6.1.1

Table Of Contents
Table 12. Recommended vRAM Settings for Linux Guest Operating Systems
vRAM Size
Number of
Monitors Maximum Resolution
10 MB 1 1600x1200 or 1680x1050
12 MB 1 1920x1440
16 MB 1 2560x1600
32 MB 2 2048x1536 or 2560x1600
48 MB 3 2048x1536
64 MB 3 2560x1600
64 MB 4 2048x1536
128 MB 4 2560x1600
RHEL and CentOS only support this configuration on vSphere 5.5.
To support this configuration on Ubuntu, you must recompile the kernel.
For NeoKylin, this configuration is not supported.
NOTE To connect to a RHEL 6.6 or CentOS 6.6 desktop with multiple monitors, you must specify the
number of displays correctly. For information about how to specify the number of displays, see “Create a
Virtual Machine and Install Linux,” on page 10. You must also edit the vmx file and append the following
lines:
svga.maxWidth="10240"
svga.maxHeight="2048"
If these settings are not added, only one monitor displays the desktop. The others display a black screen.
If you encounter an autofit issue with the recommended settings, you can specify a larger vRAM size.
vSphere Client permits a maximum vRAM size of 128 MB. If your specified size exceeds 128 MB, you must
modify the vmx file manually. The following example specifies a vRAM size of 256 MB:
svga.vramSize = "268435456"
Recommended vCPU and Shared Memory Settings to Support Multiple
Monitors
To improve desktop performance with multiple monitors, configure at least two vCPUs for a Linux virtual
machine.
Also make sure that the virtual machine has adequate shared memory to support multiple monitors.
Determine the current maximum shared memory size (shmmax) with the following command:
sysctl -a | grep shm
If shared memory is small, increase the maximum size with the following command:
sysctl -w "kernel.shmmax=65536000"
Recommended vCPU Settings for Video Playback
For a Linux virtual machine that is not using vDGA graphics, video playback on high-resolution monitors
might be uneven if too few vCPUs are configured. Configure additional vCPUs, such as four vCPUs, to
improve the performance of video playback.
Chapter 1 Installing and Configuring Horizon 6 for Linux Desktops
VMware, Inc. 9