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vmcms
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Network problem on one VM

I have ESX 3.5 with several VMs. One of the VMs (Windows Server 2003) does not maintain network connectivity. If I connect and disconnect the VM from the virtual switch connectivity is restored for several minutes and then is gone again. From the console of the VM i can ping the local ip of the VM but cannot ping the dg or the ESX Host. Ping returns: Hardware Error.

No useful events that I can find in local Event logs or in the VI Client. Is there a log file on the ESX server I can look at? Any other ideas?

Thanks!

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MR-T
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Chck that VMTools are installed and try re-installing anyway.

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MR-T
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Chck that VMTools are installed and try re-installing anyway.

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vmcms
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Thanks for the reply.

I've installed VM tools and the VM is still talking on the network. Why would VM tools affect this? None of my other VMs have VM tools installed.

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MR-T
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You should always install VMtools. It provides the specifc drivers for the virtual hardware, improves performance/stability, allows heartbeats to be sent to the ESX host & VC, plus enables snapshotting. There are lots of other reasons.

Try it.

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RParker
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The tools not only allow ESX server to manage the VM's better, but it's how the ESX server gets heartbeats from the VM also. The tools allow scripting of the commands inside the guest (like guest shutdown, and restart) and when you tell a host to shutdown, it talks to the VM's via the tools to ensure they shutdown, so you don't have to shutdown each one manually.

Performance is also better inside the guest, as the tools provide the proper drivers for video, mouse, and network connectivity. Not mention when you are in console mode, you don't have to press CTRL-ALT to get out of the console, it's seemless.

As MR. T says, there are many reasons.

But I have VM's that disconnect, but only during vmotion, and I have vmotion them again after disconnecting/reconnecting the network. There are only a couple of VM's that do this ,but I have similar problems, even with the tools.

The Tools also allow the VM to "balloon" the memory.