Hyper-V: Configure a virtual machine with a SCSI controller to be able to hot plug and hot unplug storage

  • Article

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012

This topic is intended to address a specific issue identified by a Best Practices Analyzer scan. You should apply the information in this topic only to computers that have had the Hyper-V Best Practices Analyzer run against them and are experiencing the issue addressed by this topic. For more information about best practices and scans, see Best Practices Analyzer.

Operating System

Windows Server 2008 R2

Product/Feature

Hyper-V

Severity

Warning

Category

Configuration

Issue

A virtual machine was found that is not configured with a SCSI controller.

Impact

You will not be able to hot plug or hot unplug storage for the following virtual machines: <list of virtual machine names>

The ability to hot plug or hot unplug storage makes it easier to manage the storage needs of a virtual machine without requiring downtime. When a virtual machine does not have a SCSI controller, the virtual machine must be shut down before you can add or remove storage.

Resolution

If you do not need to hot plug or hot unplug storage for this virtual machine, no action is required. Otherwise, shut down the virtual machine and add a SCSI controller to the configuration.

You can use Hyper-V Manager to add a SCSI controller, as described in the following procedure. To use a SCSI controller to hot plug and hot unplug storage, the guest operating system must be running the current version of integration services.

By default, membership in the local Administrators group, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. However, an administrator can use Authorization Manager to modify the authorization policy so that a user or group of users can complete this procedure. For more information, see Using Authorization Manager for Hyper-V Security (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=142886).

To add a SCSI controller to the virtual machine

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and then click Hyper-V Manager.

  2. In the results pane, under Virtual Machines, select the virtual machine that you want to configure.

  3. In the Action pane, under the virtual machine name, click Settings.

  4. The Settings dialog box opens to the Add Hardware page, with SCSI Controller selected. Click Add to add a SCSI controller to the virtual machine, and then click OK.

To install or upgrade the integration services in the guest operating system

  1. Open Hyper-V Manager.

  2. Connect to the virtual machine. From the Virtual Machines section of the results pane, using one of the following methods:

    • Right-click the name of the virtual machine and click Connect.

    • Select the name of the virtual machine. In the Action pane, click Connect.

  3. The Virtual Machine Connection tool opens.

  4. From the Action menu of Virtual Machine Connection, click Insert Integration Services Setup Disk. This action loads the setup disk in the virtual DVD drive.

  5. Depending on the operating system being installed, you may need to start the installation manually. Click anywhere in the guest operating system window and navigate to the CD drive. Use the method that is appropriate for the guest operating system to start the installation package from the CD drive.

  6. After the installation finishes, all integration services and virtual machine drivers are available for use.