ESX is aware of sleep instructions within a Windows OS.
So if you have a Windows VM and it goes into 'sleep' mode, VMware will suspend the VM.
The problem is that if your VM is 'sleeping' and VMware suspends it, the vm gets no resource, so no transactions are processed on the VM and your 'sleep wake timer' instances will not wake the VM.
I am afaraid, that there isn't (or at least I am not aware of) a method to do what you want, unless you were perhaps to reverse your design and run ESX on a Microsoft install, rather than Microsoft on an ESX install? (VMware workstation etc) this wqay Windows can be managed as normal and you still have your ESX lab doing what it needs?
One day I will virtualise myself . . .
