VMware Cloud Community
vmlt
Contributor
Contributor

Linux kernel configuration for VMware

Hi,

I'm running Gentoo Linux under VMware Player 15. I would like to ask information on custom kernel configuration for optimal performance as a VMware guest. First of all, I guess I should enable "Processor type and features / Linux guest support". Then, entering into the "Linux guest support" submenu, I would like to ask if I should enable any of the followings settings:

  • Enable paravirtualization code
  • Paravirtualization layer for spinlocks
  • Xen guest support
  • KVM Guest support (including kvmclock)
  • Paravirtual steal time accounting
  • Jailhouse non-root cell support

Please let me also know if there are any other important settings to enable specifically for VMware (apart from "VMWARE_BALLOON", "VMWARE_PVSCSI", "VMWARE_VMCI", "VMWARE_VMCI_VSOCKETS", "VMXNET3" which I already know).

Thanks

Tags (1)
0 Kudos
1 Reply
Texiwill
Leadership
Leadership

Hello,

You should not need to add any of the paravirtualized kernel options as they are for VMware but either Xen or KVM. I use a stock gentoo kernel when I virtualize gentoo. You will want to install open-vm-tools package in addition to the VMware specific drivers you already mentioned. If those other settings are required by the VMware drivers they would have automatically been selected.

Best regards,

--
Edward L. Haletky
vExpert XIV: 2009-2023,
VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
0 Kudos