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Hardware and Firmware Requirements for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Products


VMware ACE

VMware ESX

VMware Fusion

VMware Player

VMware Server

VMware Workstation


Details



I want to install virtual machines with 64-bit guest operating systems. What are the hardware and firmware requirements for the host machine?

Solution



VMware's virtual machine monitor has traditionally used segmentation to provide isolation between the guest operating system and the virtual machine monitor. This is necessary because the guest operating system and virtual machine monitor share the linear address space.

AMD

Segmentation support is missing from the initial AMD64 processors (that is, revision C and earlier) while running in long mode. As a result, AMD64 processors prior to revision D do not have an efficient mechanism for isolating the virtual machine monitor from 64-bit guest operating systems.
A limited form of segmentation was reintroduced in long mode, in revision D AMD64 processors. As a result, AMD64 processors must be revision D or later to run 64-bit guest operating systems.

Note: Because AMD Opteron and Turion processors do not ship in revision D, AMD Opteron and Turion 64 processors must be revision E or later to run 64-bit guest operating systems.

Note: 64 bit guests are not supported for ESX versions 2.5.x and earlier.
For AMD Opteron‐based systems, the processors must be Opteron Rev E and later.
To ensure your processors support AMD64, please reference the following link - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_AMD_Opteron_microprocessors

Intel

Intel CPUs require EM64T and VT support in the chip and in the BIOS.

Intel EM64T CPUs do not have segmentation support in long mode. If the Intel EM64T CPU is VT-capable, it comes with hardware virtualization support (Intel's Virtualization Technology). This hardware virtualization support allows Workstation and VMware Server to work around the lack of segmentation, making it possible to run 64-bit guest operating systems on Intel EM64T VT-capable CPUs.

Notes:
(1) Firmware/BIOS support is required to enable Intel Virtualization Technology. Some systems (particularly laptops) do not have the necessary firmware/BIOS support to enable Intel Virtualization Technology, and cannot run 64-bit guest operating systems.
(2) In multi-processor systems, all processors must support compatible VT implementations. At a minimum, all processors must implement the same VMCS revision ID. In multi-processor systems with mixed processor steppings, 64-bit guest operating systems may not be supported.

Note: 64 bit guests are not supported for ESX versions 2.5.x and earlier.
Many servers that include CPUs with VT support might ship with VT disabled by default, and VT must be enabled manually. If your CPUs support VT but
you do not see this option in the BIOS, contact your vendor to request a BIOS version that lets you enable VT support.
To ensure your processors support VT, please reference the following link - http://compare.intel.com/pcc/default.aspx?familyid=5&culture=en-US
VT should be listed under 'Other Intel Technologies' if it is a feature of the CPU.

32-Bit CPUs

Please note that Workstation and VMware Server require a 64-bit CPU to run a 64-bit guest operating system. While it is theoretically possible to emulate a 64-bit instruction set on 32-bit hardware, doing so most likely results in unacceptable performance degradation.
VMware distributes a free utility that can be used to determine whether or not your CPU is suitable for running 64-bit guest operating systems. You can download this utility from the VMware Web site at http://www.vmware.com/download/ws/drivers_tools.html (scroll down to Processor Check for 64-Bit Compatibility). VMware Server includes this utility in its product distribution, so you don't need to download an additional tool.

Workstation 5.5 and VMware Server 1.0 support virtual machines with 64-bit guest operating systems only on host machines that have one of the supported 64-bit processors:

AMD Athlon 64, revision D or later
AMD Opteron, revision E or later
AMD Turion 64, revision E or later
AMD Sempron, 64-bit-capable revision D or later (experimental support)
Intel EM64T VT-enabled processors (experimental support)
Note: In shopping for a processor that is compatible with Workstation 5.5 or VMware Server 1.0 64-bit guests, you may be unable to determine the revision numbers of a given vendor's offering of AMD Athlon 64, Opteron, Turion 64, or Sempron processors. At this time, the only reliable way to determine whether or not any of these processors is a revision supported by VMware software is by noting the manufacturing technology (CMOS). Any of the AMD Athlon 64, Opteron, Turion 64, or Sempron processors whose manufacturing technology is 90nm SOI (.09 micron SOI) is compatible with Workstation 5.5 or VMware Server 1.0 64-bit guests. Using this information, you should be able to determine — with the help of your vendor, or from the AMD Web site (http://www.amd.com) — whether a particular Athlon 64 or Opteron processor model is compatible with Workstation 5.5 or VMware Server 1.0 64-bit guests.

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Производительность виртуальных машин близкая к производительности при непосредственном исполнении на железе;
Возможность живой миграции работающих виртуальных машин между хостами;
Поддержка до 32 виртуальных процессоров на одну гостевую машину с возможностью горячего добавления (hotplug) процессоров;
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