecifyhowyouwanttoallocateyourdevices:tothevirtualmachines,tothe serviceconsole,orsharedbetweenthem. IfyouaddnewhardwaretoyourESXServersystem,suchasextraSCSIcontrollersor networkadapters,youcanspecifyherewhethertoallocatethenewhardwaretothe vmkernelandvirtualmachines,orallocateittotheserviceconsole. YoualsoenableHyperThreadingforyourserverwiththestartupprofile. HyperThreadingallowsESXServertooperatewithtwologicalCPUsforeachphysical CPUyouhaveinstalledinyoursystem.SelecttheEnableHyperThreadingoptionto enablethisfeature.SeeUsingHyperThreadingonpage 335. Formoreinformationonthechangesanadministratorcanexpecttoseewhenrunning ESXServeronaHTsystemanddetailsontheadvancedalgorithmsandconfiguration optionsusedtomaximizeperformanceofESXServeronaHyperThreadedsystem, refertoHyperThreadingSupportinVMwareESXServer2.1at http://www.vmware.com/support/resources/esx_resources.html. Ifyoumakeanychangestothestartupprofile,youmustreboottheserverforyour changestotakeeffect.
Network Connections
FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheNetwork Connectionsoptiontoconfigurethenetworkconnections.
Figure 6-1. Virtual Switches tab: Network Connections
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Chapter 6 Administering ESX Server
Creating and Editing Virtual Switches

Youcancreatenewvirtualswitchesoreditexistingswitches. To create a virtual switch 1 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceasroot. TheStatusMonitorappears. 2 ClicktheOptionstab,andclicktheNetworkConnectionstab. TheCreateVirtualSwitchdialogboxopensanddisplaysconfigurationoptionsfor thenewswitch. 3 EnteranameforthevirtualswitchintheNetworkLabelfield. TheNetworkLabelfeatureletsyouspecifyanetworklabelforswitchesandport groupsthatareusedbyvirtualmachines. 4 5 IntheBindOutboundAdapterslist,selectanadaptertoassignittothenew switch. IntheOtherOutboundAdapterslist,selectanadaptertoreassignittothenew switch. Thislistshowstheadapterscurrentlyassignedtootherswitches. 6 ClickCreateSwitchtocreatethenewvirtualswitchandclosethewindow.
To edit an existing virtual switch and its adapters 1 ClickEdit. TheEditVirtualSwitchdialogboxopensanddisplaysexistingconfigurationand adaptersettingsfortheswitch. 2 EditthenetworklabeloftheswitchintheNetworkLabelfield. TheNetworkLabelfeatureletsyouspecifyanetworklabelforswitchesandport groupsusedbyvirtualmachines. NOTE Ifvirtualmachinesareconfiguredtousetheswitchandyouchangethename ofthelabel,thevirtualmachineswillnotpoweron. 3 4 IntheBindOutboundAdapterslist,selectanadaptertoassignittothenew switch. Toroutenetworktrafficlocally,deselectalltheadaptersandclickOK.
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Aninternaladapteriscreatedforthevirtualswitch.Anotificationmessageshows Nooutboundadapters.Trafficroutedlocally. 5 SelectanadaptertoassignittotheswitchfromtheBindUnassignedAdapterslist. UnderOtherOutboundAdapters,BindUnassignedAdapterslistsany unassignedadapters.Youcantransferanylistedadaptersfromotherswitchesto thevirtualswitchyouareconfiguring. 6 7 ClickOKtosavethenewswitchconfigurationandclosethewindow. Toremovetheswitch,clickRemoveSwitch. Thisactionremovesthevirtualswitchanddoesnotsaveanyconfiguration changesmadetotheeditpage.
Creating Port Groups

Portgroupsareextensionsofnetworks,usingVirtualLocalAreaNetworks(VLANs). VLANsallowconfigurednetworkstocommunicatesecurelyamongthemselvesasif connectedtoacommonisolatedphysicalnetwork.Tocreateaportgroup,anexisting networkmustbeconfigured. To create a port group 1 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceasroot. TheStatusMonitorappears. 2 ClicktheOptionstab,andclicktheNetworkConnectionstab. TheVirtualSwitchesdialogboxopens. 3 Tocreateaportgroupforaswitch,clickAddnexttoPortGroups. TheCreatePortGroupsdialogboxopensanddisplaysconfigurationoptionsfora portgroup. 4 5 6 EnteranamefortheportgroupinthePortGroupLabelfield. IntheVLANIDfield,enteranumberbetween1and4095. ClickCreatePortGrouptocreatethenewportgroupandclosethewindow.
Disabling vmkernel VLAN Tagging

WhenVLANsarecreatedwithinyourESXServer,thevmkernel,bydefault,manages theVLANprocessingofEthernetframes.Ifyoudonotwantthevmkerneltomanage VLANprocessing,configurethevmkerneltopassallEthernetframesbetweenguest operatingsystemsandtheoutsidenetwork.
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To change your VLAN processing settings 1 FromtheOptionstab,selectAdvancedSettings. TheAdvancedSettingspaneappearsanddisplaysalistofconfiguration parameters. 2 3 Locatetheparameter:Net.VlanTrunking. Clickthevaluefortheparameter. TheModifyVMkernelParameterdialogboxopens. 4 5 IntheValueentryfield,enter1(one)toenabletheparameteror0(zero)todisable theparameter. ClickOKtoclosethewindowandsavethesetting.
Configuring Physical Adapters

FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheNetwork Connectionsoptiontoviewandconfigurethephysicaladaptersassignedtovirtual machines.Thisoptionletsyouchangethespeedandduplexsettingsoftheadapters.
Figure 6-2. Physical Adapters tab
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Configuring Network Speed and Duplex Settings

WhenyouusetheVMwareManagementInterfacetoconfigurenetworksettingsforthe Ethernetadaptersassignedtovirtualmachines,youseetheactualspeedandduplex settingsforeachadapter.IftheadapterisconfiguredtoAutonegotiate,thesesettings areautomaticallynegotiatedbytheadapter.Ifthesesettingsarenotappropriate,click Editnexttothephysicaladapteryouwanttochange. FromthePhysicalAdapterstab,choosethesettingsyouwantfromtheConfigured Speed,Duplexpulldownlist.ClickOKtosavetheupdatedconfiguredspeed.
Users and Groups

FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheUsersandGroups optiontoadd,modify,andremoveESXServerusersandgroups.Thisdialogboxlists eachuser,thegroupstowhichtheuserbelongs,eachgroup,andtheusersthatarepart ofeachgroup.
Adding Users and Groups

Thissectiondescribeshowtoaddnewusersorgroupsthatcanbeusedtomanage virtualmachinesintheVMware Management Interface. To add a new user 1 Clickthe+(plus)signnexttoUserstoexpandtheUserslistandclickAdd. TheEditUsersandGroupsdialogboxappears.
IntheUserNamefield,typethenameofthenewuser.
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IntheHomeDirectoryfield,typethenameofthedefaultdirectoryfortheuserin theserviceconsole. IntheNewPasswordfield,typethepasswordfortheusersaccount. IntheConfirmNewPasswordfield,typethesamepassword. Toaddtheusertooneormoregroups,clickAddandselectagroupfromthelist. Repeatthisstepforeachgrouptowhichyouwanttoaddtheuser.
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Ifyoudonotwanttheusertobepartofagroup,clickRemovenexttothe groupname.
ClickOKtosavethenewuserinformationandclosethewindow.
To add a new group 1 Clickthe+(plus)signnexttoGroupstoexpandtheGroupslistandclickAdd. TheEditUsersandGroupsdialogboxappears.
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IntheGroupNamefield,typethenameofthenewgroup. Toaddoneormoreuserstothegroup,clickAdd,andselectauserfromthelist. Repeatthisstepforeachuseryouwanttoaddtothegroup.
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Toremoveauserfromthegroup,clickRemovenexttotheusername.
ClickOKtosavethenewgroupinformationandclosethewindow.
Editing and Removing Users and Groups

Thissectiondescribeshowtoeditorremoveexistingusersorgroupsfromthe VMware Management Interface.
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To change information for or remove a user 1 Clickthe+(plus)signnexttoUserstoexpandtheUserslistandclicktheuseryou wanttoeditorremove. TheEditUsersandGroupsdialogboxappears. 2 Doanyofthefollowing:

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Tochangetheusershomedirectory,intheHomeDirectoryfield,typethe nameofthedefaultdirectoryfortheuserintheserviceconsole. Tochangetheuserspassword,intheNewPasswordfield,typethepassword fortheusersaccount,andintheConfirmNewPasswordfield,typethesame password. Toaddtheusertooneormoregroups,clickAdd,andselectagroupfromthe list.Repeatthisstepforeachgrouptowhichyouwanttoaddtheuser. Toremovetheuserfromanygroup,clickRemovenexttothegroupname. Toremovetheuser,clickRemovenexttotheusersname.Youareprompted toconfirmyouwanttoremovetheuser.Thewindowcloses.
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To change information for or remove a group 1 Clickthe+(plus)signnexttoGroupstoexpandtheGroupslistandclickthegroup youwanttoeditorremove. TheEditUsersandGroupsdialogboxappears. 2 Doanyofthefollowing:

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Toaddoneormoreuserstothegroup,clickAdd,andselectauserfromthe list.Repeatthisstepforeachuseryouwanttoaddtothegroup. Toremoveanyuserfromthegroup,clickRemovenexttotheusername. Toremovethegroupcompletely,clickRemovenexttothegroupsname.You arepromptedtoconfirmyouwanttoremovethegroup.Thewindowcloses.
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Security Settings
FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheSecuritySettings optiontoconfigureESXServersecurityproperties.YoucansetupunencryptedWeb
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accessandenableSSH,telnet,andFTPaccesstotheserverandenableNFSfilesharing. Thefollowingstandardsecuritysettingsareavailable:
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TheserverissettoHighsecuritybydefault,whichdoesnotallowunencrypted VMwareManagementInterfaceandRemoteConsolesessions.Highsecurity enablesSSHaccessforsecureremoteloginsessions,butitalsodisablesFTP,Telnet, andNFSfilesharingservices. ChooseMediumsecuritytodisallowunencryptedVMwareManagement InterfaceandRemoteConsolesessions.NormalaccessenablesFTP,Telnet,NFSfile sharing,andsecureremotelogin(SSH)services. ChooseLowsecuritytoallowunencryptedVMwareManagementInterfaceand VMwareRemoteConsolesessions,FTP,Telnet,NFSfilesharing,andsecureremote login(SSH)services.
Using Custom Security Settings

Bycustomizingyoursecuritysettings,youcanenableordisablesettingsthatprovide accesstotheserver,suchasunencryptedWebaccess,SSH,telnet,FTP,andNFSfile sharing.Tocustomizeyoursecuritysettings,clickCustom.TheSecuritySettingsdialog boxchangestoallowyoutochoosespecificsecuritysettings.
Figure 6-3. Security Settings dialog box Selectthecheckboxesforitemsyouwanttoenable,andclickOK.
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SNMP Configuration
FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheSNMP ConfigurationoptiontoconfiguretheESXServerSNMPagentandsubagent.These agentsallowyoutomonitorthehealthoftheserverandofvirtualmachinesrunning ontheserver. ToconfiguretheSNMPagents,seeConfiguringtheESXServerAgentThroughthe VMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 227.ForinformationaboutSNMP,seeUsing SNMPwithESXServeronpage 223.
Licensing and Serial Numbers

FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheLicensingand SerialNumbersoptiontoviewthecurrentlicenseinformationforthisproduct.Ifyou haveanewserialnumberforeitherESXServerorVMwareVirtualSMPforESXServer, enterthemhere. NOTE Ifyouenteranewserialnumberforalicensethatchangesthemaximumnumberof processorsallowedontheserver,youarepromptedtoreboottheserverforthenew licensetotakeeffect.
Storage Management
FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheStorage Managementoptiontomanageyourstorageareanetworkandattachedstorage devicesforyourESXServersystemanditsvirtualmachines. BecausethedisksontheSANscanpotentiallybeaccessedbymultipleESXServer computers,therearesomeconfigurationissuesthatareuniquetoSANs. ForinformationaboutSANs,seeUsingStorageAreaNetworkswithESXServeron page 266. NOTE MakesurethatonlyoneESXServersystemhasaccesstotheSANwhileyouareusing theVMwareManagementInterfacetoconfigureitbyformattingtheVMFS2volumes. Afteryoufinishtheconfiguration,makesurethatallpartitionsontheshareddiskare setforpublicorsharedaccessforaccessbymultipleESXServers(seeVMFS Accessibilityonpage 248).
Configuring Storage: Disk Partitions and File Systems

TheDisksandLUNSwindowallowsyoutoviewandmodifythepartitionsandfile systemsonyourdisks.CreatediskpartitionsthatusetheVMFSfilesystem,suitablefor
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storingdisksforvirtualmachines.Youcanalsoedit,label,andremoveexisting partitions. WhenyoueditaVMFSpartition,youcanchangethevolumelabel,maximumfilesize, accessmode,andwhetheryouwanttospanthepartition.
Figure 6-4. Disks and LUNs tab NOTE YoucanhaveonlyoneVMFSvolumeperLUN.
Creating a Disk Partition

YoucanuseexistingfreespaceonyourVMFSvolumestocreatenewdiskpartitions. ForbackgroundonhowSCSIdevicesareidentified,seeDeterminingSCSITargetIDs onpage 263. NOTE YoucannotchangeanypartitionssetupwhenyouinstalledESXServer.Theseinclude anyvolumeswithaLinuxfilesystemorthatareusedforLinuxswapspace.
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Ifacoredumpfiledoesnotexistonthedisk,youarepromptedtocreateone.Creating anewvolumeconsumesallthefreespaceremainingonadisk.ESXServerdetermines theoptimumsettingforthemaximumfilesizebasedonthevolumesfilesystem. To create a new partition 1 IntheDisksandLUNstab,clickCreateVolume. TheVolumeCreationMethodoptionsappear.
ClickTypical. Ifitdoesnotexist,youareaskedifyouwanttocreateacoredumppartition.The coredumppartitionstoresinformationgeneratediftheVMkernelcrashes.The informationisimportantindebugginganyproblemswiththeVMkernel. TherestofthediskorarrayisusedasaVMFSpartition,whereyoustorevirtual machinediskfiles.TheVMFSpartitionprovideshighperformanceaccesstothe virtualmachinesfilesthesameperformanceyouwouldgetifthevirtual machinewereinstalledonarawSCSIpartition. YoucanhaveonlyoneVMFSvolumeperLUN.
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Onlyfourprimarypartitionscanexistonadrive.Anextendedpartition(to containlogicalpartitions)countsasoneofyourfourprimarypartitions.
ClickYestocreatethecoredumppartition. ESXServeralsocreatestheVMFSpartition.
Afteryoucreatethepartition,youcanaddavolumelabel,determineaccessmodeand themaximumfilesize,andspanthediskwithanypublicextents.Forinformation aboutaccessmodes,seeVMFSAccessibilityonpage 248.
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Editing a Disk Partition

SelectapartitiontoeditandclickEdit.
Figure 6-5. Disks and LUNs tab IfthispartitionisformattedforVMFS1,youcanconvertittothenewerVMFS2 format.SeeFileSystemManagementonSCSIDisksandRAIDonpage 245for informationontheVMFS2filesystem. Thechangesyoucanmaketothepartitionmayinclude:
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Settingthevolumestype. Changingthenameofthevolumelabel. Settingthevolumesaccessmode. Settingthevolumesmaximumfilesize.
Certainpartitionsdonotallowyoutomakeallofthesechanges.
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Setting the Volumes Access Mode

TherearetwomodesforaccessingVMFSvolumes:publicorshared.
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PublicmodeDefaultmodeforESXServer.VMwarerecommendsthismode. WithapublicVMFSversion1(VMFS1)volume,multipleESXServercomputers havetheabilitytoaccesstheVMwareESXServerfilesystem,aslongastheVMFS volumeisonasharedstoragesystem(forexample,aVMFSonastoragearea network).OnlyoneESXServercanaccesstheVMFSvolumeatatime. WithapublicVMFSversion2(VMFS2)volume,multipleESXServercomputers canaccesstheVMwareESXServerfilesystemconcurrently.VMwareESXServer filesystemswithapublicmodehaveautomaticlockingtoensurefilesystem consistency.
SharedmodeUsedforaVMFSvolumethatisusedforfailoverbasedclustering amongvirtualmachinesonthesameordifferentESXServers.
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TochangetheaccessibilitymodeforaVMFSvolume,youmustdeactivatetheswapfile ifitexists.SeeConfiguringaSwapFileonpage 203.
Changing the Maximum Size of a File Allowed by VMFS

Tocreatevirtualmachineswithvirtualdiskslargerthanthedefaultmaximumsizeof 144GB,changethevalueintheMaxFileSizefield.
Spanning a VMFS volume.

YoucanspanonlyVMFS2volumes.Spanningavolumeallowsthevolumetocomprise multipleVMFSdiskpartitions.Eachdiskorpartitiontowhichthisvolumeisspanned iscalledanextent.Thiscreatesasinglevolumethatislargerthanwouldbepossible fromonepartition.Also,inthespannedvolumeorextent,youcannotchangethe maximumsizeoffiles. Afteryouspanavolume,youcannotremovethevolumeifitisspannedorifitspans othervolumes.Tospantoanothervolume,selecttheboxnexttothatvolumelabel. CAUTION AnydataontheextentislostwhentheVMFSvolumespanstoit,sospanto newlycreatedpartitions.
Converting a Partition to VMFS-2

ToconvertthepartitiontoVMFS2,clicktheConverttoVMFS2link.Toconvertthe filesystem,youmustdeactivatetheswapfileifitexists.SeeConfiguringaSwapFile onpage 203.
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CAUTION MetadataonVMFS2volumesutilizemorespacethanmetadataonVMFS1 volumes.Tosuccessfullyconvertafilepartition,youmightneedtomove filestoallowformorediskspace.
Removing a Disk Partition

ToconvertthepartitiontoVMFS2,clicktheConverttoVMFS2link.Toconvertthe filesystem,youmustdeactivatetheswappartitionifitexists.SeeConfiguringaSwap Fileonpage 203. Toremovethepartition,clickRemove.Youareaskedtoconfirmthatyouwantto removethepartition.Todeletecertainpartitions,clickEditandRemove. NOTE Ifthevolumeisspannedtoothervolumes,youcannotremoveit. SeeFileSystemManagementonSCSIDisksandRAIDonpage 245.
Viewing Failover Paths Connections

TheFailoverPathstabletsyoureviewthecurrentstateofpathsbetweenyoursystem andSANLUNs.Multipathingsupportallowsyoursystemtomaintainaconstant connectionbetweentheservermachineandthestoragedeviceincaseofthefailureof ahostbusadapter(HBA),switch,storagecontroller,oraFibreChannelcable.
Figure 6-6. Failover Paths tab ForeachSANLUN,thispagedisplaystheavailablepathsandthepreferredpath.By default,ESXServerselectsthelastpathusedtoaccessaLUN. Thefailoverpathsshowtheadapter,target,LUN,andtheSANtargetfortheLUN. EachSANtargetisidentifiedbyitsWorldWidePortName.
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Thestatusofeachpathisindicatedbyasymbolthatcorrespondstoitscurrentstatus: Indicatesthatthepathisactiveanddataisbeingtransferredsuccessfully. Indicatesthatthepathissettodisabledandisavailableforactivation. Indicatesthatthepathshouldbeactive,butthesoftwarecannotconnecttothe LUNthroughthispath. IfyouconfiguredaLUNtouseapreferredpath,thatpathwillbeidentifiedwiththe labelPreferredaftertheSANTargetlisting.
Configuring Failover Policies

ThefailoverpathseditfeatureallowsyoutoconfigurethepolicyfortransferringLUN accessfromonepathtoanother. To edit the failover policy for a LUN 1 FromtheFailoverPathstab,clickEdit. Theconfigurationpageappearsanddisplaysinformationaboutthecurrentstate ofthepathsandfailoverpolicyoptions.
Chooseoneofthefollowingfailoverpolicies:
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FixedAlwaysusethepreferredpathwhenavailable.Requiresyoutoselect thepreferredpathbyselectingPreferredintheAdaptericonpulldownmenu forthatpath MostRecentlyUsedAlwaysusethelastactivepath

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ClickOKtosaveyoursettingsandreturntotheFailoverPathstab. ThenameofthefailoverpolicyappearsnexttoeachSANLUNinthefailoverpaths list.
Formoreinformationonfailoverpolicies,seeSettingYourMultipathingPolicyfora LUNonpage 275.
Configuring Failover Paths

Youcanenableordisableindividualfailoverpathsbychangingtheirstatusinthe Adaptericonpulldownmenu.
Configuring a Swap File

UsetheSwapConfigurationoptiontocreateandconfigureaswapfile,whichenables yourvirtualmachinestousemorememorythanisphysicallyavailableontheserver. Forbackground,seeMemoryResourceManagementonpage 345.
Figure 6-7. Swap Configuration pane Youcanmanageasingleswapfilewiththemanagementinterface.ESXServercan manageuptoeightswapfiles,butyoumustusevmkfstools.SeeUsingvmkfstools onpage 249. ClickEdittochangethefollowingswapfilesettings:
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Volumeonwhichtolocatetheswapfile. Nameoftheswapfile,whichdefaultstoSwapFile.vswp.Tochangethenameof theswapfile,selectOtherfromtheFileNamelist,andtypethenameoftheswap file.Thefilemusthavea.vswpextension. CapacityoftheswapfileinMB.Arecommendedvalueisprovided.

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Activationpolicy.Theswapfilecanbeactivewhenthesystemboots,oritcanbe activatedmanually.Todeactivatetheswappartition,settheactivationpolicyto Activatedmanually,andrestarttheserver.Theswapfileisnotdeactivateduntil youreboot.
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Becauseyouaremakingchangestotheamountofswapspaceaftertheinitial configuration,youmustrestarttheserverforthechangestakeeffect.Iftheswapfileis settobeactivatedmanually,afteryoureboot,theswapfileisnotactivated.Toactivate itmanually,usevmkfstools -w.
Adapter Bindings
FromtheOptionspaneoftheVMwareManagementInterface,theAdapterBindings tabdisplaystheWorldWidePortNamesboundtoeachFibreChannelHBAinthe system.YoucanviewthepersistentbindingstatusforeachHBA.Withpersistent bindings,ESXServerassignsspecifictargetIDstospecificSCSIdevices.ThetargetID associationisretainedfromreboottorebootunlessyouchangeit. PersistentbindingsareusefulifyouareusingrawdiskswithESXServer.Arawdiskis directlymappedtoaphysicaldiskdriveonyourSAN.ESXServerdirectlyaccessesthe dataonthisdiskasarawdevice(andnotasafileonaVMFSvolume).
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Advanced Settings
FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheAdvanced SettingsoptiontoviewandmodifytheconfigurationparametersoftheVMkernel.
Figure 6-8. Advanced Settings: Configuration Parameters of the VMkernel WhenyouconfiguretheVMwareESXServercomputer(seetheVMwareESXServer InstallationGuide),somesystemparametersareassigneddefaultvalues.These parameterscontrolsettingsformemory,theprocessor,andnetworking,forexample, andaffecttherunningofvirtualmachines.Youcanviewthesesettingsfromthe managementinterface. Ifyouareloggedinastherootuser,youcanchangethevaluesfortheseparametersto finetunetherunningofvirtualmachines. CAUTION DonotchangethesesettingsunlessyouareworkingwiththeVMware supportteamoryouhavethoroughinformationaboutwhichvaluesyou shoulduse.
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NOTE
SomeconfigurationsettingsshownonthispagearedescribedintheESXServermanual andmaybechangedasdescribedinthemanual.Inmostcases,donotmodifythese settingsunlessaVMwaretechnicalsupportengineertellyoudoso. TochangethesettingforaVMkernelconfigurationparameter,clickthelinkforthe value.TheVMkernelParameterUpdatedialogboxopensontopoftheVMware ManagementInterfacewindow.
Figure 69.VMkernelParameterUpdatedialogbox IntheValuefield,typethevaluefortheparameterandclickOK.Thedialogboxcloses andtheupdatedparameterappearsontheAdvancedSettingstab.
Service Console Settings

FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheServiceConsole Settingstoconfiguretheserverprocessoranddiskresourcesfortheserviceconsole. Theseresourcesaredividedamongtheserviceconsoleandallvirtualdisksonany VMFSpartitionslocatedonthesamediskontheESXServersystem.
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Configuring the Service Consoles Processor Usage

Toreviewandconfiguretheserviceconsolesprocessorusage,clicktheCPUtab.
Figure 6-10. CPU tab TheCPUtabshowshowmuchoftheserverprocessororprocessorstheserviceconsole isutilizingandhowCPUresourcesareallocatedtotheserviceconsole. ThevaluesunderResourcesindicatearangeofpercentagesofaprocessortowhichthe serviceconsoleisentitled:

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MinimumMinimumamountofprocessorcapacitythatisalwaysavailabletothe serviceconsole. MaximumHighestamountofprocessorcapacitytheserviceconsolecanever consume,eveniftheprocessorisidle. SharesRelativemetricforallocatingprocessorcapacity,wherethisvalueis comparedtothesumofallsharesofallvirtualmachinesontheserverandthe serviceconsole.
Forexample,avirtualmachineisstoredonthesamedriveastheserviceconsoleand hasaminimumCPUpercentageof20%,andamaximumCPUpercentageof50%. Meanwhile,theserviceconsolehasaminimumpercentageof30%andnospecified maximumpercentage.Youcangivethevirtualmachine3000CPUsharesandthe serviceconsole1000CPUshares. ESXServerinterpretsthisallocationsothatthevirtualmachineneverhaslessthan20% ofthetotalphysicalCPUresources,whiletheserviceconsoleneverhaslessthan30% ofthetotalphysicalCPUresources. Ifothervirtualmachinesonthesamediskareidling,ESXServerredistributesthisextra CPUtimeproportionally,basedonthevirtualmachinesandserviceconsolesCPU shares.Activevirtualmachinesbenefitwhenextraresourcesareavailable.Inthis example,thevirtualmachinegetsthreetimesasmuchCPUtimeastheserviceconsole, subjecttothespecifiedCPUpercentages.
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Thatis,thevirtualmachinehasthreetimesasmuchCPUtimeastheserviceconsole, aslongasthevirtualmachinesCPUpercentageisbetween20%and50%.Inactuality, thevirtualmachinemightgetonlytwicetheCPUtimeoftheserviceconsole,because threetimestheCPUtimeexceeds50%,orthemaximumCPUpercentageofthevirtual machine. To modify CPU resource values: 1 ClickEdit. TheEditCPUResourceswindowappears. 2 3 Changethesettings. ClickOKtosavethesettingsandclosethewindow.
Ifyouarerunningalargenumberofvirtualmachinesonthesamediskastheservice console,considerincreasingtheminimumprocessorpercentage.Otherwise,youmight seeperformanceproblemswiththeserviceconsole,evenifthevirtualmachinesare idle. ClicktheDisktabtoviewinformationabouttheserviceconsoleprocessorusage.
Configuring the Service Consoles Disk Usage

Toreviewandconfiguretheserviceconsolesdiskusage,clicktheDisktab.
Figure 6-11. Disk tab TheDisktabshowsharddiskperformanceinformationandresourcesallocatedtothe serviceconsole.Diskbandwidthrepresentstheamountofdatathatiswrittentoorread fromtheserversphysicaldisks. ThevaluesunderPerformanceindicatehowmuchbandwidthisbeingusedwhenthe serviceconsoleisreadingfromorwritingtothephysicaldiskontheserver.
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TheSharesvaluerepresentsarelativemetricforcontrollingdiskbandwidth,where thisvalueiscomparedtothesumofallsharesofallvirtualmachinesonthesamedisk astheserviceconsoleandtheserviceconsoleitself. Forexample,theserviceconsoleandtwoVMFSpartitions,VMFSAandVMFSB,are locatedonthesameharddiskontheESXServersystem.Iftheserviceconsolehas2000 sharesandVMFSAandVMFSBeachhave1000shares,theserviceconsolehastwice thediskbandwidthofbothVMFSAandVMFSB. To modify the number of shares. 1 ClicktheEditlink.
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Changethenumberofshares. ClickOKtosavethechangeandclosethewindow. ClicktheCPUtabtoviewinformationaboutserviceconsoleprocessorusage.
System Logs and Availability Report

FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheSystemLogsand AvailabilityReportoptionstoviewthefollowinglogfilesandreportthroughthe managementinterface:
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VMkernelwarningsandserioussystemalerts,thedataforwhichisgatheredfrom /var/log/vmkwarningintheserviceconsole.SeeViewingVMkernelWarnings onpage 210. VMkernelmessages,thedataforwhichisgatheredfrom/var/log/vmkernelin theserviceconsole.SeeViewingVMkernelMessagesonpage 211.
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ServiceConsolemessages,thedataforwhichisgatheredfrom /var/log/messagesintheserviceconsole.SeeViewingServiceConsoleLogs onpage 212. Theavailabilityreport,whichcontainsinformationandstatisticsaboutserver uptimeanddowntime.SeeViewingtheAvailabilityReportonpage 213.
PeriodicallychecktheVMkernelwarningandalertmessagesforoutofmemoryerrors, hardwarefailures,andsoon. To view system log files and the availability report 1 2 3 Makesureyouareloggedintothemanagementinterfaceastherootuser. ClickOptions,andclickSystemLogs. Clicktheappropriatetabforthelogfileyouwanttoview.
Viewing VMkernel Warnings

ToviewVMkernelwarningsandserioussystemalerts,clicktheVMkernelWarnings tab.
Figure 6-12. VMkernel Warnings tab ThisinformationisusefulifyouareexperiencingproblemswithESXServeroryour virtualmachines.Ifyourlogcontainsanyalerts,checktheVMwareKnowledgeBaseat http://kb.vmware.comorcontactyourVMwaresupportrepresentative.
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Viewing VMkernel Messages

ToviewtheVMkernelmessagelog,clicktheVMkernelLogtab.
Figure 6-13. VMkernel Log tab ThisinformationisusefulifyouareexperiencingproblemswithESXServeroryour virtualmachines.Ifyourlogcontainsanyalerts,checktheVMwareKnowledgeBaseat http://kb.vmware.comorcontactyourVMwaresupportrepresentative.
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Viewing Service Console Logs

Toviewserviceconsolemessages,clicktheServiceConsoleLogtab.
Figure 6-14. Service Console Log tab ThisinformationisusefulifyouareexperiencingproblemswithESXServeroryour virtualmachines.Ifyourlogcontainsanyalerts,checktheVMwareKnowledgeBaseat http://kb.vmware.comorcontactyourVMwaresupportrepresentative.
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Viewing the Availability Report

Toviewtheserveravailabilityreport,clicktheAvailabilityReporttab.
Figure 6-15. Availability Report tab Theavailabilityreportcontainsusefulinformationaboutserveruptimeanddowntime. Thisincludesdetailedstatisticsregardinguptimehistoryandananalysisofdowntime.
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How Memory Is Utilized

TheMemoryUtilizationpaneshowshowmuchmemoryisbeingusedbytheESX Serverandhowmemoryresourcesareallocatedtovirtualmachines.SeeMemory ResourceManagementonpage 345.
Figure 6-16. Memory tab
System Summary: Physical Memory

Thislistshowsthecurrentallocationofphysicalmemoryontheserver:
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VirtualMachinesMemorycurrentlyallocatedtovirtualmachines. SharedCommonMemoryrequiredforthesinglecopyofmemoryshared betweenvirtualmachines. VirtualizationTotalvirtualizationoverheadforallvirtualmachinesandthe vmkernel. ServiceConsoleMemoryallocatedtotheServiceConsole. FreeMemorycurrentlyavailabletobeusedbythesystemorvirtualmachines. TotalTotalphysicalmemoryontheserver.
! ! !
Memory
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MemorySavingsDuetoSharingAmountofmemorysavedbysharingmemory betweenvirtualmachines.
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ManyVMwareESXServerworkloadspresentopportunitiesforsharingmemory acrossvirtualmachines.Forexample,severalVMsmightberunninginstancesof thesameguestoperatingsystem,mighthavethesameapplicationsorcomponents loaded,ormightcontaincommondata.Insuchcases,VMwareESXServerusesa proprietarytransparentpagesharingtechniquetosecurelyeliminateredundant copiesofmemorypages.Withmemorysharing,aworkloadrunningasvirtual machinesoftenconsumeslessmemorythanitwouldwhenrunningonphysical machines.Asaresult,higherlevelsofovercommitmentcanbesupported efficiently.
System Summary: Reserved Memory

Thislistshowsthecurrentallocationofreservedmemoryandswapspaceontheserver. RAM
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ReservedMemorycommittedforguaranteedallocationstoexistingvirtual machines. UnreservedUncommittedmemoryavailableforguaranteedallocationsto poweronnewvirtualmachines. TotalTotalreservedandunreservedRAMmemory.
Swap
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ReservedSystemswapfilespacecommittedforexistingvirtualmachines. UnreservedTotalunreservedswapfilespacecurrentlyavailabletobeusedby virtualmachines. TotalTotalreservedandunreservedspaceinsystemswapfiles.
Memory
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MemoryAvailabletoPowerOnaVirtualMachineMaximummemorysizethat canbespecifiedwhenpoweringonthenextsingleordualprocessorvirtual machine.
Virtual Machines: Virtual Machine Summary

Foreachrunningvirtualmachine,thislistshowsabreakdownofthevirtualmachines memoryallocation. Memory
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PrivateTotalmemoryallocatedtovirtualmachinesthatisnotshared. SharedTotalmemoryallocatedtovirtualmachinesandsecurelysharedwith othervirtualmachines.

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SwappedTotalmemoryforciblyreclaimedfromvirtualmachinesandstoredin systemswapfiles. BalloonDriverMemoryreclaimedfromvirtualmachinesbycooperationwith theVMwareTools(vmmemctldriver)andguestoperatingsystems. Thisisthepreferredmethodforreclaimingmemoryfromvirtualmachines, becauseitreclaimsthememorythatisconsideredleastvaluablebytheguest operatingsystem.Thesysteminflatestheballoondrivertoincreasememory pressurewithinthevirtualmachine,causingtheguestoperatingsystemtoinvoke itsownnativememorymanagementalgorithms.Whenmemoryistight,theguest operatingsystemdetermineswhichpagesofmemorytoreclaim,andswapsthem toitsownvirtualdisk.Thisproprietarytechniqueprovidespredictable performancethatcloselymatchesthebehaviorofanativesystemundersimilar memoryconstraints.
UnusedMemorythathasneverbeenaccessedbythevirtualmachines,andhas notyetbeenallocated. TotalTotalmemoryallocatedtovirtualmachines.
Virtual Machines: Virtual Machine Name

Foreachrunningvirtualmachine,thislistincludesabreakdownofthevirtual machinesmemoryallocation.
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RAMMaximumamountofmemoryconfiguredforusebytheguestoperating systemrunninginthevirtualmachine.Thisvalueisoftenlargerthantheactual amountofmemorycurrentlyallocatedtothevirtualmachine,whichmayvary dependingonthecurrentlevelofmemoryovercommitment. PrivateMemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachinethatisnotshared. SharedMemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachinethatisshared. SwappedMemoryforciblyreclaimedfromthevirtualmachineandstoredinthe systemswapfiles. BalloonDriverMemoryreclaimedfromvirtualmachinesbycooperationwith theVMwareTools(vmmemctldriver)andtheguestoperatingsystem. UnusedMemorythathasneverbeenaccessedbythevirtualmachine,andhas notyetbeenallocated. ActiveMemorythathasbeenaccessedrecentlybythevirtualmachine. SwapI/ORateatwhichthevirtualmachineisreadingfromandwritingto systemswapfiles,inbytespersecond.
! ! !
! !
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Toadjusttheallocationofservermemorytoavirtualmachine,clickthevirtualmachine name.ThistakesyoutotheStatusMonitor,whereyouviewdetailsaboutthevirtual machine.ClickthevirtualmachinesMemorytabtosetthenumberofmemoryshares grantedtothevirtualmachine.
Virtual Machines Startup and Shutdown

FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usethesystemwide VirtualMachineStartupandShutdownoptiontodothefollowing:
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Configureyourservertodeterminewhethervirtualmachinesstartuporshut downwhenthesystemstartsorshutsdown. Setadelayforstartingorstoppingonevirtualmachinebeforestartingorstopping thenext.Thisdelayhelpspreventoverburdeningthesystemduetotheprocessor andmemorycapacitiesrequiredtosimultaneouslystartorstopmultipleguest operatingsystems. Determinetheglobalorderinwhichvirtualmachinesstartandstop.
Afterthesesettingsareenabledforthesystem,youcancustomizethesettingsforeach virtualmachine.SeeSettingStartupandShutdownOptionsforaVirtualMachineon page 123.
System Configuration Settings

Thesystemwidevirtualmachinestartupandshutdownoptionsinclude:
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StartUpandShutdownVirtualMachinesWhethervirtualmachinesshouldbe startedandstoppedwiththesystem.Ifenabled,defaultstartupandshutdown policiesareappliedtoallvirtualmachinesonyoursystem(wherenovirtual machinesarepoweredonwhenthehostsystemstartsandallvirtualmachinesare shutdownwhenthehostsystemshutsdown).Youcancustomizeeachvirtual machinesstartupandshutdownpolicies. Ifdisabled,youcannotsetstartupandshutdownpoliciesforanyvirtualmachines onyoursystem.
ContinueStartingVirtualMachinesAfterSetsthetypeofdelaybetween startingupvirtualmachines.Youcansetthisto:
! ! !
DontWaitStartthenextvirtualmachineimmediately. <n>MinutesWait<n>numberofminutestostartthenextvirtualmachine. OtherSpecifyalongerintervaltowaitbeforestartingthenextvirtual machine.
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whenVMWareToolsstartsWaituntilVMWareToolsisoperatinginthe currentvirtualmachinebeforestartingupthenextvirtualmachine. Thisoptionappliesanadditionalconditionforstartingupthenextvirtual machine.Itdoesnotoverridethedelayperiodsetinthepulldownmenu.
AttempttoContinueStoppingVirtualMachinesAfterSetsthedelaylimit betweeninitiatingshutdownsofvirtualmachines.Theserverwillstopthenext virtualmachineassoonasthecurrentvirtualmachineshutsdown.Ifthecurrent virtualmachinedoesnotshutdownwithinthedelaylimit,theserverattemptsto stopthenextvirtualmachine.Youcansetthisto:

! !
DontWaitStopthenextvirtualmachineimmediately. <n>MinutesatmostWait<n>numberofminutesforthecurrentvirtual machinetoshutdownbeforestoppingthenextvirtualmachine. OtherSpecifyalongerintervaltowaitforthecurrentvirtualmachinetoshut downbeforestoppingthenextvirtualmachine.
Enabling the Systems Configuration Settings

To enable the system-wide configuration settings for virtual machines 1 FromtheOptionstab,selectVirtualMachineStartupandShutdown. TheSystemConfigurationpaneappearsanddisplaysalistofconfiguration parameters.
UnderSystemConfiguration,clickEdit.
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TheSystemStartupandShutdownDefaultsdialogboxappears.
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Toenablesystemwidestartupandshutdownpolicies,selecttheStartUpand ShutDownVirtualMachinescheckbox. ToconfigurewhenESXServershouldstartthenextvirtualmachineafteravirtual machinestarts,dooneorbothofthefollowing:

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Tospecifyaperiodoftimebeforethenextvirtualmachinestarts,inthe ContinueStartingVirtualMachinesAfterlist,choosefromthenumberof minuteslistedorwhetherESXServershouldnotwaitbeforestartingthenext virtualmachine.Setadelaybetweenstartingvirtualmachinestoavoid placingaburdenonthehostsserversprocessorsandmemory. TospecifythatVMwareToolsshouldstartinavirtualmachinebeforethenext virtualmachinestarts,selectthewhenVMwareToolsstartcheckbox.If VMwareToolsdoesnotstartinthevirtualmachinebeforethespecifiedtime elapses,ESXServerstartsthenextvirtualmachine.
ToconfigurewhenESXServershouldstopthenextvirtualmachineafteravirtual machinestops,intheAttempttoContinueStoppingOtherVirtualMachines Afterlist,choosethenumberofminutesorwhetherESXServershouldnotwait beforestartingthenextvirtualmachine. ClickOKtosaveyoursettings. ClickCloseWindowtoreturntothemanagementinterfaceOptionspane.
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Disabling the Systems Configuration Settings

To disable the system-wide configuration settings 1 UnderSystemConfiguration,clickEdit. TheSystemStartupandShutdownDefaultsdialogboxappears.
2 3
DeselecttheStartUpandShutDownVirtualMachinescheckboxandclickOK. ClickCloseWindowtoreturntothemanagementinterfacesOptionspane.
Specifying the Order In Which Virtual Machines Start

Afteryousetwhethervirtualmachinesshouldstartandstopwiththesystem,setthe orderinwhichthevirtualmachinesstartandstopandspecifythepositionofavirtual machineinthesystemwidestartupandshutdownsequence.Ifset,virtualmachines arelistedunderoneofthefollowingcategories:
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SpecifiedOrderListsthevirtualmachinesintheorderinwhichtheyare configuredtostartandstop. AnyOrderListsthevirtualmachinesspecifiedtostartandstopinanyorder.
Editing the Startup Sequence for Virtual Machines

Toeditthestartupsequenceforvirtualmachines,clickEditunderStartupSequence. TheVirtualMachineStartupSequenceconfigurationpaneappearsanddisplaysthe virtualmachinesonyoursystem.
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Figure 6-17. Virtual Machine Startup Sequence configuration pane Tospecifythestartuporderforvirtualmachines,selectthecheckboxnexttooneor moremachines.Navigationarrowsbecomeactive,allowingyoutomovemachines betweenthethreelists.Virtualmachinescanbesettooneofthefollowingoptions:
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OtherContainsvirtualmachinesthatarenotconfiguredtostartandstopwith thesystem. SpecifiedOrderListsvirtualmachinesintheorderinwhichtheyareconfigured tostart.Theorderinwhichthevirtualmachinesstopisthereverseoftheorderin whichtheystart,sothelastvirtualmachinetostartonsystemstartupisthefirstto stopwhenthesystemshutsdown.Tospecifythestartuporder,selectmachines andusethearrowstomovethemupordownwithinthelist. AnyOrderListsvirtualmachinesthatareconfiguredtostartandstopinany order.Movevirtualmachinestothiscategoryifyouwantthemtostartandstop withthesystem,butyoudonotwanttosettheorderforthosevirtualmachines. Thevirtualmachinesinthiscategorydonotstartorstopuntilallthevirtual machineslistedintheSpecifiedOrderlisthavestartedorstopped.
Rebooting or Shutting Down the Server

FromtheOptionstaboftheVMwareManagementInterface,usetheShutDownand RestartoptionstoshutdownandreboottheESXServersystem.Toshutdownorrestart avirtualmachine,seeShuttingDownandRestartingaVirtualMachineonpage 50.
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To reboot the computer where ESX Server is running 1 Logintothemanagementinterfaceasroot. TheURLtoconnecttotheserverishttp://<hostname>. 2 3 4 OntheStatusMonitor,makesureallvirtualmachinesareshutdownor suspended. ClicktheOptionstab. ClickRestartreboottheserver. Apromptappears.
Enterthereasonforthereboot,andclickOK. Thisinformationisloggedforreliabilitymonitoring. Youareloggedoutofthemanagementinterfaceandthesystemreboots.
To shut down the computer where ESX Server is running 1 Logintothemanagementinterfaceasroot. TheURLtoconnecttotheserverishttp://<hostname>. 2 3 4 OntheStatusMonitor,makesureallvirtualmachinesareshutdownor suspended. ClicktheOptionstab. ClickShutDowntoshutdowntheserver.
Enterthereasonfortheshutdown,andclickOK. Thisinformationisloggedforreliabilitymonitoring. Youareloggedoutofthemanagementinterfaceandthesystemshutsdown.
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Using SNMP with ESX Server
Simplenetworkmanagementprotocol(SNMP)isacommunicationprotocolbetween anSNMPclient(forexample,aworkstation)andanSNMPagent(management softwarethatexecutesonaremotedeviceincludinghosts,routers,Xterminals,andso on).TheSNMPclientqueriestheSNMPagentthatprovidesinformationtotheclient regardingthedevicesstatus.TheSNMPagentcontrolsadatabasecalledtheSNMP ManagementInformationBase(MIB),astandardsetofstatisticalandcontrolvalues. SNMPallowstheextensionofthesestandardvalueswithvaluesspecifictoaparticular device. ThischaptercontainsthefollowingsectionsaboutusingSNMPwithESXServer:

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UsingSNMPtoMonitortheComputerRunningESXServeronpage 223 OverviewofSettingUpESXServerSNMPonpage 226 ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentonpage 227 ConfiguringSNMPonpage 230 UsingSNMPwithGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 231 VMwareESXServerSNMPVariablesonpage 231
Using SNMP to Monitor the Computer Running ESX Server

ESXServershipswithanSNMPagentthatallowsyoutomonitorthehealthofthe physicalmachinewhereESXServerisrunningandofvirtualmachinesrunningonit. ThisagentisbasedonNetSNMPwithenhancementstosupportdataspecifictoESX Server.BackgroundinformationonNetSNMPisavailableat http://netsnmp.sourceforge.net.
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YoucanusetheESXServerSNMPagentwithanymanagementsoftwarethatcanload andcompileamanagementinformationbase(MIB)inSMIv1formatandcan understandSNMPv1trapmessages. ThelocationoftheVMwaresubtreeintheSNMPhierarchyis:

.iso.org.dod.internet.private.enterprises.vmware (.1.3.6.1.4.1.6876)
YoucanchoosetouseSNMPwithorwithoutanyspecificESXServerMIBitems.
Information About the Physical Computer

SNMPgetvariablesallowyoutomonitorawidevarietyofitemsaboutthephysical computerandhowvirtualmachinesareusingitsresources.Someofthekeytypesof informationavailableare:
! !
NumberofCPUsonthephysicalcomputer. CPUresourcesonthephysicalcomputerbeingusedbyparticularvirtual machines. AmountofRAMinstalledonthephysicalcomputer. Physicalmemoryusedbytheserviceconsole. Physicalmemoryusedbyparticularvirtualmachines. Physicalmemorythatisnotbeingused. Usagedatafordisksonthephysicalcomputer,includingnumberofreadsand writesandamountofdatareadandwritten. Usagedataonthephysicalcomputersnetworkadapters,includingpacketssent andreceivedandkilobytessentandreceived. StateoftheVMkernel(loadedornotloaded).
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NOTE
IfthevariableshowingwhethertheVMkernelisloadedisno,regardvaluesreported foranyothervariableasinvalid.
Information About the Virtual Machines

SNMPgetvariablesallowyoutomonitoranumberofitemsaboutparticularvirtual machinesrunningonthecomputer.Someofthekeytypesofinformationavailableare:
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Pathtothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile Guestoperatingsystemrunningonthevirtualmachine Amountofmemorythevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouse
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Chapter 7 Using SNMP with ESX Server
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Stateofthevirtualmachinespowerswitch:onoroff Stateoftheguestoperatingsystem:onoroff(runningornotrunning) Diskadaptersseenbythevirtualmachine Networkadaptersseenbythevirtualmachine Floppydiskdrivesseenbythevirtualmachine Stateofthefloppydrive:connectedordisconnected CDROMdrivesseenbythevirtualmachine StateoftheCDROMdrive:connectedordisconnected
NOTE
SNMPinformationisprovidedforvirtualmachinesiftheirconfigurationfilesare storedlocallyontheESXServercomputer.Iftheconfigurationfilesarestoredonan NFSmounteddrive,informationforthevirtualmachinesdoesnotappearintheSNMP tables.
SNMP Traps
FourSNMPtrapsnotifyyouofcriticaleventsinparticularvirtualmachines.The affectedvirtualmachineisidentifiedbyIDnumberandconfigurationfilepath.The trapsnotifyyou:
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Whenavirtualmachineispoweredonorresumedfromasuspendedstate. Whenavirtualmachineispoweredoff. Whenthevirtualmachinedetectsalossofheartbeatintheguestoperatingsystem. Whenavirtualmachineissuspended. Whenthevirtualmachinedetectsthattheguestoperatingsystemsheartbeathas startedorresumed.
VMwareToolsmustbeinstalledintheguestoperatingsystemtosupportthetrapsthat detectlossandresumptionoftheguestsheartbeat. NOTE TrapsarenotgeneratedwhenvirtualmachinesareregisteredusingtheVMware ManagementInterface.Toenabletrapgeneration,restartvmware-serverd.Youcan restartvmware-serverdbyrebootingtheserverorbyloggingintotheserviceconsole asrootandissuingthecommandkillall -HUP vmware-serverd.
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Overview of Setting Up ESX Server SNMP

ESXServer2.5includestwodaemons,amaster(snmpd),andasubagent (vmware-snmpd),asillustratedinFigure 71.Themastersnmpddaemoniseitherthe defaultsnmpddaemonshippedwithESXServerorathirdpartySNMPapplication daemon.Thesubagentvmware-snmpdexportsESXServerMIBinformationtothe masterthatcommunicatesdirectlywiththeSNMPclientapplication.
Master Subagent vmware-snmpd Third party snmpd or Default snmpd
Client
ESX Server service console
Figure 7-1. ESX Server 2.5 setup
Installing the ESX Server SNMP Agents

ThedefaultmastersnmpddaemonandtheVMwarespecificvmware-snmpd daemon areautomaticallyinstalledwhenyouinstallESXServer. ToseeESXServerMIBitems,configuretheESXServerSNMPsubagent (vmware-snmpd).IfyouarentinterestedinESXServerspecificSNMPitems,donot configurethatparticularsubagent. ConfiguretheESXServerSNMPsubagentafteryouhaveinstalledandconfiguredESX ServerthroughtheVMwareManagementInterface.YoucanconfiguretheESXServer SNMPsubagentbyusingascriptorthroughtheVMwareManagementInterface. Dependingonyourpreference,completeoneofthefollowing:
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ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentThroughtheVMwareManagementInterface onpage 227 ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 228
ConfigureyourSNMPtrapdestinations.SeeConfiguringSNMPTrapDestinations onpage 230.
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Configuring the ESX Server Agent

YoucanconfiguretheESXServeragentintwoways,describedinthesesections:
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ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentThroughtheVMwareManagementInterface, next ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 228
Configuring the ESX Server Agent Through the VMware Management Interface
ThissectiondescribeshowtousetheVMware Management Interfacetoconfigurethe ESX Server Agent.Toconfiguretheagentusingtheserviceconsole,referto ConfiguringtheESXServerAgentfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 228. To configure the ESX Server SNMP subagent 1 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceasroot. TheStatusMonitorappears. 2 3 ClicktheOptionstab. ClickSNMPConfiguration. Theoptionsonthistabtogglebetweentwochoices.Tochangeanoption,clickthe link.
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Makesurethepathstothesnmpddaemonstartupscriptanditsconfigurationfile arecorrect. Ifeitheroftheseisincorrect,clickChangeandtypethecorrectpath.
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MakesurethatthestatusofthemasterSNMPagentisRunning. IfyoureinterestedinVMwarespecificSNMPMIBs,makesurethestatusand VMwaretrapsoftheVMwareSNMPsubagentisEnabled. Optional:IfyouwantthemasterSNMPagent(andtheVMwareSNMPsubagent, ifitsstatusisEnabled)tostartautomaticallyuponbooting,makesuretheStartup TypeisAutomatic. Configureyourtraps.SeeConfiguringSNMPTrapDestinationsonpage 230.
Configuring the ESX Server Agent from the Service Console

Usethesnmpsetup.shscripttoconfiguretheESXServerSNMPsubagenttoworkwith thedefaultsnmpdorwithathirdpartymanagementapplication. NOTE IfyourenotinterestedinVMwarespecificSNMPmodules,dontrunthisscript.This scriptsetsupaconnection,betweenthemastersnmpddaemonandthevmware-snmpd daemon,whichenablesaccesstoESXServerMIBitems. CAUTION Donotusethesnmpsetup.shscripttosetupthirdpartySNMPdaemons.
Configuring the Default SNMP Daemon

ConfigureESXServertouseeitherthedefaultSNMPdaemonoryourselectionofthird partymanagementapplications.ConfigurethedefaultSNMPdaemonthroughthe serviceconsoleusingoneofthefollowingprocedures. To use the VMware SNMP daemon with the default SNMP daemon 1 2 Logintotheserviceconsoleastherootuser. Typethefollowingtorunthescript:
snmpsetup.sh default
Thedefaultoptionsetsupthesnmpd.conffileforthedefaultmasterSNMP daemon.Thisconnectssnmpdtovmware-snmpd,enablingyoutoqueryforESX ServerMIBitems. ThescriptstartsboththemasterandsubagentSNMPdaemons.
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To use the VMware SNMP Daemon with Third Party Management Applications 1 Installyourthirdpartymanagementapplication. RefertoyourmanagementapplicationdocumentationandtheESXServerrelease notesatwww.vmware.com/support/pubs/esx_pubs.html. 2 3 Logintotheserviceconsoleastherootuser. Typethefollowingtorunthescript:
snmpsetup.sh connect
TheconnectoptionconfiguresexportingESXServerMIBitemsthroughyour thirdpartySNMPdaemon.UsethisoptiontoenabletheexportofESXServerMIB itemsafterinstallingthethirdpartymanagementapplication. Thescriptconnectsthethirdpartyapplicationsnmpddaemonwiththe vmware-snmpdsubagentdaemon. Thescriptstartsbothdaemons.
Starting the SNMP Agents Automatically

YoucansetthemasterandsubagentSNMPdaemonstostartwheneverESXServer bootsbylogginginastherootuserintheserviceconsoleandrunningthechkconfig commands:
chkconfig snmpd on chkconfig vmware-snmpd on
ThefirstcommandenablesstartingthemasterSNMPdaemon(eitherthedefault SNMPdaemonshippedwithESXServeroryourthirdpartymanagementapplication SNMPdaemon)onstartup. Thesecondcommandenablesstartingthesubagentvmware-snmpddaemononstartup. NOTE Themastersnmpddaemoncanrunbyitselfortogetherwiththesubagent vmware-snmpddaemon.However,thesubagentdaemoncannotrunalone.
Starting the SNMP Agents Manually

TostarttheSNMPagentsmanually,loginasrootintheserviceconsoleandrunthe followingcommands:
/etc/rc.d/init.d/snmpd start /etc/rc.d/init.d/vmware-snmpd start
ThefirstcommandstartsthemasterSNMPdaemon(eitherthedefaultSNMPdaemon shippedwithESXServeroryourthirdpartymanagementapplicationSNMPdaemon).
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Thesecondcommandstartsthesubagentvmware-snmpddaemon. Bydefault,theagentsstartandrunasbackgroundprocesses. NOTE Themastersnmpddaemoncanrunbyitselfortogetherwiththesubagent vmware-snmpddaemon.However,thesubagentdaemoncannotrunalone.
Configuring SNMP
ThefollowingsectionsdiscussSNMPconfigurationoptionsforsettingtrap destinations,configuringmanagementclientsoftware,securitysettings,andguest operatingsystemconfiguration.
Configuring SNMP Trap Destinations

YoucannotconfiguretrapdestinationsthroughtheVMwareManagementInterface. To configure traps 1 2 Logintotheserviceconsoleastherootuserandmodifythe /etc/snmp/snmpd.conffile. Usingatexteditor,addthefollowingline,replacingmercury.solar.comwiththe nameofthehostonyournetworkthatwillreceivetraps.
trapsink mercury.solar.com
Repeatthislinetospecifymorethanonedestination. 3 Addthefollowingline,replacingpublicwithacommunitynameofyourchoice.
trapcommunity public
Therecanbeonlyoneinstanceofthisline. 4 Saveyourchanges. Ifyouuseafileotherthan/etc/snmp/snmpd.conf,makesurethefilename iscorrectlyspecifiedontheSNMPconfigurationpageinthemanagement interface.
NOTE
Configuring SNMP Management Client Software

TouseyourSNMPmanagementsoftwarewiththeESXServeragent,takethesteps neededtoaccomplishthefollowing:
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Inyourmanagementsoftware,specifytheESXServermachineasanSNMPbased manageddevice.
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Setupappropriatecommunitynamesinthemanagementsoftware.Thesemust correspondtothevaluessetinthemasterSNMPagentsconfigurationfile,for example,rocommunity,trapcommunity,andtrapsink. LoadtheESXServerMIBsintothemanagementsoftwaresoyoucanviewthe symbolicnamesfortheESXServervariables.YoucanfindtheMIBfileson VMwareESXServer,inthe/usr/lib/vmware/snmp/mibsdirectory.
Configuring SNMP Security

TheESXServerSNMPpackagetakesthesimplestapproachtoSNMPsecurityinthe defaultconfiguration.Itsetsupasinglecommunitywithreadonlyaccess.Thisis denotedbytherocommunityconfigurationparameterintheconfigurationfileforthe mastersnmpddaemon,snmpd.confwhichissetupforyoubyrunningsnmpsetup.sh default. Bydesign,SNMPisnotasecureprotocol,andthecommunitybasedsecuritymodelis aretrofittotheprotocol.OtherenhancementstotheSNMPsecuritymechanismallow anadministratortosetupamoreelaboratepermissionsscheme.Seethe snmpd.conf(5)manpagefordetails.
Using SNMP with Guest Operating Systems

TouseSNMPtomonitorguestoperatingsystemsorapplicationsrunninginvirtual machines,installtheSNMPagentsyouwouldnormallyuseintheguestoperating systems.NospecialconfigurationisrequiredonESXServer. Thevirtualmachineusesitsownvirtualhardwaredevices.Donotinstallinthevirtual machineagentsintendedtomonitorhardwareonthephysicalcomputer.
VMware ESX Server SNMP Variables

The VMware enterprise tree consists of several groups and is located at .iso.dod.org.internet.private.enterprises.vmware. (.1.3.6.1.4.1.6876.)
Thevariablesineachgroupappearinthetablesbelow. NOTE Allvariablesarereadonly. ThedatatypefieldreferstotheSNMPtypedescribedbythestructureofmanagement information(SMI).
vmware.vmwSystem
Thisgroupconsistsofthreevariablesprovidingbasicinformationaboutthesystem.
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Table 7-1. vmware.vmwSystem variables

Name vmwProdName vmwProdVersion vmwProdOID Data type Displaystring Displaystring ObjectID Description Productname. Productversion. AuniqueidentifierforthisproductintheVMware MIB.ThisIDisuniquealsowithinversionsofthe sameproduct. Productbuildnumber.
vmwProdBuild
Displaystring
vmware.vmwVirtMachines
Thisgroupconsistsofvirtualmachineconfigurationinformationinsixtables. vmTable Containsinformationonvirtualmachinesthathavebeenconfiguredonthe system.Eachrowprovidesinformationaboutaparticularvirtualmachine. Table 7-2. vmTable
Name vmIdx (Indexfield) vmDisplayName vmConfigFile vmGuestOS vmMemSize vmState vmVMID Data type Integer Displaystring Displaystring Displaystring Integer Displaystring Integer Description Dummynumberforanindex. Namebywhichthisvirtualmachineisdisplayed. Pathtotheconfigurationfileforthisvirtual machine. Operatingsystemrunningonthisvirtualmachine. MemoryconfiguredforthisvirtualmachineinMB. Virtualmachineonoroff. Ifavirtualmachineisactive,anIDisassignedtoit (likeapid).Notallvirtualmachinesmaybeactive, sothiscannotbeusedastheindex. Guestoperatingsystemonoroff.
vmGuestState
Displaystring
hbaTable Containsdiskadaptersseenbythisvirtualmachine. Table 7-3. hbaTable

Name hbaVmIdx (Indexfield) hbaIdx (Indexfield) Data type Integer Integer Description Correspondstotheindexofthevirtualmachinein vmTable. AcorrespondencetotheorderoftheSCSIdevice moduleloadedintotheVMkernel.
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Table 7-3. hbaTable (Continued)

Name hbaNum hbaVirtDev Data type Displaystring Displaystring Description Devicenumber(format:scsi*). Virtualdevicenameforthisadapter.
hbaTgtTable ContainsSCSItargetsseenbythisvirtualmachine. Table 7-4. hbaTgtTable

Name hbaTgtVmIdx (Indexfield) hbaTgtIdx (Indexfield) hbaTgtNum Data type Integer Integer Displaystring Description Correspondstotheindexofthevirtualmachine invmTable. Dummytargetindex. Targetdescription(format:scsi<hba>:<tgt>).
netTable Containsnetworkadaptersseenbythisvirtualmachine. Table 7-5. netTable

Name netVmIdx (Indexfield) netIdx (Indexfield) netNum netName Data type Integer Integer Displaystring Displaystring Description Correspondstotheindexofthevirtualmachinein vmTable. Indexforthistable. Devicenumber.(format:ethernet*) DevicenameofVMkerneldevicethatthisvirtual networkadapterismappedto.(format:vmnic*or vmnet*) Connectiontype(userorvirtualmachinemonitor device).
netConnType
Displaystring
floppyTable Containsfloppydrivesseenbythisvirtualmachine. Table 7-6. floppyTable

Name fdVmIdx (Indexfield) fdIdx (Indexfield) Data type Integer Integer Description Correspondstotheindexofthevirtualmachine invmTable. Indexintofloppytable.Orderofthefloppy deviceonthisvirtualmachine.
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Table 7-6. floppyTable (Continued)

Name fdName fdConnected Data type Displaystring Displaystring Description Devicenumber/name(/dev/fd0,etc.NULLifnot present). Isthefloppydriveconnected(mounted)?
cdromTable ContainsCDROMdrivesseenbythisvirtualmachine. Table 7-7. cdromTable

Name cdVmIdx (Indexfield) cdromIdx (Indexfield) cdromName cdromConnected Data type Integer Integer Displaystring Displaystring Description Correspondstotheindexofthevirtualmachine invmTable. IndexintoCDROMtable.OrderoftheCDROM deviceonthisvirtualmachine. Devicenumber/name(/dev/CDROM,etc.NULL ifnotpresent). IstheCDROMdriveconnected(mounted)?
vmware.vmwResources
Thisgroupcontainsstatisticsonthephysicalmachinesresourcescategorizedinto severalsubgroups. vmware.vmwResources.vmwCPU ThisgroupcontainsCPUrelatedinformationinonevariableandonetable. Table 7-8. vmware.vmwResources.vmwCPU
Name numCPUs Data type Integer Description NumberofphysicalCPUsonthesystem.
cpuTable CPUusagebyvirtualmachine. Table 7-9. cpuTable

Name cpuVMID (Indexfield) Data type Integer Description IDallocatedtorunningvirtualmachinebythe VMkernel.
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Table 7-9. cpuTable (Continued)

Name cpuShares cpuUtil Data type Integer Integer Description ShareofCPUallocatedtovirtualmachineby VMkernel. Amountoftimethevirtualmachinehasbeen runningontheCPU(seconds).
vmware.vmwResources.vmwMemory
ThisgroupcontainsRAMinformationinthreevariablesandonetable. Table 7-10. vmware.vmwResources.vmwMemory
Name memSize memCOS memAvail Data type Integer Integer Integer Description Amountofphysicalmemorypresenton machine(KB). Amountofphysicalmemoryusedbytheservice console(KB). Amountofphysicalmemoryavailable/free(KB).
memTable Containsmemoryusagebyvirtualmachine. Table 7-11. memTable

Name memVMID (Indexfield) memShares memConfigured memUtil Data type Integer Integer Integer Integer Description IDallocatedtorunningvirtualmachinebythe VMkernel. Sharesofmemoryallocatedtovirtualmachineby VMkernel. Amountofmemorythevirtualmachinewas configuredwith(KB). Amountofmemoryutilizedbythevirtual machine(KB;instantaneous).
vmware.vmwResources.vmwHBATable
Thisgroupcontainsphysicaldiskadapterandtargetsinformationinonetable.
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vmwHBATable Diskadapterandtargetinformationtable. Table 7-12. vmwHBATable

Name hbaIdx (Indexfield) hbaName hbaVMID diskShares numReads kbRead numWrites kbWritten Data type Integer Displaystring Integer Integer Integer Integer Integer Integer Description IndexintotableforHBA(correspondstotheorder oftheadapteronthephysicalcomputer). Stringdescribingthedisk.(format: <devname#>:<tgt>:<lun>) IDassignedtorunningvirtualmachinebythe VMkernel. Shareofdiskbandwidthallocatedtothisvirtual machine. Numberofreadstothisdisksincediskmodule wasloaded. KBreadfromthisdisksincediskmodulewas loaded. Numberofwritestothisdisksincediskmodule wasloaded. KBwrittentothisdisksincediskmodulewas loaded.
vmware.vmwResources.vmwNetTable
Thisgroupcontainsnetworkstatisticsorganizedbynetworkadapterandvirtual machine,inonetable. vmwNetTable Networkadapterstatistics. Table 7-13. vmwNetTable
Name netIdx (Indexfield) netName netVMID ifAddr netShares Data type Integer Displaystring Integer Displaystring Integer Description IndexintotableforNet(correspondstotheorderofthe adapteronthephysicalcomputer). Stringdescribingthenetworkadapter(format:vmnic* orvmnet*). IDassignedtorunningvirtualmachinebythe VMkernel. MACaddressofvirtualmachinesvirtualnetwork adapter. Shareofnetbandwidthallocatedtothisvirtual machine.(reservedforfutureuse)
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Table 7-13. vmwNetTable (Continued)

Name pktsTx kbTx pktsRx kbRx Data type Integer Integer Integer Integer Description Numberofpacketstransmittedonthisnetwork adaptersincenetworkmodulewasloaded. KBsentfromthisnetworkadaptersincenetwork modulewasloaded. Numberofpacketsreceivedonthisnetworkadapter sincenetworkmodulewasloaded. KBreceivedonthisnetworkadaptersincesystemstart.
vmware.vmwProductSpecific
Thisgroupcontainsvariablescategorizedintoproductspecificsubgroups.
vmware.vmwProductSpecific.vmwESX
ThisgroupcontainsvariablesspecifictoVMwareESXServer.
vmware.vmwProductSpecific.vmwESX.esxVMKernel
ThisgroupcontainsvariablesspecifictoVMwareESXServersVMkernel.Itcontains onevariable. Table 7-14. vmware.vmwProductSpecific.vmwESX.esxVMKernel
Name vmkLoaded Data type Displaystring Description HastheVMkernelbeenloaded?(yes/no)
NOTE
IfthevariableshowingthestateoftheVMkernelisno,anyvaluesreportedfor quantitativevariablesshouldberegardedasinvalid.
vmware.vmwTraps
ThisgroupcontainsthevariablesdefinedforVMwaretrapsandrelatedvariablesfor usebythetrapreceiver(forexample,snmptrapd). Table 7-15. vmware.vmwTraps
Name vmPoweredOn vmPoweredOff vmSuspended Data type Trap Trap Trap Description Sentwhenavirtualmachineispoweredonor resumedfromasuspendedstate. Sentwhenavirtualmachineispoweredoff. Sentwhenavirtualmachineissuspended.
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Table 7-15. vmware.vmwTraps (Continued)

Name vmHBLost vmHBDetected vmID Data type Trap Trap Integer Description Sentwhenavirtualmachinedetectsalossinguest heartbeat. Sentwhenavirtualmachinedetectsorregainsthe guestheartbeat. ThevmIDoftheaffectedvirtualmachineinthe precedingtraps.IfthevmIDisnonexistent,(suchas forapowerofftrap)1isreturned. Theconfigurationfileoftheaffectedvirtualmachine intheprecedingtraps.
vmConfigFile
Displaystring
vmware.vmwOID
Therearenovariablesinthisgroup.Thisgroupisusedtoallocateauniqueidentifier fortheproductdenotedbythevmwSystem.vmwOIDvariable.
vmware.vmwExperimental
Therearenovariablesinthisgroup.ThisgroupisreservedforVMwareephemeral, experimentalvariables.
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Using VMkernel Device Modules
TheESXServervirtualizationlayer,alsoknownastheVMkernel,runsonthenative hardware.Itmanagesalltheoperatingsystemsonthemachine,includingboththe serviceconsoleandtheguestoperatingsystemsrunningoneachvirtualmachine. TheVMkernelsupportsdevicedrivermodules.Usingthesemodules,theVMkernel canprovideaccesstoalldevicesontheserver. Thischapterincludesthefollowingsections:

! !
ConfiguringYourServertoUseVMkernelDeviceModulesonpage 239 ControllingVMkernelModuleLoadingDuringBootuponpage 243
Configuring Your Server to Use VMkernel Device Modules

Throughtheserviceconsole,youcanconfigureyourservertouseVMkerneldevice modules.
Loading VMkernel Device Modules

TheinstallationprocessshoulddetectthedevicesthatareassignedtotheVMkernel andautomaticallyloadappropriatemodulesintotheVMkerneltomakeuseofthese devices. YoumightwanttoloadVMkerneldevicemodulesexplicitly.Modulessupportedinthis releasearelocatedin /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod.Thecommandvmkload_mod(1) loadsVMkernelmodules.
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VMkernel Module Loader

Theprogramvmkload_modisusedtoloaddevicedriverandnetworkshapermodules intotheVMkernel.vmkload_modcanalsobeusedtounloadamodule,listtheloaded modulesandlisttheavailableparametersforeachmodule. Theformatforthecommandis: vmkload_mod <options> <module-binary> <module-tag> <parameters> where<module-binary>isthenameofthemodulebinarythatisbeingloaded. <module-tag>isthenamethattheVMkernelassociateswiththeloadedmodule.The tagcanbeanystringoflettersandnumbers.Ifthemoduleisadevicedriver,the VMkernelnamesthemodulewiththe<module-tag>plusanumberstartingfrom zero.Iftherearemultipledeviceinstancescreatedbyloadingthemoduleormultiple devicedrivermodulesloadedwiththesametag,eachdevicegetsauniquenumber basedontheorderinwhichdeviceinstancesarecreated. The<module-binary>and<module-tag>partsofthecommandlinearerequired whenamoduleisloadedandareignoredwhenthe --unload,--listand --showparamoptionsareused.The<parameters>partofthecommandlineis optionalandisusedonlywhenamoduleisbeingloaded.
Options
-l --list Liststhecurrentmodulesloaded.Ifthe-loptionisgiven,otherargumentsonthe commandlineareignored. -u <module-binary> --unload <module-binary> Unloadthemodulenamed<module-binary>. -v --verbose Beverboseduringthemoduleloading. -d <scsi-device-name> --device <scsi-device-name> ThemodulebeingloadedisforaSCSIadapterthatiscurrentlybeingusedbythe serviceconsole.AfterthemoduleisloadedtheSCSIadapteriscontrolledbythe VMkernelbuttheserviceconsolecontinuestobeabletoaccessallSCSIdevices.
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Chapter 8 Using VMkernel Device Modules
Theformatof<scsi-device-name>is<PCI-Bus>:<PCI-slot>. -e --exportsym Exportallglobalexportedsymbolsfromthismodule.Thisallowsothermodulestouse exportedfunctionsandvariablesfromtheloadedmodule.Donotusethisoptionfor normaldevicedriverandshapermodulesbecausetheremightbesymbolconflicts. -s --showparam Listallavailablemoduleparametersthatcanbespecifiedinthe<parameter>section ofthecommandline.
Parameters
Modulescanspecifyparametersthatcanbesetonthecommandline.Alistofthese parametersisshownviathe--showparamoption.Inordertosetoneofthese parameters,youmustspecifyanamevaluepairattheendofthecommandline.The syntaxisoftheform<name>=<value>.Anynumberofparameterscanbespecified.
Examples
vmkload_mod ~/modules/e100.o vmnic debug=5 Loadsthemodule~/modules/e100.ointotheVMkernel.Thetagforthismoduleis vmnic.EachEEProcardthatwasassignedtotheVMkernelisgiventhename vmnic<#>,where<#>startsat0.Forexample,iftherearetwoEEProcardsassignedto theVMkernel,theyhaveVMkernelnamesofvmnic0andvmnic1.Themodule parameterdebugissettothevalue5. vmkload_mod --device 0:12 ~/modules/aic7xxx.o vmhba Loadsthemodule~/modules/aic7xxx.ointotheVMkernel.Thetagforthismodule isvmhba.TheAdaptecSCSIadapteriscurrentlybeingusedbytheserviceconsole.The SCSIadapterislocatedonPCIbus0,slot12. vmkload_mod --exportsym ~/modules/vmklinux linuxdrivers Loadsthemodule~/modules/vmklinuxintotheVMkernel.Allexportedsymbols fromthismoduleareavailabletoothermodulesthataresubsequentlyloaded.The vmklinuxmoduleisthemodulethatallowsLinuxdevicedriverstoruninthe VMkernelsoitisoneofthefewmodulesforwhichthe--exportsymoptionmakes sense. Followingareseveralexamplesofcommandlinesthatloadvariousmodules.
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Preparing to Load Modules

vmkload_mod -e /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/vmklinux linux Thiscommandmustbegivenbeforeyouloadotherdevicemodules.Itloadscommon codethatallowstheVMkerneltomakeuseofmodulesderivedfromLinuxdevice driverstomanageitshighperformancedevices.The-eoptionisrequiredsothatthe vmklinuxmoduleexportsitssymbols,makingthemavailableforusebyother modules.
Loading Modules
vmkload_mod /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/e100.o vmnic vmkload_mod /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/aic7xxx.o vmhba ThefirstofthesecommandsloadsamoduletocontroltheEEProEthernetdevice(s) reservedfortheVMkernel.ThesecondloadsamoduletocontroltheAdaptecSCSI device(s).Thelastargumentsupplied(vmnicandvmhbaintheaboveexamples) determinesthebasenamethatVMwareusestorefertothedevice(s)intheVMware virtualmachineconfigurationfile. Forexample,supposeyourmachinehastwoEEProEthernetcardsandthreeAdaptec SCSIcards,andyouassignedoneEthernetcardandtwoSCSIcardstotheVMkernel duringtheinstallationprocess.Afteryouissuethetwocommandsabove,theEEPro EthernetcardassignedtotheVMkernelisgiventhenamevmnic0andthetwoSCSI cardsassignedtotheVMkernelaregiventhenamesvmhba0andvmhba1. NOTE YouneedtoloadtheAdaptecVMkernelmoduleonce,eventhoughtwoAdaptecSCSI cardsareassignedtotheVMkernel. TheVMkernelcanalsoshareSCSIadapterswiththeserviceconsole,ratherthan exclusivelycontrollingthem.TheinstallationprocessallowsyoutospecifySCSI adaptersthataresharedandloadthedevicemoduleappropriately.However,ifyou wishtocontrolthesharingexplicitly,assigntheSCSIdevicetotheserviceconsole duringtheinstallationprocess.LoadtheVMkernelSCSImoduleusingthefollowing syntax: vmkload_mod -d bus:slot /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/aic7xxx.o vmhba Toobtainthebusandslot(alsoknownasdeviceorcardnum)information,examine /proc/pci,outputfromthescanpcicommand,orboth. NOTE Thedevicemustbecorrectlyassignedtotheserviceconsole.Devicesassigned exclusivelytotheVMkernelduringtheinstallationprocessnolongerappearin /proc/pci.
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Chapter 8 Using VMkernel Device Modules
AfteryouloadaVMkerneldevicemodule,anentryappearsin/proc/vmware/netor /proc/vmware/scsi.Forexample,whene100.oisloadedasdescribedabove,the entry/proc/vmware/net/vmnic0appears,indicatingthereisoneEEProcard controlledbytheVMkernelandavailableasvmnic0tothevirtualmachines.See CreatingandConfiguringVirtualMachinesonpage 39forinformationonhowto configurevirtualmachinestouseVMkerneldevices.
Other Information about VMkernel Modules

TheonlynondeviceVMkernelmoduleavailableinthisreleaseofVMwareESXServer isthenfshapermodule,whichprovidessupportfornetworkfiltering,asdescribedin ManagingNetworkBandwidthonpage 367. Loadnfshaperusingthefollowingsyntax: vmkload_mod /usr/lib/vmware/vmkmod/nfshaper.o nfshaper VMkernelmodulesmustbereloadedeachtimetheVMkernelisloaded(asdescribed inLoadingVMkernelDeviceModulesonpage 239).
Controlling VMkernel Module Loading During Bootup

YoucancustomizetheloadingofVMkerneldevicedrivermodulesduringstartupby editingoneofthefollowingfiles:
!
/etc/vmware/hwconfigAutomaticallysupplyextraparameterstoadriver whenitisloadedduringbootup. /etc/vmware/vmkmodule.confSupplyextraparameterstoadriver,addor preventadrivermodulefromloading,ordeterminetheorderinwhichthedriver modulesareloadedduringbootup.
CAUTION Editingthesefilesisrecommendedforadvancedusersonly.Ifyouhaveany questions,contactyourauthorizedserviceproviderbeforeeditingthese files.
Customizing Parameters of VMkernel Device Driver Modules on Startup

Youcansupplyextraparameterstobepassedtoadriverwhenitisloadedduring bootup.Youdothisbyeditingthefile/etc/vmware/hwconfig.Thisfilecontains informationaboutthehardwareonyoursystem,includingdevicedrivermodules.
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CAUTION Donotmodify/etc/vmware/hwconfigexcepttoaddparameters,as describedinthissection.UsetheVMwareManagementInterfacetomanage yourhardware. AsanexampleofpassingaparametertotheEmulexdevicedriver,identifythebus, slot,andfunctionholdingthefirst(oronly)Emulexcard.(Findthisinformationinthe StartupProfilepaneoftheOptionstab.)Addalinewiththeformat: device.vmnix.6.14.0.options = "lpfc_delay_rsp_err=0" totheendof/etc/vmware/hwconfig.Thenumbers6.14.0specifythebus,slot,and functionwheretheEmulexcardislocated.IfyouhavemorethanoneEmulexcard,you shouldhaveonlyalinereferencingthefirstcard.
Customizing Loading of VMkernel Device Driver Modules on Startup

Youcancustomizetheloadingofmodulesatstartupbyeditingthe /etc/vmware/vmkmodule.conffile.Byaddingorremovingentriesfromthisfile,you canaddorpreventadevicedrivermodulefromloading.Also,byrearrangingtheorder ofthedevicedrivermodulesinthisfile,youcanspecifytheorderinwhichthese modulesareloadedduringstartup.Youcanalsosupplyextraparameterstoadriver whenitisloadedonstartup. NOTE Ifyouusethisfiletocustomizetheloadingofdevicedrivermodules,youmust manuallyupdatethisfilewheneveryouaddnewhardware.VMwarerecommends usingtheVMwareManagementInterfacetomanageyourhardware,orifyouneedto addparameters,editingthehwconfigfileasdescribedintheprevioussection. Thevmkmodule.conffiletakeseffectonlyifitcontainsacommentlinecontainingthe keywordMANUAL-CONFIG.Otherwise,theconfigurationisobtainedautomaticallyfrom themanagementinterface. Eachnonblanklinethatdoesnotbeginwith#shouldcontainthenameofamodule file,thetagtobeassociatedwiththemoduleintheVMkernelandpossiblyasharing specification(theargumentspecifiedwiththe-dflagabove).Themodulefileshould justbethebasefilename,withoutthe /usr/lib/vmware/...path. Asamplevmkmodule.conffileis:
# MANUAL-CONFIG vmklinux.o linux nfshaper.o nfshaper e100.o vmnic aic7xxx.o vmhba -d 0:1
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Storage and File Systems
ThischaptercontainsinformationaboutSCSIdisks,accessedbylocalSCSIadapters,or onaStorageAreaNetwork(SAN)byFibreChanneladapters.Instructionsgivenfor usingSCSIadaptersapplytobothlocalandFibreChanneladapters. ForadditionalinformationaboutconfiguringSANs,seetheVMwareSANConfiguration Guideatwww.vmware.com/support/pubs/esx_pubs.html. Thischapterprovidesthefollowinginformation:

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
FileSystemManagementonSCSIDisksandRAIDonpage 245 Usingvmkfstoolsonpage 249 AccessingRawSCSIDisksonpage 261 DeterminingSCSITargetIDsonpage 263 SharingtheSCSIBusonpage 264 UsingStorageAreaNetworkswithESXServeronpage 266 UsingPersistentBindingsonpage 270 UsingMultipathinginESXServeronpage 272
File System Management on SCSI Disks and RAID

VMFS(VMwareESXServerFileSystem)isasimple,highperformancefilesystemon physicalSCSIdisksandpartitions,usedforstoringlargefilessuchasthevirtualdisk imagesforESXServervirtualmachinesand,bydefault,thememoryimagesof suspendedvirtualmachines.TheVMFSalsostorestheredologfilesforvirtual
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machinesinnonpersistent,undoable,orappenddiskmodes.Forinformationondisk modes,seeCreatingaNewVirtualMachineonpage 39. ESXServer2.5supportstwotypesoffilesystems:VMFSversion1(VMFS1)orVMFS version2(VMFS2).VMFS1isthesameVMFSshippedwith1.xversionsofESXServer. TheVMFS2filesystemcontainsthefollowingfeaturesthatarenotavailablewith VMFS1:

! !
AbilitytospanmultipleVMFS2partitionsonthesameordifferentSCSIdisks. AbilityformultipleESXServers(andthevirtualmachinesontheseservers)to accessfilesonaVMFS2volumeconcurrently(nonclusteringsetup). VMwareESXServer2.5includesanautomaticperfilelockingmechanismthat allowstheseconcurrentaccesseswithoutfilesystemcorruption.
! !
LargerfilesystemvolumesandlargerfilesontheVMFSvolumes. RawdiskscanbemappedasVMFSfiles.
NOTE
UnlikeVMFS1,VMFS2isnotbackwardlycompatiblewithpreviouslyreleased(1.x) versionsofESXServer. AserversVMFSvolumesaremountedautomaticallybytheserviceconsole,assoonas thestorageadapterdriversareloaded,andappearinthe/vmfsdirectory. Thevmkfstoolscommandprovidesadditionalfunctionsthatareusefultocreatefiles ofaparticularsizeandtoimportfilesfromandexportfilestotheserviceconsolesfile system.Inaddition,vmkfstoolsisdesignedtoworkwithlargefiles,overcomingthe 2GBlimitofsomestandardfileutilities.
Viewing and Manipulating Files in the /vmfs Directory

Youcanviewandmanipulatefilesunder/vmfsinthesemountedVMFSvolumeswith filecommandssuchaslsandcp.MountedVMFSvolumesmightappearsimilarto otherfilesystemsuchasext3,butVMFSisprimarilyintendedtostorelargefilessuch asdiskimages.Theserviceconsole(whichisbasedonaLinux2.4kernel)doesnot supportfilesgreaterthan2GB. Useftp,scp,andcpforcopyingfilestoandfromaVMFSvolume,aslongasthehost filesystemsupportstheselargefiles.nfsisknowntorunintothislimitation,while ftp,scp,andcparenotaffectedbyit.
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Chapter 9 Storage and File Systems
NOTE
Ifyouusethelscommandinsideaftpsession,thefilesizemightbedifferentfromthe outputofthels-lcommandorvmkfstools-lcommand.Thisisbecauseftpuses 32bitvaluesforfilesizes,andthemaximumfilesizeitcandisplayis4GB.Youcan safelytransferanylargefilesbetweenESXServermachineswithaftpsession.
VMFS Volumes
InESXServer2.5,aVMFS2volumecanspanmultiplepartitions,acrossthesameor multiple(upto32)LUNsorphysicaldisks.AVMFS2volumeisalogicalgroupingof physicalextents.Eachphysicalextentispartofadisk,forexample,aphysicaldisk partition.Thatis,aphysicalextentisadiskpartitionthatispartofaVMFS2volume. Bycontrast,VMFS1volumesarelimitedtoasinglephysicalextent. YoucanviewtheVMFSvolumesonyourESXServeratanytimebychanging directoriestothe/vmfsdirectory,thenlistingitscontents.Youcanusevmkfstools -P <VMFS_volume_label>,toobtainmoredetailsaboutyourVMFSvolume.
# cd /vmfs # ls vmhba0:0:0:2 vmhba0:0:0:6
Theentriesinthe/vmfsdirectoryareupdateddynamically.Anychangesyoumaketo VMFS2volumesthroughtheVMwareManagementInterfaceareimmediately reflectedinthisdirectory. Formoredetailsonvmkfstools,seeUsingvmkfstoolsonpage 249.
Labelling VMFS Volumes

IfyoucreateaVMFSvolumeonaSCSIdiskorpartition,givealabeltothatvolumeand usethatlabelwhenspecifyingVMFSfilesonthatvolume.Forexample,supposeyou haveaVMFSvolumeontheSCSIpartitionvmhba0:3:0:1andhavecreatedaVMFS filent4.vmdk.Youcanlabelthatvolumeusingavmkfstoolscommandsuchas: vmkfstools -S mydisk vmhba0:3:0:1 Youcanthenrefertothent4.vmdkfileasmydisk:nt4.vmdk(insteadof vmhba0:3:0:1:nt4.vmdk)inavirtualmachineconfigurationfileandinother vmkfstoolscommands.SeevmkfstoolsOptionsonpage 250. Ifthereisnopersistentbinding,labellingVMFSvolumesisusefulifyoumightadd SCSIadaptersordiskstoyoursystem.Theactualdiskandtargetnumbersspecifying aparticularVMFSmaychange,butthelabelstaysthesame.Also,otherESXServerssee thesamelabel,whichisusefulforLUNIDbetweenservers. Formoreinformation,seeUsingPersistentBindingsonpage 270.
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VMFS Accessibility
TherearetwomodesforaccessingVMFSvolumes:publicandshared.
!
publicThedefaultmodeforESXServer. WithapublicVMFSversion1(VMFS1)volume,multipleESXServercomputers canaccesstheVMwareESXServerfilesystem,aslongastheVMFSvolumeison asharedstoragesystem(forexample,aVMFSonastorageareanetwork).Only oneESXServercanaccesstheVMFSvolumeatatime. WithapublicVMFSversion2(VMFS2)volumes,multipleESXServercomputers canaccesstheVMwareESXServerfilesystemconcurrently.VMwareESXServer filesystemswithapublicmodehaveautomaticlockingtoensurefilesystem consistency.
sharedUsedforaVMFSvolumethatisusedforfailoverbasedclusteringamong virtualmachinesonthesameordifferentESXServers. FormoreinformationonclusteringwithESXServer,seeConfigurationfor Clusteringonpage 279.
NOTE
InESXServer2andlater,privateVMFSvolumesaredeprecated.Ifyouhaveexisting VMFSversion1(VMFS1)orVMFSversion2(VMFS2)privatevolumes,youcan continuetousethem,butVMwarerecommendsthatyouchangetheaccessmodeto public.Thereisnoperformancepenaltyinmakingthischange.
VMFS Accessibility on a SAN

AnyVMFSvolumeonadiskthatisonaSANshouldhaveVMFSaccessibilitysetto publicorshared.Public,thedefaultandrecommendedaccessibilitymode,makesthe VMFSvolumeavailabletomultiplephysicalservers,andtothevirtualmachineson thoseservers.WithVMFS2volumes,publicaccessisconcurrenttomultiplephysical servers,whereasforVMFS1volumes,publicaccessislimitedtoasingleserverata time.SeeUsingStorageAreaNetworkswithESXServeronpage 266.
Changing Storage Configuration Options

To create or modify disk partitions through the VMware Management Interface 1 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceasroot. TheStatusMonitorappears. 2 3 ClicktheOptionstab. ClickStorageConfiguration.
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4 NOTE
Maketheappropriatechanges,andclickOK.
YoucannotchangeVMFSaccessibilityifanyfilesareopenontheVMFSvolume.The attemptedoperationreturnserrors.Closeanyopenfiles,andedittheVMFSvolume. SeeConfiguringStorage:DiskPartitionsandFileSystemsonpage 196foradditional information.
Using vmkfstools
ThevmkfstoolscommandsupportsthecreationofaVMwareESXServerfilesystem (VMFS)onaSCSIdisk.Usevmkfstoolstocreate,manipulateandmanagefilesstored inVMFSvolumes.YoucanstoremultiplevirtualdiskimagesonasingleVMFSvolume. YoucanalsoperformmostofthevmkfstoolsoperationsthroughtheVMware ManagementInterface.
vmkfstools Command Syntax

Youmustbeloggedinastherootusertorunthevmkfstoolscommand.
vmkfstools Syntax When Specifying a SCSI Device

Theformatforthevmkfstoolscommand,whenspecifyingaSCSIdevice,is: vmkfstools <options> <device_or_VMFS_volume>[:<file>] where<device_or_VMFS_volume> specifiesaSCSIdevice(aSCSIdiskorapartition onaSCSIdisk)beingmanipulatedoraVMFSvolume,and<options>specifiesthe operationtobeperformed. If<device_or_VMFS_volume>isaSCSIdevice,itisspecifiedinaformsuchas: vmhba1:2:0:3 Here,vmhba1specifiesthesecondSCSIadapteractivatedbythecommand vmkload_mod .../XXX.o vmhba.(SeeVMkernelModuleLoaderonpage 240for detailsonvmkload_mod.)Thesecondnumberspecifiesthetargetontheadapter,the thirdnumberspecifiestheLUN(logicalunitnumber)andthefourthnumberspecifies thepartition.Partition0(zero)impliesthewholedisk.Otherwise,thenumberspecifies theindicatedpartition. <device_or_VMFS_volume>canalsobeaVMFSvolumelabel,assetinthe managementinterfaceorwiththevmkfstools --setfsnamecommand. <file>isthenameofafilestoredinthefilesystemonthespecifieddevice.
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vmkfstools Syntax When Specifying a VMFS Volume or File

Theformatforthevmkfstoolscommand,whenspecifyingaVMFSvolumeorfile,is: vmkfstools <options> <path> where<path>isanabsolutepaththatnamesadirectoryorafileunderthe/vmfs directory. Forexample,youcanspecifyaVMFSvolumebyapathsuchas: /vmfs/vmhba1:2:0:3 YoucanalsospecifyasingleVMFSfile: /vmfs/lun1/rh9.vmdk
vmkfstools Options
Thissectionincludesalistofalltheoptionsusedwiththevmkfstoolscommand. Someofthetasksinthissectionincludeoptionsthataresuggestedforadvancedusers only.TheseadvancedoptionsarenotavailablethroughtheVMwareManagement Interface. NOTE Thelongandshort(singleletter)formsofoptionsareequivalent.Forexample,the followingcommandsareidentical: vmkfstools --createfs vmfs2 --blocksize 2m --numfiles 32 vmhba1:3:0:1 vmkfstools -C vmfs2 -b 2m -n 32 vmhba1:3:0:1 Ifthevmkfstoolscommandfails,andyoudontknowwhy,checkthelogfilesin /var/log/vmkernelorusethemanagementinterfacetoviewthelatestwarning. To view the system log warnings 1 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceasroot. TheStatusMonitorappears. 2 3 ClicktheOptionstab. ClickSystemLogs.
Basic vmkfstools Options

Basicoptionsarecommontasksthatyouperformfrequently.Youcanalsoperform thesetasksthroughthemanagementinterface.
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Create a VMFS on the specified SCSI device

-C --createfs [vmfs1|vmfs2] -b --blocksize #[gGmMkK] -n --numfiles # ThiscommandcreatesaVMFSversion1(vmfs1)orversion2(vmfs2)filesystemonthe specifiedSCSIdevice. NOTE WhencreatingaVMFSvolumeonaLUN,youcanhaveonlyoneVMFSvolumeper LUN. Foradvancedusers:
!
Specifytheblocksizeusingthe-boption.Theblocksizemustbe2x(apowerof2) andatleast1MB.(Thedefaultfileblocksizeis1MB.)Youcanspecifythesizein kilobytes,megabytes,orgigabytesbyaddingasuffixofk(kilobytes),m (megabytes),g(gigabytes)respectively. Specifythemaximumnumberoffilesinthefilesystemwiththe-noption.The defaultmaximumnumberoffilesis256files.
List the attributes of a VMFS volume or a raw disk mapping

-P --querypartitions <VMFS_volume_name> -P --querypartitions <VMFS_volume:fileName> ForaVMFS_volume_name,thelistedattributesincludetheVMFSversionnumber (VMFS1orVMFS2),thenumberofphysicalextents(partitions)comprisingthe specifiedVMFSvolume,thevolumelabel(ifany),theUUID(ifany),andalistingofthe SCSIdevicenamesofallthephysicalextentscomprisingtheVMFSvolume. ForaVMFS_volume:fileName,thelistedattributesincludethevmhbanameoftheraw diskorpartition,correspondingtothemappingreferencedbyfileName,andany identificationinformationfortherawdisk.
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Create a file with the specified size on the file system of the specified SCSI device
-c --createfile #[gGmMkK] Thesizeisspecifiedinbytesbydefault,butyoucanspecifythesizeinkilobytes, megabytes,orgigabytesbyaddingasuffixofk(kilobytes),m(megabytes),g (gigabytes)respectively.
Export the contents of the specified file on the specified SCSI device to a virtual disk on the file system of the service console
-e --exportfile <dstFile> Aftertheexport,youmaytransferthevirtualdisktoanotherservermachineand importittoaSCSIdeviceontheremotemachine. Ifyourvirtualdiskhasredologs,youhavethefollowingoptions:
!
Tousetheexportfileoptiononthebasevirtualdisk,onlythebasevirtualdisk isexported.Anyuncommittedredologsarenotexported,butcanbecopied separately. TousetheexportfileoptiononaESXServerredolog,theexportedvirtualdisk containstheredolog,anypreviouslycreatedredologs,andthebasevirtualdisk. Thatis,thenewlycreatedexportedvirtualdiskappearsasiftheredolog(s)was committedtoitsbasevirtualdisk. Youroriginalsourceredolog(s)andbasevirtualdiskremainunchanged.
Toexportyourredologsandbasevirtualdiskseparately,usetheexportfile optiontoexportthebasevirtualdisk,andthecpcommandtoexporteachredolog separately.
UsethecombinationofexportfileandimportfiletogethertocopyVMFSfilesto remotemachines.ThevirtualdiskshouldtakelessspacethanthefullsizeoftheVMFS file,becausethevirtualdiskdoesnotincludezeroedsectorsoftheVMFSfile.
Import the contents of a VMware virtual, plain, or raw disk on the service console to the specified file on the specified SCSI device
-i --importfile <srcFile> ThiscommandisoftenusedtoimportthecontentsofaVMwareWorkstationor VMwareGSXServervirtualdiskontoaSCSIdevice.Runthiscommandtoimporta virtualdiskthatwascreatedbyexportingthecontentsofadiskfromanotherSCSI device.
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Thedestinationdevicemusthavespacefortheentiresizeofthevirtualdisk,evenifit ismostlyfreespace,asthecompletecontentsofthesourcediskarecopied. CAUTION Thevmkfstoolscommandmayfailwhenattemptingtoimportplaindisks createdwithversion2.5orearlierofGSXServer.Ifvmkfstoolsreturnsan errorwhenimportingaplaindisk,seePathNameFailuresWhen ImportingGSXServerVirtualMachinesonpage 66.
List the files on the file system on the specified device

-l --list -h --human-readable Mverbosemappings Theoutputincludespermissions,sizesandthelastmodificationtimeforredologs, virtualdiskfiles,andswapfiles.Usethe-hoptiontoprintthesizesinaneasiertoread format;forexample,5KB12.1MB,andsoon. The-Moptionliststhevmhbanamethatcorrespondstoeachrawdiskmapping.
Set the name of the VMFS on the specified SCSI device

-S --setfsname <fsName> YoucanseetheVMFSnamebyrunningthevmkfstoolscommandwiththe-loption, vmkfstools -l.
Advanced vmkfstools Options

Advancedoptionsaretasksthatyoucanperforminfrequently.Thesetasksarenot availablethroughthemanagementinterface,orareavailableinalimitedform,andare suggestedforadvancedusersonly.
Commit the redo log of the specified file, making the associated changes permanent
-m --commit Ifavirtualmachineisinundoableorappendmode,theredologiscreated automatically.Thenameoftheredologisderivedbyappending.REDOtothenameof thefilethatcontainsthebasediskimage.Youcancommitthechangestothediskthat arestoredintheredologusingthecommitoptionoreliminatethechangesusingthe rmcommandtodeletetheredologfile.
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Set the VMFS on the specified SCSI device to the specified mode
-F --config [public|shared|writable] NOTE InESXServer2andlater,privateVMFSvolumesaredeprecated.Ifyouhaveexisting VMFSversion1(VMFS1)orVMFSversion2(VMFS2)privatevolumes,changethe accesstopublic. Public WithpublicVMFS2volumes,multipleESXServercomputerscanaccessthe sameVMwareESXServerVMFSvolumeconcurrently.VMwareESXServerfile systemswithapublicaccessmodeuseanautomaticperfilelockingtoensurefile systemconsistency. WithapublicVMFS1volume,multipleESXServercomputerscanaccesstheVMware ESXServerVMFSvolume,aslongastheVMFSvolumeisonasharedstoragesystem (forexample,aVMFSonastorageareanetwork).OnlyoneESXServercanaccessthe VMFS1volumeatatime. NOTE ESXServercreatesVMFSvolumesaspublicbydefault. Shared Thesharedaccessmodeallowsvirtualmachinesonmultipleserverstoaccess thesamevirtualdiskonaVMFS2volumesimultaneously.(Inpublicmode,virtual machinescanaccessonlythesameVMFSvolume,neverthesamevirtualdisk,atthe sametime.) NOTE AVMFSvolumethatisusedforfailoverbasedclusteringshouldhaveitsmodesetto shared. Writable WhenvirtualmachinesaccessafileonasharedVMFS,thefilesystem metadatabecomesreadonly.Thatis,novirtualmachineorusercommandcancreate, delete,orchangetheattributesofafile. Tocreate,remove,orchangethelengthofafile(vmkfstools-X),changethevolume towritable.MakesurethatnovirtualmachinesareaccessingtheVMFSvolume(all virtualmachinesarepoweredofforsuspended),andchangethefilesystemmetadata towritablewiththecommand,vmkfstools --config writable.Afteryoupoweron orresumeavirtualmachine,thefilesystemmetadatarevertstobeingreadonly.
Extend an existing logical VMFS-2 volume by spanning multiple partitions

-Z --extendfs <extension-SCSIDevice> -n --numfiles #
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Thisoptionaddsanotherphysicalextent(designatedby<extension-SCSIDevice>), startingatthespecifiedSCSIdevice.Byrunningthisoption,youlosealldataon <extension-SCSIDevice>. NOTE AlogicalVMFS2volumecanhaveatmost32physicalextents. ThisoperationisnotsupportedontheVMFS1filesystemandinfact,returnsanerror ifthespecifiedSCSIdeviceisformattedasVMFS1.Eachtimeyouusethisoptionand extendaVMFS2volumewithaphysicalextent,theVMFSvolumesupports,by default,anadditional64files.Youcanchangethisdefaultnumberoffilesbyusingthe -noption.
Map a Raw Disk or Partition to a File on a VMFS-2 Volume

-r --maprawdisk <raw-SCSI-device> Afterthismappingisestablished,youcanaccesstherawdisklikeanormalVMFSfile. Thefilelengthofthemappingisthesameasthesizeoftherawdiskorpartition.The mappingcanbequeriedfortherawSCSIdevicenamebyusingthe-Poption. Bymappingarawdiskorpartitiontoafile,youcanmanipulatethisrawdiskor partitionasanyotherfile. AllVMFS2filelockingmechanismsapplytorawdisks.
Display Disk Geometry for a VMware Workstation or GSX Server Virtual Disk
-g -- geometry <virtual-disk> Theoutputisintheform:Geometry information C/H/S is 1023/128/32,whereC representsthenumberofcylinders,Hrepresentsthenumberofheads,andSrepresents thenumberofsectors. WhenimportingVMwareWorkstationorVMwareGSXvirtualdiskstoVMwareESX Server,youmayseeadiskgeometrymismatcherrormessage.Adiskgeometry mismatchmayalsobethecauseifyouhaveproblemsloadingaguestoperatingsystem, orrunninganewlycreatedvirtualmachine. ViewtheeventslogthroughtheVMwareManagementInterface(UsersandEvents pageforthevirtualmachine)orthroughtheserviceconsole(thevmware.logfile, found,bydefault,inthe<user>/vmware/<guest_operating_system>directory). LookforC/H/Sandcomparethiswiththeoutputofthevmkfstools-gcommand. Ifthediskgeometryinformationisdifferent,thenspecifythecorrectinformation,from theoutputofthevmkfstools-gcommand,intheconfigurationfileofthenewly createdvirtualmachine.
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SeeMigratingVMwareWorkstationandVMwareGSXServerVirtualMachineson page 63fordetailsonspecifyingthediskgeometryinavirtualmachinesconfiguration file.
Extend the specified VMFS to the specified length

-X --extendfile #[gGmMkK] Usethiscommandtoextendthesizeofadiskallocatedtoavirtualmachine,afterthe virtualmachinehasbeencreated.Thevirtualmachinethatusesthisdiskfilemustbe poweredoffwhenyouenterthiscommand.Also,theguestoperatingsystemmustbe abletorecognizeandusethenewsizeofthedisk,forexample,byupdatingthefile systemonthedisktotakeadvantageoftheextraspace. Specifythesizeinkilobytes,megabytes,orgigabytesbyaddingasuffixofk(kilobytes), m(megabytes),g(gigabytes)respectively.
Manage SCSI reservations of physical targets or LUNs

Llock[reserve|release|reset] CAUTION Thereserve,release,andresetcommandscaninterrupttheoperations ofotherserversonastorageareanetwork(SAN),sousethesecommands withgreatcaution. The-Lreservecommandreservesthespecifiedrawdisk,orthediskcontainingthe specifiedVMFSvolume.Afterthereservation,otherserverswillgetaSCSIreservation erroriftheyattempttoaccessthatdisk,buttheserverthatdidthereservationwillbe abletoaccessthedisknormally. The-Lreleasecommandreleasesthereservationonthespecifieddisk,ordisk containingthespecifiedVMFSvolume.Anyotherservercanaccessthediskagain. The-LresetcommanddoesaSCSIresettothespecifieddisk.Anyreservationheld byanotherserverisreleased.
Recovers a VMFS
-R --recover ThiscommandenablesyoutorecoveraVMFS(accessiblebymultipleESXservers) whenothervmkfstoolscommandsindicatethatthefilesystemislockedbyanother ESXServermachine,but,infact,nootherserveriscurrentlyaccessingthisfilesystem. ThissituationmayoccuriftheVMFSwasbeingaccessedbyaserver(forexample, runningavirtualmachine)andthatservercrashed.
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UsethiscommandifyouarecertainthatnootherESXServerisaccessingthefile system.
Scans the specified vmhba adapter for devices and LUNs

sscan<FC_SCSI_adapter> NOTE VMwarerecommendsthatyouusethecos-rescan.shcommandratherthanthis optiontovmkfstools. Thisoptionisusefulforadaptersconnectedtostorageareanetworks,particularlyif youarereconfiguringyourSAN.IfanewdeviceorLUNbecomesaccessiblethrough theadapter,ESXServerregistersthisnewvirtualdeviceforusebyvirtualmachines.If anexistingdeviceorLUNisnolongerusedandappearstobegone,itisremovedfrom usebyvirtualmachines. NOTE Usethe-soptiononlyforFibreChanneladapters. Youcanseetheresultsofthescanbyusingls/vmfsorlookingatthecontentsof /proc/vmware/scsi.
Create or Resize a Swap File in a VMFS Volume of the specified SCSI device
-k --createswapfile #[gGmMkK] Thesizeisspecifiedinbytesbydefault,butyoucanspecifythesizeinkilobytes, megabytes,orgigabytesbyaddingasuffixofk(kilobytes),m(megabytes),org (gigabytes),respectively. NOTE YoumustbeloggedintotheServiceConsolewithrootuserpermissionstocreatea swapfile. Youcanresizeanexistingswapfilebyspecifyingthenewfilesizeasanargumentto the-koption. To resize the swap file 1 2 3 Deactivatetheswapfile,ifitisactive,with vmktools -y. Resizetheswapfilewiththe-k option. Activatetheswapfilewith vmktools -wfilename.
Ifyoutrytoresizeanactiveswapfile,ESXServerreturnsanerrormessage.
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ESXServerdoesnotactivateaswapfileafteritiscreated.Usevmkfstoolswiththe-w optiontoactivateaswapfile.Youcansetaswapfiletobeactivatedautomaticallyafter asystemrebootwiththeActivationPolicyoptionoftheSwapManagementpanein theOptionstaboftheManagementInterface.
Activate a Swap File

-w --activateswapfile Thiscommandactivatesthespecifiedswapfile. NOTE YoumustbeloggedintotheServiceConsolewithrootuserpermissionstoactivatea swapfile.
Deactivate a Swap File

-y --deactivateswapfile <fileID> ESXServerassignsafileIDtagtoaswapfilewhenitisactivated.Youmustidentifya swapfilebyitsfileIDtagwhenspecifyingwhichswapfiletodeactivatewiththe-y option. NOTE YoumustbeloggedintotheServiceConsolewithrootuserpermissionstoactivatea swapfile. YoucanfindthefileIDtagassignedtoaswapfileintheswapstatusfile, /proc/vmware/swap/stats. NOTE Youmustshutdownallvirtualmachinesbeforedeactivatingaswapfile.Enteringa vmkfstools -ycommandreturnsanerrormessageifanyvirtualmachinesare poweredon.
Migrate a VMFS from VMFS-1 to VMFS-2

-T --tovmfs2 ThiscommandconvertstheVMFSvolumeonthespecifiedpartitionsfromVMFS1to VMFS2,whilepreservingallfilesinthevolume.ESXServerslockingmechanism attemptstoensurethatnoremoteESXServerorlocalprocessisaccessingtheVMFS volumethatisbeingconverted. NOTE Ifyouhaveanactiveswappartition,deactivateitbeforerunningthiscommand. DeactivateswapthroughtheVMwareManagementInterfaceandrebootyourserver. Afterthisvmkfstools-Tcommandcompletes,youcanreactivateyourswapfile.
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Thisconversionmaytakeseveralminutes.Whenyourpromptreturns,theconversion iscomplete. NOTE InESXServer2.5,privateVMFSvolumesaredeprecated.IfyouhaveanexistingVMFS version1(VMFS1)privatevolume,thenewlycreatedVMFS2volumesaccessmodeis changedtopublic. Beforestartingthisconversion,checkthefollowing:

! ! ! !
BackuptheVMFS1volumethatisbeingconverted. MakesurenovirtualmachinesarepoweredonusingthisVMFS1volume. (SANonly)MakesurenootherESXServerisaccessingthisVMFS1volume. (SANonly)MakesurethisVMFS1volumeisnotmountedonanyotherESX Server. TheVMFS1toVMFS2conversionisaonewayprocess.AftertheVMFS volumeisconvertedtoVMFS2,youcannotreverttoaVMFS1volume.
Caution
NOTE
ThefirsttimeyouaccessanewlyconvertedVMFS2volume,theaccesswillbeslow becauseofinternalvolumeconsistencychecking.
Examples Using vmkfstools

Thissectionincludesexamplesusingthevmkfstoolscommandwiththedifferent optionsdescribedpreviously.
Create a new file system

vmkfstools -C vmfs2 -b 2m -n 32 vmhba1:3:0:1 ThisexampleillustratescreatinganewVMFSversion2(vmfs2)onthefirstpartitionof target3,LUN0ofSCSIadapter1.Thefileblocksizeis2MBandthemaximumnumber offilesis32.
Extends the new logical volume by spanning two partitions

vmkfstools -Z vmhba0:1:2:4 vmhba1:3:0:1 Thisexampleillustratesextendingthenewlogicalfilesystembyaddingthe4th partitionoftarget1(andLUN2)ofvmhbaadapter0.Theextendedfilesystemsupports amaximumof64(2X32)files,andspanstwopartitionsvmhba1:3:0:1and vmhba0:1:2:4.
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Youcanaddressthefilesystembyusingthenameofitsheadpartition,forexample, vmhba1:3:0:1.
Names a VMFS volume

vmkfstools -S mydisk vmhba1:3:0:1 Thisexampleillustratesassigningthenameofmydisktothenewfilesystem.
Creates a new VMFS virtual disk file

vmkfstools -c 2000m mydisk:rh6.2.vmdk Thisexampleillustratescreatinga2GBVMFSfilewiththenameofrh6.2.vmdkonthe VMFSvolumenamedmydisk.Therh6.2.vmdkfilerepresentsanemptydiskthatcan beaccessedbyavirtualmachine.
Imports the contents of a virtual disk to the specified file on a SCSI device
vmkfstools -i ~/vms/nt4.vmdk vmhba0:2:0:0:nt4.vmdk Theexampleillustratesimportingthecontentsofavirtualdisk(whichcontains WindowsNT4.0)fromtheserviceconsolesfilesystemtoafilenamednt4.vmdkon target2ofSCSIadapter0. Configureavirtualmachinetousethisvirtualdiskbyaddingthefollowinglinestoits configurationfile:
scsi0.virtualDev = vmxbuslogic scsi0:0.present = TRUE scsi0:0.name = vmhba0:2:0:0:nt4.vmdk
Migrate virtual machines to VMware GSX Server or VMware Workstation, then back to VMware ESX Server
ThisexampleillustratesmigratingavirtualmachinesvirtualdiskfilefromESXServer toVMwareGSXServerorVMwareWorkstation,andmigratingthevirtualdiskbackto ESXServer.
vmkfstools -e winXP.vmdk vmhba0:6:0:1:winXP.vmdk
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Theexamples,illustratingthe-eand-ioptions,resultintheexportorimportofa virtualdisk. ThecommandexportsthewinXP.vmdkvirtualdiskfiletooneormore.vmdkfiles, maximumsize2GB,thatyoucanuseasavirtualdiskinavirtualmachineonGSX ServerorWorkstation.TheresultantwinXP.vmdkfile(s)canresideonaVMFSvolume, oran/ext2,/ext3,orNFSfilesystem.
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ThefollowingexampleimportsaGSXServerorWorkstationvirtualdiskfileintothe VMFSvolumeonthespecifiedSCSIdevice:
vmkfstools -i winXP.vmdk vmhba0:6:0:1:winXP.vmdk
Bycontrast,ifyouareimportingdirectlyintoarawpartition,theexamplebecomes:
vmkfstools -i winXP.vmdk vmhba0:6:0:1
Lists the files on the VMFS of the specified device

vmkfstools -l vmhba0:2:0:0 Thiscommandillustrateslistingthecontentsofthefilesystem,includingredologs, virtualdiskfiles,andswapfilesontarget2ofSCSIadapter0.
Accessing Raw SCSI Disks

Youcanaccessrawdisksdirectlyorusethevmkfstools -rcommandtomapthemto filesonVMFS2volumes.Afterthismappingisestablished,youaccesstherawdiskor partitionlikeanormalfile.Forinformationaboutthismapping,seeUsing vmkfstoolsonpage 249,inparticular,thevmkfstools -roption. NOTE SeealsotheVMwaretechnicalnoteESXServerRawDeviceMapping,availableat www.vmware.com/support/resources/esx_resources.html.
Using a Physical Disk in a Virtual Machine

ForthevirtualmachinetoaccessaphysicaldiskorLUN,youmustaddthedisktothe virtualmachine.Thisexampleassumesthatthevirtualmachinesfirstdiskisavirtual diskandyouareaddingthephysicaldiskastheseconddisk. Ifyouwantthevirtualmachinesfirstdisktobeaphysicaldisk,seeCreatingaNew VirtualMachineonpage 39andselectSystemLUN/Diskforyourvirtualdisk. To configure the virtual machine to use a physical disk 1 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceastheuserwhoownsthevirtual machineorastherootuser. TheStatusMonitorappears. 2 Clickthearrowtotherightoftheterminalicon( )forthevirtualmachineyou wanttochangeandchooseConfigureHardware.
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TheHardwaretabforthisvirtualmachineappears.
ClickAddDevicetostarttheAddDevicewizard.
ClickHardDisk. TheVirtualDiskTypepageappears.
ClickSystemLUN/Disktoallowthevirtualmachinetoaccessaphysicaldisk storedonaLUN.
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Specifythefollowing: a b c d e SelectUseMetadatatoenableaccesstothedisksmetadatafileinformation. ChoosetheMetadataFileLocation. EnteranameintheMetadataFileNamefield. SelecttheappropriateSCSIIDintheVirtualSCSINodelist. ChoosetheCompatibilityoftheguestoperatingsystem: PhysicalGivestheguestoperatingsystemdirectdiskaccess. VirtualAllowsyoutochooseadiskmodefortheguestoperatingsystem.
ClickOKtoaddthedisk.
Determining SCSI Target IDs

ToassignSCSIdiskstoavirtualmachine,youneedtoknowwhichcontrollerthedrive isonandwhattheSCSItargetIDofthecontrolleris.Thissectionhelpsyoudetermine thesevalueswithoutphysicallylookingattheSCSItargetIDsettingsonthedrives. SCSIdiskscanbeaccessedbylocalSCSIadaptersoronaSANbyFibreChannel adapters.DescriptionsofSCSIadaptersinthissection,alsoapplytoFibreChannel adapters,althoughtheyarenotexplicitlymentioned. OnastandardLinuxsystem,orforaVMwareserviceconsolethathasSCSIorFibre Channel(FC)controllersassignedtotheserviceconsoleratherthantheVMkernel, informationonattachedSCSIdevices,includingSCSItargetIDsisavailableintheboot log(usually/var/log/messages),orfromexamining/proc/scsi/scsi. InformationabouttheSCSIcontrollersassignedtotheVMkernelandaboutthedevices attachedtothesecontrollersisavailableinthe/proc/vmware/scsidirectorywhenthe VMkernelandtheVMkerneldevicemodule(s)fortheSCSIcontroller(s)havebeen loaded. Eachentryinthe/proc/vmware/scsidirectorycorrespondstoaSCSIcontroller assignedtotheVMkernel.Forexample,assumeyouissuedavmkload_modcommand withthebasenamevmhbaandasingleSCSIcontrollerwasfound. Toidentifythecontroller,typethiscommand: ls -l /proc/vmware/scsi Theoutputofthelscommandis:
total 0 dr-xr-xr-x 2 root root 0 Jun 22 12:44 vmhba0
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EachSCSIcontrollerssubdirectorycontainsentriesfortheSCSIdevicesonthat controller,numberedbySCSItargetIDandLUN(logicalunitnumber).Runcaton eachtargetID:LUNpairtogetinformationaboutthedevicewiththattargetIDand LUN.Forexample,typethiscommand: cat /proc/vmware/scsi/vmhba0/1:0 Thefollowinginformationisdisplayed:

Vendor: SEAGATE Model: ST39103LW Rev: 0002 Type: Direct-Access ANSI SCSI revision: 02 Size: 8683 Mbytes Queue Depth: 28 Partition Info: Block size: 512 Num Blocks: 17783240 num: Start Size Type 4: 1 17526914 fb Partition 0: VM 11 Commands 2 Kbytes read 0 Kbytes written 0 Commands aborted 0 Bus resets 0 Partition 4: Commands 336 Kbytes read 857 Kbytes written 488 Commands aborted 0 Bus resets 0
ThisinformationhelpsyoudeterminetheSCSItargetIDtouseinthestorage configurationpage,asdisplayedbytheVMwareManagementInterface.See ConfiguringStorage:DiskPartitionsandFileSystemsonpage 196.
Sharing the SCSI Bus

Normally,VMwareESXServerenforceslockinganddoesnotallowtwovirtual machinestoaccessthesamevirtualdisk(VMFSfile)atthesametime.Ifasecond virtualmachinetriestoaccessaVMFSfile,itgetsanerroranddoesnotpoweron. Itisoftenusefultohavemorethanonevirtualmachineshareadisktoprovidehigh availability.Thisconfigurationiscommonlyusedfordiskbasedfailover,inwhichone machinetakesoverrunninganapplicationwhentheprimarymachinefails.Thedata requiredfortheapplicationistypicallystoredonashareddisk,sothebackupmachine
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canimmediatelyaccessthenecessarydatawhenthefailoveroccurs.See ConfigurationforClusteringonpage 279forinformationonclusteringwithESX Server. Thebussharingsettingisusedtodeterminewhethervirtualmachinesareallowedto accessthesamevirtualdisksimultaneously.
Setting Bus Sharing Options

UsetheVMwareManagementInterfacetochangethebussharingsettingsforeach virtualmachinethatwillaccessthesamevirtualdisksimultaneously. Therearethreebussharingoptions:
! ! !
NoneDiskscannotbesharedbyothervirtualmachines. VirtualDiskscanbesharedbyvirtualmachinesonsameserver. PhysicalDiskscanbesharedbyvirtualmachinesonanyserver.
Toenablesharingofvirtualdisks,chooseVirtualorPhysical.Allvirtualdisksonthe specifiedvirtualbuswillbesharableandhavethespecifiedmode.
!
VirtualbussharingOnlyvirtualmachinesonthesamephysicalmachinewillbe abletosharedisks.Thissettingallowsforaclusterinaboxconfiguration,in whichallmembersofahighavailabilityclusterareonthesamephysicalmachine. Thissetupisusefulforprovidinghighavailabilitywhenthelikelyfailuresaredue tosoftwareoradministrativeerrors. PhysicalbussharingVirtualmachinesondifferentphysicalmachineswillbe abletosharedisks.Inthiscase,theVMFSholdingthevirtualdisksmustbeona physicallyshareddisk,soallofthephysicalmachinescanaccessit.Thissetupis usefulforprovidinghighavailabilitywhenthelikelyfailuresalsoinclude hardwareerrors.
Whenashareddiskisusedforhighavailability,thecurrentmachinerunningthe applicationandusingtheshareddataoftenreservesthediskusingaSCSIcommand. Also,ifthebussharingisPhysical,commandsthatreserve,resetorreleaseashared virtualdiskaretransmittedthroughtothephysicaldisk,soothermachinessharingthe diskcanproperlydetectwhenavirtualdiskhasbeenreservedorreset. Whenyouaresharingdisksamongvirtualmachinesacrossphysicalmachinesforhigh availabilitypurposes,itisoftenbesttoputonlyasingleVMFSwithasinglevirtualdisk oneachshareddisk,thatis,haveonlyonevirtualdiskperphysicaldisk.Insucha configuration,eachvirtualdiskcanbereservedandreleasedindependently.
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To change the bus sharing setting 1 2 3 4 Logintothemanagementinterfaceastheappropriateuserandbesurethevirtual machineyouwanttoconfigureispoweredoff. Pointtotheterminaliconforthevirtualmachineyouwanttoconfigureandclick ConfigureHardware. ClickEditnexttotheappropriateSCSIcontroller. Choosethebussharingsettingyouwantfromthedropdownlist,andclickOK.
Using Storage Area Networks with ESX Server

VMwareESXServercanbeusedeffectivelywithstorageareanetworks(SANs).ESX ServersupportsQlogicandEmulexhostbusadapters,whichallowanESXServer computertobeconnectedtoaSANandtoseethediskarraysontheSAN. TheSCSIconfigurationinformationcontainedinthissectionalsoappliestoFC adapters,butFCadaptersmayrequireadditionalconfigurationaswell. ForinformationonsupportedSANhardware,downloadtheVMwareESXServerSAN CompatibilityListfromtheVMwareWebsiteat http://www.vmware.com/support/resources/esx_resources.html.
Understanding Storage Arrays

Largestoragesystems(alsoknownasdiskarrays)combinenumerousdisksintoarrays foravailabilityandperformance.Typically,acollectionofdisksisgroupedintoa RedundantArrayofInexpensiveDisks(RAID)arraytoprotectthedatabyeliminating diskdrivesasapotentialsinglepointoffailure. DiskarrayscarvethestorageRAIDsetintologicalunits(LUNs)thatarepresentedto theserverinamannersimilartoanindependentsingledisk.Typically,LUNsarefew innumber,relativelylarge,andfixedinsize. YoucancreateLUNswiththestoragemanagementapplicationofyourdiskarray.
Installing ESX Server with Attached SANs

WithESXServer2.5,youcaninstallthesystemonaSANandbootfromtheSAN.This isdescribedintheVMwareSANConfigurationGuide,availableat http://;www.vmware.com/support/pubs/esx_pubs.html. IfyouarenotinstallingESXServersothatitcanbebootedfromaSAN,VMware recommendsthatFCadaptersarededicatedexclusivelytothevirtualmachines.Even
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thoughtheseFCadaptersarededicatedtovirtualmachines,theLUNsontheSANsare visibletosystemmanagementagentsontheserviceconsole.
Configuring VMFS Volumes on SANs

MakesurethatonlyoneESXServersystemhasaccesstotheSANwhileyouareusing theVMwareManagementInterfacetoconfiguretheSANandformattheVMFS2 volumes. NOTE YoucanhaveonlyoneVMFSvolumeperLUN. Afteryoufinishtheconfiguration,makesureallpartitionsonthephysicallyshared SANdiskaresetforpublicorsharedaccessforaccessbymultipleESXServersystems. SeeVMFSAccessibilityonpage 248. ForinformationonconfiguringSANs,scanningforLUNs,andsettingpersistent bindingsthroughtheVMwareManagementInterface,seeStorageManagementon page 196.
Scanning for Devices and LUNs

ESXServerscansfordevices,andLUNsonthesedevices,wheneveraFibreChannel driverisloaded.YoucanmanuallyinitiateascanthroughtheVMwareManagement Interfaceorbyusingthecos-rescan.shcommand. VMwarerecommendsusingcos-rescan.sh,becauseitiseasiertousewithcertainFC adaptersthanvmkfstools. Tousecos-rescan.sh,enterthecommandatashellprompt. YoumaywanttorescandevicesorLUNswheneveryouaddanewdiskarraytothe SANorcreatenewLUNsonadiskarray.YoumayalsowanttorescanLUNswhenyou changetheLUNmaskingonadiskarray. NOTE IfyouareusingmultipathingwithmultipleFCHBAs,runthiscommandonallofthe FCHBAs.If,afteryourrescan,youseenewLUNsandtheyhaveVMFSvolumes,you willseetheappropriatesubdirectorieswhenyouviewthecontentsofthe/vmfs directory.
Changing VMkernel Configuration Options for SANs

TouseallstoragedevicesonyourSAN,youmightneedtochangesomeVMkernel configurationoptions.
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To change VMkernel configuration options 1 LogintotheVMwareManagementInterfaceasroot. TheStatusMonitorappears. 2 3 4 5 ClicktheOptionstab. ClickAdvancedSettings. Tochangeanoption,clickthecurrentvalue. EnterthenewvalueinthedialogboxandclickOK. Forinformationonchangingthesesettings,seeAdvancedSettingsonpage 205.
Detecting All LUNs

Bydefault,theVMkernelscansforonlyLUN0toLUN7foreverytarget.Ifyouare usingLUNnumberslargerthan7youmustchangethesettingfortheDiskMaxLUN fieldfromthedefaultof8tothevaluethatyouneed.Forexample,ifyounowhaveLUN numbers0to15active,setthisoptionto16.Currently,anESXServermachinecansee amaximumof128LUNsoveralldiskarraysonaSAN. Bydefault,theVMkernelisconfiguredtosupportsparseLUNs,thatis,acasewhere someLUNsintherange0toN1arenotpresent,butLUNNispresent.Ifyoudonot needtousesuchaconfiguration,changetheDiskSupportSparseLUNfieldto0.This changedecreasesthetimeneededtoscanforLUNs. TheDiskMaskLUNsconfigurationoptionallowsthemaskingofspecificLUNson specificHBAs.MaskedLUNsarenottouchedoraccessiblebytheVMkernel,even duringinitialscanning.TheDiskMaskLUNsoptiontakesastringcomprisedofthe adaptername,targetIDandcommaseparatedrangelistofLUNstomask.Theformat isasfollows:
<adapter>:<target>:<comma_separated_LUN_range_list>;
Forexample,youwanttomaskLUNs4,12,and5465onvmhba1target5,andLUNs 312,15,and1719onvmhba3target2.Toaccomplishthis,settheDiskMaskLUNs optiontothefollowing:

"vmhba1:5:4,12,54-65;vmhba3:2:3-12,15,17-19;"
NOTE
LUN0cannotbemasked. TheDiskMaskLUNsoptionsubsumestheDiskMaxLUNoptionforadaptersthathave aLUNmask.Continuingtheprecedingexample,therearefouradapters,vmhba0, vmhba1,vmhba2,andvmhba3,andtheDiskMaxLUNoptionissetto8.
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Inthisexample,vmhba0andvmhba2onlyscanLUNs07,butvmhba1andvmhba3scan allLUNsthatarenotmasked,uptoLUN255,orthemaximumLUNsettingreported bytheadapter,whicheverisless. Foradministrativeorsecuritypurposes,useLUNmaskingtopreventtheserverfrom seeingLUNsthatitdoesntneedtoaccess.Refertoyourdocumentationondiskarrays formoreinformation.
Using IBM FAStT Disk Arrays

AnIBMFAStTdiskarraysometimesreturnsvendorspecificstatuscodesthatESX Serverinterpretsaserrors.Thesestatuscodesaretemporaryindicating,forexample, thatthefirmwarehasbeenupgradedorthatthebatteryforthediskcacheneedstobe charged.ESXServer,initsdefaultconfiguration,mightinterpretthesestatuscodesto meanthataLUNexistsbutisnotaccessible. AvoidthisproblembyusingaspecialESXServerconfigurationoption.Logintothe managementinterfaceastherootuser,clickAdvancedSettings,andclickVMkernel Configuration.FindtheoptionDiskRetryUnitAttentionandmakesureitisenabled (thedefault). Withthisoptionenabled,ESXServerretriesSCSIcommandswhenthese vendorspecificstatuscodesarereceived. UsingIBMFAStTdiskarrayswithESXServerrequiresadditionalconfiguration optionsthataredescribedinmoredetailintheVMwareKnowledgeBaseat http://kb.vmware.com/vmtnkb/supportcentral/supportcentral.do?id=m1.
Troubleshooting SAN Issues with ESX Server

YoucanviewLUNsthroughtheVMwareManagementInterfaceorviewtheoutputof ls /proc/vmware/scsi/<FC_SCSI_adapter>.Iftheoutputdiffersfromwhatyou expect,checkthefollowing:
!
DiskMaxLUNMaximumnumberofLUNspervmhbathatarescannedbyESX Server. ViewandsetthisoptionthroughtheVMwareManagementInterface(Advanced SettingsintheOptionspage)orthrough/proc/vmware/config/Disk.
DiskSupportSparseLUNIfthisoptionison,ESXServerscanspastanymissing LUNs.Ifthisoptionisoff,ESXServerstopsscanningforLUNsifanyLUNis missing. ViewandsetthisoptionthroughtheVMwareManagementInterface(Advanced SettingsintheOptionspage)orthrough/proc/vmware/config/Disk.
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LUNmaskingWithLUNmasking,eachLUNisassignedandaccessedbya specificlistofconnections.BesurethatLUNmaskingisimplementedproperly andthattheLUNsarevisibletotheHBAsonESXServer. ZoningLimitsaccesstospecificstoragedevicesandincreasessecurityand decreasestrafficoverthenetwork.Ifyouusezoning,besurethatzoningonthe SANswitchissetupproperlyandthatallvmhbaandthecontrollersofthedisk arrayareinthesamezone. StoragecontrollerIfadiskarrayhasmorethanonestoragecontroller,makesure thattheSANswitchhasaconnectiontothecontrollerthatownstheLUNsyou wanttoaccess.Onsomediskarrays,onecontrollerisactiveandtheother controllerispassiveuntilthereisafailure.Ifyouareconnectedtothewrong controller,youmightnotseetheexpectedLUNs;oryoumightseetheLUNs,but mightgeterrorswhentryingtoaccessthem.
FormoreinformationonusingSANswithESXServer,checktheKnowledgeBaseon theVMwareWebsiteathttp://kb.vmware.com/vmtnkb/supportcentral.
Using Persistent Bindings

YoucanspecifypersistentbindingsforyourFibreChannelHBAs.Withpersistent binding,ESXServerassignsspecifictargetIDstospecificFCSCSIdevices.Thistarget IDassociationisretainedfromreboottorebootunlesschangedbyyou. PersistentbindingisusefulifyouareusingrawdiskswithESXServer.Arawdiskis directlymappedtoaLUNorphysicaldiskdriveonyourstorageareanetwork(SAN). ESXServerdirectlyaccessesthedataonthisdiskasarawdevice(andnotasafileona VMFSvolume). YoucanpersistbindingsthroughtheVMwareManagementInterfaceorthroughthe serviceconsole.Forinformationonpersistingbindings,seeStorageManagementon page 196.
Determining Target IDs Through the Service Console

Tousetheserviceconsole,typecat /proc/scsi/<FC_SCSI_driver>/<adapter_number>todeterminethetargetIDs.
Example Output for an Emulex HBA

#cat /proc/scsi/<FC_SCSI_driver>/<adapter_number> . . . Portname: 10:00:00:00:c9:32:23:49 Nodename: 20:00:00:00:c9:32:23:49
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Link Up - Ready: PortID 0x21900 Fabric Current speed 1G lpfc0t00 DID 021500 WWPN 20:00:00:60:16:3c:ad:13 WWNN 20:00:00:60:16:3c:ad:13
where:
Portname: 10:00:00:00:c9:32:23:49 Nodename: 20:00:00:00:c9:32:23:49 lpfc0t00 WWPN 20:00:00:60:16:3c:ad:13 WWNN 20:00:00:60:16:3c:ad:13
Adapterportname Adapternodename 0(lpfc0)isthehostbusadapterand00 isthetarget Targetworldwideportname(WWPN) Targetworldwidenodename(WWNN)
Example Output for a QLogic HBA

# cat /proc/scsi/<FC_SCSI_driver>/<adapter_number> . . . SCSI Device Information: scsi-qla0-adapter-node=200100e08b229b53; scsi-qla0-adapter-port=210100e08b229b53; scsi-qla0-target-0=20000060163cad13; . . .
where:
200100e08b229b53 210100e08b229b53 qla0 target-0 20000060163cad13
Adapterworldwideportname (adapter-port) Adapterworldwidenodename (adapter-node) 0isthehostbusadapter 0isthetarget Worldwideportname
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pbind.pl Script
Thepbind.plscriptislocatedinthe/usr/sbindirectory.Asroot,typepbind.plto seethelistofoptionsforthiscommand. Table 9-1. pbind.pl options
pbind.pl Option pbind.pl -A pbind.pl -D pbind.pl -a <path> pbind.pl -d <path> pbind.pl -r pbind.pl -s pbind.pl -q Description
Persistsbindingsforalladapters. Deletesbindingsforalladapters. Addsbindingsforalladaptersspecifiedin<path>. Deletesbindingsforalladaptersspecifiedin<path>. Showsyoutheresultwithoutmakinganychange. Displayssupportedadaptersandtheirpaths. Quietmode;suppressesnormalstatusoutput.
Examples Using the pbind.pl Script

ThisexampleaddsbindingsforallQLogic2200hosts.
pbind.pl -a /proc/scsi/qla2200/
ThisexampleaddsbindingforQLogic2200host2.
pbind.pl -a /proc/scsi/qla2200/2
NOTE
Typingawildcardcharacter,forexample,pbind.pl -a /proc/scsi/qla2200/*is invalid.
Using Multipathing in ESX Server

ESXServer2.5includesmultipathingsupporttomaintainaconstantconnection betweentheservermachineandthestoragedeviceincaseofthefailureofaHBA, switch,storagecontroller(orstorageprocessor;abbreviatedasSPinthefollowing diagram),oraFibreChannelcable.UnlikepreviousversionsofESXServer,thisversion ofmultipathingsupportdoesnotrequirespecificfailoverdrivers.
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Storage
SP1
SP2
FC Switch
FC Switch
HBA 1 Server 1
HBA 2
HBA 3 Server 2
HBA 4
Figure 9-1. HBA failover paths InthediagraminFigure 91,therearemultiple,redundantpathsfromeachserverto thestoragedevice.Forexample,ifHBA1,orthelinkbetweenHBA1andtheFibre Channel(FC)switchbreaks,HBA2takesoverandprovidestheconnectionbetweenthe serverandtheswitch.ThisprocessiscalledHBAfailover. Similarly,ifSP1,orthelinkbetweenSP1andtheswitchbreaks,SP2takesoverand providestheconnectionbetweentheswitchandthestoragedevice.Thisprocessis calledSPfailover.VMwareESXServer2.5providesbothHBAandSPfailoverwithits multipathingfeature.(SPfailovermaynotbesupportedbyalldiskarrays.) ForinformationonsupportedSANhardware,downloadtheVMwareESXServerSAN CompatibilityListfromtheVMwareWebsiteat http://www.vmware.com/support/resources/esx_resources.html.
Choosing Path Management Tools

ESXServerallowsyoutoconfigureandmanagemultipathaccesstostoragedevices throughboththeManagementInterfaceandtheServiceConsole.Thefollowing sectionsdescribehowtomanagemultipathingintheServiceConsolewiththe vmkmultipathcommand.Forinstructionsonconfiguringmultipathingwiththe ManagementInterface,seeViewingFailoverPathsConnectionsonpage 201.
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Viewing the Current Multipathing State

Youcanviewyourcurrentmultipathingconfigurationwiththevmkmultipath -q command.The-qoptiondisplaysthestateofallorselectedpathsrecognizedbyESX Server.Thereportdisplayedbyvmkmultipathshowsthecurrentmultipathingpolicy foradiskandtheconnectionstateandmodeforeachpathtothedisk. Thereportidentifiesdisksbytheircanonicalname.Thecanonicalnameforadiskisthe firstpathESXServerfindstothedisk.BecauseESXServerbeginsitsscansatthefirst controllerandthelowestdevicenumber,thefirstpath(andthecanonicalnameofthe disk)isthepathwiththelowestnumbercontrolleranddevicenumber.Forexample,if thepathstoadiskarevmhba0:0:2,vmhba1:0:2,vmhba0:1:2andvmhba1:1:2,the canonicalnameofthediskisvmhba0:0:2. Toseeareportforalldisks,type: # vmkmultipath -q BelowisatypicalreportdisplayedforaconfigurationofESXServermanagingaSAN.
Disk and multipath information follows: Disk vmhba0:0:1 (34,326 MB) has 6 paths. vmhba0:0:1 on (active, preferred) vmhba0:1:1 on vmhba0:2:1 on vmhba1:0:1 on vmhba1:1:1 on vmhba1:2:1 on Disk vmhba0:0:2 (100,319 MB) has 6 paths. vmhba0:0:2 on (active, preferred) vmhba0:1:2 on vmhba0:2:2 on vmhba1:0:2 on vmhba1:1:2 on vmhba1:2:2 on Policy is fixed.
Policy is fixed.
Disk vmhba0:0:4 (0 MB) has 6 paths. Policy is fixed. vmhba0:0:4 on (active, preferred) vmhba0:1:4 on vmhba0:2:4 on vmhba1:0:4 on vmhba1:1:4 on vmhba1:2:4 on Disk vmhba0:0:6 (0 MB) has 6 paths. Policy is fixed. vmhba0:0:6 on (active, preferred) vmhba0:1:6 on vmhba0:2:6 on
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vmhba1:0:6 vmhba1:1:6 vmhba1:2:6
on on on
Disk vmhba0:3:3 (0 MB) has 2 paths. Policy is mru. vmhba0:3:3 on (active, preferred) vmhba1:3:3 on
Inthissystemconfiguration,thediskvmhba0:0:2hasafixedpolicy.Sixpathstothe diskarerecognizedbyESXServer.Thelistofpathsindicatesthedifferentphysical routesbywhichthediskcanbeaccessed. Thestatusofeachpathtothediskisindicatedinthesecondcolumn.Thereportlists eachpathason,off,ordead:

!
onIndicatesthatthepathisfunctionalandthatdataisbeingtransferred successfully. offIndicatesthatthispathhasbeendeliberatelyturnedoff. deadIndicatesthatthepathshouldbeactive,butthesoftwarecannotconnectto thediskthroughthispath.
! !
Thereportliststhemodeofeachpathinthethirdcolumn:
! !
preferredIdentifiestheprimarypathESXServerusestoaccessthedisk. activeIdentifiestheactualpathusedbyESXServertoaccessthedisk.
ThepreferredmodeisusedonlybyESXServertoaccessfixedpolicydisks.Ifadiskhas amostrecentlyused(MRU)policy,thepreferredmodeisdisplayedinthereport above,butESXServerdoesnotuseittoaccessthedisk. NOTE Reportsreturnedbyvmkmultipathlistpathstobothphysicaldisksandstorage controllers.Intheexampleabove,thediskslistedashavingnospaceavailableare actuallystorageprocessors. Youcandisplaythemultipathingstatusforasinglediskbyspecifyingitinthequery command.Forexample,todisplaythereportfordiskvmhba0:0:6,type: # vmkmultipath -q vmhba0:0:6
Setting Your Multipathing Policy for a LUN

Youcanspecifythedefaultpolicyforthemultipathingfeature.Therearetwopolicies:
!
fixedESXServeralwaysusesthepreferredpathtothedisk.Ifitcannotaccessthe diskthroughthepreferredpath,ittriesthealternatepaths.Fixedisthedefault policyforactive/activestoragedevices.

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Typethefollowingcommandtoselectthefixedpolicyforadisk,inthisexample, vmhba0:0:0. # vmkmultipath -s vmhba0:0:0 -p fixed

!
mruESXServerusesthemostrecentpathtothediskuntilthispathbecomes unavailable.Thatis,ESXServerdoesnotautomaticallyrevertbacktothepreferred path.Mostrecentpath(mru)isthedefaultpolicyforactive/passivestoragedevices.
NOTE
UsetheMRUpathpolicyfordisksonactive/passivestoragedevices. Typethefollowingcommandtoselectthemrupolicyforadisk,inthisexample, vmhba0:0:0. # vmkmultipath -s vmhba0:0:0 -p mru Youcanselectadifferentpolicyforeachdisk.
NOTE
UsetheMRUpolicyfordisksonactive/passivestoragedevices.Usingthefixedpolicy cancausepaththrashingandsignificantlyreducedperformance.
Specifying Paths
Usethevmkmultipathcommandtodisableandenablepaths,settheactivepath,and setthepreferredpath,asillustratedinthefollowingexamples.Configurepathsby settingpathmodeswiththe-soption.
Enabling a Path
Usethe-eoptiontoenablepathswithvmkmultipath.Inthisexample,youare enablingthepathfromcontrollervmhba1:0:1todiskvmhba0:0:1. # vmkmultipath -s vmhba0:0:1 -e vmhba1:0:1
Disabling a Path
Usethe-doptiontodisablepathswithvmkmultipath.Inthisexample,youare disablingthepathfromcontrollervmhba1:0:1todiskvmhba0:0:1. # vmkmultipath -s vmhba0:0:1 -d vmhba1:0:1
Setting the Preferred Path

Usethe-r optiontospecifythepreferredpathtoadisk.Inthisexample,youare settingaspreferredthepathfromcontrollervmhba1:0:1todiskvmhba0:0:1. # vmkmultipath -s vmhba0:0:1 -r vmhba1:0:1
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NOTE
ESXServerignoresthepreferredpathwhenthemultipathingpolicyissettomru.
Saving Your Multipathing Settings

YourmultipathingsettingsaresavedwhenshuttingdownESXServer.However, VMwaresuggeststhatyourunthefollowingcommand,asroot,toensureyoursettings aresaved,incaseofanabnormalshutdown. # /usr/sbin/vmkmultipath -S Byrunningthiscommand,yourmultipathingsettingsarerestoredautomaticallywhen yourestartyoursystem.
In Case of Failover
Whenacableispulled,I/Ofreezesforapproximately3060seconds,untiltheSAN driverdeterminesthatthelinkisdown,andfailoveroccurs.Duringthattime,the virtualmachines(withtheirvirtualdisksinstalledonaSAN)mightappear unresponsive,andanyoperationsonthe/vmfsdirectorymightappeartohang.After thefailoveroccurs,I/Oshouldresumenormally. EventhoughESXServersfailoverfeatureensureshighavailabilityandprevents connectionlosstoSANdevices,allconnectionstoSANdevicescanbelostdueto disastrousevents,thatincludemultiplebreakages. Ifallconnectionstothestoragedevicearenotworking,thevirtualmachineswillbegin toencounterI/OerrorsontheirvirtualSCSIdisks.Also,operationsinthe/vmfs directorymayeventuallyfailafterreportinganI/Oerror.
Settings for QLogic Adapters

ForQLogiccards,youcanadjustthePortDownRetryCountvalueintheQLogicBIOS. Thisvaluedetermineshowquicklyafailoveroccurswhenalinkgoesdown. IfthePortDownRetryCountvalueis<n>,afailovertypicallytakesalittlelongerthan <n>multipliedby2seconds.Atypicalrecommendedvaluefor<n>is15,sointhiscase, failovertakesalittlelongerthan30seconds. FormoreinformationonchangingthePortDownRetryCountvalue,refertoyour QLogicdocumentation.
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Failover in Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 Guest Operating Systems
FortheWindows2000andWindowsServer2003guestoperatingsystems,youcan increasethestandarddiskTimeOutValue sothatWindowswillnotbeextensively disruptedduringfailover. To increase the TimeOutValue 1 2 3 SelectStart>Run,typeregedit.exe,andclickOK. Intheleftpanelhierarchyview,doubleclickHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, System,CurrentControlSet,Services,andDisk. SelecttheTimeOutValueandsettheDatavaluetox03c(hexadecimal)or60 (decimal). Bymakingthischange,Windowswaitsatleast60seconds,fordelayeddisk operationstocomplete,beforegeneratingerrors. 4 ClickOKandexittheRegistryEditorprogram.
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Configuration for Clustering
10
Inthischapter,thefollowingsectionsdescribehowtouseVMwareESXServerto provideclusteredvirtualmachinesinavarietyofenvironments.
! ! !
WhatIsClustering?onpage 279 ClusteringVirtualMachinesonpage 280 NetworkLoadBalancingonpage 302
What Is Clustering?
Clusteringprovidesaservicethroughagroupofserverstogethighavailability, scalability,orboth. Forexample,allnodesinaclusterserveaWebsitethatservesstaticcontent.Themain gatewaydistributesrequeststoallnodesaccordingtoload.Itredirectsrequeststo remainingnodesifonecrashes.Thisgivesbetteravailabilityandbetterperformance. NetworkLoadBalancinginWindows2000providessuchaservice. Anotherexampleofamorecomplexconfiguration:Asinglenodeservesadatabase.If thatnodecrashes,theclusteringsoftwaremustrestartthedatabaseonanothernode. Thedatabaseapplicationknowshowtorecoverfromacrash.Innormaloperation, othernodesareusedforrunningotherapplications.MicrosoftClusterServiceand VeritasClusterServiceprovidesuchaservice.
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Applications that Can Use Clustering

Totakeadvantageofclusteringservices,applicationsneedtobeabletorecongnize clustering. Suchapplicationscanbe:
! !
Stateless,asareWebserversandVPNservers. Withbuiltinrecoveryfeatures,likethoseindatabaseservers,mailservers,file servers,orprintservers.
Clustering Software
Availableclusteringsoftwareincludes:
!
MicrosoftClusteringService(MSCS) Providesfailoversupportforapplicationssuchasdatabases,fileservers,andmail servers
MicrosoftNetworkLoadBalancing(NLB) LoadbalancesincomingIPtrafficacrossaclusterofnodesforapplicationssuchas Webserversandterminalservices.
VeritasClusteringService(VCS)
Clustering Hardware
Atypicalclusteringsetupincludes:
!
Disksthataresharedbetweennodes.Needediftheapplicationusesdynamicdata asmailserversordatabaseserversdo. TheshareddiskscanbesharedSCSIdisksorastorageareanetworkusingFibre Channel.
! !
Extranetworkconnectivitybetweennodesformonitoringheartbeatstatus. Amethodforredirectingincomingrequests.
Clustering Virtual Machines

ESXServerhostscanutilizeclusteringservicestoenabletheclusteringofvirual machinesthatarerunningonESX Serverhosts.Clusteringvirtualmachinesallowsthe virtualmachinestosharedataorapplicationsacrossmultiplevirtualmachines.Useof clusteringservicesinvirtualmachinesprovideshighavailabilitywithlesshardware (suchasmachinesandnetworkadapters).
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Chapter 10 Configuration for Clustering
Clustering Software in Virtual Machines

NetworkLoadBalancing,MicrosoftClusteringService,andVeritasClusteringService runwithoutmodificationinvirtualmachinesonESXServer2.5.
Clustering Scenarios
Severalscenariosarepossibleforclusteringinvirtualmachines. Cluster in a Box Thisscenarioprovidessimpleclusteringtodealwithsoftwarecrashesor administrativeerrors.Theclusterconsistsofmultiplevirtualmachinesonasingle physicalmachine.ItsupportsshareddiskswithoutanysharedSCSIhardware.It supportsheartbeatnetworkwithoutanyextranetworkadapters.
Virtual machine
Cluster software
Virtual machine
Cluster software
.vmdk Requests Physical machine
Figure 10-1. Two-node cluster on a single physical machine; each node running clustering software. Cluster Across Boxes Thistypeofclusterconsistsofvirtualmachinesonmultiplephysicalmachines.The virtualdisksarestoredonshared,physicaldisks,soallvirtualmachinescanaccess them.Usingthistypeofcluster,youcandealwiththecrashofaphysicalmachine.
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Virtual machine
Cluster software
Virtual machine
Cluster software
.vmdk Requests Physical machine Physical machine
Figure 10-2. Two-node cluster using two physical machines; each node running clustering software. Consolidating Clusters Thistypeofclustercombinesfeaturesoftheprevioustwotypes.Forexample,youcan consolidatefourclustersoftwomachineseachtotwophysicalmachineswithfour virtualmachineseachforprotectionfromhardwareandsoftwarefailures.
VM1
VM2
VM3 3 4
VM4
VM5 5 6
VM6
VM7 7 8 Physical machine
VM8 Physical machine
Figure 10-3. Four two-node clusters moved from eight physical machines to two. Cost-Effective Standby Host Provideastandbyhostformultiplephysicalmachinesononestandbyboxwith multiplevirtualmachines.
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Virtual machine
Cluster software Cluster software
Virtual machine
Virtual machine
Physical machine
Figure 10-4. Standby host using three virtual machines on a single physical machine; all running clustering software.
Configuring Virtual Machine Clusters with Shared Disks

Tocreateasetofclusteredvirtualmachines,configureeachsetwiththefollowing:
! !
PrimaryvirtualSCSIhostadapterwithoneSCSIvirtualdisk. Atleasttwovirtualnetworkadapters:
!
Publicnetworkadapterconnectedtovmnicx(thatis,tovmnic0orhigher).A vmnicisavirtualmachinedevicethatusesanetworkadapterdedicatedtothe virtualmachines. Privatenetworkadapterconnectedtovmnicx(thatis,tovmnic0orhigher)or tovmnet_x(thatis,tovmnet_0orhigher).Thisdeviceselectionmustmatch inallvirtualmachinesinaclusterset.Thisisthenetworkadapterthatthe clusteringservicewillusetomonitortheheartbeatbetweennodes.
Remainingdefaultvirtualmachinedevices(suchastheCDROMdriveandthe floppydiskdrive).
Inadditiontotheabovedevices,thefollowingisrequiredforsharedstorage:
! !
AsecondaryvirtualSCSIhostadapter OneormorevirtualdisksthatwillbesharedattachedtothesecondarySCSIhost adapter.
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QLogicandEmulexHBAsinaclusteredenvironmentmustbededicatedto VMkernel.
Important Notes
!
EachvirtualmachinebydefaulthasfivePCIslotsavailable.Inthisconfiguration (twonetworkadaptersandtwoSCSIhostbusadapters),fouroftheseslotsare used.ThisleavesonemorePCIslotforathirdnetworkadapterifneeded. VMwarevirtualmachinesemulateonlytheSCSI2diskreservationprotocoland donotsupportapplicationsusingSCSI3diskreservations.However,allpopular clusteringsoftware(includingMSCSandVCS)currentlyusesSCSI2reservations. Youmayclusteronlytwonodes. YoucannotuseVMotionwithclusteredvirtualmachines.
! !
Two Node Cluster with Microsoft Cluster Service on a Single ESX Server Machine
ThisprocedurecreatesatwonodeclusterusingMicrosoftClusterServiceonasingle ESXServermachineandusesthefollowing:
! ! ! ! !
Portsaid=hostnameofnode1ofthecluster Kena=hostnameofnode2ofthecluster Arish=publichostnameofthecluster sharedfs=VMFSvolumelabelofthesharedstorage vms=VMFSvolumelabelofthelocalstorage
NOTE
Virtualdisksstoredonvmsandsharedfscanalsobestoredonthesamepartition.In thiscase,usethepartitionlabelonwhichthesevirtualdisksreside.
Creating the First Nodes Base Virtual Machine

Toeasethetaskofcreatingeachnodeinthecluster,createabasevirtualmachineand clonethatvirtualmachineforeachnodeinthecluster.Createthevirtualmachine, configurethevirtualhardware,andinstalltheoperatingsystem.Afterthosetaskshave allbeencompleted,thevirtualmachinecanbeclonedeasilytocreateeachnodeinthe cluster.
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To create a base virtual machine in the first node 1 2 3 4 AccesstheVMwareManagementInterfaceat: https://<hostname>/ Logonastheuserwhowillownthevirtualmachine. ClickAddVirtualMachine. KeepthedefaultGuestOperatingSystemselectionofMicrosoftWindows2000 Server.
NOTE
ThisexampleusesMicrosoftWindows2000Serverastheguestoperatingsystem.You canuseanotherWindowsoperatingsystemthatsupportsMicrosoftClusterService. 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ChangetheDisplayNamefieldtodescribethevirtualmachine,forexample,MSCS Node 1 (Portsaid). ChangetheLocationofthevirtualmachineconfigurationfileto /home/<user>/vmware/cluster1/cluster1.vmx. ClickNext. Selectthenumberofprocessorsyouwanttheguestoperatingsystemtouse(upto 2). ChangeMemorytoshowtheamountofRAMyouwanttoallocatetothisvirtual machineandclickNext. ClickBlanktocreateanewvirtualdisk. ChoosetheVMFSvolumeonwhichyouwanttostorethevirtualdisk. Givethevirtualdiskimageauniquename,forexample,cluster1.vmdk. IfyouneedaprimarySCSIdisklargerthan4GB,enterthevalueintheCapacity field. ChoosethevirtualSCSInodetowhichyouwanttoattachthevirtualdisk. ClickPersistenttoverifythediskmodeandclickNext. Bydefault,thediskmodeissettoPersistent. Youhavesuccessfullycreatedthevirtualmachine. Thehardwaretabforthisvirtualmachineappears.Fromthattab,youaddadditional hardwaredevices.
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Virtual Disk Configuration YouneedasharedSCSIcontrollerandsharedSCSIdisksforsharedaccesstoclustered servicesanddata. To add a shared SCSI controller and shared SCSI disks 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 AccesstheVMwareManagementInterface. ClicktheHardwaretab. ClickAddDevice. ClickHarddisk. ClickBlanktocreateanewvirtualdisk. ChoosetheVMFSvolumeonwhichyouwanttostorethevirtualdisk. Givethevirtualdiskimageauniquename,forexample,quorum.vmdk. EntertheappropriatevalueintheCapacityfield. ChoosethevirtualSCSInodetowhichyouwanttoattachthevirtualdisk. ShareddisksmustbeattachedtoaseparatevirtualSCSIcontroller. 10 11 SelectSCSI1:1. ClickPersistenttoverifythediskmodeandclickOK. Bydefault,thediskmodeissettoPersistent. 12 13 14 AnewvirtualdiskandSCSIController1arenowvisibleontheHardwaretab. ClickEditnexttoSCSIController1,andchangethebussharingfromnoneto virtual. FromtheBusSharingdropdownlist,selectvirtual,andclickOK.
RepeatStep 1Step 9tocreateanadditionalsharedvirtualdiskusingSCSI1:2withthe filenameshared2.vmdk. Network Device Configuration YouneedanadditionalvirtualnetworkadaptertobeusedbyMicrosoftClusterService tomaintaintheclusterheartbeat. To add an additional network adapter: 1 2 AccesstheVMwareManagementInterface. ClicktheHardwaretab.
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3 4 5
ClickAddDevice. ClickNetworkAdapter. FromtheDeviceBindingdropdownlistchoosevmnet_0. ThisattachesthesecondEthernetadaptertoaprivatenetworkbetweenthecluster nodes.
ClickOK.
Youhavecreatedthefirstclusternodevirtualmachine.
Installing the Guest Operating System

NowyouneedtoinstallWindows2000AdvancedServerinthevirtualmachineyou justcreated. To install Windows 2000 Advanced Server in the virtual machine 1 2 3 4 5 6 InserttheWindows2000AdvancedServerCDintheESXServermachines CDROMdrive. Inthemanagementinterface,clicktheblueterminaliconnexttothevirtual machinesnametolaunchtheremoteconsole. Logonastheuserwhocreatedthevirtualmachineorasroot. ClickPowerOn. InstallWindows2000AdvancedServeronthediskconnectedtoscsi0. Acceptallthedefaultoptionsduringtheinstallation. Donotinstalltheclusteringserviceatthistime. 7 Whentheinstallationiscompleted,installVMwareToolsintheguestoperating system.
Cloning the Virtual Machine

NowthatyouhaveavirtualmachinewithWindows2000AdvancedServerinstalled, youcanclonethisvirtualmachineinsteadofcreatingvirtualmachinesindividually. To clone the virtual machine 1 Runsysprep.exe,whichisavailableontheWindows2000CDinthe \support\tools\deploy.cabfile. ThisstripsthesecurityIDassignedtotheguestoperatingsystemandresetsthe machineinformationaswellastheTCP/IPnetworkconfiguration.
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2 3 4 5
Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. RemovetheWindows2000AdvancedServerCDfromtheserversCDROMdrive. OnthemanagementinterfacesOverviewpage,clickManageFiles. Locatethevmfsfolderandthevmsfolder. Thisactionmighttaketimetorefresh.
6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Selectthecheckboxnexttothecluster1.vmdkfile. ClickCopyandclickPaste. Whenthecopyprocessiscomplete,selectthecheckboxnexttothefilecopy of cluster1.vmdk. ClicktheEditPropertiesbutton. Changethefilenametocluster2.vmdk. ClickOK. ClosetheManageFileswindow.
Thisconcludesthecloningprocess.Nowcontinuewithcreatingthesecondnode virtualmachine
Creating the Second Node Virtual Machine

To create a new virtual machine 1 2 3 OnthemanagementinterfacesOverviewtab,clickAddVirtualMachine. KeepthedefaultGuestOperatingSystemselectionofMicrosoftWindows2000 Server. ChangetheDisplayNamefieldtodescribethevirtualmachine. Forexample,useMSCS Node 2 (Kena). 4 5 6 7 8 ChangetheLocationto home/<user>/vmware/cluster2/cluster2.vmx ClickNext. Selectthenumberofprocessorsfortheguestoperatingsystemtouse,upto2. ChangeMemorytoshowtheamountofRAMyouwanttoallocatetothisvirtual machineandclickNext. ClickExistingtoattachanexistingvirtualdisktothisvirtualmachine.
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FromtheVirtualDiskImagedropdownlist,choosecluster2.vmdk. ChoosethevirtualSCSInodetowhichyouwanttoattachthevirtualdisk,andclick Next.
Virtual Disk Configuration YouneedasharedSCSIcontrollerandsharedSCSIdisksforsharedaccesstoclustered servicesanddata. To add a shared SCSI controller and shared SCSI disks 1 2 3 4 5 ClicktheHardwaretabforthisvirtualmachine. ClickAddDevice. ClickHardDisk. Addthepreexitingquorumdisk(quorum.vmdk)thatyoucreatedinVirtualDisk Configurationonpage 286. ChoosethevirtualSCSInodetowhichyouwanttoattachthevirtualdisk. ShareddisksmustbeattachedtoaseparateSCSIcontroller.SelectSCSI1:1. 6 ClickPersistenttoverifythediskmode,andclickOK. BydefaultthediskmodeissettoPersistent. AnewvirtualdiskandSCSIController1arenowvisibleontheHardwaretab. 7 8 ClickEditnexttoSCSIController1tochangethebussharingfromnoneto virtual. FromtheBusSharingdropdownlistselectvirtual,andclickOK.
RepeatStep 1Step toaddanadditionalsharedvirtualdiskusingSCSI1:2withthe filenameshared2.vmdk.
Network Device Configuration

YouneedanadditionalvirtualnetworkadaptertobeusedbyMicrosoftClusterService tomaintaintheclusterheartbeat. To add this adapter 1 2 3 4
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ClicktheHardwaretabforthisvirtualmachine. ClickAddDevice. ClickNetworkAdapter. FromtheDeviceBindingdropdownlistchoosevmnet_0.

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ThisattachesthesecondEthernetadaptertoaprivatenetworkbetweenthecluster nodes. 5 ClickOK.
Youhavecreatedthesecondclusternodevirtualmachine. GotothemanagementinterfacesOverviewpage.Themanagementinterfaceshould listbothvirtualmachinesandshowthempoweredoff.
Installing Microsoft Cluster Service

To install Microsoft Clustering Service 1 2 Startthenode1virtualmachine. FollowtheWindows2000AdvancedServerminisetuppromptstoenter AdvancedServersserialnumber,thehostname(Portsaid),andtheIPaddresses.
!
Forthepublicnetworkadapter,enteranIPaddressthatbelongstothe physicalnetwork. FortheprivateIPaddress,useanaddresslike192.168.x.xwithaclassCsubnet mask(255.255.255.0).
Windowsautomaticallyreboots. 3 4 5 StarttheDiskAdministratorandchangebothshareddiskstobasicdisks. FormatbothsharedvirtualdiskswithNTFS,iftheyarenotformatted. AssignthefirstshareddisktoQ:(quorum)andtheseconddisktoR:. IfyoujoinedthisvirtualmachinetoanexistingActiveDirectorydomain,skipto Step 10. 6 Rundcpromo.exefromthecommandprompt. ThisstartstheActiveDirectorywizard. 7 Setupthecurrentmachineasadomaincontroller. Forthedomainname,use,forexample,vmcluster.domain.comwhere domain.comisyourDNSdomainandvmclusterisyourActiveDirectory domain.Thisnodemaybesetupasanewdomaintreeandalsoanewdomain forest,oritmayjoinexistingones. 8 9 MakesuretheDNSserverisinstalled. Setthedomainpermissionsasmixedmodeunlessyouplanotherwise.
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10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
Toaddaclusterservicesaccountinthedomain,gotoPrograms>Administrative Tools>ActiveDirectoryUsersandComputers. Addanaccountnamedcluster,checkUsercannotchangepasswordand Passwordneverexpires. InserttheWindows2000AdvancedServerCDintheserversCDROMdrive. GotoControlPanel>Add/RemovePrograms. SelectAdd/RemoveWindowsComponents. ChecktheClusterServicecomponentandclickNext. Followthepromptstoinstalltheservice. ChooseFormaNewCluster.
! !
Specifytheclustername(Arish). SpecifytheclusterIPaddress.Thisaddressmustbeonthesamenetworkas thatofthevmnic0.
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Specifytheclusterserviceaccountcreatedabove. Specifythatbothshareddisksshouldbemanagedbytheclusterservice. Indicatetheshareddisk(Q:)tobethequorumdisk. Specifywhichnetworkadapterispublicandwhichisprivate. Stoptheclusterserviceonthelocalnode(fromClusterManager,rightclickthe nodename),sothesecondvirtualmachinecanaccesstheshareddisks. Startthenode2virtualmachine. StarttheDiskAdministratorandassignthefirstshareddisktoQ:(quorum)and theseconddisktoR:. Startdcpromo.exeandaddthisvirtualmachineasadomaincontrollerinthe samedomaincreatedinStep 7oraddittoanexistingdomain. YoumustmatchthesetupdoneinStep 7.
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Inthenode1virtualmachine,starttheclusterservicebyreversingStep 22. Inthenode2virtualmachine,repeatStep 13Step 21withoneexception:In Step 17,selectJoinaCluster.
ThisconcludestheMicrosoftClusterServiceinstallationandconfiguration.
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Running Microsoft Cluster Service

MicrosoftClusterServiceshouldoperatenormallyinthevirtualmachineafteritis installed. NOTE SomediskerrorsarerecordedintheWindowseventloginnormaloperation.These errormessageshaveaformatsimilartothefollowing:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Scsi\BusLogic3
Theyshouldbereportedperiodicallyonlyonthepassivenodeoftheclusterandshould alsobereportedwhenthepassivenodeistakingoverduringafailover.Theerrorsare reportedbecausetheactivenodeoftheclusterhasreservedthesharedvirtualdisk(s). ThepassivenodeperiodicallyprobestheshareddiskandreceivesaSCSIreservation conflicterror.Thisisnormaloperation.
Two Nodes with Microsoft Cluster Service on Separate ESX Server Machines
Thisprocedurecreatesatwonodeclusterinvirtualmachinesthatwillrunontwo separateESXServermachines.Itusesthesamenamingconventionsasintheprevious procedure. Inaddition,thephysicalsharedstorageiseither:
! !
SharedSCSI Astorageareanetwork(SAN)
ForthisexercisetheVMFSpartitionfortheinternalstorageoneachESXServer computerislabeledvms.TheVMFSpartitionforthesharedstorageislabeled sharedfs. EachESXServermachinemusthaveanadditionalphysicalnetworkadapterassigned tothevirtualmachinestousefortheprivatenetworkthatmonitorstheheartbeat.The procedureassumesthisnetworkadapterusesthedevicenamedvmnic1.Connectthe privatenetworkadaptertoaseparatenetworkfromthatusedbythepublicnetwork adapter.

FollowtheprocedureinCreatingtheFirstNodesBaseVirtualMachineonpage 284, withthefollowingchanges:
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InVirtualDiskConfigurationonpage 286,inStep 8clickEditnexttoSCSI Controller1tochangethebussharingfromnonetophysicalinsteadofvirtual. FromtheBusSharingdropdownlistselectphysical,andclickOK.
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InNetworkDeviceConfigurationonpage 286,inStep 5usevmnic1insteadof vmnet_0asthedeviceusedbyEthernetAdapter1. Accessthevirtualmachinemenubyclickingthearrowtotherightofthevirtual machineicon.ChooseConfigureOptions.UnderVerboseOptions,clicktheclick herelink. Changethespecificationsofscsi1:1.nameandscsi1:2.nametousethestrict vmhbaname(forexample,vmhba0:1:0:1:shared1.vmdk)fortheVMFS partition,ratherthantheVMFSname(forexample,sharedfs:shared1.vmdk). ThereasonforthischangeisthatifoneESXServermachinerebootswhileavirtual machineontheotherphysicalmachineisreservingthesharedSCSIdisk,ESX ServercannotreadtheVMFSnameontheshareddiskwhenitisloadedand initialized.Ifthesharedvirtualdiskisnotspecifiedusingthefullvmhbaname, ESXServercannotdeterminethediskspecifiedbytheVMFSnameandgivesan errorwhenrestartingthevirtualmachine. ClickOK.
Inaddition,changetheaccessrightsoftheVMFSpartitionwhereyoustoretheshared virtualdisks.Bydefault,VMFSpartitionsareconfiguredforpublicaccess.Tosupport clustering,theVMFSpartitionmustbeconfiguredforsharedaccess. To change the access settings for the VMFS partition 1 2 3 4 5 6 Fromthemanagementinterface,clicktheOptionstab ClickStorageManagement. IdentifythediskvolumethatcontainstheVMFSpartitionwherethesharedvirtual disksarestored. ClickEditforthediskvolume. FromtheAccessModedropdownmenu,chooseShared. ClickOK.
Youhavecreatedthefirstclusternodevirtualmachine.

FollowtheprocedureinInstallingtheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 287.
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NowthatyouhaveavirtualmachinewithWindows2000AdvancedServerinstalled, clonethisvirtualmachineinsteadofcreatingvirtualmachinesindividually. To clone the virtual machine 1 Runsysprep.exe,whichisavailableontheWindows2000CDinthe \support\tools\deploy.cabfile. StripstheSecurityIDassignedtotheguestoperatingsystemandresetsthe machineinformationaswellastheTCP/IPnetworkconfiguration. 2 3 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. GototheconsoleofthesecondESXServermachine. Thisiswhereyoucopythevirtualdiskthatresultedfromcreatingthefirstnode. 4 5 Logonasroot. Changedirectories:cd /vmfs/vms. AssumesthattheinternalstorageforthesecondserverisinaVMFSpartition labeledvms. 6 7 Usetheftpcommand:ftp <server1-hostname>. Changedirectories:cd/vmfs/vms. ChangesthecurrentdirectorytotheVMFSpartitiononthefirstserverwhereyou createdthefirstnodesvirtualdisk. 8 Setthetype(transfermode)tobinary:bin. Ifyouusetexttransfermode,thevirtualdiskmaynotbeusableonthetarget server. 9 Type:hashon. Turnsonthedisplayofaseriesofhashsignsasatransferprogressindicator. 10 Retrievethevirtualdiskfile:getcluster1.vmdk Initiatesthetransferofthevirtualdiskfiletothecurrentdirectoryonthesecond ESXServermachine. 11 12 Afterthefiletransferiscompleted,typebyetoendtheFTPsession. Renamethefile:mvcluster1.vmdkcluster2.vmdk Thisrenamesthevirtualdisktocluster2.vmdk.
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Thisconcludesthecloningprocess.Continuewithcreatingthesecondnodevirtual machine.

FollowtheprocedureinCreatingtheFirstNodesBaseVirtualMachineonpage 292, notingthefollowingdifferences:
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InVirtualDiskConfigurationonpage 286,Step 8,clickEditnexttoSCSI Controller1tochangethebussharingfromnonetophysicalinsteadofvirtual. FromtheBusSharingdropdownlist,choosephysical,andclickOK. InNetworkDeviceConfigurationonpage 286,Step 5,fromtheDeviceBinding dropdownlist,choosevmnic1insteadofvmnet_0.Thisattachesthesecond Ethernetadaptertothesecondphysicaladapterdesignatedforvirtualmachine use.Thisisusedtocreateaprivatenetworkbetweentheclusternodes. Changethespecificationsofscsi1:1.nameandscsi1:2.nameasyoudidwhen creatingthefirstnodesbasevirtualmachine.
Clustering Using a Raw SCSI Disk

TheshareddiskusedforclusteringcanalsobeacompletesharedSCSIdisk,ratherthan aVMFSfileonashareddisk.UsingarawSCSIdiskasashareddiskmightsimplify initialsetup.Itmightbeusefulforimportinganexistingphysicalclusterthatalready hasclusterdataonaSCSIdisk.Inaddition,usingarawSCSIdiskasashareddisk allowsavirtualmachinetoparticipateinaclusterwithaphysicalmachine.For example,thevirtualmachinecanbeusedasthepassivenodeforaphysicalmachine thatistheactivenode. Forthevirtualmachinetoaccessaphysicaldisk,replacetheinstructionsinVirtual DiskConfigurationonpage 286withthefollowingsteps. To add a physical SCSI controller and shared raw SCSI disks 1 2 3 4 5 ClicktheHardwaretab. ClickAddDevice. ClickHarddisk. ClickSystemLUN/DisktogiveyourvirtualmachinedirectaccesstoaSANor sharedstoragevolume. ChoosetheLUN/PartitionyouwanttoattachtothisVMasarawdisk.
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NOTE
InESXServer,physicaldisksareidentifiedbyavmhbanumber.Forexample, vmhba0:1:2:1meansphysicaladaptervmhba0,target1,LUN2,partition1. Whenthefinalnumberis:0,thatindicatesyouarespecifyingtheentiredisk, ratherthanaparticularpartition.
ChoosethevirtualSCSInodetowhichyouwanttoattachtherawdisk. ShareddisksmustbeattachedtoaseparateSCSIcontrollerfromthesystem disk.Select,SCSI1:1
NOTE
ClickOK. AnewvirtualdiskandSCSIController1appearontheHardwaretab.
8 9
ClickEditnexttoSCSIController1tochangethebussharingfromnoneto physical. FromtheBusSharingdropdownlistchoosephysical,andclickOK. SettingthebussharingtophysicalmakessurethatalltheSCSIreserveandreset commandsgothroughtothephysicaldisk.
RepeatStep 1Step 8tocreateanadditionalsharedrawdiskusingSCSI1:2. Youhavecompletedthevirtualmachineconfiguration. ForinformationaboutaddingarawSCSIdevice,seetheVMwaretechnicalnoteUsing RawDeviceMappingswithESXServer,availableat http://www.vmware.com/support/resources/esx_resources.html.
Installing Microsoft Cluster Service

FollowtheprocedureinInstallingMicrosoftClusterServiceonpage 290.
Additional Notes for Clustering Across Physical Machines

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SupplyanextraparametertotheEmulexdriverwhenitisloadedbyeditingthe file/etc/vmware/hwconfig.Identifythebus,slotandfunctionholdingthefirst (oronly)Emulexcard.FindthisinformationattheStartupProfilepage.Addaline withtheformat:

device.vmnix.6.14.0.options = "lpfc_delay_rsp_err=0"
totheendof/etc/vmware/hwconfig.Thenumbers6.14.0specifythebus,slot, andfunctionwheretheEmulexcardislocated.IfyouhavemorethanoneEmulex card,youshouldhaveonlyalinereferencingthefirstcard.
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Table 101summarizesadditional,importantpointsforusingMicrosoftClustering SoftwarewithESXServer. Table 10-1. MSCS Configuration Considerations

Area Nonclustered disks Component Single-Host Clustering Multi-Host Clustering
Virtualmachine ! andswap ! (paging)file Nonclustered virtualdisks (.vmdk) Nonclustered rawdevice (disk)mapping

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Mustbeonlocalstorage,notonaSAN. Mustbeanonclustereddisk. MustresideonapublicVMFSvolume. MustuseVMFSlabelnotation. Virtualadaptermustbesettoshared mode = none. RevisionmustbeESX2.5.2orhigher. MustresideonapublicVMFSvolume. MustuseVMFSlabelnotation. Diskmustbeinpersistentmode. DeviceTypemustbescsi-nonpassthru-rdmor scsi-passthru-rdm.
Nonclustered rawdevice (disk) Clustered disks Clustered virtualdisks (.vmdk)
Userawdevicemappinginstead,ifESXServer2.5.2andhigher.
! ! ! ! !
MustuseVMFSlabel notation. Virtualadaptermustbein

shared mode = virtual.
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Musthavebeencreatedwith vmkfstoolsz. Mustusethe vmhba<H>:<T><L>:<P>. notation,nottheVMFSlabel notation. Virtualadaptermustbesetto shared mode = physical. Mustresideonitsownphysical LUN. LUNcanhostoneVMFSfile system. Sharedvirtualdiskmustbethe onlyfileonthisVMFSvolume. VMFSvolumemustbein sharedmode. VMFSvolumecanhaveone physicalextent.
LUNmusthostonlyone VMFSfilesystem. VMFSvolumemustbe dedicatedtothecluster.

!
MustresideonpublicVMFS ! volume.
! ! ! !
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Table 10-1. MSCS Configuration Considerations (Continued)

Area Clustered disks (Continued) Component Single-Host Clustering RevisionmustbeESX2.5or higher. Mustresideonapublic VMFSvolume. MustuseVMFSlabel notation. Diskmustbeinpersistent mode. DeviceTypemustbe scsi-nonpassthru-rdm. Virtualadaptermustbesetto shared mode = virtual.
! ! ! ! !
Multi-Host Clustering Notsupported
Clustered ! nonpass throughraw ! devicemapping

! ! ! !
Clustered passthrough rawdevice mapping
Notsupported
RevisionmustbeESX2.5.2or higher. MustuseVMFSlabelnotation. Diskmustbeinpersistent mode. DeviceTypemustbe scsi-passthru-rdm.
Virtualadaptermustbesetto: shared mode = physical. Mustuseoneofthefollowing:

!
AsinglePassThruRDM (Physicalcompatibilitymode) onaVMFS2Volumethatisin Sharedmode. TwodifferentRDMfilesusing thesameRAWLUNona VMFS2Volumethatisin Publicmode.Twodifferent Publicvolumescanalsobe used.Thisrequiresusing vmkfstoolsrtocreatethe separateRDMfilesasthe GraphicalInterfacedoesnot provideanoptionforthat. Userawdevicemapping instead,ifESXServer2.5.2or higher.
Or
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Clusteredraw disk
Notsupported
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Table 10-1. MSCS Configuration Considerations (Continued)

Area ESXServer Configuration Component Single-Host Clustering Multi-Host Clustering
/proc/vmware/config/Disk/UseLunResetmustbesetto1. /proc/vmware/config/Disk/UseDeviceResetmustbesetto0. Swappartitionsmustbelocal,notonaSAN. RDMLUNscannotbeusedwithESX Serverversionsearlierthan2.5.2. QLogicandEmulexHBAsinaclusteredenvironmentmustbededicatedtoVMkernel. Aseparatevirtualadaptermustbeusedforclustereddisks.
Qlogic
Driverrevisionshouldbe7.0.4onESX Server2.5.1orlater,version6.07onESXServer2.5, and6.04onearlierrevisionsofESX Server. BIOSsettings:

! ! !
EnableTargetReset=Yes FullLIPLogin=Yes FullLIPReset=No
Emulex Microsoft Windows
Driverrevisionis2.01gonESXServerand4.20qonearlierrevisions.
! ! ! !
OperatingsystemmustbeWindows2000orWindows2003. Eachclusterislimitedtotwonodes. UsetheVMwareBuslogicdriverratherthanthenativeWindowsdriverifyouuse Buslogicvirtualadapters. MakesuretheI/Otimeoutis60secondsormore: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\Disk\TimeOutV alue ClusterServicemustrestartautomaticallyonfailure(forfirst,second,and subsequenttimes)
Running Microsoft Cluster Service

MicrosoftClusterServiceshouldoperatenormallyinthevirtualmachinesafteritis installed. NOTE SomediskerrorsarerecordedintheWindowseventloginnormaloperationandhave aformatsimilarto The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Scsi\BusLogic3 Theyshouldbereportedperiodicallyonlyonthepassivenodeoftheclusterandshould alsobereportedwhenthepassivenodeistakingoverduringafailover.Theerrorsare reportedbecausetheactivenodeoftheclusterhasreservedthesharedvirtualdisk.The passivenodeperiodicallyprobestheshareddiskandreceivesaSCSIreservation conflicterror.
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VMFS Locking and SCSI Reservation

ForasharedSCSIdiskthatcanbeaccessedbymultipleESXServermachines,twokinds oflockingmaybeinuse.Thesetwokindsoflockingaresomewhatindependentand cancauseconfusion.ThesharedSCSIdiskmaybeonsharedSCSIbusor,morelikely, onastorageareanetwork(SAN).
VMFS File System Locking

ThefirstkindoflockingisVMFSfilesystemlocking.ESXServerlocksVMFSfile systemsonaserverlevelwhenaVMFSfilesystemisconfiguredasapublicorshared filesystem.Thislockingisdonetoensurethatthereisnocorruptioncausedbymultiple accessestothefilesystembydifferenthosts. IfaVMFS1volumeisconfiguredinpublicmode,onlyoneservercanaccessthatVMFS atatime.IfoneserverisaccessingtheVMFS1volume,throughavirtualmachineora filesystemcommand,afilesystemoperationbyanotherhostfails.Forexample,a vmkfstoolscommandfailswithamessagethatsays:
vmkfstools: file system is locked by another server. Use 'vmkfstools --recover' to unlock file system if no other server is accessing
Typically,donotrunvmkfstools --recover,becauseanotherhostisusingthefile system.TheerrormessageindicatesthatthisservercannotaccesstheVMFSuntilthe otherserverhasfinishedaccessingit.However,ifaserverfailswhileaccessingthefile system,thefilesystemmaystayinthelockedstateandyoumightneedtorun vmkfstools --recover. InapublicVMFS2volume,lockingisataperfilelevel,resultinginfewerlocking issues.Youmightstillgettheprecedingmessageandneedtousevmkfstools --recover,ifaserverfails. IfaVMFSisusedtostoreavirtualdiskthatisaccessedbymultiplevirtualmachines onmultiplephysicalserversforthepurposesoffailoverclustering,theVMFSshould beconfiguredasasharedfilesystem.Thelockingprotocolisrelaxedtoallowmultiple virtualmachinesondifferentserverstoaccessthesameVMFSfileatthesametime. However,filesystemcommandsdothesamelockingaswithpublicfilesystems(that is,perVMFSinVMFS1volumesandperfileinVMFS2volumes). Additionally,whenmultiplevirtualmachinesaccesstheVMFS,theVMFSfilesystem entersareadonlymodeinwhichitisimpossibletocreate,delete,orchangethesizeof files.Thecontentsoftheindividualfilescanstillbemodified.Ifyoulaterwanttocreate orremoveVMFSfiles,youmuststopallvirtualmachinesusingtheVMFSandreenter writablemodeusingthecommand: vmkfstools --config writable vmhba0:1:0:0
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SubstitutethenameoftheappropriatediskorVMFSinplaceofvmhba0:1:0:0.
Locking at SCSI Disk Level

ThesecondkindoflockingislockingattheSCSIdisklevel,whichiscalledSCSIdisk reservation. AnyserverconnectedtoaSCSIdiskcanissueaSCSIcommandtoreservethedisk.If nootherserverisreservingthedisk,thecurrentserverobtainsareservationonthedisk. Aslongasthatreservationexists,nootherservercanaccessthedisk.AllSCSI commandstothatdiskbyotherserversfailwithanappropriateerrorcode. IfavmkfstoolscommandisattemptedonaVMFSonadiskthatisreservedby anotherserver,thevmkfstoolscommandfailswithamessage:
vmkfstools: shared SCSI disk is reserved by another server. Use 'vmkfstools -L release/reset' to end reservation if no other server is using the SCSI reservation
Similarly,avirtualmachinefailstostartifitsvirtualbootdiskisstoredonaphysical diskthatisreservedbyanotherhost. MostapplicationsdonoteverreserveaSCSIdisk.However,failoverclustering softwarereservesSCSIdiskstoensurethatonlytheactivenodeisabletoaccessthe sharedSCSIdisk.Expectthattheshareddiskinaphysicalclusteringsetupisreserved whentheclusterisactive.Similarly,foravirtualmachineclusterthatisrunningacross physicalmachines,reservationsbytheclusteringsoftwarearetransmittedthroughto thephysicalshareddisk. Ifyouencounteradiskthatisreservedunexpectedly,trytodeterminewhethersome clusteringsoftwarehasexplicitlyreservedthedisk.Ifnot,youcanreleasethe reservationontheserverthathasthereservationbyrunningacommandinthisformat: vmkfstools -L release vmhba0:1:0:0 SubstitutethenameoftheappropriatediskorVMFSinplaceofvmhba0:1:0:0. Ifyoucannotdeterminewhichserverholdsthereservation,youmightbeableto eliminatethereservationbyissuingaSCSIbusresetonanyservermachineusinga commandinthisformat: vmkfstools -L lunreset vmhba0:1:0:0 Ifthisfails,trythefollowingcommand: vmkfstools -L reset vmhba0:1:0:0
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Using LUN Masking to Avoid Locking Issues

LockingissuesarelikelytohappenonaSAN,wheremultipleusersmaybeaccessing someofthesamedisksormaymistakenlyaccessadiskassignedtoanotheruser. ItishelpfultouseLUNmaskingorzoningtolimitwhichdisksarevisibletoeachserver inthesystemandreducethewaysinwhichoneusercanaffectanotheruser.In particular,theuseofLUNmaskingorzoningcanhelppreventproblemssuchasthose describedaboveinwhichoneserverunexpectedlylocksorreservesthewrongSCSI disk.
Network Load Balancing

NetworkLoadBalancingisaWindows2000AdvancedServerfeature.Byusing NetworkLoadBalancingtobuildaservercluster,youcanenhancetheavailabilityof Internetserverprograms,suchasthoseusedonWeb,proxy,domainnameservice (DNS),FTP,virtualprivatenetwork(VPN),andstreamingmediaservers.Network LoadBalancing(NLB)canhelpyouscaleyourserversperformance. NLBcanbeusedinunicastormulticastmodes.Iftheisclusteroperatinginunicast mode(thedefault),ordinarynetworkcommunicationamongclusterhostsisnot possibleunlesseachclusterhosthasatleasttwonetworkadapters. NOTE SetthevmkernelconfigurationoptionNetNotifySwitchto0whenusingunicast mode. VMwarerecommendsthatyouusemulticastmode,becauseunicastmodeforcesthe physicalswitchesontheLANtobroadcastallNLBclustertraffictoeverymachineon theLAN.
Creating Multinode Network Load Balancing Clusters on ESX Server

ThissectioncoversproceduresforcreatingaNetworkLoadBalancingclusterusing nodesrunninginvirtualmachines.Thesevirtualmachinescanbelocatedononeor moreESXServermachines.

To create a base virtual machine on the first node 1 2 AccesstheVMwareManagementInterfaceathttps://<hostname>/andlogon astheuserwhowillownthevirtualmachine. ClickAddVirtualMachine.
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KeepthedefaultGuestOperatingSystemselectionofMicrosoftWindows2000 Server.
NOTE ThisexampleusesMicrosoftWindows2000Serverastheguestoperating system.YoucansubstituteanotherWindowsoperatingsystemthatsupports MicrosoftClusterService. 4 ChangetheDisplayNamefieldtodescribethevirtualmachine. Forexample,MSCS Node 1 (Portsaid). 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ChangetheLocationofthevirtualmachineconfigurationfileto /home/<user>/vmware/cluster1/cluster1.vmx. ClickNext. Choosethenumberofprocessorsyouwanttheguestoperatingsystemtouse,up to2. ChangeMemorytoshowtheamountofRAMyouwanttoallocatetothisvirtual machineandclickNext. ClickBlanktocreateanewvirtualdisk. ChoosetheVMFSvolumeonwhichyouwanttostorethevirtualdisk. Givethevirtualdiskfileauniquename,forexample,cluster1.vmdk. IfyouneedaprimarySCSIdisklargerthan4GB,enterthevalueintheCapacity field. ChoosethevirtualSCSInodetowhichyouwanttoattachthevirtualdisk. Bydefault,thediskmodeissettoPersistent. 14 ClickPersistenttoverifythediskmodeandclickNext. Youhavecreatedthevirtualmachine. TheHardwaretabforthisvirtualmachineappears.Useittoaddhardware devices. Network Device Configuration Addanothervirtualnetworkadaptertheclusternodeswillusetocommunicatewith eachother.
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To add a virtual network adapter 1 2 3 OntheHardwaretabforthisvirtualmachine,clickAddDevice. ClickNetworkAdapter. FromtheDeviceBindingdropdownlist,choosevmnic1. IfallnodesoftheclusterwillresideonthesameESXServermachine,use vmnet_0forthesecondnetworkadapter.Thisallowsallnodesto communicatewitheachotheronaprivatevirtualnetworkconnectedtothe vmnet_0virtualswitch.
NOTE
ClickOK.
Youhavefinishedcreatingandconfiguringthefirstnodevirtualmachine.

NowyouneedtoinstallWindows2000AdvancedServerinthevirtualmachine. To install Windows 2000 Advanced Server 1 2 3 4 5 6 InserttheWindows2000AdvancedServerCDintheESXServermachines CDROMdrive. Inthemanagementinterface,clicktheblueterminaliconnexttothevirtual machinesnametolaunchtheremoteconsole. Logonusingtheuseraccountthatcreatedthevirtualmachineorasroot. ClickPowerOn. InstallWindows2000AdvancedServeronthediskconnectedto scsi0. Acceptallthedefaultoptionsduringtheinstallation. Youcaninstalltheapplicationsatthistime.NetworkLoadBalancingisinstalled bydefault. 7 8 Whentheinstallationiscompleted,installVMwareToolsintheguestoperating system. RemovetheWindows2000AdvancedServerCDfromtheserversCDROMdrive.

NowthatyouhaveavirtualmachinewithWindows2000AdvancedServerinstalled, clonethisvirtualinsteadofcreatingvirtualmachinesindividually.
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To clone the virtual machine using the management interface 1 Runsysprep.exe,whichisavailableontheWindows2000CDinthe \support\tools\deploy.cabfile. ThisstripsthesecurityIDassignedtotheguestoperatingsystemandresetsthe machineinformationaswellastheTCP/IPnetworkconfiguration. 2 3 4 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. OnthemanagementinterfaceOverviewtab,clickManageFiles. Drilldowntothevmfsfolderandtothevmsfolder. Thismighttaketimetorefresh. 5 6 7 8 9 10 Selectthecheckboxnexttothecluster1.vmdkfile. ClickCopyandclickPaste. Whenthecopyprocessiscomplete,selectthecheckboxnexttothefilecopy of cluster1.vmdk. ClickEditProperties. Changethefilenametocluster2.vmdkandclickOK. ClosetheManageFileswindow.
Thisconcludesthecloningprocess.Nowcontinuewithcreatingthesecondnode virtualmachine
Cloning the Virtual Machine, an Alternate Method

To clone the virtual machine using the ESX Server console 1 Runsysprep.exe,whichisavailableontheWindows2000CDinthe \support\tools\deploy.cabfile. ThisstripsthesecurityIDassignedtotheguestoperatingsystemandresetsthe machineinformationaswellastheTCP/IPnetworkconfiguration. 2 3 4 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. AttheESXServerconsole,logonasroot. Changedirectories:cd/vmfs/vms Thisdirectoryiswhereyoucreatedthevirtualdisk. 5 Createacopyofthevirtualdisk:cpcluster1.vmdkcluster2.vmdk.
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Repeatthiscommandusingadifferenttargetfilenametocreatemorethanone copy. Thisconcludesthecloningprocess.Nowcontinuewithcreatingthesecondnode virtualmachine
Cloning the Virtual Machine to Another ESX Server Machine

Thissectionassumesthatyouareplanningtoruneachnodeofaneightnodecluster onaseparateESXServermachine.TorunadifferentnumberofnodesoneachESX Servermachine,adjusttheprocedure. To clone a virtual machine and move it to another ESX Server physical machine 1 Runsysprep.exe,whichisavailableontheWindows2000CDinthe \support\tools\deploy.cabfile. ThisstripsthesecurityIDassignedtotheguestoperatingsystemandresetsthe machineinformationaswellastheTCP/IPnetworkconfiguration. 2 3 4 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. AttheESXServerconsole(onamachineotherthantheonewhereyoucreatedthe firstnode),logonasroot. Changedirectories:cd/vmfs/vms. Thisisthedirectorywhereyouwanttocreatethevirtualdisk. 5 6 7 8 9 Usetheftpcommand:ftp<first-ESX-Server-Hostname>. Changedirectories:cd/vmfs/vms. Setthetypetobinary:bin. Type:hashon. Retrievethevirtualdiskfile:getcluster1.vmdk. ThistransfersacopyofthevirtualdisktothesecondESXServermachinesVMFS partition. 10 11 Quittheftpsession:bye. Renamethevirtualdiskfile:mvcluster1.vmdkcluster9.vmdk. ThisassumesthatthisESXServermachinewillhostnodes9andup. Repeatthiscommandusingadifferenttargetfilenameifyouwanttocreatemore thanonecopy.
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Thisconcludesthecloningprocess.Continuewithcreatingthesecondnodevirtual machine RepeatStep3Step11oneachESXServermachinethatwillparticipateinthecluster.

To create a new virtual machine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 OnthemanagementinterfaceOverviewtab,clickAddVirtualMachine. KeepthedefaultGuestOperatingSystemselectionofMicrosoftWindows2000 Server. ChangetheDisplayNamefieldtodescribethevirtualmachine,forexample,MSCS Node 2 (Kena). ChangetheLocationofthevirtualmachineto /home/<user>/vmware./cluster2/cluster2.vmx. ClickNext. Choosethenumberofprocessorsyouwanttheguestoperatingsystemtoutilize, upto2. ChangeMemorytoshowtheamountofRAMyouwanttoallocatetothisvirtual machine. ClickNext. ClickExistingtoattachanexistingvirtualdisktothisvirtualmachine. FromtheVirtualDiskImagedropdownlist,choosecluster2.vmdk. ChoosethevirtualSCSInodetowhichyouwanttoattachthevirtualdiskandclick Next.
Network Device Configuration Youneedtoaddanothernetworkadapterthatthe clusternodeswillusetocommunicatewitheachother. To add a virtual network adapter 1 2 3 Onthehardwaretabforthisvirtualmachine,clickAddDevice. ClickNetworkAdapter. FromtheDeviceBindingdropdownlist,choosevmnic1.
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NOTE IfallnodesoftheclusterwillresideonthesameESXServermachine,use vmnet_0forthesecondnetworkadapter.Thisallowsallnodestocommunicate witheachotheronaprivatevirtualnetworkconnectedtothevmnet_0virtual switch. 4 ClickOK.
Youhavefinishedcreatingandconfiguringthenewnodesvirtualmachine. GotothemanagementinterfacesOverviewpage.Bothvirtualmachinesshouldbe listedandshownaspoweredoff. RepeatthisprocedureateachESXServermachineonwhichyoucreatedcopiesofthe virtualdisk.
Configuring the Network Load Balancing Cluster

Youcanclusterupto32nodesusingNetworkLoadBalancing.Eachnodemustbe configuredseparately. To configure the cluster 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 UsingthemanagementinterfaceconnectedtothefirstESXServermachine,launch theremoteconsoleforthefirstnode. Poweronthevirtualmachine. FollowtheWindows2000ServerminisetuppromptstoentertheWindows2000 AdvancedServerserialnumberandthehostnameandIPaddresses. Attheendoftheprocess,Windowsreboots. LogontotheWindows2000AdvancedServervirtualmachineasAdministrator. OpenNetworkandDialupConnections. RightclickthelocalareaconnectiononwhichyouwillinstallNetworkLoad BalancingandchooseProperties. TheLocalAreaConnectionPropertiesdialogboxappears. 8 9 10 UnderComponentscheckedareusedbythisconnection,selecttheNetwork LoadBalancingcheckbox. ClickProperties. OntheClusterParameterstab,configureclusteroperationsusingthese parameters:
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PrimaryIPAddress:Addressfortheclusterasawhole.Thisistheaddress thattheclientswillusetoaccessthecluster. SubnetMask:Subnetmaskofthenetworktowhichtheaboveaddress belongs. Multicast:Checkthisboxtoenablemulticastmode. Allmembersoftheclustermustusethesamesettingforthisoption.When youenablemulticastmode,youmightneedtochangetheconfigurationof yourphysicalLANswitches.ConsultyourLANhardwaredocumentationfor information. RefertoNetworkLoadBalancingHelpfortheremainingoptions.
NOTE
11 12 13 14 15
ClickOKtoreturntotheLocalAreaConnectionPropertiesdialogbox. ClickOKagaintoreturntotheLocalAreaConnectionStatusdialogbox. RightclickthelocalareaconnectiononwhichNetworkLoadBalancingistobe installed,andclickProperties. SelectInternetProtocol(TCP/IP),andclickProperties. SetupTCP/IPforNetworkLoadBalancing. Formoreinformationandlinks,seeRelatedTopicsintheNetworkLoadBalancing Help.
NOTE
YoumustaddClustersPrimaryIPAddresstothelistofIPAddressesbound totheadapter.
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RepeatthesestepsoneachhosttobeusedinyourNetworkLoadBalancingcluster.
Repeatthisprocedureforeachnodethatwilljointhecluster.
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Networking
11
ThischapterguidesyouthroughthebasicconceptsofnetworkingintheESXServer environmentandhowtosetupandconfigureanetwork.Itcontainsthefollowing sections:

! ! ! ! ! !
SettingtheMACAddressManuallyforaVirtualMachineonpage 311 VMkernelNetworkCardLocatoronpage 314 ForcingtheNetworkDrivertoUseaSpecificSpeedonpage 315 EnablingaVirtualAdaptertoUsePromiscuousModeonpage 315 SharingNetworkAdaptersandVirtualNetworksonpage 316 UsingVirtualSwitchesonpage 320
Setting the MAC Address Manually for a Virtual Machine

VMwareESXServergeneratesMACaddressesforthevirtualnetworkadaptersineach virtualmachine.Inmostcases,theseMACaddressesareappropriate.Youmightneed tosetavirtualnetworkadaptersMACaddressmanually.Forexample:
!
Virtualnetworkadaptersondifferentphysicalserverssharethesamesubnetand areassignedthesameMACaddress,causingaconflict. EnsurethatavirtualnetworkadapteralwayshasthesameMACaddress.
ThissectionexplainshowVMwareESXServergeneratesMACaddressesandhowyou cansettheMACaddressforavirtualnetworkadaptermanually.
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How VMware ESX Server Generates MAC Addresses

EachvirtualnetworkadapterinavirtualmachinegetsauniqueMACaddress.ESX Serverattemptstoensurethatthenetworkadaptersforeachvirtualmachinethatare onthesamesubnethaveuniqueMACaddresses.ThealgorithmusedbyESXServer limitsthenumberofvirtualmachinesthatcanberunningandsuspendedatonceona givenmachine.Italsodoesnothandleallcaseswhenvirtualmachinesondistinct physicalmachinesshareasubnet. NOTE AddressesgeneratedbyVirtualCenterorbyVMwareGSXServerareinthe00:50:56 range. AMACaddressisasixbytenumber.Eachnetworkadaptermanufacturergetsa uniquethreebyteprefixcalledanOUI(organizationallyuniqueidentifier)thatitcan usetogenerateuniqueMACaddresses.VMwarehastwoOUIs:oneforautomatically generatedMACaddressesandoneformanuallysetaddresses.OneOUI(00:0C:29)is usedonlyforgeneratedaddressesandtheotherOUI(00:50:56)isusedforboth generatedandmanuallysetaddresses. BecausetheVMwareOUIforgeneratedMACaddressesis00:0C:29,thefirstthreebytes oftheMACaddressthatisgeneratedforeachvirtualnetworkadapterhavethisvalue. ESXServerthenusesaMACaddressgenerationalgorithmtoproducetheotherthree bytes.ThealgorithmguaranteesuniqueMACaddresseswithinamachineand attemptstoprovideuniqueMACaddressesbetweenESXServermachines. ThealgorithmthatESXServerusestogenerateMACaddressisthefollowing: ESXServerusestheVMwareUUID(UniversallyUniqueIdentifier)togenerateMAC addressesandthenchecksforanyconflicts.Ifthereisaconflict,anoffsetisaddedand itischeckedagain,untilthereisnoconflict.(TheVMwareUUIDisbasedonthepath tothevirtualmachineandthehostsSMBIOSUUID.) AftertheMACaddresshasbeengenerated,itdoesnotchange,unlessthevirtual machineismovedtoadifferentlocation,forexample,adifferentpathonthesame serveroradifferentESXServermachine.ESXServersavestheMACaddressinthe configurationfileofthevirtualmachine. ESXServerkeepstrackofallMACaddressesthathavebeenassignedtonetwork adaptersofrunningandsuspendedvirtualmachinesonagivenphysicalmachine.ESX Serverensuresthatthevirtualnetworkadaptersofallofthesevirtualmachineshave uniqueMACaddresses. TheMACaddressofapoweredoffvirtualmachineisnotcheckedagainstrunningor suspendedvirtualmachines.ESXServerdoesnotkeeptrackofyourpredetermined generatedMACaddresses.SoyoucanhavemultipleNICs(ofthesamevirtualmachine
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orofdifferentvirtualmachines)havingthesamepredeterminedgeneratedMAC addressesandyourvirtualmachineswillstartup.TheguestOSmustdetectthese duplicateMACaddresses.EnsurethatonyourLAN,yourpredeterminedaddressesdo notconflictwitheachotheranddonotconflictwiththosethatESXServerhas generated.
Setting MAC Addresses Manually

ToavoidpossibleMACaddressconflictsbetweenvirtualmachines,system administratorscanassigntheMACaddressesmanually.VMwareusesadifferentOUI formanuallygeneratedaddresses:00:50:56.TheMACaddressrangeis 00:50:56:00:00:0000:50:56:3F:FF:FF. Settheaddressesbyaddingthefollowinglinetoavirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
ethernet<number>.address = 00:50:56:XX:YY:ZZ
where<number>referstothenumberoftheEthernetadapter,XXisavalidhexnumber between00and3F,andYYandZZarevalidhexnumbersbetween00andFF.Thevalue forXXmustnotbegreaterthan3FtoavoidconflictwithMACaddressesthatare generatedbytheVMwareWorkstationandVMwareGSXServerproducts. ThemaximumvalueforamanuallygeneratedMACaddressis

ethernet<number>.address = 00:50:56:3F:FF:FF
Youmustalsosettheoptioninavirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
ethernet<number>.addressType="static"
VMwareESXServervirtualmachinesdonotsupportarbitraryMACaddresses,sothe aboveformatmustbeused.AslongasyouchooseXX:YY:ZZuniquelyamongyour hardcodedaddresses,conflictsbetweentheautomaticallyassignedMACaddresses andthemanuallyassignedonesshouldneveroccur.
Using MAC Addresses

FamiliarizeyourselfwithMACaddressesbysettingtheMACaddressstaticallyand removingthevirtualmachineconfigurationfileoptionsethernet<number>.address, ethernet<number>.addressType,and ethernet<number>.generatedAddressOffset.Verifythatthevirtualmachineis assignedageneratedMACaddress. VMwarecannotguaranteethatahoststayswithinaspecificMACaddressrange. However,VMwareguaranteesthattheMACaddressneverconflictswithanyphysical hostbyusingourOUIs(00:0C:29and00:50:56),whichareuniquetovirtualmachines.
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VMkernel Network Card Locator

WhennetworkinterfacecardsareassignedtotheVMkernel,itcanbedifficulttomap fromthenameoftheVMkerneldevicetothephysicalnetworkadapteronthemachine. Forexample,iffourIntelEEProcardsinamachinearededicatedtotheVMkernel, thesecardsarecalledvmnic0,vmnic1,vmnic2,andvmnic3.Thenameofacardis basedonitsorderinthePCIbus/slothierarchyonthemachinethelowerthebusand slot,thelowerthenumberattheendofthename. Ifthereismorethatonetypeofnetworkinterfacecard,thefirstdriverthatisloaded claimsitsvirtualNICs(vmnic)inPCIslotorder,thenextdriverthatisloadedclaims itsvirtualNICs(vmnic)inPCIslotorder,andsoon. Thisnamingpolicyisalsovalidforthefunctionswithinaslotformultifunction devices,forexample,adualportNICwhichoccupiesasingleslotbuthastwo functions:bus1.slot1.function1andbus1.slot1.function2.Thefunctionsareenumerated foreachslotinthesamewaythattheslotsareenumeratedforeachdevicetype.
findnic Command
Ifyouknowthebusandslotorderoftheadapters,youcandeterminewhichadapter haswhichname.Ifyoudont,usethefindnicprogramtomaketheproperassociation ofnetworkadaptertoname. Theformatofthecommandis
findnic <options> <nic-name> <local-ip> <remote-ip>
ThefindnicprogramtakesaVMkernelnetworkdevicename,anIPaddresstogive thedeviceonthelocalmachineandanIPaddressthatfindnicshouldtrytoping. Whenyouissuethecommand,findnicpingstheremoteIPaddress. ThisallowsyoutodeterminewhichadapteriswhichbylookingattheLEDsonthe cardstoseewhichonehasflashinglightsorbyseeingwhetherthepingissuccessful.
Options
-f Doafloodping. -i <seconds> Intervalinsecondsbetweenpings.
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Examples
findnic vmnic0 10.2.0.5 10.2.0.4 BindsVMkerneldevicevmnic0toIPaddress10.2.0.5andtriestopingtheremote machinewiththeIPaddress10.2.0.4. findnic -f vmnic1 10.2.0.5 10.2.0.4 BindsVMkerneldevicevmnic1toIPaddress10.2.0.5,andtriestofloodpingtheremote machinewiththeIPaddress10.2.0.4.
Forcing the Network Driver to Use a Specific Speed

TheVMkernelnetworkdevicedriversstartwithadefaultsettingofAutonegotiate. Thissettingwillworkcorrectlywithnetworkswitchessettoautonegotiate.Ifyour switchisconfiguredforaspecificspeedandduplexsetting,forcethenetworkdriverto usethesamespeedandduplexsetting. Ifyouencounterproblemsinparticular,verylowbandwidthitislikelythattheNIC didnotautonegotiateproperly.Configurethespeedandduplexsettingsmanually. Toresolvetheproblem,changethesettingsonyourswitchorchangethesettingsfor theVMkernelnetworkdeviceusingtheVMwareManagementInterface. To change the settings of the VMkernel network device 1 2 3 4 5 Logintothemanagementinterfaceasroot. ClickontheOptionstab. ClickNetworkConnections. Locatethedeviceyouwanttoreconfigureandchoosetheappropriatesettingfrom thedropdownlistforConfiguredSpeed,Duplex. ClickOK. Thenetworkspeedsettingschangetakeseffectafterareboot.
Enabling a Virtual Adapter to Use Promiscuous Mode

Forsecurity,guestoperatingsystemscannotsettheirvirtualEthernetadapterstouse promiscuousmode.However,youmightneedtousethevirtualEthernetadaptersin promiscuousmode.Toenablethisuse,setthePromiscuousAllowedconfiguration variabletoyes.
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To enable the setting of the PromiscuousAllowed configuration variable 1 ClicktheEditConfigurationtaboftheVMwareManagementInterfaceto determinewhichnetworkthevirtualEthernetadapterisusing. Forthisexample,assumethattheNetworkingsectionofthepageshowsthe adapterisusingvmnic0. 2 Logintotheserversserviceconsoleandtypethefollowingcommand:
echo "PromiscuousAllowed yes" > /proc/vmware/net/vmnic0/config
Thisallowstheguestoperatingsystemsinallvirtualmachinesusingvmnic0to enablepromiscuousmode.Iftheadapterisusingadifferentnetwork,suchas vmnet_0,maketheappropriatesubstitutioninthecommand. 3 Taketheappropriatestepsintheguestoperatingsystemtoenablepromiscuous modeonthevirtualnetworkadapter.
Youmightwanttoallowonlysomeadaptersonaparticularnetworktouse promiscuousmode.YoucanselectivelydisablepromiscuousmodebasedontheMAC addressofthevirtualmachinesEthernetadapter. To set the PromiscuousAllowed variable to no 1 Connecttothevirtualmachinewiththeremoteconsoleandusetheguest operatingsystemtoolstodeterminetheMACaddressofthevirtualEthernet adapter. Logintotheserviceconsoleandtypethefollowingcommand: echo "PromiscuousAllowed no" > /proc/vmware/net/vmnic0/<MACAddress> Inplaceof<MACAddress>,substitutethevirtualEthernetadaptersMACaddress inthestandardformat00:05:69:XX:YY:ZZ.Iftheadapterisusingadifferent network,suchasvmnet_0,maketheappropriatesubstitutioninthecommand.
Sharing Network Adapters and Virtual Networks

InmanyESXServerconfigurations,acleardistinctionexistsbetweennetworking resourcesusedbythevirtualmachinesandthoseusedbytheserviceconsole.This mightbeimportantforsecurityreasons,forexample,isolatingthemanagement networkfromthenetworkusedbyapplicationsinthevirtualmachines. Youmightwanttoshareresources,includingphysicalnetworkadaptersandvirtual networks.Thissectionprovidesinstructionsonsharinginbothdirections:makingthe
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virtualmachinesresourcesavailabletotheserviceconsoleandallowingvirtual machinestosharethenetworkadapterusedbytheserviceconsole. Thissharingismadepossiblebythevmxnet_consoledriver,whichisinstalledwith theserviceconsole. CAUTION VMwarerecommendsthatonlyadvancedusersmaketheseconfiguration changes.Thestepsbelowareeasierforsomeonewhoisfamiliarwith administeringaLinuxsystem. NOTE Ifyoubringdownthelocalloopbackinterfacewhileyouarereconfiguringnetwork devices,theVMwareManagementInterfacedoesnotfunctionproperly.Tobringitback up,usethecommandifconfig lo up.
Allowing the Service Console to Use the Virtual Machines Devices

Allnetworkadaptersusedbyvirtualmachines(thatis,assignedtotheVMkernel)and virtualnetworkscanbemadeaccessibletotheserviceconsole.Virtual networksidentifiedasvmnet_<n>ontheEditConfigurationpaneoftheVMware ManagementInterfaceprovidehighspeedconnectionsamongvirtualmachineson thesamephysicalserver. TogivetheserviceconsoleaccesstoVMkernelnetworkadaptersandvirtualnetworks, installthevmxnet_consolemodule.Whenyouinstallit,youprovidealistof VMkernelnetworkadaptersandvirtualnetworksthatthevmxnet_consolemodule shouldattachto.Forexample,iftheVMkernelhadanadapternamedvmnic1anda virtualnetworknamedvmnet_0andyouwantedtoprovideaccesstothemfromthe serviceconsole,usethefollowingcommandtoinstallthevmxnet_consolemodule. insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic1;vmnet_0 ThedevNameparameterisasemicolonseparatedlistofnamesofVMkernelnetwork adaptersandvirtualnetworks. Whenyouinstallthemodule,itaddstheappropriatenumberofeth<n>devicesonthe serviceconsoleintheorderthatyoulisttheVMkernelnetworkadapterandvirtual networknamesafterthedevNameparameter.Intheexampleabove,iftheservice consolealreadyhadanetworkadapternamedeth0,whenyouloadvmxnet_console withvmnic1andvmnet_0;vmnic1isseenaseth1ontheserviceconsoleandvmnet_0 isseenaseth2. Aftertheeth<n>devicesarecreatedontheserviceconsole,bringtheinterfacesupin thenormalmanner.Forexample,ifyouwanttheserviceconsoletouseIPaddress
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10.2.0.4forthenetworkaccessedthroughthevmnic1adapter,usethefollowing command: ifconfig eth1 up 10.2.0.4 Ifyouwantaneasywaytoseewhicheth<n>devicesareaddedbytheinsmod command,addthetagNameparametertotheinsmodcommand,asshowninthis example:

insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic1;vmnet_0 tagName=<tag>
Inthiscase,thevmxnet_consolemoduleaddsthenamesofeachoftheeth<n>devices thatitcreatedto/var/log/messages.Eachmessagebeginswiththestring<tag>. Todeterminethenamesofthedevicesthatwereadded,usethiscommand: grep <tag> /var/log/messages
Starting Shared VMkernel Network Adapters and Virtual Networks when the Service Console Boots
TherearetwowaystoconfiguretheserviceconsoletostartVMkernelnetworkadapters whentheserviceconsoleboots.Thesimplercaseinvolvessharinganetworkadapter otherthaneth0.Sharingeth0ismorecomplicatedandisdescribedlater. Continuingwiththeexamplefromtheprevioussection,youcanappendthefollowing linesto/etc/rc.d/rc.local:
insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic1;vmnet_0 ifconfig eth1 up 10.2.0.4 ifconfig eth2 up 63.93.12.47
NOTE
Youmightwanttoaddcommandsthatdependonnetworkingtotheendofrc.local (suchasmount -atomountanyNFSentriesin/etc/fstab). Anothermethodistosetupthefiles /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth1and /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth2withtheappropriatenetwork information.MakesuretheONBOOT=lineisONBOOT=yes.Theifcfg-eth1fileforthis examplewouldbe:

DEVICE=eth1 BOOTPROTO=static BROADCAST=10.255.255.255 IPADDR=10.2.0.4 NETMASK=255.0.0.0 NETWORK=10.0.0.0 ONBOOT=yes
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Thelinesyouaddto/etc/rc.d/rc.localwouldbe:
insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic1;vmnet_0 ifup eth1 ifup eth2
Sharing the Service Consoles Network Adapter with Virtual Machines

WhenyouinstallandconfigureESXServer,theVMkernelisnotloaded,sotheservice consoleneedstocontrolthenetworkadapterthatiseth0.WhenyouconfigureESX Server,assigntheadapterthatiseth0totheserviceconsole. CAUTION Tosharetheadapterthatiseth0ontheserviceconsole,becarefulasyou implementthefollowingsteps.ToconfigureESXServerinitially,youmust haveanetworkconnection.Aftertheinitialconfigurationisset,make severalchanges.Atonepoint,thereisnonetworkconnectiontotheservice console,andyoumustworkdirectlyattheserver. AfteryouhavecompletelyconfiguredESXServerandrebootedthemachine,the VMkernelisloaded. To share the Service Consoles network adapter with virtual machines 1 2 3 4 5 UsetheVMwareManagementInterfacetoreconfiguretheserver. OntheOptionstab,clickStartupProfiletoopentheStartupProfilepane. FindthetablerowthatliststheEthernetcontrollerassignedtotheconsoleand clickthelinkIfyoumustreassignthisdevice,clickhere. SelectVirtualMachinesfromtheDedicatedTolist. ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandrebootthemachinewhenprompted. Whenthemachinereboots,nonetworkadapterisassignedtotheserviceconsole, soyoumustdothisstepattheserver. 6 Addtheappropriatelinesto/etc/rc.d/rc.local. Forexample,ifeth0istheonlynetworkadapterthatyouintendtosharebetween theVMkernelandtheserviceconsole,andifitisnamedvmnic0intheVMkernel, addthelines: insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic0 ifup eth0
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IfyouareunsurewhatnametheVMkernelhasassignedtothenetworkadapter thatformerlywaseth0intheserviceconsole,determineitsnameusingthe findnicprogram(seeVMkernelNetworkCardLocatoronpage 314). Thenexttimeyourebootthesystem,thenetworkadapterissharedbytheservice consoleandthevirtualmachines. 7 Tobeginsharingthenetworkadapterwithoutrebootingthesystem,manually issuethesamecommandsyouaddedto/etc/rc.d/rc.local: insmod vmxnet_console devName=vmnic0 ifup eth0
Using Virtual Switches

ESXServerletsyoucreateabstractednetworkdevicescalledvirtualEthernetswitches. Eachvirtualswitchisanetworkhubthatcanbeusedbyvirtualmachines.Avirtual switchcanroutetrafficinternallybetweenvirtualmachinesorlinktoexternal networks. Usevirtualswitchestocombinethebandwidthofmultiplenetworkadaptersand balancecommunicationstrafficamongthem.Theycanalsobeconfiguredtomaintain persistentnetworkconnectionsdespitelinkfailuresforindividualadapters. AvirtualswitchmodelsaphysicalEthernetswitch.Avirtualswitchcontains32logical ports.Youcanconnectonenetworkadapterofavirtualmachinetoeachport. Eachvirtualswitchcanalsohaveoneormoreportgroupsassignedtoit.SeeCreating PortGroupsonpage 190.
Choosing a Network Label

ESXServerusesnetworklabelstorepresentnetworkconnectionstovirtualmachines. Thenetworklabelisintendedtobeafunctionaldescriptorforthenetworkconnection. ESXServerrepresentsbothvirtualswitchesandportgroupstovirtualmachinesby assigningthemanetworklabel. Youcanchangethenetworklabelforaswitchonlywhenitisnotbeingusedbyavirtual machine.
Binding Physical Adapters

Groupphysicaladaptersbybindingthemtogether.Thisisthefunctionalequivalent forNICteaminginESXServer.CertainoptionsyoucanconfigurethroughtheService Consolerefertogroupedadaptersasabond.
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Bindtogethersimilarphysicaladapterswheneverpossible.ESXServerusesonly featuresorcapabilitiescommontoalladapterswhendefiningthefunctionalityofa bondedswitch.Forexample,ESXServercanuseahardwareaccelerationfeaturefora bondonlyifalladaptersinthebondincludethatfeature. HardwareaccelerationfeaturessupportedbyESXServerinclude:

! ! !
VLANtaghandling Checksumcalculations TCPSegmentationOffloading
BindingtogetheridenticalmodelsofphysicaladaptersensuresthatESXServercanuse allfeaturesoftheadapter. Whenyouchooseanetworkconnectionforavirtualmachine,ESXServerlinksittothe associatedvirtualswitch.Theoperationofthevirtualmachinedependsonthe configurationofitsnetworkconnection.Youcannotbindordetachphysicaladapters whileavirtualswitchisbeingusedbyavirtualmachine. Youcanbinduptotenphysicaladapterstoeachvirtualswitch.
Finding Bonds and Adapters in the Service Console

Whenyoubindtogetheradaptersinavirtualswitch,ESXServerassignsabond numberidentifyingthenewlogicalgroupingofphysicaladapters.Youneedthebond numbertoconfigurethebondoptionsdescribedbelow.Check /etc/vmware/netmap.conftodeterminethebondnumberassignedtoavirtual switch. YoumightalsoneedthedevicenamethatESXServerassignstoaphysicaladapter. Certainoptionsusethedevicenametodesignateaspecificadapter.ESXServerdefines devicenameswiththestringvmnic<n>,forwhich<n>isthesameadapternumber displayedforanadapterintheManagementInterface.Forexample,thephysical adapteridentifiedasOutboundAdapter1wouldhavethedevicenamevmnic1. Youcanalsodeterminethedevicenamebysearching/etc/vmware/devnames.conf forthenamedefinition.ThePCIbusaddressoftheadapterintheManagement Interfaceandsearchforthecorrespondingnamedefinition. To find the device name for the adapter at PCI2:4.0: 1 LogintotheServiceConsole.
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Search/etc/vmware/devnames.conf:
$ grep 2:04.0 /etc/vmware/devnames.conf 002:04.0 nic vmnic0
Thedevicenameisvmnic0.
Creating a Virtual Switch

Youcanfindbasicinstructionsforcreatingandmodifyingvirtualswitchesin NetworkConnectionsonpage 188. NOTE Theconfigurationoptionsdescribedbelowareusedforoptimizingvirtualswitchesfor complexoperatingconditions.Youcancreateanduseavirtualswitchwithout changingtheseoptionsformostconfigurations.
Choosing a Load Balancing Mode

YoucanchooseoneofthreemodestodeterminehowESXServerdistributestraffic amongthenetworkadaptersassignedtoavirtualswitch:
! ! !
MACaddressbalancing IPaddressbalancing Standby
Selecttheloadbalancingmodebysettingtheload_balance_modeoptionforavirtual switch.Alloptionsforvirtualswitchesaredefinedin/etc/vmware/hwconfig,which youcanmodifythroughtheServiceConsole. MACaddressloadbalancingdistributesnetworkingtrafficbasedontheMAC hardwareaddressesofthesourcenetworkadapters.SelectMACaddressbalancingby settingload_balance_modetoout-mac. NOTE MACaddressbalancingisthedefaultloadbalancingmodeinESXServer. IPaddressloadbalancingdistributesnetworkingtrafficbasedonIPaddresses.ESX ServerdistributesnetworktrafficnotusingtheIPprotocolonafixedvolume sequentialcycle.SelectIPaddressbalancingbysettingload_balance_modeto out-ip. Standbymodedesignatesaspecificadaptertouseastheprimaryconnection.Use Standbymodeforredundantconnectionswitches,asdescribedinthenextsection.
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To set the load balancing mode for bond1 to IP address load balancing 1 2 3 LogintotheServiceConsoleasroot. Edit/etc/vmware/hwconfig. Definetheloadbalancingmodeforbond1:
nicteam.bond1.load_balance_mode = out-ip
Ifyoupreviouslydefinedtheoptionforthisswitch,changethecurrentmodevalue toout-ip. 4 Savethefileandcloseit.
Configuring the Bond Failure Mode

Youcanselectonephysicaladaptertobetheprimarynetworkconnectionforavirtual switch.Inthisconfiguration,ESXServerroutesalltrafficthroughtheprimaryadapter andreservestheotheradaptersincaseofconnectionfailure.Thistypeofredundant connectionswitchisdefinedasusingafailoverconfiguration. To select a primary adapter by setting the home_link option for a virtual switch 1 2 3 LogintotheServiceConsoleasroot. Edit/etc/vmware/hwconfig. Definetheprimaryadapter. Forexample,tochoosevmnic2forbond1:
nicteam.bond1.home_link = vmnic2
Ifyoupreviouslydefinedtheoptionforthisswitch,changethecurrentmodevalue tovmnic2. 4 NOTE Savethefileandcloseit.
Designatingaprimarylinkforavirtualswitchoverridestheloadbalancingmode.If yousetthehome_linkoption,ESXServerignoresthevalueofload_balance_mode. ESXServermonitorstheprimarylinkforphysicalconnectionfailures.Whenthe primaryadapterlosescontact,ESXServertransfersthenetworktraffictooneofthe secondaryadapterswhilecontinuingtomonitortheprimaryadapter.WhenESXServer detectsthatthephysicalconnectionoftheprimarylinkhasbeenrestored,ittransfers theconnectionforthevirtualswitchbacktotheprimary.
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Thisbasicfailuredetectionmodepassivelymonitorsanadapterforlossofphysical connectiontoanexternalswitch.YoucanconfigureESXServertoactivelysearchfor networkfailuresusingbeaconmonitoring.
Using Beacon Monitoring

Thebeaconmonitoringfeaturebroadcastsbeaconpacketsontheexternalnetwork linkedtotheservertodetectdistributedconnectionfailures.ESXServerissuesbeacon packetsfromoneadapteraddressedtootheradaptersassignedtoavirtualswitch.By monitoringbeaconreception,theservercandeterminethestateofconnectionsina multipointnetworkroute.Youcanconfigurebeaconmonitoringforeachvirtual switchandfortheentireserver. Beaconmonitoringisusedinconfigurationswherethemultipleadaptersassignedtoa virtualswitchareconnectedtomorethanoneexternalswitch.Physicallinkmonitoring indicatesonlywhetheranadapteriscommunicatingwithoneexternalswitch.Beacon failurescandetectconnectionfailuresbetweenexternalswitchesorroutingerrors amongswitchesinadistributednetworkdomain. ESXServerusesbeaconmonitoringasavariableindicatorofnetworkconnection failure.Theserverindicatesaconnectionlossafteritfailstoreceiveasetnumberof broadcastbeaconsinsuccession.Onlywhenthenumberoffailedbeaconsexceedsthe failurethresholdwilltheserveridentifyalinkasdisconnectedandswitchtoanother adapter. Bydefault,thebeaconfailurethresholdissettozeroforeachvirtualswitch.Youcan enablebeaconmonitoringbysettingthefailurethresholdtotwoorgreater. ESXServeralsoletsyoudeterminethefrequencywithwhichitissuesbeacons.Therate atwhichtheserverbroadcastsbeacons,inconjunctionwiththefailurethreshold, determinesthetotalmonitoringintervalbeforetheserveridentifiesalinkasisolated: BeaconInterval(inseconds)XBeaconFailureThreshold=TotalBeaconFailure Interval Yousetthefailurethresholdforanindividualswitchwiththe switch_failover_thresholdoption. To set the failure threshold for bond1 to 2 beacons 1 2 3 LogintotheServiceConsoleasroot. Edit/etc/vmware/hwconfig. Setthebeaconfailurethresholdforbond1:
nicteam.bond1.switch_failover_threshold = 2
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Savethefileandcloseit.
ESXserverbroadcastsbeaconswiththesamefrequencyforallswitches.The SwitchFailoverBeaconIntervaloptionsetsthisvalue.Theserveralsodefinesanoverall failurethresholdforallswitcheswiththeSwitchFailoverThresholdoption,but switch_failover_thresholdoverridesthisvalueforeachindividualswitch. YoucansetthevaluesoftheSwitchFailoverBeaconIntervaland SwitchFailoverThresholdoptionsintheAdvancedSettingspaneloftheManagement Interface.SeeAdvancedSettingsonpage 205. Beaconmonitoringcancausefalseindicationsofnetworkconnectionfailure.External switchesmaytrapbeaconpackets,causingESXServertodeclareaswitchfailurefora connectionthatisfunctioningnormally.Whentheserverswitchestoasecondarylink, trafficfromtheprimarymaystillbetransmittedbecausetheconnectionhasnot actuallyfailed.Thiscanresultinanexternalswitchreceivingduplicatepacketsfrom bothlinks. NOTE ESXServerusesbeaconmonitoringasasecondarymethodtodetectnetworkfailures. Whentheserverdetectsaphysicallinkfailurefortheprimaryadapter,itwillswitchto asecondaryadapterwithoutregardtowhetherbeaconmonitoringindicatesafailed connection.
Configuring External Network Switches

ESX Serverhostallowyoutoconfigureexternalnetworkswitchestoensuretheproper interactionofthehostwiththeexternalnetwork.Thefollowingoptionscanbe configured:
!
IPLoadBalancingWiththisloadbalancingmodeenabled,ESXServermay presentduplicateMACaddressestoanexternalnetworkswitch.Theexternal switchshouldbesetstatic802.3ad(EtherChannel)modetoavoidexternalrouting errors. SwitchFailoverBeaconEtherTypeSetstheEthertypeofmonitorbeacons.You canchangethisvaluesothatyourexternalswitchescorrectlyhandlemonitor beacons. BeaconMonitoringwithMultipleSwitchesAllexternalswitchesconnectedto avirtualswitchusingbeaconmonitoringmustbewithinthesamenetwork broadcastdomain. SpanningTreeProtocolIfanadapterlosesthephysicalconnectiontoanexternal switchthatisusingtheSpanningTreeProtocol,theswitchmayinduceadelayin reconnectingthelinkwhileitappliestheprotocoltocheckforduplicateactive
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connections.ESXServercandetectonlythatthelinkhasbeenphysicallyrestored, butnotthattheportisblockedbytheSpanningTreecheck.
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PortfastModeUsetoreduceerrorscausedbySpanningTreechecks.Ifyou cannotdisabletheSpanningTreeProtocolforanexternalswitch,configurethe portsconnectedtotheservertousePortfastmode.ThisreducesSpanningTree delays,resultinginfewerfalseindicationsoflinkfailures.
Troubleshooting
If,whilebootingyourvirtualmachine,youseeanerrormessagestatingthatthe Ethernetdevicecannotbedetected,checkthefollowing:
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NetworkConnectionspaneBesurethatthecorrectphysicaladaptersare assignedtoabond VMConfigurationpageBesurethecorrectbondisselectedforthespecified Ethernetdeviceandthattheselectedvmnicisnotalreadyassignedtoabond deviceoralreadyinuse.
Maketheappropriatechange(s),andrebootyourvirtualmachinetodetermine whethertheerrormessagepersists.
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12
VMware ESX Server Resource Management
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VMwareESXServerallowsyoutooptimizetheperformanceofyourvirtualmachines bymanagingavirtualmachinesresourceallocations.Youmustbetherootuserto managevirtualmachineresources.Youcancontrolavirtualmachinesaccessto:

! ! ! !
CPUtime Memoryspace Networkbandwidth Diskbandwidth
YoucanmanagevirtualmachineresourceallocationsthroughtheVMware ManagementInterface,fromtheprocfsinterfaceontheserviceconsole,andthe VMwareScriptingAPI.Thefirsttwomethodsarecoveredinthischapter.TheScripting APIisdescribedintheVMwareScriptingAPIUsersManualat http://www.vmware.com/support/developer. Thischaptercontainsthefollowingsections:

! ! ! ! ! ! !
VirtualMachineResourceManagementonpage 328 UsingESXServerResourceVariablesonpage 328 ImprovingPerformanceonpage 329 CPUResourceManagementonpage 331 ManagingVirtualMachineCPUResourcesonpage 336 MemoryResourceManagementonpage 345 ManagingVirtualMachineMemoryonpage 351
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! ! ! !
UsingYourNUMASystemonpage 358 SizingMemoryontheServeronpage 363 ManagingNetworkBandwidthonpage 367 ManagingDiskBandwidthonpage 371
Virtual Machine Resource Management

ESXServerusesaproportionalsharemechanismtoallocateCPU,memory,anddisk resourceswhenmultiplevirtualmachinesarecontendingforthesameresource. Networkbandwidthiscontrolledwithnetworktrafficshaping. CPUandmemoryresourceeachofferanadditionaldimensionofcontrol.ForCPU management,youcanspecifyaminimumandmaximumpercentageofasingle physicalCPUsprocessingpowerforeachvirtualmachine.YoumayalsospecifyCPU sharesandrestrictavirtualmachinetorunonacertainsetofphysicalCPUs(CPU schedulingaffinity).SeeAdmissionControlPolicyonpage 11. Youcanalsospecifyminimumandmaximummemorysizes,aswellasmemoryshares, foreachvirtualmachine.Yourlevelofcontrolisgreatlyimpairedifyoufailtoinstall VMwareToolsineachvirtualmachineorifyoufailtosetuptheVMkernelswapspace. SeeAllocatingMemoryResourcesonpage 25. NOTE Youdonothavetoadjustresourcesforeveryvirtualmachineyoucreate.Determine whichvirtualmachinesareperformancesensitiveandadjustonlythese.
Service Console Resource Management

Theserviceconsolereceives2000CPUsharesandhasaminimumCPUpercentageof8 percent,bydefault.Inmostcases,thisisanappropriateallocation,becausetheservice consoleshouldnotbeusedforCPUintensivetasks. IfyouneedtoadjusttheserviceconsolesallocationofCPUshares,usetheVMware ManagementInterface.SeeManagingtheServiceConsoleonpage 168. Dependingonthenumberofvirtualmachinesyouplantorunconcurrently,wehave approximateguidelinesforthememoryyoushouldallocatetotheserviceconsole.See ServiceConsoleMemoryonpage 46.
Using ESX Server Resource Variables

ThischapterdescribestheparametersyoucanusetooptimizeresourcesonESXServer. AlsoincludedisinformationthealgorithmsandpoliciesESXServerusetodetermine resourceallocation.
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Chapter 12 VMware ESX Server Resource Management
Improving Performance
Beforedeployingallyourvirtualmachines,wesuggestthatyoucreatealistofallthe virtualmachinesyouplantorunonESXServer.Foreachvirtualmachine,identifyits primaryfunctionsandapplications.Basedonitsprimaryfunction,determineits limitingresources.Forexample,aWebserversmostlimitingresourcemaybememory, whileaterminalservicesserversmostlimitingresourcemaybeCPU.Similarly,a databaseserversmostlimitingresourcemaybediskbandwidth. Inthissection,weprovidesomegeneralguidelinesonimprovingperformanceon VMwareESXServer.However,someoftheseguidelinesmaynotbeappropriatefor you,dependingonyourparticularworkplacesituation. NOTE Determinewhichvirtualmachinesaremoreimportantandwhichoneswillbenefit fromadditionalresources.Youdonotneedtooptimizeeachresourceforeachvirtual machine. Forexample,youmightwanttogivemorememorysharesandahighermemory minimumtoavirtualmachineWebserverforPlatinumcustomers,comparedtoa virtualmachineWebserverforSilvercustomersorforaninternalWebserver. NOTE IfyourunseveralvirtualmachineswithsimilarguestoperatingsystemsonESXServer, youwillhaveahigherovercommitmentofmemory,withoutnoticingaperformance degradationinESXServer.Ingeneral,similarguestoperatingsystemsenablegreater memorysharinginvirtualmachines.SeeManagingVirtualMachineMemoryon page 351
Improving Slow Performance

Ifperformanceseemsslow,determinewhethertheslowperformanceappliestoall virtualmachinesonanESXServerortojustonevirtualmachine.
Improving Slow Performance on ESX Server

Ifyounoticeslowperformanceonallyourvirtualmachines,examineCPUusage. Determinehowmuchidletimeeachprocessorhas.CheckoverallsystemCPU utilizationthroughtheVMwareManagementInterface.Iftheprocessorsarenottaxed, andtotalsystemCPUutilizationisunder80%,theproblemisprobablynotCPUusage. IfCPUresourcesarenottheproblem,checkwhethertheVMkernelisswappingout memory.Checktheoutputof/proc/vmware/sched/memfromtheprocfsinterfacein theserviceconsole.Formoreinformation,seeServiceConsoleCommandson page 353.
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IftheproblemisVMkernelswapping,makesureVMwareToolsisinstalled.Placethe swapfileinadifferentphysicaldrivethanthevirtualdisks.Alsoconsideraddingmore physicalmemorytotheserverormigratingsomevirtualmachinesontoanotherESX Server.
Improving Slow Performance on Virtual Machines

Ifslowperformanceisisolatedonafewvirtualmachines,checktheirresource utilizationbeforeexaminingtheserviceconsole. NOTE IfyouseeahighCPUutilizationinaWindows2000SMPvirtualmachine,runthe VMwareIdlerService,availableat www.vmware.com/download/esx/esx2smpidler.html. Determinewhethertheguestoperatingsystemisdoingalotofpaging(swapping).
!
NOTE
InaLinuxguestoperatingsystem,runthevmstatcommand.Seethevmstat(8) manpage. InaWindowsguestoperatingsystem,opentheControlPanel.Doubleclick AdministrativeTools,anddoubleclickPerformance.Checkthevaluefor pages/second.
Ifavirtualmachineispagingalot,increasetheminimummemorysothatexcessive pagingiseliminated.Ifyouareclosetothemaximummemorysize,increasethat resourcesetting.
Optimizing Performance on the Service Console

IftheproblemiswithCPUresources,increasetheCPUminimumoftheserviceconsole anddeterminewhetherthatsolvestheproblem. Youcanalsoimproveperformancebynotconnectingunnecessarilythroughtheremote console.Forexample,unlessyouareperforminganactioninavirtualmachine,close theremoteconsole.Havingaremoteconsolewindowopen,withoutanyactivity,still usesCPUresourcesintheserviceconsole. Tooptimizeperformance,youcanuseotherthirdpartysoftware,suchasVirtual NetworkComputing(VNC)viewerorMicrosoftTerminalServicestoconnecttoyour virtualmachine,withoutconsumingCPUresourcesintheserviceconsole.
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CPU Resource Management

VMwareESXServerprovidesdynamiccontroloverboththeexecutionrateandthe processorassignmentofeachscheduledvirtualmachine.TheESXServerscheduler performsautomaticloadbalancingonmultiprocessorsystems. YoucanmanagetheCPUresourcesonaserverfromtheVMwareManagement Interface,fromtheprocfsinterfaceontheserviceconsole,andfromtheVMware ScriptingAPI. Foreachvirtualmachine,youcandefineaminimumandmaximumamountofCPU thatavirtualmachinecanuse,guaranteeingapercentageoftheCPUresource.Youalso allocateCPUsharestospecifytherelativeimportanceofvirtualmachines. IfyoupurchasedtheVMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerproductandyourguest operatingsystemisSMPcapable,youcancontrolwhetherthevirtualmachinerunson oneortwoCPUsandrestrictavirtualmachinetorunonlyoncertainphysicalCPUs. FormoreinformationontheVMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerproduct,contact VMware,Inc.oryourauthorizedsalesrepresentative. ForinformationonCPUmanagementbyVMwareESXServer,seethecpu(8)man page.
Allocating CPU Resources

ThreeparameterscontroltheallocationofCPUresourcestoeachvirtualmachine:
!
Minimumrate(min) TheminimumCPUpercentagerepresentsanabsolutefixedlowerlimitofasingle physicalCPUsprocessingpower.Thevirtualmachinewillalwaysbeabletouse thisminimumpercentageofaCPUsresources,regardlessofwhatelseis happeningontheserver.Thesystemusesanadmissioncontrolpolicytoenforce thisguarantee.Youcannotpoweronanewvirtualmachineifitcannotreserveits minimumCPUpercentage.
Maximumrate(max) ThemaximumCPUpercentagerepresentsanabsolutefixedupperlimitonthe consumptionofasinglephysicalCPUsprocessingpower.Thevirtualmachine willneverconsumemorethanthismaximumpercentageofaCPUsresources, evenifidletimeisonthesystem.
Sharesallocation CPUsharesentitleavirtualmachinetoarelativefractionofCPUresources.For example,avirtualmachinethathastwiceasmanysharesasanotherisgenerally
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entitledtoconsumetwiceasmuchCPUtime,subjecttotheirrespectiveminimum andmaximumpercentages. Youmayspecifysharesbyspecifyinganumericalvalue,orspecifyinghigh, normal,orlow.Bydefault,thesettingfornormalsharesistwicethatoflow.The settingforhighsharesistwicethatofnormal(orfourtimesthatoflow). Youcanspecifyaminimumpercentage,amaximumpercentage,CPUshares,ora combinationofthese.ThesystemautomaticallyallocatesCPUtimetoeachvirtual machinesomewherebetweenitsminimumandmaximumpercentages,refinedbythe numberofshares.
Admission Control Policy

ESXServerusesanadmissioncontrolpolicy.WhileCPUreservationsareusedfor admissioncontrol,actualCPUtimeallocationsvarydynamicallyandunused reservationsarenotwasted. NOTE IfESXServerisunabletoguaranteeavirtualmachinesspecifiedminimumpercentage, itwillnotallowyoutopoweronthatvirtualmachine.
Specifying Minimum and Maximum CPU Percentages

StartingwithESXServer2.0,youcanspecifyaminimumandmaximumpercentageof CPUforeachvirtualmachine.Theminimumpercentagerepresentsanabsolute,fixed lowerlimitwhilethemaximumpercentagerepresentsanabsolute,fixedupperlimit.A virtualmachinewilluseatleastasmuchCPUtimeasspecifiedbytheminimum percentageandneverusemoreCPUtimethanthespecifiedmaximumpercentage. ForasinglevirtualCPUvirtualmachine,thepercentagerangesfrom0%to100%.For adualvirtualCPUmachine,thepercentagerangesfrom0%to200%. NOTE Setavirtualmachinesminimumfortheminimalacceptableperformance. Forexample,ifoneofyourvirtualmachinesisrunninganimportantapplication,you canspecifyahigherminimumpercentageforthisvirtualmachine,comparedtothe othervirtualmachinesonyourESXServer. NOTE YoucansetCPUpercentagesforsome,orallofyourvirtualmachines.Alternately,you cansetonlyminimum,oronlymaximumCPUpercentages.Youdonotneedtosetboth. Forexample,youplantorun20virtualmachinesonyourESXServermachine,buthave currentlydeployedonlyfivevirtualmachines.Thesefivevirtualmachineswould utilizeanyextraCPUtimethatisavailableontheESXServermachine.However,after
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youdeployanadditional15virtualmachines,thesefiveinitialvirtualmachineswill receiveasmallershareofCPUtimethanwhattheyusedpreviously. Tohavetheusersoftheseoriginalfivevirtualmachinesbecomeaccustomedtothis higherlevelofCPUtime,setamaximumCPUpercentageforthesefivevirtual machinesandlimittheamountofCPUtimetheyreceive.Then,theseuserswontseea differencewhenyoudeploytheadditionalvirtualmachines. NOTE TheCPUpercentage(s)youchooserepresentanabsolutefixedlimitforthatvirtual machine.
Assigning Virtual Machines to Run on Specific Processors

Inmultiprocessorsystems,youcanalsorestricttheassignmentofvirtualmachinesto asubsetoftheavailableprocessorsbyspecifyinganaffinitysetforeachvirtual machine.Thesystemassignseachvirtualmachinetoprocessorsinthespecifiedaffinity settoachievetheCPUallocationsspecifiedbytheminimum,maximum,andshares settingsassociatedwitheachvirtualmachine.Iftheaffinitysetforauniprocessor virtualmachinecontainsasingleprocessor,thevirtualmachineisplacedthere. TheschedulerperformsautomaticloadbalancingofCPUtime.Tooptimizethis automaticloadbalancing,avoidmanuallyspecifyingaffinityforavirtualmachine. Instead,setaCPUminimumtoguaranteetheminimalacceptableperformancefora virtualmachine.SeeCPUResourceManagementonpage 331. NOTE Byspecifyingaminimum(insteadofspecifyingaffinity),ESXServerhasthemaximum flexibilityforautomaticoptimizations. YoucanmodifyCPUsharesandaffinitysetsatanytimeusingtheprocfsinterfaceon theserviceconsoleorusingtheVMwareManagementInterface.Initialvaluesfora virtualmachinecanbespecifiedinitsconfigurationfile.
Using Proportional-share Scheduling by Allocating Shares

Withproportionalshareprocessorscheduling,youcanallocateanumberofsharesto eachscheduledvirtualmachine.CPUsharesarerelative. Forexample,avirtualmachinethatisallocated2000sharesisentitledtoconsumetwice asmanyCPUcyclesasavirtualmachinewith1000shares.Similarly,avirtualmachine thatisallocated200sharesisentitledtoconsumetwiceasmanyCPUcyclesasavirtual machinewith100shares.Thenumberofsharesmayvary,butthefirstvirtualmachine hastwiceasmanysharesasthesecondvirtualmachine.
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Bydefault,thesettingforhighistwicethatofnormal,orfourtimesthatoflow.For example,avirtualmachinewithhighsharescanconsumetwiceasmanyCPUcyclesas avirtualmachinewithnormalshares,orfourtimesasmanyCPUcyclesasavirtual machinewithlowshares.Tochangethesedefaults,seeUsingprocfsonpage 339. Youcanuseproportionalshareschedulingbyitself,orincombinationwithCPU percentages.SeeManagingCPUTimewithPercentagesandSharesonpage 334 Forexample,ifyouarerunningthreevirtualmachines,eachstartswithadefault allocationofnormalshares.TogiveonevirtualmachinehalftheCPUtimeandgive eachoftheothertwovirtualmachinesonequarteroftheCPUtime,assignhighshares tothefirstvirtualmachineandleavetheothertwoattheirdefaultallocations.Because theseshareallocationsarerelative,thesameeffectcanbeachievedbygiving500shares tothefirstvirtualmachineand250toeachoftheothertwovirtualmachines.
Controlling Relative CPU Rates

YoucancontrolrelativeCPUratesbyspecifyingthenumberofsharesallocatedtoeach virtualmachine.Increasingthenumberofsharesallocatedtoavirtualmachinedilutes theeffectivevalueofallsharesbyincreasingthetotalnumberofshares. Theserviceconsolereceives2000sharesandhasaminimumCPUpercentageof8 percent,bydefault.Inmostcases,thisshouldbeanappropriateallocation,becausethe serviceconsoleshouldnotbeusedforCPUintensivetasks. IfyouneedtoadjusttheserviceconsolesallocationofCPUshares,usetheVMware ManagementInterfaceortheprocfsinterfaceontheserviceconsole,asdescribedin thissection.Throughthemanagementinterface,youcanincreasetheminimumCPU percentageorthenumberofCPUsharestoallocatedmoreCPUtotheserviceconsole. SeeManagingtheServiceConsoleonpage 168. NOTE CPUshareallocations,bythemselves,donotguaranteetherateofprogresswithina virtualmachine. Forexample,supposevirtualmachineAisallocatedhighshares,whilevirtualmachine Bisallocatednormalshares.IfbothvirtualmachinesareCPUboundthatis,bothare runningthesamecomputeintensivebenchmarkvirtualmachineAshouldruntwice asfastasvirtualmachineB.IfvirtualmachineAinsteadrunsanI/Oboundworkload thatcausesittostopasitwaitsforotherresources,itdoesnotruntwiceasfastasvirtual machineB,eventhoughitisallowedtousetwiceasmuchCPUtime.
Managing CPU Time with Percentages and Shares

YoucanusebothCPUpercentagesandsharestomanageCPUresourcesforyour virtualmachines.CPUpercentagesspecifyabsolutes,anabsoluteminimumor
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maximumusagebyavirtualmachine.Sharesrepresentrelativeimportanceorpriority. Yousetsharestospecifywhichvirtualmachineswillgetpreferentialtreatmentwhen ESXServerisconstrained. Forexample,virtualmachineAhasaminimumCPUpercentageof20%,anda maximumCPUpercentageof50%,whilevirtualmachineBhasaminimumpercentage of30%andnospecifiedmaximumpercentage.YougivevirtualmachineAhighCPU sharesandvirtualmachineBlowCPUshares. ESXServerinterpretsthisallocationsothatvirtualmachineAwillneverhavelessthan 20%ofasinglephysicalCPU,andvirtualmachineBwillneverhavelessthan30%ofa singlephysicalCPU,inanysituation. However,ifoneormorevirtualmachinesareidling,ESXServerredistributesthisextra CPUtimeproportionally,basedonthevirtualmachinesCPUshares.Activevirtual machinesbenefitwhenextraresourcesareavailable.Intheexample,virtualmachineA getsfourtimesasmuchCPUtimeasvirtualmachineB,subjecttothespecifiedCPU percentages.(Bydefaultthesettingforhighsharesisfourtimesthatforlowshares.) Thatis,virtualmachineAhasfourtimesasmuchCPUtimeasmachineB,aslongas thevirtualmachineAsCPUpercentageisbetween20%and50%.Actually,virtual machineAmightgetonlytwicetheCPUtimeofvirtualmachineB,becausefourtimes theCPUtimeexceeds50%,orthemaximumCPUpercentageofvirtualmachineA.
Using Hyper-Threading
YoucanenableHyperthreadingtoallowasingleprocessortoexecutetwo independentthreadssimultaneously.Whilethisfeaturedoesnotprovidethe performanceofatruedualprocessorsystem,itcanimproveutilizationofonchip resources,leadingtogreaterthroughputforcertainimportantworkloads.
Enabling Hyper-Threading in ESX Server

EnableHyperThreadingwiththeEnableHyperThreadingoptionforyoursystem startupprofile.SetthisoptionwithOptions>StartupProfileintheManagement Interface.SeeStartupProfileonpage 188. YoucanalsoenableHyperThreadingintheServiceConsole. To edit /etc/vmware/hwconfig and set the hyperthreading option 1 2 LogintotheServiceConsoleasroot. Edit/etc/vmware/hwconfig.
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Definethehyperthreadingoption:
hyperthreading = true
Ifyoupreviouslydefinedthisoption,changethecurrentvaluetotrue. 4 Savethefileandcloseit.
Configuring Hyper-Threading Options for Virtual Machines

YoucanconfigurethehtsharingoptionwiththeVerboseOptionsconfiguration panel.Usethecompletenameoftheoption:cpu.htsharing.SeeSettingStartupand ShutdownOptionsbyModifyingtheConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsers Only)onpage 126fordetailedinstructions. YoucanalsoconfigurehtsharingintheServiceConsole,byeditingthevirtual machineconfigurationfileorbyusingtheprocfscommand.SeeEditingtheVirtual MachineConfigurationFileonpage 337orUsingprocfsonpage 339.
Managing Virtual Machine CPU Resources

YoucanmanageCPUresourcesfromtheVMwareManagementInterfaceorfromthe serviceconsole,asdescribedinthefollowingsections:
! !
ManagingCPUResourcesfromtheManagementInterfacenext ManagingCPUResourcesfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 337
Managing CPU Resources from the Management Interface

Youmayalsoviewandchangesettingsfromthevirtualmachinedetailspagesinthe VMwareManagementInterface. To change CPU resources in the VMware Management Interface 1 OntheserversStatusMonitorpane,clickthenameofanindividualvirtual machine. Thedetailspageforthatvirtualmachineappears.
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ClicktheCPUtab.
ClickEdit. TheCPUResourceSettingsdialogboxappears.
Enterthesettingsyouwant,andclickOK.
Youmustloginasroottochangeresourcemanagementsettingsusingeitherthe managementinterfaceorprocfs.
Managing CPU Resources from the Service Console

YoucanmanageCPUresourcesbyeditingthevirtualmachineconfiguration(.vmx)file orusingprocfs.
Editing the Virtual Machine Configuration File

ThefollowingconfigurationoptionsenableyoutomanageCPUresources.
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sched.cpu.shares = <n> Thisconfigurationfileoptionspecifiestheinitialshareallocationforavirtualmachine to<n>shares.Thevalidrangeofnumericalvaluesfor<n>is1to100000.Youcanuse thevalueslow,normal,andhigh.Thesevaluesareconvertedintonumbers,through theconfigurationoptionsCpuSharesPerVcpuLow,CpuSharesPerVcpuNormal,and CpuSharesPerVcpuHigh,describedinthenextsection,Usingprocfs. IfthenumberofCPUsharesisnotspecified,thedefaultallocationisnormal,thatby default,issetto1000sharespervirtualCPU.Thedefaultallocationforauniprocessor virtualmachineis1000sharesor2000sharesforadualvirtualCPU(SMP)virtual machine. sched.cpu.min = <minPercent> ThisconfigurationfileoptionspecifiesaminimumCPUreservation<min>,asa percentage,foravirtualmachine.Thevalidrangeofvaluesfor<minPercent>is0(the defaultminimum)tothenumberrepresentingthetotalphysicalCPUresources.The minimummightbegreaterthan100forSMPvirtualmachinesthatareguaranteed morethanonefullphysicalCPU. NOTE IfESXServerisunabletoguaranteeavirtualmachinesspecifiedminimum percentage(s),youcannotpoweronthatvirtualmachine.Forexample,ifyouhavetwo uniprocessor(UP)virtualmachines,eachhasaCPUminimumof80%,andbothare boundtothesameprocessor,ESXServerdoesnotallowyoutopoweronbothvirtual machines.ThetotalCPUpercentageis160%,greaterthanasingleprocessor. sched.cpu.max = <maxPercent> ThisconfigurationfileoptionspecifiesamaximumCPUpercentage<maxPercent>for avirtualmachine.Thevalidrangeofvaluesfor<maxPercent>is0tothenumber representingthetotalphysicalCPUresources.Themaximummightbegreaterthan100 forSMPvirtualmachinesthatareguaranteedmorethanonefullphysicalCPU.The defaultmaximumis100timesthenumberofvirtualCPUsinthevirtualmachine(100 percentforuniprocessorvirtualmachinesand200percentfordualvirtualCPUvirtual machines). NOTE AvirtualmachinewillneverusemoreCPUtimethanthespecifiedmaximum percentage. sched.cpu.affinity = <set> Thisconfigurationfileoptionspecifiestheinitialprocessoraffinitysetforavirtual machine.If<set>isallordefault,theaffinitysetcontainsallavailableprocessors. ThespecifiedsetcanalsobeacommaseparatedlistofCPUnumberssuchas0,2,3.
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NOTE
ForSMPvirtualmachines,theaffinitysetappliestoallvirtualCPUsonthevirtual machine. cpu.htsharing = <mode> SettingthehtSharingoptionconfigurestheHyperThreadingoperationmodeforthe virtualmachineidentifiedby<id>.Validmodesare:

!
anyEachCPUofthevirtualmachinecansharetheserverslogicalCPUswithall othervirtualmachines.DefaultvalueforhtSharing. noneEachCPUofthevirtualmachinerequiresanentirephysicalCPU(two logicalCPUs)oftheservertooperate.Thispreventsthevirtualmachinefrom operatingwiththesharedsystemresourcesprovidedbyHyperThreadingand canreduceperformance. internalEachCPUofthevirtualmachinecansharelogicalCPUswiththe secondCPUinthesamevirtualmachine,butnotwithCPUsfromothervirtual machines.ThismodeswitchestononeforvirtualmachineswithoneCPU.
NOTE
OnlySMPvirtualmachinescanusemultiplevirtualCPUs.
Using procfs
YoucanalsouseprocfstomanageCPUresources.Usethefollowingcommand: echo <new_value> > <proc_filename> intheserviceconsole,where<new_value>isthevalueyouwanttosetand <proc_filename>isthefullpathnameoftheconfigurationoptionsprocentry.See Examplesonpage 342formoreinformation. NOTE ForSMPvirtualmachines,usethe<id>ofanyofthevirtualCPUstovieworchange configurationoptionsforthatvirtualmachine. /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/min ReadingfromthisfilereportstheminimumCPUpercentageallocatedtothevirtual machineidentifiedby<id>. Specifyingapercentage<minPercent>tothisfilechangestheminimumpercentage allocatedtothevirtualmachineidentifiedby<id>to<minPercent>.Thevalidrange ofvaluesfor<minPercent>is0to100multipliedbythenumberofvirtualCPUs;that is,100percentforuniprocessorvirtualmachinesand200percentfordualvirtualCPU virtualmachines.
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NOTE
IfnotenoughunreservedCPUtimeisavailableinthesystemtosatisfyademandforan increaseinmin,thereservationwillnotbechanged. /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/max ReadingfromthisfilereportsthemaximumCPUpercentageallocatedtothevirtual machineidentifiedby<id>. Specifyingapercentage<maxPercent>tothisfilechangesthemaximumpercentage allocatedtothevirtualmachineidentifiedby<id>to<maxPercent>.Thevalidrange ofvaluesfor<maxPercent>is0to100multipliedbythenumberofvirtualCPUs;that is,100percentforuniprocessorvirtualmachinesand200percentfordualvirtualCPU virtualmachines. /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/shares Readingfromthisfilereportsthenumberofsharesallocatedtothevirtualmachine identifiedby<id>. Writinganumber<n>tothisfilechangesthenumberofsharesallocatedtothevirtual machineidentifiedby<id>to<n>.Thevalidrangeofnumericalvaluesfor<n>is1to 100000.Youcanalsousethevalueslow,normal,andhigh.Thesevaluesareconverted intonumbers,throughtheconfigurationoptionsCpuSharesPerVcpuLow, CpuSharesPerVcpuNormal,andCpuSharesPerVcpuHigh,describedinthissection. /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/affinity ReadingfromthisfilereportsthenumberofeachCPUinthecurrentaffinitysetforthe virtualmachineidentifiedby<id>. WritingacommaseparatedlistofCPUnumberstothisfile,suchas0,2,3,changesthe affinitysetforthevirtualmachineidentifiedby<id>.Writingallordefaulttothis filechangestheaffinitysettocontainallavailableprocessors. ForSMPvirtualmachines,writingtothisfilechangestheaffinityofallvirtualCPUsin thevirtualmachinetothespecifiedaffinityset. /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/hyperthreading ReadingfromthisfilereportstheHyperThreadingstateofthevirtualmachine identifiedby<id>. SettingthehtSharingoptionconfigurestheHyperThreadingoperationmodeforthe virtualmachineidentifiedby<id>.Validmodesare:
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anyEachCPUofthevirtualmachinecansharetheserverslogicalCPUs withallothervirtualmachines.DefaultvalueforhtSharing.
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noneEachCPUofthevirtualmachinerequiresanentirephysicalCPU(two logicalCPUs)oftheservertooperate.Thispreventsthevirtualmachinefrom operatingwiththesharedsystemresourcesprovidedbyHyperThreading, andcanreduceperformance. internalEachCPUofthevirtualmachinecansharelogicalCPUswiththe secondCPUinthesamevirtualmachine,butnotwithCPUsfromother virtualmachines.Thismodeswitchestononeforvirtualmachineswithone CPU.
NOTE
OnlySMPvirtualmachinescanusemultiplevirtualCPUs. /proc/vmware/vm/<vcpuid>/cpu/status ReadingfromthisfilereportscurrentstatusinformationforthevirtualCPUidentified by<vcpuid>,includingthespecifiedsharesandaffinityparameters;andthevirtual machinename,state(running,ready,waiting),currentCPUassignment,and cumulativeCPUusageinseconds. /proc/vmware/sched/cpu Readingfromthisfilereportsthestatusinformationforallvirtualmachinesinthe entiresystem.EachvirtualCPUisdisplayedonitsownline,withinformation includinguptime,timeused,andresourcemanagementparameters. /proc/vmware/config/Cpu/SharesPerVcpuLow Specifiestheanumericalvalueforthelowvalue.Bydefault,thisnumberis500. BecausethisvalueisexpressedinsharespervirtualCPU,theallocationfora uniprocessorvirtualmachineis500shares,or1000sharesforadualvirtualCPU (SMP)virtualmachine. /proc/vmware/config/Cpu/SharesPerVcpuNormal Specifiestheanumericalvalueforthenormalvalue.Bydefault,thisnumberis1000. Forauniprocessorvirtualmachine,thedefaultallocationis1000shares,or2000shares foradualvirtualCPU(SMP)virtualmachine. /proc/vmware/config/Cpu/SharesPerVcpuHigh Specifiestheanumericalvalueforthehighvalue.Bydefault,thisnumberis2000.For auniprocessorvirtualmachine,thedefaultallocationis2000shares,or4000sharesfor adualvirtualCPU(SMP)virtualmachine.
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Examples
SupposethatweareinterestedintheCPUallocationforthevirtualmachinewithID 103.Toquerythenumberofsharesallocatedtovirtualmachine103,readthefile.
cat /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/shares
Thenumberofsharesisdisplayed.
1000
Thisindicatesthatvirtualmachine103iscurrentlyallocated1,000shares.Tochangethe numberofsharesallocatedtovirtualmachine103,simplywritetothefile.Notethat youneedrootprivilegestochangeshareallocations.

echo 2000 > /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/shares
Youcanalsowritetothefilebyspecifyinglow,normal,orhigh.ESXServerwritesthe numericalvalueforthesespecialvalues.
echo high > /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/shares
Thechangecanbeconfirmedbyreadingthefileagain.
cat /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/shares
Thenumberofsharesisdisplayed.
2000
Toquerytheaffinitysetforvirtualmachine103,readthefile:
cat /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/affinity
Theidentifyingnumbersoftheprocessorsintheaffinitysetaredisplayed.
0,1
Thisindicatesthatvirtualmachine103isallowedtorunonCPUs0and1.Torestrict virtualmachine103torunonlyonCPU1,writetothefile.Youneedrootprivilegesto changeaffinitysets.

echo 1 > /proc/vmware/vm/103/cpu/affinity
Thechangecanbeconfirmedbyreadingthefileagain. NOTE TheaffinitysetmustcontainatleastasmanyCPUsasvirtualCPUs;thatis,1CPUfor auniprocessor(UP)virtualmachineand2CPUforaSMPvirtualmachine.
Monitoring CPU Statistics

TheVMwareManagementInterfaceprovidesinformationonthecurrentuseofCPU bythephysicalcomputerandthevirtualmachinesrunningonit.ViewtheStatus Monitortabinthemanagementinterface.SeeFigure 121.
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Figure 12-1. Status Monitor tab TheSystemSummarysectionshowssystemwideinformation.TheVirtualMachines sectionbelowitshowsinformationforparticularvirtualmachines. YoucanreadthecurrentCPUstatisticsforavirtualmachinefromitsstatusfileonthe serviceconsole.Forexample,toviewthestatisticsforthevirtualmachinewithID137, usethiscommand:
cat /proc/vmware/vm/137/cpu/status
Theresultsappearinthefollowingformat:
vcpu 137 wait NONE vm 137 name uptime vmm0:Win2kAS 357.866 cpu 0 affinity 0,1
status costatus usedsec syssec RUN RUN 265.143 3.105 max 200
waitsec 51.783
min 0
shares 2000
emin 72
extrasec 124.758
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Theoutputaboveisshownwithadditionallinebreaks,toavoidwrappinglonglines. Alltimesarereportedinseconds,withmillisecondresolution.Minandmax percentagesarereportedasapercentageofasingleprocessor. Figure 12-2. The columns are described in Table 12-1. Table 12-1. CPU statistics
Name vcpu vm name uptime status Description VirtualCPUidentifier. Virtualmachineidentifier. Displaynameassociatedwiththevirtualmachine. Elapsedtimesincethevirtualmachinewaspoweredon. CurrentVCPUrunstate:running(RUN),readytorun(READY),waitingonan event(WAITorWAITB),terminating(ZOMBIE).Thereareadditionalstatesfor SMPvirtualmachines:readywithpendingcoschedule(CORUN),readybut codescheduled(COSTOP). CurrentSMPvirtualmachinecoschedulingstate:uniprocessorvirtual machine(NONE),readytorun(READY),coscheduled(RUN),codescheduled (STOP). CumulativeprocessortimeconsumedbytheVCPU. CumulativesystemtimeconsumedbytheVCPU. CurrentVCPUwaiteventtype:notwaiting(NONE),idle(IDLE),filesystem (FS),swap(SWPA,SWPS),remoteprocedurecall(RPC),waitingforrequest (RQ),andsoon. CumulativeVCPUwaittime. CurrentVCPUprocessorassignment. ProcessoraffinityforVCPU. Minimumprocessorpercentagereservationforthevirtualmachine. Maximumprocessorpercentageallowedforthevirtualmachine. CPUsharesallocationforthevirtualmachine. Effectiveminimumpercentageallocationforthevirtualmachine. Cumulativeprocessorconsumptionaboveeminbythevirtualmachine.
costatus
usedsec syssec wait
waitsec cpu affinity min max shares emin extrasec
Inthisexample,ID137isanSMPvirtualmachinewithtwovirtualCPUs.Theoutput showsstatisticsassociatedwithitsfirstvirtualcpuvmm0,identifiedasvcpu137,witha configureddisplaynamethatbeginswithWin2kAS.ThevirtualCPUiscurrently runningonprocessor0andiscurrentlycoscheduledwiththesecondVCPUassociated withthisvirtualmachine.TheVCPUhasbeenupforabout358seconds,duringwhich

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timeithasconsumedabout265secondsofprocessortime,includingabout3seconds ofESXServersystemtime(suchasprocessinginterruptsonbehalfofthevirtual machine). ThevirtualCPUisnotcurrentlywaiting,buthaswaitedforatotalofabout52seconds sinceithaspoweredon.Together,bothofthevirtualmachinesvirtualCPUsare allowedtousebetween0and2physicalprocessors(min=0%andmax=200%).The virtualmachinesallocationof2000sharescurrentlyentitlesittoconsumeprocessor timeequivalentto72%ofasingleprocessor.Sincepoweringon,thevirtualmachinehas receivedabout124secondsofCPUtimeaboveitsentitlement,byconsumingextra timeleftoverfromothervirtualmachinesthatdidnotfullyutilizetheirallocations.
Memory Resource Management

VMwareESXServerprovidesdynamiccontrolovertheamountofphysicalmemory allocatedtoeachvirtualmachine.Youcanovercommitmemorysothatthetotalsize configuredforallrunningvirtualmachinesexceedsthetotalamountofavailable physicalmemory.Thesystemmanagestheallocationofmemorytovirtualmachines basedonallocationparametersandsystemload. Youcanspecifyinitialmemoryallocationvaluesforavirtualmachineinits configurationfile.Youcanalsomodifymostmemoryallocationparameters dynamicallyusingtheVMwareManagementInterface,theprocfsinterfaceonthe serviceconsoleortheVMwareScriptingAPI.Reasonabledefaultsareusedwhen parametersarenotspecifiedexplicitly. Youhaveaccesstoinformationaboutcurrentmemoryallocationsandotherstatus informationthroughthemanagementinterface,theprocfsinterfaceontheservice consoleandtheVMwareScriptingAPI. FormoreinformationonmemorymanagementbyVMwareESXServer,seethemem(8) manpage.Youcanalsoviewtheabstractofatechnicalpaperdescribingmemory resourcemanagementatwww.vmware.com/landing/academic.html. IfyouhaveaserverwithNUMAarchitecture,seeUsingYourNUMASystemon page 358.RefertotheVMwareESXServer2NUMASupportWhitePaper,availableat www.vmware.com/pdf/esx2_NUMA.pdfforinformationonsupportedNUMA platforms.
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Allocating Memory Resources

Threeparameterscontroltheallocationofmemoryresourcestoeachvirtualmachine:
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Minimumsizemin Theminimumsizeisaguaranteedlowerboundontheamountofmemorythatis allocatedtothevirtualmachine,evenwhenmemoryisovercommitted.The systemusesanadmissioncontrolpolicytoenforcethisguarantee.Youcannot poweronanewvirtualmachineifthereisntsufficientmemorytoreserveits minimumsize. Setavirtualmachinesminimumfortheminimalacceptableperformanceand abovethethresholdwheretheguestoperatingsystembeginsswappingheavily. Usetheperformancemonitoringtooloftheguestoperatingsystemtoseeifyou areswapping.Forinformationonimprovingguestoperatingsystemperformance, seeImprovingSlowPerformanceonVirtualMachinesonpage 330.
Maximumsizemax Themaximumsizeistheamountofmemoryconfiguredforusebytheguest operatingsystemrunninginthevirtualmachine.Thismaximumsizemustbe specifiedintheconfigurationfileforthevirtualmachine.Bydefault,virtual machinesoperateattheirmaximumallocation,unlessmemoryisovercommitted.
NOTE
Specifyamaximummemorysizeforaguestoperatingsystem,oritwillnotboot.Also, youcanchangeavirtualmachinesmaximummemorysizeonlywhenitispoweredoff.
!
Shareallocation Memorysharesentitleavirtualmachinetoafractionofphysicalmemory.For example,avirtualmachinethathastwiceasmanysharesasanotherisgenerally entitledtoconsumetwiceasmuchmemory,subjecttotheirrespectiveminimum andmaximumconstraints,providedtheyarebothactivelyusingthememorythey havebeenallocated. Youcanspecifysharesbyspecifyinganumericalvalue,orspecifyinghigh, normal,orlow.Bydefault,thesettingfornormalsharesistwicethatoflow. Similarly,highsharesaretwicethatofnormal(orfourtimesthatoflow).
Thesystemallocatesanamountofmemorytoeachvirtualmachinesomewhere betweenitsminimumandmaximumsizesbasedonitssharesandanestimateofits recentworkingsetsize.
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Setting Memory Minimum, Maximum, and Shares

Youcansetamemoryminimum,memorymaximum,andsharestomanagememory resourcesforyourvirtualmachines.Memoryminimumsandmaximumsspecify absolutes,anabsoluteminimumormaximummemoryusagebyavirtualmachine. Shares,ontheotherhand,representrelativeimportanceorpriority.Yousetsharesto specifywhichvirtualmachineswillgetpreferentialtreatmentwhenESXServeris overcommitted. Forexample,virtualmachineAhasaminimummemorysizeof192MB,anda maximummemorysizeof256MB,whilevirtualmachineBhasaminimummemory sizeof256MBandamaximummemorysizeof512MB. YouthengivevirtualmachineAhighmemorysharesandvirtualmachineBnormal memoryshares.Bydefault,thesettingforhighistwicethatofnormal,orfourtimes thatoflow.Forexample,avirtualmachinewithhighshareshastwiceasmanyshares asavirtualmachinewithnormalshares,orfourtimesasmanysharesasavirtual machinewithlowshares.Tochangethesedefaults,seeServiceConsoleCommands onpage 353. ESXServerinterpretsthisallocationsothatvirtualmachineAwillneverhavelessthan 192MBmemory,andvirtualmachineBwillneverhavelessthan256MBmemory,inany situation. However,ifoneormorevirtualmachinesarenotactivelyusingtheirallocatedmemory (forexample,thevirtualmachinesareidling),ESXServercanredistributeaportionof unusedmemoryproportionally,basedonthevirtualmachinesmemoryshares.Active virtualmachinesbenefitwhenextraresourcesareavailable.Inthisexample,because virtualmachineAhashighshares,itcangettwiceasmuchmemoryasvirtualmachine B(lowshares),subjecttothespecifiedmemoryminimumormaximum. FordetailedinformationonhowESXServerdynamicallyredistributesmemory,see AllocatingMemoryDynamicallyonpage 348.
Admission Control Policy

VMwareESXServerusesanadmissioncontrolpolicytoensurethatsufficient unreservedmemoryandswapspaceareavailablebeforepoweringonavirtual machine.Memorymustbereservedforthevirtualmachinesguaranteedminimum size;additionaloverheadmemoryisrequiredforvirtualization.Thusthetotalrequired foreachvirtualmachineisthespecifiedminimumplusoverhead. Theoverheadmemorysizeisdeterminedautomatically;itistypically54MBforasingle virtualCPUvirtualmachine,and64MBforadualvirtualCPUSMPvirtualmachine. Additionaloverheadmemoryisreservedforvirtualmachineslargerthan512MB.
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NOTE
TocreateSMPvirtualmachineswithESXServer,youmustalsohavepurchasedthe VMwareVirtualSMPforESXServerproduct.FormoreinformationontheVMware VirtualSMPforESXServerproduct,contactVMware,Inc.oryourauthorizedsales representative. Swapspacemustbereservedondiskfortheremainingvirtualmachinememorythat isthedifferencebetweenthemaximumandminimumsettings.Thisswapreservation isrequiredtoensurethesystemisabletopreservevirtualmachinememoryunderany circumstances.Inpractice,onlyasmallfractionoftheswapspacemayactuallybeused. Similarly,whilememoryreservationsareusedforadmissioncontrol,actualmemory allocationsvarydynamically,andunusedreservationsarenotwasted. Theamountofswapspaceconfiguredforthesystemlimitsthemaximumlevelof overcommitment.Adefaultswapfilesizeequaltothephysicalmemorysizeofthe computerisrecommendedinordertosupportareasonable2xlevelofmemory overcommitment.Youmayconfigurelargerorsmallerswapfilesoraddadditional swapfiles. Ifyoudonotconfigureaswapfile,memorymaynotbeovercommitted.Youmay configuretheswapfileusingtheVMwareManagementInterface(SwapConfiguration intheOptionspage)orfromtheserviceconsoleusingthevmkfstoolscommand. Youcancreateadditionalswapfilesusingthevmkfstoolscommand.Youshould consideraddingadditionalswapfilesifyouwanttorunadditionalvirtualmachines butyoureunabletodosobecauseofthelackofswapspace.SeeUsingvmkfstools onpage 249.
Allocating Memory Dynamically

Virtualmachinesareallocatedtheirmaximummemorysizeunlessmemoryis overcommitted.Whenmemoryisovercommitted,eachvirtualmachineisallocatedan amountofmemorybetweenitsminimumandmaximumsizes.Theamountofmemory grantedtoavirtualmachineaboveitsminimumsizecanvarywiththecurrentmemory load.Thesystemdeterminesallocationsforeachvirtualmachinebasedontwofactors: thenumberofsharesithasbeengivenandanestimateofitsrecentworkingsetsize. ESXServerusesamodifiedproportionalsharememoryallocationpolicy.Memory sharesentitleavirtualmachinetoafractionofphysicalmemory.Forexample,avirtual machinethathastwiceasmanysharesasanotherisentitledtoconsumetwiceasmuch memory,subjecttotheirrespectiveminimumandmaximumconstraints,providedthat theyarebothactivelyusingthememorytheyhavebeenallocated.Ingeneral,avirtual machinewithSmemorysharesinasystemwithanoveralltotalofTsharesisentitled toreceiveatleastafractionS/Tofphysicalmemory.
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Virtualmachinesthatarenotactivelyusingtheirallocatedmemoryautomaticallyhave theireffectivenumberofsharesreduced,bylevyingataxonidlememory.This memorytaxpreventsvirtualmachinesfromhoardingidlememory.Avirtual machineischargedmoreforanidlepagethanforapagethatitisactivelyusing. TheMemIdleTaxconfigurationoptionprovidesexplicitcontroloverthepolicyfor reclaimingidlememory.Usethisoption,togetherwiththeMemSamplePeriod configurationoption,tocontrolhowthesystemreclaimsmemory.Inmostcases, changesshouldntbenecessary.Forinformationonusingtheseoptions,seeService ConsoleCommandsonpage 369. ESXServerestimatestheworkingsetforavirtualmachinebymonitoringmemory activityoversuccessiveperiodsofvirtualmachinevirtualtime.Estimatesare smoothedoverseveraltimeperiodsusingtechniquesthatrespondrapidlytoincreases inworkingsetsizeandmoreslowlytodecreasesinworkingsetsize.Thisapproach ensuresthatavirtualmachinefromwhichidlememoryhasbeenreclaimedisbeable torampupquicklytoitsfullsharebasedallocationonceitstartsusingitsmemory moreactively.Youcanmodifythedefaultmonitoringperiodof60secondsbyadjusting theMemSamplePeriodconfigurationoption.
Reclaiming Memory from Virtual Machines

ESXServerusestwotechniquesfordynamicallyexpandingorcontractingtheamount ofmemoryallocatedtovirtualmachines:aVMwaresuppliedvmmemctlmodulethatis loadedintotheguestoperatingsystemrunninginavirtualmachine,andswapping pagesfromavirtualmachinetoaserverswapfilewithoutanyinvolvementbythe guestoperatingsystem. Thepreferredmechanismisthevmmemctldriver,whichcooperateswiththeserverto reclaimpagesthatareconsideredleastvaluablebytheguestoperatingsystem.The vmmemctldriverusesaproprietaryballooningtechniquethatprovidespredictable performancethatcloselymatchesthebehaviorofanativesystemundersimilar memoryconstraints.Iteffectivelyincreasesordecreasesmemorypressureontheguest operatingsystem,causingtheguesttoinvokeitsownnativememorymanagement algorithms. Whenmemoryistight,theguestoperatingsystemdetermineswhichpagestoreclaim and,ifnecessary,swapsthemtoitsownvirtualdisk.Theguestoperatingsystemmust beconfiguredwithsufficientswapspace.Someguestoperatingsystemshave additionallimitations.SeethenotesinManagingMemoryResourcesfromtheService Consoleonpage 352.Youcanlimittheamountofmemoryreclaimedusingvmmemctl bysettingthesched.mem.maxmemctloption.Thisoptionspecifiesthemaximum amountofmemorythatyoucanreclaimfromavirtualmachineinmegabytes(MB).
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Swappingisusedtoforciblyreclaimmemoryfromavirtualmachinewhenno vmmemctldriverisavailable.Thismightbethecaseifthevmmemctldriverwasnever installed,hasbeenexplicitlydisabled,isnotrunning(forexample,whiletheguest operatingsystemisbooting),oristemporarilyunabletoreclaimmemoryquickly enoughtosatisfycurrentsystemdemands.Standarddemandpagingtechniquesswap pagesbackinwhenthevirtualmachineneedsthem. Usethevmmemctlapproachforoptimumperformance.Swappingisareliable mechanismoflastresortthatthesystemusestoreclaimmemoryonlywhennecessary.
Swap Space and Guest Operating Systems

IfyouovercommitmemorywithESXServer,besureyourguestoperatingsystemshave sufficientswapspace.Thisswapspacemustbegreaterthanorequaltothedifference betweenthevirtualmachinesmaximumandminimumsizes. CAUTION Ifmemoryisovercommitted,andtheguestoperatingsystemisconfigured withinsufficientswapspace,theguestoperatingsysteminthevirtual machinemayfail. Topreventvirtualmachinefailure,increasetheswapsizeinyourvirtualmachines:
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WindowsguestoperatingsystemsRefertoswapspaceaspagingfiles.Some Windowsoperatingsystemstrytoincreasethesizeofpagingfiles,ifsufficientfree diskspaceisavailable. RefertoyourWindowsdocumentationorsearchtheWindowshelpfilesfor pagingfiles.Followtheinstructionsforchangingthesizeofthevirtualmemory pagingfile.
LinuxguestoperatingsystemReferstoswapspaceasswapfiles.For informationonincreasingswapfiles,seetothemkswap(setsupaLinuxswaparea) andswapon(enablesdevicesandfilesforpagingandswapping)manpagesin yourLinuxguestoperatingsystem.
Guestoperatingsystemswithlargememoryandsmallvirtualdisks(forexample,a virtualmachinewith3.6GBRAManda2GBvirtualdisk)aremoresusceptibletothis problem.
Sharing Memory Across Virtual Machines

ManyESXServerworkloadspresentopportunitiesforsharingmemoryacrossvirtual machines.Forexample,severalvirtualmachinesmayberunninginstancesofthesame guestoperatingsystem,havethesameapplicationsorcomponentsloaded,orcontain commondata.Insuchcases,ESXServerusesaproprietarytransparentpagesharing
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techniquetosecurelyeliminateredundantcopiesofmemorypages.Withmemory sharing,aworkloadrunninginvirtualmachinesoftenconsumeslessmemorythanit wouldwhenrunningonphysicalmachines.Asaresult,higherlevelsof overcommitmentcanbesupportedefficiently. TheESXServerapproachdoesnotrequireanycooperationfromtheguestoperating system.UsetheMemShareScanVMandMemShareScanTotalconfigurationoptionsto controltherateatwhichthesystemscansmemorytoidentifyopportunitiesforsharing memory.SeeServiceConsoleCommandsonpage 353.
Managing Virtual Machine Memory

YoucanmanagevirtualmachinememoryfromtheVMwareManagementInterfaceor fromtheserviceconsole.
Managing Memory Resources from the Management Interface

Youcanalsoviewandchangesettingsfromthevirtualmachinedetailspagesinthe VMwareManagementInterface. To manage memory from the VMware Management Interface 1 OntheserversStatusMonitorpage,clickthenameofanindividualvirtual machine. Thedetailspageforthatvirtualmachineappears. 2 ClicktheMemorytab.
ClickEdit.
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TheMemoryResourceSettingsdialogboxappears.
Enterthesettings,andclickOK.
Loginasroottochangeresourcemanagementsettingsusingeitherthemanagement interfaceorprocfs.
Managing Memory Resources from the Service Console

Youcanmanagememoryresourcesbyeditingthefollowingsettingsinthevirtual machinesconfigurationfile.Toedittheconfigurationfile,usetheconfigurationfile editorinthemanagementinterface.SeeEditingtheVirtualMachineConfiguration Fileonpage 337. memsize = <size> Specifiesthemaximumvirtualmachinesizetobe<size>MB. sched.mem.minsize = <size> Specifiestheguaranteedminimumvirtualmachinesizetobe<size>MB.The maximumvalidvaluefor<size>is100percentofthespecifiedmaximumvirtual machinesize.Theminimumvalidvaluefor<size>dependsontheamountofavailable swapspace.Thedefaultminimumsizeis50percentofthespecifiedmaximumvirtual machinesize. sched.mem.shares = <n> Specifiestheinitialmemoryshareallocationforavirtualmachinetobe<n>shares.The validrangeofnumericalvaluesfor<n>is0to100000.Youcanalsousethevalueslow, normal,andhigh.Thesevaluesareconvertedintonumbers,throughtheconfiguration optionsMemSharesPerMBLow,MemSharesPerMBNormal,andMemSharesPerMBHigh, describedinthenextsection.Ifthenumberofsharesforavirtualmachineisnot specified,theassignedallocationisnormal,withadefaultvalueequalto10timesthe virtualmachinesmaximummemory,inMB.
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Forexample,ifyoucreatedavirtualmachinewithamaximummemoryof256MB,and withitssharessettingsasnormal,thisvirtualmachinehas10times256,or2560shares. Similarly,avirtualmachinewithamaximummemoryof1GBwithanormalshare setting,has10240shares. sched.mem.maxmemctl = <size> Specifiesthemaximumamountofmemorythatcanbereclaimedfromthevirtual machineusingvmmemctltobe<size>MB.Ifadditionalmemoryneedstobereclaimed, thesystemswapsinsteadofusingvmmemctl.Thedefaultmaximumsizeishalfofthe specifiedmaximumvirtualmachinesize. sched.mem.affinity = <NUMA_node> Specifiesthat,ifpossible,allthevirtualmachinesmemoryshouldbeallocatedonthe specifiedNUMAnode.SeeAssociatingFutureVirtualMachineMemoryAllocations withaNUMANodeonpage 362.
Service Console Commands

/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/mem/min Readingfromthisfilereportstheminimummemorysizeinmegabytesforthevirtual machineidentifiedby<id>. Writinganumber<size>tothisfilechangestheminimummemorysizeforthevirtual machineidentifiedby<id>to<size>MB. /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/mem/shares Readingfromthisfilereportsthenumberofmemorysharesallocatedtothevirtual machineidentifiedby<id>. Writinganumber<n>tothisfilechangesthenumberofmemorysharesallocatedtothe virtualmachineidentifiedby<id>to<n>.Thevalidrangeofnumericalvaluesfor<n> is0to100000.Youmayalsousethespecialvalueslow,normalandhigh.Thesevalues areconvertedintonumbers,throughtheconfigurationoptionsMemSharesPerMBLow, MemSharesPerMBNormal,andMemSharesPerMBHigh,describedbelow. Avalueofzero(0)sharescausesthevirtualmachinememorysizeallocationtobe exactlyequaltoitsspecifiedminimumsize,evenifexcessmemoryisavailable. /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/mem/status Readingfromthisfilereportscurrentstatusinformationforthevirtualmachine identifiedby<id>,includingthespecifiedshares,minimumsizeandmaximumsize parametersaswellasthevirtualmachinename,currentstatus,whetherthevirtual machineiscurrentlywaitingformemorytobereserved,currentmemoryusage,
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currenttargetsize,memoryoverheadforvirtualizationandtheamountofallocated memoryactivelyinuse.Allmemorysizesarereportedinkilobytes. /proc/vmware/sched/mem Readingfromthisfilereportsthememorystatusinformationforallnonsystemvirtual machinesintheentiresystemaswellasseveralaggregatetotals. Writingthestringrealloctothisfilecausesanimmediatememoryreallocation. MemoryisnormallyreallocatedperiodicallyeveryMemBalancePeriodseconds.(See /proc/vmware/config/MemBalancePeriodbelowformoreinformation.) Reallocationsarealsotriggeredbysignificantchangesintheamountoffreememory. /proc/vmware/mem Readingfromthisfilereportsthemaximumsizewithwhichanewvirtualmachinecan bepoweredon,admissioncontrolstatusincludingtheamountofunreservedmemory andunreservedswapspaceandthecurrentamountoffreememoryinthesystem. /proc/vmware/pshare/status Readingfromthisfilereportsvariousdetailedstatisticsaboutthecurrentstatusof transparentpagesharing. /proc/vmware/swap/stats Readingfromthisfilereportsvariousdetailedswapstatistics. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/SharesPerMBLow Specifiestheanumericalvalueforthelowsharesvalue.Bydefault,thisnumberis 5.Thisnumberismultipliedbythevirtualmachinesmaximummemorysizetoobtain thenumberofshares. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/SharesPerMBNormal Specifiestheanumericalvalueforthenormalsharesvalue.Bydefault,thisnumberis 10.Thisnumberismultipliedbythevirtualmachinesmaximummemorysizeto obtainthenumberofshares. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/SharesPerMBHigh Specifiestheanumericalvalueforthehighsharesvalue.Bydefault,thisnumberis20. Thisnumberismultipliedbythevirtualmachinesmaximummemorysizetoobtain thenumberofshares. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/BalancePeriod
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ThisESXServeroptionspecifiestheperiodictimeinterval,inseconds,forautomatic memoryreallocations.Reallocationsarealsotriggeredbysignificantchangesinthe amountoffreememory.Thedefaultis15seconds. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/SamplePeriod ThisESXServeroptionspecifiestheperiodictimeinterval,measuredinsecondsof virtualmachinevirtualtime,overwhichmemoryactivityismonitoredinorderto estimateworkingsetsizes.Thedefaultis30seconds. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/IdleTax ThisESXServeroptionspecifiestheidlememorytaxrateasapercentage.Ataxrateof xpercentmeansthatuptoxpercentofavirtualmachinesidlememorymaybe reclaimed.Virtualmachinesarechargedmoreforidlememory,thanformemorythat theyareactivelyusing.Ataxrateof0percentdefinesanallocationpolicythatignores workingsetsandallocatesmemorystrictlybasedonshares.Ahightaxrateresultsin anallocationpolicythatallowsidlememorytobereallocatedawayfromvirtual machinesthatareunproductivelyhoardingit,regardlessofshares.Thedefaultis75 percent. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/ShareScanVM ThisESXServeroptionspecifiesthemaximumpervirtualmachinerateatwhich memoryshouldbescannedfortransparentpagesharingopportunities.Therateis specifiedasthenumberofpagestoscanpersecond.Thedefaultis50pagespersecond pervirtualmachine. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/ShareScanTotal ThisESXServeroptionspecifiesthetotalsystemwiderateatwhichmemoryshouldbe scannedfortransparentpagesharingopportunities.Therateisspecifiedasthenumber ofpagestoscanpersecond.Thedefaultis200pagespersecond. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/CtlMaxPercent ThisESXServeroptionlimitsthemaximumamountofmemorythatmaybereclaimed fromanyvirtualmachineusingvmmemctl,basedonapercentageofitsmaximumsize. Specifying0effectivelydisablesreclamationviavmmemctlforallvirtualmachines. Defaultsto50. /proc/vmware/config/Mem/CtlMax[OSType] TheseESXServeroptionsrestrictthemaximumamountofmemorythatmaybe reclaimedfromavirtualmachineusingvmmemctl,basedonthelimitationsofguest operatingsystemtype.Thevalueisspecifiedinmegabytes.Defaultsto128for OSType=NT4(WindowsNT4.0),2048forOSType=NT5(Windows2000orWindows Server2003),and768forOSType=Linux.
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Monitoring Memory Statistics

TheVMwareManagementInterfaceprovidesinformationonthecurrentuseofRAM bythephysicalcomputerandthevirtualmachinesrunningonit.ViewtheStatus Monitorpageinthemanagementinterface.
Figure 12-3. Status Monitor tab TheSystemSummarysectionshowssystemwideinformation.TheVirtualMachines sectionbelowitshowsinformationforparticularvirtualmachines. Youcanreadthecurrentmemorystatisticsforavirtualmachinefromitsstatusfileon theserviceconsole.Forexample,toviewthestatisticsforthevirtualmachinewithID 103,usethiscommand:
cat /proc/vmware/vm/103/mem/status
Theresultsappearinthefollowingformat:
vm 103 mctl? yes shares 2560 min 131072 max 262144 swapin 13289 size/sizetgt 217300/217300 swapout 18961 ovhdpeak 14508 affinity 0
memctl/mctltgt 39168/ 39168 cptread/cpttgt 0/ 0
swapped/swaptgt 5672/ 5672 shared 38164 active 191756
overhd/ovhdmax 14508/ 55296
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Theprecedingoutputisshownwithadditionallinebreaks,inordertoavoidwrapping longlines.Allmemorysizesarereportedinkilobytes;1megabyte=1024KB. ThecolumnsaredescribedinTable 122. Table 12-2. Memory statistics

vm mctl? shares min max size sizetgt memctl mctltgt swapped swaptgt swapin swapout cptread cpttgt shared active overhd ovhdmax ovhdpeak affinity Virtualmachineidentifier. vmmemctldriveractive?. Memorysharesassociatedwiththevirtualmachine. Minimumsize. Maximumsize. Currentsize. Targetsize. Currentlyreclaimedusingvmmemctl. Targettoreclaimusingvmmemctl. CurrentlyswappedtoVMFSswapfile. TargettoswaptoVMFSswapfile. TotalnumberofpagesswappedinfromVMFSswapfile. TotalnumberofpagesswappedouttoVMFSswapfile. (Resumedvirtualmachinesonly)Numberofpagesreadfromsuspendfile. (Resumedvirtualmachinesonly)Numberofpagestoreadfromsuspend file. Memorysharedthroughtransparentpagesharing. Currentworkingsetestimate. Currentoverheadmemorysize. Maximumoverheadmemorysize. Maximumoverheadmemoryused. (NUMAmachinesonly)Memoryaffinityforthevirtualmachine.
Inthisexample,thevirtualmachinewithID103isrunningthevmmemctldriverandis notcurrentlyblockedwaitingformemory.Thevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouse between128MBand256MBandhasbeenallocated2560memoryshares.Itiscurrently allocatedabout212MB.Approximately44MBhasbeenreclaimedforusebyother virtualmachines38MBthroughvmmemctlandnearly6MBbyswappingtotheESX serverswapfile.Ofthe212MBallocatedtothevirtualmachine,morethan37MBis shared,forexample,withothervirtualmachines.Thecurrentworkingsetestimatefor

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thevirtualmachineisapproximately187MB.About14MBofoverheadmemoryis currentlybeingusedforvirtualization,outofamaximumof54MB.
Cautions
VMwaresuppliesvmmemctldriversforWindowsServer2003,WindowsXP,Windows 2000,WindowsNT4.0,andLinux.Theappropriatevmmemctldriverisinstalledwhen youinstallVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem.Thesystemusesswappingto reclaimmemoryfromvirtualmachinesrunningotherguestoperatingsystemsand fromvirtualmachinesthatdonothaveVMwareToolsinstalled. Themaximumamountofmemorythatthesystemmayattempttoreclaimusing vmmemctlisrestrictedbasedonknownlimitationsofthetypeofguestoperating system.Alternatively,youcanspecifytheconfigurationfileoption sched.mem.maxmemctlmanually.SeethedescriptionoftheESXServeroptions MemCtlMax[OSType]forappropriatelimits.
Using Your NUMA System

ESXServer2.5includesadditionalsupportformachinesthatarebasedonNUMA (NonUniformMemoryAccess)architecture.NUMAmachinesaremadeupof multiplenodes(alsocalledCECsonsomemultiplenodemachines). Eachnodecomprisesonetofourprocessorsandmainmemory.Inanode,eachCPU hasthesamedistancefromitslocalmemory. Eachprocessorcanaccessmemoryonanynode,butaccessingmemoryonadifferent node(referredtoasremotememory)issubstantiallyslowerthanaccessinglocal memorythatliesonthesamenodeastheprocessor.Thatis,thememoryaccessspeed forCPUsonanodevary,dependingonthedistanceofthememoryfromthenode. ForadditionalinformationonNUMAandsupportedNUMAplatforms,refertothe VMwareESXServer2NUMASupportWhitePaper,availableat http://www.vmware.com/pdf/esx2_NUMA.pdf. FormoreinformationonNUMAmanagementbyVMwareESXServer,seethenuma(8) manpage.
NUMA Configuration Information

ThissectiondescribeshowtoobtainstatisticsaboutyourNUMAsystem.
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Obtaining NUMA Statistics

ThiscommandchecksforthepresenceofaNUMAsystem.IfitfindsaNUMAsystem, italsoliststhenumberofnodes,theamountofmemory,andthephysicalCPUsonthe NUMAnode:
cat /proc/vmware/NUMA/hardware
Heresanexampleofwhatyoumightsee:
#NUMANodes:2 Totalmemory:8192MB Node ID MachineMem 0 1 00 01 4096MB 4096MB
ManagedMe CPUs m 3257MB 0123 4096MB 4567
Theabsenceofthe/proc/vmware/NUMAdirectoryindicatesthatthissystemisnota NUMAsystem. TherearetwoNUMAnodes.Thefieldsinthetablearedefinedasfollows:

! ! !
NodeNodenumber. IDHardwareIDnumberoftheNUMAnode. MachineMemAmountofphysicalmemorylocatedonthisNUMAnode, includingmemorythatcanbeusedbytheserviceconsole. ManagedMemAmountofphysicalmemorylocatedonthisNUMAnode, excludingmemoryusedbytheserviceconsoleandtheESXServervirtualization layer. CPUsAspaceseparatedlistofthephysicalprocessorsinthisnode. PhysicalCPUs0,1,2,and3areinNUMAnode0,andphysicalCPUs4,5,6,and7 areinNUMAnode1.
TotalmemorytellsyouhowmuchmemoryisphysicallyinstalledoneachNUMA node.However,notallthismemorymaybemanagedbytheVMkernel,becausesome ofthememoryisusedbytheserviceconsole.
Determining the Amount of Memory for Each NUMA Node

Typethefollowing:
cat /proc/vmware/mem/
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. . . Node Total-/MB 0 836022/3265 1 2621440/10240 Totals
FreeHi/MB 98304/384 2601144/10160 2699448/10544
FreeLow/MB Reserved/MB 737528/2880 34574/135 0/0 0/0 737528/2880
Kernel/MB 190/0 20296/79
Inthisexample,thetotalmemorymanagedbytheVMkernelfortheNUMAnodesis listedintheTotalsrow.Thisamountmightbesmallerthanthetotalamountof physicalmemoryontheservermachine.
Determining the Amount of Memory for a Virtual Machine on a NUMA Node

Typethefollowing:
cat /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/mem/numa
Node# 0 1 Pages/MB 13250/51 0/0
Theprecedingoutputindicatesthatthevirtualmachine,withthespecifiedID,occupies 51MBofmemoryonnode0,andnomemoryonnode1. NOTE Inthisexample,thememoryaffinityissetsothatonlypagesassociatedwithnode0are allocatedforthisvirtualmachine(sched.mem.affinity = 0).Ifmemoryaffinityhad notbeenset,typicallytheoutputwouldhaveshownamoreevendistributionof memorybetweennodes0and1.SeeAssociatingFutureVirtualMachineMemory AllocationswithaNUMANodeonpage 362.
Automatic NUMA Optimizations

Bydefault,ESXServerbalancesvirtualmachinesandtheirrelateddatabetweenthe availableNUMAnodes.ESXServerattemptstomaximizeuseoflocalmemory,that liesonthesameNUMAnodeasthevirtualmachinethatisrunning. ESXServerassignseachvirtualmachinetoatemporaryhomeNUMAnode.The virtualmachinerunsonlyonCPUsinthehomenode,withaccesstoitslocalmemory. Periodically,ESXServercomparestheutilizationlevelsofallNUMAnodesand attemptstorebalancethenodesifonenodehasahigherutilizationlevelthanthe
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othernodes.ESXServerrebalancesthenodesbychangingavirtualmachineshome NUMAnodefromtheoverutilizednodetoanunderutilizednode. WhentheNUMAnodesarebalanced,ESXServeragainattemptstomaximizeuseof localmemory.Formoreinformation,refertothenumamanpage. Youcanalsosetaffinitymanuallyasdescribedinthenextsection.Ifyoudo,ESXServer wontautomaticallyrebalancethenodes,andyoumustbalancetheNUMAnodesto avoidoverloadinganysinglenode.
Manual NUMA Optimizations

Ifyouhaveapplicationsthatusealotofmemoryorhaveasmallnumberofvirtual machines,youmightwanttooptimizeperformancebysettingyourNUMA optimizationsmanually.Formostusers,ESXServersautomaticNUMAoptimizations, shouldprovideyouwithgoodperformance. YoucansettwoNUMAoptionsmanually:
! !
CPUaffinitySeeAssociatingVirtualMachinestoaSingleNUMANode,next. MemoryaffinitySeeAssociatingFutureVirtualMachineMemoryAllocations withaNUMANodeonpage 362.
Typically,tobindavirtualmachinetoaNUMAnode,setthevirtualmachinesCPU affinitytouseonlytheCPUsonthespecifiednodeandsettheNUMAmemoryaffinity tothesamenode. NOTE Ifyousettheseoptimizationsmanually,ESXServerdoesnotautomaticallyrebalance thenodesifonenodebecomesoverloaded.YoumustbalancetheNUMAnodesto avoidoverloadinganysingleNUMAnode.
Associating Virtual Machines to a Single NUMA Node

Youcanimprovetheperformanceoftheapplicationsonavirtualmachineby associatingittotheCPUnumbersonasingleNUMAnode(manualCPUaffinity). (NUMAConfigurationInformationonpage 358.)
!
VMwareManagementInterfaceAssociateavirtualmachinetoasingleNUMA node.ClickEditintheSchedulingAffinitysectionoftheCPUpageforthevirtual machine.ClicktheappropriatechoicesnexttoRunonProcessor(s)andDonot RunonProcessor(s).ClickOK. SeeManagingCPUResourcesfromtheManagementInterfaceonpage 336.
VirtualmachineconfigurationfileAddthefollowing:
sched.cpu.affinity = <set>
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where<set>comprisesCPUnumbersonasingleNUMAnode.Thisentrybinds allvirtualCPUsinthisvirtualmachinetotheNUMAnode. Forexample,typingsched.cpu.affinity = 4,5,6,7bindsthisvirtualmachine totheNUMAnodethathasphysicalCPUs4through7. SeeEditingtheVirtualMachineConfigurationFileonpage 337.

!
procfsinterfaceontheserviceconsole
/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/cpu/affinity
WriteacommaseparatedlistoftheCPUnumbersonasingleNUMAnode.See Usingprocfsonpage 339. NOTE IfyoumanuallysetCPUaffinityusingoneoftheprecedingoptions,ESXServersetsthe virtualmachinesmemorytobeallocatedonthesameNUMAnode.Todisablethis feature,changetheNUMAAutoMemAffinityconfigurationoptionto0(zero).See AdvancedSettingsonpage 205.
Associating Future Virtual Machine Memory Allocations with a NUMA Node

Youcanimproveperformancebyspecifyingthatallfuturememoryallocationsona virtualmachineusepagesassociatedwithasingleNUMAnode(manualmemory affinity).Whenthevirtualmachineuseslocalmemory,theperformanceimproveson thisvirtualmachine.(SeeObtainingNUMAStatisticsonpage 359todeterminethe NUMAnodenumber.) NOTE Specifynodestobeusedforfuturememoryallocationsonlyifyouhavealsospecified CPUaffinity.Ifyoumakemanualchangesonlytothememoryaffinitysettings, automaticNUMArebalancingwillnotworkproperly. Dooneofthefollowing:
!
VMwareManagementInterfaceAssociateavirtualmachinetoasingleNUMA node.ClickEditintheMemoryAffinitysectionoftheMemorypaneforthe virtualmachine.ClicktheappropriatechoicesnexttotheNUMAnodesandclick OK. SeeManagingMemoryResourcesfromtheManagementInterfaceonpage 351.
VirtualmachineconfigurationfileAddthefollowing:
sched.mem.affinity = <NUMA_node>
where<NUMA_node>isthenumberofasingleNUMAnode.
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procfsinterfaceontheserviceconsole:
/proc/vmware/vm/<id>/mem/affinity
WritethenumberoftheNUMAnode.
Binding a Virtual Machine to a Single NUMA Node on an 8-way Server

ThefollowingexampleillustratesmanuallybindingfourCPUstoasingleNUMAnode foravirtualmachine.Youwantthevirtualmachinetorunonlyonnode1. Anexampleoutputofcat/proc/vmware/NUMA/hardwareis:
#NUMANodes:2 Totalmemory:14336MB Node ID MachineMem 0 1 00 01 4096MB 10240MB
ManagedMe CPUs m 1210MB 0123 6143MB 4567
TheCPUsforexample,4,5,6and7arethephysicalCPUnumbers. To manually bind four CPUs to a single NUMA node for a virtual machine 1 Completeoneofthefollowingtobindatwowayvirtualmachinetouseonlythe lastfourphysicalCPUsofaneightprocessormachine:
!
Addthefollowinginthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.
sched.cpu.affinity = 4,5,6,7
IntheVMwareManagementInterface,associateavirtualmachinetoasingle NUMAnodebycheckingtheappropriateboxesnexttoRunonProcessor(s) intheCPUtabofthevirtualmachinedetailspage.
Setthevirtualmachinesmemoryaffinitytospecifythatallofthevirtualmachines memoryshouldbeallocatedonnode1. Addthefollowinginthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.

sched.mem.affinity = 1
CompletingthesetwostepsensuresthatthevirtualmachinerunsonlyonNUMAnode 1and,whenpossible,allocatesmemoryfromthesamenode.
Sizing Memory on the Server

Theseguidelinesaretohelpsystemadministratorsdetermineanappropriateamount ofhardwarememoryforrunningavirtualmachineworkloadonESXServer2.5. Becausethecharacteristicsofyourworkloadalsoinfluencememoryneeds,followup
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withtestingtoconfirmthatmemorysizescomputedaccordingtotheseguidelines achievetheresultsyouwant. ESXServerusesasmallamountofmemoryforitsvirtualizationlayer,additional memoryfortheserviceconsole,andallremainingmemoryforrunningvirtual machines.Thefollowingsectionsexplaineachoftheseusesandprovideaquantitative sizingexample.
Server Memory
ESXServer2.5usesapproximately24MBofsystemmemoryforitsvirtualizationlayer. ThismemoryisallocatedwhentheESXServerisloadedandisnotconfigurable.
Service Console Memory

Therecommendedamountofmemorytoconfigurefortheserviceconsolevaries between192MBand512MB,dependingonthenumberofvirtualmachinesyouplanto runconcurrentlyontheserver:
! ! ! !
192MBfor<=8virtualcpus 272MBfor<=16virtualcpus 384MBfor<=32virtualcpus 512MBfor>32virtualcpus
Themaximumamountofmemorythatcanbereservedis800MB. NOTE Theamountofmemoryrequiredmustalsotakeintoaccounttheamountofmemory requiredbysystemmanagementagentsorbackupagentsthatwillberunninginthe serviceconsole.
Virtual Machine Memory Pool

Theremainingpoolofsystemmemoryisusedforrunningvirtualmachines.ESX Servermanagestheallocationofthismemorytovirtualmachinesautomaticallybased onadministrativeparametersandsystemload.ESXServeralsoattemptstokeepsome memoryfreeatalltimesinordertohandledynamicallocationrequestsefficiently.ESX Serversetsthislevelatapproximately6percentofthememoryavailableforrunning virtualmachines.
Virtual Machine Memory

Eachvirtualmachineconsumesmemorybasedonitsconfiguredsize,plusadditional overheadmemoryforvirtualization.
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Thedynamicmemoryallocationforavirtualmachineisboundedbyitsminimumand maximumsizeparameters.Themaximumsizeistheamountofmemoryconfiguredfor usebytheguestoperatingsystemrunninginthevirtualmachine.Bydefault,virtual machinesoperateattheirmaximumallocation,unlessmemoryisovercommitted. Theminimumsizeisaguaranteedlowerboundontheamountofmemorythatis allocatedtothevirtualmachine,evenwhenmemoryisovercommitted.Setthe minimumsizetoalevelthatensuresthevirtualmachinehassufficientmemorytorun efficiently,withoutexcessivepaging. Youcansetthemaximumsizetoahigherleveltoallowthevirtualmachinetotake advantageofexcessmemory,whenavailable. Overheadmemoryincludesspacereservedforthevirtualmachineframebufferand virtualizationdatastructures.Avirtualmachineconfiguredwithlessthan512MBof memoryrequires54MBofoverheadmemoryforasinglevirtualCPUvirtualmachine, and64MBforadualvirtualCPUSMPvirtualmachine.Largervirtualmachines requireanadditional32MBofoverheadmemoryperadditionalgigabyteofconfigured mainmemory.Forexample,asinglevirtualCPUvirtualmachinewithaconfigured maximummemorysizeof2GBrequires102MBofoverheadmemory.
Memory Sharing
Manyworkloadspresentopportunitiesforsharingmemoryacrossvirtualmachines. Forexample,severalvirtualmachinesmayberunninginstancesofthesameguest operatingsystem,havethesameapplicationsorcomponentsloadedorcontain commondata.ESXServerusesaproprietarytransparentpagesharingtechniqueto securelyeliminateredundantcopiesofmemorypages. Withmemorysharing,aworkloadconsistingofmultiplevirtualmachinesoften consumeslessmemorythanitwouldwhenrunningonphysicalmachines.Asaresult, thesystemcansupporthigherlevelsofovercommitmentefficiently. Theamountofmemorysavedbymemorysharingishighlydependentonworkload characteristics.Aworkloadconsistingofmanynearlyidenticalvirtualmachinesmay freeupmorethan30percentofmemory,whileamorediverseworkloadmayresultin savingsoflessthan5percentofmemory. Todeterminetheeffectivenessofmemorysharingforaworkload,runtheworkload, andobservethesavingsbylookingattheoutputofthe/proc/vmware/memfile. ESXServermemorysharingrunsasabackgroundactivitythatscansforsharing opportunitiesovertime.Theamountofmemorysavedmayvaryovertime;forafairly constantworkload,theamountgenerallyincreasesslowlyuntilallsharing opportunitiesareexploited.
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Memory Overcommitment
Inmanyconsolidatedworkloads,itisrareforallvirtualmachinestobeactivelyusing alloftheirmemorysimultaneously.Typically,somevirtualmachinesarelightlyloaded, whileothersaremoreheavilyloaded,andrelativeactivitylevelsgenerallyvaryover time.Insuchcases,itmightbereasonabletoovercommitmemorytoreducehardware memoryrequirements. ESXServertransfersmemoryfromidlevirtualmachinestovirtualmachinesthat activelyneedmorememorytoimprovememoryutilization. Youcanalsospecifyconfigurationparameterstopreferentiallydevotespaceto importantvirtualmachines. Theminimumsizeforavirtualmachinedefinesaguaranteedlowerboundonthe amountofmemorythatitisallocated,evenwhenmemoryisovercommitted.Youcan alsousememorysharestospecifytherelativeimportanceofdifferentvirtualmachines. Inanycase,youshouldconfigureanappropriateminimumsizeforeachvirtual machinetoensurethateachvirtualmachinecanfunctioneffectively(withoutexcessive paging),evenwhenallvirtualmachinesareactiveconcurrently. Whenmemoryisscarce,ESXServerdynamicallyreclaimsspacefromsomevirtual machinesbasedonimportanceandcurrentworkingsets.Foroptimalperformance,the serverattemptstoreclaimmemoryfromavirtualmachineviaaVMwaresupplied vmmemctlmodulerunningintheguest.Thisallowstheguestoperatingsystemto invokeitsownnativememorymanagementpolicies,causingittoswaptoitsown virtualdiskonlywhennecessary. ESXServeralsohasitsownswapfileandmayalsoswapmemoryfromavirtual machinetotheESXServerswapfiledirectly,withoutanyinvolvementbytheguest operatingsystem.
Example: Web Server Consolidation

SupposethatyouareusingESXServertoconsolidateeightnearlyidenticalWeb serversrunningIISonWindows2000.EachWindows2000machineisconfiguredwith 512MBofmemory.Thenativememoryrequirementwitheightphysicalserversis8* 512MB=4GB. Toconsolidatetheseserversasvirtualmachines,24MBisneededfortheserver virtualizationlayerand192MBisrecommendedfortheserviceconsole.Eachvirtual machinealsorequiresanadditional54MBofoverheadmemory.Anadditional6 percentshouldbeaddedtoaccountfortheminimumfreememorylevel.Assumingno overcommitmentandnobenefitsfrommemorysharing,thememoryrequiredfor virtualizingtheworkloadis24MB+192MB+(1.06*8*(512MB+54MB))=5016MB.The totaloverheadforvirtualizationinthiscaseis920MB.
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Ifmemorysharingachievesa10percentsavings(410MB),thetotalmemoryoverhead dropstoonly510MB.Ifmemorysharingachievesa25percentsavings(1GB),the virtualizedworkloadactuallyconsumes104MBlessmemorythanitwouldoneight physicalservers. Itmayalsomakesensetoovercommitmemory.Forexample,supposethatonaverage, twooftheeightWebservervirtualmachinesaretypicallyidleandthateachWebserver virtualmachinerequiresonly256MBtoprovideminimallyacceptableservice.Inthis case,thehardwarememorysizecanbereducedsafelybyanadditional2*256MB= 512MB.Intheworstcasewhereallvirtualmachinesareactiveatthesametime,the systemmightneedtoswapsomevirtualmachinememorytodisk. ForadditionalbackgroundinformationonESXServermemoryusage,seeMemory ResourceManagementonpage 345.
Managing Network Bandwidth

VMwareESXServersupportsnetworktrafficshapingwiththenfshaperloadable module.Aloadablepacketfiltermoduledefinesafilterclass;multiplefilterinstances maybeactiveforeachloadedclass.Thecurrentreleasesupportsonlyonefilterclass, nfshaper,whichisatransmitfilterforoutboundbandwidthmanagementthatcanbe attachedtovirtualmachinesusingeitheraprocfsinterfaceontheserviceconsoleor theVMwareManagementInterface.
Using Network Filters

ThissectiondescribeshowtousetheVMwareManagementInterfacetoattachand detachnfshaperandobtainstatisticsfromit.Italsodescribeshowtoattach,detach, andqueryfilterinstancesfromtheprocfsinterfaceontheserviceconsole.
Managing Network Bandwidth from the Management Interface

Youcanviewandchangesettingsfromthevirtualmachinedetailspagesinthe VMwareManagementInterface. To change settings from the VMware Management Interface 1 OntheserversStatusMonitorpane,clickthenameofanindividualvirtual machine. Thedetailspageforthatvirtualmachineappears.
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ClicktheNetworktab.
3 4
ClickEdit. TheNetworkResourceSettingsdialogboxappears.
Enterthesettings,andclickOK. Forinformationonthesesettings,seeConfiguringaVirtualMachines NetworkingSettingsonpage 100.
Youmustloginasroottochangeresourcemanagementsettingsusingeitherthe managementinterfaceorprocfs.
Managing Network Bandwidth from the Service Console

Youmustloginasroottochangeresourcemanagementsettingsusingtheprocfs interfaceontheserviceconsole. /proc/vmware/filters/status
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Containsnetworkfilteringstatusinformation,includingalistofallavailablefilter classesand,foreachvirtualmachinewithattachedfilters,itslistofattachedfilter instances.Readthefilewithcattoseeaquickreportonnetworkfilteringstatus. /proc/vmware/filters/xmitpush Commandfileusedtoaddanewtransmitfilterinstancetoavirtualmachine.Writing <id> <class> [<args>]tothisfileattachesanewinstanceoffilter<class> instantiatedwith<args>tothevirtualmachineidentifiedby<id>. /proc/vmware/filters/xmitpop Commandfileusedtodetachatransmitfilterfromavirtualmachine.Writing<id>to thisfiledetachesthelastfilterattachedtothevirtualmachineidentifiedby<id>. /proc/vmware/filters/xmit Thisdirectorycontainsafileforeachactivefilterinstance.Eachfilenamed<class.n> correspondstothe<n>thinstanceoffilterclass<class>. Readingfromafilereportsstatusinformationforthefilterinstanceinaclassdefined format.Writingtoafileissuesacommandtothefilterinstanceusingaclassdefined syntax. NOTE Thecurrentreleaseallowsonlyasinglenetworkpacketfiltertobeattachedtoeach virtualmachine.Receivefiltersarenotimplementedinthisrelease.
Traffic Shaping with nfshaper

YoucanmanagenetworkbandwidthallocationonaserverfromtheVMware ManagementInterfaceorfromtheprocfsinterfaceontheserviceconsole. Theshaperimplementsatwobucketcompositetrafficshapingalgorithm.Afirsttoken bucketcontrolssustainedaveragebandwidthandburstness.Asecondtokenbucket controlspeakbandwidthduringbursts.Eachnfshaperinstancecanacceptparameters tocontrolaveragebps,peakbpsandburstsize. Theprocfsinterface,describedinUsingNetworkFiltersonpage 367,isusedto attachannfshaperinstancetoavirtualmachine,detachannfshaperinstancefroma virtualmachine,querythestatusofannfshaperinstanceorissueadynamiccommand toanactivenfshaperinstance.
Service Console Commands

config <bpsAverage> <bpsPeak> <burstSize> [<periodPeak>] Dynamicallyreconfiguretheshapertousethespecifiedparameters:average bandwidthof<bpsAverage>bitspersecond,peakbandwidthof<bpsPeak>bitsper
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second,maximumburstsizeof<burstSize>bytes,andanoptionalpeakbandwidth enforcementperiod<periodPeak>inmilliseconds.Eachparametercanoptionallyuse thesuffixk(1k=1024)orm(1m=1024k). maxq <nPackets> Dynamicallysetthemaximumnumberofqueuedpacketsto<nPackets>. reset Dynamicallyresetshaperstatistics.
Examples
Supposeyouwanttoattachatrafficshapertolimitthetransmitbandwidthofthe virtualmachinewithID104.Tocreateandattachanewshaperinstance,issuean xmitpushcommandasdescribedinManagingNetworkBandwidthfromtheService Consoleonpage 368.Youneedrootprivilegesarerequiredtoattachafilter.
echo "104 nfshaper 1m 2m 160k" > /proc/vmware/filters/xmitpush
Thisattachesatrafficshaperwithaveragebandwidthof1Mbps,peakbandwidthof 2Mbpsandmaximumburstsizeof160Kb. Tofindthenumberoftheattachednfshaperinstance,querythenetworkfiltering status,whichcontainsalistofallfiltersattachedtovirtualmachines:

cat /proc/vmware/filters/status
Supposethereportedstatusinformationindicatesthatthefilterattachedtovirtual machine104isnfshaper.2.104.Usetheprocfsnodeforthisfiltertoobtainstatus information:

cat /proc/vmware/filters/xmit/nfshaper.2.104
Youcanusethesameprocfsnodetoissuecommandssupportedbythenfshaperclass. Forexample,youcandynamicallyadjustthebandwidthlimitsbyissuingaconfig command:

echo "config 128k 256k 20k" > /proc/vmware/filters/xmit/nfshaper.2.104
Whenavirtualmachineisterminated,allattachednetworkfiltersareremovedand destroyed.Tomanuallyremoveashaperinstance,issueanxmitpopcommandas describedinManagingNetworkBandwidthfromtheServiceConsoleonpage 368. Youneedrootprivilegestodetachafilter.

echo "104" > /proc/vmware/filters/xmitpop
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Managing Disk Bandwidth

ESXServerprovidesdynamiccontrolovertherelativeamountofdiskbandwidth allocatedtoeachvirtualmachine.Youcancontroldiskbandwidthseparatelyforeach physicaldiskorlogicalvolume.Thesystemmanagestheallocationofdiskbandwidth tovirtualmachinesautomaticallybasedonallocationparametersandsystemload.This isdoneinawaythatmaintainsfairnessandtriestomaximizethroughput. Youcanspecifyinitialdiskbandwidthallocationvaluesforavirtualmachineinits configurationfile.Youcanalsomodifydiskbandwidthallocationparameters dynamicallyusingtheVMwareManagementInterface,theprocfsinterfaceonthe serviceconsole,ortheVMwareScriptingAPI. Reasonabledefaultsareusedwhenyoudonotspecifyparametersexplicitly.Toruna virtualmachinethatwillhavediskintensiveworkloads,suchasadatabase,orfile server,youmightwanttoincreaseitsdiskshares. Informationaboutcurrentdiskbandwidthallocationsandotherstatusisavailable throughthemanagementinterface,theprocfsinterfaceontheserviceconsole,andthe VMwareScriptingAPI.
Allocation Policy
ESXServerusesamodifiedproportionalshareallocationpolicyforcontrollingdisk bandwidthpervirtualmachine.Thispolicyattemptstocontrolthediskbandwidth usedbyavirtualmachinetoaccessadiskwhilealsotryingtomaximizethroughputto thedisk. Diskbandwidthsharesentitleavirtualmachinetoafractionofthebandwidthtoadisk orLUN.Forexample,avirtualmachinethathastwiceasmanysharesasanotherfora particulardiskisentitledtoconsumetwiceasmuchbandwidthtothedisk,provided thattheyarebothactivelyissuingcommandstothedisk. Bandwidthconsumedbyavirtualmachineisrepresentedinconsumptionunits.Every SCSIcommandissuedtothediskeffectivelyconsumesoneunitbydefaultand additionalunitsproportionaltothesizeofthedatatransferassociatedwiththe command. Throughputtothediskismaximizedthroughtheuseofaschedulingquantumfordisk requestsfromavirtualmachinetoadisk.Avirtualmachineisallowedtoissuea numberofrequeststoadisk(theschedulingquantum)withoutbeingpreemptedby anothervirtualmachine.Theissuingofamultiplerequestswithoutpreemptionis applicableonlyiftheserequestsaccesssequentialsectorsonthedisk.
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Managing Disk Bandwidth from the Management Interface

Youcanviewandchangesettingsfromthevirtualmachinedetailspagesinthe VMwareManagementInterface.Tochangediskbandwidthsettings,youmustbe loggedinasrootandthevirtualmachinemustberunning. To change disk bandwidth settings 1 OntheserversStatusMonitorpage,clickthenameofanindividualvirtual machine. Thedetailspageforthatvirtualmachineappears. 2 ClicktheDisktab.
ClickEdit. TheDiskResourceSettingsdialogboxappears.
Specifythesharesvalue,andclickOK.
Configuration File Options

Youcanedittheconfigurationfileusingatexteditorontheserviceconsoleorthrough themanagementinterface.
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To edit configurations parameters in the management interface 1 2 3 4 ClickthearrowtotherightoftheterminaliconandselectConfigureOptionsin theVirtualMachinemenu. IntheOptionspane,intheVerboseOptionssection,clickhere. ClickAddtoaddanewconfigurationparameterorclickinthetextfieldtoeditan existingparameter. ClickOK.
Ifyoueditavirtualmachinesconfigurationfilebyhand,usethefollowingformatsto controldiskbandwidthallocationforthevirtualmachine:
scsi0:1.name = <fsname>:<diskname>.vmdk
ThisisthestandardformatforspecifyingtheVMFSfileunderlyingavirtualdisk:
sched.scsi0:1.shares = n
Thisconfigurationoptionspecifiestheinitialdiskbandwidthshareallocationfora virtualmachineforthediskscsi0:1tobenshares.Thevalidrangeofnumerical valuesfornis1to100000.Youcanalsousethespecialvalueslow,normal,andhigh. Thesevaluesareconvertedintonumbers,throughtheconfigurationoptions DiskSharesLow,DiskSharesNormalandDiskSharesHigh,describedinthenext section.Ifthenumberofsharesforadiskisnotspecified,theassignedallocationis normal,withadefaultvalueof1000shares. NOTE Itispossibleforaconfigurationfiletohavemultiplelinesspecifyingthenumberof shares.Ifthishappens,thelastvaluespecifiedisused.
Configuration File Examples

scsi0.virtualdev = vmxbuslogic scsi0:1.present = TRUE scsi0:1.name = vmhba0:2:0:5:rh6.2.vmdk scsi0:1.mode = persistent sched.scsi0:1.shares = high scsi0:2.present = TRUE scsi0:2.name = scratchfs:scratch1.vmdk sched.scsi0:2.shares = 800
Intheexampleabove,thefirstfourlinesinthefirstgroupandthefirsttwolinesinthe secondgrouparepresentintheconfigurationfilebeforeyoumakeyourchanges.The finallineineachgroupistheaddedlinetospecifythediskbandwidthallocation.
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Managing Disk Bandwidth from the Service Console

Usethefollowingguidelinesfortheserviceconsolecommandstomonitorandmanage allocationofdiskbandwidthonanESXServercomputer. /proc/vmware/vm/<id>/disk/vmhba<x:y:z> Readingfromthisfilereportsthenumberofdiskbandwidthsharesallocatedtothe virtualmachineidentifiedby<id>forthediskidentifiedbyvmhba<x:y:z>.Italso reportsdiskusagestatistics. Writinganumber<n>tothisfilechangesthenumberofdiskbandwidthshares allocatedtothevirtualmachineidentifiedby<id>to<n>.Thevalidrangeofvaluesfor <n>is0to100000.Youcanalsousethevalueslow,normal,andhigh.Thesevaluesare convertedintonumbers,throughtheconfigurationoptionsDiskSharesLow, DiskSharesNormal,andDiskSharesHigh,describedinthissection. /proc/vmware/config/Disk/SchedNumReqOutstanding Specifiesthenumberofoutstandingcommandsallowedtoadiskwhenthereare multiplevirtualmachinescompetingforbandwidth.Thedefaultvalueis16;thevalid rangeofnumericvaluesisfrom1to256.Selectinganumberlargerthan16mightaffect theabilityofESXServertoprovidefairallocationofdiskbandwidth. /proc/vmware/config/Disk/SchedQuantum Specifiesthenumberofsequentialrequeststhatavirtualmachinesmayissuetoadisk, withoutbeingpreemptedbyanothervirtualmachine.Thedefaultvalueis8;thevalid rangeofnumericvaluesisfrom1to64. /proc/vmware/config/Disk/SharesLow Thisoptionspecifiestheanumericalvalueforthelowsharesvalue.Bydefault,this numberis500. /proc/vmware/config/Disk/SharesNormal Specifiestheanumericalvalueforthenormalsharesvalue.Bydefault,thisnumberis 1000. /proc/vmware/config/Disk/SharesHigh Specifiestheanumericalvalueforthehighsharesvalue.Bydefault,thisnumberis 2000.
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Index
Index
A
Access SNMP controls 230 access to configuration file 181 Accessibility of virtual disks 264 activation policy swap file 204 adapters running vmkpcidivy after changing 185 Affinity set 333 Apache server and the VMware Management Interface 138 API VmPerl 52, 153 Append disk mode 110 ASCII characters 39, 81 Authentication 180 availability report 213
Build number 164 bus sharing 265266
C
capacity swap file 203 CD-ROM attaching to image file 117 Clone virtual machine 287, 294, 304, 305, 306 Clustering and FAStT storage 309 and SCSI reservation 301 and shared disks 283 basic configuration types 281 configuration to use Microsoft Cluster Service 284, 292 consolidating to ESX Server machine 282 description 279 network adapters needed for 283 on a single ESX Server machine 281 on multiple ESX Server machines 281 sharing virtual disks 264 using an ESX Server machine as a standby host 282 Color depth 111 Command Linux 170177, 180
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B
Backup 151 creating stable disk images for 153 Beacon monitoring 324 Bind Outbound Adapters list 189 binding adapters 320 Bootup, loading VMkernel device modules 243
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passing from console operating system to guest 52 Commit 253 Communication from console operating system to guest 52 Configuration SNMP agent 230 virtual machine 40, 73, 140 Configuration options for SANs 267269 Configuring a Virtual Machines Startup and Shutdown Options 124 Console operating system 167 Copy in file manager 142 text 165 cp 246 CPU affinity set 333 maximum percentage 331 minimum percentage 331 monitoring with SNMP 224 scheduling virtual machine use of 331 shares 331 CPU resources 331 managing from the management interface 336 managing from the service console 337 CPU statistics 342345 Cut in file manager 142 text 165
notes on adding and removing adapters 185 DHCP 168 Directories managing remotely 141 Directory creating 144 Disk bandwidth managing from the management interface 372 managing from the service console 374 Disk bandwidth management 371 Disk mode 42, 110, 135 append 42, 110 nonpersistent 42, 110 persistent 42, 110 undoable 42, 110 Disks monitoring with SNMP 224 SCSI target IDs 263 shared in clustering configuration 283 using vmkfstools to manipulate files on 249 Display name for virtual machine 40
E
Edit configuration open from file manager 142 ESX Server, configuring 137 Export virtual machine 68, 163, 252
D
Debug monitor 123 Devices 184 devices
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F
Failover 277 failover policies, configuring 202 Failover switches 323
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FAStT storage configuring for failover in a cluster 309 File manager 141 cut, copy and paste 142 renaming files and folders 143 setting permissions 143 Files managing remotely 141 Filters network 367 findnic 169, 314 Floppy disk image file 118 Folder creating 144 For 201 FTP 246 TCP/IP port 183
TCP/IP port 183 HTTPS TCP/IP port 183 Hyper-Threading 97 enabling 335 htSharing option 336 Startup Profile 188 using 335 virtual machines 336
I
ID virtual machine 86 Import virtual machine 252 Installation of guest operating system 43 of Microsoft Cluster Service 290 of software in a virtual machine 164 of the SNMP agent 226229 Internet Explorer 6.0 and management interface 82, 156 Interrupt clustering and network performance 320 parameters 320 ISO disc image file 117
G
Gigabit Ethernet 108 Guest operating system and SNMP 231 installing 43 setting in configuration 40 Guest operating system service 49 Linux reboot commands 51 shutting down and restarting a virtual machine 50
K
Knowledge base 21
H
Heartbeat 281 monitoring with SNMP 225 host bus adapters running vmkpcidivy after changing 185 htSharing option 336 HTTP
L
Legacy mode virtual machines 63 Linux installing VMware Tools in 47 Load balancing 322 logs 209 availability report 213
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service console messages 212 VMkernel messages 211 VMkernel warnings 210 LUN 201 LUNs detecting 268 setting multipathing policy for 275 VMFS volumes on 251
managing from the service console 352 Memory statistics 356358 Message passing from console operating system to guest 52 Microsoft Cluster Service 279 configuring cluster to use 284, 292 installing 290 Migration older ESX Server virtual machines 62 MIME type, setting 139 Multipathing 272277 Multiprocessor virtual machines 60, 61
M
MAC address setting manually 311 machine.id 52 Management CPU resources 331 disk bandwidth 371 memory resources 345 network bandwidth 367 registering virtual machines 69 remote management software 69 setting MIME type in browser 139 TCP/IP ports used 182 VMware Management Interface 80 Management Interface Startup Profile 335 Media changer SCSI ID 184 Memory 363 maximum size 346 minimum size 346 monitoring with SNMP 224 reclaiming unused 349 resource management 345 shares 346 Memory resources 345 managing from the management interface 351
N
NDIS.SYS 47 Network adapters for clustering configuration 283 bandwidth management 367 bandwidth, managing from management interface 367 bandwidth, managing from service console 368 driver in virtual machine 65 installing driver in virtual machine 44 locating adapter in use 314 MAC address 311 monitoring with SNMP 224 performance tuning 320 setting virtual adapter to promiscuous mode 315 shaping traffic 369 sharing adapters 316 using Gigabit Ethernet 108 virtual 316
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Index
vmnet adapter 108 vmnic adapter 107 Network driver manual speed settings 315 vlance 108 vmxnet 108 Network label 320 NFS 246 nfshaper 243 NIC teaming ??326 Node in clustering configuration 279 Nonpersistent disk mode 110 NUMA node 358363 automatic optimization 360 manual optimization 361363
Primary adapter 323 proc interface 178179 Processor affinity set 333 scheduling virtual machine use of 331 SMP virtual machines 61 virtual 61 Promiscuous mode 315 PXE boot 53
R
RAID file system management 245 Raw disks 261263 raw disks 204 Register virtual machines 69 Remote console 87 color depth setting 111 enabling users to view virtual machines 185 installing 70 using 155 Remote management 69 Rename using the file manager 143 Repeatable resume 126 Reservation SCSI, in clustering configuration 301 Restart using guest operating system service 50 Resume 89, 165 repeatable 90
O
Other Outbound Adapters list 189
P
PAM configuration location 181 Paste in file manager 142 text 165 pbind.pl script 272 Performance network 320 Permissions 182 changing in file manager 143 VMware Management Interface 80 Persistent disk mode 110 Persistent bindings 270 portmap TCP/IP port 183
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S
SANs 266270 configuration options 267269 persistent bindings 270 troubleshooting 269270 scp 246 Scripts running during power state changes 71 VMware Tools and 162 SCSI 264 bus sharing 265266 file system management 245 reservation in clustering configuration 301 target IDs 263 SCSI disk reservation 301 Security 180 SNMP 231 Server shutting down 221 service console 246 DHCP 168 managing CPU resources 337 managing disk bandwidth 374 managing memory resources 352 managing network bandwidth 368 memory 364 service console messages 212 session lengths VMware Management Interface 81 Set up Microsoft Cluster Service 290 Setting Startup and Shutdown Options for a Virtual Machine 123 Shaping network traffic 369 Shares
CPU 331 memory 346 of CPU time 333 Sharing disks in clustering configuration 283 virtual disks 264 sharing the SCSI bus 264 Shut down server 221 using guest operating system service 50 virtual machine 166 Sizing memory 363 sizing for the server 363 SleepWhenIdle 74 SMBIOS modifying the UUID 75 SMP virtual machines 60 Snapshots of virtual disks for backup 153 SNMP 223 access controls 230 and guest operating systems 231 and VMware Tools 225 configuring management software 230 configuring the agent 230 installing the agent 226229 location of the VMware sub-tree 224 security 231 traps 225 variables 231238 SNMP agent, starting 229 snmpd daemon 226 Software installing in a virtual machine 164
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Index
Speed setting for network driver 315 SSH TCP/IP port 183 Startup Profile Hyper-Threading 335 String passing from console operating system to guest 52 Suspend 89, 165 location of suspended state file 123 swap file activation policy 204 capacity 203 name 203 volume 203 Switches virtual 320 system logs 209
U
Undoable disk mode 110 User groups 21 UUID modifying 75
V
Variables SNMP 231238 Verbose Options Hyper-Threading 336 Veritas Cluster Service 279 Virtual disk 41 exporting 68, 163 sharing 264 Virtual Machine multiprocessor 60 Virtual machine backing up 151 cloning 287, 294, 304, 305, 306 configuring 73 creating 39 deleting from VMware Management Interface 136137 display name 40 exporting 252 Hyper-Threading 97 ID number 86 importing 252 legacy mode 63 monitoring with SNMP 224 registering 69 shutting down 166 SMP 60 suspending and resuming 89 viewing through remote
381
T
Tape drive 184 adding to virtual machine 121 assigning to virtual machines or service console 152 SCSI ID 184 TCP/IP ports used for management access 182 Telnet TCP/IP port 183 Time synchronizing between guest and console operating systems 50 Troubleshooting virtual switches 326 troubleshooting SANs 269270
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console 185 Virtual Machine Wizard 40 Virtual machines special power options 157 Virtual network 316 Virtual switches 320 beacon monitoring 324 failover 323 load balancing 322 vlance network driver 108 VMFS 249 default block size 251 extending a VMFS-2 volume across multiple partitions 254 maximum number of files 251 maximum number per LUN 251 migrating from VMFS-1 to VMFS2 258 mounting 246 naming 247, 253 VMFS-2 converting to 199, 201 VMkernel device modules 239 loading during bootup 243 VMkernel messages 211 VMkernel warnings 210 vmkfstools 249 activating a swap file 258 attributes of a VMFS volume or raw device mapping 251 commit a redo log 253 creating a file on a SCSI device 252 creating a VMFS volume 251 creating and resizing swap files 257 deactivating a swap file 258 display disk geometry for Workstation or GSX Server virtual disk 255
382
example commands 259 export contents of file to a virtual disk 252 extend a VMFS volume 256 extend an existing logical VMFS-2 volume 254 import contents of virtual, plain or raw disks to the service console 252 log files and troubleshooting 250 mapping a raw device or partition to a file 255 migrating from VMFS-1 to VMFS2 258 recovering a locked VMFS volume 256 scan a specified vmhba adapter 257 SCSI reservations of physical targets or LUNs 256 set the VMFS volume to a specified mode 254 syntax 249 vmkload_mod 170, 240 vmkpcidivy running after changing adapters 185 vm-list 69, 181 vmnet network adapter 108 vmnic network adapter 107 VMware community forums 21 VMware GSX Server migrating virtual machines 63 VMware guest operating system service VMware Tools 49 VMware Management Interface 80140 and Apache server 138 ASCII characters 39, 81 attaching VMware Remote Console 86
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Index
browsers required 84 changing virtual machine power state 88 configuration options 122 configuring for Windows systems 82 connected users 129 controls 8694 creating a new virtual machine 39 42 deleting a virtual machine 136137 editing a configuration 95 event log 130 host status monitor 84 launching remote console 82, 156 logging in 84 logging out 138 permissions 80 proxy servers 83 refresh rate 81 session lengths 81 setting remote console MIME type 139 timeout 138 virtual machine CPU 96 virtual machine details 94 virtual machine hardware 97, 99, 100, 102 virtual machine menu 86 VMware Remote Console attaching from VMware Management Interface 86 enabling users to view virtual machines 185 launching from management interface 82, 156 setting a MIME type 139 special power options 157 VMware Scripting API 52, 153
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VMware Tools and SNMP 225 build number 164 choosing scripts 162 installing 43, 44 running scripts during power state changes 71 settings 159 starting automatically in Linux guest 48 VMware guest operating system service 49 VMware Virtual SMP 41, 106 VMware Workstation migrating virtual machines 63 vmware-authd TCP/IP port 183 vmware-authd daemon 181 vmware-device.map.local file 184 vmxnet network driver 108 vmxnet.sys 47 volume swap file 203
W
Web browser and the VMware Management Interface 84 Windows 2000 installing VMware Tools in 46 Windows NT installing VMware Tools in 46
383
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Using the VMware Remote Console
TheVMwareRemoteConsolegivesyouadirectwindowfromamanagement workstationintoanindividualvirtualmachinerunningunderVMwareESXServer.In thischapter,thefollowingsectionsdescribeaspectsofusingtheVMwareRemote Console:

! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
StartingtheRemoteConsoleonpage 156 RunningaVirtualMachineUsingtheRemoteConsoleonpage 157 SpecialPowerOptionsforVirtualMachinesonpage 157 VMwareToolsSettingsonpage 159 InstallingNewSoftwareInsidetheVirtualMachineonpage 164 Cutting,Copying,andPastingonpage 165 SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachinesonpage 165 ShuttingDownaVirtualMachineonpage 166
Using the Remote Console

VMwareRemoteConsolesoftwareisavailableforWindowsXP,Windows2000, WindowsNT,andLinuxmanagementworkstations.Forinstructionsoninstallingthe software,seeInstallingtheRemoteConsoleSoftwareonpage 70. Youcanconnectuptothreeremoteconsolestoavirtualmachineatatimeandconnect upto80remoteconsolestotheserveratatime.
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Starting the Remote Console

Selecttheappropriateprocedureforyourremoteworkstationoperatingsystem. To start the Remote Console on Windows 1 Starttheremoteconsoleprogram. Select:Start>Programs>VMware>VMwareRemoteConsole 2 Fillinthedialogboxfieldswithinformationtoconnecttothevirtualmachine:
! ! !
Hostname(orIPaddress) Yourusername Yourpassword
ClickConnect. Whentheconnectionismade,adialogboxdisplaysthepathstotheconfiguration filesofvirtualmachinesregisteredontheserver.
SelectthevirtualmachineyouwanttoconnecttoandclickOK.
NOTE Ifyoulaunchtheremoteconsolefromthemanagementinterfacefrom InternetExplorer6.0onasystemwhereSSLisencryptingyourESXServer remoteconnections,configureInternetExplorer.SeeLaunchingtheRemote ConsolefromtheManagementInterfaceonanEncryptedServeronpage 82. To start the Remote Console on Linux 1 Starttheremoteconsoleprogrambytyping: vmware-console 2 Fillinthedialogboxfieldswithinformationtoconnecttothevirtualmachine:
! ! !
Thehostname(orIPaddress) Yourusername Yourpassword
ClickConnect. Whentheconnectionismade,adialogboxdisplaysthepathstotheconfiguration filesofvirtualmachinesregisteredontheserver.
SelectthevirtualmachineyouwanttoconnecttoandclickOK.
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Chapter 4 Using the VMware Remote Console
Running a Virtual Machine Using the Remote Console

Whenyouviewyourvirtualmachinethrougharemoteconsole,itbehavesmuchlikea separatecomputerthatrunsinawindowonyourcomputersdesktop. Insteadofusingphysicalbuttonstoturnthiscomputeronandoff,usebuttonslocated atthetopoftheVMwareconsolewindow.Youcanalsoresetthevirtualmachine, suspendavirtualmachine,andresumeasuspendedvirtualmachine.
Figure 4-1. Virtual machine is powered off
Figure 4-2. Virtual machine is powered on
Figure 4-3. Virtual machine is suspended

a
NOTE
Figure 41Figure 43showthetoolbarfromaremoteconsolerunningonaWindows managementworkstation.IfyouarerunningtheremoteconsoleonaLinux managementworkstation,theappearanceofthetoolbarisdifferent,butthesame functionsareavailable.
Special Power Options for Virtual Machines

WhenVMwareToolsisrunning,youcanconfigurescriptstorunwheneverthepower stateofavirtualmachineischanged.Thatis,whenyoupoweron,poweroff,suspend, orresumethevirtualmachine.SeeExecutingScriptsWhentheVirtualMachines PowerStateChangesonpage 71. Whenyouresetavirtualmachine,youcanrestarttheguestoperatingsystem,which gracefullyclosesapplicationsandrestartstheguestoperatingsystem,orresetthe virtualmachine,whichisthesameaspressingtheresetbuttononaphysicalcomputer.
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Similarly,whenyoupoweroffthevirtualmachine,youcanshutdowntheguest operatingsystem,whichgracefullyclosesapplicationsandshutstheguestoperating systemdown,orturnoffthevirtualmachine,whichisthesameaspressingthepower buttononaphysicalcomputer. AllthepoweroptionsareavailableonthePowermenu.Eachmenuitemcorresponds toabuttononthetoolbarandopensasubmenucontainingtheassociatedoptions.The menuitemsmaynotbeavailable,dependinguponthecurrentpowerstateofthe virtualmachine.Forexample,ifthevirtualmachineispoweredoff,youcannotselect anypoweroff,suspend,resume,orresetoptions. Fromaremoteconsole,choosefromthefollowingoptionswhenpoweringonavirtual machine:
!
PowerOnVirtualMachinePowersonthevirtualmachineintheremoteconsole. ThisisthesameasclickingthePowerOnbuttononthetoolbar. PowerOnThenRunScriptPowersonthevirtualmachineinaremoteconsole, andexecutestheassociatedscript.
Options for Powering Off a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhenpoweringoffavirtualmachine:
!
PowerOffVirtualMachinePowersoffthevirtualmachine.Thisissimilarto turningoffaphysicalcomputerbypressingitspowerbutton,soanyprograms runninginthevirtualmachinecanbeadverselyaffected.ClickthePowerOff buttononthetoolbartopoweroffthevirtualmachine. ShutDownGuestOperatingSystemGracefullyshutsdowntheguestoperating systemand,iftheguestoperatingsystemsupportsAdvancedPowerManagement, powersoffthevirtualmachine.Ifascriptisassociatedwiththispoweroperation, itexecutesaftertheshutdownbegins.ThisisthesameaschoosingStart>Shut Down>ShutDowninaWindowsoperatingsystemorissuingashutdown commandinaLinuxoperatingsystem.
Options for Suspending a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhensuspendingavirtualmachine:
!
RunScriptThenSuspendExecutestheassociatedscript,andsuspendsthe virtualmachine.ThisisthesameasclickingSuspendonthetoolbar,unlessascript isnotassociatedwithsuspendingavirtualmachine. SuspendVirtualMachineSuspendsthevirtualmachine.
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Option for Resuming a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhenresumingavirtualmachine:
!
ResumeThenRunScriptResumesthesuspendedvirtualmachine,andexecutes theassociatedscript.ThisisthesameasclickingResumeonthetoolbar,unlessa scriptisnotassociatedwithresumingavirtualmachine. ResumeVirtualMachineResumesthesuspendedvirtualmachine.
Options for Resetting a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhenresettingavirtualmachine:
!
ResetVirtualMachineResetsthevirtualmachine.Thisissimilartoresettinga physicalcomputerbypressingitsresetbutton,soanyprogramrunninginthe virtualmachinemaybeadverselyaffected.ClickingtheResetbuttononthe toolbarresetsthevirtualmachine. RestartGuestOperatingSystemGracefullyrestartsthevirtualmachine.Ifa scriptisassociatedwithshuttingdown,itexecutesaftertheguestoperating systemrestarts.ThisisthesameaschoosingStart>ShutDown>Restartina WindowsoperatingsystemorissuingarebootcommandinaLinuxoperating system.
VMware Tools Settings

ThefollowingdescriptionofthesettingsforVMwareToolsisbasedonaWindows2000 guestoperatingsystem.SimilarconfigurationoptionsareavailableinVMwareTools forotherguestoperatingsystems. ToopentheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,doubleclicktheVMwareToolsiconinthe virtualmachinessystemtray.TheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogboxappears.
Setting Options with VMware Tools

SpecifytimesynchronizationandtheVMwareToolsicondisplayintheOptionstab.
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Figure 4-4. VMware Tools Properties: Options tab

!
TimesynchronizationSpecifywhethertosynchronizethetimeintheguest operatingsystemwiththetimeintheserviceconsole.
NOTE Synchronizethetimeintheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimeintheservice consoleonlywhenthetimeintheguestisearlierthanthetimeintheservice console.

!
ShowVMwareToolsinthetaskbarIfyoudonotdisplaytheVMwareToolsicon inthesystemtray,launchthecontrolpanelfromtheStartmenu(Start>Settings >ControlPanel>VMwareTools).
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Connecting Devices with VMware Tools

YoucanenableordisableremovabledevicesintheDevicestab.
Figure 4-5. VMware Tools Properties: Devices tab Thedevicesyoucanenableordisableincludetheservermachinesfloppydiskdrive, theCDROMdrive,andthevirtualnetworkinterfacecard.Youcanalsosetthese optionsfromtheDevicesmenuoftheESXServerremoteconsolewindow.
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Choosing Scripts for VMware Tools to Run During Power State Changes
ThroughVMwareTools,youcanrunscriptsthatexecutewhenyoupoweron,power off,suspend,orresumethevirtualmachine.
Figure 4-6. VMware Tools Properties: Scripts tab AdefaultscriptforeachpowerstateisincludedinVMwareTools.Thesescriptsare locatedintheguestoperatingsysteminC:\Program Files\VMware. Table 4-1. Power state default scripts
When You Suspendtheguestoperatingsystem Resumetheguestoperatingsystem Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystem Powerontheguestoperatingsystem This Default Script Runs suspendvmdefault.bat resumevmdefault.bat poweroffvmdefault.bat poweronvmdefault.bat
Foreachpowerstate,youcanusethedefaultscriptoryoucansubstituteascriptyou created.Inaddition,youcantestascriptordisabletherunningofascript. To configure which scripts run 1 2 IntheScriptEventlist,selectthepoweroperationwithwhichtoassociatethe script. Dooneofthefollowing:

!
Toselectadifferentscript,clickCustomScriptandclickBrowsetoselectthe newscript.
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Toeditascript,clickEdit.Thescriptopensinyourdefaulteditortomakeyour changes. Totestthescript,clickRunNow. Todisabletherunningofascript,deselecttheUseScriptcheckbox.
! !
ClickApplytosaveyoursettings.
Shrinking Virtual Disks with VMware Tools

TheShrinktabletsyoupreparetoexportavirtualdisktoVMwareGSXServerusing thesmallestpossiblediskfiles.Thisstepisoptional. VirtualdisksonESXServertakeupthefullamountofdiskspaceindicatedbythe virtualdiskssize.Forexample,the.vmdkfilefora4GBvirtualdiskoccupies4GBof diskspace. GSXServerworksdifferently.UnderGSXServer,virtualdiskfilesstartsmallonlyas bigasneededtoholdthedatastoredonthevirtualdiskandgrowasneededuptothe designatedmaximumsize.
Figure 4-7. VMware Tools Properties: Shrink tab ToexportavirtualdisktouseunderGSXServer,clicktheShrinktab.Makesurethere isachecknexttothenameofthedisktoexport,andclickPreparetoshrink. NOTE Whenyouexportthevirtualdisk(usingthefilebrowserinthemanagementinterface orthevmkfstoolscommand),asinglevirtualdiskmaybeexportedtomultiple.dsk (.vmdk)files.
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Viewing Information About VMware Tools

OntheAbouttab,youseegeneralinformationaboutVMwareToolsinstalledinthe virtualmachine. Thistabcontainsthefollowinginformation:
!
VMwareToolsbuildnumber,whichletsyouverifythatyourVMwareTools versionmatchestheVMwareESXServerversionyouarerunning.Itisusefulwhen yourequestsupport. AnindicationastowhethertheVMwareguestoperatingsystemserviceis running. AbuttonyouclicktovisittheVMwareWebsite.
Installing New Software Inside the Virtual Machine

InstallingnewsoftwareinanESXServervirtualmachineislikeinstallingitonaregular computer. Ifyouareusingphysicalmedia,youmusthaveaccesstotheESXServercomputerto insertinstallationCDROMdiscsorfloppydisksintotheserversdrives. YoumayuseimagefilesinplaceofphysicalfloppydisksandCDROMdiscs.To connectthevirtualdrivetoafloppyorISOimage,usetheDevicesmenuandeditthe settingsforthedriveyouwanttochange. ThefollowingstepsarebasedonusingaWindowsguestoperatingsystemand physicalmedia.IfyouareusingaLinuxguestoperatingsystemorifyouareusingISO orfloppyimagefiles,somedetailsaredifferent. To install software in a Windows guest operating system 1 2 3 Makesureyoustartedthevirtualmachineand,ifnecessary,loggedon. ChecktheDevicesmenutomakesurethevirtualmachinehasaccesstothe CDROMandfloppydrives. InserttheinstallationCDROMorfloppydiskintotheproperdrive. IfyouareinstallingfromaCDROM,theinstallationprogrammightstart automatically. 4 5 Iftheinstallationprogramdoesnotstart,clicktheWindowsStartbutton,goto Settings>ControlPanel,anddoubleclickAdd/RemovePrograms. ClickAddNewPrograms. Followtheinstructionsonscreenandintheusermanualforyournewsoftware.
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Cutting, Copying, and Pasting

MakesureyouinstalledandstartedVMwareToolsinyourvirtualmachine.Ina Windowsguestoperatingsystem,aVMwareToolsiconappearsinthesystemtray whenVMwareToolsisrunning. WhenVMwareToolsisrunning,youcancopyandpastetextbetweenapplicationsin thevirtualmachineandonyourmanagementworkstationorbetweentwovirtual machines.Usethenormalhotkeysormenuchoicestocut,copy,andpaste.
Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines

Youcansavethecurrentstateofyourvirtualmachine.Theresumefeatureletsyou quicklypickupworkwhereyoustoppedwithallrunningapplicationsinthesame statetheywereatthetimeyoususpendedthevirtualmachine. Youcansuspendavirtualmachinetwoways:
!
Witharemoteconsoleconnectedtothatvirtualmachine,clickSuspendonthe toolbar. WiththeVMwareManagementInterfaceconnectedtothevirtualmachinesserver, clickthepausebutton( )ontherowforthatvirtualmachine.SeeFigure 48.
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Figure 4-8. Virtual machine suspended Youcanrestoreasuspendedvirtualmachineintwoways:

!
Witharemoteconsoleconnectedtothatvirtualmachine,clickResumeonthe toolbar. WiththeVMwareManagementInterfaceconnectedtothevirtualmachinesserver, clickthepausebutton( )forthatvirtualmachine. Youcanalsosetyourvirtualmachinesoitalwaysresumesinthesamestate.See EnablingRepeatableResumeonpage 90.
Shutting Down a Virtual Machine

Toshutdownanyvirtualmachine,shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemasyouwould usuallyshutdowntheoperatingsystem.Thevirtualmachinewillpowerdownwhen theoperatingsystemcloses.
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Administration Guide

VMware ESX Server 2

Administration Guide Version: 2.5.4 Revision: 20061006 Item: ESX-ENG-Q105-057

VMware, Inc. 3145 Porter Drive Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com

UsingHardwareorSoftwareDiskSnapshots 153 UsingNetworkBasedReplicationTools 154

SavingYourMultipathingSettings 277 InCaseofFailover 277 SettingsforQLogicAdapters 277 FailoverinWindows2000andWindowsServer2003GuestOperating Systems 278

ThisprefacedescribesthecontentsoftheESXServerAdministrationGuideandprovides pointerstotechnicalandeducationalresources. Thisprefacecontainsthefollowingtopics:

AboutThisBookonpage 20 IntendedAudienceonpage 20 DocumentFeedbackonpage 20 ConventionsandAbbreviationsonpage 20 TechnicalSupportandEducationResourcesonpage 21

About This Book

Conventions and Abbreviations

Abbreviations Used in Graphics

Table P-2. Abbreviations (Continued)

Technical Support and Education Resources

SelfServiceSupportonpage 21 OnlineandTelephoneSupportonpage 22 SupportOfferingsonpage 22 VMwareEducationServicesonpage 22

Online and Telephone Support

VMware Education Services

Introduction to VMware ESX Server

TheVMwareESXServerAdministrationGuideprovidesinformationonhowtouse VMwareESXServerafterithasbeeninstalled.ForinformationoninstallingESXServer, refertotheVMwareESXServerInstallationGuide. Thischaptercontainsthefollowingsections:

VMware ESX Server System Architecture

Figure 1-1. ESX Server core architecture

Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware ESX Server

Private Virtual Ethernet Networks (VMnets)

Virtual machine 2 External Web server

Virtual machine 1 Firewall

Virtual machine 3 Firewall

Internal Virtual Network machine 4 On internal Virtual network Machine

Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware ESX Server

NIC NIC1b NIC2b Virtual network

Service Console Functions

Service Console Processes and Files

httpd vmauthd vmserverd

Figure 1-4. Service Console processes and files InadditiontotheWebserver,thefollowingprocessesandservicesinvolvedinthe managementofanESXServersystemrunintheserviceconsole:

Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware ESX Server

Using VMware ESX Server

Familiarizing Yourself with ESX Server

Decidehowtoorganize yourvirtualmachine configurationfiles. Upgradeanyexisting virtualmachinesfroma previousversionofESX Serveroranother VMwareproduct.

Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware ESX Server

Table 1-1. ESX Server Administrator Tasks (Continued)

Table 1-1. ESX Server Administrator Tasks (Continued)

Table 12includestasksfromtheVMwareManagementInterfaceforavirtualmachine user,whocreatesandmodifiesvirtualmachines. Table 1-2. VMware Management Interface Tasks

Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware ESX Server

Table 1-2. VMware Management Interface Tasks (Continued)

Working With ESX Server

Table 1-3. Maintenance tasks for an Administrator (Continued)

Table 14includesESXServerperformancerelatedtasksforanAdministrator(root user). Table 1-4. Performance-related tasks for an Administrator

Chapter 1 Introduction to VMware ESX Server

Table 1-4. Performance-related tasks for an Administrator (Continued)

Table 15includessomegeneraltroubleshootinginformation.\ Table 1-5. Troubleshooting

Cantconnecttothe VMwareManagement Interface.

Cantconnecttothe VMwareRemote Console.

Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines

Creating a New Virtual Machine

Onthemanagementinterfaceloginpage,enteryourusernameandpasswordand clickLogin. TheStatusMonitorappears.

Chapter 2 Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines

ConfigurationfilesforvirtualmachinescreatedwithVMwareESXServer2.0 andlater,usethe.vmxextension.EarlierversionsofESXServerusedthe.cfg extension.Accessvirtualmachineconfigurationfileswitha.cfgextension byESXServer2.5.

ClickNext. IntheProcessorslist,choosethenumberofvirtualCPUsinyourvirtualmachine. Choose1or2virtualCPUs,buttheymustbelessthanorequaltothenumberof physicalCPUsonyourserver.

ClickBlanktocreateanewvirtualdisk.Specifythefollowing: IntheVMFSVolumelist,choosethevolumeonwhichtolocatethevirtual disk.Theamountoffreespaceislistednexttothevolumename. IntheVMwareDiskImagefield,specifythedisknamewitha.vmdk extension.

ClickNext. TheHardwaretabforthisvirtualmachineappears. YoucanchangethedefaultsettingsESXServerassignedtothevirtualmachine (suchasthediskmode,networkcard,colordepthandanyremovabledevices)or configurationitemsyouspecified.Tochangehardware,seeConfiguringaVirtual MachinesHardwareonpage 102.

Chapter 2 Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines

Installing a Guest Operating System and VMware Tools

InstallingaGuestOperatingSysteminaVirtualMachineonpage 43 InstallingVMwareToolsintheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 44 StartingVMwareToolsAutomaticallyonpage 48 UsingtheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemServiceonpage 49

Installing a Guest Operating System in a Virtual Machine

Installing a Guest Operating System on a Formatted Raw Disk

ChangethebootorderinBIOSsothevirtualmachinebootsfromtheCDROM drivebeforetryingtheharddisk.Whenthevirtualmachineboots,entertheBIOS andchangethebootorderontheBootmenu. Zerooutthefirst64KBoftherawdiskusingddorasimilarutility.Forexample, usingdd: