Question

Cannot run 64bit Guest OS within nested VMs

Asked by: steel0916

I'm having issues with my virutalization lab setup where I have VMware VSphere servers installed within in a VMware Workstation 7 on a dual quad-core processor (64bit), 16GB of memory, VT enabled in BIOS with Windows 7 as the OS. Everything works fine when I create the 32bit Guest VMs on the ESX hosts but having trouble with the 64bit ones. I modified the necessary changes in the vmx files of the ESX nodes, but receiving errors when creating 64bit guest VMs. However, I can create it straight up on the VMware Workstation but not under the ESX hosts - strange.

I can't power on a 64bit VM from the VCenter console but I can power it on when I directly connect to the ESX host the VM resides on - even stranger.

Please see the attached screenshots for the errors.

Any suggestions?

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Asked On
2009-11-02 at 12:11:02ID24865031
Topic

VMware

Participating Experts
3
Points
125
Comments
7

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Answers

 

by: mwecomputersPosted on 2009-11-02 at 12:35:07ID: 25723435

 

by: steel0916Posted on 2009-11-02 at 12:56:25ID: 25723618

.encoding = "windows-1252"
config.version = "8"
virtualHW.version = "7"
numvcpus = "2"
vcpu.hotadd = "TRUE"
maxvcpus = "4"
scsi0.present = "TRUE"
scsi0.virtualDev = "lsilogic"
memsize = "6144"
mem.hotadd = "TRUE"
scsi0:0.present = "TRUE"
scsi0:0.fileName = "vSphereCN2.vmdk"
ide1:0.present = "TRUE"
ide1:0.fileName = "D:\|23NLdownloads\VMware VSphere CD1\m-vmesx1.iso"
ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-image"
floppy0.present = "FALSE"
ethernet0.present = "TRUE"
ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"
ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"
ethernet0.linkStatePropagation.enable = "TRUE"
pciBridge0.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge4.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge4.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"
pciBridge4.functions = "8"
pciBridge5.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge5.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"
pciBridge5.functions = "8"
pciBridge6.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge6.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"
pciBridge6.functions = "8"
pciBridge7.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge7.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"
pciBridge7.functions = "8"
vmci0.present = "TRUE"
monitor.virtual_mmu = "software"
monitor.virtual_exec = "hardware"
roamingVM.exitBehavior = "go"
displayName = "vSphereCN2"
guestOS = "rhel5-64"
nvram = "vSphereCN2.nvram"
virtualHW.productCompatibility = "hosted"
ft.secondary0.enabled = "TRUE"
tools.upgrade.policy = "useGlobal"

extendedConfigFile = "vSphereCN2.vmxf"

ethernet0.addressType = "generated"
uuid.location = "56 4d 5d 89 8e a0 fd 6b-d3 5a 22 33 c0 37 f2 60"
uuid.bios = "56 4d 5d 89 8e a0 fd 6b-d3 5a 22 33 c0 37 f2 60"
scsi0:0.redo = ""
vmotion.checkpointFBSize = "16777216"
pciBridge0.pciSlotNumber = "17"
pciBridge4.pciSlotNumber = "21"
pciBridge5.pciSlotNumber = "22"
pciBridge6.pciSlotNumber = "23"
pciBridge7.pciSlotNumber = "24"
scsi0.pciSlotNumber = "16"
ethernet0.pciSlotNumber = "32"
vmci0.pciSlotNumber = "33"
ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:37:f2:60"
ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"
vmci0.id = "-1070075296"
tools.remindInstall = "TRUE"
monitor_control.restrict_backdoor = "true"
monitor_control.vt32 = "true"

ethernet1.present = TRUE
ethernet1.VirtualDev = "e1000"
ethernet1.connectionType = "bridged"
ethernet1.addressType = "generated"
ethernet2.present = TRUE
ethernet2.VirtualDev = "e1000"
ethernet2.connectionType = "bridged"
ethernet2.addressType = "generated"
ethernet3.present = TRUE
ethernet3.VirtualDev = "e1000"
ethernet3.connectionType = "bridged"
ethernet3.addressType = "generated"

ethernet1.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:37:f2:6a"
ethernet1.pciSlotNumber = "34"
ethernet1.generatedAddressOffset = "10"

ethernet2.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:37:f2:74"
ethernet3.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:37:f2:7e"
ethernet2.pciSlotNumber = "35"
ethernet3.pciSlotNumber = "36"
ethernet2.generatedAddressOffset = "20"
ethernet3.generatedAddressOffset = "30"

vmi.present = "FALSE"
ide1:0.startConnected = "TRUE"
ethernet1.linkStatePropagation.enable = "TRUE"
ethernet2.linkStatePropagation.enable = "TRUE"
ethernet3.linkStatePropagation.enable = "TRUE"
tools.syncTime = "FALSE"
cleanShutdown = "TRUE"
replay.supported = "FALSE"
replay.filename = ""

 

by: steel0916Posted on 2009-11-02 at 13:02:00ID: 25723684

I already have the lines added to outer guest (ESX 4.0) .. see the output of the vmx file above.

 

by: ryder0707Posted on 2009-11-02 at 18:42:50ID: 25725694

In nested virtualization you cant run 64bit OS in the virtual esx as the virtual esx is actually using vmware virtual hardware & virtual hardware does not has VT technology in them, plain & simple
To proof this, go to the VM BIOS & find any setting that you can enable VT :)

 

by: steel0916Posted on 2010-10-04 at 13:44:05ID: 33826326

thanks.

 

by: steel0916Posted on 2010-10-04 at 13:44:35ID: 33826335

thxs.

 

by: upalakshithaPosted on 2011-11-16 at 08:13:34ID: 37146511

Enjoy...  now you can do it with vmware workstation 8 & Vsphere 5

20120131-EE-VQP-002

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