ESX 3.5 running as a VM within VM Server

[terryvm]

Is it possible to run ESX 3.5 within a VM on top of Server 1.0?

Reason, I have a Gigabyte GA-P35C-DSR3 mainboard which looking through the threads will work with ESX as long as you install an Intel network card but as I use this system to boot Windows 2008 and Microsfoft hyper-v and Windows 2003 server, I'm hoping to install ESX as a guest rather than on the bare metal.

Any help much appreaciated.

[oreeh · Accepted solution]

Is it possible to run ESX 3.5 within a VM on top of Server 1.0?

No.

ESX can only be run as a VM on top of WS 6.0.x. and maybe Player.

With ESX 3.5 however you won't be able to start any VMs inside the ESX VM.

[Mr_Flibble1]

You can run ESX inside workstation?? I thought it refused to be virtualized, and demanded bare-metal!

[oreeh]

You can run ESX inside workstation??

See

I thought it refused to be virtualized, and demanded bare-metal!

Well, developers need debugging facilities ...

[Mr_Flibble1]

Well, damn! I should have looked that up again! Thanks for that! Sometime back I checked and the word was "it is not possible unless you work for VMware". Jeez, the amount of time I could have saved myself with this over the last year....

oreeh, you just made my day.

[oreeh]

Be aware that you can only run VMs inside the virtual ESX if you use ESX 3.0.x or ESX 2.5.x !

And you can only use WS 6.0.x. WS 6.5 beta doesn't work (yet).

[espi3030]

The only thing I have gotten to work, is the install process before the first re-boot. After that it was E X T R E M E L Y slow, like 2 days to get to Console screen slow. But it was very useful to me while creating my scripted install configuration and that is all I needed it for.

[oreeh]

Then you either don't have a VT capable host or forgot to enable 32bit VT.

[espi3030]

oreeh,

How can I verify that?

[oreeh]

If you can run 64bit VMs your host supports VT.

To enable 32bit VT you have to add the following o the VMX

AMD CPUs:

monitor_control.enable_svm = TRUE"

Intel CPUs:

monitor_control.vt32 = "TRUE"

You also have to set the other isolation related parameters mentioned in the thread.

[espi3030]

If you can run 64bit VMs your host supports VT.

I can do this now.

To enable 32bit VT you have to add the following o the VMX

AMD CPUs:

monitor_control.enable_svm = TRUE"

Intel CPUs:

monitor_control.vt32 = "TRUE"

And I will have to look into this. Thank you

[terryvm]

Excellent.

Thanks for this.