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sayub82
Contributor
Contributor

How to increase Number of CPU Cores on ESXi 5.0 from 4 to 8

Greetings,

We have an ESXi server with following Specs;

Processor sockets:   2

Cores per socket:      8

Logical Processors:   32

we have currently 3 servers running on the box with following settings(each having 4 cores CPU)

Number of Virtual Sockets:    4

Number of Cores per socket:  1

It means we have 4 cores CPU still available in the ESXi as total number of cores are 16 and 12 already assigned.

Now I want to increase no of CPU cores on one of these machines from 4 to 8.

I followed steps mentioned in case # 1010184 but I am getting the errors, i have attached all snapshots for your review.

I am looking forward for your help and support.Thanks

Shahzad

9 Replies
a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

Welcome to the Community,

according to the screenshots, the VM is still running on virtual hardware version 4, which IIRC was limited to 4 vCPUs.

André

sayub82
Contributor
Contributor

We are running vsphere client version 5.1.0.

What is the possible solution to make it 8 vCPUs.Thanks

vsphere client.JPG

Shahzad

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

Virtual Hardware Version 4 was introduced with vSphere 3, and with vSphere 5.1 HW version 9 is the current one (see VMware KB: Virtual machine hardware versions ). What you may do is to upgrade the virtual hardware version for the VM. To do this, I'd suggest cleanly shut down the VM, create a snapshot, update VMware Tools (unless already done) and then upgrade the VM's virtual hardware version (i.e. the Virtual Compatibility Mode). If everything works as expected, delete the snasphot again.


André

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sayub82
Contributor
Contributor

Thanks for prompt reply.

Do I need to only upgrade hardware version on the target machine only ?

we have 3 servers on ESXi.

Thanks

Shahzad

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sayub82
Contributor
Contributor

I mean to say Is there any issue if I upgrade vm hardware version on one machine only and other 2 machines continue with old version.

Thanks

Shahzad

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

It's ok to run the VMs with different HW versions.

André

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sayub82
Contributor
Contributor

Hi André,

I am trying to find steps to upgrade vm version but its not available in documentation of vSphere 5.1.

Following steps I found in Knowledge base but these options are not there in our system.

  • Start the vSphere Client or vSphere Web Client and log in to the vCenter Server.
  • Power off the virtual machine.
  • Right-click the virtual machine and select the menu option to upgrade virtual hardware:

    • In the vSphere Client, the option is Upgrade Virtual Hardware.
    • In the vSphere Web Client, the option is Compatibility > Upgrade VM Compatibility.

      The virtual hardware is upgraded to the latest supported version.

      Note: The Upgrade Virtual Hardware or Upgrade VM Compatibility options only appear if the virtual hardware on the virtual machine is not the latest supported version.
    Click Yes to continue with the virtual hardware upgrade.
  • Power on the virtual machine.

VM ware tool is not installed on our machine.Do we need to install it first ?

Could you please help me more on this.Thanks

Shahzad

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a_p_
Leadership
Leadership

VMware Tools is not a hard requirement if you have all required drivers in place. However, in addition to drivers, VMware Tools add other benefits to the VM and the whole ESXi environment like better resource management... Anyway, if you create a snapshot prior to upgrading the Virtual Hardware, you can always revert in case something doesn't work as expected.

You can find the official documentation at Upgrading Virtual Machines or take a look at e.g. http://www.vladan.fr/default-vm-compatibility-level-in-vmware-vsphere-5-1/

André

esxi1979
Expert
Expert

nice quick catch

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