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Update VirtIO drivers

Update VirtIO drivers and the QEMU guest agent in guest operating systems. Using the latest VirtIO drivers increases performance and stability.

Downloading the VirtIO drivers ISO from the web console

You can download the virtio-win ISO file from the OpenShift Container Platform web console. The ISO file includes the VirtIO drivers and the QEMU guest agent installer for Microsoft Windows virtual machines (VMs).

Note

If your cluster has Windows VMs, a notification on the Virtualization → VirtualMachines page provides a link to the Downloads tab where you can download the ISO file.

Procedure

  1. In the OpenShift Container Platform web console, navigate to Virtualization → Settings.

  2. Click the Downloads tab.

  3. In the Windows drivers section, click Download ISO.

    The virtio-win ISO file downloads to your local machine.

Update VirtIO drivers and the guest agent on a Windows VM

You can update the VirtIO drivers and the QEMU guest agent on a Windows virtual machine (VM) by using the virtio-win guest tools installer. This method updates both the drivers and the guest agent in one step.

Prerequisites

  • The container-native-virtualization/virtio-win container disk must be attached to the VM as a SATA CD drive. You can mount the disk from the web console by selecting the Mount Windows drivers disk checkbox on the Configuration → Storage tab.

Procedure

  1. Start the VM and connect to a graphical console.
  2. Log in to the Windows guest operating system.
  3. Open File Explorer and navigate to the virtio-win CD drive.
  4. Double-click the virtio-win-gt-x64 installer to launch the guest tools setup wizard.
  5. Follow the prompts in the setup wizard. The default options update the VirtIO drivers and the QEMU guest agent.
  6. After the update is complete, click Finish.
  7. Reboot the VM.

Verification

  1. On the Windows VM, navigate to Device Manager.
  2. Select a device.
  3. Select the Driver tab.
  4. Click Driver Details and confirm that the virtio driver details displays the correct version.

Enable automatic updates for Red Hat virtio-win drivers

If the Windows Update service (WUS) is restricted to allow only drivers explicitly signed and published by Microsoft, you must manually configure automatic Red Hat virtio-win driver updates. Otherwise, automatic updates are disabled.

Prerequisites

  • The cluster must have internet connectivity. Disconnected clusters cannot reach the WUS.

Procedure

  1. Import the Red Hat Release Certificate into the Trusted Publishers store.

    Example command:

    Import-Certificate -FilePath "redhat-driver-cert.cer" -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\TrustedPublisher

  2. In the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC):

    1. Set the Allow signed updates from an intranet Microsoft update service location policy to Enabled.

      If a driver is signed by a certificate in the Trusted Publishers store, it is now accepted, even if it didn’t come from Microsoft directly.

    2. Set the Do not include drivers with Windows Updates policy to Disabled.

Update VirtIO drivers on a Windows VM

You can update the VirtIO drivers on a Windows virtual machine (VM) by using the Windows Update service (WUS).

Warning

If you restrict the WUS to only allow drivers explicitly signed and published by Microsoft, automatic Red Hat virtio-win driver updates are disabled. For information about enabling automatic Red Hat VirtIO driver updates, see "Enable automatic updates for Red Hat virtio-win drivers".

Prerequisites

  • The cluster must have internet connectivity. Disconnected clusters cannot reach the WUS.

Procedure

  1. In the Windows Guest operating system, click the Windows key and select Settings.
  2. Navigate to Windows Update → Advanced Options → Optional Updates.
  3. Install all updates from Red Hat, Inc..
  4. Reboot the VM.

Verification

  1. On the Windows VM, navigate to the Device Manager.
  2. Select a device.
  3. Select the Driver tab.
  4. Click Driver Details and confirm that the virtio driver details displays the correct version.

Tip

To view the individual driver versions included in the virtio-win container disk, open the release-drivers-versions.txt file at the root of the virtio-win CD drive.

Additional resources