Vmware Tools running but unsupported

[vDeepak]

I am having VC 5.0 and host running at ESX 4.1 , i can see at few VM summary that Vmware tools status as "Running (Unsopported)". I can confirm i am using the correct OS version i.e W2k3 Sp2 and as far recall this was not when i am using VC at 4.1

What is this Running (Unsupported) means and what is Vmware tools version status?

Thanks

[vDeepak]

any updates?

[Troy_Clavell]

what version of tools are you running inside the guest OS? You could possibly have out of date tools (VI3) and they are not supported. What happens if you "install/upgrade VMware Tools?

[vDeepak]

I am not having VI3 infra as i stated earlier that my host were previously build from scratch to ESX 4.1 and VC at 4.1. Now we upgraded VC to 5. and host are still at ESX 4.1.

After the upgrade i notice that in Vm summary tab for Vmware tools : for some VM 's it shows "Running (Current)" and for some VM it shows "Running (Unsupported)".

However when our VC was at 4.1 then under Vm summary tab for Vmware tools: it shows only "OK", "out of date" , "not running".

I would like to know what this new feature with VC5 i.e "Vmware tools Version" is?

I checked  this is not either host specific nor Vm specific nor OS specific..

I havn't upgraded tools over Vm which shows "Running (Unsupported)"  and will do it once i have complete understanding of this term in VC5.

Thanks

[Tyomni]

"I checked  this is not either host specific nor Vm specific nor OS specific.." -Verry streange case.

____________________________________

VM or Not to VM...?

That is the question!

[vDeepak]

Yes, i was having 8 host in cluster running ESX 4.1 and VC 4.1 now we upgraded our VC to 5.0 and since then i can see this new feature called "Vmware tools Running Version". the "unsupported" shows at few Vm randomly.

Did no one else notice this?

[vDeepak]

Any reply please?

Thanks

[usafsajjad]

have you figured out the reason behind it?

[vDeepak]

No, am still looking around someone from forum to help me.

Thanks

[usafsajjad]

I came across an article that might help. I haven't any of the suggested options so far but I soon will.

http://www.boche.net/blog/index.php/2009/03/31/vmware-tools-not-running/

[vDeepak]

Yes , thats an interesting article.

However my concern was bit different..if anyone have VC at 5, then you may also see "Vmware tools version ". i.e select Vm and go to summary and there you see either "Running (Unsupported)" , "Running (Supported)" , "Not running (Supported)" and" Not Running (Unsupported)".

I need to know whats all these new terms are in VC5?

Thanks

[hharold]

Sorry I can't help, but just wat to report the same issue.
VMware tools version 8.3.2 build-299420 is reporting as Running (Unsupported)

It is my understanding that this version is late ESXi 4.0 or early ESXi 4.1 and should be fully compatible with vcenter 5....

Still don't get the meaning of this status.

Regards,

Harold

[bnandi]

Note: vCenter Server 5.0 will show VMware tools as running (unsupported) when the VMware tools for that VM are out-of-date.

We can determine that the VMware tools are out-of-date by connecting to the ESX/ESXi hosts directly using vSphere client & then checking the VMware tools status in Summary Tab of the VM.

[Kapil84]

Hi,

I have also did same thing i have created new vShpere 5 environment which include vCenter 5.0 and then i added ESXi 4.1 into the vCenter 5.0.

So some VMs running on ESXi 4.1 showing me same problem for tools.

But I found some information from KB article. which will may help to resolve the issue.

http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=201135...

apart from that if any one found the othe solution then let me know.

Regards,

KB

[crzysuka]

I don't know if you guys figured this out, as there are no posts stating you've solved this, but the "VMware Tools Status" is not something new, you can add and remove columns from each of your views in the vSphere client by right clicking the column header. The status of "Not Supported" would mean you need to upgrade the VMware Tools on that virtual machine, the Tools version is too old and not supported running in vSphere 5, it wasn't too old and was still supported in vSphere 4.x since you didn't have the status message before.

http://partnerweb.vmware.com/comp_guide2/sim/interop_matrix.php

[Lapsap201110141]

I'm also facing this problem.  In case someone wants to say "Make sure your VMware Tools is up to date, blah blah blah", let me tell you that everything, really really everything is up to date.  I have rebooted and rebooted the guest O/S, uninstalled and reinstalled the VMware Tools n times.  But I still get this stupid "Running (Unsupported)" error.

I've gone through several VMware KB articles but they don't help either.  So finally I tried it in my own way and it worked!  This is what I did:

1. Uninstall VMware Tools

2. Restart the guest O/S as requested

3. Upon startup, do NOT install VMware Tools immediately (and of course, cancel all Found New Hardware wizard)

4. Instead, search all files and folders about "vmware" in the C drive.  Yes, absolutely every file and folder on vmware.  Then delete them in a way or another.  FYI: I've found some of them in the following paths:

  C:\WINDOWS\system32\ReinstallBackups

  C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch

  C:\Documents and Settings\admin\Application Data

  C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\

  You might have to manually go through all folders in C:\Documents and Settings because some of them don't show up in search result.

5. Reinstall VMware Tools and you should be OK.

I've done this in two VM whose guest O/S are Win XP Pro and Windows Server 2003 R2 and this works for both of them.

Good luck.

Nevertheless, I'm pretty convinced that the problem comes from ESXi hosts because when those VM are running in VMware Workstation, the icon in the System tray is OK.

[Madmax01]

Hi theire,

so with v5 the Vmware Tools has been changed.

i just wouldn't much take care about what they changed, and why they changed.  that's theire Process for each Major release.  for each one a new Surprise, facing new Challanges .

Anyway VMware Tools is a Special Story anyway.

i personally just taking care that i update all vm's which are having  Red Error Message.    if it's   "running (out-of-date)"  i don't care about. unsupported i don't have currently.

Just take care that you  make a "Maintenance" and updating all you're vmware tools. for an major Relase i would for sure upgrade the Vmware Tools, even if they would be supported. Major is new stuff mostly , who knows Problems behind if too much mixings with Old Configs . just close Single Point of Failures Proactivly .

then you're happy

Best regards

Max

[Lapsap201110141]

About the suggestion to "not taking much care" about the "Vmware Tools running but unsupported" warning, I'm not so sure.

In recent versions of VMware tools when the VM is running under Workstation, the function to shrink the virtual disk is removed from it and users have to run this from Workstation software.  There might be some reason in this.  And this might be one of the reasons why we should *care*.

[Lapsap201110141]

vDeepak, have you tried my suggestion?