VMware Hypervisor Recovery

Any data processing or storage device can run into problems from time to time, and there could be many reasons for such scenarios to occur. Virtual machines are more flexible to manage and scale, but they are equally complex in their manner of data storage and hosting.

You have to host a VM in a hypervisor environment and there are different notable companies that offer these VM hosting solutions – VMware is one of them. VMware Hypervisor is a server component present in VMware’s server platforms such as ESXi and WorkStation.

Thanks to the hypervisor component, you can easily manage the VMs and other IT infrastructure hosted on VMware ESXi and other VMware programs. If you’re stuck at the VMware Hyper Recovery screen during power-up, this article explains a couple of ways to get through it.

What is a Hypervisor?

Hypervisors are technological features for virtualizing server environments to allow for the management of the deployed applications and IT infrastructure. There are two general types of hypervisors: Type1 and Type2. Each hypervisor type has specific advantages and is meant for specific applications.

Also, hypervisors are virtual machine monitors (VMMs) – acting as software for creating and running multiple virtual machines on a virtualized server through shared resources – memory and processors – from the host system.

Type 1 vs Type 2 Hypervisors

Type 1 hypervisors, or bare-metal hypervisors, run directly on the host machine's physical hardware without loading an underlying OS, and as such they are considered the best type of hypervisors for enterprise environments.

Type 2 hypervisors, on the other hand, are installed on the OS of the host system; hence, they are also called “hosted hypervisors.” These hypervisors manage memory, CPU, storage, and network resources efficiently, but sometimes experience “latency” due to the underlying OS.

The major difference between Type 1 and Type 2 hypervisors is that Type 1 runs on “bare-metal” while Type 2 runs from the host system’s operating system. Choosing between these two types is largely based on business requirements.

Common Causes of Hypervisor Failure

Yes, hypervisors can fail, and when they do, your VMs will not open and you cannot perform a lot of server-based management actions. Some common causes of hypervisor failure are explained below:

Hardware Failure: If the primary hard drive or motherboard of the host system fails, the hypervisor will not respond.
BIOS Misconfigurations: If you changed your BIOS setting recently, that could be the reason the hypervisor stopped working. Also, outdated BIOS can cause hypervisor failure notification.
Software Conflict: Running multiple similar software programs can lead to data conflicts, which can affect the performance of a system running a hypervisor.

Once a hypervisor is unresponsive or deactivated, you cannot access the VMs running on the virtualized environments the hypervisor was powering. Interestingly, you can fix a failed hypervisor and make it start working again.

Troubleshooting: “No Hypervisor Found”

This error typically comes up when the system detects that the hypervisor is disabled in the BIOS. But, you must check if this is the case before proceeding. You can check the status of the hypervisor on your PC through the Task Manager.

When you open Windows Task Manager, navigate to the “Performance” tab, and under the “CPU” tab, look out for “Hyper-V Support:” If the result says “Yes,” then hypervisor is enabled on your system, but if it says “No,” you have to enable it yourself.

Steps to Enable Hypervisor in Windows BIOS

Shut down the system and reboot it.
While the system is about to boot, press your computer’s Boot Menu button; it could be F1, F8, F9, F12, or ESC – it differs for different computer brands and models.
On the Boot Menu options, use the arrow buttons to get into the BIOS setup menu; look out for any option that says anything about “Virtualization” or CPU Configuration.
Check out the hypervisor feature and enable it.

Note: Check your system’s manufacturer's website for any BIOS software update and download it.

Using Live CD:

Sometimes, the presence of a prior partition table in the local datastore can cause this error message to appear, and to solve this, you need a Live Linux CD to boot from and relabel the local datastore before creating a partition table with one partition – and re-install your server.

Some other workarounds for troubleshooting hypervisor problems are:

Boot the ESX hardware to WindowsPE or from an external drive
Use a Linux Live CD and configure it as an iSCSI target, then launch a connection via Windows remote machine or SSH.
Extract the RAID data and reconstruct them on another VM

Steps to Recover Hypervisor

You can easily restore a hypervisor if you had previously backed it up before it failed. Depending on the backup method you used, the procedure to recover a hypervisor differs. If you’re talking about recovering your hypervisor VM, you can recover it with a snapshot or a cloned template.

Also, sometimes, hypervisor problems may come up due to tampered boot records or partition table adjustments. In this case, you can revive the situation by reinstalling a new ESXi host on a USB flash drive or SD card. There’s nothing to worry about performance as ESX transfers its installation to the RAM.

How to Restore Virtual Machines and Launch Them on New Hosts

If you made a backup before facing the hypervisor problem, you can recover your VMs from the backup or snapshot. DiskInternals VMFS Recovery allows you to create disk images of hard drives, which could serve as backup copies you can restore at any time. Backup copies of a VM can serve as cloned VM templates for launching new VMs on new hosts.

Conclusion

VMware hypervisor recovery refers to re-enabling Hyper-V settings on your PC to allow for running virtualized environments. If hypervisor is enabled on your system and your VMware hosts cannot detect it, you can reach out to VMware support or lodge a complaint in the community. If your VM files go missing all of a sudden, you can recover them using DiskInternals VMFS Recovery.

FAQ

How to recover VMware hypervisor?
- Diagnose the Issue: Identify the problem by checking the VMware ESXi host, network, and storage. Review system logs for errors.
- Boot into Recovery Mode: If the hypervisor won't boot, use the VMware ESXi installation media to boot into recovery mode. You can then reinstall the hypervisor, ensuring to preserve the existing datastore.
- Restore from Backup: If you have a backup of the VMware ESXi configuration or virtual machines, use the VMware vSphere Client to restore them.
- Recover VM Data: If necessary, access the datastore and use vSphere to re-register and recover individual virtual machines.
- Repair VMFS Datastores: Use tools like vmkfstools for repairing corrupted VMFS datastores, though professional assistance may be recommended for complex issues.
VMware no hypervisor found fix
- Check Hardware Compatibility: Ensure your hardware is compatible with VMware ESXi. Refer to the VMware Compatibility Guide.
- Enable Virtualization in BIOS/UEFI: Reboot your system, enter BIOS/UEFI settings, and ensure that virtualization technology (VT-x for Intel or AMD-V for AMD processors) is enabled.
- Update BIOS/UEFI Firmware: Sometimes, updating your system's firmware can resolve compatibility issues.
- Reinstall VMware ESXi: If possible, attempt a fresh installation of VMware ESXi, ensuring to use the correct installation media and settings.
- Check the Boot Device: Ensure the device you're booting from is correctly configured and recognized by your system.
Troubleshooting VMware hypervisor issues
- Review Logs: Start by examining the VMware ESXi logs for any error messages or warnings that could indicate the problem's nature.
- Check Network Connectivity: Ensure all network connections are active and configured correctly. This includes physical network adapters, switches, and virtual network settings.
- Verify Storage Accessibility: Confirm that all datastores are accessible and that there are no issues with storage connectivity or configuration.
- Update VMware ESXi: Ensure your VMware ESXi version is up to date, as updates can resolve known issues.
- Hardware Compatibility: Check that your server's hardware is compatible with your VMware ESXi version using the VMware Compatibility Guide.
- Resource Utilization: Monitor the host's resource utilization, including CPU, memory, and disk space, to ensure there are no resource bottlenecks.
- Virtual Machine Configuration: Verify virtual machine (VM) configurations for any misconfigurations or issues that could affect performance or connectivity.
- VMware Tools: Ensure VMware Tools is installed and up to date on all VMs for optimal performance and compatibility.
- Reset Management Network: Sometimes, resetting the management network on the host can resolve network-related issues.
- Consult Documentation: The VMware Knowledge Base and official documentation offer solutions for many common problems.
Recovering hypervisor in VMware environment
- Diagnose the Issue: First, identify what caused the hypervisor to fail, whether it's a hardware, software, or configuration issue.
- Boot into Recovery Mode: Use the VMware ESXi installation media to boot into recovery mode. This allows you to troubleshoot or reinstall the hypervisor if necessary.
- Reinstall VMware ESXi: If recovery isn't possible, you may need to reinstall the ESXi hypervisor. Opt to keep the existing datastore to preserve virtual machines and data.
- Restore Configuration: If you have a backup of the ESXi configuration, restore it to quickly get your system back to its previous state.
- Recover Virtual Machines: Ensure your VMs are intact in the datastore and re-register them with the hypervisor if needed.
VMware ESXi hypervisor recovery
To recover a VMware ESXi Hypervisor:
- Diagnose the problem: Identify why the hypervisor is down—hardware failure, corrupted files, etc.
- Use Recovery Mode: Boot the server using the VMware ESXi installation media and select "Recovery Mode" to repair or reinstall the hypervisor without affecting existing VMs.
- Restore from Backup: If you have a backup of the ESXi configuration, use it to restore system settings.
- Reinstall ESXi: If necessary, perform a fresh installation of ESXi, making sure to preserve datastores to retain VMs.
- Recover VMs: Access the datastore and register any VMs not automatically recognized post-recovery.
Keep backups of both your VMs and ESXi configurations to simplify the recovery process.
What to do if hypervisor is missing in VMware?
If the hypervisor is missing in VMware:
- Check System Compatibility: Ensure your hardware is compatible with VMware ESXi.
- Verify BIOS/UEFI Settings: Ensure virtualization technology (VT-x/AMD-V) is enabled in the BIOS/UEFI.
- Inspect the Boot Order: Confirm the system is set to boot from the correct device where the VMware ESXi is installed.
- Reinstall VMware ESXi: If necessary, reinstall the ESXi hypervisor, ensuring the installation media is not corrupted and is appropriate for your hardware.
- Seek VMware Support: If the issue persists, consult VMware documentation or contact VMware support for assistance.