*** This host does not support VT. ***

[yorkman]

I keep getting the message: "This virtual machine is configured for

64-bit guest operating systems. However, 64-bit operation is not

possible. This host does not support VT. Continue with 64-bit support?"

If I answer with NO it then continues to try and boot the vm but then cancels with "The task was canceled by a user" even though I haven't cancelled anything. If I answer YES, well then after posting and attempting to boot the XP iso it says "This cpu is not compatible with x64 mode. Please install a 32-bit X86 operating system."

That's what I get every time I power on a virtual machine where I'm trying to get it to boot an XP 64bit ISO file so that I can install XP 64bit on it.

I'm running ESX 4.1 on a 64bit VM (Redhat Linux 5 64-bit) from VMWare Workstation v7. I tried Windows XP 64bit and other flavors of

Linux 64bit but same issue with all of them.

My physical pc consists of: Q6600 CPU (which supports VT). The mobo is P5E-VM HDMI and VanderPool (VT) with XD bit set is enabled in the BIOS. It is running

at 3.60 GHz.

So I can't install any 64-bit OS because it tells me that my ESX 4.1 VM pc doesn't support VT...I booted into its virtual bios but there are no VT settings there. Yet, when I boot ESX with the CPU Preferred Mode set to Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI I get a little message on the bottom right saying: "This host does not support EPT. Using hardware virtualization with a software MMU." So I know it sees VT when booting ESX, only the virtual machines created in ESX don't seem to see it.

I've already added the following into my ESX 4.1 vm's .vmx file:

guestOS = "vmkernel"

monitor_control.vt32 = "true"

monitor_control.restrict_backdoor = "true"

I also tried adding the above into the XP 64bit VM's vmx file as well. Any ideas on how I can install a 64bit OS in a virtualized ESX 4.1? Or it just isn't possible?

yorkman.

[AWo]

Welcome to the forums!

You need to enable Intel-VT in the host BIOS, not the virtual one. The hypervisor (ESX) needs it. Cold boot the system after enabling it.

AWo

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[yorkman]

Thanks for responding, however, as I mentioned I already enabled VT in the host bios. On my mobo VT is called Vanderpool and it is enabled already. This cpu and mobo is on VMWare's Hardware Compatibility Guide so there shouldn't be a problem.

[AWo]

I'm running ESX 4.1 on a 64bit VM (Redhat Linux 5 64-bit) from VMWare Workstation v7. I tried Windows XP 64bit and other flavors of

Linux 64bit but same issue with all of them. <br>AWo<br>

That was the thing I'm missing!

Read http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-8970 , for running nested VM's. Here it is stated that you can only run 32 bit guests as nested VM's.

Read http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-9150 , maybe you're missing ' monitor.virtual_exec = "hardware" '

Read http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-13222 , step 19.

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Added links, edited by AWo

[kac2 · Accepted solution]

you are running nested ESX. ESX inside of ESX. you can only install 32-bit operating systems in this type of environment. VMware has no VT-support for nested VMs

[yorkman]

Actually no, I'm trying to run a 64bit vm in a virtualized ESX on a physical machine.

In Workstation 7, I created a Redhat 5 64bit vm and installed ESX 4.1 on it. Then, I'm simply using vSphere client to created an XP 64bit vm. As I said. It does see that I have hardware VT enabled because it specifically says so whenever I boot ESX.

Or are you guys saying that even in this type of configuration, 64bit vm's are impossible in a virtual esx 4.1? That's too bad.

[kac2]

it's been known that you cannot run 64-bit VMs in a nested "virtual" ESX(i) environment. "to do so you would need VT support inside the outer VM - but this is not possible" - continuum

http://communities.vmware.com/thread/190653

http://communities.vmware.com/message/1344593

http://communities.vmware.com/message/1542972

Kendrick Coleman

www.kendrickcoleman.com<http://www.kendrickcoleman.com>;

twitter: @KendrickColeman

[yorkman]

AWO: I tried enabling monitor.virtual_exec = "hardware" on the inner guest and answering NO to the 64bit question but it responds with:

"Using software virtualization with a software MMU.

This host is not capable of hardware virtualization."

I guess what you and kac2 have been saying is true. There's no way I can run a 64bit vm inside a virtual esx 4.1 on physical hardware.

One more thing so I understand documents better...using my setup as an example, are the following correct:

Inner guest = the 64bit version of XP I'm trying to install in my esx 4.1? or would this be a nested inner guest?

Outer guest = my virtual esx 4.1?

Host = my physical pc

What is my VMWare Workstation 7 running on my physical pc called?

[jpdicicco]

Host = VMware workstation

Guest = ESX

Inner guest/nested guest = XP

Happy virtualizing!

JP

Please consider awarding points to helpful or correct replies.

[kac2]

hah. you are just trying to get philosophical on us now.

It's more commonly referred to as "nested". Sort of like having folders within folders.

VMware Workstation is your hypervisor.

Kendrick Coleman

www.kendrickcoleman.com<http://www.kendrickcoleman.com>;

twitter: @KendrickColeman

[AWo]

I guess what you and kac2 have been saying is true. There's no way I can run a 64bit vm inside a virtual esx 4.1 on physical hardware.

That's what I was afraid of.

One more thing so I understand documents better...using my setup as an example, are the following correct:

Inner guest = the 64bit version of XP I'm trying to install in my esx 4.1? or would this be a nested inner guest?

Call it nested or inner guest, but not both.

Outer guest = my virtual esx 4.1?

Hmm, maybe. Yes, I think that is correct. But that is alos just called "guest".

>Host = my physical pc

Yes.

What is my VMWare Workstation 7 running on my physical pc called?

It is the hypervisor, but not a bare metal one, but a hosted one (as a standard OS is underneath VMware Workstation, that is not the case with ESX(i), for example.)

AWo

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[AWo]

Actually no, I'm trying to run a 64bit vm in a virtualized ESX on a physical machine.

To run a 64 bit guest all VMware hypervisors need Intel-VT because all of them use binary translation. In general VT is not related to 64 bit, but, running 64-bit binary translation requires something which is called "segment truncation". Today's operating systems often don't use segments anymore so it was removed by AMD and Intel. But binary translation still uses that. AMD added limited (but good enough) support early on (RevC Opterons did not have it, RevD and later do) specifically for VMware; Intel does not support the segment truncation feature, so on Intel VT is necessary instead.

But this Intel-VT is not available in the virtual BIOS.

AWo

VCP 3 & 4

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[yorkman]

JP: But what's:

Outer guest = ?

Outer VM = ?

[yorkman]

Yeah, bummer. Limits my testing of ESX 4.1 if I can't install any 64bit OS on it. It'd be nice if VMware put Intel-VT support in for exactly this reason.

Thanks for the explanation.

[yorkman]

I thought an OS running within VMWare Workstation is the guest, not the host?