BL465c G5 running ESX - VM networking performance issues

[Matthew M Burgess]

This is in the hands of HP and VMware support and on the verge of HP replacing 8 x BL465c G5 servers with 32GB of RAM.

Problem: Virtual Machine networking performance is very poor.

Without going right in to the extensive testing we have completed, I can say with 100% certainty that:

- This is not related to the storage
- This is not related to the physical network topology or the configuration of the physical network topology.
- The environment works perfectly for BL460c servers under identical conditions.
- The condition is present under all versions of VMware tested (3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5u1, 3.5u2 and 3.5u2 with all patches)
- The condition is not present when running Windows on the same server

VC firmware 1.31
OA firmware 2.25
Server firmware as at the 8.20 management CD

Help!!!

[neilbo]

I am having good luck with a BL460c and eight gigs of ram. It holds 4 ms servers. One which is a WSUS box.

[Matthew M Burgess]

HP will be replacing all 8 servers with BL460s.