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zlat118
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CPU Requirements (supported processors)

Beginning from Workstation Pro 15.5.5 on WMWare support of Hyper-V are included. But when I try to install WMWare on my PC, it gives me: "Unsupported CPU detect". How can I find out the family of supported Intel Xeon processors for WMWare 15-16?
The help only says:
"Systems using Processors (CPUs) launched in 2011 or later are supported except: ..."
But which ones are supported from the Xeon family, I do not understand. The specifications for the processor https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark.html#@PanelLabel595 do not even indicate the release date. I would like to get a list of Intel Xeon Processor Family, that are supported by WMWare16.

Better yet, if i can find out, from which version for each family there is begin support for WMWare.

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ender_
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I used VMWare Workstation with Hyper-V on a Xeon E5 1620 (v1) - Sandy Bridge EP. Though if you're buying a CPU, buy the newest one your motherboard supports (if you have a LGA2011 socket, that means go for E5 v2).

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bluefirestorm
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The documentation indicates that Sandy Bridge or newer is required when Hyper-V is enabled.

https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/15.0/com.vmware.ws.using.doc/GUID-177F1E77-BFFD-48...

Realistically speaking, Sandy Bridge technology is too old. I would recommend at the very least from Haswell generation as this generation has the biggest jump from the previous Ivy Bridge in terms of virtualisation technology features inside in the CPU.

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zlat118
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You answered not on the merits of the question, actually paraphrasing my text.
The question was: what specific processors (or processor family) Xeon from the specified list https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark.html#@PanelLabel595 supports WMWare Workstation Pro 15.5.5, with support of Hyper-V.

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zlat118
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bluefirestorm
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I answered your question without paraphrasing. Maybe you just don't understand the answer and don't know what Sandy Bridge, Ivy Bridge, and Haswell means. If you knew what Sandy Bridge and the rest of the Intel codenames, you would have no problem understanding the Intel ARK panel link you referenced.

Sandy Bridge is E3, E5, E7
Ivy Bridge is v2
Haswell is v3
Broadwell is v4

Just google the rest for Skylake and Cascade Lake.

 

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zlat118
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That's what I asked about.

I have a Xeon X3470 processor with a Lynnfield core. Like Is it kind of newer than Sandy Bridge? Then why isn't WMWare 16 installed with Hyper-V?

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bluefirestorm
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X3470 is from 2009.
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/42932/intel-xeon-processor-x3470-8m-cache-2-93-...

Lynnfield is Nehalem; two generations older than Sandy Bridge.

Nehalem -> Westmere -> Sandy Bridge

Nehalem CPUs were no longer supported starting with version 14.x as it does not have the Unrestricted Guest feature (available in Westmere and newer).

Maybe just get an Coffee Lake/Comet Lake i5/i7 desktop as an upgrade. Even a Haswell i7-4770 desktop CPU will likely outperform the Lynnfield Xeon for virtualisation tasks.

 

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zlat118
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I would say this: even my processor is not much inferior to the i7-4770 proposed by you. The question remains open. Which Intel SERVER processors will be support virtualization, and will work with WMWare Workstation Pro 15.5.5 and Hyper-V together? P.S. socket doesn't matter, I'm leaning towards LGA 2011 right now.

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zlat118
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By the way, the x3470 spec says:
Intel® Virtualization Technology (VT-x) ‡ Yes
Intel® Virtualization Technology for Directed I / O (VT-d) ‡ Yes
Intel® VT-x with Extended Page Tables (EPT) ‡ Yes

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bluefirestorm
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The question is already answered by the documentation. Sandy Bridge or newer for Hyper-V enabled Windows hosts (whether it is a Xeon or i5/i7).

In terms of virtualisation, whether you go for Xeon or i5/i7, it is better to get at least Haswell generation. This is because Haswell generation introduced features such as accessed/dirty bits, VMCS shadowing, reduced overhead in VM transitions.

There is not much difference between Xeon and i5/i7 for virtualisation features within the same generation (e.g. an i7-4770 desktop CPU would have almost the same features as an E5 v3 Haswell Xeon with the E5 v3 Xeon having features that won't be useful for desktop virtualisation).

https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/compare.html?productIds=83358,75122,42932

One thing to note is that with Haswell and newer i5/i7 CPUs, you would want something with "Intel vPro Platform Eligibility" as "Yes" as this would mean it has the VMCS Shadowing feature.

 

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zlat118
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Is I am understood correctly: in the specification i am need to look: "Intel vPro® Platform Eligibility"? And if it is, WMWare Workstation and Hyper-V will work together?

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zlat118
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Give me please an exact attribute/ description by which I will can determine whether WMWare Workstation and Hyper-V will work together on it. Otherwise, I have no choice but to list all Xeon processors here, and ask the same question for each of them.

 

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bluefirestorm
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How hard is it to understand? According to the documentation, Sandy Bridge or newer (regardless if it is Xeon or i5/i7) to work with Hyper-V enabled Windows host.

Go for at least Haswell generation (regardless of whether Xeon or desktop CPU chip with VMCS Shadowing) for performance reasons with Hyper-V enabled host.

As I also indicated, there is not much difference in virtualisation features within the same generation (e.g. i7-7700 Kaby Lake would have the similar virtualisation features as an E3 v6 Xeon). The only warning is that for i5/i7/i9 CPUs, get something with "Intel vPro Eligibility" indicated as "Yes" to have VMCS Shadowing. For example, Skylake-X series do not have VMCS shadowing which is likely bad for VM performance for Hyper-V enabled host. Note Skylake-X is not the same as Skylake Xeon.

The i5/i7/i9 suggestion is because that you don't gain much advantage using a Xeon over an i5/i7/i9 CPU within the same generation for virtualisation features inside the CPU. There is not much to gain using Xeon unless you are going beyond the core count of an i7/i9 (such as 12 or more) or using 2 or more CPU socket motherboard.

You can very well go for a Cascade Lake Xeon W, I don't really care. It is your money to spend and not mine.

 

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zlat118
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I understand that you do not care and are willing to spend a lot of money to buy an i7-7700K or Cascade Lake Xeon W. I’m used to counting my money, and therefore I am interested in server Xeon processors in order to buy them for a reasonable price. So I want to understand whether WMWare Workstation and Hyper-V will work on them. Well, you still don’t want to answer on the merits. Will the Xeon e5-2650 processor work (have to go brute force)?

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bluefirestorm
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I am used to looking after my money; thus the suggestion of using i5/i7 instead of Xeon (of the same generation). Buying hardware (whether new or second hand) can easily become an exercise that is like throwing money into a black pit.

I don't understand how you can save money with buying second hand Xeon E5-2650. It isn't compatible with your current motherboard. It is really too old (around 10 years). You might be able to re-use the ECC RAM, but to add more, it is more expensive ECC DDR3 (there isn't much value going to 8C/16T if you don't add more RAM). As it is very old, the risk of Sandy Bridge not being supported in the next few years is high. If you want to buy a Sandy Bridge CPU might as well try to look for a second hand i7-2600 desktop (it is also 4C/8T as the X3470). Even the i7-2600 would also likely outperform X3470 for virtualisation (it is two generations later of Nehalem).

You dismissed the i7-4770 Haswell desktop would outperform the Lynnfield. If saving money is the objective, in my opinion, getting a second hand i7-4770 desktop with 16GB RAM is probably the cost effective with some reasonable performance; will likely last longer than a Sandy Bridge system in terms of support.

Anyway, I don't have much else to add as "value of money" or perception of "money well spent" would differ from person to person.

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zlat118
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I don’t understand at all how you can advise the purchase of any processor, focusing solely on your budget, your tasks, your abstract ideas about used processors. Instead of answering the question asked, for some reason you are still forcing the purchase of a processor that is not suitable for a person, as if you yourself are going to sell it (or, perhaps, you need it). For some reason, you offered an upgrade and immediately indicated the RAM that I supposedly needed. And you decided that processor would work on DDR3 RAM and not DDR4. The processor is chosen exclusively as the lowest in this category. I will repeat my question, to which you still do not want to answer.
Will WMWare Workstation and Hyper-V work together on the Xeon e5-2650 processor?

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zlat118
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Or is there will be a different answer for E5-2650, E5-2650 v2, E5-2650 v3 and E5-2650 v4?

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ender_
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I used VMWare Workstation with Hyper-V on a Xeon E5 1620 (v1) - Sandy Bridge EP. Though if you're buying a CPU, buy the newest one your motherboard supports (if you have a LGA2011 socket, that means go for E5 v2).

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zlat118
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Thank you,  ender_

 

 
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zlat118
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I'll clarify: did I understand correctly that virtual computers on VMWare Workstation and Microsoft Windows Hyper-V work together? Becouse separately they work on my PC also. And to switch between WMWare(older version) and Hyper-V, now i need to restart my computer(hardware).

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