HP Integrity Virtual Machines Version 4.2 Release Notes

version. Installing the other (wrong) version of the Windows guest kit into either version of the
Windows operating system results in incorrect operation of the Windows guest.
4.1.2.6 Palhaltlight in Windows Server 2008 Guests
The use of palhaltlight is enabled by default in a Windows 2008 guest, which allows the VM
Host to be notified when the guest is idle, so that the VM Host avoids spinning the physical
processor. The VM Host can then use the physical processor for other useful purposes (for
example, running other guests or running host service processes and threads) whenever the
Windows guest does not need it. Consequently, keep palhaltlight set to on to ensure the best
performance.
4.1.2.7 Virtual DVD Misconfiguration can Lead to Windows Slow Down
Windows 2003 Server constantly polls the status of a DVD. If you configure the virtual DVD
incorrectly, such as inserting a blank DVD as a backing store, the virtual DVD disappears from
the Guest. However, the Windows 2003 Server Guest continues to scan for the DVD to come
back. This scanning activity can cause a slow down in Windows performance. Bad DVD
configurations are reported in the /var/opt/hpvm/common/hpvm_mon_log, like the following:
9 ScsiDiskOpen: block open failed dev=1f000000 cdev=bc000000 errno=16
9 DVD dev 0xbc000000 may be empty
You can correct this error by first placing the virtual DVD into ejection state (vMP> ej) and then
replacing the media in the VM Host CD or DVD drive with a readable disc.
4.1.2.8 HP Insight Manager Automatic Server Recovery Does Not Work
On Windows guests, the HP Insight Manager product supports Automatic Server Recovery: if
a system does not send out a heartbeat within a specified interval, a user-specified action takes
place (for example, automatic reboot). Integrity VM takes no action if a heartbeat is not detected;
instead, a message is logged on the console and the VM Host System Event Log. You should
monitor these log files and manually perform the reboot if the guest does not respond.
4.1.2.9 Running Windows Guests on a Dual Core Intel Itanium Processor (Montecito) System
If you use a version of the OPK Smart Setup Media released prior to Version 5.0, and wish to
run a Windows guest on an Intel Itanium 9000 server, you must disable the
PalHaltLightRegEdit patch. To do this, go to Add/Remove Programs and remove the
PalHaltLightRegEdit component.
4.1.2.10 Installing Windows with Virtual NullDVD is Not Recommended
To use a Virtual NullDVD as installation media, define the device as a file or as the physical
drive. For example, use one of the following commands:
# hpvmmodify -P guest-name -a dvd:scsi::file:/InstallMedia/Windows.iso
# hpvmmodify -P guest-name -a dvd:scsi::disk:/dev/rdsk/c0t0d0
Insert and remove media (for software installation using multiple CDs) using the hpvmmodify
command (effectively ejecting and inserting files) or, in the case of a physical drive, actually eject
and insert the media in the drive. For example, to change the media in an existing virtual DVD
defined in the above example, enter the following command:
# hpvmmodify -m dvd:scsi:0,0,1:file:/InstallMedia/SmartSetup.iso
Where the path name /InstallMedia/SmartSetup.iso indicates the new media to use.
Defining the virtual DVD as a null type (for example: hpvmmodify -a
dvd:scsi:null:/path/to/media/) is not recommended for software installation.
Software installation from virtual DVDs defined with the null storage type (also referred to as
removable media functionality) often results in installation failures because the removable media
42 Installing Guests