ESXi

This has really puzzled me and I wonder if anyone has come across it before.

I have provisioned a new Windows 2008 R2 server from a template which I have setup on VSphere. I intentionally changed the NIC driver from E1000 to VMXNET3 in the .VMX file of that virtual machine. The machine wouldn’t boot into Windows, it kept looping through a network boot process before throwing an error that it can’t find the operating system. I have also removed the NIC’s and added new ones through VSphere Client specifying the VMXNET3 driver that worked, then last night I was giving the server more vCPU’s and same problem came back again.

It only worked when I changed the NIC’s back to E1000 in the .VMX file.

Any ideas?

Any ideas?

Are you sure you even need VMXNET3? There are very specific uses for VMXNET, but probably just basic NIC functions are fine with E1000 or VMXNET2.

Thank you for your reply RParker

I have similar machines running with the same setup and they are fine, but my question is why is a VMXNET3 it conflicting with the system boot?

the guest OS is Windows 2008 R2.

I have similar machines running with the same setup and they are fine, but my question is why is a VMXNET3 it conflicting with the system boot?

Perhaps this ? http://www.vadapt.com/2009/05/vmxnet3/

It says you may need to remove previous drivers, then reinstall.

you learn something evertyday :smileyhappy:

I will give this a try after hours and let you know

Thanks RParker

Hi

Did you get this issue resolved? As I am struggling with it

Thanks

Graeme

Graeme

RParker has posted a helpful link.

It didn't sort my issue, even though I had removed the NIC's completely from the VM and also removed drivers.

I originally used the .vmx file to change the E1000 to VMXNET3 and these lines stayed in the .vmx file. Make sure there is no mention of ethernet device within your .vmx file after removing the vNIC's from the VM.

Then try to re-add the NIC's to the machine, that sorted my problem.

Hi,

I have encountered the same problem and I can see there is some incompatibility of VMXNet3 ehternet adapter with Windows Server 2008 R2, my environment was also on 2008 R2 and everytime I select VMXNet3 I would not be able to get TCP/IP unless I change the ethernet adapter to E1000.

Nikhil

Nikhil

I have many Windows 2008 R2 servers running with VMXNET 3 with no issues, the issue I had was upgrading E1000 vNIC's to VMXNET 3. That stopped the OS responding and even booting. The best thing as I have mentioned earlier is to remove any mention of E1000 vNIC's using your vSphere client, remote to the server and remove and non present nic drivers using your device manager then try adding your VMXNET 3 vNIC's.

I hope that helps

I have tried this with no success. Going to raise a call with VM

When switching vNIC adapters, make sure that all the IP Address that were associated with the old vNIC is also associated with the new vNIC.

I have not tried switching adapters before but I remember my colleague telling me this.