Configure a virtual instance and troubleshoot issues

Information covered

Purpose

Change the hardware parameters of a virtual instance, without needing to rebuild the virtual instance.

Description

Typically, to reconfigure the hardware of a virtual instance, you will need to backup the virtual instance and create a new virtual instance with the backed-up data. You can skip this hassle with IDrive BMR as you can simply shut down the virtual instance and click the ‘Configure' button to reconfigure the hardware parameters.


Note: Use the shutdown option in the OS of the virtual instance to shut down the machine. Force shutdown from the BMR device interface only as a last resort when facing system issues.

Configure a virtual instance

You can reconfigure the following parameters of a virtual instance: 


Specify the boot firmware - Change the boot firmware to BIOS / UEFI. (applicable only for the local virtual instances of VMware machines)

Processors -  Use the 'Processors' drop-down list to reassign the number of processors for the virtual machine.

RAM - Reallocate the required memory for the virtual machine.

Network Source - Change the network source and reassign a network model if needed.

Storage Controller - Change the required storage controller for the virtual machine.

Graphics - Update the graphics option from the drop-down.

Install performance-enhancing drivers for a local virtual instance

Configure your virtual instances with performance-enhancing drives to achieve better performance.

To install performance-enhancing drivers for a virtual instance,

  1. Shut down the virtual instance and click ‘Configure'.
  2. Attach the ISO file (virtio-drivers(For_Windows_VMs).iso) containing high-performance drivers for network and graphics hardware in the virtual instance and click 'Save'.

  3. Power-on the virtual instance.
  4. Use the ‘Device Manager' to locate the drivers on the attached ISO file.

  5. Install the necessary drivers using the ‘Update Driver Software' wizard.
  6. Upon completion, reboot to begin using the virtual instance with the enhanced drivers.

Troubleshooting: Windows OS booting issues in a local virtual instance

In case of OS boot issues during virtualization, especially for Windows OS, you can upload the ISO image file of the original OS installation media to repair the operating system. In case you don’t have the original OS installation media, you can upload the pre-built Windows recovery media or build a new WinRE recovery media for immediate use, to correct the boot issues.

Note: 
  • IDrive BMR does not provide the OS recovery media.
  • The total upload limit is 20 GB.

To upload recovery media, for future use in case of boot issues,

  1. Click 'Upload ISO Image'.
  2. Browse and choose the OS recovery ISO file and click 'Upload'.

  3. To view the ISO files uploaded to BMR, click the 'Uploaded Files List'.@‘virtio-drivers(For_Windows_VMs).iso’ is available by default and cannot be deleted.

To troubleshoot booting issues in a virtual instance,

  1. Shut down the virtual instance and click ‘Configure'.
  2. Enable 'Attach ISO', and select the relevant OS recovery ISO file.
  3. Configure the virtual machine's boot order to 'CD/DVD-ROM', set up boot menu timeout if necessary, and repair the operating system boot issues.


     
    Note: It is recommended to set a boot timeout of 10 seconds or above. 

  4. Once the boot issue is resolved, change the boot order to 'Hard Disk' and detach the ISO file.
  5. Reboot your virtual instance.