vSphere Client console issue with Windows 2008 R2 guests

[ChrisGurley]

Is anyone else experiencing an issue with the vSphere Client console locking up when connecting to Windows 2008 R2 RTM guests? We successfully installed W2k8 R2 RTM using our MS System Center Config Manager image and are able to navigate for a few minutes in the console (i.e. setting the initial IP address, etc) but after a little bit of activity, the console becomes unresponsive and actually crashes the Windows user session (trying to RDP as the same user times out as it cannot take over the user session). The system itself still responds to other users and login attempts, but the only way to terminate that user session (the one on the console) is to reboot the server.

The most effective way I found to reproduce this is to build a VM with Windows 2008 R2 (experimental) selected as the OS type. Then install VMware Tools (our is integrated into our image). Once Windows is installed w/ VMware Tools, open the console in vSphere Client (we have vCenter Server 4.0 as well), login (I used a domain admin account), and open the Event Viewer in Server Manager. I opened the System log and scrolled to the bottom. Then I began cursoring up. When I reached the top of the page and it attempted to scroll up to show the next event, it locks the session. We have tried several image deployments. RDP sessions are fine; just the console.

Since Windows 2008 R2 is now RTM (though not released to retail yet), we are hopeful that VMware will release full support for it. All of our servers moving forward will be using it. We'll just have to avoid using the console until then, I guess.

--Chris

[McBain]

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the information. We are expierencing the excact same issue. I will follow this up with VMware to see what the recommend while 2008 r2 is listed as experimental.

Cheers,

Chris Slater

[kelbers]

Confirm, same issue here. Reproduced on several ESX boxes. Please share your feedback from VMware once obtained.

Thanks

Stefan

[markzz]

I can confirm we are also experiencing the same issue.

The only routine I have found to resolve the locked screen is to reboot the server.

[wmallen]

Yep....I'm experiencing the Lockup as well with the W2K8 R2 Framework.

[mosfeets]

I'm not sure if the solution outlined in this KB article will help, but I'm giving it a try on my Windows 2008 R2 VMs and i haven't had any lockup/freeze issues yet.

[doubleH]

i can confirm removing the svga drivers work. did this yesterday and no lockups so far. note that this is not specific to vsphere as i an running 3.5u4

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[NIBEAB]

Same issue over here. I really think Vmware tools should handle this by default.. Hope its get fixed soon.

[JonFive]

Same issue here with 3.5u4.

[jermsmit]

I have also run into this issue, thinking that something was wrong with my Image import I built a new system right on the ESX server and same result. I have limited my interaction with VM via the VI consol for now. This happens while using ESXi 4 (4.0.0-164009) I will be upgrading one of my systems to (171294) and I will report back if I have the same results.

Between this and the VI tools not working in W7 I am not happy lately.

I do know there has been some post about a work around. However, I'd rather not hack around my system to make an application work they way it should work.

[bulletprooffool]

I believe this is a known bug - log a call to urge the resolution on a bit . . . and keep tracking it

[micros01]

Got the same issues, removed the vmware svga driver but with no luck, it still hangs..

Got the error every time I try to create a NLB-cluster and work through the steps of adding the first host the console freezes as soon as it starts to apply the changes to the NLB.

[FireDog7881]

My console freezes as well.

Windows 2008 RTM is now available to businesses. Shouldn't this have been out of experimental before RTM?

[sayamanz]

We're seeing the same issue with 3.5 u4. Haven't logged a call yet but plan to.

[macce]

I got the

exact same problem as you. The server hangs when I’m configuring NLB service.

The difference is that it hangs both when i used console and when i used

regular rdp client. I read another in thread that the problem is that the VMware

e1000 network driver isn't compatible with Windows 2008 R2 yet.

To solve my

problem I added a new network card to the VM with the vmxnet driver instead of

the e1000 driver. And deleted the Old network card. And Now it Works

[macce]

I got the

exact same problem as you. The server hangs when I’m configuring NLB service.

The difference is that it hangs both when i used console and when i used

regular rdp client. I read another in thread that the problem is that the VMware

e1000 network driver isn't compatible with Windows 2008 R2 yet.

To solve my

problem I added a new network card to the VM with the vmxnet driver instead of

the e1000 driver. And deleted the Old network card. And Now it Works