Installation guide

6 Select Advanced > Paravirtualization. Select Support VMI Paravirtualization to enable VMI
Paravirtualization to enable it, or deselect it to disable this feature.
VMI is a paravirtualization standard that enables improved performance for virtual machines capable of
utilizing it. Currently, this feature is available only for those versions of the Linux guest operating system
which support VMI paravirtualization.
NOTE Enabling paravirtualization utilizes one of the virtual machine’s six virtual PCI slots. Also, enabling
paravirtualization can limit how and where the virtual machine can be migrated. Consider the following
before enabling this feature:
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These hosts support VMI paravirtualization: ESX/ESXi 3.5 and greater, and Workstation 6.0 and
greater. Hardware version 4 virtual machines with paravirtualization enabled that are created on ESX
hosts can be migrated to Workstation hosts without loss of functionality.
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A virtual machine with paravirtualization enabled and that is powered off can be moved manually
to a host that does not support paravirtualization. However, this can result in reduced performance.
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A virtual machine with paravirtualization enabled and that is powered on or in a suspended power
state can not be migrated to a host that does not support paravirtualization.
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Automated vCenter Server DRS migrations of virtual machines with paravirtualization enabled to
hosts that do not support paravirtualization are not allowed.
7 Select Advanced > Fibre Channel NPIV Settings.
N-port ID virtualization (NPIV) provides the ability to share a single physical Fibre Channel HBA port
among multiple virtual ports, each with unique identifiers. This allows control over virtual machine access
to LUNs on a per-virtual machine basis.
Each virtual port is identified by a pair of world wide names (WWNs): a world wide port name (WWPN)
and a world wide node name (WWNN). These WWNs are assigned by vCenter Server.
NPIV support is subject to the following limitations:
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NPIV must be enabled on the SAN switch. Contact the switch vendor for information about enabling
NPIV on their devices.
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NPIV is supported only for virtual machines with RDM disks. Virtual machines with regular virtual
disks continue to use the WWNs of the host’s physical HBAs.
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The physical HBAs on the ESX host must have access to a LUN using its WWNs in order for any
virtual machines on that host to have access to that LUN using their NPIV WWNs. Ensure that access
is provided to both the host and the virtual machines.
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The physical HBAs on the ESX host must support NPIV. If the physical HBAs do not support NPIV,
the virtual machines running on that host will fall back to using the WWNs of the host’s physical
HBAs for LUN access.
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Each virtual machine can have up to 4 virtual ports. NPIV-enabled virtual machines are assigned
exactly 4 NPIV-related WWNs, which are used to communicate with physical HBAs through virtual
ports. Therefore, virtual machines can utilize up to 4 physical HBAs for NPIV purposes.
To view or edit a virtual machine’s WWNs:
a To edit the virtual machine’s WWNs, power off the virtual machine.
b Ensure that the virtual machine has a datastore containing a LUN that has been made available to the
host.
c Select the Options tab.
d Select Fibre Channel NPIV.
e Currently assigned WWNs are displayed in the WWN Assignments box.
vSphere Basic System Administration
154 VMware, Inc.