Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows

Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows on Existing Microsoft Windows Guests

To install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows on existing Microsoft Windows guests, perform the following procedures.

Configuring Policies for Device Installation

Configure Microsoft Windows policies to allow the installation of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows, if these policies are not already configured. This task prevents the following error from occurring during an installation:

The installation of this device is forbidden by system policy. 
Contact your system administrator.

To configure policies for installation:

Open the Microsoft Windows virtual machine on which you want to install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.
From the Start menu, select Run.
Enter gpedit.msc and then click OK.

The Local Group Policy Editor is displayed.
From the Console Tree, display the list of device installation restrictions (Device Installation Restrictions) as follows:
1. Expand Computer Configuration, and then expand Administrative Templates.
2. Expand System, and then expand Device Installation.
3. Select Device Installation Restrictions.
Edit the policy settings so that no device installation restrictions are configured.

Alternatively, review each policy setting to determine the correct configuration for your business needs.
Close the Local Group Policy Editor.
Restart the Microsoft Windows virtual machine.

When you are finished configuring the policy settings for device installation, you can proceed with the installation of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.

Installing Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows

Before You Begin

Do the following before you start the installation process:

Obtain the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows from Oracle Software Delivery Cloud or MOS. See Downloading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.
Review the list of supported Microsoft Windows operating systems and any prerequisite hotfixes. See Supported Guest Operating Systems.
Configure system policies to allow the installation. See Configuring Policies for Device Installation.

Note:

If you are migrating Windows guests from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, the installer copies the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows files, installs the drivers on the guest, and configures the guest to support migration from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure.

You can install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows by using the GUI installation program or by performing a silent installation. Use the graphical installation program if you are installing a single instance of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows. If you plan to silently install multiple instances of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows, you must run the GUI installation program in a command line window on at least one Microsoft Windows guest to create a response file. You can then use the response file to perform all subsequent installations silently.

To install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows:

Copy the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installation program Setup.exe to the guest.
Start the installation by running Setup.exe in one of the following ways:
- To perform a single installation, double-click Setup.exe to start the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installer.
- To record a response file for automated installations on multiple systems:
  1. Open a command line window.
  2. Navigate to the directory where the Setup.exe file is located.
  3. Run Setup.exe -r to start the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installer and create a response file for silent installations.
If prompted, select Yes in the User Account Control dialog to allow the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows installer to proceed.

The Welcome window is displayed.
Click Next.

The Start to install Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows Release 2.1.0 window is displayed with information about your selection.
Click Install to start the installation.

The installer copies the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows files and installs the drivers on the guest.
After the installation completes, click Finish.

The virtual machine is restarted.

Note:

If you are migrating Windows guests from Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, shut down the Windows guest VM in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure Classic environment and then start the Windows guest VM in the Oracle Cloud Infrastructure environment.

The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows are installed in the following directories:

On 32-bit systems: C:\Program Files\Oracle Corporation\Oracle Windows VirtIO Drivers
On 64-bit systems: C:\Program Files (x86)\Oracle Corporation\Oracle Windows VirtIO Drivers

If you used the -r option in the command line, the installation program creates a response file in the C:\Windows directory. You then use the response file, setup.iss, to perform silent installations on other Microsoft Windows guests. See Silently Installing or Upgrading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.

Installing the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows During Microsoft Windows Guest Installation

Before You Begin

Do the following before you start the installation process:

Obtain the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows from Oracle Software Delivery Cloud or MOS. See Downloading the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.
Review the list of supported Microsoft Windows operating systems and any prerequisite hotfixes. See Supported Guest Operating Systems.

To install the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows during the installation of a Microsoft Windows guest, do the following:

Create the virtual machine, but do not start it.
Attach the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ISO file to the virtual machine as an emulated IDE device. You can find the winvirtio.iso file in the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows zip file you downloaded.

Ensure that the Microsoft Windows installation ISO is attached to the virtual machine as the first IDE device. The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ISO file is typically the second IDE device.
Start the virtual machine and begin the Microsoft Windows installation process.
When the disk or partition screen displays, follow the prompts to browse and load drivers.

Navigate to the appropriate driver location on the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ISO file and then select them.

The contents of the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows ISO file are as follows:

autorun.inf      # File that automatically runs the installation program.
fwcfg            # Directory that contains the license file for fwcfg null drivers.
Setup.exe        # The main graphical installation program.
NetKVM           # Directory that contains the license file for NetKVM drivers.
pvpanic          # Directory that contains the license file for pvpanic drivers.
viogpu           # Directory that contains the license file for viogpu drivers.
vioscsi          # Directory that contains the license file for vioscsi drivers.
vioserial        # Directory that contains the license file for vioserial drivers.
viostore         # Directory that contains the license file for viostore drivers.
vio              # Base directory for drivers.

vio/Common       # Fwcfg null drivers for all Windows versions.

vio/Win10        # Drivers for Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016, Windows Server 2019 and Windows Server 2022
vio/Win10/amd64  # 64-bit drivers.
vio/Win10/i386   # 32-bit drivers. {only Windows 10)

vio/Win8.1       # Drivers for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2.
vio/Win8.1/amd64 # 64-bit drivers.
vio/Win8.1/i386  # 32-bit drivers. (only Windows 8.1)

vio/Win8         # Drivers for Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012.
vio/Win8/amd64   # 64-bit drivers.
vio/Win8/i386    # 32-bit drivers. (only Windows 8)

Repeat the preceding step to install other drivers as necessary and then continue with the Microsoft Windows installation process.

After you install the Microsoft Windows guest, you must configure Microsoft Windows policies. See Supported Guest Operating Systems.

Optional Configuration Changes

This section describes optional changes that can be made to the configuration after installation is complete.

Note:

The optional configuration changes are only relevant if you completed a Default type of installation, are running Oracle Linux, and have control of the host system. If you have completed a Custom installation and migrated your VM from the OCI-C to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure environment, you do not have access to the host.

The changes that are described here require that the host system is running the latest supported virtualization packages, which are available in the ol7_kvm_utils Yum repository on the Oracle Linux yum server or in the ol7_x86_64_kvm_utils or ol7_aarch64_kvm_utils channels on ULN.

If you have not already done so, enable the appropriate channel or repository and install the packages from this location before proceeding. If you perform an upgrade of the virtualization packages, you might need to restart any running virtual machines for the changes to take effect.

Configuring Block Drivers

The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows provide block drivers that improve disk performance on Microsoft Windows guests. However, guests do not automatically start by using the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows storage drivers after installation. As a result, guests cannot use the paravirtualized storage drivers for boot disks. Configure each guest to use paravirtualized storage drivers instead of emulated disks after installation.

To configure block drivers after installation:

Ensure you have installed the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows.
Stop the guest if it is running.
Create a new temporary image that you can add to the guest as a second disk. For example, run:
```
sudo qemu-img create -f qcow2 disk_name.qcow2 1G
```
Add the disk you created to the guest.
Specify virtio as the bus type for the disk you added and then start the guest. Microsoft Windows locates the disk drivers and completes the installation at this point.
Change the bus type for the boot disk to virtio and then start the guest.

Microsoft Windows then installs the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows block driver on the boot disk.
Detach the temporary disk from the guest.

Setting the MTU Size for Virtual Machines

The Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows override the maximum transmission unit (MTU) settings in the virtual network adapters for Microsoft Windows guests. After you have successfully installed and verified the Oracle VirtIO Drivers for Microsoft Windows, set the MTU for each guest as follows:

Open the Microsoft Windows virtual machine.
Open the control panel, then locate and open the Device Manager window.
Expand Network adapters and select the appropriate Oracle VirtIO Ethernet Adapter.
Right-click the adapter, select Properties, and then select the Advanced tab.
Select the MTU property and set the value as appropriate.
Click OK to save your changes.