Add a SATA Controller

If a virtual machine has multiple hard disks or CD/DVD-ROM devices, you can add up to three additional SATA controllers to assign the devices to. When you spread the devices among several controllers, you can improve performance and avoid data traffic congestion. You can also add additional controllers if you exceed the thirty-device limit for a single controller.

You can boot virtual machines from SATA controllers and use them for large-capacity virtual hard disks.

Not all guest operating systems support AHCI SATA controllers. Typically, when you create virtual machines with ESXi 5.5 and later compatibility and Mac OS X guest operating systems, a SATA controller is added by default for the virtual hard disk and CD/DVD-ROM devices. Most guest operating systems, including Windows Vista and later have a default SATA controller for CD/DVD-ROM devices. To verify support, see the VMware Compatibility Guides at http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility.

Prerequisites

• Verify that the virtual machine compatibility is ESXi 5.5 and later.
• Verify that you are familiar with storage controller behavior and limitations. See SCSI, SATA, and NVMe Storage Controller Conditions, Limitations, and Compatibility.
• Verify that you have the Virtual machine.Configuration.Add or remove device privilege on the virtual machine.

Procedure

1. Right-click a virtual machine in the inventory and select Edit Settings.
2. On the Virtual Hardware tab, click the Add New Device button.
3. Select SATA Controller from the drop-down menu.
   The controller appears in the Virtual Hardware devices list.
4. Click OK.

What to do next

You can add a hard disk or CD/DVD drive to the virtual machine and assign it to the new controller.