Windows 8 Crash on .Net Application....

Greetings,

I am a long time user of VMware Fusion. I wanted, however, to take a look at the current Parallels 8 offering. I am currently testing Parallels 8 using the 2 week trial period. I am experiencing a total crash in the guest (Windows 8) when executing a .Net application, namely, the VMware VSphere VI Client version 5.1.

The 2008 mac pro I am using (18 GB RAM, dual quad-core 3 GHZ xeons, PCIe attached SSD's) has a clean install of OSX 10.8.3 with no other mac software installed except Parallels 8. The Windows 8 Enterprise version is a fresh guest install as well....and includes all outstanding Microsoft patches to date. The only application installed in the guest is the VSphere VI Client.

This application works fine on either a physical Windows 8 machine or a VMware Fusion Windows 8 VM.

Has anyone experienced this with either this or another .Net application? Also, what documentation, etc., would I need to gather to investigate this issue.

Thanks,

Dr Gary

 

What do you mean by a total crash? Does vsphere client itself crashes, Windows blue-screens or restarts, or entire VM stops?
In the latter case PD offers to submit a problem report (which you can also pull via parallels Help menu > Report a problem). After PD submits a report it shows report ID -- post the ID here.

 

Most of the time, Windows 8 x64 crashes with a BSOD. On occasion, while executing the exact same workload, just the VI Client itself will crash.

The crash dumps point to PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA (ntoskrnl.exe). My guess would be a PD 8 driver issue. I have re-run the workload with 3D acceleration disabled, varying amounts of video memory, etc. but all result in this crash. Once again, this same workload runs fine on a physical Windows 8 x64 box and a Fusion 4.1.4 VM.



Can I still report a problem while using the 2 week trial of PD 8?

Thanks,

Dr G

 

You surely can report problems, even using a trial. Moreover, you're very welcome to do so.
Would be awesome if you could also provide Windows memory dump after the blue screen. I've sent you a private message about that.

 

Ok...here is the report ID..... 23548084.

2 Windows dump files have been uploaded to your FTP target.

Thanks...

 

Any Update?

Any update on this?

Thanks,

Dr G

 

Hey Dr Gary,

Thanks for the report and dumps. We've a dev assigned to investigate this. So far, the problem doesn't seem to be something we've seen before.
It'll take some time before we have something more sensible to say.

 

Thanks for help on this...

Dr G

 

Any update on this?

I installed the latest update to Parallels 8, built another Windows 8 Pro VM from scratch...tried the same VI Client application..and now it not only blows up Windows 8 with a BSOD...it also crashes my mac Pro....

 

So far, we were unable to reproduce the BSOD.
Has OS X crashed with a panic log? If so can you post crash stack here?

One thing I'd try is to simplify memory setup of your Mac Pro. You have a wide variety modules installed. It's possible that some of them don't play well together and break under load.

 

I suggest the user performs Apple Hardware Test, the long/extended one, could also be a bad RAM module.

 

Here is the Kernel panic log:

Fri Apr 12 09:08:29 2013
panic(cpu 6 caller 0xffffff80148b7e95): Kernel trap at 0xffffff8014843e53, type 13=general protection, registers:
CR0: 0x0000000080010033, CR2: 0x0000000327597000, CR3: 0x0000000065f94000, CR4: 0x0000000000000660
RAX: 0x0000000000000001, RBX: 0x00000000000000b3, RCX: 0x0000000000000000, RDX: 0xffffff7f966c6460
RSP: 0xffffff821f28b8c0, RBP: 0xffffff821f28b940, RSI: 0x000000002c977ae8, RDI: 0x0000000000000001
R8: 0x0000000000000006, R9: 0x0000000000000000, R10: 0x0000000000000000, R11: 0x0000000000000000
R12: 0xffffff803c2cfaa0, R13: 0x0000000000000000, R14: 0xffffff8014eba570, R15: 0x0004000000000000
RFL: 0x0000000000010297, RIP: 0xffffff8014843e53, CS: 0x0000000000000008, SS: 0x0000000000000010
Fault CR2: 0x0000000327597000, Error code: 0x0000000000000000, Fault CPU: 0x6

Backtrace (CPU 6), Frame : Return Address
0xffffff821f28b560 : 0xffffff801481d626
0xffffff821f28b5d0 : 0xffffff80148b7e95
0xffffff821f28b7a0 : 0xffffff80148cd4dd
0xffffff821f28b7c0 : 0xffffff8014843e53
0xffffff821f28b940 : 0xffffff80148438cb
0xffffff821f28ba20 : 0xffffff80148245ed
0xffffff821f28ba50 : 0xffffff8014beecc4
0xffffff821f28ba70 : 0xffffff8014beed45
0xffffff821f28ba90 : 0xffffff8014c544cd
0xffffff821f28baf0 : 0xffffff8014c541b6
0xffffff821f28bb50 : 0xffffff7f95f3de2a
0xffffff821f28bba0 : 0xffffff8014c650c9
0xffffff821f28bbc0 : 0xffffff8014c66670
0xffffff821f28bc20 : 0xffffff8014c6408f
0xffffff821f28bd70 : 0xffffff80148984a1
0xffffff821f28be80 : 0xffffff8014820aed
0xffffff821f28beb0 : 0xffffff8014810448
0xffffff821f28bf00 : 0xffffff801481961b
0xffffff821f28bf70 : 0xffffff80148a5dd6
0xffffff821f28bfb0 : 0xffffff80148cdd43
Kernel Extensions in backtrace:
com.apple.GeForce(8.1)[A15BB65E-3501-340F-87CB-2FD2BAD33E35]@0xffffff7f95f2c000->0xffffff7f95ff8fff
dependency: com.apple.NVDAResman(8.1.0)[A26D2A3D-C06F-3A0F-BCFF-901A98C93C3D]@0xffffff7f94ed9000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport(2.3.7)[38C214C0-83C8-3594-8A4C-DC6AC3FEC163]@0xffffff7f94ec5000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily(2.7.3)[1D668879-BEF8-3C58-ABFE-FAC6B3E9A292]@0xffffff7f94e44000
dependency: com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily(2.3.7)[74E3E50F-E50A-3073-8C96-06F854292A91]@0xffffff7f94e82000

BSD process name corresponding to current thread: prl_vm_app

Mac OS version:
12D78

Kernel version:
Darwin Kernel Version 12.3.0: Sun Jan 6 22:37:10 PST 2013; root:xnu-2050.22.13~1/RELEASE_X86_64
Kernel UUID: 3EB7D8A7-C2D3-32EC-80F4-AB37D61492C6
Kernel slide: 0x0000000014600000
Kernel text base: 0xffffff8014800000
System model name: MacPro3,1 (Mac-F42C88C8)

System uptime in nanoseconds: 10256261525058
last loaded kext at 5506301583559: com.parallels.kext.vnic 8.0 18483.860857 (addr 0xffffff7f969b7000, size 20480)
last unloaded kext at 2629282624557: com.parallels.kext.hypervisor 8.0 18483.860857 (addr 0xffffff7f969a0000, size 290816)
loaded kexts:
com.parallels.kext.vnic 8.0 18483.860857
com.parallels.kext.netbridge 8.0 18483.860857
com.parallels.kext.hidhook 8.0 18483.860857
com.parallels.kext.hypervisor 8.0 18483.860857
com.parallels.kext.usbconnect 8.0 18483.860857
com.apple.filesystems.smbfs 1.8
com.apple.driver.AudioAUUC 1.60
com.apple.driver.AppleHWSensor 1.9.5d0
com.apple.filesystems.autofs 3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothSerialManager 4.1.3f3
com.apple.iokit.CSRBluetoothHCIControllerUSBTransport 4.1.3f3
com.apple.driver.AppleUpstreamUserClient 3.5.10
com.apple.driver.AppleHDA 2.3.7fc4
com.apple.driver.AppleMCCSControl 1.1.11
com.apple.GeForce 8.1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOUserEthernet 1.0.0d1
com.apple.Dont_Steal_Mac_OS_X 7.0.0
com.apple.driver.AppleLPC 1.6.0
com.apple.driver.AppleMCEDriver 1.1.9
com.apple.driver.ApplePolicyControl 3.3.0
com.apple.driver.ACPI_SMC_PlatformPlugin 1.0.0
com.apple.iokit.SCSITaskUserClient 3.5.5
com.apple.driver.XsanFilter 404
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIBlockStorage 2.3.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBHub 5.5.5
com.apple.driver.AppleIntel8254XEthernet 3.1.1b1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeDataless 1.0.0d1
com.apple.AppleFSCompression.AppleFSCompressionTypeZlib 1.0.0d1
com.apple.driver.AppleFWOHCI 4.9.6
com.apple.driver.AirPortBrcm43224 600.36.17
com.apple.BootCache 34
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelPIIXATA 2.5.1
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBEHCI 5.5.0
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBUHCI 5.2.5
com.apple.driver.AppleAHCIPort 2.5.1
com.apple.driver.AppleEFINVRAM 1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIButtons 1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleHPET 1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleRTC 1.5
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBIOS 1.9
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIEC 1.7
com.apple.driver.AppleAPIC 1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagementClient 196.0.0
com.apple.nke.applicationfirewall 4.0.39
com.apple.security.quarantine 2
com.apple.driver.AppleIntelCPUPowerManagement 196.0.0
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCISerialATAPI 2.5.1
com.apple.kext.triggers 1.0
com.apple.driver.AppleBluetoothHIDKeyboard 170.2
com.apple.driver.IOBluetoothHIDDriver 4.1.3f3
com.apple.driver.AppleHIDKeyboard 170.2
com.apple.iokit.IOSerialFamily 10.0.6
com.apple.iokit.AppleBluetoothHCIControllerUSBTransport 4.1.3f3
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBHIDDriver 5.2.5
com.apple.driver.DspFuncLib 2.3.7fc4
com.apple.iokit.IOAudioFamily 1.8.9fc11
com.apple.kext.OSvKernDSPLib 1.6
com.apple.driver.AppleSMBusController 1.0.11d0
com.apple.nvidia.nv50hal 8.1.0
com.apple.NVDAResman 8.1.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSurface 86.0.4
com.apple.iokit.IOBluetoothFamily 4.1.3f3
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireIP 2.2.5
com.apple.driver.AppleHDAController 2.3.7fc4
com.apple.iokit.IOHDAFamily 2.3.7fc4
com.apple.driver.AppleGraphicsControl 3.3.0
com.apple.iokit.IONDRVSupport 2.3.7
com.apple.iokit.IOGraphicsFamily 2.3.7
com.apple.driver.AppleSMC 3.1.4d2
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginLegacy 1.0.0
com.apple.driver.IOPlatformPluginFamily 5.3.0d51
com.apple.driver.AppleUSBComposite 5.2.5
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIMultimediaCommandsDevice 3.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOBDStorageFamily 1.7
com.apple.iokit.IODVDStorageFamily 1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOCDStorageFamily 1.7.1
com.apple.iokit.IOATAPIProtocolTransport 3.5.0
com.apple.iokit.IOSCSIArchitectureModelFamily 3.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOFireWireFamily 4.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IO80211Family 522.4
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBUserClient 5.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOATAFamily 2.5.1
com.apple.iokit.IONetworkingFamily 3.0
com.apple.iokit.IOUSBFamily 5.5.5
com.apple.iokit.IOAHCIFamily 2.3.1
com.apple.iokit.IOHIDFamily 1.8.1
com.apple.driver.AppleEFIRuntime 1.7
com.apple.iokit.IOSMBusFamily 1.1
com.apple.security.sandbox 220.2
com.apple.kext.AppleMatch 1.0.0d1
com.apple.security.TMSafetyNet 7
com.apple.driver.DiskImages 345
com.apple.iokit.IOStorageFamily 1.8
com.apple.driver.AppleKeyStore 28.21
com.apple.driver.AppleACPIPlatform 1.7
com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily 2.7.3
com.apple.iokit.IOACPIFamily 1.4
com.apple.kec.corecrypto 1.0


Dr G

 

I executed the Apple hardware extended tests twice..."No Trouble Found" both times...

 

After some additional testing...I may have a lead on the cause of this issue and would like your thoughts.

It appears that by reducing the number of virtual CPU's on the Parallels VM from 4 to 2...the VSphere Client workload, at least thus far, completes OK without any crashes of Windows 8. The workload runs a bit slower...which makes sense...but does not crash.

My 2008 Mac Pro has dual quad-core Xeon CPU's...I noticed that in other virtual environments, you can define both a "Socket Count" and a "virtual CPU" count...in Parallels, I do not see this "Socket Count" option...so...when I configured 4 CPU's...the Parallels Windows 8 VM displayed it as 1 Socket and 4 virtual CPU's.

Could this be an issue?

Thanks...

 

Hey Dr Gary,

OS X kernel panic you've seen isn't related to Windows BSOD. NVDAResman crashed a lot during 10.7 days.
We had no luck reproducing your issue here so far. I don't think cores/sockets configuration matters per se, but if setting 2 vCPUs instead of 4 helps with your issue that's a good hint.