Are you running backups of VMware virtual machines and looking to improve performance?
First, make sure to have the VMware tools installed on the virtual machine. Then utilize the VMXNET3 network adapter in the guest machine's hardware settings.
The VMXNET3 adapter will significantly improve backup speed and performance over the default E1000 adapter.
To change the adapter right-click on the machine and choose "Edit Settings." Under Hardware Options remove the current adapter and choose "Add," select "Ethernet Adapter." In the Adapter Type section, use the dropdown box to select "VMXNET 3." The other options "Network Connection" and "Device Status" will be unique to your environment. Click "Next" and the update is complete.
Please note, this feature was first supported in ESXi 5.0 with a virtual machine version of 7 or higher and if a machine is using static IP, the static IP address will need to be reset after changing the adapter.
List of the 32 and 64-bit versions of the Microsoft Windows operating systems supported by the adapter:
- Windows XP
- Windows 7
- Windows 8
- Windows 10
- Windows Server 2003
- Windows Server 2003 R2
- Windows Server 2008
- Windows Server 2008 R2
- Windows Server 2012
- Windows Server 2012 R2