Determining the number of cores per socket in a Windows virtual machine

Products

• VMware vCenter Server
• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

This article provides information on the utilities that can be used to determine the number of cores each virtual CPU is configured to use in a Windows virtual machine.

Environment

VMware vCenter Server 4.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware vCenter Server 4.1.x
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESX 4.0.x
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware ESX 4.1.x

Resolution

Notes:

• VMware does not endorse or recommend any particular third-party utility, nor is this list meant to be exhaustive.
• The links provided here were correct as of October 19, 2012. If you find a link is broken, provide feedback and a VMware employee will update the link.

To check the number of cores for a CPU in a virtual machine, you can use one of these utilities:

• Coreinfo
  
  Coreinfo is a Microsoft command-line utility, developed by Mark Russinovich. It displays the mapping between logical processors and the physical processor, NUMA node, and socket on which they reside. It also provides information on the cache assigned to each logical processor.
  
  To check the distribution of cores across a socket, use the coreinfo -c -s command. To download and install Coreinfo, click here.
   
• CPU-Z utility
  
  CPU-Z is a freeware application for Microsoft Windows operating systems which provides information about CPU, processor, cache, memory, system board, graphics, and other hardware features. To download and install CPU-Z, see http://www.cpuid.com/.
  
  In the figure below, the cpuid.coresPerSocket is set to 4, therefore the number of cores per CPU is 4:
  
  
  
  Note: For information about setting the number of cores per socket in a virtual machine, see Setting the number of cores per CPU in a virtual machine (1010184).
   
• Microsoft System Information (MSINFO32)
  
  MSINFO32 displays a comprehensive view of your hardware, system components, and software environment. For information on the list of switches that can be used with the MSINFO32 command in Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
   
• Microsoft wmic command
  
  On Windows XP and 2008, you can use the wmic command. At a Windows command prompt, run the command:
  
  wmic cpu get NumberOfCores
  
  Note: For more information on the wmic command, see the Microsoft TechNet article WMIC - Take Command-line Control over WMI.

Additional Information

• CPU: The part of a computer system that performs the instructions of a computer program. It is the primary element that carries out the computer's functions.
• Core: A logical execution unit containing an L1 cache and functional units needed to execute programs. Cores can independently execute programs or threads.
• Socket: A physical connector on a computer motherboard that accepts a single physical chip.

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