VirtIO drivers after kernel update in migrated RHEL VMs

whiney

New Member
Apr 29, 2025
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Hi everyone,

I'm currently testing the migration of VMs from VMware to Proxmox VE using the built-in import wizard. So far, I’ve successfully migrated several Linux-based VMs (AlmaLinux, Debian, RHEL).

On RHEL-based systems, I encountered the common issue where the VM wouldn't boot due to missing VirtIO drivers (I am using VirtIO SCSI and VirtIO paravirtualized for network). I followed the official Proxmox documentation here:
https://pve.proxmox.com/wiki/Paravirtualized_Drivers_for_Linux
After loading the necessary VirtIO modules and regenerating the initramfs, the system booted correctly under Proxmox.

Now here’s my question:
Once the VM is running on Proxmox and a new kernel gets installed during a future system update, will the new initramfs automatically include the necessary VirtIO drivers? Or do I need to manually repeat the process each time?

From what I understand, RHEL systems generate initramfs images tailored to the current environment (host-only mode), so I’m wondering if simply running the VM on Proxmox is enough to make future initramfs generations include VirtIO modules by default. How could I test this reliably?

Thanks in advance for your insights.