SQL Server 2008 R2 Hangs on VMWare Server environment
SQL Server 2008 R2 Hangs on VMWare Server environment: Well, that's what you see anyway.
Problem: I set up an SQL Server 2008 R2 test environment on a virtual machine using the free VMWare Server 2.0. My guest OS was Windows Server 2008 R2. I also installed VMWare Tools on the guest OS.
I could start SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) without problems. However, as soon as I attempted to connect to the SQL Server, the whole VM stopped responding.
I couldn't kill the VM without restarting the physical host. I had set up multiple VMs smoothly in the past but I still wondered, was the problem ME? Did I miss to do something during installation?
Solution: Okay, I didn't want to have to admit this--but I did try to re-install everything. I thought maybe I did a "next-next" and missed to specify some options (that is, clicked through the installation wizard without reading. Nopes, that's not in the dictionary but like OMG, it may be soon). Good news was, it wasn't me since I still couldn't connect to SSMS. I checked the Guest OS's event viewer. Nothing there.
What finally clued me in was this: Troubleshooting SVGA drivers installed with VMware Tools on Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2 running on ESX 4.0. It took awhile for me to find this because if you read the KB, you'd notice that it's not really describing the problem that I was having (it says there "black screen" and "slow mouse performance"). The products affected don't even include VMWare Server. And lastly, from my perspective, SSMS was the problem--not Windows Server 2008 R2.
Regardless, the problem was the SVGA driver that came with VMWare Tools (weeweeweee!). So I ran the VMWare Tools installer again and removed the SVGA driver.
And finally, the problem was fixed.
If you are encountering the same issue, I'm hoping you find yourself squealing weeweewee sooner than I did.
Is this causing you sleepless nights too?
This is only somewhat related to the main topic of this post...but doesn't this installer design bother you too?
I see this in a lot of installers. When you check the feature for installation, it changes to this:
Shouldn't the space requirement be shown BEFORE I even check the feature? #JustSaying
May 21st, 2011 - 13:30
I treat my VMs like they were my real servers. First off, I don’t log in to the VMs using the virtualization console – HyperV, VMWare, etc. Rather, I enable Remote Desktop Connections on my VMs and log in from there. This approach makes it easier as you don’t have to worry about graphic drivers and just install the bare minimum
June 13th, 2011 - 09:39
Janice,
Thanks for your post. This fixed a VERY nagging problem for me.
Greg
June 17th, 2011 - 01:17
Hey Janice
Thanks so much for putting it online. I actually saw the article you linked to and kept going (a few hours of candle-light searching would reduce comprehension to next to nothing). But then I came accross your blog and… oh, there’s the light switch!
)
Cheers,
Amir
August 2nd, 2011 - 16:35
THANK YOU! This has been kicking our tail for 6 months! OMG! THANK YOU!!!!!!
August 24th, 2011 - 03:05
Thank you! Your post spend me a lot of troubles with my VCenter repository data base in SQL server 2008. Thanks so much!
August 29th, 2011 - 17:23
Thanks a lot for the post it was extremely helpful! I wouldn’t have thought for a second that it was the SVGA driver mucking this up…
You rock!
-Jon
December 7th, 2011 - 15:57
How do you create those gorgeous swoopy red arrows? With drop shadows!
Also, good article, thx!
- Hoytster
December 8th, 2011 - 23:21
Snagit