Stop reboot request when vMotioning to a host with a different processor

[Lewis00]

I am needing help to figure out how best to deal with a Reboot prompt that my users are getting due to a vDesktop being vMotioned from one model host (Dell 710) to another (Dell 720). The difference between to the two is the processor models. The 710 is a Xeon X5670 and the 720 is a Xeon E5-2667. Both processors utilize the same .inf (cpu.inf) file and seemingly drivers. It just triggers the hardware install process causing the Plug and Play manager to require a reboot of the OS after install. The outcome I am wanting is to simply have this reboot window not display weither it be by stoping the hardware install process, hiding the dialog window itself, or any other possible way to configure the system that keeps it from showing to the users. I have confirmed that you don't have to reboot for the machine to remain operational. Below is some more information on the OS and all.

Windows 7 32bit

1 vCPU

2G of RAM

vSphere 5.0.0 623860

View Agent 5.0.0 481677

Any suggestions or thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Tanner

[mittim12]

Are you utilizing EVC on your clusters? 

[Lewis00]

We are, however it does not seem to keep the OS from seeing the processor as being a different model. The extra features are being masked (as best I can tell) just still shows up as a different proc with the same features I guess is the best way to put it. I am looking into the differences in hot-plug, hot-add, and things of this nature but not fully sure if this is the right direction or another dead end. I will keep this post updated as I go if at all possible.

[a_p_]

I saw something like this happen before, not with VMware View, but with server workloads running on host with slightly different CPUs. After vMotion'ing the VM's once to each of the hosts the drivers seemed to be installed and the message went away after vMotion'ing again. Maybe you can resolve/workaraound this issue by vMotion'ing the master VM berfore creating/recomposing the clients!?

André

[cgrubbe · Accepted solution]

I have run across the same issue and the only solution I have found thus far is to boot the master on both hosts.  After it has been booted on both hosts the message no longer appears when moving the VM back to a host with a different model of CPU.  I have two clusters currently, so I have not tested vmotioning the machine between hosts with different CPU's while it is running.  When I have had a chance to test I will post my results.

-Chris

[Lewis00]

So far the results of trying a master that has both set of drivers installed does fix the issue for the master image vDesktop. However, when I spin a pool off of this master image the setup does not seem to take affect for the clones. Now once a clone has been on both types of servers it will no longer prompt. The bad thing with this is that we refresh often and refreshing and recomposing start the process over for each clone. ><

I will keep testing and post any promissing results, and thank you to everyone for your continued help.

Wanted to add that I am going to rebuild my base image from the ground up and try this again. It just does not make since that the preinstall would not work. I will update this again once I am done. Thanks again.

[Lewis00]

After nuking my old base image and starting a new the suggestions given worked without issue. Thank you all. :smileygrin: