You can expose full CPU virtualization to the guest operating system so that applications that require hardware virtualization can run on virtual machines without binary translation or paravirtualization.

Prerequisites

  • Verify that the virtual machine compatibility is ESXi 5.1 and later.
  • Intel Nehalem Generation (Xeon Core i7) or later processors or AMD Opteron Generation 3 (Greyhound) or later processors.
  • Verify that Intel VT-x or AMD-V is enabled in the BIOS so that hardware assisted virtualization is possible.
  • Required Privileges: Virtual machine.Configuration.Settings set on the vCenter Server system.

Procedure

  1. Right-click a virtual machine in the inventory and select Edit Settings.
  2. On the Virtual Hardware tab, expand CPU, and select Expose hardware-assisted virtualization to guest OS.
  3. Click OK.
    The Configure tab refreshes, and the Nested Hypervisor CPU option shows Enabled.