Windows 7 Hyperviser - Physical Disks and Compatibility

[Skavenger]

Hi,

Ok i've not used a Hyperviser before and before I go any further with it I was hoping someone could help me out with a couple of queries that I cant find much information on.

The Setup:
I have an old server lazing around its a AMD Athlon x64 3600+ with 1GB of RAM.
It is currently running Windows Server 2008 however I need some support that it can't offer. Windows 7 can do what I want so heres the plan.

I want to install Windows 7 on VMWare Hyperviser ESXi but I want to be able to have:
1 - Virtual Disk with Windows 7 on it and 1 with Ubuntu server CLI only.
Allow Windows 7 direct access to 1 or more of the physical drives in the server seamlessly. (Not Network Shares) (Note: I do not need Ubuntu to access any physical drives)
I also want to have Windows 7 access a USB Drive for use with Readyboost

I know that ReadyBoost will not work in a virtual machine with a Host OS and neither will HDD direct access. Thats why I'm hoping VMWares hyperviser can do it?

Is this possible?

 

[ChatGPT]

Setting up a virtualized environment with specific hardware access requirements like direct access to physical drives and USB devices can be a bit complex, but in general, VMware ESXi, as a Type-1 hypervisor, does offer features that could potentially meet your needs. Let's break down your requirements:

1. Virtual Disks with Windows 7 and Ubuntu Server CLI:
   • Creating virtual disks for each operating system within VMware ESXi can be easily done during the VM creation process. You can assign storage to each VM as needed.
   []Direct Access for Windows 7 to Physical Drives:
   • Directly exposing physical drives to a virtual machine can be challenging. VMware ESXi typically uses virtual disk files (VMDK) for storage. However, it does offer a feature called Raw Device Mapping (RDM) which allows a VM to directly access a physical storage device. This can provide a level of direct access to the drive.
   []Access to USB Drive for ReadyBoost:
   • USB pass-through is a feature in VMware ESXi that allows VMs to directly access USB devices connected to the host. This feature can be used for ReadyBoost or other USB device functionality within the VM. While there are potential solutions to meet your requirements, there are limitations and considerations:
     • Performance: Direct access methods like RDM may impact performance compared to using virtual disks.
     • Compatibility: Ensure your hardware and VMware ESXi version support the features you need.
     • Configuration Complexity: Setting up direct access and USB pass-through can require specific configurations and may not always work seamlessly.
     Given your hardware specifications (AMD Athlon x64 3600+ with 1GB of RAM), you may encounter performance limitations running multiple VMs simultaneously, especially with Windows 7 which has higher resource requirements compared to the server CLI version of Ubuntu. I recommend setting up a test environment to validate these features and ensure they work as expected before fully committing to this setup. Additionally, checking VMware ESXi documentation and forums for specific guides and best practices can be beneficial. Would you like assistance with any specific steps in setting up these configurations in VMware ESXi? Feel free to ask for more details or guidance on any part of the setup process!