VMware's ESXi vGPU technology enables the virtualization of physical GPUs to enhance graphical performance in virtual environments. It covers vGPU concepts, configuration steps, and its application in resource-intensive tasks like CAD, video editing, and deep learning.
Updated by Dan Zeng on 2025/01/07
With the widespread adoption of virtualization technology, more and more organizations are migrating graphics-intensive applications and workloads to virtual environments. To meet these demands, VMware provides ESXi vGPU (virtual GPU) technology, which allows virtual machines to share physical GPU resources to enhance graphics performance. In this article, it will delve into the concepts, and configuration steps of vGPU ESXi.
ESXi vGPU is a technology provided by VMware that virtualizes physical GPUs (typically from vendors like NVIDIA or AMD) to deliver graphical processing capabilities to multiple virtual machines (VMs) within an ESXi virtualization environment. The core principle of vGPU is to partition a physical GPU into multiple virtual GPU resource blocks, which are then allocated to different virtual machines, enabling resource sharing.
Through vGPU technology, the utilization of physical GPUs is significantly improved, and GPU resource allocation can be dynamically adjusted based on the needs of virtual machines. This not only reduces hardware costs but also enhances the flexibility of resource management. vGPU is particularly suitable for applications requiring high-performance graphical processing, including desktop virtualization, computer-aided design (CAD), video editing, and deep learning tasks.
First, download the vGPU driver package that matches the ESXi version from the NVIDIA official website, including the host driver and virtual machine driver. Before installation, please check the compatibility of the GPU graphics card with the physical server to avoid errors caused by incompatibility.
Upload the driver file to the /tmp directory, enable SSH service, and put the ESXi host into maintenance mode.
Use the following command to install the driver:
esxcli software vib install -v /tmp/****.vib
After the installation is complete, it is recommended to reboot the host computer to ensure that the driver loads correctly, and exit maintenance mode after reboot.
Start the xorg service, which is the service that provides 3D hardware acceleration for the virtual machine
Verify that the driver is loaded correctly using the following command:
vmkload_mod -l | grep nvidia
Use the nvidia-smi command to check if the GPU is working properly. If no error is reported, the installation is successful.
In the vSphere client, change the active type of the graphics device to Direct Shared and restart the xorg service.
Configure the GPU memory size of the virtual machine and check Reserve all memory. After installing the appropriate version of the virtual machine driver, the virtual machine may display a black screen and log in using Remote Desktop or Horizon Connection.
For M60, RTX6000, RTX8000, and A40 graphics cards, in addition to installing drivers, you need to install a license server to enable the vGPU feature.
With the above steps, you can successfully configure and use vGPU on ESXi platform to provide powerful graphics processing power to the virtual machine.
With the adoption of virtualization technologies like ESXi vGPU, organizations are increasingly relying on virtual environments for resource-intensive workloads. While vGPU delivers high-performance graphical capabilities, ensuring the protection and availability of virtualized resources becomes paramount. This is where Vinchin Backup & Recovery steps in.
Vinchin Backup & Recovery is a powerful solution designed to protect virtual machines and their associated workloads. Supporting both virtual and physical environments, Vinchin offers seamless backup, disaster recovery, and data protection for VMware ESXi and other virtualized platforms.
Vinchin Backup & Recovery is incredibly easy to operate, requiring just a few simple steps:
1.Just select VMs on the host
2.Then select backup destination
3.Select strategies
4.Finally submit the job
Additionally, Vinchin offers a free 60-day trial, allowing users to experience its functionality in a real-world environment. For more information, please contact Vinchin directly.
Q1: What operating systems are supported by vGPU?
A1: Most modern operating systems support vGPU, including Windows Server, Windows 10, various Linux distributions, and more. However, the level of support may vary per operating system, so you should check the official support list.
Q2: What are the limitations of vGPU?
A2: Different GPU models and configurations have different limitations, such as the maximum number of vGPUs that can be created, the maximum amount of video memory that can be allocated per virtual machine, and so on. Additionally, certain features may only be available in specific GPU or vGPU profiles.
In conclusion, ESXi vGPU enables efficient resource-sharing for graphics-intensive workloads, enhancing virtual environments with high-performance GPU capabilities. To safeguard these resources, Vinchin Backup & Recovery offers seamless protection, backup, and disaster recovery for VMware ESXi, ensuring business continuity and data security with ease and efficiency.
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