VMware Communities : All Content - vSphere Upgrade & Install

How do we backup or protect Vcenter server nd ESX

AndreTheGiant — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:14:02 GMT

See: Increase the availability of vCenter Server

Andre

vSphere 4u1 - any issues?

DSeaman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:25:20 GMT

Per my thread here, http://communities.vmware.com/thread/236124?tstart=0, uploading SSL certificates to an ESXi host with a Windows CA causes a failure at 80% when adding the host to the vCenter console. Same problem with the RTM version, and it's not corrected in U1.

ESXi SSL Certificate breaks vCenter agent install

DSeaman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:23:49 GMT

Unfortunately this is STILL broken in Update 1. What gives VMware? This seems like basic functionality here, and I'm not the only one having this problem. Guess it's time to open a support case. Ugh !

vMotion from ESX 3.5 U3 to ESX 4.0 failing

Rumple — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:31:16 GMT

IT will have to do with the BIOS settings on those hosts. I am willing to bet you have a mismatch in the execute bit settings between servers (one is enabled, other is disabled)

1. Created new EVC Cluster - are your CPU's quite different (ie, some are not truely x64 CPU's with the VT option in the bios?)

Planning the installation

jjewett — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:29:10 GMT

DSRSAS wrote:My question is reguarding the existing server. For eg: If i had to virtualize a existing Exchange server with the dual Xeon processor and 8 GB Ram to a VM and how do I decide how much resource i should actually allow to that VM.
I have read reguarding a guided consolidation which will give a confidence metics, but I feel that i will rather tell that how good is the server to be virtulize and on which host it should go.

The Guided Consolidation is a good free tool for resource planning. There is also the VMware Capacity Planner tool that has more features, but costs money. I thought the recommendations from PaulCooper in this post were helpful too.

http://communities.vmware.com/message/1096042

In my experience with P2V migrations I've notice you can generally get by with less CPU resources. However, thread-aware software like databases (this would include Exchange) perform better with more vCPUs. Additonally, databases tend to suck up all the RAM that the OS provides but that doesn't mean your server will perform better with more RAM. We are fortunate to have newer hardware so personally, my rule of thumb is 1vCPU and 2GB RAM on a typical Windows based application server. If a bottleneck is noticed by users and confirmed by vCenter performance tab, then on the next power cycle I'll bump the resource needed. In the case of our largest SQL Server VMs we have a couple servers configured with 4 vCPUs and 16GB of RAM. I personally think we overcommitted the resources because the performance stats don't reflect the need. But if we want we can also pull back the vCPU and RAM resources on next downtime too.

Either way you are covered, but I would just recommend underestimating and watch the VM resource trends carefully for a couple days then add resource if needed.

Jonathan

ESX4 on Poweredge T110?

caude — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:45:43 GMT

I can confirm that ESXi 4 Update 1 does install on a T110 without the need to customize oem.tgz. Unfortunately, there is still no health/status monitoring for the attached SATA drives.

ESX 3.5 Eval Upgrade to vSphere

ddockter — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:06:58 GMT

As this is a std eval, that was the answer I was hoping for. Thanks.

on reboot all network settings are gone

shredhead1080 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:34:04 GMT

I just reinstalled ESX 4 on a host, mostly keeping default settings. One change is adding second port group for iSCSI and command line to make MTU 9000. Everything seemed fine and it finds the luns ok. After a short time, it starts randomly disconnecting from vCenter. I can restart the mgmt-vmware or network services and it fixes it for 5 minutes or so but then starts doing the same thing again. What's worse is that if I reboot it, the network settings completely disappear. I now have a host that has no port groups, and no virtual nics. I can recreate it all and then if I reboot it all goes away again.

There is another host that is identical hardware, identical setup to what I am trying to do on the first one. That one works no problem.

Not much other network traffic exists, as this is my home lab. I'm really scratching my head on this one.. I asked a collegue who is a vExpert and he never heard of this happening either..

CPUID utility vs processors listed in Systems Compatibility Guide

LyleRyan — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:41:07 GMT

In the Systems Compatibility Guide HCL, some servers like the Dell PowerEdge 1850 are listed as supporting 4.0 if they have a "Prestonia/Gallatin" Xenon, but only support 3.5 if they have a "70xx" Xenon.

In looking to buy some old hardware for a testbed, I'm wondering how to tell a "Gallatin" from a "70xx" (for instance).

If the system passes the "cpuid" utility with a last line of "Supports 64-bit VMware" = Yes, does that mean I'm in the clear? Or would the "Brand String" output of the utility give the pedigree (the README doesn't show it doing this)?

Thanks in advance.....Lyle

Essentials Plus upgrade

Troy Clavell — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:30:49 GMT

you will have a central management (vCenter), but no vMotion with Essentials Plus. You need to move to Advanced

http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1010579

ESX 4.0 Update 1 (DVD ISO)

HughBorg707 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:28:53 GMT

It's a DVD ISO, not CD. It should burn fine on a DVD (with lot's of wasted space.. I know)

Regards

get error message when adding a new datacenter...

Jaysonp — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:39:22 GMT

I know this post is old but ran into pretty much the same error. I couldn't add host to a datacenter. It was faling with the Error:
Permission to perform this operation was denied.
You do not hold privilege "System > View" on folder

The reason was because the host had lockdown mode enabled. Disabling lock down mode allowed me to add the host to the new datacenter.

VM Performance Hostory Migration - Possible?

CapiZikus — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:28:10 GMT

All,

We're planning to create a new vCenter4 with a new 2008 DB, new DC name and add ESXs server to this new environment.

The current ESXs are managing by VC3.5 and don't want to use the current DB due to performance issue (we think this might to do with corrupt data in the DB, but not 100% sure).

We know how to migrate the Esxs from old VC to new vCenter4, however one of the requirment of the task is the new vCenter is should able to show/report statistic of all VMs which we not sure a best practise to do this.

I'm thinking of migrage the DB to 2008 first then upgrade the current VC to vCenter4, then add a new vCenter to co-manage the ESXs then depromote the old VC(the one that just upgraded from VC3.5).

I will then create a brand new DB and run backup-restore from the old DB (the one just upgrade from 2003), then point a new vCenter4 to the brand new 2008 DB

Is this a best way to do?

Thanks

NaviAgent in ESX 4?

grahamwm — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:28:35 GMT

I have two new ESX 4.0 hosts in my environment and neither have the naviagent installed on them. They connect to my CX3-20 with no problems. So long as your fabric is zoned correctly is should detect the hosts just fine without naviagent.

Setup cannot create vCenter Server Directory Services instance

rmelo — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:40:09 GMT

Adding Lightweight LDAP was more than enough on W2K8 STD 64bit.

Configuring Etherchannel in vSphere4

hstagner — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:16:09 GMT

Hello NYSDHCR,

The first question I have to ask is "Why Etherchannel?" While the fact that the nics are teamed does provide redundancy, the Etherchannel is really just for load balancing. Etherchannel might (emphasis on might) make sense on a VM Network or when attaching to NFS or iSCSI arrays over different IP addresses.

However, Etherchannel and "Route based on IP Hash" doesn't gain you much on "service console", "vmotion", and "fault tolerance logging" ports. For an awesome explanation of why Etherchannel may not behave as you expect it to and why the other load balancing policies may suit you better, see this excellent post from Ken Cline:

The Great vSwitch Debate - Part 3

I hope this helps.

Don't forget to mark this answer "correct" or "helpful" if you found it useful (you'll get points too).

Regards,

Harley Stagner

vSphere Host Update Utility Scan Failed

inasol — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:09:44 GMT

Thanks for the response. Let me check it out and I'll let you know of my findings.
..............................................

Ok. I've checked this setting and the value reads: /vmfs/volumes/48c9d7bb-3ecc37f9-b9a6-00221931d1bb/.locker

Under "Storage" I can read as much as "/vmfs/volumes/48c9d7bb-3e" stating my location. I'm not sure where I can verify the entire string as being accurate. Btw, the KB Article is 1012640
...............................................

I've verified the path by hovering over the information displayed in storage. It is correct

vSphere Licensing/Support Subscription Expires?

dlchapman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:06:22 GMT

Marking question as "answered"

upgrade to vsphere4

krowczynski — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:19:22 GMT

If you have VUM installed create a baselien and update one host by another.
It is the easiest and fastest way.

MCP, VCP

how to upgrade ESX 3.5 to vSphere 4; kindly suggest & provide step-by-step doc.

krowczynski — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:25:12 GMT

Hi,

I did it that way.

1.) Upgrade you vcenter (before make a backup of old database or complete server)
2.) Upgrade your VUM
3.) Create a baseline and upgrade your Hosts
3.) Create a baseline and upgrade your vmtools and you vhardware

MCP, VCP

vSphere on IBM HS 22 in BladeCenter H 8852

dcbbeets — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 11:22:50 GMT

Goodmorning see also the following tip from IBM
http://www-947.ibm.com/systems/support/supportsite.wss/docdisplay?lndocid=MIGR-5081233&brandind=5000008

VMware: VMware 4.0u1, which will include the necessary

driver, is expected to be available in Fourth Quarter 2009.

Regards Davy

Optimal size of /usr directory and partitioning

Anton V Zhbankov — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:52:25 GMT

If you consider any comment as helpful please award points

---
MCSA, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
http://blog.vadmin.ru

ESX 3.5 Host Upgrade

bulletprooffool — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:37:11 GMT

Upgrading when having local storage is no different to when having Networked storage.

Just install VUM and let rip - it is a pretty pain free process.

(Remember VCenter first, Then ESX hosts, Then VM Tools, then VM Hardware)

Storage nightmare or overlooked solution?

shadoh10006 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:41:00 GMT

I have the following setup

R710 (native SQL)

R900 (ESXi)vsphere

MD1000 Storage

And heres my issue!

THe SQL server must remain native for configuration purposes. The R900 is hosting "worker" vm's that are processing jobs handed out by the SQL server. the workers finish the processing and then report back to SQL all the results and save completed documents and data on the MD1000...

Currently the R710 SQL server and MD1000 are attached via SAS. The R900 and SQL server are attached via a switch and 4x1GB connections.

The workers must rely on SQL to serve them access to the MD1000 and thus creating a HUGE bottleneck including approx 50-90 ms latency between the VM and datastore.

Wishful thinking i would like to direct attach the R900 to the MD1000 keeping all the data to be processed and already processed here...I am planning on having a RAID10 setup on the MD100 for performance and reliability.

What i cant figure out is how to access the MD1000 once it is attached to the R900? should i use RDM? VMFS? NFS?

All Comments/criticism welcome !

Upgrade to vSphere Clean Install but what about upgrading virtual machines

SachinManpathak — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:12:12 GMT

Yes you can.

Build your new cluster as planned

Migrate your 3.5 cluster VMs to this new cluster (By cloning/vmotion etc)

VUM 4.0 has two predfined baselines: one for tools and one for hardware. Attach these to your new 4.0 cluster and remediate.

ESX 4 guest Hardware 7 upgrade does not retain wins settings

joshuatownsend — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:19:04 GMT

I just did a write up of this issue at http://vmtoday.com/2009/11/vsphere-upgrade-breaks-active-directory/. A few different issues at play here...

If you found this or other information useful, please consider awarding points for "Correct" or "Helpful".
Please visit http://vmtoday.com for News, Views and Virtualization How-To's

Intel® PRO/1000 PT Dual Port Server Adapter (PCI Express) with ESX/ESXi 4?

whorsfall — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:00:51 GMT

Hi,

Yes VMWare worked with this network card without any issues.

Hope this helps.

Ward.

vSphere client install error J# 4113

ChuckBass — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 12:56:00 GMT

I had the same problem and Uninstalled the existing version and installed an updated version from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=42C46554-5313-4348-BF81-9BB133518945&displaylang=en. vSphere installed fine after that.

Upgrade from 3.5 to 4 but some server replacement at the same time... Blades possibly?

Anton V Zhbankov — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:38:32 GMT

HP BL495c G6 is a good choice since you already have HP hardware.

---
MCSA, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
http://blog.vadmin.ru

Netbios turned back on after upgrading virtual hardware

yezdi — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:44:57 GMT

So that answers, this issue is expected.

:+: VCP,RHCE,EMCPA.

4GB memory limit on 32bit VMware host?

maishsk — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:06:38 GMT

Correct - I was referring to Windows 2003 32 bit STD edition only.
32 bit Enterprise/Datacenter can handle more than 4GB Ram

Wiundows Server 2008 is the same.

Server 2008 R2 (is only 64 bit) and the limit for STD is 32GB

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa366778%28VS.85%29.aspx#physical_memory_limits_windows_server_2008_r2

Thanks for the clarification..
Maish
Virtualization Architect & Systems Administrator
http://technodrone.blogspot.com

Hot Add RAM Option not viewable

JASA1976 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:42:46 GMT

I believe its server OS's only that are supported.

For Windows 2003 you need Enterprise Edition for memory hot add but no support for CPU hot add. for both 32 bit or 64bit.

For Windows 2008 all version are supported from memory hot add, but only 64 bit editions for cpu hot add.

It's not a VMware virtualisation limitiation but an OS limitation.

Memory load in Vsphere

athlon_crazy — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:50:47 GMT

Your memory not equally assigned per processor. Refer this

vcbMC-1.0.6 Beta
vcbMC-1.0.7 Lite
http://www.no-x.org

Cannot see Health Status in vSphere 4

amitdebnath — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 05:18:16 GMT

I have vCenter Server and ESX 4 host.
Server is an Intel Xeon Based board.

Navisphere Host Agent and vSphere 4

Box293 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:27:12 GMT

Check out this thread, it sounds like you had the same issue as us.

http://communities.vmware.com/message/1393363#1393363

VCP3 32846
VSP4 VML-306798

ESX4 with HP NC510F 10Gbit adapter

d3aj — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:30:31 GMT

Thanks Poort. I will look into this.

Here's a more technical explanation of the firmware versions:

"The vmware driver is newer (now: 4.0.404 before: 4.0.301), and oddly
enough the firmware seems older (now: 3.4.339 before:4.0.222."

Since your NX2031 card is flashed with an
older firmware 3.4.336 the firmware is loaded from the driver (fw file). The older
driver 4.0.301 has version NX2031 firmware file 4.0.222 and the newer
driver 4.0.404 has firmware version 3.4.339. This is not an issue as it behaves correctly, only a difference in versions.

Out of Band Update for vSphere

Texiwill — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:30:17 GMT

Hello,

I was thinking the same thing, instead I upgraded to vSphere and am just waiting for the update to come out. Then I will test and decide whether to apply it or not based on what it fixes.

VMware tends to come out with updates once a quarter so figure late November sometime in December.

Best regards,
Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009
Virtualization Practice Analyst
Now Available: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security'
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'
SearchVMware Pro|Blue Gears|Top Virtualization Security Links|
Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast

Design and best option advice please...

Vitaly91 — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:27:26 GMT

Thank you, Edward! I was hoping that one of our fearless leaders of the community would answer!

I understand your point on RDMs. That is where I was leaning too. My only concern is how would these VMs fit into a DR plan. Right now we plan on using Dell's Auto-Snapshot Manager (VE) for DR. So VM snapshots will be taken and then relicated to a DR site that also has an Equallogic SAN. With RDMs on these VMs, we would have to setup replication of the data LUNs as well and then present them back to VMs in case of disaster. Am I correct here?

Also, since some of these physical boxes are SQL, would cold P2V make sense or is there a way to do it hot still? I suppose we can stop applications on these boxes and then do a hot P2V with only OS running. The issue is that customer is not sure of all the tweaks/fixes that were done to these servers. As such, they specifically did not want to build VMs from scratch but to use P2V tool.

Any thoughts on the above?

Again, thank you so much for the reply!

Upgrade to vSphere 4

samuk — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:36:52 GMT

Got a problem..

Installing VCenter 4, have to enter the Database Username \ password.

When putting in the password i get the following error:

Please make sure the SQL Server Agent Service is runnig on the Datase server.

The service is running on the SQL server, and the password works ok with the ODBC connection for the DB..

Any idea's?

Is Vsphere and Vcenter licenses now split?

DSTAVERT — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:27:00 GMT

If this was a Support and Subscription upgrade check to see what you were licensed for and what you upgraded to. vCenter server was and still is a separately licensed product. If you upgraded your previous collection of products assuming you had vCenter you may need to call / email to get the upgraded license for vCenter Server.

esx 4.0 doesn't recognize a intel pro/1000 pt server adaptor

DSTAVERT — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:30:29 GMT

Options for my specific upgrade?

DSTAVERT — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:39:55 GMT

Sorry I meant to say treat is as having 9 cores. I believe it was a post by Jim Mattson. I'll see if I can find the reference.

iommu and vtd errors in vSphere

mineral — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:36:09 GMT

I solved the same problem.

My PC is Dell Optiplex 760 (Intel Core 2 Duo Quad CPU Q9550 2.83GB, 4GB)

In the BIOS, uncheck VT for Direct I/O

----

VCP4, CCNP, LPIC3-Core

migrate to distributed switch

athlon_crazy — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:07:23 GMT

As per doc Page 9. you can do the migration with or without interruption to your VMs. If you have more than 1 vmnic per vswitch, add your your host to vDS with ONLY one vmnic, migrate your VM network and then migrate the remaining vmnic.

Else,you will have interruption to your VM Network when you migrate the only available vmnic before you can migrate your VM Network, but both option doesn't need you to put your host under maintenance mode.

vcbMC-1.0.6 Beta
vcbMC-1.0.7 Lite
http://www.no-x.org

Consolicate Backup Dell MD300i Proxy San Win3k Setup

HJF — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 21:57:38 GMT

VM upgrade with Update Manager - how do you attach the Tools baseline

stanj — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:07:23 GMT

I am upgrading the Virtual Machines tools on one of our ESX Servers – ESX8.
There are several VMs (10-20). I tried to attach the default baseline provided with vSphere (VMware Tools Upgrade to Match) to the ESX Server and the VMware Tools Upgrade to Match baseline does not show up.

The vShpere upgrade video series #2 shows the user using a folder that he created in the Vm and Templates view with all of the Xp VMs in one folder.
He then attached the VMware Tools Upgrade to Match baseline and scans and remediates all of the Xps.

If I go to the Vm and Templates view and I see Discovered Vms folder, VMs, templates, etc.
But the VMs associated look to be in alphabetical order and not in an order that associates them with ESX8.
If I create a folder under the Discovered VMs folder and try to move VMs associated with ESX8 into the folder, it does not work.

I even tried to create a new baseline and tried to add VMware Tools Upgrade to Match, but still can not attach it to the host.

Is there way to get Update Manager to work at the host level with the host ESX8 so I can attach VMware Tools Upgrade to Match baseline to ESX8 and update the tools?

Otherwise, updating all of the VMs manually by attaching the baseline to each will take a very long time.

thanks

Error - Insert the ESX Installation media

PatrickD — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:04:14 GMT

You actually don't even need a kickstart script to do a network installation. If you add the flag "askmedia" at the boot prompt (the place where you can select to do a graphical or text installation) when the installation is starting, a few extra screens will pop up and ask you for the location of your ftp/http/nfs server.

vsphere db upgrade

stanj — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:01:04 GMT

I am not sure about the increasing size,

But, the default DB is recommended for small deployments - 5 host up to 50 VMs
Check the vSphere Upgrade Guide in the DB Requirements Section.

If you are not in production, you can use a free DB like Oracle 10g or Oracle Xe to sert up a remote DB.

Stan

Installation of ESX 4 without a VGA port

91gsixty — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:52:03 GMT

If you have a HP server, you can use iLO.

Server with no VGA?? Man with no monitor??

Do I run esxcli corestorage claimrule convert after each upgrade

M80ARM — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 08:19:39 GMT

William,

Thanks very much for the information, much appreciated.

We had Dell implement the solution and I dont think they masked any LUNs but this was needed if we needed to fail over to a DR site. This will hopefully be taken away when we look to implement SRM.

Will it cause any issues if I run the command anyway or is it best not to?

Thanks

Michael

Time span vSphere upgrade

goud — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 03:02:19 GMT

Can someone Please share the Plan you have gone through for this upgrade ?

Kindly suggest me that which approach would be best?
1)Move the VMs out of Hosts and upgrade the servers from 3.5 to 4.0
2)Move the VMs out of Hosts and do clean install of 4.0 ESX

Siva

ESX buildnumber is not reflected in the vi client

ajesha008 — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:50:12 GMT

Even I have the similar issue
Initially my Build No. is ESX 3.5.0, 163429 but even after applying 91 patches using VUM it shows the same build No. in vSphere Client, Im yet to check this in ESX directly.

vCenter Service Status error

uma_kits — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:45:06 GMT

After I upgrade vCenter Patch 1, it shows an error same as you all. I have to uninstall vCenter and reinstall without patch 1. It's work for me.

VMware vCenter Update Manager Extension- Plugin not available

Minimouse — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:12:56 GMT

Ok. Here's the solution :

As said above, edit the PATH variable on your system, remove the last " (quote) that has nothing to do here. Close the VI client and reopen it.

You should now see the UM Client plugin status saying "Enabled" and might access the Update Manager from "Home" tab in the vCenter.

Mini.

Health status not displaying due to vcenter rename

tharringtonWebWars — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 23:37:20 GMT

Just adding a yes, this worked for me. I was hesitant to delete the entire CN, so tried to update each property to the correct URL. However, while the error now displayed the correct URL, I still had trouble.

The final 'delete the whole CN' fix noted above and restarting all vCenter services (most notable the 'Collector Service') resolved the issue.

Thanks for the fix!

-Tom

can you upgrade vms from esx 3.5 to 4 and vice versa

AndreTheGiant — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:59:45 GMT

The upgrade from v4 to v7 can be done also from vSphere Client.
But to do the downgrade you need VMware Conveter (as written before).

Remember to upgrade VMware Tools before upgrade the virtual hardware.

Andre

kickstart 3.5 and 4.0

Texiwill — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:57:16 GMT

Hello,

Moved to vSphere Upgrade and Install forum.

WHile it may be possible to do as you desire, it is not something I would do for the very first install. KS has changed somewhat. It also depends on what you have down within the KS file.

Best regards,
Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009
Virtualization Practice Analyst
Now Available: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security'
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'
SearchVMware Pro|Blue Gears|Top Virtualization Security Links|
Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast

Failed TO load IOMMU driver on ESXi 4.0

AndreTheGiant — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:16:27 GMT

You cannot patch your BIOS from ESXi (or I do not know how) cause it lack of a "real" console.
One way could be use a live CD.

Andre

Scripting Configuration of HBAs for Boot From SAN

jah81 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:40:24 GMT

Hi all,

I've just created a scripted install of ESX using HP RDP, what I'd like to achieve is a complete zero touch installation and one of the things I want to look at next is whether I can configure the HBAs for boot from SAN via script rather than manually.

We're using Emulex HBAs by the way. I've seen LB6DUTIL mentioned somewhere but there doesn't seem to be a great deal of documentation around it. I'm hoping I might be able to boot to DOS and just feed it a script before kicking off my ESX install.

Just wondered if anyone else has looked at this and can give me any pointers to save me some time?

Cheers guys.

ESX 4 Install localstorage block size?

Gabrie — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 09:20:27 GMT

Hi
If you want to change the blocksize on another partition than the one the COS is on, you could follow my blogppost: http://www.gabesvirtualworld.com/?p=728 Change blocksize of local VMFS.

I will add some more info later today including the info from Patrick.

Gabrie

http://www.GabesVirtualWorld.com

vSphere installer. How to change block size or Datastore size during install

Brijn — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:26:09 GMT

Hi,

To give you an idea why I was doing it: It was a machine I needed to P2V. In the end I managed to delete enough stuff of it to < 250G
This was in a site office with an existing 1 server install (FS, Exch, DC etc).

Tx
Bas

Qlogic QMH4062 and Vsphere

mcowger — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:52:47 GMT

Interesting - it shows it only as a HP Device....

what happens if you run esxcfg-scsidevs -a

--Matt
VCP, vExpert, Unix Geek

another IBM x3650 M2 headache!

dilidolo — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:41:11 GMT

No, we use NFS or iSCSI.

It's good to know it has problem with HBA.

Thanks

vSphere Server 4.0 compatibility with Virtual Desktop Manager 2.1

mjbtrc — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:15:47 GMT

Thanks for the information. I hear view 4 will be out soon, so will wait for that.

License Question

Anton V Zhbankov — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:16:13 GMT

If you have active support contract - you have free upgrade to vSphere Enterprise.
Check licensing section on VMware site - there should be your serials for vSphere 4.

---
MCSA, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
http://blog.vadmin.ru

Upgrade with no vmotion?

stanj — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:55:23 GMT

thanks for the input

Since vSphere is new and introduces a new hardware version (7), it is required if you want to take advantage of the new features and performance.

I found the below blog that does a pretty good job explaining the process.

http://blogs.vmware.com/vmtn/2009/06/vsphere-virtual-machine-upgrade-process.html

new vSphere 4.0 install error "tsc: 38428789 cpu0:0) memmap : 1715: reducing number of colors from 26 to 2"

AndreTheGiant — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:16:56 GMT

Have a look at this thread:
Bios error in Hp ProLiant BL685c G6

Andre

Upgrade ok but patches for esx VSphere wont go?

krowczynski — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:35:27 GMT

Host Update Utility won't patch you hosts, for doing so you need to install VM Update Manager, or using esxupdate.

MCP, VCP

what happens to existing snapshots after VM Hardware upgrades?

AndreTheGiant — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:04:58 GMT

See this thread:
Virtual Hardware Upgrade / Snapshot Issue
I suggest to delete your snapshot before the update.

Note that you can have several issue with a lot of snapshots, for example also with SVMotion, and slowdown to I/O disk operation.
Consider to clone your VM, or do backup, or use (if available) storage snapshot.
But VMware snapshot are not designed as a versioning solution.

Andre

EVC Cluster after Virtual Center 2.5 - vCenter 4.0 Upgrade

AndreTheGiant — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:59:35 GMT

Have a look at this KB:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1013011 - VMotion fails in an EVC Cluster after virtual machine hardware is upgraded from version 4 to version 7

Andre

VSphere 4 can work with ESX 3.5 Server

AndreTheGiant — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:54:44 GMT

You can work with both systems.
As written before VC 4.0 can handle both (but remenber to install the license server for ESX 3.x).
VMFS is quite the same, so you can share LUNs between ESX 3.5 and 4.0.
Also VMotion can work, but you have to maintain the VM to virtual hardware v4 or they will not play on ESX 3.5.

Andre

Upgrade '

AndreTheGiant — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:27:29 GMT

No real advantage.
And you only waste your VMFS space.
Only if you plan to install other tools, like Dell Open Manage, could be a reason to increase a little this size.

Andre

vSphere 4 Advanced Accelerator Kit upgradable to vSphere 4 Enterprise Accelerator Kit ?

AndreTheGiant — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:21:03 GMT

You can not add any licenses to accelerator kit, so you have to purchase additional ESX licenses separately for full price (kits go with discount).

Remember also that vCenter Foundation can handle only 3 ESX.
So if you buy other ESX you have first to upgrade to vCenter Server Standard.

Andre

vCenter Server 2.5U4 to vCenter Server 4.0 (but with retained performance stats)

AndreTheGiant — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:17:29 GMT

First make a backup of your DB.
Then do a inline upgrade, to be sure then the DB will be converter to new format.

If you got some problem, check this KB:
http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1004382 - Updating rollup jobs after the error: Performance data is currently not available for this entity

Andre

ESXi 3.5 and vShpere 4.0.

Samyboy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:51:42 GMT

I have the ESXi 3.5 licese number and not a file. I did it as mentioned in the document you specified. When i edit the license source and point it ot the License Server IP which is host id of the computer. It takes it but than in the ESX server edition it says "unlicensed" and you do not have any option to select. Other questions I have is that I can not print the document that you legacy documents. When try to print it kicks you out of the program. So I copied the file and try to print it. It will not print. But this is not that important. I can live by it. Please help."

vCenter server license 1 instance. What does it mean?

AndreTheGiant — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 16:58:22 GMT

One instance is one vCenter Server.
For example, for SRM you will need two instance.

Andre

Installation problem ESXi 4.0: *Failed to load lvmdriver

erkindunya2010 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:47:03 GMT

I'm trying to installation for ESXi 4.0 on my Desktop I but I have same error message appears on my Screen "Failed to load lvmdriver".

PC Specs:
Asus P5KPL

2x1GB RAM
2x120GB SATA
1xDVD SATA

Please Help

Many Thanks

Cannot login user @127.0.0.1: no permission - vShere Client

hharold — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:08:52 GMT

Actually, a few days ago we managed to solve this thanks to VMware support.

You have to enter the (unsupported) service console in ESXi. (Tech Support Mode)
(Enter maintenance mode first)

Be careful Tech Support Mode is not supported unless used in consultation with VMware Tech Support.

And rename this file:
cp /etc/vmware/hostd/authorization.xml /etc/vmware/hostd/authorization.xml.org

Restart the management agents, or restart the host.

This is an internal VMware kb article, not yet out in the public knowledgebase for whatever reason.

Regards,
Harold

Opening the third console closes one of the first two.

wdbarker — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:14:37 GMT

When I upgraded my ESXi 3.5 to 4.0, it installed vSphere Client 4.0.0 build 162856 on my Windows 7, 64-bit workstation. I can only open two consoles at a time. When I open the third, one of the other two closes. I set Edit | Client Settings ... | Maximum console connections from it's default of 25 (starts with a "2") to 5 and see the same symptom. Luckily, RDP is working for these hosts, but shouldn't vSphere Client allow more than two open consoles?

Migration of VMware Infrastructure from VI3 Ent to vSphere 4 Ent including VC Server Standard

tithli — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:33:34 GMT

Hi,

Please check these below mentioned URLs.

http://download3.vmware.com/vsphere/vsphere-migration-part1.html

http://download3.vmware.com/vsphere/vsphere-migration-part2.html

http://download3.vmware.com/vsphere/vsphere-migration-part3.html

http://download3.vmware.com/vsphere/vsphere-migration-part4.html

Thanks

Linux P2V fails with "FAILED: MethodFault.summary"

athlon_crazy — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:45:26 GMT

Probably communication issue with your ESX host:

get disklib file name as ha-nfc://vmos1 havoc/havoc.vmdk@192.168.24.135:902!52 c6 71 4a c2 34 45 a1-9e b0 e5 0b fc d0 42 a1
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:21.253 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 NBD_Clientopen: attempting to create connection to ha-nfc://vmos1 havoc/havoc.vmdk@192.168.24.135:902
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:21.253 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 Started up WSA
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 Cannot connect to server 192.168.24.135:902: A connection attempt failed because the connected party did not properly respond after a period of time, or established connection failed because connected host has failed to respond
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 CnxAuthdConnect: Returning false because CnxAuthdConnectTCP failed
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 CnxConnectAuthd: Returning false because CnxAuthdConnect failed
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 Cnx_Connect: Returning false because CnxConnectAuthd failed
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 Cnx_Connect: Error message: Failed to connect to server 192.168.24.135:902
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 warning 'App'~~ ,0 NFC ERROR NfcNewAuthdConnectionEx: Failed to connect to peer. Error: Failed to connect to server 192.168.24.135:902
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 NBD_ClientOpen: Couldn't connect to 192.168.24.135:902 Failed to connect to server 192.168.24.135:902
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 DISKLIB-DSCPTR: : "ha-nfc://vmos1 havoc/havoc.vmdk@192.168.24.135:902" : Failed to open NBD extent.
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 DISKLIB-LINK : "ha-nfc://vmos1 havoc/havoc.vmdk@192.168.24.135:902" : failed to open (NBD_ERR_NETWORK_CONNECT).
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 DISKLIB-CHAIN : "ha-nfc://vmos1 havoc/havoc.vmdk@192.168.24.135:902" : failed to open (NBD_ERR_NETWORK_CONNECT).
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'App'~~ ,0 DISKLIB-LIB : Failed to open 'ha-nfc://vmos1 havoc/havoc.vmdk@192.168.24.135:902' with flags 0 (NBD_ERR_NETWORK_CONNECT).
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 error 'task-1'~~ disk open error DiskLib_Open failed on ha-nfc://vmos1 havoc/havoc.vmdk@192.168.24.135:902!52 c6 71 4a c2 34 45 a1-9e b0 e5 0b fc d0 42 a1 with error NBD_ERR_NETWORK_CONNECT.
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 error 'task-1'~~ TaskImpl has failed with std::Exception: DiskLib_Open failed on ha-nfc://vmos1 havoc/havoc.vmdk@192.168.24.135:902!52 c6 71 4a c2 34 45 a1-9e b0 e5 0b fc d0 42 a1 with error NBD_ERR_NETWORK_CONNECT.
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 info 'task-1'~~ Volume-based cloning 10.60.0.126 --> havoc updates, state: 4, percentage: 0, xfer rate (Bps): <unknown>
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 error 'task-1'~~ Failed to perform PostDoRun task in Linux P2V while retrieving the log bundle: helper connection or task hasn't been created
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 info 'task-1'~~ powering off vm after linux p2v ...
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 verbose 'task-1'~~ Getting VIM connection to 192.168.24.135...
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.296 01308 info 'task-1'~~ Reusing existing VIM connection to 192.168.24.135
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.390 01308 error 'task-1'~~ failed to perform PostDoRun task in Linux P2V: vim.fault.InvalidPowerState
8 ~~2009-11-05 10:10:42.390 01308 info 'task-1'~~ ConvertTask updates, state: 4, percentage: 1, xfer rate (Bps): <unknown>

vcbMC-1.0.6 Beta
vcbMC-1.0.7 Lite
http://www.no-x.org

Networking Setup with new cluster

athlon_crazy — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:28:18 GMT

I'll choose 3x vSwitch atleast with the number of pNICs available.

Since only one VM will have FT enable, vMotion can share the same vSwitch with FT but not for the COS. You also may need to consider unencrypt Memory Bitmap transfer during vMotion process might compromise with your security policy and contribute to your network bottleneck . Hence, separate COS with 2x NIC is good to ensure management availability & redundancy all the time. The last vSwitch, leave it as is for your iscsi connection.

vcbMC-1.0.6 Beta
vcbMC-1.0.7 Lite
http://www.no-x.org

vsphere client on windows server 2008 enterprise R2?

rmontyq — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:21:44 GMT

Mmmm, for those of us who either cannot wait or must live on the edge of software development, give this script a parse:

http://www.tinyint.com/index.php/2009/09/04/vsphere-client-on-windows-7

Solves it nicely.

VC Server Service Permissions Issue

JasonV — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 20:11:11 GMT

Hi,

We have vSphere setup and running on Windows 2008 R2 Server. The server is in a Windows domain. I was running the virtual center service as the local administrator and was able to access local groups for adding permissions to vSphere objects. I was unable to access users within the domain so I switched to using a domain service account for running the VC service and I was then able to access users within the Windows domain, but unable to access local users on the server due to permissions. I do have the service account in the local administrators group. From what I understand Windows 2008 may have some UAC controls that prevent users, even though they are in the administrators group from accessing the local user/group directory and possible other Windows management functions. Does this make sense? Is there a way to allow users within the local administrators group to have the same rights as the local administrator on Windows 2K8 R2? All I found was Windows 7 references concerning this.This maybe more of a Windows questions, but maybe someone on this forum has worked through the same issue.

Thanks.

How do I convert VMs running on VMware Server 2.x over to my ESXi server?

AndreTheGiant — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:45:46 GMT

A simple way is use VMware Standalone Converter (IMHO I suggest this way).
A little "complicated" way is copy the VM files and then conveter the virtual if are in split format.

Andre

Performance chart error after upgrade.

CayceWill — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:53:00 GMT

I am also getting the exact issue.

Perf Charts service experienced and internal error.

Message: Report application initialization is not completed successfully. Retry in 60 seconds.

We are using Oracle 10g (10.2.0.4) for our vcenter database on a remote database server. I read that someone thinks 11g will fix this issue. Why is that, anyone?

Installing vSphere on SATA RAID

adamhodgkins — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:26:59 GMT

Hi, thanks for your reply

I haven't bought the card yet, and I haven't installed vSphere yet either. I'm looking to install ESX, not ESXi and at the moment I'm just trying to find out whether it is actually possible and if anyone has had success doing this.

Thanks

Adam

VMware Tools upgrade issue with Symantec Endpoint Protection

ericdaly — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:30:59 GMT

Extact same issue with my upgrade. SEP 11.0.4202.75

SEP must be the most troublesome AV I have encountered in a very long time.

Why is ESXi upgrade so slow?

SachinManpathak — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 20:11:16 GMT

Are you using update manager?

It does lot of things for you -- putting host in maintainance mode, copying new binaries etc. That adds to the time -- it is the aggregate time that you are seeing here.

Error when selecting Storage Views in vCenter

AWo — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:55:03 GMT

I had the same problem, when I wanted to create storage maps I always got this message. Using the vSphere status showed that the storage service could not be started. I granted my user the "Act as part of OS" local user right on the vSphere server and it works like charm. I had a thread on my own here and there's a link to the solution. Just search for "Storage Services".

AWo
VCP / VMware vEXPERT 2009
=Due to lack of employees, human beings work here. - Treat them carefully, they are rare.=

CPU requirements in vcenter 4

Anton V Zhbankov — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:19:23 GMT

Do I really need 2 physical CPU's to upgrade?

It is strongly recommended. But actually 1 quad equals 4 physical CPUs, so feel free to upgrade.

Has anyone installed this on a single multi-core processor?

Yes, I have one quad - runs perfectly with very low average load even with local Oracle DB.

---
MCSA, MCTS, VCP, VMware vExpert '2009
http://blog.vadmin.ru

Esx 3.5 host SSL certificate is not verified using vSphere 4.5

smileyogurt — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:07:49 GMT

It is great that you get it working! I don't think our problems are the same. It seems that you are outside VMware and used an official build. I am inside and used a in house build that was only generated in around July (I guess) . So it may have bugs. For you that offiicial build should not have bugs and I think you had better wait if they release a official version that is more robust.

LUN mask advanced option

R2B — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:11:32 GMT

Is this a required step? When I type 'esxcli' I get a 'command not found'.

Any help would be appreciated.

ESX 4.0 Reboot failed with IBM x3650 M2

a2alpha — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:28:02 GMT

Yes, I would actually agree with that comment about speed. It does seem to load nice and quick after its done the splash screen bit. Cheers for the fast reply and sharing your test results, appreciate it.

Dan

Error 26000

pjctx — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:48:28 GMT

All,

I answered my own Question. McAfee antivirus was blocking access to the key. Even deleting the VMware server keys didn't help. Disabling on access scan, uninstalling and rebooting did the trick

Many vSphere Upgrade Questions

paintcheck200 — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:10:50 GMT

You can upgrade from the cd using esxupgrade.sh

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1009440

Upgrade vs Reinstall

AndreTheGiant — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:57:10 GMT

You can use: http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vsphere4/r40/vsp_40_upgrade_guide.pdf
But a clean installation could be better

Andre

vmware vsphere client error parsing server"IP" client.xml on windows 7

Texiwill — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:49:14 GMT

Hello,

Moved to vSphere forum.

Check out http://www.techhead.co.uk/running-vmware-vsphere-client-on-windows-7

These instructions also work for W2K8 R2 as well.

Best regards,
Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009, Virtualization Practice Analyst
Now Available: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing the Virtual Environment'
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'
SearchVMware Pro|Blue Gears|Top Virtualization Security Links|Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast

Test Disk Redundant on IBM HS22 failed

uma_kits — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:33:18 GMT

I'm currently implementing VMware vSphere on IBM Blade HS22 in Blade Center S.
I must do UAT or User Acceptance Test. In the past I used to test unplug one hard disk on VMware ESX 3 server that was configured RAID 1 Mirror and was running. The server still read and write on one disk.
But right now, I test in the same way with IBM Blade HS22 that is installed VMware ESX4. The result is server can't response me by typing any key. It shows error like it fail to attempt failover data to another disk
I have to power off and on again.
Have anybody tested HDD fail on IBM HS22? Please Help me!!!!

UPGRADE 3.5 to vSphere 4 --- error:The "/" partition needs to be at least 3040 MB

novakk_AH — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:27:29 GMT

It`s OK

Thank you