Workstation User's Manual

Workstation Users Manual
Workstation 6.0

Revision: 20070920
Item: WS6-ENG-Q207-296
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on our Web site at
http://www.vmware.com/support/
The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to:
docfeedback@vmware.com
1998-2007 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,
6,944,699, 6,961,806, 6,961,941, 7,069,413, 7,082,598, 7,089,377, 7,111,086, 7,111,145, 7,117,481,
7,149,843, 7,155,558, and 7,222,221; 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.
3401 Hillview Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94304
www.vmware.com
2
VMware, Inc.
Contents
Preface
15
1 IntroductionandSystemRequirements 20
ProductBenefits 20
OverviewofThisManual 21
AbouttheHostandGuestComputers 22
WhatsNewinVersion 6 22
UpgradePathtoWorkstationACEEdition 22
IntegratedVirtualDebuggers 23
VMwarePlayer2.0 23
AutomationThroughExpandedVIX1.1API 24
Record/ReplayofVirtualMachineActivity(Experimental) 24
PhysicaltoVirtualConversionandEnhancedImportFunctionality(Windows
HostsOnly) 24
EasyUpgradeorDowngradeofVMwareVirtualMachines 25
RunningVirtualMachinesintheBackground 25
SupportforMultipleMonitorDisplays 25
IncreaseinNumberofEthernetAdaptersSupported 25
New64BitSoundDriver 25
SupportforHighSpeedUSB2.0Devices 26
AbilityforaVirtualMachinetoActasaVNCServer 26
IncreasedRAMSupportandAbilitytoRunonServerClassSystems 26
NewHostOperatingSystemSupport 26
NewGuestOperatingSystemSupport 28
Improved64BitGuestSupport 29
ApplianceViewforVirtualAppliances 29
MonitortheStatusofaBatteryfromtheGuestOperatingSystem 29
EnhancedAbilitytoGatherDebuggingInformation 30
SupportforParavirtualizedLinuxKernels 30
UserInterfaceforMappingaVirtualDisktoaDriveLetter 30
AutomaticUpdatetotheLatestVersionofVMwareTools 30
EnhancedAbilitytoRestrictSharedFolders 31
EnhancedFileSharingandCopyandPasteFunctionality 31
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HostSystemRequirements 32
PCHardware 32
Memory 33
Display 33
DiskDrives 33
LocalAreaNetworking(Optional) 34
HostOperatingSystem 34
VirtualMachineSpecifications 38
Processor 38
ChipSet 38
BIOS 38
Memory 39
Graphics 39
IDEDrives 39
SCSIDevices 39
FloppyDrives 39
Serial(COM)Ports 40
Parallel(LPT)Ports 40
USBports 40
Keyboard 40
MouseandDrawingTablets 40
EthernetCard 40
Sound 41
VirtualNetworking 41
SupportedGuestOperatingSystems 41
MicrosoftWindows32Bit 42
MicrosoftWindows64Bit 42
MicrosoftMSDOS 42
Linux32Bit 43
Linux64Bit 43
NovellNetWare32Bit 44
NovellOpenEnterpriseServer32Bit 44
FreeBSD32Bit 44
FreeBSD64Bit 44
SunSolaris32Bit 44
SunSolaris64Bit 44
Supportfor64BitGuestOperatingSystems 45
2 InstallingVMwareWorkstation 47
InstallationPrerequisites 47
SharingaWorkstationHostwithOtherVMwareProducts 48
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Contents
InstallingWorkstationonaWindowsHost 48
InstallingWorkstationSilently 51
UninstallingWorkstationonaWindowsHost 52
InstallingWorkstationonaLinuxHost 53
ConfiguringWorkstationwithvmwareconfig.pl 54
UninstallingWorkstationonaLinuxHost 56
WheretoGoNext 56
3 UpgradingVMwareWorkstation 57
PreparingfortheUpgrade 57
RemovingSnapshotsandShuttingDownSuspendedVirtualMachines 57
BackingUpVirtualMachines 58
RemovingWorkstation2or3toInstallWorkstation6 58
UpgradingonaWindowsHost 59
UpgradingtoaWindowsVistaHost 59
UpgradingonaLinuxHost 60
UsingWorkstation4or5VirtualMachinesinWorkstation 6 61
UsinganOlderVersionVirtualMachineWithoutUpgrading 61
ChangingtheVersionoftheVirtualMachine 61
4 LearningWorkstationBasics 65
StartingWorkstation 66
OverviewoftheWorkstationWindow 66
HomePageandViews 68
ToolbarButtons 71
Sidebar 75
CheckingforProductUpdates 78
IntroductiontoCreatingaVirtualMachine 79
IntroductiontoWorkstationPreferences 81
IntroductiontoVirtualMachineSettings 83
HardwareTab 83
OptionsTab 84
ClosingVirtualMachinesandExitingWorkstation 86
KeyboardShortcuts 87
5 CreatingaNewVirtualMachine 89
SettingUpaNewVirtualMachine 89
BeforeYouBegin 89
UsingtheNewVirtualMachineWizard 94
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InstallingaGuestOperatingSystem 97
Example:InstallingWindowsXPasaGuestOperatingSystem 99
UpgradingaGuestOperatingSystem 99
ConfiguringtheGuestOperatingSystem 100
ImportingVirtualMachinesfromOtherFormats(WindowsHostsOnly) 100
SummaryoftheConversionProcess 101
VMwareConverterVersustheImporterWizardinWorkstation 102
ConverterImportWizard:OverviewandSupportedSourceMachines 102
SupportedDestinations 105
HowConvertingAffectsSettings 107
OpeningandImportingaVirtualMachineorSystemImage 108
FilesThatMakeUpaVirtualMachine 110
6 InstallingandUsingVMwareTools 113
AboutVMwareTools 113
InstallingandUpgradingVMwareTools 115
UpgradingVMwareTools 116
InstallingVMwareToolsonaWindowsGuest 118
InstallingVMwareToolsonaLinuxGuest 125
InstallingVMwareToolsinaSolarisGuest 129
InstallingVMwareToolsinaFreeBSDGuest 130
InstallingVMwareToolsinaNetWareVirtualMachine 132
StartingVMwareToolsIfYouDoNotUseaSessionManager 133
UninstallingVMwareToolsorChangingWhichModulesAreInstalled 134
VMwareToolsConfigurationOptions 134
UsingtheVMwareToolsControlPaneltoConfigureTools 135
UsingtheSystemConsoletoConfigureVMwareToolsinaNetWareGuest
OperatingSystem 139
CustomizationstoVMwareTools 141
UsingCustomScriptsWhenthePowerStateChanges 141
ExecutingCommandsAfterYouPowerOfforResetaVirtualMachine 143
PassingaStringfromtheHosttotheGuest 143
PassingInformationBetweentheGuestandAnotherProgram 146
UsingtheVMwareToolsCommandLineInterface 146
OptionsfortheVMwareToolscmdCommand 147
7 RunningaVirtualMachine 149
StartingaVirtualMachine 150
VirtualMachineLocation 152
RunningVMwareTools 152
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Contents
ShuttingDownaVirtualMachine 154
PoweringOffVersusShuttingDownandResettingVersusRestarting 154
DeletingaVirtualMachine 156
ControllingtheDisplay 156
SimplifyingtheScreenDisplay 157
UsingFullScreenMode 158
UsingQuickSwitchMode 159
ReportingBatteryInformationintheGuestOperatingSystem 160
UsingExclusiveMode 160
UsingMultipleMonitors 162
FittingtheWorkstationConsoletotheVirtualMachineDisplay 165
WorkingwithNonstandardResolutions 167
InstallingNewSoftware 168
DisablingAccelerationIfaProgramWontRun 168
RunningVirtualMachinesfromWithinanIDE 169
DisplayingtheVirtualMachineasanAppliance 170
TransferringFilesandTextBetweentheHostandGuest 171
UsingDragandDrop 171
UsingCopyandPaste 172
UsingSharedFolders 173
UsingaMappedDrive(WindowsOnly) 180
UsingDevicesinaVirtualMachine 181
Adding,Configuring,andRemovingDevicesinaVirtualMachine 181
ConnectingandDisconnectingRemovableDevices 182
CreatingaScreenShotofaVirtualMachine 183
CreatingaMovieofaVirtualMachine 183
UsingaVNCClientforRemoteConnectionstoaVirtualMachine 184
AboutVNCPortNumbers 185
EnsuringProperDisplayontheClient 185
8 MovingandSharingVirtualMachines 187
VirtualMachineIdentifier:UUID 187
UUIDOptionsWhenYouMoveaVirtualMachine 188
SpecifyingaUUIDforaVirtualMachine 189
MovingaVirtualMachine 190
HostswithDifferentHardware 190
MovingaVirtualMachinetoaNewHostorontheSameHost
MovinganOlderVirtualMachine 193
MovingLinkedClones 193
SharingVirtualMachineswithOtherUsers 193
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191
SharingVirtualMachineswithVMwarePlayer 194
RunningVMwarePlayer 194
SettingUpVirtualMachinesforUsewithVMwarePlayer 195
9 UsingDisks 197
OverviewofDiskStorageinaVirtualMachine 197
VirtualDisks 198
PhysicalDisks 200
MaintenanceTasksforVirtualDisks 201
DefragmentingVirtualDisks 201
ShrinkingVirtualDisks 202
AddingVirtualandPhysicalDiskstoaVirtualMachine 204
AddingaNewVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachine 204
AddinganExistingVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachine 206
RemovingaVirtualDiskfromaVirtualMachine 206
UsingPhysicalDisksinaVirtualMachine 207
AddingDVD/CDROMandFloppyDrivestoaVirtualMachine 212
AddingDVDorCDDrivestoaVirtualMachine 213
AddingFloppyDrivestoaVirtualMachine 214
ConnectingaCDROM/DVDorFloppyDrivetoanImageFile 215
UsingVMwareVirtualDiskManager 216
RunningtheVMwareVirtualDiskManagerUtility 217
ShrinkingVirtualDiskswithVirtualDiskManager(Windows Only)
ExamplesUsingtheVMwareVirtualDiskManager 220
UsingDualBootComputerswithVirtualMachines 222
LegacyVirtualDisks 222
219
10 PreservingtheStateofaVirtualMachine 225
UsingtheSuspendandResumeFeatures 225
UsingSnapshots 227
SnapshotProcesses:LinearVersusProcessTree 227
WhattoUseSnapshotsFor 229
WhatIsCapturedbyaSnapshot 230
WhentoTakeSnapshots 230
EnablingSnapshotActionsasaBackgroundActivity 231
ExcludingVirtualDisksfromSnapshots 232
WorkingwithSnapshotsintheSnapshotManager 233
TakingaSnapshot 235
RestoringaSnapshot 236
DisablingSnapshots 237
SnapshotOptionsWhenYouPowerOffaVirtualMachine
SnapshotsandWorkstation4VirtualMachines 239
8
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Contents
RecordingActivityofaVirtualMachine(Experimental) 239
HardwareandVirtualHardwareRequirements 240
RecordingandPlayingBackVirtualMachineActivity 242
11 CloningaVirtualMachine 247
UnderstandingClones 247
WhyMakeaClone? 248
FullandLinkedClones 248
FullClonesandSnapshotsoftheParent 249
CreatingClones 249
WorkingwithClones 251
MakingaLinkedCloneofaLinkedClone 251
MakingaFullCloneofaLinkedClone 251
NetworkIdentityforaClone 251
LinkedCloneSnapshot 252
LinkedClonesandAccesstotheParentVirtualMachine 252
12 ConfiguringTeams 255
BenefitsofUsingTeams 255
CreatingaTeam 257
OpeningandClosingaTeam 258
ChangingtheNameofaTeam 259
DeletingaTeam 259
ViewingTeamsandTheirVirtualMachines 260
AddingandRemovingTeamVirtualMachines 262
SettingtheStartupSequenceforaTeam 263
StartingandStoppingTeams 264
PoweringaTeamOnandOff 264
SuspendingandResumingaTeam 265
PowerOperationsforIndividualMembersofaTeam 266
WorkingwithTeamNetworks 266
LANSegmentRequirements 266
CreatingaTeamLANSegment 267
AddingandRemovingEthernetAdapters 268
ConfiguringConnectionsforaLANSegment 269
ConfiguringLANSegments 269
DeletingaLANSegment 270
CloningandTakingSnapshotsofTeamMembers 271
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13 ConfiguringaVirtualNetwork 273
NetworkBasics 274
ComponentsoftheVirtualNetwork 275
VirtualSwitch 275
DHCPServer 275
NetworkAdapter 276
CommonNetworkingConfigurations 276
BridgedNetworking 276
NetworkAddressTranslation(NAT) 278
HostOnlyNetworking 279
ExampleofaCustomNetworkingConfiguration 280
ChangingaNetworkingConfiguration 284
AddingandModifyingVirtualNetworkAdapters 284
ConfiguringBridgedNetworkingOptionsonaWindowsHost 285
Enabling,Disabling,Adding,andRemovingHostVirtualAdapters 289
AdvancedNetworkingTopics 291
SelectingIPAddressesonaHostOnlyNetworkorNATConfiguration 291
AvoidingIPPacketLeakageinaHostOnlyNetwork 293
MaintainingandChangingtheMACAddressofaVirtualMachine 296
ControllingRoutingInformationforaHostOnlyNetworkonLinux 297
PotentialIssueswithHostOnlyNetworkingonLinux 298
SettingUpaSecondBridgedNetworkInterfaceonaLinuxHost 299
SettingUpTwoSeparateHostOnlyNetworks 300
RoutingBetweenTwoHostOnlyNetworks 304
UsingVirtualEthernetAdaptersinPromiscuousModeonaLinuxHost 305
UsingNAT 306
HowtheNATDeviceUsestheVMnet8VirtualSwitch 306
TheHostComputerandtheNATNetwork 307
DHCPontheNATNetwork 307
DNSontheNATNetwork 307
ExternalAccessfromtheNATNetwork 308
AdvancedNATConfiguration 309
ConsiderationsforUsingNAT 314
UsingNATwithNetLogon 314
SampleLinuxvmnetnat.confFile 317
UsingSambawithWorkstation 318
UsingaSambaServerforBridgedandHostOnlyNetworks 319
UsingSambaWithoutNetworkAccess 319
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Contents
14 ConfiguringVideoandSound 321
SettingScreenColorDepth 321
ChangingScreenColorDepthontheHost 322
ChangingScreenColorDepthintheVirtualMachine 322
ExperimentalSupportforDirect3D 322
AudienceforDirect3DExperimentalSupport 323
Accelerated3DLimitations 323
EnablingAccelerated3D 323
KnownIssues 326
HelpingVMwarewithExperimentalSupport 326
ConfiguringSound 327
InstallingSoundDriversinWindows9xandNTGuests 327
15 ConnectingDevices 329
UsingParallelPorts 329
InstallationinGuestOperatingSystems 329
ConfiguringaParallelPortonaLinuxHost 330
SpecialNotesfortheIomegaZipDrive 334
UsingSerialPorts 335
UsingaSerialPortoraFileontheHostComputer 335
ConnectinganApplicationontheHosttoaVirtualMachine 336
ConnectingTwoVirtualMachines 337
ConfigurationOptionsforAdvancedUsers 340
Examples:DebuggingoveraVirtualSerialPort 341
ConfiguringKeyboardFeatures 343
EnhancedVirtualKeyboardforWindowsHosts 343
HotKeys 344
SpecifyingaLanguageKeymapforVNCClients 345
KeyboardMappingonaLinuxHost 346
UsingUSBDevicesinaVirtualMachine 353
EnablingandDisablingtheUSB2.0Controller 354
ConnectingUSBDevices 355
UsingUSBwithaWindowsHost 356
ReplacingUSB2.0DriversonaWindows2000Host 356
UsingUSBwithaLinuxHost 357
HowDeviceControlIsSharedBetweenHostandGuest 357
DisconnectingUSBDevicesfromaVirtualMachine 358
HumanInterfaceDevices 359
ConnectingtoaGenericSCSIDevice 359
GenericSCSIonaWindowsHostOperatingSystem 359
GenericSCSIonaLinuxHostOperatingSystem 365
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UsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(Experimental) 367
MovingSMPVirtualMachinesBetweenWorkstationandESXServer 368
16 PerformanceTuning 369
ConfiguringandMaintainingtheHostComputer 369
CPU 369
Memory 369
Disks 371
Networking 372
ConfiguringVMwareWorkstationandVirtualMachines 372
CPU 373
Memory 374
Disks 377
Networking 379
AdditionalSuggestionsforImprovingPerformance 379
ConfiguringGuestOperatingSystems 381
CPU 381
Disks 382
Networking 385
VisualEffects(WindowsOnly) 385
EnhancedPerformancewithParavirtualizedKernelsinLinuxGuests 386
UsingtheMicrosoftPerformanceConsoletoMonitorVirtualMachine
Performance 388
17 SpecialPurposeConfigurationOptionsforWindowsHosts 391
LockingOutInterfaceFeatures(WindowsHostsOnly) 391
RemovingaForgottenPassword 392
RestrictingtheUserInterface 392
AutomaticallyReturningtoaSnapshotwithaRestrictedUserInterface
UsingFullScreenSwitchMode(WindowsHostsOnly) 395
CreatingaVirtualMachineforUseinFullScreenSwitchMode 395
MovingaVirtualMachinetotheUsersComputer 396
ConfiguringFullScreenSwitchMode 396
StartingandStoppingVirtualMachinesontheUsersComputer 402
GuestACPIS1Sleep 405
393
A WorkstationCommandLineReference 407
StartupOptionsforWorkstationandVirtualMachines 407
UsingStartupOptionsinaWindowsShortcut 409
CommandLineApplicationforOperatingVirtualMachines
Examplesforvmrun 412
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Contents
B UsingtheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebugger 415
OverviewoftheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebugger 415
SettingUptheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerEnvironment 417
EclipseRequirements 419
VirtualMachineRequirements 419
ManagingVirtualMachineLaunchConfigurations 421
UsingApplicationConfigurationstoStartApplicationsinaVirtual
Machine 422
UsingApplicationConfigurationstoAttachtoApplicationsRunningina
VirtualMachine 424
DeletingConfigurations 425
RunningandDebuggingApplicationsinVirtualMachines 425
StartinganApplicationDebuggingSessioninaVirtualMachine 425
StartinganApplicationinaVirtualMachineWithoutDebugging 426
AttachingtheDebuggertoanApplicationRunninginaVirtualMachine 426
C UsingtheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebugger 427
OverviewoftheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebugger 427
ConfigurationOptionsWhenStartinganApplicationinaVirtualMachine 428
ConfigurationOptionsWhenAttachingtoaProcessRunninginaVirtual
Machine 429
SettingUptheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggerEnvironment 430
MicrosoftVisualStudioRequirementsandRecommendations 431
VirtualMachineRequirementsandRecommendations 432
TroubleshootingTips 436
ManagingVirtualMachineConfigurations 437
CreatingConfigurations 437
RenamingConfigurations 438
RemovingConfigurations 438
SettingConfigurationProperties 439
RunningandDebuggingApplicationsinVirtualMachines 442
StartingaDebuggingSessioninaVirtualMachine 442
StartingaSessionWithoutDebugginginaVirtualMachine 442
AttachingtheDebuggertoaProcessRunninginaVirtualMachine 443
Glossary
445
Index 453
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Preface
ThisprefaceprovidesinformationabouttheWorkstationUsersManualandlinksto
VMwaretechnicalsupportandeducationalresources.
Thisprefacecontainsthefollowingtopics:
AboutThisBookonpage 15
TechnicalSupportandEducationResourcesonpage 16
About This Book

Thismanual,theWorkstationUsersManual,providesinformationaboutinstallingand
usingVMwareWorkstation6.
Toviewthemostcurrentversionofthemanual,seetheVMwareWebsite:
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/ws_pubs.html
Intended Audience
Thisbookisintendedforanyonewhoneedstoinstall,upgrade,oruseVMware
Workstation.Workstationuserstypicallyincludepeoplewhodosoftwaredevelopment
andtestingorworkwithmultipleoperatingsystemsorcomputingenvironments:
softwaredevelopers,QAengineers,trainers,salespeoplewhorundemos,andanyone
whowantstocreatevirtualmachines.
VMware, Inc.
15
Document Feedback
Ifyouhavecommentsaboutthisdocumentation,submityourfeedbackto:
docfeedback@vmware.com
Conventions
Thefollowingtypographicconventionsareusedinthismanual.
Table P-1. Conventions Used in This Manual
Style
Elements
Blueboldface(onlineonly)
Crossreferencesandlinks
Blackboldface
Userinterfaceelementssuchasbuttonnamesandmenuitems
Monospace
Commands,filenames,directories,andpaths
Monospace bold
Userinput
Italic
Documenttitles,glossaryterms,andoccasionalemphasis
<Name>
Variableandparameternames
Technical Support and Education Resources

Thefollowingsectionsdescribethetechnicalsupportresourcesavailabletoyou.
Self-Service Support
UsetheVMwareTechnologyNetwork(VMTN)forselfhelptoolsandtechnical
information:
Productinformationhttp://www.vmware.com/products/
Technologyinformationhttp://www.vmware.com/communities/content/
Documentationhttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs
VMTNKnowledgeBasehttp://kb.vmware.com
Discussionforumshttp://www.vmware.com/community
Usergroupshttp://www.vmware.com/communities/content/vmug/
FormoreinformationabouttheVMwareTechnologyNetwork,goto
http://www.vmware.com/community/index.jspa.
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Preface
Online and Telephone Support

Useonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductand
contractinformation,andregisteryourproducts.Goto
http://www.vmware.com/support.
Customerswithappropriatesupportcontractsshouldusetelephonesupportforthe
fastestresponseonpriority1issues.Goto
http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.
Support Offerings
FindouthowVMwaresupportofferingscanhelpmeetyourbusinessneeds.Goto
http://www.vmware.com/support/services.
Reporting Problems
IfyouhaveproblemswhilerunningVMwareWorkstation,pleasereportthemtothe
VMwaresupportteam.First,besuretoregisteryourserialnumber.Fromthe
Workstationmenubar,chooseHelp>VMwareontheWeb>RegisterNow!Youcan
thenreportyourproblemsbysubmittingasupportrequestat
www.vmware.com/requestsupport.
TheVMwaresupportteammightaskyoutorunasupportscriptinordertogatherthe
informationneededtodiagnosetheproblem.Forexample,ifavirtualmachineexits
abnormallyorcrashes,runthesupportscripttocollecttheappropriatelogfilesand
systeminformation.
AsofWorkstationversion6.0.1,youcanrunthesupportscriptbyclickingabuttonin
theHelp>AboutVMwareWorkstationbox.Youcanalso,asinpreviousreleases,run
thescriptfromthecommandline.
To run the support script from the Workstation user interface
1
StartVMwareWorkstation.
Forinstructions,seeStartingWorkstationonpage 66.
ChooseHelp>About.
IntheAboutVMwareWorkstationdialogboxthatappears,clickCollectSupport
Data.
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17
Intheconfirmationboxthatappears,confirmthatyouwanttocollectsupportdata.
OnWindowshosts,afterthescriptfinishesrunning,itcreatesa.zipfileand
displaysthepathtothefile.
OnLinuxhosts,thescriptcreatesacompressed.tgzfileintheusershome
directory.Becausethescriptisnotrunasroot,thescriptdisplaysmessages
indicatingthatitcannotcollectsomeinformation.Thisisnormal.IftheVMware
supportteamneedsthatinformation,asupportrepresentativewillaskyoutorun
thescriptfromthecommandlineasroot.Forinstructions,seeTorunthesupport
scriptonaLinuxhostonpage 19.
SubmitasupportrequesttotheVMwaresupportteamandincludethedatafile.
TheURLiswww.vmware.com/requestsupport.
To run the support script on a Windows host

1
Openacommandprompt.
ChangetotheVMwareWorkstationprogramdirectory:
C:
cd \Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation
Ifyoudidnotinstalltheprograminthedefaultdirectory,usetheappropriatedrive
letterandpathinthecdcommandabove.
3
Runthesupportscript:
cscript vm-support.vbs
Afterthescriptruns,itdisplaysthenameofthedirectorywhereithasstoredits
output.
4
UseafilecompressionutilitysuchasWinZiporPKZIPtozipthescriptoutput
directory,andincludethezipfilewithyoursupportrequest.
IfyouarereportingaproblemyouencounteredwhileinstallingVMware
Workstation,youshouldalsoincludeyourinstallationlogfile.
OnaWindowshost,thefileisVMInst.log.ItissavedinyourTempfolder.Ona
Windows2000,WindowsXP,orWindowsServer2003host,thedefaultlocationis
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp.
Youcanusethecommandcd %temp%tolocatetheLocal Settingsfolder,which
ishiddenbydefault.Toseeitscontents,openMyComputer,gotoTools>Folder
Options,clicktheViewtabandselectShowHiddenFilesandFolders.
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Preface
To run the support script on a Linux host

1
Openaterminalwindow.
Runthesupportscriptastheuserwhoisrunningthevirtualmachine:
vm-support
Ifyouarenotrunningthescriptasroot,thescriptdisplaysmessagesindicating
thatitcannotcollectsomeinformation.Thisisnormal.IftheVMwaresupport
teamneedsthatinformation,asupportrepresentativewillaskyoutorunthescript
againasroot.
Thescriptcreatesacompressed.tgzfileintheusershomedirectory.
3
Includethatoutputfilewithyoursupportrequest.
IfyouarereportingaproblemyouencounteredwhileinstallingVMware
Workstation,youshouldalsoincludeyourinstallationlogfile.
VMware Education Services

VMwarecoursesofferextensivehandsonlabs,casestudyexamples,andcourse
materialsdesignedtobeusedasonthejobreferencetools.Formoreinformationabout
VMwareEducationServices,gotohttp://mylearn1.vmware.com/mgrreg/index.cfm.
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19
Introduction and System

Requirements
ThischapterprovidesanintroductiontoWorkstationanddescribesthesystem
requirementsforoperatingWorkstation.Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:
ProductBenefitsonpage 20
OverviewofThisManualonpage 21
AbouttheHostandGuestComputersonpage 22
WhatsNewinVersion 6onpage 22
HostSystemRequirementsonpage 32
VirtualMachineSpecificationsonpage 38
SupportedGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 41
Product Benefits
Workstationisdesktopsoftwarethatallowsyoutorunmultiplex86compatible
desktopandserveroperatingsystemssimultaneouslyonasinglePC,infully
networked,portablevirtualmachineswithnorebootingorharddrivepartitioning
required.
WithWorkstation,youspendlesstimeprocuringandconfiguring,andmoretime
testing,deploying,teaching,orrunningdemos.Overthreemillionsoftware
development,qualityassurance,training,sales,andITprofessionalsworldwidefind
Workstationanindispensabletool.
Tostreamlinesoftwaredevelopmentandtesting:
DevelopandtestmultipleoperatingsystemsandapplicationsonasinglePC.
Connectvirtualmachinestosimulateandtestmultitierconfigurations.
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20
Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements
Usemultiplesnapshotsanddebuggingsupporttofacilitatetesting.
Archivetestenvironmentsonfileserverswheretheycanbeeasilyrestoredor
shared.
ToenhanceproductivityofITprofessionals:
Configureandtestdesktopsandserversasvirtualmachinesbeforedeploying
themtoproduction.
Testnewmultitierapplications,applicationupdates,andOSpatchesonasingle
PC.
Hostlegacyapplicationswithinvirtualmachines,facilitatingOSmigrationsand
eliminatingtheneedtoportlegacyapplications.
Createavirtuallibraryofenduserconfigurationsonashareddrive.
Tofacilitatecomputerbasedtrainingandsoftwaredemos:
Packageanddeployclassroommaterialinvirtualmachines.
Allowstudentstoexperimentwithmultipleoperatingsystems,applications,and
toolsinsecure,isolatedvirtualmachines.
Configurevirtualmachinestoundoallchangesatshutdown.
Democomplexormultitierconfigurationsonasinglelaptop.
Overview of This Manual

IfyoureaveteranuserofVMwareproducts,seeWhatsNewinVersion 6onpage 22
andseeChapter 3,UpgradingVMwareWorkstation,onpage 57.
IfyourenewtoVMwareWorkstation,thefirstchaptersofthismanualthrough
Chapter 7,RunningaVirtualMachine,onpage 149introduceyoutosomeofthe
thingsyoucandowithVMwareWorkstationandguideyouthroughthekeystepsfor
installingthesoftwareandputtingittowork.
Laterchaptersprovideindepthreferencematerialforgettingthemostoutofthe
sophisticatedfeaturesofWorkstation.
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21
About the Host and Guest Computers

Thetermshostandguestdescribeyourphysicalandvirtualmachines:
ThephysicalcomputeronwhichyouinstalltheVMwareWorkstationsoftwareis
calledthehostcomputer,anditsoperatingsystemiscalledthehostoperatingsystem.
Theoperatingsystemrunninginsideavirtualmachineiscalledaguestoperating
system.
Fordefinitionsoftheseandotherspecialterms,seeGlossaryonpage 445.
Whats New in Version 6

Thesectionsthatfollowdescribethefeaturesthathavebeenaddedtothe
Workstation 6.0release.
Upgrade Path to Workstation ACE Edition

VMwareACE2.0isasolutionfordeployingassuredcomputingenvironmentsand
securingremotedesktops.VMwareACEVirtualRightsManagement(VRM)
centralizesmanagementofsecuritypoliciesandaccessrightsappliedtovirtual
machines.ACEisusedprimarilytoensuremoresecureguestworker,partner,and
remotePCaccess.
AddingACEcapabilitiesintoWorkstationACEEditionmeansthatACE
administratorscannowtakemultiplesnapshots,createlinkedandfullclones,andso
on.TheseWorkstationfeatureswillallowdesktopsecurityadministratorstoeasilytest
patchesandnewapplicationsbeforedeployingvirtualmachinestoenduserPCs.
TheVRMcapabilitiesofACE,suchasexpirationandencryption,areimportantfor
Workstationuserswhowanttocreatevirtualappliances.Expirationcapabilitiesenable
ISVstoeasilydistributeevaluationcopiesofvirtualappliances.
IfyoupurchasealicensefortheACEfunctionality,youwillsee,inadditionto
Workstationwindowelements,ACEspecificmenuitems,toolbarbuttons,andother
interfaceelements.Theseelementsenableyoutowritesecuritypoliciesthatcontrol
encryption,authentication,expiration,copyprotection,networkaccess,anddevice
accessforthevirtualmachine.YoucanthencreateMSIcompliantdeployment
packagesthatincludethesepoliciesalongwiththevirtualmachine.
DocumentationfortheACEfunctionalityisprovidedintheVMwareACE
AdministratorsManual,availablefromtheVMwarewebsiteat:
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/ace_pubs.html
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Integrated Virtual Debuggers

WiththenewWorkstationIDE(integrateddevelopmentenvironment)plugins,
softwaredevelopersareprovidedwithaconfigurableinterfacebetweentheirvirtual
machinesandVisualStudio(Windowsonly)orEclipse(WindowsorLinux)thatlets
themeasilytest,run,anddebugprogramsinvirtualmachines.
Youcanspecifysettingssuchasthelocationofthevirtualmachine,whichsetupor
cleanupscriptstoexecute,thelocationofsharedfolders,and(inVisualStudio)
directoriestobecopiedbetweenthehostandguest.
Whenconfigured,theintegratedvirtualdebuggerfindsthevirtualmachine,powersit
onifnecessary,setsuptheenvironmentbasedonyourconfigurationsettings,and
launchesorattachestotheapplication.Allbreakpoints,watchpoints,andsoonthat
yousetinyourIDEwillfunctionasifyouwererunningyourapplicationonthehost
computer.
Dependingontheconfigurationsettingyouspecify,whentheapplicationfinishes
running,thevirtualmachineispoweredoff,suspended,revertedtoasnapshot,orleft
initscurrentstate.
ForinformationaboutusingtheWorkstationIDEplugins,seeAppendix B,Usingthe
EclipseIntegratedVirtualDebugger,onpage 415andAppendix C,UsingtheVisual
StudioIntegratedVirtualDebugger,onpage 427.
VMware Player 2.0

WhenyouinstallWorkstation,VMwarePlayer2.0isalsoinstalled.Thisnewversionof
PlayerprovidesauserfriendlyWelcomepagethatgivesyoutheoptionofbrowsingto
avirtualmachinefile,downloadingavirtualappliancefromtheVMTN(VMware
TechnologyNetwork)website,oropeningarecentlyusedvirtualmachine.Ifyou
downloadanappliance,youcanthenusePlayersnewapplianceviewwhenrunning
avirtualappliance.
Player2.0alsoenablesyoutosharefoldersbetweenthehostandguestoperating
systems.
FormoreinformationaboutthebuiltinVMwarePlayer,seeSharingVirtual
MachineswithVMwarePlayeronpage 194.
VMware, Inc.
23
Automation Through Expanded VIX 1.1 API

TheVIXAPI(formerlyknownastheProgrammingAPI)allowsyoutowritescriptsand
programstoautomatevirtualmachineoperations.TheAPIishighlevel,easytouse,
andpracticalforbothscriptwritersandapplicationprogrammers.
ThisreleaseoftheAPIisavailableintheClanguage.APIfunctionsallowyouto
register,poweronoroffvirtualmachines,andrunprogramsintheguestoperating
systems.ThereareadditionallanguagebindingsforPerl,COM,andshellscripts
(vmrun).Formoreinformation,seetheVMwareVIXAPI1.1ReleaseNotes.
Record/Replay of Virtual Machine Activity (Experimental)

ThisfeatureletsyourecordallofaWorkstation5or6virtualmachinesactivityovera
periodoftime.UnlikeWorkstationsmoviecapturefeature,therecord/replayfeature
letsyouexactlyduplicatetheoperationsandstateofthevirtualmachinethroughout
thetimeoftherecording.SeeRecordingActivityofaVirtualMachine(Experimental)
onpage 239.
Physical-to-Virtual Conversion and Enhanced Import

Functionality (Windows Hosts Only)
Workstation6.0incorporatestheImporterwizardfromtheVMwareConverter
product.UsingtheConverterImportwizardenablesyoutoconvertaphysical
Windowsmachineintoavirtualmachineandconvertavirtualmachinefromone
VMwarevirtualmachineformattoanother.Youcanalsoconvertvirtualmachinesor
systemimagesfromthefollowingthirdpartyvendorsintoaVMwarevirtualmachine:
StorageCraftimages(.spffiles)
MicrosoftVirtualPC7.xandhigher(.vmcfiles)
AnyversionofMicrosoftVirtualServer(.vmcfiles)
SymantecBackupExecSystemRecoveryformerlyLiveStateRecovery
(.sv2i files)
NortonGhostimages9.xandhigher(.sv2ifiles)
Formoreinformation,seeImportingVirtualMachinesfromOtherFormats(Windows
HostsOnly)onpage 100.
24
VMware, Inc.
Easy Upgrade or Downgrade of VMware Virtual Machines

AnewChangeVersionwizardstepsyouthroughtheprocessofupgradingor
downgradingvirtualmachinesbetweenWorkstationversions4,5,and6.
Thewizardhelpsyoudeterminewhichvirtualhardwareversiontouseforvarious
VMwareproducts.Youhavethechoiceofeitherchangingtheversionoftheoriginal
virtualmachineorcreatingafullclone.Formoreinformation,seeChangingthe
VersionoftheVirtualMachineonpage 61.
Running Virtual Machines in the Background

YounolongerneedtopoweroffvirtualmachineswhenyouexitWorkstation.Youcan
leavevirtualmachinesrunninginthebackground,evenwhenWorkstationisnot
running.Onthehost,aniconinthenotificationareaofthetaskbarindicateshowmany
virtualmachinesarerunninginthebackground.Clicktheicontodisplayalistofthe
poweredonvirtualmachines.SeeClosingVirtualMachinesandExitingWorkstation
onpage 86.
YoucantheninteractwithvirtualmachinesoutsideofWorkstationbyusingaVNC
(virtualnetworkcomputing)connection.SeeUsingaVNCClientforRemote
ConnectionstoaVirtualMachineonpage 184.
YoucanalsolaunchavirtualmachineinthebackgroundbyusingtheVMware
ProgrammingAPI(knownasVIX),andlaterconnecttothepoweredonvirtual
machinewithWorkstation.
Support for Multiple-Monitor Displays

Youcanspecifyhowmanymonitorsavirtualmachinecandetect,regardlessofhow
manymonitorsareattachedtothehost.Thisfeatureisespeciallyusefulifyouplanto
deploythevirtualmachinetoadifferenthostafteryoucreateit.
Youcanalsospecifywhichscreenresolutiontouse.Formoreinformation,seeUsing
MultipleMonitorsonpage 162.
Increase in Number of Ethernet Adapters Supported

Youcannowhaveatotalof10Ethernetadaptersforavirtualmachine.
New 64-Bit Sound Driver

VMwareToolsinstallsasounddriverin64bitWindowsguestoperatingsystems.
Newlycreated64bitWindowsvirtualmachinesarenowconfiguredwithaudio
hardwarebydefault.SeeSoundonpage 41.
VMware, Inc.
25
Support for High-Speed USB 2.0 Devices

IftheguestoperatingsystemhasappropriateUSB2.0devicedrivers,youcanuse
peripheralsthatrequirehighspeedperformance,suchasspeakers,webcams,
nextgenerationprintersandscanners,faststoragedevices,MP3players,DVDRW
drives,andhighcapacityCDROMjukeboxes.YoucanconnecttosixUSB2.0devices.
SeeUsingUSBDevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 353.
ForUSB1.1devices,avirtualUSBhubhasbeenaddedsothatyoucanconnecttomore
thantwoUSB1.1devices.
Ability for a Virtual Machine to Act as a VNC Server

VNC(VirtualNetworkComputing)softwaremakesitpossibletoviewandinteract
withacomputerfromanyremotecomputerormobiledeviceconnectedtotheInternet.
YoucansetavirtualmachinetoactasaVNCserverwithoutinstallinganythirdparty
VNCsoftwareintheguest.UsersonremotecomputerscaninstallaVNCclient(also
calledaVNCviewer)toconnecttothevirtualmachineandinteractwithit.SeeUsing
aVNCClientforRemoteConnectionstoaVirtualMachineonpage 184.
Increased RAM Support and Ability to Run on Server-Class

Systems
Thepreviouslimitof4GBtotalRAMthatcouldbeusedforallvirtualmachines
combinedhasbeenremoved.Asofthisrelease,theamountofmemoryusedbyall
virtualmachinescombinedislimitedonlybytheamountofthehostcomputersRAM.
Themaximumamountofmemorythatcanbeallocatedpervirtualmachinehasbeen
raisedfrom4GBto8GB.
YoucanalsoinstallWorkstationonserverclasshardwareandhostoperatingsystems.
New Host Operating System Support

Supportforthefollowing32bithostshasbeenadded:
26
WindowsVistaEnterprise
WindowsVistaBusiness
WindowsVistaHomeBasicandPremium
WindowsVistaUltimate
WindowsServer2008
RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.5(formerlycalled4.0Update5)
VMware, Inc.
RedHatEnterpriseLinux5.0
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer9SP4
openSUSE10.2(formerlyknownasSUSELinux10.2)
openSUSE10.3
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux7.04
MandrivaLinux2007
MandrivaCorporateDesktop4.0
Supportforthefollowing64bithostshasbeenadded:
WindowsVistaEnterprise
WindowsVistaBusiness
WindowsVistaHomeBasicandPremium
WindowsVistaUltimate
WindowsServer2008
openSUSE10.3
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux7.04
MandrivaLinux2007
VMware, Inc.
27
New Guest Operating System Support

Supportforthefollowing32bitguestshasbeenadded:
WindowsVistaEnterprise(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsVistaBusiness(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsVistaHomeBasicandPremium(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsVistaUltimate(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsServer2008
openSUSE10.3
Turbolinux10Server
Solaris10Update3
NovellNetware6.5SP5
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux7.04
MandrivaLinux2007
FreeBSD6.2
Supportforthefollowing64bitguestshasbeenadded:
28
WindowsVistaEnterprise(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsVistaBusiness(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsVistaHomeBasicandPremium(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsVistaUltimate(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsServer2008
VMware, Inc.
openSUSE10.3
Turbolinux10Server
Solarisx8610Update3
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux7.04
MandrivaLinux2007
FreeBSD6.2
Improved 64-Bit Guest Support

Inadditiontoother64bitguestoperatingsystemssupportedonIntelandAMD
systems,64bitguestoperatingsystemsthatrunonIntelEM64TVTcapableprocessors
arefullysupported.
Appliance View for Virtual Appliances

Ifyousetupavirtualmachinetoactasanappliance,suchasaWebserverwitha
browserbasedinterface,specifythedefaultviewasthenewapplianceview,rather
thantheoperatingsystemconsole.Theapplianceviewgivesyouabriefdescriptionof
thetypeofserverorapplianceandprovidesalinkthatopensabrowseronthehost
systemandconnectstoappliancesmanagementconsole.Theapplianceviewis
availableforWorkstation6virtualmachines.SeeDisplayingtheVirtualMachineasan
Applianceonpage 170.
Monitor the Status of a Battery from the Guest Operating

System
Ifyouarerunningavirtualmachineonalaptop,youcanconfigurethevirtualmachine
tomonitorthestateofthehostsphysicalbattery.Ifyourguestoperatingsystemis
configuredtorespondtolowbatterysituations,itcandosoeffectively.SeeReporting
BatteryInformationintheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 160.
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29
Enhanced Ability to Gather Debugging Information

Younolongerneedtopowerofforsuspendavirtualmachinebeforesettingitto
generatedebugginginformation.Inaddition,anewmodehasbeenaddedthatallows
extensivestatisticstobegatheredaboutthevirtualmachine.Thesestatisticsareoften
valuableindeterminingwhyavirtualmachinerunsslowlyundersomeworkloads.See
TurningOffDebuggingModeonpage 380.
Support for Paravirtualized Linux Kernels

IfyouhaveaVMwareVMI(VirtualMachineInterface)3.0enabledkernelinaLinux
guestoperatingsystem,youcanenableparavirtualsupportinthevirtualmachine.This
supportresultsinimprovedperformance.SeeEnhancedPerformancewith
ParavirtualizedKernelsinLinuxGuestsonpage 386.
User Interface for Mapping a Virtual Disk to a Drive Letter

Workstationmenucommandsareavailabletoenableyoutouseamappeddriveto
connecttoavirtualdiskwithouthavingtogointoavirtualmachine.Previously,this
functionalitywasavailableonlybyusingacommandlineutility.Alternatively,youcan
mapadrivebyrightclickingavirtualdisk(.vmdk)fileinWindowsExplorer.This
featuregivesyouanotherwayoftransferringfilesbetweenhostandguests.SeeUsing
aMappedDrive(WindowsOnly)onpage 180.
Automatic Update to the Latest Version of VMware Tools

Everytimeyoupoweronavirtualmachine,theguestoperatingsystemcomparesits
versionofVMwareToolsagainsttheversionthatiscurrentlyinstalledonthehost.Ifan
updateisavailable,youseeamessageinthestatusbarofthewindow.Toupgradeto
thenewversion,youpreviouslyneededtouseamenuitemtoinstallthenewversion.
WithWorkstation6,onWindowsandLinuxguests,youhavetheoptionofsetting
VMwareToolstoautomaticallyupgradeitselfwhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.
OnWindowshosts,ifyoudontchoosetoautomaticallyupgrade,youcanalternatively
rightclicktheToolsiconinthenotificationareaofthegueststaskbartoopenthe
VMwareToolsControlPanelandclicktheUpgradebutton.SeeUpgradingVMware
Toolsonpage 116.
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VMware, Inc.
Enhanced Ability to Restrict Shared Folders

Asasecurityprecaution,afeaturehasbeenaddedthatdisablessharedfoldersfor
virtualmachinesthatyoudownloadorcopyfromanotherlocation.Thischange
protectsyoufrompoweringonamaliciousvirtualmachinethatmightuseshared
folderstogainaccesstodataonyourhostmachine.Youcan,however,changethis
defaultbehavior.
IfyouhaveapreviousversionofWorkstationandyouusedsharedfolders,youwill
find,afterupgradingtoWorkstation 6.0,thatyouwillneedtoreenablefoldersharing.
Youhavevariouslevelsofsecuritywhensharingfolders:
Enablesomeorallsharedfoldersforaparticularvirtualmachine.
Setsharedfolderstobedisabledatthenextpoweron.
Setadefaulttoenableallsharedfoldersthatmightbepresentinvirtualmachines
thatyoudidnotcreateyourself.
SeeUsingSharedFoldersonpage 173.
VMwarePlayer2.0nowallowsyoutousesharedfolders.SeeSharingVirtual
MachineswithVMwarePlayeronpage 194.
Enhanced File Sharing and Copy and Paste Functionality

FollowingisalistofenhancementsfortheWorkstation6.0release:
UsesharedfoldersonaSolarisguest.(Previously,sharedfolderswereavailable
onlyforLinuxandWindowsguests.)SeeUsingSharedFoldersonpage 173.
DraganddropfilesbetweenaLinuxorWindowshostandaLinux,Windows,or
Solarisguest.(LinuxhostsandLinuxandSolarisguestsmustberunningX
Windows.)SeeUsingDragandDroponpage 171.
CopyandpastetextbetweenaWindowsorLinuxhostandaWindows,Linux,or
Solarisguest.SeeUsingCopyandPasteonpage 172.
Copyandpastefiles,notjusttext,betweenaWindowsorLinuxhostanda
Windows,Linux,orSolarisguest.SeeUsingCopyandPasteonpage 172.
OnLinuxhostsandguests,manyimprovementshavebeenmadetoperformance,
permissionshandling,andsharemounting,asdescribedinSharedFolderson
LinuxGuests:PermissionsandFolderMountingonpage 178.
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Host System Requirements

Likephysicalcomputers,thevirtualmachinesrunningunderWorkstationperform
betteriftheyhavefasterprocessorsandmorememory.
PC Hardware
Standardx86compatibleorx8664compatiblepersonalcomputer
733MHzorfasterCPUminimum
Compatibleprocessorsinclude:
Intel:Celeron,PentiumII,PentiumIII,Pentium4,PentiumM(including
computerswithCentrinomobiletechnology),Xeon(includingPrestonia),
andCore2processors
AMD:Athlon,AthlonMP,AthlonXP,Athlon64,Duron,Opteron,Turion 64
AMDSempron
Foradditionalinformation,includingnotesonprocessorsthatarenotcompatible,
seetheVMwareknowledgebaseat
www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=967.
32
Multiprocessorsystemssupported
64bitsystemssupported:AMDOpteron,AMDAthlon64,AMDTurion64,AMD
Sempron,IntelEM64T.Supportfor64bitguestoperatingsystemsisavailableonly
onthefollowingversionsoftheseprocessors:
AMDAthlon64,revisionDorlater
AMDOpteron,revisionEorlater
AMDTurion64,revisionEorlater
AMDSempron,64bitcapablerevisionDorlater
IntelPentium4andCore2processorswithEM64TandIntelVirtualization
Technology
VMware, Inc.
Memory
512MBminimum(2GBisrecommended).
Youmusthaveenoughmemorytorunthehostoperatingsystem,plusthememory
requiredforeachguestoperatingsystemandforapplicationsonthehostandguest.See
yourguestoperatingsystemandapplicationdocumentationfortheirmemory
requirements.
Asofversion6.0ofWorkstation,thetotalamountofmemoryyoucanassigntoall
virtualmachinesrunningonasinglehostisunlimited.Themaximumamountof
memorypervirtualmachineis8GB.
Display
16bitor32bitdisplayadapterisrecommended.
Disk Drives
Guestoperatingsystemscanresideonphysicaldiskpartitionsorinvirtualdiskfiles.
Hard Disk
IDEandSCSIharddrivessupported.
Atleast1GBfreediskspacerecommendedforeachguestoperatingsystemandthe
applicationsoftwareusedwithit.Ifyouuseadefaultsetup,theactualdiskspace
needsareapproximatelythesameasthoseforinstallingandrunningtheguest
operatingsystemandapplicationsonaphysicalcomputer.
Forinstallation200MB(Linux)or900MB(Windows)freediskspacerequiredfor
basicinstallation.Youcandeletetheinstallerafterwardstoreclaimdiskspace.
Optical CD-ROM/DVD-ROM Drive
IDEandSCSIopticaldrivessupported.
CDROMandDVDROMdrivessupported.
ISOdiskimagefilessupported.
Floppy Drives
Virtualmachinescanconnecttothehostsfloppydrives.Floppydiskimagefilesare
alsosupported.
VMware, Inc.
33
Local Area Networking (Optional)
AnyEthernetcontrollersupportedbythehostoperatingsystem.
NonEthernetnetworkssupportedusingbuiltinnetworkaddresstranslation
(NAT)orusingacombinationofhostonlynetworkingplusroutingsoftwareon
thehostoperatingsystem.
Host Operating System

VMwareWorkstationisavailableforbothWindowsandLinuxhostoperatingsystems.
Windows Host Operating Systems (32-Bit)

WorkstationsupportsthefollowingWindows32bithostoperatingsystems:
34
WindowsVistaEnterpriseEdition
WindowsVistaBusinessEdition
WindowsVistaHomeBasicandPremiumEditions
WindowsVistaUltimateEdition
WindowsServer2008,SP1
WindowsServer2003StandardEdition,SP1,SP2
WindowsServer2003WebEdition,SP1
WindowsServer2003SmallBusinessEdition,SP1,SP2
WindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition,SP1,SP2
WindowsServer2003R2
(Listedversionsarealsosupportedwithnoservicepack.)
WindowsXPHomeEdition,SP1,SP2
WindowsXPProfessional,SP1,SP2
Windows2000ServerSP3,SP4
Windows2000Professional,SP3,SP4
Windows2000AdvancedServer,SP3,SP4
VMware, Inc.
Windows Host Operating Systems (64-Bit)
WindowsServer2008x64EditionSP1
WindowsServer2003x64EditionSP1
WindowsServer2003x64EditionR2
WindowsXPProfessionalx64Edition
AWebbrowserisrequiredfortheHelpsystem.
Linux Host Operating Systems (32-Bit)

Supporteddistributionsandkernelsarelistedbelow.Workstationmightnotrunon
systemsthatdonotmeettheserequirements.
NOTEAsnewerLinuxkernelsanddistributionsarereleased,VMwaremodifiesand
testsitsproductsforstabilityandreliabilityonthosehostplatforms.VMwaremakes
everyefforttoaddsupportfornewkernelsanddistributionsinatimelymanner,but
untilakernelordistributionisaddedtothelistbelow,itsusewithVMwareproducts
isnotsupported.Lookfornewerprebuiltmodulesinthedownloadareaofthe
VMwareWebsite.Gotowww.vmware.com/download/.
MandrivaLinux2006and2007
MandrivaCorporateServer4.0
MandrakeLinux10.1
MandrakeLinux9.0stock2.4.19
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS4.5(formerlycalled4.0Update5)
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS4.0,updates1,2,3,4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxES4.0,updates1,2,3,4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS4.0,updates1,2,3,4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS3.0,updates1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxES3.0,updates1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS3.0,updates1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8
VMware, Inc.
35
RedHatEnterpriseLinux2.1stock2.4.9e3
RedHatLinux9.0stock2.4.208,upgrade2.4.2020.9
RedHatLinux8.0stock2.4.18
RedHatLinux7.3stock2.4.18
RedHatLinux7.2stock2.4.710,upgrade2.4.97,upgrade2.4.913,upgrade
2.4.921,upgrade2.4.931
RedHatLinux7.1stock2.4.22,upgrade2.4.312
RedHatLinux7.0stock2.2.1622,upgrade2.2.1714
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer9,9SP1,9SP2,9SP3
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8,stock2.4.19
openSUSE10.3
SUSELinux10.1
SUSELinux10
SUSELinux9.3
SUSELinux9.2,SP1)
SUSELinux9.1stock2.6.452
UbuntuLinux7.04
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux6.06
UbuntuLinux5.10
UbuntuLinux5.04
AWebbrowserisrequiredfortheHelpsystem.
36
VMware, Inc.
Linux Host Operating Systems (64-Bit)

Supporteddistributionsandkernelsarelistedbelow.Workstationmightnotrunon
systemsthatdonotmeettheserequirements.
NOTEAsnewerLinuxkernelsanddistributionsarereleased,VMwaremodifiesand
testsitsproductsforstabilityandreliabilityonthosehostplatforms.VMwaremakes
everyefforttoaddsupportfornewkernelsanddistributionsinatimelymanner,but
untilakernelordistributionisaddedtothelistbelow,itsusewithVMwareproducts
isnotsupported.Lookfornewerprebuiltmodulesinthedownloadareaofthe
VMwareWebsite.Gotowww.vmware.com/download/.
MandrivaCorporateServer4.0
Important:On64bitMandrivahosts,some32bitcompatibilitylibrariesare
required.Specifically,32bitglibc,X11,andlibXtst.soarerequired.
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS4.0,updates3,4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxES4.0,updates3,4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS4.0,updates3,4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS3.0,stock2.4.21,updates2.4.2115,6,7,8
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxES3.0,stock2.4.21,updates2.4.2115,6,7,8
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS3.0,stock2.4.21,updates2.4.2115,6,7,8
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer9,SP1,SP2,SP3
openSUSE10.3
SUSELinux10.1
SUSELinux10
SUSELinux9.3
SUSELinux9.2,SP1
VMware, Inc.
37
UbuntuLinux7.04
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux6.06
UbuntuLinux5.10
UbuntuLinux5.04
Important:On64bitUbuntu6.xhosts,some32bitcompatibilitylibrariesare
required.Specifically,32bitglibcandX11arerequired.
SeetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideforversiondetailsaboutthese
operatingsystems.AWebbrowserisrequiredfortheHelpsystem.
Virtual Machine Specifications

ThefollowingsectionsdescribethedevicessupportedbyWorkstationvirtual
machines.
Processor
Sameprocessorasthatonhostcomputer.
Onevirtualprocessoronahostwithoneormorelogicalprocessors.
Twovirtualprocessors(twowayvirtualsymmetricmultiprocessing,or
Virtual SMP)onahostwithatleasttwologicalprocessors.
Thefollowingareallconsideredtohavetwologicalprocessors:
AmultiprocessorhostwithtwoormorephysicalCPUs
AsingleprocessorhostwithamulticoreCPU
Asingleprocessorhostwithhyperthreadingenabled
SeeUsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(Experimental)on
page 367.
Chip Set
Intel440BXbasedmotherboard
NS338SIO
82093AAIOAPIC
BIOS
PhoenixBIOS4.0Release6withVESABIOS
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VMware, Inc.
Memory
Upto8GB,dependingonhostmemory.
Nomaximumlimitforthetotalavailableforallvirtualmachines.
Graphics
VGAandSVGAsupport
IDE Drives
Uptofourdevicesdisks,CDROMorDVDROM(DVDdrivescanbeusedto
readdataDVDROMdiscs;DVDvideoisnotsupported).
Harddiskscanbevirtualdisksorphysicaldisks.
IDEvirtualdisksupto950GB.
CDROMcanbeaphysicaldeviceoranISOimagefile.
SCSI Devices
Upto60devices.
SCSIvirtualdisksupto950GB.
Harddiskscanbevirtualdisksorphysicaldisks.
GenericSCSIsupportallowsdevicestobeusedwithoutneedfordriversinthe
hostoperatingsystem.Workswithscanners,CDROM,DVDROM,tapedrives
andotherSCSIdevices.
LSILogicLSI53C10xxUltra320SCSII/Ocontroller.
Mylex(BusLogic)BT958compatiblehostbusadapter(requiresaddondriver
fromVMwareforWindowsXPandWindowsServer2003).
Floppy Drives
Uptotwo1.44MBfloppydevices.
Physicaldrivesorfloppyimagefiles.
VMware, Inc.
39
Serial (COM) Ports
Uptofourserial(COM)ports.
Outputtoserialports,WindowsorLinuxfiles,ornamedpipes.
Parallel (LPT) Ports
Uptothreebidirectionalparallel(LPT)ports.
Outputtoparallelportsorhostoperatingsystemfiles.
USB ports
USB1.1UHCIcontroller,witha(transparent)virtualhubsothatmorethantwo
devicescanbeconnected.
USB2.0EHCIcontrollerthatsupportsuptosixdevices.(Youneedusethevirtual
machinesettingseditortoenableUSB2.0support.SeeEnablingandDisablingthe
USB2.0Controlleronpage 354.)
Supportsmostdevices,includingUSBprinters,scanners,PDAs,harddiskdrives,
memorycardreadersanddigitalcameras,aswellasstreamingdevicessuchas
webcams,speakers,andmicrophones.
Keyboard
104keyWindows95/98enhanced
Mouse and Drawing Tablets
PS/2mouse
Serialtabletssupported
Ethernet Card
40
Upto10virtualEthernetcards.
AMDPCnetPCIIIcompatible.
For64bitguests:IntelPro/1000MTServerAdaptercompatible.
VMware, Inc.
Sound
Soundoutputandinput.
EmulatesCreativeLabsSoundBlasterAudioPCI.(MIDIinput,gamecontrollers
andjoysticksarenotsupported,exceptforUSBdevices.)
Virtual Networking
Supportfor10virtualEthernetswitchesonMicrosoftWindowshostoperating
systems.Supportfor100virtualEthernetswitchesonLinuxhosts.Threeswitches
areconfiguredbydefaultforbridged,hostonly,andNATnetworking.
SupportformostEthernetbasedprotocols,includingTCP/IP,NetBEUI,Microsoft
Networking,Samba,NovellNetware,andNetworkFileSystem.
BuiltinNATsupportsclientsoftwareusingTCP/IP,FTP,DNS,HTTP,andTelnet,
includingVPNsupportforPPTPoverNAT.
Supported Guest Operating Systems

Thissectionprovidesasimplifiedlistofguestoperatingsystemssupportedforvirtual
machinesrunninginVMwareWorkstation.Forthemostrecentlistofsupportedguest
operatingsystems,includingdetailedinformationaboutthespecificoperatingsystem
versions,servicepacks,andupdatessupported,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystem
InstallationGuide,athttp://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.Thisguidealsoprovides
notesoninstallingthemostcommonguestoperatingsystems.
OperatingsystemsthatarenotlistedarenotsupportedforuseinaWorkstationvirtual
machine.
VMware, Inc.
41
Microsoft Windows 32-Bit
WindowsVista(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsServer2008
WindowsServer2003,SmallBusinessServer2003
WindowsServer2003WebEdition
WindowsXPProfessionalandHomeEdition
Windows2000Professional
Windows2000Server
Windows2000AdvancedServer
WindowsNTWorkstationandServer4.0
WindowsNT4.0TerminalServerEdition
WindowsMe
Windows98
Windows95
WindowsforWorkgroups
Windows3.1
SeetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideforservicepackandversion
detailsabouttheseoperatingsystems.
Microsoft Windows 64-Bit
WindowsVistax64Edition(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsServer2008x64Edition
WindowsXPProfessionalx64
SeetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideforservicepackandversion
detailsabouttheseoperatingsystems,athttp://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
Microsoft MS-DOS
MSDOS
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VMware, Inc.
Linux 32-Bit
MandrakeLinux
RedHatLinux
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAdvancedServer,EnterpriseServer,andWorkstation
SUSELinux
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer
openSUSELinux
TurbolinuxServer,EnterpriseServer,Workstation,Desktop
NovellLinuxDesktop
SunJavaDesktopSystem(JDS)
UbuntuLinux
Turbolinux10Server
operatingsystems,athttp://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
Linux 64-Bit
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAdvancedServer,EnterpriseServer,andWorkstation
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer
SUSELinux
openSUSELinux
UbuntuLinux
Turbolinux10Server
VMware, Inc.
43
Novell NetWare 32-Bit

NetWare
SeetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuideforversiondetailsaboutthis
operatingsystem,athttp://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
Novell Open Enterprise Server 32-Bit

OpenEnterpriseServer32bit
FreeBSD 32-Bit
FreeBSD32bit
IfyouuseSCSIvirtualdiskslargerthan2GBwithFreeBSD4.04.3,theguestoperating
systemdoesnotboot.Toworkaroundthisissue,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystem
InstallationGuide,athttp://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
FreeBSD 64-Bit
FreeBSD64bit
Sun Solaris 32-Bit

Solarisx8632bit
Sun Solaris 64-Bit

Solarisx8664bit
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VMware, Inc.
Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Workstationsupportsvirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystems,running
onhostmachineswiththefollowingprocessors:
AMDAthlon64,revisionDorlater
AMDOpteron,revisionEorlater
AMDTurion64,revisionEorlater
AMDSempron,64bitcapablerevisionDorlater
IntelEM64TVTcapableprocessors
Workstationsupportsvirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystemsonlyon
hostmachinesthathaveoneofthesupported64bitprocessors.Whenyoupowerona
virtualmachinewitha64bitguestoperatingsystem,Workstationperformsaninternal
check:ifthehostCPUisnotasupported64bitprocessor,youcannotpoweronthe
virtualmachine.
VMwarealsoprovidesastandaloneutilitythatyoucanusewithoutWorkstationto
performthesamecheckanddeterminewhetheryourCPUissupportedfor
Workstationvirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystems.Youcandownload
the64bitprocessorcheckutilityfromwww.vmware.com/download.
Workstationsupportsvirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystemsonlyin
versions5.5andlater.IfyourversionofWorkstationis5.0orearlier,upgradetoversion
6.0orlaterfor64bitguestoperatingsystemsupport.Avirtualmachinecreatedin
Workstationversion5.5witha64bitoperatingsystemcannotbepoweredonor
resumedinWorkstationversions5.0andearlier.
VMware, Inc.
45
46
VMware, Inc.
Installing VMware
Workstation
ThischapterdiscusseshowtoinstallWorkstationonyourLinuxorWindowshost
system.Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:
InstallationPrerequisitesonpage 47
InstallingWorkstationonaWindowsHostonpage 48
InstallingWorkstationonaLinuxHostonpage 53
WheretoGoNextonpage 56
Ifyouareupgradingratherthanperformingafreshinstallation,seeChapter 3,
UpgradingVMwareWorkstation,onpage 57.
Installation Prerequisites
InstallingVMwareWorkstationisusuallyasimpleprocessofrunningastandard
installationwizard.Thissectionoutlinesthetasksyouneedtoperformbeforestarting
aninstallation,anditcontainsanimportantnoteaboutthecompatibilityofhaving
multipleVMwareproductsinstalledonthesamecomputerasWorkstation.
Beforeyoubegininstallation,besureyouhave:
CompatiblehostVerifythatthecomputerandhostoperatingsystemmeetthe
systemrequirementsforrunningWorkstation,asdescribedinHostSystem
Requirementsonpage 32.
WorkstationinstallationsoftwareIfyouboughtthepackageddistributionof
Workstation,theinstallationsoftwareisontheCDinyourpackage.Ifyoubought
theelectronicdistribution,theinstallationsoftwareisinthefileyoudownloaded.
VMwareWorkstationisavailableforbothWindowsandLinuxhostcomputers.
TheinstallationfilesforbothhostplatformsareincludedonthesameCDROM.
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47
WorkstationserialnumberYourserialnumberisontheregistrationcardinyour
package.IfyoupurchasedWorkstationonline,theserialnumberissentbyemail.
YourserialnumberallowsyoutouseWorkstationonlyonthehostoperating
systemforwhichyoulicensedthesoftware.Forexample,ifyouhaveaserial
numberforaWindowshost,youcannotrunthesoftwareonaLinuxhost.Make
sureyouentertheserialnumberforthecorrectoperatingsystem.
TouseWorkstationonadifferenthostoperatingsystem,purchasealicenseonthe
VMwareWebsite.Youcanalsogetanevaluationlicenseatnochargefora30day
evaluationofthesoftware.Formoreinformation,goto
www.vmware.com/download/.
AguestoperatingsystemAfterWorkstationisinstalled,youwillneedthe
operatingsysteminstallationCDsorOSimagestosetupyourguest.
Sharing a Workstation Host with Other VMware Products

YoucannothaveVMwareWorkstationinstalledonthesamehostmachinewithanother
VMwareproduct,suchasVMwareServerortheVMwareVirtualMachineConsole.
TheonlyVMwareproductsthatcanshareahostmachinewithWorkstationarethe
VMwareVirtualCenterclientsoftwareandtheVMwareConverter.Ifyouplantoinstall
VMwareWorkstationonahostmachinethatalreadycontainsanotherVMware
product,youmustuninstallthatproductfirst.
Afteryouhavecompletedtheprerequisitesanddeterminedwhichcomputeryouwant
touseforhostingWorkstation,seetheappropriateinstallationsection:
Installing Workstation on a Windows Host

Beforeyouperformtheinstallationprocedure,makesureyouhavetheWorkstation6
serialnumberready.Althoughyoucanenterthenumberafterinstallation,itis
recommendedatyouenteritatinstallationtime.
ThefollowingproceduredescribeshowtoruntheWorkstationinstallationwizard.If
insteadofrunningthewizard,youwanttousethecommandlineinterfacetoperform
asilentinstallationonmanycomputers,seeInstallingWorkstationSilentlyon
page 51.
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VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 Installing VMware Workstation
To install Workstation on a Windows host

1
LogintoyourMicrosoftWindowshostastheAdministratoruserorasauserwho
isamemberoftheWindowsAdministratorsgroup.
Loginaslocaladministrator(thatis,donotlogontothedomain,unlessyour
domainaccountisalsoalocaladministrator).
AlthoughanadministratormustinstallWorkstation,anormaluserwithout
administrativeprivilegescanruntheprogramafteritisinstalled.
NOTEYouneedonelicenseforeachuser.
FromtheStartmenu,chooseRun,andspecifythepathtoeithertheCDROM
driveorthedownloadedinstallerfile:
IfyouareinstallingfromaCD,enterD:\setup.exe,whereD:isthedrive
letterforyourCDROMdrive.
Ifyouareinstallingfromadownloadedfile,browsetothedirectorywhere
yousavedthedownloadedinstallerfile,andruntheinstaller.(Thefilenameis
similartoVMware-workstation-<xxxx-xxxx>.exe,where<xxxx-xxxx>is
aseriesofnumbersrepresentingtheversionandbuildnumbers.)
OnWindowsVista,whentheUserAccountControldialogboxappears,
promptingyouforpermissiontoruntheinstaller,clickContinue.
NOTEIfyouhaveanearlierversionofWorkstationinstalledonyoursystem,the
installerremovesthatversionbeforeinstallingthenewversion.Afterthe
uninstallationiscomplete,youmightbepromptedtorestartyourcomputerbefore
theinstallercaninstallthenewversion.
3
Whenthewizardopensandfinishescomputingspacerequirements,clickNextto
dismisstheWelcomepage.
OntheSetupTypepage,selectTypicalunlessyoudonotwanttoinstallthe
applicableWorkstationIDEplugins,orifyouhaveEclipseinstalledina
nonstandardlocation:
VMware, Inc.
IfyouhaveVisualStudio2005orEclipseinstalled,theinstallerinstallsan
integratedvirtualdebugger(IDEplugin).Ifyoudontwantaplugin
installed,selecttheCustomsetup,andselectnottoinstallthatcomponent.
IfyouhaveEclipseinstalledinadifferentdirectorythanC:\Eclipseor
C:\Program Files\Eclipseandyouwanttoinstalltheintegratedvirtual
debuggerforit,selecttheCustomsetup,andselecttoinstallthatcomponent.
49
NOTEIfyoudonothaveEclipseorVisualStudioinstalled,thepluginswillnot
beinstalled.Ifyouinstalloneorbothoftheseprogramsafteryouinstall
Workstation,runtheWorkstationinstalleragainandselecttheModifyoptionto
installthepluginsatthattime.
Also,donotattempttoinstalltheEclipseVirtualDebuggeron64bitWindows
hosts.
IfyouselectCustom,youcanusetheSpacebuttontofindouthowmuchdisk
spaceisrequiredforeachcomponentoftheinstallation.ClicktheHelpbuttonfor
adescriptionofwhateachtypeoficoninthelistmeans.
5
OntheDestinationFolderpage(fortypicalsetups)ortheCustomSetuppage(for
customsetups),ifyoudonotwantWorkstationinstalledinthedirectorythatis
shown,clickChangeandspecifythedirectoryyouwant.
Ifyouspecifyadirectorythatdoesnotexist,theinstallercreatesitforyou.
CAUTIONDonotinstallVMwareWorkstationonanetworkdrive.
ClickNext.
WindowsandtheMicrosoftInstallerlimitthelengthofapathtoafolderonalocal
driveto255characters.Forapathtoafolderonamappedorshareddrive,thelimit
is240characters.Ifthepathexceedsthislimit,anerrormessageappears.Youmust
selectorenterashorterpath.
OntheConfigureShortcutspage,deselectanyshortcutsyoudonotwantthe
installertocreate.
OntheReadytoInstalltheProgrampage,eitherclickInstallorclickBacktomake
changes.
(Optional)AfteryouclickInstall,ontheRegistrationInformationpage,enteryour
name,companyname,andserialnumberandclickNext.
Yourserialnumberiseitherontheregistrationcardinyourpackageorinanemail
fromVMwareifyoupurchasedWorkstationonline.Theuserandcompany
informationyouenterhereisthenmadeavailableintheAboutbox(Help>About
VMwareWorkstation).
Ifyouskipthisstep,youmustenteryourserialnumberlater,beforeyoucanpower
onavirtualmachine.
10
50
WhenthewizarddisplaystheInstallationWizardCompletedpage,clickFinish.
VMware, Inc.
Someinstallationsmightrequirethatyourebootyourcomputer.Whenyourestart,you
dontneedtologinasauserwithAdministratorprivileges.
Installing Workstation Silently

IfyouareinstallingWorkstationonseveralWindowshostcomputers,youmightwant
tousethesilentinstallationfeatureoftheMicrosoftWindowsInstaller.Thisfeatureis
convenient,forexample,inalargeenterprise.
BeforeinstallingWorkstationsilently,ensurethatthehostcomputerhasversion2.0or
higheroftheMSIruntimeengine.Thisversionoftheinstallerisavailableinversionsof
WindowsbeginningwithWindowsXPandisavailableseparatelyfromMicrosoft.For
additionaldetailsonusingtheMicrosoftWindowsInstaller,seetheMicrosoftWebsite.
To install Workstation silently
1
SilentlyextracttheadministrativeinstallationimagefromtheVMware
Workstationinstaller:
setup.exe /a /s /v"/qn TARGETDIR=<InstallTempPath>"
setup.exeisthenameoftheinstallerontheCDdistribution.Ifyouareusinga
downloadedinstaller,thefilenameissimilarto
VMwareWorkstation-<xxxx>.exe,where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbers
representingtheversionandbuildnumbers.
<InstallTempPath>isthefullpathtothefolderwhereyouwanttostorethe
administrativeinstallationimage.
2
Runasilentinstallationusingmsiexecandtheadministrativeinstallationimage
youextractedinthepreviousstep:
msiexec -i "<InstallTempPath>\VMware Workstation.msi"
[INSTALLDIR="<PathToProgramDirectory>"] ADDLOCAL=ALL
[REMOVE=<featurename,featurename>] /qn
Enterthecommandononeline.ToinstallWorkstationinalocationotherthanthe
default,changethepaththatfollowsINSTALLDIR=tospecifythelocation.
UsetheoptionalREMOVE=<property>toskipinstallationofcertainfeatures.The
REMOVE=<property>settingcantakeoneormoreofthevalueslistedinTable 21.
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51
Table 2-1. Values for the REMOVE Property

Value
Description
Authd
VMwareauthorizationservice,whichisusedtoperformtaskswhenyouare
notrunningWorkstationasanAdministrator.
Network
Networkingcomponentsincludingthevirtualbridgeandthehostadapters
forhostonlynetworkingandNATnetworking.Donotremovethis
componentifyouwanttouseNATorDHCP.
DHCP
VirtualDHCPserver.
NAT
VirtualNATdevice.
Ifyouspecifymorethanonevalue,useacommatoseparatethevalues.For
example,REMOVE=Authd,NAT.
NOTEIfyouspecifyREMOVE=Network,theinstallerskipsinstallationofcertain
networkingcomponents,includingNATandDHCP.Thereisnoneedtospecify
DHCPorNATseparately.
Youcancustomizetheinstallationfurtherbyaddinganyofthefollowing
installationpropertiestothecommandusingtheformat<property>="<value>".
Avalueof1meanstrue.Avalueof0meansfalse.Ifyouusetheserialnumber
property,entertheserialnumberwithhyphens(xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx).
Table 2-2. PROPERTY Values

Property
Effect of the Property
Default
DESKTOP_SHORTCUT
Installsashortcutonthedesktop.
DISABLE_AUTORUN
DisablesCDautorunonthehost.
REMOVE_LICENSE
(Uninstallonly)Removesallstoredlicensesat
uninstall.
SERIALNUMBER
Enterstheserialnumber.
Uninstalling Workstation on a Windows Host

TouninstallWorkstation,usetheAdd/RemoveProgramscontrolpanel.Selecttheentry
forVMwareWorkstationandclickRemove.Followtheonscreeninstructions.
OnWindowsVista,gotoStart>ControlPanel>Programs>Programs and Features>
Uninstallaprogram.SelectVMwareWorkstationandclickUninstall.
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VMware, Inc.
Installing Workstation on a Linux Host

Beforeyoubegin,readthefollowingnotesandmakeadjustmentstoyourhostsystem:
Ifyouhaveaprevioustarinstallation,deletethepreviousvmware-distrib
directorybeforeinstallingfromatarfileagain.Thelocationofthisdirectory
dependsonwhereyouplaceditwhenyoudidthepreviousinstallation.Oftenitis
placedin:
/tmp/vmware-distrib
TherealtimeclockfunctionmustbecompiledintoyourLinuxkernel.
WorkstationforLinuxrequiresthattheparallelportPCstylehardwareoption
(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)bebuiltandloadedasakernelmodule(thatis,itmust
besettomwhenthekerneliscompiled).
TousetheWorkstationHelpsystem,youmusthaveaWebbrowserinstalledon
yourhostcomputer.
NOTEThefollowingproceduredescribesaninstallationfromaCDROMdisc.If
youdownloadedthesoftware,thestepsarethesame,exceptthatyoustartfrom
thedirectorywhereyousavedtheinstallerfileyoudownloaded,notfromthe
LinuxdirectoryontheCD.
To install Workstation on a Linux host

1
LogontoyourLinuxhostwiththeusernameyouplantousewhenrunning
Workstation.
Inaterminalwindow,usethefollowingcommandtobecomerootsoyoucan
performtheinitialinstallationsteps:
su -
MounttheWorkstationCDROM.
Changetothe LinuxdirectoryontheCD.
Continueinstallationwiththeappropriatesectionforyourdesiredinstaller:
VMware, Inc.
UsingthetarInstalleronpage 54
UsingtheRPMInstalleronpage 54
53
UsingthetarInstaller
Youcanskipthestepsforcopyingandunpackingthearchiveandinstalldirectly
fromthe vmware-distrib directoryontheCD:
a
Copythetararchivetoatemporarydirectoryonyourharddrive(forexample,
/tmp):
cp VMware-<xxxx>.tar.gz /tmp
Changetothistemporarydirectory:
cd /tmp
Unpackthearchive:
tar zxpf VMware-<xxxx>.tar.gz
Changetotheinstallationdirectory:
cd vmware-distrib
Runtheinstallationprogram:
./vmware-install.pl
Acceptthedefaultdirectoriesforthebinaryfiles,libraryfiles,manualfiles,
documentationfiles,andinitscript.
EnterYeswhenpromptedtorunvmware-config.pl.
Respondtotheprompts,asdescribedinRunningvmwareconfig.plon
page 55.
UsingtheRPMInstaller
a
RunRPMspecifyingtheinstallationfile:
rpm -Uhv VMware-<xxxx>.rpm
VMware-<xxxx>.rpm istheinstallationfileontheCD.Inplaceof<xxxx>the
filenamecontainsnumbersthatcorrespondtotheversionandbuild.
b
Runtheconfigurationprogram:
vmware-config.pl
Respondtotheprompts,asdescribedinRunningvmwareconfig.plon
page 55.
Configuring Workstation with vmware-config.pl

Thissectiondescribeshowtouse vmware-config.pl toconfigureyourinstallation
ofVMwareWorkstation.
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VMware, Inc.
NOTEIfyouruntheRPMinstaller,youneedtorunthisprogramseparatelyfromthe
commandline.Ifyouinstallfromthetararchive,theinstallerofferstolaunchthe
configurationprogramforyou.AnswerYeswhenyouseetheprompt.
Required Configuration Changes

Configurationwithvmware-config.pl isrequiredinthefollowingcircumstances:
WhenyouinstallVMwareWorkstationthefirsttime.
WhenyouupgradeyourversionofWorkstation.
Whenyouupgradeyourhostoperatingsystemkernel.(Itisnotnecessaryto
reinstallWorkstationafteryouupgradeyourkernel.)
ToreconfigurethenetworkingoptionsforWorkstationforexample,toaddor
removehostonlynetworking.
Location of vmware-config.pl
Theinstallerplacesvmware-config.plin/usr/bin.If/usr/binisnotinyour
defaultpath,runtheprogramwiththefollowingcommand:
/usr/bin/vmware-config.pl
Running vmware-config.pl
Afteryouruntheinstallertoperformafreshinstallationoranupgrade,youneedto
runvmware-config.pl.Ifyouhavenotalreadydoneso,openaterminalwindowand
becomerootbeforeperformingthefollowingprocedure.
To use vmware-config.pl
1
Usethefollowingcommandtostarttheprogramifnecessary:
vmware-config.pl
Respondtotheprompts.Inmostcases,thedefaultresponseisappropriate.
Takethefollowingconsiderationsintoaccount:
IfyouhaveEclipseinstalledandwanttoinstallWorkstationsIntegrated
VirtualDebuggerforEclipse,enterYes,whenprompted.(ThedefaultisNo.)
IfyouwanttoinstalltheIntegratedVirtualDebuggerforEclipse,whenyou
arepromptedtoinstalltheVIXAPIandacceptitslicenseagreement,doso.
ThedebuggercannotrunwithouttheVIXAPI.
Iftheconfigurationprogramdoesnotdisplayamessagesayingtheconfiguration
completedsuccessfully,runtheconfigurationprogramagain.
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55
Whendone,exitfromtherootaccount:
exit
Thefirsttimeyouattempttopoweronavirtualmachine,youarepromptedtoenter
theWorkstation6serialnumber.
Uninstalling Workstation on a Linux Host

ThissectiondescribesuninstallinganRPMinstallationandatarinstallation.
Uninstalling an RPM Installation of Workstation

IfyouusedtheRPMinstallertoinstallWorkstation,removethesoftwarefromyour
systembyusingthefollowingcommand:
rpm -e VMwareWorkstation<xxxx>
Where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingtheversionandbuild.Ifyouhave
Workstationproperlyinstalled,youcanfindtheWorkstationbuildnumberbyrunning:
rpm -qa | grep VM
Uninstalling a tar Installation of Workstation

IfyouusedthetarinstallertoinstallWorkstation,removethesoftwarefromyour
systembyusingthefollowingcommand:
vmware-uninstall.pl
Where to Go Next
AfterWorkstationisinstalled,youwill:
1
Createavirtualmachine.
SeeChapter 5,CreatingaNewVirtualMachine,onpage 89.
Installaguestoperatingsysteminthenewvirtualmachine.
SeeInstallingaGuestOperatingSystemonpage 97ortheVMwareGuest
OperatingSystemInstallationGuide,availablefromtheHelpmenu.
InstalltheVMwareToolspackageinthevirtualmachine.
SeeChapter 6,InstallingandUsingVMwareTools,onpage 113.
Startusingthevirtualmachine.
SeeChapter 4,LearningWorkstationBasics,onpage 65andChapter 7,
RunningaVirtualMachine,onpage 149.
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VMware, Inc.
Upgrading VMware
Workstation
ThischapterdiscusseshowtoupgradeVMwareWorkstation4or5onyourLinuxor
Windowshostsystem,andhowtouseexistingvirtualmachinesunderWorkstation 6.
Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:
PreparingfortheUpgradeonpage 57
UpgradingonaWindowsHostonpage 59
UpgradingonaLinuxHostonpage 60
UsingWorkstation4or5VirtualMachinesinWorkstation 6onpage 61
DirectupgradesfromaWorkstation3virtualmachinearenotsupportedin
Workstation6.
Preparing for the Upgrade

Thissectionliststhetasksyouneedtoperformtoensurethebestpossibleupgrade
experience.
Removing Snapshots and Shutting Down Suspended Virtual

Machines
TousevirtualmachinescreatedinanearlierversionofWorkstation,youcanupgrade
thevirtualmachineafteryouupgradetothenewreleaseofWorkstation.Ifthevirtual
machinewascreatedwithaversionofWorkstationearlierthanWorkstation5.5andit
hasasnapshot,removethesnapshotbeforeupgrading,asdescribedinWorkingwith
SnapshotsintheSnapshotManageronpage 233.
VMware, Inc.
57
ShutdownvirtualmachinescompletelybeforeyouremovetheversionofWorkstation
thatyouusedtocreatethem.Ifavirtualmachineissuspended,resumeit,shutdown
theguestoperatingsystem,andpoweroffthevirtualmachine.
NOTEIfyouattempttoresumeavirtualmachinethatwassuspendedunderadifferent
VMwareproductoradifferentversionofWorkstation,adialogboxgivesyouthe
choiceofdiscardingorkeepingthefilethatstoresthesuspendedstate.Torecoverthe
suspendedstate,clickKeep,andresumethevirtualmachineunderthecorrectVMware
productorversion.IfyouclickDiscard,youcanpoweronnormally,butthesuspended
stateislost.
Backing Up Virtual Machines

BackupallthefilesinyourvirtualmachinedirectoriesforanyexistingWorkstation4
or5virtualmachinesyouplantomigratetoWorkstation6.Thisincludes.vmdkor
.dsk,.vmxor.cfg,and.nvram files.Dependingonyourupgradepath,youmight
notbeabletorunyourvirtualmachinesunderbothWorkstation6andyourprevious
versionofWorkstation.
DirectupgradesfromaWorkstation2or3virtualmachinearenotsupportedin
Workstation6.
Removing Workstation 2 or 3 to Install Workstation 6

ToinstallWorkstation6onacomputerwhereWorkstation2or3isalreadyinstalled,
uninstalltheoldversionbeforeinstallingthenewone.
OnaWindowshost,theuninstallermightasktoremovelicensesfromyourregistry.If
thereisanypossibilitythatyoumightwanttoreinstalltheoldversion,donotallowthe
uninstallertoremovethelicenses.YoucansafelykeeplicensesformultipleVMware
productsonthecomputeratthesametime.
OnaLinuxhost,thelicenseremainsinplace.Youcansafelyleavethelicensewhereitis.
Whentheoldversionhasbeenuninstalled,youcaninstallWorkstation6,asdescribed
inthefollowingsections:
NOTEIfyouhaveWorkstationversion2or3virtualmachinesthatyouwanttouse
withWorkstation6,upgradethevirtualmachinestoatleastWorkstationversion4
beforeyouinstallWorkstation6.
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VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Upgrading VMware Workstation
Upgrading on a Windows Host

YoucanupgradefromWorkstationversion4or5toversion6byrunningtheVMware
Workstation6installationprogram,asdescribedinthissection.Makesurethatyou
haveaWorkstation6serialnumberbeforeyoustart.Upgradesfromearlierversionsof
Workstationarenotsupported.Formoreinformation,seeRemovingWorkstation2or
3toInstallWorkstation6onpage 58.
To upgrade from Workstation version 4 or 5
1
LogintoyourMicrosoftWindowshostastheAdministratoruserorasauserwho
isamemberoftheWindowsAdministratorsgroup.
LaunchtheWorkstation6installerfromyourdownloaddirectoryorCDROM.
Workstationautomaticallyuninstallsthepreviousversion.
Rebootyourcomputerifyouarepromptedtodoso,andloginagainasthe
AdministratoruserorasauserwhoisamemberoftheWindowsAdministrators
group.
Completetheinstallationwizard.
Fordetailedinstructionsonrunningtheinstaller,seeInstallingWorkstationona
WindowsHostonpage 48.
Rebootyourcomputerifyouarepromptedtodoso.
Youcannowloginasyounormallydo.Youdonotneedtologinasan
AdministratornowthatWorkstationisinstalled.
Upgrading to a Windows Vista Host

ThissectionprovidesinstructionsforvariousupgradescenariosthatinvolveWindows
Vista.InsectionsthatinstructyoutouninstallWorkstation5,youneedonlyuninstall
theVMwareWorkstationapplication,notthevirtualmachinesthatyouhavecreated.
AfteryouuninstallWorkstation5andtheninstallWorkstation6,youcanpoweronthe
virtualmachinesandupgradethemifyouwantto.Thisprocedureisdescribedin
ChangingtheVersionoftheVirtualMachineonpage 61.
DuringtheupgradefromWindowsXPtoWindowsVista,thelocationofvirtual
machinesmightgetchanged.TheWindowsVistaupgradeusestheregistrytomapthe
previouslocationofanyvirtualmachinesstoredin:
C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\My Virtual Machines
to
C:\Users\<user>\Documents\My Virtual Machines
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59
Aftertheupgradeiscomplete,theFavoriteslistinWorkstationshouldworkcorrectly.
Workstation 5 on Windows XP to Workstation 6 on Windows Vista

IfyouhaveWorkstation5installedonaWindowsXPhost,first,uninstall
Workstation 5.UsetheControlPanelsAdd/RemoveProgramsitemtouninstall
Workstation.Next,upgradetheoperatingsystemtoWindowsVista.Finally,install
Workstation6,asdescribedinInstallingWorkstationonaWindowsHostonpage 48.
Workstation 5 on Windows Vista to Workstation 6 on Windows Vista

IfyouhaveWorkstation5installedonaWindowsVistahost,first,uninstall
Workstation5.GotoStart>Control
Panel>Programs>Programs and Features>Uninstallaprogram.SelectVMware
WorkstationandclickUninstall.Next,installWorkstation6,asdescribedinInstalling
WorkstationonaWindowsHostonpage 48.Workstation5wasonlyexperimentally
supportedonWindowsVista.
Workstation 6 on Windows XP to Workstation 6 on Windows Vista

TheinstructionsinthissectionassumethatyouhaveWindowsXPwithServicePack2.
To upgrade Workstation 6 from Windows XP to Windows Vista
1
LoginastheAdministratoruserorasauserwhoisamemberoftheWindows
Administratorsgroup.
MakesurethatWorkstationisnotrunningandthatnovirtualmachinesare
runninginthebackground.
UpgradethehostoperatingsystemtoWindowsVista,asdescribedinthe
Microsoftdocumentation.
StartWorkstationandpoweronavirtualmachine.
Upgrading on a Linux Host

YoucanupgradefromWorkstationversion4or5toversion6byrunningtheVMware
Workstation6installationprogram,asdescribedinChapter 2,InstallingVMware
Workstation,onpage 47.MakesurethatyouhaveaWorkstation6serialnumber
beforeyoustart.Youwillbepromptedtoenterthe serialnumberafterinstallationis
complete,whenyoufirstattempttostartWorkstation 6.
NOTEStartingwithWorkstation5,Sambaisnolongerautomaticallyconfiguredwhen
yourunvmware-config.pl.
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VMware, Inc.
IfyouusedthetarinstallertoinstallWorkstationversion4or5andyouplantousethe
tarinstallerforversion6,youdonotneedtouninstalltheolderversion.
Similarly,ifyouusedtheRMPinstallertoinstallversion4or5andyouplantousethe
RMPinstallerforversion6,youdonotneedtouninstalltheolderversion.
Ifyouusedatarinstallertoinstallversion4or5,andyouwanttousetheRPMinstaller
forversion6,orthereverse,youdonotneedtouninstalltheolderversion.
Using Workstation 4 or 5 Virtual Machines in

Workstation 6
Useeitheroftheseapproaches:
UsinganOlderVersionVirtualMachineWithoutUpgradingonpage 61
ChangingtheVersionoftheVirtualMachineonpage 61
Using an Older-Version Virtual Machine Without Upgrading

Youmightnotwanttoupgradeavirtualmachinebecauseyouwantittoremain
compatiblewithotherVMwareproductsyouareusing.Followingisabriefsummary
ofVMwareproductversioncompatibility:
AvirtualmachinecreatedinWorkstation4.xiscompatiblewithGSXServer3.x,
ESXServer2.x,andACE1.0.
AvirtualmachinecreatedinWorkstation5.xiscompatiblewithVMwareServer
1.x,ESXServer3.x,andVMwarePlayer1.x.
YoucanrunthesevirtualmachinesinWorkstation6,butyouwillnothavethebenefits
ofthenewfeaturesofWorkstation6.
FormoreinformationaboutcompatibilitybetweenVMwareproducts,refertothe
VMwareVirtualMachineMobilityPlanningGuide.
Ifyoudecidenottoupgradeavirtualmachine,youstillneedtoupgradeVMwareTools
tothenewversion.Followtheinstructionsforyourguestoperatingsystemin
InstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115.Donotremovetheolder
versionofVMwareToolsbeforeinstallingthenewversion.
Changing the Version of the Virtual Machine

IfyoucreatedvirtualmachineswithanearlierversionofWorkstation,youwill
probablywanttoupgradetothelatestversionsothatyoucanenjoythebenefitsofthe
newestfeatures.Formoreinformationaboutnewfeatures,seeWhatsNewin
Version 6onpage 22.
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61
If,however,youcreatedWorkstation6virtualmachinesbutyounowwanttodeploy
thosevirtualmachinestorunonadifferentVMwareproduct,youmightneedto
downgradetoaversionthatiscompatiblewiththatproduct.
TheChangeVersionwizardenablesyoutodoeitherofthesetasks.
UsingWorkstation6,youhavethefollowingupgradeanddowngradechoices:
UpgradeaWorkstation4virtualmachinetoeitherversion5orversion6.
UpgradeaWorkstation5virtualmachinetoversion6ordowngradeittoversion4.
DowngradeaWorkstation6virtualmachinetoeitherversion4orversion5.
TheChangeVersionwizardalsohelpsyoudeterminewhichvirtualhardwareversion
touse.
Considerthefollowingwhenchangingthevirtualhardwareversionofavirtual
machine:
Thewizardletsyoueitherchangetheversionoftheoriginalvirtualmachineor
createafullclone,sothattheoriginalremainsunaltered.
IfyouupgradeaWorkstation4or5virtualmachinethatiscompatiblewithESX
ServertoWorkstation6,youwillnotbeabletolaterdowngradeitagaintoan
ESXcompatiblevirtualmachinebyusingtheChangeVersionwizard.
OnWindowshosts,youcan,howeverusetheConverterImportwizard
(File>Import)toperformsuchadowngrade.
62
Ifyouareupgradingavirtualmachinethatrunsfromaphysicaldisk,youmight
seethefollowingerrormessagewhileWorkstationisupgradingthevirtual
machine:Unabletoupgrade<drivename>.Oneofthesuppliedparametersis
invalid.ClickOKtocontinuetheupgradeprocess.
WhenyouupgradeaWindowsXP,WindowsServer2003,orWindowsVista
virtualmachine,theMicrosoftproductactivationfeaturemightrequireyouto
reactivatetheguestoperatingsystem.
Makebackupcopiesofyourvirtualdisksbeforestartingtheupgradeor
downgrade.
VMware, Inc.
To change the virtual hardware version of a virtual machine

1
Intheguestoperatingsystem,makeanoteoftheNICsettings.
Specifically,ifyouhavespecifiedastaticIPaddressforthisvirtualmachine,after
theupgrade,thatsettingcouldgetchangedtoautomaticassignmentbyDHCP.
TochecktheNICsettings,usethemethodappropriateforyouroperatingsystem.
Forexample,onWindowsXP,youcanusetheControlPanelsNetwork
ConnectionsitemtofindinformationabouttheTCP/IPaddressforthevirtual
machine.
Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine.
Selectthevirtualmachineand,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,choose
VM>Upgrade or Change Version.
CompletethepagesoftheChangeVersionwizard.
Whenyouselectahardwarecompatibilityversion,youseealistoftheVMware
productsthatarecompatiblewiththatversion.IfyouselectWorkstation4or5,you
alsoseealistofWorkstation6featuresthatarenotsupportedforthatversion.
Poweronthevirtualmachine.
Intheguestoperatingsystem,checktheNICsettingsandadjustthemifthey
changed,asdescribedinStep 1.
IfthevirtualmachinedoesnothavethelatestversionofVMwareToolsinstalled,
upgradeVMwareTools.
Evenif,forexample,youupgradedaversion4virtualmachinetoversion5rather
thanversion6,youshouldstillupgradeVMwareToolstotheversionofTools
includedwithWorkstation6.RefertoInstallingandUpgradingVMwareTools
onpage 115.DonotremovetheolderversionofVMwareToolsbeforeinstalling
thenewversion.
NOTEIfyouareupgradingavirtualmachinethatrunsfromaphysicaldisk,you
cansafelyignorethemessage:Unabletoupgrade<drivename>.Oneofthe
suppliedparametersisinvalid.ClickOKtocontinuetheupgrade.
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Learning Workstation
Basics
ThischapterdiscusseslaunchingtheWorkstationprogramandintroducestheVMware
Workstationwindow.Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:
StartingWorkstationonpage 66
OverviewoftheWorkstationWindowonpage 66
CheckingforProductUpdatesonpage 78
IntroductiontoCreatingaVirtualMachineonpage 79
IntroductiontoWorkstationPreferencesonpage 81
IntroductiontoVirtualMachineSettingsonpage 83
ClosingVirtualMachinesandExitingWorkstationonpage 86
KeyboardShortcutsonpage 87
TheillustrationsinthesesectionsshowaWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem.
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Starting Workstation
ThemethodofstartingtheWorkstationapplicationdependsonyourhostoperating
system.
To start Workstation on a Windows host
1
FromtheStartmenu,chooseStart>Programs>VMware>VMwareWorkstation,or
doubleclicktheshortcutonyourdesktop.
IfthisisthefirsttimeyouhavelaunchedWorkstation,readandaccepttheenduser
licenseagreement(EULA).
TheVMwareWorkstationwindowopens.
To start Workstation on a Linux host

1
Openaterminalwindow.
Typevmware &andpressEnter.
Bydefault,theinstallerplacesthefilein/usr/bin.If/usr/binisnotinyour
defaultpath,runtheprogramwiththefollowingcommand:
/usr/bin/vmware &
NOTEOnLinuxhosts,theWorkstationinstalleraddsanentrytotheStartmenu
forVMwareWorkstation.Thismenuentryislocatedindifferentsubmenus,
dependingonyourLinuxdistribution.Forexample:
SUSELinux9.1:Start>System>MorePrograms>VMwareWorkstation
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS/WSRelease3:Start>SystemTools>MoreSystem
Tools>VMwareWorkstation
3
Readandaccepttheenduserlicenseagreement(EULA).
TheWorkstationwindowopens.
Overview of the Workstation Window

AWorkstationvirtualmachineislikeaseparatecomputerthatrunsinawindowon
yourphysicalcomputer.However,Workstationdisplaysmorethanthescreenof
anothercomputer.FromtheWorkstationwindow,youcanaccessandrunyourvirtual
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Chapter 4 Learning Workstation Basics
machinesandteamsofvirtualmachines.Youcanalsoswitcheasilyfromoneto
another.
ThissectionshowsyouhowtonavigateandusetheVMwareWorkstationwindow,and
howtosetupalistoffavorites.Favoritesarevirtualmachinesandteamsthatyouuse
oftenandwanttoaccessquickly.
Figure 4-1. VMware Workstation Window
menus
toolbar
tabs
,
sidebar
status
bar
home page,
summary, or
console
view
message
log
TheVMwareWorkstationwindowcontainsthefollowingsections:
Homepage,summary,console,orapplianceviewThismainpartofthewindow
showsyourvirtualmachines.
TabsEachopenvirtualmachinehasitsowntab.Clickatabtomakethatvirtual
machineactive.ClicktheXtoclosethetab.Dependingonhowyouconfigure
Workstation,thevirtualmachineistheneitherpoweredofforcontinuestorunin
thebackground.
SidebarBookmarkyourfavoritevirtualmachinesandteamsofvirtualmachines
forquickaccess.Youcanalsoseewhichvirtualmachinesarepoweredon.
Rightclickcontextmenusenableyoutoperformmanyoperationsonaselected
virtualmachine.
IfyouhaveWorkstationACEEdition,anadditionalsectionofthesidebardisplays
ACEManagementServers.Foradescriptionofthisproduct,seeUpgradePathto
WorkstationACEEditiononpage 22.
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StatusbarThisareadisplaysWorkstationmessagesandaniconforeach
removabledevice.Youcanrightclickanicontodisconnectitoreditits
configuration.
MessagelogAnoteiconthatindicateswhetheranyunreadmessagesare
presentinthemessagelogfortheselectedvirtualmachine.Iftheiconisdimmed,
allmessageshavebeenread.Toopenthemessagelog,eitherdoubleclicktheicon
orrightclickitandchooseOpenMessageLog.Alternatively,fromthemenubar,
chooseVM>MessageLog.
Messagesincludewarninginformationaboutthevirtualmachine,suchasCould
notconnecttothefloppydriveorNobootabledevicewasdetected.Selectan
iteminthemessagelogtoseealongerdescriptionofthemessage.
Home Page and Views

Workstationdisplaysoneoffourviewsinthemainpartofthewindow:thehomepage,
thesummaryview,theconsoleview,ortheapplianceview.
Home Page
ClicktheHometabtodisplaytheWorkstationhomepage.Usetheiconsonthehome
pagetostartcreatinganewvirtualmachineoropenanexistingvirtualmachine.
Toclosethehomepage,clicktheXtotherightofthetabsonaWindowshostortheX
onthetabonaLinuxhost.Todisplaythehomepageagain,chooseView>GotoHome
Tab.
Summary View
Whenyouselectatabforapoweredoffvirtualmachineorteamofmachines,
Workstationdisplaysasummaryoftheconfigurationinformationaboutthatitem.
Workstationalsodisplaysasummaryforasuspendedvirtualmachineorteam.Click
theSummarytoolbarbuttonatanytimetoexaminesettingsinthesummaryview.
NOTESummarytabsappearonlyforvirtualmachinesthatarecurrentlyopen.Toopen
avirtualmachinethatisnotdisplayed,chooseFile>Open>Virtual Machine,navigate
tothevirtualmachines.vmxfile,andselectOpen.Thesummaryorconsoletab
remainsvisibleaslongasthevirtualmachineremainsopen.
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Figure 42showsanexampleofthesummaryviewforWorkstation.Thesummary
viewforWorkstationACEEditionincludesadditionalsectionsforpolicies,package
settingsandhistory,andotherACEspecificfunctionality.Formoreinformation,see
theVMwareACEAdministratorsManual.
Figure 4-2. Summary View for a Virtual Machine (Windows Host)
Summary View button
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Console View
Theconsoleviewforanactivevirtualmachineislikethemonitordisplayofaphysical
computer.
Figure 4-3. Console View (Windows Host)
Console View button
Whenavirtualmachineisactive,thenameofthevirtualmachineorteamofvirtual
machinesisdisplayedinatabatthetopoftheconsole.Toswitchfromtheactivevirtual
machineorteam,clickthetabofanothervirtualmachineorteam.Youcanusethe
consoletabsinthewindowedmodeandalsointhequickswitchmode.
Appliance View
Ifyousetupthevirtualmachinetoactasanappliance,suchasaWebserverwitha
browserbasedconsole,youcanspecifythatthedefaultviewshouldbeanappliance
view.Theapplianceviewgivesyouabriefdescriptionofthetypeofserverorappliance
andprovidesalinkthatopensthebrowseronthehostsystemandconnectstothe
appliancesmanagementconsole.
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Figure 4-4. Appliance View (Windows Host)

Appliance View button
Applianceviewisavailableonlyforvirtualmachinesthatyoudesignateasappliances,
asdescribedinDisplayingtheVirtualMachineasanApplianceonpage 170.
Displaying Multiple Virtual Machines at the Same Time

Tosimultaneouslyviewmorethanonevirtualmachinewhentheyarenotallonthe
sameteam,openmultipleWorkstationwindowsandlaunchoneormorevirtual
machinesineachWorkstationwindow.Alternately,useateamtocoordinateanduse
multiplevirtualmachineswithinasingleconsolewindow.SeeViewingTeamsand
TheirVirtualMachinesonpage 260foracompletedescriptionoftheconsoleviewfor
teams.
Toolbar Buttons
ThetoolbarareaatthetopoftheVMwareWorkstationwindowcontainsbuttonsyou
canclicktopoweryourvirtualmachinesonandoff,changetheWorkstationdisplay,
managesnapshots,andrecordvirtualmachineactivity.
Figure 4-5. Workstation Toolbar
Power toolbar
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Snapshot toolbar
View toolbar
Replay toolbar
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Thefollowinglistdescribesthetoolbarbuttons.Tocustomizethetoolbardisplay,see
CustomizingtheToolbaronpage 74.
CAUTIONWhenateamisactive,clickingthePowerOn,PowerOff,Suspend,Resume,
orResetbuttonaffectsallthevirtualmachinesinthatteam.
Powertoolbar:
PowerOffTurnsofftheactivevirtualmachineorteamlikethepowerbutton
onahardwarePC.YoucanconfigureWorkstationforasoftpoweroff(called
shutdown)orahardpoweroff(calledpoweroff).SeeShuttingDowna
VirtualMachineonpage 154orStartingandStoppingTeamsonpage 264.
SuspendStopsavirtualmachineorteaminamannerthatallowsyouto
resumeyourworklater.SeeUsingtheSuspendandResumeFeatureson
page 225.
PowerOnorResumePowersonaselectedvirtualmachineorteamthatis
poweredoff,orresumesavirtualmachineorteamthatissuspended.
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PowerOnSeeStartingaVirtualMachineonpage 150,orStarting
andStoppingTeamsonpage 264.
ResumeSeeUsingtheSuspendandResumeFeaturesonpage 225.
ResetResetsavirtualmachineorteamliketheresetbuttononaphysicalPC.
SeePoweringOffVersusShuttingDownandResettingVersusRestartingon
page 154.
Snapshottoolbar:
TakeSnapshotAllowsyoutosavethestateofavirtualmachineinthesame
manneryoumightsaveawordprocessingdocument.Youcancomebackto
thatstateifyoumakeamistakebyusingtheRevertbutton.SeeUsing
Snapshotsonpage 227.
RevertAllowsyoutoreturnavirtualmachinetotheparentstate,astate
previouslypreservedbytakingasnapshot.SeeUsingSnapshotson
page 227.
ManageSnapshotsOpensthesnapshotmanager,whereyoucanviewthe
virtualmachinesexistingsnapshots,reverttoasnapshot,takeanew
snapshot,andmakeaclonefromasnapshot.SeeWorkingwithSnapshotsin
theSnapshotManageronpage 233.
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Viewtoolbar:
ShoworHideSidebarTogglesbetweenshowingandhidingthesidebar.See
Sidebaronpage 75.
QuickSwitchEnlargestheWorkstationconsoletocovertheentirehost
monitor.Consoletabsarevisible,allowingyoutoswitchbetweenyourvirtual
machinesandteamswithasingleclick.SeeUsingQuickSwitchModeon
page 159.
FullScreenEnlargesthevirtualmachinedisplaytocovertheentirehost
monitor.Thevirtualmachinenolongerappearsinawindow.SeeUsingFull
ScreenModeonpage 158.
NOTEWorkstationmenusandtoolbararenotvisibleinfullscreenmode.
Moveyourcursortothetopofthescreentoshowthefullscreentoolbar.Press
Ctrl+Alt+EntertorestoretheWorkstationwindow.
Ifyoucannotenterfullscreenmodewhentheguestsdisplaymodeissmaller
thanthehostsdisplaymode,tryaddingthefollowinglinetothevirtual
machinesconfiguration(.vmx)file:
mks.maxRefreshRate=1000
SeeFilesThatMakeUpaVirtualMachineonpage 110foradescriptionof
thisfile.
SummaryViewDisplaysthesummaryview.SeeSummaryViewon
page 68.
ApplianceViewDisplaystheapplianceview.SeeApplianceViewon
page 70.
ConsoleViewDisplaystheconsoleview.SeeConsoleViewonpage 70.
Replaytoolbar:
ReplayLastRecordingPlaysthelastrecordingmadeforthisvirtual
machine.
RecordBeginsrecordingtheactivityofthisvirtualmachine.
StopStopsrecordingtheactivityofthisvirtualmachine.
Forinformationabouttheexperimentalrecord/replayfeature,seeRecordingand
PlayingBackVirtualMachineActivityonpage 242.
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Customizing the Toolbar

YoucancustomizetheWorkstationtoolbarbyadding,removing,andrearranging
toolbarbuttons.OnaWindowshost,thetoolbarbuttonsarearrangedinseparate
toolbarsforpowerbuttons,snapshotbuttons,viewbuttons,andrecord/replaybuttons.
OnaLinuxhost,allthebuttonsarecontainedinasingletoolbar.
To customize the toolbar display on a Linux host
1
RightclickthefarrightsideofthetoolbartodisplayaToolbarmenu.
ChoosePower,Snapshot,View,orReplaytoaddorremovethecorresponding
toolbarbuttons.
Whenachoiceischecked,thecorrespondingbuttonsaredisplayed.
Inthelowerpartofthemenu,choosethedisplaystylefortoolbarbuttons.
To customize the toolbar display on a Windows host

1
RightclickanypartofthetoolbartodisplayaToolbarmenu.
ClickPower,Snapshot,View,orReplaytoaddorremovethattoolbar.
Whenatoolbarischecked,itisdisplayed.
Tochangewhichbuttonsappearinatoolbarortheorderinwhichtheyappear,
displaythattoolbarandcontinuewiththefollowingsteps.
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RightclickthePower,Snapshot,View,orReplaytoolbartoopentheCustomize
Toolbarwindow.
TheCustomizeToolbarwindowforthattoolbarappears.Buttonslistedunder
CurrentToolbarButtonsaredisplayedinthetoolbar,intheordershowninthe
CustomizeToolbarswindow.
Makeanyofthefollowingchanges:
Toaddorremoveabuttonfromthetoolbar,selectthebuttonandclickAddor
Remove.Addaseparatortodisplayaverticallinebetweenthebuttons.
Tochangetheorderofthebuttons,selectanybuttonunderCurrentToolbar
ButtonsandclickMoveUporMoveDowntorearrangethebuttons.
Youcanalsochangetheorderofthecurrentlydisplayedbuttonswithout
openingtheCustomizeToolbarwindow:HolddowntheShiftkeywhileyou
draganddropabuttontoadifferentlocationinthetoolbar.
Torestorethedefaultsetup,withallbuttonsdisplayed,clickReset.
ClickClose.
Sidebar
Thesidebarcontainsalistoffavoritesandshowswhichvirtualmachinesorteamsof
virtualmachinesarecurrentlypoweredon.IfyouhaveWorkstationACEEdition,an
additionalsectionofthesidebardisplaysACEManagementServers.(Foradescription
ofthisproduct,seeUpgradePathtoWorkstationACEEditiononpage 22.)
To toggle the display of the Sidebar list on or off
ChooseView>Sidebar.
Ifthesidebarwasvisible,itbecomeshidden.Ifitwashidden,itisdisplayed.
The Favorites List

TheFavoriteslistletsyouorganizeandaccessfrequentlyuseditems.
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Figure 4-6. Favorites List in the Sidebar
right-click menu
Suspended icon
Powered On icon
Workstation 4
virtual machine
TheFavoriteslistprovidesthefollowingbenefits:
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FastaccessQuicklyaccessfrequentlyuseditems.Withyourvirtualmachines
andteamsontheFavoriteslist,youcanopenthemwithoutbrowsingthehostfile
system.Alsolikebrowserbookmarks,Favoriteslisticonscanbeorganizedin
folders,added,rearranged,ordeleted.
StatusDifferenticonsindicatethestatusofvirtualmachinesandteams.A
Favoriteslisticonindicateswhethertheteamorvirtualmachineispoweredoff,
poweredon,orsuspended.Abrown(ratherthanblue)virtualmachineicon
indicatesthatthevirtualmachineisaWorkstation4virtualmachine.
RightclickcommandsRightclickonaFavoritesicontodisplayamenuof
commandsyoucanuseforthatvirtualmachineorteam.Youcanclickelsewhere
intheFavoriteslist(thatis,notonavirtualmachineorteam)todisplayacontext
menufromwhichyoucanchoosetocreateanewvirtualmachine,team,orfolder.
Youcanalsoopenanexistingvirtualmachine,team,MicrosoftVirtualPCor
VirtualServervirtualmachine,StorageCraft,orSymantecBackupExecSystem
Recoverysystemimage.
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To create folders for organizing favorites

1
RightclickFavorites(oranyitemintheFavoriteslist),andchooseNewFolder.
CompletetheNewFolderdialogboxthatappears.
Youcanalsodraganddropfolderstoplaceoneinsideanother.
DraganddropFavoritesitemsinthedesiredfolder.
To add a virtual machine or team entry to the Favorites list

1
LaunchWorkstation.Forinstructions,seeStartingWorkstationonpage 66.
ChooseFile>Openandbrowsetothelocationofthevirtualmachine(.vmx file)or
team(.vmtm file)thatyouwanttoaddasafavorite.
ChooseFile>AddtoFavorites.
ThevirtualmachineorteamnameappearsintheFavoriteslist.
To add a powered on virtual machine or team to the Favorites list

1
Inthesidebar,rightclickthevirtualmachineorteaminthePoweredOnlist.
Fromthecontextmenuthatappears,chooseAddtoFavorites.
ThevirtualmachinenameappearsintheFavoriteslist.
To remove a name from the Favorites list

1
ClickanameintheFavoriteslisttoselectit.
ChooseFile>RemovefromFavorites.
ThevirtualmachinenameisremovedfromtheFavoriteslist.
YoucanremovethenameofavirtualmachinefromtheFavoriteslistatanytime.
Removingthenamedoesnotaffectthevirtualmachinesfilesoroperation.Youcanadd
thevirtualmachinetothelistagainatanytime.
To remove the currently open virtual machine from the Favorites list
ChooseFile>RemovefromFavorites.
ThevirtualmachineisremovedfromtheFavoriteslist.
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To rename a Favorite list entry for a virtual machine or a team

1
RightclicktheFavoritesitemyouwanttorename.
ChooseRenamefromthecontextmenu.
TypethenewnamefortheitemandpressEnter.
Anotherwaytochangethenameofavirtualmachineorteamistochoose
VM>Settings>Options>General(foravirtualmachine),or
Team>Settings>Options(forateam),andtypethenewnameintotheNamefield.
NOTEChangingthenameisfordisplayonlyanddoesnotrenamethevirtual
machinefilesonthehost.
Powered On List
Thislistenablesyoutofindoutwhichvirtualmachinesorteamsarecurrentlypowered
on.RightclickitemsinthePoweredOnlisttodisplayamenuofcommandsyoucan
useforthatvirtualmachineorteam.
Alternatively,youcanseethesameinformationaboutwhichmachinesarepoweredon
byrightclickingthevirtualmachinestatusiconinthenotificationareaofyourhosts
taskbar.
Checking for Product Updates

Workstationautomaticallychecksforproductupdates.Bydefault,itchecksoncea
week,atthetimeyoulaunchWorkstation.Youcanchangetheintervalfortheautomatic
checksbyusingthefollowingprocedure.
To have VMware Workstation check for updates
1
ChooseEdit>Preferences>Workspace.
OntheCheckforSoftwareUpdatesdropdownmenu,settheinterval.
TheSoftwareupdatessectionoftheWorkspacetabshowsthetimeandresultofthe
mostrecentautomaticcheckforupdatesandthetimeofthenextscheduledcheck.
YoucancheckforupdatesmanuallybychoosingHelp>CheckforUpdatesonthe
Web.Alternatively,onLinux,clickCheckNowontheWorkspacetabofthe
preferenceseditor(fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseEdit>Preferences).
NOTECheckingforproductupdatesworksonlyifthehostcomputerisconnectedto
theInternet.
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Introduction to Creating a Virtual Machine

Theinstructionsinthissectiongetyoustartedquicklywithcreatingavirtualmachine.
Onceyoucreateavirtualmachine,youwillfindtheinformationintherestofthis
chaptereasiertounderstand.
Theinstructionsinthissectiontellyoutoacceptthedefaultsettingssothatyoucan
completetheNewVirtualMachinewizardquickly.Completingtheprocedureislike
completingatutorial.Later,whenyouwanttocreatevirtualmachinesthatyouactually
useinyourworkorinaproductionenvironment,youwillwantgainadeeper
understandingofalltheoptionsavailable.Thisdetailedinformationisprovidedin
Chapter 5,CreatingaNewVirtualMachine,onpage 89.
IfyouhaveaninstallationCDforaparticularoperatingsystem,usethefollowing
procedure.Forsimplicity,itsrecommendedthatyouuseaWindowsinstallationCD.
MostWindowsoperatingsystemsfitononeCDROM,whereasLinuxrequires
multipleCDs.
To create a virtual machine and install the guest operating system
1
ChooseFile>New>VirtualMachine,tostarttheNewVirtualMachinewizardand
clickNext.
IntheSelecttheAppropriateConfigurationpage,selectTypicalandclickNext.
OntheSelectaGuestOperatingSystempage,selecttheoperatingsystem
(includingtheversion)thatyouintendtoinstallinthenewvirtualmachineand
clickNext.
Completetherestofthewizardpagesasfollows:
NametheVirtualMachinepageClickNexttoacceptthedefault.
NetworkTypepageSelectNATandclickNext.ForWindowsguests,itis
recommendedthatyouuseNATuntilyouinstallsecuritysoftware,suchas
antivirussoftware.
SpecifyDiskCapacitypageClickFinish.
VirtualmachinecreatedsuccessfullyClickClose.
ThevirtualmachineiscreatedanditsnameisaddedtotheFavoriteslist.
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Inserttheinstallationdiscfortheoperatingsysteminthehostcomputers
CDROMdrive.
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IntheWorkstationwindow,onthetabforthenewlycreatedvirtualmachine,inthe
Commandssection,clickStartthisvirtualmachine.
OnLinuxhosts,thecommandiscalledPoweronthisvirtualmachine.
Theconsoleviewforthevirtualmachineappears.Soonthebootdevice(the
CDROM)isdetectedandyouarepromptedtobegininstallationoftheoperating
system.
Followtheinstallationinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendor.
Afteryoufinishinstallingtheguestoperatingsystem,youcaninstallVMware
Tools,asdescribedinthenextstep.Makesuretheguestoperatingsystemis
runningand,ifnecessary,youareloggedin.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>InstallVMwareTools,and
completetheinstallationwizardthatappearsintheguestoperatingsystem.
Acceptthedefaultsettingsprovidedinthewizard.
ItisassumedthatyouareusingaWindowsguestoperatingsystem.Installing
VMwareToolsinaWindowssystemisasimplematterofclickingNextto
completethewizard.InstallingVMwareToolsinLinuxandSolarissystems
requiresyoutouseacommandlineprogram,asdescribedinInstallingand
UpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115.
Nowthatyouhavecreatedavirtualmachineandinstalledaguestoperatingsystem,
youcanrefertoitasyoureadtherestofthesectionsinthischapter.
IfyoudidnotentertheWorkstationserialnumberwhenyouinstalledtheproduct(an
optionavailableonaWindowshost),youarepromptedtoenteritthefirsttimeyou
attempttopoweronavirtualmachine.Theserialnumberisontheregistrationcardin
yourpackageorintheemailmessageconfirmingyourelectronicdistributionorder.
EnteryourserialnumberandclickOK.
TheserialnumberyouenterissavedandWorkstationdoesnotaskyouforitagain.For
yourconvenience,WorkstationsendstheserialnumbertotheVMwareWebsitewhen
youusecertainWeblinksbuiltintotheproduct(forexample,Help>VMwareonthe
Web>RegisterNow!andHelp>VMwareontheWeb>RequestSupport).Thisallows
VMwaretodirectyoutothecorrectWebpagetoregisterandgetsupportforyour
product.
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Introduction to Workstation Preferences

ThePreferencesdialogboxletsyouchangeanumberofsettingsthatapplytoVMware
Workstationitself,nomatterwhichvirtualmachineyouarerunning.
ThedefaultsettingsforWorkstationpreferencesarecorrectformostcases.Youshould
notchangesettingsunlessyouareanexperienceduser.
NOTEOnaLinuxhost,youmustbeloggedinasroottosaveglobalpreference
changes.
Tomakechangestothesesettings,chooseEdit>Preferences.Figure 47showsan
exampleoftheWorkstationpreferenceseditor.
Figure 4-7. Preference Editors Workspace Tab (on a Linux Host)
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FollowingisalistofthetabsinthePreferencesdialogbox,alongwithcrossreferences
tothesectionsofthismanualthatpertaintoeachtab:
WorkspacetabLetsyouconfigurethefollowingsettings:
LocationsectionLetsyouchangethedirectoryinwhichnewlycreated
virtualmachinesarestored.SeeVirtualMachineLocationonpage 152and
FilesThatMakeUpaVirtualMachineonpage 110.
VirtualMachinessectionSeveraloftheseoptionshavetodowithexiting
Workstationwhileleavingsomevirtualmachinespoweredon.SeeClosing
VirtualMachinesandExitingWorkstationonpage 86.Forinformationabout
enablingsharedfolders,seeUsingSharedFoldersonpage 173.
SoftwareUpdatessectionSeeCheckingforProductUpdatesonpage 78.
InputtabLetsyouadjustthewaythevirtualmachinecapturescontrolof
keyboardandmouse.Forexample,bydefaultthevirtualmachinegrabskeyboard
andmouseinputwhenyouclickinsidethevirtualmachine.
HotKeystabLetsyouspecifythekeycombinationthatisusedwithhotkey
sequencesforallyourvirtualmachines.Usehotkeysequencestoenterandleave
fullscreenmode,ungrabmouseandkeyboardinput,andsoon.
DisplaytabLetsyouadjustthemannerinwhichtheconsoleandthehostdisplay
accommodateadifferentguestoperatingsystemdisplayresolution.
AlsoseeFittingtheWorkstationConsoletotheVirtualMachineDisplayon
page 165andUsingFullScreenModeonpage 158.
MemorytabFordetailsonadjustingmemorysettingsinVMwareWorkstation,
seeMemoryonpage 374.OnLinux,youmustberunningWorkstationasrootin
ordertochangethesettingsontheMemorytabofthepreferenceseditor.
PrioritytabForinformationaboutthesnapshotsettingsonthistab,see
EnablingSnapshotActionsasaBackgroundActivityonpage 231.OnLinux,
youmustberunningWorkstationasrootinordertochangethissetting.
ForinformationabouttheprocessprioritysettingsavailableonWindowshosts,
seeConfiguringProcessSchedulingonWindowsHostsonpage 373.
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Lockouttab(Windowshostsonly)Letsyourestrictwhocancreatenewvirtual
machines,editvirtualmachineconfigurations,andchangenetworkingsettings.
Fordetails,seeLockingOutInterfaceFeatures(WindowsHostsOnly)on
page 391.
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ToolstabLetsyouspecifywhetheryouwanttoautomaticallyupgradeVMware
ToolsonWindowsandLinuxguestsystemswhenanewversionbecomes
available.OnLinuxhosts,youmustberunningWorkstationasrootinorderto
changethesettingsontheToolstabofthepreferenceseditor.
VMwareToolsisasuiteofutilitiesthatenhancestheperformanceofthevirtual
machinesguestoperatingsystemandimprovesmanagementofthevirtual
machinebyWorkstation.SeeChapter 6,InstallingandUsingVMwareTools,on
page 113.
Devicestab(Windowshostsonly)Bydefault,theautorunfeaturementionedon
thistabisdisabledbydefault.Therefore,youneedtomanuallyconnecttothe
CDROMdrivebyusingtheVM>RemovableDevicesmenu,asdescribedin
ConnectingandDisconnectingRemovableDevicesonpage 182.
Inadditiontothecrossreferencesmentionedinthislist,moreinformationaboutthe
settingsoneachtabisavailableintheWorkstationonlinehelp.ClicktheHelpbutton
inthePreferencesdialogbox.
Thesettingsonthefollowingtabsapplyonlytotheusercurrentlyloggedontothehost
computer:Workspacetab,Inputtab,HotKeystab,Prioritytab,andToolstab.
Thesettingsonthefollowingtabsapplynomatterwhichvirtualmachineisrunningor
whichuserisloggedontothehostcomputer:Displaytab,Memorytab,Lockouttab,
andDevicestab.
Introduction to Virtual Machine Settings

Workstationconfiguresanewvirtualmachinebasedontheguestoperatingsystemyou
selectintheNewVirtualMachinewizard.Afterthevirtualmachineiscreated,youcan
usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)tochangeanyconfiguration
optionssetbythewizard.
Hardware Tab
UsetheHardwaretabtoadd,remove,andconfigurevirtualdevicesfortheselected
virtualmachine.Toaddandremovehardware,andtochangemanyofthe
configurationsettings,youneedtopoweroff(butnotclose)thevirtualmachinebefore
displayingthisdialogbox.
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Figure 4-8. Virtual Machine Settings Hardware Tab
Whenyouselectaniteminthehardwarelist,theoptionsthatcorrespondtotheitem
aredisplayedontherightsideofthedialogbox.Forexample,inFigure 48,memory
optionsaredisplayedbecausetheMemoryitemisselected.
TopicsandchaptersrelatedtoeachofthevirtualdevicesintheHardwarelistare
providedlaterinthismanual.Todisplayonlinehelpforanitemyouselectinthe
Hardwarelist,clicktheHelpbutton.
Options Tab
TheOptionstabletsyouadjustcharacteristicsoftheselectedvirtualmachine:
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Manyoptionscontrolinteractionsbetweenthehostandtheguestoperating
system,suchashowfolderscanbeshared,howfilesaretransferred,andwhat
happenstoaguestoperatingsystemwhenyouexitWorkstation.
SomeoptionsletyouoverridesimilarPreferencesdialogboxoptions,whichare
globalpreferencessetforallvirtualmachines.Forexample,youcanusethe
AdvancedoptiontooverridetheprocessprioritiessetonthePrioritytabinthe
Preferencesdialogbox.
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Someoptionsletyouchangesettingsyoumightinitiallymakewhenrunningthe
NewVirtualMachinewizardtocreateavirtualmachine.Forexample,youcanuse
theGeneraloptionstochangethenameofthevirtualmachine.
Figure 4-9. Virtual Machine Settings Options Tab
ThesettingsforthevirtualmachineOptionstabarediscussedlaterinthismanual,in
thetaskspecifictopicsandprocedureswhereyouwouldusethem.Todisplayonline
helpforanitemyouselectintheOptionslist,clicktheHelpbutton.
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Closing Virtual Machines and Exiting Workstation

Whenyoucloseavirtualmachineorteam,andwhenyouexitWorkstation,ifany
virtualmachinesarestillpoweredon,youarepromptedtospecifyoneofthefollowing
actionstotake:
Continuerunningthevirtualmachineinthebackground.Ifavirtualmachine
continuesrunningafteryouexitWorkstation,youcanstillinteractwithitthrough
VNCorsomeotherservice.
Suspendthevirtualmachine.Thesuspendoperationsavesthestateofthevirtual
machine.Formoreinformation,seeUsingtheSuspendandResumeFeatureson
page 225.
Powerthevirtualmachineoff.Ifyouhaveconfiguredthepoweroperationtodoa
softpoweroff,aVMwareToolsscriptrunsinordertocleanlyshutdownthe
guestoperatingsystembeforepoweringoff.Formoreinformation,seePowering
OffVersusShuttingDownandResettingVersusRestartingonpage 154.
IfyoudontwanttoreceiveaprompteverytimeyouexitWorkstationorcloseavirtual
machineorteam,youcansetapreferencetospecifythatyouwantvirtualmachinesto
alwaysruninthebackgroundwhenyouexit.
To set virtual machines to run in the background
Dooneofthefollowing:
RespondtothepromptwhenyouclosethevirtualmachineorexitWorkstation,as
follows:ClickRuninBackground.
SetaWorkstationpreference:
a
FromtheVMwareWorkstationmenubar,chooseEdit>Preferences.
OntheWorkspacetab,selectRunpoweredonvirtualmachinesin
backgroundaftercloseandclickOK.
Virtualmachineswillruninthebackgroundwhenyoucloseataborexit
Workstation.Youwillnolongerbeprompted.
Bydefault,whenvirtualmachinesruninthebackground,astatusiconisdisplayedin
thenotificationareaofthetaskbar.Placeyourmousepointerovertheicontodisplaya
atooltipthatshowsthenumberofvirtualmachinesandteamsthatarerunninginthe
background.Thesearethevirtualmachinesandteamsthatbelongtotheloggedinuser.
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Keyboard Shortcuts
Ifyouprefertoworkfromthekeyboard,usethekeyboardshortcutsshowninTable 41.
IfyouchangedthePreferencessettingforthehotkeycombination,substituteyournew
settingforCtrl+AltasneededintheshortcutslistedinTable 41.
Table 4-1. Keyboard Shortcuts
Shortcut
Action
Ctrl+B
Poweron.
Ctrl+E
Poweroff.
Ctrl+R
Resetthepower.
Ctrl+Z
Suspend.
Ctrl+N
Createanewvirtualmachine.
Ctrl+O
Openavirtualmachine.
Ctrl+F4
Closethesummary/consoleviewfortheselectedvirtualmachine.
Aconfirmationdialogappearsonlyifthevirtualmachineispoweredon.
Ctrl+D
Editthevirtualmachinesconfiguration.
F9
Togglebetweendisplayingandhidingthesidebar.
Ctrl+G
Grabinputfromkeyboardandmouse.
Ctrl+P
Editpreferences.
Ctrl+Alt+Enter
Togglebetweenfullscreenmodeandwindowedmode.
Ctrl+Alt
Releasethemousecursor.Ifthevirtualmachineisinthetypeoffullscreen
modecalledexclusivemode,pressingCtrl+Altbringsthevirtualmachine
outofexclusivemodeandintofullscreenmode.
Ctrl+Alt+Tab
Switchamongopenvirtualmachineswhilemouseandkeyboardinput
aregrabbed.
Ctrl+Tab
arenotgrabbed.VMwareWorkstationmustbetheactiveapplication.
Ctrl+Shift+Tab
arenotgrabbed.VMwareWorkstationmustbetheactiveapplication.
Ctrl+Shift+right
arrow
Infullscreenmode,switchtothenextpoweredonvirtualmachine.
Ctrl+Shift+left
arrow
Infullscreenmode,switchtothepreviouspoweredonvirtualmachine.
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VMware, Inc.
Creating a New Virtual

Machine
Thischapterdiscusseshowtocreateanewvirtualmachineandinstallaguest
operatingsystem.Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:
SettingUpaNewVirtualMachineonpage 89
InstallingaGuestOperatingSystemonpage 97
ImportingVirtualMachinesfromOtherFormats(WindowsHostsOnly)on
page 100
FilesThatMakeUpaVirtualMachineonpage 110
Setting Up a New Virtual Machine

Thissectiondescribeshowtocreateanewvirtualmachinefromscratch.Ifinstead,you
wouldliketocreateavirtualmachinefromasystemimageorfromavirtualmachine
fromathirdparty,seeImportingVirtualMachinesfromOtherFormats(Windows
HostsOnly)onpage 100.
Before You Begin

AsyoucompletetheNewVirtualMachinewizard,youarepromptedtomake
decisionsaboutmanyaspectsofthevirtualmachine.Thissectionprovidesinformation
abouttheissuesinvolvedsothatyoucandeterminewhichchoicesyouwanttomake
beforerunningthewizard.
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Typical Versus Custom Configurations

Aswithmanytypesofinstallationwizards,theNewVirtualMachinewizardprompts
youtochoosebetweendoingatypicalorcustominstallation.IfyouselectTypical,the
wizardpromptsyoutospecifyoracceptdefaultsforthefollowingchoices:
Theguestoperatingsystem.Forinformation,seeGuestOperatingSystem
Selectiononpage 91.
Thevirtualmachinenameandthelocationofthevirtualmachinesfiles.For
information,seeVirtualMachineLocationonpage 91.
Thenetworkconnectiontype.Forinformation,seeNetworkConnectionTypeon
page 92.
Whethertoallocateallthespaceforavirtualdiskatthetimeyoucreateit.For
information,seeDiskCapacityonpage 94.
Whethertosplitavirtualdiskinto2GBfiles.Forinformation,seeDiskCapacity
onpage 94.
Youarenotpromptedtospecifythevirtualmachineversion.Thevirtualmachine
version(Workstation4,5,or6)isassumedtobetheonespecifiedinthepreferences
editor(fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseEdit>Preferences,andseethesetting
forDefaulthardwarecompatibility).
Manycircumstancescancauseyoutoselectacustominstallation.SelectCustomifyou
wantto:
Makeadifferentversionofvirtualmachinethanwhatisspecifiedinthe
preferenceseditor(fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseEdit>Preferences,and
seethesettingforDefaulthardwarecompatibility).
SpecifywhetheryouwanttocreateanIDEoraSCSIvirtualdisk,regardlessofthe
defaultthatisusuallyusedfortheguestoperatingsystem.
Inordertofindoutwhattypeofvirtualdiskwouldbecreatedbydefaultfora
particularoperatingsystem,selecttheCustomoptionandclickNextthroughthe
wizardpages,selectthedesiredguestoperatingsystem,andthencontinue
throughthewizarduntilyougettothepagecalledSelectaDiskType.Thedefault
isalreadyselected.
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Useaphysicaldiskratherthanavirtualdisk(forexpertusers).Thistopicis
discussedinVirtualDisksandPhysicalDisksonpage 94.
Useanexistingvirtualdiskratherthancreateanewvirtualdisk.Thistopicis
discussedinVirtualDisksandPhysicalDisksonpage 94.
Setmemoryoptionsthataredifferentfromthedefaults.
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Chapter 5 Creating a New Virtual Machine
Assignmorethanonevirtualprocessortothevirtualmachine.Thistopicis
discussedinNumberofProcessorsonpage 92.
Createavirtualmachineforendusers.ThistopicisdiscussedinUsingFull
ScreenSwitchMode(WindowsHostsOnly)onpage 395.
Guest Operating System Selection

Thewizardpromptsyoutospecifywhichtypeofoperatingsystemyouplantoinstall
intheguest.ExamplesincludeWindows2000Professional,RedHatLinux4,and
Ubuntu64bit.Workstationusesthisinformationto:
Selectappropriatedefaultvalues,suchastheamountofmemoryneeded
Namefilesassociatedwiththevirtualmachine
Adjustsettingsforoptimalperformance
Workaroundspecialbehaviorsandbugswithinaguestoperatingsystem
Donotattempttoinstalla64bitoperatingsystemafterselectinga32bitguest
operatingsystemtypehere.
Iftheoperatingsystemyouplantouseisnotlisted,selectOtherforbothguest
operatingsystemandversion.
NOTEWorkstationsupports64bitguestoperatingsystemsonlyinWorkstation
versions5.5andlater,andonlyonhostmachineswithsupportedprocessors.Forthe
listofprocessorsWorkstationsupportsfor64bitguestoperatingsystems,seethe
VMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuide,availablefromtheHelpmenu.
Virtual Machine Location

Thefollowingexamplesshowthedefaultlocationssuggestedforvirtualmachines.
Windowshosts:OnWindows2000,WindowsXP,andWindowsServer2003,the
defaultfolderforaWindowsXPProfessionalvirtualmachineis:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Virtual
Machines\Windows XP Professional
OnWindowsVista,thedefaultfolderis:
C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Virtual Machines\Windows XP Professional
Linuxhosts:ThedefaultlocationforaWindowsXPProfessionalvirtualmachine
is<homedir>/vmware/Windows XP Professional,where<homedir>isthe
homedirectoryoftheuserwhoiscurrentlyloggedon.
Virtualmachineperformancemightbeslowerifyourvirtualharddiskisonanetwork
drive.Forbestperformance,besurethevirtualmachinesfolderisonalocaldrive.
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However,ifotherusersneedtoaccessthisvirtualmachine,youshouldconsider
placingthevirtualmachinefilesinalocationthatisaccessibletothem.Formore
information,seeSharingVirtualMachineswithOtherUsersonpage 193.
Number of Processors
Thisoptionisavailableforcustomconfigurationsonly.Settingthevirtualmachineto
havetwoprocessorsissupportedonlyforhostmachineswithatleasttwological
processors.(Ifyouarecreatingaversion4virtualmachine,youwillnotseethispanel.)
Thefollowingareallconsideredtohavetwologicalprocessors:
AsingleprocessorhostwithadualcoreCPU
AmultiprocessorhostwithtwoCPUs,regardlessofwhethertheyaredualcoreor
havehyperthreadingenabled
FormoreaboutWorkstationsupportforvirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(SMP),see
UsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(Experimental)onpage 367.
Network Connection Type

Youhaveseveraloptions:
BridgednetworkingIfyourhostcomputerisonanetworkandyouhavea
separateIPaddressforyourvirtualmachine(orcangetoneautomaticallyfroma
DHCPserver),selectUsebridgednetworking.Othercomputersonthenetwork
canthencommunicatedirectlywiththevirtualmachine.
NATIfyoudonothaveaseparateIPaddressforyourvirtualmachinebutyou
wanttobeabletoconnecttotheInternet,selectUsenetworkaddresstranslation
(NAT).Thevirtualmachineandthehostshareasinglenetworkidentitythatisnot
visibleoutsidethenetwork.
HostonlyHostonlynetworkingprovidesanetworkconnectionbetweenthe
virtualmachineandthehostcomputer,usingavirtualEthernetadapterthatis
visibletothehostoperatingsystem.Withhostonlynetworking,thevirtual
machinecancommunicateonlywiththehostandothervirtualmachinesinthe
hostonlynetwork.Thisapproachcanbeusefulifyouneedtosetupanisolated
virtualnetwork.
NoconnectionYoucanalwayssetupaconnectionafteryoufinishcreatingthe
virtualmachine.
FormoredetailsaboutWorkstationnetworkingoptions,seeConfiguringa
VirtualNetworkonpage 273.
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VMware, Inc.
SCSI Adapter Types

Thisoptionisavailableforcustomconfigurationsonly.AnIDEandaSCSIadapterare
installedinthevirtualmachine.TheIDEadapterisalwaysATAPI.FortheSCSI
adapter,youcanchooseBusLogicorLSILogic.Thedefaultforyourguestoperating
systemisalreadyselected.AllguestsexceptforWindowsVista,WindowsServer2003,
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3,andNetWaredefaulttotheBusLogicadapter.For
WindowsVistaguests,youronlychoiceisLSILogic.
NOTETheLSILogicadapterhasimprovedperformanceandworksbetterwithgeneric
SCSIdevices.TheLSILogicadapterisalsosupportedbyESXServer2.0andhigher.
KeepthisinmindifyouplantomigratethevirtualmachinetoanotherVMware
product.
YourchoiceofSCSIadapterdoesnotaffectyourdecisiontomakeyourvirtualdiskan
IDEorSCSIdisk.However,someguestoperatingsystems,suchas32bitWindows XP,
donotincludeadriverfortheBuslogicorLSILogicadapter.Youmustdownloadthe
driverfromtheLSILogicWebsite.
NOTEDriversforaMylex(BusLogic)compatiblehostbusadapterarenotobviouson
theLSILogicWebsite.Searchthesupportareaforthenumericstringinthemodel
number.Forexample,searchfor958forBT/KT958drivers.
SeetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuidefordetailsaboutthedriverand
theguestoperatingsystemyouplantoinstallinthisvirtualmachine.
Disk Modes: Normal or Independent

ThisoptionisavailableonLinuxhostsforcustomconfigurationsonly.Thedefault,
normalmodeistoincludedisksinanysnapshotsyoutake.Youcanchangethis
behavior,however.Ifyoudonotwantdataonthedisktoberecordedwhenyoutakea
snapshotofthevirtualmachine,youcanconfigurethedisktobeindependent.For
moreinformation,seeUsingSnapshotsonpage 227.
Ifyouconfigurethedisktobeindependent,youcanfurtherspecifywhetherchanges
youmaketothediskshouldpersistorbediscardedwhenyoupoweroffthevirtual
machineorrestoreittoasnapshot.
OnLinuxhosts,youcanspecifythesesettingsintheNewVirtualMachinewizard,on
theSelectaDiskTypepage,intheModesection.OnWindowshosts,youcanusethe
virtualmachinesettingseditor.Afteryoucreatethevirtualmachine,selectitandfrom
theWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Hardware>HardDisk>Advanced.
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Virtual Disks and Physical Disks

Thisoptionisavailableforcustomconfigurationsonly.Ifyouuseatypical
configuration,anewvirtualdiskiscreatedandusedforthevirtualmachine.Virtual
disksarethebestchoiceformostvirtualmachines.Theyarequickandeasytosetup
andcanbemovedtonewlocationsonthesamehostcomputerortodifferenthost
computers.
Evenforcustomconfigurations,youusuallychoosetheoptionCreateaNewVirtual
Disk,thoughinsomecasesyoumightwanttochooseUseanExistingVirtualDisk,to
useavirtualdiskyouhavecreatedpreviously.Inthiscase,thewizarddisplaysapage
foryoutoenterthepathorbrowsetotheexistingvirtualdisk(.vmdk)file.
Touseaphysicalharddisk(arawdisk)orIDEdiskpartition,seeUsingPhysical
DisksinaVirtualMachineonpage 207.VMwarerecommendsthatyoudonotusea
physicaldiskconfigurationunlessyouareanexpertuser.
Disk Capacity
Thewizardpromptsyoutosetasizebetween0.1GBand950GBforaSCSIvirtualdisk.
Youthenchoosewhethertoallocateallthediskspacenoworallowthevirtualmachine
togrowasyouuseit.Itisrecommendedthatyouallowthedisktogrow.
TheoptionAllocatealldiskspacenowgivessomewhatbetterperformanceforyour
virtualmachine.Ifyouallocateallthedisknow,youwillnotbeabletousetheshrink
diskfeaturelater.
NOTEAllocatingalldiskspacenowisatimeconsumingoperationthatcannotbe
canceled,andrequiresasmuchphysicaldiskspaceasyouspecifyforthevirtualdisk.
YouarealsogiventheoptionSplitdiskinto2GBfiles.Selectthisoptionifyourvirtual
diskisstoredonafilesystemthatdoesnotsupportfileslargerthan2GB.
Using the New Virtual Machine Wizard

TheNewVirtualMachinewizardguidesyouthroughthekeystepsforsettingupanew
virtualmachine,helpingyousetvariousoptionsandparameters.Youcanthenusethe
virtualmachinesettingseditor(fromthemenubar,chooseVM>Settings)ifyouneed
tomakeanychangestoyourvirtualmachinessetup.
Thissectionincludesthefollowingprocedures:
94
Tocreateavirtualmachinebyusingthetypicalsetuponpage 95
Tocreateavirtualmachinebyusingthecustomsetuponpage 95
VMware, Inc.
Ifyouneedassistanceindeterminingwhichtypeofsetuptouse,seeTypicalVersus
CustomConfigurationsonpage 90.
To create a virtual machine by using the typical setup
1
clickNext.
IntheSelecttheAppropriateConfigurationpage,selectTypicalandclickNext.
clickNext.
Formoreinformation,seeGuestOperatingSystemSelectiononpage 91.
OntheNametheVirtualMachinepage,selectanameandfolderforthevirtual
machineandclickNext.
ThenameyouenterhereisusedifyouaddthisvirtualmachinetotheVMware
WorkstationFavoriteslist.Thisnameisalsousedasthenameofthefolderwhere
allthefilesassociatedwiththisvirtualmachinearestored.
Eachvirtualmachineshouldhaveitsownfolder.Formoreinformation,see
VirtualMachineLocationonpage 91.
OntheNetworkTypepage,configurethenetworkingcapabilitiesofthevirtual
Formoreinformation,seeNetworkConnectionTypeonpage 92.
OntheSpecifyDiskCapacitypage,enterthesizeofthevirtualdisk,specifythe
wayyouwantthediskspaceallocated,andclickFinish.
Formoreinformation,seeDiskCapacityonpage 94.
Nowthatthevirtualmachineiscreated,continueonwithInstallingaGuestOperating
Systemonpage 97.
To create a virtual machine by using the custom setup
1
clickNext.
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IntheSelecttheAppropriateConfigurationpage,selectCustomandclickNext.
OntheChoosetheVirtualMachineHardwareCompatibilitypage,specify
whetheryouwanttocreateaWorkstation4,5,or6virtualmachineandclickNext.
WhenyoumakeaselectionfromtheHardwareCompatibilitylist,youwillseea
listofotherVMwareproductsandversionsthatarecompatiblewithyour
selection.Youwillalsoseealistoffeaturesthatwillnotbeavailableforthat
version.
clickNext.
Formoreinformation,seeGuestOperatingSystemSelectiononpage 91.
OntheNametheVirtualMachinepage,selectanameandfolderforthevirtual
ThenameyouenterhereisusedifyouaddthisvirtualmachinetotheVMware
WorkstationFavoriteslist.Thisnameisalsousedasthenameofthefolderwhere
allthefilesassociatedwiththisvirtualmachinearestored.
Eachvirtualmachineshouldhaveitsownfolder.Formoreinformation,see
IfyouarecreatingaWorkstation5or6virtualmachine,ontheProcessor
Configurationpage,selectthenumberofprocessorsforthevirtualmachineand
clickNext.
Formoreinformation,seeNumberofProcessorsonpage 92.
OntheMemoryfortheVirtualMachinepage,eitheradjustthememorysettingsor
acceptthedefaultsettingandclickNext.
Inmostcases,itisbesttokeepthedefaultmemorysetting.Ifyouplantousethe
virtualmachinetorunmanyapplicationsorapplicationsthatneedlargeamounts
ofmemory,youmightwanttouseahighermemorysetting.Formoreinformation,
seeSettingtheMemorySizeofaVirtualMachineonpage 374.
NOTEYoucannotallocatemorethan2GBofmemorytoavirtualmachineifthe
virtualmachinesfilesarestoredonafilesystemsuchasWindows9.xandMEwith
FAT16thatdoesnotsupportfilesgreaterthan2GB.
OntheNetworkTypepage,configurethenetworkingcapabilitiesofthevirtual
Formoreinformation,seeNetworkConnectionTypeonpage 92.
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10
OntheSelectI/OAdapterTypespage,selectthetypeofSCSIadapteryouwantto
usewiththevirtualmachineandclickNext.
Formoreinformation,seeSCSIAdapterTypesonpage 93.
11
OntheSelectaDiskpage,selectwhethertocreateanIDEorSCSIdiskandclick
Next.
Formoreinformation,seeVirtualDisksandPhysicalDisksonpage 94.
12
OntheSelectaDiskTypepage,selectwhethertocreateanIDEorSCSIdiskand
clickNext.
Thewizardrecommendsthebestchoicebasedontheguestoperatingsystemyou
selected.AllLinuxdistributionsyoucanselectinthewizarduseSCSIvirtualdisks
bydefault,asdoseveralnewerWindowsoperatingsystemsand64bitoperating
systems.
13
(Linuxhostsonly)AlsoontheSelectaDiskTypepage,ifyouwanttoexcludedisks
fromsnapshots,intheModesection,selectIndependentforthemodeandchoose
oneofthefollowingoptions:
PersistentChangesareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothedisk.
NonpersistentChangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupoweroffor
reverttoasnapshot.
Formoreinformation,seeUsingSnapshotsonpage 227.
14
OntheSpecifyDiskCapacitypage,enterthesizeofthevirtualdisk,specifythe
wayyouwantthediskspaceallocated,andclickNext.
Formoreinformation,seeDiskCapacityonpage 94.
15
OntheSpecifyDiskFilepage,enterthelocationofthevirtualdisksfilesandclick
Finish.
Thewizardsetsupthefilesneededforyourvirtualmachine.
Nowthatthevirtualmachineiscreated,continueonwithInstallingaGuestOperating
Systemonpage 97.
Installing a Guest Operating System

Anewvirtualmachineislikeaphysicalcomputerwithablankharddisk.Beforeyou
canuseit,youneedtopartitionandformatthevirtualdiskandinstallanoperating
system.Theoperatingsystemsinstallationprogrammighthandlethepartitioningand
formattingstepsforyou.
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97
InstallingaguestoperatingsysteminsideyourVMwareWorkstationvirtualmachine
isessentiallythesameasinstallingitonaphysicalcomputer.
To install a guest operating system
1
InserttheinstallationCDROMorfloppydiskforyourguestoperatingsystem.
Insomehostconfigurations,thevirtualmachinecannotbootfromtheinstallation
CDROM.YoucanworkaroundthatproblembycreatinganISOimagefilefrom
theinstallationCDROM.Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(choose
VM>Settings)toconnectthevirtualmachinesCDdrivetotheISOimagefile,and
poweronthevirtualmachine.
IftheoperatingsystemspansseveralCDs,whenyouarepromptedtoinsertthe
secondCD:
a
DisconnectfromthecurrentimagebychoosingVM>Removable
Devices>CDROM>Disconnect.
EdittheCDsettingsbychoosingVM>RemovableDevices>CDROM>Edit.
ForUseISOimagefile,clickBrowse,andselecttheISOimageforthesecond
CD.
IntheDeviceStatusarea,selecttheConnectedcheckboxandclickOK.
Intheguestoperatingsystem,clickOKorotherwiserespondtotheprompt
sothatinstallationcancontinue.RepeatthisprocessforadditionalCDs.
ClickthePowerOnbuttontopoweronyourvirtualmachine.
Followtheinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendor.
ThenextsectionprovidesnotesoninstallingaWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem.
ThestepsarethesameonaLinuxhost.
Forinformationoninstallingotherguestoperatingsystems,seetheVMwareGuest
OperatingSystemInstallationGuide,availablefromtheVMwareWebsiteorfromthe
Helpmenu.
versions5.5andlater,andonlyonhostmachineswithsupportedprocessors.Forthe
listofprocessorsWorkstationsupportsfor64bitguestoperatingsystems,seethe
VMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuide.
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VMware, Inc.
Example: Installing Windows XP as a Guest Operating System

YoucaninstallWindowsXPHomeEditionorWindowsXPProfessionalinavirtual
machineusingthefullinstallationCD.
Beforeinstallingtheoperatingsystem,makesurethatyouhavealreadycreatedanew
virtualmachineandconfigureditusingtheNewVirtualMachinewizard.SeeSetting
UpaNewVirtualMachineonpage 89.
NOTETouseSCSIdisksina32bitWindowsXPvirtualmachine,youneedaspecial
SCSIdriveravailablefromthedownloadsectionoftheVMwareWebsite.Followthe
instructionsontheWebsitetousethedriverwithafreshinstallationofWindowsXP.
To install Windows XP as a guest operating system
1
Dooneofthefollowingtoaccesstheinstallationmediafortheguestoperating
system:
ConfigurethevirtualmachinetousethehostsCDROMdrive,andinsertthe
WindowsXPCDintheCDROMdrive.SeeAddingDVDorCDDrivestoa
VirtualMachineonpage 213.
ConnecttoanISOimageofaninstallationdisk.SeeConnectinga
CDROM/DVDorFloppyDrivetoanImageFileonpage 215.
NOTEIfyouplantouseaPXEservertoinstalltheguestoperatingsystemovera
networkconnection,youdonotneedtheoperatingsysteminstallationmedia.
Whenyoupoweronthevirtualmachineinthenextstep,thevirtualmachine
detectsthePXEserver.
2
PoweronthevirtualmachinetostartinstallingWindowsXP.
FollowtheWindowsXPinstallationstepsasyouwouldforaphysicalcomputer.
Whentheinstallerisfinished,youhaveavirtualmachinerunningWindowsXP.
InstallVMwareTools,asdescribedinInstallingandUpgradingVMwareTools
onpage 115.
Upgrading a Guest Operating System

WhenyouusetheNewVirtualMachinewizardtocreateavirtualmachine,oneofthe
settingsyouspecifyistheguestoperatingsystemtypeandversion.Workstation
choosesconfigurationdefaultsbasedontheguesttypeandversionyouchoose.
Ifyouupgradeaguestoperatingsystemtoanewerversion,alsoupdatetheguest
operatingsystemversionforthevirtualmachine.
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To upgrade a guest operating system

1
StartWorkstationandselectthevirtualmachine.
Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings.
Thevirtualmachinesettingseditoropens.
ClickOptions.
TheGeneraloptionisselectedbydefault.
FromtheVersionfield,selecttheversionthatyouplantoupgradetoandclickOK.
Thesettingyouspecifyhereiswrittentothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.
Thissettingdoesnotactuallychangetheguestoperatingsystemitself.
Followtheupgradeinstructionsprovidedbytheoperatingsystemvendor.
Configuring the Guest Operating System

Aftertheguestoperatingsystemisinstalled,youcanusethestandardtoolswithinthe
operatingsystemtoconfigureitssettings.
Importing Virtual Machines from Other Formats

(Windows Hosts Only)
Workstation6incorporatestheConverterImportwizardfromtheVMwareConverter
product.UsingtheConverterImportwizardtoperformaconversiontoVMware
virtualmachinesenablesyouto:
100
Avoidreinstallingoperatingsystemsandapplicationsforsystemconfigurations
youuseoften.
Overcomelegacymigrationbarriers.Certainlegacysystemsmightbeimpossible
torecreatethroughreinstallation.
Convertaphysicalmachineintoavirtualmachine.
Usevirtualmachinesorsystemimagescreatedwithproductsfromother
companiessuchasNorton,Symantec,andStorageCraft.
VMware, Inc.
Summary of the Conversion Process

Workstationprovidestwowaystoconvertavirtualmachineorsystemimage:
UsetheFile>Opentoconvertandopenavirtualmachineorsystemimagequickly.
Workstationusesdefaultsettingstomaketheconversionautomatically,withno
inputrequiredfromyou.TheoriginalMicrosoftVirtualPC,SymantecBackup
ExecSystemRecovery,orStorageCraftconfiguration(.vmc,.spf,or.sv2i)fileis
unchanged.TheFile>Opencommandcreatesalinkedclonewhenitopensthefile.
Ifyouattempttoopenavirtualmachineorsystemimagethatis
passwordprotected,youwillbepromptedtousetheConverterImportwizard.
UsetheFile>Importcommandtospecifyanumberofoptionsfortheconverted
virtualmachine:theconvertedvirtualmachineslocation,whetherornotthe
convertedvirtualmachinesharesvirtualdiskswiththeoriginalvirtualmachineor
systemimage,andwhethertheconvertedvirtualmachineistobecompatiblewith
Workstation4.x,5.x,or6.x;ESX2.xor3.x;GSXServer3.x;orVMwareACE1.xor2.
DetailedproceduresareprovidedinOpeningandImportingaVirtualMachineor
SystemImageonpage 108.
ThewizardoutputsacompletelynewVMwarevirtualmachinebasedontheinput
virtualmachineorsystemimage.ThenewlymigratedVMwarevirtualmachineretains
theconfigurationoftheoriginalvirtualmachineorimage.
Themigrationprocessisnondestructive,soyoucancontinuetousetheoriginalvirtual
machinewithMicrosoftVirtualPC,ortheoriginalsystemimagewithSymantec
BackupExecSystemRecovery.However,ifyouplantorunanewVMwarevirtual
machineonthesamenetworkastheoriginalVirtualPCvirtualmachine,youmust
modifythenetworknameandIPaddressononeofthevirtualmachines,sotheoriginal
andnewvirtualmachinescancoexist.
Thissectionincludesthefollowingtopics:
VMwareConverterVersustheImporterWizardinWorkstationonpage 102
ConverterImportWizard:OverviewandSupportedSourceMachineson
page 102
SupportedDestinationsonpage 105
HowConvertingAffectsSettingsonpage 107
OpeningandImportingaVirtualMachineorSystemImageonpage 108
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VMware Converter Versus the Importer Wizard in Workstation

Aswasmentionedpreviously,Workstation6incorporatestheConverterImportwizard
fromtheVMwareConverterproduct.VMwareConverterisaseparatedownloadable
applicationforWindowshoststhatprovidesaneasytouse,scalablesolutionfor
migrationsofmachines,bothphysicaltovirtualandvirtualtovirtual.Inadditiontothe
ConverterImportwizard,VMwareConverterprovidesataskmanager,whichletsyou
schedulemigrationsofmanymachines.
TheConverterImportwizardincludedwithWorkstationenablesyoutocreate
VMwarevirtualmachinesfromalocalorremotephysicalmachineorfromvirtual
machinesandsystemimagesthatwereoriginallycreatedbyusingotherproductsthan
VMwareproducts.Youcanalsousethewizardtochangeavirtualmachineusingone
VMwareformattothatusinganother.Forexample,youcancopyaVMwareServer
virtualmachineanduseittocreateanESXvirtualmachine.
ThisConverterImportwizardfunctionalityisincludedwithWorkstation,buttouse
otherfeaturesofVMwareConverter,suchasitstaskmanager,ortheabilitytoimport
morethanonevirtualmachineatatime,youneedtodownloadtheVMwareConverter.
Converter Import Wizard: Overview and Supported Source

Machines
TheVMwareConverterImportwizardinWorkstationallowsyoutoimportthe
followingtypesofphysicalandvirtualmachines:
Physicalmachines:
WindowsNTSP6+(withInternetExplorer5orhigher)
Windows2000
Windows200332bitand64bit
WindowsXPProfessional32bitand64bit
NOTETheVMwareConverterImportwizardincludedwithWorkstationdoesnot
convertWindowsVistaphysicalmachinestovirtualmachines.Italsodoesnot
supportconvertingWindowsVistaimages.
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VMware, Inc.
VMwarevirtualmachines(.vmxand.vmtnfiles):
Workstation4.x,5.x,and6.x
VMwarePlayer1.xand2.x
ESXServer3.x
ESXServer2.5.x(ifthevirtualmachineismanagedwithVirtualCenter2.x)
GSXServer3.x
VMwareServer1.x
VirtualCenter2.x
Virtualmachinesmustbepoweredoffbeforeyouattemptthemigrationprocess.
Suspendedvirtualmachinescannotbemigrated.
Othervirtualmachinesandsystemimages:
StorageCraftimages(.spffiles)
MicrosoftVirtualPC7.xandhigher(.vmcfiles)
AnyversionofMicrosoftVirtualServer(.vmcfiles)
SymantecBackupExecSystemRecoveryformerlyLiveStateRecovery
(.sv2ifiles)
NortonGhostimages9.xandhigher(.sv2ifiles)
TheoperatingsystemonthesourceMicrosoftVirtual PCorVirtual Servervirtual

machinemustbeaWindowsguestoperatingsystembutnotWindows
9xsupportedbytheintendedVMwareplatform(forexample,Workstation4,5,
or6).SeetheVMwareWebsiteforalistofsupportedoperatingsystems:
www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.
NOTEVirtualmachinesfromMacintoshversionsofVirtualPCarenotsupported.
Required Information When Importing from Various Source Types

Thissectiondetailssomeconsiderationsyouneedtotakeintoaccount,anddecisions
youneedtomake,beforeyouusetheConverterImportwizard.
When the Source Is a Physical Machine
Toimportaremotemachine,youarepromptedtosupplythecomputernameorIP
addressandtheusernameandpasswordforloggingontothemachinewith
administrativeprivileges.Theusernameneedstobeintheform<DOMAIN>\<user
name>.
NOTERemotephysicalmachinescannotbeimportedintoanESXcompatibleformat
atthistimeunlessyoualsohaveaVMwareConverterEnterpriselicenseinstalled.
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When the Source Is an NT Virtual Machine

IfthesourcevirtualmachineisWindowsNTSMP,thewizardmightrequirefilesfrom
servicepacksorhotfixes.Thewizardshowswhichfilesitrequires.Youwillneedto
browsetotherequiredfiles.Theycanbeonadisk,yourlocalsystem,orthenetwork.
OnWindowsNTmachines,duringtheimportprocess,asnapshotdriveris
downloadedtothemachine.Thisdriverhandlesthecopyingandmovingoffilesand
registrysettings.Thedriverrequiresareboottocompleteitstasks.Whenitisfinished,
thedriverisuninstalled.
When the Source Is an ESX Virtual Machine
YouwillneedtosupplythenameoftheESXserverandtheusernameandpassword
forloggingin.
Password-Protected Virtual Machines
Ifthevirtualmachineyouwanttoimportispasswordprotected,youwillneedto
supplythepassword.
About Page Files and Hibernation Files
Youhavetheoptionofimportingallthedisksforthephysicalorvirtualmachine,orto
savespace,youcanselectsomeofthevolumesandleaveoutothers.Ifyouselect
specificvolumes,youcanalsoignorethepageandhibernationfiles.Thesefilesare
largeand,forvolumebasedcloning,donotprovideinformationthatyouneedtocopy.
Types of Volumes Supported
Sometypesofsourcevolumesareunsupportedandareskippedduringcloning.
Virtualmachineimportingsupportsbasicvolumesandalltypesofdynamicvolumes
exceptRAID.ItdoesntsupportWindowsNT4faulttolerantvolumes.OnlyMaster
BootRecord(MBR)disksaresupported.GUIDPartitionTable(GPT)disksarenot
supported.
Disk Space Allocation
AsisthecasewhenyouusetheNewVirtualMachinewizard,youneedtospecify
whethertoallocateallthespaceatcreationtimeorallowthefilestogrow.Allocating
spaceatcreationtimegivesbetterperformancebutisatimeconsumingprocess.Itis
recommendedthatyouallowthedisktogrow.
SelecttheoptionSplitdiskinto2GBfilesifyourvirtualdiskisstoredonafilesystem
thatdoesnotsupportfileslargerthan2GB.
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Full Versus Linked Clones

Ifthesourceisavirtualmachine,youcancreateafullorlinkedclone.Creatingafull
cloneimpliesthatyouwanttouseallvolumes.ThereforeyouneedtoselectImportall
disksandmaintainsizetocreateafullclone.
LinkedclonescanbecreatedfromVMwarevirtualmachines,SymantecBackupExec
SystemRecoveryvirtualmachines(.sv2ifiles),MicrosoftVirtualPCandVirtual
Servervirtualmachines,andStorageCraftfiles(.spffiles).ForVMwarevirtual
machines,tocreatealinkedclone,thevirtualhardwareversionofthedestination
machinecannotbehigherthanthehardwareversionofthesource.
WARNINGForlinkedclones,thevirtualmachinecreatedbytheimporterwillbecome
corruptedifthesourceismodifiedaftertheimport.Thisistrueforlinkedclones
importedfromVirtualPCandVirtualServermachinesandfromSymantecbackup
images.InthecaseofVirtualPCandVirtualServersourcevirtualmachines,simply
poweringthemoninVirtualPCorVirtualServermodifiesthem.
Supported Destinations
TheConverterImportwizardcanoutputvirtualmachinesthatarecompatiblewith:
Workstation4.x,5.x,and6.x
VMwarePlayer1.xand2.x
ESXServer3.x(Thisdestinationisnotsupportedifyouareimportingaremote
physicalmachineunlessyoualsohaveaVMwareConverterEnterpriselicense
installedonthehost.)
ESXServer2.5.x(Thisdestinationissupportedonlybyimportingthrougha
VirtualCenter2.xserverthatmanagesthe2.5.xESXServer.)
GSXServer3.x
VMwareServer1.x
VirtualCenter2.x
NOTEWorkstation4virtualmachinesarecompatiblewithVMwareGSXServer3.0,
ESXServer2.x,andACE1.x.
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Required Information When Designating a Destination for the Virtual

Machine
Thissectiondetailssomeconsiderationsyouneedtotakeintoaccount,anddecisions
youneedtomake,beforeyouusetheConverterImportwizardtospecifythe
destinationforthenewlycreatedvirtualmachine.
When the Destination Is an ESX Virtual Machine
YouwillneedtosupplythenameoftheESXserverandtheusernameandpassword
forloggingin.
When the Destination Is a VirtualCenter Virtual Machine
Youwillneedtoprovidethefollowinginformation:
NameoftheVirtualCenterserverandtheusernameandpasswordforloggingin.
NameofthefolderintheVirtualCenterinventorywhereyouwanttostorethe
virtualmachine.
Nameofthehost,cluster,orresourcepoolwithinahostorclusterfromwhichto
runthevirtualmachine.Ifyouselectaclusterinmanualmode,youwillalsoneed
tochooseaspecifichost.
Nameofthedatastoreforthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfilesanddisks.Use
theadvancedsettingifyouwanttodistributethevirtualmachinesdisksover
multipledatastores.
Network Adapters
Youarepromptedtochoosefromtheavailablenetworksatthedestinationlocation.If
youarecreatingavirtualmachinetousewithWorkstationratherthanESXorVirtual
Center,youcanfindmoreinformationaboutWorkstationnetworkingchoicesin
Chapter 13,ConfiguringaVirtualNetwork,onpage 273.
Customizations to the Guest Operating System (Optional)

Thewizardalsoletsyoumakechangestotheidentityofthevirtualmachine(suchas
computernameandsecurityID),networkinginformation,andsoon.Forvirtual
machinesthatareconvertedtoESXvirtualmachines,youcanalsoselecttohavethe
wizardinstallVMwareTools.
Followingisalistofthecustomizationsyoucanmake:
Computerinformation
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ComputernameAlphanumericnameofupto63characters.Hyphensand
underscoresareallowed.
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SecurityID(SID)Optionally,generateanewsecurityID.
LocationofSysprepfilesIfthewizardcandetectthelocation,thewizard
pagedisplaysit.Otherwise,youneedtosupplythelocation.
Windowslicensinginformation
ProductIDLeavethisblankifyoulike.
WindowsServerlicenseinformationForMicrosoftWindows2000Server
and2003Serveronly.
Timezone
Networkinformation
Networkadapter(interfaces)Youcanmakechangeshere.Or,ifmorethan
onenetworkadapterhasbeenmodified,resetthemtothedefault.
DHCPChoosebetweenusingDHCPtoobtainIPaddressesorenteringthem
manually.YoucanalsouseDHCPtoobtainaDNSserveraddressorenterit
manually.
DNSEnterDNSsuffixesandcustomizetheirordertospecifytheorderin
whichavirtualmachineshouldusethemtomakeconnections.
WINSSpecifyprimaryandsecondaryWINSaddresses.
WorkgroupordomainForworkgroups,specifytheworkgroupname(upto
15characters).Fordomains,specifytheWindowsServerdomain,alongwith
theappropriateusernameandpassword.
How Converting Affects Settings

TheVMwarevirtualmachinecreatedbytheConverterImportwizardcontainsanexact
copyofthediskstatefromyoursourcevirtualmachineorsystemimage,withthe
exceptionofsomehardwaredependentdriversand,sometimes,themappeddrive
letters.
Settingsfromthesourcecomputerthatremainidenticalinclude:
Operatingsystemconfiguration(computername,securityID,useraccounts,
profilesandpreferences,andsoforth).
Applicationsanddatafiles.
Eachdiskpartitionsvolumeserialnumber.
Becausethetargetandthesourcevirtualmachinesorsystemimageshavethesame
identities(name,SID,andsoon),runningbothonthesamenetworkcanresultin
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conflicts.Ifyouareplanningtoredeploythesourcevirtualmachineorsystemimage,
beawareofthisissueanddonotrunboththesourceandtargetimagesorvirtual
machinesonthesamenetworkatthesametime.
Alternatively,youcanresolvetheduplicateIDproblembyusingadditionaltools,such
astheWindows2000SystemPreparationTool(Sysprep).Forexample,ifyouusethe
ConverterImporttotesttheviabilityofrunningaVirtual PCvirtualmachineasa
VMwarevirtualmachinewithoutfirstdecommissioningtheoriginalVirtual PC
machine,youneedtoresolvetheduplicateIDproblem.
Possible Migration Issues Caused by Hardware Changes

MostmigratedapplicationsshouldfunctioncorrectlyintheVMwarevirtualmachine
becausetheirconfigurationanddatafileshavethesamelocationasthesourcevirtual
machine.However,applicationsmightnotworkiftheydependonspecific
characteristicsoftheunderlyinghardwaresuchastheserialnumberorthedevice
manufacturer.
Whentroubleshootingaftervirtualmachinemigration,considerthefollowing
potentialhardwarechanges:
TheCPUmodelandserialnumbers(ifactivated)canbedifferentafterthe
migration.TheycorrespondtothephysicalcomputerhostingtheVMwarevirtual
machine.
TheEthernetadaptercanbedifferent(AMDPCNetorVMXnet)withadifferent
MACaddress.EachinterfacesIPaddressmustbeindividuallyreconfigured.
Thegraphicscardcanbedifferent(VMwareSVGAcard).
Thenumbersofdisksandpartitionsarethesame,buteachdiskdevicecanhavea
differentmodelanddifferentmanufacturerstrings.
Theprimarydiskcontrollerscanbedifferentfromthesourcemachines
controllers.
Applicationsmightnotworkiftheydependondevicesthatarenotavailablefrom
withinavirtualmachine.
Opening and Importing a Virtual Machine or System Image

Theprevioussectionsdescribedthesettingsyouneedtospecifyfortheconversionand
alsodescribedthelimitationsofthetwostrategiesforconvertingvirtualmachines.This
sectionprovidesdetailedinstructionsforusingboththeFile>Opencommandandthe
File>Importcommand.
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To convert a virtual machine or system image using the Open command

1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseFile>Open.
IntheFilenamefield,browsetoandopentheconfiguration(.vmx,.vmc,.spf,or
.sv2i)fileforthevirtualmachineorsystemimagetoconvert.
YoucanusethefieldFilesoftypetofilterthefilesdisplayedbyfileextension.
ClickOpen.
WorkstationcreatesaVMwarevirtualmachine,withaVMwareconfigurationfile
(.vmx)fortheconvertedvirtualmachineorsystemimage.Theconvertedvirtual
machinelinkstothevirtualdisksoftheoriginalvirtualmachineorsystemimage.
TheoriginalVirtualPC,SymantecBackupExecSystemRecovery,orStorageCraft
configuration(.vmc,.spf,or.sv2i)fileisunchanged.
Ifyouattempttoopenavirtualmachineorsystemimagethatis
passwordprotected,youwillbepromptedtousetheConverterImportwizard.
To convert a virtual machine or system image using the Import command

1
GathertheinformationyouneedtocompletetheConverterImportwizard:
Foralistoftheinformationyouwillneedwhenyouselectasource,see
RequiredInformationWhenImportingfromVariousSourceTypeson
page 103.
Foralistoftheinformationyouwillneedwhenyouspecifyadestination,see
RequiredInformationWhenDesignatingaDestinationfortheVirtual
Machineonpage 106.
Ifyouareimportingavirtualmachine,makesurethevirtualmachineispowered
off.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseFile>ImporttolaunchtheVMware
ConverterImportwizard.
Completethewizardpages.
Asyouproceedthroughthewizard,thenavigationpane,whichisontheleftside
ofthewizard,helpsyoukeeptrackofwhereyouareintheprocess.
Wheneveryougettoanewphaseorstep,alistexpandstodisplaythenamesof
thewizardpagesincludedinthatstep.Whenyoucompleteanentirestep,thenext
stepexpands.
Ifyouwanttogobacktoapreviouspage,youcanclickitsnameinthenavigation
pane.
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Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine

Youmightneverneedtoknowthefilenamesorlocationsforyourvirtualmachinefiles.
VirtualmachinefilemanagementisperformedbyVMwareWorkstation.Youcan
thereforeskipthissection.
Avirtualmachinetypicallyisstoredonthehostcomputerinasetoffiles,usuallyina
directorycreatedbyWorkstationforthatspecificvirtualmachine.
ThekeyfilesarelistedinTable 51byextension.Intheseexamples,<vmname>isthe
nameofyourvirtualmachine.
Table 5-1. Virtual Machine Files
Extension
.log
File Name
Description
<vmname>.log
KeepsalogofkeyVMwareWorkstationactivity.
Thisfileisusefulintroubleshooting.Thisfileis
storedinthedirectorythatholdstheconfiguration
(.vmx)fileofthevirtualmachine.
or
vmware.log
.nvram
<vmname>.nvram
StoresthestateofthevirtualmachinesBIOS.
or
nvram
.vmdk
<vmname>.vmdk
Virtualdiskfile,whichstoresthecontentsofthe
virtualmachinesharddiskdrive.
Avirtualdiskismadeupofoneormore.vmdkfiles.
Thevirtualmachinesettingseditorshowsthename
ofthefirstfileinthesettheonethatcontains
pointerstotheotherfilesintheset.
(Ifyouspecifythatallspaceshouldbeallocated
whenyoucreatethedisk,thesefilesstartatthe
maximumsizeanddonotgrow.)Almostallofa
.vmdkfilescontentisthevirtualmachinesdata,
withasmallportionallottedtovirtualmachine
overhead.
Ifthevirtualmachineisconnecteddirectlytoa
physicaldisk,the.vmdkfilestoresinformationabout
thepartitionsthevirtualmachineisallowedto
access.
EarlierVMwareproductsusedtheextension.dsk
forvirtualdiskfiles.
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Table 5-1. Virtual Machine Files (Continued)

Extension
File Name
Description
.vmdk
Continued
<vmname>-s<###>.vmdk
Ifyouspecifiedthatthefilescangrow,thefilenames
haveansinthefilenumber(forexample,Windows
XP Professional-s001.vmdk.)
Ifyouspecifiedthatthevirtualdiskshouldbesplit
into2GBchunks,thenumberof.vmdkfilesdepends
onthesizeofthevirtualdisk.Asdataisaddedtoa
virtualdisk,the.vmdk filesgrow,toamaximumof
2GBeach.
<vmname>-f<###>.vmdk
Ifthediskspaceisallocatedinadvance,thenames
aresimilar,exceptthattheyincludeanfinsteadof
ans(forexample,Windows XP
Professional-f001.vmdk).
<diskname>-<###>.vmdk
Aredologfile,createdwhenavirtualmachinehas
oneormoresnapshots.Thisfilestoreschangesmade
toavirtualdiskwhilethevirtualmachineisrunning.
Theremightbemorethanonesuchfile.The###
indicatesauniquesuffixaddedbyVMware
Workstationtoavoidduplicatefilenames.
<uuid>.vmem
Thevirtualmachinespagingfile,whichbacksupthe
guestmainmemoryonthehostfilesystem.Thisfile
existsonlywhenthevirtualmachineisrunningorif
thevirtualmachinehascrashed.
<snapshot_name_number>.vmem
Eachsnapshotofavirtualmachinethatispowered
onhasanassociated.vmemfile,whichcontainsthe
guestsmainmemory,savedaspartofthesnapshot.
.vmsd
<vmname>.vmsd
Acentralizedfileforstoringinformationand
metadataaboutsnapshots.
.vmsn
<vmname>-Snapshot.vmsn
Thesnapshotstatefile,whichstorestherunning
stateofavirtualmachineatthetimeyoutakethat
snapshot.
<vmname>-Snapshot<###>.vmsn
Thefilethatstoresthestateofasnapshot.
<vmname>.vmss
Thesuspendedstatefile,whichstoresthestateofa
suspendedvirtualmachine.
.vmem
.vmss
SomeearlierVMwareproductsusedtheextension
.stdforsuspendedstatefiles.
.vmtm
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<vmname>.vmtm
Theconfigurationfilecontainingteamdata.
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Table 5-1. Virtual Machine Files (Continued)

Extension
File Name
Description
.vmx
<vmname>.vmx
Theprimaryconfigurationfile,whichstoressettings
chosenintheNewVirtualMachinewizardorvirtual
machinesettingseditor.Ifyoucreatedthevirtual
machineunderanearlierversionofVMware
WorkstationonaLinuxhost,thisfilemighthavea
.cfgextension.
.vmxf
<vmname>.vmxf
Asupplementalconfigurationfileforvirtual
machinesthatareinateam.Notethatthe.vmxffile
remainsifavirtualmachineisremovedfromthe
team.
Therecanbeotherfilesinthedirectory,someofwhicharepresentonlywhileavirtual
machineisrunning.Forexample,seeLockFilesonpage 198.
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Installing and Using

VMware Tools
Thischapterdiscusseshowtoinstall,upgrade,andrunVMwareTools.Thischapter
containsthefollowingsections:
AboutVMwareToolsonpage 113
InstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115
UninstallingVMwareToolsorChangingWhichModulesAreInstalledon
page 134
VMwareToolsConfigurationOptionsonpage 134
CustomizationstoVMwareToolsonpage 141
About VMware Tools

VMwareToolsisasuiteofutilitiesthatenhancestheperformanceofthevirtual
machinesguestoperatingsystemandimprovesmanagementofthevirtualmachine.
InstallingVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystemisvital.Althoughtheguest
operatingsystemcanrunwithoutVMwareTools,youloseimportantfunctionalityand
convenience.
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WhenyouinstallVMwareTools,youinstall:
VMwareToolsservice.TheprogramfileiscalledVMwareService.exeon
Windowsguestsandvmware-guestdonLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests.
Thisserviceperformsvariousdutieswithintheguestoperatingsystem:
Passesmessagesfromthehostoperatingsystemtotheguestoperating
system.
Executescommandsintheoperatingsystemtocleanlyshutdownorrestarta
Linux,FreeBSD,orSolarissystemwhenyouselectpoweroperationsin
Workstation.
SendsaheartbeattoaVMwareServer,ifyouusethevirtualmachinewith
VMwareServer.
OnWindowsguests,grabsandreleasesthemousecursor.
OnWindowsguests,fitstheguestsscreenresolutiontothehostsandvice
versa.
Synchronizesthetimeintheguestoperatingsystemwiththetimeinthehost
operatingsystem.
Runsscriptsthathelpautomateguestoperatingsystemoperations.The
scriptsrunwhenthevirtualmachinespowerstatechanges.
Theservicestartswhentheguestoperatingsystemboots.
NOTETheVMwareToolsserviceisnotinstalledonNetWareoperatingsystems.
Instead,thevmwtoolprogramisinstalled.Itsynchronizestimeandallowsyouto
turntheCPUidleronoroff.SeeUsingtheSystemConsoletoConfigureVMware
ToolsinaNetWareGuestOperatingSystemonpage 139.
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AsetofVMwaredevicedrivers.Thesedriversinclude:
SVGAdisplaydriverthatprovideshighdisplayresolutionandsignificantly
fasteroverallgraphicsperformance.
Thevmxnetnetworkingdriverforsomeguestoperatingsystems.
BusLogicSCSIdriverforsomeguestoperatingsystems.
VMwaremousedriver.
Akernelmoduleforhandlingsharedfolders,calledhgfs.sysonWindows
andvmhgfsonLinuxandSolaris.
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Chapter 6 Installing and Using VMware Tools
VMwareuserprocess.TheprogramfileiscalledVMwareUser.exeonWindows
guestsandvmware-useronLinuxandSolarisguests.
Thisserviceperformsthefollowingtaskswithintheguestoperatingsystem:
Enablesyoutocopyandpastetextbetweentheguestandhostoperating
systems,andcopyandpastefilesbetweenthehostoperatingsystemsand
Windows,Linux,andSolarisguestoperatingsystems.
Enablesyoutodraganddropfilesbetweenthehostoperatingsystemsand
Windows,Linux,andSolarisguestoperatingsystems.
OnLinuxandSolarisguests,grabsandreleasesthemousecursorwhenthe
SVGAdriverisnotinstalled.
OnLinuxandSolarisguests,fitstheguestsscreenresolutiontothehosts.
NOTETheVMwareToolsuserprocessisnotinstalledonNetWareoperating
systems.Instead,thevmwtoolprogramisinstalled.Itcontrolsthegrabbingand
releasingofthemousecursor.Italsoallowsyoucopyandpastetext.Youcannot
draganddroporcopyandpastefilesbetweenhostsandNetWareguestoperating
systems.
VMwareToolscontrolpanel.TheToolscontrolpanelletsyoumodifysettings,
shrinkvirtualdisks,andconnectanddisconnectvirtualdevices.
Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools

ThissectiondescribeshowtoinstallorupgradeVMwareToolsintheguestoperating
system.
TheinstallersforVMwareToolsforWindows,Linux,FreeBSD,Solaris,andNetWare
guestoperatingsystemsareinstalledwithVMwareWorkstationasISOimagefiles.
WhenyouchooseVM>InstallVMwareToolsfromtheVMwareWorkstationmenu
bar,WorkstationtemporarilyconnectsthevirtualmachinesfirstvirtualCDROMdrive
tothecorrectISOimagefilefortheguestoperatingsystem.Youarereadytobeginthe
installationprocess.
YoucanusethismenucommandtoeitherinstallorupgradeVMwareTools.On
WindowsandLinuxguests,youcanalsosetVMwareToolstoperformautomatic
updates,asdescribedinthenextsection,UpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 116.
NOTEOnLinux,Solaris,andFreeBSDguests,youneedtohaveaWebbrowser
installedinordertodisplaytheonlinehelpfortheVMwareToolscontrolpanel.
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ForinformationaboutinstallingVMwareTools,seetheappropriatesection:
InstallingVMwareToolsonaWindowsGuestonpage 118
InstallingVMwareToolsonaLinuxGuestonpage 125
InstallingVMwareToolsinaSolarisGuestonpage 129
InstallingVMwareToolsinaFreeBSDGuestonpage 130
InstallingVMwareToolsinaNetWareVirtualMachineonpage 132
Upgrading VMware Tools

BecauseVMwareToolsinstallers(ISOimages)areinstalledwithVMwareWorkstation,
whenyouupdatetoanewversionofWorkstation,acheckisperformedtofindout
whetheranewversionofVMwareToolsisavailable.AlthoughyoucansetWorkstation
tocheckregularlyforWorkstationupdates,theguestoperatingsystemchecksfor
VMwareToolsupdatesonlywhenyoupoweronavirtualmachine.Itcomparesits
versionofVMwareToolsagainsttheversionthatisinstalledonthehost.
WithregardstoVMwareToolsupdates,youhavethefollowingoptions:
OnWindowsandLinuxguestsystems,youcansetVMwareToolstoupdateitself
whenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.Inthiscase,thestatusbardisplaysthe
message,InstallingVMwareTools...whenanupgradeisinprogress.Afterthe
upgradeiscomplete,ifyouareloggedintoaWindowsguest,arestartprompt
appearsfor30seconds.Ifyouarenotloggedin,theoperatingsystemrestarts
withoutprompting.
AutomaticupgradesworkforversionsofVMwareToolsincludedinWorkstation
5.5andabove(build29772andabove).Automaticupgradesdonotworkfor
versionsofVMwareToolsincludedinvirtualmachinescreatedwithVMware
Server1.x.
NOTEAnautoupgradecheckisperformedaspartofthebootsequencewhenyou
poweronavirtualmachine.Ifthevirtualmachinewassuspendedandyouresume
itorrestoreittoasnapshotduringthebootsequencebeforethischeckoccurs,the
automaticupgradewilloccurasplanned.
If,however,youresumethevirtualmachineorrestoreittoasnapshotafterthe
autoupgradecheckoccurs,theautomaticupgradewillnotoccur.
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Youcanspecifythatnoautomaticupdateshouldoccur.Inthiscase,thestatusbar
displaysamessagewhenanewversionisavailable.Toinstalltheupdate,usethe
sameprocedurethatyouusedforinstallingVMwareToolsthefirsttime.Forthe
platformspecificinstallationprocedure,seeInstallingVMwareToolsona
WindowsGuestonpage 118orInstallingVMwareToolsonaLinuxGueston
page 125.
NOTEOnWindows,youcanalternativelyopentheVMwareToolscontrolpanel
(doubleclicktheVMwareToolsiconinthenotificationareaofthetaskbar),and
ontheOptionstab,clickUpgrade.
Thedefaultpolicyistonotperformtheupgradeautomatically.Thefollowing
proceduresdescribehowtosetautoupgradeoptionsonapervirtualmachinebasis
andanaglobalbasis,forallvirtualmachinesconfiguredtousetheglobalsetting.
To use global settings for upgrading VMware Tools automatically
1
StartWorkstation.IfyouuseaUNIXhost,becomeroot(su -)andthenstart
Workstation.
OnUNIXsystems,nonrootusersarenotallowedtomodifythepreferencesetting
forVMwareToolsupgrades.
FromtheVMwareWorkstationmenubar,chooseEdit>Preferencesandclickthe
Toolstab.
SpecifywhichupdatepolicyyouwanttouseandclickOK.
Ifyouneedmoreinformationabouttheoptions,clickHelptodisplaytheonline
helpforthisdialogbox.
NOTETheautomaticupgradefeatureisavailableonlyforWindowsandLinux
guestoperatingsystems.
Foreachofyourvirtualmachines,dothefollowing:
a
Selectthevirtualmachine.
Thevirtualmachinecanbeeitherpoweredonorpoweredoff.
ChooseVM>Settings.
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ClicktheOptionstab,andselectTools.
SelectUseglobalsettingsfromEdit>Preferences>ToolsandclickOK.
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To set autoupgrade options for VMware Tools on a per-virtual-machine basis

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClicktheOptionstab,andselectTools.
SelecttheupdateoptionyouwanttouseandclickOK.
Formoreinformationabouttheoptions,clickHelptodisplaytheonlinehelp.
Installing VMware Tools on a Windows Guest

VMwareToolsissupportedonallWindowsguestoperatingsystems.
ThedetailedstepsforinstallingVMwareToolsdependontheversionofWindowsyou
arerunning.ThestepsthatfollowshowhowtoinstallVMwareToolsinaWindowsXP
guest.SomestepsthatareautomatedinnewerversionsofWindowsmustbe
performedmanuallyinWindows9xandWindowsNT,asdescribedinAdditional
StepsWhenMigratingfromOldVersionsofWindowsonpage 119.
IfyouarerunningWorkstationonaWindowshostandyourvirtualmachinehasonly
oneCDROMdrive,theCDROMdrivemustbeconfiguredasanIDEorSCSICDROM
drive.ItcannotbeconfiguredasagenericSCSIdevice.
ToaddanIDEorSCSICDROMdrive,seeAdding,Configuring,andRemoving
DevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 181.ForinformationaboutgenericSCSI,see
ConnectingtoaGenericSCSIDeviceonpage 359.
NOTEIf,whenyouinstalledtheoperatingsystem,youconnectedthevirtualmachines
CDdrivetotheISOimagefile,youwillneedtochangetheconnectionfromtheISO
imagetoautodetectaphysicaldrive.(Withthevirtualmachinepoweredoff,choose
VM>Settings>CDROM>UsephysicalDrive,AutoDetect.)
Alternatively,youcanautomatetheinstallationofVMwareToolsinaWindowsguest
operatingsystem.Forinformation,seeAutomatingtheInstallationofVMwareTools
inaWindowsGuestonpage 122.
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To install VMware Tools in a Windows guest operating system

1
Whentheguestoperatingsystemstarts,chooseVM>InstallVMwareTools.
Theremainingstepstakeplaceinsidethevirtualmachine.
LogintoaWindowsNT,Windows2000,WindowsXP,WindowsServer2003,or
WindowsVistaguestoperatingsystemasanadministratortoinstallVMware
Tools.
AnyusercaninstallVMwareToolsinaWindows95,Windows98,orWindowsMe
guestoperatingsystem.
Ifyouhaveautorunenabledinyourguestoperatingsystem(thedefaultsettingfor
Windowsoperatingsystems),adialogboxappearsafterafewseconds.Itasksif
youwanttoinstallVMwareTools.
Ifautorunisnotenabled,thedialogboxdoesnotappearautomatically.Ifitdoesnt
appear,runtheVMwareToolsinstaller.ClickStart>Runandenter
D:\setup\setup.exewhereD:isyourfirstvirtualCDROMdrive.
ClickYestolaunchtheInstallShieldwizard.
Followtheonscreeninstructions:
OnWindowsServer2003,WindowsMe,Windows98SE,andWindows98
guests,theSVGAdriverisinstalled,andtheguestoperatingsystemusesit
afteritreboots.
WithWindows2000andWindowsXPguests,youdonothavetoreboottouse
thenewdriver.
StarttheVMwareToolscontrolpanelandconfigureVMwareTools,asdescribed
inVMwareToolsConfigurationOptionsonpage 134.
YoucanaccessVMwareToolsthroughtheWindowsControlPanel(choose
Start>Settings>ControlPanel>VMwareTools)orbydoubleclickingor
rightclickingtheVMwareToolsicon,whichappearsbydefaultinthenotification
areaofthetaskbar.
Additional Steps When Migrating from Old Versions of Windows

IfyouaremigratingfromVMwareGSXServertoWorkstationandyourguest
operatingsystemisWindowsNT,WindowsMe,Windows98,orWindows95,you
mightneedtoconfigurethevideodrivermanually.InstructionsappearinNotepadat
theendoftheinstallationprocess.IftheNotepadwindowishidden,clicktheNotepad
buttonontheWindowstaskbar.
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Seethefollowingstepsthatcorrespondtoyourguestoperatingsystem.
To migrate from Windows NT guest operating systems
1
AfterinstallingVMwareTools,clickFinish.
TheDisplayPropertiesdialogboxappears.
ClicktheDisplayTypebutton.
TheDisplayTypedialogboxappears.
ClicktheChangebutton.
TheChangeDisplaydialogboxappears.
SelectVMware,Inc.fromtheManufacturerlist.
SelectVMwareSVGAasthedisplayadapterandclickOK.
ClickYesinresponsetotheonscreenquestionaboutthirdpartydriverstoinstall
thedriverandclickOKtoconfirmthedriverswereinstalled.
ClickClosefromtheDisplayTypedialogboxandclickClosefromtheDisplay
Propertiesdialogbox.
ClickYestorestartWindowsNTandstartusingthenewvideodriver.
TheVMwareToolsbackgroundapplicationislaunchedwhenyourebootyour
virtualmachine.
To migrate from Windows Me guest operating systems

1
TheDisplaySettingsdialogboxappears.
ClicktheAdvancedbutton.
ClicktheAdaptertab.
ClicktheChangebutton,andaftertheUpdateDeviceDriverwizardstarts,click
Next.
ChoosetheoptionSpecifythelocationofthedriverandclickNext.
ChecktheSpecifyalocationcheckboxandenterthefollowingpath:
D:\video\win9x
D:isthedriveletterforthefirstvirtualCDROMdriveinyourvirtualmachine.
7
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ClickOK.WindowsMelocatesyourdriver.
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SelecttheVMwareSVGAIIdisplayadapterandclickNext.
ClickNexttoinstallthedriver.
IfyouareupgradingavirtualmachinecreatedunderVMwareGSXServer2,you
mightseeadialogboxthatwarns,Thedriveryouareinstallingisnotspecifically
designedforthehardwareyouhave.Doyouwishtocontinue?ClickYes.
10
Afterthedriverisinstalled,clickFinish.
11
ClickYestorestartWindowsMeandstartusingthenewvideodriver.
TheVMwareToolsbackgroundapplicationstartswhenyourebootyourvirtual
machine.
To migrate from Windows 98 guest operating systems

1
ClicktheAdvancedbutton.
TheStandardDisplayAdapter(VGA)Propertiesdialogboxappears.
IfyouareupgradingfromapreviousversionoftheVMwaredrivers,thisdialog
boxistitledVMwareSVGAProperties.
ClicktheAdaptertab.
ClicktheChangebutton,andaftertheUpdateDeviceDriverwizardstarts,click
Next.
ChoosetheoptionDisplayalistofalldriversinaspecificlocationandclickNext.
SelectHaveDisk.
TheInstallFromDiskdialogboxappears.
Enterthefollowingpath:
D:\video\win9x
8
ClickOK.
SelectVMwareSVGAdisplayadapterandclickOK.
10
AnswerYestotheonscreenquestionandclickNexttoinstallthedriver.
11
Afterthedriverisinstalled,clickFinish.
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12
ClickCloseintheSVGAPropertiesdialogboxandclickCloseintheDisplay
Settingsdialogbox.
13
ClickYestorestartWindows98andstartusingthenewvideodriver.
machine.
To migrate from Windows 95 guest operating systems

1
ClicktheAdvancedPropertiesbutton.
TheAdvancedDisplayPropertiesdialogboxappears.
ClicktheChangebutton.
TheSelectDevicedialogboxappears.
SelectHaveDisk.
EnterthefollowingpathandclickOK:
D:\video\win9x
6
ClickOKagaintoinstallthedriver.
ClickClosefromtheAdvancedDisplayPropertiesdialogboxandclickClosefrom
theDisplaySettingdialogbox.
ClickYestorestartWindows95andstartusingthenewvideodriver.
machine.
Automating the Installation of VMware Tools in a Windows Guest

YoucanautomatetheinstallationofVMwareToolsinaWindowsguestoperating
systembyusingtheMicrosoftWindowsInstallerruntimeenginetoinstallthesoftware
silently(inquietmode).IfyouareinstallingVMwareToolsinanumberofWindows
virtualmachines,youmightwanttousethesilentinstallfeatures.
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To install VMware Tools in silent mode

1
MakesuretheguestoperatingsysteminwhichyouareinstallingVMwareTools
hastheMicrosoftWindowsInstallerruntimeengineversion2.0orhigherinstalled.
Version2.0orhigherisincludedwithnewerversionsofWindows.Ifyouare
installingVMwareToolsinolderWindowsguestoperatingsystems,checkthe
versionofthisfile:
%WINDIR%\system32\msiexec.exe
Ifyouneedtoupgradetheengine,runinstmsiw.exe(instmsia.exefor
Windows95orWindows98guests),whichisincludedwiththeVMwareTools
installer.
FormoreinformationonusingtheMicrosoftWindowsInstaller:
msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/enus/msi/setup/about_win
dows_installer.asp.
MakesurethevirtualmachinesCDROMdriveisconfiguredtoconnecttothe
VMwareToolsISOimagewhenyoupoweronthevirtualmachine:
a
SelectthevirtualmachineandchooseVM>Settings>Hardware>CDROM.
IntheDevicestatussection,selecttheConnectatPowerOncheckbox.
IntheConnectionsection,selectUseISOimageandbrowsetothe
windows.isofile,locatedinthedirectorywhereyouinstalledWorkstation.
ClickOK.
Intheguestoperatingsystem,ifnecessary,suppresspromptsaboutinstalling
unsigneddrivers.
ThedriversinstalledbyVMwareToolsarenotsignedbyMicrosoft.Whenyou
installVMwareTools,youareaskedtoconfirmtheinstallationofthesedrivers.
ForallWindowssystemsexceptWindowsVista:
VMware, Inc.
OnthevirtualmachinesdesktoporStartmenu,rightclickMyComputer,
andchooseProperties.
ClicktheHardwaretabandclickDriverSigning.TheDriverSigningdialog
boxappears.
ClickIgnoreandclickOKtwice.
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ForWindowsVista:
OntheStartmenu,rightclickComputer,andchooseProperties.
ClickAdvancedsystemsettings>Hardware>WindowsUpdatedriver
settings.
ClickNevercheckfordriverswhenIconnectanewdeviceandclickOK
twice.
Runthesilentinstallationontheextractedinstallationpackages.
Atthecommandprompt,ifyouwanttoinstallalltheVMwareToolscomponents
type:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL /qn
YoucancustomizetheinstallationcommandbyusingstandardMicrosoft
WindowsInstallerinstallationoptions.IfyoudonotwanttoinstallalltheVMware
Toolscomponents,usethefollowinglisttodeterminewhichcomponentstoinstall:
ToolboxVMwareToolscontrolpanelanditsutilities.Excludingthisfeature
preventsyoufromusingVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem,andis
notrecommended.
DriversIncludestheSVGA,mouse,BusLogic,andvmxnetdrivers.
SVGAVMwareSVGAdriver.Excludingthisfeaturelimitsthedisplay
capabilitiesofyourvirtualmachine.
MouseVMwaremousedriver.Excludingthisfeaturedecreasesmouse
performanceinyourvirtualmachine.
BuslogicVMwareBusLogicdriver.Ifyourvirtualmachineis
configuredtousetheLSILogicdriver,youmightwanttoremovethis
feature.
VMXNetVMwarevmxnetnetworkingdriver.
MemCtlVMwarememorycontroldriver.Recommendedifyouplantouse
thisvirtualmachinewithVMwareESXServer.Excludingthisfeaturehinders
thememorymanagementcapabilitiesofthevirtualmachinerunningonan
VMwareESXServersystem.
HgfsVMwaresharedfoldersdriver.Recommendedifyouplantousethis
virtualmachinewithVMwareWorkstation.Excludingthisfeatureprevents
youfromsharingafolderbetweenyourvirtualmachineandtheWorkstation
host.
Toincludeafeature,useitwiththeADDLOCALoption.
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Toexcludeafeature,useitwiththeREMOVEoption.
Forexample,toinstalleverythingbutthesharedfoldersdriver,typethefollowing
onthecommandline:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Hgfs /qn
TheSVGA,Mouse,BusLogic,vmxnet,andMemCtlfeaturesarechildrenofthe
Driversfeature.Thus,onthecommandline,ifyoutype:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Drivers /qn
youalsoskipinstallationoftheSVGA,Mouse,BusLogic,vmxnet,andMemCtl
drivers.
Installing VMware Tools on a Linux Guest

OnaLinuxguest,youcaninstallVMwareToolswithinXorfromthecommandline:
InstallingVMwareToolsWithinXonpage 125
InstallingVMwareToolsfromtheCommandLinewiththeTarorRPMInstaller
onpage 127
Installing VMware Tools Within X

Asanalternativetothefollowingprocedure,youcaninstallVMwareToolswithinX
usingthe.tarinstallerinaterminalwindow,asdescribedinInstallingVMwareTools
fromtheCommandLinewiththeTarorRPMInstalleronpage 127.
To install VMware Tools from X with the RPM installer
1
Poweronthevirtualmachine,andaftertheguestsystemhasstarted,choose
VM>Install VMwareTools.
TheguestoperatingsystemmountstheVMwareToolsinstallationvirtualCD.A
windowmanagermightappear,displayingtwofiles,onefortheRPMinstallerand
oneforthetarinstaller.Alternatively,aVMwareToolsCDiconmightappearon
thedesktop.
IfyouseeaVMwareToolsCDicononthedesktop,doubleclickit,andafter
itopens,doubleclicktheRPMinstallerintherootoftheCDROM.
Ifyouseeafilemanagerwindow,doubleclicktheRPMinstallerfile.
InsomeLinuxdistributions,theVMwareToolsCDiconmightfailtoappear.In
thiscase,continueinstallingVMwareToolsasdescribedinInstallingVMware
ToolsfromtheCommandLinewiththeTarorRPMInstalleronpage 127.
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Whenprompted,entertherootpasswordandclickOK.
Theinstallerpreparesthepackages.
ClickContinuewhentheinstallerpresentsadialogboxthatshowsCompleted
SystemPreparation.
Adialogboxappearswithaprogressbar.Whentheinstallerisdone,VMware
Toolsisinstalled.Thereisnoconfirmationorfinishbutton.
InanXterminal,asroot(su -),runthefollowingfiletoconfigureVMwareTools:
vmware-config-tools.pl
Respondtothequestionstheinstallerdisplaysonthescreen.PressEntertoaccept
thedefaultvalue.
6
Whendone,exitfromtherootaccount:
exit
InanXterminal,launchtheVMwareToolscontrolpanel:
vmware-toolbox &
ForinformationaboutusingthiscontrolpaneltoconfigureVMwareTools,see
VMwareToolsConfigurationOptionsonpage 134.
NOTEYoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtual
disksortochangeanyVMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot
(su -).
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Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar or RPM
Installer
Thefirststepisperformedonthehost,withinWorkstationmenus,andtheremaining
stepsareperformedinsidethevirtualmachine.
To install VMware Tools with the tar installer or RPM installer
1
VM>InstallVMwareTools.
Asroot(su -),mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimageandchangetoa
workingdirectory(forexample,/tmp),asfollows.
NOTESomeLinuxdistributionsautomaticallymountCDROMs.Ifyour
distributionusesautomounting,donotusethemountandumountcommands
describedinthisprocedure.YoustillmustuntartheVMwareToolsinstallerto
/tmp.
SomeLinuxdistributionsusedifferentdevicenamesororganizethe/dev
directorydifferently.IfyourCDROMdriveisnot/dev/cdromorifthemount
pointforaCDROMisnot/mnt/cdrom,youmustmodifythefollowing
commandstoreflecttheconventionsusedbyyourdistribution:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
cd /tmp
NOTEIfyouhaveapreviousinstallation,deletetheprevious
vmware-tools-distribdirectorybeforeinstalling.Thelocationofthisdirectory
dependsonwhereyouplaceditwhenyoudidthepreviousinstallation.Oftenitis
placedin:
/tmp/vmware-tools-distrib
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UncompresstheinstallerandunmounttheCDROMimage.
DependingonwhetheryouareusingthetarinstallerortheRPMinstaller,doone
ofthefollowing:
Forthetarinstaller,atthecommandprompt,enter:
tar zxpf /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-5.0.0-<xxxx>.tar.gz
umount /dev/cdrom
Where <xxxx> isthebuild/revisionnumberoftheWorkstationrelease.
FortheRPMinstaller,atthecommandprompt,enter:
rpm -Uhv /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-5.0.0-<xxxx>.i386.rpm
umount /dev/cdrom
Where <xxxx> isthebuild/revisionnumberoftheWorkstationrelease.

NOTEIfyouattempttoinstallanrpminstallationoveratarinstallationorthe
reversetheinstallerdetectsthepreviousinstallationandmustconvertthe
installerdatabaseformatbeforecontinuing.
4
DependingonwhetheryouareusingthetarinstallerortheRPMinstaller,doone
ofthefollowing:
Forthetarinstaller,runtheVMwareToolstarinstaller:
cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl
Respondtotheconfigurationquestionsonthescreen.PressEntertoacceptthe
defaultvalue.
FortheRPMinstaller,configureVMwareTools:
vmware-config-tools.pl
Respondtothequestionstheinstallerdisplaysonthescreen.PressEnterto
acceptthedefaultvalue.
5
Logofftherootaccount.
exit
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StartXandyourgraphicalenvironment.
VMware, Inc.
vmware-toolbox &
disksortochangeanyVMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot
(su -).
Installing VMware Tools in a Solaris Guest

To install VMware Tools in a Solaris guest
1
Loginasroot(su -)and,ifnecessary,mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROM
image,asfollows.
Usually,theSolarisvolumemanagervoldmountstheCDROMunder
/cdrom/vmwaretools.IftheCDROMisnotmounted,restartthevolume
managerusingthefollowingcommands:
/etc/init.d/volmgt stop
/etc/init.d/volmgt start
AftertheCDROMismounted,changetoaworkingdirectory(forexample,/tmp)
andextractVMwareTools,asfollows:
cd /tmp
gunzip -c /cdrom/vmwaretools/vmware-solaris-tools.tar.gz | tar xf -
RuntheVMwareToolstarinstaller:
./vmware-install.pl
Respondtotheconfigurationquestionsonthescreen.PressEntertoacceptthe
defaultvalue.
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Logoffoftherootaccount.
exit
StartXandyourgraphicalenvironment.
vmware-toolbox &
disksorchangeVMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot(su -).
Installing VMware Tools in a FreeBSD Guest

To install VMware Tools in a FreeBSD virtual machine
1
Besuretheguestoperatingsystemisrunningintextmode.
YoucannotinstallVMwareToolswhileXisrunning.
Asroot(su -),mounttheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimage,changetoa
workingdirectory(forexample,/tmp),uncompresstheinstaller,andunmountthe
CDROMimage.
SomeFreeBSDdistributionsautomaticallymountCDROMs.Ifyourdistribution
usesautomounting,donotusethemountandumountcommandsbelow.Youstill
mustuntartheVMwareToolsinstallerto/tmp.
mount /cdrom
cd /tmp
UntartheVMwareToolstarfile:
tar zxpf /cdrom/vmware-freebsd-tools.tar.gz
umount /cdrom
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RuntheVMwareToolsinstaller:
./vmware-install.pl
Logoutoftherootaccount.
exit
StartXandyourgraphicalenvironment
vmware-toolbox &
disksorchangeVMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot(su -).
InaFreeBSD4.5guestoperatingsystem,sometimesVMwareToolsdoesnotstartafter
youinstallVMwareTools.Inthiscase,reboottheguestoperatingsystemorstart
VMwareToolsonthecommandlineintheguest.Anerrormessageappears:
Shared object 'libc.so.3' not found.
Therequiredlibrarywasnotinstalled.Thisdoesnothappenwithfullinstallationsof
FreeBSD4.5,butdoesoccurforminimalinstallations.Tofixtheproblemofthemissing
library:
1
InsertandmounttheFreeBSD4.5installationCDoraccesstheISOimagefile.
Changedirectoriesandruntheinstallationscript.
cd /cdrom/compat3x
./install.sh
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Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare Virtual Machine

To install VMware Tools in a NetWare virtual machine
1
LoadtheCDROMdriversotheCDROMdevicemountstheISOimageasa
volume.
InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare6.5virtualmachine,enter:
LOAD CDDVD
InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare6.0orNetWare5.1virtualmachine,enter:
LOAD CD9660.NSS
InthesystemconsoleforaNetWare4.2virtualmachine,enter:
load cdrom
ThenmounttheVMwareToolsCDROMimagebyentering:
cd mount vmwtools
Whenthedriverfinishesloading,youcanbegininstallingVMwareTools,as
describedinthenextstep.
3
Inthesystemconsole,enteroneofthefollowing:
ForNetWare5.1,6.0,or6.5:
vmwtools:\setup.ncf
ForNetWare4.2:
vmwtools:\setup
Whentheinstallationfinishes,themessageVMware Tools for NetWare are now

runningappearsintheLoggerScreen(NetWare6.5andNetWare6.0guests)orthe
ConsoleScreen(NetWare4.2and5.1guests).
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ForNetWare4.2only,bringtheguestoperatingsystemdown.
Inthesystemconsole,enter:
down
Torestarttheguestoperatingsystem,inthesystemconsole,enter:
restart server
AfteryouinstallVMwareTools,makesuretheVMwareToolsvirtualCDROMimage
(netware.iso)isnotattachedtothevirtualmachine.Ifitis,disconnectit.Rightclick
theCDROMiconinthestatusbaroftheconsolewindowandchooseDisconnect.
Starting VMware Tools If You Do Not Use a Session Manager

OneoftheexecutablesusedbyVMwareToolsinUNIXguestsisvmware-user.This
programimplementsthefitguesttowindowfeature,amongotherfeatures.
Normally,onLinux,theVMwareToolsservice(vmware-guestd)startsandstops
vmware-user.OnSolaris,vmware-userisstartedautomaticallyonceyouconfigure
VMwareToolsandthenlogoutofthedesktopenvironmentandlogbackin.
However,ifyourunanXsessionwithoutasessionmanager(forexample,byusing
startxandgettingadesktopandnotusingxdm,kdm,orgdm),thenvmware-guestd
wontstartandstopvmware-user,andyoumustdoitmanually.
To start vmware-user manually
Useeitherofthefollowingstrategies:
AddanXapplicationnametothe/etc/vmware-tools/xautostart.conffile.
Thevmware-guestdprogramlooksinthexautostart.conffile,andifany
applicationlistedthereisrunning,vmware-guestdtriestorunvmware-user.If
noneoftheapplicationslistedinthefileisrunninginX,findanapplicationon
yoursystemthatrunsonlywhenyouareloggedintoyourXsessionandadditto
thelist.
Addvmware-usertotheappropriateXstartupscript.
Thevmware-userprogramislocatedinthedirectorywhereyouselectedtoinstall
binaryprograms,whichdefaultsto/usr/bin.Whichstartupscriptyouneedto
modifydependsonyourparticularsystem.
Ifyoufindthatsomefeatures,suchascopyandpasteordraganddropdonot
work,usetheotherstrategyofaddinganXapplicationnametothe
/etc/vmware-tools/xautostart.conffile.
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Uninstalling VMware Tools or Changing Which Modules

Are Installed
ThissectionincludesproceduresforremovingVMwareToolsfromUNIXand
Windowsguests.
To uninstall VMware Tools
OnaWindowsguest,usetheguestoperatingsystemsAdd/RemovePrograms
itemtoremoveVMwareTools.
OnaUNIXguest,logonasroot(su -)andentertheappropriatecommand:
Fromatarinstall,usethefollowingcommand:
vmware-uninstall-tools.pl
Alternatively,onLinuxfromanRPMinstall,usethefollowingcommand:
rpm -e VMwareTools
To repair or modify VMware Tools on a Windows guest

1
InWorkstation,selectthevirtualmachineandchooseVM>InstallVMwareTools.
ClickChangetorepairormodifywhichcomponentsofVMwareToolsare
installed.
Youmightneedtousethisbuttonif,afteraVMwareToolsupgrade,certain
featuressuchasenhancedfilesharingdonotseemtobeworking.Inthiscase,use
theModifyoptiontomakesurethatthecomponentsyouwantareinstalled.
Completetherestofthepagesofthewizard.
VMware Tools Configuration Options

ThissectiondiscussesVMwareToolsconfigurationoptionsinthefollowingtopics:
134
UsingtheVMwareToolsControlPaneltoConfigureToolsonpage 135
OperatingSystemonpage 139
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Using the VMware Tools Control Panel to Configure Tools

ThissectionshowstheoptionsavailableinaWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem.
SimilarconfigurationoptionsareavailableinVMwareToolsforotherguestoperating
systems.
To open the VMware Tools control panel
OnWindowsguests,doubleclickVMwareToolsiconintheguestoperating
systemsnotificationarea.
OnWindowsVistaguests,youneedtobeloggedinasanAdministratoruserto
opentheVMwareToolscontrolpanel.
IftheVMwareToolsicondoesnotappearinthenotificationareaofthetaskbar,
gotoStart>ControlPanel.LocatetheVMwareToolsiconanddoubleclickitto
displaytheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogbox.
OntheOptionstaboftheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,selectShowVMware
ToolsinthetaskbarandclickApply.
OnLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests,openaterminalwindowandenterthe
command:
/usr/bin/vmware-toolbox &
OnNetWare,dooneofthefollowing:
InaNetWare5.1orhigherguest,chooseNovell>Settings>VMwareToolsfor
NetWare.
InaNetWare4.2guest,useVMwareToolscommandsinthesystemconsole.
TheVMwareToolsprogramiscalledvmwtool.Itsoptionsaredescribedin
OperatingSystemonpage 139.
TabsintheVMwareToolscontrolpanelaredescribedinthefollowingsections:
OptionsTabonpage 136
DevicesTabonpage 137
ScriptsTabonpage 137
SharedFoldersTab(WindowsGuestsOnly)onpage 139
ShrinkTabonpage 139
AboutTabonpage 139
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Options Tab
IntheOptionstab,youcansetthefollowingoptions:
Timesynchronizationbetweenthevirtualmachineandthehostoperating
systemYoucansynchronizethetimeintheguestoperatingsystemwiththetime
onthehostoperatingsystemonlywhenyousettheclockintheguestoperating
systemtoatimeearlierthanthetimesetonthehost.Forinformationabout
sychronizingtimewhentheguestissettoalatertimethanthehost,seeUsingthe
VMwareToolsCommandLineInterfaceonpage 146.
Undersomecircumstances,thevirtualmachinemightsynchronizetimewiththe
hosteventhoughthisitemisnotselected.Ifyouwanttodisabletime
synchronizationcompletely,poweroffthevirtualmachine,openthevirtual
machinesconfigurationfile(.vmx)inatexteditor,andsetthefollowingoptionsto
FALSE.
Table 6-1. Time Synchronization Options
Option name
Relates to time sychronization when
tools.syncTime
Poweringonavirtualmachine.
time.synchronize.restore
Revertingtoasnapshot.
time.synchronize.resume.disk
Resumingasuspendedvirtualmachine.
time.synchronize.continue
Takingasnapshot.
time.synchronize.shrink
Shrinkingavirtualdisk.
YoucanalsousetheVMwareToolscommandlineinterfacetosettheseandother
timesynchronizationoptions.Ifyouusethiscommandlineinterface,youdonot
needtopoweroffthevirtualmachine.Formoreinformation,seeUsingthe
VMwareToolsCommandLineInterfaceonpage 146.
136
ShowVMwareToolsinthetaskbar(Windowsguestsonly)Selectthisoptionto
displaytheVMwareToolsiconinthetaskbar.
Notifyifupgradeisavailable(Windowsguestsonly)Selectthisoptionifyou
wanttheVMwareToolsicontoincludeayellowcautioniconwhenanupgradeis
available.
Upgradebutton(Windowsguestsonly)Thisbuttonbecomesenabledwhenan
upgradeisavailable.Clickingthisbuttonhasthesameeffectaschoosing
VM>InstallVMwareToolsfromtheWorkstationmenubar.
VMware, Inc.
Devices Tab
IntheDevicestab,youcanenableordisablethefollowingremovabledevicesby
selectingordeselectingthecorrespondingcheckboxes.Removabledevicesinclude
floppydrives,CDROMdrives,andUSBdevices,amongothers.Youcanalsoenableor
disableremovabledevicesinbychoosingVM>Removable Devicesfromthe
Workstationmenubar.
Scripts Tab
IfVMwareToolsisinstalledintheguestoperatingsystem,andifyouconfigurea
virtualmachinespowercontrolstousetheguestoptions,oneormoredefaultscripts
runontheguestwheneveryouchangethepowerstateofthevirtualmachine.
Forexample,ifyouusethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(choose
VM>Settings>Options>Power)andsetthePowerOffcontroltouseShutdownGuest,
thenthepoweroff-vm-defaultscriptrunswhenyouclickthePowerOffbuttonin
theWorkstationtoolbar.Thisscriptcausestheguestoperatingsystemtoshutdown
gracefully.Adescriptionofeachscriptisprovidedlaterinthissection,inTable 62.
InWindowsguests,thedefaultscriptsarelocatedintheProgram
Files\VMware\VMware Toolsfolder.OnUNIX,thedefaultscriptsarelocatedinthe
/etc/vmware-toolsdirectory.
YoucanusetheScriptstabtodisablethesescriptsortopointtocustomscriptsforthe
Suspend,Resume,PowerOn,PowerOff,andResetbuttons:
Todisableascript,selectascriptevent,andcleartheUseScriptcheckbox.Default
scriptsforsuspendingandresumingarewrittentoworktogether.Ifyoudisable
thescriptofoneoftheseactions,disablethescriptfortheotheractionaswell.
Touseascriptthatyoucreate,selectascriptevent,selecttheUseScriptcheckbox,
selectCustomscript,andusetheBrowsebuttontopointtothescriptyouwantto
use.
YoucanalsousetheEditbuttontoeditacustomscript.Forinformationabout
creatingthescript,seeUsingCustomScriptsWhenthePowerStateChangeson
page 141.
NOTEOnUNIXguests,toeditscriptsfromtheScriptstab,xtermandvimustbe
installedintheguestoperatingsystemandmustbeinyourPATH.Youmustbea
rootusertoeditthescript.Youcanalsoeditscriptsmanuallyusinganytexteditor.
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137
Torunascriptimmediately,selectthescripteventyouwantandclickRunNow.
YoumightnoticethatyoucansuccessfullyrunascriptbyclickingtheRunNow
buttonintheVMwareToolscontrolpanelbutthatthissamescriptfailswhenrun
aspartofaWorkstationpoweroperation.Thisisbecausescriptsrunbyclicking
RunNowarerunastheloggedinuserandhaveadifferentworkingdirectorythan
whenscriptsarerunbyvmware-guestd.
Table 6-2. VMware Tools Scripts

Script Name
Description
poweroff-vm-default
Ifyouconfiguredthepoweroffoperationtoshutdowntheguest,
thisscriptrunswhenthevirtualmachineisbeingpoweredoff.
Ifyouconfiguredtheresetoperationtorestarttheguest,thisscript
runswhenthevirtualmachineisbeingreset.
Thisscripthasnoeffectonnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
poweron-vm-default
Ifyouconfiguredthepoweronoperationtostartuptheguest,this
scriptrunswhenthevirtualmachineisbeingpoweredonrather
thanresumed.
Ifyouconfiguredtheresetoperationtorestarttheguest,thisscript
runsaftervirtualmachinerestarts.
Thisscripthasnoeffectonnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
resume-vm-default
Ifyouconfiguredthepoweronoperationtostartuptheguest,or
theresetoperationtorestarttheguest,thisscriptrunswhenthe
virtualmachineisresumedafteritwassuspended.
OnWindowsguests,ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouse
DHCP,thisscriptrenewstheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine.
OnLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests,thisscriptstartsnetworking
forthevirtualmachine.
suspend-vm-default
Ifyouconfiguredthesuspendoperationtosuspendtheguest,this
scriptrunswhenthevirtualmachineisbeingsuspended.
OnWindowsguests,ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouse
DHCP,thisscriptreleasestheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine.
OnLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests,thisscriptstopsnetworking
forthevirtualmachine.
NOTEScriptsinWindowsNTandWindowsMeguestoperatingsystemsdonot
releaseandrenewtheIPaddress.ScriptscannotberuninWindows95,NetWare,and
FreeBSDguestoperatingsystems.
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Shared Folders Tab (Windows Guests Only)

OnWindowsguests,aSharedFolderstabprovidesinformationonhowtoaccessyour
sharedfoldersonthehost,soyoucansharefilesbetweenthehostandguest.Formore
information,seeViewingSharedFoldersinaWindowsGuestonpage 177.
AlthoughtheSharedFolderstabdoesnotappearinLinuxorSolarisguests,youcan
sharefolderswithLinuxandSolarisguests.SeeViewingSharedFoldersinaLinuxor
Solaris10Guestonpage 177.
Shrink Tab
IntheShrinktab,youcanreclaimunusedspaceinavirtualdisk.However,some
configurationsdonotallowyoutoshrinkavirtualdisk.Formoreinformation,see
ShrinkingVirtualDisksonpage 202.
OnUNIXguests,toshrinkvirtualdisks,runVMwareToolsastherootuser(su -).If
youshrinkthevirtualdiskasanonrootuser,youcannotpreparetoshrinkthepartsof
thevirtualdiskthatrequirerootlevelpermissions.
About Tab
TheAbouttabdisplaysversion(buildnumber)andcopyrightinformation.In
Windowsguests,thistabalsoshowsthestatusoftheVMwareToolsService.
Using the System Console to Configure VMware Tools in a

NetWare Guest Operating System
InaNetWarevirtualmachine,usingthesystemconsole,youcanconfigurecertain
virtualmachineoptionssuchastimesynchronization,CPUidling,anddevice
configurationwithVMwareTools.TheVMwareToolscommandlineprogramiscalled
vmwtool.Toseetheoptionsassociatedwiththiscommand,atthesystemconsole,enter:
vmwtool help
Toentervmwtoolcommandsinthesystemconsole,usethefollowingformat:
vmwtool <command>
where<command>isoneofthecommandslistedinTable 63.
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Table 6-3. VMware Tools Commands for Netware Guests

vmwtool Command
Definition
help
DisplaysasummaryofVMwareToolscommandsand
optionsinaNetWareguest.
partitonlist
Displaysalistofalldiskpartitionsinthevirtualdisk
andwhetherornotapartitioncanbeshrunk.
shrink [<partition>]
Shrinksthelistedpartitions.Ifnopartitionsare
specified,allpartitionsinthevirtualdiskareshrunk.
Thestatusoftheshrinkprocessappearsatthebottomof
thesystemconsole.
devicelist
Listseachremovabledeviceinthevirtualmachine,its
deviceID,andwhetherthedeviceisenabledor
disabled.Removabledevicesincludethevirtual
networkadapter,CDROM,andfloppydrives.
disabledevice [<device
name>]
Disablesthespecifieddeviceordevicesinthevirtual
machine.Ifnodeviceisspecified,allremovabledevices
inthevirtualmachinearedisabled.
enabledevice [<device name>]
Enablesthespecifieddeviceordevicesinthevirtual
machine.Ifnodeviceisspecified,allremovabledevices
inthevirtualmachineareenabled.
synctime [on|off]
Letsyouturnonoroffsynchronizationoftimeinthe
guestoperatingsystemwithtimeonthehostoperating
system.Bydefault,timesynchronizationisturnedoff.
Usethiscommandwithoutanyoptionstoviewthe
currenttimesynchronizationstatus.
idle [on|off]
LetsyouturntheCPUidleronoroff.Bydefault,the
idleristurnedon.TheCPUidlerprogramisincludedin
VMwareToolsforNetWareguests.
TheidlerprogramisneededbecauseNetWareservers
donotidletheCPUwhentheoperatingsystemisidle.
Asaresult,avirtualmachinetakesCPUtimefromthe
hostregardlessofwhethertheNetWareserversoftware
isidleorbusy.
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Customizations to VMware Tools

Thissectioncontainsthefollowingtopics:
UsingCustomScriptsWhenthePowerStateChangesonpage 141
ExecutingCommandsAfterYouPowerOfforResetaVirtualMachineon
page 143
PassingaStringfromtheHosttotheGuestonpage 143
PassingInformationBetweentheGuestandAnotherProgramonpage 146
Using Custom Scripts When the Power State Changes

WhenVMwareToolsisinstalled,ifyouconfigureavirtualmachinespowercontrolsto
usetheguest,orsoftpoweroptions,oneormoredefaultscriptsrunontheguest
wheneveryouchangethepowerstateofthevirtualmachine.Youchangethepower
stateeitherbyusingmenucommandsorbyclickingtheSuspend,Resume,PowerOn,
andPowerOffbuttons.
Whatthedefaultscriptsdodependsinpartontheguestoperatingsystem:
OnMicrosoftWindowsguests,thedefaultscriptexecutedwhenyoususpenda
virtualmachinereleasestheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine.Thedefaultscript
executedwhenyouresumeavirtualmachinerenewstheIPaddressofthevirtual
machine(thisaffectsonlyvirtualmachinesconfiguredtouseDHCP).
Files\VMware\VMware Toolsfolder.
OnUNIXguests,thedefaultscriptexecutedwhenyoususpendavirtualmachine
stopsnetworkingforthevirtualmachine,whilethedefaultscriptexecutedwhen
youresumeavirtualmachinestartsnetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
OnUNIX,thedefaultscriptsarelocatedinthe/etc/vmware-toolsdirectory.
Youcan,however,createyourownscriptsandusetheminsteadofthedefaultscripts.
ScriptsarerunbytheVMwareToolsdaemon(VMwareService.exeonWindows,and
vmware-guestdonUNIXandWindowsVista).
Becausevmware-guestdisrunasrootonUNIXandasSystemonWindowsVista,the
scriptsareruninaseparatesessionfromtheloggedinuserssession.The
vmware-guestdprogramthereforehasnoknowledgeofdesktopsessions,which
meansthatitcannotdisplaygraphicalapplications.
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NOTEYoumightnoticethatyoucansuccessfullyrunascriptbyclickingtheRunNow
buttonintheVMwareToolscontrolpanelbutthatthissamescriptfailswhenrunas
partofaWorkstationpoweroperation.ThisisbecausescriptsrunbyclickingRunNow
arerunastheloggedinuserandhaveadifferentworkingdirectorythanwhenscripts
arerunbyvmware-guestd.
To use custom scripts
1
Studythedefaultscriptstodetermineifyouwanttocreateyourcustomscriptby
makingchangestothedefaultscriptandsavingittoanewlocation.
Files\VMware\VMware Toolsfolder.
OnUNIX,thedefaultscriptsarelocatedinthe/etc/vmware-toolsdirectory.
Eithermodifythedefaultscriptandsaveitwithadifferentname,orwritea
completelydifferentscript.
Ifyouwriteanewscript,forWindows,createthescriptasabatchfile.ForUNIX,
createthescriptinanyexecutableformat(suchasshellorPerlscripts).
Associateeachcustomscriptwithitsparticularpoweroperation.
Formoreinformation,seeScriptsTabonpage 137.
Makesurethatthefollowingconditionsaremetintheguestoperatingsystem:
ThevirtualmachineisusingthelatestversionofVMwareTools.
TheVMwareToolsserviceisrunninginthevirtualmachine.
Dependingontheoperationthescriptperforms,thevirtualmachinemust
haveavirtualnetworkadapterconnected,orthepoweroperationfails.
WARNINGWhenyoureinstallVMwareToolsafteryouupgradetheWorkstation
software,anychangesyoumadetothedefaultscriptsareoverwritten.Anycustom
scriptsyoucreatedremainuntouched,butdonotbenefitfromanyunderlyingchanges
thatenhancethedefaultscripts.
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Executing Commands After You Power Off or Reset a Virtual

Machine
InaLinux,Solaris,orFreeBSDguest,youcanhavetheVMwareToolsserviceexecute
specificcommandswhenyoushutdownorrestarttheguestoperatingsystem.Thisis
inadditiontoanyscriptthatyoumighthavespecifiedtorunwhenyoushutdownthe
Toexecutethesecommands,youneedtomodify/etc/vmware-tools/tools.conf.
Thecommandsare:
halt-command = <command>
where<command>isthecommandtoexecutewhenyoushutdowntheguestoperating
system.
reboot-command = <command>
where<command>isthecommandtoexecutewhenyourestarttheguestoperating
system.
Passing a String from the Host to the Guest

Thissectiondescribeshowtopassastringfromyourvirtualmachinesconfiguration
fileinthehostoperatingsystemtotheguestoperatingsystemwhenyoupowerona
virtualmachine.
Usethisfeatureonlyifyouhaveagoodunderstandingofascriptinglanguage(for
example,PerlorNetShell)andknowhowtomodifysystemstartupscripts.
How to Pass a String

Therearetwowaysofpassingstringstoavirtualmachinesguestoperatingsystem:
Placeastringinthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfilebysettingthestringtothe
machine.idparameter.Forexample,youcansetthisstring:
machine.id = "Hello World."
Passthestringtotheguestoperatingsystemfromthecommandlinewhenyou
poweronthevirtualmachine.Foranexample,seetheprocedureincludedatthe
endofthissection.
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What Can Be Used in Strings

YoucanpassitemsliketheWindowssystemID(SID),amachinename,oranIP
address.Insidetheguestoperatingsystemstartupscript,youcanthenhavetheservice
retrievethisstring.Thestringcanthenbeusedinanotherscripttosetyourvirtual
machinessystemID,machinename,orIPaddress.
When to Pass a String

Usethisstrategy,forexample,tomakecopiesofthesameconfigurationfile,adda
differentstringtoeach(eitherintheconfigurationfileitselforatthecommandline),
andusethesevariationsofthesameconfigurationfiletolaunchthesamevirtualdisk
innonpersistentmodemultipletimesinatrainingortestingenvironment.
Followingisanexampleofwhatportionsoftwoconfigurationfilesthatpointtothe
samevirtualdiskmightlooklike.Eachconfigurationfilecontainsitsownuniquestring
setforthemachine.idparameter.
<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"
Passingastringisalsousefulwhenyouwanttodeployvirtualmachinesonanetwork
usingacommonconfigurationfile,whileprovidingeachmachinewithitsownunique
identity.Inthiscase,youspecifythestringatthecommandline.Launcheachvirtual
machinewiththevmware -scommand.Foranexample,seetheprocedureToretrieve
astringanduseitinastartupscriptonpage 145.
Eachvirtualmachinediskfilemustbecopiedintoitsowndirectoryifitsharesitsfile
namewithanothervirtualmachinediskfile.
ThefollowingexampleusesaWindowshostandguesttoillustratehowyoucanuse
theservicetoretrieveastringcontainingwhatwillbecomethevirtualmachines
machinenameandIPaddress.Inthisexample,W2KVMisthemachinenameand
148.30.16.24istheIPaddress.
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To retrieve a string and use it in a startup script

1
Definethestringbyusingoneofthefollowingmethods:
Addthefollowinglinetoyourvirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
machine.id = "W2K-VM 148.30.16.24"
Openvirtualmachineusingthisconfigurationfile.
Openthevirtualmachinefromthecommandlinebyenteringthefollowing
ononeline:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\vmware -s
'machine.id=W2K-VM 148.30.16.24' C:\Virtual
Machines\win2000\win2000.vmx
OnaLinuxhost,themachineIDpassedonthecommandlinetakesprecedence
andispassedtotheguestoperatingsystemifthefollowingconditionsaremet:
AvirtualmachineIDisspecifiedinaconfigurationfile.
Youusethatfiletoopenthevirtualmachine.
YoualsospecifyamachineIDonthecommandline.
Retrievethestringinthevirtualmachine:
InaWindowsguest,thecommandtoretrievethestringis:
VMwareService --cmd machine.id.get
InaLinuxguestoperatingsystemsstartupscript,addthefollowing
commandbeforethenetworkstartupsection.Forexample:
/usr/sbin/vmware-guestd --cmd 'machine.id.get'
Thelocationofvmware-guestddependsonthedirectoryyouspecifyatthe
timeofinstallation.
3
Furthercustomizethisstartupscriptsothatitusesthestringtheserviceretrieved
duringstartuptosetthevirtualmachinesnetworknametoW2KVManditsIP
addressto148.30.16.24.
Placethisstringinthescriptbeforethecommandtostartthenetworkservices.If
youreusingaWindows2000guestoperatingsystem,forexample,youcancallthe
NetShellutility(netsh)andpassitthecontentsofthestring,whichthenusesthe
stringaccordingly.Thatis,itcansetanewIPaddressforthevirtualmachine,if
thatiswhatwaspassedinthestringoriginally.
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NOTETopreventastringfrombeingpassedfromthehosttotheguestthroughthe
service.Setthefollowinglineinyourvirtualmachinesconfigurationfile:
isolation.tools.getMachineID.disable = "TRUE"
Passing Information Between the Guest and Another Program

TheVMwareToolsserviceallowsyoutouseVMwareprogrammaticinterfacesto
managevirtualmachinesfromyourownindependentprogramsandfromexisting
frameworksdevelopedbypartnersandthirdparties.
FormoreinformationabouttheVMwareInfrastructureSDK,goto
www.vmware.com/support/developer.
Using the VMware Tools Command-Line Interface

TheVMwareToolscommandlineinterfaceenablesyouto:
ConfiguretimesynchronizationinyourLinuxguestoperatingsystemwithout
havingtorunX.
Usesomespecialtimesynchronizationoptionswithouthavingtofirstpoweroff
thevirtualmachineandedititsconfiguration(.vmx)file.
ConfigureVMwareToolsoptionsfromthecommandlineratherthanfromthe
VMwareToolboxgraphicaluserinterface.
AdescriptionofeachoptionisprovidedinOptionsfortheVMwareToolscmd
Commandonpage 147.
To use the VMware Tools command-line interface
1
Ontheguestoperatingsystem,changedirectoriestothedirectorythatcontainsthe
VMwareToolsdaemon:
OnMicrosoftWindowssystems,thedaemoniscalledVMwareService.exe.
ThelocationisC:\Program Files\VMware\VMware
Tools\VMwareService.exe.
OnUNIXsystems,thedaemoniscalledvmware-guestd.
Thelocationofvmware-guestddependsonthedirectoryyouspecifyatthe
timeofinstallation.Thedefaultis/usr/sbin/vmware-guestd.
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Usethevmx.set_optioncommandtosetthedesiredoption.
Thesyntaxis:
<daemon> --cmd "vmx.set_option <option> <old-val> <new-val>"
where:
<daemon>isvmware-guestdonUNIXsystemsorVMwareService.exeon
Windowssystems.
<option>isoneoftheoptionsdescribedinOptionsfortheVMwareToolscmd
Commandonpage 147.
<old-val>and<new-val>aretheoldandnewvalues,respectively.Use0tomean
FALSEand1tomeanTRUE.
FollowingisanexampleofsettingtimesychronizationtoTRUEonaLinuxguest:
./vmware-guestd --cmd "vmx.set_option synctime 0 1"
Whenyouusecommandlineoptions,thenewsettingsarewrittenintothevirtual
machinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.
NOTEForinformationaboutavailablecommandsotherthanthe--cmdcommand,use
the--helpcommandlinecommand.
Options for the VMware Tools --cmd Command

Followingaretheoptionsyoucanuseasargumentstothevmx.set_option
commandlinecommand.
synctime
(Defaultis0,whichmeansFALSE)ControlswhethertheVMwareToolsdaemon
periodically(everysecond)checkswhethertheguestoperatingsystemstimeis
laggingbehindthehosts.Ifso,theguestsclockismovedforwardtomatchthe
hostsclock.Thisoption,byitself,cansynctimeinaforwardfashiononly.Useitin
conjunctionwithtime.synchronize.tools.enabletosynctimebackward.
Usingthesynctimecommandlineoptionisequivalenttousingthetime
synchronizationoptionontheOptionstaboftheVMwareToolbox,whichsetsa
propertycalledtools.syncTimeinthevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)
file.
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time.synchronize.tools.enable
(Defaultis0,whichmeansFALSE)Controlswhethertogglingthesynctime
optionto1causesanimmediate,onetimesynchronizationtooccur.Unlikethe
normalperiodictimesync,whichcanmovetheguestclockonlyforward,this
specialtimesynchronizationcanmovetheguestclockeitherforwardorbackward.
Disablethisoptionifyourguestsmustabsolutelyneversyncbackwardintime.
time.synchronize.tools.startup
(Defaultis0,whichmeansFALSE)ControlswhethertheVMwareToolsdaemon
willdoaoneshottimesynchronizationwhenitstartsup.Thisspecialtimesync
canbeeitherforwardorbackwardintime.Becausethesettingcontrolsdaemons
startupbehavior,thedaemonmustberestartedforthisoptiontohaveanyeffect.
Makesurethisoptionissetto0ifyourguestsmustabsolutelyneversync
backwardintime.
time.sychronize.restore
(Defaultis1,whichmeansTRUE)Controlswhethertimeissynchronizedbetween
thehostandguestwhentheguestrevertstoasnapshot.
time.sychronize.resume.disk
thehostandguestwhenyouresumeasuspendedvirtualmachine.
time.sychronize.continue
thehostandguestwhenyoutakeasnapshotofavirtualmachine.
time.sychronize.shrink
thehostandguestwhenyoushrinkavirtualdisk.
autohide
(Defaultis1,whichmeansTRUE)Makestheguestscursordisappearwhenyou
moveitofftheedgeoftheguestsscreen.Tomaketheguestscursorremainonthe
edgeofthescreenwhenyoumoveitoffthewindow,setthisoptiontoFALSE.
enableDnD
(Defaultis1,whichmeansTRUE)Enablesdraganddropfunctionalitysothatyou
candraganddropfilesandfoldersfromaWindowsorLinuxhosttoaWindows,
Linux,orSolarisguest.Formoreinformationaboutthisfeature,seeUsingDrag
andDroponpage 171.
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Running a Virtual Machine
Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
StartingaVirtualMachineonpage 150
RunningVMwareToolsonpage 152
ShuttingDownaVirtualMachineonpage 154
DeletingaVirtualMachineonpage 156
ControllingtheDisplayonpage 156
InstallingNewSoftwareonpage 168
RunningVirtualMachinesfromWithinanIDEonpage 169
DisplayingtheVirtualMachineasanApplianceonpage 170
TransferringFilesandTextBetweentheHostandGuestonpage 171
UsingDevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 181
CreatingaScreenShotofaVirtualMachineonpage 183
CreatingaMovieofaVirtualMachineonpage 183
UsingaVNCClientforRemoteConnectionstoaVirtualMachineonpage 184
TheillustrationsinthesesectionsshowaWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem.Some
commandsusedintheillustrationsaredifferentfromthoseusedinotherguest
operatingsystems.
ThefollowingWorkstationtasksarediscussedinseparatechapters:
UsingsnapshotsSeeChapter 10,PreservingtheStateofaVirtualMachine,on
page 225.
Recordingavirtualmachine(experimental)SeeChapter 10,Preservingthe
StateofaVirtualMachine,onpage 225.
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CloningavirtualmachineSeeChapter 11,CloningaVirtualMachine,on
page 247.
WorkingwithvirtualmachineteamsSeeChapter 12,ConfiguringTeams,on
page 255.
Starting a Virtual Machine

Thissectiondescribesthewaysyoucanlaunchavirtualmachine:
YoucanlaunchavirtualmachinewhenWorkstationiseitherrunningornot
running,asdescribedin:
TostartavirtualmachinefromtheWorkstationuserinterfaceonpage 150
Toopentheconsoleforavirtualmachinethatisrunninginthebackground
onpage 151
Youcanalsostartavirtualmachinefromthecommandline.SeeTostartavirtual
machinefromthecommandlineonpage 151.
To start a virtual machine from the Workstation user interface

1
StartWorkstation.
ChooseFile>Openandbrowsetotheconfiguration(.vmx)fileforthevirtual
machineyouwanttouse.
RefertoVirtualMachineLocationonpage 152forhelpfindingvirtualmachines
onyourhostoperatingsystem.
IfyouaddthenameofthevirtualmachinetotheFavoriteslist,youwillnotneed
tobrowseforthefilewhenyouwanttoopenthevirtualmachine.SeeThe
FavoritesListonpage 75.
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ClickthePowerOnbuttontostartthevirtualmachine.
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Chapter 7 Running a Virtual Machine
Clickanywhereinsidethevirtualmachineconsoletogivethevirtualmachine
controlofyourmouseandkeyboard.
Ifyouneedtologontotheoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachine,typeyour
nameandpasswordjustasyouwouldonaphysicalcomputer.
NOTEOnWindowshosts,ifyourWindowsguestoperatingsystempromptsyou
topressCtrl+Alt+Delbeforeloggingin,youmightneedtopressCtrl+Alt+Ins
instead.YouneedtouseCtrl+Alt+Insifthevirtualmachineisnotusingthe
enhancedvirtualkeyboard.SeeEnhancedVirtualKeyboardforWindowsHosts
onpage 343.
To start a virtual machine from the command line

1
Usetheappropriateplatformspecificinstructionsforstartingthevirtualmachine:
StartupOptionsforWorkstationandVirtualMachinesonpage 407
UsingStartupOptionsinaWindowsShortcutonpage 409
Tooperatethevirtualmachinebyusingacommandlineprogram,usethe
instructionsinCommandLineApplicationforOperatingVirtualMachineson
page 409.
To open the console for a virtual machine that is running in the background
1
Clickthepowerstatusiconinthenotificationareaofthehoststaskbar.
Clickthetooltipthatappearstodisplayalistofthevirtualmachines.
List of powered on virtual
machines
Power status icon
Thislistcontainsthevirtualmachinesandteamsthatbelongtotheloggedinuser.
NOTEIfyoudonotseeapoweredoniconinthesystemtray,makesurethat
youhavesetthepreferencetoshowit.FromtheWorkstationmenubar,choose
Edit>Preferences>Workspace,andselectthecheckboxforshowingthetrayicon.
3
Clickthemachineyouwanttoopen.
Workstationstartsanddisplaystheconsoleviewofthevirtualmachine.
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Virtual Machine Location

Bydefault,virtualmachinefilesarestoredinthevirtualmachinesworkingdirectory:
OnWindowshostsVMwareWorkstationstoresvirtualmachinesinthe
My Documentsfolderoftheuserwhoisloggedonatthetimethevirtualmachine
iscreated.
OnWindowsServer2003,WindowsXPandWindows2000,thedefaultfolderis
Machines\<guestOSname>.
OnWindowsVista,thedefaultfolderisC:\Users\<username>\Virtual
Machines\<guestOSname>.
OnLinuxhostsVMwareWorkstationstoresvirtualmachinesin
<homedir>/vmware/<guestOSname>,where<homedir>isthehomedirectoryof
theuserwhoisloggedonatthetimethevirtualmachineiscreated.
TheworkingdirectoryisalsowhereWorkstationstoressuspendedstate(.vmss),
snapshot(.vmsn),andredologfiles.Youcanfindthepathtotheworkingdirectoryby
displayingthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(selectthevirtualmachineandchoose
VM>Settings>Options>General).Formoreinformationabouttheworkingdirectory,
clicktheHelpbuttonontheOptions>Generaltab.
Running VMware Tools

Forbestperformance,makesureVMwareToolsisinstalledandrunninginyourvirtual
machine.
AfteryouinstallVMwareToolsinaWindowsvirtualmachine,theVMwareTools
serviceswillstartwhenyoustarttheguestoperatingsystem.TheVMwareToolsicon
appearsintheguestsnotificationareaunlessyoudisabletheicon.
VMware Tools icon
OnWindowsguests,iftheVMwareToolsiconincludesayellowcautionicon,itmeans
thatanupdateisavailable.Toperformtheupdate,doubleclicktheicon,andonthe
Optionstabthatappears,clicktheUpgradebutton.
IftheVMwareToolsiconappearswitharedcircleandslashoverit,thismeansthat
theVMwareToolsserviceisnotrunning.Tostarttheservice,chooseRunfromthe
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WindowsStartmenu,andenterservices.msc.Inthewindowthatappears,startthe
servicecalledVMwareToolsService.
IftheVMwareToolsicondoesnotappearinthenotificationareaoftheWindows
gueststaskbar,usetheVMwareToolscontrolpanelintheguestoperatingsystemto
displayit,asdescribedinthefollowingprocedure.
To change property settings for VMware Tools on Windows systems
1
Intheguestsystem,clickStart>Settings>ControlPanelorStart>ControlPanel,
dependingontheversionofWindowsyouareusing.
OnWindowsVistaguests,youneedtobeloggedinasanAdministratoruserto
opentheVMwareToolscontrolpanel.
IntheControlPanel,locatetheVMwareToolsiconanddoubleclickit.
IntheVMwareToolsPropertiesdialogboxthatappears,ontheOptionstab,select
ShowVMwareToolsinthetaskbar.
Thissettingreactivatestheiconinthenotificationareaofthetaskbar.
TochangeanyotherVMwareToolsproperties,usethetabsinthisdialogbox.
Formoreinformationabouttheproperties,clicktheHelpbutton.
To change property settings for VMware Tools on a Linux, Solaris, or FreeBSD

system
1
Boottheguestoperatingsystem,startX,andlaunchyourgraphicalenvironment.
LaunchtheVMwareToolsbackgroundapplicationwiththiscommand:
vmware-toolbox &
YoucanrunVMwareToolsasrootorasanormaluser.Toshrinkvirtualdisksor
tochangeanyVMwareToolsscripts,youmustrunVMwareToolsasroot(su -).
3
TochangeanyotherVMwareToolsproperties,usethetabsinthisdialogbox.
Formoreinformationabouttheproperties,clicktheHelpbutton.
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Shutting Down a Virtual Machine

Aswithphysicalcomputers,youcanshutdownyourguestoperatingsystembefore
youpoweroffyourvirtualmachineorteam.
To shut down a Windows guest operating system
1
Intheguestsystem,shutdowntheoperatingsystemasyouwouldifyouwere
usingaphysicalmachineratherthanavirtualmachine.
Forexample,inWindowsXP,clickStart>ShutDown.Inthedialogboxthat
appears,chooseShutDownandclickOK.
Aftertheguestoperatingsystemshutsdown,clickPowerOfftoturnoffthe
virtualmachine.
NOTEAlternatively,youcanconfigurethePowerOffbuttontoshutdowntheguest
operatingsystembeforepoweringoffthevirtualmachine.SeePoweringOffVersus
ShuttingDownandResettingVersusRestartingonpage 154.
YouarenotrequiredtoshutdowntheguestbeforeexitingWorkstation.Ifyouwantto
exitWorkstationbutleavethevirtualmachinerunninginthebackgroundratherthan
shuttingitdown,seeClosingVirtualMachinesandExitingWorkstationonpage 86.
Powering Off Versus Shutting Down and Resetting Versus

Restarting
YoucanconfigurethePowerOffbuttontoturnoffavirtualmachineorteamineither
oftwoways:
SetthePowerOffbuttontoworkthesamewayapowerswitchworksonapower
supply.Thevirtualmachineisabruptlypoweredoff,withnoconsiderationfor
workinprogress.
WARNINGIfavirtualmachineiswritingtodiskwhenitreceivesaPowerOff
command,datacorruptionmightoccur.
SetthePowerOffbuttontosendashutdownsignaltotheguestoperatingsystem.
Anoperatingsystemthatrecognizesthissignalshutsdowngracefully.
TousethisShutdownGuestoption,makesureVMwareToolsisinstalledinthe
guestoperatingsystem.TheVMwareToolsservicethenissuesashutdown
commandandrunsascripttoshutdowncleanly.
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Similarly,youcanconfiguretheResetbuttontoworkthesamewayasaresetswitch,
sothatitresetsthevirtualmachineabruptly,withnoconsiderationforworkin
progress.OryoucansettheResetbuttontohavetheVMwareToolsservicesenda
restartsignaltotheguestoperatingsystem.Itthenshutsdowngracefullyandrestarts.
NOTENotallguestoperatingsystemsrespondtoashutdownsignalfromthePower
Offbutton,ortoarestartsignalfromtheReset.Ifyouroperatingsystemdoesnot
respondtothesignal,shutdownorrestartfromwithintheoperatingsystem,asyou
wouldwithaphysicalmachine.
To configure the Power options for a virtual machine
1
Thevirtualmachinecanbepoweredonoroff.
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClicktheOptionstab,andselectPower.
InthePowerControlsareaofthedialogbox,specifywhetheryouwantthePower
Offbuttontoshutdowntheguestgracefullyortoabruptlypowerthevirtual
machineoff.
Theselectionyoumakeisreflectedinthetooltipyouseewhenyouplaceyour
mousepointeroverthePowerOffbutton.
Similarly,specifyhowyouwanttheResetbuttontowork.
Itcaneitheractasaresetswitchandabruptlyresettheguestoperatingsystem,or
itcansendarestartsignaltotheguestoperatingsystemsothatitshutsdown
gracefullyandrestarts.
TousetheRestartGuestoption,makesureVMwareToolsisinstalledintheguest
operatingsystem.
Ifyouwanttochangeanyoftheothersettingsandneedmoreinformation,click
Helptodisplaytheonlinehelp.
ForUNIXguests,ifyouwanttopassXtoolkitoptionswhenyoupoweronavirtual
machine,seeAppendix A,WorkstationCommandLineReference,onpage 407.
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Deleting a Virtual Machine

WorkstationincludescommandstoremoveavirtualmachinefromtheFavoriteslistor
completelydeletethevirtualmachine.Youdonotneedtomanipulatefilesinthehost
filesystemtodeleteavirtualmachine.
To remove a virtual machine from the Favorites list
IntheFavoriteslist,rightclickthenameofthevirtualmachineandchooseRemove
fromFavorites.
Thischoicedoesnotaffectthevirtualmachineitself.Allvirtualmachineandteamfiles
remainintactonthehostcomputerfilesystem.
To delete a virtual machine from the system
IntheFavoriteslist,rightclickthenameofthevirtualmachineandchooseDeletefrom
Disk.
Alternatively,selectthevirtualmachineand,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,choose
VM>DeletefromDisk.
To remove a virtual machine from a team
Opentheteam,asdescribedinOpeningandClosingaTeamonpage 258.Inthe
summaryviewfortheteam,intheVirtualMachinesandLANSegmentssection,
rightclickthenameofthevirtualmachine,andchooseRemovefromTeam.
Alternatively,selecttheteamintheFavoriteslistand,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,
chooseTeam>Remove><name_of_virtual_machine>.
Controlling the Display

YoucancontroltheVMwareWorkstationdisplaytosuitthewayyouprefertowork
withyourvirtualmachines.Thissectionincludesthefollowingtopics:
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SimplifyingtheScreenDisplayonpage 157
UsingFullScreenModeonpage 158
UsingQuickSwitchModeonpage 159
ReportingBatteryInformationintheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 160
UsingExclusiveModeonpage 160
UsingMultipleMonitorsonpage 162
FittingtheWorkstationConsoletotheVirtualMachineDisplayonpage 165
WorkingwithNonstandardResolutionsonpage 167
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Simplifying the Screen Display

YoucanturnoffthedisplayofmanyofthecontrolsvisibleintheVMwareWorkstation
window.
UsetheViewmenutotogglethefollowingcontrolsonoroff:
Sidebar
Toolbar
Statusbar
Virtualmachinetabs
OnaWindowshost,youcanalsohidethemenubar,thetoolbar,thestatusbar,andthe
sidebar.Clickthetitlebaricon,andchooseHideControls.
Figure 7-1. Hide Controls Command on a Windows Host
ForthesimplestVMwareWorkstationwindowonaWindowshost,firstchoose
View>Tabstoturnoffthetabs.Then,fromthetitlebariconshortcutmenu,choose
HideControls.Thiswindowisverysimilartofullscreenmodeexceptthatthetaskbars
forboththehostandtheguestaredisplayed.
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Using Full Screen Mode

Infullscreenmode,thevirtualmachinedisplayfillsthescreen,soyounolongersee
thebordersoftheVMwareWorkstationwindow.
Figure 7-2. Full Screen Toolbar on a Windows Host
Cycle multiple monitors button
Next button
Selector arrow
NOTEIfyouplantorunthevirtualmachineinfullscreenmodeonalaptopcomputer,
alsoseeReportingBatteryInformationintheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 160.
To use full screen mode
1
StartWorkstationandmakesureoneormorevirtualmachinesarepoweredon.
Ifyouhavemultiplemonitors,movetheWorkstationwindowintothemonitor
youwanttousefordisplayingthisvirtualmachineinfullscreenmode.
NOTEForbestperformance,makesuretheguestoperatingsystemhasVMware
Toolsinstalled.SeeInstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115.
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Toenterfullscreenmode,selectapoweredonvirtualmachineanddooneofthe
following:
Fromthemenubar,chooseView>FullScreen.
ClicktheFullScreenbuttononthetoolbar.
PressCtrl+Alt+Enter.
Toswitchfromfullscreenmodebacktowindowedmode,whichshowsyour
virtualmachineinsideaWorkstationwindowagain,dooneofthefollowing:
ClicktheRestorebuttononthefullscreentoolbar.
PressCtrl+Alt+Enter.
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Tohidethefullscreentoolbarandmenuswhileyouareusingfullscreenmode,
clickthepushpiniconandmoveyourmousepointeroffofthetoolbar.
Thisactionwillunpinthetoolbar.Thetoolbarslidesuptothetopofthemonitor
anddisappears.
Todisplaythetoolbaragain,movethemousepointertothetopofthescreenuntil
thetoolbarappears.
Ifyouwantthetoolbartoremainonthescreen,clickthepushpiniconagain.
Toswitchfromonepoweredonvirtualmachinetoanotherwhileinfullscreen
mode,dooneofthefollowing:
ClicktheNextbuttononthetoolbar,asshowninFigure 72.
Clickthevirtualmachinearrow,asshowninFigure 72.
Thevirtualmachineselectorarrowenablesyoutochooseaspecific
poweredonvirtualmachine.
PressCtrl+Alt+rightarrowtogotothenextvirtualmachine,orpress
Ctrl+Alt+leftarrowtogotothepreviousvirtualmachine.
UsetheVMmenuonthetoolbartoaccessanyofthecommandsthatyounormally
seeintheWorkstationVMmenu.
NOTETodisplaythevirtualmachineacrosstwoormoremonitorsinfullscreenmode,
seeUsingMultipleMonitorsonpage 162.
Using Quick Switch Mode

Quickswitchmodeissimilartofullscreenmodewiththeadditionoftabsatthetopof
thescreenforswitchingfromonevirtualmachinetoanother.Theotherdifferenceis
thatyoucanusequickswitchmodewithvirtualmachinesthatarepoweredonoroff,
whereasfullscreenmodeisavailableonlyforvirtualmachinesthatarepoweredon.
Inquickswitchmode,thevirtualmachinesscreenisresizedtofillthescreen
completely,exceptforthespaceoccupiedbythetabs.
Toenterquickswitchmode,chooseView>QuickSwitch.
ToviewtheWorkstationmenuandtoolbarwhileyouareusingquickswitchmode,
movethemousepointertothetopofthescreen.
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Toresizeaguestoperatingsystemsdisplaysoitfillsasmuchofthescreenaspossible
inquickswitchmode,chooseView>FitGuestNow.TheFitGuestNowoptionworks
onlyifyouhavethecurrentversionofVMwareToolsinstalledintheguestoperating
system.
Togetoutofquickswitchmode,movethemousepointertothetopofthescreento
activatethemenuandchooseView>QuickSwitch.
Reporting Battery Information in the Guest Operating System

Torunavirtualmachineonalaptopinfullscreenmode,usethefollowingprocedure
toensurethatbatteryinformationisreportedintheguest.Thisway,youcandetermine
whenthebatteryisrunninglow.
To report the status of the battery in the guest
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheOptionstab,selectPower.
SelecttheReportbatteryinformationtoguestcheckboxandclickOK.
Using Exclusive Mode

Youmightwanttouseexclusivemodeifyouwanttorungraphicsintensive
applications,suchasgames,infullscreenmode.Likefullscreenmode,exclusivemode
causestheWorkstationvirtualmachinedisplaytofillthescreen.
Drawbackstousingexclusivemodeinclude:
Thefullscreentoolbarisnotavailableinexclusivemode.Toconfigureanyvirtual
machinesettings,youneedtoleaveexclusivemode(bypressingCtrl+Alt).
Exclusivemodedoesnotusemorethanonemonitor.
Exclusivemodecausesthehostresolutiontoresize,whichcancauseitemsonthe
hostdesktoptobemoved.
Forbestperformance,makesuretheguestoperatingsystemhasVMwareTools
installed.SeeInstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115.
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To use exclusive mode

1
StartWorkstationandmakesureoneormorevirtualmachinesarepoweredon.
Ifyouhavemultiplemonitors,movetheWorkstationwindowintothemonitor
youwanttousefordisplayingthisvirtualmachineinexclusivemode.
PressCtrl+Alt+Entertoenterfullscreenmode.
Onthefullscreentoolbar,dooneofthefollowing:
OnWindowshosts,clicktheWorkstationicontodisplaythesystemmenu
andchooseExclusiveMode.
System menu
OnLinuxhosts,clicktheViewmenuonthefullscreentoolbarandchoose
ExclusiveMode.
Toexitfullscreenmodeandreturntowindowedmode,pressCtrl+Alt.
Inexclusivemode,youcannotdisplaythefullscreentoolbar.
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Using Multiple Monitors

Ifyourhosthasamultiplemonitordisplay,youcanrunadifferentvirtualmachineon
eachmonitor.Youcanalsohaveonevirtualmachineusetwoormoremonitors.
Beforeyouattempttousemultiplemonitorsfordisplayingonevirtualmachine,make
surethevirtualmachinemeetstheserequirements:
ThevirtualmachineisaWorkstation6orhighervirtualmachine.
VMwareToolsisinstalledandrunninginthevirtualmachinesguestoperating
system.TheversionofVMwareToolsmustbetheversionincludedinWorkstation
6orhigher.Forinstructions,seeInstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolson
page 115.
TheguestoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachineisWindowsXP,WindowsVista,
orLinux.
Onthehost,thedisplaysettingsformonitorsmustbesetinacompatibletopology.
Forexample,theleftmostmonitorcannotnotbelowanyothermonitor.Itdoesnot
matterifthemonitorshavedifferentresolutionsororientations.Whenentering
fullscreenmode,themonitorcontainingtheWorkstationwindowcannotbebelow
anothermonitor.
Putanotherway:WhenyouusetheWindowsdisplaypropertiescontrols,ifyou
selectamonitoriconandbegintodragittoanewlocation,apopupdisplaysthe
coordinates.Ifacoordinateshownforthenewlocationoftheiconisanegative
number,thatlocationwillnotwork.
Tousemultiplemonitorstodisplayonevirtualmachineonpage 162
Todisplaymultiplevirtualmachinesinmultiplemonitorsonpage 164
To use multiple monitors to display one virtual machine

1
StartWorkstationandchooseEdit>Preferences.
Thepreferenceseditoropens.
InthePreferencesdialogbox,clicktheDisplaytab,andintheFullScreensection,
selectAutofitguestandclickOK.
SelecttheWorkstation6virtualmachine.
ChooseVM>Settings.
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ClicktheHardwaretab,andselectDisplay.
IfDisplaydoesnotappearinthelistontheHardwaretab,itprobablymeansthat
thevirtualmachineisaWorkstation4or5virtualmachine.OnlyWorkstation6
virtualmachineshavethisfeature.
OntheDisplaytab,undermostcircumstances,selectUsehostsettingfor
monitors.
Thisoptionmeansthatifthevirtualmachineisrunonahostthatisusingone
monitor,thevirtualmachinewillseeonlyonemonitor.Butifthesamevirtual
machineismovedtoadifferenthostthatisusingtwomonitors,thevirtual
machinewillseetwomonitors.
Here,thenumberofmonitorsdependsonthenumberofmonitorsthehost
recognizeswhenitstartsup.Forexample,ifyoupoweronalaptopthatis
undocked,thehostsettingisonemonitor,evenifyoulaterplacetherunning
laptopinadockingstationthatusestwomonitors.
Similarly,ifthehosthasonemonitorandyoususpendthevirtualmachineand
thenchangeyourhosttohavetwomonitors,whenyouresume,thevirtual
machinewillstillbeconfiguredtouseonemonitor.Youwillneedtorestartthe
virtualmachinetodetectthenewsettings.
Ifyousetaspecificnumberofmonitors,alsospecifyasufficientmaximum
resolution.
Theresolutionofahostmonitorthatyouusetodisplaythevirtualmachinemust
notexceedtheMaximumresolutionsettingyouspecifyhere.
PoweronthevirtualmachineandchooseView>FullScreenfromtheWorkstation
menubar.
Formoreinformationaboutfullscreenmode,seeUsingFullScreenModeon
page 158.
NOTEMakesurethevirtualmachineiscompletelypoweredon.Ifwhenyou
poweronthevirtualmachineitissettoberestoredfromasnapshotandif
backgroundsnapshotsareenabled,poweringonmighttakelonger.Inthiscase,
displayingthevirtualmachinetotwomonitorsmightnotworkcorrectlyatfirst.If
youseethisissue,gotoEdit>Preferences>Prioritydeselectthecheckboxcalled
Takeandrestoresnapshotsinthebackground.
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Onthefullscreentoolbar,clicktheCycleMultipleMonitorsbutton.
TheCycleMultipleMonitorsbuttonisavailableonlyifthehosthasmorethanone
monitor.ThisbuttonisshowninFigure 72,FullScreenToolbaronaWindows
Host,onpage 158.
Ifthevirtualmachinedoesnotdisplaycorrectly,usethesystemmenu(on
Windowshosts)ortheViewmenu(onLinuxhosts)andmakesureAutofitGuest
isselected.
NOTEClickingtheCycleMultipleMonitorsbuttoncausestheguestoperating
systemsdesktoptoextendtotheadditionalmonitorormonitors.OnWindows
guests,youdonotneedto,andshouldnot,usetheWindowsdisplayproperties
settingstoconfiguremultiplemonitors.
10
Ifyouhavemorethantwomonitors,andyouwantthevirtualmachinetostretch
acrossadifferenttwomonitors,clicktheCycleMultipleMonitorsbuttonagain.
Theorderingofthemonitorsdependsontheorderinwhichthemonitorswere
addedtothehostoperatingsystem.
11
Toreturntousingonlyonemonitor,clicktheCycleMultipleMonitorsbutton
untilthedisplayreturnstoonemonitor.
To display multiple virtual machines in multiple monitors

1
Ifyouhavetwoormoremonitors,dooneofthefollowing:
OpenmultipleWorkstationwindows.
YoucaneitherrepeattheprocedureyouusedtostartWorkstationthefirst
timeoryoucanchooseFile>New>WindowfromtheWorkstationmenubar.
AlthoughyouhavetwoWorkstationwindows,bothwindowsoperateina
singleWorkstationprocess,whichsavesmemoryandallowspreferencesand
Favoriteslistitemstobeshared.
(Linuxonly)StartmultipleinstancesofWorkstation.
OnLinuxhosts,ifyouwanttorunseparateWorkstationprocessesindifferent
Xservers,startthesecondinstanceofWorkstationwiththe-Wflag.Ina
terminalwindow,enter:
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StartoneormorevirtualmachinesineachVMwareWorkstationwindow.
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DrageachWorkstationwindowtothemonitoronwhichyouwanttouseit.
Forthelargestpossiblescreendisplay,switcheachofthewindowstofullscreen
mode(chooseView>FullScreen).Formoreinformation,seeUsingFullScreen
Modeonpage 158.
Toswitchmouseandkeyboardinputfromthevirtualmachineonthefirstscreen
tothevirtualmachineonthesecondscreen,movethemousepointerfromoneto
theother.
YoudonotneedtotakeanyspecialstepsifVMwareToolsisrunninginbothguest
operatingsystemsandifyouareusingthedefaultsettingsforgrabbinginput.
Ifyouchangedthedefaults,youmightneedtopressCtrl+Alttoreleasethemouse
pointerfromthefirstvirtualmachine,moveittothesecondvirtualmachine,and
clickinthesecondvirtualmachinesoitwillgrabcontrolofmouseandkeyboard
input.
Fitting the Workstation Console to the Virtual Machine Display

TheViewmenusAutofitandFitcommandsallowyoutomatchtheWorkstation
consolewiththeguestoperatingsystemdisplaysize.
WithbothAutofitcommandstoggledoff,Workstationdoesnotautomaticallymatch
windowsizesasyouwork.ScrollbarsappearintheconsolewhentheWorkstation
consoleissmallerthantheguestoperatingsystemdisplay.Ablackborderappearsin
theconsolewhentheconsoleislargerthantheguestoperatingsystemdisplay.
TheAutofitandFitcommandsaredescribedTable 71.
Table 7-1. Autofit and Fit Commands
View Menu
Command
AutofitWindow
AutofitGuest1
Description
1
CausestheWorkstationconsoletomaintainthesizeofthevirtual
machinesdisplayresolution.Iftheguestoperatingsystemchangesits
resolution,theWorkstationconsoleresizestomatchthenewresolution.
Causesthevirtualmachinetoresizetheguestdisplayresolutionto
matchthesizeoftheWorkstationconsole.
1. AnAutofitcommandistoggledonoroffeachtimeyouselectit.IfbothAutofitcommands
aretoggledon,youcanmanuallyresizetheWorkstationconsole,buttheguestoperating
systemcanalsoresizetheWorkstationconsole.
2. ThiscommandisredundantwhenoneoftheAutofitoptionsisactivebecausetheconsole
andtheguestoperatingsystemdisplayarethesamesize.
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Table 7-1. Autofit and Fit Commands (Continued)

View Menu
Command
Description
FitWindowNow2
CausestheWorkstationconsoletomatchthecurrentdisplaysizeofthe
FitGuestNow2
Causestheguestoperatingsystemdisplaysizetomatchthecurrent
Workstationconsole.
1. AnAutofitcommandistoggledonoroffeachtimeyouselectit.IfbothAutofitcommands
aretoggledon,youcanmanuallyresizetheWorkstationconsole,buttheguestoperating
systemcanalsoresizetheWorkstationconsole.
2. ThiscommandisredundantwhenoneoftheAutofitoptionsisactivebecausetheconsole
andtheguestoperatingsystemdisplayarethesamesize.
Considerations for Display Resizing in Linux Guests

ForLinuxguests,thefollowingconsiderationsapplytodisplayresizing:
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IfyouhavevirtualmachinesthatweresuspendedunderaversionofVMware
Toolsbeforeversion5.5,displayresizingwillnotworkuntilthevirtualmachines
arecompletelypoweredoffandpoweredonagain.(Rebootingthevirtualmachine
isnotsufficient.)
UpdateVMwareToolstothelatestversionintheguestforthedisplayresizing
optionstowork.
BeforeyoucanusetheAutofitGuestandFitGuestNowoptions,VMwareTools
mustberunning.
AlltherestrictionsonresizingthattheX11Windowssystemimposesonphysical
hostsapplytoguests:
Youcannotresizetoamodethatisnotdefined.TheVMwareTools
configurationscriptwilladdalargenumberofmodelines,butyouwillnot
get1pixelgranularityasinWindows.VMwareToolsaddsmodelinesin
100pixelincrements.Thismeansyoucannotresizeaguestlargerthanthe
largestmodedefinedinyourX11configurationfile.Ifyouattempttoresize
larger,ablackborderwillappearandtheguestwillstopgrowing.
TheXserveralwaysstartsupinthelargestresolutionthatisdefined.This
cannotbeavoided.TheXDM/KDM/GDMloginscreenwillalwaysappearat
thelargestsize.ButbothGnomeandKDEallowyoutospecifyyourpreferred
resolution,soyoucanreducetheguestdisplaysizeafteryoulogin.
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Considerations for Display Resizing in Solaris Guests

ForSolaris10guests,thefollowingconsiderationsapplytodisplayresizing:
UpdateVMwareToolstoversion6.0orhigherintheguestforthedisplayresizing
optionstowork.
BeforeyoucanusetheAutofitGuestandFitGuestNowoptions,VMwareTools
mustberunning.
Solaris10guestsmustberunninganXorgXserverandJDS/Gnome.
Working with Nonstandard Resolutions

Aguestoperatingsystemanditsapplicationsmightreactunexpectedlywhenthe
WorkstationconsolesizeisnotastandardVESAresolution(640480,800600,
1024768,andsoon).
Forexample,theAutofitGuestandFitGuestNowcommandsallowyourguest
operatingsystemscreenresolutiontobesetsmallerthan640480,butsomeinstallers
donotrunatresolutionssmallerthan640480.Programsmightrefusetorun.Error
messagesmightincludesuchphrasesasVGARequiredToInstallorYoumusthave
VGAtoinstall.
Therearetwowaystoworkaroundthisproblemwithnonstandardresolutions:
Ifyourhostcomputersscreenresolutionishighenough,youcanenlargethe
window,andchooseFitGuestNow.
Ifyourhostcomputersscreenresolutiondoesnotallowyoutoenlargethe
Workstationconsolesufficiently,youcanmanuallysettheguestoperating
systemsscreenresolutionto640480orlarger.
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Installing New Software

InstallingnewsoftwareinaWorkstationvirtualmachineislikeinstallingitona
physicalcomputer.Theonlyadditionalstepsyouneedtotakeare:
MakesurethatWorkstationcanaccessthemediayouwanttouseforinstallingthe
software.FromtheWorkstationmenu,chooseVM>RemovableDevicesand
verifythatthevirtualmachinehasaccesstotheCDROMdrive,ISOimagefile,or
floppydrive,asneeded.
Formoreinformation,seeAddingDVD/CDROMandFloppyDrivestoaVirtual
Machineonpage 212.
SetthefinalmemorysizeforyourvirtualmachineandinstallVMwareTools
beforeyouactivatethesoftware.
Someapplicationsuseaproductactivationfeaturethatcreatesakeybasedonthe
virtualhardwareinthevirtualmachinewhereitisinstalled.Changesinthe
configurationofthevirtualmachinemightrequireyoutoreactivatethesoftware.
Tominimizethenumberofsignificantchanges,setthememorysizeandinstall
VMwareTools.
Disabling Acceleration If a Program Wont Run

Inrareinstances,youmightfindthatwhenyouinstallorrunsoftwareinsideavirtual
machine,Workstationappearstohang.Generally,theproblemoccursearlyinthe
programsexecution.Inmanycases,youcangetpasttheproblembytemporarily
disablingaccelerationinthevirtualmachine.
To disable acceleration
1
Thevirtualmachinecanbeeitherpoweredofforpoweredon.
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClickOptions,andselectAdvanced.
IntheSettingssection,selectDisableaccelerationandclickOK.
Thissettingslowsdownvirtualmachineperformance,soitisrecommendedonlyfor
gettingpasttheproblemwithrunningtheprogram.Afteryoupassthepointwherethe
programwasencounteringproblems,tryreturningtothevirtualmachinesettings
editorandremovingthecheckbesideDisableacceleration.
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Running Virtual Machines from Within an IDE

Ifyouwanttousevirtualmachinesfortestingcodeaspartofyourdevelopment
process,youwillbeinterestedintheWorkstationIDE(integrateddevelopment
environment)plugins.Workstationpluginsenableyoutoeasilytest,run,anddebug
programsinvirtualmachines.
ThepluginsallowyoutoperformtheseactionsfromwithinVisualStudio(Windows
only)orEclipse(WindowsorLinux).Whenapluginisinstalled,additionaluser
interfaceitemsareaddedtotheIDE.Forexample,inVisualStudio,youwillseea
toolbarbuttoncalledConfiguretheVirtualDebuggerforthisproject.
ClickingthisbuttoninVisualStudioenablesyoutospecifysettingssuchasthelocation
ofthevirtualmachine,whichsetuporcleanupscriptstoexecute,thelocationofshared
folders,anddirectoriestobecopiedbetweenthehostandguest.
InEclipse,thepluginaddsnewlaunchconfigurationtypes,whichletyouconfigure
manyofthesesamethings.
Dependingontheconfigurationsettingyouspecify,whentheapplicationfinishes
running,thevirtualmachineispoweredoff,suspended,revertedtoasnapshot,orleft
initscurrentstate.
ToinstalltheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerortheVisualStudioIntegrated
VirtualDebugger,youhavethefollowingoptions:
IfyouhavealreadyinstalledVisualStudioorEclipse,youcaninstalleitherorboth
oftheseIDEpluginswhenyouinstallWorkstation,asfollows:
OnWindowshosts,whenyoucompletetheWorkstationInstallationwizard,
ifyouhaveVisualStudioorEclipsealreadyinstalled,thevirtualdebuggers
areinstalledbydefault.Ifyoudonotwanttoinstallthem,youneedtochoose
theCustomsetupanddeselectthem.
OnLinuxhosts,duringinstallation,youarepromptedtospecifywhetheryou
wantthedebuggerinstalled.
IfyoualreadyhaveWorkstationinstalled,runtheWorkstationinstalleragain:
OnWindowshosts,chooseModifytoinstallthevirtualdebuggers.
OnLinuxhosts,whenprompted,specifythatyoudowantthedebugger
installed.
ForinformationaboutinstallingandusingtheWorkstationIDEplugins,see
Appendix B,UsingtheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebugger,onpage 415and
Appendix C,UsingtheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebugger,onpage 427.
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Displaying the Virtual Machine as an Appliance

Ifyouwantavirtualmachinetofunctionasanappliance,suchasaWebserverwitha
browserbasedinterface,setthevirtualmachinetodisplayitsapplianceviewwhen
startingup,ratherthantheoperatingsystemconsole.
Theapplianceviewdisplaysabriefdescriptionofthetypeofserverorapplianceand
providesalinkthatopensthebrowseronthehostsystemandconnectstothe
appliancesmanagementconsole.Thefollowingproceduredescribesthesettingsyou
needinordertocreatethispresentation.
NOTETheapplianceviewcannotbedisplayedforvirtualmachinesthatarepartofa
team,justasthesummaryviewisnotdisplayedforindividualmembersofateam.
To set up appliance view for a virtual machine
1
VerifythatthevirtualmachineisaWorkstation6virtualmachine.
Forinstructionsonupgrading,seeChangingtheVersionoftheVirtualMachine
onpage 61.
Thevirtualmachinecanbeeitherpoweredonoroff.
ChooseVM>Settings.
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ClicktheOptionstab,andselectApplianceView.
MakesuretheEnableapplianceviewcheckboxisselected.
Completethefieldsonthispaneltocreatethetextandimagesthatuserswillsee
whenthevirtualmachinestartsup:
OnlytheNamefieldisrequired.
SpecifytheTCP/IPportnumberthattheappliancewillusetoserveHTTP
content.
Ifyouincludeanimagefile,itmustbeaPNGorBMPfile.Themaximumsize
is256x256pixels.
IfyoudonotselectSwitchtoapplianceviewatpoweron,theconsoleview
willbedisplayed.Oftenthisviewshowsonlyasimpledisplayofthevirtual
machinesIPaddressandtellstheusertoopenabrowser.
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ClickOKtoclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Whenauserstartsupthisvirtualmachine,thenewlycreatedapplianceviewis
displayed.Itfirstdisplaysapoweringonmessageandthenprovidesalinktoclick
inordertoaccesstheappliancesmanagementconsole.
Transferring Files and Text Between the Host and Guest

Workstationgivesyouseveralmechanismsfortransferringfilesbetweenthehostand
guest.Youcantransferfiles:
UsingDragandDroponpage 171
UsingCopyandPasteonpage 172
UsingSharedFoldersonpage 173
UsingaMappedDrive(WindowsOnly)onpage 180
Using Drag and Drop

Tousethedraganddropfeature,makesureyouhaveVMwareToolsinstalledonthe
virtualmachine.Withthisfeature,youcanmovefilesanddirectorieseasilybetween
LinuxandWindowshostsandLinux,Windows,andSolaris10guests,butnotbetween
Windows95andWindows98guests.
LinuxhostsandguestsmustberunningXWindows.Solaris10guestsmustberunning
anXorgXserverandJDS/Gnome.
Youcandraganddropfilesorfoldersfromafilemanager,suchasWindowsExplorer,
onthehosttoafilemanagerinthevirtualmachineandviceversa.Youcanalsodrag
filesfromafilemanagertoanapplicationthatsupportsdraganddrop,orfrom
applicationssuchaszipfilemanagersthatsupportdraganddropextractionof
individualfiles.Youcanalsodraganddropfilesfromonevirtualmachinetoanother.
Whenyoudragafileorfolderfromhosttovirtualmachineorfromvirtualmachineto
host,Workstationcopiesthefileorfoldertothelocationwhereyoudropit.Thismeans,
forexample,thatifyoudropafileonthedesktopiconofawordprocessor,theword
processoropenswithacopyoftheoriginalfile.Theoriginalfiledoesnotreflectany
changesyoumaketothecopy.
Initially,theapplicationopensusingacopyofthefilethatisstoredinyourtemp
directory.OnWindows,thisisthefilespecifiedinthe%TEMP%environmentvariable,
andonLinuxandSolaris,itisthe/tmp/VMwareDnDdirectory.Toprotectanychanges
youmake,chooseFile>SaveAsfromtheapplicationsmenuandsavethefileina
differentdirectory.Otherwise,itcanbeoverwrittenordeletedbymistake.
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Topreventfilesfromaccidentallybeingtransferredbetweenthevirtualmachineand
thehost,turnoffthisfeature,asdescribedinthefollowingprocedure.
To enable or disable drag and drop for a virtual machine
1
MakesureVMwareToolsisinstalledonthevirtualmachine.
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClicktheOptionstab,andselectGuestIsolation.
Toenableordisablethesetting,usethecheckboxcalledEnabledraganddropto
andfromthisvirtualmachineandclickOK.
Using Copy and Paste

Tousethecopyandpastefeature,makesureyouhaveVMwareToolsinstalledonthe
virtualmachine.CopyingandpastingtextandfilesworkswithLinuxandWindows
hostsandLinux,Windows,andSolaris10guests.Youcanalsocopyandpastetextand
filesfromonevirtualmachinetoanother.
LinuxhostsandguestsmustberunningXWindows.Solaris10guestsmustberunning
anXorgXserverandJDS/Gnome.Copyingandpastingfilesdoesnotworkon
Windows95,98,andNTguests.
Youcancut(orcopy)andpastetextbetweenapplicationsinthevirtualmachineand
thehostcomputerorbetweentwovirtualmachines.Usethenormalhotkeysormenu
choicestocut,copy,andpaste.
Topreventaccidentalcopyingandpastingfromoneenvironmenttoanother,turnoff
thisfeature,asdescribedinthefollowingprocedure.
To enable or disable copying and pasting
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
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ClicktheOptionstab,andselectGuestIsolation.
Toenableordisablethesetting,usethecheckboxcalledEnablecopyandpasteto
andfromvirtualmachineandclickOK.
Using Shared Folders

Withsharedfoldersyoucaneasilysharefilesamongvirtualmachinesandthehost
computer.Youchooseadirectoryonthehostoronanetworkdirectorythatis
accessibletothehost,andyougiveitthenameyouwanttouseontheguest.
Tousesharedfolders,youmusthavethecurrentversionofVMwareToolsinstalledin
theguestoperatingsystemandyoumustconfigureyourvirtualmachinesettingsto
specifywhichdirectoriesaretobeshared.
Youcanusesharedfolderswithvirtualmachinesrunningthefollowingguest
operatingsystemsandonallsupportedhostsystems:
WindowsServer2003
WindowsXP
Windows2000
WindowsNT4.0
WindowsVista
Linuxwithakernelversionof2.4orhigher
Solarisx8610
Solarisx8610Update1
Solarisx8610Update2
Solarisx8610Update3
Thesharedfolderscanbeinthehostcomputersfilesystemortheycanbenetwork
directoriesaccessiblefromthehostcomputer.
To set up shared folders for a virtual machine
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
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ClicktheOptionstab,andselectSharedFolders.
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ClickAdd.
OnWindows,clickingAddstartstheAddSharedFolderwizard.OnLinux,it
openstheSharedFolderPropertiesdialogbox.
UsethefollowinginformationtohelpyoucompletethewizardorProperties
dialogbox:
NameNamethatappearsinsidethevirtualmachine.
HostfolderPathonthehosttothedirectorythatyouwanttoshare.
EnabledorEnablethisshareYoumightwanttoaddafoldertothelist
withoutenablingitimmediately.Inthiscase,deselectthisoptiontodisablethe
sharedfolderwithoutdeletingitfromthevirtualmachineconfiguration.
Youcanthenenablethefolderatanytimebyselectingthecheckboxnextto
itsnameinthelist.Youcanalternativelyselectitsnameinthelist,click
Properties,andenablethefolderinthePropertiesdialogbox.
ReadonlySelectthisoptiontopreventthevirtualmachinefromchanging
thecontentsofthesharedfolderinthehostfilesystem.Accesstofilesinthe
sharedfolderisalsogovernedbypermissionsettingsonthehostcomputer.
Tochangetheseproperties,usethePropertiesdialogbox.OnWindows,afteryou
selectSharedFoldersontheOptionstab,clickProperties.
6
Afterthesharedfolderiscreated,ontheSharedFolderssettingspanel,useoneof
thecheckboxesintheFolderSharingsectiontoenablesharedfoldersforthis
virtualmachine.
SelectEnableduntilnextpowerofforsuspendifyouwanttoenablefolder
sharingtemporarily,untilyoushutdown,suspend,orrestartthevirtualmachine.
YouneedtoselecteitherthisoptionorAlwaysenabledifyouwanttoenableor
disablespecificfoldersintheFolderssection.
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Accesstheenabledsharedfolderontheguestoperatingsystem:
OnaWindowsguestoperatingsystem,mapanetworkdrivetotheShared
Foldersdirectory,asdescribedinViewingaSharedFolderonpage 177.
OnLinux,sharedfoldersappearunder/mnt/hgfs.OnSolaris,sharedfolders
appearunder/hgfs.
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Enabling and Disabling Shared Folders

Toenablesharedfoldersforvirtualmachinescreatedbyotherusersonpage 175
Asasecurityprecaution,bydefault,asharedfolderisdisabledifitwasnotcreated
bytheuserthatpowersonthevirtualmachine.Thisproceduredescribeshowto
changethedefaultbehavior.
Youmightwanttoenablefoldersharingifyoucreatedvirtualmachineswith
Workstation4or5.FoldersharingforWorkstation4and5virtualmachinesisalso
disabledbydefault.
Toenableordisablesharedfoldersforspecificvirtualmachinesonpage 176
Thisproceduredescribeshowtoenablefoldersharingforaspecificvirtual
machineandalsohowtoenablespecificfolders.
To enable shared folders for virtual machines created by other users

1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseEdit>Preferences.
OntheWorkspacetab,intheVirtualMachinessection,selectEnableallshared
foldersbydefault.
Thissettingappliestosharedfoldersonallvirtualmachinesthatarecreatedby
otherusers,suchasappliancedevelopers.
CAUTIONEnablingallsharedfoldersmightposeasecurityriskbecauseashared
foldercouldenableexistingprogramsinsidethevirtualmachinetoaccessthehost
filesystemwithoutyourknowledge.
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To enable or disable shared folders for specific virtual machines

1
Foraparticularvirtualmachine,toenableordisablefoldersharing:
a
Thevirtualmachinecanbepoweredofforpoweredon.
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClicktheOptionstab,andselectSharedFolders.
UsethecheckboxesintheFolderSharingsectiontospecifywhetheryouwant
toenableordisablesharedfolders,andclickOK.
SelectEnableduntilnextpowerofforsuspendifyouwanttoenablefolder
sharingtemporarily,untilyoushutdown,suspend,orrestartthevirtual
machine.YouneedtoselecteitherthisoptionorAlwaysenabledifyouwant
toenableordisablespecificfoldersintheFolderssection.
OnWindows,ifyoudisablesharedfolders,afteryoupoweronthisvirtual
machineandattempttoselectamappeddrivetothesharedfolder,youwillreceive
amessagethattheconnectioncannotbemade.
Afteryouenablefoldersharingforavirtualmachine,youwillstillnotbeableto
shareparticularfoldersunlessthespecificfoldersarealsoenabled,asdescribedin
thenextstep.
2
Toenablespecificsharedfoldersforavirtualmachine:
a
ChooseVM>Settings>Options>SharedFolders.
IntheFolderslistforthevirtualmachine,selectthecheckboxnexttothename
ofthesharedfolderthatyouwanttoenable.
Alternatively,selectthesharedfolderandclickProperties.Tomakethefolder
readonly,usethePropertiesbutton.Inthedialogboxthatappears,selectthe
checkboxforsharingthefolderandclickOK.
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Viewing a Shared Folder

Sharedfoldersappeardifferently,dependingontheguestoperatingsystem.The
followingsectionsdescribeviewingsharedfoldersinWindows,Solaris,andLinux
guests.Youcanusesharedfolderstoshareanytypeoffile.
WARNINGDonotopenafileinasharedfolderfrommorethanoneapplicationata
time.Forexample,donotopenthesamefileusinganapplicationonthehostoperating
systemandanotherapplicationintheguestoperatingsystem.Ifoneoftheapplications
writestothefile,somedatacorruptioncouldoccur.
Viewing Shared Folders in a Windows Guest
InaWindowsguestoperatingsystem,youcanviewsharedfoldersusingdesktop
icons.LookinMyNetworkPlaces>EntireNetwork(NetworkNeighborhoodfora
WindowsNTguest,orNetworkforWindowsVista)underVMwareSharedFolders.
Ifyouhavetroublefindingasharedfolderwhenusingthedesktopicon,open
WindowsExplorerandlookinMyNetworkPlaces(orNetworkNeighborhood).
Forexample,ifyouspecifythenameTest filesforoneofyoursharedfolders,you
cannavigatetoitontheguestsystembyopeningMyNetworkPlaces>Entire
Network>VMwareSharedFolders>.host>SharedFolders>Testfiles.
YoucanalsogodirectlytothefolderusingtheUNCpath
\\.host\Shared Folders\Test files.
Ontheguestsystem,youcanmapasharedfoldertoadriveletterjustasyouwould
withanetworkshare.InWindowsExplorer,chooseTools>MapNetworkDrive,and
browsetothelocationofthesharedfolder.Thesharedfolderislocatedat
\\.host\Shared Folders.
NOTEIfyourguestoperatingsystemhasVMwareToolsfromWorkstation4.0,shared
foldersappearasfoldersonadesignateddriveletter.
Viewing Shared Folders in a Linux or Solaris 10 Guest
OnaLinuxvirtualmachine,sharedfoldersappearunder/mnt/hgfs.OnaSolaris
virtualmachine,sharedfoldersappearunder/hgfs.
Viewing Shared Folders on the Host
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Options>SharedFolderstosee
alistofthesharedfoldersandthedirectorypathstothem.
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Shared Folders on Linux Guests: Permissions and Folder Mounting

TheversionofVMwareToolsincludedinWorkstation6containsmanyimprovements
forLinuxguests:
Performanceimprovements,asdescribedinPerformanceImprovementson
page 178.
SupportforsymboliclinksifyouuseaLinuxhost.
Anewmechanismformountingsharedfolders,asdescribedinFolder
Mountingonpage 178.Thismechanismallowsyoutomountoneormore
directoriesorsubdirectoriestoanylocationinyourfilesystem.
Permissionsenhancements,asdescribedinImprovedHandlingofPermissions
onpage 179.
Performance Improvements
Amongotherperformanceimprovements,hostguestfilesharingisintegratedwiththe
guestpagecache.Filesinsharedfoldersarecachedforreadingandcanbewrittento
asynchronously.(Youwontseereadcachingbenefitsonfilesthatarebeingactively
writtentofromtheguest,however.)
Tospeedperformance,youcanalsousethettl(timetolive)optiontothemount
command.Usethisoptiontospecifytheintervalusedbythehgfs(hostguestfile
system)driverforvalidatingfileattributes.Forexample,ifyouusethefollowing
command,attributesarevalidatedevery3secondsinsteadofevery1second,whichis
thedefault:
mount -o ttl=3 -t vmhgfs .host:/<share> <mountpoint>
Beaware,however,thatlengtheningtheintervalinvolvessomerisk.Ifsomethinginthe
hostmodifiesafilesattributes,theguestmightnotgetthemodificationsasquickly,
anditispossiblethatthefilecouldbecomecorrupted.
Folder Mounting
Youcannowmountsharedfolderstootherlocationsbesidesthedefaultlocationof
/mnt/hgfs.Youcanusethemountprogramtomountallshares,oneshare,ora
subdirectorywithinasharetoanylocationinyourfilesystem.Forexample:
mount -t vmhgfs .host:/ /home/user1/shares
mountsallsharesto/home/user1/shares.
mount -t vmhgfs .host:/foo /tmp/foo
mountsthesharenamedfooto/tmp/foo.
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mount -t vmhgfs .host:/foo/bar /var/lib/bar
mountsthesubdirectorybarwithinthesharefooto/var/lib/bar.
Whenyouusethemountprogram,theVMwarehostguestfilesystemallowsyoutouse
VMwarespecificoptionsinadditiontothestandardmountsyntax.Toseeusage
informationhostguestfilesystemoptions,enter:
/sbin/mount.vmhgfs -h
NOTEWhenyouinstallVMwareTools,anentryismadetoetc/fstabtospecifythe
locationofsharedfolders.Youcaneditthisfiletochangeoraddentries.
InpreviousversionsofVMwareTools,whenaLinuxguestattemptedtomounta
sharedfolder,thevmware-guestdprogramattemptedtoperformthemount.Ifit
failed,theonlyevidenceofthefailurewasanemptyfolder.
WiththenewversionofVMwareTools,theToolsservicesscriptloadsadriverthat
performsthemount.Ifthemountfails,youwillseeamessageregardingMounting
HGFSshares(HGFSmeanshostguestfilesystem).
Themountmightfailifsharedfoldersaredisabledorifthesharedoesntexist.Inthis
case,receivingthefailuremessageistobeexpected.Youwillnolongerbepromptedto
reruntheVMwareToolsconfigurator(thevmware-config-tools.plfile).
Improved Handling of Permissions
ManyrefinementshavebeenmadeforLinuxguestsonbothLinuxandWindowshosts:
IfyouuseaLinuxhostandcreatefilesthatyouwanttosharewithaLinuxguest,
thefilepermissionsshownontheguestareexactlythesameasthoseonthehost.
Usefmaskanddmasktomaskoutpermissionsbitsforfilesanddirectories.
IfyouuseaWindowshostandcreatefilesthatyouwanttosharewithaLinux
guest,readonlyfilesaredisplayedashavingreadandexecutepermissionfor
everyone,andotherfilesareshownasfullywritablebyeveryone.
IfyouuseaLinuxguesttocreatefilesthatyouwanttorestrictpermissionson,use
themountprogramwiththefollowingoptionsintheguest:uid,gid,fmask,
dmask,ro(readonly),andrw(readwrite).Notethatrwisthedefault.
AlsonotethatifyouareusingaWindowshostoraLinuxhostcreatedwitha
previousreleaseofWorkstation,youcanchangeonlytheownerpermissions.(This
behavioristhesameasinpreviousreleases.)
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Using a Mapped Drive (Windows Only)

Youmightmapavirtualdisktoahostasanalternativetousingsharedfoldersor
copyingdatabetweenaWindowsguestandhost.Inthiscase,youcanmountavirtual
diskinaWindowshostfilesystemasaseparatemappeddrive.Usingamappeddrive
enablesyoutoconnecttothevirtualdiskwithouthavingtogointoavirtualmachine.
Afteryoumapadrivetothevirtualdisk,youwillnotbeabletopoweronanyvirtual
machinethatusesthatdiskuntilyoudisconnectitfromthehost.Maponlydisksfor
Windowsguests.(IfyoumapadiskfromaLinuxguest,whenyouattempttoaccessthe
diskfromyourhostcomputer,youwillbepromptedtoformatthedisk.)
YouuseWorkstationtomapthedisktoadriveonthehost,andtodisconnectthedrive.
IfyouattempttousethehostsMyComputer>Tools>DisconnectNetworkDrive
command,youwillnotseethemappeddriveletterinthelistofnetworkdrives.
NOTEYoucanmountvolumes(partitions)formattedwithFAT(12/16/32)orNTFS
only.Youcannotmountavirtualdiskifanyofits.vmdkfilesarecompressedorhave
readonlypermissions.
To map or disconnect a virtual disk to a drive on the host
1
Tomapadisk:
a
Makesurethatallvirtualmachinesthatusethediskarepoweredoff.
ChooseFile>MaporDisconnectVirtualDisks.
IntheMaporDisconnectVirtualDrivesdialogbox,clickMap.
Inthedialogboxthatappears,clickBrowse,navigatetothedesireddiskfile
(.vmdkfile),andselectit.ClickOpen.
YouarereturnedtotheMapaVirtualDiskdialogbox.
Selectthevolumeyouwanttomap,andselectadriveletterthatisnotyet
beingusedonyourhost.
CAUTIONItisstronglyrecommendedthatyouleavethecheckboxcalled
Openfileinreadonlymodeselected.Thissettingpreventsyoufrom
accidentallywritingdatatoavirtualdiskthatmightbetheparentofa
snapshotorlinkedclone.Writingtosuchadiskcouldmakethesnapshotor
cloneunusable.
ClickOK.
ThedrivenowappearsinWindowsExploreronyourhost.
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Fromthehost,readfromorwritetofilesonthemappedvirtualdisk,asdesired.
Whenyouarefinishedandwanttoaccessthisdiskfromavirtualmachineagain,
proceedtothenextstep.
Todisconnectthehostfromthedisk:
a
ChooseFile>MaporDisconnectVirtualDisks.
IntheMaporDisconnectVirtualDrivesdialogbox,selectthevolumethatyou
wanttodisconnectandclickDisconnect.
Ifyoureceiveanerrormessageaskingwhetheryouwanttoforcibly
disconnect,clickYes.
ClickOK.
Youcannowpoweronanyvirtualmachinethatusesthisdisk.
NOTEAsanalternativetousingtheFile>MaporDisconnectVirtualDiskscommand,
youcanselectapoweredoffvirtualmachineandchooseVM>Settings>Hardwaretab.
SelectaharddiskandclickUtilities>Map.TheMapVirtualDiskdialogboxappears
withthecorresponding.vmdkfilealreadyselected.Todisconnect,choose
VM>Settings>Hardware,selecttheharddiskandclickUtilities>Disconnect.
Using Devices in a Virtual Machine

Followtheguidelinesinthissectiontoadd,remove,configure,connect,anddisconnect
yourvirtualmachinesdevices.
Adding, Configuring, and Removing Devices in a Virtual

Machine
Thissectionprovidesgeneralinstructionsforusingthevirtualmachinesettingseditor
toaddandremovedevicesforavirtualmachineandtochangedevicesettings.For
informationaboutconfiguringspecifictypesofdevices,seeChapter 15,Connecting
Devices,onpage 329.
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To add, modify, and remove devices in a virtual machine

1
Selectthevirtualmachine.Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.
Toaddanewdevicetoavirtualmachine,ontheHardwaretab,clickAddand
followtheinstructionsintheNewHardwarewizard.
Tochangesettingsforadevice,selectthedeviceintheleftpaneandmake
yourchangesinthesettingspanelontheright.ClickOKtosaveyourchanges
andclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Toremoveadevice,clickthenameofthedeviceandclickRemove.ClickOK
toclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Connecting and Disconnecting Removable Devices

Youcanconfigureanumberofremovabledevicesforuseinavirtualmachine,
includingfloppydrives,DVD/CDROMdrives,USBdevices,andEthernetadapters.
Forinformationabouthowtoconfigurespecificdevices,seeChapter 15,Connecting
Devices,onpage 329andChapter 9,UsingDisks,onpage 197.
To connect to and disconnect from a removable device
1
Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredon.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Removable
Devices><Device_Name>andthenConnectorDisconnect.
IfyouchooseEdit,adialogboxappears.Makethedesiredchangesandclick
OK.Ifyouneedassistance,clicktheHelpbuttontodisplayonlinehelp.
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FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings,andselectthedevice
intheleftpane.Inthesettingspanelontheright,intheDevicestatussection,
clickConnected,andclickOK.
Rightclickthedeviceiconinthenotificationareaofthewindowandchoose
ConnectorDisconnect.
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Creating a Screen Shot of a Virtual Machine

Youcancaptureascreenshotofavirtualmachine.FromtheWorkstationmenubar,
chooseVM>CaptureScreen.Youcansavethisimageasabitmap(.bmp)fileona
Windowshostorasaportablenetworkgraphics(.png)fileonaLinuxhost.
Creating a Movie of a Virtual Machine

Youcancaptureamovieofyouractivitywithinavirtualmachine.Workstationsaves
thisimageasan.avifileonthehost.
NOTEIfinsteadofcreatingamovieyouwanttoactuallyrecordtheactivityofthe
virtualmachine,seeRecordingActivityofaVirtualMachine(Experimental)on
page 239.Youmightwanttorecordavirtualmachinefordebuggingpurposesorto
exactlyreproducethestepsthatcauseacertainbehavior.
To capture a movie of virtual machine activity
1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>CaptureMovie.
ASaveFiledialogboxappears.
EnterinformationforyourmovieandclickSave.
Usethefollowingguidelines:
TheQualitysettingdeterminesthecompressionandthereforethefilesizeof
theresultingmovie.
IfyouselectOmitframesinwhichnothingoccurs,themoviewillinclude
onlythoseperiodsoftimewhensomethingisactuallyhappeninginthe
virtualmachine.Thisreducesthefilesizeandlengthofthemovie.
Whilemoviecaptureisactive,aredcircle(avirtualLED)appearsinthe
notificationareaofthewindow.
Inthevirtualmachine,performtheactionsyouwanttohaveappearinthemovie.
Tostopthemovie,dooneofthefollowing:
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ChooseVM>StopMovieCapture.
RightclickthemoviecaptureiconinthenotificationareaandchooseStop
MovieCapture.Theredcircledisappearsfromthestatusbar,andyourmovie
issaved.
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To play the movie back

1
OnWindowsmachines,makesureVMwareCODEC(coderdecoder)isinstalled.
ThisCODECisautomaticallyinstalledonwithWorkstationonWindowshosts.A
separatelydownloadableinstallerisalsoavailableforplaybackofmovieson
WindowsmachineswithoutWorkstation.Goto
http://www.vmware.com/download/ws/drivers_tools.html.
AlthoughyoucancaptureamovieonLinux,youneedtoplayitbackona
Windowsmachine.
Playbackyourmovieinanycompatiblemediaplayer.
Using a VNC Client for Remote Connections to a Virtual

Machine
VNC(VirtualNetworkComputing)softwaremakesitpossibletoviewandinteract
withonecomputerfromanyothercomputerormobiledeviceanywhereonthe
Internet.VNCsoftwareiscrossplatform,allowingremotecontrolbetweendifferent
typesofcomputers.Forexample,youcanuseVNCtoviewaLinuxmachineonyour
WindowsPC.OpensourceversionsofVNCarefreelyandpubliclyavailable.
YoucanuseWorkstationtosetavirtualmachinetoactasaVNCserver,anduserson
othercomputerscaninstallaVNCclient(alsocalledaVNCviewer)toconnecttothe
virtualmachine.AfteryousetupavirtualmachineasaVNCserver,youcanseealist
ofuserswhoareremotelyconnectedtothevirtualmachineandfindouthowlongthey
havebeenconnected.Toseethislist,youcaneitherchooseVM>ConnectedUsersfrom
theWorkstationmenubar,oryoucanrightclicktheVNCiconinthestatusbar.
WorkstationdoesnotneedtoberunningwhenVNCconnectionsaremade.Onlythe
virtualmachineneedstoberunning,anditcanberunninginthebackground.This
sectionprovidesinstructionsforconfiguringthevirtualmachinetoactasaVNCserver.
YoudonotneedtoinstallanyspecializedVNCsoftwareintheguest.
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About VNC Port Numbers

WhenconfiguringVNC,asdescribedlaterinthissection,ifyouwanttoconnectto
morethanonevirtualmachineonthesamehostwithaVNCclient,youmustspecifya
uniqueportnumberforeachvirtualmachine.VMwaresuggestsyouuseaportnumber
intherangefrom5901to6001.
Youcanuseanyportnumber,butkeepinmindthatcertainportnumbersareusedby
otherapplications,andsomeportnumbersareprivileged(meaningonlytherootor
Administratorusercanlisten).Forexample,theVMwareManagementInterfaceuses
ports8333and8222;onLinux,onlyrootcanlistentoportsuptoportnumber1024.
Conflictscanoccurifyouspecifyaportinusebyanotherapplication.
Ensuring Proper Display on the Client

FortheVNCclient,besuretospecifythefollowingsettingsbeforeyouconnecttoa
virtualmachine.Makesuretheclientissetforhextileencoding,andmakesurethe
clientissettouseallcolors.Forexample,ifyouuseRealVNCViewer,underthe
PreferredEncodingoption,selectHextile,andundertheColourLeveloption,select
Full(allavailablecolours).
Thefollowingissuesareknowntooccurwhenyouconnecttovirtualmachineswitha
VNCclient:
Youcannottakeorreverttosnapshots.
Youcannotchangethepowerstateofthevirtualmachine;thatis,youcannot
poweron,poweroff,suspend,orresume.Youcanshutdowntheguestoperating
system,however,whichmightpoweroffthevirtualmachine.
Youcannotcopyandpastetextbetweenthehostandguestoperatingsystem.
Youcannotconfigurethevirtualmachinewiththevirtualmachinesettingseditor,
andneithercanyouupgradeVMwareTools.
Remotedisplaydoesnotworkwellifyouarealsousingthe3Dfeature.This
featureisdescribedinExperimentalSupportforDirect3Donpage 322.
To set up VNC connections to a virtual machine

1
MakesuretheguestoperatingsystemhasVMwaretoolsinstalled.
ChooseVM>Settings.
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ClicktheOptionstab,andselectRemoteDisplay.
ClickEnableremotedisplay,specifyaportnumber,andifdesired,setapassword
forconnectingtothevirtualmachinefromaVNCclient.
Thepasswordcanbeupto8characterslong.Becauseitisnotencryptedwhenitis
sentbytheVNCclient,donotuseapasswordthatyouuseforothersystems.
NOTEAfterremotedisplayisenabledandusersconnecttothevirtualmachine
withaVNCclient,youcanusetheViewConnectedUsersbuttononthistabtosee
alistoftheconnectedusers.
ClickOK.
Tomakesurethevirtualmachineisconfiguredproperly,tryconnectingtoitwith
aVNCclient:
a
Onalocalorremotecomputer,startaVNCclient.
YoucanuseanyVNCclient,butnotaJavaviewerinabrowser.Ifyouneedto
downloadandinstallaVNCclient,oneofthemanyWebsiteswhereyoucan
buyorgetoneforfreeishttp://www.realvnc.com/download.html.
WhenpromptedfortheVNCservername,enterthenameorIPaddressofthe
hostcomputerandtheportnumberyouspecifiedinStep 5.
Usetheformat:
<machine_name>:<port_number>
Ifapasswordisrequired,enteronewhenprompted.
ThisisthesamepasswordyousetinStep 5.
Forinformationaboutmappingthekeyboardtovariouslanguages,seeSpecifyinga
LanguageKeymapforVNCClientsonpage 345.
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Moving and Sharing Virtual

Machines
Thischapterprovidesinformationonhowtomoveyourvirtualmachinesfromone
hosttoanother,orelsewhereonthesamehost,plusrecommendationsonhowtoshare
virtualmachineswithotherusers.Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
VirtualMachineIdentifier:UUIDonpage 187
MovingaVirtualMachineonpage 190
MovinganOlderVirtualMachineonpage 193
SharingVirtualMachineswithOtherUsersonpage 193
MovingLinkedClonesonpage 193
SharingVirtualMachineswithVMwarePlayeronpage 194
NOTEWhenyoumoveavirtualmachinetoanewhostcomputerortoadifferent
directoryonthesamehostcomputerorwhenyourenameadirectoryinthepathto
thevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileWorkstationgeneratesadifferentMAC
addressforthevirtualEthernetadapter.Foradditionalinformation,seeMaintaining
andChangingtheMACAddressofaVirtualMachineonpage 296.
Virtual Machine Identifier: UUID

Toensureallvirtualmachinesareidentifiedproperly,eachvirtualmachineis
automaticallyassignedauniversaluniqueidentifier(UUID).
UsetheUUIDofavirtualmachineforsystemmanagementinthesamewayyouuse
theUUIDofaphysicalcomputer.TheUUIDisstoredintheSMBIOSsystem
informationdescriptor.ItcanbeaccessedbystandardSMBIOSscanningsoftware,such
asSiSoftwareSandraortheIBMutilitysmbios2.
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ThisUUIDisgeneratedwhenyouinitiallypoweronthevirtualmachine.Aslongas
youdonotmoveorcopythevirtualmachinetoanotherlocation,theUUIDremains
constant.TosetaspecificUUID,seeSpecifyingaUUIDforaVirtualMachineon
page 189.
UUID Options When You Move a Virtual Machine

Whenyoupoweronavirtualmachinethatwasmovedorcopiedtoanewlocation,the
followingmessageappears:
The virtual machines configuration file has changed its location since its
last power-on. Do you want to create a new unique identifier (UUID) for the
virtual machine, or keep the old one?
Youhavefouroptions:Create,Keep,AlwaysCreate,AlwaysKeep.Theproper
selectiondependsonthecauseforthechangedUUID:
KeepIfthevirtualmachinewasmovedratherthancopied,youcanchooseto
keeptheUUID.
CreateIfthevirtualmachinewascopiedtoanewlocation,youshouldcreatea
newUUIDsothatthecopywillhaveitsownUUIDandnotconflictwiththatof
theoriginalvirtualmachine.Ifyouarenotsurewhichoptiontochoose,thesafest
optionisCreate.
AlwaysCreateIftheoriginalvirtualmachineisbeingusedasamastercopyfor
morevirtualmachines,youcancreateanewUUIDthefirsttimeyoupoweron
eachcopy.Afteryouconfigurethevirtualmachineandarereadytomakeita
mastercopy,moveittoanewlocationandpoweriton.Whenthemessageappears
afteryoupoweron,selectAlwaysCreate.Thevirtualmachineissetuptocreatea
newUUIDeverytimeitismoved.Poweroffthevirtualmachineandbeginusing
itasamastercopybycopyingthevirtualmachinefilestootherlocations.
NOTEYoucanavoidhavingtousethisprocessofcreatingamastercopythat
alwayscreatesanewUUIDifyousimplyclonethevirtualmachineratherthan
copyit.
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AlwaysKeepIfyouintendtomovethevirtualmachinenumeroustimesand
wanttokeepthesameUUIDeachtimethevirtualmachinemoves,selectAlways
Keep.
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Chapter 8 Moving and Sharing Virtual Machines
NOTETochangetheAlwaysKeeporAlwaysCreatesetting,poweroffthevirtual
machineandedititsconfigurationfile(.vmx).Deletethelinethatcontains:
uuid.action = "create"
or
uuid.action = "keep"
Or,conversely,ifyouwanttospecifytoalwayskeeporalwayscreatetheUUID
andnotprompttheusertochooseasettingwhenfirstpoweringonthevirtual
machine,edittheconfigurationfileandaddtheappropriatelineforuuid.action.
Suspendingandresumingavirtualmachinedoesnottriggertheprocessthatgenerates
aUUID.Thus,theUUIDinuseatthetimethevirtualmachinewassuspendedremains
inusewhenthevirtualmachineisresumed,evenifithasbeencopiedormoved.
However,thenexttimethevirtualmachineisrebooted,themessageappears,soyou
canchoosetocreateanewUUIDorkeeptheexistingone.
Specifying a UUID for a Virtual Machine

TheUUIDisa128bitinteger.The16bytesofthisvalueareseparatedbyspaces,except
foradashbetweentheeighthandninthhexadecimalpairs.AnexampleUUIDlooks
likethis:
00 11 22 33 44 55 66 77-88 99 aa bb cc dd ee ff
YoumightwanttoassignaspecificUUIDtothevirtualmachine.Todothis,youneed
tooverridethegeneratedUUIDvalue.Poweroffthevirtualmachineandeditits
configurationfile(.vmx)tosetthevalueoftheUUIDparameter.Useatexteditortoedit
theconfigurationfile.Theformatforthelineis:
uuid.bios = <uuidvalue>
TheUUIDvaluemustbesurroundedbyquotationmarks.Asampleconfigurationline
lookslike:
uuid.bios = "00 11 22 33 44 55 66 77-88 99 aa bb cc dd ee ff"
Afteraddingthislinetotheconfigurationfile,poweronthevirtualmachine.Thenew
UUIDisusedwhenthevirtualmachineboots.
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Moving a Virtual Machine

YoucantakeavirtualmachinethatwascreatedbyusingWorkstationandmoveittoa
differentcomputerortoadifferentlocationonthesamecomputer.Youcanevenmove
yourvirtualmachinetoahostwithadifferentoperatingsystem.Forexample,youcan
moveavirtualmachinefromaWindowshosttoaLinuxorVMwareESXServerhost.
Ingeneral,movingavirtualmachinemeansmovingthefilesthatmakeupthevirtual
machine.ThepathnamesforallfilesassociatedwithaWorkstationvirtualmachineare
relative,meaningthepathtoeachfileisrelativetothevirtualmachinedirectory.For
example,ifyouareinthevirtualmachinedirectory,therelativepathtothevirtualdisk
fileis<machine name>.vmdk.
CAUTIONAlwaysmakebackupcopiesofallthefilesinyourvirtualmachines
directorybeforeyoustartaprocesslikethis.
Hosts with Different Hardware

Theguestoperatingsystemmightnotworkcorrectlyifyoumoveavirtualmachineto
ahostwithsignificanthardwaredifferences,suchasfroma64bithosttoa32bithost
orfromamultiprocessorhosttoauniprocessorhost.Thissectionprovidesdetails.
Moving Between 64-Bit and 32-Bit Hosts

Youcanmoveavirtualmachinefroma32bithosttoa64bithostbutnotfroma64bit
hosttoa32bithost.
versions5.5andlater,andonlyonhostmachineswithsupportedprocessors.Whenyou
poweronavirtualmachinewitha64bitguestoperatingsystem,Workstationperforms
aninternalcheck:IfthehostCPUisnotasupported64bitprocessor,youcannotpower
onthevirtualmachine.ForthelistofprocessorsWorkstationsupportsfor64bitguest
operatingsystems,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuide,available
fromtheHelpmenu.
Moving Between Multiprocessor and Uniprocessor Hosts

Forallsupportedconfigurationsof32bitand64bithostandguestoperatingsystems
runningonmultiprocessorhostmachines,versions5.5andlaterofWorkstation
supporttwowayvirtualsymmetricmultiprocessing(SMP).Thisenablesyoutoassign
twovirtualprocessorstoavirtualmachine.Thisissupportedonlyforhostmachines
withatleasttwologicalprocessors.Formoreinformation,seeUsingTwoWayVirtual
SymmetricMultiprocessing(Experimental)onpage 367.
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NOTEIfthehostisauniprocessormachine,assigningtwoprocessorsisneither
supportednorrecommended.Awarningmessagewillappear.Youcandisregardthis
messageandassigntwoprocessorstothevirtualmachine,butwhenyoufinishcreating
thevirtualmachine,youwillnotbeabletopoweritonunlessyoumoveittoahost
machinewithatleasttwologicalprocessors.
Opening a Virtual Machine Created in ESX Server That Has More Than
Two Processors
YoucanuseWorkstation5.5orhigher,runningonamultiprocessorhostmachine,to
openavirtualmachinecreatedinVMwareESXServerthathasoneormorevirtual
processors.However,inWorkstationyoucannotpoweronorresumeavirtualmachine
thathasmorethantwovirtualprocessorsassigned,evenifmoreprocessorswere
assignedwhenthevirtualmachinewascreatedinESXServer.
Youcanseethissettinginthevirtualmachinessummaryvieworbyusingthevirtual
machinesettingseditor.
To open an ESX virtual machine that has more than two processors
1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Hardware>Processors,and
notethatNumberofProcessorsissettoOther(x),wherexisthenumberof
processorsoriginallyassignedinESXServer.
Workstationpreservesthisoriginalconfigurationsettingforthenumberof
processors,eventhoughtwoisthemaximumnumberofprocessorssupported.
Changethissettingtotwoprocessorssothatyoucanpoweronthevirtualmachine
inWorkstation.
Notethatonceyoucommitachangetothissetting,theoriginalsettingfornumber
ofprocessorsisdiscarded,andnolongerappearsasanoptioninthevirtual
machinesettingseditor.
Moving a Virtual Machine to a New Host or on the Same Host

Usetheprocedureinthissectioneithertomovethevirtualmachinetoadifferent
locationonthesamehostortomoveittoanewhost.Thissectionappliestovirtual
machinescreatedwithalltheseVMwareproducts:
Workstation4.x,5.x,6.x
GSXServer3.x
VMwareServer1.x
ESXServer2.xor3.x
VMwareACE1.x,2.x
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SeeLegacyVirtualDisksonpage 222formoreinformationonvirtualmachine
formatsfromolderVMwareproducts.
To move a virtual machine
1
Makesurethatallthevirtualmachinefilesarestoredinthevirtualmachine
directory.
Forexample,ifyouconfiguredtheworkingdirectorytobelocatedinadifferent
locationonthehost,moveitintothevirtualmachinedirectoryandusethevirtual
machinesettingseditor(VM>Settings>Options>General)topointtothislocation.
Ifthevirtualmachineyouwanttomoveisalinkedclone,seeMovingLinked
Clonesonpage 193.
Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine.
Ifthevirtualmachineissuspended,resumeitandthenshutitdown.
Copyallthefilesinthevirtualmachinedirectorytothenewlocation.
Tomovethevirtualmachinesfilestoanotherhost,ifyoudonthaveanetwork
connectiontothenewhost,useasharednetworkdirectory,burnthefilesontoa
DVD,orusesomeotherstoragemediathathasenoughdiskspace.
NOTEForadescriptionofthefilesthatyouaremoving,seeFilesThatMakeUp
aVirtualMachineonpage 110.
StartWorkstationandopenthevirtualmachineinitsnewlocation,asfollows:
ChooseFile>Open,andbrowsetothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.
IfthevirtualmachineisanESXServervirtualmachinewithmorethantwo
processors,seeMovingSMPVirtualMachinesBetweenWorkstationandESX
Serveronpage 368.
NOTEIfyouaremovingthevirtualmachinetoadifferentlocationonthesame
host,removethevirtualmachinefromtheFavoriteslistandadditbackusingthe
newlocation.
Whenyouarecertainthatthevirtualmachineinthenewlocationworkscorrectly,
youcandeletethevirtualmachinefilesfromtheoldlocation,ifdesired.
Ifthevirtualmachineinthenewlocationisnotworkingcorrectly,examinethe
virtualmachineintheoriginallocationtofindoutwhetheryoumissedcopying
somefiles,perhapsbecausetheywereoutsideofthevirtualmachinedirectory.
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Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings>Hardware)toselectdevices
andfindoutwhetheranyassociatedfilespointtolocationsthatcannotbeaccessed
fromthenewvirtualmachine.
Moving an Older Virtual Machine

IfyoucreatedavirtualmachinebyusingWorkstation2.xor3.x,youmustupgradeit
toatleastversion4.Workstation6doesnotsupportWorkstation2or3virtual
machines.
Moving Linked Clones

YoucanmovealinkedcloneasyouwouldanordinaryWorkstationvirtualmachine.
However,ifyoumovealinkedclone(orifyoumoveitsparentvirtualmachine),make
suretheclonecanaccesstheparentvirtualmachine,forexample,byusingashared
directoryornetworkedfileserver.
CAUTIONYoucannotpoweronalinkedcloneifWorkstationcannotlocatetheoriginal
virtualmachine.
Sharing Virtual Machines with Other Users

Ifyouwantotheruserstobeabletoaccessyourvirtualmachines,considerthe
followingpoints:
Onlyoneusercanrunavirtualmachineatatime.Otheruserscanalsosharea
virtualmachinebymakingalinkedcloneofit.Alinkedcloneisacopythatuses
thesamevirtualdisksastheparentvirtualmachineitwascopiedfrom.See
CloningaVirtualMachineonpage 247.
OnWindowshosts,relocatethevirtualmachinefilestoadirectorythatis
accessibletoallappropriateusers.ThedefaultlocationforaWindowshostisnot
typicallyaccessibletootherusers:
OnWindowsXP:C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\My

Documents\My Virtual Machines
OnWindowsVista:C:\Users\<user name>\Documents\Virtual
Machines
WhenyouconfigurethevirtualmachineintheNewVirtualMachinewizard,you
canspecifyalocationforthevirtualmachineelsewhereonyoursystemorona
networkvolume.
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OnLinuxhosts,permissionsforthevirtualmachinefilesshouldbesetforother
usersaccordingtohowyouwantthemtousethevirtualmachine.
Permissionssettingsareespeciallyimportantfortheconfigurationfile(.vmx)and
virtualdisks(.vmdk).Forexample,ifyouwantuserstorunavirtualmachinebut
notbeabletomodifyitsconfiguration,donotmaketheconfigurationfilewritable.
Sharing Virtual Machines with VMware Player

VMwarePlayerisafreeapplicationthatopensandplaysvirtualmachinescreatedwith
otherVMwareproducts.OnWindowshosts,PlayeralsoopensandplaysMicrosoft
VirtualPCandVirtualServervirtualmachinesandSymantecLiveStateRecoveryand
systemimages.
VMwarePlayerisincludedwithWorkstationversions5.5andlater.Standalone
Playerisalsofreelyavailablefordownloadat:
http://www.vmware.com/products/player/
VMwarePlayermakesyourVMwarevirtualmachinesaccessibletocolleagues,
partners,customers,andclientswhodonotownotherVMwareproducts.
NOTEUseofVMwarePlayerissubjecttotheVMwarePlayerEndUserLicenseterms,
andnosupport(includingSupportandSubscription)willbeprovidedbyVMwarefor
VMwarePlayer.Forselfhelpresources,seetheVMwarePlayerFAQat
www.vmware.com/products/player/faqs.html.
AlsochecktheVMwarePlayerDiscussionForumontheVMwareVMTNWebsite,at
www.vmware.com/community/forum.jspa?forumID=123.Theforumisasitewhere
VMTNmembersexchangeinformation,questions,andcommentswitheachother
regardingVMwareproducts,services,andproductsupportissues.
Running VMware Player

VMwarePlayerisincludedintheWorkstationdistribution.Whenyouinstall
Workstation,theapplicationfile,vmplayer.exe(Windows)orvmplayer(Linux),is
storedwiththerestofyourWorkstationprogramfiles.
ForinstructionsonusingandconfiguringVMwarePlayer,seetheonlinehelpprovided
inVMwarePlayer(fromtheVMwarePlayermenubar,chooseVMwarePlayer>Help).
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To run VMware Player

1
OpenVMwarePlayer,eitherfromthegraphicaluserinterface(GUI)orfromthe
commandline:
FromtheGUI,onWindows,selectVMwarePlayerfromthe
Start>Programs>VMwaremenu.InaLinuxXsession,selectVMwarePlayer
fromthecorrespondingprogrammenu,suchastheSystemToolsmenu.
Fromthecommandline,openacommandprompt,andenteroneofthe
followingcommands:
OnWindows:<path>vmplayer.exe
where<path>istheappropriatepathonyoursystemtotheapplication
file.
OnLinux:vmplayer &
Openavirtualmachine.
Whenyoulaunchtheplayer,itdisplaysaWelcomepagethatgivesyoutheoption
ofbrowsingtoavirtualmachinefile,openingarecentlyusedvirtualmachine,or
downloadingavirtualappliancefromtheVMTN(VMwareTechnologyNetwork)
Website.
To close VMware Player

Shutdowntheguestoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachine.Theplayercloses
aftertheguestoperatingsystemshutsdown.
InVMwarePlayer,chooseVMwarePlayer>Exit(Windows)orPlayer>Quit
(Linux).Playerwilleithersuspendorpoweroffthevirtualmachine,dependingon
thepreferenceyousetforexitbehaviorinPlayer>Preferences.
Setting Up Virtual Machines for Use with VMware Player

Takecarewhenyoucreatevirtualmachinesthatyouintendtobedistributedand
playedbyVMwarePlayer.Configurethevirtualmachineformaximumcompatibility
withallexpectedhostmachinesandsystems.BecausethePlayersconfiguration
optionsarelimited,usersarelimitedintheirabilitytomakechangesinavirtual
machinesothatitiscompatiblewiththeirhostsystems.
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Followingarerecommendationstohelpyouconfigurevirtualmachinesformaximum
compatibilitywithVMwarePlayerandwiththewidestrangeofhostmachines:
Determinewhichvirtualdevicesareactuallyrequired,anddontincludeanythat
arenotneededorusefulforthesoftwareyouaredistributingwiththevirtual
machineandVMwarePlayer.Forexample,genericSCSIdevicesareextremely
unlikelytobeappropriate.
Toconnectaphysicaldevicetoavirtualdevice,usetheAutodetectoptionswhen
configuringthevirtualmachine.TheAutodetectoptionsallowthevirtual
machinetoadapttotheuserssystem,andtheyworkwhetherthehostoperating
systemisWindowsorLinux.Userswhohavenophysicaldeviceatallwillreceive
awarningmessage.
ToconnectaCDROMorfloppytoanimagefilethatyoushipwiththevirtual
machine,makesuretheimagefileisinthesamedirectoryasthevirtualmachine.
Thisway,arelativepath,ratherthananabsolutepath,isused.
ForbothaphysicalCDROMandanimage,providetwovirtualCDROMdevices
inthevirtualmachine.VMwarePlayerdoesnotprovideawayintheuserinterface
toswitchasingleCDROMdevicebetweenaphysicalCDROMandanimage.
Thisalsomeansthatifyouwanttoshipmultipleimages,theuserwillnotbeable
toswitchbetweenthem.
Chooseareasonableamountofmemorytoallocatetothevirtualmachine.Ifthe
usershostmachinedoesnothaveenoughphysicalmemorytosupportthe
memoryallocation,theplayercannotpoweronthevirtualmachine.
InstallVMwareToolsinthevirtualmachine.VMwareToolssignificantlyimproves
theusersexperienceworkingwiththevirtualmachine.
Chooseareasonablescreenresolutionfortheguest.Auserislikelytofinditeasier
toincreasetheresolutionmanuallythantodealwithadisplaythatexceedsthe
usersphysicalscreensize.
SomehostoperatingsystemsdonotsupportCDROMsinnonlegacymode.To
ensurethatCDROMsworkproperlyinvirtualmachinesthatyouintendtobe
distributedandplayedonVMwarePlayer,configureCDROMdevicesinlegacy
mode.Formoreinformation,seeLegacyEmulationforDVDandCDDriveson
page 214.
MakeanappropriatesettinginVM>Settings>Options>Snapshots>When
poweringoff.SetthisoptiontoJustpowerofforReverttosnapshot.VMware
Playerdoesnotallowtakingsnapshots.
TheoptionReverttosnapshotisusefulifyouwanttodistributeademothatresets
itselftoacleanstatewhenpoweredoff.
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Using Disks
Thischapterprovidesinformationonconfiguringyourvirtualmachinesharddisk
storagesoitbestmeetsyourneeds.Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
OverviewofDiskStorageinaVirtualMachineonpage 197
MaintenanceTasksforVirtualDisksonpage 201
AddingVirtualandPhysicalDiskstoaVirtualMachineonpage 204
UsingVMwareVirtualDiskManageronpage 216
UsingDualBootComputerswithVirtualMachinesonpage 222
LegacyVirtualDisksonpage 222
TomapanexistingvirtualdiskdrivetoaWindowshostmachine,ratherthanadding
ittoavirtualmachine,seeUsingaMappedDrive(WindowsOnly)onpage 180.
Overview of Disk Storage in a Virtual Machine

Likeaphysicalcomputer,aVMwareWorkstationvirtualmachinestoresitsoperating
system,programs,anddatafilesononeormoreharddisks.Unlikeaphysical
computer,Workstationgivesyouoptionsforundoingchangestothevirtualmachines
harddisk.
TheNewVirtualMachinewizardcreatesavirtualmachinewithonediskdrive.Usethe
virtualmachinesettingseditor(bychoosingVM>SettingsfromtheWorkstationmenu
bar)toaddmorediskdrivestoyourvirtualmachine,toremovediskdrivesfromyour
virtualmachine,andtochangecertainsettingsfortheexistingdiskdrives.
Thissectiondescribesthechoicesyoucanmakeinsettingupharddiskstorageforyour
virtualmachine.
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Virtual Disks
Inmostcases,itisbesttoconfigurevirtualmachinestousevirtualharddisksrather
thanphysicalharddisks.Avirtualdiskisafileorsetoffilesthatappearsasaphysical
diskdrivetoaguestoperatingsystem.Thefilescanbeonthehostmachineorona
remotecomputer.Whenyouconfigureavirtualmachinewithavirtualdisk,youcan
installanewoperatingsystemontothevirtualdiskwithoutrepartitioningaphysical
diskorrebootingthehost.
Portability
Akeyadvantageofvirtualdisksistheirportability.Becausethevirtualdisksarestored
asfilesonthehostmachineoraremotecomputer,youcanmovethemeasilytoanew
locationonthesamecomputerortoadifferentcomputer.YoucanalsouseWorkstation
onaWindowshosttocreatevirtualdisks,andthenmovethemtoaLinuxcomputer
andusethemunderWorkstationforLinux,andthereverse.Formoreinformation,see
MovingandSharingVirtualMachinesonpage 187.
Disk Size and Files

Virtualdiskscanbeaslargeas950GB(IDEorSCSI).Dependingonthesizeofthe
virtualdiskandthehostoperatingsystem,Workstationcreatesoneormorefilesto
holdeachvirtualdisk.Thesefilesincludeinformationthatgetswrittentoavirtual
machinesharddisk,suchastheoperatingsystem,theprogramfiles,andthedatafiles.
Thevirtualdiskfileshavea.vmdkextension.
Bydefault,theactualfilesusedbythevirtualdiskstartoutsmallandgrowtotheir
maximumsizeasneeded.Themainadvantageofthisapproachisthesmallerfilesize.
Smallerfilesrequirelessstoragespaceandareeasiertomoveifyouwanttomovethe
virtualmachinetoanewlocation.However,ittakeslongertowritedatatoadisk
configuredinthisway.
Youcanalsoconfigurevirtualdiskssoallthediskspaceisallocatedatthetimethe
virtualdiskiscreated.Thisapproachprovidesenhancedperformanceandisusefulif
youarerunningperformancesensitiveapplicationsinthevirtualmachine.
Regardlessofwhetheryouallocatealldiskspaceinadvance,youcanconfigurethe
virtualdisktouseasetoffileslimitedto2GBperfile.Usethisoptionifyouplanto
movethevirtualdisktoafilesystemthatdoesnotsupportfileslargerthan2GB.
Lock Files
Arunningvirtualmachinecreateslockfilestopreventconsistencyproblemsonvirtual
disks.Ifthevirtualmachinedidnotuselocks,multiplevirtualmachinesmightread
andwritetothedisk,causingdatacorruption.
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Chapter 9 Using Disks
Lockfilesareusedtoprotectavirtualmachineandarecreatedinsubdirectorieswith
a.lcksuffix.Thelockingsubdirectoriesresideinthesamedirectoryasthevirtual
machines.vmdkfiles.Alockingsubdirectoryandlockfilearecreatedfor.vmdkfiles,
.vmxfiles,and.vmemfiles.
AsoftheWorkstation6release,aunifiedlockingmethodisusedonallhostoperating
systems,sofilessharedbetweenthemarefullyprotected.Forexample,ifoneuseron
aLinuxhosttriestopoweronavirtualmachinethatisalreadypoweredonbyanother
userwithaWindowshost,thelockfileswillpreventtheseconduserfrompoweringon
thevirtualmachine.
Whenavirtualmachinepowersoff,itremovesthelockingsubdirectoriesandtheir
lockfiles.Ifitcannotremovetheselockingcontrols,oneormorestalelockfilesmight
beleft.Forexample,ifthehostmachinecrashesbeforethevirtualmachinehasachance
toremoveitslockingcontrols,stalelockfilesremain.
Whenthevirtualmachinestartsagain,itscansanylockingsubdirectoriesforstalelock
filesand,whenpossible,removesthem.Alockfileisconsideredstaleifbothofthe
followingconditionsaretrue:
Thelockfilewascreatedonthesamehostthatisnowrunningthevirtualmachine.
Theprocessthatcreatedthelockisnolongerrunning.
Ifthosetwoconditionsaretrue,thevirtualmachinecansafelyremovethestalelockor
locks.Ifeitherofthoseconditionsisnottrue,adialogboxappears,warningyouthat
thevirtualmachinecannotbepoweredon.Ifyouaresureitissafetodoso,youcan
deletethelockingdirectoriesandtheirlockfilesmanually.
Physicaldiskpartitionsarealsoprotectedbylocks.However,thehostoperatingsystem
isnotawareofthislockingconventionandthusdoesnotrespectit.Forthisreason,
VMwarestronglyrecommendsthatthephysicaldiskforavirtualmachinenotbe
installedonthesamephysicaldiskasthehostoperatingsystem.
Disk Type: IDE Versus SCSI

VirtualdiskscanbesetupasIDEdisksforanyguestoperatingsystem.Theycanbeset
upasSCSIdisksforanyguestoperatingsystemthathasadriverfortheLSILogicor
BusLogicSCSIadapteravailableinaWorkstationvirtualmachine.Youdetermine
whichSCSIadaptertouseatthetimeyoucreatethevirtualmachine.
NOTETouseSCSIdisksina32bitWindowsXPvirtualmachine,youneedaspecial
SCSIdriveravailablefromthedownloadsectionoftheVMwareWebsiteat
www.vmware.com/download.FollowtheinstructionsontheWebsitetousethedriver
withafreshinstallationofWindowsXP.
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Avirtualdiskofeithertypecanbestoredoneithertypeofphysicalharddisk.Thatis,
thefilesthatmakeupanIDEvirtualdiskcanbestoredoneitheranIDEharddiskora
SCSIharddisk.SocanthefilesthatmakeupaSCSIvirtualdisk.Theycanalsobestored
onothertypesoffastaccessstoragemedia.
Physical Disks
Insomecircumstances,youmightneedtogiveyourvirtualmachinedirectaccesstoa
physicalharddriveonyourhostcomputer.Aphysicaldiskdirectlyaccessesanexisting
localdiskorpartition.YoucanusephysicaldisksifyouwantWorkstationtorunone
ormoreguestoperatingsystemsfromexistingdiskpartitions.
NOTEOnlyexpertusersshouldattemptphysicaldiskconfigurations.
Althoughvirtualdisksarelimitedto950GB,physicaldiskscanbesetuponbothIDE
andSCSIdevicesofupto2TBcapacity.Bootingfromanoperatingsystemalreadyset
uponanexistingSCSIdiskorpartitioniscurrentlynotsupported.
Also,onWindowsVistahosts,youcannotusethesystempartition,orthephysicaldisk
thatcontainsit,inavirtualmachine.
CAUTIONIfyourunanoperatingsystemnativelyonthehostcomputer,andswitchto
runningitinsideavirtualmachine,thechangeislikepullingtheharddriveoutofone
computerandinstallingitinasecondcomputerwithadifferentmotherboardandother
hardware.Thestepsyoutakedependontheoperatingsystemyouwanttouseinside
thevirtualmachine.Fordetails,seetheVMwaretechnicalnoteDualBootComputersand
VirtualMachines.
Youcanalsocreateanewvirtualmachinethatusesaphysicaldisk.Fordetails,see
UsingPhysicalDisksinaVirtualMachineonpage 207.Inmostcases,however,itis
bettertouseavirtualdisk.Ifyouusephysicaldisk,the.vmdkfilestoresinformation
aboutthephysicaldiskorpartitionusedbythevirtualmachine.
Afteryouconfigureavirtualmachinetouseoneormorepartitionsonaphysicaldisk,
dontmodifythepartitiontablesbyrunningfdiskorasimilarutilityintheguest
operatingsystem.
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Ifyouusefdiskorasimilarutilityonthehostoperatingsystemtomodifythepartition
tableofthephysicaldisk,youmustrecreatethevirtualmachinesphysicaldisk.All
filesthatwereonthephysicaldiskarelostwhenyoumodifythepartitiontable.
WARNINGDonotuseaphysicaldisktosharefilesbetweenhostandguestoperating
systems.Itisnotsafetomakethesamepartitionvisibletobothhostandguest.Youcan
causedatacorruptionifyoudothis.Tosharefilesbetweenhostandguestoperating
systems,usesharedfolders.Fordetails,seeUsingSharedFoldersonpage 173.
Maintenance Tasks for Virtual Disks

Thissectioncontainsthefollowingtopics:
DefragmentingVirtualDisksonpage 201
ShrinkingVirtualDisksonpage 202
Defragmenting Virtual Disks

Likephysicaldiskdrives,virtualdiskscanbecomefragmented.Defragmentingdisks
rearrangesfiles,programs,andunusedspaceonthevirtualdisksothatprogramsrun
fasterandfilesopenmorequickly.Defragmentingdoesnotreclaimunusedspaceona
virtualdisk.Toreclaimunusedspace,shrinkthedisk.
NOTEThedefragmentationprocessrequiresfreeworkingspaceonthehost
computersdisk.Ifyourvirtualdiskiscontainedinasinglefile,forexample,youneed
freespaceequaltothesizeofthevirtualdiskfile.Othervirtualdiskconfigurations
requirelessfreespace.
To defragment a virtual disk
1
Runadiskdefragmentationutilityinsidetheguestoperatingsystem.
Forexample,inavirtualmachinewithaWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem,use
theWindowsXPDiskDefragmentertoolfromwithinthevirtualmachine.
DefragmentthevirtualdiskbyusingtheWorkstationdefragmentationtool:
a
ChooseVM>Settings.
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SelectHardDisk,anddooneofthefollowing:
OnLinuxhosts,clickDefragment.
OnWindowshosts,clicktheUtilitiesbutton,andchooseDefragment.
Whentheprocessisfinished,clickOKtoclosethedialogbox.
NOTEThiscapabilityworksonlywithgrowablevirtualdisks,notphysical
disksorvirtualdiskswhosediskspacewaspreallocated.
3
Runadiskdefragmentationutilityonthehostcomputer.
Defragmentingdiskscantakeconsiderabletime.
Shrinking Virtual Disks

Ifyouhaveavirtualdiskthatgrowsasdataisadded,youcanshrinkitasdescribedin
thissection.Ifyouallocatedallthespaceforyourvirtualdiskatthetimeyoucreated
it,youcannotshrinkit.
Shrinkingavirtualdiskreclaimsunusedspaceinthevirtualdisk.Ifthereisempty
spaceinthedisk,thisprocessreducestheamountofspacethevirtualdiskoccupieson
thehostdrive.
Restrictions and Requirements

Shrinkingadiskrequiresfreediskspaceonthehostequaltothesizeofthevirtualdisk
youareshrinking.
Shrinkingappliesonlytovirtualdisks.YoucannotshrinkphysicaldisksorCDROMs.
Insomeconfigurations,itisnotpossibletoshrinkvirtualdisks.Ifyourvirtualmachine
usessuchaconfiguration,theShrinktabintheVMwareToolscontrolpaneldisplays
informationexplainingwhyyoucannotshrinkyourvirtualdisks.
Forexample,youcannotshrinkavirtualdiskif:
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Youpreallocateddiskspacewhenyoucreatedthedisk.
Thevirtualmachinehasanysnapshots.Todeleteasnapshot,choose
VM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.SelectthesnapshotandclicktheDelete
button(onWindows)oricon(onthesnapshottoolbaronLinux).
Thevirtualdiskisalinkedcloneoristheparentofalinkedclone.
Thevirtualmachinecontainsphysicaldisks.
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ThevirtualdiskisstoredonaCDROM.
Thevirtualdiskisanindependentdiskinnonpersistentmode.
Youcanchangethemodeofavirtualdiskbeforethevirtualmachineispowered
on.SeeExcludingVirtualDisksfromSnapshotsonpage 232foradiscussionof
independentdisks.
The Shrinking Process

Shrinkingadiskisatwostepprocess:
1
WipingTakesplaceintheguestoperatingsystem.VMwareToolsreclaimsall
unusedportionsofdiskpartitions(suchasdeletedfiles)andpreparesthemfor
shrinking.Duringthisphase,youcanstillinteractwiththevirtualmachine.
ShrinkingTakesplaceonthehost.Workstationreducesthesizeofthedisksfiles
bytheamountofdiskspacereclaimedinthewipeprocess.Duringthisphase,the
virtualmachineisstopped,andyoucannotinteractwithit.
To shrink a virtual disk

1
LaunchtheVMwareToolscontrolpanel,asappropriateforyouroperatingsystem:
ForaWindowsguest,clicktheVMwareToolsiconinthenotificationareaof
thetaskbar,orchooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel,thendoubleclick
VMwareTools.
ForaLinux,Solaris,orFreeBSDguest,becomerootandrunvmware-toolbox.
Ifyoushrinkdisksasanonrootuseryoucannotwipethepartsofthevirtual
diskthatrequirerootlevelpermissions.
ClicktheShrinktab.
SelectthevirtualdisksyouwanttoshrinkandclickPreparetoShrink.
Adialogboxtrackstheprogressofthewipingprocess.
NOTEIfyoudeselectsomepartitions,thewholediskstillshrinks.However,those
partitionsarenotwipedforshrinking,andtheshrinkprocessdoesnotreducethe
sizeofthevirtualdiskasmuchasitwouldwithallpartitionsselected.
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WhenVMwareToolsfinisheswipingtheselecteddiskpartitions,andyouare
promptedtoshrinkdisksnow,clickYes.
Adialogboxtrackstheprogressoftheshrinkingprocess.Shrinkingdiskscantake
considerabletime.
ClickOKtofinish.
Adding Virtual and Physical Disks to a Virtual Machine

Workstation6virtualmachinescanuseupto4IDEdevicesandupto60SCSIdevices.
AnyofthesedevicescanbeavirtualorphysicalharddiskorDVDorCDROMdrive.
Thissectionprovidesinstructionsforthefollowingprocedures:
AddingaNewVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachineonpage 204
AddinganExistingVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachineonpage 206
RemovingaVirtualDiskfromaVirtualMachineonpage 206
UsingPhysicalDisksinaVirtualMachineonpage 207
ManyotherSCSIdevicescanbeconnectedtoavirtualmachinebyusingthehost
operatingsystemsgenericSCSIdriver.SeeConnectingtoaGenericSCSIDeviceon
page 359.
TomapanexistingvirtualdiskdrivetoaWindowshostmachine,ratherthanadding
ittoavirtualmachine,seeUsingaMappedDrive(WindowsOnly)onpage 180.
Adding a New Virtual Disk to a Virtual Machine

Virtualdisksarestoredasfilesonthehostcomputeroronanetworkfileserver.Itdoes
notmatterwhetherthephysicaldiskthatholdsthefilesisIDEorSCSI.AvirtualIDE
driveoravirtualSCSIdrivecanbestoredonanIDEdriveoronaSCSIdrive.
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddanewvirtualdisktoyourvirtual
machine,asdescribedintheprocedurethatfollows.Toaddanexistingvirtualdiskto
thevirtualmachine,seeAddinganExistingVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachineon
page 206.
NOTEIfyouhaveaWindowsNT4.0guestwithaSCSIvirtualdisk,youcannotadd
bothanadditionalSCSIdiskandanIDEdisktotheconfiguration.
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To add a new virtual disk to a virtual machine

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheHardwaretab,clickAddtostarttheAddHardwarewizard.
OntheHardwareTypepage,selectHardDiskandclickNext.
OntheSelectaDiskpage,selectCreateanewvirtualdiskandclickNext.
OntheSelectaDiskTypepage,choosewhetheryouwantthevirtualdisktobean
IDEdiskoraSCSIdisk.
InformationabouttherequirementsofcreatingaSCSIdiskappearsinDiskType:
IDEVersusSCSIonpage 199.
AlsoontheSelectaDiskTypepage,ifyouwanttoexcludedisksfromsnapshots,
intheModesection,selectIndependentforthemodeandchooseoneofthe
followingoptions:
reverttoasnapshot.
Formoreinformation,seeUsingSnapshotsonpage 227.
8
OntheSpecifyDiskCapacitypage,setthecapacityforthenewvirtualdisk.
Youcansetasizebetween0.1GBand950GBforavirtualdisk.Formore
informationaboutthechoices,seeDiskSizeandFilesonpage 198.
OntheSpecifyDiskFilepage,acceptthedefaultfilenameandlocationorbrowse
toadifferentlocation.
10
ClickFinish.
Thewizardcreatesthenewvirtualdisk.Itappearstoyourguestoperatingsystem
asanew,blankharddisk.
11 Usetheguestoperatingsystemstoolstopartitionandformatthenewdrivefor
use.
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Adding an Existing Virtual Disk to a Virtual Machine

Youcanreconnectanexistingvirtualdiskthathasbeenremovedfromavirtual
machine.
To add an existing virtual disk to a virtual machine
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheSelectaDiskpage,selectUseanexistingvirtualdiskandclickNext.
OntheSelectanExistingDiskpage,enterthepathnameandfilenameforthe
existingdiskfile,orbrowsetothefileandclickOK.
IfyouwanttomapanexistingvirtualdiskdrivetoaWindowshostmachine,see
UsingaMappedDrive(WindowsOnly)onpage 180.
Removing a Virtual Disk from a Virtual Machine

Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortodisconnectavirtualdiskfromavirtual
machine.TheRemovecommanddescribedinthefollowingproceduredoesnotdelete
filesfromthehostfilesystem.
YouneedtodisconnectavirtualdiskifyouwanttomapthedisktoaWindowshost
machine.Youmightwanttomapthedisktoahostasanalternativetocopyingthedata
backandforthbetweenguestandhost.Inthiscase,youremovethediskfromthe
virtualmachine,asdescribedinthissection,mapittothehost,asdescribedinUsing
aMappedDrive(WindowsOnly)onpage 180,andadditbacktothevirtualmachine
whenyouarefinished.
Todeletevirtualdiskfiles,youneedtodeletethemmanually.Youmight,however,
wanttoretainthevirtualdiskfilessothatyoucanreconnectthevirtualdisktothe
virtualmachine,asdescribedinAddinganExistingVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachine
onpage 206.
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To remove a virtual disk from a virtual machine

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
SelectthevirtualdiskyouwanttoremoveandclickRemove.
Thevirtualdiskisdisconnectedfromvirtualmachine.
Using Physical Disks in a Virtual Machine

Insomesituations,youmightwanttoinstallaguestoperatingsystemdirectlyona
physicaldiskorpartitionevenifyoudonotneedtobootthatdiskonthehost,outside
ofthevirtualmachine.
Itispossibletouseeitheranunusedpartitionoracompletelyunuseddiskonthehost
asadiskinthevirtualmachine.However,itisimportanttobeawarethatanoperating
systeminstalledinthissettingprobablycannotbootoutsideofthevirtualmachine,
eventhoughthedataisavailabletothehost.(Forinformationaboutusinganoperating
systemthatcanalsobootoutsideofthevirtualmachine,seetheVMwaretechnicalnote
calledDualBootComputersandVirtualMachines.)
Physicaldisksareanadvancedfeatureandshouldbeconfiguredonlybyexpertusers.
Touseaphysicaldiskinavirtualmachine,youcaneitherusethevirtualmachine
settingseditortoaddthephysicaldisk,oryoucancreateanewvirtualmachineand
specifyatcreationtimewhichphysicaldiskthevirtualmachineshoulduse.
Regardlessofwhichstrategyyouuse,makesurethephysicaldiskmeetsthe
requirementslistedinthenextsection.
Prerequisites for Using a Physical Disk

BeforeyouruntheNewVirtualMachinewizardorusethevirtualmachinesettings
editortoaddaphysical(raw)disk,performthefollowingtasks:
Becausethevirtualmachineandguestoperatingsystemaccessaphysicaldisk
partitionwhilethehostcontinuestorunitsoperatingsystem,verifythatthe
partitionisnotmountedbythehostorinusebyanothervirtualmachine.
Corruptionispossibleifyouallowthevirtualmachinetomodifyapartitionthat
issimultaneouslymountedunderthehostsoperatingsystem.
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Checktheguestoperatingsystemdocumentationregardingthetypeofpartition
onwhichtheoperatingsystemcanbeinstalled.Forexample,onWindowsVista
hosts,youcannotusethesystempartition,orthephysicaldiskthatcontainsit,in
avirtualmachine.
DOS,Windows95,andWindows98operatingsystemsmustbeinstalledonthe
firstprimarypartition,whereasotheroperatingsystems,suchasLinux,canbe
installedonaprimaryoranextendedpartitiononanypartofthedrive.
Makesurethephysicalpartitionordiskdoesnothavedatayouwillneedinthe
future.Ifitdoes,backupthedata.
(Windowsonly)IfyouuseaWindowshostsIDEdiskinaphysicaldisk
configuration,makesureitisnotconfiguredastheslaveonthesecondaryIDE
channelifthemasteronthatchannelisaCDROMdrive.
(Windowsonly)IfyourhostisrunningWindows2000,WindowsXP,orWindows
Server2003,donotuseadynamicdiskasaphysicaldiskinsideavirtualmachine.
Youcanusethediskmanagementtooltocheckthetypeofdiskusedand,ifitisa
dynamicdisk,changeittoabasicdisk(whichdestroysalldata),asfollows:
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OpenthediskmanagementtoolbychoosingStart>Settings>Control
Panel>AdministrativeTools>ComputerManagement>DiskManagement.
Deletealllogicalvolumesonthedisk.Thisdestroysalldataonthedisk.
RightclickthediskiconandselectReverttoBasicDisk.
Createthepartitionsyouwantonthedisk.
(Windowsonly)Makesurethepartitionyouwanttouseisunmappedinthehost,
asfollows:
WindowsNThost:UsetheDiskAdministrator
(Start>Programs>AdministrativeTools).Highlightthepartitiononwhich
youplantoinstalltheguestoperatingsystem,andchooseTools>Assign
DriveLetter.Inthedialogbox,chooseDonotassignadriveletterforthe
partitionandclickOK.Theunmappinghappensimmediately.
WindowsServer2003,WindowsXP,orWindows2000host:UseDisk
Management(Start>Settings>ControlPanel>Administrative
Tools>ComputerManagement>Storage>DiskManagement).Selectthe
partitionyouwanttounmap,andchooseAction>AllTasks>ChangeDrive
LetterandPaths.ClickRemove.
WindowsVistahost:UseDiskManagement(Start>ControlPanel(Classic
View)>AdministrativeTools>ComputerManagement>Storage>Disk
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Management).Rightclickthepartitionyouwanttounmap,andchoose
ChangeDriveLetterandPaths.ClickRemove.
(Linuxonly)Setthedevicegroupmembershipordeviceownership,asfollows:
a
Makesurethemasterphysicaldiskdeviceordevicesarereadableand
writablebytheuserwhorunsVMwareWorkstation.Onmostdistributions,
thephysicaldevices,suchas/dev/hda(IDEphysicaldisk)and/dev/sdb
(SCSIphysicaldisk)belongtogroupiddisk.Ifthisisthecase,youcanadd
VMwareWorkstationuserstothediskgroup.
Anotheroptionistochangetheownerofthedevice.Considerallthesecurity
issuesinvolvedinthisoption.
GrantVMwareWorkstationusersaccesstoall/dev/hd[abcd]physical
devicesthatcontainoperatingsystemsorbootmanagers.
YoucanthenrelyonthephysicaldiskconfigurationfilesinVMwareWorkstation
toguardaccess.Thisprovidesbootmanagersaccesstoconfigurationfilesand
otherfilestheymightneedtoboottheoperatingsystems.Forexample,LILOneeds
toread/bootonaLinuxpartitiontobootanonLinuxoperatingsystemthat
mightbeonanotherdrive.
Afteryouarefinishedpreparingthephysicaldisk,useeitherofthefollowingstrategies
tousethephysicaldiskinavirtualmachine:
CreatingaNewVirtualMachineThatUsesaPhysicalDiskonpage 209
UsingtheVirtualMachineSettingsEditortoAddaPhysicalDiskonpage 211
ForgeneralinformationaboutusingphysicaldiskswithWorkstation,seePhysical
Disksonpage 200.
Creating a New Virtual Machine That Uses a Physical Disk

UsetheNewVirtualMachinewizardifyouwanttocreateanewvirtualmachinethat
usesaphysicaldiskratherthansimplyaddaphysicaldisktoanexistingvirtual
machine.
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To create a virtual machine that uses a physical disk

1
MakesureyouhavecompletedthetasksdescribedinPrerequisitesforUsinga
PhysicalDiskonpage 207.
Becausetheprocessissimilarforcreatinganytypeofvirtualmachine,followthe
instructionsinSettingUpaNewVirtualMachineonpage 89,butbesuretouse
thefollowingoptionswhencompletingthewizard:
Whenpromptedtospecifythetypeofvirtualmachineconfiguration,select
Custom.
OntheSelectaDiskpage,selectUseaphysicaldisk,andspecifywhetheryou
wanttouseindividualpartitionsortheentiredisk.
Ifyouuseindividualpartitions,onlythepartitionsyouselectwillbe
accessibletothevirtualmachine.Theotherpartitionsmightbevisibletothe
guestoperatingsystem,butitisnotpossibletomount,access,orformatthem.
Afteryoufinishcreatingthevirtualmachine,ifyouwanttospecifyadevicenode
foryourvirtualdisk,orifyouwanttoexcludedisksfromsnapshots,usethevirtual
machinesettingseditor,asfollows:
a
Selectthevirtualmachine,andchooseVM>Settings.
OntheHardwaretab,selectthephysicaldiskandclickAdvanced.
Ifyouwanttoexcludedisksfromsnapshots,selectIndependentforthemode
andchooseoneofthefollowingoptions:
PersistentChangesareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothe
disk.
NonpersistentChangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupoweroff
orreverttoasnapshot.
Formoreinformationonthesnapshotfeature,seeUsingSnapshotson
page 227.
4
Installtheguestoperatingsystemonthephysicaldisk.
BesuretousetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuide,whichcontains
instructionsspecifictoeachtypeofsupportedoperatingsystem.Thisguideis
availablefromtheWorkstationHelpmenu.
Formoreinformationaboutusingphysicaldisks,seePhysicalDisksonpage 200.
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Using the Virtual Machine Settings Editor to Add a Physical Disk

Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddanewphysicaldisktoyourvirtual
machine,asdescribedinthefollowingprocedure.
To add a physical disk to a virtual machine
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheSelectaDiskpage,selectUseaphysicaldiskandclickNext.
Whenthewarningappears,clickOK.
CompletetheSelectaPhysicalDiskpageandclickNext.
Choosethephysicalharddisktousefromthedropdownlist.Workstation
supportsphysicaldisksupto2TB.
Selectwhetheryouwanttousetheentirediskoronlyindividualpartitionson
thedisk.IfyouselectUseentiredisk,continuewithStep 9.
IftheSelectPartitionspageappears,selectthepartitionsyouwanttouseinthe
virtualmachineandclickNext.
ThispageappearsifyouselectedUseindividualpartitionsinStep 7.
Onlythepartitionsyouselectwillbeaccessibletothevirtualmachine.Theother
partitionsmightbevisibletotheguestoperatingsystem,butitisnotpossibleto
mount,access,orformatthem.
OntheSpecifyDiskFilepage,acceptthedefaultfilenameandlocationorbrowse
toadifferentlocation.
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10
Tospecifyadevicenodeforyourvirtualdisk,ortoexcludedisksfromsnapshots,
clickAdvanced.
Toexcludedisksfromsnapshots,selectIndependentforthemodeandchooseone
ofthefollowingoptions:
reverttoasnapshot.
Formoreinformationonthesnapshotfeature,seeUsingSnapshotsonpage 227.
11
ClickFinish.
Thewizardconfiguresthenewphysicaldisk.
12
Ifthepartitionsusedonthephysicaldiskarenotformattedforyourguest
operatingsystem,usetheguestoperatingsystemstoolstoformatthem.
CAUTIONRegardingtheuseoffdiskorasimilarutility:
Afteryouaddavirtualmachinediskbyusingoneormorepartitionsona
physicaldisk,nevermodifythepartitiontablesbyrunningfdiskorasimilar
utilityintheguestoperatingsystem.
Ifyouusefdiskorasimilarutilityonthehostoperatingsystemtomodify
thepartitiontableofthephysicaldisk,youmustrecreatethevirtual
machinesphysicaldisk.
Adding DVD/CD-ROM and Floppy Drives to a Virtual

Machine
Workstation6virtualmachinescanuseupto4IDEdevicesandupto60SCSIdevices.
AnyofthesedevicescanbeavirtualorphysicalharddiskorDVDorCDROMdrive.
AvirtualmachinecanreaddatafromaDVDdisc.Workstationdoesnotsupport
playingDVDmoviesinavirtualmachine.(Youmightbeabletoplayamovieifyouuse
aDVDplayerapplicationthatdoesnotrequirevideooverlaysupportinthevideo
card.)
Thissectionprovidesinstructionsforaddingthefollowingdevices:
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AddingDVDorCDDrivestoaVirtualMachineonpage 213
AddingFloppyDrivestoaVirtualMachineonpage 214
ConnectingaCDROM/DVDorFloppyDrivetoanImageFileonpage 215
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Adding DVD or CD Drives to a Virtual Machine

YoucanaddoneormoreDVDorCDdrivestoyourvirtualmachine.Youcanconnect
thevirtualmachinesdrivetoaphysicaldriveonthehostmachineortoanISOimage
file.
YoucanconfigurethevirtualDVDorCDdriveaseitherIDEorSCSI,nomatterwhat
kindofphysicaldriveyouconnectitto.Inotherwords,ifyourhostcomputerhasan
IDECDdrive,youcansetupthevirtualmachinesdriveaseitherSCSIorIDEand
connectittothehostsdrive.ThesameistrueifthehostsphysicaldriveisaSCSIdrive.
To add a DVD or CD drive to a virtual machine
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheHardwareTypepage,selectDVD/CDROMDriveandclickNext.
MakeaselectionontheSelectaDriveConnectionpageandclickNext.
IfyouselectedUsephysicaldrive:
a
ChooseadrivefromthedropdownlistorchooseAutodetect.
IfyoudonotwanttheCDdriveconnectedwhenthevirtualmachinestarts,
deselectConnectatpoweron.
Tospecifywhichdevicenodethedriveshoulduseinthevirtualmachine,click
Advanced.
SelectLegacyemulationonlyifyouhavehadproblemsusingnormalmode.
Fordetails,seeLegacyEmulationforDVDandCDDrivesonpage 214.
Afteryouhavemadeanydesiredchangesinthesesettings,clickFinish.
IfyouselectedUseISOimage:
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Enterthepathandfilenamefortheimagefileorbrowsetothefile.
IfyoudonotwanttheCDdriveconnectedwhenthevirtualmachinestarts,
deselectConnectatpoweron.
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Ifyouwanttospecifywhichdevicenodethedriveshoulduseinthevirtual
machine,clickAdvanced.
Afteryouhavemadeanydesiredchangesinthesesettings,clickFinish.
ThedriveissetupinitiallysoitappearstotheguestoperatingsystemasanIDE
drive.
7
IfyouwantthedrivetoappeartotheguestoperatingsystemasaSCSIdrive,click
thedrivesentryinthevirtualmachinesettingseditorandmakethatchangeinthe
settingspanelontheright.
Legacy Emulation for DVD and CD Drives

Innormalmode(thatis,notlegacyemulationmode),theguestoperatingsystem
communicatesdirectlywiththeCDorDVDdrive.Thisdirectcommunicationenables
youtoreadmultisessionCDs,performdigitalaudioextraction,viewvideos,anduse
CDandDVDwriterstoburndiscs.
Incontrast,legacyemulationmodeenablesyoutoreadonlyfromdatadiscsintheDVD
orCDdrive.Itdoesnotprovidetheothercapabilitiesofnormalmode.Usinglegacy
emulationmodeisawaytoworkaroundproblemsthatarisewhenaguestoperating
systemhasdifficultycommunicatingdirectlywithaDVDorCDdrive.
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)tosettheLegacyemulation
optionforDVDandCDdrivesattachedtothevirtualmachine:
OnWindowshosts,thisoptionisdeselectedbydefault.
OnLinuxhostswithIDEdrives,thedefaultsettingdependsonwhetherthe
ide-scsimoduleisloadedinyourkernel.Theide-scsimodulemustbeloaded,
oryoumustbeusingaphysicalSCSIdrive,toconnectdirectlytotheDVDorCD
drive.
Ifyourunmorethanonevirtualmachineatatime,andiftheirCDdrivesareinlegacy
emulationmode,startthevirtualmachineswiththeirCDdrivesdisconnected.This
ensuresthatyoudonothavemultiplevirtualmachinesconnectedtotheCDdriveat
thesametime.
Adding Floppy Drives to a Virtual Machine

Youcanaddfloppydrivestoyourvirtualmachine,toatotaloftwofloppydrives.A
virtualfloppydrivecanconnecttoaphysicalfloppydriveonthehostcomputer,toan
existingfloppyimagefile,ortoablankfloppyimagefile.
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To add a floppy drive to a virtual machine

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheHardwareTypepage,selectFloppyDriveandclickNext.
Completetherestofthewizardbyusingtheinstructionsprovidedinthewizard
pages.
Ifyouareaddingasecondfloppydrivetothevirtualmachine,enablethissecond
floppydriveinthevirtualmachinesBIOS,asfollows:
a
Bootthevirtualmachine,andasitboots,clickinsidethevirtualmachine
windowandpressF2,toentertheBIOSsetuputility.
Onthemainscreen,chooseLegacyDisketteB:andusetheplus(+)andminus
()keysonthenumericalkeypadtoselectthetypeoffloppydriveyouwant
touse.PressF10tosavethesettings.
Connecting a CD-ROM/DVD or Floppy Drive to an Image File

Youcanusethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)toconnectanexisting
virtualCDROMorfloppydrivetoanimagefile(ISOfile),asdescribedinthefollowing
procedure.
AnISOimagefilelookslikeaCDROMtoyourguestoperatingsystemandeven
appearsasaCDROMinWindowsExplorer.
To connect a CD-ROM or floppy drive to an image file
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
SelecttheDVD/CDROMdriveorfloppydriveyouwanttoconnecttotheimage
file.
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ForaDVDorCDROM,selectUseISOImageandenterthepathnameand
filenameorbrowsetothefile.
Forafloppydrive:
Ifthefilealreadyexists,selectUsefloppyImageandenterthepathname
andfilenameorbrowsetothefile.
Ifyouwanttocreateanewimagefile,clickCreate.Browsetothe
directorywhereyouwanttostorethefloppyimagefile,supplya
filename,andclickSave(onWindowshosts)orOpen(onLinuxhosts).
Ifyouwanttomakethefilereadonly,selecttheReadOnlycheckbox.
5
ClickOK.
Using VMware Virtual Disk Manager

VMwareVirtualDiskManagerisaWorkstationutilitythatallowsyoutocreate,
manage,andmodifyvirtualdiskfilesfromthecommandlineorwithinscripts.
Onekeyfeatureistheabilitytoenlargeavirtualdisksoitsmaximumcapacityislarger
thanitwaswhenyoucreatedit.Ifyouneedmorediskspaceinagivenvirtualmachine,
butdonotwanttoaddanothervirtualdiskoruseghostingsoftwaretotransferthedata
onavirtualdisktoalargervirtualdisk,youcaninsteadchangethemaximumsizeof
thevirtualdisk.Youcannotdothiswithphysicalharddrives.
NOTEToexpandthesizeofavirtualdisk,purchaseadditionalsoftwarefromanother
vendorsothatyoucanmakethechangesrequiredforyourvirtualmachinetoaccess
theadditionaldiskspace.
VirtualDiskManagercanenlargethediskbutdoesnotmodifyitscontents,sothe
partitioninformationstaysthesame.Youneedthirdpartysoftware,suchasPartition
Magic,thatcanmodifythepartitioninformationonthevirtualdisktoutilizethe
additionalvirtualdiskspaceyoucreatedwithVirtualDiskManager.
Anotherfeatureallowsyoutochangedisktypes.Whenyoucreateavirtualmachine,
youspecifyhowdiskspaceisallocated.Therearetwooptions:
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Allspaceforthevirtualdiskisallocatedinadvance.Thiscorrespondstowhatthe
VirtualDiskManagercallsthepreallocateddisktype.
Spaceallocatedforthevirtualdiskbeginssmallandgrowsasneeded.This
correspondstowhattheVirtualDiskManagercallsthegrowabledisktype.
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WithVirtualDiskManageryoucanchangewhetherthevirtualdisktypeis
preallocatedorgrowableandwhetherthevirtualdiskisstoredinasinglefileorsplit
into2GBfiles.Forexample,youmightallocateallthediskspaceforavirtualdisk,but
laterfindthatyouneedtoreclaimsomeharddiskspaceonthehost.Youcanconvert
thepreallocatedvirtualdiskintoagrowabledisk,andthenremovetheoriginalvirtual
diskfile.Thenewvirtualdiskislargeenoughtocontainallthedataintheoriginal
virtualdisk.Thevirtualdiskgrowsasyouadddatatoit.
Thesefeaturesandtheabilitytousescriptingtoautomatemanagementofvirtualdisks
wereaddedtoWorkstationinversion5.0.
YoucanusetheVirtualDiskManagerto:
Automatethemanagementofvirtualdiskswithscripts.
Createvirtualdisksthatarenotassociatedwithaparticularvirtualmachine,for
example,tobeusedastemplates.
Switchthevirtualdisktypefrompreallocatedtogrowable,orfromgrowableto
preallocated.Whenyouchangethedisktypetogrowable,youreclaimsomedisk
space.Youcanshrinkthevirtualdisktoreclaimevenmorediskspace.
Expandthesizeofavirtualdisksoitislargerthanthesizespecifiedwhenyou
createdit.
Defragmentvirtualdisks.
Prepareandshrinkvirtualdiskswithoutpoweringonthevirtualmachine
(Windowshostsonly).
YoucanusetheVirtualDiskManagerwithvirtualdiskscreatedunderVMwareServer
andVMwareWorkstation.
NOTEYoucannotusetheVirtualDiskManagertocreatephysicaldisksorshrinkthem.
Running the VMware Virtual Disk Manager Utility

ToruntheVMwareVirtualDiskManagerutility,openacommandpromptorterminal
onthehostoperatingsystem.OnaWindowshost,changetothedirectorywhereyou
installedyourWorkstationsoftware.Bydefault,thisdirectoryis:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation
Thecommandsyntaxis:
vmware-vdiskmanager [options]
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Table 91liststheoptionsyoucanusewithvmware-vdiskmanager.Forexamplesof
howyouusetheseoptionstoperformvarioustasks,seeExamplesUsingtheVMware
VirtualDiskManageronpage 220.
Table 9-1. VMware Virtual Disk Manager Utility Commands
Options and
Parameters
<diskname>
Description
Nameofthevirtualdiskfile.Thevirtualdiskfilemusthavea.vmdkextension.
Specifyapathtothefolderwhereyouwanttostorethediskfiles.Ifyoumapped
anetworkshareonyourhostoperatingsystem,youcancreatethevirtualdiskon
thatsharebyprovidingthecorrectpathinformationwiththediskfilename.
-c
Createsthevirtualdisk.Usethe-a,-s,and-toptions,andspecifythenameof
thevirtualdisk(<diskname>).
-r
<sourcediskname>
Convertsthespecifiedvirtualdisk,creatinganewvirtualdiskasaresult.Usethe
-toptiontospecifythedisktypetowhichthevirtualdiskisconverted,and
specifythenameofthetargetvirtualdisk(<targetdiskname>).
Aftertheconversioniscompletedandyouhavetestedtheconvertedvirtualdisk
tomakesureitworksasexpected,deletetheoriginalvirtualdiskfile.
Forthevirtualmachinetorecognizetheconvertedvirtualdisk,usethevirtual
machinesettingseditortoremovetheexistingvirtualdiskfromthevirtual
machine,andthenaddtheconverteddisktothevirtualmachine.SeeAdding
VirtualandPhysicalDiskstoaVirtualMachineonpage 204.
-x <n>[GB|MB]
<diskname>
Expandsthevirtualdisktothespecifiedcapacity.Specifythenew,largersizeof
thevirtualdiskingigabytesormegabytes.Youcannotchangethesizeofa
physicaldisk.
Caution:BeforerunningtheVirtualDiskManagerutility,backupyourvirtual
diskfiles.
-d <diskname>
Defragmentsthespecifiedvirtualdisk.Youcandefragmentonlygrowable
virtualdisks.Youcannotdefragmentpreallocatedvirtualdisks.
-p <mountpoint>
(Windowsonly)Preparesavirtualdiskforshrinking.Formoreinformation,see
ShrinkingVirtualDiskswithVirtualDiskManager(Windows Only)on
page 219.
-k <diskname>
(Windowsonly)Shrinksthespecifiedvirtualdisk.Formoreinformation,see
ShrinkingVirtualDiskswithVirtualDiskManager(Windows Only)on
page 219.
-a [ide|buslogic|
lsilogic]
Specifiesthediskadaptertype.Specifyanadaptertypewhencreatinganew
virtualdisk.Chooseoneofthefollowingtypes:
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ideForanIDEadapter.
buslogicForaBusLogicSCSIadapter.
lsilogicForanLSILogicSCSIadapter.
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Table 9-1. VMware Virtual Disk Manager Utility Commands (Continued)

Options and
Parameters
Description
-s <n>[GB|MB]
Specifiesthesizeofthevirtualdisk.Specifywhetherthesize<n>isingigabytes
ormegabytes.Specifythesizeofavirtualdiskwhenyoucreateit.
Eventhoughyoumustspecifythesizeofavirtualdiskwhenyouexpandit,do
notusethe-soption.
-t [0|1|2|3]
Specifythetypeofvirtualdiskwhenyoucreateanewoneorreconfigurean
existingone.Specifyoneofthefollowingdisktypes:
0Tocreateagrowablevirtualdiskcontainedinasinglevirtualdiskfile.
1Tocreateagrowablevirtualdisksplitinto2GBfiles.
2Tocreateapreallocatedvirtualdiskcontainedinasinglevirtualdiskfile.
3Tocreateapreallocatedvirtualdisksplitinto2GBfiles.
DisablesVirtualDiskManagerlogging.
-q
Ifyoukeeploggingenabled,messagesgeneratedbytheVirtualDiskManager
arestoredinalogfile.Thenameandlocationofthelogfileappearinthe
commandpromptorterminalwindowaftertheVirtualDiskManagercommand
isrun.
Shrinking Virtual Disks with Virtual Disk Manager

(Windows Only)
OnaWindowshost,youcanusetheVirtualDiskManagertoprepareandshrink
growablevirtualdisks(notphysicaldisks)withoutpoweringonthevirtualmachine.
Shrinkingavirtualdiskdoesnotreducethemaximumcapacityofthevirtualdiskitself.
Formoreinformation,seeShrinkingVirtualDisksonpage 202.
CAUTIONYoucannotshrinkavirtualdiskifthevirtualmachinehassnapshots.Tokeep
thevirtualdiskinitscurrentstate,usethesnapshotmanagertodeleteallsnapshots.To
discardchangesmadesinceyoutookasnapshot,reverttothesnapshot.
To shrink a virtual disk
1
Mounteachvolumeofthevirtualdisk.
Ifthevirtualdiskispartitionedintovolumes,eachvolumeofthevirtualdisk
(driveC:orD:,forexample)mustbemustbemountedandpreparedseparately.
Tomountavolume,seeUsingaMappedDrive(WindowsOnly)onpage 180.Or
usetheVMwareDiskMountUtility,availableasafreedownloadfromtheVMware
Website.Gotowww.vmware.com/download/diskmount.html.TheVMware
DiskMountusersmanualisavailablefromtheVMwareWebsiteat
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www.vmware.com/pdf/VMwareDiskMount.pdf.Itcontainsinstructionson
mountingandunmountingvirtualdiskvolumeswithDiskMount.
2
UsetheVirtualDiskManagertopreparethevolumeforshrinking,asdescribedin
theexampleinPreparingaVirtualDiskforShrinkingonpage 221.
Disconnect(unmount)thevolume,eitherbyusingtheproceduredescribedin
UsingaMappedDrive(WindowsOnly)onpage 180orbyusingVMware
DiskMount.
Repeatthemounting,preparing,andunmountingprocessforeachvolumeofthe
virtualdisk.
UsetheVirtualDiskManagertoshrinkthevirtualdisk,asdescribedinthe
exampleinShrinkingaVirtualDiskonpage 222.
Examples Using the VMware Virtual Disk Manager

Thefollowingexamplesillustratehowtousethecommandlineversionof:
CreatingaVirtualDiskonpage 220
ConvertingaVirtualDiskonpage 220
IncreasingtheSizeofanExistingVirtualDiskonpage 221
RenamingaVirtualDiskonpage 221
DefragmentingaVirtualDiskonpage 221
PreparingaVirtualDiskforShrinkingonpage 221
ShrinkingaVirtualDiskonpage 222
Creating a Virtual Disk

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

Toconvertthevirtualdisktypefrompreallocatedtogrowable,useacommandlikethe
following:
vmware-vdiskmanager -r sourceDisk.vmdk -t 0 targetDisk.vmdk
Thisconvertsthediskfromitsoriginalpreallocatedtypetoagrowablevirtualdiskthat
consistsofasinglevirtualdiskfile.Thevirtualdiskspaceisnolongerpreallocated,and
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theVirtualDiskManagerreclaimssomediskspaceinthevirtualdisksoitisonlyas
largeasthedatacontainedwithinit.
Increasing the Size of an Existing Virtual Disk

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

Torenameavirtualdisk,firstremoveitfromanyvirtualmachinethatcontainsthedisk
(chooseVM>Settings><virtual_disk>,andclickRemove).Next,useacommandlike
oneofthefollowing(thefilepathsassumeaWindowshost):
Torenamethediskandkeepitinthesamelocation,use:
vmware-vdiskmanager -n myDisk.vmdk myNewDisk.vmdk
Torenamethediskandlocateitinadifferentdirectory,use:
vmware-vdiskmanager -n myDisk.vmdk ..\<new-path>\myNewDisk.vmdk
Tolocatethediskinadifferentdirectoryandkeepthesamename,use:
vmware-vdiskmanager -n myDisk.vmdk ..\<new-path>\myDisk.vmdk
Afteryourenameorrelocatethevirtualdisk,additbacktoanyvirtualmachinesthat
useit.Forinstructions,seeAddinganExistingVirtualDisktoaVirtualMachineon
page 206.
Defragmenting a Virtual Disk

Todefragmentavirtualdisk,useacommandlikethefollowing:
vmware-vdiskmanager -d myDisk.vmdk
Youcannotdefragmentavirtualdiskifyouallocatedallthediskspacewhenyou
createdthevirtualdisk.Youcannotusethiscommandtodefragmentaphysicaldisk.
SeeDefragmentingDiskDrivesonpage 384foradiscussionoftheperformance
impactofdefragmentingdrives.
Preparing a Virtual Disk for Shrinking

Beforeyoucanshrinkavirtualdisk,youmustprepareeachvolumeonthedisk(C:or
D:,forexample)forshrinking.Thefollowingexampleassumesthatthevolumeis
mountedastheM:drive.(Informationaboutmountingvolumesappearsinthe
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procedureToshrinkavirtualdiskonpage 219.)Toprepareavolumeofthevirtual
diskforshrinking,usethefollowingcommand:
vmware-vdiskmanager -p M:
Afterthepreparationsarecomplete,unmountthevolume.Repeatthisprocessforeach
volumeofthevirtualdisk.Afteryouprepareallthevolumesforshrinking,youcan
shrinkthevirtualdisk.
Shrinking a Virtual Disk

Toshrinkavirtualdisk,itmustbelocatedonaWindowshost.Beforeyoucanshrink
thevirtualdisk,prepareallthevolumesofthevirtualdiskforshrinking.Thenusea
commandlikethefollowing:
vmware-vdiskmanager -k myDisk.vmdk
Youcannotshrinkavirtualdiskifyouallocatedallthediskspacewhenyoucreatedthe
virtualdisk.Youcannotshrinkaphysicaldisk.
Ifthevirtualdiskhasanysnapshots,youcannotshrinkthevirtualdisk.Deleteall
snapshotsbeforeyoushrinkthevirtualdisk.
Using Dual-Boot Computers with Virtual Machines

ManyusersinstallWorkstationonadualbootormultiplebootcomputersotheycan
runoneormoreoftheexistingoperatingsystemsinavirtualmachine.Formore
informationaboutusingdualbootcomputerswithWorkstation,seetheVMware
technicalnotecalledDualBootComputersandVirtualMachines.
Legacy Virtual Disks

ThissectiondiscussesyouroptionsforusingWorkstation6inamixedenvironment
withvirtualmachinesthatwerecreatedwithearlierversionsofWorkstationorcreated
withotherVMwareproducts.
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Followingisabriefsummaryoffeaturecompatibilitybetweenvariousvirtual
hardwareversionsofVMwareWorkstation:
AWorkstation6virtualmachinesupportsallWorkstation6featuresbutisnot
compatiblewithotherVMwareproducts.
AWorkstation5virtualmachineiscompatiblewithVMwareServer1.x,ESX
Server3.x,andVMwarePlayer1.x.
Workstationversions5.5andlatersupport64bitguestoperatingsystems.
AWorkstation4virtualmachineiscompatiblewithVMwareGSXServer3.x,ESX
Server2.x,andACE1.0.
YoucanuseWorkstation6topoweronvirtualmachinescreatedwithanyofthe
productversionsinthislist.However,manynewfeaturesofWorkstationarenot
availableinoldervirtualmachines.Toupgradeyourvirtualmachinestoversion6,see
ChangingtheVersionoftheVirtualMachineonpage 61.
IfyoudecidenottoupgradeavirtualmachinetoWorkstation6,VMwarerecommends
thatyouupgradeVMwareToolstothelatestversion.Followtheinstructionsforyour
guestoperatingsysteminInstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115.Do
notremovetheolderversionofVMwareToolsbeforeinstallingthenewversion.
YoucanalsouseWorkstation6tocreateaversion4or5virtualmachines.For
instructions,seeSettingUpaNewVirtualMachineonpage 89.
FormoreinformationaboutcompatibilitybetweenVMwareproducts,refertothe
VMwareVirtualMachineMobilityPlanningGuide.
NOTEIfyouhaveWorkstation2or3virtualmachinesthatyouwanttousewith
Workstation 6,upgradethevirtualmachinestoatleastWorkstationversion4before
youattempttopowerthemonwithWorkstation6.
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10
Preserving the State of a

Virtual Machine
10
Workstationprovidestwowaystopreservethestateofavirtualmachine:youcan
suspendthevirtualmachineortakeasnapshotofit.Thischapterdescribesthesuspend
andsnapshotfeaturesandhelpsyouunderstandwhentousethem.
Becausetheexperimentalrecord/replayfeatureuseselementsfromthesnapshot
manager,instructionsforrecordingandreplayingvirtualmachineactivityarealso
included.
UsingtheSuspendandResumeFeaturesonpage 225
UsingSnapshotsonpage 227
RecordingActivityofaVirtualMachine(Experimental)onpage 239
Using the Suspend and Resume Features

Thesuspendandresumefeatureisusefulwhenyouwanttosavethecurrentstateof
yourvirtualmachine,andcontinueworklaterfromthesamestate.Whenyouresume,
anyapplicationsyouwererunningatthetimeyoususpendedthevirtualmachineare
resumedintheirrunningstate,andthecontentisthesameasitwaswhenyou
suspendedthevirtualmachine.
Whenyouresumeanddoadditionalworkinthevirtualmachine,youcannotreturnto
thestatethevirtualmachinewasinatthetimeyoususpended.Topreservethestateof
thevirtualmachinesoyoucanreturntothesamestaterepeatedly,takeasnapshot,as
describedinUsingSnapshotsonpage 227.
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Thespeedofthesuspendandresumeoperationsdependsonhowmuchdatahas
changedduringthetimethatthevirtualmachinewasrunning.Ingeneral,thefirst
suspendoperationtakeslongerthanlatersuspendoperations.
Whenyoususpendavirtualmachine,afilewitha.vmssextensioniscreated.Thisfile
containstheentirestateofthevirtualmachine.Whenyouresumethevirtualmachine,
itsstateisrestoredfromthe.vmssfile.
To prepare a virtual machine for using suspend and resume
1
MakesureVMwareToolsisinstalledintheguestoperatingsystem.
Forinstructions,seeInstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115.
ConfiguretheSuspendbuttontodoeitherahardsuspendorasoftsuspend
operation,asfollows:
a
SelectthevirtualmachineandchooseVM>SettingsfromtheWorkstation
menubar.
ClicktheOptionstab,andselectPower.
InthePowercontrolssection,specifywhetheryouwanttouseahardsuspend
operation(Suspend)orasoftsuspend(SuspendGuest).
IfyouselectSuspendGuest,ascriptrunsthateitherreleasestheIPaddress
(onWindowsguestsusingDHCP)orstopsnetworkingforthevirtual
machine(onLinux,FreeBSD,andSolarisguests).
ClickOKtoclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
To suspend a virtual machine

1
Ifyourvirtualmachineisrunninginfullscreenmode,returntowindowedmode
bypressingtheCtrl+Alt+Enterkeycombination.
ClicktheSuspendbuttonontheWorkstationtoolbar.
To resume a virtual machine that you have suspended
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StartWorkstationandchooseavirtualmachineyouhavesuspended.
ClickResumeontheWorkstationtoolbar.
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Chapter 10 Preserving the State of a Virtual Machine
Using Snapshots
Workstationsnapshotsallowyoutopreservethestateofthevirtualmachinesoyoucan
returntothesamestaterepeatedly.Forexample,youmightusesnapshotstodevelop
trainingcourses.Youcantakeasnapshotofthemachineforeachlessonorlabinthe
course.Similarly,ifyoutestsoftware,youcantakeasnapshotbeforeinstallingdifferent
versionsofaprogramtoensureeachinstallationbeginsfromanidenticalbaseline.
Snapshot Processes: Linear Versus Process Tree

Takingasnapshotsavesthecurrentstateofthevirtualmachine,soyoucanreturntoit
atanytime.Snapshotsareusefulwhenyouneedtorevertavirtualmachinerepeatedly
tothesamestate,butyoudontwanttocreatemultiplevirtualmachines.
Tosavethecurrentstateofyourvirtualmachinetemporarily,seeUsingtheSuspend
andResumeFeaturesonpage 225.
Youcantakemultiplesnapshotsofavirtualmachine,tosaveanystateyouwantto
returnto.Totakesnapshotsofmultiplevirtualmachines,youmusttakeaseparate
snapshotforeachvirtualmachine.Youmightwanttodothis,forexample,ifyouneed
totakesnapshotsforallvirtualmachinesinateam.
NOTEWorkstationoperatesmoreefficientlywithsnapshotsdisabled.Ifyoudonot
needsnapshotfunctionality,disableitforbetterperformance.SeeDisabling
Snapshots in a Linear Process

Onecommonuseofsnapshotsisinadevelopmentprocess,asawaytosaveeachstep
inalinearprocess.Thatway,asyouaddnew,untestedcodetoaproject,youcanalways
reverttoapriorknownworkingstateoftheprojectwhennewlyaddedcodedoesnot
workasexpected.
Anotherexampleofusingsnapshotsinalinearprocessisacomputerizedtraining
course.Youcantakesnapshotsofeachlessonstartingpoint,soyoucaninstantlyrevert
totheappropriateplaceforeachstudent,skippinglengthycomputerpreparationtime.
Figure 10-1. Snapshots as Restore Points in a Linear Process
Windows
operating system
lesson 1
lesson 2
lesson 3
lesson 4
lesson 5
Workstationsupportsmorethan100snapshotsperlinearprocess.
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Snapshots in a Process Tree

AnotherwaytousesnapshotsisshownintheFigure 102.Here,insteadofsavingeach
stepofaprocessinasinglelongsequence,yousaveanumberofsequences,asbranches
fromasinglebaseline.Thisstrategyisoftenusedintestingsoftware.Youcantakea
snapshotbeforeinstallingdifferentversionsofaprogramtoensurethateachdifferent
installationbeginsfromanidenticalbaseline.
Figure 10-2. Snapshots as Restore Points in a Process Tree
Windows
operating
system
baseline
IE base
Foxfire base
SP1
IE base1
You Are
Here
Foxfire base1
SP2
IE base2
Foxfire base2
Workstationsupportsmorethan100snapshotsperbranchinaprocesstree.
Relationship Between Snapshots

Therelationshipbetweensnapshotsislikeparenttochild:
Inalinearprocess,eachsnapshothasoneparentandonechild,exceptforthelast
snapshot,whichhasnochildren.
Inaprocesstree,eachsnapshothasoneparent,butonesnapshotcanhavemore
thanonechild.Manysnapshotshavenochildren.
Theparentsnapshotofavirtualmachineisthesnapshotonwhichthecurrentstate(the
YouAreHerepositioninFigure 103)isbased.Afteryoutakeasnapshot,thatstored
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stateistheparentsnapshotofthevirtualmachine.Ifyourevertorgotoanearlier
snapshot,theearliersnapshotbecomestheparentsnapshotofthevirtualmachine.
Figure 10-3. Parent-Child Relationship Between Snapshots
Snapshots 2, 3, and 4
are all children of Snapshot1.
Snapshot 4 is the parent of

the You Are Here position
and therefore the parent
of the virtual machine.
What to Use Snapshots For

Thetopicsinthissectiondescribestrategiesforusingsnapshots.
Use Snapshots as Protection from Risky Changes

Ifyouplantomakeriskychangesinavirtualmachine(forexample,testingnew
softwareorexaminingavirus),takeasnapshotbeforeyoubegin.Ifyouencountera
problem,youcanrestorethevirtualmachinetothestatepreservedinthatsnapshot.
Ifyourriskyactionscausenoproblemsyoucantakeanothersnapshotofthevirtual
machineinitsnewstate.Snapshotscanminimizelostworkifsomethinggoeswrong.
Withmultiplesnapshotsofsavedpositions,youcanreturnatanytimetoany
importantpositionwhenyoudiscoveraproblem.
Start a Virtual Machine Repeatedly in the Same State

Youcanconfigurethevirtualmachinetoreverttoasnapshotanytimeitispoweredoff.
Youmightusethisfeature,forexample,whensettingupstudentvirtualmachinesto
poweronforeachnewclassatthebeginningofthelesson,discardingtheprevious
studentswork.SeeRevertingatPowerOffonpage 237fortheprocedure.
Automatically Record Milestone Status

Youcanconfigureavirtualmachinetotakeasnapshotanytimeitispoweredoff,
preservingavirtualaudittrailasworkprogresses.SeeSnapshotOptionsWhenYou
PowerOffaVirtualMachineonpage 238forconfiguringautomaticsnapshotsat
poweroff.
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What Is Captured by a Snapshot

Asnapshotcapturestheentirestateofthevirtualmachineatthetimeyoutakethe
snapshot.Thisincludes:
MemorystateContentsofthevirtualmachinesmemory.
SettingsstateVirtualmachinesettings.
DiskstateStateofallthevirtualmachinesvirtualdisks.
Snapshotsoperateonindividualvirtualmachines.Ifyouselectateamofvirtual
machinesandtakeasnapshot,onlytheactivevirtualmachinesstateispreserved.See
ViewingTeamsandTheirVirtualMachinesonpage 260.
Whenyoureverttoasnapshot,youreturnthevirtualmachinesmemory,settings,and
virtualdiskstothestatetheywereinwhenyoutookthesnapshot.Ifyouwantthe
virtualmachinetobesuspended,poweredon,orpoweredoffwhenyoulaunchit,be
sureitisinthestateyouwantwhenyoutakethesnapshot.
NOTEThestateofaphysicaldiskorindependentdiskisnotpreservedwhenyoutake
asnapshot.
When to Take Snapshots

Thissectionlistssomelimitationsregardingsnapshots.
Activities That Conflict with Snapshots

Whenyoutakeasnapshot,beawareofotheractivitygoingoninthevirtualmachine
andthelikelyimpactofrevertingtothatsnapshot.Ingeneral,itisbesttotakea
snapshotwhennoapplicationsinthevirtualmachinearecommunicatingwithother
computers.Thepotentialforproblemsisgreatestifthevirtualmachineis
communicatingwithanothercomputer,especiallyinaproductionenvironment.
Consideracaseinwhichyoutakeasnapshotwhilethevirtualmachineisdownloading
afilefromaserveronthenetwork.Afteryoutakethesnapshot,thevirtualmachine
continuesdownloadingthefile,communicatingitsprogresstotheserver.Ifyourevert
tothesnapshot,communicationsbetweenthevirtualmachineandtheserverare
confusedandthefiletransferfails.
Orconsideracaseinwhichyoutakeasnapshotwhileanapplicationinthevirtual
machineissendingatransactiontoadatabaseonaseparatemachine.Ifyourevertto
thatsnapshotafterthetransactionstartsbutbeforeithasbeencommitted,thedatabase
islikelytobeconfused.
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Considerations for Workstation 4 Virtual Machines

ForvirtualmachinesthatwerecreatedwithWorkstation4andthathavemultipledisks
indifferentmodes,thefollowingexceptionsapply:
SnapshotsandoldervirtualmachinesYoumustupgradeaWorkstation4
virtualmachinebeforetakingasnapshot.SeeChangingtheVersionoftheVirtual
Machineonpage 61.FormoreinformationaboutusingWorkstation6with
virtualmachinesandsnapshotscreatedunderWorkstationversion4see
SnapshotsandWorkstation4VirtualMachinesonpage 239.
SnapshotsandmultipledisksindifferentmodesYoumustpoweroffthe
virtualmachinebeforetakingasnapshotifthevirtualmachinehasmultipledisks
indifferentdiskmodes.Forexample,ifyouhaveaspecialpurposeconfiguration
thatrequiresyoutouseanindependentdisk,youmustpoweroffthevirtual
machinebeforetakingasnapshot.
Enabling Snapshot Actions as a Background Activity

Takingasnapshotisnotinstantaneous.Bydefault,apreferencesettingenablesyouto
takesnapshotsasabackgroundprocess.Thisway,youcancontinueworkingwhile
Workstationpreservesthesnapshotinthebackground.
IfyoutakeanothersnapshotorreverttoonebeforeWorkstationcompletesapending
snapshotoperation,aprogressdialogboxappears.Whenthisoccurs,youmustwaitfor
thependingsnapshotoperationtofinishbeforethenextsnapshotorresumeoperation
begins.
Enablingbackgroundsnapshotsforahostwithslowharddiskscanadverselyaffect
performance.Ifyouexperiencesignificantperformanceproblemswhentakingor
restoringsnapshots,turnoffthisoption,asdescribedinthefollowingprocedure.
To enable or disable background snapshots
1
ClickthePrioritytab,anddooneofthefollowing:
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Toenablebackgroundsnapshots,makesurethecheckboxintheSnapshots
areaisselected.
Todisablebackgroundsnapshots,deselectthecheckbox.
ClickOK,andrestartthevirtualmachine.
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Excluding Virtual Disks from Snapshots

Incertainconfigurations,youmightwanttorevertsomediskstoasnapshotwhile
otherdisksretainallchanges.Forexample,youmightwantasnapshottopreservea
diskwithyouroperatingsystemandapplications,whilealwayskeepingthechanges
toadiskwithyourdocuments.
Youcanexcludevirtualdisksfromasnapshotbychangingthediskmode.Beforeyou
attempttochangethediskmode,poweroffthevirtualmachineanddeleteanyexisting
snapshots.
To exclude a virtual disk from all snapshots
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
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OntheHardwaretab,selectthedriveyouwanttoexcludeandclickAdvanced.
IntheAdvanceddialogbox,selectIndependentandselectoneofthefollowing
options:
Allchangestoanindependentdiskinpersistentmoderemain,evenwhenyou
reverttoasnapshot.
NonpersistentCurrentchangestothediskarediscardedwhenyoupower
offorreverttoasnapshot.
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Working with Snapshots in the Snapshot Manager

Inthesnapshotmanager,youcanreviewallsnapshotsfortheactivevirtualmachine
andactonthemdirectly.Figure 104illustratesthecomponentsofthesnapshot
manager.
Figure 10-4. Snapshot Manager: Windows Host
snapshot
tree
snapshot of a
recording
ordinary
snapshot
snapshot of a
linked clone
details
thumbnail of
selected
snapshots
display
command
buttons
Thesnapshottreeshowsallsnapshotsforthevirtualmachine,arrangedtoshowthe
relationshipbetweensnapshots.TheYouAreHereiconisnotasnapshot;itshowsthe
currentstateofthevirtualmachine.SeeRelationshipBetweenSnapshotson
page 228.
NOTEMovethemousepointeroverasnapshot(withoutclicking)todisplaythe
completenameofthatsnapshot.Thisisusefulwhenalongnameistruncatedinthe
snapshottreedisplay.
ThesnapshotmanagerhasaslightlydifferentappearanceonLinuxhosts,asshownin
Figure 105.
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233
Figure 10-5. Snapshot Manager: Linux Host
OnLinuxhosts,rightclickthetoolbaratthetopofthewindowtochangetheiconstyle.
Youcandisplayiconsandtext,iconsonly,textonly,andsoon.
Followingisadescriptionofthesnapshotactionsyoucanperformbyusingthe
snapshotmanager:
234
TakeSnapshotWiththeYouAreHereiconselected,takesasnapshot.Youcan
takeasnapshotwhileavirtualmachineispoweredon,poweredoff,orsuspended.
Formoreinformation,seeTakingaSnapshotonpage 235.
GoTo/ReplayThebuttonislabeledGoToifyouselectasnapshot.Itislabeled
Replayifyouselectarecording:
Go Torestoresthevirtualmachinetothestateitwasinwhentheselected
snapshotwastaken.Doubleclickingasnapshotisthesameasselectingthat
snapshotandclickingGo To.
Replayplacesthevirtualmachineinthestateitwasinwhentherecording
wasbegun.Thevirtualmachinethengoesthroughthesameactivitiesitdid
throughoutthetimetherecordingwasmade.Doubleclickingarecordingis
thesameasselectingitandclickingReplay.Formoreinformationaboutthis
feature,seeRecordingActivityofaVirtualMachine(Experimental)on
page 239.
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CloneCreatesastandalonevirtualmachinecalledaclone.Poweroffthevirtual
machinebeforemakingaclonefromasnapshot.Formoreaboutclones,see
CloningaVirtualMachineonpage 247.
CAUTIONIfasnapshothasbeencloned,itbecomeslocked.Ifyoudeletealocked
snapshot,theclonescreatedfromthatsnapshotnolongeroperate.
DeleteDeletestheselectedsnapshotsorrecordings.Todeleteasnapshotor
recordingandallitschildren,rightclickitandchooseDeleteSnapshot/Recording
andChildren.Deletingasnapshotorrecordingdoesnotaffectothersnapshotsor
recordingsorthecurrentstateofthevirtualmachine.
Toselectallsnapshotsandrecordings,rightclickasnapshotorrecordingand
chooseSelectAll.
NOTEYoucannotdeletethesnapshotiftheassociatedvirtualmachineis
designatedasatemplateforcloning.SeeLinkedClonesandAccesstotheParent
VirtualMachineonpage 252foradescriptionoftemplatesettingsforlinked
clones.
To use the snapshot manager

1
Openthesnapshotmanagerbydoingoneofthefollowing:
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.
OntheWorkstationtoolbar,clicktheManageSnapshotsforVirtualMachine
icon.
Selectasnapshotorrecordingandclickthebuttonforthedesiredaction.To
selectmorethanone,Ctrl+clickthedesiredsnapshotsandrecordings.
Rightclickasnapshotorrecordingandchoosethedesiredactionfromthe
contextmenuthatappears.
Theseactionsweredescribedinthetextprecedingthisprocedure.
Taking a Snapshot
Youcantakeasnapshotwhileavirtualmachineispoweredon,poweredoff,or
suspended.Ifyouaresuspendingavirtualmachine,waituntilthesuspendoperation
hasfinishedbeforetakingasnapshot.AsdescribedinActivitiesThatConflictwith
Snapshotsonpage 230,donottakeasnapshotwhenthevirtualmachineis
communicatingwithanothercomputer.
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235
NOTEIfyouruseofvirtualmachinesisstronglyperformanceoriented,consider
defragmentingtheguestoperatingsystemsdrivesbeforetakingasnapshot.Usethe
toolsintheguestoperatingsystemtorunadefragmentationutility.
Formoreinformation,seePerformanceImpactofDefragmentingSnapshotsand
LinkedClonesonpage 385.
To take a snapshot
1
IntheWorkstationtoolbar,clicktheTakeSnapshotofVirtualMachineicon.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Snapshot>Take Snapshot.
Fromwithinthesnapshotmanager,withtheYouAreHereiconselected,click
Take Snapshot.(Toopenthesnapshotmanager,choose
VM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.)
Enterauniquenameanddescriptionforyoursnapshot.
Adescriptionisnotrequiredbutisusefulforrecordingyournotesaboutthe
virtualmachinestatecapturedinthesnapshot.Youcanchangethenameand
descriptionatanytime.
ClickOK.
Restoring a Snapshot
YoucanrestoreasnapshotinWorkstationbyusingtheRevertandGotocommands.
Thefollowingsectionsexplainhowthesecommandswork.
Revert to Snapshot
RevertisashortcutforGototheparentsnapshotofthevirtualmachine.Thatis,gotothe
parentsnapshotoftheYouAreHereposition.SeeRelationshipBetweenSnapshots
onpage 228.Revertimmediatelyactivatestheparentsnapshotofthecurrentstateof
thevirtualmachine.Thecurrentdiskandmemorystatesarediscarded,andthevirtual
machinerevertstothediskandmemorystatesoftheparentsnapshot.
Toreverttotheparentsnapshot,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,choose
VM>Snapshot>ReverttoSnapshot,orclicktheRevertbuttonontheWorkstation
toolbar.
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Go to Snapshot
Thiscommandactivatesthespecifiedsnapshot.UnlikeRevert,theGotocommandis
notlimitedtotheparentsnapshotofthecurrentstate.Youcanchooseanysnapshot.
Togotoasnapshot,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Snapshotandselect
thesnapshotbyname.Or,inthesnapshotmanager,selectasnapshotandclickGoTo.
(Toopenthesnapshotmanager,chooseVM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.)
Reverting at Power Off

Thissettingcausesthevirtualmachinetoreverttotheparentsnapshotanytimeitis
poweredoff.Theparentsnapshotofavirtualmachineisthesnapshotonwhichthe
currentstate(theYouAreHereposition)isbased.SeeRelationshipBetween
To set a virtual machine to revert to a snapshot at power off
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClicktheOptionstab,andselectSnapshot/Replay.
InthesectionWhenpoweringoff,selectReverttosnapshot.
Youcanalsosetthevirtualmachinetotakeasnapshotwhenyoupoweroff.Forthis
andotherpoweroffoptions,seeSnapshotOptionsWhenYouPowerOffaVirtual
Machineonpage 238.
Disabling Snapshots
Workstationspeedandresponsetimesareimprovedwhensnapshotsaredisabled,but
withoutasnapshot,allchangesmadetoavirtualmachinearepermanentandyou
cannotrestoreanearlierstate.
Also,ifyoudisablesnapshots,youwillnotbeabletousetheexperimental
record/replayfeature.Formoreinformation,seeRecordingActivityofaVirtual
Machine(Experimental)onpage 239.
Ifyouwanttodisablesnapshots,makesurethatthevirtualmachinedoesnotcurrently
haveanysnapshots.Ifithassnapshots,deletethem,asdescribedinWorkingwith
SnapshotsintheSnapshotManageronpage 233.Youcanthenperformthefollowing
procedure.
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To disable snapshots
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
IntheGeneralsectionselectDisableSnapshotsandclickOK.
Ifthischeckboxisunavailable,itmeansthatsnapshotshavealreadybeencreated
andneedtobedeleted,asdescribedinWorkingwithSnapshotsintheSnapshot
Manageronpage 233.
Snapshot Options When You Power Off a Virtual Machine

Youcansetavirtualmachinetoautomaticallyreverttoasnapshot,ortotakeanew
snapshot,wheneveryoupoweroffthevirtualmachine.
Optionswhenpoweringoffinclude:
JustpoweroffPowersoffwithoutmakinganychangestosnapshots.
ReverttosnapshotRevertstotheparentsnapshotofthevirtualmachines
currentstate(thatis,theparentsnapshotoftheYouAreHerepositioninthe
SnapshotManagerwindow)sothevirtualmachinealwaysstartsinthestateitwas
inwhentheparentsnapshotwastaken.
Revertingtothesnapshotdiscardschanges.Forexample,aninstructormightneed
todiscardstudentanswersforacomputerlessonwhenavirtualmachineis
poweredoffattheendofclass.
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TakeanewsnapshotTakesanewsnapshotofthevirtualmachinestateafteritis
poweredoff.Thisisusefultopreservemilestonesautomatically.Thesnapshot
appearsinthesnapshotmanager.Thenameofthissnapshotisthedateandtime
thevirtualmachinewaspoweredoff.ThedescriptionisAutomaticsnapshot
createdwhenpoweringoff.
AskmePromptsyou,everytimeyoupoweroffavirtualmachine,tospecify
whetheryouwanttopoweroff,revert,ortakeasnapshot.
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To set a snapshot option that occurs when powering off

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
SelectanoptioninthesectionWhenpoweringoff.
Theseoptionsaredescribedatthebeginningofthistopicandintheonlinehelp.
ClickOK.
Snapshots and Workstation 4 Virtual Machines

Workstation4virtualmachinesdonotsupportmultiplesnapshots.Forfull
Workstation6functionality,youmustupgrade.
IfyouwanttoupgradebuttheWorkstation4virtualmachinehassnapshots,youmust
firstremovethesnapshots.Useyourearlier,Workstation4.xapplicationtoremovethe
snapshot,andthenupgradetoWorkstation6.Youcanthenupgradethevirtual
machine,asdescribedinChangingtheVersionoftheVirtualMachineonpage 61.
Ifyouchoosenottoupgrade,youpreservetheabilitytousethevirtualmachinein
Workstation4,butnomultiplesnapshotfunctionalityisallowed.
Recording Activity of a Virtual Machine (Experimental)

ThisexperimentalfeatureshouldbeofinteresttosoftwaredevelopersandQA
engineers.Therecord/replayfeatureletsyourecordallofaWorkstation5or
Workstation6virtualmachinesactivityoveraperiodoftime.UnlikeWorkstations
moviecapturefeature,therecord/replayfeatureletsyouexactlyduplicatethe
operationsandstateofthevirtualmachinethroughoutthetimeoftherecording.
WARNINGFeatureswithexperimentalsupportarenotintendedtobeenabledon
productionsystems.Enablingtherecord/replayfeaturemightcausethehosttocrash,
causingyoutolosedata.
Afteryouenabletherecord/replayfeatureforavirtualmachine,startrecordingby
simplyclickingtheRecordbutton.ClicktheStopbuttontoendtherecordingandgo
live.Youcanmakemultiplerecordingsandusethesnapshotmanagertonamethem,
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239
deletethem,andplaythem.Youcanalsomakeanexecutiontracefileofarecordingto
recordeventsthatoccurduringtherecording.
Playingarecordingisinsomerespectssimilartogoingtoasnapshot.Whenyouplay
arecording,youdiscardthecurrentstateofthevirtualmachineandgotothe
recording.Atanytimewhentherecordingisplaying,youcanclicktheStopbuttonand
resumeinteractingwiththeguestoperatingsystematthestatethevirtualmachineis
inwhenyouclickStop.
Thesectionsthatfollowprovidedetailsabouthowtoenablethisfeatureanduseit:
HardwareandVirtualHardwareRequirementsonpage 240
RecordingandPlayingBackVirtualMachineActivityonpage 242
Hardware and Virtual Hardware Requirements

Followingisalistofrequirementsforandlimitationsofthisfeature:
HostCPUsForoptimumperformance,useacomputerwithanIntelP4processor
whenusingthisfeature.Otherprocessorsmightoperatemoreslowlyduring
recordingandreplaying.
Ifyouusetherecord/replayfeatureonahostcomputerthatdoesnothaveanIntel
P4processor,whenyouenabletherecord/replayfeatureandpoweronthevirtual
machine,amessageappears,informingyouthathardwareaccelerationwillbe
disabled.
VirtualmachineversionOnlyWorkstation5and6virtualmachinescanbe
recorded.
SupportedoperatingsystemsYoucanusetherecord/replayfeatureonlyon
32bitversionsofthefollowingguestoperatingsystems:
Windows2000
WindowsXP
Windows2003
WindowsVista
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3and4
SUSELinux9.3and10.x
SMPoperatingsystemsarenotsupported.Ifyouattempttoenablethe
record/replayfeatureonanunsupportedoperatingsystem,thevirtualmachine
willnotpoweronuntilyoudisablerecord/replay.
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UnsupportedvirtualdevicesBeforeyouenabletherecord/replayfeature,usethe
virtualmachinesettingseditortoremovethefollowingdevicesfromthevirtual
machine:
Floppydrives
CDROMdrives
NOTEBeforeyouremovetheCDROMdrivefromavirtualmachine,make
surethatVMwareToolsisinstalledintheguestoperatingsystem.During
VMwareToolsinstallation,Workstationtemporarilyconnectsthevirtual
machinesfirstvirtualCDROMdrivetothecorrectISOimagefileforthe
USBcontrollers
Soundadapters
GenericSCSIdevices
LSILogicadapters
Inaddition,avoidconnectingthevirtualmachinetoanetworkordisconnectingit
duringarecordingsession.
DiskspaceHowmuchdiskspacearecordingusesdependsonthetypeofactivity
thatoccursonthevirtualmachineduringtherecordingsession.Assumethatyou
willneedasubstantialamountofdiskspace.
DiskmodeYoucannotusetherecord/replayfeatureifthevirtualmachines
virtualharddiskissettoindependentmode.Thisisbecauserecordingvirtual
machineactivityrequireswritingdataaboutthedisktoacontinualsnapshot.To
changethediskmode,usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor
(VM>Settings>Hardware>HardDisk>Advanced).
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Recording and Playing Back Virtual Machine Activity

Thissectionprovidesinstructionsforenablingtherecord/replayfeature,makinga
recording,makinganexecutiontracefileoftherecording,playingbacktherecording,
andmanagingrecordings.
NOTEBeforeyouenablethisfeature,makesurethatVMwareToolsisinstalledinthe
guestoperatingsystem.InstallingVMwareToolsrequireshavingavirtualCDROM
driveinthevirtualmachine.
Toenablerecord/replayforavirtualmachineonpage 242
TodisplaytheReplaytoolbaronpage 243
Toplaybackarecordingonpage 244
Toadjustthespeedofplaybackonpage 245
Tocreateanexecutiontracefileofarecordingonpage 246
Todeletearecordingonpage 246
To enable record/replay for a virtual machine

1
MakesurethatthevirtualmachinemeetstherequirementslistedinHardware
andVirtualHardwareRequirementsonpage 240.
SelectthevirtualmachineandchooseVM>Settings.
Thevirtualmachinesettingseditorappears.
OntheSnapshot/Replaysettingspanel,usethefollowingsettings:
MakesuretheDisablesnapshotscheckboxisdeselected.
SelecttheEnableexecutionrecordandreplaycheckbox.
ClickOK.
NOTEWhenyouenabletherecord/replayfeature,thedebuggingmodeautomatically
getssettoFull.Ifyoulaterdisablerecord/replay,youneedtomanuallysetdebugging
modebacktoNormal.SeeTurningOffDebuggingModeonpage 380.
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To display the Replay toolbar

ChooseView>Toolbars>Replay.
TheReplaytoolbarappearstotherightoftheothertoolbarsyouhavedisplayed.It
containsthefollowingbuttons:
ReplayLastRecordingPlaysthelastrecordingyoumadefortheselectedvirtual
machine.Ifthevirtualmachineispoweredoff,itisresumed,asifithadbeen
suspended.
Toplayanearlierrecording,usethesnapshotmanager.Choose
VM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.
RecordTakesasnapshotofthevirtualmachineandbeginsrecording.
StopStopstherecordingorreplaythatisinprogress.
To make a recording
1
Whenyouwanttobeginrecording,clicktheRecordbuttoninthetoolbar,or
chooseVM>Replay>Record.
Asnapshotistaken,andaniconappearsinthestatusbartoindicatethatrecording
isinprogress.
IftheRecordcommandisunavailable,thefeaturemightnotbeenabledorthehard
diskmightbesettoindependentmode.SeeToenablerecord/replayforavirtual
machineonpage 242.
CompletetheTakeRecordingdialogboxthatappearsandclickOK.
CAUTIONWhilearecordingisinprogress,avoidexitingWorkstationand
allowingthevirtualmachinetoruninthebackground.Doingsomightcausethe
virtualmachinetocrash.Alwaysstoprecordingbeforesendingavirtualmachine
toruninthebackground.
Whenyouwanttostoprecording,clicktheStopbuttoninthetoolbar,orchoose
VM>Replay>Stop.
Tochangethenameoftherecording,addorchangethedescription,ordeletethe
recording,chooseVM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.
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To play back a recording

1
Ifitispoweredonandyoudontwanttolosethecurrentstateofthevirtual
machine,takeasnapshotofit.
Forinstructions,seeTotakeasnapshotonpage 236.
Toplaythelatestrecordingofthevirtualmachine,clicktheReplayLastRecording
buttoninthetoolbar,orchooseVM>Replay>ReplayLastRecording.
Toplayanearlierrecording,usethesnapshotmanager,asfollows:
a
ChooseVM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.
SelecttherecordingsnapshotyouwanttoplayandclickReplay.
AsnapshotofarecordingisshowninFigure 104,SnapshotManager:
WindowsHost,onpage 233.
Inthedialogboxthatappears,confirmthatyouwanttostartreplayingthe
recording.
(Optional)Toslowdownplaybackoftherecording,seeToadjustthespeedof
playbackonpage 245.
(Optional)Tomakeatracefileofeventsthatoccurredduringrecording,seeTo
createanexecutiontracefileofarecordingonpage 246.
(Optional)Tostopreplayingtherecordingbeforeitfinishesplaying,dooneofthe
following:
ChooseVM>Replay>Stop.
ClicktheStopbuttonintheReplaytoolbar.
Clickinsidethevirtualmachine,sothatkeyboardeventsaregrabbedbythe
virtualmachine,andpresstheLkey(golivekey).
Youcanthenresumeinteractingwiththevirtualmachine.
Youcannotpausetherecordingorreverseit.Ifyoustoptherecordingbeforeitis
finishedreplayingandthenclicktheReplayLastRecordingbuttonagain,the
recordingstartsfromitsbeginning,notfromthepointwhereyouclickedStop.
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To adjust the speed of playback

1
Tosetallrecordingsforavirtualmachinetobeginplaybackinslowmotion:
a
Addthefollowinglinetotheconfiguration(.vmx)fileforthevirtualmachine:
replay.halt_delay = "<microseconds>"
where<microseconds>isthenumberofmicrosecondsthatthevirtual
processorshouldhaltwhenreplaying.Thissettingcontrolshaltemulation
behavior.Thedefaultis0,whichmeanstherecordingplaysinrealtime.The
maximumvalueis10000.
c
Saveandclosethefile.
Duringplayback,ifyouwanttospeedupplaybackorslowitdowneven
further,usethekeyboardshortcutsdescribedinStep 3.
NOTEThisstepisnotaprerequisitetousingkeyboardshortcutstospeedupor
slowdownarecording.Thisstepisusefulifyouwanttoslowrecordingsdownby
largeincrements,suchas10,000ratherthan100or200microseconds.
2
Replayarecording,asdescribedinToplaybackarecordingonpage 244.
Tousekeyboardshortcutstoslowdownorspeeduparecording:
a
Clickinsidethevirtualmachine,sothatkeyboardeventsaregrabbedbythe
virtualmachine.
Pressoneormoreofthefollowingkeystocontrolthespeedofreplay:
DownarrowSlowsdownreplayby10microseconds.
LeftarrowSlowsdownreplayby100microseconds.
UparrowAcceleratesreplayby10microseconds,ifitwaspreviously
sloweddown.
RightarrowAcceleratesreplayby100microseconds,ifitwas
previouslysloweddown.
Pressthekeyrepeatedlytoslowdownorspeedupreplayevenfurtherin10
or100microsecondincrements,dependingonthekey.
NOTEKeepinmindthatthefastestspeedforreplayisrealtime.Ifyoupressthe
rightarrowkeywhentherecordingissloweddownbyonly10microseconds,then
itwillspeedupbyonly10microseconds.
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To create an execution trace file of a recording

1
Startplaybackofarecording,asdescribedinToplaybackarecordingon
page 244.
Tomakeanexecutiontracefileoftherecording,whichrecordstheeventsthat
occurredduringrecording,clickinsidethevirtualmachine,sothatkeyboard
eventsaregrabbedbythevirtualmachine,andpresstheTkey(tracekey).
Atracefileiscreatedinthedirectorywherethisvirtualmachinesconfiguration
(.vmx)fileisstored.ThefilenameisReplayTrace-<timestamp>.gz,where
<timestamp>isthetimeatwhichyoupressedtheTkey.
NOTEThespeedatwhichtherecordingplaysslowsconsiderablywhilethetrace
fileisbeingmade.
Toendthetracefile,eitherpresstheTkeyagainorclicktheStopbuttoninthe
Replaytoolbar.
Otherwise,thetracefileendswhentherecordingfinishesplaying.
IfyoupresstheTkeytoendthetracefilebeforetherecordingendsandthenpress
Tagain,anothertracefileiscreated.
To delete a recording
1
ChooseVM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.
IntheSnapshotManagerwindow,selecttherecordingandclickDelete.
Recordingscanconsumelargeamountsofdiskspace,dependingontheactivities
ofthevirtualmachineandthelengthoftherecording.Deleterecordingsyoudont
needtoretain.
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11
Cloning a Virtual Machine
11
Thischapterprovidesinstructionsforcreatingandconfiguringclonesofvirtual
machines.Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
UnderstandingClonesonpage 247
CreatingClonesonpage 249
WorkingwithClonesonpage 251
Understanding Clones
Acloneisacopyofanexistingvirtualmachine.Theexistingvirtualmachineiscalled
theparentoftheclone.Whenthecloningoperationiscomplete,thecloneisaseparate
virtualmachine:
Changesmadetoaclonedonotaffecttheparentvirtualmachine.Changesmade
totheparentvirtualmachinedonotappearinaclone.
AclonesMACaddressandUUIDaredifferentfromthoseoftheparentvirtual
machine.
Tosavethecurrentstateofthevirtualmachine,sothatyoucanreverttothatstate,take
asnapshot.Tomakeacopyofavirtualmachineforseparateuse,createaclone.
Althoughacloneisaseparatevirtualmachine,ifthecloneisalinkedclone,itshares
virtualdiskswiththeparentvirtualmachine.Amoredetailedexplanationoflinked
clonesappearsinFullandLinkedClonesonpage 248.
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Why Make a Clone?

Installingaguestoperatingsystemandapplicationscanbetimeconsuming.With
clones,youcanmakemanycopiesofavirtualmachinefromasingleinstallationand
configurationprocess.
Clonesareusefulwhenyoumustdeploymanyidenticalvirtualmachinestoagroup.
Forexample:
AnMISdepartmentcancloneavirtualmachineforeachemployee,withasuiteof
preconfiguredofficeapplications.
Avirtualmachinecanbeconfiguredwithacompletedevelopmentenvironment
andthenclonedrepeatedlyasabaselineconfigurationforsoftwaretesting.
Ateachercancloneavirtualmachineforeachstudent,withallthelessonsandlabs
requiredfortheterm.
Withclonesyoucanmakecompletecopiesofavirtualmachine,withoutbrowsinga
hostfilesystemorworryingifyouhavelocatedalltheconfigurationfiles.
Full and Linked Clones

Therearetwotypesofclones:fullclonesandlinkedclones.
Full Clones
Afullcloneisanindependentcopyofavirtualmachinethatsharesnothingwiththe
parentvirtualmachineafterthecloningoperation.Ongoingoperationofafullcloneis
entirelyseparatefromtheparentvirtualmachine.
Becauseafullclonedoesnotsharevirtualdiskswiththeparentvirtualmachine,full
clonesgenerallyperformbetterthanlinkedclones.However,fullclonestakelongerto
createthanlinkedclones.Creatingafullclonecantakeseveralminutesifthefiles
involvedarelarge.
Linked Clones
Alinkedcloneisacopyofavirtualmachinethatsharesvirtualdiskswiththeparent
virtualmachineinanongoingmanner.Alinkedcloneismadefromasnapshotofthe
parent.(SeeSnapshotProcesses:LinearVersusProcessTreeonpage 227.)This
conservesdiskspaceandallowsmultiplevirtualmachinestousethesamesoftware
installation.
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Chapter 11 Cloning a Virtual Machine
Allfilesavailableontheparentatthemomentofthesnapshotcontinuetoremain
availabletothelinkedclone.Ongoingchangestothevirtualdiskoftheparentdonot
affectthelinkedclone,andchangestothediskofthelinkedclonedonotaffectthe
parent.
Alinkedclonemusthaveaccesstotheparent.Withoutaccesstotheparent,youcannot
usealinkedcloneatall.SeeLinkedClonesandAccesstotheParentVirtualMachine
onpage 252.
Linkedclonesarecreatedswiftly,soyoucaneasilycreateauniquevirtualmachinefor
eachtaskyouhave.Youcanalsoeasilyshareavirtualmachinewithotherusersby
storingthevirtualmachineonyourlocalnetwork,whereotheruserscanquicklymake
alinkedclone.Thisfacilitatescollaboration:forexample,asupportteamcanreproduce
abuginavirtualmachine,andanengineercanquicklymakealinkedcloneofthat
virtualmachinetoworkonthebug.
Full Clones and Snapshots of the Parent

Afullcloneisacompleteandindependentcopyofavirtualmachine.However,thefull
cloneduplicatesonlythestateofthevirtualmachineattheinstantofthecloning
operation.Thusthefullclonedoesnothaveaccesstoanysnapshotsthatmightexistof
theparentvirtualmachine.
Creating Clones
TheCloneVirtualMachinewizardguidesyouthroughtheprocessofmakingaclone.
Youdonotneedtolocateandmanuallycopytheparentvirtualmachinefiles.The
CloneVirtualMachinewizardautomaticallycreatesanewMACaddressandother
uniqueidentifiersfortheclone.
NOTEWorkstation4virtualmachines,andvirtualmachinescreatedwithother
VMwareproductsthatarecompatiblewithversion4,mustbeupgradedtoatleast
Workstationversion5virtualmachinesbeforeyoucanclonethem.SeeChangingthe
VersionoftheVirtualMachineonpage 61.
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To create a clone using the Clone Virtual Machine wizard

1
Ifyouwanttomakealinkedclone,defragmenttheguestoperatingsystemsdrives
beforecreatingthelinkedclone.
Usethetoolsintheguestoperatingsystemtorunadefragmentationutility.
Formoreinformation,seePerformanceImpactofDefragmentingSnapshotsand
LinkedClonesonpage 385.
Poweroffthevirtualmachinethatyouwanttoclone.
Youcannotcreateaclonefromavirtualmachinethatispoweredonorsuspended.
ClickthenameofavirtualmachineyouwanttocloneintheFavoriteslistorclick
thetabofavirtualmachineinthesummarywindow.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>ClonetoopentheCloneVirtual
Machinewizard.
OntheWelcomepage,clickNext.
OntheCloneSourcepage,selectthestateoftheparentfromwhichyouwantto
createacloneandclickNext.
Youcanchoosetocreateaclonefrom:
Theparentscurrentstate.Workstationcreatesasnapshotofthevirtual
machinebeforecloningit.
Anysnapshotoftheparent.Selectthesnapshotnamefromadropdown
menuofexistingsnapshots.
OntheCloneTypepage,specifywhetheryouwanttocreatealinkedcloneorafull
cloneandclickNext.
SeeFullandLinkedClonesonpage 248foradescriptionofthedifferences.
OntheNameoftheNewVirtualMachinepage,enteranameandapathforthe
clonedvirtualmachineandclickFinish.
Thedefaultnameandpatharebasedontheoriginalvirtualmachinenameand
location.Youcantypeanewentryfornameandpath,orbrowsetoadirectoryfor
theclonefiles.
TheCloneVirtualMachinewizarddisplaysastatuspage.Afullclonecantake
manyminutestocreate,dependingonthesizeofthevirtualdiskthatisbeing
duplicated.
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ClickDonetoexittheCloneVirtualMachinewizard.
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Working with Clones

Thissectiondiscussesthefollowingtopics:
MakingaLinkedCloneofaLinkedCloneonpage 251
MakingaFullCloneofaLinkedCloneonpage 251
NetworkIdentityforaCloneonpage 251
LinkedCloneSnapshotonpage 252
LinkedClonesandAccesstotheParentVirtualMachineonpage 252
Making a Linked Clone of a Linked Clone

Itispossibletomakealinkedclonefromalinkedclone,usingtheCloneVirtual
Machinewizard.Keepthesecautionsinmind:
Performancedegradeswhenyoudothis.Whenpossible,makealinkedcloneof
theparentvirtualmachine.
Topoweronandworkwithalinkedcloneofalinkedclone,Workstationmustbe
abletolocateallancestorsinthechain.SeeLinkedClonesandAccesstothe
ParentVirtualMachineonpage 252.
Making a Full Clone of a Linked Clone

Itispossibletomakeafullclonefromalinkedclone,usingtheCloneVirtualMachine
wizard.Thelinkedclonecanbeusedasbefore.Thefullclonecreatedwiththisaction
isanindependentvirtualmachinethatdoesnotrequireaccesstothelinkedcloneorits
ancestors.
Tomakeafullclonefromalinkedclone,Workstationmusthaveaccesstothelinked
cloneandallancestorsatthetimeyouruntheCloneVirtualMachinewizard.Referto
LinkedClonesandAccesstotheParentVirtualMachineonpage 252.
Network Identity for a Clone

TheCloneVirtualMachinewizardcreatesanewMACaddressfortheclonedvirtual
machine.Otherconfigurationinformationisidenticaltothatoftheparentvirtual
machine.Forexample,amachinesnameandstaticIPaddressconfigurationarenot
alteredbytheCloneVirtualMachinewizard.
TopreventconflictwithstaticIPaddressing,changetheclonesstaticIPaddressbefore
thecloneconnectstothenetwork.SeeSelectingIPAddressesonaHostOnlyNetwork
orNATConfigurationonpage 291.
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Linked Clone Snapshot

Whenyoucreatealinkedclone,Workstationcreatesasnapshotoftheparentvirtual
machine.Thissnapshotpreservestheexactstateofthevirtualmachinewhenyou
createtheclone.
WARNINGYoucannotdeletethelinkedclonesnapshotwithoutdestroyingthelinked
clone.Itissafetodeletethissnapshotonlyifyouhavedeletedtheclonedependingon
it.
Thesnapshotmanagerallowsyoutorenameanysnapshot.Ifyourenameasnapshot
foraclonedvirtualmachine,usetheDescriptionfieldtoaidyouinfuture
identification.SeeWorkingwithSnapshotsintheSnapshotManageronpage 233for
moreinformationonrenamingsnapshots.
Linked Clones and Access to the Parent Virtual Machine

YoucannotpoweronorresumealinkedcloneifWorkstationfailstolocatetheparent
virtualmachine.Thissectiondiscussestheissuesrelatedtoaccessingthenecessary
files.
Moving a Linked Clone

Youcanmovealinkedcloneoritsparentwithinafilesystemornetwork,butyoumust
ensurethatWorkstationcancontinuetoaccessthecloneandtheparentvirtual
machine.
PlacetheparentinashareddirectoryoronanetworkfileserversoWorkstationcanuse
thelinkedclonefromanyhostcomputerwithnetworkaccess.SeeMovingand
SharingVirtualMachinesonpage 187.
Forexample,ifyouputalinkedcloneonalaptop,andtheparentremainsonanother
machine,youcanusethecloneonlywhenthelaptopconnectstothenetworkordrive
wheretheparentisstored.Touseaclonedvirtualmachineonadisconnectedlaptop,
youmustuseafullcloneoryoumustmovetheparentvirtualmachinetothelaptop.
Protecting the Parent of Linked Clones

Topreventanyonefromdeletingtheparentvirtualmachineforalinkedclone,
designatetheparentasatemplate.Thetwopartsoftheprocessarediscussedinthe
followingsections:
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Toenabletemplatemodeusingthevirtualmachinesettingseditoronpage 253
Tocreatealinkedclonefromatemplateonpage 253
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To enable template mode using the virtual machine settings editor

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClicktheOptionstab,andselectAdvanced.
IntheSettingssection,clickEnableTemplatemode(tobeusedforcloning)and
clickOK.
Withtemplatemodeenabled,avirtualmachinecannotbedeletedoraddedtoateam,
andthevirtualmachinessnapshotscannotbedeleted.
To create a linked clone from a template
1
Selectthevirtualmachinetouseasaparentofyourlinkedclone.
Verifythattheparenthasatleastonesnapshot.
Openthesnapshotmanagerandcreateasnapshotifnoneexists.
Verifythattemplatemodehasbeenenabled.
SeeToenabletemplatemodeusingthevirtualmachinesettingseditoron
page 253.
Withthevirtualmachinestillselected,launchtheCloneVirtualMachinewizard
bychoosingVM>ClonefromtheWorkstationmenubar.
ClickNexttodisplaytheCloneSourcepage.
SelectasnapshotfromthedropdownmenuandclickNext.
Thewizarddoesnotallowyoutoclonefromthecurrentstatewhenthevirtual
machinehastemplatemodeenabled.
NamethelinkedcloneandclickFinish.
Workstationcreatesthelinkedcloneanddisplaysastatuspage.
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ClickDonetoexitthewizard.
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12
Configuring Teams
12
Thischapterdescribeswhatvirtualmachineteamsareusedfor,howtocreatethem,
andhowtoconfigurethem.Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
BenefitsofUsingTeamsonpage 255
CreatingaTeamonpage 257
OpeningandClosingaTeamonpage 258
ChangingtheNameofaTeamonpage 259
DeletingaTeamonpage 259
ViewingTeamsandTheirVirtualMachinesonpage 260
AddingandRemovingTeamVirtualMachinesonpage 262
SettingtheStartupSequenceforaTeamonpage 263
StartingandStoppingTeamsonpage 264
WorkingwithTeamNetworksonpage 266
CloningandTakingSnapshotsofTeamMembersonpage 271
Benefits of Using Teams

Workstationteamsallowyoutosetupavirtualcomputerlabononehostcomputer.
Teamsenableyoutopoweronmultipleassociatedvirtualmachineswithasingleclick.
Teamsettingscontrolthestartuporderandtimingforteamvirtualmachines.Youcan
setupspecificdelaysbetweenbootingvirtualmachinessothehostCPUloadisspread
out.Teamsautomaticallylaunchvirtualmachinesintherightorder,withdelaysthat
youspecifytoensurethateachvirtualmachinestabilizesbeforethenextvirtual
machineboots.
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Teamvirtualmachinescanusenetworkingjustasothervirtualmachinescan.In
addition,teammemberscancommunicateinprivatenetworkscalledLANsegments.
LANsegmentsarecompletelyindependentof,andinvisibleto,thehostcomputers
network.
Youcanuseteamsto:
VirtualizemultitierenvironmentsStartseparateclient,server,anddatabase
virtualmachineswithoneclick.Configurestartupdelaytimessoclientsdont
submitqueriesbeforetheserverisready.
VirtualizemultiplemachinetestingenvironmentsSetupasoftwarepackage
forQAonavirtualmachine,andconfigureautomationonothervirtualmachines
totestthefirst.
VirtualizenetworkperformanceandsecurityLANsegmentsofferenhanced
performanceandsecurity.AteamLANsegmentisfullycontained.Itis
undetectableandinaccessiblefromanyothernetwork,insideoroutsidetheteam.
Teamnetworkingletsyou:
Isolateateamcompletelyfromthehostnetwork.
CreateavirtualDMZorproxyservertosecurelybridgetheteammembersto
theoutsidenetwork.
Allowspecificnetworkbandwidthandpacketlosstoeachvirtualmachineon
theteam.
Connectallteammembersfullytohostresources.
Youcontrolalltrafficallowedbetweenthehostnetworkandteamvirtual
machines.
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MonitormultiplevirtualmachinesUsethumbnailviewsofthevirtualmachine
displaystoreviewactivityonteamvirtualmachinessimultaneously.
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Chapter 12 Configuring Teams
Creating a Team
UsetheNewTeamwizardtocreateateamandaddvirtualmachines.
To create a team
1
ToaddvirtualmachinestotheteamwhilecompletingtheNewTeamwizard:
Poweroffanyvirtualmachinesthatyouwanttoaddtotheteam.
Poweroffanyvirtualmachinesthatyouwanttocloneifyouintendtocreate
acloneandaddittotheteam.
Youcaninsteadaddvirtualmachineslater,afteryoucreatetheteam,byusingthe
Teammenu.
2
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,opentheNewTeamwizardbychoosing
File>New>Team.
CompletetheNewTeamwizardthatappears.
Completingthewizardinvolvesspecifyingthefollowingthings:
Thenameoftheteamandlocationofthevirtualteamfiles.Bydefault,the
teamfilesarestoredinthesamedirectoryasvirtualmachines,asdescribedin
Whetheryouwanttoaddvirtualmachinestotheteamnoworlater.Ifyou
wanttoaddthemnow,youhavethefollowingoptions:
NewVirtualMachineLaunchestheNewVirtualMachinewizard.See
SettingUpaNewVirtualMachineonpage 89.
ExistingVirtualMachineOpensafilebrowserfromwhichyoucan
navigatethehostfilesystemtolocateanexisting.vmx file.
Whenyouaddavirtualmachinetoateamitcannolongerbeaccessed
outsidetheteam.Formoreinformation,seeAddingandRemoving
TeamVirtualMachinesonpage 262.
NewCloneofVirtualMachineOpensafilebrowserfromwhichyou
cannavigatethehostfilesystemtolocateanexisting.vmx file.Afteryou
selectavirtualmachine,WorkstationlaunchestheCloneVirtualMachine
wizard.SeeCreatingClonesonpage 249.
NOTEWorkstationversion4virtualmachinescannotbeaddedtoteams.
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WhetheryouwanttoaddoneormoreLANsegments.IfyouaddLAN
segmentswhilecreatingtheteam,youchangedefaultnamesandbandwidth
later,asdescribedinConfiguringLANSegmentsonpage 269.
YoucaninsteadaddLANsegmentslater,afteryoucreatetheteam,byusing
theTeammenu.ForinformationaboutLANsegments,seeWorkingwith
TeamNetworksonpage 266.
Aftertheteamiscreated,youcanaddittotheFavoriteslist.UsetheTeammenuto
configuretheteamfurther,ortoaddandremovevirtualmachines.
Opening and Closing a Team

Openingateamdisplaysitssummarywindowbutdoesnotpoweronthevirtual
machinesincludedintheteam.
Closingateamremovesitssummarywindow.DependingonhowyousetWorkstation
preferences,closingateammightrequirepoweringofftheteam.Forinformationabout
thispreference,seeClosingVirtualMachinesandExitingWorkstationonpage 86.To
deleteateampermanently,seeDeletingaTeamonpage 259.
To open a team
1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseFile>Open.
Browsetothelocationofthe.vmtmfilefortheteamyouwant.
SelectthefileandclickOpen.
Theselectedteamappearsasatabbediteminthesummarywindow.
ToaddtheteamtotheFavoriteslist,chooseFile>AddtoFavorites.
AfterateamisaddedtotheFavoriteslist,openitbyclickingitintheFavoriteslist.
To close a team
1
Powerofftheteam,asdescribedinPoweringaTeamOnandOffonpage 264.
Selecttheteamtoclose.
Clickthesummary/consoletabforthedesiredteam,orselecttheteamnameinthe
Favoriteslist.
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ChooseFile>Close.
Ifanyoftheteamsvirtualmachinesarestillpoweredonandyouareprompted
aboutwhetheryouwanttopowerthemofforletthemruninthebackground,click
thebuttonyouwant.
Formoreinformation,seeClosingVirtualMachinesandExitingWorkstationon
page 86.
Theclosedteamisremovedfromthesummarywindow.Toremovetheteamfromthe
Favoriteslist,seeToremoveanamefromtheFavoriteslistonpage 77.
Changing the Name of a Team

Whenyoucreateateam,thenameofthedirectorywheretheteam(.vmtm)fileisstored
isbasedonthenameyouoriginallygivetheteam.Althoughyoucanchangethename
oftheteam,thenameofthisfiledoesnotchange.
To change the name of a team
IftheteamisintheFavoriteslist,rightclickitandchooseRename.Typethenew
nameandpressEnter.
OpentheteamorselecttheteamintheFavoriteslistandchoose
Team>Settings>Options.TypeanewnameintheTeamnamefieldandclickOK.
Deleting a Team
Whenyoudeleteateam,youcanchoosetodelete:
Onlytheteam(retainingthevirtualmachinesintheteam)
Theteamandthevirtualmachinesintheteam
WARNINGDeletingateampermanentlyremovestheteamfilesfromthehostfile
systemandremovesassociatedLANsegmentsfromallvirtualmachines.Deletingthe
teamsvirtualmachinesalongwiththeteamremovesthevirtualmachinefiles
permanently.
ToremoveateamfromtheWorkstationwindowwithoutdeletingtheteam,see
OpeningandClosingaTeamonpage 258.
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To delete a team
1
Makesuretheteamispoweredoff.
OpentheteamorselecttheteamintheFavoriteslist,andfromtheWorkstation
menubar,chooseTeam>Delete from Disk.
Todeletetheteamwithoutdeletingthevirtualmachinesinit,chooseDelete.
Todeletetheteamandthevirtualmachinesinit,chooseDeleteTeamand
VMs.
Whenyoudeleteateam,youalsodeleteallteamLANsegments.Thevirtual
EthernetadaptersassociatedwithdeletedLANsegmentsbecomedisconnected.
Bridged,hostonly,NAT,andcustomconfigurationsremainunchanged.
4
ClickOK.
TheteamisremovedpermanentlyfromWorkstationandthehostfilesystem.If
youchoseDeleteTeamandVMs,thevirtualmachinesintheteamarealso
removedpermanentlyfromWorkstationandthehostfilesystem.
Viewing Teams and Their Virtual Machines

Workstationdisplaysteamsinasummaryvieworconsoleview:
260
Thesummaryviewisavailableatanytime.SeeSummaryViewonpage 68.
Theconsoleviewisavailableonlywhenateamispoweredon.Agrabbarallows
youtoresizetheareas.
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Figure 12-1. Console Window for a Team (Windows Host)
thumbnail views of
virtual machines in the
team, in the order of
the startup sequence
(left to right)
active virtual machine
Youmightneedtoscrollthethumbnailstoviewallyourvirtualmachinesonalarge
team.Thethumbnailsaredisplayedinthesameorderastheteamsstartupsequence,
startingontheleftwiththefirstvirtualmachineinthesequence.
Workstationupdatesthumbnailsinrealtime,todisplaytheactualcontentofthevirtual
machinescreens.Theactivevirtualmachineistheonethatappearsinthelowerpane
oftheconsole.ItsthumbnailisrepresentedbytheVMwareicon.
Workstationmenusandcommandsdirectlyaffectonlytheactivevirtualmachine,and
youcanusethemouseandkeyboardtointeractdirectlywiththeactivevirtual
machine.
ClickathumbnailofavirtualmachineorusetheTeam>SwitchTomenuandthen
selectthevirtualmachinethatyouwanttomakeactive.Thevirtualmachineyouselect
appearsinthelowerpaneoftheconsole,anditsthumbnailbecomestheVMwareicon.
Infullscreenmode,Workstationdisplaysonlytheactivevirtualmachine.SeeUsing
FullScreenModeonpage 158.
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Adding and Removing Team Virtual Machines

Thissectionprovidesinstructionsforaddingvirtualmachinestoteamsandremoving
themfromteams.
Considertheseissueswhenyouaddavirtualmachinetoateam:
Avirtualmachineisnotpoweredonwhenyouaddittoarunningteam.Youmust
powerontheaddedvirtualmachinemanuallytouseitduringthecurrentsession.
Theaddedvirtualmachineisthereafterpoweredonoroffwiththerestoftheteam.
Whenyouaddavirtualmachinetoateam,youcannolongeroperatethevirtual
machineoutsidetheteam.Addingavirtualmachinetoateamthereforeremoves
itfromtheFavoriteslist.
NOTEWorkstationversion4virtualmachinescannotbeaddedtoteams.
To add a virtual machine to a team
1
Makesurethatanyexistingvirtualmachinesthatyouwanttoaddorcloneare
poweredoff.
OpentheteamorselecttheteamintheFavoriteslist.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseTeam>Addandselectoneofthefollowing
options:
NewVirtualMachineLaunchestheNewVirtualMachinewizard.See
SettingUpaNewVirtualMachineonpage 89.
ExistingVirtualMachineOpensafilebrowserfromwhichyoucannavigate
thehostfilesystemtolocateanexisting.vmx file.
Whenyouaddavirtualmachinetoateamitcannolongerbeaccessedoutside
theteam.
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NewCloneofVirtualMachineOpensafilebrowserfromwhichyoucan
navigatethehostfilesystemtolocateanexisting.vmx file.Afteryouselecta
virtualmachine,WorkstationlaunchestheCloneVirtualMachinewizard.See
CreatingClonesonpage 249.
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To remove a virtual machine from a team

1
Makesurethatanyvirtualmachinesthatyouwanttoremovearepoweredoff.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseTeam>Remove><virtual machine name>.

Theselectedvirtualmachineisremovedfromtheteam.Youcannowuseit
independently.
NOTEWhenyouremoveavirtualmachinefromateam,youalsoremoveitfromteam
LANsegments.VirtualnetworkadaptersassociatedwithLANsegmentsbecome
disconnected.Bridged,hostonly,NAT,andcustomconfigurationsremainunchanged.
Tocompletelydeleteavirtualmachineanderaseitsfilesfromthehostfilesystem,see
DeletingaVirtualMachineonpage 156.
Whenyouaddavirtualmachinetoateam,itisremovedfromtheFavoriteslist.A
virtualmachineisnotautomaticallyaddedtotheFavoriteslistwhenyouremoveit
fromateam.Youmustmanuallyaddit,asdescribedinToaddavirtualmachineor
teamentrytotheFavoriteslistonpage 77.
Setting the Startup Sequence for a Team

Inthestartupsequence,youcanspecify:
TheorderinwhichvirtualmachinesstartandstopTeamvirtualmachinesstart
oneatatime,intheorderyousetinthestartupsequence.Settingthestartup
sequenceisuseful,forexample,ifyouhaveavirtualmachinethatrunsan
applicationtobetestedandyouwantittostartbeforethevirtualmachines
runninganautomatedtestingscript.
ThedelaybetweenteammembersinthesequenceSetthetimethatWorkstation
delaysafterstartingorstoppingavirtualmachine,beforestartingorstoppingthe
nextvirtualmachineinthesequence.ThisdelayavoidsoverloadingtheCPUwhen
multiplevirtualmachinesstartandallowsapplicationsonavirtualmachineto
launchbeforeanotherteamvirtualmachineattemptstoconnect.
Youmightalsousethisdelaytoensurethatavirtualmachinefunctioningasa
servercompletesitsstartupbeforeclientvirtualmachinesstart.Ifyourvirtual
machineteamdependsonprecisestartuptiming,experimenttodeterminehow
muchtimeyourhostandguestoperatingenvironmentsandapplicationsneedto
launch.
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Thestartupsequenceappliestopoweron,poweroff,suspend,andresumeoperations.
Poweronandresumeoperationsforvirtualmachinesoccurintheorderofthe
sequenceshownintheteamsettingslist.
Poweroffandsuspendoperationsforvirtualmachinesoccurinthereverseofthe
ordershownintheteamsettingslist.
To set the startup sequence for members of a team

1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseTeam>SettingsandclicktheVirtual
Machinestab.
Usetheupanddownarrowbuttonstoarrangethevirtualmachinesinthelist.The
virtualmachineatthetopofthelististhefirstinthestartupsequence.
Selecteachvirtualmachineandspecifyhowmanysecondsyouwantittowait
beforestartingthenextvirtualmachine.
NOTEThisstartupdelayisappliedtopoweron,poweroff,suspend,and
resumeoperations.
ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
Starting and Stopping Teams

Poweroperationsforteamsaremuchthesameasthoseforanindividualvirtual
machine.However,forateam,youcanalsoconfigurethesequenceinwhichthe
membersofateampoweronandoff.SeeSettingtheStartupSequenceforaTeamon
page 263.
YoucanalsouseWorkstationscommandlineapplicationforteampoweroperations.
SeeAppendix A,WorkstationCommandLineReference,onpage 407.
Powering a Team On and Off

Whenyoupowerateamonoroff,thevirtualmachinesintheteampoweronoroffin
thestartupsequencespecifiedintheteamsettingseditor(fromtheWorkstationmenu
bar,chooseTeam>Settings>VirtualMachines).SeeSettingtheStartupSequencefora
Teamonpage 263.
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To power a team on or off

1
SelecttheteameitherfromtheFavoriteslistorbyclickingthesummarytabforthe
team.
IntheWorkstationtoolbar,clickthePowerOnbuttonorthePowerOff
button,asappropriate.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseoneoftheTeam>Poweroptions.
Whenyoupoweroffateam,thedefaultsettingsforavirtualmachinecancausethe
guestoperatingsystemtoterminateabruptly.Forinformationaboutconfiguringyour
virtualmachinetorecognizetheshutdownguestcommandwhenyoupoweroffa
team,seeShuttingDownaVirtualMachineonpage 154.
Suspending and Resuming a Team

Whenyoususpendateam,allteamvirtualmachinesstartsuspendingsimultaneously.
Thestartupsequencedeterminestheorderinwhichvirtualmachinesareresumed,and
thetimeWorkstationdelaysaftereachteammemberisresumed,beforeresumingthe
nextteammember.SeeSettingtheStartupSequenceforaTeamonpage 263.
IfyouattempttocloseWorkstationwhileateamsuspendorresumeoperationisstillin
progress,awarningdialogboxappears.
To suspend or resume a team
1
team.
IntheWorkstationtoolbar,clicktheSuspendbuttonortheResumebutton,as
appropriate.
Allteamvirtualmachinesstartsuspendingsimultaneously.Aprogressindicator
appearsforeachteammember.Toseetheprogressofaparticularteammember,choose
Team>Switch To><virtualmachinename>.
Thetimetocompletetheoperationvarieswiththesizeofthevirtualmachines.
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Power Operations for Individual Members of a Team

Performingapoweroperationforonememberofateamissimilartoperformingthe
operationforavirtualmachinethatisnotpartoftheteam,exceptthatinsteadof
selectingthemachinefromtheFavoriteslist,youselectitfromtheteamsconsole.
To perform power operations for a single virtual machine in a team
1
Selectthevirtualmachinefromtheteamsconsole.
ChoosetheappropriatecommandfromtheVM>Powermenu.
Formoreinformationsee:
StartingaVirtualMachineonpage 150
ShuttingDownaVirtualMachineonpage 154
UsingtheSuspendandResumeFeaturesonpage 225
PoweringOffVersusShuttingDownandResettingVersusRestartingon
page 154
Working with Team Networks

Oneoftheadvantagesofteamsistheabilitytoisolatevirtualmachinesinprivate
virtualnetworks,calledLANsegments.Thiscanbeusefulwithmultitiertesting,
networkperformanceanalysis,andsituationswhereisolationandpacketlossare
important.
ThissectionfocusesonLANsegments.Forinformationaboutotheraspectsof
networking,seeChapter 13,ConfiguringaVirtualNetwork,onpage 273.
LAN Segment Requirements

Thefollowingsectionsdescribetherequirementsforvirtualmachinesconnectingtoa
LANsegment.
Network Adapter
AphysicalPCmusthaveanetworkadapterforeachphysicalnetworkconnection.
Similarly,avirtualmachinemustbeconfiguredwithavirtualnetworkadapterforeach
LANsegmentitinteractswith.ToconnectavirtualmachinetomultipleLANsegments
simultaneously,youmustconfigurethatvirtualmachinewithmultiplenetwork
adapters.SeeAddingandRemovingEthernetAdaptersonpage 268.
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LAN Segment IP Addresses

EachnetworkclientmusthaveanIPaddressforTCP/IPnetworking.Unlikehostonly
andNATnetworking,LANsegmentshavenoDHCPserverprovidedautomaticallyby
Workstation.ThereforeyoumustmanuallyconfigureIPaddressingforteamvirtual
machinesonaLANsegment.Therearetwochoices:
DHCPConfigureaDHCPserveronyourLANsegmenttoallocateIPaddresses
toyourvirtualmachines.
StaticIPConfigureafixedIPaddressforeachvirtualmachineontheLAN
segment.
Whenyouaddanexistingvirtualmachinetoateam,thevirtualmachinemightbe
configuredtoexpectanIPaddressfromaDHCPserver.ADHCPserverisnot
automaticallyprovidedforavirtualLANsegment.YoumustprovideaDHCPserver
ontheLANsegment,orreconfigurethevirtualmachinetouseastaticIPaddress.See
ConfiguringaVirtualNetworkonpage 273.
Creating a Team LAN Segment

ThefirststeptocreatingavirtualnetworkforateamistoaddandnameaLAN
segment.Youcanthenconfigureconnectionstothissegment.
To create a virtual network for a team
1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseTeam>Add>LAN Segment.
EnteranamefortheprivatenetworkandclickOK.
Youcanconfiguretheothersettingsinthisdialogboxlater,asdescribedin
ConfiguringLANSegmentsonpage 269.
TheLANsegmentisaddedtotheteam.
NowthattheLANsegmentiscreated,youcancreateanetworkadaptertoconnectto
it,asdescribedinAddingandRemovingEthernetAdaptersonpage 268.
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Adding and Removing Ethernet Adapters

UsethefollowingproceduretocreateanadaptertoconnecttoaLANsegment.
To add or remove an Ethernet adapter
1
Poweroffthevirtualmachinethatyouwanttoaddanadaptertoorremovean
adapterfrom.
team.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseTeam>SettingsandclicktheConnections
tab.
Toaddanadapter,selectthevirtualmachineandclickAddAdapter.
TheaddedadapterisdisplayedintheAdapterscolumn.
TousetheadaptertoconnecttoaLANsegment,selectthecheckboxthat
correspondstotheLANsegment.
IfyouneedtofirstcreateaLANsegment,seeCreatingaTeamLANSegmenton
page 267.
Toremoveanadapter,selecttheadapteryouwanttoremoveandclickRemove
Adapter.
ClickOK.
Nowthatyouhaveaddedanetworkadapter,youcanuseittoconfigureconnections,
asdescribedinConfiguringConnectionsforaLANSegmentonpage 269.
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Configuring Connections for a LAN Segment

ThissectiondescribeshowtoconfigureconnectionsforvirtualEthernetadapters.
To connect a virtual machine to a LAN segment
1
IfyouhavenotyetcreatedaLANsegment,doso,asdescribedinCreatingaTeam
LANSegmentonpage 267.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseTeam>SettingsandclicktheConnections
tab.
EachvirtualEthernetadapterisdisplayedinaseparaterow.
IfnoEthernetadaptersappearonthistab,addone,asdescribedinAddingand
RemovingEthernetAdaptersonpage 268.
ForeachvirtualEthernetadapter,selectthecheckboxthatcorrespondstotheLAN
segmentandclickOK.
ThevirtualmachineisnowconnectedtotheselectedLANsegment.Continueonto
ConfiguringLANSegmentsonpage 269.
Configuring LAN Segments

YoucanconfigurenetworktransmissionpropertiesforaLANsegment,including
bandwidthsettingssuchasconnectiontypeandspeed,aswellaspercentageofpacket
lossallowed.
To configure LAN segments for a team
1
team.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseTeam>Settings.
ClicktheLANSegmentstab,andcompletethefields.
Fromthistabyoucanadd,remove,andrenametheLANsegmentsconfiguredfor
theteam.
ThelistintheleftpanedisplaysLANsegmentsassociatedwiththeteam.
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ClickanametoselecttheLANsegmentyouwanttoconfigure.
Therightpanedisplaysparametersforthephysicalpropertiesoftheemulated
LANsegmentlink:
NameNameoftheLANsegment.Tochangethename,typeanewnamein
theNamefield.
BandwidthDropdownmenuofbandwidthsfortypicalnetworklinks.To
changethebandwidth,chooseanotherconnectiontypefromthedropdown
menu.
KbpsSetacustombandwidth.Changeshereareoverwrittenwhenyou
makeaselectionfromtheBandwidthmenu.Tochangethebandwidth,type
anumberintothefield.
PacketLossAspecificationoftheefficiencyorfaultinessofthelink,
measuredinthepercentageofpacketslostfromthetotalnumberofpackets
transmitted.Tochangethepacketlosssetting,typeanumberintothefield.
ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
NOTELANsettingschangesareignoredbyvirtualmachinesthatarecurrently
running.ChangestoLANsettingsbecomeactiveforagivenvirtualmachineonlyafter
thatvirtualmachineispoweredon,reset,orresumed.
Deleting a LAN Segment

DeletingaLANsegmentdisconnectsallvirtualEthernetadaptersthatareconfigured
forthatLANsegment.Whenyouremoveavirtualmachinefromateam,youmust
manuallyconfigureitsdisconnectedvirtualEthernetadapterifyouwanttoreconnect
thevirtualmachinetoanetwork.
To delete a LAN segment from a team
1
team.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseTeam>SettingsandclicktheLAN
Segmentstab.
SelecttheLANsegmentyouwanttodelete.
ClickRemove.
TheLANsegmentisremoved.
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Cloning and Taking Snapshots of Team Members

Youcancloneavirtualmachineinateaminthesamewayyoucloneanyothervirtual
machine.SeeCreatingClonesonpage 249.Whenyoucloneavirtualmachineina
team:
Theresultingcloneisnotpartoftheteam.
ThecloneappearsontheFavoriteslistaswellasinasummarywindow.
IftheparentvirtualmachineisconfiguredforaLANsegment,thevirtualEthernet
adapterforthatLANsegmentonthecloneisdisconnected.Toconnecttoa
network,youmustreconfigurethevirtualEthernetadaptermanually.
Snapshotsoperateonvirtualmachines,notonthewholeteam.Whenateamisactive,
theSnapshotbuttononthetoolbartakesasnapshotofonlytheactivevirtualmachine.
Topreservethestateofallvirtualmachinesonateam,powerofftheteam,andtakea
snapshotofeachvirtualmachinebeforeyoupowerontheteamagain.
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Configuring a Virtual
Network
13
Thefirsttopicsinthischapterpreviewthevirtualnetworkingcomponentsthat
VMwareWorkstationprovidesandshowhowyoucanusethemwithyourvirtual
machine.Therestofthechapterprovidesmoredetailonnetworkingcapabilitiesand
specializedconfigurations.
NetworkBasicsonpage 274
ComponentsoftheVirtualNetworkonpage 275
CommonNetworkingConfigurationsonpage 276
ExampleofaCustomNetworkingConfigurationonpage 280
ChangingaNetworkingConfigurationonpage 284
AdvancedNetworkingTopicsonpage 291
UsingNATonpage 306
UsingSambawithWorkstationonpage 318
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Network Basics
VMwareWorkstationprovidesseveralwaysyoucanconfigureavirtualmachinefor
virtualnetworking:
BridgednetworkingConfiguresyourvirtualmachineasauniqueidentityonthe
network,separatefromandunrelatedtoitshost.Othercomputersonthenetwork
canthencommunicatedirectlywiththevirtualmachine.Bridgednetworking
workswithEthernet,DSL,cable,wireless,andlegacyphonemodems.See
BridgedNetworkingonpage 276.
Networkaddresstranslation(NAT)Configuresyourvirtualmachinetoshare
theIPandMACaddressesofthehost.Thevirtualmachineandthehostsharea
singlenetworkidentitythatisnotvisibleoutsidethenetwork.NATcanbeuseful
whenyouareallowedasingleIPaddressorMACaddressbyyournetwork
administrator.YoumightalsouseNATtoconfigureseparatevirtualmachinesfor
handlingHTTPandFTPrequests,withbothvirtualmachinesrunningoffthesame
IPaddressordomain.
NATworkswithEthernet,DSL,andlegacyphonemodems.SeeNetwork
AddressTranslation(NAT)onpage 278.
HostonlynetworkingConfiguresyourvirtualmachinetoallownetworkaccess
onlytothehost.Withhostonlynetworking,thevirtualmachinecancommunicate
onlywiththehostandothervirtualmachinesinthehostonlynetwork.Thiscan
beusefulwhenyouwantasecurevirtualmachinethatisconnectedtothehost
network,butavailableonlythroughthehostmachine.Inthisconfiguration,the
virtualmachinecannotconnecttotheInternet.SeeHostOnlyNetworkingon
page 279.
CustomnetworkingLetsyouconfigureyourvirtualmachinesnetwork
connectionmanually.OnWindowshosts,youcanusethevirtualnetworkeditor
toaccessmultiplenetworkcardsinyourhostandcreatemultiplevirtualnetworks.
SeeExampleofaCustomNetworkingConfigurationonpage 280.
IfyouselecttheTypicalsetuppathintheNewVirtualMachinewizard,thewizardsets
upbridgednetworkingforthevirtualmachine.SelecttheCustomsetuppathtochoose
anyoftheothercommonconfigurations:bridgednetworking,networkaddress
translation(NAT),andhostonlynetworking.Thewizardconnectsthevirtualmachine
totheappropriatevirtualnetwork.
Youcansetupmorespecializedconfigurationsbychoosingtheappropriatesettingsin
thevirtualmachinesettingseditor,inthevirtualnetworkeditor(onWindowshosts),
andonyourhostcomputer.
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Chapter 13 Configuring a Virtual Network
OnaWindowshost,thesoftwareneededforallnetworkingconfigurationsisinstalled
whenyouinstallWorkstation.OnaLinuxhost,whenyouinstallandconfigure
Workstation,youcanchoosewhethertohavebridged,hostonly,andNATnetworking
availabletoyourvirtualmachines:Youmustchoosealloptionsduringconfigurationto
makeallnetworkingconfigurationsavailableforyourvirtualmachines.
Components of the Virtual Network

Thefollowingsectionsdescribethedevicesthatmakeupavirtualnetwork.
Virtual Switch
Likeaphysicalswitch,avirtualswitchletsyouconnectothernetworkingcomponents
together.VirtualswitchesarecreatedasneededbyWorkstation,uptoatotalof10
virtualswitchesonWindowsand256onLinux.Youcanconnectoneormorevirtual
machinestoaswitch.
Bydefault,afewoftheswitchesandthenetworksassociatedwiththemareusedfor
specialnamedconfigurations:
ThebridgednetworkusesVMnet0,asdescribedinBridgedNetworkingon
page 276.
ThehostonlynetworkusesVMnet1,asdescribedinHostOnlyNetworkingon
page 279.
TheNATnetworkusesVMnet8,asdescribedinNetworkAddressTranslation
(NAT)onpage 278.
TheotheravailablenetworksarenamedVMnet2,VMnet3,VMnet4,andsoon.
Tofindoutwhichtypeofnetworkavirtualmachineisusing,selectthevirtualmachine,
andfromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Hardware,andselectthe
Ethernetadapter.TheNetworkConnectionsectiondisplaysthedetails.Youcan
changethesetting.Toaddanotheradapter,seeAddingandModifyingVirtual
NetworkAdaptersonpage 284.
DHCP Server
TheDHCP(dynamichostconfigurationprotocol)serverprovidesIPnetwork
addressestovirtualmachinesinconfigurationsthatarenotbridgedtoanexternal
network.Forexample,hostonlyandNATconfigurationsusetheDHCPserver.
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Network Adapter
Onevirtualnetworkadapterissetupforyourvirtualmachinewhenyoucreateitwith
theNewVirtualMachinewizardusinganytypeofnetworking.Itappearstotheguest
operatingsystemasanAMDPCNETPCIadapterorasanIntelPro/1000MTServer
Adapter.OnWindowsVistaguests,itisanIntelPro/1000MTServerAdapter.
Youcancreateandconfigureupto10virtualnetworkadaptersineachWorkstation6
virtualmachinebyusingthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.Thelimitis3adaptersfor
Workstation4or5virtualmachines.Formoreinformation,seeAddingandModifying
VirtualNetworkAdaptersonpage 284.
Common Networking Configurations

Thefollowingsectionsillustratethenetworkingconfigurationsthataresetupforyou
automaticallywhenyouchoosethestandardnetworkingoptionsintheNewVirtual
Machinewizardorthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Onlyonevirtualmachineisshownineachexample,butmultiplevirtualmachinescan
beconnectedtothesamevirtualEthernetswitch.OnaWindowshost,youcanconnect
anunlimitednumberofvirtualnetworkdevicestoavirtualswitch.OnaLinuxhost,
youcanconnectupto32devices.
Bridged Networking
Bridgednetworkingconnectsavirtualmachinetoanetworkbyusingthehost
computersEthernetadapter.IfyourhostcomputerisonanEthernetnetwork,thisis
oftentheeasiestwaytogiveyourvirtualmachineaccesstothatnetwork.Thevirtual
EthernetadapterinthevirtualmachineconnectstothephysicalEthernetadapterin
yourhostcomputer,allowingittoconnecttotheLANusedbythehostcomputer.
Bridgednetworkingmakesthevirtualmachinevisibletoothercomputersonthe
network,andtheycancommunicatedirectlywiththevirtualmachine.Bridged
networkingworkswithEthernet,DSL,andlegacyphonemodems.
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Figure 13-1. Bridged Networking Setup

Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual machine
Virtual Ethernet switch
(VMnet0)
Virtual bridge
Host
Ethernet
adapter
How to Set Up Bridged Networking

BridgednetworkingissetupautomaticallyifyouselectUsebridgednetworkinginthe
NewVirtualMachinewizardorifyouselecttheTypicalsetuppath.Thisselectionis
availableonaLinuxhostonlyifyouenablethebridgednetworkingoptionwhenyou
installWorkstation.Youcansetupadditionalvirtualbridgesforcustomconfigurations
thatrequireconnectionstomorethanonephysicalEthernetadapteronthehost
computer.LinuxandWindowshostscanusebridgednetworkingtoconnecttoboth
wiredandwirelessnetworks.
Requirements for IP Addresses

Ifyouusebridgednetworking,yourvirtualmachinemusthaveitsownidentityonthe
network.Forexample,onaTCP/IPnetwork,thevirtualmachineneedsitsownIP
address.YournetworkadministratorcantellyouwhetherIPaddressesareavailablefor
yourvirtualmachineandwhichnetworkingsettingsyoushoulduseintheguest
operatingsystem.Generally,yourguestoperatingsystemcanacquireanIPaddress
andothernetworkdetailsautomaticallyfromaDHCPserver,oryoumightneedtoset
theIPaddressandotherdetailsmanuallyintheguestoperatingsystem.
Ifyouusebridgednetworking,thevirtualmachineisafullparticipantinthenetwork.
Ithasaccesstoothermachinesonthenetworkandcanbecontactedbyothermachines
onthenetworkasifitwereaphysicalcomputeronthenetwork.
Beawarethatifthehostcomputerissetuptobootmultipleoperatingsystemsandyou
runoneormoreoftheminvirtualmachines,youneedtoconfigureeachoperating
systemwithauniquenetworkaddress.Peoplewhobootmultipleoperatingsystems
oftenassignallsystemsthesameaddress,sincetheyassumeonlyoneoperatingsystem
willberunningatatime.Ifyouuseoneormoreoftheoperatingsystemsinavirtual
machine,thisassumptionisnolongertrue.
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How to Edit the Setting Later

IfyoumakeanotherselectionintheNewVirtualMachinewizardandlaterdecideyou
wanttousebridgednetworking,makethatchangeinthevirtualmachinesettings
editor(fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Hardware>Ethernet).
SeeChangingaNetworkingConfigurationonpage 284.
Network Address Translation (NAT)

NATgivesavirtualmachineaccesstonetworkresourcesbyusingthehostcomputers
IPaddress.IfyouarenotabletogiveyourvirtualmachineanIPaddressontheexternal
network,youmightfindthatNATistheeasiestwaytogiveyourvirtualmachineaccess
totheInternetorotherTCP/IPnetwork.NATusesthehostcomputersdialup
networkingorbroadbandconnection.
Figure 13-2. Network Address Translation Setup
Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual machine
DHCP server
(VMnet8)
Network
NAT device
IfyouselectNAT,thevirtualmachinecanusemanystandardTCP/IPprotocolsto
connecttoothermachinesontheexternalnetwork.Forexample,youcanuseHTTPto
browseWebsites,FTPtotransferfiles,andTelnettologontoothercomputers.NAT
alsoallowsyoutoconnecttoaTCP/IPnetworkusingaTokenRingadapteronthehost
computer.
Inthedefaultconfiguration,computersontheexternalnetworkcannotinitiate
connectionstothevirtualmachine.Thatmeans,forexample,thatthedefault
configurationdoesnotletyouusethevirtualmachineasaWebservertosendWeb
pagestocomputersontheexternalnetwork.Thisconfigurationhastheadvantageof
protectingtheguestoperatingsystemfrombeingcompromisedbeforeyouhavea
chancetoinstallsecuritysoftware.Forexample,itisoftenrecommendedthatfor
Windowsguestoperatingsystems,youuseNATuntilyouinstallantivirussoftware.
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How to Set Up NAT

ANATconnectionissetupautomaticallyifyouselecttheCustomsetupintheNew
VirtualMachinewizardandselectUsenetworkaddresstranslation.OnaLinuxhost,
youmustchoosetomakeNATavailabletoyourvirtualmachineswhenyouinstall
Workstation.

IfyouuseNAT,yourvirtualmachinedoesnothaveitsownIPaddressontheexternal
network.Instead,aseparateprivatenetworkissetuponthehostcomputer.Your
virtualmachinegetsanaddressonthatnetworkfromtheVMwarevirtualDHCP
server.TheVMwareNATdevicepassesnetworkdatabetweenoneormorevirtual
machinesandtheexternalnetwork.Itidentifiesincomingdatapacketsintendedfor
eachvirtualmachineandsendsthemtothecorrectdestination.

IfyoumakesomeotherselectionintheNewVirtualMachinewizardandlaterdecide
youwanttouseNAT,youcanmakethatchangeinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor
(fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Hardware>Ethernet).See
ChangingaNetworkingConfigurationonpage 284.
Host-Only Networking
Hostonlynetworkingcreatesanetworkthatiscompletelycontainedwithinthehost
computer.Hostonlynetworkingprovidesanetworkconnectionbetweenthevirtual
machineandthehostcomputer,usingavirtualEthernetadapterthatisvisibletothe
hostoperatingsystem.Thisapproachcanbeusefulifyouneedtosetupanisolated
virtualnetwork.
Figure 13-3. Host-Only Networking Setup
Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual machine
DHCP server
(VMnet1)
Host virtual
adapter
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How to Set Up Host-Only Networking

AhostonlynetworkissetupautomaticallyifyouselecttheCustomsetupintheNew
VirtualMachinewizardandselectUsehostonlynetworking.OnLinuxhosts,this
selectionisavailableonlyifyouenabledthehostonlynetworkingoptionwhenyou
installedWorkstation.

Ifyouusehostonlynetworking,yourvirtualmachineandthehostvirtualadapterare
connectedtoaprivateEthernetnetwork.Addressesonthisnetworkareprovidedby
theVMwareDHCPserver.

IfyoumakeanotherselectionintheNewVirtualMachinewizardandlaterwanttouse
hostonlynetworking,youcanmakethatchangeinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor
(fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Hardware>Ethernet).See
ChangingaNetworkingConfigurationonpage 284.
Routing and Connection Sharing

Ifyouinstalltheproperroutingorproxysoftwareonyourhostcomputer,youcan
establishaconnectionbetweenthehostvirtualEthernetadapterandaphysical
networkadapteronthehostcomputer.Thisallowsyou,forexample,toconnectthe
virtualmachinetoaTokenRingorothernonEthernetnetwork.
OnaWindows2000,WindowsXP,orWindowsServer2003hostcomputer,youcanuse
hostonlynetworkingincombinationwiththeInternetconnectionsharingfeaturein
Windowstoallowavirtualmachinetousethehostsdialupnetworkingadapteror
otherconnectiontotheInternet.SeeyourWindowsdocumentationfordetailson
configuringInternetconnectionsharing.
Example of a Custom Networking Configuration

ThevirtualnetworkingcomponentsprovidedbyWorkstationmakeitpossibleforyou
tocreatesophisticatedvirtualnetworks.Thevirtualnetworkscanbeconnectedtoone
ormoreexternalnetworks,ortheycanrunentirelyonthehostcomputer.
Settingupnetworkingcomponentsforyourcustomvirtualnetworkisa
straightforwardprocess.Beforeattemptingtosetupcomplexvirtualnetworks,you
shouldhaveagoodunderstandingofhowtoconfigurenetworkdevicesinyourhost
andguestoperatingsystems.
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Theexampledescribedinthissectionillustratesmanyofthewaysyoucancombine
devicesonavirtualnetwork.OthercustomconfigurationsaredescribedinAdvanced
NetworkingTopicsonpage 291andUsingNATonpage 306.
Inthisconfiguration,aWebserverconnectsthroughafirewalltoanexternalnetwork.
AnadministratorscomputerconnectstotheWebserverthroughasecondfirewall.
Figure 13-4. Custom Configuration That Uses Two Firewalls
Host's
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual
Ethernet switch
(VMnet0)
Virtual
Bridge
bridge
Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual machine 2
Web server
Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual
Ethernet switch
(VMnet2)
Virtual machine 1
Firewall
Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual
Ethernet
adapter
Virtual
Ethernet switch
(VMnet3)
Virtual machine 3
Firewall
Virtual machine 4
Internal PC
Tosetupthisconfiguration,createfourvirtualmachinesandusethevirtualmachine
settingseditortoadjustthesettingsfortheirvirtualEthernetadapters.Youalsoneed
toinstalltheappropriateguestoperatingsystemsandapplicationsoftwareineach
virtualmachineandmaketheappropriatenetworkingsettingsineachvirtualmachine.
To set up a virtual network that connects to an external network
1
SetupfourvirtualmachinesusingtheNewVirtualMachinewizard:
a
Toopenthiswizard,chooseFile>New>VirtualMachine.
Createthefirstvirtualmachinewithbridgednetworkingsoitcanconnectto
anexternalnetworkbyusingthehostcomputersEthernetadapter.
Createtheotherthreevirtualmachineswithoutnetworking.
YouwillsetuptheirvirtualEthernetadaptersinlatersteps.
YouwillnotinstalltheoperatingsystemsuntilStep 7.
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Configurenetworksettingsforthefirstvirtualmachine:
a
Openvirtualmachine1,butdonotpoweriton.
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddasecondvirtualnetwork
adapter.
SeeAddingandModifyingVirtualNetworkAdaptersonpage 284.
c
3
ConnectthesecondadaptertoCustom(VMnet2).
Configurenetworksettingsforthesecondvirtualmachine,asfollows:
a
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddavirtualnetworkadapter.
c
4
Configurenetworksettingsforthethirdvirtualmachine,asfollows:
a
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoaddasecondvirtualnetwork
adapter.
ConnecttheadaptertoCustom(VMnet3).
Configurenetworksettingsforthefourthvirtualmachine,asfollows:
a
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DeterminethenetworkaddressesusedforVMnet2andVMnet3:
OnWindowshosts,openacommandpromptandrun:
ipconfig /all
Notethenetworkaddressesusedbyeachvirtualadapter.
OnLinuxhosts,openaterminalandrun:
ifconfig
Notethenetworkaddressesusedbyeachvirtualswitch.
7
Poweroneachvirtualmachineinturnandinstalltheappropriateguestoperating
system.
NOTEOnaWindowshost,forStep 8,youarenotrequiredtoconfigurenetwork
addressesmanually.YoucaninsteaduseWorkstationsDHCPserver.Fromthe
Workstationmenubar,chooseEdit>VirtualNetworkSettings>DHCPandadd
VMnet2andVMnet3tothelistofvirtualnetworksservedbythevirtualDHCP
server.
Configurethenetworkingineachguestoperatingsystem:
Machine1ForthebridgedEthernetadapterinvirtualmachine1,usethe
networkingsettingsneededforaconnectiontotheexternalnetwork.Ifthe
virtualmachinegetsitsIPaddressfromaDHCPserverontheexternal
network,thedefaultsettingsshouldwork.
ForthesecondEthernetadapterinvirtualmachine1,manuallyassignanIP
addressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet2.
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Machine2AssignanIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet2.
Machine3NetworkadaptersareconnectedtoVMnet2andVMnet3.Assign
eachadapteranIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwiththevirtualnetwork
towhichitisconnected.
Machine4AssignanIPaddressintherangeyouareusingwithVMnet3.
Installthenecessaryapplicationsoftwareineachvirtualmachine.
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Changing a Networking Configuration

Thissectiondescribeshowyoucanusethevirtualmachinesettingseditortoadd
virtualEthernetadapterstoyourvirtualmachineandchangetheconfigurationof
existingadapters.
Adding and Modifying Virtual Network Adapters

ThissectionincludesinstructionsforaddingandmodifyingvirtualEthernetadapters.
To add a new virtual Ethernet adapter
1
Poweroffthevirtualmachinetowhichyouwanttoaddtheadapter.
ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheHardwaretab,clickAdd.
TheAddHardwarewizardstarts.
SelectEthernetAdapterandclickNext.
Selectthenetworktypeyouwanttouse.IfyouselectCustom,choosetheVMnet
networkyouwanttousefromthedropdownlist.
NOTEAlthoughVMnet0,VMnet1,andVMnet8aretechnicallyavailableinthis
list,theyarenormallyusedforbridged,hostonly,andNATconfigurations,
respectively.Specialstepsarerequiredtomakethemavailableforuseincustom
configurations.Youshouldchooseoneoftheotherswitches.
ClickFinish.Thenewadapterisadded.
ClickOKtosaveyourconfigurationandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
To change the configuration of an existing virtual network adapter

1
OntheHardwaretab,selecttheadapteryouwanttomodify.
Selectthenetworktypeyouwanttouse.
IfyouselectCustom,choosetheVMnetvirtualnetworkyouwanttouseforthe
networkfromthedropdownlist.
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ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
BesuretheguestoperatingsystemisconfiguredtouseanappropriateIPaddress
onthenewnetwork.
IftheguestisusingDHCP,releaseandrenewthelease.IftheIPaddressisset
statically,besuretheguesthasanaddressonthecorrectvirtualnetwork.
Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a Windows Host

OnaWindowshost,usethevirtualnetworkeditortoconfigurebridgednetworking.
(ThevirtualnetworkeditorisnotavailableonaLinuxhost.)Youcan:
Viewandchangethesettingsforbridgednetworkingonyourhost.SeeTo
configureVMnet0bridgednetworkingonpage 285.
Determinewhichnetworkadaptersonyourhosttouseforbridgednetworking,as
describedinTodesignateaphysicalEthernetadaptertobridgetocustomvirtual
switchesonpage 286andToaddorremoveahostEthernetadapterfromthelist
ofexcludedadaptersonpage 286.
Mapspecificnetworkadapterstospecificvirtualnetworks,calledVMnets,as
describedinTomakechangestothesubnetortheDHCPsettingsforavirtual
networkonpage 287.
Thechangesyoumaketobridgednetworkingaffectallvirtualmachinesusingbridged
networkingonthehost.
To configure VMnet0 bridged networking
1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseEdit>VirtualNetworkSettings.
Thevirtualnetworkeditorappears,withtheSummarytabactive.
Bydefault,theVMnet0virtualnetworkissetupinbridgedmodeandbridgesto
oneoftheactiveEthernetadaptersonthehostcomputer.
ClicktheAutomaticBridgingtab,andselectthecheckboxforAutomatically
chooseanavailablephysicaladapter.
OnhostsystemswithmorethanonephysicalEthernetadapterinstalled,thechoice
ofwhichadapterWorkstationusesisarbitrary.Ifyouwanttoplacerestrictionson
thechoice,seetheprocedurefollowingthisone,whichiscalledToaddorremove
ahostEthernetadapterfromthelistofexcludedadapters.
ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethevirtualnetworkeditor.
ThefollowingprocedureenablesyoutoexcludeahostEthernetadapterfromthelistof
adaptersWorkstationusesforautomaticbridgednetworkingonVMnet0.
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To add or remove a host Ethernet adapter from the list of excluded adapters
1
ClicktheAutomaticBridgingtab.
IntheExcludedadapterssection,dooneofthefollowing,asappropriate:
Toremoveanadapter,selecttheadapterandclickRemove.
Toaddanadapter,clickAdd.IntheAddExcludedAdaptersdialogbox,select
thelistingfortheadapteryouwanttoaddandclickOK.
To designate a physical Ethernet adapter to bridge to custom virtual switches

1
ClicktheHostVirtualNetworkMappingtab.
Chooseanadapterfromthedropdownlistbesidethenameofthevirtualswitch
youwanttouse.
YoucancreateacustombridgednetworkonvirtualswitchesVMnet2toVMnet7.
OnWindows,youcanalsouseVMnet9.OnLinux,youcanalsouseVMnet10
throughVMnet255.
CAUTIONBecarefulwhenyouchangethebridgedadaptermappings.Ifyou
reassignaphysicalEthernetadaptertoadifferentvirtualnetwork,anyvirtual
machineusingtheoriginalnetworklosesitsnetworkconnectivitythroughthat
network.Youmustthenchangethesettingforeachaffectedvirtualmachines
networkadapterindividually.
ThiscanbeespeciallytroublesomeifyourhosthasonlyonephysicalEthernet
adapterandyoureassignittoaVMnetotherthanVMnet0.Inthiscase,even
thoughtheVMnetstillappearstobebridgedtoanautomaticallychosenadapter,
theonlyadapteritcanusehasbeenassignedtoanotherVMnet.
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To make changes to the subnet or the DHCP settings for a virtual network
1
ClicktheHostVirtualNetworkMappingtab.
Clickthebuttonontherightthatcorrespondstothevirtualnetworkyouwantto
configure.
ChooseSubnetorDHCP:
IntheSubnetdialogbox,youcanchangethesubnetsIPaddressandthe
subnetmask.
Theaddressshouldspecifyavalidnetworkaddressthatissuitableforuse
withthesubnetmask.
Thedefaultsubnetmaskis255.255.255.0(aclassCnetwork).Typically,this
meansyoushouldmodifyonlythethirdnumberintheIPaddressfor
example,xin192.168.x.0or172.16.x.0.Ingeneral,youshouldnotchangethe
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subnetmask.Certainvirtualnetworkservicesmightnotworkaswellwitha
customizedsubnetmask.
Whenyoumodifythenetworkaddressorsubnetmask,Workstation
automaticallyupdatestheIPaddresssettingsforothercomponentssuchas
DHCP,NAT,andhostvirtualadapterifthedefaultsettingshaveneverbeen
changed.ThespecificsettingsthatareautomaticallyupdatedincludeDHCP
leaserange,DHCPserveraddress,NATgatewayaddress,andhostvirtual
adapterIPaddress.
However,ifyouhavechangedanyofthesesettingsfromitsdefaultvalue,
Workstationdoesnotupdatethatsettingautomatically.Workstation
presumesthatcustomsettingsarenottobemodified.Thisisthecaseevenif
youlaterchangedthesettingbacktothedefault.
IntheDHCPsettingsdialogbox,youcanchangetherangeofIPaddresses
providedbytheWorkstationDHCPserveronaparticularvirtualnetwork.
YoucanalsousethisdialogboxtosetthedurationofDHCPleasesprovided
toclientsonthevirtualnetwork.
5
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Enabling, Disabling, Adding, and Removing Host Virtual

Adapters
WhenyouinstallWorkstation,twonetworkadaptersareaddedtotheconfigurationof
yourhostoperatingsystem.Oneallowsthehosttoconnecttothehostonlynetwork,
andoneallowsthehosttoconnecttotheNATnetwork.
Ifyouarenotusingavirtualnetworkadapter,youcanremoveit.OnaWindowshost,
youcanalsodisableanadapter.
Thepresenceofvirtualnetworkadaptershasaslightperformancecost,because
broadcastpacketsmustgototheextraadapters.OnWindowsnetworks,browsingyour
networkmightbeslowerthanusual.Andinsomecases,theseadaptersinteractwith
thehostcomputersnetworkingconfigurationinundesirableways.
To enable or disable a host virtual adapter on a Windows host
1
ClicktheHostVirtualAdapterstab.
Selecttheadapteryouwanttoenableordisable.
ClickDisableorEnable,asappropriate.
To add or remove a host virtual adapter on a Windows host

1
ClicktheHostVirtualAdapterstab.
Toaddanadapter,dothefollowing:
a
ClickAdd.
IntheAddNetworkAdapterdialogbox,choosethevirtualnetworkonwhich
youwanttousetheadapterandclickOK.
Toremoveanadapter,selecttheadapteryouwanttoremoveandclickRemove.
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To remove a host virtual adapter from a Linux host

1
Inaterminalwindow,becomeroot(su -)andruntheWorkstationconfiguration
program.
vmware-config.pl
Respondtothefollowingquestion:
Do you want networking for your Virtual Machines? (yes/no/help) [yes]
Enteryesifyoustillwanttouseanynetworkinginyourvirtualmachines,and
continuetothenextquestion.
Otherwise,enternotoremoveallnetworking.
3
Ifyouenteryes,whenyoureceivethefollowingprompt,entereditor.
Thisistheonlywaytodeletevirtualnetworkadapterswithoutremovingallof
them.
Would you prefer to modify your existing networking configuration using
the wizard or the editor? (wizard/editor/help) [wizard] editor
Afteryouentereditor,youwillseealistofvirtualnetworksthathavebeen
configured.
4
Selectthenetworkcorrespondingtotheadapteryouwanttodisable.
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
Ifyoureceivetheapromptsimilartothefollowing,enteryes:
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
Whenyoureceivetheapromptsimilartothefollowing,enternone,andthevirtual
networkwillberemoved.
What type of virtual network do you wish to set vmnet1?
(bridged,hostonly,nat,none) [hostonly] none
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Advanced Networking Topics

Thissectionincludesthefollowingnetworkingtopics:
SelectingIPAddressesonaHostOnlyNetworkorNATConfigurationon
page 291
AvoidingIPPacketLeakageinaHostOnlyNetworkonpage 293
MaintainingandChangingtheMACAddressofaVirtualMachineonpage 296
ControllingRoutingInformationforaHostOnlyNetworkonLinuxonpage 297
PotentialIssueswithHostOnlyNetworkingonLinuxonpage 298
SettingUpaSecondBridgedNetworkInterfaceonaLinuxHostonpage 299
SettingUpTwoSeparateHostOnlyNetworksonpage 300
RoutingBetweenTwoHostOnlyNetworksonpage 304
UsingVirtualEthernetAdaptersinPromiscuousModeonaLinuxHoston
page 305
Selecting IP Addresses on a Host-Only Network or NAT

Configuration
Thehostandallvirtualmachinesconfiguredforhostonlynetworkingareconnected
tothenetworkthroughavirtualswitch.Typically,allthepartiesonthisnetworkuse
theTCP/IPprotocolsuite,althoughothercommunicationprotocolscanbeused.
Anetworkaddresstranslation(NAT)configurationalsosetsupakindofprivate
network,whichmustbeaTCP/IPnetwork.ThevirtualmachinesconfiguredforNAT
areconnectedtothatnetworkthroughavirtualswitch.Thehostcomputerisalso
connectedtotheprivatenetworkusedforNATbyahostvirtualadapter.
Eachvirtualmachineandthehostmustbeassignedaddressesontheprivatenetwork.
ThisistypicallydoneusingtheDHCPserverthatcomeswithWorkstation.Thisserver
doesnotservicevirtual(orphysical)machinesresidingonbridgednetworks.
Addressescanalsobeassignedstaticallyfromapoolofaddressesthatarenotassigned
bytheDHCPserver.
How the Subnet Number Is Assigned

WhenhostonlynetworkingisenabledatthetimeWorkstationisinstalled,thenetwork
numbertouseforthevirtualnetworkisautomaticallyselectedasanunusedprivateIP
networknumber.ANATconfigurationalsousesanunusedprivatenetwork
automaticallyselectedwhenyouinstallWorkstation.
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TofindoutwhichnetworkisusedonaWindowshost,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,
chooseEdit>VirtualNetworkSettingsandcheckthesubnetnumberassociatedwith
thevirtualnetwork(ontheSummarytab).OnaLinuxhost,runifconfigina
terminal.
Determining Whether to Use DHCP or Statically Assign Addresses

UsingDHCPtoassignIPaddressesissimplerandmoreautomaticthanstatically
assigningthem.MostWindowsoperatingsystems,forexample,comepreconfiguredto
useDHCPatboottime,soWindowsvirtualmachinescanconnecttothenetworkthe
firsttimetheyarebooted,withoutadditionalconfiguration.Ifyouwantyourvirtual
machinestocommunicatewitheachotherusingnamesinsteadofIPaddresses,
however,youmustsetupanamingconvention,anameserverontheprivatenetwork,
orboth.InthatcaseitmightbesimplertousestaticIPaddresses.
Ingeneral,ifyouhavevirtualmachinesyouintendtousefrequentlyorforextended
periodsoftime,itisprobablymostconvenienttoassignthemstaticIPaddressesor
configuretheVMwareDHCPservertoalwaysassignthesameIPaddresstoeachof
thesevirtualmachines.
Configuring the DHCP Server on a Linux Host

OnaLinuxhost,youconfigurethehostonlyDHCPserverbyeditingtheDHCP
configurationfileforVMnet1(/etc/vmware/vmnet1/dhcp/dhcp.conf).Toconfigure
theDHCPserverfortheNATnetwork,edittheconfigurationfileforVMnet8
(/etc/vmware/vmnet8/dhcp/dhcp.conf).Beaware,however,thatwhenyou
configureWorkstationbyrunningthevmware-config.plfile,alleditsmadetothe
*.dhcp.conffilesarelost.
EditingtheDHCPserverconfigurationfilerequiresinformationthatisbestobtained
directlyfromtheDHCPserverdocumentation.Consultthemanualpagesdhcpd(8)
anddhcpd.conf(8).
Configuring the DHCP Server on a Windows Host

OnaWindowshost,usethevirtualnetworkeditortoconfiguretheDHCPserver.
To configure a DHCP server on Windows
292
ClicktheDHCPtab.
Selectthevirtualnetworkforwhichyouwanttochangesettingsandclick
Properties.
IntheDHCPSettingsdialogboxthatappears,makechangesandclickOK.
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DHCP Conventions for Assigning IP Addresses

Forvirtualmachinesthatyoudonotexpecttokeepforlong,useDHCPandletit
allocateanIPaddress.
ForeachhostonlyorNATnetwork,theavailableIPaddressesaresplitupusingthe
conventionsshowninTable 131andTable 132,where<net>isthenetworknumber
assignedtoyourhostonlyorNATnetwork.WorkstationalwaysusesaClassCaddress
forhostonlyandNATnetworks.
Table 13-1. 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 13-2. 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
SystemsusingserverversionsofWindowsoperatingsystemsarecapableof
forwardingIPpacketsthatarenotaddressedtothem.Bydefault,however,these
systemsandWindowsVistasystemscomewithIPpacketforwardingdisabled.IP
forwardingisnotanissueonWindows2000Professional,WindowsXPProfessional,
orWindowsXPHomeEditionhosts.
IfyoufindpacketsleakingoutofahostonlynetworkonaWindowshostcomputer,
checktoseeifforwardinghasbeenenabledonthehostmachine.Ifitisenabled,disable
it.
To determine whether packet forwarding is enabled and to turn it off
StoptheRoutingandRemoteAccessservice,asfollows:
a
ChooseStart>Run,andthenenterservices.mscintheRundialogbox.
IntheServiceswindowthatappears,disabletheRoutingandRemoteAccess
service.
UseWindowsAdministrativeToolstodisableroutingandremoteaccess,as
follows:
a
OnaWindows2000orWindows2003Serverhost,choose
Start>Programs>AdministrativeTools>RoutingandRemoteAccess.
Aniconontheleftislabeledwiththehostname.Ifagreendotappearsover
theicon,IPforwardingisturnedon.
ToturnoffIPforwarding,rightclicktheiconanddisableRoutingand
RemoteAccess.
Areddotappears,indicatingthatIPforwardingisdisabled.
Windows2000ProfessionalUsers:TheWindows2000AdministrativeToolsarenot
installedonaWindows2000Professionalsystem.However,youcaninstallthesetools
fromaWindows2000ServerorWindows2000AdvancedServerCDROM.
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To install Windows 2000 Administrative Tools on a local computer

1
Openthei386folderontheapplicableWindows2000Serverdisc.
Doubleclicktheadminpak.msifile,andfollowtheinstructionsthatappearinthe
Windows2000AdministrativeToolsSetupwizard.
AfterWindows2000AdministrativeToolsareinstalled,youcanaccessmostofthe
serveradministrativetoolsbychoosingStart>Programs>AdministrativeTools.
Linux Hosts
IfyoufindpacketsleakingoutofahostonlynetworkonaLinuxhostcomputer,see
whetherforwardinghasmistakenlybeenenabledonthehostmachine.Ifitisenabled,
disableit.
To determine whether packet forwarding is enabled
DependingonwhichtypeofLinuxsystemyouhave,useoneofthefollowingmethods:
Disableforwardingbywritinga0(zero)tothespecialfile
/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward.Asroot(su-),enterthiscommand:
echo "0" > /proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
UseaconfigurationoptionthatisappropriateforyourLinuxdistribution.For
example,youmightuseacontrolpanel,specifyasettingatthetimeyoucompile
yourkernel,orpossiblyenteraspecificationwhenyoubootyoursystem.Consult
youroperatingsystemdocumentationfordetailsonthemethodtousewithyour
particulardistribution.
Using Filtering
Ifthehostcomputerhasmultiplenetworkadapters,itmightbeintentionally
configuredtodoIPforwarding.Ifthatisthecase,youdonotwanttodisable
forwarding.Toavoidpacketleakage,youmustenableapacketfilteringfacilityand
specifythatpacketsfromthehostonlynetworkshouldnotbesentoutsidethehost
computer.Consultyouroperatingsystemdocumentationfordetailsonhowto
configurepacketfiltering.
Leaks from a Virtual Machine

Virtualmachinesmightleakpackets,aswell.Forexample,ifyouusedialup
networkingsupportinavirtualmachineandpacketforwardingisenabled,hostonly
networktrafficmightleakoutthroughthedialupconnection.
Topreventtheleakage,besurepacketforwardingisdisabledinyourguestoperating
system.
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Maintaining and Changing the MAC Address of a Virtual

Machine
Whenavirtualmachineispoweredon,Workstationassignseachofitsvirtualnetwork
adaptersanEthernetMAC(mediaaccesscontrol)address.AMACaddressisthe
uniqueaddressassignedtoeachEthernetnetworkdevice.
ThesoftwareguaranteesthatvirtualmachinesareassigneduniqueMACaddresses
withinagivenhostsystem.ThevirtualmachineisassignedthesameMACaddress
everytimeitispoweredonifbothofthefollowingconditionsaretrue:
Thevirtualmachineisnotmoved.Thatis,thepathnameandfilenameforthe
virtualmachinesconfigurationfileremainthesame.
Nochangesaremadetocertainsettingsintheconfigurationfile.
Inaddition,Workstationdoesitsbest,butcannotguarantee,toautomaticallyassign
uniqueMACaddressesforvirtualmachinesthatrunonmultiplehostsystems.
Avoiding MAC Changes

ToavoidchangesintheMACaddressautomaticallyassignedtoavirtualmachine,do
notmovethevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.Movingittoadifferenthost
computerorevenmovingittoadifferentlocationonthesamehostcomputerchanges
theMACaddress.
Alsodonotchangecertainsettingsinthevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.If
youneveredittheconfigurationfilebyhandanddonotremovethevirtualEthernet
adapter,thesesettingsremainunchanged.Ifyoudoedittheconfigurationfilebyhand,
donotremoveorchangethefollowingoptions:
ethernet[n].generatedAddress
ethernet[n].addressType
ethernet[n].generatedAddressOffset
uuid.location
uuid.bios
ethernet[n].present
Intheseoptions,[n]isthenumberofthevirtualEthernetadapter,forexample0.
NOTETopreserveavirtualEthernetadaptersMACaddress,youalsomustbecareful
nottoremovetheadapter.Ifyouremovetheadapterbutlaterrecreateit,theadapter
mightreceiveadifferentMACaddress.
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Manually Assigning a MAC Address

ToguaranteethatthesameMACaddressisassignedtoagivenvirtualmachineevery
timeyoupoweriton,evenifthevirtualmachineismoved,orifyouwanttoguarantee
auniqueMACaddressforeachvirtualmachinewithinanetworkedenvironment,you
canassigntheaddressmanuallyinsteadofallowingWorkstationtoassignit.
ToassignthesameuniqueMACaddresstoanyvirtualmachinemanually,useatext
editortoremovethreelinesfromtheconfigurationfileandaddoneline.The
configurationfilehasa.vmxextensionattheendofthefilename.OnaLinuxhost,a
virtualmachinecreatedwithanearlierVMwareproductmighthaveaconfiguration
filewitha.cfgextension.
Removethethreelinesthatbeginwiththefollowingfromtheconfigurationfile:
ethernet[n].generatedAddress
ethernet[n].addressType
ethernet[n].generatedAddressOffset
Intheseoptions,[n]isthenumberofthevirtualEthernetadapter,forexample,
ethernet0.
Addthefollowinglinetotheconfigurationfile:
ethernet[n].address = 00:50:56:XX:YY:ZZ
Inthisline,thefourthpairofnumbers,XX,mustbeavalidhexadecimalnumber
between00hand3Fh,andYYandZZmustbevalidhexadecimalnumbersbetween00h
andFFh.BecauseWorkstationvirtualmachinesdonotsupportarbitraryMAC
addresses,youmustusetheaboveformat.PlacethislineabovetheUUIDlinesinthe
file.
IfyouchooseavalueforXX:YY:ZZthatisuniqueamongyourhardcodedaddresses,
conflictsbetweentheautomaticallyassignedMACaddressesandthemanually
assignedaddressesshouldneveroccur.
Controlling Routing Information for a Host-Only Network on

Linux
Ahostonlynetworkisafullfledgednetwork.Ithasanetworkinterfaceassociated
withit(VMnet1)thatismarkedupatthetimethehostoperatingsystemisbooted.
Consequently,routingserverprocessesthatoperateonthehostoperatingsystem,such
asroutedandgated,automaticallydiscoveritandpropagateinformationonhowto
reachitunlessyouexplicitlyconfigurethemnottodoso.
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Ifeitheroftheseprogramsisbeingrunonlytoreceiveroutinginformation,theeasiest
solutionistorunitwitha-qoptionsothatitdoesnotsupplyroutinginformationbut
onlyreceivesit.
If,however,routingservicesarerunningbecausetheyaretosupplyrouting
information,youneedtoconfigurethemsotheydonotadvertiseroutestothe
hostonlynetwork.
TheversionofroutedthatcomeswithmanydistributionsofLinuxhasnosupportfor
specifyingthataninterfaceshouldnotbeadvertised.Consulttherouted(8)manual
pageforyoursystemincaseyouhaveamorecontemporaryversionofthesoftware.
Forgated,configurationisinvolved.YouneedtoexplicitlyexcludetheVMnet1
interfacefromanyprotocolactivity.Ifyouneedtorunvirtualmachinesonahostonly
networkonamultihomedsystemwheregatedisusedandhaveproblemsdoingso,
pleasecontactVMwaretechnicalsupportbysubmittingasupportrequestat
www.vmware.com/requestsupport.
Potential Issues with Host-Only Networking on Linux

Thefollowingarecommonissuesyoumightencounterwhenyouareconfiguringa
hostonlynetwork.
DHCPD on the Linux Host Does Not Work After Installing Workstation
IfyouwererunningtheDHCPserverprogramdhcpdonyourmachinebefore
installingWorkstation,itprobablywasconfiguredtorespondtoDHCPrequestsfrom
clientsonanynetworkinterfacepresentonthemachine.Whenhostonlynetworking
isconfigured,anadditionalnetworkinterface,VMnet1,ismarkedupandavailable
foruse,anddhcpdmightnoticethis.
Insuchcases,somedhcpdimplementationsabortiftheirconfigurationfilesdonot
includeasubnetspecificationfortheinterfaceevenifdhcpdisnotsupposedto
respondtomessagesthatarrivethroughtheinterface.
Thebestsolutionistoaddalineinthefollowingformattothedhcpdconfigurationfile:
subnet <net>.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {}
<net>isthenetworknumberassignedtoyourhostonlynetworkforexample,
192.168.0.Thislineintheconfigurationfileinformsdhcpdaboutthehostonlynetwork
andtellsitexplicitlynottorespondtoanyDHCPrequestsitseescomingfromit.
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Analternativesolutionistoexplicitlystatethesetofnetworkinterfacesthatyouwant
dhcpdtolistentoeachtimeyoustarttheprogram.Forexample,ifyourmachinehas
oneEthernetinterface,eth0,eachtimeyoustartdhcpd,listitonthecommandline:
dhcpd eth0
Thiskeepsdhcpdfromprobingforallavailablenetworkinterfaces.
IfthesesolutionsdonotworkforyourDHCPserverprogram,itisprobablyanold
DHCPserver.YoucantryupgradingtoamorecurrentversionsuchastheDHCP
softwareavailablefromtheISC(www.isc.org).
DHCP and Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS)

UseDHCPtosupplyIPaddressesaswellasotherinformation,suchastheidentityof
ahostrunninganameserverandthenearestrouterorgateway.TheDHCPserverin
Workstationdoesnotprovideameanstodynamicallyestablisharelationshipbetween
theIPaddressitassignsandaclientsname(thatis,toupdateaDNSserverusing
DDNS).
Tousenamestocommunicatewithothervirtualmachinesyoumusteithereditthe
DHCPconfigurationfileforVMnet1(/etc/vmware/vmnet1/dhcpd/dhcpd.conf)or
useIPaddressesthatarestaticallyboundtoahostname.EditingtheDHCPserver
configurationfilerequiresinformationthatisbestobtaineddirectlyfromtheDHCP
serverdocumentation.Consultthemanualpagesdhcpd(8)anddhcpd.conf(8).Also
beawarethateditstothisfilearelostthenexttimeyouconfigureWorkstationby
runningthevmware-config.plfile.
Setting Up a Second Bridged Network Interface on a Linux Host

IfyouhavetwoEthernetadaptersinstalledonyourhostcomputer,connectedtotwo
differentnetworks,youmightwantyourvirtualmachinesonthathostcomputerto
bridgetobothEthernetadapterssothevirtualmachinescanaccesseitherorboth
physicalnetworks.
WhenyouinstallWorkstationonahostcomputerwithmultipleEthernetadapters,you
canconfiguremorethanonebridgednetwork.Youcanalsoconfigureadditional
bridgednetworksatanytimebyrerunningvmware-config.pl.
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To bridge networks by running vmware-config.pl

1
Onthehostcomputer,becomeroot(su -)andruntheWorkstationconfiguration
program:
vmware-config.pl
IfyouhavemorethanonephysicalEthernetadapter,enteryesatthefollowing
prompt:
The following bridged networks have been defined:
. vmnet0 is bridged to eth0
Do you wish to configure another bridged network? (yes/no) [no]
IfyouhaveadditionalphysicalEthernetadaptersnotyetconnectedtoabridged
network,thepromptisrepeated,showinginformationaboutallcurrently
configuredbridgednetworks.
3
Whenyouhavesetupallthebridgednetworksyouwant,enterno.
Setting Up Two Separate Host-Only Networks

Forsomeconfigurations,youmightneedtosetupmorethanonehostonlynetworkon
thesamehostcomputer.Youmight,forexample,wanttohavetwovirtualmachines
connectedtoonehostonlynetwork,andatthesametimehaveothervirtualmachines
connectedtoanotherhostonlynetworksothenetworktrafficoneachnetworkis
isolated.
Oryoumightwanttotestroutingbetweentwovirtualnetworks.Oryoumightwantto
testavirtualmachinewithmultiplenetworkinterfacecards,withoutusingany
physicalEthernetadapters.
OnWindowshosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupautomaticallywhenyouinstall
Workstation.
OnLinuxhosts,thefirsthostonlynetworkissetupwhenyourunthe
vmware-config.plprogramafteryouinstallWorkstation,providedyouagreeto
installhostonlynetworking.Ifyoudidnotagreetousehostonlynetworking,you
needtoruntheprogramagaintosetuphostonlynetworking.Forinstructions,see
ConfiguringWorkstationwithvmwareconfig.plonpage 54.
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Adding a Second Host-Only Network

Tosetupthesecondhostonlynetwork,useoneofthefollowingprocedures.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Windows host
1
OntheHostVirtualAdapterstab,clickAdd.
ChoosethevirtualnetworkonwhichyouwanttousetheadapterandclickOK.
ClickOKtoclosethevirtualnetworkeditor.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Linux host

1
Asroot(su),runtheWorkstationconfigurationprogram:
/usr/bin/vmware-config.pl
Whenyouseethefollowingprompt,enteryes:
Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual
machines?
Thewizardreportsonhostonlynetworksthatyouhavealreadysetuponthehost
or,ifnoneispresent,configuresthefirsthostonlynetwork.
3
Whenyouseethefollowingprompt,enteryes:
Do you wish to configure another host-only network?
Repeatthisstepuntilyouhaveasmanyhostonlynetworksasyouwant,andthen
enterno.
4
Completetheremainingstepsinthewizard.Whenitisfinished,itrestartsall
servicesusedbyWorkstation.
Runifconfig.
Atleastfournetworkinterfacesappear:eth0,lo,vmnet1,andvmnet2.IftheVMnet
interfacesdonotshowupimmediately,waitforaminute,andrunthecommand
again.ThesefourinterfacesshouldhavedifferentIPaddressesonseparate
subnets.
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Configuring the Virtual Machines

Nowyouhavetwohostonlyinterfaces(VMnet1andVMnet2).Youarereadytosetup
yourvirtualmachinesforoneofthefollowingconfigurations:
Configuration1ThevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithonevirtualEthernet
adapter,andthatvirtualadapterisconnectedtothedefaulthostonlyinterface
(VMnet1).Tousethisconfiguration,seeTouseconfiguration1or2onpage 302.
Configuration2ThevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithonevirtualEthernet
adapter,andthatvirtualadapterisconnectedtothenewlycreatedhostonly
interface(VMnet2).Tousethisconfiguration,seeTouseconfiguration1or2on
page 302.
Configuration3ThevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithtwovirtualEthernet
adapters.Onevirtualadapterisconnectedtothedefaulthostonlyinterface
(VMnet1)andtheothervirtualadapterisconnectedtothenewlycreatedhostonly
interface(VMnet2).Tousethisconfiguration,seeTouseconfiguration3connect
totwohostonlyinterfacesonpage 303.
To use configuration 1 or 2
1
Itcanbeeitherpoweredofforpoweredon.
OntheHardwaretab,selectEthernet.
IntheNetworkConnectionsection,dooneofthefollowing:
Toconnecttothedefaulthostonlyinterface(VMnet1),selectHostonly.
Toconnecttothenewlycreatedhostonlyinterface,selectCustom,andchoose
VMnet2(Hostonly)fromthedropdownlistontheright.
Ifnonetworkadapterisshowninthelistofdevices,addone,asdescribedin
AddingandModifyingVirtualNetworkAdaptersonpage 284.
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To use configuration 3 connect to two host-only interfaces

1
OntheHardwaretab,selectEthernet.
Connectthetwoadapters,asfollows:
a
Selectthefirstnetworkadapterinthelistofdevices,andintheNetwork
Connectionsection,selectHostonly.
Thisadapterisconnectedtothedefaulthostonlyinterface(VMnet1),
Selectthesecondnetworkadapterinthelist,andintheNetworkConnection
section,selectCustomandchooseVMnet2(Hostonly)fromthedropdown
list.
Ifnonetworkadapterisshowninthelistofdevices,addone,asdescribedin
AddingandModifyingVirtualNetworkAdaptersonpage 284.
To finish configuring the adapters
1
Poweronthevirtualmachineandinstallyourguestoperatingsystem.
Inconfigurations1and2,youseeoneEthernetadapter.Inconfiguration3,yousee
twoEthernetadapterswithintheguest.
ConfiguretheEthernetadaptersasyouwouldphysicaladaptersonaphysical
computer,givingeachanIPaddressontheappropriateVMnetsubnet.
ToseewhatIPaddressahostonlynetworkisusing:
OnWindowshosts,openacommandpromptandrun:
ipconfig /all
OnLinuxhosts,openaterminalandrun:
ifconfig
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Routing Between Two Host-Only Networks

Ifyouaresettingupacomplextestnetworkthatusesvirtualmachines,youmightwant
tohavetwoindependenthostonlynetworkswitharouterbetweenthem.
Therearetwobasicapproaches.Inone,theroutersoftwarerunsonthehostcomputer.
Intheother,theroutersoftwarerunsinitsownvirtualmachine.Inbothcases,youneed
twohostonlyinterfaces.
Theexamplesdescribedhereoutlinethesimplestcase,withonevirtualmachineon
eachofthehostonlynetworks.Formorecomplexconfigurations,youcanaddmore
virtualmachinesandhostonlynetworks,asappropriate.
To set up routing between two host-only networks
1
Setuptheconnectiontothefirst(default)hostonlyinterface,asdescribedinTo
useconfiguration1or2onpage 302.
Setuptheconnectiontothesecond(VMnet2)hostonlyinterface,asdescribedin
Touseconfiguration1or2onpage 302.
Ifyouplantoruntheroutersoftwareonavirtualmachine,setupathirdvirtual
machinewithconnectionstothetwohostonlyinterfaces,asdescribedinTouse
configuration3connecttotwohostonlyinterfacesonpage 303.
Toruntheroutersoftwareonyourhostcomputer,skipthisstep.
Therestofthestepsinthisproceduredescribehowtoconfigurethevirtual
machinestousestaticIPaddresses.
StoptheVMnetDHCPserverservice:
OnaWindowshost,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseEdit>Virtual
NetworkSettings>DHCP,selecttheserviceandclickStop.
OnaLinuxhost,openaterminalandusethefollowingcommandtostopthe
vmnet-dhcpdservice:
killall -TERM vmnet-dhcpd
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Installguestoperatingsystemsineachofthevirtualmachines.
Installtheroutersoftware,eitheronthehostcomputerorinthethirdvirtual
machine,dependingontheapproachyouareusing.
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Configurenetworkinginthefirsttwovirtualmachinestouseaddressesonthe
appropriatehostonlynetwork:
OnWindowshosts,openacommandpromptandrunipconfig /alltosee
whichIPaddresseseachhostonlynetworkisusing.
OnLinuxhosts,openaterminalandrunifconfigtoseewhichIPaddresses
eachhostonlynetworkisusing.
AssignIPaddressesbydoingoneofthefollowing:
Ifyouarerunningtherouteronthehostcomputer,assigndefaultrouter
addressesbasedontheaddressesofthehostonlyadaptersonthehost
computer.
Inthefirstvirtualmachinesnetworkingconfiguration,thedefaultrouter
addressshouldbetheIPaddressforthehostonlyadapterconnectedto
VMnet1.Inthesecondvirtualmachinesnetworkingconfiguration,the
defaultrouteraddressshouldbetheIPaddressforthehostonlyadapter
connectedtoVMnet2.
Ifyouarerunningtheroutersoftwareinathirdvirtualmachine,setthe
defaultrouteraddressesinthefirsttwovirtualmachinesbasedonthoseused
bythethirdvirtualmachine.
Inthefirstvirtualmachinesnetworkingconfiguration,thedefaultrouter
addressshouldbetheIPaddressforthethirdvirtualmachinesEthernet
adapterconnectedtoVMnet1.Inthesecondvirtualmachinesnetworking
configuration,thedefaultrouteraddressshouldbetheIPaddressforthethird
virtualmachinesEthernetadapterconnectedtoVMnet2.
Atthispointyoushouldbeabletopingtheroutermachinefromvirtualmachines1and
2.Iftheroutersoftwareissetupcorrectly,youshouldbeabletocommunicatebetween
thefirstandsecondvirtualmachines.
Using Virtual Ethernet Adapters in Promiscuous Mode on a

Linux Host
WorkstationdoesnotallowthevirtualEthernetadaptertogointopromiscuousmode
unlesstheuserrunningWorkstationhaspermissiontomakethatsetting.Thisfollows
thestandardLinuxpracticethatonlyrootcanputanetworkinterfaceintopromiscuous
mode.
WhenyouinstallandconfigureWorkstation,youmustruntheinstallationasroot.
WorkstationcreatestheVMnetdeviceswithrootownershipandrootgroupownership,
whichmeansthatonlyroothasreadandwritepermissionstothedevices.
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TosetthevirtualmachinesEthernetadaptertopromiscuousmode,youmustlaunch
WorkstationasrootbecauseyoumusthavereadandwriteaccesstotheVMnetdevice.
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>isthegroupthatshouldhavetheabilitytosetvmnet0topromiscuous
mode.
ForalluserstobeabletosetthevirtualEthernetadapter(/dev/vmnet0intheexample)
topromiscuousmode,runthefollowingcommandonthehostoperatingsystemas
root:
chmod a+rw /dev/vmnet0
Using NAT
Networkaddresstranslation(NAT)providesawayforvirtualmachinestousemost
clientapplicationsoveralmostanytypeofnetworkconnectionavailabletothehost.
TheonlyrequirementisthatthenetworkconnectionmustsupportTCP/IP.
NATisusefulwhenyouhavealimitedsupplyofIPaddressesorareconnectedtothe
networkthroughanonEthernetnetworkadapter.NATworksbytranslatingaddresses
ofvirtualmachinesinaprivateVMnetnetworktothatofthehostmachine.Whena
virtualmachinesendsarequesttoaccessanetworkresource,itappearstothenetwork
resourceasiftherequestiscomingfromthehostmachine.
How the NAT Device Uses the VMnet8 Virtual Switch

TheNATdeviceisconnectedtotheVMnet8virtualswitch.Virtualmachinesconnected
totheNATnetworkalsousetheVMnet8virtualswitch.
TheNATdevicewaitsforpacketscomingfromvirtualmachinesontheVMnet8virtual
network.Whenapacketarrives,theNATdevicetranslatestheaddressofthevirtual
machinetothatofthehostbeforeforwardingthepackettotheexternalnetwork.When
dataarrivesfromtheexternalnetworkforthevirtualmachineontheprivatenetwork,
theNATdevicereceivesthedata,replacesthenetworkaddresswiththatofthevirtual
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machineandforwardsthedatatothevirtualmachineonthevirtualnetwork.This
translationoccursautomaticallyandrequiresminimalconfigurationontheguestand
thehost.
The Host Computer and the NAT Network

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

Tomakenetworkingconfigurationeasy,aDHCPserverisinstalledwhenyouinstall
Workstation.VirtualmachinesrunningonthenetworkwiththeNATdevicecan
dynamicallyobtaintheirIPaddressesbysendingoutDHCPrequests.
TheDHCPserverontheNATnetwork,whichisalsousedinhostonlynetworking
configurations,dynamicallyallocatesIPaddressesintherangeof<net>.128through
<net>.254,where<net>isthenetworknumberassignedtoyourNATnetwork.
WorkstationalwaysusesaClassCaddressforNATnetworks.IPaddresses<net>.3
through<net>.127canbeusedforstaticIPaddresses.IPaddress<net>.1isreservedfor
thehostadapter;<net>.2isreservedfortheNATdevice.Formoreinformation,see
DHCPConventionsforAssigningIPAddressesonpage 293.
InadditiontotheIPaddress,theDHCPserverontheNATnetworksendsout
configurationinformationthatenablesthevirtualmachinetooperate.Thisinformation
includesthedefaultgatewayandtheDNSserver.IntheDHCPresponse,theNAT
deviceinstructsthevirtualmachinetousetheIPaddress<net>.2asthedefaultgateway
andDNSserver.ThiscausesallIPpacketsdestinedfortheexternalnetworkandDNS
requeststobeforwardedtotheNATdevice.
DNS on the NAT Network

TheNATdeviceactsasaDNSserverforthevirtualmachinesontheNATnetwork.
Actually,theNATdeviceisaDNSproxyandmerelyforwardsDNSrequestsfromthe
virtualmachinestoaDNSserverthatisknownbythehost.Responsescomebacktothe
NATdevice,whichthenforwardsthemtothevirtualmachines.
IftheygettheirconfigurationinformationfromDHCP,thevirtualmachinesonthe
NATnetworkautomaticallyusetheNATdeviceastheDNSserver.However,the
virtualmachinescanbestaticallyconfiguredtouseanotherDNSserver.
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ThevirtualmachinesintheprivateNATnetworkarenot,themselves,accessible
throughDNS.IfyouwantthevirtualmachinesrunningontheNATnetworktoaccess
eachotherbyDNSnames,youmustsetupaprivateDNSserverconnectedtotheNAT
network.
External Access from the NAT Network

Ingeneral,anyprotocolusingTCPorUDPcanbeusedautomaticallybyavirtual
machineontheNATnetworkaslongasthevirtualmachineinitiatesthenetwork
connection.ThisistrueformostclientapplicationssuchasWebbrowsing,Telnet,
passivemodeFTP,anddownloadingstreamingvideo.Additionalprotocolsupporthas
beenbuiltintotheNATdevicetoallowFTPandICMPecho(ping)towork
transparentlythroughtheNAT.
Ontheexternalnetworktowhichthehostisconnected,anyvirtualmachineonthe
NATnetworkappearstobethehostitself,becauseitsnetworktrafficusesthehostsIP
address.ItisabletosendandreceivedatausingTCP/IPtoanymachinethatis
accessiblefromthehost.
Beforeanycommunicationcanoccur,theNATdevicemustsetupamappingbetween
thevirtualmachinesaddressontheprivateNATnetworkandthehostsnetwork
addressontheexternalnetwork.
Whenavirtualmachineinitiatesanetworkconnectionwithanothernetworkresource,
thismappingiscreatedautomatically.Theoperationistransparenttotheuserofthe
virtualmachineontheNATnetwork.Noadditionalworkneedstobedone.
Thesamecannotbesaidfornetworkconnectionsthatareinitiatedfromtheexternal
networktoavirtualmachineontheNATnetwork.Whenamachineontheexternal
networkattemptstoinitiateaconnectionwithavirtualmachineontheNATnetwork,
itcannotreachthevirtualmachinebecausetheNATdevicedoesnotforwardthe
request.NetworkconnectionsthatareinitiatedfromoutsidetheNATnetworkarenot
transparent.
However,itispossibletoconfigureportforwardingmanuallyontheNATdeviceso
networktrafficdestinedforacertainportcanstillbeforwardedautomaticallytoa
virtualmachineontheNATnetwork.SeeAdvancedNATConfigurationonpage 309.
FilesharingofthetypeusedbyWindowsoperatingsystemsandSambaispossible
amongcomputersontheNATnetwork,includingvirtualmachinesandthehost
computer.IfyouareusingWINSserversonyournetwork,avirtualmachineusing
NATnetworkingcanaccesssharedfilesandfoldersonthehostthatareknownbythe
WINSserversolongasthosesharedfilesandfoldersareinthesameworkgroupor
domain.
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Advanced NAT Configuration

Thissectionincludesthefollowingsections:
OnaWindowsHostonpage 309
OnaLinuxHostonpage 311
On a Windows Host
UsethevirtualnetworksettingseditortoconfigureNAT,asdescribedinthefollowing
procedure.ToedittheNATconfigurationfile,seeCustomNATandDHCP
ConfigurationonaWindowsHostonpage 310.
To configure NAT on a Windows host
1
UsethecontrolsontheNATtabtoconfigureNAT:
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StopandstartthevirtualNATdevicebyclickingtheappropriatebuttons.
ToeditNATsettingsforavirtualnetwork,choosetheVMnetnetworkfrom
thedropdownmenuandclickEdit.TheNATSettingsdialogboxappears.
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ClicktheappropriatebuttontosetuporchangeportforwardingortospecifyDNS
serversthevirtualNATdeviceshoulduse.
ClickOKtoclosethevirtualnetworkeditor.
Custom NAT and DHCP Configuration on a Windows Host

IfyouareanadvanceduseronaWindowshostcomputer,youcanmakecustom
configurationsettingsbyeditingtheNATandDHCPconfigurationfiles.Ifyourhost
operatingsystemisinstalledontheCdrive,theconfigurationfilesforNATandDHCP
areinthefollowinglocations:
NAT:C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application

Data\VMware\vmnetnat.conf
Formoreinformationaboutthisfile,seeContentsoftheNATConfigurationFile
onpage 311.
DHCP:C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application

Data\VMware\vmnetdhcp.conf
NOTEYoucanchangemanykeyNATandDCHPsettingsusingthevirtualnetwork
settingseditor(Edit>VirtualNetworkSettings).However,ifyoumakemanual
changestotheconfigurationfiles,thosechangesmightbelostwhenyouusethevirtual
networksettingseditor.Ifyoumakemanualchanges,makebackupcopiesofthefiles
beforechanginganysettingsinthevirtualnetworksettingseditor.Youcanthencopy
yourmanualchangesbackintotheappropriateconfigurationfiles.
Specifying Connections from Ports Below 1024
WhenaclientmachinemakesaTCPorUDPconnectiontoaserver,theconnection
comesfromaparticularportontheclient(thesourceport)andconnectstoaparticular
portontheserver(thedestinationport).Forsecurityreasons,someserversaccept
connectionsonlyfromsourceportsbelow1024.Youmightseethisconfigurationon
machinesusedasNFSfileservers,forexample.
IfavirtualmachineusingNATattemptstoconnecttoaserverthatrequirestheclient
touseasourceportbelow1024,itisimportantthattheNATdeviceforwardtherequest
fromaportbelow1024.Youcanspecifythisbehaviorinthevmnetnat.conffile.
Thisbehavioriscontrolledbyentriesinsectionsheaded[privilegedUDP]and
[privilegedTCP].Youmightneedtoaddsettingstoormodifysettingsineitheror
bothofthesesections,dependingonthekindofconnectionyouneedtomake.
Youcansettwoparameters,eachofwhichappearsonaseparateline.
autodetect = <n>
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TheautodetectsettingdetermineswhethertheVMwareNATdeviceautomatically
attemptstomapvirtualmachinesourceportsbelow1024toNATsourceportsbelow
1024.Asettingof1meanstrue.Asettingof0meansfalse.OnaWindowshost,the
defaultis1(true).OnaLinuxhost,thedefaultis0(false).
port = <n>
Theportsettingspecifiesadestinationport(where<n>istheportontheserverthat
acceptstheconnectionfromtheclient).Wheneveravirtualmachineconnectstothe
specifiedportonanyserver,theNATdeviceattemptstomaketheconnectionfroma
sourceportbelow1024.Youcanincludeoneormoreportsettingsinthe
[privilegedUDP]or[privilegedTCP]sectionorinbothsections,asrequiredforthe
connectionsyouneedtomake.Entereachportsettingonaseparateline.
On a Linux Host
UsetheNATconfigurationfileonthehosttoconfiguretheNATdevice.Thisfileis
locatedin/etc/vmware/vmnet8/nat/nat.conf.
Theconfigurationfileisdividedintosections.EachsectionconfiguresapartoftheNAT
device.Textsurroundedbysquarebracketssuchas[host]marksthebeginningof
asection.Ineachsectionisaconfigurationparameterthatcanbeset.Theconfiguration
parameterstaketheformip = 192.168.27.2/24.
ForanexampleofaNATconfigurationfile,seeSampleLinuxvmnetnat.confFileon
page 317.TheconfigurationfilevariablesaredescribedinContentsoftheNAT
ConfigurationFileonpage 311.
Contents of the NAT Configuration File

TheNATconfigurationfileislocatedin:
OnaWindowshost:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\vmnetnat.conf
Ifyoueditthisfileandthenusethevirtualnetworksettingseditor(Edit>Virtual
NetworkSettings),youreditsmightbelost.
OnaLinuxhost:
/etc/vmware/vmnet8/nat/nat.conf
TheNATconfigurationfilecontainsthefollowingsections.
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The [host] Section

ip
TheIPaddressthattheNATdeviceshoulduse.Itcanoptionallybefollowedbya
slashandthenumberofbitsinthesubnet.
netmask
ThesubnetmasktousefortheNATnetwork.DHCPaddressesareallocatedfrom
thisrangeofaddresses.
configport
AportthatcanbeusedtoaccessstatusinformationabouttheNATdevice.
device
TheVMnetdevicetouse.WindowsdevicesareoftheformVMnet<x>where<x>
isthenumberoftheVMnet.Linuxdevicesareoftheform/dev/vmnet<x>.
activeFTP
FlagtoindicateifactiveFTPistobeallowed.ActiveFTPallowsincoming
connectionstobeopenedbytheremoteFTPserver.Turningthisoffmeansthat
onlypassivemodeFTPworks.Setthisflagto0toturnitoff.
The [udp] Section
timeout
NumberofsecondstokeeptheUDPmappingfortheNATnetwork.
The [dns] Section
ThissectionisforWindowshostsonly.Linuxdoesnotusethissection.
policy
PolicytouseforDNSforwarding.Acceptedvaluesinclude:
orderSendoneDNSrequestatatimeinorderofthenameservers.
rotateSendoneDNSrequestatatimeandrotatethroughtheDNSservers.
burstSendtothreeserversandwaitforthefirstonetorespond.
timeout
TimeinsecondsbeforeretryingaDNSrequest.
retries
NumberofretriesbeforetheNATdevicegivesuponaDNSrequest.
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autodetect
FlagtoindicatewhethertheNATdeviceshoulddetecttheDNSserversavailable
tothehost.
nameserver1
IPaddressofaDNSservertouse.
nameserver2
nameserver3
Ifautodetectisonandsomenameserversarespecified,theDNSserversspecified
innameserver1,nameserver2andnameserver3areaddedbeforethelistof
detectedDNSservers.
The [netbios] Section
ThissectionappliestoWindowshostsonly.Linuxdoesnotusethissection.
nbnsTimeout = 2
Timeout,inseconds,forNBNSqueries.
nbnsRetries = 3
NumberofretriesforeachNBNSquery.
nbdsTimeout = 3
Timeout,inseconds,forNBDSqueries.
The [incomingtcp] Section
UsethissectiontoconfigureTCPportforwardingforNAT.Inthissection,youcan
assignaportnumbertoanIPaddressandportnumberonavirtualmachine.
Thefollowinglineshowstheformatusedinthissection:
8887 = 192.168.27.128:21
Thisexamplecreatesamappingfromport8887onthehosttotheIPaddress
192.168.27.128andport21.Whenthismappingissetandanexternalmachineconnects
tothehostatport8887,thenetworkpacketsareforwardedtoport21(thestandardport
forFTP)onthevirtualmachinewithIPaddress192.168.27.128.
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The [incomingudp] Section

UsethissectiontoconfigureUDPportforwardingforNAT.Inthissection,youcan
assignaportnumbertoanIPaddressandportnumberonavirtualmachine.
Thefollowinglineshowstheformatusedinthissection.Itillustratesawaytoforward
Xservertrafficfromthehostport6000tothevirtualmachinesport6001:
6000 = 192.168.27.128:6001
Thisexamplecreatesamappingfromport6000onthehosttotheIPaddress
192.168.27.128andport6001.Whenthismappingissetandanexternalmachine
connectstothehostatport6000,thenetworkpacketsareforwardedtoport6001onthe
virtualmachinewithIPaddress192.168.27.128.
Considerations for Using NAT

FollowingaretheconsiderationstotakeintoaccountwhenyouuseNAT:
NATcausessomeperformanceloss.
BecauseNATrequiresthateverypacketsenttoandreceivedfromavirtual
machinemustbeintheNATnetwork,thereisanunavoidableperformance
penalty.
NATisnotperfectlytransparent.
Itdoesnotnormallyallowconnectionstobeinitiatedfromoutsidethenetwork,
althoughyoucansetupserverconnectionsbymanuallyconfiguringtheNAT
device.ThepracticalresultisthatsomeTCPandUDPprotocolsthatrequirea
connectionbeinitiatedfromtheservermachinesomepeertopeerapplications,
forexampledonotworkautomatically,andsomemightnotworkatall.
NATprovidessomefirewallprotection.
AstandardNATconfigurationprovidesbasiclevelfirewallprotectionbecausethe
NATdevicecaninitiateconnectionsfromtheprivateNATnetwork,butdeviceson
theexternalnetworkcannotnormallyinitiateconnectionstotheprivateNAT
network.
Using NAT with NetLogon

WhenusingNATnetworkinginavirtualmachinewithaWindowsguestoperating
systemrunningonaWindowshost,youcanuseNetLogontologontoaWindows
domainfromthevirtualmachine.YoucanthenaccessfilesharesknownbytheWINS
serverinthedomain.
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TouseNetLogon,youneedtoknowhowWINSserversandWindowsdomain
controllerswork.Thissectionexplainshowtosetupthevirtualmachinetouse
NetLogon.Thesetupprocessissimilartothewayyousetupaphysicalcomputeron
oneLANthatisusingadomaincontrolleronanotherLAN.
TologontoaWindowsdomainoutsidethevirtualNATnetwork,thevirtualmachine
needsaccesstoaWINSserverforthatdomain.Youcanconnectthevirtualmachineto
aWINSserverintwoways:
ConnecttotheWINSserverprovidedbytheDHCPserverusedontheNAT
network,iftheWINSserverisalreadysetuponthehost.
ToconnectfromthevirtualmachinetoaWINSservernotsetuponthehost,you
canmanuallyentertheIPaddressoftheWINSserver.
Thissectionprovidesinstructionsforbothstrategies.
Using NAT to Connect to an Existing WINS Server Set Up on the Host

Inordertousethismethod,aWINSserverinthesameworkgroupordomainmustbe
setuponthehost.ThesestepsuseWindows2000,WindowsXP,orWindows2003
Serverasaguide.TheprocessissimilarforWindowsNT,WindowsMe,andWindows
9xguests.ForWindowsVista,thefirstcoupleofstepsaredifferent,asnotedinthe
specificstepsbelow.
To use NAT to connect to a WINS server on the host
1
Inthevirtualmachine,rightclickMyNetworkPlacesandchooseProperties.
ForWindowsVista,opentheNetworkandSharingCenter,andclicktheView
Statuslinkfortheconnectionthatusesthedesiredvirtualnetworkadapter.
IntheNetworkConnectionswindow,rightclickthevirtualnetworkadapterand
chooseProperties.
ForWindowsVista,intheConnectionStatuswindow,clickPropertiesandclick
Continuewhenpromptedforpermission.
InthePropertiesdialogbox,selectInternetProtocol(TCP/IP)andclickProperties.
IntheTCP/IPPropertiesdialogbox,clickAdvanced.
OntheWINStab,underNetBIOSsetting,selectUseNetBIOSsettingfrom
DHCPServer.
ClickOKtwiceandclickClose.
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Manually Entering the IP Address of a WINS Server

UsethismethodtoconnecttoaWINSserverinthesameworkgroupordomainthatis
notalreadysetuponthehost.
To manually enter the IP address of a WINS server
1
Inthevirtualmachine,rightclickMyNetworkPlacesandchooseProperties.
ForWindowsVista,opentheNetworkandSharingCenter,andclicktheView
Statuslinkfortheconnectionthatusesthevirtualnetworkadapter.
IntheNetworkConnectionswindow,rightclickthevirtualnetworkadapterand
chooseProperties.
ForWindowsVista,intheConnectionStatuswindow,clickPropertiesandclick
Continuewhenpromptedforpermission.
InthePropertiesdialogbox,selectInternetProtocol(TCP/IP)andclickProperties.
IntheTCP/IPPropertiesdialogbox,clickAdvanced.
OntheWINStab,clickAdd.
IntheTCP/IPWINSServerdialogbox,entertheIPaddressfortheWINSserverin
theWINSserverfieldandclickOK.
TheIPaddressoftheWINSserverappearsintheWINSaddresseslistontheWINS
tab.
RepeatStep 5andStep 6foreachWINSservertowhichyouwanttoconnectfrom

thisvirtualmachine.
ClickOKtwiceandclickClose.
NowthatthevirtualmachinehasanIPaddressforaWINSserver,youuseNetLogon
inthevirtualmachinetologontoadomainandaccesssharesinthatdomain.
Forexample,iftheWINSservercoversadomainwithadomaincontroller,itispossible
toaccessthatdomaincontrollerfromthevirtualmachineandaddthevirtualmachine
tothedomain.YouneedtoknowtheuserIDandpasswordoftheAdministratoruser
onthedomaincontroller.
NOTEYouraccessislimitedtosharesofvirtualmachinesthatareonthesameNAT
networkorarebridgedonthesamedomain.
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Sample Linux vmnetnat.conf File

# 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. Turn this one 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
[dns]
# This section applies only to Windows.
#
# Policy to use for DNS forwarding. Accepted values include order,
# rotate, burst.
#
# order: send one DNS request at a time in order of the name servers
# rotate: send one DNS request at a time, rotate through the DNS servers
# burst: send to three servers and wait for the first one to respond
policy = order;
# Timeout in seconds before retrying DNS request.
timeout = 2
# Retries before giving up on DNS request
retries = 3
# Automatically detect the DNS servers (not supported in Windows NT)
autodetect = 1
# List of DNS servers to use. Up to three may be specified
#nameserver1 = 208.23.14.2
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#nameserver2 = 63.93.12.3
#nameserver3 = 208.23.14.4
[netbios]
# This section applies only to Windows.
# Timeout for NBNS queries.
nbnsTimeout = 2
# Number of retries for each NBNS query.
nbnsRetries = 3
# Timeout for NBDS queries.
nbdsTimeout = 3
[incomingtcp]
# Use these with care - anyone can enter into your virtual machine through
# these...
# FTP (both active and passive FTP is always enabled)
#
ftp localhost 8887
#8887 = 192.168.27.128:21
# WEB (make sure that if you are using named webhosting, names point to
#
your host, not to guest... And if you are forwarding port other
#
than 80 make sure that your server copes with mismatched port
#
number in Host: header)
#
lynx http://localhost:8888
#8888 = 192.168.27.128:80
# SSH
#
ssh -p 8889 root@localhost
#8889 = 192.168.27.128:22
[incomingudp]
# UDP port forwarding example
#6000 = 192.168.27.128:6001
Using Samba with Workstation

IfyouhaveSambarunningonyourLinuxhost,youcanconfigureSambasothatit
workswithWorkstation,asdescribedinthissection.
ModifyyourSambaconfigurationsothatitincludestheIPsubnetusedbythe
WorkstationvirtualEthernetadapter,VMnet1.
TodeterminewhichsubnetisbeingusedbyVMnet1,run:
/sbin/ifconfig vmnet1
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MakesuretheSambapasswordfileincludesentriesforallusersofthevirtualmachine
whowillaccessthehostsfilesystem.TheusernamesandpasswordsintheSamba
passwordfilemustmatchthoseusedforloggingontotheguestoperatingsystem.
YoucanaddusernamesandpasswordstotheSambapasswordfileatanytimefroma
terminalwindowonyourLinuxhostcomputer.
To add users to the Samba password file
1
Logontotherootaccount:
su
RuntheSambapasswordcommand:
smbpasswd -a <username>
<username>istheusernametoadd.
3
Followtheinstructionsonthescreen.
Logoutoftherootaccount:
exit
Using a Samba Server for Bridged and Host-Only Networks

TouseyourSambaserverforbothhostonlyandbridgednetworking,youmustmodify
oneparameterinthesmb.conffile.Youcandefinetheinterfaceparametersoyour
Sambaserverservesmultipleinterfaces.Anexampleofthisis:
interface = eth0 vmnet1
ThisexampletellstheSambaservertolistentoanduseboththeeth0andvmnet1
interfaces,whicharetheinterfacesusedbybridgedandhostonlynetworking,
respectively.
Using Samba Without Network Access

TomakeSambainaccessiblefromyourphysicalEthernetinterface,addthisline:
interfaces = vmnet*
to/etc/samba/smb.confandrestartSamba.
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14
Configuring Video and

Sound
14
Thefollowingsectionsprovideinformationonconfiguringthevideodisplayand
soundforVMwareWorkstation.Thischapterincludesthefollowingtopics:
SettingScreenColorDepthonpage 321
ExperimentalSupportforDirect3Donpage 322
ConfiguringSoundonpage 327
Setting Screen Color Depth

Thenumberofscreencolorsavailableintheguestoperatingsystemdependsonthe
screencolorsettingofthehostoperatingsystem.
Virtualmachinessupport:
16color(VGA)mode
8bitpseudocolor
16bitsperpixel(16significantbitsperpixel)
32bitsperpixel(24significantbitsperpixel)
Ifthehostisin15bitcolormode,theguestoperatingsystemscolorsettingcontrols
offer15bitmodeinplaceof16bitmode.
Ifthehostisin24bitcolormode,theguestoperatingsystemscolorsettingcontrols
offer24bitmodeinplaceof32bitmode.
Ifyourunaguestoperatingsystemsetforagreaternumberofcolorsthanyourhost
operatingsystemisusing,youcanencountervariousproblems.Insomecases,for
example,thecolorsintheguestarenotcorrect.Inothers,theguestoperatingsystemis
notabletouseagraphicalinterface.
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Youcantryeitherofthefollowingsolutions:
Increasethenumberofcolorsavailableonthehost,asdescribedinChanging
ScreenColorDepthontheHostonpage 322.
Decreasethenumberofcolorsusedintheguest,asdescribedinChangingScreen
ColorDepthintheVirtualMachineonpage 322.
Forbestperformance,usethesamenumberofcolorsintheguestandonthehost.
Changing Screen Color Depth on the Host

Ifyouchoosetochangethecolorsettingsonyourhostoperatingsystem,shutdownall
guestoperatingsystems,poweroffthevirtualmachines,andcloseWorkstation.
Followstandardproceduresforchangingthecolorsettingsonyourhostoperating
system,andthenrestartWorkstationandthevirtualmachines.
Changing Screen Color Depth in the Virtual Machine

Ifyouchoosetochangethecolorsettingsintheguestoperatingsystem,theapproach
youtakedependsontheguestoperatingsystem.
Followthenormalprocessforchangingscreencolorsinyourguestoperatingsystem:
InaWindowsguest,theDisplayPropertiescontrolpaneloffersonlythosesettings
thataresupported.
InaLinuxorFreeBSDguest,youmustchangethecolordepthbeforeyoustartthe
XserverorrestarttheXserveraftermakingthechanges.
Experimental Support for Direct3D

WorkstationincludesexperimentalsupportforDirect3Dvideoacceleration.This
featureisnotfullyfunctional.
CAUTIONFeatureswithexperimentalsupportarenotintendedtobeenabledon
productionsystems.Enabling3Daccelerationmightcausethehostorguesttocrash,
causingyoutolosedata,evenif3Dapplicationsarenotactive.
Totakeadvantageoftheexperimental3DcapabilitiesofWorkstation,thevirtual
machinemustberunningtheversionofVMwareToolsthatcorrespondstotheversion
ofWorkstationyouareusingtorunit.Forexample,avirtualmachinerunningon
Workstation6.0mustberunningtheversionofVMwareToolsprovidedwith
Workstation6.0.Ifyoumovethevirtualmachineandwanttousethe3Dcapabilities,
besureyouhavethecorrectversionofVMwareToolsinstalled.
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Chapter 14 Configuring Video and Sound
Audience for Direct3D Experimental Support

Workstationprovidesthisfeatureforadvancedcustomerswhowanttoexplorean
inprogressimplementationof3Dacceleration.
Technicalsupportforaccelerated3DisnotyetprovidedforWorkstation.However,
youareencouragedtofileasupportrequestsoVMwarecanevaluateproblemsyou
experiencewithaccelerated3D.ReviewHelpingVMwarewithExperimental
Supportonpage 326beforeyoufileasupportrequest.
Accelerated 3-D Limitations

ExperimentalsupportforDirect3DappliesonlytoWindows2000andWindowsXP
guests,onhostsrunningWindows2000,WindowsXP,WindowsVista,orLinux.
Experimentalsupporthasthefollowinglimitations:
WorkstationacceleratesDirectX8applicationsandDirectX9applicationsthatuse
onlythesubsetofDirectX8.
Supportfor3Dapplicationsisnotoptimizedforperformance.
OpenGLapplicationsruninsoftwareemulationmode.
Notallaspectsof3Daccelerationareenabled.Thefollowing3Dfeaturesarenot
accelerated:
Pixelandvertexshaders
Multiplevertexstreams
Hardwarebumpmapping,environmentmapping
Projectedtextures
Textureswithone,three,orfourdimensions
Enabling Accelerated 3-D

Bydefault,Direct3Dtechnologyisdisabled.Youmustpreparethehostfirst,thevirtual
machinesecond,andtheguestoperatingsystemlast.
CAUTIONFeatureswithexperimentalsupportarenotintendedforproduction
systems.
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To enable a host for accelerated 3-D

1
Withregardstohardware,useahostvideocardwithsupportforaccelerated
OpenGL,suchasNVIDIATNT,GeForceandQuadrocards,orATIFireGLand
Radeon8500(orhigher)videocards.
Ifyouareunsure,checkwithyourhardwaremanufacturer.
Withregardstosoftware,upgradethehostsvideodriverstothelatestversion
available:
ATIdriversareavailableat:
ati.amd.com/support/driver.html
NVIDIAdriversareavailableat:
www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp
IfyouareusingaWindows2000orWindowsXPhost,makesurehardware
accelerationisturnedupinthedisplayproperties:
a
Rightclickthedesktopandchoose
Properties>Settings>Advanced>Troubleshoot.
MovetheHardware AccelerationsliderallthewaytotheFullposition.
IfyouareusingLinux,testyourLinuxhostforcompatibility:
a
Toverifythatdirectrenderingisenabled,run:
glxinfo | grep direct
Toensurethat3Dapplicationsworkonyourhost,run:
glxgears
Afteryourhostisconfigured,configureavirtualmachineforaccelerated3D.
To enable a virtual machine for accelerated 3-D
1
ChooseavirtualmachinewithWindows2000orXPguestoperatingsystem.
DonotenableDirect3Donavirtualmachinethatispoweredonorsuspended.
Ifthevirtualmachineissettousemorethanonemonitor,usethevirtualmachine
settingseditortosetitbacktousingonlyonemonitor.
Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff,andthenselectit,choose
VM>Settings>Hardware>Display,andspecifyonemonitor.
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Addthefollowingtotheconfiguration(.vmx)fileforthevirtualmachine:
mks.enable3d = "TRUE"
Thislineenablesaccelerated3Donthehost.Itisrequiredtosupportaccelerated
3Dintheguestandalsoenablesthehosttoaccelerate2Dportionsoftheguest
display.
4
Alsoaddoneorbothofthefollowingoptionallines:
svga.vramSize = "67108864"
ThislineincreasestheamountofVRAMonthevirtualdisplaycardto64MB.
AddingmoreVRAMhelpstoreducethrashingintheguest.Themaximumvalue
is128MB.
vmmouse.present = "FALSE"
Thislinedisablestheabsolutepointingdeviceintheguest.Applicationsthat
requireDirectInputrelativemoderequirethatyouturnofftheabsolutepointing
deviceintheguest.Inpractice,thisisonlyrequiredforacertainclassoffullscreen
3Dapplications(forexample,realtimegameslikefirstpersonshooters).
5
Ifyousetthevmmouse.presentoption,alsoturnoffthepreferenceformotion
ungrabbingintheWorkstationpreferences,asfollows:
a
ClicktheInputtab.
DeselectUngrabwhencursorleaveswindow.
To enable the guest operating system for accelerated 3-D

1
InstallVMwareTools.
Forinstructions,seeInstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115.
InstallDirectX9.0cEndUserRuntime.
ThisdownloadisavailablefromMicrosoftat:
www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en&categoryid=2
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Installandrunyour3Dapplications.
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Known Issues
CommonproblemsforDirect3Dexperimentalsupportincludethefollowing:
SwitchingtabsintheVMwareWorkstationconsoledoesnotworkwhile3D
applicationsarerunning.
Switchingbetweenfullscreenandwindowedmodedoesnotworkwhile3D
applicationsarerunning.
Runningmultiple3DapplicationssimultaneouslymightcrashtheWorkstation
application.
Whena3Dapplicationisrunning,youcannotsuspendorresumethevirtual
machine,andyoucannottakesnapshots.
Graphicalcorruptionoccurs,suchas:
Screenshotormoviecapturedisplaysgraphicalcorruptionforthe3Dareaof
thescreen.
Theguestcursoroccasionallyhasahaloofcorruption(usuallywhite)when
mousingover3Dregionsintheguestoperatingsystem.
Helping VMware with Experimental Support

VMwareoffersonlyexperimentalsupportforDirect3Dacceleration.VMwaremight
notrespondpersonallytoallsupportrequestsregardingDirect3Dacceleration.
VMwareisinterestedinthefollowingtypesofissues:
Catastrophicfailuressuchasbluescreeningtheguest,or3Dapplicationsthat
crashWorkstation.
TestingreportsaboutATI8500(andlater)videocards(whetherornottheywork).
TestingreportsaboutLinuxhostoperatingsystems(whetherornottheywork).
TestingreportsaboutspecificDirectX8andDX9applicationsyouareusing
(whetherornottheywork).
Specificproblemsyouarehavingwhenrunning3D.
SpecificdirectionsinwhichyouwanttoseeVMware3Dtechnologyevolve.
Specificanddetailedreportscanhelpspeedthisfeaturefromexperimentalsupportto
fullfunctionality.Includeasmanydetailsaboutyourconfiguration,3Dapplications,
andhardwareasyoucan.
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Configuring Sound
WorkstationprovidesasounddevicecompatiblewiththeSoundBlasterAudioPCIand
supportssoundinWindows95,Windows98,WindowsMe,WindowsNT,Windows
2000,WindowsXP,WindowsServer2003,andLinuxguestoperatingsystems.The
Workstationsounddeviceisenabledbydefault.
SoundsupportincludesPCM(pulsecodemodulation)outputandinput.Forexample,
youcanplay.wavfiles,MP3audio,andRealMediaaudio.MIDIoutputfromWindows
guestsissupportedthroughtheWindowssoftwaresynthesizer.MIDIinputisnot
supported,andnoMIDIsupportisavailableforLinuxguests.
Windows2000,WindowsXP,andmostrecentLinuxdistributionsautomaticallydetect
thesounddeviceandinstallappropriatedriversforit.
ForWindowsVista,whenyouinstallVMwareToolsina64bitWindowsVistaguest
operatingsystem,asounddriverisinstalled.For32bitWindowsVistaguestsand
Windows2003Serverguests,youneedtouseWindowsUpdatetoinstalla32bitdriver.
Installing Sound Drivers in Windows 9x and NT Guests

Windows95,Windows98,Windows98SE,andWindowsNT4.0donothavedrivers
fortheSoundBlasterAudioPCIadapter.Tousesoundintheseguestoperatingsystems,
downloadthedriverfromtheCreativeLabsWebsite(www.creative.com)andinstall
itintheguestoperatingsystem.
CreativeLabshasanumberofWebsitesservingvariousregionsoftheworld.The
adapternamevaries,dependingontheregion,butusuallyincludesPCI128.
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15
Connecting Devices
15
Thischapterdescribeshowtousevariousdeviceswithavirtualmachine.Thischapter
includesthefollowingtopics:
UsingParallelPortsonpage 329
UsingSerialPortsonpage 335
ConfiguringKeyboardFeaturesonpage 343
UsingUSBDevicesinaVirtualMachineonpage 353
ConnectingtoaGenericSCSIDeviceonpage 359
UsingTwoWayVirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(Experimental)onpage 367
Using Parallel Ports

Parallelportsareusedbyavarietyofdevices,includingprinters,scanners,dongles,
anddiskdrives.
Currently,WorkstationprovidesonlypartialemulationofPS/2hardware.Interrupts
requestedbyadeviceconnectedtothephysicalportarenotpassedtothevirtual
machine.Also,theguestoperatingsystemcannotuseDMA(directmemoryaccess)to
movedatatoorfromtheport.Forthisreason,notalldevicesthatattachtotheparallel
portareguaranteedtoworkcorrectly.
Installation in Guest Operating Systems

Ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithaparallelport,mostguestoperatingsystems
detectitatinstallationtimeandinstalltherequireddrivers.Someoperatingsystems,
includingLinux,WindowsNT,andWindows2000,automaticallydetecttheportsat
boottime.Others,likeWindows95andWindows98,donot.
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To add a parallel port to the virtual machines configuration

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClickAddtostarttheNewHardwarewizard.
SelectParallelPortandclickNext.
Maketheappropriateselectiontouseaphysicalparallelportorconnectthevirtual
parallelporttoafile.
Specifywhichoptionyouwanttousefortheparallelport:
IfyouselectUsephysicalparallelport,clickNextandchoosetheportfrom
thedropdownlist.
IfyouselectOutputfile,clickNextandenterthepathandfilenameorbrowse
tothelocationofthefile.
UnderDevicestatus,ifyoudonotwanttheparallelporttoconnectatpoweron
clearthecheckbox.
ClickFinish.
InaWindows95orWindows98guest,afteryouaddtheport,runtheguestoperating
systemsAddNewHardwarewizard(Start>Settings>ControlPanel>AddNew
Hardware)andletWindowsdetectthenewdevice.
Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host

Fortheparallelporttoworkproperlyinaguest,itmustfirstbeconfiguredproperlyon
thehost.Mostissuesinvolvingparallelportfunctionalityarearesultofthehost
configuration.Thissectionprovidesinstructionsforcheckingthefollowingareasof
concern:theversionofyourLinuxkernel,yourdeviceaccesspermissions,andthe
requiredmodules.Thissectionincludesthefollowingtopics:
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ParallelPortsandLinux2.2.xKernelsonpage 331
DevicePermissionsonpage 334
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Chapter 15 Connecting Devices
Parallel Ports and Linux 2.2.x Kernels

The2.2.xkernelsthatsupportparallelportsusetheparport,parport_pc,and
vmppusermodules.BesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)is
loadedasamodule.OnLinuxhosts,Workstationrequiresthattheparallelport
PCstylehardwareoption(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)bebuiltandloadedasakernel
module(thatis,itmustbesettom).Workstationisunabletouseparallelportdevices
ifCONFIG_PARPORT_PCisbuiltdirectly(compiled)intothekernel.Thislimitation
existsbecauseCONFIG_PARPORT_PCdoesnotcorrectlyexportitssymbols.
ThevmppusermoduleissuppliedbyWorkstationtogivevirtualmachinesuserlevel
accesstotheparallelport.
To check the configuration
1
Determinewhethertheparport,parport_pc,andvmppusermodulesare
installedandrunningonyoursystembyrunningthelsmodcommandastheroot
user.
Thesethreemodulesshouldbeincludedinthelistingofrunningmodules.Youcan
alsolookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
Toloadthepropermodules,runthiscommand:
insmod <modulename>
Ifnoneofthelistedparallelportmodulesisloaded,usethiscommand:
insmod parport_pc
Thiscommandinsertsthethreemodulesneededforaparallelport.
Ifyoucontinuetoseeproblems,itispossiblethatthelpmoduleisrunning.Ifitis,
thevirtualmachinecannotusetheparallelportcorrectly.
4
Ifthelpmoduleisloaded,runthiscommandastherootusertoremoveit:
rmmod lp
Verifythatthelinereferringtothelpmoduleinthe/etc/modules.confor
/etc/conf.modulesfileisremovedorcommentedoutbyinsertingahash
character(#)atthebeginningoftheline.
ThenameoftheconfigurationfiledependsontheLinuxdistributionyouare
using.Whenyourebootthehostafterremovingthisline,theconfigurationfileno
longerstartsthelpmodule.
Toensurethatthepropermodulesfortheparallelportareloadedatboottime,add
thislinetothe/etc/modules.confor/etc/conf.modulesfile:
alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc
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BesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)isloadedasamodule(that
is,itmustbesettom).Ifyouareusinga2.4.xkernel,themodulesthatprovide
parallelportfunctionalityareparport,parport_pc,andppdev.
Alsobesuretoenablesupportforuserspaceparalleldevicedrivers
(CONFIG_PPDEV).
1
Determinewhethertheparport,parport_pc,andppdevmodulesareinstalled
andloadedonyoursystembyrunningthelsmodcommandastherootuser.
Thesethreemodulesshouldbeincludedinthelistingofloadedmodules.Youcan
alsolookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
Toloadthepropermodules,runthiscommand:
insmod <modulename>
insmod parport_pc
Thiscommandinsertstheparport and parport_pcmodulesneededfora

parallelport.
4
Usethiscommandtoloadtheppdevmodule:
insmod ppdev
Ifyoucontinuetoseeproblems,itispossiblethatthelpmoduleisloaded.Ifitis,
5
rmmod lp
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Linuxkernelsinthe2.4.xseriesalsouseaspecialarbitratorthatallowsaccesstothe
parallelporthardware.Iftheparallelportisinusebythehost,theguestcannotuseit.
Ifavirtualmachineisusingtheparallelport,thehostandanyusersaccessingthehost
arenotgivenaccesstothedevice.Workstationputsalockonthedevice,andthislock
restrictsaccesssothatonlythevirtualmachinecanusetheport.
FromtheVMwareWorkstationmenubar,youcanchooseVM>RemovableDevicesto
disconnecttheparallelportfromthevirtualmachineandreconnectit.

BesurethatPCStyleHardware(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)isloadedasamodule(that
is,itmustbesettom).Ifyouareusinga2.6.xkernel,themodulesthatprovide
parallelportfunctionalityare modprobe <modulename>and modprobe parport_pc.
1
Determinewhetherthemodprobe <modulename>and modprobe parport_pc

modulesareinstalledandloadedonyoursystembyrunningthelsmodcommand
astherootuser.
Youcanalsolookatthe/proc/modulesfileforthesamelist.
With2.6.x,loadingparport_pcdoesnotloadallmodules.
modprobe parport_pc && modprobe ppdev
Thiscommandinsertsthemodulesneededforaparallelport.
Ifyoucontinuetoseeproblems,itispossiblethatthelpmoduleisloaded.Ifitis,
3
rmmod lp
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Linuxkernelsinthe2.6.xseriesalsouseaspecialarbitratorthatallowsaccesstothe
parallelporthardware.Iftheparallelportisinusebythehost,theguestcannotuseit.
Ifavirtualmachineisusingtheparallelport,thehostandanyusersaccessingthehost
arenotgivenaccesstothedevice.Workstationputsalockonthedevice,andthislock
restrictsaccesssothatonlythevirtualmachinecanusetheport.
YoucanchooseVM>RemovableDevicestodisconnecttheparallelportfromthe
virtualmachineandreconnectit.
Device Permissions
SomeLinuxdistributionsbydefaultdonotgrantthevirtualmachineaccesstothelp
andparportdevices.Inmostofthesecases,theownerofthedeviceisrootandthe
associatedgroupislp.ToallowtheVMwareusertoaccessthedevice,addtheuserto
theassociatedgroup.Toviewtheownerandgroupofthedevice,runthiscommand:
ls la /dev/parport0
Thethirdandfourthcolumnsoftheoutputshowtheownerandgroup,respectively.
Toaddtheusertothedevicegroup,editthe/etc/groupfile.Onthelinestartingwith
lp,whichdefinesthelpgroup,addtheWorkstationusersusername.Youmustmake
thischangeastherootuser.Thefollowinglineprovidesanexampleforauserwhose
usernameisuserj.
lp::7:daemon,lp,userj
Thenexttimetheuserlogsontothehost,thechangestakeeffect.
Special Notes for the Iomega Zip Drive

OnWindows95orWindows98,useofolderdriversfortheIomegaZipdrivemight
causetheguestoperatingsystemtolockupintermittentlyatboottimeorduring
installationoftheguestoperatingsystem.ThenewestIomegadriversworkreliablyin
VMwaretests.TheyareavailablefromtheIomegawebsite.Gotowww.iomega.com
andclickonSupport&Downloads.
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Using Serial Ports

AWorkstationvirtualmachinecanuseuptofourvirtualserialports.Thevirtualserial
portscanbeconfiguredinseveralways:
Connectavirtualserialporttoaphysicalserialportonthehostcomputer.
Connectavirtualserialporttoafileonthehostcomputer.
Makeadirectconnectionbetweentwovirtualmachinesorbetweenavirtual
machineandanapplicationrunningonthehostcomputer.
Thissectionprovidesinstructionsforalltheseoptions.Youcanalsoselectwhetherto
connectthevirtualserialportwhenyoupoweronthevirtualmachine.
Using a Serial Port or a File on the Host Computer

Youcansetupthevirtualserialportinavirtualmachinetouseaphysicalserialport
onthehostcomputer.Thisisuseful,forexample,ifyouwanttouseanexternalmodem
orahandhelddeviceinyourvirtualmachine.
Alternatively,youcansetupthevirtualserialportinavirtualmachinetosendits
outputtoafileonthehostcomputer.Thisisuseful,forexample,ifyouwanttocapture
thedataaprogramrunninginthevirtualmachinesendstothevirtualserialportorif
youneedaquickwaytotransferafilefromtheguesttothehost.
To install a virtual serial port that connects to a physical serial port or a file
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClickAddtostarttheAddHardwarewizardandclickNext.
SelectSerialPortandclickNext.
OntheSerialPortTypepage,selecteitherUsephysicalserialportonthehostor
OutputtofileandclickNext.
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Dependingonwhetheryouwanttouseaphysicalserialportorafile,dooneofthe
following:
Foraphysicalserialport,ontheSelectaPhysicalSerialPortpage,choosethe
portonthehostcomputerthatyouwanttouseforthisserialconnection.
Forafile,ontheChooseSerialPortOutputFilepage,browsetothefileonthe
hostcomputerthatyouwanttousetostoretheoutputofthevirtualserial
port.
MakesuretheConnectatpoweroncheckboxisselectedifdesired.
ClickFinishtoreturntotheHardwaretabofthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
(Windowshostsonly)OntheHardwaretab,toconfigurethisserialporttouse
polledmode,selectYieldCPUonpoll.
Thisoptionisofinteresttodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtoolsthat
communicateoveraserialconnection.Formoreinformation,seeConfiguration
OptionsforAdvancedUsersonpage 340.
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Connecting an Application on the Host to a Virtual Machine

Youcansetupthevirtualserialportinavirtualmachinetoconnecttoanapplication
onthehostcomputer.Thisisuseful,forexample,ifyouwanttouseanapplicationon
thehosttocapturedebugginginformationsentfromthevirtualmachinesserialport.
Toinstalladirectserialconnectionbetweenanapplicationonthehostandavirtual
machine,usethefollowingprocedure.
To connect a host application to a virtual machine
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
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OntheSerialPortTypepage,selectOutputtoNamedPipeandclickNext.
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DependingonwhetheryouareusingaLinuxhostoraWindowshost,dooneof
thefollowing:
ForaWindowshost:OntheSpecifyNamedPipepage,acceptthedefaultpipe
nameorenteranotherpipename.Thepipenamemustfollowtheform
\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>thatis,itmustbeginwith\\.\pipe\.
ForaLinuxhost:InthePathfield,enter/tmp/<socket>oranotherUNIX
socketnameofyourchoice.
SelectThisendistheserverorThisendistheclient.
SelectThisendistheserverifyouplantostartthisendoftheconnectionfirst.
SelectTheotherendisanapplication.
10
11 (Windowshostsonly)OntheHardwaretab,toconfigurethisserialporttouse
12
Onyourhostcomputer,configuretheapplicationthatcommunicateswiththe
virtualmachinetousethesamepipename(foraWindowshost)orthesameUNIX
socketname(foraLinuxhost).
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Connecting Two Virtual Machines

Youcansetupthevirtualserialportsintwovirtualmachinestoconnecttoeachother.
Thisisuseful,forexample,ifyouwanttouseanapplicationinonevirtualmachine(the
client)tocapturedebugginginformationsentfromtheother(theserver)virtual
machinesserialport.
Thefollowingproceduresdescribehowtosetuptheserverandtheclientfor
connectingtoeachotherbytwovirtualserialports.
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To set up the server side of the connection

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
thefollowing:
socketnameofyourchoice.
SelectThisendistheserver.
SelectTheotherendisavirtualmachine.
10
11 (Windowshostsonly)OntheHardwaretab,toconfigurethisserialporttouse
12
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To set up the client side of the connection

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
thefollowing:
socketnameofyourchoice.Thepipenamemustbethesameonbothserver
andclient.
SelectThisendistheclient.
SelectTheotherendisavirtualmachine.
10
11
(Windowshostsonly)OntheHardwaretab,toconfigurethisserialporttouse
12
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Configuration Options for Advanced Users

Twospecialconfigurationoptionsareavailableforserialconnectionsbetweenavirtual
machineandthehostorbetweentwovirtualmachines:
YieldingCPUonPolltoImprovePerformanceWhenDebugging(WindowsHosts
Only)onpage 340
ChangingtheInputSpeedoftheSerialConnectiononpage 340
Theseoptionsareofinterestprimarilytodeveloperswhoareusingdebuggingtools
thatcommunicateoveraserialconnection.
Yielding CPU on Poll to Improve Performance When Debugging

(Windows Hosts Only)
Thisoptionisusefulwhentheserialportisbeingusedbytheguestoperatingsystem
inpolledmodeasopposedtointerruptmode.Polledmodecausesthevirtualmachine
toconsumeadisproportionateshareofCPUtime,whichcancausethehostandother
guestsrunsluggishly.
Thefollowingproceduredescribeshowtosetanoptiontoforcetheaffectedvirtual
machinetoyieldprocessortimeiftheonlytaskitistryingtodoispollthevirtualserial
port.
To improve the performance of applications on the Windows host
1
Thevirtualmachinecanbeeitherpoweredofforpoweredon.
ChooseVM>Settings.
OntheHardwaretab,selectSerialPort.
(Windowshostsonly)IntheI/Omodesection,selectYieldCPUonpollandclick
OK.
Changing the Input Speed of the Serial Connection

Thisoptionincreasesthespeedofyourserialconnectionoverapipetothevirtual
machine.Inprinciple,thereisnolimitontheoutputspeed,whichisthespeedatwhich
thevirtualmachinesendsdatathroughthevirtualserialport.Inpractice,theoutput
speeddependsonhowfasttheapplicationattheotherendofthepipereadsdata
inboundtoit.
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To change the input speed of the serial connection

1
Usetheguestoperatingsystemtoconfiguretheserialportforthehighestsetting
supportedbytheapplicationyouarerunninginthevirtualmachine.
PoweroffthevirtualmachineandclosetheWorkstationwindow.
Useatexteditortoaddthefollowinglinetoyourvirtualmachinesconfiguration
(.vmx)file:
serial<n>.pipe.charTimePercent = "<x>"
<n>isthenumberoftheserialport,startingfrom0.Sothefirstserialportis
serial0.
<x>isapositiveintegerthatspecifiesthetimetakentotransmitacharacter,
expressedasapercentageofthedefaultspeedsetfortheserialportintheguest
operatingsystem.Forexample,asettingof200forcestheporttotaketwiceaslong
percharacter,orsenddataathalfthedefaultspeed.Asettingof50forcestheport
totakeonlyhalfaslongpercharacter,orsenddataattwicethedefaultspeed.
Assumingthattheserialportspeedissetappropriatelyintheguestoperating
system,experimentwiththissetting.Startwithavalueof100andgradually
decreaseituntilyoufindthehighestspeedatwhichyourconnectionworks
reliably.
Examples: Debugging over a Virtual Serial Port

YoucanuseDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orKernelDebugger(KD)todebug
kernelcodeinavirtualmachineoveravirtualserialport.DownloadDebuggingTools
forWindowsfromtheWindowsDDKWebsiteat
www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx.
Thefollowingtwoexamplesillustratehowtouseavirtualserialporttodebugkernel
codeinavirtualmachine:
WiththedebuggingapplicationontheWorkstationhost(Windowshostsonly)
Withthedebuggingapplicationinanothervirtualmachineonthesame
Workstationhost(usefulonaLinuxhostandcanalsobedoneonaWindowshost)
Usingeitherofthesemethodsletsyoudebugkernelcodeononesystem,withoutthe
needfortwophysicalcomputers,amodem,oraserialcable.
Debugging an Application in a Virtual Machine from the Windows Host

Inthisexample,youhavekernelcodetodebuginavirtualmachine(calledthetarget
virtualmachine)andarerunningWinDbgorKDonyourWindowshost.
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To debug an application from a Windows host

1
Preparethetargetvirtualmachine,asdescribedinConnectinganApplicationon
theHosttoaVirtualMachineonpage 336.
Makesureyouconfigurethevirtualmachinesvirtualserialportasfollows:
SelectThisendistheserver.
UnderI/OMode,selecttheYieldCPUonpollcheckbox,becausethekernel
inthetargetvirtualmachineusesthevirtualserialportinpolledmode,not
interruptmode.
Preparethehost:MakesureyouhavearecentversionofDebuggingToolsfor
Windowsonethatsupportsdebuggingoverapipe.
Youneedversion5.0.18.0orhigher.
Makesuretheserialportisconnected,asfollows:FromtheWorkstationmenubar,
chooseVM>RemovableDevices.
Onthatmenu,Serial<n>shouldbereportedas\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>(on
Windowshosts)or/tmp/<socket>(onLinuxhosts).Iftheserialportisnot
connected,choosethevirtualserialportandclickConnect.
Onthehost,openacommandpromptwindowanddooneofthefollowing:
IfyouareusingWinDbg,typethefollowing:
windbg -k com:port=\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>,pipe
IfyouareusingKD,typethefollowing:
kd -k com:port=\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>,pipe
PressEntertostartdebugging.
Debugging an Application in a Virtual Machine from Another Virtual

Machine
Inthissituation,youhavekernelcodetodebuginavirtualmachine(calledthetarget
virtualmachine)andarerunningDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orKernel
Debugger(KD)inanothervirtualmachine(calledthedebuggervirtualmachine)onthe
samehost.
ThisisusefulifyouarerunningWorkstationonaLinuxhost.Thedebuggervirtual
machinemustberunningDebuggingToolsforWindows(WinDbg)orKernelDebugger
(KD)inaWindowsguestoperatingsystem.
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To debug an application from another virtual machine

1
Preparethetargetvirtualmachine:Usetheappropriateplatformspecific
procedurefortheservervirtualmachinedescribedinConnectingTwoVirtual
Machinesonpage 337.
OnWindowshosts,makesurewhenyouconfigurethetargetvirtualmachines
virtualserialportthatyouselecttheYieldCPUonpollcheckbox,becausethe
kernelinthetargetvirtualmachineusesthevirtualserialportinpolledmode,not
interruptmode.
Forthedebuggervirtualmachine,makesureyouhavedownloadedDebugging
ToolsforWindows.
FollowthestepsfortheclientvirtualmachineinConnectingTwoVirtual
Machinesonpage 337.
Poweronbothvirtualmachines.
Makesuretheserialportisconnected:ChoosechooseVM>RemovableDevices.
Iftheserialportisnotconnected,choosethevirtualserialportandclickConnect.
Inthedebuggervirtualmachine,startdebuggingwithWinDbgorKDnormally.
Configuring Keyboard Features

EnhancedVirtualKeyboardforWindowsHostsonpage 343
HotKeysonpage 344
SpecifyingaLanguageKeymapforVNCClientsonpage 345
KeyboardMappingonaLinuxHostonpage 346
Enhanced Virtual Keyboard for Windows Hosts

Thisfeatureprovidesbetterhandlingofinternationalkeyboardsandkeyboardswith
extrakeys.Italsoofferssecurityimprovements,asitprocessesrawkeyboardinputas
soonaspossible,bypassingWindowskeystrokeprocessingandanymalwarethatsnot
alreadyatalowerlayer.Thisfeatureiscurrentlyavailableforall32bitWindowsguests
exceptWindowsVistaguests.
Ifyouusethisfeature,whenyoupressCtrl+Alt+Delete,theguestsystemonly,rather
thanbothguestandhost,willactonthecommand.
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To use the enhanced virtual keyboard on Windows hosts

1
StartWorkstationontheWindowshostandselectthevirtualmachine.
ChooseVM>Settings.
ClicktheOptionstab,andselectGeneral.
Toenableordisablethesetting,usethecheckboxcalledUseenhancedvirtual
keyboardandclickOK.
IfyouhavejustinstalledWorkstationorupgradedtoWorkstation6,youmight
needtorestartthehostcomputerbeforeturningonthissetting.
Hot Keys
Hotkeysletyouspecifythekeycombinationthatisusedwithhotkeysequencesforall
yourvirtualmachines.Forexample,youcanrequirethatallhotkeysequencesuse
Ctrl+Shift+Alt.Thisisusefulifyouwanttopreventcertainkeycombinations(suchas
Ctrl+Alt+Del)frombeinginterceptedbyWorkstationinsteadofbeingsenttotheguest
operatingsystem.
Usehotkeysequencesto:
Switchbetweenvirtualmachines
Enterandleavefullscreenmode
Ungrabinput
SendCtrl+Alt+Deltothevirtualmachineonly(nottothehostmachine)
Sendcommandstothevirtualmachineonly(nottothehostmachine)
BecauseCtrl+AlttellsWorkstationtorelease(ungrab)mouseandkeyboardinput,
combinationsthatincludeCtrl+Altarenotpassedtotheguestoperatingsystem.Ifyou
needtousesuchacombinationforexample,useCtrl+Alt+<Fkey>toswitchbetween
LinuxworkspacesinavirtualmachinepressCtrl+Alt+Space,releaseSpacewithout
releasingCtrlandAlt,andpressthethirdkeyofthekeycombinationyouwanttosend
totheguest.
UseWorkstationspreferenceseditortospecifywhichhotsequencesyouwanttouse.
Fromthemenubar,chooseEdit>Preferences>HotKeys.
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Specifying a Language Keymap for VNC Clients

IfyousetavirtualmachinetoactasaVNCserver,youcanspecifywhichlanguageyou
wanttouseforthekeyboardthatVNCclientsuse.Bydefault,theUS101keyboardmap
(U.S.English)isused.
To specify which keymap to use for VNC clients
1
SetthevirtualmachinetoactasaVNCserver,asdescribedinUsingaVNCClient
forRemoteConnectionstoaVirtualMachineonpage 184.
Useatexteditortoopentheconfigurationfile(.vmxfile)forthevirtualmachine
andaddthefollowinglines:
RemoteDisplay.vnc.keyMap = "<xx>"
where<xx>isthecodeforthelanguageyouwanttouse,suchasjpfor
Japanese.Thissettingtellsthevirtualmachinewhichkeyboardmapfileto
use.ItassumesthatthekeyboardmapfilesarelocatedintheWorkstation
installationdirectory:/usr/lib/vmware/vnckeymaponLinuxandin
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\VMware\vnckeymaponWindows.Followingisalistoflanguagecodes:
de:German
de-ch:German(Switzerland)
es:Spanish
fi:Finnish
fr:French
fr-be:French(Belgium)
fr-ch:French(Switzerland)
is:Icelandic
it:Italian
jp:Japanses
nl-be:Dutch(Belgium)
no:Norwegian
pt:Polish
uk:UKEnglish
us:USEnglish
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Ifthekeyboardmapfileyouwanttouseisinsomeotherlocation,youcanset
thepropertyRemoteDisplay.vnc.keyMapFileinsteadof
RemoteDisplay.vnc.keyMap.SetRemoteDisplay.vnc.keyMapFiletoan
absolutefilepath.
RemoteDisplay.vnc.enabled = "TRUE"
RemoteDisplay.vnc.port = "<port number>"

where<port number>istheportnumberyouwanttouse.
StartthevirtualmachineandconnecttoitfromaVNCclient.
Keyboard Mapping on a Linux Host

Thissectionaddressesthefollowingissuesandprovidesadditionaldetailson
keyboardmappinginLinux:
SomelanguagespecifickeyboardsdonotappeartobesupportedbyWorkstation.
Someofthekeysonthekeyboarddontworkcorrectlyinthevirtualmachine.
Thekeyboardworksfinewhenyourunavirtualmachinelocally,butnotwhen
yourunthesamevirtualmachinewitharemoteXserver.
IfyourkeyboardworkscorrectlywithalocalXserver,andyoujustwantthesame
behaviorwitharemoteXserver(whichisalsoanXFree86serverrunningonaPC),first,
poweroffthevirtualmachineandclosetheVMwareWorkstationwindow.Addthe
followinglinetothevirtualmachineconfigurationfileorto~/.vmware/config:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = "TRUE"
Makethischangeonthehostmachine,whereyourunthevirtualmachine,notonthe
machinewiththeremoteXserver.
IfyouareusinganXFree86basedserverthatWorkstationdoesnotrecognizeasan
XFree86server,usethislineinstead:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = "TRUE"
IfyouareusinganXFree86serverrunninglocally,andthekeyboarddoesnotwork
correctly,reporttheproblemtoVMwaretechnicalsupport.
X Key Codes Versus Keysyms

PressingakeyonthePCkeyboardgeneratesascancodebasedroughlyontheposition
ofthekey.Forexample,theZkeyonaGermankeyboardgeneratesthesamecodeas
theYkeyonanEnglishkeyboard,becausetheyareinthesamepositiononthe
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keyboard.Mostkeyshaveonebytescancodes,butsomekeyshavetwobytescan
codeswithprefix0xe0.
Internally,WorkstationusesasimplifiedversionofthePCscancodethatisasingle
ninebitnumericvalue,calledavscancode.Avscancodeiswrittenasathreedigit
hexadecimalnumber.Thefirstdigitis0or1.Forexample,thelefthandCtrlkeyhasa
onebytescancode(0x1d);itsvscancodeis0x01d.TherighthandCtrlkeyscancode
istwobytes(0xe0,0x1d);itsvscancodeis0x11d.
AnXserverusesatwolevelencodingofkeys.AnXkeycodeisaonebytevalue.The
assignmentofkeycodestokeysdependsontheXserverimplementationandthe
physicalkeyboard.Asaresult,anXapplicationnormallycannotusekeycodesdirectly.
Instead,thekeycodesaremappedintokeysymsthathavenameslikespace,escape,x
and2.ThemappingcanbecontrolledbyanXapplicationbyusingthefunction
XChangeKeyboardMapping()orbytheprogramxmodmap.Toexplorekeyboard
mappings,youcanusexev,whichshowsthekeycodesandkeysymsforkeystyped
intoitswindow.
Akeycodecorrespondsroughlytoaphysicalkey,whileakeysymcorrespondstothe
symbolonthekeytop.Forexample,withanXFree86serverrunningonaPC,theZkey
ontheGermankeyboardhasthesamekeycodeastheYkeyonanEnglishkeyboard.
TheGermanZkeysym,however,isthesameastheEnglishZkeysym,anddifferent
fromtheEnglishYkeysym.
ForanXFree86serveronaPC,thereisaonetoonemappingfromXkeycodestoPC
scancodes(orvscancodes,whichiswhatWorkstationreallyuses).Workstationtakes
advantageofthisfact.WhenitisusinganXFree86serveronthelocalhost,itusesthe
builtinmappingfromXkeycodestovscancodes.Thismappingiskeyboard
independentandshouldbecorrectformost,ifnotall,languages.Inothercases(notan
XFree86serverornotalocalserver),Workstationmustmapkeysymstovscancodes
byusingasetofkeyboardspecifictables.
Configuring How Key Codes Are Mapped

Keycodemappingissimple,automatic,andfoolproof.(Keysymmappingismore
complexandisdescribedlater.)However,becausetheprogramcannottellwhethera
remoteserverisrunningonaPCoronsomeotherkindofcomputer,ituseskeycode
mappingonlywithlocalXservers.Thisapproachmighthaveundesirableeffects.This
andotherbehaviorrelatedtokeycodemappingcanbecontrolledbypoweringoffthe
virtualmachine,closingtheVMwareWorkstationwindow,andusingatexteditorto
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addconfigurationsettingstothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.Following
aresomeconfigurationsettingsyoumightwanttouse:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = "TRUE"
UsekeycodemappingifyouareusinganXFree86server,evenifitisremote.
xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = "TRUE"
Alwaysusekeycodemappingregardlessofservertype.
xkeymap.nokeycodeMap = "TRUE"
Neverusekeycodemapping.
xkeymap.keycode.<code> = "<v-scan code>"

Ifyouareusingkeycodemapping,mapkeycode<code>to<v-scan code>.In
thisexample,<code>mustbeadecimalnumberand<v-scan code>shouldbea
Csyntaxhexadecimalnumber(forexample,0x001).
TheeasiestwaytofindtheXkeycodeforakeyistorunxevorxmodmap -pk.Mostof
thevscancodesarecoveredinVScanCodeTableonpage 349.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"
TheseconfigurationlinescanbeaddedtoyourpersonalWorkstationconfiguration
(~/.vmware/config),oreventothehostwide(/etc/vmware/config)or
installationwide(usually/usr/lib/vmware/config)configuration.
Configuring How Keysyms Are Mapped

Whenkeycodemappingcannotbeused(orisdisabled),Workstationmapskeysyms
tovscancodes.Itdoesthisusingoneofthetablesinthexkeymapdirectoryinthe
Workstationinstallation(usually/usr//lib/vmware).
Whichtableyoushouldusedependsonthekeyboardlayout.Thenormaldistribution
includestablesforPCkeyboardsfortheUnitedStatesandanumberofEuropean
countriesandlanguages.Andformostofthese,thereareboththe101key(or102key)
andthe104key(or105key)variants.
WorkstationautomaticallydetermineswhichtabletousebyexaminingthecurrentX
keymap.However,itsdecisionmakingprocesscansometimesfail.Inaddition,each
mappingisfixedandmightnotbecompletelycorrectforanygivenkeyboardandXkey
codetokeysymmapping.Forexample,ausermighthaveswappedCtrlandCaps
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Lockusingxmodmap.Thismeansthekeysareswappedinthevirtualmachinewhen
usingaremoteserver(keysymmapping)butareunswappedwhenusingalocalserver
(keycodemapping).
Therefore,keysymmappingisnecessarilyimperfect.Tomakeupforthisdefect,you
canchangemostofthebehaviorbyusingconfigurationsettings:
xkeymap.language = "<keyboard-type>"
UsethissettingifWorkstationhasatableinxkeymapforyourkeyboardbutcant
detectit.<keyboard-type>mustbeoneofthetablesinthexkeymapdirectory.
(Seeaboveforlocation.)However,thefailuretodetectthekeyboardprobably
meansthetableisntcompletelycorrectforyou.
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/include/X11/keysymdef.hhasacompletelistof
keysyms.(ThenameofakeysymisthesameasitsCconstantwithouttheXK_
prefix.)MostvscancodesareinVScanCodeTableonpage 349.
Thexkeymaptablesthemselvesarealsohelpful.Usethemtofixsmallerrorsinan
existingmapping.
xkeymap.fileName = "<file-path>"
Usethekeysymmappingtablein<file-path>.Atableisasequenceof
configurationlinesofthefollowingform:
<sym> = "<v-scan code>"
where<sym>isanXkeysymname,and<v-scan code>isaCsyntaxhexadecimal
number(forexample,0x001).(Seetheexplanationofxkeymap.keysymabovefor
tipsonfindingthekeysymsandvscancodesforyourkeyboard.)
Compilingacompletekeysymmappingisdifficult.Itisbesttostartwithan
existingtableandmakesmallchanges.
V-Scan Code Table

Table 151showsthevscancodesforthe104keyU.S.keyboard.
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Table 15-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard

Symbol
Shifted Symbol
Location
Esc
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
0x018
0x019
0x01a
0x01b
Enter
Ctrl
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V-Scan Code
0x01c
left
0x01d
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Table 15-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard (Continued)
Symbol
Shifted Symbol
Location
V-Scan Code
0x01e
0x01f
0x020
0x021
0x022
0x023
0x024
0x025
0x026
0x027
0x028
0x029
Shift
\
left
|
0x02a
0x02b
0x02c
0x02d
0x02e
0x02f
0x030
0x031
0x032
<
0x033
>
0x034
0x035
Shift
right
0x036
numericpad
0x037
Alt
left
0x038
Spacebar
0x039
CapsLock
0x03a
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Symbol
Shifted Symbol
Location
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
numericpad
0x049
numericpad
0x04a
numericpad
0x04b
numericpad
0x04c
numericpad
0x04d
numericpad
0x04e
Leftarrow
5
Rightarrow
+
End
numericpad
0x04f
Downarrow
numericpad
0x050
PgDn
numericpad
0x051
Ins
numericpad
0x052
numericpad
0x053
Del
F11
0x057
F12
0x058
Break
Enter
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V-Scan Code
Pause
0x100
numericpad
0x11c
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Symbol
Location
V-Scan Code
Ctrl
right
0x11d
numericpad
0x135
SysRq
Shifted Symbol
PrintScrn
0x137
Alt
right
0x138
Home
functionpad
0x147
Uparrow
functionpad
0x148
PageUp
functionpad
0x149
Leftarrow
functionpad
0x14b
Rightarrow
functionpad
0x14d
End
functionpad
0x14f
Downarrow
functionpad
0x150
PageDown
functionpad
0x151
Insert
functionpad
0x152
Delete
functionpad
0x153
Windows
left
0x15b
Windows
right
0x15c
Menu
0x15d
The84keykeyboardhasaSysReqkeyonthenumericpad.Itsvscancodeis0x054.
KeyboardsoutsidetheU.S.usuallyhaveanextrakey(often<>or<>|)nexttotheleft
shiftkey.Thevscancodeforthiskeyis0x056.
Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine

WorkstationprovidestwoUSBcontrollers,sothatyoucanconnecttobothUSB1.1and
USB2.0devices:
ForUSB1.1,aUHCIcontrollerwithavirtualhubenablesyoutoconnecttomore
thantwoUSB1.1devices.
ForUSB2.0,anEHCIcontrollerenablesyoutoconnecttouptosixUSB2.0devices.
ForUSB2.0support,yourhostmachinemustsupportUSB2.0,andyoumust
enableUSB2.0supportinWorkstation,asdescribedinthissection.
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USB2.0supportisavailableonlyforWorkstation6virtualmachines.
Onthehostsystem,whenaUSB2.0deviceconnectstoaport,thedeviceconnectsto
theEHCIcontrollerandoperatesinUSB2.0mode.AUSB1.1deviceisautomatically
connectedtoaUHCIcontrollerandoperatesinUSB1.1mode.InWorkstation6virtual
machines,thissamebehaviorissimulatedifyouselectthecheckboxcalledEnable
highspeedsupportforUSB2.0devicesontheVM>Settings>Hardware>USB
Controllertab.SelectthischeckboxtoconnecthighspeedorisochronousUSBdevices
suchaswebcams,speakers,andmicrophones.
AlthoughyourhostoperatingsystemmustsupportUSB,youdonotneedtoinstall
devicespecificdriversforyourUSBdevicesinthehostoperatingsystemtousethose
devicesonlyinthevirtualmachine.
NOTEWindowsNTandLinuxkernelsolderthan2.2.17donotsupportUSB.
OnWindowsXPguests,besuretoinstallthelatestservicepackifyouwanttouseUSB
2.0.IfyouuseWindowsXPwithnoservicepacks,thedriverfortheEHCIcontroller
cannotbeloaded.
OnaWindows2000hostcomputerwithUSB2.0support,usetheMicrosoftUSB2.0
driverfortheUSBcontroller.ThirdpartyUSB2.0drivers,suchasthoseprovidedby
somemotherboardmanufacturers,arenotsupported.Fornotesonreplacingthe
thirdpartydrivers,seeReplacingUSB2.0DriversonaWindows2000Hoston
page 356.
VMwarehastestedavarietyofUSBdeviceswiththisrelease.Iftheguestoperating
systemhasappropriatedrivers,youshouldbeabletousePDAs,printers,storage(disk)
devices,scanners,MP3players,digitalcameras,andmemorycardreaders.
Modemsandcertainstreamingdatadevices,suchasspeakersandwebcams,donot
workproperlyunlessyouenableUSB2.0support,asdescribedearlierinthissection.
Enabling and Disabling the USB 2.0 Controller

ThevirtualmachinesUSBportsareenabledbydefault,althoughsupportfor
highspeedUSB2.0devicesisnotsupportedbydefault.IfyouwillnotbeusingUSB
devicesinavirtualmachine,youcandisable(orenable)itsUSBcontrollerusingthe
virtualmachinesettingseditor(fromthemenubar,choose
VM>Settings>Hardware>USBController).
USB2.0supportisavailableonlyforWorkstation6virtualmachines.TouseUSB2.0
devicesinaWorkstation5virtualmachine,youmustupgradethehardware
compatibilityleveltoWorkstation6.
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Connecting USB Devices

ThetopicsinthissectiondescribeautomaticandmanualconnectionofUSBdevices.
Automatic Connection of USB Devices

Whenavirtualmachineisrunning,itswindowistheactivewindow,andifyoupluga
USBdeviceintothehostcomputer,thedeviceconnectstotheguestinsteadofthehost.
YoucandisablethisautoconnectfeatureintheUSBControllerpanelofthevirtual
machinesettingseditor(fromthemenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Hardware>USB
Controller).
Connecting USB Devices Manually

UsethefollowingproceduretomanuallyconnectspecificUSBdevicestoavirtual
machine.Usethisprocedureifthedevicedoesnotautomaticallyconnecttothevirtual
machine.
To connect a USB device manually
1
Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredon.
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>RemovableDevices>USB Devices>
<DeviceName>.
Here<DeviceName>specifiestheUSBdevicethatispluggedintoyourhost
computer.Acheckmarkappearsnexttothedevicesname,indicatingthatitis
connected.
IfthephysicalUSBdevicesareconnectedtothehostcomputerthroughahub,the
virtualmachineseesonlytheUSBdevices,notthehub.
Ifyouphysicallypluganewdeviceintothehostcomputerandtheautoconnectfeature
doesnotconnectittoavirtualmachine,thismeansthedeviceisinsteadconnectedto
thehost.ItsnameisalsoaddedtotheVM>RemovableDevicesmenusoyoucan
connectittothevirtualmachinemanually.
Automatic Reconnection of USB Devices

WhenyoumanuallyconnectaUSBdevice(bychoosingVM>RemovableDevices),
Workstationretainsthevirtualmachinesconnectiontotheaffectedportonthehost
machine.Youcansuspendorpoweroffthevirtualmachine,orunplugthedevice.
Whenyouplugthedevicebackinorresumethevirtualmachine,Workstation
reconnectsthedevice.Workstationretainstheconnectionbywritinganautoconnect
entrytothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.
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IfWorkstationisunabletoreconnecttothedevice(forexample,becausethedevicehas
beendisconnected),thedeviceisremoved,andamessageisdisplayed,indicatingthat
Workstationisunabletoconnecttothedevice.Youcanconnectmanuallytothedevice,
ifitisstillavailable.
Using USB with a Windows Host

WhenaparticularUSBdeviceisconnectedtoavirtualmachineforthefirsttime,the
hostdetectsitasanewdevicenamedVMwareUSBDeviceandinstallstheappropriate
VMwaredriver.
OnWindowsXPandWindowsServer2003hosts,confirmationisrequiredinthe
FoundNewHardwarewizard.Selectthedefaultaction,Installthesoftware
automatically.Afterthesoftwareisinstalled,theguestoperatingsystemdetectsthe
USBdeviceandsearchesforasuitabledriver.
WhenyouaresynchronizingaPDA,suchasaPalmhandheldorHandspringVisor,to
avirtualmachineforthefirsttime,thetotaltimerequiredtoloadtheVMwareUSB
devicedriverinthehostandthePDAdriverintheguestmightexceedthedevices
connectiontimeoutvalue.Thiscausesthedevicetodisconnectitselffromthecomputer
beforetheguestcansynchronizewithit.Ifthisoccurs,lettheguestfinishinstallingthe
PDAdriver,dismissanyconnectionerrorwarnings,andtrysynchronizingthePDA
again.Thesecondattemptshouldsucceed.
Replacing USB 2.0 Drivers on a Windows 2000 Host

TouseVMwareWorkstationonaWindows2000hostthathasUSB2.0ports,youmust
usetheMicrosoftUSB2.0driversfortheUSBcontrollerinthehostoperatingsystem.If
yourhostoperatingsystemisusingathirdpartydriveradriversuppliedbyyour
motherboardvendor,forexampleyoumustreplaceit.
To check the provider of your driver
1
OpentheDeviceManager,asfollows:
a
RightclickMyComputerandchooseProperties.
ClicktheHardwaretabandclickDeviceManager.
ExpandthelistingforUniversalSerialBuscontrollers.
RightclickthelistingforthecontrollerandchooseProperties.
ClicktheDrivertab.
IfthedriverprovidershownonthatpageisMicrosoft,youhavethecorrectdriver
already.
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IfthedriverproviderisnotMicrosoft,downloadthelatestUSBdriverforyourhost
operatingsystemfromtheMicrosoftWebsiteandfollowtheMicrosoftinstructionsto
installit.DetailsareavailableinMicrosoftknowledgebasearticle319973.
Using USB with a Linux Host

OnLinuxhosts,VMwareWorkstationusestheUSBdevicefilesystemtoconnectto
USBdevices.InmostLinuxsystemsthatsupportUSB,theUSBdevicefilesystemisat
/proc/bus/usb.
IfyourhostoperatingsystemusesadifferentpathtotheUSBdevicefilesystem,run
thefollowingcommandasroottomountthefilesystemtotheexpectedlocation:
mount -t usbfs none /proc/bus/usb
IfyouattachaUSBdrivetoaLinuxmachine,usetheabovementionedprocedureto
accessit.DonotattempttoaddaUSBdrivesdevicenode(forexample,/dev/sda)
directorytothevirtualmachineasaharddisk.Thatis,toaddaUSBdrive,usetheAdd
HardwarewizardtoaddaUSBController,notaharddisk.
How Device Control Is Shared Between Host and Guest

OnlythehostortheguestcanhavecontrolofaUSBdeviceatanyonetime.Device
controloperatesdifferently,dependingonwhetherthehostisaLinuxoraWindows
computer.
Device Control on a Windows Host

Whenyouconnectadevicetoavirtualmachine,itisunpluggedfromthehostor
fromthevirtualmachinethatpreviouslyhadcontrolofthedevice.Whenyou
disconnectadevicefromavirtualmachine,itispluggedintothehost.
CAUTIONOnWindows2000,WindowsXP,andWindowsServer2003hosts,youneed
totakeaspecialsteptodisconnectUSBnetworkandstoragedevicesfromthehost
beforeconnectingthemtoavirtualmachine.Usetheappropriatesystemtrayiconto
disconnectthedevicefromthehost.OnWindows2000,theiconiscalledEject
Hardware,andonWindowsXPandWindowsServer2003,itiscalledSafelyRemove
Hardware.
OnWindows2000,WindowsXP,andWindowsServer2003hosts,whenyouconnecta
USBnetworkorstoragedevicetoavirtualmachine,youmightseeamessageonyour
hostthatsaysthedevicecanberemovedsafely.Thisisnormalbehavior,andyoucan
dismissthedialogbox.However,donotremovethedevicefromyourphysical
computer.
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Undersomecircumstances,ifaUSBstoragedeviceisinuseonthehost(forexample,
oneormorefilesstoredonthedeviceareopenonthehost),anerrorappearsinthe
virtualmachinewhenyoutrytoconnecttothedevice.Youmustletthehostcomplete
itsoperationorcloseanyapplicationconnectedtothedeviceonthehost,andthen
connecttothedeviceinthevirtualmachineagain.
Device Control on a Linux Host

OnLinuxhosts,guestoperatingsystemscanusedevicesthatarenotalreadyinuseby
thehostthatis,devicesthatarenotclaimedbyahostoperatingsystemdriver.
Ifyourdeviceisinusebythehostandyoutrytoconnectittotheguestbyusingthe
VM>RemovableDevicesmenu,adialogboxappears,askingwhetheryouwantto
haveWorkstationdisconnectthedriveronthehost.
If,forsomereason,thisdisconnectionfails,youcanunloadthedevicedrivermanually
asroot(su -)byusingthermmodcommand.Or,ifthedriverwasautomaticallyloaded
byhotplug,youcandisableitinthehotplugconfigurationfilesinthe/etc/hotplug
directory.SeeyourLinuxdistributionsdocumentationfordetailsoneditingthese
configurationfiles.
Arelatedissuesometimesaffectsdevicesthatrelyonautomaticconnection(asPDAs
oftendo).Ifyouhavesuccessfullyusedautoconnectiontoconnectthedevicetoyour
virtualmachinebutthenexperienceproblemswiththeconnectiontothedevice,trythe
followingprocedure.
To correct autoconnection problems
1
Disconnectandreconnectthedevice.
YoucaneitherunplugitphysicallyandplugitbackinorusetheVM>Removable
Devicesmenutodisconnectitandreconnectit.
Ifyouseeadialogboxwarningthatthedeviceisinuse,disableitinthehotplug
configurationfilesinthe/etc/hotplugdirectory.
Disconnecting USB Devices from a Virtual Machine

BeforeunpluggingaUSBdeviceorusingtheVM>RemovableDevicesmenuto
disconnectitfromavirtualmachine,besureitisinasafestate.
Followtheproceduresthedevicemanufacturerspecifiesforunpluggingthedevice
fromaphysicalcomputer.Thisistruewhetheryouarephysicallyunpluggingit,
movingitfromhosttovirtualmachine,movingitbetweenvirtualmachines,ormoving
itfromvirtualmachinetohost.
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Thisisimportantwithdatastoragedevices(aZipdrive,forexample).Ifyoumovea
datastoragedevicetoosoonaftersavingafileandtheoperatingsystemhasnot
actuallywrittenthedatatothedisk,youcanlosedata.
Human Interface Devices

USBhumaninterfacedevices,suchasthekeyboardandmouse,arenothandledthough
thevirtualmachinesUSBcontroller.Instead,theyappearinthevirtualmachineasa
standardPS/2keyboardandmouse,eventhoughtheyarepluggedintoUSBportson
thehost.
Connecting to a Generic SCSI Device

GenericSCSIletsavirtualmachinerunanySCSIdevicethatissupportedbytheguest
operatingsysteminthevirtualmachine.GenericSCSIgivestheguestoperatingsystem
directaccesstoSCSIdevicesconnectedtothehost,suchasscannersandtapedrives.
Generic SCSI on a Windows Host Operating System

UsingtheSCSIgenericdriverinWindows,Workstationallowsyourguestoperating
systemtooperategenericSCSIdevicesinavirtualmachine.Thesedevicesinclude
scanners,tapedrives,andotherdatastoragedevices.
NOTEToaccesshostSCSIdevicesasgenericSCSIdevicesfromwithinavirtual
machine,youmustrunWorkstationasauserwithadministratoraccess.
Intheory,genericSCSIiscompletelydeviceindependent,butVMwarehasdiscovered
itissensitivetotheguestoperatingsystem,deviceclass,andspecificSCSIhardware.
TryanySCSIhardwareyouwanttouseandreportproblemstoVMwaretechnical
support.
NOTEIfyouareusinggenericSCSIdevicesinaWindows95,Windows98,or
WindowsMeguestoperatingsystemandareexperiencingproblemswiththedevices,
downloadthelatestMylex(BusLogic)BT/KT958compatiblehostbusadapterfrom
www.lsilogic.com.ThisdriveroverrideswhatWindowschoosesasthebestdriver,but
itcorrectsknownproblems.
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Preparing a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 Guest Operating

System to Use SCSI Devices
TouseSCSIdevicesina32bitWindowsXPvirtualmachine,youneedaspecialSCSI
driveravailablefromthedownloadsectionoftheVMwareWebsite
www.vmware.com/download.FollowtheinstructionsontheWebsitetoinstallthe
driver.
Preparing a Windows NT 4.0 Guest Operating System to Use SCSI

Devices
GenericSCSIdevicesusethevirtualMylex(BusLogic)BT/KT958compatiblehostbus
adapterprovidedbythevirtualmachine.Someguestoperatingsystemsguideyou
throughinstallingthedriversafteryouinstallthefirstSCSIdeviceinthevirtual
machine.OnWindowsNT4.0,youmightneedtoinstallthedrivermanually,ifitisnot
alreadyinstalledforavirtualSCSIdisk.DosobeforeyouaddagenericSCSIdevice.
To install the BusLogic driver in a Windows NT 4.0 guest
1
HaveyourWindowsNTinstallationCDavailable.
OpentheSCSIAdapterscontrolpanelbychoosing:
Start>Settings>ControlPanel>SCSIAdapters
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ClicktheDriverstabandclickAdd.
Inthelistofvendorsontheleft,selectBusLogic.
Inthelistofdriversontheright,selectBusLogicMultiMasterPCISCSIHost
AdaptersandclickOK.
InserttheWindowsNTCDwhenyouarepromptedandclickOK.
Rebootwhenyouareprompted.
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Adding a Generic SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine

ThefollowingprocedureprovidesinstructionsformappingvirtualSCSIdevicesto
physicalgenericSCSIdevicesonthehost.
To add a generic SCSI device to a virtual machine
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
SelectGenericSCSIDeviceandclickNext.
FromthedropdownlistofSCSIdevices,choosetheoneyouwanttouse.
Ifyoudonotseethedeviceyouwantinthelist,youmightneedtoadditmanually,
asdescribedinAddingaGenericSCSIDeviceNotDetectedbyWorkstation
(AdvancedUsers)onpage 362.
OntheHardwaretab,intheVirtualdevicenodesection,selecttheSCSIdevice
identifiertouseforthedrive.Forexample,ifyouselectSCSI0:2,theguest
operatingsystemseesthedriveasID2oncontroller0.
NOTEToremovethisdevice,launchthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,selectthe
genericSCSIdeviceandclickRemove.
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Adding a Generic SCSI Device Not Detected by Workstation (Advanced

Users)
ToaddagenericSCSIdevicetoavirtualmachine,ifWorkstationdoesnotdisplaythe
device(forexample,scannersonaWindows2000hostorsometapebackupdevices),
youneedtoaddthedevicemanuallytothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.
ReasonsWorkstationcannotdetectadeviceinclude:
Adriverforthatdeviceisnotinstalledonthehost.
Adriveronthehostpreventsthedevicefrombeingdetected.
Thevirtualmachineusesadeviceforwhichtherearenodriversavailabletothe
hostoperatingsystem.
Addingadeviceinthismannerisrecommendedforadvancedusersonly.Beforeyou
attempttheproceduredescribedinthissection,verifywhetherthedevicedriveris
installedonthehost.Ifthedriverisnotinstalled,installitandseeifthedeviceappears
correctlytoWorkstation.Ifitdoesnotappearcorrectly,orifyoucannotordonotwant
toinstallthedriveronthehost,addthedevicemanuallytothevirtualmachine,as
describedintheprocedurethatfollows.
Whenaddingadevicemanuallytothevirtualmachine,usescsiX:Ynotationtorefer
tothedeviceonthehostinsteadofadevicenameWorkstationusessuchasCdRom0.For
thistypeofnotation,XistheSCSIbusonwhichthedeviceislocatedonthehostandY
isthetargetIDthedeviceusesonthehost.
CAUTIONBeforeyouaddthedevice,youmustdisabletheoriginalSCSIdevicedriver
onthehost.SomeWindowsoperatingsystemsdonotprocessthesendcommandfrom
theadapterifthedevicedriverisowningthedevice.
Afewcircumstancesrequireyoutoaddorconfigurethedevicemanually.Followthe
directionsforthescenariothatmatchesyourcircumstance.Ineachcase,poweroffthe
virtualmachine,andopenthevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)fileinatexteditor
andmakethechangesdescribed.
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Scenario 1: No SCSI Devices

Inthiscase,thevirtualmachinedoesnotcontainanySCSIadaptersordevices,oryou
wanttoaddagenericSCSIdevicetoanewvirtualSCSIadapterinthevirtualmachine.
Toaddthedevicetothevirtualmachine,addthefollowinglinestothevirtual
machinesconfigurationfile:
scsiZ:Y.present = "true"
scsiZ:Y.deviceType = "scsi-passthru"
scsiZ:Y.fileName = "scsiX:Y"
scsiZ.present = "true"
DefineX,Y,andZasfollows:
XistheSCSIbusthedeviceusesonthehostsystem.
YisthetargetIDthedeviceusesinthevirtualmachineandonthehost.Usethe
sametargetIDinthevirtualmachinethatthehostalreadyusesforthedeviceto
allowthedevicetoworkcorrectly.
ZistheSCSIbusthedeviceusesinthevirtualmachine.
Scenario 2: You Want to Use the Existing SCSI Device as a Generic SCSI
Inthiscase,thevirtualmachinehasaSCSIadapterandaSCSIdeviceandyouwantto
usethesamedeviceasagenericSCSIdevice.
ToconfigurethedeviceasagenericSCSIdevice,addthefollowinglinestothevirtual
machinesconfigurationfile:
scsiZ:Y.deviceType = "scsi-passthru"
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Scenario 3: Workstation Does Not Recognize the Generic SCSI Device

Inthiscase,thevirtualmachinehasaSCSIadapterandgenericSCSIdevice,but
Workstationdoesnotrecognizethedevicewhenthevirtualmachineispoweredon.
Lookforalineintheconfigurationfilethatlookslike:
scsiZ:Y.fileName = "<deviceName>"
Changethelineto:
Forexample,iftheproblematicdeviceisaCDROMdrive,theentryinthe
configurationfilemightbe:
scsi0:4.fileName = "CdRom0"
Ifthedeviceonthehostislocatedonbus2withtargetID4,changethislineto:
scsi0:4.fileName = "scsi2:4"
ThetargetIDthedeviceusesinthevirtualmachinemustbethesameasthetargetID
thedeviceusesonthehostsystem.
NOTETheSCSIbusisassignedanumberbythehostoperatingsystemafterallIDE
buseshavebeenassignednumbers.Forexample,ifyouhavetwoIDEbuses,theyare
numbered0and1.ThefirstSCSIbusisassignedbusnumber2.Intheexampleabove,
youuse2forX.
IfyoucannotdeterminetheSCSIbusnumber,tryusingathirdpartytoollikewinobj
(whichyoucandownloadforfreefromwww.sysinternals.com)todeterminethis
information.
ThedevicetargetIDisusuallysetbysomejumpersorswitchesonthedevice.Referto
theownersmanualforthedeviceforinformationonhowtodeterminethetargetID.
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Generic SCSI on a Linux Host Operating System

UsingtheSCSIgenericdriverinLinux,VMwareWorkstationallowsyourguest
operatingsystemtooperategenericSCSIdeviceswithinavirtualmachine.TheSCSI
genericdriversetsupamappingforeachSCSIdevicein/dev.Eachentrystartswith
sg(fortheSCSIgenericdriver)followedbyaletter.Forexample,/dev/sg0isthefirst
genericSCSIdevice.
EachentrycorrespondstoaSCSIdeviceintheorderspecifiedin/proc/scsi/scsi,
fromthelowestdeviceIDonthelowestadaptertothehighestdeviceIDonthelowest
adapter,andsoontothehighestdeviceIDonthehighestadapter.Donotenter
/dev/st0or/dev/sr0.
NOTEWhensettingupagenericSCSIdeviceinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,as
describedlaterinthissection,specifythedeviceyouwanttoinstallinthevirtual
machinebytypingits/dev/sgentryintheConnectionfield.Youmustbeloggedon
asauserwhohaspermissionstousethedevice.
GenericSCSIrequiresversion2.1.36orhigheroftheSCSIGeneric(sg.o)driver,which
comeswithkernel2.2.14andhigher.
Avoiding Concurrent Access to a Generic SCSI Device

SomeLinuxdevicessuchastapedrives,diskdrives,andCDROMdrives,alreadyhave
adesignated/deventry(st,sd,andsr,respectively).WhentheSCSIgenericdriveris
installed,Linuxidentifiesthesedeviceswithcorrespondingsgentriesin/devin
additiontotheirtraditionalentries.Workstationensuresthatmultipleprogramsare
notusingthesame/dev/sgentryatthesametimebutcannotalwaysensurethat
multipleprogramsarenotusingthe/dev/sgentryandthetraditional/deventryat
thesametime.
WARNINGDonotattempttousethesamegenericSCSIdeviceinbothhostandguest.
Thiscancauseunexpectedbehaviorandmightcauselossorcorruptionofdata.
Permissions on a Generic SCSI Device

YoumusthavereadandwritepermissionsonagivengenericSCSIdevicetousethe
devicewithinavirtualmachine,evenifthedeviceisareadonlydevicesuchasa
CDROMdrive.Thesedevicestypicallydefaulttorootonlypermissions.Your
administratorshouldcreateagroupwithaccesstoreadandwritetothesedevicesand
addtheappropriateuserstothatgroup.
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Device Support
Intheory,genericSCSIiscompletelydeviceindependent,butVMwarehasdiscovered
itissensitivetotheguestoperatingsystem,deviceclass,andspecificSCSIhardware.
TryanySCSIhardwareandreportproblemstoVMwaretechnicalsupport.
NOTEIfyouusegenericSCSIdevicesinaWindows95,98,orMeguestoperating
systemandareexperiencingproblemswiththedevices,downloadthelatestMylex
(BusLogic)BT/KT958compatiblehostbusadapterfromwww.lsilogic.com.Thisdriver
overrideswhatWindowschoosesasthebestdriver,butitcorrectsknownproblems.
TouseSCSIdevicesina32bitWindowsXPvirtualmachine,youneedaspecialSCSI
driveravailablefromthedownloadsectionoftheVMwareWebsiteat
www.vmware.com/download.
Adding a Generic SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine

ThefollowingprocedureprovidesinstructionsformappingvirtualSCSIdevicesto
physicalgenericSCSIdevicesonthehost.
To set up a generic SCSI device
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
SelectGenericSCSIDeviceandclickNext.
OntheChooseSCSIDevicepage,fromthedropdownlistofSCSIdevicesthatare
availablefromthehost,choosetheoneyouwanttouse.
OntheHardwaretab,intheVirtualdevicenodesection,selectwhichSCSIdevice
identifiertouseforthedrive.Forexample,ifyouselectSCSI0:2,theguest
operatingsystemseesthedriveasID2oncontroller0.
NOTEToremovethisdevice,launchthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,selectthe
genericSCSIdeviceandclickRemove.
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Using Two-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing

(Experimental)
Forallsupportedconfigurationsof32bitand64bithostandguestoperatingsystems
runningonmultiprocessorhostmachines,Workstationversions5.5andhigherprovide
experimentalsupportfortwowayvirtualSymmetricMultiprocessing(VirtualSMP).
Thisenablesyoutoassigntwovirtualprocessorstoavirtualmachineonanyhost
machinethathasatleasttwologicalprocessors.
Thefollowingareallconsideredtohavetwoormorelogicalprocessors:
AmultiprocessorhostwithtwoormorephysicalCPUs
AsingleprocessorhostwithamulticoreCPU
NOTEOnhyperthreadeduniprocessorhosts,performanceofvirtualmachineswith
VirtualSMPmightbesubpar.
GuestswithmorethantwovirtualprocessorsarenotsupportedinWorkstation.
However,youcanpoweronandrunmultipledualprocessorvirtualmachines
concurrently.
Thenumberofvirtualprocessorsforagivenvirtualmachineisdisplayedinthe
summaryviewofthevirtualmachine.Youcansetthenumberofprocessorsforthe
virtualmachineineithertheNewVirtualMachinewizardorthevirtualmachine
settingseditor:
Inthevirtualmachinesettingseditor:FromtheWorkstationmenubar,choose
VM>Settings,andontheHardwaretab,selectProcessorsandspecifythenumber.
IntheNewVirtualMachinewizard:Choosetocreateacustomconfiguration,and
whenyoucometotheProcessorConfigurationpage,specifythenumber.
Ifthehostisauniprocessormachineandisnothyperthreaded,assigningtwo
processorsisneithersupportednorrecommended:awarningmessagewillappear.You
candisregardthismessageandassigntwoprocessorstothevirtualmachine,butafter
youfinishcreatingthevirtualmachine,youwillnotbeabletopoweritonunlessyou
moveittoahostmachinewithatleasttwologicalprocessors.
VirtualmachineswithSMParesupportedonlyforWorkstationversions5.5andhigher.
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Moving SMP Virtual Machines Between Workstation and ESX

Server
YoucanuseWorkstation5.5orlater,runningonamultiprocessorhostmachine,toopen
avirtualmachinecreatedinVMwareESXServerthathasoneormorevirtual
processors.However,inWorkstationyoucannotpoweronavirtualmachinethathas
morethantwovirtualprocessorsassigned,evenifmoreprocessorswereassigned
whenthevirtualmachinewascreatedinESXServer.
Youcanseethissettinginthevirtualmachinessummaryvieworbyusingthevirtual
machinesettingseditor,asfollows:FromtheWorkstationmenubar,choose
VM>Settings>Hardware>Processors,andnotethatNumberofProcessorsissetto
Other(x),wherexisthenumberofprocessorsoriginallyassignedinESXServer.
Workstationpreservesthisoriginalconfigurationsettingforthenumberofprocessors,
eventhoughtwoisthemaximumnumberofprocessorssupported.Youmustchange
thissettingtooneortwoprocessorsbeforeyoucanpoweronthevirtualmachinein
Workstation.Afteryoucommitachangetothissetting,theoriginalsettingfornumber
ofprocessorsisdiscardedandnolongerappearsasanoptioninthevirtualmachine
settingseditor.
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16
Performance Tuning
16
ThischapterofferssuggestionsforgettingthebestperformancefromVMware
Workstationandyourvirtualmachines.Thischaptercontainsthefollowingtopics:
ConfiguringandMaintainingtheHostComputeronpage 369
ConfiguringVMwareWorkstationandVirtualMachinesonpage 372
ConfiguringGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 381
UsingtheMicrosoftPerformanceConsoletoMonitorVirtualMachine
Performanceonpage 388
Configuring and Maintaining the Host Computer

Thehostcomputerisanobviousplacetolooktoimproveperformance.Thissection
discussesthesekeyareas.
CPU
Avoidovercommittingthehostprocessors.Theperformanceofvirtualmachines
dependsonthecapacityofthehostmachinesprocessororprocessors,andmight
degradesignificantlyifyouovercommittheprocessorsbyrunningtoomanyvirtual
machinesatthesametime.
Memory
Althoughtheminimumrequiredamountofmemoryis512MB,VMwarerecommends
atleast2GBofmemoryforbestperformance.Youmusthaveenoughmemorytorun
thehostoperatingsystem,plusthememoryrequiredforeachguestoperatingsystem
andforapplicationsonthehostandguest.
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Using More Than 1GB of Memory on a Linux Host

Bydefault,Linuxkernelsinthe2.2.xseriessupport1GBofphysicalmemory.Touse
morememoryinLinux,takeoneofseveralapproaches:
Upgradetoa2.4.xserieskernelthatallowsformorephysicalmemory.
Recompileyourkernelasa2GBkernelbyusingtheCONFIG_2GBoption.
EnabletheCONFIG_BIGMEMoptiontomapmorephysicalmemory,asdescribed
laterinthissection.
CONFIG_2GB Option
TheCONFIG_2GBoptioncallsforrecompilingyourkernelasa2GBkernel.Recompile
yourkernelwithCONFIG_2GBenabled.ThisallowsLinuxtosupportnearly2GBof
physicalmemorybydividingtheaddressspaceintoa2GBusersectionanda2GB
kernelsection(asopposedtothenormaldivisionof3GBforuserand1GBforkernel).
CONFIG_BIGMEM Option
WiththeCONFIG_BIGMEMoptionenabled,thekerneldoesnotdirectlyaddressallof
physicalmemory,anditcanthenmap1GB(or2GB)ofphysicalmemoryintothe
addressspaceatatime.Thisallowstheuseofallofphysicalmemoryatthecostof
changingthesemanticsthekernelusestomapvirtualtophysicaladdresses.However,
VMwareproductsexpectphysicalmemorytobemappeddirectlyinthekernels
addressspaceandthusdonotnormallyworkproperlywiththeCONFIG_BIGMEM
optionenabled.
Ifyouareusinga1GBkernelwithCONFIG_BIGMEMenabledandhave960MBto
1983MBofmemory,Workstationdoesnotrun.Toworkaroundthisissue,youcan
either:
Recompilethekernelasa2GBkernelbyenablingtheCONFIG_2GBoption.This
allowsfor100percentuseofphysicalmemory.
Passtheboottimeswitchmem=959MattheLILOprompt,oraddittolilo.conf,
todisableCONFIG_BIGMEMandthusallowyoutorunWorkstation.Todothis,
tryoneofthefollowing:
AttheLILOprompt,typelinux-2.2.16xxx mem=959M.
Editlilo.conf.Inthekernelsection,addthisline:
append mem="959M"
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Chapter 16 Performance Tuning
Ifyouhavea1GBkernelwithCONFIG_BIGMEMenabledandhavemorethan1983MB
ofmemory,youcandooneofthefollowing:
Recompilethekernelasa2GBkernelbyenablingtheCONFIG_2GBoptionand
eitherpasstheboottimeswitchmem=1983MattheLILOpromptoradditto
lilo.conf.Tousetheswitch,dooneofthefollowing:
append mem="1983M"
Passtheboottimeswitchmem=959MattheLILOpromptoraddittolilo.confto
disableCONFIG_BIGMEM.Tousetheswitch,dooneofthefollowing:
append mem="959M"
Ifyouareusinga2GBkernelwithCONFIG_BIGMEMenabledandhave1984MBor
morememory,Workstationdoesnotrun.Youcaneitherpasstheboottimeswitch
mem=1983MattheLILOprompt,oraddittolilo.conftodisableCONFIG_BIGMEM
andthusallowyoutorunWorkstation.Tousetheswitch,dooneofthefollowing:
append mem="1983M"
Disks
Forbestperformance,avoidthesituationofverylowfreespaceonthehostdisk.
PerformancecandegradeconsiderablywhenWorkstationhastouseanearlyfullhost
harddisktodovariousvirtualdiskoperationssuchasgrowtheguestsparsedisk,take
asnapshot,orappendtoredofiles.
Enabling Host Disk Caching on Microsoft Windows Hosts

OnWindowshosts,theDiskPropertiesPoliciespageassociatedwitheachharddrive
providesacheckboxforenablingwritecachingonthediskand,insomecases,
enablingadvancedperformanceonthedisk.Checkingoneorbothoftheseboxescan
improvehostdiskperformanceingeneral.Checkingthemforthehostdiskscontaining
VMwarevirtualdiskfilescanimproveVMwarediskperformanceinparticular,
especiallywhenVMwareismakingheavyuseofthedisk.Thefollowingprocedure
providesinstructionsforusingthesesettingsonaWindowsXPhost.
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To enable write caching on a Windows XP host

1
OnthehostcomputersdesktopopenMyComputer.
RightclicktheharddiskandchoosePropertiesfromthemenuthatappears.
OntheHardwaretab,selecttheharddriveandclickthePropertiesbutton.
OnthePoliciestab,selectEnablewritecachingonthedisk,and,optionally,select
Optimizeforperformance.
ClickOK.
WARNINGPoweroutageorequipmentfailurecanresultindatalossorcorruptionwith
thisoptionenabled.
Networking
Ifyoursystemhasmultiplephysicalnetworkinterfacecards(NICs),eitherbuiltinor
inPCIslots,tomakesurethatyouareusingtheintendedNIC,trydisablingtheother
NICs.
Increasing NIC Interrupt Coalescing

IncreasinghostNICinterruptcoalescingcanimproveperformanceforworkloads
involvingheavynetworktrafficintotheguest.Interruptcoalescingisafeature
implementedinhardwareunderdrivercontrolonhighperformanceNICs.Interrupt
coalescingallowstheoperatingsystemkerneltobenotifiedofthereceptionofagroup
ofnetworkframesthroughasinglehardwareinterrupt.
Configuring VMware Workstation and Virtual Machines

Thissectionoffersadviceandinformationaboutfactorsthatcanaffecttheperformance
ofWorkstationandvirtualmachines.Itlistsconfigurationsettingsyoumakebyusing
Workstationratherthanbyusingoperatingsystemtoolsinthehostorguest.
NOTEInadditiontotheWorkstationconfigurationoptionsdiscussedinthissection,
alwaysinstallVMwareToolsinanyguestoperatingsystemforwhichaVMwareTools
packageexists.InstallingVMwareToolsprovidesbettervideoandmouseperformance
andalsogreatlyimprovestheusabilityofthevirtualmachine.Fordetails,see
InstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 115.
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CPU
DisconnectingtheCDROMonpage 373
ConfiguringProcessSchedulingonWindowsHostsonpage 373
Disconnecting the CD-ROM

DisconnectingCDROMdevicesreducesCPUusage.ConfigureyourvirtualCDROM
drivetostartdisconnected.Thedriveappearsinthevirtualmachine,butitalways
appearstocontainnodisk(andWorkstationdoesnotconnecttoyourhostCDROM
drive).
TouseaCDROMinthevirtualmachine,chooseVM>RemovableDevices,and
connecttheCDROMdrive.
To configure the virtual CD-ROM to start disconnected
1
Thevirtualmachinecanbepoweredonoroff.
ChooseVM>Settings>Hardware>DVD/CDROM.
IntheCDROMsettingspanel,deselecttheConnectatpoweroncheckboxand
clickOK.
YoucanalsousetheVM>RemovableDevicesmenutodisconnectyourCDROMdrive
ifyoudonotneedtouseit.
Configuring Process Scheduling on Windows Hosts

Bydefault,theprocesseswithinavirtualmachinecontendequallyforresourceswith
allotherprocessesrunningonthehost,regardlessofwhetherornotthemouseand
keyboardaregrabbedbythevirtualmachine.
WorkstationonaWindowshostprovidesconfigurationoptionsthatletyouadjust
schedulingprioritiestomeetyourneeds.Theseconfigurationoptionsareavailable:
Onaglobalbasis,forallvirtualmachines.UsetheWorkstationpreferenceeditor,
asfollows:FromtheWorkstationmenubar,choosetheEdit>Preferencesandclick
thePrioritytab.
Onapervirtualmachinebasis,forvirtualmachinesonwhichyouwantto
overridethedefaultglobalsetting.Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditor,as
follows:Selectthevirtualmachine,andfromtheWorkstationmenubar,choose
VM>Settings.OntheOptionstab,selectAdvanced.
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Thesemenuitemsallowyoutospecifyeitherhighornormalprioritywhenthemouse
andkeyboardaregrabbedbythevirtualmachineandeithernormalorlowpriority
whentheyarenotgrabbed.Bydefault,thepriorityforvirtualmachineprocessingisset
toNormalforbothinputgrabbedandinputungrabbed.
Ifyouhavemanybackgroundprocessesorapplicationsandyoudonotcarewhether
theyrunwithfairlylowrelativeprioritywhileWorkstationisintheforeground,set
InputgrabbedtoHigh,andsetInputungrabbedtoNormal.Youshouldseea
noticeableperformanceboostwhenusingonevirtualmachinewhileanothervirtual
machineisrunningorwhilesomeotherprocessorintensivetask(acompile,for
example)isrunninginthebackground.
Conversely,ifyourhostmachinerunstoosluggishlywhenavirtualmachineisrunning
inthebackground,youcandirectthevirtualmachinetodropitsprioritywhenitdoes
nothavecontrolofthemouseandkeyboard.SetInputgrabbedtoNormal,andset
InputungrabbedtoLow.
Memory
VMwareWorkstationallowsyoutoadjustthefollowingmemoryrelatedsettings:
Memorysizeofaparticularvirtualmachine.
AmountofthehostcomputersRAMthatcanbeusedforallvirtualmachines
combined.
Extenttowhichyouwanttoallowthehostoperatingsystemsmemorymanager
toswapvirtualmachinesoutofphysicalRAM.
Byadjustingthesethreesettings,youcanaffectbothvirtualmachineandoverall
systemperformance.
Setting the Memory Size of a Virtual Machine

Thefirstconfigurationparameteryoucansetisthesizeofanindividualvirtual
machinesmemory.Theguestmemorysizeshouldnotbesetlowerthantheminimum
recommendationsoftheoperatingsystemprovider.
Youcanspecifytheamountofmemoryforavirtualmachineeitherwhenyoucreateit,
byusingtheNewVirtualMachinewizard,orafteryoucreateit,byusingthevirtual
machinesettingseditor:
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Inthevirtualmachinesettingseditor:FromtheWorkstationmenubar,choose
VM>Settings,andontheHardwaretab,selectMemoryandspecifythenumber.
IntheNewVirtualMachinewizard:Choosetocreateacustomconfiguration,and
whenyoucometotheMemoryfortheVirtualMachinepage,specifythenumber.
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ThetypicalconfigurationusedbytheNewVirtualMachinewizardsetsreasonable
defaultsforthememory,basedonthetypeoftheguestoperatingsystemandthe
amountofmemoryinthehostcomputer.Thisvaluealsoappearsinthevirtualmachine
settingseditorastherecommendedmemoryvalue.
Thevirtualmachinesettingseditoralsoshowsavalueforthemaximumamountof
memoryforbestperformance.Ifyouhaveonlyonevirtualmachinerunningonthe
hostandyousetvirtualmachinememorytothisvalue,thevirtualmachinecanrun
entirelyinRAM.AvirtualmachinerunningcompletelyinRAMperformsbetterthan
avirtualmachinethatmustswapsomeofitsmemorytodisk.
Theactualmemorysizeyoushouldgivetoavirtualmachinedependsonafew
considerations:
Thekindsofapplicationsthatwillruninthevirtualmachine.
Othervirtualmachinesthatwillcontendwiththisvirtualmachineformemory
resources.
Applicationsthatwillrunonthehostatthesametimeasthevirtualmachine.
NOTEYoucannotallocatemorethan2GBofmemorytoavirtualmachinewhenthe
virtualmachinesfilesarestoredonahostfilesystemthatdoesnotsupportfilesgreater
than2GB.Forexample,thisrestrictionappliestoFATfilesystems.
Asofversion6.0ofWorkstation,thetotalamountofmemoryyoucanassigntoall
virtualmachinesrunningonasinglehostisunlimited.Themaximumamountof
memorypervirtualmachineis8GB.
Reserving Memory for Workstation

Hostoperatingsystemsdonotbehavewellwhentheyrunlowonfreememoryfortheir
ownuse.WhenaWindowsorLinuxhostoperatingsystemdoesnothaveenoughRAM
foritsownuse,itthrashes.Thatis,itconstantlyswapsdatabetweenRAMandits
pagingfileondisk.
ThesecondconfigurationparameteryoucansetisthemaximumamountofRAMthat
Workstationisallowedtoreserveforallrunningvirtualmachinescombined.Tosetthis
parameter,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,choosetheEdit>Preferencesandclickthe
Memorytab.TheRAMusedbyWorkstationincludestheRAMmadeavailabletothe
guestoperatingsystemsplusasmallamountofoverheadmemoryassociatedwith
runningavirtualmachine.
Tohelpguardagainsthavingvirtualmachinescausethehosttothrash,Workstation
enforcesalimitonthetotalamountofRAMthatcanbeconsumedbyvirtualmachines.
Somememorymustbekeptavailableonthehosttoensurethehostisabletooperate
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properlywhilevirtualmachinesarerunning.Theamountofmemoryreservedforthe
hostdependsonthehostoperatingsystemandthesizeofthehostcomputersmemory.
Specifying the Amount of Memory That Can Be Swapped to Disk

Bydefault,Workstationlimitsthenumberofvirtualmachinesthatcanrunatonce
basedontheamountofmemoryspecifiedintheapplicationsettings.Thisprevents
virtualmachinesfromcausingeachothertoperformpoorly.
Toallowmoreorlargervirtualmachinestorun,adjustathirdsetting:theamountof
virtualmachinememorythatthehostoperatingsystemcanswaptodisk.Tochange
thissetting,choosetheEdit>Preferences,clicktheMemorytab,andselectoneofthe
followingradiobuttons:
FitallvirtualmachinememoryintoreservedhostRAMStrictlyapplythe
reservedmemorylimitsetinthetopofthepanel.Thissettingimposesthetightest
restrictionsonthenumberandmemorysizeofvirtualmachinesthatcanrunata
giventime.BecausethevirtualmachinesarerunningentirelyinRAM,theyhave
thebestpossibleperformance.
AllowsomevirtualmachinememorytobeswappedAllowthehostoperating
systemtoswapamoderateamountofvirtualmachinememorytodiskifnecessary.
Thissettingallowsyoutoincreasethenumberormemorysizeofvirtualmachines
thatcanrunonthehostcomputeratagiventime.Unfortunately,itmightalso
resultinreducedperformanceifvirtualmachinememorymustbeshiftedbetween
RAManddisk.
AllowmostvirtualmachinememorytobeswappedThisoptioncanresultin
lowerperformancethantheotheroptions.Itallowsthehostoperatingsystemto
swapasmuchvirtualmachinememorytodiskasitwants.Thissettingallowsyou
torunevenmorevirtualmachineswithevenmorememorythantheintermediate
settingdoes.
Disabling Memory Trimming

Workstationusesamemorytrimmingtechniquetoreturnunusedvirtualmachine
memorytothehostmachineforotheruses.Althoughmemorytrimmingusuallyhas
littleimpactonperformanceandmightbeneededinlowmemorysituations,theI/O
causedbymemorytrimmingcansometimesinterferewithdiskorientedworkload
performanceinaguest.
Youcandisablememorytrimmingforaguestinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor
(fromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Options>Advanced).Inthe
Settingssection,selectDisablememorypagetrimming.
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Disabling Page Sharing

VMwareusesapagesharingtechniquetoallowguestmemorypageswithidentical
contentstobestoredasasinglecopyonwritepage.Manyworkloadspresent
opportunitiesforsharingmemoryacrossvirtualmachines.Forexample,severalvirtual
machinesmightberunninginstancesofthesameguestoperatingsystem,havethe
sameapplicationsorcomponentsloaded,orcontaincommondata.
Withmemorysharing,aworkloadoftenconsumeslessmemorythanitwouldwhen
runningonaphysicalmachine.Asaresult,thesystemcansupporthigherlevelsof
overcommitmentefficiently.
Theamountofmemorysavedbymemorysharingishighlydependentonworkload
characteristics.Aworkloadthatconsistsofmanynearlyidenticalvirtualmachines
mightfreeupmorethan30percentofmemory,whereasamorediverseworkload
mightresultinsavingsoflessthan5percentofmemory.
Workstationmemorysharingrunsasabackgroundactivitythatscansforsharing
opportunitiesovertime.Forafairlyconstantworkload,theamountofmemorysaved
generallyincreasesslowlyuntilallsharingopportunitiesareexploited.
Althoughpagesharingdecreaseshostmemoryusage,itdoesconsumesystem
resources,potentiallyincludingI/Obandwidth.Youmightwanttoavoidthisoverhead
forguestsforwhichhostmemoryisplentifulandI/Olatencyisimportant.Todisable
pagesharing,addthefollowinglinetothevirtualmachineconfiguration(.vmx)file:
sched.mem.pshare.enable = "FALSE"
Disks
AvoidingRemoteDiskAccessonpage 377
UsingSCSIDisksRatherThanIDEDisksonpage 378
RemovingSnapshotsonpage 378
UsingPersistentModeonpage 378
Avoiding Remote Disk Access

VMwarerecommendsplacingvirtualdisksonlocalharddrivesforoptimal
performance.Ifyoumustaccessvirtualdisksoverthenetwork,usethefastestavailable
networkconnection.Alsotrythestrategydescribedinthefollowingprocedure.
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To use virtual hard disks stored on a remote machine

1
FromtheWorkstationmenubar,chooseVM>Settings>Options.
SelectGeneralandsettheworkingdirectorytoadirectoryonyourlocalharddisk.
Thentakeasnapshot.
Afteryoutakethesnapshot,changesyoumakearestoredlocallyintheworking
directory.
Using SCSI Disks Rather Than IDE Disks

Whenyoucreateavirtualdisk,eitherbyusingtheNewVirtualMachinewizardorby
usingtheAddNewHardwarewizard,youmustchooseadisktype,whichcanbe
eitherSCSIorIDE.VirtualSCSIdisksperformbetterthanvirtualIDEdisks.Thedefault
disktypeselectedinthewizardisusuallySCSI.
Thedefaultdependsontheoperatingsystemofthevirtualmachine,however.Tousea
SCSIdisk,theguestoperatingsystemmusthaveadriverfortheLSILogicorBusLogic
SCSIadapteravailableinthevirtualmachine.YouchoosewhichSCSIadaptertouseat
thetimeyoucreatethevirtualmachine.
TouseSCSIdisksina32bitWindowsXPvirtualmachine,youneedaspecialSCSI
driverthatisnotavailableinthevirtualmachine.Itisavailablefromthedownload
sectionoftheVMwareWebsiteatwww.vmware.com/download.Followthe
instructionsontheWebsitetousethedriverwithafreshinstallationofWindowsXP.
Removing Snapshots
Ifyoudonotusethesnapshotfeature,runyourvirtualmachinewithnosnapshot.This
providesbestperformance.Tobesureavirtualmachinehasnosnapshot,fromthe
Workstationmenubar,chooseVM>Snapshot>SnapshotManager.Ifyouseea
snapshotyoudonotwant,selectitandclicktheDeletebutton.
Using Persistent Mode

Normally,virtualdisksareconfiguredsothatifyoutakeasnapshot,dataonthedisk
isrecordedinthesnapshot.Youcan,however,makethediskindependent,sothat
snapshotsdonotincludediskinformation.Anindependentdiskcanbepersistentor
nonpersistent.Withpersistentdisks,changesareimmediatelyandpermanently
writtentothedisk.Independent,persistentdiskshavebetterperformancethandisks
whosedataisrecordedinsnapshots.
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To set a virtual disk to use independent, persistent mode

1
ChooseVM>Settings.
SelectHardDiskandclickAdvanced.
TheAdvanceddialogboxopens.
IntheModesection,selecttheIndependentcheckboxandselectPersistent.
ClickOKinboththeAdvanceddialogboxandthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Networking
Ifyouplantooftencopylargefilesbetweenthehostandguest,youmightfindthat
usingbridgednetworkingresultsinbetterperformancethanusingNAT.Fora
discussionofthenetworkstrategies,seeNetworkBasicsonpage 274.
Additional Suggestions for Improving Performance

SelectingtheCorrectGuestOperatingSystemonpage 379
TurningOffDebuggingModeonpage 380
LoggingVirtualMachineProgressPeriodicallyonpage 381
Selecting the Correct Guest Operating System

Makecertainyouselectthecorrectguestoperatingsystemforeachofyourvirtual
machines.Tochecktheguestoperatingsystemsetting,fromtheWorkstationmenubar,
chooseVM>Settings>Options>General.
Workstationoptimizescertaininternalconfigurationsonthebasisofthisselection.For
thisreason,itisimportanttosettheguestoperatingsystemcorrectly.The
optimizationscangreatlyaidtheoperatingsystemtheytarget,buttheycancause
significantperformancedegradationifthereisamismatchbetweentheselectionand
theoperatingsystemactuallyrunninginthevirtualmachine.(Selectingthewrong
guestoperatingsystemshouldnotcauseavirtualmachinetorunincorrectly,butit
mightdegradethevirtualmachinesperformance.)
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Turning Off Debugging Mode

Workstationhasthreemodesforcollectingdebugginginformation:normalmode
(whichmeansthatnodebugginginformationisgathered),statisticsmode,andfull
debuggingmode.Innormalmode,thevirtualmachinerunsfasterthanintheother
modes.AsoftheWorkstation6release,youdonotneedtorestartthevirtualmachine
afterchangingthedebuggingmode.
Fornormaluse,makesureyouarenotrunningindebuggingmode,asdescribedinthe
procedureinthissection.
NOTEIfyouturnontherecord/replayfeature,byenablingtheEnableexecution
recordandreplaycheckbox(VM>Settings>Options>Snapshot/Replay),the
debuggingmodeautomaticallygetssettoFull.Ifyoulaterdisablerecord/replay,you
needtomanuallysetdebuggingmodebacktoNormal.
Youmightneedtouseoneoftheothermodesunderthefollowingconditions:
Ifthevirtualmachinesometimescrashesandyouwanttodeterminethecause,use
fulldebuggingmodesothatyoucansendthedebugginglogstoVMwaretechnical
support.
If,innormalmode,thevirtualmachinerunsextremelyslowlyundersome
workloads,andyouwanttodeterminethecause,usestatisticsmodesothatyou
cansendthestatisticsfiletoVMwaretechnicalsupport.
Afteryougeneratesomedebugginginformation,runthevm-supportscript,as
describedinReportingProblemsonpage 17,andsendtheoutputtoVMware
technicalsupport.
Whenthecauseandremedyforanissuehavebeenfound,returntonormalmode.
To set a debugging mode
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
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IntheSettingssection,settheGatherdebugginginformationcontroltothe
desiredmodeandclickOK.
Thesemodesweredescribedatthebeginningofthissection.
Youdonotneedtorestartthevirtualmachineforthenewdebuggingleveltotake
effect.
Logging Virtual Machine Progress Periodically

Forbestperformance,youwillusuallynotrunWorkstationinfulldebuggingmode.
Evenifyouencounteranissuethatrequirestroubleshooting,youmightnotneedto
enabledebuggingmode.Instead,first,trythefollowingproceduretoincreasethe
amountoflogginginformationcollected.
To log progress periodically
1
ChooseVM>Settings.
IntheSettingssection,selectthecheckboxcalledLogvirtualmachineprogress
periodicallyandclickOK.
Configuring Guest Operating Systems

Thetipsinthissectionhelpyoumakeadjustmentstoimproveperformancefor
particularguestoperatingsystemsrunninginsideavirtualmachine.
CPU
AvoidCDROMdrivepollingonoldersystems.Someoperatingsystems,including
WindowsNTandWindows98,polltheCDROMdriveeverysecondorsotosee
whetheradiskispresent.(Thisallowsthemtorunautorunprograms.)Thispollingcan
causeWorkstationtoconnecttothehostCDROMdrive,whichcanmakeitspinup
whilethevirtualmachineappearstopause.
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IfyouhaveaCDROMdrivethattakesanespeciallylongtimetospinup,eliminate
thesepausesbydisablingthepollinginsideyourguestoperatingsystem.Themethod
variesbyoperatingsystem.ForrecentMicrosoftWindowsoperatingsystems,the
easiestwayistouseTweakUIfromthePowerToysutilities.Forinformationonfinding
TweakUIandinstallingitinyourguestoperatingsystem,gotowww.microsoft.com
andsearchforTweakUI.
Disks
TurningonDMAModeforIDEDisksonpage 382
DefragmentingDiskDrivesonpage 384
Turning on DMA Mode for IDE Disks

Thediskoptions(SCSIorIDE)andtypes(virtualorphysical)affectperformancein
manyways.Insideavirtualmachine,SCSIdisksandIDEdisksthatusedirectmemory
access(DMA)haveapproximatelythesameperformance.However,IDEdiskscanbe
veryslowinaguestoperatingsystemthateithercannotuseorisnotsettouseDMA.
TheeasiestwaytoconfigureaLinuxguesttouseDMAforIDEdriveaccessistoinstall
VMwareTools(seeInstallingVMwareToolsonaLinuxGuestonpage 125).Among
otherthings,theinstallationprocesssetsIDEvirtualdrivestouseDMA.
InnewerversionsofWindows,DMAaccessisenabledbydefault.InolderWindows
guestoperatingsystems,themethodforchangingthesettingvarieswiththeoperating
system.Seethefollowingsectionsfordetails:
TurningonDMAModeforWindows95/98GuestswithIDEDisksonpage 382
TurningonDMAModeforWindowsNTGuestswithIDEDisksonpage 383
Turning on DMA Mode for Windows 95/98 Guests with IDE Disks
Windows95OSR2andlater(includingWindows98)canusedirectmemoryaccess
(DMA)forfasteraccesstoIDEharddisks.However,thisfeaturemightnotbeenabled
bydefault.
YoucanturnonDMAaccessbyusingtheguestoperatingsystemsDeviceManager.
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To turn on DMA access

1
Ontheguestoperatingsystemsdesktop,rightclickMyComputer,andchoose
Propertiesfromthemenu.
Clickthe+signbesideDiskDrivestoshowyourvirtualmachinesindividual
drives.
RightclicktheentryforeachIDEdrivetoopenitsPropertiesdialogbox.
UnderSettings,selecttheDMAcheckboxandacceptanywarningWindows
displays.
RestartWindowsforthenewsettingstotakeeffect.
Turning on DMA Mode for Windows NT Guests with IDE Disks

SomeusershaveseenaprobleminaWorkstationvirtualmachinethatusesIDEvirtual
disksonamultiprocessorhostcomputer.TheI/Oissueisespeciallynoticeablewhen
thevirtualmachineisbooting.
YoumightimproveperformancebyenablingDMA(directmemoryaccess)onthe
virtualharddisksIDEchannelinthevirtualmachine.
IfyouhaveavirtualdiskandaDVD/CDROMattachedasmasterandslavetothe
primaryIDEcontroller(channel0)andyouwanttoenableDMA,poweroffthevirtual
machine,andusethevirtualmachinesettingseditor(fromtheWorkstationmenubar,
chooseVM>Settings>CDROM)tomovetheDVD/CDROMdrivetothesecondary
IDEcontroller(channel1)atIDE1:0.
YoucanenabletheDMAfeatureafteryoufinishinstallingWindowsNT.Youmust
installServicePack6a.DownloadDMACHECK.EXEfromtheMicrosoftWebsite
(support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q191/7/74.ASP)andrunit.
WhenyourunDMACHECK.EXE,clicktheEnabledoptionfortheIDEcontrollerand
channelconfiguredforthevirtualdisk.Typically,thisischannel0only,unlessyouhave
thevirtualmachineconfiguredwithmultiplevirtualdisksandnovirtual
DVD/CDROMdrive.
DonotenableDMAonanIDEchannelwithavirtualDVD/CDROMdriveattached.
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Defragmenting Disk Drives

Defragmentvirtualdisksandhostdisksinthefollowingphases,frominsidetheguest
operatingsystemouttothehostoperatingsystem,asfollows:
1
DefragmentbyusingaguestoperatingsystemutilityForexample,inavirtual
machinewithaWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem,usetheWindowsXPDisk
Defragmentertoolfromwithinthevirtualmachine.
Forthefollowingreasons,VMwarestronglyrecommendsthatyoudefragmentby
usingaguestoperatingsystemmechanismbeforetakingthefirstsnapshot(or
linkedclone):
Workstationmakesallitschangestotheredolog,nottotheoriginaldisk,
whenyourunadefragmentingprogramontheguestafterasnapshot.You
losetheabilitytodefragmentinsidetheoriginaldiskforever.
Everysectorthatmovesiscopiedtotheredolog,makingthevirtualmachine
redologextremelylargewhenthediskisheavilyfragmentedandyourun
defragmentationafterasnapshot.
DefragmentthevirtualdiskbyusingtheWorkstationdefragmentationtoolIf
thediskisagrowabledisk,notonewhosediskspacewaspreallocatedatthe
timewhenyoucreatedthevirtualmachine,alsouseWorkstationtodefragment
thevirtualdisk.Forinstructions,seeDefragmentingVirtualDisksonpage 201.
DefragmentthehostdisksUseadefragmentationutilityforthehostsoperating
system.Forexample,ifthehostsoperatingsystemisWindowsVista,usethe
WindowsVistaDiskDefragmentertool.
Performanceisweakenedbyfragmentationonthephysicaldiskthatholdsthe
virtualmachinesworkingdirectoryorvirtualdiskfiles.Fragmentationofthehost
diskcanaffectanyorallofthefollowing:
Virtualdiskfiles
Filesthatstorenewlysaveddatawhenyouhaveasnapshot
Filesthatholdinformationusedinsuspendingandresumingavirtual
machine
Ifyouareexperiencingslowdiskperformanceinthevirtualmachine,orifyou
wanttoimprovethespeedofsuspendandresumeoperations,findoutwhether
thehostdiskisfragmented.Ifitis,youcanimproveperformancebyrunninga
defragmentationutility.
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Performance Impact of Defragmenting Snapshots and Linked Clones

Theremightbeaperformanceimpactwhenyoudefragmentalinkedcloneoravirtual
machinewithasnapshot.Exactperformancedegradationdependson:
Thefragmentationoftheparentvirtualmachinediskwhenyoucreatedthe
snapshotorlinkedclone.
Thenatureofthesubsequentupdatestotheparentvirtualmachinedisk.
Theredofileitselfcanbecomedefragmentedwithrespecttothehostfilesystem.Ifyour
useofvirtualmachinesisstronglyperformanceoriented,youshouldavoid
defragmentingorusinglinkedclonesandsnapshots.
Networking
MakesureVMwareToolsisinstalled.VMwareToolsincludesmanydevicedriversthat
improveperformanceofgraphicsdisplays,mouseoperations,andnetworkoperations.
Forinstallationinstructions,seeInstallingandUpgradingVMwareToolson
page 115.
Visual Effects (Windows Only)

OnMicrosoftWindowssystems,someusershaveseenperformanceimprovements
whentheyturnoffvisualeffects.Anexampleofsuchavisualeffectisthefadeeffect
thatWindows2000,WindowsXP,andWindowsServer2003usewhendisplaying
menus.
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To turn off visual effects

Dependingonwhichoperatingsystemyouuse:
OnWindows98:
a
Rightclickonthedesktopofyourvirtualmachine,andchooseProperties
fromthemenuthatappears.
ClicktheEffectstabanddeselecttheAnimatewindows,menus,andlists
checkbox.
IfyouhaveShowwindowcontentswhiledraggingselected,deselectthat
checkbox.
OnWindows2000:
a
Rightclicktheguestoperatingsystemdesktop,andchoose
Properties>Effects.
DeselectUsetransitioneffectsformenusandtooltips.
OnWindowsXPandWindowsServer2003:
a
Rightclicktheguestoperatingsystemdesktop,andchoose
Properties>Appearance>Effects.
DeselectUsetransitioneffectsformenusandtooltips.
OnWindowsVista:
a
UsetheControlPanelsPerformanceInformationandToolsitem(inClassic
view).
ClickthelinkcalledAdjustvisualeffects.
Enhanced Performance with Paravirtualized Kernels in Linux

Guests
Since2005,VMwarehasbeencollaboratingwiththeLinuxcommunitytodevelopa
commonparavirtualizationinterface.In2006,VMwarereleaseditsVMIspecificationas
anopenspecification.Formoreinformationonparavirtualizationingeneral,seethe
followingVMwareWebsite:
http://www.vmware.com/interfaces/paravirtualization.html
IfyouhaveaVMwareVMI(VirtualMachineInterface)enabledkernelintheguest
operatingsystem,youwillseeimprovedperformanceifyouenableparavirtual
supportinthevirtualmachine.
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NOTEUsethefollowingproceduretogetandenableaparavirtualizedkernel.
To use paravirtualized kernels
1
TogetaVMIenabledkernel,downloadtheCDimageofUbuntu7.04(Feisty)or
laterfrom:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/download
Usethestandardimagefor32bitIntelx86computers.VMIiscurrently32bitonly.
UseWorkstationsNewVirtualMachinewizardtocreateaWorkstation6virtual
machinewiththeguestoperatingsystemtypeUbuntu.
Forstepbystepinstructions,seeUsingtheNewVirtualMachineWizardon
page 94.MakesurethehardwareversionisWorkstation6.
Afteryoufinishcreatingthevirtualmachine,enableparavirtualkernelsupport,as
follows:
a
OntheOptionstab,clickAdvanced,andintheSettingssection,selectthe
checkboxcalledEnableVMwareparavirtualkernelsupport.
Donotclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditoryet.
SetthevirtualmachinetousetheISOimageyoudownloadedinStep 1:
a
OntheHardwaretab,selectCDROM,andintheConnectionsection,select
UseISOimage.
BrowsetoandselecttheISOimageyoudownloadedinStep 1.
ClickOKtosaveyoursettingsandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
PoweronthevirtualmachineandinstalltheLinuxoperatingsystemfromtheISO
file.
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Using the Microsoft Performance Console to Monitor

Virtual Machine Performance
VMwareWorkstationincorporatesasetofperformancecountersthatworkwith
MicrosoftsPerformanceconsolesoyoucancollectperformancedatafromrunning
virtualmachines.
NOTEThePerformanceconsoleisavailableonlyonWindowshosts.Youcanmonitor
theperformanceofanyvirtualmachinesrunningontheWindowshost,includingthose
runningLinuxguestoperatingsystems.
OnLinuxhosts,thereisnospecificapplicationthatWorkstationisdesignedtowork
withtoprovideadditionalVMwarespecificstatistics.
Workstationperformancecounterscanmonitorthefollowingdatafromarunning
virtualmachine:
Readingandwritingtovirtualdisks
Memoryusedbythevirtualmachine
Virtualnetworktraffic
Youcantrackvirtualmachineperformanceonlywhenavirtualmachineisrunning.
Performancecountersreflectthestateofthevirtualmachine,nottheguestoperating
system.Forexample,thecounterscanrecordhowoftenavirtualmachinereadsfrom
avirtualdisk,buttheycannottrackhowmanyprocessesarerunninginsidetheguest
operatingsystem.AnexplanationofeachcounterappearsinthePerformanceconsole.
To add counters to track virtual machine performance
1
OpentheAdministrativeToolscontrolpanelanddoubleclickPerformance.
ThePerformanceconsoleopens.
Clicktheplus(+)signonthetoolbar.
TheAddCountersdialogboxappears.
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FromthePerformanceobjectlist,selectVMware.
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Specifywhethertoaddallcountersorselectspecificcountersfromthelist.
IfyouselectSelectcountersfromthelist,alsoclickAddtodisplaytheinformation
inthePerformanceconsole.
NOTEForabriefdescriptionofeachcounter,clickExplain.Whenyouselecta
counterfromthelist,adescriptionappearsbelowtheAddCountersdialogbox.
Specifywhethertoviewinformationforallvirtualmachinesorspecificones.
Forspecificvirtualmachines,selectSelectinstancesfromlist,andchoosethe
virtualmachinesyouwant.Thenamesshowninthelistcorrespondtothedisplay
namesofrunningvirtualmachines.
FormoreinformationaboutusingthePerformanceconsole,fromthePerformance
consolemenubar,chooseAction>Help,orgototheMicrosoftWebsite.
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17
Special-Purpose
Configuration Options for
Windows Hosts
17
Thischapterdescribeshowtouseconfigurationoptionsforsuchthingsasrestricting
theoperationsausercanperformwithavirtualmachineorsimplifyingtheuser
interfaceforinexperiencedusers.Inaclassroom,forexample,youcanensurethat
virtualmachineconfigurationsremainconsistentfromoneclasssessiontothenext.
LockingOutInterfaceFeatures(WindowsHostsOnly)onpage 391
RestrictingtheUserInterfaceonpage 392
UsingFullScreenSwitchMode(WindowsHostsOnly)onpage 395
GuestACPIS1Sleeponpage 405
Locking Out Interface Features (Windows Hosts Only)

Administrativelockoutisaglobalsettingthataffectsallvirtualmachinesforallusers
onahostcomputer.Itallowsyoutoconfiguresettingssothatonlyauserwhoknows
thepasswordcanperformoneormoreofthefollowingtasks:
Createnewvirtualmachines.
Editvirtualmachineconfigurations.
Editnetworksettings.
Ifnouserhassetadministrativelockoutpreferences,anyusercansetthemandseta
passwordforaccesstotheadministrativelockoutfeatures.Ifanyuserhasalreadyset
administrativelockoutpreferences,youmustknowthepasswordinordertochange
thesettings.
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To set administrative lockout preferences

1
ClicktheLockouttabandifapasswordisalreadysetfortheadministrative
lockoutfeature,enterthepasswordwhenprompted.
SelecttheEnablecheckbox,andselecttheactionsyouwanttorestrict.
Ifthisisthefirsttimeadministrativelockoutoptionsarebeingset,specifya
passwordinthefieldsprovided.
ClickOKtosavethesettings.
Removing a Forgotten Password

Ifyoucannotrememberthepasswordandwanttoremoveit,youmustuninstall
Workstation.BesuretoclickYeswhenaskedifyouwanttoremovetheadministrative
lockoutsettings.AfteryoureinstallWorkstation,youcanenabletheadministrative
lockoutfeaturesagainandsetanewpassword.
Restricting the User Interface

Therestricteduserinterfaceaffectsonlythespecificvirtualmachinesforwhichthe
settingismade.Thefollowingchangesaremadewhenyouenabletherestricteduser
interface:
Thetoolbarisalwayshidden.
AllfunctionsontheVM>Powermenuaredisabled.
AllfunctionsontheVM>Snapshotmenuandsnapshotfunctionsonthetoolbar
aredisabled.
Thereisnoaccesstothevirtualmachinesettingseditor(VM>Settings)fromthe
VMwareWorkstationwindow.
Theusercannotchangevirtualnetworkingsettings(Edit>VirtualNetwork
Settings).
Theuserstartsthevirtualmachinebydoubleclickingtheconfigurationfile(.vmx
file)oradesktopshortcuttothatfile.Thevirtualmachinepowersonautomatically.
Attheendoftheworkingsession,theusershutsdownbyclosingthevirtual
machine(File>Exit).
ItisalsopossibletolaunchWorkstationandopenarestrictedinterfacevirtual
machinefromthevirtualmachinelistortheFilemenu.
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Chapter 17 Special-Purpose Configuration Options for Windows Hosts
Thechangesneededtoenabletherestricteduserinterfacemustbemadebyauserwith
sufficientprivilegestoeditthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileandtosetfile
permissionsasdescribedinthefollowingprocedure.
To enable the restricted user interface
1
PoweroffthevirtualmachineandclosetheVMwareWorkstationwindow.
Openthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmxfile)inNotepadoranothertext
editor.
Addthefollowinglineanywhereinthefile:
gui.restricted = "TRUE"
Optionally,setfilepermissionsontheconfigurationfiletogivenormalusersofthe
systemonlyreadaccesstothefile,sotheycannotmanuallymodifythe
configuration.
Createashortcuttotheconfigurationfileonthedesktopandgiveitanappropriate
name.
NOTEAlthoughtherestricteduserinterfaceprovidesnoaccesstomenuandtoolbar
controlsforthesnapshot,youcangiveuserslimitedsnapshotcontrol.Ifyousetupa
snapshotfortherestrictedvirtualmachineandsetthepoweroffoptiontoAskMe,the
userseesthestandarddialogboxwhenshuttingdownavirtualmachineandhasthe
opportunitytochooseJustPowerOff,TakeSnapshot,orReverttoSnapshot.
Automatically Returning to a Snapshot with a Restricted User

Interface
Youcancombinearestricteduserinterfacewithasnapshottoensurethatusersvirtual
machinesalwaysstartinthesamestate.Typically,usersrunningavirtualmachinewith
arestricteduserinterfacecanpoweritonandoffonly,andthevirtualmachineboots
whenpoweredon.Whenthevirtualmachinehasasnapshotsetandisconfiguredto
returntothatsnapshotwhenpoweredoff,theusercanonlystartandpoweroffthe
virtualmachine.Thevirtualmachinealwaysstartsfromthesnapshot.
To set up a virtual machine with a restricted user interface (Windows only)
1
Poweronthevirtualmachineandbesureitisinthestateyouwant.
Createasnapshot.
Forinstructions,seeTakingaSnapshotonpage 235.
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Configurethevirtualmachinetoreturntothesnapshotanytimeitispoweredoff:
ChooseVM>Settings>Options>SnapshotsandselectAfterPoweringOffand
ReverttoSnapshot.
Withthevirtualmachinepoweredoff,restricttheuserinterface,asfollows:
a
ClosetheVMwareWorkstationwindow.
Openthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmxfile)inNotepadoranother
texteditor.
Addthefollowinglineanywhereinthefile.
gui.restricted = "TRUE"
Optionally,setfilepermissionsontheconfigurationfiletogivenormalusersofthe
systemonlyreadaccesstothefile,sotheycannotmanuallymodifythe
configuration.
Createashortcuttotheconfigurationfileonthedesktopandgiveitanappropriate
name.
Usersrunthisvirtualmachinebydoubleclickingtheshortcuttotheconfigurationfile.
Itstartsatthesnapshot,withtheuserinterfacerestricted.Usersdonothaveatoolbar
oraccesstotheVM>Powermenuorthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
UsersclosethevirtualmachinebychoosingFile>Close.Thevirtualmachinepowers
off,andthenexttimeauserpowersiton,itreturnstothesnapshot.
To remove the restriction on the interface
1
PoweroffthevirtualmachineandclosetheVMwareWorkstationwindow.
Opentheconfigurationfile(.vmx)fileanddooneofthefollowing:
Setgui.restricted = "FALSE".
Removeorcommentoutthegui.restricted = "TRUE"line.
Savethechangestotheconfigurationfileandcloseit.
Startthevirtualmachinebydoubleclickingtheshortcut.
Thevirtualmachinestartsatthesnapshot,andtheinterfaceisnotrestricted.
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Using Full Screen Switch Mode (Windows Hosts Only)

FullscreenswitchmodeisaruntimeoptionfortheVMwareWorkstationprogramon
Windowshosts.WhenWorkstationisrunninginfullscreenswitchmode,theuserhas
noaccesstotheWorkstationuserinterface.Theusercannotcreate,reconfigure,or
launchvirtualmachines.Asystemadministratorperformsthesefunctions.
WhenWorkstationisrunninginfullscreenswitchmode,oneormorevirtualmachines
canberunning,andyoucanusehotkeystoswitchfromonetoanother.Youcanalso
providehotkeyaccesstothehostoperatingsystem.
NOTEFullscreenswitchmodeisenabledforWindowshostsonly.Linuxhostsdonot
havefullscreenswitchmode.
Creating a Virtual Machine for Use in Full Screen Switch Mode

Tocreatenewvirtualmachines,runWorkstationinstandardmode.Theinstructionsin
thissectionassumethatyouarecreatingthevirtualmachinesonaseparate
administrativecomputer.Ifyouprefer,createthevirtualmachinesdirectlyontheusers
computer.
To create a virtual machine that will be used in full screen switch mode
1
CreatethenewvirtualmachinefollowingtheinstructionsinTocreateavirtual
machinebyusingthecustomsetuponpage 95.
AsyoucompletetheNewVirtualMachinewizard,makethefollowingchoices:
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InStep 3,IntheSelecttheAppropriateConfigurationpage,selectCustom
andclickNext.,onpage 96,selectCustomtoperformacustominstallation.
InStep 6,OntheNametheVirtualMachinepage,selectanameandfolder
forthevirtualmachineandclickNext.,onpage 96,makeanoteofthefolder
inwhichyoucreatethevirtualmachine.Youmustcopyallthefilesinthis
foldertotheuserscomputerafteryoufinishcreatingandconfiguringthe
virtualmachine.
InStep 14,OntheSpecifyDiskCapacitypage,enterthesizeofthevirtual
disk,specifythewayyouwantthediskspaceallocated,andclickNext.,on
page 97,specifythesizeforthevirtualdiskandselectAllocatealldiskspace
now.Thisselectionisstronglyrecommended.Ifyoudonotmakethis
selectionandthehostcomputersharddiskrunsoutofspaceforagrowing
virtualdiskfile,theuserseesnowarningmessageanddoesnotknowwhatis
causingtheprobleminthevirtualmachine.
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Toopenthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,selectthevirtualmachineandchoose
VM>Settings.
Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditortomakeallneededconfigurationsettings
beforeyouconfiguretheuserscomputertolaunchWorkstationwhenthe
computerstarts.
NOTEIfyouplantorunthevirtualmachineonalaptopcomputer,besuretoset
thevirtualmachinetoreportthebatterystatus,asdescribedinReportingBattery
InformationintheGuestOperatingSystemonpage 160.
Youcannotchangevirtualmachinesettingsbyusingthevirtualmachinesettings
editorwhenWorkstationisrunninginfullscreenswitchmode.Itisrecommended
thatyoufinishconfiguringthevirtualmachineandinstalltheguestoperating
systemandapplicationsbeforeyoumovethevirtualmachinetotheusers
computer.
Moving a Virtual Machine to the Users Computer

Theeasiestwaytomovethevirtualmachinetoauserscomputeristouseanetwork
connectiontocopyallthefilesinthevirtualmachinedirectorytoadirectoryonthe
userscomputer.YoucanalsomovethedirectorybyusingaDVDorotherremovable
medialargeenoughtostorethefiles.
Placeeachvirtualmachineinitsownseparatedirectory.
Configuring Full Screen Switch Mode

Thissectiondescribesthelocalandglobalconfigurationsettingsyoucanusewhen
configuringfullscreenswitchmode.Theseconfigurationsettingsincludespecifying
hotkeysforcyclingthroughthecurrentlypoweredonvirtualmachines,switchingto
aspecificvirtualmachineorthehost,andotheroptions.
Global Configuration Settings

Tousefullscreenswitchmode,youmust,ataminimum,setthemsg.autoAnswer
propertyintheWorkstationglobalconfigurationfile.ThissettingcausesWorkstation
tosuppressanyWorkstationdialogboxesthatwouldordinarilyappear.Inthesedialog
boxes,thedefaultansweristhenautomaticallychosen.
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Theglobalconfigurationfilegetscreatedwhenyouchangeanyofthedefaultsettings
intheWorkstationpreferenceseditor(Edit>Preferences).Thisfileiscreatedinthe
followinglocation:
OnmostWindowshosts:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware
Workstation\config.ini
OnWindowsVistahosts:
C:\Users\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Workstation\config.ini
NOTEFullscreenswitchmodeisenabledforWindowshostsonly.Foryour
information,however,onLinux,thisfileislocatedin:
/etc/vmware/config
To specify global configuration settings for full screen switch mode

1
Iftheconfig.inifiledoesnotyetexistonyourhostcomputer,choose
Edit>PreferencesfromtheWorkstationmenubarandchangeatleastoneofthe
settingsinthepreferenceeditor.
Opentheconfig.inifilewithatexteditorandaddthefollowingline:
msg.autoAnswer = "TRUE"
(Optional)Specifyotherfullscreenswitchmodesettingsyouwanttouse.
Tospecifyhotkeysforswitchingtoothervirtualmachinesorthehostcomputer,
first,seeVirtualKeyCodesonpage 398.Next,seeHotKeyforCycling
ThroughVirtualMachinesandtheHostComputeronpage 399andHost
OperatingSystemHotKeyonpage 400.
AlsoseeOtherEntriesintheGlobalConfigurationFileonpage 401.
Saveandclosethefile.
Setpermissionsonthisfilesothatotheruserscannotchangeit.
Openthepreferences.inifilewithatexteditorandaddthefollowinglines:
pref.fullScreen.v5 = "TRUE"
pref.autoFitFullScreen = "fitGuestToHost"
OnmostWindowshosts,thisfileislocatedin:
%USERPROFILE%\Application Data\VMware\preferences.ini
OnWindowsVistahosts,thisfileislocatedin:
%USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\VMware\preferences.ini
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Ifyouwanttospecifyahotkeyforswitchingtoaspecificvirtualmachine,continueon
tothetopicVirtualMachineHotKeyonpage 400.
Virtual Key Codes

Thehotkeyentriesdescribedinthissectionrequireyoutoenteravirtualkeycodeas
partofthevalueforanoption.Virtualkeycodesusehexadecimalformat,whichisa
hexadecimalnumberprecededby0x.Forexample,tousethevirtualkeycodeof5Aas
avalue,type0x5A.
MicrosoftprovidesareferencelistofvirtualkeycodesontheMSDNWebsite.Atthe
timethismanualwaswritten,thereferencelistwasat:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/library/ms645540.aspx
Thehotkeyentriesalsoincludemodifierkeys.ThemodifierkeysareCtrl,Alt,Shift,
andWindowskeys.TheWindowskeyisthekeybetweentheCtrlandAltkeysonyour
keyboard.Youcanalsouseacombinationofthosekeys.SeeTable 171foralistofthe
keycodesforthemodifierkeys.
Table 17-1. Modifier Keys for Hot Key Entries
398
Modifier Key
Value
Nomodifier
0x0
Alt
0x1
Ctrl
0x2
Shift
0x4
Win(Windows)
0x8
Ctrl+Alt
0x3
Alt+Shift
0x5
Ctrl+Shift
0x6
Ctrl+Alt+Shift
0x7
Win+Alt
0x9
Win+Ctrl
0xa
Win+Ctrl+Alt
0xb
Win+Shift
0xc
Win+Shift+Alt
0xd
Win+Shift+Ctrl
0xe
Win+Shift+Ctrl+Alt
0xf
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Whenlistingakeyplusamodifier,typethevirtualkeycodeforthekeyfollowedbya
comma,andtypethevalueforthemodifierkeyorkeys.Forexample,thevalueentry
forCtrl+Shift+F1is0x70,0x6.
NOTEKeepthefollowinglimitationsinmindwhendefiningcyclekeysandswitch
keys:
DonotusethePausekeywiththeCtrlkey.YoucanusethePausekeywithother
modifierkeys.
IfyouuseF12,youmustuseoneormoremodifierkeys.YoucannotuseF12alone.
YoucannotusecombinationsthatincludeonlytheShift,Ctrl,andAltkeys.These
keyscanbeusedonlyasmodifiersincombinationwithsomeotherkey.
Hot Key for Cycling Through Virtual Machines and the Host Computer
Youcanspecifyahotkeyorhotkeycombinationforcyclingthroughtheavailable
virtualmachinesonahostcomputer.Hotkeysbehaveinthefollowingmanner:
Eachtimeyoupressthespecifiedhotkey,thescreendisplaysthenextvirtual
machineinorder.Youcanalsoincludethehostoperatingsysteminthecycle.
Ifanyparticularvirtualmachineisnotrunning,itisskipped.
Ifonlyonevirtualmachineisrunningandthehostoperatingsystemisnot
includedinthecycle,pressingthehotkeyhasnoeffect.
Thehotkeyforcyclingthroughvirtualmachinesisdefinedintheglobalconfiguration
file(config.ini).Twooptionscontrolcycling:
FullScreenSwitch.cycleKey
Thevalueofthisoptiondefinesthehotkey.Itisspecifiedas<key>,<modifier>.
Thereisnodefault.Forexample,tousethePausekeywithnomodifiertocycle
throughvirtualmachines,addthefollowinglinetotheconfig.inifile,ormodify
itsvalueiftheoptionisalreadylisted.
FullScreenSwitch.cycleKey = "0x13,0x0"
FullScreenSwitch.cycleHost
SetthisoptiontoTRUEtoincludethehostoperatingsysteminthecycle.The
defaultisFALSE.Forexample,toincludethehostoperatingsysteminthecycle,
addthefollowinglinetotheconfig.inifile,ormodifyitsvalueiftheoptionis
alreadylisted:
FullScreenSwitch.cycleHost = "TRUE"
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Hot Keys for Switching Directly to Virtual Machines and the Host
Computer
Youcanspecifyahotkeyorhotkeycombinationforswitchingdirectlytoanyavailable
virtualmachineonahostcomputer.Eachtimeyoupressthespecifiedhotkey,the
screendisplayswitchestothatofthespecifiedvirtualmachine.Youcanalsospecifya
hotkeyforswitchingdirectlytothehostoperatingsystem.
Virtual Machine Hot Key
Youdefinethehotkeyusedtoswitchtoavirtualmachinebyaddingalocal
configurationsetting.Localconfigurationsettingsaremadeintheconfigurationfilefor
aparticularvirtualmachine.Thelocalconfigurationfileisinthevirtualmachines
directory.Thefilenamehasa.vmxextension.
Theformatforanentryineitherconfigurationfileis:
<option> = "<value>"
Entriesintheconfigurationfilescanappearinanyorder.
Thevalueofthisoptiondefinesthehotkey.Itisspecifiedas<key>,<modifier>.There
isnodefault.
Forexample,touseCtrl+Shift+F1toswitchtoaparticularvirtualmachine,addthe
followinglinetothatvirtualmachines.vmxfileormodifyitsvalueiftheoptionis
alreadylisted:
FullScreenSwitch.directKey = "0x70,0x6"
Ifanyparticularvirtualmachineisnotrunning,pressingthehotkeyforthatvirtual
machinehasnoeffect.
Host Operating System Hot Key
Youdefinethehotkeyusedtoswitchtothehostoperatingsystembyaddingalineto
theglobalconfigurationfile(config.ini).Thevalueofthisoptiondefinesthehotkey.
Itisspecifiedas<key>,<modifier>.Thereisnodefault.
Forexample,touseCtrl+Shift+F9toswitchtothehostoperatingsystem,addthe
followinglinetotheconfig.inifile,ormodifyitsvalueiftheoptionisalreadylisted:
FullScreenSwitch.hostDirectKey = "0x78,0x6"
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Other Entries in the Global Configuration File

Thefollowingentriesintheglobalconfigurationfile(config.ini)areoptional.They
enableyoutocontrolcertainfunctionsofthevirtualmachinethatareimportantin
workenvironmentswherevirtualmachinesneedtobeisolatedfromeachotherand
fromthehostcomputer:
Isolation.tools.copy.enable
Thisoptiondetermineswhetherdatainonevirtualmachineorthehostoperating
systemcanbecopiedinawaythatallowsittobetransferredtoanothervirtual
machineortothehostoperatingsystem.ThedefaultsettingisTRUE(suchcopying
isallowed).
Thesettingforthisoptionshouldbethesameasthesettingfor
Isolation.tools.paste.enable(below).
Isolation.tools.paste.enable
Thisoptiondetermineswhetherdatacopiedinonevirtualmachineorthehost
operatingsystemcanbepastedintoanothervirtualmachineorthehostoperating
system.ThedefaultsettingisTRUE(suchpastingisallowed).
Thesettingforthisoptionshouldbethesameasthesettingfor
Isolation.tools.copy.enable(above).
Isolation.tools.HGFS.disable
Thevalueofthisoptiondetermineswhethervirtualmachinescanbeconfigured
withsharedfolders,forsharingfilesamongvirtualmachinesandwiththehost
computer.ThedefaultsettingisFALSE(sharedfoldersareenabled).
mks.CtlAltDel.ignore
SetthispropertytoTRUEsothatdialogboxesusuallygeneratedbyMicrosoft
WindowsSecureAttentionSequence(SAS)arenotdisplayedbutarepassedonto
theguestiftheguesthaskeyboardfocus.
mks.fullscreen.allScreenSaver
SetthispropertytoTRUEtoallowthehostoperatingsystemtorunitsscreensaver
whenitdeterminesthatthemachineisidle.
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Starting and Stopping Virtual Machines on the Users Computer

Usethevmware-fullscreencommandtorunVMwareWorkstationinfullscreen
switchmodeandtostartandstopvirtualmachinesonauserscomputer.The
commandcanpasscertaininformationtothevirtualmachinewhenitstarts.
Asadministrator,youmustdecidehowtoissuethecommand.Forexample,youcan
useacustomapplicationorscriptrunningonthehostoperatingsystemtoissueoneor
morevmware-fullscreencommands.Oryoucanincludethecommandtostarta
virtualmachineinashortcutinthehostoperatingsystemsstartupgroup,sothevirtual
machinestartswhentheuserlogsontothehostcomputer.
Issuethevmware-fullscreencommandonceforeachvirtualmachineyouwantto
startorstop.
Starting a Virtual Machine

Atitsmostbasic,thevmware-fullscreencommandtopoweronavirtualmachine
hasthefollowingsyntax:
vmware-fullscreen -poweron "<config-file>"
Providethefullpathtothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.
Theuserseesnoimmediateindicationthatthevirtualmachinehasstarted,buttheuser
canswitchtothevirtualmachinewithitsdirectswitchkeyorwiththecyclekey.
Topoweronthevirtualmachineandpassadditionalinformationtothevirtual
machine,useoneormoreoftheoptionsshowninthefollowingsyntax:
vmware-fullscreen -poweron [-s variable=value] [-name=<alias>]
[-directkey=<keyspec>] [-fullscreen] "<config-file>"
Whenyouusetheoptionalswitchesshownhere,the-poweronswitchisrequiredand
mustbethefirstswitchafterthevmware-fullscreencommand.Providethefullpath
tothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)fileattheendofthecommandline.Enter
thecompletecommandononeline.
Usethe-sswitchtopassavariablenameandvaluetobeusedinconfiguringthe
virtualmachine.Youcanincludemultiple<variable>=<value>pairsinthe
command.Each<variable>=<value>pairmustbeprecededby-s.
Use-name=<alias>togiveanametothevirtualmachine.Youcantheusethataliasin
-switchtoand-poweroffcommands.
Use-directkey=<keyspec>tospecifythevirtualmachinesdirectswitchkey.Ifa
directswitchkeyisspecifiedinthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile,theone
specifiedonthecommandlineoverridestheoneintheconfigurationfile.
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Forexample,tostartavirtualmachineandspecifythatitsdirectswitchkey
combinationisCtrl+Shift+F1,usethefollowingcommand:
vmware-fullscreen -poweron -directkey=0x70,0x6 "<config-file>"
Enterthecompletecommandononeline.
Use-fullscreenwithout-powerontostartavirtualmachineandgostraighttofull
screenswitchmode.Thevirtualmachinetakesoverthedisplayimmediately,insteadof
runninginvisiblyuntiltheuserswitchestoitlater.
Stopping a Virtual Machine

Useeitherofthefollowingcommandstoshutdownthespecifiedvirtualmachine:
vmware-fullscreen -poweroff "<config-file>"
vmware-fullscreen -poweroff <alias>
Youcanspecifythepathtotheconfiguration(.vmx)file,oryoucanspecifythealiasif
youused-name=whenyoustartedthevirtualmachine.
Stopping All Virtual Machines

Usethefollowingcommandtopoweroffallvirtualmachinescleanly:
vmware-fullscreen -exit
Workstationexitsassoonasallthevirtualmachineshavepoweredoff.
Switching Among Virtual Machines and the Host

Useoneofthefollowingcommandstoswitchtothespecifiedvirtualmachine:
vmware-fullscreen -switchto "<config-file>"
vmware-fullscreen -switchto <alias>
vmware-fullscreen -switchto host
vmware-fullscreen -switchto next
Dependingonwhichcommandyouuse,youcanswitchtothespecifiedvirtual
machine,tothehostoperatingsystem,ortothenextmachine(virtualmachineorhost)
inthecyclingorder.Avirtualmachinemustbepoweredonbeforeyoucanswitchtoit.
Whenspecifyingavirtualmachine,youcanspecifythepathtotheconfiguration(.vmx)
file,oryoucanspecifythealiasifyouused-name=whenyoustartedthevirtual
machine.
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Checking the Status of VMware Workstation

UsethefollowingcommandtofindoutwhetherWorkstationisrunninginfullscreen
switchmode:
vmware-fullscreen -query
IfWorkstationisinfullscreenswitchmode,theresponsetothiscommandalsoreports
itsprocessIDandwindowhandle.
Listing All the Virtual Machines Currently Powered On

Usethefollowingcommandtolistallthevirtualmachinescurrentlypoweredon:
vmware-fullscreen -listvms
Thelistisaddedtothevmware-fullscreenlogfile.
The vmware-fullscreen Log File

Thevmware-fullscreenprogramwritestoalogfile.Thislogfilerecordserrors
reportedbyvmware-fullscreenitselfasitstarts,stops,andpassesothercommands
toWorkstation.Itisseparatefromthevmware.logfile,whichstoresinformationonthe
runningvirtualmachines.
Thenameofthevmware-fullscreenlogfileisvmware-<username>-<pid>.log.By
default,thevmware-fullscreenlogfileisinthetempdirectoryfortheuserloggedon
tothehostcomputer.ThislocationmaybespecifiedintheTEMPenvironmentvariable.
Thedefaultlocationis:
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp
Theadministratorcanspecifyadifferentlocationforthislogfilebyaddingthe
followinglinetotheWorkstationglobalconfigurationfile(config.ini):
fullScreenSwitch.log.filename="<path>"
Itisbesttouseafullpath.Ifyouusearelativepath,thelocationisrelativetothe
directorythatisactivewhenthevmware-fullscreencommandisissuedforthefirst
timeafterthehostcomputerreboots.
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Guest ACPI S1 Sleep

WorkstationprovidesexperimentalsupportforguestoperatingsystemACPIS1sleep.
Notallguestoperatingsystemssupportthisfeature.Commonguestoperatingsystem
interfacesforenteringstandbyaresupported.
Bydefault,ACPIS1sleepisimplementedwithinWorkstationassuspend.Youcanuse
theWorkstationResumebuttontowaketheguest.
Withthefollowingentryintheconfiguration(.vmx)fileforavirtualmachine,ACPIS1
sleepisinsteadimplementedaspoweronsuspend:
chipset.onlineStandby = TRUE
Theguestoperatingsystemisnotfullypowereddown.Youcanawakenthevirtual
machine:
Usingkeyboardinput
Usingmouseinput
ThroughprogrammingtheCMOSexternaltimer
Thisfeaturecanbeusefulfortestanddevelopmentscenarios.
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Workstation Command-Line
Reference
Thisappendixdiscussesthecommandlineoptionsthatareavailableforthevmware
programandthevmrunprogram.Thisappendixcontainsthefollowingtopics:
StartupOptionsforWorkstationandVirtualMachinesonpage 407
CommandLineApplicationforOperatingVirtualMachinesonpage 409
Forinformationabutusingthevmware-fullscreencommandtousefullscreen
switchmode,seeStartingandStoppingVirtualMachinesontheUsersComputeron
page 402.
Startup Options for Workstation and Virtual Machines

Table A1describesoptionsavailablewhenyourunVMwareWorkstationfromthe
commandline.YoucantypethesecommandsinaLinuxterminalwindoworatthe
Windowscommandprompt.Youcanalsocreatescriptstorunmultiplecommands.
Thesyntaxforthiscommandis:
OnaLinuxhostoperatingsystem:
/usr/bin/vmware [-n] [-x] [-X] [-m] [-t] [-q] [-s <variablename>=<value>]
[-v]
[/<path_to_virtual_machine>/<virtual_machine_name>.vmx]
[X toolkit options]
OnaWindowshostoperatingsystem:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\Programs\vmware.exe [-B] [-n]
[-x] [-X] [-t] [-q] [-s <variablename>=<value>] [-v]
[<path_to_virtual_machine>\<virtual_machine_name>.vmx]
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Table A-1. Command-Line Options for the vmware Program

Option
Description
-n
OpensanewWorkstationwindow.
-B
(Windowshostsonly)OpensanewWorkstationwindow
buthidesthesidebarandtoolbars.Onlythetabsofopen
virtualmachinesareshown.Usingthisoptionhasthe
sameeffectasclickingtheWorkstationiconinthe
upperleftcorneroftheWorkstationwindowand
choosingHideControlsfromthemenuthatappears.
-t
Opensavirtualmachineorteaminanewtabinthe
existingWorkstationwindow.
-x
PowersonthevirtualmachinewhenVMware
Workstationstarts.Thisisequivalenttoclickingthe
PowerOnbuttonintheVMwareWorkstationtoolbar.
-X
PowersonthevirtualmachineandswitchestheVMware
Workstationwindowtofullscreenmode.
-m
(Linuxhostsonly)Startstheprograminquickswitch
mode.
-q
Closesthevirtualmachinestabwhenthevirtualmachine
powersoff.Ifnoothervirtualmachineisopen,italso
exitsWorkstation.Thisisusefulwhentheguest
operatingsystemiscapableofpoweringoffthevirtual
machine.
-s
Setsthespecifiedvariabletothespecifiedvalue.Any
variablenamesandvaluesthatarevalidinthe
configurationfilemaybespecifiedonthecommandline
withthe-sswitch.
-v
Displaystheproductname,version,andbuildnumber.
<path_to_virtual_machine>
Launchesavirtualmachineusingthespecifiedvirtual
machineorteamconfigurationfile(.vmxor.vmtm file).
<path_to_virtual_team>
OnLinuxhosts,Xtoolkitoptionscanbepassedasarguments,althoughsomeofthem
(mostnotablythesizeandtitleoftheVMwareWorkstationwindow)cannotbe
overridden.
XtoolkitoptionsarenotrelevantonaWindowshost.
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Appendix A Workstation Command-Line Reference
Using Startup Options in a Windows Shortcut

Themostconvenientwaytousethestartupoptionsistoincorporatethemintothe
commandgeneratedbyaWindowsshortcut.
Tocreatetheshortcut,rightclicktheshortcutandclickProperties.IntheTargetfield,
addanyswitchesyouwanttouseafterthevmware.exefilename.Forexample,the
followingcommandlaunchestheWindowsMevirtualmachinespecified,powersiton,
andswitchestofullscreenmode.
"C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\Programs\vmware.exe -X
Machines\Windows Me\Windows Me.vmx"
Enclosetheentirecommandstringinquotationmarks.
NOTETheconfigurationfilehasa.vmxextensionbydefault.
Command-Line Application for Operating Virtual

Machines
VMwareWorkstationincludesaseparateapplication,vmrun,foroperatingteamsor
virtualmachinesfromthecommandline.Tolaunchthevmrunapplication,fromthe
commandprompt,enter:vmrun COMMAND [OPTION].
BeforeusingthevmruncommandonaWindowshost,youmustdooneofthe
following:
ChangeyourworkingdirectorytotheVMwareWorkstationdirectory.Thedefault
locationis:
c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation
AddtheVMwareWorkstationdirectorytothesystempath.OnWindows2000and
XP,youcanchangethissettingat
ControlPanel>System>Advanced>EnvironmentVariables>System
variables>Path
Valid vmrun commandsandoptionsaredescribedinTable A2.

Ifauthenticationisrequiredintheguestoperatingsystem,usethefollowing
authenticationflags,asappropriate:
-gu <userName in guest OS>
-gp <password in guest OS>
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Table A-2. vmrun Commands and Parameters

Command
Description
Parameters
list
Listallrunningvirtualmachines.
None
upgradevm
Upgradeavirtualmachinetothecurrent
Workstationversion.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
installtools
InstallVMwareToolsintheguest
operatingsystem.InWindowsguests,
theVMwareToolsinstallerruns
automatically.InLinuxguests,this
commandconnectsthevirtualmachines
virtualCDROMdrivetotheVMware
ToolsISOimageforthatguest,butthe
installerdoesnotstartautomatically.
Completetheinstallationwithadditional
manualsteps,asdescribedinInstalling
VMwareToolsonaLinuxGueston
page 125.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
start
Startavirtualmachine(.vmxfile)orteam
(.vmtmfile).
[Pathto.vmxor.vmtmfile]
stop
Stopavirtualmachine(.vmxfile)orteam
(.vmtmfile).
[hard|soft]
reset
Resetavirtualmachine(.vmxfile)or
team(.vmtmfile).
[hard|soft]
suspend
Suspendavirtualmachine(.vmxfile)or
team(.vmtmfile).
[hard|soft]
snapshot
Createasnapshotofavirtualmachine.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[snapshotname]
listSnapshots
Listallsnapshotsinavirtualmachine.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
deleteSnapshot
Removeasnapshotfromavirtual
machine.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[snapshotname]
General Commands
Power Commands
Snapshot Commands
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Table A-2. vmrun Commands and Parameters (Continued)

Command
revertToSnapshot
Description
Parameters
Gotoasnapshotinavirtualmachine.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[snapshotname]
Ifasnapshothasauniquenamewithina
virtualmachine,reverttothatsnapshot
byspecifyingthepathtothevirtual
machinesconfigurationfileandthe
snapshotname:
[Pathto.vmxfile][snapshotname]
or
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[snapshotname1/
snapshotname2]
Ifseveralsnapshotshavethesamename,
youcanstillspecifyasnapshotby
includingapathnameforthesnapshot
name.Apathnameisaseriesofsnapshot
names,separatedbyforwardslash
characters(/).Eachnamespecifiesa
differentsnapshotinthetree.
Forexample,supposeyouincludethe
pathnameSnap1/Snap2.Thiswill
identifyasnapshotnamedSnap2that
wastakenfromthestateofaroot
snapshotnamedSnap1.
Becauseyoucanusetheforwardslashin
apathname,VMwarerecommendsthat
youavoidusingtheslashcharacterwhen
younameasnapshotbecausethismakes
itdifficultforyoutopredictwhich
snapshotapathnamewillidentify.
Guest Operating System Commands
runProgramInGuest
fileExistsInGuest
setSharedFolderState
Runaprogramintheguestoperating
system.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Program[Program
arguments]]
Checkwhetherthespecifiedfileexistsin
theguestsystem.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
Modifythelocationofafoldershared
betweenthehostandguest.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Pathtofileinguest]
[Sharename]
[Newpathtofolderon
host]
addSharedFolder
Addafoldertobesharedbetweenthe
hostandguest.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Sharename]
[Pathtofolderonhost]
removeSharedFolder
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Removeafoldersharedbetweenthehost
andguest.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Sharename]
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Table A-2. vmrun Commands and Parameters (Continued)

Command
Description
Parameters
listProcessesInGuest
Listtheprocessesrunningintheguest
operatingsystem.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
killProcessInGuest
Killthespecifiedprocessontheguest
operatingsystem.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
Runascriptintheguestoperating
system.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
runScriptInGuest
deleteFileInGuest
createDirectoryInGuest
deleteDirectoryInGuest
listDirectoryInGuest
copyFileFromHostToGuest
[ProcessID]
[Interpreterpathscript
text]
Deleteafilefromtheguestoperating
system.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
Createadirectoryintheguestoperating
system.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
Deleteadirectoryfromtheguest
operatingsystem.
Listthecontentsofadirectoryinthe
Copyafilefromthehosttotheguest
operatingsystem.
[Pathtofileontheguest]
[Directorypathonthe
guest]
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Directorypathonthe
guest]
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Directorypathonthe
guest]
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Filepathonthehost]
[Filepathontheguest]
copyFileFromGuestToHost
Copyafilefromtheguestoperating
systemtothehost.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Filepathontheguest]
[Filepathonthehost]
renameFileInGuest
Renameafileintheguestoperating
system.
[Pathto.vmxfile]
[Originalfilename]
[Newfilename]
Examples for vmrun

Forexample,toresetavirtualmachine:
InaLinuxterminal,enter:
vmrun reset /usr/local/VMs/<virtual_machine_name>.vmx soft
OntheWindowscommandline,enter:
vmrun reset c:\Virtual Machines\<virtual_machine_name>.vmx soft
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WithvirtualmachinesthatrequireinputthroughaVMwareWorkstationdialogbox,
vmrunmighttimeoutandfail.TodisableWorkstationdialogboxes,insertthefollowing
lineintotheconfiguration(.vmx)fileforavirtualmachine:
msg.autoAnswer = TRUE
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Using the Eclipse Integrated

Virtual Debugger
TheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerprovidesaconfigurableinterfacebetween
Eclipseandvirtualmachines,makingiteasytodevelopanddebugapplicationsthat
runinmultipleoperatingsystemenvironmentsonasinglePC.Debuggingyour
applicationsinvirtualmachinesenablesyoutoreproduceandrecorderrorswhile
maintainingtheintegrityofthehostmachine.Youcanperformtypicaldebuggingtasks
suchaspausingatbreakpoints,steppingthroughcode,andviewingandmodifyingthe
stateofyourapplication,allwithoutimpactingthehostenvironment.
Thisappendixcontainsthefollowingsections:
OverviewoftheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggeronpage 415
SettingUptheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerEnvironmentonpage 417
ManagingVirtualMachineLaunchConfigurationsonpage 421
RunningandDebuggingApplicationsinVirtualMachinesonpage 425
Overview of the Eclipse Integrated Virtual Debugger

TheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerenablesyouto:
Managelaunchconfigurationsettingsforapplicationexecutionanddebuggingin
virtualmachines.
Startanapplicationdebuggingsessioninavirtualmachine.
Startanapplicationinavirtualmachinewithoutdebugging.
Startadebuggingsessionthatattachestoaprocessalreadyrunninginavirtual
machine.
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UsingEclipselaunchconfigurations,youcanchoosewhatvirtualmachinetorunyour
applicationinandhowitisexecuted.Onceconfigured,theEclipseIntegratedVirtual
Debuggerfindsthevirtualmachine,powersitonifnecessary,setsuptheenvironment
basedonyourconfigurationsettings,andstartsorattachestotheapplication.
Toconfigurehowanapplicationisstartedinavirtualmachine,youcanspecify:
Thenameofthevirtualmachine(.vmxconfigurationfile).
(Optional)ThepathtotheJVMontheguestsystem.
(Optional)Thelocationoffolderstobesharedbetweenthehostandtheguest.
(Optional)ActionstoperformbeforelaunchinganapplicationfromEclipse,
including:
Reverttothemostrecentsnapshot.
Runspecifiedpreexecutioncommands.
(Optional)ActionstoperformafteranapplicationlaunchedfromEclipseis
terminated,including:
Runspecifiedpostexecutioncommands(forexample,toperformcleanup
tasks).
Setthevirtualmachinestateto:
Suspended(default)
Reverttothemostrecentsnapshot
Poweredoff
ForinformationoninstallationrequirementsfortheEclipseIntegratedVirtual
Debugger,seeSettingUptheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerEnvironmenton
page 417.
Forinformationonhowtomanagevirtualmachineconfigurations,seeManaging
VirtualMachineLaunchConfigurationsonpage 421.
Formoreinformationonrunninganddebuggingapplicationsinvirtualmachines,see
RunningandDebuggingApplicationsinVirtualMachinesonpage 425.
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Appendix B Using the Eclipse Integrated Virtual Debugger
Setting Up the Eclipse Integrated Virtual Debugger

Environment
Reviewtherequirementsandrecommendationsinthissectionbeforefollowingthe
instructionsinChapter 2,InstallingVMwareWorkstation,onpage 47toinstallthe
EclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerasanoptionalcomponentofWorkstation6.This
sectiondescribestherequirementsforhostandguestsystems,Eclipse,andtheJava
RuntimeEnvironment(JRE).
DuringWindowsinstallation,ifEclipseisnotinstalledin
C:\Program Files\EclipseorC:\Eclipse,youmustusetheCustomsetupto
selecttheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggercomponentandspecifytheEclipse
directorylocation.
DuringLinuxinstallation,youmustoverridethedefaultvalueofNowhenprompted
byvmware-config.pltoinstalltheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebugger.
WhenyouinstalltheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebugger:
TheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerplugin,ivd.jar,FoundryJava
bindings,andtheplugin.xmllaunchconfigurationfileareplacedinthe
com.vmware.bfg_1.0.0subdirectoryoftheEclipseplugindirectory.
AfteryourestartEclipse,theDebugmenuincludesthenewlaunchconfiguration
typesVMwareattachtoapplicationandVMwareexecuteJavaapplication.
TheselaunchconfigurationtypeshaveaVMwaretabthatenablesyoutoconfigure
virtualmachinesettings.
Youcandebuginmultiplevirtualmachinessimultaneously.Youcanalsodebug
multiplesessionsinasinglevirtualmachine.

TheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggercanrunonanysupportedhostoperating
systemthatisrunningWorkstation6andhasEclipseinstalled.Eclipsemustberunning
onthesamesystemasWorkstation6.SeeEclipseRequirementsforadditionalEclipse
requirements.
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Supported Host Operating Systems

TheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggersupportsthefollowingWindows32bithost
operatingsystems:
WindowsXPHomeEdition,SP1,SP2
WindowsXPProfessional,SP1,SP2
Windows2000ServerSP3,SP4
Windows2000Professional,SP3,SP4
Windows2000AdvancedServer,SP3,SP4
NOTEWindows64bithostoperatingsystemsarenotcurrentlysupported.
TheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggersupportsthefollowingLinux32bitand64bit
hostoperatingsystems:
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS4.5(Beta,formerlycalled4.0Update5)
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAS4.0,updates1,2,3,4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxES4.0,updates1,2,3,4
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxWS4.0,updates1,2,3,4
RedHatLinux9.0stock2.4.208,upgrade2.4.2020.9
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux6.06
Supported JRE Versions

ThehostsystemmustberunningaJavaRuntimeEnvironment(JRE)meetingJava2
PlatformStandardEdition(J2SE)5.0orhigherspecifications.J2SEconsistsoftheJRE
anddevelopertoolsforcompiling,debugging,andrunningapplicationswritteninthe
Javalanguage.
NOTEEclipsedisplaystheerrormessageunable to load classifanunsupported
versionofJ2SEisbeingusedonthehostsystem.
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Eclipse Requirements
YoumusthaveEclipse3.2or3.3installedonthehost.OnWindowsVistahosts,you
musthaveEclipse3.2.2or3.3installed.
TheJavalanguageissupported.YoucannothaveGCJJavainstalledontheguest
operatingsystem.
ReviewVirtualMachineRequirementsforinformationaboutguestsystem
requirements.
Virtual Machine Requirements

TheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerissupportedonanyWorkstation6virtual
machinethatisrunningasupportedWindowsorLinuxguestoperatingsystem.
Supported Guest Operating Systems

Thissectionprovidesasimplifiedlistofguestoperatingsystemssupportedfor
debugginginvirtualmachines.Forthemostrecentlistofsupportedguestoperating
systems,includingdetailedinformationaboutthespecificoperatingsystemversions,
servicepacks,andupdatessupported,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystem
InstallationGuide,athttp://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.Thisguidealsoprovides
notesoninstallingthemostcommonguestoperatingsystems.
Operatingsystemsthatarenotlistedarenotsupportedfordebugginginavirtual
machine.
ThefollowingWindows32bitguestoperatingsystemsaresupported:
WindowsVista(allexceptVistaHomeEdition,whichcannotberuninavirtual
machineduetoMicrosoftlicensingrestrictions)
WindowsServer2003,EnterpriseEditionandR2
WindowsXPProfessionalandHomeEdition
Windows2000Professional
Windows2000Server
Windows2000AdvancedServer
ThefollowingWindows64bitguestoperatingsystemsaresupported:
WindowsVistax64Edition(3Deffectsnotyetsupported)
WindowsXPProfessionalx64
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ThefollowingLinux32bitand64bitguestoperatingsystemsaresupported:
RedHatLinux8and9
RedHatEnterpriseLinuxAdvancedServer,EnterpriseServer,andWorkstation4
and5
UbuntuLinux6.10
UbuntuLinux6.06
SUSELinux10
SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10
VMware Tools Requirements

MakesurethattheversionofVMwareToolsontheguestoperatingsystemmatchesthe
versionofWorkstation6(whichtheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerisa
componentof)onthehost.
Java and JRE Requirements

YoucannothaveGCJJavainstalledontheguestoperatingsystem.
TheguestoperatingsystemmustberunningJRE1.4.2orhigher.Ifyouarenotusing
JRE5.0ontheguest,youmustupdatethebuildsettingsinEclipsetobecompatible
withtheolderJRE.
To update the Eclipse build settings to use a 1.4.x JRE on the guest
1
IntheEclipsePackageExplorer,rightclickthetopmostfolder(Projectitem)and
chooseProperties.
IntheleftpaneofthePropertiespage,selectJavaCompiler.
SelectEnableprojectspecificsettings,andsettheJDKComplianceCompiler
compliancelevelto1.4.
Installing PSAPI.DLL on Windows NT

OnWindowsNT,youmustinstallthepsapi.dlllibraryfiletoretrieveprocessstatus
informationsothattheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggercanattachtoaprocess.You
candownloadpsapi.dllfrom
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/library/ms684884.aspx.
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Disabling the Firewall on Linux Guest Systems

YoumustdisablethefirewallonLinuxguestoperatingsystems.TheEclipseIntegrated
VirtualDebuggeropensanavailableport(searchingfromport49152)foreach
debuggingsession.
Configuring the Firewall on Windows Guest Systems

Ifyouareusinga1.4.xJREonWindowsguestsystems,youmusteitherdisablethe
firewallorallowincomingconnectionstotheJVM.IfyouhaveaWindowssystem
(suchasWindowsXPSP2,Windows2003,andWindowsVista)thatallowsyouto
configureexceptionstothefirewall,youcanaddtheJVMtotheexceptionslist.
To add the JVM to the exceptions list
1
ChooseStart>ControlPanel>WindowsFirewallandselecttheExceptionstab.
ClickAddProgramandbrowsetotheJavaexecutable.
ClickOK.
NOTEOnWindowsVistaguests,youmighthavetorestartthefirewallafter
configuringittoallowincomingconnectionstotheJVM.
Managing Virtual Machine Launch Configurations

Youcanmanageconfigurationsettingsforeachvirtualmachineinwhichyouwantto
debugapplications.EclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerlaunchconfigurations
determinewhichvirtualmachinetoruntheapplicationinandhowtheapplicationis
executed.
ThelaunchconfigurationtypesVMwareattachtoapplicationandVMwareexecute
JavaapplicationhaveaVMwaretab.ThevaluesyouenterintheVMwaretab
determinevirtualmachineconfigurationsettings.Onceconfigured,youcanstartand
attachtoapplicationsinvirtualmachinesfromtheEclipseDebugandRunmenus.
ChooseRun>Debugtomanagelaunchconfigurations.Youcancreate,duplicate,edit,
andremoveconfigurations.
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Using Application Configurations to Start Applications in a

Virtual Machine
Thissectiondescribesthevirtualmachinesettingsyoucanconfiguretostartan
applicationinavirtualmachine.
To create, duplicate, or edit a launch configuration to start an application in a
virtual machine
1
ChooseRun>Debug.
TheDebugpageisdisplayed.Youcancreate,manage,andrunconfigurations
fromthispage.
Youcancreatealaunchconfigurationbasedondefaultsettingsorbasedon
anotherconfiguration.Youcanalsoeditanexistingconfiguration.Dooneofthe
following:
CreateaconfigurationbasedondefaultsettingsbyselectingVMwareexecute
Javaapplicationintheleftpane,andclickingtheNewlaunchconfiguration
iconatthetopofthepane.
Createaconfigurationbasedonanotherconfigurationbyselectingthe
configurationyouwanttoduplicateunderVMwareexecuteJavaapplication
intheleftpane,andclickingtheDuplicatesthecurrentlyselected
configurationiconatthetopofthepane.
Editanexistingconfigurationbyselectingtheconfigurationyouwanttoedit
underVMwareexecuteJavaapplicationintheleftpane.
PerformtheremainingstepsintheVMwaretaboftherightpane.
3
Chooseavirtualmachinefromthedropdownmenuofrecentlyusedand
currentlyrunningvirtualmachines.
ClickBrowsetoselectfrom.vmxfilesonthesystem.
(Optional)IfyouwanttouseaJVMotherthantheonethatisautomatically
selected,selectanalternateJVMpath.
(Optional)Expandthelistofsharedfolderstoadd,edit,orremovefolderstobe
sharedbetweenthehostandtheguestsystems.
Foreachfolder,enterthesharenameandthelocationonthehostsystem.
Bydefault,theprojectfolderisshared.
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(Optional)Indicateactionstobeperformedbeforetheapplicationislaunched:
SelectSetvirtualmachinestatetomostrecentsnapshottoreverttothemost
recentsnapshotbeforetheapplicationislaunched.
SelectRunscriptandenteroneormoreshellcommandstobeexecutedinthe
guestoperatingsystembeforetheapplicationislaunched.Nosyntax
checkingisperformed.Eitherenteronecommandperline,orentermultiple
commandsonthesamelineusingasemicolonasaseparator.
(Optional)Indicateactionstobeperformedaftertheapplicationhasterminated:
SelectRunscriptandenteroneormoreshellcommandstobeexecutedinthe
guestoperatingsystemaftertheapplicationhasterminated.Nosyntax
checkingisperformed.Eitherenteronecommandperline,orentermultiple
commandsonthesamelineusingasemicolonasaseparator.
SelectSetvirtualmachinestate,andselectoneofthefollowingoptions:
tosuspended(default)
tomostrecentsnapshot
topoweredoff
ClickApply.
IfyouclickRevert,settingsreverttopreviousvalues.
Ifnewlycreated,thelaunchconfigurationisaddedtotheleftpane.
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Using Application Configurations to Attach to Applications

Running in a Virtual Machine
Thissectiondescribesthevirtualmachinesettingsyoucanconfiguretoattachtoan
applicationthatisalreadyrunninginavirtualmachine.
To create, duplicate, or edit a configuration that attaches to a running application
in a virtual machine
1
ChooseRun>Debug.
fromthispage.
Youcancreatealaunchconfigurationbasedondefaultsettingsorbasedon
anotherconfiguration.Dooneofthefollowing:
CreateaconfigurationbasedondefaultsettingsbyselectingVMwareattach
toapplicationintheleftpane,andclickingtheNewlaunchconfiguration
Createaconfigurationbasedonanotherconfigurationbyselectingthe
configurationyouwanttoduplicateunderVMwareattachtoapplicationin
theleftpaneandclickingtheDuplicatesthecurrentlyselectedconfiguration
Editanexistingconfigurationbyselectingtheconfigurationyouwanttoedit
underVMwareattachtoapplicationintheleftpane.
PerformtheremainingstepsintheVMwaretaboftherightpane.
3
Chooseavirtualmachinefromthedropdownmenuofrecentlyusedand
currentlyrunningvirtualmachines.
ClickApply.
IfyouclickRevert,settingsreverttodefaultvalues.
Ifnewlycreated,thelaunchconfigurationisaddedtotheleftpane.
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Deleting Configurations
Youcanremoveanexistingconfiguration.
To remove a configuration
1
ChooseRun>Debug.
fromthispage.
Intheleftpane,selectoneormoreconfigurationsyouwanttodeleteandclickthe
Deleteselectedlaunchconfiguration(s)iconatthetopofthepane.
Theconfigurationisremovedintheleftpane.
Running and Debugging Applications in Virtual Machines

Onceyouhavecreatedtheappropriatelaunchconfigurations,theEclipseIntegrated
VirtualDebuggerenablesyouto:
machine.
Starting an Application Debugging Session in a Virtual Machine

Youcandebuganapplicationinanyconfiguredvirtualmachine.
To start a debugging session in a virtual machine
1
Beginthesessioninoneofthefollowingways:
FromtheDebugmenu,choosetheconfigurationfortheapplicationyouwant
tostartdebugging.
IntheDebugpage,selecttheconfigurationunderVMwareexecuteJava
applicationintheleftpaneandclickDebugintherightpane.
Performdebuggingtasksasyouwouldinalocaldebuggingenvironment.
NOTEDonotsuspendavirtualmachinewhiletheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebugger
isconnectedtoanapplication.Ifyoudo,theEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerwill
disconnectfromtheapplication.
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Starting an Application in a Virtual Machine Without Debugging

Youcanstartanapplicationwithoutdebugginginanyconfiguredvirtualmachine.
Beginthesessioninoneofthefollowingways:
FromtheRunmenu,choosetheconfigurationfortheapplicationyouwanttostart.
IntheRunpage,selecttheconfigurationunderVMwareexecuteJavaapplication
intheleftpaneandclickRunintherightpane.
Attaching the Debugger to an Application Running in a Virtual

Machine
YoucanattachthedebuggertoanyJavaapplicationthatisrunninginavirtual
machine.
To attach to an application that is running in a virtual machine
1
IntheDebugpage,selecttheconfigurationunderVMwareattachtoapplication
intheleftpaneandclickDebugintherightpane.
IfmorethanoneinstanceoftheJavaapplicationisrunninginthevirtualmachine,
adialogboxappearswithalistoftherunninginstances,eachidentifiedbytheir
processID,portnumber,andarguments.
Selecttheprocessyouwanttoattachto.
Performdebuggingtasksasyouwouldinalocaldebuggingenvironment.
NOTEDonotsuspendavirtualmachinewhiletheEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebugger
isconnectedtoanapplication.Ifyoudo,theEclipseIntegratedVirtualDebuggerwill
disconnectfromtheapplication.
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Using the Visual Studio

Integrated Virtual Debugger
TheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggerprovidesaconfigurableinterface
betweenVisualStudioandvirtualmachines,makingiteasytodevelopanddebug
applicationsthatruninmultipleWindowsoperatingsystemenvironmentsonasingle
PC.Debuggingyourapplicationsinvirtualmachinesenablesyoutoreproduceand
recorderrorswhilemaintainingtheintegrityofthehostmachine.Youcanperform
typicaldebuggingtaskssuchaspausingatbreakpoints,steppingthroughcode,and
viewingandmodifyingthestateofyourapplication,allwithoutimpactingthehost
environment.
Thischaptercontainsthefollowingsections:
OverviewoftheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggeronpage 427
SettingUptheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggerEnvironmenton
page 430
ManagingVirtualMachineConfigurationsonpage 437
RunningandDebuggingApplicationsinVirtualMachinesonpage 442
Overview of the Visual Studio Integrated Virtual Debugger

TheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggerenablesyouto:
Manageconfigurationsettingsforapplicationexecutionanddebugginginvirtual
machines.
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machine.
Youcanmanageconfigurationsettingsforeachvirtualmachineinwhichyouwantto
executeanddebugapplications.Virtualmachineconfigurationproperties,whichyou
setintheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggerconfigurationpages,determine
whichvirtualmachinetoruntheapplicationinandhowtheapplicationisexecuted.
Onceconfigured,theintegratedvirtualdebuggerfindsthevirtualmachine,powersit
onifnecessary,setsuptheenvironmentbasedonyourconfigurationsettings,and
startsorattachestotheapplication.
ForinformationoninstallationandotherrequirementsfortheVisualStudioIntegrated
VirtualDebugger,seeSettingUptheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebugger
Environmentonpage 430.
Forinformationonhowtomanagevirtualmachineconfigurations,seeManaging
VirtualMachineConfigurationsonpage 437.
Forinformationonrunninganddebuggingapplicationsinvirtualmachines,see
RunningandDebuggingApplicationsinVirtualMachinesonpage 442.
Configuration Options When Starting an Application in a Virtual

Machine
Toconfigurehowtostartanapplication(withorwithoutdebugging)inavirtual
machine,youcanspecifythefollowingsettingsintheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtual
Debuggerconfigurationpages:
ThecommandtobeexecutedbyVisualStudiointheguestoperatingsystem.
Whethertorunthecommandasasharedpathonthehostorasaguestpath.
ThelocationoftheRemoteDebugMonitoronthehost.
ThenameoftheRemoteDebugMonitorontheguest.
Youcanspecifythefollowingadditionalsettingswhenyoustartdebuggingan
applicationinavirtualmachine,butnotwhenyoustartanapplicationwithout
debugging:
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(Optional)Thelocationoffolderstobesharedbetweenthehostandtheguest.
(Optional)Actionstoperformbeforestartinganapplicationinavirtualmachine,
including:
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Appendix C Using the Visual Studio Integrated Virtual Debugger
Copyingfilesorfoldersfromthehosttothevirtualmachine.
Revertingthevirtualmachinetotheparentsnapshot.
Runningspecifiedpreexecutioncommandsontheguest.Forexample,ifyou
mustregisternewDLLsinthevirtualmachineeachtimetheprogramis
recompiled,youcancreateaDLLregistrationscriptandspecifythatitmust
berunduringsetup.
(Optional)Actionstoperformafteranapplicationinavirtualmachineis
terminated,including:
Runningspecifiedpostexecutioncommands(forexample,toperform
cleanuptasks)intheguest.
Settingthevirtualmachinestateto:
Nooperation(remainpoweredon,noshutdownaction)
Poweredoff
Theparentsnapshot
Suspended
Configuration Options When Attaching to a Process Running in

a Virtual Machine
Toconfigureadebuggingsessionthatattachestoaprocessalreadyrunninginavirtual
machine,youcanspecifythefollowingintheAttachtoProcessdialogbox:
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Setting Up the Visual Studio Integrated Virtual Debugger

Environment
Reviewtherequirementsandrecommendationsinthissectionbeforefollowingthe
instructionsinChapter 2,InstallingVMwareWorkstation,onpage 47toinstallthe
VisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggerasanoptionalcomponentofWorkstation6.
TheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggercanbeinstalledonmostWindowshost
systemsthatarerunningWorkstation6andhaveasupportedversionofVisualStudio
installed.
WhenyouinstalltheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebugger:
TheassociatedDLLsareplacedinthe\Program Files\VMware\VMware
Workstation\Visual Studio Integrated Debuggerand
\Program Files\VMware\VMware VIX\ws-2\32bitdirectories.
WhenyourestartVisualStudio,theintegratedvirtualdebuggerisloadedandthe
VMwaremenuandtoolbarbecomeavailable.
Apreferencefile,vsid-prefs.xml,iscreatedinthe
\Documents and Settings\<user_name>\Application Data\VMware
directory.Donoteditthisfiledirectly.Itisupdatedwhenyoumakechangesinthe
integratedvirtualdebuggerconfigurationpages.
Afile,<project_name>.idc,iscreatedforeachprojectinsamedirectoryasthe
projectfilewhenaprojectofatypesupportedbytheintegratedvirtualdebugger
isloadedinVisualStudio.
Alogfile,vmware-vsid-<integer>.log,iscreatedinthe
\Documents and Settings\<user_name>\Local Settings\Tempdirectory.
YoucanchooseVMware>AboutVMwareVirtualDebuggertoviewthelogfile
name.Thislogfilecontainsinformationalanderrormessagesabouttheactionsof
theintegratedvirtualdebugger.
Youcandebuginmultiplevirtualmachinessimultaneously.Youcanalsodebug
multiplesessionsinasinglevirtualmachine.However,youcannotdebugonalocalor
physicallyremotemachineandinavirtualmachineatthesametime.
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Microsoft Visual Studio Requirements and Recommendations

ThissectionincludesrequirementsandconfigurationrecommendationsforVisual
Studio.
VisualStudiomustberunningonthesamesystemasWorkstation6.
Supported Versions of Visual Studio

OnlyVisualStudio2005ProfessionalandTeamSystemseditionsaresupported.These
versionsofVisualStudioallowremotedebuggingonWindowssystems,withthe
exceptionsofWindowsNTandWindowsVistaStarterEdition.TheVisualStudio
IntegratedVirtualDebuggerusesthefeaturesoftheRemoteDebugMonitor
(msvsmon.exe)tocommunicatewiththeguestoperatingsystem.
VMwarerecommendsthatyouinstallVisualStudio2005SP1.Formoreinformation,
seehttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/vstudio/bb265237.aspx.
ForimportantinformationaboutrunningVisualStudio2005onWindowsVista,see
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/vstudio/aa972193.aspx.
RunningtheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggeronWindowsVistaStarter
Editionisnotsupported.ForinformationaboutissuesrunningVisualStudioon
WindowsVistaStarterEdition,see
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/vstudio/aa964140.aspx#question46.
Supported Languages
TheC/C++(NativeandManaged),C#,andVisualBasiclanguagesaresupported.
Configuring the Runtime Library Setting for C++ Applications

Whenyoudebugonaphysicallyremotemachineorinavirtualmachine,the
applicationmightnotstartiftheruntimelibrarysettingissettocertainvalues.Ifyou
encounterthisproblem,changetheC++runtimelibrarysetting.
To update the Visual Studio runtime library setting
1
ChooseProject>Properties.
ExpandConfigurationProperties>C/C++andselectCodeGeneration.
SetCodeGenerationtoRuntimeLibrarypropertytoMultithreaded(/MT)or
MultithreadedDebug(/MTd).
Foradditionalinformation,see
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/library/ms235624.aspx.
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TheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggercanrunonmostWindowshost
operatingsystemssupportedbyWorkstation6,listedinWindowsHostOperating
Systems(32Bit)onpage 34andWindowsHostOperatingSystems(64Bit)on
page 35.OnWindowsServer2003,onlyEnterpriseEditionSP1andR2aresupported.
IfremotedebuggingisnotworkingonaWindowsVistahost,trythefollowing:
ManuallyconfigurethefirewalltoallowtrafficfromVisualStudio.
RunVisualStudiowithAdministratorpermissions.Formoreinformation,see
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/vstudio/aa972193.aspx.
Virtual Machine Requirements and Recommendations

Thissectionincludesrequirementsandconfigurationrecommendationsforvirtual
machines.
Guest Operating System Support

TheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggerissupportedonanyWorkstation6
virtualmachinethatisrunningasupportedWindowsguestoperatingsystem,withthe
exceptionsofWindowsNT,WindowsMe,Windows98,Windows95,Windowsfor
Workgroups,Windows3.1,WindowsXPHomeEdition,andWindowsVistaStarter
Edition.
MakesurethattheversionofVMwareToolsontheguestoperatingsystemmatchesthe
versionofWorkstation6(whichtheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggerisa
componentof)onthehost.
Configuring the Network

SetupthevirtualmachinenetworkasBridgedorHostonly.
OnWindowsXP,intheguestsystemControlPanel>AdministrativeTools>Local
SecurityPolicy>LocalPolicies>SecurityOptionspage,setthepolicyNetworkaccess:
SharingandsecuritymodelforlocalaccountstoClassiclocalusersauthenticated
asthemselves.
OnWindowsVista,Classiclocalusersauthenticatedasthemselvesisthedefault
valueforthispolicy.Toverifythatthispolicyissetcorrectly,followthesamestepsas
forWindowsXP.
NOTEItisnotpossibletoviewthispolicyonWindowsVistaHomePremiumandVista
HomeBasic.
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Configuring the Firewall on Windows XP SP2 Virtual Machines

WindowsXPSP2systemshavethefirewallenabledbydefault.Todebuginavirtual
machinewithWindowsXPSP2,youmustdisablethefirewallorconfigureit
appropriately.VMwarerecommendsdisablingthefirewall.Virtualmachinesare
protectedbehindthehostfirewall.
ForinformationonsettingupremotedebugginginVisualStudiousingWindowsXP
SP2withthefirewallenabled,see
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;%5BLN%5D;833977#2020
Configuring User Accounts

LogintotheguestoperatingsystemwithanAdministratoraccount.Usethesamelocal
ordomainuseraccountonthehostmachinetologintotheguestoperatingsystem.
NOTETheusername,password,anddomainname(ifnotlocalonbothsystems)must
matchonthehostandtheguest.OtherwisetheRemoteDebugMonitorontheguest
willnotbeabletocommunicatewiththeVisualStudiodebuggeronthehost.
ForadditionalinformationonsettingupWindowsuseraccountsforremote
debugging,seehttp://msdn2.microsoft.com/enus/library/ms164725.aspx.
NOTECommunicationbetweenVisualStudioandtheguestoperatingsystemisnot
initiateduntilthevirtualmachineispoweredonandtheconfigureduserisloggedin.
ThisuserrunstheRemoteDebugMonitorontheguest,whichinturncommunicates
withtheVisualStudiodebuggeronthehost.
Topreventatimedelay,poweronthevirtualmachineandlogintotheguestoperating
systembeforedebugginginavirtualmachine.Youcansetupautomaticlogintobypass
theloginscreenwhentheguestisbooting,asdescribednext.
Setting the Password Policy
Windowshasadefaultsecurityfeaturethathelpsprotectuserswithblankpasswords
fromnetworkbasedattacks.Userswhodonotpasswordprotecttheiraccountscanlog
inonlyattheirphysicalcomputerconsole:themonitor,keyboard,andmousethatis
physicallyconnectedtotheircomputer.Thisrestrictionappliesonlytolocaluser
accounts,nottodomainuseraccounts.
Forinformationonhowtodisableblankpasswordrestrictions,see
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=303846.
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Suppressing Security Prompts

Runninganapplicationfromanetworksharetriggersasecurityprompteverytimethe
fileisaccessed.VMwarerecommendsthatyouturnoffsecuritypromptsontheguest
operatingsystem.
To turn off security prompts on the guest system
1
InInternetExplorer,chooseTools>InternetOptions>Security>LocalIntranet,
andclickSites.
ClickAdvanced,andaddanewWebsite:file://*..host
Alternatively,youcanedittheregistrykeydirectly.
To turn off security prompts by editing the registry key
1
Opentheregistry.
Addanewkey,.host,under
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\InternetSettings\
ZoneMap\Domains.
Inthe.hostkey,createanewDWORDValuecalledfileandsetitsvalueto1.
Installing the Microsoft .NET Framework to Support Managed

Applications
TodebugmanagedC++,C#,andVisualBasicapplications,whichusetheCommon
LanguageRuntime,youmustinstalltheMicrosoft.NETFrameworkversion2.0or
higherontheguestoperatingsystem.
Using Unique Virtual Machine Computer Names

Verifythatthecomputernamesareuniqueonallvirtualmachines,otherwisethe
VisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebuggercannotfindtheappropriatevirtualmachine
onthenetwork.
To rename a computer
434
Ontheguestsystem,chooseStart>ControlPanel>System.
SelecttheComputerNametab.
ClickChange.
Typeauniquename,andclickOK.
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Installing and Starting the Remote Debug Monitor Manually on Windows

98 Guest Systems
Toenabledebugginginavirtualmachine,theVisualStudioIntegratedVirtual
DebuggersharesthehostfolderthatcontainstheRemoteDebugMonitor,andrunsthat
RemoteDebugMonitorontheguest.OnWindows98,itisnotpossibletorunthe
RemoteDebugMonitor(oranyexecutable)fromasharedfolder.Anattempttodoso
generatestheerror:The remote debugger is not properly installed. On a
Windows ME or Windows 98 computer, the debugger cannot be run off a
file share. Run the remote debugger setup.
Instead,youmustmanuallyinstallandstarttheRemoteDebugMonitorexecutable,
msvsmon.exe,ontheguestoperatingsystembeforestartingadebuggingsession.You
cancopymsvsmon.exetotheguestbeforestartingthedebugsession,createamapping
toanetworksharewiththehostwheremsvsmon.exeislocated,orinstallmsvsmon.exe
fromtheVisualStudio2005installationCD.YoumustalsoruntheRemoteDebug
Monitorwithoutauthenticationandusethedefaultport,4015.
To start the Remote Debug Monitor without authentication on the default port
1
Runthecommand
msvsmon.exe /noauth
Verifythatyouareusingport4015byconfirmingthatRemoteDebugMonitor
displaysthemessageMsvsmon started a new server named
'<guest_name>:4015'. Authentication is disabled. Waiting for new
connections.
BecauserunningtheRemoteDebugMonitorontheguestsystemwithout
authenticationposesasecurityriskforthatguest,itisrecommendedthatyoutakea
snapshotfirstandsetReverttoParentSnapshottoYesinPostDebugEventor
PreDebugEventproperties,asdescribedinSettingConfigurationPropertieson
page 439.
Duetosharedfolderlimitations,youmustalso:
SetRunCommandAstoaguestpath.Thisproperty,whichindicateshowthe
commandbeingexecutedbythedebuggerisrun,isdescribedinSettingGeneral
Propertiesonpage 439.
LeaveSharedDirectoriesunset,becausedirectoriescannotbesharedbetweenthe
hostandtheguest.ThispropertyisdescribedinSettingVirtualMachine
Propertiesonpage 440.
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Troubleshooting Tips
ThissectioncontainsadditionalinformationthatenablesyoutousetheVisualStudio
IntegratedVirtualDebuggersuccessfully.
Changing Shortcut Keys

IfyouchangetheshortcutkeysforVMDebuggercommands(in
Tools>Options>Keyboard),thetooltipsfortheVMwaremenuandtoolbarwillnot
reflectthechangesuntilyourestartVisualStudio.
Reinstalling VMware Tools If the Debugging Session Does Not Start

IfthedebuggingsessionfailstostartandthelastmessageintheVMwareoutput
window(andlogfile)isWaiting for VMware Tools to start,checkwhetherthe
guestsystemhasthelatestVMwareToolsinstalledandrunning.Ifnot,upgradetothe
latestversionofVMwareTools.SeeUpgradingVMwareToolsonpage 116.
Exiting Visual Studio Before Powering Off a Virtual Machine

IfyouattempttoexitVisualStudioafterstartingadebuggingsessionbutbefore
logginginorrunningVMwareToolsontheguest,VisualStudiowillnotexituntilthe
virtualmachineispoweredoffortheuserisloggedintotheguestoperatingsystem.
Unloading the VMDebugger Add-in

TopermanentlyuninstalltheVisualStudioIntegratedVirtualDebugger,runthe
Workstationinstallationprogram,selectModifyontheProgramMaintenancepage,
deselectVisualStudioPlugInintheCustomsetup,andcontinuethroughthe
installationwizard.
NOTEDeselectingStartinTools>AddInManagerdoesnotpreventtheVisualStudio
IntegratedVirtualDebuggerAddinfromloading.
Cleaning Up After a Crash

Ifyoutrytorunthedebuggerlocallyafteradebuggingsessioninavirtualmachine
crashesorfreezes,youmightgetaVisualStudioerrorthatindicatesthattheremote
servercannotbefound.
ToresetVisualStudiotodebuglocally:
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InC++,chooseProjectPropertyPages>DebuggingandsettheDebuggerto
LaunchpropertytoLocal Windows Debugger.SettheCommandpropertyto
eitheranemptystringorthecorrectlocalpath.
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InC#andVB,chooseProjectPropertyPages>Debug.MakesureStartprojectis
selectedandUseremotemachineisdeselected.
Optionally,removeanysharedfoldersthatwereusedtorunthedebugcommandand
theRemoteDebugMonitor.Sharedfoldersareusuallyremovedattheendofa
debuggingsession,buttheymightnotberemovedinthefollowingcircumstances:
Ifthedebuggingsessioncausesacrash.
Ifthevirtualmachineispoweredoffwhilethedebuggingsessionisstillrunning.
Thesesharedfoldersaretypicallyreusedwhenanotherdebuggingsessionisstarted,
sothiscleanupisnotrequired.
Managing Virtual Machine Configurations

Beforeyoucanstartordebugapplicationsinavirtualmachine,youmustcreateor
modifyvirtualmachineconfigurationsandsetconfigurationproperties.TheDefault
configurationinitiallyincludesthedefaultvaluesforallpropertiesthathavethem.
ChooseVMware>Optionstomanageconfigurations.Youcancreate,rename,and
removeconfigurationsasdescribedinthissection,andyoucansetandmodify
configurationpropertiesforexistingconfigurationsasdescribedinSetting
ConfigurationPropertiesonpage 439.
TheconfigurationselectedintheConfigurationdropdownmenuistheonebeing
editedintheconfigurationpages,whiletheconfigurationselectedintheActive
ConfigurationdropdownmenuistheoneusedwhenyouchooseVMware>Startor
VMware>StartWithoutDebugging.
Creating Configurations
Thissectiondescribeshowtocreateanewconfiguration.
To create a new configuration
1
ChooseVMware>Options.
ClicktheNewiconnexttotheConfigurationdropdownmenu.
IntheNewConfigurationpage,typeanameforthenewconfiguration.
Chooseaconfigurationtocopysettingsfrom.
Thedefaultselectionis<Default>,whichincludesthedefaultvaluesforall
propertiesthathavethem.
ClickOK.
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Thenewconfigurationiscreatedandlistedastheactiveconfigurationinthe
ConfigurationandActiveConfigurationdropdownmenus.Next,editthe
configurationproperties,asdescribedinSettingConfigurationPropertieson
page 439.
Renaming Configurations
Youcanrenameanexistingconfiguration.
To rename a configuration
1
ChoosetheconfigurationyouwanttorenamefromtheConfigurationdropdown
menu,andclicktheEditicon.
IntheEditConfigurationpage,selecttheconfigurationyouwanttorename,and
clickRename.
Typethenewnameovertheexistingname,andpressEnter.
Attheconfirmationprompt,clickYes.
ClickClose.
TherenamedconfigurationislistedastheactiveconfigurationintheConfiguration
dropdownmenu.Youcanedititsconfigurationproperties,asdescribedinSetting
ConfigurationPropertiesonpage 439.
Removing Configurations
Youcanremoveanexistingconfiguration.
To remove a configuration
1
ChoosethenameoftheconfigurationyouwanttodeletefromtheConfiguration
dropdownmenu,andclicktheEditicon.
IntheEditConfigurationpage,selecttheconfigurationyouwanttodelete,and
clickRemove.
Attheconfirmationprompt,clickYes.
ClickClose.
TheconfigurationisremovedfromtheConfigurationdropdownmenu.
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Setting Configuration Properties

Youcaneditconfigurationpropertiesforaspecificconfigurationbychoosingthe
configurationnamefromtheConfigurationdropdownmenu.Youcanalsoedit
configurationpropertiesforallconfigurationsbychoosingAllConfigurationsfrom
theConfigurationdropdownmenu.
TheDefaultconfigurationinitiallyincludesthedefaultvaluesforallpropertiesthat
havethem.
Setting General Properties

Generalpropertiesinclude:
ThecommandtobeexecutedbyVisualStudiointheguestoperatingsystem.
Howthecommandisrun:asapathonthehostinasharedfolderorasapathon
theguest.
To set general properties

1
ChooseVMware>Options,andselectGeneralintheleftpane.
SetCommandtothecommandtobeexecutedbythedebuggerintheguestsystem.
ClickBrowsetoselectapathtotheexecutableonthehostfilesystem.
Thecommanddirectoryisautomaticallysharedbetweenthehostandtheguest.
SetRunCommandAstoindicatehowthedebugcommandisrun:eitherasahost
paththroughasharedfolderoraguestpath.
Whenahostpaththroughasharedfolderisselected,thefolderwherethe
commandislocatedissharedbeforethedebuggingsessionisstarted.The
commandisexecutedfromthesharedfolder,andwhenthedebuggingsession
ends,thefolderisnolongershared.Thenameofthesharedfolderis
\\.host\Shared Folders\$(ProjectName)<random_number>.
Whenaguestpathisselected,thecommandisexecutedfromthespecifiedpath
ontheguest.
Thedefaultisahostpaththroughasharedfolder.
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SetRemoteDebugMonitortothelocationoftheRemoteDebugMonitoronthe
host.
ThedefaultistheVisualStudioinstalledpath,typically:
\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\Remote Debugger\x86\
msvsmon.exe
Usethedefaultremotedebugmonitorifyouaredebugginga32bitprocessina
32bitvirtualmachine.
Ifyouwanttodebuga32bitprocessina64bitvirtualmachine,usetheRemote
DebugMonitor:
\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\Remote
Debugger\x86\msvsmon.exe
Ifyouwanttodebuga64bitprocessina64bitvirtualmachine,usethe64bit
RemoteDebugMonitor:
\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\Remote
TypeanamefortheRemoteDebugMonitorontheguest.
Thedefaultnameis<username>.
IfaRemoteDebugMonitorisalreadyrunningontheguest,whenthenew
connectionismadebetweentheRemoteDebugMonitorontheguestandthe
VisualStudiodebuggeronthehost,youarepromptedtochoosewhetherto
connecttotheonethatisrunningorstartanotheronewithadifferentname.
Setting Virtual Machine Properties

Virtualmachinepropertiesinclude:
Thepathtothevirtualmachinefile(.vmxfile).
(Optional)Thelocationofanydirectoriessharedbetweenthehostandtheguest.
To set virtual machine properties

1
ChooseVMware>Options,andselectVirtualMachineintheleftpane.
SetVirtualMachinetothepathtothevirtualmachinefile(.vmxfile).
(Optional)SetSharedFolderstoasemicolondelimitedlistofpairedfoldernames
intheform<shared_name>=<host_folder_name>.
ClickBrowsetoentersharenamesandfoldernamesusingadialogbox.
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(Optional) Setting Pre-Debug Event Properties

PreDebugEventpropertiesdeterminewhichactionsareperformedbeforethedebug
commandisrun.Allofthesesettingsareoptional.
To configure actions to perform before beginning debugging
1
ChooseVMware>Options,andselectPreDebugEventintheleftpane.
SetReverttoParentSnapshottoYesorNo.
IfsettoYes,thevirtualmachinerevertstoitsparentsnapshotwhenthedebugging
sessionisstarted.
ThedefaultisNo.
SetCopyFilestoasemicolondelimitedlistofpairedfileordirectorynamesthat
arecopiedfromthehosttotheguestmachineintheform
<host_machine_file/folder>=<virtual_machine_file/folder>.
ClickBrowsetoselectfromfilesonthesystem.
Allspecifiedfilesarecopiedbeforeanypredebuggingcommandsareexecuted.
SetCommandLinetooneormoresemicolondelimitedcommandsthatarerun
afterfilesarecopied(asdescribedintheprecedingstep)andbeforethedebugging
sessionstarts.
ClickBrowsetoentercommandsusingadialogbox.
(Optional) Setting Post-Debug Event Properties

PostDebugEventpropertiesdeterminewhichactionsareperformedafterthedebug
commandisterminated.Allofthesesettingsareoptional.
To configure actions to perform after debugging has occurred
1
ChooseVMware>Options,andselectPostDebugEventintheleftpane.
SetCommandLinetooneormoresemicolondelimitedcommandsthatarerun
afterthedebuggingsessionends.
ClickBrowsetoentercommandsusingadialogbox.
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SetTerminationModeto:
Nooperation(default)
Poweroff
Reverttoparentsnapshot
Suspend
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Running and Debugging Applications in Virtual Machines

Onceyouhavecreatedtheappropriateconfigurations,theVisualStudioIntegrated
VirtualDebuggerenablesyouto:
machine.
Starting a Debugging Session in a Virtual Machine

Youcandebuganapplicationinanyconfiguredvirtualmachine.
To start a debugging session in a virtual machine
1
ChooseVMware>Start.
NOTEYoumustlogintotheguestsystemmanuallybeforetheapplicationis
started.Foradditionalinformation,seeConfiguringUserAccountsonpage 433.
Theapplicationisstartedinthevirtualmachine.
PerformdebuggingtasksasyouwouldfromtheDebug>StartDebuggingVisual
Studiomenu.
Ifyouwanttokilltheprocessesassociatedwiththedebuggingsessionontheguest
systemandrestartdebugging,chooseVMware>Restart.
Starting a Session Without Debugging in a Virtual Machine

Youcanstartanapplicationinanyconfiguredvirtualmachinewithoutdebugging.
Whenyoustartanapplicationwithoutdebugging,theVisualStudioIntegratedVirtual
Debugger:
1
Powersonthevirtualmachineifnecessary.
Sharesthefoldertotheexecutable.
Runstheexecutable.
Removesthesharedfolderwhentheexecutableterminates.
Whenyoustartanapplicationwithoutdebugging,theintegratedvirtualdebugger
doesnotexecutepredebugorpostdebugoperations,shareadditionaldirectories,or
starttheRemoteDebugMonitorontheguestsystem.
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To start an application in a virtual machine without debugging

ChooseVMware>StartWithoutDebugging.
NOTEYoumustlogintotheguestsystemmanuallybeforeyoucanrunthe
application.Foradditionalinformation,seeConfiguringUserAccountsonpage 433.
Theapplicationisstartedinthevirtualmachine.
Attaching the Debugger to a Process Running in a Virtual

Machine
Youcandebuganapplicationthatisalreadyrunninginavirtualmachine.
To attach the debugger to a running process
1
ChooseVMware>AttachtoProcess.
TheAttachtoProcesspageisdisplayed.
ChoosethevirtualmachineonwhichtoviewrunningprocessesfromtheRunning
VirtualMachinesdropdownmenu.
Onlyvirtualmachinesthatarepoweredonappearinthedropdownmenu.
SetRemoteDebugMonitortothelocationoftheRemoteDebugMonitoronthe
host.
ThedefaultistheVisualStudioinstalledpath,typically:
\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\Remote Debugger\x86\
msvsmon.exe
Usethedefaultremotedebugmonitorifyouaredebugginga32bitprocessina
32bitvirtualmachine.
Ifyouwanttodebuga32bitprocessina64bitvirtualmachine,usetheRemote
DebugMonitor:
\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\Remote
Ifyouwanttodebuga64bitprocessina64bitvirtualmachine,usethe64bit
RemoteDebugMonitor:
\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio 8\Common7\IDE\Remote
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TypeanamefortheRemoteDebugMonitorontheguest.
ThedefaultnameisVMDebug.
NOTEIfaRemoteDebugMonitorisalreadyrunningontheguest,youcanstart
anotheronewithadifferentnameoruseonethatisalreadyrunning.
Choosetheprocessyouwanttoattachtofromthelistofavailableprocesses,and
clickAttach.
Ifyouwanttorefreshthelistofrunningprocesses,clickRefresh.
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Glossary
administrativelockout
AglobalsettingprovidingpasswordprotectionforWindowshosts.
Administrativelockoutrestrictsusersfromcreatingnewvirtualmachines,editing
virtualmachineconfigurations,andchangingnetworksettings.
bridgednetworking
Atypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenavirtualmachineandtherestoftheworld.
Underbridgednetworking,avirtualmachineappearsasanadditionalcomputer
onthesamephysicalEthernetnetworkasthehost.Seealsohostonlynetworking.
clone
Aduplicatecopyofavirtualmachine.Seealsofullclone,linkedclone.
CloneVirtualMachinewizard
Apointandclickinterfaceforconvenient,easyduplicationofavirtualmachine
withinVMwareWorkstation.Seealsofullclone,linkedclone.
configuration
Seevirtualmachineconfigurationfile.
customnetworking
Anytypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenvirtualmachinesandthehostthatdoes
notusethedefaultbridged,hostonly,ornetworkaddresstranslation(NAT)
networkingconfigurations.Forinstance,differentvirtualmachinescanbe
connectedtothehostbyseparatenetworksorconnectedtoeachotherandnotto
thehost.Anynetworktopologyispossible.
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DE
diskmode
Apropertyofavirtualdiskthatdefinesitsexternalbehavior(howthe
virtualizationlayertreatsitsdata)butiscompletelyinvisibletotheguestoperating
system.Availablemodesvarybyproductandincludepersistentmode(changesto
thediskarealwayspreservedacrosssessions),nonpersistentmode(changesare
neverpreserved),undoablemode(changesarepreservedattheusersdiscretion),
andappendmode(similartoundoable,butthechangesarepreserveduntila
systemadministratordeletestheredologfile).
draganddrop
WiththedraganddropfeatureofWorkstation,youcanmovefileseasilybetween
aWindowsorLinuxhostandaWindows,Linux,orSolarisvirtualmachine.You
candraganddropindividualfilesorentiredirectories.
Favoriteslist
AlistintheleftpanelofthemainWorkstationscreenthatshowsthenamesof
virtualmachinesthatauserhasaddedtothelist.TheFavoriteslistmakesiteasy
tolaunchavirtualmachineortoconnecttothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile
inordertomakechangesinthevirtualmachinesettings.
fullclone
Acompletecopyoftheoriginalvirtualmachineplusallassociatedvirtualdisks.
Seealsolinkedclone.
fullscreenmode
Adisplaymodeinwhichthevirtualmachinesdisplayfillstheentirescreen.See
alsofullscreenswitchmode.
fullscreenswitchmode
Adisplaymodeinwhichthevirtualmachinesdisplayfillstheentirescreen,and
theuserhasnoaccesstotheVMwareWorkstationuserinterface.Theusercannot
create,reconfigure,orlaunchvirtualmachines.Asystemadministratorperforms
thesefunctions.Seealsofullscreenmode.
GotoSnapshotcommand
TheGotoSnapshotcommandallowsyoutorestoreanysnapshotoftheactive
virtualmachine.Seealsoreverttosnapshot.
guestoperatingsystem
Anoperatingsystemthatrunsinsideavirtualmachine.Seealsohostoperating
systemonpage 447.
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Glossary
HK
headless
Describesaprogramthatrunsinthebackgroundwithoutanyinterfaceconnected
toit.Arunningvirtualmachinethathasnoconsoleconnectionsisrunning
headless.
hostonlynetworking
Atypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenavirtualmachineandthehost.Under
hostonlynetworking,avirtualmachineisconnectedtothehostonaprivate
network,whichnormallyisnotvisibleoutsidethehost.Multiplevirtualmachines
configuredwithhostonlynetworkingonthesamehostareonthesamenetwork.
Seealsobridgednetworking,customnetworking,networkaddresstranslation
(NAT).
hostmachine
ThephysicalcomputeronwhichtheVMwareWorkstationsoftwareisinstalled.It
hoststheVMwareWorkstationvirtualmachines.
hostoperatingsystem
Anoperatingsystemthatrunsonthehostmachine.Seealsoguestoperating
system.
independentdisk
Atypeofvirtualdiskthatisnotaffectedbysnapshots.Youcanconfigure
independentdisksinpersistentandnonpersistentmodes.Seealsononpersistent
mode,persistentmode,snapshot.
LM
LANsegment
Aprivatevirtualnetworkthatisavailableonlytovirtualmachineswithinthesame
team.Seealsovirtualnetwork,team.
linkedclone
Acopyoftheoriginalvirtualmachinethatsharesthevirtualdiskswiththe
originalvirtualmachineinanongoingmanner.Seealsofullclone.
lockout
Seeadministrativelockout.
NO
networkaddresstranslation(NAT)
Atypeofnetworkconnectionthatallowsyoutoconnectyourvirtualmachinesto
anexternalnetworkwhenyouhaveonlyoneIPnetworkaddress,andthataddress
isusedbythehostcomputer.IfyouuseNAT,yourvirtualmachinedoesnothave
itsownIPaddressontheexternalnetwork.Instead,aseparateprivatenetworkis
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setuponthehostcomputer.Yourvirtualmachinegetsanaddressonthatnetwork
fromtheVMwarevirtualDHCPserver.TheVMwareNATdevicepassesnetwork
databetweenoneormorevirtualmachinesandtheexternalnetwork.Itidentifies
incomingdatapacketsintendedforeachvirtualmachineandsendsthemtothe
correctdestination.
NewVirtualMachinewizard
Apointandclickinterfaceforconvenient,easycreationofavirtualmachine
configuration.Itcreatesfilesthatdefinethevirtualmachine,includingavirtual
machineconfigurationfileand(optionally)avirtualdiskorphysicaldiskfile.See
alsovirtualmachinesettingseditor.
NIC(networkinterfacecard)
Anexpansionboardthatprovidesadedicatedconnectionbetweenacomputer
andanetwork.Alsocalledanetworkadapter.
nonpersistentmode
Adiskmodeinwhichalldiskwritesissuedbysoftwarerunninginsideavirtual
machineappeartobewrittentotheindependentdiskbutareinfactdiscarded
afterthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Asaresult,avirtualdiskorphysicaldisk
inindependentnonpersistentmodeisnotmodifiedbyactivityinthevirtual
machine.Seealsodiskmode,persistentmode.
parent
Thesourceororiginalvirtualmachinefromwhichyoutakeasnapshotormake
aclone.Afullclonehasnocontinuedlinktoitsparent,butalinkedcloneanda
snapshoteachdependontheparentinanongoingmanner.Ifyoudeletetheparent
virtualmachine,anylinkedcloneorsnapshotbecomespermanentlydisabled.To
preventdeletion,youcancreateatemplatevirtualmachine.Seealsofullclone,
linkedclone,snapshot,template.
persistentmode
Adiskmodeinwhichalldiskwritesissuedbysoftwarerunninginsideavirtual
machineareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentoavirtualdiskthathasbeen
configuredasanindependentdisk.Asaresult,avirtualdiskorphysicaldiskin
independentpersistentmodebehaveslikeaconventionaldiskdriveonaphysical
computer.Seealsodiskmode,nonpersistentmode.
physicaldisk
Aharddiskinavirtualmachinethatismappedtoaphysicaldiskdriveora
partitionofadriveonthehostmachine.Aphysicaldiskisalsoreferredtoasaraw
disk.Avirtualmachinesdiskcanbestoredasafileonthehostfilesystemorona
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Glossary
localharddisk.Whenavirtualmachineisconfiguredtouseaphysicaldisk,
VMwareWorkstationdirectlyaccessesthelocaldiskorpartitionasaphysical
device(notasafileonafilesystem).Itispossibletobootapreviouslyinstalled
operatingsystemonanexistingpartitionwithinavirtualmachineenvironment.
TheonlylimitationisthattheexistingpartitionmustresideonalocalIDEorSCSI
drive.Seealsovirtualdisk.
quickswitchmode
Adisplaymodeinwhichthevirtualmachinesdisplayfillsmostofthescreen.In
thismode,tabsatthetopofthescreenallowyoutoswitchquicklyfromone
runningvirtualmachinetoanother.Seealsofullscreenmode.
rawdisk
Seephysicaldisk.
record/replayfeature
ThisfeatureletsyourecordallofaWorkstation5or6virtualmachinesactivity
overaperiodoftime.UnlikeWorkstationsmoviecapturefeature,the
record/replayfeatureletsyouexactlyduplicatetheoperationsandstateofthe
virtualmachinethroughoutthetimeoftherecording.
redolog
Thefilethatstoreschangesmadetoadiskinallmodesexceptthepersistentand
independentpersistentmodes.Foradiskinnonpersistentmode,theredologfile
isdeletedwhenyoupowerofforresetthevirtualmachinewithoutwritingany
changestothedisk.Youcanpermanentlyapplythechangessavedintheredolog
toadiskinundoablemodesothattheybecomepartofthemaindiskfiles.Seealso
diskmode.
resume
Returnavirtualmachinetooperationfromitssuspendedstate.Whenyouresume
asuspendedvirtualmachine,allapplicationsareinthesamestatetheywerewhen
thevirtualmachinewassuspended.Seealsosuspend.
reverttosnapshot
Revertingtoasnapshotrestoresthestatusoftheactivevirtualmachinetoits
immediateparentsnapshot.Thisparentisrepresentedinthesnapshotmanagerby
thesnapshotappearingtotheimmediateleftoftheYouAreHereicon.SeealsoGo
toSnapshotcommand,snapshotmanager,YouAreHere(icon).
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sharedfolder
Asharedfolderisafolderonthehostcomputeroronanetworkdriveaccessible
fromthehostcomputerthatcanbeusedbyboththehostcomputerandoneor
morevirtualmachines.Itprovidesasimplewayofsharingfilesbetweenhostand
guestoramongvirtualmachines.InaWindowsvirtualmachine,sharedfolders
appearasfoldersonadesignateddriveletter.InaLinuxorSolarisvirtualmachine,
sharedfoldersappearunderaspecifiedmountpoint.
snapshot
Asnapshotpreservesthevirtualmachinejustasitwaswhenyoutookthat
snapshot.Thisincludeswhetherthevirtualmachinewaspoweredon,powered
off,orsuspended.Ifthevirtualharddisksarenotsettoindependentmode,a
snapshotalsoincludesthestateofthedataonallthevirtualmachinesdisks.
Workstationletsyoutakesnapshotsofavirtualmachineatanytimeandrevertto
thatsnapshotatanytime.Youcantakeasnapshotwhenavirtualmachineis
poweredon,poweredoff,orsuspended.Seealsoindependentdisk.
snapshotmanager
Thesnapshotmanagerisawindowthatallowsyoutotakeactionsonanyofthe
snapshotsandrecordingsassociatedwiththeselectedvirtualmachine.Seealso
record/replayfeature,snapshot.
suspend
Savesthecurrentstateofarunningvirtualmachine.Toreturnasuspendedvirtual
machinetooperation,youusetheresumefeature.Seealsoresume.
TU
team
Agroupofvirtualmachinesthatareconfiguredtooperateasoneobject.Youcan
poweron,poweroff,andsuspendateamwithonecommand.Youcanconfigure
ateamtocommunicateindependentlyofanyothervirtualorrealnetworkby
settingupaLANsegment.SeealsoLANsegment,virtualnetwork.
template
Avirtualmachinethatcannotbedeletedoraddedtoateam.Settingavirtual
machineasatemplateprotectsanylinkedcloneorsnapshotsfrombeingdisabled
inadvertently.Seealsolinkedclone,parent,snapshot.
undoablemode
InVMwareESXServer2.x,adiskmodeinwhichallwriteoperationsissuedby
softwarerunninginsidethevirtualmachinesappeartobewrittentothediskbut
areinfactstoredinatemporaryfile(.REDO)forthedurationofthesession.When
thevirtualmachineispoweredoff,theuserhasthreechoices:permanentlyapply
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Glossary
allchangestothedisk;discardthechanges,thusrestoringthedisktoitsprevious
state;orkeepthechanges,sothatfurtherchangesfromfuturesessionscanbe
addedtothelog.Seealsodiskmode.
VX
virtualdisk
Afileorsetoffilesappearingasaphysicaldiskdrivetoaguestoperatingsystem.
Thesefilescanbeonthehostmachineoronaremotefilesystem.Whenyou
configureavirtualmachinewithavirtualdisk,youcaninstallanewoperating
systemintothediskfilewithouttheneedtorepartitionaphysicaldiskorreboot
thehost.Seealsophysicaldisk.
virtualhardware
Thedevicesthatmakeupavirtualmachine.Thevirtualhardwareincludesthe
virtualdisk,removabledevicessuchastheDVDROM/CDROMandfloppy
drives,andthevirtualEthernetadapter.Youconfigurethesedeviceswiththe
virtualmachinesettingseditor.Seealsovirtualmachinesettingseditor.
virtualmachine
Avirtualizedx86compatiblePCenvironmentinwhichaguestoperatingsystem
andassociatedapplicationsoftwarecanrun.Multiplevirtualmachinescan
operateonthesamehostmachineconcurrently.
virtualmachineconfiguration
Thespecificationofwhatvirtualdevices(disks,memorysize,etc.)arepresentina
virtualmachineandhowtheyaremappedtohostfilesanddevices.
virtualmachineconfigurationfile
Afilecontainingavirtualmachineconfiguration.ItiscreatedbytheNewVirtual
Machinewizard.ItisusedbyVMwareWorkstationtoidentifyandrunaspecific
virtualmachine.
virtualmachinesettingseditor
Apointandclickeditorusedtoviewandmodifythesettingsofavirtualmachine
afteritsinitialcreation.SeealsoNewVirtualMachinewizard.
virtualnetwork
Anetworkbetweenvirtualmachineswithnodependenceonrealworldhardware
connections.Forexample,youcancreateavirtualnetworkbetweenavirtual
machineandahostthathasnoexternalnetworkconnections.Youcanalsocreate
aLANsegmentforcommunicationsbetweenvirtualmachinesonateam.Seealso
LANsegment,team.
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virtualnetworkeditor
Apointandclickeditorusedtoviewandmodifythenetworkingsettingsforthe
virtualnetworkscreatedbyVMwareWorkstation.
VMwarePlayer
FreesoftwarethatenablesPCuserstoeasilyrunanyvirtualmachineona
WindowsorLinuxPC.VMwarePlayerrunsvirtualmachinescreatedbyVMware
Workstation,VMwareServer,orESXServerandalsosupportsMicrosoftvirtual
machinesandSymantecBackupExecSystemRecoverydiskformats.
VMwareTools
Asuiteofutilitiesanddriversthatenhancestheperformanceandfunctionalityof
yourguestoperatingsystem.KeyfeaturesofVMwareToolsincludesomeorallof
thefollowing,dependingonyourguestoperatingsystem:anSVGAdriver,a
mousedriver,theVMwareToolscontrolpanelandsupportforsuchfeaturesas
sharedfolders,draganddrop,shrinkingvirtualdisks,timesynchronizationwith
thehost,VMwareToolsscripts,andconnectinganddisconnectingdeviceswhile
thevirtualmachineisrunning.Seealsodraganddrop,sharedfolder.
YZ
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YouAreHere(icon)
Aspecialiconappearinginthesnapshotmanagerthatindicatesthecurrentstatus
oftheactivevirtualmachine.Thiscanbeimportantwhendecidingwhetherto
revertto,orgotoasnapshot.Seealsosnapshotmanager,reverttosnapshot,Goto
Snapshotcommand.
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Index
Numerics
3D support 322
A
About tab
VMware Tools 139
VMware Workstation 50
ACPI 405
ACPI S1 sleep feature 405
adapter
host virtual adapters 289
in promiscuous mode on a Linux
host 305
virtual Ethernet 284
address
assigning IP 293
assigning MAC manually 297
IP in virtual machine 92
IP on virtual network 291
MAC 296
network address translation 306
using DHCP to assign 291
administrative lockout 391
AMD Athlon 64 processor 32, 45
AMD Opteron processor 32, 45
AMD Sempron processor 32, 45
AMD Turion 64 processor 32
AMD Turion processor 45
appliance view for virtual machines 170
assign
IP address 291
network port number in NAT 313
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Athlon 64 processor 32, 45

attaching to a process
for debugging 426, 443
audio 41, 327
AudioPCI 327
autofit 165
automatic bridging 285
B
background, running virtual machines
in 25, 86, 243
bandwidth
controlling, in team networks 256
LAN segment 270
battery information, reporting in
guest 160
BIOS
file in virtual machine 110
provided in virtual machine 38
.bmp files for screen captures 183
bridged networking
configuring options 285
defined 445
browser
and appliance views 170
configuring on Linux host 53
BSD
supported 32-bit guest operating
systems 44
systems 44
BT/KT-958 drivers 93
BusLogic 39, 93, 359, 366
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C
capacity, disk 198, 211
capture
screenshot 183
snapshot of virtual machine 227
virtual machine activity 239
CD
adding drive to virtual machine 213
CD-ROM image file 39
.cfg file 112
change
team name 259
virtual machine name 78
Change Version wizard 62
changing the JVM path 422
clock
real-time on Linux host 53
synchronize guest and host 136
clone
creating clone in New Team
wizard 257, 262
creating in Clone Virtual Machine
wizard 249
enable template mode 253
full 248
full clone of linked clone 251
full clones and snapshots 249
IP address 251
linked 248
linked clone of linked clone 251
MAC address 251
MAC address and UUID 247
moving linked clones 193
network identity 251
overview 247
snapshot (for linked clone) 252
snapshot of linked clone 252
static IP address 251
virtual machine in a team 271
454
clone template 253

color
display on VNC clients 185
screen, in a virtual machine 321
comm port
See serial connection, serial port
command-line interface
for VMware Tools 146
for Workstation 407
vmrun 409
commands
keyboard shortcuts 87
startup, on the command line 407
startup, on Windows hosts 409
configuration pages 437
configuration properties
setting post-debug event
properties 441
setting pre-debug event
properties 441
setting virtual machine
properties 440
configurations
creating 437
creating to attach to
applications 424
creating to start applications 422
deleting 425
duplicating to attach to
applications 424
duplicating to start applications 422
editing to attach to applications 424
editing to start applications 422
managing 421, 437
removing 438
renaming 438
connect
CD/DVDs and floppies to ISO
images 215
USB devices 355
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Index
Converter Import wizard 100, 107, 108

converting virtual machines 24, 100
copy virtual machine 192
copyright information for
Workstation 139
CPU
host requirement 32
Creative Labs 41, 327
Ctrl+Alt 344
D
DDNS 299
debugging
attaching to processes in a virtual
machine 426, 443
starting applications in virtual machine without 426
starting in a virtual machine 425,
442
default scripts for VMware Tools 138
defragmenting virtual disks 201
defragmenting virtual disks, before
shrinking 202
deleting
configurations 425
recordings of virtual machine
activity 246
snapshots 235
virtual machines 156
destinations for imported virtual
machines 105
device drivers
for generic SCSI devices 365
for USB support 356
VMware Tools 114
devices
adding a generic SCSI device 361,
362
adding, configuring, removing 181
VMware, Inc.
connecting and disconnecting 137,

182
disconnecting from USB
controller 358
generic SCSI device, adding 366
in virtual machine 181
processor 38
USB 353
Devices tab
in Preferences dialog box 83
VMware Tools 137
DHCP
assigning IP addresses on a virtual
network 291
changing settings 287
configuring on a Linux host 292
configuring on a Windows host 292
DHCPD 298
lease 288
on a virtual network with NAT 307
server 275, 288
server on virtual network 279, 280
stopping 304
dial-up connection 295
direct memory access 383
directories
mounting shared, on Linux 178
viewing shared, on Solaris
guests 177
viewing shared, on Windows
guests 177
disable
acceleration 168
copying and pasting text and
files 172
drag-and-drop of files and
folders 172
folder sharing 174
interface features 391
455
disk
See also virtual disk
DMA and performance 382, 383
IDE drive supported in host 33
IDE drives in virtual machine 39
IDE optical drive supported in
host 33
independent 232
performance 376, 377
SCSI drive supported in host 33
SCSI optical drive supported in
host 33
size 198, 211
space required on host
computer 33
.vmdk virtual disk file 110, 111
disk caching 371
display
color depth 321
fitting window to virtual
machine 165
full screen 158
multiple monitor 162
switching virtual machines 159
Display tab in preferences editor 165
DMA, and disk performance 382
DMZ 256
DNS 307
downgrading virtual machines 25, 61
drag and drop 171, 446
dragging and dropping files between host
and guest 171
drive supported in host 33
driver
SCSI 360
sound 327
drives
See also disk
tape 359, 365
456
.dsk file 110

dual-boot computers and virtual
machines 222
dual-monitor display 162
DVD
adding drive to virtual machine 213
optical, supported 33
dynamic domain name service 299
E
Eclipse
installing the Workstation plug-in
for 49
integrated debugger for 23, 169
education services 19
EHCI controller 40
EM64T processor 32, 45
enhanced virtual keyboard 343
Ethernet adapter
adding to virtual machine 284
for teams 268
promiscuous mode on a Linux
host 305
virtual network adapters 276
Ethernet switches 41
F
Favorites list
and teams 263
creating folders in 77
defined 446
hiding 157
overview 75
pictured 75
removing virtual machines from 77
files
BIOS in virtual machine 110
redo log 111
Samba and file sharing on a Linux
host 318
VMware, Inc.
Index
sharing among virtual machines and

host 171
snapshot 111
suspended state 111
used by a virtual machine 110
used by snapshot 111
virtual machine 152
firewall 314
fit
guest 166
window 166
window to virtual machine 165
floppy
drives in virtual machine 39
image file 39, 216
floppy drive
adding to virtual machine 214
folders
in the Favorites list 77
shared, See shared folder
for displaying Workstation help 35
for playing back virtual machine
recordings 245
FreeBSD
systems 44
systems 44
VMware Tools for 130
FTP 308
full screen mode
defined 446
using 158
full screen switch mode 395
log file 404
G
gated host network 297
global configuration file 397
VMware, Inc.
graphics
See also display
support in virtual machine 39, 321
guest
autofit 165
defined 22
fit 166
guest operating system
defined 446
installing 97
support for 64-bit 45
supported 41
supported FreeBSD 32-bit 44
supported FreeBSD 64-bit 44
supported Linux 32-bit 43
supported Linux 64-bit 43
supported MS-DOS 42
supported Solaris 32-bit 44
supported Solaris 64-bit 44
upgrades 99
Windows 32-bit 42
Windows 64-bit 42
GUID Partition Table (GPT) disks 104
H
Hardware tab in virtual machine settings
editor 83
headless virtual machines (run in the
background) 25, 86, 243
help
configuring Web browser for 53
host
defined 22
hard disk space required 33
operating system, defined 447
optical drives supported 33
system requirements 32
host computer 447
457
host virtual network mapping 286, 287

host-only networking
basic configuration 279
defined 447
selecting IP addresses 291
hot keys
for full screen switch mode 398,
399, 400
in Workstation preferences 344
Hot Keys tab 82
in virtual machine 92
static 292
IP forwarding 295
IP packet forwarding
disabling 294
ISO image file 39, 213, 215
J
JVM
automatically selected 422
changing the path 422
I
ICMP 308
IDE
drive supported in host 33
drives in virtual machine 39
optical drive supported in host 33
IDE (integrated development
environment) plug-ins 23, 169
IDESCSI, setting up virtual disk as 199
image file
floppy 39, 216
ISO 39, 213, 215
importing virtual machines 24, 100, 102
independent disk 232
install
guest operating system 97
on Linux host 53
on Windows host 48
silent 51, 122
software in a virtual machine 168
VMware Tools 115
integrated virtual debuggers 23, 169
Intel EM64T processor 32, 45
Iomega
parallel port zip drives 334
IP address
assigning 293
clone 251
458
K
kbps, for LAN segment 270
kernel
paravirtual, support for 386
upgrades, and Workstation 55
key code mapping 348
keyboard
enhanced virtual, on Windows 343
language keymaps for VNC
clients 345
mapping on a Linux host 346
shortcuts 87
USB 359
keysym
defined 347
mapping 349
knowledge base, VMware 16
KT-958 93
L
LAN segment
and teams 266
changing name 269
deleting 270
setting bandwidth 270
setting Kbps 270
setting packet loss 270
VMware, Inc.
Index
launch configurations 421

creating to attach to
applications 424
creating to start applications 422
duplicating to attach to
applications 424
duplicating to start applications 422
editing to attach to applications 424
editing to start applications 422
leak
IP packets in a virtual machine 295
IP packets in host-only network 293
licensing, serial number and 50
linked clone
moving 193
parent 252
parent as template 252
Linux
installing on Linux host 53
systems 43
systems 43
supported host operating
systems 35, 37
uninstalling Workstation on Linux
host 56
upgrading on Linux host 60
LiveState system image, importing 100
location of virtual machine files 91, 152
lock files 198
lockout
for some interface features 391
Workstation preference 82
.log file 110
log files 404
lSI Logic 39, 93, 359, 366
VMware, Inc.
M
MAC address
and clones 247
assigning manually 297
clone 251
of virtual Ethernet adapter 296
map
key code 348
keyboard 346
keysym 349
mapped drives, for virtual disks 180
master boot record (MBR) disks 104
memory
amount required on host 33
available in virtual machine 39
more than 1GB on a Linux host 370
setting size 374
swapping, to disk 376
virtual machine memory size 374
memory trimming 376
MIDI 327
migrate
virtual disks to the latest
version 119
virtual machine 61, 193
mode
full screen 158, 446
quick switch 159, 449
modifier keys 398
monitors
specifying the number of 162
using multiple 162
mouse
driver, installed by VMware
Tools 114
USB 359
movie capture 183
moving a virtual machine 190
MP3 327
459
MS-DOS 42
multiple monitors, using 162
Mylex 39, 93, 359, 366
N
name
changing team name 259
changing virtual machine name 78
named pipe 336, 338, 339, 342
NAT
advanced configuration 309
and DHCP 307
and DNS 307
and the host computer 307
defined 447
external access from a NAT
network 308
on virtual network 278, 306
port forwarding 313, 314, 318
sample configuration file for Linux
host 317
selecting IP addresses 291
specifying connection from port below 1024 310
when creating a virtual machine 92
NAT.conf 311, 317
NetLogon 314
NetWare, Novell 44, 132, 139
network
adding and modifying virtual Ethernet adapters 284
automatic bridging 285
bridged networking 445
changing DHCP settings 287
changing subnet settings 287
changing the configuration 284
components 275
configuring bridged networking
options 285
custom networking 445
460
DHCP 291
DHCP server 275
dial-up connection 295
dynamic domain name service 299
hardware address 296
host virtual network mapping 286,
287
host-only 279, 447
host-only subnet 291
identity, clone 251
IP forwarding 295
IP packet leaks 293, 295
locking out access to settings 391
MAC address 296
NAT 278, 306, 447
NAT as firewall 314
NAT subnet 291
overview of virtual network
options 274
packet filtering 295
promiscuous mode on a Linux
host 305
routing between two host-only
networks 304
Samba 318
second bridged network on a Linux
host 299
switch 275
token ring 278
two host-only networks 300
virtual DHCP server 279, 280
virtual Ethernet adapter 276
virtual network editor 285, 289,
292, 452
virtual switch 275
virtualizing in a team 256
network address translation
See NAT
New Virtual Machine wizard 79, 95,
197, 448
VMware, Inc.
Index
NFS ports 310

Novell NetWare
supported guest operating
systems 44
Novell Open Enterprise Server
supported guest operating
systems 44
NVRAM 110
O
Open Enterprise Server 44
operating system
32-bit Windows host 34
64-bit Windows host 35
FreeBSD 32-bit guest 44
FreeBSD 64-bit guest 44
guest 446
host, defined 447
installing guest 97
Linux 32-bit guest 43
Linux 32-bit host 35
Linux 64-bit guest 43
Linux 64-bit host 37
MS-DOS guest 42
Solaris 32-bit guest 44
Solaris 64-bit guest 44
support for 64-bit guest 45
Windows 32-bit guest 42
Windows 64-bit 42
Opteron processor 32, 45
optical drive supported in host 33
Options tab
virtual machine settings editor 84
VMware Tools 136
VMware, Inc.
P
P2V (physical-to-virtual) conversion 24,
100
packet
filtering 295
leaks 293, 295
packet loss, configuring, for LAN
segments 270
page sharing 377
parallel ports
and Iomega zip drives 334
and the Linux kernel 331
configuring on a Linux host 330
in a virtual machine 329
installing in virtual machines 329
paravirtualized kernels in Linux
guests 386
parent
clone template 252
linked clone 252
snapshot 228
passwords
and administrative lockout 391
removing forgotten password 392
performance
CD-ROM drive polling 373
debugging mode 380
disk options 382
DMA and disks 382, 383
guest operating system
selection 379
memory usage 374
process scheduling on a Windows
host 373
remote disk access 377
using the Windows Performance
console 388
performance monitoring 388
461
physical disk
adding physical disks 207
capacity 200
defined 448
storing virtual disks on 200
using in a virtual machine 200
ping 308
pipe, named 336, 338, 339, 342
plug-ins, IDE 23, 169
.png files for screen captures 183
port
TCP and UDP below 1024 310
VNC 185
port forwarding 313, 314, 318
Power menu
disable functions 392
using, for teams 266
power off
snapshot options 238
team 264
Power Off button 154
power on
a virtual machine 150
team 264
Powered On list 78
preferences
display 165
hot keys 344
setting, for Workstation 81
workspace 82
processor
host requirement 32
supported for 64-bit guest 32, 45
promiscuous mode 305
properties
setting post-debug event 441
setting pre-debug event 441
setting virtual machine 440
462
Q
quick switch mode 159, 449
quiet mode, install VMware Tools 122
R
RAM
amount required on host 33
available in virtual machine 39
raw disk
See physical disk
Real Media 327
real-time clock requirement on Linux
host 53
record/replay feature 239, 242
.REDO file 111
redo-log file 111
registration 17
remote connections to a virtual
machine 184
RemoteDisplay.vnc.keyMap
property 345
removing
a virtual disk 206
devices from a virtual machine 182
Workstation 2 or 3 58
repairing VMware Tools installations 133
Replay Last Recording button 242
Replay toolbar 243
reporting problems to VMware 17
Reset button 155
resizing
Linux guests 166
Solaris guests 167
restricted user interface 392
resume
defined 449
team 265
virtual machine 225
reverting to snapshot 236, 237
VMware, Inc.
Index
routing
between host-only networks 304
host only 297
RPM installer for VMware
Workstation 54
S
Samba
and file sharing on a Linux host 318
modifying configuration for
Workstation 318
on both bridged and host-only
networks 319
scan code 346
scanner 359
screen colors
for VNC clients 185
setting, for virtual machines 321
screen modes
full screen 158
quick switch 159
screen resolution 167
screenshot capture 183
scripts
enabling, disabling, and
running 137, 141
running during power state
changes 141
Scripts tab
VMware Tools 137
SCSI 33
adding a generic SCSI device 361,
362, 366
avoiding concurrent access on a
Linux host 365
connecting to generic 359
devices in virtual machine 39
driver for Windows NT guest 360
driver for Windows Server 2003
guest 360
VMware, Inc.
driver for Windows XP guest 360

drivers 93, 359, 366
generic SCSI on a Linux host 365
generic SCSI on a Windows
host 359
permissions for a generic SCSI device on a Linux host 365
setting up virtual disk as 199
Sempron processor 32, 45
serial connection
between host application and virtual
machine 336
between two virtual machines 337
to a serial port on the host 335
serial number 80
for Workstation 50
serial port, installing and using 335
server
DHCP 275, 292, 307, 315
DNS 299, 307, 310
WINS 308
settings editor, virtual machine 181, 451
share
drag and drop 446
files on a Linux host with
Samba 318
shared folder
defined 450
enable and disable 174
mounting, on Linux 178
on Linux and Solaris guests 177
permissions on Linux 178
using 173
viewing 177
Shared Folders tab
VMware Tools 139
sharing virtual machines 193
shortcut, desktop, for Workstation 50
shortcuts, keyboard 87, 245
463
shrink
virtual disks 139, 153, 202, 203
virtual disks in Netware 140
Shrink tab, VMware Tools 139
shrinking virtual disks
See virtual disk, shrinking
Sidebar panel 75
silent install 122
size
disk 198, 211
virtual disk 39
virtual machine window 165
sleep, ACPI 405
SMP
See virtual SMP
snapshot
and Workstation 4 virtual
machines 239
as background activity 231
defined 450
disabling 237
disabling menu functions 392
excluding virtual disks from 232
files 111
full clones 249
linear process 227
linked clone 252
of linked clone 252
parent 228
power-off options 238
process tree 228
restoring 236
reverting to 236
reverting to at power off 237
taking 235
team 271
understanding 227
using 227
snapshot manager 233
464
Solaris
resizing guests 167
systems 44
systems 44
sound
configuring 327
drivers for Windows 9x and NT
guests 327
Sound Blaster 327
support in guest 41
.spf file, importing 100
starting
applications in a virtual machine
without debugging 426
debugging session in a virtual
machine 425, 442
session in a virtual machine without
debugging 442
starting Workstation 66
static IP addresses
clone 251
range of 307
status bar
hide 157
.std file 111
StorageCraft images, importing 100
subnet
changing settings 287
in NAT configuration 291
on host-only network 291
Sun Solaris
systems 44
systems 44
support scripts, running 17
VMware, Inc.
Index
suspend
defined 450
files 111
team 265
virtual machine 225
.sv2i file, importing 100
switch
virtual network 275
workspaces in Linux guest 344
symmetric multiprocessing
See virtual SMP
system requirements 32
display 33
memory 33
PC hardware 32
T
tabs
hide 157
in Preferences dialog box 82
in VMware Tools control panel 135
virtual machine 67
Take Recording dialog box 243
tape drive 359, 365
.tar file 128
tar installer for VMware Workstation 54
team
adding virtual machine to 262
and Favorites list 263
and LAN segments 266
cloning virtual machine from 271
closing 258
creating clone in New Team
wizard 257, 262
deleting 259
Ethernet adapters for 268
name change 259
network 256
new 257
VMware, Inc.
no clone template 253

opening 258
overview 255
power off 264
powering on 264
removing virtual machine from 263
resume 265
snapshot 271
suspend 265
technical support resources 16
Telnet 308
template mode for clones 252, 253
3D support 322
time, synchronizing, between guest and
host 136
token ring 278
toolbar
customizing 74
hide 157, 392
tools
See VMware Tools
training courses 19
Turion 64 processor 32
Turion processor 45
U
UHCI controller 40
uninstalling
VMware Tools 134
Workstation on Linux host 56
Workstation on Windows host 52
updates, checking for Workstation 78
upgrade
guest operating systems 99
Linux kernel, reconfiguring Workstation after upgrade 55
on Linux host 60
on Windows host 59
465
on Windows Vista host 59

removing snapshots before virtual
machine upgrades 57
virtual disks 119
virtual machines 25, 61, 63
VMware Tools 116
VMware Workstation 57
USB
connecting devices 355
control of devices by host and
guest 357
controller, enabling and
disabling 354
devices in a virtual machine 353
disconnecting devices 358
keyboard and mouse 359
on a Linux host 357
on a Windows host 356
port specifications 40
supported device types 354
user groups, accessing 16
user interface
overview 66
restricted 392
UUID 187
and clones 247
format 187
location 187
specifying 189
V
version information for Workstation 139
version, changing virtual machine 25,
61
VGA 167
virtual adapter
466
virtual disk
See also disk
adding to virtual machine 204, 206
allocating disk space 94
defined 198, 451
defragmenting 201
defragmenting before shrinking 202
IDE, size 39
legacy 222
mapping drives to 180
migrating 119
setting up as IDE or SCSI 199
shrinking 139, 153, 202, 203
shrinking in Netware 140
shrinking with Virtual Disk Manager
size 39
storing on physical disks 200
using in a new virtual machine 90
Virtual Disk Manager 216
.vmdk file 110, 111
Virtual Disk Manager 216
virtual hardware
CPU issues 108
disk device issues 108
ethernet adapter issues 108
graphics card issues 108
virtual keyboard 343
virtual machine 83
adding a virtual disk 204, 206
adding floppy drive 214
adding or modifying an Ethernet
adapter 284
adding physical disk 207
adding to team 262
and SMP 367
cloning from team 271
constituent files 110
converting 24, 100
creating 89, 113
VMware, Inc.
Index
creating a clone 249

default location of 91
defined 451
delete 156
files 152
IDE drives in
installing software in 168
migrating 193
moving 187, 190
moving SMP virtual machines 368
name change 78
platform specifications 38
portability 198
power off vs. shut down 154
recording activity of 242
removing from Favorites list 77
removing from team 263
reset vs. restart 155
resuming 225
running in the background 25, 86,
243
settings 83
shutting down 154
starting 150
starting in full screen mode 402
suspending 225
upgrade or downgrade 25, 61
upgrading 61
upgrading procedure 63
using snapshots 227
window size 165
virtual machine settings editor
defined 451
restricting access 391, 392
using 181
virtual network editor 452
Virtual PC, importing 100, 109
VMware, Inc.
virtual SMP
moving SMP virtual machines 368
using 367
virtual switch 275
virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing
See virtual SMP
VirtualCenter
and Virtual Disk Manager 217
Visual Studio
installing the Workstation plug-in
for 49
Visual Studio, integrated debugger
for 23, 169
VIX API 24
.vmc file, importing 100
.vmdk file 110, 111
.vmem file 111
VMI (Virtual Machine Interface) enabled
kernels 386
VMnet1 299
VMnet8 306
vmrun 409
.vmsd file 111
.vmsn file 111
.vmss file 111
.vmtm file 111
VMware community forums 16
vmware-config.pl 54
VMware Converter 24, 100, 102
VMware Player
running 194
sharing virtual machines with 194
VMware Tools
About tab 139
automated install 122
command-line interface 146
configuring 134
configuring in a Netware virtual
machine 139
467
control panel 115, 135

defined 452
device drivers 114
Devices tab 137
displaying, in taskbar 153
for FreeBSD guests 130
for Linux guests 125
for NetWare guests 132
for Solaris guests 129
for Windows guests 118
installing 115
installing from the command line
with the RPM installer 127
installing from the command line
with the tar installer 127
Options tab 136
running 152
running scripts during power state
changes 141
Scripts tab 137
Shared Folders tab 139
Shrink tab 139
silent install 122
starting automatically in Windows
guest 152
starting in Linux, Solaris, or
FreeBSD 153
uninstalling or modifying
installation 134
updating 116
using from command line 139
VMware Tools service 146
VMware user process 115
vmwtool commands 139
VMware Tools service
executing commands on halt or
reboot 143
overview of 113
passing strings from the host 143
VMware Tools 146
468
VMware Tools update option 116

VMware user process, in VMware
Tools 115
vmware-user, starting manually 133
VMware-config.pl file 54
vmware-fullscreen log file 404
vmwtool 139
.vmx file 112
.vmxf file 112
VNC
setting a keyboard map for 345
setting a virtual machine to act as a
VNC server 184
v-scan code
defined 347
table of codes 349
W
.wav file 327
window
autofit 165
fit 166
window size 165, 167
Windows
32-bit guest operating systems 42
64-bit guest operating systems 42
uninstalling on Windows host 52
upgrading on Windows host 59
upgrading to Windows Vista 59
Windows 95 sound driver 327
Windows 98 sound driver 327
Windows NT
SCSI driver for guest 360
sound driver 327
Windows Server 2003
VMware, Inc.
Index
Windows XP
installing guest operating system 99
wizard
Add New Hardware 182
New Team 257
New Virtual Machine 79, 95, 198,
448
Workspace tab in preferences editor 82
workspaces
location of 82
switching in Linux guest 344
Workstation
checking for updates for 78
serial number for 50
starting 66
write caching 371
X
X server and keyboard mapping 346
X toolkit options 408
xFree86 and keyboard mapping 346
Z
zip drives
disconnecting 358
on a parallel port 334
VMware, Inc.
469
470
VMware, Inc.

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