Server Admin Manual

Administration Guide
VMware Server 1.0
VMware Server Administration Guide Revision: 20060706 Item: SVR-ENG-Q206-226
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation at: http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to: docfeedback@vmware.com
2006 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,397,242, 6,496,847, 6,704,925, 6,711,672, 6,725,289, 6,735,601, 6,785,886, 6,789,156, 6,795,966, 6,880,022, 6,961,941, 6,961,806 and 6,944,699; patents pending. VMware, the VMware boxes logo and design, Virtual SMP and VMotion are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.
VMware, Inc. 3145 Porter Drive Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com

ii VMware, Inc.
Contents
Chapter1IntroductionandSystemRequirements ...............1
VMwareServerOverview ...............................................1 FeaturesofVMwareServer ..............................................2 Supportfor32bitand64bitGuestOperatingSystems ...................2 TwoWayVirtualSMP(ExperimentalSupport) ..........................2 ConnecttoVMwareGSXVirtualMachinesandHosts....................2 UpgradeandUseGSXVirtualMachines ................................3 MoveExistingVirtualMachines.......................................3 CompatiblewithVMwareWorkstation5.xVirtualMachines..............3 ConfigureVirtualHardwareDevicestobeAutomaticallyDetected ........3 TakeandReverttoSnapshotsintheBackground ........................3 SupportforVMwareVirtualMachineImporter ..........................3 SupportforVirtualCenter.............................................4 APIsIncludedwithVMwareServer ......................................4 BeforeYouInstalltheRelease ............................................4 HostSystemRequirements ..............................................5 ServerHostHardware................................................5 WindowsHostOperatingSystemRequirements .........................7 LinuxHostOperatingSystemRequirements ............................7 RemoteClientRequirements.........................................10 VirtualMachineSpecifications ..........................................12 SupportedGuestOperatingSystems.....................................15 HardwareRequirementsfor64bitGuestOperatingSystems.............15 HardwareRequirementsfor32bitGuestOperatingSystems.............17 TechnicalSupportResources ...........................................20 SelfServiceSupport.................................................20 OnlineandTelephoneSupport.......................................20 SupportOfferings...................................................20 ReportingProblems .................................................21 LogFiles...........................................................22
VMware, Inc.
iii
VMware Server Administration Guide
Chapter2InstallingVMwareServer ..............................25
SelectingYourHostSystem..........................................25 AbouttheVMwareServerConsoleontheServer .......................26 InstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHost............................26 BasicInstallation....................................................28 DefaultDirectories ..................................................30 InstallationSteps ...................................................30 InstallingVMwareServeronaLinuxHost ...............................36 BasicInstallation....................................................37 DefaultDirectories ..................................................39 InstallationSteps ...................................................40 BeforeInstallingVMwareManagementInterfaceonaLinuxHost.........43 InstallingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonaLinuxHost............44 InstallinganXServer................................................45 BeforeYouInstallonaSUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8Host .............45 ConfiguringWebBrowsersforUsewithVMwareServer ...................46 LaunchingtheVMwareServerConsolefromtheVMwareManagement InterfaceonanEncryptedServer ..................................46 ConnectingtotheVMwareManagementInterfaceonaProxyServer......47 LaunchingHelpinNetscapeonaLinuxSystem ........................48 InstallingtheVMwareServerConsole ...................................48 InstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonaWindowsHost ...............49 InstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonaLinuxHost..................50 InstallingtheVMwareAPIs ............................................51 InstallingVmPerlandVmCOMAPIsonaWindowsHost................52 InstallingVmPerlAPIonaLinuxHost ................................54 UninstallingVMwareServer............................................55 UninstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHost.......................55 UninstallingVMwareServeronaLinuxHost ..........................57
Chapter3MigratingfromGSXServertoVMwareServer......59
PreparingfortheMigration ............................................59 BeforeYouInstallVMwareServer ....................................59 WhenYouRemoveaVMwareProductandInstallVMwareServer ........62 MigratingtoVMwareServeronaWindowsHost .........................62 MigratingtoVMwareServeronaLinuxHost.............................63 UsingVirtualMachinesCreatedwithVMwareGSXServer.................64 CreatingEverythingNewfromtheStart ...............................65
iv
VMware, Inc.
Contents
UsingaLegacyVirtualMachineWithoutUpgradingVirtualHardware....65 UpgradingtheVirtualHardwareonaLegacyVirtualMachine ...........65 UpgradingVirtualHardware ........................................66 UsingVirtualMachinesCreatedwithWorkstation5.x .....................75
Chapter4ManagingVirtualMachinesandtheVMware Server Host ........................................................77

RemotelyManagingVirtualMachines ...................................77 ChangingthePortNumberforVMwareServerConsoleConnections......78 DownloadingtheVMwareServerConsole .............................81 SecuringVirtualMachinesandtheHost..................................82 UnderstandingPermissionsandVirtualMachines ......................83 AuthenticatingUsersandRunningVirtualMachinesforaWindowsHost .85 AuthenticatingUsersandRunningVirtualMachinesforaLinuxHost .....88 CheckingPermissionsintheVMwareManagementInterface .............90 SecuringYourRemoteSessions .......................................90 IdentifyingaVirtualMachinebyItsUUID ...............................92 SpecifyingaUUIDforaVirtualMachine ..............................93 LoggingVMwareServerEventsonWindows .............................94 BackingUpVirtualMachinesandtheVMwareServerHost.................95 UsingaBackupAgentintheVirtualMachine ..........................95 UsingaBackupAgentRunningontheHostOperatingSystem ...........96 BackingUptheVMwareServerHost ..................................96 ConsiderationsforBackingUpVirtualMachines........................97 UsingtheVMwareManagementInterface ................................97 SettingtheSessionLengthfortheVMwareManagementInterface ........99 LoggingOntotheVMwareManagementInterface ......................99 UsingtheStatusMonitor ...........................................101 ConfiguringaVirtualMachine ......................................105 TheApacheServerandtheVMwareManagementInterface .............111 LoggingOfftheVMwareManagementInterface .......................111 DeletingVirtualMachines.............................................111 DeletingaVirtualMachineUsingtheVMwareServerConsole ..........112 ConfiguringtheVMwareServerHost...................................112 SecuringRemoteConnectionswithSSL...............................112 ConfiguringStartupandShutdownOptionsforVirtualMachines........113 SettingUserPreferencesfortheVMwareServerHost...................117 SettingGlobalPreferencesforVMwareServer .........................123
VMware, Inc.
CreatingNetworkLabels ...........................................125 SettingMIMETypetoLaunchtheVMwareServerConsole .............128 UsingVirtualCentertoManageVirtualMachines ........................131 CreatingVirtualMachinesfromaVirtualCenterClient .................131 ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaVirtualCenterClient ............131
Chapter5MovingandSharingVirtualMachines ..............133
MovingaVMwareServerVirtualMachine..............................133 VirtualMachinesUseRelativePaths .................................134 PreparingYourVirtualMachinefortheMove.........................134 MovingaVirtualMachinetoaNewHost .............................135 MovingVMwareGSXServer3VirtualMachinetoaNewHost ............136 VirtualMachinesUseRelativePaths .................................137 PreparingYourVirtualMachinefortheMove.........................137 MovingaVirtualMachinetoaNewHost .............................138 MovingOlderVirtualMachines........................................138 VirtualMachinesMayUseRelativeorAbsolutePaths ..................139 PreparingYourVirtualMachinefortheMove.........................139 PreparingtheNewHostMachine ....................................140 ConsiderationsforMovingDisksinUndoableMode...................141 SharingVirtualMachineswithOtherUsers..............................142
Chapter6PerformanceTuningandtheVMwareServerHost 145
ConfiguringandMaintainingtheHostComputer........................145 LocationoftheWorkingDirectory...................................145 DefragmentationofDiskDrives .....................................145 AdequateFreeDiskSpace ..........................................146 NICInterruptsCoalescing ..........................................146 ConfiguringVMwareServer...........................................146 GeneralVMwareServerOptions.....................................147 VMwareServeronaWindowsHost..................................151 VMwareServeronaLinuxHost .....................................154 UnderstandingMemoryUsage ........................................154 MemoryUseontheHost ...........................................155 SpecifyingHowMuchRAMisUsedbyAllRunningVirtualMachines ...155 MemoryUsageonOlderLinuxHosts ................................157
vi
VMware, Inc.
Contents
Chapter7UsingHighAvailabilityConfigurations.............161
UsingSCSIReservationtoShareSCSIDiskswithVirtualMachines .........161 SCSIReservationSupport...........................................162 EnablingSCSIReservation ..........................................162 IssuestoConsiderWhenSharingDisks ...............................164 OverviewofClusteringwithVMwareServer............................165 ApplicationsThatCanUseClustering ................................166 ClusteringSoftware ................................................166 CreatingaClusterinaBox ............................................167 ConfiguringVirtualMachinesforClusterinaBox .....................168 CreatingaTwoNodeClusterwithMicrosoftClusteringServices ........169 UsingNetworkLoadBalancingwithVMwareServer.....................175 OverviewofNetworkLoadBalancingClusters........................175 CreatingaMultinodeNetworkLoadBalancingCluster .................175 CreatingTwoNodeClustersUsingNovellClusteringServices.............179 CreatingtheFirstNodesBaseVirtualMachine ........................180 CreatingtheSecondNodeintheCluster ..............................181 InstallingtheGuestOperatingSystemandVMwareTools ..............181 AddingtheSharedDiskstoBothVirtualMachines.....................181 InstallingNovellClusteringServicesontheClusterNodes ..............182 ClusteringUsingtheiSCSIProtocol ....................................183 ClusteringScenariosUsingiSCSI ....................................184 CreatingandConfiguringtheiSCSIInitiatorVirtualMachine ...........184 ConfiguringtheiSCSITargetintheCluster ...........................185
Appendix:MountingVirtualDisks...............................187
ConsiderationsforMountingVirtualDisks ..............................187 StatementofSupport ...............................................188 InstallingtheVMwareDiskMount .....................................188 RunningtheVMwareDiskMountUtility ................................188 ExamplesUsingtheVMwareDiskMountUtility .......................189
Glossary..............................................................191 Index .................................................................199
VMware, Inc.
vii
viii
VMware, Inc.
Introduction and System Requirements

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

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

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

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

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

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

YoucanupgradethevirtualhardwareofvirtualmachinescreatedunderbothVMware GSXServer2and3.Youmustupgradehardwareofvirtualmachinescreatedunder GSX2torunthemunderVMwareServer.Formoreinformation,seeUpgradingthe VirtualHardwareonaLegacyVirtualMachineonpage 65..
Move Existing Virtual Machines

YoucanmovevirtualmachinesfromoneVMwareServerhosttoanotherandfroma VMwareGSXServerorVMwareWorkstationhosttoahostrunningVMwareServer. Formoreinformation,seeMovingandSharingVirtualMachinesonpage 133.
Compatible with VMware Workstation 5.x Virtual Machines

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

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

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

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

VMwareServerincludessupportforusingVirtualCenterversion1.4tomanagevirtual machinesrunningonVMwareServer.
APIs Included with VMware Server

VMwareServersupportstheVMwarescriptingAPIs,whichincludetheVmPerlAPI andtheVmCOMAPI,andtheProgrammingAPI.AlloftheAPIsareinstalledona WindowshostwhenyouperformacompleteinstallationusingtheVMwareServer WindowsInstaller.TheProgrammingAPIandVmPerlAPIareinstalledwhenyou installtheVMwareServersoftware.YoucanalsoinstallanyoftheAPIsonaclient machine.
Before You Install the Release

Beforeyouinstallthisrelease,takethefollowingstepstoensurethebestpossible experiencewithVMwareServer. IfyouplantoinstallVMwareServeronahostmachinethatisalreadyrunningany otherVMwareproduct,youmustfirstuninstallthatproduct.OnaMicrosoftWindows host,usetheAdd/RemoveProgramscontrolpanel.OnaLinuxhost,seeyourproduct manualforthecommandsneededtouninstalltheproduct. OnaWindowshost,theuninstalleraskswhetheryouwanttokeeplicensesinyour registry.Donotremovethelicenses.IfyoureinstalltheVMwareproductthatyou uninstalled,youdonotneedtoentertheserialnumberagain. OnaLinuxhost,thelicenseremainsinplace.Youdonotneedtotakeanyspecial action. VMwareServerletsyouconnecttohostsrunningVMwareGSXServer3.Youcaneither usevirtualmachinescreatedusingVMwareGSXServer3inlegacymodeorupgrade thevirtualhardwareoflegacyvirtualmachines.Tousevirtualmachinescreatedusing VMwareGSXServer2,youmustupgradethevirtualhardware.Formoreinformation, seeMigratingtoVMwareServeronpage 55.
VMware, Inc.
Installing VMware Tools

AfteryouinstallVMwareServer,itisrecommendedtoinstallVMwareToolstoensure enhancedperformanceforyourguestoperatingsystem.Formoreinformation,see InstallingVMwareToolsintheVMwareServerVirtualMachineGuide.
Host System Requirements

YoucaninstalltheVMwareServersoftwareonaMicrosoftWindowsorLinuxserver. Youcanstorevirtualmachinesontheserverhostorlocatethemonanetworkshare.
Server Host Hardware

VMwareServersupportsupto16waymultiprocessorservers.Thenumberofvirtual machinesyoucanrunconcurrentlydependsontheresourcestheyrequire,but VMwarerecommendsyourunnomorethanfourvirtualmachinesconcurrentlyper processor.Youcanrunamaximumof64virtualmachinesconcurrentlyononehost. Theserverhosthardwareincludes:
!
Standardx86basedserverwithupto16processorshostswith32bitIA32 processors,andIA32processorswith64bitextensionssupported 733MHzorfastercompatiblex86processorthatsupportsthePentiuminstruction set
Compatibleprocessorsinclude:
! !
Intel:PentiumII,PentiumIII,Pentium4,PentiumMXeon,andEM64T. AMD:Athlon,AthlonMP,AthlonXP,AMDOpteron,AMDAthlon64, Turion64. ExperimentalsupportforAMDSempron. Multiprocessorsystemsaresupported. Dualcoreprocessorsaresupportedandcountedasoneprocessorfor licensing.
! ! !
Memory
YouneedenoughmemorytoruntheMicrosoftWindowsorLinuxhostoperating system,plusmemoryrequiredforeachguestoperatingsystemandapplicationsonthe hostandeachguest.Seeyourguestoperatingsystemandapplicationdocumentation fortheirmemoryrequirements. Memoryrequirementsinclude:
VMware, Inc.
! !
Minimum:512MB Maximum:
!
64GBforWindowshostsandLinuxhoststhatsupportlargememoryorare PAEenabled 4GBfornonPAEenabledWindowshostsor2GBforLinuxhostswithkernels inthe2.2.xseries
Display
!
16bitdisplayadapterorhigher
Host Hard Disk

!
250MBfreediskspaceonWindowshostsrequiredforVMwareServer,VMware ManagementInterface,theVmPerlAPI,theVmCOMAPI,theProgrammingAPI, andVMwareServerConsoleinstallation. 200MBfreediskspaceonLinuxhostsrequiredforVMwareServer,VMware ManagementInterface,VmPerlAPI,ProgrammingAPI,andVMwareServer Consoleinstallation.

!
Diskspacein/tmponLinuxhostsshouldbeequivalentto1.5timesthe amountofmemoryonthehost.Forinformationonthe/tmpdirectory,read VMwareknowledgebasearticle844at http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=844.
Sufficientfreediskspaceforeachguestoperatingsystemandtheapplication softwareusedwithit.Usingadefaultsetup,theactualdiskspaceneedsare approximatelythesameasthoseforinstallingandrunningtheguestoperating systemandapplicationsonaphysicalcomputer. IDEorSCSIharddrivesandDVD/CDROMdrivessupported. Guestoperatingsystemscanresideinvirtualdiskfilesoronphysical(raw)disk partitions.
! !
Local Area Networking

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

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

Supporteddistributionsandkernelsarelistedinthissection.VMwareServermightnot runonsystemsthatdonotmeettheserequirements.Platformsthatarenotlistedare notsupported.
VMware, Inc.
64bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystemsfor64bitextended systems:
!
RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0AS,ES,andWS,stock2.4.21,update2.4.2115,and updates6and7 RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0AS,ES,andWS,update8(experimentalsupport) RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0AS,ES,andWS,includingupdate3 RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0update4(experimentalsupport) SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10(experimentalsupport) SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer9,includingSP1,SP2,andSP3 SUSELinux10 SUSELinux10.1 SUSELinux9.3 SUSELinux9.2,includingSP1 SUSELinux9.1stock2.6.452 MandrivaLinux2006 UbuntuLinux5.04and5.10 UbuntuLinux6.06(experimentalsupport)
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
32bithostcomputerscanrunthefollowingoperatingsystems:
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
MandrivaLinux2006 MandrakeLinux10.1 MandrakeLinux9.0stock2.4.19 RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0AS,ES,andWS,includingupdates1,2,and3 RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0update4(experimentalsupport) RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0,updates1,2,3,4,5,6,and7 RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0update8(experimentalsupport) RedHatEnterpriseLinux2.1stock2.4.9e3 RedHatLinux9.0,stock2.4.208andupgrade2.4.2020.9 RedHatLinux8.0stock2.4.18 RedHatLinux7.3stock2.4.18
VMware, Inc.
RedHatLinux7.2,stock2.4.710andupgrades2.4.97,2.4.913,2.4.921,and 2.4.931 SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10(experimentalsupport) SUSELINUXEnterpriseServer9,includingSP1,SP2,andSP3 SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8stock2.4.19 SUSELINUX9.3 SUSELINUX9.2 SUSELinux10 SUSELinux10.1 SUSELINUX9.1stock2.6.452 SUSELINUX9.0stock2.4.2199 SUSELinux8.2stock2.4.20 SUSELinux7.3 UbuntuLinux5.04and5.10 Ubuntu6.06 AsnewLinuxkernelsanddistributionsarereleased,VMwaremodifiesand testsitsproductsforstabilityandreliabilityonthosehostplatforms.VMware makeseveryefforttoaddsupportfornewkernelsanddistributionsina timelymanner,butuntilakernelordistributionisaddedtothelist,itsuseis notsupported.LookfornewerprebuiltmodulesintheDownloadsectionof VMwareWebsite.Gotohttp://www.vmware.com/download.
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
NOTE
OtherLinuxhostoperatingsystemrequirementsinclude:
! !
Linuxkernel2.2.145.0isnotsupported. StandardLinuxserverinstallationisrequiredwithglibcversion2.1orhigherand libXpm.so. TheinetdprocessmustbeconfiguredandactiveforVMwareServerConsoleand VMwareManagementInterfaceconnections. Version2.1.36oftheSCSIGeneric(sg.o)driverisrequiredtousegenericSCSI devicesinvirtualmachines. Perl5.005xorhigherisrequiredtouseVmPerlAPI.
VMware, Inc.
XserverisrequiredtoruntheVMwareServerConsole.
TheVMwareManagementInterfacerequiresoneofthesebrowsers:
! ! !
Firefox1.x Mozilla1.x NetscapeNavigator7.0 Asnewbrowserversionsarereleased,VMwareteststheVMware ManagementInterfaceforstabilityandreliabilitywiththeseversions. VMwaremakeseveryefforttoaddsupportfornewbrowserversionsina timelymanner,butuntilabrowserisaddedtotheabovelist,itsusewiththe productisnotsupported.
NOTE
Running VMware Server on Some SUSE Linux Hosts

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

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

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

!
WindowsServer2003x64Edition,WindowsServer2003StandardEdition, WindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition,andWindowsServer2003WebEdition WindowsXPProfessionalandWindowsXPHomeEdition ServicePack1andServicePack2 Windows2000Professional,ServerandAdvancedServer,ServicePack1,Service Pack2,ServicePack3andServicePack4 WindowsNT4.0WorkstationandServer,ServicePack6a,withInternetExplorer 6.0installed TheVMwareManagementInterfacerequiresoneofthesebrowsers:

! ! ! !
InternetExplorer5.5or6.0(6.0highlyrecommended) Firefox1.x Mozilla1.x NetscapeNavigator7.0 Asnewbrowserversionsarereleased,VMwareteststheVMware ManagementInterfaceforstabilityandreliabilitywiththeseversions. VMwaremakeseveryefforttoaddsupportfornewbrowserversionsin atimelymanner,butuntilabrowserisaddedtotheabovelist,itsuse withtheproductisnotsupported.
NOTE
Software Requirements Linux Remote Client

!
StandardLinuxinstallationisrequiredwithglibcversion2.1orhigherandoneof thefollowingkernels:
VMware, Inc.
11
Forsingleprocessorsystems:kernel2.0.32orhigherinthe2.0.xseries,or kernelinthe2.2.x,2.4.xor2.6.xseries. ForSMPsystems:kernelinthe2.2.x,2.4.xor2.6.xseries Linuxkernel2.2.145.0isnotsupported.
NOTE
! ! !
Perl5.005xorhigherisrequiredtouseVmPerlAPI. XserverisrequiredtoruntheVMwareServerConsoleontheclient. TheVMwareManagementInterfacerequiresoneofthesebrowsers:

! ! !
Firefox1.x Mozilla1.x NetscapeNavigator7.0 Asnewbrowserversionsarereleased,VMwareteststheVMware ManagementInterfaceforstabilityandreliabilitywiththeseversions. VMwaremakeseveryefforttoaddsupportfornewbrowserversionsin atimelymanner,butuntilabrowserisaddedtotheabovelist,itsuse withtheproductisnotsupported.
NOTE
VmPerl and VmCOM APIs

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

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

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

! ! ! !
Upto60devicesonuptofourvirtualSCSIcontrollers. SCSIvirtualdisksupto950GB. Harddiskscanbevirtualdisksorphysicaldisks. GenericSCSIsupportallowsscanners,CDROM,DVDROM,tapedrives,and otherSCSIdevicestobeusedwithoutrequiringdriversinthehostoperating system. Mylex(BusLogic)BT958compatiblehostbusadapter. LSILogicUltra160LSI53C10xxSCSIcontroller.
! !
VMware, Inc.
13
Virtual PCI Slots

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

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

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

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

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

! !
PS/2mouse Serialtabletsupport
Virtual Ethernet Card

! ! ! !
UptofourvirtualEthernetcards AMDPCnetPCIIIcompatible WirelessnetworkingsupportwithbridgedandNATnetworking PXEROMversion2.0
14
VMware, Inc.
Virtual Networking
!
NinevirtualEthernetswitches(threeconfiguredbydefaultforbridged,hostonly andNATnetworking). VirtualnetworkingsupportsmostEthernetbasedprotocols,includingTCP/IP, NetBEUI,MicrosoftNetworking,Samba,NovellNetWare,andNetworkFile System. BuiltinNATsupportsclientsoftwareusingTCP/IP,FTP,DNS,HTTP,andTelnet.
Virtual Sound Adapter

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

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

VMwareServersupportsvirtualmachineswith64bitguestoperatingsystemsonlyon hostmachinesthathaveoneofthefollowing64bitprocessors.
! ! ! ! !
AMDAthlon64,revisionDorlater AMDOpteron,revisionEorlater AMDTurion64,revisionEorlater AMDSempron,64bitcapablerevisionDorlater(experimentalsupport) IntelEM64TVTcapableprocessors(experimentalsupport)
VMwareServerperformsaninternalcheck.IfthehostCPUisnotasupported64bit processor,VMwareServerdisplaysanerrormessagethatindicatesthehardwareon yourhostmachineisincompatiblewith64bitguestoperatingsystems.Youcan, however,continuetopoweronthevirtualmachine.
VMware, Inc.
15
VMwareServerprovidesastandaloneutilitythatperformsthesamecheckand determineswhetheryourCPUissupportedforVMwareServervirtualmachineswith 64bitguestoperatingsystems.Youcandownloadthe64bitprocessorcheckutility fromtheVMwareWebsiteathttp://www.vmware.com/download.
Microsoft Windows 64-bit Guest Operating Systems

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

! !
MandrivaLinux2006 RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0,includingstock2.4.21,update2.4.2115,and updates6,and7 RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0,update8(experimentalsupport) RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0,includingupdate3 RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0,update4(experimenetalsupport) SUSELinux9.1stock2.6.452 SUSELinux9.2,includingSP1 SUSELinux9.3 SUSELinux10 SUSELinux10.1 SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer9,includingSP1,SP2,andSP3 SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10(experimentalsupport)
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
FreeBSD
! !
FreeBSD5.3and5.4 FreeBSD6.0
Sun Solaris
!
Solaris10,includingupdate1andupdate2(experimentalsupport)
16
VMware, Inc.
Ubuntu
! !
UbuntuLinux5.04and5.10 UbuntuLinux6.06(experimentalsupport)
Hardware Requirements for 32-bit Guest Operating Systems

VMwareServersupportsvirtualmachineswiththefollowing32bitguestoperating systems.
Microsoft Windows 32-bit Guest Operating Systems

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

!
MandrivaLinux2006
VMware, Inc.
17
! ! ! ! !
MandrakeLinux10.1 MandrakeLinux9.2 MandrakeLinux9stock2.4.19 MandrakeLinux3.2stock2.4.186mdk RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0AS,ES,andWS,includingupdates1,2,3,4,5,6, and7) RedHatEnterpriseLinux3.0update8(experimentalsupport) RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0AS,ES,andWS,includingupdates1,2,and3 RedHatEnterpriseLinux4.0update4(experimentalsupport) RedHatEnterpriseLinux2.1AS,ES,andWS,includingstock2.4.9e3 RedHatLinux9.0,stock2.4.208andupgrade2.4.2020.9 RedHatLinux8.0stock2.4.18 RedHatLinux7.3stock2.4.18 RedHatLinux7.2,stock2.4.710andupgrades2.4.97,2.4.913,2.4.921, and2.4.931 RedHatLinux7.1stock2.4.22andupgrade2.2.312 RedHatLinux7.0stock2.2.1622andupgrade2.2.1714 SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer10(experimentalsupport) SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer9,includingSP1,SP2,andSP3 SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8stock2.4.19 SUSELinuxEnterpriseServer7stock2.4.7andpatch2 SUSELinux10 SUSELinux10.1 SUSELinux9.0stock2.4.2199 SUSELinux9.1stock2.6.452 SUSELinux9.2,includingSP1 SUSELinux9.3 SUSELinux8.2stock2.4.20 SUSELinux8.1stock2.4.19
VMware, Inc.
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
18
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
SUSELinux8.0stock2.4.18 SUSELinux7.3stock2.4.10 NovellLinuxDesktop9,includingSP2 NovellOpenEnterpriseServer,includingSP1 TurbolinuxEnterpriseServer8.0 TurbolinuxServer7.0 TurbolinuxWorkstation8.0 TurbolinuxDesktop10
Novell NetWare
! ! ! !
NetWare4.2 NetWare5.1,SP8only NetWare6,SP5only Netware6.5,SP3only
FreeBSD
! ! ! ! ! !
FreeBSD4.04.6.2 FreeBSD4.8 FreeBSD5 FreeBSD5.15.3 FreeBSD5.4 FreeBSD6.0
Sun Solaris
! !
Solaris9(experimentalsupport) Solaris10,includingupdate1andupdate2
Ubuntu
! !
UbuntuLinux5.04and5.10 UbuntuLinux6.06
VMware, Inc.
19
Technical Support Resources

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

Useonlinesupporttosubmittechnicalsupportrequests,viewyourproductand contractinformation,andregisteryourproducts.Goto http://www.vmware.com/support. Usephonesupportforthefastestresponseonpriority1issuesforcustomerswith appropriatesupportcontracts.Goto http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.
Support Offerings
FindouthowVMwaressupportofferingscanhelpyoumeetyourbusinessneeds.Go tohttp://www.vmware.com/support/services.
20
VMware, Inc.
Reporting Problems
IfyouhaveproblemswhilerunningVMwareServer,reportthemtotheVMware supportteam.Youmustregisteryourserialnumberandthenyoucanreportyour problemsbysubmittingasupportrequestat http://www.vmware.com/requestsupport. Thissectiondescribestheinformationneededtodiagnoseandreportproblems.This informationlargelycomesfromlogfiles.Therequiredlogfilesdependuponthe problemyouencounter. Youcansimplifytheprocessofcollectingtheneededinformationbyrunningthe supportscripttocollecttheappropriatelogfilesandsysteminformation.Followthe stepsthatapplytoyourhostcomputer. NOTE ThesupportscriptrunsonlyontheVMwareServerhost.Ifyouencounter problemsonaremoteclient,youmustsupplythelogfilesmanually.The requiredlogfilesdependontheproblemencounteredontheclient.You shouldincludetheVMwareServerConsolelogfileandtheinstallationlog files.
To run the support script on a Windows host 1 2 Openacommandprompt. ChangetotheVMwareServerprogramdirectory. C: cd \Program Files\VMware\VMware Server Ifyoudidnotinstalltheprograminthedefaultdirectory,usetheappropriate driveletterandsubstitutetheappropriatepathinthecdcommandabove. 3 Runthesupportscript. cscript vm-support.vbs Afterthescriptruns,itdisplaysthenameofthedirectorywhereithasstoredits output. 4 UseafilecompressionutilitysuchasWinZiporPKZIPtozipthatdirectory,and includethezipfilewithyoursupportrequest.
To run the support script on a Linux host 1 2 Openaterminal. Runthesupportscriptastheuserwhoisrunningthevirtualmachineorasroot. vm-support
VMware, Inc.
21
Ifyoudonotrunthescriptasroot,thescriptdisplaysmessagesindicatingthatit cannotcollectsomeinformation.Thisisnormal.IftheVMwaresupportteam needsthatinformation,asupportrepresentativemayaskyoutorunthescript againasroot. Thescriptcreatesacompressed.tgzfileinthecurrentdirectory. 3 Includetheoutputfilewithyoursupportrequest.
Log Files
ThefollowinglogfilesaregeneratedbyVMwareServerandarecollectedbythe supportscriptasneeded.BecausetheVMwareServerConsoledoesnotincludea supportscript,youneedtosubmitasupportrequestat http://www.vmware.com/requestsupportforanyissuesyouencounteronaclientand includetheVMwareServerConsoleslogfileoritsinstallationlogfiles.
Virtual Machine Log File

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

Thevirtualmachineseventlog,someofwhichcanbeviewedintheVMware ManagementInterface,isstoredasafileonthehost.Thisfilecanalsobeusefulinthe eventavirtualmachinecrashes. Eachvirtualmachineonthehostincludesaneventlogfilecalled event-<path_to_configuration_file>.vmx.log. OnaWindowshost,thelogisstoredinC:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmserverdRoot\eventlog. OnaLinuxhost,thelogisstoredin/var/log/vmware.
22
VMware, Inc.
VMware Server Console Log File

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

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

YoucanmanuallyenableloggingfortheVMwareAuthorizationService,knownas vmware-authdonLinuxhosts. To enable logging for VMware Authorization Service 1 Inatexteditor,openthefollowingfile:
!
OnaWindowshostedit config.inilocatedinC:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server OnaLinuxhostedit/etc/vmware/config
Addthefollowinglinestothefile: vmauthd.logEnabled = TRUE log.vmauthdFileName = "vmauthd.log" Afileiscreatedcalledvmauthd.log.OnaWindowshost,thisfileappearsby defaultinC:\Windows\system32orC:\WINNT\system32;onaLinuxhost,thisfile appearsbydefaultin/var/log/vmware.
Saveandclosetheconfigurationfile. ThelogisenabledonaLinuxhost.
VMware, Inc.
23
4 5
OnaWindowshost,chooseStart>AdministrativeTools>Services. RightclickVMwareAuthorizationServiceandchooseRestart. ThelogisenabledonaWindowshost.
VMware Registration Service Log File

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

VMwareServerkeepsinstallationlogfilesontheserverhost. Onaremoteclient,theVMwareServerConsolekeepstwoinstallationlogfiles.Ifyou encounterproblemsinstallingtheVMwareServerConsole,submitasupportrequest includingthenamesoftheselogfiles. OnaWindowshost,thefilesarevminst.log and vmmsi.log which are savedinyour TEMPdirectory;thedefaultlocationisC:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp.TheLocal Settingsfolderishiddenbydefault.Toseeitscontents, openMyComputer,chooseTools>FolderOptions,clicktheViewtabandselect ShowHiddenFilesandFolders. OnaLinuxhost,thelogiscalledlocationsandisstoredin/etc/vmware.
24
VMware, Inc.
C HAPTER 2
Installing VMware Server
ThischapterdescribeshowtoinstallVMwareServeronyourLinuxorWindowshost systemandcoversthefollowingtopics:
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
SelectingYourHostSystemonpage 25 AbouttheVMwareServerConsoleontheServeronpage 26 InstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHostonpage 26 InstallingVMwareServeronaLinuxHostonpage 36 ConfiguringWebBrowsersforUsewithVMwareServeronpage 46 InstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonpage 48 InstallingtheVMwareAPIsonpage 51 UninstallingVMwareServeronpage 55
Selecting Your Host System

VMwareServerisavailableforbothWindowsandLinuxhostcomputers.Goto http://www.vmware.com/download/server/todownloadthesoftware.Youreceivethe serialnumbersinanemailmessagefromVMware.Themessageincludesoneserial numberforuseonWindowshostsandanotherserialnumberforuseonLinuxhosts. Entertheserialnumberthatisappropriateforyourhostoperatingsystem.To downloadthesoftwareagainorrequestadditionalserialnumbers,goto http://www.vmware.com/download/serverandlogontoreceiveanotherserial number. ToinstallonasupportedWindowshostcomputer,seeInstallingVMwareServerona WindowsHostonpage 26.ToinstallonaLinuxhostcomputer,seeInstalling VMwareServeronaLinuxHostonpage 36. Toreviewthelistofsupportedhostoperatingsystemsonwhichyoucaninstall VMwareServer,seeHostSystemRequirementsonpage 5.
Installing on a Computer with a Different VMware Product

YoucannotinstallVMwareServeronacomputerwithVMwareWorkstation,VMware Player,VMwareACE,orVMwareGSXServerinstalled.Ifyouhaveoneofthese productsinstalledonthecomputerwhereyouplantoinstallVMwareServer,remove theexistingproduct,andtheninstallVMwareServer.OnaWindowshost,usethe
VMware, Inc.
25
Add/RemoveProgramscontrolpanel.OnaLinuxhost,seeyourproductmanualfor thecommandsneededtouninstalltheproduct.Youcanconnecttohostsrunning VMwareGSXServer3.
Upgrading to VMware Server

YoucanupgradevirtualmachinescreatedusingVMwareGSXServer2and3.Formore informationaboutupgradingahostfromVMwareGSXServertoVMwareServer,see MigratingfromGSXServertoVMwareServeronpage 59.
About the VMware Server Console on the Server

VMwareServerusestheVMwareServerConsoletomanagevirtualmachinesonany VMwareServerhostdirectlyfromthehostorremotelyfromaclientworkstationor anotherhost. Multipleconsolescanconnecttoavirtualmachineatthesametime,givingmultiple authorizedusersconcurrentaccesstothevirtualmachine.Similarly,multipleuserscan connecttothevirtualmachinewithVMwareScriptingAPIsandtheVMware ManagementInterface.Youcanrunvirtualmachinesinfullscreenmodefromany console. WhenyouinstalltheVMwareServersoftware,theVMwareServerConsoleisinstalled automatically.YoushouldinstalltheVMwareServerConsoleonanyclient workstationfromwhichyouwanttoaccessvirtualmachines.Thisallowsforremote managementofvirtualmachines. NOTE DonotmixcomponentsofVMwareServerandVMwareESXServer.You cannotusetheVMwareServerConsolefromVMwareESXServertoconnect toaVMwareServerhost,orviceversa.Youcan,however,usetheVMware ServerConsoletoconnecttoVMwareGSXServer3hosts.Toopenvirtual machinescreatedonVMwareGSXServer2,youmustfirstuninstallVMware GSXServer2andtheninstallVMwareServer.
ToinstalltheVMwareServerConsoleonaclient,seeInstallingtheVMwareServer Consoleonpage 48.YoucandownloadtheVMwareServerConsolefromtheVMware ManagementInterfaceforconvenientinstallationonaremoteclient.Formore information,seeDownloadingtheVMwareServerConsoleonpage 81.
Installing VMware Server on a Windows Host

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoinstallVMwareServeronyourWindowshost operatingsystem:
26
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 Installing VMware Server
! ! !
BasicInstallationonpage 28 DefaultDirectoriesonpage 30 InstallationStepsonpage 30
To get started with VMware Server on a Windows host 1 InstalltheVMwareServersoftware(includingVMwareManagementInterface, theVmCOMAPI,theVmPerlAPI,theProgrammingAPI,andtheVMwareServer Console)ontheserver. InstalltheVMwareServerConsoleandVMwareScriptingAPIsonWindowsor Linuxclients. StarttheVMwareServerConsole. Youarepromptedtoenteryourserialnumbereitherduringtheinstallation processorthefirsttimeyoustarttheVMwareServerConsole. 4 Entertheserialnumberonlyonce. YoureceivetheserialnumbersinanemailmessagefromVMware.The messageincludesoneserialnumbertouseonaWindowshostandanother serialnumbertouseonaLinuxhost.Entertheserialnumberthatis appropriateforyourhostoperatingsystem.Todownloadthesoftwareagain orrequestadditionalserialnumbers,goto http://www.vmware.com/download/server/.
2 3
NOTE
5 6
CreateavirtualmachineusingtheNewVirtualMachineWizard.SeeCreatinga NewVirtualMachine. Poweronthevirtualmachineandinstallaguestoperatingsystem.Youneedthe installationmedia(CDROMorfloppydisks)foryourguestoperatingsystem.See InstallingaGuestOperatingSystem. InstalltheVMwareToolspackageinyourvirtualmachineforenhanced performance.SeeInstallingVMwareTools. Installsoftwareinyourvirtualmachine. Startusingyourvirtualmachine.UsetheVMwareServerConsole,VMware ManagementInterface,andVMwareScriptingAPIstomanageyourserverhost andvirtualmachines.
7 8 9
VMware, Inc.
27
Basic Installation
OnaWindowshost,installVMwareServerfromamasterinstaller.Themasterinstaller isaconvenientwaytoinstallallthecomponentsofVMwareServertheserver software,theVMwareManagementInterfaceandtheVMwareScriptingAPIsoryou canpickandchoosewhichcomponentstoinstall.Inaddition,theVMwareServer Consoleisalwaysinstalled.Allcomponentsareinstalledintheirowndirectoriesunder onemasterdirectory. AbasicinstallationofVMwareServerusestwocomputers:aserverhostinganumber ofvirtualmachinesandaclientworkstation.Theclientcommunicateswiththevirtual machinesontheserveroveraTCP/IPnetworklink. Inmorecomplexinstallations,oneclientcanrunmultipleVMwareServerConsoles, witheachconsolemanagingmultiplevirtualmachinesonaseparateserver. Beforeyoubegin,besureyouhave:
!
Serverandhostoperatingsystemthatmeetthesystemrequirementsforrunning VMwareServer.SeeHostSystemRequirementsonpage 5. Remotemanagementclientandoperatingsystemthatmeetthesystem requirementsforrunningtheVMwareServerremotemanagementsoftware.See RemoteClientRequirementsonpage 10. VMwareServerinstallationsoftwarethatyoudownloaded. VMwareServerserialnumber.Theserialnumberisincludedintheemailmessage youreceivedfromVMwareorfromtheresellerfromwhomyoupurchased VMwareServer. InstallationCDsordisksforyourguestoperatingsystems. InternetInformationServices(IIS)isinstalledandconfiguredproperly(necessary tousetheVMwareManagementInterface).
! !
! !
Installation on the Server

AcompleteinstallationontheVMwareServerhostincludes:
!
VMwareServerpackagefortheserver,whichincludesthetoolsneededtocreate andconfigurevirtualmachinesandtheVMwareServerConsoletoviewand controlvirtualmachines. VMwareManagementInterfacepackage,aWebserverformanagingvirtual machinesandthehostfromabrowser.Formoreinformation,seeManaging VirtualMachinesandtheVMwareServer Hostonpage 77.
28
VMware, Inc.
VmCOMAPIpackage,ascriptingtoolthatusesCOMtomanagevirtualmachines remotely.Formoreinformation,goto http://www.vmware.com/support/developer. VmPerlAPIpackage,ascriptingtoolthatusesPerltomanagevirtualmachines remotely.Formoreinformation,goto http://www.vmware.com/support/developer. ProgrammingAPIpackage.Formoreinformation,goto http://www.vmware.com/support/developer.
Youcanchooseacustominstallationpathwhereyouinstallonlythepackagesyou need.Inmostcases,youworkdirectlyattheserverwhenyouinstalltheserver software.Youcanmanageandrunvirtualmachinesfromtheserverorfromanyclient.
Installation on a Client Workstation

InadditiontoaWebbrowser,youcaninstallthefollowingpackagesonaclient:
! !
VMwareServerConsole. VmPerlandVmCOMAPIs(theVmCOMAPIandtheProgrammingAPIcanbe installedonlyonaWindowsclient).
ThepackagesareavailablefromtheVMwareServerinstaller(onWindowshostsonly) andontheVMwareWebsite.TheVMwareServerConsoleisavailableintheVMware ManagementInterface.IfyouareinstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonaLinux client,seeInstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonaLinuxHostonpage 50. TheVMwareServerConsolecanrunonaremoteclientandontheserveritself.The VMwareServerConsoleisavailableinclientpackagesforWindows(Windows2000, WindowsXP,andWindowsServer2003)andLinux. Typically,youruntheVMwareServerConsoleandbrowseronaclient.Thebrowser allowsaccesstotheVMwareManagementInterface.TheVMwareManagement InterfaceandVMwareServerConsoleletyou:
! !
Monitortheoperationofvirtualmachines. Start,stop,reset,suspend,andresumevirtualmachines.
Essentially,theVMwareServerConsoleallowsyoutomanagevirtualmachineslocally andremotely,whiletheVMwareManagementInterfaceallowsyoutoremotely managetheserverhostandallthevirtualmachinesonthehost. TheVmPerlAPI,theVmCOMAPI,andtheProgrammingAPIcanconnecttoLinux andWindowshosts.However,theVmCOMAPIcanrunonlyonaWindowshostor client.YoucanusetheAPIstocreatescriptstoautomatemanagementofvirtual machinesandtheserverhost.

VMware, Inc. 29
Default Directories
Bydefault,theVMwareServercomponentsareinstalledintothefollowingdirectories:
!
TheservercomponentsandtheVMwareServerConsoleareinstalledin C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server. TheVMwareManagementInterfacecomponentsareinstalledin C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Management Interface. TheVmCOMAPIcomponentsareinstalledin C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware VmCOM Scripting API. TheVmPerlAPIcomponentsareinstalledin C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware VmPerl Scripting API. TheProgrammingAPIcomponentsareinstalledin C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware VIX.
Youcanchangethedirectorythatcontainsallthecomponents,butmakenoteofthe newpathsyouintendtouse.Theinstructionsmakeuseofthedefaultpaths.
Installation Steps
YoucannotinstallVMwareServeronacomputerthatalreadyhasanyofthefollowing VMwareapplicationsinstalled:VMwareWorkstation,VMwarePlayer,VMwareACE, VMwareGSXServer.YoucannothavemultipleversionsofVMwareServerinstalled onthesamehost.IfyouplantoinstallVMwareServeronahostmachinethatisalready runninganyoftheseVMwareproducts,youmustfirstuninstallthatproduct.Ona MicrosoftWindowshost,usetheAdd/RemoveProgramscontrolpanel. IfyouaremigratingfromVMwareGSXServer,seeMigratingfromGSXServerto VMwareServeronpage 59. CAUTION DonotuseaMicrosoftWindowsTerminalServicessessiontoinstallthe serversoftwareonahost.
ToautomatetheinstallationofVMwareServeronaWindowshost,seeAutomating theInstallationofVMwareServeronpage 34.
30
VMware, Inc.
To install VMware Server on a Windows host 1 LogontoyourMicrosoftWindowshostastheAdministratoruserorasauserwho isamemberoftheAdministratorsgroup. NOTE OnaWindowsServer2003host,youmustbeloggedonasalocal administrator(thatis,notloggedontothedomain)toinstallVMware Server.
AlthoughyoumustbeloggedonasanadministratortoinstallVMwareServer, youcanruntheprogramafteritisinstalledasauserwithnormaluserprivileges. NOTE AwarningappearsifyouareinstallingVMwareServeronaWindows hostconfiguredasanActiveDirectoryserver.Youcansafelyignorethe messagebyclickingOKtocontinuetheinstallation,oryoucanchooseto canceltheinstallation.
StarttheVMwareServerinstaller. FromtheStartmenu,chooseRun,andbrowsetothedirectorywhereyousaved thedownloadedinstallerfile(thenameissimilarto VMware-server-installer-<xxxx>.exe,where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbers representingtheversionandbuildnumbers). Theinstallerstarts.
ClickNext. Accepttheenduserlicenseagreement(EULA).
SelecttheIacceptthetermsinthelicenseagreementoption,andclickNext.
VMware, Inc.
31
Choosetoperformacompleteoracustominstallation.
AcompleteinstallationinstallsVMwareServer,VMwareManagementInterface, VMwareServerConsole,VmCOMAPI,VmPerlAPI,ProgrammingAPI,and VMwareDiskMountUtilityonthehost.Tochoosethecompleteinstallation,select Complete,andclickNext. IfyouwanttoinstallalltheVMwareServercomponentsinadirectoryotherthan thedefault,clickChangeandbrowsetothedirectoryofyourchoice.Ifthe directorydoesnotexist,theinstallercreatesitforyou.
CAUTION
VMwareServermustbeinstalledonalocaldrive,notanetwork drive.
WindowsandtheMicrosoftInstallerlimitthelengthofapathtoafolderto255 charactersforapathtoafolderonalocaldriveand240charactersforapathtoa folderonamappedorshareddrive.IfthepathtotheVMwareServerprogram folderexceedsthislimit,anerrormessageappears.Youmustselectorentera shorterpath. Whenyouarereadytocontinue,clickNextandgotoStep6.

!
Acustominstallationletsyoupickandchoosewhichcomponentstoinstall.You canalwaysruntheinstalleragainatalaterdatetoinstallcomponentsyoudidnot
VMware, Inc.
32
installthefirsttime.SelectCustomandclickNext.TheCustomSetupscreen appears.
IntheCustomSetupscreen,choosethecomponentstoinstall.Clickthearrowto theleftofthecomponentyoudonotwanttoinstallandselecttheappropriate optionfromthemenu. Ifyouneedtodeterminehowmuchfreespaceisonyourhost,clickSpace.Thisis usefulifyouarechoosingacustominstallationduetolimiteddiskspaceonyour host. IfyouwanttoinstallalltheVMwareServercomponentsinadirectoryotherthan thedefault,clickBrowseandselectthedirectory.Ifthedirectorydoesnotexist,the installercreatesitforyou. CAUTION VMwareServermustbeinstalledonalocaldrive,notanetwork drive.
WindowsandtheMicrosoftInstallerlimitthelengthofapathtoafolderto255 charactersforapathtoafolderonalocaldrive,and240charactersforapathtoa folderonamappedorshareddrive.IfthepathtotheVMwareServerprogram folderexceedsthislimit,anerrormessageappears.Youmustselectorentera shorterpath. Whenyouarereadytocontinue,clickNext. 6 Tochangeanysettingsorinformationyouprovided,clickBackuntilyoureachthe screencontainingtheinformationyouwanttochange.
VMware, Inc.
33
Otherwise,clickInstall.Theinstallerbeginscopyingfilestoyourhost.
IftheinstallerdetectsthattheCDROMautorunfeatureisenabled,itdisplaysa dialogboxthatgivesyoutheoptiontodisablethisfeature.Disablingitprevents undesirableinteractionswiththevirtualmachinesyouinstallonthissystem. Theinstallercreatesoneshortcutonyourdesktop.Thisshortcutgivesyoueasy accesstoyourvirtualmachinesfromthedesktopofyourhost. 7 8 ClickFinish.TheVMwareServersoftwareisinstalled. Ifyouseeapromptthatsuggestsyourebootyourserver,dosonowtoallow VMwareServertocompletetheinstallationprocess.
Automating the Installation of VMware Server

UsetheMicrosoftWindowsInstallerruntimeenginetoinstallthesoftwaresilently(in quietmode).IfyouareinstallingVMwareServeronanumberofWindowshosts,you mightwanttousethesilentinstallationfeatures. TheserveronwhichyouareinstallingVMwareServermusthaveMicrosoftWindows Installerruntimeengineversion2.0installed.ThisversionisincludedwithWindows Server2003.IfyouareinstallingonaWindows2000host(orareinstallingtheVMware ScriptingAPIsonaWindowsNT4.0client),checktheversionofthisfile: %WINDIR%\system32\msiexec.exe Ifyouneedtoupgradetheengine,runinstmsiw.exe,whichislocatedinthedirectory whereyouextracttheinstallationpackages;seebelow. FormoreinformationonusingtheMicrosoftWindowsInstaller,gototheMicrosoft Websiteatmsdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/enus/msi/setup/ about_windows_installer.asp.
34
VMware, Inc.
To install VMware Server silently on a Windows host 1 Extracttheindividualinstallationpackages.Openacommandpromptandonone linetype: VMware-server-installer-1.0.0-<xxxx>.exe /a /s /v "TARGETDIR=C:\temp\server /qn" where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingversionandbuildnumbers. 2 Runthesilentinstallationontheextractedinstallationpackages.Atthecommand prompt,ononeline,type: msiexec -i "C:\temp\server\VMware Server Standalone.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL /qn TheinstallationcommandcanbecustomizedusingstandardMicrosoftWindows Installerinstallationpropertiesaswellasanyofthefollowing:
Property Name
DESKTOP_SHORTCUT
Description
InstallsVMwareServershortcutsonthe desktop.Bydefault,shortcutsareinstalledon thedesktop. Topreventshortcutsfrombeinginstalled,add thefollowinginStep2: DESKTOP_SHORTCUT = 0
Default
1
DISABLE_AUTORUN
DisablesCDautorunonthehost.Bydefault, autorunisdisabledduringtheinstallation. Toenableautorun,addthefollowinginStep2: DISABLE_AUTORUN = 0
REMOVE_LICENSE
Uninstallonly:Removesallstoredlicenses whenyouuninstallVMwareServer.By default,VMwareServerkeepsthelicenseson theserver. Toremovelicenses,addthefollowinginStep 2: REMOVE_LICENSE = 1 Caution:VMwarestronglyrecommendsyou keepyourlicenses,incaseyoureinstallor upgradeyoursoftware.
SERIALNUMBER
Automaticallyenterstheserialnumber. Toentertheserialnumber,addthefollowing inStep2: SERIALNUMBER=<serialNumber>
none
VMware, Inc.
35
TheADDLOCALoptiondefaultstoinstallallVMwareServercomponents.Youcan customizetheinstallationusingacombinationoftheADDLOCALandREMOVEoptions. Youcanaddorremovethefollowingcomponents:

! !
All,whichincludesalltheoptionsinthislist. Network,whichincludesthebridgednetworkingadapter(vmnet0),the hostonlynetworkingadapter(vmnet1)andtheNATnetworkingadapter (vmnet8).ItalsoincludesNATandDHCP,butthesecanberemovedfromthe installation. NAT,theVMwareNATService. DHCP,theVMwareDHCPService.
! !
Toincludeacomponent,useitwiththeADDLOCALoption. Toexcludeacomponent,useitwiththeREMOVEoption.Youalwaysinstallthe bridgedandhostonlynetworkadaptersaspartoftheNetworkcomponent. Forexample,toinstalleverythingbuttheVMwareNATandDHCPservices, specifyonthecommandline: ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=DHCP,NAT NOTE TheDHCPandNATcomponentsarechildrenoftheNetworkcomponent. Thus,youalsoskipinstallationoftheVMwareNATandDHCPservices ifyouspecify:ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Network
Installing VMware Server on a Linux Host

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoinstallVMwareServeronyourLinuxhost operatingsystem:
! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
BasicInstallationonpage 37 DefaultDirectoriesonpage 39 InstallationStepsonpage 40 InstallingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonaLinuxHostonpage 44 BeforeInstallingVMwareManagementInterfaceonaLinuxHostonpage 43 InstallinganXServeronpage 45 BeforeYouInstallonaSUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8Hostonpage 45 BeforeYouInstallonaSUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8Hostonpage 45
36
VMware, Inc.
To get started with VMware Server on a Linux host 1 InstalltheVMwareServersoftware(includingVMwareManagementInterface, theVMwareServerConsole,theVmPerlAPI,andtheProgrammingAPIonthe server. InstalltheVMwareServerConsoleandVMwareScriptingAPIsonWindowsor Linuxclients. StarttheVMwareServerConsoleandcreateavirtualmachineusingtheNew VirtualMachineWizard,orcreateonefromtheVMwareManagementInterface. SeeCreatingaNewVirtualMachine. Poweronthevirtualmachineandinstallaguestoperatingsysteminthenew virtualmachine.Youneedtheinstallationmedia(CDROMorfloppydisks)for yourguestoperatingsystem.SeeInstallingaGuestOperatingSystem. InstalltheVMwareToolspackageinyourvirtualmachineforenhanced performance.SeeInstallingVMwareTools. Installsoftwareinyourvirtualmachine. Startusingyourvirtualmachine. YoucanusetheVMwareServerConsole,VMwareManagementInterface,and VMwareScriptingAPIstomanageyourserverhostandvirtualmachines.
2 3
5 6 7
Basic Installation
AbasicinstallationofVMwareServerusestwocomputers:aserver,hostinganumber ofvirtualmachines,andaclientworkstation.Theclientcommunicateswiththevirtual machinesontheserveroveraTCP/IPnetworklink. Inmorecomplexinstallations,oneclientcanrunmultipleinstancesofVMwareServer Console,witheachconsolemanagingmultiplevirtualmachinesonaseparateserver. Andconsolesonmultipleclientscanconnecttovirtualmachinesonanyserver. Beforeyoubegin,besureyouhave:
!
Aserverandhostoperatingsystemthatmeetthesystemrequirementsforrunning VMwareServer.SeeHostSystemRequirementsonpage 5. Aremotemanagementclientandoperatingsystemthatmeetthesystem requirementsforrunningtheVMwareServerremotemanagementsoftware.See RemoteClientRequirementsonpage 10. TheinstallationCDsordisksforyourguestoperatingsystems. TheVMwareServerinstallationsoftware,whichisinthefilesyoudownloaded.
! !
VMware, Inc.
37
YourVMwareServerserialnumber.Theserialnumberisincludedintheemail messageyoureceivedfromVMware.
Also,beforeyouinstallandrunVMwareServer,checkthefollowinginformationand makeanynecessaryadjustmentstotheconfigurationofyourhostoperatingsystem:
! !
TherealtimeclockfunctionmustbecompiledintoyourLinuxkernel. VMwareServerforLinuxsystemsrequiresthattheparallelportPCstyle hardwareoption(CONFIG_PARPORT_PC)bebuiltandloadedasakernelmodule(that is,itmustbesettomwhenthekerneliscompiled). ForSUSELinuxEnterpriseServer8hosts,thegccpackagemustbeinstalledon yourhostbeforeyouinstallVMwareServer.SeeBeforeYouInstallonaSUSE LinuxEnterpriseServer8Hostonpage 45. Someoperatingsystems,suchasRedHatLinux7.2and7.3,includea firewallbydefault.ThisfirewallpreventsaccessfromtheVMwareServer ConsoleandtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonclientcomputersto theVMwareServerhost.FortheVMwareServerConsoletoconnectto thehost,youmustopenport902.ToconnecttothehostwiththeVMware ManagementInterface,youmustopenport8333andport8222ifyou plantodisableSSLfortheVMwareManagementInterface.
CAUTION
Installation on the Server

YoucaninstalluptothreesoftwarepackagesontheLinuxserver:
!
TheVMwareServerpackagefortheserver(fromanRPMortararchiveavailable ontheVMwareServerCDROMortheVMwareWebsite).TheRPMfileiscalled VMware-server-<xxxx>.i386.rpm andthetararchiveiscalled VMware-server-<xxxx>.tar.gz,where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresenting theversionandbuildnumbers. NOTE TheVmPerlAPIandtheProgrammingAPIpackagesareinstalledwhen youinstallVMwareServer.TheVmPerlAPIisascriptingtoolthatuses Perltomanagevirtualmachinesremotely.
TheVMwareManagementInterfacepackage(fromatararchiveavailableonthe VMwareWebsite).ThistararchiveiscalledVMware-mui-<xxxx>.tar.gz. TheVMwareServerConsolepackage(whichyoudownloadfromtheVMware ManagementInterface.)ThepackageisalsoavailableasanRPMfileorastar archiveinaclientGZipfilethatalsocontainstheVmPerlAPI.TheRPMandtar archivesfilesareavailableontheVMwareWebsite).TheRPMfileiscalled

VMware, Inc.
38
VMware-server-console-<xxxx>.i386.rpm, andthetararchiveiscalled VMware-server-console-<xxxx>.tar.gz. Inmostcases,youworkdirectlyattheserverwhenyouinstalltheserversoftware.You canmanageandrunvirtualmachinesfromtheserverorfromanyclient.
Installation on a Client Workstation

InadditiontoaWebbrowser,youcaninstallthefollowingpackagesonaclient:
! !
TheVMwareServerConsole. TheProgrammingAPI,theVmPerlAPI,andtheVmCOMAPI(theVmCOMAPI canbeinstalledonlyonaWindowsclient).Formoreinformation,goto http://www.vmware.com/support/developer.
TheVMwareServerConsoleisavailableintheVMwareManagementInterface.The VmPerl,VmCOM,andProgrammingAPIareavailableontheVMwareWebsite.Ifyou areinstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonaWindowsclient,seeInstallingthe VMwareServerConsoleonaWindowsHostonpage 49. VMwareServerConsolescanrunonclientsandontheserveritself.TheVMware ServerConsolepackagesareavailableforWindows(WindowsNT4.0,Windows2000, WindowsXP,andWindowsServer2003)andLinux. Typically,youruntheVMwareServerConsoleandbrowseronaclient.Thebrowser allowsaccesstotheVMwareManagementInterface.TheVMwareManagement InterfaceandVMwareServerConsoleletyou:
! ! ! !
Monitortheoperationofvirtualmachines. Start,stop,reset,suspend,andresumevirtualmachines. Createanddeletevirtualmachines. Configurehostandvirtualmachinesettings.
Essentially,theVMwareServerConsoleallowsyoutomanagevirtualmachineslocally andremotely,whiletheVMwareManagementInterfaceallowsyoutoremotely managetheserverhostandallthevirtualmachinesonthehost. TheVmPerl,VmCOM,andProgrammingAPIcanconnecttoLinuxandWindows hosts.However,theVmCOMAPIcanrunonlyonaWindowsclient.Youcanusethe APIstocreatescriptstoautomatemanagementofvirtualmachinesandthehost.
Default Directories
Bydefault,theVMwareServercomponentsareinstalledintothefollowingdirectories:
!
Theservercomponentsareinstalledin
VMware, Inc.
39
/usr/bin
!
TheVMwareManagementInterfacecomponentsareinstalledin /usr/lib/vmware-mui
TheVMwareServerConsolecomponentsareinstalledin /usr/bin
TheApacheservercomponentsareinstalledin /usr/lib/vmware-mui/apache/bin (sotheydonotconflictwithexistingApachesoftwareonyourserver)
TheVmPerlAPIexecutablefilesareinstalledin /usr/bin
TheVmPerlAPIlibraryfilesareinstalledin /usr/lib/vmware-api
TheProgrammingAPIlibraryfilesareinstalledin /usr/lib/vmware-vix
Ifyouinstalledthesoftwarefromatarinstaller,youcanchangethesepathsifyouwish, butmakenoteofthenewpathsyouintendtouse.Theinstructionsmakeuseofthe defaultpaths.
Installation Steps
ThestepsbelowdescribeaninstallationonaRedHatLinuxhost.Startfromthe directorywhereyousavedthedownloadedinstallerfile.Ifyouareusingadifferent Linuxdistribution,someofthecommandsmightbedifferent. BeforeyouinstalltheVMwareServersoftware,ensureyourLinuxdistributionisfora server,notaworkstation.Ifyouarerunningaworkstationdistribution,youmust installtheinetdprocesstoconnecttotheVMwareServerConsoleandVMware ManagementInterface.Ifyouneedto,reviewtheHostSystemRequirementson page 5. IfyoucurrentlyhaveVMwareGSXServerinstalledonyourhostmachine,see MigratingfromGSXServertoVMwareServeronpage 59.Youshouldalsoread BeforeYouInstalltheReleaseonpage 4beforeinstallingthesoftware.
40
VMware, Inc.
To install VMware Server on a Linux host 1 2 3 LogontoyourLinuxhostwiththeusernameyouplantousewhenrunning VMwareServer. Inaterminalwindow,becomerootsoyoucanperformtheinitialinstallation. su Changetothedirectorywhereyousavedtheinstallerfile. Dooneofthefollowing:
!
UsetheRPMinstallerRunRPMspecifyingtheinstallationfile. rpm -Uhv VMware-server-<xxxx>.i386.rpm VMware-server-<xxxx>.i386.rpmistheinstallationfileontheCD;where <xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingversionandbuildnumbers. UsethetarinstallerCompletethefollowingsteps: Copythetararchivetoadirectoryonyourharddrive.Forexample,to/tmp. cp VMware-server-<xxxx>.tar.gz /tmp where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbers representingtheversionandbuildnumbers. Changetothedirectorytowhichyoucopiedthefile. cd /tmp Unpackthearchive. tar zxf VMware-server-<xxxx>.tar.gz Changetotheinstallationdirectory. cd vmware-server-distrib Runtheinstallationprogram. ./vmware-install.pl Acceptthedefaultdirectoriesforthebinaryfiles,daemonfiles,libraryfiles, manualfiles,documentationfiles,initdirectoriesandinitscripts.
b c d e f 4
Runtheconfigurationprogram. vmware-config.pl
!
IfyouareinstallingVMwareServeronaMandrakeLinuxhost,the configurationprogramasksforthelocationoflspci.Whenthatprompt appears,enterthefollowingpath: /usr/bin/lspcidrake IfyouusetheRPMinstaller,youmustruntheconfigurationprogram separatelyfromthecommandline.Ifyouinstallfromthetararchive,the
VMware, Inc.
41
installerofferstolaunchtheconfigurationprogramforyou.AnswerYeswhen youseetheprompt. UsethisprogramtoreconfigureVMwareServerwheneveryouupgradeyour kernel.ItisnotnecessarytoreinstallVMwareServerafteryouupgradeyour kernel. Youcanalsousevmware-config.pltoreconfigurethenetworkingoptionsfor VMwareServerforexample,toaddorremovehostonlynetworks. 5 6 PressEntertoreadtheenduserlicenseagreement(EULA).IftheDo you accept promptdoesntappear,pressQtogettothenextprompt. Configurenetworkingforyourvirtualmachines.
!
Ifyouwanttouseanytypeofnetworkingwithvirtualmachines,answerYes tothisprompt:Do you want networking for your virtual machines? Bridgednetworkingisalwaysenabledifyouenablenetworking.Formore information,seeBridgedNetworking.
ToenableNAT,answerYestothefollowingprompts: Do you want to be able to use NAT networking in your virtual machines? Do you want this script to probe for an unused private subnet? Thisallowsyoutoconnectyourvirtualmachinestoanexternalnetworkwhen youhaveonlyoneIPnetworkaddressonthephysicalnetwork,andthat addressisusedbythehostcomputer.Formoreinformation,seeNetwork AddressTranslation(NAT).
Toenablehostonlynetworking,answerYestothefollowingprompts: Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual machines? Do you want this script to probe for an unused private subnet? Hostonlynetworkingallowsfornetworkingbetweenthevirtualmachine andthehostoperatingsystem.Formoreinformation,seeHostOnly Networking.
SpecifytheporttheVMwareServerConsoleuseswhenconnectingtotheVMware Serverhostremotely.Port902isthedefaultport.Ifyoursiteusesthisportfor anotherapplicationforexample,ideafarm-chatusesthisportthenspecifya differentportfortheVMwareServerConsoletousehere.Tochangetheportlater, seeChangingthePortNumberforVMwareServerConsoleConnectionson page 78. Specifythedirectorywhereyouwanttostoreyourvirtualmachinefiles.By default,thisdirectoryis/var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines.Makesurethis
VMware, Inc.
42
locationisonalargeenoughfilesystemtocontainthefiles,asthevirtualdiskfiles foreachvirtualmachineareusuallygigabytesinsize. 9 EnteryourVMwareServerserialnumberexactlyasitappears(withhyphens)in theemailmessageyoureceivedfromVMwareorfromtheresellerfromwhomyou purchasedVMwareServer.Whenyouentertheserialnumber,itissavedinyour licensefile. Theconfigurationprogramdisplaysamessagesayingtheconfiguration completedsuccessfully.Ifitdoesnotdisplaythismessage,runtheconfiguration programagain. 10 Whenyoufinish,dooneofthefollowing:
!
Logofftherootaccount. exit InstalltheVMwareManagementInterface.GotoStep3underInstallingthe VMwareManagementInterfaceonaLinuxHostonpage 44. InstalltheVMwareServerConsole.GotoStep2underInstallingthe VMwareServerConsoleonaLinuxHostonpage 50.
Before Installing VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host

IfyouarerunningVMwareServerona32bitLinuxhost,youmustinstallthe libdb.so.3libraryfromyourLinuxdistributionsCDROMbeforeyouinstallthe VMwareManagementInterface.TheversionthatcomeswithadefaultLinux installationisincompatiblewiththeVMwareManagementInterfaceandreturnsthe followingerrorwhenyoustarttheVMwareManagementInterface:
Couldn't find necessary components on your system. It appears that you are missing the following library: libdb.so.3.
SomeLinuxdistributionsareknowntoshipwithouttheselibraries.FromyourLinux distributionCD,installthisRPMpackage: compat-db-<#>.<#>.<##>-<#>.i386.rpmor libdb#.deb,where<#>isaversionnumberparticulartoyourversionofthe distribution. IfyourdistributionCDdoesnothavethispackage,contactyourvendorforasuitable library.IfyouinstallthispackageafteryouinstalledtheVMwareManagement Interfacesoftware,starttheApacheserverwiththefollowingcommand: /etc/init.d/httpd.vmware start.
VMware, Inc.
43
Installing the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host

ThestepsbelowdescribeaninstallationoftheVMwareManagementInterfaceonaRed HatLinuxhost.Startfromthedirectorywhereyousavedtheinstallerfileyou downloaded.IfyouareusingadifferentLinuxdistribution,somecommandsmightbe different. NOTE Youmustinstallthelibdb.so.3libraryfromyourLinuxCDROMfirst.For moreinformation,seeBeforeInstallingVMwareManagementInterfaceona LinuxHostonpage 43.
To install VMware Management Interface on a Linux host 1 2 3 Inaterminalwindow,becomerootsoyoucancarryouttheinstallation. su Changetothedirectorywhereyousavedtheinstallerfile. Copythetararchivetoadirectoryonyourharddrive(forexample,to/tmp). cp VMware-mui-<xxxx>.tar.gz /tmp where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingversionandbuildnumbers. CAUTION Makesurethedirectorytowhichyouplantountarthearchivedoes notcontainanyfilesfromaprevioustarinstallation.
Changetothedirectorytowhichyoucopiedthefile. cd /tmp Unpackthearchive. tar zxf VMware-mui-<xxxx>.tar.gz where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingversionandbuildnumbers. 4 5 6 7 8 Changetotheinstallationdirectory. cd vmware-mui-distrib Runtheinstallationprogram. ./vmware-install.pl PressEntertocontinue. AccepttheEULA. Specifythedirectorywhereyouwanttoinstallthemanagementcomponents,the binaryfiles,VMwareManagementInterfacefiles,initdirectoriesandinitscripts. Oracceptthedefaultdirectories. Allowtheconfigurationprogramvmware-config-mui.pltorun.
44
VMware, Inc.
10 11
Specifythenumberofminutesbeforeasessiontimesout.Thedefaultsession lengthis60minutes. Whenyoufinish,youcan:

!
Logofftherootaccount. exit InstalltheVMwareServerConsole.GotoInstallingtheVMwareServer ConsoleonaLinuxHostonpage 50.
Installing an X Server
YouneedanXservertoruntheVMwareServerConsole.IfanXserverisnotinstalled, youmustinstalllibxpm.so.4,locatedonyourLinuxdistributiondisk.
Before You Install on a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 Host

ThegccprogramisnotinstalledonaSLES8hostbydefault.Thiscompilerisrequired bytheVmPerlAPI. BeforeyouinstallVMwareServeronaSLES8hostsystem,youmustinstallgcc. To install gcc in the host operating system 1 2 3 4 5 6 StartyourXserverifitdoesnotstartbydefault.Logonastherootuser. RunYAST2,thedefaultconfigurationutilityforSLES8. ClickSoftwareintheleftpane,clickInstallorremovesoftwareintherightpane. CheckC++CompilerandToolsintheleftpane,andclickAccept. Whenprompted,inserttheSLES8CD. ClickClosetoexitYAST2. Thegccprogramisinstalled.NowinstallVMwareServer. Toinstallthecorrectlibrary,runtheversionoftheBerkeleyDatabase compat-db-<#>.<#>.<##>-<#>.i386.rpmRPMpackageincludedwithyourLinux distribution,aslongasyouinstall:compat-db-3.3.<##>-<#>.i386.rpmorlater. IfyouinstalledthispackageafteryouinstalledtheVMwareManagementInterface software,starttheApacheserverwiththiscommand: /etc/init.d/httpd.vmware start
VMware, Inc.
45
Configuring Web Browsers for Use with VMware Server

ToruntheVMwareManagementInterfaceinInternetExplorer6.0onaWindows system,youmusttakecertainstepstoconfigureInternetExplorerproperly.Thesesteps areneededwhetherthebrowserisrunningonaVMwareServerWindowshostoryou areusingaWindowsclientmachinetoconnecttoaVMwareServerhost. ToruntheVMwareServerinproducthelpfromtheVMwareServerConsoleona Linuxsystem,youmightneedtolinktothelocationofNetscapeonthesystemifitis differentfromthelocationwhereVMwareServerexpectsittobe. Theconfigurationstepsallowyoutoperformthefollowingactivities:
!
LaunchingtheVMwareServerConsolefromtheVMwareManagementInterface onanEncryptedServeronpage 46 ConnectingtotheVMwareManagementInterfaceonaProxyServeronpage 47 LaunchingHelpinNetscapeonaLinuxSystemonpage 48
! !
Launching the VMware Server Console from the VMware Management Interface on an Encrypted Server
YoucanlaunchtheVMwareServerConsolefromtheVMwareManagementInterface automatically.InordertodothisinanInternetExplorer6.0browseronaWindows systemwhereSSLisencryptingyourVMwareServerremoteconnections,youmust ensurethattheDonotsaveencryptedpagestodiskoptionisdisabled. Forinformationonencryptingremoteconnections,seeEnablingandDisablingSSL forRemoteSessionsonpage 91. Whenthisoptionisenabled,InternetExplorerdoesnotsaveanyfilestodisk,including thefilesitneedstohandofftohelperapplications.ThispreventstheVMwareServer Consolefromlaunchingautomatically.SomepatchesinstalledwhenyourunWindows Updateresetthissetting,soyoumightneedtorepeatthisprocessafteryourun WindowsUpdate. CAUTION Thisoptionmighthavebeenenableddeliberatelyatyoursitetoprevent thesavingofsensitivefilestodisk.Disablingitcouldpermitother sensitiveinformationtobesavedtodisk.
To enable the option to save encryted pages to disk 1 2 IntheInternetExplorer6.0window,opentheInternetOptionscontrolpanel. ChooseTools>InternetOptions. ClicktheAdvancedtab.
46
VMware, Inc.
3 4
ScrolldowntotheSecuritysection,anddeselecttheDonotsaveencryptedpages todiskcheckbox. ClickOK.
Connecting to the VMware Management Interface on a Proxy Server

Ifyournetworkisprotectedbehindaproxyserver,youmusttakecertainstepstouse theVMwareManagementInterfaceinInternetExplorer6.0onaWindowssystem. FollowthestepsfortheappropriateWindowsoperatingsystem. To connect to the VMware Management Interface on Windows Server 2003 1 2 3 4 LaunchInternetExplorer6.0. ChooseTools>InternetOptions,andclicktheSecuritytab. SelectTrustedsites,andclickSites. IntheAddthisWebsitetothezoneentryfield,type https://*.<domain> where<domain>isyourorganizationsdomainname,suchasvmware.com. ClickAdd. ClickOKuntilyoureturntothebrowserwindow.
5 6
WhenyouuseInternetExplorer6.0toconnecttotheVMwareManagementInterface, besuretousefullyqualifieddomainnames. To connect to the VMware Management Interface on Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows NT operating systems 1 2 3 4 5 LaunchInternetExplorer6.0. ChooseTools>InternetOptions. ClicktheConnectionstab,andclickLANSettings. MakesurethatBypassproxyserverforlocaladdressesischecked. ClickOKuntilyoureturntothebrowserwindow.
WhenyouuseInternetExplorer6.0toconnecttotheVMwareManagementInterface, donotusefullyqualifieddomainnames.
VMware, Inc.
47
Connecting to the VMware Management Interface When There Is No Proxy Server

IfyouareonaWindowssystemandyournetworkdoesnotuseaproxyserver,you mustusefullyqualifieddomainnameswhenconnectingtotheVMwareManagement InterfacewithInternetExplorer6.0.
Launching Help in Netscape on a Linux System

TouseVMwareServerHelponaLinuxsystem,youmusthaveaWebbrowserinstalled onyourphysicalcomputer.VMwareServerexpectstofindtheNetscapebrowserin /usr/bin/netscape.Ifthismatchestheconfigurationofyourhostcomputer,youdonot needtotakeanyspecialsteps.IfyouareusingadifferentbrowserorifyourNetscape browserisinadifferentlocation,addasymboliclinktoitfrom/usr/bin: ln -s <path to browser> /usr/bin/netscape
Installing the VMware Server Console

TheVMwareServerConsoleenablesyoutoviewandcontrolVMwareServervirtual machinesfromaremoteclientorontheserverhost.MultipleuserscanusetheVMware ServerConsoletoconnecttoavirtualmachinefromtheserverhostorfromremote clientsatthesametime.Usetheinstructionsbelowthatcorrespondtotheoperating systemrunningonyoursystem. TheVMwareServerConsolecanalsobelaunchedfromtheVMwareManagement Interface.IfyouuseNetscapeorMozillaasyourbrowser,youmustconfigurethe MIMEtypefortheVMwareServerConsole.TosettheMIMEtype,seeSettingMIME TypetoLaunchtheVMwareServerConsoleonpage 128.InternetExploreris automaticallyconfiguredwhenyouinstalltheVMwareServerConsolesoftware. CAUTION DonotinstalltheVMwareServerConsolefromaclientinstallerpackage ontotheVMwareServerhost.DonotdownloadandinstalltheVMware ServerConsolefromanolderversionofVMwareServerorVMwareESX Serverontoanyclient.
ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoinstalltheVMwareServerConsoleonWindows andLinuxcomputers:
! !
InstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonaWindowsHostonpage 49 InstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonaLinuxHostonpage 50
48
VMware, Inc.
Installing the VMware Server Console on a Windows Host

OntheVMwareServerforWindowshost,theVMwareServerConsoleisinstalled automaticallyfromthemasterinstallerwhenyouinstalltheVMwareServer component.ToupgradetheVMwareServerConsoleontheVMwareServerhost,use themasterinstaller. YoucandownloadtheinstallerfromtheVMwareManagementInterface.Youcanrun theVMwareServerConsoleonanyWindowsclient. To install VMware Server Console on a Windows host 1 AfteryoudownloadtheVMwareServerConsoleinstallationpackage,gotothe directorywhereyoudownloadedtheinstallerandrun VMware-server-console-<xxxx>.exe,where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbers representingtheversionandbuildnumbers. TheInstallShieldWizarddialogboxappears. 2 ClickNext.
3 4
Accepttheenduserlicenseagreement(EULA),andclickNext. ChoosethedirectoryinwhichtoinstalltheVMwareServerConsole.Ifyouprefer toinstallitinadirectoryotherthanthedefault,clickChangeandchangetoyour directoryofchoice.Ifthedirectorydoesnotexist,itiscreatedforyou.ClickNext. Ifyouwanttochangeanysettingsorinformationyouprovided,clickBackuntil youreachthedialogboxcontainingtheinformationyouwanttochange. Otherwise,clickInstall.Theinstallerbeginscopyingfilestoyourhost.
Whenthesetupcompletes,clickFinish.Youdonotneedtorebootyourhost operatingsystemafteryouinstalltheVMwareServerConsole.
VMware, Inc.
49
Installing the VMware Server Console on a Linux Host

ThissectiondescribesaninstallationoftheVMwareServerConsoleonaRedHatLinux host.Startfromthedirectorywhereyousavedtheinstallerfileyoudownloaded.Ifyou areusingadifferentLinuxdistribution,somecommandsmightbedifferent. YoucandownloadtheVMwareServerConsoleinstallerfromtheVMware ManagementInterface.YoucanruntheVMwareServerConsoleontheVMwareServer hostoranyLinuxclient. TodownloadtheVMwareServerConsolefromtheVMwareManagementInterface, seeDownloadingtheVMwareServerConsoleonpage 81. To install VMware Server Console on a Linux host 1 Inaterminalwindow,ifyouhavenotdonesoalready,becomerootsoyoucan carryouttheinstallationsteps: su Changetothedirectorytowhereyousavedtheinstallerfile. Ifyoudownloadeda.zipfilefromtheVMwareWebsite,unziptheclientinstaller archiveto/tmp: unzip VMware-server-linux-client-<xxxx>.zip -d /tmp where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingtheversionandbuildnumbers. CAUTION ToinstalltheVMwareServerConsolefromatarpackage,makesure thedirectorytowhichyouplantountarthetararchivedoesnot containanyfilesfromapreviousconsoletarinstallation.
3 4
Changetothe/tmpdirectory. cd /tmp Dooneofthefollowing:

!
UsetheRPMinstaller.RunRPMspecifyingtheinstallationfile. rpm -Uhv VMware-server-console-<xxxx>.i386.rpm where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingtheversionandbuild numbers. Usethetarinstaller.Completethefollowingsteps: Unpackthearchive. tar zxf VMware-server-console-<xxxx>.tar.gz where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingtheversionandbuild numbers. Thearchiveunpackstovmware-server-console-distrib.
50
VMware, Inc.
Runtheinstaller. cd vmware-server-console-distrib ./vmware-install.pl AccepttheEULAandanswerthequestionsspecifyingdefaultdirectoriesfor thebinaryfiles,libraryfiles,manualfiles,anddocumentationfiles. IftheDo you acceptpromptdoesntappear,pressQtocontinue.
c d 5
Runtheconfigurationprogramvmware-config-console.pl. NOTE IfyouusetheRPMinstaller,youmustrunthisprogramseparatelyfrom thecommandline.Ifyouinstallfromthetararchive,theinstalleroffers tolaunchtheconfigurationprogramforyou.AnswerYeswhenyousee theprompt.
Youseethefollowingprompt:What port do you want the remote console to use to connect to server. [902] 6 7 Ifyouspecifiedadifferentportnumberwhenyouinstalledtheserversoftware, enterthatportnumberhere.Otherwise,keepthedefaultof902. Whenyoufinish,logoffoftherootaccount. exit
Installing the VMware APIs

VMwareServersupportsVMwaresscriptingAPIswhichincludetheVmPerlAPIand theVmCOMAPI,andtheProgrammingAPI.YoucanusetheseAPIstomanagethe VMwareServerhostandvirtualmachineslocallyandremotely. TheProgrammingAPIcanbeinstalledonaWindowsorLinuxhost.Forinformation ontheProgrammingAPIandhowtoinstallit,seetheAPIprogrammingandreference documents. FormoreinformationontheVMwareAPIs,goto http://www.vmware.com/support/developer. ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoinstallthescriptingAPIsonWindowsand Linuxhosts.
! !
InstallingVmPerlandVmCOMAPIsonaWindowsHostonpage 52 InstallingVmPerlAPIonaLinuxHostonpage 54
VMware, Inc.
51
Installing VmPerl and VmCOM APIs on a Windows Host

OneitheraWindowsserverhostoraWindowsremotecomputer,youcanusethe VmPerlAPIortheVmCOMAPI.TheAPIsareinstalledautomaticallyontheVMware ServerforWindowshostfromthemasterinstallerifyouchoseacompleteinstallation. YoucanmaketheAPIsavailablefordownloadbycustomizingthedownloadmenuon theLoginpageoftheVMwareManagementInterface.Formoreinformation,see CustomizingtheDownloadMenuonpage 82. To install the VMware Scripting APIs 1 ChooseStart>Runandbrowsetothedirectorywhereyousavedthedownloaded installerfile(thenameissimilartoVMware-VmPerlAPI-<xxxx>.exeor VMware-VmCOMAPI-<xxxx>.exe,where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresenting theversionandbuildnumbers). Theinstallerstarts. 2 ClickNext.
Accepttheenduserlicenseagreement(EULA),andclickNext.
52
VMware, Inc.
ChoosethedirectoryinwhichtoinstallthescriptingAPI.Toinstallitinadirectory otherthanthedefault,clickChangeandbrowsetoyourdirectoryofchoice.Ifthe directorydoesnotexist,theinstallercreatesitforyou.ClickNext.
NOTE
WindowsandtheMicrosoftInstallerlimitthepathlengthto255 charactersforapathtoafolderonalocaldrive,and240charactersfora pathtoafolderonamappedorshareddrive.Ifthepathtothescripting APIprogramfolderexceedsthislimit,anerrormessageappears.You mustselectorenterashorterpath.
Ifyouwanttochangeanysettingsorinformationyouprovided,clickBackuntil youreachthedialogboxcontainingtheinformationyouwanttochange. Otherwise,clickInstall. Theinstallerbeginscopyingfilestoyourhost.
ClickFinish. TheVMwareScriptingAPIisinstalled.
IfyouinstalltheVmCOMAPI,twodirectoriesnamedMiniMUIandSampleScriptsare createdintheVmCOMAPIdirectory.TheMiniMUIdirectorycontainsasample
VMware, Inc.
53
MicrosoftVisualBasic6projectthatusestheVmCOMAPI.TheSampleScripts directorycontainsVBScriptandJScriptsamplesusingtheVmCOMAPI. IfyouinstalltheVmPerlAPI,aSampleScriptsdirectoryiscreatedintheVmPerlAPI directory.TheSampleScriptsdirectorycontainssamplescriptsusingtheVmPerlAPI.
Installing VmPerl API on a Linux Host

OneitheraLinuxserverhostoraLinuxremotecomputer,youcanuseonlytheVmPerl API.TheVmCOMAPIcannotbeinstalledonaLinuxhost,althoughVmCOMAPI installedonaWindowsremoteclientcancommunicatewithaLinuxhost.Youcan maketheVmPerlAPItararchiveavailablefordownloadbycustomizingthedownload menuontheLoginpageoftheVMwareManagementInterface.SeeCustomizingthe DownloadMenuonpage 82. NOTE Thereisno64bitversionoftheVmPerlAPIavailableforinstallationona 64bitLinuxhost.TousetheVmPerlAPIwitha64bitLinuxhost,installthe 32bitversionoftheVmPerlAPIona32bitLinuxhostandusethatAPIto controla64bithost.
To install the VmPerl API on a 32-bit host or client 1 2 DownloadtheVmPerlAPIpackagefromtheVMwareManagementInterface LoginpagetothemachineonwhichyouwanttoruntheVMwareScriptingAPI. Inaterminalwindow,ifyouhavenotdonesoalready,becomerootsoyoucan carryouttheinstallationsteps. su Untarthepackage. tar zxf VMware-VmPerlAPI-<xxxx>.tar.gz where<xxxx>isaseriesofnumbersrepresentingtheversionandbuildnumbers. Changetotheinstallationdirectory. cd vmware-api-distrib Runtheinstallationprogram. ./vmware-install.pl PressEntertoreadtheenduserlicenseagreement(EULA).Youmaypagethrough itbypressingthespacebar.IftheDo you accept?promptdoesntappear,pressQ togettothenextprompt.AccepttheEULA. SpecifythedirectorywhereyouwanttoinstalltheVmPerlAPIexecutablefiles. ThedefaultiswherePerlisinstalledonyourhost,typically/usr/bin.
4 5 6
54
VMware, Inc.
SpecifythedirectorywhereyouwanttoinstalltheVmPerlAPIlibraryfiles.The defaultis/usr/lib/vmware-api. ThisdirectoryincludesthesamplescriptsfortheVmPerlAPI.TheSampleScripts directorycontainsexamplescriptsthatdemonstrateuseoftheVmPerlAPI.You cancustomizethesescriptsforyourorganization.
SpecifythedirectorywhereyouwanttoinstalltheVmPerlAPIdocumentation files.ThesefilesconsistoftheREADME,enduserlicenseagreementandcopyright information.Thedefaultis/usr/share/doc/vmware-api. Whenyoufinish,logoffoftherootaccount. exit
10
Uninstalling VMware Server

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoremovetheVMwareServercomponentsfrom yoursystem:
! !
UninstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHostonpage 55 UninstallingVMwareServeronaLinuxHostonpage 57
Uninstalling VMware Server on a Windows Host

TouninstallVMwareServer,completethefollowingsteps.Thesestepsremoveallthe componentsyouinstalledwiththeVMwareServermasterinstaller,includingthe VMwareManagementInterfaceandtheVMwareScriptingAPIs. TouninstalltheVMwareServerConsolefromaWindowsclient,seeUninstallingthe VMwareServerConsoleonaWindowsHostonpage 57. ToremovespecificVMwareServercomponents(forexample,thescriptingAPIsorthe VMwareManagementInterface),seeRemovingVMwareComponentsonaWindows Hostonpage 56. Ifyouchosethecustominstallationpath,anycomponentsyouinstalledatthattimeare removedwhenyouusethemasterinstallertouninstallVMwareServer. To uninstall VMware Server on a Windows host 1 OnaWindowsServer2003host,chooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel>Addor RemovePrograms.SelecttheVMwareServer,andclickRemove. OnaWindows2000host,chooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel>Add/Remove Programs.SelecttheVMwareServer,andclickRemove. 2 Afterthemasterinstallerlaunches,clickNext.
VMware, Inc.
55
3 4
SelectRemove,andclickNext. WhenyouarereadytobeginremovingVMwareServer,clickRemove. Duringtheuninstallation,youareaskedwhetheryouwanttokeepyourVMware licensesintheWindowsregistry.VMwarestronglyrecommendsyoukeepyour licenses,incaseyoureinstallorupgradeyoursoftware.
Tokeepthelicensesintheregistry,clickYes. Duringtheuninstallation,youareaskedwhetheryouwanttokeepanylogin informationforanyvirtualmachinesconfiguredtorunasspecificuseraccounts. Ifyouchoosetodeletethelogininformation,andreinstallVMwareServer,any virtualmachinesconfiguredtorunasspecificuserswillrunastheuserthat powersonthosevirtualmachines.Afteryoudecidewhethertokeepthelogin information,theuninstallationcontinues.
6 7
Afterallthecomponentsareremoved,clickFinish. Ifyouseeapromptthatsuggestsyourebootyourserver,dosonowtoallow VMwareServertocompletetheuninstallationcorrectly.
Removing VMware Components on a Windows Host

Withthemasterinstaller,youcanchoosetoremovespecificcomponentsfromyour VMwareServerinstallation.Forexample,ifyoudecidetonotusetheVmPerlAPI,you canremoveonlythatcomponent. NOTE DonotusethismethodtoremoveVMwareServer.Useittoremoveonlythe VMwareScriptingAPIsortheVMwareManagementInterface.
To remove VMware components on a Windows host 1 OnaWindowsServer2003host,chooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel>Addor RemovePrograms.SelecttheVMwareServerInstallerandclickChange. OnaWindows2000host,chooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel>Add/Remove Programs.SelecttheVMwareServerInstallerandclickChange. 2 3 4 5 Afterthemasterinstallerlaunches,clickNext.TheProgramMaintenancescreen appears. SelectModify,andclickNext.TheCustomSetupscreenappears. Clickthearrowtoopenthemenunexttothecomponentyouwanttoremove, selectThisfeaturewillnotbeinstalled,andclickNext. Whenyouarereadytobeginremovingthecomponent,clickInstall.
56
VMware, Inc.
Afterthecomponentisremoved,clickFinish.
Uninstalling the VMware Server Console on a Windows Host

UsetheAdd/RemoveProgramsintheWindowsControlPaneltouninstalltheVMware ServerConsole. To uninstall the VMware Server Console on a Windows host 1 2 3 ChooseStart>Settings>ControlPanel. DoubleclickAdd/RemovePrograms(AddorRemoveProgramsonaWindows Server2003host). SelectVMwareServerConsole,andclickChange. NOTE IftheVMwareServerConsolewasinstalledonWindowsNT4.0,click Add/Remove.
Awizardstarts. 4 5 6 7 ClickNext. Inthenextscreen,selectRemove,andclickNext. TostartremovingtheVMwareServerConsole,clickRemove. AfterthewizardfinishesremovingtheVMwareServerConsole,clickFinish. YoudonotneedtorebootthesystemafteryouremovetheVMwareServer Console.
Uninstalling VMware Server on a Linux Host

TouninstallVMwareServeroranyofitscomponent,openaterminalandlogonasthe rootuser. To uninstall VMware Server or any of its components on a Linux host
!
IfyouusedtheRPMinstallertoinstallVMwareServer,enterthefollowing commandtoviewthenameofthepackagetouninstall: rpm -qa | grep VM
IfyouusedtheRPMinstallertoinstallVMwareServer,removethesoftwarefrom yoursystembyrunning: rpm -e <VMware-server package name>
VMware, Inc.
57
IfyouusedthetarinstallertoinstallVMwareServer,removethesoftwarefrom yoursystembyrunning: vmware-uninstall.pl
NOTE
UninstallingtheserversoftwareremovestheVmPerlAPIandthe ProgrammingAPIthatwereinstalledwithit.
TouninstalltheVMwareManagementInterfacecomponents,runtheprogram: /usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-mui.pl
TouninstallaLinuxconsolethatwasinstalledfromanRPMpackage,type: rpm -e VMware-server-console
TouninstallaLinuxconsolethatwasinstalledfromatarpackage,runthe program: /usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-server-console.pl
TouninstalltheVmPerlAPIthatwasinstalledonaremoteclientfromaclient package,type: /usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-api.pl
58
VMware, Inc.
Migrating from GSX Server to VMware Server

C HAPTER 3
ThischapterdescribeshowtomigratefromVMwareGSXServertoVMwareServeron yourLinuxorMicrosoftWindowshostsystem.Italsodescribeshowtousevirtual machinescreatedwithVMwareGSXServerandWorkstation5.x.Thischaptercovers thefollowingtopics:

! ! ! ! !
PreparingfortheMigrationonpage 59 MigratingtoVMwareServeronaWindowsHostonpage 62 MigratingtoVMwareServeronaLinuxHostonpage 63 UsingVirtualMachinesCreatedwithVMwareGSXServeronpage 64 UsingVirtualMachinesCreatedwithWorkstation5.xonpage 75
Preparing for the Migration

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtoprepareforthemigrationfromVMwareGSX ServertoVMwareServer:
! !
BeforeYouInstallVMwareServeronpage 59 WhenYouRemoveaVMwareProductandInstallVMwareServeronpage 62
Before You Install VMware Server

BeforeyouinstallorremoveanyVMwareproductfromahostcomputer,reviewthe informationinthefollowingsectionstoensurethebestpossiblemigrationexperience.
Shut Down and Power Off All Virtual Machines

IfyouplantousevirtualmachinescreatedunderVMwareGSXServer,VMware Workstation5.x,VMwarePlayer,orVMwareACE,besuretheyhavebeenshutdown completelybeforeyouuninstalltheproductyouusedtocreatethem. Ifavirtualmachineissuspended,resumeitinthecurrentVMwareproduct,shutdown theguestoperatingsystem,andpoweroffthevirtualmachine.
VMware, Inc.
59
NOTE
Ifyouattempttoresumeavirtualmachinethatwassuspendedundera differentVMwareproduct,amessageappears,givingyouthechoiceof discardingorkeepingthefilethatstoresthesuspendedstate.Torecoverthe suspendedstate,youmustclickPreserveandresumethevirtualmachine underthecorrectVMwareproduct.IfyouclickDiscard,youcanpoweron normally,butthesuspendedstateislost.
Make Sure All Disks Are in the Same Mode

Ifyouhaveanexistingvirtualmachinewithoneormorevirtualdisks,andallthedisks usepersistentmode,nospecialstepsarerequiredtoupgrade. Ifyouhaveanexistingvirtualmachinewithoneormorevirtualdisks,andallthedisks usenonpersistentmode,youmusttakeafewspecialstepswhenyouupgradeVMware Tools.Fordetails,see http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=975.
Upgrading Virtual Machines with Disks in Undoable Mode

Ifyouplantouseanexistingvirtualmachinethathasdisksinundoablemode,commit ordiscardanychangestothevirtualdisksbeforeyouuninstalltheproductyouused tocreatethem. NOTE VMwareServerdoesnotsupportundoabledisks.
To upgrade a virtual machine with disks in undoable mode 1 2 3 Resumeorpoweronthevirtualmachineintheearlierproduct. Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystem. Poweroffthevirtualmachineandeithercommitordiscardchangestothediskin undoablemodewhenprompted. Ifthedisksareinpersistentornonpersistentmode,besurethevirtualmachineis completelyshutdown.Ifitissuspended,resumeit,shutdowntheguestoperating systemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine.
Upgrading Virtual Machines with Multiple Virtual Disks

Ifyouhaveanexistingvirtualmachinethathasmultiplevirtualdisksandthedisksare inmultiplemodes,thesimplestapproachtoupgradingistoconvertallthedisksto persistentmode.
60
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 3 Migrating from GSX Server to VMware Server
To upgrade a virtual machine with multiple virtual disks in multiple modes 1 2 3 4 5 Resumeorpoweronthevirtualmachineintheearlierproduct. Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystem. Poweroffthevirtualmachineandeithercommitordiscardchangestoany undoablemodediskswhenprompted. OpentheConfigurationEditorandchangealldiskstopersistentmode. AfteryouupgradetoVMwareServer,youcanusethesnapshotfeaturetopreserve thestateofavirtualmachineandreturntothatstateatalatertime.
Ifyouneedtopreservespecialfunctionalitythatrequiresdisksinmultiplemodes, reviewtheinformationathttp://vmware.com/ support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=976beforeyouupgrade.
Back Up Virtual Machines

Asaprecaution,backupallthefilesinyourvirtualmachinedirectoriesincludingthe .vmdkor.dsk,.vmxor.cfgandnvramfilesforanyexistingvirtualmachinesyouplan tomigratetothenewversionofVMwareServer. YouhaveachoicewithvirtualmachinesthatyoucreatedunderVMwareGSXServer 3orupdatedtousetheVMwareGSXServer3virtualhardware:
!
Youcanupgradethevirtualhardwareofthesevirtualmachinesforfull compatibilitywithVMwareServer.Inthatcase,thevirtualmachinescannolonger beusedunderVMwareGSXServer3.x. Youcanchoosenottoupgradethevirtualhardware.Inthatcase,youcanrunthe virtualmachinesunderbothVMwareGSXServer3andVMwareServer,butyou donothavethebenefitsofthenewvirtualhardwareprovidedbyVMwareServer. Othernewfeaturesarealsonotavailable.
TousevirtualmachinescreatedunderVMwareGSXServer2,youmustupgradethe virtualhardware.Afteryouupgradethevirtualhardwareofmachinescreatedunder VMwareGSXServer2,theyarenolongercompatiblewithVMwareGSXServer2.
Take Note of Custom Network Configurations

Ifyoucustomizedanyvirtualnetworksettingsorcreatedacustomnetwork,youmust takenoteofthesesettingsbeforeyouuninstallthepreviousversionofVMwareServer. Customnetworksettingscannotbepreservedacrossproductupgradesandmustbe configuredagainafteryouinstallthenewversion.
VMware, Inc.
61
Remove Existing VMware Products

IfyouhaveVMwareGSXServer,VMwareWorkstation,VMwarePlayer,orVMware ACEinstalledonyourhostsystem,youmustremoveitbeforeyouinstallVMware Server.Also,seeWhenYouRemoveaVMwareProductandInstallVMwareServer onpage 62. NOTE YoucanrunavirtualmachinecreatedwithVMwareWorkstation5.xona VMwareServerhost,butyoucannotconnectremotelyfromaVMwareServer hosttoahostrunninganyversionofVMwareWorkstation.
Make the Virtual Machine Accessible to Its Users

Ifthevirtualmachineislocatedonadifferenthostorinadifferentdirectoryonthe VMwareServerhost,setpermissionsonthedirectorytomakeitaccessibletoallusers ofthevirtualmachine.Formoreinformationonpermissions,seeSecuringVirtual MachinesandtheHostonpage 82.
When You Remove a VMware Product and Install VMware Server

ThereisakeyprecautionyoushouldtakewhenyouremoveaVMwareproductand installVMwareServer.
Leave the Existing License in Place

Theinstallationstepsforyourhostrequiresthatyourunanuninstallertoremovea previousversionoftheVMwareproductfromyourmachine. OnaWindowshost,theuninstalleraskswhetheryouwanttokeeplicensesonyour system.DonotremovethelicensesifyouplantousetheoldVMwareproductagain. YoucansafelykeeplicensesformultipleversionsofVMwareproductsonyoursystem atthesametime. OnaLinuxhost,thelicenseremainsinplace.Youdonotneedtotakeanyspecial action.
Migrating to VMware Server on a Windows Host

Inmostcases,migratingtoVMwareServerfromVMwareGSXServerisafourstep process.
62
VMware, Inc.
To migrate to VMware Server on a Windows host 1 UninstallVMwareGSXServeronyoursystem. NOTE Theuninstallermightoffertoremovelicensesfromyourregistry.Donot removethelicenses.
2 3 4
Ifyouareprompted,rebootyourcomputer. Installthelatestversion. Ifyouareprompted,rebootyourcomputer.
Removing Versions 2 or 3
Touninstallversions2or3,usetheVMwareGSXServermasterinstaller.Youmust keepyourexistinglicenseintheWindowsregistry. Afteryoureboot,followtheinstructionsinInstallingVMwareServeronaWindows Hostonpage 26.
Removing Version 1
TouninstallVMwareGSXServer1,useAdd/RemoveProgramsintheWindows ControlPanel.BesuretouninstallVMwareGSXServer,theVMwareManagement Interface,andtheRemoteConsole. Afteryouremovethethreepackages,rebootyourhostandfollowtheinstructionsin InstallingVMwareServeronaWindowsHostonpage 26. NOTE IfyouhaveVMwareWorkstation(oranyotherVMwareproduct)installedon yourhostsystem,youmustremoveitbeforeyouinstallVMwareServer.See theVMwareWorkstationproductdocumentationforinformationonhowto removeWorkstation.
Migrating to VMware Server on a Linux Host

TomigratefromVMwareGSXServertoVMwareServer,youmusthavethefull VMwareServerproduct.YoumustuninstallVMwareGSXServerbeforeinstalling VMwareServer.
VMware, Inc.
63
To uninstall VMware GSX Server on a Linux host 1 2 Openaterminalandlogonastherootuser. IfyouusedtheRPMinstallertoinstallVMwareGSXServer,removethesoftware fromyoursystembyrunning: rpm -e VMware-gsx IfyouusedthetarinstallertoinstallVMwareServer,removethesoftwarefrom yoursystembyrunning: vmware-uninstall.pl NOTE
!
UninstallingtheserversoftwareremovestheVmPerlAPIinstalledwithit.
TouninstalltheVMwareManagementInterfacecomponents,runtheprogram: /usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-mui.pl
TouninstallaLinuxconsolethatwasinstalledfromanRPMpackage,type: rpm -qa | grep -i vmtoquerythepackagename,andthentype: rpm -e VMware-server-console
TouninstallaLinuxconsolethatwasinstalledfromatarpackage,runthe program: /usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-console.pl
TouninstalltheVmPerlAPIthatwasinstalledonaremoteclientfromaclient package,type: /usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-api.pl
Using Virtual Machines Created with VMware GSX Server

Thefollowingsectionsdescribehowtosetupoldervirtualmachinestoworkwith VMwareServer.
! !
CreatingEverythingNewfromtheStartonpage 65 UsingaLegacyVirtualMachineWithoutUpgradingVirtualHardwareon page 65 UpgradingtheVirtualHardwareonaLegacyVirtualMachineonpage 65 UpgradingVirtualHardwareonpage 66
! !
64
VMware, Inc.
Creating Everything New from the Start

Createanewvirtualmachineandinstallaguestoperatingsysteminthevirtual machineasdescribedinCreatingaNewVirtualMachinewiththeVirtualMachine Wizard.Creatingnewvirtualmachinesistheeasiestwaytoensurethebestpossible virtualmachineperformance.
Using a Legacy Virtual Machine Without Upgrading Virtual Hardware

AlegacyvirtualmachineisavirtualmachinecreatedinVMwareGSXServer3thatcan runonbothVMwareGSXServer3andVMwareServer. UpgradeVMwareToolstothenewversion,followingtheinstructionsinInstalling VMwareTools.YoudonotneedtoremovetheolderversionofVMwareToolsbefore installingthenewversion. Alegacyvirtualmachinesetupinthiswayshouldrunwithoutproblems.However, youdonothavethebenefitsofcertainnewfeatures,includingbetterperformance, improvednetworking,andVirtualSMP.Also,theVMwareServerConsoleinterface changestoaccommodateoldervirtualmachinefeatures.Formoreinformation,see ConnectingtoVMwareGSXServerandOlderVirtualMachines.
Upgrading the Virtual Hardware on a Legacy Virtual Machine

Ifyouuseanexistingvirtualmachineandupgradethevirtualhardware,yougain accesstonewfeatures,including:
! ! !
TwowayVirtualSMP(experimental) Supportfor64bitguestoperatingsystems Theabilitytotakeandreverttosnapshotsinthebackground Youcannotreversetheprocessofupgradingthevirtualhardware.Virtual MachinesupgradedtoVMwareServerareincompatiblewithVMwareGSX Server.YoumustupgradeallvirtualmachinescreatedunderVMwareGSX Server2tousewithVMwareServer.Itisrecommendedthatyoumakebackup copiesofyourvirtualdisksbeforebeginningtheupgrade.
NOTE
Startbyusinganexistingconfigurationfile(.vmx)andvirtualdisk(.vmdkor.dsk). UpgradeVMwareToolstothenewversionbyfollowingtheinstructionsinInstalling VMwareTools.YoudonotneedtoremovetheolderversionofVMwareToolsbefore installingthenewversion.
VMware, Inc.
65
NOTE
WhenyouupdatethevirtualhardwareforaWindowsXPProfessionalor WindowsServer2003virtualmachine,theMicrosoftproductactivation featuremightrequireyoutoreactivatetheguestoperatingsystem.
Upgrading Virtual Hardware

Upgradingavirtualmachinesvirtualhardwaregivesitaccesstonewfeaturesin VMwareServer.VMwareServersupportsupgradingvirtualmachinescreatedwith VMwareGSXServer2andaboveandWorkstation3and4.VMwareServerdoesnot supportupgradingthehardwareofvirtualmachinescreatedwithVMwareGSXServer 1.x.Beforeyouupgradethevirtualhardware,however,considerthefollowing:
!
ThevirtualhardwareupgradeisirreversibleTheprocessofupgradingthe virtualhardwareisirreversibleandmakesthedisksattachedtothisvirtual machineincompatiblewithVMwareGSXServer.Youshouldmakebackupcopies ofyourvirtualdisksbeforestartingtheupgrade. VMwareServerupdatestheCMOSIfyouareusingavirtualmachinecreated withVMwareGSXServer3,thefirsttimeyoupoweronthevirtualmachinewith VMwareServer,theCMOSisupdated.Asaresult,yourguestoperatingsystem mightdetecthardwarechangesandinstallnewdriversforthenewhardwareeven ifyoudonotchoosetoupgradethevirtualhardware. AnerrormightappearwhenupgradingfromaphysicaldiskIfyouare upgradingavirtualmachinethatrunsfromaphysicaldisk,ratherthanavirtual disk,youmightseethefollowingerrormessagewhileVMwareServeris upgradingthevirtualhardware:Unable to upgrade <drivename>. One of the supplied parameters is invalid.YoucansafelyclickOKtocontinuethe upgradeprocess.
To upgrade the virtual machines hardware 1 2 3 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. UpgradethehostrunningGSX2or3toVMwareServer. ChooseVM>UpgradeVirtualMachine. Adialogboxappearswithawarningthattheupgradeprocesscannotbereversed. 4 5 6 ClickYestocontinue,andfollowtheonscreendirections. PoweronthevirtualmachineinVMwareServer. UpgradeVMwareToolstothenewversion.
66
VMware, Inc.
DonotremovetheolderversionofVMwareToolsbeforeinstallingthenew version. WhenyouupgradethevirtualhardwareonavirtualmachinecreatedusingVMware GSXServer2,youmightthenneedtotakeseveralstepstobesurethatthenewvirtual hardwareisrecognizedproperlybytheguestoperatingsystem.Ifyourguestoperating systemislistedbelow,theinstructionsforthatguestoperatingsystemprovide examplesofthestepsyoumightneedtotaketoperformtheseupdates. TheseinstructionsdonotapplytoavirtualmachinecreatedusingVMwareGSXServer 3.
Windows 2000 Guest

Thefollowingstepsprovideexamplesofwhatyoumightseeasyourguestoperating systemrecognizesthenewvirtualhardware.Thespecificstepsmayvarydependingon theconfigurationofthevirtualmachine. To ensure the virtual hardware is recognized by a Windows 2000 guest 1 PoweronthevirtualmachineandletitupdatetheCMOS. Windowsautomaticallyinstallsthesoftwareforanydevicesitdetects. 2 3 4 InstallthenewversionofVMwareTools. ShutdowntheWindowsguestandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. ChooseVM>UpgradeVirtualHardware. Amessagecautionsyouthattheoperationisirreversibleandrecommendsthat youbackupthevirtualdisksbeforeproceeding. 5 Tocontinue,clickYes. Amessagedescribeswhatisabouttohappen. 6 7 ClickOKtocontinue. Poweronthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectsthePCISVGAadapter,thenitdetectstheVMwareSVGAII adapter. 8 ClickYestocontinuetheinstallation. Amessageasksyoutoinsertadisk. 9 Navigateto:C:\Program Files\VMware\driverstoinstalltheVMwareSVGAII adapter.
VMware, Inc.
67
10 11
Ifyouhaveserialportsconfiguredinthevirtualmachine,gototheWindows DeviceManageranduninstallalltheCOMportslistedthere. Restartthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectstheCOMportsandinstallsthemproperly.
Windows NT 4.0 Guest

Thefollowingstepsprovideexamplesofwhatyoumightseeasyourguestoperating systemrecognizesthenewvirtualhardware.Thespecificstepsmayvarydependingon theconfigurationofthevirtualmachine. To ensure the virtual hardware is recognized by a Windows NT 4.0 guest 1 PoweronthevirtualmachineandletitupdatetheCMOS. Windowsdisplaysamessageaboutthevideodriverintheguestoperatingsystem. 2 3 4 5 6 ClickOK. InstallthenewversionofVMwareTools. RestarttheWindowsguestandconfirmthatitisoperatingcorrectly. ShutdowntheWindowsguestandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. ChooseVM>UpgradeVirtualHardware. Amessagecautionsyouthattheoperationisirreversibleandrecommendsthat youbackupthevirtualdisksbeforeproceeding. 7 Tocontinue,clickYes. Amessagedescribeswhatisabouttohappen. 8 ClickOKtocontinue. Youcannowpoweronthevirtualmachineandusethenewconfiguration. WindowsNTdoesnothaveaPlugandPlayprocess,sonoadditionalstepsare required.
Windows XP Guest
Thefollowingstepsprovideexamplesofwhatyoumightseeasyourguestoperating systemrecognizesthenewvirtualhardware.Thespecificstepsmayvarydependingon theconfigurationofthevirtualmachine.
68
VMware, Inc.
To ensure the virtual hardware is recognized by a Windows XP guest 1 2 3 4 PoweronthevirtualmachineandletitupdatetheCMOS. InstallthenewversionofVMwareTools. ShutdowntheWindowsguestandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. ChooseVM>UpgradeVirtualHardware. Amessagecautionsyouthattheoperationisirreversibleandrecommendsthat youbackupthevirtualdisksbeforeproceeding. 5 Tocontinue,clickYes. Amessagedescribeswhatisabouttohappen. 6 7 ClickOKtocontinue. Poweronthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectstheVMwareSVGAadapter. 8 SelectInstallthesoftwareautomaticallyandfollowtheonscreeninstructions. Amessageasksyoutoinsertadisk. 9 10 11 Navigateto:C:\Program Files\VMware\driverstoinstalltheVMwareSVGAII adapter. Ifyouhaveserialportsconfiguredinthevirtualmachine,gototheWindows DeviceManageranduninstallalltheCOMportslistedthere. Restartthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectstheCOMportsandinstallsthemproperly.
Windows Me Guest
Thefollowingstepsprovideexamplesofwhatyoumightseeasyourguestoperating systemrecognizesthenewvirtualhardware.Thespecificstepsmayvarydependingon theconfigurationofthevirtualmachine. To ensure the virtual hardware is recognized by a Windows Me guest 1 PoweronthevirtualmachineandletitupdatetheCMOS. PlugandPlaydetectsanIntel82371EBPowerManagementcontroller. 2 SelectAutomaticsearchandclickNext. Windowsfindsandinstallsthedriverautomatically.
VMware, Inc.
69
PlugandPlaydetectsanIntel82443BXPentiumIIProcessortoPCIbridge. 3 SelectAutomaticsearchandclickNext. Windowsfindsandinstallsthedriverautomatically. 4 Restarttheguestoperatingsystem. PlugandPlaydetectsanIntel82371AB/EBPCIBusMasterIDEcontroller. 5 SelectAutomaticsearchandclickNext. Windowsfindsandinstallthedriverautomatically. 6 7 8 InstallthenewversionofVMwareTools. ShutdowntheWindowsguestandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. ChooseVM>UpgradeVirtualHardware. Amessagecautionsyouthattheoperationisirreversibleandrecommendsthat youbackupthevirtualdisksbeforeproceeding. 9 Tocontinue,clickYes. Amessagedescribeswhatisabouttohappen. 10 11 ClickOKtocontinue. Poweronthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectsthePCIMultimediaAudiodeviceandinstallsthedriverforthe CreativeAudioPCI. WindowsdetectsanAMDPCNetadapter. 12 SelectAutomaticsearchandclickNext. Windowsautomaticallyinstallsthedriverfortheadapter. 13 ClickFinishtorestartthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectsaCreativegameportdeviceandinstallsthedriver automatically. Windowsdetectsagameportjoystickandinstallsthedriver. WindowsdetectsthePCISVGAadapter,whichitthenidentifiesastheVMware SVGAIIadapterandinstallsthedriverautomatically. 14 15 ClickYestorestartthevirtualmachine. Ifyouhaveserialportsconfiguredinthevirtualmachine,gototheWindows DeviceManageranduninstallalltheCOMportslistedthere.
VMware, Inc.
70
16
Restartthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectstheCOMportsandinstallsthemproperly.
Windows 98 Guest
Thefollowingstepsprovideexamplesofwhatyoumightseeasyourguestoperating systemrecognizesthenewvirtualhardware.Thespecificstepsmayvarydependingon theconfigurationofthevirtualmachine. To ensure the virtual hardware is recognized by a Windows 98 guest 1 PoweronthevirtualmachineandletitupdatetheCMOS. WindowsdetectsaPCItoISAbridge. 2 GotoC:\Windows\SystemandletWindowsselectthenecessarydriver. WindowsdetectsanIntel82371EBPowerManagementController. 3 GotoC:\Windows\SystemandletWindowsselectthenecessaryfile. Windowsdetectslpt.vxd. 4 GotoC:\Windows\SystemandletWindowsselectthenecessaryfile. WindowsdetectsanIntel82443BXPentiumProcessortoPCIbridge. 5 GotoC:\Windows\SystemandletWindowsselectthenecessaryfile. WindowsdetectsanIntel82371AB/EBPCIBusMasterIDEcontroller. 6 GotoC:\Windows\SystemandletWindowsselectthenecessaryfile. Windowsasksforthefileuhcd.sys. 7 EnterthelocationC:\Windows\System32\drivers,andclickOK. WindowsdetectsanIntel82371AB/EBPCItoUSBUniversalhostcontroller. 8 GotoC:\Windows\SystemandletWindowsselectthenecessaryfile. WindowsdetectsanAMDPCNETFamilyEthernetAdapter. 9 GotoC:\Windows\SystemandletWindowsselectthenecessaryfile. Windowsasksforthefileinetmib1.dll. 10 EnterthelocationC:\Windows,thenclickOK. Windowsasksforthefilelocproxy.exe. 11 EnterthelocationC:\Windows\System,thenclickOK.
VMware, Inc.
71
Windowsasksforthefilendishlp.sys. 12 EnterthelocationC:\Windows,thenclickOK. Windowsasksforthefilewsock.vxd. 13 14 EnterthelocationC:\Windows\System,thenclickOK. WhenyoufinishinstallingtheAMDFamilyEthernetAdapter,restartWindows 98. PlugandPlaydetectsmultipledevicesandrestartsWindows98. 15 16 17 Afterthevirtualmachinerestarts,installthenewversionofVMwareTools.For details,seeInstallingVMwareTools. ShutdowntheWindowsguestandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. ChooseVM>UpgradeVirtualHardware. Amessagecautionsyouthattheoperationisirreversibleandrecommendsthat youbackupthevirtualdisksbeforeproceeding. 18 Tocontinue,clickYes. Amessagedescribeswhatisabouttohappen. 19 20 ClickOKtocontinue. Poweronthevirtualmachine. WhenWindowsboots,itdetectsthePCISVGAadapter.Later,itdetectsthe VMwareSVGAIIadapterandinstallsthedriver. WindowsdetectsPCIMultimediaAudioandofferstoinstalladriverforit. 21 ClickCancel. WindowsdetectsanAMDPCNETFamilyEthernetadapter. 22 23 24 25 ClickNext. SelectSearchforthebestdriverandclickNext. SelectSpecifyalocation,andenterC:\Windows\System.ClickNext. SelectTheupdateddriver(Recommended)AMDPCNETFamilyEthernet Adapter(PCIISA).ClickNext. Windowsfindsthe.inffilefortheadapter. 26 ClickNext. Windowsasksforthefiledhcpsvc.dll.
72 VMware, Inc.
27
EnterthelocationC:\Windows\System,andclickOK. Windowsasksforthefileinetmib1.dll.
28
EnterthelocationC:\Windows,andclickOK. Windowsasksforthefilelocproxy.exe.
29
EnterthelocationC:\Windows\System,andclickOK. Windowsasksforthefilendishlp.sys.
30 31
EnterthelocationC:\Windows,andclickOK. Windowsasksforthefilewshtcp.vxd.EnterthelocationC:\Windows\System,then clickOK. AdialogboxindicatesthatWindowshasfinishedinstallingthesoftware.
32 33 34 35
ClickFinish. Toinstallthesoundadapter,followthedirectionsinInstallingSoundDriversin Windows9xandNTGuestOS. Ifyouhaveserialportsconfiguredinthevirtualmachine,gototheWindows DeviceManageranduninstallalltheCOMportslistedthere. Restartthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectstheCOMportsandinstallsthemproperly.
Windows 95 Guest
Thefollowingstepsprovideexamplesofwhatyoumightseeasyourguestoperating systemrecognizesthenewvirtualhardware.Thespecificstepsmayvarydependingon theconfigurationofthevirtualmachine. To ensure the virtual hardware is recognized by a Windows 95 guest 1 PoweronthevirtualmachineandletitupdatetheCMOS. Windowsdetectsnewdevicesandautomaticallyinstallsthedrivers. 2 Restarttheguestoperatingsystemafterthisprocessiscomplete. WhenWindowsrestarts,itdetectsmorenewdevices. Windowsasksforthefilelpt.vxd. 3 EnterthelocationC:\Windows\System,thenclickOK. WindowsdetectsaPCIstandardhostbridgeandotherdevices.
VMware, Inc.
73
4 5 6 7 8
ClickOKtodismissthesemessages.Youdonotneedtoinstallthesedrivers. ClickFinish. InstallthenewversionofVMwareTools.Fordetails,seeInstallingVMware Tools. ShutdowntheWindowsguestandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. ChooseVM>UpgradeVirtualHardware. Amessagecautionsyouthattheoperationisirreversibleandrecommendsthat youbackupthevirtualdisksbeforeproceeding.
Tocontinue,clickYes. Amessagedescribeswhatisabouttohappen.
10
ClickOKtocontinue. WindowsdetectsaPCIMultimediaAudiodevice.
11
ClickCancel. WindowsdetectsaPCIEthernetadapter,thentheAMDEthernetadapter. Windowsautomaticallyinstallsthedriver.
12 13 14
Toinstallthesoundadapter,followthedirectionsinInstallingSoundDriversin Windows9xandNTGuestOS. Ifyouhaveserialportsconfiguredinthevirtualmachine,gototheWindows DeviceManageranduninstallalltheCOMportslistedthere. Restartthevirtualmachine. WindowsdetectstheCOMportsandinstallsthemproperly.
Mandrake Linux, Red Hat Linux, or SUSE Linux Guest

Thefollowingstepsprovideexamplesofwhatyoumightseeasyourguestoperating systemrecognizesthenewvirtualhardware.Thespecificstepsmayvarydependingon theconfigurationofthevirtualmachine. To ensure the virtual hardware is recognized by a Mandrake Linux, Red Hat
Linux, or SUSE Linux guest

1 2 3
74
PoweronthevirtualmachineandletitupdatetheCMOS. WhenKudzuappears,followtheinstructionstodetectnewhardwareandinstall theproperdrivers. ShutdowntheLinuxguestandpoweroffthevirtualmachine.

VMware, Inc.
ChooseVM>UpgradeVirtualHardware. Amessagecautionsyouthattheoperationisirreversibleandrecommendsthat youbackupthevirtualdisksbeforeproceeding.
Tocontinue,clickYes. Amessagedescribeswhatisabouttohappen.
6 7
ClickOKtocontinue. Poweronthevirtualmachine. WhenKudzuruns,itdetectsanEnsoniq:ES1371[AudioPCI97]sounddevice.
ClickConfigure. NOTE WhenusingKudzuinaMandrakeLinuxguest,donotmigratethe existingnetworkconfiguration.Ifyoutrytodoso,youseeablankscreen. Instead,clickNowhenaskedifyouwanttomigratetheexistingnetwork configuration.
Using Virtual Machines Created with Workstation 5.x

YoucanrunvirtualmachinescreatedusingWorkstation5.xonVMwareServer.Virtual machinescreatedusingVMwareServerarecompatiblewithWorkstation5.x. However,virtualmachinescreatedusingWorkstation5.xdonotincludesupportfor multiplesnapshotsorteamswhentheyarerunningonVMwareServer. YoucannotopenorconfigureteamswhenyouarerunningaWorkstation5.xvirtual machineonVMwareServer.YoucannotremotelyconnectfromaVMwareServerhost toahostrunningWorkstation.
VMware, Inc.
75
76
VMware, Inc.
Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware Server Host

C HAPTER 4
ThischapterdescribeshowtomanageyourvirtualmachinesandtheVMwareServer hostandcoversthefollowingtopics:
! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
RemotelyManagingVirtualMachinesonpage 77 SecuringVirtualMachinesandtheHostonpage 82 IdentifyingaVirtualMachinebyItsUUIDonpage 92 LoggingVMwareServerEventsonWindowsonpage 94 BackingUpVirtualMachinesandtheVMwareServerHostonpage 95 UsingtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 97 DeletingVirtualMachinesonpage 111 ConfiguringtheVMwareServerHostonpage 112 UsingVirtualCentertoManageVirtualMachinesonpage 131
Remotely Managing Virtual Machines

VMwareServerallowsyoutomanageyourvirtualmachinesremotely.Anymachine thatcanconnecttoyourVMwareServerhostoveranIPnetworkcaninteractwith virtualmachinesrunningonit. Remotemanagementhasmanycomponentsandlevels.Forahighlevelviewofyour VMwareServerhost,usetheVMwareManagementInterface,aWebbasedtoolfor managingyourvirtualmachinesandtheserverhost.Formoreinformation,seeUsing theVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 97. Tointeractwithavirtualmachinedirectlyfromaremotelocationforexample,to maintainadatabasestoredinavirtualmachineusetheVMwareServerConsole.The VMwareServerConsoledisplaysyourvirtualmachineinawindowwhereyouinteract withthevirtualmachineasyouwouldinteractwithaphysicalcomputer. ForanautomatedwaytoremotelymanagevirtualmachinesandtheVMwareServer host,usetheVMwareScriptingAPIs.IfyouareconnectingtoaVMwareServerhost
VMware, Inc. 77
fromaWindowsremotemachine,youcanusetheVmCOM,theVmPerlAPI,andthe ProgrammingAPI.IfyouareconnectingtoaVMwareServerhostfromaLinuxremote machine,youcanusetheVmPerlAPIandtheProgrammingAPI. Anotherautomatedwaytomanagevirtualmachinesistousethevmware-cmdutility. Formoreinformation,visittheVMwareWebsiteat www.vmware.com/support/developer. Finally,youcanusethirdpartytoolstoremotelymanageyourvirtualmachines.You canuseapplicationslikeVNCViewer,WindowsTerminalServices,orWindowsXP RemoteDesktop.ToviewavirtualmachinewithVNCViewer,youmustmodifythe virtualmachinesconfigurationmanually. Thefollowingsectionsfurtherexploreremotelymanagingvirtualmachines:
! !
ChangingthePortNumberforVMwareServerConsoleConnectionsonpage 78 DownloadingtheVMwareServerConsoleonpage 81
Changing the Port Number for VMware Server Console Connections

Bydefault,theVMwareServerConsoleconnectstovirtualmachinesviaport902.Ifthis portassignmentposesaconflictforyoursiteforexample,ifyouusethe ideafarm-chatprogramyoucanchangetheportnumberthattheconsoleuses. Changingtheportnumberinvolvesmanuallyaddingavariabletocertainpreference files.Thestepsyoumusttakevarydependingupontheserverhostoperatingsystem, thehostonwhichtheconsoleisrunning,andwhetheryouaremakingthischangeto VMwareServeritself(byassigningthenewportnumbertoavariablecalled authd.port)ortotheconsole(byassigningthenewportnumbertoavariablecalled authd.client.port). Theauthd.portsettingisdifferentfromtheauthd.client.portsetting.Theauthd.port variabletellsVMwareServer(theserverside)whichporttolistenonforconsole connectionsfromremotehostsorclients.Theauthd.client.portvariabletellsthe console(theclientside)theportwithwhichtoconnect.Thus,ifyousetonlyauthd.port toadifferentportnumber,suchas9902,andyoutrytoconnecttoavirtualmachineon thathostwithaconsoleonaremotehostorclient,theconsolestilltriestoconnectto port902. Youcansubstitutethisnewportnumbermanuallywhenyouconnectwithaconsole. IntheConnecttoVMwareServerdialogbox,intheHostnamefield,entertheport numberalongwiththenameoftheVMwareServerhostnameandconfigurationfile path,likethis: <server name>:<port> <config file>
78 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware Server Host
Dependinguponyoursitesneedsorconfiguration,forexampleifyouhavemultiple VMwareServerhostsandtheyusedifferentports,thenthismightbeacceptable. However,settingauthd.client.porttothesameportnumberyouuseforauthd.port allowsforseamlessintegrationbetweentheserverandtheclient.Italsoletsyouavoid manuallyenteringtheportnumbereverytimeyouconnecttotheserverwithaclient. To change the port number on a Windows host or client Addthefollowinglinetoconfig.iniinC:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server: authd.port = <portNumber> where<portNumber>istheportnumberthatallclientsconnectingtovirtualmachines onthishostmustuse. TochangetheportnumberthatisusedbytheconsoleinstalledonaWindowsmachine, youmustcreateafilecalledconfig.iniandplaceitinC:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server Console.Inthisfile,addthe followingline: authd.client.port = <portNumber> where<portNumber>isthedefaultportnumberthatallclientsonthismachine connectingtovirtualmachinesontheVMwareServerhostmustuse.TheVMware Serverhostmusthavethisportnumbersettotheauthd.portvariableinitsconfig.ini file(Windowshost)orvmware-authdfile(Linuxhost). TochangetheportnumberforaspecificuserwhoisusingtheVMwareServerConsole installedonaWindowshost,addthefollowinglinetothepreferences.inifilelocated inC:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\VMware: authd.client.port = <portNumber> where<portNumber>istheportnumbertouseonlywhenthisuserisloggedonand usingaVMwareServerConsoletoconnecttoavirtualmachineontheVMwareServer host. TheVMwareServerhostmusthavethisportnumbersettotheauthd.portvariablein itsconfig.inifile(Windowshost)orvmware-authdfile(Linuxhost). To change the port number on a Linux host or client Determinewhetheryourhostisconfiguredtousexinetdorinetd. Ifyourhostisconfiguredtousexinetd,lookforthefollowinglinein /etc/xinetd.d/vmware-authd: port = 902
VMware, Inc.
79
Changetheportnumber902inthiscasetothedesirednumber. Ifyourhostisconfiguredtouseinetd,lookforthefollowinglinein/etc/inetd.conf: 902 vmware-authd Changetheportnumber902inthiscasetothedesirednumber.Allclientsconnecting tovirtualmachinesonthishostmustusethisportnumber. TochangetheportnumberusedbytheVMwareServerConsoleinstalledonaLinux hostorclient,addthefollowinglinetoeither/etc/vmware-server-console/configor /usr/lib/vmware-server-console/config: authd.client.port = <portNumber> where<portNumber>istheportnumberthatallclientsonthismachineconnectingto virtualmachinesontheVMwareServerhostmustuse.TheVMwareServerhostmust havethisportnumbersettotheauthd.portvariableinitsconfig.inifile(Windows host)orvmware-authdfile(Linuxhost). NOTE Iftheportnumbersspecifiedinthesefilesaredifferent,theportnumber specifiedin/etc/vmware-server-console/configtakesprecedence.
TochangetheportnumberforaspecificuserwhoisusingtheVMwareServerConsole installedonaLinuxhost,addthefollowinglineto~/.vmware/preferences: authd.client.port = <portNumber> where<portNumber>istheportnumbertouseonlywhenthisuserisloggedonand usingaVMwareServerConsoletoconnecttoavirtualmachineontheVMwareServer host. TheVMwareServerhostmusthavethisportnumbersettotheauthd.portvariablein itsconfig.inifile(Windowshost)orvmware-authdfile(Linuxhost). Whenthisuserisloggedon,theportnumberspecifiedin~/.vmware/preferences supersedestheportnumberspecifiedin/etc/vmware-server-console/configor /usr/lib/vmware-server-console/config.
Substituting a Port Number with the VMware Scripting APIs

WiththeVMwareScriptingAPIs,youcansupplyadifferentportnumberwhenyou createanewvirtualmachineobject.Thisportnumbermustmatchtheportnumberset ontheVMwareServerhost,whichissetbytheauthd.portvariableintheconfig.ini file(Windowshost)orvmware-authdfile(Linuxhost).
80
VMware, Inc.
Ifyouspecify0astheportnumber,theconsoleconnectswiththeportnumberspecified byauthd.client.portinstead.Ifauthd.client.portisnotspecified,theconsole connectswiththedefaultport902. FormoreinformationabouttheVMwareScriptingAPIs,visittheVMwareWebsiteat www.vmware.com/support/developer.
Downloading the VMware Server Console

YoucandownloadinstallationpackagesfortheVMwareServerConsolefromthe VMwareManagementInterface.PackagesareavailableforLinuxandWindowshosts; downloadthepackageappropriatetothehostmachineonwhichtheVMwareServer Consoleistobeinstalled. DownloadingtheVMwareServerConsoleandinstallingitallowsyoutoquickly managevirtualmachinesfromthemanagementinterface. DownloadingtheinstallerfromtheStatusMonitorpageallowsyoutoaccessthe consoleyouneedwithoutloggingoffofthemanagementinterface. CAUTION DonotinstalltheVMwareServerConsolefromtheclientinstaller packageontoahostwhereVMwareServerisinstalled.Donotdownload andinstallaconsolefromVMwareGSXServerorVMwareESXServer ontoanyclient.
To download and install a VMware Server Console package from the Login or Status Monitor page 1 ConnecttotheVMwareServerhostwiththeVMwareManagementInterface. Forinformationonconnectingtothemanagementinterface,seeLoggingOnto theVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 99. 2 OntheStatusMonitorpage,downloadtheinstallerbyclickingthelinkforthe packageappropriatetotheoperatingsystemonwhichtheVMwareServer Consoleistobeinstalled. OntheLoginpage,selecttheinstallerappropriatetotheoperatingsystemofthe computerwhereyouareinstallingtheVMwareServerConsole,andclick Download. IfyouareinstallingtheVMwareServerConsoleonaLinuxhost,youcanfurther choosebetweentarandRPMinstallationpackages. 4 Runtheinstallationpackage.
VMware, Inc.
81
ToinstalltheconsoleonaWindowssystem,seeInstallingtheVMware ServerConsoleonaWindowsHostonpage 49. ToinstalltheconsoleonaLinuxsystem,seeInstallingtheVMwareServer ConsoleonaLinuxHostonpage 50.
Customizing the Download Menu

YoucancustomizethedownloadmenuontheLoginpagetosuityourusersneeds.For example,ifyoursiteusestheVMwareScriptingAPIs,youcanaddtheAPIinstallersto thedownloadmenu.ClientpackagescontainingtheVMwareServerConsoleandthe VMwareScriptingAPIsareavailableinthepackagesyoudownloadedfromthe VMwareWebsite.Theclientpackagesare:
! !
VMware-server-win32-client-<xxxx>.zip VMware-server-linux-client-<xxxx>.zip
YoucanexpandthesearchivesandplacetheAPIinstallerfilesinareadilyavailable area.ThenmodifythedownloadmenuontheLoginpagetopointtothem. Youcanaddmorefilestothedownloadmenu,hideitemsalreadylistedandevenhide thelinkorthemenuitself.ClickHelpontheLoginpageandfollowtheinstructions there. OnaWindowshostwiththeVMwareManagementInterfaceinstalled,youcanfindthe installersfortheconsoleandscriptingAPIsinC:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Management Interface\htdocs\vmware\bin.Thisfoldercontains:
!
VMware-server-console-<xxxx>.exeTheinstallerfortheVMwareServer ConsoletorunonWindowsclients. VMware-server-console-<xxxx>.i386.rpmTheRPMinstallerfortheVMware ServerConsoletorunonLinuxclients. VMware-server-console-<xxxx>.tar.gzThetarinstallerfortheVMwareServer ConsoletorunonLinuxclients. VMware-VmCOMAPI-<xxxx>.exeTheinstallerfortheVmCOMAPIforWindows hostsonly. VMware-VmPERLAPI-<xxxx>.exeTheinstallerfortheVmPerlAPIforWindows hosts.
Securing Virtual Machines and the Host

Thissectiondescribeshowyoucansetpermissionsandimplementsecurityfeaturesfor yourvirtualmachinesandtheserverhost.Itincludesthefollowingtopics:
82
VMware, Inc.
! !
UnderstandingPermissionsandVirtualMachinesonpage 83 AuthenticatingUsersandRunningVirtualMachinesforaWindowsHoston page 85 AuthenticatingUsersandRunningVirtualMachinesforaLinuxHostonpage 88 CheckingPermissionsintheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 90 SecuringYourRemoteSessionsonpage 90
! ! !
TheVMwareknowledgebasehasanarticleaboutbestpracticestoimprovesecurityfor theVMwareServerhostandvirtualmachines.Forinformation,see http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?&p_faqid=1042.
Understanding Permissions and Virtual Machines

Accesstoavirtualmachineisbasedonthepermissionsyou,asauser,aregrantedto thevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx).Differentpermissionsletyouaccess virtualmachinesindifferentways.Thesewaysinclude:
! ! ! !
Browsingvirtualmachines. Interactingwithvirtualmachines. Configuringvirtualmachines. Administeringvirtualmachinesandthehost.
IfthevirtualmachineisonaWindowshost,permissionsonmorevirtualmachinefiles mightbeneeded,dependingupontheuseraccountthevirtualmachineuseswhile running.Forinformation,seeAuthenticatingUsersandRunningVirtualMachinesfor aWindowsHostonpage 85.
Browsing a Virtual Machine

Browsingavirtualmachineletsyouconnecttoitwithaconsole,butyoucanseeonly thevirtualmachinespowerstate.Thevirtualmachinedisplayisblank,evenifthe virtualmachineisrunning.Youcannotinteractwiththevirtualmachineatall. Tobrowseavirtualmachine,youneedReadpermissionforthevirtualmachines configurationfileonaWindowshost,orread(r)permissiononaLinuxhost.
Interacting with a Virtual Machine

Interactingwithavirtualmachineletsyouchangeitspowerstate(poweronoroff, suspend,orresume)andconnectordisconnectremovabledevices.Youcannotchange thevirtualmachinesconfiguration.Amongotherrestrictions,thismeansyoucannot addorremovevirtualhardware.
VMware, Inc.
83
YourusernameappearsintheVMwareManagementInterfaceandintheConnected Usersdialogbox,whichyouaccessintheVMwareServerConsolebychoosingVM> ConnectedUsers. Tointeractwithavirtualmachine,youmusthaveRead&Executepermissionforthe virtualmachinesconfigurationfileonaWindowshost,orreadandexecute(randx) permissionsonaLinuxhost.
Configuring a Virtual Machine

Configuringavirtualmachineletsyouaddandremovevirtualhardwaretoandfrom thevirtualmachine. Toconfigureavirtualmachine,youmusthaveReadandWritepermissionsforthe virtualmachinesconfigurationfileandvirtualmachineresources(suchasaphysical diskorcertaindevices)onaWindowshost,orreadandwrite(randw)permissionson aLinuxhost.
Administering Virtual Machines and the VMware Server Host

AnadministratororrootusercanconfiguretheVMwareServerhostandanyvirtual machinesonthehost.Forexample,youcanenableSSLforclientconnectionsorchange theamountofhostmemoryallocatedforallvirtualmachines. ToadministeravirtualmachineonaWindowshost,youruseraccountmustbea memberofthehostsAdministratorsgroup.OnaLinuxhost,youshouldhaveroot accesstothedirectoriescontainingvirtualmachinefiles. Alternatively,youruseraccountcanhaveRead&ExecuteandWritepermissionsona Windowshost,orread,write,andexecute(r,w,andx)permissionsonaLinuxhostto aparticularvirtualmachine.
If You Have No Permissions

Ifyouhavenopermissionsforthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile,youcannot connecttothevirtualmachineatall.OnaWindowshost,ifapermissionisboth allowedanddenied,thedenialtakesprecedence.Ifpermissionsareneitherallowed nordenied,youareconsideredtohavenopermissions.
Only You Can See Virtual Machines You Create

Whenyoucreateanewvirtualmachine,thevirtualmachinebydefaultisprivate;other userscannotseeorusethevirtualmachine.Foralluserstobeabletousethevirtual machine,followthecustompathwhenyoucreatethevirtualmachine.Youcanalso changetheprivatesettinginthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
84
VMware, Inc.
Whenavirtualmachineisprivate,itappearsintheinventoryoftheconsoleoftheuser whocreatedit.Thevirtualmachinedoesnotappearintheinventoryofconsolesfor otherusersconnectedtothehost.ThevirtualmachineappearsintheVMware ManagementInterfaceonlywhenyouareloggedonwiththeaccountthatcreatedthe virtualmachine. Otheruserscannotbrowsetothevirtualmachineandaddittotheinventory. Ifthevirtualmachineismadeprivateafterithasbeencreated,itdisappearsfromother usersinventories. To specify whether a virtual machine is private 1 SelectthevirtualmachineinaconsoleandchooseVM>Settings. Thevirtualmachinesettingseditorappears. 2 ClicktheOptionstab,andclickPermissions.
Tomakethevirtualmachineprivate,selectMakethisvirtualmachineprivate. Toallowalluserstoseeandusethisvirtualmachine,deselectthecheckbox.
ClickOKtosaveyoursettingsandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Authenticating Users and Running Virtual Machines for a Windows Host

EverytimeyouconnecttoaVMwareServerforWindowshostwiththeVMwareServer ConsoleorVMwareManagementInterface,theVMwareAuthorizationService requestsausernameandpasswordandauthenticatesonlyvalidusers.
VMware, Inc.
85
Afteryouareauthenticated,theconsolestartsorthemanagementinterfacesStatus Monitorpageappears.Accesstoavirtualmachineisbasedonyourpermissions.See UnderstandingPermissionsandVirtualMachinesonpage 83. Eachvirtualmachinerunsasoneofthefollowingthreeuseraccounts:

!
TheuserwhopowersonthevirtualmachineThevirtualmachinerunsasthe accountoftheuserwhopoweredonthevirtualmachineuntilthevirtualmachine ispoweredoff.Otheruserscanconnecttothevirtualmachinebutitstillrunsas theuserwhopoweredonthevirtualmachine. ThelocalsystemaccountThevirtualmachinerunsasthelocalsystemaccount. Youcanenablethisoptiononlyifyouareloggedontothehostoperatingsystem asanAdministrator. AspecificuseraccountThevirtualmachinerunsastheuseraccountspecified intheNewVirtualMachineWizardorthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.This accountmustbeabletoaccesstheVMwareServerhost.
Theuseraccountisspecifiedwhenyoucreatethevirtualmachineandyoucanchange itinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Understanding Permissions and User Accounts

Ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtorunastheuserwhopowersiton,theusermust haveReadandWritepermissionstothevirtualmachinefiles,suchastheconfiguration file,virtualdiskfiles,andsnapshotfiles.Youmusthaveanadministratoraccountto accessdeviceslikephysicaldisks,USBcontrollers,andgenericSCSIdevices. Aneasywaytoallowthisusertoaccessavirtualmachineistosetthepermissionsfor thedirectorycontainingthevirtualmachinefilesandlettheuserinherittherightsfor thatdirectory. Ifanotheruserconnectstothisvirtualmachinewhileitisrunning,thatuseronlyneeds permissionsfortheconfigurationfile. Forvirtualmachinesconfiguredtorunasaspecificuseraccountorrunasthelocal systemuser,anyuserconnectingtothevirtualmachineneedspermissionsonlyforthe configurationfile. AneasywaytoallowtheseuserstoaccessthevirtualmachineistograntReadand Writepermissionstoallthefilesinthevirtualmachinesdirectoryexceptforthe configurationfile.GrantRead&Executepermissiontotheconfigurationfileand disallowtheinheritanceofpermissionsonthefile.
86
VMware, Inc.
Changing the User Account

YoucanchangetheuseraccountforavirtualmachinebychoosingVM>Settings> Options>Startup/Shutdownandchangingtheuseraccountinformationthere. Ifthevirtualmachineisconfiguredtorunastheuseraccountwhopowersiton,you needtomakesurethevirtualmachineisinalocationthatisaccessibletothatuser.If youneedtolocatethevirtualmachinesinadifferentarea,oronanothersystemonthe network,makesuretheuserhasaccesstothevirtualmachineresources(suchasvirtual disks,physicaldisks,devicesandsnapshotfiles). Tochangethelocationwherevirtualmachinesarecreated,seeSpecifyingWhere VirtualMachinesAreCreatedonpage 123.
Permissions and Virtual Machine Devices

ToconfigureavirtualmachinetouseaphysicaldiskorgenericSCSIdevice,theuser mustbeamemberoftheAdministratorsgroup.
Configuring Permissions to Access a Virtual Machine

Thesystemadministrator(thatis,theadministratorresponsibleforsettingupthehost runningVMwareServer,notnecessarilytheWindowsAdministratorlogin)cansetthe accesspermissionsontheconfigurationfileusingthefollowingprocedure.Ingeneral, VMwareServerusersshouldhaveReadpermissiontovirtualmachineconfiguration files;youcanaddanyspecificusersthatshouldhaveRead&ExecuteandWrite permissions. To configure permissions to access a virtual machine 1 Locatetheconfigurationfileonthehostsystem.Rightclicktheconfigurationfile andselectProperties. ThePropertiesdialogboxappears. 2 ClicktheSecuritytab. NOTE IfthevirtualmachineisstoredonaWindowsXPclientsystemandis configuredtouseWorkgroupmode,theSecuritytabishiddenbydefault. Toshowthetab,ontheWindowsXPsystem,chooseStart>Control Panel>FolderOptions,clickAdvanced,andcleartheSimpleFile Sharingcheckbox.
InthePropertiesdialogbox,selecteachuserorgroupandselecttheappropriate permission,typicallyRead.
VMware, Inc.
87
Ifyouwanttolimitaccesstothevirtualmachine,cleartheAllowinheritable permissionsfromparenttopropagatetothisobjectcheckbox. 4 Tospecifythatauserorgroupthatshouldnothaveaccesstotheconfigurationfile, eitherclickRemoveorcheckallpermissionsintheDenycolumntodenyall permissionstothatuserorgroup. Toaddmoreusersorgroups,clickAdd. TheSelectUsers,ComputersandGroupsdialogboxappears. 6 7 Inthedialogbox,selectthegroupsorusersthatyouwanttoaccessthevirtual machine,thenclickAdd. Afteryoufinishaddingtheusersorgroups,clickOK. TheusersandgroupsareaddedwithdefaultReadandWritepermissions. 8 9 InthePropertiesdialogbox,changethetypeofaccessfortheuserorgrouptothe configurationfile.ChooseeitherReadorRead&ExecuteandWrite. ClickOKtosetthepermissionstotheconfigurationfile.
Authenticating Users and Running Virtual Machines for a Linux Host

VMwareServerforLinuxusesPluggableAuthenticationModules(PAM)foruser authenticationintheVMwareServerConsoleandtheVMwareManagementInterface. ThedefaultinstallationofVMwareServerusesstandardLinux/etc/passwd authentication,butcanbeconfiguredtouseLDAP,NIS,Kerberosoranother distributedauthenticationmechanism. EverytimeyouconnecttotheVMwareServerhostwiththeVMwareServerConsole orVMwareManagementInterface,theinetdorxinetdprocessrunsaninstanceofthe VMwareauthenticationdaemon(vmware-authd).Thevmware-authdprocessrequestsa usernameandpassword,andhandsthemofftoPAM,whichperformsthe authentication. Afteryouareauthenticated,theconsolestartsorthemanagementinterfacesStatus Monitorpageappears.Whatyoucannowdowiththevirtualmachinesisbasedon yourpermissions.SeeUnderstandingPermissionsandVirtualMachinesonpage 83. Thevmware-authdprocessstartsavirtualmachineprocessastheownerofthe configurationfile,notastheuserconnectingtothevirtualmachine.However,theuser isstillrestrictedbyhisorherpermissionsontheconfigurationfile.
88
VMware, Inc.
NOTE
Ifyouhavefullpermissionsonaconfigurationfilebutdonothaveexecute permissiontothedirectoryinwhichtheconfigurationfileresidesoranyofits parentdirectories,thenyoucannotconnecttothevirtualmachinewitha VMwareServerConsoleoraVMwareScriptingAPI.Furthermore,youcannot seethevirtualmachineintheVMwareManagementInterfaceorinthe VMwareServerConsole.Norcanyoudeleteanyfilesinthevirtualmachines directory.
Virtualmachinesandtheirresources,suchasvirtualdisks,physicaldisks,devicesand snapshotfiles,shouldbelocatedinareasaccessibletotheirusers. Ifavmwareprocessisnotrunningforthisconfigurationfile,vmware-authdcheckstosee ifthisvirtualmachineisintheinventory.Ifthevirtualmachineisintheinventory, vmware-authdbecomestheowneroftheconfigurationfile(notnecessarilytheuserthat iscurrentlyauthenticated)andstartstheconsolewiththisconfigurationfileasan argument(forexample,vmware /<path_to_config>/<configfile>.vmx). Thevmware-authdprocessexitsassoonasaconnectionisestablishedtoavmware processandatleastoneuserhasconnected.Eachvmwareprocessshutsdown automaticallyafterthelastuserdisconnects.
Default Permissions
WhenyoucreateavirtualmachinewithVMwareServeronaLinuxhost,its configurationfileisassignedthefollowingdefaultpermissions,basedontheuser accessingit:
!
Read,executeandwrite(7)Fortheuserwhocreatedtheconfigurationfile(the owner). Readandexecute(5)Fortheprimarygrouptowhichtheownerbelongs. Read(4)Forusersotherthantheowneroramemberoftheownersgroup.
! !
WhenyoufirstinstalltheVMwareServersoftwareandruntheconfigurationprogram vmware-config.pl,youcansetthesepermissionsforanyexistingvirtualmachine configurationfiles. Ifyouplantouseavirtualmachineanditsconfigurationfileyoucreatedinother VMwareproductswithVMwareServer,youmustopentheconfigurationfile(choose File>Open)toconnecttothevirtualmachinefromtheVMwareServerConsoleorthe VMwareManagementInterface.Thensetthedefaultpermissionsasabove.
VMware, Inc.
89
Creating Virtual Machines on NFS Shares

IfthevirtualmachineislocatedonanNFSshare,makesuretherootuserhasaccessto thelocationofthevirtualmachinefiles.Otherwise,youmayencounterproblems configuringthevirtualmachine. IfyoucreateavirtualmachineonanNFSsharetowhichtherootuserhasnoaccess, certainoperationsdonotworkwhenthevirtualmachineisnotrunning.Forexample, youcannotreverttoasnapshot,addorremovedevicestoorfromthevirtualmachine, orotherwisechangethevirtualmachinesconfiguration.
Checking Permissions in the VMware Management Interface

TheVMwareManagementInterfaceliststhepermissionsyouhaveforeach configurationfileonthehostmachinetowhichyouareconnected.Thepermissions appearontheUsersandEventspageforeachvirtualmachine.Formoreinformation, seeViewingaListofConnectedUsersonpage 109. OnlyvirtualmachinesforwhichyouhavereadaccessarevisibletoyouintheVMware ManagementInterface.
Securing Your Remote Sessions

Theusername,password,andnetworkpacketssenttotheVMwareServerhostovera networkconnectionwhenusingtheVMwareServerConsoleortheVMware ManagementInterfaceareencryptedinVMwareServerbydefault.Asthe Administratoruser(Windowshosts)orrootuser(Linuxhosts),youcandisableSecure SocketsLayer(SSL)ifyoudonotwanttoencryptthesesessions. WithSSLenabled,VMwareServercreatessecuritycertificatesandstoresthemonyour host.However,thecertificatesusedtosecureyourVMwareManagementInterface sessionsarenotsignedbyatrustedcertificateauthority.Thereforetheydonotprovide authentication.Touseencryptedremoteconnectionsexternally,youshouldconsider purchasingacertificatefromatrustedcertificateauthority. WithSSLenabled,theconsoleandmanagementinterfaceperformexactlyastheydo whenSSLisdisabled. WhenSSLisenabledfortheVMwareServerConsole,alockiconappearsinthelower rightcorneroftheconsolewindow.AnyconsolesthatarealreadyopenatthetimeSSL isenableddonotbecomeencrypted,andthelockicondoesnotappearintheseconsole windows.Youmustclosetheseconsolesandstartnewconsolesessionstoensure encryption. WhenSSLisenabledfortheVMwareManagementInterface,theURLtoconnecttothe managementinterfaceishttps://<hostname>:8333.Themanagementinterface
90
VMware, Inc.
automaticallyredirectsuserstothisURLiftheyusetheinsecureURL (http://<hostname>:8222)toconnect.Alockiconappearsinthestatusbarofthe browserwindow. IfyoudisableSSL,usersareautomaticallyredirectedtohttp://<hostname>:8222if theyusehttps://<hostname>:8333toconnecttothemanagementinterface. NOTE IfSSLisdisabledandthenenabledagain,anynewmanagementinterface connectionstothenonsecureport(8222)arenotredirected.
Using Your Own Security Certificates

YoucanuseyourownsecuritycertificatewhenyouenableSSL. OnaWindowshost,runtheMicrosoftManagementConsole(mmc.exe)andselectyour certificate.WhenyouupgradetheVMwareManagementInterfaceonaVMwareServer forWindowshost,youmustreassignyourcertificatetotheVMwareManagement Interface. OnaLinuxhost,theVMwareManagementInterfacecertificatemustbeplacedin /etc/vmware-mui/ssl.Thecertificateconsistsoftwofiles:thecertificatefile(mui.crt) andtheprivatekeyfile(mui.key).Theprivatekeyfileshouldbereadableonlybythe rootuser. WhenyouupgradetheVMwareManagementInterfaceonaLinuxhost,thecertificate remainsinplace.IncaseyouremovedtheVMwareManagementInterface,the directoryisnotremovedfromyourhost.
Enabling and Disabling SSL for Remote Sessions

YouenableanddisableSSLforVMwareServerConsoleconnectionsintheconsoleor themanagementinterface.YouenableSSLforVMwareManagementInterface connectionsinthemanagementinterface.Bydefault,SSLisenabledforallremote connections. Thecertificatesusedinthesesecuresessionsarenotsignedbyatrustedcertificate authority.Thereforetheydonotprovideauthentication.Touseencryptedremote connectionsexternally,considerpurchasingacertificatefromatrustedcertificate authority. TochangeSSLsettingsforconsoleandmanagementinterfaceconnectionsfromthe VMwareManagementInterface,seeSecuringRemoteConnectionswithSSLon page 112. TochangetheSSLsettingforconsoleconnectionsfromtheVMwareServerConsole, seeEnablingSSLforVMwareServerConsoleConnectionsonpage 125.
VMware, Inc.
91
Identifying a Virtual Machine by Its UUID

Eachvirtualmachineisautomaticallyassignedauniversallyuniqueidentifier(UUID), whichisstoredintheSMBIOSsysteminformationdescriptor.TheUUIDcanbe accessedbystandardSMBIOSscanningsoftware,forexampleSiSoftwareSandraorthe IBMutilitysmbios2,andusedforsystemmanagementinthesamewayyouusethe UUIDofaphysicalcomputer. TheUUIDisa128bitinteger.The16bytesofthisvalueareseparatedbyspaces,except foradashbetweentheeighthandninthhexadecimalpairs.SoasampleUUIDlooks likethis: 00 11 22 33 44 55 66 77-88 99 aa bb cc dd ee ff TheUUIDisbasedonthephysicalcomputersidentifierandthepathtothevirtual machinesconfigurationfile.ThisUUIDisgeneratedwhenyoupoweronorresetthe virtualmachine.Aslongasyoudonotmoveorcopythevirtualmachinetoanother location,theUUIDremainsconstant. Ifyoumoveorcopythevirtualmachine,youhavethechoiceofcreatinganewUUID thefirsttimeyoupoweronthevirtualmachine.ThisnewUUIDisbasedonthe physicalcomputersidentifierandpathtothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileinits newlocation. Whenyoupoweronavirtualmachinethatwasmovedorcopiedtoanewlocation,a messageappears.
Ifyoumovedthisvirtualmachine,youcanchoosetokeeptheUUID.SelectKeep,then clickOKtocontinuepoweringonthevirtualmachine. Ifyoucopiedthisvirtualmachinetoanewlocation,youshouldcreateanewUUID, sincethecopyofthevirtualmachineisusingthesameUUIDastheoriginalvirtual machine.SelectCreate,thenclickOKtocontinuepoweringonthevirtualmachine. Iftheoriginalvirtualmachineisbeingusedasatemplateformorevirtualmachines, youcanchoosetocreateanewUUIDthefirsttimeyoupoweroneachcopy.Afteryou configurethevirtualmachineandarereadytomakeitatemplate,moveittoanew locationandpoweriton.Whenthemessageappearsafteryoupoweron,selectAlways Create,thenclickOKtocontinuepoweringonthevirtualmachine.Thevirtual machineissetuptocreateanewUUIDeverytimeitismoved.Poweroffthevirtual
92
VMware, Inc.
machineandbeginusingitasatemplatebycopyingthevirtualmachinefilestoother locations. Ifyouintendtomovethevirtualmachinenumeroustimes,andwanttokeepthesame UUIDeachtimethevirtualmachinemoves,thenselectAlwaysKeepandclickOKto continuepoweringonthevirtualmachine. NOTE IfyouwanttochangetheAlwaysKeeporAlwaysCreatesetting,poweroff thevirtualmachineandedititsconfigurationfile(.vmx).Deletethelinethat contains
uuid.action = "create" or uuid.action = "keep" Suspendingandresumingavirtualmachinedoesnottriggertheprocessthatgenerates aUUID.Thus,theUUIDinuseatthetimethevirtualmachinewassuspendedremains inusewhenthevirtualmachineisresumed,evenifithasbeencopiedormoved. However,thenexttimethevirtualmachineisrebooted,themessageappears,soyou canchoosetocreateanewUUIDorkeeptheexistingone.
Specifying a UUID for a Virtual Machine

InsomecircumstancesyoumightwanttoassignaspecificUUIDtothevirtual machine. To specify a UUID for a virtual machine 1 2 3 OverridetheautomaticallygeneratedUUIDvalue. Poweroffthevirtualmachineandedititsconfigurationfile(.vmx)tosetthevalue oftheUUIDparameter. Useatexteditortoedittheconfigurationfile.Theformatforthelineis: uuid.bios = <uuidvalue> TheUUIDvaluemustbesurroundedbyquotationmarks.Asampleconfiguration linelookslike: uuid.bios = "00 11 22 33 44 55 66 77-88 99 aa bb cc dd ee ff" 4 Afteraddingthislinetotheconfigurationfile,poweronthevirtualmachine. ThenewUUIDisusedwhenthevirtualmachineboots.
VMware, Inc.
93
Logging VMware Server Events on Windows

VMwareServersendsinformationabouteventsthatoccurintheapplicationtothe EventVieweronWindowshosts.Eacheventhasauniqueidentifiertoassistyouin trackingvariouseventswithautomationtools. ThetypesofeventsthataresenttotheEventViewerinclude:
!
Anychangestoavirtualmachinespowerstate.Whenavirtualmachineis poweredonoroff,suspendedorresumed,anentryisloggedintheEventViewer. Theadditionorremovalofvirtualmachinesfromtheinventory. ThedeletionofavirtualmachinefromtheVMwareServersystem. AnymessagesandwarningsgeneratedbyVMwareServerandtheresponsesto thesemessagesandwarnings.WheneverVMwareServergeneratesamessageora warningprompttowhichtheusermustrespond,themessageorwarningandthe usersresponseareloggedintheEventViewer.Amessageorawarningisany dialogboxthatVMwareServergeneratesintheapplicationthatisnotahint.
! ! !
To log VMware Server events on Windows 1 2 ToaccesstheEventViewer,chooseStart>AdministrativeTools>EventViewer. SelecttheApplicationlogtoviewVMwareServerevents.
Modifytheinformationthatgetsloggedforaparticularmachineorforallvirtual machines. Thetwooptionsyoucanmodifyinclude:
94
VMware, Inc.
eventlog.win.message=FALSEthissettingpreventstheloggingofalldialog boxandmessageeventsthatappearinVMwareServer. eventlog.win.register=FALSEthissettingpreventstheloggingofpower statechangeeventsandloggingofwhenavirtualmachineisaddedtoor removedfromtheinventory.
Tomodifywhatgetsloggedforavirtualmachine,addeitherorbothoftheoptions tothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file. Tomodifywhatgetsloggedforallvirtualmachinesonahost,addeitherorboth oftheoptionstotheVMware Serverconfig.inifile,locatedbydefaultin C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server.
Backing Up Virtual Machines and the VMware Server Host

ThissectiondiscussesmethodsforbackingupyourvirtualmachinesandtheVMware Serverhost.Itincludes:
! ! ! !
UsingaBackupAgentintheVirtualMachineonpage 95 UsingaBackupAgentRunningontheHostOperatingSystemonpage 96 BackingUptheVMwareServerHostonpage 96 ConsiderationsforBackingUpVirtualMachinesonpage 97
Using a Backup Agent in the Virtual Machine

Thebestwaytobackupvirtualmachinesthatrequireconstantuptime(24hoursaday, sevendaysaweek)istoloadabackupagentineachvirtualmachine.Thisagentshould connectdirectlythroughyournetworktoyourbackupservers.Thismethodallowsyou tocompletelybackupindividualfilesonyourvirtualmachinesandrecoverfiles individually.
Supported Backup Configurations

VMwarehastestedthefollowingbackupsoftwareinvirtualmachinesusingtheDell PowerVault120Ttapedrive/changer:
! !
BrightStorARCserveBackupversion9.0(build1868) VeritasBackupExec9,ServicePack1
ThetapedrivemustbeconfiguredasagenericSCSIdevice.Toaddthedrivetoavirtual machine,seeAddingaGenericSCSIDevicetoaVirtualMachine.
VMware, Inc.
95
NOTE
IfthevirtualmachinehasaWindowsguestoperatingsysteminstalledandis configuredtousetheBusLogicSCSIadapter,youmustusetheVMware BusLogicdriver,availablefromtheVMwareWebsiteat http://www.vmware.com/download.
Using a Backup Agent Running on the Host Operating System

AnotherbackupmethodusesabackupagentrunningontheVMwareServerhost.You backupavirtualmachinebysuspendingandresumingitwithbatchfilescontaining vmware-cmdcommands.Suspendingavirtualmachineputsitinastateinwhichthe hostbackupsoftwarecangainexclusiveaccesstothevirtualmachinefilestocomplete itstask. To backup a virtual machine directory using a backup agent 1 Addthefollowinglinetoyoursuspendbatchfile: vmware-cmd <path_to_config>\<config>.vmx suspend 2 3 Oncethevirtualmachineissuspended,youcansafelybackupthisvirtual machinesdirectoryusingthebackupagentinstalledontheVMwareServerhost. Afterthebackupjobcompletes,runaresumebatchjobtorestartthevirtual machine. Thebatchfileshouldcontainthefollowingline: vmware-cmd <path_to_config>\<config>.vmx start Thiscommandresumesthevirtualmachineintoanactive,runningstate.
!
IfyouwanttorestoreavirtualmachinetoaserverotherthantheVMwareServer hostwhereitwasoriginallylocated,shutdownthevirtualmachine.Insteadof usingthesuspendbatchfile,useonethatpowersoffthevirtualmachine. vmware-cmd <path_to_config>\<config>.vmx stop
Thesuspend,stop,andresumecommandscanbeusedinpreandpostjobscripts thatarenormallyavailableviathebackupsoftwarebeingused.Backupsoftware suchasVeritasBackupExechasthecapabilitytorunpreandpostbatchjobswith scheduledbackups.
Backing Up the VMware Server Host

TocompletelybackupyourentireVMwareServerenvironmentforagivenpointin time,backupyourentireVMwareServerhost.Shutdownallvirtualmachinesonthe
96
VMware, Inc.
host,andbackupthehostandallvirtualmachinedirectories.However,restoringa virtualmachinedirectoryfromsuchabackupreturnsyoutothatpointintime;you cannotrestoreindividualfilesinthevirtualmachine.
Considerations for Backing Up Virtual Machines

AvirtualmachinedirectoryshouldnotbebackedupontheVMwareServerhostifthe virtualmachineispoweredon.Youshouldeithersuspendorshutdownthevirtual machinebeforebackingupitsdirectory. Ifthevirtualmachineisrunningwhenyoutrytobackitup,thevirtualmachinecan hangandbeunreachable. OpenfileagentsloadedontheVMwareServerhostdonotalwaysworkreliablywhen youbackupopenvirtualdisksthataregigabytesinsize. Beforeimplementingabackupmethod,testanddocumentthemethodinadvanceto ensureasuccessfulbackup. Formoreinformationonscriptingandusingthevmware-cmdfile,readAppendixAof theVMwareScriptingAPIUsersManual,availableontheVMwareWebsiteat http://www.vmware.com/support/developer.
Using the VMware Management Interface

VMwareServerprovidestheVMwareManagementInterface,aWebbased managementtoolthatallowsyouto:
!
MonitorthestateofvirtualmachinesandtheVMwareServerhostonwhichthey arerunning. Control(poweron,suspend,resume,resetandpoweroff)thevirtualmachineson thathost. ConnecttheVMwareServerConsoletoagivenvirtualmachine,forhandson management. Viewdetailsabouteachvirtualmachine,includingsystemsummary,hardware information,anyconnectedusersandalogofrecentevents. SecureconsoleandmanagementinterfacesessionswithSSL(administratorand rootusersonly). Answerquestionsandacknowledgemessagesposedbythevirtualmachine.
TomanageavirtualmachinefromtheVMwareManagementInterface,ausermust haveatleastreadpermissionforthatvirtualmachinesconfigurationfile.Formore
VMware, Inc.
97
informationaboutpermissionsandVMwareServer,seeUnderstandingPermissions andVirtualMachinesonpage 83. ToproperlyviewtheVMwareManagementInterface,ensurethatstylesheetsare enabledinyourbrowser,regardlessofwhichbrowserandversionyouareusing. NOTE ToruntheVMwareManagementInterfaceinInternetExplorer6.0ona WindowsServer2003system,whethertheVMwareServerhostisinstalledon WindowsServer2003oraWindowsServer2003clientmachinethatconnects toaVMwareServerhost,youneedtofollowsomespecialconfigurationsteps inordertousethemanagementinterface.Formoreinformation,see ConfiguringWebBrowsersforUsewithVMwareServeronpage 46.
TheVMwareManagementInterfacestartswithaLoginpage,whereyouenteryour usernameandpasswordtologon.TheLoginpagecontainslinksfordownloadingthe VMwareServerConsoleforWindowsandLinuxhosts.Formoreinformation,see DownloadingtheVMwareServerConsoleonpage 81. Afteryourusernameandpasswordareauthorizedbythemanagementinterface,the StatusMonitorpageappears.TheStatusMonitorpagecontainshighleveldetailsabout allthevirtualmachinesonthehostservertowhichyouareconnected.TheStatus Monitorpagelinkstoadetailedsetofpagesspecifictoeachvirtualmachine,whereyou findinformationaboutvirtualdevices,configurationoptions,andasummaryofrecent events.Inaddition,youcancreateanddeletevirtualmachinesfromyourbrowser. Thesepagesrefreshorreloadautomaticallyevery90seconds.Youmightwantto refreshorreloadthesepagesmanuallybeforeyouperformanoperationlike suspending,resuming,orpoweringonoroffavirtualmachinefromtheVMware ManagementInterfaceorafteryouperformapoweroperationinaconsole.Another usermighthaveperformedthesameoraconflictingoperationrightbeforeyou.To refreshthepage,clickRefreshatthetopofapage. Thissectionincludesthefollowingtopics:
! ! ! ! ! !
SettingtheSessionLengthfortheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 99 LoggingOntotheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 99 UsingtheStatusMonitoronpage 101 ConfiguringaVirtualMachineonpage 105 TheApacheServerandtheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 111 LoggingOfftheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 111
98
VMware, Inc.
Setting the Session Length for the VMware Management Interface

Yourmanagementinterfacesessionstimesoutafter60minutesofidletime. OnaWindowshost,thissettingisspecifiedbythevariablevmware_SESSION_LENGTH, storedinC:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Management Interface\htdocs\init.pl. Youcanchangethissettingtoanynumberofminutes,oryoucanblockaccesstothe managementinterfaceforallusersbysettingvmware_SESSION_LENGTHto0minutes.You canhavepersistentsessionsthatnevertimeoutbysettingvmware_SESSION_LENGTHto -1. OnaLinuxhost,youcanchangethissettingbyrunningthemanagementinterface configurationprogramvmware-config-mui.pl.Youcanblockaccesstothe managementinterfaceforallusersbysettingthetimeoutlengthto0minutes.Youcan havepersistentsessionsthatnevertimeoutbysettingthetimeoutlengthto-1.
Logging On to the VMware Management Interface

TousetheVMwareManagementInterface,runasupportedbrowsersuchasInternet Explorer5.5or6.0.VMwarehighlyrecommendsusing6.0,NetscapeNavigator7.0or later,orMozilla1.x.
Before you log on to the VMware Management Interface

! ! !
YoumustknowthehostnameorIPaddressoftheserveryouwanttomanage. Youmusthaveavalidusernameandpasswordonthatserver. Youcanconnecttotheserverwithuptoeightmanagementinterfacesessionsata time.TheURLtoconnecttotheserverishttps://<hostname>:8333. IfyouareconnectingtotheVMwareManagementInterfacefromabrowseronthe hostmachine,youcanuselocalhostasthe<hostname>. IfyoudisabledSSLforyourmanagementinterfacesessions,theURLtoconnectto theserverishttp://<hostname>:8222.
Formoreinformation,seeSecuringYourRemoteSessionsonpage 90.Usersare automaticallyredirectedtohttp://<hostname>:8222iftheyuse https://<hostname>:8333toconnecttothemanagementinterface. NOTE IfyouareusingNetscapeNavigatororMozilla,checktheadvanced preferences(Edit>Preferences>Advanced)tobesureJavaScriptandstyle sheetsarebothenabled.
VMware, Inc.
99
To log on to the VMware Management Interface 1 EntertheURL. TheLoginpageappears.
TheLoginpagecontainsfieldsforyourusernameandpassword. ItalsocontainsamenusoyoucandownloadinstallationpackagesfortheVMware ServerConsole.Todownloadapackage,seeDownloadingtheVMwareServer Consoleonpage 81. 2 OntheLoginpage,enteryourusernameandpasswordforthehostmachine,and clickLogIn. TheStatusMonitorpageappears.ForinformationabouttheStatusMonitorpage, seeUsingtheStatusMonitoronpage 101.
100
VMware, Inc.
Using the Status Monitor

TheStatusMonitorpagecontainsahighlevelviewoftheVMwareServerhost includingahostsystemsummaryandlistofallvirtualmachinesknowntothehostthat youhavesufficientpermissionstosee.
Viewing Summary Information About the VMware Server Host System

UnderSystemSummary,youcanview:
!
ThenumberofprocessorsontheVMwareServerhost,includingtheaverage percentageofprocessorpowerusedbyvirtualmachines,otherprocessesonthe host,andthetotalbeingusedbythewholesystemforthepreviousminute. TheamountofmemoryontheVMwareServerhost,includingtheaverageamount ofmemoryusedbyvirtualmachines,otherprocessesonthehost,andthetotal beingusedbythewholesystemforthepreviousminute.
Viewing Summary Information About Virtual Machines on the Host

UnderVirtualMachines,youcanviewalistofallvirtualmachinesknowntothehost thatyouhavesufficientpermissionstosee.Whenavirtualmachineisrunning,the StatusMonitorpagedisplaysitsIDnumberafterthepowerstatusofthevirtual machine.
VMware, Inc.
101
Activitiesyoucanperforminclude:
! ! ! !
ConnectingtoaVirtualMachinewiththeVMwareServerConsoleonpage 103 MonitoringtheVirtualMachinesHeartbeatonpage 104 ViewingInformationaboutaVirtualMachineonpage 104 DownloadingtheVMwareServerConsoleonpage 81(LoginandStatus Monitorpages)
Using the Virtual Machine Menu

Clickthearrowtotherightoftheterminalicon( )todisplayamenuofoptionsfor thatvirtualmachine.Themenuincludesthefollowingcommands,mostofwhichcan beperformedusingthebuttonsandothervisualelementsofthemanagementinterface. Dependingonyourpermissionsandthestateofthevirtualmachine,someoptions mightnotbeavailable.
!
AttachConsoleLaunchestheVMwareServerConsole,whichconnectstothis virtualmachine.Selectingthisoptionisthesameasclicking .Youneedtologon tothehost.Formoreinformation,seeConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefroma WindowsHostorClientandConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaLinuxHost orClient. NOTE NetscapeandMozillausersmustdefineaMIMEtypebeforeinstalling theVMwareServerConsole.InternetExplorerisautomatically configuredwhentheVMwareServerConsoleisinstalled.For information,seeSettingMIMETypetoLaunchtheVMwareServer Consoleonpage 128.
PropertiesOpenstheVirtualMachineOverviewpageforthisvirtualmachinein anewbrowserwindow.Selectingthisoptionisthesameasclickingthevirtual machinenamelinkintheDisplayNamecolumn. ConfigureOptionsOpenstheOptionspage,whereyoucaneditavirtual machinesconfiguration,suchastheguestoperatingsystemtype,displayname, thelocationofthesuspendedstatefileandthestartupandshutdownoptions. Withtheexceptionofthedisplayname,youcanedittheseoptionsonlywhenthe virtualmachineispoweredoff. ShutDownGuestRunsthescriptassociatedwiththispowerstatechange,shuts downtheguestoperatingsystem,andpowersoffthevirtualmachine.Selecting thisoptionisthesameasclicking inthepowerstatepopupmenu.
102
VMware, Inc.
SuspendafterRunningScriptRunstheassociatedscriptandsuspendsa runningvirtualmachine.Selectingthisoptionisthesameasclicking inthe powerstatepopupmenu. PowerOn/ResumeandRunScriptPowersonastoppedvirtualmachineor resumesasuspendedvirtualmachine,andrunsthescriptassociatedwiththis powerstatechange.Selectingthisoptionisthesameasclicking inthepower statepopupmenu.
RestartGuestGracefullyrestartstheguestoperatingsystemandthevirtual machine.Selectingthisoptionisthesameasclicking menu. inthepowerstatepopup
PowerOffPowersoffthevirtualmachineimmediatelywithoutrunningascript orshuttingdowntheguestoperatingsystem.Selectingthisoptionisthesameas turningoffthepowertoaphysicalcomputer. SuspendSuspendsapoweredonvirtualmachinewithoutrunningascript. PowerOn/ResumePowersonastoppedvirtualmachineorresumesa suspendedvirtualmachinewithoutrunningascript. ResetResetsthevirtualmachineimmediatelywithoutrunningascriptor stoppingtheguestoperatingsystem.Selectingthisoptionisthesameaspressing theresetbuttononaphysicalcomputer.
! !
Connecting to a Virtual Machine with the VMware Server Console

Toviewaparticularvirtualmachinesdesktop,attachtheVMwareServerConsoleand connecttothevirtualmachine.Clicktheterminalicon( )intherowforthevirtual machinetowhichyouwanttoconnectwiththeconsole.Forinformationonconnecting withtheconsole,seeConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaWindowsHostor ClientandConnectingtoaVirtualMachinefromaLinuxHostorClient. Theterminaliconappearsslightlydifferent,dependingupontheguestoperating systemselectedforthevirtualmachinewhenitwascreated.Thisvisualcuehelpsto identifythevirtualmachine(forexample,thedisplaynamemightnotindicatethe guestoperatingsystem).Thevariationsintheterminaliconareshownhere. indicatesaWindowsguestoperatingsystem. indicatesaLinuxguestoperatingsystem. indicatesaFreeBSDguestoperatingsystem. indicatesaNetWareguestoperatingsystem.
VMware, Inc.
103
indicatesanotherguestoperatingsystem,suchasMSDOS. indicatesaSunSolarisoperatingsystem.
Monitoring the Virtual Machines Heartbeat

UnderHBisabargraphthatrepresentstheaveragepercentageofheartbeatsreceived byavirtualmachineduringthepreviousminute.Theheartbeatrepresentstheoverall healthoftheguestoperatingsystem,basedonwhetherapplicationsrunninginthe guestareconsumingresourcesfromotherapplicationsintheguest. TheheartbeatsaresentbytheVMwareToolsservicetothevirtualmachinefromits guestoperatingsystem;thepercentageisrelativetothenumberofheartbeatsthe virtualmachineexpectstoreceivefortheminutebeforethepagewaslastupdated. Heavilyloadedguestoperatingsystemsmightnotsend100%oftheexpected heartbeats,eventhoughthesystemisotherwiseoperatingnormally.Ingeneral,only whentheheartbeatpercentagedropstozeroshouldthevirtualmachineorguest operatingsystembeconsideredabnormal. NOTE IfVMwareToolsisnotinstalledorisnotrunning,theguestoperatingsystem doesnotsendanyheartbeatstoitsvirtualmachineandthismeterisdisabled.
Viewing Information about a Virtual Machine

ImportantvirtualmachineinformationisreadilyavailableontheStatusMonitorpage.
!
ThelinkintheDisplayNamecolumnindicatesthedisplaynameforthevirtual machine.Ifoneisnotspecified,thepathtotheconfigurationfileforthevirtual machineappearshereinstead.Thiscolumnalsocontainsthevirtualmachines powerstate,itsprocessID,anditsvirtualmachineID(ifitisrunning)Italsonotes ifVMwareToolsisnotinstalled. Ifthevirtualmachineiswaitingforaresponsetoasystemmessage,aWaitingfor inputlinkappearshere.Clickthelinktoviewthemessageandrespondtoit. Clickthevirtualmachinelinkformoredetailsaboutthevirtualmachine.The VirtualMachineOverviewpageappearsinanewbrowserwindow.Formore information,seeConfiguringaVirtualMachineonpage 105.
ThevalueintheUpcolumnindicatesthelengthoftimethevirtualmachinehas beenrunning. Thevalueinthe%CPUcolumnindicatestheaveragepercentageofhostoperating systemprocessorcapacitythevirtualmachineusedduringthefinalminutebefore thepagewaslastupdated.Moredetailedprocessorinformationisavailableonthe VirtualMachineOverviewpage.
104
VMware, Inc.
ThevalueintheRAMcolumnindicatestheaverageamountofmemorythevirtual machineusedduringthefinalminutebeforethepagewaslastupdated.More memoryinformationisavailableontheVirtualMachineOverviewpage.
Using Common Controls

Thefollowinglinksappearonmostorallofthepagesinthemanagementinterface. RefreshThislinkrefreshesorreloadsthecurrentpage.Toavoidconflictswithother users,clickthisbuttonbeforeyouperformanoperationinthemanagementinterface likeshuttingdown,suspending,resuming,orpoweringonavirtualmachineor afteryouperformsuchanoperationinaconsole. HelpThislinkconnectsyoutotheonlinedocumentationforthecurrentpageinthe managementinterface. LogoutThislinklogsyouoffofthemanagementinterface.Youcanlogofffromthe StatusMonitorandOptionspagesonly.ClickLogouttoreturntotheLoginpage.See LoggingOfftheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 111. CloseThislinkclosesthecurrentmanagementinterfacewindow.
Configuring a Virtual Machine

Toseemoreinformationaboutaparticularvirtualmachineandtomodifyits configuration,clickthelinktothatvirtualmachineintheDisplayNamecolumnonthe StatusMonitorpage.TheVirtualMachineOverviewpageappearsinanewbrowser window.
TheVirtualMachineOverviewpagecontainsthesedetailsaboutthevirtualmachine:
VMware, Inc.
105
Thecurrentpowerstateofthevirtualmachinewhetheritispoweredon, poweredoff,orsuspended. TheprocessIDofthevirtualmachine. TheVMIDofthevirtualmachine,whichistheVMwareServerversionofthePID forarunningvirtualmachine. Theminimum,maximum,andaveragepercentageofVMwareServerhost processorcapacitythatthevirtualmachineusedinthepreviousminute. Theminimum,maximum,andaverageamountofVMwareServerhostmemory thatthevirtualmachineusedinthepreviousminute. Howlongthevirtualmachinehasbeenrunning. ThestatusofVMwareToolswhetherVMwareToolsisinstalledandrunning. Theaveragepercentageofheartbeatsreceivedbyavirtualmachineduringthe previousminute.SeeMonitoringtheVirtualMachinesHeartbeatonpage 104. TheIPaddressofthevirtualmachine. Linkstoeditstandardconfigurationoptions.ClickOptionstoeditthevirtual machinesstandardconfigurationoptions.TheOptionspageappears.Tochange mostoptions,youmustpoweroffthevirtualmachine. Theguestoperatingsysteminstalledinthevirtualmachine. Thenumberofvirtualprocessorsinthevirtualmachine. Theamountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine. ThepathtothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileontheVMwareServerhost.
! !
! ! !
! !
! ! ! !
Activitiesyoucanperformwhenviewingavirtualmachinesdetailsinclude:
! ! !
ModifyingtheConfigurationFileDirectly(AdvancedUsersOnly)onpage 107 ViewingaListofConnectedUsersonpage 109 ViewingaLogofaVirtualMachinesEventsonpage 110
106
VMware, Inc.
Changing Configuration Options

Tochangeanystandardvirtualmachineconfigurationoptions,completethefollowing steps. 1 PoweroffthevirtualmachineandclickEdit.TheOptionsConfigurationpage appears. NOTE Youcanchangethedisplaynamewhenthevirtualmachineisrunning.
2 3
Tochangethedisplayname,typethenewnameintheDisplayNamefield. Tochangetheguestoperatingsystem(forexample,ifyouareupgradingtheguest operatingsysteminstalledinthevirtualmachine),selectthenewguestoperating systemfromtheGuestOperatingSystemlist. Tochangethelocationofthesuspendedstatefile,typethepathtothedirectoryon thehostintheSuspendFileLocationfield. Tochangewhetherloggingisenabledforthevirtualmachine,check(toenable)or clear(todisable)theEnableLoggingcheckbox. Tochangewhetherthevirtualmachineisrunningwithdebugginginformation, check(toenable)orclear(todisable)theRunwithDebuggingInformationcheck box. ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethewindow.
4 5 6
Modifying the Configuration File Directly (Advanced Users Only)

Toaddorchangeavirtualmachinesconfigurationoptionthatcannotbeaccessedfrom elsewhereinthemanagementinterface,editthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile (.vmx)fromtheOptionstab.
VMware, Inc.
107
CAUTION
Youshouldnotaddorchangeanyoptionsinyourconfigurationfile unlessyouhavebeengivenspecificinstructionsaboutanoptionin anotherpartoftheuserdocumentation,orifyouareworkingwith VMwaresupporttosolveanissuewithyourvirtualmachine.
Toaddanoptiontotheconfigurationfile,makesureyouareloggedontothe managementinterfaceasthevirtualmachineuserorasauserwiththeproper permissionstomodifythisvirtualmachine(suchastheAdministratororrootuser), andcompletethefollowingsteps.Makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff. 1 UnderVerboseOptions,clicktheclickherelink.TheOptionspageappears.
2 3 4 5
ClickAdd. Apromptappears.Enteranamefortheoption,thenclickOK. Anotherpromptappears.Enteravalueforoptionyouspecified,thenclickOK. ClickOKintheOptionspagetosavethechangetotheconfigurationfile.
108
VMware, Inc.
Tochangeanoptionintheconfigurationfile,completethefollowingsteps. 1 2 3 UnderVerboseOptions,clicktheclickherelink.TheOptionspageappears. Locatetheoptionyouwanttochange,thenchangethevalueintheentryfieldto therightoftheoption. ClickOKtosaveyourchangeandclosetheOptionspage.
Viewing a List of Connected Users

ToseealistofuserswhoareconnectedtoavirtualmachinewithaconsoleorVMware ScriptingAPI,clicktheUsersandEventstab.
ThelistunderRemoteConsoleConnectionsidentifiesanyusersconnectedtothe virtualmachinewithaconsoleorVMwareScriptingAPI.Thelistincludesthetimeand IPaddressfromwhichtheuserconnectedtothevirtualmachineandthestatusofthe usersactivity. NOTE Youcandeterminewhichusersareconnectedtoarunningvirtualmachine fromtheconsole;chooseVM>ConnectedUsers.
ThelistunderPermissionsindicateswhatyoucandowiththevirtualmachine.You areeitherallowedordeniedthefollowingabilities:
! !
Viewingvirtualmachinestatus. Modifyingthevirtualmachinesconfiguration.
VMware, Inc.
109
Controllingthevirtualmachinepoweringitonoroff,suspendingorresuming it.
Viewing a Log of a Virtual Machines Events

Alogofthe15mostrecentvirtualmachineeventsisavailable.ClicktheUsersand Eventstab.TheUsersandEventspageappears.
TheEventslistdisplaysalogofthemostrecentactionsoreventsrecordedinthevirtual machine,suchasthequestionsVMwareServerasks,anyerrorsandthepoweringon oroffthevirtualmachine.Eventsappearinreversechronologicalorder;thatis,the mostrecenteventsappearfirstinthelist. Theeventlogdrawsitsdatafromthelogfileforthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile. Thelogfileisstored,bydefault,inthevirtualmachinesdirectory.OnaWindowshost, thisdirectoryis<installdrive>:\Virtual Machines\<guestOS>.OnaLinuxhost,this directoryis/var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines/<guestOS>. SometimesyouseeawaitingforinputmessageappearsasalinkintheDisplayName column.Thislinkappearswhenyouperformanactioninthemanagementinterface thatpromptsthevirtualmachinetogenerateamessage;youmustrespondtothe messagebeforethevirtualmachinecanproceed.Whenyouclickthatlink,aprompt appears,whereyoucanenteraresponse.Afteryouprovideyouranswer,theprompt closes.YourresponseappearsintheEventslist. Thelogshowsthedateandtimetheeventoccurredandanexplanationoftheevent. Someeventshaveasymbolassociatedwiththemthatcorrespondstothetypeofevent thatoccurred.
110
VMware, Inc.
Thistypeofeventindicatesthevirtualmachinegeneratedaquestionorwarning. Thistypeofeventindicatesanerroroccurredinthevirtualmachine. NOTE OnWindowshosts,thehostoperatingsystemsEventViewertracksvirtual machinepowerstatechanges,VMwareServermessagesandanswersto promptsthatappearinthevirtualmachine.Formoreinformation,see LoggingVMwareServerEventsonWindowsonpage 94.
The Apache Server and the VMware Management Interface

OnVMwareServerforLinuxhosts,anApacheserverisinstalledwiththemanagement interface.Listedherearethecommandstostart,stopandrestarttheApacheserver. Inordertousethesecommands,youmustfirstlogonasroot(su -),thenopena terminalsession. TostarttheApacheserver,type /etc/init.d/httpd.vmware start TostoptheApacheserver,type /etc/init.d/httpd.vmware stop TorestarttheApacheserver,type /etc/init.d/httpd.vmware restart
Logging Off the VMware Management Interface

WhenyouarereadytologoffoftheVMwareManagementInterface,clickLogouton theStatusMonitororOptionspage.Youarepromptedtoconfirmthatyouwanttolog off.Loggingoffofthemanagementinterfacedoesnotaffectthevirtualmachinesonthe hostoranyconsolesyouopenedfromthemanagementinterface. VMwareManagementInterfacesessionsexpireautomaticallyafter60minutesof inactivityoridletime.Tochangethesessionlength,seeSettingtheSessionLengthfor theVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 99.
Deleting Virtual Machines

YoucandeleteavirtualmachineonlyifyouaretheAdministratororrootuser.You mightdeleteavirtualmachineifitisnolongerneededorifyouneedtofreeupdisk spaceonyourhost. Whenyoudeleteavirtualmachine,thefilesassociatedwithitthatis,allfileslocated inthesamedirectoryandthevirtualmachinesdirectoryaredeleted.Thefiles
VMware, Inc.
111
includethevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile(.vmx),logfile,nvramfile,suspended statefileandsnapshotfile. Anyvirtualdisksthatareassociatedwithanothervirtualmachineonthehostarenot deleted.Thedirectorycontainingthesefilesisnotdeleted. YoudeletevirtualmachinesfromtheVMwareServerConsoleonly.TheVMware ManagementInterfaceonVMwareServerdoesnotsupportdeletingvirtualmachines. Formoreinformation,seeDeletingaVirtualMachineUsingtheVMwareServer Consoleonpage 112.
Deleting a Virtual Machine Using the VMware Server Console

Tousetheconsoletodeleteavirtualmachine,makesurethevirtualmachineis poweredoff.Selectthevirtualmachineusingeitherthetabatthetopoftheconsoleor fromtheinventorylistandchooseVM>DeletefromDisk.Youarepromptedto confirmyouraction.ClickYestodeletethevirtualmachine.
Configuring the VMware Server Host

ConfiguringtheVMwareServerhostinvolves:
! ! ! ! !
SecuringRemoteConnectionswithSSLonpage 112 ConfiguringStartupandShutdownOptionsforVirtualMachinesonpage 113 SettingUserPreferencesfortheVMwareServerHostonpage 117 SettingGlobalPreferencesforVMwareServeronpage 123 SettingMIMETypetoLaunchtheVMwareServerConsoleonpage 128
Securing Remote Connections with SSL

VMwareManagementInterfacesessionsandVMwareServerConsoleconnectionsare securedwithSSL.FormoreinformationaboutSSL,seeSecuringYourRemote Sessionsonpage 90. YoucanenableSSLforconsoleconnectionsfromtheconsoleitself.Fordetails,see EnablingSSLforVMwareServerConsoleConnectionsonpage 125. ToconfigureSSLfromthemanagementinterface,completethefollowingsteps. 1 2 LogontotheVMwareManagementInterfaceastheAdministrator(VMware ServerforWindowshosts)orrootuser(VMwareServerforLinuxhosts). OntheStatusMonitorpage,clicktheOptionstab.TheOptionspageappears.
112
VMware, Inc.
ClickSecuritySettings.TheSecuritySettingspageappears.
4 5
Tosecureyourmanagementinterfacesessions,checktheUseSecureSockets Layer(SSL)toencryptmanagementinterfacesessionscheckbox. Tosecureyourconsoleconnections,checktheUseSecureSocketsLayer(SSL)to encryptremoteconsoleconnectionscheckbox. NOTE IfyouchangetheSSLsettingforthemanagementinterface,thesystem automaticallylogsyouoffandmustlogonagain.
Tosaveyoursettings,clickOK. WhenSSLisenabled,alockiconappearsinthestatusbarofthebrowserrunning theVMwareManagementInterface,andinthestatusbaroftheVMwareServer Consolewindow,unlesstheconsoleisconnectedtoavirtualmachineonthelocal host. AfteryouchangeyourSSLsettingforthemanagementinterface,youare promptedtoacceptthesecuritycertificateinyourbrowserthenexttimeyoulog ontothemanagementinterface.
Configuring Startup and Shutdown Options for Virtual Machines

Youcanconfigureyourhosttodetermineifvirtualmachinesstartuporshutdown whenthehostoperatingsystemstartsorshutsdown. Youcansetadelayfromthetimeonevirtualmachinestartsorstopsuntilthenextone startsorstops.Thisdelayhelpstopreventoverburdeningthehost,sincesignificant
VMware, Inc.
113
processorandmemoryarecapacitiesrequiredtosimultaneouslystartorstopmultiple guestoperatingsystems. Youcandeterminetheglobalorderinwhichvirtualmachinesstartandstop. Thehostisconfiguredtostartandstopvirtualmachinesautomaticallybydefault.You cancustomizetheglobalsettingsandvirtualmachinespecificsettings.Tocustomize thesesettingsforavirtualmachine,seePoweringVirtualMachinesOnandOff. Thesystemwidevirtualmachinestartupandshutdownoptionsinclude:

!
StartUpandShutDownVirtualMachinesdetermineswhetherornotvirtual machinesarestartedandstoppedwiththesystem.Ifenabled,defaultstartupand shutdownpoliciesareappliedtoallvirtualmachinesonyoursystem(whereno virtualmachinesarepoweredonwhenthehoststartsandallvirtualmachinesare shutdownwhenthehostshutsdown);youcancustomizeeachvirtualmachines startupandshutdownpolicies. Ifthisoptionisdisabled,youcannotsetstartupandshutdownpoliciesforany virtualmachinesonyoursystem.
ContinueStartingVirtualMachinesAftersetstheamountoftimeVMware Serverwaitsafterstartingonevirtualmachinebeforestartinganothervirtual machine.YoucansetthissothatVMwareServerdoesnotwaitbeforestartingthe nextvirtualmachine,waitsacertainnumberofminutesbeforestartingorstarts whenVMwareToolsstartsinthecurrentvirtualmachine. AttempttoContinueStoppingVirtualMachinesAftersetstheamountoftime VMwareServerwaitsafterstoppingonevirtualmachinebeforestoppinganother virtualmachine.YoucansetthissothatVMwareServerdoesnotwaitbefore stoppingeachvirtualmachineorwaitsacertainnumberofminutesbefore stoppingeachvirtualmachine.
Enabling the Systems Configuration Settings

Toenablethesystemwideconfigurationsettingsforvirtualmachines,completethe followingsteps. 1 2 LogontotheVMwareManagementInterfaceastheAdministrator(VMware ServerforWindowshosts)orrootuser(VMwareServerforLinuxhosts). OntheStatusMonitorpage,clicktheOptionstab.TheOptionspageappears.
114
VMware, Inc.
ClickVirtualMachineStartupandShutdown.TheVirtualMachineStartupand Shutdownpageappears.
UnderSystemConfiguration,clickEdit.TheSystemStartupandShutdown Defaultspageappears.
Toenablesystemwidestartupandshutdownpolicies,checktheStartUpand ShutDownVirtualMachinescheckbox.
VMware, Inc.
115
ToconfigurewhenVMwareServershouldstartthenextvirtualmachineaftera virtualmachinestarts,dooneorbothofthefollowing:
!
Tospecifyaperiodoftimebeforethenextvirtualmachinestarts,inthe ContinueStartingVirtualMachinesAfterlist,eitherchoosethenumberof minutestowaitorindicatethatVMwareServershouldnotwaitbefore startingthenextvirtualmachine.IfyouselectOther,specifythenumberof minutestowaitinthepromptthatappears.Itisagoodideatosetadelay betweenstartingvirtualmachines,asadelayavoidsplacinganundueburden onthehostprocessorsandmemory. TospecifythatVMwareToolsshouldstartinavirtualmachinebeforethenext virtualmachinestarts,checkwhenVMwareToolsstarts.IfVMwareTools doesnotstartinthevirtualmachinebeforethetimespecifiedintheContinue StartingVirtualMachinesAfterlistelapses,VMwareServerstartsthenext virtualmachine.
ToconfigurewhenVMwareServershouldstopthenextvirtualmachineaftera virtualmachinestops,intheAttempttoContinueStoppingOtherVirtual MachinesAfterlist,eitherchoosethenumberofminutestowaitorindicatethat VMwareServershouldnotwaitbeforestartingthenextvirtualmachine.Ifyou selectOther,specifythenumberofminutestowaitinthepromptthatappears.It isagoodideatosetadelaybetweenstoppingvirtualmachines,asadelayavoids placinganundueburdenonthehostprocessorsandmemory. ClickOKtosaveyoursettings. ClickCloseWindowtoreturntothemanagementinterfacesOptionspage.
8 9
Specifying the Order in Which Virtual Machines Start

Onceyousetwhetherornotvirtualmachinesshouldstartandstopwiththesystem, youcansettheorderinwhichthevirtualmachinesstartandstop.Settingthesequence allowsyoutospecifythepositionofagivenvirtualmachineinthesystemwidestartup andshutdownsequence.Ifasequenceissetforavirtualmachine,thevirtualmachine startsandstopsinofthefollowingorders:
!
SpecifiedOrderliststhevirtualmachinesintheorderinwhichtheyare configuredtostartandstop. AnyOrderliststhevirtualmachinesspecifiedtostartandstopinanyorder.
Youcannotspecifythestartuporderforavirtualmachineifitisconfiguredtorunas theuserwhopowersiton.Thevirtualmachinemustbeconfiguredtorunasthelocal systemaccountorasaspecificuser.
116
VMware, Inc.
Editing the Startup Sequence for Virtual Machines

Toeditthestartupsequenceforvirtualmachines,clickEditunderStartupSequence. TheVirtualMachineStartupSequenceconfigurationpageappearsanddisplaysthe virtualmachinesonyoursystem. Tospecifythestartuporderforthevirtualmachinesonthehost,selectthecheckbox nexttooneormoremachines.Onceyouselectavirtualmachine,navigationarrows highlight,allowingyoutomovemachinesbetweenthethreelists.Virtualmachinescan besettooneofthefollowingoptions:
!
Otherliststhevirtualmachinesthatareconfiguredtousethedefaultstartand stoppolicieswhenthesystemstartsupandshutsdown. SpecifiedOrderliststhevirtualmachinesintheorderinwhichtheyare configuredtostart.Theorderinwhichthevirtualmachinesstopisthereverseof theorderinwhichtheystart,sothelastvirtualmachinetostartwhenthesystem startsupisthefirsttostopwhenthesystemshutsdown.Tospecifythestartup order,selectmachinesandusethearrowstomovethemupordownwithinthelist. AnyOrderliststhevirtualmachinesthatareconfiguredtostartandstopinany order.Movevirtualmachinestothiscategoryifyouwantthemtostartandstop withthesystem,butyoudonotwanttosettheorderforthem.Thevirtual machinesinthiscategorydonotstartorstopuntilallthevirtualmachineslisted intheSpecifiedOrderlisthavestartedorstopped.
Disabling the Systems Configuration Settings

Todisablethesystemwideconfigurationsettings,completethefollowingsteps. 1 OntheVirtualMachineStartupandShutdownpage,underSystem Configuration,clickEdit.TheSystemStartupandShutdownDefaultspage appears. CleartheStartUpandShutDownVirtualMachinescheckbox,thenclickOK. ClickCloseWindowtoreturntothemanagementinterfacesOptionspage.
2 3
Setting User Preferences for the VMware Server Host

ThePreferencesdialogboxallowsyoutochangeanumberofsettingsthatapplytoall virtualmachinesrunninginaconsole.Thesesettingsapplytotheusercurrentlylogged ontothehostcomputer.Thesettingsdonotaffectsettingsmadebyanyotheruser whenthatuserisloggedontothehost.Thesesettingscanbechangedbyregularusers, aswellasrootandAdministratorusers.
VMware, Inc.
117
Tochangethesesettings,chooseEdit>Preferences.ThePreferencesdialogbox appears.
Setting Workspace Preferences

TheWorkspacetabletsyoudeterminewhetheranyvirtualmachinesappearinthe virtualmachinedisplayeachtimeyouopenaconsole.OnaWindowshost,youcan specifywhetheranyhostandusernamesappearintheconsoleLogindialogboxwhen youconnect. OnbothWindowsandLinuxhosts,youcanspecifyhowoftenVMwareServershould checkforsoftwareupdates.ThedefaultisWeekly.FromtheCheckforUpdates dropdownlist,youcanselectDaily,Weekly,orMonthly.
IfyouselecttheRememberopenedvirtualmachinesbetweensessionscheckbox,you seeatabforeachopenedvirtualmachineinthevirtualmachinedisplaythenexttime youopenaconsole.Avirtualmachineisconsideredopenedifbothofthefollowing conditionsaretrue:

! !
Thevirtualmachinewasleftopen. Thevirtualmachinewaspoweredonandoff,orpoweredonandsuspended.
IfyouselecttheRemembervisitedhostsbetweensessionscheckbox,thenameofany VMwareServerhosttowhichyouconnectedinapreviousconsolesessionappearsin theconsolesLogindialogbox.Toclearthelistofrememberedhosts,clickClearHost List. IfyouselecttheRememberusernamesbetweensessionscheckbox,anyusernames youusedwhenyouconnectedduringpreviousconsolesessionsappearintheconsoles Logindialogbox.Toclearthelistofrememberedusernames,clickClearUserNames List.
118
VMware, Inc.
Configuring VMware Server to Check for Software Updates

YoucanconfigureVMwareServertocheckwhetherupdatesfortheproductare available.IfyouconfigureVMwareServertocheckforupdates,andanupdateis available,theconsoledisplaysamessagewhenyoulaunchit.Youcancheckmanually atanytimebychoosingHelp>CheckforUpdatesontheWeb. ChooseEdit>Preferences>Workspace.SelecttheintervalintheCheckforsoftware updatesdropdownlist. Youcansettheintervaltonever,daily,weekly,ormonthly. OnaLinuxhostonly,youcanalsocheckforsoftwareupdatesatanytimebyclicking CheckNow. IfyouarerunningVMwareServeronaWindowshostbehindaproxyserver,make sureyourbrowserisconfiguredtoconnecttotheInternetthroughyourproxyserver. IfyouarerunningVMwareServeronaLinuxhostbehindaproxyserver,makesure youconfigurehttp_proxywiththenameoftheproxyserverandtheportnumberthe proxyserveruses.
Changing Your Input Settings

TheInputtabletsyouadjustthewaythatthevirtualmachinecapturescontrolofthe keyboardandmouse.
NOTE
TheGrabwhencursorenterswindowoptionallowsyoutomovethemouse pointerbackintothevirtualmachinewindoweasilyifyouhavebeenworking inthevirtualmachineandtemporarilymovedthemousepointeroutsidethe virtualmachinewindow.ThemousepointerisgrabbedonlywhenVMware Serverhasfocus(istheactiveapplication).Ifyoureleasethemousepointerby pressingahotkeycombinationthedefaultisCtrlAltyoumustclick insidethevirtualmachinewindowtomakeVMwareServergrabthemouse pointeragain.
VMware, Inc.
119
Theinputsettingsyoucanspecifyinclude:
!
GrabkeyboardandmouseinputonmouseclickVMwareServertakescontrol ofthekeyboardandthemouseafterthefirstprimarymousebuttonclickinthe virtualmachineconsolewindow. GrabkeyboardandmouseinputonkeypressVMwareServertakescontrolof thekeyboardandthemouseafterthefirstkeystroke.Thefirstkeystrokeissentto thevirtualmachine.Whenthevirtualmachineconsolewindowisactiveandthis optionisselected,youcannotusethenormalapplicationandsystemaccelerator keysequences. Ungrabwhencursorleaveswindowthemousepointerbecomesthemouse pointerofyourhostoperatingsystemwhenthemousepointerexitsthevirtual machineconsolewindow.Thisoptiondoesnotapplywhenthevirtualmachineis infullscreenmode.Usethisoptiontotransitionseamlesslybetweenthevirtual machineandyourhostoperatingsystem. Hidecursoronungrabthemousepointeroftheguestoperatingsystemis hiddenwhenyourmouseiscontrollingthepointerofthehostoperatingsystem. Thisoptionisparticularlyusefulwhenyourguestoperatingsystemandyourhost operatingsystemareidentical:iteliminatestheconfusionofhavingtothinkabout whichofthetwoidenticalpointersmoveswhenyoumoveyourmouse. Grabwhencursorenterswindowthemousepointerbecomesthemouse pointerofyourguestoperatingsystemwhenthemousepointerentersthevirtual machineconsolewindow.Thisoptiondoesnotapplywhenthevirtualmachineis infullscreenmode. Enablecopyandpastetoandfromvirtualmachineusethisoptionforcopying andpastingtextbetweenthehostandthevirtualmachineandamongvirtual machines.Theclipboardsofthetwooperatingsystemscommunicatewitheach other.Whenthemousepointerofyourguestoperatingsystemexitstheconsole window,thecontentsoftheguestoperatingsystemclipboardarecopiedintothe hostoperatingsystemclipboard.Similarly,eachtimethemousepointerofyour hostoperatingsystemisgrabbedbytheconsolewindow,thecontentsofthehost operatingsystemclipboardarecopiedintotheguestoperatingsystemclipboard. NOTE Atthistime,youcannotcopyandpastebetweenRedHatLinux7.0 through7.3andWindows2000.Itdoesnotmatterwhichoperating systemistheguestandwhichisthehost.
120
VMware, Inc.
NOTE
Thebestwaytounderstandthecursoroptionsistoplaywiththemforawhile. Theydescribehowthemousepointershouldbehavewhenyouarein windowedmode;thatis,thevirtualmachineisinaconsolewindow,notin fullscreenmode,andyoucanseeyourhostoperatingsystemsdesktop.
Setting Hot Key Preferences

UsetheHotKeytabtochangewhichcombinationofkeys(theCtrl,Alt,andShiftkeys incombinationwithotherkeys)arepassedtotheguestoperatingsystemorare interceptedbyVMwareServer.
Youcanconstructyourowncustomhotkeycombinationif,forexample,thedefault Ctrl+Altcombinationconflictswithanotherapplicationonthehostthatprocessesthe samehotkeycombination. Forexample,youmaywanttochangehotkeycombinationsfromCtrlAlt<key>to CtrlShiftAlt<key>topreventVMwareServerfrominterceptingCtrlAltDelete insteadoflettingthekeycombinationbesenttotheguestoperatingsystem. Or,youmaybeusingPCAnywheretoconnecttoamachinerunningaconsole.Thethe consoleisconnectedtoavirtualmachinerunninginfullscreenmode,andyouwantto runadifferentapplication.Normally,toreturntowindowmode,youpressCtrlAlt, butPCAnywhereprocessesCtrlAltkeycombinations,soVMwareServercannot receivethekeycombination.Thus,youneedtouseanalternatehotkeycombinationto getoutoffullscreenmode.
VMware, Inc.
121
NOTE
BecauseCtrlAltisthekeycombinationthattellsVMwareServertorelease (ungrab)mouseandkeyboardinput,combinationsthatincludeCtrlAltare notpassedtotheguestoperatingsystem.Ifyouneedtousesucha combinationforexample,CtrlAlt<Fkey>toswitchbetweenLinux workspacesinavirtualmachinepressCtrlAltSpace,releaseSpace withoutreleasingCtrlandAlt,thenpressthethirdkeyofthekeycombination youwanttosendtotheguest.
Youcanalsoconstructyourowncustomhotkeycombination.SelectCustom,then selectthecombinationofCtrl,AltandShiftkeys.Youspecifywhethereachkeyis:
! ! !
Downwhereyoumustpressthekeydownaspartofthekeycombination. Upwhereyoumustleavethekeyunpressedaspartofthekeycombination. Eitherwhereitdoesnotmatterifyoupressthekey.
Setting Display Preferences

OnbothLinuxandWindowshosts,theDisplaytabletsyouadjustthewayinwhich theconsoleandthehostdisplayaccommodateadifferentguestoperatingsystem resolution.
UseAutofitpreferencestocontrolhowtheconsolewindowbehaveswhenAutofitis active.ChecktheAutofitwindowboxtohaveVMwareServerchangetheconsole windowsizetomatchtheguestoperatingsystemresolution.Thisisthesameas choosingView>AutofitWindow.ChecktheAutofitguestboxtohaveVMware Serverchangetheguestoperatingsystemdisplayresolutiontomatchtheconsole windowsize.ThisisthesameaschoosingView>AutofitGuest. OnLinuxhostsonly,theDisplaytabalsoletsyouconfigurethedisplaysettingsofthe hostandguestwhenyouenterfullscreenmode.
122
VMware, Inc.
Setting Global Preferences for VMware Server

TheHostSettingsdialogboxallowsyoutochangeanumberofsettingsthatapplyto VMwareServer. Tochangethesesettings,chooseHost>Settings.Youmustbeeithertherootor Administratorusertochangethesesettings.
Specifying Where Virtual Machines Are Created

UsetheGeneraltabtospecifythedefaultlocationwhereallvirtualmachinesonthis hostarecreated. ThedirectoryVMwareServerusesbydefaultisdisplayedunderDefaultlocationfor virtualmachines.Tosetadifferentdirectory,typeinthepathorclickBrowseto navigatetothedirectoryyouwanttouse.VMwareServercreatesadirectoryforeach newvirtualmachineunderthedirectoryyouspecifyhere. OnaWindowshost,thedefaultfolderwherenewvirtualmachinesarestoredis <installdrive>:\Virtual Machines. OnaLinuxhost,thedefaultlocationwherenewvirtualmachinesarestoredis /var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines.
Reserving Host Memory for Virtual Machines

SelecttheMemorytabtoadjusttheamountofmemoryreservedforallrunningvirtual machines. ThesettingsontheMemorytabappliesnomatterwhatvirtualmachineisrunningor whoisloggedontothehostcomputer. Formoreinformationaboutmemoryandvirtualmachines,seeUnderstanding MemoryUsageonpage 154andAllocatingMemorytoaVirtualMachine.
Adjusting Priorities for Virtual Machine Processes (Windows Hosts Only)

VMwareServerforWindowsgivesyoutheoptiontosettheprioritythattheWindows processschedulergivestoyourvirtualmachineswhenmouseandkeyboardinputare goingtoaparticularvirtualmachineandwheninputisnotgoingtothatvirtual machine. Youcanadjustthesesettingstoimproveoverallsystemperformancebasedonthe relativepriorityofworkyouaredoinginvariousvirtualmachinesandonthehost computer.
VMware, Inc.
123
ThesettingsonthePrioritytabapplytoallvirtualmachinesfortheusercurrently loggedontothehostcomputer.Theprioritysettingsdonotaffectprioritysettings madebyanyotheruseronthecomputer. ThissettingisnotavailableonaLinuxhost. Tosetprioritypreferences,intheHostSettingsdialogbox,clickthePrioritytab. Theprioritysettingshereareusedbyallvirtualmachinesunlessavirtualmachine configurationoverridestheglobalsettingwithalocalsetting.Tochangethelocal settingforaparticularvirtualmachine,andoverridetheglobalsettings,openthe virtualmachineyouwanttoadjust,chooseVM>Settings,clicktheOptionstab,select Advanced,thenusethedropdownlistsunderProcessprioritiestomakethesetting youwantforthatvirtualmachine. Therearethreepossibleprocessschedulingpriorities:low,normalandhigh.The typicalprocessonthehostrunsatnormalpriority.Ifyousetthepriorityofthevirtual machinetolow,thatvirtualmachinehaslowerprioritythanotherprocessesonthe host.Ifyousetthepriorityofthevirtualmachinetonormal,thatvirtualmachine contendswithalltheprocessesonthehost.Ifyousetthevirtualmachinepriorityto high,thatvirtualmachinegetspriorityoverotherprocessesonthehost. VMwareServergivesyoutheoptiontoautomaticallychangetheprocessscheduling prioritythatapplieswhenthevirtualmachinegrabsandungrabskeyboardandmouse input.Formoreinformationongrabbingandungrabbinginput,seeChangingYour InputSettingsonpage 119. Thefourpossibleprocessprioritiesare
!
highnormal:Wheninputisgrabbed,VMwareServergetspriorityoverother processesonthehost.Wheninputisnotgrabbed,VMwareServercontendswith alltheprocessesonthehost. highlow:Wheninputisgrabbed,VMwareServergetspriorityoverother processesonthehost.Wheninputisnotgrabbed,VMwareServerhaslower prioritythanotherprocessesonthehost. normalnormal:Wheninputisgrabbed,VMwareServercontendswithallthe processesonthehost.Wheninputisnotgrabbed,VMwareServercontendswith alltheprocessesonthehost. normallow:Wheninputisgrabbed,VMwareServercontendswithallthe processesonthehost.Wheninputisnotgrabbed,VMwareServerhaslower prioritythanotherprocessesonthehost.
VMwareServerdefaultstoprocessprioritynormalnormal.
124
VMware, Inc.
Configuring Virtual Machines to Take and Revert to Snapshots

Youcanconfigureyourvirtualmachinetotakeandreverttosnapshotsinthe background.IntheVMwareServerConsoleforWindowsandLinuxhosts,gotothe Host>Settings>Prioritytabtoenablethisoption.Formoreinformation,goto SnapshotActionsasBackgroundActivityintheVMwareServerVirtualMachineGuide.
Enabling SSL for VMware Server Console Connections

SelecttheConnectionstabtoenableSSLforconsoleconnectionsoveranetwork. ToenableSSLforconsoleconnectionsfromtheconsole,ontheConnectionstab,check theUseSSLforConsolecommunicationscheckbox.
FormoreinformationaboutSSL,seeSecuringYourRemoteSessionsonpage 90.
Creating Network Labels

BeginningwiththeRC1release,VMwareServersupportsusingVMwareVirtual CentertomanagethevirtualmachinesonyourVMwareServerhosts.Touse VirtualCenteryoumustcreatelabelsforeachvirtualnetworkadapter.VirtualCenter useslabelstoidentifywhichvirtualnetworkadapterisassociatedwithwhichphysical network. Eachvirtualnetworkadapterneedsalabel:
!
Toavoidconfusioninamultiplehost,multiplenetworkenvironment.Thisisthe typicalVirtualCenterenvironment.VirtualCentercanmanagevirtualmachineson multipleVMwareServerhosts. ToletyoumigratevirtualmachinesbetweenVirtualCenterhosts.Virtualmachines canbemigratedfromhostsonthesamenetworkonly.Thelabelensuresthat VirtualCenterknowstowhichnetworkthevirtualmachineisconnected. ToletyoucreatevirtualmachinesfromtheVirtualCenterclient.

125
VMware, Inc.
Toletyoueditthevirtualnetworkconfigurationofanexistingvirtualmachine fromtheVirtualCenterclient. NOTE IfyouconfigurevirtualmachinesfromtheVirtualCenterclient,you cannottakeadvantageofVMwareServerfeatureslikesnapshots.
Iftheadapterhasnolabel,VirtualCentercannotrecognizetheadapter.Ifavirtual machineisconfiguredforanetworknamethatdoesnotexist,thevirtualnetwork adapterisdisconnectedwhenyoupoweronthevirtualmachine. YoucancreatelabelsfortheexistingdefaultvirtualnetworkadapterslikeVMnet0, thedefaultbridgednetworkadapter,orVMnet8,thedefaultNATadapter.You configuretheadaptersinVMwareServer.Youcanconfigureeachadapterwith bridged,hostonly,NATorcustomnetworking.Thetypeofnetworkingconfiguration isirrelevanttoVirtualCenter.VirtualCenterisconcernedwiththenetworklabelonly. NOTE TocreateandmanageallyourvirtualmachinesfromtheVirtualCenterclient, youshouldassignuniquelabelstoeachhostonlyadapteronaVMware Serverhost.Thisway,youcaneasilyidentifyonwhichhosteachhostonly networkresides.However,ifyouhaveaVMwareServerhostwhereallthe virtualmachinesusehostonlynetworking,youcoulddecidetonotgivethe hostonlyadapteranetworklabel.
Forinformationonconfiguringnewvirtualnetworkadapters,seeAddingand ModifyingVirtualNetworkAdapters. FormoreinformationonmanagingVMwareServervirtualmachineswith VirtualCenter,seeUsingVirtualCentertoManageVirtualMachinesonpage 131. Afteryourvirtualnetworkadaptersareconfiguredtoyourliking,createlabelsforeach adaptersoVirtualCentercancorrectlymanagethevirtualmachinesonthehost.
126
VMware, Inc.
Creating Network Labels from the VMware Server Console

TocreatenetworklabelsforvirtualmachinesmanagedbyVirtualCenter,completethe followingstepsinaconsole. 1 2 ConnecttotheVMwareServerhostwithaconsole,thenchooseHost>Settings. TheHostSettingsdialogboxappears. ClicktheNamedNetworkstab.
NOTE
IftheNamedNetworkstabdoesnotappearintheHostSettingsdialog box,thentheVMwareServerhosthasnotbeendiscoveredby VirtualCenter.ForinformationaboutaddingaVMwareServerhostto VirtualCenter,seeyourVirtualCenterdocumentation.
3 4
Toaddalabel,clickAdd.TheAddNamedNetworkdialogboxappears. SelectthevirtualnetworkadapterfromtheAdapterlist.OnaWindowshost,ifan adapterisconfiguredforbridged,hostonlyorNATnetworking,itsnetworking typeisindicatednexttotheadaptername. EnterthenameofthelabelintheLabelentryfield. ClickOKtoaddthelabel,thenclickOKtosaveyourchanges.
5 6
Creating Network Labels from the VMware Management Interface

TocreatenetworklabelsforvirtualmachinesmanagedbyVirtualCenter,completethe followingstepsinthemanagementinterface. 1 LogontotheVMwareManagementInterfaceastheAdministrator(VMware ServerforWindowshosts)orrootuser(VMwareServerforLinuxhosts).For information,seeLoggingOntotheVMwareManagementInterfaceonpage 99. OntheStatusMonitorpage,clicktheOptionstab.TheOptionspageappears.
127
2
VMware, Inc.
ClickNetworkConnections.TheNetworkConnectionspageappears.
NOTE
IftheNetworkConnectionslinkdoesnotappearontheOptionspage, thentheVMwareServerhosthasnotbeendiscoveredbyVirtualCenter. ForinformationonaddingaVMwareServerhosttoVirtualCenter,see yourVirtualCenterdocumentation.
Foreachnetworkadapter,addalabelinthecorrespondingfieldunderNetwork Label.OnaWindowshost,ifanadapterisconfiguredforhostonlyorNAT networking,itsnetworkingtypeisindicatednexttotheadaptername. ClickOKtosaveyourchanges.
Setting MIME Type to Launch the VMware Server Console

FromtheVMwareManagementInterface,youcanconnecttoavirtualmachinefroma consolebyclickingtheterminalicon( )forthatvirtualmachine.Beforedoingso, somebrowsersmayrequireyoutodefineaMIMEtypeofx-vmware-server console andassociateitwiththeconsoleprogramfile.InternetExplorerisautomatically configuredwhenyouinstalltheconsole. TheprocedureforsettingaMIMEtypefortheconsoleissimilarforWindowsand Linuxhosts.Bothinvolvewritingashortscriptthatprovidesthecommandtolaunch theconsole.YoucanchoosetolaunchtheconsolethatwasinstalledwithVMware Serveroryoucanlaunchtheconsolethatwasinstalledfromafiledownloadedfrom themanagementinterface.
128
VMware, Inc.
NOTE
Youmaynotneedtocreateahelperfilemanuallyifyourbrowserprompts youtoassociateVMwareServerwiththefiletype.
Setting MIME Type for the VMware Server Console

1 Openatexteditoranddooneofthefollowing.
!
OnaWindowshost,writeashortbatchfilecalledvmwareserver-helper.bat. Thebatchfilemustcontainthefollowingline: "<path_to_vmwareserver>" -o "%1" wherethedefault<path_to_vmwareserver>is C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmware.exe OnaLinuxhost,writeashortshellscriptcalledvmware-vms-helper.sh.The shellscriptmustcontainthefollowingtwolines: #!/bin/sh "<path_to_vmware-vms>" -o $1 > /dev/null 2>&1; wherethedefault<path_to_vmware-vms>is/usr/bin/vmware.
Savethefileinalocationofyourchoice. NOTE OnaLinuxhost,changetothedirectorywhereyousavedthefileand giveyourselfpermissiontoexecutethefile.
chmod +x vmware-server-helper.sh 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Usethebrowsertoconnecttotheserveryouwanttomanage. Clicktheterminalicon( )forthevirtualmachineyouwanttoviewinaconsole.
Adialogboxaskswhatyouwanttodowiththefile.ClickAdvanced. IntheNewTypedialogbox,intheDescriptionoftypefield,typeVMware Server. IntheFileextensionfield,typexvm. IntheMIMEtypefield,typeapplication/x-vmware-server-console. IntheApplicationtousefield,typethepathtovmwareserver-helper.bator vmware-server-helper.sh. ClickOKtwice.Yourbrowserisnowsettolaunchtheconsolewhenyouclickthe terminaliconinthefuture.
VMware, Inc.
129
Setting MIME Type for VMware Server Console Installed from the Management Interface Download
1 Openatexteditoranddooneofthefollowing.
!
OnaWindowshost,writeashortbatchfilecalledvmwareConsole-helper.bat. Thebatchfilemustcontainthefollowingline: "<path_to_vmwareConsole>" -o "%1" wherethedefault<path_to_vmwareConsole>is C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server Console\vmware.exe OnaLinuxhost,writeashortshellscriptcalled vmware-server-console-helper.sh.Theshellscriptmustcontainthe followingtwolines: #!/bin/sh "<path_to_vmware-server-console>" -o $1 > /dev/null 2>&1; wherethedefault<path_to_vmware-server-console>is /usr/bin/vmware-server-console.
Savethefileinalocationofyourchoice. NOTE OnaLinuxhost,changetothedirectorywhereyousavedthefileand giveyourselfpermissiontoexecutethefile.
chmod +x vmware-server-console-helper.sh 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Usethebrowsertoconnecttotheserveryouwanttomanage. Clicktheterminalicon( )forthevirtualmachineyouwanttoviewinaconsole.
Adialogboxaskswhatyouwanttodowiththefile.ClickAdvanced. IntheNewTypedialogbox,intheDescriptionoftypefield,typeVMware Server Console. IntheFileextensionfield,typexvm. IntheMIMEtypefield,typeapplication/x-vmware-console. IntheApplicationtousefield,typethepathtovmwareConsole-helper.bator vvmware-server-console-helper.sh. ClickOKtwice.Yourbrowserisnowsettolaunchtheconsolewhenyouclickthe terminaliconinthefuture.
130
VMware, Inc.
Using VirtualCenter to Manage Virtual Machines

IfyouareusingVMwareVirtualCentertomanageyourVMwareServervirtual machines,youmusttakecertainstepsbeforeyoucancreatevirtualmachinesona VMwareServerhostfromaVirtualCenterclient.Inaddition,youneedtobeawareof certaindifferenceswhenyouconnecttoavirtualmachinefromaVirtualCenterclient. ForinformationaboutusingVirtualCenter,seetheVirtualCenterproduct documentationathttp://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/vc_pubs.html.
Creating Virtual Machines from a VirtualCenter Client

BeforeyoustartcreatingvirtualmachinesonaVMwareServerhostfroma VirtualCenterclient,completethefollowingtasks: 1 2 3 ConfirmVirtualCenterandVMwareServerareinstalledandoperatingcorrectly. LocatetheVMwareServerhostinVirtualCenter,andsupplythecredentialsfora useraccountontheVMwareServerhosttousewhenrunningvirtualmachines. CreatenetworklabelsforyournetworkadaptersontheVMwareServerhost. VirtualCenteruseslabelstoidentifywhichvirtualnetworkadapterisassociated withwhichphysicalnetwork.Forinformation,seeCreatingNetworkLabelson page 125. CreatethevirtualmachinesfromaVirtualCenterclient. NOTE IfyouarecreatingaRedHatEnterpriseLinux4virtualmachine,select OtherLinux2.6.xKernel.
Connecting to a Virtual Machine from a VirtualCenter Client

Ingeneral,whenavirtualmachineonaVMwareServerhostismanagedby VirtualCenter,itretainsallthefeaturesandfunctionalitythatVMwareServerprovides. However,whenyouconnecttoavirtualmachinefromaVirtualCenterclient,certain featuresaccessiblefromtheVMwareServerConsolearenotavailablefromtheconsole inaVirtualCenterclient. EventhoughsomefeaturesmightbeunavailablefromtheVirtualCenterclient,these featuresstillworkwiththevirtualmachinewhenconnectedwiththeVMwareServer Console.Theunavailableoptionsinclude:
!
SnapshotsareunavailableonaVirtualCenterclient.Snapshotsarenotavailable whenyouconnecttoaVMwareServervirtualmachinefromaVirtualCenterclient. IfyoutakeasnapshotofaVMwareServervirtualmachinewhenyouconnectto
VMware, Inc.
131
thevirtualmachinewithaVMwareServerConsole,andlaterconnecttothevirtual machinefromaVirtualCenterclient,thesnapshotstillexists. Youcannotupdate,remove,orreverttothecurrentsnapshot,ortakeanew snapshotwhenyouconnecttothevirtualmachinefromaVirtualCenterclient. Whenyouconnecttothevirtualmachinewithaconsole,youcaninteractwiththe snapshotagain.

!
VirtualmachinescreatedfromaVirtualCenterclientrunasaspecificuser account.AvirtualmachinecreatedfromaVirtualCenterclientcannotbe configuredtorunastheuserthatpowersiton.Yousupplytheuseraccount informationwhenyouaddtheVMwareServerhosttoVirtualCenter. VirtualmachinescreatedfromaVirtualCenterclientarenotprivate.Tomakethe virtualmachineavailableonlytotheVirtualCenteruseraccount,connecttothe virtualmachinewiththeVMwareServerConsoleandchangethesettingthere.For information,seeOnlyYouCanSeeVirtualMachinesYouCreateonpage 84. Youcannotspecifyanameforvirtualdiskfileswhenyoucreateavirtual machinefromaVirtualCenterclient.Thevirtualdiskfilesusethevirtualmachine nameasthebasisforthefilenames.YoucanusetheVMwareServerConsoleto createmorevirtualdiskswithfilenamesthatdonotreflectthevirtualmachine name. VirtualmachinescanuseonlytheDVD/CDROMdriveontheVMwareServer host.TousetheclientDVD/CDROMdriveonaremotesystem,connecttothe virtualmachinewiththeVMwareServerConsole. Youcannotbrowsearemotefilesystemwhenconnectedtothevirtualmachine fromaVirtualCenterclient.YouneedtoknowthepathtoafilesuchasanISO imageandmustenteritmanually.
132
VMware, Inc.
Moving and Sharing Virtual Machines

C HAPTER 5
Thischapterprovidesinformationonhowtomoveyourvirtualmachinesfromone hosttoanother,orelsewhereonthesamehost,plusrecommendationsonhowtoshare virtualmachineswithotherusers. Thischapteralsoincludesinformationonhowtomoveavirtualmachinerunning underVMwareGSXServer3andVMwareWorkstation5.xtoahostrunningVMware Serverandcoversthefollowingtopics:

! ! ! !
MovingaVMwareServerVirtualMachineonpage 133 MovingVMwareGSXServer3VirtualMachinetoaNewHostonpage 136 MovingOlderVirtualMachinesonpage 138 SharingVirtualMachineswithOtherUsersonpage 142 Whenyoumoveavirtualmachinetoanewhostcomputerortoadifferent directoryonthesamehostcomputerorwhenyourenameadirectoryinthe pathtothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileVMwareServergeneratesa differentMACaddressforeachvirtualEthernetadapter(unlessyouspecified theMACaddressmanually).Foradditionalinformation,seeMaintaining andChangingtheMACAddressofaVirtualMachine.
NOTE
ForinformationaboutmovingvirtualmachinesbetweenVMwareproducts,seethe VMwareVirtualMachineMobilityPlanningGuideontheVMwareWebsite.
Moving a VMware Server Virtual Machine

ThissectiondescribeshowtomoveavirtualmachinecreatedunderVMwareServerto anotherhostrunningVMwareServerortoadifferentlocationonthesamehost.The processisnotdifficult,andinmostcasesyoucanevenmoveyourvirtualmachinefrom aWindowshosttoaLinuxhostorviceversa.
VMware, Inc.
133
NOTE
Theseinstructionsassumethatyouareusingavirtualdiskstoredinoneor more.vmdkfilesonyourhostcomputer.
Itsalwayssafesttomakebackupcopiesofallthefilesinyourvirtualmachines directorybeforeyoustartaprocesslikethis. CAUTION VMwarerecommendsyounotmigrateaRedHatLinux7.3or7.2virtual machinebetweenhostswhenonehostisrunningonanAMDprocessor andtheotherisrunningonanIntelprocessor.Formoreinformation,read theKnownIssuessectionsfortheseguestoperatingsystemsinthe VMwareGuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuide,availableonthe VMwareWebsite.
ThefollowingsectionsfurtherdescribemovingaVMwareServervirtualmachine:
! ! !
VirtualMachinesUseRelativePathsonpage 134 PreparingYourVirtualMachinefortheMoveonpage 134 MovingaVirtualMachinetoaNewHostonpage 135
Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths

ThepathnamesforallfilesassociatedwithaVMwareServervirtualmachineare relative,meaningthepathtoeachfileisrelativetothecurrentlyactivedirectory.For example,ifyouareinthevirtualmachinesdirectory,therelativepathtothevirtual diskfileis<machine name>.vmdk.
Preparing Your Virtual Machine for the Move

1 2 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine.Ifthe virtualmachineissuspended,resumeit,thenshutdowntheguest. Dooneofthefollowing:
!
Ifyouaremovingthevirtualmachinetoanewhostandhaveanetwork connectionbetweentheoriginalhostmachineandthenewhost,youare finishedwiththepreparationsontheoriginalhost.Ifyoudonothavea networkconnection,youneedtohaveawayofmovingthevirtualdisk (.vmdk)filesfromthevirtualmachinesdirectorytothenewhost.Youcould movethemtoasharednetworkdirectory,forexample,orburnthemto CDROMsorDVDs. Onceyouknowhowyouaregoingtomovethevirtualmachine,goto MovingaVirtualMachinetoaNewHostonpage 135.
134
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 5 Moving and Sharing Virtual Machines
Ifyouaremovingthisvirtualmachinetoanotherdirectoryonthishost,then youarereadytomakethemove.Copyallthefilesinthevirtualmachines originaldirectorytothenewlocation.Ifyoustoredanyfilesindirectories otherthanthevirtualmachinedirectory,besuretomovethemintoadirectory ofthesamenameandsamepositionrelativetothelocationofthevirtual machine. StarttheVMwareServerConsoleandopenthenewvirtualmachineyoujust moved.ChooseFile>OpenVirtualMachine,thenbrowsetothevirtual machinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.
Moving a Virtual Machine to a New Host

1 2 MakesureVMwareServerisinstalledandworkingcorrectlyonthenewhost. Createadirectoryonthenewhostforthevirtualmachineyouaremoving.Locate thevirtualdiskfilesyouaremovingandcopythemintothenewdirectory.Besure tocopyallthefilesinthevirtualmachinesoriginaldirectory.Ifyoustoredany filesindirectoriesotherthanthevirtualmachinedirectory,besuretomovethem intoadirectoryofthesamenameandsamepositionrelativetothelocationofthe virtualmachine.Setpermissionsonthedirectorysothatitisaccessibletoallusers ofthevirtualmachine. If,forsomereason,youarenotmovingafile,makesureyoudonothaveanypaths pointingtothatfile.Usethevirtualmachinesettingseditorandchecktoseeifyour virtualmachineispointingtothecorrectlocationforfiles(chooseVM>Settings) youdonotmove.Inthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,selecteachdeviceandbe surethatanydeviceswithassociatedfilesarepointedtothecorrectfiles.Also, checktheOptionstabtobesurethelocationfortheredologfileiscorrect. NOTE Ifyouhavetakenasnapshotofthevirtualmachine,youcansimplifythe movebyremovingthesnapshotorrevertingtothesnapshot,then removingit.Ifyouwanttokeepthesnapshot,besuretomovethe redolog(.REDO)filesalongwithalltheotherfilesinthevirtualmachines directory.
LaunchtheVMwareServerConsoleandopenthevirtualmachineyoujustmoved. ChooseFile>OpenVirtualMachine,thenbrowsetothevirtualmachines configuration(.vmx)file.
VMware, Inc.
135
Thefirsttimeyoupoweronthevirtualmachine,youareaskedtokeeptheexisting UUIDorcreateanewone.
IfyouareusingtheUUIDformanagementpurposes,youshouldselectKeep,then clickOKtocontinuepoweringonthevirtualmachine.Formoreinformationabout theUUID,seeIdentifyingaVirtualMachinebyItsUUIDonpage 92.
Moving VMware GSX Server 3 Virtual Machine to a New Host

IfyouwanttomovethelocationofavirtualmachinecreatedwithVMwareGSXServer 3,itisrecommendedtoupgradeitforfullcompatibilitywithVMwareServerbefore movingit.Todoso,runthevirtualmachineunderVMwareServeranduseVM> UpgradeVirtualHardware.Ifyouupgradethevirtualhardware,youcanthenfollow theinstructionsinMovingaVMwareServerVirtualMachineonpage 133. Ifyouupgradethevirtualmachine,youcannolongerrunitunderVMwareGSXServer 3.IfyouneedtorunthevirtualmachineunderbothVMwareGSXServer3and VMwareServer,donotupgradethevirtualhardware.YoucanuseaVMwareServer ConsoletoconnectaVMwareGSX3Serverhost,butyoucannotuseaVMwareGSX ServerVirtualMachineConsoletoconnecttoahostrunningVMwareServer. NOTE Theseinstructionsassumethatyouareusingavirtualdiskstoredinoneor more.vmdkfilesonyourhostcomputer.Itsalwayssafesttomakebackup copiesofallthefilesinyourvirtualmachinesdirectorybeforeyoustarta processlikethis.
ThefollowingsectionsexplainhowtoprepareandmovetheVMwareGSXServer2or 3toanewhost,andcoverthetopics:
! ! !
VirtualMachinesUseRelativePathsonpage 137 PreparingYourVirtualMachinefortheMoveonpage 137 MovingaVirtualMachinetoaNewHostonpage 138
136
VMware, Inc.
Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths

ThepathnamesforallfilesassociatedwithavirtualmachinecreatedunderVMware GSXServer3arerelative,meaningthepathtotheeachfileisrelativetothecurrently activedirectory.Forexample,ifyouareinthevirtualmachinesdirectory,therelative pathtothevirtualdiskfileis<machine name>.vmdk. TomovevirtualmachinescreatedinaVMwareproductotherthanVMwareGSX Server3higher,orVMwareWorkstation5.x,seeMovingOlderVirtualMachineson page 138.

1 UseVMwareServertoconnecttothevirtualmachine.Ifthevirtualmachinehas morethanonevirtualdiskandifthevirtualdisksusedifferentdiskmodes,you mustusetheConfigurationEditor(chooseSettings>ConfigurationEditor)to changeoneormoreofthevirtualdiskssotheyallusethesamemode. Besuretheguestoperatingsystemiscompletelyshutdown.Ifthevirtualmachine issuspendedanditsvirtualdisksareinpersistentornonpersistentmode,resume it,thenshutdowntheguestoperatingsystem. Ifyourvirtualmachineisusingdisksinundoablemode,itisbesttocommitor discardthechangeswhentheguestoperatingsystemshutsdown.Ifyoucannot commitordiscardthechangestoyourdisk,readConsiderationsforMoving DisksinUndoableModeonpage 141. Dooneofthefollowing:
!
Ifyouaremovingthevirtualmachinetoanewhostandhaveanetwork connectionbetweentheoriginalhostmachineandthenewhost,youare finishedwiththepreparationsontheoriginalhost.Ifyoudonothavea networkconnection,youneedtohaveawayofmovingthevirtualdisk (.vmdk)filesfromthevirtualmachinesdirectorytothenewhost.Youcould movethemtoasharednetworkdirectory,forexample,orburnthemto CDROMsorDVDROMs. Onceyouknowhowyouaregoingtomovethevirtualmachine,goto MovingaVirtualMachinetoaNewHost.
Ifyouaremovingthisvirtualmachinetoanotherdirectoryonthesamehost, youarereadytomakethemove.Copyallthefilesinthevirtualmachines originaldirectorytothenewlocation.Ifyoustoredanyfilesindirectories otherthanthevirtualmachinedirectory,besuretomovethemintoadirectory ofthesamenameandsamepositionrelativetothelocationofthevirtual machine.
VMware, Inc.
137
Launchtheconsoleandopenthevirtualmachineyoujustmoved.ChooseFile >Open,thenbrowsetothevirtualmachinesconfiguration(.vmx)file.
Moving a Virtual Machine to a New Host

1 2 MakesureVMwareServerisinstalledandworkingcorrectlyonthenewhost. Locatethevirtualdiskfilesyouaremovingandcopythemintothenewvirtual machinedirectory.Besuretocopyallthefilesinthevirtualmachinesoriginal directory.Ifyoustoredanyfilesindirectoriesotherthanthevirtualmachine directory,besuretomovethemintoadirectoryofthesamenameandsame positionrelativetothelocationofthevirtualmachine.Setpermissionsonthe directorysothatitisaccessibletoallusersofthevirtualmachine. If,forsomereason,youarenotmovingafile,makesureyoudonothaveany relativeorabsolutepathspointingtothatfile.Usethevirtualmachinesettings editorandchecktoseeifyourvirtualmachineispointingtothecorrectlocation forfilesyoudonotmove.Inthevirtualmachinesettingseditor,selecteachdevice andbesurethatanydeviceswithassociatedfilesarepointedtothecorrectfiles. Also,checktheOptionstabtobesurethelocationfortheredologfileiscorrect. Inaddition,checktoseeyoudonothaveanyabsolutepathspointingtoanyfiles youaremoving. NOTE Ifyourvirtualmachineisusingdisksinundoablemode,itisbestto commitordiscardthechangeswhenyoushutdowntheguestoperating systemunderVMwareServer2.Ifyoucannotcommitordiscardthe changestoyourdisk,readConsiderationsforMovingDisksin UndoableModeonpage 141.
LaunchtheVMwareServerConsoleandopenthevirtualmachineyoujustmoved. ChooseFile>OpenVirtualMachine,thenbrowsetothevirtualmachines configuration(.vmx)file.
Moving Older Virtual Machines

IfyouhavecreatedavirtualmachineusingVMwareGSXServer2oranotherVMware product,youmustupgradethevirtualhardwarethefirsttimeyourunitunder VMwareServer.Onceyouhavedonethis,youcanfollowtheinstructionsinMoving aVMwareServerVirtualMachineonpage 133. IfyouhavecreatedavirtualmachineusingVMwareGSXServer2oranotherVMware product,andyouwanttomoveittoadifferentcomputerortoanotherdirectoryon yourhost,youneedtoperformthefollowingtasks.
138
VMware, Inc.
NOTE
Theseinstructionsassumethatyouareusingavirtualdiskstoredinaset of.vmdkor.dskfilesonyourhostcomputer.
Itisalwayssafesttomakebackupcopiesofallthefilesinyourvirtualmachines directorybeforeyoustartaprocesslikethis. Thefollowingsectionsfurtherdescribemovingoldervirtualmachines:

! ! ! !
VirtualMachinesMayUseRelativeorAbsolutePathsonpage 139 PreparingYourVirtualMachinefortheMoveonpage 139 PreparingtheNewHostMachineonpage 140 ConsiderationsforMovingDisksinUndoableModeonpage 141
Virtual Machines May Use Relative or Absolute Paths

InVMwareServer1,thepathnamesforallfilesassociatedwithavirtualmachinewere absolute,orfullyqualified,meaningthecompleteroutetothefilesonthehostwas stored.Forexample,theabsolutepathtoavirtualdiskfilemightbeC:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\My Documents\My Virtual Machines\<machine name>\<machine name>.vmdk. WithVMwareGSXServer2andhigher,pathnamestofilesarerelative,meaningthe pathtotheeachfileisrelativetothecurrentlyactivedirectory.Forexample,ifyouare inthevirtualmachinesdirectory,therelativepathtothevirtualdiskfileis<machine name>.vmdk.

1 OpenthevirtualmachineusingtheVMwareproductwithwhichyoucreatedit.If thevirtualmachinehasmorethanonevirtualdiskandifthevirtualdisksuse differentdiskmodes,youmustusetheConfigurationEditor(chooseSettings> ConfigurationEditor)tochangeoneormoreofthevirtualdiskssotheyallusethe samemode. BesureyouknowwhetherthevirtualdiskissetupasanIDEdiskoraSCSIdisk. Youcancheckthisinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor. Also,notethesizeofthevirtualdiskyouaremoving.Youneedthisinformation whenyoupreparethenewhostmachine,asdescribedinthenextsection. 3 Besuretheguestoperatingsystemiscompletelyshutdown.Ifthevirtualmachine issuspended,resumeitusingtheVMwareproductwithwhichyoucreatedthe virtualmachine,thenshutdowntheguestoperatingsystem.
VMware, Inc.
139
NOTE 4
Donotmoveasuspendedvirtualmachinefromonehosttoanother.
Ifyourvirtualmachineisusingdisksinundoablemode,itisbesttocommitor discardthechangeswhentheguestoperatingsystemshutsdown.Ifyoucannot commitordiscardthechangestoyourdisk,readConsiderationsforMoving DisksinUndoableModeonpage 141. Ifyouhaveanetworkconnectionbetweentheoriginalhostmachineandthenew host,youarefinishedwiththepreparationsontheoriginalhost.Ifyoudonothave anetworkconnection,youneedtohaveawayofmovingthevirtualdisk(.vmdk) filesfromthevirtualmachinesdirectorytothenewhost.Youcouldmovethemto asharednetworkdirectory,forexample,orburnthemtoCDROMsorDVDs. NOTE Ifyourdisksareusingundoablemodeandyouhavenotcommittedor discardedyourchanges,youmustalsomovetheredolog(.REDO)fileto thenewhostcomputer.
Preparing the New Host Machine

1 2 MakesureVMwareServerisinstalledandworkingcorrectlyonthenewhost. StarttheVMwareServerConsoleandruntheNewVirtualMachineWizard.Select theappropriateguestoperatingsystemforthevirtualmachineyouaremoving. Chooseavirtualdiskforyourharddriveanduseadrivetype(IDEorSCSI)that matchesthetypeofthevirtualdiskyouplantomove. Selectallappropriatenetwork,floppyandCDROMsettings.Donotmakeany changeswiththevirtualmachinesettingseditoratthispoint. Saveyoursettingsandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor. 3 4 Inthedirectoryjustcreatedforthenewvirtualmachine,deletethebrandnew .vmdkfilesthatwerejustcreated. Locatethevirtualdiskfilesyouaremovingandcopythemintothenewvirtual machinedirectory.Setpermissionsonthedirectorysothatitisaccessibletoall usersofthevirtualmachine. NOTE Ifyourvirtualmachineisusingdisksinundoablemodeandyoudidnot commitordiscardyourchangesbeforethemove,youmustalsomovethe redolog(.REDO)filetothenewhostcomputer.
140
VMware, Inc.
5 6
IntheconsolesInventorylist,selectthevirtualmachineyoujustcreated,then chooseVM>Settings. Besurethevirtualmachineisconfiguredtousethevirtualdiskfilesyoumoved fromtheoriginalhost.YouneedtoconfirmthatthenewdiskssettingsIDEor SCSIandthefilenameforthefirst.vmdkfilematchthosethatwereusedonthe originalhostmachine. ThedevicelistingfortheharddriveshowswhetheritisSCSIorIDE.Ifthatsetting doesnotmatchthevirtualdiskyouaremoving,selecttheharddiskandclick Remove.ThenclickAddandusetheAddHardwareWizardtoaddanIDEorSCSI diskasappropriate.BesuretospecifyIDEorSCSIwhenyoureachtheSelecta DiskTypescreeninthewizard. Besurethefilenameandpathforthevirtualdiskmatchtheactualfilenameand locationforthefirst.vmdkfileusedbythevirtualmachineyouaremoving.
Considerations for Moving Disks in Undoable Mode

Onceyoucommitordiscardchangesmadetoanoldervirtualdiskinundoablemode, youcanmoveyourdiskbetweenLinuxandWindowshostoperatingsystems.Youcan alsomoveyourdisktodifferentlocationsonyourcomputerandtoothercomputers withthesamehostoperatingsystem. However,ifyoucannotordonotwanttocommitordiscardthechangesmadetoyour undoabledisk,notethefollowing:
!
Youcanalwaysmoveadiskinundoablemodebetweenhostoperatingsystemsof thesamegeneraltype(forexample,betweentwoMicrosoftWindowssystems,or betweentwoLinuxsystems).Dependinguponhowthediskwasfirstsetup,you mayhavetoplacethediskanditsredologinadirectorythathasapathname identicaltothatofthecurrentdirectory. YoumightbeabletomovethediskinundoablemodebetweenWindowsand Linuxhostsystems,ormovethedisktoadifferentdirectoryonyourcurrent system,ifthereisnopathnameinformationinthevirtualmachinesconfiguration file.
Followthesestepstochecktheconfigurationandseewhetherornotyoucanmove yourundoablediskwithoutcommittingordiscardingchanges: 1 LaunchaVMwareGSXServer3console. Ifyouaremovingadiskinundoablemodefromonecomputertoanother computer,launchaVMwareGSXServer3consoleonthecomputerthatcurrently hasthedisk.
VMware, Inc.
141
Opentheconfigurationfileforthevirtualmachinethatusestheundoablemode diskyouwishtomove. Intheconsolewindow,selectFile>Openandchoosetheconfigurationfileofthe virtualmachinewiththediskyouwanttomove.
3 4
OpentheConfigurationEditor.ChooseSettings>ConfigurationEditor. Examinetheentryforyourvirtualdisktoseewhetheritincludesafullpathtothe firstvirtualdiskfile.Forexample,onaWindowshost,youmightseeadiskfile listinglikethis: My Documents\My Virtual Machines\Windows 2000\Windows 2000.vmdk EntriesforSCSIdisksaresimilar. Ifyourdiskfileinformationresemblestheexampleabove(withafullpathtothe firstdiskfile)andyouhavenotcommittedordiscardedchangestotheundoable disk,thefollowingrulesapply:
!
Youcanmovethedisktoanothercomputerofthesametypeonly(Windows toWindowsorLinuxtoLinux).Youcannotmovethedisktoacomputerofa differenttype(WindowstoLinuxorviceversa). Youmustplacethevirtualmachinesotherfiles(including.vmxand.REDOon Windows,and.vmxor.cfgand.REDOonLinux)inthesamerelativelocation onthenewcomputer.Inotherwords,ifthevirtualmachinesfilesresideinMy Documents\My Virtual Machines\Windows 2000\ ontheoriginalhost computer,youmustplacetheminthatsamelocationonthenewhost computer. Youcannotmovethedisktoanotherdirectoryonthecurrentsystem.
Ifyourdiskfileinformationdoesnotcontainapath,itlookslikethis: Windows 2000.vmdk Ifyourdiskentryresemblestheoneabove(justafilenamewitha.vmdkextension), youcanmovethediskandredologanywhereyouwish.
Sharing Virtual Machines with Other Users

Ifyouintendtohaveotherusersaccessyourvirtualmachines,youshouldconsiderthe followingpoints:
!
OnWindowshosts,thevirtualmachinefilesshouldbeinalocationonasystem thatisaccessibletothoseusers.Whenyouconfigurethevirtualmachineinthe
142
VMware, Inc.
NewVirtualMachineWizard,youcanspecifyalocationforthevirtualmachine elsewhereonyoursystemoronthenetwork.
!
OnLinuxhosts,permissionsforthevirtualmachinefilesespeciallythe configurationfile(.vmx)andvirtualdisks(.vmdk)shouldbesetforotherusers accordingtohowyouwantthemtousethevirtualmachine.Forinstance,ifyou wantuserstorunavirtualmachinebutnotbeabletomodifyitsconfiguration,do notmaketheconfigurationfilewritable. IfyourvirtualmachinewascreatedunderVMwareGSXServeroranother VMwareproduct(suchasVMwareWorkstation5.x)andusesindependentdisks innonpersistentmode,considerchangingthelocationoftheredologfile,sinceby defaultitisplacedinyourTEMPdirectory,towhichotherusersmightnothave access.Tochangethelocationoftheredologfile,takethefollowingsteps. a b c d Withthevirtualmachinepoweredoff,openthevirtualmachinesettings editor.ChooseVM>Settings. ClicktheOptionstab. ClickBrowseandselectadirectorythatissharedwithotherusers. ClickOKtosavethechangeandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor.
Thevirtualmachinemustbelocatedinadirectorywithpermissionssetsothatit isaccessibletoallusersofthevirtualmachine. Thevirtualmachinemustnotbeprivate.Formoreinformation,seeOnlyYouCan SeeVirtualMachinesYouCreateonpage 84.
VMware, Inc.
143
144
VMware, Inc.
Performance Tuning and the VMware Server Host

C HAPTER 6
ThischapterprovidessuggestionsforgettingthebestperformancefromVMware Serverandyourvirtualmachines,andcoversthefollowingtopics:
! ! !
ConfiguringandMaintainingtheHostComputeronpage 145 ConfiguringVMwareServeronpage 146 UnderstandingMemoryUsageonpage 154
Configuring and Maintaining the Host Computer

Thehostcomputerisanobviousplacetolooktoimproveperformance.Thissection discussesthesekeyareas:
! ! ! !
LocationoftheWorkingDirectoryonpage 145 DefragmentationofDiskDrivesonpage 145 AdequateFreeDiskSpaceonpage 146 NICInterruptsCoalescingonpage 146
Location of the Working Directory

Theinstallerlocatestheworkingdirectoryholdingthevirtualdiskfilesonthehost computer.Youcancustomizeyourconfigurationtoplacetheworkingdirectoryorthe virtualdiskfilesonadifferentphysicalcomputer.Youmightexperienceperformance advantagestosuchcustomizing.
Defragmentation of Disk Drives

HostdisksandvirtualdisksaffecttheperformanceofVMwareServer.
Host Hard Drives

Performanceisweakenedbyfragmentationofthephysicaldiskholdingthevirtual machinesworkingdirectoryorvirtualdiskfiles.Fragmentationofthehostdiskcan affectanyorallofthefollowing:
VMware, Inc. 145
! ! !
Thefilesthatholdavirtualdisk Thefilesthatstorenewlysaveddatawhenyoutakeasnapshot Thefilesthatholdinformationusedinsuspendingandresumingavirtual machine
Ifyouareexperiencingslowdiskperformanceinthevirtualmachine,orifyouwantto improvethespeedofsuspendandresumeoperations,checktobesurethehostdisk thatholdsthevirtualmachinesworkingdirectoryandvirtualdiskfilesisnotbadly fragmented.Ifitisfragmented,youcanimproveperformancebyrunninga defragmentationutilitytoreducefragmentationonthathostdisk.
Virtual Drives
VMwarestronglyrecommendsthatyoudefragmentusingaguestoperating mechanismbeforetakingthefirstsnapshot. VMwareServermakesallitschangestotheredolog,nottotheoriginaldisk,whenyou runadefragmentingprogramontheguestafterasnapshot.Youpermanentlylosethe abilitytodefragmentinsidetheoriginaldisk. Everysectorthatmovesiscopiedtotheredolog,makingthevirtualmachineredolog extremelylargewhenthediskisheavilyfragmentedandyourundefragmentation afterasnapshot.
Adequate Free Disk Space

Forbetterperformance,avoidhavingverylowfreediskspaceonthehostdisk. PerformancecandegradeconsiderablywhenVMwareServerhastouseanearlyfull hostharddisktowriteguestsparsedisk,snapshot,checkpoint,orredofiles.
NIC Interrupts Coalescing

IncreasinghostNICinterruptcoalescingcanimproveperformanceforworkloads involvingheavynetworktrafficintotheguest.Interruptcoalescingisafeature implementedinhardwareunderdrivercontrolonhighperformanceNICs,allowing thereceptionofagroupofnetworkframestobenotifiedtotheoperatingsystemkernel throughasinglehardwareinterrupt.
Configuring VMware Server

Thefollowingsectionsofferadviceandinformationaboutfactorsthatcanaffectthe performanceofVMwareServeritself.Thesectionsdonotaddressperformanceofthe guestoperatingsystemorthehostoperatingsystem.
146
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 6 Performance Tuning and the VMware Server Host
! ! !
GeneralVMwareServerOptionsonpage 147 VMwareServeronaWindowsHostonpage 151 VMwareServeronaLinuxHostonpage 154 InadditiontotheVMwareServerconfigurationoptionsdiscussedinthis section,youshouldalwaysinstallVMwareToolsinanyguestoperating systemforwhichaVMwareToolspackageexists.InstallingVMwareTools providesbettervideoandmouseperformanceandalsogreatlyimprovesthe usabilityofthevirtualmachine.Fordetails,seeInstallingVMwareTools.
NOTE
General VMware Server Options

ThefollowingsectionsdescribewaysyoucanimprovetheperformanceofVMware ServeronbothWindowsandLinuxhosts.
Guest Operating System Selection

Makecertainyouselectthecorrectguestoperatingsystemforeachofyourvirtual machines.Tochecktheguestoperatingsystemsetting,chooseVM>Settings> Options>General. VMwareServeroptimizescertaininternalconfigurationsonthebasisofthisselection. Forthisreason,itisimportanttosettheguestoperatingsystemcorrectly.The optimizationscangreatlyaidtheoperatingsystemtheytarget,buttheymightcause significantperformancedegradationifthereisamismatchbetweentheselectionand theoperatingsystemactuallyrunninginthevirtualmachine.(Selectingthewrong guestoperatingsystemisnotlikelytocauseavirtualmachinetorunincorrectly,butit coulddegradethevirtualmachinesperformance.)
Memory Settings
Makesuretochooseareasonableamountofmemoryforyourvirtualmachine.Many modernoperatingsystemshaveagrowingneedformemory,soassigningagenerous amountisbeneficialforthebestvirtualmachineperformance. Thesameholdstrueforthehostoperatingsystem,especiallyaWindowshost. TheNewVirtualMachineWizardautomaticallyselectsareasonablestartingpointfor thevirtualmachinesmemory,butyoumightbeabletoimproveperformanceby adjustingthesettingsinthevirtualmachinesettingseditor(chooseVM>Settings> Memory). Ifyouplantorunonevirtualmachineatatimemostofthetime,agoodstartingpoint istogivethevirtualmachinehalfthememoryavailableonthehost.
VMware, Inc.
147
Adjustingthereservedmemorysettingsmayalsohelp.ChooseHost>Settings> Memory. Foradditionalinformation,seeUnderstandingMemoryUsageonpage 154.
Debugging Mode
Youcanconfigureeachvirtualmachinetoruninoneoftwomodesnormalmode andamodethatprovidesextradebugginginformation.Thedebuggingmodeisslower thannormalmode. Fornormaluse,makesurethevirtualmachineisnotrunningindebuggingmode. ChooseVM>Settings>OptionsandselectAdvanced.UnderSettings,makesurethe Runwithdebugginginformationcheckboxiscleared.
CD-ROM Drive Polling

SomeoperatingsystemsincludingWindowsNTandWindows98pollthe CDROMdriveeverysecondorsotoseewhetheradiscispresent.(Doingthisallows themtorunautorunprograms.)ThispollingcancauseVMwareServertoconnectto thehostCDROMdrive,whichcanmaketheCDROMdrivespinupwhilethevirtual machineappearstopause. IfyouhaveaCDROMdrivethattakesespeciallylongtospinup,therearetwoways youcaneliminatethesepauses.
!
Youcandisablethepollinginsideyourguestoperatingsystem.Themethodvaries byoperatingsystem.ForrecentMicrosoftWindowsoperatingsystems,theeasiest wayistouseTweakUIfromthePowerToysutilities. ForinformationonfindingTweakUIandinstallingitinyourguestoperating system,gotohttp://www.microsoft.comandsearchforTweakUI.Specific instructionsdependonyouroperatingsystem.
AnotherapproachistoconfigureyourvirtualCDROMdrivetobedisconnected whenthevirtualmachinestarts.Thedriveappearsinthevirtualmachine,butit alwaysappearstocontainnodisc(andVMwareServerdoesnotconnecttoyour hostCDROMdrive). Tomakethischange,gotoVM>Settings.SelecttheDVD/CDROMiteminthe Devicelist.ThencleartheConnectatPowerOncheckbox. WhenyouwanttouseaCDROMinthevirtualmachine,gototheVM> RemovableDevicesmenuandconnecttheCDROMdrive.
148
VMware, Inc.
Disk Options
Thevariousdiskoptions(SCSIversusIDE)andtypes(virtualorphysical)affect performanceinanumberofways. Overall,SCSCIdisksarefasterthanIDEdisksthatusesdirectmemoryaccess(DMA) However,incertainsituations,suchassinglethreadeddiskaccess,anIDEdiskthat usesDMAisasfastasaSCSIdisk.Insideavirtualmachine,SCSIdisksandIDEdisks thatusedirectmemoryaccess(DMA)haveapproximatelythesameperformance.If supported,VMwarerecommendsthatyouenableDMAinSCSIdisks.IDEdiskscanbe veryslowinaguestoperatingsystemthatisnotsettouseDMA. TheeasiestwaytoconfigureaLinuxguesttouseDMAforIDEdriveaccessistoinstall VMwareTools(VM>InstallVMwareTools).Amongotherthings,theinstallation processautomaticallysetsIDEvirtualdrivestouseDMA. InWindowsServer2003,WindowsXPandWindows2000,DMAaccessisenabledby default.ThemethodforchangingthesettingvarieswithotherWindowsoperating systems.Seethefollowingtechnicalnotesfordetails.
! !
DiskPerformanceinWindowsNTGuestsonMultiprocessorHosts Windows95andWindows98GuestOperatingSystemPerformanceTips
Whenasnapshotexists,virtualdisksoftenhaveverygoodperformanceforrandomor nonsequentialaccess.Buttheycanpotentiallybecomesofragmentedthatperformance isaffected.Inordertodefragmentthedisk,youmustfirstremovethesnapshot (Snapshot>RemoveSnapshot). Whennosnapshotexists,physicaldisksandpreallocatedvirtualdisksbothuseflat filesthatmimicthesequentialandrandomaccessperformanceoftheunderlyingdisk. Whenasnapshotexistsandyouhavemadechangessincepoweringonthevirtual machine,anyaccesstothosechangedfilesperformsatalevelsimilartothe performanceofavirtualdiskthatdoesnothaveallspaceallocatedinadvance.Ifyou removethesnapshot,performanceisagainsimilartothatoftheunderlyingdisk. Overall,ifnosnapshotexistsandyouareusingphysicaldisksorpreallocatedvirtual disks,youseesomewhatbetterperformancethanthatprovidedbyother configurations. Diskwritescanbeslowerforvirtualdisksthatdonothaveallspaceallocatedin advance.Youcanimproveperformanceforthesedisksbydefragmentingthemfrom thevirtualmachinesettingseditor.ChooseVM>Settings,selectthediskyouwantto defragment,thenclickDefragment.
VMware, Inc.
149
Remote Disk Access

Wheneverpossible,donotusedisksthatareonremotemachinesandaccessedoverthe networkunlessyouhaveaveryfastnetwork.Ifyoumustrundisksremotely,choose VM>Settings>Options,selectGeneralandsettheWorkingdirectorytoadirectory onyourlocalharddisk.Thentakeasnapshot.Afteryoutakethesnapshot,changesyou makearestoredlocallyintheworkingdirectory.
Snapshots
Ifyoudonotneedtousesnapshots,runyourvirtualmachinewithoutasnapshot.This providesbestperformance.Tobesureavirtualmachinehasnosnapshot,choose Snapshot>RemoveSnapshot.
Issues Installing or Running Applications in a Guest Operating System

Youmightnoticethatwheneveryoutrytoinstallorstartaparticularprogramina virtualmachine,theprogramseemstohang,crash,orcomplainthatitisrunningunder adebugger.VMwarehasseenthisproblemwithafewprograms,includingthe installerfortheJapaneseversionofTrendMicroVirusBuster,theFoxProdatabase,the NetWareclientinWindows98,Mathcad,TheSims,andCivilizationIII. Youcanworkaroundthisproblembydisablingacceleration.Frequently,theproblem occursonlyduringinstallationorearlyintheprogramsexecution;inthatcaseyou shouldturnaccelerationbackonaftergettingpasttheproblem.Followthesesteps: 1 2 Poweronthevirtualmachine. Beforerunningorinstallingtheprogramthatwasencounteringproblems,disable acceleration. ChooseVM>Settings>Advanced,andcheckDisableacceleration. 3 4 5 ClickOKtosavethechangeandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor. Starttheprogramorruntheinstaller. Afteryoupassthepointwheretheprogramwasencounteringproblems,returnto thevirtualmachinesettingseditorandremovethecheckbesideDisable acceleration.Youmightbeabletoruntheprogramwithaccelerationafteritis startedorinstalled. NOTE Disablingaccelerationcanhelpyougetpasttheexecutionproblem,butit causesthevirtualmachinetorunslowly.Iftheproblemoccursonlyat startuporduringinstallation,youcanimproveperformancebyresuming acceleratedoperationaftertheprogramthatwasencounteringproblems isrunningorisinstalled.
150
VMware, Inc.
VMware Server on a Windows Host

TheitemsinthissectiondescribeperformanceofVMwareServeronaWindowshost. FortipsonconfiguringVMwareServeronaLinuxhost,seeVMwareServerona LinuxHostonpage 154.
Monitoring Virtual Machine Performance

VMwareServerincorporatesasetofcountersthatworkwiththeMicrosoft Performanceconsoletoallowforthecollectionofperformancedatafromrunning virtualmachines. NOTE ThePerformanceconsoleisavailableonlyonWindowshosts.Youcannot monitorperformanceforvirtualmachinesonLinuxhosts.However,youcan monitortheperformanceofanyguestoperatingsystemontheWindowshost, includingLinuxguests.
TheVMwareServerperformancecounterscanmonitorthefollowingdatafroma runningvirtualmachine:
! ! !
Readingandwritingtovirtualdisks Memoryusedbythevirtualmachine Virtualnetworktraffic
YoucantrackvirtualmachineperformanceonlywhentheVMwareServerConsoleis openorwhenavirtualmachineisrunning.Theperformancecountersreflectthestate ofthevirtualmachine,nottheguestoperatingsystem.Forexample,thecounterscan recordhowoftentheguestreadsfromavirtualdisk,buttheycannotknowhowmany processesarerunninginsidetheguest.Anexplanationofeachcounterappearsinthe Performanceconsole.
VMware, Inc.
151
Toaddcounterstotrackvirtualmachineperformance,usetheWindowsPerformance console.Completethefollowingsteps. 1 2 ChooseStart>Programs>AdministrativeTools>Performance.ThePerformance consoleopens. SelectSystemMonitor,thenclicktheplus(+)signonthetoolbar,orpressCtrl+I. TheAddCountersdialogboxappears.
3 4 5
InthePerformanceobjectlist,selectVMware. Decidewhetheryouwanttoaddallcountersorselectoneormorecountersfrom thelist. Tousethesecountersforallrunningvirtualmachines,selectAllinstances.Touse thecountersforspecificvirtualmachines,clickSelectinstancesfromlist,then selectthevirtualmachinesyouwant. NOTE Forabriefdescriptionofeachcounter,clickExplain.Whenyouselecta counterfromthelist,adescriptionappearsbelowtheAddCounters dialogbox.
152
VMware, Inc.
ClickAddtoaddthecounterstothePerformanceconsole.
FormoreinformationaboutusingthePerformanceconsole,usetheconsoles inproducthelporvisittheMicrosoftWebsite.
Using Full Screen Mode

Fullscreenmodeisfasterthanwindowmode.Ifyoudonotneedtohaveyourvirtual machineandyourhostsharingthescreen,tryswitchingtofullscreenmode. NOTE Youseethemostnoticeableimprovementusingfullscreenmodewhenthe guestisinVGAmode.VGAmodeisanymodeinwhichthescreenisintext mode(DOS,forexample,orLinuxvirtualterminals),or16color640x480 graphicsmode(forexample,theWindows95orWindows98cloudsboot screen,oranyguestoperatingsystemthatisrunningwithouttheSVGA driverprovidedbyVMwareTools).
Windows Host Disk Caching

OnaWindowshost,theDiskPropertiesPoliciespageassociatedwitheachharddrive providesacheckboxtoenablewritecachingonthedisk.Insomecases,youcanalso enableadvancedperformanceonthedisk.Enablingoneorbothoftheseoptionscan improvehostdiskperformanceingeneral.Enablingtheseoptionsonthehostdiskthat containstheVMwareServervirtualdiskfilescanimproveVMwareServerdisk performance,especiallywhenVMwareServerismakingheavyuseofthedisk.
VMware, Inc.
153
VMware Server on a Linux Host

NOTE TheitemsinthissectiondescribeperformanceofVMwareServeronaLinux host.FortipsonconfiguringVMwareServeronaWindowshost,see VMwareServeronaWindowsHostonpage 151.
Using Full Screen Mode

Fullscreenmodeisfasterthanwindowmode.Ifyoudonotneedtohaveyourvirtual machineandyourhostsharingthescreen,tryswitchingtofullscreenmode. NOTE Youseethemostnoticeableimprovementusingfullscreenmodewhenthe guestisinVGAmode.VGAmodeisanymodeinwhichthescreenisintext mode(DOS,forexample,orLinuxvirtualterminals),or16color640x480 graphicsmode(forexample,theWindows95orWindows98cloudsboot screen,oranyguestoperatingsystemthatisrunningwithouttheSVGA driverprovidedbyVMwareTools).
OnaLinuxhost,fullscreenVGAmodeusestheunderlyingvideocarddirectly,so graphicsperformanceisquiteclosetothatofthehost.Bycontrast,windowmodeVGA requiresmorecomputerresourcestoemulatethanwindowmodeSVGA.Asaresult,if youneedtorunforanextendedperiodoftimeinVGAmode(forexample,whenyou areinstallinganoperatingsystemusingagraphicalinstaller)youshouldseea significantperformanceboostifyouruninfullscreenmode.
Swap Space and /tmp

Theamountofswapspaceonyourhostandthesizeofyour/tmpdirectoryaffect performance.Your/tmpdirectoryshouldbeequivalentto1.5timestheamountof memoryonthehost.Forexample,ifyourVMwareServerhosthas1GBofmemory, makesurethehosts/tmpdirectoryisatleast1.5GBinsize. Formoreinformationonconfiguringswapspaceandthe/tmpdirectory,readVMware knowledgebasearticle844at http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=844.
Understanding Memory Usage

VMwareServerallowsyoutosetthememorysizeofeachvirtualmachineandthe amountofthehostcomputersmemorythatcanbeusedforvirtualmachines.Athird controlgovernstheextenttowhichyouwanttoallowthehostoperatingsystems memorymanagertoswapvirtualmachinesoutofphysicalRAM.
154
VMware, Inc.
Byadjustingthesesettings,youcanaffectbothvirtualmachineandoverallsystem performance. ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowVMwareServerusesthememoryconfiguration parameterstomanagevirtualmachinesandsystemmemoryproperly.

! !
MemoryUseontheHostonpage 155 SpecifyingHowMuchRAMisUsedbyAllRunningVirtualMachineson page 155 MemoryUsageonOlderLinuxHostsonpage 157
Forinformationonmemoryuseforaspecificvirtualmachine,seeAllocatingMemory toaVirtualMachine.
Memory Use on the Host

Hostoperatingsystemsdonotbehavewellwhentheyrunlowonfreememoryfortheir ownuse.WhenaWindowsorLinuxhostoperatingsystemdoesnothaveenoughRAM foritsownuse,itthrashes,thatis,itconstantlyswapspartsofitselfbetweenRAMand itspagingfileondisk.Tohelpguardagainstvirtualmachinescausingthehostto thrash,VMwareServerenforcesalimitonthetotalamountofRAMthatcanbe consumedbyvirtualmachines. Ingeneral,thesumofthememoriesofallcurrentlyrunningvirtualmachinesplus overheadfortheVMwareServerprocessesshouldnotexceedtheamountofphysical memoryonthehostminussomememorythatmustbekeptavailableforthehost.For moreinformation,seeUsingAdditionalMemoryonpage 156. Somememorymustbekeptavailableonthehosttoensurethehostisabletooperate properlywhilevirtualmachinesarerunning.Theamountofmemoryreservedforthe hostdependsonthehostoperatingsystemandthesizeofthehostcomputersmemory.
Specifying How Much RAM is Used by All Running Virtual Machines

YoucansettheamountofhostRAMthatVMwareServerisallowedtoreserveforall runningvirtualmachines.Tosetthisparameter,chooseHost>Settings>Memory. ThereservedmemorysettingspecifiesamaximumamountofhostRAMthatVMware Serverisallowedtouse.Butthismemoryisnotallocatedinadvance.Evenifmultiple virtualmachinesarerunningatthesametime,VMwareServermightbeusingonlya fractionoftheRAMyouspecifiedhere.AnyunusedRAMisavailableforusebyother applications.IfalltheRAMyouspecifyhereisinusebyoneormorevirtualmachines,
VMware, Inc.
155
thehostoperatingsystemcannotusethismemoryitselforallowotherapplicationsto useit.
Virtual Machine Overhead

Virtualmachinesrequirerelativelylargeamountsofmemorytooperatewith reasonableperformance.Anindividualvirtualmachinecanuseatmosttheamountof memoryspecifiedinitsconfigurationfileplussomeoverhead.Theamountof overheadmemoryrequireddependsuponthesizeoftheguestsvirtualdisks,its behavior,andtheamountofmemoryallocatedtothevirtualmachine.Refertothetable belowforthetypicalupperlimitneeded,basedontheamountofmemoryallocatedto theguest. Table 6-1. Amount of Memory Allocated to the Virtual Machine
Upto512MB Upto1000MB Upto2000MB Upto3600MB
Additional Amount of Overhead Needed

Upto54MB Upto62MB Upto79MB Upto105MB
TheamountofRAMactuallyusedforaparticularvirtualmachinevariesasavirtual machineruns.Ifmultiplevirtualmachinesrunsimultaneously,theyworktogetherto managethememory. TherecommendedamountofRAMtospecifyforallrunningvirtualmachinesis calculatedonthebasisofthehostcomputersphysicalmemoryandisdisplayedinthe memorysettingsslidercontrolHost>Settings>Memory.IfyouwantVMware Servertousemoreorlessphysicalmemory,usethisslidertochangetheamount. Ifyousetthisvaluetoohigh,thehostmaythrashwhenotherapplicationsarerunon thehost.Ifyousetthisvaluetoolow,virtualmachinesmayperformpoorlyandyou cannotrunasmanyvirtualmachinesatonce.
Using Additional Memory

Bydefault,VMwareServerlimitsthenumberofvirtualmachinesthatcanrunatonce basedontheamountofmemoryspecifiedintheHostSettingsdialogbox.Thislimit preventsvirtualmachinesfromcausingeachothertoperformpoorly.Ifyoutryto poweronavirtualmachineandthereisnotenoughmemoryavailable,awarning appearsandthevirtualmachinefailstopoweron. Toincreasethenumberormemorysizeofvirtualmachinesthatcanrun,adjustthe amountofvirtualmachinememorythatthehostoperatingsystemmayswaptodisk.
156
VMware, Inc.
Tochangethissetting,chooseHost>Settings>Memoryandchooseanoptionunder Additionalmemory.
Selectoneofthefollowingoptions:
!
FitallvirtualmachinememoryintoreservedhostRAMStrictlyapplythe reservedmemorylimitsetinthetopofthedialogbox.Thissettingimposesthe tightestrestrictionsonthenumberandmemorysizeofvirtualmachinesthatmay runatagiventime.BecausethevirtualmachinesarerunningentirelyinRAM, theyhavethebestpossibleperformance. AllowsomevirtualmachinememorytobeswappedAllowthehostoperating systemtoswapamoderateamountofvirtualmachinememorytodiskifnecessary. Thissettingallowsyoutoincreasethenumberormemorysizeofvirtualmachines thatcanrunonthehostcomputeratagiventime.Itmayalsoresultinreduced performanceifvirtualmachinememorymustbeshiftedbetweenRAManddisk. AllowmostvirtualmachinememorytobeswappedAllowthehostoperating systemtoswapasmuchvirtualmachinememorytodiskasitwants.Thissetting allowsyoutorunevenmorevirtualmachineswithevenmorememorythanthe intermediatesettingdoes.Inthiscase,too,performancemaybelowerifvirtual machinememorymustbeshiftedbetweenRAManddisk.
Ifyoutrytopoweronavirtualmachineandthereisnotenoughmemoryavailable, VMwareServerdisplaysawarningmessage.Themessageshowshowmuchmemory thevirtualmachineisconfiguredtouseandhowmuchmemoryisavailable.Youcan trytopoweronthevirtualmachineusingtheavailablememorybyclickingOK.Ifyou donotwanttopoweronthevirtualmachine,clickCancel.
Memory Usage on Older Linux Hosts

Bydefault,Linuxkernelsinthe2.2.xseriessupport1GBofphysicalmemory.Ifyou wanttousemorememoryinLinux,youcantakeoneofseveralapproaches.
VMware, Inc.
157
! ! !
Upgradetoa2.4.xserieskernelthatallowsformorephysicalmemory. Recompileyourkernelasa2GBkernelusingtheCONFIG_2GBoption. EnabletheCONFIG_BIGMEMoptiontomapmorephysicalmemory.(This approachrequiresspecialsteps,describedindetailintheWorkaroundssection below,toworkwithVMwareproducts.)
RecompilingyourkernelwithCONFIG_2GBenabledallowsLinuxtosupportnearly 2GBofphysicalmemorybydividingtheaddressspaceintoa2GBusersectionand2GB kernelsection(asopposedtothenormaldivisionof3GBforuserand1GBforkernel). ThethirdapproachusestheCONFIG_BIGMEMoptioninLinux.Withthe CONFIG_BIGMEMoptionenabled,thekerneldoesnotdirectlyaddressallofphysical memoryanditcanthenmap1GB(or2GB)ofphysicalmemoryintotheaddressspace atatime.Thisallowstheuseofallofphysicalmemoryatthecostofchangingthe semanticsthekernelusestomapvirtualtophysicaladdresses.However,VMware productsexpectphysicalmemorytobemappeddirectlyinthekernelsaddressspace andthusdonotworkproperlywiththeCONFIG_BIGMEMoptionenabled.
Workarounds
Ifyouareusinga1GBkernelwithCONFIG_BIGMEMenabledandhave960MBto 1983MBofmemory,VMwareServerdoesnotrun.Toworkaroundthisissue,youcan:
!
Recompilethekernelasa2GBkernelbyenablingtheCONFIG_2GBoption.This allowsfor100percentuseofphysicalmemory. Passtheboottimeswitchmem=959MattheLILOprompt,oraddittolilo.conf,to disableCONFIG_BIGMEMandthusallowyoutorunVMwareServer.Todothis: TopasstheswitchattheLILOprompt,type linux-2.2.16xxx mem=959M Toeditlilo.conf,openthefileinatexteditor.Inthekernelsection,addthisline: append mem="959M"
Ifyouhavea1GBkernelwithCONFIG_BIGMEMenabledandhavemorethan1983MB ofmemory,youcandooneofthefollowing:
!
Recompilethekernelasa2GBkernelbyenablingtheCONFIG_2GBoptionand eitherpasstheboottimeswitchmem=1983MattheLILOpromptoradditto lilo.conf.Tousetheswitch: TopasstheswitchattheLILOprompt,type linux-2.2.16xxx mem=1983M
158
VMware, Inc.
Toeditlilo.conf,openthefileinatexteditor.Inthekernelsection,addthisline: append mem="1983M"

!
Passtheboottimeswitchmem=959MattheLILOpromptoraddittolilo.confto disableCONFIG_BIGMEM.Tousetheswitch: TopasstheswitchattheLILOprompt,type linux-2.2.16xxx mem=959M Toeditlilo.conf,openthefileinatexteditor.Inthekernelsection,addthisline: append mem="959M"
Ifyouareusinga2GBkernelwithCONFIG_BIGMEMenabledandhave1984MBor morememory,VMwareServerdoesnotrun.Youcaneitherpasstheboottimeswitch mem=1983MattheLILOprompt,oraddittolilo.conftodisableCONFIG_BIGMEM andthusallowyoutorunVMwareServer.Tousetheswitch: TopasstheswitchattheLILOprompt,type linux-2.2.16xxx mem=1983M Toeditlilo.conf,openitinatexteditor.Inthekernelsection,addthisline: append mem="1983M"
VMware, Inc.
159
160
VMware, Inc.
Using High-Availability Configurations

C HAPTER 7
ThischapterdescribesusinghighavailabilityconfigurationswithVMwareServerand coversthefollowingtopics:
! ! ! ! ! !
UsingSCSIReservationtoShareSCSIDiskswithVirtualMachinesonpage 161 OverviewofClusteringwithVMwareServeronpage 165 CreatingaClusterinaBoxonpage 167 UsingNetworkLoadBalancingwithVMwareServeronpage 175 CreatingTwoNodeClustersUsingNovellClusteringServicesonpage 179 ClusteringUsingtheiSCSIProtocolonpage 183
Using SCSI Reservation to Share SCSI Disks with Virtual Machines

VMwareServerpermitsthesharingofapreallocatedvirtualSCSIdiskwithmultiple virtualmachinesrunningonthesamehost.Whenthediskisshared,allvirtual machinesconnectedtothediskusetheSCSIreservationprotocoltowritetothedisk concurrently. Youmustinstallclusteringsoftwareoneachvirtualmachinethatyouplantosharea SCSIdisk.EnablingSCSIreservationinandofitselfdoesnotautomaticallymeanthat arunningvirtualmachineisaparticipantintheSCSIreservationprotocol. NOTE AlthoughgrowablevirtualdisksandphysicaldiskscanbeusedwithSCSI reservation,suchuseisconsideredexperimentalandshouldnotbeattempted inaproductionenvironment.Onlytheuseofpreallocatedvirtualdisksisfully supportedwithSCSIreservation.Whenyoucreateanewvirtualmachine,or addanewvirtualdisktoanexistingvirtualmachine,VMwareServercreates apreallocatedvirtualdiskbydefault.
VMware, Inc.
161
NOTE
Thisfeatureisadvanced.UseitonlyifyouarefamiliarwithSCSIingeneral andtheSCSIreservationprotocolinparticular.
ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtouseSCSIreservationtosharedisksamong multiplevirtualmachines.
! ! !
SCSIReservationSupportonpage 162 EnablingSCSIReservationonpage 162 IssuestoConsiderWhenSharingDisksonpage 164
SCSI Reservation Support

SCSIreservationsupportislimitedbythefollowing:
!
YoucanenableSCSIreservationforSCSIvirtualandphysicaldisks.Noothertype ofSCSIdevicescanuseSCSIreservationinavirtualmachine.Specifically,you cannotenableSCSIreservationforaSCSIdiskthatisconfiguredasagenericSCSI device.FormoreinformationaboutgenericSCSI,seeConnectingtoaGeneric SCSIDevice. NOTE VMwareServersupportsSCSIreservationwhenusedwithpreallocated virtualdisks.SupportforSCSIreservationwithgrowablevirtualdisks andphysicaldisksisconsideredexperimental.Forhighavailability configurations,useSCSIreservationwithpreallocatedvirtualdisks.
SCSIdiskscanbesharedusingSCSIreservationamongvirtualmachinesrunning onthesamehost.Thismeansthattheconfigurationfilesforthevirtualmachines mustallbelocatedonthesameVMwareServerhost.However,thediskordisks thevirtualmachinesaresharingcanbelocatedremotelyonadifferenthost. ASCSIvirtualdiskcanbelocatedonahostwithanytypeofharddisk(for example,IDE,SCSIorSATA).AsharedphysicaldiskmustalwaysbeaSCSIdisk. VMwareServervirtualmachinescurrentlysupportonlytheSCSI2diskprotocol, andnotapplicationsusingSCSI3diskreservations.Allpopularclustering software(includingMSCSandVCS)currentlyuseSCSI2reservations.
Enabling SCSI Reservation

SCSIreservationmustbeenabledinavirtualmachinebeforeyoucanshareitsdisks. VMwarerecommendsyousetupanyshareddisksonthesameSCSIbus,whichisa differentbusfromtheonetheguestoperatingsystemuses.Forexample,ifyourguest
162
VMware, Inc.
Chapter 7 Using High-Availability Configurations
operatingsystemisonthescsi0bus,youshouldsetupdiskstoshareonthenext availablebus,typicallythescsi1bus. Sharingresourcesusingtwoseparatebuses(forexample,dataonSCSI1:0andquorum onSCSI2:0)causestheconfigurationfiletobecomeinvalid,andyoucannotbootthe virtualmachine. ToenableSCSIreservation,makesurethevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Openthe configurationfile(.vmx)inatexteditorandaddtheline: scsi<x>.sharedBus = "virtual" anywhereinthefile,where<x>istheSCSIbusbeingshared. Forexample,toenableSCSIreservationfordevicesonthescsi1bus,addthefollowing linetothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfile: scsi1.sharedBus = "virtual" Thisallowsthewholebustobesharedandisquickerthanspecifyingeachdisk separately.However,ifyoudonotwanttosharethewholebus,youcanselectively enableSCSIreservationforaspecificSCSIdiskonthesharedbus.Forexample,ifyou wanttoshareaSCSIdisklocatedatscsi1:1,addthefollowinglinetothe configurationfile: scsi1:1.shared = "true" YoumustspecifythesameSCSItarget(thatis,scsi<x>:1)intheconfigurationfilefor eachvirtualmachinethatisgoingtosharethedisk. IfSCSIreservationisenabledforthewholebus(thatis,scsi1.sharedBusissetto "virtual"),thissettingisignored. InadditiontoenablingSCSIreservationonthebus,youneedtoallowvirtualmachines toaccesstheshareddiskconcurrently.Addthefollowinglinetothevirtualmachines configurationfile: disk.locking = "false" Thispreventsthelockingofthatdisk,whichpermitsmultiplevirtualmachinesto accessadiskconcurrently.Becarefulthough:ifanyvirtualmachinenotconfiguredfor SCSIreservationtriestoaccessthisdiskconcurrently,theshareddiskisvulnerableto corruptionordataloss. CAUTION Thissettingappliestoalldisksinthevirtualmachine.
WhenSCSIreservationisenabled,thesystemcreatesareservationlockfilethat containsthesharedstateofthereservationforthegivendisk.Thenameofthisfile consistsofthefilenameoftheSCSIdiskappendedwith.RESLCK.
VMware, Inc.
163
Forexample,ifthediskscsi1:0.filenameisdefinedintheconfigurationfileas scsi1:0.fileName = "/<path_to_config>/vmSCSI.vmdk" thereservationlockfileforthisdiskhasthedefaultname /<path_to_config>/vmSCSI.vmdk.RESLCK Youcanprovideyourownlockfilename.Addadefinitionforscsi1:0.reslcknameto theconfigurationfile.Forexample,ifyouadd scsi1:0.reslckname = "/tmp/scsi1-0.reslock" totheconfigurationfile,thisnameoverridesthedefaultlockfilename. CAUTION Usethesamelockfilename(forexample,"/tmp/scsi1-0.reslock")for eachvirtualmachineinthecluster.YoumustalsousethesameSCSI targetforeachvirtualmachinewhenyoudefinescsi1:0.reslckname. However,theSCSIbus(scsi1inthiscase)doesnotneedtobethesame.
AfterSCSIreservationisenabledforadiskthatis,thescsi<x>.sharedBus = "virtual"anddisk.locking ="false"settingsareaddedtotheconfigurationfilefor eachvirtualmachinewantingtosharethisdiskyouneedtopointeachvirtual machinetothisdisk. Toaddavirtualdisktoavirtualmachine,seeAddingVirtualDiskstoaVirtual Machine.
Issues to Consider When Sharing Disks

!
Donottrytoshareadiskamongmultiplerunningvirtualmachinesthatarenot collocatedonthesamehost.Thediskfileitselfcanbelocatedremotely,butthe virtualmachinesmustberunningtogetheronthesameVMwareServerhost.If youtrytoshareadiskamongvirtualmachineslocatedondifferenthosts,data couldbecorruptedorlost. DonotshareadiskonSCSIbus0.Thisbusisusuallyusedforthebootdisk.Ifyou sharethebootdisk,youruntheriskofcorruptingit,asthebootprogramisnot awarethatthediskisbeingsharedandcanwritetothediskregardlessofwhether ornotitisbeingshared.ItisfarmoresecuretouseSCSIreservationonadatadisk locatedonadifferentbus. Ifonlyonerunningvirtualmachineisusingagivendisk,anditisrunning applicationsthatdonotuseSCSIreservation,thedisksperformancemightbe degradedslightly.
164
VMware, Inc.
Atthistime,ifonevirtualmachinedoesnothaveSCSIreservationenabledforits virtualdisk,butanothervirtualmachinedoeshaveSCSIreservationenabledfor thesamevirtualdisk,VMwareServerdoesallowthedisktobeshared.However, anyvirtualmachinenotconfiguredforSCSIreservationthattriestoaccessthis diskconcurrentlycancausecorruptionordatalossontheshareddisk.VMware recommendsyoutakecarewhensharingdisks. Ifyouneedtoshrinkordefragmentthevirtualdisk(whichcanbedoneonlywith agrowablevirtualdisk),firstdisableSCSIreservationandmakesurethevirtual diskisnotbeingusedbyanyothervirtualmachine. TodisableSCSIreservationforallSCSIdisksinavirtualmachine,openthe configurationfileandcommentoutorremovethescsi<x>.sharedBus = "virtual"lineandmakesurethedisk.lockinglineissetto"true". TodisableSCSIreservationforonlyaspecificSCSIdiskonasharedbus,change thescsi<x>:<y>.shared = "true"lineintheconfigurationfileto scsi<x>:<y>.shared = "false".Youcanalsocommentouttheline.
InaWindowsvirtualmachine,somediskerrorsarerecordedintheWindows eventloginnormaloperation.Theseerrormessageshaveaformatsimilarto "The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Scsi\BusLogic3" Theerrorsshouldappearinthelogperiodicallyonlyonthepassivenodeofthe clusterandshouldalsoappearwhenthepassivenodeistakingoverduringa failover.Theerrorsareloggedbecausetheactivenodeoftheclusterhasreserved thesharedvirtualdisk.Thepassivenodeperiodicallyprobestheshareddiskand receivesaSCSIreservationconflicterror.
Overview of Clustering with VMware Server

VMwareServerclusteringcapabilitiesareideallysuitedfordevelopment,testing,and trainingapplications. NOTE Alwaysrigorouslytestandreviewyourclusterbeforedeployingitina productionenvironment.
Thissectionincludes:
! !
ApplicationsThatCanUseClusteringonpage 166 ClusteringSoftwareonpage 166
Clusteringprovidesaservicethroughagroupofserverstogethighavailability, scalability,orboth.
VMware, Inc.
165
Forexample:
!
InaWebserverclusterwheretheWebsiteservesstaticcontent,agateway distributesrequeststoallnodesaccordingtoload.Thegatewayalsoredirects requeststoremainingnodesifonecrashes. Thisconfigurationincreasesavailabilityandperformanceoverasinglemachine approach.NetworkLoadBalancinginWindows2000andWindowsServer2003 providessuchaservice.
Inamorecomplexcluster,asinglenodemightserveadatabase.Ifthatnode crashes,itmustrestartthedatabaseonanothernode.Thedatabaseapplication knowshowtorecoverfromacrash.Innormaloperation,othernodesrunother applications. MicrosoftClusterServiceandVeritasClusterServiceprovidesuchaservice.
Inatypicalvirtualmachinecluster:
! !
Eachvirtualmachineisonenodeinthecluster. Disksaresharedbetweennodes. Shareddisksareneedediftheapplicationusesdynamicdataasmailserversor databaseserversdo. Whenusingvirtualdisks,youmustpreallocatethediskspaceatthetimeyou createthevirtualdisk.
Extranetworkconnectionsbetweennodesformonitoringheartbeatstatusare available. Amethodforredirectingincomingrequestsisavailable.
Applications That Can Use Clustering

Totakeadvantageofclusteringservices,applicationsneedtobeclusteringaware.Such applicationscanbestateless,suchasWebserversandVPNservers.Clusteringaware applicationsoftenincludebuiltinrecoveryfeatures,likethoseindatabaseservers, mailservers,fileservers,orprintservers.
Clustering Software
Availableclusteringsoftwareincludes:
!
MicrosoftClusteringService(MSCS)underWindows2000,MSCSprovides failoversupportfortwotofournodeclustersforapplicationssuchasdatabases,
166
VMware, Inc.
fileservers,andmailservers.UnderWindowsServer2003,MSCSprovides failoversupportforeightnodeclusters.
!
MicrosoftNetworkLoadBalancing(NLB)balancestheloadofincomingIP trafficacrossaclusterofupto32nodesforapplicationssuchasWebserversand terminalservices. VeritasClusteringService(VCS). NovellClusteringServices. TheseclusteringservicesaretestedandsupportedbyVMwareonlywith Windowshostoperatingsystems.
! !
NOTE
Creating a Cluster in a Box

WithVMwareServer,youcancreateasimpleclusterinaboxtohelpmitigatethe effectsofsoftwarecrashesoradministrativeproblems. CAUTION WhenyouuseVMwareServervirtualmachinesinacluster,youmust turnoffdiskcachingforeachvirtualmachinethatisamemberofthe cluster.Ifyoudonotturnoffdataontheshareddrivemightbecome corrupted.Toturnoffdiskcachingopentheconfiguration.vmxfileof eachvirtualmachineinatexteditorandaddthefollowingline: diskLib.dataCaheMaxSize = 0
NOTE
Whenyouconfigureacluster,theabilitytotakesnapshotsisdisabledin virtualmachinesinthecluster.
Thistypeofcluster:
! ! !
Consistsofmultiplevirtualmachines(nodes)onasinglephysicalmachine. SupportsshareddiskswithoutanysharedSCSIhardware. Supportsaheartbeatnetworkwithoutanextraphysicalnetworkadapter.
VMware, Inc.
167
Figure 7-1. A two-node cluster on a single physical machine. Thefollowingsectionsdescribehowtosetupaclusterinabox:

! !
ConfiguringVirtualMachinesforClusterinaBoxonpage 168 CreatingaTwoNodeClusterwithMicrosoftClusteringServicesonpage 169
Configuring Virtual Machines for Cluster in a Box

Tocreateasetofclusteredvirtualmachines(aclusterinabox),configureeachofthem withthefollowing:
! !
AprimaryvirtualSCSIhostadapterwithoneSCSIvirtualdisk. Twovirtualnetworkadapters:
!
ApublicnetworkadapterbridgedtoaphysicaladaptereitherusingVMnet0, orVMnet28asconfiguredinthevirtualmachinesettingseditorofthe VMwareServermachine. AprivatenetworkadapterconnectedtoVMnet1(hostonly),oranother physicaladapter(VMnet2throughVMnet8).Thisisthenetworkadapterthat theclusteringserviceusestomonitortheheartbeatbetweennodes.This deviceselectionmustmatchinallvirtualmachinesinaclusterset.

VMware, Inc.
168
Theremainingdefaultvirtualmachinedevices(suchastheCDROMdriveandthe floppydiskdrive).
Inadditiontotheabovedevices,thefollowingarerequiredforsharedstorage:
! !
AsecondaryvirtualSCSIhostadapter. Oneormorepreallocatedvirtualdisksthatareshared,attachedtothesecondary SCSIhostadapter.
NotethefollowingaboutvirtualPCIslotsinthevirtualmachines:
! !
EachvirtualmachinebydefaulthassixPCIslotsavailable. Thisconfiguration(twonetworkadaptersandtwoSCSIhostbusadapters)uses fouroftheseslots. OnemorePCIslotisavailableforathirdnetworkadapterifneeded.(Thesixthslot isusedbythevirtualdisplayadapter.) IfthevirtualmachinesbootpartitionisonanIDEvirtualdisk,thepartition occupiesoneofthePCIslots.
Creating a Two-Node Cluster with Microsoft Clustering Services

ThisprocedurecreatesatwonodeclusterusingMicrosoftClusteringServicesona singleVMwareServercomputerusingthefollowing:
! ! !
SQL1=hostnameofnode1ofthecluster SQL2=hostnameofnode2ofthecluster SQLCLUSTER=publichostnameofthecluster
Creating the First Nodes Base Virtual Machine

Thefollowingstepsdescribehowtocreatethebasevirtualmachinethatservesasthe firstnodeinthecluster(andasatemplatefortheadditionalnode),andhowtocreate thetwopreallocatedvirtualdisksthataresharedamongthevirtualmachinesinthe cluster. NOTE Thevirtualdisksusedtostoretheoperatingsystemandclusteringsoftware foreachvirtualmachine(node)intheclusterdonothavetobepreallocated virtualdisks.
1 2
LogontoyourVMwareServerhostastheuserwhowillownthevirtualmachine. LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandcreateanewvirtualmachine(for informationoncreatinganewvirtualmachine,seeCreatingaNewVirtual

169
VMware, Inc.
Machine).FollowtheCustompath.Choosethesettingsyouwant(forexample, thesizeofthevirtualdiskortheamountofmemory),butmakesureyouspecify
!
Windows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition astheguestoperatingsystem. SQL1asthevirtualmachinename. Thevirtualmachinedirectoryasd:\cluster\SQL1(onaWindowshost)or /home/cluster/SQL1(onaLinuxhost). Bridgednetworkingforthevirtualmachine. SQL1asthediskfilename.
! !
! !
3 4
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.ChooseVM>Settings. Addanewnetworkadapterthatuseseitheranotherexternaladapterorthe VMnet1hostonlyadapter.(Forcompleteisolationfromthehost,youcanalsouse anyunusedvirtualEthernetswitch,typicallyVMnet2throughVMnet7.)For information,seeAddingandModifyingVirtualNetworkAdapters. ThisadapterisusedasthevirtualprivateEthernetconnectionforheartbeat monitoring.
Addthetwovirtualdisksthataretobeshared:
! !
Ashareddatadisk(callitdata.vmdk,forexample) Asharedquorumdisk(callitquorum.vmdk,forexample)tostoretransactions beforetheyarecommittedtothedatadisk
Forinformation,seeAddingVirtualDiskstoaVirtualMachine. 6 7 ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor. Usingatexteditor,manuallyedittheconfigurationfile d:\cluster\SQL1\SQL1.vmx(onaWindowshost)or/home/cluster/SQL1/SQL1.vmx (onaLinuxhost). Addthefollowinglinestotheconfigurationfile: scsi1.sharedBus = virtual disk.locking = "false" ThisenablesSCSIreservation,whichisdescribedinmoredetailinthesection UsingSCSIReservationtoShareSCSIDiskswithVirtualMachinesonpage 161. Youarefinishedcreatingthevirtualmachineforthefirstnodeinyourcluster.Thenext stepistoinstallaguestoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachine.
170
VMware, Inc.
Installing the Guest Operating System in the First Virtual Machine (Node)
ForinformationoninstallingWindows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003 EnterpriseEditioninthevirtualmachine,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystem InstallationGuide.ItisavailablefromtheVMwareWebsiteat http://www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html. NOTE Duringtheinstallationoftheguestoperatingsystem,donotinstallthe clusteringservices.
Whentheinstallationiscomplete,installVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem. SeeInstallingVMwareTools. AfteryoufinishinstallingtheguestoperatingsystemandVMwareTools,clonethe virtualmachine.(Later,youcreatethesecondclusternodeusingtheclone.) To clone the first virtual machine node 1 Runsysprep.exe,whichisavailableontheWindowsCDinthefile \support\tools\deploy.cab(orfromtheMicrosoftWebsite). Thesysprep.exeutilityremovesthesecurityIDassignedtotheguestoperating system,resetsthemachineinformationandresetstheTCP/IPnetwork configuration. 2 3 4 5 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. CreateadirectorynamedSQL2undertheclusterdirectory. CopytheSQL1*.vmdkfilesintothisdirectory. UsetheVMwareVirtualDiskManagertochangethenameofthevirtualdiskto SQL2*.vmdk.Atacommandprompt,type: vmware-vdiskmanager -n SQL1.vmdk SQL2.vmdk Formoreinformationaboutthevirtualdiskmanager,seeUsingVMwareVirtual DiskManager. Youarefinishedcloningthefirstnode.Youarenowreadytocreatethesecondnodein theclusterusingtheclone. To create the second node in the cluster from the clone of the first node 1 2 LogontoyourVMwareServerhostastheuserwhowillownthevirtualmachine. LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandcreateanewvirtualmachine(for informationoncreatinganewvirtualmachine,seeCreatingaNewVirtual MachinewiththeVirtualMachineWizard).Choosethesettingsyouwant(for
VMware, Inc.
171
example,thesizeofthevirtualdiskortheamountofmemory),butmakesureyou specify:
!
Windows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition astheguestoperatingsystem. SQL2asthevirtualmachinename. Thevirtualmachinedirectoryasd:\cluster\SQL2(onaWindowshost)or /home/cluster/SQL2(onaLinuxhost). Bridgednetworkingforthevirtualmachine. Touseanexistingvirtualdisk,clickBrowseandselectSQL2.vmdk.
! !
! !
3 4
Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.ChooseVM>Settings. Addanewnetworkadapterthatuseseitheranotherexternaladapterorthe VMnet1hostonlyadapter.Forinformation,seeAddingandModifyingVirtual NetworkAdapters. Addthetwovirtualdisks(quorum.vmdkanddata.vmdk)youpreviouslycreated. Forinformation,seeAddingVirtualDiskstoaVirtualMachine.Makesureyou selectUseanexistingvirtualdiskandbrowsetoquorum.vmdkanddata.vmdk. ClickOKtosaveyoursettingsandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor. Usingatexteditor,manuallyedittheconfigurationfile d:\cluster\SQL2\SQL2.vmx(onaWindowshost)or/home/cluster/SQL2/SQL2.vmx (onaLinuxhost). Addthefollowinglinestothebottomoftheconfigurationfile: scsi1.sharedBus = virtual disk.locking = "false" ThisenablesSCSIreservation,whichisdescribedinmoredetailinUsingSCSI ReservationtoShareSCSIDiskswithVirtualMachinesonpage 161.
6 7
Intheconsole,verifythatbothvirtualmachinesarepoweredoff.
Youarefinishedcreatingthesecondnode. Nowthatyouhavevirtualmachinesforbothnodesinyourtwonodecluster,youare readytoinstalltheclusteringservicessoftware. To install Microsoft Clustering Services on the Cluster Nodes 1 2 Startthenode1virtualmachine. FollowtheWindowssetuppromptstoenter
172
VMware, Inc.
! ! !
TheWindowsserialnumber. Thehostname(SQL1). TheIPaddressesofthepublicandprivatenetworkadapters. Forthepublicnetworkadapter,enteranIPaddressthatbelongstothe physicalnetwork.FortheprivateIPaddress,youcanuseanaddresslike 192.168.x.xwithaclassCsubnetmask(255.255.255.0).
NOTE
3 4 5 6
Attheendoftheprocess,Windowsreboots. StarttheDiskManagementtoolandchangebothshareddiskstoBasicdisks. FormatbothsharedvirtualdiskswithNTFSiftheyarenotalreadyformatted. AssignthefirstshareddisktoQ:(quorum)andtheseconddisktoR:(data). IfyouhavejoinedthisvirtualmachinetoanexistingActiveDirectorydomain, skiptostep11.
7 8
Rundcpromo.exefromthecommandprompt.ThisstartstheActiveDirectory Wizard. Setupthecurrentmachineasadomaincontroller.Forthedomainname,use somethingsimilarto<vmcluster>.<domain.com>where<domain.com>isyourDNS domainand<vmcluster>isyourActiveDirectorydomain. Youcansetupthisnodeasanewdomaintreeoranewdomainforest,orjoinitto anexistingdomaintreeorforest.
9 10 11 12
MakesuretheDNSserverisinstalled. Setthedomainpermissionsasmixedmodeunlessyouplanotherwise. Toaddaclusterservicesaccountinthedomain,gotoPrograms>Administrative Tools>ActiveDirectoryUsersandComputers. Addaclusterserviceaccountnamedcluster:

! ! !
Entertheuserspassword. ChecktheUsercannotchangepasswordcheckbox. CheckthePasswordneverexpirescheckbox.
13 14 15
InserttheWindowsCDintheCDROMdrive. ChooseControlPanel>Add/RemovePrograms. SelectAdd/RemoveWindowsComponents.
VMware, Inc.
173
16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
ChecktheClusterServicecomponent. ClickNextandfollowthepromptstoinstalltheservice. Asyouconfiguretheclusterservice,chooseFormaNewCluster. SpecifySQLCLUSTERastheclustername. Specifytheclusterserviceaccountcreatedinstep12. Specifythatbothshareddisksshouldbemanagedbytheclusterservice. Indicatetheshareddisk(Q:)tobethequorumdisk. Specifywhichnetworkadapterispublicandwhichisprivate. SpecifytheclusterIPaddress.Thisistheaddressthatrepresentsthecluster.It mustbeonthesamenetworkasthephysicalEthernetdevice. Stoptheclusterserviceonthelocalnode(node1)sothatthesecondvirtual machine(node2)canaccesstheshareddisks.
! !
FromClusterManager,rightclickthenodename. SelectStopClusterService.
YouarefinishedinstallingMicrosoftClusteringServicesonthefirstnode.Thestepsto installthesoftwareonthesecondnodearesimilar. 1 2 3 4 Startthenode2virtualmachine. Repeatstep2andstep3intheprocedureforthefirstnode. StarttheDiskManagementtoolandassignthefirstshareddisktoQ:(quorum)and theseconddisktoR:(data). Startdcpromo.exeandaddthisvirtualmachineasadomaincontrollerinthesame domaincreatedinstep8forthefirstnode,oraddittoanexistingdomain. NOTE Thesetupinnode2mustmatchthesetupinnode1,whichyouspecified instep8fornode1.
Inthenode1virtualmachine,starttheclusterservice.
! !
FromClusterManager,rightclickthenodename. SelectStartClusterService.
Inthenode2virtualmachine,repeatstep14throughstep24inToinstall MicrosoftClusteringServicesontheClusterNodesonpage 172,withone exception:instep18,selectJoinaCluster.
174
VMware, Inc.
Youarenowfinishedconfiguringthecluster.
Using Network Load Balancing with VMware Server

ThissectioncoversproceduresforcreatingamultinodeNetworkLoadBalancing clusterusingnodesrunninginvirtualmachines.Thesevirtualmachinescanbelocated ononeormoreVMwareServercomputers. ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtocreateanexampleNetworkLoadBalancing cluster:
! !
OverviewofNetworkLoadBalancingClustersonpage 175 CreatingaMultinodeNetworkLoadBalancingClusteronpage 175
Overview of Network Load Balancing Clusters

NetworkLoadBalancingisaWindows2000AdvancedServerandWindowsServer 2003feature.UsingNetworkLoadBalancingtobuildaservercluster:
!
YoucanenhancetheavailabilityofInternetserverprograms,suchasthoseusedon thesetypesofservers:
! ! ! ! ! ! !
Web Proxy Domainnameservice(DNS) FTP Virtualprivatenetwork(VPN) Streamingmediaservers Terminalservices
! !
Youcanscaleyourserversperformance. Youcancreatetheclusterwithvirtualmachinesonthesamephysicalserveror withvirtualmachinesonmultiplephysicalservers(allrunningVMwareServer). Youcanconfigureupto32nodesinthecluster.
Creating a Multinode Network Load Balancing Cluster

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtocreateamultinodeNetworkLoadBalancing cluster.
VMware, Inc.
175
To create the first nodes base virtual machine 1 2 LogontoyourVMwareServerhostastheuserwhowillownthevirtualmachine. LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandcreateanewvirtualmachine(for informationoncreatinganewvirtualmachine,seeCreatingaNewVirtual Machine).Choosethesettingsyouwant(forexample,thesizeofthevirtualdisk ortheamountofmemory),butmakesureyouspecify
!
Windows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition astheguestoperatingsystem. NLB1asthevirtualmachinename. Thevirtualmachinedirectoryasd:\cluster\nlb1(onaWindowshost)or /home/cluster/nlb1(onaLinuxhost). Bridgednetworkingforthevirtualmachine. nlb1asthediskfilename.
! !
! !
3 4
ConnecttothisvirtualmachinewiththeVMwareServerConsoleandchooseVM >Settings. Addasecondnetworkingdevice,bindingittoanotherphysicalNICortothe hostonlynetwork.
Youarefinishedcreatingthefirstvirtualmachine(node)inthecluster.Thenextstepis toinstallaguestoperatingsysteminthevirtualmachine.
Installing the Guest Operating System in the First Virtual Machine (Node)
ForinformationoninstallingWindows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003 EnterpriseEditioninthevirtualmachine,seetheVMwareGuestOperatingSystem InstallationGuide.ItisavailablefromtheVMwareWebsiteat http://www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html. NOTE Duringtheinstallationoftheguestoperatingsystem,donotinstallthe clusteringservices.
Whentheinstallationiscomplete,installVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem. SeeInstallingVMwareTools. AfteryoufinishinstallingtheguestoperatingsystemandVMwareTools,clonethe virtualmachine.(Later,youcreatethesecondclusternodeusingtheclone.) Youarefinishedcreatingthefirstclusternode.Youcannowclonethatnodeforusein creatingothernodes.
176
VMware, Inc.
Cloning the First Cluster Node

Followthesestepstoclonethefirstclusternodeforuseincreatingtheothernodesin thecluster,eitheronthesamephysicalserveroronothermachinesrunningVMware Server: 1 Runsysprep.exe,whichisavailableontheWindowsCDinthefile \support\tools\deploy.caborfromtheMicrosoftWebsite. Thesysprep.exeutilityremovesthesecurityIDassignedtotheguestoperating system,resetsthemachineinformation,andresetstheTCP/IPnetwork configuration. 2 3 4 5 Shutdowntheguestoperatingsystemandpoweroffthevirtualmachine. Createadirectorynlb2undertheclusterdirectory,eitheronthelocalserveroron differentmachinesrunningVMwareServer. Copythenlb1*.vmdkfilesintothisdirectory. UsetheVMwareVirtualDiskManagertochangethenameofthevirtualdiskto nlb<n>.vmdk(where<n>istheNetworkLoadBalancingnodenumber).Ata commandprompt,type: vmware-vdiskmanager -n nlb1.vmdk nlb<n>.vmdk Formoreinformationaboutthevirtualdiskmanager,seeUsingVMwareVirtual DiskManager. Repeatstep3throughstep5foreachadditionalnodeyouwanttocreate,eitheronthe samephysicalserver,oronadditionalmachinesrunningVMwareServer.Youcan configureupto32nodeswithNetworkLoadBalancing. Whenyouarefinishedmakingclonesofthefirstnode,youarereadytocreate additionalnodesfromtheclones.
Creating Additional Nodes in the Network Load Balancing Cluster

Followthesestepsforeachoftheadditionalnodesyouwanttocreate(upto32nodes) intheNetworkLoadBalancingcluster: 1 2 LogontoyourVMwareServerhostastheuserwhowillownthevirtualmachine. LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandcreateanewvirtualmachine(for informationoncreatinganewvirtualmachine,seeCreatingaNewVirtual Machine).Choosethesettingsyouwant(forexample,thesizeofthevirtualdisk ortheamountofmemory),exceptyoushouldspecify
!
Windows2000AdvancedServerorWindowsServer2003EnterpriseEdition astheguestoperatingsystem.
177
VMware, Inc.
nlb2asthevirtualmachinename. NOTE Foreachadditionalnode,usethenameofthatnodeinsteadofnlb2.
Thevirtualmachinedirectoryasd:\VMware\cluster\nlb2(onaWindows host)or/home/cluster/nlb2(onaLinuxhost). Touseanexistingvirtualdisk.ClickBrowseandselectnlb2.vmdk. Bridgednetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
! !
3 4
ConnecttothisvirtualmachinewiththeVMwareServerConsoleandchooseVM >Settings. Addasecondnetworkingdevice,bindingittoanotherphysicalNICortothe hostonlynetwork.Forinformation,seeAddingandModifyingVirtualNetwork Adapters. Intheconsole,verifythatbothvirtualmachinesarepoweredoff.
Afteryouhavefinishedcreatingtheadditionalnodes,youarereadytoconfigurethe cluster.
Configuring the Network Load Balancing Cluster

Youcanclusterupto32nodesusingNetworkLoadBalancing. To configure the cluster for each node that joins the cluster 1 2 3 ConnecttothefirstnodevirtualmachinewiththeVMwareServerConsole. Poweronthevirtualmachine. FollowtheWindowsminisetuppromptstoenterthefollowing:
! ! !
TheWindowsserialnumber Thehostname IPaddressesforthathost
4 5 6 7
Attheendoftheprocess,Windowsreboots. LogontothevirtualmachineastheAdministratoruser. OpenNetworkandDialupConnections. RightclickthelocalareaconnectiononwhichyouwanttoinstallNetworkLoad BalancingandchooseProperties. TheLocalAreaConnectionPropertiesdialogboxappears.
178
VMware, Inc.
8 9 10
UnderComponentscheckedareusedbythisconnection,selecttheNetwork LoadBalancingcheckbox. ClickProperties. OntheClusterParameterstab,configureclusteroperationsusingthese parameters:

!
PrimaryIPAddress:Thisistheaddressfortheclusterasawhole.Clientsuse thisaddresstoaccessthecluster. SubnetMask:Thisisthesubnetmaskofthenetworktowhichtheabove addressbelongs. Multicast:Selectthisoption,evenifyourvirtualmachinewasconfigured withasinglenetworkadapter. NOTE Allmembersoftheclustermustbeconfiguredformulticasting.
RefertoNetworkLoadBalancingonlineHelpfortheremainingoptions. 11 12 13 14 15 Whenyoufinishwiththeclusterparameters,clickOKtoreturntotheLocalArea ConnectionPropertiesdialogbox. ClickOKtoreturntotheLocalAreaConnectionStatusdialogbox. RightclickthelocalareaconnectiononwhichNetworkLoadBalancingistobe installed,andselectProperties. ClickInternetProtocol(TCP/IP),andclickProperties. SetupTCP/IPforNetworkLoadBalancing. FormoreinformationandlinkstoproceduresforsettingupTCP/IPforNetwork LoadBalancingonsingleandmultiplenetworkadapters,seeRelatedTopicsinthe NetworkLoadBalancingonlineHelp. NOTE YoumustaddtheclustersprimaryIPaddresstothelistofIPaddresses boundtotheadapter.
RepeatthesestepsoneachhosttobeusedinyourNetworkLoadBalancingcluster.
Creating Two-Node Clusters Using Novell Clustering Services

ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtocreateatwonodeclusterusingNovell ClusteringServicesonasingleVMwareServersystem:
VMware, Inc.
179
! ! ! ! !
CreatingtheFirstNodesBaseVirtualMachineonpage 180 CreatingtheSecondNodeintheClusteronpage 181 InstallingtheGuestOperatingSystemandVMwareToolsonpage 181 AddingtheSharedDiskstoBothVirtualMachinesonpage 181 InstallingNovellClusteringServicesontheClusterNodesonpage 182
Creating the First Node's Base Virtual Machine

Thefollowingstepsdescribehowtocreatethebasevirtualmachinethatservesasthe firstnodeinthecluster,aswellashowtocreatethetwopreallocatedvirtualdisksthat aresharedamongthevirtualmachinesinthecluster.YoucaninstallNovellNetWare 6.0or6.5inavirtualmachineusingthestandardNetWare6.0or6.5CDROM.VMware recommendsyouinstallNetWare6.0onahostwithatleast384MBofmemory; NetWare6.5mustbeinstalledonahostwithatleast512MBofmemory.
Creating and Configuring the NetWare Virtual Machine

NOTE Thevirtualdisksusedtostoretheoperatingsystemandclusteringsoftware foreachvirtualmachine(node)intheclusterdonothavetobepreallocated virtualdisks.
1 2
LogontoyourVMwareServerhostastheuserwhowillownthevirtualmachine. LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandcreateanewvirtualmachine(for informationoncreatinganewvirtualmachine,seeCreatingaNewVirtual Machine).Choosethesettingsyouwant(forexample,thesizeofthevirtualdisk ortheamountofmemory),butmakesureyouspecify:

! ! !
Netware6astheguestoperatingsystem. Cluster1asthevirtualmachinename. ThevirtualmachinedirectoryasD:\Netware6\Cluster1(onaWindowshost) or/home/Netware/Cluster1(onaLinuxhost). Bridgednetworkingforthevirtualmachine.
Youarefinishedcreatingthevirtualmachineforthefirstnodeinyourcluster.The nextstepistocreatethesecondnodeinyourcluster.Then,foreachnode,install theguestoperatingsystemandVMwareTools.
180
VMware, Inc.
Creating the Second Node in the Cluster

Next,createthesecondnodeoftheclusterbyfollowingthesameprocedureforcreating thefirstnodelistedabovewiththefollowingchanges:
! !
UseCluster2asthevirtualmachinename. UseD:\Netware6\Cluster2asthevirtualmachinedirectory(onaWindowshost) or/home/Netware/Cluster2(onaLinuxhost).
Installing the Guest Operating System and VMware Tools

ForinformationoninstallingNetWare6.0or6.5inavirtualmachine,seetheVMware GuestOperatingSystemInstallationGuide.ItisavailablefromtheVMwareWebsiteat http://www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.Makesureyoufollow theinstructionsforbridgednetworking. Whentheinstallationiscomplete,installVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem. SeeInstallingVMwareTools. AfteryoufinishinstallingtheguestoperatingsystemandVMwareTools,clonethe virtualmachine.(Later,youcreatethesecondclusternodeusingtheclone.) Youarefinishedcreatingthefirstclusternode.Youcannowclonethatnodeforusein creatingothernodes. BesuretoreadtheknownissuesforNetWare6.0or6.5intheinstallationguidelines.
Adding the Shared Disks to Both Virtual Machines

FollowtheprocedureoutlinedinAddingVirtualDiskstoaVirtualMachinetocreate andaddtwosharedpreallocatedvirtualdiskstothefirstnode(calledCluster1).These disksaresharedbetweenbothnodesandinclude:
! !
Ashareddatadisk(callitdata.vmdk,forexample). Asharedquorumdisk(callitquorum.vmdk,forexample). UsetheAdvancedoptionwhenaddingthepreallocatedvirtualdisksfromthe virtualmachinesettingseditortoselectSCSIvirtualdevicenodesforthe disks.
NOTE
VMware, Inc.
181
Afteryoufinishcreatingthevirtualdisks,addthemtothesecondnodebycompleting thefollowingsteps. 1 2 3 4 Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditorforthenode2virtualmachine(called Cluster2).ChooseVM>Settings. Addthetwovirtualdisksthataretobeshared.Insteadofcreatingnewvirtual disks,usetheexistingvirtualdiskscreatedfornode1(calledCluster1). ClickOKtosaveyourchangesandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor. ForthevirtualmachinenamedCluster1,useatexteditortomanuallyeditthe configurationfile.ThisfileisD:\Netware6\Cluster1\Cluster1.vmxonaWindows hostor/home/Netware/Cluster1/Cluster1.vmxonaLinuxhost. ForthevirtualmachinenamedCluster2,useatexteditortomanuallyeditthe configurationfile.ThisfileisD:\Netware6\Cluster2\Cluster2.vmxonaWindows hostor/home/Netware/Cluster2/Cluster2.vmxonaLinuxhost. Addthefollowinglinestoeachconfigurationfile: scsi0.sharedBus = virtual disk.locking = false NOTE ThedefaultvirtualdisktypeisIDEforthebasevirtualmachinesvirtual diskcreatedinCreatingtheFirstNodesBaseVirtualMachineon page 180.IfyouareusingSCSIvirtualdisksforthebasevirtualmachine instead,theconfigurationfileoptionsforthesharedbusare: scsi1.present = true (Ifthislinealreadyexists,donotadditagain.) scsi1.sharedBus = virtual disk.locking = false
Thesesettingsarenecessarybecauseyourbasevirtualmachinesvirtualdiskis attachedtoscsi0andyoumusthaveaseparatevirtualSCSIcardforattachingthe shareddisks.ThesettingsenableSCSIreservationforscsi1,whichisdescribedin moredetailinUsingSCSIReservationtoShareSCSIDiskswithVirtual Machinesonpage 161.
Installing Novell Clustering Services on the Cluster Nodes

CompletethefollowingstepstoinstallNovellClusteringServicesineachvirtual machine. 1 2 Poweronthefirstnodevirtualmachine(Cluster1). BootintoDOSbypressingtheF5keytobypassrunningthestartupfiles.
182
VMware, Inc.
3 4 5 6 7
Insertthedriverfloppydiskinthehostsfloppydrive. Copythedriverstothec:\nwserverdirectory. Removethedriverfloppydiskfromthehostsfloppydrive. Rebootthevirtualmachine. Theservershouldbeabletorecognizetheshareddisks.Youcanverifythatby runningList Devices.
Repeattheabovestepsforthenode2virtualmachine(Cluster2). NowyouarereadytoinstalltheNovellClusteringServices(NCS)asyouwould normallyontwophysicalmachines.RefertotheNetWare6.0or6.5product documentationfordetails.
Clustering Using the iSCSI Protocol

YoucanusetheiSCSIprotocolwithvirtualmachinesandphysicalmachinesina clusteredenvironmenttoprovidehighlyavailablenetworkstorageandfailover. ClusteringwithiSCSIistheonlywayyoucanuseVMwareServertoconfigure clusteringacrossmultiplehosts.UsingtheiSCSIprotocolalsomeansthatyoudonot needtomanuallyeditthevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileasyoudowiththeother clusteringconfigurationmethods.However,performanceislimitedbytheslower speedofvirtualnetworking. Eachvirtualmachinerepresentsaclusternode.Youconfigureeachnodeofthecluster toactasaniSCSIinitiator.TheinitiatorcommunicateswiththeiSCSItarget.TheiSCSI targetcanbe:
! !
Avirtualmachineonthishostoranotherhost. TheVMwareServerhostitselforadifferenthostonthenetwork.
TheiSCSIinitiatormustruntheMicrosoftiSCSISoftwareInitiatorpackage,available fordownloadfromtheMicrosoftWebsiteat http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/technologies/storage/iscsi/default. mspx.ThissoftwarerunsinavirtualmachinewithaWindowsServer2003,Windows 2000,orWindowsXPguestoperatingsystem. TheiSCSItargetsoftwarecanruninavirtualmachineoronahostwithaWindowsor Linuxoperatingsystem.ExamplesofiSCSItargetsoftwareincludeWinTarget(for Windows)andNetAppFiler(forLinux).
VMware, Inc.
183
NOTE
Youcanuseanyclusteringsoftwareintheseclusternodesthatissupported byotherVMwareServerclusteringstrategies.Formoreinformation,see ClusteringSoftwareonpage 166.
ThefollowingsectionsdescribehowtosetupclusteringusingtheiSCSIprotocol.
! ! !
ClusteringScenariosUsingiSCSIonpage 184 CreatingandConfiguringtheiSCSIInitiatorVirtualMachineonpage 184 ConfiguringtheiSCSITargetintheClusteronpage 185
Clustering Scenarios Using iSCSI

YoucanemploythefollowingscenariostoclustervirtualmachineswiththeiSCSI protocol:
! !
UsingaVirtualMachineastheiSCSITarget UsingaHostastheiSCSITarget
Using a Virtual Machine as the iSCSI Target

YoucanuseavirtualmachineastheiSCSItarget.Thesetupinvolvesatleastthree virtualmachines.TwovirtualmachinesaretheclusternodesthatactasiSCSIinitiators, soyoumustinstalltheiSCSIinitiatorsoftwareinthesevirtualmachines.Thethird virtualmachineactsastheiSCSItarget.TheiSCSItargetvirtualmachinemustbe runningforclusteringtoworksuccessfully.
Using a Host as the iSCSI Target

YoucanuseahostonyournetworkastheiSCSItarget.Eachclusternode(virtual machine)actsasaniSCSIinitiator,soyoumustinstalltheiSCSIinitiatorsoftwarein eachvirtualmachine.ThenyouinstalltheiSCSItargetsoftwareonthetargethost.
Creating and Configuring the iSCSI Initiator Virtual Machine

TheiSCSIinitiatorvirtualmachineiscreatedinthesamemannerasaregularvirtual machine.Unlikeotherclusteringmethods,youdonotmodifythevirtualmachines configurationfile(.vmx)manuallyinordertoenableclustering. Thevirtualdiskusedtostoretheguestoperatingsystemandclusteringsoftwarefor eachvirtualmachine(node)intheclusterdoesnothavetobeapreallocatedvirtualdisk oraSCSIvirtualdisk. Youshouldconfigurethevirtualmachinewithatleasttwovirtualnetworkadapters onetocommunicatewithotheriSCSIinitiatornodesandtheothertoconnecttothe
184 VMware, Inc.
iSCSItargetandtotheInternet.Youcouldoptionallyconfigurethevirtualmachine withthreevirtualnetworkadaptersthefirsttocommunicatewithotheriSCSI initiatornodes,thesecondtoconnecttotheiSCSItarget,andthethirdtotheInternet. Forthevirtualnetworkadapterthatcommunicateswiththeotherclusternodes,you shouldconfigureittousebridgednetworkingiftheclusternodesarelocatedon differentVMwareServerhosts.Ifthenodesareonthesamehost,youcanalsouse hostonlynetworking. To create an iSCSI initiator virtual machine 1 2 LogontoyourVMwareServerhostastheuserwhowillownthevirtualmachine. LaunchaVMwareServerConsoleandcreateanewvirtualmachine(for informationoncreatinganewvirtualmachine,seeCreatingaNewVirtual Machine).Choosethesettingsyouwant(forexample,thesizeofthevirtualdisk ortheamountofmemory),butmakesureyouspecifybridgednetworkingforthe virtualmachine. Openthevirtualmachinesettingseditor.ChooseVM>Settings. Addasecondvirtualnetworkadapter.Formoreinformation,seeAddingand ModifyingVirtualNetworkAdapters.Again,makesureyouspecifybridged networkingfortheadapter. Ifyouchoose,youcanaddathirdvirtualnetworkadaptertothevirtualmachine. 5 6 7 8 Selectthevirtualnetworkadapteryouintendtousetocommunicatewiththe iSCSItarget.UnderAdaptertype,selectvmxnet. ClickOKtosaveyoursettingsandclosethevirtualmachinesettingseditor. PoweronthevirtualmachineandinstalltheguestoperatingsystemandVMware Tools.SeeInstallingVMwareTools. InstalltheiSCSIinitiatorsoftware. YouarefinishedcreatingtheiSCSIinitiatorvirtualmachine.Repeatthesestepsfor eachiSCSIinitiator,orelseusesysprep.exetoclonethefirstnode.Thencreatethe iSCSItargetvirtualmachine.
3 4
Configuring the iSCSI Target in the Cluster

TheconfigurationoftheiSCSItargetnodeoftheclusterdependsonwhetheryouare usingavirtualmachineorahostforthetarget. Ifyouareusingahost,youneedtoinstalltheiSCSItargetsoftwareonthehost.After theiSCSIinitiatorvirtualmachinesareconfiguredandtheiSCSIinitiatorsoftware installed,thevirtualmachinescanaccessthetarget.
VMware, Inc. 185
IfyouareusingavirtualmachineastheiSCSItarget,configurethevirtualmachinethe samewayyoudidfortheinitiator,exceptforthefollowing:
! !
MakesurethevirtualmachineisconfiguredwithatleastoneSCSIvirtualdisk. Youcanconfigurethevirtualmachinewithonevirtualnetworkadapter.Ifthe virtualmachineislocatedonthesamehostastheiSCSIinitiators,youshould configureittousehostonlynetworking.Ifthevirtualmachineislocatedon anotherVMwareServerhost,youshouldconfigureittousebridgednetworking. YoumustinstalliSCSItargetsoftwareinsteadofiSCSIinitiatorsoftwareonaSCSI virtualdisk.
186
VMware, Inc.
Appendix: Mounting Virtual Disks
VMwareServerDiskMountUtilityletsyoumountanunusedvirtualdiskina MicrosoftWindowshostfilesystemasaseparatedrivewithoutneedingtoconnectto thevirtualdiskfromwithinavirtualmachine.Youcanmountspecificvolumesofa virtualdiskifthevirtualdiskispartitioned. DiskMountUtilityisacommandlineprogramcalledvmware-mountthatworks similarlytohowyouusethesubstcommandonWindows.Oncethediskismounted, youcanreadfromandwritetothediskasifitwereaseparatefilesystemwithitsown driveletteronyournetwork.However,youcannotpoweronanyvirtualmachinethat usesthisdiskuntilthediskisunmounted. Youcanperformactivitiessuchasscanningavirtualdiskforvirusesandtransferring filesbetweenthehostsystemandapoweredoffvirtualmachine. Whenyouarefinishedusingthemountedvirtualdisk,deletethemappingsothe virtualdiskcanbeusedbyvirtualmachinesagain.
Considerations for Mounting Virtual Disks

!
YoucanuseDiskMountwithvirtualdiskscreatedwithVMwareServeraswell VMwareESXServer2,VMwareGSXServer3and2.5.1,VMwareACE,and VMwareWorkstation5and4. NOTE VirtualdiskscreatedwithVMwareACEcannotbeencryptedvirtual disks.EncryptedvirtualdiskscannotbemountedwithDiskMount.
YoucanrunDiskMountonanyversionsofWindows2000,WindowsXP,or WindowsServer2003. YoumustmountvirtualdisksasdriveD:orgreater.Youcannotspecifyaletter alreadyinuseonthehost. YoucanmountvolumesformattedwithFAT(12/16/32)orNTFSonly.Ifthevirtual diskhasamixofpartitions(volumes)where,forexample,apartitionis unformattedorisformattedwithaLinuxoperatingsystemandanotherpartition isformattedwithaWindowsoperatingsystem,youcanmounttheWindows partitionwithDiskMount.
VMware, Inc.
187
Youcanmountavirtualdiskthathasasnapshot.Anychangesyoumaketothe virtualdiskwhileitismountedarediscardedwhenyoureverttothesnapshot. Youcannotmountavirtualdiskifanyofits.vmdkfilesarecompressedorhave readonlypermissions.Changetheseattributesbeforemountingthevirtualdisk. Youcannotmountavirtualdiskthatiscurrentlybeingusedbyarunningor suspendedvirtualmachine.Onlydisksthatareinapoweredoffvirtualmachine canbemounted.
Statement of Support
TheVMwareDiskMountUtilityisprovidedwithoutsupportservicesfromVMware underthetermsintheVMwareServerlicenseagreement.
Installing the VMware DiskMount

TheVMwareServerinstallerincludestheVMwareDiskMountutility.Aftertheutility isinstalled,runitonaWindowshostmachine.AVMwarevirtualizationproductssuch asVMwareServerdoesnotneedtobeinstalledonthehost.
Running the VMware DiskMount Utility

ToruntheVMwareDiskMountUtility,openacommandpromptonaWindows2000, WindowsXPorWindowsServer2003host,thenchangetothedirectorywhereyou installedthesoftware. Thecommandsyntaxis: vmware-mount [options] [drive letter:] [\\path\to\virtual disk] Theoptionsyoucanuseinclude: Table A-1. Option
/v:N /p /d /f
Definition
MountsvolumeNofavirtualdisk.Ndefaultsto1. Displaysthepartitions(volumes)onthevirtualdisk. Deletesthemappingtoavirtualdiskdrivevolume. Forciblydeletesthemappingtoavirtualdiskdrivevolume.Use thisoptionwhenatechnicalerrororacorrectablecondition suchasopenfilehandlespreventsVMwareServerfrom unmountingthedrive. Displaysvmware-mountusageinformation.
/?
188
VMware, Inc.
Appendix: Mounting Virtual Disks
Examples Using the VMware DiskMount Utility

FollowingaresomeexamplesthatillustratehowtousetheVMwareDiskMountUtility.
Mounting a Virtual Disk

Usethiscommandtomountavirtualdisk: vmware-mount h: C:\My Virtual Machines\w2003std.vmdk
List Virtual Disk Volumes Currently Mounted

UsethiscommandtoreviewwhichvirtualdisksaremountedunderDiskMount. vmware-mount Currently mounted volumes: f:\ => C:\My Virtual Machines\w2003std\w2003std.vmdk g:\ => C:\My Virtual Machines\NT\NT.vmdk (volume 1)
Mounting a Specific Volume in a Virtual Disk

Usethiscommandtomountaspecificvolumeinavirtualdisk: vmware-mount /v:2 h: C:\My Virtual Machines\w2003std.vmdk
Unmounting a Virtual Disk

Usethiscommandtounmountavirtualdisksovirtualmachinescanaccessitagain: vmware-mount h: /d
VMware, Inc.
189
190
VMware, Inc.
Glossary
AddHardwareWizard Apointandclickinterfaceforaddingvirtualhardwaretoavirtualmachine.To launchtheWizard,poweroffthevirtualmachine,openthevirtualmachine settingseditor,thenclickAdd.Itpromptsyouforinformationforconfiguringthe hardware,suggestingdefaultvaluesinmostcases. SeealsoVirtualmachinesettingseditor. Bridgednetworking Atypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenavirtualmachineandtherestoftheworld. Underbridgednetworking,avirtualmachineappearsasanadditionalcomputer onthesamephysicalEthernetnetworkasthehost. SeealsoHostonlynetworking. Configuration SeeVirtualmachineconfigurationfile. Console SeeVMwareServerConsole. Currentvirtualmachine AvirtualmachinecreatedunderthecurrentVMwareServerversionand WorkstationServer5.x. SeealsoLegacyvirtualmachine. Customnetworking Anytypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenvirtualmachinesandthehostthatdoes notusethedefaultbridged,hostonlyornetworkaddresstranslation(NAT) networkingconfigurations.Forinstance,differentvirtualmachinescanbe connectedtothehostbyseparatenetworksorconnectedtoeachotherandnotto thehost.Anynetworktopologyispossible.
VMware, Inc.
191
VMware Server Virtual Machine Guide
EULA Theenduserlicenseagreement. Existingpartition Apartitiononaphysicaldiskinthehostmachine. SeealsoPhysicaldisk. Fullscreenmode Adisplaymodeinwhichthevirtualmachinesdisplayfillstheentirescreen. SeealsoQuickswitchmode. Growabledisk Atypeofvirtualdiskwherethediskspaceisnotpreallocatedtoitsfullsize.Its filesstartoutsmallinsizeandgrowasdataiswrittentoit. Guestoperatingsystem Anoperatingsystemthatrunsinsideavirtualmachine. SeealsoHostoperatingsystem. Headless Adescriptionforaprogramorapplicationthatrunsinthebackgroundwithout anygraphicaluserinterfaceconnectedtoit.Avirtualmachinerunningwithno consolesconnectedtoitisconsideredtoberunningheadless. Hostonlynetworking Atypeofnetworkconnectionbetweenavirtualmachineandthehost.Under hostonlynetworking,avirtualmachineisconnectedtothehostonaprivate network,whichnormallyisnotvisibleoutsidethehost.Multiplevirtualmachines configuredwithhostonlynetworkingonthesamehostareonthesamenetwork. SeealsoBridgednetworking,CustomnetworkingandNetworkaddress translation. Hostcomputer ThephysicalcomputeronwhichtheVMwareServersoftwareisinstalled.Ithosts theVMwareServervirtualmachines.
192
VMware, Inc.
Glossary
Hostoperatingsystem Anoperatingsystemthatrunsonthehostmachine. SeealsoGuestoperatingsystem. Independentdisk Anindependentdiskisatypeofvirtualdiskthatisnotaffectedbysnapshots. Independentdiskscanbeconfiguredinpersistentandnonpersistentmodes. SeealsoNonpersistentmode,Persistentmode. Inventory Alistintheleftpaneloftheconsolewindowthatshowsthenamesofvirtual machinesthatauserhasaddedtothelist.Theinventorymakesiteasytolauncha virtualmachineortoconnecttothevirtualmachinesconfigurationfileinorderto makechangesinthevirtualmachinesettings. Legacyvirtualmachine AvirtualmachinecreatedunderVMwareGSXServerorVMwareWorkstation3 or4.SeealsoCurrentvirtualmachine. Networkaddresstranslation(NAT) Atypeofnetworkconnectionthatallowsyoutoconnectyourvirtualmachinesto anexternalnetworkwhenyouhaveonlyoneIPnetworkaddress,andthataddress isusedbythehostcomputer.IfyouuseNAT,yourvirtualmachinedoesnothave itsownIPaddressontheexternalnetwork.Instead,aseparateprivatenetworkis setuponthehostcomputer.Yourvirtualmachinegetsanaddressonthatnetwork fromtheVMwarevirtualDHCPserver.TheVMwareNATdevicepassesnetwork databetweenoneormorevirtualmachinesandtheexternalnetwork.Itidentifies incomingdatapacketsintendedforeachvirtualmachineandsendsthemtothe correctdestination. SeealsoBridgednetworking,CustomnetworkingandHostonlynetworking. NewVirtualMachineWizard Apointandclickinterfaceforconvenient,easycreationofavirtualmachine configuration.TolaunchtheWizard,chooseFile>NewVirtualMachine.It promptsyouforinformation,suggestingdefaultvaluesinmostcases.Itcreates filesthatdefinethevirtualmachine,includingavirtualmachineconfigurationfile and(optionally)avirtualdiskorphysicaldiskfile. SeealsoVirtualmachinesettingseditor.
VMware, Inc.
193
Nonpersistentmode Amodeinwhichalldiskwritesissuedbysoftwarerunninginsideavirtual machinewithadiskinnonpersistentmodeappeartobewrittentodiskbutarein factdiscardedafterthevirtualmachineispoweredoff.Ifyouconfigureavirtual diskorphysicaldiskasanindependentdiskinnonpersistentmode,thediskisnot modifiedbyVMwareServer. SeealsoIndependentdisk,Persistentmode Persistentmode Amodeinwhichalldiskwritesissuedbysoftwarerunninginsideavirtual machineareimmediatelyandpermanentlywrittentothevirtualdisk.Ifyou configureavirtualdiskorphysicaldiskasanindependentdiskinpersistentmode, thediskbehaveslikeaconventionaldiskdriveonaphysicalcomputer. SeealsoIndependentdisk,Nonpersistentmode Physicaldisk Aharddiskinavirtualmachinethatismappedtoaphysicaldiskdriveor partitiononthehostmachine.Avirtualmachinesdiskcanbestoredasafileon thehostfilesystemoronalocalharddisk.Whenavirtualmachineisconfigured touseaphysicaldisk,VMwareServerdirectlyaccessesthelocaldiskorpartition asarawdevice(notasafileonafilesystem). SeealsoVirtualdisk. Preallocateddisk Atypeofvirtualdiskwherealldiskspaceforthevirtualmachineisallocatedat thetimethediskiscreated.Thisisthedefaulttypeofvirtualdiskcreatedby VMwareServer. Quickswitchmode Adisplaymodeinwhichthevirtualmachinesdisplayfillsmostofthescreen.In thismode,tabsatthetopofthescreenallowyoutoswitchquicklyfromone runningvirtualmachinetoanother. SeealsoFullscreenmode. Rawdisk Seephysicaldisk.
194
VMware, Inc.
Glossary
Redolog Thefilethatstoresthechangesmadetoadiskinindependentnonpersistentmode. Theredologfileisdeletedwhenyoupowerofforresetthevirtualmachine withoutwritinganychangestothedisk. Resume Returnavirtualmachinetooperationfromitssuspendedstate.Whenyouresume asuspendedvirtualmachine,allapplicationsareinthesamestatetheywerewhen thevirtualmachinewassuspended. SeealsoSuspend. Shrink Reducetheamountoffilesystemspaceavirtualdiskoccupiesinordertoreclaim unusedspaceinavirtualdisk.Ifthereisemptyspaceinthedisk,shrinking reducestheamountofspacethevirtualdiskoccupiesonthehostdrive.You cannotshrinkpreallocatedvirtualdisksorphysicaldisks. Snapshot Awaytopreservethestateofavirtualmachinethestateofthedataonallthe virtualmachinesdisksandthevirtualmachinespowerstate(whetherthevirtual machinewaspoweredon,poweredofforsuspended).Youcantakeasnapshotof avirtualmachineatanytimeandreverttothatsnapshotatanytime.Thevirtual machinecanbepoweredon,poweredofforsuspended. Supportedpartition AvirtualdiskpartitionthatVMwareToolscanprepareforshrinking,suchasone ofthedrivesthatcomprisethevirtualharddisk.Youcanchoosetonotprepare certainpartitionsforshrinking. SeealsoShrink. Suspend Savethecurrentstateofarunningvirtualmachine.Toreturnasuspendedvirtual machinetooperation,usetheresumefeature. SeealsoResume. Unsupportedpartition AvirtualdiskpartitionthatVMwareToolscannotprepareforshrinking. Unsupportedpartitionsincludereadonlydrivepartitions,partitionsonremote devicesandpartitionsonremovabledevicessuchasfloppydrivesorCDROM
VMware, Inc. 195
drives. SeealsoShrink. Virtualdisk Avirtualdiskisafileorsetoffilesthatappearsasaphysicaldiskdrivetoaguest operatingsystem.Thesefilescanbeonthehostmachineoronaremotefilesystem. Whenyouconfigureavirtualmachinewithavirtualdisk,youcaninstallanew operatingsystemintothediskfilewithoutneedingtorepartitionaphysicaldisk orrebootthehost.Virtualdiskscanbepreallocatedorgrowable.Apreallocated virtualdiskhasallthediskspaceallocatedatthetimethevirtualdiskiscreated.A growablediskisnotpreallocated;itsfilesstartoutsmallinsizeandgrowasdata iswrittentoit. SeealsoPhysicaldisk. Virtualhardware Thedevicesthatcompriseavirtualmachine.Thevirtualhardwareincludesthe virtualdisk,theremovabledevicessuchastheDVDROM/CDROMandfloppy drives,andthevirtualEthernetadapter.Youconfigurethesedeviceswiththe virtualmachinesettingseditor. Virtualmachine Avirtualizedx86PCenvironmentinwhichaguestoperatingsystemand associatedapplicationsoftwarecanrun.Multiplevirtualmachinescanoperateon thesamehostmachineconcurrently. Virtualmachineconfiguration Thespecificationofwhatvirtualdevices(disks,memorysize,andsoforth)are presentinavirtualmachineandhowtheyaremappedtohostfilesanddevices. Virtualmachineconfigurationfile Afilecontainingavirtualmachineconfiguration.Itiscreatedwhenyoucreatethe virtualmachine.ItisusedbyVMwareServertoidentifyandrunaspecificvirtual machine. Virtualmachinesettingseditor Apointandclickcontrolpanelusedtoviewandmodifyavirtualmachines settings.YoulaunchitbychoosingVM>Settings. SeealsoNewVirtualMachineWizard.
196
VMware, Inc.
Glossary
VirtualNetworkEditor Apointandclickeditorusedtoviewandmodifythenetworkingsettingsforthe virtualnetworkscreatedbyVMwareServer.YoulaunchbychoosingHost> VirtualNetworkSettings. VirtualSMP Symmetricmultiprocessingenablesyoutoassigntwovirtualprocessorstoa virtualmachineonanyhostmachinethathasatleasttwologicalprocessors. VMwareAuthorizationService TheserviceVMwareServeremploystoauthenticateusers.ForbothMicrosoft WindowsandLinuxhosts,thisprocessiscalledvmware-authd. VMwareManagementInterface Abrowserbasedtoolthatallowsyoutocontrol(start,suspend,resume,resetand stop),configureandmonitorvirtualmachinesandtheserveronwhichtheyrun. VMwareRegistrationService TheserviceVMwareServeremploysformanagingconnectionstovirtual machinesandtheVMwareManagementInterface.Thisprocessisknownas vmware-serverdonLinuxhostsandvmware-serverdwin32onMicrosoftWindows hosts. VMwareTools Asuiteofutilitiesanddriversthatenhancestheperformanceandfunctionalityof yourguestoperatingsystem.KeyfeaturesofVMwareToolsincludesomeorallof thefollowing,dependingonyourguestoperatingsystem:anSVGAdriver,a mousedriver,theVMwareToolsservice,theVMwareToolscontrolpanel,and supportforsuchfeaturesastheabilitytoshrinkvirtualdisks,time synchronizationwiththehost,VMwareToolsscriptsandtheabilitytoconnectand disconnectdeviceswhilethevirtualmachineisrunning. VMwareToolsservice OneofthecomponentsinstalledwithVMwareToolsthatperformsvariousduties intheguestoperatingsystem,likeexecutingcommandsinthevirtualmachine, gracefullyshuttingdownandresettingavirtualmachine,sendingaheartbeatto VMwareServer,synchronizingthetimeoftheguestoperatingsystemwiththe hostoperatingsystemandpassingstringsfromthehostoperatingsystemtothe guestoperatingsystem.
VMware, Inc. 197
VMwareServerConsole Aninterfacetoavirtualmachinethatprovidesaccesstooneormorevirtual machinesonthelocalhostoraremotehostrunningVMwareServer.Youcanview thevirtualmachinesdisplaytorunprogramswithinitormodifyguestoperating systemsettings.Inaddition,youcanchangethevirtualmachinesconfiguration, installtheguestoperatingsystemorrunthevirtualmachineinfullscreenmode.
198
VMware, Inc.
Index
Symbols
.vmdk 134, 136, 139
Clustering 165 across multiple hosts 183 applications 166 cluster in a box 167 configuring virtual machines 168 iSCSI protocol 183 multinode Network Load Balancing cluster 175 Network Load Balancing 175 Novell Clustering Services 179 software 166 two-node cluster 169, 179 Configuration, virtual machine 196 Configure after Linux kernel upgrade 42 memory size 154 Web browser on Linux host 48 Core files 22 CPU host requirement 5 provided in virtual machine 12 Creating virtual machines on NFS shares 90 Ctrl-Alt-Delete in virtual machines 121 Current virtual machine defined 191
A
Add Hardware Wizard 191 Apache, and management interface 111 Authentication Linux hosts 88 Windows hosts 85 Authentication daemon on Linux host 88
B
Back up virtual machines 97 VMware Server host 96 Backup agent in virtual machine 95 on host 96 BIOS provided in virtual machine 13 Bridged networking defined 191 Browser configuring on Linux host 48 setting MIME type 128 BSD supported guest operating systems 16, 19 BSD, supported guest operating systems 16, 19
D
Default directories 30, 39 Devices provided in virtual machine 12
C
CD-ROM image file 13 Chip set in a virtual machine 13
VMware, Inc.
199
Disks available in virtual machine 13 existing partition 192 physical 194 virtual 196 Display preferences 122 Drawing tablet in a virtual machine 14 Drives See Disks
supported 15
H
Headless 192 Heartbeat and clustering virtual machines 168 virtual machine 104 Help, configuring Web browser on Linux host 48 Host computer defined 192 system requirements 5 Host operating system, defined 193 Host-only networking defined 192 enabling on Linux host 42 Hot key preferences 121
E
Encrypting remote sessions 90 Ethernet adapter in a virtual machine 14 See Network Event log 22 Event viewer 94
F
Floppy drives in virtual machine 14 image file 14 FreeBSD supported guest operating systems 16, 19 FreeBSD, supported guest operating systems 16, 19 Full screen mode, defined 192
I
IDE drives in virtual machine 13 See Disks Image file floppy 14 ISO 13 Input preferences 119 Install default directories 30, 39 log 24 on Linux host 36 on Windows host 26 silent 34 VmCOM API 52 VmPerl API 5455 VMware Management Interface software 44 VMware Server Console software 48, 50
G
Generic SCSI and SCSI reservation 162 virtual machine backup 95 Graphics Linux host and performance 154 Graphics support in virtual machine 13 Guest operating system defined 192
200
VMware, Inc.
Index
VMware Workstation 25 Internet Explorer 6.0, and management interface 46 Inventory and authentication on Linux hosts 89 and private virtual machines 85 defined 193 iSCSI protocol 183 bridged networking 185 configuration 184185 host as iSCSI target 184 initiator virtual machine 184 target node 185 virtual machine as iSCSI target 184 ISO image file 13
real-time clock 38 uninstalling VMware Server 57 upgrading GSX Server 63 vmware-authd 88 Linux host authentication daemon 88 Log files console installation 24 virtual machine 22 virtual machine event log 22 VMware Authorization Service 23 VMware Management Interface 23 VMware Registration Service 24 VMware Server Console 23 VMware Server installation 24
M
Master installer, on Windows host 28 Memory amount required on host 5 available in virtual machine 13 choosing for best performance 147 for all virtual machines 123 more than 1GB on a Linux host 157 setting size 154 Migrate disks in undoable mode 141 virtual machine 64, 138 MIME type, configuring for virtual machine consoles 128 Mode full screen 192 quick switch 194 Mouse grabbing input 119 in a virtual machine 14 Moving virtual machines 133 UUID 93
K
Kernel, reconfiguring VMware Server after Linux kernel upgrade 42 Keyboard grabbing input 119 in a virtual machine 14 Knowledge base 20
L
Legacy virtual machine defined 193 Linux supported guest operating systems 16 supported host operating systems 7 Linux host authentication 88 default permissions 89 installing VMware Server 36 performance 154 permissions 89
VMware, Inc.
201
MS-DOS, supported guest operating systems 17
guest 192 host 193 supported guest 15 supported Windows host 7
N
NAT defined 193 enabling on Linux host 42 Netscape, setting MIME type for console 128 NetWare See Novell NetWare Network bridged networking 191 custom networking 191 enabling host-only networking on Linux host 42 enabling NAT on Linux host 42 host-only 192 NAT Virtual Network Editor 197 Network adapter in a virtual machine 14 Network address translation See NAT Network Load Balancing clustering 175 multinode 175 New Virtual Machine Wizard 193 NFS shares, creating virtual machines 90 Novell Clustering Services 179 installing 182 Novell NetWare clustering 181 Novell NetWare, supported guest operating systems 19
P
Parallel port and the Linux kernel 38 in a virtual machine 14 Partition, existing 192 PCI slots in virtual machine 14 limits 14 Performance CD-ROM drive polling 148 debugging mode 148 disk options 149 guest operating system selection 147 installing applications in a guest 150 memory settings 147 memory usage 154 remote disk access 150 swap space on a Linux host 154 temp directory on a Linux host 154 using full screen mode on a Linux host 153154 Permissions and user accounts 86 Linux host 89 physical disk 89 snapshot 89 virtual disks 89 virtual machines 83 Physical disk defined 194 permissions 89
O
Operating system
202
VMware, Inc.
Index
Port numbers console 78 management interface 99 Preallocated disk, defined 194 Preferences display 122 hot keys 121 input 119 keyboard combinations 121 shortcut keys 121 user 117 VMware Server 123 workspace 118 Priority preferences 123 Windows host 123 Private virtual machines 84 Process scheduler on a Windows host 123 Processor host requirement 5 provided in virtual machine 12
VMware Management Interface 77 VMware Scripting APIs 77 VMware Server Console 77 vmware-cmd 78 Resume, defined 195
S
SCSI devices in virtual machine 13 generic 95 SCSI reservation and clustering 161 enabling 162 issues to consider 164 preallocated virtual disks 161 sharing SCSI disks 161 support 162 Security certificates 91 Serial port, in a virtual machine 14 Set up memory size 154 Web browser on Linux host 48 Shortcut keys, configuring 121 Shrink, defined 195 Silent install 34 SMBIOS in a virtual machine 13 modifying UUID 92 Snapshot defined 195 permissions 89 Sound in a virtual machine 15 Specifications for virtual machine platform 12 SSL console connections 90 custom security certificates 91
Q
Quick switch mode 194 Quiet mode, install VMware Server 34
R
RAM amount required on host 5 available in virtual machine 13 Real-time clock, requirement on Linux host 38 Redo log, defined 195 Registration 21 Remote management 77 encrypted communications 90 SSL 90
VMware, Inc.
203
enabling 112 for consoles 91, 112, 125 for the management interface 91 management interface connections 90 remote management 90 Support resources, technical 20 Supported guest operating system 15 Supported host operating system Windows 7 Supported partition 195 Suspend, defined 195 System requirements 5 remote workstation 10
UUID 92 automatic generation 92 modifying 136 moving virtual machines 93 virtual machine configuration file 93
V
Virtual disk defined 196 permissions 89 Virtual hardware 196 Virtual machine accessibility 86 backing up 95 changing user 87 configuring in management interface 105 connected users 109 Ctrl+Alt+Delete 121 default directory 123 defined 196 deleting from host 111 event log 110 grabbing input 119 heartbeat 104 log 22 migrating 138 moving 133 moving between VMware products 133 permissions 83 platform specifications 12 private 84 resources and permissions 89 running on Linux host 88 running on Windows host 85 upgrading 64
T
Technical support resources 20 Tools See VMware Tools
U
Undoable mode, migrating 141 Uninstall on Linux host 57 on Windows host 55 Unsupported partition 195 Update VMware Server software 119 Upgrade from GSX Server 1 and 2 59 Linux kernel, reconfiguring GSX Server after upgrade 42 on Linux host 63 on Windows host 62 virtual machine 64 VMware GSX Server 59 USB, virtual machine ports 14 User groups 20 User preferences 117
204
VMware, Inc.
Index
user 86 UUID 92 VMID 106 Virtual machine settings editor, defined 196 Virtual Network Editor 197 VMware Authorization Service 85 defined 197 log 23 VMware community forums 20 VMware guest operating system service defined 197 virtual machine heartbeat 104 VMware Management Interface 97 advanced configuration options 107 Apache commands 111 changing port number 99 configuring to launch console 46 configuring virtual machines 105 connected users 109 defined 197 disabling SSL 91 downloading console installer 81 enable JavaScript 99 enable style sheets 99 enabling SSL 91 enabling SSL for remote connections 112 encrypted communications 90 host summary information 101 launching remote console 46 launching remote consoles 48 log 23 logging in 99 logging out 111 permissions 90 proxy servers 47
refresh rate 98 remote management 77 setting session length 99 SSL 90 startup and shutdown options 114, 127 Status Monitor 101 supported browsers 99 URL to log in 99 virtual machine event log 110 virtual machine heartbeat 104 virtual machine menu 102 virtual machine summary 101 VMware Registration Service defined 197 log 24 VMware Scripting APIs downloading from management interface 82 installing 51 remote management 77 VMWare Server global preferences 123 VMware Server software updates 119 user preferences 117 VMware Server Console 198 changing port number 78 connecting from management interface 103 deleting virtual machines 112 disabling SSL 91, 112, 125 download from management interface 81, 100 enabling SSL 91, 112, 125 encrypted communications 90 install 48
VMware, Inc.
205
installation 50 launching from management interface 46 launching from Netscape 128 log 23 remote management 77 securing connections 125 setting MIME type 128 SSL 90 X server 45 VMware Server host backing up 95 configuring 112 default virtual machine directory 123 securing connections with SSL 112 VMware Tools defined 197 heartbeat 104 VMware Virtual Machine Console downloading installer 81 vmware-authd 88 See VMware Authorization Service vmware-cmd 78 vmware-config.pl 41 vmware-serverd See VMware Registration Service VNC Viewer, using with virtual machines 78
priority preferences 123 process scheduler 123 uninstalling VMware Server 55 upgrading GSX Server 62 Windows operating system installing Scripting APIs on 52 Windows Terminal Services, using with virtual machines 78 Windows XP Remote Desktop, using with virtual machines 78 Windows, supported guest operating systems 16 Wizard add hardware 191 new virtual machine 193 Workspace preferences 118
X
X server 45 required on Linux client 12 required on Linux host 10 XFree86 required on Linux client 12 required on Linux host 10
W
Windows host authentication 85 configuring permissions 87 Event Viewer 94 installing GSX Server 26 installing Scripting APIs on 52
206
VMware, Inc.

Server Admin Manual

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Server Admin Manual

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Administration Guide

VMware Server 1.0

VMware Server Administration Guide Revision: 20060706 Item: SVR-ENG-Q206-226

VMware, Inc. 3145 Porter Drive Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com

VMware Server Administration Guide

UsingaLegacyVirtualMachineWithoutUpgradingVirtualHardware....65 UpgradingtheVirtualHardwareonaLegacyVirtualMachine ...........65 UpgradingVirtualHardware ........................................66 UsingVirtualMachinesCreatedwithWorkstation5.x .....................75

Chapter4ManagingVirtualMachinesandtheVMware Server Host ........................................................77

VMware Server Administration Guide

Glossary..............................................................191 Index .................................................................199

VMware Server Administration Guide

Introduction and System Requirements

VMwareServerOverviewonpage 1 FeaturesofVMwareServeronpage 2 HostSystemRequirementsonpage 5 VirtualMachineSpecificationsonpage 12 SupportedGuestOperatingSystemsonpage 15 TechnicalSupportResourcesonpage 20

VMware Server Overview

VMware Server Administration Guide

Features of VMware Server

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

Two-Way Virtual SMP (Experimental Support)

Connect to VMware GSX Virtual Machines and Hosts

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Upgrade and Use GSX Virtual Machines

Move Existing Virtual Machines

Compatible with VMware Workstation 5.x Virtual Machines

Configure Virtual Hardware Devices to be Automatically Detected

Take and Revert to Snapshots in the Background

Support for VMware Virtual Machine Importer

VMware Server Administration Guide

Support for VirtualCenter

APIs Included with VMware Server

Before You Install the Release

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Installing VMware Tools

Host System Requirements

Server Host Hardware

Standardx86basedserverwithupto16processorshostswith32bitIA32 processors,andIA32processorswith64bitextensionssupported 733MHzorfastercompatiblex86processorthatsupportsthePentiuminstruction set

Intel:PentiumII,PentiumIII,Pentium4,PentiumMXeon,andEM64T. AMD:Athlon,AthlonMP,AthlonXP,AMDOpteron,AMDAthlon64, Turion64. ExperimentalsupportforAMDSempron. Multiprocessorsystemsaresupported. Dualcoreprocessorsaresupportedandcountedasoneprocessorfor licensing.

VMware Server Administration Guide

64GBforWindowshostsandLinuxhoststhatsupportlargememoryorare PAEenabled 4GBfornonPAEenabledWindowshostsor2GBforLinuxhostswithkernels inthe2.2.xseries

Host Hard Disk

Diskspacein/tmponLinuxhostsshouldbeequivalentto1.5timesthe amountofmemoryonthehost.Forinformationonthe/tmpdirectory,read VMwareknowledgebasearticle844at http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=844.

Local Area Networking

AnyEthernetcontrollerthatthehostoperatingsystemsupports. NonEthernetnetworksaresupportedusingbuiltinnetworkaddresstranslation (NAT)orusingacombinationofhostonlynetworkingplusroutingsoftwareon thehostoperatingsystem. StaticIPaddressforyourhostmachine(recommended).

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Windows Host Operating System Requirements

MicrosoftWindowsServer2003Enterprise,Standard,andWebEditions,R2 MicrosoftWindowsServer2003Enterprise,Standard,andWebEditions,Service Pack1

MicrosoftWindowsServer2003Enterprise,Standard,andWebEditions,R2 MicrosoftWindowsServer2003Enterprise,Standard,Web,andSmallBusiness Editions,includingServicePack1 MicrosoftWindows2000AdvancedServer,ServicePack3andServicePack4 MicrosoftWindows2000Server,ServicePack3andServicePack4

Linux Host Operating System Requirements

VMware Server Administration Guide

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

VMware Server Administration Guide

Running VMware Server on Some SUSE Linux Hosts

VmPerl and VmCOM APIs

Remote Client Requirements

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Software Requirements Windows Remote Client

Software Requirements Linux Remote Client

VMware Server Administration Guide

Forsingleprocessorsystems:kernel2.0.32orhigherinthe2.0.xseries,or kernelinthe2.2.x,2.4.xor2.6.xseries. ForSMPsystems:kernelinthe2.2.x,2.4.xor2.6.xseries Linuxkernel2.2.145.0isnotsupported.

Perl5.005xorhigherisrequiredtouseVmPerlAPI. XserverisrequiredtoruntheVMwareServerConsoleontheclient. TheVMwareManagementInterfacerequiresoneofthesebrowsers:

VmPerl and VmCOM APIs

Virtual Machine Specifications

Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Upto3600MBofmemorypervirtualmachine,dependinguponthehostsystems configuration,thetypesofapplicationsrunningonthehost,andtheamountof memoryonthehost.

Virtual IDE Drives

Uptofourdevices:disks,CDROMorDVD(DVDdrivescanbeusedtoreaddata DVDdiscs).DVDvideoisnotsupported. Harddiskscanbevirtualdisksorphysicaldisks. IDEvirtualdisksupto950GB. CDROMcanbeaphysicaldeviceoranISOimagefile.