Updating the VirtIO Drivers (Windows-based VMs)

Update the Red Hat VirtIO drivers in your Windows-based virtual machines (VMs) to the latest supported versions, to ensure the proper operation of the VMs. For example, you should update the VirtIO drivers after upgrading the system software (Upgrading everRun Software) or after using the P2V client to migrate a VM or a physical machine (PM) to the everRun system (Migrating a Physical Machine or Virtual Machine to a System).

A VCD with the ISO file of the VirtIO drivers is installed on the system during the installation of system software as well as during an upgrade of the system software. To confirm that the VCD exists, check The Virtual CDs Page (see The Virtual CDs Page) for a VCD with virtio in the name. If the VCD exists, update the VirtIO drivers (see To update the VirtIO drivers in a Windows-based virtual machine). If the VCD does not exist, create it (see To download the VirtIO drivers and create a VCD) and then update the drivers.

To download the VirtIO drivers and create a VCD

1. Download the VirtIO ISO file from the Downloads page at https://www.stratus.com/services-support/downloads/?tab=everrun.

   1. On the Downloads page, click everRun (if it is not already displayed) and then select the appropriate version.
   2. Scroll down to Drivers and Tools and then continue scrolling to everRun VirtIO Driver Update.
   3. Click the link to the appropriate file.

   Ensure that you download the version of the VirtIO ISO file that matches the version of your everRun system.

2. If you want to verify the integrity of the ISO image, use the MD5 checksum hash function.

   Open a command prompt window as an administrator, and enter the following:

   CertUtil -hashfile path_to_file MD5

   The CertUtil command displays a message indicating whether or not it completed successfully. If the command succeeds, continue with the next step. If the command fails, repeat the download.

3. Open the everRun Availability Console and create a VCD of the VirtIO ISO file (see Creating a Virtual CD).

To update the VirtIO drivers in a Windows-based virtual machine

1. Open the everRun Availability Console and insert the VCD into the Windows-based VM (see Inserting a Virtual CD).

2. In the VM console window, open Device Manager in the guest operating system.

   The method to open Device Manager varies depending on the release of the guest operating system. One method is to open the Control Panel and select Device Manager. Another method is to open a search window and type Device Manager.

3. Expand Network adapters and locate the Red Hat VirtIO Ethernet Adapter. There may be more than one adapter present depending on the number of network interfaces in your VM.

   If the Red Hat VirtIO Ethernet Adapter is not present, the VirtIO driver is not installed. Expand Other devices and locate the unknown Ethernet Controller device. Update the driver for this device.

   1. Right-click the Red Hat VirtIO Ethernet Adapter (or Ethernet Controller) and select Update Driver Software. Click Browse my computer for the driver software, specify the location of the VirtIO Ethernet driver (netkvm) for your guest operating system, and finish updating the driver. (For example, to update the driver in a Windows Server 2012 R2 guest, select the NetKVM\2k12R2\amd64\netkvm.inf file on the VirtIO VCD.)
   2. Repeat the driver update for each additional Red Hat VirtIO Ethernet Adapter (or Ethernet Controller) device.

4. Expand Storage controllers and locate the Red Hat VirtIO SCSI controller. There may be more than one controller present depending on the number of volumes in your VM. If the Red Hat VirtIO SCSI controller is not present, the VirtIO driver is not installed. Locate the unknown SCSI controller device, and update the driver for this device:

   1. Right-click the Red Hat VirtIO SCSI controller (or SCSI controller) and select Update Driver Software. Click Browse my computer for the driver software, specify the location of the VirtIO SCSI driver (viostor) for your guest operating system, and finish updating the driver. (For example, to update the driver in a Windows Server 2012 R2 guest, specify the viostor\2k12R2\amd64\viostor.inf file on the VirtIO VCD.)

   2. Repeat the driver update for each additional Red Hat VirtIO SCSI (or SCSI controller) device.

      Caution: Although the device name is the Red Hat VirtIO SCSI controller, you must select the storage driver file that is labeled viostor, and not vioscsi (if present). Installing the vioscsi driver may crash your VM.

5. If you intend to use the QEMU guest agent, as described in Installing the QEMU Guest Agent for Application-Consistent Snapshots (Windows-based VMs), also update the VirtIO serial driver that is associated with the guest agent; otherwise, skip to the next step.

   Expand System devices and locate the VirtIO Serial Driver. If the VirtIO Serial Driver is not present, expand Other devices and locate the unknown PCI Simple Communications Controller device. Update the driver for this device: .

   1. Right-click the VirtIO Serial Driver and select Update Driver Software.
   2. Click Browse my computer for the driver software, specify the location of the VirtIO serial driver (vioser) for your guest operating system, and finish updating the driver. (For example, to update the driver in a Windows Server 2012 R2 guest, specify the vioserial\2k12R2\amd64\vioser.inf file on the VirtIO VCD.)
6. If applicable, restart the guest operating system to load the updated drivers.