6.5.1

Table Of Contents
Configuring Virtual Machine
Hardware 5
You can add or configure most virtual machine properties during the virtual machine creation process or
after you create the virtual machine and install the guest operating system.
You configure the virtual machine hardware and can change nearly every characteristic that you selected
when you created the virtual machine. You can view the existing hardware configuration and add or
remove hardware. You can configure CPUs, memory, and disks.
Not all hardware devices are available to every virtual machine. The host that the virtual machine runs on
and the guest operating system must support devices that you add or configurations that you make.
This chapter includes the following topics:
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Virtual Machine Compatibility
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Virtual CPU Configuration
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Virtual Memory Configuration
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Network Virtual Machine Configuration
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Parallel and Serial Port Configuration
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Virtual Disk Configuration
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SCSI and SATA Storage Controller Conditions, Limitations, and Compatibility
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Other Virtual Machine Device Configuration
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Reduce Memory Overhead for Virtual Machines with 3D Graphics Option
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USB Configuration from an ESXi Host to a Virtual Machine
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USB Configuration from a Client Computer to a Virtual Machine
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Add a Shared Smart Card Reader to Virtual Machines
Virtual Machine Compatibility
When you create a virtual machine or upgrade an existing virtual machine, you use the virtual machine
compatibility setting to select the ESXi host versions that the virtual machine can run on.
VMware, Inc.
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