How to uninstall VMWare ESXi 4.0 U1

[Jouko Parviainen]

How to uninstall VMWare ESXi 4.0 U1

I'm new with a virtualization, so...

I plan to install VMWare ESXi 4.0 into HP ProLiant ML350 G6 server with one quad-core Intel E5504 processor. I downloaded VMWare ESXi 4.0 U1 ISO image from HP. To reduce software license cost in the future, my goal is to create one virtual machine and define only a dual-core processor available in Windows Server 2008 R2 guest operating system.

1.
Is it possible to create a virtual machine at first with a quad-core procesessor available, and then later reduce (modify) cores to a dual-core processor in the existent virtual machine?

2.
If there arise any issues to break off virtualizing, how to uninstall VMWare ESXi 4.0 from the server and reformat VMFS file system? Is it just to delete and recreate logical RAID arrays in HP Smart Array / Array Configuration utility and then run a fresh Windows Server installation?

Thank you

[Steven Clementi]

1. - It is possible to change the virtual devices on an offline vm. Memory, disks, other devices... i'd have to check for sure, but I think you can change the number of virtual cpu's as well.

keep in mind that your vm knows nothing about "cores". It only knows that it's been allocated a "vCPU" or multiple vCPU's.

2. yes. Simply delete the array and re-create it. Install Windows fresh wit hSmart Start, or directly with Microsoft media.

Why would you run a server with only 1 VM on it though? The over head for one server is not worth the trouble. I can understand if you think you might need more Vm's later on, but you did not mention it.


Steven

[Uwe Zessin]

Yes, you can change the number of vCPUs - I've done it a number of times.

What you should try to avoid is move from multiple vCPUs down to one(1) vCPU. At least on Windows this has caused problems in the past - well, maybe W2008 is more relaxed.


I think you don't even need to recreate the SmartArray configuration - just clear the partition table.


Why run only one VM on one server?

Enjoy hardware abstraction and the ability to move to a different platform without too many problems.

(I'm still doing most of my work inside a Windows XP VM I've set up at 31 July 2005 on VMware workstation 5.5 - now on 7.0 and several notebooks and processor generations later).

[Steven Clementi]

Yes, now that I think about it... the Windows Installation gives you an option to just delete all the partitioning and re-create whatever you want.


Steven

[Jouko Parviainen]

In a ROM Based Setup Utility (BIOS) of the HP ProLiant ML350 G6 server (Intel E5504 processor) I found a "Processor Core Disable" option. There are three values: "All Cores Enabled", "One Core Enabled" and "Half Cores Enabled". Probably I can reduce a number of cores there, and actually not need to accomplish a virtualization at all.

I installed VMware ESXi 4.0.0 Rel 208167 on the hardware. In creating a virtual machine procedure, I found that there exists a parameter "Number of virtual processor: 4 (default) and I can specify (limit) that value. The wizard is warning: "Changing the number of virtual processors after the guest OS is installed may make your virtual machine unstable".