Vmware Server User'S Guide

VMware Server Users Guide
VMware Server 2.0

VMware, Inc.
3401 Hillview Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
www.vmware.com
2 VMware, Inc.

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:
http://www.vmware.com/support/
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
docfeedback@vmware.com
2008 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more U.S. Patent Nos. 6,397,242,
6,496,847, 6,704,925, 6,711,672, 6,725,289, 6,735,601, 6,785,886, 6,789,156, 6,795,966, 6,880,022,
6,944,699, 6,961,806, 6,961,941, 7,069,413, 7,082,598, 7,089,377, 7,111,086, 7,111,145, 7,117,481,
7,149,843, 7,155,558, 7,222,221, 7,260,815, 7,260,820, 7,269,683, 7,275,136, 7,277,998, 7,277,999,
7,278,030, 7,281,102, 7,290,253, 7,356,679, 7,409,487, 7,412,492, 7,412,702, and 7,424,710; patents
pending.
VMware, the VMware boxes logo and design, Virtual SMP, and VMotion are registered trademarks or
trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names
mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
Item: EN-000057-00
VMware, Inc. 3
Contents
AboutThisBook 13
RevisionHistory 13
IntendedAudience 13
DocumentFeedback 14
TechnicalSupportandEducationResources 14
OnlineandTelephoneSupport 14
SupportOfferings 14
VMwareProfessionalServices 14
ReportingProblems 15
LogFiles 16
1 IntroductionandSystemRequirements 19
VMwareServerProductBenefits 19
NewFeaturesofVMwareServer2.0 20
WebBasedInterface 20
VMwareRemoteConsole 21
IncreasedMemorySupport 21
IncreaseinNumberofNetworkAdaptersSupported 21
QuiescedBackupsofVirtualMachinesonWindows 21
SupportforHighSpeedUSB2.0Devices 21
AdditionalHostOperatingSystemSupport 22
AdditionalGuestOperatingSystemSupport 22
Improved64BitGuestSupport 22
64BitSoundDriver 22
Native64BitHostSupportonLinux 22
UpdatedVIXAPI 23
VMCISocketsInterface 23
AbouttheHostandGuestComputers 23
HostSystemRequirements 23
PCHardware 23
Memory 24
DiskDrives 24
LocalAreaNetworking 25
4 VMware, Inc.
WindowsHostOperatingSystems 25
LinuxHostOperatingSystemRequirements 26
VIWebAccessandVMwareRemoteConsoleClientSystemRequirements 27
VirtualMachineSpecifications 28
Processor 28
ChipSet 28
BIOS 28
Memory 29
Graphics 29
IDEDrives 29
SCSIDevices 29
PCISlots 29
FloppyDrives 30
Serial(COM)Ports 30
Parallel(LPT)Ports 30
USBPorts 30
Keyboard 30
MouseandDrawingTablets 30
EthernetCard 30
VirtualNetworking 31
Sound 31
SupportedGuestOperatingSystems 31
ProcessorSupportfor64BitGuestOperatingSystems 33
2 InstallingVMwareServer 35
InstallationPrerequisites 35
PreparingtoInstallVMwareServer 36
SharingaVMwareServerHostwithOtherVMwareProducts 36
InstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHost 37
InstallingVMwareServerSilently 39
UninstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHost 41
InstallingVMwareServeronaLinuxHost 41
ConfiguringVMwareServeronaLinuxHostUsingvmwareconfig.pl 42
UninstallingVMwareServeronaLinuxHost 43
UninstallingatarInstallationofVMwareServer 43
UninstallinganRPMInstallationofVMwareServer 44
UpgradingfromVMwareServer1 44
WheretoGoNext 45
VMware, Inc. 5
Contents
3 LearningVMwareServerBasics:UsingVIWebAccess 47
OverviewofVIWebAccess 48
UsingtheVMwareServerHostWorkspace 49
UsingtheVirtualMachineWorkspace 50
ViewingVirtualMachineSummaryInformation 51
InstallingtheVMwareRemoteConsoleAddOn 52
StartingVMwareRemoteConsolefromtheConsoleTab 53
UsingVIWebAccessMenuOptions 54
ApplicationMenu 54
VirtualMachineMenu 55
AdministrationMenu 56
ViewingVMwareServerandVirtualMachineTasks 56
ViewingVMwareServerandVirtualMachineEvents 57
LoggingOut 57
4 CreatingandUpgradingVirtualMachines 59
BeforeYouCreateaVirtualMachine 59
VirtualMachineLocation 59
GuestOperatingSystem 60
ProductCompatibility(VirtualMachineHardwareVersion) 61
AmountofMemory 61
NumberofProcessors 62
HardDiskTypeandProperties 62
NetworkConnectionType 64
UsingtheNewVirtualMachineWizard 65
InstallingtheGuestOperatingSystem 68
UpdatingtheGuestOperatingSystem 71
UpgradingtheVirtualMachineVersion 72
5 InstallingandUsingVMwareTools 73
ComponentsofVMwareTools 73
VMwareToolsService 74
VMwareDeviceDrivers 74
VMwareUserProcess 75
VMwareToolsControlPanel 75
ManuallyInstallingVMwareToolsinaWindowsGuestSystem 76
ConfiguringtheVideoDriveronOlderVersionsofWindows 77
InstallingVMwareToolsinaLinuxGuestSystem 80
InstallingVMwareToolsinaSolarisGuestSystem 84
InstallingVMwareToolsinaFreeBSDGuestSystem 86
6 VMware, Inc.
InstallingVMwareToolsinaNetWareGuestSystem 88
StartingtheVMwareUserProcessManuallyIfYouDoNotUseaSession
ManageronUNIX 89
UpdatingVMwareTools 90
UninstallingVMwareTools 91
RepairingorChangingVMwareTools 91
UsingtheVMwareToolsControlPanel 91
UsingtheWindowsControlPaneltoDisplaytheTaskbarIcon 92
OptionsTab 93
DevicesTab 94
ScriptsTab 94
SharedFoldersTab 95
ShrinkTab 95
AboutTab 95
ConfiguringVMwareToolsinaNetWareGuest 96
CustomizingVMwareTools 97
HowVMwareToolsScriptsAffectPowerStates 97
ExecutingCommandsAfterYouPowerOfforResetaVirtualMachine 101
PassingaStringfromtheHosttotheGuestatStartup 101
PassingInformationBetweentheGuestandAnotherProgram 104
UsingtheVMwareToolsCommandLineInterface 104
6 ManagingVMwareServer 107
AddingaVirtualMachinetotheInventory 108
RemovingaVirtualMachinefromtheInventory 108
PerformingPowerOperationsonVirtualMachines 109
ManagingDatastores 110
AddingDatastores 110
RenamingDatastores 111
RemovingDatastores 112
RefreshingDatastores 112
EditingHostWideMemoryandSnapshotSettings 113
ConfiguringHostMemory 113
EnablingandDisablingBackgroundSnapshots 115
ConfiguringVirtualMachineStartupandShutdownSettings 115
EnablingSystemWideStartupandShutdownSettings 116
SpecifyingtheStartupandShutdownOrderforVirtualMachines 117
CustomizingtheStartupandShutdownSettingsforIndividualVirtual
Machines 117
EnablingQuiescedBackupsofVirtualMachinesonWindows 118
VMware, Inc. 7
Contents
7 RunningVirtualMachines 121
RunningVMwareTools 122
ChangingthePowerStateofaVirtualMachine 122
ChangingVirtualMachineSnapshotSettings 126
LockingtheSnapshot 126
SettingSnapshotPowerOffOptions 127
ChangingVirtualMachineAdvancedSettings 127
DeletingaVirtualMachine 130
UsingVMwareRemoteConsole 130
InteractingwiththeGuestOperatingSystem 131
EnteringandLeavingFullScreenMode 131
ConnectingandDisconnectingClientDevices 132
ResettingandPoweringOff 132
ViewingtheMessageLog 133
QuittingVMwareRemoteConsole 133
GeneratingandSharingVirtualMachineShortcuts 133
GeneratingaWebShortcut 133
GeneratingaVMwareRemoteConsoleDesktopShortcut 134
EditingNotesintheVirtualMachineSummaryTab 135
EditingtheHardwareConfigurationofaVirtualMachine 135
AddingHardwaretoaVirtualMachine 137
InstallingNewSoftwareinaVirtualMachine 138
8 ConfiguringVirtualMachineHardware 141
ConfiguringHardDisks 141
HardDiskTypesandProperties 142
AddingaHardDisktoaVirtualMachine 144
EditingaVirtualHardDisk 145
RemovingaHardDiskfromaVirtualMachine 146
VirtualDiskMaintenanceTasks 147
ConfiguringCD/DVDDrives 150
CD/DVDDriveTypeandProperties 150
AddingaCD/DVDDrivetoaVirtualMachine 151
EditingaVirtualCD/DVDDrive 152
RemovingaCD/DVDDrivefromaVirtualMachine 153
ConfiguringFloppyDrives 154
AddingaFloppyDrivetoaVirtualMachine 154
EditingaVirtualFloppyDrive 155
RemovingaFloppyDrivefromaVirtualMachine 156
8 VMware, Inc.
ConfiguringPassthrough(Generic)SCSIDevices 156
AddingaPassthrough(Generic)SCSIDevicetoaVirtualMachine 157
EditingaVirtualPassthrough(Generic)SCSIDevice 158
RemovingaPassthrough(Generic)SCSIDevicefromaVirtualMachine 158
ConfiguringSCSIControllers 159
ConfiguringUSBControllersandDevices 159
AddingaUSBControllertoaVirtualMachine 159
RemovingaUSBControllerfromaVirtualMachine 160
ConnectingUSBDevices 160
UsingUSBDevicesinaVirtualMachine 161
DisconnectingUSBDevicesfromaVirtualMachine 164
ConfiguringSound 164
AddingaSoundAdaptertoaVirtualMachine 165
EditingaVirtualSoundAdapter 165
RemovingaSoundAdapterfromaVirtualMachine 166
ConfiguringSerialPorts 166
AddingaSerialPorttoaVirtualMachine 166
EditingaVirtualSerialPort 169
RemovingaSerialPortfromaVirtualMachine 170
SerialPortGeneralUsageExamples 170
SerialPortDebuggingUsageExamples 174
ConfiguringParallelPorts 177
AddingaParallelPorttoaVirtualMachine 177
EditingaVirtualParallelPort 178
RemovingaParallelPortfromaVirtualMachine 179
UsingParallelPorts 179
ConfiguringaParallelPortonaWindowsHost 179
ConfiguringaParallelPortonaLinuxHost 180
NotesforUsingtheIomegaZipDrive 184
KeyboardMappingonLinuxHosts 184
9 PreservingtheStateofaVirtualMachine 193
SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachines 193
ConfiguringHardSuspendorSoftSuspend 194
SuspendingorResumingaVirtualMachine 195
UsingSnapshots 195
WhattoUseSnapshotsFor 195
WhatIsCapturedbyaSnapshot 196
ActivitiesThatConflictwithSnapshots 196
EnablingandDisablingBackgroundSnapshotsforAllVirtualMachines 197
SnapshotsandaVirtualMachinesHardDisks 197
VMware, Inc. 9
Contents
ExcludingVirtualDisksfromSnapshots 198
TakingaSnapshot 198
RevertingtoaSnapshot 199
RemovingaSnapshot 199
LockingaSnapshot 199
10 ManagingRolesandPermissions 201
AccessElements 201
ManagingUsers 203
ManagingGroups 203
ManagingRoles 203
CreatingRoles 204
EditingandRenamingRoles 205
RemovingRoles 205
ManagingPermissions 206
CreatingPermissions 206
EditingPermissions 207
RemovingPermissions 208
RulesforPermissionPropagation 208
11 ConfiguringaVirtualNetwork 211
NetworkBasics 212
ComponentsoftheVirtualNetwork 213
VirtualNetworkSwitch 213
InternalDHCPServer 214
VirtualNetworkAdapter 214
HostVirtualAdapter 214
CommonNetworkingConfigurations 215
BridgedNetworking 215
NetworkAddressTranslation(NAT) 216
HostOnlyNetworking 218
ExampleCustomNetworkingConfiguration 219
ChangingtheNetworkingConfiguration 222
RefreshingtheNetwork 223
AddingaNetworkAdaptertoaVirtualMachine 223
EditingaVirtualNetworkAdapter 224
RemovingaNetworkAdapterfromaVirtualMachine 225
ConfiguringBridgedNetworkingOptionsonaWindowsHost 225
Enabling,Disabling,Adding,andRemovingHostVirtualAdapters 227
10 VMware, Inc.
AdvancedNetworkingTopics 230
SelectingIPAddressesonaHostOnlyNetworkorNATConfiguration 230
AvoidingIPPacketLeakageinaHostOnlyNetwork 232
MaintainingandChangingtheMACAddressofaVirtualMachine 234
ControllingRoutingforaHostOnlyNetworkonaLinuxHost 235
PotentialIssueswithHostOnlyNetworkingonaLinuxHost 236
SettingUpaSecondBridgedNetworkInterfaceonaLinuxHost 237
ConfiguringBridgedNetworkingWhenUsingTeamedNetworkInterface
Cards 238
SettingUpTwoSeparateHostOnlyNetworks 240
RoutingBetweenTwoHostOnlyNetworks 243
UsingVirtualNetworkAdaptersinPromiscuousModeonaLinuxHost 247
UnderstandingNAT 248
UsingNAT 248
TheHostComputerandtheNATNetwork 249
DHCPontheNATNetwork 249
DNSontheNATNetwork 249
ExternalAccessfromtheNATNetwork 250
AdvancedNATConfiguration 251
CustomNATandDHCPConfigurationonaWindowsHost 254
ConsiderationsforUsingNAT 255
UsingNATwithNetLogon 255
SampleLinuxvmnetnat.confFile 257
UsingSambaforFileSharingonaLinuxHost 258
UsingtheVirtualNetworkEditor 267
SummaryTab 267
AutomaticBridgingTab 268
HostVirtualNetworkMappingTab 268
HostVirtualAdaptersTab 269
DHCPTab 269
NATTab 270
12 PerformanceTuningforVMwareServer 273
ConfiguringandMaintainingtheHostSystem 273
DefragmentingHardDisks 274
MaintainingAdequateFreeDiskSpace 274
EnablingDiskWriteCachingonWindowsHosts 274
ConfiguringSwapSpaceonLinuxHosts 274
IncreasingNICInterruptCoalescing 275
VMware, Inc. 11
Contents
CalculatingMemoryRequirementstoAllowforVirtualMachine
Overhead 275
ConfiguringHostWideVirtualMachineMemoryUsage 275
AllocatingMemorytoaVirtualMachine 277
EditingVirtualMachineMemory 277
UsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing 278
EditingVirtualProcessors 279
ConfiguringandMaintainingGuestOperatingSystems 279
InstallingLinuxGuestOperatingSystemsinTextMode 279
SelectingtheCorrectGuestOperatingSystem 279
InstallingVMwareTools 280
TemporarilyDisablingAccelerationintheGuestOperatingSystem 280
AvoidingRemoteDiskAccess 280
ManagingSnapshotsandVirtualDisks 280
DisablingDebuggingMode 281
DisablingCD/DVDDrivePolling 281
DisablingFadeEffectsinWindows2000,WindowsXP,andWindowsServer
2003 282
DisablingVisualEffectsinWindows98 282
ConfiguringSwapFileUsageinWindows95andWindows98 282
EnablingHardwareAccelerationinWindowsServer2003 282
ConfiguringDirectMemoryAccess(DMA)DiskSettings 283
UsingDMAinWindowsNTGuestsonMultiprocessorHostSystems 284
MonitoringVirtualMachinePerformanceonWindowsHosts 284
13 ConfiguringClusteringonWindowsHosts 287
OverviewofClusteringwithVMwareServer 287
ClusteringSoftwareRequirements 288
ApplicationsThatCanUseClustering 288
UsingSCSIReservationtoShareVirtualSCSIDisks 288
SCSIReservationPrerequisitesandRestrictions 289
EnablingSCSIReservation 289
CreatingaClusterinaBox 291
ConfiguringVirtualMachinesforClusterinaBox 292
CreatingaTwoNodeClusterwithMicrosoftClusteringServices 293
12 VMware, Inc.
A DefinedPrivileges 299
Alarms 300
Datacenter 301
Datastore 301
Extensions 302
Folders 303
Global 303
HostCIM 305
HostConfiguration 306
HostInventory 308
HostLocalOperations 309
Network 310
Performance 310
Permissions 311
Resource 311
ScheduledTask 313
Sessions 313
Tasks 314
VirtualMachineConfiguration 314
VirtualMachineInteraction 317
VirtualMachineInventory 319
VirtualMachineProvisioning 319
VirtualMachineState 321
B FilesThatMakeUpaVirtualMachine 323
FilesThatMakeUpaVirtualMachine 323
Glossary 327
Index 335
VMware, Inc. 13

TheVMwareServerUsersGuideprovidesinformationaboutinstallingandusing
VMwareServer2.
Revision History
Thismanualisrevisedwitheachreleaseoftheproductorwhennecessary.Arevised
versioncancontainminorormajorchanges.Table 1summarizesthesignificant
changesineachversionofthismanual.
Toviewthemostcurrentversionofthemanual,seetheVMware
Website:
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/server_pubs.html
Intended Audience
Thisbookisintendedforanyonewhoneedstoinstall,upgrade,configure,oruse
VMwareServer.VMwareServeruserstypicallyworkinsmallandmediumsized
businesses,doingsoftwaredevelopmentandtestingorworkingwithmultiple
operatingsystemsorcomputingenvironments.Usersincludesoftwaredevelopers,QA
engineers,trainers,salespeoplewhorundemos,andanyonewhowantstocreate
virtualmachines.
About This Book
Table 1. Revision History
Revision Description
20080828 FirstversionoftheVMwareServer2.0documentation.
14 VMware, Inc.

Document Feedback
VMwarewelcomesyoursuggestionsforimprovingourdocumentation.Ifyouhave
comments,sendyourfeedbackto:
docfeedback@vmware.com
Technical Support and Education Resources
Thefollowingsectionsdescribethetechnicalsupportresourcesavailabletoyou.To
accessthemostcurrentversionofthisbookandotherbooks,goto:
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs
Online and Telephone Support
Useonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductand
contractinformation,andregisteryourproducts.Goto:
http://www.vmware.com/support
Customerswithappropriatesupportcontractsshouldusetelephonesupportforthe
fastestresponseonpriority1issues.Goto:
http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html
Support Offerings
FindouthowVMwaresupportofferingscanhelpmeetyourbusinessneeds.Goto:
http://www.vmware.com/support/services
VMware Professional Services
VMwareEducationServicescoursesofferextensivehandsonlabs,casestudy
examples,andcoursematerialsdesignedtobeusedasonthejobreferencetools.
Coursesareavailableonsite,intheclassroom,andliveonline.Foronsitepilotprograms
andimplementationbestpractices,VMwareConsultingServiceshelpsyouassess,
plan,build,andmanageyourvirtualenvironment.Toaccessinformationabout
educationclasses,certificationprograms,andconsultingservices,goto:
http://www.vmware.com/services
VMware, Inc. 15
About This Book

Reporting Problems
IfyouhaveproblemswhilerunningVMwareServer,reportthemtotheVMware
supportteam.Youmustfirstregisteryourserialnumber.Thenyoucanreportyour
problemsbysubmittingasupportrequestto:
http://www.vmware.com/requestsupport
Logfilesareneededtodiagnoseandreportproblems.Therequiredlogfilesdependon
theproblemyouencounter.
Youcansimplifytheprocessofcollectingtheinformationbyrunningthesupportscript
tocollectthelogfilesandsysteminformation.Followtheprocedurethatappliesto
yourhostcomputer.
To run the support script on a Linux host
1 Openaterminalwindow.
2 Runthesupportscriptastherootuser:
vm-support
Ifyoudonotrunthescriptasroot,thescriptdisplaysmessagesindicatingthatit
cannotcollectsomeinformation.Thisisnormal.IftheVMwaresupportteam
needsthatinformation,asupportrepresentativemightaskyoutorunthescript
again,asroot.
Thescriptcreatesacompressed.tgzfileinthecurrentdirectory.
3 Includetheoutputfilewithyoursupportrequest.
Ifyourvirtualmachinesareinstalledinanonstandardlocation,thescriptmight
notpickupalltherequireddata.Makesurethatthe*.log and*.vmxfilesfrom
yourvirtualmachinefoldersareincludedwiththefilesyousend.
NOTEThesupportscriptrunsonlyontheVMwareServerhost.Ifyouencounter
problemsonaremoteclient,youmustcollectthelogfilesmanually.
16 VMware, Inc.

To run the support script on a Windows host
1 Openacommandprompt.
2 ChangetotheVMwareServerprogramdirectory.Thedefaultdirectoryis:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server
3 Runthesupportscript:
cscript vm-support.vbs
Afterthescriptruns,itdisplaysthenameandlocationofthezippedoutput.
Log Files
ThefollowinglogfilesaregeneratedbyVMwareServerandcollectedbythesupport
script.
Virtual Machine Log File
Ifavirtualmachineexitsabnormallyorcrashes,runthesupportscriptorsavethe
virtualmachinelogfilesbeforeyourestartthevirtualmachine.
Thevirtualmachinelogfilesarelocatedinthesamedirectoryasthevirtualmachine
configuration(.vmx)file.IntheCommandssectionofthevirtualmachinesSummary
tab,clickConfigureVM.ThepathtotheconfigurationfileisshownintheGeneraltab.
OnWindowsandLinuxhosts,thefilesarenamedvmware-<n>.log.
Alsosaveanydump(Windows)orcore(Linux)files.
VMware Host Agent Log File
TheVMwareHostAgentwritesinformationtologfiles.
OnaWindowsandLinuxhosts,thefilesarenamedhostd-<n>.log.
OnWindowshosts,thefilesarelocatedinthedirectory
<%ALLUSERSPROFILE%>\VMware\VMware Server.
Forexample:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server
OnLinuxhostsystems,thefilesarelocatedinthedirectory/var/log/vmware.
VMware Authorization Service Log File
YoucanmanuallyenableloggingfortheVMwareAuthorizationService,named
vmware-authdonLinuxhosts.
VMware, Inc. 17
About This Book

To enable logging for the VMware Authorization Service
1 Inatexteditor,editthefollowingfile:
Windowsconfig.ini,locatedinthedirectory
<%ALLUSERSPROFILE%>\VMware\VMware Server
Forexample:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\VMware\VMware Server
Linux/etc/vmware/config
2 Addthefollowinglinestotheconfigurationfile:
vmauthd.logEnabled = TRUE
log.vmauthdFileName = "vmauthd.log"
pref.hardLimitDebug = 2
3 Toenablelogging:
OnaWindowshost,selectStart>AdministrativeTools>Services,rightclick
VMwareAuthorizationService,andselectRestart.
OnaLinuxhost,thelogfileisenabledwhenyousaveandclosethe
configurationfile.
OnWindowshosts,thevmauthd.logfileiscreatedinC:\Windows\system32or
C:\WINNT\system32.
OnLinuxhosts,thevmauthd.logfileiscreatedin/var/log/vmware.
VI Web Access Log Files
OnWindowshosts,TomcatWebserverlogfilesarelocatedinthedirectory
<%ALLUSERSPROFILE%>\VMware\tomcat-logs.
Forexample:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\tomcat-logs
OnLinuxhosts,logfilesarelocatedinthedirectory/var/log/vmware/WebAccess.
VMware Remote Console Log Files
OnWindowsclients,theVMwareRemoteConsolelogfilesarenamed
vmware-<username>-<nnnn>.log,locatedinthedirectory
%TEMP%\vmware-<username>.
OnLinuxclients,theVMwareRemoteConsolelogfilesarenamedvmrc-<nnnn>.log
and<nnnn>.log,locatedinthedirectory/tmp/vmware-<username>.
18 VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. 19

1
ThischapterdescribesthekeyproductfeaturesandbenefitsofusingVMwareServer.
ItalsodescribesthesystemrequirementsforoperatingVMwareServer.Thischapter
includesthefollowingtopics:
VMwareServerProductBenefitsonpage 19
NewFeaturesofVMwareServer2.0onpage 20
HostSystemRequirementsonpage 23
VIWebAccessandVMwareRemoteConsoleClientSystemRequirementson
page 27
VirtualMachineSpecificationsonpage 28
SupportedGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 31
VMware Server Product Benefits
VMwareServerisafreevirtualizationproductforMicrosoftWindowsandLinux
servers.Itenablesyoutoquicklyprovisionnewservercapacitybypartitioninga
physicalserverintomultiplevirtualmachines.YoucanuseVMwareServerto
provisionawidevarietyofplugandplayvirtualappliancesforcommonlyused
infrastructure.
VMwareServersupportsthefollowinghardwareandsoftware:
Anystandardx86compatibleorx8664compatiblepersonalcomputer
AwidevarietyofWindows,Linux,Solaris,andotherguestoperatingsystems,
including64bitoperatingsystems
Introduction and System
Requirements 1
20 VMware, Inc.

TwowayVirtual SMP
IntelVirtualizationTechnology(IntelVT)
AMDVirtualization(AMTV)
WithVMwareServer,youcandothefollowing:
Provisionanewserverwithoutpurchasingmorehardwarebylocatingmultiple
virtualmachinesonthesamehost.
RunWindows,Linux,andotheroperatingsystemsandapplicationswithout
softwareconflictsbecausevirtualmachinesarecompletelyisolatedfromone
anotherandfromthephysicalhost.
Movevirtualmachinesfromonephysicalhosttoanotherwithouthavingto
reconfigurethem.
New Features of VMware Server 2.0
ThissectionprovidesinformationaboutkeynewfeaturesofVMwareServer2.0.
Web-Based Interface
UseVMwareInfrastructureWebAccess(VIWebAccess)toperformhostandvirtual
machineconfigurationforVMwareServer2.0.Thisintuitivewebbasedinterface
providesasimpleandflexibletoolforvirtualmachinemanagement.Using
VI Web Access,youcandothefollowing:
Create,configure,anddeletevirtualmachines
Addandremovevirtualmachinesfromtheinventory
Performpoweroperations(start,stop,reset,suspend,andresume)onvirtual
machines
Monitortheoperationofvirtualmachines
GenerateaWebshortcuttocustomizetheVI WebAccessuserinterfaceforusers,
withtheoptiontolimittheirviewtotheconsoleorasinglevirtualmachine
GenerateaVMwareRemoteConsoledesktopshortcutthatallowsvirtualmachine
userstointeractdirectlywiththeguestoperatingsystemoutsideofaWebbrowser
ConfigurehostwideVMwareServersettings
VI WebAccessandVMwareRemoteConsolereplacetheVMwareManagement
InterfaceandVMwareServerConsole.SeeChapter 3,LearningVMwareServer
Basics:UsingVIWebAccess,onpage 47.
VMware, Inc. 21
Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

VMware Remote Console
VMwareRemoteConsoleenablesyoutointeractwiththeguestoperatingsystem
runninginavirtualmachine.
YoucanrunVMwareRemoteConsoleonthehostoraremoteclientsystem.Afteryou
installitasaWebbrowseraddonfromVI Web Access,VMware Remote Consolecan
runindependentlyfromVI Web Access.
VMware Remote ConsolealsoallowsyoutoconnectanddisconnectclientCD/DVD
andfloppydevices.
SeeUsingVMwareRemoteConsoleonpage 130.
Increased Memory Support
Themaximumamountofmemorythatcanbeallocatedpervirtualmachineis
increasedfrom3.6GBto8GB.Theamountofmemorythatcanbeusedbyallvirtual
machinescombinedislimitedonlybytheamountofmemoryonthehostcomputer.
Increase in Number of Network Adapters Supported
Youcannowhaveatotalof10networkadaptersforavirtualmachine.
Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on Windows
OnWindowshosts,youcanenabletheVMwareVSSWriter,whichusessnapshotsto
maintainthedataintegrityofapplicationsrunninginsidethevirtualmachinewhen
youtakebackups.SeeEnablingQuiescedBackupsofVirtualMachinesonWindows
onpage 118.
Support for High-Speed USB 2.0 Devices
IftheguestoperatingsystemhastheappropriateUSB2.0devicedrivers,youcanuse
peripheralsthatrequirehighspeedperformance,suchasspeakers,webcams,
nextgenerationprintersandscanners,faststoragedevices,MP3players,DVDRW
drives,andhighcapacityCDROMjukeboxes.YoucanalsoconnecttoUSB1.1devices.
SeeConfiguringUSBControllersandDevicesonpage 159.
USB2.0supportisavailableonlyforVMwareproductsthatsupportvirtualmachine
hardwareversions6and7,suchasVMwareServer2andWorkstation6.ForUSB2.0
support,yourhostmachinemustalsosupportUSB2.0.
22 VMware, Inc.

Additional Host Operating System Support
Newlysupportedhostoperatingsystemsincludethefollowing:
WindowsServer2008StandardEditionandEnterpriseEdition
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.5,5.0,and5.1
UbuntuLinux6.10Edgy,7.04Fiesty,7.10Gutsy,and8.04Hardy
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10,10SP1,and10.1
Forafulllistofsupported32bitand64bithostoperatingsystems,seeHostSystem
Requirementsonpage 23.
Additional Guest Operating System Support
Newlysupportedguestoperatingsystemsincludethefollowing:
WindowsServer2008StandardEditionandEnterpriseEdition
WindowsVistaBusinessEditionandUltimateEdition
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.5,5.0,and5.1
UbuntuLinux6.10Edgy,7.04Fiesty,7.10Gutsy,and8.04Hardy
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10,10SP1,and10.1
SeeSupportedGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 31.
Improved 64-Bit Guest Support
64bitguestoperatingsystemsthatrunonIntelEM64TVTcapableandAMD64
revisionDorlaterprocessorsaresupported.SeeProcessorSupportfor64BitGuest
OperatingSystemsonpage 33.
64-Bit Sound Driver
VMwareToolsinstallsasounddriverin64bitWindowsguestoperatingsystems.
Newlycreated64bitWindowsvirtualmachinesarenowconfiguredwithaudio
hardwarebydefault.SeeSoundonpage 31.
Native 64-Bit Host Support on Linux
VMwareServernowrunsnativelyon64bitLinuxhostoperatingsystems.
VMware, Inc. 23

Updated VIX API
TheVMwareVIXAPI(formerlyknownastheProgrammingAPI)allowsyoutowrite
scriptsandprogramstoautomatevirtualmachineoperations.TheVIXAPIishigh
level,easytouse,andpracticalforbothscriptwritersandapplicationprogrammers.
ThisreleaseoftheVIXAPIisavailableintheClanguage.APIfunctionsallowyouto
registervirtualmachines,powervirtualmachinesonoroff,andrunprogramsinthe
guestoperatingsystems.AdditionallanguagebindingsforPerl,COM,andshellscripts
(vmrun)areavailable.SeetheVMwareVIXAPI1.6ReleaseNotes.
VMCI Sockets Interface
Developerswhowanttowriteclientserverapplicationsforvirtualmachinescanuse
thissocketsinterfacefortheVirtualMachineCommunicationInterface.VMCIprovides
afastermeansofcommunicationamongapplicationsrunningonthehostandinvirtual
machines.SeetheVMCISocketsProgrammingGuide.
About the Host and Guest Computers
Thetermshostandguestdescribeyourphysicalandvirtualmachines:
ThephysicalcomputeronwhichyouinstalltheVMwareServersoftwareiscalled
thehostcomputer,anditsoperatingsystemiscalledthehostoperatingsystem.
Theoperatingsystemrunninginsideavirtualmachineiscalledaguestoperating
system.
Host System Requirements
YoucaninstalltheVMwareServersoftwareonaWindowsorLinuxserver.Youcan
storevirtualmachinesontheserverhostorlocatethemonanetworkshare.
PC Hardware
Thenumberofvirtualmachinesyoucanrunconcurrentlydependsontheresources
theyrequire.VMwareServersupportsupto16waymultiprocessorservers,witha
maximumoffourvirtualmachinesrunningconcurrentlyperprocessor.
VMwareServerhostsmustmeetthefollowingrequirements:
Standardx86compatibleorx8664compatibleserverwithupto16processors.
Hostswith32bitIA32processorsandIA32processorswith64bitextensionsare
supported.
733MHzorfasterCPUminimum.
24 VMware, Inc.

Compatibleprocessorsinclude:
IntelXeon:
DualCore,including5000series(Dempsey),5100series(Woodcrest),
3000series(Conroe),7000series(PaxvilleMP),and7100series(Tulsa)
QuadCore,including5300series(Clovertown)
IntelCore2,includingE6300,E6400,E6600,andE6700(Conroe),Q6600
andQ6700/E(Kentsfield),andE4300(Allendale)Series
AMDOpteron1000/2000/8000series(SantaAna,SantaRosa)
AMDOpteron100/200/800series(Venus,Troy,Athens,Denmark,Italy,Egypt)
AMDAthlon64(Clawhammer,Newcastle,Winchester,Venice,SanDiego,
Orleans,Lima)
AMDAthlon64X2/X2(Manchester,Toledo,Windsor,Brisbane)
Memory
Youmusthaveaminimumof512MBofmemory(2GBisrecommended).Thetotal
amountofmemoryyoucanassigntoallvirtualmachinesrunningonasinglehostis
limitedonlybytheamountofmemoryonthehostcomputer.
Youmusthaveenoughmemorytorunthehostoperatingsystem,plusthememory
requiredforeachguestoperatingsystemandforapplicationsonthehostandguest
systems.SeeVirtualMachineSpecificationsonpage 28andyourguestoperating
systemandapplicationdocumentationforadditionalmemoryrequirements.The
maximumamountofmemorypervirtualmachineis8GB.
Disk Drives
Guestoperatingsystemstypicallyresideinvirtualdiskfiles,althoughyoucanalso
bootfromCDROMorfromaPrebootExecutionEnvironment(PXE)server.
Hard Disk
IDEandSCSIharddrivesaresupported.
Atleast1.7GBfreediskspaceisrequiredforbasicinstallation.Youcandeletethe
installerafterwardstoreclaimapproximately600MBdiskspace.
Ifyouuseadefaultsetup,thediskspaceneedsareapproximatelythesameas
thoseforinstallingandrunningtheguestoperatingsystemandapplicationsona
physicalcomputer.
VMware, Inc. 25

Optical CD/DVD Drive
IDEandSCSIopticaldrivesaresupported.
CDROMandDVDROMdrivesaresupported.
ISOdiskimagefilesaresupported.
Floppy Drives
Virtualmachinescanconnecttothehostsfloppydrives.Floppydiskimagefilesare
alsosupported.
Local Area Networking
AnyEthernetcontrollersupportedbythehostoperatingsystem
StaticIPaddressforyourhostmachine(recommended)
Windows Host Operating Systems
YoumustuseaWindowsserveroperatingsystem.
64bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystemsfor64bitextended
systems:
WindowsServer2008x64StandardEdition
WindowsServer2008x64EnterpriseEdition
WindowsServer2003x64StandardEdition,SP1,SP2,R2
WindowsServer2003x64WebEdition,SP1,SP2
WindowsServer2003x64EnterpriseEdition,SP1,SP2,R2
32bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystems:
WindowsServer2008StandardEdition
WindowsServer2008EnterpriseEdition
NOTEOperatingsystemsandservicepacksthatarenotlistedarenotsupportedfor
useasahostoperatingsystemforVMwareServer.
NOTEWindows2008ServerCoreinstallationsarenotsupported.
NOTEWindows2008ServerCoreinstallationsarenotsupported.
26 VMware, Inc.

WindowsServer2003StandardEdition,SP1,SP2,R2
WindowsServer2003WebEdition,SP1,SP2
WindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition,SP1,SP2,R2
WindowsSmallBusinessServer2003StandardEdition,R2
WindowsSmallBusinessServer2003PremiumEdition,R2
Windows2000ServerSP3,SP4
Windows2000AdvancedServer,SP3,SP4
Linux Host Operating System Requirements
Supporteddistributionsandkernelsarelistedinthissection.VMwareServermightnot
runonsystemsthatdonotmeettheserequirements.Platformsthatarenotlistedare
notsupported.
64bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystemsfor64bitextended
systems:
MandrivaCorporateServer4
RedHatEnterpriseLinux5.1
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS4.5
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxES4.5
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS4.5
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10.1
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10SP1
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10
UbuntuLinux8.04
UbuntuLinux7.10
UbuntuLinux7.04
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux6.06
NOTEAsnewLinuxkernelsanddistributionsarereleased,VMwaremodifiesand
testsitsproductsforstabilityandreliabilityonthosehostplatforms.VMwaremakes
everyefforttoaddsupportfornewkernelsanddistributionsinatimelymanner,but
untilakernelordistributionisaddedtothelist,itsuseisnotsupported.Lookfornewer
prebuiltmodulesintheDownloadsectionofVMwareWebsiteat
http://www.vmware.com/download.
VMware, Inc. 27

32bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystems:
MandrakeLinux10.1
MandrivaCorporateServer4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS4.5
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxES4.5
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS4.5
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10.1
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10
TurboLinuxEnterpriseServer10
UbuntuLinux8.04
UbuntuLinux7.10
UbuntuLinux7.04
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux6.06
VI Web Access and VMware Remote Console Client
System Requirements
VIWebAccessenablesyoutomanagevirtualmachinesfromaWebbrowseronthehost
oraremoteclient.
VMwareRemoteConsoleenablesyoutointeractwiththeguestoperatingsystemon
thehostoraremoteclient.ItisinstalledasaWebbrowseraddon.
TouseVIWebAccessorinstallVMwareRemoteConsole,runoneofthefollowingWeb
browsers:
MozillaFirefox2.0or3.0forLinux
MozillaFirefox2.0or3.0forWindows
InternetExplorer6.0or7.0(7.0recommended)
NOTEOtherbrowsersarenotexcluded,butarenotcertifiedbyVMware.Pleaserefer
toyourbrowservendorsdocumentationforadditionalrequirements.Forthebest
experience,makesurethatyourbrowserincludesallofthesecurityandstability
updatesrecommendedbythevendor.
28 VMware, Inc.

JavaScript,XMLHttpRequest,andcookiesmustbeenabledinyourWebbrowser
settingstouseVIWebAccess.Thesefeaturesareenabledbydefault.
Toavoidperformancedegradation,disabletheFirebugextensiontoFirefoxwhenusing
VIWebAccess.
TheVMwareRemoteConsoleaddonmightconflictwithotherFirefoxaddons.Ifyou
experienceproblemswhenyouattempttoinstalltheVMwareRemoteConsoleaddon,
trydisablingotheraddonsyouhaveenabled.Specifically,youmighthavetodisable
thethirdpartyLeakMonitoraddonbeforeyouinstalltheVMwareRemoteConsole
addon.
Virtual Machine Specifications
ThefollowingsectionsdescribethedevicessupportedbyVMwareServervirtual
machines.
Processor
Sameprocessorasthehostcomputer
Onevirtualprocessoronahostsystemwithoneormorelogicalprocessors
Twovirtualprocessors(twowayvirtualsymmetricmultiprocessingor
Virtual SMP)onahostsystemwithatleasttwologicalprocessors
Thefollowingareallconsideredtohavetwologicalprocessors:
AmultiprocessorhostwithtwoormorephysicalCPUs
AsingleprocessorhostwithamulticoreCPU
Asingleprocessorhostwithhyperthreadingenabled
SeeUsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessingonpage 278.
Chip Set
Intel440BXbasedmotherboard
NS338SIO
82093AAIOAPIC
BIOS
PhoenixBIOS4.0Release6withVESABIOS
VMware, Inc. 29

Memory
Upto8GB,dependingonhostmemory,virtualmachinehardwareversion,and
guestoperatingsystemsupport.
Totalmemoryavailableforallvirtualmachinesislimitedonlybytheamountof
memoryonthehostcomputer.
Graphics
VGA
SVGA
IDE Drives
Uptofourdevices.AnyofthesedevicescanbeavirtualharddiskorCD/DVD
drive.
IDEvirtualdisksupto950GB.
CD/DVDdrivecanbeaphysicaldeviceonthehostorclientsystem,oranISO
imagefile.
SCSI Devices
Upto60devices.AnyofthesedevicescanbeavirtualharddiskorCD/DVDdrive.
SCSIvirtualdisksupto950GB.
LSILogicLSI53C10xxUltra320SCSII/Ocontroller.ForWindowsXPguest
systems,thisrequiresanaddondriverfromtheLSILogicWebsite.Formore
information,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideat
http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
Mylex(BusLogic)BT958compatiblehostbusadapter.ForWindowsXPand
WindowsServer2003guestsystems,thisrequiresanaddondriverfromthe
VMwareWebsite.Formoreinformation,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystem
InstallationGuideathttp://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
PCI Slots
SixvirtualPCIslotscanbedividedamongthevirtualSCSIcontrollers,virtualEthernet
cards,virtualdisplayadapter,andvirtualsoundadapter.
30 VMware, Inc.

Floppy Drives
Uptotwo1.44MBfloppydevices
Physicaldrivesorfloppyimagefiles
Serial (COM) Ports
Uptofourserial(COM)ports
Outputtoserialports,hostoperatingsystemfiles,ornamedpipes
Parallel (LPT) Ports
Uptothreebidirectionalparallel(LPT)ports
Outputtoparallelportsorhostoperatingsystemfiles
USB Ports
USB2.0supportisavailableonlyforVMwareproductsthatsupportvirtual
machinehardwareversions6and7,suchasVMwareServer2andWorkstation6.
ForUSB2.0support,yourhostmachinemustsupportUSB2.0.
Supportsmostdevices,includingUSBprinters,scanners,PDAs,harddiskdrives,
memorycardreadersanddigitalcameras,aswellasstreamingdevicessuchas
webcams,speakers,andmicrophones.
Keyboard
104keyWindows95/98enhanced
Mouse and Drawing Tablets
PS/2mouse
Serialtablets
USBtablets
Ethernet Card
Upto10virtualEthernetcardsinhardwareversion6and7virtualmachines.
AMDPCnetPCIIIcompatible.
For64bitguests:IntelPro/1000MTServerAdaptercompatible.
VMware, Inc. 31

Virtual Networking
Supportfor10virtualnetworkswitchesonWindowshostoperatingsystems.
Supportfor255virtualnetworkswitchesonLinuxhosts.Threeswitchesare
configuredbydefaultforbridged,hostonly,andNATnetworking.
SupportformostEthernetbasedprotocols,includingTCP/IP,Microsoft
Networking,Samba,NovellNetware,andNetworkFileSystem(NFS).
BuiltinNATsupportsclientsoftwareusingTCP/IP,FTP,DNS,HTTP,andTelnet,
includingVPNsupportforPPTPoverNAT.
Sound
Soundoutputandinputonhostsystemonly.
EmulatesCreativeLabsSoundBlasterAudioPCI.MIDIinput,gamecontrollers,
andjoysticksarenotsupported,exceptforUSBdevices.
Supported Guest Operating Systems
VMwareiscontinuallyaddingsupportfornewguestoperatingsystemsandnew
versionsandupdatesofcurrentlysupportedoperatingsystems.Thissectionprovides
asimplifiedlistofsupportedguestoperatingsystemsforVMwareServer.Forthemost
currentlistofsupportedguestoperatingsystems,includingdetailedinformationabout
thespecificoperatingsystemversions,servicepacks,andupdatessupported,seethe
VMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideat
http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.Thisguidealsoprovidesnotesoninstallingthe
mostcommonguestoperatingsystems.
OperatingsystemsthatarenotlistedarenotsupportedforuseinaVMwareServer
virtualmachine.
Windows 64-Bit Operating Systems
WindowsVistax64BusinessEdition
WindowsVistax64UltimateEdition
WindowsXPProfessionalx64
WindowsServer2003x64WebEdition
32 VMware, Inc.

Windows 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems
WindowsVistaBusinessEdition
WindowsVistaUltimateEdition
WindowsXPProfessional
WindowsServer2003WebEdition
WindowsSmallBusinessServer2003StandardEdition
WindowsSmallBusinessServer2003PremiumEdition
Windows2000Server
Windows2000AdvancedServer
Linux 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems
MandrakeLinux
MandrivaLinux
RedHatEnterpriseLinux
SUSELinux
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer
openSUSELinux
OpenEnterpriseServer(OES)
UbuntuLinux
Linux 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems
MandrakeLinux
MandrivaLinux
RedHatEnterpriseLinux
SUSELinux
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer
VMware, Inc. 33

openSUSELinux
OpenEnterpriseServer(OES)
UbuntuLinux
Sun Solaris 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems
Solarisx86
Sun Solaris 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems
Solarisx86
Novell NetWare 32-Bit Guest Operating System
NetWare
Processor Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems
VMwareServersupportsvirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystemsonlyon
hostmachinesthathaveIntelEM64TVTcapableorAMD64revisionDorlater
processors.
Whenyoupoweronavirtualmachinewitha64bitguestoperatingsystem,
VMware Serverperformsaninternalcheck.IfthehostCPUisnotasupported64bit
processor,youcannotpoweronthevirtualmachine.
VMwarealsoprovidesastandaloneutilitythatyoucanusewithoutVMwareServerto
performthesamecheckanddeterminewhetheryourCPUissupportedfor
VMware Servervirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystems.Youcan
downloadthe64bitprocessorcheckutilityfromhttp://www.vmware.com/download.
34 VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. 35

2
ThischapterdescribeshowtoinstallVMwareServeronWindowsandLinuxhost
systemsandincludesthefollowingtopics:
InstallationPrerequisitesonpage 35
InstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHostonpage 37
UninstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHostonpage 41
InstallingVMwareServeronaLinuxHostonpage 41
ConfiguringVMwareServeronaLinuxHostUsingvmwareconfig.plon
page 42
UninstallingVMwareServeronaLinuxHostonpage 43
UpgradingfromVMwareServer1onpage 44
WheretoGoNextonpage 45
Installation Prerequisites
InstallingVMwareServerisusuallyasimpleprocessofrunningastandardinstallation
wizard.Thissectionoutlinesthetasksyouneedtoperformbeforestartingan
installationandwhichVMwareproductscanbeinstalledonthesamecomputeras
VMwareServer.
Installing VMware Server 2
36 VMware, Inc.

Preparing to Install VMware Server
Beforeyoubegininstallation,besureyouhave:
CompatiblehostVerifythatthecomputerandhostoperatingsystemmeetthe
systemrequirementsforrunningVMwareServer,asdescribedinHostSystem
Requirementsonpage 23.
VMwareServerinstallationsoftwareVMwareServerisavailableforboth
WindowsandLinuxhostcomputers.Theinstallationsoftwareisinthefileyou
download.
VMwareServerserialnumberYourserialnumberissentbyemail.
YourserialnumberallowsyoutouseVMwareServeronlyonthehostoperating
systemforwhichyoulicensedthesoftware.Forexample,ifyouhaveaserial
numberforaWindowshost,youcannotrunthesoftwareonaLinuxhost.Make
surethatyouentertheserialnumberforthecorrectoperatingsystem.
GuestoperatingsystemAfterVMwareServerisinstalled,youneedthe
operatingsysteminstallationCDsorOSimagestosetupyourguestsystems.You
canalsodownloadavirtualappliancefromtheVirtualApplianceMarketplaceor
useabootableCDorPXEimagefile.
WebbrowserTomanageVMwareServerusingVIWebAccess,useasupported
Webbrowser,asdescribedinVIWebAccessandVMwareRemoteConsoleClient
SystemRequirementsonpage 27.
Sharing a VMware Server Host with Other VMware Products
YoucannothaveVMwareServerinstalledonthesamehostmachinewithanother
VMwareproduct,suchasVMwareWorkstation,VMware GSX Server,orVMwareESX.
YoucannothavemultipleversionsofVMwareServerinstalledonthesamehost.
TheonlyVMwareproductsthatcanshareahostmachinewithVMwareServerarethe
VMwareVirtualCenterclient(VMwareInfrastructureClient)andserversoftwareand
VMwareConverter.IfyouplantoinstallVMwareServeronahostmachinethatalready
containsanotherVMwareproduct,youmustuninstallthatproductfirst.
OnaWindowshost,uninstallusingAdd/RemoveProgramsintheControlPanel.The
uninstalleraskswhetheryouwanttokeeplicensesinyourregistry.Donotremovethe
licenses.IfyoureinstalltheVMwareproductthatyouuninstalled,youdonotneedto
entertheserialnumberagain.
NOTEYoucannotcurrentlymanageVMwareServer2.0usingVirtualCenter.
VMware, Inc. 37
Chapter 2 Installing VMware Server

OnaLinuxhost,followtheprocedureinthischaptertouninstalltheproduct.The
licensesremaininplace.Youdonotneedtotakeanyspecialaction.
Afteryouhavecompletedtheprerequisitesanddeterminedwhichcomputeryouwant
tousetohostVMwareServer,followtheprocedureinthischaptertoinstallVMware
Serveronyourhostsystem.
Installing VMware Server on a Windows Host
Beforeyouperformtheinstallationprocedure,makesurethatyouhavethe
VMware Serverserialnumberready.Althoughyoucanenterthenumberafter
installation,itisrecommendedthatyouenteritatinstallationtime.Entertheserial
numberthatisappropriateforyourhostoperatingsystem.
ThefollowingproceduredescribeshowtoruntheVMwareServerinstallationwizard.
Ifyouwanttousethecommandlineinterfacetoperformasilentinstallationonmany
computers,seeInstallingVMwareServerSilentlyonpage 39.
To install VMware Server on a Windows host
1 LoginastheAdministratoruserorasauserwhoisamemberoftheWindows
Administratorsgroup.
Loginasalocaladministrator(thatis,donotlogintothedomain,unlessyour
domainaccountisalsoalocaladministrator).
AlthoughanadministratormustinstallVMwareServer,auserwithout
administrativeprivilegescanuseVMwareServer.
2 Browsetothedirectorywhereyousavedthedownloadedfile,andrunthe
installer.ThefilenameissimilartoVMware-server-<xxxx-xxxx>.exe,where
<xxxx-xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingtheversionandbuildnumbers.
IfyouhaveanearlierversionofVMwareServerinstalledonyoursystem,the
installerremovesthatversionbeforeinstallingthenewversion.Afterthe
uninstallationiscomplete,youmightbepromptedtorestartyourcomputerbefore
theinstallercaninstallthenewversion.
NOTEYoureceivetheserialnumbersinanemailmessagefromVMware.Themessage
includesoneserialnumbertouseonaWindowshostandanotherserialnumbertouse
onaLinuxhost.Entertheserialnumberthatisappropriateforyourhostoperating
system.Todownloadthesoftwareagainorrequestadditionalserialnumbers,goto
http://www.vmware.com/download/server/.
38 VMware, Inc.

3 Whenthewizardfinishescomputingspacerequirements,clickNexttoclosethe
Welcomepage.
4 OntheLicenseAgreementpage,readandacceptthelicenseagreementtocontinue
theinstallation.
5 OntheDestinationFolderpage,ifyoudonotwantVMwareServerinstalledinthe
directorythatisshown,clickChangeandspecifyanalternateinstallation
directory.
WindowsandtheMicrosoftInstallerlimitthelengthofapathtoadirectoryona
localdriveto255characters.Forapathtoadirectoryonamappedorshareddrive,
thelimitis240characters.Ifthepathexceedsthislimit,anerrormessageappears,
andyoumustselectorenterashorterpath.
Ifyouspecifyadirectorythatdoesnotexist,theinstallercreatesitforyou.
YoucannotinstallVMwareServeronanetworkdrive.
6 ClickNext.
7 OntheServerConfigurationInformationpage,ifyoudonotwantvirtualmachine
filesstoredinthedirectorythatisshown,clickChangeandspecifyanalternate
virtualmachinedirectory.
Ifyouspecifyadirectorythatdoesnotexist,theinstallercreatesitforyou.
8 AlsoontheServerConfigurationInformationpage,acceptorchangethedefault
valuesforFQDN,ServerHTTPPort,andServerHTTPSPort.
Thefullyqualifieddomainname(FQDN)includesthehostnameandthedomain
name.Forexample,intheFQDNmyserverhost.companydomain.com,
myserverhostisthehostname,andcompanydomain.comisthedomain.The
FQDNisusedtocreatethedesktopshortcutthatopensVI WebAccess.
IfyoudonotsetServerHTTPPortto80,youmustincludetheportnumberwhen
youconnecttoVMwareServerusingVI WebAccess.SeeLoggingIntoVMware
ServerUsingVIWebAccessonpage 48.
9 AlsoontheServerConfigurationInformationpage,selectAllowvirtualmachines
tostartandstopautomaticallywiththesystemifyouwanttoconfigurevirtual
machinestostartupandshutdownautomaticallywhenthehostoperatingsystem
startsandshutsdown.Formoreinformation,seeConfiguringVirtualMachine
StartupandShutdownSettingsonpage 115.
10 ClickNext.
11 OntheConfigureShortcutspage,deselectanyshortcutsyoudonotwantthe
installertocreate.
VMware, Inc. 39

12 OntheReadytoInstalltheProgrampage,clickInstallorclickBacktomake
changes.
13 (Optional)AfteryouclickInstall,ontheRegistrationInformationpage,enteryour
name,companyname,andserialnumberandclickNext.Ifyouskipthisstep,you
mustenteryourserialnumberlaterinVIWebAccess,beforeyoucanpowerona
virtualmachine.
YourserialnumberisinanemailsenttoyouwhenyouobtainVMwareServer
online.
14 WhenthewizarddisplaystheInstallationWizardCompletedpage,clickFinish.
Someinstallationsmightrequirethatyourebootyourcomputer.Whenyourestart,
youdontneedtologinasauserwithAdministratorprivileges.
Installing VMware Server Silently
IfyouareinstallingVMwareServeronseveralWindowshostcomputers,youmight
wanttousethesilentinstallationfeatureoftheMicrosoftWindowsInstaller.This
featurecanbeconvenientinalargeenterprise.
BeforeinstallingVMwareServersilently,makesurethatthehostcomputerhasversion
2.0orhigheroftheMSIruntimeengine,whichisavailableinWindowsbeginningwith
WindowsXPandseparatelyfromMicrosoft.Foradditionaldetailsonusingthe
MicrosoftWindowsInstaller,seetheMicrosoftWebsite.
To install VMware Server silently
1 ExtracttheadministrativeinstallationimagefromtheVMwareServerinstaller:
ThefilenameissimilartoVMware-server-<xxxxx>.exe,where<xxxxx>isa
seriesofnumbersrepresentingtheversionandbuildnumbers.Anexample
commandis:
VMware-server-<xxxx>.exe /a /s /v TARGETDIR="C:\temp\server" /qn
2 Runtheinstallationusingmsiexecandtheinstallationimagethatyouextracted
inthepreviousstep.Enterthecommandononeline.
msiexec /i "<InstallTempPath>\VMware Server.msi"
[INSTALLDIR="<PathToProgramDirectory>"] ADDLOCAL=ALL
[REMOVE=<featurename,featurename>] /qn
ToinstallVMwareServerinalocationotherthanthedefault,changethe
INSTALLDIRpath.
40 VMware, Inc.

UsetheoptionalREMOVEsettingtoskipinstallationofcertainfeatures.TheREMOVE
settingcantakeoneormoreofthevalueslistedinTable 21.
Ifyouspecifymorethanonevalue,useacommatoseparatethevalues,for
example,REMOVE=DHCP,NAT.IfyouspecifyREMOVE=Network,youdonotneedto
specifyDHCPorNATseparately.
Youcancustomizetheinstallationfurtherbyaddinganyofthefollowing
installationpropertiestothecommandusingtheformat<property>="<value>".
Avalueof1meanstrue.Avalueof0meansfalse.Ifyouusetheserialnumber
property,entertheserialnumberwithhyphens(xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx).
3 Checktheinstallationlogfiletoverifythattheinstallationcompletedsuccessfully.
Thelogfileindicateswhetheryouneedtorebootthehostsystemorifanyerrors
occurred.Thefileislocatedintheadministratoruserstemporarydirectory,inthe
format:
vminst.log_<date_and_time_stamp>_<Success_or_Failed>.log
Table 2-1. Values for the REMOVE Setting
Value Description
Network Networkingcomponentsincludingthevirtualbridgeandthehostadapters
forhostonlyandNATnetworking.Donotremovethiscomponentifyou
wanttouseNATorDHCP.
DHCP VirtualDHCPserver.
NAT VirtualNATdevice.
Table 2-2. PROPERTY Values
Property Effect of the Property Default
DESKTOP_SHORTCUT Installsashortcutonthedesktop. 1
DISABLE_AUTORUN DisablesCDautorunonthehost. 1
REMOVE_LICENSE (Uninstallonly)Removesallstoredlicensesat
uninstall.
0
SERIALNUMBER Enterstheserialnumber.
VMware, Inc. 41

Uninstalling VMware Server on a Windows Host
TouninstallVMwareServer,usetheAdd/RemoveProgramscontrolpanel.Select
VMwareServerandclickRemove.Followtheonscreeninstructions.
Installing VMware Server on a Linux Host
Beforeyoubegin,readthefollowingnotesandmakeadjustmentstoyourhostsystem:
TherealtimeclockfunctionmustbecompiledinyourLinuxkernel.
TheparallelportPCstylehardwareoption(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)mustbe
builtandloadedasakernelmodule(thatis,itmustbesettomwhenthekernelis
compiled).
To install VMware Server on a Linux host using a tar installation file
1 LoginwiththeusernameyouplantousewhenrunningVMwareServer.
2 Inaterminalwindow,usethecommandtobecomeroot,forexample:
su -
OnUbuntuhosts,usethecommand:
sudo -s -H
3 Ifyouhaveaprevioustarinstallation,deletethevmware-server-distrib
directorybeforeinstallingfromatarfileagain.
Thelocationofthisdirectoryisusually/tmp/vmware-server-distrib.
4 Changetothetemporarydirectorywhereyoucopiedorsavedtheinstallationfile:
cd /tmp
5 Unpackthearchive:
tar zxpf VMware-server-<xxxx>.tar.gz
6 Changetotheinstallationdirectory:
cd vmware-server-distrib
7 Runtheinstallationscript:
./vmware-install.pl
8 Respondtothepromptsforthedirectorylocationsforbinaryfiles,initialization
scripts,daemonfiles,libraryfiles,manualfiles,anddocumentationfiles.
Inmostcases,thedefaultresponseisappropriate.
42 VMware, Inc.

9 EnterYeswhenpromptedtorunvmware-config.pl.
10 Respondtotheprompts,asdescribedinConfiguringVMwareServeronaLinux
HostUsingvmwareconfig.plonpage 42.
To install on a Linux host using the RPM installation file
1 LoginwiththeusernameyouplantousewhenrunningVMwareServer.
2 Inaterminalwindow,usethecommandtobecomeroot,forexample:
su -
3 RunRPMandspecifytheinstallationfile:
rpm -Uhv VMware-server-<xxxx>.rpm
Inplaceof<xxxx>thefilenamecontainsnumbersthatcorrespondtotheversion
andbuild.
4 Runtheconfigurationscript:
./vmware-config.pl
5 Respondtotheprompts,asdescribedinConfiguringVMwareServeronaLinux
HostUsingvmwareconfig.plonpage 42.
Configuring VMware Server on a Linux Host Using
vmware-config.pl
Thissectiondescribeshowtousevmware-config.pltoconfigureyourinstallationof
VMwareServer.
Configurationwithvmware-config.plisrequiredinthefollowingcircumstances:
WhenyouinstallVMwareServerforthefirsttime.
WhenyouupgradeyourversionofVMwareServer.
Whenyouupgradeyourhostoperatingsystemkernel.(Itisnotnecessaryto
reinstallVMwareServerafteryouupgradeyourkernel.)
ToreconfigurethenetworkingoptionsforVMwareServer.Forexample,toaddor
removeavirtualnetwork.
NOTEIfyouusetheRPMinstaller,youneedtoruntheconfigurationprogram
separatelyfromthecommandline.Ifyouinstallfromthetararchive,theinstalleroffers
tolaunchtheconfigurationprogramforyou.AnswerYeswhenyouseetheprompt.
VMware, Inc. 43

Ifyouhavenotalreadydoneso,openaterminalwindowandloginastherootuser
beforeperformingthefollowingprocedure.
To configure VMware Server using vmware-config.pl
1 Ifvmware-config.plisnotstartedbytheinstallationscript,enterthefollowing
commandtorunthescript:
vmware-config.pl
Thescriptislocatedin/usr/bin.Ifthisdirectoryisnotinyourdefaultpath,enter
thefollowingcommandtorunthescript:
/usr/bin/vmware-config.pl
2 Respondtotheprompts.Inmostcases,thedefaultresponseisappropriate.
Thefollowingportsareusedbydefault:port902forthe
VMware Authorization Service,port8222forhttpconnections,andport8333for
securehttp(https)connections.Ifyoudonotwanttousethedefaultvalue,
changetheportnumberwhenprompted.
Ifyoudonotspecifyport80forhttpconnections,youmustincludetheport
numberwhenyouconnecttoVMwareServerusingVI WebAccess.SeeLogging
IntoVMwareServerUsingVIWebAccessonpage 48.
Iftheconfigurationprogramdoesnotdisplayamessagesayingthatthe
configurationcompletedsuccessfully,runtheconfigurationprogramagain.
3 Whendone,exitfromtherootaccount:
exit
Uninstalling VMware Server on a Linux Host
ThissectionprovidesinstructionsforuninstallingatarinstallationandanRPM
installation.
Uninstalling a tar Installation of VMware Server
IfyouusedthetarinstallertoinstallVMwareServer,removethesoftwarefromyour
systemusingthefollowingcommand:
vmware-uninstall.pl
44 VMware, Inc.

Uninstalling an RPM Installation of VMware Server
IfyouusedtheRPMinstallertoinstallVMwareServer,removethesoftwarefromyour
systemusingthefollowingcommand:
rpm -e VMware-server-<xxxx>
Inplaceof<xxxx>thefilenamecontainsnumbersthatcorrespondtotheversionand
build.IfyouhaveVMwareServerproperlyinstalled,youcanfindtheVMwareServer
buildnumberbyrunning:
rpm -qa | grep VM
Upgrading from VMware Server 1
RuntheVMwareServer2installerforyourhosttoupgradetoVMwareServer2from
VMwareServer1.Theinstallerautomaticallyuninstallsthepreviousversionofthe
software,exceptfortarinstallations,whichrequireyoutouninstalltheprevious
versionofVMwareServermanuallyasdescribedinUninstallingatarInstallationof
VMwareServeronpage 43.
Therearesomefeaturedifferencesbetweentheseproductversions:
VI WebAccessandVMwareRemoteConsolereplacethe
VMware Management InterfaceandVMwareServerConsole.SeeChapter 3,
LearningVMwareServerBasics:UsingVIWebAccess,onpage 47.
VMwareServer2doesnotsupportphysical(raw)disks.
VMwareServer2usesdatastorestomanagevirtualmachinelocations.Adatastore
isastoragelocationforVMwareServervirtualmachinefiles.Thestoragelocation
canbethelocalfilesystem,aCIFSstore(Windowsonly),oranNFSmountedfile
system(Linuxonly).
VirtualmachinesthatwereregisteredinVMwareServer1areautomatically
registeredinVMwareServer2.However,thelocationsforexistingvirtual
machinesarenotautomaticallyaddedasdatastores.Itisrecommendedthatyou
addthemmanually.SeeManagingDatastoresonpage 110.
VMwareServer2createshardwareversion7virtualmachinesbydefault.Ifyou
wanttouseallfeaturesofVMwareServer2,itisrecommendedthatyouupgrade
virtualmachinestohardwareversion7.
Youcanimporthardwareversion3andabovevirtualmachines.However,theonly
tasksVIWebAccesscanperformonhardwareversion3virtualmachinesare
poweroperationsandupgrade.Toupgradethehardwareversionofoldervirtual
machines,seeUpgradingtheVirtualMachineVersiononpage 72.
VMware, Inc. 45

VMwareServer2usesadifferentpermissionsmodelfromVMwareServer1.After
youinstallVMwareServer2,loginasanadministratorusertocreateandmanage
permissionsfornonadministratorusers.SeeChapter 10,ManagingRolesand
Permissions,onpage 201.
VMwareServer2automaticallynamesbothdefaultandcustomvirtualnetworks.
TheNetworkssectionoftheVIWebAccesshostSummarytabshowsthename,
virtualnetwork(VMnet),andnetworktypeofeachvirtualnetwork.Ifyou
customizevirtualnetworkingafterinstallation,youmustrefreshthenetwork,as
describedinChangingtheNetworkingConfigurationonpage 222.
ForupgradesfromVMwareServer1,ifyoubridged(mapped)virtualnetworksto
specificphysicalorvirtualadapters,writedownthesettingsyouused.
AlthoughVMwareServer2generallypreservesnetworksettingsduringthe
upgrade,itcannotpreservebridgedsettingscreatedwithVMwareServer1.
Where to Go Next
AfteryouhaveinstalledtheVMwareServersoftwareontheserver,typicalnextsteps
include:
1 Createavirtualmachine.SeeChapter 4,CreatingandUpgradingVirtual
Machines,onpage 59.
2 Installaguestoperatingsystem.Youneedtheinstallationmediaforyourguest
operatingsystem.SeeInstallingtheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 68andthe
VMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuide.
3 InstalltheVMwareToolspackageinyourguestoperatingsystemforenhanced
performanceandfeatures.SeeInstallingVMwareToolsonpage 76.
4 Createadditionaldatastoresandaddexistingvirtualmachinestoyourinventory.
SeeChapter 6,ManagingVMwareServer,onpage 107.
5 Startusingthevirtualmachines.SeeRunningVirtualMachinesonpage 121.
46 VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. 47

3
ThischapterdescribeshowtoconnecttoVMwareServerandintroducesthe
VI Web Accessmanagementinterface.VI WebAccessprovidesasimpleandflexible
toolforvirtualmachinemanagement.
Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
LoggingIntoVMwareServerUsingVIWebAccessonpage 48
OverviewofVIWebAccessonpage 48
UsingtheVMwareServerHostWorkspaceonpage 49
UsingtheVirtualMachineWorkspaceonpage 50
UsingVIWebAccessMenuOptionsonpage 54
LoggingOutonpage 57
Typically,yournextstepafterfamiliarizingyourselfwithVI WebAccessistocreatea
virtualmachine.Theinformationandstepsyouneedtocreateavirtualmachineare
describedinChapter 4,CreatingandUpgradingVirtualMachines,onpage 59.
Learning VMware Server
Basics: Using VI Web
Access 3
48 VMware, Inc.

Logging In to VMware Server Using VI Web Access
AnyuserthathasauthorizationonthehostmachinecanlogintoVMwareServer.
To log in to VMware Server using VI Web Access
1 LaunchyourWebbrowser.
2 EntertheURLofyourVMwareServerinstallation:
http://<host_name>/
Ifyouarenotusingport80toconnecttoVMwareServer,youmustincludetheport
numberyouspecifiedduringinstallationintheconnectionURL,forexample:
http://<host_name>:8222
Whenyouconnectremotely,youareautomaticallyredirectedtothesecurehttp
(https)port.
TheVI WebAccessloginpageappears.
3 Entertheusernameandpasswordyouusetologintothehost,andclickLog In.
Afteryourusernameandpasswordareauthorized,themainapplicationpage
appears.
Youruserroledetermineswhatyoucanseeandwhichactionsyoucanperformin
VI WebAccess.SeeChapter 10,ManagingRolesandPermissions,onpage 201.
Overview of VI Web Access
TheVI WebAccesspageisdividedintofourmainsections:
InventorypanelAppearingontheleft,thisareadisplaysthevirtualmachine
inventory.
ClickthehosttoviewsummaryinformationaboutVMwareServerinthe
workspace.
Clickavirtualmachinetoviewsummaryinformationaboutthevirtual
machineintheworkspace.
NOTEIftheconnectionfails,enterthecorrecthostname,IPaddress,or
localhost,asappropriate,intheconnectionURL.Youcanalsomanuallyenter
theshortnameandtheFQDN,orlocalhost,inthe/etc/hostsfile.
VMware, Inc. 49
Chapter 3 Learning VMware Server Basics: Using VI Web Access

WorkspaceAppearingontheright,thisisthemainpartofthewindow.
WhenthehostisselectedintheInventorypanel,theworkspaceincludesthe
Summary,VirtualMachines,Tasks,Events,andPermissionstabs.Thesetabs
containdetailedinformationabouttheVMwareServerhostandallowyouto
configurehostwidesettings.SeeUsingtheVMwareServerHost
Workspaceonpage 49.
WhenavirtualmachineisselectedintheInventorypanel,theworkspace
includestheSummary,Console,Tasks,Events,andPermissionstabs.These
tabscontaindetailedinformationaboutvariousaspectsofthevirtualmachine
andallowyoutoconfigurethem.SeeUsingtheVirtualMachineWorkspace
onpage 50.
MenubarThemenusabovetheInventorypanelprovideaccesstocommon
applicationandvirtualmachineoperations,includingpoweroperationsand
snapshotandconsolecommands.SeeUsingVIWebAccessMenuOptionson
page 54.
ToolbarAppearingalongthetopofthepage,thesebuttonsallowyoutoacton
theselectedvirtualmachine,offeringoneclickaccesstopoweroperations.See
ChangingthePowerStateofaVirtualMachineonpage 122.
TaskareaAppearingalongthebottomofthepage,thisareadisplaystasks
recentlyexecutedbyVMwareServer,includinghostlevelconfigurationchanges.
Youcansorttasksbyclickingthecolumnheaders.Bydefault,tasksappearin
reversechronologicalorder(mostrecenttasksfirst).Youcandoubleclickataskto
getmoredetailedinformation.
Using the VMware Server Host Workspace
WhenthehostisselectedintheInventorypanel,theworkspacedisplaysinformation
abouttheVMwareServerinstallation,dividedintotabs:
SummaryTheGeneralsectiondisplaysthehostsystemsmanufacturer,name,
model,processortypeandutilization,andmemorycapacityandutilization.The
Datastoressectionshowsthename,capacity,freespace,andlocationofeach
datastore.TheNetworkssectionshowsthename,virtualnetwork(VMnet),and
networktypeofeachvirtualnetwork.
FromtheCommandssection,youcanmanageyourvirtualmachineinventory,
add,rename,orremovedatastores,createvirtualmachines,andconfigureglobal
memory,snapshot,andvirtualmachinestartupandshutdownsettings.For
informationabouthowtoperformtheseandotherhostwidemanagementtasks,
seeChapter 6,ManagingVMwareServer,onpage 107.
50 VMware, Inc.

TasksDisplaystasksthatareperformedbyusersintheVMwareServerhost.
SeeViewingVMwareServerandVirtualMachineTasksonpage 56.
EventsDisplayseventsthatoccurredintheVMwareServerhost.SeeViewing
VMwareServerandVirtualMachineEventsonpage 57.
VirtualMachinesDisplayshighlevelinformationabouttheallthevirtual
machinesintheinventory,includingprocessorandmemoryutilizationwhenthe
virtualmachineispoweredon.Fromthistab,youcancreateavirtualmachine,
addavirtualmachinetotheinventory,anddeleteorperformpoweroperationson
aselectedvirtualmachine.SeeAddingaVirtualMachinetotheInventoryon
page 108andPerformingPowerOperationsonVirtualMachinesonpage 109.
PermissionsDisplaysandallowsyoutoconfigurepermissionsforthehost.See
Chapter 10,ManagingRolesandPermissions,onpage 201.
Using the Virtual Machine Workspace
WhenavirtualmachineisselectedintheInventorypanel,theworkspacedisplays
informationaboutthevirtualmachine,dividedintotabs:
SummaryDisplaysperformanceandstatusinformation.Youcanviewa
summaryofthevirtualmachinesstate,includinginformationaboutvirtual
devicesandconfigurationoptions.Fromthistab,youcanmodifytheselected
virtualmachineshardwareandperformothervirtualmachinemanagementtasks.
TasksDisplaystasksthatusersperforminthevirtualmachine.SeeViewing
VMwareServerandVirtualMachineTasksonpage 56.
EventsDisplayseventsthatoccurredinthevirtualmachine.SeeViewing
VMwareServerandVirtualMachineEventsonpage 57.
ConsoleAllowsyoutointeractdirectlywiththeguestoperatingsystem.See
InstallingtheVMwareRemoteConsoleAddOnonpage 52andStarting
VMwareRemoteConsolefromtheConsoleTabonpage 53.
PermissionsDisplaysandallowsyoutoconfigurepermissionsforthevirtual
machine.SeeChapter 10,ManagingRolesandPermissions,onpage 201.
VMware, Inc. 51

Viewing Virtual Machine Summary Information
WhenyouclicktheSummarytabforavirtualmachine,VIWebAccessdisplaysa
summaryoftheconfigurationinformationaboutthatvirtualmachineinthe
workspace.
TheSummarytabincludesthefollowingsections:
ThePerformancesectiondisplaysthevirtualmachineprocessorandmemory
capacityandcurrentutilization.
TheNotessectiondisplays,andallowsyoutoedit,texttodescribethevirtual
machine.
TheHardwaresectiondisplays,andallowsyoutoeditorremove,thevirtual
machineshardware.Tochangemostsettings,youmustpoweroffthevirtual
machine.SeeEditingtheHardwareConfigurationofaVirtualMachineon
page 135.
TheStatussectiondisplaysthefollowing:
Thecurrentpowerstateofthevirtualmachine:whetheritispoweredon,
poweredoff,orsuspended.
Theguestoperatingsysteminstalledinthevirtualmachine.
VMwareToolsstatus,indicatingwhetherVMwareToolsisinstalledand
running,andwhetheryouneedtoupgradetothelatestversion.See
Chapter 5,InstallingandUsingVMwareTools,onpage 73.
TheDNSnameandIPaddressofthevirtualmachine.
TheCommandssectiondisplays:
Poweroperationscommands.SeeChangingVirtualMachinePower
Settingsonpage 125.
AcommandtostarttheAddHardwarewizard.SeeAddingHardwaretoa
VirtualMachineonpage 137.
Snapshotcommands.SeeUsingSnapshotsonpage 195.
Acommandtoopenthevirtualmachineconfigurationdialogbox.See
Chapter 7,RunningVirtualMachines,onpage 121.
Acommandtocreateavirtualmachineshortcutthatenablesuserstointeract
directlywiththeguestoperatingsystem.SeeGeneratingandSharingVirtual
MachineShortcutsonpage 133.
TheRelationshipssectiondisplaysthecurrentrelationshipsofthevirtualmachine:
thehostname,datastores,andnetworks.
52 VMware, Inc.

Installing the VMware Remote Console Add-On
VMwareRemoteConsoleallowsyoutointeractdirectlywiththeguestoperating
system.
YoumustinstallVMwareRemoteConsoleasaWebbrowseraddonthefirsttimeyou
wanttousetheconsolewithaWebbrowserthatdoesnotalreadyhavetheaddon
installed.Whenanewversionoftheaddonisavailable,youarepromptedtoinstall
thenewversion.
AfterVMwareRemoteConsoleisinstalled,youcancontinuetouseitifyoucloseyour
Webbrowser.
To install the browser add-on for VMware Remote Console
1 ClicktheConsoletab.
Iftheaddonisnotinstalledoranewversionoftheaddonisavailable,thetext
showninFigure 31appears.
Figure 3-1. Console Tab When the Add-On Is Not Installed
2 ClickInstallplugin.
IfyouareusingInternetExplorer,theFileDownloadSecurityWarningdialog
boxisdisplayed.
i CloseallinstancesofInternetExplorerbeforecontinuing.
TheaddoncannotbeinstalledifanyInternetExplorerwindowsare
open.
ii ClickRun.
VMware, Inc. 53

iii TheInternetExplorerSecurityWarninginstallationdialogboxis
displayed.
iv ClickRun.
Theaddonisinstalled.Skiptheremainingstepsofthisprocedure.
IfyouareusingFirefox,amessageappearsatthetopofthebrowserindicating
thatFirefoxpreventedthesitefromaskingyoutoinstallthesoftwareonyour
computer.
i ClickEditOptionsnexttotheFirefoxmessage.
TheAllowedSitesAddonsInstallationpageappears.
ii ClickAllowtoallowtheaddontobeinstalledfromtheVMwareServer
hostsystem,andclickClose.
YouarereturnedtotheConsoletabasshowninFigure 31.
iii ClickInstallplugin.
TheSoftwareInstallationpageappears.
iv ClickInstallNow.
Theaddonisinstalled.
Firefoxrequiresyoutorestartyourbrowser.
Starting VMware Remote Console from the Console Tab
SelecttheConsoletabwhenyouwanttointeractdirectlywiththeguestoperating
systemrunninginavirtualmachine.
IftheVMwareRemoteConsoleaddonisnotinstalledintheWebbrowseroranew
versionoftheaddonisavailable,youarepromptedtoinstallit,asdescribedin
InstallingtheVMwareRemoteConsoleAddOnonpage 52.
Whenavirtualmachineispoweredoff,suspended,orunavailable,theConsoletab
displaysamessageandpossibleactions.Forexample,whenthevirtualmachineis
poweredoff,thepoweronoptionisavailable.
NOTEDependingonyourInternetExplorersecuritysettings,youmight
seeamessageatthetopofthebrowser:Thiswebsitewantstorunthe
followingaddon.Ifyouseethismessage,clickitandallowtheaddon
torun.
54 VMware, Inc.

Whenthevirtualmachineispoweredon,youcanclickanywhereintheConsolescreen
toopenVMwareRemoteConsole.TheVMwareRemoteConsolestartupscreenis
displayedforafewmomentsbeforetheguestoperatingsystembeginstorun.
ForinformationaboutusingVMwareRemoteConsole,seeUsingVMwareRemote
Consoleonpage 130.
YoucancontinuetouseVMwareRemoteConsoleifyoucloseyourWebbrowser.
Using VI Web Access Menu Options
VIWebAccessmenusincludethefollowing:
ApplicationOptionsrelevanttotheVIWebAccessapplicationinterface.
VirtualMachineVirtualmachinecommands.Mostvirtualmachineoperations
areenabledonlywhenavirtualmachineisselectedintheInventorypanel.
Theavailablemenuoptionsaredescribedinthefollowingsections.
Application Menu
TheApplicationmenuincludesgeneralVIWebAccessoptionsforgettingversion
information,browsingtheVirtualApplianceMarketplace,viewingonlinehelp,and
loggingout.
AboutDisplaystheVIWebAccessversionnumber,VMwareServerversion
number,andVMwarecopyrightinformation.
EnterSerialNumberAllowsyoutoenteranewVMwareServerserialnumber
ifyourcurrentserialnumberisexpiring.
VirtualApplianceMarketplaceOpenstheVirtualApplianceMarketplaceWeb
page.Virtualappliancesareprebuilt,preconfigured,readytorunenterprise
applicationspackagedwithanoperatingsysteminsideavirtualmachine.
CheckforUpdatesOpenstheVMwareServerdownloadpage.
HelpDisplaysonlinehelp.
LogOutLogsyououtofVI WebAccess.
VMware, Inc. 55

Virtual Machine Menu
TheVirtualMachinemenuincludesoptionsformanagingthepowerstateofavirtual
machineandforviewingtheconsole.
Themenuincludesthefollowingcommands,whichcanalsobeperformedusingthe
buttonsandothervisualelementsofthemanagementinterface:
CreateVirtualMachineStartstheNewVirtualMachinewizard.SeeChapter 4,
CreatingandUpgradingVirtualMachines,onpage 59.
AddVirtualMachinetoInventoryAddsavirtualmachinetothehost
inventory.SeeManagingtheVirtualMachineInventoryonpage 108.
RemoveVirtualMachineRemovesavirtualmachinefromtheinventory,and
optionallydeletesthevirtualmachinefiles.Thisoptionisenabledifthevirtual
machineispoweredoff.SeeManagingtheVirtualMachineInventoryon
page 108.
PowerOn/ResumePowersonapoweredoffvirtualmachineorresumesa
suspendedvirtualmachine.
PowerOffPowersoffthevirtualmachineimmediately.Thisisthesameas
pullingtheplugonaphysicalcomputer.
SuspendSuspendsapoweredonvirtualmachine.
SuspendGuestSuspendstheguestoperatingsystem.VMwareToolsexecutes
thescriptassociatedwiththispowerstatechange,ifany.
ResetResetsthevirtualmachineimmediately.Thisisthesameaspressingthe
resetbuttononaphysicalcomputer.
ShutDownGuestShutsdowntheguestoperatingsystem.VMwareTools
executesthescriptassociatedwiththispowerstatechange,ifany.
RestartGuestRestartstheguestoperatingsystemandthevirtualmachine.
VMwareToolsexecutesthescriptassociatedwiththispowerstatechange,ifany.
TakeSnapshotTakesasnapshotofthevirtualmachine.
ReverttoSnapshotRevertstoanexistingsnapshot.
RemoveSnapshotRemovesanexistingsnapshot.
EnterFullScreenModeStartsVMwareRemoteConsoleinfullscreenmode.
OpeninaNewWindowOpensanewVMwareRemoteConsoleinstance.
FordetailedinformationaboutusingVI WebAccesstoperformvirtualmachinetasks,
seeChapter 7,RunningVirtualMachines,onpage 121.
56 VMware, Inc.

Administration Menu
TheAdministrationmenuincludestheManageRolesoptionformanagingVMware
Serverroles.SeeChapter 10,ManagingRolesandPermissions,onpage 201.
Viewing VMware Server and Virtual Machine Tasks
WhenyouclicktheTaskstabforthehostoravirtualmachine,VIWebAccessdisplays
taskinformationforthathostorvirtualmachineintheworkspace.
TheTaskstabdisplaysasortedlogofthemostrecentuserinitiatedtasks,suchasa
requesttopoweronavirtualmachineortochangeavirtualmachineorhostsetting.
Youcansorttasksbyclickingthecolumnheaders.Bydefault,tasksappearinreverse
chronologicalorder.
TheTaskstabfieldsaredescribedinthefollowingtable.
SelectataskandclickViewDetailstoseeadditionalinformation.Theadditionalfields
aredescribedinthefollowingtable.
Field Description
Triggered Dateandtimetheeventoccurred.
Status Indicatestaskssuccessorfailure.
Object Theobjectonwhichthetaskwasperformed.
Name Thenameofthetask,suchasPower on this Virtual Machine.
TriggeredBy Entitythattriggeredtheevent,suchasAdministrator.
Field Description
TaskID Theidentifierforthetypeoftask.
Target Thehostorvirtualmachinename.
Triggeredat Thetimethatthetaskwasrequested.
Completedat Thetimethatthetaskwascompleted.
VMware, Inc. 57

Viewing VMware Server and Virtual Machine Events
WhenyouclicktheEventstabforthehostoravirtualmachine,VIWebAccessdisplays
eventinformationforthathostorvirtualmachineintheworkspace.
TheEventstabdisplaysasortedlogofthemostrecenthostorvirtualmachine
transactions,suchasaddinganewrole,andothereventslikepoweroperations.
Youcansorteventsbyclickingthecolumnheaders.Bydefault,eventsappearinreverse
chronologicalorder.
TheEventstabfieldsaredescribedinthefollowingtable.
SelectaneventandclickViewDetailstoseeadditionalinformation.Theadditional
fieldsaredescribedinthefollowingtable.
Logging Out
LogoutofVIWebAccessbyclickingLogOutintheupperrightcornerofanypage.
Field Description
Triggered Dateandtimetheeventoccurred.
Severity Indicatesthewarninglevel,suchasInformationorAlert.
Description Textexplanationoftheevent.
Field Description
Object Theobjectonwhichthetaskwasperformed.
TriggeredBy Entitythattriggeredtheevent.
Type Typeofeventthatoccurred.
Message Textexplanationofaction.
58 VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. 59

4
Thischapterdescribeshowtocreateanewvirtualmachineandincludesthefollowing
topics:
BeforeYouCreateaVirtualMachineonpage 59
UsingtheNewVirtualMachineWizardonpage 65
InstallingtheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 68
UpdatingtheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 71
UpgradingtheVirtualMachineVersiononpage 72
Before You Create a Virtual Machine
TheNewVirtualMachinewizardguidesyouthroughthestepstocreateanewvirtual
machine.Thissectionprovidesinformationtohelpyoudeterminewhichconfiguration
choicesyouwanttomakebeforeyouruntheNewVirtualMachinewizard.
Virtual Machine Location
Thefilesthatmakeupavirtualmachinearecreatedinadatastore.
AdefaultdatastorecalledstandardiscreatedwhenyouinstallVMwareServer,but
youcanspecifyanyexistingdatastore.Toaddanewdatastore,seeAdding
Datastoresonpage 110.
Creating and Upgrading
Virtual Machines 4
60 VMware, Inc.

Thedefaultlocationofvirtualmachinefilesinthestandarddatastoredependsonthe
host:
Windowshosts:ThedefaultlocationofavirtualmachinecalledMy Windows XP
is:
<installdrive>:\Virtual Machines\My Windows XP
Linuxhosts:ThedefaultlocationofavirtualmachinecalledMy Windows XPis:
/var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines/My Windows XP
Virtualmachineperformancemightbeslowerifyourdatastoreisonanetworkdrive.
Forbestperformance,useadatastoreonalocaldrive.However,ifremoteusersneed
accesstothevirtualmachine,considerplacingthevirtualmachinefilesinalocation
thatisaccessibletothem.
Guest Operating System
Youmustspecifywhichtypeofguestoperatingsystemyouwanttoinstallinthevirtual
machine.VMwareServerusesthisinformationto:
Selectappropriatedefaultvalues,suchastheamountofmemoryneeded
Namefilesassociatedwiththevirtualmachine
Adjustsettingsforoptimalperformance
Workaroundspecialbehaviorsandknownissueswithinaguestoperatingsystem
SupportedguestoperatingsystemsarelistedinSupportedGuestOperatingSystems
onpage 31.
Donotinstalla64bitoperatingsystemifyouselecta32bitguestoperatingsystem
type.
Iftheoperatingsystemyouwanttouseisnotlisted,selectOtherandselecta32bitor
64bitsystem.
NOTEVMwareServersupports64bitguestoperatingsystemsonlyonhostcomputers
withsupportedprocessors.ForthelistofprocessorsVMwareServersupportsfor64bit
guestoperatingsystems,seeProcessorSupportfor64BitGuestOperatingSystems
onpage 33.
VMware, Inc. 61
Chapter 4 Creating and Upgrading Virtual Machines

Product Compatibility (Virtual Machine Hardware Version)
IntheProductCompatibilitysectionoftheGuestOperatingSystempage,virtual
machinehardwareversion7isthedefault.Ahardwareversion7virtualmachinecan
usenewVMwareServer2features,including:
Upto8GBmemorypervirtualmachine,insteadofthepreviousmaximumof
3.6GB
Uptotenvirtualnetworkadapters,insteadofthepreviousmaximumofthree
TheabilitytoaddandremoveSCSIvirtualharddiskswhilethevirtualmachineis
poweredon
IfyoumigrateavirtualmachinewithnewfeaturestoWorkstation6.x,allthelatest
VMwareServer2featuresaresupported.However,youcannotmigratethevirtual
machinetomostotherVMwareproducts.
Ifyouselecthardwareversion4,thevirtualmachineiscompatiblewithmanyother
VMwareproducts,includingWorkstation5and6,ESX3,andVMwareServer1and2.
Formoreinformation,seetheVirtualMachineMobilityPlanningGuide.
Amount of Memory
OntheMemoryandProcessorspage,thememorysizeissettotheRecommendedSize
bydefault.Therecommendedvalueisbasedontheselectedguestoperatingsystem
andtheamountofmemoryinthehostcomputer.
Forbestperformance,selectRecommendedMaximum.Optimalmemorysizeis
determinedbyanumberoffactors,describedinAllocatingMemorytoaVirtual
Machineonpage 277.
Tominimizethehostmemoryresourcesallocatedtothisvirtualmachine,select
RecommendedMinimum.
Themaximumamountofmemorypervirtualmachineis8GBforahardwareversion6
or7virtualmachine.Theamountofmemorythatcanbeusedbyallvirtualmachines
combinedislimitedonlybytheamountofmemoryonthehostcomputer.
NOTEDonotenteravaluelowerthantherecommendedminimumbecauseitcould
preventtheguestoperatingsystemfromrunning.
62 VMware, Inc.

Number of Processors
Multipleprocessorsaresupportedonlyforhostmachineswithatleasttwological
processors.
Thefollowingareallconsideredtohavemultiplelogicalprocessors:
MultiprocessorhostwithtwoormoreCPUs,regardlessofwhethertheyare
multicoreorhavehyperthreadingenabled
SingleprocessorhostwithamulticoreCPU
Singleprocessorhostwithhyperthreadingenabled
ForinformationaboutVMwareServersupportforVirtualSMP,seeUsingTwoWay
VirtualSymmetricMultiprocessingonpage 278.
Hard Disk Type and Properties
OntheHardDiskpage,CreateaNewVirtualDiskisselectedbydefault.Whenyou
createanewvirtualdisk,thewizarddisplaysthePropertiespage,fromwhichyoucan
acceptorchangethedefaultvaluesfordiskcapacity,datastorelocation,fileallocation
options,diskmode,virtualdevicenode,andcachingpolicysettings.
Ifyouwanttoreuseorshareanexistingvirtualdisk,selectUseanExistingVirtual
Disk.ThewizarddisplaysthePropertiespage,fromwhichyoucanbrowsetoavirtual
disk(.vmdk)fileyoucreatedpreviously.Afteryouselecttheexistingdiskfileusingthe
datastorebrowser,itscurrentpropertiesaredisplayed.Youcanmodifythediskmode,
virtualdevicenode,andcachingpolicysettingsofanexistingdisk.
Ifyoudonotneedtocreateavirtualdisk(forexample,ifyouplantouseabootableCD
orPXEimagefile),selectDontAddaHardDisk.
Hard Disk Capacity Setting (New Disk Only)
Whencreatinganewvirtualdisk,specifyamaximumdisksizeinMBorGB.Setthe
maximumsizetoavaluebetween1MBand950GB.
Hard Disk File Options Settings (New Disk Only)
Whencreatinganewvirtualdisk,youcanspecifywhetherspaceforthediskfilesis
allocatedasneeded(calledagrowabledisk)orallocatedallatoncewhenthediskis
created(calledapreallocateddisk).
Bydefault,agrowablediskiscreated.Thediskfilesuselessdiskspaceinitiallyand
growtotheirmaximumsizeonlyasadditionalspaceisneeded.However,ittakes
longertowritedatatogrowabledisks.
VMware, Inc. 63

IfyouselectAllocatealldiskspacenow,alldiskspaceispreallocatedatthetimethe
diskiscreated.Thisprovidesbetterperformanceforyourvirtualmachine.However,
youcannotshrinkthedisklater.
YoucanalsoselectSplitdiskinto2GBfiles.Selectthisoptionifyourvirtualdiskis
storedonafilesystemthatdoesnotsupportfileslargerthan2GB,suchasFAT16.
Virtual Device Disk Mode Settings
SelectwhethertorunthediskinIndependentMode.DisksinIndependentModeare
notaffectedbysnapshots.SeeExcludingVirtualDisksfromSnapshotsonpage 198.
IfyouselectIndependentMode,alsoselectoneofthefollowing:
PersistentDisksinpersistentmodebehavelikeconventionaldiskdriveson
yourphysicalcomputer.Alldatawrittentoadiskinpersistentmodearewritten
outpermanentlytothedisk.
NonpersistentChangestodisksinnonpersistentmodearediscardedwhenyou
powerofforresetthevirtualmachine.Nonpersistentmodeenablesyoutorestart
thevirtualmachinewithavirtualdiskinthesamestateeverytime.Exampleuses
includeprovidingknownenvironmentsforsoftwaretesting,technicalsupport,
anddemonstratingsoftware.
Virtual Device Node Settings
Whencreatinganewvirtualdisk,thedefaultadaptertypeisbasedonyourselected
guestoperatingsystem.Anavailabledevicenodeisalsoselected.
VirtualdiskscanbeconfiguredasIDEdisksforanyguestoperatingsystem.Theycan
beconfiguredasSCSIdisksforanyguestoperatingsystemthathasadriverforthe
LSI LogicorBusLogicSCSIadapteravailableinavirtualmachine.ThecorrectSCSI
adapterischosenbasedonyourselectedguestoperatingsystem.
NOTEPreallocatingdiskspaceisatimeconsumingoperationthatcannotbecanceled
andrequiresasmuchphysicaldiskspaceasyouspecifyforthevirtualdisk.
NOTETouseSCSIdisksina32bitWindowsXPguest,youneedaspecialSCSIdriver
availablefromtheDownloadsectionoftheVMwareWebsiteat
http://www.vmware.com/download.FollowtheinstructionsontheWebsitetousethe
driverwithanewinstallationofWindowsXP.
64 VMware, Inc.

Eithertypeofvirtualdiskcanbestoredoneithertypeofphysicalharddisk.For
example,thefilesthatmakeupanIDEvirtualdiskcanbestoredoneitheranIDEhard
diskoraSCSIharddisk.Virtualdiskscanalsobestoredonothertypesoffastaccess
storagemedia.
Hard Disk Write Caching Policy Setting
Thecachingpolicydetermineswhenchangesarewrittentodisk:
OptimizeforsafetySavesallchangestothevirtualdiskimmediately.
OptimizeforperformanceAcknowledgeschangestothevirtualdisk
immediately,butsavesthematalatertime.
Network Connection Type
Ifyouaddanetworkadapter,youcanselectanexistingvirtualnetwork.
Foradefaultinstallationwithnocustomnetworks,youhavethefollowingoptions:
BridgedConfiguresyourvirtualmachineasauniqueidentityonthenetwork,
separatefromandunrelatedtoitshost.Othercomputersonthenetworkcanthen
communicatedirectlywiththevirtualmachine.Ifyourhostcomputerisona
networkandyouhaveaseparateIPaddressforyourvirtualmachine(orcanget
oneautomaticallyfromaDHCPserver),selectBridged.
NATConfiguresyourvirtualmachinetosharetheIPandMACaddressesofthe
host.Thevirtualmachinesharesthehostspublicnetworkidentity,andhasa
privateidentitythatisnotvisiblebeyondthehost.NATcanbeusefulwhenyou
areallowedasingleIPaddressorMACaddressbyyournetworkadministrator.
YoumightalsouseNATtoconfigureseparatevirtualmachinesforhandlingHTTP
andFTPrequests,withbothvirtualmachinesrunningoffthesameIPaddressor
domain.
HostOnlyConfiguresyouvirtualmachinetocommunicateonlywiththehost
andothervirtualmachinesinthehostonlynetwork.Thiscanbeusefulwhenyou
wantasecurevirtualmachinethatisconnectedtothehostnetwork,butavailable
onlythroughthehostmachine.Inthisconfiguration,thevirtualmachinecannot
connecttotheInternet.
Tocustomizeyourvirtualnetwork,seeChapter 11,ConfiguringaVirtual
Network,onpage 211.
VMware, Inc. 65

Using the New Virtual Machine Wizard
Whenyoucreateanewvirtualmachine,theresultisasetoffilesthatrepresentanew
computer.IfyouarenotusingabootableCDorPXEimagefile,thevirtualmachine
includesablank,unformattedharddiskthevirtualdiskintowhichyouinstallthe
guestoperatingsystem.
To create a new virtual machine
1 InyourWebbrowser,entertheURLofyourVMwareServerinstallation:
http://<host name>/
Ifyouarenotusingport80toconnecttoVMwareServer,youmustincludetheport
numberyouspecifiedduringinstallationintheconnectionURL,forexample:
http://<host name>:8222
Whenyouconnectremotely,youareautomaticallyredirectedtothesecurehttp
(https)port.
TheVI WebAccessloginpageappears.
2 Enteryourusernameandpassword,andclickLogIn.
3 IntheCommandssectionofthehostworkspace,clickCreateVirtualMachine.
4 OntheNameandLocationpage,enterthenameofthevirtualmachine.
Thenameyouenterhereisusedinthevirtualmachineinventorylist.Asubfolder
withthisnameisalsocreatedinthedatastoretostoreallthefilesassociatedwith
thisvirtualmachine.
5 AlsoontheNameandLocationpage,selectadatastorefromthelistofexisting
datastoresandclickOK.
Formoreinformation,seeVirtualMachineLocationonpage 59.
6 ClickNext.
7 OntheGuestOperatingSystempage,selectthetypeofoperatingsystemthatyou
intendtoinstallinthenewvirtualmachine,andselecttheoperatingsystem
versionfromthedropdownmenu.
Formoreinformation,seeGuestOperatingSystemonpage 60.
NOTEBeforeyoucreatethevirtualmachine,checktheinstallationnotesfortheguest
operatingsystemyouintendtoinstall.Youcanfindthisinformationinthe
VMware GuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideat
http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
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8 (Optional)AlsoontheGuestOperatingSystempage,expandtheProduct
Compatibilityheadingtoselectthevirtualmachineproductcompatibilitylevel.
Formoreinformation,seeProductCompatibility(VirtualMachineHardware
Version)onpage 61.
9 ClickNext.
10 OntheMemoryandProcessorspage,youcanadjustthememorysettingsoraccept
therecommendedsize.
Inmostcases,itisbesttokeepthedefaultmemorysetting.Ifyouplantousethe
virtualmachinetorunmanyapplicationsorapplicationsthatneedlargeamounts
ofmemory,youmightwanttouseahighermemorysetting.Formoreinformation,
seeAmountofMemoryonpage 61.
11 AlsoontheMemoryandProcessorspage,selectthenumberofprocessorsforthe
virtualmachine.
Formoreinformation,seeNumberofProcessorsonpage 62.
12 ClickNext.
13 OntheHardDiskpage,selectoneofthefollowing:
CreateaNewVirtualDiskSelecttoaddanewblankharddisktoyour
virtualmachine.
ThewizarddisplaysthePropertiespageforyoutoenterthediskcapacity,
datastore,fileallocationoptions,diskmode,virtualdeviceadaptertypeand
node,andcachingpolicysettings.Makeanyrequiredchangestothedefault
valuesonthePropertiespage,andclickNext.Fordetailedinformationabout
settingsyoucanconfigureonthePropertiespage,seeHardDiskTypeand
Propertiesonpage 62.
UseanExistingVirtualDiskSelecttoreuseorshareavirtualharddisk
thathasalreadybeencreated.
ThewizarddisplaysthePropertiespageforyoutoenterthepathorbrowseto
theexistingvirtualdisk(.vmdk)file.Selectthevirtualdisktoviewthe
capacityandfileallocationoptions,whichcannotbechanged.Youcanmodify
thediskmode,virtualdevicenode,andcachingpolicysettings.Makeany
requiredchangestothedefaultvaluesonthePropertiespage,andclickNext.
FordetailedinformationaboutsettingsyoucanconfigureontheProperties
page,seeHardDiskTypeandPropertiesonpage 62.
DontAddaVirtualDiskSelectonlyifyoucanuseabootableCDorPXE
imagefileanddonotneedaharddisktoinstalltheoperatingsystem.
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14 OntheNetworkAdapterpage,selectwhethertoaddanetworkadapter.
AddaNetworkAdapterSelecttoaddanetworktoyourvirtualmachine.
ThewizarddisplaysthePropertiespage.Selectthevirtualnetworkforthe
virtualmachinefromthedropdownmenuofexistingnetworks.
Optionally,deselectConnectatPowerOnifyoudonotwantthisnetworkto
beconnectedwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.
ClickNext.
DontAddaNetworkAdapterYoucancreateavirtualmachinewithout
networking,oraddavirtualnetworklater.
Formoreinformation,seeNetworkConnectionTypeonpage 64.
15 OntheReadytoCompletepage:
ClickBackornavigateusingthePagespaneltomakechanges.
ExpandtheMoreHardwareheadingtoaddmorehardwaretothevirtual
machinebeforeyoufinishcreatingit:
Toaddaharddisk,seeAddingaHardDisktoaVirtualMachineon
page 144.
Toaddanetworkadapter,seeAddingaNetworkAdaptertoaVirtual
Machineonpage 223.
ToaddaCD/DVDdrive,seeAddingaCD/DVDDrivetoaVirtual
Machineonpage 151.
Toaddafloppydrive,seeAddingaFloppyDrivetoaVirtualMachine
onpage 154.
Toaddapassthrough(generic)SCSIdevice,seeAddingaPassthrough
(Generic)SCSIDevicetoaVirtualMachineonpage 157.
ToaddaUSBcontroller(onepervirtualmachine),seeAddingaUSB
ControllertoaVirtualMachineonpage 159.
Toaddasoundadapter(onepervirtualmachine),seeAddingaSound
AdaptertoaVirtualMachineonpage 165.
Toaddaserialport,seeAddingaSerialPorttoaVirtualMachineon
page 166.
Toaddaparallelport,seeAddingaParallelPorttoaVirtualMachine
onpage 177.
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Eachtimeyoufinishaddinganewdevice,youreturntotheReadyto
Completepage.
Ifyouwanttopoweronthevirtualmachineimmediatelyaftercreatingit,
selectPoweronyourvirtualmachinenow.
ClickFinishtocreatethevirtualmachinewiththelistedhardware.
Thewizardcreatesthefilesandhardwareforyourvirtualmachine.
Afterthevirtualmachineiscreated,continuewithInstallingtheGuestOperating
Systemonpage 68.
Youcanmakechangestotheconfigurationofanexistingvirtualmachinefromthe
HardwareandCommandssectionsoftheVIWebAccessvirtualmachineworkspace.
Installing the Guest Operating System
Anewvirtualmachineislikeaphysicalcomputerwithablankharddisk.Beforeyou
canuseit,youneedtopartitionandformatthevirtualdiskandinstallanoperating
system.Theoperatingsystemsinstallationprogrammighthandlethepartitioningand
formattingstepsforyou.
Installingaguestoperatingsysteminsideyourvirtualmachineisessentiallythesame
asinstallingitonaphysicalcomputer.
Insomehostconfigurations,thevirtualmachinecannotbootfromtheinstallationCD.
YoucanworkaroundthatproblembycreatinganISOimagefromtheinstallationCD
andinstallingfromtheISOimage.Thissectiondescribesbothinstallationprocedures.
Forinformationaboutyourspecificguestoperatingsystem,seetheVMwareGuest
OperatingSystemInstallationGuide,availablefromtheVMwareWebsite.
NOTEIfyouplantouseaPXEservertoinstalltheguestoperatingsystemovera
networkconnection,youdonotneedtheoperatingsysteminstallationmedia.When
youpoweronthevirtualmachine,thevirtualmachinedetectsthePXEserver.
NOTEVMwareServersupports64bitguestoperatingsystemsonlyonhostmachines
withsupportedprocessors.ForthelistofprocessorsVMwareServersupportsfor64bit
guestoperatingsystems,seeProcessorSupportfor64BitGuestOperatingSystems
onpage 33.
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To install a guest operating system from an installation CD
1 LogintoVIWebAccess.
2 Selectthevirtualmachineintowhichyouareinstallingtheguestoperatingsystem
fromtheInventorypanel.
3 InserttheinstallationCDforyourguestoperatingsystem.
4 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheCD/DVDdrivesiconand
selectEdit.
5 SelectHostMediatoconfigureaphysicaldriveonthehostsystem.
IfyouwanttouseaCD/DVDdriveonaclientsystem,selectClientMediaanduse
VMwareRemoteConsoletoselectandconnectordisconnecttheclientdevice.See
ConnectingandDisconnectingClientDevicesonpage 132.InVI WebAccess,
youcanonlychangethedevicenodeforclientdevices,asdescribedinEditinga
VirtualHardDiskonpage 145.
6 SelectConnectatpoweron.
7 SelectPhysicalDrive.
8 EnterthelocationofthedriveinthePhysicalDrivetextbox.
Forexample,d:(Windows)or/dev/cdrom(Linux).
9 SelecttheSCSIorIDEdevicenodeintheVirtualDeviceNodesection.
10 ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
11 ClickPowerOntopoweronyourvirtualmachine.
12 ClicktheConsoletabtocompletetheguestoperatingsysteminstallationusing
VMwareRemoteConsole.
Followtheinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendor.
13 InstallVMwareTools,asdescribedinInstallingVMwareToolsonpage 76.
NOTEYoumightneedtochangethebootorderinthevirtualmachineBIOSso
thatthevirtualmachinewillattempttobootfromtheCD/DVDdevicebefore
tryingotherbootdevices.Tochangethebootorder,configurethevirtualmachine
toentertheBIOSsetuputilitywhenitboots,asdescribedinChangingVirtual
MachinePowerSettingsonpage 125,orpressF2whenpromptedduringvirtual
machinestartup.
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To install a guest operating system from an ISO image
1 LogintoVIWebAccess.
2 Selectthevirtualmachineintowhichyouareinstallingtheguestoperatingsystem
fromtheInventorypanel.
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheCD/DVDdrivesiconand
selectEdit.
4 SelectHostMediatoconfigureanISOimagefileonthehostsystem.
IfyouwanttouseanISOimagefileonaclientsystem,selectClientMediaanduse
ConnectingandDisconnectingClientDevicesonpage 132.InVI WebAccess,
youcanonlychangethedevicenodeforclientdevices,asdescribedinEditinga
VirtualHardDiskonpage 145.
5 SelectConnectatpoweron.
6 SelectISOImage.
ClickBrowsetonavigatetoafilewiththe.isoextensioninanexistingdatastore.
Ifyouenterthepathmanually,youmustusetheformat:
[ datastore_name ] path_and_filename.iso
7 SelecttheSCSIorIDEdevicenodeintheVirtualDeviceNodesection.
9 ClickPowerOntopoweronyourvirtualmachine.
10 ClicktheConsoletabtocompletetheguestoperatingsysteminstallationusing
VMwareRemoteConsole.
Followtheinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendor.
NOTEYoumightneedtochangethebootorderinthevirtualmachineBIOSso
thatthevirtualmachinewillattempttobootfromtheCD/DVDdevicebefore
tryingotherbootdevices.Tochangethebootorder,configurethevirtualmachine
MachinePowerSettingsonpage 125,orpressF2whenpromptedduringvirtual
machinestartup.
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11 IftheISOimagespansmultiplefiles,whenyouarepromptedtoinsertthenextCD:
a ClicktheSummarytab.
b IntheHardwaresection,edittheCDsettingsbyclickingtheCD/DVDdrives
iconandchoosingEdit.
c BrowsetothelocationofthenextISOimagefile,andkeepallotherselections
astheyare.
d ClickOK.
e ClicktheConsoletabtoreturntoVMwareRemoteConsole.
f Intheguestoperatingsystem,clickOKorotherwiserespondtotheprompt
sothatinstallationcancontinue.
g Repeatthisprocessforadditionalfiles.
12 InstallVMwareTools,asdescribedinInstallingVMwareToolsonpage 76.
Updating the Guest Operating System
WhenyouusetheNewVirtualMachinewizardtocreateavirtualmachine,youspecify
theguestoperatingsystemtypeandversion.VMwareServerchoosesvirtualmachine
configurationdefaultsbasedontheguesttypeandversionyouselect.
Whenyouwanttoupgradeaguestoperatingsystemtoanewerversion,youmustdo
bothofthefollowing:
Updatethevirtualmachineinformationabouttheguestoperatingsystemtype
andversion,asdescribedinthissection.
Followtheinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendortoupdatethe
To update configuration information about the guest operating system
1 InVIWebAccess,selectthevirtualmachinefromtheInventorypanel.
2 Makesurethatthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
3 IntheCommandssectionoftheworkspace,clickConfigureVM.
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4 IntheGuestOperatingSystemsectionoftheGeneraltab,selectthenewguest
operatingsystemtypeandversion.
Thesettingyouspecifyhereiswrittentothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.
5 Poweronthevirtualmachine.
To update the guest operating system
1 Followtheinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendortoupdatethe
2 Aftertheguestoperatingsystemisinstalled,usethestandardtoolswithinthe
operatingsystemtoconfigureitssettings.
Upgrading the Virtual Machine Version
IfyoucreatedvirtualmachineswithanearlierversionofVMwareServeroranother
VMwareproduct,youcanupgradethevirtualmachineversionsothatyoucantake
advantageofnewVMwareServer2features,suchasincreasedmaximummemoryper
virtualmachine.
IfavirtualmachinewithnewfeaturesismigratedtoWorkstation6,allthelatest
VMwareServer2featuresaresupported.However,youcannotmigratethevirtual
machinetomostotherVMwareproducts.
Formoreinformation,seeProductCompatibility(VirtualMachineHardware
Version)onpage 61.
To upgrade the virtual machine version
1 InVIWebAccess,selectthevirtualmachinefromtheInventorypanel.
3 ClickUpgradeVirtualMachineintheStatussectionoftheworkspace.
4 ClickOKtoconfirmthatyouwanttoupgradethevirtualmachine.
Afterthevirtualmachineversionisupdated,youcanconfigureittousethefeatures
supportedwiththenewversion.
NOTEThissettingdoesnotchangetheguestoperatingsystemitself.
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5
Thischapterdiscusseshowtoinstall,upgrade,andrunVMwareTools.Thischapter
ComponentsofVMwareToolsonpage 73
InstallingVMwareToolsonpage 76
UpdatingVMwareToolsonpage 90
UninstallingVMwareToolsonpage 91
RepairingorChangingVMwareToolsonpage 91
UsingtheVMwareToolsControlPanelonpage 91
CustomizingVMwareToolsonpage 97
UsingtheVMwareToolsCommandLineInterfaceonpage 104
Components of VMware Tools
VMwareToolsisasuiteofutilitiesthatenhancestheperformanceofthevirtual
machinesguestoperatingsystemandimprovesmanagementofthevirtualmachine.
AlthoughtheguestoperatingsystemcanrunwithoutVMwareTools,youlose
importantfunctionalityandconvenience.
VMwareToolsincludesthefollowingcomponents:
VMwareToolsservice
VMwaredevicedrivers
VMwareUserprocess
VMwareToolscontrolpanel
Installing and Using
VMware Tools 5
74 VMware, Inc.

VMware Tools Service
TheprogramfileiscalledVMwareService.exeonWindowsguestoperatingsystems
andvmware-guestdonLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests.
Thisserviceperformsvariousdutieswithintheguestoperatingsystem:
Passesmessagesfromthehostoperatingsystemtotheguestoperatingsystem.
Executescommandsintheoperatingsystemtocleanlyshutdownorrestarta
Linux,FreeBSD,orSolarissystemwhenyouselectpoweroperationsin
VMware Server.
SendsaheartbeattoVMwareServer.
OnWindowsguests,allowsthemousecursortomovefreelybetweentheguest
andhostoperatingsystems.
OnWindowsguests,matchestheguestsscreenresolutiontothehostsscreen
resolutionandthereverse.
Synchronizesthetimeintheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimeinthehost
operatingsystem.
Runsscriptsthathelpautomateguestoperatingsystemoperations.Thescriptsrun
whenthevirtualmachinespowerstatechanges.
Theservicestartswhentheguestoperatingsystemboots.
TheVMwareToolsserviceisnotinstalledonNetWareoperatingsystems.Instead,the
vmwtoolprogramisinstalled.ItsynchronizestimeandallowsyoutoturntheCPU
idleronoroff.
VMware Device Drivers
Thesedevicedriversinclude:
SVGAdisplaydriverthatprovideshighdisplayresolutionandsignificantlyfaster
overallgraphicsperformance.
Thevmxnetnetworkingdriverforsomeguestoperatingsystems.
BusLogicSCSIdriverforsomeguestoperatingsystems.
VMwaremousedriver.
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Chapter 5 Installing and Using VMware Tools

Akernelmoduleforhandlingsharedfolders,calledhgfs.sysonWindowsand
vmhgfsonLinuxandSolaris.VMwareServerdoesnotsupportsharedfolders.The
moduleisincludedforproductcompatibility.
TheVirtualMachineCommunicationInterface(VMCI)driverforcreating
clientserverapplicationsthatareoptimizedforfastandefficientcommunication
betweenvirtualmachines.
VMware User Process
TheprogramfileiscalledVMwareUser.exeonWindowsguestsandvmware-useron
Linux,Solaris,andFreeBSDguests.
Thisserviceperformsthefollowingtaskswithintheguestoperatingsystem:
Enablesyoutocopyandpasteupto64Kofplaintextbetweentheguestandhost
operatingsystems.
OnLinuxandSolarisguests,grabsandreleasesthemousecursorwhentheSVGA
driverisnotinstalled.
OnLinuxandSolarisguests,matchestheguestsscreenresolutiontothehosts
screen.
ThisprocessstartswhenyoubeginanX11session.Touseadifferentmechanismto
starttheprocess,seeStartingtheVMwareUserProcessManuallyIfYouDoNotUse
aSessionManageronUNIXonpage 89.
TheVMwareToolsuserprocessisnotinstalledonNetWareoperatingsystems.Instead,
thevmwtoolprogramisinstalled.Itcontrolsthegrabbingandreleasingofthemouse
cursor.Italsoallowsyoucopyandpastetext.
VMware Tools Control Panel
TheVMwareToolscontrolpanelletsyoumodifysettings,shrinkvirtualdisks,and
connectanddisconnectvirtualdevices.SeeUsingtheVMwareToolsControlPanel
onpage 91.
76 VMware, Inc.

Installing VMware Tools
TheinstallersforVMwareToolsforWindows,Linux,FreeBSD,Solaris,andNetWare
guestoperatingsystemsareinstalledwithVMwareServerasISOimagefiles.When
youclickInstallVMwareToolsorUpgradeVMwareToolsintheStatussectionofthe
virtualmachineSummarytabinVIWebAccess,VMwareServertemporarilyconnects
thevirtualmachinesfirstvirtualCD/DVDdrivetothecorrectISOimagefileforthe
ClickthecommandtoinstallorupgradeVMwareTools.Theinstallationprocedure
variesdependingontheoperatingsystem.
Manually Installing VMware Tools in a Windows Guest System
VMwareToolsissupportedonallWindowsguestoperatingsystems.
BeforeyouclicktheInstallVMwareToolscommandtoinstallVMwareTools,perform
thefollowingtasks,asnecessary:
IfyouarerunningVMwareServeronaWindowshostandyourvirtualmachine
hasonlyoneCD/DVDdrive,makesurethattheCD/DVDdriveisconfiguredasan
IDEorSCSICD/DVDdrive.ItcannotbeconfiguredasagenericSCSIdevice.If
necessary,addanIDEorSCSICD/DVDdrivetothevirtualmachine.SeeAdding
aCD/DVDDrivetoaVirtualMachineonpage 151.
MakesurethatthevirtualCD/DVDdriveisconfiguredtoautodetectaphysical
drive.ThistaskisnecessaryifyouconnectedthevirtualmachinesCD/DVDdrive
toanISOimagefilewhenyouinstalledtheoperatingsystem.Changethe
connectionfromtheISOimagetoautodetectaphysicaldrive.
WhenyouinstallVMwareTools,makesurethatthevirtualmachineispowered
on.
IftheguestoperatingsystemisaWindowsNT,Windows2000,WindowsXP,
WindowsServer2003,orWindowsVistaoperatingsystem,loginasan
administrator.AnyusercaninstallVMwareToolsinaWindows 95,Windows98,
orWindowsMeguestoperatingsystem.
VMware, Inc. 77

To install or upgrade VMware Tools in a Windows guest operating system
1 InVIWebAccess,clickInstallVMwareToolsintheStatussectionofthevirtual
machineSummarytab.
IfanearlierversionofVMwareToolsisinstalled,clickUpgradeVMwareTools.
Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.
Dependingonwhetherautorunisenabledintheguestoperatingsystem,oneof
thefollowingoccurs:
Ifautorunisenabledintheguestoperatingsystem,adialogboxappearsafter
afewsecondsaskingwhetheryouwanttoinstallVMwareTools.
Ifautorunisnotenabled,thedialogboxdoesnotappearautomatically.Click
Start>RunandenterD:\setup\setup.exe,whereD:isyourfirstvirtual
CD/DVDdrive.
3 ClickYestolaunchtheInstallShieldwizard.
4 Followtheonscreeninstructions.
OnsomeWindowsoperatingsystems,aftertheSVGAdriverisinstalled,youare
promptedtoreboottousethisnewdriver.
5 Rebootthevirtualmachineifnecessary.
Tochangethedefaultconfigurationoptions,seeUsingtheVMwareToolsControl
Panelonpage 91.
Configuring the Video Driver on Older Versions of Windows
IfyouareinstallingVMwareToolsinavirtualmachinethathasaWindowsNT,
WindowsMe,Windows98,orWindows95operatingsystem,youmightneedto
configurethevideodrivermanually.WhenyouclickFinishintheVMwareTools
installationwizard,amessageappearsindicatingthatVMwareToolsfailedtoinstall
theSVGAdriver.
ANotebookwindow,theDisplayProperties/Settingsdialogbox,andamessagebox
appear,promptingyoutorebootthemachine.
78 VMware, Inc.

To configure the video driver on older versions of Windows
1 Whenyouarepromptedtoreboot,clickNo.
2 FollowtheinstructionsintheNotebookfile.
Theinstructionsarespecifictoeachoperatingsystem.Theyprovidestepsfor
selectingtheVMwareSVGAdriver,usuallyintheDisplayProperties/Settings
dialogbox,andinstallingitfromtheVMwareToolsISOimage.
TheEnglishversionoftheinstructionsfromtheNotebookfilearereprintedin
KnowledgeBasearticle1001819attheVMwareWebsite.
Automating the Installation of VMware Tools in a Windows Guest
IfyouareinstallingVMwareToolsinanumberofWindowsvirtualmachines,youcan
automatetheinstallationusingtheMicrosoftWindowsInstallerruntimeengine.
MakesurethattheMicrosoftWindowsInstallerruntimeengineversion2.0orhigheris
installedintheguestoperatingsystem.
Version2.0orhigherisincludedwithnewerversionsofWindows.Ifyouareinstalling
VMwareToolsinolderWindowsguestoperatingsystems,checktheversionofthe
%WINDIR%\system32\msiexec.exefile.
Ifthefileversionisnot2.0orhigher,upgradetheenginebyrunninginstmsiw.exe
(instmsia.exeforWindows95orWindows98guests),whichisincludedwiththe
VMwareToolsinstaller.
FormoreinformationaboutusingtheMicrosoftWindowsInstaller,including
commandlineoptions,gototheWindowsInstallerpageontheMSDNWebsite:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/library/aa367449.aspx.
To automate the installation of VMware Tools in a Windows guest
1 MakesurethatthevirtualmachinesCD/DVDdriveisconnectedtothe
VMware ToolsISOimageandthatitisconfiguredtoconnectwheneveryoupower
onthevirtualmachine:
a Selectthevirtualmachine.
b IntheHardwaresectionofthevirtualmachineSummarytab,clickthe
CD/DVDdrivetomodifyandselectEdit.
c IntheDevicestatussection,selecttheConnectatpoweroncheckbox.
d IntheConnectionsection,selectISOImageandbrowsetothewindows.iso
file,locatedinthedirectorywhereyouinstalledVMwareServer.
e ClickOK.
VMware, Inc. 79

2 (Optional)Intheguestoperatingsystem,suppresspromptsaboutinstalling
unsigneddrivers.
IfyouareinstallingVMwareToolsfromabetaorRC(releasecandidate)versionof
VMwareServer,youareaskedtoconfirmtheinstallationofunsigneddrivers.
Followthesestepstosuppresstheseconfirmationprompts.
ForallWindowssystemsexceptWindowsVista:
a OnthevirtualmachinesdesktoporStartmenu,rightclickMyComputerand
selectProperties.
b ClicktheHardwaretabandclickDriverSigning.
c IntheDriverSigningOptionsdialogbox,clickIgnoreandclickOK.
d ClickOKintheSystemPropertiesdialogbox.
ForWindowsVista:
a OntheStartmenu,rightclickComputerandselectProperties.
b ClickAdvancedsystemsettings>Hardware>WindowsUpdateDriver
Settings.
c ClickNevercheckfordriverswhenIconnectanewdeviceandclickOK.
d ClickOKintheSystemPropertiesdialogbox.
3 Openacommandpromptandusethefollowingcommandtoinstallsomeorallof
theVMwareToolscomponents:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL [REMOVE=<component>] /qn
Inthiscommand,youcanoptionallyuse REMOVE=<component>ifyoudonot
wanttoinstallaparticularcomponent:
ToolboxVMwareToolscontrolpanelanditsutilities.Excludingthis
featurepreventsyoufromusingVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem.
VMwaredoesnotrecommendexcludingthisfeature.
DriversIncludestheSVGA,mouse,BusLogic,andvmxnetdrivers.
SVGAVMwareSVGAdriver.Excludingthisfeaturelimitsthedisplay
capabilitiesofyourvirtualmachine.
MouseVMwaremousedriver.Excludingthisfeaturedecreasesmouse
performanceinyourvirtualmachine.
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BuslogicVMwareBusLogicdriver.Ifyourvirtualmachineis
configuredtousetheLSILogicdriver,youmightwanttoremovethis
feature.
VMXNetVMwarevmxnetnetworkingdriver.
MemCtlVMwarememorycontroldriver.Recommendedifyouplantouse
thisvirtualmachinewithESX.Excludingthisfeaturehindersthememory
managementcapabilitiesofthevirtualmachinerunningonanESXsystem.
HgfsVMwaresharedfoldersdriver.Thesharedfoldersfeatureisnot
supportedinVMwareServer.Recommendedifyouplantousethisvirtual
machinewithWorkstationoranotherproductthatsupportssharedfolders.
Forexample,toinstalleverythingbutthesharedfoldersdriver,typethefollowing
command:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Hgfs /qn
TheSVGA,Mouse,BusLogic,VMXnet,andMemCtlfeaturesarechildrenofthe
Driversfeature.Thismeansthatthefollowingcommandskipsinstallationofthe
SVGA,mouse,BusLogic,vmxnet,andMemCtldrivers:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Drivers /qn
Toincludeafeature,useitwiththeADDLOCALoption.Toexcludeafeature,use
itwiththeREMOVEoption.
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux Guest System
OnaLinuxguest,youcaninstallVMwareToolswithinXorfromthecommandline.
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux Guest Within X Using the RPM Installer
YoucanuseagraphicaluserinterfacetoinstallVMwareToolsinaLinuxguest.For
informationabouthowtoinstallVMwareToolfromthecommandline,seeInstalling
VMwareToolsfromtheCommandLinewiththeTarorRPMInstalleronpage 82.
Beforeyoubegin,makesurethatthevirtualmachineispoweredonandtheguest
operatingsystemisrunning.
VMware, Inc. 81

To install VMware Tools in a Linux Guest Within X Using the RPM Installer
machineSummarytab.
TheguestoperatingsystemmountstheVMwareToolsinstallationvirtualCD.A
windowmanagerdisplayingtwofilesmightappear.OnefileisfortheRPM
installerandoneisforthetarinstaller.Alternatively,aVMwareToolsCDicon
mightappearonthedesktop.
3 Dooneofthefollowing:
IfyouseeaVMwareToolsCDicononthedesktop,doubleclickit,andafter
itopens,doubleclicktheRPMinstallerintherootoftheCDROM.
Ifyouseeafilemanagerwindow,doubleclicktheRPMinstallerfile.
InsomeLinuxdistributions,theVMwareToolsCDiconmightfailtoappear.In
thiscase,installVMwareToolsfromthecommandline,asdescribedinInstalling
VMwareToolsfromtheCommandLinewiththeTarorRPMInstalleronpage 82.
4 Whenprompted,entertherootpasswordandclickOK.
Theinstallerpreparesthepackages.
5 ClickContinuewhentheinstallerpresentsadialogboxthatshowsCompleted
SystemPreparation.
Whentheinstallerisdone,noconfirmationwindoworfinishbuttonappears,but
VMwareToolsisinstalled.
6 InanXterminal,asroot(su),runthescripttoconfigureVMwareTools:
vmware-config-tools.pl
Respondtothequestionsdisplayedonthescreen.PressEntertoacceptthedefault
value.
7 Exitfromtherootaccount:
exit
82 VMware, Inc.

8 InanXterminal,starttheVMwareUserprocess:
vmware-user
9 (Optional)TostarttheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,enterthefollowingcommand:
vmware-toolbox &
TochangethedefaultVMwareToolsconfigurationoptions,seeUsingtheVMware
ToolsControlPanelonpage 91.
YoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtualdisksorto
changeanyVMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot.
Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar or RPM
Installer
YoucaninstallVMwareToolsfromthecommandlineinaLinuxguest.Forinformation
abouthowtoinstallVMwareToolfromagraphicaluserinterface,seeInstalling
VMwareToolsinaLinuxGuestWithinXUsingtheRPMInstalleronpage 80.
Beforeyoubegin,makesurethatthevirtualmachineispoweredonandthattheguest
To install VMware Tools from the command line with the tar or RPM installer
machineSummarytab.
3 Intheguest,loginasroot(su).
4 Ifnecessary,mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimagebyenteringa
commandsimilartothefollowing:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
SomeLinuxdistributionsautomaticallymountCDROMs.Ifyourdistribution
usesautomounting,youcanskipthisstep.
SomeLinuxdistributionsusedifferentdevicenamesororganizethe/dev
directorydifferently.IfyourCDROMdriveisnot/dev/cdromorifthemount
pointforaCDROMisnot/mnt/cdrom,modifythecommandtoreflectthe
conventionsusedbyyourdistribution.
VMware, Inc. 83

5 Changetoaworkingdirectorybyenteringacommandsuchasthefollowing:
cd /tmp
6 Ifapreviousinstallationexists,deletethepreviousvmware-tools-distrib
directorybeforeinstalling.
Thelocationofthisdirectorydependsonwhereyouplaceditduringtheprevious
installation.Oftenitisplacedin:
/tmp/vmware-tools-distrib
7 RuntheinstallerandunmounttheCDROMimage.
DependingonwhetheryouareusingthetarinstallerortheRPMinstaller,doone
ofthefollowing:
Forthetarinstaller,atthecommandprompt,enter:
tar zxpf /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-<xxxx>.tar.gz
umount /dev/cdrom
Where<xxxx>isthebuildnumberoftheproductrelease.
FortheRPMinstaller,atthecommandprompt,enter:
rpm -Uhv /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-<xxxx>.i386.rpm
umount /dev/cdrom
Where<xxxx>isthebuildnumberoftheproductrelease.
IfyourLinuxdistributionautomaticallymountedtheCDROMs,youdonotneed
tousetheunmountportionofthecommand.
IfyouattempttoinstallanRPMinstallationoveratarinstallationorthereverse,
theinstallerdetectsthepreviousinstallationandmustconverttheinstaller
databaseformatbeforecontinuing.
8 ConfigureVMwareTools.
DependingonwhetheryouareusingthetarinstallerortheRPMinstaller,doone
ofthefollowing:
Forthetarinstaller,enterthefollowingcommandstoruntheinstaller:
cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl
Respondtothequestionsthecommandlinewizarddisplays.PressEnterto
acceptthedefaultvalues.Theconfigurationfile,vmware-config-tools.pl,
runsaftertheinstallerfilefinishesrunning.
84 VMware, Inc.

FortheRPMinstaller,enterthefollowingcommandtoruntheconfiguration
file:
vmware-config-tools.pl
Respondtothequestionsthecommandlinewizarddisplays.PressEnterto
acceptthedefaultvalues.
9 Logoutoftherootaccount.
exit
10 (Optional)Startyourgraphicalenvironment.
11 InanXterminal,tostarttheVMwareUserprocess,enterthefollowingcommand:
vmware-user
vmware-toolbox &
TochangethedefaultVMwareToolsconfigurationoptions,seeUsingthe
VMwareToolsControlPanelonpage 91.
YoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtualdisksor
tochangeanyVMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot.
Installing VMware Tools in a Solaris Guest System
To install VMware Tools in a Solaris guest operating system
machineSummarytab.
VMware, Inc. 85

4 Ifnecessary,mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimage.
Usually,theSolarisvolumemanagervoldmountstheCDROMunder
/cdrom/vmwaretools.IftheCDROMisnotmounted,restartthevolume
managerusingthefollowingcommands:
/etc/init.d/volmgt stop
/etc/init.d/volmgt start
5 AftertheCDROMismounted,changetoaworkingdirectory(forexample,/tmp)
andextractVMwareToolsbyenteringthefollowingcommands:
cd /tmp
gunzip -c /cdrom/vmwaretools/vmware-solaris-tools.tar.gz | tar xf -
6 RuntheVMwareToolstarinstaller:
./vmware-install.pl
Respondtotheconfigurationquestionsonthescreen.PressEntertoacceptthe
defaultvalues.
7 Logoutoftherootaccount:
exit
vmware-user
vmware-toolbox &
YoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtualdisksorchange
VMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot.
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Installing VMware Tools in a FreeBSD Guest System
To install VMware Tools in a FreeBSD guest operating system
machineSummarytab.
3 Makesurethattheguestoperatingsystemisrunningintextmode.
YoucannotinstallVMwareToolswhileXisrunning.
5 Ifnecessary,mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimagebyenteringa
mount /cdrom
SomeFreeBSDdistributionsautomaticallymountCDROMs.Ifyourdistribution
usesautomounting,skipthisstep.
6 Changetoaworkingdirectorybyenteringacommandsuchasthefollowing:
cd /tmp
7 UntartheVMwareToolstarfile:
tar zxpf /cdrom/vmware-freebsd-tools.tar.gz
8 Ifnecessary,unmounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimagebyenteringa
umount /cdrom
Ifyourdistributionusesautomounting,skipthisstep.
9 RuntheVMwareToolsinstaller:
./vmware-install.pl
10 Logoutoftherootaccount:
exit
VMware, Inc. 87

vmware-user
vmware-toolbox &
InminimalinstallationsoftheFreeBSD4.5guestoperatingsystem,sometimes
VMwareToolsdoesnotstart.SeeInstalltheMissingFreeBSDLibraryon
page 87.
YoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtualdisksorchange
VMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot.
Install the Missing FreeBSD Library
IfVMwareToolsdoesnotstartafteryouinstallit,youmightneedtoinstallalibrary
thatismissingbecauseyoudonothaveafullinstallationofFreeBSD4.5.
Beforeyoubegin,makesurethatyouhavetheFreeBSD4.5installationCDoraccessto
theISOimagefile.
To install the missing FreeBSD library
1 Reboottheguestoperatingsystem.
2 Intheguest,inanXterminal,enterthefollowingcommandtostartthe
VMware Toolscontrolpanel:
vmware-toolbox &
Ifthefollowingerrormessageappears,therequiredlibrarywasnotinstalled:
Shared object 'libc.so.3' not found.
3 InsertandmounttheFreeBSD4.5installationCDoraccesstheISOimagefile.
4 Changedirectoriesandruntheinstallationscript:
cd /cdrom/compat3x
./install.sh
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Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare Guest System
To install VMware Tools in a NetWare guest operating system
machineSummarytab.
3 Intheguest,loadtheCDROMdriversothattheCDROMdevicemountstheISO
imageasavolumebydoingoneofthefollowing:
ForaNetWare6.5virtualmachine,inthesystemconsole,enter:
LOAD CDDVD
ForaNetWare6.0orNetWare5.1virtualmachine,inthesystemconsole,
enter:
LOAD CD9660.NSS
ForaNetWare4.2virtualmachine,inthesystemconsole,enter:
load cdrom
MounttheVMwareToolsCDROMimagebyentering:
cd mount vmwtools
4 Inthesystemconsole,enteroneofthefollowing:
ForNetWare5.1,6.0,or6.5:
vmwtools:\setup.ncf
ForNetWare4.2:
vmwtools:\setup
Whentheinstallationfinishes,themessageVMware Tools for NetWare are now
runningappearsintheLoggerScreen(NetWare6.5andNetWare6.0guests)orthe
ConsoleScreen(NetWare4.2and5.1guests).
VMware, Inc. 89

5 IfyouhaveaNetWare4.2guest,restarttheguestoperatingsystem,asfollows:
a Toshutdownthesystem,inthesystemconsole,enter:
down
b Torestarttheguestoperatingsystem,inthesystemconsole,enter:
restart server
6 MakesurethattheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimage(netware.iso)isnot
attachedtothevirtualmachine.
Ifitisattached,disconnectit.
Starting the VMware User Process Manually If You Do Not Use a
Session Manager on UNIX
OneoftheexecutablesusedbyVMwareToolsinUNIXguestsisvmware-user.This
programimplementsfitguesttowindowandotherfeatures.
Normally,vmware-userisstartedautomaticallyafteryouconfigureVMwareTools
andthenlogoutofthedesktopenvironmentandlogbackin.
However,ifyourunanXsessionwithoutasessionmanager(forexample,byusing
startxandgettingadesktopandnotusingxdm,kdm,orgdm),youmuststartthe
VMwareUserprocessmanually.
Youmustalsostartvmware-usermanuallyafteryouupdatetoanewversionof
VMwareTools.
To start the VMware User process manually if you do not use a session manager
Dooneofthefollowing:
Tohavevmware-userstartwhenyoustartanXsession,addvmware-usertothe
appropriateXstartupscript,suchasthe.xsessionor.xinitrcfile.
Thevmware-userprogramislocatedinthedirectorywhereyouselectedtoinstall
binaryprograms,whichdefaultsto/usr/bin.Thestartupscriptthatneedstobe
modifieddependsonyourparticularsystem.
Tostartvmware-userafteraVMwareToolssoftwareupdateorifyounotice
certainfeaturesarenotworking,openaterminalwindowandenterthefollowing
command:
vmware-user
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Updating VMware Tools
BecauseVMwareToolsinstallers(ISOimages)areinstalledwithVMwareServer,when
youupdatetoanewversionofVMwareServer,acheckisperformedtodetermineifa
newversionofVMwareToolsisavailable.Whenyouupdatefromanearlierversionof
VMwareTools,thepreviousversionofVMwareToolsmightbeuninstalled.
TheguestoperatingsystemchecksforVMwareToolsupdatesonlywhenyoupoweron
avirtualmachine.ItcomparesitsversionofVMwareToolsagainsttheversionthatis
installedonthehost.ForVMwareToolsupdatesonLinuxandWindowsguests,you
cansettheguesttoupdateautomatically(seeOptionsTabonpage 93)oryoucan
performamanualupdate.Onotherguests,youmustmanuallyupdate.
WhenyouupdateVMwareTools,anychangesyoumadetothedefaultscriptsare
overwritten.Anycustomscriptsyoucreatedremainuntouched,butdonotbenefit
fromanyunderlyingchangesthatenhancethedefaultscripts.
To update VMware Tools for a virtual machine, do one of the following
IntheOptionstaboftheVMwareToolsControlPanelclicktheUpdatebutton.
InVIWebAccess,clickUpgradeVMwareToolsintheStatussectionofthevirtual
machineSummarytab.
Adialogboxenablesyoutoselectautomaticorinteractiveupgrade:
IfyouselectAutomaticVMwareToolsUpgradeandclickUpgrade,VMware
Toolsisupgradedwithoutfurtheruserinteraction.
IfyouselectInteractiveVMwareToolsUpgradeandclickUpgrade,the
remainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.
UsethesameprocedurethatyouusedforinstallingVMwareToolsthefirst
time.Forplatformspecificinstallationinstructions,seeInstallingVMware
Toolsonpage 76.
YouarepromptedtoselecttheVMwareToolscomponentstoupgrade.
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Uninstalling VMware Tools
Occasionally,anupdateofVMwareToolsisincomplete.Youcanusuallysolvethe
problembyuninstallingVMwareToolsandthenreinstalling.
To uninstall VMware Tools
Dependingontheguestoperatingsystem,dooneofthefollowing:
OnaWindowsguest,usetheguestoperatingsystemsAdd/RemovePrograms
itemtoremoveVMwareTools.
OnanyUNIXguest,loginasroot(su)andenterthefollowingcommand:
vmware-uninstall-tools.pl
OnaLinuxguestthathasVMwareToolsinstalledusinganRPMinstaller,enterthe
followingcommand:
rpm -e VMwareTools
Repairing or Changing VMware Tools
IffeaturesdonotworkafteraVMwareToolsupdate,youmightneedtouninstall
VMwareToolsandreinstall.Besuretofollowthesesteps.Donotusetherepairor
changeoptionintheguestsAdd/RemoveProgramsitemintheWindowsControl
Panel.
To repair or change installed modules
1 UninstalltheoldversionofVMwareToolsasdescribedinUninstallingVMware
Toolsonpage 91.
2 InstallthenewversionofVMwareToolsasdescribedinInstallingVMware
Toolsonpage 76.
Using the VMware Tools Control Panel
UsetheVMwareToolscontrolpaneltomodifyVMwareToolsconfigurationsettings,
shrinkvirtualdisks,andconnectanddisconnectvirtualdevices.
Beforeyoubegin,makesurethatVMwareToolsisinstalledintheguestoperating
system.
OnWindowsVistaguests,logintotheoperatingsystemasanAdministratoruser.
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To open the VMware Tools control panel
Dooneofthefollowing:
InWindowsguests,doubleclickVMwareToolsiconinthenotificationareaofthe
guestsWindowstaskbar.
IfyoucannotfindtheVMwareToolsiconinthenotificationarea,usetheguests
WindowsControlPaneltodisplayit.SeeUsingtheWindowsControlPanelto
DisplaytheTaskbarIcononpage 92.
InLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests,openaterminalwindowandenterthe
command:
/usr/bin/vmware-toolbox &
InNetWareguests,dooneofthefollowing:
InaNetWare5.1orhigherguest,selectNovell>Settings>VMwareToolsfor
NetWare.
InaNetWare4.2guest,useVMwareToolscommandsinthesystemconsole.
TheVMwareToolsprogramiscalledvmwtool.
Using the Windows Control Panel to Display the Taskbar Icon
IfVMwareToolsisinstalledinaWindowsguestoperatingsystembutthe
VMware ToolsicondoesnotappearinthenotificationareaoftheWindowstaskbar,
youcanusetheWindowsControlPaneltodisplayit.
To use the Windows Control Panel to display the taskbar icon
1 GotoStart>ControlPanel.
2 DoubleclicktheVMwareToolsicon.
3 OntheOptionstab,selectShowVMwareToolsinthetaskbarandclickApply.
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Options Tab
TheOptionstaboftheVMwareToolscontrolpanelprovidesthefollowingoptions:
Timesynchronizationbetweenthevirtualmachineandthehostoperating
systemPeriodically(everyminute)checkswhethertheguestoperatingsystems
timeislaggingbehindthehosts.Ifso,theguestsclockismovedforwardtomatch
thehostsclock.Ifyouusethisoption,disableallothertimesynchronization
mechanisms.Forexample,someguestsmighthaveNTPorCMOSclock
synchronizationturnedonbydefault.
Regardlessofwhetheryouenablethissetting,timesynchronizationoccurswhen
theVMwareToolsdaemonisstarted(suchasduringareboot),whenresuming
fromasuspendoperation,andaftershrinkingadisk.Whentheoperatingsystem
startsorreboots,synchronizationcanbeeitherforwardorbackwardintime.For
otherevents,synchronizationisforwardintime.
Todisabletimesynchronizationcompletely,seeDisablingTimeSynchronization
byEditingtheVirtualMachineConfigurationFileonpage 93.
ShowVMwareToolsinthetaskbar(Windowsguestsonly)Displaysthe
VMwareToolsiconinthenotificationareaofthetaskbar.Theiconindicates
whetherVMwareToolsisrunningandwhetheranupdateisavailable.
Notifyifupdateisavailable(Windowsguestsonly)Displaysthe
VMware Toolsiconwithayellowcautioniconwhenanupdateisavailable.
Updatebutton(Windowsguestsonly)Becomesenabledwhenanupdateis
available.ClickingthisbuttonhasthesameeffectasclickingtheUpgrade
VMware ToolscommandintheStatussectionoftheVIWebAccessSummarytab.
Disabling Time Synchronization by Editing the Virtual Machine
Configuration File
Avirtualmachineoccasionallysynchronizestimewiththehostevenifyouusethe
VMwareToolscontrolpanel(Optionstab)todisableperiodictimesynchronization.
Youcandisabletimesynchronizationcompletelybyeditingthevirtualmachine
configurationfile.
Youcanfollowthesestepstokeepafictitioustimeinyourguest,sothattheguestis
neversynchronizedwiththehost.
94 VMware, Inc.

To disable time synchronization by editing the virtual machine configuration file
1 Poweroffthevirtualmachine.
2 Editthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(seeChangingVirtualMachine
AdvancedSettingsonpage 127)andsettheoptionslistedinTable 51toFALSE.
Devices Tab
TheDevicestaboftheVMwareToolscontrolpanelprovidesoptionsforenablingand
connectingtocertaindevices.
Thecontrolsforconnectinganddisconnectingcertaindevicesmightnotbeavailable.
ToconnectanddisconnectremovabledevicesusingVMwareRemoteConsole,see
ConnectingandDisconnectingClientDevicesonpage 132.
Scripts Tab
FromtheScriptstaboftheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,youcanedit,disable,orrun
scriptsthathelpautomateguestoperatingsystemoperationswhenyouchangethe
virtualmachinespowerstate.
Fromthistab,youcanalsospecifythelocationofcustomscriptsfortheSuspend,
Resume,PowerOn,PowerOff,andResetbuttons.
Onmostguestoperatingsystems,ifVMwareToolsisinstalledandifyouconfigurea
virtualmachinespowercontrolstousetheguestoptions,oneormoredefaultscripts
runontheguestwheneveryouchangethepowerstateofthevirtualmachine.
Table 5-1. Time Synchronization Options
Option Name Relates to Time Synchronization When
time.synchronize.tools.startup Poweringonavirtualmachine.Controls
whetheraoneshottimesynchronizationoccurs
thenexttimetheguestoperatingsystemis
booted.
tools.syncTime Thevirtualmachineisrunning.Controls
whethertheguestoperatingsystemsclockis
checkedonceaminuteandsynchronizedifitis
foundtobelaggingbehindthehostsclock.
time.synchronize.restore Revertingtoasnapshot.
time.synchronize.resume.disk Resumingasuspendedvirtualmachine.
time.synchronize.continue Takingasnapshot.
time.synchronize.shrink Shrinkingavirtualdisk.
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Forexample,ifyouusethevirtualmachineconfigurationsettings(clickConfigureVM
intheCommandssectionofthevirtualmachineworkspace,andclickthePowertab)
andsetthePowerOffcontroltouseShutDownGuest,thenthe
poweroff-vm-defaultscriptrunswhenyouclickthePowerOffbuttoninthetoolbar.
Thisscriptcausestheguestoperatingsystemtoshutdowngracefully.Adescriptionof
eachscriptisprovidedlaterinthissection,inHowVMwareToolsScriptsAffectPower
Statesonpage 97.
Forinformationaboutcreatingacustomscript,seeCreatingScriptstoOverride
DefaultVMwareToolsScriptsonpage 99.
Shared Folders Tab
VMwareServerdoesnotsupportthisfeature.
Shrink Tab
TheShrinktaboftheVMwareToolscontrolpanelprovidesoptionsforreclaiming
unusedspaceinavirtualdisk.Ifyourvirtualmachinecannotbeshrunk,thistab
displaysinformationexplainingwhyyoucannotshrinkyourvirtualdisks.
Shrinkingadiskisatwostepprocess:apreparationstepandtheshrinkstep.Inthefirst
step,VMwareToolsreclaimsallunusedportionsofdiskpartitions(suchasdeleted
files)andpreparesthemforshrinking.Thissteptakesplaceintheguestoperating
system.
Theshrinkprocessisthesecondstep,andittakesplaceoutsidethevirtualmachine.
TheVMwareapplicationreducesthesizeofthediskbasedonthediskspacereclaimed
duringthepreparationstep.Ifthediskhasemptyspace,thisprocessreducesthe
amountofspacethevirtualdiskoccupiesonthehostdrive.SeeShrinkingVirtual
Disksonpage 147.
OnUNIXguests,runVMwareToolsastherootuser(su)toshrinkvirtualdisks.Ifyou
shrinkthevirtualdiskasanonrootuser,youcannotpreparetoshrinkthepartsofthe
virtualdiskthatrequirerootlevelpermissions.
About Tab
TheAbouttabdisplaysversion(buildnumber)andcopyrightinformation.In
Windowsguests,thistabalsoshowsthestatusoftheVMwareToolsservice.
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Configuring VMware Tools in a NetWare Guest
InaNetWarevirtualmachine,usingthesystemconsole,youcanconfigurecertain
virtualmachineoptionssuchastimesynchronization,CPUidling,anddevice
configurationwithVMwareTools.TheVMwareToolscommandlineprogramiscalled
vmwtool.
To configure VMware Tools in a NetWare guest operating system
1 Openaterminalwindow(systemconsole)intheNetWareguest.
2 Enteracommandthatusesthefollowingformat:
vmwtool <command>
<command>isoneofthecommandslistedinTable 52.
Table 5-2. VMware Tools Commands for Netware Guests
vmwtool Command Definition
help DisplaysasummaryofVMwareToolscommands
andoptionsinaNetWareguest.
partitonlist Displaysalistofalldiskpartitionsinthevirtualdisk
andwhetherornotapartitioncanbeshrunk.
shrink [<partition>] Shrinksthelistedpartitions.Ifnopartitionsare
specified,allpartitionsinthevirtualdiskareshrunk.
Thestatusoftheshrinkprocessappearsatthe
bottomofthesystemconsole.
devicelist Listseachremovabledeviceinthevirtualmachine,
itsdeviceID,andwhetherthedeviceisenabledor
disabled.Removabledevicesincludethevirtual
networkadapter,CD/DVDdrives,andfloppy
drives.
disabledevice [<device
name>]
Disablesthespecifieddeviceordevicesinthevirtual
machine.Ifnodeviceisspecified,allremovable
devicesinthevirtualmachinearedisabled.
enabledevice [<device
name>]
Enablesthespecifieddeviceordevicesinthevirtual
machine.Ifnodeviceisspecified,allremovable
devicesinthevirtualmachineareenabled.
VMware, Inc. 97

Customizing VMware Tools
Customizationsincludemodifyingorwritingscriptsthatrunwhenavirtualmachines
powerstatechanges,executingcommandswhenyoushutdownorrestartaUNIX
guest,andpassingcommandsinstringsthatruninstartupscripts.
How VMware Tools Scripts Affect Power States
WhenVMwareToolsisinstalled,ifyouconfigureavirtualmachinespowercontrolsto
usetheguest,orsoft,poweroptions,oneormoredefaultscriptsrunintheguest
wheneveryouchangethepowerstateofthevirtualmachine.Youchangethepower
statebyusingmenucommandsorbyclickingtheSuspend,Resume,PowerOn,and
PowerOffbuttons.
Whatthedefaultscriptsdodependsinpartontheguestoperatingsystem:
OnmostMicrosoftWindowsguests,butnotwindowsNTandWindowsMe,the
defaultscriptexecutedwhenyoususpendavirtualmachinereleasestheIP
addressofthevirtualmachine.Thedefaultscriptexecutedwhenyouresumea
virtualmachinerenewstheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine(thisaffectsonly
virtualmachinesconfiguredtouseDHCP).ScriptscannotberunonWindows95
guests.
InWindowsguests,thedefaultscriptsarelocatedinthe
Program Files\VMware\VMware Toolsfolder.
synctime [on|off] Turnsthesynchronizationoftimeintheguestwith
timeonthehostonoroff.Bydefault,time
synchronizationisoff.
Usethiscommandwithoutanyoptionstoviewthe
currenttimesynchronizationstatus.
idle [on|off] TurnstheCPUidleronoroff.Bydefault,theidleris
on.TheCPUidlerprogramisincludedinVMware
ToolsforNetWareguests.
TheidlerprogramisneededbecauseNetWare
serversdonotidletheCPUwhentheoperating
systemisidle.Asaresult,avirtualmachinetakes
CPUtimefromthehost,regardlessofwhetherthe
NetWareserversoftwareisidleorbusy.
Table 5-2. VMware Tools Commands for Netware Guests (Continued)
vmwtool Command Definition
98 VMware, Inc.

OnmostUNIXguests,thedefaultscriptexecutedwhenyoususpendavirtual
machinestopsnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.Thedefaultscriptexecuted
whenyouresumeavirtualmachinestartsnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
ScriptscannotberunonNetWareandFreeBSDguests.
OnUNIX,thedefaultscriptsarelocatedinthe/etc/vmware-toolsdirectory.
Youcancreateyourownscriptsandusetheminsteadofthedefaultscriptsshownin
Table 53.
Table 5-3. Default VMware Tools Scripts
Script Name Description
poweroff-vm-default Ifyouconfiguredthepoweroffoperationtoshutdowntheguest,
thisscriptrunswhenthevirtualmachineisbeingpoweredoff.
Ifyouconfiguredtheresetoperationtorestarttheguest,thisscript
runswhenthevirtualmachineisbeingreset.
Thisscripthasnoeffectonnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
poweron-vm-default Ifyouconfiguredthepoweronoperationtostarttheguest,this
scriptrunswhenthevirtualmachineisbeingpoweredonrather
thanresumed.
Ifyouconfiguredtheresetoperationtorestarttheguest,thisscript
runsaftervirtualmachinerestarts.
Thisscripthasnoeffectonnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
resume-vm-default Ifyouconfiguredthepoweronoperationtostarttheguest,orthe
resetoperationtorestarttheguest,thisscriptrunswhenthevirtual
machineisresumedafteritwassuspended.
OnWindowsguests,ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouse
DHCP,thisscriptrenewstheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine.
OnLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests,thisscriptstartsnetworking
forthevirtualmachine.
suspend-vm-default Ifyouconfiguredthesuspendoperationtosuspendtheguest,this
scriptrunswhenthevirtualmachineisbeingsuspended.
OnWindowsguests,ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouse
DHCP,thisscriptreleasestheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine.
OnLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests,thisscriptstopsnetworking
forthevirtualmachine.
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Creating Scripts to Override Default VMware Tools Scripts
YoucancreateyourownscriptstooverridethedefaultVMwareToolsscriptsthat
controlpowerstatechanges.
ScriptsarerunbytheVMwareToolsdaemon(VMwareService.exe onWindowsand
vmware-guestdonUNIX).Becausevmware-guestdisrunasrootonUNIXandas
SystemonWindows,thescriptsareruninaseparatesessionfromtheloggedinusers
session.TheVMwareToolsdaemonhasnoknowledgeofdesktopsessions,which
meansthatitcannotdisplaygraphicalapplications.Donotattempttousecustom
scriptstodisplaygraphicalapplications.
Beforecreatingcustomscripts,makesurethatthefollowingconditionsaremetinthe
guestoperatingsystem:
ThevirtualmachineisusingthelatestversionofVMwareTools.
TheVMwareToolsserviceisrunninginthevirtualmachine.
Dependingontheoperationthatthescriptperforms,thevirtualmachinehasa
virtualnetworkadapterconnected.Ifnot,thepoweroperationfails.
(UNIXguestsonly)ToeditascriptusingtheEditbuttonontheScriptstab,xterm
andvimustbeinstalledintheguestoperatingsystemandmustbeinyourPATH.
Youmustbearootusertoeditthescript.
To create scripts to override default VMware Tools scripts
1 Determinewhetheryouwanttocreateyourcustomscriptbymakingchangesto
thedefaultscriptandsavingittoanewlocation.
InWindowsguests,thedefaultscriptsarelocatedinthe
Program Files\VMware\VMware Toolsfolder.
OnUNIX,thedefaultscriptsarelocatedinthe/etc/vmware-toolsdirectory.
2 Modifythedefaultscriptandsaveitwithadifferentnameorwriteadifferent
script.
OnWindowsguests,ifyouwriteanewscript,createthescriptasabatchfile.For
UNIX,createthescriptinanyexecutableformat(suchasshellorPerlscripts).
YoucanalsousetheEditbuttonontheScriptstaboftheVMwareToolscontrol
paneltoeditacustomscript.Youcanalsoeditscriptsmanuallyusinganytext
editor.
100 VMware, Inc.

3 Associateeachcustomscriptwithitsparticularpoweroperation:
a OntheScriptstaboftheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,selecttheappropriate
scriptevent.
b SelecttheUseScriptcheckbox,selectCustomscript,andusetheBrowse
buttontopointtothescriptthatyouwanttouse.
c ClickOK.
WhenyoureinstallVMwareToolsafteryouupdatetheVMwareServersoftware,any
changesthatyoumadetothedefaultscriptsareoverwritten.Anycustomscriptsthat
youcreatedremainuntouched,butdonotbenefitfromanyunderlyingchangesthat
enhancethedefaultscripts.
Running or Disabling a Script
Ifyouarecreatingacustomscript,runthescriptbeforeassociatingitwithapower
operation.
To run or disable a script
1 OntheScriptstaboftheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,selecttheappropriatescript
event.
Todisablethescript,cleartheUseScriptcheckboxandclickOK.
Defaultscriptsforsuspendingandresumingworktogether.Ifyoudisablethe
scriptofoneoftheseactions,disablethescriptfortheotheractionaswell.
Torunascriptimmediately,clickRunNow.
YoucansuccessfullyrunascriptbyclickingtheRunNowbuttoninthe
VMwareToolscontrolpanel,butthissamescriptcanfailwhenrunaspartof
aVMwareServerpoweroperation.ThisisbecausescriptsrunbyclickingRun
Nowarerunastheloggedinuserandhaveadifferentworkingdirectorythan
whenscriptsarerunbytheVMwareToolsdaemon duringapoweroperation.
VMware, Inc. 101

Executing Commands After You Power Off or Reset a Virtual
Machine
InaLinux,Solaris,orFreeBSDguest,youcanusetheVMwareToolsservicetoexecute
specificcommandswhenyoushutdownorrestarttheguestoperatingsystem.Thisis
inadditiontoanyscriptthatyouspecifiedtorunwhenyoushutdowntheguest
operatingsystem.
1 Useatexteditortoopenthefollowingfile:
/etc/vmware-tools/tools.conf
2 Addoneorbothofthefollowingcommandstothefile:
halt-command = <command>
<command>isthecommandtoexecutewhenyoushutdowntheguest
operatingsystem.
reboot-command = <command>
<command>isthecommandtoexecutewhenyourestarttheguestoperating
system.
Passing a String from the Host to the Guest at Startup
Topassastringfromthehosttotheguestatstartup,youpassthestringfromyour
virtualmachinesconfigurationfileinthehosttotheguestoperatingsystemwhenyou
poweronthevirtualmachine.
YoucanpassitemsliketheWindowssystemID(SID),amachinename,oranIP
address.Insidetheguestoperatingsystemstartupscript,youcanhavetheservice
retrievethisstring.Thestringcanthenbeusedinanotherscripttosetyourvirtual
machinessystemID,machinename,orIPaddress.
Forexample,usethisstrategytomakecopiesofthesameconfigurationfile,adda
differentstringtoeach(eitherintheconfigurationfileitselforatthecommandline),
andusethesevariationsofthesameconfigurationfiletolaunchthesamevirtualdisk
innonpersistentmodemultipletimesinatrainingortestingenvironment.
Passingastringisalsousefulwhenyouwanttodeployvirtualmachinesonanetwork
usingacommonconfigurationfilewhileprovidingeachmachinewithitsownunique
identity.
102 VMware, Inc.

Youcanpassstringstoavirtualmachinesguestoperatingsysteminoneoftwoways:
placingthestringinthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileorpassingthestringtothe
guestfromthecommandline.
Usethisfeatureonlyifyouhaveagoodunderstandingofascriptinglanguage(for
example,PerlorNetShell)andknowhowtomodifysystemstartupscripts.
Passing a String in a Configuration File
Placeastringinthevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)filebysettingthestringto
themachine.idparameter.Forexample,youcansetthisstring:
machine.id = "Hello World."
Followingisanexampleofportionsoftwoconfigurationfilesthatpointtothesame
virtualdisk.Eachconfigurationfilecontainsitsownuniquestringforthemachine.id
parameter.
config_file_1.vmxcontains:
ide0:0.present = TRUE
ide0:0.fileName = "my_common_virtual_hard_drive.vmdk"
machine.id = "the_string_for_my_first_vm"
config_file_2.vmxcontains:
ide0:0.present = TRUE
ide0:0.fileName = "my_common_virtual_hard_drive.vmdk"
machine.id = "the_string_for_my_second_vm"
Topreventastringfrombeingpassedfromthehosttotheguestthroughtheservice,
setthefollowinglineinyourvirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
isolation.tools.getMachineID.disable = "TRUE"
Passing a String in a Startup Command
Ratherthansettingthemachine.idparameterintheconfigurationfile,youcanpass
thestringtotheguestoperatingsystemfromthecommandlinewhenyoupoweron
thevirtualmachine.Followingisanexampleofastartupcommand(enteredonone
line):
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmware -s 'machine.id=Hello World'
C:\Virtual Machines\win2000\win2000.vmx
Usethismethodtodeployvirtualmachinesonanetworkusingacommon
configurationfilewhileprovidingeachmachinewithitsownuniqueidentity.
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Launcheachvirtualmachinewiththevmware -scommand.Eachvirtualmachinedisk
filemustbecopiedintoitsowndirectoryifitsharesitsfilenamewithanothervirtual
machinediskfile.
OnaLinuxhost,themachineIDpassedonthecommandlinetakesprecedenceandis
passedtotheguestoperatingsystemifthefollowingconditionsaremet:
AvirtualmachineIDspecifiedinthevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)fileis
usedtoopenthevirtualmachine.
YouspecifyamachineIDonthecommandline.
Using a String in a Startup Script to Set a Name and IP Address
ThefollowingexampleusesaWindowshosttoillustratehowyoucanusetheservice
toretrieveastringcontainingwhatbecomesthevirtualmachinesmachinenameand
IPaddress.Inthisexample,W2KVMisthemachinenameand148.30.16.24istheIP
address.
To use a string in a startup script to set a name and IP address
1 Definethestringbyusingoneofthefollowingmethods:
Onthehostmachine,addthefollowinglinetoyourvirtualmachines
configuration(.vmx)file:
machine.id = "W2K-VM 148.30.16.24"
Openthevirtualmachineusingthisconfigurationfile.
Openthevirtualmachinefromthecommandlinebyenteringthefollowing
ononeline:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmware -s 'machine.id=W2K-VM
148.30.16.24' C:\Virtual Machines\win2000\win2000.vmx
2 Dooneofthefollowingtoretrievethestringinthevirtualmachine:
InaWindowsguest,enterthefollowingcommandtoretrievethestring:
VMwareService --cmd machine.id.get
InaLinuxguest,intheoperatingsystemsstartupscript,addthefollowing
commandbeforethenetworkstartupsection:
/usr/sbin/vmware-guestd --cmd 'machine.id.get'
Thelocationofvmware-guestddependsonthedirectoryyouspecifyatthe
timeofinstallation.
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3 Furthercustomizethisstartupscriptsothatitusesthestringtheserviceretrieved
duringstartuptosetthevirtualmachinesnetworknametoW2KVManditsIP
addressto148.30.16.24.
4 Placethisstringinthescriptbeforethecommandtostartthenetworkservices.
IfyouareusingaWindows2000guestoperatingsystem,forexample,youcancall
theNetShellutility(netsh)andpassitthecontentsofthestring,whichusesthe
stringaccordingly.Thatis,itcansetanewIPaddressforthevirtualmachine,if
thatiswhatwaspassedinthestringoriginally.
Passing Information Between the Guest and Another Program
TheVMwareToolsserviceallowsyoutouseVMwareprogrammaticinterfacesto
managevirtualmachinesfromyourownindependentprogramsandfromexisting
frameworksdevelopedbypartnersandthirdparties.
FormoreinformationabouttheVMwareInfrastructureSDK,gototheVMwareAPIs
andSDKsDocumentationpageoftheVMwareWebsite.
Using the VMware Tools Command-Line Interface
TheVMwareToolscommandlineinterfaceenablesyoutodothefollowing:
ConfiguretimesynchronizationinyourLinuxguestoperatingsystemwithout
runningX.
InstallanduninstallVMwareTools,determinetheversion,andsoon.
To use the VMware Tools command-line interface
1 Intheguestoperatingsystem,changetothedirectorythatcontainsthe
VMware Toolsdaemon.
Dependingontheoperatingsystem,thenameanddefaultlocationofthedaemon
areasfollows:
OnMicrosoftWindowssystems,thedaemoniscalledVMwareService.exe
andthelocationis:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\VMwareService.exe
OnUNIXsystems,thedaemoniscalledvmware-guestd.Thelocationof
vmware-guestddependsonthedirectorythatyouspecifiedatthetimeof
installation.Thedefaultlocationis:
/usr/sbin/vmware-guestd
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2 Toconfigureperiodictimesynchronization,usethevmx.set_optioncommand:
<daemon> --cmd "vmx.set_option synctime <old_val> <new_val>"
<daemon>isvmware-guestdonUNIXsystemsorVMwareService.exeon
Windowssystems.
<old_val>and<new_val>aretheoldandnewvalues,respectively.Use0tomean
FALSEand1tomeanTRUE.
FollowingisanexampleofsettingtimesynchronizationtoTRUEonaLinuxguest:
./vmware-guestd --cmd "vmx.set_option synctime 0 1"
Thenewsettingiswrittentothetools.syncTimepropertyinthevirtual
machinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.Usingthisoptionisequivalenttousingthe
timesynchronizationoptionontheOptionstaboftheVMwareToolscontrol
panel.
Tousecommandsotherthan--cmd,usethe--helpcommandlinecommand.
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VMware, Inc. 107

6
Thischapterdescribeshowtoperformhostwideconfigurationtasks,including
managingyourvirtualmachineinventoryanddatastores,andconfiguringglobal
memory,snapshot,andvirtualmachinestartupandshutdownsettings.Italso
describesWindowshostfeaturesforbackingupvirtualmachinesusingtheVolume
ShadowCopyService(VSS)andloggingVMwareServereventsintheEventViewer.To
performhostmanagementoperations,youmusthavetherequiredpermissions.
Forinformationaboutmanagingindividualvirtualmachines,seeChapter 7,Running
VirtualMachines,onpage 121.
ForinformationaboutconfiguringVMwareServernetworking,seeChapter 11,
ConfiguringaVirtualNetwork,onpage 211.
ManagingtheVirtualMachineInventoryonpage 108
ManagingDatastoresonpage 110
EditingHostWideMemoryandSnapshotSettingsonpage 113
ConfiguringVirtualMachineStartupandShutdownSettingsonpage 115
EnablingQuiescedBackupsofVirtualMachinesonWindowsonpage 118
Managing VMware Server 6
108 VMware, Inc.

Managing the Virtual Machine Inventory
WhenyoucreatenewvirtualmachinesinVMwareServer,theyareautomatically
addedtoyourinventory.Youcanalsoaddexistingvirtualmachinestoyourinventory
sothatyoucanmanagethemusingVI WebAccess.
Thissectiondescribeshowtoaddandremovevirtualmachinesintheinventory.
Adding a Virtual Machine to the Inventory
WhenyoucreateavirtualmachineusingVI WebAccess,itisautomaticallyaddedto
theinventory.Thissectiondescribeshowtoaddavirtualmachinetotheinventoryifit
isonanetworkedfilesystemorcopiedfromanotherhost.
Beforeyoucanaddavirtualmachinetotheinventory,thefilesthatmakeupthevirtual
machinemustbelocatedinadatastore.SeeManagingDatastoresonpage 110.
To add a virtual machine to the inventory
1 SelectthehostintheInventorypanel.
2 IntheCommandssectionofthehostSummarytab,clickAddVirtualMachineto
Inventory.
3 ClickBrowsetolocatetheconfigurationfile(.vmxfileextension)forthevirtual
machinethatyouwanttoaddtotheinventory.
UsetheInventorycolumntonavigatethefilesystem.
TheContentscolumnliststhecontentsofthecurrentdirectory.
TheInformationcolumnshowsdetailedinformationabouttheselecteddirectory
orfile.
4 SelecttheconfigurationfileintheContentscolumnandclickOK.
Thevirtualmachineisaddedtotheinventory.
Removing a Virtual Machine from the Inventory
VMwareServerincludesoptionstoremoveavirtualmachinefromtheinventoryorto
completelydeletethevirtualmachine.Youdonotneedtomanipulatefilesonthehost
filesystemtodeleteavirtualmachine.
Beforeyoucandeleteavirtualmachineorremoveitfromtheinventory,itmustbe
poweredofforsuspended.
VMware, Inc. 109
Chapter 6 Managing VMware Server

To delete a virtual machine or remove it from the inventory
2 ClicktheVirtualMachinestab.
3 Selectthevirtualmachinetodelete.
Whenthevirtualmachineispoweredoff,theRemoveVirtualMachinecommand
appearsintheCommandssectionoftheworkspace.
4 ClickRemoveVirtualMachine.
Aconfirmationdialogboxappears.
5 (Optional)Todeleteallthevirtualmachinefilesfromdisk,selectDeletethis
virtualmachinesfilesfromthedisk.
IfyoudonotselectDeletethisvirtualmachinesfilesfromthedisk,thevirtual
machineisremovedfromtheinventory,butallthevirtualmachinefilesremain
intactonthedatastore.
6 ClickOK.
Thevirtualmachineisdeletedorremovedfromtheinventory.
YoucanalsodeleteavirtualmachineorremoveitfromtheinventoryfromtheVirtual
Machinemenu.SeeDeletingaVirtualMachineonpage 130.
Performing Power Operations on Virtual Machines
Youcanperformpoweroperationsonanyvirtualmachineinyourinventoryfromthe
VirtualMachinestabofthehostworkspace.Thisismoreefficientthanperforming
poweroperationsoneachvirtualmachinefromitsownworkspace.
To change the power state of a virtual machine from the host workspace
2 ClicktheVirtualMachinestab.
3 Inthelistofvirtualmachines,selectthevirtualmachineforwhichyouwantto
changethepowerstate.
4 Clicktheappropriatepowerbuttoninthetoolbar.
Youcanalsochangethepowerstateofavirtualmachinefromitsownworkspace.
Foradetaileddescriptionofhowpoweroperationsaffectvirtualmachines,see
ChangingthePowerStateofaVirtualMachineonpage 122.
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Managing Datastores
Thissectiondescribeshowtoadd,rename,andremovedatastores.
Adding Datastores
AdatastoreisastoragelocationforVMwareServervirtualmachinefiles.Thestorage
locationcanbethelocalfilesystem,aCIFSstore(Windowsonly),oranNFSmounted
filesystem(Linuxonly).
Prerequisites for Samba CIFS Datastores
SambaCIFSstoresrequireadditionalconfiguration.Youmustaddthesetting
create mask = 766totheconfiguration(smb.conf)fileforeachSambaCIFSstore.
TheuserthatconnectstotheSambaservermustalsohavewriteprivilegesforthe
operatingsystemandtheSambaserver.
Prerequisites for NFS Datastores
BeforeyoucanaddanNFSdatastore,youmustmounttheNFSvolumeonthehost.
Insomecases,toprotectNFSvolumesfromunauthorizedaccess,NFSadministrators
mightexportvolumeswiththeroot squashoptionturnedon.Whenroot squashis
on,theNFSservertreatsaccessbyrootasaccessbyanyunprivilegedusersandmight
refusetheVMwareServerhostaccesstotheNFSvolume.Tomakesurethatyoucan
createandmanagedatastoresfromyourhost,theNFSadministratormustturnoffthe
root squashfeatureoraddtheVMwareServerhostsphysicalnetworkadaptertothe
listoftrustedhosts.
To add a datastore
2 IntheCommandssectionoftheSummarytab,clickAddDatastore.
3 EnteranameforthedatastoreintheNametextbox.
4 Entertheinformationforthelocal(hostsystem)orremotedirectory.
Toaddalocaldatastore:
i SelectLocalDatastore.
ii EnterthepathintheDirectoryPathtextbox.
iii ClickOKtoaddthedatastore.
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ToaddaCIFSdatastore(Windowshostonly):
i SelectCIFS.
ii EnteravalidservernameorIPaddress.
iii Enterthelocationofthesharedfolder.
iv Enteravalidusername.
Includethedomainorservername,forexample:
<domain_name>\<username>
or
<server_name>\<username>
v Enterthecorrespondingpassword.
vi ClickOKtoaddthedatastore.
.
ToaddanNFSdatastore(Linuxhostonly):
i SelectNetworkFileSystem.
ii EnteravalidNFSservernameorIPaddress.
iii Enterthelocationofthesharedfolder.
iv ClickOKtoaddthedatastore.
Thedatastoreappearsinthelistofdatastores.
Renaming Datastores
Youcanrenameanexistingdatastore.
To rename a datastore
2 IntheDatastoressectionoftheSummarytab,clickthedatastoretorename.
3 IntheCommandssectionoftheSummarytab,clickRenameDatastore.
NOTEVMwareServerusestheWindowscredentialmanagerforuser
authentication.Becausethiscredentialmanagerfeatureisnotsupported
onWindows2000Server,youcannotaddaCIFSdatastoreifVMware
ServerisinstalledonaWindows2000Serverhost.
112 VMware, Inc.

4 EnteranewnameforthedatastoreintheNametextbox.
5 ClickOK.
Therenameddatastoreappearsinthelistofdatastores.
Removing Datastores
Ifyounolongerwanttoaccessadatastore,youcanremoveitfromVMwareServer.
Beforeyoucanremoveadatastore,youmustremoveallvirtualmachinesinthe
datastore.
To remove a datastore
2 IntheDatastoressectionoftheSummarytab,clickthedatastoretoremove.
3 IntheCommandssectionoftheSummarytab,clickRemoveDatastore.
Aconfirmationdialogboxappears.
4 ClickOKtoremovethedatastore.
Thedatastorenolongerappearsinthelistofdatastores.
Refreshing Datastores
Whenyourefreshadatastore,VMwareServerupdatesthecapacityandfreespace
available.Therefreshcommandallowsyoutoseechangesindiskcapacityandfree
spacecausedbyoperationsperformeddirectlyonthehostsystem.Thesevaluesare
automaticallyupdatedwhenyouperformVMwareServeroperationssuchascreating
ordeletingavirtualmachine.
To refresh a datastore
2 IntheDatastoressectionoftheSummarytab,clickthedatastoretorefresh.
3 IntheCommandssectionoftheSummarytab,clickRefreshDatastore.
Thevaluesforcapacityandfreespaceareupdatedforthatdatastore.
VMware, Inc. 113

Editing Host-Wide Memory and Snapshot Settings
Thissectiondescribeshowtoconfigurehostmemorysettingsandwhetherornot
snapshotsaretakeninthebackground.
Configuring Host Memory
Inadditiontoconfiguringthememorylimitforeachvirtualmachine,VMwareServer
allowsyoutospecifythefollowing:
Howmuchofthehostsystemsmemorycanbeusedforallrunningvirtual
machines
Theextenttowhichthehostoperatingsystemsmemorymanagercanswapvirtual
machinesoutofphysicalRAM
Thesesettingsaffectbothvirtualmachineandoverallsystemperformance.See
ConfiguringHostWideVirtualMachineMemoryUsageonpage 275.
Reserving Host Memory for All Virtual Machines
YoucansettheamountofhostRAMthatVMwareServerisallowedtoreserveforall
runningvirtualmachines.
To configure the amount of reserved memory for all virtual machines
2 IntheCommandssectionofthehostSummarytab,clickEditHostSettings.
3 IntheReservedMemorysection,enteravaluefortheSize.
Theminimumandmaximumsettingsaredisplayed.
Ifyouentertoohighavalue,thehostmightperformpoorlywhenother
applicationsarerunningonthehost.Ifyouentertoolowavalue,virtualmachines
mightperformpoorlyandyoucannotrunasmanyvirtualmachinesatonce.For
moreinformation,seeReservingHostMemoryforVirtualMachineUseon
page 276.
4 ClickOKorfollowthestepsinthenextsectiontoconfigureadditionalhost
memorysettings.
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Configuring Additional Memory for Swapping
VMwareServerlimitsthenumberofvirtualmachinesthatcanrunatthesametime
basedontheamountofmemoryreservedforallrunningvirtualmachines.Toadjust
thenumberofvirtualmachinesthatcanberunortheirtotalmemoryusage,specifythe
amountofvirtualmachinememorythatthehostoperatingsystemcanswaptodisk.
To configure the amount of additional virtual machine memory that can be
swapped
3 IntheAdditionalMemorysection,selectoneofthefollowingoptions:
FitallvirtualmachinememoryintoreservedhostRAMStrictlyapplies
thereservedmemorylimit.Thissettingimposesthetightestrestrictionsonthe
numberandmemorysizeofvirtualmachinesthatcanrunatagiventime.
BecausethevirtualmachinesarerunningentirelyinRAM,theyhavethebest
possibleperformance.
AllowsomevirtualmachinememorytobeswappedAllowsthehost
operatingsystemtoswapamoderateamountofvirtualmachinememoryto
diskifnecessary.Thissettingallowsyoutoincreasethenumberormemory
sizeofvirtualmachinesthatcanrunonthehostsystematagiventime.It
mightalsoresultinreducedperformanceifvirtualmachinememorymustbe
swappedbetweenRAManddisk.
AllowmostvirtualmachinememorytobeswappedAllowsthehost
operatingsystemtoswapthemaximumamountofvirtualmachinememory
todisk.Thissettingallowsyoutorunmorevirtualmachinesandusemore
memorythanthemoderatesettingdoes.Performancemightbefurther
decreasedifvirtualmachinememorymustbeswappedbetweenRAMand
disk.
4 ClickOK.
Ifyoutrytopoweronavirtualmachinewheninsufficientmemoryisavailable,
VMwareServerdisplaysawarningdialogbox.Themessageshowshowmuchmemory
thevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouseandhowmuchmemoryisavailable.Toattempt
topoweronthevirtualmachineusingtheavailablememory,clickOK.Otherwise,click
Cancel.
VMware, Inc. 115

Enabling and Disabling Background Snapshots
Takingsnapshotsinthebackgroundallowsyoutocontinueworkingwhile
VMware Serverpreservesthestateofthevirtualmachine.However,enabling
backgroundsnapshotsforahostwithslowharddiskscanadverselyaffect
performance.Ifyouexperiencesignificantperformanceproblemswhentakingor
restoringsnapshots,disablebackgroundsnapshots.
Foradditionalinformationonmanagingsnapshots,seeUsingSnapshotson
page 195.
To enable or disable background snapshots
3 IntheSnapshotssection,dooneofthefollowing:
Toenablebackgroundsnapshots,selectthecheckbox.
Todisablebackgroundsnapshots,deselectthecheckbox.
4 ClickOK.
Thesettingtakeseffectafterthevirtualmachinesarerestarted.
Configuring Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown
Settings
Youcanconfigurevirtualmachinestostartupandshutdownautomaticallywhenthe
hostoperatingsystemstartsandshutsdown,orallowthemtobestartedandshut
downmanually.Youcanalsospecifytheorderinwhichvirtualmachinesare
automaticallystartedandshutdown.
Youcanalsoconfiguresystemwidesettingsthatspecifyadelaybetweeneachvirtual
machinesstartupandshutdown,andwhatkindofactionisperformedatshutdown
(suspend,poweroff,orshutdownguest).Youcanoptionallyoverridethesystemwide
settingsforindividualvirtualmachines.
116 VMware, Inc.

Enabling System-Wide Startup and Shutdown Settings
Youcanenablevirtualmachinestobestartedandshutdownautomaticallyand
configurehowandwhenvirtualmachinesarestartedandshutdown.
To enable system-wide startup and shutdown settings
2 IntheCommandssectionofthehostSummarytab,click
Edit Virtual Machine Startup/ShutdownSettings.
3 SelectAllowvirtualmachinestostartandstopautomaticallywiththesystem.
Ifthisoptionisdisabled,youcannotconfigurestartupandshutdownsettingsfor
anyofthevirtualmachinesonthehost.
4 (Optional)Configureoneormoreofthefollowingsettings:
DefaultStartupDelayEntertheamountoftimeinsecondstowaitaftera
virtualmachineisstartedbeforestartingthenextvirtualmachineinthelist.
Thisdelaypreventsplacinganexcessiveburdenonthehostresources.
StartnextVMimmediatelyiftheVMwareToolsstartSelecttostartthe
nextvirtualmachineinthestartuplistimmediatelyafterVMwareToolsstarts
inthecurrentvirtualmachine.
DefaultShutdownDelayEntertheamountoftimeinsecondstowaitafter
shuttingdownavirtualmachinebeforeshuttingdownthenextvirtual
machineinthelist.
Thisdelaypreventsplacinganexcessiveburdenonthehostresources.
ShutdownActionSelectPowerOff,Suspend,orShutdownguest.
NOTEToallowvirtualmachinestobestartedandshutdownonaWindowshost
system,youmustalsoselectAllowvirtualmachinestostartandstop
automaticallywiththesystemduringtheinstallationofVMwareServer.
VMware, Inc. 117

Specifying the Startup and Shutdown Order for Virtual Machines
Aftervirtualmachinesareconfiguredtostartandshutdownautomatically,youcanset
theorderinwhichthevirtualmachinesarestartedandshutdown.
To configure the startup and shutdown order for virtual machines
1 MakesurethatsystemwidesettingsareenabledasdescribedinEnabling
SystemWideStartupandShutdownSettingsonpage 116.
2 Movevirtualmachinesbetweenandwithinthefollowinglistsbyselectingoneor
morevirtualmachinesandclickingMoveUporMoveDown:
SpecifiedOrderThesevirtualmachinesarelistedintheorderinwhich
theyareconfiguredtostartup.Thevirtualmachinesareshutdowninthe
reverseorderfromwhichtheyarestarted.
AnyOrderThesevirtualmachinesarestartedandshutdown
automatically,butnotinaspecificorder.Thevirtualmachinesinthiscategory
donotstartorshutdownuntilallthevirtualmachineslistedintheSpecified
Orderlistarestartedorshutdown.
ManualStartupThesevirtualmachinesarenotstartedautomaticallywhen
thehostisbroughtup.Whenthehostisshutdown,thesevirtualmachinesare
shutdownaccordingtotheshutdownactionindicated.
3 ClickOKtosaveyoursettings.
Customizing the Startup and Shutdown Settings for Individual
Virtual Machines
Youcanoverridethesystemwidesettingsforthedelaybetweeneachvirtualmachines
startupandshutdownforindividualvirtualmachines.
Youcanchangethestartupsettingsforvirtualmachinesthatarestartedautomatically,
butnotforvirtualmachinesthatarestartedmanually.Youcanchangetheshutdown
settingsforanyvirtualmachine.
To override system-wide settings for individual virtual machines
1 MakesurethatsystemwidesettingsareenabledasdescribedinEnabling
SystemWideStartupandShutdownSettingsonpage 116.
2 Selectthevirtualmachineforwhichyouwanttooverridethesystemsettingsand
clickEdit.
118 VMware, Inc.

3 (Optional)Tooverridethedefaultsystemsettingforstartup,selectUsespecified
settingsandchangeoneorbothofthefollowing:
StartupDelayEntertheamountoftimeinsecondstowaitafteravirtual
machineisstartedbeforestartingthenextvirtualmachineinthestartuplist.
ContinueimmediatelyiftheVMwareToolsstartSelecttostartthenext
virtualmachineinthestartuplistimmediatelyafterVMwareToolsstartsin
thecurrentvirtualmachine.
4 (Optional)Tooverridethedefaultsystemsettingforshutdown,selectUse
specifiedsettingsandchangeoneorbothofthefollowing:
ShutdownDelayEntertheamountoftimeinsecondstowaitaftershutting
downavirtualmachinebeforeshuttingdownthenextvirtualmachineinthe
shutdownlist.
PerformShutdownActionSelectSystemDefault,PowerOff,Suspend,or
ShutDownGuest.
5 ClickOK.
Enabling Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on
Windows
TheVolumeShadowCopyService(VSS)providesabackupinfrastructurefor
applicationsrunningonWindows.TheVMwareVSSWriterinteractswith
VMware Toolsrunninginvirtualmachines,andenablesbackupapplicationsthatuse
VSStoperformquiescedbackupsofvirtualmachines.WhentheVSSenabled
applicationrequestsabackup,theVMwareVSSWriterautomaticallyquiescesthe
virtualmachinediskfilesandcreatesasnapshotofthevirtualmachineforthebackup
application.
YoucanperformquiescedbackupsonhostoperatingsystemsrunningWindowsServer
2003andWindowsServer2008.Only32bitWindowsServer2008hostsaresupported.
TheguestoperatingsystemmustberunningWindowsServer2003orWindowsServer
2008.AnuptodateversionofVMwareToolsmustbeinstalledintheguestoperating
system.
NOTEVMwarehastestedquiescedbackupsusingWindowsBackup(NTBackup).For
informationaboutsupportforthirdpartybackupapplications,contactyourbackup
applicationvendor.
VMware, Inc. 119

ForWindowsServer2003guestsystems,theVSSWriterusesapplicationVSSwriters
sothattheVSSsnapshotisapplicationconsistent.Thesnapshotrepresentstheentire
stateoftheVSSawareapplicationsregardlessoftheirbackuphistoryanddoesnot
modifythebackuphistory.
ForWindowsServer2008guestsystems,theVSSWriterdoesnotuseapplication
writersand,asaresult,thesnapshotisfilesystemconsistent.
To enable and disable quiesced backups for virtual machines
1 (Optional)ToallowtheVSSWritertooverwriteanexistingsnapshot:
a Createthefilevmvsswriter.cfgintheVMwareServerinstallationdirectory,
typicallyC:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server.
b Addthefollowingparametertothevmvsswriter.cfgfiletospecifythatan
existingsnapshotcanbeoverwrittensovirtualmachinescanbequiesced
beforebackup:
vmwriter.overwriteSnapshots = "TRUE"
IfsettoTRUE,anyexistingsnapshotsareoverwrittenwithoutwarning,and
thevirtualmachinesarebackedupusingquiescedsnapshots.
Ifnotset,orsettoFALSE,thevirtualmachinesarenotquiescedifasnapshot
existswhenthebackupistaken.
2 StarttheVMwareVSSWriterServiceusingtheWindowsServicescontrolpanel.
TheuserrunningtheVSSWriterServicemusthavepermissiontoperform
administrativetasksonvirtualmachines,suchascreatingsnapshots.Theuser
mustalsobeabletowritetothevirtualmachinediskfiledirectory.Youcanverify
orchangetheusernameandpasswordintheLogOntabofthePropertiesdialog
boxfortheVSSWriterService.
YoumustrestarttheVSSWriterServiceanytimeyoumakechangestothe
vmvsswriter.cfgfile.
NOTEVMwareServerallowsonesnapshotforeachvirtualmachine.Ifasnapshot
exists,theVSSwriterdoesnotquiescethevirtualmachines,unlessyouoverridethis
defaultbehavior.
120 VMware, Inc.

To restore a virtual machine from a quiesced backup
1 Makesurethatthevirtualmachinesyouwanttorestorearepoweredoff.
Usethebackupsoftwaretorestorethevirtualmachines.
Restoreanindividualvirtualmachinebyrevertingtothesnapshot.For
informationaboutrevertingtoasnapshot,seeRevertingtoaSnapshoton
page 199.
VMware, Inc. 121

7
AfteryouhaveinstalledVMwareServer,createdavirtualmachine,andinstalleda
guestoperatingsystemandVMwareTools,youarereadytorunyourvirtualmachine.
Toperformvirtualmachineoperations,youmusthavetherequiredpermissions.Many
configurationmodificationsaredisabledwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.
Thischapterdescribesthemostcommontaskstomanageandusevirtualmachinesand
RunningVMwareToolsonpage 122
ChangingthePowerStateofaVirtualMachineonpage 122
ChangingVirtualMachinePowerSettingsonpage 125
ChangingVirtualMachineNameandGuestSystemSettingsonpage 124
ChangingVirtualMachineSnapshotSettingsonpage 126
ChangingVirtualMachineAdvancedSettingsonpage 127
DeletingaVirtualMachineonpage 130
UsingVMwareRemoteConsoleonpage 130
GeneratingandSharingVirtualMachineShortcutsonpage 133
EditingNotesintheVirtualMachineSummaryTabonpage 135
EditingtheHardwareConfigurationofaVirtualMachineonpage 135
Running Virtual Machines 7
NOTETheonlytasksVIWebAccesscanperformonhardwareversion3virtual
machinesarepoweroperationsandupgrade.
122 VMware, Inc.

AddingHardwaretoaVirtualMachineonpage 137
InstallingNewSoftwareinaVirtualMachineonpage 138
AdvancedOptionsforApplicationDevelopersonpage 139
Running VMware Tools
Forimprovedguestoperatingsystemperformanceandvirtualmachinemanagement,
makesurethatVMwareToolsisinstalledandrunninginyourvirtualmachine.See
Chapter 5,InstallingandUsingVMwareTools,onpage 73.
AfterVMwareToolsisinstalledinaWindowsvirtualmachine,theVMwareTools
servicesstartwhenyoustarttheguestoperatingsystem.TheVMwareToolsicon
appearsintheguestsnotificationarea,unlessyoudisabletheicon.
OnWindowsguests,iftheVMwareToolsiconincludesayellowcautionicon,an
updateisavailable.Toperformtheupdate,doubleclicktheicon,andclicktheUpdate
buttonontheOptionstabthatappears.
IftheVMwareToolsiconappearswitharedcircleandslashoverit,theVMwareTools
serviceisnotrunning.Tostarttheservice,selectRunfromtheWindowsStartmenu,
andenterservices.msc.Inthewindowthatappears,starttheservicecalled
VMware ToolsService.
IftheVMwareToolsicondoesnotappearinthenotificationareaoftheWindows
gueststaskbar,usetheVMwareToolscontrolpanelintheguesttodisplayit.See
UsingtheWindowsControlPaneltoDisplaytheTaskbarIcononpage 92.
TochangeotherVMwareToolsproperties,seeUsingtheVMwareToolsControl
Panelonpage 91.Formoreinformationabouttheproperties,clickHelp.
Changing the Power State of a Virtual Machine
YoucanuseVIWebAccesstochangethepowerstateofthevirtualmachine.
Tochangeavirtualmachinespowerstate,dooneofthefollowing:
SelectthevirtualmachinefromtheInventorypanel,andclickthebuttoninthe
toolbarforthedesiredpowerstate.
FromthehostworkspaceVirtualMachinestab,selectthevirtualmachine,and
clickthebuttoninthetoolbarforthedesiredpowerstate.
VMware Tools icon
VMware, Inc. 123
Chapter 7 Running Virtual Machines

Table 71describeswhathappenswhenyouchangethepowerstateofavirtual
machine.
Table 7-1. Toolbar Power Operations
Button Description
Powersoffthevirtualmachine.Dependingonhowyouhaveconfiguredthe
poweroptionsforthisvirtualmachine,VMwareServermightshutdownthe
guestoperatingsystemandexecuteanyscriptsassociatedwiththispowerstate
change.
Whenthisiconisdepressed,thevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
Suspendsarunningvirtualmachine.Dependingonhowyouhaveconfiguredthe
poweroptionsforthisvirtualmachine,VMwareServermightputtheguest
operatingsystemonstandbyandexecuteanyscriptsassociatedwiththispower
statechange.
Whenthisiconisdepressed,thevirtualmachineissuspended.
Powersonastoppedvirtualmachineorresumesasuspendedvirtualmachine.
Dependingonhowyouhaveconfiguredthepoweroptionsforthisvirtual
machine,VMwareServermightrestartorresumetheguestoperatingsystemand
executeanyscriptsassociatedwiththispowerstatechange.
Whenthisiconisdepressed,thevirtualmachineisrunning.
Resetsthevirtualmachine.Dependingonhowyouhaveconfiguredthepower
optionsforthisvirtualmachine,VMwareServermightshutdownandrestartthe
guestoperatingsystemandexecuteanyscriptsassociatedwiththispowerstate
change.
NOTEShuttingdownorrestartingaguestoperatingsystemworksonlywhen
VMwareToolsisinstalled.Otherwise,thepoweristurnedofforthevirtualmachineis
resetexactlyasifyouhadpushedthepowerorresetbuttononaphysicalmachine.For
informationaboutinstallingVMwareTools,seeChapter 5,InstallingandUsing
VMwareTools,onpage 73.ForinformationabouthowtouseVMwareToolsscripts
toaffectpowerstatebehavior,seeChangingVirtualMachinePowerSettingsonpage 125
andHowVMwareToolsScriptsAffectPowerStatesonpage 97.
124 VMware, Inc.

Changing Virtual Machine Name and Guest System
Settings
Youcanchangethenameandtheguestoperatingsystemsettingsoftheselectedvirtual
machine.
To change the virtual machine name or guest operating system settings
1 IntheCommandssectionofthevirtualmachinesSummarytab,clickConfigure
VM.
2 IntheGeneraltab,changethenameorguestoperatingsystemsetting:
(Optional)Tochangethedisplayname,typeanewnameintheVirtual
MachineNametextbox.
(Optional)Tochangetheguestoperatingsystemsetting(forexample,ifyou
areupgradingtheguestoperatingsystemversion),selectthetypeof
operatingsystemandthenselecttheoperatingsystemversionfromthe
dropdownmenu.
Whenyouchangetheoperatingsystemversionhere,thesettingfortheguest
operatingsystemischangedinthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.The
guestoperatingsystemitselfisnotchanged.Forinformationaboutupdatingthe
guestoperatingsystem,seeUpdatingtheGuestOperatingSystemon
page 71.
3 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandreturntotheSummarytab.
TheGeneraltabalsodisplaysthelocationofthevirtualmachineworkingdirectoryand
thevirtualmachineconfigurationfile.Donoteditthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile
directly.Instead,usetheAdvancedtaboftheConfigureVMdialogbox.SeeChanging
VirtualMachineAdvancedSettingsonpage 127.
VMware, Inc. 125

Changing Virtual Machine Power Settings
Powercontroloptionsallowyoutodefineactionsthatoccurwhenyouchangethe
powerstateofavirtualmachine.
To change power state options
VM.
2 ClickthePowertab.
3 (Optional)Selectthedefaultpoweroffoptionforthevirtualmachine.
SettingsforpoweringoffvirtualmachinesincludePowerOffandShutDown
Guest.WhenVMwareToolsisnotinstalled,thedefaultactionistopoweroffthe
virtualmachinewithoutshuttingdowntheguest.WhenVMwareToolsis
installed,thedefaultactionistoshutdowntheguestbeforepoweringoffthe
virtualmachine.
4 (Optional)Selectthedefaultsuspendoptionforthevirtualmachine.
SettingsforsuspendingvirtualmachinesincludeSuspendandSuspendGuest.
WhenVMwareToolsisnotinstalled,thedefaultactionistosuspendthevirtual
machinewithoutsuspendingtheguest.WhenVMwareToolsisinstalled,the
defaultactionistosuspendtheguestbeforesuspendingthevirtualmachine.
5 (Optional)Selectthedefaultrebootoptionforthevirtualmachine.
SettingsforrebootingvirtualmachinesincludeResetandRestartGuest.When
VMwareToolsisnotinstalled,thedefaultactionistoresetthevirtualmachine
withoutshuttingdowntheguest.WhenVMwareToolsisinstalled,thedefault
actionistoshutdowntheguestbeforeresettingthevirtualmachine.
6 (Optional)IntheVMwareToolsScriptssection,selectoneormorecheckboxesto
runaVMwareToolsscriptAfterpoweringon,Afterresuming,Before
suspending,andBeforepoweringoff.SeeHowVMwareToolsScriptsAffect
PowerStatesonpage 97.
7 (Optional)IntheBIOSSetupsection,selectEntertheBIOSsetupscreenthenext
timethevirtualmachinebootsifyouwanttogodirectlytotheBIOSsetupscreen
thenexttimethevirtualmachineispoweredon.
Afterthenextpoweron,thissettingisdeselected.
126 VMware, Inc.

8 (Optional)IntheAdvancedsection,selectoneorbothoftheVMwareTools
options:
SelectCheckandUpgradeVMwareToolsbeforepoweringonifyouwantto
automaticallyupgradeVMwareToolswheneveranewversionisavailable.
SelectSynchronizeguesttimewithhosttosynchronizethetimeintheguest
operatingsystemwiththetimeinthehostoperatingsystem.SeeOptions
Tabonpage 93.
Changing Virtual Machine Snapshot Settings
Thissectiondescribeshowtochangesnapshotsettingsforthevirtualmachine.With
thesesettings,youcandothefollowing:
Lockthecurrentsnapshotsothatitcannotbeupdated
Reverttothecurrentsnapshotwhenpoweringoff
Forinformationaboutusingsnapshotstopreservethestateofthevirtualmachine,see
UsingSnapshotsonpage 195.
Locking the Snapshot
Lockingthecurrentsnapshotpreventsitfrombeingoverwritten.Thesnapshotmust
alreadyexist.
To lock the current snapshot
VM.
2 ClicktheSnapshottab.
3 IntheCurrentSnapshotsection,selectLockthissnapshot.
Ifthischeckboxcannotbeselected,itmeansthatnosnapshotexists.
VMware, Inc. 127

Setting Snapshot Power Off Options
Youcansetavirtualmachinetoautomaticallyreverttothesnapshot,ortoaskyou
whetheryouwanttoreverttothesnapshot,wheneveryoupoweroffthevirtual
machine.
To set a snapshot power off option
VM.
2 ClicktheSnapshottab.
3 SelectoneofthefollowingoptionsintheWhenpoweringoffsection:
JustpoweroffPowersoffwithoutmakinganychangestothesnapshot.
ReverttosnapshotRevertstothecurrentsnapshot,sothevirtualmachine
alwaysstartsinthestateitwasinwhenthecurrentsnapshotwastaken.
Revertingtothesnapshotdiscardschanges.Forexample,aninstructormight
needtodiscardstudentanswersforacomputerlessonwhenavirtualmachine
ispoweredoffattheendofclass.
AskmeEverytimeyoupoweroffavirtualmachine,youarepromptedto
specifywhetheryouwanttojustpowerofforreverttothecurrentsnapshot.
Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings
Thissectiondescribeshowtoconfigureadvancedvirtualmachinesettings,including
thefollowing:
WhatkindofinformationiscollectedwhileVMwareServerisrunning.
Enablinganddisablinglogging.
Disablingaccelerationifaprogramcannotberuninyourvirtualmachine.
EnablingVirtualMachineInterface(VMI)paravirtualizationtoincrease
performanceonhoststhatsupportparavirtualization.
SpecifyingwhetherandhowvirtualizedMMUsupportisused
Modifyingvirtualmachineconfigurationfileparameters.
NOTEDonotchangeanyconfigurationfileparametersunlessyouareinstructed
todosointhedocumentationorbyVMwaretechnicalsupport.
128 VMware, Inc.

To change virtual machine runtime settings
VM.
2 ClickAdvanced.
3 IntheSettingssection,selectanoption:
RecordruntimeinformationWhenselected,youcanselectoneofthe
following:
DebugginginformationCollectsdebugginginformation.Youcan
providethisinformationtoVMwaresupporttotroubleshootany
problemsyouareexperiencing.
StatisticsinformationCollectsperformancestatistics.Youcanprovide
thisinformationtoVMwaresupporttotroubleshootperformance
problems.
OnWindowshosts,thefilesarestoredinthedirectory
<%ALLUSERSPROFILE%>\VMware\VMware Server\hostd\stats.
OnLinuxhostsystems,thefilesarestoredinthedirectory
/var/log/vmware.
EnableloggingEnablesloggingforthevirtualmachine.Youcanprovide
thistoVMwaresupporttotroubleshootanyproblemsyouareexperiencing.
VMwarerecommendsthatyoukeeploggingenabled.Thereisminimal
overheadforthislogging.
DisableaccelerationDisablesaccelerationinthevirtualmachine.Itis
sometimesnecessarytotemporarilydisableaccelerationinavirtualmachine
toresolveproblemswithaguestoperatingsystemapplicationthatcrashesor
seemstohangorreportsthatitisrunningunderadebugger.Usuallyitis
possibletoreenableaccelerationafterinstallingorstartingtheapplication.
SupportVMIParavirtualizationIfyouhaveaVMwareVMI3.0enabled
kernelinaLinuxguestoperatingsystem,youcanenableVMI
paravirtualizationsupporttoimproveperformanceinthevirtualmachine.
AvailableVMIenabledkernelsincludeUbuntu7.04(Feisty)orlater.
Usethestandardimagefor32bitIntelx86systems.VMIcurrentlysupports
only32bitguests.
Formoreinformationaboutparavirtualization,see:
http://www.vmware.com/interfaces/paravirtualization.html
VMware, Inc. 129

ConfigureVirtualizedMMUSettingsRecentCPUsarecapableof
virtualizingtheMemoryManagementUnit(MMU).Thiscapabilityalmost
alwaysimprovesvirtualmachineperformance.However,theremightbe
caseswhereitispreferablenottovirtualizetheMMU.
Selectoneofthefollowingchoices:
Allowthehosttodetermineautomatically(thedefault)
Forceuseofthesefeatureswhenavailable
Donotusethesefeatures
To add a parameter to the virtual machine configuration file
VM.
2 ClickAdvanced.
3 IntheConfigurationParameterssection,clickAddNewEntry.
4 EnterthenameoftheparameterintheNametextbox.
5 EnterthevaluefortheparameterintheValuetextbox.
6 ClickOK.
To edit a parameter in the virtual machine configuration file
VM.
2 ClickAdvanced.
3 IntheConfigurationParameterssection,selecttheparameterandclickEdit.
4 EnterthenewvaluefortheparameterintheValuetextbox.
5 ClickOK.
130 VMware, Inc.

Deleting a Virtual Machine
VMwareServerincludesoptionstoremoveavirtualmachinefromtheinventoryorto
completelydeletethevirtualmachine.Youdonotneedtomanipulatefilesonthehost
filesystemtodeleteavirtualmachine.
Beforeyoucandeleteavirtualmachineorremoveitfromtheinventory,itmustbe
poweredofforsuspended.
To delete a virtual machine or remove it from the inventory
1 SelectthevirtualmachineyouwanttodeleteintheInventorypanel.
2 SelectVirtualMachine>RemoveVirtualMachine.
Youcanonlyselectthismenuoptionifthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
3 (Optional)Todeleteallthevirtualmachinefilesfromdisk,selectDeletethis
virtualmachinesfilesfromthedisk.
IfyoudonotselectDeletethisvirtualmachinesfilesfromthedisk,thevirtual
machineisremovedfromtheinventory,butallvirtualmachinefilesremainintact
onthedatastore.
4 ClickOK.
Thevirtualmachineisdeletedorremovedfromtheinventory.
Youcanalsodeleteavirtualmachineorremoveitfromtheinventoryfromthehost
workspace.SeeRemovingaVirtualMachinefromtheInventoryonpage 108.
Using VMware Remote Console
system.
VMwareRemoteConsoleisinstalledasaWebbrowseraddonandexecutedfromthe
addondirectory.YoumustinstalltheVMwareRemoteConsoleaddonthefirsttime
youuseitwithaWebbrowserthatdoesnotalreadyhavetheaddoninstalled,and
whenanewversionoftheaddonisavailable.Formoreinformation,seeInstallingthe
VMwareRemoteConsoleAddOnonpage 52andStartingVMwareRemoteConsole
fromtheConsoleTabonpage 53.
YoucancontinuetouseVMwareRemoteConsoleifyoucloseyourWebbrowser.
VMware, Inc. 131

Interacting with the Guest Operating System
Ingeneral,youcanusetheguestoperatingsystemandapplicationsasyouwouldif
theywererunningdirectlyonaphysicalcomputer.
To interact with the guest operating system using your mouse or keyboard
ClickinsidetheVMwareRemoteConsolewindow.
To transfer control of your mouse and keyboard back to your computer
PressCtrl+Alt.IfVMwareToolsisinstalledinthevirtualmachine,youcanmovethe
cursorinandoutofthevirtualmachinetoquicklyswitchmouseandkeyboardcontrol
betweenthevirtualmachineandyourcomputer.
To press Ctrl+Alt+Delete (Windows clients)
PressCtrl+Alt+InsertinsteadofCtrl+Alt+DeleteinthevirtualmachineonWindows
clientsystems.
YoucanalsoselectVMwareRemoteConsole>Troubleshooting>
Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
Entering and Leaving Full Screen Mode
Youcanenterandleavefullscreenmodeandcontrolthevisibilityofthetoolbarinfull
screenmode.
To run your virtual machine in full screen mode
ClickthemaximizebuttonontheVMwareRemoteConsolewindow.
Thedesktopexpandstofillthescreen,leavingatoolbarvisibleatthetopofthescreen.
To pin the toolbar so it is always visible
Clickthepushpinonthetoolbarsothatitisinadiagonalposition.
To release the toolbar so only a very thin horizontal area is visible
Clickthepushpinonthetoolbarsothatitisinahorizontalposition.Afterafewseconds
withnouse,mostofthetoolbardisappears.
To make the toolbar fully visible
Movethemousepointertothetopmiddleofthescreenwherethethinhorizontalarea
isvisible.
132 VMware, Inc.

To reduce the VMware Remote Console display so it is running in a window
Clicktherestorebuttononthetoolbar.
To return to a window if the mouse pointer is not available
PressCtrl+Alt.
Connecting and Disconnecting Client Devices
UseVI WebAccesstoconfigurevirtualmachinestousephysicalCD/DVDandfloppy
drivesandISOandfloppyimagesonthehostsystem.SeeChapter 8,Configuring
VirtualMachineHardware,onpage 141.
YoucanconnectanddisconnecthostdevicesfromVMwareRemoteConsole.Devices
thatareconnectedtothehostsystemincludeonServerafterthenameintheDevices
menu.
YoucanalsouseVMwareRemoteConsoletoconnectvirtualmachinestoCD/DVDand
floppydrivesattachedtotheclientsystem.YoucanalsoconnecttoCD/DVD(.iso)and
floppy(.flp)imagefilesontheclientsystem.
SelectfromtheoptionsintheDevicesmenuandsubmenustoconnectanddisconnect
physicaldrives,ortobrowsetoanimagefile.Acheckmarknexttothenameofadevice
indicatesthatitisconnected.Ifthereisnocheckmark,thedeviceisnotconnected.
Onlyonemachinetheclientcomputer,hostcomputer,orvirtualmachinecanuse
CD/DVDorfloppydrivesatanyonetime.Ifyourvirtualmachineisconfiguredtouse
thedevice,andifyouwanttousethatdevicedirectlyonyourclientorhostcomputer,
makesureitisdisconnectedfromthevirtualmachine.
Resetting and Powering Off
Youcanselectthesepoweroperationsfromthe
VMware Remote Console > Troubleshootmenu.
ResetAffectsyourvirtualmachineinthesamewaythatpressingthereset
buttonaffectsaphysicalcomputer.Sendingtheresetcommandturnsthepoweroff
andimmediatelyturnsitonagain.
SuspendandExitSuspendsthevirtualmachine.VMwareRemoteConsole
closes.
PowerOffandExitAffectsyourvirtualmachineinthesamewaythatturning
offthepoweraffectsaphysicalcomputer.Sendingthepoweroffcommandturns
thepoweroffandleavesitoff.VMwareRemoteConsolecloses.
VMware, Inc. 133

Viewing the Message Log
TheMessageLogdialogboxallowsyoutoopenandviewVMwareServervirtual
machinemessagesandtoremoveanyorallmessagesfromthelog.
SelectVMwareRemoteConsole>Troubleshoot>MessageLog.
Quitting VMware Remote Console
QuitVMwareRemoteConsolebeforeyoushutdownthecomputerthatitisrunning
on.
To quit VMware Remote Console, do one of the following
SelectVMwareRemoteConsole>DisconnectandExit(Windows)or
VMware RemoteConsole>DisconnectandQuit(Linux).
ClicktheXintheupperrightcornerofthetoolbar.
WhenyouquitVMwareRemoteConsoleusingeitherofthesemethods,thevirtual
machineisnotpoweredofforsuspended.
QuittingVMwareRemoteConsoledisconnectsanyconnectedclientdevices.Ifyou
haveactiveclientdeviceconnections,youarepromptedtoconfirmthatyouwantto
quit.
VMwareRemoteConsoleclosesautomaticallywhenthevirtualmachineissuspended
orpoweredoff.
Generating and Sharing Virtual Machine Shortcuts
Youcangenerateashortcuttoenablevirtualmachineuserstointeractdirectlywiththe
guestoperatingsystemfromaWebbrowserorVMwareRemoteConsole.
Generating a Web Shortcut
AdministratorscangenerateaWebshortcuttocustomizetheVI WebAccessuser
interfaceforusers.YoucangenerateaWebshortcutthatdisplaysonlytheConsoletab,
enablesordisablesaccesstotheworkspace,orenablesordisablesaccesstothevirtual
machineinventory.
TheWebshortcutislikeanyWebbrowserURL,soyoucandoanyofthefollowing:
AddittoalistofWebpages
Shareitwithoneormoreusersinanemailmessage
134 VMware, Inc.

To create a virtual machine Web shortcut
1 SelectthevirtualmachinefromwhichtogenerateaWebshortcutintheInventory
panel.
2 IntheStatussectionoftheSummarytab,clickGenerateVirtualMachine
Shortcut.
3 IntheWebShortcutsection,asampleURLisdisplayed.
4 (Optional)ExpandCustomizeWebShortcuttoselecttheuserinterfacefeatures:
SelectLimitworkspaceviewtotheconsoletoprovideaccesstotheConsole
tabwhilehidingotherdetailslikeeventlogs.
SelectLimitviewtoasinglevirtualmachinetodisableinventorynavigation.
SelectObfuscatethisURLtogenerateaURLthatobscurestheconnection
information.
5 CopytheWebshortcutforfutureuse.
6 ClickOKtoreturntotheSummarytab.
Generating a VMware Remote Console Desktop Shortcut
systemoutsideofaWebbrowser.Afteryouhaveinstalledthe
VMware Remote Consoleaddon,youcancreateadesktopshortcutthatstarts
VMwareRemoteConsoleandconnectstothevirtualmachine.
NOTETotestaWebshortcut,useadifferentbrowserorcomputer.Ifyouuseyour
activeVI WebAccessbrowsersessiontotesttheWebshortcut,allinstancesofthat
browsermustbeclosedbeforeyoucanlogbackintoVI WebAccesswithfulluser
interfacecapabilities.
NOTEWhenusingInternetExplorer,youmustrestarttheWebbrowserafterinstalling
theVMwareRemoteConsoleaddonandbeforecreatingtheVMwareRemoteConsole
desktopshortcut.IfyoudonotrestartInternetExplorer,shortcutcreationwillfailwith
aJavaScripterror.
VMware, Inc. 135

To create a VMware Remote Console desktop shortcut
1 Selectthevirtualmachinefromwhichtogenerateadesktopshortcutinthe
Inventorypanel.
2 IntheStatussectionoftheSummarytab,clickGenerateVirtualMachine
Shortcut.
3 IntheDesktopShortcutsection,clickInstallDesktopShortcutto
<Virtual Machine>.
4 Confirmthatyouwanttocreatetheshortcutwhenprompted.
Theshortcutiscreatedonthedesktop.
5 ClickOKtoreturntotheSummarytab.
Editing Notes in the Virtual Machine Summary Tab
TheNotessectionofthevirtualmachineSummarytabisaneditabletextfieldinwhich
youcanentertext(upto1000characters)todescribethevirtualmachine.
Savednotescanbeviewedbyotherusersofthevirtualmachine,soyoucanusethis
sectiontocommunicateinformationaboutthecurrentstateofthevirtualmachine.
To enter text that appears in the Notes section
1 SelectthevirtualmachineyouwanttoenternotesforintheInventorypanel.
2 IntheNotessectionoftheSummarytab,clickEdit.
3 Tosaveyourtext,clickSave.
Ifyoudonotwanttosaveyourchanges,clickCancel.
AnysavedtextappearsintheNotessectionoftheSummarytab.
Editing the Hardware Configuration of a Virtual Machine
TheHardwaresectionofthevirtualmachineSummarytabliststhevirtualhardwarein
thevirtualmachine,suchasprocessors,memory,harddisks,CD/DVDdrives,and
networkadapters.Thevirtualmachinemustbepoweredofftomodifymosthardware
settings.
Youcaneditexistinghardwareincluding:
ProcessorsForinformationabouteditingtheprocessorcount,seeEditing
VirtualProcessorsonpage 279andUsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetric
Multiprocessingonpage 278.
136 VMware, Inc.

MemoryForinformationaboutoptimalvirtualmachinememoryallocation,see
AllocatingMemorytoaVirtualMachineonpage 277.Forinformationabout
howtoeditmemoryallocationforavirtualmachine,seeEditingVirtualMachine
Memoryonpage 277.
HardDisksForinformationaboutchangingthesettingsforanexistinghard
disk,seeEditingaVirtualHardDiskonpage 145.Forinformationabout
removingaharddisk,seeRemovingaHardDiskfromaVirtualMachineon
page 146.
NetworkAdaptersForinformationaboutchangingthesettingsforanexisting
virtualnetworkadapter,seeEditingaVirtualNetworkAdapteronpage 224.
CD/DVDDrivesForinformationaboutchangingthesettingsforanexisting
CD/DVDdrive,seeEditingaVirtualCD/DVDDriveonpage 152.For
informationaboutremovingaCD/DVDdrive,seeRemovingaCD/DVDDrive
fromaVirtualMachineonpage 153.
FloppyDrivesForinformationaboutchangingthesettingsforanexisting
CD/DVDdrive,seeEditingaVirtualFloppyDriveonpage 155.Forinformation
aboutremovingafloppydrive,seeRemovingaFloppyDrivefromaVirtual
Machineonpage 156.
Passthrough(Generic)SCSIDevicesForinformationaboutchangingthe
settingsforanexistingpassthroughSCSIdevice,seeEditingaVirtual
Passthrough(Generic)SCSIDeviceonpage 158.Forinformationaboutremoving
apassthroughSCSIdevice,seeRemovingaPassthrough(Generic)SCSIDevice
fromaVirtualMachineonpage 158.
USBControllerForinformationaboutconfiguringUSBdevices,see
ConfiguringUSBControllersandDevicesonpage 159.Forinformationabout
removingaUSBcontroller,seeRemovingaUSBControllerfromaVirtual
Machineonpage 160.
SoundAdapterForinformationaboutchangingthesettingsforasound
adapter,seeEditingaVirtualSoundAdapteronpage 165.Forinformation
aboutremovingasoundadapter,seeRemovingaSoundAdapterfromaVirtual
Machineonpage 166.
SerialPortsForinformationaboutchangingthesettingsforserialports,see
EditingaVirtualSerialPortonpage 169.Forinformationaboutremovinga
serialport,seeRemovingaSerialPortfromaVirtualMachineonpage 170.
ParallelPortsForinformationaboutchangingthesettingsforparallelports,see
EditingaVirtualParallelPortonpage 178.Forinformationaboutremovinga
parallelport,seeRemovingaParallelPortfromaVirtualMachineonpage 179.
VMware, Inc. 137

Adding Hardware to a Virtual Machine
UsetheAddHardwarewizardtoaddnewhardwaretoavirtualmachine.
Thevirtualmachinemustbepoweredofftoaddmosttypesofhardware.Youcanadd
aSCSIvirtualdisktoahardwareversion7virtualmachinewhenthevirtualmachine
ispoweredon.Insomecircumstances,youcanalsohotaddavirtualmachinewith
anearlierhardwareversion.SeeAddingaHardDisktoaVirtualMachineon
page 144.
To start the Add Hardware wizard
1 SelectthevirtualmachinetomodifyfromtheInventorypanel.
2 Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff,unlessyouareaddingaSCSIvirtual
harddisk.
Ifthevirtualmachineisnotalreadypoweredoff,shutdowntheguestoperating
system,andclickPowerOffontheVIWebAccesstoolbar.
3 IntheCommandssectionoftheSummarytab,clickAddHardware.
TheAddHardwarewizardopens.
4 Addhardwaretoanexistingvirtualmachine:
HardDisksSeeAddingaHardDisktoaVirtualMachineonpage 144.
NetworkAdaptersSeeAddingaNetworkAdaptertoaVirtualMachine
onpage 223.
CD/DVDDrivesSeeAddingaCD/DVDDrivetoaVirtualMachineon
page 151.
FloppyDrivesSeeAddingaFloppyDrivetoaVirtualMachineon
page 154.
Passthrough(Generic)SCSIDevicesSeeAddingaPassthrough(Generic)
SCSIDevicetoaVirtualMachineonpage 157.
USBControllerSeeAddingaUSBControllertoaVirtualMachineon
page 159.
SoundAdapterSeeAddingaSoundAdaptertoaVirtualMachineon
page 165.
SerialPortsSeeAddingaSerialPorttoaVirtualMachineonpage 166.
ParallelPortsSeeAddingaParallelPorttoaVirtualMachineon
page 177.
138 VMware, Inc.

5 OntheReadytoCompletepage,dooneofthefollowing:
ClickBackornavigateusingthePagespaneltomakechanges.
Ifyouwanttopoweronthevirtualmachineimmediatelyafteraddingthenew
hardware,selectPoweronyourvirtualmachinenow.
ExpandMoreHardwaretoaddmorevirtualhardwaretothevirtualmachine
beforeyoufinish.
Eachtimeyoufinishaddinganewdevice,youreturntotheReadyto
Completepage.
ClickFinishtocreatethevirtualmachinewiththelistedhardware.
Thewizardaddsthehardwaretoyourvirtualmachine.
Installing New Software in a Virtual Machine
Installingnewsoftwareinavirtualmachineislikeinstallingitonaphysicalcomputer,
exceptthatyoumusttaketheseadditionalsteps:
MakesurethatVMwareServercanaccessthemediaforinstallingthesoftware.
VerifythatthevirtualmachinehasaccesstotheCDROMdrive,ISOimagefile,or
floppydrive,asneeded.SeeChapter 8,ConfiguringVirtualMachineHardware,
onpage 141.
SetthefinalmemorysizeforyourvirtualmachineandinstallVMwareTools
beforeyouactivatethesoftware.
Someapplicationsuseaproductactivationfeaturethatcreatesakeybasedonthe
virtualhardwareinthevirtualmachinewhereitisinstalled.Changesinthe
configurationofthevirtualmachinemightrequireyoutoreactivatethesoftware.
Tominimizethenumberofsignificantchanges,setthememorysizeandinstall
VMwareTools.
IntherareinstancethatVMwareServerappearstohangwhenyouinstallorrun
softwareinsideavirtualmachine,considertemporarilydisablingaccelerationin
thevirtualmachine,asdescribedinChangingVirtualMachineAdvanced
Settingsonpage 127.Generally,theproblemoccursearlyintheprograms
execution.
VMware, Inc. 139

Advanced Options for Application Developers
ApplicationdeveloperscanusethefollowingAPIs,SDKs,andIDEswhenwritingand
debuggingapplicationsthatruninvirtualmachines:
VIXAPIforwritingprogramstoautomatevirtualmachineoperations TheAPI
ishighlevel,easytouse,andpracticalforbothscriptwritersandapplication
programmers.APIfunctionsallowyoutoregister,poweronoroffvirtual
machines,andrunprogramsintheguestoperatingsystems.Additionallanguage
bindingsareavailableforPerl,COM,andshellscripts(vmrun).Formore
information,seetheVMwareVIXAPIReleaseNotes.
Tolaunchthevmrunapplication,fromthecommandprompt,enter:
vmrun COMMAND [OPTION]
OnLinux,vmrunisinthedirectoryforVIXAPIbinaryfiles,typically/usr/bin.
BeforeusingthevmruncommandonaWindowshost,youmustdooneofthe
following:
ChangeyourworkingdirectorytotheVMwareServerdirectory.Thedefault
locationis:
c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server
AddtheVMwareVIXdirectorytothesystempath.OnWindows2000Server,
youcanchangethissettingfromtheWindowscontrolpanel:
ControlPanel>System>Advanced>EnvironmentVariables>
System variables>Path
VMCISocketsinterface ThisfeatureisasocketsinterfacefortheVirtual
MachineCommunicationInterface,whichprovidesafastermeansof
communicationamongapplicationsrunningonthehostandinvirtualmachines.
Thisfeatureiswellsuitedfordeveloperswhowanttowriteclientserver
applications.Formoreinformation,seetheVMCISocketsProgrammingGuide.
Toallowavirtualmachinetocommunicatewithothervirtualmachinesand
applicationsonthehost,youmustaddthevmci0.unrestricted configuration
fileparameterandsetittoTRUE,asdescribedinChangingVirtualMachine
AdvancedSettingsonpage 127.Ifvmci0.unrestrictedisnotsetorsetto
FALSE,thevirtualmachinecannotcommunicatewithothervirtualmachinesor
applicationsonthehost.
140 VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. 141

8
Thischapterdescribeshowtousevariousdeviceswithavirtualmachineandincludes
thefollowingtopics:
ConfiguringHardDisksonpage 141
ConfiguringCD/DVDDrivesonpage 150
ConfiguringFloppyDrivesonpage 154
ConfiguringPassthrough(Generic)SCSIDevicesonpage 156
ConfiguringSCSIControllersonpage 159
ConfiguringUSBControllersandDevicesonpage 159
ConfiguringSoundonpage 164
ConfiguringSerialPortsonpage 166
ConfiguringParallelPortsonpage 177
KeyboardMappingonLinuxHostsonpage 184
Configuring Hard Disks
Likeaphysicalcomputer,avirtualmachinestoresitsoperatingsystem,applications,
anddatafilesononeormorevirtualharddisks.Youcanaddandremoveharddisksin
yourvirtualmachine,andmodifycertainsettingsforexistingharddisks.Youcan
installanewoperatingsystemonavirtualdiskwithoutrepartitioningaphysicaldisk
orrebootingthehostsystem.
Thissectiondescribeshowtoadd,edit,andremovevirtualharddisks,andhowto
configuredisksettings.
Configuring Virtual Machine
Hardware 8
142 VMware, Inc.

Hard Disk Types and Properties
Mostvirtualmachinesareconfiguredwithoneormorevirtualharddisks.Avirtual
diskisafileorsetoffilesthatappearsasaphysicaldisktotheguestoperatingsystem.
Thesefilesarecreatedinthedatastorelocationthatyouspecify.SeeManaging
Datastoresonpage 110.
Thissectiondescribesthesettingsyoucanconfigurewhenyouaddoreditavirtual
disk.
Disk Capacity Setting
Whenyoucreateanewvirtualdisk,specifyamaximumdisksizeinMBorGB.Setthe
maximumsizetoavaluebetween1MBand950GB.
Ifthevirtualmachinedoesnothaveasnapshot,youcanincreasethemaximumdisk
sizewhenyoueditaSCSIvirtualdisk.
Disk File Options Settings (New Disk Only)
Whencreatinganewvirtualdisk,youcanspecifywhetherspaceforthediskfilesis
allocatedasneeded(calledagrowabledisk)orallocatedallatoncewhenthediskis
created(calledapreallocateddisk).
Agrowablediskiscreatedbydefault.Growablediskfilesuselessdiskspaceinitially
andgrowtotheirmaximumsizeonlyasadditionalspaceisneeded.However,ittakes
longertowritedatatogrowabledisks.
IfyouselectAllocatealldiskspacenow,alldiskspaceispreallocatedatthetimethe
diskiscreated.Thisprovidesbettervirtualmachineperformance.However,you
cannotshrinkthedisklater.
YouarealsogiventheoptionSplitdiskinto2GBfiles.Selectthisoptionifyourvirtual
diskisstoredonafilesystem(suchasFAT16)thatdoesnotsupportfileslargerthan
2GB.
Disk Mode Settings
SelectwhetherornottorunthediskinIndependentMode.Independentdisksadda
layerofcontrolandcomplexitytoyourvirtualdisks.DisksinIndependentModeare
notaffectedbysnapshots.
NOTEPreallocatingdiskspaceisatimeconsumingoperationthatcannotbecanceled
andrequiresasmuchphysicaldiskspaceastheamountyouspecifyforvirtualdisk
capacity.
VMware, Inc. 143
Chapter 8 Configuring Virtual Machine Hardware

Ifyouhaveasnapshot,youmustremoveitbeforeyoucanchangethediskmodewhen
youeditavirtualdisk.SeeRemovingaSnapshotonpage 199.
IfyouselectIndependentMode,alsoselectoneofthefollowing:
PersistentDisksinpersistentmodebehavelikeconventionaldisksonyour
physicalcomputer.Alldatawrittentoadiskinpersistentmodearewritten
permanentlytothedisk.
NonpersistentChangestodisksinnonpersistentmodearediscardedwhenyou
powerofforresetthevirtualmachine.Nonpersistentmodeenablesyoutorestart
thevirtualmachinewithavirtualdiskinthesamestateeverytime.Changestothe
diskareactuallywrittentoandreadfromaredologfilethatisdeletedwhenyou
powerofforreset.
Device Type and Node Settings
Whencreatinganewvirtualdisk,thedefaultadaptertypeisbasedonyourselected
VirtualdiskscanbeconfiguredasIDEdisksforanyguestoperatingsystem.Theycan
besetupasSCSIdisksforanyguestoperatingsystemthathasadriverfortheLSILogic
(parallel),BusLogic(parallel),orLSILogicSASadapter.ThecorrectSCSIadapteris
automaticallychosenbasedonyourguestoperatingsystem.Ifyouneedtochangethe
adaptertype,followtheprocedureinConfiguringSCSIControllersonpage 159.
Eithertypeofvirtualdiskcanbestoredoneithertypeofphysicalharddisk.For
example,thefilesthatmakeupanIDEvirtualdiskcanbestoredoneitheranIDEhard
diskoraSCSIharddisk.Virtualdiskscanalsobestoredonothertypesoffastaccess
storagemedia.
Anavailabledevicenodeisselectedbydefault.
Disk Write Caching Policy Setting
Thefollowingoptionsdeterminewhenchangesarewrittentodisk:
OptimizeforsafetySavesallchangestothevirtualdiskimmediately.
OptimizeforperformanceAcknowledgeschangestothevirtualdisk
immediately,butsavesthematalatertime.
NOTEForWindowsXPguestsystems,theLSILogicadapterrequiresanaddondriver
fromtheLSILogicWebsite.ForWindowsXPandWindowsServer2003guestsystems,
theBusLogicadapterrequiresanaddondriverfromtheVMwareWebsite.Seethe
VMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuide.
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Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine
Virtualdisksarestoredasfilesinadatastore.Thedatastorelocationcanbethelocalfile
system,aCIFSstore(Windowsonly),oranNFSmountedfilesystem(Linuxonly).See
ManagingDatastoresonpage 110.
ItdoesnotmatterwhetherthedatastorelocationisonanIDEorSCSIphysicaldisk.An
IDEvirtualdiskcanbestoredoneitheranIDEphysicalharddiskoronaSCSIphysical
harddisk.SocanaSCSIvirtualdisk.
YoucanaddaSCSIvirtualdisktoahardwareversion7virtualmachinewhenthe
virtualmachineispoweredon.Forearliervirtualmachinehardwareversions,itis
possibletoaddaSCSIvirtualdiskwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredononlyifa
SCSIcontrollerwithanavailableslotalreadyexists.SCSIcontrollersarecreatedas
needed,butcannotbecreatedwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredonforvirtual
machineswithhardwareversionsearlierthan7.
ItisnotpossibletoaddanIDEvirtualdiskwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.
To add a new or existing virtual disk
1 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickHardDisk.
ForinformationabouthowtostarttheAddHardwarewizard,seeAdding
HardwaretoaVirtualMachineonpage 137.
2 OntheHardDiskpage,clickoneofthefollowing:
CreateaNewVirtualDiskSelecttoaddanewblankharddisktoyour
virtualmachine.ThewizarddisplaysthePropertiespage,fromwhichyoucan
acceptorchangethedefaultvaluesfordiskcapacity,datastorelocation,file
allocationoptions,diskmode,virtualdevicenode,andcachingpolicy
settings.
UseanExistingVirtualDiskSelectifyouwanttoreuseorshareavirtual
harddiskthathasalreadybeencreated.ThewizarddisplaystheProperties
page,fromwhichyoucanbrowsetoavirtualdisk(.vmdk)fileyoucreated
previously.Afteryouselecttheexistingdiskfileusingthedatastorebrowser,
itscurrentpropertiesaredisplayed.Youcanmodifythediskmode,virtual
devicenode,andcachingpolicysettings.
NOTEIfyouhaveaWindowsNT4.0guestwithaSCSIvirtualdisk,youcannotadd
bothanadditionalSCSIdiskandanIDEdisktotheconfiguration.
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3 MakeanyrequiredchangestothedefaultvaluesonthePropertiespage,andclick
Next.
FordetailedinformationaboutsettingsyoucanconfigureonthePropertiespage,
seeHardDiskTypesandPropertiesonpage 142.
TheReadytoCompletepagedisplaysthehardwaresettings.
4 Reviewtheconfigurationsummary,andclickFinishtocompletethewizard.
Thewizardcreatesthenewvirtualdisk.
Thevirtualdiskappearstoyourguestoperatingsystemasanewblankharddisk.Use
theguestoperatingsystemsutilitiestopartitionandformatthenewdisk.
Editing a Virtual Hard Disk
Thissectiondescribeshowtochangethesettingsforanexistingharddisk.
Thefileallocationoptionsaredisplayedandcannotbechanged.Whenthevirtual
machineispoweredoff,youcanmodifythevirtualdevicenode.
Ifthevirtualmachinedoesnothaveasnapshot,youcanalsodothefollowing:
IncreasethediskcapacityforaSCSIvirtualdisk.Thevirtualmachinemustbe
poweredoff.
Changethediskmode.
To edit an existing hard disk
1 SelectthevirtualmachineintheInventorypanel.
2 Ifrequiredtochangethesetting,makesurethatthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheharddisktomodifyand
selectEdit.
TheHardDiskdialogboxdisplaysinformationaboutthedisk,includingthe
datastoreitisin,thelocationofthefirstfileassociatedwiththedisk,thedisk
capacity,whetherthediskisgrowableorpreallocated,andwhetherthediskspans
multiplefiles.
4 (Optional)Forvirtualdiskswithsettingsthatallowyoutoincreasethedisk
capacity,clickIncreaseCapacityandenteranewvalueintheIncreaseByor
New Capacityfield.Theotherfieldisautomaticallyadjustedtoreflectthechange.
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Ifyouhaveasnapshot,youmustremoveitbeforeyoucanchangethedisk
capacity.YoucanonlychangethediskcapacityforSCSIvirtualdisks.Thevirtual
machinemustbepoweredoff.
SeeDiskCapacitySettingonpage 142.
5 (Optional)IntheVirtualDeviceNodesection,selectanadapteranddevicenode
fromthedropdownmenus.
SeeDeviceTypeandNodeSettingsonpage 143.
6 (Optional)IntheDiskModesection,selectwhetherornottorunthediskin
IndependentMode.Anindependentdiskcanbepersistentornonpersistent.
DisksinIndependentModearenotaffectedbysnapshots.
Ifyouhaveasnapshot,youmustremoveittochangethediskmode.See
RemovingaSnapshotonpage 199.
AlsoseeDiskModeSettingsonpage 142.
7 (Optional)InthePoliciessection,selectthewritecachingpolicyforthedisk.
SeeDiskWriteCachingPolicySettingonpage 143.
Removing a Hard Disk from a Virtual Machine
Whenyouremoveaharddiskfromavirtualmachine,youcanchoosewhetherto
removethediskfilesfromthehostsystem.
To remove an existing hard disk
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheharddisktoremoveand
selectoneofthefollowing:
RemoveRemovestheharddiskfromthevirtualmachine.
DeletefromDiskRemovestheharddiskfromthevirtualmachineand
deletestheassociateddiskfilesfromthehostsystem.
4 Adialogboxasksyoutoconfirmthatyouwanttoremovethedisk.Ifyouwantto
removeit,clickYes.
Thevirtualdiskisremoved.
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Virtual Disk Maintenance Tasks
Defragmentingvirtualdiskscanimproveperformance.Shrinkingvirtualdisks
reclaimsunusedspace.
Defragmenting Virtual Disks
Likephysicaldisks,virtualdiskscanbecomefragmented.Defragmentationrearranges
data,applications,andunusedspaceonthevirtualdisksothatprogramsrunfasterand
filesopenmorequickly.
Beforeyoubegin,makesurethatyouhaveadequatefreeworkingspaceonthehost
system.Ifyourvirtualdiskiscontainedinasinglefile,forexample,youneedfreespace
equaltothesizeofthevirtualdisk.Othervirtualdiskconfigurationsrequirelessfree
space.
Defragmentationdoesnotreclaimunusedspaceonavirtualdisk.Forinformation
abouthowtoreclaimunusedspace,seeShrinkingVirtualDisksonpage 147.
To defragment a virtual disk
1 Runadiskdefragmentationutilityinsidetheguestoperatingsystem.
Forexample,inaWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem,usetheWindowsXPDisk
Defragmenterutility.
2 Runadiskdefragmentationutilityonthehostsystem.
Defragmentingdiskscantakeconsiderabletime.
Shrinking Virtual Disks
Shrinkingavirtualdiskreclaimsunusedspaceinthevirtualdisk.Ifadiskhasempty
space,thisprocessreducestheamountofspacethatthevirtualdiskoccupiesonthe
physicalharddisk.
Onlyshrinkvirtualdiskswhentheamountofusedspaceonthevirtualharddiskis
significantlylowerthanthesizeofthe.vmdkfilesassociatedwiththevirtualdisk.For
informationaboutthefilesassociatedwithavirtualdisk,seeAppendix B,FilesThat
MakeUpaVirtualMachine,onpage 323.
Beforeshrinkingavirtualdisk,makesurethatthefollowingprerequisitesaremet:
VMwareToolsisinstalledintheguestoperatingsystem.
Thehostsystemhasfreediskspaceequaltothesizeofthevirtualdiskyouplanto
shrink.
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Thediskspaceisnotpreallocatedforthevirtualdisk.Ifthediskspaceis
preallocated,youcannotshrinkthedisk.(ClicktheharddiskandselectEditto
determinehowdiskspaceisallocated.)
Thevirtualmachinedoesnothaveasnapshot.Toremoveanexistingsnapshot,see
Ifthevirtualdiskisanindependentdisk,itmustbepersistent.SeeDiskMode
Settingsonpage 142.
To shrink a virtual disk
1 LaunchtheVMwareToolscontrolpanel:
ForaWindowsguest,doubleclicktheVMwareToolsiconinthenotification
areaofthetaskbar.
Iftheiconisnotavailable,selectStart>Settings>ControlPanel,and
doubleclickVMwareTools.
ForaLinux,Solaris,orFreeBSDguest,openaterminalwindow,becomeroot,
andrunvmware-toolbox.
Ifyoushrinkdisksasanonrootuser,youcannotwipethepartsofthevirtual
diskthatrequirerootlevelpermissions.
2 IntheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,clicktheShrinktab.
Ifthevirtualmachinedoesnotallowshrinking,theShrinktabshowsthereason.
3 SelectthevirtualdiskstoshrinkandclickPreparetoShrink.
Ifyoudeselectsomepartitions,thewholediskisstillshrunk.However,those
partitionsarenotwipedforshrinking,andtheshrinkprocessdoesnotreducethe
sizeofthevirtualdiskasmuchasitwouldwithallpartitionsselected.
VMwareToolsreclaimsallunusedportionsofdiskpartitions(suchasdeletedfiles)
andpreparesthemforshrinking.Duringthisphase,youcanstillinteractwiththe
virtualmachine.
WhenVMwareToolsfinisheswipingtheselecteddiskpartitions,apromptto
shrinkthedisksappears.
NOTETheshrinkprocessappliestoallvirtualdisks,evenifyoudonotprepareallthe
virtualdisksinavirtualmachineforshrinking.
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4 ClickYes.
Shrinkingdiskscantakeconsiderabletime.
5 ClickOK.
Using VMware Virtual Disk Manager
VMwareVirtualDiskManagerisautilitythatallowsyoutocreate,manage,and
modifyvirtualdiskfilesfromthecommandlineorinscripts.
Unlikeaphysicaldisk,youcanenlargeavirtualdisksothatthemaximumcapacityis
largerthanitwaswhenyoucreatedit.Thisisusefulifyouneedmorediskspaceina
givenvirtualmachine,butdonotwanttoaddanothervirtualdiskorifyouuse
ghostingsoftwaretotransferthedataonavirtualdisktoalargervirtualdisk.
Youcanalsochangedisktypes.Whenyoucreateavirtualmachine,youspecifyhow
diskspaceisallocated,asfollows:
Allspaceforthevirtualdiskisallocatedinadvance.Thiscorrespondstothe
preallocateddisktypeforVirtualDiskManager.
Spaceallocatedforthevirtualdiskgrowsasneeded.Thiscorrespondstothe
growabledisktypeforVirtualDiskManager.
Ifyouallocateallthediskspaceforavirtualdiskbutlaterneedtoreclaimsomehard
diskspaceonthehost,youcanconvertthepreallocatedvirtualdiskintoagrowable
disk.Thenewvirtualdiskisstilllargeenoughtocontainallthedataintheoriginal
virtualdisk.
Youcanalsochangewhetherthevirtualdiskisstoredinasinglefileorsplitinto2GB
files.
SeetheVMwaretechnicalnoteaboutusingVirtualDiskManager.
Moving Virtual Disks
Akeyadvantageofvirtualdisksistheirportability.Becausethevirtualdisksarestored
asfilesinadatastoreonalocalornetworkedfilesystem,youcanmovethemeasilyto
anewlocationonthesamecomputerortoadifferentcomputer.Youcanalsocreate
virtualdisksonaWindowshostandmovethemtoaLinuxcomputerorthereverse.
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Configuring CD/DVD Drives
YoucanuseVI WebAccesstoconfigurevirtualmachinestousephysicalCD/DVD
drivesandISOimagesonthehostsystem.YoucanuseVMwareRemoteConsoleto
connecttoCD/DVDdrivesandISOimagesonyourclientsystem,asdescribedin
Thissectiondescribeshowtoadd,edit,andremoveCD/DVDdrivesonthehost,and
howtoconfiguredrivesettings.
CD/DVD Drive Type and Properties
ThissectiondescribesthesettingsyoucanspecifyforavirtualCD/DVDdrive.Youcan
configurethedeviceadaptertypeandnode.Foraphysicaldrive,youcanchoosetouse
ATAPIemulationmodeoraccessthedrivedirectly.
YoucanuseCD/DVDdrivestoreaddataDVDROMdiscs.DVDvideoisnot
supported.
Choosing a Device Type for the CD/DVD Drive
Likeavirtualdisk,avirtualCD/DVDdriveisassociatedwithaspecificSCSIorIDE
devicenode.Thetypeofdevicedoesnothavetomatchthetypeofdeviceonthehost.
AnIDECD/DVDdriveonthehostcanbeconfiguredasaSCSIvirtualCD/DVDdrive,
andaSCSICD/DVDdriveonthehostcanbeconfiguredasanIDEvirtualCD/DVD
drive.However,ifyouwanttodomorethanreaddatafromthedrive,suchasburn
discs,matchthebustypessothattheyarebothIDEorSCSI.
YoucanconfigureuptofourbootablevirtualCDROMs.
Using ATAPI Emulation for CD/DVD Drives
Insomecases,theCD/DVDdrivemightnotworkcorrectlywhentheguestoperating
systemiscommunicatingdirectlywiththedrive.Ifyouencounterproblemsusingyour
CD/DVDdrive,tryeditingtheCD/DVDdriveandselectingATAPIemulationtowork
aroundtheseproblems.Inemulationmode,youcanonlyreadfromdatadiscs.
Ifyourunmorethanonevirtualmachineatatime,andiftheirCD/DVDdrivesarein
emulationmode,startthevirtualmachineswiththeirCD/DVDdrivesdisconnected.
ThisensuresthatyoudonothavemultiplevirtualmachinesconnectedtotheCD/DVD
driveatthesametime.
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Accessing the CD/DVD Drive Directly
SelectAccessthedrivedirectlytohavetheguestoperatingsystemcommunicate
directlywiththeCD/DVDdrive.DirectcommunicationwithaCD/DVDdriveenables
youtoreadmultisessionCDs,performdigitalaudioextraction,viewvideo,andburn
discs.
Adding a CD/DVD Drive to a Virtual Machine
YoucanaddoneormoreCD/DVDdrivestoyourvirtualmachine.Youcanconnecta
virtualdrivetoaphysicaldriveorISOimagefileonthehostsystem.
To add a CD/DVD drive to a virtual machine
1 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickCD/DVDDrive.
2 SelectanoptionunderHostMediatoconnecttoadriveorISOimageonthe
VMwareServerhost.
ClickUseaPhysicalDrivetoconnectthevirtualmachinesdrivetoaphysical
driveonthehostsystem.
ClickUseanISOImagetoconnectthevirtualmachinesdrivetoanISOimage
fileonthehostsystem.
3 ClickNext.
4 DooneofthefollowingonthePropertiespage:
IfyouselectedUseaPhysicalDrive,specifythedrivetouse.
IfyouselectedUseanISOImage,clickBrowsetonavigatetoafilewiththe
.isoextensioninanexistingdatastore.Toenterthepathmanually,youmust
usetheformat:
5 (Optional)Tohavethedriveconnecttothevirtualmachinewhenyoupoweron,
selectConnectatpoweron(thedefault).
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Formoreinformation,seeChoosingaDeviceTypefortheCD/DVDDriveon
page 150.
7 ClickNext.
Editing a Virtual CD/DVD Drive
WhenyoueditaCD/DVDdrive,youcanmodifytheconnectionstatusandwhich
physicaldriveorISOimagefiletoconnectto.Whenthevirtualmachineispoweredoff,
youcanalsomodifythevirtualdevicenode.
To edit an existing CD/DVD drive
2 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheCD/DVDdrivetomodify
andselectEdit.
3 SelectHostMediatoconfigureaphysicaldriveorISOimagefileonthehost
system.
IfyouwanttouseaCD/DVDdriveonaclientsystem,selectClientMedia.Using
VI WebAccess,youcanonlychangethedevicenodeforclientdevices,as
describedinStep 6.UseVMwareRemoteConsoletoselectandconnector
disconnecttheclientdevice.SeeConnectingandDisconnectingClientDevices
onpage 132.
4 (Optional)IntheDeviceStatussection,selectConnectatpowerontohavethe
driveconnecttothevirtualmachinewhenyoupoweron.
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5 IntheConnectionsection,selectPhysicalDriveorISOImage.
IfyouselectPhysicalDrive,selectthedrivetouseandselectoneofthe
following:
ATAPIEmulationSelectiftheguestoperatingsystemdoesnotwork
correctlywhencommunicatingdirectlywiththeCD/DVDdrive.For
moreinformation,seeUsingATAPIEmulationforCD/DVDDriveson
page 150.
AccessthedrivedirectlySelecttohavetheguestoperatingsystem
communicatedirectlywiththeCD/DVDdrive.Formoreinformation,see
AccessingtheCD/DVDDriveDirectlyonpage 151.
IfyouselectISOImage,clickBrowsetonavigatetoafilewiththe.iso
extensioninanexistingdatastore.ToentertheISOpathmanually,youmust
usetheformat:
Formoreinformation,seeChoosingaDeviceTypefortheCD/DVDDriveon
page 150.
Removing a CD/DVD Drive from a Virtual Machine
YoucanremoveaCD/DVDdrivefromavirtualmachineifyounolongerwanttouse
thatdeviceinthevirtualmachine.
To remove an existing CD/DVD drive
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheCD/DVDdrivetoremove
andselectRemove.
4 Adialogboxasksyoutoconfirmthatyouwanttoremovethedevice.Ifyouwant
toremoveit,clickYes.
Thedeviceisremoved.
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Configuring Floppy Drives
YoucanuseVI WebAccesstoconfigurevirtualmachinestousephysicalfloppydrives
andfloppyimagesonthehostsystem.YoucanuseVMwareRemoteConsoletoconnect
tofloppydrivesandfloppyimagesonyourclientsystem,asdescribedinConnecting
andDisconnectingClientDevicesonpage 132.
Thissectiondescribeshowtoadd,edit,andremovefloppydrivesonthehost,andhow
toconfiguredrivesettings.
Adding a Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine
Youcanconnectavirtualfloppydrivetoaphysicalfloppydriveorafloppyimagefile
onthehostsystem.
Youcanadduptotwofloppydrivestoyourvirtualmachine.Avirtualfloppydrivecan
connecttoaphysicalfloppydriveonthehostsystem,anexistingfloppyimagefile,or
anewblankfloppyimagefile.
To add a new virtual floppy drive to a virtual machine
1 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickFloppyDrive.
2 SelectanoptionunderHostMediatoconnecttoafloppydriveorfloppyimageon
theVMwareServerhost.
ClickUseaPhysicalDrivetoconnectthevirtualfloppydrivetoaphysical
driveonthehostsystem.
ClickUseaFloppyImagetoconnectthevirtualfloppydrivetoafloppy
imagefileonthehostsystem.
3 ClickNext.
4 DooneofthefollowingonthePropertiespage:
IfyouselectedUseaPhysicalDrive,selectthedrivetouse.
IfyouselectedUseanexistingfloppyimageorCreateablankfloppyimage,
clickBrowsetonavigatetoafilewiththe.flpextensioninanexisting
datastore.Toenterthepathmanually,youmustusetheformat:
[ datastore_name ] path_and_filename.flp
5 (Optional)Tohavethedriveconnecttothevirtualmachinewhenyoupoweron,
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6 ClickNext.
Editing a Virtual Floppy Drive
Whenyoueditavirtualfloppydrive,youcanmodifytheconnectionstatusandwhich
physicaldriveorfloppyimagefiletoconnectto.Whenthevirtualmachineispowered
off,youcanalsochangethevirtualdevicenode.
Youcanconnectonlyonevirtualfloppydrivetoeachphysicaldriveonthehostsystem.
Thephysicaldevicecanbeconnectedtoonlyonevirtualmachineatatime.
To edit an existing floppy drive
2 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clickthefloppydrivetomodifyand
selectEdit.
3 SelectHostMediatoconfigureaphysicaldriveorfloppyimagefileonthehost
system.
Ifyouwanttouseafloppydriveonaclientsystem,selectClientMedia.Use
4 (Optional)IntheDeviceStatussection,selectConnectatpowerontohavethe
driveconnecttothevirtualmachinewhenyoupoweron.
NOTEBydefault,onlyonefloppydriveisenabledinthevirtualmachinesBIOS.Ifyou
areaddingasecondfloppydrivetothevirtualmachine,configurethevirtualmachine
MachinePowerSettingsonpage 125.Onthemainscreen,selectLegacyDisketteB:
andusetheplus(+)andminus()keysonthenumericalkeypadtoselectthetypeof
floppydriveyouwanttouse.PressF10tosaveyourchangesandclosetheBIOSsetup
utility.
156 VMware, Inc.

5 IntheConnectionsection,specifywhethertoconnecttoaphysicaldriveora
floppyimage.SelectPhysicalDrive,FloppyImage,orNewFloppyImage.
IfyouselectPhysicalDrive,selectaphysicaldriveonthehostsystemfrom
thedropdownmenu.
IfyouselectFloppyImage,clickBrowsetonavigatetoafilewiththe.flp
extensioninanexistingdatastore.Toenterthepathmanually,youmustuse
theformat:
IfyouselectNewFloppyImage,clickBrowsetonavigatetoanewblank
floppyimagefilewiththe.flpextensioninanexistingdatastore.Toenterthe
pathmanually,youmustusetheformat:
Removing a Floppy Drive from a Virtual Machine
Youcanremoveafloppydrivefromavirtualmachineifyounolongerwanttousethat
deviceinthevirtualmachine.
To remove an existing floppy drive
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clickthefloppydriveandselect
Remove.
Thedeviceisremoved.
Configuring Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Devices
PassthroughSCSIdevicesintheguestoperatingsystemhavedirectaccesstoSCSI
devicesconnectedtothehost,suchasscanners,tapedrives,andotherdatastorage
devices.UsingthegenericSCSIdriver,VMwareServerallowsavirtualmachineto
accessanySCSIdevicethatissupportedbytheguestoperatingsystem.
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Intheory,genericSCSIiscompletelydeviceindependent,butVMwarehasdiscovered
thatitissensitivetotheguestoperatingsystem,deviceclass,andspecificSCSI
hardware.TryanySCSIhardwareandreportproblemstoVMwaretechnicalsupport.
Youcanadd,edit,andremovegenericSCSIdevices.
Adding a Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device to a Virtual
Machine
AddapassthroughSCSIdevicetoavirtualmachinetomaptheSCSIvirtualdeviceto
aphysicalpassthroughSCSIdeviceonthehost.
Beforeyoubegin,makesurethatyouhavethefollowingrequiredpermissions:
OnWindowshosts,youmustrunVMwareServerasauserwithadministrator
access.
OnLinuxhosts,youmustbeloggedonasauserwhohasreadandwrite
permissionstousethedevice.
To add a passthrough SCSI device to a virtual machine
1 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickPassthroughSCSI
Device.
2 SelectaSCSIdevicetouse.
AphysicalSCSIdevicemustbeattachedtothedevice,anditmustbeconnectedto
thevirtualmachine.
3 (Optional)IntheVirtualDeviceNodesection,selectaSCSIadapteranddevice
nodefromthedropdownmenus.
4 ClickOK.
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Editing a Virtual Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device
WhenyoueditapassthroughSCSIdevice,youcanchangethephysicaldevice.When
thevirtualmachineispoweredoff,youcanalsochangethevirtualdevicenode.
To edit an existing generic SCSI device
2 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheSCSIdevicetomodifyand
selectEdit.
3 (Optional)UnderConnection,selectthephysicaldevicetouse.
4 (Optional)UnderVirtualDeviceNode,selectaSCSIdeviceadapterandan
availablenodefromthedropdownmenus.
Removing a Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device from a Virtual
Machine
YoucanremoveagenericSCSIdevicefromavirtualmachineifyounolongerwantto
usethatdeviceinthevirtualmachine.
To remove an SCSI device
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheSCSIdeviceandselect
Remove.
Thedeviceisremoved.
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Configuring SCSI Controllers
SCSIcontrollersareaddedandremovedautomaticallyasneeded.VMwareServer
supportsuptofourSCSIcontrollers.
YoucanedittheSCSIcontrollerdevicetype.
To edit an existing SCSI controller
2 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheSCSIcontrollerandselect
Edit.
3 ClickModifydevicetypetochangetheSCSIcontrollerdevicetype.
ThechoicesareBusLogicorLSILogicparallelinterfaces.Forhardwareversion7
virtualmachines,youcanalsoselectLSISASserialinterface.
4 ClickOK.
Configuring USB Controllers and Devices
ThissectiondescribeshowtoaddandremoveaUSBcontroller,andhowtoconfigure
USBdevicesforvirtualmachines.
Adding a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine
Youcanaddonlyonecontrollerpervirtualmachine,butthecontrollersupports
multipleUSBdevices.
To add a USB controller to a virtual machine
1 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickUSBController.
TheReadytoCompletepagedisplaysthehardwaresetting.
CAUTIONChangingthedevicetypebeforeyouinstallthecorrespondingdriverinthe
guestoperatingsystemmightpreventthevirtualmachinefrombooting.SeeDevice
TypeandNodeSettingsonpage 143.
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Whenthevirtualmachineispoweredon,aUSBcontrollermenuappearsinthetoolbar.
UseittoconnecttoUSBdevices,asdescribedinConnectingUSBDeviceson
page 160.
Removing a USB Controller from a Virtual Machine
YoucanremovetheUSBcontrollerfromavirtualmachineifyounolongerwanttouse
USBdevicesinthevirtualmachine.
To remove the USB controller
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheUSBcontrollerandselect
Remove.
4 Adialogboxasksyoutoconfirmthatyouwanttoremovethecontroller.Ifyou
wanttoremoveit,clickYes.
TheUSBcontrollerisremoved.
Connecting USB Devices
BeforeyoucanuseUSBdevicesinavirtualmachine,youmustaddaUSBcontroller.
SeeAddingaUSBControllertoaVirtualMachineonpage 159.
WhenyouphysicallypluganewUSBdeviceintothehostsystem,thedeviceisinitially
connectedtothehost.ThedevicenameisalsoaddedtothePluggedintoHostlistin
theUSBcontrollertoolbarmenusothatyoucanconnectittothevirtualmachine,as
describedinthissection.
IfthephysicalUSBdeviceisconnectedtothehostsystemthroughahub,thevirtual
machineseesonlytheUSBdevice,notthehub.
To connect a USB device to a virtual machine
2 FromtheUSBcontrollermenuinthetoolbar,selectthedeviceyouwanttoconnect
tointhePluggedintoHostlist.
WhentheUSBdeviceisconnectedtothevirtualmachine,itappearsasselectedinthe
toolbarmenu.
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To release a connected USB device
2 FromtheUSBcontrollermenuinthetoolbar,deselectthedeviceyouwantto
disconnect.
TheUSBdevicereturnstothedeselectedstateinthetoolbarmenu.
Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine
VMwareServerprovidesatwoportUSBcontrollersothatyoucanconnecttobothUSB
1.1andUSB2.0devices.
USB2.0supportisavailableonlyforVMwareproductsthatsupportvirtualmachine
hardwareversion6or7,suchasVMwareServer2andWorkstation6.Yourhost
machinemustalsosupportUSB2.0.
Onthehostsystem,whenaUSB2.0deviceconnectstoaport,thedeviceconnectsto
theEHCIcontrollerandoperatesinUSB2.0mode.AUSB1.1deviceisautomatically
connectedtoaUHCIcontrollerandoperatesinUSB1.1mode.Thisenablesyouto
connecttohighspeedorisochronousUSBdevicessuchaswebcams,speakers,and
microphones.
AlthoughyourhostoperatingsystemmustsupportUSB,youdonotneedtoinstall
devicespecificdriversforyourUSBdevicesinthehostoperatingsystemtousethose
devicesonlyinthevirtualmachine.
VMwarehastestedavarietyofUSBdeviceswiththisrelease.Withtheappropriate
guestoperatingsystemdrivers,youcanusePDAs,printers,storage(disk)devices,
scanners,MP3players,digitalcameras,andmemorycardreaders.
NOTEWindowsNTandLinuxkernelsolderthan2.2.17donotsupportUSB.
OnWindowsXPguests,besuretoinstallthelatestservicepackifyouwanttouseUSB
2.0.IfyouuseWindowsXPwithnoservicepacks,thedriverfortheEHCIcontroller
cannotbeloaded.
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Using USB with a Windows Host
WhenaparticularUSBdeviceisconnectedtoavirtualmachineforthefirsttime,the
hostdetectsitasanewdevicenamedVMwareUSBDeviceandinstallstheappropriate
VMwaredriver.
OnsomeWindowshostsystems,confirmationisrequiredintheFoundNewHardware
wizard.Selectthedefaultaction,Installthesoftwareautomatically.Afterthesoftware
isinstalled,theguestoperatingsystemdetectstheUSBdeviceandsearchesfora
suitabledriver.
WhenyouaresynchronizingaPDAtoavirtualmachineforthefirsttime,thetotaltime
requiredtoloadtheVMwareUSBdevicedriverinthehostandthePDAdriverinthe
guestmightexceedthedevicesconnectiontimeoutvalue.Thiscausesthedeviceto
disconnectitselffromthecomputerbeforetheguestcansynchronizewithit.Ifthis
occurs,lettheguestfinishinstallingthePDAdriver,dismissanyconnectionerror
warnings,andtrysynchronizingthePDAagain.Thesecondattemptusuallysucceeds.
Replacing USB 2.0 Drivers on a Windows 2000 Host
TouseVMwareServeronaWindows2000hostthathasUSB2.0ports,youmustuse
theMicrosoftUSB2.0driversfortheUSBcontrollerinthehostoperatingsystem.If
yourhostoperatingsystemisusingathirdpartydriveradriversuppliedbyyour
motherboardvendor,forexampleyoumustreplaceit.
To check the provider of your driver
1 OpentheDeviceManager,asfollows:
a RightclickMyComputerandselectProperties.
b ClicktheHardwaretabandclickDeviceManager.
2 ExpandthelistingforUniversalSerialBuscontrollers.
3 RightclickthelistingforthecontrollerandselectProperties.
4 ClicktheDrivertab.
IfthedriverprovidershownonthatpageisMicrosoft,youhavethecorrectdriver
already.
IfthedriverproviderisnotMicrosoft,downloadthelatestUSBdriverforyourhost
operatingsystemfromtheMicrosoftWebsiteandfollowtheMicrosoftinstructionsto
installit.DetailsareavailableinMicrosoftknowledgebasearticle319973.
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Using USB with a Linux Host
OnLinuxhosts,VMwareServerusestheUSBdevicefilesystemtoconnecttoUSB
devices.InLinuxsystemsthatsupportUSB,theUSBdevicefilesystemisusually
/proc/bus/usb.
IfyourhostoperatingsystemusesadifferentpathtotheUSBdevicefilesystem,run
thefollowingcommandasroottomountthefilesystemtotheexpectedlocation:
mount -t usbfs none /proc/bus/usb
DonotattempttoaddaUSBdrivesdevicenode(forexample,/dev/sda)directoryto
thevirtualmachineasaharddisk.
How Device Control Is Shared Between Host and Guest
OnlythehostortheguestcanhavecontrolofaUSBdeviceatanyonetime.Device
controloperatesdifferently,dependingonwhetherthehostisaLinuxoraWindows
computer.
Device Control on a Windows Host
Whenyouconnectadevicetoavirtualmachine,itisunpluggedfromthehostor
fromthevirtualmachinethatpreviouslyhadcontrolofthedevice.Whenyou
disconnectadevicefromavirtualmachine,itispluggedintothehost.
OnWindowshosts,whenyouconnectaUSBnetworkorstoragedevicetoavirtual
machine,youmightseeamessageonyourhostthatsaysthedevicecanberemoved
safely.Thisisnormalbehavior,andyoucandismissthedialogbox.However,donot
removethedevicefromyourphysicalcomputer.
Undersomecircumstances,ifaUSBstoragedeviceisinuseonthehost(forexample,
oneormorefilesstoredonthedeviceareopenonthehost),anerrorappearsinthe
virtualmachinewhenyoutrytoconnecttothedevice.Youmustletthehostcomplete
itsoperationorcloseanyapplicationconnectedtothedeviceonthehost,andthen
connecttothedeviceinthevirtualmachineagain.
CAUTIONOnWindows2000andWindowsServer2003hosts,youneedtotakea
specialsteptodisconnectUSBnetworkandstoragedevicesfromthehostbefore
connectingthemtoavirtualmachine.Usetheappropriatesystemtrayiconto
disconnectthedevicefromthehost.OnWindows2000,theiconiscalledEject
Hardware,andonWindowsServer2003,itiscalledSafelyRemoveHardware.
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Device Control on a Linux Host
OnLinuxhosts,guestoperatingsystemscanusedevicesthatarenotalreadyinuseby
thehost(devicesthatarenotclaimedbyahostoperatingsystemdriver).
Ifyourdeviceisinusebythehost,youcanunloadthedevicedrivermanuallyasroot
(su -)byusingthermmodcommand.Or,ifthedriverwasautomaticallyloadedby
hotplug,youcandisableitinthehotplugconfigurationfilesinthe/etc/hotplug
directory.SeeyourLinuxdistributionsdocumentationfordetailsoneditingthese
configurationfiles.
Sometimesdevicesthatrelyonautomaticconnection(asPDAsoftendo)experience
connectionproblems.Ifyouhavesuccessfullyusedautoconnectiontoconnectthe
devicetoyourvirtualmachinebutlaterexperienceproblemswiththeconnectiontothe
device,trythefollowingprocedure.
To correct autoconnection problems
1 Disconnectandreconnectthedevicebyunpluggingitphysicallyandpluggingit
backin.
2 Ifyouseeadialogboxwarningthatthedeviceisinuse,disableitinthehotplug
configurationfilesinthe/etc/hotplugdirectory.
Disconnecting USB Devices from a Virtual Machine
BeforeunpluggingaUSBdevice,besureitisinasafestate.
Followtheproceduresthatthedevicemanufacturerspecifiesforunpluggingthedevice
fromaphysicalcomputer.Thisisrequiredwhetheryouarephysicallyunpluggingit,
movingitfromhosttovirtualmachine,movingitbetweenvirtualmachines,ormoving
itfromvirtualmachinetohost.Thisisespeciallyimportantwithdatastoragedevices
(suchasaZipdrive).Ifyoumoveadatastoragedevicetoosoonaftersavingafile,and
theoperatingsystemhasnotactuallywrittenthedatatothedisk,youcanlosedata.
Configuring Sound
VMwareServerprovidesasounddevicecompatiblewiththeCreativeLabsSound
BlasterAudioPCIadapterandsupportssoundinavarietyofWindowsandLinuxguest
operatingsystems.
SoundsupportincludesPCM(pulsecodemodulation)outputandinput.Forexample,
youcanplay.wavfiles,MP3audio,andRealMediaaudio.MIDIoutputfromWindows
guestsissupportedthroughtheWindowssoftwaresynthesizer.MIDIinputisnot
supported,andnoMIDIsupportisavailableforLinuxguests.
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Windows2000,WindowsXP,andmostrecentLinuxdistributionsautomaticallydetect
thesounddeviceandinstallappropriatedriversforit.
WhenyouinstallVMwareToolsina64bitWindowsVistaguestoperatingsystem,a
sounddriverisinstalled.For32bitWindowsVistaguestsandWindows2003Server
guests,useWindowsUpdatetoinstalla32bitdriver.Windows95,Windows98,
Windows98SE,andWindowsNT4.0donothavedriversfortheSoundBlaster
AudioPCIadapter.Tousesoundintheseguestoperatingsystems,downloadthedriver
fromtheCreativeLabsWebsite(www.creative.com)andinstallitintheguest
operatingsystem.CreativeLabshasanumberofWebsitesservingvariousregionsof
theworld.Theadapternamevaries,dependingontheregion,butusuallyincludes
PCI 128.
Adding a Sound Adapter to a Virtual Machine
Youcanaddonlyonesoundadapterpervirtualmachine.
To add a sound adapter to the virtual machine
1 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickSoundAdapter.
2 OnthePropertiespage,selectthephysicalsoundadapteronthehostmachine,or
selectAutoDetect(thedefault)todetectthesoundadapterautomatically.
3 (Optional)Toconnectthisvirtualmachinetothesoundadapterwhenthevirtual
machineispoweredon,selectConnectatpoweron(thedefault).
4 ClickNext.
Editing a Virtual Sound Adapter
Youcaneditthesoundadaptertochangetheconnectiontypeandwhetheritis
connectedatpoweron.
To edit an existing sound adapter
2 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clickthesoundadaptertomodify
andselectEdit.
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3 (Optional)Toconnectthisvirtualmachinetothesoundadapterwhenthevirtual
machineispoweredon,selectConnectatpoweron.
4 Selectthephysicalsoundadapteronthehostmachine,orselectAutoDetectto
detectthesoundadapterautomatically.
Removing a Sound Adapter from a Virtual Machine
Youcanremovethesoundadapterfromavirtualmachineifyounolongerwanttouse
thehostsystemssounddevice.
To remove an existing sound adapter
3 OntheSummarytab,clickthesoundadapterandselectRemove.
Thedeviceisremoved.
Configuring Serial Ports
Youcanconfigureaserialportinavirtualmachinetouseaphysicalserialportonthe
hostsystem.Avirtualserialportenablesyoutouseanexternalmodemorahandheld
deviceinyourvirtualmachine.Youcanalsoconfigureavirtualserialporttosendits
outputtoafileonthehostsystem.Theoutputfileenablesyoutocapturethedatafrom
anapplicationrunninginthevirtualmachineortoquicklytransferafilefromtheguest
systemtothehostsystem.
Adding a Serial Port to a Virtual Machine
Thissectiondescribeshowtoconfigureavirtualserialportinavirtualmachinetouse
anyofthefollowing:
Aphysicalserialportonthehostsystem
Anoutputfileonthehostsystem
Anamedpipe
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To add a physical serial port to the virtual machine
1 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickSerialPort.
2 ClickUsePhysicalSerialPorttoconnecttoaphysicalportonthehostmachine.
3 OnthePropertiespage,selectaphysicalportfromthedropdownmenu.
4 (Optional)Toconnecttothehostsserialportwhenthevirtualmachineispowered
on,selectConnectatpoweron(thedefault).
5 (Optional)ExpandI/OModetoselectYieldCPUonpoll,whichisdeselectedby
default.
Thekernelinthetargetvirtualmachineusesthevirtualserialportinpolledmode,
notinterruptmode.Formoreinformation,seeYieldingCPUonPolltoImprove
PerformanceWhenDebuggingonpage 176.
6 ClickNext.
To add an output file serial port to the virtual machine
2 ClickUseOutputFiletosendtheoutputofanapplicationrunningintheguest
systemtoafileonthehostsystem.
3 OnthePropertiespage,enterthepathandfilenamefortheoutputfileorclick
Browsetonavigatetoafileinanexistingdatastore.Toenterthepathmanually,
youmustusetheformat:[ datastore_name ] path_and_filename
4 (Optional)Toconnecttothehostsoutputfilewhenthevirtualmachineispowered
default.
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6 ClickNext.
To add a named pipe serial port to the virtual machine
2 ClickUseNamedPipetoconnectthisvirtualmachinetoanapplicationoranother
virtualmachinerunningonthehostmachine.
3 OnthePropertiespage,enterthepathandfilenameforthepipe.Dependingonthe
hostsystem,enteroneofthefollowing:
OnWindowshosts:Thepipenamemustbeintheformat
\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>.Thenamemustbeginwith\\.\pipe\.
OnLinuxhosts:Thepipenamemustbe/tmp/<socket>oranotherUNIX
socketnameofyourchoice.
4 ForNearEnd,selectwhethertheapplicationrunningintheguestoperating
systemwillfunctionasaserveroraclient.
SelectIsaservertostartthisendoftheconnectionfirst.
SelectIsaclienttostartthefarendoftheconnectionfirst.
5 ForFarEnd,specifywheretheapplicationthatthevirtualmachinewillconnectto
islocated.
SelectIsavirtualmachineiftheapplicationthatthevirtualmachinewill
connecttoislocatedonanothervirtualmachineonthehostsystem.
SelectIsanapplicationiftheapplicationthatthevirtualmachinewillconnect
toisrunningdirectlyonthehostsystem.
6 (Optional)Toconnecttothenamedpipewhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon,
default.
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8 ClickNext.
Editing a Virtual Serial Port
Youcaneditanexistingvirtualserialporttochangeitsconfigurationsettings.
To edit an existing serial port
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheserialporttomodify.
4 (Optional)Toconnecttotheserialportwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon,
selectConnectatpoweron.
5 Selecttheconnectiontypeandconfigureitasfollows:
PhysicalSelectthehostserialportfromthedropdownmenu.
FileEnterthepathandfilenamefortheoutputfileorclickBrowseto
navigatetoafileinanexistingdatastore.Toenterthepathmanually,youmust
usetheformat:[ datastore_name ] path_and_filename
NamedPipeEnterthepathandfilenameforthepipe.
UnderNearEnd,specifywhethertheapplicationrunningintheguest
operatingsystemwillfunctionasaserveroraclient.
SelectIsaservertostartthisendoftheconnectionfirst.
SelectIsaclienttostartthefarendoftheconnectionfirst.
UnderFarEnd,specifywheretheapplicationthatthevirtualmachinewill
connecttoislocated.
SelectIsavirtualmachineiftheapplicationthatthevirtualmachinewill
connecttoislocatedonanothervirtualmachineonthehost.
SelectIsanapplicationiftheapplicationthatthevirtualmachinewill
connecttoisrunningdirectlyonthehostmachine.
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6 (Optional)SelectYieldCPUonpoll.
Removing a Serial Port from a Virtual Machine
Youcanremoveaserialportfromavirtualmachineifyounolongerwanttouseit.
To remove an existing serial port
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheserialportandselect
Remove.
Thedeviceisremoved.
Serial Port General Usage Examples
AVMwareServervirtualmachinecanuseuptofourvirtualserialports.Youcan
configurevirtualserialportsinthefollowingways:
Connectavirtualserialporttoaphysicalserialportonthehostsystem
Connectavirtualserialporttoafileonthehostsystem
Connectavirtualmachinewithanapplicationrunningonthehostsystem
Connecttwovirtualmachinesonthesamehostsystem
Thissectionprovidesspecificexamplesofthelattertwoconfigurations.
Connecting a Virtual Machine with an Application on the Host System
Youcanconfigureavirtualserialporttoconnecttoanapplicationonthehostsystem.
Forexample,youcancapturedebugginginformationsentfromthevirtualmachines
serialporttoanapplicationonthehost.
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To connect a virtual serial port and an application on the host
2 ClickUseNamedPipe.
4 FortheNearEnd,selectIsaserverorIsaclient.
SelectIsaserverifyouplantostartthisendoftheconnectionfirst.
5 FortheFarEnd,selectIsanapplication.
default.
8 ClickNext.
10 Onyourhostsystem,configuretheapplicationthatcommunicateswiththevirtual
machinetousethesamepipename(foraWindowshost)ortheUNIXsocketname
(foraLinuxhost).
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Connecting Two Virtual Machines
Youcansetupthevirtualserialportsintwovirtualmachinestoconnecttoeachother.
Forexample,anapplicationinonevirtualmachine(theclient)cancapturedebugging
informationsentfromtheother(theserver)virtualmachinesserialport.
Thefollowingproceduresdescribehowtosetuptheserverandtheclienttoconnectto
eachotherusingvirtualserialports.
To set up the server side of the connection
4 SelectThisendistheserver.
5 SelectTheotherendisavirtualmachine.
default.
8 ClickNext.
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To set up the client side of the connection
4 SelectThisendistheclient.
5 SelectTheotherendisavirtualmachine.
default.
8 ClickNext.
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Serial Port Debugging Usage Examples
YoucanuseDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orthecommandlineKernel
Debugger(KD)todebugkernelcodeinavirtualmachineoveravirtualserialport.You
candownloadDebuggingToolsforWindowsfromtheWindowsDDKWebsiteat
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx.
Thefollowingexamplesillustratehowtouseavirtualserialporttodebugkernelcode:
WiththedebuggingapplicationontheVMwareServerhost(Windowshostonly)
Withthedebuggingapplicationinanothervirtualmachineonthesame
VMware Serverhost(LinuxorWindows)
Eitherofthesemethodsenablesyoutodebugkernelcodeonasinglesystem,instead
ofrequiringtwophysicalcomputers,amodem,oraserialcable.
Debugging an Application in a Virtual Machine from the Windows or
Linux Host
Inthisexample,youhavekernelcodetodebuginavirtualmachine(calledthetarget
virtualmachine)andarerunningWinDbgorKDonyourWindowshost.
To prepare the target virtual machine
FollowthestepsinConnectingaVirtualMachinewithanApplicationontheHost
Systemonpage 170,andconfigurethevirtualmachinesvirtualserialportasfollows:
FortheNearEnd,selectIsaserver.
SelectYieldCPUonpoll.Thekernelinthetargetvirtualmachineusesthevirtual
serialportinpolledmode,notinterruptmode.
To prepare the host
Beforeyoubegin,makesurethatyouhaveaversionofDebuggingToolsforWindows
thatsupportsdebuggingoverapipe.Youmusthaveversion4.0.18.0orhigher.
To debug an application using WinDbg or KD
2 Edittheserialport.
3 Makesurethattheserialportisconnected.
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4 Confirmthepathandfilenameforthepipe.Dependingonthehostsystem,enter
oneofthefollowing:
5 Atthecommandpromptonthehostsystem,dooneofthefollowing:
IfyouareusingWinDbg,enterthefollowing:
windbg -k com:port=\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>,pipe
IfyouareusingKD,enterthefollowing:
kd -k com:port=\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>,pipe
6 PressEntertostartdebugging.
Debugging an Application in a Virtual Machine from Another Virtual
Machine
Inthisexample,youhavekernelcodetodebuginavirtualmachine(thetargetvirtual
machine)andarerunningDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orKernelDebugger
(KD)inanothervirtualmachine(thedebuggervirtualmachine)onthesamehost.
ThissetupisusefulifyouarerunningVMwareServeronaLinuxhost.Thedebugger
virtualmachinemustberunningDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orKernel
Debugger(KD)inaWindowsguestoperatingsystem.
To prepare the target virtual machine
1 FollowthestepsfortheservervirtualmachineinConnectingTwoVirtual
Machinesonpage 172.
2 Whenyouconfigurethetargetvirtualmachinesvirtualserialport,youmustselect
YieldCPUonpoll.Thekernelinthetargetvirtualmachineusesthevirtualserial
portinpolledmode,notinterruptmode.
To prepare the debugger virtual machine
1 MakesurethatyouhavedownloadedDebuggingToolsforWindows.
2 FollowthestepsfortheclientvirtualmachineinConnectingTwoVirtual
Machinesonpage 172.
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When you are ready to continue, complete the following steps:
1 Poweronbothvirtualmachines.
2 Makesurethattheserialportisconnected.
3 Inthedebuggervirtualmachine,startdebuggingwithWinDbgorKD.
Advanced Options for Debugging Applications
Certainconfigurationoptionsareavailableforserialconnectionsbetweenavirtual
machineandthehostorbetweentwovirtualmachines.Theseoptionsareprimarilyof
interesttodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtoolsthatcommunicateoveraserial
connection.
Yielding CPU on Poll to Improve Performance When Debugging
WhenyouselectYieldCPUonPoll,youforcetheaffectedvirtualmachinetoyield
processortimeiftheonlytaskitistryingtoperformistopollthevirtualserialport.
Thisoptionisusefulwhentheserialportisbeingusedbytheguestoperatingsystem
inpolledmodeasopposedtointerruptmode.Polledmodecausesthevirtualmachine
toconsumeadisproportionateshareofCPUtime,whichcancausethehostandother
gueststorunsluggishly.
Changing the Input Speed of the Serial Connection
Thisoptionincreasesthespeedofyourserialconnectionoverapipetothevirtual
machine.Inprinciple,thereisnolimitontheoutputspeed,whichisthespeedatwhich
thevirtualmachinesendsdatathroughthevirtualserialport.Inpractice,theoutput
speeddependsonhowfasttheapplicationattheotherendofthepipereadsdatabeing
senttoit.
To change the input speed of the serial connection
1 Usetheguestoperatingsystemtoconfiguretheserialportforthehighestsetting
supportedbytheapplicationyouarerunninginthevirtualmachine.
3 Addtheserial<n>.pipe.charTimePercentparametertoyourvirtual
machinesconfiguration(.vmx)fileasdescribedinChangingVirtualMachine
AdvancedSettingsonpage 127,andsetittoapositiveintegervalue,asfollows:
nisthenumberoftheserialport,startingfrom0.Sothefirstserialportis
serial0.
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Thevalueisapositiveintegerthatspecifiesthetimetakentotransmita
character,expressedasapercentageofthedefaultspeedsetfortheserialport
intheguestoperatingsystem.Forexample,asettingof200forcestheportto
taketwiceaslongpercharacter,orsenddataathalfthedefaultspeed.A
settingof50forcestheporttotakehalfaslongpercharacter,orsenddataat
twicethedefaultspeed.
Tosettheserialportspeedappropriatelyintheguestoperatingsystem,
experimentwiththissetting.Startwithavalueof100andgraduallydecrease
ituntilyoufindthehighestspeedatwhichyourconnectionworksreliably.
Configuring Parallel Ports
Parallelportsareusedbyavarietyofdevices,includingprinters,scanners,dongles,
anddiskdrives.
Avirtualparallelportcanconnecttoaparallelportorafileonthehostsystem.
Adding a Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine
Youcanaddavirtualparallelportthatconnectstoaphysicalparallelportoranoutput
file.
To add a physical parallel port to the virtual machine
1 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickParallelPort.
2 ClickUseaphysicalparallelporttoconnecttoaphysicalportonthehost
machine.
3 OnthePropertiespage,selectaphysicalportfromthedropdownmenu.
5 ClickNext.
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To add an output file parallel port to the virtual machine
2 FromtheAddHardwareorNewVirtualMachinewizard,clickParallelPort.
3 ClickOutputfile.
4 OnthePropertiespage,typethepathandfilenamefortheoutputfileorclick
Browsetonavigatetoafileinanexistingdatastore.Toenterthepathmanually,
youmustusetheformat:[ datastore_name ] path_and_filename
6 ClickNext.
Editing a Virtual Parallel Port
Youcaneditavirtualparallelporttochangeitsconfigurationsettings.
To edit an existing parallel port
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheparallelporttomodify.
4 Toconnecttotheparallelportwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon,select
Connectatpoweron.
5 Selecttheconnectiontypeandconfigureitasfollows:
PhysicalSelectthehostparallelportfromthedropdownmenu.
FileEnterthepathandfilenamefortheoutputfileorclickBrowseto
navigatetoafileinanexistingdatastore.Toenterthepathmanually,youmust
usetheformat:[ datastore_name ] path_and_filename
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Removing a Parallel Port from a Virtual Machine
Youcanremoveavirtualparallelportfromavirtualmachineifyounolongerwantto
useit.
To remove an existing parallel port
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheparallelporttoremoveand
selectRemove.
Thedeviceisremoved.
Using Parallel Ports
Parallelportsareusedbyavarietyofdevices,includingprinters,scanners,dongles,
anddiskdrives.
Currently,VMwareServerprovidesonlypartialemulationofPS/2hardware.
Interruptsrequestedbyadeviceconnectedtothephysicalportarenotpassedtothe
virtualmachine.Also,theguestoperatingsystemcannotuseDMA(directmemory
access)tomovedatatoorfromtheport.Forthisreason,notalldevicesthatattachto
theparallelportareguaranteedtoworkcorrectly.
Youcanattachuptothreeparallelportstoavirtualmachine.Thevirtualparallelport
canconnecttoaparallelportorafileonthehostoperatingsystem.
Configuring a Parallel Port on a Windows Host
Ifavirtualmachineisconfiguredwithaparallelport,mostguestoperatingsystems
detectitatinstallationtimeandinstalltherequireddrivers.Someoperatingsystems,
includingWindowsNT,andWindows2000,automaticallydetecttheportsatboottime.
Others,likeWindows95andWindows98,donot.
InaWindows95orWindows98guest,afteryouaddtheport,runtheguestoperating
systemsAddNewHardwarewizard(Start>Settings>ControlPanel>AddNew
Hardware)soWindowscandetectthenewdevice.
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Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host
Fortheparallelporttoworkproperlyinaguestoperatingsystem,itmustfirstbe
configuredproperlyonthehostsystem.Thissectiondiscussesissueswithparallelport
functionalitythatarearesultoftheincorrectconfigurationofthefollowinghost
settings:
Linuxkernelversion
Deviceaccesspermissions
Requiredmodules
Parallel Ports and Linux 2.2.x Kernels
The2.2.xkernelsthatsupportparallelportsusetheparport,parport_pc,and
vmppusermodules.MakesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)is
loadedasamodule.OnLinuxhosts,VMwareServerrequiresthattheparallelport
PCstylehardwareoption(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)bebuiltandloadedasakernel
module(settom).VMwareServercannotuseparallelportdevicesif
CONFIG_PARPORT_PCisbuiltdirectly(compiled)intothekernel.Thislimitation
existsbecauseCONFIG_PARPORT_PCdoesnotcorrectlyexportitssymbols.
ThevmppusermoduleissuppliedbyVMwareServertoallowvirtualmachines
userlevelaccesstotheparallelport.
To check the module configuration
1 Determinewhethertheparport,parport_pc,andvmppusermodulesare
installedandrunningonyoursystembyrunningthelsmodcommandastheroot
user.
Allthreemodulesmustbeincludedinthelistingofrunningmodules.Youcanalso
lookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
2 Toloadthepropermodules,runthiscommand:
insmod <modulename>
3 Ifnoneofthelistedparallelportmodulesisloaded,enterthiscommand:
insmod parport_pc
Thiscommandinsertsthethreemodulesneededforaparallelport.
Ifyoucontinuetohaveproblems,itispossiblethatthelpmoduleisrunning.Ifit
is,thevirtualmachinecannotusetheparallelportcorrectly.
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4 Ifthelpmoduleisloaded,runthefollowingcommandastherootusertoremove
it:
rmmod lp
5 Verifythatthelinereferringtothelpmoduleinthe/etc/modules.confor
/etc/conf.modulesfileisremovedorcommentedoutbyinsertingahash
character(#)atthebeginningoftheline.Thenameoftheconfigurationfile
dependsontheLinuxdistributionyouareusing.
Whenyourebootthehostafterremovingthisline,theconfigurationfilenolonger
startsthelpmodule.
6 Toensurethatthepropermodulesfortheparallelportareloadedatboottime,add
thefollowinglinetothe/etc/modules.confor/etc/conf.modulesfile:
alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc
MakesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)isloadedasamodule
(settom).Ifyouareusinga2.4.xkernel,themodulesthatprovideparallelport
functionalityareparport,parport_pc,andppdev.
Alsomakesurethatyouenablesupportforuserspaceparalleldevicedrivers
(CONFIG_PPDEV).
To check the module configuration
1 Determinewhethertheparport,parport_pc,andppdevmodulesareinstalled
andloadedonyoursystembyrunningthelsmodcommandastherootuser.
Allthreemodulesmustbeincludedinthelistingofloadedmodules.Youcanalso
lookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
2 Toloadthepropermodules,runthiscommand:
insmod <modulename>
3 Ifnoneofthelistedparallelportmodulesisloaded,usethiscommand:
insmod parport_pc
Thiscommandinsertstheparport and parport_pcmodulesneededfora
parallelport.
4 Usethiscommandtoloadtheppdevmodule:
insmod ppdev
Ifyoucontinuetohaveproblems,itispossiblethatthelpmoduleisloaded.Ifit
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5 Ifthelpmoduleisloaded,runthiscommandastherootusertoremoveit:
rmmod lp
startsthelpmodule.
thislinetothe/etc/modules.confor/etc/conf.modulesfile:
Linuxkernelsinthe2.4.xseriesalsouseaspecialarbitratorthatallowsaccesstothe
parallelporthardware.Iftheparallelportisinusebythehost,theguestcannotuseit.
Ifavirtualmachineisusingtheparallelport,thehostandanyusersaccessingthehost
arenotgivenaccesstothedevice.VMwareServerputsalockonthedevice,andthis
lockrestrictsaccesssothatonlythevirtualmachinecanusetheport.
MakesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)isloadedasamodule
(settom).Ifyouareusinga2.6.xkernel,themodulesthatprovideparallelport
functionalityare modprobe <modulename>andmodprobe parport_pc.
To check the configuration
1 Determinewhetherthemodprobe <modulename>and modprobe parport_pc
modulesareinstalledandloadedonyoursystembyrunningthelsmodcommand
astherootuser.Youcanalsolookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
In2.6.xkernels,loadingparport_pcdoesnotloadallmodules.
2 Ifnoneofthelistedparallelportmodulesisloaded,usethiscommand:
modprobe parport_pc && modprobe ppdev
Thiscommandinsertsthemodulesneededforaparallelport.
Ifyoucontinuetohaveproblems,itispossiblethatthelpmoduleisloaded.Ifit
3 Ifthelpmoduleisloaded,runthiscommandastherootusertoremoveit:
rmmod lp
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startsthelpmodule.
thislinetothe/etc/modules.confor/etc/conf.modulesfile:
Linuxkernelsinthe2.6.xseriesalsouseaspecialarbitratorthatallowsaccesstothe
parallelporthardware.Iftheparallelportisinusebythehost,theguestcannotuseit.
Ifavirtualmachineisusingtheparallelport,thehostandanyusersaccessingthehost
arenotgivenaccesstothedevice.VMwareServerputsalockonthedevice,andthis
lockrestrictsaccesssothatonlythevirtualmachinecanusetheport.
Device Permissions
SomeLinuxdistributionsdonotgrantthevirtualmachineaccesstothelpand
parportdevicesbydefault.Inmostofthesecases,theownerofthedeviceisrootand
theassociatedgroupislp.ToallowtheVMwareusertoaccessthedevice,addtheuser
totheassociatedgroup.Toviewtheownerandgroupofthedevice,runthiscommand:
ls la /dev/parport0
Thethirdandfourthcolumnsoftheoutputshowtheownerandgroup,respectively.
Toaddtheusertothedevicegroup,editthe/etc/groupfile.Onthelinebeginning
withlp,whichdefinesthelpgroup,addtheVMwareServerusersusername.You
mustmakethischangeastherootuser.Thefollowinglineprovidesanexamplefora
userwhoseusernameisuserj.
lp::7:daemon,lp,userj
Thenexttimetheuserlogsontothehost,thechangestakeeffect.
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Notes for Using the Iomega Zip Drive
OnWindows95orWindows98guestoperatingsystems,usingolderdriversforthe
IomegaZipdrivemightcausetheguesttolockupintermittentlyatboottimeorduring
installationoftheguestoperatingsystem.ThenewestIomegadriversworkreliablyin
VMwaretests.TheyareavailablefromtheIomegaWebsite.
Keyboard Mapping on Linux Hosts
Thissectionaddressesthefollowingissuesandprovidesadditionaldetailson
keyboardmappinginLinux:
Somelanguagespecifickeyboardsdonotappeartobesupportedby
VMware Server.
Someofthekeysonthekeyboarddontworkcorrectlyinthevirtualmachine.
Thekeyboardworksfinewhenyourunavirtualmachinelocally,butnotwhen
yourunthesamevirtualmachinewitharemoteXserver.
IfyourkeyboardworkscorrectlywithalocalXserver,andyouwantthesamebehavior
witharemoteXserver(whichisalsoanXFree86serverrunningonaPC),poweroffthe
virtualmachineandclosetheVMwareServerwindow.Addthefollowingsettingtothe
virtualmachineconfiguration(.vmx)fileorto~/.vmware/config:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = "TRUE"
Makethischangeonthehostmachine,whereyourunthevirtualmachine,notonthe
machinewiththeremoteXserver.
IfyouareusinganXFree86basedserverthatVMwareServerdoesnotrecognizeasan
XFree86server,usethissettinginstead:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = "TRUE"
IfyouareusinganXFree86serverrunninglocally,andthekeyboarddoesnotwork
correctly,reporttheproblemtoVMwaretechnicalsupport.
VMware, Inc. 185

X Key Codes Compared to Keysyms
PressingakeyonthePCkeyboardgeneratesascancodebasedroughlyontheposition
ofthekey.Forexample,theZkeyonaGermankeyboardgeneratesthesamecodeas
theYkeyonanEnglishkeyboard,becausetheyareinthesamepositiononthe
keyboard.Mostkeyshaveonebytescancodes,butsomekeyshavetwobytescan
codeswithprefix0xe0.
Internally,VMwareServerusesasimplifiedversionofthePCscancodethatisasingle
ninebitnumericvalue,calledavscancode.Avscancodeiswrittenasathreedigit
hexadecimalnumber.Thefirstdigitis0or1.Forexample,thelefthandCtrlkeyhasa
onebytescancode(0x1d);itsvscancodeis0x01d.TherighthandCtrlkeyscancode
istwobytes(0xe0,0x1d);itsvscancodeis0x11d.
AnXserverusesatwolevelencodingofkeys.AnXkeycodeisaonebytevalue.The
assignmentofkeycodestokeysdependsontheXserverimplementationandthe
physicalkeyboard.Asaresult,anXapplicationcannotusekeycodesdirectly.Instead,
thekeycodesaremappedintokeysymsthathavenameslikespace,escape,x,and2.
ThemappingcanbecontrolledbyanXapplicationusingthe
XChangeKeyboardMapping functionorthexmodmapprogram.Youcanusexevtoview
thekeycodesandkeysymsforkeystypedintoitswindow.
Akeycodecorrespondsroughlytoaphysicalkey,whileakeysymcorrespondstothe
symbolonthekeytop.Forexample,withanXFree86serverrunningonaPC,theZkey
ontheGermankeyboardhasthesamekeycodeastheYkeyonanEnglishkeyboard.
TheGermanZkeysym,however,isthesameastheEnglishZkeysym,anddifferent
fromtheEnglishYkeysym.
ForanXFree86serveronaPC,thereisaonetoonemappingfromXkeycodestoPC
scancodes(orvscancodes,whichiswhatVMwareServerreallyuses).VMwareServer
takesadvantageofthisfact.WhenitisusinganXFree86serveronthelocalhost,ituses
thebuiltinmappingfromXkeycodestovscancodes.Thismappingiskeyboard
independentandiscorrectformost,ifnotall,languages.Whenyouarenotusingan
XFree86serveroralocalserver,VMwareServermustmapkeysymstovscancodesby
usingasetofkeyboardspecifictables.
186 VMware, Inc.

Configuring How Key Codes Are Mapped
Keycodemappingissimple,automatic,andfoolproof.(Keysymmappingismore
complexandisdescribedlater.)However,becausetheprogramcannottellwhethera
remoteserverisrunningonaPCoronsomeotherkindofcomputer,ituseskeycode
mappingonlywithlocalXservers.Thisapproachmighthaveundesirableeffects.This
andotherbehaviorrelatedtokeycodemappingcanbecontrolledbypoweringoffthe
virtualmachine,closingtheVMwareServerwindow,andusingatexteditortoadd
configurationsettingstothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.Youmight
wanttousesomeofthefollowingconfigurationsettings:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = "TRUE"
UsekeycodemappingifyouareusinganXFree86server,evenifitisremote.
xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = "TRUE"
Alwaysusekeycodemappingregardlessofservertype.
xkeymap.nokeycodeMap = "TRUE"
Neverusekeycodemapping.
xkeymap.keycode.<code> = "<v-scan code>"
Ifyouareusingkeycodemapping,mapkeycode<code>to<v-scan code>.In
thisexample,<code>mustbeadecimalnumberand<v-scan code>isaCsyntax
hexadecimalnumber(forexample,0x001).
TheeasiestwaytofindtheXkeycodeforakeyistorunxevorxmodmap -pk.Mostof
thevscancodesarecoveredinVScanCodeTableonpage 188.Thekeysym
mappingtablesdescribedinthissectionarealsohelpful.
Usethisfeaturetomakesmallmodificationstothemapping.Forexample,toswapleft
CtrlandCapsLock,usethefollowingsettings:
xkeymap.keycode.64 = "0x01d # X Caps_Lock -> VM left ctrl"
xkeymap.keycode.37 = "0x03a # X Control_L -> VM caps lock"
TheseconfigurationlinescanbeaddedtoyourpersonalVMwareServerconfiguration
(~/.vmware/config),oreventothehostwide(/etc/vmware/config)or
installationwide(usually/usr/lib/vmware/config)configuration.
VMware, Inc. 187

Configuring How Keysyms Are Mapped
Whenkeycodemappingcannotbeused(orisdisabled),VMwareServermaps
keysymstovscancodes.Itdoesthisusingoneofthetablesinthexkeymapdirectory
intheVMwareServerinstallation(usually/usr//lib/vmware).
Whichtableyouusedependsonthekeyboardlayout.Thenormaldistributionincludes
tablesforPCkeyboardsfortheUnitedStatesandanumberofEuropeancountriesand
languages.Andformostofthese,thereareboththe101key(or102key)andthe
104key(or105key)variants.
VMwareServerautomaticallydetermineswhichtabletousebyexaminingthecurrent
Xkeymap.However,itsmappingmightnotbecorrect.Inaddition,eachmappingis
fixedandmightnotbecompletelycorrectforagivenkeyboardandXkey
codetokeysymmapping.Forexample,ausermighthaveswappedCtrlandCaps
Lockusingxmodmap.Thismeansthekeysareswappedinthevirtualmachinewhen
usingaremoteserver(keysymmapping),butarenotswappedwhenusingalocal
server(keycodemapping).
Therefore,keysymmappingisnecessarilyinexact.Tomakeupforthis,youcancontrol
mostofthebehaviorusingconfigurationsettings:
xkeymap.language = "<keyboard-type>"
UsethissettingifVMwareServerhasatableinxkeymapforyourkeyboardbut
cannotdetectit.<keyboard-type>mustbeoneofthetablesinthexkeymap
directory.(Seeaboveforlocation.)However,thefailuretodetectthekeyboard
probablymeansthatthetableisnotcompletelycorrectforyou.
xkeymap.keysym.<sym> = "<v-scan code>"
Ifyouusekeysymmapping,mapkeysym<sym>to<v-scan code>.Whenyoudo,
<sym>mustbeanXkeysymnameand<v-scan code>isaCsyntaxhexadecimal
number(forexample,0x001).
Theeasiestwaytofindthekeysymnameforakeyistorunxevorxmodmap -pk.
TheXheaderfile/usr/include/X11/keysymdef.hhasacompletelistof
keysyms.(ThenameofakeysymisthesameasitsCconstantwithouttheXK_
prefix.)MostvscancodesareinVScanCodeTableonpage 188.
Thexkeymaptablesthemselvesarealsohelpful.Usethemtofixsmallerrorsinan
existingmapping.
188 VMware, Inc.

xkeymap.fileName = "<file-path>"
Usethekeysymmappingtablein<file-path>.Atableisasequenceof
configurationlinesusingthefollowingformat:
<sym> = "<v-scan code>"
where<sym>isanXkeysymname,and<v-scan code>isaCsyntaxhexadecimal
number(forexample,0x001).(Seetheexplanationofxkeymap.keysymabovefor
tipsonfindingthekeysymsandvscancodesforyourkeyboard.)
Compilingacompletekeysymmappingisdifficult.Itisbesttostartwithan
existingtableandmakesmallchanges.
V-Scan Code Table
Table 81showsthevscancodesforthe104keyU.S.keyboard.
Table 8-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard
Symbol Shifted Symbol Location V-Scan Code
Esc 0x001
1 ! 0x002
2 @ 0x003
3 # 0x004
4 $ 0x005
5 % 0x006
6 ^ 0x007
7 & 0x008
8 * 0x009
9 ( 0x00a
0 ) 0x00b
_ 0x00c
= + 0x00d
Backspace 0x00e
Tab 0x00f
Q 0x010
W 0x011
E 0x012
VMware, Inc. 189

R 0x013
T 0x014
Y 0x015
U 0x016
I 0x017
O 0x018
P 0x019
[ { 0x01a
] } 0x01b
Enter 0x01c
Ctrl left 0x01d
A 0x01e
S 0x01f
D 0x020
F 0x021
G 0x022
H 0x023
J 0x024
K 0x025
L 0x026
; 0x027
0x028
` 0x029
Shift left 0x02a
\ | 0x02b
Z 0x02c
X 0x02d
C 0x02e
V 0x02f
Table 8-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard (Continued)
190 VMware, Inc.

B 0x030
N 0x031
M 0x032
, < 0x033
. > 0x034
/ ? 0x035
Shift right 0x036
* numericpad 0x037
Alt left 0x038
Spacebar 0x039
CapsLock 0x03a
F1 0x03b
F2 0x03c
F3 0x03d
F4 0x03e
F5 0x03f
F6 0x040
F7 0x041
F8 0x042
F9 0x043
F10 0x044
NumLock numericpad 0x045
ScrollLock 0x046
Home 7 numericpad 0x047
Uparrow 8 numericpad 0x048
PgUp 9 numericpad 0x049
numericpad 0x04a
Leftarrow 4 numericpad 0x04b
5 numericpad 0x04c
VMware, Inc. 191

Rightarrow 6 numericpad 0x04d
+ numericpad 0x04e
End 1 numericpad 0x04f
Downarrow 2 numericpad 0x050
PgDn 3 numericpad 0x051
Ins 0 numericpad 0x052
Del numericpad 0x053
F11 0x057
F12 0x058
Break Pause 0x100
Enter numericpad 0x11c
Ctrl right 0x11d
/ numericpad 0x135
SysRq PrintScrn 0x137
Alt right 0x138
Home functionpad 0x147
Uparrow functionpad 0x148
PageUp functionpad 0x149
Leftarrow functionpad 0x14b
Rightarrow functionpad 0x14d
End functionpad 0x14f
Downarrow functionpad 0x150
PageDown functionpad 0x151
Insert functionpad 0x152
Delete functionpad 0x153
Windows left 0x15b
Windows right 0x15c
Menu 0x15d
192 VMware, Inc.

The84keykeyboardhasaSysReqkeyonthenumericpad.Itsvscancodeis0x054.
KeyboardsoutsidetheU.S.usuallyhaveanextrakey(often<>or<>|)nexttotheleft
shiftkey.Thevscancodeforthiskeyis0x056.
VMware, Inc. 193

9
Suspendingavirtualmachineallowsyoutosavethecurrentstatesothatyoucan
continueworklaterfromthesamestate.Takingasnapshotallowsyoutopreservethe
stateofavirtualmachinesothatyoucanreturntothesamestaterepeatedly.Toperform
suspendorsnapshotoperations,youmusthavetherequiredpermissions.
SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachinesonpage 193
UsingSnapshotsonpage 195
Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines
Thesuspendoperationsavesthecurrentstateofthevirtualmachine.Whenyouresume
asuspendedvirtualmachine,anyapplicationsthatwererunningwhenyoususpended
thevirtualmachineareresumedintheirrunningstate,andtheapplicationdataisthe
sameaswhenyoususpendedthevirtualmachine.
Thespeedofthesuspendandresumeoperationsdependsonhowmuchdatahas
changedduringthetimethatthevirtualmachinewasrunning.Thefirstsuspend
operationtypicallytakeslongerthanlatersuspendoperations.
Whenyouresumeanddoadditionalworkinthevirtualmachine,youcannotreturnto
thestatethatthevirtualmachinewasinatthetimeitwassuspended.Topreservethe
stateofthevirtualmachinesothatyoucanreturntothesamestaterepeatedly,takea
snapshot,asdescribedinUsingSnapshotsonpage 195.
Preserving the State of a
Virtual Machine 9
194 VMware, Inc.

Configuring Hard Suspend or Soft Suspend
YoucanconfigureVMwareServertorunaVMwareToolsscriptintheguestoperating
systembeforesuspendingthevirtualmachine.Thisconfigurationiscalledasoft
suspend.
Beforeyoubegin,makesurethatVMwareToolsisinstalledintheguestoperating
system.SeeChapter 5,InstallingandUsingVMwareTools,onpage 73.
OnWindowsguests,whenyoudoasoftsuspend,ascriptreleasestheIPaddressifthe
guestoperatingsystemisusingDHCP.OnLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests,the
scriptstopsnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.WhenyouresumeaWindowsguest,a
scriptgetsanewIPaddressfromDHCP.OnLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests,
networkingrestarts.
To configure hard suspend or soft suspend
VM.
2 ClickthePowertab.
3 InthePowerControlssection,specifyahardsuspend(Suspend),softsuspend
(SuspendGuest),ordefault(SystemDefault)operation.
WhenVMwareToolsisnotinstalled,theSystemDefaultactionistosuspendthe
virtualmachinewithoutsuspendingtheguest.WhenVMwareToolsisinstalled,
theSystemDefaultactionistosuspendtheguestbeforesuspendingthevirtual
machine.
4 IntheVMwareToolsScriptssection,selectoneormorecheckboxestoruna
VMwareToolsscriptbeforesuspendingorafterresumingtheguest.SeeScripts
Tabonpage 94.
5 ClickOK.
Forinformationonadditionalhardandsoftpoweroperationsandotherpowercontrol
settings,seeChangingVirtualMachinePowerSettingsonpage 125.
VMware, Inc. 195
Chapter 9 Preserving the State of a Virtual Machine

Suspending or Resuming a Virtual Machine
Thesuspendandresumeoperationsallowyousavethecurrentstateofyourvirtual
machineandcontinueworklaterfromthesamestate.
Beforesuspendingavirtualmachine,configurethehardsuspendorsoftsuspend
settings.SeeConfiguringHardSuspendorSoftSuspendonpage 194.
To suspend a virtual machine
1 SelectthevirtualmachinethatispoweredonintheInventorypanel.
2 ClicktheSuspendbuttononthetoolbar.
Whenyoususpendavirtualmachine,afilewitha.vmssextensioniscreatedin
theworkingdirectory.Thisfilecontainstheentirestateofthevirtualmachine.See
FilesThatMakeUpaVirtualMachineonpage 323.
To resume a virtual machine that is suspended
1 SelectthesuspendedvirtualmachineintheInventorypanel.
2 ClickthePlaybuttononthetoolbar.
Whenyouresumethevirtualmachine,itsstateisrestoredfromthe.vmssfile.
Using Snapshots
Snapshotsallowyoutopreservethestateofthevirtualmachinesoyoucanreturnto
thesamestaterepeatedly.Forexample,youmightusesnapshotstotestsoftware.You
cantakeasnapshotbeforeinstallingdifferentversionsofanapplicationtoensurethat
eachtestinstallationbeginsfromtheidenticalbaseline.
Tosavethecurrentstateofyourvirtualmachinetemporarily,seeSuspendingand
ResumingVirtualMachinesonpage 193.
What to Use Snapshots For
Thetopicsinthissectiondescribestrategiesforusingsnapshots.
Using Snapshots as Protection from Risky Changes
Ifyouplantomakeriskychangesinavirtualmachine(forexample,testingnew
softwareorexaminingavirus),takeasnapshotbeforeyoubegin.Ifyouencountera
problem,youcanrestorethevirtualmachinetothestatepreservedinthatsnapshot.
Snapshotscanminimizelostworkifsomethinggoeswrong.Ifyourriskyactionscause
noproblems,youcantakeanewsnapshotofthevirtualmachineinitsnewstate.
196 VMware, Inc.

Starting a Virtual Machine Repeatedly in the Same State
Youcanconfigureavirtualmachinetoreverttoasnapshotanytimeitispoweredoff,
asdescribedinSettingSnapshotPowerOffOptionsonpage 127.Forexample,you
mightusethisfeaturewhensettingupstudentvirtualmachinessothatyoucanstart
eachnewclassatthebeginningofthelesson,discardingthepreviousstudentswork.
What Is Captured by a Snapshot
Asnapshotcapturestheentirestateofthevirtualmachineatthetimeyoutakethe
snapshot.Thisincludes:
MemorystateContentsofthevirtualmachinesmemory.
ConfigurationstateVirtualmachinesettings.
DiskstateStateofthevirtualmachinesvirtualdisks.
Whenyoureverttoasnapshot,youreturnthevirtualmachinesmemory,settings,and
diskstothestatetheywereinwhenyoutookthesnapshot.Ifyouwantthevirtual
machinetobesuspended,poweredon,orpoweredoffwhenyoulaunchit,besureitis
inthestateyouwantwhenyoutakethesnapshot.
Activities That Conflict with Snapshots
Whenyoutakeasnapshot,beawareofotheractivitygoingoninthevirtualmachine
andthelikelyimpactofrevertingtothatsnapshot.Ingeneral,itisbesttotakea
snapshotwhennoapplicationsinthevirtualmachinearecommunicatingwithother
computers.Thepotentialforproblemsisgreatestifthevirtualmachineis
communicatingwithanothercomputer,especiallyinaproductionenvironment.
Consideracaseinwhichyoutakeasnapshotwhilethevirtualmachineisdownloading
afilefromaserveronthenetwork.Afteryoutakethesnapshot,thevirtualmachine
continuesdownloadingthefile,communicatingitsprogresstotheserver.Ifyourevert
tothesnapshot,communicationsbetweenthevirtualmachineandtheserverarelost
andthefiletransferfails.
Orconsideracaseinwhichyoutakeasnapshotwhileanapplicationinthevirtual
machineissendingatransactiontoadatabaseonaseparatemachine.Ifyourevertto
thatsnapshotafterthetransactionstartsbutbeforeithasbeencommitted,thedatabase
couldbeinconsistent.
NOTEThestateoftheindependentdisksisnotpreservedwhenyoutakea
snapshot.SeeExcludingVirtualDisksfromSnapshotsonpage 198.
VMware, Inc. 197

Enabling and Disabling Background Snapshots for All Virtual
Machines
Takingasnapshotisnotinstantaneous.Youcaneditahostwidesettingtotake
snapshotsasabackgroundactivity.Thisallowsyoutocontinueworkingwhile
VMwareServerpreservesthestateofthevirtualmachine.However,enabling
backgroundsnapshotsforahostwithslowharddiskscanadverselyaffect
performance.Ifyouexperiencesignificantperformanceproblemswhentakingor
restoringsnapshots,disablebackgroundsnapshots.
Theproceduretoconfigurethehostwidesettingtoenableanddisablebackground
snapshotsisdescribedinEnablingandDisablingBackgroundSnapshotson
page 115.
Snapshots and a Virtual Machines Hard Disks
Whenthevirtualmachinewritesnewdatatodiskafterasnapshotiscreated,thatdata
iswrittentoredologfiles.Thesefilescangrowquitelargeasnewlysaveddata
continuestoaccumulateinthem,untilyoutakeanactionthataffectsthesnapshot.Be
awareofhowmuchdiskspacethesefilesconsume.
RemoveasnapshotWhenyouremovethesnapshot,thechangesaccumulated
intheredologfilesarewrittenpermanentlytothebasevirtualdiskfiles.
ReverttoasnapshotWhenyoureverttothesnapshot,thecontentsoftheredo
logfilesarediscarded.
TakeasnapshotIfyoutakeasnapshotwhenthevirtualmachinealreadyhasa
snapshot,thechangesaccumulatedintheredologfilesarewrittenpermanentlyto
thebasevirtualdiskfiles.Anysubsequentchangesaccumulateinnewredologs.
Redologfilesandvirtualdiskfileshavea.vmdkextensionandarestoredinthevirtual
machinesworkingdirectory.Formoreinformationaboutthefilesthatmakeupa
virtualmachine,includingsnapshotfiles,seeAppendix B,FilesThatMakeUpa
VirtualMachine,onpage 323.
198 VMware, Inc.

Excluding Virtual Disks from Snapshots
Incertainvirtualmachineconfigurations,youmightwanttorevertsomediskstoa
snapshotwhileotherdisksretainallchanges.Forexample,youmightwantasnapshot
topreserveadiskwithyouroperatingsystemandapplications,whilealwayskeeping
thechangestoadiskwithyourdocumentsanddata.
Whenyouaddanewvirtualdisk,settheDiskModetoIndependentModeifyoudo
notwantittobeaffectedbysnapshots,asdescribedinAddingaHardDisktoaVirtual
Machineonpage 144.
Youcanexcludeexistingvirtualdisksfromasnapshotbychangingthediskmode.If
youhaveasnapshot,youmustremoveitbeforeyoucanchangethediskmode.See
EditingaVirtualHardDiskonpage 145.
Taking a Snapshot
Youcantakeasnapshotwhileavirtualmachineispoweredon,poweredoff,or
suspended.Ifyouaresuspendingavirtualmachine,waituntilthesuspendoperation
hasfinishedbeforetakingasnapshot.AsdescribedinActivitiesThatConflictwith
Snapshotsonpage 196,donottakeasnapshotwhenthevirtualmachineis
communicatingwithanothercomputer.
To take a snapshot
1 IntheCommandssectionofthevirtualmachinesSummarytab,expandthe
Snapshotcommand(ifnotalreadyexpanded)andclickTakeSnapshot.
2 Ifasnapshotalreadyexists,adialogboxasksyouifyouwanttooverwritethe
existingsnapshot.Ifyouwanttooverwriteit,clickYes.
Anewsnapshotiscreated.
NOTEIfyouruseofvirtualmachinesisstronglyperformanceoriented,consider
defragmentingtheguestoperatingsystemsdrivesbeforetakingasnapshot.Usethe
guestoperatingsystemsdefragmentationutility.SeeVirtualDiskMaintenanceTasks
onpage 147.
VMware, Inc. 199

Reverting to a Snapshot
Youcanrestorethevirtualmachinetothepointintimethatasnapshotwastaken.The
currentdisk,settings,andmemorystatesarediscarded,andthevirtualmachinereverts
tothedisk,settings,andmemorystatesofthesnapshot.SeeWhatIsCapturedbya
Snapshotonpage 196.
To revert to a snapshot
Snapshotcommand(ifnotalreadyexpanded)andclickReverttoSnapshot.
2 Adialogboxasksyoutoconfirmthatyouwanttoreverttothesnapshot.Ifyou
wanttoreverttothesnapshot,clickYes.
Youcanalsoconfigureavirtualmachinetoautomaticallyreverttothesnapshot,orto
askyouwhetheryouwanttoreverttothesnapshot,wheneveryoupoweroffthevirtual
machine.SeeSettingSnapshotPowerOffOptionsonpage 127.
Removing a Snapshot
Removingthesnapshotwritesthecontentsofthesnapshottothevirtualdisk.This
actiondoesnotdestroyanydatainthevirtualmachine.Movingforward,anychanges
youmakeasyourunthevirtualmachinearewrittentothevirtualdisk.Youcannot
reverttoapreviousstatebecausethesnapshotnolongerexists.
Removingasnapshotwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredoffcantakealongtime,
dependingonthesizeofthesnapshotfile.
To remove the snapshot
Snapshotcommand(ifnotalreadyexpanded)andclickRemoveSnapshot.
3 Adialogboxasksyoutoconfirmthatyouwanttoremovethesnapshot.Ifyou
Thesnapshotisremoved.
Locking a Snapshot
Lockingthecurrentsnapshotpreventsitfrombeingoverwritten.Youcanlocka
snapshotafterithasbeentaken.SeeLockingtheSnapshotonpage 126.
200 VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. 201

10
ThischapterdescribeshowtomanageaccesstoVMwareServerusingrolesand
permissions.VMwareServerauthenticatesusersbasedontheloginusernameand
passwordcombination.RolesassignedtousersonVMwareServerobjectsdetermine
whatactionsuserscanperformonthoseobjects.
AccessElementsonpage 201
ManagingUsersonpage 203
ManagingGroupsonpage 203
ManagingRolesonpage 203
ManagingPermissionsonpage 206
RulesforPermissionPropagationonpage 208
Access Elements
AccesstoVMwareServerobjectsandactionsisdeterminedbasedonthefollowing:
LogininformationUsernameandpassword.
Usersarecreatedandmanagedusingthemechanismsprovidedbythehost
operatingsystem.
Managing Roles and
Permissions 10
202 VMware, Inc.

GroupMembershipAgroupiscollectionofusers.Ausercanbeamemberof
oneormoregroups.
Groupsprovideaconvenientwaytomanageacollectionofusers.Groupsare
createdandmanagedusingthemechanismsprovidedbythehostoperating
system.
PrivilegesAprivilegeisarighttoperformanindividualactiononanobjector
categoryofobjects.
Forexample,theabilitytopoweronavirtualmachineisaprivilege,inthecategory
ofinteractionswiththevirtualmachineobject.Thisprivilegeistypicallygrouped
inarolewithotherpoweroperationsonvirtualmachines.Foracompletelistof
availableprivileges,organizedforconveniencebycategory,seeAppendix A,
DefinedPrivileges,onpage 299.Privilegescannotbemodified.
RolesAroleisanamedcollectionofprivileges.Rolescanbeassignedtousers
andgroupsonanobjectorcategoryofobjects.
Rolescontroluserandgroupaccesstoobjects.VMware Serverprovidessystem
roles,listedinTable 101,SystemRoles,onpage 204.Youcanalsocreateand
manageuserdefinedroles.
PermissionsApermissionisarulethatdeterminesaccesscontrol.Itspecifies
whichrole(collectionofprivileges)isassignedtoauserorgrouponanobjector
categoryofobjects.
Theroleandauserorgroupnamemakeapair.Thispairisassignedtoan
inventoryobject.Youcanchoosewhetherornotthepermissionispropagatedto
thechildobjectsintheinventoryhierarchy.
Figure 10-1. Permission
inventory object
group user
role
VMware, Inc. 203
Chapter 10 Managing Roles and Permissions

Managing Users
AuserisanindividualauthorizedtologintoVMwareServer.Userscanaccess
VMwareServerusingVIWebAccess,thevmruncommand,theVIXAPI,ora
thirdpartyclient.
Tocreate,remove,ormodifyusersonaVMwareServersystem,usethemechanisms
providedbythehostoperatingsystem.UsersremovedfromaVMwareServerhostlose
accesstoallVMwareServerobjectsandarenotabletologonagain.Usersthatare
loggedinwhentheyareremovedfromthehostretaintheirVMwareServer
permissionsonlyuntilthenextvalidationperiod(thedefaultisevery24hours).
VIWebAccessdisplaysalistofexistingusersthatyoucanselectfromwhenyou
configurepermissions.
Managing Groups
Agroupisacollectionofusersthatyouwanttomanagethroughacommonsetofrules.
Youcanefficientlymanageusersthatrequirethesameprivilegesbycreatinggroups.
Usinggroupscansignificantlyreducethetimeittakestoconfigureyourpermissions
model.
Tocreate,remove,ormodifygroupsonaVMwareServersystem,usethemechanisms
providedbythehostoperatingsystem.Groupmembershipischeckedeachtimeauser
logsin.ThegroupsareretrievedeitherfromtheWindowsdomain(forVMwareServer
runningonWindows)orfromtheLinuxoperatingsystemgrouplist(forVMware
ServerrunningonLinux).Removingagroupdoesnotaffectthepermissionsgranted
individuallytotheusersinthatgroup,orthosegrantedaspartofinclusioninanother
group.
Whenyouassignaroletoagroup,itappliestoalltheusersinthegroup.VI WebAccess
displaysalistofexistinggroupsthatyoucanselectfromwhenyouconfigure
permissions.
Managing Roles
Aroleisanamedcollectionofprivileges.VMwareServergrantsaccesstoobjectsonly
tousersthathaveprivilegesfortheobject.Bypairingauserorgroupwitharole,you
granttheuserorgroupaccessrightstotheobject.
VMwareServerprovidesbuiltinsystemroles.Theprivilegesassociatedwithsystem
rolescannotbechanged.
204 VMware, Inc.

Table 101liststhepredefinedsystemroles.
Youcancreateuserdefinedroleswithprivilegesetsthatmatchyouruserneeds.These
rolescanbemodified,renamed,orremoved.Allchangestakeeffectimmediately.Users
donotneedtologoutandloginforchangestorolestotakeeffect.
Creating Roles
Youcancreateuserdefinedrolesifyouhavesituationsthatrequireacombinationof
accessprivilegesotherthanthosedefinedinthesystemroles.
Youcanalsomodifyexistinguserdefinedrolestosuityourneeds.SeeEditingand
RenamingRolesonpage 205.
To create a role
1 FromtheVIWebAccessmenubar,selectAdministration>ManageRoles.
2 Enteranamefortherole.
Thereisnowaytoenteradescriptionfortherole.Adescriptionfortheroleis
automaticallycreated,butitisidenticaltotherolename.Enteradescriptivename
foreachroletohelpidentifyit.
3 InthePrivilegestree,selecttheprivilegestoincludeintherole.Expandthetreeas
necessarytoviewtheprivilegesineachcategory.
4 ClickOK.
Theroleiscreated.
Table 10-1. System Roles
Role Description of User Capabilities
NoAccessUser Cannotvieworchangetheassociatedobject.
Tabsassociatedwiththeobjectdisplaywithoutcontent.
Thisisthedefaultroleforallusers,exceptforusersinthe
Administratorsgroup.
ReadOnlyUser Canviewtheobjectstateanddetailsabouttheobject.
Canviewalltabs,exceptfortheConsoletab.
Cannotperformanyactionsthroughthemenusandtoolbars.
Administrator Grantedallprivilegesforallobjects.
Canadd,remove,andsetaccessrightsandprivilegesforallobjectsin
theVMwareServerenvironment.
ThisisthedefaultroleforallmembersoftheAdministratorsgroup.
VMware, Inc. 205

Editing and Renaming Roles
Whenyoueditauserdefinedrole,youcanchangeanyoralloftheprivilegesselected
forthatrole.Whencompleted,thesemodifiedprivilegesareimmediatelyappliedto
anyuserorgroupassignedtherole.Youcanalsorenameanexistingrole.
Systemrolescannotbeeditedorrenamed.
To edit a role
2 IntheRoleslist,selecttheroleyouwanttomodify.
3 ClickModify.
4 Ifyouwanttorenametherole,enterthenewrolenameintheNametextbox.
Thereisnowaytoenteradescriptionfortherole,sothedescriptionintheRoles
listischangedtomatchthenewrolename.Enteradescriptivenameforeachrole
tohelpidentifyit.
5 Ifyouwanttochangetheprivilegesincludedintherole,selectordeselectthe
appropriateprivilegesinthePrivilegestree.Expandthetreeasnecessarytoview
theprivilegesineachcategory.
6 ClickOK.
Thechangestotherolearesaved.
Removing Roles
Whenyouremoveauserdefinedrole,thedefinitionisremovedfromthelistofroles.
Whenyouremovearolethatisassignedtousersorgroups,youcanremoveallrole
assignmentsorreplacethemwithanassignmenttoanotherrole.
Systemrolescannotberemoved.
To remove an existing role
2 IntheRoleslist,selecttheroleyouwanttoremove.
3 ClickRemove.
CAUTIONMakesurethatyouunderstandhowuserswillbeaffectedbeforeremoving
roleassignmentsorreplacingthem.
206 VMware, Inc.

4 Toconfirmthatyouwanttodeletetheselectedrole,clickOK.
5 Iftheroleisassignedtooneormoreusersorgroups,awarningdialogbox
appears,andyoumustselectoneoffollowingtheoptions:
RemoveroleRemovestheroleandallassociatedpermissions.Usersand
groupsthathavenootherpermissionsassignednolongerhaveanyprivileges.
ConvertroleReassignsanyassociatedpermissionstotheroleyouselect
fromthedropdownmenu.
6 ClickOK.
Theroleisremovedfromthelistandisnolongeravailabletoassigntousersor
groups.
Managing Permissions
InVMwareServer,apermissionconsistsofauserorgroupsassignedrolefora
VMwareServerobject,suchasavirtualmachine.
Anewpermissioniscreatedbypairingauserorgroupandaroleandassigningthis
pairtoaninventoryobject.Permissionsgrantuserstherighttoperformactionsonan
objectorcategoryofobjects.Forexample,toconfigurememoryforVMware Server,
youmusthavehostconfigurationpermissions.
Allchangestakeeffectimmediately.Youdonotneedtologoutandloginforchanges
topermissionstotakeeffect.
Creating Permissions
YoucanassignsystemoruserdefinedrolestousersorgroupsonVMwareServer
inventoryobjects.
To create a permission
1 LogintoVIWebAccessasauserwithAdministratorprivileges.
2 SelectahostorvirtualmachinefromtheInventorypanel,andclickthe
Permissionstab.
3 IntheCommandssection,clickNewPermission.
NOTEBydefault,allusersthataremembersoftheAdministratorsgroupona
Windowshostaregrantedthesameaccessrightsasanyuserassignedtothe
Administratorrole.MembersoftheAdministratorsgroupcanloginasindividual
usersandhavefullaccess.
VMware, Inc. 207

4 Selecttheuserorgrouptowhichyouwanttoassignaroleonthisobject.
Whenyouhavealargenumberofusersandgroups,onlysomeofthemare
displayed.Tofindasubsetofusersorgroups,enterasearchvalueintheQuick
Findtextbox.
5 Selecttheroleyouwanttoassignfromthedropdownlist.
Whenyouselectarole,theprivilegesgrantedwiththeroleareselectedinthe
Privilegetreeforyourreference.
6 (Optional)Ifyouwanttoapplythepermissiontoallchildobjectsoftheselected
inventoryobject,selectGrantthissetofpermissionstochildobjects.
7 ClickOK.
Thepermissionisaddedtothelistofpermissionsfortheobject.Thelistof
permissionsincludesallusersandgroupsthathaverolesassignedtotheobject,
andindicatesthelevelatwhichthepermissionisdefined.
Editing Permissions
Whenyoueditapermission,youcanchangetheroletopairwiththeuserorgroupand
whetherthepermissionispropagatedtochildobjects.
To edit the permission role for a user or group
1 ClickthehostsorvirtualmachinesPermissionstab.
2 InthePermissionslist,selectthepermissionyouwanttomodify.
3 IntheCommandssection,clickEditPermission.
4 Selecttheuserorgrouptowhichyouwanttoassignaroleonthisobject.
5 Selectaroletoassignfromthedropdownlist.
Whenyouselectarole,theprivilegesgrantedwiththeroleareselectedinthe
Privilegetreeforyourreference.
6 (Optional)Ifyouwanttoapplythepermissiontoallchildobjectsoftheselected
inventoryobject,selectGrantthissetofpermissionstochildobjects.
7 ClickOK.
Thechangestothepermissionaresaved.
208 VMware, Inc.

Removing Permissions
Removingapermissionforauserorgroupdoesnotremovetheuserorgroup.Itdoes
notremovetheroleeither.Itremovesthepairingoftheroleandtheuserorgroupfrom
theselectedinventoryobject.
To remove a permission for a user or group
1 ClickthehostsorvirtualmachinesPermissionstab.
2 InthePermissionslist,selectthepermissionyouwanttoremove.
3 IntheCommandssection,clickRemovePermission.
4 ClickOKtoconfirmthatyouwanttoremovethepermission.
Thepermissionisremoved.
Rules for Permission Propagation
Thissectiondescribespermissionprecedencewhenauserinheritspermissions
throughtheobjecthierarchyorgroupmembership.
Multiplepermissionscanbedefinedonanobject,andpermissionscanbeinherited
fromparentobjects.Permissionsdefinedonachildobjectalwaysoverridethose
definedonaparentobject.InVMwareServer,thehostistheparentobjectfor
individualvirtualmachines.
Whenmultiplepermissionsaredefinedonthesameobjectthroughgroup
membership,thefollowingrulesapply:
Ifauserisamemberofmultiplegroupswithdifferentpermissions,foreachobject
thegrouphaspermissionson,thesamepermissionsapplyasifgrantedtotheuser
directly.
Ifmultiplegrouppermissionsaredefinedonthesameobjectandtheuserbelongs
totwoormoreofthegroups,permissionsaredeterminedasfollows:
Ifthereisnopermissiondefinedexplicitlyfortheuseronthatobject,theuser
isassignedtheunionofprivilegesassignedtothegroupsforthatobject.
Ifthereisapermissiondefinedexplicitlyfortheuseronthatobject,that
permissiontakesprecedenceoverallgrouppermissions.
Thefollowingexampleshowshowauserspermissionscanbeexpanded:
Role1includestheprivilegetopoweronvirtualmachines.
Role2includestheprivilegetotakesnapshotsofvirtualmachines.
VMware, Inc. 209

GroupAisassignedRole1onvirtualmachineVM.
GroupBisassignedRole2onvirtualmachineVM.
User1belongstogroupsAandB.
User1isnotassignedindividualpermissions.
Inthisexample,whenUser1logson,theusercanbothpoweronandtakesnapshots
ofthevirtualmachine.
Thefollowingexampleshowshowauserspermissionscanbelimitedbyoverriding
grouppermissions:
Rolesandgroupsaredefinedasinthepreviousexample.
User1sreadonlypermissionisremovedonthevirtualmachine.(Readonly
permissionisrequiredtopoweronavirtualmachine.)
Inthisexample,User1canstilltakesnapshotsbutcannolongerpoweronthevirtual
machine.
Whensettingpermissions,verifythatusershavetheappropriateprivilegesforeach
actiononeachobjectandcategoryofobjects.
210 VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. 211

11
Thefirsttopicsinthischapterintroducethevirtualnetworkingcomponentsthat
VMwareServerprovidesanddescribehowyoucanusethemwithyourvirtual
machine.Therestofthechapterprovidesmoredetailonnetworkingcapabilitiesand
specializedconfigurations.
NetworkBasicsonpage 212
ComponentsoftheVirtualNetworkonpage 213
CommonNetworkingConfigurationsonpage 215
ExampleCustomNetworkingConfigurationonpage 219
ChangingtheNetworkingConfigurationonpage 222
AdvancedNetworkingTopicsonpage 230
UnderstandingNATonpage 248
UsingSambaforFileSharingonaLinuxHostonpage 258
UsingtheVirtualNetworkEditoronpage 267
Configuring a Virtual
Network 11
212 VMware, Inc.

Network Basics
VMwareServerprovidesmultiplewaysyoucanconfigureavirtualmachineforvirtual
networking:
BridgednetworkingConfiguresyourvirtualmachineasauniqueidentityon
thenetwork,separatefromandunrelatedtoitshost.Othercomputersonthe
networkcancommunicatedirectlywiththevirtualmachine.Bridgednetworking
workswithEthernet,DSL,cable,wireless,andlegacyphonemodems.See
BridgedNetworkingonpage 215.
Networkaddresstranslation(NAT)Configuresyourvirtualmachinetoshare
theIPandMACaddressesofthehost.Thevirtualmachinesharesthehostspublic
networkidentity,andhasaprivateidentitythatisnotvisiblebeyondthehost.NAT
canbeusefulwhenyouareallowedasingleIPaddressorMACaddressbyyour
networkadministrator.YoumightalsouseNATtoconfigureseparatevirtual
machinesforhandlingHTTPandFTPrequests,withbothvirtualmachines
runningoffthesameIPaddressordomain.
NATworkswithEthernet,DSL,andlegacyphonemodems.SeeNetwork
AddressTranslation(NAT)onpage 216.
HostonlynetworkingConfiguresyourvirtualmachinetoallownetwork
accessonlytoaprivatenetworkonthehost.Withhostonlynetworking,the
virtualmachinecancommunicateonlywiththehostandothervirtualmachinesin
thehostonlynetwork.Thiscanbeusefulwhenyouwantasecurevirtualmachine
thatisconnectedtothehostnetwork,butavailableonlythroughthehostmachine.
Inthisconfiguration,thevirtualmachinecannotconnecttotheInternet.See
HostOnlyNetworkingonpage 218.
YoucansetupspecializedconfigurationsusingthevirtualnetworkeditoronWindows
hostsandvmware-config.plonLinuxhosts.SeeExampleCustomNetworking
Configurationonpage 219.
OnaWindowshost,thesoftwareneededforbridged,NAT,andhostonlynetworking
configurationsisinstalledwhenyouinstallVMwareServer.TheNewVirtualMachine
wizardconnectsthevirtualmachinetothevirtualnetworkyouselect:thebridged
VMnet0virtualnetwork(namedBridged)isthedefaultselection.Youcanlatersetup
morespecializedconfigurationsbyconfiguringtheappropriatesettingsinthevirtual
networkeditorandonyourhostcomputer.
VMware, Inc. 213
Chapter 11 Configuring a Virtual Network

OnaLinuxhost,whenyouinstallandconfigureVMwareServer,youcanchooseto
havebridged,hostonly,andNATnetworkingavailabletoyourvirtualmachinesby
configuringeachoptionwhenyourunvmware-config.pl.Youcanlaterreconfigure
networkingtoadd,delete,ormodifyvirtualnetworksbyrerunning
vmware-config.pl.
Components of the Virtual Network
Thefollowingsectionsdescribethedevicesthatmakeupavirtualnetwork.
Virtual Network Switch
Thevirtualswitchworkslikeaphysicalswitch,butitisusedbyvirtualmachines.Like
aphysicalswitch,avirtualswitchletsyouconnectothernetworkingcomponents
together.VirtualswitchesarecreatedasneededbyVMwareServer,uptoatotalof10
virtualswitchesonWindowsand255onLinux.Virtualswitchescanbeusedin
bridged,hostonly,andNATnetworkconfigurations.
Youcanconnectoneormorevirtualmachinestoaswitch.OnaWindowshost,youcan
connectanunlimitednumberofportstoavirtualswitch.OnaLinuxhost,youcan
connectupto32ports.
Afewnetworkshavedefaultnamesandswitchesassociatedwiththem:
TheBridgednetworkusesVMnet0,asdescribedinBridgedNetworkingon
page 215.
TheHostOnlynetworkusesVMnet1,asdescribedinHostOnlyNetworkingon
page 218.
TheNATnetworkusesVMnet8,asdescribedinNetworkAddressTranslation
(NAT)onpage 216.
TheotheravailableswitchesareVMnet2,VMnet3,VMnet4,andsoon.
TofindoutwhatnetworksareconfiguredontheVMwareServerhost,selectthehostin
VI WebAccess.TheNetworkssectionofthehostsSummarytabliststhename,VMnet
number,andnetworktypeforeachvirtualnetwork.
Tofindoutwhichnetworksavirtualmachineisusing,selectthevirtualmachine.The
networknameandtypearedisplayedintheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab.
Toviewormodifynetworkproperties,clicktheNetworkAdapteryouwanttomodify
andselectEdit.Foradditionalinformation,seeEditingaVirtualNetworkAdapter
onpage 224.Toaddanotheradapter,seeAddingaNetworkAdaptertoaVirtual
Machineonpage 223.
214 VMware, Inc.

Internal DHCP Server
TheVMwareinternalDHCP(dynamichostconfigurationprotocol)serverprovidesIP
networkaddressestovirtualmachinesinconfigurationsthatarenotbridgedtoan
externalnetwork.HostonlyandNATnetworkconfigurationsusetheDHCPserver
(bridgedconfigurationsdonot).
Virtual Network Adapter
Onevirtualnetworkadapter(alsoknownasavirtualNIC)issetupforyourvirtual
machinewhenyoucreateitwiththeNewVirtualMachinewizard.Thevirtualnetwork
adapterusestheBridgedvirtualnetworkunlessyouchangethedefaultselection.
ThenetworkadapterappearstotheguestoperatingsystemasanAMDPCNetAdapter
adapterfor32bitguestsorasanIntelPro/1000MTServerAdapterfor64bitand
WindowsVistaguests.VMwareServerautomaticallyselectsthenetworkdriverbased
ontheconfigurationonyourvirtualmachine.
For32bitguestsystems,VMwareServersupportsnetworkadaptermorphingto
dynamicallyselectthedriver.Thevlancedriverisautomaticallyinstalledwhenyou
installaguestoperatingsystem.Thevmxnetdriverisautomaticallyinstalledwhenyou
reboottheguestafterinstallingVMwareTools.Whenyoueditthenetworkadapter,the
devicetypeisdisplayedasFlexible.
For64bitandWindowsVistaguestsystems,thenetworkadapterusesthee1000
devicedriver.
Youcancreateandconfigureupto10virtualnetworkadaptersinVMwareServer2and
Workstation6virtualmachines.ThelimitisfouradaptersforVMwareServer1and
otheroldervirtualmachineversions.Formoreinformation,seeAddingaNetwork
AdaptertoaVirtualMachineonpage 223.
Host Virtual Adapter
Hostvirtualadaptersallowcommunicationbetweenthehostcomputerandthevirtual
machinesonthehostcomputer.AhostvirtualadapterisusedinhostonlyandNAT
configurations.
WhenyouinstallVMwareServer,twonetworkadaptersareaddedtotheconfiguration
ofyourhostoperatingsystemonethatallowsthehosttoconnecttothehostonly
virtualnetworkandonethatallowsthehosttoconnecttotheNATvirtualnetwork.
Thehostvirtualadapterisnotconnectedtoanyexternalnetworkunlessyousetup
specialsoftwareonthehostcomputersuchasaproxyservertoconnectthe
hostonlyadaptertothephysicalnetworkadapter.
VMware, Inc. 215

OnaWindowshost,thesoftwarethatcreatesthehostvirtualadapterisinstalledwhen
youinstallVMwareServer.OnaLinuxhost,youmustselecthostonlynetworking
whenyourunvmware-config.pltoinstallthehostvirtualadapter.
Common Networking Configurations
Thefollowingsectionsillustratethenetworkingconfigurationsthataresetupwhen
youselectoneofthestandardnetworkingoptionsintheNewVirtualMachinewizard
orwhenyouaddoreditavirtualnetworkadapter.
Bridged Networking
Bridgednetworkingconnectsavirtualmachinetoanetworkbyusingthehost
computersnetworkadapter.IfyourhostcomputerisonanEthernetnetwork,thisis
oftentheeasiestwaytogiveyourvirtualmachineaccesstothatnetwork.Thevirtual
networkadapterinthevirtualmachineconnectstothephysicalnetworkadapterin
yourhostcomputer,allowingittoconnecttotheLANusedbythehostcomputer.
Bridgednetworkingmakesthevirtualmachinevisibletoothercomputersonthe
network,andtheycancommunicatedirectlywiththevirtualmachine.
Figure 11-1. Bridged Networking Setup
How to Set Up Bridged Networking
BridgednetworkingissetupautomaticallyifyouselectBridgedintheNewVirtual
Machinewizard.OnLinuxhosts,thisselectionisavailableonlyifyouenablethe
bridgednetworkingoptionwhenyourunvmware-config.pl.Youcansetup
additionalvirtualbridgesforcustomconfigurationsthatrequireconnectionstomore
thanonephysicalnetworkadapteronthehostcomputer.LinuxandWindowshosts
canusebridgednetworkingtoconnecttobothwiredandwirelessnetworks.
host
network
adapter
virtual
network
adapter
virtual network switch
(VMnet0)
virtual machine
virtual bridge
216 VMware, Inc.

Requirements for IP Addresses
Ifyouusebridgednetworking,yourvirtualmachinemusthaveitsownidentityonthe
network.Forexample,onaTCP/IPnetwork,thevirtualmachineneedsitsownIP
address.YournetworkadministratorcantellyouwhetherIPaddressesareavailablefor
yourvirtualmachineandwhichnetworkingsettingstouseintheguestoperating
system.Generally,yourguestoperatingsystemcanacquireanIPaddressandother
networkdetailsautomaticallyfromaDHCPserver,oryoumightneedtosettheIP
addressandotherdetailsmanuallyintheguestoperatingsystem.
Ifyouusebridgednetworking,thevirtualmachineisafullparticipantinthenetwork.
Ithasaccesstoothermachinesonthenetworkandcanbecontactedbyothermachines
onthenetworkasifitwereaphysicalcomputeronthenetwork.
Beawarethatifthehostcomputerissetuptobootmultipleoperatingsystemsandyou
runoneormoreoftheminvirtualmachines,youneedtoconfigureeachoperating
systemwithauniquenetworkaddress.Peoplewhobootmultipleoperatingsystems
oftenassignallsystemsthesameaddress,becausetheyassumeonlyoneoperating
systemwillberunningatatime.Ifyouuseoneormoreoftheoperatingsystemsina
virtualmachine,thisassumptionisnolongertrue.
How to Edit the Setting Later
IfyoumakeanotherselectionintheNewVirtualMachinewizardandlaterdecideyou
wanttousebridgednetworking,makethatchangeasdescribedinChangingthe
NetworkingConfigurationonpage 222.
Network Address Translation (NAT)
NATgivesavirtualmachineaccesstonetworkresourcesbyusingthehostcomputers
IPaddress.IfyouarenotabletogiveyourvirtualmachineanIPaddressontheexternal
network,youmightfindthatNATistheeasiestwaytogiveyourvirtualmachineaccess
totheInternetorotherTCP/IPnetwork.NATusesthehostcomputersdialup
networkingorbroadbandconnection.
VMware, Inc. 217

Figure 11-2. Network Address Translation Setup
IfyouselectNAT,thevirtualmachinecanusemanystandardTCP/IPprotocolsto
connecttoothermachinesontheexternalnetwork.Forexample,youcanuseHTTPto
browseWebsites,FTPtotransferfiles,andTelnettologontoothercomputers.NAT
alsoallowsyoutoconnecttoaTCP/IPnetworkusingaTokenRingadapteronthehost
computer.
InthedefaultNATconfiguration,computersontheexternalnetworkcannotinitiate
connectionstothevirtualmachine.Thatmeans,forexample,thatthedefault
configurationdoesnotletyouusethevirtualmachineasaWebservertosendWeb
pagestocomputersontheexternalnetwork.Thisconfigurationhastheadvantageof
protectingtheguestoperatingsystemfrombeingcompromisedbeforeyouhavea
chancetoinstallsecuritysoftware.Forexample,itisoftenrecommendedthatfor
Windowsguestoperatingsystems,youuseNATuntilyouinstallantivirussoftware.
How to Set Up NAT
AnetworkaddresstranslationconnectionissetupautomaticallyifyouselectNATin
theNewVirtualMachinewizard.OnLinuxhosts,thisselectionisavailableonlyifyou
enabletheNAToptionwhenyourunvmware-config.pl.
IfyouuseNAT,yourvirtualmachinedoesnothaveitsownIPaddressontheexternal
network.Instead,aseparateprivatenetworkissetuponthehostcomputer.Your
virtualmachinegetsanaddressonthatnetworkfromtheVMwareinternalDHCP
server.TheVMwareNATdevicepassesnetworkdatabetweenoneormorevirtual
machinesandtheexternalnetwork,usingahostnetworkadapterthatisvisibletothe
hostoperatingsystem.Itidentifiesincomingdatapacketsintendedforeachvirtual
machineandsendsthemtothecorrectdestination.
network
virtual
network
adapter
(VMnet8)
virtual machine
DHCP server
NAT
device
218 VMware, Inc.

IfyoumakesomeotherselectionintheNewVirtualMachinewizardandlaterdecide
youwanttouseNAT,youcanmakethatchangeasdescribedinChangingthe
ForamorethoroughdiscussionofNAT,seeUnderstandingNATonpage 248.
Host-Only Networking
Hostonlynetworkingcreatesanetworkthatiscompletelycontainedwithinthehost
computer.Hostonlynetworkingprovidesanetworkconnectionbetweenthevirtual
machineandthehostcomputer,usingahostnetworkadapterthatisvisibletothehost
operatingsystem.Thisapproachcanbeusefulifyouneedtosetupanisolatedvirtual
network.
Figure 11-3. Host-Only Networking Setup
AhostonlynetworkissetupautomaticallyifyouselectHostOnlyintheNewVirtual
Machinewizard.OnLinuxhosts,thisselectionisavailableonlyifyouenablethe
hostonlynetworkingoptionwhenyourunvmware-config.pl.
Ifyouusehostonlynetworking,yourvirtualmachineandthehostnetworkadapter
areconnectedtoaprivateEthernetnetwork.Addressesonthisnetworkareprovided
bytheVMwareinternalDHCPserver.
IfyoumakeanotherselectionintheNewVirtualMachinewizardandlaterwanttouse
hostonlynetworking,youcanmakethatchangeasdescribedinChangingthe
host
network
adapter
virtual
network
adapter
(VMnet1)
virtual machine
DHCP server
VMware, Inc. 219

Routing and Connection Sharing
Ifyouinstalltheproperroutingorproxysoftwareonyourhostcomputer,youcan
establishaconnectionbetweenthevirtualnetworkadapterandaphysicalnetwork
adapteronthehostcomputer.Thisallowsyou,forexample,toconnectthevirtual
machinetoaTokenRingorothernonEthernetnetwork.
OnaWindowshostcomputer,youcanusehostonlynetworkingincombinationwith
theInternetconnectionsharingfeatureinWindowstoallowavirtualmachinetouse
thehostsdialupnetworkingadapterorotherconnectiontotheInternet.Seeyour
WindowsdocumentationfordetailsonconfiguringInternetconnectionsharing.
Example Custom Networking Configuration
ThevirtualnetworkingcomponentsprovidedbyVMwareServermakeitpossiblefor
youtocreatesophisticatedvirtualnetworks.Thevirtualnetworkscanbeconnectedto
oneormoreexternalnetworks,ortheycanrunentirelyonthehostcomputer.
Beforeattemptingtosetupcomplexvirtualnetworks,youmusthaveagood
understandingofhowtoconfigurenetworkdevicesinyourhostandguestoperating
systems.
Theexampledescribedinthissectionillustratesmanyofthewaysyoucancombine
devicesonavirtualnetwork.OthercustomconfigurationsaredescribedinAdvanced
NetworkingTopicsonpage 230andUnderstandingNATonpage 248.
Inthisconfiguration,aWebserverconnectsthroughafirewalltoanexternalnetwork.
AnadministratorscomputerconnectstotheWebserverthroughasecondfirewall.
220 VMware, Inc.

Figure 11-4. Custom Configuration That Uses Two Firewalls
Inadditiontousingthedefaultbridgednetwork,VMnet0,thisconfigurationrequires
youtoconfigureVMnet2andVMnet3hostonlyvirtualnetworks.Youwillalsocreate
fourvirtualmachinesandinstalltheappropriateguestoperatingsystemsand
applicationsoftwareineachvirtualmachineandmaketheappropriatenetworking
settingschangesineachvirtualmachine.
To set up a virtual network that connects to an external network
1 ConfigureVMnet2andVMnet3hostonlynetworks.
OnWindows,usethevirtualnetworkeditor(fromtheWindowsStartmenu,
selectPrograms>VMwareServer>ManageVirtualNetworks)toaddhost
virtualadaptersforVMnet2andVMnet3.
Afteryoumakechangesusingthevirtualnetworkeditor,youmustrestart
yournetworkusingtheRefreshNetworkSystemcommandintheHost
SummarytabofVI WebAccess.Thenyoucanaddthesenetworkstovirtual
machines.
OnLinux,runvmware-config.pltoconfigureVMnet2andVMnet3
networks.Thescriptautomaticallyrefreshesthenetworkwhenitcompletes
theconfigurationchanges.
virtual
network
adapter
(VMnet2)
(VMnet3)
(VMnet0)
virtual machine 4
internal PC
virtual
network
adapter
virtual
network
adapter
virtual
network
adapter
virtual machine 1
firewall
virtual
network
adapter
virtual
network
adapter
virtual machine 3
firewall
virtual machine 2
Web server
host
network
adapter
virtual bridge
VMware, Inc. 221

2 SetupfourvirtualmachinesusingtheNewVirtualMachinewizardasdescribed
inChapter 4,CreatingandUpgradingVirtualMachines,onpage 59:
a Createthefirstvirtualmachineusingthedefaultbridgednetwork(VMnet0),
soitcanconnecttoanexternalnetworkwiththehostcomputersnetwork
adapter.ThisvirtualmachineactsastheoutsidefirewallfortheDMZ,andis
namedFW1inthisprocedure.
b Createtheotherthreevirtualmachineswithoutnetworking.Thevirtual
machinewiththeWebServerisnamedWSinthisprocedure.Thevirtual
machinethatactsasaninternalfirewallisnamedFW2inthisprocedure.
Youwillsetuptheirvirtualnetworkadaptersinlatersteps.
YouwillnotinstalltheoperatingsystemsuntilStep 8.
3 Configurenetworksettingsforthefirstvirtualmachine,FW1:
a SelectvirtualmachineFW1inVI WebAccess,butdonotpoweriton.
b UsetheAddHardwarewizardtoaddtheVMnet2network(HostOnly1)to
thevirtualmachine.
SeeAddingaNetworkAdaptertoaVirtualMachineonpage 223.
4 ConfigurenetworksettingsfortheWebServervirtualmachine,asfollows:
a SelectWSinVI WebAccess,butdonotpoweriton.
b UsetheAddHardwarewizardtoaddtheVMnet2(HostOnly1)network
adaptertothevirtualmachine.
5 Configurenetworksettingsfortheinsidefirewallvirtualmachine,asfollows:
a SelectFW2inVI WebAccess,butdonotpoweriton.
b UsetheAddHardwarewizardtoaddtheVMnet2(HostOnly1)network
adaptertothevirtualmachine.
c UsetheAddHardwarewizardtoaddtheVMnet3(HostOnly2)connectionto
thevirtualmachine.
6 Configurenetworksettingsforthefourthvirtualmachine,asfollows:
UsetheAddHardwarewizardtoaddtheVMnet3connectiontothevirtual
machine.
222 VMware, Inc.

7 DeterminethenetworkaddressesusedforVMnet2andVMnet3:
OnWindowshosts,openacommandpromptandrun:
ipconfig /all
Notethenetworkaddressesusedbyeachvirtualadapter.
OnLinuxhosts,openaterminalandrun:
ifconfig
Notethenetworkaddressesusedbyeachvirtualswitch.
8 Poweroneachvirtualmachineinturnandinstalltheappropriateguestoperating
system.
9 Configurethenetworkingineachguestoperatingsystem:
Machine1Forthebridgednetworkadapterinvirtualmachine1,usethe
networkingsettingsneededforaconnectiontotheexternalnetwork.Ifthe
virtualmachinegetsitsIPaddressfromaDHCPserverontheexternal
network,thedefaultsettingswillwork.
Forthesecondnetworkadapterinvirtualmachine1,manuallyassignanIP
addressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet2.
Machine2AssignanIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet2.
Machine3NetworkadaptersareconnectedtoVMnet2andVMnet3.Assign
eachadapteranIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwiththevirtualnetwork
towhichitisconnected.
Machine4AssignanIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet3.
10 Installthenecessaryapplicationsoftwareineachvirtualmachine.
Changing the Networking Configuration
Thissectiondescribeshowyoucanaddvirtualnetworkadapterstoyourvirtual
machineandchangetheconfigurationofexistingadapters.
NOTEOnaWindowshost,forStep 9,youarenotrequiredtoconfigurenetwork
addressesmanually.YoucaninsteaduseVMwareServersDHCPserver.Inthe
virtualnetworkeditorsDHCPtab,addVMnet2andVMnet3tothelistofvirtual
networksservedbytheVMwareinternalDHCPserver.
VMware, Inc. 223

Refreshing the Network
OnWindows,toconfigurecustomvirtualnetworksyoumustusethevirtualnetwork
editor(fromtheWindowsStartmenu,selectPrograms>VMwareServer>Manage
VirtualNetworks).Afteryoumakechangesusingthevirtualnetworkeditor,youmust
updatethenetworklistinVI Web AccessusingtheRefreshNetworkListcommand.
Afterrefreshingthenetwork,thechangesmadeusingthevirtualnetworkeditor
appearintheNetworkssectionofthehostsSummarytab,andyoucanaddthese
networkstovirtualmachines.
To restart the virtual network system
2 IntheCommandssectionofthehostSummarytab,clickRefresh Network List.
Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine
Virtualnetworkadapterscanbeconnectedtoalabelednetworkinmuchthesameway
thatphysicalnetworkadaptersareconnectedbycablestowalljacks.Bychoosinga
labelednetworkforanadapter,youenabletheguestoperatingsystemtoreachthe
resourcesofthespecifiednetwork.
To add a virtual network adapter
3 IntheCommandssectionoftheSummarytab,clickAddHardware.
TheAddHardwarewizardopens.
4 ClickNetworkAdapter,andclickNext.
5 Selectthenameofthevirtualnetworkadapter.SelectBridged,NAT,HostOnly,or
acustomnetworkyouhaveconfiguredinthevirtualnetworkeditor(Windows)or
vmware-config.pl(Linux).
Ifyouselectacustomnetworkyouconfiguredinthevirtualnetworkeditor,select
namethatcorrespondstotheVMnetvirtualnetworktousefromthedropdown
list.
NOTEVMnet0,VMnet1,andVMnet8arenormallyusedforbridged,hostonly,
andNATconfigurations,respectively.Specialstepsarerequiredtomakethem
availableforuseincustomconfigurations.Selectoneoftheotherswitches.
224 VMware, Inc.

6 (Optional)Tohavethenetworkadapterconnectedtothevirtualmachinewhen
youpoweriton,selectConnectatpoweron(thedefault).
7 ClickNext.
TheReadytoCompletepageappearsanddisplaysthehardwaresettings.
Editing a Virtual Network Adapter
Virtualnetworkadapterscanbeconnectedtoalabelednetworkinmuchthesameway
thatphysicalnetworkadaptersareconnectedbycablestowalljacks.Bychoosinga
labelednetworkforanadapter,youenabletheguestoperatingsystemtoreachthe
resourcesofthespecifiednetwork.
To edit an existing network adapter
2 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clickthenetworkadaptertomodify
andselectEdit.
3 (Optional)Toconnectthevirtualmachinetothisnetworkwhenthevirtual
machineispoweredon,selectConnectatpoweron.
4 IntheNetworkConnectionlist,selectthevirtualnetworkname.
SelectBridged,NAT,HostOnly,orthenameofyourcustomVMnetvirtual
networkfromthedropdownlist.
5 (Optional)IntheMACAddresssection,thecurrentMACaddressisdisplayedin
atextbox.Initially,theMACaddressisgeneratedbythehost.Youmightwantto
changetheMACaddressmanuallyif,forexample:
Virtualnetworkadaptersondifferentphysicalserverssharethesamesubnet
andareassignedthesameMACaddress,causingaconflict.
YouwanttoensurethatavirtualnetworkadapteralwayshasthesameMAC
address.
IfyouselectManual,youcaneditthevalueoftheMACaddressinthetextbox.
Thevalueyouentermustbebetween00:50:56:00:00:00and
00:50:56:3F:FF:FF.
SeeMaintainingandChangingtheMACAddressofaVirtualMachineon
page 234.
VMware, Inc. 225

7 MakesuretheguestoperatingsystemisconfiguredtouseanappropriateIP
addressonthenewnetwork.
IftheguestisusingDHCP,releaseandrenewthelease.IftheIPaddressisset
statically,makesuretheguesthasanaddressonthecorrectvirtualnetwork.
Removing a Network Adapter from a Virtual Machine
Ifyounolongerwanttouseanetworkadapterinavirtualmachine,youcanremoveit.
To remove an existing network adapter
2 OntheSummarytab,clickthenetworkadaptertoremoveandselectRemove.
3 Adialogboxpromptsyoutoconfirmthatyouwanttoremovetheadapter.Ifyou
Thenetworkadapterisdeleted.
Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a Windows Host
Youcanviewandchangethesettingsforbridgednetworkingonyourhost.These
changesaffectallvirtualmachinesusingbridgednetworkingonthehost.
Youcanchoosewhichnetworkadaptersonyourhosttouseforbridgednetworking.
Youcanmapspecificanetworkadaptertoaspecificvirtualnetwork(VMnet).
To configure bridged networking options on a Windows host
1 Startthevirtualnetworkeditor(fromtheWindowsStartmenu,selectPrograms >
VMwareServer>ManageVirtualNetworks).
ThevirtualnetworkeditordisplaystheSummarytab.
2 Bydefault,theVMnet0virtualnetworkissetupinbridgedmodeandisbridged
tooneoftheactivenetworkadaptersonthehostcomputer.
Thechoiceofwhichadapteritusesisarbitrary.VMwarerecommendsthatyoulet
VMwareServerselectanavailablephysicalnetworkadapterforbridging,to
providefaulttolerance.Ifanetworkadapterbecomesunavailable(forexample,if
itisunpluggedorremovedfromthehost),thenetworkbridgeautomatically
switchestoanothernetworkadapteronthehost.
226 VMware, Inc.

YoucanrestricttherangeofchoicesusingtheoptionsontheAutomaticBridging
tab.
(VMnet1isthedefaultvirtualnetworkforhostonlynetworkingandVMnet8isthe
defaultvirtualnetworkforNAT,iftheyareenabledinVMware Server.)
3 ToexcludeoneormorephysicalnetworkadaptersfromthelisttowhichVMnet0
canbebridged,clicktheAutomaticBridgingtab.
Toexcludeanetworkadapter,clickAddtoaddittothelistofexcludeddevices.
IntheChooseNetworkAdaptersdialogbox,selectthelistingfortheadapteryou
wanttoexclude,andclickOK.
Toremoveanadapterfromthelistofexcludedadapters,selectitsnameinthelist,
andclickRemove.
Ifyouareusingteamednetworkadaptersonyourhost,youcanexcludethe
physicalnetworkadaptersfrombridgednetworking.Forinformationabout
teamednetworkadapters,seeConfiguringBridgedNetworkingWhenUsing
TeamedNetworkInterfaceCardsonpage 238.
4 Todesignateaphysicalnetworkadaptertobeusedforbridgednetworkingon
virtualswitchesnamedVMnet2VMnet7,clicktheHostVirtualNetwork
Mappingtab.
Selectanadapterfromthedropdownlistbesidethenameofthevirtualswitch
youwanttouse.
Ifyouareusingteamednetworkadaptersonyourhost,youcanselecttheteamed
networkadapterforVMnet0.
CAUTIONBecarefulwhenyouchangethebridgedadaptermappings.Ifyou
reassignaphysicalnetworkadaptertoadifferentvirtualnetwork,anyvirtual
machineusingtheoriginalnetworklosesitsnetworkconnectivitythroughthat
network.Youmustthenchangethesettingforeachaffectedvirtualmachines
networkadapterindividually.Thiscanbeespeciallytroublesomeifyourhosthas
onlyonephysicalnetworkadapterandyoureassignittoaVMnetotherthan
VMnet0.EventhoughtheVMnetstillappearstobebridgedtoanautomatically
chosenadapter,theonlyadapteritcanusehasbeenassignedtoanotherVMnet.
VMware, Inc. 227

5 TomakechangestothesubnetortheDHCPsettingsforavirtualnetwork,clickthe
buttonontherightthatcorrespondstothevirtualnetworkyouwanttoconfigure,
andselectSubnetorDHCP.
IntheSubnetdialogbox,youcanchangethesubnetsIPaddressandthesubnet
mask.Theaddressmustbeavalidnetworkaddressthatissuitableforusewiththe
subnetmask.
Thedefaultsubnetmaskis255.255.255.0(aclassCnetwork).Typically,thismeans
youshouldmodifyonlythethirdnumberintheIPaddressforexample,xin
192.168.x.0or172.16.x.0.Ingeneral,youshouldnotchangethesubnetmask.
Certainvirtualnetworkservicesmightnotworkaswellwithacustomizedsubnet
mask.
Whenyoumodifythenetworkaddressorsubnetmask,VMwareServer
automaticallyupdatestheIPaddresssettingsforothercomponentssuchas
DHCP,NAT,andhostvirtualadapteronthatvirtualnetworktoreflectthenew
settings.ThespecificsettingsthatareautomaticallyupdatedincludeDHCPlease
range,DHCPserveraddress,NATgatewayaddress,andhostvirtualadapterIP
address.However,ifyouchangeanyofthesesettingsfromitsdefaultvalue
evenifyoulaterchangethesettingbacktothedefaultVMware Serverdoesnot
updatethatcustomsetting.
IntheDHCPsettingsdialogbox,youcanchangetherangeofIPaddresses
providedbytheDHCPserveronaparticularvirtualnetwork.Youcanalsosetthe
durationofleasesprovidedtoclientsonthevirtualnetwork.
6 Whenyouhavemadeallthechangesyouwanttomakeinthevirtualnetwork
editor,clickOK.
Enabling, Disabling, Adding, and Removing Host Virtual
Adapters
WhenyouinstallVMwareServer,twonetworkadaptersareaddedtotheconfiguration
ofyourhostoperatingsystem:onethatallowsthehosttoconnecttothehostonly
networkandonethatallowsthehosttoconnecttotheNATnetwork.
Ifyouarenotusingtheseadapters,youcanremovethem.OnWindowshosts,youcan
disabletheadaptersinsteadofremovingthem.Thepresenceoftheseadaptershasa
slightperformancecost,becausebroadcastpacketsmustgototheextraadapters.On
Windowsnetworks,browsingyournetworkcanbeslowerthanusual.Andinsome
cases,theseadaptersinteractwiththehostcomputersnetworkingconfigurationin
undesirableways.
228 VMware, Inc.

To disable a host virtual adapter on a Windows host
1 Startthevirtualnetworkeditor(fromtheWindowsStartmenu,selectPrograms>
2 SelecttheHostVirtualAdapterstab.
3 Selecttheadapteryouwanttodisable.
4 ClickDisableadapter.
5 ClickOK.
To enable a disabled host virtual adapter on a Windows host
2 ClickHostVirtualAdapters.
3 Selectthedisabledadapteryouwanttoenable.
4 ClickEnableadapter.
5 ClickOK.
To add a host virtual adapter on a Windows host
3 ClickAddnewadapter.
4 Selectthevirtualnetworkonwhichyouwanttousetheadapter,andclickOK.
5 ClickApply.
6 ClickOKtoclosethevirtualnetworkeditor.
To remove a host virtual adapter on a Windows host
1 FromtheWindowsStartmenu,selectPrograms>VMwareServer>Manage
VirtualNetworks.
3 Selecttheadapteryouwanttoremove,thenclickRemoveadapter.
4 ClickApply.
VMware, Inc. 229

To remove a host virtual adapter on a Linux host
1 Asroot(su -),runtheVMwareServerconfigurationprogram.
vmware-config.pl
ToconfigureVMwareServercorrectly,thevmware-config.plconfiguration
programrequiresallvirtualmachinestobeshutdown.Theprogramshutsdown
anyrunningvirtualmachinesautomatically.
Ifyoustillwanttouseanynetworkinginyourvirtualmachines,respondyesto
thefollowingprompt:
Do you want networking for your Virtual Machines? (yes/no/help) [yes]
Otherwise,typenotoremoveallnetworking.
2 Ifyourespondyestousenetworking,thescriptpromptsyoutoselectthewizard
ortheeditortoedityournetworkconfiguration.Selecteditor.Thisistheonly
waytodeletevirtualnetworkadapterswithoutremovingallofthem.
Would you prefer to modify your existing networking configuration using
the wizard or the editor? (wizard/editor/help) [wizard]
editor
3 Alistofvirtualnetworksthathavebeenconfiguredisdisplayed.Selectthe
networkcorrespondingtotheadapteryouwanttodisable.Forexample:
The following virtual networks have been defined:
. vmnet0 is bridged to eth0
. vmnet1 is a host-only network on subnet 172.16.155.0.
. vmnet8 is NAT network on a private subnet 172.16.107.0.
Which virtual network do you wish to configure? (0-99) 1
4 Youmightbepromptedtokeepthisvirtualnetwork.Ifyouaresureyouwantto
removeit,typeyeswhenprompted:
The network vmnet1 has been reserved for a host-only network. You may
change it, but it is highly recommended that you use it as a host-only
network. Are you sure you want to modify it? (yes/no) [no] yes
5 Whenpromptedaboutthetypeofvirtualnetwork,selectnonetoremovethe
virtualnetwork.
What type of virtual network do you wish to set vmnet1?
(bridged,hostonly,nat,none) [hostonly] none
230 VMware, Inc.

Advanced Networking Topics
Thefollowingsectionsdescribeadvancednetworkingtopics.
Selecting IP Addresses on a Host-Only Network or NAT
Configuration
Ahostonlynetworkusesaprivatevirtualnetwork.Thehostandallvirtualmachines
configuredforhostonlynetworkingareconnectedtothenetworkthroughavirtual
switch.TypicallyallthepartiesonthisprivatenetworkusetheTCP/IPprotocolsuite,
althoughothercommunicationprotocolscanbeused.
Anetworkaddresstranslation(NAT)configurationalsosetsupaprivatenetwork,
whichmustbeaTCP/IPnetwork.ThevirtualmachinesconfiguredforNATare
connectedtothatnetworkthroughavirtualswitch.Thehostcomputerisalso
connectedtotheprivatenetworkusedforNATthroughahostvirtualadapter.
Eachvirtualmachineandthehostmustbeassignedaddressesontheprivatenetwork.
ThisistypicallydoneusingtheDHCPserverthatcomeswithVMwareServer.This
serverdoesnotservicevirtual(orphysical)machinesresidingonbridgednetworks.
Addressescanalsobeassignedstaticallyfromapoolofaddressesthatarenotassigned
bytheDHCPserver.
IfhostonlynetworkingisenabledwhenVMwareServerisinstalled,thenetwork
numbertouseforthevirtualnetworkisautomaticallyselectedasanunusedprivateIP
networknumber.TofindoutwhichnetworkisusedonaWindowshost,select
Programs>VMwareServer>ManageVirtualNetworksandcheckthesubnetnumber
associatedwiththevirtualnetwork.OnaLinuxhost,runifconfiginaterminal.
ANATconfigurationalsousesanunusedprivatenetworkautomaticallyselectedwhen
youinstallVMwareServer.TofindoutwhichnetworkisusedonaWindowshost,
selectPrograms>VMwareServer>ManageVirtualNetworksandcheckthesubnet
numberassociatedwiththevirtualnetwork.OnaLinuxhost,runifconfigina
terminal.
UsingDHCPtoassignIPaddressesissimplerthanstaticallyassigningthem.Most
Windowsoperatingsystems,forexample,comepreconfiguredtouseDHCPatboot
time,soWindowsvirtualmachinescanconnecttothenetworkthefirsttimetheyare
booted,withoutadditionalconfiguration.Ifyouwantyourvirtualmachinesto
communicatewitheachotherusingnamesinsteadofIPaddresses,however,youmust
setupanamingconvention,anameserverontheprivatenetwork,orboth.Inthatcase
itmightbesimplertousestaticIPaddresses.
VMware, Inc. 231

Ingeneral,ifyouhavevirtualmachinesyouintendtousefrequentlyorforextended
periodsoftime,itisprobablymostconvenienttoassignthemstaticIPaddressesorto
configuretheVMwareDHCPservertoalwaysassignthesameIPaddresstoeachof
thesevirtualmachines.
To configure the DHCP server on a Linux host
1 OnaLinuxhost,configurethehostonlyDHCPserverbyeditingtheDHCP
configurationfileforVMnet1(/etc/vmware/vmnet1/dhcp/dhcp.conf).
2 ToconfiguretheDHCPserverfortheNATnetwork,edittheconfigurationfilefor
VMnet8(/etc/vmware/vmnet8/dhcp/dhcp.conf).
EditingtheDHCPserverconfigurationfilerequiresinformationthatisbest
obtaineddirectlyfromtheDHCPserverdocumentation.
3 Consultthemanualpagesdhcpd(8)anddhcpd.conf(8).
To configure the DHCP server on a Windows host
1 OnaWindowshost,youconfiguretheDHCPserverusingthevirtualnetwork
editor.
VirtualNetworks.
3 ClickDHCP.
4 Selectthevirtualnetworkforwhichyouwanttochangesettingsandclick
Properties.
5 Makethedesiredchanges,thenclickOK.
Choosing the Method for Assigning IP Addresses
Forvirtualmachinesthatyoudonotexpecttokeepforlong,useDHCPandletit
allocateanIPaddress.
ForeachhostonlyorNATnetwork,theavailableIPaddressesaresplitupusingthe
conventionsshowninthetablesbelow,where<net>isthenetworknumberassignedto
yourhostonlyorNATnetwork.VMwareServeralwaysusesaClassCaddressfor
hostonlyandNATnetworks.
232 VMware, Inc.

Avoiding IP Packet Leakage in a Host-Only Network
Bydesign,eachhostonlynetworkshouldbeconfinedtothehostmachineonwhichit
issetup.Thatis,nopacketssentbyvirtualmachinesonthisnetworkshouldleakout
toaphysicalnetworkattachedtothehost.Packetleakagecanoccuronlyifamachine
activelyforwardspackets.Itispossibleforthehostmachineoranyvirtualmachine
runningonthehostonlynetworktobeconfiguredinawaythatpermitspacket
leakage.
Windows Hosts
SystemsusingserverversionsofWindows2000arecapableofforwardingIPpackets
thatarenotaddressedtothem.Bydefault,however,thesesystemscomewithIPpacket
forwardingdisabled.
IfyoufindpacketsleakingoutofahostonlynetworkonaWindows2000host
computer,checktoseewhetherforwardinghasbeenenabledonthehostmachine.Ifit
isenabled,disableit.
Table 11-1. Address Use on a Host-Only Network
Range Address Use Example
<net>.1 Hostmachine 192.168.0.1
<net>.2<net>.127 Staticaddresses 192.168.0.2192.168.0.127
<net>.128<net>.253 DHCPassigned 192.168.0.128192.168.0.253
<net>.254 DHCPserver 192.168.0.254
<net>.255 Broadcasting 192.168.0.255
Table 11-2. Address Use on a NAT Network
Range Address Use Example
<net>.1 Hostmachine 192.168.0.1
<net>.2 NATdevice 192.168.0.2
<net>.3<net>.127 Staticaddresses 192.168.0.3192.168.0.127
<net>.128<net>.253 DHCPassigned 192.168.0.128192.168.0.253
<net>.254 DHCPserver 192.168.0.254
<net>.255 Broadcasting 192.168.0.255
VMware, Inc. 233

SelectStart>Programs>AdministrativeTools>RoutingandRemoteAccess.Anicon
ontheleftislabeledwiththehostname.Ifagreendotappearsovertheicon,IP
forwardingisturnedon.Toturnitoff,rightclicktheiconanddisableRoutingand
RemoteAccess.Areddotappears,indicatingthatIPforwardingisdisabled.
Linux Hosts
IfyoufindpacketsleakingoutofahostonlynetworkonaLinuxhostcomputer,check
toseewhetherforwardinghasmistakenlybeenenabledonthehostmachine.Ifitis
enabled,disableit.
FormanyLinuxsystems,disableforwardingbywritinga0(zero)tothespecialfile
/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward.Asroot,enterthiscommand:
echo 0>/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
OtherLinuxsystemshaveasystemconfigurationoptionthatyoucanset.Themethod
dependsonyourLinuxdistribution.Youcanuseacontrolpanel,specifyasettingatthe
timeyoucompileyourkernel,orpossiblyenteraspecificationwhenyoubootyour
system.Consultyouroperatingsystemdocumentationfordetailsonthemethodtouse
withyourparticulardistribution.
Using Filtering
Ifthehostcomputerhasmultiplenetworkadapters,itmightbeintentionally
configuredtodoIPforwarding.Inthiscase,youdonotwanttodisableforwarding.To
avoidpacketleakage,youmustenableapacketfilteringfacilityandspecifythat
packetsfromthehostonlynetworkshouldnotbesentoutsidethehostcomputer.
Consultyouroperatingsystemdocumentationfordetailsonhowtoconfigurepacket
filtering.
Leaks from a Virtual Machine
Virtualmachinesmightleakpackets,aswell.Forexample,ifyouusedialup
networkingsupportinavirtualmachineandpacketforwardingisenabled,hostonly
networktrafficmightleakoutthroughthedialupconnection.
Topreventtheleakage,makesurepacketforwardingisdisabledinyourguest
operatingsystem.
234 VMware, Inc.

Maintaining and Changing the MAC Address of a Virtual
Machine
Whenavirtualmachineispoweredon,VMwareServerassignseachofitsvirtual
networkadaptersanEthernetmediaaccesscontrol(MAC)address.AMACaddressis
theuniqueaddressassignedtoeachEthernetnetworkdevice.
ThesoftwareguaranteesthatvirtualmachinesareassigneduniqueMACaddresses
withinagivenhostsystem.ThevirtualmachineisassignedthesameMACaddress
everytimeitispoweredonifbothofthefollowingconditionsaretrue:
Thevirtualmachineisnotmoved.Thatis,thepathandfilenameforthevirtual
machinesconfiguration(.vmx)fileremainthesame.
Nochangesaremadetocertainsettingsintheconfigurationfile.
However,VMwareServercannotguaranteethatitwillautomaticallyassignunique
MACaddressesforvirtualmachinesthatrunonmultiplehostsystems.
Avoiding MAC Address Changes
ToavoidchangesintheMACaddressautomaticallyassignedtoavirtualmachine,do
notmovethevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.Movingittoadifferenthost
computerorevenmovingittoadifferentlocationonthesamehostcomputerchanges
theMACaddress.
Alsodonotchangecertainsettingsinthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.Ifyou
neveredittheconfigurationfilebyhandanddonotremovethevirtualnetwork
adapter,thesesettingsremainuntouched.Ifyoudoedittheconfigurationfilebyhand,
donotremoveorchangethefollowingoptions:
ethernet[n].generatedAddress
ethernet[n].addressType
ethernet[n].generatedAddressOffset
uuid.location
uuid.bios
ethernet[n].present
Intheseoptions, ethernet[n] isthenumberofthevirtualnetworkadapter,for
exampleethernet0.
NOTETopreserveavirtualnetworkadaptersMACaddress,youalsomustbecareful
nottoremovetheadapter.Ifyouremovetheadapterbutlaterrecreateit,theadapter
mightreceiveadifferentMACaddress.
VMware, Inc. 235

Assigning a Specific MAC Address Manually
AssignaspecificMACaddressusingtheproceduredescribedinEditingaVirtual
NetworkAdapteronpage 224.Thisguaranteesthefollowing:
ThesameMACaddressisassignedtoagivenvirtualmachineeverytimeyou
poweriton,evenifthevirtualmachineismoved.
AuniqueMACaddressforeachvirtualmachinewithinanetworkedenvironment.
Theaddressmustbeintheformat:
00:50:56:XX:YY:ZZ
XXmustbeavalidhexadecimalnumberbetween00hand3Fh,andYYandZZmustbe
validhexadecimalnumbersbetween00handFFh.Youmustusethisformatbecause
VMwareServervirtualmachinesdonotsupportarbitraryMACaddresses.
AvalueforXX:YY:ZZthatisuniqueamongyourhardcodedaddressesavoidsconflicts
betweentheautomaticallyassignedMACaddressesandthemanuallyassigned
addresses.
Controlling Routing for a Host-Only Network on a Linux Host
Ahostonlynetworkisafullfledgednetwork.Ithasanetworkinterfaceassociated
withit(VMnet1)thatismarkedupatthetimethehostoperatingsystemisbooted.
Consequently,routingserverprocessesthatoperateonthehostoperatingsystem,such
asroutedandgated,automaticallydiscoverthenetworkandpropagateinformation
abouthowtoreachitunlessyouexplicitlyconfigurethemnottodoso.
Ifeitheroftheseprocessesisbeingrunonlytoreceiveroutinginformation,theeasiest
solutionistoruntheprocesswitha-qoptionsothatitdoesnotsupplyrouting
information,onlyreceivesit.
If,however,theprocessesarerunningbecausetheysupplyroutinginformation,you
needtoconfigurethemsotheydonotadvertiseroutestothehostonlynetwork.
TheversionofroutedthatcomeswithmanydistributionsofLinuxhasnosupportfor
specifyingthataninterfaceshouldnotbeadvertised.Consulttherouted(8)manual
pageforyoursystemincaseyouhaveamorecontemporaryversionofthesoftware.
Thegatedprocessrequiressomeconfiguration.Youneedtoexplicitlyexcludethe
VMnet1interfacefromanyprotocolactivity.Ifyouneedtorunvirtualmachinesona
hostonlynetworkonamultihomedsystemwheregatedisusedandhaveproblems
doingso,contactVMwaretechnicalsupportbysubmittingasupportrequestat
www.vmware.com/requestsupport.
236 VMware, Inc.

Potential Issues with Host-Only Networking on a Linux Host
Thefollowingarecommonissuesyoumightencounterwhenyouareconfiguringa
hostonlynetwork.
DHCPD on the Linux Host Does Not Work After VMware Server
Installation
IfyouwererunningtheDHCPserverprogramdhcpdonyourmachinebefore
installingVMwareServer,itprobablywasconfiguredtorespondtoDHCPrequests
fromclientsonanynetworkinterfacepresentonthemachine.Whenhostonly
networkingisconfigured,anadditionalnetworkinterface,VMnet1,ismarkedup
andavailableforuse,anddhcpdmightnoticethis.
Insuchcases,somedhcpdimplementationsabortiftheirconfigurationfilesdonot
includeasubnetspecificationfortheinterfaceevenifdhcpdisnotsupposedto
respondtomessagesthatarrivethroughtheinterface.
Thebestsolutiontothisproblemistoaddalineinthefollowingformattothedhcpd
configurationfile:
subnet <net>.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {}
<net>isthenetworknumberassignedtoyourhostonlynetworkforexample,
192.168.0.Thisconfigurationfileentryinformsdhcpdaboutthehostonlynetworkand
tellsitexplicitlynottorespondtoanyDHCPrequestsitseescomingfromit.
Analternativesolutionistoexplicitlystatethesetofnetworkinterfacesthatyouwant
dhcpdtolistentoeachtimeyoustarttheprogram.Forexample,ifyourmachinehas
oneEthernetinterface,eth0,theneachtimeyoustartdhcpd,listitonthecommand
line:
dhcpd eth0
Thiskeepsdhcpdfromprobingforallavailablenetworkinterfaces.
IftheabovesolutionsdonotworkforyourDHCPserverprogram,thenitlikelyisold.
YoucantryupgradingtoamorecurrentversionsuchastheDHCPsoftwareavailable
fromtheISCWebsiteatwww.isc.org.
DHCP and Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS)
DHCPcanbeusedtohandoutIPaddressesaswellasotherinformation,suchasthe
identityofahostrunninganameserverandthenearestrouterorgateway.TheDHCP
serverinVMwareServerdoesnotprovideameanstodynamicallyestablisha
relationshipbetweentheIPaddressitassignsandaclientsname(thatis,toupdatea
DNSserverusingDDNS).
VMware, Inc. 237

Ifyouwanttousenamestocommunicatewithothervirtualmachines,youmusteither
edittheDHCPconfigurationfileforVMnet1(/etc/vmware/vmnet1.conf)oruseIP
addressesthatarestaticallyboundtoahostname.EditingtheDHCPserver
configurationfilerequiresinformationthatisbestobtaineddirectlyfromtheDHCP
serverdocumentation.Consultthemanualpagesdhcpd(8)anddhcpd.conf(8).
Setting Up a Second Bridged Network Interface on a Linux Host
Ifyourhostcomputerhastwonetworkadaptersconnectedtotwodifferentnetworks,
youcanconfigureyourvirtualmachinesonthathostcomputertobridgetoboth
networkadapters.Thatway,thevirtualmachinescanaccesseitherorbothphysical
networks.
WhenyouinstallVMwareServeronahostcomputerwithmultiplenetworkadapters,
youhavetheoptionofconfiguringmorethanonebridgednetwork.Youcanalso
configureadditionalbridgednetworksatanytimebyrerunningvmware-config.pl.
To set up another Bridged network interface on a Linux host
vmware-config.pl
Ifyouhavemorethanonephysicalnetworkadapter,oneofthepromptsyousee
issimilartothis:
The following bridged networks have been defined:
. vmnet0 is bridged to eth0
Do you wish to configure another bridged network? (yes/no) [no]
Typeyes.
2 Ifyouhaveadditionalphysicalnetworkadaptersnotyetconnectedtoabridged
network,thepromptisrepeated,showinginformationaboutallcurrently
configuredbridgednetworks.
3 Whenyouhavesetupallthebridgednetworksyouwant,typeno.
238 VMware, Inc.

Configuring Bridged Networking When Using Teamed Network
Interface Cards
Networkadapterteaming(wheretwoormorenetworkinterfacecardsworkasoneand
appearasasingle,separatedevice)providesaVMwareServerhostandthevirtual
machinesrunningonitwithalevelofnetworkhardwarefaulttolerance.Ifonephysical
networkadapterfails,thennetworktrafficforthehostandvirtualmachinescan
continueusingtheremainingnetworkadaptersintheteam.
Anothermethodforprovidingfaulttoleranceisbymakingsurethatautomatic
bridgingisenabled.ThisfeatureisavailableonWindowshostsonlyandisenabledby
default.Formoreinformation,seeConfiguringBridgedNetworkingOptionsona
WindowsHostonpage 225.Thismethodismorelimitedthanusingnetworkadapter
teaming,asitdoesnotallowforloadbalancing,switchfaulttolerance,faulttolerance
toanynecessaryservicesrunningonthehost,ortheabilitytospecifyanadapterasthe
primaryorsecondaryadapter.
Certainnetworkadapterteamingmodesprovideloadbalancingandarediscussed
below.
IfyourVMwareServerhostisconfiguredtouseteamednetworkinterfacecards,and
youusebridgednetworkingwithyourvirtualmachines,youneedtoadjustyour
networksettings.YoudothisbybindingtheVMwareBridgeProtocoltotheteamed
networkadapterandunbindingitfromeachindividual,physicalnetworkadapteron
thehost.SeeSettingUptheWindowsHostonpage 239.
BeforeyoustartusingteamedNICstonetworkyourvirtualmachines,youmusthave
agoodunderstandingofhownetworkteamingworksinyourhostenvironment.
Support for Network Adapter Teaming
VMwaresupportsteamedNICsonWindowshostswithenterpriseclassnetwork
adaptersthatcanbeconfiguredfornetworkadapterteaming.Ifthereisaspecific
teamednetworkingmode(suchas802.3adDynamicor802.3adDraftStaticmode)you
wanttouse,youmustuseadaptersthatsupportthatmode.
VMwarehasnottestedanddoesnotsupportnetworkadapterteamswith
VMware ServeronLinuxhosts.
NOTEYoumightbeunabletouseHostTeamedBroadcomNICsforabridgedvirtual
networkifyouareusingteamedBroadcomnetworkadapterssettoSmartLoadBalance
andFailOverusingBroadcomteamnetworkingsoftware,orifyouarenotrunningthe
latestvirtualadapterdriver.TobridgetoateamedBroadcomdevice,makesurethat
youhaveinstalledthelatestdriver,thenrecreatetheteamwithGenericTrunkingasthe
TeamType.
VMware, Inc. 239

VMwareServersupportsteamedBroadcombasednetworkadapterswhenusedwith
Broadcomteamingsoftwareinthefollowingmodes:
GenericTrunking(FEC/GEC/802.3adDraftStatic)
LinkAggregation(802.3ad)
SmartLoadBalanceandFailOver
VMwareServersupportsteamedIntelbasednetworkadapterswhenusedwithIntel
PROSetversion6.4orhigher(32bithosts)orPROSetversion10.0orhigher(64bit
hosts)inthefollowingmodes:
AdapterFaultTolerance
AdaptiveLoadBalancing
StaticLinkAggregation(64bithosts)
FEC/802.3adStaticLinkAggregation(32bithosts)
GEC/802.3adStaticLinkAggregation(32bithosts)
IEEE802.3adDynamicLinkAggregation
Setting Up the Windows Host
WhenusingVMwareServeronaWindowshostwithteamednetworkadaptersand
bridgednetworking,theVMwareBridgeProtocolmustbeboundtotheteamed
networkadapterandunboundfromtheindividualphysicalnetworkadapters.
To set up bridged networking on a Windows host
1 OpentheWindowsControlPanel,andopenNetworkConnections(onaWindows
Server2003host)oropenNetworkandDialupConnections(onaWindows2000
host).
2 Rightclicktheteamednetworkadapterdevice,andselectPropertiestobindthe
VMwareBridgeProtocoltotheteamednetworkadapter.
3 CheckVMwareBridgeProtocol.
4 ClickOKtoclosethepropertysheet.
5 Rightclickthenetworkadapter,andselectPropertiestounbindthe
VMware BridgeProtocolfromeachphysicalnetworkadapterthatisbeingused
forbridgednetworking.
NOTEExpressTeamingmodeisnotsupportedwhenyouareteamingIntelbased
networkadapters.
240 VMware, Inc.

6 CleartheVMwareBridgeProtocolcheckbox.
7 ClickOKtoclosethepropertysheet.
Alternately,youcanusethevirtualnetworkeditortoeithermaptheteamednetwork
adaptertoVMnet0orexcludethephysicaladaptersfromanyautomaticbridgingby
VMwareServer.Forinformation,seeConfiguringBridgedNetworkingOptionsona
WindowsHostonpage 225.
Changing the Teamed Networking Mode
Ifyouchangetheteamednetworkingmode,youmustdeletetheoriginalnetwork
adapterteamonthehostandcreateanewteam.Donotmodifyavirtualmachines
networkadapterteamingsettings.
Setting Up Two Separate Host-Only Networks
Forsomeconfigurations,youmightneedtosetupmorethanonehostonlynetworkon
thesamehostcomputer.
Youmight,forexample,wanttohavetwovirtualmachinesconnectedtoonehostonly
network,andatthesametimehaveothervirtualmachinesconnectedtoanother
hostonlynetwork.Thissetupisolatesnetworktrafficoneachnetwork.
Oryoumightwanttotestroutingbetweentwovirtualnetworks.Ortestavirtual
machinewithmultiplenetworkinterfacecardswithoutusinganyphysicalnetwork
adapters.
OnWindowshosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupautomaticallywhenyouinstall
VMwareServer.
OnLinuxhosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupwhenyourunthe
vmware-config.plprogramafteryouinstallVMwareServer(providedyouagreeto
installhostonlynetworking).Ifyoudidnotagreetousehostonlynetworking,you
needtorunthescriptagaintosetuphostonlynetworking.
Tosetupthesecondhostonlynetwork,followthestepsoutlinedbelowforyourhost
operatingsystem.
CAUTIONBeforeyoudeletetheoriginalteam,powerofforsuspendallvirtual
machinesonthehosttopreventtheteamingsoftwarefromlockingup.
VMware, Inc. 241

To set up the second host-only interface on a Windows host
VirtualNetworks.
4 SelectthevirtualnetworkonwhichtousetheadapterandclickOK.
5 ClickApply.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Linux host
vmware-config.pl
AfterpromptingtoconfigureaNATnetwork,thefollowingpromptisdisplayed:
Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual
machines?
2 Selectyes.
Thewizardreportsonhostonlynetworksthatyouhavealreadysetuponthehost
or,ifnohostonlynetworkispresent,configuresthefirstone.
Thewizardprompts:
Do you wish to configure another host-only network?
3 Selectyes.
Repeatthisstepforeachhostonlynetworkyouwanttoconfigure.Thentypeno.
4 Completetheremainingstepsinthewizard.
Whenthewizardisfinished,itrestartsallservicesusedbyVMwareServer.
5 Runifconfig.
Youshouldseeatleastfournetworkinterfaceseth0,lo,vmnet1,andvmnet2.
IftheVMnetinterfacesdonotdisplayimmediately,waitforaminute,andrunthe
commandagain.ThesefourinterfacesshouldhavedifferentIPaddresson
separatesubnets.
242 VMware, Inc.

Configuring the Virtual Machines
Nowyouhavetwohostonlyinterfaces(VMnet1andVMnet2).Youarereadytosetup
yourvirtualmachinesforoneofthefollowingconfigurations:
Thevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithonevirtualnetworkadapter,andthat
virtualadapterisconnectedtothedefaulthostonlyinterface(VMnet1).
Thevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithonevirtualnetworkadapter,andthat
virtualadapterisconnectedtothenewlycreatedhostonlyinterface(VMnet2).
Thevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithtwovirtualnetworkadapters.Onevirtual
adapterisconnectedtothedefaulthostonlyinterface(VMnet1)andtheother
virtualadapterisconnectedtothenewlycreatedhostonlyinterface(VMnet2).
Configuration 1 Connect to the Default Host-Only Interface
1 Createthevirtualmachineoruseanexistingvirtualmachine.
2 LaunchVI WebAccessandselectthevirtualmachine.
3 Edittheconfigurationusingthevirtualnetworkeditor.
4 SelectNIC,selectCustom,andselectVMnet1(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or
/dev/vmnet1(onaLinuxhost)fromthedropdownlistontheright.
Ifnonetworkadapterisshowninthelistofdevices,clickAdd,andusetheAdd
Hardwarewizardtoaddanadapter.
Configuration 2 Connect to the Newly Created Host-Only Interface
SelectNIC,selectCustom,andselectVMnet2(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)
or/dev/vmnet2(onaLinuxhost)fromthedropdownlistontheright.
VMware, Inc. 243

Configuration 3 Connect to Two Host-Only Interfaces
Selectthefirstnetworkadapterinthelistofdevices,selectCustom,andselect
VMnet1(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or/dev/vmnet1(onaLinuxhost)from
thedropdownlistontheright.Selectthesecondnetworkadapterinthelistof
devices,selectCustom,thenselectVMnet2(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or
Ifyouneedtoaddoneormorenetworkadapters,clickAdd,andusetheAdd
Atthispointyoucanpoweronthevirtualmachineandinstallyourguestoperating
system.Inconfigurations1and2youseeoneAMDPCNetAdapter.Inconfiguration3
youseetwoAMDPCNetAdapterswithintheguest.Configurethenetworkadapters
asyouwouldphysicaladaptersonaphysicalcomputer,givingeachadapteranIP
addressontheappropriateVMnetsubnet.
OnWindowshosts,youcanopenacommandpromptandrunipconfig /alltosee
whatIPaddresseseachhostonlynetworkisusing.
OnLinuxhosts,youcanopenaterminalandrunifconfigtoseewhatIPaddresses
eachhostonlynetworkisusing.
Routing Between Two Host-Only Networks
Ifyouaresettingupacomplextestnetworkusingvirtualmachines,youmightwantto
havetwoindependenthostonlynetworkswitharouterbetweenthem.
Therearetwobasicapproaches.Inone,theroutersoftwarerunsonthehostcomputer.
Intheother,theroutersoftwarerunsinitsownvirtualmachine.Inbothcases,youneed
twohostonlyinterfaces.
Theexamplesdescribedhereoutlinethesimplestcase,withonevirtualmachineon
eachofthehostonlynetworks.Formorecomplexconfigurations,youcanaddmore
virtualmachinesandhostonlynetworksasappropriate.
244 VMware, Inc.

Setting Up the First Host-Only Interface
OnWindowshosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupwhenyouinstall
VMware Server.
OnLinuxhosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupwhenyourunthe
vmware-config.plprogramafteryouinstallVMwareServer,providedyouagreeto
installhostonlynetworking.Ifyoudidnotagreetousehostonlynetworking,you
needtorunthescriptagaintosetuphostonlynetworking.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Windows host
VirtualNetworks.
4 SelectthevirtualnetworkonwhichyouwanttousetheadapterandclickOK.
5 ClickApply.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Linux host
vmware-config.pl
Usethewizardtomodifyyourconfiguration.AfterpromptingtoconfigureaNAT
network,theprogramprompts:
Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual
machines?
Typeyes.
Thewizarddisplaysthehostonlynetworksthatyouhavealreadysetuponthe
hostor,ifnoneispresent,configuresthefirsthostonlynetwork.
2 Thewizardprompts:
Do you wish to configure another host-only network?
Typeyes.
Repeatthisstepforeachhostonlynetworkyouwanttoconfigure.Thentypeno.
VMware, Inc. 245

3 Completethewizard.Whenitisfinished,itrestartsallservicesusedby
VMware Server.
4 Runifconfig.Youshouldseeatleastfournetworkinterfaceseth0,lo,
vmnet1,andvmnet2.IftheVMnetinterfacesdonotshowupimmediately,waitfor
aminute,thenrunthecommandagain.Thesefourinterfacesshouldhavedifferent
IPaddressonseparatesubnets.
Setting Up the Virtual Machines
Nowyouhavetwohostonlynetworkadaptersonthehostcomputer.Eachis
connectedtoitsownvirtualswitch(VMnet1andVMnet2).Youarereadytocreateand
configureyourvirtualmachinesandconnectthemtotheappropriatevirtualswitches.
Virtual Machine 1 Connected to the Default Host-Only Interface
SelectNIC,selectCustom,andselectVMnet1(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or
Virtual Machine 2 Connected to the Newly Created Host-Only Interface
SelectNIC,selectCustom,andselectVMnet2(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or
Ifyouplantoruntheroutersoftwareonyourhostcomputer,youcanskipthenext
section.
246 VMware, Inc.

Virtual Machine 3 Connected to Both Host-Only Interfaces
Ifyouplantoruntheroutersoftwareonavirtualmachine,setupathirdvirtual
machineforthatpurpose.
Selectthefirstnetworkadapterinthelistofdevices,selectCustom,andselect
VMnet1(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or/dev/vmnet1(onaLinuxhost)from
thedropdownlistontheright.Selectthesecondnetworkadapterinthelistof
devices,thenselectCustom,selectVMnet2(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or
Ifyouneedtoaddoneormorenetworkadapters,clickAdd,andusetheAdd
Nowyouneedtoconfigurethenetworkingcomponentsonthehostandinthevirtual
machines.TherecommendedapproachusesstaticIPaddressesforallthevirtual
machines.
To configure the host and virtual machine networking components
1 StoptheVMnetDHCPserverservice.
Windowshost:Fromthevirtualnetworkeditor,selectDHCPandclickStop
service.
Linuxhost:Stopthevmnet-dhcpdservice.
killall -TERM vmnet-dhcpd
2 Installguestoperatingsystemsineachofthevirtualmachines.
3 Installtheroutersoftwareonthehostcomputerorinthethirdvirtualmachine,
dependingontheapproachyouareusing.
4 Configurenetworkinginthefirsttwovirtualmachinestouseaddressesonthe
appropriatehostonlynetwork.
OnWindowshosts,youcanopenacommandpromptandrunipconfig /allto
seewhatIPaddresseseachhostonlynetworkisusing.
OnLinuxhosts,youcanopenaterminalandrunifconfigtoseewhatIP
addresseseachhostonlynetworkisusing.
VMware, Inc. 247

5 Ifyouarerunningtherouteronthehostcomputer,assigndefaultrouteraddresses
basedontheaddressesofthehostonlyadaptersonthehostcomputer.Inthefirst
virtualmachinesnetworkingconfiguration,thedefaultrouteraddressshouldbe
theIPaddressforthehostonlyadapterconnectedtoVMnet1.Inthesecondvirtual
machinesnetworkingconfiguration,thedefaultrouteraddressshouldbetheIP
addressforthehostonlyadapterconnectedtoVMnet2.
Ifyouarerunningtheroutersoftwareonthethirdvirtualmachine,setthedefault
routeraddressesinthefirsttwovirtualmachinesbasedonthoseusedbythethird
virtualmachine.Inthefirstvirtualmachinesnetworkingconfiguration,the
defaultrouteraddressshouldbetheIPaddressforthethirdvirtualmachines
networkadapterconnectedtoVMnet1.Inthesecondvirtualmachinesnetworking
configuration,thedefaultrouteraddressshouldbetheIPaddressforthethird
virtualmachinesnetworkadapterconnectedtoVMnet2.
Atthispointyoushouldbeabletopingtheroutermachinefromvirtualmachinesone
andtwo.Andiftheroutersoftwareissetupcorrectly,youshouldbeableto
communicatebetweenthefirstandsecondvirtualmachines.
Using Virtual Network Adapters in Promiscuous Mode on a
Linux Host
VMwareServerdoesnotallowthevirtualnetworkadaptertogointopromiscuous
modeunlesstheuserrunningVMwareServerhaspermissiontomakethatsetting.This
followsthestandardLinuxpracticethatonlyrootcanputanetworkinterfaceinto
promiscuousmode.
WhenyouinstallandconfigureVMwareServer,youmustruntheinstallationasroot.
VMwareServercreatestheVMnetdeviceswithrootownershipandrootgroup
ownership,whichmeansthatonlyroothasreadandwritepermissionstothedevices.
Tosetthevirtualmachinesnetworkadaptertopromiscuousmode,youmustlaunch
VMwareServerasrootbecauseyoumusthavereadandwriteaccesstotheVMnet
device.Forexample,ifyouareusingbridgednetworking,youmusthaveaccessto
/dev/vmnet0.
TograntselectedotherusersreadandwriteaccesstotheVMnetdevice,youcancreate
anewgroup,addtheappropriateuserstothegroupandgrantthatgroupreadand
writeaccesstotheappropriatedevice.Youmustmakethesechangesastherootuser
onthehostoperatingsystem.Forexample,youcanenterthefollowingcommands:
chgrp <newgroup> /dev/vmnet0
chmod g+rw /dev/vmnet0
<newgroup>isthegroupthatshouldhavetheabilitytosetvmnet0topromiscuous
mode.
248 VMware, Inc.

IfyouwantalluserstobeabletosetthevirtualnetworkAdapter(/dev/vmnet0inour
example)topromiscuousmode,runthefollowingcommandastherootuseronthe
host:
chmod a+rw /dev/vmnet0
Understanding NAT
Networkaddresstranslation,orNAT,providesasimplewayforvirtualmachinesto
usemostclientapplicationsoveralmostanytypeofnetworkconnectionavailableto
thehost.TheonlyrequirementforNATisthatthenetworkconnectionmustsupport
TCP/IP.
NATisusefulwhenyouhavealimitedsupplyofIPaddressesorareconnectedtothe
networkthroughanonEthernetnetworkadapter.NATworksbytranslatingaddresses
ofvirtualmachinesinaprivateVMnetnetworktothatofthehostmachine.Whena
virtualmachinesendsarequesttoaccessanetworkresource,itappearstothenetwork
resourceasiftherequestcamefromthehostmachine.
NATusesthehostsownnetworkresourcestoconnecttotheexternalnetwork.Thus,
anyTCP/IPnetworkresourcetowhichthehosthasaccessshouldbeavailablethrough
theNATconnection.
ThechiefadvantageofNATisthatitprovidesatransparent,easytoconfigurewayfor
virtualmachinestogainaccesstonetworkresources.
ThefollowingsectionsprovidemoreinformationaboutNAT.
Using NAT
TheNATdeviceisconnectedtotheVMnet8virtualswitch.Virtualmachinesconnected
totheNATnetworkalsousetheVMnet8virtualswitch.
TheNATdevicewaitsforpacketscomingfromvirtualmachinesontheVMnet8virtual
network.Whenapacketarrives,theNATdevicetranslatestheaddressofthevirtual
machinetothatofthehostbeforeforwardingthepackettotheexternalnetwork.When
dataarrivesfromtheexternalnetworkforthevirtualmachineontheprivatenetwork,
theNATdevicereceivesthedata,replacesthenetworkaddresswiththatofthevirtual
machineandforwardsthedatatothevirtualmachineonthevirtualnetwork.This
translationoccursautomaticallyandrequiresminimalconfigurationontheguestand
thehost.
VMware, Inc. 249

The Host Computer and the NAT Network
ThehostcomputerhasahostvirtualadapterontheNATnetwork(identicaltothehost
virtualadapteronthehostonlynetwork).Thisadapterallowsthehostandthevirtual
machinestocommunicatewitheachotherforsuchpurposesasfilesharing.TheNAT
neverforwardstrafficfromthehostvirtualadapter.
DHCP on the NAT Network
Tomakenetworkingconfigurationeasy,aDHCPserverisautomaticallyinstalledwhen
youinstallVMwareServer.VirtualmachinesrunningonthenetworkwiththeNAT
devicecandynamicallyobtaintheirIPaddressesbysendingoutDHCPrequests.The
DHCPserverontheNATnetwork,whichisalsousedinhostonlynetworking
configurations,dynamicallyallocatesIPaddressesintherangeof<net>.128through
<net>.254,where<net>isthenetworknumberassignedtoyourNATnetwork.
VMware ServeralwaysusesaClassCaddressforNATnetworks.IPaddresses<net>.3
through<net>.127canbeusedforstaticIPaddresses.IPaddress<net>.1isreservedfor
thehostadapterand<net>.2isreservedfortheNATdevice.
InadditiontotheIPaddress,theDHCPserverontheNATnetworkalsosendsout
additionalconfigurationinformationthatenablesthevirtualmachinetooperate
automatically.ThisinformationincludesthedefaultgatewayandtheDNSserver.Inthe
DHCPresponse,theNATdeviceinstructsthevirtualmachinetousetheIPaddress
<net>.2asthedefaultgatewayandDNSserver.ThiscausesallIPpacketsdestinedfor
theexternalnetworkandDNSrequeststobeforwardedtotheNATdevice.
DNS on the NAT Network
TheNATdeviceactsasaDNSserverforthevirtualmachinesontheNATnetwork.
Actually,theNATdeviceisaDNSproxyandmerelyforwardsDNSrequestsfromthe
virtualmachinestoaDNSserverthatisknownbythehost.Responsescomebacktothe
NATdevice,whichthenforwardsthemtothevirtualmachines.
IftheygettheirconfigurationinformationfromDHCP,thevirtualmachinesonthe
NATnetworkautomaticallyusetheNATdeviceastheDNSserver.However,the
virtualmachinescanbestaticallyconfiguredtouseanotherDNSserver.
ThevirtualmachinesintheprivateNATnetworkarenot,themselves,accessibleusing
DNS.IfyouwantthevirtualmachinesrunningontheNATnetworktoaccesseach
otherbyDNSnames,youmustsetupaprivateDNSserverconnectedtotheNAT
network.
250 VMware, Inc.

External Access from the NAT Network
Ingeneral,anyprotocolusingTCPorUDPcanbeusedautomaticallybyavirtual
machineontheNATnetworksolongasthevirtualmachineinitiatesthenetwork
connection.ThisistrueformostclientapplicationssuchasWebbrowsing,Telnet,
passivemodeFTP,anddownloadingstreamingvideo.Additionalprotocolsupporthas
beenbuiltintotheNATdevicetoallowFTPandICMPecho(ping)toworkcompletely
transparentlythroughtheNAT.
Ontheexternalnetworktowhichthehostisconnected,anyvirtualmachineonthe
NATnetworkappearstobethehostitself,becauseitsnetworktrafficusesthehostsIP
address.ItisabletosendandreceivedatausingTCP/IPtoanymachinethatis
accessiblefromthehost.
Beforeanysuchcommunicationcanoccur,theNATdevicemustsetupamapping
betweenthevirtualmachinesaddressontheprivateNATnetworkandthehosts
networkaddressontheexternalnetwork.
Whenavirtualmachineinitiatesanetworkconnectionwithanothernetworkresource,
thismappingiscreatedautomatically.Theoperationisperfectlytransparenttotheuser
ofthevirtualmachineontheNATnetwork.Noadditionalworkneedstobedonetolet
thevirtualmachineaccesstheexternalnetwork.
Thesamecannotbesaidfornetworkconnectionsthatareinitiatedfromtheexternal
networktoavirtualmachineontheNATnetwork.
Whenamachineontheexternalnetworkattemptstoinitiateaconnectionwithavirtual
machineontheNATnetwork,itcannotreachthevirtualmachinebecausetheNAT
devicedoesnotforwardtherequest.Networkconnectionsthatareinitiatedfrom
outsidetheNATnetworkarenottransparent.
However,itispossibletoconfigureportforwardingmanuallyontheNATdeviceso
networktrafficdestinedforacertainportcanstillbeforwardedautomaticallytoa
virtualmachineontheNATnetwork.Fordetails,seeAdvancedNATConfiguration
onpage 251.
FilesharingofthetypeusedbyWindowsoperatingsystemsandSambaispossible
amongcomputersontheNATnetworkincludingvirtualmachinesandthehost
computer.IfyouareusingWINSserversonyournetwork,avirtualmachineusing
NATnetworkingcanaccesssharedfilesandfoldersonthehostthatareknownbythe
WINSserversolongasthosesharedfilesandfoldersareinthesameworkgroupor
domain.
VMware, Inc. 251

Advanced NAT Configuration
Readthesectionthatcorrespondstoyourhostoperatingsystemforinformationabout
configuringNATforyourvirtualmachines.
Windows Hosts
ConfiguretheNATdeviceusingthevirtualnetworkeditor(fromtheWindowsStart
menu,selectPrograms>VMwareServer>ManageVirtualNetworks,andclickthe
NATtab).
Youcanstop,restart,andstartthevirtualNATdevicebyclickingtheappropriate
button.TheVMnethostsettingletsyouselectwhichvirtualnetworkusestheNAT
device.YoucanselectDisableifyoudonotwanttouseNATonanyvirtualnetwork.
ToeditNATsettingsforavirtualnetwork,selectitfromthedropdownmenu,then
clickEdit.TheNATSettingsdialogboxappears.
YoucanchangeanyofthefollowingNATsettings:
PortforwardingletsyousendincomingTCPorUDPrequeststoaspecificvirtual
machineonthevirtualnetworkservedbytheNATdevice.Tosetupandconfigure
forwardedports,clickPortforwarding.Adialogboxappears.
ToaddanewportforeitherTCPorUDP,clickAdd.Ifaportisalreadylisted,you
canchangeitssettings.Selectitsnameinthelist,andclickProperties.Orclick
Removetoremovetheselectedport.
WhenyouclickAdd,anotherdialogboxappears.IntheHostportfield,typethe
numberoftheincomingTCPorUDPport.Forexample,incomingHTTPrequests
areusuallyonport80.InthefirstForwardingIPaddressfield,typetheIPaddress
ofthevirtualmachinetowhichyouwanttoforwardtheincomingrequests.Inthe
secondfieldonthatline,typetheportnumberyouwanttouseforthoserequests
onthatvirtualmachine.Youcanenterthestandardport,suchas80forHTTP,ora
nonstandardportifsoftwarerunninginthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtoaccept
requestsonanonstandardport.TheDescriptionfieldisoptional.Youmightuse
ittoidentifytheservicebeingforwarded(forexample,HTTP).Whenyouhave
madethesesettings,clickOK.
252 VMware, Inc.

YoucanspecifyDNSserverstobeusedbythevirtualNATdevice.Todoso,click
DNS.Adialogboxappears.YoucanchangethePolicyforusingmultipleDNS
serversifyouprefertouseRotateorBurstinsteadofthedefaultsettingofOrder.
ToaddaDNSservertothelist,clickAdd.Anotherdialogboxappears.Enterthe
DNSserversIPaddressintheIPaddressfield.TheDescriptionfieldisoptional.
Whenyouhavemadethedesiredsettings,clickOK.Tochangethesettingsfora
serveralreadyinthelist,selectitsentryintheDNSdialogbox,andclick
Properties.Todeleteanentry,selecttheentry,andclickRemove.Whenyouhave
madethedesiredchanges,clickOK.
YoucanchangetheIPaddressfortheNATdeviceintheGatewayIPaddressfield.
TochangetheNetmask,clickthebuttonontheHostVirtualNetworkMapping
tabofthevirtualnetworkeditorandselectSubnet.
ToallowonlypassivemodeFTPovertheNATdevice,deselecttheActiveFTP
checkbox.
YoucanchangethenumberofminutestokeeptheUDPmappingfortheNATin
theUDPtimeoutfield.
IfyouchangetheOUI(OrganizationallyUniqueIdentifier)portionoftheMAC
addressforthevirtualmachineandsubsequentlycannotuseNATwiththevirtual
machine,youshouldchecktheAllowAnyOUIcheckbox.
IntheConfigportfield,youcanspecifyaportthatcanbeusedtoaccessstatus
informationabouttheNAT.Thisoptionisusedfortroubleshootingpurposeswith
VMwaretechnicalsupportonly.
YoucanchangeNetBIOStimeoutandretrysettings.
Whenyouhavemadeallthenetworkingchangesyouwant,clickOK.
Linux Hosts
UsetheNATconfigurationfileonthehosttoconfiguretheNATdevice.Thisfileis
/etc/vmware/vmnet8/nat/nat.conf.
Theconfigurationfileisdividedintosections.EachsectionconfiguresapartoftheNAT
device.Textsurroundedbysquarebracketssuchas[host]marksthebeginning
ofasection.Ineachsectionisaconfigurationparameterthatcanbeset.The
configurationparameterstaketheformip = 192.168.27.1/24.
ForanexampleofaNATconfigurationfile,seeSampleLinuxvmnetnat.confFileon
page 257.Theconfigurationfilevariablesaredescribedbelow.
VMware, Inc. 253

The [host] Section
ip
TheIPaddressthattheNATdeviceshoulduse.Itcanoptionallybefollowedbyaslash
andthenumberofbitsinthesubnet.
netmask
ThesubnetmasktousefortheNAT.DHCPaddressesareallocatedfromthisrangeof
addresses.
configport
AportthatcanbeusedtoaccessstatusinformationabouttheNAT.
device
TheVMnetdevicetouse.Linuxdevicesareoftheformat/dev/vmnet<x>.VMnet8is
thedefaultNATdevice.
activeFTP
AflagthatindicatesifactiveFTPistobeallowed.ActiveFTPallowsincoming
connectionstobeopenedbytheremoteFTPserver.Turningthisoffmeansthatonly
passivemodeFTPworks.Settheflagto0toturnactiveFTPoff.
The [udp] Section
timeout
ThenumberofminutestokeeptheUDPmappingfortheNAT.
The [incomingtcp] Section
UsethissectiontoconfigureTCPportforwardingforNAT.Youcanassignaport
numbertoanIPaddressandportnumberonavirtualmachine.
Thefollowinglineshowstheformatusedinthissection.
8887 = 192.168.27.128:21
Thisexamplecreatesamappingfromport8887onthehosttotheIPaddress
192.168.27.128andport21.Whenthismappingissetandanexternalmachineconnects
tothehostatport8887,thenetworkpacketsareautomaticallyforwardedtoport21(the
standardportforFTP)onthevirtualmachinewithIPaddress192.168.27.128.
254 VMware, Inc.

The [incomingudp] Section
UsethissectiontoconfigureUDPportforwardingforNAT.Youcanassignaport
numbertoanIPaddressandportnumberonavirtualmachine.
Thefollowinglineshowstheformatusedinthissection.Itillustratesawaytoforward
Xservertrafficfromthehostport6000tothevirtualmachinesport6001.
6000 = 192.168.27.128:6001
Thisexamplecreatesamappingfromport6000onthehosttotheIPaddress
192.168.27.128andport6001.Whenthismappingissetandanexternalmachine
connectstothehostatport6000,thenetworkpacketsareautomaticallyforwardedto
port6001onthevirtualmachinewithIPaddress192.168.27.128.
Custom NAT and DHCP Configuration on a Windows Host
IfyouareanadvanceduseronaWindowshostcomputer,youcanmakecustom
configurationsettingsbyeditingtheNATandDHCPconfigurationfiles.Ifyourhost
operatingsystemisinstalledontheCdrive,theconfigurationfilesforNATandDHCP
areinthefollowinglocations:
NAT:C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\VMware\vmnetnat.conf
DHCP:C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\VMware\vmnetdhcp.conf
Specifying Connections from Ports Below 1024
WhenaclientmachinemakesaTCPorUDPconnectiontoaserver,theconnection
comesfromaparticularportontheclient(thesourceport)andconnectstoaparticular
portontheserver(thedestinationport).Forsecurityreasons,someserversaccept
connectionsonlyfromsourceportsbelow1024.
IfavirtualmachineusingNATattemptstoconnecttoaserverthatrequirestheclient
touseasourceportbelow1024,itisimportantthattheNATdeviceforwardtherequest
fromaportbelow1024.Youcanspecifythisbehaviorinthevmnetnat.conffile.
NOTEYoucanchangemanykeyNATandDCHPsettingsusingthevirtualnetwork
editor(fromtheWindowsStartmenu,selectPrograms>VMwareServer>Manage
VirtualNetworks).However,ifyouhavemademanualchangestotheconfiguration
files,someorallofthosechangesmightbelostwhenyouusethevirtualnetworkeditor.
Ifyouhavemademanualchanges,makebackupcopiesofthefilesbeforechangingany
settingsinthevirtualnetworkeditor.Aftermakingchangesinthevirtualnetwork
editor,youcancopyyourmanualchangesbackintotheappropriateconfigurationfiles.
VMware, Inc. 255

Thisbehavioriscontrolledbyentriesinsectionsheaded[privilegedUDP]and
[privilegedTCP].Youmighthavetoaddsettingstoormodifysettingsineitheror
bothofthesesections,dependingonthekindofconnectionyouneedtomake.
Youcansettwoparameters,eachofwhichappearsonaseparateline.
autodetect = <n>
TheautodetectsettingdetermineswhethertheVMwareNATdeviceautomatically
attemptstomapvirtualmachinesourceportsbelow1024toNATsourceportsbelow
1024.Asettingof1meanstrue.Asettingof0meansfalse.OnaWindowshost,the
defaultis1(true).OnaLinuxhost,thedefaultis0(false).
port = <n>
Theportsettingspecifiesadestinationport(<n>istheportontheserverthataccepts
theconnectionfromtheclient).Wheneveravirtualmachineconnectstothespecified
portonanyserver,theNATdeviceattemptstomaketheconnectionfromasourceport
below1024.Youcanincludeoneormoreportsettingsinthe[privilegedUDP]or
[privilegedTCP]sectionorinbothsections,asrequiredfortheconnectionsyouneed
tomake.Eachportsettingmustbeenteredonaseparateline.
Considerations for Using NAT
BecauseNATrequiresthateverypacketsentandreceivedfromvirtualmachinesbein
theNATnetwork,thereisanunavoidableperformancepenalty.Ourtestingshowsthat
thepenaltyisminorfordialupandDSLconnections,andperformanceisadequatefor
mostVMwareServeruses.
NATisnotperfectlytransparent.Itdoesnotnormallyallowconnectionstobeinitiated
fromoutsidethenetwork,althoughyoucansetupserverconnectionsbymanually
configuringtheNATdevice.ThepracticalresultisthatsomeTCPandUDPprotocols
thatrequireaconnectionbeinitiatedfromtheservermachinesomepeertopeer
applications,forexampledonotworkautomatically,andsomemightnotworkatall.
AstandardNATconfigurationprovidesbasiclevelfirewallprotectionbecausethe
NATdevicecaninitiateconnectionsfromtheprivateNATnetwork,butdevicesonthe
externalnetworkcannotnormallyinitiateconnectionstotheprivateNATnetwork.
Using NAT with NetLogon
WhenusingNATnetworkinginavirtualmachinewithaWindowsguestoperating
systemrunningonaWindowshost,youcanuseNetLogontologontoaWindows
domainfromthevirtualmachine.YoucanthenaccessfilesharesknownbytheWINS
serverinthedomain.
256 VMware, Inc.

TouseNetLogon,youneedtoknowhowWINSserversandWindowsdomain
controllerswork.Thissectionexplainshowtosetupthevirtualmachinetouse
NetLogon.Thesetupprocessissimilartothewayyousetupaphysicalcomputeron
oneLANthatisusingadomaincontrolleronanotherLAN.
TologontoaWindowsdomainoutsidethevirtualNATnetwork,thevirtualmachine
needsaccesstoaWINSserverforthatdomain.Therearetwowaysyoucanconnectthe
virtualmachinetoaWINSserver.YoucanconnecttotheWINSserverprovidedbythe
DHCPserverusedontheNATnetwork,providedthattheWINSserverisalreadyset
uponthehost.IfyouwanttoconnectfromthevirtualmachinetoaWINSservernot
setuponthehost,youcanmanuallyentertheIPaddressoftheWINSserver.
Using NAT to Connect to an Existing WINS Server Already Set Up on the
Host
Tousethismethod,aWINSserverinthesameworkgroupordomainmustbesetup
onthehost.ThesestepsuseWindows2000,WindowsXP,orWindowsServer2003asa
guide.TheprocessissimilarforWindowsNT,WindowsMe,andWindows9xguests.
To use NAT to connect to an existing WINS Server
1 Inthevirtualmachine,rightclickonMyNetworkPlacesandselectProperties.
2 IntheNetworkConnectionswindow,rightclickthevirtualnetworkadapterand
selectProperties.
3 InthePropertiesdialogbox,selectInternetProtocol(TCP/IP),andclick
Properties.
4 IntheTCP/IPPropertiesdialogbox,clickAdvanced.
5 ClicktheWINStab,thenunderNetBIOSsetting,selectUseNetBIOSsetting
fromDHCPServer.
6 ClickOKtwice,andclickClose.
Manually Entering the IP Address of a WINS Server
UsethismethodtoconnecttoaWINSserverinthesameworkgroupordomainthatis
notalreadysetuponthehost.
To manually enter the IP address of a WINS server
1 Inthevirtualmachine,rightclickonMyNetworkPlacesandselectProperties.
2 IntheNetworkConnectionswindow,rightclickthevirtualnetworkadapterand
selectProperties.
VMware, Inc. 257

3 InthePropertiesdialogbox,selectInternetProtocol(TCP/IP),andclick
Properties.
4 IntheTCP/IPPropertiesdialogbox,clickAdvanced.
5 ClicktheWINStab,andclickAdd.
6 IntheTCP/IPWINSServerdialogbox,entertheIPaddressfortheWINSserverin
theWINSserverfield,andclickOK.TheIPaddressoftheWINSserverappears
intheWINSaddresseslistontheWINStab.
Repeatsteps5and6foreachWINSservertowhichyouwanttoconnectfromthis
virtualmachine.
7 ClickOKtwice,andclickClose.
NowthatthevirtualmachinehasanIPaddressforaWINSserver,youuseNetLogon
inthevirtualmachinetologontoadomainandaccesssharesinthatdomain.
Forexample,iftheWINSservercoversadomainwithadomaincontroller,itispossible
toaccessthatdomaincontrollerfromthevirtualmachineandaddthevirtualmachine
tothedomain.YouneedtoknowtheuserIDandpasswordoftheAdministratoronthe
domaincontroller.
Sample Linux vmnetnat.conf File
ThefollowingisasampleLinuxvmnetnat.conffile.
# Linux NAT configuration file
[host]
# NAT gateway address
ip = 192.168.237.2/24
hostMAC = 00:50:56:C0:00:08
# enable configuration; disabled by default for security reasons
#configport = 33445
# VMnet device if not specified on command line
device = VMnet8
# Allow PORT/EPRT FTP commands (they need incoming TCP stream...)
activeFTP = 1
# Allows the source to have any OUI. Enable this if you change the OUI
# in the MAC address of your virtual machines.
NOTEYouraccessislimitedtosharesofvirtualmachinesthatareonthesameNAT
networkorarebridgedonthesamedomain.
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#allowAnyOUI = 1
[udp]
# Timeout in seconds, 0 = no timeout, default = 60; real value might
# be up to 100% longer
timeout = 30
[incomingtcp]
# Use these with care - anyone can enter into your virtual machine through
# these...
# FTP (both active and passive FTP is always enabled)
# ftp localhost 8887
#8887 = 192.168.27.128:21
# WEB (make sure that if you are using named webhosting, names point to
# your host, not to guest... And if you are forwarding port other
# than 80 make sure that your server copes with mismatched port
# number in Host: header)
# lynx http://localhost:8888
#8888 = 192.168.27.128:80
# SSH
# ssh -p 8889 root@localhost
#8889 = 192.168.27.128:22
[incomingudp]
# UDP port forwarding example
#6000 = 192.168.27.128:6001
Using Samba for File Sharing on a Linux Host
OnaLinuxhostcomputer,VMwareServercanautomaticallyinstallandconfigurea
SambaservertoactasafileserverforMicrosoftWindowsguestoperatingsystems.
YoucanthenuseWindowsExplorerinthevirtualmachinetomoveandcopyfiles
betweenvirtualmachineandhostorbetweenvirtualmachinesonthesamenetwork
justasyouwouldwithfilesonphysicalcomputersthatshareanetworkconnection.
ThelightlymodifiedSambaserverinstalledbyVMwareServerrunsoverthe
VMware ServervirtualEthernet,andtheSambatrafficbetweendifferentoperating
systemsisisolatedfromactuallocalareanetworks.
Thesourcecodedifferencesforthechanges(indiffformatandbasedonSamba2.0.6)
areavailablefromVMware.Formoreinformation,see
www.vmware.com/download/open_sources.html.
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IfyoualreadyhaveSambaconfiguredonyourLinuxhost,therecommendedapproach
istomodifythatconfigurationsoitincludestheIPsubnetusedbytheVMwareServer
virtualnetworkadapter,VMnet1.
YoucanconfigureyourexistingSambaservertoworkwithahostonlynetwork.Allthe
sharesyousetupinSambaandintheguestoperatingsystemnormallyappearonthe
bridgednetworkaswell.
Ifyouneedtobesurethesharessetupintheguestoperatingsystemareseenonlyon
thehostonlynetwork,youmightfinditeasiesttoinstallandusetheSambaserver
providedwithVMwareServer.
Ifyoudonotneedanysharestoappearonyourbridgednetwork,youcanuseyour
existingSambaserverandsetuptheconfigurationfilesoitworksonlyonthehostonly
network.
Sambaconfigurationscanbequitecomplex.Thissectionprovidesseveralsample
configurationfiles.Ifyouneedtogobeyondtheissuescoveredhere,seethemanpage
forthesmb.conffile.Toviewthismanpage,typeoneofthefollowingcommandsina
terminalwindow:
man smb.conf
or
man 5 smb.conf
Payparticularattentiontothesectiononencryptedpasswords.Ifyouhaveenabled
cleartextpasswordsintheguestoperatingsystem,makesurethatsmb.confissetup
tousecleartextpasswords.Similarly,ifyouareusingencryptedpasswords,youmust
havethesamesettingintheguestoperatingsystemandinsmb.conf.
Sample smb.conf for Host-Only Networking
ThefollowingsampleSambaconfigurationfileisforusewithhostonlynetworking.
Thisconfigurationisforthe2.0.6versionofSambainstalledbyVMwareServer.The
configurationfilesareplacedin/etc/vmware/vmnet1/smbbydefault.
# This is the VMware(TM) Samba configuration file. Read the
# smb.conf(5) manual page to understand the options listed
# here. Samba has a huge number of configurable options
# most of which are not shown in this example
#
# Any line that starts with a ; (semicolon) or a # (hash)
# is a comment and is ignored. In this example we will use a #
# for commentary and a ; for parts of the config file that you
NOTEUsingSambaprintersharingwithvirtualmachinesisnotsupported.Consult
themanpagesforguidanceonconfiguringSambaforprinting.
260 VMware, Inc.

# might wish to enable
#
#
# Configuration file for Samba 2.0.6 vmware-[sn]mbd operating on
# vmnet1.
#
# This file was generated by the VMware configuration
# program and modified for this document.
#
# If you modify it, it will be backed up the next time you run the
# configuration program.
# Global settings
[global]
# This should be polled at install time from the private subnet created by
# vmware-config.pl
socket address = 192.168.183.1
interfaces = vmnet1
bind interfaces only = yes
workgroup = WORKGROUP
netbios name = HOSTNAME
server string = VMware host-only
security = user
encrypt passwords = yes
# Note: Printers not loaded in this example. Resource definitions commented
# below.
; load printers = yes
socket options = TCP_NODELAY SO_RCVBUF=8192 SO_SNDBUF=8192
# VMware extension to use a different shared memory access key on each
# Samba server running on this host
sysv shm key = /dev/vmnet1
; log file = /etc/vmware/vmnet1/smb/var/log.smb
; log level = 1
; max log size in KB
; max log size = 50
lock directory = /etc/vmware/vmnet1/smb/var/locks
smb passwd file = /etc/vmware/vmnet1/smb/private/smbpasswd
codepage dir = /usr/lib/vmware/smb/codepages
dns proxy = no
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# Shared resources
# Home directories
[homes]
comment = Home directories
browseable = no
writable = yes
# Printers
;[printers]
; comment = All printers
; path = /var/lpd
; browseable = no
; guest ok = no
; writable = no
; printable = yes
;[HostFS]
; comment = VMware host filesystem
; path = /
; public = no
; writeable = yes
; printable = no
Sample smb.conf for Bridged Networking
ThefollowingsampleSambaconfigurationfileisforusewithbridgednetworking.This
configurationfileisbasedonthe2.0.7versionofSambaandassumesthatyouareusing
yourexistingSambaserver,asprovidedwithyourhostcomputersLinuxdistribution.
Theconfigurationfileisplacedin/etcbydefault.
# This is the main Samba configuration file. Read the
# smb.conf(5) manual page to understand the options listed
# here. Samba has a huge number of configurable options
# most of which are not shown in this example
#
# Any line that starts with a ; (semicolon) or a # (hash)
# is a comment and is ignored. In this example we will use a #
# for commentary and a ; for parts of the config file that you
# might wish to enable
#
# NOTE: Whenever you modify this file run the command
# "testparm" to check that you have not many any basic syntactic
# errors.
# Global Settings
[global]
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interfaces = eth0
workgroup = WORKGROUP
netbios name = HOSTNAME
server string = Samba Host Box
# Note: Printers not loaded in this example. Resource definitions commented
# below.
; printcap name = lpstat
; load printers = yes
; printing = cups
log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m
max log size = 50
security = user
smb passwd file = /etc/smbpasswd
dns proxy = no
preserve case = yes
short preserve case = yes
default case = lower
; case sensitive = no
# Shared Resources
[homes]
comment = Home Directories
browseable = yes
writable = yes
;[printers]
; comment = All Printers
; path = /var/spool/samba
; browseable = yes
; guest ok = yes
; writable = no
; printable = yes
; create mode = 0700
; print command = lpr-cups -P %p -o raw %s -r # using client side
; printer drivers.
; print command = lpr-cups -P %p %s # using cups own drivers (use
; generic PostScript on clients).
; lpq command = lpstat -o %p
; lprm command = cancel %p-%j
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;[system]
; comment = System share
; path = /
; valid users = username
; public = no
; browsable = yes
; writable = yes
; printable = no
Adding User Names and Passwords to the VMware Server Samba
Password File
YoumustbesuretheSambapasswordfileincludesentriesforallusersofthevirtual
machinewhowillaccessthehostsfilesystem.Theusernamesandpasswordsinthe
Sambapasswordfilemustbethesameasthoseusedforloggingontotheguest
operatingsystem.
YoucanaddusernamesandpasswordstotheVMwareServerSambapasswordfileat
anytimefromaterminalwindowonyourLinuxhostcomputer.
To add user names and passwords to the VMware Server Samba password file
1 Astherootuser,runtheVMwareServerSambapasswordcommand.
vmware-smbpasswd vmnet1 -a <username>
<username>istheusernameyouwanttoadd.Followtheonscreeninstructions.
2 Logoutasroot.
exit
Ifthefollowingmessageisdisplayed:
Unknown virtual interface "vmnet1"
ThisindicatesyourmachineisnotusingtheVMwareServerSambaserver.
IfyourinstallationofVMwareServerdoesnotincludetheVMwareServerSamba
serverandyouwanttosetitup,logonastherootuseronthehost,andrun
vmware-config.plfromaterminalonthehost.
ToconfigureVMwareServercorrectly,thevmware-config.plconfigurationprogram
requiresallvirtualmachinestobeshutdown.Theprogramshutsdownanyrunning
virtualmachinesautomatically.
NOTEvmware-smbpasswdisbasedonthestandardSambapasswordprogram.If
youarefamiliarwiththeoptionsusedinsmbpasswd,youcanuseanyofthemin
vmware-smbpasswd.
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Whentheconfigurationprogramprompts:
Do you want this script to automatically configure your system to allow your
virtual machines to access the host file system?
Typeyes.
If You Are Already Running Samba
IfyoualreadyhaveSambarunningonyourLinuxhost,donotinstallthe
VMware ServerSambaserverwhenyouareinstallingVMwareServeronyourhost.
Whentheconfigurationprogramprompts:
Do you want this script to automatically configure your system to allow your
virtual machines to access the host file system?
Typeno.
BesuretomodifyyourSambaconfigurationsoitincludestheIPsubnetusedbythe
VMwareServervirtualnetworkadapter,VMnet1.
To determine what subnet is being used by VMnet1, enter
/sbin/ifconfig vmnet1
YoumustbesuretheSambapasswordfileincludesentriesforallusersofthevirtual
machinewhowillaccessthehostsfilesystem.Theusernamesandpasswordsinthe
Sambapasswordfilemustbethesameasthoseusedforloggingontotheguest
operatingsystem.
YoucanaddusernamesandpasswordstotheSambapasswordfileatanytimefroma
terminalwindowonyourLinuxhostcomputer.
To add user names and passwords to the Samba password file from a Linux host
1 Logontotherootaccount.
su -
2 RuntheSambapasswordcommand.
smbpasswd -a <username>
<username>istheusernameyouwanttoadd.Followtheonscreeninstructions.
3 Logoutoftherootaccount.
exit
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Using a Samba Server for Both Bridged and Host-Only Networks
YoucanusetheSambaserverofyourchoiceeithertheexistingSambaserverfrom
yourhostoperatingsystemsdistributionortheoneprovidedwithVMwareServer
forbothhostonlyandbridgednetworking.Todoso,youmustmodifyoneparameter
inthesmb.conffile.YoucandefinetheinterfaceparametersoyourSambaserver
servesmultipleinterfaces.Forexample:
interface = eth0 vmnet1
ThisexampletellstheSambaserverthatitistolistentoanduseboththeeth0and
vmnet1interfacestheinterfacesusedbybridgedandhostonlynetworking,
respectively.
Using VMware Servers Samba with an Existing Installation
YoucanalsorunbothyourexistingSambaserverandtheVMwareServerSambaserver
atthesametime.Todothis,yourcurrentSambaservermustbeversion2.0.6orhigher
andmustbeconfiguredcorrectly.However,thisapproachisnotrecommended.
To determine the version of your Samba server, enter
smbd -V
IfyouwanttotryrunningbothSambaserversatthesametime,usethissample
smb.conffileasabasisforconfiguringtheregularSambaserveronyourhost
computer.
Sample smb.conf for Running Two Samba Servers at the Same Time
; This file is the recommended smb.conf file for your
; normal Samba server if you want to run it concurrently
; (which we don't advise) with the VMware Samba server.
;
; Your normal samba server should be at least v 2.0.6
;
; You will need to insert specific information
; for your system at several points indicated in the file
; by <text in angle brackets>.
;
; --------------
;
; Larmor samba server configuration
;
; Global settings
[global]
;
; Identity
;
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; Allow several Samba servers on the same machine
interfaces = <your real subnet>/<your real netmask>
bind interfaces only = yes
; Workgroup the host belongs to
workgroup = VMware
; SMB name of the host (the hostname by default)
netbios name = <your Windows name>
; Description of the host
server string = Linux running Samba 2.0.6
;
; Access
;
; Allow connections from
; hosts allow = <your real subnet>/<your real netmask>
; Authentication scheme
security = user
;
; Options
;
; Automatically load the printer list (from /etc/printcap
; by default)
load printers = yes
; Gives better performance
;
; Files and directories
;
; Max log size in KB
max log size = 1024
; Locks
lock directory = /var/samba
; SMB passwords
smb passwd file = /etc/samba/smbpasswd
;
; Name browsing
;
; Allow the host to participate in master browser
; elections
local master = yes
; Force a local browser election upon startup
; We need that otherwise it takes a long time before the
; windows network is browsable
preferred master = yes
; Do not try to resolve SMB names using DNS
dns proxy = no
; Shared resources
;
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; Home directories
[homes]
comment = Home directories
browseable = no
writable = yes
; Printers
;[printers]
; comment = All printers
; path = /var/lpd
; browseable = no
; guest ok = no
; writable = no
; printable = yes
[Slash]
comment = Whole filesystem
path = /
public = no
writeable = yes
printable = no
Using the Virtual Network Editor
UsingtheVirtualNetworkEditor,youcanviewandchangemanykeysettingsfor
networkinginyourvirtualmachinesandcreatecustomvirtualnetworking
configurations.Thesechangesaffectallvirtualmachinesonthehostcomputer.
Althoughanyusercanviewnetworksettings,onlyAdministratoruserscanchange
them.
Summary Tab
TheSummarytabdisplaysalistofthevirtualnetworkscurrentlyactiveonthehost.
Bydefault,theVMnet0virtualnetworkissetupinbridgedmodeandbridgestoan
activenetworkadapteronthehostcomputer.Iftherearemultipleactivenetwork
adaptersonthehost,thechoiceofwhichadapteritusesisarbitrary.Torestrictthe
rangeofchoices,clicktheAutomaticBridgingtabandspecifyanyadaptersyouwant
toexclude.Formoreinformation,seeAutomaticBridgingTabonpage 268.
ClicktheHostVirtualNetworkMappingtabtospecifythenetworkadapterusedfor
VMnet0andforanyothervirtualnetworksyouwanttouseforbridgednetworking.
Controlsonthispanelalsoallowyoutospecifythesubnettobeusedbyanyvirtual
network.Formoreinformation,seeHostVirtualNetworkMappingTabonpage 268.
ClicktheHostVirtualAdapterstabtospecifywhichvirtualnetworkshavehostvirtual
adaptersvirtualnetworkadaptersthatallowthehostcomputertoconnecttothe
network.Formoreinformation,seeHostVirtualAdaptersTabonpage 269.
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ClicktheDHCPtabtospecifywhichvirtualnetworksusethevirtualDHCPserveror
toconfigureDHCPsettingsforanyofthosenetworks.Formoreinformation,see
DHCPTabonpage 269.
ClicktheNATtabtoconfiguresettingsforthevirtualnetworkaddresstranslation
(NAT)device.Formoreinformation,seeNATTabonpage 270.
Automatic Bridging Tab
Bydefault,VMwareServerautomaticallybridgesVMnet0tothefirstavailablephysical
networkadapteronthehost.
Todisableautomaticbridging,clearthecheckboxcalledAutomaticallychoosean
availablephysicalnetworkadaptertobridgetoVMnet0.Afteryoudeselectthis
option,youcanseewhichphysicaladapterisbridgedtoVMnet0ontheSummarytab
andontheHostVirtualNetworkMappingtab.
TopreventaspecificadapterfromautomaticallybridgingtoVMnet0,leavethecheck
boxselected,andintheExcludedadapterssection,clickAddtospecifywhichphysical
networkadapteryouwanttopreventfrombeingbridgedtoVMnet0.
SeealsoHostVirtualNetworkMappingTabonpage 268.
Host Virtual Network Mapping Tab
Fromthistab,youcan:
Addnewvirtualnetworkadapters(switches).
Designatephysicalnetworkadapterstobeusedforbridgednetworking.
Removeanadapter.
Changesubnetandnetmasksettingsforavirtualadapter(seeChangingSubnet
andNetmaskSettingsonpage 269).
ChangeDHCPsettings(seeChangingDHCPSettingsonpage 269).
Becarefulwhenyouchangethebridgedadaptermappings.Ifyoureassignaphysical
networkadaptertoadifferentvirtualnetwork,anyvirtualmachinethatusedthe
originalnetworkisnolongerbridgedtotheexternalnetworkviathatvirtualnetwork.
Youmustthenchangethesettingforeachaffectedvirtualmachinesnetworkadapter
individually.
Thiscanbeespeciallytroublesomeifyourhosthasonlyonephysicalnetworkadapter
andyoureassignittoaVMnetotherthanVMnet0.EventhoughtheVMnetstillappears
tobridgetoanautomaticallychosenadapter,theonlyadapteritcanusehasbeen
assignedtoadifferentVMnet.
VMware, Inc. 269

Changing Subnet and Netmask Settings
Tovieworchangethesubnetsettingsforavirtualnetwork,clickthe>buttonforthat
virtualnetwork.Acontextmenuappears,fromwhichyoucanselectSubnet.Makeany
changesyouwish,andclickOK.
Changing DHCP Settings
TovieworchangeDHCPsettingsforavirtualnetwork,clickthe>buttonforthat
virtualnetwork.Acontextmenuappears,fromwhichyoucanselectDHCP.Makeany
changesyouwish,andclickOK.
YoucanchangeDHCPsettingsonlyifthevirtualnetworkadapterisbridged.For
example,ifthesettingforVMnet3isNotbridged,thecontextmenudisplaysonly
Subnet,andthereisnooptionforchangingDHCPsettings.
SeealsoDHCPTabonpage 269.
Host Virtual Adapters Tab
Thelistonthispanelshowswhichvirtualnetworkshavehostvirtualadapters
virtualnetworkadaptersthatallowthehostcomputertoconnecttothenetwork.
Ifyouinstalltheproperroutingorproxysoftwareonyourhostcomputer,youcan
establishaconnectionbetweenthehostvirtualnetworkadapterandaphysical
networkadapteronthehostcomputer.Thisallowsyou,forexample,toconnectthe
virtualmachinetoaTokenRingorothernonEthernetnetwork.
Usethistabtoenable,disable,add,andremoveahostvirtualadapter.Youcanenable
anddisableadapterswhileavirtualmachineisrunning.
Thepresenceofvirtualnetworkadaptershasaslightperformancecost,because
broadcastpacketsmustgototheextraadapters.OnWindowsnetworks,browsingyour
networkmightbeslowerthanusual.Andinsomecases,theseadaptersinteractwith
thehostcomputersnetworkingconfigurationinundesirableways.Ifyouarenotusing
avirtualnetworkadapter,youcanremoveordisableit.
DHCP Tab
YouneedtoconfigurethevirtualDHCPserverifyouwanttoassignIPaddressesto
eachvirtualmachineandthehostontheprivatenetwork(thatis,ifyouwanttouse
hostonlyorNATnetworking).UsingDHCPtoassignIPaddressesissimplerandmore
automaticthanstaticallyassigningthem.
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Toaddanewvirtualnetworktothelist,clickAdd.Inthedialogboxthatappears,select
thenetworkyouwanttoaddfromthedropdownlist,andclickOK.(Atthispoint,you
cannotchangeanyoftheothersettingsintheDHCPSettingsdialogbox.)OntheDHCP
tab,clickApplytoactivatethenewnetwork.Youcannowselectthenewlyadded
networkandchangethesettings,asfollows.
TochangeDHCPsettingsforavirtualnetwork,selectitinthelist,andclickProperties.
IntheDHCPSettingsdialogboxthatappears,youcanchangetherangeofIPaddresses
providedbytheVMwareServerDHCPserveronaparticularvirtualnetwork.Youcan
alsochangethedurationofDHCPleasesprovidedtoclientsonthevirtualnetwork.(If
youwanttochangethesubnetsettings,youneedtousetheHostVirtualnetwork
Mappingtab.)
YoucancompletelystoptheDHCPserviceforallvirtualnetworksbyclickingStop,
andthenclickingApply.Iftheserviceisstopped,youcanstartitbyclickingStartand
thenApply.
(YoucanalsomodifyDHCPsettingsbychoosingEdit>VirtualNetworkSettings>
HostVirtualNetworkMapping,selectingaspecificbridgedadapter,thenclickingthe
>buttonforthatvirtualnetwork.)
NAT Tab
OptionsontheNATtabletyoudeterminewhichvirtualnetworkisusingthevirtual
NATdevice,stopandstarttheNATservice,andconfigureavarietyofsettingsforthe
NATdevice.
Youcanstop,restart,andstartthevirtualNATdevicebyclickingtheappropriate
button.TheVMnethostsettingletsyouselectwhichvirtualnetworkusestheNAT
device.YoucanselectDisableifyoudonotwanttouseNATonanyvirtualnetwork.
YoucanchangeanyofthefollowingNATsettingswhenyouclickEdit:
GatewayIPaddressUsethisfieldtochangetheIPaddressfortheNATdevice.
Ifyouneedtochangethenetmask,clickthe<buttonontheHostVirtualNetwork
MappingtaboftheVirtualNetworkEditorandselectSubnet.
UDPtimeoutUsethisfieldtochangethenumberofminutestokeeptheUDP
mappingfortheNA.
ConfigportfieldUsethisfieldfortroubleshootingpurposeswithVMware
technicalsupportonly.Youwillbedirectedtospecifyaportthatcanbeusedto
accessstatusinformationabouttheNAT.
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PortforwardingPortforwardingletsyousendincomingTCPorUDPrequests
toaspecificvirtualmachineonthevirtualnetworkservedbytheNATdevice.To
setupandconfigureforwardedports,clickPortForwarding,andcompletethe
dialogboxthatappears,asfollows:
ToaddanewportforeitherTCPorUDP,clickAddintheappropriatesection,
andcompletethedialogboxthatappears,asfollows:
HostportSpecifythenumberoftheincomingTCPorUDPport.For
example,incomingHTTPrequestsareusuallyonport80.
VirtualMachineIPaddressfieldSpecifytheIPaddressofthevirtual
machinetowhichyouwanttoforwardtheincomingrequests.
PortfieldonthatlineSpecifytheportnumberyouwanttousefor
thoserequestsonthatvirtualmachine.Thismaybethestandardport,
suchas80forHTTP,oranonstandardportifsoftwarerunninginthe
virtualmachineisconfiguredtoacceptrequestsonanonstandardport.
Description(optional)SpecifyYoumightusethisfieldtoidentifythe
servicebeingforwarded,forexample,HTTP.
Tochangesettingsforaportalreadylisted,selectitsnameinthelist,andclick
Properties.
DNSThisbuttonletsyouspecifyserverstobeusedbythevirtualNATdevice.
Youcanchangethefollowingsettings:
PolicyIfyouusemultipleDNSservers,specifythestrategytousefor
choosingwhichservertosendarequestto:
OrderSendoneDNSrequestatatimeinorderofthenameservers.
RotateSendoneDNSrequestatatimeandrotatethroughtheDNS
servers.
BurstSendtothreeserversandwaitforthefirstonetorespond.
AutodetectSelectthischeckboxtohaveVMwareServerautomatically
detectavailableDNSservers.
TimeoutSpecifythenumberofminutestokeeptrying,iftheNATisunable
toconnecttotheDNSserver.
RetriesSpecifythenumberoftimestheNATshouldtrytoconnecttothe
DNSserver.
272 VMware, Inc.

ToaddaDNSservertothelist,clickAddandentertheDNSserversIP
addressintheIPaddressfield.TheDescriptionfieldisoptional.
Tochangesettingsforaserveralreadylisted,selectitsnameinthelist,and
clickProperties.
ActiveFTPClearthischeckboxifyouwanttoallowonlypassivemodeFTP
overtheNATdevice.
AllowanyOUIIfyouchangetheOUI(organizationallyuniqueidentifier)
portionoftheMACaddressforthevirtualmachineandsubsequentlycannotuse
NATwiththevirtualmachine,youshouldselectthischeckbox.
NetBIOSsectionUsethissectiontospecifyNBNS(NetBIOSNameService)and
(NetBIOSDatagramService)timeoutsandretrysettings.
VMware, Inc. 273

12
ThischapterdescribeshowtooptimizeVMwareServerperformancebyconfiguring
andmaintainingVMwareServerhostsystems,hostwideVMwareServersettings,and
virtualmachines.Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
ConfiguringandMaintainingtheHostSystemonpage 273
AllocatingMemorytoaVirtualMachineonpage 277
EditingVirtualMachineMemoryonpage 277
EditingVirtualProcessorsonpage 279
UsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessingonpage 278
ConfiguringandMaintainingGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 279
Configuring and Maintaining the Host System
Thissectiondescribeshowtoconfigureandmaintainhostsystemstooptimize
VMwareServerperformance.ItalsodescribeshostwideVMwareServersettingsthat
impactVMwareServerperformance.
Performance Tuning for
VMware Server 12
274 VMware, Inc.

Defragmenting Hard Disks
Diskaccessperformanceisdegradedwhenthephysicaldiskthatstoresthevirtual
machinediskfilesandworkingdirectoryisfragmented.Fragmentationofthehosthard
diskcandegradetheaccessperformanceofanyorallofthefollowing:
Filesthatmakeupavirtualdisk
Filesthatstorenewlysaveddatawhenyoutakeasnapshot
Filesthatholdinformationusedwhensuspendingandresumingavirtualmachine
Ifyouareexperiencingslowdiskperformanceinthevirtualmachine,orifyouwantto
improvethespeedofsuspendandresumeoperations,makesurethatthehostphysical
diskthatstoresthevirtualmachinediskfilesandworkingdirectoryisnotfragmented.
Ifthehostdiskisfragmented,youcanimproveperformancebyrunninga
defragmentationutilityonthathostdisk.
Maintaining Adequate Free Disk Space
Foroptimalperformance,keepadequatefreediskspaceonthehostphysicaldisk.
PerformancecandegradeconsiderablywhenVMwareServerisusingahostdiskwith
littlefreespacetowritegrowablevirtualdisk,snapshot,andredofiles.
Enabling Disk Write Caching on Windows Hosts
OnWindowshosts,youcanenableanddisablewritecachingforeachharddiskfrom
thePoliciestabofthedisksHardwarePropertiesdialogbox.Insomecases,youcan
alsoenableadvancedperformanceforthedisk.Enablingoneorbothofthesesettings
canimprovehostdiskperformanceingeneral.Enablingthesesettingsonthehostdisk
thatcontainsthevirtualmachinediskfilescanimprovevirtualdiskperformance,
especiallywhenVMwareServerismakingheavyuseofthedisk.
Configuring Swap Space on Linux Hosts
OnLinuxhosts,theamountofswapspaceandthesizeofthe/tmpdirectoryaffect
performance.Makesurethatsizeofthe/tmpdirectoryisatleast1.5timestheamount
ofmemoryonthehost.Forexample,ifthehostsystemhas1GBofmemory,makesure
thatthehosts/tmpdirectoryisatleast1.5GB.
Formoreinformationaboutconfiguringswapspaceandthe/tmpdirectory,see
VMwareknowledgebasearticle844:
http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=844.
VMware, Inc. 275
Chapter 12 Performance Tuning for VMware Server

Increasing NIC Interrupt Coalescing
InterruptcoalescingisaconfigurablefeatureinhighperformanceNICs.Interrupt
coalescingprovidesnotificationofthereceptionofagroupofnetworkframestothe
operatingsystemkernelthroughhardwareinterrupts.Increasinginterruptcoalescing
onhostNICscanimproveperformanceforworkloadsinvolvingheavynetworktraffic
totheguestsystem.
Calculating Memory Requirements to Allow for Virtual Machine
Overhead
Virtualmachinesrequirerelativelylargeamountsofmemorytoperformwell.Each
virtualmachinecanusememoryuptoitsallocationlimit,plussomeoverhead.The
amountofoverheadneededdependsonthesizeofthevirtualdisks,theamountof
memoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine,andguestsystembehavior.
Table 121liststheadditionalamountofmemoryneededforoverhead,basedonthe
amountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine.
Donotallowtotalmemoryallocatedforallrunningvirtualmachinesplustheoverhead
forVMwareServerprocessestoexceedtheamountofphysicalmemoryonthehost.
Alsokeepsomememoryavailableforotherapplicationsonthehost.
Configuring Host-Wide Virtual Machine Memory Usage
Inadditiontoconfiguringthememorycapacityforeachvirtualmachine(see
AllocatingMemorytoaVirtualMachineonpage 277),youcanspecifythefollowing
hostwideVMwareServermemorysettings:
Howmuchofthehostsystemsmemorycanbeusedforallrunningvirtual
machines
Theextenttowhichthehostsystemsmemorymanagercanswapvirtualmachines
outofphysicalRAM
Thesesettingsaffectbothvirtualmachineandoverallsystemperformance.
Table 12-1. Virtual Machine Allocated Memory and Additional Memory Overhead
Virtual Machine Memory Allocated Additional Memory Overhead Needed
Upto512MB Upto54MB
Upto1000MB Upto62MB
Upto2000MB Upto79MB
Upto3600MB Upto105MB
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Reserving Host Memory for Virtual Machine Use
YoucanlimittheamountofhostmemorythatVMwareServerisallowedtoconsume
forallrunningvirtualmachines.Thisisthereservedmemorylimit,configuredas
describedinReservingHostMemoryforAllVirtualMachinesonpage 113.
Ifyousetthisvaluetoohigh,thehostmightperformpoorlywhenotherapplications
arerunningonthehost.Ifyousetthisvaluetoolow,virtualmachinesmightperform
poorlyandfewervirtualmachinescanrunsimultaneously.
Reservedmemoryisallocatedasneeded,andtheamountinusevarieswhilevirtual
machinesarerunning.Ifmultiplevirtualmachinesarerunningsimultaneously,they
managethememorybetweeneachother.
Evenwhenmultiplevirtualmachinesarerunningsimultaneously,VMwareServer
mightbeusingonlyafractionofthereservedmemorylimit.Unusedhostmemoryis
availableforusebyotherapplications.However,ifallthereservedhostmemoryisin
usebyoneormorevirtualmachines,thehostandotherhostapplicationscannot
operateproperly.Theamountofmemorythatmustremainallocatedtothehostand
otherhostapplicationsdependsonthehostoperatingsystemandthetotalhost
memorysize.
Configuring Host Memory for Swapping
Topreventvirtualmachinesfromaffectingeachothersperformance,VMwareServer
limitsthenumberofvirtualmachinesthatcanrunsimultaneouslybasedontheamount
ofmemoryreservedforallrunningvirtualmachines.Toadjustthenumberofvirtual
machinesthatcanrunsimultaneouslyortheirtotalmemoryusage,specifytheamount
ofvirtualmachinememorythatthehostoperatingsystemcanswaptodisk.
YoucanallowvirtualmachinememorytobeswappedinandoutofhostRAM,oryou
canrequirethatallvirtualmachinememoryfitinreservedRAM.Thesettingthat
determineshowmuchmemorycanbeswappedisconfiguredasdescribedin
ConfiguringAdditionalMemoryforSwappingonpage 114.
Ifyoutrytopoweronavirtualmachinewheninsufficientmemoryisavailable,
VMwareServerdisplaysawarningdialogbox.Themessageindicateshowmuch
memorythevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouseandhowmuchmemoryisavailable.
Toattempttopoweronthevirtualmachineusingtheavailablememory,clickOK.
Otherwise,clickCancel.
VMware, Inc. 277

Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine
Youspecifythememorycapacityforeachvirtualmachinewhenyoucreateit.TheNew
VirtualMachinewizarddisplaysareasonabledefaultvaluebasedontheguest
operatingsystemtypeandthetotalamountofhostmemory.However,youmightbe
abletoimproveperformancebyadjustingthesettingwhenyoucreatethevirtual
machine,orbylatereditingthememorysetting.SeeEditingVirtualMachine
Memoryonpage 277.
Mostmodernoperatingsystemsusesignificantamountsofmemory,soallowinga
generousvirtualmachinememorycapacityisbeneficialforoptimalperformance.The
optimalsettingdependsonthefollowingconsiderations:
Recommendationsoftheoperatingsystemvendor.
Typesofapplicationsthatareruninthevirtualmachine.
Whethermultiplevirtualmachinesarecontendingformemoryresources.Ifyou
plantorunonevirtualmachineatatimemostofthetime,agoodstartingpointis
togivethevirtualmachinehalfoftheavailablehostmemory.
Whichapplicationsarerunonthehostatthesametimeasthevirtualmachine.
Totalamountofhostmemorythatallrunningvirtualmachinescanuse.See
ReservingHostMemoryforVirtualMachineUseonpage 276.
Filesystemwherethevirtualmachineisstored.Youcannotallocatemorethan2GB
ofmemorytoavirtualmachineifitisstoredonafilesystemthatdoesnotsupport
fileslargerthan2GB,suchasFAT16.Ifyoudo,thevirtualmachinewillnotboot.
Forinformationabouthostwidememorysettings,seeConfiguringHostWide
VirtualMachineMemoryUsageonpage 275.
Editing Virtual Machine Memory
Youcanchangetheamountofmemoryallocatedtoavirtualmachine.
To edit memory allocation for a virtual machine
1 SelectthevirtualmachinefromtheInventorypanel.
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheMemoryiconandselect
Edit.
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4 EntertheamountofmemoryinMBorGB,inmultiplesoffour.
Using Two-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing
Forallsupportedconfigurationsof32bitand64bithostandguestoperatingsystems
runningonmultiprocessorhostmachines,VMwareServerprovidessupportfor
twowayVirtualSMP.VirtualSMPenablesyoutoassigntwovirtualprocessorstoa
virtualmachineonanyhostmachinethathasatleasttwologicalprocessors.
Thefollowingareallconsideredtohavetwoormorelogicalprocessors:
MultiprocessorhostwithtwoormorephysicalCPUs
SingleprocessorhostwithamulticoreCPU
Singleprocessorhostwithhyperthreadingenabled
GuestswithmorethantwovirtualprocessorsarenotsupportedinVMwareServer.
However,youcanpoweronandrunmultipledualprocessorvirtualmachines
concurrently.
ThevirtualmachineSummarytabdisplaysthenumberofvirtualprocessorscurrently
configuredforthevirtualmachine.Forinformationabouthowtosetthenumberof
processorsforthevirtualmachine,seeEditingVirtualProcessorsonpage 279.
Ifthehostisauniprocessormachineandisnothyperthreaded,assigningtwo
processorsisneithersupportednorrecommended.Awarningmessageappearswhen
youcreatethevirtualmachine.Youcandisregardthewarningandassigntwo
processorstothevirtualmachine,butafteryoufinishcreatingthevirtualmachine,you
cannotpoweritonunlessyoumoveittoahostmachinewithatleasttwological
processors.
NOTETomakesurethatthevirtualmachinecanboot,allocateatleastthe
RecommendedMinimumamountofmemory.
NOTEOnhyperthreadeduniprocessorhosts,performanceofvirtualmachineswith
VirtualSMPmightbesubpar.
NOTEPerformancemightdegradesignificantlyinanovercommittedVirtualSMP
environmentifthetotalnumberofvirtualCPUsinallrunningvirtualmachines
exceedsthenumberofphysicalCPUsoradditionalapplicationsonthehostare
competingwithVMwareServerforCPUresources.
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Editing Virtual Processors
Youcanchangethenumberofvirtualprocessorsusedinavirtualmachine.
Configuringthevirtualmachinetohavetwoprocessorsissupportedonlyforhost
machineswithatleasttwologicalprocessors.
ForinformationaboutVMwareServersupportforvirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing
(VirtualSMP),seeUsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessingonpage 278.
To change the number of processors in a virtual machine
1 SelectthevirtualmachinefromtheInventorypanel.
3 IntheHardwaresectionoftheSummarytab,clicktheProcessorsiconandselect
Edit.
4 SelectthenumberofprocessorsfromtheProcessorCountdropdownmenu.
Configuring and Maintaining Guest Operating Systems
Thissectionincludesrecommendationsforguestoperatingsystemconfigurationand
maintenancetooptimizeVMwareServerperformance.
Installing Linux Guest Operating Systems in Text Mode
WhenyouareinstallingaLinuxguestoperatingsystem,usethetextmodeinstaller
insteadofthegraphicalinstallerifpossible.Thismakestheinstallationprocessfaster.
Selecting the Correct Guest Operating System
Makesurethatyouselectthecorrectguestoperatingsystemforeachofyourvirtual
machines.Forinformationabouthowtoverifyorchangetheguestoperatingsystem
type,seeChangingVirtualMachineNameandGuestSystemSettingsonpage 124.
VMwareServeroptimizescertaininternalconfigurationsbasedonthissetting.These
optimizationscangreatlyaidtheoperatingsystemtheytarget,buttheycancause
significantperformancedegradationifthereisamismatchbetweenthesettingandthe
operatingsystemactuallyrunninginthevirtualmachine.(Althoughselectingthe
wrongguestoperatingsystemmightdegradethevirtualmachinesperformance,itis
notlikelytocauseavirtualmachinetorunincorrectly.)
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Installing VMware Tools
AlwaysinstallVMwareToolsinanyguestoperatingsystemforwhichaVMwareTools
packageexists.VMwareToolssetsuptheVMwareToolsservicetorunautomatically
whenthesystemstarts.
VMwareToolsprovidesimprovedvideoandmouseperformanceandgreatly
improvestheusabilityofthevirtualmachine.VMwareToolsalsoallowsyouto
synchronizethevirtualmachinesclockwiththehostcomputersclock,whichcan
improveperformanceforsomefunctions.Formoreinformation,seeChapter 5,
InstallingandUsingVMwareTools,onpage 73.
Temporarily Disabling Acceleration in the Guest Operating
System
Itissometimesnecessarytotemporarilydisableaccelerationinavirtualmachineto
resolveproblemswithaguestoperatingsystemapplicationthatcrashesorseemsto
hangorreportsthatitisrunningunderadebugger.Usuallyitispossibletoreenable
accelerationafterinstallingorstartingtheapplication.
Disablingaccelerationdegradesvirtualmachineperformance.Iftheproblemoccurs
onlyduringapplicationinstallationorstartup,youcanimproveperformanceby
resumingacceleratedoperationaftertheapplicationthatwasencounteringproblems
isinstalledorrunning.Forinformationabouthowtoenableanddisableacceleration,
seeChangingVirtualMachineAdvancedSettingsonpage 127.
Avoiding Remote Disk Access
Avoidconfiguringvirtualdisksthatareaccessedoverthenetworkunlessyouhavea
veryfastnetwork.
Managing Snapshots and Virtual Disks
Ifyoudonotneedsnapshots,runyourvirtualmachinewithoutthemforbest
performance.Forinformationabouthowtoremoveanexistingsnapshot,see
Whennosnapshotexists,accessperformancetotheflatfilesthatmakeupa
preallocatedvirtualdiskiscomparabletothesequentialandrandomaccess
performanceoftheunderlyingphysicaldisk.
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Whenasnapshotexistsandyouhavemadechangestoapreallocatedvirtualdisk,
accessperformanceforthechangeddiskfilesissomewhatslowerandiscomparableto
thatofagrowablevirtualdisk(whichdoesnothavespaceallocatedinadvance).Ifyou
removethesnapshot,performanceagainreflectsthatoftheunderlyingdisk.
Whenasnapshotexists,virtualdisksoftenhaveverygoodperformanceforrandomor
nonsequentialaccess.Buttheycanpotentiallybecomesofragmentedthatperformance
isaffected.Youcanimproveperformanceforthesedisksbydefragmentingthem,as
describedinDefragmentingVirtualDisksonpage 147.Beforeyoudefragmentthedisk,
youmustfirstremovethesnapshot.
Disabling Debugging Mode
Youcanconfigurevirtualmachinestorecorddebuggingorstatisticsinformation.
However,recordingdebugginginformationdegradesperformancesignificantly.
Duringnormaluse,makesurethatthevirtualmachineisnotrecordingdebugging
information.Forinformationabouthowtoenableanddisabletherecordingofruntime
information,seeChangingVirtualMachineAdvancedSettingsonpage 127.
Disabling CD/DVD Drive Polling
ManyWindowsoperatingsystemspolltheCD/DVDdriveapproximatelyevery
secondtoseewhetheradiscispresent,allowingthemtorunautorunprograms.When
thispollingoccurs,thevirtualmachinemightappeartopausewhileVMwareServer
connectstothehostCD/DVDdriveandthehostdrivespinsup.
IfyouhaveaCD/DVDdrivethattakesalongtimetospinup,youcaneliminatethese
pausesusingeitherofthefollowingmethods:
Disablepollinginyourguestoperatingsystem.Specificinstructionsdependonthe
operatingsystem.
ConfigureyourvirtualCD/DVDdrivesothatitisnotconnectedwhenthevirtual
machinepowerson.Onlyconnecttothevirtualdrivewhenyouwanttouseitin
thevirtualmachine.
NOTEAfterasnapshotistaken,youcannolongerdefragmenttheoriginaldisk.Ifyou
runadefragmentationutilityintheguestsystemwhenasnapshotexists,
VMware Servermakesallitschangestotheredologratherthantheoriginaldisk.Every
sectorthatchangesiscopiedtothevirtualmachineredolog.Theredologbecomes
extremelylargewhenthediskisheavilyfragmentedandyouattempttodefragment
thediskaftertakingasnapshot.
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Disabling Fade Effects in Windows 2000, Windows XP, and
Windows Server 2003
ThefadeeffectsusedbyWindows2000,WindowsXP,andWindowsServer2003to
displaymenuscanmakethevirtualmachineseemlessresponsive.
To disable fade effects
1 RightclicktheguestoperatingsystemdesktopandselectProperties>
Appearance>Effects(onWindowsXPorWindowsServer2003)or
Properties > Effects(onWindows2000).
2 DeselecttheUsetransitioneffectsformenusandtooltipscheckbox.
Disabling Visual Effects in Windows 98
Windows98visualeffectsplaceunnecessarydemandsongraphicsemulationin
VMwareServer.Youmightseeperformanceimprovementsifyouturnofftheseeffects.
To disable visual effects
1 Rightclicktheguestoperatingsystemdesktop,andselectProperties.
2 ClicktheEffectstab.
3 DeselecttheAnimatewindows,menus,andlistscheckbox.
4 (Optional)IfShowwindowcontentswhiledraggingisselected,deselectit.
Configuring Swap File Usage in Windows 95 and Windows 98
YoucanconfigureWindows95andWindows98systemsnottouseswapfilesuntil
thereisnomoreavailableRAM.
Inyoursystem.inifile,inthe[386enh]section,addthefollowingline:
ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1
Enabling Hardware Acceleration in Windows Server 2003
WindowsServer2003disableshardwareaccelerationbydefault.Thisslowsdown
graphicsperformanceandmouseresponsivenessintheguestoperatingsystem.
WhenyouinstallVMwareToolsinaWindowsServer2003guest,youarepromptedto
enablethehardwareaccelerationsetting.VMwarerecommendsthatyouenable
hardwareaccelerationfully.
VMware, Inc. 283

To enable hardware acceleration after installing VMware Tools
1 FromtheWindowscontrolpanel,selectDisplay.
2 ClicktheSettingstab,andclickAdvanced.
3 ClicktheTroubleshoottab,anddragtheHardwareaccelerationslideralltheway
toFull.
Configuring Direct Memory Access (DMA) Disk Settings
SCSCIphysicaldisksareusuallyfasterthanIDEdisksthatuseDMA.However,in
certainsituations,suchassinglethreadeddiskaccess,anIDEdiskthatusesDMAisas
fastasaSCSIdisk.
Inavirtualmachine,SCSIdisksandIDEdisksthatuseDMAhavesimilarperformance.
IDEdisksmightbeveryslowinaguestoperatingsystemthatisnotconfiguredtouse
DMA.Ifsupported,alsoenableDMAinSCSIdisks.
TheeasiestwaytoconfigureaLinuxguesttouseDMAforvirtualIDEdrivesisto
installVMwareTools.DuringVMwareToolsinstallation,IDEvirtualdrivesare
automaticallyconfiguredtouseDMA.
InWindowsServer2003,WindowsXP,andWindows2000,DMAisenabledbydefault.
Windows95OSR2andWindows98canuseDMAforfasterIDEharddiskaccess,but
DMAmightnotbeenabledbydefault.
To enable DMA access using the Device Manager in Windows 95 and Windows 98
1 RightclickMyComputerandselectProperties.
2 Clicktheplus(+)signnexttoDiskDrivestodisplaythevirtualmachines
individualdrives.
3 RightclicktheentryforeachIDEdrivetoopenitsPropertiesdialogbox.
4 UnderSettings,selectDMAandacceptanywarningsthatWindowsdisplays.
5 RestarttheWindowsguestsystem.
ThemethodforchangingthesettingvariesforotherWindowsoperatingsystems.
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Using DMA in Windows NT Guests on Multiprocessor Host
Systems
YoumightexperienceslowerthanexpecteddiskI/OperformanceinWindowsNT
guestoperatingsystemswhenusingIDEvirtualdisksonmultiprocessorhost
computers.TheI/Olimitationisespeciallynoticeablewhenthevirtualmachineis
booting.YoucanincreaseperformancebyenablingDMAonthevirtualdisksIDE
channel.
IfyouhaveavirtualdiskandaCD/DVDattachedasmasterandslavetotheprimary
IDEcontroller(channel0)andyouwanttoenableDMA,poweroffthevirtualmachine
andedittheCD/DVDdrivetomoveittothesecondaryIDEcontroller(channel1)at
IDE1:0.
YoucanenableDMAafterinstallingWindowsNTServicePack3orhigher.Inthe
WindowsNTguest,insertanSP3orSP4CDinthedriveandrunDMACHECK.EXEfrom
the\SUPPORT\UTILS\I386folderontheCD.Alternatively,downloadDMACHECK.EXE
fromtheMicrosoftWebsite:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q191774/
ClicktheEnabledoptionfortheIDEcontrollerandchannelconfiguredforthevirtual
disk.Typically,thisischannel0only,unlessyouhavethevirtualmachineconfigured
withmultiplevirtualdisksandnovirtualCD/DVDdrive.
DonotenableDMAonanIDEchannelwithavirtualCD/DVDdriveattached.
Monitoring Virtual Machine Performance on Windows Hosts
VMwareServerprovidesasetofcountersthattheMicrosoftPerformanceconsolecan
usetocollectperformancedatafromrunningvirtualmachines.
ThePerformanceconsoleisavailableonlyonWindowshosts.However,youcan
monitortheperformanceofanytypeofguestoperatingsystem,includingLinux
guests.
TheVMwareServerperformancecounterscanmonitorthefollowingdatafroma
runningvirtualmachine:
Readsandwritestovirtualdisks
Memoryusage
Virtualnetworktraffic
Youcantrackvirtualmachineperformanceonlywhenavirtualmachineisrunning.
Theperformancecountersreflectthestateofthevirtualmachine,nottheguest
operatingsystem.Forexample,thecounterscandeterminehowoftentheguestreads
fromavirtualdisk,butcannotdeterminehowmanyprocessesarerunningintheguest.
VMware, Inc. 285

To add counters to track virtual machine performance using the Windows
Performance console
1 SelectStart>Programs>AdministrativeTools>Performanceorenter
perfmon.mscattheWindowscommandprompt.
2 InthePerformanceconsole,selectSystemMonitor,andclicktheplus(+)signon
thetoolbar.
TheAddCountersdialogboxisdisplayed.
3 InthePerformanceobjectlist,selectVMware.
4 Selectwhichcounterstomonitor:
AllCountersMonitorallcounters
SelectcountersfromlistMonitorthecountersyouselectfromthelist
Todisplaythedescriptionofacounter,selectthecounterandclickExplain.
5 Selectwhichvirtualmachinestomonitor:
AllinstancesMonitorallrunningvirtualmachines
SelectinstancesfromlistMonitorthevirtualmachinesyouselectfromthe
list
6 ClickAddtoaddthecounterstothePerformanceconsole.
FormoreinformationaboutusingthePerformanceconsole,usetheconsoleinproduct
helporvisittheMicrosoftWebsite.
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VMware, Inc. 287

13
ThischapterdescribeshowtocreateclusterconfigurationsusingVMwareServeron
Windowshosts.Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
OverviewofClusteringwithVMwareServeronpage 287
UsingSCSIReservationtoShareVirtualSCSIDisksonpage 288
CreatingaClusterinaBoxonpage 291
Overview of Clustering with VMware Server
Clusteringenablesagroupofcomputerstoachievehighavailability,scalability,or
both.Tousers,theclusterappearstobeasinglesystem.
Forexample,toprovidehighavailability,aclustercouldhaveasinglenodeservingas
adatabaseduringnormaloperation,whiletheothernodesrunotherapplications.Ifthe
databasenodecrashes,thedatabaseapplicationcanrecoverbyrestartingthedatabase
onanothernode.
VMwareServerclusteringcapabilitiesareideallysuitedfordevelopment,testing,and
trainingapplications.
Inatypicalvirtualmachinecluster:
Eachvirtualmachineisonenodeinthecluster.
Disksaresharedbetweennodes.
Shareddisksarerequiredwhentheapplicationusesdynamicdata,suchasmail
serversanddatabaseservers.Sharedvirtualdisksmustbepreallocated,not
growable.
Configuring Clustering on
Windows Hosts 13
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Extranetworkconnectionsbetweennodescanmonitorheartbeatstatus.
Amethodforredirectingincomingrequestsisavailable.
Clustering Software Requirements
TheonlysupportedclusteringsoftwareisMicrosoftClusteringService.InWindows
2000,MicrosoftClusteringServiceprovidesfailoversupportfortwotofournode
clustersforapplicationssuchasdatabases,fileservers,andmailservers.InWindows
Server2003,MicrosoftClusteringServiceprovidesfailoversupportfortwoto
eightnodeclusters.
Applications That Can Use Clustering
Totakeadvantageofclusteringservices,applicationsmustbeclusteraware.Such
applicationscanbestateless,suchasWebserversandVPNservers.Clusteraware
applicationstypicallyincludebuiltinrecoveryfeatures,likethoseindatabaseservers,
mailservers,fileservers,andprintservers.
Using SCSI Reservation to Share Virtual SCSI Disks
YoucansharepreallocatedvirtualSCSIdisksamongmultiplevirtualmachines
runningonthesamehost.Whenavirtualdiskisshared,allvirtualmachinesusingthe
diskmustusetheSCSIreservationprotocolsothattheycanwritetothedisk
concurrently.
YoumustinstallclusteringsoftwareoneachvirtualmachinethatsharesaSCSIdisk.
EnablingSCSIreservationdoesnotautomaticallymakethevirtualmachinea
participantintheSCSIreservationprotocol.
ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtouseSCSIreservationtosharevirtualdisks
amongmultiplevirtualmachines.
NOTEAlwaysrigorouslytestandreviewyourclusterbeforedeployingitina
productionenvironment.
NOTEVMwaredoesnotsupportclusteringinWindowsServer2008guestsystems.
NOTEOnlyuseSCSIreservationifyouarefamiliarwithSCSI,ingeneral,andtheSCSI
reservationprotocol,inparticular.
VMware, Inc. 289
Chapter 13 Configuring Clustering on Windows Hosts

SCSI Reservation Prerequisites and Restrictions
TheuseofSCSIreservationisrestrictedasfollows:
YoucanenableSCSIreservationonlyforvirtualSCSIdisks.Youcannotenable
SCSIreservationforadiskthatisconfiguredasapassthrough(generic)SCSI
device.
VMwareServersupportsSCSIreservationonlywithpreallocatedvirtualdisks.
Whenyoucreateanewvirtualmachine,oraddanewvirtualdisktoanexisting
virtualmachine,configureapreallocatedvirtualdiskwhenusingSCSI
reservation.SupportforSCSIreservationwithgrowablevirtualdisksisnot
supported.
DisksusingSCSIreservationcanbesharedonlyamongvirtualmachinesrunning
onthesameVMwareServerhost.Ifyoutrytoshareadiskamongvirtualmachines
locatedondifferenthosts,datalossorcorruptionislikely.Theshareddiskordisks
canbelocatedinanyvaliddatastore.
Donotshareadiskonthebootdisk,typicallySCSIbus0.Instead,useSCSI
reservationonadatadisklocatedonadifferentbus.Ifyousharethebootdisk,you
runtheriskofcorruptingit,becausethebootprogramisnotawarethatthediskis
beingsharedandcanwritetothediskregardlessofwhetherornotitisbeing
shared.
AvirtualSCSIdiskcanbestoredonanytypeofphysicalharddisk,includingIDE,
SCSI,andSATAphysicaldisks.
IfonevirtualmachinedoesnothaveSCSIreservationenabledforitsvirtualdisk,
butanothervirtualmachinedoeshaveSCSIreservationenabledforthesame
virtualdisk,VMwareServerstillallowsthedisktobeshared.However,thevirtual
machinethatisnotconfiguredforSCSIreservationcanaccesstheshareddisk
concurrently,potentiallycausingdatalossorcorruption.
VMwareServervirtualmachinescurrentlysupportonlytheSCSI2disk
reservationprotocol,andnotapplicationsusingSCSI3diskreservations.
Enabling SCSI Reservation
SCSIreservationmustbeenabledineachvirtualmachinebeforeyoucansharevirtual
disks.
VMwarerecommendsthatyouconfiguresharedvirtualdisksonthesameSCSIbus,
whichmustbeadifferentbusfromtheonethattheguestoperatingsystemuses.For
example,ifyourguestoperatingsystemisonthescsi0bus,configuretheshareddisks
onthenextavailablebus,typicallythescsi1bus.
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To enable SCSI reservation in a virtual machine
2 Setthescsi<x>.sharedBus parameter(where<x>isthenumberoftheSCSIbus
beingshared)tovirtualinthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile,asdescribedin
ChangingVirtualMachineAdvancedSettingsonpage 127.
Forexample,toenableSCSIreservationfordevicesonthescsi1bus,set
scsi1.sharedBustovirtual.Thisallowsthewholebustobeshared.
Ifyoudonotwanttosharethewholebus,youcanselectivelyallowSCSI
reservationforaspecificSCSIdiskonthesharedbus.Forexample,ifyouwantto
shareaSCSIdisklocatedatscsi1:1,setscsi1:1.sharedtotrue.Youmust
specifythesameSCSItarget(inthisexample,scsi1:1)intheconfigurationfilefor
eachvirtualmachinethatsharesthedisk.IfSCSIreservationisenabledforthe
wholebus(thatis,scsi1.sharedBusissettovirtual),thissettingisignored.
3 Setthedisk.lockingparametertofalseinthevirtualmachineconfiguration
file.
Becausedisklockingisdisabled,multiplevirtualmachinescanaccesstheshared
diskconcurrently.
Naming Reservation Lock Files
WhenSCSIreservationisenabled,VMwareServercreatesareservationlockfilethat
containsthesharedstateofthereservationforthegivendisk.Thenameofthisfile
consistsoftheSCSIdiskfilenameappendedwiththe.RESLCKextension.
Forexample,ifthediskscsi1:0.filenameisdefinedintheconfigurationfileas
/<path_to_config>/vmSCSI.vmdk,thereservationlockfileforthisdiskhasthe
defaultname/<path_to_config>/vmSCSI.vmdk.RESLCK.
NOTEDonotshareresourcesusingtwoseparatebuses(forexample,dataon
SCSI1:0andquorumonSCSI2:0).Thiscausestheconfigurationfiletobecome
invalid.Iftheconfigurationfileisnotvalid,youcannotbootthevirtualmachine.
NOTEThissettingappliestoalldisksinthevirtualmachine.
CAUTIONIfanyvirtualmachinethatisnotconfiguredforSCSIreservationattemptsto
accessthediskconcurrently,theshareddiskisvulnerabletodatalossorcorruption.
VMware, Inc. 291

Youcanprovideyourownlockfilenamebysettingscsi1:0.reslcknameinthe
configurationfile.Forexample,ifyousetscsi1:0.reslcknameto
/tmp/scsi1-0.reslockintheconfigurationfile,thisnameoverridesthedefaultlock
filename.
AfterSCSIreservationisenabledforadisk,youmustconfigureeachvirtualmachine
tousethisdisk.SeeConfiguringHardDisksonpage 141.
Event Logging When Virtual Disks Are Shared
SomediskerrorsarerecordedintheWindowseventloginthenormaloperationofa
Windowsvirtualmachine.Anexampleerrormessageis:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Scsi\BusLogic3
Theerrorsmightappearinthelogperiodicallyonthepassivenodeofthecluster,and
whenthepassivenodeistakingoverduringafailover.Theerrorsareloggedbecause
theactivenodeoftheclusterhasreservedthesharedvirtualdisk.Thepassivenode
periodicallyprobestheshareddiskandreceivesaSCSIreservationconflicterror.
Creating a Cluster in a Box
WithVMwareServer,youcancreateasimpleclusterinaboxtoprovidehigh
availability.
Theclusterinaboxconfigurationhasthefollowingfeatures:
Consistsofmultiplevirtualmachines(nodes)onasinglephysicalmachine.
SupportsshareddiskswithoutsharedSCSIhardware.
Supportsaheartbeatnetworkwithoutanextraphysicalnetworkadapter.
CAUTIONYoumustusethesamelockfilename(forexample,
/tmp/scsi1-0.reslock)foreachvirtualmachineinthecluster.Youmustalsousethe
sameSCSItargetforeachvirtualmachinewhenyoudefinescsi1:0.reslckname.
However,theSCSIbus(scsi1inthiscase)doesnotneedtobethesame.
NOTETheabilitytotakesnapshotsisdisabledinaclusteringconfiguration.
292 VMware, Inc.

Figure 13-1. Two-Node Cluster on a Single Physical Machine
Thefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoconfigureaclusterinabox.
Configuring Virtual Machines for Cluster in a Box
Tocreateasetofclusteredvirtualmachines(aclusterinabox),configureeachofthem
withthefollowing:
AprimaryvirtualSCSIhostadapterwithonevirtualSCSIdisk.
Twovirtualnetworkadapters:
ApublicnetworkadapterbridgedtoaphysicaladapterusingeitherVMnet0
orVMnet2throughVMnet8.
AprivatenetworkadapterconnectedtoVMnet1(hostonly)oranother
physicaladapter(VMnet2throughVMnet8).Thisisthenetworkadapterthat
theclusteringserviceusestomonitortheheartbeatbetweennodes.
Thenetworkselectionmustmatchinallvirtualmachinesinacluster.
Anyotherrequiredvirtualmachinehardware.
VMware, Inc. 293

Inaddition,thefollowingarerequiredtosharedisks:
AsecondaryvirtualSCSIhostadapter.
Oneormorepreallocatedvirtualdisksthataresharedandareattachedtothe
secondarySCSIhostadapter.
NotethefollowingaboutvirtualPCIslotsinthevirtualmachines:
EachvirtualmachinebydefaulthassixPCIslotsavailable.
Thisclusterconfiguration(twonetworkadaptersandtwoSCSIhostbusadapters)
usesfouroftheseslots.
OnemorePCIslotisavailableforathirdnetworkadapterifneeded.(Thesixthslot
isusedbythevirtualdisplayadapter.)
IfthevirtualmachinesbootpartitionisonanIDEvirtualdisk,thepartition
occupiesoneofthePCIslots.
Creating a Two-Node Cluster with Microsoft Clustering Services
ThissectiondescribeshowtocreateatwonodeclusterusingMicrosoftClustering
ServicesonasingleVMwareServerhostusingthefollowing:
SQL1=hostnameofnode1ofthecluster
SQL2=hostnameofnode2ofthecluster
SQLCLUSTER=publichostnameofthecluster
Theprocedurestocreateatwonodeclusterincludesthefollowinghighlevelsteps:
Createthebasevirtualmachinewithtwovirtualdisksthataresharedbetweenthe
virtualmachinesinthecluster.Thisvirtualmachineservesasatemplateforthe
secondnode.
Clonethebasenodeanduseitcreatethesecondnode.
Installclusteringsoftwareonbothnodes.
NOTEThevirtualdisksusedtostoretheoperatingsystemandclusteringsoftwarefor
thevirtualmachines(nodes)intheclusterdonothavetobepreallocatedvirtualdisks.
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To create the base virtual machine that serves as the first node in the cluster
1 LogintoyourVMwareServerhostasanAdministratoruser.
2 Createanewvirtualmachine.Choosethesettingsyouwant,suchasthesizeofthe
virtualdiskandthevirtualmemorylimit,butmakesurethatyouspecify:
Windows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition
astheguestoperatingsystem.
SQL1asthevirtualmachinename.
Thecorrectdatastore.
Bridgednetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
3 Addanewnetworkadapterthatuseseitheranotherexternaladapterorthe
VMnet1hostonlyadapter.(Forcompleteisolationfromthehost,youcanalsouse
anyunusedvirtualEthernetswitch,typicallyVMnet2throughVMnet7.)For
information,seeAddingaNetworkAdaptertoaVirtualMachineonpage 223.
ThisadapterisusedasthevirtualprivateEthernetconnectionforheartbeat
monitoring.
4 Addthetwosharedvirtualdisks:
Ashareddatadisk,forexample,data.vmdk
Asharedquorumdisktostoretransactionsbeforetheyarecommittedtothe
datadisk,forexample,quorum.vmdk
Forinformation,seeAddingaHardDisktoaVirtualMachineonpage 144.
5 Addthefollowingparameterstothevirtualmachineconfigurationfile
(SQL1.vmx)asdescribedinChangingVirtualMachineAdvancedSettingson
page 127:
Setscsi1.sharedBustovirtual
Setdisk.lockingtofalse
ThisenablesSCSIreservation,whichisdescribedinmoredetailinthesection
UsingSCSIReservationtoShareVirtualSCSIDisksonpage 288.
Youarefinishedcreatingthevirtualmachineforthefirstnodeinyourcluster.
Thenextstepistoinstallaguestoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachine.
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6 InstalltheWindows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003Enterprise
EditionguestoperatingsystemasdescribedinInstallingtheGuestOperating
Systemonpage 68.
7 InstallVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem.SeeInstallingVMware
Toolsonpage 76.
To clone the first virtual machine node
1 Runsysprep.exe,whichisavailableontheWindowsCDinthefile
\support\tools\deploy.caborfromtheMicrosoftWebsite.
Thesysprep.exeutilityremovesthesecurityIDassignedtotheguestoperating
system,resetsthemachineinformation,andresetstheTCP/IPnetwork
configuration.
2 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine.
3 CreateavirtualmachinedirectorynamedSQL2inthesamedatastoreasSQL1.
4 CopytheSQL1*.vmdkfilestothisdirectory.
5 UsetheVMwareVirtualDiskManagertochangethenameofthevirtualdiskto
SQL2*.vmdk.Atacommandprompt,type:
vmware-vdiskmanager -n SQL1.vmdk SQL2.vmdk
SeetheVMwaretechnicalnoteaboutusingVirtualDiskManager.
Youarefinishedcloningthefirstnode.
Next,createthesecondnodeintheclusterusingtheclone.
To create the second node in the cluster from the clone of the first node
1 LogintoyourVMwareServerhostasanAdministratoruser.
2 Createanewvirtualmachine.Choosethesettingsyouwant,suchasthesizeofthe
virtualdiskandthevirtualmemorylimit,butmakesurethatyouspecify:
Windows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition
astheguestoperatingsystem.
SQL2asthevirtualmachinename.
NOTEDonotinstalltheclusteringservicesduringtheinstallationoftheguest
operatingsystem.
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Thecorrectdatastore.
Tousetheexistingvirtualdisk,clickBrowseandselectSQL2.vmdk.
Bridgednetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
3 Addanewnetworkadapterthatuseseitheranotherexternaladapterorthe
VMnet1hostonlyadapter.SeeAddingaNetworkAdaptertoaVirtualMachine
onpage 223.
4 Addthetwovirtualdisks(quorum.vmdkanddata.vmdk)youpreviouslycreated.
SeeAddingaHardDisktoaVirtualMachineonpage 144.
YoumustselectUseanExistingVirtualDiskandbrowsetoquorum.vmdkand
data.vmdk.
5 Addthefollowingparameterstothevirtualmachineconfigurationfile
(SQL2.vmx)asdescribedinChangingVirtualMachineAdvancedSettingson
page 127:
Setscsi1.sharedBustovirtual
Setdisk.lockingtofalse
ThisenablesSCSIreservation,whichisdescribedinmoredetailinUsingSCSI
ReservationtoShareVirtualSCSIDisksonpage 288.
Youarefinishedcreatingthesecondnode.
Nowthatyouhavevirtualmachinesforbothnodesinyourtwonodecluster,youcan
installtheclusteringservicessoftware.
To install Microsoft Clustering Services on the first node
1 Poweronthenode1virtualmachine.
2 AttheWindowssetupprompts,enterthefollowing:
Windowsserialnumber
Hostname(SQL1)
IPaddressesofthepublicandprivatenetworkadapters
Attheendoftheprocess,Windowsreboots.
3 StarttheDiskManagementutilityandchangebothshareddiskstoBasicdisks.
NOTEForthepublicnetworkadapter,enteranIPaddressthatbelongstothe
physicalnetwork.FortheprivateIPaddress,youcanuseanaddresslike
192.168.x.xwithaclassCsubnetmask(255.255.255.0).
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4 FormatbothsharedvirtualdiskswithNTFSiftheyarenotalreadyformatted.
5 AssignthefirstshareddisktoQ:(quorum)andtheseconddisktoR:(data).
IfyouhavejoinedthisvirtualmachinetoanexistingActiveDirectorydomain,skip
toStep 10.
6 Rundcpromo.exefromthecommandprompttostarttheActiveDirectorywizard.
7 Setupthecurrentmachineasadomaincontroller.Forthedomainname,use
somethingsimilarto<vmcluster>.<domain.com>where<domain.com>isyour
DNSdomainand<vmcluster>isyourActiveDirectorydomain.
Youcansetupthisnodeasanewdomaintreeoranewdomainforest,orjoinitto
anexistingdomaintreeorforest.
8 MakesurethattheDNSserverisinstalled.
9 Setthedomainpermissionsasmixedmodeunlessyouhaveotherrequirements.
10 Toaddaclusterservicesaccountinthedomain,choosePrograms>
AdministrativeTools>ActiveDirectoryUsersandComputers.
11 Addaclusterserviceaccountnamedcluster,andspecifythefollowing:
Userpassword
SelectUsercannotchangepassword
SelectPasswordneverexpires
12 InserttheWindowsCDintheCDROMdrive.
13 ChooseControlPanel>Add/RemovePrograms.
14 SelectAdd/RemoveWindowsComponents.
15 SelecttheClusterServicecomponent.
16 ClickNextandfollowthepromptstoinstalltheservice.
17 Toconfiguretheclusterservice,chooseFormaNewClusterandspecifythe
following:
SQLCLUSTERastheclustername.
TheclusterserviceaccountcreatedinStep 11.
Bothshareddisksaremanagedbytheclusterservice.
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Theshareddisk(Q:)isthequorumdisk.
Indicatewhichnetworkadapterispublicandwhichisprivate.
TheclusterIPaddress.Thisistheaddressthatrepresentsthecluster.Itmust
beonthesamenetworkasthephysicalEthernetdevice.
18 Tostoptheclusterserviceonthelocalnode(node1)sothatthesecondvirtual
machine(node2)canaccesstheshareddisks,rightclickthenodenamefrom
ClusterManager,andselectStopClusterService.
YouarefinishedinstallingMicrosoftClusteringServicesonthefirstnode.
To install Microsoft Clustering Services on the second node
1 Startthenode2virtualmachine.
2 RepeatStep 2andStep 3intheprocedureforthefirstnode.
3 StarttheDiskManagementtoolandassignthefirstshareddisktoQ:(quorum)
andtheseconddisktoR:(data).
4 Startdcpromo.exeandaddthisvirtualmachineasadomaincontrollerinthe
samedomaincreatedinStep 7forthefirstnode,oraddittoanexistingdomain.
5 Tostarttheclusterserviceinthenode1virtualmachine,rightclickthenodename
fromClusterManager,andselectStartClusterService.
6 Inthenode2virtualmachine,repeatStep 13throughStep 17inToinstall
MicrosoftClusteringServicesonthefirstnodeonpage 296,withoneexception:
inStep 17,selectJoinaCluster.
Youarenowfinishedconfiguringthecluster.
NOTEThesetupinnode2mustmatchthesetupinnode1,whichyouspecifiedin
Step 7fornode1.
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A
Thefollowingtableslistthedefaultprivilegesthat,whenselectedforarole,canbe
pairedwithauserandassignedtoanobject.Inthetables,VCindicatesaVirtualCenter
ServerandHCindicatesahostclient,standaloneESX/ESXi,orVMwareServerhost.
Whensettingpermissions,verifythatalltheobjecttypesaresetwithappropriate
privilegesforeachparticularaction.Someoperationsrequireaccesspermissionatthe
rootfolderorparentfolderinadditiontoaccesstotheobjectbeingmanipulated.Some
operationsrequireaccessorperformancepermissionataparentfolderandarelated
object.SeeChapter 10,ManagingRolesandPermissions,onpage 201forinformation
aboutapplyingrolestoinventoryobjects.
SeeTable 101,SystemRoles,onpage 204foralistofpredefinedgroupedprivileges.
Thisappendixincludesthefollowingtopics:
Alarmsonpage 300
Datacenteronpage 301
Datastoreonpage 301
Extensionsonpage 302
Foldersonpage 303
Globalonpage 303
HostCIMonpage 305
HostConfigurationonpage 306
HostInventoryonpage 308
HostLocalOperationsonpage 309
Defined Privileges A
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Networkonpage 310
Performanceonpage 310
Permissionsonpage 311
Resourceonpage 311
ScheduledTaskonpage 313
Sessionsonpage 313
Tasksonpage 314
VirtualMachineConfigurationonpage 314
VirtualMachineInteractiononpage 317
VirtualMachineInventoryonpage 319
VirtualMachineProvisioningonpage 319
VirtualMachineStateonpage 321
Alarms
Table A-1. Alarms Privileges
Privilege
Name Description Used
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
CreateAlarm
1
Createsanewalarm.
UserinterfaceelementAlarmstab
contextmenu,File>New>Alarm
VConly Alarm
object
parent
All
inventory
objects
DeleteAlarm Deletesanexistingalarm.
contextmenu
VConly Alarm
object
parent
All
inventory
objects
ModifyAlarm Changesthepropertiesofanexisting
alarm.
contextmenu
VConly Alarm
object
parent
All
inventory
objects
1. Whencreatingalarmswithacustomaction,privilegetoperformtheactionisverifiedwhentheusercreates
thealarm.
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Appendix A Defined Privileges

Datacenter
Datastore
Table A-2. Datacenter Privileges
Privilege
Name Description Affects
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Create
Datacenter
Createsanewdatacenter.
UserinterfaceelementInventory
contextmenu,toolbarbutton,andFile>
NewDatacenter
VConly Datacenter Datacenter
folders
Delete
Datacenter
Removesadatacenter.
contextmenu,Inventory>Datacenter>
Remove,Edit>Remove
VConly Datacenter
plusparent
object
Datacenters
Move
Datacenter
Movesadatacenter.
Privilegemustbepresentatboththe
sourceanddestination.
draganddrop
VConly Datacenter,
sourceand
destination
Datacenters,
Datacenter
folders
Rename
Datacenter
Changesthenameofadatacenter.
object,Inventorycontextmenu,Edit>
Rename,Inventory>Datacenter>
Rename
VConly Datacenter Datacenters
Table A-3. Datastore Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Browse
Datastore
Browsesfilesonadatastore.
UserinterfaceelementAddexisting
disk,browseforCDROMorFloppy
media,serialorparallelportfiles
HCandVC Datastores Datastores,
Datastore
folders
Delete
Datastore
Removesadatastore.
datastorecontextmenu,Inventory>
Datastore>Remove
HCandVC Datastores Datastores,
Datastore
folders
Delete
DatastoreFile
Deletesafileinthedatastore.
UserinterfaceelementDatastore
BrowsertoolbarbuttonandDatastore
contextmenu
HCandVC Datastores Datastores
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Extensions
Move
Datastore
Movesadatastorebetweenfolders.
Privilegesmustbepresentatboththe
draganddrop
VConly Datastore,
sourceand
destination
Datastores,
Datastore
folders
Rename
Datastore
Renamesadatastore.
UserinterfaceelementDatastore
PropertiesdialogChangebutton,host
Summarytabcontextmenu
File
Management
Carriesoutfileoperationsinthe
datastorebrowser.
AllocateSpace Allocatesspaceonadatastorefora
virtualmachine,snapshot,orclone.
Table A-3. Datastore Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Table A-4. Extensions Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Register
Extension
Registersanextension(plugin). VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
Unregister
Extension
Unregistersanextension(plugin). VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
Update
Extension
Updatesanextension(plugin). VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
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Folders
Global
Table A-5. Folder Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
CreateFolder Createsanewfolder.
UserinterfaceelementTaskbar
button,Filemenu,contextmenu
VConly Folders Folders
DeleteFolder Deletesafolder.
UserinterfaceelementFilemenu,
contextmenu
VConly Foldersplus
parentobject
Folders
MoveFolder Movesafolder.
draganddrop
VConly Folders,
sourceand
destination
Folders
RenameFolder Changesthenameofafolder.
paneobjecttextfield,contextmenu,
Filemenu
VConly Folders Folders
Table A-6. Global Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
CancelTask Cancelsarunningorqueuedtask.
UserinterfaceelementRecenttasks
panecontextmenu,Tasks&Events
contextmenu.Cancurrentlycancel
cloneandclonetotemplate.
HCandVC Anyobject Inventory
object
relatedtothe
task
Capacity
Planning
Enablestheuseofcapacityplanningfor
planningconsolidationofphysical
machinestovirtualmachines.
UserinterfaceelementConsolidation
buttonintoolbar.
VConly Anyobject Rootfolder
Diagnostics Getslistofdiagnosticfiles,logheader,
binaryfiles,ordiagnosticbundle.
UserinterfaceelementFile>Export>
ExportDiagnosticData,Admin
SystemLogstab
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Disable
Methods
AllowsserversforVirtualCenter
extensionstodisablecertainoperations
onobjectsmanagedbyVirtualCenter.
NouserVIClientinterfaceelementsare
associatedwiththisprivilege.
Enable
Methods
AllowsserversforVirtualCenter
extensionstoenablecertainoperations
onobjectsmanagedbyVirtualCenter.
Licenses Seeswhatlicensesareinstalledand
addsorremoveslicenses.
UserinterfaceelementLicensestab,
Configuration>LicensedFeatures
HCandVC Anyobject Rootfolder
LogEvent Logsauserdefinedeventagainsta
particularmanagedentity.
UserinterfaceelementShouldaskfor
areasonwhenshuttingdownor
rebootingahost.
HCandVC Allobjects All
inventory
objects
Manage
Custom
Attributes
Adds,removes,renamescustom
attributesforamanagedentity.
Userinterfaceelement
Administration>CustomAttributes
VConly Allobjects Rootfolder
Proxy Allowsaccesstoaninternalinterface
foraddingorremovingendpointstoor
fromtheproxy.
ScriptAction Schedulesascriptedactionin
conjunctionwithanalarm.
UserinterfaceelementAlarm
Settingsdialogbox
VConly All
inventory
objects
All
inventory
objects
Service
Managers
Allowsuseoftheresxtopcommandin
theRemoteCLI.
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Table A-6. Global Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
VMware, Inc. 305

Host CIM
SetCustom
Attributes
Views,creates,andremovescustom
attributefields.
UserinterfaceelementAnylistview
showsthefieldsdefinedandallows
settingthem
VConly Allobjects All
inventory
objects
Settings ReadsandmodifiesruntimeVC
configurationsettings.
Administration>VirtualCenter
ManagementServerConfiguration
VCServer PreparesorinitiatesaVMotionsend
operationoraVMotionreceive
operation.
Table A-6. Global Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Table A-7. Host CIM Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
CIM
Interaction
Allowsaclienttoobtainatickettouse
forCIMservices.
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
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Host Configuration
Table A-8. Host Configuration Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Advanced
Configuration
Setsadvancedoptionsinhost
configuration.
UserinterfaceelementHost
Configurationtab>Advanced
Settings,Inventoryhierarchycontext
menu
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
ChangeDate
TimeSettings
Setstimeanddatesettingsonthehost.
Configurationtab>Time
Configuration
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Change
Settings
Allowsenablinganddisablingof
backgroundsnapshotsandsettingof
lockdownmode.
Configurationtab>SecurityProfile>
LockdownMode>Edit
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
ChangeSNMP
Settings
Edits,restarts,andstopsSNMPagent.
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Connection Changestheconnectionstatusofahost
(connectedordisconnected).
UserinterfaceelementRightclick
Host
VConly Hosts Hosts
Firmware Allowsupdatestothehostfirmwareon
ESXihosts.
HCandVC Hosts Hosts(ESXi
only)
Hyper
Threading
Enablesanddisableshyperthreadingin
thehostCPUscheduler.
Configurationtab>Processors
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Maintenance Putsthehostinandoutofmaintenance
mode,shutsdownandrestartsthehost.
UserinterfaceelementHostcontext
menu,Inventory>Host>Enter
MaintenanceMode
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
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Memory
Configuration
Setsconfiguredserviceconsolememory
reservation.Thissettingisapplicable
onlyonESXhosts.
Configurationtab>Memory
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Network
Configuration
Configuresnetwork,firewall,and
VMotionnetwork.
Configurationtab>Networking,
NetworkAdapter,DNSandRouting
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
QueryPatch Allowsqueryingforinstallablepatches
andinstallationofpatchesonthehost.
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Security
Profileand
Firewall
ConfiguresInternetservices,suchas
SSH,Telnet,SNMP,andhostfirewall.
Configurationtab>SecurityProfile
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
System
Management
Allowsextensionstomanipulatethefile
systemonthehost.
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
System
Resource
Settings
Updatestheconfigurationofthesystem
resourcehierarchy.
Configurationtab>SystemResource
Allocation
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Storage
Partition
Configuration
ManagesVMFSdatastoreand
diagnosticpartitions.Scansfornew
storagedevices.ManagesiSCSI.
Configurationtab>Storage,Storage
Adapters,HostConfigurationtab
datastorecontextmenu
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Virtual
Machine
Autostart
Configuration
Changesautostartandautostoporder
ofvirtualmachinesonasinglehost.
Configurationtab>VirtualMachine
StartuporShutdown
HCandVC Hosts Hosts
Table A-8. Host Configuration Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
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Host Inventory
Table A-9. Host Inventory Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
AddHostTo
Cluster
Addsahosttoanexistingcluster.
contextmenu,File>New>AddHost
VConly Hosts Clusters
Add
Standalone
Host
Addsastandalonehost.
UserinterfaceelementToolbar
button,Inventorycontextmenu,
Inventory>Datacenter>AddHost,
File>New>AddHost,Hoststab
contextmenu
VConly Hosts Datacenters,
Hostfolders
CreateCluster Createsanewcluster.
UserinterfaceelementsToolbar
button,inventorycontextmenu,
Inventory>Datacenter>NewCluster,
File>New>Cluster
VConly Clusters Datacenters,
Hostfolders
Modify
Cluster
Changesthepropertiesofacluster.
contextmenu,Inventory>Cluster>
EditSettings,Summarytab
VConly Clusters Clusters
MoveCluster/
Standalone
Host
Movesaclusterorstandalonehost
betweenfolders.
hierarchy
VConly Clusters,
sourceand
destination
Clusters,
Hostfolders
MoveHost Movesasetofexistinghostsintoa
cluster.
hierarchydraganddrop
VConly Hosts,source
and
destination
Clusters,
Hostfolders
Remove
Cluster
Deletesaclusterorstandalonehost.
contextmenu,Edit>Remove,
Inventory>Cluster>Remove
VConly Clustersplus
parentobject
Clusters,
Hosts
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Host Local Operations
RemoveHost
FromCluster
Removesahostinaclusteror
standalonehost.
draganddropoutofcluster,context
menu,Inventory>Host>Remove
VConly Clustersplus
parentobject
Clusters,
Hostfolders
Rename
Cluster
Renamesacluster.
singleclick,inventoryhierarchycontext
menu,Inventory>Cluster>Rename
Table A-9. Host Inventory Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Table A-10. Host Local Operations Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
AddHostto
VirtualCenter
Installsanduninstallsvariousagentson
ahost,forexample,vpxaandaam.
HConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
CreateVirtual
Machine
Createsanewvirtualmachinefrom
scratchonadiskwithoutregisteringit
onthehost.
DeleteVirtual
Machine
Deletesavirtualmachineondisk,
whetherregisteredornot.
ManageUser
Groups
Manageslocalaccountsonahost.
UserinterfaceelementUsers&
Groupstab(onlypresentiftheVIClient
logsontothehostdirectly)
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Network
Performance
Table A-11. Network Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Assign
Network
Assignsanetworktoavirtualmachine. VConly Virtual
machine
Networks,
Virtual
machines
MoveNetwork Movesanetworkbetweenfolders.
draganddrop
HCandVC Network,
sourceand
destination
Networks
Delete
Network
Removesanetwork.
networkcontextmenu,Edit>Remove,
Inventory>Network>Remove
HCandVC Datacenter Datacenters
Table A-12. Performance Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective
on Object
Modify
Intervals
Creates,removes,andupdates
performancedatacollectionintervals.
Administration>VirtualCenter
ManagementServerConfiguration>
Statistics
VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
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Permissions
Resource
Table A-13. Permissions Privileges
Privilege
Name Description Used
Pair with
Object
Effective
on Object
Modify
Permission
Definesoneormorepermissionruleson
anentity,orupdatesrulesifalready
presentforthegivenuserorgroupon
theentity.
UserinterfaceelementPermissions
tabcontextmenu,Inventory>
Permissionsmenu
HCandVC Anyobject
plusparent
object
All
inventory
items
ModifyRole Updatesarolesnameandthe
privileges.
UserinterfaceelementRolestab
contextmenu,toolbarbutton,Filemenu
ReassignRole
Permissions
Reassignsallpermissionsofaroleto
anotherrole.
UserinterfaceelementDeleteRole
dialogboxradiobuttonandassociated
menu
Table A-14. Resource Privileges
Privilege Name Description Affects
Pair with
Object
Effective
on Object
Apply
Recommendation
Askstheservertogoaheadwitha
suggestedVMotion.
UserinterfaceelementClusterDRS
tab
AssignVirtual
MachineToPool
Assignsvirtualmachinestoaresource
pool.
UserinterfaceelementNewVirtual
Machinewizard
HCandVC Resource
pools
Resource
pools
CreatePool Createsanewresourcepool.
contextmenu,Summarytab,Resources
tab
HCandVC Resource
pools,
clusters
Resource
pools,
clusters
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Migrate Migratesavirtualmachinesexecution
toaspecificresourcepoolorhost.
contextmenu,VirtualMachine
Summarytab,Inventory>Virtual
Machine>Migrate,draganddrop
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
ModifyPool Changestheallocationsofaresource
pool.
UserinterfaceelementInventory>
ResourcePool>Remove,Resources
tab
HCandVC Resource
poolsplus
parent
object
Resource
pools
MovePool Movesaresourcepool.
Draganddrop
HCandVC Resource
pools,
sourceand
destination
Resource
pools
QueryVMotion InvestigatesthegeneralVMotion
compatibilityofavirtualmachinewith
asetofhosts.
UserinterfaceelementRequired
whendisplayingthemigrationwizard
forapoweredonvirtualmachine,to
checkcompatibility
VConly Rootfolder Root
folder
Relocate Coldmigratesavirtualmachines
executiontoaspecificresourcepoolor
host.
contextmenu,VirtualMachine
Summarytab,Inventory>Virtual
Machine>Migrate,draganddrop
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
RemovePool Deletesaresourcepool.
UserinterfaceelementEdit>
Remove,Inventory>ResourcePool>
Remove,inventorycontextmenu,
Resourcestab
HCandVC Resource
poolsplus
parent
object
Resource
pools
RenamePool Renamesaresourcepool.
Rename,Inventory>ResourcePool>
Rename,contextmenu
HCandVC Resource
pools
Resource
pools
Table A-14. Resource Privileges (Continued)
Pair with
Object
Effective
on Object
VMware, Inc. 313

Scheduled Task
Sessions
Table A-15. Scheduled Task Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
CreateTasks
1
Schedulesatask.Requiresthe
privilegestoperformthescheduled
actionatthetimeofscheduling.
UserinterfaceelementScheduled
Taskstoolbarbuttonandcontextmenu
VConly Allinventory
objects
Allinventory
objects
ModifyTask Reconfiguresthescheduledtask
properties.
ScheduledTasks>Edit,Scheduled
Taskstabcontextmenu
VConly Allinventory
objects
Allinventory
objects
RemoveTask Removesascheduledtaskfromthe
queue.
Taskscontextmenu,Inventory>
ScheduledTask>Remove,Edit>
Remove
VConly Allinventory
objects
Allinventory
objects
RunTask Runsthescheduledtaskimmediately.
Taskscontextmenu,Inventory>
ScheduledTask>Run
VConly Allinventory
objects
Allinventory
objects
1. Creatingandrunningatask(ondemand)requirespermissiontoinvoketheassociatedaction.
Table A-16. Session Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Global
Message
Setsthegloballoginmessage.
UserinterfaceelementSessionstab,
Administration>EditMessageofthe
Day
Impersonate
User
Impersonatesanotheruser.This
capabilityisusedbyextensions.
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Tasks
Virtual Machine Configuration
Validate
Session
Verifiessessionvalidity. VConly Rootfolder Rootfolder
Viewand
Terminate
Sessions
Allowsviewingofsession.Forceslog
outofoneormoreloggedonusers.
UserinterfaceelementSessionstab
Table A-16. Session Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Table A-17. Tasks Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Create Allowsanextensiontocreatea
userdefinedtask.
Update Allowsanextensiontoupdatea
userdefinedtask.
Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
AddExisting
Disk
Addsavirtualdiskthatreferstoan
existingvirtualdisk.
UserinterfaceelementVirtual
MachinePropertiesdialogbox
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
AddNewDisk Addsavirtualdiskthatcreatesanew
virtualdisk.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Addor
Remove
Device
Addsorremovesanynondiskdevice.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
VMware, Inc. 315

Advanced ChangesvaluesinextraConfig.
MachinePropertiesdialogbox>
Optionstab>AdvancedGeneral
option>ConfigurationParameters
button
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
ChangeCPU
Count
ChangesthenumberofvirtualCPUs.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Change
Resource
Changesresourceconfigurationofaset
ofvirtualmachinenodesinagiven
resourcepool.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
DiskExtend Expandsthesizeofavirtualdisk. HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
DiskLease LeasesdisksforVMwareConsolidated
Backup.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
HostUSB
Device
AttachesahostbasedUSBdevicetoa
virtualmachine.
Userinterfaceelement>Virtual
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Memory Changestheamountofmemory
allocatedtothevirtualmachine.
Memory
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
ModifyDevice
Settings
Changesthepropertiesofanexisting
device.
SCSI/IDEnodeselection
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
RawDevice
1
Addsorremovesarawdiskmapping
orSCSIpassthroughdevice.
MachineProperties>Add/Removeraw
diskmapping
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
316 VMware, Inc.

RemoveDisk Removesavirtualdiskdevice.
MachinePropertiesdialogbox>Hard
Disk(butnotarawdiskmapping)
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Rename Renamesavirtualmachineormodifies
theassociatednotesofavirtual
machine.
MachinePropertiesdialogbox,
inventory,inventorycontextmenu,File
menu,Inventorymenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
ResetGuest
Information
Clearsguestinfovariables.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Settings Changesgeneralvirtualmachine
settings.
Optionstab
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Swap
Placement
Changestheswapfileplacementpolicy
foravirtualmachine.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Upgrade
Virtual
Hardware
Upgradesthevirtualmachinesvirtual
hardwareversionfromaprevious
versionofVMware.
Userinterfaceelementcontextmenu,
Filemenu(appearsonlyifthe.vmxfile
showsalowerconfigurationnumber)
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
1. Settingthisparameteroverridesanyotherprivilegeformodifyingrawdevices,includingconnectionstates.
Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
VMware, Inc. 317

Virtual Machine Interaction
Table A-19. Virtual Machine Interaction
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Answer
Question
Resolvesissueswithvirtualmachine
statetransitionsorruntimeerrors.
UserinterfaceelementSummarytab,
Inventorymenu,contextmenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
ConfigureCD
Media
ChangesthebackingofaCDROM
device.
DVD/CDROM
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Configure
FloppyMedia
Changesthebackingofafloppydevice.
SummarytabEditSettings
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Console
Interaction
Interactswiththevirtualmachines
virtualmouse,keyboard,andscreen;
getsscreenshotinformation.
UserinterfaceelementConsoletab,
toolbarbutton,Inventory>Virtual
Machine>OpenConsole,inventory
contextmenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Defragment
AllDisks
Defragmentsalldisksonthevirtual
machine.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Device
Connection
Changestheconnectedstateofavirtual
machinesdisconnectablevirtual
devices.
SummarytabEditSettings
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
PowerOff Powersoffapoweredonvirtual
machine,shutsdownguest.
VirtualMachine>Power>PowerOff,
Summarytab,toolbarbutton,virtual
machinecontextmenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
318 VMware, Inc.

PowerOn Powersonapoweredoffvirtual
machine,resumesasuspendedvirtual
machine.
VirtualMachine>Power>PowerOn,
machinecontextmenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Reset Resetsvirtualmachineandrebootsthe
VirtualMachine>Power>Reset,
machinecontextmenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Suspend Suspendsapoweredonvirtual
machine,putsguestinstandbymode.
VirtualMachine>Power>Suspend,
machinecontextmenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
ToolsInstall Mountsandunmountsthe
VMware ToolsCDinstallerasa
CDROMfortheguestoperating
system.
VirtualMachine>Guest>
Install/UpgradeVMwareTools,virtual
machinecontextmenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Table A-19. Virtual Machine Interaction (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
VMware, Inc. 319

Virtual Machine Inventory
Virtual Machine Provisioning
Table A-20. Virtual Machine Inventory Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Create Createsanewvirtualmachineand
allocatesresourcesforitsexecution.
contextmenu,SummarytabNew
VirtualMachinelinks
HCandVC Parent
folders
Virtual
machine
folders
Move Relocatesavirtualmachineinthe
hierarchy.
hierarchydraganddropinVirtual
Machines&Templatesview
VConly Virtual
machines,
parent
folders
Virtual
machines,
virtual
machine
folders
Remove Deletesavirtualmachine,optionally
removesunderlyingfilesfromdisk.
contextmenu,Summarytab
HCandVC Virtual
machines
plusparent
folders
Virtual
machines
Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
AllowDisk
Access
Opensadiskonavirtualmachinefor
randomreadandwriteaccess.Used
mostlyforremotediskmounting.
n/a Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
AllowReadOnly
DiskAccess
Opensadiskonavirtualmachinefor
randomreadaccess.Usedmostlyfor
remotediskmounting.
n/a Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
AllowVirtual
Machine
Download
Readsfilesassociatedwithavirtual
machine,includingvmx,disks,logs,
andnvram.
HCand
VC
Virtual
machines
Rootfolders
320 VMware, Inc.

AllowVirtual
MachineFiles
Upload
Writesfilesassociatedwithavirtual
machine,includingvmx,disks,logs,
andnvram.
HCand
VC
Virtual
machines
Rootfolders
Clone Clonesanexistingvirtualmachineand
allocatesresources.
VirtualMachine>Clone,context
menu,Summarytab
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
CloneTemplate Clonesatemplate.
VirtualMachine>Template>Clone,
contextmenu,VirtualMachinestab
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
CreateTemplate
FromVirtual
Machine
Createsanewtemplatefromavirtual
machine.
VirtualMachine>Template>Cloneto
Template,contextmenu,Summarytab
items
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Customize Customizesavirtualmachinesguest
operatingsystemwithoutmovingthe
virtualmachine.
UserinterfaceelementCloneVirtual
Machinewizard:GuestCustomization
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
DeployTemplate Createsanewvirtualmachinefroma
template.
UserinterfaceelementDeployto
templateFilemenu,contextmenu
items,VirtualMachinestab
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
MarkAs
Template
Marksanexisting,poweredoffvirtual
machineasatemplate.
VirtualMachine>Template>Convert
toTemplate,contextmenuitems,
VirtualMachinestab,Summarytab
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges (Continued)
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
VMware, Inc. 321

Virtual Machine State
MarkAsVirtual
Machine
Marksanexistingtemplateasavirtual
machine.
UserinterfaceelementConvertto
VirtualMachine...contextmenuitems,
VirtualMachinestab
VConly Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Modify
Customization
Specs
Creates,modifies,ordeletes
customizationspecifications.
CustomizationSpecificationsManager
Read
Customization
Specs
Viewsthecustomizationspecifications
definedonthesystem.
CustomizationSpecifications
Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges (Continued)
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
Table A-22. Virtual Machine State Privileges
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
TakeSnapshot Createsanewsnapshotfromthevirtual
machinescurrentstate.
Userinterfaceelementvirtual
machinecontextmenu,toolbarbutton,
Inventory>VirtualMachine>
Snapshot>TakeSnapshot
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Remove
Snapshot
Removesasnapshotfromthesnapshot
history.
Inventorymenu
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
322 VMware, Inc.

Rename
Snapshot
Renamesthissnapshotwitheithera
newnameoranewdescriptionorboth.
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
RevertTo
Snapshot
Setsthevirtualmachinetothestateit
wasinatagivensnapshot.
Inventory>VirtualMachine>
Snapshot>ReverttoSnapshot,Virtual
Machinestab
HCandVC Virtual
machines
Virtual
machines
Table A-22. Virtual Machine State Privileges (Continued)
Privilege
Pair with
Object
Effective on
Object
VMware, Inc. 323

B
Thisappendixcontainsreferenceinformationaboutvirtualmachinefilemanagement.
Becausevirtualmachinefilemanagementisperformedautomaticallyby
VMware Server,youmightneverneedtoknowthenamesorlocationsofyourvirtual
machinefiles.
Thisappendixincludesthefollowingtopic:
FilesThatMakeUpaVirtualMachineonpage 323
Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine
Avirtualmachineistypicallystoredonthehostcomputerinasetoffiles,intheworking
directorycreatedbyVMwareServerforthatspecificvirtualmachine.TheGeneraltabof
theConfigureVMdialogboxinthevirtualmachineSummarytabdisplaysthelocation
ofthevirtualmachineworkingdirectoryandthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile.
Table B1listsvirtualmachinefiletypes,byfileextension.Intheseexamples,
<vm_name>isthenameofthevirtualmachine.
Files That Make Up a Virtual
Machine B
Table B-1. Virtual Machine Files
Extension File Name Description
.log vmware.log
vmware-<#>.log
Logfilescontaindetailedinformationaboutactions
performedinthevirtualmachine.Logfilesareuseful
fortroubleshooting.
.nvram <vm_name>.nvram TheNVRAMfilestoresthevirtualmachinesBIOS
settings.
324 VMware, Inc.

.vmdk Virtualdiskfilesstoretheinformationwrittentoa
virtualmachinesharddisk,includingtheoperating
system,programfiles,anddatafiles.Avirtualdiskis
madeupofoneormore.vmdkfiles.
Ifyoucreatemorethanonevirtualdisk,the
correspondingdiskfilesincludeanumberinthe
filenamefollowingthevirtualmachinename.
<vm_name>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>.vmdk
Growabledisksincreaseinsizeasdataisadded.
Growablediskfilesuseasmallamountofspaceat
thebeginningofthefileforvirtualmachine
overhead.
<vm_name>.vmdk
<vm_name>-flat.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>-flat.vmdk
Preallocateddisksarecreatedattheirmaximumsize
anddonotgrow.
Twofilesarecreatedforeachpreallocatedvirtual
disk.Thefilewithoutflatinthenamecontains
metadataaboutthecorrespondingdiskfile.
<vm_name>.vmdk
<vm_name>-f<###>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>-f<###>.vmdk
Preallocatedvirtualdiskfilessplitinto2GBchunks.
Thenumberoffilesdependsonthetotalsizeofthe
virtualdisk.Asdataisaddedtoavirtualdisk,the
.vmdk filesgrow,toamaximumof2GBeach.
<vm_name>.vmdk
<vm_name>-s<###>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>-s<###>.vmdk
Growablevirtualdiskfilessplitinto2GBchunks.
Thenumberoffilesdependsonthetotalsizeofthe
virtualdisk.Asdataisaddedtoavirtualdisk,the
.vmdk filesgrow,toamaximumof2GBeach.
<vm_name>-<######>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>-<######>.vmdk
Redologfilesstorechangestodisksthatare
includedinsnapshots.Theseredofilesaresaved
whenthevirtualmachineispoweredofforreset.
Whenyoureverttothesnapshot,thecontentsofthe
redologarediscarded.Anyadditionalchangesare,
onceagain,accumulatedinanewredolog.
Redologfilesthatstorechangestononpersistent
disksarepresentwhilethevirtualmachineis
running,andarediscardedwhenthevirtual
machineispoweredofforreset.
Table B-1. Virtual Machine Files (Continued)
VMware, Inc. 325
Appendix B Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine

.vmem <vm_name>.vmem Thevirtualmemorypagingfilebacksuptheguest
mainmemoryonthehostfilesystem.(Thevirtual
machineusesthephysicalmemoryonthehost.)The
pagingfileispresentwhileavirtualmachineis
running,andisdeletedwhenavirtualmachineis
poweredoffnormally.
<vm_name>-Snapshot<#>.vmem Thesnapshotmemoryfilestoresthestateofthe
virtualmachinesmemoryforasnapshottakenwhen
avirtualmachineispoweredon.
.vmsd <vm_name>.vmsd Storesmetadataandinformationaboutsnapshots.
.vmsn <vm_name>-Snapshot<#>.vmsn Storesthestateofavirtualmachineatthetimeyou
takethesnapshot.
.vmss <vm_name>.vmss Storesthestateofasuspendedvirtualmachine.
.vmx <vm_name>.vmx Theprimaryvirtualmachineconfigurationfile
storessettingschosenintheNewVirtualMachine
wizardandtheConfigureVMdialogbox.
Donoteditthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile
directly.Instead,usetheAdvancedtabofthe
ConfigureVMdialogbox.SeeChangingVirtual
MachineAdvancedSettingsonpage 127.
.vmxf <vm_name>.vmxf Supplementaryvirtualmachineconfigurationfile.
.lck <paging_file>.vmem.lck
<redo_file>.vmdk.lck
<disk_file>.vmdk.lck
Lockfilespreventdataconsistencyproblemson
virtualdisks.Lockfilesarepresentwhileavirtual
machineisrunning,andaredeletedwhenavirtual
machineispoweredoffnormally.
Ifthehostsystemcrasheswhileavirtualmachineis
running,astalelockoftenremains.Whenthevirtual
machineisstartedagain,itattemptstoremovethe
stalelock.Toverifythatthelockfileisstale,
VMware Serverconfirmsthat:
Thelockwascreatedonthesamehostwherethe
virtualmachineisrunning.
Theprocessthatcreatedthelockisnotrunning.
Ifeitherofthoseconditionsisnottrue,awarning
messageappears,indicatingthatthevirtualmachine
cannotbepoweredon.Ifyouaresureitissafetodo
so,youcandeletethelockfilesmanually.
Table B-1. Virtual Machine Files (Continued)
326 VMware, Inc.

VMware, Inc. 327
A alarm
Anentitythatmonitorsoneormorepropertiesofavirtualmachine,suchasCPU
load.Alarmsissuenotificationsasdirectedbytheconfigurablealarmdefinition.
authorizationrole
Asetofprivilegesgroupedforconvenientidentificationundernamessuchas
Administrator.
B BIOS(basicinput/outputsystem)
Firmwarethatcontrolsmachinestartupandmanagescommunicationbetweenthe
CPUandotherdevices,suchasthekeyboard,monitor,printers,anddiskdrives.
bridgednetworking
Inhostedproducts,atypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenavirtualmachineand
thehostsphysicalnetwork.Withbridgednetworking,avirtualmachineappears
tobeanadditionalcomputeronthesamephysicalEthernetnetworkasthehost.
Seealsocustomnetworking,hostonlynetworking,NAT(networkaddress
translation).
C child
Amanagedentitygroupedbyafolderobjectoranothermanagedentity.Seealso
folder.
cluster
Aservergroupinthevirtualenvironment.Clustersenableahighavailability
solution.
Glossary
328 VMware, Inc.
customnetworking
Anytypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenvirtualmachinesandthehostthatdoes
notusethedefaultbridged,hostonly,ornetworkaddresstranslation(NAT)
configurations.Forinstance,differentvirtualmachinescanbeconnectedtothe
hostbyseparatenetworksorconnectedtoeachotherandnottothehost.Any
networktopologyispossible.Seealsobridgednetworking,hostonlynetworking,
NAT(networkaddresstranslation).
DE datastore
Virtualrepresentationsofcombinationsofunderlyingphysicalstorageresources.
Adatastoreisthestoragelocationforvirtualmachinefiles.Thestoragelocation
canbethelocalfilesystem,aCIFSstore(Windowsonly),oranNFSmountedfile
system(Linuxonly).
diskmode
Apropertyofavirtualdiskthatdefinesitsexternalbehavior(howthe
virtualizationlayertreatsitsdata)butiscompletelyinvisibletotheguestoperating
system.Availablemodesvarybyproductandincludepersistentmode(changesto
thediskarealwayspreservedacrosssessions)andnonpersistentmode(changes
areneverpreserved).
F folder
Amanagedentityusedtogroupothermanagedentities.Foldertypesare
determinedbythekindsofchildentitiestheycontain.Seealsochild.
FQDN(fullyqualifieddomainname)
Thenameofahost,includingboththehostnameandthedomainname.For
example,theFQDNofahostnamedesx1inthedomainvmware.comis
esx1.vmware.com.
fullscreenmode
Adisplaymodeinwhichthevirtualmachinesdisplayfillstheentirescreen.
G group
Asetofusersassignedacommonsetofprivileges.Agroupmaycontainother
groups.
growabledisk
Atypeofvirtualdiskinwhichthediskspaceisnotpreallocatedtoitsfullsize.Its
filesstartoutsmallinsizeandgrowasdataiswrittentothedisk.Seealso
preallocateddisk.
VMware, Inc. 329
Glossary
guestoperatingsystem
Anoperatingsystemthatrunsinsideavirtualmachine.Seealsohostoperating
system.
H host
ThephysicalcomputeronwhichtheVMwareServersoftwareisinstalled.
hostagent
Softwarethat,wheninstalledonavirtualmachinehost,performsactionsonbehalf
ofaremoteclient.
hostedproducts
VMwareproducts(includingWorkstation,VMwarePlayer,VMwareServer,
VMwareACE,andLabManager)thatrunasapplicationsonphysicalmachines
withoperatingsystemssuchasMicrosoftWindowsorLinux.Bycomparison,ESX
isabaremetalproduct,whichprovidesathinsoftwarelayer(thehypervisor)
thatenablesittorundirectlyonthephysicalmachine.
hostonlynetworking
Atypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenavirtualmachineandthehost.With
hostonlynetworking,avirtualmachineisconnectedtothehostonaprivate
network,whichnormallyisnotvisibleoutsidethehost.Multiplevirtualmachines
configuredwithhostonlynetworkingonthesamehostareonthesamenetwork.
Seealsobridgednetworking,customnetworking,NAT(networkaddress
translation).
hostoperatingsystem
Anoperatingsystemthatrunsonthehostmachine.Seealsoguestoperating
system.
I-L IDE
Acronymforintegrateddriveelectronics,astandardelectronicinterfaceusedto
connectmassstoragedevicestoacomputer.TheANSInameforIDEisAdvanced
TechnologyAttachment(ATA).
independentdisk
Atypeofvirtualdiskthatisnotaffectedbysnapshots.Youcanconfigure
independentdisksinpersistentandnonpersistentmodes.Seealsononpersistent
mode,persistentmode,snapshot.
330 VMware, Inc.
inventory
AhierarchicalstructureusedbyVMwareServertoorganizemanagedentities.
Thishierarchyispresentedasalistthatprovidesaviewofallthemonitored
objects.
M managedentity
Amanagedobjectthatispresentintheinventory.Seealsoinventory.
MKS(mouse,keyboard,screen)
Asetofbasicinputoutputservicesforuserinteractionwithavirtualmachine.
MSCS(MicrosoftClusterService)
Softwarethatdistributesdataamongthenodesofthecluster.Ifonenodefails,
othernodesprovidefailoversupportforapplicationssuchasdatabases,file
servers,andmailservers.
N-O NAT(networkaddresstranslation)
In hosted networking, a type of network connection that enables you to connect
your virtual machines to an external network when you have only one IP network
address and the host computer uses that address. The VMware NAT device passes
network data between one or more virtual machines and the external network. It
identifies incoming data packets intended for each virtual machine and sends them
to the correct destination.
NetBIOS(networkbasicinput/outputsystem)
AnAPIthatenablesapplicationsondifferentcomputerstocommunicateacrossa
LAN.NetBIOSprovidesthenameserviceandofferstwocommunicationmodes:
sessionserviceforconnectionorientedcommunicationanddatagramdistribution
serviceforconnectionlesscommunication.
NIC(networkinterfacecard)
Anexpansionboardthatprovidesadedicatedconnectionbetweenacomputer
andanetwork.Alsocalledanetworkadapter.
nonpersistentmode
Adiskmodeinwhichalldiskwritesissuedbysoftwarerunninginsideavirtual
machineappeartobewrittentotheindependentdiskbutareinfactdiscarded
afterthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Asaresult,avirtualdiskorphysicaldisk
inindependentnonpersistentmodeisnotmodifiedbyactivityinthevirtual
machine.Seealsodiskmode,persistentmode.
VMware, Inc. 331
Glossary
P-Q permission
Adataobjectconsistingofanauthorizationrole,auserorgroupname,anda
managedentityreference.Apermissionallowsaspecifiedusertoaccesstheentity
(suchasavirtualmachine)withanyoftheprivilegespertainingtotherole.
persistentmode
Adiskmodeinwhichalldiskwritesissuedbysoftwarerunninginsideavirtual
machineareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentoavirtualdiskthathasbeen
configuredasanindependentdisk.Asaresult,avirtualdiskorphysicaldiskin
independentpersistentmodebehaveslikeaconventionaldiskdriveonaphysical
computer.Seealsodiskmode,nonpersistentmode.
preallocateddisk
Atypeofvirtualdiskwherealldiskspaceforthevirtualmachineisallocatedat
thetimethediskiscreated.Seealsogrowabledisk.
privilege
Authorizationtoperformaspecificactionorsetofactionsonamanagedobjector
groupofmanagedobjects.
R readonlyuser
Aroleinwhichtheuserisallowedtoviewtheinventorybutnotallowedto
performanytasks.
resume
Toreturnavirtualmachinetooperationfromitssuspendedstate.Whenyou
resumeasuspendedvirtualmachine,allapplicationsareinthesamestatethey
werewhenthevirtualmachinewassuspended.Seealsosuspend.
role
Adefinedsetofprivilegesthatcanbeassignedtousersandgroupstocontrol
accesstoVMwareServerobjects.
S-T shrink
Toreclaimunusedspaceinavirtualdisk.Ifadiskhasemptyspace,shrinking
reducestheamountofspacethevirtualdiskoccupiesonthehostdrive.Youcannot
shrinkpreallocatedvirtualdisks.
332 VMware, Inc.
snapshot
Areproductionofthevirtualmachinejustasitwaswhenyoutookthesnapshot,
includingthevirtualmachinespowerstate(on,off,orsuspended).Ifthevirtual
harddisksarenotsettoindependentmode,asnapshotalsoincludesthestateof
thedataonallthevirtualmachinesdisks.Youcantakeasnapshotwhenavirtual
machineispoweredon,poweredoff,orsuspended.Seealsoindependentdisk.
suspend
Tosavethecurrentstateofarunningvirtualmachine.Toreturnasuspended
virtualmachinetooperation,usetheresumefeature.Seealsoresume.
U user
Auserisaprincipalknowntothesystem.
VZ virtualdisk
Afileorsetoffilesthatappearsasaphysicaldiskdrivetoaguestoperating
system.Thesefilescanbeonthehostmachineoronaremotefilesystem.Seealso
growabledisk,preallocateddisk.
virtualhardware
Thedevicesthatmakeupavirtualmachine.Thevirtualhardwareincludesthe
virtualdisk,removabledevicessuchastheCD/DVDandfloppydrives,andthe
virtualEthernetadapter.
virtualmachine
Avirtualizedx86PCenvironmentinwhichaguestoperatingsystemand
associatedapplicationsoftwarecanrun.Multiplevirtualmachinescanoperateon
thesamehostmachineconcurrently.
virtualmachineadministrator
Aroleinwhichtheuserisallowedtoperformallthevirtualmachinemanagement
functions.
virtualmachineconfiguration
Thespecificationofwhichvirtualdevices,suchasdisksandmemory,arepresent
inavirtualmachineandhowtheyaremappedtohostfilesanddevices.
virtualmachineconfigurationfile
Afilecontainingavirtualmachineconfiguration.This.vmxfileiscreatedwhen
youcreatethevirtualmachine.Itisusedtoidentifyandrunaspecificvirtual
machine.
VMware, Inc. 333
Glossary
virtualmachineuser
Aroleinwhichtheuserisallowedtoperformpoweroperationsonvirtual
machines.
virtualnetwork
Anetworkconnectingvirtualmachinesthatdoesnotdependonphysical
hardwareconnections.Forexample,youcancreateavirtualnetworkbetweena
virtualmachineandahostthathasnoexternalnetworkconnections.
virtualnetworkeditor
Aneditorthatrunsonthehostandisusedtoviewandmodifythenetworking
settingsforthevirtualnetworkscreatedbyVMwareServer.
VMwareauthorizationservice
TheservicethatVMwareServeremploystoauthenticateusers.Theprocessis
calledvmwareauthdonLinuxhosts.
334 VMware, Inc.
VMware, Inc. 335 VMware, Inc. 335

Index
A
About menu option
VI Web Access 54
About tab
VMware Tools 95
acceleration
enabling and disabling in guest 128,
280
hardware in Windows Server
2003 282
access
inventory objects 201
permissions 206
privileges 299
rules for inheritance 208
rules for propagation 208
Add Hardware wizard
adding CD/DVD drives 151
adding floppy drives 154
adding generic SCSI devices 157
adding hard disks 144
adding network adapters 223
adding parallel ports 177
adding passthrough SCSI
devices 157
adding serial ports 166
adding sound adapters 165
adding USB controllers 159
using the wizard 137
virtual machine power state 137
adding
CD/DVD drives 151
datastores 110
floppy drives 154
generic SCSI devices 157
hard disks 144
host virtual adapters 227
network adapters 223
parallel ports 177
passthrough SCSI devices 157
permissions 206
roles 204
serial ports 166
sound adapters 165
USB controllers 159
virtual machine to inventory 108
add-on
VMware Remote Console 52
addresses
assigning IP 231
assigning MAC 234
assigning MAC manually 235
IP on virtual network 230
network address translation 248
using DHCP to assign on virtual
network 230
Advanced tab
VI Web Access 127
alarms
privileges 300
336 VMware, Inc.

assigning
IP addresses 230
MAC addresses 234
ATAPI emulation 150
audio in virtual machines 31, 165
AudioPCI sound adapter 165
automatic bridging 226, 268
B
background snapshots
enabling and disabling 115
backups
restoring from snapshot 120
restoring quiesced 120
taking quiesced 118
taking using VSS 118
BIOS
NVRAM file in virtual machine 323
provided in virtual machine 28
setup when virtual machine
boots 125
bridged networking
configuring 225
explained 212
Bridging tab
in virtual network editor 268
BusLogic SCSI driver 29, 63, 159
C
CD/DVD drives
accessing directly 151
adding 151
autorun polling in virtual
machines 281
connecting and disconnecting 132
editing 152
IDE system requirements 29
removing 153
SCSI system requirements 29
using ATAPI emulation 150
CIFS datastores 110
client devices
clock
real-time on Linux host 41
synchronize guest and host 93, 126
clustering
applications 288
cluster in a box 291
configuring virtual machines 292
overview 287
software requirements 288
two-node cluster 293
command-line interface
for VIX API 139
for VMware Tools 104
configuring
advanced virtual machine
options 127
automatic bridging 226, 268
bridged networking 225
CD/DVD drives 150
custom virtual networks 219
DHCP on Linux host 231
DHCP on Windows host 231
DHCP settings 227, 269
floppy drives 154
groups 203
hard disks 141
host virtual network mapping 226
memory size in virtual
machines 277
NAT 251
NAT on Linux host 257
NAT settings 270
parallel ports 177
VMware, Inc. 337
Index

processors in virtual machines 279
SCSI controllers 159
SCSI devices 156
second bridged network on a Linux
host 237
serial ports 166
sound adapters 164
USB controllers 159
users 203
virtual machine file settings 129
virtual network subnet settings 227
virtual networking settings 267
virtual networks 211, 215, 222
VMware Tools scripts 125
connecting
CD/DVD drives 132
floppy drives 132
floppy image files 132
ISO image files 132
USB devices 160
Console tab
VI Web Access 52
console, virtual machine 52, 53
core files 16
CPU
host requirement 24
provided in virtual machines 28
See also processors 279
creating
CD/DVD drives 151
datastores 110
floppy drives 154
hard disks 144
parallel ports 177
permissions 206
roles 204
serial ports 166
sound adapters 165
USB controllers 159
virtual machines 59
shortcuts 134
Web shortcuts for virtual
machines 133
Creative Labs 31, 165
D
datacenters
privileges 301
datastores
adding 110
managing 110
removing 112
renaming 111
DDNS 236
debugging
effect on performance 281
enabling and disabling virtual
machine 127
default scripts for VMware Tools 97
defragmenting
physical host disks 274
virtual disks 147, 280
deleting
CD/DVD drives 153
datastores 112
floppy drives 156
hard disks 146
parallel ports 179
permissions 208
roles 205
serial ports 170
sound adapters 166
338 VMware, Inc.

USB controllers 160
virtual machines 108, 130
desktop shortcut for VMware Server 38
device drivers
BusLogic SCSI 63
LSI Logic SCSI 63
VMware Tools 74
devices
configuring SCSI in virtual
machines 156
connecting and disconnecting in
VMware Remote
Console 132
connecting and disconnecting in
VMware Tools 94
disconnecting USB 164
using USB in virtual machines 161
Devices menu
Devices tab
VMware Tools 94
DHCP
assigning IP addresses on a virtual
network 230
changing settings 227
configuring in virtual network
editor 269
configuring on a Linux host 231
configuring on a Windows host 231
on a virtual network with NAT 249
server on virtual network 217, 218
servers 214
troubleshooting on a Linux host 236
DHCP tab
dhcpd 236
dial-up connections 233
direct memory access
See DMA
disconnecting
CD/DVD drives 132
floppy drives 132
floppy image files 132
ISO image files 132
USB devices 164
disk space
required on host computer 24
disks
defragmenting 147
DMA and performance 283
growable 62, 142
IDE drives in virtual machines 29
IDE drives supported in host 24
preallocated 62, 142
SCSI drives in virtual machines 29
SCSI drives supported in host 24
shrinking 147
types supported in host 24
DMA and disk performance 283, 284
DNS 249
drivers
BusLogic SCSI 63
LSI Logic SCSI 63
video, in older versions of
Windows 77
DVD drives
optical drives supported in host 25
supported in virtual machines 150
See also CD/DVD drives
dynamic domain name service 236
E
editing
CD/DVD drives 152
floppy drives 155
hard disks 145
VMware, Inc. 339
Index

parallel ports 178
permissions 207
roles 205
serial ports 169
sound adapters 165
Ethernet adapters
See network adapters
events
virtual machine 57
VMware Server 57
Events tab
VI Web Access 57
exiting VMware Remote Console 133
extensions
privileges 302
F
fault tolerance in networks 225
files
BIOS in virtual machines 323
redo log 324
sharing on a Linux host using
Samba 258
snapshot 325
suspended state 325
used by a virtual machine 323
virtual disk 324
virtual machine configuration 325
virtual machine locking 325
virtual machine log 323
Firefox
requirements for VI Web Access 27
requirements for VMware Remote
Console 27
using VMware Remote Console 52
firewall 255
floppy drives
adding 154
editing 155
removing 156
floppy images
adding 154
editing 155
removing 156
folders
privileges 303
FreeBSD
VMware Tools for 86
FTP 250
full screen mode
entering 131
leaving 131
G
gated server processes 235
General tab
VI Web Access 124
generating
shortcuts 134
Web shortcuts for virtual
machines 133
adding 157
editing 158
removing 158
global privileges 303
graphics
support in virtual machine 29
groups 201
managing 203
340 VMware, Inc.

growable virtual disks 62, 142
guest operating system
defined 23
installing 68
interacting with 131
pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del 131
supported 31
upgrading 71
H
hard disks
adding 144
editing 145
removing 146
hardware version of virtual machines 61,
72
heartbeat
and clustering virtual machines 292
host computer
disk space required 24
system requirements 23
host operating system
defined 23
supported Linux 26
supported Windows 25
host virtual adapters
adding 227
disabling 227
enabling 227
removing 227
Host Virtual Adapters tab
Host Virtual Mapping tab
host virtual network mapping 226, 268
host-only networking
basic configuration 218
selecting IP addresses 230
hosts
CIM privileges 305
configuration privileges 306
inventory privileges 308
local operations privileges 309
host-wide settings 113, 115
I
ICMP 250
IDE
drives in virtual machines 29
drives supported in host 24
importing virtual machines 108
independent virtual disks 63
installing
disk space requirements 24
guest operating system 68
Linux guests in text mode 279
on Linux host 41
on Windows host 37
software in a virtual machine 138
VMware Remote Console add-
on 52
VMware Server 35
VMware Server silently on Windows
hosts 39
VMware Tools 76
VMware Tools silently on Windows
guests 78
Internet Explorer
requirements for VI Web Access 27
requirements for VMware Remote
Console 27
using VMware Remote Console 52
inventory
access to objects 201
inventory panel
VI Web Access 48
Iomega zip drives and parallel ports 184
VMware, Inc. 341
Index

IP address
assigning 231
IP forwarding 233
ISO images
K
kernel upgrades and VMware Server 42
key code mappings 187
keyboards
mapping on a Linux host 184
keysym
defined 185
mapping 187
L
leaking
IP packets in host-only network 232
IP packets in virtual machine 233
licensing, serial number and 39
Linux guests
performance 279
VMware Tools for 80, 82
Linux hosts
installing VMware Server 41
performance 274
supported operating systems 26
uninstalling VMware Server on 43
location
virtual machine configuration
file 124, 323
working directory 124, 323
.lck file 325
locking
snapshots 126
.log file 323
log files
authorization service 16
host agent 16
VI Web Access 17
virtual machine 16
VMware Authorization Service 16
VMware host agent 16
logging
logging in
access permissions 201
to VI Web Access 48
logging out
VI Web Access 57
LSI Logic SCSI devices 29
LSI Logic SCSI driver 63, 159
M
MAC addresses 234, 235
managing
datastores 110
groups 203
users 203
mappings
key code 187
keyboard 184
keysym 187
memory
amount required on host 24
available in virtual machine 29
choosing for best performance 277
configuring 277
editing 277
host-wide settings 113, 275
reserving for virtual machines 113
setting when creating virtual
machine 61
swapping in host 114
virtual machine memory size 277
342 VMware, Inc.

menu options
VI Web Access 54
virtual machine 54
message log
viewing VMware Remote
Console 133
MIDI 164
MMU 128
modifying
CD/DVD drives 152
floppy drives 155
hard disks 145
parallel ports 178
permissions 207
serial ports 169
sound adapters 165
mouse driver
installed by VMware Tools 74
MP3 164
Mylex SCSI adapter 29
N
named pipe 168, 171, 172, 173, 175
NAT
advanced configuration 251
and DHCP 249
and DNS 249
and the host computer 249
configuring 270
external access from a NAT
network 250
on virtual networks 216, 248
sample configuration file for Linux
host 257
selecting IP addresses 230
NAT tab
nat.conf 252, 257
NetWare, Novell 96
network adapters
adding virtual 223
editing virtual 224
removing virtual 225
teaming 226, 238
networks
automatic bridging 226
changing DHCP settings 227
changing subnet settings 227
changing the configuration 222
common configurations 215
components 213
configuring 211
configuring automatic bridging 268
configuring bridged 225
configuring DHCP 269
configuring NAT 270
configuring options 267
custom configurations 219
DHCP 230
DHCP server 214
dial-up connections 233
dynamic domain name service 236
fault tolerance 225
hardware addresses 234
host virtual network mapping 226
host-only 218
host-only subnet 230
IP forwarding 233
IP packet leaks 232, 233
MAC addresses 234
managing host virtual adapters 269
mapping bridged adapters 268
NAT 216, 248
NAT as firewall 255
NAT subnet 230
VMware, Inc. 343
Index

overview of virtual network
options 212
packet filtering 233
privileges 310
promiscuous mode on a Linux
host 247
refreshing virtual 223
routing between two host-only
networks 243
routing on a Linux host 235
Samba 258
second bridged network on a Linux
host 237
switches 213
teamed NICs 226, 238
token ring 217
troubleshooting DHCP on a Linux
host 236
two host-only networks 240
virtual adapters 214
virtual DHCP server 217, 218
Virtual Network Editor 231
virtual switches 213
NFS datastores 110
NFS root squash option 110
NICS
See network adapters
nonpersistent virtual disks 63
NTBackup 118
NVRAM file for BIOS settings 323
O
operating system
installing guest 68
supported guest 31
supported Linux host 26
supported Windows host 25
Options tab
VMware Tools 93
overview
VI Web Access 48
P
packets
filtering 233
leaks in host-only network 232
leaks in virtual machine 233
parallel ports
adding 177
and Iomega zip drives 184
and the Linux kernel 180
configuring on a Linux host 180
editing 178
in a virtual machine 179
removing 179
paravirtualization 128
adding 157
editing 158
removing 158
passwords in Samba password file 263
PCI slots
in virtual machine 29
limits 29
performance
CD/DVD drive autorun polling 281
debugging mode 281
disk options 283
DMA and disks 283
eliminating snapshots 280
installing applications in a guest 280
Linux guests 279
memory settings 277
memory usage 275, 277
privileges 310
remote disk access 280
344 VMware, Inc.

Windows 2000 guest 282
Windows 95 and Windows 98
guests 283
permissions 201, 206
access 206
creating 206
editing 207
hierarchy of 208
privileges 311
removing 208
settings, multiple 208
persistent virtual disks 63
physical disks
storing virtual disks on 64, 143
ping 250
pipe, named 168, 171, 172, 173, 175
plug-in
power off
snapshot options 127, 199
power state
changing virtual machine 122
current virtual machine 51
Power tab
VI Web Access 125
preallocated virtual disks 62, 142
privileges 201, 299
alarms 300
configuration 306
datacenter 301
extension 302
folders 303
global 303
host CIM 305
host inventory 308
host local operations 309
network 310
performance 310
permission 311
resource 311
scheduled tasks 313
sessions 313
tasks 314
virtual machine 319
virtual machine configuration 314
virtual machine interaction 317
virtual machine provisioning 319
virtual machine state 321
processor count
configuring 279
maximum in virtual machine 279
setting when creating virtual
machine 62
processors
host requirement 24
provided in virtual machines 28
product compatibility 61
product registration 15
promiscuous mode 247
PXE image file 36, 62
Q
quiesced backups 118
quiet mode, install VMware Tools 78
quitting VMware Remote Console 133
R
RAM
amount required on host 24
available in virtual machine 29
Real Media 164
real-time clock requirement on Linux
host 41
redo-log files 324
refreshing
virtual network 223
registration 15
VMware, Inc. 345
Index

Remote Console
See VMware Remote Console
removing
CD/DVD drives 153
datastores 112
floppy drives 156
hard disks 146
parallel ports 179
permissions 208
roles 205
serial ports 170
sound adapters 166
USB controllers 160
USB devices 164
virtual machines from
inventory 108, 130
renaming
datastores 111
roles 205
repairing
VMware Tools installations 91
reporting problems 15
resources
privileges 311
resuming
virtual machines 193
roles 201
configuring 203
creating 204
default 204
editing 205
managing 203
privileges, lists of 299
removing 205
renaming 205
routed server processes 235
routing
between two host-only
networks 243
for a host-only network on a Linux
host 235
RPM installer
for VMware Server 42
for VMware Tools 80, 82
running
suspended virtual machines 193
S
Samba
already running on a Linux host 264
and file sharing on a Linux host 258
and printer sharing 259
CIFS datastores 110
on both bridged and host-only
networks 265
password file 263
running two Samba servers 265
sample configuration file 259, 261,
265
saving virtual machine state 193, 195
scan code 185
scheduled tasks
privileges 313
scripts
creating custom VMware Tools 99
enabling, disabling, and running 94
running and disabling 100
running during power state
changes 97
VMware Tools 125
Scripts tab
VMware Tools 94
SCSI controller 159
346 VMware, Inc.

SCSI devices
adding 157
editing 158
generic 156
host requirement 24
in virtual machine 29
passthrough 156
removing 158
SCSI reservation
and clustering 288
enabling 289
issues to consider 291
preallocated virtual disks 288
sharing SCSI disks 288
support 289
serial connections
between host application and virtual
machine 170
between two virtual machines 172
changing input speed 176
to a serial port on the host 170
yielding CPU on poll 176
serial number 15, 36, 39, 54
serial ports
adding 166
configuring 170
editing 169
example usage 170
removing 170
using 170
servers
DHCP 214, 227, 231, 236, 249, 256
DNS 236, 249, 252, 271
Samba 258
WINS 250, 255
service
VSS Writer 118
sessions
privileges 313
Shared Folders tab
VMware Tools 95
sharing
files on a Linux host with
Samba 258
shortcut, desktop, for VMware Server 38
Shrink tab
VMware Tools 95
shrinking
virtual disks 95, 147
virtual disks in Netware 96
shutting down
host-wide virtual machine
settings 115
order of virtual machines 117
smb.conf file 259, 261, 265
Snapshot tab
VI Web Access 126
snapshots
as background activity 115, 197
eliminating for performance 280
excluding virtual disks from 198
files for storing 325
host-wide settings 115
locking 126
power-off options 127, 199
removing 199
reverting to 199
taking 198
using with VSS backups 119
virtual machine 195
Solaris
VMware Tools for 84
sound
configuring in virtual machines 164
Sound Blaster 165
support in guest 31
VMware, Inc. 347
Index

sound adapters
adding 165
device compatibility 164
drivers for Windows guests 165
editing 165
removing 166
sound drivers 165
specifications for virtual machines 28
starting
suspended virtual machines 193
virtual machines automatically 116
startup
host-wide virtual machine
settings 115
startup commands
used by VMware Tools 102
startup scripts
using VMware Tools 101
statistics
stopping
subnet
changing settings 227
in NAT configuration 230
on host-only networks 230
Summary tab 51
VI Web Access 51
supported guest operating systems 31
supported host operating systems
Linux 26
Windows 25
suspending
virtual machine files storing
state 325
virtual machines 193
SVGA drivers
installing in Windows guests 77
SVGA graphics support 29
swap space on a Linux host 274
switches
virtual networks 213
system requirements 23
memory 24
processors 24
remote client 27
VI Web Access 27
T
tabs
in VI Web Access 49
in VMware Tools control panel 91
tar installer
for VMware Server 41
for VMware Tools 82
tasks
privileges 314
virtual machine 56
VMware Server 56
Tasks tab
VI Web Access 56
teamed network interface cards 226,
238
telnet 250
time synchronization, between guest and
host 93, 126
time.synchronize options for VMware
Tools 93
token ring networks 217
toolbar
power operations 122
USB controller 160
tools
See VMware Tools
348 VMware, Inc.

U
uninstalling
VMware Server on Linux host 43
VMware Server on Windows
host 41
VMware Tools 91
unplugging USB devices 164
updating
virtual machine hardware
version 72
upgrading
Linux kernel, reconfiguring VMware
Server after 42
virtual machine hardware
version 72
USB
connecting devices 160
control of devices by host and
guest 163
devices in a virtual machine 161
disconnecting devices 164
enabling and disabling the
controller 159
on a Linux host 163
on a Windows host 162
port specifications 30
supported device types 161
USB 1.1 161
USB 2.0 161
USB controllers
adding 159
removing 160
users
configuring 203
managing 203
V
VGA graphics support 29
VI Web Access
changing guest operating
system 124
changing virtual machine name 124
changing virtual machine power
settings 109, 125
configuring VMware Tools
scripts 125
Events tab 57
General tab 124
inventory panel 48
log files 17
logging in 48
logging out 57
managing virtual machine
inventory 108
menu options 54
overview 48
Power tab 125
setting guest operating system 124
setting snapshot options 126
setting virtual machine name 124
setting virtual machine power
options 125
Snapshot tab 126
Summary tab 51
Tasks tab 56
Virtual Machines tab 109
workspace 48
Virtual Appliance Marketplace 36, 54
Virtual Disk Manager 149
virtual disks
adding 144
allocating space 142
caching 64
constituent files 324
defragmenting 147, 280
VMware, Inc. 349
Index

editing 145
growable 62, 142
independent mode 63
nonpersistent 63
persistent 63
preallocated 62, 142
removing 146
SCSI drivers 63
setting maximum size 142
shrinking 95, 147
shrinking in Netware 96
size 29
storing on physical disks 64, 143
Virtual Disk Manager 149
Virtual Machine Communication
Interface (VMCI) 74
virtual machines
adding CD/DVD drives 151
adding floppy drives 154
adding hard disks 144
adding parallel ports 177
adding serial ports 166
adding sound adapters 165
adding to inventory 108
adding USB controllers 159
and SMP 278
changing guest operating
system 124
changing power settings 109, 125
changing snapshot settings 126
changing the name of 124
choosing datastore location 59
configuration file 325
configuration file location 124, 323
configuration file parameters 129
configuration privileges 314
configuring memory 277
configuring processor count 279
configuring SCSI controllers 159
configuring sound 165
configuring sound adapters 164
console to interact with guest 52, 53
constituent files 323
creating 59
creating virtual disks 62
creating VMware Remote Console
shortcuts 134
creating Web shortcuts 133
default location 59
deleting 108, 130
deleting floppy drives 156
editing CD/DVD drives 152
editing floppy drives 155
editing hard disks 145
editing parallel ports 178
editing serial ports 169
editing sound adapters 165
entering BIOS setup at boot 125
events 57
generating VMware Remote
Console shortcuts 134
generating Web shortcuts 133
hardware specifications 28
hardware version 61, 72
IDE drives in 29
importing 108
installing software in 138
interaction privileges 317
inventory of 108
inventory privileges 319
location 59
log files 323
managing inventory 108
memory settings 61
menu options 54
performing disk maintenance 147
platform specifications 28
350 VMware, Inc.

power operations 122
processor settings 62
product compatibility 61
provisioning privileges 319
removing CD/DVD drives 153
removing floppy drives 156
removing from inventory 108, 130
removing hard disks 146
removing parallel ports 179
removing serial ports 170
removing sound adapters 166
removing USB controllers 160
resuming 193
setting guest operating system 124
setting power options 125
setting shutdown order 117
setting snapshot options 126
setting startup order 117
setting the name of 124
starting automatically 116
state privileges 321
status information 51
summary information 51
summary view 51
suspending 193
tasks 56
working directory location 124, 323
Virtual Machines tab
VI Web Access 109
virtual network adapters 214
Virtual Network Editor 267
virtual networks
adding adapters 223
changing the configuration 222
components 213
configuring 211
configuring in virtual network
editor 267
DHCP server 218
editing adapters 224
refreshing 223
removing adapters 225
teamed NICs 226
Virtual SMP 278
virtual switches 213
VIX API 23, 139
VMCI Sockets interface 139
.vmdk file 324
.vmem file 325
VMI (Virtual Machine Interface) 128
vmnet1.conf 237
VMnet8 248
vmrun 139
.vmsd file 325
.vmsn file 325
.vmss file 325
vmvsswriter.cfg file 119
VMware Authorization Service
default port 43
log 16
vmware-config.pl 42
VMware host agent
log 16
desktop shortcuts 134
full screen mode 131
installing Web browser add-on 52
interacting with guest 131
powering off 132
quitting 133
resetting 132
shortcuts 134
starting 53
viewing message log 133
VMware Remote Console shortcuts 134
VMware Server
logging in 48
VMware, Inc. 351
Index

logging out 57
serial number for 39
VMware Tools 126
About tab 95
automated install 78
command-line interface 104
configuring 91
configuring in a Netware virtual
machine 96
control panel 91
device drivers 74
Devices tab 94
for FreeBSD guests 86
for Linux guests 80, 82
for Solaris guests 84
installing 76
installing from the command line
with the RPM installer 82
installing from the command line
with the tar installer 82
installing in Windows guests 76
interacting with VSS 118
modifying installation 91
Options tab 93
repairing installation 91
running 122
running scripts during power state
changes 97
Scripts tab 94
Shared Folders tab 95
Shrink tab 95
silent install 78
taskbar icon, displaying 92
uninstalling 91
using from command line 96
VMware user process 75
vmwtool commands 96
VMware Tools scripts 125
VMware Tools service
executing commands on halt or
reboot 101
overview of 74
passing strings from the host 101
VMware user process, in VMware
Tools 75
vmware-user, starting manually 89
vmware-config.pl file 42
vmwtool program 96
.vmx file 325
.vmxf file 325
Volume Shadow Copy Service 118
v-scan code
defined 185
table of codes 188
VSS 118
W
.wav file 164
Web shortcuts
creating 133
generating 133
Windows Backup 118
Windows credential manager 111
Windows hosts
installing VMware Server 37
uninstalling VMware Server 41
working directory 124, 323
workspace in VI Web Access 48
X
X server and keyboard mapping 184
xFree86 and keyboard mapping 184
Z
zip drives
on a parallel port 184
352 VMware, Inc.

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