6.0.1

Table Of Contents
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To use the CPU hot plug feature with virtual machines that are compatible with ESXi 4.x and later, set
the Number of cores per socket to 1.
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Adding CPU resources to a running virtual machine with CPU hot plug enabled disconnects and
reconnects all USB passthrough devices that are connected to that virtual machine.
Prerequisites
Required privileges: Virtual Machine.Configuration.Settings
Verify that the virtual machine is running and is configured as follows.
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Latest version of VMware Tools installed.
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Guest operating system that supports CPU hot plug.
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Virtual machine compatibility is ESX/ESXi 4.x or later.
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Virtual machine is turned off.
Procedure
1 Right-click a virtual machine in the inventory and select Edit Settings.
2 On the Virtual Hardware tab, expand CPU, and select Enable CPU Hot Add.
3 Click OK.
You can now add CPUs even if the virtual machine is turned on.
Change the Number of Virtual CPUs
You can configure a virtual machine that runs on an ESXi host 6.0 and later to have up to 128 virtual CPUs.
You can change the number of virtual CPUs while your virtual machine is powered off. If virtual CPU
hotplug is enabled, you can increase the number of virtual CPUs while the virtual machine is running.
Virtual CPU hot add is supported for virtual machines with multicore CPU support and ESXi 5.0 and later
compatibility. When the virtual machine is turned on, and CPU hot add is enabled, you can hot add virtual
CPUs to the running virtual machine. You can add only multiples of the number of cores per socket.
IMPORTANT When you configure your virtual machine for multicore virtual CPU settings, you must ensure
that your configuration complies with the requirements of the guest operating system EULA.
Prerequisites
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If CPU hot add is not enabled, turn off the virtual machine before adding CPUs.
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To hot add multicore CPUs, verify that the virtual machine compatibility is ESXi 5.0 and later.
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Required privilege: Virtual Machine.Configuration.Change CPU Count on the virtual machine
Procedure
1 Right-click a virtual machine in the inventory and select Edit Settings.
2 Expand CPU, and select the number of cores from the CPU drop-down menu.
3 Select the number of cores per socket from the Cores Per Socket drop-down menu.
4 Click OK.
Chapter 6 Configuring Virtual Machine Hardware
VMware, Inc. 97