I am having some Windows Server 2008 R2 hangs that I believe are caused by a problem with the VMware SVGA II driver (the console freezes, but the server still responds to user requests normally). I found this article, http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?cmd=displayKC&docType=kc&externalId=1011709, but I think it raised more questions than it answered.
The VMware KB article has a small note at the bottom (which if truly the best practice should be in BOLD at the top!) that says this:
"Note: Unless there is an explicit requirement for enhanced graphics, the preferred driver for Windows Server 2008 R2 is the Microsoft-provided VESA driver."
Does this mean the driver included with the Windows 2008 R2 Disk or does it mean one from Windows update (if there is one) or another Microsoft source?
If I use the latest and great version of vmware tools with the latest SVGA II driver, will this give me a stable video driver solution?
(Latest VMware tools here - http://packages.vmware.com/tools/esx/index.html)
I have seen this issue on: ESX 4.0, ESXi 4.1, and ESXi 5.0
I have seen the problem with the following SVGA II driver versions:
11.4.3.3 [7/9/2009] - ESX 4.0
11.6.0.35 [4/21/2010] - ESXi 4.1 & ESXi 5.0
I am currently testing this SVGA driver (the latest) to see if the problems go away:
11.6.0.38 [7/2/2011] on ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.0
I want to poll the VMware community to see what the "best practice" is from a community perspective.