Here is something.

I have been having all kinds of issues working with the unRAID VM manager and it is a pain to have to install "special" drivers for windows to work.

Has anyone installed ESXI on a unRAID VM? OR is it just better to install ESXI on the server then install unRAID on a VM?

I'm no expert, but running ESXI as a guest on a KVM host sounds both unlikely to work and probably not a great idea, so if I were going to pick I'd run ESXI and Unraid as guest....

 

But I've never tried either, although at least there is info on the second option and it's known to work.

Its not possible as well.  VTD will only be available to unRAID, so ESXi will not be able to run any VMs as the virtualized hardware its given doesn't have the capability.

Here is something.

I have been having all kinds of issues working with the unRAID VM manager and it is a pain to have to install "special" drivers for windows to work.

Has anyone installed ESXI on a unRAID VM? OR is it just better to install ESXI on the server then install unRAID on a VM?

Every single hypervisor has special drivers, they just make fancy installers for them that you load after the VM is installed. I don't see how adding 4 drivers to Windows is a pain at all.  And there is a chance that Windows will bake in these drivers in the future.

 

But if you can explain the problems you are having with VM Manager specifically, it would help us potentially address them in a future release.

Well it isn't just with Windows VMs that is the case.

I am also having issues with installing and running simple things like Ubuntu server or even desktop.

like it will just hang up and I have to force stop the VM. I am not running out of ram or CPU.

 

Then when working with 4 different NICs. 5 if you want to include IPMI.  unRAID seems to want to gobble up all 4 ports and work with just one. UNLESS you go deep into the scripting to change it. I just don't feel like the software is not user friendly when it comes to VMs.

 

Don't get me wrong I enjoy it for the purpose that it is suppose to do and that is NAS but VMs it still need serious work. (Just my 2 cents. -- Now where is my 98 cents?  )

 

Interesting...i have had zero issues with the 2 VM's i have now built.  I have a Windows VM as well as a MAC OS X VM.  This is running on some old hardware i have laying around, so they don't run super fast, but in my testing of using the Mac VM as an iTunes box, i am able to watch movies, etc. on my apple tv with no problems at all.

 

Of course, maybe its because i am not really doing anything all that complex as of yet?

Well it isn't just with Windows VMs that is the case.

I am also having issues with installing and running simple things like Ubuntu server or even desktop.

like it will just hang up and I have to force stop the VM. I am not running out of ram or CPU.

 

Then when working with 4 different NICs. 5 if you want to include IPMI.  unRAID seems to want to gobble up all 4 ports and work with just one. UNLESS you go deep into the scripting to change it. I just don't feel like the software is not user friendly when it comes to VMs.

 

Don't get me wrong I enjoy it for the purpose that it is suppose to do and that is NAS but VMs it still need serious work. (Just my 2 cents. -- Now where is my 98 cents?  )

I'm sorry to hear you are having issues, but certainly think you are the minority in that department otherwise I would expect many more folks to be complaining the same.

 

Your issues with the Ubuntu VMs crashing is weird and this is the first I've heard of that. I'd be curious on your settings and your system hardware details.  Specifically upload your diagnostics from the Tools -> Diagnostics page in the WebUI.

 

As for the networking, you haven't really explained what you are trying to accomplish.  If you can explain your issue and what you are trying to do, maybe I can help.