Editing the virtual machine vCPU settings reports the error: Number of sockets are not supported

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• Cannot edit the virtual machine vCPU settings
• Editing the virtual machine vCPU settings reports the error:
  
  Number of sockets are not supported
  
  
• You cannot power on the virtual machine after editing the vCPU settings

Environment

VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0

Resolution

To work around this issue:

1. Ensure that the virtual machine is powered off.
2. Connect to the host on which the virtual machine resides using SSH. For more information, see Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1 and ESXi 5.0 (1017910).
3. Change directory to the location where the virtual machine's configuration (.vmx) file resides. For example:
   
   cd /vmfs/volumes/datastore_name/virtual_machine_name/
   
   
4. Run this command to take a backup of the .vmx file:
   
   cp virtual_machine_name.vmx virtual_machine_name.vmx.orig
   
   
5. Open the .vmx file using a text editor.
6. Locate the numvcpus parameter and set its value to 1. For example:
   
   numvcpus = "1"
   
   
7. Save and close the .vmx file.
8. Power on the virtual machine.
9. Click the virtual machine in the vSphere Client and then click the Summary tab.
10. Verify and ensure that the current CPU value is reported as 1 as set in the .vmx file.
11. Power off the virtual machine.
12. Right-click the virtual machine and click Edit Settings.
13. Click the CPUs and modify the settings to the desired value. You should now be able to edit the value.
14. Power on the virtual machine.

Additional Information

Using Tech Support Mode in ESXi 4.1, ESXi 5.x, and ESXi 6.x