How to configure “vmware-vmx.exe” process priority on Windows host?

[friendofvm]

Hello experts,

I’d like to thank some of you again for earlier leads in order to get run a VM under VMware Workstation on a Windows host in unattended mode (“as a service”) along with well-defined VM state handling when the host OS is shut down. As of WS 8, “shared VMs” is really a great feature in cases where virtualization by “ESXi hypervisor” isn’t applicable (and “VMware server” isn’t, too).

I’m still missing one small piece of knowledge to become completely satisfied, for my special configuration with WS 8. I need to set the “vmware-vmx.exe” process to “high” priority, permanently and automatically with powering on the VM (host OS is Windows Server 2008 R2). Is there an (undocumented) configuration parameter for that process priority?

Thanks in advance

friendofvm

[continuum]

Hi
do you mean this one ?
http://sanbarrow.com/vmx/vmx-advanced.html#priority

I would not use it to set the priority high - in my experience "high" means the host becomes unstable

[friendofvm]

Hi, thanks for your reply. Here is some additional background information to my question:

Inside the VM, under Windows XP guest OS, an old-style database server is running that I couldn't get installed on Windows Server 2008 R2, directly. There is currently no way to replace that DBMS by a modern one. Database users still wished to maximize the performance, in the given hardware and software context. I achieved approx. 20 % faster data retrieval of long running queries by setting the process priority as described. I did it manually using the Task Manager of Windows Server 2008 R2 after powering on the shared VM (the only VM on that host). The host OS remained stable since months. Now I’m looking for a possibility to set that process priority with no admin intervention. Obviously, this has nothing to do with parameters of GUI behavior of WS 8 you referred to.

[Linjo]

Maybe try something like Process Lasso?

http://bitsum.com/prolasso.php

// Linjo

[friendofvm]

Process Lasso appears as a really awesome tool. Thanks for that hint, Linjo. But I guess that the owner of the target system wouldn't be stoked by the imagination that his server OS shall be "supported" by such a far-reaching tool in its basic functionality: process scheduling. Maybe I'll still find some time to explore that tool. 

[CuchulainX]

I was looking to attempt the same thing and found this

How Can I Lower the Priority of a Process Using a Script? - Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog - Site Home - ...

/Ed