Install and Use VMTools
VMTools is a set of drivers and tools installed in VMs to enhance ZSphere management of guest operating systems. Through the corresponding components, the platform can read internal VM information and support configuration delivery, configuration retrieval, time synchronization, and advanced monitoring.
VMTools Components
VMTools primarily includes the following tools and drivers. The components vary by operating system.
| OS | VMTools Component | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Linux | Advanced Monitoring Agent | An agent installed in a VM to collect advanced monitoring data, including CPU, memory, and disk capacity data. |
| QEMU Guest Agent (QGA) | An application that enables interaction between VMs and hosts without relying on the network. QGA can retrieve and deliver VM configurations and push monitoring data. Note: Linux operating systems usually include virtio drivers and cloud-init by default. Therefore, VMTools for Linux does not include these two tools. If your Linux operating system does not include them, install them separately. |
|
| Windows | Monitoring Agent (ZWatch) | Selected by default and can be deselected as needed. Collects advanced monitoring data from inside the VM, including CPU, memory, and disk capacity data. If this component is not installed or is removed, the platform cannot continue receiving the monitoring data it collects. |
| QGA | A required component. Enables interaction between VMs and hosts without relying on the network. QGA can retrieve and deliver VM configurations and push monitoring data. | |
| VirtIO Drivers | A required component. A set of drivers that improves VM performance.
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| Cloudbase-Init | Selected by default and can be deselected as needed. Provides initial VM setup, User Data import, and other features. If this component is not installed or is removed, the features it provides are unavailable. | |
| FreeBSD | Advanced Monitoring Agent | An agent installed in a VM to collect advanced monitoring data, including CPU, memory, and disk capacity data. |
VMTools Use Cases
Each VMTools feature is provided by its corresponding component. When selecting components for a Windows VM, keep those required for the features you need. All VMTools components are required to use a Windows VM specification.
- Advanced monitoring
- The Advanced Monitoring Agent collects monitoring data from inside the VM and periodically pushes the data to the host through DHCP or QGA. You can use line charts to view real-time trends in VM performance, including CPU, memory, and disk capacity.
- Configuration delivery
- QGA in VMTools delivers parameters configured on the platform to the guest operating system, including the VM hostname and network configurations.
- Hostname: After the latest VMTools is installed, a new hostname configured for a running VM is delivered through QGA and takes effect without restarting the VM.Note: To deliver a hostname through QGA, install VMTools before you modify the hostname.
- Network configuration: If DHCP is not enabled for a distributed port group, parameters configured on the platform, such as the IP address, DNS, and MTU, must be delivered to the NIC through QGA. After VMTools is installed, the specified IP address and other parameters automatically take effect.
- Hostname: After the latest VMTools is installed, a new hostname configured for a running VM is delivered through QGA and takes effect without restarting the VM.
- Configuration retrieval
- QGA in VMTools automatically retrieves the IP address configured for a VM NIC. The retrieved IP address can be displayed and managed on the platform.Note:
- If DHCP is not enabled for the distributed port group to which the VM NIC belongs, and VMTools is installed on the running VM, the platform can automatically retrieve the VM NIC configuration.
- If an IP address is already configured inside the VM, the retrieved IP address overwrites the IP address configured on the platform.
- If the VM NIC IP address conflicts with an IP address in the port group, an alert is generated.
Advanced Monitoring Agent
Advanced monitoring obtains performance data from VMs through VMTools and displays metrics such as CPU, memory, and disk capacity in charts. Advanced monitoring data is collected and reported by the Advanced Monitoring Agent in VMTools.
Monitoring Mechanism
- Advanced monitoring data is obtained through the Advanced Monitoring Agent in VMTools. To view advanced monitoring data, install VMTools on the VM first.
- The collected monitoring data can be pushed to the host through the DHCP service of the distributed port group or through QEMU Guest Agent (QGA) in VMTools:
- If DHCP is enabled on the VM default network, monitoring data is pushed through the DHCP service by default.
- If DHCP is not enabled on the VM default network or the DHCP service fails, monitoring data is pushed through QGA. After DHCP is enabled or restored on the VM default network, monitoring data automatically switches back to the DHCP service.
Manage the Advanced Monitoring Agent
Use the following commands to manage the Advanced Monitoring Agent, including stopping, starting, restarting, querying, or uninstalling the advanced monitoring service:
- Stop the service:
service zwatch-vm-agent stop - Start the service:
service zwatch-vm-agent start - Restart the service:
service zwatch-vm-agent restart - Query service status:
service zwatch-vm-agent status - Uninstall the advanced monitoring service: After the Advanced Monitoring Agent is uninstalled, advanced monitoring data is no longer collected and the advanced monitoring service is no longer provided. The uninstallation method differs for Linux and Windows VMs:
- Linux VM
- Run service zwatch-vm-agent stop to stop the agent.
- Run rm -f /etc/systemd/system/zwatch-vm-agent.service to delete the service configuration file.
- Run rm -rf /usr/local/zstack/zwatch-vm-agent to delete the agent installation directory.
- Windows VM
- Delete related registry entries.Run Windows Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following commands to delete related registry keys:
reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\MSDTC /f reg delete HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSDTC /f reg delete HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CID /f - Stop and reinstall the msdtc service.Run Windows Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following commands to stop and reinstall the msdtc service:
net stop msdtc msdtc -uninstall msdtc -install - Restart the VM.
- Uninstall the agent.Run Windows Command Prompt as an administrator and run the following commands to delete the agent:
msiexec /a "c:\Program Files\GuestTools\qemu-ga.msi" targetdir="c:\Program Files" "c:\Program Files\QEMU Guest Agent\Qemu-ga\qemu-ga.exe" -s vss-uninstall
- Delete related registry entries.
- Linux VM
Install VMTools on a Linux VM
The installation process mounts the VMTools ISO first. You then open the VM console and run the installation commands manually.
Before you begin
- Make sure the VM is running.
- Make sure Linux command-line tools are installed on the VM, such as
tar,wget, andcurl.
Procedure
- On the target VM page, click .
-
In the Install VMTools dialog, click Next: Install on VM Console.
When mounting the VMTools ISO, the system selects a CD/DVD drive according to the following rules:
- If an empty CD/DVD drive exists, the system automatically selects the first available empty CD/DVD drive and mounts the VMTools ISO.
- If no empty CD/DVD drive exists, the system selects CD/DVD Drive 1, automatically unmounts the original image, and mounts the VMTools ISO.
-
Click Copy Commands and Launch Console.
After you click the button, the following commands are copied and the VM console opens automatically:
# Create a mount point directory mkdir /mnt/cdrom # Mount the CD-ROM image mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom # Install VMTools cd /mnt/cdrom/ bash ./zs-tools-install.sh # Unmount the CD-ROM image (optional) cd ~ umount /mnt/cdrom - In the VM console, click Local Command Paster.
- In the Paste Command dialog, paste the commands copied in the previous step, and then click OK to run the commands.
What to do next
To update VMTools, on the target VM page, click .Install VMTools on a Windows VM
Mount the VMTools ISO on the platform, then open the Windows VM to select components and install them using the installation wizard. You can also use the script on the CD/DVD drive for silent installation.
Before you begin
- The VM is running and has a virtual CD/DVD drive.
- Make sure you have a Windows account with administrator privileges to log in to the VM and install VMTools.
Note: Windows Server 2008 R2 does not support silent installation of VirtIO drivers. If Windows displays a driver publisher or security prompt during installation, manually trust the driver publisher and continue.Procedure
- On the target VM page, click .
-
In the Install VMTools dialog, click Next: Install on VM Console to mount the VMTools ISO.
When mounting the VMTools ISO, the system selects a CD/DVD drive according to the following rules:
- If an empty CD/DVD drive exists, the system automatically selects the first available empty CD/DVD drive and mounts the VMTools ISO.
- If no empty CD/DVD drive exists, the system selects CD/DVD Drive 1, automatically unmounts the original image, and mounts the VMTools ISO.
- Click OK to open the VM console, then log in to Windows with an administrator account.
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Launch the installation wizard in Windows and complete the installation.
- Open File Explorer and double-click the VMTools CD/DVD drive to launch the installation wizard.
- Select the components to install in the wizard and proceed with installation.
Component Installation Notes VirtIO Drivers Required. Cannot be deselected. QEMU Guest Agent (QGA) Required. Cannot be deselected. Enables interaction between the platform and the guest operating system, including configuration delivery and retrieval. Cloudbase-Init Selected by default and can be deselected as needed. Keep this component if you need its initialization, User Data, or other features. Monitoring Agent (ZWatch) Selected by default and can be deselected as needed. Keep this component if you need advanced monitoring data from inside the VM. To prevent the platform from changing VM passwords online through QGA, select the password change restriction option under QGA.
Note: All VMTools components are required to use a Windows VM specification. - After installation, restart the VM as prompted by the installation wizard for the changes to take effect.
What to do next
Reinstall VMTools
To update VMTools or change the installed components, on the target VM page, click to run the installation wizard again. Selecting an optional component that is not installed adds it; deselecting an installed optional component uninstalls it.
After Cloudbase-Init is removed, its initialization, User Data, and other features are unavailable. After ZWatch is removed, the platform no longer receives internal VM monitoring data collected by this component.
Silent Installation
After mounting the VMTools ISO, you can also open Command Prompt as an administrator in Windows and run setup.bat on the CD/DVD drive to install all VMTools components. Plan for a VM restart before installation.
The following example uses E: as the CD/DVD drive letter. Replace it with the actual drive letter:
E:\setup.batVMTools Supported OS List
VMTools support varies by operating system. The following tables list VMTools support for each operating system.
Note: In the tables, Yes means that the component can be installed through VMTools and related features can be used normally. No means that the component cannot be installed through VMTools, or features that depend on the component might be unavailable after installation. It does not mean the component itself is unsupported. You can still install the component by other means.Linux Operating Systems
| Operating System | Version | Advanced Monitoring Agent | QGA |
|---|---|---|---|
| CentOS | CentOS 6.5 64-bit | No | Yes |
| CentOS 6.8 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 6.9 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 6.10 64-bit | Yes | No | |
| CentOS 7.2 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 7.3 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 7.4 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 7.5 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 7.6 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 7.9 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 8.0 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 9 | Yes | Yes | |
| CentOS 10 | Yes | Yes | |
| RHEL | Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 6.9 64-bit | Yes | No |
| Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 7.0 64-bit | Yes | No | |
| Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 7.1 64-bit | Yes | No | |
| Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 7.2 64-bit | Yes | No | |
| Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 7.3 64-bit | Yes | No | |
| Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 7.4 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 7.5 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Redhat Enterprise Linux Server 7.6 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 | Yes | Yes | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9 | Yes | Yes | |
| Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 | Yes | Yes | |
| Fedora | Fedora 30 64-bit | Yes | Yes |
| Fedora 31 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Fedora 42 | Yes | Yes | |
| Debian | Debian 9.9 64-bit | Yes | Yes |
| Debian 10.13 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Debian 11.9 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Debian 12.5 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Debian 13 | Yes | Yes | |
| Ubuntu | Ubuntu 10 | Yes | Yes |
| Ubuntu 14.04 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Ubuntu 16.04 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Ubuntu 16.10 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Ubuntu 18.04 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Ubuntu 20.04 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Ubuntu 22.04 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Ubuntu 24.04 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Kylin | Kylin V4.0.2 64-bit | Yes | No |
| Kylin V10 SP1(0518) 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Kylin V10 SP2 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Kylin V10 SP3 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| Kylin V11 | Yes | Yes | |
| NeoKylin | NeoKylin V7.0 64-bit | Yes | Yes |
| NeoKylin V7update6 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| openSUSE | openSUSE 11 | Yes | Yes |
| openSUSE 12 | Yes | Yes | |
| openSUSE Leap 15.0 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| SLES | SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11 64-bit | Yes | Yes |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 12 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 15 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| SLED | SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11 | Yes | Yes |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 12 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 15 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| UOS | UOS V20 1050e | Yes | Yes |
| Oracle Linux | Oracle Linux 7.9 | Yes | Yes |
| Oracle Linux 8 | Yes | Yes | |
| Oracle Linux 9 | Yes | Yes | |
| Oracle Linux 10 | Yes | Yes | |
| openEuler | openEuler 20 64-bit | Yes | Yes |
| openEuler 22 64-bit | Yes | Yes | |
| openEuler 24 | Yes | Yes | |
| AlmaLinux | AlmaLinux 9.3 64-bit | Yes | Yes |
| AlmaLinux 10 | Yes | Yes | |
| Anolis OS | Anolis OS 7 | Yes | Yes |
| Anolis OS 8 | Yes | Yes | |
| Rocky Linux | Rocky Linux 8 | Yes | Yes |
| Rocky Linux 9 | Yes | Yes | |
| Rocky Linux 10 | Yes | Yes | |
| Amazon Linux | Amazon Linux 2023 | Yes | Yes |
Windows Operating Systems
| Operating System | Version | Advanced Monitoring Agent | QGA | VirtIO Driver | Cloudbase-init |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | Windows 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Windows 8 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows 10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows 11 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 64-bit | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | |
| Windows Server 2012 64-bit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Server 2016 64-bit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Server 2019 64-bit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Server 2022 64-bit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Server 2025 64-bit | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Note: Windows Server 2008 R2 supports installing VirtIO drivers through VMTools, but it does not support silent installation. If Windows displays a driver publisher or security prompt during installation, manually trust the driver publisher and continue.FreeBSD Operating System
| Operating System | Version | Advanced Monitoring Agent |
|---|---|---|
| FreeBSD | FreeBSD 11 64-bit | Yes |
| FreeBSD 12 64-bit | Yes | |
| FreeBSD 13 64-bit | Yes |