vmnetx 3 driver from 10.2.5 Tools, Fusion 10.1.2 in a 2010 MacPro running macOS 10.12.6 that is using Intel PRO MT 1000 driver in Windows 2008 R2 now?

[Liffon]

I tried installing vmnetx 3 in Windows 10 in Fusion 10.1.2 with driver from 10.2.5 Tools, in my MacBook Pro 2014 running macOS 10.13.6 but it didn't work - the driver couldn't start.

So back to Intel MT 1000 driver (E1G6032E.sys).

But should it work better than the Intel driver from 2010 in a W2008R2 VM on a MacPro 2010?

[ColoradoMarmot]

Why are you installing individual pieces of VMWare tools rather than a standard install?  Keep in mind that none of the physical hardware, aside from the CPU, is visible to the guest.

[Liffon]

I'm not. I installed the 10.2.5 64 bit update in the Win 10 VM using the .exe file.

Just want to know if wmnetx3 is supposed to be working in Fusion and if it is better than the "standard" Intel pro/1000 MT driver for a Windows 2008 R2 VM.

It installed in my Window 10 VM but the driver didn't start.

But I didn't add an extra network interface in Fusion if that would help getting the vwmnetx3 driver to run and I don't want to get MS licensing troubles.

[ColoradoMarmot]

You can't install hardware drivers inside a VM, since the hardware isn't visible to it - only drivers from the tools work properly.

[bluefirestorm]

You need to edit the vmx configuration file of the VM by replacing the "e1000" or "e1000e" as the case maybe with vmxnet3.

Example:

ethernet0.virtualDev = "vmxnet3"

See the screenshot below that the vmxnet3 present in Device Manager from a Windows 10 VM running on Fusion 8.5.10. Whether you get better performance is a different issue. Generally vmxnet3 is desired when you have a 10Gbps physical adapter on the host.

[Liffon]

Thank you!

I'm now running Windows 10 with the driver name changed in the .vmx file to "vmxnet3" on my own machine. And I upgraded to 10.3.0 Tools.

Seems to work fine and might be faster than the e1000 driver.

But the MacPro can't find the bootdisk/Windows when changing to "vmxnet3" in the .vmx file.

I can choose the vmxnet3 driver in Windows (update driver) but the driver can't start then.

Maybe try adding a new network interface in Fusion?

I have 3 drives in the .vmx file but don't understand why it can't find the boot drive when only changing the network driver name:

This is the .vmx file after trying to change the driver in Windows (I let it go back to the old driver) - it works but not if I change the drivername:

.encoding = "UTF-8"

config.version = "8"

virtualHW.version = "14"

scsi0.present = "TRUE"

scsi0.virtualDev = "lsisas1068"

memsize = "16384"

scsi0:0.present = "TRUE"

scsi0:0.fileName = "Windows Server 2008 R2 x64.vmdk"

ide1:0.present = "TRUE"

ide1:0.fileName = "/Users/admin/Downloads/SW_DVD5_Excel_2010_64Bit_Swedish_MLF_X16-38906.ISO"

ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-image"

ethernet0.present = "TRUE"

ethernet0.connectionType = "custom"

ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"

ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"

ethernet0.addressType = "generated"

ethernet0.linkStatePropagation.enable = "TRUE"

usb.present = "TRUE"

ehci.present = "TRUE"

sound.present = "TRUE"

sound.fileName = "-1"

sound.autodetect = "TRUE"

serial0.present = "TRUE"

serial0.fileType = "thinprint"

pciBridge0.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge4.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge4.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"

pciBridge4.functions = "8"

pciBridge5.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge5.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"

pciBridge5.functions = "8"

pciBridge6.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge6.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"

pciBridge6.functions = "8"

pciBridge7.present = "TRUE"

pciBridge7.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"

pciBridge7.functions = "8"

vmci0.present = "TRUE"

roamingVM.exitBehavior = "go"

tools.syncTime = "TRUE"

displayName = "Windows Server 2008 R2 x64"

guestOS = "windows7srv-64"

nvram = "Windows Server 2008 R2 x64.nvram"

virtualHW.productCompatibility = "hosted"

printers.enabled = "FALSE"

proxyApps.publishToGuest = "TRUE"

tools.upgrade.policy = "upgradeAtPowerCycle"

powerType.powerOff = "soft"

powerType.powerOn = "soft"

powerType.suspend = "soft"

powerType.reset = "soft"

extendedConfigFile = "Windows Server 2008 R2 x64.vmxf"

numvcpus = "8"

scsi0:1.present = "TRUE"

scsi0:1.fileName = "Virtual Data Disk.vmdk"

ethernet0.vnet = "vmnet3"

ethernet0.bsdName = "en0"

ethernet0.displayName = "Ethernet 1"

bios.bootOrder = "ethernet0"

RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled = "TRUE"

RemoteDisplay.vnc.port = "5959"

RemoteDisplay.vnc.key = "<removed>"

ide1:0.startConnected = "TRUE"

ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0C:29:A8:69:5E"

uuid.location = "56 4d 59 e0 86 e9 48 d4-17 18 0f 17 16 a8 69 5e"

uuid.bios = "56 4d 59 e0 86 e9 48 d4-17 18 0f 17 16 a8 69 5e"

cleanShutdown = "TRUE"

replay.supported = "FALSE"

replay.filename = ""

scsi0:0.redo = ""

scsi0:1.redo = ""

pciBridge0.pciSlotNumber = "17"

pciBridge4.pciSlotNumber = "21"

pciBridge5.pciSlotNumber = "22"

pciBridge6.pciSlotNumber = "23"

pciBridge7.pciSlotNumber = "24"

scsi0.pciSlotNumber = "160"

usb.pciSlotNumber = "32"

ethernet0.pciSlotNumber = "33"

sound.pciSlotNumber = "34"

ehci.pciSlotNumber = "35"

vmci0.pciSlotNumber = "36"

scsi0.sasWWID = "50 05 05 60 86 e9 48 d0"

vmotion.checkpointFBSize = "8388608"

usb:1.present = "TRUE"

ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"

vmci0.id = "380135774"

tools.remindInstall = "FALSE"

usb:1.deviceType = "hub"

unity.wasCapable = "FALSE"

chipset.useAcpiBattery = "FALSE"

chipset.useApmBattery = "FALSE"

checkpoint.vmState = ""

usb.autoConnect.device0 = ""

gui.fullScreenAtPowerOn = "FALSE"

gui.viewModeAtPowerOn = "windowed"

serial0.startConnected = "FALSE"

ethernet0.startConnected = "TRUE"

hpet0.present = "TRUE"

usb.vbluetooth.startConnected = "TRUE"

sound.virtualDev = "hdaudio"

vcpu.hotadd = "TRUE"

mem.hotadd = "TRUE"

usb:1.speed = "2"

softPowerOff = "TRUE"

gui.lastPoweredViewMode = "windowed"

scsi0:2.present = "TRUE"

scsi0:2.fileName = "SWAP-disk.vmdk"

scsi0:2.redo = ""

MemTrimRate = "0"

mainmem.backing = "swap"

sched.mem.pshare.enable = "FALSE"

prefvmx.useRecommendedLockedMemSize = "TRUE"

snapshot.disabled = "TRUE"

MemAllowAutoScaleDown = "FALSE"

isolation.tools.unity.disable="TRUE"

unity.allowCompositingInGuest="FALSE"

unity.enableLaunchMenu = "FALSE"

unity.showBadges = "FALSE"

unity.showBorders = "FALSE"

gui.exitOnCLIHLT = "FALSE"

acpi.smbiosVersion2.7 = "FALSE"

acpi.mouseVMW0003 = "FALSE"

migrate.hostlog = "./Windows Server 2008 R2 x64-9f3b8ec1.hlog"

monitor.phys_bits_used = "43"

vmotion.checkpointSVGAPrimarySize = "67108864"

toolsInstallManager.updateCounter = "11"

svga.guestBackedPrimaryAware = "TRUE"

gui.fitGuestUsingNativeDisplayResolution = "TRUE"

toolsInstallManager.lastInstallError = "0"

floppy0.present = "FALSE"

vmxnet3.serialNumberV2 = "FALSE"

cpuid.coresPerSocket = "2"

usb:0.present = "TRUE"

usb:0.deviceType = "hid"

usb:0.port = "0"

usb:0.parent = "-1"

moderator edit by wila: removed vnc key, note to TS: You should consider your VNC password compromised.

[bluefirestorm]

It might be failing to find the boot device because of this line in the vmx

bios.bootOrder = "ethernet0"

You can remove that line and/or use "Power On to Firmware" and change the boot order in the virtual BIOS.

You should be able to add a new NIC in Fusion using the vmxnet3 without violating Windows licensing/activation. AFAIK, the licensing/activation does not look at the number of additional NICs or NIC(s) with different MAC address(es).