How to replace BusLogic with LSI Logic SCSI controller on Virtual Machine
We have upgraded our servers from Windows 2000 to Windows 2003 and decided to upgrade the virtual SCSI controller from BusLogic to LSI Logic since it guarantees the significant performance boost. So, this is the way I’ve replaced the BusLogic SCSI controller with LSI Logic.
So, here’s how my virtual machine did look like before an upgrade:
Here are the steps I’ve followed:
1) Shutdown virtual machine, open properties window and click Add… to open “Add Hardware Wizard” that will help you to add a new disk. Why do we need a new disk? Because you can’t add a new SCSI controller without adding a new disk or assigning any other available disk to a new controller.
2) Click Next and select “Create a new virtual disk”.
3) Click Next again. Select the size of the disk. In my case I made it 1 Gb because I will delete it later after I replace a SCSI controller.
4) Again click Next button to go to advanced options. What I did here, I selected a second SCSI controller, which is SCSI (1:0). This is the way I actually mount it on another SCSI controller which VMWare will add for me as soon as I will complete this wizard.
5) Click Next. Review what is to be done and then click Finish.
6) At this point you will see that the new BusLogic SCSI controller is added to virtual machine hardware list. Click OK.
7) Right click on a virtual machine and click Edit Settings… Click on SCSI Controller 1 and then Change Type button under SCSI controller type.
Select LSI Logic in the Change SCSI Controller Type dialog box and click OK.
9) You will see the following window where the controller type is LSI Logic:
10) Click OK button and start your virtual machine. When Windows boots open Device manager ( Start –> Run –> devmgmt.msc ) and click “+” in front of SCSI and RAID controllers node. You will see both controllers that you’ve added:
11) Now you need yet to replace the first BusLogic SCSI Controller with the LSI Logic controller. To do that shutdown virtual machine and open Properties window.
12) Now it’s time to change the type of SCSI Controller 0 from BusLogic to LSI Logic. You can also delete the Hard Disk 2, which you added in the beginning for temporary purposes. This is what you should see after changing the controller type to LSI Logic. Click OK.
13) Again open the properties of the Virtual Machine to see that all changes where successfully committed. Click OK to close this window and start the VM.
14) Notice, that when you will start it there will be a small yellow balloon on a VM icon.
15) Right click on a VM and select Answer Question…
16) Virtual Machine Question dialog window appears asking you whether you want to allow ESX Server to change the adapter disk’s type for you.
Virtual Machine Message
msg.disk.adapterMismatch:The disk connected to the scsi0:0 node has been created for a BusLogic SCSI adapter, but the virtual machine’s scsi0 device is a LSI Logic SCSI adapter. VMWare ESX Server can change the disk’s adapter type to LSI Logic. use caution; if a guest operating system is installed on this disk, it may not be able to boot.
Do you want VMWare ESX Server to change the adapter type for scsi0:0 disk?
17) Click Yes, then OK.
18) At this point, when you will start your VM and boot into Windows, open the device manager you will see only 1 SCSI controller:
19) However, we have not finished yet. By default, Windows doesn’t show devices which are currently disconnected and driver’s of such devices are still installed. If we know that we’ll never again need these devices we can uninstall them. First, you will have to turn on visualization of disconnected devices. Check here to learn how to do that.
20) Then open device manager, click View and select ‘Show hidden devices’.
21) Open SCSI and RAID Controllers node and check for dimmed (phantom) devices.
22) Right-click each dimmed device and uninstall it.
23) Reboot Windows.
Some useful links:
Great solution!!! I had one server that it was not possible to replace the the scsi to LSI (the same kind of your W2K to W2K3), I don’t know the real cause because a few other server (also W2k3 upgraded) I changed in the past without any trouble just changing the controller to LSI. However your solution was applied successfully on my trouble ‘server guest’. Awesome! I posted my question on vmware a few months ago and I never got an answer.
Thanks!!!
Brilliant, Just what I needed – thanks