VMware View with mixed processors on hosts

[angelo_casanova]

Hi there

I have a customer with an existing vmware view environment. the hosts are 3 year old AMD servers, which will be replaced in the next years.

because of better performance, we will switch from AMD to Intel.

We have one parent desktop image in one automated floating pool with linked clones.

when you start windows on a new cpu architecture, you will get an message that the hardware has changed an you have to restart.

so now is the question how this reacts, when you use quickprep.

has anybody experiences with that? is this working or is the deployment process failing?

regards from vmworld barcelona

[angelo_casanova]

Hi

Nobody with some experience?

regards

[mikebarnett]

To correctly handle this situation you should power on the Parent VM once the new hardware is in place to allow the notification to show up there. Reboot the machine and ensure that the new CPU hardware is showing correctly in Windows. Once this is complete, power down the Parent VM, take your snapshot and recompose.

This will allow the linked-clones to operate normally with the new CPUs without the users having to see the message and reboot the VMs themselves when they login for the first time on the new hardware.

-Mike

[angelo_casanova]

hi. and then I also can run that parent vm on the old hardware without getting the message again? we are not swapping the hardware, the old hw will still be in production for sometime.

regards

[mikebarnett · Accepted solution]

Ah, I see. Yes, once the Parent VM has been started on the new hardware both CPUs will exist in Windows. Windows won't clean up the old one so it will remain in place preventing the message from appearing again.

-Mike