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Chapter 7. Updating VMs
This chapter discusses updating Windows VMs with updated operating systems, updating XenServer Tools, and
updating VMs with new Linux kernel revisions.
Upgrades to VMs are typically required when moving to a new version of XenServer. The following are current
issues involving upgrading VMs running on XenServer to this version:
• XenMotion of Windows VMs is not supported until the XenServer Tools are upgraded.
• Suspend/Resume of Windows VMs is not supported until the XenServer Tools are upgraded.
• The use of certain anti-virus and firewall applications can crash the Windows VM unless the XenServer Tools
are upgraded.
7.1. Updating Windows Operating Systems
Warning:
Before updating Windows operating systems you must uninstall the XenServer Tools. If they
are present during the attempt to update, the update will fail.
Windows installation disks typically provide an upgrade option if you boot them on a server which has an earlier
version of Windows already installed.
You can update the operating system of Windows VMs in a similar way.
To uninstall the XenServer Tools
1. From the Start button, select Control Panel.
2. In Windows XP, 2000, or 2003, select Add or Remove Programs.
In Windows 7 and Vista, select Programs, then select Programs and Features.
3. Select select Citrix Tools for Virtual Machines.
4. In Windows XP, 2000, or 2003, click the Remove button.
In Windows 7 and Vista, from the toolbar above the list of programs, select Uninstall.
This removes the XenServer Tools. When the operation completes a message is displayed. Click OK to close
the message box.
Once the operating system update is complete, reinstall the XenServer Tools just as you would after installing a
fresh Windows VM. See Section 9.3, “XenServer Tools” for details.
7.2. Updating XenServer Tools for Windows VMs
The XenServer Tools are available in XenCenter on the built-in xs-tools.iso. On the VM menu, select Install
XenServer Tools; this attaches the CD image containing the XenServer Tools to the VM. If Autoplay is enabled
for the VM CD drive, installation will be started automatically after a few moments. If Autoplay is not enabled,
double-click on the CD drive, and select xensetup.exe to begin the XenServer Tools installation. Follow the
on-screen prompts to install the new drivers, which will automatically deactivate and upgrade the old drivers.
7.3. Updating Linux Kernels and Guest Utilities
The Linux guest utilities can be updated by rerunning the Linux/install.sh script from the built-in xs-
tools.iso CD image (see Section 5.5, “Installing the Linux Guest Agent”). From time to time, Citrix also supplies
updated RHEL 4.x Linux kernels for supported distributions on the website, http://updates.vmd.citrix.com/
