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nbarsotti
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How to load paravirtual scsi driver during OS install?

Hello, I am hoping to build some new Windows VM's on ESXi v4 using the new paravirtual scsi controller (pvscsi). Windows obviously does not have drives embeddeed in the OS install disk and VMware has not posted a virtual floppy image of the device drivers. Does anyone know where I can find the drivers to installed. FYI - I tried changing from LSI scsi to PVSCSI on a windows 2008 server that already have VMware Tools installed and the OS would not boot.

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dab
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From my knowledge, the PVSCSI Driver is not supported as Boot-Controller, so you have to user an LSI for the Boot-Drive and the PVSCSI for the Data-Drive.

Regards,

Daniel

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dab
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From my knowledge, the PVSCSI Driver is not supported as Boot-Controller, so you have to user an LSI for the Boot-Drive and the PVSCSI for the Data-Drive.

Regards,

Daniel

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Texiwill
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Hello,

Moved to the Virtual Machine and Guest OS forum.


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nbarsotti
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Hello,

You are correct. I finally found it in the documentation that pvscsi is not supported as a boot device. Either way I would still like to find the any SCSI drivers so I can use one of the LSI SCS controllers with Windows XP. Any update on the virtual floppy or ISO images with LSI scsi drivers.

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dab
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From my perspective it's not possible with XP. I've seen some posts that you can use an original driver from lsi but i've never got it to work. Just use the buslogic with XP and this driver you can download from the vmware website.

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cpfarhood
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You need to use the LSI 20320-R WHQL driver, I'd post up the .FLP I made, but I'm not sure that's allowed.

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lukasware
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PVSCSI not supported on the boot drive but supported on data drives is like saying

the OS is more important than the data (so put the OS on the "stable" controller).

Anyway, copy the pvscsi drivers from the VMware tools CD (presented during a

tools install). Make a .flp from them using winimage. Present this .flp during

a Win2K8/2K3 install...PVSCSI boot and VMXnet3, what could be better?

Oh, that's right, some sort of support for the worlds most popular desktop OS...

but meanwhile use the LSI Logic SAS controller for XP. If changes the

stock XP disk I/O request size from 64K to 1MB (or 2MB for XP64) and increases

the maximum number of outstanding IOs from 32 to 255.

All LSI logic Fiber Channel HBA seem to use the same driver.

Correct me if I'm wrong but there seems to be an error in the txtsetup.oem file

for the 32bit drivers....just edit ouf the references to 64bit and it works great as

an F6 (boot) driver as the correct 32bit files are on the driver.

CHANGE THE PARENTHESIS TO SQUARE BRACKETS the forum eats square brackets

or even easier is to do a visual compare and see that there are few changes needed.

======================================

  1. txtsetup.oem - version XP.9 for SYMMPI Windows XP 32 driver

(Disks)

d1 = "LSI PCI Fusion-MPT Miniport Driver",\symmpi.tag,\

(Defaults)

scsi = SYMMPI

(scsi)

SYMMPI = "LSI PCI Fusion-MPT Driver (XP 32)",symmpi

(HardwareIds.scsi.SYMMPI)

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0622", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0624", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0626", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0628", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0030", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0032", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0050", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0054", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0058", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_005E", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0056", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_005A", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0640", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0646", "symmpi"

id = "PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0062", "symmpi"

(Files.scsi.SYMMPI)

driver = d1,symmpi.sys,SYMMPI

inf = d1,symmpi.inf

inf = d1,lsipseud.inf

catalog = d1,mpixp32.cat

(Config.SYMMPI)

==================================

To add insult to injury, there does not seem to be a 64bit driver for XP

the 64bit folder does not reference the PCI device

VEN_1000&DEV_0054

that VMware emulates.

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ibmer007
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Hi Nbarsotti,

You can find the SCSI driver required for XP installation as well the instruction on using it with VMware ESX on an earlier post at my blog at:

How to Install Windows XP on VMware ESX

I hope this help quite few people, please reward points if it help you out :).

"Nothing can't be virtualized, even people"

VMware Certified Professiona (VCP)

http://www.virtualizationteam.com Active Memeber

http://www.virtualizationteam.com

"Nothing can't be virtualized, even people" VMware Certified Professiona (VCP) http://www.virtualizationteam.com Active Memeber
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FireDog7881
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Has anybody made a flp for the SCSI paravirtual drivers? The only folder I found on the x64 VMware Tools install disk was under "D:\Program Files\VMware\Vmware Tools\Drivers\scsi" but when looking at the inf file it only says about the VMware SCSI driver, nothing specific about the paravirtual driver. If anybody has an flp for these drivers it would be greatly appreciated to post, or email me. Let me know if you have it I'll send you my email address.

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Saliks
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Trying to install Win2008 Server for educational purpose on paravirtual drive, all is ok. And of course I make floppy with drivers for pvscsi

http://rapidshare.com/files/287924497/drivers.for.vmware.pvscsi.rar

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Saliks
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kwizi66
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Do this after you've installed the OS.

Make a template to deploy it in the future.

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Box293
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Thanks kwizi66,

I knew it was simple but I forgot that by adding a new hard disk as 1:0 adds the additional scsi controller.

VCP3 32846

VSP4 VML-306798

VCP3 & VCP4 32846 VSP4 VTSP4
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ArildS
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Replying to an old thread here, but just wanted to post some tips searchable by Google Smiley Happy

If you want to change any Windows installation to the LSI controller just download any older LSI driver and edit symmpi.inf

Comment out this line in the following section (example from V1.10 of the LSI Parallel driver):

;ExcludeFromSelect = PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0030

[ControlFlags]
ExcludeFromSelect = PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0622
ExcludeFromSelect = PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0624
ExcludeFromSelect = PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0626
ExcludeFromSelect = PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0628
;ExcludeFromSelect = PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0030
ExcludeFromSelect = PCI\VEN_1000&DEV_0032

This makes the LSI Parallell controller visible when adding hardware. Thus you can add it without having added the controller (yet).

After adding it in Windows, shut down and change to LSI Parallell (from Buslogic or any other controller really).

(Do this on a physical machine and use Ghost to make an image of the disk(s). Ghost the image into a VM and you have done a P2V. Need to install VMWaretools and replace drivers though, and of course you must add the LSI Parallel controller.)

Start Windows again and the HW discovery will run prompting 1 or 2 restarts.

Inspect the device manager after the restarts and delete any SCSI controller displaying a yellow bang.

The example above works for replacing the Buslogic with LSI parallel on Win XP and Windows 2003 server.

However, the same principle can be used for most types of controllers if you want to change to a different physical adapter og a different virtual adapter.

If you want to change to the ESX paravirtual driver as a boot driver (not supported) you can do that by editing this file:

C:\Program Files\VMWare\VMWare Tools\Drivers\pvscsi\pvscsi.inf

Comment out ExcludeFromSelect = *

[ControlFlags]

;ExcludeFromSelect = *

The same principle applies to most SCSI type drivers so knock yourselves out fiddlling around having fun.

PS1! Not all variants you can 'make' are supported, but they work just fine Smiley Happy

PS2! Don't P2V a multi cpu/multi core physical machine to a single core VM as you will have serious performance issues with older versions of Windows. Best practice would be to always use 2 cores or more on the VMs.

I'll probvably be beheaded for filling the masses with dangerous unsupported ideas here, but these fixes have helped me a lot over the years, and I have never had any problems with corrupted disks. As long as you ghost the disk images the controllers driver rewrite the data. Beware of just changing physical controllers. Image the data out and in again with the new controller and you should have no problems.

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