VmWare Server Manual

Virtual Machine Guide
VMware Server 1.0
VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Revision: 20060706
Item: SVR-ENG-Q206-227
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation at:

http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
docfeedback@vmware.com
2006 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more of 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,
6,961,941, 6,961,806 and 6,944,699; 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.
VMware, Inc.
3145 Porter Drive
Palo Alto, CA 94304
www.vmware.com
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VMware, Inc.
Contents
Chapter1IntroductionandSystemRequirements ...............1
VMwareServerOverview ...............................................1
FeaturesofVMwareServer ..............................................2
Supportfor32bitand64bitGuestOperatingSystems ...................2
TwoWayVirtualSMP(ExperimentalSupport) ..........................2
ConnecttoVMwareGSXVirtualMachinesandHosts....................2
UpgradeandUseGSXVirtualMachines ................................3
MoveExistingVirtualMachines.......................................3
CompatiblewithVMwareWorkstation5.xVirtualMachines..............3
ConfigureVirtualHardwareDevicestobeAutomaticallyDetected ........3
TakeandReverttoSnapshotsintheBackground ........................3
SupportforVMwareVirtualMachineImporter ..........................3
SupportforVirtualCenter.............................................4
APIsIncludedwithVMwareServer ......................................4
HostSystemRequirements ..............................................4
ServerHostHardware................................................4
WindowsHostOperatingSystemRequirements .........................6
LinuxHostOperatingSystemRequirements ............................7
RemoteClientRequirements.........................................10
VirtualMachineSpecifications ..........................................12
SupportedGuestOperatingSystems.....................................15
HardwareRequirementsfor64bitGuestOperatingSystems.............15
HardwareRequirementsfor32bitGuestOperatingSystems.............16
TechnicalSupportResources ...........................................19
SelfServiceSupport.................................................20
OnlineandTelephoneSupport.......................................20
SupportOfferings...................................................20
ReportingProblems .................................................20
LogFiles...........................................................21
Chapter2CreatingaNewVirtualMachine......................25
SettingUpaNewVirtualMachine ......................................25
VMware, Inc.
iii
WhatsinaVirtualMachine? .........................................25
CreatingaNewVirtualMachinewiththeVirtualMachineWizard ........27
InstallingaGuestOperatingSystem .....................................37
Example:InstallingWindowsServer2003asaGuestOS.................37
Chapter3UsingVMwareTools....................................39
AboutVMwareTools ..................................................39
InstallingVMwareTools...............................................41
InstallingVMwareToolsinaWindowsVirtualMachine .................41
InstallingVMwareToolsinaLinuxVirtualMachine ....................50
InstallingVMwareToolsinaNetWareVirtualMachine .................53
ExecutingScriptsWhentheVirtualMachinesPowerStateChanges.........55
ConfiguringVMwareTools ............................................56
ConfiguringVMwareToolsinaWindowsVirtualMachine ..............57
ConfiguringVMwareToolsinaLinux,FreeBSD,orSolarisVirtualMachine 60
ConfiguringVMwareToolsinaNetWareVirtualMachine ...............64
AbouttheVMwareToolsService........................................68
SynchronizingtheTimeintheGuestOSwiththeHostOS ...............69
ExecutingCommandsAfterYouPowerOfforResetaVirtualMachine....70
PassingaStringfromtheHostOStotheGuestOS......................70
PassingInformationBetweentheGuestOSandaVMwareAPIScript .....73
Chapter4RunningVirtualMachines .............................75
OverviewoftheVMwareServerConsoleWindow ........................75
UsingtheHomeTab ................................................77
UsingTabs.........................................................78
ConfiguringaVirtualMachine .......................................79
UsingtheVirtualMachineInventory ..................................79
DisplayingHints ...................................................80
CheckingtheStatusofVMwareTools.................................80
CreatingaScreenShotofaVirtualMachine ............................81
ConnectingtoVirtualMachinesandVMwareServerHosts .................82
ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaWindowsHostorClient .........82
ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaLinuxHostorClient.............84
ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromtheVMwareManagementInterface .85
ConnectingtoaDifferentVMwareServerHost .........................85
ConnectingtoVMwareGSXServerandOlderVirtualMachines..........86
ChangingthePowerStateofaVirtualMachine ...........................88
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Contents
UsingPowerOptionsforVirtualMachines.............................88
SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachines ...........................91
ShuttingDownaVirtualMachine.....................................92
PoweringVirtualMachinesOnandOff ................................92
ControllingtheVirtualMachineDisplay.................................95
UsingFullScreenMode .............................................95
UsingQuickSwitchMode ...........................................95
TakingAdvantageofMultipleMonitors...............................96
FittingtheVMwareServerConsoleWindowtotheVirtualMachine .......97
FittingaWindowsGuestOSDisplaytotheConsoleWindow.............97
SimplifyingtheScreenDisplay .......................................98
RunningVirtualMachinesfromDVDsorCDROMDiscs ..................98
UsingPXEwithVirtualMachines......................................100
InstallingSoftwareinaVirtualMachine.................................101
Cutting,Copying,andPastingText.....................................102
UsingDevicesinaVirtualMachine.....................................102
Adding,Configuring,andRemovingDevicesinaVirtualMachine .......103
ConnectingandDisconnectingRemovableDevices ....................104
CommandReference .................................................104
StartupOptionsonaLinuxHost.....................................105
StartupOptionsonaWindowsHost .................................106
UsingKeyboardShortcuts ..........................................106
Chapter5PreservingtheStateofaVirtualMachine ...........109
SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachines ............................109
SettingtheSuspendedStateFileDirectory ............................110
TakingSnapshots ....................................................112
WhatIsCapturedbyaSnapshot? ....................................113
WaysofUsingSnapshots...........................................114
SnapshotsandaVirtualMachinesHardDisks ........................114
SnapshotsandOtherActivityintheVirtualMachine ...................115
SettingsforSnapshots ..............................................115
SnapshotActionsasBackgroundActivity .............................116
RemovingtheSnapshot ............................................116
SnapshotsandLegacyDiskModes ...................................117
SnapshotsandLegacyVirtualMachines..............................117
VMware, Inc.
Chapter6UsingDisksinaVirtualMachine.....................119
ConfiguringHardDiskStorageinaVirtualMachine......................119
DiskTypes:VirtualandPhysical.....................................120
AdditionalInformationaboutDisk,RedoLog,Snapshot,andLockFiles ..122
DefragmentingandShrinkingVirtualDisks ...........................125
ConfiguringOpticalandFloppyDrives.................................128
ConfiguringVirtualDVD/CDROMDrives ...........................128
ConfiguringVirtualFloppyDrives ...................................130
AddingDrivestoaVirtualMachine....................................131
AddingVirtualDiskstoaVirtualMachine ............................132
AddingPhysicalDiskstoaVirtualMachine ...........................134
AddingDVD/CDROMDrivestoaVirtualMachine....................137
AddingFloppyDrivestoaVirtualMachine ...........................138
UsingVMwareVirtualDiskManager...................................139
RunningtheVMwareVirtualDiskManagerUtility ....................140
ShrinkingVirtualDiskswithVMwareVirtualDiskManager............143
ExamplesUsingtheVMwareVirtualDiskManager ....................144
InstallinganOperatingSystemontoaPhysicalPartition ..................146
ConfiguringaWindowsHost .......................................147
ConfiguringaLinuxHost ...........................................149
DiskPerformanceinWindowsNTGuestsonMultiprocessorHosts.........150
ImprovingPerformance ............................................151
Chapter7Networking .............................................153
ComponentsoftheVirtualNetwork ....................................153
CommonNetworkingConfigurations...................................155
BridgedNetworking...............................................156
NetworkAddressTranslation(NAT) .................................157
HostOnlyNetworking .............................................158
CustomNetworkingConfigurations ....................................159
ChangingtheNetworkingConfiguration................................162
AddingandModifyingVirtualNetworkAdapters .....................162
ConfiguringBridgedNetworkingOptionsonaWindowsHost..........164
Enabling,Disabling,Adding,andRemovingHostVirtualAdapters ......168
AdvancedNetworkingTopics.........................................171
SelectingIPAddressesonaHostOnlyNetworkorNATConfiguration...172
AvoidingIPPacketLeakageinaHostOnlyNetwork...................174
MaintainingandChangingtheMACAddressofaVirtualMachine ......176
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Contents
ControllingRoutingforaHostOnlyNetworkonaLinuxHost..........177
IssueswithHostOnlyNetworkingonaLinuxHost ....................178
SettingUpaSecondBridgedNetworkInterfaceonaLinuxHost .........179
ConfiguringBridgedNetworkingWhenUsingTeamedNetworkInterface
Cards.........................................................180
SettingUpTwoSeparateHostOnlyNetworks ........................182
RoutingBetweenTwoHostOnlyNetworks ...........................185
UsingVirtualEthernetAdaptersinPromiscuousModeonaLinuxHost..189
UnderstandingNAT..................................................190
UsingNAT .......................................................191
TheHostComputerandtheNATNetwork ...........................191
DHCPontheNATNetwork ........................................191
DNSontheNATNetwork ..........................................191
ExternalAccessfromtheNATNetwork ..............................192
AdvancedNATConfiguration ......................................193
CustomNATandDHCPConfigurationonaWindowsHost ............196
ConsiderationsforUsingNAT ......................................198
UsingNATwithNetLogon .........................................198
SampleLinuxvmnetnat.confFile ....................................200
UsingSambaforFileSharingonaLinuxHost ...........................201
Chapter8ConfiguringDevices ...................................211
UsingParallelPorts ..................................................211
AboutParallelPorts................................................211
AddingaParallelPortinaVirtualMachine...........................212
ConfiguringaParallelPortonaLinuxHost...........................213
SpecialNotesfortheIomegaZipDrive...............................216
UsingSerialPorts....................................................216
UsingaSerialPortontheHostComputer .............................217
UsingaFileontheHostComputer...................................218
ConnectinganApplicationontheHosttoaVirtualMachine ............220
ConnectingTwoVirtualMachines...................................221
SpecialConfigurationOptionsforAdvancedUsers ....................223
Examples:DebuggingoveraVirtualSerialPort........................224
KeyboardMappingonaLinuxHost ....................................226
KeyboardMappingforaRemoteServer..............................226
KeyboardMappingSupportforthePC...............................227
VScanCodeTable .................................................229
UsingUSBDevicesinaVirtualMachine ................................232
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NotesonUSBSupport..............................................233
AddingaUSBController ...........................................233
ConnectingUSBDevices............................................234
UsingUSBwithaWindowsHost....................................235
ReplacingUSB2.0DriversonaWindows2000Host....................235
UsingUSBwithaLinuxHost .......................................235
USBDeviceControl ................................................236
USBDevices ......................................................237
DisconnectingUSBDevicesfromaVirtualMachine ....................237
ConnectingtoaGenericSCSIDevice ...................................237
DeviceSupportinGuestOperatingSystems...........................238
AddingaGenericSCSIDevicetoaVirtualMachine ....................239
GenericSCSIonaWindowsHostOperatingSystem ...................240
GenericSCSIonaLinuxHostOperatingSystem .......................243
UsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(Experimental) ........244
Chapter9VideoandSound.......................................247
SettingScreenColorDepthinaVirtualMachine .........................247
ChangingScreenColorDepthontheHost ............................248
ChangingScreenColorDepthintheVirtualMachine...................248
UsingFullScreenModeonaLinuxHost................................248
ConfiguringSound ...................................................249
InstallingSoundDriversinaWindowsServer2003GuestOS............249
InstallingSoundDriversinWindows9xandNTGuestOS ..............249
Chapter10PerformanceTuningforVirtualMachines .........251
AllocatingMemorytoaVirtualMachine ................................251
ConfiguringVirtualMachineMemoryfromaConsole..................252
ImprovingPerformanceforGuestOperatingSystems.....................253
Windows2000,WindowsXPandWindowsServer2003GuestOSPerformance
Tips ..........................................................253
Windows95andWindows98GuestOperatingSystemPerformanceTips .254
LinuxGuestOperatingSystemPerformanceTips......................256
Glossary..............................................................257
Index .................................................................265
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VMware, Inc.
Introduction and System

Requirements
C HAPTER 1
ThischapterintroducesyoutoVMwareServerandcoversthefollowingtopics:
!
VMwareServerOverviewonpage 1
FeaturesofVMwareServeronpage 2
HostSystemRequirementsonpage 5
VirtualMachineSpecificationsonpage 12
SupportedGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 15
TechnicalSupportResourcesonpage 20
VMware Server Overview

VMwareServerisafreevirtualizationproductforMicrosoftWindowsandLinux
servers.Itenablesuserstoquicklyprovisionnewservercapacitybypartitioninga
physicalserverintomultiplevirtualmachines.YoucanuseVMwareServerto
provisionawidevarietyofplugandplayvirtualappliancesforcommonlyused
infrastructure.
VMwareServersupports:
!
Anystandardx86hardware.
AwidevarietyofLinux,NetWare,Solaris,andWindowsoperatingsystems,
including64bitoperatingsystems.Forinformationaboutspecifichardware
requirements,seeVMwareKnowledgeBasearticle1901orHardware
Requirementsfor64bitGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 15.
TwowayVirtualSMP(experimentalsupport).
IntelVirtualizationTechnology(experimentalsupport).
WithVMwareServer,youcan:
!
VMware, Inc.
Provisionanewserverwithoutinvestinginmorehardwarebylocatingmultiple
virtualmachinesonthesamehost.
RunWindowsandLinuxoperatingsystemsandapplicationswithoutsoftware
conflictsbecausevirtualmachinesarecompletelyisolatedfromoneanotherand
fromthephysicalhost.
Movevirtualmachinesfromonephysicalhosttoanotherwithouthavingto
reconfigure.
Shortenthetimeforprovisioninganewserverbycreatinganddeployingcustom
virtualmachineswiththeVMwareServerVirtualMachineWizard.
Movevirtualmachinestodifferentphysicalhostsasconditionschange.
Formoreinformation,seeFeaturesofVMwareServeronpage 2.
Features of VMware Server

ThissectionprovidesinformationaboutkeyfeaturesofVMwareServer.
Support for 32-bit and 64-bit Guest Operating Systems

VMwareServerprovidesfullandexperimentalsupportforvirtualmachinesrunning
32bitand64bitguestoperatingsystems.Formoreinformation,seeSupportedGuest
OperatingSystemsonpage 15.Thehostmachinetheserveronwhichyouinstall
VMwareServermusthaveoneoftheprocessorsthatVMwareServersupports.You
canusearemoteconsolerunningona32bitmachinetoconnecttoa64bithost
machinerunning64bitguestoperatingsystems.Formoreinformation,seeHardware
Requirementsfor64bitGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 15.
Two-Way Virtual SMP (Experimental Support)

ExperimentalsupportfortwowayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(VirtualSMP)
letsyouassigntwovirtualprocessorstoavirtualmachineonanyhostmachinethathas
atleasttwologicalprocessors.VMwareServerdoesnotsupportguestswithmorethan
twovirtualprocessors.Youcan,however,poweronandrunmultipledualprocessor
virtualmachines.Formoreinformation,seeUsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetric
Multiprocessing(Experimental)onpage 244.
Connect to VMware GSX Virtual Machines and Hosts

YoucanconnecttohostsrunningVMwareGSXServer3fromtheVMwareServer
ConsoleandrunvirtualmachinesinVMwareServercreatedunderVMwareGSX
Server3aslegacymachines.Forinformation,seeConnectingtoVMwareGSXServer
andOlderVirtualMachinesonpage 86.
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements
Upgrade and Use GSX Virtual Machines

YoucanupgradethevirtualhardwareofvirtualmachinescreatedunderbothVMware
GSXServer2and3.Youmustupgradehardwareofvirtualmachinescreatedunder
GSX2torunthemunderVMwareServer.Formoreinformation,seeUpgradingthe
VirtualHardwareonaLegacyVirtualMachineintheVMwareServerAdministration
Guide.
Move Existing Virtual Machines

YoucanmovevirtualmachinesfromoneVMwareServerhosttoanotherandfroma
VMwareGSXServerorVMwareWorkstationhosttoahostrunningVMwareServer.
Formoreinformation,seeMovingandSharingVirtualMachinesintheVMware
ServerAdministrationGuide.
Compatible with VMware Workstation 5.x Virtual Machines

YoucanrunvirtualmachinescreatedusingVMwareWorkstation5.x.However,you
cannotconnectfromahostrunningVMwareServertoahostrunningVMware
Workstation.
Configure Virtual Hardware Devices to be Automatically

Detected
Youcanconfigureanumberofvirtualdevices,includingserialandparallelports,
DVD/CDROMdrives,floppydrives,andsounddrivers(Linuxonly)tobe
automaticallydetected.Thebenefitofautodetectdevicesisthatyoucanmovethem
betweenvirtualmachinesrunningdifferentguestoperatingsystems,suchasWindows
andLinux,withouthavingtoreconfigurethedevices.Formoreinformation,seeUsing
DevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 102.
Take and Revert to Snapshots in the Background

Youcanconfigureanyvirtualmachinetotakeandreverttosnapshotsinthe
background.Whenyoutakeasnapshot,youpreservethestateofthevirtualmachine,
includingthestateofthedataonallthevirtualmachinedisksandwhetherthevirtual
machinewaspoweredon,poweredoff,orsuspended.Formoreinformation,see
SnapshotActionsasBackgroundActivityonpage 116.
Support for VMware Virtual Machine Importer

VMwareServerincludessupportfortheVMwareVirtualMachineImporterversion
1.5,whichletsyouimportvirtualmachinesfromMicrosoftVirtualServerandVirtual
PCaswellasSymantecLiveStateRecoverysystemimages.
VMware, Inc.
ToaccesstheVMwareVirtualMachineImporterfromtheVMwareServerConsole,
chooseFile>ImportorFile>Open.TheWizardtoimportavirtualmachineorsystem
imageopens.YoucanaccesstheVMwareVirtualMachineImporteronlyfroma
Windowshostmachine.
FormoredetailedinformationabouthowtousetheVMwareVirtualMachine
Importer,seetheVMwareVirtualMachineImporterUsersManual.
Support for VirtualCenter

VMwareServerincludessupportforusingVirtualCenterversion1.4tomanagevirtual
machinesrunningonVMwareServer.
APIs Included with VMware Server

VMwareServersupportstheVMwarescriptingAPIs,whichincludetheVmPerlAPI
andtheVmCOMAPI,andtheProgrammingAPI.AlloftheAPIsareinstalledona
WindowshostwhenyouperformacompleteinstallationusingtheVMwareServer
WindowsInstaller.TheProgrammingAPIandVmPerlAPIareinstalledwhenyou
installtheVMwareServersoftware.YoucanalsoinstallanyoftheAPIsonaclient
machine.
Host System Requirements

YoucaninstalltheVMwareServersoftwareonaMicrosoftWindowsorLinuxserver.
Youcanstorevirtualmachinesontheserverhostorlocatethemonanetworkshare.
Server Host Hardware

VMwareServersupportsupto16waymultiprocessorservers.Thenumberofvirtual
machinesyoucanrunconcurrentlydependsontheresourcestheyrequire,but
VMwarerecommendsyourunnomorethanfourvirtualmachinesconcurrentlyper
processor.Youcanrunamaximumof64virtualmachinesconcurrentlyononehost.
Theserverhosthardwareincludes:
!
(Standardx86basedserverwithupto16processorshostswith32bitIA32
processors,andIA32processorswith64bitextensionssupported
733MHzorfastercompatiblex86processorthatsupportsthePentiuminstruction
set
Compatibleprocessorsinclude:
!
Intel:PentiumII,PentiumIII,Pentium4,PentiumMXeon,andEM64T.
VMware, Inc.
AMD:Athlon,AthlonMP,AthlonXP,AMDOpteron,AMDAthlon64,
Turion64.
ExperimentalsupportforAMDSempron.
Multiprocessorsystemsaresupported.
Dualcoreprocessorsaresupportedandcountedasoneprocessorfor
licensing.
Processor Requirements for 64-bit Guests

Yourservermustberunningoneofthefollowing64bitprocessorstobeableto
configureavirtualmachinerunninga64bitguest.
!
AMDAthlon64,revisionDorlater
AMDOpteron,revisionEorlater
AMDTurion64,revisionEorlater
AMDSempron,64bitcapablerevisionDorlater
IntelEM64TVTcapableprocessors
Memory
YouneedenoughmemorytoruntheMicrosoftWindowsorLinuxhostoperating
system,plusmemoryrequiredforeachguestoperatingsystemandapplicationsonthe
hostandeachguest.Seeyourguestoperatingsystemandapplicationdocumentation
fortheirmemoryrequirements.
Memoryrequirementsinclude:
!
Minimum:512MB
Maximum:
!
64GBforWindowshostsandLinuxhoststhatsupportlargememoryorare
PAEenabled
4GBfornonPAEenabledWindowshostsor2GBforLinuxhostswithkernels
inthe2.2.xseries
Display
!
VMware, Inc.
16bitdisplayadapterorhigher
Host Hard Disk

!
250MBfreediskspaceonWindowshostsrequiredforVMwareServer,VMware
ManagementInterface,theVmPerlAPI,theVmCOMAPI,theProgrammingAPI,
andVMwareServerConsoleinstallation.
200MBfreediskspaceonLinuxhostsrequiredforVMwareServer,VMware
ManagementInterface,VmPerlAPI,ProgrammingAPI,andVMwareServer
Consoleinstallation.
!
Diskspacein/tmponLinuxhostsshouldbeequivalentto1.5timesthe
amountofmemoryonthehost.Forinformationonthe/tmpdirectory,read
VMwareknowledgebasearticle844at
http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=844.
Sufficientfreediskspaceforeachguestoperatingsystemandtheapplication
softwareusedwithit.Usingadefaultsetup,theactualdiskspaceneedsare
approximatelythesameasthoseforinstallingandrunningtheguestoperating
systemandapplicationsonaphysicalcomputer.
IDEorSCSIharddrivesandDVD/CDROMdrivessupported.
Guestoperatingsystemscanresideinvirtualdiskfilesoronphysical(raw)disk
partitions.
Local Area Networking

!
AnyEthernetcontrollerthatthehostoperatingsystemsupports.
NonEthernetnetworksaresupportedusingbuiltinnetworkaddresstranslation
(NAT)orusingacombinationofhostonlynetworkingplusroutingsoftwareon
thehostoperatingsystem.
StaticIPaddressforyourhostmachine(recommended).
Windows Host Operating System Requirements

YoumustuseaMicrosoftWindowsserveroperatingsystem.TousetheVMware
ManagementInterface,InternetInformationServer(IIS)5.0or6.0mustbeinstalled.
NOTE
Operatingsystemsandservicepacksthatarenotlistedarenotsupportedfor
useasahostoperatingsystemforVMwareServer.
64bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystemsfor64bitextended
systems:
!
MicrosoftWindowsServer2003Enterprise,Standard,andWebEditions,R2
VMware, Inc.
MicrosoftWindowsServer2003Enterprise,Standard,andWebEditions,Service
Pack1
32bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystems:
!
MicrosoftWindowsServer2003Enterprise,Standard,Web,andSmallBusiness
Editions,includingServicePack1
MicrosoftWindows2000AdvancedServer,ServicePack3andServicePack4
MicrosoftWindows2000Server,ServicePack3andServicePack4
VmPerlAPIrequiresPerl5.005xorhigher.
VMwareManagementInterfacerequiresoneofthesebrowsers:
!
InternetExplorer5.5or6.0(6.0highlyrecommended)
Firefox1.x
Mozilla1.x
NetscapeNavigator7.0
NOTE
VMwareteststheVMwareManagementInterfaceforstabilityandreliability
withnewbrowserversions.VMwaremakeseveryefforttoaddsupportfor
newbrowserversionsinatimelymanner,butuntilabrowserisaddedtothe
abovelist,itsusewiththeproductisnotsupported.
Linux Host Operating System Requirements

Supporteddistributionsandkernelsarelistedinthissection.VMwareServermightnot
runonsystemsthatdonotmeettheserequirements.Platformsthatarenotlistedare
notsupported.
64bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystemsfor64bitextended
systems:
!
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0AS,ES,andWS,stock2.4.21,update2.4.2115,and
updates6and7
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0AS,ES,andWS,update8(experimentalsupport)
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0AS,ES,andWS,includingupdate3
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0update4(experimentalsupport)
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10(experimentalsupport)
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer9,includingSP1,SP2,andSP3
SUSELinux10
VMware, Inc.
SUSELinux10.1
SUSELinux9.3
SUSELinux9.2,includingSP1
SUSELinux9.1stock2.6.452
MandrivaLinux2006
UbuntuLinux5.04and5.10
UbuntuLinux6.06(experimentalsupport)
32bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystems:
MandrivaLinux2006
MandrakeLinux10.1
MandrakeLinux9.0stock2.4.19
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0AS,ES,andWS,includingupdates1,2,and3
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0,updates1,2,3,4,5,6,and7
RedHatEnterpriseLinux2.1stock2.4.9e3
RedHatLinux9.0,stock2.4.208andupgrade2.4.2020.9
RedHatLinux8.0stock2.4.18
RedHatLinux7.2,stock2.4.710andupgrades2.4.97,2.4.913,2.4.921,and
2.4.931
SUSELINUXEnterpriseServer9,includingSP1,SP2,andSP3
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8stock2.4.19
SUSELINUX9.3
SUSELINUX9.2
SUSELinux10
SUSELinux10.1
VMware, Inc.
SUSELINUX9.1stock2.6.452
SUSELINUX9.0stock2.4.2199
SUSELinux7.3
Ubuntu6.06
NOTE
AsnewLinuxkernelsanddistributionsarereleased,VMwaremodifiesand
testsitsproductsforstabilityandreliabilityonthosehostplatforms.VMware
makeseveryefforttoaddsupportfornewkernelsanddistributionsina
timelymanner,butuntilakernelordistributionisaddedtothelist,itsuseis
notsupported.LookfornewerprebuiltmodulesintheDownloadsectionof
VMwareWebsite.Gotohttp://www.vmware.com/download.
OtherLinuxhostoperatingsystemrequirementsinclude:
!
Linuxkernel2.2.145.0isnotsupported.
StandardLinuxserverinstallationisrequiredwithglibcversion2.1orhigherand
libXpm.so.
TheinetdprocessmustbeconfiguredandactiveforVMwareServerConsoleand
VMwareManagementInterfaceconnections.
Version2.1.36oftheSCSIGeneric(sg.o)driverisrequiredtousegenericSCSI
devicesinvirtualmachines.
Perl5.005xorhigherisrequiredtouseVmPerlAPI.
XserverisrequiredtoruntheVMwareServerConsole.
TheVMwareManagementInterfacerequiresoneofthesebrowsers:
!
Firefox1.x
Mozilla1.x
NOTE
VMware, Inc.
Asnewbrowserversionsarereleased,VMwareteststheVMware
ManagementInterfaceforstabilityandreliabilitywiththeseversions.
VMwaremakeseveryefforttoaddsupportfornewbrowserversionsina
timelymanner,butuntilabrowserisaddedtotheabovelist,itsusewiththe
productisnotsupported.
Running VMware Server on Some SUSE Linux Hosts

KeepinmindthefollowingwhenyourunVMwareServerontheseSUSELinuxhosts.
!
SLES8InstallgcconyourSLES8hostbeforeinstallingVMwareServer.
SLES7Toupgradethekernel,deselectanySambacomponentswhenyouapply
theupdatepatchbecausethepatchincorrectlyupdatesSambaonyourhost.
RunningtheupdatewiththeSambapackagesselectedcanresultinseriousissues
onyourhostsuchassystemhangsorsegmentationfaults.
VmPerl and VmCOM APIs

TheVmPerlAPIincludesthevmware-cmdutility.TheVmCOMAPIworksonlyon
WindowsServer2003,WindowsXP,Windows2000,andWindowsNTclients.For
moreinformation,gototheVMwareWebsiteat
http://www.vmware.com/support/developer.
Programming API
VMwareServerincludessupportfortheProgrammingAPI(previouslycalledCAPI).
Formoreinformation,gototheVMwareWebSiteat
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/server_pubs
Remote Client Requirements

TheremoteclientisaMicrosoftWindowsorLinuxsystemfromwhichyoulaunchthe
VMwareServerConsoleoruseVMwareScriptingAPIstoremotelymanagevirtual
machinesontheVMwareServerhost.YouaccesstheVMwareManagementInterface
tomanagevirtualmachinesonthehostusingaWebbrowser.
Hardware Requirements
10
Standardx86basedcomputer.
266MHzorfasterprocessor.
64MBRAMminimum.
30MB(forWindowshosts)or60MB(forLinuxhosts)offreediskspaceisrequired
forinstallationoftheVMwareServerConsole.
17MBfreediskspaceisrequiredforVMwareScriptingAPIs(VmCOMandVmPerl
APIs)installationonWindowsremoteclients.14MBisrequiredforVmPerlAPIon
Linuxremoteclients.
VMware, Inc.
Software Requirements Windows Remote Client

!
WindowsServer2003x64Edition,WindowsServer2003StandardEdition,
WindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition,andWindowsServer2003WebEdition
WindowsXPProfessionalandWindowsXPHomeEdition
ServicePack1andServicePack2
Windows2000Professional,ServerandAdvancedServer,ServicePack1,Service
Pack2,ServicePack3andServicePack4
WindowsNT4.0WorkstationandServer,ServicePack6a,withInternetExplorer
6.0installed
!
InternetExplorer5.5or6.0(6.0highlyrecommended)
Firefox1.x
Mozilla1.x
NOTE
VMwaremakeseveryefforttoaddsupportfornewbrowserversionsin
atimelymanner,butuntilabrowserisaddedtotheabovelist,itsuse
withtheproductisnotsupported.
Software Requirements Linux Remote Client

!
StandardLinuxinstallationisrequiredwithglibcversion2.1orhigherandoneof
thefollowingkernels:
!
Forsingleprocessorsystems:kernel2.0.32orhigherinthe2.0.xseries,or
kernelinthe2.2.x,2.4.xor2.6.xseries.
ForSMPsystems:kernelinthe2.2.x,2.4.xor2.6.xseries
NOTE
Linuxkernel2.2.145.0isnotsupported.
Perl5.005xorhigherisrequiredtouseVmPerlAPI.
XserverisrequiredtoruntheVMwareServerConsoleontheclient.
VMware, Inc.
Firefox1.x
Mozilla1.x
11
NOTE
VMwaremakeseveryefforttoaddsupportfornewbrowserversionsin
atimelymanner,butuntilabrowserisaddedtotheabovelist,itsuse
withtheproductisnotsupported.
VmPerl and VmCOM APIs

TheVmPerlAPIincludesthevmware-cmdutility.TheVmCOMAPIworksonWindows
Server2003,WindowsXP,Windows2000,andWindowsNTclientsonly.Formore
information,gototheVMwareWebsiteat
http://www.vmware.com/support/developer.
Programming API
VMwareServerincludessupportfortheProgrammingAPI.Formoreinformation,go
totheVMwareWebsiteathttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/server_pubs.
Virtual Machine Specifications

EachvirtualmachinecreatedwithVMwareServerprovidesaplatformthatincludes
thefollowingdevicesthatyourguestoperatingsystemcansee.
Virtual Processor
!
IntelPentiumIIorlater,orAMDAthlonorlater,dependingonhostprocessor;
IntelEMT64VT(experimentalsupport).
Singleandmultiprocessorpervirtualmachineonsymmetricmultiprocessor
(SMP)systems.
Virtual Chipset
!
Intel440BXbasedmotherboardwithNS338SIOchipand82093AAIOAPIC
Virtual BIOS
12
PhoenixBIOS4.0Release6withVESABIOS
DMI/SMBIOScompliantforsystemmanagementagentsupport
VMware, Inc.
Virtual Memory
!
Upto3600MBofmemorypervirtualmachine,dependinguponthehostsystems
configuration,thetypesofapplicationsrunningonthehost,andtheamountof
memoryonthehost.
Virtual Graphics
!
VGAandSVGAsupport
Virtual IDE Drives

!
Uptofourdevices:disks,CDROMorDVD(DVDdrivescanbeusedtoreaddata
DVDdiscs).DVDvideoisnotsupported.
Harddiskscanbevirtualdisksorphysicaldisks.
IDEvirtualdisksupto950GB.
CDROMcanbeaphysicaldeviceoranISOimagefile.
Virtual SCSI Devices

!
Upto60devicesonuptofourvirtualSCSIcontrollers.
SCSIvirtualdisksupto950GB.
Harddiskscanbevirtualdisksorphysicaldisks.
GenericSCSIsupportallowsscanners,CDROM,DVDROM,tapedrives,and
otherSCSIdevicestobeusedwithoutrequiringdriversinthehostoperating
system.
Mylex(BusLogic)BT958compatiblehostbusadapter.
LSILogicUltra160LSI53C10xxSCSIcontroller.
Virtual PCI Slots

!
SixvirtualPCIslots,tobedividedamongthevirtualSCSIcontrollers,virtual
Ethernetcards,virtualdisplayadapter,andvirtualsoundadapter.
Virtual Floppy Drives

!
Uptotwo1.44MBfloppydevices.
Physicaldrivesorfloppyimagefiles.
Virtual Serial (COM) Ports

!
VMware, Inc.
Uptofourserial(COM)ports.
13
Outputtoserialports,Windowsfiles,Linuxfiles,ornamedpipes.
Virtual Parallel (LPT) Ports

!
Uptothreebidirectionalparallel(LPT)ports.
Outputtoparallelportsorhostoperatingsystemfiles.
Virtual USB ports

!
TwoportUSB1.1UHCIcontroller.
SupporteddevicesincludeUSBprinters,scanners,PDAs,harddiskdrives,
memorycardreaders,andstilldigitalcameras.
Virtual Keyboard
!
104keyWindows95/98enhanced
Virtual Mouse and Drawing Tablets

!
PS/2mouse
Serialtabletsupport
Virtual Ethernet Card

!
UptofourvirtualEthernetcards
AMDPCnetPCIIIcompatible
WirelessnetworkingsupportwithbridgedandNATnetworking
PXEROMversion2.0
Virtual Networking
!
NinevirtualEthernetswitches(threeconfiguredbydefaultforbridged,hostonly
andNATnetworking).
VirtualnetworkingsupportsmostEthernetbasedprotocols,includingTCP/IP,
NetBEUI,MicrosoftNetworking,Samba,NovellNetWare,andNetworkFile
System.
BuiltinNATsupportsclientsoftwareusingTCP/IP,FTP,DNS,HTTP,andTelnet.
Virtual Sound Adapter

!
14
Soundoutputandinput.
VMware, Inc.
CreativeLabsSoundBlasterAudioPCIemulation.MIDIinput,gamecontrollers,
andjoysticksarenotsupported.
Supported Guest Operating Systems

TheoperatingsystemslistedherehavebeentestedinVMwareServervirtualmachines
andareofficiallysupported.Fornotesoninstallingguestoperatingsystems,seethe
VMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuidewhichisavailablefromtheVMware
Website.
VMwareServersupportsallguestoperatingsystemssupportedbyVMware
Workstation5.5.Operatingsystemsthatarenotlistedarenotsupportedforuseina
VMwareServervirtualmachine.
Hardware Requirements for 64-bit Guest Operating Systems

VMwareServersupportsvirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystemsonlyon
hostmachinesthathaveoneofthefollowing64bitprocessors.
!
AMDAthlon64,revisionDorlater
AMDOpteron,revisionEorlater
AMDTurion64,revisionEorlater
AMDSempron,64bitcapablerevisionDorlater(experimentalsupport)
IntelEM64TVTcapableprocessors(experimentalsupport)
VMwareServerperformsaninternalcheck.IfthehostCPUisnotasupported64bit
processor,VMwareServerdisplaysanerrormessagethatindicatesthehardwareon
yourhostmachineisincompatiblewith64bitguestoperatingsystems.Youcan,
however,continuetopoweronthevirtualmachine.
VMwareServerprovidesastandaloneutilitythatperformsthesamecheckand
determineswhetheryourCPUissupportedforVMwareServervirtualmachineswith
64bitguestoperatingsystems.Youcandownloadthe64bitprocessorcheckutility
fromtheVMwareWebsiteathttp://www.vmware.com/download.
Microsoft Windows 64-bit Guest Operating Systems

!
MicrosoftWindowsVista(experimentalsupport)
MicrosoftWindowsServer2003Enterprise,Standard,andWebEditions,R2
MicrosoftWindowsServerEnterprise2003Enterprise,Standard,andWeb
Editions,SP1
MicrosoftWindowsXPProfessional
VMware, Inc.
15
Linux 64-bit Guest Operating Systems

!
MandrivaLinux2006
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0,includingstock2.4.21,update2.4.2115,and
updates6,and7
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0,update8(experimentalsupport)
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0,includingupdate3
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0,update4(experimenetalsupport)
SUSELinux9.3
SUSELinux10
SUSELinux10.1
FreeBSD
!
FreeBSD5.3and5.4
FreeBSD6.0
Sun Solaris
!
Solaris10,includingupdate1andupdate2(experimentalsupport)
Ubuntu
!
UbuntuLinux6.06(experimentalsupport)
Hardware Requirements for 32-bit Guest Operating Systems

VMwareServersupportsvirtualmachineswiththefollowing32bitguestoperating
systems.
Microsoft Windows 32-bit Guest Operating Systems

!
16
MicrosoftWindowsServer2003,includingSmallBusiness,Standard,andWeb
Editions
VMware, Inc.
MicrosoftWindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition,includingR2
MicrosoftWindowsXPProfessionalandHomeEditions,includingSP1andSP2
MicrosoftWindowsVista(experimentalsupport)
MicrosoftWindows2000Professional,includingSP1,SP2,SP3,andSP4
MicrosoftWindows2000Server,includingSP1,SP2,SP3,andSP4
MicrosoftWindows2000AdvancedServer,SP3andSP4only
MicrosoftWindowsNT4.0ServerServicePack6a,WindowsNTWorkstation4.0,
includingServicePack6a,andWindowsNT4.0TerminalServerEditionService
Pack6a
MicrosoftWindowsMe
MicrosoftWindows98,includingallservicepacks
MicrosoftWindows98SE
MicrosoftWindows95,includingSP1andallOSRreleases
MicrosoftWindowsforWorkgroups3.11
MicrosoftWindows3.1
Microsoft MS-DOS
!
MSDOS6.x
Linux 32-bit Guest Operating Systems

!
MandrivaLinux2006
MandrakeLinux10.1
MandrakeLinux9.2
MandrakeLinux9stock2.4.19
MandrakeLinux3.2stock2.4.186mdk
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0AS,ES,andWS,includingupdates1,2,3,4,5,6,
and7)
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0AS,ES,andWS,includingupdates1,2,and3
RedHatEnterpriseLinux2.1AS,ES,andWS,includingstock2.4.9e3
VMware, Inc.
17
18
RedHatLinux9.0,stock2.4.208andupgrade2.4.2020.9
RedHatLinux7.2,stock2.4.710andupgrades2.4.97,2.4.913,2.4.921,
and2.4.931
RedHatLinux7.1stock2.4.22andupgrade2.2.312
RedHatLinux7.0stock2.2.1622andupgrade2.2.1714
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8stock2.4.19
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer7stock2.4.7andpatch2
SUSELinux10
SUSELinux10.1
SUSELinux9.3
NovellLinuxDesktop9,includingSP2
NovellOpenEnterpriseServer,includingSP1
TurbolinuxEnterpriseServer8.0
TurbolinuxServer7.0
TurbolinuxWorkstation8.0
TurbolinuxDesktop10
VMware, Inc.
Novell NetWare
!
NetWare4.2
NetWare5.1,SP8only
NetWare6,SP5only
Netware6.5,SP3only
FreeBSD
!
FreeBSD4.04.6.2
FreeBSD4.8
FreeBSD5
FreeBSD5.15.3
FreeBSD5.4
FreeBSD6.0
Sun Solaris
!
Solaris9(experimentalsupport)
Solaris10,includingupdate1andupdate2
Ubuntu
!
UbuntuLinux6.06
Technical Support Resources

Thefollowingsectionsdescribevarioustechnicalsupportresourcesavailabletoyou.
!
SelfServiceSupport
OnlineandTelephoneSupport
SupportOfferings
ReportingProblems
LogFiles
VMware, Inc.
19
Self-Service Support
UsetheVMwareTechnologyNetworkforselfhelptoolsandtechnicalinformation:
!
ProductInformationhttp://www.vmware.com/products/product_index.html
TechnologyInformationhttp://www.vmware.com/vcommunity/technology
Documentationhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs
KnowledgeBasehttp://www.vmware.com/support/kb
DiscussionForumshttp://www.vmware.com/community
UserGroupshttp://www.vmware.com/vcommunity/usergroups.html
FormoreinformationabouttheVMwareTechnologyNetwork,goto
http://www.vmtn.net.
Online and Telephone Support

Useonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductand
contractinformation,andregisteryourproducts.Goto
http://www.vmware.com/support.
Usephonesupportforthefastestresponseonpriority1issuesforcustomerswith
appropriatesupportcontracts.Goto
http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.
Support Offerings
FindouthowVMwaressupportofferingscanhelpyoumeetyourbusinessneeds.Go
tohttp://www.vmware.com/support/services.
Reporting Problems
IfyouhaveproblemswhilerunningVMwareServer,reportthemtotheVMware
supportteam.Youmustregisteryourserialnumberandthenyoucanreportyour
problemsbysubmittingasupportrequestat
http://www.vmware.com/requestsupport.
Thissectiondescribestheinformationneededtodiagnoseandreportproblems.This
informationlargelycomesfromlogfiles.Therequiredlogfilesdependuponthe
problemyouencounter.
Youcansimplifytheprocessofcollectingtheneededinformationbyrunningthe
supportscripttocollecttheappropriatelogfilesandsysteminformation.Followthe
stepsthatapplytoyourhostcomputer.
20
VMware, Inc.
NOTE
ThesupportscriptrunsonlyontheVMwareServerhost.Ifyouencounter
problemsonaremoteclient,youmustsupplythelogfilesmanually.The
requiredlogfilesdependontheproblemencounteredontheclient.You
shouldincludetheVMwareServerConsolelogfileandtheinstallationlog
files.
To run the support script on a Windows host

1
Openacommandprompt.
ChangetotheVMwareServerprogramdirectory.
C:
cd \Program Files\VMware\VMware Server
Ifyoudidnotinstalltheprograminthedefaultdirectory,usetheappropriate
driveletterandsubstitutetheappropriatepathinthecdcommandabove.
Runthesupportscript.
cscript vm-support.vbs
Afterthescriptruns,itdisplaysthenameofthedirectorywhereithasstoredits
output.
UseafilecompressionutilitysuchasWinZiporPKZIPtozipthatdirectory,and
includethezipfilewithyoursupportrequest.
To run the support script on a Linux host

1
Openaterminal.
Runthesupportscriptastheuserwhoisrunningthevirtualmachineorasroot.
vm-support
Ifyoudonotrunthescriptasroot,thescriptdisplaysmessagesindicatingthatit
cannotcollectsomeinformation.Thisisnormal.IftheVMwaresupportteam
needsthatinformation,asupportrepresentativemayaskyoutorunthescript
againasroot.
Thescriptcreatesacompressed.tgzfileinthecurrentdirectory.
Includetheoutputfilewithyoursupportrequest.
Log Files
ThefollowinglogfilesaregeneratedbyVMwareServerandarecollectedbythe
supportscriptasneeded.BecausetheVMwareServerConsoledoesnotincludea
supportscript,youneedtosubmitasupportrequestat
VMware, Inc.
21
http://www.vmware.com/requestsupportforanyissuesyouencounteronaclientand
includetheVMwareServerConsoleslogfileoritsinstallationlogfiles.
Virtual Machine Log File

Ifavirtualmachineexitsabnormallyorcrashes,runthesupportscriptorsavethelog
filebeforeyoulaunchthatvirtualmachineagain.
OnaWindowshost,thevmware.logfileisinthesamedirectoryastheconfigurationfile
(.vmx)ofthevirtualmachine.Thepathtothelogfileoftheactivevirtualmachineis
locatedunderVirtualMachine>Settings>Options>Advanced.
OnaLinuxhost,the<vmname>.logfileisinthesamedirectoryastheconfigurationfile
(.vmx)ofthevirtualmachine.
Alsosaveanycorefiles(coreorvmware-core).
Virtual Machine Event Log File

Thevirtualmachineseventlog,someofwhichcanbeviewedintheVMware
ManagementInterface,isstoredasafileonthehost.Thisfilecanalsobeusefulinthe
eventavirtualmachinecrashes.
Eachvirtualmachineonthehostincludesaneventlogfilecalled
event-<path_to_configuration_file>.vmx.log.
OnaWindowshost,thelogisstoredinC:\Program Files\VMware\VMware
Server\vmserverdRoot\eventlog.
OnaLinuxhost,thelogisstoredin/var/log/vmware.
VMware Server Console Log File

TheVMwareServerConsolekeepsalog.IfyouencounterproblemswiththeVMware
ServerConsoleonaremoteclient,submitasupportrequestandthislogfile.
OnaWindowshost,thelogiscalledvmware-<username>-<PID>.logandisstoredinthe
usersTEMPdirectory;bydefault,thisdirectoryisC:\Documents and
Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp.ThepathtothisfileappearsintheAbout
dialogbox.IntheVMwareServerConsole,chooseHelp>AboutVMwareServer,and
lookunderAdditionalinformation.
OnaLinuxhost,thelogiscalledui-<PID>.logandisstoredintheusersTEMP
directory;bydefault,thisdirectoryis/tmp/vmware-<username>.Thepathtothisfile
appearsintheterminalwhenyoustarttheVMwareServerConsole.
22
VMware, Inc.
VMware Management Interface Log File

TheVMwareManagementInterfacekeepsalog.
OnaWindowshost,thelogiscalledmui.logandisstoredbydefaultinC:\Program
Files\VMware\VMware Management Interface.
OnaLinuxhost,thelogiscallederror_logandisstoredbydefaultin
/var/log/vmware-mui.
VMware Authorization Service Log File

YoucanmanuallyenableloggingfortheVMwareAuthorizationService,knownas
vmware-authdonLinuxhosts.
To enable logging for VMware Authorization Service
1
Inatexteditor,openthefollowingfile:
!
OnaWindowshostedit config.inilocatedinC:\Documents and

Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server
OnaLinuxhostedit/etc/vmware/config
Addthefollowinglinestothefile:
vmauthd.logEnabled = TRUE
log.vmauthdFileName = "vmauthd.log"
Afileiscreatedcalledvmauthd.log.OnaWindowshost,thisfileappearsby
defaultinC:\Windows\system32orC:\WINNT\system32;onaLinuxhost,thisfile
appearsbydefaultin/var/log/vmware.
Saveandclosetheconfigurationfile.
ThelogisenabledonaLinuxhost.
OnaWindowshost,chooseStart>AdministrativeTools>Services.
RightclickVMwareAuthorizationServiceandchooseRestart.
ThelogisenabledonaWindowshost.
VMware Registration Service Log File

TheVMwareRegistrationServicekeepsalog.
OnaWindowshost,thelogiscalledvmware-serverd.logandisstoredin
C:\Windows\Temp.
OnaLinuxhost,thelogiscalledvmware-serverd.logandisstoredin/var/log/vmware.
VMware, Inc.
23
VMware Server and VMware Server Console Installation Log Files

VMwareServerkeepsinstallationlogfilesontheserverhost.
Onaremoteclient,theVMwareServerConsolekeepstwoinstallationlogfiles.Ifyou
encounterproblemsinstallingtheVMwareServerConsole,submitasupportrequest
includingthenamesoftheselogfiles.
OnaWindowshost,thefilesarevminst.log and vmmsi.log which are savedinyour
TEMPdirectory;thedefaultlocationisC:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local
Settings\Temp.TheLocal Settingsfolderishiddenbydefault.Toseeitscontents,
openMyComputer,chooseTools>FolderOptions,clicktheViewtabandselect
ShowHiddenFilesandFolders.
OnaLinuxhost,thelogiscalledlocationsandisstoredin/etc/vmware.
24
VMware, Inc.
C HAPTER 2
Creating a New Virtual Machine
Thischapterdescribeshowtocreateanewvirtualmachineandcoversthefollowing
topics:
!
SettingUpaNewVirtualMachineonpage 25
InstallingaGuestOperatingSystemonpage 37
Setting Up a New Virtual Machine

TheNewVirtualMachineWizardguidesyouthroughthekeystepsforsettingupa
newvirtualmachine,helpingyousetvariousoptionsandparameters.Youcanthenuse
thevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)tomakeanychangestoyourvirtual
machinessetup.
!
Tocreateanewvirtualmachinefromaconsole,seeCreatingaNewVirtual
MachinewiththeVirtualMachineWizardonpage 27.
NOTE
YoumustusetheVMwareServerConsoletocreateavirtualmachine.
Whats in a Virtual Machine?

Thevirtualmachinetypicallyisstoredonthehostcomputerinasetoffiles,allofwhich
areinadirectorysetasideforthatparticularvirtualmachine.Intheseexamples,
<vmname>isthenameofyourvirtualmachine.Thekeyfilesare:
!
<vmname>.vmxTheconfigurationfile,whichstoressettingschosenintheNew
VirtualMachineWizardorvirtualmachinesettingseditor.
nvramThefilethatstoresthestateofthevirtualmachinesBIOS.
<vmname>.vmdkThevirtualdiskfile,whichstoresthecontentsofthevirtual
machinesharddiskdrive.
<vmname>.logorvmware.logThefilethatkeepsalogofkeyvirtualmachine
activity.Thisfilecanbeusefulintroubleshootingifyouencounterproblems.This
fileisstoredinthedirectorythatholdstheconfigurationfile(.vmx)ofthevirtual
machine.
VMware, Inc.
25
<vmname>.vmdk.REDO_xxxxxxAredologfilecreatedautomaticallywhena
virtualmachineisinindependentnonpersistentmode.Thisfilestoreschanges
madetoavirtualdiskwhilethevirtualmachineisrunning.Morethanonesuch
filemightexist.Thexxxxxxindicatesauniquesuffixaddedautomaticallyby
VMwareServertoavoidduplicatefilenames.
<vmname>.vmssThesuspendedstatefile,whichstoresthestateofasuspended
virtualmachine.
NOTE
SomeearlierVMwareproductsusedtheextension.stdforsuspended
statefiles.
<vmname>.vmsnThesnapshotstatefile,whichstorestherunningstateofavirtual
machineatthetimeyoutakeasnapshotofit.
Theremightalsobeotherfiles,someofwhicharepresentonlywhileavirtualmachine
isrunning.
Virtual Disks
Avirtualdiskismadeupofoneormore.vmdkfiles.Ifyouspecifytosplitthevirtual
diskinto2GBfiles,thenumberof.vmdkfilesdependsonthesizeofthevirtualdisk.
Bydefault,allvirtualdiskspaceispreallocatedwhenyoucreatethevirtualdisk.Make
sureyouhaveenoughdiskspaceonthehostbeforeyoucreateapreallocateddisk.
Ifyoudonotallocatealldiskspacewhenyoucreatethevirtualdisk,the.vmdkfiles
growinsizeasdataisaddedtothevirtualdisk.Almostallofa.vmdkfilescontentis
thevirtualmachinesdata,withasmallportionallottedtovirtualmachineoverhead.
Ifthevirtualmachineisconnecteddirectlytoaphysicaldisk,ratherthantoavirtual
disk,the.vmdkfilestoresinformationaboutthepartitionsthevirtualmachineis
allowedtoaccess.
NOTE
EarlierVMwareproductsusedtheextension.dskforvirtualdiskfiles.
Permissions and Running Virtual Machines

Whenyoucreateavirtualmachine,bydefaultthevirtualmachineisprivate,which
meansyouaretheonlyuserwhocanaccessit.Ifyouchoosethecustompathwhen
creatingthevirtualmachine,youcanspecifythatalluserscanaccessthevirtual
machine.
Whenavirtualmachineisprivate,itappearsonlyintheinventoryoftheconsoleofthe
userwhocreatedit.Thevirtualmachinedoesnotappearintheinventoryofconsoles
26
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 Creating a New Virtual Machine
forotherusersconnectedtothehost.ThevirtualmachineappearsintheVMware
ManagementInterfaceonlywhenyouareloggedonastheuserwhocreatedthevirtual
machine.
Whenthevirtualmachineisrunning,theactionsyoucantakedependonyour
permissions.Formoreinformationaboutpermissions,seeUnderstanding
PermissionsandVirtualMachines.
Creating a New Virtual Machine with the Virtual Machine Wizard

Whenyoucreateanewvirtualmachine,theresultisasetoffilesthatrepresentanew
computer,completewithablank,unformattedharddiskthevirtualdiskonto
whichyouinstalltheguestoperatingsystem.Thevirtualdiskbydefaulthasallitsdisk
spacepreallocatedatthetimeitiscreated.
Thevirtualmachinesyoucreatearelocatedonthehosttowhichyouarecurrently
loggedon,eveniftheconsoleyouareusingisrunningonaremoteclient.
NOTE
Beforeyoucreatethevirtualmachine,checktheinstallationnotesfortheguest
operatingsystemyouintendtoinstall.Youcanfindthisinformationinthe
VMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideavailablefromtheVMware
Websiteatwww.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.
To create a new virtual machine

1
LaunchtheVMwareServerConsole.
Windowshosts:SeeConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaWindowsHostor
Clientonpage 82.
Linuxhosts:SeeConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaLinuxHostorClient
onpage 84.
StarttheNewVirtualMachineWizard.ChooseFile>New>VirtualMachineor
clicktheNewVirtualMachineiconontheconsoleHometab.
VMware, Inc.
27
Selectthemethodtouseforconfiguringyourvirtualmachine.
IfyouselectTypical,youcanspecifyoracceptdefaultsonlyfor:
!
Theguestoperatingsystem.
Thevirtualmachinenameandthelocationofthevirtualmachinesfiles.
Thenetworkconnectiontype.
Thesizeofthevirtualdisk.
Allocatingallthediskspaceforthevirtualdiskatthetimeyoucreateit.
Splittingthevirtualdiskinto2GBfiles.
SelectCustomto:
28
Setthenumberofprocessors,whichisrequiredtoenabletwowayVirtual
SMP(experimentalsupport).
Allocateanamountofmemorydifferentfromthedefault.
ChoosebetweentheLSILogicandBusLogictypesofSCSIadapters.(An
ATAPIIDEadapterisalwaysinstalled.)
Letotherusersaccessthisvirtualmachine.
HavethevirtualmachineautomaticallypoweronoroffwhentheVMware
ServerWindowshoststartsuporshutsdown.
Specifytheuseraccountthevirtualmachineuseswhenrunning.
Useanexistingvirtualdiskoruseaphysicaldiskratherthanavirtualdisk(for
advancedusers).
UseanIDEvirtualdiskforaguestoperatingsystemthatwouldotherwise
haveaSCSIvirtualdiskcreatedbydefaultandviceversa.
VMware, Inc.
Createavirtualdiskasasinglediskfile.Ifthevirtualdiskislargerthan8GB,
thehostfilesystemmustsupportfileslargerthan8GB.
Storeyourvirtualdiskfilesinaparticularlocation.
Specifyaparticularvirtualdevicenodeforthevirtualdisk.
Useindependentdiskmode(ifyoudontplantousesnapshotswiththis
virtualmachine;seeIndependentDisksonpage 121).
NOTE
Ifyoufollowthecustompath,youstillspecifytheoptionsunderthe
typicalpath.
UnderGuestoperatingsystem,selecttheoperatingsystemfamily.Selectthe
specificoperatingsystemfromtheVersionlist.
NOTE
VMwareServersupports64bitguests.TheWizardincludesoptionsfor
installing64bitversionsofcertainoperatingsystems.
VMwareServerperformsaninternalcheck.IfthehostCPUisnotasupported
64bitprocessor,VMwareServerdisplaysanerrormessagethatindicatesthe
hardwareonyourhostmachineisincompatiblewith64bitguestoperating
systems.Youcan,however,continuetopoweronthevirtualmachine.
VMwareServerprovidesastandaloneutilitytousewithoutVMwareServerthat
performsthesamecheckanddetermineswhetheryourCPUissupportedfor
VMwareServervirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystems.Youcan
downloadthe64bitprocessorcheckutilityfromtheVMwareWebsiteat
www.vmware.com/download.
Inthisexample,theremainingstepsassumeyouplantoinstallaWindowsServer
2003Enterpriseguestoperatingsystem.Youcanfinddetailedinstallationnotesfor
thisandotherguestoperatingsystemsintheVMwareGuestOperatingSystem
InstallationGuide,availablefromtheVMwareWebsiteat
www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.
VMware, Inc.
29
Iftheoperatingsystemyouareusingisnotlisted,selectOtherasboththeguest
operatingsystemandversion.
TheNewVirtualMachineWizardusesthisinformationtoselectappropriate
defaultvalues,suchastheamountofmemoryneeded.TheWizardalsousesthis
informationwhennamingassociatedvirtualmachinefiles.
NOTE
VMwareServersupports64bitguests.TheWizardincludesoptionsfor
installing64bitversionsofcertainoperatingsystems.
Selectanameanddirectoryforthevirtualmachine.
Windowshosts:Thevirtualmachinedirectoryanditsfilesarestoredinthedefault
location<installdrive>:\Virtual Machines.
Linuxhosts:Thevirtualmachinedirectoryanditsfilesarestoredinthedefault
location/var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines.
IfyouselectedTypicalasyourconfigurationpath,gotostep10.
IfyouselectedCustomasyourconfigurationpath,continuewiththestepsfor
customizingyourvirtualmachineconfiguration.
30
VMware, Inc.
Specifywhetherthisvirtualmachineshouldbeprivate.
Bydefault,avirtualmachineisprivate,soonlyyouhaveaccesstoit.
7
Choosetheuseraccountforrunningthevirtualmachine(forvirtualmachineson
Windowshostsonly)andthehoststartupandshutdownoptions.
Windowshosts:UnderVirtualmachineaccount,choosewhichuseraccountthe
virtualmachineuseswhenitruns.Thisaccountisusedforactionslikenetwork
accessfromwithinthevirtualmachineandaccesstovirtualmachineresources
thatareonthenetwork.
!
UserthatpowersonthevirtualmachineThevirtualmachinerunsasthe
accountoftheuserwhopoweredonthevirtualmachineuntilthevirtual
machineispoweredoff.Otheruserscanconnecttothevirtualmachinebutit
stillrunsastheuserwhopoweredonthevirtualmachine.
LocalsystemaccountThevirtualmachinerunsasthelocalsystemaccount
(administrator).Youcanenablethisoptiononlyifyouareloggedontothe
hostoperatingsystemasanadministrator.
NOTE
VMware, Inc.
Thisusercanrunvirtualmachinesthatareinlocalstorageonly.
ThisuserThevirtualmachinerunsastheuseraccountspecifiedhere.The
passwordisnotvalidateduntilyoupoweronthevirtualmachine.Youcan
31
specifyalocaluseraccount,alocalsystemadministratoraccountora
fullyqualifieddomainuseraccountforthisuser.
Allhosts:UnderStartup/ShutdownOptions,choosewhetherthisvirtual
machinepowersonautomaticallywhentheVMwareServerhoststartsupand
powersoffwhenthehostshutsdown.
Toenablethestartupandshutdownoptions,youmustconfigurethevirtual
machinetorunasanadministratoruser.Youcanchangetheseoptionswhetherthe
virtualmachineispoweredonoroff.
8
Specifythenumberofprocessorsforthevirtualmachine.
Thefollowingareconsideredtohavetwologicalprocessors:
32
Asingleprocessorhostwithhyperthreadingenabled.
AsingleprocessorhostwithadualcoreCPU
AmultiprocessorhostwithtwoCPUs,neitherofwhicharedualcoreorhave
hyperthreadingenabled.
Usethedefaultorchangetheamountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine.
Tochangetheamountofmemory,movetheslidertotheappropriatelocation,use
thespincontrollernexttothefield,ortypeanewvalueinthefield.
VMware, Inc.
TheNewVirtualMachineWizardprovidesadefaultvaluebasedonyourguest
operatingsystemselection,aswellastherecommendedrangeandthetotal
amountofmemoryallrunningvirtualmachinescanuse.
TheWizardalsoindicatestheminimumamountofmemoryrecommendedbythe
manufacturerandtheVMwareServerrecommendedmaximumvalueforbest
performanceofyourvirtualmachineonthisserverhost.
CAUTION
10
Youcannotallocatemorethan2000MBofmemorytoavirtual
machineifitisstoredonafilesystemthatcannotsupportfileslarger
than2GB,suchasFAT16.Youwillnotbeabletopoweronsucha
virtualmachine.Further,youcannotallocatemorethan2000MBof
memorytoavirtualmachineifitisstoredonaFAT32filesystem,
eventhoughitdoessupportfilesupto4GBinsize.
Configurethenetworkingcapabilitiesofthevirtualmachine.
IfyourhostcomputerisonanetworkandyouhaveaseparateIPaddressforyour
virtualmachine(orcangetoneautomaticallyfromaDHCPserver),selectUse
bridgednetworking.
IfyoudonothaveaseparateIPaddressforyourvirtualmachinebutyouwantto
beabletoconnecttotheInternet,selectUsenetworkaddresstranslation(NAT).
NATisusefulifyouhaveawirelessnetworkadapteronaLinuxhost(asbridged
networkingonwirelessnetworkadaptersissupportedonlyonWindowshosts).It
alsoallowsforthesharingoffilesbetweenthevirtualmachineandthehost
operatingsystem.
Toenableyourvirtualmachinetouseavirtualnetworklimitedtothehostandthe
virtualmachinesonthehostusingonlythehostonlynetworkadapter,selectUse
hostonlynetworking.
IfyouselectedTypicalasyourconfigurationpath,gotostep14.
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33
IfyouselectedCustomasyourconfigurationpath,continuewiththestepsfor
customizingyourvirtualmachineconfiguration.
11
ChoosethetypeofSCSIadaptertousewiththevirtualmachine.
YoucannotchangetheSCSIadaptertypeafteryoucreatethevirtualmachine.
12
Selectthedisktousewiththevirtualmachine.
Touseanew,unformattedvirtualdisk,selectCreateanewvirtualdisk.
Touseanexistingvirtualdiskwiththisvirtualmachine,selectUseanexisting
virtualdisk.Browsetoselectthedisk.
Toinstalltheguestoperatingsystemonaphysical(alsocalledraw)IDEdisk,select
Useaphysicaldisk.TouseaphysicalSCSIdisk,addittothevirtualmachinelater
withthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings).Bootingfromaphysical
SCSIdiskisnotsupported.
ToinstallyourguestoperatingsystemdirectlyonanexistingIDEdiskpartition,
readthereferencenoteInstallinganOperatingSystemontoaPhysicalPartition
onpage 146.
34
VMware, Inc.
CAUTION
13
VMwarerecommendsthatonlyadvancedusersusephysicaldisks
withvirtualmachines.
SelectwhetheryouwantthevirtualdisktobeanIDEdiskoraSCSIdisk.
TheWizardrecommendsthebestchoicebasedontheguestoperatingsystemyou
selected.
14
Enterthesizeofthevirtualdiskthatyouwanttocreate.
Ifthissettingislargerthanthespaceavailableonthehostmachinesharddisk,a
warningmessageappears,andspecifieshowmuchspaceyouhaveonthehost.If
thediskwillexceedtheavailablespaceonthehost,youmustmakethevirtualdisk
smallerorcleartheAllocatealldiskspacenowcheckbox.
Yourvirtualdiskcanbeassmallas0.1GB(100MB).
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35
15
Specifythenameandlocationofthevirtualdisksfiles.
Tospecifywhichvirtualdevicenodeshouldbeusedbyyourvirtualdiskortouse
independentdiskmode,clickAdvanced.
CAUTION
Theindependentdiskoptionshouldbeusedonlybyadvancedusers
whoneeditforspecialpurposeconfigurations.
Youhavethefollowingoptionsforanindependentdisk:
16
Persistentchangesareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothedisk.
Nonpersistentchangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupoweroffor
resetthevirtualmachine.
ClickFinish.VMwareServercreatesthevirtualmachine.
Yournewvirtualmachineislikeaphysicalcomputerwithablankharddisk.Before
youcanuseit,youneedtopartitionandformatthevirtualdiskandinstallanoperating
system.Theoperatingsystemsinstallationprogrammighthandlethepartitioningand
formattingstepsforyou.
36
VMware, Inc.
Installing a Guest Operating System

Anewvirtualmachineislikeaphysicalcomputerwithablankharddisk.Beforeyou
canuseit,youneedtopartitionandformatthevirtualdiskandinstallanoperating
system.Theoperatingsystemsinstallationprogramcanhandlethepartitioningand
formattingstepsforyou.
InstallingaguestoperatingsysteminsideyourVMwareServervirtualmachineis
essentiallythesameasinstallingitonaphysicalcomputer.Thebasicstepsforatypical
operatingsystemare:
1
LaunchtheVMwareServerConsole.
InserttheinstallationCDROMorfloppydiskforyourguestoperatingsystem.
NOTE
IfyouplantouseaPXEservertoinstalltheguestoperatingsystemover
anetworkconnection,youdontneedtheoperatingsysteminstallation
media.Whenyoupoweronthevirtualmachineinthenextstep,the
virtualmachinedetectsthePXEserver,ifoneisavailableonthenetwork.
Formoreinformation,seeUsingPXEwithVirtualMachineson
page 100.
Insomehostconfigurations,thevirtualmachineisnotabletobootfromthe
installationCDROM.YoucanworkaroundthatproblembycreatinganISO
imagefilefromtheinstallationCDROM.Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor
(VM>Settings)toconnectthevirtualmachinesCDROMdrivetotheISOimage
file,thenpoweronthevirtualmachine.
3
PoweronyourvirtualmachinebyclickingthePowerOnbutton.
Followtheinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendor.
ForabriefillustrationofinstallingaWindowsServer2003guestoperatingsystem,see
Example:InstallingWindowsServer2003asaGuestOSonpage 37.Theexample
describestheprocessonaWindowshost.ThestepsarethesameonaLinuxhost.
Forinformationoninstallingotherguestoperatingsystems,seetheVMwareGuest
OperatingSystemInstallationGuide,availablefromtheVMwareWebsiteat
www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.
Example: Installing Windows Server 2003 as a Guest OS

YoucaninstallWindowsServer2003StandardEdition,EnterpriseEdition,orWeb
EditioninavirtualmachineusingthecorrespondingWindowsServer2003
distributionCD.
VMware, Inc.
37
To install Windows Server 2003 as a guest OS

1
InserttheWindowsServer2003CDintheCDROMdrive.
PoweronthevirtualmachinetostartinstallingWindowsServer2003.
IfyouenabledthevirtualmachinesEthernetadapter,anAMDPCNETFamily
EthernetAdapterisdetectedandsetupautomatically.
Followtheinstallationstepsasyouwouldforaphysicalcomputer.
Afterinstallingyourguestoperatingsystem,youarereadytoinstallVMwareToolsas
describedinInstallingVMwareToolsonpage 41.
FormoreinformationaboutusingWindowsServer2003guestoperatingsystems,such
asenablingnetworkinginthevirtualmachine,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystem
InstallationGuide,availablefromtheVMwareWebsite.
38
VMware, Inc.
C HAPTER 3
Using VMware Tools
ThischapterdescribeshowtoinstallandrunVMwareToolsandcoversthefollowing
topics:
!
AboutVMwareToolsonpage 39
InstallingVMwareToolsonpage 41
ExecutingScriptsWhentheVirtualMachinesPowerStateChangesonpage 55
ConfiguringVMwareToolsonpage 56
AbouttheVMwareToolsServiceonpage 68
About VMware Tools

VMwareToolsisasuiteofutilitiesthatenhancestheperformanceofthevirtual
machinesguestoperatingsystemandimprovesmanagementofthevirtualmachineby
VMwareServer.ItisveryimportantthatyouinstallVMwareToolsintheguest
operatingsystem.AlthoughVMwareServercanrunaguestoperatingsystemwithout
VMwareTools,youloseimportantfunctionalityandconvenience.
When you install VMware Tools, you install:
!
TheVMwareToolsservice(orvmware-guestdonLinuxguests).
AsetofVMwaredevicedrivers,includinganSVGAdisplaydriver,thevmxnet
networkingdriverforsomeguestoperatingsystems,theBusLogicSCSIdriverfor
someguestoperatingsystems,andtheVMwaremousedriver.
TheVMwareToolscontrolpanelthatletsyoumodifysettings,shrinkvirtualdisks,
andconnectanddisconnectvirtualdevices.
Asetofscriptsthathelpautomateguestoperatingsystemoperations.Thescripts
runwhenthevirtualmachinespowerstatechanges.
Acomponentthatsupportscopyingandpastingtextbetweentheguestandhost
operatingsystems.
VMwareToolsperformsvariousdutieswithintheguestoperatingsystem,suchas
passingmessagesfromthehostoperatingsystemtotheguestoperatingsystem,
sendingaheartbeattoVMwareServer,grabbingandreleasingthemousecursor,and
VMware, Inc.
39
synchronizingthetimeintheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimeinthehost
operatingsystem.Theservicestartsautomaticallywhentheguestoperatingsystem
boots.Formoreinformation,seeAbouttheVMwareToolsServiceonpage 68.
WiththeVMwareSVGAdriverinstalled,VMwareServersupportsupto32bit
displaysandhighdisplayresolution,withsignificantlyfasteroverallgraphics
performance.IfyourunaguestoperatingsystemwithoutVMwareTools,thegraphics
environmentwithinthevirtualmachineislimitedtoVGAmodegraphics(640x480,16
color)anddisplayperformancemightbeunsatisfactory.
TheVMwarevirtualSCSIdriverisaBusLogicdriver.Somerecentguestoperating
systemscontainLSILogicdriversandcantakeadvantageofthevirtualLSILogic
adapterforbetterdeviceperformance.
Thevmxnetnetworkingdriverimprovesnetworkperformance.Thisdriveris
automaticallyinstalledwhenyouinstallVMwareTools.
TheVMwaremousedriverimprovesmouseperformanceinsomeguestoperating
systems.YoumustusetheVMwaremousedriverwiththirdpartytoolslike
MicrosoftsTerminalServices.
InaWindowsguest,youcanaccesstheVMwareToolscontrolpanelthroughthe
WindowsControlPanel(chooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel>VMwareTools)or
throughtheVMwareToolsicon,whichappearsbydefaultinthesystemtray.
InaLinuxorFreeBSDguestoperatingsystem,theVMwareToolscontrolpaneliscalled
vmware-toolbox.Youcanlaunchitmanuallyasabackgroundprocessfromabytyping:
vmware-toolbox &
NOTE
Alwaysrunvmware-toolboxintheguestoperatingsystemtoensureyouhave
accesstoallVMwareToolsfeatures,suchascopyandpasteandmouse
ungrabforoperatingsystemsforwhichXdisplaydriverisnotavailable.
InaNetWare5.1orhigherguestoperatingsystem,accesstheVMwareToolscontrol
panelbychoosingNovell>Settings>VMwareToolsforNetWare.
InaNetWare4.2guestoperatingsystem,useVMwareToolscommandsinthesystem
console.TheVMwareToolsprogramiscalledvmwtool.Forinformationaboutusing
thiscommand,seeConfiguringVMwareToolsforNetWareGuestsintheSystem
Consoleonpage 66.
Withsomewindowmanagers,youcanplacethecommandtostartVMwareToolsina
startupconfigurationsoVMwareToolsstartsautomaticallywhenyoustartyour
graphicalenvironment.Consultyourwindowmanagersdocumentationfordetails.
40
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Using VMware Tools
InstallationfilesforVMwareToolsforallsupportedWindows,Linux,NetWare,and
FreeBSDguestoperatingsystemsarebuiltintoVMwareServer.
NOTE
VMwareServerprovidesexperimentalVMwareToolssupportforboththe
32bitand64bitversionsofSunSolaris10asguestoperatingsystems.The
32bitversionofVMwareToolsrunsincompatibilitymodeonvirtual
machinesrunning64bitSolaris10.Inaddition,theversionofVMwareTools
includedinthisreleasedoesnotincludeXdriversfor64bitversionsofSolaris
10.
Installing VMware Tools

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoinstallVMwareTools:
!
InstallingVMwareToolsinaWindowsVirtualMachineonpage 41
AutomatingtheInstallationofVMwareToolsinaWindowsGuestonpage 48
AdditionalStepsWhenMigratingfromOldVersionsofWindowsonpage 45
InstallingVMwareToolsinaLinuxVirtualMachineonpage 50
InstallingVMwareToolsinaNetWareVirtualMachineonpage 53
TheinstallersforVMwareToolsforWindows,Linux,FreeBSD,Solaris,andNetWare
guestoperatingsystemsarebuiltintoVMwareServerasISOimagefiles.(AnISO
imagefilelookslikeaCDROMtoyourguestoperatingsystemandevenappearsasa
CDROMinWindowsExplorer.YoudonotuseanactualCDROMtoinstallVMware
Tools,andyoudonotneedtodownloadtheCDROMimageorburnaphysical
CDROMofthisimagefile.)
WhenyouinstallVMwareTools,VMwareServertemporarilyconnectsthevirtual
machinesfirstvirtualCDROMdrivetotheISOimagefilethatcontainstheVMware
Toolsinstallerforyourguestoperatingsystem,andbeginstheinstallationprocess.(To
canceltheinstaller,chooseVM>CancelVMwareToolsInstalltoreturnyourvirtual
machinesCDROMdrivetoitsoriginalconfiguration.)
Installing VMware Tools in a Windows Virtual Machine

VMwareToolsforWindowsguestoperatingsystemssupportsallWindowsguest
operatingsystems.
ThedetailedstepsforinstallingVMwareToolsdependontheversionofWindowsyou
arerunning.ThestepsthatfollowshowhowtoinstallVMwareToolsinaWindows
Server2003guest.SomestepsthatareautomatedincurrentversionsofWindowsmust
beperformedmanuallyinWindows9xandWindowsNT.
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41
NOTE
IfyouarerunningVMwareServeronaWindowshostandyourvirtual
machinehasonlyoneCDROMdrive,theCDROMdrivemustbeconfigured
asanIDEorSCSICDROMdrive.ItcannotbeconfiguredasagenericSCSI
device.
ToaddanIDEorSCSICDROMdrive,seeAdding,Configuring,andRemoving
DevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 103.ForinformationaboutgenericSCSI,see
ConnectingtoaGenericSCSIDeviceonpage 237.
YoucanautomatetheinstallationofVMwareToolsinaWindowsguestoperating
system.Forinformation,seeAutomatingtheInstallationofVMwareToolsina
WindowsGuestonpage 48.
To install VMware Tools in a Windows Guest Operating System

1
Poweronthevirtualmachine.
Logontothevirtualmachineasanadministrator.
NOTE
YoumustbeanadministratortoinstallVMwareToolsinaWindows
guestoperatingsystem,unlesstheguestoperatingsystemisWindows
Me,Windows98,orotherearlyversionsofWindows.
Whentheguestoperatingsystemstarts,chooseVM>InstallVMwareTools.
Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.Ifyouhaveautorun
enabledinyourguestoperatingsystem(thedefaultsettingforWindowsoperating
systems),asplashscreenthatsaysVMwareToolsappears,followedbyadialog
boxthataskswhetheryouwanttoinstallVMwareTools.
ClickYestolaunchtheInstallShieldwizard.
Ifautorunisnotenabled,thedialogboxdoesnotappear.Ifitdoesntappear,run
theVMwareToolsinstaller.ClickStart>RunandenterD:\setup.exe
NOTE
42
YoudonotuseanactualCDROMtoinstallVMwareTools.TheVMware
ServersoftwarecontainsanISOimagethatlookslikeaCDROMtoyour
guestoperatingsystemandevenappearsasaCDROMinWindows
Explorer.ThisimagecontainsallthefilesneededtoinstallVMwareTools
inyourguestoperatingsystem.WhenyoufinishinstallingVMware
Tools,thisimagefilenolongerappearsinyourCDROMdrive.
VMware, Inc.
TheVMwareToolsinstallationwizardstarts.
ClickNexttocontinuewiththeVMwareToolsinstallationwizard.TheSetupType
dialogboxappears.
Chooseatypical,complete,orcustominstallation.Theinstallerusesthisselection
eachtimeyouupgradeVMwareTools.
TypicalInstallation
Atypicalinstallationinstallstheutilitiestoenhancetheperformanceoftheguest
operatingsystem,andasetofdriversspecifictoVMwareServervirtualmachines
theVMwareSVGAdriver,theVMwareMousedriver,theVMwareSCSIdriver,
andtheVMwarevmxnetnetworkingdriver(thevlancedriverisinstalledwhen
youcreatethevirtualmachine).Youdonotneedtoconfigureyourvirtualmachine
tousethe vmxnet networkingdriver.Thevmxnetdriverisactivatedwhenreboot
yourvirtualmachineafteryouinstallVMwareTools.
IfyoudonotplantousethisvirtualmachinewithotherVMwareproducts,such
asVMwareWorkstation,usethetypicalinstallation.Tochoosethetypical
installation,selectTypical,clickNext,andgotostep7.
CompleteInstallation
Acompleteinstallationinstallstheutilitiestoenhancetheperformanceofthe
guestoperatingsystem,andallthedriverstheVMwareSVGAdriver,the
VMware, Inc.
43
VMwareMousedriver,theVMwareSCSIdriver,theVMwarevmxnetnetworking
driver(thevlancedriverisinstalledautomaticallywhenyoucreatedthevirtual
machine)andthesharedfoldersdriver(forusebyvirtualmachineswithVMware
Workstation).
IfyouplanonusingthisvirtualmachinewithotherVMwareproducts,usethe
completeinstallation.Tochoosethecompleteinstallation,selectComplete,click
Next,thengotostep7.
CustomInstallation
Acustominstallationletsyoupickandchoosewhichcomponentstoinstall.You
canalwaysruntheinstalleragainatalaterdatetoinstallcomponentsyoudidnot
installthefirsttime,orremovecomponentsyounolongerwant.SelectCustom
andclickNext.TheCustomSetupscreenappears.
IntheCustomSetupscreen,pickandchoosethecomponentstoinstall.Clickthe
arrowtotheleftofthecomponentyoudonotwanttoinstallandselectthe
appropriateoptionfromthemenu.
Ifyouneedtodeterminehowmuchfreespaceisontheguest,clickSpace.Thisis
usefulifyouarechoosingacustominstallationduetolimiteddiskspaceonyour
guest.
IfyouwanttoinstallalltheVMwareToolscomponentsinadirectoryotherthan
thedefault,clickBrowseandselectthedirectory.Ifthedirectorydoesnotexist,the
installercreatesitforyou.
Whenyouarereadytocontinue,clickNext.
7
44
Tochangeanysettingsorinformationyouprovided,clickBackuntilyoureachthe
dialogboxcontainingtheinformationyouwanttochange.
VMware, Inc.
ClickInstallonceyouarereadytobegintheinstallation.Theinstallerbegins
copyingfilestoyourhost.
YoumightseeoneormoreDigitalSignatureNotFounddialogboxeswhenthe
installerbeginstoinstallthevirtualdrivers.Youcansafelyignorethesewarnings
andclickYesorContinuetoapproveinstallationofthedrivers.
Aftertheinstallerfinishesinstallingthefiles,clickFinish.
IfyouinstalledtheVMwareSVGAdriver,mostWindowsguestoperatingsystemscan
useitonlyafteryoureboottheguest.WithWindowsXPguests,youdonothaveto
reboottousethenewdriver.
WithsomeolderWindowsguestoperatingsystems,extrastepsareneeded.
Additional Steps When Migrating from Old Versions of Windows

IfyouaremigratingfromVMwareGSXServertoVMwareServerandyourguest
operatingsystemisWindowsNT,WindowsMe,Windows98,orWindows95,you
mightneedtoconfigurethevideodriverbyhand.Instructionsaredisplayedin
Notepadattheendoftheinstallationprocess.IftheNotepadwindowishidden,bring
ittothefrontbyclickingtheNotepadbuttonontheWindowstaskbar.
Fordetails,seethefollowingstepsthatcorrespondtoyourguestoperatingsystem.
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45
To migrate from Windows NT guest operating systems

1
AfterinstallingVMwareTools,clickFinish.TheDisplayPropertiesdialogbox
appears.
ClicktheDisplayTypebutton.TheDisplayTypedialogboxappears.
ClicktheChangebutton.TheChangeDisplaydialogboxappears.
SelectVMware,Inc.fromtheManufacturerlist.
SelectVMwareSVGAasthedisplayadapterandclickOK.
ClickYesinresponsetotheonscreenquestionaboutthirdpartydriverstoinstall
thedriver.ClickOKtoconfirmthedriverswereinstalled.
ClickClosefromtheDisplayTypedialogbox,andclickClosefromtheDisplay
Propertiesdialogbox.
ClickYestorestartWindowsNTandstartusingthenewvideodriver.
TheVMwareToolsbackgroundapplicationislaunchedwhenyourebootyour
virtualmachine.
To migrate from Windows Me guest operating systems

1
AfterinstallingVMwareTools,clickFinish.TheDisplaySettingsdialogbox
appears.
ClicktheAdvancedbutton.
ClicktheAdaptertab.
ClicktheChangebutton.TheUpdateDeviceDriverwizardstarts.ClickNext.
Thewizarddisplaystwooptions.
ChoosethesecondoptiontoSpecifythelocationofthedriver.ClickNext.
ChecktheSpecifyalocationcheckbox.Enterthefollowingpath:
D:\video\win9x
D:isthedriveletterforthefirstvirtualCDROMdriveinyourvirtualmachine.
ClickOK.
WindowsMeautomaticallylocatesyourdriver.
46
SelecttheVMwareSVGAIIdisplayadapterandclickNext.
ClickNexttoinstallthedriver.
VMware, Inc.
IfyouareupgradingavirtualmachinecreatedunderVMwareGSXServer2,you
mightseeadialogboxthatwarns,Thedriveryouareinstallingisnotspecifically
designedforthehardwareyouhave.Doyouwishtocontinue?ClickYes.
9
Afterthedriverisinstalled,clickFinish.
10
ClickYestorestartWindowsMeandstartusingthenewvideodriver.
11
TheVMwareToolsbackgroundapplicationstartsautomaticallywhenyoureboot
yourvirtualmachine.
To migrate from Windows 98 guest operating systems

1
appears.
ClicktheAdvancedbutton.TheStandardDisplayAdapter(VGA)Properties
dialogboxappears.IfyouareupgradingfromapreviousversionoftheVMware
drivers,thisdialogboxistitledVMwareSVGAProperties.
ClicktheAdaptertab.
ClicktheChangebutton.TheUpdateDeviceDriverwizardstarts.ClickNext.
Thewizarddisplaystwooptions.
ChoosetheoptiontoDisplayalistofalldriversinaspecificlocation.ClickNext.
SelectHaveDisk.TheInstallFromDiskdialogboxappears.
Enterthefollowingpath:
D:\video\win9x
ClickOK.
SelectVMwareSVGAdisplayadapterandclickOK.
AnswerYestotheonscreenquestion,andclickNexttoinstallthedriver.
10
Afterthedriverisinstalled,clickFinish.
11
ClickCloseintheSVGAPropertiesdialogbox,andclickCloseintheDisplay
Settingsdialogbox.
12
ClickYestorestartWindows98andstartusingthenewvideodriver.
yourvirtualmachine.
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47
To migrate from Windows 95 guest operating systems

1
appears.
ClicktheAdvancedPropertiesbutton.TheAdvancedDisplayPropertiesdialog
boxappears.
ClicktheChangebutton.TheSelectDevicedialogboxappears.
SelectHaveDisk.
Enterthefollowingpath:
D:\video\win9x
ClickOK.
ClickOKagaintoinstallthedriver.
ClickClosefromtheAdvancedDisplayPropertiesdialogbox,andclickClose
fromtheDisplaySettingdialogbox.
ClickYestorestartWindows95andstartusingthenewvideodriver.
yourvirtualmachine.
Automating the Installation of VMware Tools in a Windows Guest

ToautomatetheinstallationofVMwareToolsinaWindowsguestoperatingsystem,
usetheMicrosoftWindowsInstallerruntimeenginetoinstallthesoftwaresilently(in
quietmode).IfyouareinstallingVMwareToolsinanumberofWindowsvirtual
machines,youmightwanttousethesilentinstallfeatures.
TheguestoperatingsysteminwhichyouareinstallingVMwareToolsmusthave
MicrosoftWindowsInstallerruntimeengineversion2.0orhigherinstalled.This
versionisincludedwithWindowsServer2003andWindowsXP.Ifyouareinstalling
VMwareToolsinotherWindowsguestoperatingsystems,checktheversionofthisfile:
%WINDIR%\system32\msiexec.exe
Ifyouneedtoupgradetheengine,runinstmsiw.exe(instmsia.exeforWindows95or
Windows98guests),whichisincludedwiththeVMwareToolsinstaller.
FormoreinformationonusingtheMicrosoftWindowsInstaller,gototheMicrosoft
Website
msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/enus/msi/setup/about_windo
ws_installer.asp.
48
VMware, Inc.
ToinstallVMwareToolssilentlyinaWindowsguest,makesurethevirtualmachines
CDROMdriveisconnectedtotheVMwareToolsISOimage(windows.iso,locatedin
thedirectorywhereyouinstalledVMwareServer)andconfiguredtoconnectwhenyou
poweronthevirtualmachine.Runthesilentinstallationontheextractedinstallation
packages.Atthecommandprompt,ononeline,type:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL /qn
TheinstallationcommandcanbecustomizedusingstandardMicrosoftWindows
Installerinstallationoptions.
TheADDLOCALoptiondefaultstoinstallallVMwareToolscomponents.Youcan
customizetheinstallationusingacombinationoftheADDLOCALandREMOVEoptions.For
informationaboutthefeaturesofVMwareTools,seeAboutVMwareToolson
page 39.Youcanincludeorexcludethefollowingfeatures:
!
ToolboxtheVMwareToolscontrolpanelanditsutilities.Excludingthisfeature
preventsyoufromusingVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem,andisnot
recommended.
DriversthisincludestheSVGA,Mouse,BusLogic,andvmxnetdrivers.
!
SVGAtheVMwareSVGAdriver.Excludingthisfeaturelimitsthedisplay
capabilitiesofyourvirtualmachine.
MousetheVMwaremousedriver.Excludingthisfeaturedecreasesmouse
performanceinyourvirtualmachine.
BuslogictheVMwareBusLogicdriver.Excludingthisfeaturepreventsyou
fromusingthisdriverinyourvirtualmachine.Ifyourvirtualmachineis
configuredtousetheLSILogicdriver,thenyoumaywanttoremovethis
feature.
VMXNettheVMwarevmxnetnetworkingdriver.Excludingthisfeature
preventsyoufromusingthisdriverinyourvirtualmachine.
MemCtltheVMwarememorycontroldriver.Thisfeatureisrecommended
ifyouplanonusingthisvirtualmachinewithVMwareESXServer.Excluding
thisfeaturehindersthememorymanagementcapabilitiesofthevirtual
machinerunningonanVMwareESXServersystem.
Toincludeafeature,useitwiththeADDLOCALoption.
Toexcludeafeature,useitwiththeREMOVEoption.
Forexample,toinstalleverythingbutthesharedfoldersdriver,typethefollowingon
thecommandline:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Hgfs /qn
VMware, Inc.
49
TheSVGA,Mouse,BusLogic,vmxnetandMemCtlfeaturesarechildrenoftheDrivers
feature.Thus,onthecommandline,ifyoutype:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Drivers /qn
youalsoskipinstallationoftheSVGA,Mouse,BusLogic,vmxnetandMemCtldrivers.
ThedriversinstalledbyVMwareToolsarenotsignedbyMicrosoft.Whenyouinstall
VMwareTools,youareaskedtoconfirmtheinstallationofthesedrivers.Youcan
preventthesemessagesfromappearingintheguestoperatingsystemduring
installationbycompletingthefollowingsteps.
Topreventdriverinstallationmessages:
1
Onthevirtualmachinesdesktop,rightclickMyComputer,andchoose
Properties.
ClicktheHardwaretab,andclickDriverSigning.TheDriverSigningdialogbox
appears.
ClickIgnore,andclickOKtwice.
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux Virtual Machine

ThissectionexplainshowtoinstallVMwareToolsinaLinux,FreeBSD,orSolaris
virtualmachine.
To install VMware Tools in a Linux, FreeBSD, or Solaris Virtual Machine
1
Aftertheguestoperatingsystemhasstarted,prepareyourvirtualmachineto
installVMwareTools.
ChooseVM>InstallVMwareTools.
Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.
NOTE
50
YoucaninstallVMwareToolseitherfromaterminalinanXwindow
sessionorintextmode.
Asroot(su -),mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimage,changetoa
workingdirectory(forexample,/tmp),uncompresstheinstaller,andunmountthe
CDROMimage.
VMware, Inc.
NOTE
YoudonotuseanactualCDROMtoinstallVMwareTools,andyoudo
notneedtodownloadtheCDROMimageorburnaphysicalCDROM
ofthisimagefile.TheVMwareServersoftwarecontainsanISOimage
thatlookslikeaCDROMtoyourguestoperatingsystem.Thisimage
containsallthefilesneededtoinstallVMwareToolsinyourguest
operatingsystem.
UsingtheTarInstalleronLinuxGuests:SomeLinuxdistributionsusedifferent
devicenamesororganizethe/devdirectorydifferently.IfyourCDROMdriveis
not/dev/cdromorifthemountpointforaCDROMisnot/mnt/cdrom,modifythe
followingcommandstoreflecttheconventionsusedbyyourdistribution.
Also,someLinuxdistributionsautomaticallymountCDROMs.Ifyour
distributionusesautomounting,donotusethemountandumountcommands
below.YoustillmustuntartheVMwareToolsinstallerto/tmp.
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
cd /tmp
tar zxf /mnt/cdrom/vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz
umount /mnt/cdrom
Gotostep4.
UsingtheRPMInstalleronLinuxGuests:SomeLinuxdistributionsusedifferent
devicenamesororganizethe/devdirectorydifferently.IfyourCDROMdriveis
not/dev/cdromorifthemountpointforaCDROMisnot/mnt/cdrom,modifythe
followingcommandstoreflecttheconventionsusedbyyourdistribution.
Also,someLinuxdistributionsautomaticallymountCDROMs.Ifyour
distributionusesautomounting,donotusethemountandumountcommands
below.
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
cp /mnt/cdrom/vmware-linux-tools-<xxxxx>.i386.rpm
/tmp rpm -Uhv /tmp/vmware-linux-tools-<xxxxx>.i386.rpm
umount /mnt/cdrom
where<xxxxx>isthebuildnumberoftheVMwareServerrelease.
Gotostep6.
SolarisGuests:TheSolarisvolumemanagervoldmountstheCDROMunder
/cdrom/vmwaretools.IftheCDROMisnotmounted,restartthevolumemanager
usingthefollowingcommands:
/etc/init.d/volmgt stop
/etc/init.d/volmgt start
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51
AftertheCDROMismounted,usethefollowingcommandstoextractVMware
Tools.
cd /tmp
gunzip -c /cdrom/vmwaretools/vmware-solaris-tools.tar.gz | tar xf Gotostep4.
FreeBSDGuests:SomeFreeBSDdistributionsautomaticallymountCDROMs.If
yourdistributionusesautomounting,donotusethemountandumountcommands
below.YoustillmustuntartheVMwareToolsinstallerto/tmp.
mount /cdrom
cd /tmp
tar zxf /cdrom/vmware-freebsd-tools.tar.gz
umount /cdrom
4
RuntheVMwareToolsinstaller.
cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl
Answerthequestionsaboutdefaultdirectories.
Runtheconfigurationprogram.
vmware-config-tools.pl
Tochangeyourvirtualmachinesdisplayresolution,answeryes,andenterthe
numberthatcorrespondstothedesiredresolution.
Logoffoftherootaccount.
exit
StartXandyourgraphicalenvironment.IfyouinstalledVMwareToolsinanX
windowssession,restartXwindows.
10
InanXterminal,launchtheVMwareToolsbackgroundapplication.
vmware-toolbox &
YoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtualdisksorto
changeanyVMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot(su -).
NOTE
52
VMware, Inc.
Starting VMware Tools Automatically

YoumightfindithelpfultoconfigureyourguestoperatingsystemsoVMwareTools
startswhenyoustartyourXserver.Thestepsfordoingsovarydependingonyour
Linuxdistributionandyourdesktopenvironment.Checkyouroperatingsystem
documentationfortheappropriatestepstotake.
Forexample,inaRedHatLinux7.1guestusingGNOME,followthesesteps.
1
OpentheStartupProgramsscreenintheGNOMEControlCenter.
MainMenu(clickthefooticoninthelowerleftcornerofthescreen)>Programs>
Settings>Session>StartupPrograms
ClickAdd.
IntheStartupCommandfield,entervmware-toolbox.
ClickOK,clickOKagain,andclosetheGNOMEControlCenter.
ThenexttimeyoustartX,VMwareToolsalsostarts.
Starting VMware Tools in a FreeBSD 4.5 Guest Operating System

InaFreeBSD4.5guestoperatingsystem,sometimesVMwareToolsdoesnotstartafter
youinstallVMwareTools,reboottheguestoperatingsystem,orstartVMwareTools
onthecommandlineintheguest.Anerrormessageappears:
Shared object 'libc.so.3' not found.
Therequiredlibrarywasnotinstalled.Thisdoesnothappenwithfullinstallationsof
FreeBSD4.5,butdoesoccurforminimalinstallations.Tofixtheproblemofthemissing
library,takethefollowingsteps:
1
InsertandmounttheFreeBSD4.5installationCDoraccesstheISOimagefile.
Changedirectoriesandruntheinstallationscript.
cd /cdrom/compat3x
./install.sh
Uninstalling VMware Tools

ToremoveVMwareToolsfromyourLinuxguestoperatingsystem,logonasroot
(su -)andrunthefollowingcommand:
vmware-uninstall-tools.pl
Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare Virtual Machine

VMwareToolsisavailableforNetWare4.2,5.1,6.0,and6.5guestoperatingsystems.
VMware, Inc.
53
WhenyouinstallVMwareToolsinaNetWareguestoperatingsystem,theCPUidler
programisinstalledandloaded.Theidlercanbedisabledfromthesystemconsole.For
informationonconfiguringVMwareToolsfromthesystemconsole,seeConfiguring
VMwareToolsforNetWareGuestsintheSystemConsoleonpage 66.
FollowtheappropriatestepsforyourNetWareguestoperatingsystem.
Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare 5.1, 6.0, or 6.5 Virtual Machine

1
PrepareyourvirtualmachinetoinstallVMwareTools.
ChooseVM>InstallVMwareTools.
Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.
LoadtheCDROMdriversotheCDROMdevicemountstheISOimageasa
volume.Dooneofthefollowing.
!
InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare6.5virtualmachine,type
LOAD CDDVD
InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare6.0orNetWare5.1virtualmachine,type
LOAD CD9660.NSS
Whenthedriverfinishesloading,youcanbegininstallingVMwareTools.Inthe
systemconsole,type
vmwtools:\setup.ncf
Whentheinstallationfinishes,themessageVMware Tools for NetWare are now
runningappearsintheLoggerScreen(NetWare6.5andNetWare6.0guests)orthe
ConsoleScreen(NetWare5.1guests).
Restarttheguestoperatingsystem.Inthesystemconsole,type
restart server
AfteryouinstallVMwareTools,makesuretheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimage
(netware.iso)isnotattachedtothevirtualmachine.Ifitis,disconnectit.Rightclickthe
CDROMiconinthestatusbaroftheconsolewindowandselectDisconnect.
Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare 4.2 Virtual Machine
54
PrepareyourvirtualmachinetoinstallVMwareTools.ChooseVM>Install
VMwareTools.Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.
Loadthecdrom.nlmmodule.Inthesystemconsole,type
load cdrom
VMware, Inc.
MounttheVMwareToolsCDROMimage.Inthesystemconsole,type
cd mount vmwtools
StartinstallingVMwareTools.Inthesystemconsole,type
vmwtools:\setup
Whentheinstallationfinishes,themessageVMware Tools for NetWare are now
runningappearsintheConsoleScreen.
Bringtheguestoperatingsystemdown.Inthesystemconsole,type
down
Restarttheguestoperatingsystem.Inthesystemconsole,type
restart server
AfteryouinstallVMwareTools,makesuretheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimage
(netware.iso)isnotattachedtothevirtualmachine.Ifitis,disconnectit.Rightclickthe
CDROMiconinthestatusbaroftheconsolewindowandselectDisconnect.
Executing Scripts When the Virtual Machines Power

State Changes
Youcanrunscriptsintheguestoperatingsystemwhenyoupoweron,poweroff,
suspend,orresumethevirtualmachine.
Scriptscanhelpautomateguestoperatingsystemoperationswhenyouchangethe
virtualmachinespowerstate.
Youperformthesepoweroperationsfromthetoolbarbuttonsandmenusinthe
VMwareServerConsoleandtheVMwareManagementInterface.
OnMicrosoftWindowshostsonly,youcanconfigurescriptstorunwhenyouusethe
powerbuttonsonthetoolbarbychoosingVM>Settings>Options>Powerand
checkingtheappropriateoptionsunderRunVMwareToolsscripts.
NOTE
ThecommandsonthePowermenutakeprecedenceoverhowthetoolbar
powerbuttonsareconfigured.
ScriptscanbeexecutedonlywhentheVMwareToolsserviceisrunning.Theserviceis
apartofVMwareTools,soVMwareToolsmustberunningintheguestforscriptsto
run.Theservicestartsbydefaultwhenyoustarttheguestoperatingsystem.Formore
informationabouttheVMwareToolsservice,seeAbouttheVMwareToolsService
onpage 68.
DefaultscriptsareincludedinVMwareTools.OnaMicrosoftWindowshost,the
defaultscriptexecutedwhenyoususpendavirtualmachinereleasestheIPaddressof
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55
thevirtualmachine,whilethedefaultscriptexecutedwhenyouresumeavirtual
machinerenewstheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine(thisaffectsonlyvirtual
machinesconfiguredtouseDHCP).OnaLinuxhost,thedefaultscriptexecutedwhen
yoususpendavirtualmachinestopsnetworkingforthevirtualmachine,whilethe
defaultscriptexecutedwhenyouresumeavirtualmachinestartsnetworkingforthe
virtualmachine.
Inaddition,youcancreateyourownscripts.Thescriptsyoucanrunmustbebatchfiles
forWindowshosts,butcanbeanyexecutableformat(suchasshellorPerlscripts)for
Linuxhosts.Youshouldhaveathoroughfamiliaritywiththesetypesofscriptsbefore
youmodifythedefaultscriptsorcreateyourown.
Ifyoucreateyourownscripts,youmustassociateeachscriptwithitsparticularpower
operation.Formoreinformation,seeChoosingScriptsforVMwareToolstoRun
DuringPowerStateChangesonpage 58forWindowsguestsandChoosingScripts
forVMwareToolstoRunDuringPowerStateChangesonpage 61forLinuxguests.
Forscriptsandtheirassociatedpoweroperationstowork,thefollowingconditions
mustbemet:
!
TheVMwareToolsservicemustberunninginthevirtualmachine.
TheversionofVMwareToolsmustbeupdatedtothecurrentversion.Ifyouare
usingavirtualmachinecreatedwithanotherVMwareproduct,suchasVMware
GSXServer3,updateVMwareToolstotheversionincludedinthisrelease.
Dependingontheoperationthescriptperforms,thevirtualmachinemusthavea
virtualnetworkadapterconnected,orthepoweroperationfails.
CAUTION
WhenyoureinstallVMwareToolsafteryouupgradetheVMwareServer
software,anychangesyoumadetothedefaultscriptsareoverwritten.
Anyscriptsyoucreatedonyourownremainuntouched,butdonot
benefitfromanyunderlyingchangesthatenhancethedefaultscripts.
Configuring VMware Tools

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoconfigureVMwareToolsinavirtualmachine:
56
ConfiguringVMwareToolsinaWindowsVirtualMachineonpage 57
ConfiguringVMwareToolsinaLinux,FreeBSD,orSolarisVirtualMachineon
page 60
ConfiguringVMwareToolsinaNetWareVirtualMachineonpage 64
VMware, Inc.
Configuring VMware Tools in a Windows Virtual Machine

ThissectionshowstheoptionsavailableinaWindows2000guestoperatingsystem.
SimilarconfigurationoptionsareavailableinVMwareToolsforotherWindowsguests.
ToopentheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,doubleclicktheVMwareToolsiconinthe
systemtray.
IftheVMwareToolsicondoesnotappearinthesystemtray,gotoStart>Control
Panel>VMwareTools.
Setting Options with VMware Tools

TheOptionstabshowsmiscellaneousoptions.
Timesynchronizationbetweenthevirtualmachineandthehostoperating
systemthisoptionletsyousynchronizethetimeintheguestoperatingsystem
withthetimeinthehostoperatingsystem.
NOTE
Youcansynchronizethetimeintheguestoperatingsystemwiththetime
onthehostoperatingsystemonlywhenyousettheclockintheguest
operatingsystemtoatimeearlierthanthetimesetinthehost.
Tocompletelydisabletimesynchronization,seeDisablingTime
Synchronizationonpage 70.
!
ShowVMwareToolsinthetaskbarthisoptiondisplaystheVMwareToolsicon
intheWindowstaskbar.
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57
Connecting Devices with VMware Tools

TheDevicestaballowsyoutoenableordisableremovabledevices.Removabledevices
includethefloppyandCDROMdrivesandthevirtualnetworkadapter.
Toconnectadeviceselectthecheckboxnexttothedevice.Todisconnectthedevice,
deselectthecheckboxnexttothedevice.
NOTE
YoucanalsosettheseoptionsfromtheVM>RemovableDevicesmenuinthe
virtualmachinewindow.
Choosing Scripts for VMware Tools to Run During Power State Changes
ThroughVMwareTools,youcanrunscriptsthatexecutewhenyoupoweron,power
off,suspend,orresumethevirtualmachine.Formoreinformation,seeExecuting
ScriptsWhentheVirtualMachinesPowerStateChangesonpage 55.
NOTE
ScriptscannotberuninWindows95guestoperatingsystems.Scriptsin
WindowsNTandWindowsMeguestoperatingsystemsdonotreleaseand
renewtheIPaddress.
TheScriptstabletsyouenable,disable,andrunscriptsthatareassociatedwiththe
Suspend,Resume,PowerOn,andPowerOffbuttons.
AdefaultscriptforeachpowerstateisincludedinVMwareTools.Thesescriptsare
locatedintheguestoperatingsysteminC:\Program Files\VMware.
58
VMware, Inc.
Table 3-1.
When You
This Default Script Runs
Suspendtheguestoperating
system
suspend-vm-default.bat
Resumetheguestoperating
system
resume-vm-default.bat
Powerofftheguestoperating
system
poweroff-vm-default.bat
Powerontheguestoperating
system
poweron-vm-default.bat
Windowshosts:IfthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouseDHCP,thescriptexecuted
whenyoususpendavirtualmachinereleasestheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine.The
scriptexecutedwhenyouresumeavirtualmachinerenewstheIPaddressofthevirtual
machine.
Linux,FreeBSD,andSolarishosts:Thescriptexecutedwhenyoususpendavirtual
machinestopsnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.Thescriptexecutedwhenyou
resumeavirtualmachinestartsnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
Foreachpowerstate,youcanusethedefaultscriptoryoucansubstituteascriptyou
created.Inaddition,youcantestascriptordisabletherunningofascript.Complete
thefollowingsteps.
1
IntheScriptEventlist,selectthepoweroperationwithwhichtoassociatethe
script.
Dooneofthefollowing:
VMware, Inc.
Toselectadifferentscript,clickCustomScript,clickBrowse,andselectthe
newscript.
Toeditascript,clickEdit.Thescriptopensinyourdefaulteditor.Makeyour
changesthere.
Totestthescript,clickRunNow.
Todisabletherunningofascript,clicktodeselecttheUseScriptcheckbox.
ClickApplytosaveyoursettings.
59
Shrinking Virtual Disks with VMware Tools

TheShrinktabgivesyouaccesstothecontrolsyouneedtoreclaimunusedspaceina
virtualdisk.
Insomeconfigurations,itisnotpossibletoshrinkvirtualdisks.Ifyourvirtualmachine
usessuchaconfiguration,theShrinktabdisplaysinformationexplainingwhyyou
cannotshrinkyourvirtualdisks.
Formoreinformationaboutshrinkingvirtualdisks,seeDefragmentingandShrinking
VirtualDisksonpage 125.
Viewing Information About VMware Tools

ForgeneralinformationaboutVMwareTools,clicktheAbouttab.
Inadditiontocopyrightinformation,thistabcontainsthefollowinginformation:
!
TheVMwareToolsbuildnumber,whichletsyouverifythatyourVMwareTools
versionmatchestheVMwareServerversionyouarerunning.Thebuildnumberis
alsousefulwhenyourequestsupport.
AnindicationastowhethertheVMwareToolsserviceisrunning.
Configuring VMware Tools in a Linux, FreeBSD, or Solaris

Virtual Machine
ThissectionshowstheoptionsavailableinaLinuxorFreeBSDguestoperatingsystem.
60
VMware, Inc.
ToopentheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,atacommandprompt,type:
vmware-toolbox &
YoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtualdisks,you
shouldrunVMwareToolsasroot(su -).
NOTE

Toconnectadevice,selectthecheckboxnexttothedevice.Todisconnectthedevice,
clicktodeselectthecheckboxnexttothedevice.
NOTE
Choosing Scripts for VMware Tools to Run During Power State Changes
ThroughVMwareTools,youcanrunscriptsthatexecutewhenyoupoweron,power
off,suspend,orresumethevirtualmachine.Formoreinformation,seeExecuting
AdefaultscriptforeachpoweroperationisincludedinVMwareTools.Thesescripts
arelocatedintheguestoperatingsystemin/etc/vmware-tools.
Table 3-2.
VMware, Inc.
When You
This Default Script Runs
Suspendtheguestoperating
system
suspend-vm-default
Resumetheguestoperating
system
resume-vm-default
Powerofftheguestoperating
system
poweroff-vm-default
Powerontheguestoperating
system
poweron-vm-default
61
Foreachpowerstate,youcanusethedefaultscriptoryoucansubstituteascriptyou
created.Inaddition,ifyouareloggedonasroot,youcaneditascript,testascript,or
disabletherunningofascript.Completethefollowingsteps.
1
Toedittheappropriatepoweroperation,select:
!
Usedefaultscripttosuspendguestoperatingsystem
Usedefaultscripttoresumeguestoperatingsystem
Usedefaultscripttoshutdownguestoperatingsystem
Usedefaultscripttopoweronguestoperatingsystem
!
Toselectadifferentscript,clickBrowseandselectthenewscript.
Toeditascript,clickEdit.Thescriptopensinvi.Makeyourchangesthere.
NOTE
Totestascript,clickTest.
NOTE
62
ToeditscriptsfromtheScriptstab,xtermandvimustbeinstalledin
theguestoperatingsystem.Youmustbearootusertoeditthescript
andhaveviandxterminyourPATHwhenusingtheScriptstab.You
canalsoeditscriptsmanuallyusinganytexteditor.
IfyouplantotestscriptsinaTurbolinux7.0guestoperatingsystem,
youneedtoupdatetheTurbolinuxguestoperatingsystem.Thisisa
knownissuewithTurbolinux.
Todisableascript,selectthepathtothescriptanddeleteit.
ClickApplytosaveyoursettings.
VMware, Inc.

TheOptionstabgivesyoutheoptiontosynchronizethetimeintheguestoperating
systemwiththetimeinthehostoperatingsystem.
NOTE
Youcansynchronizethetimeintheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimein
thehostoperatingsystemonlywhenthetimeintheguestisearlierthanthe
timeinthehost.
Tocompletelydisabletimesynchronization,seeDisablingTimeSynchronizationon
page 70.

virtualdisk.
Toshrinkvirtualdisks,youshouldrunVMwareToolsastherootuser(su -).Ifyou
shrinkthevirtualdiskasanonrootuser,youcannotpreparetoshrinkthepartsofthe
virtualdiskthatrequirerootlevelpermissions.
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63
NOTE
Theshrinkprocessaffectsalldisksnotonlythedisksthatyouprepareto
shrink.
Configuring VMware Tools in a NetWare Virtual Machine

ThissectiondiscussestheoptionsavailableinaNetWare6.5,6.0,or5.1guest.VMware
ToolsdoesnotincludeacontrolpanelforNetWare4.2becausethatversionofNetware
doesnotincludeagraphicaluserinterface.Youcanconfigurecertainvirtualmachine
optionssuchastimesynchronization,CPUidling,anddeviceconfigurationwith
VMwareToolsinaNetWare4.2guestinthesystemconsole.Formoreinformation,see
ConfiguringVMwareToolsforNetWareGuestsintheSystemConsoleonpage 66.
Configuring VMware Tools in a NetWare 6.5, 6.0, or NetWare 5.1 Guest

ToopentheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,chooseNovell>Settings>VMwareTools
forNetWare.
Viewing Information About VMware Tools

ForgeneralinformationaboutVMwareTools,clicktheVMwareToolstab.
Thistabcontains:
64
Copyrightinformation.
AbuttonyouclicktovisittheVMwareWebsite.
VMware, Inc.

Toconnectadevice,selectthecheckboxnexttothedevice.Todisconnectthedevice,
deselectthecheckboxnexttothedevice.
NOTE

virtualdisk.
VMware, Inc.
65

TheOthertabgivesyoutheoptiontosynchronizethetimeintheguestoperating
systemwiththetimeinthehostoperatingsystem.
NOTE
Youcansynchronizethetimeintheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimein
thehostoperatingsystemonlywhenthetimeintheguestisearlierthanthe
timeinthehost.
Tocompletelydisabletimesynchronization,seeDisablingTimeSynchronizationon
page 70.
Configuring VMware Tools for NetWare Guests in the System Console

Youcanconfigurecertainvirtualmachineoptionssuchastimesynchronization,CPU
idling,anddeviceconfigurationwithVMwareToolsinaNetWarevirtualmachine
usingthesystemconsole.TheVMwareToolscommandlineprogramiscalledvmwtool.
Toseetheoptionsassociatedwiththiscommand,typevmwtool help atthesystem
console.
WhenVMwareToolsisinstalledinaNetWareguest,aheartbeatisalwayssentfrom
thevirtualmachinetoVMwareServer.Youcanverifythevirtualmachinesheartbeat
byviewinginformationaboutthisvirtualmachineintheVMwareManagement
Interface.Formoreinformation,seeMonitoringtheVirtualMachinesHeartbeat.
Inaddition,youcangracefullypowerthevirtualmachineonoroffintheVMware
ManagementInterface.TopoweravirtualmachineonoroffwiththeVMware
ManagementInterface,seeChangingaVirtualMachinesPowerStatefromthe
ManagementInterfaceonpage 90.BecausescriptsarenotavailableforNetWare
virtualmachines,noscriptsarerun.
66
VMware, Inc.
Summary of VMware Tools Commands for a NetWare Guest

Eachcommandinthefollowingtablemustbeenteredintothesystemconsoleafterthe
VMwareToolscommandvmwtool.Usethefollowingformat:
vmwtool <command>toentercommands.
Table 3-3.
vmwtool Command
Definition
help
DisplaysasummaryofVMwareToolscommandsand
optionsinaNetWareguest.
partitonlist
Displaysalistofalldiskpartitionsinthevirtualdisk
andwhetherornotapartitioncanbeshrunk.
shrink <partition>
Shrinksthelistedpartitions.Ifnopartitionsare
specified,allpartitionsinthevirtualdiskareshrunk.
Thestatusoftheshrinkprocessappearsatthebottomof
thesystemconsole.
Formoreinformation,seeDefragmentingand
ShrinkingVirtualDisksonpage 125.
devicelist
Listseachremovabledeviceinthevirtualmachine,its
deviceIDandwhetherthedeviceisenabledordisabled.
Removabledevicesincludethevirtualnetworkadapter,
CDROMandfloppydrives.
disabledevice <device name>
Disablesthespecifieddeviceordevicesinthevirtual
machine.Ifnodeviceisspecified,allremovabledevices
inthevirtualmachinearedisabled.
Note:YoucanalsodisabledevicesfromtheVM>
RemovableDevicesmenuintheVMwareServer
consolewindow.
enabledevice <device name>
Enablesthespecifieddeviceordevicesinthevirtual
machine.Ifnodeviceisspecified,allremovabledevices
inthevirtualmachineareenabled.
Note:YoucanalsoenabledevicesfromtheVM>
RemovableDevicesmenuintheVMwareServer
consolewindow.
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67
Table 3-3.
vmwtool Command
Definition
synctime [on|off]
Letsyouenableordisabletimesynchronization
betweentheguestoperatingsystemandthehost
operatingsystem.Bydefault,timesynchronizationis
disabled.
Usethiscommandwithoutanyoptionstoviewthe
currenttimesynchronizationstatus.
Youcansynchronizethetimeintheguestoperating
systemwithtimeonthehostoperatingsystemonly
whenthetimeintheguestoperatingsystemisearlier
thanthetimesetinthehost.
idle [on|off]
LetsyouenableordisabletheCPUidler.Bydefault,the
idleristurnedon.TheCPUidlerprogramisincludedin
VMwareToolsforNetWareguests.
TheidlerprogramisneededbecauseNetWareservers
donotidletheprocessorwhentheoperatingsystemis
idle.Asaresult,avirtualmachinetakesprocessortime
fromthehostregardlessofwhethertheNetWareserver
softwareisidleorbusy.
About the VMware Tools Service

WhenyouinstallVMwareToolsinavirtualmachine,theVMwareToolsserviceisone
oftheprimarycomponentsinstalled.Theservicedoesthefollowing:
!
Synchronizesthetimeoftheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimeinthehost
operatingsystem.
Runsscriptsinavirtualmachinewhenthepowerstatechanges.SeeExecuting
ExecutescommandsinthevirtualmachinewhenyoushutdownorrestartaLinux
orSolarisguestoperatingsystem.
SendsaheartbeattoVMwareServersothatitknowstheguestoperatingsystemis
running.AgaugeforthisheartbeatappearsintheVMwareManagementInterface.
Formoreinformation,seeUsingtheStatusMonitor.
Passesmessagesfromthehostoperatingsystemtotheguestoperatingsystem.
PassesinformationbetweentheguestoperatingsystemandaVMwareScripting
APIscript.
Theservicestartswhenyouboottheguestoperatingsystem.
68
VMware, Inc.
InaWindowsguest,theVMwareToolsserviceprogramfileiscalled
VMwareService.exe.HelpisavailablebyrightclickingtheVMwareToolsiconinthe
systemtrayandchoosingHelp.
InaLinuxorSolarisguest,theVMwareToolsserviceiscalledvmware-guestd.To
displayhelpabouttheservice,includingalistofalloptions,usethefollowing
command:
/usr/sbin/vmware-guestd --help
Thissectioncoversthefollowingtopics:
!
SynchronizingtheTimeintheGuestOSwiththeHostOSonpage 69
ExecutingCommandsAfterYouPowerOfforResetaVirtualMachineon
page 70
PassingaStringfromtheHostOStotheGuestOSonpage 70
PassingInformationBetweentheGuestOSandaVMwareAPIScriptonpage 73
Synchronizing the Time in the Guest OS with the Host OS

TheVMwareToolsservicecansynchronizethedateandtimeintheguestoperating
systemwiththetimeinthehostoperatingsystemonceeveryminute.Toenabletime
synchronizationforaWindowsguest,seeSettingOptionswithVMwareToolson
page 57.ToenabletimesynchronizationforaLinux,FreeBSD,orSolarisguest,see
SettingOptionswithVMwareToolsonpage 63.Toenabletimesynchronizationfor
aNetWareguest,seeSettingOptionswithVMwareToolsonpage 66.
Synchronizing Guest Time in Response to System Events

Theservicesynchronizesthedateandtimeintheguestwiththetimeinthehostin
responsetovarioussystemevents.Theseeventsinclude:
!
Takingasnapshot.Inthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx),thissettingis
representedbythetime.synchronize.continueoption.
Revertingtoasnapshot.Inthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx),this
settingisrepresentedbythetime.synchronize.restoreoption.
Resumingasuspendedvirtualmachine.Inthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile
(.vmx),thissettingisrepresentedbythetime.synchronize.resume.diskoption.
Shrinkingthevirtualdisk.Inthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx),this
settingisrepresentedbythetime.synchronize.shrinkoption.
VMware, Inc.
69
Disabling Time Synchronization

Todisabletimesynchronizationintheguest,openthevirtualmachinesconfiguration
file(.vmx)inatexteditorandsetthefollowingoptionstoFALSE.
tools.syncTime
tools.synchronize.restore
time.synchronize.resume.disk
time.synchronize.continue
time.synchronize.shrink
Executing Commands After You Power Off or Reset a Virtual

Machine
InaLinuxguest,youcanhavetheVMwareToolsserviceexecutespecificcommands
whenyoushutdownorrestarttheguestoperatingsystem.Thisisinadditiontoany
scriptthatyoumighthavespecifiedtorunwhenyoushutdowntheguestoperating
system.
Toexecutethesecommands,youneedtomodify/etc/vmware-tools/tools.conf.The
commandsare:
halt-command = <command>
(where<command>isthecommandtoexecutewhenyoushutdowntheguestoperating
system)
reboot-command = <command>
(where<command>isthecommandtoexecutewhenyourestarttheguestoperating
system)
Passing a String from the Host OS to the Guest OS

WithVMwareServerandknowledgeofascriptinglanguagelikePerlorNetShell(ina
Windows2000guestoperatingsystem),youcanpassastringfromyourvirtual
machinesconfigurationfileinthehostoperatingsystemtotheguestoperatingsystem
whenyouusetheconfigurationfiletolaunchavirtualmachine.
Whatyoupasstotheguestoperatingsystemisuptoyou.Youshouldpassastringonly
ifyouhaveagoodunderstandingofascriptinglanguageandknowhowtomodify
systemstartupscripts.
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VMware, Inc.
Therearetwowaysofpassingstringstoavirtualmachinesguestoperatingsystem:
1
Youcanplaceastringinthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfilebysettingthe
stringtothemachine.idparameter.
Forexample,youcansetthisstring:
machine.id = "Hello World."
Youpassthestringtotheguestoperatingsystemfromthecommandlinewhen
youlaunchthevirtualmachine.Seeexample1below.
YoucanpassitemsliketheWindowssystemID(SID),amachinenameoranIP
address.Insidetheguestoperatingsystemstartupscript,youhavetheserviceretrieve
thisstring,whichcanthenbeusedinanotherscriptyouwriteandincludeinthestartup
scripttosetyourvirtualmachinessystemID,machinename,orIPaddress.
Thisway,youcanmakecopiesofthesameconfigurationfile,addadifferentstringto
each(eitherintheconfigurationfileitselforatthecommandline),thenusethese
variationsofthesameconfigurationfiletolaunchthesamevirtualdiskin
nonpersistentmodemultipletimesinatrainingortestingenvironment,forexample.
Thisiswhatportionsoftwoconfigurationfilesthatpointtothesamevirtualdiskmight
looklike.Eachconfigurationfilecontainsitsownuniquestringsetforthemachine.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"
Passingastringisalsousefulinsituationswhereyouwanttodeployvirtualmachines
onanetworkusingacommonconfigurationfile,whileprovidingeachmachinewith
itsownuniqueidentity.Inthiscase,youspecifythestringatthecommandline(you
needtolauncheachvirtualmachinewiththevmware -scommand)whenyoulaunch
eachvirtualmachineusingthisconfigurationfile.Seeexample1below.
Eachvirtualmachinediskfilemustbecopiedintoitsowndirectoryifitsharesits
filenamewithanothervirtualmachinediskfile.
ThefollowingexampleusesaWindowshostandguesttoillustratehowyoucanuse
theservicetoretrieveastringcontainingwhatwillbecomethevirtualmachines
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machinenameandIPaddress.Inthisexample,W2KVMisthemachinenameand
148.30.16.24istheIPaddress.
1
Defineastring.Dothisbyeither:
!
Addingthefollowinglinetoyourvirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
machine.id = "W2K-VM 148.30.16.24"
thenlaunchingavirtualmachineusingthisconfigurationfile.
Launchingavirtualmachinefromthecommandline.Atthecommandline,
type:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmware -s 'machine.id=W2K-VM
148.30.16.24' C:\Virtual Machines\win2000\win2000.vmx
NOTE
Writetheabovecommandononeline.
NOTE
OnaLinuxhost,themachineIDpassedonthecommandlinetakes
precedenceandispassedtotheguestoperatingsystemifthefollowing
conditionsaremet:
AvirtualmachineIDisspecifiedinaconfigurationfile.
Youusethatfiletolaunchavirtualmachine.
YoualsospecifyamachineIDonthecommandline.
Retrievethestringinthevirtualmachine.InaWindowsguest,thecommandto
retrievethestringis
VMwareService --cmd machine.id.get
NOTE
InyourLinuxguestoperatingsystemsstartupscript,addthefollowing
commandbeforethenetworkstartupsection:
/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --cmd 'machine.id.get'
Youneedtofurthercustomizethisstartupscriptsoitusesthestringtheservice
retrievedduringstartuptosetthevirtualmachinesnetworknametoW2KVMandits
IPaddressto148.30.16.24.Thisstringshouldbelocatedinthescriptbeforethenetwork
servicesarestarted.IfyoureusingaWindows2000guestoperatingsystem,for
example,youcancalltheNetShellutility(netsh)andpassitthecontentsofthestring,
whichthenusesthestringaccordingly(thatis,itcansetanewIPaddressforthevirtual
machine,ifthatiswhatwaspassedinthestringoriginally).
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Fromyourhostoperatingsystem,youcanpreventastringfrombeingpassedtothe
guestoperatingsystemviatheservice.Todothis,setthefollowinglineinyourvirtual
machinesconfigurationfile:
isolation.tools.getMachineID.disable = TRUE
Passing Information Between the Guest OS and a VMware API

Script
Whentheguestoperatingsystemisrunninginsideavirtualmachine,theVMware
ToolsserviceallowsyoutopassinformationfromaVMwareScriptingAPIscriptyou
created(thatisrunninginanotherhostmachine)totheguestoperatingsystemand
fromtheguestoperatingsystemtoascript.
Formoreinformation,gototheVMwareWebsiteat
www.vmware.com/support/developer.
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C HAPTER 4
Running Virtual Machines
AfteryouhaveinstalledVMwareServer,aguestoperatingsystem,andVMwareTools,
youarereadytorunyourvirtualmachine.Thischapterdescribesthemostcommon
taskstorunvirtualmachinesandcoversthefollowingtopics:
!
OverviewoftheVMwareServerConsoleWindowonpage 75
ConnectingtoVirtualMachinesandVMwareServerHostsonpage 82
ChangingthePowerStateofaVirtualMachineonpage 88
ControllingtheVirtualMachineDisplayonpage 95
RunningVirtualMachinesfromDVDsorCDROMDiscsonpage 98
RunningVirtualMachinesfromDVDsorCDROMDiscsonpage 98
UsingPXEwithVirtualMachinesonpage 100
InstallingSoftwareinaVirtualMachineonpage 101
Cutting,Copying,andPastingTextonpage 102
UsingDevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 102
CommandReferenceonpage 104
Forpurposesofillustration,theexamplesinthesesectionsuseaWindowsServer2003
guestoperatingsystem.Somecommandsusedintheillustrationsaredifferentfrom
thoseusedinotherguestoperatingsystems.
Overview of the VMware Server Console Window

ThefollowingsectionsprovideanoverviewoftheVMwareServerConsole:
!
UsingtheHomeTabonpage 77
UsingTabsonpage 78
ConfiguringaVirtualMachineonpage 79
UsingtheVirtualMachineInventoryonpage 79
DisplayingHintsonpage 80
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CheckingtheStatusofVMwareToolsonpage 80
CreatingaScreenShotofaVirtualMachineonpage 81
ThinkofaVMwareServervirtualmachineasaseparatecomputerthatrunsina
windowonyourphysicalcomputersdesktop.TheVMwareServerConsoleletsyou
connecttomultiplevirtualmachinesandswitcheasilyfromonetoanother.
WhenyoufirstconnecttheVMwareServerConsoletoaVMwareServerhost,the
Hometabappearsinthevirtualmachinedisplay.TheHometabindicateswhetheryou
areconnectingtoGSX3ServerorVMwareServerandtheversionoftheserver
software.ThestatusbaroftheVMwareServerConsolewindowalsodisplaysthis
information.
NOTE
VMwaresupportsconnectingtoVMwareGSXServer3hostsandusing
virtualmachinescreatedwithVMwareGSXServer3aslegacymachines.You
canalsoupgradethevirtualhardwareofthosevirtualmachines.Youmust
upgradethehardwareofvirtualmachinescreatedunderVMwareGSXServer
2.YoucannotconnecttoVMwareESXServerfromVMwareServer.Formore
informationsee,MigratingfromGSXServertoVMwareServerinthe
VMwareServerAdministrationGuide.
IfyouareconnectingtoaGSX3Serversomeofthecontrolsandfunctionalityofthe
interfacechangetoaccommodatethedifferencesbetweenthefeaturesavailabletothat
product.Toseealistofwhatisdifferent,seeConnectingtoVMwareGSXServerand
OlderVirtualMachinesonpage 86.
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Chapter 4 Running Virtual Machines
Menu Layouts
Thefollowingtableliststhelocationsforthemostcommonlyusedmenuitems.:
Table 4-1.
Menu Items
File>New>VirtualMachine
File>New>Window
File>Exit
VM>RemovableDevices
Host>Settings(forglobalhostsettings)and
Edit>Preferences(forusersettings)
VM>Settings
Host>VirtualNetworkSettings
VM>InstallVMwareTools
VM>UpgradeVirtualHardware
VM>SendCtrl+Alt+Del
VM>GrabInput
Using the Home Tab

YoucanusetheHometabtoquicklycreatenewvirtualmachines,openexistingvirtual
machines,connecttootherVMwareServerhosts,andsetglobalpreferencesforthe
currentVMwareServerhost.
!
Forinformationoncreatingvirtualmachines,seeCreatingaNewVirtual
MachinewiththeVirtualMachineWizardonpage 27.
Forinformationonopeninganexistingvirtualmachine,seeConnectingto
VirtualMachinesandVMwareServerHostsonpage 82.
Forinformationonchanginghosts,seeConnectingtoaDifferentVMwareServer
Hostonpage 85.
ForinformationonconfiguringtheVMwareServerhost,seeSettingGlobal
PreferencesforVMwareServer.
Opening Virtual Machines from the Inventory list

InVMwareServer,youcanopenmultiplevirtualmachineslocatedonthesameserver
hostinthesameVMwareServerConsolewindow.Youcanrunmultipleconsolesand
haveeachconnecttovirtualmachinesondifferentservers.Besureyouhaveenough
memoryandprocessorpowertohandlethenumberofvirtualmachinesyouwantto
run.
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SelectingvirtualmachinesintheInventorylistopenstheminnewtabs.Ifthevirtual
machineisalreadyrunning,itsdesktopappearsinthevirtualmachinedisplay.
Ifthevirtualmachineissuspendedorpoweredoff,thevirtualmachinedisplaylists
informationaboutthevirtualmachine,includingitspowerstate,theguestoperating
system,thelocationoftheconfigurationfile,andwhetherthevirtualmachineis
configuredforVMwareServerorVMwareGSXServer3.
.
Figure 4-1. With the virtual machine powered off or suspended, you can enter notes
about it, edit its settings or start it. Double-click on a device to configure it.
Forinformationabouttheinventory,seeUsingtheVirtualMachineInventoryon
page 79.
Insteadofusingphysicalbuttonstoturnthiscomputeronandoff,youusebuttonson
thetoolbaratthetopoftheVMwareServerConsolewindow.
Figure 4-2. Toolbar when a virtual machine is powered off (as seen on a Windows host)
ThereareseparatePowerOffandPowerOnbuttons.Whenyoususpendavirtual
machine,thePowerOnbuttonbecomesaResumebutton.
Using Tabs
Whenavirtualmachineisactive,itsvirtualmachinenameappearsonatabatthetop
ofthevirtualmachinedisplay.Toswitchfromonevirtualmachinedisplaytoanother,
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clickthetabofthevirtualmachineyouwanttosee.ItslikeasoftKVMswitch.Youcan
usethisfeatureinthewindowedviewandalsointhequickswitchview.
Figure 4-3. Tabs make it easy to switch among active virtual machines (as seen on a
Windows host)
Youcancloseavirtualmachinestabwithoutinterruptingtheoperationofthevirtual
machine.Ifthevirtualmachineisrunningwhenyouclosethetab,thevirtualmachine
keepsrunninginthebackgroundandwillberunningwhenyouopenitinatabagain.
Toviewthevirtualmachineinthevirtualmachinedisplayagain,clickthevirtual
machineintheinventory.IfyouclosetheHometab,youcanopenitagainbychoosing
View>GotoHomeTab.
Ifyouwanttoviewmorethanonevirtualmachineatthesametime,youcanopen
multipleconsolewindowsandlaunchoneormorevirtualmachinesineach.Toview
virtualmachinesondifferentservers,connectanewconsoletoeachserver.
Configuring a Virtual Machine

Tochangesettingsforavirtualdevice,usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.Choose
VM>Settings,clickthedevicenameinthelistontheleft,thenmakechangesonthe
right.
Figure 4-4. Use the virtual machine settings editor to add, remove and modify virtual
machine components
Formoreinformation,seeUsingDevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 102.
Using the Virtual Machine Inventory

WhenyoucreateavirtualmachinewithVMwareServeritisaddedtotheinventory
automatically.ThisallowsthevirtualmachinetobeaccessedbyaVMwareServer
ConsoleandtheVMwareManagementInterface.
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Theinventorygivesyouaconvenientwaytoopenvirtualmachines.Toaddavirtual
machinetotheinventory(forexample,ifyoucopiedthevirtualmachinefromanother
host,youneedtoaddittotheinventorymanually),chooseFile>Open,clickBrowse,
andbrowsetothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.
Indicatorsontheiconsforvirtualmachinesinthelistshowwhetheravirtualmachine
ispoweredoff,poweredonorsuspended.
Totogglethedisplayoftheinventoryonoroff,pressF9 onbothWindowsandLinux
hosts.OnWindowshostsonly,youcanalso clicktheinventorybutton(
)onthe
toolbar.
Removing a Virtual Machine from the Inventory

Ifyoudonotcurrentlyneedtouseavirtualmachine,butdonotwanttodeleteit,you
canremoveitfromtheinventoryinstead.Thevirtualmachinenolongerappearsinthe
VMwareServerConsoleortheVMwareManagementInterface.
Removingthevirtualmachinefromthelistdoesnotaffectthevirtualmachinesfiles.
To remove a name from the Inventoy
1
Selectavirtualmachinenameinthelist.
ChooseFile>RemovefromInventory.
Displaying Hints
VMwareServercandisplayhintsthatappearinresponsetovariousactionsyoutake
whenyourunavirtualmachine.Thehintsprovidemoreinformationaboutthese
actions.Bydefault,hintsareturnedoff.VMwarerecommendsthatusersnewto
VMwareServerdisplayhints.Todisplayhints,chooseHelp>Hints>ShowEnabled
HintsintheVMwareServerConsole.Toenablehintsthatweredisabled,chooseHelp
>Hints>EnableAllHints.
Youcanhideeachhintonacasebycasebasis.Tohideahint,checkNevershowthis
hintagainbeforedismissingthehintdialogbox.Toenablehintsthatweredisabled,
chooseHelp>Hints>EnableAllHints.
Checking the Status of VMware Tools

Forbestperformance,youshouldinstallVMwareToolsandruninyourvirtual
machine.FormoreinformationaboutVMwareTools,seeUsingVMwareToolson
page 39.
AfteryouinstallVMwareToolsinaWindowsvirtualmachine,theVMwareTools
servicesstartautomaticallywhenyoustarttheguestoperatingsystem.
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Figure 4-5. When VMware Tools is running in a Windows virtual machine, the VMware
Tools icon appears in the system tray unless you disable the icon.
IftheVMwareToolsiconisnotdisplayedinthesystemtray,usetheVMwareTools
controlpanelintheguestoperatingsystem(Start>Settings>ControlPanel>VMware
Tools)tochangesettingsforVMwareTools.Youcanalsoreactivatethesystemtray
icon.OntheOptionstab,checkShowVMwareToolsinthetaskbar.
InaLinuxorFreeBSDvirtualmachine,boottheguestoperatingsystem,startX,and
launchyourgraphicalenvironment.LaunchtheVMwareToolsbackground
applicationwiththiscommand:
vmware-toolbox &
YoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtualdisks,you
mustrunVMwareToolsasroot(su -).Totestandeditscripts,youmustrunVMware
Toolsastherootuser.
InaNetWare5.1orhigherguestoperatingsystem,youaccesstheVMwareTools
controlpanelbychoosingNovell>Settings>VMwareToolsforNetWare.
Withsomewindowmanagers,youcanplacethecommandtostartVMwareTools
automaticallywhenyoustartyourgraphicalenvironment.Consultyourwindow
managersdocumentationfordetails.Formoreinformation,seeStartingVMware
ToolsAutomaticallyonpage 53.
A Reminder About Installing VMware Tools

AnalertappearsinthestatusbaratthelowerleftcorneroftheVMwareServer
windowwhenyourvirtualmachineisnotrunningtheversionofVMwareToolsthat
matchesyourversionofVMwareServer.
TolaunchtheVMwareToolsinstaller,chooseVM>InstallVMwareTools.
NOTE
Yourguestoperatingsystemmustbecompletelyinstalledandrunningwhen
youinstallVMwareTools.
Fordetails,seeInstallingVMwareToolsonpage 41.
Creating a Screen Shot of a Virtual Machine

YoucancaptureascreenshotofavirtualmachineusingVM>CaptureScreen.You
cansavethisimageasabitmap(.bmp)fileonaWindowshostorasaportablenetwork
graphics(.png)fileonaLinuxhost.
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Connecting to Virtual Machines and VMware Server

Hosts
Thissectioncoversthefollowingtopics:
!
ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaWindowsHostorClientonpage 82
ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaLinuxHostorClientonpage 84
ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromtheVMwareManagementInterfaceon
page 85
ConnectingtoaDifferentVMwareServerHostonpage 85
ConnectingtoVMwareGSXServerandOlderVirtualMachinesonpage 86
Connecting to a Virtual Machine from a Windows Host or Client

Toviewaparticularvirtualmachinesdesktop,eitherfromaremoteclientorthelocal
client,attachtheVMwareServerConsoleandconnecttothevirtualmachine.
ToconnecttoavirtualmachinefromaWindowshost:
1
StarttheVMwareServerConsole,eitherbyclickingontheVMwareServer
ConsoleiconorbygoingtoStart>Programs>VMware>VMwareServer>
VMwareServerConsole.
TheVMwareVirtualMachineConsoleConnecttoHostdialogboxappears.
Ifyouareconnectingfromthelocalhost,selectlocalhost.
Toconnecttoaremotehost,specifythehostname,username,andpasswordto
connecttothathost,andclickOK.
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NOTE
IfthisisthefirsttimeyouhavelaunchedVMwareServerandyoudidnot
entertheserialnumberwhenyouinstalledtheproduct(anoption
availableonaWindowshost),youarepromptedtoenterit.Theserial
numberisintheemailmessagethatcamewithyourelectronic
distribution.EnteryourserialnumberandclickOK.
TheserialnumberyouenterissavedandVMwareServerdoesnotaskyouforit
again.Foryourconvenience,VMwareServerautomaticallysendstheserial
numbertotheVMwareWebsitewhenyouusecertainWeblinksbuiltintothe
product(forexample,Help>VMwareontheWeb>RegisterNow!andHelp>
VMwareontheWeb>RequestSupport).Thisallowsustodirectyoutothe
correctWebpagetoregisterandgetsupportforyourproduct.
TheVMwareServerConsolewindowopens.
SelectthenameofthevirtualmachineintheInventorylistattheleftofthe
VMwareServerConsolewindow.
Ifthevirtualmachinedoesnotappearintheinventory,chooseFile>Open,click
Browseandbrowsetotheconfiguration(.vmx)fileforthevirtualmachinetouse.
NOTE
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Bydefault,VMwareServerstoresvirtualmachinesin
<installdrive>:\Virtual Machines\<guestOS>.
Tostartavirtualmachine,clickthePowerOnbutton.
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IfVMwareToolsisnotrunninginthevirtualmachine,clickanywhereinsidethe
virtualmachinewindowtogivethevirtualmachinecontrolofyourmouseand
keyboard.
Tologon,useCtrlAltInsnotCtrlAltDelandtypeyournameandpassword
justasyoudoonaphysicalcomputer.IfyouuseCtrlAltDel,theWindowshost
detectsthecommand.
Connecting to a Virtual Machine from a Linux Host or Client

ToviewaparticularvirtualmachinesdesktopfromalocalLinuxhost,aremoteLinux
hostrunningVMwareServeroraclient,attachtheVMwareServerConsoleand
connecttothevirtualmachine.
YouneedanXservertoruntheVMwareServerConsole.IfanXserverisnotinstalled,
youmustinstalllibxpm.so.4,locatedonyourLinuxdistributiondisk.
1
StarttheVMwareServerConsole.Openaterminalwindow.
ToconnecttheVMwareServerConsoletoavirtualmachine,type:
vmware & for either a local or remote hostPressEnter.
TheConnecttoHostdialogboxappears.
Ifyouareconnectingfromalocalhost,selectLocalhost,andclickConnect.
Toconnecttoaremotehost,selectRemotehost,andspecifythehostname,user
name,andpassword.ClickConnect.
TheVMwareServerConsolewindowopens.
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SelectthenameofthevirtualmachineyouwanttouseintheInventorylistatthe
leftoftheVMwareServerConsolewindow.
IfthevirtualmachinedoesnotappearintheInventory,chooseFile>Openand
clickBrowsetolocatetheconfigurationfile(.vmxor.cfgfile)forthevirtual
machineyouwanttouse.
NOTE
Bydefault,VMwareServerstoresvirtualmachinesin
/var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines/<guestOS>.
Tostartthevirtualmachine,clickthePowerOnbutton.
IfVMwareToolsisnotrunninginthevirtualmachine,clickanywhereinsidethe
virtualmachinedisplaytogivethevirtualmachinecontrolofyourmouseand
keyboard.
Tologon,typeinyournameandpasswordjustasyoudoonaphysicalcomputer.
Connecting to a Virtual Machine from the VMware Management

Interface
Toviewaparticularvirtualmachinesdesktop,youcanattachtheVMwareServer
Consoleandconnecttothevirtualmachine.
FromtheVMwareManagementInterface,clicktheterminalicon( )intherowfor
thevirtualmachinetowhichyouwanttoconnectwiththeVMwareServerConsole.For
moreinformation,seeConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaWindowsHostor
Clientonpage 82andConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaLinuxHostorClient
onpage 84.
Connecting to a Different VMware Server Host

EachVMwareServerConsolecanconnecttooneVMwareServerhostatatime.To
switchhostsfromtheVMwareServerConsole,completethefollowingsteps.
1
FromaVMwareServerConsole,chooseHost>SwitchHost.TheSwitchHost
dialogboxappears.
ChoosewhethertoconnecttothelocalhostoranotherVMwareServerhost.
!
ToconnecttoavirtualmachineonanotherVMwareServerhost,specifythe
hostname,username,andpasswordtoconnecttothathost,thenclickOK.
IfyouwerealreadyconnectedtoadifferentVMwareServerhost,youlosethat
connection.
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Connecting to VMware GSX Server and Older Virtual Machines

WhenyouconnectaVMwareServerConsolefromVMwareServertoVMwareGSX
Server3,theVMwareServerConsolecontrolsadapttoVMwareGSXServer.Features
introducedinVMwareServer,suchasVirtualSMP,arenotavailableonvirtual
machinesrunningVMwareGSXServer3.
AsdiscussedinOverviewoftheVMwareServerConsoleWindowonpage 75,the
HometabandthestatusbarintheVMwareServerConsolewindowdisplaythe
typeVMwareGSXServer3orVMwareServerandversionoftheservertowhich
youareconnecting.
IfyouarerunningVMwareServerwithavirtualmachinecreatedunderVMwareGSX
Server3,thevirtualmachinessummaryinformationindicatesthatitisalegacyvirtual
machine.IfthevirtualmachinewascreatedusingVMwareServerorWorkstation5.x,
thevirtualmachineisconsideredtobeacurrentvirtualmachinewhenrununder
VMwareServer.LookfortheVersioninformationinthevirtualmachinedisplaywhen
thevirtualmachineisnotrunning.
Inaddition,thevirtualmachinesettingseditoridentifiesavirtualmachineasalegacy
virtualmachine.
NOTE
TodeterminewhichversionofanotherVMwareproductisolderthan
VMwareServer,seetheVMwareVirtualMachineMobilityPlanningGuideonthe
VMwareWebsite.Thisguidealsodiscussesmovingvirtualmachines
betweenVMwareproducts.
IfyouarerunninganoldervirtualmachineonaVMwareServerhost,thevirtual
machineisconsideredalegacyvirtualmachineuntilyouupgradethevirtual
hardware.Somelegacyvirtualmachinesettingsaredisabled.Forexample,youcannot
addphysicaldiskstoalegacyvirtualmachineonacurrentVMwareServerhost.
TheabilitiesandlimitationsofconnectingtheVMwareServerConsoletoolderservers
andoldervirtualmachinesareoutlinedbelow.
Configuring the Host

YoucanconfigureahostrunningVMwareServerorVMwareGSXServer3only.You
cannotconfigureahostrunninganyotherversionofVMwareGSXServeroranyother
VMwareproduct.
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Creating and Deleting Virtual Machines

YoucancreatenewvirtualmachinesontheVMwareGSXServer3hostfromthe
VMwareServerConsole.YoucanalsodeletevirtualmachinesrunningonaVMware
GSXServer3hostfromtheVMwareServerConsole.
Upgrading Virtual Hardware

UsingtheVMwareServerConsole,youcanupgradethevirtualhardwareoflegacy
virtualmachinesonlytothevirtualhardwarelevelsupportedbytheVMwareGSX
Server3orVMwareServerhostthatitresideson.Toupgradethevirtualhardwareof
alegacyvirtualmachinecreatedusingVMwareGSXServer2,youmustuninstall
VMwareGSXServeronthehostandinstallVMwareServer.
Afteryouupgradethevirtualhardware,thevirtualmachineisnolongerconsideredto
bealegacyvirtualmachine.Formoreinformationonhowtoupgradethevirtual
hardwareofalegacyvirtualmachine,seeUpgradingVirtualHardwareinthe
Virtual Disk Modes

Youcanspecifyadiskmodeforpersistentornonpersistentvirtualdisks.Fora
discussionofdiskmodes,seeAddingVirtualDiskstoaVirtualMachineonpage 132.
IfyouarerunningalegacyvirtualmachineonaVMwareServerhost,thevirtual
machinesdiskmodesarehonoredbutcannotbemodified.Independentdiskmodes
donotapply(seeIndependentDisksonpage 121).Forinformationonhow
snapshotsworkwithdiskmodes,seeSnapshotsandLegacyDiskModeson
page 117.
Using Snapshots
YoucantakesnapshotsofvirtualmachinesrunningonVMwareGSXServer3when
connectedtotheVMwareGSXServerhostfromaVMwareServerhost.Youcannot
takesnapshotsoflegacyvirtualmachinesrunningonaVMwareServerhost.Formore
information,seeSnapshotsandLegacyDiskModesonpage 117.
Virtual CD-ROM Drive Differences

Youcanenablerawaccessforthevirtualmachine.Thisisknownaslegacyemulation
inVMwareServer.
Virtual Network Interface Card (NIC)

IfyouarerunningaVMwareGSXServer3virtualmachine,youcanchoosethevmxnet
adapteronlyiftheguestoperatingsystemisWindows2000,WindowsXPorWindows
Server2003.
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Product Messages
MessagesthattheVMwareServerConsoledisplaysarebasedontheversionofthe
servertowhichyouareconnecting.Referencestomenuitems,interfaceelementsand
productterminologyarerelevanttothatservertypeandversion,notnecessarilytothe
currentversionofVMwareServer.
Viewing the Tip of the Day

YoucanviewthetipofthedaywhenyouareconnectedtoaVMwareGSXServer3
host.
Changing the Power State of a Virtual Machine

Thefollowingtopicsdiscusswaysyouchangeavirtualmachinespowerstate:
!
UsingPowerOptionsforVirtualMachinesonpage 88
SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachinesonpage 91
ShuttingDownaVirtualMachineonpage 92
PoweringVirtualMachinesOnandOffonpage 92
Using Power Options for Virtual Machines

Thebasicpoweroperationsforavirtualmachineincludepoweringon,poweringoff,
suspending,resuming,andresetting.Theseoptionsareanalogoustothepower
operationsonaphysicalcomputer.
IfVMwareToolsisrunning,youcanrunscriptswhenyouchangethepowerstateofa
virtualmachine.Formoreinformation,seeExecutingScriptsWhentheVirtual
MachinesPowerStateChangesonpage 55.
Whenyouresetavirtualmachine,youcanchooseeithertorestarttheguestoperating
system,whichgracefullyclosesapplicationsandrestartstheguestoperatingsystem,or
toresetthevirtualmachine,whichisthesameaspressingtheresetbuttononaphysical
computer.
Similarly,whenyoupoweroffthevirtualmachine,youcanchooseeithertoshutdown
theguestoperatingsystem,whichgracefullyclosesapplicationsandshutstheguest
operatingsystemdown,ortoturnoffthevirtualmachine,whichisthesameas
pressingthepowerbuttononaphysicalcomputer.
AllthepoweroptionsareavailableonthePowermenu.Themenuitemsmightnotbe
available,dependinguponthecurrentpowerstateofthevirtualmachine.Forexample,
ifthevirtualmachineispoweredoff,youcannotselectanypoweroff,suspend,
resume,orresetoptions.
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Forthepurposeofrunningscriptsintheguestoperatingsystem,thecommandsonthe
Powermenutakeprecedenceoverhowthetoolbarpowerbuttonsareconfigured.
Forexample,iftheSuspendtoolbarbuttonisconfiguredtorunascriptwhenyou
suspendthevirtualmachine,andyoudonotwanttorunthescript,choosePower>
Suspend.Similarly,iftheSuspendtoolbarbuttonisnotconfiguredtorunascript,and
youwanttorunthescriptatthetimeyoususpendthevirtualmachine,choosePower
>Suspendafterrunningscript.
Options for Powering On a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhenpoweringonavirtualmachine:
!
PowerOnpowersonthevirtualmachine.ThisisthesameasclickingthePower
Onbuttononthetoolbar.Whenthevirtualmachineissuspended,thismenuitem
appearsasResume.
PowerOnandRunScriptpowersonthevirtualmachine,thenexecutesthe
associatedscript.
Options for Powering Off a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhenpoweringoffavirtualmachine:
!
PowerOffpowersoffthevirtualmachine.Thisissimilartoturningoffa
physicalcomputerbypressingitspowerbutton,soanyprogramsrunninginthe
virtualmachinecouldbeadverselyaffected.
ShutDownGuestrunstheassociatedscript,thengracefullyshutstheguest
operatingsystemdownand,iftheguestoperatingsystemsupportsAdvanced
PowerManagement,powersoffthevirtualmachine.Thisisthesameaschoosing
Start>ShutDown>ShutDowninaWindowsoperatingsystemorissuinga
shutdowncommandinaLinuxoperatingsystem.
Youcanconfigurethestopbutton( )onthetoolbartopoweroffthevirtualmachine
orshutdowntheguestoperatingsystem.ChooseVM>Settings,thenclickOptions>
Power,andchoosethedesiredactioninthelistunderPowerControls.
Options for Suspending a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhensuspendingavirtualmachine:
!
Suspendsuspendsthevirtualmachine.
SuspendafterRunningScriptexecutestheassociatedscript,thensuspendsthe
virtualmachine.
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Options for Resuming a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhenresumingavirtualmachine:
!
Resumeresumesthesuspendedvirtualmachine.Whenthevirtualmachineis
poweredoff,thismenuitemappearsasPowerOn.
ResumeandRunScriptresumesthesuspendedvirtualmachine,thenexecutes
theassociatedscript.
Options for Resetting a Virtual Machine

Choosefromthefollowingoptionswhenresettingavirtualmachine:
!
Resetresetsthevirtualmachine.Thisissimilartoresettingaphysicalcomputer
bypressingitsresetbutton,soanyprogramsrunninginthevirtualmachinecould
beadverselyaffected.
RestartGuestgracefullyrestartsthevirtualmachine.Thisisthesameas
choosingStart>ShutDown>RestartinaWindowsoperatingsystemorissuing
arebootcommandinaLinuxoperatingsystem.
Youcanconfiguretheresetbutton(
)onthetoolbartoresetthevirtualmachineor
restarttheguestoperatingsystem.ChooseVM>Settings,thenclickOptions>Power,
andchoosethedesiredactioninthelistunderPowerControls.
Changing a Virtual Machines Power State from the Management

Interface
Dependinguponyourpermissions,youcanchangethepowerstateofthevirtual
machineintheVMwareManagementInterface.Yourpermissionsarelistedinthe
UsersandEventstabforthevirtualmachine.Formoreinformation,seeViewinga
ListofConnectedUsers.
Tochangethevirtualmachinespowerstate,clickthebuttonthatcorrespondstothe
virtualmachinescurrentpowerstate.Apopupmenuappears,displayingthe
followingbuttons:
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Table 4-2.
Button
Description
Shutsdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpowersoffthevirtual
machine.Anyopenapplicationsclose,theguestoperatingsystemshuts
down,thenVMwareServerpowersoffthevirtualmachine.VMware
Toolsexecutesanyscriptassociatedwiththispowerstatechange.When
thisiconisred,thevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
Suspendsarunningvirtualmachine.VMwareToolsexecutesanyscript
associatedwiththispowerstatechange.Whenthisiconisamber,the
virtualmachineissuspended.
Powersonastoppedvirtualmachineorresumesasuspendedvirtual
machine.VMwareToolsexecutesanyscriptassociatedwiththispower
statechange.Whenthisiconisgreen,thevirtualmachineisrunning.
Restartsaguestoperatingsystem.Anyopenapplicationsclose,theguest
operatingsystemshutsdown,thenVMwareServerrestartstheguest.
VMwareToolsexecutesanyscriptassociatedwiththispowerstate
change.
Changingthepowerstateexecutesanyscriptassociatedwiththepowerstatechange.
Formoreinformationaboutrunningscripts,seeExecutingScriptsWhentheVirtual
MachinesPowerStateChangesonpage 55.
Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines

Youcansavethecurrentstateofyourvirtualmachinebysuspendingit.Later,youcan
resumethevirtualmachinetopickupworkquickly,rightwhereyoustoppedwith
alldocumentsyouwereworkingonopenandallapplicationsinthestatetheywereat
thetimeyoususpendedthevirtualmachine.
Tosuspendavirtualmachine:
1
Ifyourvirtualmachineisrunninginfullscreenmode,returntowindowmodeby
pressingtheCtrlAltkeycombination.
ClickSuspendontheVMwareServerConsoletoolbar.
Toresumeasuspendedvirtualmachine:
1
StarttheVMwareServerConsoleandchooseasuspendedvirtualmachine.The
processisthesameasthatdescribedinConnectingtoVirtualMachinesand
VMwareServerHostsonpage 82.
ClickResumeontheVMwareServerConsoletoolbar.
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Notethatanyapplicationsyouwererunningatthetimeyoususpendedthevirtual
machinearerunningandthecontentisthesameasitwaswhenyoususpended
thevirtualmachine.
Formoreinformation,seeSuspendingandResumingVirtualMachinesonpage 109.
TosuspendandresumeavirtualmachinefromtheVMwareManagementInterface,
seeChangingaVirtualMachinesPowerStatefromtheManagementInterfaceon
page 90.
Shutting Down a Virtual Machine

Aswithphysicalcomputers,youneedtoshutdownyourguestoperatingsystem
beforeyoupoweroffyourvirtualmachine.Followthestandardstepsyoualsofollow
inthehostoperatingsystem.
Forexample,inaWindowsguestoperatingsystem,takethesesteps.
1
SelectShutDownfromtheStartmenuoftheguestoperatingsystem(insidethe
virtualmachine).
SelectShutDown,thenclickOK.
Aftertheguestoperatingsystemshutsdown,youcanturnoffthevirtualmachine.
ClickPowerOff.
Powering Virtual Machines On and Off

YoucanconfigureavirtualmachinetopoweronautomaticallywhentheVMware
Serverhoststarts.Whenthehostshutsdown,youcanspecifywhethertopoweroffthe
virtualmachineorshutdowntheguestoperatingsystem.
Youcanenablethesesettingsaslongasthestartupandshutdownoptionsarenot
disabledfortheserver.SeeConfiguringStartupandShutdownOptionsforVirtual
Machines.
Tospecifytheseoptions,thevirtualmachinemustbeconfiguredtorunaseitherthe
localsystemaccountorasaspecificuser.Thevirtualmachinecannotbeconfiguredto
runastheuserthatpowersiton.
Youcanchangethestartupandshutdownoptionswhetherthevirtualmachineis
poweredonorpoweredoff.
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Setting Startup and Shutdown Options from the VMware Server Console
ToconfigureavirtualmachinesstartupandshutdownoptionsfromtheVMware
ServerConsole,completethefollowingsteps.
1
IntheVMwareServerConsole,selectthevirtualmachine,andchooseVM>
Settings.Thevirtualmachinesettingseditoropens.
ClicktheOptionstab,andclickStartup/Shutdown.
UnderStartup/ShutdownOptions,choosewhetheryouwantthisvirtualmachine
topoweronautomaticallywhentheVMwareServerhoststartsup,andwhether
youwanttopoweroffthevirtualmachineorshutdowntheguestoperating
systemwhenthehostshutsdown.
Topoweronthevirtualmachinewhenthehoststarts,selectPoweronthevirtual
machineintheOnhoststartuplist.
Topoweroffthevirtualmachineorshutdowntheguestwhenthehostshuts
down,selecttheappropriateoptionintheOnhostshutdownlist.
ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Youcannotconfigureavirtualmachinetostartuporshutdownautomaticallywhen
thehoststartsorshutsdownuntilthehostisconfiguredaccordingly.Toconfigurethe
host,seeConfiguringStartupandShutdownOptionsforVirtualMachines.You
mustlogontotheVMwareManagementInterfaceasanadministratortoconfigurethe
VMwareServerhost.
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Setting Startup and Shutdown Options from the Management Interface

ToconfigureavirtualmachinesstartupandshutdownoptionsfromtheVMware
ManagementInterface,completethefollowingsteps.
1
OntheStatusMonitorpageoftheVMwareManagementInterface,clickthevirtual
machinemenuicon( ),thenchooseConfigureOptions.TheOptionstabforthe
virtualmachineappears.
ClickEditunderSystemStartupOptionsorSystemShutdownOptions.The
Optionspageappears.
Toallowthevirtualmachinetostartupwhenthesystemstartsup,checktheStart
VirtualMachinecheckbox.
SpecifytheperiodoftimebeforethenextvirtualmachinestartsintheContinue
StartingVirtualMachinesAfterlist.Choosethenumberofminutesorwhether
VMwareServershouldnotwaitbeforestartingthenextvirtualmachine.Ifyou
selectOther,apromptappears;specifyinthepromptthenumberofminutesto
wait.TheSystemDefaultisspecifiedinConfiguringStartupandShutdown
OptionsforVirtualMachines.
TospecifythatVMwareToolsshouldstartinavirtualmachinebeforethenext
virtualmachinestarts,checkthewhenVMwareToolsstartscheckbox.IfVMware
Toolsdoesnotstartinthevirtualmachinebeforethespecifiedtimeelapses,
VMwareServerstartsthenextvirtualmachine.
Specifywhathappenstothevirtualmachinewhenthesystemshutsdown.Inthe
AtSystemShutdown,Attempttolist,selectwhetheryouwanttopoweroffthe
virtualmachine,shutdowntheguestoperatingsystem,orsuspendthevirtual
machine.
ConfigurewhenVMwareServershouldstopthenextvirtualmachineafterthis
virtualmachinestopsintheContinueStoppingOtherVirtualMachinesAfter
list.Choosethenumberofminutes,ifany,thatVMwareServershouldwaitbefore
stoppingthenextvirtualmachine.IfyouselectOther,apromptappears;specify
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inthepromptthenumberofminutestowait.TheSystemDefaultisspecifiedin
ConfiguringStartupandShutdownOptionsforVirtualMachines.
5
ClickOKtosaveyoursettings.
ClickCloseWindowtoreturntothevirtualmachinesOptionspage.
Controlling the Virtual Machine Display

Thereareavarietyofwaysforyoutocontrolhowyourvirtualmachinesdisplayinthe
VMwareServerConsolewindow.Theyinclude:
!
UsingFullScreenModeonpage 95
UsingQuickSwitchModeonpage 95
TakingAdvantageofMultipleMonitorsonpage 96
FittingtheVMwareServerConsoleWindowtotheVirtualMachineonpage 97
FittingaWindowsGuestOSDisplaytotheConsoleWindowonpage 97
SimplifyingtheScreenDisplayonpage 98
Using Full Screen Mode

Tohavethevirtualmachinesdisplayfillthescreensoyounolongerseetheborders
oftheVMwareServerConsolewindowclicktheFullScreenbuttononthetoolbar.
YoucanalsouseakeyboardshortcutpresstheCtrlAltEnterkeysatthesametime.
ToexitfullscreenmodetoshowyourvirtualmachineinsideaVMwareServer
ConsolewindowagainpresstheCtrlAltkeycombination.
Youcanconfigurethevirtualmachinetoenterfullscreenmodewhenyoupoweriton.
IntheVMwareServerConsole,chooseVM>Settings,thenclickOptions>Power.
SelecttheEnterfullscreenmodeafterpoweringoncheckbox,andclickOK.
NOTE
VMwareServerdoesnotsupportrunningvirtualmachinesinfullscreen
modeondualmonitorsystems.
Using Quick Switch Mode

Quickswitchmodeissimilartofullscreenmode,exceptitaddstabsatthetopofthe
screenforswitchingfromoneactivevirtualmachinetoanother.Thevirtualmachines
displayresizestofillthescreencompletely,exceptforthespaceoccupiedbythetabs.
Toenterquickswitchmode,chooseView>QuickSwitch.
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95
ToviewtheVMwareServermenusandtoolbarwhileyouareusingquickswitchmode,
movethemousepointertothetopofthescreen.
ToresizeaWindowsguestoperatingsystemsdisplaysoitfillsasmuchofthescreen
aspossibleinquickswitchmode,chooseView>FitGuestNow.TheFitGuestNow
optionworksonlyifyouhavethecurrentversionofVMwareToolsinstalledinthe
guestoperatingsystemandyoudisabledAutofit.
NOTE
WhenyouchooseFitGuestNow,VMwareServeradjuststhedisplaysettings
ofyourWindowsguestoperatingsystemasneeded.Ifyousubsequentlyrun
thevirtualmachineinwindowmode,youmightwanttochangethedisplay
settingsbacktotheirpreviousvalues.
Togetoutofquickswitchmode,movethemousepointertothetopofthescreento
activatethemenu,thenchooseView>QuickSwitch.
Taking Advantage of Multiple Monitors

Ifyourhosthasastandardmultiplemonitordisplay,youcanrunseparatesetsof
virtualmachinesoneachofthemonitors.Tousetwomonitors,launchtwoinstancesof
theVMwareServerConsole.Startoneormorevirtualmachinesineachconsole
windowanddrageachconsolewindowtothemonitoronwhichyouwanttouseit.For
thelargestpossiblescreendisplay,usequickswitchmode(View>QuickSwitch).
Toswitchmouseandkeyboardinputfromthevirtualmachineonthefirstscreentothe
virtualmachineonthesecondscreen,movethemousepointerfromonetotheother.
YoudonotneedtotakeanyspecialstepsifVMwareToolsisrunninginbothguest
operatingsystemsandifyouareusingthedefaultsettingsforgrabbinginput.Ifyou
havechangedthedefaults,youmightneedtopressCtrlAlttoreleasethemouse
pointerfromthefirstvirtualmachineMovethemousepointertothesecondvirtual
machineandclickitsoitgrabscontrolofmouseandkeyboardinput.
NOTE
MultiplemonitorsupportisexperimentalinthisreleaseofVMwareServer.It
doesnotworkproperlywithsomethirdpartydesktopmanagementsoftware
ordisplaydrivers.
Ifyouswitchtofullscreenmode,VMwareServeralwaysusestheprimarydisplay.To
usemultiplemonitors,youmustuseeitherthenormal(windowed)modeorquick
switchmode.
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Fitting the VMware Server Console Window to the Virtual

Machine
TheViewmenugivesyoutwowaystoadjustthesizeoftheVMwareServerConsole
windowsoitexactlyfitsthevirtualmachinesdisplay.
Autofitistoggledonoroffeachtimeyouclickit.WhenAutofitison,theVMware
ServerConsolewindowadjustsautomaticallytofitthevirtualmachinesdisplay.
Whenitisoff,youcanadjusttheVMwareServerConsolewindowtoasizeofyour
choice.IfyoumaketheVMwareServerConsolewindowsmallerthanthevirtual
machinesdisplay,scrollbarsappearsoyoucanmovetothepartofthevirtual
machinesdisplaythatyouwanttosee.
IfAutofitisoff,youcanchooseView>FitWindowNowtoadjustthewindowsoit
fitsthevirtualmachinesdisplay.
Fitting a Windows Guest OS Display to the Console Window

IfyourWindowsguestoperatingsystemissettoadisplayresolutionlargerorsmaller
thanthesizeofthevirtualmachinewindow,youcanmakeitfitexactlybychoosing
View>FitGuestNow.
WhenyouchooseFitGuestNow,VMwareServeradjuststhedisplaysettingsofyour
Windowsguestoperatingsystemasneeded.Ifyousubsequentlyrunthevirtual
machineinwindowmode,youmightwanttochangethedisplaysettingsbacktotheir
previousvalues.
NOTE
WhenyouusetheFitGuestNowoptionandthewindowissmall,yourguest
operatingsystemsscreenresolutionmightbesettosomethingsmallerthan
VGA(640x480).Someinstallersandotherprogramsdonotrunatresolutions
smallerthan640x480.Ifeitherthewidthorheightissmallerthanthe
correspondingdimensionrequiredforVGA,theprogramsrefusetorun.
ErrormessagescanincludesuchphrasesasVGARequiredToInstallor
YoumusthaveVGAtoinstall.
Therearetwowaystoworkaroundthisproblem.
!
Ifyourhostcomputersscreenresolutionishighenough,youcanenlargethe
window,andchooseFitGuestNow.
Ifyourhostcomputersscreenresolutiondoesnotallowyoutoenlargethe
windowenough,donotuseFitGuestNow.Instead,settheguestoperating
systemsscreenresolutionto640x480orlarger.
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Simplifying the Screen Display

YoucanhidemanyofthecontrolsvisibleintheVMwareServerConsolewindow.
UsetheViewmenutotogglethefollowingcontrolsonoroff:
!
Inventory
Toolbar
Statusbar
Virtualmachinetabs
OnaWindowshost,youcanalsohidethemenubar.Clickthetitlebaricon,thenchoose
HideControls.
ChoosingHideControlshidesthemenubar,thetoolbar,thestatusbar,andthe
inventory.
ForthesimplestpossibleVMwareServerConsolewindowonaWindowshost,first
chooseView>Tabstoturnoffthetabs.Then,fromthetitlebariconshortcutmenu,
chooseHideControls.
Running Virtual Machines from DVDs or CD-ROM Discs

YoucanstoreavirtualdiskonDVD/CDROM,andrunthevirtualmachinefromyour
VMwareServerhostsDVD/CDROMdrive.Youdonothavetocopythevirtualdisk
filesfromtheDVD/CDROMtotheVMwareServerhost.
OnesuggesteduseforthismethodistoinstallVMwareServeronahostyouwantto
useforproductdemonstrations,whichcouldbealaptop.Insteadoftakinguplimited
harddiskspacewithvirtualdisks,youcanhaveanynumberofvirtualmachineswith
virtualdisksburnedontoDVDorCDROMandpointeachvirtualmachines
configurationfiletothevirtualdiskontheDVDorCDROM.
Otherusesincludesalesorproofofconceptdemonstrationswhereyouwanttokeep
virtualdiskfilesoffacustomerssystembutwanttoillustrateamultiplemachine
demonstrationinthecustomersenvironment.Oryoucanhavemultiplephysical
serversinadatacenterrunvirtualmachineswithoutcopyingthevirtualdiskfilestothe
serversthemselves.Yetanotheruseis,ifyouneedamastervirtualmachineforsome
purpose,youcancreateawriteprotectedcopyofyouroriginalvirtualmachine.
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Thevirtualdiskmustbeanindependentdiskinnonpersistentmode,sinceanychanges
youmakeinthevirtualmachinecannotbewrittentotheDVDorCDROM.Theredo
logforthevirtualmachinemustbeontheVMwareServerhost.Formoreinformation
aboutindependentdisks,seeIndependentDisksonpage 121.
NOTE
Ifyoutakeasnapshotofthevirtualmachineandyouwanttosavethechanges
madetothevirtualdiskafterthesnapshotwastaken,youmustcopythe
virtualdisktotheVMwareServerhostsharddrive,thenupdatethesnapshot.
Inaddition,ifyoucopythediskfiletoaWindowshost,youneedtomakethe
diskfilewritable.
BeforeyourunavirtualmachinewithavirtualdiskstoredonDVDorCDROM,you
shouldconsiderwhetheryoumayneedtomodifythevirtualmachinesBIOSatsome
point.Inthiscase,thevirtualmachinesBIOS,whichisstoredinafilecallednvram,
mustbelocatedontheVMwareServerhost.Or,youcanaddasettingtothevirtual
machinesconfigurationfilethatallowsforthenvramfiletobeontheDVD/CDROM,
whereitcannotbemodified.
NOTE
Theperformanceofthevirtualmachineaccessingavirtualdiskstoredona
DVDorCDROMdependsonthespeedoftheDVD/CDROMdrive.Keepin
mindthatavirtualmachineonaDVD/CDROMdriverunsslowerthanit
wouldifitwererunningonyourhostsharddisk.
TorunavirtualmachinewithavirtualdiskstoredonDVDorCDROM,completethe
followingsteps.
1
Createavirtualmachineandinstalltheguestoperatingsystemandany
applicationsyouneedwithinit.
Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Burnthevirtualdisk(.vmdk)files
ontoaDVDorCDROM.PlacetheDVDorCDROMintotheVMwareServer
hostsDVD/CDROMdrive.
ChooseVM>Settingstoopenthevirtualmachinesettingseditorforthisvirtual
machine.OntheHardwaretab,selectVirtualDiskandbrowsetothevirtualdisk
fileontheDVD/CDROM.
ClickAdvanced.UnderMode,checkIndependentandsetthediskmodeto
Nonpersistent.ClickOKtosavethesesettings.
OntheOptionstab,selectGeneral.UnderWorkingdirectory,browsetoandselect
alocationfortheredologontheVMwareServerhost.
ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.Thevirtualmachinesettingseditorcloses.
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Inatexteditor,openthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx)andaddtwoof
thefollowinglinestothefile:
disk.locking = FALSE
nvram = <path on VMware Server host>\nvram(ifyouthinkyouneedtomodify
thevirtualmachinesBIOS)
or
nvram.mode = "nonpersistent"(ifyoudonotneedtomodifythevirtualmachines
BIOS)
Saveyourchangesandclosetheconfigurationfile.
ThevirtualmachineisnowreadytoberunwiththevirtualdiskontheVMwareServer
hostsDVD/CDROMdrive.
NOTE
Anothermethodyoucanuseistoburnallvirtualmachinefiles(the
configurationfile,nvram,andvirtualdiskfiles)ontoDVDorCDROM.First
makesuretheredologdirectorypointstoadriveonyourVMwareServer
hostandthattheconfigurationfilehasallthedesiredsettingsbeforeyouburn
thefilesontotheDVD/CDROM.
Using PXE with Virtual Machines

Youcanuseaprebootexecutionenvironment(commonlyknownasPXE)toboota
virtualmachineoveranetwork.WhenyouusePXEwithavirtualmachine,youcan:
!
Remotelyinstallaguestoperatingsystemoveranetworkwithoutneedingthe
operatingsysteminstallationmedia.
Deployanimageofavirtualdisktothevirtualmachine.
BootaLinuxvirtualmachineoverthenetworkandrunitdiskless.
YouusePXEwithyourvirtualmachineinconjunctionwithremoteinstallationtools
suchasWindows2000RemoteInstallationServicesortheRedHatLinux9.0installers
PXEpackage.YoucanuseGhostorAltiristostreamanimageofanalreadyconfigured
virtualdisktoanewvirtualmachine.
Makesurethevirtualmachinehasavirtualnetworkadapter;oneisinstalledby
default.VMwaresupportsPXEwhenthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouseeitherthe
vmxnetorvlancevirtualnetworkadapter.
Thevirtualmachinemusthaveavirtualdiskwithoutaguestoperatingsystem
installed.
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Whenavirtualmachinebootsandthereisnoguestoperatingsysteminstalled,it
proceedstobootfromdevices(harddisk,CDROMdrive,floppydrive,andnetwork
adapter)intheorderinwhichtheyoccurinthebootsequencespecifiedinthevirtual
machinesBIOS.IfyouplantousePXEwithavirtualmachine,itisagoodideatoput
thenetworkadapteratthetopofthebootorder.Whenthevirtualmachinefirstboots,
pressF2toenterthevirtualmachinesBIOSandchangethebootorderthere.
Asthevirtualmachinebootsfromthenetworkadapter,ittriestoconnecttoaDHCP
server.TheDHCPserverprovidesthevirtualmachinewithanIPaddressandalistof
anyPXEserversavailableonthenetwork.AfterthevirtualmachineconnectstoaPXE
server,itcanconnecttoabootablediskimage(suchasanoperatingsystemimageora
GhostorAltirisdiskimage)andstartinstallingaguestoperatingsystem.
VMwarehastestedandsupportsthefollowingPXEconfigurationswithVMware
Server:
!
RemoteinstallationofaWindowsServer2003guestoperatingsystemfroma
serverrunningWindowsServer2003AutomatedDeploymentServices
RemoteinstallationofaWindows2000guestoperatingsystemfromaserver
runningWindows2000Server/AdvancedServerRemoteInstallationServices
RemoteinstallationofaLinuxguestoperatingsystemfromaRedHatEnterprise
Linux3.0ASPXEbootserver
RemoteinstallationofasupportedguestoperatingsystemfromaGhostimage
usingWindows2000andGhostRISBootpackage
RemoteinstallationofasupportedguestoperatingsystemfromanAltirisimage
usingaWindows2000Altirisserver
NetworkbootingaLinuxvirtualmachinebyconnectingwiththeLinuxDiskless
optiontoaRedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0ASserver
Installing Software in a Virtual Machine

Installingsoftwareinavirtualmachineisjustlikeinstallingitonaphysicalcomputer.
Forexample,toinstallsoftwareinaWindowsvirtualmachine,completethefollowing
steps:
1
Besureyouhavestartedthevirtualmachineand,ifnecessary,loggedon.Inthe
VMwareServerConsolewindow,checkVM>RemovableDevicestobesurethe
virtualmachinehasaccesstotheCDROMdriveand,ifneeded,thefloppydrive.
InserttheinstallationCDROMorfloppydiskintotheproperdriveonthe
VMwareServerhost.IfyouareinstallingfromaCDROM,theinstallation
programmightstartautomatically.
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Iftheinstallationprogramdoesnotstartautomatically,clicktheWindowsStart
button,gotoSettings>ControlPanel,thendoubleclickAdd/RemovePrograms
andclicktheInstallbutton.Followtheinstructionsonscreenandintheuser
manualforyournewsoftware.
NOTE
Someapplicationsuseaproductactivationfeaturethatcreatesakey,basedon
thevirtualhardwareinthevirtualmachinewhereitisinstalled.Changesin
theconfigurationofthevirtualmachinemightrequireyoutoreactivatethe
software.Tominimizethenumberofsignificantchanges,setthefinal
memorysizeforyourvirtualmachineandinstallVMwareToolsbeforeyou
activatethesoftware.
Whenyoutrytorunafewprograms,includingtheinstallerfortheJapaneselanguage
versionofTrendMicroVirusBuster,theVMwareServermightappeartohang.To
workaroundthisproblem,trydisablingaccelerationintheguest.Formore
information,seeIssuesInstallingorRunningApplicationsinaGuestOperating
System.
Cutting, Copying, and Pasting Text

WhenVMwareToolsisrunning,youcancut(orcopy)andpastetextbetween
applicationsinthevirtualmachineandthehostcomputerorbetweentwovirtual
machines.Usethenormalhotkeysormenuchoicestocut,copy,andpaste.
NOTE
IfyouarecopyingtextfromaWindowshostintoaLinuxguestoperating
system,youcanpasteonlybyusingthemiddlemousebutton.Ifyouareusing
atwobuttonmouse,clickbothmousebuttonsatthesametimetopaste.
Toturnoffthisfeaturetopreventaccidentalcopyingandpastingfromone
environmenttoanotherchangeyourpreferences.
ChooseEdit>Preferences.OntheInputtab,cleartheEnablecopyandpastetoand
fromvirtualmachinecheckbox.
Using Devices in a Virtual Machine

Thefollowingsectionsprovideanoverviewonthedevicesinyourvirtualmachine.
102
Adding,Configuring,andRemovingDevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 103
ConnectingandDisconnectingRemovableDevicesonpage 104
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Adding, Configuring, and Removing Devices in a Virtual

Machine
Thevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)isthecontrolcenterwhereyoucan
adddevicestoavirtualmachine,changethesettingsforthosedevices,andremove
them.Inaddition,youcanadd,change,andremovedevicesintheVMware
ManagementInterface.
FormoreinformationaboutVirtualSMPandhowtoconfigureavirtualmachinetouse
twovirtualprocessorsonahostmachinethathasatleasttwologicalprocessors,see
UsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(Experimental)onpage 244.
Formoreinformationaboutaddingandconfiguringdevicessuchasparallelports,
serialports,USBcontrollers,andgenericSCSIdevices,seeConfiguringDeviceson
page 211.
Forinformationonaddingandconfiguringvirtualdisks,physicaldisks,
DVD/CDROMdrivesandfloppydrives,seeUsingDisksinaVirtualMachineon
page 119.
NOTE
Youcanconfigureparallelports,serialports,DVD/CDROMdrives,floppy
drives,andsounddrivers(Linuxonly)asautodetectdevices.Thebenefitof
autodetectdevicesisthattheycanbemovedbetweenvirtualmachines
runningdifferentoperatingsystems,suchasLinuxandWindows,without
havingtobereconfigured.
Forinformationonaddingandconfiguringvirtualnetworkadapters,seeAddingand
ModifyingVirtualNetworkAdaptersonpage 162.
Forinformationonconfiguringvirtualmachinememory,seeAllocatingMemorytoa
VirtualMachineonpage 251.
Toremoveadeviceorotherhardwarefromavirtualmachine,makesureitispowered
off.YoucanremovehardwareusingtheVMwareServerConsoleortheVMware
ManagementInterface.
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VMware, Inc.
Youcannotaddorremovesomeitemsfromavirtualmachine,suchasthe
processor,SCSIcontrollers,orthevirtualdisplayadapter.VMwareServer
createsSCSIcontrollersasneededwhenyouaddSCSIdevices.However,the
numberofvirtualSCSIcontrollersisincludedinthesixvirtualPCIslotlimit
foravirtualmachine.ForinformationonwhichdevicesusePCIslots,see
VirtualMachineSpecificationsonpage 12.
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Removing Hardware Using the VMware Server Console

Toremovehardwarefromavirtualmachine,makesurethevirtualmachineispowered
off,thencompletethefollowingsteps.
1
IntheVMwareServerConsole,selectthevirtualmachine,thenclickEditvirtual
machinesettings.Thevirtualmachinesettingseditorappears.
Selecttheitemyouwanttoremove,thenclickRemove.
ClickOKtosavethechangeandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Connecting and Disconnecting Removable Devices

ChooseVM>RemovableDevicestoconnectanddisconnectremovabledevicesthat
youhaveconfiguredforavirtualmachineincludingfloppydrives,DVD/CDROM
drives,USBdevicesandEthernetadapterswhilethevirtualmachineisrunning.
WhenyouchooseVM>RemovableDevices,asubmenuappears.Chooseadevice
fromthatmenutoconnectordisconnectit,andtoeditdevicesettings.Ifyouchoose
Edit,adialogboxappears.Makeallthechangesyouwanttomake,thenclickOK.
Command Reference
Thefollowingsectionsdescribecommandlineoptionsthatareavailablewhenyou
launchtheVMwareServerConsoleandkeyboardshortcutsthatyoucanusewhilea
virtualmachineisrunning.
104
StartupOptionsonaLinuxHostonpage 105
StartupOptionsonaWindowsHostonpage 106
UsingKeyboardShortcutsonpage 106
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Startup Options on a Linux Host

ThefollowinglistdescribesvariousoptionsavailablewhenyourunVMwareServer
fromthecommandlineonaLinuxhostoperatingsystem.Youcanalsosetthepower
optionswhenyouchangeavirtualmachinespoweroptions.SeeUsingPower
OptionsforVirtualMachinesonpage 88.
vmware [-x] [-X] [-q] [-v] [-s] [-l]
[/<path_to_config>/<config>.vmx]
[X toolkit options]
-xautomaticallypowersonthevirtualmachinewhentheVMwareServerConsoleis
launched.ThisisequivalenttoclickingthePowerOnbuttoninthetoolbar.
-Xautomaticallypowersonthevirtualmachine,thenswitchestheVMwareServer
Consolewindowtofullscreenmode.
NOTE
ThisoptiondoesnotworkwhenyouconnectwiththeVMwareServer
ConsolefromaremoteclienttotheVMwareServerhost.
-qclosesthevirtualmachinestabwhenthevirtualmachinepowersoff.Ifnoother
virtualmachineisopen,italsoclosestheVMwareServerConsole.Thisisparticularly
usefulwhentheguestoperatingsystemiscapableofpoweringoffthevirtualmachine.
-l launchestheVMwareServerConsole,connectingitdirectlytothelocalhost.
-vdisplaystheproductname,versionandbuildnumber.
-s NAME=VALUEsetsaconfigurationvariablecallednametovalue.Thisconfiguration
settingappliesuntilthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Thesesettingsarefoundinthe
virtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.Youshouldusethisoptiononlyifyouknow
theexactvariableandvaluetouse;typicallyyouusethiswhenyouaretroubleshooting
issues,andVMwaresupportsuggestsyouuseaparticularconfigurationsetting.
-mautomaticallystartsthevirtualmachineinquickswitchmode.Thisoptionworksfor
virtualmachinesrunningonLinuxhostsonly.Forinformationonquickswitchmode,
seeUsingQuickSwitchModeonpage 95.
/<path_to_config>/<config>.vmx(or.cfg)launchesavirtualmachineusingthe
specifiedconfigurationfile.
Xtoolkitoptionscanbepassedasarguments,althoughsomeofthem(mostnotablythe
sizeandtitleoftheVMwareServerConsolewindow)cannotbeoverridden.
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Options to Use when Connecting Remotely

Ifyouareconnectingtoavirtualmachinefromaremoteclient,youcanusethe
followingoptions:
-h <host>toconnecttoaspecifichost.
-P <portNumber>toconnecttothehostoverthespecifiedport.Port902isthedefault
porttheVMwareServerConsoleuseswithremoteconnections.Forinformationabout
theportnumber,seeChangingthePortNumberforVMwareServerConsole
Connections.
-u <username>specifiestheusernametousewhenyoulogontoaremotehost.
-w <password>specifiesthepasswordtousewhenyoulogontoaremotehost.
Startup Options on a Windows Host

YoucanalsousetheLinuxswitchesdescribedonaWindowshost.Themost
convenientwaytousetheswitchesistoincorporatethemintothecommandgenerated
byaWindowsshortcut.
Createtheshortcut,rightclicktheshortcut,thenclickProperties.IntheTargetfield,
addanyswitchesyouwanttouseafterthevmware.exefilename.Forexample,
"C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmware.exe" -X "C:\Virtual
Machines\Windows Server 2003\Windows Server 2003.vmx"
launchesthespecifiedWindowsServer2003virtualmachine,powersiton
automaticallyandswitchestofullscreenmode.
Besuretoenclosepathsinquotationmarksiftheycontainspaces.
NOTE
Theconfigurationfilehasa.vmxextensionbydefault.Pathnameson
Windowsusethebackslashcharacter(\).Xtoolkitoptionsarenotrelevanton
aWindowshost.
Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Toworkfromthekeyboard,usethekeyboardshortcutsprovidedinthissection.Ifyou
havechangedthePreferencessettingforthehotkeycombination,substituteyournew
settingforCtrlAltasneededintheshortcutslistedinTable43.
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Table 4-3.
Shortcut
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Action
CtrlB
Poweron.
CtrlE
Poweroff.
CtrlR
Resetthepower.
CtrlZ
Suspend.
CtrlN
Createanewvirtualmachine.
CtrlO
Openavirtualmachine.
CtrlF4
Closethecurrentvirtualmachine.
CtrlD
Editthevirtualmachinesconfiguration.
CtrlG
Grabinputfromthekeyboardandmouse.
CtrlP
Editpreferences.SeeSettingUserPreferencesfortheVMware
ServerHost.
CtrlAltEnter
Gotofullscreenmode.
CtrlAlt
Returntonormal(windowed)mode.
CtrlAltTab
Switchamongopenvirtualmachineswhilethemouseandkeyboard
inputaregrabbed.
CtrlTab
inputarenotgrabbed.VMwareServermustbetheactiveapplication.
CtrlShiftTab
inputarenotgrabbed.VMwareServermustbetheactiveapplication.
CtrlAltFx
Switchamongopenvirtualmachineswhileusingfullscreenmode.Fx
isafunctionkeycorrespondingtothevirtualmachineyouwantto
use.Thekeycombinationtouseforavirtualmachineisshowninthe
VMwareServertitlebarwhenthatvirtualmachineisactiveandin
normal(windowed)mode.
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Preserving the State of a Virtual
C HAPTER 5
Machine
VMwareServerprovidestwowaystopreservethestateofavirtualmachine.Youcan
eithersuspendandresumevirtualmachinesortakesnapshotsofvirtualmachines.This
chapterdescribesthesefeaturesandcoversthefollowingtopics:
!
SuspendingandResumingVirtualMachinesonpage 109
TakingSnapshotsonpage 112
Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines

Thesuspendandresumefeatureismostusefulwhenyouwanttosavethecurrentstate
ofyourvirtualmachineandpickupworklaterwiththevirtualmachineinthesame
stateaswhenyoustopped.
Afteryouresumethevirtualmachineanddoadditionalwork,youcanreturntothe
statethevirtualmachinewasinatthetimeyoususpendedonlyifyoutookasnapshot
atthetime.
NOTE
Topreservethestateofthevirtualmachinesoyoucanreturntothesamestate
repeatedly,takeasnapshot.Fordetails,seeTakingSnapshotsonpage 112.
Thespeedofthesuspendandresumeoperationsdependsonhowmuchdatahas
changedwhilethevirtualmachinehasbeenrunning.Ingeneral,thefirstsuspend
operationtakeslongerthansubsequentsuspendoperationsdo.
Whenyoususpendavirtualmachine,afilewitha.vmssextensioniscreated.Thisfile
containstheentirestateofthevirtualmachine.Whenyouresumethevirtualmachine,
itsstateisrestoredfromthe.vmssfile.The.vmssfilecannotbeusedtoresumeavirtual
machineagainfromtheoriginalsuspendedstate.
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NOTE
Youshouldnotchangeaconfigurationfileafteryoususpendavirtual
machineThevirtualmachinedoesnotresumeproperlyiftheconfiguration
fileisinconsistentwiththesuspendedvirtualmachine.Also,youshouldnot
moveanyphysical(raw)disksthatthevirtualmachineuses.Ifyoudo,the
virtualmachinecannotaccessitsvirtualdiskswhenitresumes.
To suspend a virtual machine

1
Ifyourvirtualmachineisrunninginfullscreenmode,returntowindowmodeby
pressingtheCtrlAltkeycombination.
ClickSuspendontheVMwareServerConsoletoolbar.
WhenVMwareServerhascompletedsuspendingthevirtualmachine,choose
File>Exit
To resume a virtual machine that you have suspended

1
LaunchtheVMwareServerConsoleandchooseasuspendedvirtualmachine.
ClickResumeontheconsoletoolbar.
Anyapplicationsyouwererunningatthetimeyoususpendedthevirtualmachine
arerunning,andthecontentisthesameaswhenyoususpendedthevirtual
machine.
YouusealsousetheVMwareManagementInterfacetosuspendandresumeavirtual
machine.SeeChangingaVirtualMachinesPowerStatefromtheManagement
Interfaceonpage 90.
Youcanalsosettheconfigurationofeachvirtualmachinesothefilethatstores
informationonthesuspendedstateissavedinalocationofyourchoice.
Setting the Suspended State File Directory

Whenavirtualmachineissuspended,itsstateiswrittentoafilewitha.vmssextension.
Bydefault,the.vmssfileisstoredinthedirectoryinwhichthevirtualmachines
configurationfile(.vmx)resides.Similarly,whenavirtualmachineisbeingresumed,
VMwareServerlooksforthe.vmssfileinthesamedirectory.
Tochangethedirectorywherethesuspendedstatefileforavirtualmachineisstored,
youmustpoweroffthevirtualmachine.Youcanspecifythisdirectoryfromthe
consolesvirtualmachinesettingseditorortheVMwareManagementInterface.
NOTE
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Changingtheworkingdirectoryalsochangeswhereyoustorethevirtual
machinessnapshotandredologfiles.
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Chapter 5 Preserving the State of a Virtual Machine
Setting the Suspended State File Directory from the Console

1
Connecttothevirtualmachinewithaconsole.Makesurethevirtualmachineis
poweredoff.
ChooseEditvirtualmachinesettings.
OntheOptionstab,clickGeneral.
UnderWorkingDirectory,enterthenameofadirectorytouse,orclickBrowseto
selectadirectory.
ClickOK.
Setting the Suspended State File Directory from the VMware

Management Interface
1
LogontotheVMwareManagementInterface.Clickthevirtualmachinemenuicon
(
)forthevirtualmachineyouwanttochangeandchooseConfigureOptions.
TheOptionspageforthisvirtualmachineappearsinanewbrowserwindow.
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ClickEdit.TheOptionspageappears.
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Forfastestsuspendandrestoreoperations,typethepathtotheappropriate
directoryintheSuspendFileLocationfield.VMwareServeraddsasuffixtothe
nameofthesuspendedstatefiletoensurethatonevirtualmachinedoesnot
overwritethesuspendedstatefileofanother.
3
ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
Taking Snapshots
Thesnapshotfeatureismostusefulwhenyouwanttopreservethestateofthevirtual
machinesoyoucanreturntothesamestaterepeatedly.
Tosavethecurrentstateofyourvirtualmachineandpickupworklaterwiththevirtual
machineinthesamestate,suspendthevirtualmachine.Fordetails,seeSuspending
andResumingVirtualMachinesonpage 109.
Youcantakeasnapshotofavirtualmachineatanytimeandreverttothatsnapshotat
anytime.IfthevirtualmachineislocatedonaLinuxhost,youshouldnottakea
snapshotwhileyouaresuspendingthevirtualmachine.Waituntilthesnapshotis
completelysavedbeforetakingthesnapshot.
Youcantakeasnapshotwhileavirtualmachineispoweredon,poweredoff,or
suspended.Asnapshotpreservesthevirtualmachinejustasitwaswhenyoutookthe
snapshotthestateofthedataonallthevirtualmachinesdisksandwhetherthe
virtualmachinewaspoweredon,poweredoff,orsuspended.
Whenyoureverttoasnapshot,youdiscardallchangesmadetothevirtualmachine
sinceyoutookthesnapshot.Thisincludesanydatawrittentothevirtualdiskandany
changestothevirtualmachinesconfiguration.
Similarly,ifyoutakeasnapshotofavirtualmachineandlatermodifythevirtual
machinesconfiguration,anychangesyoumaketotheconfigurationarenotreflected
inthesnapshot.Youneedtotakeanewsnapshot.
UsetheSnapshotandRevertbuttonsontheconsoletoolbartotakeasnapshotand
reverttoitlater.
Youcantakeanewsnapshotatanytime.Whenyoudoso,youreplacetheprevious
snapshot.Youcanhaveonlyoneactivesnapshotatatime.
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NOTE
Takinganewsnapshotwhenasnapshotalreadyexistscantakealongtime,
astheoriginalsnapshotneedstoberemoved.Whileyouaretakinganew
snapshot,otherconsolesmightnotbeabletoconnecttotheserverhostand
theuserstryingtoconnectmightseeanerrorthattheVMwareRegistration
Service(vmware-serverd)isnotrunning.Youcannottakesnapshotsifusing
anIndependentdiskwhilethevirtualmachineispoweredonorsuspended.
Thefollowingsectionsdescribesnapshotsingreaterdetail.
!
WhatIsCapturedbyaSnapshot?onpage 113
WaysofUsingSnapshotsonpage 114
SnapshotsandaVirtualMachinesHardDisksonpage 114
SnapshotsandOtherActivityintheVirtualMachineonpage 115
SettingsforSnapshotsonpage 115
SnapshotActionsasBackgroundActivityonpage 116
SnapshotsandLegacyDiskModesonpage 117
SnapshotsandLegacyVirtualMachinesonpage 117
SnapshotsandLegacyVirtualMachinesonpage 117
What Is Captured by a Snapshot?

Asnapshotcapturestheentirestateofthevirtualmachineatthetimeyoutakethe
snapshot.Thisincludes:
!
Thestateofallthevirtualmachinesdisks.
Thecontentsofthevirtualmachinesmemory.
Thevirtualmachinesettings.
Whenyoureverttothesnapshot,youreturnalltheseitemstothestateatthetimeyou
tookthesnapshot.
NOTE
VMware, Inc.
Incertainspecialpurposeconfigurations,youmightwanttoexcludeoneor
moreofthevirtualmachinesdisksfromthesnapshot.Toexcludeadiskfrom
thesnapshot,chooseVM>Settings,selectthedriveyouwanttoexclude,and
clickAdvanced.Ontheadvancedsettingsscreen,selectIndependent.You
havethefollowingoptionsforanindependentdisk:
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Persistentchangesareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothedisk.All
changestoanindependentdiskinpersistentmoderemain,evenwhenyourevert
tothesnapshot.
Nonpersistentchangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupowerofforrevert
tothesnapshot.
Ways of Using Snapshots

Thefollowingexamplesillustratethemostcommonwaystouseasnapshot.
Always Saving Changes (No Snapshot)

Ifyoudonottakeasnapshot,yourvirtualmachinerunsthesamewayaphysical
computerdoes.Allchangesyoumakewhileyouareworkingwithavirtualmachine
aresavedandyoucannotreturntoanearlierstate.
Runningyourvirtualmachinewithoutasnapshotprovidesthebestperformance.To
ensureavirtualmachinedoesnothaveasnapshot,chooseSnapshot>Remove
Snapshot.
Toconfigurethevirtualmachinenottousesnapshots,chooseVM>Settings>Options
>Snapshots,andcheckDisablesnapshots.
Youcanalsoconfigurethevirtualdiskinindependentmodetomakesurethevirtual
machinedoesntusesnapshots.Formoreinformation,seeIndependentDiskson
page 121.
Making Risky Changes

Ifyouplantomakeriskychangesinavirtualmachine(forexample,testingnew
softwareorexaminingavirus),takeasnapshotbeforeyoubegintomakethose
changes.Ifyouencounteraproblem,clickRevertontheconsoletoolbartoreturnthe
virtualmachinetoitsstateatthetimeyoutookthesnapshot.
Ifthefirstactionyoutakecausesnoproblemsandyouwanttoprotectthevirtual
machineinitsnewstate,youcantakeanewsnapshot.Youcanhaveonlyonesnapshot
atagiventime.Whenyoutakethenewsnapshot,youreplaceyourprevioussnapshot,
andthecontentsoftheprevioussnapshotarewrittentothevirtualdisk.Youdonot
loseanydata.
Snapshots and a Virtual Machines Hard Disks

Whenasnapshotiscreatedandthevirtualmachinewritesdatatodisk,thatdatais
writtentoanewvirtualdiskfile.Virtualdiskfileshavea.vmdkextensionandare
storedinthevirtualmachinesworkingdirectory.Thesefilescangrowquitelargeas
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newlysaveddatacontinuestoaccumulateinthemuntilyoutakeanactionthataffects
thesnapshot.Beawareofhowmuchdiskspacethesefilesconsume.
!
RemovethesnapshotWhenyouremovethesnapshot,thechangesaccumulated
inthenewvirtualdiskfileiswrittenpermanentlytothebasedisks(eitherthe
virtualdiskfilesorthephysicaldisks,dependingonyourvirtualmachineshard
diskconfiguration).
ReverttothesnapshotWhenyoureverttothesnapshot,thecontentsofthe
newlycreatedvirtualdiskfileisdiscarded.Anyadditionalchangesare,once
again,accumulatedinanewvirtualdiskfile.
TakeasnapshotIfyoutakeasnapshotwhenthevirtualmachinealreadyhasa
snapshot,changesstoredinthenewvirtualdiskfilearewrittenpermanentlytothe
basedisk.Anysubsequentchangesagainaccumulateinanewvirtualdiskfile.
Dependingonhowlargethevirtualdiskfileis,takinganewsnapshotcantake
sometime
Snapshots and Other Activity in the Virtual Machine

Whenyoutakeasnapshot,beawareofotheractivityoccurringinthevirtualmachine
andthelikelyimpactofrevertingtothesnapshot.Ingeneral,itisbesttotakethe
snapshotwhennoapplicationsinthevirtualmachinearecommunicatingwithother
computers.Thepotentialforproblemsisgreatestifthevirtualmachineis
communicatingwithanothercomputer,especiallyinaproductionenvironment.
Consideracaseinwhichyoutakeasnapshotwhilethevirtualmachineisdownloading
afilefromaserveronthenetwork.Afteryoutakethesnapshot,thevirtualmachine
continuesdownloadingthefile,communicatingitsprogresstotheserver.Ifyourevert
tothesnapshot,communicationsbetweenthevirtualmachineandtheserverare
confusedandthefiletransferfails.
Orconsideracaseinwhichyoutakeasnapshotwhileanapplicationinthevirtual
machineissendingatransactiontoadatabaseonaseparatemachine.Ifyourevertto
thesnapshotespeciallyifyourevertafterthetransactionstartsbutbeforeithasbeen
committedthedatabaseislikelytobeconfused.
Settings for Snapshots

YoucanspecifywhatVMwareServerdoeswiththesnapshotwhetherthemachineis
poweredonorpoweredoff.
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GotoVM>Settings>Options>Snapshots.
Ifthevirtualmachinehasnosnapshot,youcandisablethesnapshotfeatureby
selectingDisablesnapshots.Ifyouhaveasnapshotandwanttodisablethesnapshot
feature,firstgototheconsolewindowandchooseSnapshot>RemoveSnapshot.
ReturntothevirtualmachinesettingseditorandselectDisablesnapshots.
Tolockthesnapshotsononewsnapshotcanbetaken,selectLockthissnapshot.
Snapshot Actions as Background Activity

Takingasnapshotisnotinstantaneous.Whenyoutakeasnapshot,youcancontinue
workingwhileVMwareServerpreservesthesnapshotinthebackground.Youcan
enablebackgroundsnapshotsinthePrioritytaboftheSettingswindowonboth
WindowsandLinuxhosts.
ChooseHost>Settings>Priority.
ChecktheTakeandRestoreSnapshotsintheBackgroundbox.Youmustrebootyour
virtualmachineforthisoptiontotakeeffect.
Enablingbackgroundsnapshotsforahostwithslowharddisksmightaffect
performance.Ifyouexperiencesignificantperformanceproblemswhentakingor
restoringsnapshots,disablethisoption.
Removing the Snapshot

Youcanremovethesnapshotanytimethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Removing
thesnapshotwritesthecontentsofthesnapshottothevirtualdisk.Thisactiondoesnot
destroyanydatainthevirtualmachine.Movingforward,anychangesyoumakeas
yourunthevirtualmachinearewrittentothevirtualdisk.Youcannotreverttoa
previousstatebecausethesnapshotnolongerexists.
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Toremovethesnapshot,shutdownandpoweroffthevirtualmachine.Choose
Snapshot>RemoveSnapshot.
NOTE
Removingasnapshotwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredoffcantakealong
time,dependingonthesizeofthesnapshotfile.Whileyouareremovingthe
snapshot,otherconsolesmightnotbeabletoconnecttotheserverhost,and
theuserstryingtoconnectmightseeanerrorthattheVMwareRegistration
Service(vmware-serverd)isnotrunning.
Snapshots and Legacy Disk Modes

IfyouarefamiliarwiththediskmodesusedinVMwareGSXServer2andearlier,you
canusethesnapshottoachieveequivalentresults.Ifyouwanttheequivalentof:
!
PersistentmodeDonottakeasnapshot.
NonpersistentmodeBesurethevirtualmachineisinthestateyouwantit.
Poweroffthevirtualmachine.Takeasnapshot.Ontheconsoletoolbar,goto
SnapshotandchooseReverttosnapshot.
NOTE
VMwareServerdoesnotsupportundoabledisks.
Snapshots and Legacy Virtual Machines

VMwareServerdoesnotsupportsnapshotswithlegacyvirtualmachines.
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C HAPTER 6
Using Disks in a Virtual
Machine
Thischapterdescribeshowtoconfigureyourvirtualmachinesharddiskstorageand
coversthefollowingtopics:
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ConfiguringHardDiskStorageinaVirtualMachineonpage 119
ConfiguringOpticalandFloppyDrivesonpage 128
AddingDrivestoaVirtualMachineonpage 131
UsingVMwareVirtualDiskManageronpage 139
InstallinganOperatingSystemontoaPhysicalPartitiononpage 146
DiskPerformanceinWindowsNTGuestsonMultiprocessorHostsonpage 150
Configuring Hard Disk Storage in a Virtual Machine

Likeaphysicalcomputer,aVMwareServervirtualmachinestoresitsoperating
system,programs,anddatafilesononeormoreharddisks.Unlikeaphysical
computer,VMwareServergivesyouoptionsforundoingchangestothevirtual
machinesharddisk.
TheNewVirtualMachineWizardcreatesavirtualmachinewithonediskdrive.Use
thevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)toaddmorediskdrivestoyour
virtualmachine,toremovediskdrivesfromyourvirtualmachine,ortochangecertain
settingsfortheexistingdiskdrives.
Thefollowingsectionsdescribethechoicesyoucanmakeinsettingupharddisk
storageforyourvirtualmachine.
!
DiskTypes:VirtualandPhysicalonpage 120
AdditionalInformationaboutDisk,RedoLog,Snapshot,andLockFileson
page 122
DefragmentingandShrinkingVirtualDisksonpage 125
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Disk Types: Virtual and Physical

Inthemostcommonconfigurations,VMwareServercreatesvirtualharddisks,which
aremadeupoffilesthataretypicallystoredonyourhostcomputersharddisk.Insome
circumstances,youmightneedtogiveyourvirtualmachinedirectaccesstoaphysical
harddriveonyourhostcomputerusingthedisktypereferredtoasaphysicaldisk.
Virtual Disk
Avirtualdiskisafileorsetoffilesthatappearsasaphysicaldiskdrivetoaguest
operatingsystem.Thefilescanbeonthehostmachineoronaremotecomputer.When
youconfigureavirtualmachinewithavirtualdisk,youcaninstallanewoperating
systemontothevirtualdiskwithoutrepartitioningaphysicaldiskorrebootingthe
host.
IDEvirtualdiskscanbeaslargeas950GB.SCSIvirtualdiskscanbeaslargeas950GB.
Dependingonthesizeofthevirtualdiskandthehostoperatingsystem,VMware
Servercreatesoneormorefilestoholdeachvirtualdisk.
Bydefault,thevirtualdiskisconfiguredsoallthediskspaceisallocatedatthetimethe
virtualdiskiscreated.Thistypeofvirtualdiskisknownasapreallocateddisk.A
preallocateddiskprovidesenhancedperformanceandisusefulifyouarerunning
performancesensitiveapplicationsinthevirtualmachine.Avirtualdiskthatisnot
preallocatedisknownasagrowabledisk.Agrowablevirtualdisksfilesstartoutsmall
andgrowtotheirmaximumsizeasneeded.Themainadvantageofthisapproachisthe
smallerfilesize.Smallerfilesrequirelessstoragespaceandareeasiertomoveifyou
wanttomovethevirtualmachinetoanewlocation.Youcanshrinkthistypeofvirtual
disk.However,ittakeslongertowritedatatoadiskconfiguredinthisway.
VirtualdiskscanbesetupasIDEdisksforanyguestoperatingsystem.Theycanbeset
upasSCSIdisksforanyguestoperatingsystemthathasadriverfortheBusLogicSCSI
adapterusedinaVMwareServervirtualmachine.
NOTE
TouseSCSIdisksinaWindowsXPorWindowsServer2003virtualmachine,
youneedaspecialSCSIdriveravailablefromthedownloadsectionofthe
VMwareWebsiteatwww.vmware.com/download.Followtheinstructions
ontheWebsitetousethedriverwithafreshinstallationofWindowsXPor
WindowsServer2003.
Avirtualdiskofeithertypecanbestoredoneithertypeofphysicalharddisk.Thatis,
thefilesthatmakeupanIDEvirtualdiskcanbestoredoneitheranIDEharddiskora
SCSIharddisk.SocanthefilesthatmakeupaSCSIvirtualdisk.Theycanalsobestored
onothertypesoffastaccessstoragemedia,suchasDVDsorCDROMdiscs.For
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Chapter 6 Using Disks in a Virtual Machine
informationaboutrunningvirtualmachinesfromDVDROMorCDROM,see
RunningVirtualMachinesfromDVDsorCDROMDiscsonpage 98.
Akeyadvantageofvirtualdisksistheirportability.Becausethevirtualdisksarestored
asfilesonthehostmachineoraremotecomputer,youcanmovethemeasilytoanew
locationonthesamecomputerortoadifferentcomputer.YoucanalsouseVMware
ServeronaWindowshosttocreatevirtualdisksandmovethemtoaLinuxcomputer
andusethemunderVMwareServerforLinuxorviceversa.Forinformationabout
movingvirtualdisks,seeMovingandSharingVirtualMachinesinVMwareServer
AdministrationGuide.
Physical (Raw) Disk

AphysicaldiskdirectlyaccessesanexistinglocaldiskorpartitionUsephysicaldisks
forVMwareServertorunoneormoreguestoperatingsystemsfromexistingdisk
partitions.YoucansetupphysicaldisksonbothIDEandSCSIdevices.However,
bootingfromanoperatingsystemalreadysetuponanexistingSCSIdiskorpartition
isnotsupported.
Themostcommonuseofaphysicaldiskistoconvertadualbootormultipleboot
machinesooneormoreoftheexistingoperatingsystemscanberuninsideavirtual
machine.
CAUTION
YoucansetupphysicaldisksonbothIDEandSCSIdevices.Youcannot
useaphysicaldiskthatisstoredonaSAN.Youmustuseadiskora
partitionontheVMwareServerhost.
Ifyourunanoperatingsystemnativelyonthehostcomputer,andswitchtorunningit
insideavirtualmachine,thechangeislikepullingtheharddriveoutofonecomputer
andinstallingitinasecondcomputerwithadifferentmotherboardandother
hardware.Youneedtopreparecarefullyforsuchaswitch.Thespecificstepsyouneed
totakedependontheoperatingsystemyouwanttouseinsidethevirtualmachine.
Youcancreateanewvirtualmachinethatusesaphysicaldiskinsteadofavirtualdisk.
Fordetails,seeInstallinganOperatingSystemontoaPhysicalPartitiononpage 146.
Inmostcases,however,itisbettertouseavirtualdisk.
Onlyadvancedusersshouldattemptphysicaldiskconfigurations.
Independent Disks
Independentdisksaddalayerofcontrolandcomplexitytoyourvirtualdisks.You
configurevirtualdisksinindependentmodeforcertainspecialpurposeconfigurations.
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Forexample,youmightwanttorunavirtualmachinethatusesavirtualdiskstoredon
DVDorCDROM.Formoreinformation,seeRunningVirtualMachinesfromDVDs
orCDROMDiscsonpage 98.
Or,youmightwanttoexcludeoneormorevirtualdisksfromavirtualmachines
snapshot.Formoreinformationaboutsnapshots,seeTakingSnapshotsonpage 112.
Toconfigureadiskasanindependentdisk,chooseVM>Settings,selectthevirtual
disk,andclickAdvanced.Ontheadvancedsettingsscreen,selectIndependent,then
themodeforthedisk.Youhavethefollowingoptionsforanindependentdisk:
!
Persistentchangesareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothedisk.All
changestoanindependentdiskinpersistentmoderemain,evenwhenyourevert
tothesnapshot.
Nonpersistentchangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupowerofforrevert
tothesnapshot.Choosethisoptiontorunavirtualmachinewherethevirtualdisk
isstoredonaDVDorCDROM,ortoloseanychangesmadetothevirtualdisk
sincethesnapshotwastakenwhenyoureverttothesnapshot.
Additional Information about Disk, Redo-Log, Snapshot, and

Lock Files
Thissectionprovidesinformationaboutvirtualmachinefiles.
Disk Files
Thevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)letsyouchoosethediskfilesfora
virtualmachine.
ChooseafileotherthantheonecreatedbytheNewVirtualMachineWizardifyouare
usingavirtualdiskthatyoucreatedinadifferentlocationorifyouaremovingthe
createddiskfilestoanewlocation.
Thediskfilesforavirtualdiskstoretheinformationthatyouwritetoavirtual
machinesharddisktheoperatingsystem,theprogramfiles,andthedatafiles.The
virtualdiskfileshavea.vmdkextension.
Avirtualdiskismadeupofoneormore.vmdkfiles.
OnMicrosoftWindowshosts,eachvirtualdiskiscontainedinonefilebydefault.You
canoptionallyconfigurethevirtualdisktouseasetoffileslimitedto2GBperfile.Use
thisoptionifyouplantomovethevirtualdisktoafilesystemthatdoesnotsupport
fileslargerthan2GB.
Youmustsetthisoptionatthetimeyoucreatethevirtualdisk.
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Ifyouaresettingupanewvirtualmachine,followthecustompathintheNewVirtual
MachineWizard.Inthescreenthatletsyouspecifythevirtualdiskscapacity,select
Splitdiskinto2GBfiles.
Ifyouareaddingavirtualdisktoanexistingvirtualmachine,followthestepsinthe
AddHardwareWizard.Inthescreenthatletsyouspecifythevirtualdiskscapacity,
selectSplitdiskinto2GBfiles.
Whenadiskissplitintomultiplefiles,largervirtualdiskshavemore.vmdkfiles.
Thefirst.vmdkfileforeachdiskissmallandcontainspointerstotheotherfilesthat
makeupthevirtualdisk.Theother.vmdkfilescontaindatastoredbyyourvirtual
machineanduseasmallamountofspaceforvirtualmachineoverhead.
Bydefault,alldiskspaceisallocatedwhenyoucreatethevirtualdisk.Apreallocated
virtualdiskhasfixedfilesizes,andmostofthefilesare2GB.Asmentionedabove,the
firstfileissmall.Thelastfileintheseriesmightalsobesmallerthan2GB.
Ifyouchosenottoallocatethespaceinadvance,the.vmdkfilesgrowasdataisadded,
toamaximumof2GBeachexceptforthefirstfileintheset,whichremainssmall.
Thevirtualmachinesettingseditorshowsthenameofthefirstfileinthesettheone
thatcontainspointerstotheotherfilesintheset.Theotherfilesusedforthatdiskare
assignednamesbasedonthenameofthefirstfile.
Forexample,aWindows2000Servervirtualmachineusingthedefaultconfiguration,
withfilesthatgrowasneeded,storesthediskinfilesnamedWindows 2000
Server.vmdk,Windows 2000 Server-s001.vmdk,Windows 2000 Server-s002.vmdkandso
on.
Ifthediskspaceisallocatedinadvanceandthevirtualdiskissplitinto2GBfiles,the
namesaresimilar,exceptthattheyincludeanfinsteadofansforexample,Windows
2000 Server-f001.vmdk.Ifthediskisnotsplitinto2GBfiles,thevirtualmachinestores
thediskintwofiles,namedWindows 2000 Server.vmdkandWindows 2000
Server-flat.vmdk.
Ifyouareusingaphysicaldisk,the.vmdkfilestoresinformationaboutthephysicaldisk
orpartitionusedbythevirtualmachine.
Redo-Log Files
Redologfilesarestoredinthevirtualmachinesworkingdirectory,andareforsaving
changestoindependentnonpersistentdisks.Redologfilessaveblocksthatthevirtual
machinemodifieswhileitisrunning.Theredologfileforadiskin
independentnonpersistentmodeisnotsavedwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredoff
orreset.
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Theredologfileforavirtualdiskvmisnamedvm.vmdk.REDO.Ifthevirtualdiskissplit
into2GBfiles,thediskfilesarenamedvm.vmdk,vm-02.vmdk,vm-03.vmdkandsoon;its
redologfilesarenamedvm.vmdk.REDO,vm-02.vmdk.REDO,vm-03.vmdk.REDOandsoon.
Youcanchoosethelocationwheretheredologfilesarestored.Bydefault,thefilesare
storedinthesamedirectoryasthevirtualdisk(.vmdk)file.Bydefault,redologfilesfor
physicaldisksarelocatedinthesamedirectoryasthevirtualmachineconfigurationfile
(.vmx).Youcanchangethelocationoftheredologfilesinthevirtualmachinesettings
editor.Withthevirtualmachinepoweredoff,chooseVM>Settings.ClicktheOptions
tab,selectGeneral.UnderWorkingdirectory,enterthenameorbrowsetothefolder
inwhichtheredologfileshouldbestored.
Youcanstorethesefilesinadifferentdirectorytoincreaseavailablespaceorimprove
performance.Forbestperformance,thelogfilesforavirtualmachineshouldbeona
localharddriveonthehostcomputer.
Snapshot Files
Whenyoutakeasnapshotofavirtualmachinenamedvm,VMwareServerstoresthe
snapshotinafilenamedvm.vmsn.VMwareServerstoressnapshotinformationinfiles
namedvmSnapshotX.vmsnandinvmxxxxxx.vmdk.Formoreinformationabout
snapshots,seeTakingSnapshotsonpage 112.
Youcanchoosethelocationwherethesnapshotfilesarestored.Bydefault,thefilesare
storedinthesamedirectoryasthevirtualdisk(.vmdk)file.Youcanchangethelocation
ofthesnapshotfilesinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.Withthevirtualmachine
poweredoff,chooseVM>Settings.ClicktheOptionstab,selectGeneral.Under
Workingdirectory,enterthenameorbrowsetothefolderinwhichthesnapshotfile
shouldbestored.
Youcanstorethesefilesinadifferentdirectorytoincreaseavailablespaceorimprove
performance.Forbestperformance,thelogfilesforavirtualmachineshouldbeona
localharddriveonthehostcomputer.
Lock Files
Arunningvirtualmachinecreateslockfilestopreventconsistencyproblemsonvirtual
disks.Ifthevirtualmachinedidnotuselocks,multiplevirtualmachinesmightread
andwritetothedisk,causingdatacorruption.
Lockfilesarealwayscreatedinthesamedirectoryasthe.vmdkfile.
ThelockingmethodsusedbyVMwareServeronMicrosoftWindowsandLinuxhosts
aredifferent,sofilessharedbetweenthemarenotfullyprotected.Ifyouuseacommon
filerepositorythatprovidesfilestousersonbothWindowsandLinuxhosts,besure
thateachvirtualmachineisrunbyonlyoneuseratatime.
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YoucanuseSCSIreservationtoworkaroundthelockfilesothatmultiplevirtual
machinescanaccessit.Thisistypicallydoneinconjunctionwithahighavailability
configuration,suchasclustering.Formoreinformationaboutthis,seeUsing
HighAvailabilityConfigurationsintheVMwareServerAdministrationGuide.
Whenavirtualmachineispoweredoff,itremovesthelockfilesitcreated.Ifitcannot
removethelock,astalelockfileisleftprotectingthe.vmdkfile.Forexample,ifthehost
machinecrashesbeforethevirtualmachinehasachancetoremoveitslockfile,astale
lockremains.
Ifastalelockfileremainswhenthevirtualmachineisstartedagain,thevirtualmachine
triestoremovethestalelock.Tomakesurethatnovirtualmachinecouldbeusingthe
lockfile,thevirtualmachinechecksthelockfiletoseewhether
1
Thelockwascreatedonthesamehostwherethevirtualmachineisrunning.
Theprocessthatcreatedthelockisnotrunning.
Ifthosetwoconditionsaretrue,thevirtualmachinecansafelyremovethestalelock.If
eitherofthoseconditionsisnottrue,adialogboxappears,warningyouthatthevirtual
machinecannotbepoweredon.Ifyouaresureitissafetodoso,youcandeletethelock
filesmanually.OnWindowshosts,thefilenamesofthelockfilesendin.lck.OnLinux
hosts,thefilenamesofthelockfilesendin.WRITELOCK.
Physicaldiskpartitionsarealsoprotectedbylocks.However,thehostoperating
systemisnotawareofthislockingconventionanddoesnotrespectit.Forthisreason,
VMwarestronglyrecommendsthatthephysicaldiskforavirtualmachinenotbe
installedonthesamephysicaldiskasthehostoperatingsystem.
Defragmenting and Shrinking Virtual Disks

Ifyouhaveavirtualdiskthatgrowsasdataisadded,youcandefragmentandshrink
itasdescribedinthissection.Ifyouallocatedallthespaceforyourvirtualdiskatthe
timeyoucreatedit,youcannotdefragmentandshrinkit.
Defragmenting Virtual Disks

Defragmentingdisksrearrangesfiles,programs,andunusedspaceonthevirtualdisk
sothatprogramsrunfasterandfilesopenmorequickly.Defragmentingdoesnot
reclaimunusedspaceonavirtualdisk.Toreclaimunusedspace,shrinkthedisk.
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Forbestdiskperformance,youcantakethefollowingthreeactions,intheorderlisted:
1
Runadiskdefragmentationutilityinsidethevirtualmachine.
Poweroffthevirtualmachineanddefragmentitsvirtualdisksfromthevirtual
machinesettingseditor(VM>Settings).Selectthevirtualdiskyouwantto
defragment,andclickDefragment.
Runadiskdefragmentationutilityonthehostcomputer.
Defragmentingdiskscantakeconsiderabletime.
NOTE
Thedefragmentationprocessrequiresfreeworkingspaceonthehost
computersdisk.Ifyourvirtualdiskiscontainedinasinglefile,forexample,
youneedfreespaceequaltothesizeofthevirtualdiskfile.Othervirtualdisk
configurationsrequirelessfreespace.
Shrinking Virtual Disks

Shrinkingavirtualdiskreclaimsunusedspaceinthevirtualdisk.Thisprocessreduces
theamountofspacethevirtualdiskoccupiesonthehostdrive.VMwarerecommends
youshrinkvirtualdiskswhentheamountofusedspaceonthevirtualharddriveis
muchlowerthanthesizeoftheactual.vmdkfilesassociatedwiththevirtualhard
drive.VMwarerecommendsthatyounotshrinkavirtualdiskwhenthespaceusedon
thevirtualharddriveisnearlythesameasthesizeoftheactual.vmdkfilesassociated
withthevirtualharddrive.
Youcannotshrinkpreallocatedvirtualdisksorphysicaldisks.Shrinkingrequiresfree
diskspaceonthehostequaltothesizeofthevirtualdiskbeingshrunk.
NOTE
Theshrinkprocessappliestoallvirtualdisksevenifyoudonotprepareall
thevirtualdisksinavirtualmachineforshrinking.
Shrinkingvirtualdisksisaconvenientwaytoconvertavirtualdisktotheformat
supportedbyVMwareServer.Virtualdiskscreatedinthenewformatcannotbe
recognizedbyVMwareGSXServer3oranyotherVMwareproduct,except
Workstation5.x.
Thevirtualdiskstobeshrunkmustnotbebootedasindependentdisks.Youcan
changethemodeofavirtualdiskbeforethevirtualmachineispoweredon.See
IndependentDisksonpage 121.
Shrinkingadiskisatwostepprocess.Inthefirststep,calledwiping,VMwareTools
reclaimsallunusedportionsofdiskpartitions(suchasdeletedfiles)andpreparesthem
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forshrinking.Thisallowsforthemaximumshrinkpossible.Wipingtakesplaceinthe
guestoperatingsystem.
Theshrinkprocessitselfisthesecondstep,andittakesplaceoutsidethevirtual
machine.VMwareServerreducesthesizeofthediskbasedonthediskspacereclaimed
bythewipeprocess.Thisstepoccursafterthewipefinishespreparingthediskfor
shrinking.
Whenavirtualmachineispoweredon,youshrinkitsvirtualdisksfromtheVMware
Toolscontrolpanel.Youcannotshrinkvirtualdisksifasnapshotexists.Toremovean
existingsnapshot,chooseSnapshot>RemoveSnapshot.
InaLinuxorFreeBSDguestoperatingsystem,topreparevirtualdisksforshrinking,
youshouldrunVMwareToolsastherootuser.Thisway,youensurethewholevirtual
diskisshrunk.Ifyoushrinkdisksasanonrootuser,youcannotwipethepartsofthe
virtualdiskthatrequirerootlevelpermissions.
1
TolaunchthecontrolpanelinaWindowsguest,doubleclicktheVMwareTools
iconinthesystemtrayorchooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel,anddoubleclick
VMwareTools.
TolaunchthecontrolpanelinaLinuxorFreeBSDguest,becomeroot(su -),and
runvmware-toolbox.
ClicktheShrinktab.
Selectthevirtualdisksyouwanttoshrink,thenclickPreparetoShrink.
NOTE
Ifyoudeselectsomeofthepartitionstopreparetoshrink,theentiredisk
isstillshrunk.However,thosepartitionsarenotpreparedforshrinking,
andtheshrinkprocessdoesnotreducethesizeofthevirtualdiskasmuch
asitcouldotherwise.
WhenVMwareToolsfinishespreparingtheselecteddiskpartitions,youare
promptedtobeginshrinkingthedisks.
Shrinkingdiskscantakeconsiderabletime.
Insomeconfigurations,itisnotpossibletoshrinkvirtualdisks.TheShrinktab
displaysinformationexplainingwhyyoucannotshrinkyourvirtualdisks.For
example,youcannotshrinkavirtualdiskif:
!
Youpreallocateddiskspacewhenyoucreatedthedisk,whichisthedefaultoption
forbothtypicalandcustomvirtualmachinecreationpaths.
Thevirtualmachinehasasnapshot.
Thevirtualmachinecontainsphysical(raw)disks.
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Thevirtualdiskisnotanindependentdiskinpersistentmode.Formore
information,seeIndependentDisksonpage 121.
ThevirtualdiskisstoredonaCDROM.
Configuring Optical and Floppy Drives

Thefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoconfigureyourvirtualmachinesoptical
(DVD/CDROM)andfloppydrives.Youcanusethephysicaldeviceorpointthevirtual
machinetoanISOorfloppyimagefile.
!
ConfiguringVirtualDVD/CDROMDrivesonpage 128
ConfiguringVirtualFloppyDrivesonpage 130
Configuring Virtual DVD/CD-ROM Drives

EachvirtualmachinecanaccessaphysicalDVD/CDROMdriveontheVMwareServer
hostoranISOimagefile.
MultiplevirtualmachinescanconnecttotheDVD/CDROMdriveontheVMware
Serverhostatthesametime,unlessavirtualmachineisconfiguredtousethedrive
exclusively.Forinformationaboutexclusiveuseoftheopticaldrive,seeExclusively
UsingtheDVD/CDROMDriveonpage 130.
YouconfigurevirtualDVD/CDROMdrivesfromthevirtualmachinesettingseditor
(VM>Settings).
Optionsyoucanconfigureincludechoosingthedevicenodefortheguest,usinglegacy
emulationmode,usingtheopticaldriveonaclientinsteadoftheVMwareServerhost,
andexclusivelyusingtheDVD/CDROMdrive.
Configuring a Virtual Machines DVD/CD-ROM Drive from the Console

ToconfigureavirtualmachinesDVD/CDROMdrive,completethefollowingsteps.
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ConnecttothevirtualmachinewiththeVMwareServerConsole.
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheHardwaretab,selecttheCDROMdrive.Youcanmakeanyofthe
followingchanges.
!
ChoosingaDeviceNodefortheDVD/CDROMDriveonpage 129
UsingLegacyEmulationforDVD/CDROMDrivesonpage 129
ExclusivelyUsingtheDVD/CDROMDriveonpage 130
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UsingtheDVD/CDROMDriveonaClientonpage 130
Choosing a Device Node for the DVD/CD-ROM Drive

Likeavirtualdisk,thevirtualmachinesDVD/CDROMdrivecanbeassociatedwitha
specificSCSIorIDEdevicenode.
Thetypeofdevicedoesnothavetomatchthetypeofdeviceonthehost,soifyour
VMwareServerhosthasanIDECDROMdrive,youcanstillconfigureyourvirtual
machinewithaSCSICDROMdrive.
Ifyouwanttodomorethanreaddatafromthedriveforexample,burnCDROMs
youshouldmatchthebustypes.SoifyourhosthasanIDECDROMdrive,
configurethevirtualCDROMdriveonanIDEdevicenode.
However,ifyouwanttobootfromavirtualCDROMdrive,youmustconfigurethe
driveasanIDEdevice.
Using Legacy Emulation for DVD/CD-ROM Drives

ThevirtualmachinesettingseditorprovidesaLegacyemulationoptionfor
DVD/CDROMdrivesattachedtothevirtualmachine.
OnWindowshosts,thisoptionisdeselectedbydefault.
OnLinuxhostswithIDEdrives,thedefaultsettingforthisoptiondependsonwhether
theide-scsimoduleisloadedinyourkernel.Theide-scsimodulemustbeloaded
oryoumustbeusingaphysicalSCSIdrivetoconnecttotheDVD/CDROMdrivein
rawmode.
IfyouencounterproblemsusingyourDVD/CDROMdrive,tryselectingLegacy
emulation.
Inlegacyemulationmode,youcanreadfromdatadiscsintheDVD/CDROMdrive,
butsomeotherfunctionsarenotavailable.Forexample,youcannotreadfrom
multisessiondiscsifyourDVD/CDROMdriveisconfiguredforlegacymode.You
cannotburnCDROMseither.
WhenLegacyemulationisdeselected,theguestoperatingsystemcommunicates
directlywiththedrive.Thisdirectcommunicationenablescapabilitiesthatarenot
possibleinlegacyemulationmode,suchasusingCDandDVDwriterstoburndiscs,
readingmultisessionCDs,performingdigitalaudioextraction,andviewingvideo.
However,insomecases,theDVD/CDROMdrivemightnotworkcorrectlywhenthe
guestoperatingsystemiscommunicatingdirectlywiththedrive.Inaddition,certain
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drivesandtheirdriversdonotworkcorrectlyinrawmode.SelectLegacyemulation
toworkaroundtheseproblems.
Exclusively Using the DVD/CD-ROM Drive

YoucanpreventothervirtualmachinesandthehostfromusingtheDVD/CDROM
driveuntileitheryoudisconnectitfromthisvirtualmachineoryoupoweroffor
suspendthevirtualmachine.Inthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,checkConnect
exclusivelytothisvirtualmachine.
Using the DVD/CD-ROM Drive on a Client

WhenyouusetheVMwareServerConsoleonaremoteclienttoconnecttoavirtual
machine,youhavetheoptionofusingtheopticaldriveontheclientmachineinstead
ofthedriveontheVMwareServerhost.Thisisaconvenientwayofinstallingsoftware
remotelyifyoudonothaveaccesstothehost.
TouseaclientmachinesDVD/CDROMdrive,makesureyouareusingthephysical
drive.NexttoLocation,selectClient.
Allvirtualmachinesettingslikeusinglegacyemulationandexclusiveconnections
apply,exceptthataCDROMdriveonaclientcannotstartconnected.
IfyouwanttobootthevirtualmachinefromtheDVD/CDROMdriveinaclient
system,completethefollowingsteps.
1
Whenyoufirstbeginbootingtheguestoperatingsystem,presstheEsckey.Aboot
menuappears.
Intheconsole,openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)andselect
theCDROMdrive.SelectUsephysicaldriveandnexttoLocation,selectClient.
SelecttheCDROMdrive,PressEntertobootthevirtualmachinefromthe
CDROMdriveoftheclientonwhichyouarerunningtheVMwareServer
Console.
Configuring Virtual Floppy Drives

EachvirtualmachinecanaccessaphysicalfloppydriveontheVMwareServerhostor
afloppyimagefile.
Onlyonevirtualmachinecanconnecttothefloppydriveontheserveratatime.
Youconfigurevirtualfloppydrivesfromthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
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Configuring a Virtual Machines Floppy Drive from the Console

Toconfigureavirtualmachinesfloppydrive,completethefollowingsteps.
1
ConnecttothevirtualmachinewiththeVMwareServerConsole.
OntheHardwaretab,selectthefloppydrive.
Toconnectthisvirtualmachinetothefloppydrivewhenthevirtualmachineis
poweredon,checkConnectatPowerOn.
Specifywhethertoconnecttothehostsfloppydriveortoafloppyimage.
IfyouselectUsephysicaldrive,choosethedrivefromthelistorselectAutodetect
toletVMwareServerchoosethedrive.
fyouselectUsefloppyImage,createaneworbrowsetoanexistingfloppyimage.
NOTE
Thebenefitofautodetectdevicesisthatyoucanmovethembetweenvirtual
machinesrunningdifferentguestoperatingsystems,suchasWindowsand
Linux,withouthavingtoreconfigurethem.
Adding Drives to a Virtual Machine

AVMwareServervirtualmachinecanuseuptofourIDEdevicesanduptosevenSCSI
devices.AnyofthesedevicescanbeavirtualharddiskorDVD/CDROMdrive.A
virtualmachinecanreaddatafromaDVDROMdisc.VMwareServerdoesnotsupport
playingDVDmoviesinavirtualmachine.
ManyotherSCSIdevicescanbeconnectedtoavirtualmachineusingthehost
operatingsystemsgenericSCSIdriver.Fordetailsonconnectingthesedevices,see
ConnectingtoaGenericSCSIDeviceonpage 237.
Thefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoaddvirtualdisks,physicaldisks,
DVD/CDROMdrives,andfloppydrivestovirtualmachines.Inaddition,youcan
connectCDROMandfloppydrivestodiskimagefiles.
!
AddingVirtualDiskstoaVirtualMachineonpage 132
AddingPhysicalDiskstoaVirtualMachineonpage 134
AddingDVD/CDROMDrivestoaVirtualMachineonpage 137
AddingFloppyDrivestoaVirtualMachineonpage 138
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Adding Virtual Disks to a Virtual Machine

Virtualdisksarestoredasfilesonthehostcomputeroronanetworkfileserver.Itdoes
notmatterwhetherthediskthatholdsthefilesisIDEorSCSI.AvirtualIDEdrivecan
bestoredonanIDEdriveoronaSCSIdrive.SocanavirtualSCSIdrive.
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddanewvirtualdisktoyourvirtual
machine.Thevirtualmachineshouldbepoweredoffbeforeyoubegin.Ifitisnot,shut
downtheguestoperatingsystemnormally,andclickPowerOffontheVMwareServer
Consoletoolbar.
NOTE
IfyouhaveaWindowsNT4.0guestwithaSCSIvirtualdisk,youcannotadd
bothanadditionalSCSIdiskandanIDEdisktotheconfiguration.
To add a new virtual disk from the VMware Server Console

1
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)andclickAdd.TheAdd
HardwareWizardguidesyouthroughthestepstocreateyourvirtualdisk.Click
Nexttostartconfiguringthevirtualdisk.
ClickHardDisk,andclickNext.
SelectCreateanewvirtualdisk,andclickNext.
Choosethetypeofvirtualdisk.TheWizardrecommendswhethertouseSCSIor
IDE,basedontheguestoperatingsysteminstalledinthevirtualmachine.
Setthecapacityforthenewvirtualdisk.
Youcansetasizebetween0.1GB(100MB)and950GBforaSCSIvirtualdiskor
950GBforanIDEvirtualdisk.Thedefaultis8GB.
Bydefault,Allocatealldiskspacenowischecked.
Allocatingallthespaceatthetimeyoucreatethevirtualdiskgivessomewhat
betterperformance,butitrequiresasmuchdiskspaceasthesizeyouspecifyfor
thevirtualdisk.
Apreallocatedvirtualdiskisusefulforclusteringvirtualmachines.Formore
informationaboutclustering,seeUsingHighAvailabilityConfigurationsinthe
Ifyoudeselectthisoption,thevirtualdisksfilesstartsmallandgrowasneeded,
buttheycannevergrowlargerthanthesizeyousethere.
Youcanalsospecifywhetherthevirtualdiskiscreatedasonelargefileorsplitinto
asetof2GBfiles.Tosplitthedisk,selectSplitdiskinto2GBfiles.Youshouldsplit
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thevirtualdiskifitisstoredonaFAT32filesystemoronafilesystemthatcannot
supportfileslargerthan2GB,suchasFAT16.
6
Acceptthedefaultfilenameandlocationforthevirtualdiskfile,orchangeitifyou
wanttouseadifferentnameorlocation.Tofindadifferentfolder,clickBrowse.
Ifyouwanttospecifyadevicenodeforyourvirtualdisk,clickAdvanced.
Ontheadvancedsettingsscreen,youcanalsospecifyadiskmode.Thisisuseful
incertainspecialpurposeconfigurationsinwhichyouwanttoexcludedisksfrom
thesnapshot.Formoreinformationonsnapshots,seeTakingSnapshotson
page 112.Youcanchoosebetweenanormaldiskandanindependentdisk.
Normaldisksareincludedinsnapshots.Thisisthedefaultsettingforanewdisk.
Independentdisksarenotincludedinsnapshots.IfyouselectIndependent,you
mustfurtherselectoneofthefollowingmodes:
!
reverttothesnapshot.
Whenyouhavesetthefilenameandlocationandhavemadeanyselectionsonthe
advancedsettingsscreen,clickFinish.
7
TheWizardcreatesthenewvirtualdisk.Itappearstoyourguestoperatingsystem
asanew,blankharddisk.Usetheguestoperatingsystemstoolstopartitionand
formatthenewdrive.
To add an existing virtual disk from the VMware Server Console

1
HardwareWizardguidesyouthroughthestepstocreateyourvirtualdisk.Click
Nexttostartconfiguringthevirtualdisk.
ClickHardDisk,andthenclickNext.
SelectUseanexistingvirtualdisk,andthenclickNext.
ClickBrowse,andthenbrowsetothevirtualdisk(.vmdk)youwanttouse.
Toassociatethevirtualdiskwithaspecificdevicenode,clickAdvancedandselect
thedevicenodeintheVirtualdevicenodelist.
thesnapshot.Formoreinformationonthesnapshotfeature,seeTaking
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Snapshotsonpage 112.Youcanchoosebetweenanormaldiskandan
independentdisk.
mustfurtherselectoneofthefollowingmodes:
!
Whenyouhavesetthefilenameandlocationtouseandhavemadeanyselections
ontheadvancedsettingsscreen,clickFinish.TheWizardaddsthevirtualdiskto
thevirtualmachine.
Adding Physical Disks to a Virtual Machine

Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)toaddaphysicaldisktoyour
virtualmachine.Thevirtualmachineshouldbepoweredoffbeforeyoubegin.Ifitis
not,shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemnormally,andclickPowerOffonthe
VMwareServerConsoletoolbar.
CAUTION
134
Physicaldisksareanadvancedfeatureandshouldbeconfiguredonlyby
advancedusers.
HardwareWizardguidesyouthroughthestepstocreateyourvirtualdisk.
ClickHardDisk,andclickNext.TheSelectaDiskscreenappears.
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SelectUseaphysicaldisk,andclickNext.TheSelectaPhysicalDiskscreen
appears.
Choosethephysicalharddisktousefromthedropdownlist.Thenselectwhether
usetheentirediskoruseonlyindividualpartitionsonthedisk.
!
Tousetheentiredisk,selectUseentiredisk,thenclickNext.
Tousespecificpartitionsonthedisk,selectUseindividualpartitions,and
thenclickNext.TheSelectPartitionscreenappears.
Selectwhichpartitionstouseinthevirtualmachine.Onlythepartitionsyou
selectinthissteparevisibletothevirtualmachine.Allotherpartitionsare
hiddenfromit.
ClickNext.
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TheSpecifyDiskFilescreenappears.
Tochangethedefaultfilenameandlocationforthefilethatstoresaccess
informationforthisphysicaldisk,clickBrowse.
ClickAdvancedtospecifythevirtualmachineSCSIorIDEdevicenodetowhich
thisdiskisconnected.
thesnapshot.Formoreinformationonthesnapshotfeature,seeTaking
Snapshotsonpage 112.Youcanchoosebetweenanormaldiskandan
independentdisk.
mustalsoselectamode:
!
Whenyouhavesetthefilenameandlocationtouseandhavemadeanyselections
ontheadvancedsettingsscreen,clickFinish.
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TheWizardconfiguresthenewphysicaldisk.Ifthepartitionsusedonthephysical
diskarenotformattedforyourguestoperatingsystem,usetheguestoperating
systemstoolstoformatthem.
NOTE
Afteryoucreateaphysicaldiskusingoneormorepartitionsonaphysical
disk,youshouldnevermodifythepartitiontablesbyrunningfdiskora
similarutilityintheguestoperatingsystem.Ifyouusefdiskorasimilar
utilityonthehostoperatingsystemtomodifythepartitiontableofthe
physicaldisk,youmustrecreatethevirtualmachinesphysicaldisk.
Adding DVD/CD-ROM Drives to a Virtual Machine

YoucanaddoneormoreDVD/CDROMdrivestoyourvirtualmachine.Youcan
connectthevirtualmachinesdrivetoaphysicaldriveonthehostmachineortoanISO
imagefile.
YoucanconfigurethevirtualDVD/CDROMdriveaseitherIDEorSCSI,nomatter
whatkindofphysicaldriveyouconnectitto.Inotherwords,ifyourhostcomputerhas
anIDECDROMdrive,youcansetupthevirtualmachinesdriveaseitherSCSIorIDE
andconnectittothehostsdrive.ThesameistrueifthehostsphysicaldriveisaSCSI
drive.
ToaddanewvirtualDVD/CDROMdrivetoavirtualmachine,makesurethevirtual
machineispoweredoff,andcompletethefollowingsteps.Youmustusetheconsoleto
canaddthedevice.
To add a DVD/CD-ROM drive from the VMware Server Console

1
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)andclickAddtostartthe
AddHardwareWizard.
ClickDVD/CDROMDrive,andthenclickNext.
SelectUsephysicaldrivetoconnectthevirtualmachinesdrivetoaphysicaldrive
onthehostcomputer.SelectUseISOImagetoconnectthevirtualmachinesdrive
toanISOimagefile.
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VMware, Inc.
IfyouselectedUsephysicaldrive,choosethedrivetousefromthe
dropdownlistorchooseAutodetect,whichletsVMwareServerselectthe
drive.
ThedefaultisAutodetect.
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NOTE
ThebenefitofusingAutodetectdevicesisthattheycanbemoved
betweenvirtualmachinesrunningdifferentoperatingsystems,suchas
WindowsandLinux,withouthavingtobereconfigured.
IfyoudonotwanttheCDROMdriveconnectedwhenthevirtualmachine
starts,uncheckConnectatpoweron.
ClickAdvancedtospecifythedevicenodethedriveshoulduseinthevirtual
machine.
OntheadvancedsettingsscreenyoucanalsoselectLegacyemulation.Thisis
necessaryonlyifyouhavehadproblemsusingnormalmode.Thelegacy
emulationmodedoesnotsupportallthecapabilitiesofnormalmode.For
example,ifyouareusinglegacyemulationmode,youcannotrecordCDs,you
cannotreadmultisessionCDs,youcannotextractdigitalaudiofromaCD,
andyoucannotreadorwriteDVDs.Fordetails,seeUsingLegacyEmulation
forDVD/CDROMDrivesonpage 129.
Afteryouhavemadeanydesiredchangesinthesesettings,clickFinish.
!
IfyouselectedUseISOImage,enterthepathandfilenamefortheimagefile
orclickBrowsetonavigatetothefile.
IfyoudonotwanttheCDROMdriveconnectedwhenthevirtualmachine
starts,uncheckConnectatpoweron.
ClickAdvancedtospecifythedevicenodethedriveshoulduseinthevirtual
machine.
Afteryouhavemadeanydesiredchangesinthesesettings,clickFinish.
ThedriveissetupinitiallysoitappearstotheguestoperatingsystemasanIDE
drive.IfyouwantittoappeartotheguestoperatingsystemasaSCSIdrive,click
thedrivesentryinthevirtualmachinesettingseditorandmakethechange.
Adding Floppy Drives to a Virtual Machine

Youcanadduptotwofloppydrivestoyourvirtualmachine.Avirtualfloppydrive
canconnecttoaphysicalfloppydriveonthehostcomputer,toanexistingfloppyimage
file,ortoablankfloppyimagefile.
To add a floppy drive from the VMware Server Console
138
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)andclickAddtostartthe
AddHardwareWizard.
ClickFloppyDrive,andclickNext.
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Selectwhatyouwanttoconnecttoaphysicalfloppydriveonthehost
computer,anexistingfloppyimagefile,oranewfloppyimagefile.ClickNext.
IfyouselectedUseaphysicalfloppydrive,choosethedrivesletter(ona
Windowshost)ordevicename(onaLinuxhost)fromthedropdownlistorchoose
AutodetecttoletVMwareServerselectthedrivetouse.ClickFinish.
Thebenefitofautodetectdevicesisthatyoucanmovethembetweenvirtual
machinesthatusedifferentoperatingsystems,suchasWindowsandLinux,
withouthavingtoreconfigurethem.
IfyouselectedUseafloppyimage,typethepathandfilenameforthefloppy
imagefileyouwanttouse,orclickBrowsetonavigatetothefile.ClickFinish.
IfyouselectedCreateablankfloppyimage,usethedefaultpathandfilenameor
typeinanewone.Tonavigatetoalocation,clickBrowse.Whenthefieldcontains
thepathandfilenameyouwanttouseforthenewfloppyimagefile,clickFinish.
NOTE
Bydefault,onlyonefloppydriveisenabledinthevirtualmachinesBIOS.If
youareaddingasecondfloppydrivetothevirtualmachine,clickinsidethe
virtualmachinewindowandpressF2asthevirtualmachinebootstoenterthe
BIOSsetuputility.Onthemainscreen,chooseLegacyDisketteB:andusethe
plus(+)andminus()keysonthenumericalkeypadtoselectthetypeof
floppydriveyouwanttouse.PressF10tosaveyourchangesandclosethe
BIOSsetuputility.
Using VMware Virtual Disk Manager

VMwareVirtualDiskManagerisautilityinVMwareServerthatletsyoucreate,
manage,andmodifyvirtualdiskfilesfromthecommandlineorwithinscripts.
Onekeyfeatureistheabilitytoenlargeavirtualdisksoitsmaximumcapacityislarger
thanitwaswhenyoucreatedit.Thisway,ifyoufindyouneedmorediskspaceona
givenvirtualdisk,butdonotwanttoaddanothervirtualdiskoruseghostingsoftware
totransferthedataonavirtualdisktoalargervirtualdisk,youcansimplychangethe
maximumsizeofthedisk.Thisissomethingyoucannotdowithphysicalharddrives.
Anotherfeatureallowsyoutochangewhetherornotallvirtualdiskspaceis
preallocatedorgrowable,andwhetherornotthevirtualdiskisstoredinasinglefileor
splitinto2GBfiles.Forexample,youmightfindthatyoupreallocatedallthediskspace
foravirtualdisk,butneedtoreclaimsomeharddiskspaceonthehost.Youcanconvert
thepreallocatedvirtualdiskintoagrowablediskandremovetheoriginalvirtualdisk
file.Thenewvirtualdiskislargeenoughtocontainallthedataontheoriginalvirtual
disk.Thevirtualdiskgrowsinsizeasyouadddatatoit,asifyouneverpreallocated
thediskspacewhenyoucreatedthevirtualdisk.
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Youcanusethevirtualdiskmanagerto:
!
Automatethemanagementofvirtualdiskswithscripts.
Createvirtualdisksthatarenotassociatedwithaparticularvirtualmachine,tobe
usedfortemplates,forexample.
Switchthevirtualdisktypefrompreallocatedtogrowable,orviceversa.When
changingthedisktypetogrowable,somespaceonthevirtualdiskisreclaimed.
Youcanshrinkthevirtualdisktoreclaimevenmorediskspace.
Expandthesizeofavirtualdisksoitislargerthanthesizespecifiedwhenyou
createdit.
Defragmentvirtualdisks.
Prepareandshrinkvirtualdiskswithoutpoweringonthevirtualmachine
(Windowshostsonly).
Renameandmovevirtualdisks.
Youcannotusethevirtualdiskmanagertocreatephysical(raw)disks.Youcannot
shrinkphysicaldisksatall.
Thefollowingsectionsprovidemoreinformationaboutthevirtualdiskmanager:
!
RunningtheVMwareVirtualDiskManagerUtilityonpage 140
ShrinkingVirtualDiskswithVMwareVirtualDiskManageronpage 143
ExamplesUsingtheVMwareVirtualDiskManageronpage 144
Running the VMware Virtual Disk Manager Utility

ToruntheVMwareVirtualDiskManagerutility,openacommandpromptorterminal
ontheVMwareServerhost.ForWindowshosts,changetothedirectorywhereyou
installedyourVMwareServersoftware.Bydefault,thisdirectoryisC:\Program
Files\VMware\VMware Server.
Thecommandsyntaxis:
vmware-vdiskmanager [options]
TheoptionsyoucanormustuseareoutlinedinTable61.
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Table 6-1.
Options/Parameters
Description
<diskname>
Isthenameofthevirtualdiskfile.Thevirtualdiskfilemust
havea.vmdkextension.
Youcanspecifyapathtowhereyouwanttolocatethedisk.If
youmappednetworksharesonyourhost,youcancreatethe
virtualdisktherebyprovidingthecorrectpathinformation
withthediskfilename.
-c
Createsthevirtualdisk.Youmustusethe-a,-sand-t
options,andyoumustspecifythenameofthevirtualdisk
(<diskname>).
-r <sourcediskname>
<targetdiskname>
Convertsthevirtualdiskspecifiedby<sourcediskname>,
creatinganewvirtualdiskasaresult.Youmustusethe-t
optiontospecifythedisktypetowhichthevirtualdiskis
convertedandyoumustspecifythenameofthetargetvirtual
disk(<targetdiskname>).
Aftertheconversioniscompletedandyouhavetestedthe
convertedvirtualdisktomakesureitworksasexpected,you
candeletetheoriginalvirtualdiskfile.
Tohavethevirtualmachinerecognizetheconvertedvirtual
disk,usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoremovethe
existingvirtualdiskfromthevirtualmachine.Addthe
converteddisktothevirtualmachine.Forinformationon
addingvirtualdiskstoavirtualmachine,seeAddingVirtual
DiskstoaVirtualMachineonpage 132.
-x <n>[GB|MB]
<diskname>
Expandsthevirtualdisktothespecifiedcapacity.Youmust
specifythenew,largersizeofthevirtualdiskinGigabytesor
Megabytes.Youcannotchangethesizeofaphysical(raw)
disk.
Caution:Beforerunningthevirtualdiskmanagerutility,you
shouldbackupyourvirtualdiskfiles.
Note:Ifthevirtualdiskispartitioned,youmustusea
thirdpartyutilityinthevirtualmachinetoexpandthesizeof
thepartitions.Formoreinformation,seeVMwareknowledge
basearticle1647at
www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_fa
qid=1647.
Ifyouhaveavirtualmachinewithasnapshotoraredolog
filestoredinadifferentdirectory,donotusethevirtualdisk
managertoexpandthevirtualdiskuntilyouremovethe
snapshotorcommittheredologfile.Otherwise,youmight
notbeabletopoweronthevirtualmachine.
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Table 6-1.
Options/Parameters
Description
-n <sourcediskname>
<targetdiskname>
Renamesthevirtualdiskspecifiedby<sourcediskname>.You
mustspecifythenameofthetargetvirtualdisk
(<targetdiskname>).Byprovidingdirectorypaths,youcan
renamethediskandplaceitinadifferentdirectoryorplace
thediskwiththesamenameinadifferentdirectory.
Beforeyourenamethevirtualdiskorchangethedirectoryin
whichitislocated,youshouldremovethevirtualdiskfrom
anyvirtualmachinethatcontainsthedisk.ChooseVM>
Settings><virtualdisk>,thenclickRemove.Ifthisvirtual
machinehasasnapshotoraredologstoredinadifferent
directory,removethesnapshotorcommittheredolog.
Otherwise,youmaynotbeabletopoweronthevirtual
machine.
Afteryourenameorrelocatethevirtualdisk,additbackto
anyvirtualmachinesthatuseit.ChooseVM>Settings,click
Add,thenfollowtheWizardtoaddthisexistingvirtualdisk.
-d <diskname>
Defragmentsthespecifiedvirtualdisk.Youcandefragment
onlygrowablevirtualdisks.Youcannotdefragment
preallocatedvirtualdisks.
-p <mountpoint>
Preparesavirtualdiskforshrinking.Ifthevirtualdiskis
partitionedintovolumes,eachvolumemustbeprepared
separately.ThevolumemustbemountedbyVMware
DiskMountat<mountpoint>.Afteryoupreparethevolume,
unmountitwithVMwareDiskMount.Continuemounting
eachvolumeofthevirtualdiskandpreparingitforshrinking
untilyoucompletethisprocessforallthevolumesofthe
virtualdisk.
Youcanmountonlyonevolumeofavirtualdiskatatime
withVMwareDiskMount.Youcanpreparevolumesof
virtualdisksforshrinkingononlyonWindowshosts.
-k <diskname>
Shrinksthespecifiedvirtualdisk.Youcanshrinkonly
growablevirtualdisks.Youcanshrinkvirtualdisksonlyon
Windowshosts.
Youcannotshrinkavirtualdiskifthevirtualmachinehasa
snapshot.Tokeepthevirtualdiskinitscurrentstate,remove
thesnapshot.Todiscardchangesmadesinceyoutookthe
snapshot,reverttothesnapshot.
-a
[ide|buslogic|lsilogi
c]
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Specifiesthediskadaptertype.Youmustspecifyanadapter
typewhencreatinganewvirtualdisk.Chooseoneofthe
followingtypes:
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ideforanIDEadapter.
buslogicforaBusLogicSCSIadapter.
lsilogicforanLSILogicSCSIadapter.
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Table 6-1.
Options/Parameters
Description
-s <n>[GB|MB]
Specifiesthesizeofthevirtualdisk.Specifywhetherthesize
<n>isingigabytesormegabytes.Youmustspecifythesizeof
avirtualdiskwhenyoucreateit.
Eventhoughyoumustspecifythesizeofavirtualdiskwhen
youexpandit,youdonotusethe-soptionatthattime.
-t [0|1|2|3]
Youmustspecifythetypeofvirtualdiskwhenyoucreatea
newoneorreconfigureanexistingone.Specifyoneofthe
followingdisktypes:
0tocreateasingle,growablevirtualdisk.
1tocreateagrowablevirtualdisksplitinto2GBfiles.
2tocreateapreallocatedvirtualdiskcontainedinasingle
virtualdiskfile.
3tocreateapreallocatedvirtualdisksplitinto2GBfiles.
-q
Disablesvirtualdiskmanagerlogging.
Ifyoukeeploggingenabled,messagesgeneratedbythe
virtualdiskmanagerarestoredinalogfile.Thenameand
locationofthelogfileappearintheterminalafterthevirtual
diskmanagercommandisrun.
Shrinking Virtual Disks with VMware Virtual Disk Manager

Youcanusethevirtualdiskmanagertoprepareandshrinkvirtualdisksonlyona
MicrosoftWindowshost.TheVMwarevirtualdiskmanagerisnotsupportedonLinux
hosts.Youcannotusethevirtualdiskmanagertoshrinkphysicaldisks.Shrinkinga
virtualdiskdoesnotreducethemaximumcapacityofthevirtualdisk.Formore
informationaboutshrinking,seeDefragmentingandShrinkingVirtualDiskson
page 125.
CAUTION
Youcannotshrinkavirtualdiskifthevirtualmachinehasasnapshot.To
keepthevirtualdiskinitscurrentstate,removethesnapshot.Todiscard
changesmadeafteryoutookthesnapshot,reverttothesnapshot.
Youmustprepareeachvolumeofthevirtualdiskforshrinkingbeforeyoucanshrink
thedisk.Toprepareavolumeforshrinking,youmustfirstmountit.Tomountthe
volume,usetheVMwareDiskMountUtility,availablewithVMwareServer.Formore
information,seeAppendix:MountingVirtualDisksintheVMwareServer
AdministrationGuide.
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VMwareDiskMountmountsindividualvolumesofavirtualdisk.Foroptimal
shrinkingofavirtualdisk,youshouldmountallthevolumesandpreparethemfor
shrinking.
Afteryoumountavirtualdiskvolume,usethevirtualdiskmanagertopreparethe
volumeforshrinking.Afteryouprepareavolume,unmountit,andrepeattheprocess
foreachvolumeofthevirtualdisk.Afteryouprepareallthevolumesofthevirtual
disk,youcanshrinkthevirtualdisk.Forexamples,seePreparingaVirtualDiskfor
Shrinkingonpage 145andShrinkingaVirtualDiskonpage 146.
Examples Using the VMware Virtual Disk Manager

Thefollowingexamplesillustratehowtousethevirtualdiskmanager.Yourunthe
virtualdiskmanagerfromacommandprompt.
Creating a new Virtual Disk

Tocreateanewvirtualdisk,use the following:
vmware-vdiskmanager -c -t 0 -s 40GB -a ide myDisk.vmdk
Thiscreatesa40GBIDEvirtualdisknamedmyDisk.vmdk.Thevirtualdiskiscontained
inasingle.vmdkfile.Thediskspaceisnotpreallocated.
Converting a Virtual Disk from

Toconvertavirtualdiskfrompreallocatedtoagrowabledisk, use the following:
vmware-vdiskmanager -r sourceDisk.vmdk -t 0 targetDisk.vmdk
Thisconvertsthediskfromitsoriginalpreallocatedtypetoagrowablevirtualdisk
consistingofasinglevirtualdiskfile.Allofthevirtualdiskspaceisnolonger
preallocated,andthevirtualdiskmanagerreclaimssomediskspaceinthevirtualdisk
soitisonlyaslargeasthedatacontainedwithinit.
Expanding the Size of an Existing Virtual Disk

Toexpandthesizeofavirtualdisk,usethefollowing:
vmware-vdiskmanager -x 40GB myDisk.vmdk
Thisincreasesthemaximumcapacityofthevirtualdiskto40GB.
Renaming a Virtual Disk

Torenameavirtualdisk,firstremoveitfromanyvirtualmachinethatcontainsthedisk
(chooseVM>Settings><virtualdisk>,clickRemove).
Usethefollowing:
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vmware-vdiskmanager -n myDisk.vmdk myNewDisk.vmdk

Torenamethediskandlocateitinadifferentdirectory,use:
vmware-vdiskmanager -n myDisk.vmdk ..\<new>\<path>\myNewDisk.vmdk
NOTE
ThepathsusedintheseexamplesassumeaMicrosoftWindowshost.
Tolocatethediskinadifferentdirectorybutkeepthesamename,use:
vmware-vdiskmanager -n myDisk.vmdk ..\<new>\<path>\myDisk.vmdk
Afteryourenameorrelocatethevirtualdisk,additbacktoanyvirtualmachinesthat
useit.ChooseVM>Settings,clickAdd.FollowtheWizardtoaddthisexistingvirtual
disk.
Defragmenting a Virtual Disk

Todefragmentavirtualdisk,usethefollowing:
vmware-vdiskmanager -d myDisk.vmdk
Youcannotdefragmentavirtualdiskifyoupreallocatedallthediskspacewhenyou
createdthevirtualdisk.Youcannotdefragmentaphysicaldisk.
Preparing a Virtual Disk for Shrinking

Beforeyoucanshrinkavirtualdisk,youmustprepareeachvolumeonthediskfor
shrinking.ThediskmustbelocatedonaWindowshost.Firstyoumustmountthe
volume.Tomountthevolume,usetheVMwareDiskMountUtility,availablewith
VMwareServer.ForinformationabouthowtouseVMwareDiskMount,see
ShrinkingVirtualDiskswithVMwareVirtualDiskManageronpage 143.
VMwareDiskMountmountsindividualvolumesofavirtualdisk.Foroptimal
shrinkingofavirtualdisk,youshouldmountallthevolumesandshrinkthem.
Afteryoumountavirtualdiskvolume,usethevirtualdiskmanagertopreparethedisk
forshrinking.TopreparethevolumemountedattheMdriveforshrinking,usethe
following:
vmware-vdiskmanager -p M:
Oncethepreparationsarecomplete,unmountthevolume.Repeatthisprocessforeach
volumeofthevirtualdisk.Afteryouprepareallthevolumesforshrinking,youcan
shrinkthevirtualdisk.
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Shrinking a Virtual Disk

Toshrinkavirtualdisk,itmustbelocatedonaMicrosoftWindowshost.Beforeyou
canshrinkthevirtualdisk,makesureyouprepareallthevolumesofthevirtualdisk
forshrinking.Thenusethefollowing:
vmware-vdiskmanager -k myDisk.vmdk
Remember,youcannotshrinkavirtualdiskifyoupreallocatedallthediskspacewhen
youcreatedthevirtualdisk.Youcannotshrinkaphysical(raw)disk.
Youcannotshrinkavirtualdiskifthevirtualmachinehasasnapshot.Tokeepthe
virtualdiskinitscurrentstate,removethesnapshot.Todiscardchangesmadesince
youtookthesnapshot,reverttothesnapshot.
Installing an Operating System onto a Physical Partition

Insomesituations,youmightwanttoinstallaguestoperatingsystemdirectlyona
physicaldiskorpartitionalsoknownasarawdiskevenifyoudonotneedtoboot
thatdiskonthehost,outsideofthevirtualmachine.
Youcanuseeitheranunusedpartitionoracompletelyunuseddiskonthehostasadisk
inthevirtualmachine.However,itisimportanttobeawarethatanoperatingsystem
installedinthissettingprobablycannotbootoutsideofthevirtualmachine,even
thoughthedataisavailabletothehost.
CAUTION
YoucannotuseaphysicaldiskthatisstoredonaSAN.Youmustusea
diskorapartitionontheVMwareServerhost.Physicaldisksarean
advancedfeatureandshouldbeconfiguredonlybyadvancedusers.
VMwareServerusesdescriptionfilestocontrolaccesstoeachphysicaldiskonthe
system.Thesedescriptionfilescontainaccessprivilegeinformationthatcontrolsa
virtualmachinesaccesstocertainpartitionsonthedisks.Thismechanismprevents
usersfromaccidentallyrunningthehostoperatingsystemagainasaguestorrunning
aguestoperatingsystemthatthevirtualmachineisnotconfiguredtouse.The
descriptionfilealsopreventsaccidentalwritestophysicaldiskpartitionsfrombadly
behavedoperatingsystemsorapplications.
UsetheNewVirtualMachineWizardtoconfigureavirtualmachinetouseexisting
physicaldiskpartitions.TheWizardguidesyouthoughcreatinganewvirtual
machine,includingconfiguringthephysicaldiskdescriptionfiles.ReruntheWizardto
createaseparateconfigurationforeachguestoperatingsysteminstalledonaraw
partition.
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NOTE
Whileinstallingtheguestoperatingsystemonaphysicaldisk,ifyourvirtual
machinedoesnotbootfromtheCDROM,trychangingthebootorderinthe
virtualmachinesBIOS.Restartthevirtualmachine,andpressF2whilethe
virtualmachineisbootingtoentertheBIOS.Changethebootorderthere.
ReadthesectionappropriatetoyourVMwareServerhostoperatingsystem.
!
ConfiguringaWindowsHostonpage 147
ConfiguringaLinuxHostonpage 149
Configuring a Windows Host

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoconfigurephysicaldisksonaWindowshost.
Usethefollowingstepstorunaguestoperatingsystemfromaphysicaldisk.
NOTE
IfyouuseaWindowshostsIDEdiskinaphysicaldiskconfiguration,it
cannotbeconfiguredastheslaveonthesecondaryIDEchannelifthemaster
onthatchannelisaCDROMdrive.
To configure the virtual machine to use a physical disk

1
Identifytherawpartitiononwhichyouplantoinstalltheguestoperatingsystem.
Checktheguestoperatingsystemdocumentationregardingthetypeofpartition
onwhichtheoperatingsystemcanbeinstalled.Forexample,operatingsystems
likeDOS,Windows95,andWindows98mustbeinstalledonthefirstprimary
partitionwhileothers,likeLinux,canbeinstalledonaprimaryorextended
partitiononanypartofthedrive.
Identifyanappropriaterawpartitionordiskfortheguestoperatingsystemtouse.
BesurethattherawpartitionisnotmountedbytheWindowshostandnotinuse
byothers.Also,besuretherawpartitionordiskdoesnothavedatayouwillneed
inthefuture;ifitdoes,backupthatdatanow.
StarttheNewVirtualMachineWizard(File>New>VirtualMachine)andselect
Custom.
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WhenyoureachtheSelectaDiskstep,selectUseaphysicaldisk.
Choosethephysicalharddisktousefromthedropdownlist.Selectwhetherto
usetheentirediskoruseonlyindividualpartitionsonthedisk.ClickNext.
IfyouselectedUseindividualpartitionsinthepreviousstep,selectwhich
partitionsyouwanttouseinthevirtualmachine.IfyouselectedUseentiredisk,
thisstepdoesnotappear.
ClickNext.
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Thepartitiononwhichyouareinstallingtheguestoperatingsystemshouldbe
unmappedinthehost.
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CAUTION
Corruptionispossibleifyouallowthevirtualmachinetomodifya
partitionthatissimultaneouslymountedunderWindows.Sincethe
virtualmachineandguestoperatingsystemaccessaphysicaldisk
partitionwhilethehostcontinuestorunWindows,itiscriticalthat
younotallowthevirtualmachinetomodifyanypartitionmounted
bythehostorinusebyanothervirtualmachine.Tosafeguard
againstthisproblem,besurethephysicaldiskpartitionyouusefor
thevirtualmachineisnotinusebythehost.
UseDiskManagement(Start>Settings>ControlPanel>AdministrativeTools>
ComputerManagement>Storage>DiskManagement).Selectthepartitionyou
wanttounmap.ChooseAction>AllTasks>ChangeDriveLetterandPath.Click
Remove.
7
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)tochangeany
configurationoptionsfromtheWizarddefaultsforexample,tochangethe
amountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine.
Atthispointyouarereadytobegininstallingtheguestoperatingsystemontothe
physicaldiskyouconfiguredforthevirtualmachine.Formoredetails,readthe
installationnotesforvariousguestoperatingsystemsintheVMwareGuest
OperatingSystemInstallationGuide,availablefromtheVMwareWebsite.
Configuring a Linux Host

1
Identifytherawpartitiononwhichtoinstalltheguestoperatingsystem.
Checktheguestoperatingsystemdocumentationregardingthetypeofpartition
onwhichtheoperatingsystemcanbeinstalled.Forexample,operatingsystems
likeDOS,Windows95,andWindows98mustbeinstalledonthefirstprimary
partitionwhileothers,likeLinux,canbeinstalledonaprimaryorextended
partitiononanypartofthedrive.
Identifyanappropriaterawpartitionordiskfortheguestoperatingsystemtouse.
CheckthattherawpartitionisnotmountedbytheLinuxhostandnotinuseby
others.Also,besuretherawpartitionordiskdoesnothavedatayouwillneedin
thefuture;ifitdoes,backupthatdatanow.
Checktheoperatingsystempartitionmounts.Besuretheexistingdiskpartitions
thatyouplantouseinthevirtualmachinearenotmountedbyLinux.
Setthedevicegroupmembershipordeviceownership.
Themasterphysicaldiskdeviceordevicesneedtobereadableandwritablebythe
userwhorunsVMwareServer.Onmostdistributions,therawdevices,suchas
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/dev/hda(IDEphysicaldisk)and/dev/sdb(SCSIphysicaldisk)belongtogroupID
disk.Ifthisisthecase,youcanaddVMwareServeruserstothediskgroup.
Anotheroptionistochangetheownerofthedevice.Thinkcarefullyaboutsecurity
issueswhenyouexploredifferentoptionshere.
VMwarerecommendsgrantingVMwareServerusersaccesstoall/dev/hd[abcd]
rawdevicesthatcontainoperatingsystemsorbootmanagersratherthantorelyon
VMwareServersphysicaldiskconfigurationfilestoguardaccess.Thisprovides
bootmanagersaccesstoconfigurationandotherfilestheymightneedtobootthe
operatingsystems.Forexample,LILOneedstoread/bootonaLinuxpartitionto
bootanonLinuxoperatingsystemthatmightbeonanotherdrive.
4
StarttheNewVirtualMachineWizard(File>New>VirtualMachine)andselect
Custom.
WhenyoureachtheSelectaDiskstep,selectUseaphysicaldisk.
Ifthephysicaldiskyouplantousealreadyhasmultiplepartitions,certain
operatingsystems(DOS,Windows95,Windows98)mustbeinstalledonthefirst
primarypartition.
CAUTION
Corruptionispossibleifyouallowthevirtualmachinetomodifya
partitionthatissimultaneouslymountedundertheLinuxhost
operatingsystem.
Becausethevirtualmachineandguestoperatingsystemaccessan
existingpartitionwhilethehostcontinuestorunLinux,itiscritical
thatthevirtualmachinenotbeallowedtomodifyanypartition
mountedbythehostorinusebyanothervirtualmachine.
Tosafeguardagainstthisproblem,besurethepartitionyouuseforthevirtual
machineisnotmountedundertheLinuxhost.
7
Atthispointyouarereadytobegininstallingtheguestoperatingsystemonthe
physicaldiskyouconfiguredforthevirtualmachine.Formoredetails,readthe
installationnotesforvariousguestoperatingsystemsintheVMwareGuest
OperatingSystemInstallationGuide,availablefromtheVMwareWebsite.
Disk Performance in Windows NT Guests on

Multiprocessor Hosts
Someusershaveexperiencedslowerthanexpecteddiskinputandoutputperformance
whenrunningWindowsNTguestoperatingsystems.Usersmightexperiencethe
probleminVMwareServervirtualmachinesusingIDEvirtualdisksonmultiprocessor
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hostcomputers.TheI/Oissueisespeciallynoticeablewhenthevirtualmachineis
booting.
NOTE
PerformanceinWindowsNTguestoperatingsystemsmightalsobeaffected
bydiskfragmentationonthehostcomputer.Fordetails,seeConfiguringand
MaintainingtheHostComputer.
Improving Performance
YoucanincreaseperformancebyenablingDMA(directmemoryaccess)onthevirtual
harddisksIDEchannelinthevirtualmachine.
IfyouhaveavirtualdiskandaDVD/CDROMattachedasmasterandslavetothe
primaryIDEcontroller(channel0)andyouwanttoenableDMA,poweroffthevirtual
machineandusethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)tomovethe
DVD/CDROMdrivetothesecondaryIDEcontroller(channel1)atIDE1:0.
YoucanenabletheDMAfeatureafteryoufinishinstallingWindowsNT.Youmust
installServicePack3orhigherinthevirtualmachinetoenablethisoption.
AfterthevirtualmachineisrunningWindowsNT,insertanSP3orSP4CDinthedrive
andrunDMACHECK.EXEfromthe\SUPPORT\UTILS\I386folderontheCD.Ordownload
DMACHECK.EXEfromtheMicrosoftWebsite
(support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q191/7/74.ASP).
ClicktheEnabledoptionfortheIDEcontrollerandchannelconfiguredforthevirtual
disk.Typically,thisischannel0only,unlessyouhavethevirtualmachineconfigured
withmultiplevirtualdisksandnovirtualDVD/CDROMdrive.
Asnotedabove,youshouldnotenableDMAonanIDEchannelwithavirtual
DVD/CDROMdriveattached.
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C HAPTER 7
Networking
Thischapterdescribeshowtousevirtualnetworkingcomponentstocreateawide
rangeofconfigurationsandcoversthefollowingtopics:
!
ComponentsoftheVirtualNetworkonpage 153
CommonNetworkingConfigurationsonpage 155
CustomNetworkingConfigurationsonpage 159
ChangingtheNetworkingConfigurationonpage 162
AdvancedNetworkingTopicsonpage 171
UnderstandingNATonpage 190
UsingSambaforFileSharingonaLinuxHostonpage 201
WhenyoucreateavirtualmachinewiththeNewVirtualMachineWizard,youcan
chooseanyofthecommonconfigurationsbridgednetworking,networkaddress
translation(NAT),andhostonlynetworking.TheWizardconnectsthevirtualmachine
totheappropriatevirtualnetwork.
Youcansetupmorespecializedconfigurationsbychoosingtheappropriatesettingsin
thevirtualmachinesettingseditor,intheVirtualNetworkEditor(onMicrosoft
Windowshosts)andonyourhostcomputer.
OnaWindowshost,thesoftwareneededforallnetworkingconfigurationsisinstalled
whenyouinstallVMwareServer.OnaLinuxhost,allcomponentsareavailableifyou
choosetohavebothbridgedandhostonlynetworkingavailabletoyourvirtual
machinesatthetimeyouinstallVMwareServer.
Components of the Virtual Network

Thefollowingitemsarecomponentsofavirtualnetwork:
Virtual switch Likeaphysicalswitch,avirtualswitchletsyouconnectother
networkingcomponentstogether.TheVMwareServersoftwarecreatesvirtual
switchesasneeded.Windowshostssupportasmanyas10switches,whileLinuxhosts
supportasmanyas100switches.Youcanconnectoneormorevirtualmachinestoa
switch.
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Severaloftheswitchesandthenetworksassociatedwiththemare,bydefault,usedfor
specialnamedconfigurations.ThebridgednetworknormallyusesVMnet0.The
hostonlynetworkusesVMnet1bydefault.TheNATnetworkusesVMnet8bydefault.
TheotheravailablenetworksarenamedVMnet2,VMnet3,VMnet4,andsoon.
Youconnectavirtualmachinetoaswitchbyselectingthevirtualnetworkadapterto
connectinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,andconfiguringittousethevirtual
network.
Bridge ThebridgeletsyouconnectyourvirtualmachinetotheLANusedbyyour
hostcomputer.Itconnectsthevirtualnetworkadapterinyourvirtualmachinetothe
physicalEthernetadapterinyourhostcomputer.
ThebridgeisinstalledduringVMwareServerinstallation(onaLinuxhost,youmust
choosetomakebridgednetworkingavailabletoyourvirtualmachines).Itissetup
whenyoucreateanewvirtualmachineusingbridgednetworking.
Youcansetupadditionalvirtualbridgestouseincustomconfigurationsthatrequire
connectionstomorethanonephysicalEthernetadapteronthehostcomputer.
Host virtual adapter ThehostvirtualadapterisavirtualEthernetadapterthat
appearstoyourhostoperatingsystemasaVMwarevirtualEthernetadapterona
WindowshostandasahostonlyinterfaceonaLinuxhost.Itallowsyouto
communicatebetweenyourhostcomputerandthevirtualmachinesonthathost
computer.ThehostvirtualadapterisusedinhostonlyandNATconfigurations.
Thehostvirtualadapterisnotconnectedtoanyexternalnetworkunlessyousetup
specialsoftwareonthehostcomputeraproxyserver,forexampletoconnectthe
hostonlyadaptertothephysicalnetworkadapter.
ThesoftwarethatcreatesthehostvirtualadapterisinstalledwhenyouinstallVMware
Server(onaLinuxhost,youmustchoosetomakehostonlynetworkingavailableto
yourvirtualmachines).Ahostvirtualadapteriscreatedwhenyoubootthehost
computer.
Youcansetupadditionalhostvirtualadaptersasneeded.
NAT device TheNAT(networkaddresstranslation)deviceallowsyoutoconnect
yourvirtualmachinestoanexternalnetworkwhenyouhaveonlyoneIPnetwork
addressonthephysicalnetwork,andthataddressisusedbythehostcomputer.You
can,forexample,useNATtoconnectyourvirtualmachinestotheInternetthrougha
dialupconnectiononthehostcomputerorthroughthehostcomputersEthernet
adapterorwirelessEthernetadapter.NATisalsousefulwhenyouneedtoconnectto
anonEthernetnetwork,suchasTokenRingorATM.
TheNATdeviceissetupautomaticallywhenyouinstallVMwareServer.(OnaLinux
host,youmustchoosetomakeNATavailabletoyourvirtualmachines.)
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Chapter 7 Networking
DHCP server TheDHCP(dynamichostconfigurationprotocol)serverprovidesIP

networkaddressestovirtualmachinesinconfigurationsthatarenotbridgedtoan
externalnetworkforexample,hostonlyandNATconfigurations.
Network adapter Onevirtualnetworkadapterissetupforyourvirtualmachine
whenyoucreateitwiththeNewVirtualMachineWizardusinganytypeofnetworking
(avirtualnetworkadapterisalwaysaddedtoavirtualmachinecreatedwiththe
VMwareManagementInterface).ItappearstotheguestoperatingsystemasanAMD
PCNETPCIadapter.
Youcancreateandconfigureuptofourvirtualnetworkadaptersineachvirtual
machineusingthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Theadaptercanuseoneoftwodrivers:thevlancedriverandthevmxnetdriver.
VMwareServersupportsNICmorphing,whichdynamicallyselectsthedriver.The
vlancedriverinstallswhenavirtualmachineisstartedorrebooted.Ifthevirtual
machinehasVMwareToolsinstalled,thevmxnetdriverisautomaticallyinstalled.
Otherwise,thevlancedriverremainsasthedefault.
Common Networking Configurations

Thefollowingsectionsillustratethenetworkingconfigurationsthataresetupwhen
youchoosethestandardnetworkingoptionsintheNewVirtualMachineWizardor
virtualmachinesettingseditor.
!
BridgedNetworkingonpage 156
NetworkAddressTranslation(NAT)onpage 157
HostOnlyNetworkingonpage 158
Onlyonevirtualmachineisshownineachexample,butmultiplevirtualmachinescan
beconnectedtothesamevirtualEthernetswitch.OnaWindowshost,youcanconnect
anunlimitednumberofvirtualnetworkdevicestoavirtualswitch.OnaLinuxhost,
youcanconnectupto32devices.
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Bridged Networking
Figure 7-1. Bridged networking connects a virtual machine to a network using the host
computers Ethernet adapter.
BridgednetworkingissetupautomaticallyifyouselectUsebridgednetworkinginthe
NewVirtualMachineWizardorifyouselecttheTypicalsetuppath.Thisselectionis
availableonaLinuxhostonlyifyouenablethebridgednetworkingoptionwhenyou
installVMwareServer.
Bridgednetworkingisoftentheeasiestwaytogiveyourvirtualmachineaccesstothe
networkwhenyourhostcomputerisonanEthernetnetwork.OnaWindowshost,you
canusebridgednetworkingtoconnecttoeitherawiredorawirelessnetwork.Ona
Linuxhost,youcanusebridgednetworkingtoconnecttoawirednetwork.
Ifyouusebridgednetworking,yourvirtualmachineneedstohaveitsownidentityon
thenetwork.Forexample,onaTCP/IPnetwork,thevirtualmachineneedsitsownIP
address.YournetworkadministratorcantellyouwhetherIPaddressesareavailable
foryourvirtualmachineandwhatnetworkingsettingsyoushoulduseintheguest
operatingsystem.Generally,yourguestoperatingsystemcanacquireanIPaddress
andothernetworkdetailsautomaticallyfromaDHCPserver.Youmightneedtosetthe
IPaddressandotherdetailsmanuallyintheguestoperatingsystem.
Usingbridgednetworkingenablesthevirtualmachinetobeafullparticipantinthe
network.Ithasaccesstoothermachinesonthenetworkandcanbecontactedbyother
machinesonthenetworkasifitwereaphysicalcomputeronthenetwork.
Ifthehostcomputerissetuptobootmultipleoperatingsystemsandyourunoneor
moreoftheminvirtualmachines,youneedtoconfigureeachoperatingsystemwitha
uniquenetworkaddress.Peoplewhobootmultipleoperatingsystemsoftenassignall
systemsthesameaddress,sincetheyassumeonlyoneoperatingsystemwillrunata
time.Ifyouuseoneormoreoftheoperatingsystemsinavirtualmachine,this
assumptionisnolongertrue.
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Youcansetorchangetheoptiontousebridgednetworkinginthevirtualmachine
settingseditor(VM>Settings).Fordetails,seeChangingtheNetworking
Configurationonpage 162.
Network Address Translation (NAT)
Figure 7-2. NAT gives a virtual machine access to network resources using the host
computers IP address.
Anetworkaddresstranslationconnectionissetupautomaticallyifyoufollowthe
CustompathintheNewVirtualMachineWizardandselectUsenetworkaddress
translation.
IfyouwanttoconnecttotheInternetorotherTCP/IPnetworkusingthehost
computersdialupnetworkingorbroadbandconnectionandyouarenotabletogive
yourvirtualmachineanIPaddressontheexternalnetwork,NATisoftentheeasiest
waytogiveyourvirtualmachineaccesstothatnetwork.
NATalsoallowsyoutoconnecttoaTCP/IPnetworkusingaTokenRingadapteron
thehostcomputer.HoweverryourvirtualmachinedoesnothaveitsownIPaddress
ontheexternalnetworkifyouuseNAT.Instead,aseparateprivatenetworkissetup
onthehostcomputer.Yourvirtualmachinegetsanaddressonthatnetworkfromthe
VMwarevirtualDHCPserver.TheVMwareNATdevicepassesnetworkdatabetween
oneormorevirtualmachinesandtheexternalnetwork.Itidentifiesincomingdata
packetsintendedforeachvirtualmachineandsendsthemtothecorrectdestination.
IfyouselectNAT,thevirtualmachinecanusemanystandardTCP/IPprotocolsto
connecttoothermachinesontheexternalnetwork.Forexample,youcanuseHTTPto
browseWebsites,FTPtotransferfiles,andTelnettologontoothercomputers.Inthe
defaultconfiguration,computersontheexternalnetworkcannotinitiateconnectionsto
thevirtualmachine.Thatmeans,forexample,thatthedefaultconfigurationdoesnot
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letyouusethevirtualmachineasaWebservertosendWebpagestocomputersonthe
externalnetwork.
IfyoumakesomeotherselectionintheNewVirtualMachineWizardandlaterdecide
touseNAT,youcanmakethatchangeinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>
Settings).Fordetails,seeChangingtheNetworkingConfigurationonpage 162.
ForamorethoroughdiscussionofNAT,seeUnderstandingNATonpage 190.
Host-Only Networking
Figure 7-3.
Host-only networking creates a network that is completely contained within the host
computer.
AhostonlynetworkissetupautomaticallyifyouselectUseHostOnlyNetworking
intheNewVirtualMachineWizard.OnLinuxhosts,thisselectionisavailableonlyif
youenabledthehostonlynetworkingoptionwhenyouinstalledVMwareServer.
Hostonlynetworkingprovidesanetworkconnectionbetweenthevirtualmachineand
thehostcomputer,usingavirtualEthernetadapterthatisvisibletothehostoperating
system.Thisapproachcanbeusefulifyouneedtosetupanisolatedvirtualnetwork.
Ifyouusehostonlynetworking,yourvirtualmachineandthehostvirtualadapterare
connectedtoaprivateTCP/IPnetwork.Addressesonthisnetworkareprovidedbythe
VMwareDHCPserver.
IfyoumakesomeotherselectionintheNewVirtualMachineWizardandlaterdecide
youwanttousehostonlynetworking,youcanmakethatchangeinthevirtualmachine
settingseditor(VM>Settings).Fordetails,seeChangingtheNetworking
Configurationonpage 162.
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Routing and Connection Sharing

Ifyouinstalltheproperroutingorproxysoftwareonyourhostcomputer,youcan
establishaconnectionbetweenthehostvirtualEthernetadapterandaphysical
networkadapteronthehostcomputer.Thisallowsyou,forexample,toconnectthe
virtualmachinetoaTokenRingorothernonEthernetnetwork.
OnaWindows2000orWindowsServer2003hostcomputer,youcanusehostonly
networkingincombinationwiththeInternetconnectionsharingfeatureinWindowsto
allowavirtualmachinetousethehostsdialupnetworkingadapterorother
connectiontotheInternet.SeeyourWindowsdocumentationfordetailsonconfiguring
Internetconnectionsharing.
Custom Networking Configurations

ThevirtualnetworkingcomponentsprovidedbyVMwareServermakeitpossiblefor
youtocreatesophisticatedvirtualnetworks.Thevirtualnetworkscanbeconnectedto
oneormoreexternalnetworks,ortheycanrunentirelyonthehostcomputer.
Settingupnetworkingcomponentsforyourcustomvirtualnetworkisa
straightforwardprocess.Beforeattemptingtosetupcomplexvirtualnetworks,you
shouldhaveagoodunderstandingofhowtoconfigurenetworkdevicesinyourhost
andguestoperatingsystems.
Thesampleconfigurationdescribedinthissectionillustratesoneofthemanywaysyou
cancombinedevicesonavirtualnetwork.Othercustomconfigurationsaredescribed
inAdvancedNetworkingTopicsonpage 171andUnderstandingNATon
page 190.
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Figure 7-4. In this custom configuration, a Web server connects through a firewall to
an external network. An administrators computer can connect to the Web server
through a second firewall.
Tosetupthisconfiguration,youmustcreatefourvirtualmachinesandusethevirtual
machinesettingseditortoadjustthesettingsfortheirvirtualEthernetadapters.You
alsoneedtoinstalltheappropriateguestoperatingsystemsandapplicationsoftware
ineachvirtualmachineandmaketheappropriatenetworkingsettingsineachvirtual
machine.
1
SetupfourvirtualmachinesusingtheNewVirtualMachineWizard.
Createthefirstvirtualmachinewithbridgednetworkingsoitcanconnecttoan
externalnetworkusingthehostcomputersEthernetadapter.
Createtheotherthreevirtualmachineswithoutnetworking.Youwillsetuptheir
virtualEthernetadaptersinlatersteps.
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LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandopenvirtualmachine1.Donotpoweron
thevirtualmachine.
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Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)toaddasecondvirtual
networkadapter,asdescribedinChangingtheNetworkingConfigurationon
page 162.ConnectthesecondadaptertoCustom(VMnet2).
ClickOKtosavetheconfigurationandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
3
Ifaconsoleisnotrunning,launchone.Openvirtualmachine2.Donotpoweron
thevirtualmachine.
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)toaddavirtualnetwork
adapter.ConnecttheadaptertoCustom(VMnet2).
thevirtualmachine.
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddavirtualnetworkadapter.Connect
theadaptertoCustom(VMnet2).
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddasecondvirtualnetworkadapter.
ConnecttheadaptertoCustom(VMnet3).
thevirtualmachine.
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddavirtualnetworkadapter.Connect
theadaptertoCustom(VMnet3).
DeterminethenetworkaddressesusedforVMnet2andVMnet3.
NOTE
OnaWindowshost,youcanskipthestepsforconfiguringnetwork
addressesmanuallyand,instead,useVMwareServersDHCPserver.
ChooseHost>VirtualNetworkSettings>DHCPandaddVMnet2and
VMnet3tothelistofvirtualnetworksservedbythevirtualDHCPserver.
Thenskiptostep9.
OnaWindowshost,openacommandpromptonthehostcomputerandrun
ipconfig /all.Notethenetworkaddressesusedbyeachvirtualadapter.
OnaLinuxhost,runifconfigattheconsoleorinaterminalwindowonthehost
computer.Notethenetworkaddressesusedbyeachvirtualswitch.
7
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Launchaconsole,openeachvirtualmachineinturnandinstalltheappropriate
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Configurethenetworkingineachguestoperatingsystem.
ForthebridgedEthernetadapterinvirtualmachine1,usethenetworkingsettings
neededforaconnectiontotheexternalnetwork.IfthevirtualmachinegetsitsIP
addressfromaDHCPserverontheexternalnetwork,thedefaultsettingsshould
work.
ForthesecondEthernetadapterinvirtualmachine1,manuallyassignanIP
addressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet2.
Invirtualmachine2,assignanIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet2.
Invirtualmachine3,networkadaptersareconnectedtoVMnet2andVMnet3.
AssigneachadapteranIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwiththevirtual
networktowhichitisconnected.
Invirtualmachine4,assignanIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet3.
Installthenecessaryapplicationsoftwareineachvirtualmachine.
Changing the Networking Configuration

Usingthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings),youcanchangethe
configurationofyourvirtualnetworksby
!
AddingandModifyingVirtualNetworkAdaptersonpage 162
ConfiguringBridgedNetworkingOptionsonaWindowsHostonpage 164
Enabling,Disabling,Adding,andRemovingHostVirtualAdaptersonpage 168
Adding and Modifying Virtual Network Adapters

YoucanaddneworconfigureexistingvirtualnetworkadaptersfromtheVMware
ServerConsoleandfromtheVMwareManagementInterface.Thesettingsyoucan
configureincludethevirtualnetworkdevicetowhichthevirtualmachineisboundand
thenetworkdriverituses.
VMwareServersupportstwonetworkdriversforavirtualnetworkadapter,thevlance
driverandthevmxnetdriver.VMwareServerautomaticallyselectsthenetworkdriver
basedontheconfigurationonyourvirtualmachine.Thevlancedriverinstallswhena
virtualmachineisstartedorrebooted.IfthevirtualmachinehasVMwareTools
installed,thevmxnetdriverisautomaticallyinstalled.Otherwise,thevlancedriver
remainsasthedefault.
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To add and configure a virtual network adapter from the Console

1
Poweroffthevirtualmachine.
ClickAdd.
TheAddHardwareWizardstarts.SelectEthernetAdapter.ClickNext.The
NetworkTypescreenappears.
SpecifythetypeofnetworkingthisvirtualNICuses.SelectBridged,NAT,
Hostonly,CustomorNamed.
IfyouselectCustom,choosetheVMnetvirtualnetworkyouwanttouseforthe
networkfromthedropdownlist.
NOTE
AlthoughVMnet0,VMnet1,andVMnet8areavailableinthislist,theyare
normallyusedforbridged,hostonly,andNATconfigurations,
respectively.Specialstepsarerequiredtomakethemavailableforusein
customconfigurations.Youshouldchooseoneoftheotherswitches.
ClickFinish.Thenewadapterisadded.
ClickOKtosaveyourconfigurationandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
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To change the configuration of an existing virtual network adapter

1
Selecttheadapteryouwanttomodify.
SpecifythetypeofnetworkingthisvirtualNICuses.SelectBridged,NAT,
Hostonly,CustomorNamed.
IfyouselectCustom,choosetheVMnetvirtualnetworkyouwanttouseforthe
networkfromthedropdownlist.
BesuretheguestoperatingsystemisconfiguredtouseanappropriateIPaddress
onthenewnetwork.IftheguestisusingDHCP,releaseandrenewthelease.Ifthe
IPaddressissetstatically,besuretheguesthasanaddressonthecorrectvirtual
network.
Ifyouselectedacustomnetwork,selectthespecificvirtualnetworkfromthelist.
Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a Windows Host

Youcanviewandchangethesettingsforbridgednetworkingonyourhost.These
changesaffectallvirtualmachinesusingbridgednetworkingonthehost.
Youcandecidewhichnetworkadaptersonyourhosttouseforbridgednetworking.
Youcanmapspecificnetworkadapterstospecificvirtualnetworks(VMnets).
To configure bridged networking options on a Windows host
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LaunchaVMwareServerConsole.
ChooseHost>VirtualNetworkSettings.
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TheVirtualNetworkEditorappears,withtheSummarytabactive.
Bydefault,theVMnet0virtualnetworkissetupinbridgedmodeandbridgesto
oneoftheactiveEthernetadaptersonthehostcomputer.
Thechoiceofwhichadapteritusesisarbitrary.VMwarerecommendsthatyoulet
VMwareServerchooseanavailablephysicalnetworkadapterforbridging,asit
providesfaulttolerance.Ifanetworkadapterbecomesunavailable(forexample,
ifitisunpluggedorremovedfromthehost),thenetworkbridgeautomatically
switchestoanothernetworkadapteronthehost.
YoucanrestricttherangeofchoicesbyusingoptionsontheAutomaticBridging
tab.
(AlsoshownareVMnet1,thedefaultvirtualnetworkforhostonlynetworking,
andVMnet8,thedefaultvirtualnetworkforNAT,iftheyareenabledinVMware
Server.)
ToexcludeoneormorephysicalEthernetadaptersfromthelisttowhichVMnet0
canbebridged,clicktheAutomaticBridgingtab.
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ToexcludeanEthernetadapter,clickAddtoaddittothelistofexcludeddevices.
IntheChooseNetworkAdaptersdialogbox,selectthelistingfortheadapteryou
wanttoexclude,thenclickOK.
Toremoveanadapterfromthelistofexcludedadapters,selectitsnameinthelist,
andclickRemove.
Ifyouareusingteamednetworkadaptersonyourhost,youcanexcludethe
physicalnetworkadaptersfrombridgednetworking.Forinformationabout
teamednetworkadapters,seeConfiguringBridgedNetworkingWhenUsing
TeamedNetworkInterfaceCardsonpage 180.
5
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TodesignateaphysicalEthernetadaptertobeusedforbridgednetworkingon
virtualswitchesnamedVMnet2VMnet7,clicktheHostVirtualNetwork
Mappingtab.
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Chooseanadapterfromthedropdownlistbesidethenameofthevirtualswitch
youwanttouse.
Ifyouareusingteamednetworkadaptersonyourhost,youcanchoosetheteamed
NICforVMnet0.
CAUTION
Becarefulwhenyouchangethebridgedadaptermappings.Ifyou
reassignaphysicalEthernetadaptertoadifferentvirtualnetwork,
anyvirtualmachineusingtheoriginalnetworklosesitsnetwork
connectivitythroughthatnetwork.Youmustthenchangethesetting
foreachaffectedvirtualmachinesnetworkadapterindividually.
Thiscanbeespeciallytroublesomeifyourhosthasonlyonephysical
EthernetadapterandyoureassignittoaVMnetotherthanVMnet0.
EventhoughtheVMnetstillappearstobebridgedtoan
automaticallychosenadapter,theonlyadapteritcanusehasbeen
assignedtoanotherVMnet.
TomakechangestothesubnetortheDHCPsettingsforavirtualnetwork,click
thebuttonontherightthatcorrespondstothevirtualnetworkyouwantto
configure,thenchooseSubnetorDHCP.
ChangingtheSubnet
IntheSubnetdialogbox,youcanchangethesubnetsIPaddressandthesubnet
mask.
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Theaddressshouldspecifyavalidnetworkaddressthatissuitableforusewiththe
subnetmask.
Thedefaultsubnetmaskis255.255.255.0(aclassCnetwork).Typically,thismeans
youshouldmodifyonlythethirdnumberintheIPaddressforexample,xin
192.168.x.0or172.16.x.0.Ingeneral,youshouldnotchangethesubnetmask.
Certainvirtualnetworkservicesmaynotworkaswellwithacustomizedsubnet
mask.
Whenyoumodifythenetworkaddressorsubnetmask,VMwareServer
automaticallyupdatestheIPaddresssettingsforothercomponentssuchas
DHCP,NATandhostvirtualadapteronthatvirtualnetworktoreflectthenew
settings.ThespecificsettingsthatareautomaticallyupdatedincludeDHCPlease
range,DHCPserveraddress,NATgatewayaddressandhostvirtualadapterIP
address.However,ifyouhavechangedanyofthesesettingsfromitsdefaultvalue
evenifyouhavelaterchangedthesettingbacktothedefaultVMwareServer
doesnotupdatethatsettingautomatically.Itpresumesthatcustomsettingsare
nottobemodified.
ChangingDHCPSettings
IntheDHCPsettingsdialogbox,youcanchangetherangeofIPaddresses
providedbytheDHCPserveronaparticularvirtualnetwork.Youcanalsosetthe
durationofleasesprovidedtoclientsonthevirtualnetwork.
WhenyouhavemadeallthechangesyouwanttomakeonalltabsoftheVMware
NetworkEditor,clickOK.
Enabling, Disabling, Adding, and Removing Host Virtual

Adapters
WhenyouinstallVMwareServer,twonetworkadaptersareaddedtotheconfiguration
ofyourhostoperatingsystemonethatallowsthehosttoconnecttothehostonly
networkandonethatallowsthehosttoconnecttotheNATnetwork.
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Ifyouarenotusingtheseadapters,youcanremovethem(usersonWindowshostscan
disabletheadaptersinsteadofremovingthem).Thepresenceoftheseadaptershasa
slightperformancecost,becausebroadcastpacketsmustgototheextraadapters.On
Windowsnetworks,browsingyournetworkcanbeslowerthanusual.Andinsome
cases,theseadaptersinteractwiththehostcomputersnetworkingconfigurationin
undesirableways.
To disable a host virtual adapter on a Windows host

1
UsetheVirtualNetworkEditortodisableanyunwantedadapters.
ChooseHost>VirtualNetworkSettings>HostVirtualAdapters.
Selecttheadapteryouwanttodisable.
ClickDisableadapter.
ClickOK.
To enable a disabled host virtual adapter on a Windows host

1
Selectthedisabledadapteryouwanttoenable.
ClickEnableadapter.
ClickOK.
To add a host virtual adapter on a Windows host

1
ClickAddnewadapter.
ChoosethevirtualnetworkonwhichyouwanttousetheadapterandclickOK.
ClickApply.
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ClickOKtoclosetheVirtualNetworkEditor.
To remove a host virtual adapter on a Windows host

1
Selecttheadapteryouwanttoremove,thenclickRemoveadapter.
ClickOK.
Removing a Host Virtual Adapter from a Linux Host

FollowthesestepstoremoveahostvirtualadapterfromaLinuxhost.
1
BecomerootandruntheVMwareServerconfigurationprogram.
su vmware-config.pl
CAUTION
InordertoconfigureVMwareServercorrectly,the
vmware-config.plconfigurationprogramrequiresallvirtual
machinestobeshutdown.Theprogramshutsdownanyrunning
virtualmachinesautomatically.
Watchforthefollowingquestion:
Do you want networking for your Virtual Machines? (yes/no/help) [yes]
Answeryesifyoustillwanttouseanynetworkinginyourvirtualmachines,then
continuetothenextquestion.
Otherwise,answernotoremoveallnetworking.
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Ifyouansweryes,thescriptpromptsyoutoselecttheWizardoreditortoedityour
networkconfiguration.Selecteditor.Thisistheonlywaytodeletevirtual
networkadapterswithoutremovingallofthem.
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Would you prefer to modify your existing networking configuration using

the wizard or the editor? (wizard/editor/help)
[wizard] editor
4
Youseealistofvirtualnetworksthathavebeenconfigured.Selectthenetwork
correspondingtotheadapteryouwishtodisable.
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
Youmightbepromptedtokeepthisvirtualnetwork.Ifyouaresureyouwantto
removeit,answeryestothequestion.
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
Whenpromptedaboutthetypeofvirtualnetwork,selectnonetoremovethe
virtualnetwork.
What type of virtual network do you wish to set vmnet1?
(bridged,hostonly,nat,none) [hostonly] none
Advanced Networking Topics

Thefollowingsectionsdescribeadvancednetworkingtopics:
!
SelectingIPAddressesonaHostOnlyNetworkorNATConfigurationon
page 172
AvoidingIPPacketLeakageinaHostOnlyNetworkonpage 174
MaintainingandChangingtheMACAddressofaVirtualMachineonpage 176
ControllingRoutingforaHostOnlyNetworkonaLinuxHostonpage 177
IssueswithHostOnlyNetworkingonaLinuxHostonpage 178
SettingUpaSecondBridgedNetworkInterfaceonaLinuxHostonpage 179
ConfiguringBridgedNetworkingWhenUsingTeamedNetworkInterface
Cardsonpage 180
SettingUpTwoSeparateHostOnlyNetworksonpage 182
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RoutingBetweenTwoHostOnlyNetworksonpage 185
UsingVirtualEthernetAdaptersinPromiscuousModeonaLinuxHost
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.Note
thatthisserverdoesnotservicevirtual(orphysical)machinesresidingonbridged
networks.
Addressescanalsobeassignedstaticallyfromapoolofaddressesthatarenotassigned
bytheDHCPserver.
IfhostonlynetworkingisenabledwhenVMwareServerisinstalled,thenetwork
numbertouseforthevirtualnetworkisautomaticallyselectedasanunusedprivateIP
networknumber.TofindoutwhichnetworkisusedonaWindowshost,chooseHost
>VirtualNetworkSettingsandcheckthesubnetnumberassociatedwiththevirtual
network.OnaLinuxhost,runifconfiginaterminal.
ANATconfigurationalsousesanunusedprivatenetworkautomaticallyselected
whenyouinstallVMwareServer.TofindoutwhichnetworkisusedonaWindows
host,chooseHost>VirtualNetworkSettingsandcheckthesubnetnumberassociated
withthevirtualnetwork.OnaLinuxhost,runifconfiginaterminal.
UsingDHCPtoassignIPaddressesissimplerthanstaticallyassigningthem.Most
Windowsoperatingsystems,forexample,comepreconfiguredtouseDHCPatboot
time,soWindowsvirtualmachinescanconnecttothenetworkthefirsttimetheyare
booted,withoutadditionalconfiguration.Ifyouwantyourvirtualmachinesto
communicatewitheachotherusingnamesinsteadofIPaddresses,however,youmust
setupanamingconvention,anameserverontheprivatenetwork,orboth.Inthatcase
itmightbesimplertousestaticIPaddresses.
Ingeneral,ifyouhavevirtualmachinesyouintendtousefrequentlyorforextended
periodsoftime,itisprobablymostconvenienttoassignthemstaticIPaddressesorto
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configuretheVMwareDHCPservertoalwaysassignthesameIPaddresstoeachof
thesevirtualmachines.
To configure the DHCP server on a Linux host

1
OnaLinuxhost,configurethehostonlyDHCPserverbyeditingtheDHCP
configurationfileforVMnet1(/etc/vmware/vmnet1/dhcp/dhcp.conf).
ToconfiguretheDHCPserverfortheNATnetwork,edittheconfigurationfilefor
VMnet8(/etc/vmware/vmnet8/dhcp/dhcp.conf).
EditingtheDHCPserverconfigurationfilerequiresinformationthatisbest
obtaineddirectlyfromtheDHCPserverdocumentation.
Consultthemanualpagesdhcpd(8)anddhcpd.conf(8).
To configure the DHCP server on a Windows host

1
OnaWindowshost,youconfiguretheDHCPserverusingtheVirtualNetwork
Editor(Host>VirtualNetworkSettings>DHCP).
Selectthevirtualnetworkforwhichyouwanttochangesettingsandclick
Properties.
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Makethedesiredchanges,thenclickOK.
Choosing the Method for Assigning IP Addresses

Forvirtualmachinesthatyoudonotexpecttokeepforlong,useDHCPandletit
allocateanIPaddress.
ForeachhostonlyorNATnetwork,theavailableIPaddressesaresplitupusingthe
conventionsshowninthetablesbelow,where<net>isthenetworknumberassignedto
yourhostonlyorNATnetwork.VMwareServeralwaysusesaClassCaddressfor
hostonlyandNATnetworks.
Table 7-1. 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 7-2. 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
Avoiding IP Packet Leakage in a Host-Only Network

Bydesign,eachhostonlynetworkshouldbeconfinedtothehostmachineonwhichit
issetup.Thatis,nopacketssentbyvirtualmachinesonthisnetworkshouldleakout
toaphysicalnetworkattachedtothehost.Packetleakagecanoccuronlyifamachine
activelyforwardspackets.Itispossibleforthehostmachineoranyvirtualmachine
runningonthehostonlynetworktobeconfiguredinawaythatpermitspacket
leakage.
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Windows Hosts
SystemsusingserverversionsofWindows2000arecapableofforwardingIPpackets
thatarenotaddressedtothem.Bydefault,however,thesesystemscomewithIPpacket
forwardingdisabled.
IfyoufindpacketsleakingoutofahostonlynetworkonaWindows2000host
computer,checktoseewhetherforwardinghasbeenenabledonthehostmachine.Ifit
isenabled,disableit.
ChooseStart>Programs>AdministrativeTools>RoutingandRemoteAccess.An
iconontheleftislabeledwiththehostname.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.
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Topreventtheleakage,besurepacketforwardingisdisabledinyourguestoperating
system.
Maintaining and Changing the MAC Address of a Virtual

Machine
Whenavirtualmachineispoweredon,VMwareServerautomaticallyassignseachof
itsvirtualnetworkadaptersanEthernetMACaddress.MACstandsformediaaccess
control.AMACaddressistheuniqueaddressassignedtoeachEthernetdevice.
ThesoftwareguaranteesthatvirtualmachinesareassigneduniqueMACaddresses
withinagivenhostsystem.Inmostcases,thevirtualmachineisassignedthesame
MACaddresseverytimeitispoweredon,solongasthevirtualmachineisnotmoved
(thepathandfilenameforthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfilemustremainthe
same)andnochangesaremadetocertainsettingsinthatfile.
Inaddition,VMwareServerdoesitsbest,butcannotguarantee,toautomaticallyassign
uniqueMACaddressesforvirtualmachinesrunningonmultiplehostsystems.
Avoiding MAC Address Changes

ToavoidchangesintheMACaddressautomaticallyassignedtoavirtualmachine,you
mustnotmovethevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.Movingittoadifferenthost
computerorevenmovingittoadifferentlocationonthesamehostcomputerchanges
theMACaddress.
Youalsoneedtobesurenottochangecertainsettingsinthevirtualmachines
configurationfiles.Ifyoudonotedittheconfigurationfilebyhandanddonotremove
thevirtualEthernetadapter,thesesettingsremainuntouched.Ifyoudoeditthe
configurationfilebyhand,besurenottoremoveorchangethefollowingoptions:
ethernet[n].generatedAddress
ethernet[n].addressType
ethernet[n].generatedAddressOffset
uuid.location
uuid.bios
ethernet[n].present
Intheseoptions,[n]isthenumberofthevirtualEthernetadapter,forexample
ethernet0.
NOTE
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TopreserveavirtualEthernetadaptersMACaddress,youalsomustbe
carefulnottoremoveit.Ifyouremovetheadapter,thenrecreateit,itmight
beassignedadifferentMACaddress.
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Manually Assigning a MAC Address

IfyouwanttoguaranteethatthesameMACaddressisassignedtoagivenvirtual
machineeverytime,evenifthevirtualmachineismoved,orifyouwanttoguarantee
auniqueMACaddressforeachvirtualmachinewithinanetworkedenvironment,you
canassigntheaddressmanuallyinsteadoflettingVMwareServerassignit
automatically.
Toassignthesame,uniqueMACaddresstoanyvirtualmachinemanually,useatext
editortoremovethreelinesfromtheconfigurationfileandaddoneline.The
configurationfilehasa.vmxextensionattheendofthefilename.OnaLinuxhost,a
virtualmachinecreatedwithanearlierVMwareproductmighthaveaconfiguration
filewitha.cfgextension.
Removethethreelinesthatbeginwiththefollowing:
ethernet[n].generatedAddress
ethernet[n].addressType
ethernet[n].generatedAddressOffset
Intheseoptions,[n]isthenumberofthevirtualEthernetadapterforexample
ethernet0.
Addthefollowinglinetotheconfigurationfile:
ethernet0.address = 00:50:56:XX:YY:ZZ
Inthisline,XXmustbeavalidhexadecimalnumberbetween00hand3Fh,andYYand
ZZmustbevalidhexadecimalnumbersbetween00handFFh.BecauseVMwareServer
virtualmachinesdonotsupportarbitraryMACaddresses,youmustusetheabove
format.
SolongasyouchooseavalueforXX:YY:ZZthatisuniqueamongyourhardcoded
addresses(whereXXisavalidhexadecimalnumberbetween00hand3Fh,andYYand
ZZarevalidhexadecimalnumbersbetween00handFFh),conflictsbetweenthe
automaticallyassignedMACaddressesandthemanuallyassignedonesshouldnever
occur.
Controlling Routing for a Host-Only Network on a Linux Host

Ahostonlynetworkisafullfledgednetwork.Ithasanetworkinterfaceassociated
withit(VMnet1)thatismarkedupatthetimethehostoperatingsystemisbooted.
Consequently,routingserverprocessesthatoperateonthehostoperatingsystem,such
asroutedandgated,automaticallydiscoverthenetworkandpropagateinformationon
howtoreachitunlessyouexplicitlyconfigurethemnottodoso.
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Ifeitheroftheseprocessesisbeingrunonlytoreceiveroutinginformation,theeasiest
solutionistoruntheprocesswitha-qoptionsothatitdoesnotsupplyrouting
information,onlyreceivesit.
If,however,theprocessesarerunningbecausetheysupplyroutinginformation,you
needtoconfigurethemsotheydonotadvertiseroutestothehostonlynetwork.
TheversionofroutedthatcomeswithmanydistributionsofLinuxhasnosupportfor
specifyingthataninterfaceshouldnotbeadvertised.Consulttherouted(8)manual
pageforyoursystemincaseyouhaveamorecontemporaryversionofthesoftware.
Thegatedprocessrequiressomeconfiguration.Youneedtoexplicitlyexcludethe
VMnet1interfacefromanyprotocolactivity.Ifyouneedtorunvirtualmachinesona
hostonlynetworkonamultihomedsystemwheregatedisusedandhaveproblems
doingso,pleasecontactVMwaretechnicalsupportbysubmittingasupportrequestat
www.vmware.com/requestsupport.
Issues with Host-Only Networking on a Linux Host

Thefollowingarecommonissuesyoumightencounterwhenyouareconfiguringa
hostonlynetwork.
DHCPD on the Linux Host Does Not Work After VMware Server
Installation
IfyouwererunningtheDHCPserverprogramdhcpdonyourmachinebeforeinstalling
VMwareServer,itprobablywasconfiguredtorespondtoDHCPrequestsfromclients
onanynetworkinterfacepresentonthemachine.Whenhostonlynetworkingis
configured,anadditionalnetworkinterface,VMnet1,ismarkedupandavailablefor
use,anddhcpdmightnoticethis.
Insuchcases,somedhcpdimplementationsabortiftheirconfigurationfilesdonot
includeasubnetspecificationfortheinterfaceevenifdhcpdisnotsupposedto
respondtomessagesthatarrivethroughtheinterface.
Thebestsolutiontothisproblemistoaddalineinthefollowingformattothedhcpd
configurationfile:
subnet <net>.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {}
<net>isthenetworknumberassignedtoyourhostonlynetworkforexample,
192.168.0.Thisconfigurationfileentryinformsdhcpdaboutthehostonlynetworkand
tellsitexplicitlynottorespondtoanyDHCPrequestsitseescomingfromit.
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Analternativesolutionistoexplicitlystatethesetofnetworkinterfacesthatyouwant
dhcpdtolistentoeachtimeyoustarttheprogram.Forexample,ifyourmachinehasone
Ethernetinterface,eth0,theneachtimeyoustartdhcpd,listitonthecommandline:
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).
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

IfyourhostcomputerhastwoEthernetadaptersconnectedtotwodifferentnetworks,
youcanconfigureyourvirtualmachinesonthathostcomputertobridgetoboth
Ethernetadapters.Thatway,thevirtualmachinescanaccesseitherorbothphysical
networks.
WhenyouinstallVMwareServeronahostcomputerwithmultipleEthernetadapters,
youhavetheoptionofconfiguringmorethanonebridgednetwork.Youcanalso
configureadditionalbridgednetworksatanytimebyrerunningvmware-config.pl.
1
Onthehostcomputer,becomeroot(su -)andruntheVMwareServer
configurationprogram.
vmware-config.pl
CAUTION
VMware, Inc.
ToconfigureVMwareServercorrectly,thevmware-config.pl
configurationprogramrequiresallvirtualmachinestobeshut
down.Theprogramshutsdownanyrunningvirtualmachines
automatically.
179
IfyouhavemorethanonephysicalEthernetadapter,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]
Answeryes.
IfyouhaveadditionalphysicalEthernetadaptersnotyetconnectedtoabridged
network,thepromptisrepeated,showinginformationaboutallcurrently
configuredbridgednetworks.
Whenyouhavesetupallthebridgednetworksyouwant,typeno.
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 164.ThismethodismorelimitedthanusingNICteaming,as
itdoesnotallowforloadbalancing,switchfaulttolerance,faulttolerancetoany
necessaryservicesrunningonthehost,ortheabilitytospecifyanadapterasthe
primaryorsecondaryadapter.
CertainNICteamingmodesprovideloadbalancingandarediscussedbelow.
IfyourVMwareServerhostisconfiguredtouseteamednetworkinterfacecards,and
youusebridgednetworkingwithyourvirtualmachines,youneedtoadjustyour
networksettings.YoudothisbybindingtheVMwareBridgeProtocoltotheteamed
NICandunbindingitfromeachindividual,physicalNIConthehost.SeeSettingUp
theWindowsHostonpage 181.
BeforeyoustartusingteamedNICstonetworkyourvirtualmachines,youshouldhave
agoodunderstandingofhownetworkteamingworksinyourhostenvironment.
Support for Network Adapter Teaming

VMwaresupportsteamedNICsonWindowshostswithenterpriseclassnetwork
adaptersthatcanbeconfiguredforNICteaming.Ifthereisaspecificteamed
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networkingmode(suchas802.3adDynamicor802.3adDraftStaticmode)youwantto
use,youshoulduseadaptersthatsupportthatmode.
VMwarehasnottestedanddoesnotsupportnetworkadapterteamswithVMware
ServeronLinuxhosts.
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
NOTE
ExpressTeamingmodeisnotsupportedwhenyouareteamingIntelbased
networkadapters.
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).
RightclicktheteamedNICdevice,andchoosePropertiestobindtheVMware
BridgeProtocoltotheteamedNIC.
CheckVMwareBridgeProtocol.
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181
ClickOKtoclosethepropertysheet.
RightclicktheNICdevice,andchoosePropertiestounbindtheVMwareBridge
ProtocolfromeachphysicalNICthatisbeingusedforbridgednetworking.
CleartheVMwareBridgeProtocolcheckbox.
ClickOKtoclosethepropertysheet.
Alternately,youcanusetheVirtualNetworkEditortoeithermaptheteamedNICto
VMnet0orexcludethephysicaladaptersfromanyautomaticbridgingbyVMware
Server.Forinformation,seeConfiguringBridgedNetworkingOptionsonaWindows
Hostonpage 164.
Changing the Teamed Networking Mode

Ifyouchangetheteamednetworkingmode,youmustdeletetheoriginalNICteamon
thehostandcreateanewteam.DonotmodifyavirtualmachinesNICteaming
settings.
CAUTION
Beforeyoudeletetheoriginalteam,powerofforsuspendallvirtual
machinesonthehosttopreventtheteamingsoftwarefromlockingup.
Setting Up Two Separate Host-Only Networks

Forsomeconfigurations,youmightneedtosetupmorethanonehostonlynetworkon
thesamehostcomputer.
Youmight,forexample,wanttohavetwovirtualmachinesconnectedtoonehostonly
network,andatthesametimehaveothervirtualmachinesconnectedtoanother
hostonlynetwork.Thissetupisolatesnetworktrafficoneachnetwork.
Oryoumightwanttotestroutingbetweentwovirtualnetworks.Ortestavirtual
machinewithmultiplenetworkinterfacecardswithoutusinganyphysicalEthernet
adapters.
OnWindowshosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupautomaticallywhenyouinstall
VMwareServer.
OnLinuxhosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupwhenyourunthe
vmware-config.plprogramafteryouinstallVMwareServer(providedyouagreeto
installhostonlynetworking).Ifyoudidnotagreetousehostonlynetworking,you
needtorunthescriptagaintosetuphostonlynetworking.
Tosetupthesecondhostonlynetwork,followthestepsoutlinedbelowforyourhost
operatingsystem.
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To set up the second host-only interface on a Windows host

1
ClickAddnewadapter.
ChoosethevirtualnetworkonwhichtousetheadapterandclickOK.
ClickApply.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Linux host

1
Asroot(su -),runtheVMwareServerconfigurationprogram.
vmware-config.pl
CAUTION
ToconfigureVMwareServercorrectly,thevmware-config.pl
configurationprogramrequiresallvirtualmachinestobeshut
down.Theprogramshutsdownanyrunningvirtualmachines
automatically.
AfteraskingaboutaNATnetwork,theprogramasks:
Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual
machines?
2
Selectyes.
TheWizardreportsonhostonlynetworksthatyouhavealreadysetuponthehost
or,ifnohostonlynetworkispresent,configuresthefirstone.
TheWizardasks:
Do you wish to configure another host-only network?
Selectyes.
Repeatthisstepuntilyouhaveasmanyhostonlynetworksasyouwant.Then
answerno.
CompletetheremainingstepsintheWizard.
WhentheWizardisfinished,itrestartsallservicesusedbyVMwareServer.
Runifconfig.
Youshouldseeatleastfournetworkinterfaceseth0,lo,vmnet1,andvmnet2.If
theVMnetinterfacesdonotdisplayimmediately,waitforaminute,andrunthe
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183
commandagain.ThesefourinterfacesshouldhavedifferentIPaddresson
separatesubnets.
Configuring the Virtual Machines

Nowyouhavetwohostonlyinterfaces(VMnet1andVMnet2).Youarereadytosetup
yourvirtualmachinesforoneofthefollowingconfigurations:
!
ThevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithonevirtualEthernetadapter,andthat
virtualadapterisconnectedtothedefaulthostonlyinterface(VMnet1).
ThevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithonevirtualEthernetadapter,andthat
virtualadapterisconnectedtothenewlycreatedhostonlyinterface(VMnet2).
ThevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithtwovirtualEthernetadapters.Onevirtual
adapterisconnectedtothedefaulthostonlyinterface(VMnet1)andtheother
virtualadapterisconnectedtothenewlycreatedhostonlyinterface(VMnet2).
Configuration 1 Connect to the Default Host-Only Interface

1
Createthevirtualmachineoruseanexistingvirtualmachine.
LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandopenthevirtualmachine.
SelectVM>Settingstoedittheconfigurationusingthevirtualmachinesettings
editor.
SelectNIC,selectCustom,andchooseVMnet1(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)
or/dev/vmnet1(onaLinuxhost)fromthedropdownlistontheright.
Ifnonetworkadapterisshowninthelistofdevices,clickAdd,andusetheAdd
HardwareWizardtoaddanadapter.
Configuration 2 Connect to the Newly Created Host-Only Interface

1
Edittheconfigurationusingthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings).
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VMware, Inc.
Configuration 3 Connect to Two Host-Only Interfaces

1
LaunchVMwareServerandopenthevirtualmachine.
Selectthefirstnetworkadapterinthelistofdevices,selectCustom,andchoose
VMnet1(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or/dev/vmnet1(onaLinuxhost)from
thedropdownlistontheright.Selectthesecondnetworkadapterinthelistof
devices,selectCustom,thenchooseVMnet2(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or
/dev/vmnet2(onaLinuxhost)fromthedropdownlistontheright.
Ifyouneedtoaddoneormorenetworkadapters,clickAdd,andusetheAdd
Atthispointyoucanpoweronthevirtualmachineandinstallyourguestoperating
system.Inconfigurations1and2youseeoneAMDPCNetFamilyAdapter.In
configuration3youseetwoAMDPCNetFamilyAdapterswithintheguest.Configure
theEthernetadaptersasyouwouldphysicaladaptersonaphysicalcomputer,giving
eachadapteranIPaddressontheappropriateVMnetsubnet.
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.
Setting Up the First Host-Only Interface

OnWindowshosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupwhenyouinstallVMware
Server.
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185
OnLinuxhosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupwhenyourunthe
vmware-config.plprogramafteryouinstallVMwareServer,providedyouagreeto
installhostonlynetworking.Ifyoudidnotagreetousehostonlynetworking,you
needtorunthescriptagaintosetuphostonlynetworking.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Windows host

1
GotoHost>VirtualNetworkSettings>HostVirtualAdapters.
ClickAddnewadapter.
ChoosethevirtualnetworkonwhichyouwanttousetheadapterandclickOK.
ClickApply.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Linux host

1
Asroot(su -),runtheVMwareServerconfigurationprogram.
vmware-config.pl
CAUTION
InordertoconfigureVMwareServercorrectly,the
vmware-config.plconfigurationprogramrequiresallvirtual
machinestobeshutdown.Theprogramshutsdownanyrunning
virtualmachinesautomatically.
UsetheWizardtomodifyyourconfiguration.AfteraskingaboutaNATnetwork,
theprogramasks:
Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual
machines?
Answeryes.
TheWizardreportsonhostonlynetworksthatyouhavealreadysetuponthehost
or,ifnoneispresent,configuresthefirsthostonlynetwork.
TheWizardasks:
Do you wish to configure another host-only network?
Answeryes.
Repeatthisstepuntilyouhaveasmanyhostonlynetworksasyouwant.Then
answerno.
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VMware, Inc.
CompletetheWizard.Whenitisfinished,itrestartsallservicesusedbyVMware
Server.
Runifconfig.Youshouldseeatleastfournetworkinterfaceseth0,lo,vmnet1,
andvmnet2.IftheVMnetinterfacesdonotshowupimmediately,waitfora
minute,thenrunthecommandagain.Thesefourinterfacesshouldhavedifferent
IPaddressonseparatesubnets.
Setting Up the Virtual Machines

Nowyouhavetwohostonlynetworkadaptersonthehostcomputer.Eachis
connectedtoitsownvirtualswitch(VMnet1andVMnet2).Youarereadytocreateand
configureyourvirtualmachinesandconnectthemtotheappropriatevirtualswitches.
Virtual Machine 1 Connected to the Default Host-Only Interface

1
Virtual Machine 2 Connected to the Newly Created Host-Only Interface

1
Ifyouplantoruntheroutersoftwareonyourhostcomputer,youcanskipthenext
section.
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187
Virtual Machine 3 Connected to Both Host-Only Interfaces

Ifyouplantoruntheroutersoftwareonavirtualmachine,setupathirdvirtual
machineforthatpurpose.
1
Selectthefirstnetworkadapterinthelistofdevices,selectCustom,andchoose
VMnet1(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or/dev/vmnet1(onaLinuxhost)from
thedropdownlistontheright.Selectthesecondnetworkadapterinthelistof
devices,thenselectCustom,chooseVMnet2(Hostonly)(onaWindowshost)or
/dev/vmnet2(onaLinuxhost)fromthedropdownlistontheright.
Ifyouneedtoaddoneormorenetworkadapters,clickAdd,andusetheAdd
Nowyouneedtoconfigurethenetworkingcomponentsonthehostandinthevirtual
machines.TherecommendedapproachusesstaticIPaddressesforallthevirtual
machines.
1
StoptheVMnetDHCPserverservice.
Windowshost:ChooseHost>VirtualNetworkSettings>DHCPandclickStop
service.
Linuxhost:Stopthevmnet-dhcpdservice.
killall -TERM vmnet-dhcpd
Installguestoperatingsystemsineachofthevirtualmachines.
Installtheroutersoftwareonthehostcomputerorinthethirdvirtualmachine,
dependingontheapproachyouareusing.
Configurenetworkinginthefirsttwovirtualmachinestouseaddressesonthe
appropriatehostonlynetwork.
OnWindowshosts,youcanopenacommandpromptandrunipconfig /allto
seewhatIPaddresseseachhostonlynetworkisusing.
OnLinuxhosts,youcanopenaterminalandrunifconfigtoseewhatIP
addresseseachhostonlynetworkisusing.
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Ifyouarerunningtherouteronthehostcomputer,assigndefaultrouteraddresses
basedontheaddressesofthehostonlyadaptersonthehostcomputer.Inthefirst
virtualmachinesnetworkingconfiguration,thedefaultrouteraddressshouldbe
VMware, Inc.
theIPaddressforthehostonlyadapterconnectedtoVMnet1.Inthesecondvirtual
machinesnetworkingconfiguration,thedefaultrouteraddressshouldbetheIP
addressforthehostonlyadapterconnectedtoVMnet2.
Ifyouarerunningtheroutersoftwareonthethirdvirtualmachine,setthedefault
routeraddressesinthefirsttwovirtualmachinesbasedonthoseusedbythethird
virtualmachine.Inthefirstvirtualmachinesnetworkingconfiguration,the
defaultrouteraddressshouldbetheIPaddressforthethirdvirtualmachines
EthernetadapterconnectedtoVMnet1.Inthesecondvirtualmachines
networkingconfiguration,thedefaultrouteraddressshouldbetheIPaddressfor
thethirdvirtualmachinesEthernetadapterconnectedtoVMnet2.
Atthispointyoushouldbeabletopingtheroutermachinefromvirtualmachinesone
andtwo.Andiftheroutersoftwareissetupcorrectly,youshouldbeableto
communicatebetweenthefirstandsecondvirtualmachines.
Using Virtual Ethernet Adapters in Promiscuous Mode on a

Linux Host
VMwareServerdoesnotallowthevirtualEthernetadaptertogointopromiscuous
modeunlesstheuserrunningVMwareServerhaspermissiontomakethatsetting.This
followsthestandardLinuxpracticethatonlyrootcanputanetworkinterfaceinto
promiscuousmode.
WhenyouinstallandconfigureVMwareServer,youmustruntheinstallationasroot.
VMwareServercreatestheVMnetdeviceswithrootownershipandrootgroup
ownership,whichmeansthatonlyroothasreadandwritepermissionstothedevices.
TosetthevirtualmachinesEthernetadaptertopromiscuousmode,youmustlaunch
VMwareServerasrootbecauseyoumusthavereadandwriteaccesstotheVMnet
device.Forexample,ifyouareusingbridgednetworking,youmusthaveaccessto
/dev/vmnet0.
TograntselectedotherusersreadandwriteaccesstotheVMnetdevice,youcancreate
anewgroup,addtheappropriateuserstothegroupandgrantthatgroupreadand
writeaccesstotheappropriatedevice.Youmustmakethesechangesonthehost
operatingsystemasroot(su -).Forexample,youcanenterthefollowingcommands:
chgrp <newgroup> /dev/vmnet0
chmod g+rw /dev/vmnet0
<newgroup>isthegroupthatshouldhavetheabilitytosetvmnet0topromiscuousmode.
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IfyouwantalluserstobeabletosetthevirtualEthernetAdapter(/dev/vmnet0inour
example)topromiscuousmode,youcansimplyrunthefollowingcommandonthe
hostoperatingsystemasroot:
chmod a+rw /dev/vmnet0
Understanding NAT
Networkaddresstranslation,orNAT,providesasimplewayforvirtualmachinesto
usemostclientapplicationsoveralmostanytypeofnetworkconnectionavailableto
thehost.TheonlyrequirementforNATisthatthenetworkconnectionmustsupport
TCP/IP.
NATisusefulwhenyouhavealimitedsupplyofIPaddressesorareconnectedtothe
networkthroughanonEthernetnetworkadapter.NATworksbytranslating
addressesofvirtualmachinesinaprivateVMnetnetworktothatofthehostmachine.
Whenavirtualmachinesendsarequesttoaccessanetworkresource,itappearstothe
networkresourceasiftherequestcamefromthehostmachine.
NATusesthehostsownnetworkresourcestoconnecttotheexternalnetwork.Thus,
anyTCP/IPnetworkresourcetowhichthehosthasaccessshouldbeavailablethrough
theNATconnection.
ThechiefadvantageofNATisthatitprovidesatransparent,easytoconfigurewayfor
virtualmachinestogainaccesstonetworkresources.
ThefollowingsectionsprovidemoreinformationaboutNAT:
190
UsingNATonpage 191
TheHostComputerandtheNATNetworkonpage 191
DHCPontheNATNetworkonpage 191
DNSontheNATNetworkonpage 191
ExternalAccessfromtheNATNetworkonpage 192
AdvancedNATConfigurationonpage 193
CustomNATandDHCPConfigurationonaWindowsHostonpage 196
ConsiderationsforUsingNATonpage 198
UsingNATwithNetLogononpage 198
SampleLinuxvmnetnat.confFileonpage 200
VMware, Inc.
Using NAT
TheNATdeviceisconnectedtotheVMnet8virtualswitch.Virtualmachinesconnected
totheNATnetworkalsousetheVMnet8virtualswitch.
TheNATdevicewaitsforpacketscomingfromvirtualmachinesontheVMnet8virtual
network.Whenapacketarrives,theNATdevicetranslatestheaddressofthevirtual
machinetothatofthehostbeforeforwardingthepackettotheexternalnetwork.When
dataarrivesfromtheexternalnetworkforthevirtualmachineontheprivatenetwork,
theNATdevicereceivesthedata,replacesthenetworkaddresswiththatofthevirtual
machineandforwardsthedatatothevirtualmachineonthevirtualnetwork.This
translationoccursautomaticallyandrequiresminimalconfigurationontheguestand
thehost.
The Host Computer and the NAT Network

ThehostcomputerhasahostvirtualadapterontheNATnetwork(identicaltothehost
virtualadapteronthehostonlynetwork).Thisadapterallowsthehostandthevirtual
machinestocommunicatewitheachotherforsuchpurposesasfilesharing.TheNAT
neverforwardstrafficfromthehostvirtualadapter.
DHCP on the NAT Network

Inordertomakenetworkingconfigurationeasy,aDHCPserverisautomatically
installedwhenyouinstallVMwareServer.Virtualmachinesrunningonthenetwork
withtheNATdevicecandynamicallyobtaintheirIPaddressesbysendingoutDHCP
requests.TheDHCPserverontheNATnetwork,whichisalsousedinhostonly
networkingconfigurations,dynamicallyallocatesIPaddressesintherangeof
<net>.128through<net>.254,where<net>isthenetworknumberassignedtoyourNAT
network.VMwareServeralwaysusesaClassCaddressforNATnetworks.IP
addresses<net>.3through<net>.127canbeusedforstaticIPaddresses.IPaddress
<net>.1isreservedforthehostadapter;<net>.2isreservedfortheNATdevice.
InadditiontotheIPaddress,theDHCPserverontheNATnetworkalsosendsout
additionalconfigurationinformationthatenablesthevirtualmachinetooperate
automatically.ThisinformationincludesthedefaultgatewayandtheDNSserver.In
theDHCPresponse,theNATdeviceinstructsthevirtualmachinetousetheIPaddress
<net>.2asthedefaultgatewayandDNSserver.ThiscausesallIPpacketsdestinedfor
theexternalnetworkandDNSrequeststobeforwardedtotheNATdevice.
DNS on the NAT Network

TheNATdeviceactsasaDNSserverforthevirtualmachinesontheNATnetwork.
Actually,theNATdeviceisaDNSproxyandmerelyforwardsDNSrequestsfromthe
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191
virtualmachinestoaDNSserverthatisknownbythehost.Responsescomebacktothe
NATdevice,whichthenforwardsthemtothevirtualmachines.
IftheygettheirconfigurationinformationfromDHCP,thevirtualmachinesonthe
NATnetworkautomaticallyusetheNATdeviceastheDNSserver.However,the
virtualmachinescanbestaticallyconfiguredtouseanotherDNSserver.
ThevirtualmachinesintheprivateNATnetworkarenot,themselves,accessiblevia
DNS.IfyouwantthevirtualmachinesrunningontheNATnetworktoaccesseach
otherbyDNSnames,youmustsetupaprivateDNSserverconnectedtotheNAT
network.
External Access from the NAT Network

Ingeneral,anyprotocolusingTCPorUDPcanbeusedautomaticallybyavirtual
machineontheNATnetworksolongasthevirtualmachineinitiatesthenetwork
connection.ThisistrueformostclientapplicationssuchasWebbrowsing,Telnet,
passivemodeFTP,anddownloadingstreamingvideo.Additionalprotocolsupport
hasbeenbuiltintotheNATdevicetoallowFTPandICMPecho(ping)towork
completelytransparentlythroughtheNAT.
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
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VMware, Inc.
virtualmachineontheNATnetwork.Fordetails,seeAdvancedNATConfiguration
onpage 193.
FilesharingofthetypeusedbyWindowsoperatingsystemsandSambaispossible
amongcomputersontheNATnetworkincludingvirtualmachinesandthehost
computer.IfyouareusingWINSserversonyournetwork,avirtualmachineusing
NATnetworkingcanaccesssharedfilesandfoldersonthehostthatareknownbythe
WINSserversolongasthosesharedfilesandfoldersareinthesameworkgroupor
domain.
Advanced NAT Configuration

Readthesectionthatcorrespondstoyourhostoperatingsystemforinformationon
configuringNATforyourvirtualmachines.
Windows Hosts
ConfiguretheNATdeviceusingtheVirtualNetworkEditor(Host>VirtualNetwork
Settings>NAT).
Youcanstop,restart,andstartthevirtualNATdevicebyclickingtheappropriate
button.TheVMnethostsettingletsyouchoosewhichvirtualnetworkusestheNAT
device.YoucanselectDisableifyoudonotwanttouseNATonanyvirtualnetwork.
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193
ToeditNATsettingsforavirtualnetwork,chooseitfromthedropdownmenu,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,or
anonstandardportifsoftwarerunninginthevirtualmachineisconfiguredto
acceptrequestsonanonstandardport.TheDescriptionfieldisoptional.You
mightuseittoidentifytheservicebeingforwarded(forexample,HTTP).When
youhavemadethesesettings,clickOK.
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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
taboftheVirtualNetworkEditorandchooseSubnet.
VMware, Inc.
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.Eachsectionconfiguresapartofthe
NATdevice.Textsurroundedbysquarebracketssuchas[host]marksthe
beginningofasection.Ineachsectionisaconfigurationparameterthatcanbeset.The
configurationparameterstaketheformip = 192.168.27.1/24.
ForanexampleofaNATconfigurationfile,seeSampleLinuxvmnetnat.confFileon
page 200.Theconfigurationfilevariablesaredescribedbelow.
The [host] Section

ip
TheIPaddressthattheNATdeviceshoulduse.Itcanoptionallybefollowedbyaslash
andthenumberofbitsinthesubnet.
netmask
ThesubnetmasktousefortheNAT.DHCPaddressesareallocatedfromthisrangeof
addresses.
configport
AportthatcanbeusedtoaccessstatusinformationabouttheNAT.
device
TheVMnetdevicetouse.Linuxdevicesareoftheformat/dev/vmnet<x>.VMnet8isthe
defaultNATdevice.
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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.
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:
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NAT:C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application

Data\VMware\vmnetnat.conf
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DHCP:C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application

Data\VMware\vmnetdhcp.conf
NOTE
YoucanchangemanykeyNATandDCHPsettingsusingtheVirtualNetwork
Editor(Host>VirtualNetworkSettings).However,ifyouhavemade
manualchangestotheconfigurationfiles,someorallofthosechangesmight
belostwhenyouusetheVirtualNetworkEditor.Ifyouhavemademanual
changes,youshouldmakebackupcopiesofthefilesbeforechangingany
settingsintheVirtualNetworkEditor.AftermakingchangesintheVirtual
NetworkEditor,youcancopyyourmanualchangesbackintotheappropriate
configurationfiles.
Specifying Connections from Ports Below 1024

WhenaclientmachinemakesaTCPorUDPconnectiontoaserver,theconnection
comesfromaparticularportontheclient(thesourceport)andconnectstoaparticular
portontheserver(thedestinationport).Forsecurityreasons,someserversaccept
connectionsonlyfromsourceportsbelow1024.
IfavirtualmachineusingNATattemptstoconnecttoaserverthatrequirestheclient
touseasourceportbelow1024,itisimportantthattheNATdeviceforwardtherequest
fromaportbelow1024.Youcanspecifythisbehaviorinthevmnetnat.conffile.
Thisbehavioriscontrolledbyentriesinsectionsheaded[privilegedUDP]and
[privilegedTCP].Youmighthavetoaddsettingstoormodifysettingsineitherorboth
ofthesesections,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.
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Considerations for Using NAT

BecauseNATrequiresthateverypacketsentandreceivedfromvirtualmachinesbein
theNATnetwork,thereisanunavoidableperformancepenalty.Ourtestingshowsthat
thepenaltyisminorfordialupandDSLconnections,andperformanceisadequatefor
mostVMwareServeruses.
NATisnotperfectlytransparent.Itdoesnotnormallyallowconnectionstobeinitiated
fromoutsidethenetwork,althoughyoucansetupserverconnectionsbymanually
configuringtheNATdevice.ThepracticalresultisthatsomeTCPandUDPprotocols
thatrequireaconnectionbeinitiatedfromtheservermachinesomepeertopeer
applications,forexampledonotworkautomatically,andsomemightnotworkat
all.
AstandardNATconfigurationprovidesbasiclevelfirewallprotectionbecausethe
NATdevicecaninitiateconnectionsfromtheprivateNATnetwork,butdevicesonthe
externalnetworkcannotnormallyinitiateconnectionstotheprivateNATnetwork.
Using NAT with NetLogon

WhenusingNATnetworkinginavirtualmachinewithaWindowsguestoperating
systemrunningonaWindowshost,youcanuseNetLogontologontoaWindows
domainfromthevirtualmachine.YoucanthenaccessfilesharesknownbytheWINS
serverinthedomain.
TouseNetLogon,youneedtoknowhowWINSserversandWindowsdomain
controllerswork.Thissectionexplainshowtosetupthevirtualmachinetouse
NetLogon.Thesetupprocessissimilartothewayyousetupaphysicalcomputeron
oneLANthatisusingadomaincontrolleronanotherLAN.
InordertologontoaWindowsdomainoutsidethevirtualNATnetwork,thevirtual
machineneedsaccesstoaWINSserverforthatdomain.Therearetwowaysyoucan
connectthevirtualmachinetoaWINSserver.YoucanconnecttotheWINSserver
providedbytheDHCPserverusedontheNATnetwork,providedthattheWINS
serverisalreadysetuponthehost.Ifyouwanttoconnectfromthevirtualmachineto
aWINSservernotsetuponthehost,youcanmanuallyentertheIPaddressofthe
WINSserver.
Using NAT to Connect to an Existing WINS Server Already Set Up on the

Host
Inordertousethismethod,aWINSserverinthesameworkgroupordomainmustbe
setuponthehost.ThesestepsuseWindows2000,WindowsXP,or
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WindowsServer2003asaguide.TheprocessissimilarforWindowsNT,WindowsMe,
andWindows9xguests.
1
Inthevirtualmachine,rightclickonMyNetworkPlacesandselectProperties.
IntheNetworkConnectionswindow,rightclickthevirtualnetworkadapterand
selectProperties.
InthePropertiesdialogbox,selectInternetProtocol(TCP/IP),andclick
Properties.
IntheTCP/IPPropertiesdialogbox,clickAdvanced.
ClicktheWINStab,thenunderNetBIOSsetting,selectUseNetBIOSsetting
fromDHCPServer.
ClickOKtwice,andclickClose.
Manually Entering the IP Address of a WINS Server

UsethismethodtoconnecttoaWINSserverinthesameworkgroupordomainthatis
notalreadysetuponthehost.
1
Inthevirtualmachine,rightclickonMyNetworkPlacesandselectProperties.
IntheNetworkConnectionswindow,rightclickthevirtualnetworkadapterand
selectProperties.
InthePropertiesdialogbox,selectInternetProtocol(TCP/IP),andclick
Properties.
IntheTCP/IPPropertiesdialogbox,clickAdvanced.
ClicktheWINStab,andclickAdd.
IntheTCP/IPWINSServerdialogbox,entertheIPaddressfortheWINSserverin
theWINSserverfield,andclickOK.TheIPaddressoftheWINSserverappears
intheWINSaddresseslistontheWINStab.
Repeatsteps5and6foreachWINSservertowhichyouwanttoconnectfromthis
virtualmachine.
ClickOKtwice,andclickClose.
NowthatthevirtualmachinehasanIPaddressforaWINSserver,youuseNetLogon
inthevirtualmachinetologontoadomainandaccesssharesinthatdomain.
Forexample,iftheWINSservercoversadomainwithadomaincontroller,itispossible
toaccessthatdomaincontrollerfromthevirtualmachineandaddthevirtualmachine
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tothedomain.YouneedtoknowtheuserIDandpasswordoftheAdministratoronthe
domaincontroller.
NOTE
YouraccessislimitedtosharesofvirtualmachinesthatareonthesameNAT
networkorarebridgedonthesamedomain.
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.
#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
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# 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.
ThelightlymodifiedSambaserverinstalledbyVMwareServerrunsovertheVMware
ServervirtualEthernet,andtheSambatrafficbetweendifferentoperatingsystemsis
isolatedfromactuallocalareanetworks.
Thesourcecodedifferencesforthechanges(indiffformatandbasedonSamba2.0.6)
areavailablefromVMware.Formoreinformation,see
www.vmware.com/download/open_sources.html.
IfyoualreadyhaveSambaconfiguredonyourLinuxhost,therecommendedapproach
istomodifythatconfigurationsoitincludestheIPsubnetusedbytheVMwareServer
virtualEthernetadapter,VMnet1.
YoucanconfigureyourexistingSambaservertoworkwithahostonlynetwork.Note
thatallthesharesyousetupinSambaandintheguestoperatingsystemnormally
appearonthebridgednetworkaswell.
Ifyouneedtobesurethesharessetupintheguestoperatingsystemareseenonlyon
thehostonlynetwork,youmightfinditeasiesttoinstallandusetheSambaserver
providedwithVMwareServer.
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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,besurethatsmb.confissetupto
usecleartextpasswords.Similarly,ifyouareusingencryptedpasswords,youmust
havethesamesettingintheguestoperatingsystemandinsmb.conf.
NOTE
UsingSambaprintersharingwithvirtualmachinesisnotsupported.Consult
themanpagesforguidanceonconfiguringSambaforprinting.
Sample smb.conf for Host-Only Networking

ThefollowingsampleSambaconfigurationfileisforusewithhostonlynetworking.
Thisconfigurationisforthe2.0.6versionofSambainstalledbyVMwareServer.The
configurationfilesareplacedin/etc/vmware/vmnet1/smbbydefault.
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
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This is the VMware(TM) Samba configuration file. You should read the
smb.conf(5) manual page in order 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
may 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.
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#
# 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
log
max
max
file = /etc/vmware/vmnet1/smb/var/log.smb
level = 1
log size in KB
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.
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
#
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This is the main Samba configuration file. You should read the
smb.conf(5) manual page in order 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
may wish to enable
NOTE: Whenever you modify this file you should run the command
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# "testparm" to check that you have not many any basic syntactic
# errors.
# Global Settings
[global]
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
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;[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
;[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.
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Logontotherootaccount.
su -
RuntheVMwareServerSambapasswordcommand.
vmware-smbpasswd vmnet1 -a <username>
<username>istheusernameyouwanttoadd.Followtheinstructionsonthe
screen.
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NOTE
vmware-smbpasswdisbasedonthestandardSambapasswordprogram.If
youarefamiliarwiththeoptionsusedinsmbpasswd,youcanuseanyof
theminvmware-smbpasswd.
exit
Youmightreceiveanerrormessagethatsays
Unknown virtual interface "vmnet1"
ThisindicatesyourmachineisnotusingtheVMwareServerSambaserver.
IfyourinstallationofVMwareServerdoesnotincludetheVMwareServerSamba
serverandyouwanttosetitup,logontotherootaccountonyourhostcomputer(su
),thenrunvmware-config.plfromaterminalonthehost.Theconfigurationprogram
asks
Do you want this script to automatically configure your system to allow your
virtual machines to access the host file system?
Answeryes.
CAUTION
InordertoconfigureVMwareServercorrectly,thevmware-config.pl
configurationprogramrequiresallvirtualmachinestobeshutdown.The
programshutsdownanyrunningvirtualmachinesautomatically.
If You Are Already Running Samba

IfyoualreadyhaveSambarunningonyourLinuxhost,youshouldnotinstallthe
VMwareServerSambaserverwhenyouareinstallingVMwareServeronyourhost.
Theconfigurationprogrampromptsyou
Do you want this script to automatically configure your system to allow your
virtual machines to access the host file system?
Answerno.
BesuretomodifyyourSambaconfigurationsoitincludestheIPsubnetusedbythe
VMwareServervirtualEthernetadapter,VMnet1.
TodeterminewhatsubnetisbeingusedbyVMnet1,run
/sbin/ifconfig vmnet1
YoumustbesuretheSambapasswordfileincludesentriesforallusersofthevirtual
machinewhowillaccessthehostsfilesystem.Theusernamesandpasswordsinthe
Sambapasswordfilemustbethesameasthoseusedforloggingontotheguest
operatingsystem.
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YoucanaddusernamesandpasswordstotheSambapasswordfileatanytimefroma
terminalwindowonyourLinuxhostcomputer.
1
Logontotherootaccount.
su -
RuntheSambapasswordcommand.
smbpasswd -a <username>
<username>istheusernameyouwanttoadd.Followtheinstructionsonthe
screen.
exit
Using a Samba Server for Both Bridged and Host-Only Networks

YoucanusetheSambaserverofyourchoiceeithertheexistingSambaserverfrom
yourhostoperatingsystemsdistributionortheoneprovidedwithVMwareServer
forbothhostonlyandbridgednetworking.Todoso,youmustmodifyoneparameter
inthesmb.conffile.YoucandefinetheinterfaceparametersoyourSambaserver
servesmultipleinterfaces.Anexampleofthisis:
interface = eth0 vmnet1
ThisexampletellstheSambaserverthatitistolistentoanduseboththeeth0and
vmnet1interfacestheinterfacesusedbybridgedandhostonlynetworking,
respectively.
Using VMware Servers Samba with an Existing Installation

YoucanalsorunbothyourexistingSambaserverandtheVMwareServerSamba
serveratthesametime.Todothis,yourcurrentSambaservermustbeversion2.0.6or
higherandmustbeconfiguredcorrectly.However,thisapproachisnotrecommended.
TodeterminetheversionofyourSambaserver,run
smbd -V
IfyouwanttotryrunningbothSambaserversatthesametime,usethissample
smb.conffileasabasisforconfiguringtheregularSambaserveronyourhostcomputer.
Sample smb.conf for Running Two Samba Servers at the Same Time
;
;
;
;
;
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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
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;
; Note that 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
;
; 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
;
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; 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 via DNS
dns proxy = no
; 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
[Slash]
comment = Whole filesystem
path = /
public = no
writeable = yes
printable = no
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C HAPTER 8
Configuring Devices
Thischapterdescribeshowtousevariousdeviceswithavirtualmachineandcovers
thefollowingtopics:
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UsingParallelPortsonpage 211
UsingSerialPortsonpage 216
KeyboardMappingonaLinuxHostonpage 226
UsingUSBDevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 232
ConnectingtoaGenericSCSIDeviceonpage 237
UsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(Experimental)onpage 244
Using Parallel Ports

VMwareServersupportsapartialemulationofbidirectionalPS/2styleports.
OnLinuxhosts,VMwareServerrequiresthattheparallelportPCstylehardware
option(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)bebuiltandloadedasakernelmodule(thatis,itmustbe
settom).VMwareServerisunabletouseparallelportdevicesifCONFIG_PARPORT_PC
isbuiltdirectly(compiled)intothekernel.Thislimitationexistsbecause
CONFIG_PARPORT_PCdoesnotcorrectlyexportitssymbols.
ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtouseparallelportswithVMwareServer:
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AboutParallelPortsonpage 211
AddingaParallelPortinaVirtualMachineonpage 212
ConfiguringaParallelPortonaLinuxHostonpage 213
SpecialNotesfortheIomegaZipDriveonpage 216
About Parallel Ports

Parallelportsareusedbyavarietyofdevices,includingprinters,scanners,dongles,
anddiskdrives.
Currently,VMwareServerprovidesonlypartialemulationofPS/2hardware.
Specifically,interruptsrequestedbyadeviceconnectedtothephysicalportarenot
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211
passedtothevirtualmachine.Also,theguestoperatingsystemcannotuseDMA(direct
memoryaccess)tomovedatatoorfromtheport.Forthisreason,notalldevicesthat
attachtotheparallelportareguaranteedtoworkcorrectly.
Youcanattachuptothreeparallelportstoavirtualmachine.Thevirtualparallelport
canconnecttoaparallelportorafileonthehostoperatingsystem.
Adding a Parallel Port in a Virtual Machine

Ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithaparallelport,mostguestoperatingsystems
detectitatinstallationtimeandinstalltherequireddrivers.Someoperatingsystems,
includingLinux,WindowsNT,andWindows2000,detecttheportsatboottime.
Others,likeWindows95andWindows98,donot.
Toaddaparallelporttothevirtualmachinesconfiguration,completethefollowing
stepswiththevirtualmachinepoweredoff.Youcanaddthedevicefromtheconsole
orfromtheVMwareManagementInterface.
NOTE
InaWindows95orWindows98guest,runtheguestoperatingsystemsAdd
NewHardwareWizard(Start>Settings>ControlPanel>AddNew
Hardware)afteryouaddtheportandletWindowsdetectthenewdevice.
Adding a Parallel Port from the Console

1
ClickAddtostarttheNewHardwareWizard.
SelectParallelPort,andclickNext.
Maketheappropriateselectiontouseaphysicalparallelportorconnectthevirtual
parallelporttoafile,andclickNext.
IfyouselectedUsephysicalparallelportonthehost,eitherchoosetheportfrom
thePhysicalparallelportlistorchooseAutodetecttoletVMwareServerselect
theporttouse.
NOTE
Thebenefitofautodetectdevicesisthatyoucanmovethembetween
virtualmachinesrunningdifferentoperatingsystems,suchasLinuxand
MicrosoftWindows,withouthavingtoreconfigurethedevices.
IfyouselectedOutputfile,enterthepathandfilenameintheOutputfilefield,or
browsetothelocationofthefile.
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Chapter 8 Configuring Devices
UnderDevicestatus,thedefaultsettingisConnectatpoweron.Deselectthe
checkboxifyoudonotwanttheparallelportdevicetobeconnectedwhenthe
virtualmachinepowerson.
6
ClickFinishtoinstallthevirtualparallelport,andclickOKtosavethe
configurationandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host

Fortheparallelporttoworkproperlyinaguest,itmustfirstbeconfiguredproperlyon
thehost.Mostissuesinvolvingparallelportfunctionalityarearesultofthehost
configuration.Checktheseareas:theversionofyourLinuxkernel,yourdeviceaccess
permissions,andtherequiredmodules.
Parallel Ports and Linux 2.6.x Kernels

BesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)isloadedasamoduleas
mentionedatthebeginningofUsingParallelPortsonpage 211.Ifyouareusinga
2.6.xkernel,themodulesthatprovideparallelportfunctionalityareparport_pcand
ppdev.
Toverifythesemodulesareinstalledandrunningonyoursystem,runthelsmod
commandastherootuser.Youcanalsolookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
Witha2.6.xkernel,loadingparport_pcdoesnotloadbothmodules.Ifneitherofthe
listedparallelportmodulesisrunning,usethiscommand:
modprobe parport_pc && modprobe ppdev
Thiscommandinsertsbothmodulesneededforaparallelport.
Ifyoucontinuetoexperienceproblems,itispossiblethatthelpmoduleisrunning.If
itis,thevirtualmachinecannotusetheparallelportcorrectly.Toremovethelp
module,runthiscommandastherootuser:
rmmod lp
Youshouldalsoensurethatthelinereferringtothelpmoduleinthe
/etc/modules.confor/etc/conf.modulesfileisremovedorcommentedoutby
insertingahashcharacter(#)atthebeginningoftheline.Thenameoftheconfiguration
filedependsontheLinuxdistributionyouareusing.Whenyourebootthehostafter
removingthisline,theconfigurationfilenolongerstartsthelpmodule.
Toensurethatthepropermodulesfortheparallelportareloadedatboottime,addthis
linetothe/etc/modules.confor/etc/conf.modulesfile:
alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc
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Linuxkernelsinthe2.6.xseriesalsouseaspecialarbitratorthatallowsaccesstothe
parallelporthardware.Iftheparallelportisinusebythehost,theguestcannotuseit.
Ifavirtualmachineisusingtheparallelport,thehostandanyusersaccessingthehost
arenotgivenaccesstothedevice.VMwareServerputsalockonthedevice,andthis
lockrestrictsaccesssoonlythevirtualmachinecanusetheport.
ChooseVM>RemovableDevicestodisconnecttheparallelportfromthevirtual
machineandreconnectit.

BesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)isloadedasamodule,as
mentionedatthebeginningofUsingParallelPortsonpage 211.Ifyouareusinga
2.4.xkernel,themodulesthatprovideparallelportfunctionalityareparport,
parport_pcandppdev.
commandastherootuser.Thesethreemodulesshouldbeincludedinthelistingof
runningmodules.Youcanalsolookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
Toloadthepropermodules,runthiscommand:
insmod k <modulename>
Ifnoneofthelistedparallelportmodulesisrunning,usethiscommand:
insmod k parport_pc
Thiscommandinsertsthethreemodulesneededforaparallelport.
rmmod lp
filedependsontheLinuxdistributionyouareusing.Whenyourebootthehostafter
removingthisline,theconfigurationfilenolongerstartsthelpmodule.
Linuxkernelsinthe2.4.xseriesalsouseaspecialarbitratorthatallowsaccesstothe
parallelporthardware.Iftheparallelportisinusebythehost,theguestcannotuseit.
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Ifavirtualmachineisusingtheparallelport,thehostandanyusersaccessingthehost
arenotgivenaccesstothedevice.VMwareServerputsalockonthedevice,andthis
lockrestrictsaccesssoonlythevirtualmachinecanusetheport.
YoucanchooseVM>RemovableDevicestodisconnecttheparallelportfromthe
virtualmachineandreconnectit.

The2.2.xkernelsthatsupportparallelportsusetheparport,parport_pcandvmppuser
modules.BesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)isloadedasamodule,
asmentionedatthebeginningofUsingParallelPortsonpage 211.Thevmppuser
moduleissuppliedbyVMwareServertogivevirtualmachinesuserlevelaccesstothe
parallelport.
commandastherootuser.Thesethreemodulesshouldbeincludedinthelistingof
runningmodules.Youcanalsolookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
Toloadthepropermodules,runthiscommand:
insmod k <modulename>
Ifnoneofthelistedparallelportmodulesisrunning,usethiscommand:
insmod k parport_pc
Thiscommandinsertsthethreemodulesneededforaparallelport.
rmmod lp
filedependsonyourLinuxdistribution.Whenyourebootthehostafterremovingthis
line,theconfigurationfilenolongerstartsthelpmodule.
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215
Device Permissions
SomeLinuxdistributionsbydefaultdonotgrantthevirtualmachineaccesstothelp
andparportdevices.Inmostofthesecases,theownerofthedeviceisrootandthe
associatedgroupislp.ToallowtheVMwareServerusertoaccessthedevice,addthe
usertotheassociatedgroup.Toviewtheownerandgroupofthedevice,runthis
command:
ls la /dev/parport0
Thethirdandfourthcolumnsoftheoutputshowtheownerandgroup,respectively.
Toaddtheusertothedevicegroup,editthe/etc/groupfile.Onthelinestartingwith
lp,whichdefinesthelpgroup,addtheVMwareServerusersusername.Youmust
makethischangeastherootuser.Thefollowinglineprovidesanexampleforauser
whoseusernameisuserj.
lp::7:daemon,lp,userj
Thenexttimetheuserlogsontothehost,thechangestakeeffect.
Special Notes for the Iomega Zip Drive

OnWindows95orWindows98,useofolderdriversfortheIomegaZipdrivemight
causetheguestoperatingsystemtolockupintermittentlyatboottimeorduring
installationoftheguestoperatingsystem.ThenewestIomegadriversworkreliablyin
ourtests.Theyareavailableatwww.iomega.com/software/index.html.
Using Serial Ports

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtouseserialportswithVMwareServer:
!
UsingaSerialPortontheHostComputeronpage 217
UsingaFileontheHostComputeronpage 218
ConnectinganApplicationontheHosttoaVirtualMachineonpage 220
ConnectingTwoVirtualMachinesonpage 221
SpecialConfigurationOptionsforAdvancedUsersonpage 223
Examples:DebuggingoveraVirtualSerialPortonpage 224
AVMwareServervirtualmachinecanuseuptofourvirtualserialports.Thevirtual
serialportscanbeconfiguredinseveralways.
216
Youcanconnectavirtualserialporttoaphysicalserialportonthehostcomputer.
Youcanconnectavirtualserialporttoafileonthehostcomputer.
VMware, Inc.
Youcanmakeadirectconnectionbetweentwovirtualmachinesorbetweena
virtualmachineandanapplicationrunningonthehostcomputer.
Youcanalsoselectwhethertoconnectthevirtualserialportwhenyoupoweronthe
virtualmachine.
Using a Serial Port on the Host Computer

Youcansetupthevirtualserialportinavirtualmachinetouseaphysicalserialport
onthehostcomputer.Thisisuseful,forexample,ifyouwanttouseanexternalmodem
orahandhelddeviceinyourvirtualmachine.
Toinstallavirtualserialportthatconnectstoaphysicalserialportonthehost
computer,takethefollowingstepswiththevirtualmachinepoweredoff.Usethe
VMwareServerConsoletoaddthedevice.
To add a serial port from the Console
1
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(chooseVM>Settings).
ClickAddtostarttheAddHardwareWizard.
SelectSerialPort,thenclickNext.TheSerialPortTypescreenappears.
SelectUsephysicalserialportonthehost,thenclickNext.TheSelectaPhysical
SerialPortscreenappears.
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217
Youcanchoosetheportonthehostcomputertouseforthisserialconnectionor
chooseAutodetecttoletVMwareServerselecttheport.
NOTE
Thebenefitofautodetectdevicesisthattheycanbemovedbetween
virtualmachinesrunningdifferentoperatingsystems,suchasLinuxand
Windows,withouthavingtobereconfigured.
Bydefault,thedevicestatussettingisConnectatpoweron.Unchecktheboxfor
theportnottobeautomaticallyconnectedwhenyoupoweronthevirtual
machine.
NOTE
IfyouareconnectingwithaWindowsconsoletoaddaphysicalserial
porttoavirtualmachineonaremoteLinuxhost,besuretospecifya
Linuxdevicenamehere,suchas/dev/ttyS0.Ifyouareconnectingwith
aLinuxconsoletoaddaphysicalserialporttoavirtualmachineona
remoteWindowshost,besuretospecifyaWindowsdevicenamehere,
suchasCOM1.
ClickAdvancedtoconfigurethisserialporttousepolledmode.Thisoptionisof
interestprimarilytodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtoolsthatcommunicate
overaserialconnection.Formoreinformation,seeSpecialConfigurationOptions
forAdvancedUsersonpage 223.
7
ClickFinish,andclickOKtoclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
CheckYieldCPUonPolltoconfigurethisserialporttousepolledmode.This
optionisofinterestprimarilytodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtoolsthat
communicateoveraserialconnection.Formoreinformation,seeSpecial
ConfigurationOptionsforAdvancedUsersonpage 223.
ClickOKtoaddtheserialport.
Using a File on the Host Computer

Youcansetupthevirtualserialportinavirtualmachinetosenditsoutputtoafileon
thehostcomputer.Thisisuseful,forexample,ifyouwanttocapturethedatathata
programrunninginthevirtualmachinesendstothevirtualserialport,orifyouneed
aquickwaytotransferafilefromtheguesttothehost.
Toinstallavirtualserialportthatconnectstoafileonthehostcomputer,takethe
followingstepswiththevirtualmachinepoweredoff.UsetheVMwareServerConsole
toaddthedevice.
218
VMware, Inc.
Connecting to an Output File from the Console

1
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings).
SelectOutputtofile,thenclickNext.TheChooseSerialPortOutputFilescreen
appears.
Browsetothefileonthehostcomputerthatyouwanttousetostoretheoutputof
thevirtualserialport.Bydefault,thedevicestatussettingisConnectatpoweron.
Youmaydeselectthissettingifyouwish.
ClickAdvancedifyouwanttoconfigurethisserialporttousepolledmode.This
VMware, Inc.
ClickFinish,andclickOKtoclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
219
Connecting an Application on the Host to a Virtual Machine

Youcansetupthevirtualserialportinavirtualmachinetoconnecttoanapplication
onthehostcomputer.Thisisuseful,forexample,ifyouwanttouseanapplicationon
thehosttocapturedebugginginformationsentfromthevirtualmachinesserialport.
Toinstalladirectserialconnectionbetweenanapplicationonthehostandavirtual
machine,completethefollowingstepswiththevirtualmachinepoweredoff.Usethe
VMwareServerConsoletoaddthedevice.
Connecting to an Application from the Console

1
SelectOutputtonamedpipe,thenclickNext.TheSpecifyNamedPipescreen
appears.
Usethedefaultpipename,orenteranotherpipenameofyourchoice.
ForaserialpipeonaWindowshost,thepipenamemustfollowtheform
\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>thatis,itmustbeginwith\\.\pipe\.
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VMware, Inc.
ForaserialpipeonaLinuxhost,enter/tmp/<socket>oranotherUnixsocketname
ofyourchoice.
NOTE
IfyouareusingaWindowsconsoletoconnecttoavirtualmachineona
remoteLinuxhost,besuretospecifyaLinuxpipenamehere,suchas
/tmp/<pipe>.IfyouareusingaLinuxconsoletoconnecttoavirtual
machineonaremoteWindowshost,besuretospecifyaWindowspipe
namehere,suchas\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>.
SelectThisendistheserverorThisendistheclient.Ingeneral,selectThisend
istheserverifyouplantostartthisendoftheconnectionfirst.
SelectTheotherendisanapplication.
ThedefaultdevicestatussettingisConnectatpoweron.Deselectthecheckbox
forthedevicenottobeconnectedwhenyoupoweronthevirtualmachine.
ClickAdvancedtoconfigurethisserialporttousepolledmode.Thisoptionisof
interestprimarilytodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtoolsthatcommunicate
overaserialconnection.Formoreinformation,seeSpecialConfigurationOptions
forAdvancedUsersonpage 223.
ClickFinish,andclickOKtosaveyourconfigurationandclosethevirtual
machinesettingseditor.
10
Onyourhostcomputer,configuretheapplicationthatcommunicateswiththe
virtualmachinetousethesamepipeorUnixsocketname.
Connecting Two Virtual Machines

Youcansetupthevirtualserialportsintwovirtualmachinestoconnecttoeachother.
Thisisuseful,forexample,ifyouwanttouseanapplicationinonevirtualmachineto
capturedebugginginformationsentfromtheothervirtualmachinesserialport.
Toinstalladirectserialconnectionbetweentwovirtualmachines(aserveranda
client),completethefollowingstepswiththevirtualmachinepoweredoff.Youcanadd
thedevicefromtheconsoleorfromtheVMwareManagementInterface.
NOTE
VMware, Inc.
Makesureyouperformsthesestepstwice:oncefortheservervirtualmachine
andoncefortheclientvirtualmachine.
221
Connecting Two Virtual Machines from the Console

1
Connecttotheservervirtualmachinewithaconsole.
SelectSerialPort,andclickNext.
SelectOutputtonamedpipe,andclickNext.TheSpecifyNamedPipescreen
appears.
Usethedefaultpipename,orenteranotherpipenameofyourchoice.
ForaserialpipeonaVMwareServerforWindowshost,thepipenamemust
followtheform\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>thatis,itmustbeginwith\\.\pipe\.
ForaserialpipeonaVMwareServerforLinuxhost,enter/tmp/<socket>or
anotherUnixsocketnameofyourchoice.
NOTE
IfyouareusingaWindowsconsoletoconnecttoavirtualmachineona
remoteLinuxhost,besuretospecifyaLinuxpipenamehere,suchas
/tmp/<pipe>.IfyouareusingaLinuxconsoletoconnecttoavirtual
machineonaremoteWindowshost,besuretospecifyaWindowspipe
namehere,suchas\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>.
Fortheservervirtualmachine,selectThisendistheserver.
Fortheclientvirtualmachine,selectThisendistheclient.
SelectTheotherendisavirtualmachine.
Bydefault,thedevicestatussettingisConnectatpoweron.Deselectthecheckbox
forthedevicenottoconnectwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.
ClickAdvancedifyouwanttoconfigurethisserialporttousepolledmode.This
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10
ClickFinish,andclickOKtosaveyourconfigurationandclosethevirtual
machinesettingseditor.
11
Repeatthesestepsfortheclientvirtualmachine.
Special Configuration Options for Advanced Users

Twospecialconfigurationoptionsareavailableforserialconnectionsbetweenavirtual
machineandthehostorbetweentwovirtualmachines.Theseoptionsareofinterest
primarilytodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtoolsthatcommunicateoveraserial
connection.
Improving Processor Performance When Debugging

Thefirstoptionmustbesetinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings>
SerialPort).Thisoptionisusefulwhentheserialportisbeingusedbytheguest
operatingsysteminpolledmodeasopposedtointerruptmode.Polledmodecausesthe
virtualmachinetoconsumeadisproportionateshareofprocessortime.Thismakesthe
hostandotherguestsrunsluggishly.
Torestoreperformanceforapplicationsonthehost,checktheYieldCPUonpollcheck
box.Thisconfigurationoptionforcestheaffectedvirtualmachinetoyieldprocessor
timeiftheonlytaskitistryingtodoispollthevirtualserialport.
Changing the Input Speed of the Serial Connection

Tousethesecondoption,poweroffthevirtualmachineandclosetheconsolewindow.
Useatexteditortoaddthefollowinglinetoyourvirtualmachinesconfigurationfile
(.vmx):
serial<n>.pipe.charTimePercent = <x>
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223
Thisoptionisusefulifyouwanttosqueezeeverypossiblebitofspeedfromyourserial
connectionoverapipetothevirtualmachine.Inprinciple,thereisnolimitonthe
outputspeedthespeedatwhichthevirtualmachinesendsdatathroughthevirtual
serialport.Inpractice,theoutputspeeddependsonhowfasttheapplicationatthe
otherendofthepipereadsdatainboundtoit.
<n>isthenumberoftheserialport,startingfrom0.Sothefirstserialportisserial0.
<x>isanypositiveinteger.Itspecifiesthetimetakentotransmitacharacter,expressed
asapercentageofthedefaultspeedsetfortheserialportintheguestoperatingsystem.
Forexample,asettingof200forcestheporttotaketwiceaslongpercharacter,orsend
dataathalfthedefaultspeed.Asettingof50forcestheporttotakeonlyhalfaslongper
character,orsenddataattwicethedefaultspeed.
Youshouldfirstusetheguestoperatingsystemtoconfiguretheserialportforthe
highestsettingsupportedbytheapplicationyouarerunninginthevirtualmachine.
Aftertheserialportspeedissetappropriatelyintheguestoperatingsystem,
experimentwiththissetting.Startwithavalueof100andgraduallydecreaseituntil
youfindthehighestspeedatwhichyourconnectionworksreliably.
Examples: Debugging over a Virtual Serial Port

YoucanuseDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orKernelDebugger(KD)todebug
kernelcodeinavirtualmachineoveravirtualserialport.Youcandownload
DebuggingToolsforWindowsfromtheWindowsDDKWebsiteat
www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx.
Thefollowingtwoexamplesillustratehowtouseavirtualserialporttodebugkernel
codeinavirtualmachine:
!
WiththedebuggingapplicationontheVMwareServerhost(Windowshostsonly)
WiththedebuggingapplicationinanothervirtualmachineonthesameVMware
Serverhost(usefulonaLinuxhostandcanalsobedoneonaWindowshost)
Eitherofthesemethodsletsyoudebugkernelcodeononesystem,withoutrequiring
twophysicalcomputers,amodemorserialcable.
Debugging an Application in a Virtual Machine from the Windows or

Linux Host
Inthisexample,youhavekernelcodetodebuginavirtualmachine(calledthetarget
virtualmachine)andarerunningWinDbgorKDonyourWindowshost.
224
VMware, Inc.
Topreparethetargetvirtualmachine,followthestepsinConnectinganApplication
ontheHosttoaVirtualMachineonpage 220.Makesureyouconfigurethevirtual
machinesvirtualserialportasfollows:
!
SelectThisendistheserver
ClickAdvanced,thenunderI/OMode,selecttheYieldCPUonpollcheckbox,as
thekernelinthetargetvirtualmachineusesthevirtualserialportinpolledmode,
notinterruptmode
Topreparethehost,makesureyouhavearecentversionofDebuggingToolsfor
Windowsonethatsupportsdebuggingoverapipe.Youneedversion4.0.18.0or
higher.
Whenyouarereadytobegin,completethefollowingsteps:
1
Checktomakesuretheserialportisconnected.ChooseVM>Removable
Devices.Onthatmenu,serial<n>shouldbereportedas\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>(on
Windowshosts)or/tmp/<socket>(onLinuxhosts).Iftheserialportisnot
connected,choosethevirtualserialport,thenConnect.
Onthehost,openaCommandPromptwindowanddooneofthefollowing:
!
IfyouareusingWinDbg,typethefollowing:
windbg -k com:port=\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>,pipe
IfyouareusingKD,typethefollowing:
kd -k com:port=\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>,pipe
ThenpressEntertostartdebugging.
Debugging an Application in a Virtual Machine from another Virtual

Machine
Inthissituation,youhavekernelcodetodebuginavirtualmachine(calledthetarget
virtualmachine)andarerunningDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orKernel
Debugger(KD)inanothervirtualmachine(calledthedebuggervirtualmachine)onthe
samehost.
ThissetupisusefulifyouarerunningVMwareServeronaLinuxhost.Thedebugger
virtualmachinemustberunningDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orKernel
Debugger(KD)inaWindowsguestoperatingsystem.
Topreparethetargetvirtualmachine,followthestepsfortheservervirtualmachinein
ConnectingTwoVirtualMachinesonpage 221.Makesurewhenyouconfigurethe
targetvirtualmachinesvirtualserialportthatyouselecttheYieldCPUonpollcheck
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225
box.Thekernelinthetargetvirtualmachineusesthevirtualserialportinpolledmode,
notinterruptmode.
Topreparethedebuggervirtualmachine,makesureyouhavedownloadedDebugging
ToolsforWindows.FollowthestepsfortheclientvirtualmachineinConnectingTwo
VirtualMachinesonpage 221.
Whenyouarereadytocontinue,completethefollowingsteps:
1
Poweronbothvirtualmachines.
Checktomakesuretheserialportisconnected.ChooseVM>Removable
Devices.Iftheserialportisnotconnected,choosethevirtualserialport,and
Connect.
Inthedebuggervirtualmachine,startdebuggingwithWinDbgorKDnormally.
Keyboard Mapping on a Linux Host

Thissectionaddressesthefollowingissuesandprovidesadditionaldetailson
keyboardmappinginLinux:
!
My(languagespecific)keyboardisnotsupportedbyVMwareServer.
Someofthekeysonmykeyboarddontworkrightinthevirtualmachine.
MykeyboardworksfinewhenIrunavirtualmachinelocally,butnotwhenIrun
thesamevirtualmachinewitharemoteXserver.
ThefollowingsectionsdescribekeyboardmappingonaLinuxhost:
!
KeyboardMappingforaRemoteServeronpage 226
KeyboardMappingSupportforthePConpage 227
VScanCodeTableonpage 229
Keyboard Mapping for a Remote Server

IfyourkeyboardworkscorrectlywithalocalXserver,andyouwantthesamebehavior
witharemoteXserver(whichisalsoanXFree86serverrunningonaPC),poweroffthe
virtualmachineandclosetheconsole.
Addthefollowingline:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = true
tothevirtualmachineconfigurationfileorto~/.vmware/config.
Makethischangeonthehostmachine,whereyourunthevirtualmachine,notonthe
machinewiththeremoteXserver.
226
VMware, Inc.
IfyouareusinganXFree86basedserverthatVMwareServerdoesnotrecognizeasan
XFree86server,enterthefollowinglineinstead:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = true
IfyouareusinganXFree86serverrunninglocally,andthekeyboarddoesnotwork
correctly,reporttheproblembysubmittingasupportrequestat
www.vmware.com/requestsupport.
Keyboard Mapping Support for the PC

Keycodemappingissimple,automatic,andfoolproof.(Keysymmappingismore
complexanddescribedlater.)However,becausetheprogramcannottellwhethera
remoteserverisrunningonaPCoronsomeotherkindofcomputer,iterrsonthesafe
sideanduseskeycodemappingonlywithlocalXservers.Thisisoftentooconservative
andhasundesirableeffects.Thisandotherbehaviorrelatedtokeycodemappingcan
becontrolledbyusingatexteditortoaddconfigurationsettingstothevirtual
machinesconfigurationfile.
NOTE
Poweringoffthevirtualmachineandclosetheconsolebeforeyouedita
configurationfile.
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = true
UsekeycodemappingifyouareusinganXFree86server,evenifitisremote.
xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = true
Alwaysusekeycodemappingregardlessofservertype.
xkeymap.nokeycodeMap = true
Neverusekeycodemapping.
xkeymap.keycode.<code> = <v-scan code>

Ifusingkeycodemapping,mapkeycode<code>to<v-scan code>.Inthis
example,<code>mustbeadecimalnumberand<v-scan code>shouldbea
Csyntaxhexadecimalnumber(forexample,0x001).
TheeasiestwaytofindtheXkeycodeforakeyistorunxevorxmodmap -pk.Mostof
thevscancodesarecoveredintheVScanCodeTableonpage 229.Thekeysym
mappingtablesdescribedinthissectionarealsohelpful.
Usethisfeaturetomakesmallmodificationstothemapping.Forexample,toswapleft
CtrlandCapsLock,usethefollowinglines:
xkeymap.keycode.64 = 0x01d # X Caps_Lock -> VM left ctrl
xkeymap.keycode.37 = 0x03a # X Control_L -> VM caps lock
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227
Theseconfigurationlinescanbeaddedtotheindividualvirtualmachineconfiguration,
toyourpersonalVMwareServerconfiguration(~/.vmware/config),oreventothe
hostwide(/etc/vmware/config)orinstallationwide(usually
/usr/local/lib/vmware/config)configuration.
Whenkeycodemappingcannotbeused(orisdisabled),VMwareServermaps
keysymstovscancodes.Itdoesthisusingoneofthetablesinthexkeymapdirectoryin
theVMwareServerinstallation(usually/usr/local/lib/vmware).
Whichtableyoushouldusedependsonthekeyboardlayout.Thenormaldistribution
includestablesforPCkeyboardsfortheUnitedStatesandanumberofEuropean
countriesandlanguages.Andformostofthese,thereareboththe101key(or102key)
andthe104key(or105key)variants.
VMwareServerautomaticallydetermineswhichtabletousebyexaminingthecurrent
Xkeymap.However,itsdecisionmakingprocesscansometimesfail.Inaddition,each
mappingisfixedandmightnotbecompletelyrightforanygivenkeyboardandXkey
codetokeysymmapping.Forexample,ausermighthaveswappedCtrlandCaps
Lockusingxmodmap.Thismeansthekeysareswappedinthevirtualmachinewhen
usingaremoteserver(keysymmapping)butunswappedwhenusingalocalserver
(keycodemapping).
Therefore,keysymmappingisnecessarilyimperfect.Tomakeupforthisdefect,you
canchangemostofthebehaviorusingconfigurationsettings:
!
xkeymap.language = <keyboard-type>
UsethisifVMwareServerhasatableinxkeymapforyourkeyboardbutcantdetect
it.<keyboard-type>mustbeoneofthetablesinthexkeymapdirectory.(Seeabove
forlocation.)However,thefailuretodetectthekeyboardprobablymeansthetable
isntcompletelycorrectforyou.
xkeymap.keysym.<sym> = <v-scan code>

Ifyouusekeysymmapping,mapkeysym<sym>to<v-scan code>.Whenyoudo,
<sym>mustbeanXkeysymnameand<v-scan code>shouldbeaCsyntax
hexadecimalnumber(forexample,0x001).
Theeasiestwaytofindthekeysymnameforakeyistorunxevorxmodmap -pk.
TheXheaderfile/usr/X11R6/include/X11/keysymdef.hhasacompletelistof
keysyms.(ThenameofakeysymisthesameasitsCconstantwithouttheXK_
prefix.)MostvscancodesareintheVScanCodeTableonpage 229.
Thexkeymaptablesthemselvesarealsohelpful.Usethemtofixsmallerrorsinan
existingmapping.
228
xkeymap.fileName = <file-path>
Usethekeysymmappingtablein<file-path>.Atableisasequenceof
VMware, Inc.
configurationlinesoftheform
<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

Thesearethevscancodesforthe104keyU.S.keyboard:
Table 8-1.
Symbol
Shifted symbol
Esc
VMware, Inc.
Location
V-scan code
0x001
0x002
0x003
0x004
0x005
0x006
0x007
&
0x008
0x009
0x00a
0x00b
0x00c
0x00d
Backspace
0x00e
Tab
0x00f
0x010
0x011
0x012
0x013
0x014
0x015
0x016
0x017
229
Table 8-1.
Symbol
Shifted symbol
Location
0x018
0x019
0x01a
0x01b
Enter
0x01c
Ctrl
left
0x01d
0x01e
0x01f
0x020
0x021
0x022
0x023
0x024
0x025
0x026
0x027
0x028
0x029
Shift
\
left
|
0x02a
0x02b
0x02c
0x02d
0x02e
0x02f
0x030
0x031
M
,
230
V-scan code
0x032
<
0x033
>
0x034
0x035
Shift
right
0x036
numericpad
0x037
Alt
left
0x038
VMware, Inc.
Table 8-1.
Symbol
Shifted symbol
Location
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
ScrollLock
0x045
0x046
Home
numericpad
0x047
Uparrow
numericpad
0x048
PgUp
Leftarrow
5
Rightarrow
numericpad
0x049
numericpad
0x04a
numericpad
0x04b
numericpad
0x04c
numericpad
0x04d
numericpad
0x04e
End
numericpad
0x04f
Downarrow
numericpad
0x050
PgDn
numericpad
0x051
Ins
numericpad
0x052
numericpad
0x053
Del
F11
0x057
F12
Break
VMware, Inc.
V-scan code
0x058
Pause
0x100
Enter
numericpad
0x11c
Ctrl
right
0x11d
numericpad
0x135
231
Table 8-1.
Symbol
Shifted symbol
Location
V-scan code
SysRq
PrintScrn
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
Alt
0x137
Menu
0x15d
The84keykeyboardhasaSysReqkeyonthenumericpad:
Symbol
Shifted symbol
SysReq
Location
V-scan code
numericpad
0x054
KeyboardsoutsidetheU.S.usuallyhaveanextrakey(often<>or<>|)nexttotheleft
shiftkey:
Symbol
Shifted symbol
<
>
Location
V-scan code
0x056
Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtouseUSBdevicesinavirtualmachine:
232
NotesonUSBSupportonpage 233
AddingaUSBControlleronpage 233
ConnectingUSBDevicesonpage 234
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UsingUSBwithaWindowsHostonpage 235
ReplacingUSB2.0DriversonaWindows2000Hostonpage 235
UsingUSBwithaLinuxHostonpage 235
USBDeviceControlonpage 236
DisconnectingUSBDevicesfromaVirtualMachineonpage 237
Thisisparticularlyimportantwithdatastoragedevices(aZipdrive,for
example).Ifyoumoveadatastoragedevicetoosoonaftersavingafileandthe
operatingsystemhasnotactuallywrittenthedatatothedisk,youcanlosedata.
onpage 237
VMwareServerprovidesatwoportUSB1.1controller.YoucanuseuptotwoUSB
devicesinyourvirtualmachineifbothyourhostoperatingsystemandyourguest
operatingsystemsupportUSB.IfyourhostcomputersupportsUSB2.0devices,you
canusethosedevicesinthevirtualmachine.
NOTE
Linuxkernelsolderthan2.2.17donotsupportUSB.
AlthoughyourhostoperatingsystemmustsupportUSB,youdonotneedtoinstall
devicespecificdriversforyourUSBdevicesinthehostoperatingsystemtousethose
devicesonlyinthevirtualmachine.
OnaWindows2000hostcomputerwithUSB2.0support,besureyouareusingthe
MicrosoftUSB2.0driverfortheUSBcontroller.ThirdpartyUSB2.0drivers,suchas
thoseprovidedbysomemotherboardmanufacturers,arenotsupported.Fornoteson
replacingthethirdpartydrivers,seeReplacingUSB2.0DriversonaWindows2000
Hostonpage 235.
Notes on USB Support

WehavetestedavarietyofUSBdeviceswiththisrelease.Ingeneral,iftheguest
operatingsystemhasappropriatedrivers,youshouldbeabletousePDAs,printers,
storage(disk)devices,scanners,MP3players,PCradios,digitalcameras,andmemory
cardreaders.
Modemsandcertainstreamingdatadevices,suchasspeakersandWebcams,donot
workproperly.
Adding a USB Controller

TheUSBcontrollerisdisabledbydefaultinallvirtualmachinescreatedwithVMware
Server.ToaddaUSBcontrollertothevirtualmachinesconfiguration,completethe
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233
followingstepswiththevirtualmachinepoweredoff.UsetheVMwareServerConsole
toaddthedevice.
Adding a USB Controller from the Console

1
ClickAddtostarttheNewHardwareWizard.ClickNext.TheHardwareType
screenappears.
SelectUSBController,andclickNext.TheUSBscreenappears.
ClickFinishtoinstallthevirtualUSBcontroller,andclickOKtosavethe
configurationandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Connecting USB Devices

ChooseVM>RemovableDevicestoconnectspecificUSBdevicestoyourvirtual
machine.YoucanconnectuptotwoUSBdevicesatatime.IfthephysicalUSBdevices
areconnectedtothehostcomputerthroughahub,thevirtualmachineseesonlythe
USBdevices,notthehub.
EachUSBporthasamenuitem.Movethemouseoveroneoftheseitemstoseea
cascadingmenuofdevicesthatarepluggedintoyourhostcomputerandavailablefor
use.Toconnectadevicetothevirtualmachine,clickitsname.
Ifadeviceisalreadyconnectedtothatport,clickthenameofanewdevicetorelease
thefirstdeviceandconnectthenewone.
Toreleaseaconnecteddevice,clickNoneonthecascadingmenufortheporttowhich
itisconnected.
Ifyouphysicallypluganewdeviceintothehostcomputer,thedeviceisinitially
connectedtothehost.ItsnameisalsoaddedtotheRemovableDevicessubmenuso
youcanconnectittothevirtualmachinemanually.
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Using USB with a Windows Host

WhenaparticularUSBdeviceisconnectedtoavirtualmachineforthefirsttime,the
hostdetectsitasanewdevicenamedVMwareUSBDeviceandinstallstheappropriate
VMwaredriver.
OnaWindowsServer2003host,UserconfirmationisrequiredintheFoundNew
HardwareWizard.SelectthedefaultactionInstallthesoftwareautomatically.Once
thesoftwareisinstalled,theguestoperatingsystemdetectstheUSBdeviceand
searchesforasuitabledriver.
WhenyouaresynchronizingaPDA,suchasaPalmhandheldorHandspringVisor,to
avirtualmachineforthefirsttime,thetotaltimerequiredtoloadtheVMwareUSB
devicedriverinthehostandthePDAdriverintheguestmightexceedthedevices
connectiontimeoutvalue.Thiscausesthedevicetodisconnectitselffromthecomputer
beforetheguestcansynchronizewithit.Ifthisoccurs,lettheguestfinishinstallingthe
PDAdriver,dismissanyconnectionerrorwarnings,thentrysynchronizingthePDA
again.Thesecondattemptshouldsucceed.
Replacing USB 2.0 Drivers on a Windows 2000 Host

TouseVMwareServeronaWindows2000hostthathasUSB2.0ports,youmustuse
theMicrosoftUSB2.0driversfortheUSBcontrollerinthehostoperatingsystem.If
yourhostoperatingsystemisusingathirdpartydriveradriversuppliedbyyour
motherboardvendor,forexampleyoumustreplaceit.
Takethefollowingstepstochecktheproviderofyourdriver:
1
GototheDeviceManager.RightclickMyComputer,chooseProperties,clickthe
Hardwaretab,thenclickDeviceManager.
ExpandthelistingforUniversalSerialBuscontrollers.
RightclickthelistingforthecontrollerandchooseProperties.
ClicktheDrivertab.IfthedriverprovidershownonthatpageisMicrosoft,you
havethecorrectdriveralready.
IfthedriverproviderisnotMicrosoft,downloadthelatestUSBdriverforyourhost
operatingsystemfromtheMicrosoftWebsiteandfollowtheMicrosoftinstructionsto
installit.DetailsareavailableinMicrosoftknowledgebasearticle319973.
Using USB with a Linux Host

OnLinuxhosts,VMwareServerusestheUSBdevicefilesystemtoconnecttoUSB
devices.InmostLinuxsystemsthatsupportUSB,theUSBdevicefilesystemisat
/proc/bus/usb.IfyourhostoperatingsystemusesadifferentpathtotheUSBdevice
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filesystem,youcanchangeitinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings>
USB).EnterthecorrectpathinthePathtousbdevfsfield.
USB Device Control

Onlyonecomputer,hostorguest,canhavecontrolofaUSBdeviceatanyonetime.
Device Control on a Windows Host

Whenyouconnectadevicetoavirtualmachine,itisunpluggedfromthehostor
fromthevirtualmachinethatpreviouslyhadcontrolofthedevice.Whenyou
disconnectadevicefromavirtualmachine,itispluggedintothehost.
CAUTION
YouneedtotakeaspecialsteptodisconnectUSBnetworkandstorage
devicesfromthehost.ThereisasystemtrayiconcalledEjectHardware
onWindows2000andSafelyRemoveHardwareonWindowsServer
2003.Usethisicontodisconnectthedevicefromthehostbefore
connectingittoavirtualmachine.
WhenyouconnectaUSBnetworkorstoragedeviceinavirtualmachine,youmightsee
amessageonyourhostthatsaysthedevicecanberemovedsafely.Thisisnormal
behavior,andyoucansimplydismissthedialogbox.However,donotremovethe
devicefromyourphysicalcomputer.VMwareServerautomaticallytransferscontrolof
thedevicetothevirtualmachine.
Undersomecircumstances,ifaUSBstoragedeviceisinuseonthehost(forexample,
oneormorefilesstoredonthedeviceareopenonthehost),anerrorappearsinthe
virtualmachinewhenyoutrytoconnecttothedevice.Youmustletthehostcomplete
itsoperationorcloseanyapplicationconnectedtothedeviceonthehost.Reconnectthe
deviceinthevirtualmachine.
Device Control on a Linux Host

OnLinuxhosts,guestoperatingsystemscanusedevicesthatarenotalreadyinuseby
thehostthatis,devicesthatarenotclaimedbyahostoperatingsystemdriver.
IfyourdeviceisinusebythehostandyoutrytoconnectittotheguestusingtheVM
>RemovableDevicesmenu,adialogboxappears,informingyouthatthereisa
problemconnectingtothedevice.
Todisconnectthedevicefromthehost,youmustunloadthedevicedriver.Youcan
unloadthedrivermanuallyasroot(su -)usingthermmodcommand.Ifthedriverwas
automaticallyloadedbyhotplug,youcandisableitinthehotplugconfigurationfiles
inthe/etc/hotplugdirectory.SeeyourLinuxdistributionsdocumentationfordetails
oneditingtheseconfigurationfiles.
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Arelatedissuesometimesaffectsdevicesthatrelyonautomaticconnection(asPDAs
oftendo).
Ifyouhavesuccessfullyusedautoconnectiontoconnectthedevicetoyourvirtual
machine,andlaterexperienceproblemswiththeconnectiontothedevice,completethe
followingsteps:
1
Disconnectandreconnectthedevice.Youcaneitherunplugitphysically,andplug
itbackin,orusetheVM>RemovableDevicesmenutodisconnectitand
reconnectit.
Ifyouseeadialogboxwarningthatthedeviceisinuse,disableitinthehotplug
configurationfilesinthe/etc/hotplugdirectory.
USB Devices
USBdevices,suchasthekeyboardandmouse,arenothandledthroughthevirtual
machinesUSBcontroller.Instead,theyappearinthevirtualmachineasastandard
PS/2keyboardandmouse,eventhoughtheyarepluggedintoUSBportsonthehost.
Disconnecting USB Devices from a Virtual Machine

BeforeunpluggingaUSBdeviceorusingtheRemovableDevicessubmenuto
disconnectitfromavirtualmachine,besureitisinasafestate.
Youshouldfollowtheproceduresthedevicemanufacturerspecifiesforunplugging
thedevicefromaphysicalcomputer.Thisistruewhetheryouarephysically
unpluggingit,movingitfromhosttovirtualmachine,movingitbetweenvirtual
machines,ormovingitfromvirtualmachinetohost.
Thisisparticularlyimportantwithdatastoragedevices(aZipdrive,forexample).If
youmoveadatastoragedevicetoosoonaftersavingafileandtheoperatingsystem
hasnotactuallywrittenthedatatothedisk,youcanlosedata.
Connecting to a Generic SCSI Device

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtousegenericSCSIdevicesinavirtualmachine:
!
DeviceSupportinGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 238
AddingaGenericSCSIDevicetoaVirtualMachineonpage 239
GenericSCSIonaWindowsHostOperatingSystemonpage 240
GenericSCSIonaLinuxHostOperatingSystemonpage 243
GenericSCSIletsavirtualmachinerunanySCSIdevicethatissupportedbytheguest
operatingsysteminthevirtualmachine.GenericSCSIgivestheguestoperatingsystem
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directaccesstoSCSIdevicesconnectedtothehost,suchasscanners,tapedrives,and
tapechangers.
Device Support in Guest Operating Systems

Intheory,genericSCSIiscompletelydeviceindependent,butVMwarehasdiscovered
itissensitivetotheguestoperatingsystem,deviceclass,andspecificSCSIhardware.
WeencourageyoutotryanySCSIhardwareyouwanttouseandreportproblemsto
VMwaretechnicalsupport.
Preparing a Windows XP Guest Operating System to Use SCSI Devices

TouseSCSIdevicesinaWindowsXPvirtualmachine,youneedaspecialSCSIdriver
availablefromthedownloadsectionoftheVMwareWebsiteat
www.vmware.com/download.FollowtheinstructionsontheWebsitetoinstallthe
driver.
Preparing a Windows NT 4.0 Guest Operating System to Use SCSI

Devices
GenericSCSIdevicesusethevirtualMylex(BusLogic)BT/KT958compatiblehost
busadapterprovidedbythevirtualmachine.Someguestoperatingsystemsguideyou
throughinstallingthedriversafteryouinstallthefirstSCSIdeviceinthevirtual
machine.OnWindowsNT4.0,however,youmightneedtoinstallthedrivermanually,
ifitisnotalreadyinstalledforavirtualSCSIdisk.Youshoulddosobeforeyouadda
genericSCSIdevice.
To install the BusLogic driver in a Windows NT 4.0 guest
1
Have your Windows NT installation CD available. OpentheSCSIAdapterscontrol

panel.
Start>Settings>ControlPanel>SCSIAdapters
238
ClicktheDriverstab.
ClickAdd.
Inthelistofvendorsontheleft,selectBusLogic.
Inthelistofdriversontheright,selectBusLogicMultiMasterPCISCSIHost
Adapters.
ClickOK.
InserttheWindowsNTCDwhenyouareprompted.ClickOK.
Reboottheguestoperatingsystemwhenyouareprompted.
VMware, Inc.
Preparing a Windows Me, Windows 98, or Windows 95 Guest OS to Use

SCSI Devices
IfyouareusinggenericSCSIdevicesinaWindows95,Windows98,orWindowsMe
guestoperatingsystemandareexperiencingproblemswiththedevices,downloadthe
latestMylex(BusLogic)BT/KT958compatiblehostbusadapterfrom
www.lsilogic.com.ThisdriveroverrideswhatWindowschoosesasthebestdriver,but
itcorrectsknownproblems.
Adding a Generic SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine

YoucanaddgenericSCSIdevicestoyourvirtualmachineinthevirtualmachine
settingseditor.ThevirtualmachinesettingseditorletsyoumapvirtualSCSIdevicesto
physicalgenericSCSIdevicesonthehost.
ToaddanewgenericSCSIdevicetoavirtualmachine,makesurethevirtualmachine
ispoweredoff,andcompletetheappropriatestepsbelow.
Adding a Generic SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine from the Console

1
LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandselectthevirtualmachine.
ChooseVM>Settings.Thevirtualmachinesettingseditoropens.
ClickAddtostarttheAddHardwareWizard.SelectGenericSCSIDevice,then
clickNext.
Choosethenameofthephysicaldeviceyouwanttouse.
Choosethevirtualdevicenodewhereyouwantthisdevicetoappearinthevirtual
machine.
AcheckboxunderDevicestatusletsyouspecifywhetherornotthedeviceshould
beconnectedeachtimethevirtualmachineispoweredon.
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NOTE
OnaWindowshost,thedeviceshouldappearintheformCdRom0,
Scanner0,Tape0orChanger0.Ifyoudonotseealistingforthedevice,
youmightneedtoaddthedevicetothevirtualmachinemanually.See
GenericSCSIonaWindowsHostOperatingSystemonpage 240.
ClickFinishtoinstallthenewdevice.
Generic SCSI on a Windows Host Operating System

UsingtheSCSIGenericdriverinWindows,VMwareServerallowsyourguest
operatingsystemtooperategenericSCSIdevicesincludingscanners,tapedrives,
andotherdatastoragedevicesinavirtualmachine.
Adding a Generic SCSI Device Not Detected by VMware Server

WhenaddingagenericSCSIdevicetoavirtualmachine,ifVMwareServerdoesnot
displaythedeviceyouwanttoadd(forexample,scannersonaWindows2000hostor
sometapebackupdevices),youneedtoaddthedevicemanuallytothevirtual
machinesconfigurationfile(.vmx).
ReasonsVMwareServercannotdetectadeviceinclude:
!
Adriverforthatdeviceisnotinstalledonthehost.
Adriveronthehostpreventsthedevicefrombeingdetected.
Thevirtualmachineusesadeviceforwhichnodriversareavailabletothehost
operatingsystem.
Beforeyouattemptthestepsbelow,verifythatthedevicedriverisinstalledonthehost.
Ifthedriverisnotinstalled,installitandverifythatthedeviceappearscorrectlyto
VMwareServer.Ifitdoesnotappearcorrectly,orifyoucannotordonotwanttoinstall
thedriveronthehost,addthedevicemanuallytothevirtualmachine.
Whenaddingadevicemanuallytothevirtualmachine,usescsiX:Ynotationtorefer
tothedeviceonthehostinsteadofadevicenamesuchasCdRom0, that VMwareServer
uses.Forthistypeofnotation,XistheSCSIbusonwhichthedeviceislocatedonthe
hostandYisthetargetIDthedeviceusesonthehost.
CAUTION
240
Addingadeviceinthismannerisrecommendedforadvancedusersonly.
VMware, Inc.
CAUTION
Beforeyouaddthedevice,youmustdisabletheoriginalSCSIdevice
driveronthehost.SomeWindowsoperatingsystemsdonotprocessthe
sendcommandfromtheadapterifthedevicedriverisowningthedevice.
Thereareafewcircumstancesthatrequireyoutoaddthedevicemanually.Followthe
stepsthatmatchyourcircumstance.Ineachcase,poweroffthevirtualmachineand
openthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx)inatexteditorandmakethe
changesasdescribedbelow.
1
ThevirtualmachinedoesnotcontainanySCSIadaptersordevices,oryouwantto
addagenericSCSIdevicetoanewvirtualSCSIadapterinthevirtualmachine.
Toaddthedevicetothevirtualmachine,youneedtoaddthefollowinglinestothe
virtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
scsiZ:Y.present = "true"
scsiZ:Y.deviceType = "scsi-passthru"
scsiZ:Y.fileName = "scsiX:Y"
DefineX,YandZasfollows:
XistheSCSIbusthedeviceusesonthehostsystem.
YisthetargetIDthedeviceusesinthevirtualmachineandonthehost.Use
thesametargetIDinthevirtualmachinethatthehostalreadyusesforthe
devicetoallowthedevicetoworkcorrectly.
ZistheSCSIbusthedeviceusesinthevirtualmachine.
ThevirtualmachinehasaSCSIadapterandaSCSIdeviceandyouwanttousethe
samedeviceasagenericSCSIdevice.
ToconfigurethedeviceasagenericSCSIdevice,youneedtoaddthefollowing
linestothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
scsiZ:Y.deviceType = "scsi-passthru"scsiZ:Y.fileName = "scsiX:Y"
VMware, Inc.
ThevirtualmachinehasaSCSIadapterandgenericSCSIdevice,butVMware
ServerdoesnotrecognizethedeviceintheAddHardwareWizard.
241
Youneedtolocatealineintheconfigurationfilethatlookslike:
scsiZ:Y.fileName = "<deviceName>"
Changethelineto:
!
Forexample,iftheproblematicdeviceisaCDROMdrive,theentryinthe
configurationfilemightbe:
scsi0:4.fileName = "CdRom0"
Ifthedeviceonthehostislocatedonbus2withtargetID4,youshouldchangethis
lineto:
scsi0:4.fileName = "scsi2:4"
ThetargetIDthedeviceusesinthevirtualmachinemustbethesameasthetarget
IDthedeviceusesonthehostsystem.
4
YouaddedagenericSCSIdevicetothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx)
asinstructedinstep3,butVMwareServerdoesnotrecognizethedeviceinthe
AddHardwareWizard.Youmightexperiencethisissuewithtapedrivesandtape
changers.
Inthiscase,lookforthelineintheconfigurationfilethatlookslike:
Changethelineto:
scsiZ:Y.fileName = "<deviceName>"
ExampledevicenamesincludeTape0andChanger0.
Anotheralternativeyoucantryistouninstallordisablethedevicedriveronthe
hostandusethe"scsiX:Y"notationintheconfigurationfile.
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NOTE
TheSCSIbusisassignedanumberbythehostoperatingsystemafterallIDE
buseshavebeenassignednumbers.Forexample,ifyouhave2IDEbuses,they
arenumbered0and1.ThefirstSCSIbusisassignedbusnumber2.Inthe
exampleabove,youuse2forX.
IfyoucannotdeterminetheSCSIbusnumberonyourown,youcantryusingathird
partytoollikewinobj(whichyoucandownloadforfreefromwww.sysinternals.com)
todeterminethisinformation.
ThedevicetargetIDisusuallysetbysomejumpersorswitchesonthedevice.Referto
theownersmanualforthedeviceforinformationonhowtodeterminethetargetID.
Generic SCSI on a Linux Host Operating System

UsingtheSCSIGenericdriverinLinux,VMwareServerallowsyourguestoperating
systemtooperategenericSCSIdeviceswithinavirtualmachine.TheSCSIGeneric
driversetsupamappingforeachSCSIdevicein/dev.Eachentrystartswithsg(forthe
SCSIGenericdriver)followedbyaletter.Forexample,/dev/sgaisthefirstgenericSCSI
device.
EachentrycorrespondstoaSCSIdevice,intheorderspecifiedin/proc/scsi/scsi,
fromthelowestdeviceIDonthelowestadaptertothehighestdeviceIDonthelowest
adapter,andsoontothehighestdeviceIDonthehighestadapter.Donotenter
/dev/st0or/dev/scd0.
NOTE
WhensettingupagenericSCSIdeviceinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,
asdescribedlaterinthissection,youspecifythedeviceyouwishtoinstallin
thevirtualmachinebytypingits/dev/sgentryintheConnectionfield.
Requirements
GenericSCSIrequiresversion2.1.36oftheSCSIGeneric(sg.o)driver,whichcomes
withkernel2.2.14andhigher.
Avoiding Concurrent Access to a Generic SCSI Device

UnderLinux,somedevicesspecificallytapedrives,diskdrives,andCDROMdrives
alreadyhaveadesignated/deventry(traditionally,st,sdandscd,respectively).
WhentheSCSIGenericdriverisinstalled,Linuxalsoidentifiesthesedeviceswith
correspondingsgentriesin/devinadditiontotheirtraditionalentries.VMware
Serverensuresthatmultipleprogramsarenotusingthesame/dev/sgentryatthesame
timebutcannotalwaysensurethatmultipleprogramsarenotusingthe/dev/sgand
thetraditional/deventryatthesametime.Itisimportantthatyoudonotattemptto
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243
usethesamedeviceinbothhostandguest.Thiscancauseunexpectedbehaviorand
maycauselossorcorruptionofdata.
Permissions on a Generic SCSI Device

YoumusthavereadandwritepermissionsonagivengenericSCSIdevicetousethe
devicewithinavirtualmachine,evenifthedeviceisareadonlydevicesuchasa
CDROMdrive.Thesedevicestypicallydefaulttorootonlypermissions.Your
administratorshouldcreateagroupwithaccesstoreadandwritetothesedevices,and
addtheappropriateuserstothatgroup.
Using Two-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing

(Experimental)
Forallsupportedconfigurationsof32bitand64bithostandguestoperatingsystems
runningonmultiprocessorhostmachines,VMwareServerprovidesexperimental
supportfortwowayvirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(VirtualSMP).VirtualSMP
letsyouassigntwovirtualprocessorstoavirtualmachineonanyhostmachinethathas
atleasttwologicalprocessors.
Thefollowinghostconfigurationsareallconsideredtohavetwologicalprocessors:
!
Asingleprocessorhostwithhyperthreadingenabled
AsingleprocessorhostwithadualcoreCPU
AmultiprocessorhostwithtwoCPUs,neitherofwhicharedualcoreorhave
hyperthreadingenabled.
NOTE
Onhyperthreadeduniprocessorhosts,performanceofvirtualmachineswith
VirtualSMPmightbesubpar.
VMwareServerdoesnotsupportguestswithmorethantwovirtualprocessors.You
can,however,poweronandrunmultipledualprocessorvirtualmachines
concurrently.
YoucansetthenumberofprocessorsforthevirtualmachinefromtheVMwareServer
Consoleinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
244
GotoVM>Settings.
FromtheHardwaretab,clicktheentryforVirtualProcessors.
Clickoneortwotosetthenumberofvirtualprocessors,andclickOK.
VMware, Inc.
NOTE
Thesummaryviewalsodisplaysthenumberofvirtualprocessors
currentlyconfiguredforthevirtualmachine.
Youcanalsosetthenumberofvirtualprocessorswhenyoucreateavirtualmachine
usingtheNewVirtualMachineWizard.Youmustchooseacustomconfiguration.The
optiontosetthenumberofvirtualprocessorsisnotavailableinatypicalconfiguration.
Formoreinformation,seeSettingUpaNewVirtualMachineonpage 25.
VMwareServerdoesnotsupportorrecommendassigningtwoprocessorstoahost
withasingleprocessorthatdoesnothavehyperthreadingenabled.Awarningmessage
appearsifyoudoso.Youcandisregardthismessageandassigntwoprocessorstothe
virtualmachine,butafteryouhavecreatedthevirtualmachine,youwillnotbeableto
poweritonunlessyoumoveittoahostmachinewithatleasttwologicalprocessors.
VirtualMachineswithVirtualSMPenabledarecompatiblewithWorkstation5.x
virtualmachines.YoucanalsomovevirtualmachineswithVirtualSMPenabled
betweenVMwareServerandVMwareESXServer.
VirtualMachineswithVirtualSMPenabledarenotcompatiblewithVMwareGSX
Server3orwithversionsofWorkstationpriorto5.x.
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C HAPTER 9
Video and Sound
Thischapterprovidesinformationonconfiguringthevideodisplayandsoundfor
VMwareServerandcoversthefollowingtopics:
!
SettingScreenColorDepthinaVirtualMachineonpage 247
UsingFullScreenModeonaLinuxHostonpage 248
ConfiguringSoundonpage 249
Setting Screen Color Depth in a Virtual Machine

Thenumberofscreencolorsavailableintheguestoperatingsystemdependsonthe
screencolorsettingofthehostoperatingsystem.
Virtualmachinessupport
!
16color(VGA)mode
8bitpseudocolor
16bitsperpixel(16significantbitsperpixel)
32bitsperpixel(24significantbitsperpixel)
Ifthehostisin15bitcolormode,theguestoperatingsystemscolorsettingcontrols
offer15bitmodeinplaceof16bitmode.
Ifthehostisin24bitcolormode,theguestoperatingsystemscolorsettingcontrols
offer24bitmodeinplaceof32bitmode.
Ifyourunaguestoperatingsystemsetforagreaternumberofcolorsthanyourhost
operatingsystemisusing,youcanencountervariousproblems.Insomecases,the
colorsintheguestarenotcorrect.Inothers,theguestoperatingsystemisnotableto
useagraphicalinterface.
Tofixtheseproblems,youcaneitherincreasethenumberofcolorsavailableonthehost
ordecreasethenumberofcolorsusedintheguest.
Forbestperformance,usethesamenumberofcolorsintheguestandonthehost.
Thefollowingsectionsdescribechangingthecolordepthonthehostandinavirtual
machine:
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ChangingScreenColorDepthontheHostonpage 248
ChangingScreenColorDepthintheVirtualMachineonpage 248
Changing Screen Color Depth on the Host

Tochangethecolorsettingsonyourhostoperatingsystem,firstshutdownallguest
operatingsystems,poweroffthevirtualmachines,andclosetheconsole.
Followstandardproceduresforchangingthecolorsettingsonyourhostoperating
system,andrestarttheconsoleandthevirtualmachines.
Changing Screen Color Depth in the Virtual Machine

Ifyouchoosetochangethecolorsettingsintheguestoperatingsystem,theapproach
youusedependsonthecombinationofhostandguestyouareusing.
Followthenormalprocessforchangingscreencolorsinyourguestoperatingsystem.
InaWindowsguest,theDisplayPropertiescontrolpaneloffersonlythosesettingsthat
aresupported.
InaLinuxorFreeBSDguest,youmusteitherchangethecolordepthbeforeyoustart
theXserverorrestarttheXserverafteryoumakethechanges.
Using Full Screen Mode on a Linux Host

Whenyouswitchavirtualmachineintofullscreenmode,VMwareServerchangesthe
fullscreendisplayresolutiontobettermatchtheresolutionsetintheguestoperating
system.OnaLinuxhost,VMwareServerusestheXF86VidModetomatchthehost
resolutiontotheonerequestedbytheguestrunninginthevirtualmachine.
Inafewcases,VMwareServermaynotfindthebestresolution.
WhenVMwareServerswitchesintofullscreenmode,itcanchooseonlythose
resolutionsthatarealreadyconfiguredonyourhost.
IfavirtualmachinerunsataresolutionthatdoesnotmatchamodelistedintheX
serverconfiguration,thenforfullscreenmodeVMwareServerchoosestheclosest
largermode(andusesblackborders)orelsesimplydoesnotofferfullscreenmodeat
all.
ItispossibletohavebadmodesconfiguredintheXF86Configfileonyourhost.Ifyour
hostsXserverconfigurationwasautomaticallygenerated,orifyounevertestedall
modeswithyourcurrentmonitorandvideocard,itispossiblethatsomeenabled
modesdonotworkwithyourmonitor.However,themodeswitchingcodeinVMware
Serverhasnowayofknowingthisandavirtualmachinethattriestousearesolution
withabadmodelinecancauseyourmonitortofailtodisplaycorrectly.
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Chapter 9 Video and Sound
Ifthishappens,immediatelyleavefullscreenmodebypressingCtrlAlt,thenfixyour
XserverconfigurationandrestarttheXserver.However,iftheonlyproblemisthatthe
imageisoffcenterorisnotquitetherightsizeonthemonitor,youcanusuallycorrect
itusingthecontrolsonyourmonitor.Notethatmostmodernmonitorsarecapableof
storingseparatesettingsforeachresolution,sochangingthesettingsforanewmode
shouldnotimpairthesettingsforthehostresolution.
Configuring Sound
VMwareServerprovidesasounddevicecompatiblewiththeCreativeTechnology
SoundBlasterAudioAPIadapterandsupportssoundinWindows95,Windows98,
WindowsMe,WindowsNT,Windows2000,WindowsXP,WindowsServer2003,and
Linuxguestoperatingsystems.TheVMwareServersounddeviceisdisabledbydefault
andmustbeinstalledusingthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings).
SoundsupportincludesPCM(pulsecodemodulation)output,andinput.Forexample,
youcanplay.wavfiles,MP3audio,andRealMediaaudio.MIDIoutputfromWindows
guestsissupportedthroughtheWindowssoftwaresynthesizer.MIDIinputisnot
supported,andnoMIDIsupportisavailableforLinuxguests.
Windows2000,WindowsXP,andmostrecentLinuxdistributionsautomaticallydetect
thesounddeviceandinstallappropriatedriversforit.
ThefollowingsectionsdescribeinstallingsounddriversinsomeWindowsguest
operatingsystems.
Installing Sound Drivers in a Windows Server 2003 Guest OS

WindowsServer2003doesnotshipwiththedriversfortheSoundBlasterAudioPCI
adapter.Forthe32bitversionofWindowsServer2003,youcaninstallthedriversfrom
aWindows2000installationCDROM.Forinformationoninstallingthesedrivers,see
theVMwareknowledgebasearticleat
www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1115.Forthe64bit
versionofWindowsServer2003,asounddriverisinstalledwhenyouinstallVMware
Tools.FormoreinformationaboutVMwareTools,seeUsingVMwareToolson
page 39.
Installing Sound Drivers in Windows 9x and NT Guest OS

Windows95,Windows98,Windows98SE,andWindowsNT4.0donothavedrivers
fortheSoundBlasterAudioPCIadapter.Tousesoundintheseguestoperating
systems,youmustdownloadthedriverfromtheCreativeLabsWebsite
(www.creative.com)andinstallitintheguestoperatingsystem.
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249
CreativeLabshasanumberofWebsitesservingvariousregionsoftheworld.The
adapternamevaries,dependingontheregion,butusuallyincludesPCI128.
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Performance Tuning for Virtual

Machines
C HAPTER 10
ThischapterdescribesoptionsforgettingthebestperformancefromVMwareServer
andyourvirtualmachinesandcoversthefollowingtopics:
!
AllocatingMemorytoaVirtualMachineonpage 251
ImprovingPerformanceforGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 253
Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine

VMwareServerallowsyoutoallocateaportionoftheVMwareServerhostmemoryto
eachvirtualmachine.Byadjustingthissetting,youcanaffectthevirtualmachines
performance.
Yousetthesizeofanindividualvirtualmachinesmemoryinthevirtualmachine
settingseditorortheVMwareManagementInterface.Theminimumsizeofthe
memoryforthevirtualmachineshouldbesetbasedontherecommendationsofthe
operatingsystemprovider.
Whenyoucreateanewvirtualmachine,thewizardsetswhatVMwarebelievesare
reasonabledefaultsforthememorysizeofavirtualmachine,basedonthetypeofthe
guestoperatingsystemandtheamountofmemoryinthehostcomputer.
Thefollowingsectiondescribeshowyoucanallocatememorytoavirtualmachine:
ConfiguringVirtualMachineMemoryfromaConsoleonpage 252.
Theactualsizethatshouldbegiventoavirtualmachinedependsonafewpractical
considerations:
!
Whatkindsofapplicationswillruninthevirtualmachine.
Whatothervirtualmachineswillcontendwiththisvirtualmachineformemory
resources.
Whatapplicationswillrunonthehostatthesametimeasthevirtualmachine.
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251
Thetotalamountofhostmemorythatallrunningvirtualmachinescanuse;for
moreinformation,seeSpecifyingHowMuchRAMisUsedbyAllRunning
VirtualMachines.
Thefilesystemwherethevirtualmachineisstored.Youcannotallocatemorethan
2000MBofmemorytoavirtualmachineifitisstoredonafilesystemthatcannot
supportfileslargerthan2GB,suchasFAT16.Youwillnotbeabletopoweronsuch
avirtualmachine.Further,youcannotallocatemorethan2000MBofmemorytoa
virtualmachineifitisstoredonaFAT32filesystem,eventhoughitdoessupport
filesupto4GBinsize.
Formoreinformationonhostmemoryuse,seeUnderstandingMemoryUsage.
Configuring Virtual Machine Memory from a Console

TosetthesizeofanindividualvirtualmachinesmemoryfromtheVMwareVirtual
MachineConsole,completethefollowingsteps.
1
Connecttothevirtualmachinewithaconsole.
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings).Thevirtualmachine
settingseditoropenswiththeMemorytabselected.
Allocatememorytothevirtualmachine.Usethesliderorspincontroller,ortype
theamountofmemorytoallocateintheMBfield.Thevaluemustbeamultipleof
four.
NOTE
252
Theminimumsizeofthememoryforthevirtualmachineshouldbeset
basedontherecommendationsoftheoperatingsystemprovider.
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Chapter 10 Performance Tuning for Virtual Machines
Improving Performance for Guest Operating Systems

Thetipsinthissectionhelpyoumakeadjustmentstoimproveperformancefor
particularguestoperatingsystemsrunninginsideavirtualmachine.
Thefollowingsectionsdescribetipstoimproveperformanceforvariousguest
operatingsystems:
!
Windows2000,WindowsXPandWindowsServer2003GuestOSPerformance
Tipsonpage 253
Windows95andWindows98GuestOperatingSystemPerformanceTipson
page 254
LinuxGuestOperatingSystemPerformanceTipsonpage 256
Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Guest

OS Performance Tips
ThissectionoffersadviceforconfiguringaWindows2000,WindowsXP,orWindows
Server2003guestoperatingsystemforbetterperformanceinsideavirtualmachine.
NOTE
Thissectionpertainstotheguestoperatingsystemthatisrunninginsidea
VMwareServervirtualmachine.Itdoesnotdescribeactionsthatshouldbe
takenonWindows2000orWindowsServer2003runningonthehost
computer.
Guest Operating System Selection

Makecertainyouhaveselectedthecorrectguestoperatingsysteminthevirtual
machinesettingseditor.ChooseVM>Settings>Options.
VMware Tools
MakecertainVMwareToolsisinstalled.VMwareToolsprovidesanoptimizedSVGA
driverandsetsuptheVMwareToolsservicetorunautomaticallywhenthesystem
starts.Amongotherthings,VMwareToolsallowsyoutosynchronizethevirtual
machinesclockwiththehostcomputersclock,whichcanimproveperformancefor
somefunctions.InstallVMwareToolsbychoosingVM>InstallVMwareTools.
Disconnect the Virtual CD-ROM Drive

UsingtheRemovableDevicessubmenu,disconnectthevirtualCDROMdriveifyou
donotneedtouseit.DisconnectingtheCDROMdrivereducesprocessorusage.
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Visual Effects
ThefadeeffectsthatWindows2000,WindowsXP,andWindowsServer2003usewhen
displayingmenuscanbesomewhatslowandmakethevirtualmachineseemless
responsive.
Todisablethefadeeffects,rightclicktheguestoperatingsystemdesktop,thenchoose
Properties>Appearance>Effects(onWindowsXPorWindowsServer2003)or
Properties>Effects(onWindows2000)anddeselecttheUsetransitioneffectsfor
menusandtooltipscheckbox.
Full Screen Mode

Runyourvirtualmachineinfullscreenmode.ClicktheFullScreenbuttononthe
VMwareVirtualMachineConsoletoolbar.
Enabling Hardware Acceleration (Windows Server 2003 Guests)

WindowsServer2003disableshardwareaccelerationbydefault.Thisslowsdown
graphicsperformanceandmouseresponsivenessintheguestoperatingsystem.
WhenyouinstallVMwareToolsinaWindowsServer2003guest,youarepromptedto
enablethehardwareaccelerationsetting.VMwarerecommendsyouenablehardware
accelerationfully.
ToenablehardwareaccelerationinaWindowsServer2003guestatalatertime,open
theWindowsControlPanel,thenopentheDisplayPropertiescontrolpanel.Onthe
Settingstab,clickAdvanced.OntheTroubleshoottab,dragtheHardwareacceleration
sliderallthewaytoFull.
Windows 95 and Windows 98 Guest Operating System

Performance Tips
ThissectionoffersadviceforconfiguringaWindows95orWindows98guestoperating
systemforbetterperformanceinsideaVMwareServervirtualmachine.

VMware Tools
starts.Amongotherthings,theVMwareToolsserviceallowsyoutosynchronizethe
virtualmachinesclockwiththehostcomputersclock,whichcanimprove
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Chapter 10 Performance Tuning for Virtual Machines
performanceforsomefunctions.InstallVMwareToolsbychoosingVM>Install
VMwareTools.
DMA Mode for IDE Disks

Windows95OSR2andhigher(includingWindows98)canusedirectmemoryaccess
(DMA)forfasterIDEharddiskaccess.However,DMAmightnotbeenabledby
default.
YoucanturnonDMAaccessusingtheguestoperatingsystemsDeviceManager.
1
RightclickMyComputerandchoosePropertiesfromthepopupmenu.
Clickthe+signbesideDiskDrivestoshowyourvirtualmachinesindividual
drives.
RightclicktheentryforeachIDEdrivetoopenitsPropertiesdialogbox.
UnderSettings,checktheboxlabeledDMAandacceptanywarningWindows
displays.
RestarttheWindowsguestforthenewsettingstotakeeffect.
Full Screen Mode

Swap File Usage

Inyoursystem.inifile,inthe[386enh]section,addthefollowingline:
ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1
Disconnect CD-ROM
UsingtheRemovableDevicessubmenu,disconnectyourCDROMdriveifyoudonot
needtouseit.DisconnectingtheCDROMdrivereducesprocessorusage.
Visual Effects
Windows98hasanumberofvisualeffects,designedtobeattractive,thatplace
unnecessarydemandsonthegraphicsemulationinVMwareServer.Someusershave
seenperformanceimprovementswhentheyturnoffthesespecialeffects.
Tomodifythesesettings,rightclickonthedesktopofyourvirtualmachine,thenselect
Propertiesfromthepopupmenu.ClicktheEffectstabanddeselecttheAnimate
windows,menus,andlistscheckbox.
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255
Also,ifShowwindowcontentswhiledraggingischecked,trydeselectingthatcheck
box.
Linux Guest Operating System Performance Tips

ThissectionoffersadviceforconfiguringaLinuxguestoperatingsystemforbetter
performanceinsideaVMwareServervirtualmachine.
NOTE
Thisdocumentpertainstotheguestoperatingsystemthatisrunninginsidea
VMwareServervirtualmachine.Itdoesnotdescribeactionsthatshouldbe
takenonLinuxrunningonthehostcomputer.

VMware Tools
starts.Amongotherthings,theVMwareToolsserviceallowsyoutosynchronizethe
virtualmachinesclockwiththehostcomputersclock,whichcanimprove
performanceforsomefunctions.InstallVMwareToolsbychoosingVM>Install
VMwareTools.
Disconnect CD-ROM
UsingtheRemovableDevicessubmenu,disconnectyourCDROMdriveifyoudonot
needtouseit.DisconnectingtheCDROMdrivereducesprocessorusage.
Install in Text Mode

WhenyouareinstallingyourLinuxguestoperatingsystem,usethetextmodeinstaller
insteadofthegraphicalinstallerifyouhaveachoice.Thismakestheinstallation
processfaster.
IfyoudouseagraphicalinstallerandifyouareusingaLinuxhostcomputer,trytorun
thevirtualmachineinfullscreenmodeduringtheinstallation.
Full Screen Mode

256
VMware, Inc.
Glossary
AddHardwareWizard
Apointandclickinterfaceforaddingvirtualhardwaretoavirtualmachine.To
launchtheWizard,poweroffthevirtualmachine,openthevirtualmachine
settingseditor,thenclickAdd.Itpromptsyouforinformationforconfiguringthe
hardware,suggestingdefaultvaluesinmostcases.
SeealsoVirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Bridgednetworking
Atypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenavirtualmachineandtherestoftheworld.
Underbridgednetworking,avirtualmachineappearsasanadditionalcomputer
onthesamephysicalEthernetnetworkasthehost.
SeealsoHostonlynetworking.
Configuration
SeeVirtualmachineconfigurationfile.
Console
SeeVMwareServerConsole.
Currentvirtualmachine
AvirtualmachinecreatedunderthecurrentVMwareServerversionand
WorkstationServer5.x.
SeealsoLegacyvirtualmachine.
Customnetworking
Anytypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenvirtualmachinesandthehostthatdoes
notusethedefaultbridged,hostonlyornetworkaddresstranslation(NAT)
networkingconfigurations.Forinstance,differentvirtualmachinescanbe
connectedtothehostbyseparatenetworksorconnectedtoeachotherandnotto
thehost.Anynetworktopologyispossible.
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191
EULA
Theenduserlicenseagreement.
Existingpartition
Apartitiononaphysicaldiskinthehostmachine.
SeealsoPhysicaldisk.
Fullscreenmode
Adisplaymodeinwhichthevirtualmachinesdisplayfillstheentirescreen.
SeealsoQuickswitchmode.
Growabledisk
Atypeofvirtualdiskwherethediskspaceisnotpreallocatedtoitsfullsize.Its
filesstartoutsmallinsizeandgrowasdataiswrittentoit.
Guestoperatingsystem
Anoperatingsystemthatrunsinsideavirtualmachine.
SeealsoHostoperatingsystem.
Headless
Adescriptionforaprogramorapplicationthatrunsinthebackgroundwithout
anygraphicaluserinterfaceconnectedtoit.Avirtualmachinerunningwithno
consolesconnectedtoitisconsideredtoberunningheadless.
Hostonlynetworking
Atypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenavirtualmachineandthehost.Under
hostonlynetworking,avirtualmachineisconnectedtothehostonaprivate
network,whichnormallyisnotvisibleoutsidethehost.Multiplevirtualmachines
configuredwithhostonlynetworkingonthesamehostareonthesamenetwork.
SeealsoBridgednetworking,CustomnetworkingandNetworkaddress
translation.
Hostcomputer
ThephysicalcomputeronwhichtheVMwareServersoftwareisinstalled.Ithosts
theVMwareServervirtualmachines.
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VMware, Inc.
Glossary
Hostoperatingsystem
Anoperatingsystemthatrunsonthehostmachine.
SeealsoGuestoperatingsystem.
Independentdisk
Anindependentdiskisatypeofvirtualdiskthatisnotaffectedbysnapshots.
Independentdiskscanbeconfiguredinpersistentandnonpersistentmodes.
SeealsoNonpersistentmode,Persistentmode.
Inventory
Alistintheleftpaneloftheconsolewindowthatshowsthenamesofvirtual
machinesthatauserhasaddedtothelist.Theinventorymakesiteasytolauncha
virtualmachineortoconnecttothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileinorderto
makechangesinthevirtualmachinesettings.
Legacyvirtualmachine
AvirtualmachinecreatedunderVMwareGSXServerorVMwareWorkstation3
or4.SeealsoCurrentvirtualmachine.
Networkaddresstranslation(NAT)
Atypeofnetworkconnectionthatallowsyoutoconnectyourvirtualmachinesto
anexternalnetworkwhenyouhaveonlyoneIPnetworkaddress,andthataddress
isusedbythehostcomputer.IfyouuseNAT,yourvirtualmachinedoesnothave
itsownIPaddressontheexternalnetwork.Instead,aseparateprivatenetworkis
setuponthehostcomputer.Yourvirtualmachinegetsanaddressonthatnetwork
fromtheVMwarevirtualDHCPserver.TheVMwareNATdevicepassesnetwork
databetweenoneormorevirtualmachinesandtheexternalnetwork.Itidentifies
incomingdatapacketsintendedforeachvirtualmachineandsendsthemtothe
correctdestination.
SeealsoBridgednetworking,CustomnetworkingandHostonlynetworking.
NewVirtualMachineWizard
Apointandclickinterfaceforconvenient,easycreationofavirtualmachine
configuration.TolaunchtheWizard,chooseFile>NewVirtualMachine.It
promptsyouforinformation,suggestingdefaultvaluesinmostcases.Itcreates
filesthatdefinethevirtualmachine,includingavirtualmachineconfigurationfile
and(optionally)avirtualdiskorphysicaldiskfile.
SeealsoVirtualmachinesettingseditor.
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193
Nonpersistentmode
Amodeinwhichalldiskwritesissuedbysoftwarerunninginsideavirtual
machinewithadiskinnonpersistentmodeappeartobewrittentodiskbutarein
factdiscardedafterthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Ifyouconfigureavirtual
diskorphysicaldiskasanindependentdiskinnonpersistentmode,thediskisnot
modifiedbyVMwareServer.
SeealsoIndependentdisk,Persistentmode
Persistentmode
Amodeinwhichalldiskwritesissuedbysoftwarerunninginsideavirtual
machineareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothevirtualdisk.Ifyou
configureavirtualdiskorphysicaldiskasanindependentdiskinpersistentmode,
thediskbehaveslikeaconventionaldiskdriveonaphysicalcomputer.
SeealsoIndependentdisk,Nonpersistentmode
Physicaldisk
Aharddiskinavirtualmachinethatismappedtoaphysicaldiskdriveor
partitiononthehostmachine.Avirtualmachinesdiskcanbestoredasafileon
thehostfilesystemoronalocalharddisk.Whenavirtualmachineisconfigured
touseaphysicaldisk,VMwareServerdirectlyaccessesthelocaldiskorpartition
asarawdevice(notasafileonafilesystem).
SeealsoVirtualdisk.
Preallocateddisk
Atypeofvirtualdiskwherealldiskspaceforthevirtualmachineisallocatedat
thetimethediskiscreated.Thisisthedefaulttypeofvirtualdiskcreatedby
VMwareServer.
Quickswitchmode
Adisplaymodeinwhichthevirtualmachinesdisplayfillsmostofthescreen.In
thismode,tabsatthetopofthescreenallowyoutoswitchquicklyfromone
runningvirtualmachinetoanother.
SeealsoFullscreenmode.
Rawdisk
Seephysicaldisk.
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VMware, Inc.
Glossary
Redolog
Thefilethatstoresthechangesmadetoadiskinindependentnonpersistentmode.
Theredologfileisdeletedwhenyoupowerofforresetthevirtualmachine
withoutwritinganychangestothedisk.
Resume
Returnavirtualmachinetooperationfromitssuspendedstate.Whenyouresume
asuspendedvirtualmachine,allapplicationsareinthesamestatetheywerewhen
thevirtualmachinewassuspended.
SeealsoSuspend.
Shrink
Reducetheamountoffilesystemspaceavirtualdiskoccupiesinordertoreclaim
unusedspaceinavirtualdisk.Ifthereisemptyspaceinthedisk,shrinking
reducestheamountofspacethevirtualdiskoccupiesonthehostdrive.You
cannotshrinkpreallocatedvirtualdisksorphysicaldisks.
Snapshot
Awaytopreservethestateofavirtualmachinethestateofthedataonallthe
virtualmachinesdisksandthevirtualmachinespowerstate(whetherthevirtual
machinewaspoweredon,poweredofforsuspended).Youcantakeasnapshotof
avirtualmachineatanytimeandreverttothatsnapshotatanytime.Thevirtual
machinecanbepoweredon,poweredofforsuspended.
Supportedpartition
AvirtualdiskpartitionthatVMwareToolscanprepareforshrinking,suchasone
ofthedrivesthatcomprisethevirtualharddisk.Youcanchoosetonotprepare
certainpartitionsforshrinking.
SeealsoShrink.
Suspend
Savethecurrentstateofarunningvirtualmachine.Toreturnasuspendedvirtual
machinetooperation,usetheresumefeature.
SeealsoResume.
Unsupportedpartition
AvirtualdiskpartitionthatVMwareToolscannotprepareforshrinking.
Unsupportedpartitionsincludereadonlydrivepartitions,partitionsonremote
devicesandpartitionsonremovabledevicessuchasfloppydrivesorCDROM
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195
drives.
SeealsoShrink.
Virtualdisk
Avirtualdiskisafileorsetoffilesthatappearsasaphysicaldiskdrivetoaguest
operatingsystem.Thesefilescanbeonthehostmachineoronaremotefilesystem.
Whenyouconfigureavirtualmachinewithavirtualdisk,youcaninstallanew
operatingsystemintothediskfilewithoutneedingtorepartitionaphysicaldisk
orrebootthehost.Virtualdiskscanbepreallocatedorgrowable.Apreallocated
virtualdiskhasallthediskspaceallocatedatthetimethevirtualdiskiscreated.A
growablediskisnotpreallocated;itsfilesstartoutsmallinsizeandgrowasdata
iswrittentoit.
SeealsoPhysicaldisk.
Virtualhardware
Thedevicesthatcompriseavirtualmachine.Thevirtualhardwareincludesthe
virtualdisk,theremovabledevicessuchastheDVDROM/CDROMandfloppy
drives,andthevirtualEthernetadapter.Youconfigurethesedeviceswiththe
virtualmachinesettingseditor.
Virtualmachine
Avirtualizedx86PCenvironmentinwhichaguestoperatingsystemand
associatedapplicationsoftwarecanrun.Multiplevirtualmachinescanoperateon
thesamehostmachineconcurrently.
Virtualmachineconfiguration
Thespecificationofwhatvirtualdevices(disks,memorysize,andsoforth)are
presentinavirtualmachineandhowtheyaremappedtohostfilesanddevices.
Virtualmachineconfigurationfile
Afilecontainingavirtualmachineconfiguration.Itiscreatedwhenyoucreatethe
virtualmachine.ItisusedbyVMwareServertoidentifyandrunaspecificvirtual
machine.
Virtualmachinesettingseditor
Apointandclickcontrolpanelusedtoviewandmodifyavirtualmachines
settings.YoulaunchitbychoosingVM>Settings.
SeealsoNewVirtualMachineWizard.
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VMware, Inc.
Glossary
VirtualNetworkEditor
Apointandclickeditorusedtoviewandmodifythenetworkingsettingsforthe
virtualnetworkscreatedbyVMwareServer.YoulaunchbychoosingHost>
VirtualNetworkSettings.
VirtualSMP
Symmetricmultiprocessingenablesyoutoassigntwovirtualprocessorstoa
virtualmachineonanyhostmachinethathasatleasttwologicalprocessors.
VMwareAuthorizationService
TheserviceVMwareServeremploystoauthenticateusers.ForbothMicrosoft
WindowsandLinuxhosts,thisprocessiscalledvmware-authd.
VMwareManagementInterface
Abrowserbasedtoolthatallowsyoutocontrol(start,suspend,resume,resetand
stop),configureandmonitorvirtualmachinesandtheserveronwhichtheyrun.
VMwareRegistrationService
TheserviceVMwareServeremploysformanagingconnectionstovirtual
machinesandtheVMwareManagementInterface.Thisprocessisknownas
vmware-serverdonLinuxhostsandvmware-serverdwin32onMicrosoftWindows
hosts.
VMwareTools
Asuiteofutilitiesanddriversthatenhancestheperformanceandfunctionalityof
yourguestoperatingsystem.KeyfeaturesofVMwareToolsincludesomeorallof
thefollowing,dependingonyourguestoperatingsystem:anSVGAdriver,a
mousedriver,theVMwareToolsservice,theVMwareToolscontrolpanel,and
supportforsuchfeaturesastheabilitytoshrinkvirtualdisks,time
synchronizationwiththehost,VMwareToolsscriptsandtheabilitytoconnectand
disconnectdeviceswhilethevirtualmachineisrunning.
VMwareToolsservice
OneofthecomponentsinstalledwithVMwareToolsthatperformsvariousduties
intheguestoperatingsystem,likeexecutingcommandsinthevirtualmachine,
gracefullyshuttingdownandresettingavirtualmachine,sendingaheartbeatto
VMwareServer,synchronizingthetimeoftheguestoperatingsystemwiththe
hostoperatingsystemandpassingstringsfromthehostoperatingsystemtothe
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197
VMwareServerConsole
Aninterfacetoavirtualmachinethatprovidesaccesstooneormorevirtual
machinesonthelocalhostoraremotehostrunningVMwareServer.Youcanview
thevirtualmachinesdisplaytorunprogramswithinitormodifyguestoperating
systemsettings.Inaddition,youcanchangethevirtualmachinesconfiguration,
installtheguestoperatingsystemorrunthevirtualmachineinfullscreenmode.
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VMware, Inc.
Index
Symbols
.bmp 81
.dsk 26
.log 25
.png 81
.REDO 26
.vmdk 25, 122
.vmsn 26
.vmss 26
.vmx 25
Address
assigning IP 174
assigning MAC manually 177
IP in virtual machine 33
IP on virtual network 172
MAC 176
network address translation 190
using DHCP to assign on a virtual
network 172
Assign
IP address 172
A
Access to physical disks 146
Adapter
host virtual 154
in promiscuous mode on a Linux
host 189
MAC address 176

Autofit 97
Automatic bridging 165
B
BIOS
virtual Ethernet 162

Add
devices to virtual machine 103
DVD or CD drive 137
floppy drive 138
generic SCSI device 239
host virtual adapter 168
file in virtual machine 25

provided in virtual machine 12
Bridge 154
Bridged networking
configuring options 164
Bridged networking defined 257
BSD
parallel port 212
supported guest operating

systems 16, 19
physical disk 134

serial port 216
software to virtual machine 101
virtual disk 132
virtual Ethernet adapter 162
Add Hardware Wizard 257
VMware, Inc.
VMware Tools for 50

Build number 60
C
Capture screen shot of virtual
machine 81
265
CD
adding drive to virtual machine 137
virtual network 153, 155, 159, 162
CD-ROM image file 13
virtual network subnet settings 167
legacy emulation 87
Change
See Configure
Chip set in a virtual machine 12
Color screen colors in a virtual
machine 247
Commands
keyboard shortcuts 106
on the command line 105
Compress
See Shrink
Configuration, virtual machine 262
Configure
automatic bridging 165
devices in virtual machine 103
VMware Tools 56
X server 248
Connect
removable devices 104
USB devices 234
Controls, hiding 98
Copy 102
Core files 22
CPU
host requirement 4
CPU, provided in virtual machine 12
Create virtual machine 25
Current virtual machine 86
defined 257
Cut 102
DHCP on Linux host 173

DHCP on Windows host 173
DHCP settings 167
display resolution on a Linux
host 248
generic SCSI device 237, 239
host virtual network mapping 166
memory size 251
NAT 193
DDNS 179
Defragment virtual disks 125
Delete virtual machine from inventory 80
Devices
adding, configuring and
removing 103
connecting and disconnecting 104
NAT on Linux host 200
disconnecting from USB

controller 237
networking 164
keyboard 226
parallel port 212
legacy emulation 87
parallel port on a Linux host 213
parallel port 211
screen colors 247
provided in virtual machine 12
second bridged network on a Linux

host 179
scanners 238
serial port 216

sound 249
USB controller 233
266
serial ports 216

tape changers 238
tape drives 238
USB 232
VMware, Inc.
Index
virtual 120, 262
DHCP
virtual disk files 25
assigning IP addresses on a virtual

network 172
changing settings 167
configuring on a Linux host 173
configuring on a Windows host 173
virtual disk size in new virtual

machine 28
Display
DHCP server 155
color depth 247
on a virtual network with NAT 191
fitting virtual machine to window 97
server on virtual network 157158
fitting window to virtual machine 97
troubleshooting on a Linux host 178

dhcpd 178
Dial-up connection 175
Direct memory access
See DMA
Disable host virtual adapter 168
Disconnect
USB devices 237
Disk files 122
Disk modes
compared to snapshot 117
Disks
adding virtual disks 132
available in virtual machine 13
defragmenting 125
DMA and performance 255
existing partition 258
file locations 122
full screen 95
multiple monitor 96
resolution on a Linux host 248
switching virtual machines 95
DMA and disk performance 151, 255
DNS 191
Drawing tablet in a virtual machine 14
Driver
SCSI 238
sound 249
Drives
See Disks
Dual-monitor display 96
DVD, adding drive to virtual
machine 137
Dynamic domain name service 179
E
Enable host virtual adapter 168
Ethernet
growable 120
adapter in a virtual machine 14
independent 114, 121

nonpersistent mode 122
adapter in promiscuous mode on a

Linux host 189
persistent mode 122
adding virtual adapter 162
physical 260
See Network
preallocated 120
See also Virtual disk
shrinking 81, 125
size 120
VMware, Inc.
virtual disk manager 139
virtual adapter 155

Event log 22
Existing disk, using in a virtual
machine 121
267
Expand virtual machine screen size 97
avoiding concurrent access on a

Linux host 243
on a Linux host 243
Fault tolerance 165

Files
on a Windows host 240

permissions 244
BIOS in virtual machine 25
virtual machine devices 237
location of virtual disk files 29
Windows NT driver 238
log 25
redo log 26
Samba and file sharing on a Linux
host 201
snapshot 26
Windows Server 2003 driver 238

Graphics support in virtual machine 13,
247
Growable disk 120
Guest operating system
used by a virtual machine 25
defined 258
used by snapshot 26
installing 37
virtual disk files 25

Firewall 198
Fit
virtual machine to window 97
window to virtual machine 97
Floppy
add drive to virtual machine 138
drives in virtual machine 13
image file 13
Format
virtual disk 36
FreeBSD
systems 16, 19
VMware Tools for 50
FTP 192
Full screen mode
using 95
Full screen mode, defined 258
supported 15
H
Halt virtual machine 92
Headless 258
Hide controls 98
Hints 80
Host computer
defined 258
system requirements 4
Host operating system, defined 259
Host virtual adapter
adding 168
defined 154
disabling 168
enabling 168
removing 168
Host virtual network mapping 166
Host-only networking
basic configuration 158
defined 258
gated 177
Generic SCSI
selecting IP addresses 172
adding to virtual machine 239
268
VMware, Inc.
Index
Keysym
ICMP 192
IDE
mapping 228
Knowledge base 20
drives in virtual machine 13

See Disks
virtual disk 35
Image file
floppy 13
ISO 13, 137
Independent disks 121
Install
guest operating system 37
guest operating system on physical
disk 146
L
Launch virtual machine 82, 84
Leak
IP packets in a virtual machine 175
IP packets in host-only network 174
Legacy emulation 87
Legacy virtual machine 86
defined 259
Linux
keyboard mapping 226
systems 16
log 24
silent 48
software in a virtual machine 101
VMware Tools 41
Internet connection sharing 159
Inventory
supported host operating systems 7

VMware Tools for 50
Lock files 124
Log files
console installation 24
defined 259
virtual machine 22, 25
hide 98
virtual machine event log 22
removing from list 80

Iomega parallel port Zip drives 216
IP address
VMware Authorization Service 23

VMware Management Interface 23
VMware Registration Service 23
assigning 174
in virtual machine 33
IP forwarding 175
ISO image file 13, 137
K
Key code mapping 228
Keyboard
VMware Server Console 22

VMware Server installation 24
M
MAC address 176177
Map
key code 228
in a virtual machine 14
keyboard 226
mapping on a Linux host 226
keysym 228
shortcuts 106
USB 237
VMware, Inc.
269
Memory
allocating to virtual machine 32
amount required on host 5
available in virtual machine 13
setting size 251
virtual machine memory size 251
Migrate, upgrading virtual disks 45
Mode
NetWare
See Novell NetWare
Network
adding and modifying virtual
Ethernet adapters 162
bridge 154
bridged networking 257
full screen 95, 258
changing DHCP settings 167
nonpersistent compared to
snapshot 117
changing subnet settings 167
persistent compared to
snapshot 117
common configurations 155
quick switch 95, 260
configuring 153
snapshot and disk modes

compared 117
Mouse
USB 237
MS-DOS, supported guest operating
systems 17
changing the configuration 162

components 153
configuring bridged networking
options 164
custom configurations 159
custom networking 257
DHCP 172
DHCP server 155
dial-up connection 175
dynamic domain name service 179
NAT
fault tolerance 165

advanced configuration 193
hardware address 176
and DHCP 191
and DNS 191
and the host computer 191
host-only 158, 258
defined 259
host-only subnet 172
external access from a NAT

network 192
Internet connection sharing 159
on virtual network 157, 190
IP packet leaks 174175
sample configuration file for Linux

host 200
MAC address 176
selecting IP addresses 172

virtual device 154
when creating a virtual machine 33
nat.conf 195, 200
270
IP forwarding 175
NAT 157, 190

NAT as firewall 198
NAT device 154
NAT subnet 172
VMware, Inc.
Index
packet filtering 175
Novell NetWare
promiscuous mode on a Linux

host 189
VMware Tools for 53

Novell NetWare, supported
guest operating systems 19
nvram 25, 99
routing between two host-only

networks 185
routing on a Linux host 177
Samba 201
host 179
O
Operating system
guest 258
specifying in virtual machine 33
host 259
switch 153
installing guest 37
teamed NICs 166167, 180
supported guest 15
Token Ring 157, 159
supported Windows host 6
troubleshooting DHCP on a Linux

host 178
two host-only networks 182
Packet
virtual DHCP server 157158

Virtual Network Editor 165, 169,
173, 263
virtual switch 153
wireless network 156
Network adapter in a virtual machine 14
Network adapter teaming 166167, 180
Network address translation
See NAT
Network driver
vlance 155, 162
vmxnet 87, 155, 162
New Virtual Machine Wizard 27, 119,
259
NIC
adding and configuring virtual Ethernet adapter 162
promiscuous mode on a Linux
host 189
Nonpersistent mode, compared to
snapshot 117
filtering 175
leaks 174175
Parallel port
Parallel ports
and Iomega Zip drives 216
and the Linux kernel 211
configuring on a Linux host 213
installing in virtual machines 212
Partition
virtual disk 36
Partition, existing 258
Passwords, Samba password file 206
Paste 102
PCI slots
in virtual machine 13
limits 13
Performance
DMA and disks 255
Linux guest 256
memory usage 251
VMware, Inc.
271
Windows 2000 guest 253

Windows 95 and Windows 98
guests 254
Permissions and running virtual
machines 26
Persistent mode, compared to
snapshot 117
Physical disk
adding 134
defined 260
installing guest operating system
on 146
using in a virtual machine 121
Ping 192
Power buttons for a virtual machine 78
Preallocated disk 120
Preallocated disk, defined 260
Private virtual machines 26
Processor
host requirement 4
Processor, provided in virtual
machine 12
Promiscuous mode 189
PXE boot 100
devices from virtual machine 103

USB devices 237
virtual machine from inventory 80
Restore
suspended virtual machine 91
virtual machine to state in
snapshot 112
Resume
Resume, defined 261
Return
See Revert to snapshot
Revert to snapshot 112
routed 177
Routing
between two host-only
networks 185
for a host-only network on a Linux
host 177
Run suspended virtual machine 91, 109
S
Samba
Q
Quick switch mode 95, 260
Quiet mode, install VMware Tools 48
already running on a Linux host 207

and file sharing on a Linux host 201
and printer sharing 202
R
RAM
amount required on host 5
RAM available in virtual machine 13
Raw disk
See Physical disk
Redo log, defined 261
Registration 20
Remove
controls 98
272
on both bridged and host-only

networks 208
password file 206
running two Samba servers 208
sample configuration file 202, 204,
208
Save state of virtual machine 91, 109,
112
Screen colors 247
Screen modes
VMware, Inc.
Index
full screen 95
quick switch 95
Screen shot, capturing 81
Scripts
running during power state
changes 55
VMware Tools and 58, 61
SCSI
X on a Linux host 248

Set up
DHCP on Linux host 173
DHCP on Windows host 173
DHCP settings 167
adding a generic SCSI device 239
display resolution on a Linux

host 248
avoiding concurrent access on a

Linux host 243
generic SCSI device 237, 239
connecting to generic SCSI

device 237
devices in virtual machine 13
driver for Windows NT guest 238
driver for Windows Server 2003
guest 238
driver for Windows XP guest 238
generic SCSI on a Linux host 243
generic SCSI on a Windows
host 240
permissions for a generic SCSI device on a Linux host 244
virtual disk 35
Serial connection
between host application and virtual
machine 220
between two virtual machines 221
to a serial port on the host 217
Serial number 83
Serial port
installing and using 216
Server
DHCP 155, 161, 168, 173, 178, 191,
198
DNS 179, 191, 194
Samba 201
VMware, Inc.
WINS 193, 198

memory size 251
networking 164
parallel port 212, 216
parallel port on a Linux host 213
screen colors 247
host 179
software in virtual machine 101
sound 249
USB controller 233
virtual machine 25
virtual network 153, 155, 159, 162
virtual network subnet settings 167
VMware Tools 56
X server 248
Settings for a virtual machine 103
Share files on a Linux host with
Samba 201
Shortcuts
keyboard 106
Shrink
virtual disks 81, 125
Shrink, defined 261
Shut down virtual machine 92
Silent install 48
Size
273
virtual machine window 97

smb.conf 202, 204, 208
SMBIOS
Snapshot
compared to disk modes 117
defined 261
files 26
Supported host operating system

Windows 6
Supported partition 261
Suspend
Suspend, defined 261
Switch, virtual network 153
System requirements 4
remote workstation 10
removing 116
reverting
virtual machine 112
ways of using 114
what is saved in 113
Solaris
VMware Tools for 50
Sound
configuring 249
drivers for Windows 9x and Windows NT guest operating
systems 249
drivers for Windows Server 2003
guest operating
systems 249
Specifications for virtual machine
platform 12
Start
suspended virtual machine 91, 109
VMware Tools 80
Status bar, hide 98
Stop virtual machine 92
Subnet
changing settings 167
in NAT configuration 172
on host-only network 172
Support resources, technical 19
Supported guest operating system 15
274
T
Tabs, hide 98
Take screen shot of virtual machine 81
Teamed network interface cards 166
167, 180
Technical support resources 19
Telnet 192
Text, cutting, copying and pasting 102
Token Ring 157, 159
Toolbar
hide 98
power buttons on 78
Tools
installing VMware Tools 41
See VMware Tools
starting VMware Tools 80
Trend Micro Virus Buster
installation issues 102
Turn off virtual machine 92
U
Uninstall host virtual adapter 168
Unplug USB devices 237
Unsupported partition 261
Upgrade virtual disks 45
USB
connecting devices 234
control of devices by host and
VMware, Inc.
Index
guest 236
current 86
devices in a virtual machine 232
defined 262
disconnecting devices 237
installing software in 101
enabling and disabling the

controller 233
legacy 86
keyboard and mouse 237

on a Linux host 235
moving between VMware

products 86
on a Windows host 235
platform specifications 12
supported device types 233
power buttons 78
virtual machine ports 14

User groups 20
User interface 75
log 22
powering off when host shuts

down 92
powering on when host starts up 92
private 26
resuming 91, 109
Video
resolution on a Linux host 248
See also Display
Virtual disk
shutting down 92
special power options 88
add to virtual machine 132
starting 82, 84
defined 120, 262
suspending 91, 109
disk type 35
formatting 36
growable 120
location 29
migrating 45
partitioning 36
preallocated 120
See also Disks
shrinking 61, 63, 143, 146
size 28, 132
specifying IDE 35
specifying SCSI 35
Virtual hardware 262
Virtual machine
capturing screen shot of 81
constituent files 25
creating 25
VMware, Inc.
running off CD-ROM discs or

DVDs 98
window size 97
Virtual machine settings editor
using 103
Virtual machine settings editor,
defined 262
Virtual Network Editor 263
Virtual SMP 244
Virtual switch 153
Virus Buster
See Trend Micro Virus Buster
vlance network driver 155, 162
vmnet1.conf 179
VMnet8 191
VMware Authorization Service
defined 263
log 23
VMware community forums 20
VMware guest operating system service
275
executing commands on halt or

reboot 70
defined 263
VMware Management Interface
passing information between the

guest and a VMware
Scripting API script 73
changing virtual machine power

state 90
defined 263
passing strings from the host 70
log 23
VMware Registration Service
defined 263
log 23
VMware Server Console 264
connecting from Linux host or
client 84
connecting from management
interface 85
connecting from Windows host or
client 82
log 22
VMware Server host
powering virtual machines on and
off 92
VMware Tools
automated install 48
time synchronization 69
VMware Tools 6873
VMware Virtual Disk Manager 139
VMware Virtual Machine Console
overview 75
vmware.log 25
vmware-authd
See VMware Authorization Service
vmware-config-tools.pl 52
vmware-serverd
See VMware Registration Service
vmxnet network driver
and older virtual machines 87
configuring 162
virtual network component 155
V-scan code
build number 60
table of codes 229
choosing scripts 58, 61

configuring 56
defined 263
Window size 97
Windows
for FreeBSD guests 50

for Linux guests 50
for NetWare guests 53
for Solaris guests 50
for Windows guests 41
installing 41
running scripts during power state
changes 55
silent install 48
starting 80
VMware Tools service 6873
VMware Tools service
276
VMware Tools for 41

Windows 95
sound driver 249
Windows 98
sound driver 249
Windows NT
SCSI driver for guest 238
sound driver 249
Windows Server 2003
installing guest operating system 37
SCSI driver for guest 238
VMware, Inc.
Index
sound driver 249

Windows XP, SCSI driver for guest 238
Windows, supported guest operating
systems 15
Wireless network 156
Wizard
add hardware 257
new virtual machine 27, 123, 259
X
X server
and keyboard mapping 227
configuring 248
required on Linux client 11
required on Linux host 9
XFree86
and keyboard mapping 227
configuring 248
required on Linux client 11
required on Linux host 9
Z
Zip drives on a parallel port 216
VMware, Inc.
277
278
VMware, Inc.

VmWare Server Manual

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Virtual Machine Guide

VMware Server 1.0

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation at:

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Introduction and System

VMware Server Overview

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Features of VMware Server

Support for 32-bit and 64-bit Guest Operating Systems

Two-Way Virtual SMP (Experimental Support)

Connect to VMware GSX Virtual Machines and Hosts

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Upgrade and Use GSX Virtual Machines

Move Existing Virtual Machines

Compatible with VMware Workstation 5.x Virtual Machines

Configure Virtual Hardware Devices to be Automatically

Take and Revert to Snapshots in the Background

Support for VMware Virtual Machine Importer

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Support for VirtualCenter

APIs Included with VMware Server

Host System Requirements

Server Host Hardware

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Processor Requirements for 64-bit Guests

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Host Hard Disk

Local Area Networking

Windows Host Operating System Requirements

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Linux Host Operating System Requirements

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Running VMware Server on Some SUSE Linux Hosts

VmPerl and VmCOM APIs

Remote Client Requirements

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Software Requirements Windows Remote Client

Software Requirements Linux Remote Client

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

VmPerl and VmCOM APIs

Virtual Machine Specifications

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Virtual IDE Drives

Virtual SCSI Devices

Virtual PCI Slots

Virtual Floppy Drives

Virtual Serial (COM) Ports

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Virtual Parallel (LPT) Ports

Virtual USB ports

Virtual Mouse and Drawing Tablets

Virtual Ethernet Card

Virtual Sound Adapter

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Supported Guest Operating Systems

Hardware Requirements for 64-bit Guest Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows 64-bit Guest Operating Systems

VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide

Linux 64-bit Guest Operating Systems