Missing "Nested VT-x/EPT" VM Optimization Setting - Parallels 8 & Windows 8

T

thezonie

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From the Help Center information included with Parallels 8:

Enable virtualization support in Windows
To be able to run virtual machines in an operating system, the system must support hardware virtualization and have some virtualization product installed.

Parallels Desktop 8 allows you to run virtual machines in Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012. To enable virtualization support in these guest operating systems:

- Select Nested VT-x/EPT.
Click to expand...

I have created a Windows 8 VM in Parallels 8 but am unable to find this VM setting. It isn't greyed out, it is simply missing from where it should be according to the Help Center screenshot.

Is there something that I have to enable or am I simply missing something?

The reason I would like to enable this is that I am attempting to install and run the Windows Phone 8 emulator which requires Hyper-V running in Windows.
 
Are you sure that's PDM 8 user guide/manual(help center? Link please.

In google, the only references to this nested thing are for this thread and VMWare.
 
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Specimen said:
Are you sure that's PDM 8 user guide/manual(help center? Link please.

In google, the only references to this nested thing are for this thread and VMWare.
Click to expand...

I am referencing the Help Center documents from within Parallels 8 itself. I cannot find the same information online.

The local file link is: file:///Applications/Parallels%20Desktop.app/Contents/Resources/en.lproj/ParallelsDesktopHelp/33236.htm
 
What CPU do you have?
I'm guessing this setting only appears if the CPU(s) supports VT-x/EPT, not all that support Hyper-V support VT-x/EPT.

Although all CPUs that can run Parallels support VT-x (it's supported since P4), EPT is different:

"Intel states that the feature (EPT) is available in all their Nehalem-based CPUs with virtualization support; namely in Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, Pentium G6950 and appropriate Xeons.[not in citation given] It is not available in Core 2-based and earlier Intel CPUs."

from the wikipedia page.
 
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Specimen said:
What CPU do you have?
I'm guessing this setting only appears if the CPU(s) supports VT-x/EPT, not all that support Hyper-V support VT-x/EPT.

Although all CPUs that can run Parallels support VT-x (it's supported since P4), EPT is different:

"Intel states that the feature (EPT) is available in all their Nehalem-based CPUs with virtualization support; namely in Core i7, Core i5, Core i3, Pentium G6950 and appropriate Xeons.[not in citation given] It is not available in Core 2-based and earlier Intel CPUs."

from the wikipedia page.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. It is a 12-core Mid 2010 Mac Pro (MacPro5,1) with 2 x 2.66 GHz 6-Core Intel Xeon processors.

(I am assigning 2 of the CPUs to the VM, if that matters.)
 
Wait... I'm unsure if it has or not, I opened the link again and the information that appears is different, and says it has EPT...

EDIT again: ok there's something wrong with the previous link probably because of the ()'s

this link: http://ark.intel.com/products/47922/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X5650-12M-Cache-2_66-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI

And yes, it confirms it doesn't have EPT.

---
Anyway, I'm just assuming this is the reason, I have no evidence at all that this setting is controlled by the presence of EPT, I haven't seen it myself either.
 
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Specimen said:
Wait... I'm unsure if it has or not, I opened the link again and the information that appears is different, and says it has EPT...

EDIT again: ok there's something wrong with the previous link probably because of the ()'s

this link: http://ark.intel.com/products/47922/Intel-Xeon-Processor-X5650-12M-Cache-2_66-GHz-6_40-GTs-Intel-QPI

And yes, it confirms it doesn't have EPT.

---
Anyway, I'm just assuming this is the reason, I have no evidence at all that this setting is controlled by the presence of EPT, I haven't seen it myself either.
Click to expand...

Thanks, yes, that does appear to be the case.

I am going to attempt to install Parallels 8 and Windows 8 on my 13-inch, Mid 2012 MacBook Air that contains a 2 GHz Intel Core i7 (which I believe does support it) to see if the option appears in Parallels.

http://ark.intel.com/products/64898/Intel-Core-i7-3667U-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_20-GHz
 
thezonie said:
Thanks, yes, that does appear to be the case.

I am going to attempt to install Parallels 8 and Windows 8 on my 13-inch, Mid 2012 MacBook Air that contains a 2 GHz Intel Core i7 (which I believe does support it) to see if the option appears in Parallels.

http://ark.intel.com/products/64898/Intel-Core-i7-3667U-Processor-4M-Cache-up-to-3_20-GHz
Click to expand...

Well, I gave it a try on my MacBook Air and still did not see the Nested VT-x/EPT option in Parallels 8. Perhaps Parallels 8 doesn't yet properly detect that Windows 8 has been installed? I did a clean install from the ISO as opposed to an upgrade.
 
I have a retina MBP (15") and I don't have that option either. I'd really like to be able to run the Windows Phone 8 emulator and I think because nested virtualization isn't enabled that that is the reason it won't run.

Any ideas??

Cheers,
Greg
 
Just as an exercise, I tried vmware and, with a little manual editing of the vmx file, it works. It looks like that it's not quite fully implemented in Parallels.

Cheers,
Greg
 
alev... there is nothing in that KB about this topic. Are you saying that there will be some day?

This is going to become a hot topic very quickly. VMWare supports this today. We need Parallels to support it today!!
 
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