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Update VirtIO drivers

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

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, automatic Red Hat virtio-win driver updates are disabled. You must manually complete the required configuration steps to enable automatic updates for Red Hat virtio-win drivers on a Windows virtual machine (VM).

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).

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.

Additional resources