VMware Server User's Guide

VMware Server User’s Guide
VMware Server 2.0


Item: EN-000057-00
You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at:
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The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
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2 VMware, Inc.
Contents
About This Book 13
Revision History 13
Intended Audience 13
Document Feedback 14
Technical Support and Education Resources 14
Online and Telephone Support 14
Support Offerings 14
VMware Professional Services 14
Reporting Problems 15
Log Files 16
1 Introduction and System Requirements 19
VMware Server Product Benefits 19
New Features of VMware Server 2.0 20
Web‐Based Interface 20
VMware Remote Console 21
Increased Memory Support 21
Increase in Number of Network Adapters Supported 21
Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on Windows 21
Support for High‐Speed USB 2.0 Devices 21
Additional Host Operating System Support 22
Additional Guest Operating System Support 22
Improved 64‐Bit Guest Support 22
64‐Bit Sound Driver 22
Native 64‐Bit Host Support on Linux 22
Updated VIX API 23
VMCI Sockets Interface 23
About the Host and Guest Computers 23
Host System Requirements 23
PC Hardware 23
Memory 24
Disk Drives 24
Local Area Networking 25
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Windows Host Operating Systems 25
Linux Host Operating System Requirements 26
VI Web Access and VMware Remote Console Client System Requirements 27
Virtual Machine Specifications 28
Processor 28
Chip Set 28
BIOS 28
Memory 29
Graphics 29
IDE Drives 29
SCSI Devices 29
PCI Slots 29
Floppy Drives 30
Serial (COM) Ports 30
Parallel (LPT) Ports 30
USB Ports 30
Keyboard 30
Mouse and Drawing Tablets 30
Ethernet Card 30
Virtual Networking 31
Sound 31
Supported Guest Operating Systems 31
Processor Support for 64‐Bit Guest Operating Systems 33
2 Installing VMware Server 35
Installation Prerequisites 35
Preparing to Install VMware Server 36
Sharing a VMware Server Host with Other VMware Products 36
Installing VMware Server on a Windows Host 37
Installing VMware Server Silently 39
Uninstalling VMware Server on a Windows Host 41
Installing VMware Server on a Linux Host 41
Configuring VMware Server on a Linux Host Using vmware‐config.pl 42
Uninstalling VMware Server on a Linux Host 43
Uninstalling a tar Installation of VMware Server 43
Uninstalling an RPM Installation of VMware Server 44
Upgrading from VMware Server 1 44
Where to Go Next 45
4 VMware, Inc.
Contents
3 Learning VMware Server Basics: Using VI Web Access 47
Overview of VI Web Access 48
Using the VMware Server Host Workspace 49
Using the Virtual Machine Workspace 50
Viewing Virtual Machine Summary Information 51
Installing the VMware Remote Console Add‐On 52
Starting VMware Remote Console from the Console Tab 53
Using VI Web Access Menu Options 54
Application Menu 54
Virtual Machine Menu 55
Administration Menu 56
Viewing VMware Server and Virtual Machine Tasks 56
Viewing VMware Server and Virtual Machine Events 57
Logging Out 57
4 Creating and Upgrading Virtual Machines 59
Before You Create a Virtual Machine 59
Virtual Machine Location 59
Guest Operating System 60
Product Compatibility (Virtual Machine Hardware Version) 61
Amount of Memory 61
Number of Processors 62
Hard Disk Type and Properties 62
Network Connection Type 64
Using the New Virtual Machine Wizard 65
Installing the Guest Operating System 68
Updating the Guest Operating System 71
Upgrading the Virtual Machine Version 72
5 Installing and Using VMware Tools 73
Components of VMware Tools 73
VMware Tools Service 74
VMware Device Drivers 74
VMware User Process 75
VMware Tools Control Panel 75
Manually Installing VMware Tools in a Windows Guest System 76
Configuring the Video Driver on Older Versions of Windows 77
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux Guest System 80
Installing VMware Tools in a Solaris Guest System 84
Installing VMware Tools in a FreeBSD Guest System 86
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Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare Guest System 88
Starting the VMware User Process Manually If You Do Not Use a Session
Manager on UNIX 89
Updating VMware Tools 90
Uninstalling VMware Tools 91
Repairing or Changing VMware Tools 91
Using the VMware Tools Control Panel 91
Using the Windows Control Panel to Display the Taskbar Icon 92
Options Tab 93
Devices Tab 94
Scripts Tab 94
Shared Folders Tab 95
Shrink Tab 95
About Tab 95
Configuring VMware Tools in a NetWare Guest 96
Customizing VMware Tools 97
How VMware Tools Scripts Affect Power States 97
Executing Commands After You Power Off or Reset a Virtual Machine 101
Passing a String from the Host to the Guest at Startup 101
Passing Information Between the Guest and Another Program 104
Using the VMware Tools Command‐Line Interface 104
6 Managing VMware Server 107
Adding a Virtual Machine to the Inventory 108
Removing a Virtual Machine from the Inventory 108
Performing Power Operations on Virtual Machines 109
Managing Datastores 110
Adding Datastores 110
Renaming Datastores 111
Removing Datastores 112
Refreshing Datastores 112
Editing Host‐Wide Memory and Snapshot Settings 113
Configuring Host Memory 113
Enabling and Disabling Background Snapshots 115
Configuring Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown Settings 115
Enabling System‐Wide Startup and Shutdown Settings 116
Specifying the Startup and Shutdown Order for Virtual Machines 117
Customizing the Startup and Shutdown Settings for Individual Virtual
Machines 117
Enabling Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on Windows 118
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Contents
7 Running Virtual Machines 121
Running VMware Tools 122
Changing the Power State of a Virtual Machine 122
Changing Virtual Machine Snapshot Settings 126
Locking the Snapshot 126
Setting Snapshot Power Off Options 127
Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings 127
Deleting a Virtual Machine 130
Using VMware Remote Console 130
Interacting with the Guest Operating System 131
Entering and Leaving Full Screen Mode 131
Connecting and Disconnecting Client Devices 132
Resetting and Powering Off 132
Viewing the Message Log 133
Quitting VMware Remote Console 133
Generating and Sharing Virtual Machine Shortcuts 133
Generating a Web Shortcut 133
Generating a VMware Remote Console Desktop Shortcut 134
Editing Notes in the Virtual Machine Summary Tab 135
Editing the Hardware Configuration of a Virtual Machine 135
Adding Hardware to a Virtual Machine 137
Installing New Software in a Virtual Machine 138
8 Configuring Virtual Machine Hardware 141
Configuring Hard Disks 141
Hard Disk Types and Properties 142
Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine 144
Editing a Virtual Hard Disk 145
Removing a Hard Disk from a Virtual Machine 146
Virtual Disk Maintenance Tasks 147
Configuring CD/DVD Drives 150
CD/DVD Drive Type and Properties 150
Adding a CD/DVD Drive to a Virtual Machine 151
Editing a Virtual CD/DVD Drive 152
Removing a CD/DVD Drive from a Virtual Machine 153
Configuring Floppy Drives 154
Adding a Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine 154
Editing a Virtual Floppy Drive 155
Removing a Floppy Drive from a Virtual Machine 156
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Configuring Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Devices 156
Adding a Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine 157
Editing a Virtual Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device 158
Removing a Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device from a Virtual Machine 158
Configuring SCSI Controllers 159
Configuring USB Controllers and Devices 159
Adding a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine 159
Removing a USB Controller from a Virtual Machine 160
Connecting USB Devices 160
Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine 161
Disconnecting USB Devices from a Virtual Machine 164
Configuring Sound 164
Adding a Sound Adapter to a Virtual Machine 165
Editing a Virtual Sound Adapter 165
Removing a Sound Adapter from a Virtual Machine 166
Configuring Serial Ports 166
Adding a Serial Port to a Virtual Machine 166
Editing a Virtual Serial Port 169
Removing a Serial Port from a Virtual Machine 170
Serial Port General Usage Examples 170
Serial Port Debugging Usage Examples 174
Configuring Parallel Ports 177
Adding a Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine 177
Editing a Virtual Parallel Port 178
Removing a Parallel Port from a Virtual Machine 179
Using Parallel Ports 179
Configuring a Parallel Port on a Windows Host 179
Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host 180
Notes for Using the Iomega Zip Drive 184
Keyboard Mapping on Linux Hosts 184
9 Preserving the State of a Virtual Machine 193
Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines 193
Configuring Hard Suspend or Soft Suspend 194
Suspending or Resuming a Virtual Machine 195
Using Snapshots 195
What to Use Snapshots For 195
What Is Captured by a Snapshot 196
Activities That Conflict with Snapshots 196
Enabling and Disabling Background Snapshots for All Virtual Machines 197
Snapshots and a Virtual Machine’s Hard Disks 197
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Contents
Excluding Virtual Disks from Snapshots 198
Taking a Snapshot 198
Reverting to a Snapshot 199
Removing a Snapshot 199
Locking a Snapshot 199
10 Managing Roles and Permissions 201
Access Elements 201
Managing Users 203
Managing Groups 203
Managing Roles 203
Creating Roles 204
Editing and Renaming Roles 205
Removing Roles 205
Managing Permissions 206
Creating Permissions 206
Editing Permissions 207
Removing Permissions 208
Rules for Permission Propagation 208
11 Configuring a Virtual Network 211
Network Basics 212
Components of the Virtual Network 213
Virtual Network Switch 213
Internal DHCP Server 214
Virtual Network Adapter 214
Host Virtual Adapter 214
Common Networking Configurations 215
Bridged Networking 215
Network Address Translation (NAT) 216
Host‐Only Networking 218
Example Custom Networking Configuration 219
Changing the Networking Configuration 222
Refreshing the Network 223
Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine 223
Editing a Virtual Network Adapter 224
Removing a Network Adapter from a Virtual Machine 225
Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a Windows Host 225
Enabling, Disabling, Adding, and Removing Host Virtual Adapters 227
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Advanced Networking Topics 230
Selecting IP Addresses on a Host‐Only Network or NAT Configuration 230
Avoiding IP Packet Leakage in a Host‐Only Network 232
Maintaining and Changing the MAC Address of a Virtual Machine 234
Controlling Routing for a Host‐Only Network on a Linux Host 235
Potential Issues with Host‐Only Networking on a Linux Host 236
Setting Up a Second Bridged Network Interface on a Linux Host 237
Configuring Bridged Networking When Using Teamed Network Interface
Cards 238
Setting Up Two Separate Host‐Only Networks 240
Routing Between Two Host‐Only Networks 243
Using Virtual Network Adapters in Promiscuous Mode on a Linux Host 247
Understanding NAT 248
Using NAT 248
The Host Computer and the NAT Network 249
DHCP on the NAT Network 249
DNS on the NAT Network 249
External Access from the NAT Network 250
Advanced NAT Configuration 251
Custom NAT and DHCP Configuration on a Windows Host 254
Considerations for Using NAT 255
Using NAT with NetLogon 255
Sample Linux vmnetnat.conf File 257
Using Samba for File Sharing on a Linux Host 258
Using the Virtual Network Editor 267
Summary Tab 267
Automatic Bridging Tab 268
Host Virtual Network Mapping Tab 268
Host Virtual Adapters Tab 269
DHCP Tab 269
NAT Tab 270
12 Performance Tuning for VMware Server 273
Configuring and Maintaining the Host System 273
Defragmenting Hard Disks 274
Maintaining Adequate Free Disk Space 274
Enabling Disk Write Caching on Windows Hosts 274
Configuring Swap Space on Linux Hosts 274
Increasing NIC Interrupt Coalescing 275
10 VMware, Inc.
Contents
Calculating Memory Requirements to Allow for Virtual Machine
Overhead 275
Configuring Host‐Wide Virtual Machine Memory Usage 275
Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine 277
Editing Virtual Machine Memory 277
Using Two‐Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing 278
Editing Virtual Processors 279
Configuring and Maintaining Guest Operating Systems 279
Installing Linux Guest Operating Systems in Text Mode 279
Selecting the Correct Guest Operating System 279
Installing VMware Tools 280
Temporarily Disabling Acceleration in the Guest Operating System 280
Avoiding Remote Disk Access 280
Managing Snapshots and Virtual Disks 280
Disabling Debugging Mode 281
Disabling CD/DVD Drive Polling 281
Disabling Fade Effects in Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server
2003 282
Disabling Visual Effects in Windows 98 282
Configuring Swap File Usage in Windows 95 and Windows 98 282
Enabling Hardware Acceleration in Windows Server 2003 282
Configuring Direct Memory Access (DMA) Disk Settings 283
Using DMA in Windows NT Guests on Multiprocessor Host Systems 284
Monitoring Virtual Machine Performance on Windows Hosts 284
13 Configuring Clustering on Windows Hosts 287
Overview of Clustering with VMware Server 287
Clustering Software Requirements 288
Applications That Can Use Clustering 288
Using SCSI Reservation to Share Virtual SCSI Disks 288
SCSI Reservation Prerequisites and Restrictions 289
Enabling SCSI Reservation 289
Creating a Cluster in a Box 291
Configuring Virtual Machines for Cluster in a Box 292
Creating a Two‐Node Cluster with Microsoft Clustering Services 293
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A Defined Privileges 299
Alarms 300
Datacenter 301
Datastore 301
Extensions 302
Folders 303
Global 303
Host CIM 305
Host Configuration 306
Host Inventory 308
Host Local Operations 309
Network 310
Performance 310
Permissions 311
Resource 311
Scheduled Task 313
Sessions 313
Tasks 314
Virtual Machine Configuration 314
Virtual Machine Interaction 317
Virtual Machine Inventory 319
Virtual Machine Provisioning 319
Virtual Machine State 321
B Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine 323
Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine 323
Glossary 327
Index 335
12 VMware, Inc.
About This Book
The VMware Server User’s Guide provides information about installing and using
VMware Server 2.
Revision History
This manual is revised with each release of the product or when necessary. A revised
version can contain minor or major changes. Table 1 summarizes the significant
changes in each version of this manual.
Table 1. Revision History

Revision Description
20080828 First version of the VMware Server 2.0 documentation.
To view the most current version of the manual, see the VMware® Web site:
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/server_pubs.html
Intended Audience
This book is intended for anyone who needs to install, upgrade, configure, or use
VMware Server. VMware Server users typically work in small‐ and medium‐sized
businesses, doing software development and testing or working with multiple
operating systems or computing environments. Users include software developers, QA
engineers, trainers, salespeople who run demos, and anyone who wants to create
virtual machines.
VMware, Inc. 13
Document Feedback
VMware welcomes your suggestions for improving our documentation. If you have
comments, send your feedback to:
docfeedback@vmware.com
Technical Support and Education Resources

The following sections describe the technical support resources available to you. To
access the most current version of this book and other books, go to:
http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs
Online and Telephone Support

Use online support to submit technical support requests, view your product and
contract information, and register your products. Go to:
http://www.vmware.com/support
Customers with appropriate support contracts should use telephone support for the
fastest response on priority 1 issues. Go to:
http://www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html
Support Offerings
Find out how VMware support offerings can help meet your business needs. Go to:
http://www.vmware.com/support/services
VMware Professional Services

VMware Education Services courses offer extensive hands‐on labs, case study
examples, and course materials designed to be used as on‐the‐job reference tools.
Courses are available onsite, in the classroom, and live online. For onsite pilot programs
and implementation best practices, VMware Consulting Services helps you assess,
plan, build, and manage your virtual environment. To access information about
education classes, certification programs, and consulting services, go to:
http://www.vmware.com/services
14 VMware, Inc.
About This Book
Reporting Problems
If you have problems while running VMware Server, report them to the VMware
support team. You must first register your serial number. Then you can report your
problems by submitting a support request to:
http://www.vmware.com/requestsupport
Log files are needed to diagnose and report problems. The required log files depend on
the problem you encounter.
You can simplify the process of collecting the information by running the support script
to collect the log files and system information. Follow the procedure that applies to
your host computer.
NOTE The support script runs only on the VMware Server host. If you encounter
problems on a remote client, you must collect the log files manually.
To run the support script on a Linux host
1 Open a terminal window.
2 Run the support script as the root user:
vm-support
If you do not run the script as root, the script displays messages indicating that it
cannot collect some information. This is normal. If the VMware support team
needs that information, a support representative might ask you to run the script
again, as root.
The script creates a compressed.tgz file in the current directory.
3 Include the output file with your support request.
If your virtual machines are installed in a non‐standard location, the script might
not pick up all the required data. Make sure that the *.log and *.vmx files from
your virtual machine folders are included with the files you send.
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To run the support script on a Windows host
1 Open a command prompt.
2 Change to the VMware Server program directory. The default directory is:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server
3 Run the support script:
cscript vm-support.vbs
After the script runs, it displays the name and location of the zipped output.
Log Files
The following log files are generated by VMware Server and collected by the support
script.
Virtual Machine Log File

If a virtual machine exits abnormally or crashes, run the support script or save the
virtual machine log files before you restart the virtual machine.
The virtual machine log files are located in the same directory as the virtual machine
configuration (.vmx) file. In the Commands section of the virtual machine’s Summary
tab, click Configure VM. The path to the configuration file is shown in the General tab.
On Windows and Linux hosts, the files are named vmware-<n>.log.
Also save any dump (Windows) or core (Linux) files.
VMware Host Agent Log File

The VMware Host Agent writes information to log files.
On a Windows and Linux hosts, the files are named hostd-<n>.log.
On Windows hosts, the files are located in the directory
<%ALLUSERSPROFILE%>\VMware\VMware Server.
For example:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Server
On Linux host systems, the files are located in the directory /var/log/vmware.
VMware Authorization Service Log File

You can manually enable logging for the VMware Authorization Service, named
vmware-authd on Linux hosts.
16 VMware, Inc.
About This Book
To enable logging for the VMware Authorization Service
1 In a text editor, edit the following file:
Windows – config.ini, located in the directory
<%ALLUSERSPROFILE%>\VMware\VMware Server
For example:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
Data\VMware\VMware Server
Linux – /etc/vmware/config
2 Add the following lines to the configuration file:
vmauthd.logEnabled = TRUE
log.vmauthdFileName = "vmauthd.log"
pref.hardLimitDebug = 2
3 To enable logging:
On a Windows host, select Start > Administrative Tools > Services, right‐click
VMware Authorization Service, and select Restart.
On a Linux host, the log file is enabled when you save and close the
configuration file.
On Windows hosts, the vmauthd.log file is created in C:\Windows\system32 or
C:\WINNT\system32.
On Linux hosts, the vmauthd.log file is created in /var/log/vmware.
VI Web Access Log Files

On Windows hosts, Tomcat Web server log files are located in the directory
<%ALLUSERSPROFILE%>\VMware\tomcat-logs.
For example:
C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\tomcat-logs
On Linux hosts, log files are located in the directory /var/log/vmware/WebAccess.
VMware Remote Console Log Files

On Windows clients, the VMware Remote Console log files are named
vmware-<username>-<nnnn>.log, located in the directory
%TEMP%\vmware-<username>.
On Linux clients, the VMware Remote Console log files are named vmrc-<nnnn>.log
and <nnnn>.log, located in the directory /tmp/vmware-<username>.
VMware, Inc. 17
18 VMware, Inc.
1
Introduction and System

Requirements 1
This chapter describes the key product features and benefits of using VMware Server.
It also describes the system requirements for operating VMware Server. This chapter
includes the following topics:
“VMware Server Product Benefits” on page 19
“New Features of VMware Server 2.0” on page 20
“Host System Requirements” on page 23
“VI Web Access and VMware Remote Console Client System Requirements” on
page 27
“Virtual Machine Specifications” on page 28
“Supported Guest Operating Systems” on page 31
VMware Server Product Benefits

VMware Server is a free virtualization product for Microsoft Windows and Linux
servers. It enables you to quickly provision new server capacity by partitioning a
physical server into multiple virtual machines. You can use VMware Server to
provision a wide variety of plug‐and‐play virtual appliances for commonly used
infrastructure.
VMware Server supports the following hardware and software:
Any standard x86‐compatible or x86‐64‐compatible personal computer
A wide variety of Windows, Linux, Solaris, and other guest operating systems,
including 64‐bit operating systems
VMware, Inc. 19
Two‐way Virtual SMP
Intel Virtualization Technology (Intel VT)
AMD‐Virtualization (AMT‐V)
With VMware Server, you can do the following:
Provision a new server without purchasing more hardware by locating multiple
virtual machines on the same host.
Run Windows, Linux, and other operating systems and applications without
software conflicts because virtual machines are completely isolated from one
another and from the physical host.
Move virtual machines from one physical host to another without having to
reconfigure them.
New Features of VMware Server 2.0

This section provides information about key new features of VMware Server 2.0.
Web-Based Interface
Use VMware Infrastructure Web Access (VI Web Access) to perform host and virtual
machine configuration for VMware Server 2.0. This intuitive web‐based interface
provides a simple and flexible tool for virtual machine management. Using
VI Web Access, you can do the following:
Create, configure, and delete virtual machines
Add and remove virtual machines from the inventory
Perform power operations (start, stop, reset, suspend, and resume) on virtual
machines
Monitor the operation of virtual machines
Generate a Web shortcut to customize the VI Web Access user interface for users,
with the option to limit their view to the console or a single virtual machine
Generate a VMware Remote Console desktop shortcut that allows virtual machine
users to interact directly with the guest operating system outside of a Web browser
Configure host‐wide VMware Server settings
VI Web Access and VMware Remote Console replace the VMware Management
Interface and VMware Server Console. See Chapter 3, “Learning VMware Server
Basics: Using VI Web Access,” on page 47.
20 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 1 Introduction and System Requirements
VMware Remote Console

VMware Remote Console enables you to interact with the guest operating system
running in a virtual machine.
You can run VMware Remote Console on the host or a remote client system. After you
install it as a Web browser add‐on from VI Web Access, VMware Remote Console can
run independently from VI Web Access.
VMware Remote Console also allows you to connect and disconnect client CD/DVD

and floppy devices.
See “Using VMware Remote Console” on page 130.
Increased Memory Support

The maximum amount of memory that can be allocated per virtual machine is
increased from 3.6GB to 8GB. The amount of memory that can be used by all virtual
machines combined is limited only by the amount of memory on the host computer.
Increase in Number of Network Adapters Supported

You can now have a total of 10 network adapters for a virtual machine.
Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on Windows

On Windows hosts, you can enable the VMware VSS Writer, which uses snapshots to
maintain the data integrity of applications running inside the virtual machine when
you take backups. See “Enabling Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on Windows”
on page 118.
Support for High-Speed USB 2.0 Devices

If the guest operating system has the appropriate USB 2.0 device drivers, you can use
peripherals that require high‐speed performance, such as speakers, webcams,
next‐generation printers and scanners, fast storage devices, MP3 players, DVD‐RW
drives, and high‐capacity CD‐ROM jukeboxes. You can also connect to USB 1.1 devices.
See “Configuring USB Controllers and Devices” on page 159.
USB 2.0 support is available only for VMware products that support virtual machine
hardware versions 6 and 7, such as VMware Server 2 and Workstation 6. For USB 2.0
support, your host machine must also support USB 2.0.
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Additional Host Operating System Support

Newly supported host operating systems include the following:
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.5, 5.0, and 5.1
Ubuntu Linux 6.10 “Edgy,” 7.04 “Fiesty,” 7.10 “Gutsy,” and 8.04 “Hardy”
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, 10 SP1, and 10.1
For a full list of supported 32‐bit and 64‐bit host operating systems, see “Host System
Requirements” on page 23.
Additional Guest Operating System Support

Newly supported guest operating systems include the following:
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition and Enterprise Edition
Windows Vista Business Edition and Ultimate Edition
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.5, 5.0, and 5.1
Ubuntu Linux 6.10 “Edgy,” 7.04 “Fiesty,” 7.10 “Gutsy,” and 8.04 “Hardy”
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, 10 SP1, and 10.1
See “Supported Guest Operating Systems” on page 31.
Improved 64-Bit Guest Support

64‐bit guest operating systems that run on Intel EM64T VT‐capable and AMD64
revision D or later processors are supported. See “Processor Support for 64‐Bit Guest
Operating Systems” on page 33.
64-Bit Sound Driver

VMware Tools installs a sound driver in 64‐bit Windows guest operating systems.
Newly created 64‐bit Windows virtual machines are now configured with audio
hardware by default. See “Sound” on page 31.
Native 64-Bit Host Support on Linux

VMware Server now runs natively on 64‐bit Linux host operating systems.
22 VMware, Inc.
Updated VIX API

The VMware VIX API (formerly known as the Programming API) allows you to write
scripts and programs to automate virtual machine operations. The VIX API is high
level, easy to use, and practical for both script writers and application programmers.
This release of the VIX API is available in the C language. API functions allow you to
register virtual machines, power virtual machines on or off, and run programs in the
guest operating systems. Additional language bindings for Perl, COM, and shell scripts
(vmrun) are available. See the VMware VIX API 1.6 Release Notes.
VMCI Sockets Interface

Developers who want to write client‐server applications for virtual machines can use
this sockets interface for the Virtual Machine Communication Interface. VMCI provides
a faster means of communication among applications running on the host and in virtual
machines. See the VMCI Sockets Programming Guide.
About the Host and Guest Computers

The terms host and guest describe your physical and virtual machines:
The physical computer on which you install the VMware Server software is called
the host computer, and its operating system is called the host operating system.
The operating system running inside a virtual machine is called a guest operating
system.
Host System Requirements

You can install the VMware Server software on a Windows or Linux server. You can
store virtual machines on the server host or locate them on a network share.
PC Hardware
The number of virtual machines you can run concurrently depends on the resources
they require. VMware Server supports up to 16‐way multiprocessor servers, with a
maximum of four virtual machines running concurrently per processor.
VMware Server hosts must meet the following requirements:
Standard x86‐compatible or x86‐64‐compatible server with up to 16 processors.
Hosts with 32‐bit IA‐32 processors and IA‐32 processors with 64‐bit extensions are
supported.
733MHz or faster CPU minimum.
VMware, Inc. 23
Compatible processors include:
Intel Xeon:
Dual‐Core, including 5000‐series (Dempsey), 5100‐series (Woodcrest),
3000‐series (Conroe), 7000‐series (Paxville MP), and 7100‐series (Tulsa)
Quad‐Core, including 5300‐series (Clovertown)
Intel Core 2, including E6300, E6400, E6600, and E6700 (Conroe), Q6600
andQ6700/E (Kentsfield), and E4300 (Allendale) Series
AMD Opteron 1000/2000/8000 series (Santa Ana, Santa Rosa)
AMD Opteron 100/200/800 series (Venus, Troy, Athens, Denmark, Italy, Egypt)
AMD Athlon 64 (Clawhammer, Newcastle, Winchester, Venice, San Diego,
Orleans, Lima)
AMD Athlon 64 X2/X2 (Manchester, Toledo, Windsor, Brisbane)
Memory
You must have a minimum of 512MB of memory (2GB is recommended). The total
amount of memory you can assign to all virtual machines running on a single host is
limited only by the amount of memory on the host computer.
You must have enough memory to run the host operating system, plus the memory
required for each guest operating system and for applications on the host and guest
systems. See “Virtual Machine Specifications” on page 28 and your guest operating
system and application documentation for additional memory requirements. The
maximum amount of memory per virtual machine is 8GB.
Disk Drives
Guest operating systems typically reside in virtual disk files, although you can also
boot from CD‐ROM or from a Preboot Execution Environment (PXE) server.
Hard Disk
IDE and SCSI hard drives are supported.
At least 1.7GB free disk space is required for basic installation. You can delete the
installer afterwards to reclaim approximately 600MB disk space.
If you use a default setup, the disk space needs are approximately the same as
those for installing and running the guest operating system and applications on a
physical computer.
24 VMware, Inc.
Optical CD/DVD Drive

IDE and SCSI optical drives are supported.
CD‐ROM and DVD‐ROM drives are supported.
ISO disk image files are supported.
Floppy Drives
Virtual machines can connect to the host’s floppy drives. Floppy disk image files are
also supported.
Local Area Networking

Any Ethernet controller supported by the host operating system
Static IP address for your host machine (recommended)
Windows Host Operating Systems

You must use a Windows server operating system.
NOTE Operating systems and service packs that are not listed are not supported for
use as a host operating system for VMware Server.
64‐bit host computers can run the following operating systems for 64‐bit extended
systems:
Windows Server 2008 x64 Standard Edition
Windows Server 2008 x64 Enterprise Edition
NOTE Windows 2008 Server Core installations are not supported.
Windows Server 2003 x64 Standard Edition, SP1, SP2, R2
Windows Server 2003 x64 Web Edition, SP1, SP2
Windows Server 2003 x64 Enterprise Edition, SP1, SP2, R2
32‐bit host computers can run the following operating systems:
Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition
Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Edition
NOTE Windows 2008 Server Core installations are not supported.
VMware, Inc. 25
Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, SP1, SP2, R2
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, SP1, SP2
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, SP1, SP2, R2
Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition, R2
Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition, R2
Windows 2000 Server SP3, SP4
Windows 2000 Advanced Server, SP3, SP4
Linux Host Operating System Requirements

Supported distributions and kernels are listed in this section. VMware Server might not
run on systems that do not meet these requirements. Platforms that are not listed are
not supported.
NOTE As new Linux kernels and distributions are released, VMware modifies and
tests its products for stability and reliability on those host platforms. VMware makes
every effort to add support for new kernels and distributions in a timely manner, but
until a kernel or distribution is added to the list, its use is not supported. Look for newer
prebuilt modules in the Download section of VMware Web site at
http://www.vmware.com/download.
64‐bit host computers can run the following operating systems for 64‐bit extended
systems:
Mandriva Corporate Server 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 4.5
Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 4.5
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4.5
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
Ubuntu Linux 8.04
Ubuntu Linux 7.10
Ubuntu Linux 7.04
Ubuntu Linux 6.10
Ubuntu Linux 6.06
26 VMware, Inc.
32‐bit host computers can run the following operating systems:
Mandrake Linux 10.1
Mandriva Corporate Server 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 4.5
Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 4.5
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4.5
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10.1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10
TurboLinux Enterprise Server 10
Ubuntu Linux 8.04
Ubuntu Linux 7.10
Ubuntu Linux 7.04
Ubuntu Linux 6.10
Ubuntu Linux 6.06
VI Web Access and VMware Remote Console Client

System Requirements
VI Web Access enables you to manage virtual machines from a Web browser on the host
or a remote client.
VMware Remote Console enables you to interact with the guest operating system on
the host or a remote client. It is installed as a Web browser add‐on.
To use VI Web Access or install VMware Remote Console, run one of the following Web
browsers:
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or 3.0 for Linux
Mozilla Firefox 2.0 or 3.0 for Windows
Internet Explorer 6.0 or 7.0 (7.0 recommended)
NOTE Other browsers are not excluded, but are not certified by VMware. Please refer
to your browser vendor’s documentation for additional requirements. For the best
experience, make sure that your browser includes all of the security and stability
updates recommended by the vendor.
VMware, Inc. 27
JavaScript, XMLHttpRequest, and cookies must be enabled in your Web browser
settings to use VI Web Access. These features are enabled by default.
To avoid performance degradation, disable the Firebug extension to Firefox when using
VI Web Access.
The VMware Remote Console add‐on might conflict with other Firefox add‐ons. If you
experience problems when you attempt to install the VMware Remote Console add‐on,
try disabling other add‐ons you have enabled. Specifically, you might have to disable
the third‐party Leak Monitor add‐on before you install the VMware Remote Console
add‐on.
Virtual Machine Specifications

The following sections describe the devices supported by VMware Server virtual
machines.
Processor
Same processor as the host computer
One virtual processor on a host system with one or more logical processors
Two virtual processors (two‐way virtual symmetric multiprocessing or
Virtual SMP) on a host system with at least two logical processors
The following are all considered to have two logical processors:
A multiprocessor host with two or more physical CPUs
A single‐processor host with a multicore CPU
A single‐processor host with hyperthreading enabled
See “Using Two‐Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing” on page 278.
Chip Set
Intel 440BX‐based motherboard
NS338 SIO
82093AA IOAPIC
BIOS
PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6 with VESA BIOS
28 VMware, Inc.
Memory
Up to 8GB, depending on host memory, virtual machine hardware version, and
guest operating system support.
Total memory available for all virtual machines is limited only by the amount of
memory on the host computer.
Graphics
VGA
SVGA
IDE Drives
Up to four devices. Any of these devices can be a virtual hard disk or CD/DVD
drive.
IDE virtual disks up to 950GB.
CD/DVD drive can be a physical device on the host or client system, or an ISO
image file.
SCSI Devices
Up to 60 devices. Any of these devices can be a virtual hard disk or CD/DVD drive.
SCSI virtual disks up to 950GB.
LSI Logic LSI53C10xx Ultra320 SCSI I/O controller. For Windows XP guest
systems, this requires an add‐on driver from the LSI Logic Web site. For more
information, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide at
http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
Mylex (BusLogic) BT‐958 compatible host bus adapter. For Windows XP and
Windows Server 2003 guest systems, this requires an add‐on driver from the
VMware Web site. For more information, see the VMware Guest Operating System
Installation Guide at http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
PCI Slots
Six virtual PCI slots can be divided among the virtual SCSI controllers, virtual Ethernet
cards, virtual display adapter, and virtual sound adapter.
VMware, Inc. 29
Floppy Drives
Up to two 1.44MB floppy devices
Physical drives or floppy image files
Serial (COM) Ports

Up to four serial (COM) ports
Output to serial ports, host operating system files, or named pipes
Parallel (LPT) Ports

Up to three bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports
Output to parallel ports or host operating system files
USB Ports
USB 2.0 support is available only for VMware products that support virtual
machine hardware versions 6 and 7, such as VMware Server 2 and Workstation 6.
For USB 2.0 support, your host machine must support USB 2.0.
Supports most devices, including USB printers, scanners, PDAs, hard disk drives,
memory card readers and digital cameras, as well as streaming devices such as
webcams, speakers, and microphones.
Keyboard
104‐key Windows 95/98 enhanced
Mouse and Drawing Tablets

PS/2 mouse
Serial tablets
USB tablets
Ethernet Card
Up to 10 virtual Ethernet cards in hardware version 6 and 7 virtual machines.
AMD PCnet‐PCI II compatible.
For 64‐bit guests: Intel Pro/1000 MT Server Adapter compatible.
30 VMware, Inc.
Virtual Networking
Support for 10 virtual network switches on Windows host operating systems.
Support for 255 virtual network switches on Linux hosts. Three switches are
configured by default for bridged, host‐only, and NAT networking.
Support for most Ethernet‐based protocols, including TCP/IP, Microsoft
Networking, Samba, Novell Netware, and Network File System (NFS).
Built‐in NAT supports client software using TCP/IP, FTP, DNS, HTTP, and Telnet,
including VPN support for PPTP over NAT.
Sound
Sound output and input on host system only.
Emulates Creative Labs Sound Blaster AudioPCI. MIDI input, game controllers,
and joysticks are not supported, except for USB devices.
Supported Guest Operating Systems

VMware is continually adding support for new guest operating systems and new
versions and updates of currently supported operating systems. This section provides
a simplified list of supported guest operating systems for VMware Server. For the most
current list of supported guest operating systems, including detailed information about
the specific operating system versions, service packs, and updates supported, see the
VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide at
http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/. This guide also provides notes on installing the
most common guest operating systems.
Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a VMware Server
virtual machine.
Windows 64-Bit Operating Systems

Windows Vista x64 Business Edition
Windows Vista x64 Ultimate Edition
Windows XP Professional x64
Windows Server 2003 x64 Web Edition
VMware, Inc. 31
Windows 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Windows Vista Business Edition
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition
Windows XP Professional
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition
Windows Small Business Server 2003 Standard Edition
Windows Small Business Server 2003 Premium Edition
Windows 2000 Server
Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Linux 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Mandrake Linux
Mandriva Linux
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
SUSE Linux
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
openSUSE Linux
Open Enterprise Server (OES)
Ubuntu Linux
Linux 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Mandrake Linux
Mandriva Linux
Red Hat Enterprise Linux
SUSE Linux
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
32 VMware, Inc.
openSUSE Linux
Open Enterprise Server (OES)
Ubuntu Linux
Sun Solaris 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Solaris x86
Sun Solaris 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Solaris x86
Novell NetWare 32-Bit Guest Operating System

NetWare
Processor Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

VMware Server supports virtual machines with 64‐bit guest operating systems only on
host machines that have Intel EM64T VT‐capable or AMD64 revision D or later
processors.
When you power on a virtual machine with a 64‐bit guest operating system,
VMware Server performs an internal check. If the host CPU is not a supported 64‐bit
processor, you cannot power on the virtual machine.
VMware also provides a standalone utility that you can use without VMware Server to
perform the same check and determine whether your CPU is supported for
VMware Server virtual machines with 64‐bit guest operating systems. You can
download the 64‐bit processor check utility from http://www.vmware.com/download.
VMware, Inc. 33
34 VMware, Inc.
2
Installing VMware Server 2

This chapter describes how to install VMware Server on Windows and Linux host
systems and includes the following topics:
“Installation Prerequisites” on page 35
“Installing VMware Server on a Windows Host” on page 37
“Uninstalling VMware Server on a Windows Host” on page 41
“Installing VMware Server on a Linux Host” on page 41
“Configuring VMware Server on a Linux Host Using vmware‐config.pl” on
page 42
“Uninstalling VMware Server on a Linux Host” on page 43
“Upgrading from VMware Server 1” on page 44
“Where to Go Next” on page 45
Installation Prerequisites
Installing VMware Server is usually a simple process of running a standard installation
wizard. This section outlines the tasks you need to perform before starting an
installation and which VMware products can be installed on the same computer as
VMware Server.
VMware, Inc. 35
Preparing to Install VMware Server

Before you begin installation, be sure you have:
Compatible host – Verify that the computer and host operating system meet the
system requirements for running VMware Server, as described in “Host System
Requirements” on page 23.
VMware Server installation software – VMware Server is available for both
Windows and Linux host computers. The installation software is in the file you
download.
VMware Server serial number – Your serial number is sent by email.
Your serial number allows you to use VMware Server only on the host operating
system for which you licensed the software. For example, if you have a serial
number for a Windows host, you cannot run the software on a Linux host. Make
sure that you enter the serial number for the correct operating system.
Guest operating system – After VMware Server is installed, you need the
operating system installation CDs or OS images to set up your guest systems. You
can also download a virtual appliance from the Virtual Appliance Marketplace or
use a bootable CD or PXE image file.
Web browser – To manage VMware Server using VI Web Access, use a supported
Web browser, as described in “VI Web Access and VMware Remote Console Client
System Requirements” on page 27.
Sharing a VMware Server Host with Other VMware Products

You cannot have VMware Server installed on the same host machine with another
VMware product, such as VMware Workstation, VMware GSX Server, or VMware ESX.
You cannot have multiple versions of VMware Server installed on the same host.
The only VMware products that can share a host machine with VMware Server are the
VMware VirtualCenter client (VMware Infrastructure Client) and server software and
VMware Converter. If you plan to install VMware Server on a host machine that already
contains another VMware product, you must uninstall that product first.
NOTE You cannot currently manage VMware Server 2.0 using VirtualCenter.
On a Windows host, uninstall using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. The
uninstaller asks whether you want to keep licenses in your registry. Do not remove the
licenses. If you reinstall the VMware product that you uninstalled, you do not need to
enter the serial number again.
36 VMware, Inc.
Chapter 2 Installing VMware Server
On a Linux host, follow the procedure in this chapter to uninstall the product. The
licenses remain in place. You do not need to take any special action.
After you have completed the prerequisites and determined which computer you want
to use to host VMware Server, follow the procedure in this chapter to install VMware
Server on your host system.
Installing VMware Server on a Windows Host

Before you perform the installation procedure, make sure that you have the
VMware Server serial number ready. Although you can enter the number after
installation, it is recommended that you enter it at installation time. Enter the serial
number that is appropriate for your host operating system.
The following procedure describes how to run the VMware Server installation wizard.
NOTE You receive the serial numbers in an email message from VMware. The message
includes one serial number to use on a Windows host and another serial number to use
on a Linux host. Enter the serial number that is appropriate for your host operating
system. To download the software again or request additional serial numbers, go to
http://www.vmware.com/download/server/.
If you want to use the command‐line interface to perform a silent installation on many
computers, see “Installing VMware Server Silently” on page 39.
To install VMware Server on a Windows host
1 Log in as the Administrator user or as a user who is a member of the Windows
Administrators group.
Log in as a local administrator (that is, do not log in to the domain, unless your
domain account is also a local administrator).
Although an administrator must install VMware Server, a user without
administrative privileges can use VMware Server.
2 Browse to the directory where you saved the downloaded file, and run the
installer. The filename is similar to VMware-server-<xxxx-xxxx>.exe, where
<xxxx-xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers.
If you have an earlier version of VMware Server installed on your system, the
installer removes that version before installing the new version. After the
uninstallation is complete, you might be prompted to restart your computer before
the installer can install the new version.
VMware, Inc. 37
3 When the wizard finishes computing space requirements, click Next to close the
Welcome page.
4 On the License Agreement page, read and accept the license agreement to continue
the installation.
5 On the Destination Folder page, if you do not want VMware Server installed in the
directory that is shown, click Change and specify an alternate installation
directory.
Windows and the Microsoft Installer limit the length of a path to a directory on a
local drive to 255 characters. For a path to a directory on a mapped or shared drive,
the limit is 240 characters. If the path exceeds this limit, an error message appears,
and you must select or enter a shorter path.
If you specify a directory that does not exist, the installer creates it for you.
You cannot install VMware Server on a network drive.
6 Click Next.
7 On the Server Configuration Information page, if you do not want virtual machine
files stored in the directory that is shown, click Change and specify an alternate
virtual machine directory.
If you specify a directory that does not exist, the installer creates it for you.
8 Also on the Server Configuration Information page, accept or change the default
values for FQDN, Server HTTP Port, and Server HTTPS Port.
The fully qualified domain name (FQDN) includes the host name and the domain
name. For example, in the FQDN myserverhost.companydomain.com,
myserverhost is the host name, and companydomain.com is the domain. The
FQDN is used to create the desktop shortcut that opens VI Web Access.
If you do not set Server HTTP Port to 80, you must include the port number when
you connect to VMware Server using VI Web Access. See “Logging In to VMware
Server Using VI Web Access” on page 48.
9 Also on the Server Configuration Information page, select Allow virtual machines
to start and stop automatically with the system if you want to configure virtual
machines to start up and shut down automatically when the host operating system
starts and shuts down. For more information, see “Configuring Virtual Machine
Startup and Shutdown Settings” on page 115.
10 Click Next.
11 On the Configure Shortcuts page, deselect any shortcuts you do not want the
installer to create.
38 VMware, Inc.
12 On the Ready to Install the Program page, click Install or click Back to make
changes.
13 (Optional) After you click Install, on the Registration Information page, enter your
name, company name, and serial number and click Next. If you skip this step, you
must enter your serial number later in VI Web Access, before you can power on a
virtual machine.
Your serial number is in an email sent to you when you obtain VMware Server
online.
14 When the wizard displays the Installation Wizard Completed page, click Finish.
Some installations might require that you reboot your computer. When you restart,
you don’t need to log in as a user with Administrator privileges.
Installing VMware Server Silently

If you are installing VMware Server on several Windows host computers, you might
want to use the silent installation feature of the Microsoft Windows Installer. This
feature can be convenient in a large enterprise.
Before installing VMware Server silently, make sure that the host computer has version
2.0 or higher of the MSI runtime engine, which is available in Windows beginning with
Windows XP and separately from Microsoft. For additional details on using the
Microsoft Windows Installer, see the Microsoft Web site.
To install VMware Server silently
1 Extract the administrative installation image from the VMware Server installer:
The filename is similar to VMware-server-<xxxxx>.exe, where <xxxxx> is a
series of numbers representing the version and build numbers. An example
command is:
VMware-server-<xxxx>.exe /a /s /v TARGETDIR="C:\temp\server" /qn
2 Run the installation using msiexec and the installation image that you extracted
in the previous step. Enter the command on one line.
msiexec /i "<InstallTempPath>\VMware Server.msi"
[INSTALLDIR="<PathToProgramDirectory>"] ADDLOCAL=ALL
[REMOVE=<featurename,featurename>] /qn
To install VMware Server in a location other than the default, change the
INSTALLDIR path.
VMware, Inc. 39
Use the optional REMOVE setting to skip installation of certain features. The REMOVE
setting can take one or more of the values listed in Table 2‐1.
Table 2-1. Values for the REMOVE Setting

Value Description
Network Networking components including the virtual bridge and the host adapters
for host‐only and NAT networking. Do not remove this component if you
want to use NAT or DHCP.
DHCP Virtual DHCP server.
NAT Virtual NAT device.
If you specify more than one value, use a comma to separate the values, for
example, REMOVE=DHCP,NAT. If you specify REMOVE=Network, you do not need to
specify DHCP or NAT separately.
You can customize the installation further by adding any of the following
installation properties to the command using the format <property>="<value>".
A value of 1 means true. A value of 0 means false. If you use the serial number
property, enter the serial number with hyphens (xxxxx‐xxxxx‐xxxxx‐xxxxx).
Table 2-2. PROPERTY Values

Property Effect of the Property Default
DESKTOP_SHORTCUT Installs a shortcut on the desktop. 1
DISABLE_AUTORUN Disables CD autorun on the host. 1
REMOVE_LICENSE (Uninstall only) Removes all stored licenses at 0
uninstall.
SERIALNUMBER Enters the serial number.
3 Check the installation log file to verify that the installation completed successfully.
The log file indicates whether you need to reboot the host system or if any errors
occurred. The file is located in the administrator user’s temporary directory, in the
format:
vminst.log_<date_and_time_stamp>_<Success_or_Failed>.log
40 VMware, Inc.
Uninstalling VMware Server on a Windows Host

To uninstall VMware Server, use the Add/Remove Programs control panel. Select
VMware Server and click Remove. Follow the onscreen instructions.
Installing VMware Server on a Linux Host

Before you begin, read the following notes and make adjustments to your host system:
The real‐time clock function must be compiled in your Linux kernel.
The parallel port PC‐style hardware option (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) must be
built and loaded as a kernel module (that is, it must be set to m when the kernel is
compiled).
To install VMware Server on a Linux host using a tar installation file
1 Log in with the user name you plan to use when running VMware Server.
2 In a terminal window, use the command to become root, for example:
su -
On Ubuntu hosts, use the command:
sudo -s -H
3 If you have a previous tar installation, delete the vmware-server-distrib
directory before installing from a tar file again.
The location of this directory is usually /tmp/vmware-server-distrib.
4 Change to the temporary directory where you copied or saved the installation file:
cd /tmp
5 Unpack the archive:
tar zxpf VMware-server-<xxxx>.tar.gz
6 Change to the installation directory:
cd vmware-server-distrib
7 Run the installation script:
./vmware-install.pl
8 Respond to the prompts for the directory locations for binary files, initialization
scripts, daemon files, library files, manual files, and documentation files.
In most cases, the default response is appropriate.
VMware, Inc. 41
9 Enter Yes when prompted to run vmware-config.pl.
10 Respond to the prompts, as described in “Configuring VMware Server on a Linux
Host Using vmware‐config.pl” on page 42.
To install on a Linux host using the RPM installation file
1 Log in with the user name you plan to use when running VMware Server.
2 In a terminal window, use the command to become root, for example:
su -
3 Run RPM and specify the installation file:
rpm -Uhv VMware-server-<xxxx>.rpm
In place of <xxxx> the filename contains numbers that correspond to the version
and build.
4 Run the configuration script:
./vmware-config.pl
5 Respond to the prompts, as described in “Configuring VMware Server on a Linux
Host Using vmware‐config.pl” on page 42.
Configuring VMware Server on a Linux Host Using

vmware-config.pl
This section describes how to use vmware-config.pl to configure your installation of
VMware Server.
Configuration with vmware-config.pl is required in the following circumstances:
When you install VMware Server for the first time.
When you upgrade your version of VMware Server.
When you upgrade your host operating system kernel. (It is not necessary to
reinstall VMware Server after you upgrade your kernel.)
To reconfigure the networking options for VMware Server. For example, to add or
remove a virtual network.
NOTE If you use the RPM installer, you need to run the configuration program
separately from the command line. If you install from the tar archive, the installer offers
to launch the configuration program for you. Answer Yes when you see the prompt.
42 VMware, Inc.
If you have not already done so, open a terminal window and log in as the root user
before performing the following procedure.
To configure VMware Server using vmware-config.pl

1 If vmware-config.pl is not started by the installation script, enter the following
command to run the script:
vmware-config.pl
The script is located in /usr/bin. If this directory is not in your default path, enter
the following command to run the script:
/usr/bin/vmware-config.pl
2 Respond to the prompts. In most cases, the default response is appropriate.
The following ports are used by default: port 902 for the
VMware Authorization Service, port 8222 for http connections, and port 8333 for
secure http (https) connections.If you do not want to use the default value,
change the port number when prompted.
If you do not specify port 80 for http connections, you must include the port
number when you connect to VMware Server using VI Web Access. See “Logging
In to VMware Server Using VI Web Access” on page 48.
If the configuration program does not display a message saying that the
configuration completed successfully, run the configuration program again.
3 When done, exit from the root account:
exit
Uninstalling VMware Server on a Linux Host

This section provides instructions for uninstalling a tar installation and an RPM
installation.
Uninstalling a tar Installation of VMware Server

If you used the tar installer to install VMware Server, remove the software from your
system using the following command:
vmware-uninstall.pl
VMware, Inc. 43
Uninstalling an RPM Installation of VMware Server

If you used the RPM installer to install VMware Server, remove the software from your
system using the following command:
rpm -e VMware-server-<xxxx>
In place of <xxxx> the filename contains numbers that correspond to the version and
build. If you have VMware Server properly installed, you can find the VMware Server
build number by running:
rpm -qa | grep VM
Upgrading from VMware Server 1

Run the VMware Server 2 installer for your host to upgrade to VMware Server 2 from
VMware Server 1. The installer automatically uninstalls the previous version of the
software, except for tar installations, which require you to uninstall the previous
version of VMware Server manually as described in “Uninstalling a tar Installation of
VMware Server” on page 43.
There are some feature differences between these product versions:
VI Web Access and VMware Remote Console replace the
VMware Management Interface and VMware Server Console. See Chapter 3,
“Learning VMware Server Basics: Using VI Web Access,” on page 47.
VMware Server 2 does not support physical (raw) disks.
VMware Server 2 uses datastores to manage virtual machine locations. A datastore
is a storage location for VMware Server virtual machine files. The storage location
can be the local file system, a CIFS store (Windows only), or an NFS‐mounted file
system (Linux only).
Virtual machines that were registered in VMware Server 1 are automatically
registered in VMware Server 2. However, the locations for existing virtual
machines are not automatically added as datastores. It is recommended that you
add them manually. See “Managing Datastores” on page 110.
VMware Server 2 creates hardware version 7 virtual machines by default. If you
want to use all features of VMware Server 2, it is recommended that you upgrade
virtual machines to hardware version 7.
You can import hardware version 3 and above virtual machines. However, the only
tasks VI Web Access can perform on hardware version 3 virtual machines are
power operations and upgrade. To upgrade the hardware version of older virtual
machines, see “Upgrading the Virtual Machine Version” on page 72.
44 VMware, Inc.
VMware Server 2 uses a different permissions model from VMware Server 1. After
you install VMware Server 2, log in as an administrator user to create and manage
permissions for non‐administrator users. See Chapter 10, “Managing Roles and
Permissions,” on page 201.
VMware Server 2 automatically names both default and custom virtual networks.
The Networks section of the VI Web Access host Summary tab shows the name,
virtual network (VMnet), and network type of each virtual network. If you
customize virtual networking after installation, you must refresh the network, as
described in “Changing the Networking Configuration” on page 222.
For upgrades from VMware Server 1, if you bridged (mapped) virtual networks to
specific physical or virtual adapters, write down the settings you used.
Although VMware Server 2 generally preserves network settings during the
upgrade, it cannot preserve bridged settings created with VMware Server 1.
Where to Go Next
After you have installed the VMware Server software on the server, typical next steps
include:
1 Create a virtual machine. See Chapter 4, “Creating and Upgrading Virtual
Machines,” on page 59.
2 Install a guest operating system. You need the installation media for your guest
operating system. See “Installing the Guest Operating System” on page 68 and the
VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide.
3 Install the VMware Tools package in your guest operating system for enhanced
performance and features. See “Installing VMware Tools” on page 76.
4 Create additional datastores and add existing virtual machines to your inventory.
See Chapter 6, “Managing VMware Server,” on page 107.
5 Start using the virtual machines. See “Running Virtual Machines” on page 121.
VMware, Inc. 45
46 VMware, Inc.
3
Learning VMware Server

Basics: Using VI Web
Access 3
This chapter describes how to connect to VMware Server and introduces the
VI Web Access management interface. VI Web Access provides a simple and flexible
tool for virtual machine management.
This chapter includes the following topics:
“Logging In to VMware Server Using VI Web Access” on page 48
“Overview of VI Web Access” on page 48
“Using the VMware Server Host Workspace” on page 49
“Using the Virtual Machine Workspace” on page 50
“Using VI Web Access Menu Options” on page 54
“Logging Out” on page 57
Typically, your next step after familiarizing yourself with VI Web Access is to create a
virtual machine. The information and steps you need to create a virtual machine are
described in Chapter 4, “Creating and Upgrading Virtual Machines,” on page 59.
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Logging In to VMware Server Using VI Web Access

Any user that has authorization on the host machine can log in to VMware Server.
To log in to VMware Server using VI Web Access
1 Launch your Web browser.
2 Enter the URL of your VMware Server installation:
http://<host_name>/
If you are not using port 80 to connect to VMware Server, you must include the port
number you specified during installation in the connection URL, for example:
http://<host_name>:8222
When you connect remotely, you are automatically redirected to the secure http
(https) port.
The VI Web Access login page appears.
NOTE If the connection fails, enter the correct host name, IP address, or
localhost, as appropriate, in the connection URL. You can also manually enter
the short name and the FQDN, or localhost, in the /etc/hosts file.
3 Enter the user name and password you use to log in to the host, and click Log In.
After your user name and password are authorized, the main application page
appears.
Your user role determines what you can see and which actions you can perform in
VI Web Access. See Chapter 10, “Managing Roles and Permissions,” on page 201.
Overview of VI Web Access

The VI Web Access page is divided into four main sections:
Inventory panel — Appearing on the left, this area displays the virtual machine
inventory.
Click the host to view summary information about VMware Server in the
workspace.
Click a virtual machine to view summary information about the virtual
machine in the workspace.
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Chapter 3 Learning VMware Server Basics: Using VI Web Access
Workspace — Appearing on the right, this is the main part of the window.
When the host is selected in the Inventory panel, the workspace includes the
Summary, Virtual Machines, Tasks, Events, and Permissions tabs. These tabs
contain detailed information about the VMware Server host and allow you to
configure host‐wide settings. See “Using the VMware Server Host
Workspace” on page 49.
When a virtual machine is selected in the Inventory panel, the workspace
includes the Summary, Console, Tasks, Events, and Permissions tabs. These
tabs contain detailed information about various aspects of the virtual machine
and allow you to configure them. See “Using the Virtual Machine Workspace”
on page 50.
Menu bar — The menus above the Inventory panel provide access to common
application and virtual machine operations, including power operations and
snapshot and console commands. See “Using VI Web Access Menu Options” on
page 54.
Toolbar — Appearing along the top of the page, these buttons allow you to act on
the selected virtual machine, offering one‐click access to power operations. See
“Changing the Power State of a Virtual Machine” on page 122.
Task area — Appearing along the bottom of the page, this area displays tasks
recently executed by VMware Server, including host‐level configuration changes.
You can sort tasks by clicking the column headers. By default, tasks appear in
reverse chronological order (most recent tasks first). You can double‐click a task to
get more detailed information.
Using the VMware Server Host Workspace

When the host is selected in the Inventory panel, the workspace displays information
about the VMware Server installation, divided into tabs:
Summary — The General section displays the host system’s manufacturer, name,
model, processor type and utilization, and memory capacity and utilization. The
Datastores section shows the name, capacity, free space, and location of each
datastore. The Networks section shows the name, virtual network (VMnet), and
network type of each virtual network.
From the Commands section, you can manage your virtual machine inventory,
add, rename, or remove datastores, create virtual machines, and configure global
memory, snapshot, and virtual machine startup and shutdown settings. For
information about how to perform these and other host‐wide management tasks,
see Chapter 6, “Managing VMware Server,” on page 107.
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Tasks — Displays tasks that are performed by users in the VMware Server host.
See “Viewing VMware Server and Virtual Machine Tasks” on page 56.
Events — Displays events that occurred in the VMware Server host. See “Viewing
VMware Server and Virtual Machine Events” on page 57.
Virtual Machines — Displays high‐level information about the all the virtual
machines in the inventory, including processor and memory utilization when the
virtual machine is powered on. From this tab, you can create a virtual machine,
add a virtual machine to the inventory, and delete or perform power operations on
a selected virtual machine. See “Adding a Virtual Machine to the Inventory” on
page 108 and “Performing Power Operations on Virtual Machines” on page 109.
Permissions — Displays and allows you to configure permissions for the host. See
Chapter 10, “Managing Roles and Permissions,” on page 201.
Using the Virtual Machine Workspace

When a virtual machine is selected in the Inventory panel, the workspace displays
information about the virtual machine, divided into tabs:
Summary — Displays performance and status information. You can view a
summary of the virtual machine’s state, including information about virtual
devices and configuration options. From this tab, you can modify the selected
virtual machine’s hardware and perform other virtual machine management tasks.
Tasks — Displays tasks that users perform in the virtual machine. See “Viewing
VMware Server and Virtual Machine Tasks” on page 56.
Events — Displays events that occurred in the virtual machine. See “Viewing
VMware Server and Virtual Machine Events” on page 57.
Console — Allows you to interact directly with the guest operating system. See
“Installing the VMware Remote Console Add‐On” on page 52 and “Starting
VMware Remote Console from the Console Tab” on page 53.
Permissions — Displays and allows you to configure permissions for the virtual
machine. See Chapter 10, “Managing Roles and Permissions,” on page 201.
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Viewing Virtual Machine Summary Information

When you click the Summary tab for a virtual machine, VI Web Access displays a
summary of the configuration information about that virtual machine in the
workspace.
The Summary tab includes the following sections:
The Performance section displays the virtual machine processor and memory
capacity and current utilization.
The Notes section displays, and allows you to edit, text to describe the virtual
machine.
The Hardware section displays, and allows you to edit or remove, the virtual
machineʹs hardware. To change most settings, you must power off the virtual
machine. See “Editing the Hardware Configuration of a Virtual Machine” on
page 135.
The Status section displays the following:
The current power state of the virtual machine: whether it is powered on,
powered off, or suspended.
The guest operating system installed in the virtual machine.
VMware Tools status, indicating whether VMware Tools is installed and
running, and whether you need to upgrade to the latest version. See
Chapter 5, “Installing and Using VMware Tools,” on page 73.
The DNS name and IP address of the virtual machine.
The Commands section displays:
Power operations commands. See “Changing Virtual Machine Power
Settings” on page 125.
A command to start the Add Hardware wizard. See “Adding Hardware to a
Virtual Machine” on page 137.
Snapshot commands. See “Using Snapshots” on page 195.
A command to open the virtual machine configuration dialog box. See
Chapter 7, “Running Virtual Machines,” on page 121.
A command to create a virtual machine shortcut that enables users to interact
directly with the guest operating system. See “Generating and Sharing Virtual
Machine Shortcuts” on page 133.
The Relationships section displays the current relationships of the virtual machine:
the hostname, datastores, and networks.
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Installing the VMware Remote Console Add-On

VMware Remote Console allows you to interact directly with the guest operating
system.
You must install VMware Remote Console as a Web browser add‐on the first time you
want to use the console with a Web browser that does not already have the add‐on
installed. When a new version of the add‐on is available, you are prompted to install
the new version.
After VMware Remote Console is installed, you can continue to use it if you close your
Web browser.
To install the browser add-on for VMware Remote Console
1 Click the Console tab.
If the add‐on is not installed or a new version of the add‐on is available, the text
shown in Figure 3‐1 appears.
Figure 3-1. Console Tab When the Add-On Is Not Installed
2 Click Install plug‐in.
If you are using Internet Explorer, the File Download Security Warning dialog
box is displayed.
i Close all instances of Internet Explorer before continuing.
The add‐on cannot be installed if any Internet Explorer windows are
open.
ii Click Run.
52 VMware, Inc.
iii The Internet Explorer Security Warning installation dialog box is
displayed.
iv Click Run.
NOTE Depending on your Internet Explorer security settings, you might
see a message at the top of the browser: This website wants to run the
following add‐on. If you see this message, click it and allow the add‐on
to run.
The add‐on is installed. Skip the remaining steps of this procedure.
If you are using Firefox, a message appears at the top of the browser indicating
that Firefox prevented the site from asking you to install the software on your
computer.
i Click Edit Options next to the Firefox message.
The Allowed Sites — Add‐ons Installation page appears.
ii Click Allow to allow the add‐on to be installed from the VMware Server
host system, and click Close.
You are returned to the Console tab as shown in Figure 3‐1.
iii Click Install plug‐in.
The Software Installation page appears.
iv Click Install Now.
The add‐on is installed.
Firefox requires you to restart your browser.
Starting VMware Remote Console from the Console Tab

Select the Console tab when you want to interact directly with the guest operating
system running in a virtual machine.
If the VMware Remote Console add‐on is not installed in the Web browser or a new
version of the add‐on is available, you are prompted to install it, as described in
“Installing the VMware Remote Console Add‐On” on page 52.
When a virtual machine is powered off, suspended, or unavailable, the Console tab
displays a message and possible actions. For example, when the virtual machine is
powered off, the power on option is available.
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When the virtual machine is powered on, you can click anywhere in the Console screen
to open VMware Remote Console. The VMware Remote Console startup screen is
displayed for a few moments before the guest operating system begins to run.
For information about using VMware Remote Console, see “Using VMware Remote
Console” on page 130.
You can continue to use VMware Remote Console if you close your Web browser.
Using VI Web Access Menu Options

VI Web Access menus include the following:
Application — Options relevant to the VI Web Access application interface.
Virtual Machine — Virtual machine commands. Most virtual machine operations
are enabled only when a virtual machine is selected in the Inventory panel.
The available menu options are described in the following sections.
Application Menu
The Application menu includes general VI Web Access options for getting version
information, browsing the Virtual Appliance Marketplace, viewing online help, and
logging out.
About — Displays the VI Web Access version number, VMware Server version
number, and VMware copyright information.
Enter Serial Number — Allows you to enter a new VMware Server serial number
if your current serial number is expiring.
Virtual Appliance Marketplace — Opens the Virtual Appliance Marketplace Web
page. Virtual appliances are pre‐built, pre‐configured, ready‐to‐run enterprise
applications packaged with an operating system inside a virtual machine.
Check for Updates — Opens the VMware Server download page.
Help — Displays online help.
Log Out — Logs you out of VI Web Access.
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Virtual Machine Menu

The Virtual Machine menu includes options for managing the power state of a virtual
machine and for viewing the console.
The menu includes the following commands, which can also be performed using the
buttons and other visual elements of the management interface:
Create Virtual Machine — Starts the New Virtual Machine wizard. See Chapter 4,
“Creating and Upgrading Virtual Machines,” on page 59.
Add Virtual Machine to Inventory — Adds a virtual machine to the host
inventory. See “Managing the Virtual Machine Inventory” on page 108.
Remove Virtual Machine — Removes a virtual machine from the inventory, and
optionally deletes the virtual machine files. This option is enabled if the virtual
machine is powered off. See “Managing the Virtual Machine Inventory” on
page 108.
Power On/Resume — Powers on a powered off virtual machine or resumes a
suspended virtual machine.
Power Off — Powers off the virtual machine immediately. This is the same as
pulling the plug on a physical computer.
Suspend — Suspends a powered on virtual machine.
Suspend Guest — Suspends the guest operating system. VMware Tools executes
the script associated with this power state change, if any.
Reset — Resets the virtual machine immediately. This is the same as pressing the
reset button on a physical computer.
Shut Down Guest — Shuts down the guest operating system. VMware Tools
executes the script associated with this power state change, if any.
Restart Guest — Restarts the guest operating system and the virtual machine.
VMware Tools executes the script associated with this power state change, if any.
Take Snapshot — Takes a snapshot of the virtual machine.
Revert to Snapshot — Reverts to an existing snapshot.
Remove Snapshot — Removes an existing snapshot.
Enter Full Screen Mode – Starts VMware Remote Console in full screen mode.
Open in a New Window – Opens a new VMware Remote Console instance.
For detailed information about using VI Web Access to perform virtual machine tasks,
see Chapter 7, “Running Virtual Machines,” on page 121.
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Administration Menu
The Administration menu includes the Manage Roles option for managing VMware
Server roles. See Chapter 10, “Managing Roles and Permissions,” on page 201.
Viewing VMware Server and Virtual Machine Tasks

When you click the Tasks tab for the host or a virtual machine, VI Web Access displays
task information for that host or virtual machine in the workspace.
The Tasks tab displays a sorted log of the most recent user‐initiated tasks, such as a
request to power on a virtual machine or to change a virtual machine or host setting.
You can sort tasks by clicking the column headers. By default, tasks appear in reverse
chronological order.
The Tasks tab fields are described in the following table.
Field Description
Triggered Date and time the event occurred.
Status Indicates tasks success or failure.
Object The object on which the task was performed.
Name The name of the task, such as Power on this Virtual Machine.
Triggered By Entity that triggered the event, such as Administrator.
Select a task and click View Details to see additional information. The additional fields
are described in the following table.
Field Description
Task ID The identifier for the type of task.
Target The host or virtual machine name.
Triggered at The time that the task was requested.
Completed at The time that the task was completed.
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Viewing VMware Server and Virtual Machine Events

When you click the Events tab for the host or a virtual machine, VI Web Access displays
event information for that host or virtual machine in the workspace.
The Events tab displays a sorted log of the most recent host or virtual machine
transactions, such as adding a new role, and other events like power operations.
You can sort events by clicking the column headers. By default, events appear in reverse
chronological order.
The Events tab fields are described in the following table.
Field Description
Triggered Date and time the event occurred.
Severity Indicates the warning level, such as Information or Alert.
Description Text explanation of the event.
Select an event and click View Details to see additional information. The additional
fields are described in the following table.
Field Description
Object The object on which the task was performed.
Triggered By Entity that triggered the event.
Type Type of event that occurred.
Message Text explanation of action.
Logging Out
Log out of VI Web Access by clicking Log Out in the upper‐right corner of any page.
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4
Creating and Upgrading

Virtual Machines 4
This chapter describes how to create a new virtual machine and includes the following
topics:
“Before You Create a Virtual Machine” on page 59
“Using the New Virtual Machine Wizard” on page 65
“Installing the Guest Operating System” on page 68
“Updating the Guest Operating System” on page 71
“Upgrading the Virtual Machine Version” on page 72
Before You Create a Virtual Machine

The New Virtual Machine wizard guides you through the steps to create a new virtual
machine. This section provides information to help you determine which configuration
choices you want to make before you run the New Virtual Machine wizard.
Virtual Machine Location

The files that make up a virtual machine are created in a datastore.
A default datastore called standard is created when you install VMware Server, but
you can specify any existing datastore. To add a new datastore, see “Adding
Datastores” on page 110.
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The default location of virtual machine files in the standard datastore depends on the
host:
Windows hosts: The default location of a virtual machine called My Windows XP
is:
<installdrive>:\Virtual Machines\My Windows XP
Linux hosts: The default location of a virtual machine called My Windows XP is:

/var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines/My Windows XP
Virtual machine performance might be slower if your datastore is on a network drive.
For best performance, use a datastore on a local drive. However, if remote users need
access to the virtual machine, consider placing the virtual machine files in a location
that is accessible to them.
Guest Operating System

You must specify which type of guest operating system you want to install in the virtual
machine. VMware Server uses this information to:
Select appropriate default values, such as the amount of memory needed
Name files associated with the virtual machine
Adjust settings for optimal performance
Work around special behaviors and known issues within a guest operating system
Supported guest operating systems are listed in “Supported Guest Operating Systems”
on page 31.
Do not install a 64‐bit operating system if you select a 32‐bit guest operating system
type.
If the operating system you want to use is not listed, select Other and select a 32‐bit or
64‐bit system.
NOTE VMware Server supports 64‐bit guest operating systems only on host computers
with supported processors. For the list of processors VMware Server supports for 64‐bit
guest operating systems, see “Processor Support for 64‐Bit Guest Operating Systems”
on page 33.
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Chapter 4 Creating and Upgrading Virtual Machines
Product Compatibility (Virtual Machine Hardware Version)

In the Product Compatibility section of the Guest Operating System page, virtual
machine hardware version 7 is the default. A hardware version 7 virtual machine can
use new VMware Server 2 features, including:
Up to 8GB memory per virtual machine, instead of the previous maximum of
3.6GB
Up to ten virtual network adapters, instead of the previous maximum of three
The ability to add and remove SCSI virtual hard disks while the virtual machine is
powered on
If you migrate a virtual machine with new features to Workstation 6.x, all the latest
VMware Server 2 features are supported. However, you cannot migrate the virtual
machine to most other VMware products.
If you select hardware version 4, the virtual machine is compatible with many other
VMware products, including Workstation 5 and 6, ESX 3, and VMware Server 1 and 2.
For more information, see the Virtual Machine Mobility Planning Guide.
Amount of Memory
On the Memory and Processors page, the memory size is set to the Recommended Size
by default. The recommended value is based on the selected guest operating system
and the amount of memory in the host computer.
For best performance, select Recommended Maximum. Optimal memory size is
determined by a number of factors, described in “Allocating Memory to a Virtual
Machine” on page 277.
To minimize the host memory resources allocated to this virtual machine, select
Recommended Minimum.
NOTE Do not enter a value lower than the recommended minimum because it could
prevent the guest operating system from running.
The maximum amount of memory per virtual machine is 8GB for a hardware version 6
or 7 virtual machine. The amount of memory that can be used by all virtual machines
combined is limited only by the amount of memory on the host computer.
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Number of Processors
Multiple processors are supported only for host machines with at least two logical
processors.
The following are all considered to have multiple logical processors:
Multiprocessor host with two or more CPUs, regardless of whether they are
multi‐core or have hyperthreading enabled
Single‐processor host with a multi‐core CPU
Single‐processor host with hyperthreading enabled
For information about VMware Server support for Virtual SMP, see “Using Two‐Way
Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing” on page 278.
Hard Disk Type and Properties

On the Hard Disk page, Create a New Virtual Disk is selected by default. When you
create a new virtual disk, the wizard displays the Properties page, from which you can
accept or change the default values for disk capacity, datastore location, file allocation
options, disk mode, virtual device node, and caching policy settings.
If you want to reuse or share an existing virtual disk, select Use an Existing Virtual
Disk. The wizard displays the Properties page, from which you can browse to a virtual
disk (.vmdk) file you created previously. After you select the existing disk file using the
datastore browser, its current properties are displayed. You can modify the disk mode,
virtual device node, and caching policy settings of an existing disk.
If you do not need to create a virtual disk (for example, if you plan to use a bootable CD
or PXE image file), select Don’t Add a Hard Disk.
Hard Disk Capacity Setting (New Disk Only)

When creating a new virtual disk, specify a maximum disk size in MB or GB. Set the
maximum size to a value between 1MB and 950GB.
Hard Disk File Options Settings (New Disk Only)

When creating a new virtual disk, you can specify whether space for the disk files is
allocated as needed (called a growable disk) or allocated all at once when the disk is
created (called a preallocated disk).
By default, a growable disk is created. The disk files use less disk space initially and
grow to their maximum size only as additional space is needed. However, it takes
longer to write data to growable disks.
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If you select Allocate all disk space now, all disk space is preallocated at the time the
disk is created. This provides better performance for your virtual machine. However,
you cannot shrink the disk later.
NOTE Preallocating disk space is a time‐consuming operation that cannot be canceled
and requires as much physical disk space as you specify for the virtual disk.
You can also select Split disk into 2GB files. Select this option if your virtual disk is
stored on a file system that does not support files larger than 2GB, such as FAT16.
Virtual Device Disk Mode Settings

Select whether to run the disk in Independent Mode. Disks in Independent Mode are
not affected by snapshots. See “Excluding Virtual Disks from Snapshots” on page 198.
If you select Independent Mode, also select one of the following:
Persistent — Disks in persistent mode behave like conventional disk drives on
your physical computer. All data written to a disk in persistent mode are written
out permanently to the disk.
Nonpersistent — Changes to disks in nonpersistent mode are discarded when you
power off or reset the virtual machine. Nonpersistent mode enables you to restart
the virtual machine with a virtual disk in the same state every time. Example uses
include providing known environments for software testing, technical support,
and demonstrating software.
Virtual Device Node Settings

When creating a new virtual disk, the default adapter type is based on your selected
guest operating system. An available device node is also selected.
Virtual disks can be configured as IDE disks for any guest operating system. They can
be configured as SCSI disks for any guest operating system that has a driver for the
LSI Logic or BusLogic SCSI adapter available in a virtual machine. The correct SCSI
adapter is chosen based on your selected guest operating system.
NOTE To use SCSI disks in a 32‐bit Windows XP guest, you need a special SCSI driver
available from the Download section of the VMware Web site at
http://www.vmware.com/download. Follow the instructions on the Web site to use the
driver with a new installation of Windows XP.
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Either type of virtual disk can be stored on either type of physical hard disk. For
example, the files that make up an IDE virtual disk can be stored on either an IDE hard
disk or a SCSI hard disk. Virtual disks can also be stored on other types of fast‐access
storage media.
Hard Disk Write Caching Policy Setting

The caching policy determines when changes are written to disk:
Optimize for safety — Saves all changes to the virtual disk immediately.
Optimize for performance — Acknowledges changes to the virtual disk
immediately, but saves them at a later time.
Network Connection Type

If you add a network adapter, you can select an existing virtual network.
For a default installation with no custom networks, you have the following options:
Bridged — Configures your virtual machine as a unique identity on the network,
separate from and unrelated to its host. Other computers on the network can then
communicate directly with the virtual machine. If your host computer is on a
network and you have a separate IP address for your virtual machine (or can get
one automatically from a DHCP server), select Bridged.
NAT — Configures your virtual machine to share the IP and MAC addresses of the
host. The virtual machine shares the host’s public network identity, and has a
private identity that is not visible beyond the host. NAT can be useful when you
are allowed a single IP address or MAC address by your network administrator.
You might also use NAT to configure separate virtual machines for handling HTTP
and FTP requests, with both virtual machines running off the same IP address or
domain.
HostOnly — Configures you virtual machine to communicate only with the host
and other virtual machines in the host‐only network. This can be useful when you
want a secure virtual machine that is connected to the host network, but available
only through the host machine. In this configuration, the virtual machine cannot
connect to the Internet.
To customize your virtual network, see Chapter 11, “Configuring a Virtual
Network,” on page 211.
64 VMware, Inc.
Using the New Virtual Machine Wizard

When you create a new virtual machine, the result is a set of files that represent a new
computer. If you are not using a bootable CD or PXE image file, the virtual machine
includes a blank, unformatted hard disk—the virtual disk—into which you install the
guest operating system.
NOTE Before you create the virtual machine, check the installation notes for the guest
operating system you intend to install. You can find this information in the
VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide at
http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
To create a new virtual machine
1 In your Web browser, enter the URL of your VMware Server installation:
http://<host name>/
If you are not using port 80 to connect to VMware Server, you must include the port
number you specified during installation in the connection URL, for example:
http://<host name>:8222
When you connect remotely, you are automatically redirected to the secure http
(https) port.
The VI Web Access login page appears.
2 Enter your user name and password, and click Log In.
3 In the Commands section of the host workspace, click Create Virtual Machine.
4 On the Name and Location page, enter the name of the virtual machine.
The name you enter here is used in the virtual machine inventory list. A subfolder
with this name is also created in the datastore to store all the files associated with
this virtual machine.
5 Also on the Name and Location page, select a datastore from the list of existing
datastores and click OK.
For more information, see “Virtual Machine Location” on page 59.
6 Click Next.
7 On the Guest Operating System page, select the type of operating system that you
intend to install in the new virtual machine, and select the operating system
version from the drop‐down menu.
For more information, see “Guest Operating System” on page 60.
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8 (Optional) Also on the Guest Operating System page, expand the Product
Compatibility heading to select the virtual machine product compatibility level.
For more information, see “Product Compatibility (Virtual Machine Hardware
Version)” on page 61.
9 Click Next.
10 On the Memory and Processors page, you can adjust the memory settings or accept
the recommended size.
In most cases, it is best to keep the default memory setting. If you plan to use the
virtual machine to run many applications or applications that need large amounts
of memory, you might want to use a higher memory setting. For more information,
see “Amount of Memory” on page 61.
11 Also on the Memory and Processors page, select the number of processors for the
virtual machine.
For more information, see “Number of Processors” on page 62.
12 Click Next.
13 On the Hard Disk page, select one of the following:
Create a New Virtual Disk — Select to add a new blank hard disk to your
virtual machine.
The wizard displays the Properties page for you to enter the disk capacity,
datastore, file allocation options, disk mode, virtual device adapter type and
node, and caching policy settings. Make any required changes to the default
values on the Properties page, and click Next. For detailed information about
settings you can configure on the Properties page, see “Hard Disk Type and
Properties” on page 62.
Use an Existing Virtual Disk — Select to reuse or share a virtual hard disk
that has already been created.
The wizard displays the Properties page for you to enter the path or browse to
the existing virtual disk (.vmdk) file. Select the virtual disk to view the
capacity and file allocation options, which cannot be changed. You can modify
the disk mode, virtual device node, and caching policy settings. Make any
required changes to the default values on the Properties page, and click Next.
For detailed information about settings you can configure on the Properties
page, see “Hard Disk Type and Properties” on page 62.
Don’t Add a Virtual Disk — Select only if you can use a bootable CD or PXE
image file and do not need a hard disk to install the operating system.
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14 On the Network Adapter page, select whether to add a network adapter.
Add a Network Adapter — Select to add a network to your virtual machine.
The wizard displays the Properties page. Select the virtual network for the
virtual machine from the drop‐down menu of existing networks.
Optionally, deselect Connect at Power On if you do not want this network to
be connected when the virtual machine is powered on.
Click Next.
Don’t Add a Network Adapter — You can create a virtual machine without
networking, or add a virtual network later.
For more information, see “Network Connection Type” on page 64.
15 On the Ready to Complete page:
Click Back or navigate using the Pages panel to make changes.
Expand the More Hardware heading to add more hardware to the virtual
machine before you finish creating it:
To add a hard disk, see “Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine” on
page 144.
To add a network adapter, see “Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual
To add a CD/DVD drive, see “Adding a CD/DVD Drive to a Virtual
To add a floppy drive, see “Adding a Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine”
on page 154.
To add a passthrough (generic) SCSI device, see “Adding a Passthrough
(Generic) SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine” on page 157.
To add a USB controller (one per virtual machine), see “Adding a USB
Controller to a Virtual Machine” on page 159.
To add a sound adapter (one per virtual machine), see “Adding a Sound
Adapter to a Virtual Machine” on page 165.
To add a serial port, see “Adding a Serial Port to a Virtual Machine” on
page 166.
To add a parallel port, see “Adding a Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine”
on page 177.
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Each time you finish adding a new device, you return to the Ready to
Complete page.
If you want to power on the virtual machine immediately after creating it,
select Power on your virtual machine now.
Click Finish to create the virtual machine with the listed hardware.
The wizard creates the files and hardware for your virtual machine.
After the virtual machine is created, continue with “Installing the Guest Operating
System” on page 68.
You can make changes to the configuration of an existing virtual machine from the
Hardware and Commands sections of the VI Web Access virtual machine workspace.
Installing the Guest Operating System

A new virtual machine is like a physical computer with a blank hard disk. Before you
can use it, you need to partition and format the virtual disk and install an operating
system. The operating system’s installation program might handle the partitioning and
formatting steps for you.
NOTE If you plan to use a PXE server to install the guest operating system over a
network connection, you do not need the operating system installation media. When
you power on the virtual machine, the virtual machine detects the PXE server.
Installing a guest operating system inside your virtual machine is essentially the same
as installing it on a physical computer.
In some host configurations, the virtual machine cannot boot from the installation CD.
You can work around that problem by creating an ISO image from the installation CD
and installing from the ISO image. This section describes both installation procedures.
For information about your specific guest operating system, see the VMware Guest
Operating System Installation Guide, available from the VMware Web site.
NOTE VMware Server supports 64‐bit guest operating systems only on host machines
with supported processors. For the list of processors VMware Server supports for 64‐bit
guest operating systems, see “Processor Support for 64‐Bit Guest Operating Systems”
on page 33.
68 VMware, Inc.
To install a guest operating system from an installation CD
1 Log in to VI Web Access.
2 Select the virtual machine into which you are installing the guest operating system
from the Inventory panel.
3 Insert the installation CD for your guest operating system.
4 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the CD/DVD drive’s icon and
select Edit.
5 Select Host Media to configure a physical drive on the host system.
If you want to use a CD/DVD drive on a client system, select Client Media and use
VMware Remote Console to select and connect or disconnect the client device. See
“Connecting and Disconnecting Client Devices” on page 132. In VI Web Access,
you can only change the device node for client devices, as described in “Editing a
Virtual Hard Disk” on page 145.
6 Select Connect at power on.
7 Select Physical Drive.
8 Enter the location of the drive in the Physical Drive text box.
For example, d: (Windows) or /dev/cdrom (Linux).
9 Select the SCSI or IDE device node in the Virtual Device Node section.
10 Click OK to save your changes.
11 Click Power On to power on your virtual machine.
12 Click the Console tab to complete the guest operating system installation using
VMware Remote Console.
Follow the instructions provided by the operating system vendor.
NOTE You might need to change the boot order in the virtual machine BIOS so
that the virtual machine will attempt to boot from the CD/DVD device before
trying other boot devices. To change the boot order, configure the virtual machine
to enter the BIOS setup utility when it boots, as described in “Changing Virtual
Machine Power Settings” on page 125, or press F2 when prompted during virtual
machine startup.
13 Install VMware Tools, as described in “Installing VMware Tools” on page 76.
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To install a guest operating system from an ISO image
1 Log in to VI Web Access.
2 Select the virtual machine into which you are installing the guest operating system
from the Inventory panel.
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the CD/DVD drive’s icon and
select Edit.
4 Select Host Media to configure an ISO image file on the host system.
If you want to use an ISO image file on a client system, select Client Media and use
“Connecting and Disconnecting Client Devices” on page 132. In VI Web Access,
you can only change the device node for client devices, as described in “Editing a
Virtual Hard Disk” on page 145.
5 Select Connect at power on.
6 Select ISO Image.
Click Browse to navigate to a file with the .iso extension in an existing datastore.
If you enter the path manually, you must use the format:
[ datastore_name ] path_and_filename.iso
7 Select the SCSI or IDE device node in the Virtual Device Node section.
9 Click Power On to power on your virtual machine.
10 Click the Console tab to complete the guest operating system installation using
VMware Remote Console.
Follow the instructions provided by the operating system vendor.
NOTE You might need to change the boot order in the virtual machine BIOS so
that the virtual machine will attempt to boot from the CD/DVD device before
trying other boot devices. To change the boot order, configure the virtual machine
Machine Power Settings” on page 125, or press F2 when prompted during virtual
machine startup.
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11 If the ISO image spans multiple files, when you are prompted to insert the next CD:
a Click the Summary tab.
b In the Hardware section, edit the CD settings by clicking the CD/DVD drive’s
icon and choosing Edit.
c Browse to the location of the next ISO image file, and keep all other selections
as they are.
d Click OK.
e Click the Console tab to return to VMware Remote Console.
f In the guest operating system, click OK or otherwise respond to the prompt
so that installation can continue.
g Repeat this process for additional files.
12 Install VMware Tools, as described in “Installing VMware Tools” on page 76.
Updating the Guest Operating System

When you use the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a virtual machine, you specify
the guest operating system type and version. VMware Server chooses virtual machine
configuration defaults based on the guest type and version you select.
When you want to upgrade a guest operating system to a newer version, you must do
both of the following:
Update the virtual machine information about the guest operating system type
and version, as described in this section.
Follow the instructions provided by the operating system vendor to update the
To update configuration information about the guest operating system
1 In VI Web Access, select the virtual machine from the Inventory panel.
2 Make sure that the virtual machine is powered off.
3 In the Commands section of the workspace, click Configure VM.
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4 In the Guest Operating System section of the General tab, select the new guest
operating system type and version.
The setting you specify here is written to the virtual machine’s configuration file.
NOTE This setting does not change the guest operating system itself.
5 Power on the virtual machine.
To update the guest operating system
1 Follow the instructions provided by the operating system vendor to update the
2 After the guest operating system is installed, use the standard tools within the
operating system to configure its settings.
Upgrading the Virtual Machine Version

If you created virtual machines with an earlier version of VMware Server or another
VMware product, you can upgrade the virtual machine version so that you can take
advantage of new VMware Server 2 features, such as increased maximum memory per
virtual machine.
If a virtual machine with new features is migrated to Workstation 6, all the latest
VMware Server 2 features are supported. However, you cannot migrate the virtual
machine to most other VMware products.
For more information, see “Product Compatibility (Virtual Machine Hardware
Version)” on page 61.
To upgrade the virtual machine version
1 In VI Web Access, select the virtual machine from the Inventory panel.
3 Click Upgrade Virtual Machine in the Status section of the workspace.
4 Click OK to confirm that you want to upgrade the virtual machine.
After the virtual machine version is updated, you can configure it to use the features
supported with the new version.
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5
Installing and Using

VMware Tools 5
This chapter discusses how to install, upgrade, and run VMware Tools. This chapter
“Components of VMware Tools” on page 73
“Installing VMware Tools” on page 76
“Updating VMware Tools” on page 90
“Uninstalling VMware Tools” on page 91
“Repairing or Changing VMware Tools” on page 91
“Using the VMware Tools Control Panel” on page 91
“Customizing VMware Tools” on page 97
“Using the VMware Tools Command‐Line Interface” on page 104
Components of VMware Tools

VMware Tools is a suite of utilities that enhances the performance of the virtual
machine’s guest operating system and improves management of the virtual machine.
Although the guest operating system can run without VMware Tools, you lose
important functionality and convenience.
VMware Tools includes the following components:
VMware Tools service
VMware device drivers
VMware User process
VMware Tools control panel
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VMware Tools Service

The program file is called VMwareService.exe on Windows guest operating systems
and vmware-guestd on Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris guests.
This service performs various duties within the guest operating system:
Passes messages from the host operating system to the guest operating system.
Executes commands in the operating system to cleanly shut down or restart a
Linux, FreeBSD, or Solaris system when you select power operations in
VMware Server.
Sends a heartbeat to VMware Server.
On Windows guests, allows the mouse cursor to move freely between the guest
and host operating systems.
On Windows guests, matches the guest’s screen resolution to the host’s screen
resolution and the reverse.
Synchronizes the time in the guest operating system with the time in the host
operating system.
Runs scripts that help automate guest operating system operations. The scripts run
when the virtual machine’s power state changes.
The service starts when the guest operating system boots.
The VMware Tools service is not installed on NetWare operating systems. Instead, the
vmwtool program is installed. It synchronizes time and allows you to turn the CPU
idler on or off.
VMware Device Drivers

These device drivers include:
SVGA display driver that provides high display resolution and significantly faster
overall graphics performance.
The vmxnet networking driver for some guest operating systems.
BusLogic SCSI driver for some guest operating systems.
VMware mouse driver.
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Chapter 5 Installing and Using VMware Tools
A kernel module for handling shared folders, called hgfs.sys on Windows and
vmhgfs on Linux and Solaris. VMware Server does not support shared folders. The
module is included for product compatibility.
The Virtual Machine Communication Interface (VMCI) driver for creating
client‐server applications that are optimized for fast and efficient communication
between virtual machines.
VMware User Process

The program file is called VMwareUser.exe on Windows guests and vmware-user on
Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD guests.
This service performs the following tasks within the guest operating system:
Enables you to copy and paste up to 64K of plain text between the guest and host
operating systems.
On Linux and Solaris guests, grabs and releases the mouse cursor when the SVGA
driver is not installed.
On Linux and Solaris guests, matches the guest’s screen resolution to the host’s
screen.
This process starts when you begin an X11 session. To use a different mechanism to
start the process, see “Starting the VMware User Process Manually If You Do Not Use
a Session Manager on UNIX” on page 89.
The VMware Tools user process is not installed on NetWare operating systems. Instead,
the vmwtool program is installed. It controls the grabbing and releasing of the mouse
cursor. It also allows you copy and paste text.
VMware Tools Control Panel

The VMware Tools control panel lets you modify settings, shrink virtual disks, and
connect and disconnect virtual devices. See “Using the VMware Tools Control Panel”
on page 91.
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Installing VMware Tools

The installers for VMware Tools for Windows, Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, and NetWare
guest operating systems are installed with VMware Server as ISO image files. When
you click Install VMware Tools or Upgrade VMware Tools in the Status section of the
virtual machine Summary tab in VI Web Access, VMware Server temporarily connects
the virtual machine’s first virtual CD/DVD drive to the correct ISO image file for the
Click the command to install or upgrade VMware Tools. The installation procedure
varies depending on the operating system.
Manually Installing VMware Tools in a Windows Guest System

VMware Tools is supported on all Windows guest operating systems.
Before you click the Install VMware Tools command to install VMware Tools, perform
the following tasks, as necessary:
If you are running VMware Server on a Windows host and your virtual machine
has only one CD/DVD drive, make sure that the CD/DVD drive is configured as an
IDE or SCSI CD/DVD drive. It cannot be configured as a generic SCSI device. If
necessary, add an IDE or SCSI CD/DVD drive to the virtual machine. See “Adding
a CD/DVD Drive to a Virtual Machine” on page 151.
Make sure that the virtual CD/DVD drive is configured to auto‐detect a physical
drive. This task is necessary if you connected the virtual machine’s CD/DVD drive
to an ISO image file when you installed the operating system. Change the
connection from the ISO image to auto‐detect a physical drive.
When you install VMware Tools, make sure that the virtual machine is powered
on.
If the guest operating system is a Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP,
Windows Server 2003, or Windows Vista operating system, log in as an
administrator. Any user can install VMware Tools in a Windows 95, Windows 98,
or Windows Me guest operating system.
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To install or upgrade VMware Tools in a Windows guest operating system
1 In VI Web Access, click Install VMware Tools in the Status section of the virtual
machine Summary tab.
If an earlier version of VMware Tools is installed, click Upgrade VMware Tools.
The remaining steps take place inside the virtual machine.
Depending on whether autorun is enabled in the guest operating system, one of
the following occurs:
If autorun is enabled in the guest operating system, a dialog box appears after
a few seconds asking whether you want to install VMware Tools.
If autorun is not enabled, the dialog box does not appear automatically. Click
Start > Run and enter D:\setup\setup.exe, where D: is your first virtual
CD/DVD drive.
3 Click Yes to launch the InstallShield wizard.
4 Follow the onscreen instructions.
On some Windows operating systems, after the SVGA driver is installed, you are
prompted to reboot to use this new driver.
5 Reboot the virtual machine if necessary.
To change the default configuration options, see “Using the VMware Tools Control
Panel” on page 91.
Configuring the Video Driver on Older Versions of Windows

If you are installing VMware Tools in a virtual machine that has a Windows NT,
Windows Me, Windows 98, or Windows 95 operating system, you might need to
configure the video driver manually. When you click Finish in the VMware Tools
installation wizard, a message appears indicating that VMware Tools failed to install
the SVGA driver.
A Notebook window, the Display Properties/Settings dialog box, and a message box
appear, prompting you to reboot the machine.
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To configure the video driver on older versions of Windows
1 When you are prompted to reboot, click No.
2 Follow the instructions in the Notebook file.
The instructions are specific to each operating system. They provide steps for
selecting the VMware SVGA driver, usually in the Display Properties/Settings
dialog box, and installing it from the VMware Tools ISO image.
The English version of the instructions from the Notebook file are reprinted in
Knowledge Base article 1001819 at the VMware Web site.
Automating the Installation of VMware Tools in a Windows Guest

If you are installing VMware Tools in a number of Windows virtual machines, you can
automate the installation using the Microsoft Windows Installer runtime engine.
Make sure that the Microsoft Windows Installer runtime engine version 2.0 or higher is
installed in the guest operating system.
Version 2.0 or higher is included with newer versions of Windows. If you are installing
VMware Tools in older Windows guest operating systems, check the version of the
%WINDIR%\system32\msiexec.exe file.
If the file version is not 2.0 or higher, upgrade the engine by running instmsiw.exe
(instmsia.exe for Windows 95 or Windows 98 guests), which is included with the
VMware Tools installer.
For more information about using the Microsoft Windows Installer, including
command‐line options, go to the Windows Installer page on the MSDN Web site:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en‐us/library/aa367449.aspx.
To automate the installation of VMware Tools in a Windows guest
1 Make sure that the virtual machine’s CD/DVD drive is connected to the
VMware Tools ISO image and that it is configured to connect whenever you power
on the virtual machine:
a Select the virtual machine.
b In the Hardware section of the virtual machine Summary tab, click the
CD/DVD drive to modify and select Edit.
c In the Device status section, select the Connect at power on check box.
d In the Connection section, select ISO Image and browse to the windows.iso
file, located in the directory where you installed VMware Server.
e Click OK.
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2 (Optional) In the guest operating system, suppress prompts about installing
unsigned drivers.
If you are installing VMware Tools from a beta or RC (release candidate) version of
VMware Server, you are asked to confirm the installation of unsigned drivers.
Follow these steps to suppress these confirmation prompts.
For all Windows systems except Windows Vista:
a On the virtual machine’s desktop or Start menu, right‐click My Computer and
select Properties.
b Click the Hardware tab and click Driver Signing.
c In the Driver Signing Options dialog box, click Ignore and click OK.
d Click OK in the System Properties dialog box.
For Windows Vista:
a On the Start menu, right‐click Computer and select Properties.
b Click Advanced system settings > Hardware > Windows Update Driver
Settings.
c Click Never check for drivers when I connect a new device and click OK.
d Click OK in the System Properties dialog box.
3 Open a command prompt and use the following command to install some or all of
the VMware Tools components:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL [REMOVE=<component>] /qn
In this command, you can optionally use REMOVE=<component> if you do not
want to install a particular component:
Toolbox — VMware Tools control panel and its utilities. Excluding this
feature prevents you from using VMware Tools in the guest operating system.
VMware does not recommend excluding this feature.
Drivers — Includes the SVGA, mouse, BusLogic, and vmxnet drivers.
SVGA — VMware SVGA driver. Excluding this feature limits the display
capabilities of your virtual machine.
Mouse — VMware mouse driver. Excluding this feature decreases mouse
performance in your virtual machine.
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Buslogic — VMware BusLogic driver. If your virtual machine is
configured to use the LSI Logic driver, you might want to remove this
feature.
VMXNet — VMware vmxnet networking driver.
MemCtl — VMware memory control driver. Recommended if you plan to use
this virtual machine with ESX. Excluding this feature hinders the memory
management capabilities of the virtual machine running on an ESX system.
Hgfs — VMware shared folders driver. The shared folders feature is not
supported in VMware Server. Recommended if you plan to use this virtual
machine with Workstation or another product that supports shared folders.
For example, to install everything but the shared folders driver, type the following
command:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Hgfs /qn
The SVGA, Mouse, BusLogic, VMXnet, and MemCtl features are children of the
Drivers feature. This means that the following command skips installation of the
SVGA, mouse, BusLogic, vmxnet, and MemCtl drivers:
msiexec -i "D:\VMware Tools.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Drivers /qn
To include a feature, use it with the ADDLOCAL option. To exclude a feature, use
it with the REMOVE option.
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux Guest System

On a Linux guest, you can install VMware Tools within X or from the command line.
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux Guest Within X Using the RPM Installer
You can use a graphical user interface to install VMware Tools in a Linux guest. For
information about how to install VMware Tool from the command line, see “Installing
VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar or RPM Installer” on page 82.
Before you begin, make sure that the virtual machine is powered on and the guest
operating system is running.
80 VMware, Inc.
To install VMware Tools in a Linux Guest Within X Using the RPM Installer
The guest operating system mounts the VMware Tools installation virtual CD. A
window manager displaying two files might appear. One file is for the RPM
installer and one is for the tar installer. Alternatively, a VMware Tools CD icon
might appear on the desktop.
3 Do one of the following:
If you see a VMware Tools CD icon on the desktop, double‐click it, and after
it opens, double‐click the RPM installer in the root of the CD‐ROM.
If you see a file manager window, double‐click the RPM installer file.
In some Linux distributions, the VMware Tools CD icon might fail to appear. In
this case, install VMware Tools from the command line, as described in “Installing
VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar or RPM Installer” on page 82.
4 When prompted, enter the root password and click OK.
The installer prepares the packages.
5 Click Continue when the installer presents a dialog box that shows Completed
System Preparation.
When the installer is done, no confirmation window or finish button appears, but
VMware Tools is installed.
6 In an X terminal, as root (su), run the script to configure VMware Tools:
vmware-config-tools.pl
Respond to the questions displayed on the screen. Press Enter to accept the default
value.
7 Exit from the root account:
exit
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8 In an X terminal, start the VMware User process:
vmware-user
9 (Optional) To start the VMware Tools control panel, enter the following command:
vmware-toolbox &
To change the default VMware Tools configuration options, see “Using the VMware
Tools Control Panel” on page 91.
You can run VMware Tools as root or as a normal user. To shrink virtual disks or to
change any VMware Tools scripts, you must run VMware Tools as root.
Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar or RPM
Installer
You can install VMware Tools from the command line in a Linux guest. For information
about how to install VMware Tool from a graphical user interface, see “Installing
VMware Tools in a Linux Guest Within X Using the RPM Installer” on page 80.
Before you begin, make sure that the virtual machine is powered on and that the guest
To install VMware Tools from the command line with the tar or RPM installer
3 In the guest, log in as root (su).
4 If necessary, mount the VMware Tools virtual CD‐ROM image by entering a
command similar to the following:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
Some Linux distributions automatically mount CD‐ROMs. If your distribution
uses automounting, you can skip this step.
Some Linux distributions use different device names or organize the /dev
directory differently. If your CD‐ROM drive is not /dev/cdrom or if the mount
point for a CD‐ROM is not /mnt/cdrom, modify the command to reflect the
conventions used by your distribution.
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5 Change to a working directory by entering a command such as the following:
cd /tmp
6 If a previous installation exists, delete the previous vmware-tools-distrib
directory before installing.
The location of this directory depends on where you placed it during the previous
installation. Often it is placed in:
/tmp/vmware-tools-distrib
7 Run the installer and unmount the CD‐ROM image.
Depending on whether you are using the tar installer or the RPM installer, do one
of the following:
For the tar installer, at the command prompt, enter:
tar zxpf /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-<xxxx>.tar.gz
umount /dev/cdrom
Where <xxxx> is the build number of the product release.
For the RPM installer, at the command prompt, enter:
rpm -Uhv /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-<xxxx>.i386.rpm
umount /dev/cdrom
Where <xxxx> is the build number of the product release.
If your Linux distribution automatically mounted the CD‐ROMs, you do not need
to use the unmount portion of the command.
If you attempt to install an RPM installation over a tar installation or the reverse,
the installer detects the previous installation and must convert the installer
database format before continuing.
8 Configure VMware Tools.
Depending on whether you are using the tar installer or the RPM installer, do one
of the following:
For the tar installer, enter the following commands to run the installer:
cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl
Respond to the questions the command‐line wizard displays. Press Enter to
accept the default values. The configuration file, vmware-config-tools.pl,
runs after the installer file finishes running.
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For the RPM installer, enter the following command to run the configuration
file:
vmware-config-tools.pl
Respond to the questions the command‐line wizard displays. Press Enter to
accept the default values.
9 Log out of the root account.
exit
10 (Optional) Start your graphical environment.
11 In an X terminal, to start the VMware User process, enter the following command:
vmware-user
vmware-toolbox &
To change the default VMware Tools configuration options, see “Using the
VMware Tools Control Panel” on page 91.
You can run VMware Tools as root or as a normal user. To shrink virtual disks or
to change any VMware Tools scripts, you must run VMware Tools as root.
Installing VMware Tools in a Solaris Guest System

To install VMware Tools in a Solaris guest operating system
84 VMware, Inc.
4 If necessary, mount the VMware Tools virtual CD‐ROM image.
Usually, the Solaris volume manager vold mounts the CD‐ROM under
/cdrom/vmwaretools. If the CD‐ROM is not mounted, restart the volume
manager using the following commands:
/etc/init.d/volmgt stop
/etc/init.d/volmgt start
5 After the CD‐ROM is mounted, change to a working directory (for example, /tmp)
and extract VMware Tools by entering the following commands:
cd /tmp
gunzip -c /cdrom/vmwaretools/vmware-solaris-tools.tar.gz | tar xf -
6 Run the VMware Tools tar installer:
./vmware-install.pl
Respond to the configuration questions on the screen. Press Enter to accept the
default values.
7 Log out of the root account:
exit
vmware-user
vmware-toolbox &
You can run VMware Tools as root or as a normal user. To shrink virtual disks or change
VMware Tools scripts, you must run VMware Tools as root.
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Installing VMware Tools in a FreeBSD Guest System

To install VMware Tools in a FreeBSD guest operating system
3 Make sure that the guest operating system is running in text mode.
You cannot install VMware Tools while X is running.
5 If necessary, mount the VMware Tools virtual CD‐ROM image by entering a
mount /cdrom
Some FreeBSD distributions automatically mount CD‐ROMs. If your distribution
uses automounting, skip this step.
6 Change to a working directory by entering a command such as the following:
cd /tmp
7 Untar the VMware Tools tar file:
tar zxpf /cdrom/vmware-freebsd-tools.tar.gz
8 If necessary, unmount the VMware Tools virtual CD‐ROM image by entering a
umount /cdrom
If your distribution uses automounting, skip this step.
9 Run the VMware Tools installer:
./vmware-install.pl
10 Log out of the root account:
exit
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vmware-user
vmware-toolbox &
In minimal installations of the FreeBSD 4.5 guest operating system, sometimes
VMware Tools does not start. See “Install the Missing FreeBSD Library” on
page 87.
You can run VMware Tools as root or as a normal user. To shrink virtual disks or change
VMware Tools scripts, you must run VMware Tools as root.
Install the Missing FreeBSD Library

If VMware Tools does not start after you install it, you might need to install a library
that is missing because you do not have a full installation of FreeBSD 4.5.
Before you begin, make sure that you have the FreeBSD 4.5 installation CD or access to
the ISO image file.
To install the missing FreeBSD library
1 Reboot the guest operating system.
2 In the guest, in an X terminal, enter the following command to start the
VMware Tools control panel:
vmware-toolbox &
If the following error message appears, the required library was not installed:
Shared object 'libc.so.3' not found.
3 Insert and mount the FreeBSD 4.5 installation CD or access the ISO image file.
4 Change directories and run the installation script:
cd /cdrom/compat3x
./install.sh
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Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare Guest System

To install VMware Tools in a NetWare guest operating system
3 In the guest, load the CD‐ROM driver so that the CD‐ROM device mounts the ISO
image as a volume by doing one of the following:
For a NetWare 6.5 virtual machine, in the system console, enter:
LOAD CDDVD
For a NetWare 6.0 or NetWare 5.1 virtual machine, in the system console,
enter:
LOAD CD9660.NSS
For a NetWare 4.2 virtual machine, in the system console, enter:
load cdrom
Mount the VMware Tools CD‐ROM image by entering:
cd mount vmwtools
4 In the system console, enter one of the following:
For NetWare 5.1, 6.0, or 6.5:
vmwtools:\setup.ncf
For NetWare 4.2:
vmwtools:\setup
When the installation finishes, the message VMware Tools for NetWare are now

running appears in the Logger Screen (NetWare 6.5 and NetWare 6.0 guests) or the
Console Screen (NetWare 4.2 and 5.1 guests).
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5 If you have a NetWare 4.2 guest, restart the guest operating system, as follows:
a To shut down the system, in the system console, enter:
down
b To restart the guest operating system, in the system console, enter:
restart server
6 Make sure that the VMware Tools virtual CD‐ROM image (netware.iso) is not
attached to the virtual machine.
If it is attached, disconnect it.
Starting the VMware User Process Manually If You Do Not Use a

Session Manager on UNIX
One of the executables used by VMware Tools in UNIX guests is vmware-user. This
program implements fit‐guest‐to‐window and other features.
Normally, vmware-user is started automatically after you configure VMware Tools
and then log out of the desktop environment and log back in.
However, if you run an X session without a session manager (for example, by using
startx and getting a desktop and not using xdm, kdm, or gdm), you must start the
VMware User process manually.
You must also start vmware-user manually after you update to a new version of
VMware Tools.
To start the VMware User process manually if you do not use a session manager
Do one of the following:
To have vmware-user start when you start an X session, add vmware-user to the
appropriate X startup script, such as the .xsession or .xinitrc file.
The vmware-user program is located in the directory where you selected to install
binary programs, which defaults to /usr/bin. The startup script that needs to be
modified depends on your particular system.
To start vmware-user after a VMware Tools software update or if you notice
certain features are not working, open a terminal window and enter the following
command:
vmware-user
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Updating VMware Tools

Because VMware Tools installers (ISO images) are installed with VMware Server, when
you update to a new version of VMware Server, a check is performed to determine if a
new version of VMware Tools is available. When you update from an earlier version of
VMware Tools, the previous version of VMware Tools might be uninstalled.
The guest operating system checks for VMware Tools updates only when you power on
a virtual machine. It compares its version of VMware Tools against the version that is
installed on the host. For VMware Tools updates on Linux and Windows guests, you
can set the guest to update automatically (see “Options Tab” on page 93) or you can
perform a manual update. On other guests, you must manually update.
When you update VMware Tools, any changes you made to the default scripts are
overwritten. Any custom scripts you created remain untouched, but do not benefit
from any underlying changes that enhance the default scripts.
To update VMware Tools for a virtual machine, do one of the following
In the Options tab of the VMware Tools Control Panel click the Update button.
In VI Web Access, click Upgrade VMware Tools in the Status section of the virtual
A dialog box enables you to select automatic or interactive upgrade:
If you select Automatic VMware Tools Upgrade and click Upgrade, VMware
Tools is upgraded without further user interaction.
If you select Interactive VMware Tools Upgrade and click Upgrade, the
remaining steps take place inside the virtual machine.
Use the same procedure that you used for installing VMware Tools the first
time. For platform‐specific installation instructions, see “Installing VMware
Tools” on page 76.
You are prompted to select the VMware Tools components to upgrade.
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Uninstalling VMware Tools

Occasionally, an update of VMware Tools is incomplete. You can usually solve the
problem by uninstalling VMware Tools and then reinstalling.
To uninstall VMware Tools
Depending on the guest operating system, do one of the following:
On a Windows guest, use the guest operating system’s Add/Remove Programs
item to remove VMware Tools.
On any UNIX guest, log in as root (su) and enter the following command:
vmware-uninstall-tools.pl
On a Linux guest that has VMware Tools installed using an RPM installer, enter the
following command:
rpm -e VMwareTools
Repairing or Changing VMware Tools

If features do not work after a VMware Tools update, you might need to uninstall
VMware Tools and reinstall. Be sure to follow these steps. Do not use the repair or
change option in the guest’s Add/Remove Programs item in the Windows Control
Panel.
To repair or change installed modules
1 Uninstall the old version of VMware Tools as described in “Uninstalling VMware
2 Install the new version of VMware Tools as described in “Installing VMware
Using the VMware Tools Control Panel

Use the VMware Tools control panel to modify VMware Tools configuration settings,
shrink virtual disks, and connect and disconnect virtual devices.
Before you begin, make sure that VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating
system.
On Windows Vista guests, log in to the operating system as an Administrator user.
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To open the VMware Tools control panel
Do one of the following:
In Windows guests, double‐click VMware Tools icon in the notification area of the
guest’s Windows taskbar.
If you cannot find the VMware Tools icon in the notification area, use the guest’s
Windows Control Panel to display it. See “Using the Windows Control Panel to
Display the Taskbar Icon” on page 92.
In Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris guests, open a terminal window and enter the
command:
/usr/bin/vmware-toolbox &
In NetWare guests, do one of the following:
In a NetWare 5.1 or higher guest, select Novell > Settings > VMware Tools for
NetWare.
In a NetWare 4.2 guest, use VMware Tools commands in the system console.
The VMware Tools program is called vmwtool.
Using the Windows Control Panel to Display the Taskbar Icon

If VMware Tools is installed in a Windows guest operating system but the
VMware Tools icon does not appear in the notification area of the Windows taskbar,
you can use the Windows Control Panel to display it.
To use the Windows Control Panel to display the taskbar icon
1 Go to Start > Control Panel.
2 Double‐click the VMware Tools icon.
3 On the Options tab, select Show VMware Tools in the taskbar and click Apply.
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Options Tab
The Options tab of the VMware Tools control panel provides the following options:
Time synchronization between the virtual machine and the host operating
system – Periodically (every minute) checks whether the guest operating system’s
time is lagging behind the host’s. If so, the guest’s clock is moved forward to match
the host’s clock. If you use this option, disable all other time synchronization
mechanisms. For example, some guests might have NTP or CMOS clock
synchronization turned on by default.
Regardless of whether you enable this setting, time synchronization occurs when
the VMware Tools daemon is started (such as during a reboot), when resuming
from a suspend operation, and after shrinking a disk. When the operating system
starts or reboots, synchronization can be either forward or backward in time. For
other events, synchronization is forward in time.
To disable time synchronization completely, see “Disabling Time Synchronization
by Editing the Virtual Machine Configuration File” on page 93.
Show VMware Tools in the taskbar – (Windows guests only) Displays the
VMware Tools icon in the notification area of the taskbar. The icon indicates
whether VMware Tools is running and whether an update is available.
Notify if update is available – (Windows guests only) Displays the
VMware Tools icon with a yellow caution icon when an update is available.
Update button – (Windows guests only) Becomes enabled when an update is
available. Clicking this button has the same effect as clicking the Upgrade
VMware Tools command in the Status section of the VI Web Access Summary tab.
Disabling Time Synchronization by Editing the Virtual Machine

Configuration File
A virtual machine occasionally synchronizes time with the host even if you use the
VMware Tools control panel (Options tab) to disable periodic time synchronization.
You can disable time synchronization completely by editing the virtual machine
configuration file.
You can follow these steps to keep a fictitious time in your guest, so that the guest is
never synchronized with the host.
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To disable time synchronization by editing the virtual machine configuration file
1 Power off the virtual machine.
2 Edit the virtual machine’s configuration file (see “Changing Virtual Machine
Advanced Settings” on page 127) and set the options listed in Table 5‐1 to FALSE.
Table 5-1. Time Synchronization Options

Option Name Relates to Time Synchronization When
time.synchronize.tools.startup Powering on a virtual machine. Controls
whether a one‐shot time synchronization occurs
the next time the guest operating system is
booted.
tools.syncTime The virtual machine is running. Controls
whether the guest operating system’s clock is
checked once a minute and synchronized if it is
found to be lagging behind the host’s clock.
time.synchronize.restore Reverting to a snapshot.
time.synchronize.resume.disk Resuming a suspended virtual machine.
time.synchronize.continue Taking a snapshot.
time.synchronize.shrink Shrinking a virtual disk.
Devices Tab
The Devices tab of the VMware Tools control panel provides options for enabling and
connecting to certain devices.
The controls for connecting and disconnecting certain devices might not be available.
To connect and disconnect removable devices using VMware Remote Console, see
“Connecting and Disconnecting Client Devices” on page 132.
Scripts Tab
From the Scripts tab of the VMware Tools control panel, you can edit, disable, or run
scripts that help automate guest operating system operations when you change the
virtual machine’s power state.
From this tab, you can also specify the location of custom scripts for the Suspend,
Resume, Power On, Power Off, and Reset buttons.
On most guest operating systems, if VMware Tools is installed and if you configure a
virtual machine’s power controls to use the guest options, one or more default scripts
run on the guest whenever you change the power state of the virtual machine.
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For example, if you use the virtual machine configuration settings (click Configure VM
in the Commands section of the virtual machine workspace, and click the Power tab)
and set the Power Off control to use Shut Down Guest, then the
poweroff-vm-default script runs when you click the Power Off button in the toolbar.
This script causes the guest operating system to shut down gracefully. A description of
each script is provided later in this section, in “How VMware Tools Scripts Affect Power
States” on page 97.
For information about creating a custom script, see “Creating Scripts to Override
Default VMware Tools Scripts” on page 99.
Shared Folders Tab

VMware Server does not support this feature.
Shrink Tab
The Shrink tab of the VMware Tools control panel provides options for reclaiming
unused space in a virtual disk. If your virtual machine cannot be shrunk, this tab
displays information explaining why you cannot shrink your virtual disks.
Shrinking a disk is a two‐step process: a preparation step and the shrink step. In the first
step, VMware Tools reclaims all unused portions of disk partitions (such as deleted
files) and prepares them for shrinking. This step takes place in the guest operating
system.
The shrink process is the second step, and it takes place outside the virtual machine.
The VMware application reduces the size of the disk based on the disk space reclaimed
during the preparation step. If the disk has empty space, this process reduces the
amount of space the virtual disk occupies on the host drive. See “Shrinking Virtual
Disks” on page 147.
On UNIX guests, run VMware Tools as the root user (su) to shrink virtual disks. If you
shrink the virtual disk as a nonroot user, you cannot prepare to shrink the parts of the
virtual disk that require root‐level permissions.
About Tab
The About tab displays version (build number) and copyright information. In
Windows guests, this tab also shows the status of the VMware Tools service.
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Configuring VMware Tools in a NetWare Guest

In a NetWare virtual machine, using the system console, you can configure certain
virtual machine options such as time synchronization, CPU idling, and device
configuration with VMware Tools. The VMware Tools command‐line program is called
vmwtool.
To configure VMware Tools in a NetWare guest operating system
1 Open a terminal window (system console) in the NetWare guest.
2 Enter a command that uses the following format:
vmwtool <command>
<command> is one of the commands listed in Table 5‐2.
Table 5-2. VMware Tools Commands for Netware Guests

vmwtool Command Definition
help Displays a summary of VMware Tools commands
and options in a NetWare guest.
partitonlist Displays a list of all disk partitions in the virtual disk
and whether or not a partition can be shrunk.
shrink [<partition>] Shrinks the listed partitions. If no partitions are

specified, all partitions in the virtual disk are shrunk.
The status of the shrink process appears at the
bottom of the system console.
devicelist Lists each removable device in the virtual machine,
its device ID, and whether the device is enabled or
disabled. Removable devices include the virtual
network adapter, CD/DVD drives, and floppy
drives.
disabledevice [<device Disables the specified device or devices in the virtual
name>] machine. If no device is specified, all removable
devices in the virtual machine are disabled.
enabledevice [<device Enables the specified device or devices in the virtual
name>] machine. If no device is specified, all removable
devices in the virtual machine are enabled.
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Table 5-2. VMware Tools Commands for Netware Guests (Continued)

vmwtool Command Definition
synctime [on|off] Turns the synchronization of time in the guest with

time on the host on or off. By default, time
synchronization is off.
Use this command without any options to view the
current time synchronization status.
idle [on|off] Turns the CPU idler on or off. By default, the idler is
on. The CPU idler program is included in VMware
Tools for NetWare guests.
The idler program is needed because NetWare
servers do not idle the CPU when the operating
system is idle. As a result, a virtual machine takes
CPU time from the host, regardless of whether the
NetWare server software is idle or busy.
Customizing VMware Tools

Customizations include modifying or writing scripts that run when a virtual machine’s
power state changes, executing commands when you shut down or restart a UNIX
guest, and passing commands in strings that run in startup scripts.
How VMware Tools Scripts Affect Power States

When VMware Tools is installed, if you configure a virtual machine’s power controls to
use the guest, or soft, power options, one or more default scripts run in the guest
whenever you change the power state of the virtual machine. You change the power
state by using menu commands or by clicking the Suspend, Resume, Power On, and
Power Off buttons.
What the default scripts do depends in part on the guest operating system:
On most Microsoft Windows guests, but not windows NT and Windows Me, the
default script executed when you suspend a virtual machine releases the IP
address of the virtual machine. The default script executed when you resume a
virtual machine renews the IP address of the virtual machine (this affects only
virtual machines configured to use DHCP). Scripts cannot be run on Windows 95
guests.
In Windows guests, the default scripts are located in the
Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools folder.
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On most UNIX guests, the default script executed when you suspend a virtual
machine stops networking for the virtual machine. The default script executed
when you resume a virtual machine starts networking for the virtual machine.
Scripts cannot be run on NetWare and FreeBSD guests.
On UNIX, the default scripts are located in the /etc/vmware-tools directory.
You can create your own scripts and use them instead of the default scripts shown in
Table 5‐3.
Table 5-3. Default VMware Tools Scripts

Script Name Description
poweroff-vm-default If you configured the power‐off operation to shut down the guest,
this script runs when the virtual machine is being powered off.
If you configured the reset operation to restart the guest, this script
runs when the virtual machine is being reset.
This script has no effect on networking for the virtual machine.
poweron-vm-default If you configured the power‐on operation to start the guest, this
script runs when the virtual machine is being powered on rather
than resumed.
If you configured the reset operation to restart the guest, this script
runs after virtual machine restarts.
This script has no effect on networking for the virtual machine.
resume-vm-default If you configured the power‐on operation to start the guest, or the
reset operation to restart the guest, this script runs when the virtual
machine is resumed after it was suspended.
On Windows guests, if the virtual machine is configured to use
DHCP, this script renews the IP address of the virtual machine.
On Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris guests, this script starts networking
for the virtual machine.
suspend-vm-default If you configured the suspend operation to suspend the guest, this
script runs when the virtual machine is being suspended.
On Windows guests, if the virtual machine is configured to use
DHCP, this script releases the IP address of the virtual machine.
On Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris guests, this script stops networking
for the virtual machine.
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Creating Scripts to Override Default VMware Tools Scripts

You can create your own scripts to override the default VMware Tools scripts that
control power state changes.
Scripts are run by the VMware Tools daemon (VMwareService.exe on Windows and
vmware-guestd on UNIX). Because vmware-guestd is run as root on UNIX and as
System on Windows, the scripts are run in a separate session from the logged‐in user’s
session. The VMware Tools daemon has no knowledge of desktop sessions, which
means that it cannot display graphical applications. Do not attempt to use custom
scripts to display graphical applications.
Before creating custom scripts, make sure that the following conditions are met in the
guest operating system:
The virtual machine is using the latest version of VMware Tools.
The VMware Tools service is running in the virtual machine.
Depending on the operation that the script performs, the virtual machine has a
virtual network adapter connected. If not, the power operation fails.
(UNIX guests only) To edit a script using the Edit button on the Scripts tab, xterm
and vi must be installed in the guest operating system and must be in your PATH.
You must be a root user to edit the script.
To create scripts to override default VMware Tools scripts
1 Determine whether you want to create your custom script by making changes to
the default script and saving it to a new location.
In Windows guests, the default scripts are located in the
Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools folder.
On UNIX, the default scripts are located in the /etc/vmware-tools directory.
2 Modify the default script and save it with a different name or write a different
script.
On Windows guests, if you write a new script, create the script as a batch file. For
UNIX, create the script in any executable format (such as shell or Perl scripts).
You can also use the Edit button on the Scripts tab of the VMware Tools control
panel to edit a custom script. You can also edit scripts manually using any text
editor.
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3 Associate each custom script with its particular power operation:
a On the Scripts tab of the VMware Tools control panel, select the appropriate
script event.
b Select the Use Script check box, select Custom script, and use the Browse
button to point to the script that you want to use.
c Click OK.
When you reinstall VMware Tools after you update the VMware Server software, any
changes that you made to the default scripts are overwritten. Any custom scripts that
you created remain untouched, but do not benefit from any underlying changes that
enhance the default scripts.
Running or Disabling a Script

If you are creating a custom script, run the script before associating it with a power
operation.
To run or disable a script
1 On the Scripts tab of the VMware Tools control panel, select the appropriate script
event.
To disable the script, clear the Use Script check box and click OK.
Default scripts for suspending and resuming work together. If you disable the
script of one of these actions, disable the script for the other action as well.
To run a script immediately, click Run Now.
You can successfully run a script by clicking the Run Now button in the
VMware Tools control panel, but this same script can fail when run as part of
a VMware Server power operation. This is because scripts run by clicking Run
Now are run as the logged‐in user and have a different working directory than
when scripts are run by the VMware Tools daemon during a power operation.
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Executing Commands After You Power Off or Reset a Virtual

Machine
In a Linux, Solaris, or FreeBSD guest, you can use the VMware Tools service to execute
specific commands when you shut down or restart the guest operating system. This is
in addition to any script that you specified to run when you shut down the guest
operating system.
1 Use a text editor to open the following file:
/etc/vmware-tools/tools.conf
2 Add one or both of the following commands to the file:
halt-command = <command>
<command> is the command to execute when you shut down the guest
operating system.
reboot-command = <command>
<command> is the command to execute when you restart the guest operating
system.
Passing a String from the Host to the Guest at Startup

To pass a string from the host to the guest at startup, you pass the string from your
virtual machine’s configuration file in the host to the guest operating system when you
power on the virtual machine.
You can pass items like the Windows system ID (SID), a machine name, or an IP
address. Inside the guest operating system startup script, you can have the service
retrieve this string. The string can then be used in another script to set your virtual
machine’s system ID, machine name, or IP address.
For example, use this strategy to make copies of the same configuration file, add a
different string to each (either in the configuration file itself or at the command line),
and use these variations of the same configuration file to launch the same virtual disk
in nonpersistent mode multiple times in a training or testing environment.
Passing a string is also useful when you want to deploy virtual machines on a network
using a common configuration file while providing each machine with its own unique
identity.
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You can pass strings to a virtual machine’s guest operating system in one of two ways:
placing the string in the virtual machine’s configuration file or passing the string to the
guest from the command line.
Use this feature only if you have a good understanding of a scripting language (for
example, Perl or NetShell) and know how to modify system startup scripts.
Passing a String in a Configuration File

Place a string in the virtual machine’s configuration (.vmx) file by setting the string to
the machine.id parameter. For example, you can set this string:
machine.id = "Hello World."
Following is an example of portions of two configuration files that point to the same
virtual disk. Each configuration file contains its own unique string for the machine.id
parameter.
config_file_1.vmx contains:
ide0:0.present = TRUE
ide0:0.fileName = "my_common_virtual_hard_drive.vmdk"
machine.id = "the_string_for_my_first_vm"
config_file_2.vmx contains:
ide0:0.present = TRUE
ide0:0.fileName = "my_common_virtual_hard_drive.vmdk"
machine.id = "the_string_for_my_second_vm"
To prevent a string from being passed from the host to the guest through the service,
set the following line in your virtual machine’s configuration file:
isolation.tools.getMachineID.disable = "TRUE"
Passing a String in a Startup Command

Rather than setting the machine.id parameter in the configuration file, you can pass
the string to the guest operating system from the command line when you power on
the virtual machine. Following is an example of a startup command (entered on one
line):
“C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmware -s 'machine.id=Hello World'
C:\Virtual Machines\win2000\win2000.vmx”
Use this method to deploy virtual machines on a network using a common
configuration file while providing each machine with its own unique identity.
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Launch each virtual machine with the vmware -s command. Each virtual machine disk
file must be copied into its own directory if it shares its filename with another virtual
machine disk file.
On a Linux host, the machine ID passed on the command line takes precedence and is
passed to the guest operating system if the following conditions are met:
A virtual machine ID specified in the virtual machine’s configuration (.vmx) file is
used to open the virtual machine.
You specify a machine ID on the command line.
Using a String in a Startup Script to Set a Name and IP Address

The following example uses a Windows host to illustrate how you can use the service
to retrieve a string containing what becomes the virtual machine’s machine name and
IP address. In this example, W2K‐VM is the machine name and 148.30.16.24 is the IP
address.
To use a string in a startup script to set a name and IP address
1 Define the string by using one of the following methods:
On the host machine, add the following line to your virtual machine’s
configuration (.vmx) file:
machine.id = "W2K-VM 148.30.16.24"
Open the virtual machine using this configuration file.
Open the virtual machine from the command line by entering the following
on one line:
“C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server\vmware -s 'machine.id=W2K-VM
148.30.16.24' C:\Virtual Machines\win2000\win2000.vmx”
2 Do one of the following to retrieve the string in the virtual machine:
In a Windows guest, enter the following command to retrieve the string:
VMwareService --cmd machine.id.get
In a Linux guest, in the operating system’s startup script, add the following
command before the network startup section:
/usr/sbin/vmware-guestd --cmd 'machine.id.get'
The location of vmware-guestd depends on the directory you specify at the
time of installation.
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3 Further customize this startup script so that it uses the string the service retrieved
during startup to set the virtual machine’s network name to W2K‐VM and its IP
address to 148.30.16.24.
4 Place this string in the script before the command to start the network services.
If you are using a Windows 2000 guest operating system, for example, you can call
the NetShell utility (netsh) and pass it the contents of the string, which uses the
string accordingly. That is, it can set a new IP address for the virtual machine, if
that is what was passed in the string originally.
Passing Information Between the Guest and Another Program

The VMware Tools service allows you to use VMware programmatic interfaces to
manage virtual machines from your own independent programs and from existing
frameworks developed by partners and third parties.
For more information about the VMware Infrastructure SDK, go to the VMware APIs
and SDKs Documentation page of the VMware Web site.
Using the VMware Tools Command-Line Interface

The VMware Tools command‐line interface enables you to do the following:
Configure time synchronization in your Linux guest operating system without
running X.
Install and uninstall VMware Tools, determine the version, and so on.
To use the VMware Tools command-line interface
1 In the guest operating system, change to the directory that contains the
VMware Tools daemon.
Depending on the operating system, the name and default location of the daemon
are as follows:
On Microsoft Windows systems, the daemon is called VMwareService.exe
and the location is:
C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Tools\VMwareService.exe
On UNIX systems, the daemon is called vmware-guestd. The location of
vmware-guestd depends on the directory that you specified at the time of
installation. The default location is:
/usr/sbin/vmware-guestd
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2 To configure periodic time synchronization, use the vmx.set_option command:
<daemon> --cmd "vmx.set_option synctime <old_val> <new_val>"
<daemon> is vmware-guestd on UNIX systems or VMwareService.exe on
Windows systems.
<old_val> and <new_val> are the old and new values, respectively. Use 0 to mean
FALSE and 1 to mean TRUE.
Following is an example of setting time synchronization to TRUE on a Linux guest:
./vmware-guestd --cmd "vmx.set_option synctime 0 1"
The new setting is written to the tools.syncTime property in the virtual
machine’s configuration (.vmx) file. Using this option is equivalent to using the
time synchronization option on the Options tab of the VMware Tools control
panel.
To use commands other than --cmd, use the --help command‐line command.
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6
Managing VMware Server 6

This chapter describes how to perform host‐wide configuration tasks, including
managing your virtual machine inventory and datastores, and configuring global
memory, snapshot, and virtual machine startup and shutdown settings. It also
describes Windows host features for backing up virtual machines using the Volume
Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and logging VMware Server events in the Event Viewer. To
perform host management operations, you must have the required permissions.
For information about managing individual virtual machines, see Chapter 7, “Running
Virtual Machines,” on page 121.
For information about configuring VMware Server networking, see Chapter 11,
“Configuring a Virtual Network,” on page 211.
“Managing the Virtual Machine Inventory” on page 108
“Managing Datastores” on page 110
“Editing Host‐Wide Memory and Snapshot Settings” on page 113
“Configuring Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown Settings” on page 115
“Enabling Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on Windows” on page 118
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Managing the Virtual Machine Inventory

When you create new virtual machines in VMware Server, they are automatically
added to your inventory. You can also add existing virtual machines to your inventory
so that you can manage them using VI Web Access.
This section describes how to add and remove virtual machines in the inventory.
Adding a Virtual Machine to the Inventory

When you create a virtual machine using VI Web Access, it is automatically added to
the inventory. This section describes how to add a virtual machine to the inventory if it
is on a networked file system or copied from another host.
Before you can add a virtual machine to the inventory, the files that make up the virtual
machine must be located in a datastore. See “Managing Datastores” on page 110.
To add a virtual machine to the inventory
1 Select the host in the Inventory panel.
2 In the Commands section of the host Summary tab, click Add Virtual Machine to
Inventory.
3 Click Browse to locate the configuration file (.vmx file extension) for the virtual
machine that you want to add to the inventory.
Use the Inventory column to navigate the file system.
The Contents column lists the contents of the current directory.
The Information column shows detailed information about the selected directory
or file.
4 Select the configuration file in the Contents column and click OK.
The virtual machine is added to the inventory.
Removing a Virtual Machine from the Inventory

VMware Server includes options to remove a virtual machine from the inventory or to
completely delete the virtual machine. You do not need to manipulate files on the host
file system to delete a virtual machine.
Before you can delete a virtual machine or remove it from the inventory, it must be
powered off or suspended.
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Chapter 6 Managing VMware Server
To delete a virtual machine or remove it from the inventory
2 Click the Virtual Machines tab.
3 Select the virtual machine to delete.
When the virtual machine is powered off, the Remove Virtual Machine command
appears in the Commands section of the workspace.
4 Click Remove Virtual Machine.
A confirmation dialog box appears.
5 (Optional) To delete all the virtual machine files from disk, select Delete this
virtual machine’s files from the disk.
If you do not select Delete this virtual machine’s files from the disk, the virtual
machine is removed from the inventory, but all the virtual machine files remain
intact on the datastore.
6 Click OK.
The virtual machine is deleted or removed from the inventory.
You can also delete a virtual machine or remove it from the inventory from the Virtual
Machine menu. See “Deleting a Virtual Machine” on page 130.
Performing Power Operations on Virtual Machines

You can perform power operations on any virtual machine in your inventory from the
Virtual Machines tab of the host workspace. This is more efficient than performing
power operations on each virtual machine from its own workspace.
To change the power state of a virtual machine from the host workspace
2 Click the Virtual Machines tab.
3 In the list of virtual machines, select the virtual machine for which you want to
change the power state.
4 Click the appropriate power button in the toolbar.
You can also change the power state of a virtual machine from its own workspace.
For a detailed description of how power operations affect virtual machines, see
“Changing the Power State of a Virtual Machine” on page 122.
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Managing Datastores
This section describes how to add, rename, and remove datastores.
Adding Datastores
A datastore is a storage location for VMware Server virtual machine files. The storage
location can be the local file system, a CIFS store (Windows only), or an NFS‐mounted
file system (Linux only).
Prerequisites for Samba CIFS Datastores

Samba CIFS stores require additional configuration. You must add the setting
create mask = 766 to the configuration (smb.conf) file for each Samba CIFS store.
The user that connects to the Samba server must also have write privileges for the
operating system and the Samba server.
Prerequisites for NFS Datastores

Before you can add an NFS datastore, you must mount the NFS volume on the host.
In some cases, to protect NFS volumes from unauthorized access, NFS administrators
might export volumes with the root squash option turned on. When root squash is
on, the NFS server treats access by root as access by any unprivileged users and might
refuse the VMware Server host access to the NFS volume. To make sure that you can
create and manage datastores from your host, the NFS administrator must turn off the
root squash feature or add the VMware Server host’s physical network adapter to the
list of trusted hosts.
To add a datastore
2 In the Commands section of the Summary tab, click Add Datastore.
3 Enter a name for the datastore in the Name text box.
4 Enter the information for the local (host system) or remote directory.
To add a local datastore:
i Select Local Datastore.
ii Enter the path in the Directory Path text box.
iii Click OK to add the datastore.
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To add a CIFS datastore (Windows host only):
i Select CIFS.
ii Enter a valid server name or IP address.
iii Enter the location of the shared folder.
iv Enter a valid username.
Include the domain or server name, for example:
<domain_name>\<username>
or
<server_name>\<username>
v Enter the corresponding password.
vi Click OK to add the datastore.
.
NOTE VMware Server uses the Windows credential manager for user
authentication. Because this credential manager feature is not supported
on Windows 2000 Server, you cannot add a CIFS datastore if VMware
Server is installed on a Windows 2000 Server host.
To add an NFS datastore (Linux host only):
i Select Network File System.
ii Enter a valid NFS server name or IP address.
iii Enter the location of the shared folder.
iv Click OK to add the datastore.
The datastore appears in the list of datastores.
Renaming Datastores
You can rename an existing datastore.
To rename a datastore
2 In the Datastores section of the Summary tab, click the datastore to rename.
3 In the Commands section of the Summary tab, click Rename Datastore.
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4 Enter a new name for the datastore in the Name text box.
5 Click OK.
The renamed datastore appears in the list of datastores.
Removing Datastores
If you no longer want to access a datastore, you can remove it from VMware Server.
Before you can remove a datastore, you must remove all virtual machines in the
datastore.
To remove a datastore
2 In the Datastores section of the Summary tab, click the datastore to remove.
3 In the Commands section of the Summary tab, click Remove Datastore.
A confirmation dialog box appears.
4 Click OK to remove the datastore.
The datastore no longer appears in the list of datastores.
Refreshing Datastores
When you refresh a datastore, VMware Server updates the capacity and free space
available. The refresh command allows you to see changes in disk capacity and free
space caused by operations performed directly on the host system. These values are
automatically updated when you perform VMware Server operations such as creating
or deleting a virtual machine.
To refresh a datastore
2 In the Datastores section of the Summary tab, click the datastore to refresh.
3 In the Commands section of the Summary tab, click Refresh Datastore.
The values for capacity and free space are updated for that datastore.
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Editing Host-Wide Memory and Snapshot Settings

This section describes how to configure host memory settings and whether or not
snapshots are taken in the background.
Configuring Host Memory

In addition to configuring the memory limit for each virtual machine, VMware Server
allows you to specify the following:
How much of the host system’s memory can be used for all running virtual
machines
The extent to which the host operating system’s memory manager can swap virtual
machines out of physical RAM
These settings affect both virtual machine and overall system performance. See
“Configuring Host‐Wide Virtual Machine Memory Usage” on page 275.
Reserving Host Memory for All Virtual Machines

You can set the amount of host RAM that VMware Server is allowed to reserve for all
running virtual machines.
To configure the amount of reserved memory for all virtual machines
2 In the Commands section of the host Summary tab, click Edit Host Settings.
3 In the Reserved Memory section, enter a value for the Size.
The minimum and maximum settings are displayed.
If you enter too high a value, the host might perform poorly when other
applications are running on the host. If you enter too low a value, virtual machines
might perform poorly and you cannot run as many virtual machines at once. For
more information, see “Reserving Host Memory for Virtual Machine Use” on
page 276.
4 Click OK or follow the steps in the next section to configure additional host
memory settings.
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Configuring Additional Memory for Swapping

VMware Server limits the number of virtual machines that can run at the same time
based on the amount of memory reserved for all running virtual machines. To adjust
the number of virtual machines that can be run or their total memory usage, specify the
amount of virtual machine memory that the host operating system can swap to disk.
To configure the amount of additional virtual machine memory that can be

swapped
3 In the Additional Memory section, select one of the following options:
Fit all virtual machine memory into reserved host RAM — Strictly applies
the reserved memory limit. This setting imposes the tightest restrictions on the
number and memory size of virtual machines that can run at a given time.
Because the virtual machines are running entirely in RAM, they have the best
possible performance.
Allow some virtual machine memory to be swapped — Allows the host
operating system to swap a moderate amount of virtual machine memory to
disk if necessary. This setting allows you to increase the number or memory
size of virtual machines that can run on the host system at a given time. It
might also result in reduced performance if virtual machine memory must be
swapped between RAM and disk.
Allow most virtual machine memory to be swapped — Allows the host
operating system to swap the maximum amount of virtual machine memory
to disk. This setting allows you to run more virtual machines and use more
memory than the moderate setting does. Performance might be further
decreased if virtual machine memory must be swapped between RAM and
disk.
4 Click OK.
If you try to power on a virtual machine when insufficient memory is available,
VMware Server displays a warning dialog box. The message shows how much memory
the virtual machine is configured to use and how much memory is available. To attempt
to power on the virtual machine using the available memory, click OK. Otherwise, click
Cancel.
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Enabling and Disabling Background Snapshots

Taking snapshots in the background allows you to continue working while
VMware Server preserves the state of the virtual machine. However, enabling
background snapshots for a host with slow hard disks can adversely affect
performance. If you experience significant performance problems when taking or
restoring snapshots, disable background snapshots.
For additional information on managing snapshots, see “Using Snapshots” on
page 195.
To enable or disable background snapshots
3 In the Snapshots section, do one of the following:
To enable background snapshots, select the check box.
To disable background snapshots, deselect the check box.
4 Click OK.
The setting takes effect after the virtual machines are restarted.
Configuring Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown

Settings
You can configure virtual machines to start up and shut down automatically when the
host operating system starts and shuts down, or allow them to be started and shut
down manually. You can also specify the order in which virtual machines are
automatically started and shut down.
You can also configure system‐wide settings that specify a delay between each virtual
machine’s startup and shutdown, and what kind of action is performed at shutdown
(suspend, power off, or shut down guest). You can optionally override the system‐wide
settings for individual virtual machines.
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Enabling System-Wide Startup and Shutdown Settings

You can enable virtual machines to be started and shut down automatically and
configure how and when virtual machines are started and shut down.
To enable system-wide startup and shutdown settings
2 In the Commands section of the host Summary tab, click
Edit Virtual Machine Startup/Shutdown Settings.
3 Select Allow virtual machines to start and stop automatically with the system.
If this option is disabled, you cannot configure startup and shutdown settings for
any of the virtual machines on the host.
NOTE To allow virtual machines to be started and shut down on a Windows host
system, you must also select Allow virtual machines to start and stop
automatically with the system during the installation of VMware Server.
4 (Optional) Configure one or more of the following settings:
Default Startup Delay — Enter the amount of time in seconds to wait after a
virtual machine is started before starting the next virtual machine in the list.
This delay prevents placing an excessive burden on the host resources.
Start next VM immediately if the VMware Tools start — Select to start the
next virtual machine in the startup list immediately after VMware Tools starts
in the current virtual machine.
Default Shutdown Delay— Enter the amount of time in seconds to wait after
shutting down a virtual machine before shutting down the next virtual
machine in the list.
This delay prevents placing an excessive burden on the host resources.
Shutdown Action — Select Power Off, Suspend, or Shut down guest.
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Specifying the Startup and Shutdown Order for Virtual Machines

After virtual machines are configured to start and shut down automatically, you can set
the order in which the virtual machines are started and shut down.
To configure the startup and shutdown order for virtual machines
1 Make sure that system‐wide settings are enabled as described in “Enabling
System‐Wide Startup and Shutdown Settings” on page 116.
2 Move virtual machines between and within the following lists by selecting one or
more virtual machines and clicking Move Up or Move Down:
Specified Order — These virtual machines are listed in the order in which
they are configured to start up. The virtual machines are shut down in the
reverse order from which they are started.
Any Order — These virtual machines are started and shut down
automatically, but not in a specific order. The virtual machines in this category
do not start or shut down until all the virtual machines listed in the Specified
Order list are started or shut down.
Manual Startup — These virtual machines are not started automatically when
the host is brought up. When the host is shut down, these virtual machines are
shut down according to the shutdown action indicated.
3 Click OK to save your settings.
Customizing the Startup and Shutdown Settings for Individual

Virtual Machines
You can override the system‐wide settings for the delay between each virtual machine’s
startup and shutdown for individual virtual machines.
You can change the startup settings for virtual machines that are started automatically,
but not for virtual machines that are started manually. You can change the shutdown
settings for any virtual machine.
To override system-wide settings for individual virtual machines
1 Make sure that system‐wide settings are enabled as described in “Enabling
System‐Wide Startup and Shutdown Settings” on page 116.
2 Select the virtual machine for which you want to override the system settings and
click Edit.
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3 (Optional) To override the default system setting for startup, select Use specified
settings and change one or both of the following:
Startup Delay — Enter the amount of time in seconds to wait after a virtual
machine is started before starting the next virtual machine in the startup list.
Continue immediately if the VMware Tools start — Select to start the next
virtual machine in the startup list immediately after VMware Tools starts in
the current virtual machine.
4 (Optional) To override the default system setting for shutdown, select Use
specified settings and change one or both of the following:
Shutdown Delay— Enter the amount of time in seconds to wait after shutting
down a virtual machine before shutting down the next virtual machine in the
shutdown list.
Perform Shutdown Action — Select System Default, Power Off, Suspend, or
Shut Down Guest.
5 Click OK.
Enabling Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on

Windows
The Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) provides a backup infrastructure for
applications running on Windows. The VMware VSS Writer interacts with
VMware Tools running in virtual machines, and enables backup applications that use
VSS to perform quiesced backups of virtual machines. When the VSS‐enabled
application requests a backup, the VMware VSS Writer automatically quiesces the
virtual machine disk files and creates a snapshot of the virtual machine for the backup
application.
NOTE VMware has tested quiesced backups using Windows Backup (NTBackup). For
information about support for third party backup applications, contact your backup
application vendor.
You can perform quiesced backups on host operating systems running Windows Server
2003 and Windows Server 2008. Only 32‐bit Windows Server 2008 hosts are supported.
The guest operating system must be running Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server
2008. An up‐to‐date version of VMware Tools must be installed in the guest operating
system.
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For Windows Server 2003 guest systems, the VSS Writer uses application VSS writers
so that the VSS snapshot is application‐consistent. The snapshot represents the entire
state of the VSS‐aware applications regardless of their backup history and does not
modify the backup history.
For Windows Server 2008 guest systems, the VSS Writer does not use application
writers and, as a result, the snapshot is file‐system consistent.
NOTE VMware Server allows one snapshot for each virtual machine. If a snapshot
exists, the VSS writer does not quiesce the virtual machines, unless you override this
default behavior.
To enable and disable quiesced backups for virtual machines
1 (Optional) To allow the VSS Writer to overwrite an existing snapshot:
a Create the file vmvsswriter.cfg in the VMware Server installation directory,
typically C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server.
b Add the following parameter to the vmvsswriter.cfg file to specify that an
existing snapshot can be overwritten so virtual machines can be quiesced
before backup:
vmwriter.overwriteSnapshots = "TRUE"
If set to TRUE, any existing snapshots are overwritten without warning, and
the virtual machines are backed up using quiesced snapshots.
If not set, or set to FALSE, the virtual machines are not quiesced if a snapshot
exists when the backup is taken.
2 Start the VMware VSS Writer Service using the Windows Services control panel.
The user running the VSS Writer Service must have permission to perform
administrative tasks on virtual machines, such as creating snapshots. The user
must also be able to write to the virtual machine disk file directory. You can verify
or change the username and password in the Log On tab of the Properties dialog
box for the VSS Writer Service.
You must restart the VSS Writer Service any time you make changes to the
vmvsswriter.cfg file.
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To restore a virtual machine from a quiesced backup
1 Make sure that the virtual machines you want to restore are powered off.
Use the backup software to restore the virtual machines.
Restore an individual virtual machine by reverting to the snapshot. For
information about reverting to a snapshot, see “Reverting to a Snapshot” on
page 199.
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7
Running Virtual Machines 7

After you have installed VMware Server, created a virtual machine, and installed a
guest operating system and VMware Tools, you are ready to run your virtual machine.
To perform virtual machine operations, you must have the required permissions. Many
configuration modifications are disabled when the virtual machine is powered on.
NOTE The only tasks VI Web Access can perform on hardware version 3 virtual
machines are power operations and upgrade.
This chapter describes the most common tasks to manage and use virtual machines and
“Running VMware Tools” on page 122
“Changing the Power State of a Virtual Machine” on page 122
“Changing Virtual Machine Power Settings” on page 125
“Changing Virtual Machine Name and Guest System Settings” on page 124
“Changing Virtual Machine Snapshot Settings” on page 126
“Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings” on page 127
“Deleting a Virtual Machine” on page 130
“Using VMware Remote Console” on page 130
“Generating and Sharing Virtual Machine Shortcuts” on page 133
“Editing Notes in the Virtual Machine Summary Tab” on page 135
“Editing the Hardware Configuration of a Virtual Machine” on page 135
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“Adding Hardware to a Virtual Machine” on page 137
“Installing New Software in a Virtual Machine” on page 138
“Advanced Options for Application Developers” on page 139
Running VMware Tools

For improved guest operating system performance and virtual machine management,
make sure that VMware Tools is installed and running in your virtual machine. See
Chapter 5, “Installing and Using VMware Tools,” on page 73.
After VMware Tools is installed in a Windows virtual machine, the VMware Tools
services start when you start the guest operating system. The VMware Tools icon
appears in the guest’s notification area, unless you disable the icon.
VMware Tools icon
On Windows guests, if the VMware Tools icon includes a yellow caution icon, an
update is available. To perform the update, double‐click the icon, and click the Update
button on the Options tab that appears.
If the VMware Tools icon appears with a red circle and slash over it, the VMware Tools
service is not running. To start the service, select Run from the Windows Start menu,
and enter services.msc. In the window that appears, start the service called
VMware Tools Service.
If the VMware Tools icon does not appear in the notification area of the Windows
guest’s taskbar, use the VMware Tools control panel in the guest to display it. See
“Using the Windows Control Panel to Display the Taskbar Icon” on page 92.
To change other VMware Tools properties, see “Using the VMware Tools Control
Panel” on page 91. For more information about the properties, click Help.
Changing the Power State of a Virtual Machine

You can use VI Web Access to change the power state of the virtual machine.
To change a virtual machine’s power state, do one of the following:
Select the virtual machine from the Inventory panel, and click the button in the
toolbar for the desired power state.
From the host workspace Virtual Machines tab, select the virtual machine, and
click the button in the toolbar for the desired power state.
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Chapter 7 Running Virtual Machines
Table 7‐1 describes what happens when you change the power state of a virtual
machine.
Table 7-1. Toolbar Power Operations

Button Description
Powers off the virtual machine. Depending on how you have configured the
power options for this virtual machine, VMware Server might shut down the
guest operating system and execute any scripts associated with this power state
change.
When this icon is depressed, the virtual machine is powered off.
Suspends a running virtual machine. Depending on how you have configured the
power options for this virtual machine, VMware Server might put the guest
operating system on standby and execute any scripts associated with this power
state change.
When this icon is depressed, the virtual machine is suspended.
Powers on a stopped virtual machine or resumes a suspended virtual machine.
Depending on how you have configured the power options for this virtual
machine, VMware Server might restart or resume the guest operating system and
execute any scripts associated with this power state change.
When this icon is depressed, the virtual machine is running.
Resets the virtual machine. Depending on how you have configured the power
options for this virtual machine, VMware Server might shut down and restart the
guest operating system and execute any scripts associated with this power state
change.
NOTE Shutting down or restarting a guest operating system works only when
VMware Tools is installed. Otherwise, the power is turned off or the virtual machine is
reset exactly as if you had pushed the power or reset button on a physical machine. For
information about installing VMware Tools, see Chapter 5, “Installing and Using
VMware Tools,” on page 73. For information about how to use VMware Tools scripts
to affect power state behavior, see “Changing Virtual Machine Power Settings” on page 125
and “How VMware Tools Scripts Affect Power States” on page 97.
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Changing Virtual Machine Name and Guest System

Settings
You can change the name and the guest operating system settings of the selected virtual
machine.
To change the virtual machine name or guest operating system settings
1 In the Commands section of the virtual machine’s Summary tab, click Configure
VM.
2 In the General tab, change the name or guest operating system setting:
(Optional) To change the display name, type a new name in the Virtual
Machine Name text box.
(Optional) To change the guest operating system setting (for example, if you
are upgrading the guest operating system version), select the type of
operating system and then select the operating system version from the
drop‐down menu.
When you change the operating system version here, the setting for the guest
operating system is changed in the virtual machine’s configuration file. The
guest operating system itself is not changed. For information about updating the
guest operating system, see “Updating the Guest Operating System” on
page 71.
3 Click OK to save your changes and return to the Summary tab.
The General tab also displays the location of the virtual machine working directory and
the virtual machine configuration file. Do not edit the virtual machine configuration file
directly. Instead, use the Advanced tab of the Configure VM dialog box. See “Changing
Virtual Machine Advanced Settings” on page 127.
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Changing Virtual Machine Power Settings

Power control options allow you to define actions that occur when you change the
power state of a virtual machine.
To change power state options
VM.
2 Click the Power tab.
3 (Optional) Select the default power off option for the virtual machine.
Settings for powering off virtual machines include Power Off and Shut Down
Guest. When VMware Tools is not installed, the default action is to power off the
virtual machine without shutting down the guest. When VMware Tools is
installed, the default action is to shut down the guest before powering off the
virtual machine.
4 (Optional) Select the default suspend option for the virtual machine.
Settings for suspending virtual machines include Suspend and Suspend Guest.
When VMware Tools is not installed, the default action is to suspend the virtual
machine without suspending the guest. When VMware Tools is installed, the
default action is to suspend the guest before suspending the virtual machine.
5 (Optional) Select the default reboot option for the virtual machine.
Settings for rebooting virtual machines include Reset and Restart Guest. When
VMware Tools is not installed, the default action is to reset the virtual machine
without shutting down the guest. When VMware Tools is installed, the default
action is to shut down the guest before resetting the virtual machine.
6 (Optional) In the VMware Tools Scripts section, select one or more check boxes to
run a VMware Tools script After powering on, After resuming, Before
suspending, and Before powering off. See “How VMware Tools Scripts Affect
Power States” on page 97.
7 (Optional) In the BIOS Setup section, select Enter the BIOS setup screen the next
time the virtual machine boots if you want to go directly to the BIOS setup screen
the next time the virtual machine is powered on.
After the next power on, this setting is deselected.
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8 (Optional) In the Advanced section, select one or both of the VMware Tools
options:
Select Check and Upgrade VMware Tools before powering on if you want to
automatically upgrade VMware Tools whenever a new version is available.
Select Synchronize guest time with host to synchronize the time in the guest
operating system with the time in the host operating system. See “Options
Tab” on page 93.
Changing Virtual Machine Snapshot Settings

This section describes how to change snapshot settings for the virtual machine. With
these settings, you can do the following:
Lock the current snapshot so that it cannot be updated
Revert to the current snapshot when powering off
For information about using snapshots to preserve the state of the virtual machine, see
“Using Snapshots” on page 195.
Locking the Snapshot

Locking the current snapshot prevents it from being overwritten. The snapshot must
already exist.
To lock the current snapshot
VM.
2 Click the Snapshot tab.
3 In the Current Snapshot section, select Lock this snapshot.
If this check box cannot be selected, it means that no snapshot exists.
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Setting Snapshot Power Off Options

You can set a virtual machine to automatically revert to the snapshot, or to ask you
whether you want to revert to the snapshot, whenever you power off the virtual
machine.
To set a snapshot power off option
VM.
2 Click the Snapshot tab.
3 Select one of the following options in the When powering off section:
Just power off — Powers off without making any changes to the snapshot.
Revert to snapshot — Reverts to the current snapshot, so the virtual machine
always starts in the state it was in when the current snapshot was taken.
Reverting to the snapshot discards changes. For example, an instructor might
need to discard student answers for a computer lesson when a virtual machine
is powered off at the end of class.
Ask me — Every time you power off a virtual machine, you are prompted to
specify whether you want to just power off or revert to the current snapshot.
Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings

This section describes how to configure advanced virtual machine settings, including
the following:
What kind of information is collected while VMware Server is running.
Enabling and disabling logging.
Disabling acceleration if a program cannot be run in your virtual machine.
Enabling Virtual Machine Interface (VMI) paravirtualization to increase
performance on hosts that support paravirtualization.
Specifying whether and how virtualized MMU support is used
Modifying virtual machine configuration file parameters.
NOTE Do not change any configuration file parameters unless you are instructed
to do so in the documentation or by VMware technical support.
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To change virtual machine runtime settings
VM.
2 Click Advanced.
3 In the Settings section, select an option:
Record runtime information — When selected, you can select one of the
following:
Debugging information — Collects debugging information. You can
provide this information to VMware support to troubleshoot any
problems you are experiencing.
Statistics information — Collects performance statistics. You can provide
this information to VMware support to troubleshoot performance
problems.
On Windows hosts, the files are stored in the directory
<%ALLUSERSPROFILE%>\VMware\VMware Server\hostd\stats.
On Linux host systems, the files are stored in the directory
/var/log/vmware.
Enable logging — Enables logging for the virtual machine. You can provide
this to VMware support to troubleshoot any problems you are experiencing.
VMware recommends that you keep logging enabled. There is minimal
overhead for this logging.
Disable acceleration — Disables acceleration in the virtual machine. It is
sometimes necessary to temporarily disable acceleration in a virtual machine
to resolve problems with a guest operating system application that crashes or
seems to hang or reports that it is running under a debugger. Usually it is
possible to re‐enable acceleration after installing or starting the application.
Support VMI Paravirtualization — If you have a VMware VMI 3.0 enabled
kernel in a Linux guest operating system, you can enable VMI
paravirtualization support to improve performance in the virtual machine.
Available VMI‐enabled kernels include Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty) or later.
Use the standard image for 32‐bit Intel x86 systems. VMI currently supports
only 32‐bit guests.
For more information about paravirtualization, see:
http://www.vmware.com/interfaces/paravirtualization.html
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Configure Virtualized MMU Settings — Recent CPUs are capable of
virtualizing the Memory Management Unit (MMU). This capability almost
always improves virtual machine performance. However, there might be
cases where it is preferable not to virtualize the MMU.
Select one of the following choices:
Allow the host to determine automatically (the default)
Force use of these features when available
Do not use these features
To add a parameter to the virtual machine configuration file
VM.
2 Click Advanced.
3 In the Configuration Parameters section, click Add New Entry.
4 Enter the name of the parameter in the Name text box.
5 Enter the value for the parameter in the Value text box.
6 Click OK.
To edit a parameter in the virtual machine configuration file
VM.
2 Click Advanced.
3 In the Configuration Parameters section, select the parameter and click Edit.
4 Enter the new value for the parameter in the Value text box.
5 Click OK.
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Deleting a Virtual Machine

VMware Server includes options to remove a virtual machine from the inventory or to
completely delete the virtual machine. You do not need to manipulate files on the host
file system to delete a virtual machine.
Before you can delete a virtual machine or remove it from the inventory, it must be
powered off or suspended.
To delete a virtual machine or remove it from the inventory
1 Select the virtual machine you want to delete in the Inventory panel.
2 Select Virtual Machine > Remove Virtual Machine.
You can only select this menu option if the virtual machine is powered off.
3 (Optional) To delete all the virtual machine files from disk, select Delete this
virtual machine’s files from the disk.
If you do not select Delete this virtual machine’s files from the disk, the virtual
machine is removed from the inventory, but all virtual machine files remain intact
on the datastore.
4 Click OK.
The virtual machine is deleted or removed from the inventory.
You can also delete a virtual machine or remove it from the inventory from the host
workspace. See “Removing a Virtual Machine from the Inventory” on page 108.
Using VMware Remote Console

system.
VMware Remote Console is installed as a Web browser add‐on and executed from the
add‐on directory. You must install the VMware Remote Console add‐on the first time
you use it with a Web browser that does not already have the add‐on installed, and
when a new version of the add‐on is available. For more information, see “Installing the
VMware Remote Console Add‐On” on page 52 and “Starting VMware Remote Console
from the Console Tab” on page 53.
You can continue to use VMware Remote Console if you close your Web browser.
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Interacting with the Guest Operating System

In general, you can use the guest operating system and applications as you would if
they were running directly on a physical computer.
To interact with the guest operating system using your mouse or keyboard
Click inside the VMware Remote Console window.
To transfer control of your mouse and keyboard back to your computer
Press Ctrl+Alt. If VMware Tools is installed in the virtual machine, you can move the
cursor in and out of the virtual machine to quickly switch mouse and keyboard control
between the virtual machine and your computer.
To press Ctrl+Alt+Delete (Windows clients)
Press Ctrl+Alt+Insert instead of Ctrl+Alt+Delete in the virtual machine on Windows
client systems.
You can also select VMware Remote Console > Troubleshooting >
Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
Entering and Leaving Full Screen Mode

You can enter and leave full screen mode and control the visibility of the toolbar in full
screen mode.
To run your virtual machine in full screen mode
Click the maximize button on the VMware Remote Console window.
The desktop expands to fill the screen, leaving a toolbar visible at the top of the screen.
To pin the toolbar so it is always visible
Click the pushpin on the toolbar so that it is in a diagonal position.
To release the toolbar so only a very thin horizontal area is visible
Click the pushpin on the toolbar so that it is in a horizontal position. After a few seconds
with no use, most of the toolbar disappears.
To make the toolbar fully visible
Move the mouse pointer to the top middle of the screen where the thin horizontal area
is visible.
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To reduce the VMware Remote Console display so it is running in a window
Click the restore button on the toolbar.
To return to a window if the mouse pointer is not available
Press Ctrl+Alt.
Connecting and Disconnecting Client Devices

Use VI Web Access to configure virtual machines to use physical CD/DVD and floppy
drives and ISO and floppy images on the host system. See Chapter 8, “Configuring
Virtual Machine Hardware,” on page 141.
You can connect and disconnect host devices from VMware Remote Console. Devices
that are connected to the host system include on Server after the name in the Devices
menu.
You can also use VMware Remote Console to connect virtual machines to CD/DVD and
floppy drives attached to the client system. You can also connect to CD/DVD (.iso) and
floppy (.flp) image files on the client system.
Select from the options in the Devices menu and submenus to connect and disconnect
physical drives, or to browse to an image file. A check mark next to the name of a device
indicates that it is connected. If there is no check mark, the device is not connected.
Only one machine — the client computer, host computer, or virtual machine — can use
CD/DVD or floppy drives at any one time. If your virtual machine is configured to use
the device, and if you want to use that device directly on your client or host computer,
make sure it is disconnected from the virtual machine.
Resetting and Powering Off

You can select these power operations from the
VMware Remote Console > Troubleshoot menu.
Reset — Affects your virtual machine in the same way that pressing the reset
button affects a physical computer. Sending the reset command turns the power off
and immediately turns it on again.
Suspend and Exit — Suspends the virtual machine. VMware Remote Console
closes.
Power Off and Exit— Affects your virtual machine in the same way that turning
off the power affects a physical computer. Sending the power off command turns
the power off and leaves it off. VMware Remote Console closes.
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Viewing the Message Log

The Message Log dialog box allows you to open and view VMware Server virtual
machine messages and to remove any or all messages from the log.
Select VMware Remote Console > Troubleshoot > Message Log.
Quitting VMware Remote Console

Quit VMware Remote Console before you shut down the computer that it is running
on.
To quit VMware Remote Console, do one of the following
Select VMware Remote Console > Disconnect and Exit (Windows) or
VMware Remote Console > Disconnect and Quit (Linux).
Click the X in the upper‐right corner of the toolbar.
When you quit VMware Remote Console using either of these methods, the virtual
machine is not powered off or suspended.
Quitting VMware Remote Console disconnects any connected client devices. If you
have active client device connections, you are prompted to confirm that you want to
quit.
VMware Remote Console closes automatically when the virtual machine is suspended
or powered off.
Generating and Sharing Virtual Machine Shortcuts

You can generate a shortcut to enable virtual machine users to interact directly with the
guest operating system from a Web browser or VMware Remote Console.
Generating a Web Shortcut

Administrators can generate a Web shortcut to customize the VI Web Access user
interface for users. You can generate a Web shortcut that displays only the Console tab,
enables or disables access to the workspace, or enables or disables access to the virtual
machine inventory.
The Web shortcut is like any Web browser URL, so you can do any of the following:
Add it to a list of Web pages
Share it with one or more users in an email message
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NOTE To test a Web shortcut, use a different browser or computer. If you use your
active VI Web Access browser session to test the Web shortcut, all instances of that
browser must be closed before you can log back in to VI Web Access with full user
interface capabilities.
To create a virtual machine Web shortcut
1 Select the virtual machine from which to generate a Web shortcut in the Inventory
panel.
2 In the Status section of the Summary tab, click Generate Virtual Machine
Shortcut.
3 In the Web Shortcut section, a sample URL is displayed.
4 (Optional) Expand Customize Web Shortcut to select the user interface features:
Select Limit workspace view to the console to provide access to the Console
tab while hiding other details like event logs.
Select Limit view to a single virtual machine to disable inventory navigation.
Select Obfuscate this URL to generate a URL that obscures the connection
information.
5 Copy the Web shortcut for future use.
6 Click OK to return to the Summary tab.
Generating a VMware Remote Console Desktop Shortcut

system outside of a Web browser. After you have installed the
VMware Remote Console add‐on, you can create a desktop shortcut that starts
VMware Remote Console and connects to the virtual machine.
NOTE When using Internet Explorer, you must restart the Web browser after installing
the VMware Remote Console add‐on and before creating the VMware Remote Console
desktop shortcut. If you do not restart Internet Explorer, shortcut creation will fail with
a JavaScript error.
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To create a VMware Remote Console desktop shortcut
1 Select the virtual machine from which to generate a desktop shortcut in the
Inventory panel.
2 In the Status section of the Summary tab, click Generate Virtual Machine
Shortcut.
3 In the Desktop Shortcut section, click Install Desktop Shortcut to
<Virtual Machine>.
4 Confirm that you want to create the shortcut when prompted.
The shortcut is created on the desktop.
5 Click OK to return to the Summary tab.
Editing Notes in the Virtual Machine Summary Tab

The Notes section of the virtual machine Summary tab is an editable text field in which
you can enter text (up to 1000 characters) to describe the virtual machine.
Saved notes can be viewed by other users of the virtual machine, so you can use this
section to communicate information about the current state of the virtual machine.
To enter text that appears in the Notes section
1 Select the virtual machine you want to enter notes for in the Inventory panel.
2 In the Notes section of the Summary tab, click Edit.
3 To save your text, click Save.
If you do not want to save your changes, click Cancel.
Any saved text appears in the Notes section of the Summary tab.
Editing the Hardware Configuration of a Virtual Machine

The Hardware section of the virtual machine Summary tab lists the virtual hardware in
the virtual machine, such as processors, memory, hard disks, CD/DVD drives, and
network adapters. The virtual machine must be powered off to modify most hardware
settings.
You can edit existing hardware including:
Processors — For information about editing the processor count, see “Editing
Virtual Processors” on page 279 and “Using Two‐Way Virtual Symmetric
Multiprocessing” on page 278.
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Memory — For information about optimal virtual machine memory allocation, see
“Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine” on page 277. For information about
how to edit memory allocation for a virtual machine, see “Editing Virtual Machine
Memory” on page 277.
Hard Disks — For information about changing the settings for an existing hard
disk, see “Editing a Virtual Hard Disk” on page 145. For information about
removing a hard disk, see “Removing a Hard Disk from a Virtual Machine” on
page 146.
Network Adapters — For information about changing the settings for an existing
virtual network adapter, see “Editing a Virtual Network Adapter” on page 224.
CD/DVD Drives — For information about changing the settings for an existing
CD/DVD drive, see “Editing a Virtual CD/DVD Drive” on page 152. For
information about removing a CD/DVD drive, see “Removing a CD/DVD Drive
from a Virtual Machine” on page 153.
Floppy Drives — For information about changing the settings for an existing
CD/DVD drive, see “Editing a Virtual Floppy Drive” on page 155. For information
about removing a floppy drive, see “Removing a Floppy Drive from a Virtual
Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Devices — For information about changing the
settings for an existing passthrough SCSI device, see “Editing a Virtual
Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device” on page 158. For information about removing
a passthrough SCSI device, see “Removing a Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device
from a Virtual Machine” on page 158.
USB Controller — For information about configuring USB devices, see
“Configuring USB Controllers and Devices” on page 159. For information about
removing a USB controller, see “Removing a USB Controller from a Virtual
Sound Adapter — For information about changing the settings for a sound
adapter, see “Editing a Virtual Sound Adapter” on page 165. For information
about removing a sound adapter, see “Removing a Sound Adapter from a Virtual
Serial Ports — For information about changing the settings for serial ports, see
“Editing a Virtual Serial Port” on page 169. For information about removing a
serial port, see “Removing a Serial Port from a Virtual Machine” on page 170.
Parallel Ports — For information about changing the settings for parallel ports, see
“Editing a Virtual Parallel Port” on page 178. For information about removing a
parallel port, see “Removing a Parallel Port from a Virtual Machine” on page 179.
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Adding Hardware to a Virtual Machine

Use the Add Hardware wizard to add new hardware to a virtual machine.
The virtual machine must be powered off to add most types of hardware. You can add
a SCSI virtual disk to a hardware version 7 virtual machine when the virtual machine
is powered on. In some circumstances, you can also “hot add” a virtual machine with
an earlier hardware version. See “Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine” on
page 144.
To start the Add Hardware wizard
1 Select the virtual machine to modify from the Inventory panel.
2 Make sure the virtual machine is powered off, unless you are adding a SCSI virtual
hard disk.
If the virtual machine is not already powered off, shut down the guest operating
system, and click Power Off on the VI Web Access toolbar.
3 In the Commands section of the Summary tab, click Add Hardware.
The Add Hardware wizard opens.
4 Add hardware to an existing virtual machine:
Hard Disks — See “Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine” on page 144.
Network Adapters — See “Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine”
on page 223.
CD/DVD Drives — See “Adding a CD/DVD Drive to a Virtual Machine” on
page 151.
Floppy Drives — See “Adding a Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine” on
page 154.
Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Devices — See “Adding a Passthrough (Generic)
SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine” on page 157.
USB Controller — See “Adding a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine” on
page 159.
Sound Adapter — See “Adding a Sound Adapter to a Virtual Machine” on
page 165.
Serial Ports — See “Adding a Serial Port to a Virtual Machine” on page 166.
Parallel Ports — See “Adding a Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine” on
page 177.
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5 On the Ready to Complete page, do one of the following:
Click Back or navigate using the Pages panel to make changes.
If you want to power on the virtual machine immediately after adding the new
hardware, select Power on your virtual machine now.
Expand More Hardware to add more virtual hardware to the virtual machine
before you finish.
Each time you finish adding a new device, you return to the Ready to
Complete page.
Click Finish to create the virtual machine with the listed hardware.
The wizard adds the hardware to your virtual machine.
Installing New Software in a Virtual Machine

Installing new software in a virtual machine is like installing it on a physical computer,
except that you must take these additional steps:
Make sure that VMware Server can access the media for installing the software.
Verify that the virtual machine has access to the CD‐ROM drive, ISO image file, or
floppy drive, as needed. See Chapter 8, “Configuring Virtual Machine Hardware,”
on page 141.
Set the final memory size for your virtual machine and install VMware Tools
before you activate the software.
Some applications use a product activation feature that creates a key based on the
virtual hardware in the virtual machine where it is installed. Changes in the
configuration of the virtual machine might require you to reactivate the software.
To minimize the number of significant changes, set the memory size and install
VMware Tools.
In the rare instance that VMware Server appears to hang when you install or run
software inside a virtual machine, consider temporarily disabling acceleration in
the virtual machine, as described in “Changing Virtual Machine Advanced
Settings” on page 127. Generally, the problem occurs early in the program’s
execution.
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Advanced Options for Application Developers

Application developers can use the following APIs, SDKs, and IDEs when writing and
debugging applications that run in virtual machines:
VIX API for writing programs to automate virtual machine operations – The API
is high‐level, easy to use, and practical for both script writers and application
programmers. API functions allow you to register, power on or off virtual
machines, and run programs in the guest operating systems. Additional language
bindings are available for Perl, COM, and shell scripts (vmrun). For more
information, see the VMware VIX API Release Notes.
To launch the vmrun application, from the command prompt, enter:
vmrun COMMAND [OPTION]
On Linux, vmrun is in the directory for VIX API binary files, typically /usr/bin.
Before using the vmrun command on a Windows host, you must do one of the
following:
Change your working directory to the VMware Server directory. The default
location is:
c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Server
Add the VMware VIX directory to the system path. On Windows 2000 Server,
you can change this setting from the Windows control panel:
Control Panel > System > Advanced > Environment Variables >
System variables > Path
VMCI Sockets interface – This feature is a sockets interface for the Virtual
Machine Communication Interface, which provides a faster means of
communication among applications running on the host and in virtual machines.
This feature is well‐suited for developers who want to write client‐server
applications. For more information, see the VMCI Sockets Programming Guide.
To allow a virtual machine to communicate with other virtual machines and
applications on the host, you must add the vmci0.unrestricted configuration
file parameter and set it to TRUE, as described in “Changing Virtual Machine
Advanced Settings” on page 127. If vmci0.unrestricted is not set or set to
FALSE, the virtual machine cannot communicate with other virtual machines or
applications on the host.
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8
Configuring Virtual Machine

Hardware 8
This chapter describes how to use various devices with a virtual machine and includes
the following topics:
“Configuring Hard Disks” on page 141
“Configuring CD/DVD Drives” on page 150
“Configuring Floppy Drives” on page 154
“Configuring Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Devices” on page 156
“Configuring SCSI Controllers” on page 159
“Configuring USB Controllers and Devices” on page 159
“Configuring Sound” on page 164
“Configuring Serial Ports” on page 166
“Configuring Parallel Ports” on page 177
“Keyboard Mapping on Linux Hosts” on page 184
Configuring Hard Disks

Like a physical computer, a virtual machine stores its operating system, applications,
and data files on one or more virtual hard disks. You can add and remove hard disks in
your virtual machine, and modify certain settings for existing hard disks. You can
install a new operating system on a virtual disk without repartitioning a physical disk
or rebooting the host system.
This section describes how to add, edit, and remove virtual hard disks, and how to
configure disk settings.
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Hard Disk Types and Properties

Most virtual machines are configured with one or more virtual hard disks. A virtual
disk is a file or set of files that appears as a physical disk to the guest operating system.
These files are created in the datastore location that you specify. See “Managing
Datastores” on page 110.
This section describes the settings you can configure when you add or edit a virtual
disk.
Disk Capacity Setting

When you create a new virtual disk, specify a maximum disk size in MB or GB. Set the
maximum size to a value between 1MB and 950GB.
If the virtual machine does not have a snapshot, you can increase the maximum disk
size when you edit a SCSI virtual disk.
Disk File Options Settings (New Disk Only)

When creating a new virtual disk, you can specify whether space for the disk files is
allocated as needed (called a growable disk) or allocated all at once when the disk is
created (called a preallocated disk).
A growable disk is created by default. Growable disk files use less disk space initially
and grow to their maximum size only as additional space is needed. However, it takes
longer to write data to growable disks.
If you select Allocate all disk space now, all disk space is preallocated at the time the
disk is created. This provides better virtual machine performance. However, you
cannot shrink the disk later.
NOTE Preallocating disk space is a time‐consuming operation that cannot be canceled
and requires as much physical disk space as the amount you specify for virtual disk
capacity.
You are also given the option Split disk into 2GB files. Select this option if your virtual
disk is stored on a file system (such as FAT16) that does not support files larger than
2GB.
Disk Mode Settings

Select whether or not to run the disk in Independent Mode. Independent disks add a
layer of control and complexity to your virtual disks. Disks in Independent Mode are
not affected by snapshots.
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Chapter 8 Configuring Virtual Machine Hardware
If you have a snapshot, you must remove it before you can change the disk mode when
you edit a virtual disk. See “Removing a Snapshot” on page 199.
If you select Independent Mode, also select one of the following:
Persistent — Disks in persistent mode behave like conventional disks on your
physical computer. All data written to a disk in persistent mode are written
permanently to the disk.
Nonpersistent — Changes to disks in nonpersistent mode are discarded when you
power off or reset the virtual machine. Nonpersistent mode enables you to restart
the virtual machine with a virtual disk in the same state every time. Changes to the
disk are actually written to and read from a redo log file that is deleted when you
power off or reset.
Device Type and Node Settings

When creating a new virtual disk, the default adapter type is based on your selected
Virtual disks can be configured as IDE disks for any guest operating system. They can
be set up as SCSI disks for any guest operating system that has a driver for the LSI Logic
(parallel), BusLogic (parallel), or LSI Logic SAS adapter. The correct SCSI adapter is
automatically chosen based on your guest operating system. If you need to change the
adapter type, follow the procedure in “Configuring SCSI Controllers” on page 159.
NOTE For Windows XP guest systems, the LSI Logic adapter requires an add‐on driver
from the LSI Logic Web site. For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 guest systems,
the BusLogic adapter requires an add‐on driver from the VMware Web site. See the
VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide.
Either type of virtual disk can be stored on either type of physical hard disk. For
example, the files that make up an IDE virtual disk can be stored on either an IDE hard
disk or a SCSI hard disk. Virtual disks can also be stored on other types of fast‐access
storage media.
An available device node is selected by default.
Disk Write Caching Policy Setting

The following options determine when changes are written to disk:
Optimize for safety — Saves all changes to the virtual disk immediately.
Optimize for performance — Acknowledges changes to the virtual disk
immediately, but saves them at a later time.
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Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine

Virtual disks are stored as files in a datastore. The datastore location can be the local file
system, a CIFS store (Windows only), or an NFS‐mounted file system (Linux only). See
“Managing Datastores” on page 110.
It does not matter whether the datastore location is on an IDE or SCSI physical disk. An
IDE virtual disk can be stored on either an IDE physical hard disk or on a SCSI physical
hard disk. So can a SCSI virtual disk.
You can add a SCSI virtual disk to a hardware version 7 virtual machine when the
virtual machine is powered on. For earlier virtual machine hardware versions, it is
possible to add a SCSI virtual disk when the virtual machine is powered on only if a
SCSI controller with an available slot already exists. SCSI controllers are created as
needed, but cannot be created when the virtual machine is powered on for virtual
machines with hardware versions earlier than 7.
It is not possible to add an IDE virtual disk when the virtual machine is powered on.
NOTE If you have a Windows NT 4.0 guest with a SCSI virtual disk, you cannot add
both an additional SCSI disk and an IDE disk to the configuration.
To add a new or existing virtual disk
1 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click Hard Disk.
For information about how to start the Add Hardware wizard, see “Adding
Hardware to a Virtual Machine” on page 137.
2 On the Hard Disk page, click one of the following:
Create a New Virtual Disk — Select to add a new blank hard disk to your
virtual machine. The wizard displays the Properties page, from which you can
accept or change the default values for disk capacity, datastore location, file
allocation options, disk mode, virtual device node, and caching policy
settings.
Use an Existing Virtual Disk — Select if you want to reuse or share a virtual
hard disk that has already been created. The wizard displays the Properties
page, from which you can browse to a virtual disk (.vmdk) file you created
previously. After you select the existing disk file using the datastore browser,
its current properties are displayed. You can modify the disk mode, virtual
device node, and caching policy settings.
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3 Make any required changes to the default values on the Properties page, and click
Next.
For detailed information about settings you can configure on the Properties page,
see “Hard Disk Types and Properties” on page 142.
The Ready to Complete page displays the hardware settings.
4 Review the configuration summary, and click Finish to complete the wizard.
The wizard creates the new virtual disk.
The virtual disk appears to your guest operating system as a new blank hard disk. Use
the guest operating system’s utilities to partition and format the new disk.
Editing a Virtual Hard Disk

This section describes how to change the settings for an existing hard disk.
The file allocation options are displayed and cannot be changed. When the virtual
machine is powered off, you can modify the virtual device node.
If the virtual machine does not have a snapshot, you can also do the following:
Increase the disk capacity for a SCSI virtual disk. The virtual machine must be
powered off.
Change the disk mode.
To edit an existing hard disk
1 Select the virtual machine in the Inventory panel.
2 If required to change the setting, make sure that the virtual machine is powered off.
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the hard disk to modify and
select Edit.
The Hard Disk dialog box displays information about the disk, including the
datastore it is in, the location of the first file associated with the disk, the disk
capacity, whether the disk is growable or preallocated, and whether the disk spans
multiple files.
4 (Optional) For virtual disks with settings that allow you to increase the disk
capacity, click Increase Capacity and enter a new value in the Increase By or
New Capacity field. The other field is automatically adjusted to reflect the change.
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If you have a snapshot, you must remove it before you can change the disk
capacity. You can only change the disk capacity for SCSI virtual disks. The virtual
machine must be powered off.
See “Disk Capacity Setting” on page 142.
5 (Optional) In the Virtual Device Node section, select an adapter and device node
from the drop‐down menus.
See “Device Type and Node Settings” on page 143.
6 (Optional) In the Disk Mode section, select whether or not to run the disk in
Independent Mode. An independent disk can be persistent or nonpersistent.
Disks in Independent Mode are not affected by snapshots.
If you have a snapshot, you must remove it to change the disk mode. See
“Removing a Snapshot” on page 199.
Also see “Disk Mode Settings” on page 142.
7 (Optional) In the Policies section, select the write caching policy for the disk.
See “Disk Write Caching Policy Setting” on page 143.
Removing a Hard Disk from a Virtual Machine

When you remove a hard disk from a virtual machine, you can choose whether to
remove the disk files from the host system.
To remove an existing hard disk
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the hard disk to remove and
select one of the following:
Remove — Removes the hard disk from the virtual machine.
Delete from Disk — Removes the hard disk from the virtual machine and
deletes the associated disk files from the host system.
4 A dialog box asks you to confirm that you want to remove the disk. If you want to
remove it, click Yes.
The virtual disk is removed.
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Virtual Disk Maintenance Tasks

Defragmenting virtual disks can improve performance. Shrinking virtual disks
reclaims unused space.
Defragmenting Virtual Disks

Like physical disks, virtual disks can become fragmented. Defragmentation rearranges
data, applications, and unused space on the virtual disk so that programs run faster and
files open more quickly.
Before you begin, make sure that you have adequate free working space on the host
system. If your virtual disk is contained in a single file, for example, you need free space
equal to the size of the virtual disk. Other virtual disk configurations require less free
space.
Defragmentation does not reclaim unused space on a virtual disk. For information
about how to reclaim unused space, see “Shrinking Virtual Disks” on page 147.
To defragment a virtual disk
1 Run a disk defragmentation utility inside the guest operating system.
For example, in a Windows XP guest operating system, use the Windows XP Disk
Defragmenter utility.
2 Run a disk defragmentation utility on the host system.
Defragmenting disks can take considerable time.
Shrinking Virtual Disks

Shrinking a virtual disk reclaims unused space in the virtual disk. If a disk has empty
space, this process reduces the amount of space that the virtual disk occupies on the
physical hard disk.
Only shrink virtual disks when the amount of used space on the virtual hard disk is
significantly lower than the size of the .vmdk files associated with the virtual disk. For
information about the files associated with a virtual disk, see Appendix B, “Files That
Make Up a Virtual Machine,” on page 323.
Before shrinking a virtual disk, make sure that the following prerequisites are met:
VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system.
The host system has free disk space equal to the size of the virtual disk you plan to
shrink.
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The disk space is not preallocated for the virtual disk. If the disk space is
preallocated, you cannot shrink the disk. (Click the hard disk and select Edit to
determine how disk space is allocated.)
The virtual machine does not have a snapshot. To remove an existing snapshot, see
If the virtual disk is an independent disk, it must be persistent. See “Disk Mode
Settings” on page 142.
NOTE The shrink process applies to all virtual disks, even if you do not prepare all the
virtual disks in a virtual machine for shrinking.
To shrink a virtual disk
1 Launch the VMware Tools control panel:
For a Windows guest, double‐click the VMware Tools icon in the notification
area of the taskbar.
If the icon is not available, select Start > Settings > Control Panel, and
double‐click VMware Tools.
For a Linux, Solaris, or FreeBSD guest, open a terminal window, become root,
and run vmware-toolbox.
If you shrink disks as a nonroot user, you cannot wipe the parts of the virtual
disk that require root‐level permissions.
2 In the VMware Tools control panel, click the Shrink tab.
If the virtual machine does not allow shrinking, the Shrink tab shows the reason.
3 Select the virtual disks to shrink and click Prepare to Shrink.
If you deselect some partitions, the whole disk is still shrunk. However, those
partitions are not wiped for shrinking, and the shrink process does not reduce the
size of the virtual disk as much as it would with all partitions selected.
VMware Tools reclaims all unused portions of disk partitions (such as deleted files)
and prepares them for shrinking. During this phase, you can still interact with the
virtual machine.
When VMware Tools finishes wiping the selected disk partitions, a prompt to
shrink the disks appears.
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4 Click Yes.
Shrinking disks can take considerable time.
5 Click OK.
Using VMware Virtual Disk Manager

VMware Virtual Disk Manager is a utility that allows you to create, manage, and
modify virtual disk files from the command line or in scripts.
Unlike a physical disk, you can enlarge a virtual disk so that the maximum capacity is
larger than it was when you created it. This is useful if you need more disk space in a
given virtual machine, but do not want to add another virtual disk or if you use
ghosting software to transfer the data on a virtual disk to a larger virtual disk.
You can also change disk types. When you create a virtual machine, you specify how
disk space is allocated, as follows:
All space for the virtual disk is allocated in advance. This corresponds to the
preallocated disk type for Virtual Disk Manager.
Space allocated for the virtual disk grows as needed. This corresponds to the
growable disk type for Virtual Disk Manager.
If you allocate all the disk space for a virtual disk but later need to reclaim some hard
disk space on the host, you can convert the preallocated virtual disk into a growable
disk. The new virtual disk is still large enough to contain all the data in the original
virtual disk.
You can also change whether the virtual disk is stored in a single file or split into 2GB
files.
See the VMware technical note about using Virtual Disk Manager.
Moving Virtual Disks

A key advantage of virtual disks is their portability. Because the virtual disks are stored
as files in a datastore on a local or networked file system, you can move them easily to
a new location on the same computer or to a different computer. You can also create
virtual disks on a Windows host and move them to a Linux computer — or the reverse.
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Configuring CD/DVD Drives

You can use VI Web Access to configure virtual machines to use physical CD/DVD
drives and ISO images on the host system. You can use VMware Remote Console to
connect to CD/DVD drives and ISO images on your client system, as described in
This section describes how to add, edit, and remove CD/DVD drives on the host, and
how to configure drive settings.
CD/DVD Drive Type and Properties

This section describes the settings you can specify for a virtual CD/DVD drive. You can
configure the device adapter type and node. For a physical drive, you can choose to use
ATAPI emulation mode or access the drive directly.
You can use CD/DVD drives to read data DVD‐ROM discs. DVD video is not
supported.
Choosing a Device Type for the CD/DVD Drive

Like a virtual disk, a virtual CD/DVD drive is associated with a specific SCSI or IDE
device node. The type of device does not have to match the type of device on the host.
An IDE CD/DVD drive on the host can be configured as a SCSI virtual CD/DVD drive,
and a SCSI CD/DVD drive on the host can be configured as an IDE virtual CD/DVD
drive. However, if you want to do more than read data from the drive, such as burn
discs, match the bus types so that they are both IDE or SCSI.
You can configure up to four bootable virtual CD‐ROMs.
Using ATAPI Emulation for CD/DVD Drives

In some cases, the CD/DVD drive might not work correctly when the guest operating
system is communicating directly with the drive. If you encounter problems using your
CD/DVD drive, try editing the CD/DVD drive and selecting ATAPI emulation to work
around these problems. In emulation mode, you can only read from data discs.
If you run more than one virtual machine at a time, and if their CD/DVD drives are in
emulation mode, start the virtual machines with their CD/DVD drives disconnected.
This ensures that you do not have multiple virtual machines connected to the CD/DVD
drive at the same time.
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Accessing the CD/DVD Drive Directly

Select Access the drive directly to have the guest operating system communicate
directly with the CD/DVD drive. Direct communication with a CD/DVD drive enables
you to read multisession CDs, perform digital audio extraction, view video, and burn
discs.
Adding a CD/DVD Drive to a Virtual Machine

You can add one or more CD/DVD drives to your virtual machine. You can connect a
virtual drive to a physical drive or ISO image file on the host system.
To add a CD/DVD drive to a virtual machine
1 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click CD/DVD Drive.
2 Select an option under Host Media to connect to a drive or ISO image on the
VMware Server host.
Click Use a Physical Drive to connect the virtual machine’s drive to a physical
drive on the host system.
Click Use an ISO Image to connect the virtual machine’s drive to an ISO image
file on the host system.
3 Click Next.
4 Do one of the following on the Properties page:
If you selected Use a Physical Drive, specify the drive to use.
If you selected Use an ISO Image, click Browse to navigate to a file with the
.iso extension in an existing datastore. To enter the path manually, you must
use the format:
5 (Optional) To have the drive connect to the virtual machine when you power on,
select Connect at power on (the default).
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For more information, see “Choosing a Device Type for the CD/DVD Drive” on
page 150.
7 Click Next.
Editing a Virtual CD/DVD Drive

When you edit a CD/DVD drive, you can modify the connection status and which
physical drive or ISO image file to connect to. When the virtual machine is powered off,
you can also modify the virtual device node.
To edit an existing CD/DVD drive
2 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the CD/DVD drive to modify
and select Edit.
3 Select Host Media to configure a physical drive or ISO image file on the host
system.
If you want to use a CD/DVD drive on a client system, select Client Media. Using
VI Web Access, you can only change the device node for client devices, as
described in Step 6. Use VMware Remote Console to select and connect or
disconnect the client device. See “Connecting and Disconnecting Client Devices”
on page 132.
4 (Optional) In the Device Status section, select Connect at power on to have the
drive connect to the virtual machine when you power on.
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5 In the Connection section, select Physical Drive or ISO Image.
If you select Physical Drive, select the drive to use and select one of the
following:
ATAPI Emulation — Select if the guest operating system does not work
correctly when communicating directly with the CD/DVD drive. For
more information, see “Using ATAPI Emulation for CD/DVD Drives” on
page 150.
Access the drive directly — Select to have the guest operating system
communicate directly with the CD/DVD drive. For more information, see
“Accessing the CD/DVD Drive Directly” on page 151.
If you select ISO Image, click Browse to navigate to a file with the .iso
extension in an existing datastore. To enter the ISO path manually, you must
use the format:
For more information, see “Choosing a Device Type for the CD/DVD Drive” on
page 150.
Removing a CD/DVD Drive from a Virtual Machine

You can remove a CD/DVD drive from a virtual machine if you no longer want to use
that device in the virtual machine.
To remove an existing CD/DVD drive
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the CD/DVD drive to remove
and select Remove.
4 A dialog box asks you to confirm that you want to remove the device. If you want
to remove it, click Yes.
The device is removed.
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Configuring Floppy Drives

You can use VI Web Access to configure virtual machines to use physical floppy drives
and floppy images on the host system. You can use VMware Remote Console to connect
to floppy drives and floppy images on your client system, as described in “Connecting
and Disconnecting Client Devices” on page 132.
This section describes how to add, edit, and remove floppy drives on the host, and how
to configure drive settings.
Adding a Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine

You can connect a virtual floppy drive to a physical floppy drive or a floppy image file
on the host system.
You can add up to two floppy drives to your virtual machine. A virtual floppy drive can
connect to a physical floppy drive on the host system, an existing floppy image file, or
a new blank floppy image file.
To add a new virtual floppy drive to a virtual machine
1 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click Floppy Drive.
2 Select an option under Host Media to connect to a floppy drive or floppy image on
the VMware Server host.
Click Use a Physical Drive to connect the virtual floppy drive to a physical
drive on the host system.
Click Use a Floppy Image to connect the virtual floppy drive to a floppy
image file on the host system.
3 Click Next.
4 Do one of the following on the Properties page:
If you selected Use a Physical Drive, select the drive to use.
If you selected Use an existing floppy image or Create a blank floppy image,
click Browse to navigate to a file with the .flp extension in an existing
datastore. To enter the path manually, you must use the format:
[ datastore_name ] path_and_filename.flp
5 (Optional) To have the drive connect to the virtual machine when you power on,
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6 Click Next.
NOTE By default, only one floppy drive is enabled in the virtual machine’s BIOS. If you
are adding a second floppy drive to the virtual machine, configure the virtual machine
Machine Power Settings” on page 125. On the main screen, select Legacy Diskette B:
and use the plus (+) and minus (‐) keys on the numerical keypad to select the type of
floppy drive you want to use. Press F10 to save your changes and close the BIOS setup
utility.
Editing a Virtual Floppy Drive

When you edit a virtual floppy drive, you can modify the connection status and which
physical drive or floppy image file to connect to. When the virtual machine is powered
off, you can also change the virtual device node.
You can connect only one virtual floppy drive to each physical drive on the host system.
The physical device can be connected to only one virtual machine at a time.
To edit an existing floppy drive
2 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the floppy drive to modify and
select Edit.
3 Select Host Media to configure a physical drive or floppy image file on the host
system.
If you want to use a floppy drive on a client system, select Client Media. Use
4 (Optional) In the Device Status section, select Connect at power on to have the
drive connect to the virtual machine when you power on.
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5 In the Connection section, specify whether to connect to a physical drive or a
floppy image. Select Physical Drive, Floppy Image, or New Floppy Image.
If you select Physical Drive, select a physical drive on the host system from
the drop‐down menu.
If you select Floppy Image, click Browse to navigate to a file with the .flp
extension in an existing datastore. To enter the path manually, you must use
the format:
If you select New Floppy Image, click Browse to navigate to a new blank
floppy image file with the .flp extension in an existing datastore. To enter the
path manually, you must use the format:
Removing a Floppy Drive from a Virtual Machine

You can remove a floppy drive from a virtual machine if you no longer want to use that
device in the virtual machine.
To remove an existing floppy drive
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the floppy drive and select
Remove.
Configuring Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Devices

Passthrough SCSI devices in the guest operating system have direct access to SCSI
devices connected to the host, such as scanners, tape drives, and other data storage
devices. Using the generic SCSI driver, VMware Server allows a virtual machine to
access any SCSI device that is supported by the guest operating system.
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In theory, generic SCSI is completely device independent, but VMware has discovered
that it is sensitive to the guest operating system, device class, and specific SCSI
hardware. Try any SCSI hardware and report problems to VMware technical support.
You can add, edit, and remove generic SCSI devices.
Adding a Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device to a Virtual

Machine
Add a passthrough SCSI device to a virtual machine to map the SCSI virtual device to
a physical passthrough SCSI device on the host.
Before you begin, make sure that you have the following required permissions:
On Windows hosts, you must run VMware Server as a user with administrator
access.
On Linux hosts, you must be logged on as a user who has read and write
permissions to use the device.
To add a passthrough SCSI device to a virtual machine
1 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click Passthrough SCSI
Device.
2 Select a SCSI device to use.
A physical SCSI device must be attached to the device, and it must be connected to
the virtual machine.
3 (Optional) In the Virtual Device Node section, select a SCSI adapter and device
node from the drop‐down menus.
4 Click OK.
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Editing a Virtual Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device

When you edit a passthrough SCSI device, you can change the physical device. When
the virtual machine is powered off, you can also change the virtual device node.
To edit an existing generic SCSI device
2 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the SCSI device to modify and
select Edit.
3 (Optional) Under Connection, select the physical device to use.
4 (Optional) Under Virtual Device Node, select a SCSI device adapter and an
available node from the drop‐down menus.
Removing a Passthrough (Generic) SCSI Device from a Virtual

Machine
You can remove a generic SCSI device from a virtual machine if you no longer want to
use that device in the virtual machine.
To remove an SCSI device
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the SCSI device and select
Remove.
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Configuring SCSI Controllers

SCSI controllers are added and removed automatically as needed. VMware Server
supports up to four SCSI controllers.
You can edit the SCSI controller device type.
CAUTION Changing the device type before you install the corresponding driver in the
guest operating system might prevent the virtual machine from booting. See “Device
Type and Node Settings” on page 143.
To edit an existing SCSI controller
2 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the SCSI controller and select
Edit.
3 Click Modify device type to change the SCSI controller device type.
The choices are BusLogic or LSI Logic parallel interfaces. For hardware version 7
virtual machines, you can also select LSI SAS serial interface.
4 Click OK.
Configuring USB Controllers and Devices

This section describes how to add and remove a USB controller, and how to configure
USB devices for virtual machines.
Adding a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine

You can add only one controller per virtual machine, but the controller supports
multiple USB devices.
To add a USB controller to a virtual machine

1 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click USB Controller.
The Ready to Complete page displays the hardware setting.
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When the virtual machine is powered on, a USB controller menu appears in the toolbar.
Use it to connect to USB devices, as described in “Connecting USB Devices” on
page 160.
Removing a USB Controller from a Virtual Machine

You can remove the USB controller from a virtual machine if you no longer want to use
USB devices in the virtual machine.
To remove the USB controller
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the USB controller and select
Remove.
4 A dialog box asks you to confirm that you want to remove the controller. If you
want to remove it, click Yes.
The USB controller is removed.
Connecting USB Devices

Before you can use USB devices in a virtual machine, you must add a USB controller.
See “Adding a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine” on page 159.
When you physically plug a new USB device into the host system, the device is initially
connected to the host. The device name is also added to the Plugged into Host list in
the USB controller toolbar menu so that you can connect it to the virtual machine, as
described in this section.
If the physical USB device is connected to the host system through a hub, the virtual
machine sees only the USB device, not the hub.
To connect a USB device to a virtual machine
2 From the USB controller menu in the toolbar, select the device you want to connect
to in the Plugged into Host list.
When the USB device is connected to the virtual machine, it appears as selected in the
toolbar menu.
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To release a connected USB device
2 From the USB controller menu in the toolbar, deselect the device you want to
disconnect.
The USB device returns to the deselected state in the toolbar menu.
Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine

VMware Server provides a two‐port USB controller so that you can connect to both USB
1.1 and USB 2.0 devices.
USB 2.0 support is available only for VMware products that support virtual machine
hardware version 6 or 7, such as VMware Server 2 and Workstation 6. Your host
machine must also support USB 2.0.
On the host system, when a USB 2.0 device connects to a port, the device connects to
the EHCI controller and operates in USB 2.0 mode. A USB 1.1 device is automatically
connected to a UHCI controller and operates in USB 1.1 mode. This enables you to
connect to high‐speed or isochronous USB devices such as webcams, speakers, and
microphones.
Although your host operating system must support USB, you do not need to install
device‐specific drivers for your USB devices in the host operating system to use those
devices only in the virtual machine.
NOTE Windows NT and Linux kernels older than 2.2.17 do not support USB.
On Windows XP guests, be sure to install the latest service pack if you want to use USB
2.0. If you use Windows XP with no service packs, the driver for the EHCI controller
cannot be loaded.
VMware has tested a variety of USB devices with this release. With the appropriate
guest operating system drivers, you can use PDAs, printers, storage (disk) devices,
scanners, MP3 players, digital cameras, and memory card readers.
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Using USB with a Windows Host

When a particular USB device is connected to a virtual machine for the first time, the
host detects it as a new device named VMware USB Device and installs the appropriate
VMware driver.
On some Windows host systems, confirmation is required in the Found New Hardware
wizard. Select the default action, Install the software automatically. After the software
is installed, the guest operating system detects the USB device and searches for a
suitable driver.
When you are synchronizing a PDA to a virtual machine for the first time, the total time
required to load the VMware USB device driver in the host and the PDA driver in the
guest might exceed the device’s connection timeout value. This causes the device to
disconnect itself from the computer before the guest can synchronize with it. If this
occurs, let the guest finish installing the PDA driver, dismiss any connection error
warnings, and try synchronizing the PDA again. The second attempt usually succeeds.
Replacing USB 2.0 Drivers on a Windows 2000 Host

To use VMware Server on a Windows 2000 host that has USB 2.0 ports, you must use
the Microsoft USB 2.0 drivers for the USB controller in the host operating system. If
your host operating system is using a third‐party driver — a driver supplied by your
motherboard vendor, for example — you must replace it.
To check the provider of your driver
1 Open the Device Manager, as follows:
a Right‐click My Computer and select Properties.
b Click the Hardware tab and click Device Manager.
2 Expand the listing for Universal Serial Bus controllers.
3 Right‐click the listing for the controller and select Properties.
4 Click the Driver tab.
If the driver provider shown on that page is Microsoft, you have the correct driver
already.
If the driver provider is not Microsoft, download the latest USB driver for your host
operating system from the Microsoft Web site and follow the Microsoft instructions to
install it. Details are available in Microsoft knowledge base article 319973.
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Using USB with a Linux Host

On Linux hosts, VMware Server uses the USB device file system to connect to USB
devices. In Linux systems that support USB, the USB device file system is usually
/proc/bus/usb.
If your host operating system uses a different path to the USB device file system, run
the following command as root to mount the file system to the expected location:
mount -t usbfs none /proc/bus/usb
Do not attempt to add a USB drive’s device node (for example, /dev/sda) directory to
the virtual machine as a hard disk.
How Device Control Is Shared Between Host and Guest

Only the host or the guest can have control of a USB device at any one time. Device
control operates differently, depending on whether the host is a Linux or a Windows
computer.
Device Control on a Windows Host

When you connect a device to a virtual machine, it is “unplugged” from the host or
from the virtual machine that previously had control of the device. When you
disconnect a device from a virtual machine, it is “plugged in” to the host.
CAUTION On Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 hosts, you need to take a
special step to disconnect USB network and storage devices from the host before
connecting them to a virtual machine. Use the appropriate system tray icon to
disconnect the device from the host. On Windows 2000, the icon is called Eject
Hardware, and on Windows Server 2003, it is called Safely Remove Hardware.
On Windows hosts, when you connect a USB network or storage device to a virtual
machine, you might see a message on your host that says the device can be removed
safely. This is normal behavior, and you can dismiss the dialog box. However, do not
remove the device from your physical computer.
Under some circumstances, if a USB storage device is in use on the host (for example,
one or more files stored on the device are open on the host), an error appears in the
virtual machine when you try to connect to the device. You must let the host complete
its operation or close any application connected to the device on the host, and then
connect to the device in the virtual machine again.
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Device Control on a Linux Host

On Linux hosts, guest operating systems can use devices that are not already in use by
the host (devices that are not claimed by a host operating system driver).
If your device is in use by the host, you can unload the device driver manually as root
(su -) by using the rmmod command. Or, if the driver was automatically loaded by
hotplug, you can disable it in the hotplug configuration files in the /etc/hotplug
directory. See your Linux distribution’s documentation for details on editing these
configuration files.
Sometimes devices that rely on automatic connection (as PDAs often do) experience
connection problems. If you have successfully used autoconnection to connect the
device to your virtual machine but later experience problems with the connection to the
device, try the following procedure.
To correct autoconnection problems
1 Disconnect and reconnect the device by unplugging it physically and plugging it
back in.
2 If you see a dialog box warning that the device is in use, disable it in the hotplug
configuration files in the /etc/hotplug directory.
Disconnecting USB Devices from a Virtual Machine

Before unplugging a USB device, be sure it is in a safe state.
Follow the procedures that the device manufacturer specifies for unplugging the device
from a physical computer. This is required whether you are physically unplugging it,
moving it from host to virtual machine, moving it between virtual machines, or moving
it from virtual machine to host. This is especially important with data storage devices
(such as a Zip drive). If you move a data storage device too soon after saving a file, and
the operating system has not actually written the data to the disk, you can lose data.
Configuring Sound
VMware Server provides a sound device compatible with the Creative Labs Sound
Blaster AudioPCI adapter and supports sound in a variety of Windows and Linux guest
operating systems.
Sound support includes PCM (pulse code modulation) output and input. For example,
you can play .wav files, MP3 audio, and Real Media audio. MIDI output from Windows
guests is supported through the Windows software synthesizer. MIDI input is not
supported, and no MIDI support is available for Linux guests.
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Windows 2000, Windows XP, and most recent Linux distributions automatically detect
the sound device and install appropriate drivers for it.
When you install VMware Tools in a 64‐bit Windows Vista guest operating system, a
sound driver is installed. For 32‐bit Windows Vista guests and Windows 2003 Server
guests, use Windows Update to install a 32‐bit driver. Windows 95, Windows 98,
Windows 98SE, and Windows NT 4.0 do not have drivers for the Sound Blaster
AudioPCI adapter. To use sound in these guest operating systems, download the driver
from the Creative Labs Web site (www.creative.com) and install it in the guest
operating system. Creative Labs has a number of Web sites serving various regions of
the world. The adapter name varies, depending on the region, but usually includes
PCI 128.
Adding a Sound Adapter to a Virtual Machine

You can add only one sound adapter per virtual machine.
To add a sound adapter to the virtual machine
1 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click Sound Adapter.
2 On the Properties page, select the physical sound adapter on the host machine, or
select Auto Detect (the default) to detect the sound adapter automatically.
3 (Optional) To connect this virtual machine to the sound adapter when the virtual
machine is powered on, select Connect at power on (the default).
4 Click Next.
Editing a Virtual Sound Adapter

You can edit the sound adapter to change the connection type and whether it is
connected at power on.
To edit an existing sound adapter
2 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the sound adapter to modify
and select Edit.
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3 (Optional) To connect this virtual machine to the sound adapter when the virtual
machine is powered on, select Connect at power on.
4 Select the physical sound adapter on the host machine, or select Auto Detect to
detect the sound adapter automatically.
Removing a Sound Adapter from a Virtual Machine

You can remove the sound adapter from a virtual machine if you no longer want to use
the host system’s sound device.
To remove an existing sound adapter
3 On the Summary tab, click the sound adapter and select Remove.
Configuring Serial Ports

You can configure a serial port in a virtual machine to use a physical serial port on the
host system. A virtual serial port enables you to use an external modem or a handheld
device in your virtual machine. You can also configure a virtual serial port to send its
output to a file on the host system. The output file enables you to capture the data from
an application running in the virtual machine or to quickly transfer a file from the guest
system to the host system.
Adding a Serial Port to a Virtual Machine

This section describes how to configure a virtual serial port in a virtual machine to use
any of the following:
A physical serial port on the host system
An output file on the host system
A named pipe
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To add a physical serial port to the virtual machine
1 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click Serial Port.
2 Click Use Physical Serial Port to connect to a physical port on the host machine.
3 On the Properties page, select a physical port from the drop‐down menu.
4 (Optional) To connect to the host’s serial port when the virtual machine is powered
on, select Connect at power on (the default).
5 (Optional) Expand I/O Mode to select Yield CPU on poll, which is deselected by
default.
The kernel in the target virtual machine uses the virtual serial port in polled mode,
not interrupt mode. For more information, see “Yielding CPU on Poll to Improve
Performance When Debugging” on page 176.
6 Click Next.
To add an output file serial port to the virtual machine
2 Click Use Output File to send the output of an application running in the guest
system to a file on the host system.
3 On the Properties page, enter the path and filename for the output file or click
Browse to navigate to a file in an existing datastore. To enter the path manually,
you must use the format: [ datastore_name ] path_and_filename
4 (Optional) To connect to the host’s output file when the virtual machine is powered
default.
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6 Click Next.
To add a named pipe serial port to the virtual machine

2 Click Use Named Pipe to connect this virtual machine to an application or another
virtual machine running on the host machine.
3 On the Properties page, enter the path and filename for the pipe. Depending on the
host system, enter one of the following:
On Windows hosts: The pipe name must be in the format
\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>. The name must begin with \\.\pipe\.
On Linux hosts: The pipe name must be /tmp/<socket> or another UNIX
socket name of your choice.
4 For Near End, select whether the application running in the guest operating
system will function as a server or a client.
Select Is a server to start this end of the connection first.
Select Is a client to start the far end of the connection first.
5 For Far End, specify where the application that the virtual machine will connect to
is located.
Select Is a virtual machine if the application that the virtual machine will
connect to is located on another virtual machine on the host system.
Select Is an application if the application that the virtual machine will connect
to is running directly on the host system.
6 (Optional) To connect to the named pipe when the virtual machine is powered on,
default.
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8 Click Next.
Editing a Virtual Serial Port

You can edit an existing virtual serial port to change its configuration settings.
To edit an existing serial port
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the serial port to modify.
4 (Optional) To connect to the serial port when the virtual machine is powered on,
select Connect at power on.
5 Select the connection type and configure it as follows:
Physical — Select the host serial port from the drop‐down menu.
File — Enter the path and filename for the output file or click Browse to
navigate to a file in an existing datastore. To enter the path manually, you must
use the format: [ datastore_name ] path_and_filename
Named Pipe — Enter the path and filename for the pipe.
Under Near End, specify whether the application running in the guest
operating system will function as a server or a client.
Select Is a server to start this end of the connection first.
Select Is a client to start the far end of the connection first.
Under Far End, specify where the application that the virtual machine will
connect to is located.
Select Is a virtual machine if the application that the virtual machine will
connect to is located on another virtual machine on the host.
Select Is an application if the application that the virtual machine will
connect to is running directly on the host machine.
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6 (Optional) Select Yield CPU on poll.
Removing a Serial Port from a Virtual Machine

You can remove a serial port from a virtual machine if you no longer want to use it.
To remove an existing serial port
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the serial port and select
Remove.
Serial Port General Usage Examples

A VMware Server virtual machine can use up to four virtual serial ports. You can
configure virtual serial ports in the following ways:
Connect a virtual serial port to a physical serial port on the host system
Connect a virtual serial port to a file on the host system
Connect a virtual machine with an application running on the host system
Connect two virtual machines on the same host system
This section provides specific examples of the latter two configurations.
Connecting a Virtual Machine with an Application on the Host System

You can configure a virtual serial port to connect to an application on the host system.
For example, you can capture debugging information sent from the virtual machine’s
serial port to an application on the host.
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To connect a virtual serial port and an application on the host
2 Click Use Named Pipe.
4 For the Near End, select Is a server or Is a client.
Select Is a server if you plan to start this end of the connection first.
5 For the Far End, select Is an application.
default.
8 Click Next.
10 On your host system, configure the application that communicates with the virtual
machine to use the same pipe name (for a Windows host) or the UNIX socket name
(for a Linux host).
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Connecting Two Virtual Machines

You can set up the virtual serial ports in two virtual machines to connect to each other.
For example, an application in one virtual machine (the client) can capture debugging
information sent from the other (the server) virtual machine’s serial port.
The following procedures describe how to set up the server and the client to connect to
each other using virtual serial ports.
To set up the server side of the connection
4 Select This end is the server.
5 Select The other end is a virtual machine.
default.
8 Click Next.
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To set up the client side of the connection
4 Select This end is the client.
5 Select The other end is a virtual machine.
default.
8 Click Next.
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Serial Port Debugging Usage Examples

You can use Debugging Tools for Windows (WinDbg) or the command line Kernel
Debugger (KD) to debug kernel code in a virtual machine over a virtual serial port. You
can download Debugging Tools for Windows from the Windows DDK Web site at
http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/devtools/debugging/default.mspx.
The following examples illustrate how to use a virtual serial port to debug kernel code:
With the debugging application on the VMware Server host (Windows host only)
With the debugging application in another virtual machine on the same
VMware Server host (Linux or Windows)
Either of these methods enables you to debug kernel code on a single system, instead
of requiring two physical computers, a modem, or a serial cable.
Debugging an Application in a Virtual Machine from the Windows or

Linux Host
In this example, you have kernel code to debug in a virtual machine (called the target
virtual machine) and are running WinDbg or KD on your Windows host.
To prepare the target virtual machine
Follow the steps in “Connecting a Virtual Machine with an Application on the Host
System” on page 170, and configure the virtual machine’s virtual serial port as follows:
For the Near End, select Is a server.
Select Yield CPU on poll. The kernel in the target virtual machine uses the virtual
serial port in polled mode, not interrupt mode.
To prepare the host
Before you begin, make sure that you have a version of Debugging Tools for Windows
that supports debugging over a pipe. You must have version 4.0.18.0 or higher.
To debug an application using WinDbg or KD
2 Edit the serial port.
3 Make sure that the serial port is connected.
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4 Confirm the path and filename for the pipe. Depending on the host system, enter
one of the following:
5 At the command prompt on the host system, do one of the following:
If you are using WinDbg, enter the following:
windbg -k com:port=\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>,pipe
If you are using KD, enter the following:
kd -k com:port=\\.\pipe\<namedpipe>,pipe
6 Press Enter to start debugging.
Debugging an Application in a Virtual Machine from Another Virtual

Machine
In this example, you have kernel code to debug in a virtual machine (the target virtual
machine) and are running Debugging Tools for Windows (WinDbg) or Kernel Debugger
(KD) in another virtual machine (the debugger virtual machine) on the same host.
This setup is useful if you are running VMware Server on a Linux host. The debugger
virtual machine must be running Debugging Tools for Windows (WinDbg) or Kernel
Debugger (KD) in a Windows guest operating system.
To prepare the target virtual machine
1 Follow the steps for the server virtual machine in “Connecting Two Virtual
Machines” on page 172.
2 When you configure the target virtual machine’s virtual serial port, you must select
Yield CPU on poll. The kernel in the target virtual machine uses the virtual serial
port in polled mode, not interrupt mode.
To prepare the debugger virtual machine
1 Make sure that you have downloaded Debugging Tools for Windows.
2 Follow the steps for the client virtual machine in “Connecting Two Virtual
Machines” on page 172.
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When you are ready to continue, complete the following steps:
1 Power on both virtual machines.
2 Make sure that the serial port is connected.
3 In the debugger virtual machine, start debugging with WinDbg or KD.
Advanced Options for Debugging Applications

Certain configuration options are available for serial connections between a virtual
machine and the host or between two virtual machines. These options are primarily of
interest to developers who are using debugging tools that communicate over a serial
connection.
Yielding CPU on Poll to Improve Performance When Debugging

When you select Yield CPU on Poll, you force the affected virtual machine to yield
processor time if the only task it is trying to perform is to poll the virtual serial port.
This option is useful when the serial port is being used by the guest operating system
in polled mode as opposed to interrupt mode. Polled mode causes the virtual machine
to consume a disproportionate share of CPU time, which can cause the host and other
guests to run sluggishly.
Changing the Input Speed of the Serial Connection

This option increases the speed of your serial connection over a pipe to the virtual
machine. In principle, there is no limit on the output speed, which is the speed at which
the virtual machine sends data through the virtual serial port. In practice, the output
speed depends on how fast the application at the other end of the pipe reads data being
sent to it.
To change the input speed of the serial connection
1 Use the guest operating system to configure the serial port for the highest setting
supported by the application you are running in the virtual machine.
3 Add the serial<n>.pipe.charTimePercent parameter to your virtual
machine’s configuration (.vmx) file as described in “Changing Virtual Machine
Advanced Settings” on page 127, and set it to a positive integer value, as follows:
n is the number of the serial port, starting from 0. So the first serial port is
serial0.
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The value is a positive integer that specifies the time taken to transmit a
character, expressed as a percentage of the default speed set for the serial port
in the guest operating system. For example, a setting of 200 forces the port to
take twice as long per character, or send data at half the default speed. A
setting of 50 forces the port to take half as long per character, or send data at
twice the default speed.
To set the serial port speed appropriately in the guest operating system,
experiment with this setting. Start with a value of 100 and gradually decrease
it until you find the highest speed at which your connection works reliably.
Configuring Parallel Ports

Parallel ports are used by a variety of devices, including printers, scanners, dongles,
and disk drives.
A virtual parallel port can connect to a parallel port or a file on the host system.
Adding a Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine

You can add a virtual parallel port that connects to a physical parallel port or an output
file.
To add a physical parallel port to the virtual machine
1 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click Parallel Port.
2 Click Use a physical parallel port to connect to a physical port on the host
machine.
3 On the Properties page, select a physical port from the drop‐down menu.
5 Click Next.
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To add an output file parallel port to the virtual machine
2 From the Add Hardware or New Virtual Machine wizard, click Parallel Port.
3 Click Output file.
4 On the Properties page, type the path and filename for the output file or click
Browse to navigate to a file in an existing datastore. To enter the path manually,
you must use the format: [ datastore_name ] path_and_filename
6 Click Next.
Editing a Virtual Parallel Port

You can edit a virtual parallel port to change its configuration settings.
To edit an existing parallel port
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the parallel port to modify.
4 To connect to the parallel port when the virtual machine is powered on, select
Connect at power on.
5 Select the connection type and configure it as follows:
Physical — Select the host parallel port from the drop‐down menu.
File — Enter the path and filename for the output file or click Browse to
navigate to a file in an existing datastore. To enter the path manually, you must
use the format: [ datastore_name ] path_and_filename
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Removing a Parallel Port from a Virtual Machine

You can remove a virtual parallel port from a virtual machine if you no longer want to
use it.
To remove an existing parallel port
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the parallel port to remove and
select Remove.
Using Parallel Ports

Parallel ports are used by a variety of devices, including printers, scanners, dongles,
and disk drives.
Currently, VMware Server provides only partial emulation of PS/2 hardware.
Interrupts requested by a device connected to the physical port are not passed to the
virtual machine. Also, the guest operating system cannot use DMA (direct memory
access) to move data to or from the port. For this reason, not all devices that attach to
the parallel port are guaranteed to work correctly.
You can attach up to three parallel ports to a virtual machine. The virtual parallel port
can connect to a parallel port or a file on the host operating system.
Configuring a Parallel Port on a Windows Host

If a virtual machine is configured with a parallel port, most guest operating systems
detect it at installation time and install the required drivers. Some operating systems,
including Windows NT, and Windows 2000, automatically detect the ports at boot time.
Others, like Windows 95 and Windows 98, do not.
In a Windows 95 or Windows 98 guest, after you add the port, run the guest operating
system’s Add New Hardware wizard (Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add New
Hardware) so Windows can detect the new device.
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Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host

For the parallel port to work properly in a guest operating system, it must first be
configured properly on the host system. This section discusses issues with parallel port
functionality that are a result of the incorrect configuration of the following host
settings:
Linux kernel version
Device access permissions
Required modules
Parallel Ports and Linux 2.2.x Kernels

The 2.2.x kernels that support parallel ports use the parport, parport_pc, and
vmppuser modules. Make sure that PC Style Hardware (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) is
loaded as a module. On Linux hosts, VMware Server requires that the parallel port
“PC‐style hardware” option (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) be built and loaded as a kernel
module (set to m). VMware Server cannot use parallel port devices if
CONFIG_PARPORT_PC is built directly (compiled) into the kernel. This limitation
exists because CONFIG_PARPORT_PC does not correctly export its symbols.
The vmppuser module is supplied by VMware Server to allow virtual machines
user‐level access to the parallel port.
To check the module configuration
1 Determine whether the parport, parport_pc, and vmppuser modules are
installed and running on your system by running the lsmod command as the root
user.
All three modules must be included in the listing of running modules. You can also
look at the /proc/modules file for the same list.
2 To load the proper modules, run this command:
insmod <modulename>
3 If none of the listed parallel port modules is loaded, enter this command:
insmod parport_pc
This command inserts the three modules needed for a parallel port.
If you continue to have problems, it is possible that the lp module is running. If it
is, the virtual machine cannot use the parallel port correctly.
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4 If the lp module is loaded, run the following command as the root user to remove
it:
rmmod lp
5 Verify that the line referring to the lp module in the /etc/modules.conf or
/etc/conf.modules file is removed or commented out by inserting a hash
character (#) at the beginning of the line. The name of the configuration file
depends on the Linux distribution you are using.
When you reboot the host after removing this line, the configuration file no longer
starts the lp module.
6 To ensure that the proper modules for the parallel port are loaded at boot time, add
the following line to the /etc/modules.conf or /etc/conf.modules file:
alias parport_lowlevel parport_pc

Make sure that PC Style Hardware (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) is loaded as a module
(set to m). If you are using a 2.4.x kernel, the modules that provide parallel port
functionality are parport, parport_pc, and ppdev.
Also make sure that you enable support for user‐space parallel device drivers
(CONFIG_PPDEV).
To check the module configuration
1 Determine whether the parport, parport_pc, and ppdev modules are installed
and loaded on your system by running the lsmod command as the root user.
All three modules must be included in the listing of loaded modules. You can also
look at the /proc/modules file for the same list.
2 To load the proper modules, run this command:
insmod <modulename>
3 If none of the listed parallel port modules is loaded, use this command:
insmod parport_pc
This command inserts the parport and parport_pcmodules needed for a

parallel port.
4 Use this command to load the ppdev module:
insmod ppdev
If you continue to have problems, it is possible that the lp module is loaded. If it
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5 If the lp module is loaded, run this command as the root user to remove it:
rmmod lp
this line to the /etc/modules.conf or /etc/conf.modules file:
Linux kernels in the 2.4.x series also use a special arbitrator that allows access to the
parallel port hardware. If the parallel port is in use by the host, the guest cannot use it.
If a virtual machine is using the parallel port, the host and any users accessing the host
are not given access to the device. VMware Server puts a lock on the device, and this
lock restricts access so that only the virtual machine can use the port.

Make sure that PC Style Hardware (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) is loaded as a module
(set to m). If you are using a 2.6.x kernel, the modules that provide parallel port
functionality are modprobe <modulename> and modprobe parport_pc.
To check the configuration
1 Determine whether the modprobe <modulename> and modprobe parport_pc

modules are installed and loaded on your system by running the lsmod command
as the root user. You can also look at the /proc/modules file for the same list.
In 2.6.x kernels, loading parport_pc does not load all modules.
2 If none of the listed parallel port modules is loaded, use this command:
modprobe parport_pc && modprobe ppdev
This command inserts the modules needed for a parallel port.
If you continue to have problems, it is possible that the lp module is loaded. If it
3 If the lp module is loaded, run this command as the root user to remove it:
rmmod lp
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this line to the /etc/modules.conf or /etc/conf.modules file:
Linux kernels in the 2.6.x series also use a special arbitrator that allows access to the
parallel port hardware. If the parallel port is in use by the host, the guest cannot use it.
If a virtual machine is using the parallel port, the host and any users accessing the host
are not given access to the device. VMware Server puts a lock on the device, and this
lock restricts access so that only the virtual machine can use the port.
Device Permissions
Some Linux distributions do not grant the virtual machine access to the lp and
parport devices by default. In most of these cases, the owner of the device is root and
the associated group is lp. To allow the VMware user to access the device, add the user
to the associated group. To view the owner and group of the device, run this command:
ls –la /dev/parport0
The third and fourth columns of the output show the owner and group, respectively.
To add the user to the device group, edit the /etc/group file. On the line beginning
with lp, which defines the lp group, add the VMware Server user’s user name. You
must make this change as the root user. The following line provides an example for a
user whose user name is userj.
lp::7:daemon,lp,userj
The next time the user logs on to the host, the changes take effect.
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Notes for Using the Iomega Zip Drive

On Windows 95 or Windows 98 guest operating systems, using older drivers for the
Iomega Zip drive might cause the guest to lock up intermittently at boot time or during
installation of the guest operating system. The newest Iomega drivers work reliably in
VMware tests. They are available from the Iomega Web site.
Keyboard Mapping on Linux Hosts

This section addresses the following issues and provides additional details on
keyboard mapping in Linux:
Some language‐specific keyboards do not appear to be supported by
VMware Server.
Some of the keys on the keyboard don’t work correctly in the virtual machine.
The keyboard works fine when you run a virtual machine locally, but not when
you run the same virtual machine with a remote X server.
If your keyboard works correctly with a local X server, and you want the same behavior
with a remote X server (which is also an XFree86 server running on a PC), power off the
virtual machine and close the VMware Server window. Add the following setting to the
virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file or to ~/.vmware/config:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = "TRUE"
Make this change on the host machine, where you run the virtual machine, not on the
machine with the remote X server.
If you are using an XFree86‐based server that VMware Server does not recognize as an
XFree86 server, use this setting instead:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = "TRUE"
If you are using an XFree86 server running locally, and the keyboard does not work
correctly, report the problem to VMware technical support.
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X Key Codes Compared to Keysyms

Pressing a key on the PC keyboard generates a scan code based roughly on the position
of the key. For example, the Z key on a German keyboard generates the same code as
the Y key on an English keyboard, because they are in the same position on the
keyboard. Most keys have one‐byte scan codes, but some keys have two‐byte scan
codes with prefix 0xe0.
Internally, VMware Server uses a simplified version of the PC scan code that is a single
nine‐bit numeric value, called a v‐scan code. A v‐scan code is written as a three‐digit
hexadecimal number. The first digit is 0 or 1. For example, the left‐hand Ctrl key has a
one‐byte scan code (0x1d); its v‐scan code is 0x01d. The right‐hand Ctrl key scan code
is two bytes (0xe0, 0x1d); its v‐scan code is 0x11d.
An X server uses a two‐level encoding of keys. An X key code is a one‐byte value. The
assignment of key codes to keys depends on the X server implementation and the
physical keyboard. As a result, an X application cannot use key codes directly. Instead,
the key codes are mapped into keysyms that have names like space, escape, x, and 2.
The mapping can be controlled by an X application using the
XChangeKeyboardMapping function or the xmodmap program. You can use xev to view
the key codes and keysyms for keys typed into its window.
A key code corresponds roughly to a physical key, while a keysym corresponds to the
symbol on the key top. For example, with an XFree86 server running on a PC, the Z key
on the German keyboard has the same key code as the Y key on an English keyboard.
The German Z keysym, however, is the same as the English Z keysym, and different
from the English Y keysym.
For an XFree86 server on a PC, there is a one‐to‐one mapping from X key codes to PC
scan codes (or v‐scan codes, which is what VMware Server really uses). VMware Server
takes advantage of this fact. When it is using an XFree86 server on the local host, it uses
the built‐in mapping from X key codes to v‐scan codes. This mapping is keyboard
independent and is correct for most, if not all, languages. When you are not using an
XFree86 server or a local server, VMware Server must map keysyms to v‐scan codes by
using a set of keyboard‐specific tables.
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Configuring How Key Codes Are Mapped

Key code mapping is simple, automatic, and foolproof. (Keysym mapping is more
complex and is described later.) However, because the program cannot tell whether a
remote server is running on a PC or on some other kind of computer, it uses key code
mapping only with local X servers. This approach might have undesirable effects. This
and other behavior related to key code mapping can be controlled by powering off the
virtual machine, closing the VMware Server window, and using a text editor to add
configuration settings to the virtual machine’s configuration (.vmx) file. You might
want to use some of the following configuration settings:
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = "TRUE"
Use key code mapping if you are using an XFree86 server, even if it is remote.
xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = "TRUE"
Always use key code mapping regardless of server type.
xkeymap.nokeycodeMap = "TRUE"
Never use key code mapping.
xkeymap.keycode.<code> = "<v-scan code>"
If you are using key code mapping, map key code <code> to <v-scan code>. In
this example, <code> must be a decimal number and <v-scan code> is a C‐syntax
hexadecimal number (for example, 0x001).
The easiest way to find the X key code for a key is to run xev or xmodmap -pk. Most of
the v‐scan codes are covered in “V‐Scan Code Table” on page 188. The keysym
mapping tables described in this section are also helpful.
Use this feature to make small modifications to the mapping. For example, to swap left
Ctrl and Caps Lock, use the following settings:
xkeymap.keycode.64 = "0x01d # X Caps_Lock -> VM left ctrl"
xkeymap.keycode.37 = "0x03a # X Control_L -> VM caps lock"
These configuration lines can be added to your personal VMware Server configuration
(~/.vmware/config), or even to the host‐wide (/etc/vmware/config) or
installation‐wide (usually /usr/lib/vmware/config) configuration.
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Configuring How Keysyms Are Mapped

When key code mapping cannot be used (or is disabled), VMware Server maps
keysyms to v‐scan codes. It does this using one of the tables in the xkeymap directory
in the VMware Server installation (usually /usr//lib/vmware).
Which table you use depends on the keyboard layout. The normal distribution includes
tables for PC keyboards for the United States and a number of European countries and
languages. And for most of these, there are both the 101‐key (or 102‐key) and the
104‐key (or 105‐key) variants.
VMware Server automatically determines which table to use by examining the current
X keymap. However, its mapping might not be correct. In addition, each mapping is
fixed and might not be completely correct for a given keyboard and X key
code‐to‐keysym mapping. For example, a user might have swapped Ctrl and Caps
Lock using xmodmap. This means the keys are swapped in the virtual machine when
using a remote server (keysym mapping), but are not swapped when using a local
server (key code mapping).
Therefore, keysym mapping is necessarily inexact. To make up for this, you can control
most of the behavior using configuration settings:
xkeymap.language = "<keyboard-type>"
Use this setting if VMware Server has a table in xkeymap for your keyboard but
cannot detect it. <keyboard-type> must be one of the tables in the xkeymap
directory. (See above for location.) However, the failure to detect the keyboard
probably means that the table is not completely correct for you.
xkeymap.keysym.<sym> = "<v-scan code>"
If you use keysym mapping, map keysym <sym> to <v-scan code>. When you do,
<sym> must be an X keysym name and <v-scan code> is a C‐syntax hexadecimal
number (for example, 0x001).
The easiest way to find the keysym name for a key is to run xev or xmodmap -pk.
The X header file /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h has a complete list of
keysyms. (The name of a keysym is the same as its C constant without the XK_
prefix.) Most v‐scan codes are in “V‐Scan Code Table” on page 188.
The xkeymap tables themselves are also helpful. Use them to fix small errors in an
existing mapping.
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xkeymap.fileName = "<file-path>"
Use the keysym mapping table in <file-path>. A table is a sequence of
configuration lines using the following format:
<sym> = "<v-scan code>"
where <sym> is an X keysym name, and <v-scan code> is a C‐syntax hexadecimal
number (for example, 0x001). (See the explanation of xkeymap.keysym above for
tips on finding the keysyms and v‐scan codes for your keyboard.)
Compiling a complete keysym mapping is difficult. It is best to start with an
existing table and make small changes.
V-Scan Code Table

Table 8‐1 shows the v‐scan codes for the 104‐key U.S. keyboard.
Table 8-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard

Symbol Shifted Symbol Location V-Scan Code
Esc 0x001
1 ! 0x002
2 @ 0x003
3 # 0x004
4 $ 0x005
5 % 0x006
6 ^ 0x007
7 & 0x008
8 * 0x009
9 ( 0x00a
0 ) 0x00b
‐ _ 0x00c
= + 0x00d
Backspace 0x00e
Tab 0x00f
Q 0x010
W 0x011
E 0x012
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Table 8-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard (Continued)
R 0x013
T 0x014
Y 0x015
U 0x016
I 0x017
O 0x018
P 0x019
[ { 0x01a
] } 0x01b
Enter 0x01c
Ctrl left 0x01d
A 0x01e
S 0x01f
D 0x020
F 0x021
G 0x022
H 0x023
J 0x024
K 0x025
L 0x026
; 0x027
ʹ 0x028
` 0x029
Shift left 0x02a
\ | 0x02b
Z 0x02c
X 0x02d
C 0x02e
V 0x02f
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B 0x030
N 0x031
M 0x032
, < 0x033
. > 0x034
/ ? 0x035
Shift right 0x036

* numeric pad 0x037
Alt left 0x038
Space bar 0x039
Caps Lock 0x03a
F1 0x03b
F2 0x03c
F3 0x03d
F4 0x03e
F5 0x03f
F6 0x040
F7 0x041
F8 0x042
F9 0x043
F10 0x044
Num Lock numeric pad 0x045
Scroll Lock 0x046
Home 7 numeric pad 0x047
Up arrow 8 numeric pad 0x048
PgUp 9 numeric pad 0x049

‐ numeric pad 0x04a
Left arrow 4 numeric pad 0x04b
5 numeric pad 0x04c
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Right arrow 6 numeric pad 0x04d

+ numeric pad 0x04e
End 1 numeric pad 0x04f
Down arrow 2 numeric pad 0x050

PgDn 3 numeric pad 0x051
Ins 0 numeric pad 0x052
Del numeric pad 0x053

F11 0x057
F12 0x058
Break Pause 0x100
Enter numeric pad 0x11c
Ctrl right 0x11d
/ numeric pad 0x135
SysRq Print Scrn 0x137

Alt right 0x138
Home function pad 0x147
Up arrow function pad 0x148

Page Up function pad 0x149
Left arrow function pad 0x14b
Right arrow function pad 0x14d

End function pad 0x14f
Down arrow function pad 0x150
Page Down function pad 0x151
Insert function pad 0x152
Delete function pad 0x153
Windows left 0x15b

Windows right 0x15c
Menu 0x15d
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The 84‐key keyboard has a Sys Req key on the numeric pad. Its v‐scan code is 0x054.
Keyboards outside the U.S. usually have an extra key (often < > or < > | ) next to the left
shift key. The v‐scan code for this key is 0x056.
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9
Preserving the State of a

Virtual Machine 9
Suspending a virtual machine allows you to save the current state so that you can
continue work later from the same state. Taking a snapshot allows you to preserve the
state of a virtual machine so that you can return to the same state repeatedly. To perform
suspend or snapshot operations, you must have the required permissions.
“Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines” on page 193
“Using Snapshots” on page 195
Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines

The suspend operation saves the current state of the virtual machine. When you resume
a suspended virtual machine, any applications that were running when you suspended
the virtual machine are resumed in their running state, and the application data is the
same as when you suspended the virtual machine.
The speed of the suspend and resume operations depends on how much data has
changed during the time that the virtual machine was running. The first suspend
operation typically takes longer than later suspend operations.
When you resume and do additional work in the virtual machine, you cannot return to
the state that the virtual machine was in at the time it was suspended. To preserve the
state of the virtual machine so that you can return to the same state repeatedly, take a
snapshot, as described in “Using Snapshots” on page 195.
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Configuring Hard Suspend or Soft Suspend

You can configure VMware Server to run a VMware Tools script in the guest operating
system before suspending the virtual machine. This configuration is called a soft
suspend.
Before you begin, make sure that VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating
system. See Chapter 5, “Installing and Using VMware Tools,” on page 73.
On Windows guests, when you do a soft suspend, a script releases the IP address if the
guest operating system is using DHCP. On Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris guests, the
script stops networking for the virtual machine. When you resume a Windows guest, a
script gets a new IP address from DHCP. On Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris guests,
networking restarts.
To configure hard suspend or soft suspend
VM.
2 Click the Power tab.
3 In the Power Controls section, specify a hard suspend (Suspend), soft suspend
(Suspend Guest), or default (System Default) operation.
When VMware Tools is not installed, the System Default action is to suspend the
virtual machine without suspending the guest. When VMware Tools is installed,
the System Default action is to suspend the guest before suspending the virtual
machine.
4 In the VMware Tools Scripts section, select one or more check boxes to run a
VMware Tools script before suspending or after resuming the guest. See “Scripts
Tab” on page 94.
5 Click OK.
For information on additional hard and soft power operations and other power control
settings, see “Changing Virtual Machine Power Settings” on page 125.
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Chapter 9 Preserving the State of a Virtual Machine
Suspending or Resuming a Virtual Machine

The suspend and resume operations allow you save the current state of your virtual
machine and continue work later from the same state.
Before suspending a virtual machine, configure the hard suspend or soft suspend
settings. See “Configuring Hard Suspend or Soft Suspend” on page 194.
To suspend a virtual machine
1 Select the virtual machine that is powered on in the Inventory panel.
2 Click the Suspend button on the toolbar.
When you suspend a virtual machine, a file with a .vmss extension is created in
the working directory. This file contains the entire state of the virtual machine. See
“Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine” on page 323.
To resume a virtual machine that is suspended
1 Select the suspended virtual machine in the Inventory panel.
2 Click the Play button on the toolbar.
When you resume the virtual machine, its state is restored from the .vmss file.
Using Snapshots
Snapshots allow you to preserve the state of the virtual machine so you can return to
the same state repeatedly. For example, you might use snapshots to test software. You
can take a snapshot before installing different versions of an application to ensure that
each test installation begins from the identical baseline.
To save the current state of your virtual machine temporarily, see “Suspending and
Resuming Virtual Machines” on page 193.
What to Use Snapshots For

The topics in this section describe strategies for using snapshots.
Using Snapshots as Protection from Risky Changes

If you plan to make risky changes in a virtual machine (for example, testing new
software or examining a virus), take a snapshot before you begin. If you encounter a
problem, you can restore the virtual machine to the state preserved in that snapshot.
Snapshots can minimize lost work if something goes wrong. If your risky actions cause
no problems, you can take a new snapshot of the virtual machine in its new state.
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Starting a Virtual Machine Repeatedly in the Same State

You can configure a virtual machine to revert to a snapshot any time it is powered off,
as described in “Setting Snapshot Power Off Options” on page 127. For example, you
might use this feature when setting up student virtual machines so that you can start
each new class at the beginning of the lesson, discarding the previous student’s work.
What Is Captured by a Snapshot

A snapshot captures the entire state of the virtual machine at the time you take the
snapshot. This includes:
Memory state — Contents of the virtual machine’s memory.
Configuration state — Virtual machine settings.
Disk state — State of the virtual machine’s virtual disks.
NOTE The state of the independent disks is not preserved when you take a
snapshot. See “Excluding Virtual Disks from Snapshots” on page 198.
When you revert to a snapshot, you return the virtual machine’s memory, settings, and
disks to the state they were in when you took the snapshot. If you want the virtual
machine to be suspended, powered on, or powered off when you launch it, be sure it is
in the state you want when you take the snapshot.
Activities That Conflict with Snapshots

When you take a snapshot, be aware of other activity going on in the virtual machine
and the likely impact of reverting to that snapshot. In general, it is best to take a
snapshot when no applications in the virtual machine are communicating with other
computers. The potential for problems is greatest if the virtual machine is
communicating with another computer, especially in a production environment.
Consider a case in which you take a snapshot while the virtual machine is downloading
a file from a server on the network. After you take the snapshot, the virtual machine
continues downloading the file, communicating its progress to the server. If you revert
to the snapshot, communications between the virtual machine and the server are lost
and the file transfer fails.
Or consider a case in which you take a snapshot while an application in the virtual
machine is sending a transaction to a database on a separate machine. If you revert to
that snapshot after the transaction starts but before it has been committed, the database
could be inconsistent.
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Enabling and Disabling Background Snapshots for All Virtual

Machines
Taking a snapshot is not instantaneous. You can edit a host‐wide setting to take
snapshots as a background activity. This allows you to continue working while
VMware Server preserves the state of the virtual machine. However, enabling
background snapshots for a host with slow hard disks can adversely affect
performance. If you experience significant performance problems when taking or
restoring snapshots, disable background snapshots.
The procedure to configure the host‐wide setting to enable and disable background
snapshots is described in “Enabling and Disabling Background Snapshots” on
page 115.
Snapshots and a Virtual Machine’s Hard Disks

When the virtual machine writes new data to disk after a snapshot is created, that data
is written to redo log files. These files can grow quite large as newly saved data
continues to accumulate in them, until you take an action that affects the snapshot. Be
aware of how much disk space these files consume.
Remove a snapshot — When you remove the snapshot, the changes accumulated
in the redo log files are written permanently to the base virtual disk files.
Revert to a snapshot — When you revert to the snapshot, the contents of the redo
log files are discarded.
Take a snapshot — If you take a snapshot when the virtual machine already has a
snapshot, the changes accumulated in the redo log files are written permanently to
the base virtual disk files. Any subsequent changes accumulate in new redo logs.
Redo log files and virtual disk files have a .vmdk extension and are stored in the virtual
machineʹs working directory. For more information about the files that make up a
virtual machine, including snapshot files, see Appendix B, “Files That Make Up a
Virtual Machine,” on page 323.
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Excluding Virtual Disks from Snapshots

In certain virtual machine configurations, you might want to revert some disks to a
snapshot while other disks retain all changes. For example, you might want a snapshot
to preserve a disk with your operating system and applications, while always keeping
the changes to a disk with your documents and data.
When you add a new virtual disk, set the Disk Mode to Independent Mode if you do
not want it to be affected by snapshots, as described in “Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual
You can exclude existing virtual disks from a snapshot by changing the disk mode. If
you have a snapshot, you must remove it before you can change the disk mode. See
“Editing a Virtual Hard Disk” on page 145.
Taking a Snapshot
You can take a snapshot while a virtual machine is powered on, powered off, or
suspended. If you are suspending a virtual machine, wait until the suspend operation
has finished before taking a snapshot. As described in “Activities That Conflict with
Snapshots” on page 196, do not take a snapshot when the virtual machine is
communicating with another computer.
NOTE If your use of virtual machines is strongly performance‐oriented, consider
defragmenting the guest operating system’s drives before taking a snapshot. Use the
guest operating system’s defragmentation utility. See “Virtual Disk Maintenance Tasks”
on page 147.
To take a snapshot
1 In the Commands section of the virtual machine’s Summary tab, expand the
Snapshot command (if not already expanded) and click Take Snapshot.
2 If a snapshot already exists, a dialog box asks you if you want to overwrite the
existing snapshot. If you want to overwrite it, click Yes.
A new snapshot is created.
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Reverting to a Snapshot
You can restore the virtual machine to the point in time that a snapshot was taken. The
current disk, settings, and memory states are discarded, and the virtual machine reverts
to the disk, settings, and memory states of the snapshot. See “What Is Captured by a
Snapshot” on page 196.
To revert to a snapshot
Snapshot command (if not already expanded) and click Revert to Snapshot.
2 A dialog box asks you to confirm that you want to revert to the snapshot. If you
want to revert to the snapshot, click Yes.
You can also configure a virtual machine to automatically revert to the snapshot, or to
ask you whether you want to revert to the snapshot, whenever you power off the virtual
machine. See “Setting Snapshot Power Off Options” on page 127.
Removing a Snapshot
Removing the snapshot writes the contents of the snapshot to the virtual disk. This
action does not destroy any data in the virtual machine. Moving forward, any changes
you make as you run the virtual machine are written to the virtual disk. You cannot
revert to a previous state because the snapshot no longer exists.
Removing a snapshot when the virtual machine is powered off can take a long time,
depending on the size of the snapshot file.
To remove the snapshot

Snapshot command (if not already expanded) and click Remove Snapshot.
3 A dialog box asks you to confirm that you want to remove the snapshot. If you
The snapshot is removed.
Locking a Snapshot
Locking the current snapshot prevents it from being overwritten. You can lock a
snapshot after it has been taken. See “Locking the Snapshot” on page 126.
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10
Managing Roles and

Permissions 10
This chapter describes how to manage access to VMware Server using roles and
permissions. VMware Server authenticates users based on the login user name and
password combination. Roles assigned to users on VMware Server objects determine
what actions users can perform on those objects.
“Access Elements” on page 201
“Managing Users” on page 203
“Managing Groups” on page 203
“Managing Roles” on page 203
“Managing Permissions” on page 206
“Rules for Permission Propagation” on page 208
Access Elements
Access to VMware Server objects and actions is determined based on the following:
Login information — User name and password.
Users are created and managed using the mechanisms provided by the host
operating system.
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Group Membership — A group is collection of users. A user can be a member of
one or more groups.
Groups provide a convenient way to manage a collection of users. Groups are
created and managed using the mechanisms provided by the host operating
system.
Privileges — A privilege is a right to perform an individual action on an object or
category of objects.
For example, the ability to power on a virtual machine is a privilege, in the category
of interactions with the virtual machine object. This privilege is typically grouped
in a role with other power operations on virtual machines. For a complete list of
available privileges, organized for convenience by category, see Appendix A,
“Defined Privileges,” on page 299. Privileges cannot be modified.
Roles — A role is a named collection of privileges. Roles can be assigned to users
and groups on an object or category of objects.
Roles control user and group access to objects. VMware Server provides system
roles, listed in Table 10‐1, “System Roles,” on page 204. You can also create and
manage user‐defined roles.
Permissions — A permission is a rule that determines access control. It specifies
which role (collection of privileges) is assigned to a user or group on an object or
category of objects.
The role and a user or group name make a pair. This pair is assigned to an
inventory object. You can choose whether or not the permission is propagated to
the child objects in the inventory hierarchy.
Figure 10-1. Permission
user group
role
inventory object
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Chapter 10 Managing Roles and Permissions
Managing Users
A user is an individual authorized to log in to VMware Server. Users can access
VMware Server using VI Web Access, the vmrun command, the VIX API, or a
third‐party client.
To create, remove, or modify users on a VMware Server system, use the mechanisms
provided by the host operating system. Users removed from a VMware Server host lose
access to all VMware Server objects and are not able to log on again. Users that are
logged in when they are removed from the host retain their VMware Server
permissions only until the next validation period (the default is every 24 hours).
VI Web Access displays a list of existing users that you can select from when you
configure permissions.
Managing Groups
A group is a collection of users that you want to manage through a common set of rules.
You can efficiently manage users that require the same privileges by creating groups.
Using groups can significantly reduce the time it takes to configure your permissions
model.
To create, remove, or modify groups on a VMware Server system, use the mechanisms
provided by the host operating system. Group membership is checked each time a user
logs in. The groups are retrieved either from the Windows domain (for VMware Server
running on Windows) or from the Linux operating system group list (for VMware
Server running on Linux). Removing a group does not affect the permissions granted
individually to the users in that group, or those granted as part of inclusion in another
group.
When you assign a role to a group, it applies to all the users in the group. VI Web Access
displays a list of existing groups that you can select from when you configure
permissions.
Managing Roles
A role is a named collection of privileges. VMware Server grants access to objects only
to users that have privileges for the object. By pairing a user or group with a role, you
grant the user or group access rights to the object.
VMware Server provides built‐in system roles. The privileges associated with system
roles cannot be changed.
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Table 10‐1 lists the predefined system roles.
Table 10-1. System Roles

Role Description of User Capabilities
No Access User Cannot view or change the associated object.
Tabs associated with the object display without content.
This is the default role for all users, except for users in the
Administrators group.
Read Only User Can view the object state and details about the object.
Can view all tabs, except for the Console tab.
Cannot perform any actions through the menus and toolbars.
Administrator Granted all privileges for all objects.
Can add, remove, and set access rights and privileges for all objects in
the VMware Server environment.
This is the default role for all members of the Administrators group.
You can create user‐defined roles with privilege sets that match your user needs. These
roles can be modified, renamed, or removed. All changes take effect immediately. Users
do not need to log out and log in for changes to roles to take effect.
Creating Roles
You can create user‐defined roles if you have situations that require a combination of
access privileges other than those defined in the system roles.
You can also modify existing user‐defined roles to suit your needs. See “Editing and
Renaming Roles” on page 205.
To create a role
1 From the VI Web Access menu bar, select Administration > Manage Roles.
2 Enter a name for the role.
There is no way to enter a description for the role. A description for the role is
automatically created, but it is identical to the role name. Enter a descriptive name
for each role to help identify it.
3 In the Privileges tree, select the privileges to include in the role. Expand the tree as
necessary to view the privileges in each category.
4 Click OK.
The role is created.
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Editing and Renaming Roles

When you edit a user‐defined role, you can change any or all of the privileges selected
for that role. When completed, these modified privileges are immediately applied to
any user or group assigned the role. You can also rename an existing role.
System roles cannot be edited or renamed.
To edit a role
2 In the Roles list, select the role you want to modify.
3 Click Modify.
4 If you want to rename the role, enter the new role name in the Name text box.
There is no way to enter a description for the role, so the description in the Roles
list is changed to match the new role name. Enter a descriptive name for each role
to help identify it.
5 If you want to change the privileges included in the role, select or deselect the
appropriate privileges in the Privileges tree. Expand the tree as necessary to view
the privileges in each category.
6 Click OK.
The changes to the role are saved.
Removing Roles
When you remove a user‐defined role, the definition is removed from the list of roles.
When you remove a role that is assigned to users or groups, you can remove all role
assignments or replace them with an assignment to another role.
CAUTION Make sure that you understand how users will be affected before removing
role assignments or replacing them.
System roles cannot be removed.
To remove an existing role
2 In the Roles list, select the role you want to remove.
3 Click Remove.
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4 To confirm that you want to delete the selected role, click OK.
5 If the role is assigned to one or more users or groups, a warning dialog box
appears, and you must select one of following the options:
Remove role — Removes the role and all associated permissions. Users and
groups that have no other permissions assigned no longer have any privileges.
Convert role — Reassigns any associated permissions to the role you select
from the drop‐down menu.
6 Click OK.
The role is removed from the list and is no longer available to assign to users or
groups.
Managing Permissions
In VMware Server, a permission consists of a user or group’s assigned role for a
VMware Server object, such as a virtual machine.
A new permission is created by pairing a user or group and a role and assigning this
pair to an inventory object. Permissions grant users the right to perform actions on an
object or category of objects. For example, to configure memory for VMware Server,
you must have host configuration permissions.
All changes take effect immediately. You do not need to log out and log in for changes
to permissions to take effect.
NOTE By default, all users that are members of the Administrators group on a
Windows host are granted the same access rights as any user assigned to the
Administrator role. Members of the Administrators group can log in as individual
users and have full access.
Creating Permissions
You can assign system or user‐defined roles to users or groups on VMware Server
inventory objects.
To create a permission
1 Log in to VI Web Access as a user with Administrator privileges.
2 Select a host or virtual machine from the Inventory panel, and click the
Permissions tab.
3 In the Commands section, click New Permission.
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4 Select the user or group to which you want to assign a role on this object.
When you have a large number of users and groups, only some of them are
displayed. To find a subset of users or groups, enter a search value in the Quick
Find text box.
5 Select the role you want to assign from the drop‐down list.
When you select a role, the privileges granted with the role are selected in the
Privilege tree for your reference.
6 (Optional) If you want to apply the permission to all child objects of the selected
inventory object, select Grant this set of permissions to child objects.
7 Click OK.
The permission is added to the list of permissions for the object. The list of
permissions includes all users and groups that have roles assigned to the object,
and indicates the level at which the permission is defined.
Editing Permissions
When you edit a permission, you can change the role to pair with the user or group and
whether the permission is propagated to child objects.
To edit the permission role for a user or group
1 Click the host’s or virtual machine’s Permissions tab.
2 In the Permissions list, select the permission you want to modify.
3 In the Commands section, click Edit Permission.
4 Select the user or group to which you want to assign a role on this object.
5 Select a role to assign from the drop‐down list.
When you select a role, the privileges granted with the role are selected in the
Privilege tree for your reference.
6 (Optional) If you want to apply the permission to all child objects of the selected
inventory object, select Grant this set of permissions to child objects.
7 Click OK.
The changes to the permission are saved.
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Removing Permissions
Removing a permission for a user or group does not remove the user or group. It does
not remove the role either. It removes the pairing of the role and the user or group from
the selected inventory object.
To remove a permission for a user or group
1 Click the host’s or virtual machine’s Permissions tab.
2 In the Permissions list, select the permission you want to remove.
3 In the Commands section, click Remove Permission.
4 Click OK to confirm that you want to remove the permission.
The permission is removed.
Rules for Permission Propagation

This section describes permission precedence when a user inherits permissions
through the object hierarchy or group membership.
Multiple permissions can be defined on an object, and permissions can be inherited
from parent objects. Permissions defined on a child object always override those
defined on a parent object. In VMware Server, the host is the parent object for
individual virtual machines.
When multiple permissions are defined on the same object through group
membership, the following rules apply:
If a user is a member of multiple groups with different permissions, for each object
the group has permissions on, the same permissions apply as if granted to the user
directly.
If multiple group permissions are defined on the same object and the user belongs
to two or more of the groups, permissions are determined as follows:
If there is no permission defined explicitly for the user on that object, the user
is assigned the union of privileges assigned to the groups for that object.
If there is a permission defined explicitly for the user on that object, that
permission takes precedence over all group permissions.
The following example shows how a user’s permissions can be expanded:
Role 1 includes the privilege to power on virtual machines.
Role 2 includes the privilege to take snapshots of virtual machines.
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Group A is assigned Role 1 on virtual machine VM.
Group B is assigned Role 2 on virtual machine VM.
User 1 belongs to groups A and B.
User 1 is not assigned individual permissions.
In this example, when User 1 logs on, the user can both power on and take snapshots
of the virtual machine.
The following example shows how a user’s permissions can be limited by overriding
group permissions:
Roles and groups are defined as in the previous example.
User 1’s read‐only permission is removed on the virtual machine. (Read‐only
permission is required to power on a virtual machine.)
In this example, User 1 can still take snapshots but can no longer power on the virtual
machine.
When setting permissions, verify that users have the appropriate privileges for each
action on each object and category of objects.
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11
Configuring a Virtual
Network 11
The first topics in this chapter introduce the virtual networking components that
VMware Server provides and describe how you can use them with your virtual
machine. The rest of the chapter provides more detail on networking capabilities and
specialized configurations.
“Network Basics” on page 212
“Components of the Virtual Network” on page 213
“Common Networking Configurations” on page 215
“Example Custom Networking Configuration” on page 219
“Changing the Networking Configuration” on page 222
“Advanced Networking Topics” on page 230
“Understanding NAT” on page 248
“Using Samba for File Sharing on a Linux Host” on page 258
“Using the Virtual Network Editor” on page 267
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Network Basics
VMware Server provides multiple ways you can configure a virtual machine for virtual
networking:
Bridged networking — Configures your virtual machine as a unique identity on
the network, separate from and unrelated to its host. Other computers on the
network can communicate directly with the virtual machine. Bridged networking
works with Ethernet, DSL, cable, wireless, and legacy phone modems. See
“Bridged Networking” on page 215.
Network address translation (NAT) — Configures your virtual machine to share
the IP and MAC addresses of the host. The virtual machine shares the host’s public
network identity, and has a private identity that is not visible beyond the host. NAT
can be useful when you are allowed a single IP address or MAC address by your
network administrator. You might also use NAT to configure separate virtual
machines for handling HTTP and FTP requests, with both virtual machines
running off the same IP address or domain.
NAT works with Ethernet, DSL, and legacy phone modems. See “Network
Address Translation (NAT)” on page 216.
Host‐only networking — Configures your virtual machine to allow network
access only to a private network on the host. With host‐only networking, the
virtual machine can communicate only with the host and other virtual machines in
the host‐only network. This can be useful when you want a secure virtual machine
that is connected to the host network, but available only through the host machine.
In this configuration, the virtual machine cannot connect to the Internet. See
“Host‐Only Networking” on page 218.
You can set up specialized configurations using the virtual network editor on Windows
hosts and vmware-config.pl on Linux hosts. See “Example Custom Networking
Configuration” on page 219.
On a Windows host, the software needed for bridged, NAT, and host‐only networking
configurations is installed when you install VMware Server. The New Virtual Machine
wizard connects the virtual machine to the virtual network you select: the bridged
VMnet0 virtual network (named Bridged) is the default selection. You can later set up
more specialized configurations by configuring the appropriate settings in the virtual
network editor and on your host computer.
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Chapter 11 Configuring a Virtual Network
On a Linux host, when you install and configure VMware Server, you can choose to
have bridged, host‐only, and NAT networking available to your virtual machines by
configuring each option when you run vmware-config.pl. You can later reconfigure
networking to add, delete, or modify virtual networks by rerunning
vmware-config.pl.
Components of the Virtual Network

The following sections describe the devices that make up a virtual network.
Virtual Network Switch

The virtual switch works like a physical switch, but it is used by virtual machines. Like
a physical switch, a virtual switch lets you connect other networking components
together. Virtual switches are created as needed by VMware Server, up to a total of 10
virtual switches on Windows and 255 on Linux. Virtual switches can be used in
bridged, host‐only, and NAT network configurations.
You can connect one or more virtual machines to a switch. On a Windows host, you can
connect an unlimited number of ports to a virtual switch. On a Linux host, you can
connect up to 32 ports.
A few networks have default names and switches associated with them:
The Bridged network uses VMnet0, as described in “Bridged Networking” on
page 215.
The HostOnly network uses VMnet1, as described in “Host‐Only Networking” on
page 218.
The NAT network uses VMnet8, as described in “Network Address Translation
(NAT)” on page 216.
The other available switches are VMnet2, VMnet3, VMnet4, and so on.
To find out what networks are configured on the VMware Server host, select the host in
VI Web Access. The Networks section of the host’s Summary tab lists the name, VMnet
number, and network type for each virtual network.
To find out which networks a virtual machine is using, select the virtual machine.The
network name and type are displayed in the Hardware section of the Summary tab.
To view or modify network properties, click the Network Adapter you want to modify
and select Edit. For additional information, see “Editing a Virtual Network Adapter”
on page 224. To add another adapter, see “Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual
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Internal DHCP Server

The VMware internal DHCP (dynamic host configuration protocol) server provides IP
network addresses to virtual machines in configurations that are not bridged to an
external network. Host‐only and NAT network configurations use the DHCP server
(bridged configurations do not).
Virtual Network Adapter

One virtual network adapter (also known as a virtual NIC) is set up for your virtual
machine when you create it with the New Virtual Machine wizard. The virtual network
adapter uses the Bridged virtual network unless you change the default selection.
The network adapter appears to the guest operating system as an AMD PCNet Adapter
adapter for 32‐bit guests or as an Intel Pro/1000 MT Server Adapter for 64‐bit and
Windows Vista guests. VMware Server automatically selects the network driver based
on the configuration on your virtual machine.
For 32‐bit guest systems, VMware Server supports network adapter morphing to
dynamically select the driver. The vlance driver is automatically installed when you
install a guest operating system. The vmxnet driver is automatically installed when you
reboot the guest after installing VMware Tools. When you edit the network adapter, the
device type is displayed as Flexible.
For 64‐bit and Windows Vista guest systems, the network adapter uses the e1000
device driver.
You can create and configure up to 10 virtual network adapters in VMware Server 2 and
Workstation 6 virtual machines. The limit is four adapters for VMware Server 1 and
other older virtual machine versions. For more information, see “Adding a Network
Adapter to a Virtual Machine” on page 223.
Host Virtual Adapter

Host virtual adapters allow communication between the host computer and the virtual
machines on the host computer. A host virtual adapter is used in host‐only and NAT
configurations.
When you install VMware Server, two network adapters are added to the configuration
of your host operating system — one that allows the host to connect to the host‐only
virtual network and one that allows the host to connect to the NAT virtual network.
The host virtual adapter is not connected to any external network unless you set up
special software on the host computer — such as a proxy server — to connect the
host‐only adapter to the physical network adapter.
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On a Windows host, the software that creates the host virtual adapter is installed when
you install VMware Server. On a Linux host, you must select host‐only networking
when you run vmware-config.pl to install the host virtual adapter.
Common Networking Configurations

The following sections illustrate the networking configurations that are set up when
you select one of the standard networking options in the New Virtual Machine wizard
or when you add or edit a virtual network adapter.
Bridged Networking
Bridged networking connects a virtual machine to a network by using the host
computer’s network adapter. If your host computer is on an Ethernet network, this is
often the easiest way to give your virtual machine access to that network. The virtual
network adapter in the virtual machine connects to the physical network adapter in
your host computer, allowing it to connect to the LAN used by the host computer.
Bridged networking makes the virtual machine visible to other computers on the
network, and they can communicate directly with the virtual machine.
Figure 11-1. Bridged Networking Setup

virtual
network
adapter
virtual machine virtual network switch

(VMnet0)
host
virtual bridge network
adapter
How to Set Up Bridged Networking

Bridged networking is set up automatically if you select Bridged in the New Virtual
Machine wizard. On Linux hosts, this selection is available only if you enable the
bridged networking option when you run vmware-config.pl. You can set up
additional virtual bridges for custom configurations that require connections to more
than one physical network adapter on the host computer. Linux and Windows hosts
can use bridged networking to connect to both wired and wireless networks.
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Requirements for IP Addresses

If you use bridged networking, your virtual machine must have its own identity on the
network. For example, on a TCP/IP network, the virtual machine needs its own IP
address. Your network administrator can tell you whether IP addresses are available for
your virtual machine and which networking settings to use in the guest operating
system. Generally, your guest operating system can acquire an IP address and other
network details automatically from a DHCP server, or you might need to set the IP
address and other details manually in the guest operating system.
If you use bridged networking, the virtual machine is a full participant in the network.
It has access to other machines on the network and can be contacted by other machines
on the network as if it were a physical computer on the network.
Be aware that if the host computer is set up to boot multiple operating systems and you
run one or more of them in virtual machines, you need to configure each operating
system with a unique network address. People who boot multiple operating systems
often assign all systems the same address, because they assume only one operating
system will be running at a time. If you use one or more of the operating systems in a
virtual machine, this assumption is no longer true.
How to Edit the Setting Later

If you make another selection in the New Virtual Machine wizard and later decide you
want to use bridged networking, make that change as described in “Changing the
Networking Configuration” on page 222.
Network Address Translation (NAT)

NAT gives a virtual machine access to network resources by using the host computer’s
IP address. If you are not able to give your virtual machine an IP address on the external
network, you might find that NAT is the easiest way to give your virtual machine access
to the Internet or other TCP/IP network. NAT uses the host computer’s dial‐up
networking or broadband connection.
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Figure 11-2. Network Address Translation Setup

virtual
network
adapter
virtual network switch DHCP server

virtual machine (VMnet8)
NAT network
device
If you select NAT, the virtual machine can use many standard TCP/IP protocols to
connect to other machines on the external network. For example, you can use HTTP to
browse Web sites, FTP to transfer files, and Telnet to log on to other computers. NAT
also allows you to connect to a TCP/IP network using a Token Ring adapter on the host
computer.
In the default NAT configuration, computers on the external network cannot initiate
connections to the virtual machine. That means, for example, that the default
configuration does not let you use the virtual machine as a Web server to send Web
pages to computers on the external network. This configuration has the advantage of
protecting the guest operating system from being compromised before you have a
chance to install security software. For example, it is often recommended that for
Windows guest operating systems, you use NAT until you install antivirus software.
How to Set Up NAT

A network address translation connection is set up automatically if you select NAT in
the New Virtual Machine wizard. On Linux hosts, this selection is available only if you
enable the NAT option when you run vmware-config.pl.

If you use NAT, your virtual machine does not have its own IP address on the external
network. Instead, a separate private network is set up on the host computer. Your
virtual machine gets an address on that network from the VMware internal DHCP
server. The VMware NAT device passes network data between one or more virtual
machines and the external network, using a host network adapter that is visible to the
host operating system. It identifies incoming data packets intended for each virtual
machine and sends them to the correct destination.
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If you make some other selection in the New Virtual Machine wizard and later decide
you want to use NAT, you can make that change as described in “Changing the
For a more thorough discussion of NAT, see “Understanding NAT” on page 248.
Host-Only Networking
Host‐only networking creates a network that is completely contained within the host
computer. Host‐only networking provides a network connection between the virtual
machine and the host computer, using a host network adapter that is visible to the host
operating system. This approach can be useful if you need to set up an isolated virtual
network.
Figure 11-3. Host-Only Networking Setup

virtual
network
adapter
virtual network switch DHCP server

virtual machine (VMnet1)
host
network
adapter
A host‐only network is set up automatically if you select HostOnly in the New Virtual
Machine wizard. On Linux hosts, this selection is available only if you enable the
host‐only networking option when you run vmware-config.pl.

If you use host‐only networking, your virtual machine and the host network adapter
are connected to a private Ethernet network. Addresses on this network are provided
by the VMware internal DHCP server.

If you make another selection in the New Virtual Machine wizard and later want to use
host‐only networking, you can make that change as described in “Changing the
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Routing and Connection Sharing

If you install the proper routing or proxy software on your host computer, you can
establish a connection between the virtual network adapter and a physical network
adapter on the host computer. This allows you, for example, to connect the virtual
machine to a Token Ring or other non‐Ethernet network.
On a Windows host computer, you can use host‐only networking in combination with
the Internet connection sharing feature in Windows to allow a virtual machine to use
the host’s dial‐up networking adapter or other connection to the Internet. See your
Windows documentation for details on configuring Internet connection sharing.
Example Custom Networking Configuration

The virtual networking components provided by VMware Server make it possible for
you to create sophisticated virtual networks. The virtual networks can be connected to
one or more external networks, or they can run entirely on the host computer.
Before attempting to set up complex virtual networks, you must have a good
understanding of how to configure network devices in your host and guest operating
systems.
The example described in this section illustrates many of the ways you can combine
devices on a virtual network. Other custom configurations are described in “Advanced
Networking Topics” on page 230 and “Understanding NAT” on page 248.
In this configuration, a Web server connects through a firewall to an external network.
An administrator’s computer connects to the Web server through a second firewall.
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Figure 11-4. Custom Configuration That Uses Two Firewalls

host
network
adapter
virtual bridge
virtual network switch virtual virtual
virtual (VMnet0)
network network network
adapter adapter adapter
virtual machine 2
Web server virtual network switch virtual machine 1
(VMnet2) firewall
virtual network switch

virtual virtual (VMnet3)
network network virtual
adapter adapter network
adapter
virtual machine 4
virtual machine 3 “internal” PC
firewall
In addition to using the default bridged network, VMnet0, this configuration requires
you to configure VMnet2 and VMnet3 host‐only virtual networks. You will also create
four virtual machines and install the appropriate guest operating systems and
application software in each virtual machine and make the appropriate networking
settings changes in each virtual machine.
To set up a virtual network that connects to an external network
1 Configure VMnet2 and VMnet3 host‐only networks.
On Windows, use the virtual network editor (from the Windows Start menu,
select Programs > VMware Server > Manage Virtual Networks) to add host
virtual adapters for VMnet2 and VMnet3.
After you make changes using the virtual network editor, you must restart
your network using the Refresh Network System command in the Host
Summary tab of VI Web Access. Then you can add these networks to virtual
machines.
On Linux, run vmware-config.pl to configure VMnet2 and VMnet3
networks. The script automatically refreshes the network when it completes
the configuration changes.
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2 Set up four virtual machines using the New Virtual Machine wizard as described
in Chapter 4, “Creating and Upgrading Virtual Machines,” on page 59:
a Create the first virtual machine using the default bridged network (VMnet0),
so it can connect to an external network with the host computer’s network
adapter. This virtual machine acts as the outside firewall for the DMZ, and is
named FW‐1 in this procedure.
b Create the other three virtual machines without networking. The virtual
machine with the Web Server is named WS in this procedure. The virtual
machine that acts as an internal firewall is named FW‐2 in this procedure.
You will set up their virtual network adapters in later steps.
You will not install the operating systems until Step 8.
3 Configure network settings for the first virtual machine, FW‐1:
a Select virtual machine FW‐1 in VI Web Access, but do not power it on.
b Use the Add Hardware wizard to add the VMnet2 network (HostOnly‐1) to
See “Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine” on page 223.
4 Configure network settings for the Web Server virtual machine, as follows:
a Select WS in VI Web Access, but do not power it on.
b Use the Add Hardware wizard to add the VMnet2 (HostOnly‐1) network
adapter to the virtual machine.
5 Configure network settings for the inside firewall virtual machine, as follows:
a Select FW‐2 in VI Web Access, but do not power it on.
b Use the Add Hardware wizard to add the VMnet2 (HostOnly‐1) network
adapter to the virtual machine.
c Use the Add Hardware wizard to add the VMnet3 (HostOnly‐2) connection to
6 Configure network settings for the fourth virtual machine, as follows:
Use the Add Hardware wizard to add the VMnet3 connection to the virtual
machine.
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7 Determine the network addresses used for VMnet2 and VMnet3:
On Windows hosts, open a command prompt and run:
ipconfig /all
Note the network addresses used by each virtual adapter.
On Linux hosts, open a terminal and run:
ifconfig
Note the network addresses used by each virtual switch.
8 Power on each virtual machine in turn and install the appropriate guest operating
system.
NOTE On a Windows host, for Step 9, you are not required to configure network
addresses manually. You can instead use VMware Server’s DHCP server. In the
virtual network editor’s DHCP tab, add VMnet2 and VMnet3 to the list of virtual
networks served by the VMware internal DHCP server.
9 Configure the networking in each guest operating system:
Machine 1 — For the bridged network adapter in virtual machine 1, use the
networking settings needed for a connection to the external network. If the
virtual machine gets its IP address from a DHCP server on the external
network, the default settings will work.
For the second network adapter in virtual machine 1, manually assign an IP
address in the range you are using with VMnet2.
Machine 2 — Assign an IP address in the range you are using with VMnet2.
Machine3 — Network adapters are connected to VMnet2 and VMnet3. Assign
each adapter an IP address in the range you are using with the virtual network
to which it is connected.
Machine 4 — Assign an IP address in the range you are using with VMnet3.
10 Install the necessary application software in each virtual machine.
Changing the Networking Configuration

This section describes how you can add virtual network adapters to your virtual
machine and change the configuration of existing adapters.
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Refreshing the Network

On Windows, to configure custom virtual networks you must use the virtual network
editor (from the Windows Start menu, select Programs > VMware Server > Manage
Virtual Networks). After you make changes using the virtual network editor, you must
update the network list in VI Web Access using the Refresh Network List command.
After refreshing the network, the changes made using the virtual network editor
appear in the Networks section of the host’s Summary tab, and you can add these
networks to virtual machines.
To restart the virtual network system
2 In the Commands section of the host Summary tab, click Refresh Network List.
Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine

Virtual network adapters can be connected to a labeled network in much the same way
that physical network adapters are connected by cables to wall jacks. By choosing a
labeled network for an adapter, you enable the guest operating system to reach the
resources of the specified network.
To add a virtual network adapter
3 In the Commands section of the Summary tab, click Add Hardware.
The Add Hardware wizard opens.
4 Click Network Adapter, and click Next.
5 Select the name of the virtual network adapter. Select Bridged, NAT, HostOnly, or
a custom network you have configured in the virtual network editor (Windows) or
vmware-config.pl (Linux).
If you select a custom network you configured in the virtual network editor, select
name that corresponds to the VMnet virtual network to use from the drop‐down
list.
NOTE VMnet0, VMnet1, and VMnet8 are normally used for bridged, host‐only,
and NAT configurations, respectively. Special steps are required to make them
available for use in custom configurations. Select one of the other switches.
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6 (Optional) To have the network adapter connected to the virtual machine when
you power it on, select Connect at power on (the default).
7 Click Next.
The Ready to Complete page appears and displays the hardware settings.
Editing a Virtual Network Adapter

Virtual network adapters can be connected to a labeled network in much the same way
that physical network adapters are connected by cables to wall jacks. By choosing a
labeled network for an adapter, you enable the guest operating system to reach the
resources of the specified network.
To edit an existing network adapter
2 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the network adapter to modify
and select Edit.
3 (Optional) To connect the virtual machine to this network when the virtual
machine is powered on, select Connect at power on.
4 In the Network Connection list, select the virtual network name.
Select Bridged, NAT, HostOnly, or the name of your custom VMnet virtual
network from the drop‐down list.
5 (Optional) In the MAC Address section, the current MAC address is displayed in
a text box. Initially, the MAC address is generated by the host. You might want to
change the MAC address manually if, for example:
Virtual network adapters on different physical servers share the same subnet
and are assigned the same MAC address, causing a conflict.
You want to ensure that a virtual network adapter always has the same MAC
address.
If you select Manual, you can edit the value of the MAC address in the text box.
The value you enter must be between 00:50:56:00:00:00 and
00:50:56:3F:FF:FF.
See “Maintaining and Changing the MAC Address of a Virtual Machine” on
page 234.
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7 Make sure the guest operating system is configured to use an appropriate IP
address on the new network.
If the guest is using DHCP, release and renew the lease. If the IP address is set
statically, make sure the guest has an address on the correct virtual network.
Removing a Network Adapter from a Virtual Machine

If you no longer want to use a network adapter in a virtual machine, you can remove it.
To remove an existing network adapter
2 On the Summary tab, click the network adapter to remove and select Remove.
3 A dialog box prompts you to confirm that you want to remove the adapter. If you
The network adapter is deleted.
Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a Windows Host

You can view and change the settings for bridged networking on your host. These
changes affect all virtual machines using bridged networking on the host.
You can choose which network adapters on your host to use for bridged networking.
You can map specific a network adapter to a specific virtual network (VMnet).
To configure bridged networking options on a Windows host
1 Start the virtual network editor (from the Windows Start menu, select Programs >
VMware Server > Manage Virtual Networks).
The virtual network editor displays the Summary tab.
2 By default, the VMnet0 virtual network is set up in bridged mode and is bridged
to one of the active network adapters on the host computer.
The choice of which adapter it uses is arbitrary. VMware recommends that you let
VMware Server select an available physical network adapter for bridging, to
provide fault tolerance. If a network adapter becomes unavailable (for example, if
it is unplugged or removed from the host), the network bridge automatically
switches to another network adapter on the host.
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You can restrict the range of choices using the options on the Automatic Bridging
tab.
(VMnet1 is the default virtual network for host‐only networking and VMnet8 is the
default virtual network for NAT, if they are enabled in VMware Server.)
3 To exclude one or more physical network adapters from the list to which VMnet0
can be bridged, click the Automatic Bridging tab.
To exclude a network adapter, click Add to add it to the list of excluded devices.
In the Choose Network Adapters dialog box, select the listing for the adapter you
want to exclude, and click OK.
To remove an adapter from the list of excluded adapters, select its name in the list,
and click Remove.
If you are using teamed network adapters on your host, you can exclude the
physical network adapters from bridged networking. For information about
teamed network adapters, see “Configuring Bridged Networking When Using
Teamed Network Interface Cards” on page 238.
4 To designate a physical network adapter to be used for bridged networking on
virtual switches named VMnet2–VMnet7, click the Host Virtual Network
Mapping tab.
Select an adapter from the drop‐down list beside the name of the virtual switch
you want to use.
If you are using teamed network adapters on your host, you can select the teamed
network adapter for VMnet0.
CAUTION Be careful when you change the bridged adapter mappings. If you
re‐assign a physical network adapter to a different virtual network, any virtual
machine using the original network loses its network connectivity through that
network. You must then change the setting for each affected virtual machine’s
network adapter individually. This can be especially troublesome if your host has
only one physical network adapter and you reassign it to a VMnet other than
VMnet0. Even though the VMnet still appears to be bridged to an automatically
chosen adapter, the only adapter it can use has been assigned to another VMnet.
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5 To make changes to the subnet or the DHCP settings for a virtual network, click the
button on the right that corresponds to the virtual network you want to configure,
and select Subnet or DHCP.
In the Subnet dialog box, you can change the subnet’s IP address and the subnet
mask. The address must be a valid network address that is suitable for use with the
subnet mask.
The default subnet mask is 255.255.255.0 (a class‐C network). Typically, this means
you should modify only the third number in the IP address — for example, x in
192.168.x.0 or 172.16.x.0. In general, you should not change the subnet mask.
Certain virtual network services might not work as well with a customized subnet
mask.
When you modify the network address or subnet mask, VMware Server
automatically updates the IP address settings for other components—such as
DHCP, NAT, and host virtual adapter—on that virtual network to reflect the new
settings. The specific settings that are automatically updated include DHCP lease
range, DHCP server address, NAT gateway address, and host virtual adapter IP
address. However, if you change any of these settings from its default value —
even if you later change the setting back to the default — VMware Server does not
update that custom setting.
In the DHCP settings dialog box, you can change the range of IP addresses
provided by the DHCP server on a particular virtual network. You can also set the
duration of leases provided to clients on the virtual network.
6 When you have made all the changes you want to make in the virtual network
editor, click OK.
Enabling, Disabling, Adding, and Removing Host Virtual

Adapters
When you install VMware Server, two network adapters are added to the configuration
of your host operating system: one that allows the host to connect to the host‐only
network and one that allows the host to connect to the NAT network.
If you are not using these adapters, you can remove them. On Windows hosts, you can
disable the adapters instead of removing them. The presence of these adapters has a
slight performance cost, because broadcast packets must go to the extra adapters. On
Windows networks, browsing your network can be slower than usual. And in some
cases, these adapters interact with the host computer’s networking configuration in
undesirable ways.
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To disable a host virtual adapter on a Windows host
2 Select the Host Virtual Adapters tab.
3 Select the adapter you want to disable.
4 Click Disable adapter.
5 Click OK.
To enable a disabled host virtual adapter on a Windows host
2 Click Host Virtual Adapters.
3 Select the disabled adapter you want to enable.
4 Click Enable adapter.
5 Click OK.
To add a host virtual adapter on a Windows host
3 Click Add new adapter.
4 Select the virtual network on which you want to use the adapter, and click OK.
5 Click Apply.
6 Click OK to close the virtual network editor.
To remove a host virtual adapter on a Windows host
1 From the Windows Start menu, select Programs > VMware Server > Manage
Virtual Networks.
3 Select the adapter you want to remove, then click Remove adapter.
4 Click Apply.
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To remove a host virtual adapter on a Linux host
1 As root (su -), run the VMware Server configuration program.
vmware-config.pl
To configure VMware Server correctly, the vmware-config.pl configuration
program requires all virtual machines to be shut down. The program shuts down
any running virtual machines automatically.
If you still want to use any networking in your virtual machines, respond yes to
the following prompt:
Do you want networking for your Virtual Machines? (yes/no/help) [yes]
Otherwise, type no to remove all networking.
2 If you respond yes to use networking, the script prompts you to select the wizard
or the editor to edit your network configuration. Select editor. This is the only
way to delete virtual network adapters without removing all of them.
Would you prefer to modify your existing networking configuration using
the wizard or the editor? (wizard/editor/help) [wizard]
editor
3 A list of virtual networks that have been configured is displayed. Select the
network corresponding to the adapter you want to disable. For example:
The following virtual networks have been defined:
. vmnet0 is bridged to eth0
. vmnet1 is a host-only network on subnet 172.16.155.0.
. vmnet8 is NAT network on a private subnet 172.16.107.0.
Which virtual network do you wish to configure? (0-99) 1
4 You might be prompted to keep this virtual network. If you are sure you want to
remove it, type yes when prompted:
The network vmnet1 has been reserved for a host-only network. You may
change it, but it is highly recommended that you use it as a host-only
network. Are you sure you want to modify it? (yes/no) [no] yes
5 When prompted about the type of virtual network, select none to remove the
virtual network.
What type of virtual network do you wish to set vmnet1?
(bridged,hostonly,nat,none) [hostonly] none
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Advanced Networking Topics

The following sections describe advanced networking topics.
Selecting IP Addresses on a Host-Only Network or NAT

Configuration
A host‐only network uses a private virtual network. The host and all virtual machines
configured for host‐only networking are connected to the network through a virtual
switch. Typically all the parties on this private network use the TCP/IP protocol suite,
although other communication protocols can be used.
A network address translation (NAT) configuration also sets up a private network,
which must be a TCP/IP network. The virtual machines configured for NAT are
connected to that network through a virtual switch. The host computer is also
connected to the private network used for NAT through a host virtual adapter.
Each virtual machine and the host must be assigned addresses on the private network.
This is typically done using the DHCP server that comes with VMware Server. This
server does not service virtual (or physical) machines residing on bridged networks.
Addresses can also be assigned statically from a pool of addresses that are not assigned
by the DHCP server.
If host‐only networking is enabled when VMware Server is installed, the network
number to use for the virtual network is automatically selected as an unused private IP
network number. To find out which network is used on a Windows host, select
Programs > VMware Server > Manage Virtual Networks and check the subnet number
associated with the virtual network. On a Linux host, run ifconfig in a terminal.
A NAT configuration also uses an unused private network automatically selected when
you install VMware Server. To find out which network is used on a Windows host,
select Programs > VMware Server > Manage Virtual Networks and check the subnet
number associated with the virtual network. On a Linux host, run ifconfig in a
terminal.
Using DHCP to assign IP addresses is simpler than statically assigning them. Most
Windows operating systems, for example, come preconfigured to use DHCP at boot
time, so Windows virtual machines can connect to the network the first time they are
booted, without additional configuration. If you want your virtual machines to
communicate with each other using names instead of IP addresses, however, you must
set up a naming convention, a name server on the private network, or both. In that case
it might be simpler to use static IP addresses.
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In general, if you have virtual machines you intend to use frequently or for extended
periods of time, it is probably most convenient to assign them static IP addresses or to
configure the VMware DHCP server to always assign the same IP address to each of
these virtual machines.
To configure the DHCP server on a Linux host
1 On a Linux host, configure the host‐only DHCP server by editing the DHCP
configuration file for VMnet1 (/etc/vmware/vmnet1/dhcp/dhcp.conf).
2 To configure the DHCP server for the NAT network, edit the configuration file for
VMnet8 (/etc/vmware/vmnet8/dhcp/dhcp.conf).
Editing the DHCP server configuration file requires information that is best
obtained directly from the DHCP server documentation.
3 Consult the manual pages dhcpd(8) and dhcpd.conf(8).
To configure the DHCP server on a Windows host
1 On a Windows host, you configure the DHCP server using the virtual network
editor.
Virtual Networks.
3 Click DHCP.
4 Select the virtual network for which you want to change settings and click
Properties.
5 Make the desired changes, then click OK.
Choosing the Method for Assigning IP Addresses

For virtual machines that you do not expect to keep for long, use DHCP and let it
allocate an IP address.
For each host‐only or NAT network, the available IP addresses are split up using the
conventions shown in the tables below, where <net> is the network number assigned to
your host‐only or NAT network. VMware Server always uses a Class C address for
host‐only and NAT networks.
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Table 11-1. Address Use on a Host-Only Network

Range Address Use Example
<net>.1 Host machine 192.168.0.1
<net>.2–<net>.127 Static addresses 192.168.0.2–192.168.0.127
<net>.128–<net>.253 DHCP‐assigned 192.168.0.128–192.168.0.253
<net>.254 DHCP server 192.168.0.254
<net>.255 Broadcasting 192.168.0.255
Table 11-2. Address Use on a NAT Network

Range Address Use Example
<net>.1 Host machine 192.168.0.1
<net>.2 NAT device 192.168.0.2
<net>.3–<net>.127 Static addresses 192.168.0.3–192.168.0.127
<net>.128–<net>.253 DHCP‐assigned 192.168.0.128–192.168.0.253
<net>.254 DHCP server 192.168.0.254

<net>.255 Broadcasting 192.168.0.255
Avoiding IP Packet Leakage in a Host-Only Network

By design, each host‐only network should be confined to the host machine on which it
is set up. That is, no packets sent by virtual machines on this network should leak out
to a physical network attached to the host. Packet leakage can occur only if a machine
actively forwards packets. It is possible for the host machine or any virtual machine
running on the host‐only network to be configured in a way that permits packet
leakage.
Windows Hosts
Systems using server versions of Windows 2000 are capable of forwarding IP packets
that are not addressed to them. By default, however, these systems come with IP packet
forwarding disabled.
If you find packets leaking out of a host‐only network on a Windows 2000 host
computer, check to see whether forwarding has been enabled on the host machine. If it
is enabled, disable it.
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Select Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Routing and Remote Access. An icon
on the left is labeled with the host name. If a green dot appears over the icon, IP
forwarding is turned on. To turn it off, right‐click the icon and disable Routing and
Remote Access. A red dot appears, indicating that IP forwarding is disabled.
Linux Hosts
If you find packets leaking out of a host‐only network on a Linux host computer, check
to see whether forwarding has mistakenly been enabled on the host machine. If it is
enabled, disable it.
For many Linux systems, disable forwarding by writing a 0 (zero) to the special file
/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward. As root, enter this command:
echo 0>/proc/sys/net/ipv4/ip_forward
Other Linux systems have a system configuration option that you can set. The method
depends on your Linux distribution. You can use a control panel, specify a setting at the
time you compile your kernel, or possibly enter a specification when you boot your
system. Consult your operating system documentation for details on the method to use
with your particular distribution.
Using Filtering
If the host computer has multiple network adapters, it might be intentionally
configured to do IP forwarding. In this case, you do not want to disable forwarding. To
avoid packet leakage, you must enable a packet filtering facility and specify that
packets from the host‐only network should not be sent outside the host computer.
Consult your operating system documentation for details on how to configure packet
filtering.
Leaks from a Virtual Machine

Virtual machines might leak packets, as well. For example, if you use dial‐up
networking support in a virtual machine and packet forwarding is enabled, host‐only
network traffic might leak out through the dial‐up connection.
To prevent the leakage, make sure packet forwarding is disabled in your guest
operating system.
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Maintaining and Changing the MAC Address of a Virtual

Machine
When a virtual machine is powered on, VMware Server assigns each of its virtual
network adapters an Ethernet media access control (MAC) address. A MAC address is
the unique address assigned to each Ethernet network device.
The software guarantees that virtual machines are assigned unique MAC addresses
within a given host system. The virtual machine is assigned the same MAC address
every time it is powered on if both of the following conditions are true:
The virtual machine is not moved. That is, the path and filename for the virtual
machine’s configuration (.vmx) file remain the same.
No changes are made to certain settings in the configuration file.
However, VMware Server cannot guarantee that it will automatically assign unique
MAC addresses for virtual machines that run on multiple host systems.
Avoiding MAC Address Changes

To avoid changes in the MAC address automatically assigned to a virtual machine, do
not move the virtual machine’s configuration file. Moving it to a different host
computer or even moving it to a different location on the same host computer changes
the MAC address.
Also do not change certain settings in the virtual machine’s configuration file. If you
never edit the configuration file by hand and do not remove the virtual network
adapter, these settings remain untouched. If you do edit the configuration file by hand,
do not remove or change the following options:
ethernet[n].generatedAddress
ethernet[n].addressType
ethernet[n].generatedAddressOffset
uuid.location
uuid.bios
ethernet[n].present
In these options, ethernet[n] is the number of the virtual network adapter, for

example ethernet0.
NOTE To preserve a virtual network adapter’s MAC address, you also must be careful
not to remove the adapter. If you remove the adapter but later re‐create it, the adapter
might receive a different MAC address.
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Assigning a Specific MAC Address Manually

Assign a specific MAC address using the procedure described in “Editing a Virtual
Network Adapter” on page 224. This guarantees the following:
The same MAC address is assigned to a given virtual machine every time you
power it on, even if the virtual machine is moved.
A unique MAC address for each virtual machine within a networked environment.
The address must be in the format:
00:50:56:XX:YY:ZZ
XX must be a valid hexadecimal number between 00h and 3Fh, and YY and ZZ must be
valid hexadecimal numbers between 00h and FFh. You must use this format because
VMware Server virtual machines do not support arbitrary MAC addresses.
A value for XX:YY:ZZ that is unique among your hard‐coded addresses avoids conflicts
between the automatically assigned MAC addresses and the manually assigned
addresses.
Controlling Routing for a Host-Only Network on a Linux Host

A host‐only network is a full‐fledged network. It has a network interface associated
with it (VMnet1) that is marked “up” at the time the host operating system is booted.
Consequently, routing server processes that operate on the host operating system, such
as routed and gated, automatically discover the network and propagate information
about how to reach it unless you explicitly configure them not to do so.
If either of these processes is being run only to receive routing information, the easiest
solution is to run the process with a -q option so that it does not supply routing
information, only receives it.
If, however, the processes are running because they supply routing information, you
need to configure them so they do not advertise routes to the host‐only network.
The version of routed that comes with many distributions of Linux has no support for
specifying that an interface should not be advertised. Consult the routed(8) manual
page for your system in case you have a more contemporary version of the software.
The gated process requires some configuration. You need to explicitly exclude the
VMnet1 interface from any protocol activity. If you need to run virtual machines on a
host‐only network on a multihomed system where gated is used and have problems
doing so, contact VMware technical support by submitting a support request at
www.vmware.com/requestsupport.
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Potential Issues with Host-Only Networking on a Linux Host

The following are common issues you might encounter when you are configuring a
host‐only network.
DHCPD on the Linux Host Does Not Work After VMware Server
Installation
If you were running the DHCP server program dhcpd on your machine before
installing VMware Server, it probably was configured to respond to DHCP requests
from clients on any network interface present on the machine. When host‐only
networking is configured, an additional network interface, VMnet1, is marked “up”
and available for use, and dhcpd might notice this.
In such cases, some dhcpd implementations abort if their configuration files do not
include a subnet specification for the interface — even if dhcpd is not supposed to
respond to messages that arrive through the interface.
The best solution to this problem is to add a line in the following format to the dhcpd
configuration file:
subnet <net>.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {}
<net> is the network number assigned to your host‐only network — for example,
192.168.0. This configuration file entry informs dhcpd about the host‐only network and
tells it explicitly not to respond to any DHCP requests it sees coming from it.
An alternative solution is to explicitly state the set of network interfaces that you want
dhcpd to listen to each time you start the program. For example, if your machine has
one Ethernet interface, eth0, then each time you start dhcpd, list it on the command
line:
dhcpd eth0
This keeps dhcpd from probing for all available network interfaces.
If the above solutions do not work for your DHCP server program, then it likely is old.
You can try upgrading to a more current version such as the DHCP software available
from the ISC Web site at www.isc.org.
DHCP and Dynamic Domain Name Service (DDNS)

DHCP can be used to hand out IP addresses as well as other information, such as the
identity of a host running a name server and the nearest router or gateway. The DHCP
server in VMware Server does not provide a means to dynamically establish a
relationship between the IP address it assigns and a client’s name (that is, to update a
DNS server using DDNS).
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If you want to use names to communicate with other virtual machines, you must either
edit the DHCP configuration file for VMnet1 (/etc/vmware/vmnet1.conf) or use IP
addresses that are statically bound to a host name. Editing the DHCP server
configuration file requires information that is best obtained directly from the DHCP
server documentation. Consult the manual pages dhcpd(8) and dhcpd.conf(8).
Setting Up a Second Bridged Network Interface on a Linux Host

If your host computer has two network adapters connected to two different networks,
you can configure your virtual machines on that host computer to bridge to both
network adapters. That way, the virtual machines can access either or both physical
networks.
When you install VMware Server on a host computer with multiple network adapters,
you have the option of configuring more than one bridged network. You can also
configure additional bridged networks at any time by rerunning vmware-config.pl.
To set up another Bridged network interface on a Linux host
vmware-config.pl
If you have more than one physical network adapter, one of the prompts you see
is similar to this:
The following bridged networks have been defined:
. vmnet0 is bridged to eth0
Do you wish to configure another bridged network? (yes/no) [no]
Type yes.
2 If you have additional physical network adapters not yet connected to a bridged
network, the prompt is repeated, showing information about all currently
configured bridged networks.
3 When you have set up all the bridged networks you want, type no.
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Configuring Bridged Networking When Using Teamed Network

Interface Cards
Network adapter teaming (where two or more network interface cards work as one and
appear as a single, separate device) provides a VMware Server host and the virtual
machines running on it with a level of network hardware fault tolerance. If one physical
network adapter fails, then network traffic for the host and virtual machines can
continue using the remaining network adapters in the team.
Another method for providing fault tolerance is by making sure that automatic
bridging is enabled. This feature is available on Windows hosts only and is enabled by
default. For more information, see “Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a
Windows Host” on page 225. This method is more limited than using network adapter
teaming, as it does not allow for load balancing, switch fault tolerance, fault tolerance
to any necessary services running on the host, or the ability to specify an adapter as the
primary or secondary adapter.
Certain network adapter teaming modes provide load balancing and are discussed
below.
If your VMware Server host is configured to use teamed network interface cards, and
you use bridged networking with your virtual machines, you need to adjust your
network settings. You do this by binding the VMware Bridge Protocol to the teamed
network adapter and unbinding it from each individual, physical network adapter on
the host. See “Setting Up the Windows Host” on page 239.
Before you start using teamed NICs to network your virtual machines, you must have
a good understanding of how network teaming works in your host environment.
Support for Network Adapter Teaming

VMware supports teamed NICs on Windows hosts with enterprise class network
adapters that can be configured for network adapter teaming. If there is a specific
teamed networking mode (such as 802.3ad Dynamic or 802.3ad‐Draft Static mode) you
want to use, you must use adapters that support that mode.
NOTE You might be unable to use Host Teamed Broadcom NICs for a bridged virtual
network if you are using teamed Broadcom network adapters set to Smart Load Balance
and Fail Over using Broadcom team networking software, or if you are not running the
latest virtual adapter driver. To bridge to a teamed Broadcom device, make sure that
you have installed the latest driver, then recreate the team with Generic Trunking as the
Team Type.
VMware has not tested and does not support network adapter teams with
VMware Server on Linux hosts.
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VMware Server supports teamed Broadcom‐based network adapters when used with
Broadcom teaming software in the following modes:
Generic Trunking (FEC/GEC/802.3ad‐Draft Static)
Link Aggregation (802.3ad)
Smart Load Balance and Fail Over
VMware Server supports teamed Intel‐based network adapters when used with Intel
PROSet version 6.4 or higher (32‐bit hosts) or PROSet version 10.0 or higher (64‐bit
hosts) in the following modes:
Adapter Fault Tolerance
Adaptive Load Balancing
Static Link Aggregation (64‐bit hosts)
FEC/802.3ad Static Link Aggregation (32‐bit hosts)
GEC/802.3ad Static Link Aggregation (32‐bit hosts)
IEEE 802.3ad Dynamic Link Aggregation
NOTE Express Teaming mode is not supported when you are teaming Intel‐based
network adapters.
Setting Up the Windows Host

When using VMware Server on a Windows host with teamed network adapters and
bridged networking, the VMware Bridge Protocol must be bound to the teamed
network adapter and unbound from the individual physical network adapters.
To set up bridged networking on a Windows host
1 Open the Windows Control Panel, and open Network Connections (on a Windows
Server 2003 host) or open Network and Dial‐up Connections (on a Windows 2000
host).
2 Right‐click the teamed network adapter device, and select Properties to bind the
VMware Bridge Protocol to the teamed network adapter.
3 Check VMware Bridge Protocol.
4 Click OK to close the property sheet.
5 Right‐click the network adapter, and select Properties to unbind the
VMware Bridge Protocol from each physical network adapter that is being used
for bridged networking.
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6 Clear the VMware Bridge Protocol check box.
7 Click OK to close the property sheet.
Alternately, you can use the virtual network editor to either map the teamed network
adapter to VMnet0 or exclude the physical adapters from any automatic bridging by
VMware Server. For information, see “Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a
Windows Host” on page 225.
Changing the Teamed Networking Mode

If you change the teamed networking mode, you must delete the original network
adapter team on the host and create a new team. Do not modify a virtual machine’s
network adapter teaming settings.
CAUTION Before you delete the original team, power off or suspend all virtual
machines on the host to prevent the teaming software from locking up.
Setting Up Two Separate Host-Only Networks

For some configurations, you might need to set up more than one host‐only network on
the same host computer.
You might, for example, want to have two virtual machines connected to one host‐only
network, and at the same time have other virtual machines connected to another
host‐only network. This setup isolates network traffic on each network.
Or you might want to test routing between two virtual networks. Or test a virtual
machine with multiple network interface cards — without using any physical network
adapters.
On Windows hosts, the first host‐only network is set up automatically when you install
VMware Server.
On Linux hosts, the first host‐only network is set up when you run the
vmware-config.pl program after you install VMware Server (provided you agree to
install host‐only networking). If you did not agree to use host‐only networking, you
need to run the script again to set up host‐only networking.
To set up the second host‐only network, follow the steps outlined below for your host
operating system.
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To set up the second host-only interface on a Windows host
Virtual Networks.
4 Select the virtual network on which to use the adapter and click OK.
5 Click Apply.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Linux host
vmware-config.pl
After prompting to configure a NAT network, the following prompt is displayed:
Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual
machines?
2 Select yes.
The wizard reports on host‐only networks that you have already set up on the host
or, if no host‐only network is present, configures the first one.
The wizard prompts:
Do you wish to configure another host-only network?
3 Select yes.
Repeat this step for each host‐only network you want to configure. Then type no.
4 Complete the remaining steps in the wizard.
When the wizard is finished, it restarts all services used by VMware Server.
5 Run ifconfig.
You should see at least four network interfaces — eth0, lo, vmnet1, and vmnet2.
If the VMnet interfaces do not display immediately, wait for a minute, and run the
command again. These four interfaces should have different IP address on
separate subnets.
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Configuring the Virtual Machines

Now you have two host‐only interfaces (VMnet1 and VMnet2). You are ready to set up
your virtual machines for one of the following configurations:
The virtual machine is configured with one virtual network adapter, and that
virtual adapter is connected to the default host‐only interface (VMnet 1).
The virtual machine is configured with one virtual network adapter, and that
virtual adapter is connected to the newly created host‐only interface (VMnet2).
The virtual machine is configured with two virtual network adapters. One virtual
adapter is connected to the default host‐only interface (VMnet1) and the other
virtual adapter is connected to the newly created host‐only interface (VMnet2).
Configuration 1 — Connect to the Default Host-Only Interface
1 Create the virtual machine or use an existing virtual machine.
2 Launch VI Web Access and select the virtual machine.
3 Edit the configuration using the virtual network editor.
4 Select NIC, select Custom, and select VMnet1 (Host‐only) (on a Windows host) or
/dev/vmnet1 (on a Linux host) from the drop‐down list on the right.
If no network adapter is shown in the list of devices, click Add, and use the Add
Hardware wizard to add an adapter.
Configuration 2 — Connect to the Newly Created Host-Only Interface
Select NIC, select Custom, and select VMnet 2 (Host‐only) (on a Windows host)
or /dev/vmnet2 (on a Linux host) from the drop‐down list on the right.
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Configuration 3 — Connect to Two Host-Only Interfaces
Select the first network adapter in the list of devices, select Custom, and select
VMnet1 (Host‐only) (on a Windows host) or /dev/vmnet1 (on a Linux host) from
the drop‐down list on the right. Select the second network adapter in the list of
devices, select Custom, then select VMnet 2 (Host‐only) (on a Windows host) or
If you need to add one or more network adapters, click Add, and use the Add
At this point you can power on the virtual machine and install your guest operating
system. In configurations 1 and 2 you see one AMD PCNet Adapter. In configuration 3
you see two AMD PCNet Adapters within the guest. Configure the network adapters
as you would physical adapters on a physical computer, giving each adapter an IP
address on the appropriate VMnet subnet.
On Windows hosts, you can open a command prompt and run ipconfig /all to see
what IP addresses each host‐only network is using.
On Linux hosts, you can open a terminal and run ifconfig to see what IP addresses
each host‐only network is using.
Routing Between Two Host-Only Networks

If you are setting up a complex test network using virtual machines, you might want to
have two independent host‐only networks with a router between them.
There are two basic approaches. In one, the router software runs on the host computer.
In the other, the router software runs in its own virtual machine. In both cases, you need
two host‐only interfaces.
The examples described here outline the simplest case, with one virtual machine on
each of the host‐only networks. For more complex configurations, you can add more
virtual machines and host‐only networks as appropriate.
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Setting Up the First Host-Only Interface

On Windows hosts, the first host‐only network is set up when you install
VMware Server.
On Linux hosts, the first host‐only network is set up when you run the
vmware-config.pl program after you install VMware Server, provided you agree to
install host‐only networking. If you did not agree to use host‐only networking, you
need to run the script again to set up host‐only networking.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Windows host
Virtual Networks.
4 Select the virtual network on which you want to use the adapter and click OK.
5 Click Apply.
To set up the second host-only interface on a Linux host

vmware-config.pl
Use the wizard to modify your configuration. After prompting to configure a NAT
network, the program prompts:
Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual
machines?
Type yes.
The wizard displays the host‐only networks that you have already set up on the
host or, if none is present, configures the first host‐only network.
2 The wizard prompts:
Do you wish to configure another host-only network?
Type yes.
Repeat this step for each host‐only network you want to configure. Then type no.
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3 Complete the wizard. When it is finished, it restarts all services used by
VMware Server.
4 Run ifconfig. You should see at least four network interfaces — eth0, lo,
vmnet1, and vmnet2. If the VMnet interfaces do not show up immediately, wait for
a minute, then run the command again. These four interfaces should have different
IP address on separate subnets.
Setting Up the Virtual Machines

Now you have two host‐only network adapters on the host computer. Each is
connected to its own virtual switch (VMnet1 and VMnet2). You are ready to create and
configure your virtual machines and connect them to the appropriate virtual switches.
Virtual Machine 1 — Connected to the Default Host-Only Interface
Select NIC, select Custom, and select VMnet1 (Host‐only) (on a Windows host) or
Virtual Machine 2 — Connected to the Newly Created Host-Only Interface
Select NIC, select Custom, and select VMnet2 (Host‐only) (on a Windows host) or
If you plan to run the router software on your host computer, you can skip the next
section.
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Virtual Machine 3 — Connected to Both Host-Only Interfaces
If you plan to run the router software on a virtual machine, set up a third virtual
machine for that purpose.
Select the first network adapter in the list of devices, select Custom, and select
VMnet1 (Host‐only) (on a Windows host) or /dev/vmnet1 (on a Linux host) from
the drop‐down list on the right. Select the second network adapter in the list of
devices, then select Custom, select VMnet 2 (Host‐only) (on a Windows host) or
If you need to add one or more network adapters, click Add, and use the Add
Now you need to configure the networking components on the host and in the virtual
machines. The recommended approach uses static IP addresses for all the virtual
machines.
To configure the host and virtual machine networking components
1 Stop the VMnet DHCP server service.
Windows host: From the virtual network editor, select DHCP and click Stop
service.
Linux host: Stop the vmnet-dhcpd service.
killall -TERM vmnet-dhcpd
2 Install guest operating systems in each of the virtual machines.
3 Install the router software — on the host computer or in the third virtual machine,
depending on the approach you are using.
4 Configure networking in the first two virtual machines to use addresses on the
appropriate host‐only network.
On Windows hosts, you can open a command prompt and run ipconfig /all to
see what IP addresses each host‐only network is using.
On Linux hosts, you can open a terminal and run ifconfig to see what IP
addresses each host‐only network is using.
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5 If you are running the router on the host computer, assign default router addresses
based on the addresses of the host‐only adapters on the host computer. In the first
virtual machine’s networking configuration, the default router address should be
the IP address for the host‐only adapter connected to VMnet1. In the second virtual
machine’s networking configuration, the default router address should be the IP
address for the host‐only adapter connected to VMnet2.
If you are running the router software on the third virtual machine, set the default
router addresses in the first two virtual machines based on those used by the third
virtual machine. In the first virtual machine’s networking configuration, the
default router address should be the IP address for the third virtual machine’s
network adapter connected to VMnet1. In the second virtual machine’s networking
configuration, the default router address should be the IP address for the third
virtual machine’s network adapter connected to VMnet2.
At this point you should be able to ping the router machine from virtual machines one
and two. And if the router software is set up correctly, you should be able to
communicate between the first and second virtual machines.
Using Virtual Network Adapters in Promiscuous Mode on a

Linux Host
VMware Server does not allow the virtual network adapter to go into promiscuous
mode unless the user running VMware Server has permission to make that setting. This
follows the standard Linux practice that only root can put a network interface into
promiscuous mode.
When you install and configure VMware Server, you must run the installation as root.
VMware Server creates the VMnet devices with root ownership and root group
ownership, which means that only root has read and write permissions to the devices.
To set the virtual machine’s network adapter to promiscuous mode, you must launch
VMware Server as root because you must have read and write access to the VMnet
device. For example, if you are using bridged networking, you must have access to
/dev/vmnet0.
To grant selected other users read and write access to the VMnet device, you can create
a new group, add the appropriate users to the group and grant that group read and
write access to the appropriate device. You must make these changes as the root user
on the host operating system. For example, you can enter the following commands:
chgrp <newgroup> /dev/vmnet0
chmod g+rw /dev/vmnet0
<newgroup> is the group that should have the ability to set vmnet0 to promiscuous
mode.
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If you want all users to be able to set the virtual network Adapter (/dev/vmnet0 in our
example) to promiscuous mode, run the following command as the root user on the
host:
chmod a+rw /dev/vmnet0
Understanding NAT
Network address translation, or NAT, provides a simple way for virtual machines to
use most client applications over almost any type of network connection available to
the host. The only requirement for NAT is that the network connection must support
TCP/IP.
NAT is useful when you have a limited supply of IP addresses or are connected to the
network through a non‐Ethernet network adapter. NAT works by translating addresses
of virtual machines in a private VMnet network to that of the host machine. When a
virtual machine sends a request to access a network resource, it appears to the network
resource as if the request came from the host machine.
NAT uses the host’s own network resources to connect to the external network. Thus,
any TCP/IP network resource to which the host has access should be available through
the NAT connection.
The chief advantage of NAT is that it provides a transparent, easy to configure way for
virtual machines to gain access to network resources.
The following sections provide more information about NAT.
Using NAT
The NAT device is connected to the VMnet8 virtual switch. Virtual machines connected
to the NAT network also use the VMnet8 virtual switch.
The NAT device waits for packets coming from virtual machines on the VMnet8 virtual
network. When a packet arrives, the NAT device translates the address of the virtual
machine to that of the host before forwarding the packet to the external network. When
data arrives from the external network for the virtual machine on the private network,
the NAT device receives the data, replaces the network address with that of the virtual
machine and forwards the data to the virtual machine on the virtual network. This
translation occurs automatically and requires minimal configuration on the guest and
the host.
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The Host Computer and the NAT Network

The host computer has a host virtual adapter on the NAT network (identical to the host
virtual adapter on the host‐only network). This adapter allows the host and the virtual
machines to communicate with each other for such purposes as file sharing. The NAT
never forwards traffic from the host virtual adapter.
DHCP on the NAT Network

To make networking configuration easy, a DHCP server is automatically installed when
you install VMware Server. Virtual machines running on the network with the NAT
device can dynamically obtain their IP addresses by sending out DHCP requests. The
DHCP server on the NAT network, which is also used in host‐only networking
configurations, dynamically allocates IP addresses in the range of <net>.128 through
<net>.254, where <net> is the network number assigned to your NAT network.
VMware Server always uses a Class C address for NAT networks. IP addresses <net>.3
through <net>.127 can be used for static IP addresses. IP address <net>.1 is reserved for
the host adapter and <net>.2 is reserved for the NAT device.
In addition to the IP address, the DHCP server on the NAT network also sends out
additional configuration information that enables the virtual machine to operate
automatically. This information includes the default gateway and the DNS server. In the
DHCP response, the NAT device instructs the virtual machine to use the IP address
<net>.2 as the default gateway and DNS server. This causes all IP packets destined for
the external network and DNS requests to be forwarded to the NAT device.
DNS on the NAT Network

The NAT device acts as a DNS server for the virtual machines on the NAT network.
Actually, the NAT device is a DNS proxy and merely forwards DNS requests from the
virtual machines to a DNS server that is known by the host. Responses come back to the
NAT device, which then forwards them to the virtual machines.
If they get their configuration information from DHCP, the virtual machines on the
NAT network automatically use the NAT device as the DNS server. However, the
virtual machines can be statically configured to use another DNS server.
The virtual machines in the private NAT network are not, themselves, accessible using
DNS. If you want the virtual machines running on the NAT network to access each
other by DNS names, you must set up a private DNS server connected to the NAT
network.
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External Access from the NAT Network

In general, any protocol using TCP or UDP can be used automatically by a virtual
machine on the NAT network so long as the virtual machine initiates the network
connection. This is true for most client applications such as Web browsing, Telnet,
passive‐mode FTP, and downloading streaming video. Additional protocol support has
been built into the NAT device to allow FTP and ICMP echo (ping) to work completely
transparently through the NAT.
On the external network to which the host is connected, any virtual machine on the
NAT network appears to be the host itself, because its network traffic uses the host’s IP
address. It is able to send and receive data using TCP/IP to any machine that is
accessible from the host.
Before any such communication can occur, the NAT device must set up a mapping
between the virtual machine’s address on the private NAT network and the host’s
network address on the external network.
When a virtual machine initiates a network connection with another network resource,
this mapping is created automatically. The operation is perfectly transparent to the user
of the virtual machine on the NAT network. No additional work needs to be done to let
the virtual machine access the external network.
The same cannot be said for network connections that are initiated from the external
network to a virtual machine on the NAT network.
When a machine on the external network attempts to initiate a connection with a virtual
machine on the NAT network, it cannot reach the virtual machine because the NAT
device does not forward the request. Network connections that are initiated from
outside the NAT network are not transparent.
However, it is possible to configure port forwarding manually on the NAT device so
network traffic destined for a certain port can still be forwarded automatically to a
virtual machine on the NAT network. For details, see “Advanced NAT Configuration”
on page 251.
File sharing of the type used by Windows operating systems and Samba is possible
among computers on the NAT network — including virtual machines and the host
computer. If you are using WINS servers on your network, a virtual machine using
NAT networking can access shared files and folders on the host that are known by the
WINS server so long as those shared files and folders are in the same workgroup or
domain.
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Advanced NAT Configuration

Read the section that corresponds to your host operating system for information about
configuring NAT for your virtual machines.
Windows Hosts
Configure the NAT device using the virtual network editor (from the Windows Start
menu, select Programs > VMware Server > Manage Virtual Networks, and click the
NAT tab).
You can stop, restart, and start the virtual NAT device by clicking the appropriate
button. The VMnet host setting lets you select which virtual network uses the NAT
device. You can select Disable if you do not want to use NAT on any virtual network.
To edit NAT settings for a virtual network, select it from the drop‐down menu, then
click Edit. The NAT Settings dialog box appears.
You can change any of the following NAT settings:
Port forwarding lets you send incoming TCP or UDP requests to a specific virtual
machine on the virtual network served by the NAT device. To set up and configure
forwarded ports, click Port forwarding. A dialog box appears.
To add a new port for either TCP or UDP, click Add. If a port is already listed, you
can change its settings. Select its name in the list, and click Properties. Or click
Remove to remove the selected port.
When you click Add, another dialog box appears. In the Host port field, type the
number of the incoming TCP or UDP port. For example, incoming HTTP requests
are usually on port 80. In the first Forwarding IP address field, type the IP address
of the virtual machine to which you want to forward the incoming requests. In the
second field on that line, type the port number you want to use for those requests
on that virtual machine. You can enter the standard port, such as 80 for HTTP, or a
nonstandard port if software running in the virtual machine is configured to accept
requests on a nonstandard port. The Description field is optional. You might use
it to identify the service being forwarded (for example, HTTP). When you have
made these settings, click OK.
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You can specify DNS servers to be used by the virtual NAT device. To do so, click
DNS. A dialog box appears. You can change the Policy for using multiple DNS
servers if you prefer to use Rotate or Burst instead of the default setting of Order.
To add a DNS server to the list, click Add. Another dialog box appears. Enter the
DNS serverʹs IP address in the IP address field. The Description field is optional.
When you have made the desired settings, click OK.To change the settings for a
server already in the list, select its entry in the DNS dialog box, and click
Properties. To delete an entry, select the entry, and click Remove. When you have
made the desired changes, click OK.
You can change the IP address for the NAT device in the Gateway IP address field.
To change the Netmask, click the … button on the Host Virtual Network Mapping
tab of the virtual network editor and select Subnet.
To allow only passive mode FTP over the NAT device, deselect the Active FTP
check box.
You can change the number of minutes to keep the UDP mapping for the NAT in
the UDP timeout field.
If you change the OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier) portion of the MAC
address for the virtual machine and subsequently cannot use NAT with the virtual
machine, you should check the Allow Any OUI check box.
In the Config port field, you can specify a port that can be used to access status
information about the NAT. This option is used for troubleshooting purposes with
VMware technical support only.
You can change NetBIOS timeout and retry settings.
When you have made all the networking changes you want, click OK.
Linux Hosts
Use the NAT configuration file on the host to configure the NAT device. This file is
/etc/vmware/vmnet8/nat/nat.conf.
The configuration file is divided into sections. Each section configures a part of the NAT
device. Text surrounded by square brackets — such as [host] — marks the beginning
of a section. In each section is a configuration parameter that can be set. The
configuration parameters take the form ip = 192.168.27.1/24.
For an example of a NAT configuration file, see “Sample Linux vmnetnat.conf File” on
page 257. The configuration file variables are described below.
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The [host] Section

ip
The IP address that the NAT device should use. It can optionally be followed by a slash
and the number of bits in the subnet.
netmask
The subnet mask to use for the NAT. DHCP addresses are allocated from this range of
addresses.
configport
A port that can be used to access status information about the NAT.
device
The VMnet device to use. Linux devices are of the format /dev/vmnet<x>. VMnet8 is
the default NAT device.
activeFTP
A flag that indicates if active FTP is to be allowed. Active FTP allows incoming
connections to be opened by the remote FTP server. Turning this off means that only
passive mode FTP works. Set the flag to 0 to turn active FTP off.
The [udp] Section

timeout
The number of minutes to keep the UDP mapping for the NAT.
The [incomingtcp] Section

Use this section to configure TCP port forwarding for NAT. You can assign a port
number to an IP address and port number on a virtual machine.
The following line shows the format used in this section.
8887 = 192.168.27.128:21
This example creates a mapping from port 8887 on the host to the IP address
192.168.27.128 and port 21. When this mapping is set and an external machine connects
to the host at port 8887, the network packets are automatically forwarded to port 21 (the
standard port for FTP) on the virtual machine with IP address 192.168.27.128.
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The [incomingudp] Section

Use this section to configure UDP port forwarding for NAT. You can assign a port
number to an IP address and port number on a virtual machine.
The following line shows the format used in this section. It illustrates a way to forward
X server traffic from the host port 6000 to the virtual machine’s port 6001.
6000 = 192.168.27.128:6001
This example creates a mapping from port 6000 on the host to the IP address
192.168.27.128 and port 6001. When this mapping is set and an external machine
connects to the host at port 6000, the network packets are automatically forwarded to
port 6001 on the virtual machine with IP address 192.168.27.128.
Custom NAT and DHCP Configuration on a Windows Host

If you are an advanced user on a Windows host computer, you can make custom
configuration settings by editing the NAT and DHCP configuration files. If your host
operating system is installed on the C drive, the configuration files for NAT and DHCP
are in the following locations:
NAT: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application

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

Data\VMware\vmnetdhcp.conf
NOTE You can change many key NAT and DCHP settings using the virtual network
editor (from the Windows Start menu, select Programs > VMware Server > Manage
Virtual Networks). However, if you have made manual changes to the configuration
files, some or all of those changes might be lost when you use the virtual network editor.
If you have made manual changes, make backup copies of the files before changing any
settings in the virtual network editor. After making changes in the virtual network
editor, you can copy your manual changes back into the appropriate configuration files.
Specifying Connections from Ports Below 1024

When a client machine makes a TCP or UDP connection to a server, the connection
comes from a particular port on the client (the source port) and connects to a particular
port on the server (the destination port). For security reasons, some servers accept
connections only from source ports below 1024.
If a virtual machine using NAT attempts to connect to a server that requires the client
to use a source port below 1024, it is important that the NAT device forward the request
from a port below 1024. You can specify this behavior in the vmnetnat.conf file.
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This behavior is controlled by entries in sections headed [privilegedUDP] and
[privilegedTCP]. You might have to add settings to or modify settings in either or
both of these sections, depending on the kind of connection you need to make.
You can set two parameters, each of which appears on a separate line.
autodetect = <n>
The autodetect setting determines whether the VMware NAT device automatically
attempts to map virtual machine source ports below 1024 to NAT source ports below
1024. A setting of 1 means true. A setting of 0 means false. On a Windows host, the
default is 1 (true). On a Linux host, the default is 0 (false).
port = <n>
The port setting specifies a destination port (<n> is the port on the server that accepts
the connection from the client). Whenever a virtual machine connects to the specified
port on any server, the NAT device attempts to make the connection from a source port
below 1024. You can include one or more port settings in the [privilegedUDP] or
[privilegedTCP] section or in both sections, as required for the connections you need
to make. Each port setting must be entered on a separate line.
Considerations for Using NAT

Because NAT requires that every packet sent and received from virtual machines be in
the NAT network, there is an unavoidable performance penalty. Our testing shows that
the penalty is minor for dial‐up and DSL connections, and performance is adequate for
most VMware Server uses.
NAT is not perfectly transparent. It does not normally allow connections to be initiated
from outside the network, although you can set up server connections by manually
configuring the NAT device. The practical result is that some TCP and UDP protocols
that require a connection be initiated from the server machine — some peer to peer
applications, for example — do not work automatically, and some might not work at all.
A standard NAT configuration provides basic‐level firewall protection because the
NAT device can initiate connections from the private NAT network, but devices on the
external network cannot normally initiate connections to the private NAT network.
Using NAT with NetLogon

When using NAT networking in a virtual machine with a Windows guest operating
system running on a Windows host, you can use NetLogon to log on to a Windows
domain from the virtual machine. You can then access file shares known by the WINS
server in the domain.
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To use NetLogon, you need to know how WINS servers and Windows domain
controllers work. This section explains how to set up the virtual machine to use
NetLogon. The setup process is similar to the way you set up a physical computer on
one LAN that is using a domain controller on another LAN.
To log on to a Windows domain outside the virtual NAT network, the virtual machine
needs access to a WINS server for that domain. There are two ways you can connect the
virtual machine to a WINS server. You can connect to the WINS server provided by the
DHCP server used on the NAT network, provided that the WINS server is already set
up on the host. If you want to connect from the virtual machine to a WINS server not
set up on the host, you can manually enter the IP address of the WINS server.
Using NAT to Connect to an Existing WINS Server Already Set Up on the

Host
To use this method, a WINS server in the same workgroup or domain must be set up
on the host. These steps use Windows 2000, Windows XP, or Windows Server 2003 as a
guide. The process is similar for Windows NT, Windows Me, and Windows 9x guests.
To use NAT to connect to an existing WINS Server
1 In the virtual machine, right‐click on My Network Places and select Properties.
2 In the Network Connections window, right‐click the virtual network adapter and
select Properties.
3 In the Properties dialog box, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click
Properties.
4 In the TCP/IP Properties dialog box, click Advanced.
5 Click the WINS tab, then under NetBIOS setting, select Use NetBIOS setting
from DHCP Server.
6 Click OK twice, and click Close.
Manually Entering the IP Address of a WINS Server

Use this method to connect to a WINS server in the same workgroup or domain that is
not already set up on the host.
To manually enter the IP address of a WINS server
1 In the virtual machine, right‐click on My Network Places and select Properties.
2 In the Network Connections window, right‐click the virtual network adapter and
select Properties.
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3 In the Properties dialog box, select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), and click
Properties.
4 In the TCP/IP Properties dialog box, click Advanced.
5 Click the WINS tab, and click Add.
6 In the TCP/IP WINS Server dialog box, enter the IP address for the WINS server in
the WINS server field, and click OK. The IP address of the WINS server appears
in the WINS addresses list on the WINS tab.
Repeat steps 5 and 6 for each WINS server to which you want to connect from this
virtual machine.
7 Click OK twice, and click Close.
Now that the virtual machine has an IP address for a WINS server, you use NetLogon
in the virtual machine to log on to a domain and access shares in that domain.
For example, if the WINS server covers a domain with a domain controller, it is possible
to access that domain controller from the virtual machine and add the virtual machine
to the domain. You need to know the user ID and password of the Administrator on the
domain controller.
NOTE Your access is limited to shares of virtual machines that are on the same NAT
network or are bridged on the same domain.
Sample Linux vmnetnat.conf File

The following is a sample Linux vmnetnat.conf file.
# Linux NAT configuration file
[host]
# NAT gateway address
ip = 192.168.237.2/24
hostMAC = 00:50:56:C0:00:08
# enable configuration; disabled by default for security reasons

#configport = 33445
# VMnet device if not specified on command line

device = VMnet8
# Allow PORT/EPRT FTP commands (they need incoming TCP stream...)

activeFTP = 1
# Allows the source to have any OUI. Enable this if you change the OUI
# in the MAC address of your virtual machines.
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#allowAnyOUI = 1
[udp]
# Timeout in seconds, 0 = no timeout, default = 60; real value might
# be up to 100% longer
timeout = 30
[incomingtcp]
# Use these with care - anyone can enter into your virtual machine through
# these...
# FTP (both active and passive FTP is always enabled)

# ftp localhost 8887
#8887 = 192.168.27.128:21
# WEB (make sure that if you are using named webhosting, names point to
# your host, not to guest... And if you are forwarding port other
# than 80 make sure that your server copes with mismatched port
# number in Host: header)
# lynx http://localhost:8888
#8888 = 192.168.27.128:80
# SSH
# ssh -p 8889 root@localhost
#8889 = 192.168.27.128:22
[incomingudp]
# UDP port forwarding example
#6000 = 192.168.27.128:6001
Using Samba for File Sharing on a Linux Host

On a Linux host computer, VMware Server can automatically install and configure a
Samba server to act as a file server for Microsoft Windows guest operating systems.
You can then use Windows Explorer in the virtual machine to move and copy files
between virtual machine and host — or between virtual machines on the same network
— just as you would with files on physical computers that share a network connection.
The lightly modified Samba server installed by VMware Server runs over the
VMware Server virtual Ethernet, and the Samba traffic between different operating
systems is isolated from actual local area networks.
The source code differences for the changes (in diff format and based on Samba 2.0.6)
are available from VMware. For more information, see
www.vmware.com/download/open_sources.html.
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If you already have Samba configured on your Linux host, the recommended approach
is to modify that configuration so it includes the IP subnet used by the VMware Server
virtual network adapter, VMnet1.
You can configure your existing Samba server to work with a host‐only network. All the
shares you set up in Samba and in the guest operating system normally appear on the
bridged network as well.
If you need to be sure the shares set up in the guest operating system are seen only on
the host‐only network, you might find it easiest to install and use the Samba server
provided with VMware Server.
If you do not need any shares to appear on your bridged network, you can use your
existing Samba server and set up the configuration file so it works only on the host‐only
network.
Samba configurations can be quite complex. This section provides several sample
configuration files. If you need to go beyond the issues covered here, see the man page
for the smb.conf file. To view this man page, type one of the following commands in a
terminal window:
man smb.conf
or
man 5 smb.conf
Pay particular attention to the section on encrypted passwords. If you have enabled
clear‐text passwords in the guest operating system, make sure that smb.conf is set up
to use clear‐text passwords. Similarly, if you are using encrypted passwords, you must
have the same setting in the guest operating system and in smb.conf.
NOTE Using Samba printer sharing with virtual machines is not supported. Consult
the man pages for guidance on configuring Samba for printing.
Sample smb.conf for Host-Only Networking

The following sample Samba configuration file is for use with host‐only networking.
This configuration is for the 2.0.6 version of Samba installed by VMware Server. The
configuration files are placed in /etc/vmware/vmnet1/smb by default.
# This is the VMware(TM) Samba configuration file. Read the
# smb.conf(5) manual page to understand the options listed
# here. Samba has a huge number of configurable options
# most of which are not shown in this example
#
# Any line that starts with a ; (semicolon) or a # (hash)
# is a comment and is ignored. In this example we will use a #
# for commentary and a ; for parts of the config file that you
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# might wish to enable

#
#
# Configuration file for Samba 2.0.6 vmware-[sn]mbd operating on
# vmnet1.
#
# This file was generated by the VMware configuration
# program and modified for this document.
#
# If you modify it, it will be backed up the next time you run the
# configuration program.
# Global settings
[global]
# This should be polled at install time from the private subnet created by
# vmware-config.pl
socket address = 192.168.183.1
interfaces = vmnet1
bind interfaces only = yes
workgroup = WORKGROUP
netbios name = HOSTNAME
server string = VMware host-only
security = user
encrypt passwords = yes
# Note: Printers not loaded in this example. Resource definitions commented

# below.
; load printers = yes
socket options = TCP_NODELAY SO_RCVBUF=8192 SO_SNDBUF=8192
# VMware extension to use a different shared memory access key on each

# Samba server running on this host
sysv shm key = /dev/vmnet1
; log file = /etc/vmware/vmnet1/smb/var/log.smb

; log level = 1
; max log size in KB
; max log size = 50
lock directory = /etc/vmware/vmnet1/smb/var/locks
smb passwd file = /etc/vmware/vmnet1/smb/private/smbpasswd
codepage dir = /usr/lib/vmware/smb/codepages
dns proxy = no
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# Shared resources
# Home directories
[homes]
comment = Home directories
browseable = no
writable = yes
# Printers
;[printers]
; comment = All printers
; path = /var/lpd
; browseable = no
; guest ok = no
; writable = no
; printable = yes
;[HostFS]
; comment = VMware host filesystem
; path = /
; public = no
; writeable = yes
; printable = no
Sample smb.conf for Bridged Networking

The following sample Samba configuration file is for use with bridged networking. This
configuration file is based on the 2.0.7 version of Samba and assumes that you are using
your existing Samba server, as provided with your host computer’s Linux distribution.
The configuration file is placed in /etc by default.
# This is the main Samba configuration file. Read the
# smb.conf(5) manual page to understand the options listed
# here. Samba has a huge number of configurable options
# most of which are not shown in this example
#
# Any line that starts with a ; (semicolon) or a # (hash)
# is a comment and is ignored. In this example we will use a #
# for commentary and a ; for parts of the config file that you
# might wish to enable
#
# NOTE: Whenever you modify this file run the command
# "testparm" to check that you have not many any basic syntactic
# errors.
# Global Settings
[global]
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interfaces = eth0
workgroup = WORKGROUP
netbios name = HOSTNAME
server string = Samba Host Box
# Note: Printers not loaded in this example. Resource definitions commented

# below.
; printcap name = lpstat
; load printers = yes
; printing = cups
log file = /var/log/samba/log.%m

max log size = 50
security = user
smb passwd file = /etc/smbpasswd
dns proxy = no
preserve case = yes

short preserve case = yes
default case = lower
; case sensitive = no
# Shared Resources
[homes]
comment = Home Directories
browseable = yes
writable = yes
;[printers]
; comment = All Printers
; path = /var/spool/samba
; browseable = yes
; guest ok = yes
; writable = no
; printable = yes
; create mode = 0700
; print command = lpr-cups -P %p -o raw %s -r # using client side
; printer drivers.
; print command = lpr-cups -P %p %s # using cups own drivers (use
; generic PostScript on clients).
; lpq command = lpstat -o %p
; lprm command = cancel %p-%j
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;[system]
; comment = System share
; path = /
; valid users = username
; public = no
; browsable = yes
; writable = yes
; printable = no
Adding User Names and Passwords to the VMware Server Samba

Password File
You must be sure the Samba password file includes entries for all users of the virtual
machine who will access the host’s file system. The user names and passwords in the
Samba password file must be the same as those used for logging on to the guest
operating system.
You can add user names and passwords to the VMware Server Samba password file at
any time from a terminal window on your Linux host computer.
To add user names and passwords to the VMware Server Samba password file
1 As the root user, run the VMware Server Samba password command.
vmware-smbpasswd vmnet1 -a <username>
<username> is the user name you want to add. Follow the onscreen instructions.
NOTE vmware-smbpasswd is based on the standard Samba password program. If
you are familiar with the options used in smbpasswd, you can use any of them in
vmware-smbpasswd.
2 Log out as root.
exit
If the following message is displayed:
Unknown virtual interface "vmnet1"
This indicates your machine is not using the VMware Server Samba server.
If your installation of VMware Server does not include the VMware Server Samba
server and you want to set it up, log on as the root user on the host, and run
vmware-config.pl from a terminal on the host.
To configure VMware Server correctly, the vmware-config.pl configuration program
requires all virtual machines to be shut down. The program shuts down any running
virtual machines automatically.
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When the configuration program prompts:
Do you want this script to automatically configure your system to allow your
virtual machines to access the host file system?
Type yes.
If You Are Already Running Samba

If you already have Samba running on your Linux host, do not install the
VMware Server Samba server when you are installing VMware Server on your host.
When the configuration program prompts:
Do you want this script to automatically configure your system to allow your
virtual machines to access the host file system?
Type no.
Be sure to modify your Samba configuration so it includes the IP subnet used by the
VMware Server virtual network adapter, VMnet1.
To determine what subnet is being used by VMnet1, enter

/sbin/ifconfig vmnet1
You must be sure the Samba password file includes entries for all users of the virtual
machine who will access the host’s file system. The user names and passwords in the
Samba password file must be the same as those used for logging on to the guest
operating system.
You can add user names and passwords to the Samba password file at any time from a
terminal window on your Linux host computer.
To add user names and passwords to the Samba password file from a Linux host
1 Log on to the root account.
su -
2 Run the Samba password command.
smbpasswd -a <username>
<username> is the user name you want to add. Follow the onscreen instructions.
3 Log out of the root account.
exit
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Using a Samba Server for Both Bridged and Host-Only Networks

You can use the Samba server of your choice — either the existing Samba server from
your host operating system’s distribution or the one provided with VMware Server —
for both host‐only and bridged networking. To do so, you must modify one parameter
in the smb.conf file. You can define the interface parameter so your Samba server
serves multiple interfaces. For example:
interface = eth0 vmnet1
This example tells the Samba server that it is to listen to and use both the eth0 and
vmnet1 interfaces — the interfaces used by bridged and host‐only networking,
respectively.
Using VMware Server’s Samba with an Existing Installation

You can also run both your existing Samba server and the VMware Server Samba server
at the same time.To do this, your current Samba server must be version 2.0.6 or higher
and must be configured correctly. However, this approach is not recommended.
To determine the version of your Samba server, enter

smbd -V
If you want to try running both Samba servers at the same time, use this sample
smb.conf file as a basis for configuring the regular Samba server on your host
computer.
Sample smb.conf for Running Two Samba Servers at the Same Time
; This file is the recommended smb.conf file for your
; normal Samba server if you want to run it concurrently
; (which we don't advise) with the VMware Samba server.
;
; Your normal samba server should be at least v 2.0.6
;
; You will need to insert specific information
; for your system at several points indicated in the file
; by <text in angle brackets>.
;
; --------------
;
; Larmor samba server configuration
;
; Global settings
[global]
;
; Identity
;
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; Allow several Samba servers on the same machine

interfaces = <your real subnet>/<your real netmask>
bind interfaces only = yes
; Workgroup the host belongs to
workgroup = VMware
; SMB name of the host (the hostname by default)
netbios name = <your Windows name>
; Description of the host
server string = Linux running Samba 2.0.6
;
; Access
;
; Allow connections from
; hosts allow = <your real subnet>/<your real netmask>
; Authentication scheme
security = user
;
; Options
;
; Automatically load the printer list (from /etc/printcap
; by default)
load printers = yes
; Gives better performance
;
; Files and directories
;
; Max log size in KB
max log size = 1024
; Locks
lock directory = /var/samba
; SMB passwords
smb passwd file = /etc/samba/smbpasswd
;
; Name browsing
;
; Allow the host to participate in master browser
; elections
local master = yes
; Force a local browser election upon startup
; We need that otherwise it takes a long time before the
; windows network is browsable
preferred master = yes
; Do not try to resolve SMB names using DNS
dns proxy = no
; Shared resources
;
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; Home directories
[homes]
comment = Home directories
browseable = no
writable = yes
; Printers
;[printers]
; comment = All printers
; path = /var/lpd
; browseable = no
; guest ok = no
; writable = no
; printable = yes
[Slash]
comment = Whole filesystem
path = /
public = no
writeable = yes
printable = no
Using the Virtual Network Editor

Using the Virtual Network Editor, you can view and change many key settings for
networking in your virtual machines and create custom virtual networking
configurations. These changes affect all virtual machines on the host computer.
Although any user can view network settings, only Administrator users can change
them.
Summary Tab
The Summary tab displays a list of the virtual networks currently active on the host.
By default, the VMnet0 virtual network is set up in bridged mode and bridges to an
active network adapter on the host computer. If there are multiple active network
adapters on the host, the choice of which adapter it uses is arbitrary. To restrict the
range of choices, click the Automatic Bridging tab and specify any adapters you want
to exclude. For more information, see “Automatic Bridging Tab” on page 268.
Click the Host Virtual Network Mapping tab to specify the network adapter used for
VMnet0 and for any other virtual networks you want to use for bridged networking.
Controls on this panel also allow you to specify the subnet to be used by any virtual
network. For more information, see “Host Virtual Network Mapping Tab” on page 268.
Click the Host Virtual Adapters tab to specify which virtual networks have host virtual
adapters — virtual network adapters that allow the host computer to connect to the
network. For more information, see “Host Virtual Adapters Tab” on page 269.
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Click the DHCP tab to specify which virtual networks use the virtual DHCP server or
to configure DHCP settings for any of those networks. For more information, see
“DHCP Tab” on page 269.
Click the NAT tab to configure settings for the virtual network address translation
(NAT) device. For more information, see “NAT Tab” on page 270.
Automatic Bridging Tab

By default, VMware Server automatically bridges VMnet0 to the first available physical
network adapter on the host.
To disable automatic bridging, clear the check box called Automatically choose an
available physical network adapter to bridge to VMnet0. After you deselect this
option, you can see which physical adapter is bridged to VMnet0 on the Summary tab
and on the Host Virtual Network Mapping tab.
To prevent a specific adapter from automatically bridging to VMnet0, leave the check
box selected, and in the Excluded adapters section, click Add to specify which physical
network adapter you want to prevent from being bridged to VMnet0.
See also “Host Virtual Network Mapping Tab” on page 268.
Host Virtual Network Mapping Tab

From this tab, you can:
Add new virtual network adapters (switches).
Designate physical network adapters to be used for bridged networking.
Remove an adapter.
Change subnet and netmask settings for a virtual adapter (see “Changing Subnet
and Netmask Settings” on page 269).
Change DHCP settings (see “Changing DHCP Settings” on page 269).
Be careful when you change the bridged adapter mappings. If you reassign a physical
network adapter to a different virtual network, any virtual machine that used the
original network is no longer bridged to the external network via that virtual network.
You must then change the setting for each affected virtual machine’s network adapter
individually.
This can be especially troublesome if your host has only one physical network adapter
and you reassign it to a VMnet other than VMnet0. Even though the VMnet still appears
to bridge to an automatically chosen adapter, the only adapter it can use has been
assigned to a different VMnet.
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Changing Subnet and Netmask Settings

To view or change the subnet settings for a virtual network, click the > button for that
virtual network. A context menu appears, from which you can select Subnet. Make any
changes you wish, and click OK.
Changing DHCP Settings

To view or change DHCP settings for a virtual network, click the > button for that
virtual network. A context menu appears, from which you can select DHCP. Make any
changes you wish, and click OK.
You can change DHCP settings only if the virtual network adapter is bridged. For
example, if the setting for VMnet3 is Not bridged, the context menu displays only
Subnet, and there is no option for changing DHCP settings.
See also “DHCP Tab” on page 269.
Host Virtual Adapters Tab

The list on this panel shows which virtual networks have host virtual adapters —
virtual network adapters that allow the host computer to connect to the network.
If you install the proper routing or proxy software on your host computer, you can
establish a connection between the host virtual network adapter and a physical
network adapter on the host computer. This allows you, for example, to connect the
virtual machine to a Token Ring or other non‐Ethernet network.
Use this tab to enable, disable, add, and remove a host virtual adapter. You can enable
and disable adapters while a virtual machine is running.
The presence of virtual network adapters has a slight performance cost, because
broadcast packets must go to the extra adapters. On Windows networks, browsing your
network might be slower than usual. And in some cases, these adapters interact with
the host computer’s networking configuration in undesirable ways. If you are not using
a virtual network adapter, you can remove or disable it.
DHCP Tab
You need to configure the virtual DHCP server if you want to assign IP addresses to
each virtual machine and the host on the private network (that is, if you want to use
host‐only or NAT networking). Using DHCP to assign IP addresses is simpler and more
automatic than statically assigning them.
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To add a new virtual network to the list, click Add. In the dialog box that appears, select
the network you want to add from the drop‐down list, and click OK. (At this point, you
cannot change any of the other settings in the DHCP Settings dialog box.) On the DHCP
tab, click Apply to activate the new network. You can now select the newly added
network and change the settings, as follows.
To change DHCP settings for a virtual network, select it in the list, and click Properties.
In the DHCP Settings dialog box that appears, you can change the range of IP addresses
provided by the VMware Server DHCP server on a particular virtual network. You can
also change the duration of DHCP leases provided to clients on the virtual network. (If
you want to change the subnet settings, you need to use the Host Virtual network
Mapping tab.)
You can completely stop the DHCP service for all virtual networks by clicking Stop,
and then clicking Apply. If the service is stopped, you can start it by clicking Start and
then Apply.
(You can also modify DHCP settings by choosing Edit > Virtual Network Settings >
Host Virtual Network Mapping, selecting a specific bridged adapter, then clicking the
> button for that virtual network.)
NAT Tab
Options on the NAT tab let you determine which virtual network is using the virtual
NAT device, stop and start the NAT service, and configure a variety of settings for the
NAT device.
You can stop, restart, and start the virtual NAT device by clicking the appropriate
button. The VMnet host setting lets you select which virtual network uses the NAT
device. You can select Disable if you do not want to use NAT on any virtual network.
You can change any of the following NAT settings when you click Edit:
Gateway IP address — Use this field to change the IP address for the NAT device.
If you need to change the netmask, click the < button on the Host Virtual Network
Mapping tab of the Virtual Network Editor and select Subnet.
UDP timeout — Use this field to change the number of minutes to keep the UDP
mapping for the NA.
Config port field — Use this field for troubleshooting purposes with VMware
technical support only. You will be directed to specify a port that can be used to
access status information about the NAT.
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Port forwarding — Port forwarding lets you send incoming TCP or UDP requests
to a specific virtual machine on the virtual network served by the NAT device. To
set up and configure forwarded ports, click Port Forwarding, and complete the
dialog box that appears, as follows:
To add a new port for either TCP or UDP, click Add in the appropriate section,
and complete the dialog box that appears, as follows:
Host port — Specify the number of the incoming TCP or UDP port. For
example, incoming HTTP requests are usually on port 80.
Virtual Machine IP address field — Specify the IP address of the virtual
machine to which you want to forward the incoming requests.
Port field on that line — Specify the port number you want to use for
those requests on that virtual machine. This may be the standard port,
such as 80 for HTTP, or a nonstandard port if software running in the
virtual machine is configured to accept requests on a nonstandard port.
Description (optional) — Specify You might use this field to identify the
service being forwarded, for example, HTTP.
To change settings for a port already listed, select its name in the list, and click
Properties.
DNS — This button lets you specify servers to be used by the virtual NAT device.
You can change the following settings:
Policy — If you use multiple DNS servers, specify the strategy to use for
choosing which server to send a request to:
Order — Send one DNS request at a time in order of the name servers.
Rotate — Send one DNS request at a time and rotate through the DNS
servers.
Burst — Send to three servers and wait for the first one to respond.
Autodetect — Select this check box to have VMware Server automatically
detect available DNS servers.
Timeout — Specify the number of minutes to keep trying, if the NAT is unable
to connect to the DNS server.
Retries — Specify the number of times the NAT should try to connect to the
DNS server.
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To add a DNS server to the list, click Add and enter the DNS server’s IP
address in the IP address field. The Description field is optional.
To change settings for a server already listed, select its name in the list, and
click Properties.
Active FTP — Clear this check box if you want to allow only passive mode FTP
over the NAT device.
Allow any OUI — If you change the OUI (organizationally unique identifier)
portion of the MAC address for the virtual machine and subsequently cannot use
NAT with the virtual machine, you should select this check box.
NetBIOS section — Use this section to specify NBNS (NetBIOS Name Service) and
(NetBIOS Datagram Service) timeouts and retry settings.
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12
Performance Tuning for

VMware Server 12
This chapter describes how to optimize VMware Server performance by configuring
and maintaining VMware Server host systems, host‐wide VMware Server settings, and
virtual machines. This chapter includes the following topics:
“Configuring and Maintaining the Host System” on page 273
“Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine” on page 277
“Editing Virtual Machine Memory” on page 277
“Editing Virtual Processors” on page 279
“Using Two‐Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing” on page 278
“Configuring and Maintaining Guest Operating Systems” on page 279
Configuring and Maintaining the Host System

This section describes how to configure and maintain host systems to optimize
VMware Server performance. It also describes host‐wide VMware Server settings that
impact VMware Server performance.
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Defragmenting Hard Disks

Disk access performance is degraded when the physical disk that stores the virtual
machine disk files and working directory is fragmented. Fragmentation of the host hard
disk can degrade the access performance of any or all of the following:
Files that make up a virtual disk
Files that store newly saved data when you take a snapshot
Files that hold information used when suspending and resuming a virtual machine
If you are experiencing slow disk performance in the virtual machine, or if you want to
improve the speed of suspend and resume operations, make sure that the host physical
disk that stores the virtual machine disk files and working directory is not fragmented.
If the host disk is fragmented, you can improve performance by running a
defragmentation utility on that host disk.
Maintaining Adequate Free Disk Space

For optimal performance, keep adequate free disk space on the host physical disk.
Performance can degrade considerably when VMware Server is using a host disk with
little free space to write growable virtual disk, snapshot, and redo files.
Enabling Disk Write Caching on Windows Hosts

On Windows hosts, you can enable and disable write caching for each hard disk from
the Policies tab of the disk’s Hardware Properties dialog box. In some cases, you can
also enable advanced performance for the disk. Enabling one or both of these settings
can improve host disk performance in general. Enabling these settings on the host disk
that contains the virtual machine disk files can improve virtual disk performance,
especially when VMware Server is making heavy use of the disk.
Configuring Swap Space on Linux Hosts

On Linux hosts, the amount of swap space and the size of the /tmp directory affect
performance. Make sure that size of the /tmp directory is at least 1.5 times the amount
of memory on the host. For example, if the host system has 1GB of memory, make sure
that the host’s /tmp directory is at least 1.5GB.
For more information about configuring swap space and the /tmp directory, see
VMware knowledge base article 844:
http://www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=844.
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Chapter 12 Performance Tuning for VMware Server
Increasing NIC Interrupt Coalescing

Interrupt coalescing is a configurable feature in high‐performance NICs. Interrupt
coalescing provides notification of the reception of a group of network frames to the
operating system kernel through hardware interrupts. Increasing interrupt coalescing
on host NICs can improve performance for workloads involving heavy network traffic
to the guest system.
Calculating Memory Requirements to Allow for Virtual Machine

Overhead
Virtual machines require relatively large amounts of memory to perform well. Each
virtual machine can use memory up to its allocation limit, plus some overhead. The
amount of overhead needed depends on the size of the virtual disks, the amount of
memory allocated to the virtual machine, and guest system behavior.
Table 12‐1 lists the additional amount of memory needed for overhead, based on the
amount of memory allocated to the virtual machine.
Table 12-1. Virtual Machine Allocated Memory and Additional Memory Overhead
Virtual Machine Memory Allocated Additional Memory Overhead Needed
Up to 512MB Up to 54MB
Do not allow total memory allocated for all running virtual machines plus the overhead
for VMware Server processes to exceed the amount of physical memory on the host.
Also keep some memory available for other applications on the host.
Configuring Host-Wide Virtual Machine Memory Usage

In addition to configuring the memory capacity for each virtual machine (see
“Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine” on page 277), you can specify the following
host‐wide VMware Server memory settings:
How much of the host system’s memory can be used for all running virtual
machines
The extent to which the host system’s memory manager can swap virtual machines
out of physical RAM
These settings affect both virtual machine and overall system performance.
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Reserving Host Memory for Virtual Machine Use

You can limit the amount of host memory that VMware Server is allowed to consume
for all running virtual machines. This is the reserved memory limit, configured as
described in “Reserving Host Memory for All Virtual Machines” on page 113.
If you set this value too high, the host might perform poorly when other applications
are running on the host. If you set this value too low, virtual machines might perform
poorly and fewer virtual machines can run simultaneously.
Reserved memory is allocated as needed, and the amount in use varies while virtual
machines are running. If multiple virtual machines are running simultaneously, they
manage the memory between each other.
Even when multiple virtual machines are running simultaneously, VMware Server
might be using only a fraction of the reserved memory limit. Unused host memory is
available for use by other applications. However, if all the reserved host memory is in
use by one or more virtual machines, the host and other host applications cannot
operate properly. The amount of memory that must remain allocated to the host and
other host applications depends on the host operating system and the total host
memory size.
Configuring Host Memory for Swapping

To prevent virtual machines from affecting each other’s performance, VMware Server
limits the number of virtual machines that can run simultaneously based on the amount
of memory reserved for all running virtual machines. To adjust the number of virtual
machines that can run simultaneously or their total memory usage, specify the amount
of virtual machine memory that the host operating system can swap to disk.
You can allow virtual machine memory to be swapped in and out of host RAM, or you
can require that all virtual machine memory fit in reserved RAM. The setting that
determines how much memory can be swapped is configured as described in
“Configuring Additional Memory for Swapping” on page 114.
If you try to power on a virtual machine when insufficient memory is available,
VMware Server displays a warning dialog box. The message indicates how much
memory the virtual machine is configured to use and how much memory is available.
To attempt to power on the virtual machine using the available memory, click OK.
Otherwise, click Cancel.
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Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine

You specify the memory capacity for each virtual machine when you create it. The New
Virtual Machine wizard displays a reasonable default value based on the guest
operating system type and the total amount of host memory. However, you might be
able to improve performance by adjusting the setting when you create the virtual
machine, or by later editing the memory setting. See “Editing Virtual Machine
Memory” on page 277.
Most modern operating systems use significant amounts of memory, so allowing a
generous virtual machine memory capacity is beneficial for optimal performance. The
optimal setting depends on the following considerations:
Recommendations of the operating system vendor.
Types of applications that are run in the virtual machine.
Whether multiple virtual machines are contending for memory resources. If you
plan to run one virtual machine at a time most of the time, a good starting point is
to give the virtual machine half of the available host memory.
Which applications are run on the host at the same time as the virtual machine.
Total amount of host memory that all running virtual machines can use. See
“Reserving Host Memory for Virtual Machine Use” on page 276.
File system where the virtual machine is stored. You cannot allocate more than 2GB
of memory to a virtual machine if it is stored on a file system that does not support
files larger than 2GB, such as FAT16. If you do, the virtual machine will not boot.
For information about host‐wide memory settings, see “Configuring Host‐Wide
Virtual Machine Memory Usage” on page 275.
Editing Virtual Machine Memory

You can change the amount of memory allocated to a virtual machine.
To edit memory allocation for a virtual machine
1 Select the virtual machine from the Inventory panel.
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the Memory icon and select
Edit.
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4 Enter the amount of memory in MB or GB, in multiples of four.
NOTE To make sure that the virtual machine can boot, allocate at least the
Recommended Minimum amount of memory.
Using Two-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing

For all supported configurations of 32‐bit and 64‐bit host and guest operating systems
running on multiprocessor host machines, VMware Server provides support for
two‐way Virtual SMP. Virtual SMP enables you to assign two virtual processors to a
virtual machine on any host machine that has at least two logical processors.
The following are all considered to have two or more logical processors:
Multiprocessor host with two or more physical CPUs
Single‐processor host with a multicore CPU
Single‐processor host with hyperthreading enabled
NOTE On hyperthreaded uniprocessor hosts, performance of virtual machines with
Virtual SMP might be subpar.
Guests with more than two virtual processors are not supported in VMware Server.
However, you can power on and run multiple dual‐processor virtual machines
concurrently.
NOTE Performance might degrade significantly in an overcommitted Virtual SMP
environment if the total number of virtual CPUs in all running virtual machines
exceeds the number of physical CPUs or additional applications on the host are
competing with VMware Server for CPU resources.
The virtual machine Summary tab displays the number of virtual processors currently
configured for the virtual machine. For information about how to set the number of
processors for the virtual machine, see “Editing Virtual Processors” on page 279.
If the host is a uniprocessor machine and is not hyperthreaded, assigning two
processors is neither supported nor recommended. A warning message appears when
you create the virtual machine. You can disregard the warning and assign two
processors to the virtual machine, but after you finish creating the virtual machine, you
cannot power it on unless you move it to a host machine with at least two logical
processors.
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Editing Virtual Processors

You can change the number of virtual processors used in a virtual machine.
Configuring the virtual machine to have two processors is supported only for host
machines with at least two logical processors.
For information about VMware Server support for virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing
(Virtual SMP), see “Using Two‐Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing” on page 278.
To change the number of processors in a virtual machine
1 Select the virtual machine from the Inventory panel.
3 In the Hardware section of the Summary tab, click the Processors icon and select
Edit.
4 Select the number of processors from the Processor Count drop‐down menu.
Configuring and Maintaining Guest Operating Systems

This section includes recommendations for guest operating system configuration and
maintenance to optimize VMware Server performance.
Installing Linux Guest Operating Systems in Text Mode

When you are installing a Linux guest operating system, use the text‐mode installer
instead of the graphical installer if possible. This makes the installation process faster.
Selecting the Correct Guest Operating System

Make sure that you select the correct guest operating system for each of your virtual
machines. For information about how to verify or change the guest operating system
type, see “Changing Virtual Machine Name and Guest System Settings” on page 124.
VMware Server optimizes certain internal configurations based on this setting. These
optimizations can greatly aid the operating system they target, but they can cause
significant performance degradation if there is a mismatch between the setting and the
operating system actually running in the virtual machine. (Although selecting the
wrong guest operating system might degrade the virtual machine’s performance, it is
not likely to cause a virtual machine to run incorrectly.)
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Installing VMware Tools

Always install VMware Tools in any guest operating system for which a VMware Tools
package exists. VMware Tools sets up the VMware Tools service to run automatically
when the system starts.
VMware Tools provides improved video and mouse performance and greatly
improves the usability of the virtual machine. VMware Tools also allows you to
synchronize the virtual machine’s clock with the host computer’s clock, which can
improve performance for some functions. For more information, see Chapter 5,
“Installing and Using VMware Tools,” on page 73.
Temporarily Disabling Acceleration in the Guest Operating

System
It is sometimes necessary to temporarily disable acceleration in a virtual machine to
resolve problems with a guest operating system application that crashes or seems to
hang or reports that it is running under a debugger. Usually it is possible to re‐enable
acceleration after installing or starting the application.
Disabling acceleration degrades virtual machine performance. If the problem occurs
only during application installation or startup, you can improve performance by
resuming accelerated operation after the application that was encountering problems
is installed or running. For information about how to enable and disable acceleration,
see “Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings” on page 127.
Avoiding Remote Disk Access

Avoid configuring virtual disks that are accessed over the network unless you have a
very fast network.
Managing Snapshots and Virtual Disks

If you do not need snapshots, run your virtual machine without them for best
performance. For information about how to remove an existing snapshot, see
When no snapshot exists, access performance to the flat files that make up a
preallocated virtual disk is comparable to the sequential and random access
performance of the underlying physical disk.
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When a snapshot exists and you have made changes to a preallocated virtual disk,
access performance for the changed disk files is somewhat slower and is comparable to
that of a growable virtual disk (which does not have space allocated in advance). If you
remove the snapshot, performance again reflects that of the underlying disk.
When a snapshot exists, virtual disks often have very good performance for random or
nonsequential access. But they can potentially become so fragmented that performance
is affected. You can improve performance for these disks by defragmenting them, as
described in “Defragmenting Virtual Disks” on page 147. Before you defragment the disk,
you must first remove the snapshot.
NOTE After a snapshot is taken, you can no longer defragment the original disk. If you
run a defragmentation utility in the guest system when a snapshot exists,
VMware Server makes all its changes to the redo log rather than the original disk. Every
sector that changes is copied to the virtual machine redo log. The redo log becomes
extremely large when the disk is heavily fragmented and you attempt to defragment
the disk after taking a snapshot.
Disabling Debugging Mode

You can configure virtual machines to record debugging or statistics information.
However, recording debugging information degrades performance significantly.
During normal use, make sure that the virtual machine is not recording debugging
information. For information about how to enable and disable the recording of runtime
information, see “Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings” on page 127.
Disabling CD/DVD Drive Polling

Many Windows operating systems poll the CD/DVD drive approximately every
second to see whether a disc is present, allowing them to run autorun programs. When
this polling occurs, the virtual machine might appear to pause while VMware Server
connects to the host CD/DVD drive and the host drive spins up.
If you have a CD/DVD drive that takes a long time to spin up, you can eliminate these
pauses using either of the following methods:
Disable polling in your guest operating system. Specific instructions depend on the
operating system.
Configure your virtual CD/DVD drive so that it is not connected when the virtual
machine powers on. Only connect to the virtual drive when you want to use it in
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Disabling Fade Effects in Windows 2000, Windows XP, and

Windows Server 2003
The fade effects used by Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 to
display menus can make the virtual machine seem less responsive.
To disable fade effects
1 Right‐click the guest operating system desktop and select Properties >
Appearance > Effects (on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003) or
Properties > Effects (on Windows 2000).
2 Deselect the Use transition effects for menus and tool tips check box.
Disabling Visual Effects in Windows 98

Windows 98 visual effects place unnecessary demands on graphics emulation in
VMware Server. You might see performance improvements if you turn off these effects.
To disable visual effects
1 Right‐click the guest operating system desktop, and select Properties.
2 Click the Effects tab.
3 Deselect the Animate windows, menus, and lists check box.
4 (Optional) If Show window contents while dragging is selected, deselect it.
Configuring Swap File Usage in Windows 95 and Windows 98

You can configure Windows 95 and Windows 98 systems not to use swap files until
there is no more available RAM.
In your system.ini file, in the [386enh] section, add the following line:
ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1
Enabling Hardware Acceleration in Windows Server 2003

Windows Server 2003 disables hardware acceleration by default. This slows down
graphics performance and mouse responsiveness in the guest operating system.
When you install VMware Tools in a Windows Server 2003 guest, you are prompted to
enable the hardware acceleration setting. VMware recommends that you enable
hardware acceleration fully.
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To enable hardware acceleration after installing VMware Tools
1 From the Windows control panel, select Display.
2 Click the Settings tab, and click Advanced.
3 Click the Troubleshoot tab, and drag the Hardware acceleration slider all the way
to Full.
Configuring Direct Memory Access (DMA) Disk Settings

SCSCI physical disks are usually faster than IDE disks that use DMA. However, in
certain situations, such as single threaded disk access, an IDE disk that uses DMA is as
fast as a SCSI disk.
In a virtual machine, SCSI disks and IDE disks that use DMA have similar performance.
IDE disks might be very slow in a guest operating system that is not configured to use
DMA. If supported, also enable DMA in SCSI disks.
The easiest way to configure a Linux guest to use DMA for virtual IDE drives is to
install VMware Tools. During VMware Tools installation, IDE virtual drives are
automatically configured to use DMA.
In Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, and Windows 2000, DMA is enabled by default.
Windows 95 OSR2 and Windows 98 can use DMA for faster IDE hard disk access, but
DMA might not be enabled by default.
To enable DMA access using the Device Manager in Windows 95 and Windows 98
1 Right‐click My Computer and select Properties.
2 Click the plus (+) sign next to Disk Drives to display the virtual machine’s
individual drives.
3 Right‐click the entry for each IDE drive to open its Properties dialog box.
4 Under Settings, select DMA and accept any warnings that Windows displays.
5 Restart the Windows guest system.
The method for changing the setting varies for other Windows operating systems.
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Using DMA in Windows NT Guests on Multiprocessor Host

Systems
You might experience slower than expected disk I/O performance in Windows NT
guest operating systems when using IDE virtual disks on multiprocessor host
computers. The I/O limitation is especially noticeable when the virtual machine is
booting. You can increase performance by enabling DMA on the virtual disk’s IDE
channel.
If you have a virtual disk and a CD/DVD attached as master and slave to the primary
IDE controller (channel 0) and you want to enable DMA, power off the virtual machine
and edit the CD/DVD drive to move it to the secondary IDE controller (channel 1) at
IDE 1:0.
You can enable DMA after installing Windows NT Service Pack 3 or higher. In the
Windows NT guest, insert an SP3 or SP4 CD in the drive and run DMACHECK.EXE from
the \SUPPORT\UTILS\I386 folder on the CD. Alternatively, download DMACHECK.EXE
from the Microsoft Web site: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q191774/
Click the Enabled option for the IDE controller and channel configured for the virtual
disk. Typically, this is channel 0 only, unless you have the virtual machine configured
with multiple virtual disks and no virtual CD/DVD drive.
Do not enable DMA on an IDE channel with a virtual CD/DVD drive attached.
Monitoring Virtual Machine Performance on Windows Hosts

VMware Server provides a set of counters that the Microsoft Performance console can
use to collect performance data from running virtual machines.
The Performance console is available only on Windows hosts. However, you can
monitor the performance of any type of guest operating system, including Linux
guests.
The VMware Server performance counters can monitor the following data from a
running virtual machine:
Reads and writes to virtual disks
Memory usage
Virtual network traffic
You can track virtual machine performance only when a virtual machine is running.
The performance counters reflect the state of the virtual machine, not the guest
operating system. For example, the counters can determine how often the guest reads
from a virtual disk, but cannot determine how many processes are running in the guest.
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To add counters to track virtual machine performance using the Windows

Performance console
1 Select Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Performance or enter
perfmon.msc at the Windows command prompt.
2 In the Performance console, select System Monitor, and click the plus (+) sign on
the toolbar.
The Add Counters dialog box is displayed.
3 In the Performance object list, select VMware.
4 Select which counters to monitor:
All Counters — Monitor all counters
Select counters from list — Monitor the counters you select from the list
To display the description of a counter, select the counter and click Explain.
5 Select which virtual machines to monitor:
All instances — Monitor all running virtual machines
Select instances from list — Monitor the virtual machines you select from the
list
6 Click Add to add the counters to the Performance console.
For more information about using the Performance console, use the console in‐product
help or visit the Microsoft Web site.
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13
Configuring Clustering on
Windows Hosts 13
This chapter describes how to create cluster configurations using VMware Server on
Windows hosts. This chapter includes the following topics:
“Overview of Clustering with VMware Server” on page 287
“Using SCSI Reservation to Share Virtual SCSI Disks” on page 288
“Creating a Cluster in a Box” on page 291
Overview of Clustering with VMware Server

Clustering enables a group of computers to achieve high availability, scalability, or
both. To users, the cluster appears to be a single system.
For example, to provide high availability, a cluster could have a single node serving as
a database during normal operation, while the other nodes run other applications. If the
database node crashes, the database application can recover by restarting the database
on another node.
VMware Server clustering capabilities are ideally suited for development, testing, and
training applications.
In a typical virtual machine cluster:
Each virtual machine is one node in the cluster.
Disks are shared between nodes.
Shared disks are required when the application uses dynamic data, such as mail
servers and database servers. Shared virtual disks must be preallocated, not
growable.
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Extra network connections between nodes can monitor heartbeat status.
A method for redirecting incoming requests is available.
NOTE Always rigorously test and review your cluster before deploying it in a
production environment.
Clustering Software Requirements

The only supported clustering software is Microsoft Clustering Service. In Windows
2000, Microsoft Clustering Service provides failover support for two‐ to four‐node
clusters for applications such as databases, file servers, and mail servers. In Windows
Server 2003, Microsoft Clustering Service provides failover support for two‐ to
eight‐node clusters.
NOTE VMware does not support clustering in Windows Server 2008 guest systems.
Applications That Can Use Clustering

To take advantage of clustering services, applications must be cluster‐aware. Such
applications can be stateless, such as Web servers and VPN servers. Cluster‐aware
applications typically include built‐in recovery features, like those in database servers,
mail servers, file servers, and print servers.
Using SCSI Reservation to Share Virtual SCSI Disks

You can share preallocated virtual SCSI disks among multiple virtual machines
running on the same host. When a virtual disk is shared, all virtual machines using the
disk must use the SCSI reservation protocol so that they can write to the disk
concurrently.
NOTE Only use SCSI reservation if you are familiar with SCSI, in general, and the SCSI
reservation protocol, in particular.
You must install clustering software on each virtual machine that shares a SCSI disk.
Enabling SCSI reservation does not automatically make the virtual machine a
participant in the SCSI reservation protocol.
The following sections describe how to use SCSI reservation to share virtual disks
among multiple virtual machines.
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Chapter 13 Configuring Clustering on Windows Hosts
SCSI Reservation Prerequisites and Restrictions

The use of SCSI reservation is restricted as follows:
You can enable SCSI reservation only for virtual SCSI disks. You cannot enable
SCSI reservation for a disk that is configured as a passthrough (generic) SCSI
device.
VMware Server supports SCSI reservation only with preallocated virtual disks.
When you create a new virtual machine, or add a new virtual disk to an existing
virtual machine, configure a preallocated virtual disk when using SCSI
reservation. Support for SCSI reservation with growable virtual disks is not
supported.
Disks using SCSI reservation can be shared only among virtual machines running
on the same VMware Server host. If you try to share a disk among virtual machines
located on different hosts, data loss or corruption is likely. The shared disk or disks
can be located in any valid datastore.
Do not share a disk on the boot disk, typically SCSI bus 0. Instead, use SCSI
reservation on a data disk located on a different bus. If you share the boot disk, you
run the risk of corrupting it, because the boot program is not aware that the disk is
being shared and can write to the disk regardless of whether or not it is being
shared.
A virtual SCSI disk can be stored on any type of physical hard disk, including IDE,
SCSI, and SATA physical disks.
If one virtual machine does not have SCSI reservation enabled for its virtual disk,
but another virtual machine does have SCSI reservation enabled for the same
virtual disk, VMware Server still allows the disk to be shared. However, the virtual
machine that is not configured for SCSI reservation can access the shared disk
concurrently, potentially causing data loss or corruption.
VMware Server virtual machines currently support only the SCSI‐2 disk
reservation protocol, and not applications using SCSI‐3 disk reservations.
Enabling SCSI Reservation

SCSI reservation must be enabled in each virtual machine before you can share virtual
disks.
VMware recommends that you configure shared virtual disks on the same SCSI bus,
which must be a different bus from the one that the guest operating system uses. For
example, if your guest operating system is on the scsi0 bus, configure the shared disks
on the next available bus, typically the scsi1 bus.
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To enable SCSI reservation in a virtual machine
2 Set the scsi<x>.sharedBus parameter (where <x> is the number of the SCSI bus
being shared) to virtual in the virtual machine configuration file, as described in
“Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings” on page 127.
For example, to enable SCSI reservation for devices on the scsi1 bus, set
scsi1.sharedBus to virtual. This allows the whole bus to be shared.
If you do not want to share the whole bus, you can selectively allow SCSI
reservation for a specific SCSI disk on the shared bus. For example, if you want to
share a SCSI disk located at scsi1:1, set scsi1:1.shared to true. You must
specify the same SCSI target (in this example, scsi1:1) in the configuration file for
each virtual machine that shares the disk. If SCSI reservation is enabled for the
whole bus (that is, scsi1.sharedBus is set to virtual), this setting is ignored.
NOTE Do not share resources using two separate buses (for example, data on
SCSI1:0 and quorum on SCSI2:0). This causes the configuration file to become
invalid. If the configuration file is not valid, you cannot boot the virtual machine.
3 Set the disk.locking parameter to false in the virtual machine configuration
file.
NOTE This setting applies to all disks in the virtual machine.
Because disk locking is disabled, multiple virtual machines can access the shared
disk concurrently.
CAUTION If any virtual machine that is not configured for SCSI reservation attempts to
access the disk concurrently, the shared disk is vulnerable to data loss or corruption.
Naming Reservation Lock Files

When SCSI reservation is enabled, VMware Server creates a reservation lock file that
contains the shared state of the reservation for the given disk. The name of this file
consists of the SCSI disk filename appended with the .RESLCK extension.
For example, if the disk scsi1:0.filename is defined in the configuration file as
/<path_to_config>/vmSCSI.vmdk, the reservation lock file for this disk has the
default name /<path_to_config>/vmSCSI.vmdk.RESLCK.
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You can provide your own lock filename by setting scsi1:0.reslckname in the
configuration file. For example, if you set scsi1:0.reslckname to
/tmp/scsi1-0.reslock in the configuration file, this name overrides the default lock
filename.
CAUTION You must use the same lock filename (for example,
/tmp/scsi1-0.reslock) for each virtual machine in the cluster. You must also use the
same SCSI target for each virtual machine when you define scsi1:0.reslckname.
However, the SCSI bus (scsi1 in this case) does not need to be the same.
After SCSI reservation is enabled for a disk, you must configure each virtual machine
to use this disk. See “Configuring Hard Disks” on page 141.
Event Logging When Virtual Disks Are Shared

Some disk errors are recorded in the Windows event log in the normal operation of a
Windows virtual machine. An example error message is:
The driver detected a controller error on \Device\Scsi\BusLogic3
The errors might appear in the log periodically on the passive node of the cluster, and
when the passive node is taking over during a failover. The errors are logged because
the active node of the cluster has reserved the shared virtual disk. The passive node
periodically probes the shared disk and receives a SCSI reservation conflict error.
Creating a Cluster in a Box

With VMware Server, you can create a simple cluster in a box to provide high
availability.
NOTE The ability to take snapshots is disabled in a clustering configuration.
The cluster in a box configuration has the following features:
Consists of multiple virtual machines (nodes) on a single physical machine.
Supports shared disks without shared SCSI hardware.
Supports a heartbeat network without an extra physical network adapter.
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Figure 13-1. Two-Node Cluster on a Single Physical Machine
The following sections describe how to configure a cluster in a box.
Configuring Virtual Machines for Cluster in a Box

To create a set of clustered virtual machines (a cluster in a box), configure each of them
with the following:
A primary virtual SCSI host adapter with one virtual SCSI disk.
Two virtual network adapters:
A public network adapter bridged to a physical adapter using either VMnet0
or VMnet2 through VMnet8.
A private network adapter connected to VMnet1 (host‐only) or another
physical adapter (VMnet2 through VMnet8). This is the network adapter that
the clustering service uses to monitor the heartbeat between nodes.
The network selection must match in all virtual machines in a cluster.
Any other required virtual machine hardware.
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In addition, the following are required to share disks:
A secondary virtual SCSI host adapter.
One or more preallocated virtual disks that are shared and are attached to the
secondary SCSI host adapter.
Note the following about virtual PCI slots in the virtual machines:
Each virtual machine by default has six PCI slots available.
This cluster configuration (two network adapters and two SCSI host bus adapters)
uses four of these slots.
One more PCI slot is available for a third network adapter if needed. (The sixth slot
is used by the virtual display adapter.)
If the virtual machine’s boot partition is on an IDE virtual disk, the partition
occupies one of the PCI slots.
Creating a Two-Node Cluster with Microsoft Clustering Services

This section describes how to create a two‐node cluster using Microsoft Clustering
Services on a single VMware Server host using the following:
SQL1 = host name of node 1 of the cluster
SQL2 = host name of node 2 of the cluster
SQLCLUSTER = public host name of the cluster
The procedures to create a two‐node cluster includes the following high‐level steps:
Create the base virtual machine with two virtual disks that are shared between the
virtual machines in the cluster. This virtual machine serves as a template for the
second node.
Clone the base node and use it create the second node.
Install clustering software on both nodes.
NOTE The virtual disks used to store the operating system and clustering software for
the virtual machines (nodes) in the cluster do not have to be preallocated virtual disks.
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To create the base virtual machine that serves as the first node in the cluster
1 Log in to your VMware Server host as an Administrator user.
2 Create a new virtual machine. Choose the settings you want, such as the size of the
virtual disk and the virtual memory limit, but make sure that you specify:
Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
as the guest operating system.
SQL1 as the virtual machine name.
The correct datastore.
Bridged networking for the virtual machine.
3 Add a new network adapter that uses either another external adapter or the
VMnet1 host‐only adapter. (For complete isolation from the host, you can also use
any unused virtual Ethernet switch, typically VMnet2 through VMnet7.) For
information, see “Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine” on page 223.
This adapter is used as the virtual private Ethernet connection for heartbeat
monitoring.
4 Add the two shared virtual disks:
A shared data disk, for example, data.vmdk
A shared quorum disk to store transactions before they are committed to the
data disk, for example, quorum.vmdk
For information, see “Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine” on page 144.
5 Add the following parameters to the virtual machine configuration file
(SQL1.vmx) as described in “Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings” on
page 127:
Set scsi1.sharedBus to virtual
Set disk.locking to false
This enables SCSI reservation, which is described in more detail in the section
“Using SCSI Reservation to Share Virtual SCSI Disks” on page 288.
You are finished creating the virtual machine for the first node in your cluster.
The next step is to install a guest operating system in the virtual machine.
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6 Install the Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Windows Server 2003 Enterprise
Edition guest operating system as described in “Installing the Guest Operating
System” on page 68.
NOTE Do not install the clustering services during the installation of the guest
operating system.
7 Install VMware Tools in the guest operating system. See “Installing VMware
To clone the first virtual machine node
1 Run sysprep.exe, which is available on the Windows CD in the file
\support\tools\deploy.cab or from the Microsoft Web site.
The sysprep.exe utility removes the security ID assigned to the guest operating
system, resets the machine information, and resets the TCP/IP network
configuration.
2 Shut down the guest operating system and power off the virtual machine.
3 Create a virtual machine directory named SQL2 in the same datastore as SQL1.
4 Copy the SQL1*.vmdk files to this directory.
5 Use the VMware Virtual Disk Manager to change the name of the virtual disk to
SQL2*.vmdk. At a command prompt, type:
vmware-vdiskmanager -n SQL1.vmdk SQL2.vmdk
See the VMware technical note about using Virtual Disk Manager.
You are finished cloning the first node.
Next, create the second node in the cluster using the clone.
To create the second node in the cluster from the clone of the first node
1 Log in to your VMware Server host as an Administrator user.
2 Create a new virtual machine. Choose the settings you want, such as the size of the
virtual disk and the virtual memory limit, but make sure that you specify:
Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
as the guest operating system.
SQL2 as the virtual machine name.
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The correct datastore.
To use the existing virtual disk, click Browse and select SQL2.vmdk.
Bridged networking for the virtual machine.
3 Add a new network adapter that uses either another external adapter or the
VMnet1 host‐only adapter. See “Adding a Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine”
on page 223.
4 Add the two virtual disks (quorum.vmdk and data.vmdk) you previously created.
See “Adding a Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine” on page 144.
You must select Use an Existing Virtual Disk and browse to quorum.vmdk and
data.vmdk.
5 Add the following parameters to the virtual machine configuration file
(SQL2.vmx) as described in “Changing Virtual Machine Advanced Settings” on
page 127:
Set scsi1.sharedBus to virtual
Set disk.locking to false
This enables SCSI reservation, which is described in more detail in “Using SCSI
Reservation to Share Virtual SCSI Disks” on page 288.
You are finished creating the second node.
Now that you have virtual machines for both nodes in your two‐node cluster, you can
install the clustering services software.
To install Microsoft Clustering Services on the first node
1 Power on the node 1 virtual machine.
2 At the Windows setup prompts, enter the following:
Windows serial number
Host name (SQL1)
IP addresses of the public and private network adapters
NOTE For the public network adapter, enter an IP address that belongs to the
physical network. For the private IP address, you can use an address like
192.168.x.x with a class C subnet mask (255.255.255.0).
At the end of the process, Windows reboots.
3 Start the Disk Management utility and change both shared disks to Basic disks.
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4 Format both shared virtual disks with NTFS if they are not already formatted.
5 Assign the first shared disk to Q: (quorum) and the second disk to R: (data).
If you have joined this virtual machine to an existing Active Directory domain, skip
to Step 10.
6 Run dcpromo.exe from the command prompt to start the Active Directory wizard.
7 Set up the current machine as a domain controller. For the domain name, use
something similar to <vmcluster>.<domain.com> where <domain.com> is your
DNS domain and <vmcluster> is your Active Directory domain.
You can set up this node as a new domain tree or a new domain forest, or join it to
an existing domain tree or forest.
8 Make sure that the DNS server is installed.
9 Set the domain permissions as mixed mode unless you have other requirements.
10 To add a cluster services account in the domain, choose Programs >
Administrative Tools > Active Directory Users and Computers.
11 Add a cluster service account named cluster, and specify the following:
User password
Select User cannot change password
Select Password never expires
12 Insert the Windows CD in the CD‐ROM drive.
13 Choose Control Panel > Add/Remove Programs.
14 Select Add/Remove Windows Components.
15 Select the Cluster Service component.
16 Click Next and follow the prompts to install the service.
17 To configure the cluster service, choose Form a New Cluster and specify the
following:
SQLCLUSTER as the cluster name.
The cluster service account created in Step 11.
Both shared disks are managed by the cluster service.
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The shared disk (Q:) is the quorum disk.
Indicate which network adapter is public and which is private.
The cluster IP address. This is the address that represents the cluster. It must
be on the same network as the physical Ethernet device.
18 To stop the cluster service on the local node (node 1) so that the second virtual
machine (node 2) can access the shared disks, right‐click the node name from
Cluster Manager, and select Stop Cluster Service.
You are finished installing Microsoft Clustering Services on the first node.
To install Microsoft Clustering Services on the second node
1 Start the node 2 virtual machine.
2 Repeat Step 2 and Step 3 in the procedure for the first node.
3 Start the Disk Management tool and assign the first shared disk to Q: (quorum)
and the second disk to R: (data).
4 Start dcpromo.exe and add this virtual machine as a domain controller in the
same domain created in Step 7 for the first node, or add it to an existing domain.
NOTE The setup in node 2 must match the setup in node 1, which you specified in
Step 7 for node 1.
5 To start the cluster service in the node 1 virtual machine, right‐click the node name
from Cluster Manager, and select Start Cluster Service.
6 In the node 2 virtual machine, repeat Step 13 through Step 17 in “To install

Microsoft Clustering Services on the first node” on page 296, with one exception:
in Step 17, select Join a Cluster.
You are now finished configuring the cluster.
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A
Defined Privileges A
The following tables list the default privileges that, when selected for a role, can be
paired with a user and assigned to an object. In the tables, VC indicates a VirtualCenter
Server and HC indicates a host client, standalone ESX/ESXi, or VMware Server host.
When setting permissions, verify that all the object types are set with appropriate
privileges for each particular action. Some operations require access permission at the
root folder or parent folder in addition to access to the object being manipulated. Some
operations require access or performance permission at a parent folder and a related
object. See Chapter 10, “Managing Roles and Permissions,” on page 201 for information
about applying roles to inventory objects.
See Table 10‐1, “System Roles,” on page 204 for a list of predefined grouped privileges.

This appendix includes the following topics:
“Alarms” on page 300
“Datacenter” on page 301
“Datastore” on page 301
“Extensions” on page 302
“Folders” on page 303
“Global” on page 303
“Host CIM” on page 305
“Host Configuration” on page 306
“Host Inventory” on page 308
“Host Local Operations” on page 309
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“Network” on page 310
“Performance” on page 310
“Permissions” on page 311
“Resource” on page 311
“Scheduled Task” on page 313
“Sessions” on page 313
“Tasks” on page 314
“Virtual Machine Configuration” on page 314
“Virtual Machine Interaction” on page 317
“Virtual Machine Inventory” on page 319
“Virtual Machine Provisioning” on page 319
“Virtual Machine State” on page 321
Alarms
Table A-1. Alarms Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective on
Name Description Used Object Object
Create Alarm1 Creates a new alarm. VC only Alarm All

User interface element – Alarms tab object inventory
context menu, File > New > Alarm parent objects
Delete Alarm Deletes an existing alarm. VC only Alarm All

User interface element – Alarms tab object inventory
context menu parent objects
Modify Alarm Changes the properties of an existing VC only Alarm All

alarm. object inventory
User interface element – Alarms tab parent objects
context menu
1. When creating alarms with a custom action, privilege to perform the action is verified when the user creates
the alarm.
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Appendix A Defined Privileges
Datacenter
Table A-2. Datacenter Privileges
Name Description Affects Object Object
Create Creates a new datacenter. VC only Datacenter Datacenter

Datacenter User interface element – Inventory folders
context menu, toolbar button, and File >
New Datacenter
Delete Removes a datacenter. VC only Datacenter Datacenters
Datacenter User interface element – Inventory plus parent
context menu, Inventory > Datacenter > object
Remove, Edit > Remove
Move Moves a datacenter. VC only Datacenter, Datacenters,
Datacenter Privilege must be present at both the source and Datacenter
source and destination. destination folders
User interface element – Inventory
drag‐and‐drop
Rename Changes the name of a datacenter. VC only Datacenter Datacenters

Datacenter User interface element – Inventory
object, Inventory context menu, Edit >
Rename, Inventory > Datacenter >
Rename
Datastore
Table A-3. Datastore Privileges
Browse Browses files on a datastore. HC and VC Datastores Datastores,

Datastore User interface element – Add existing Datastore
disk, browse for CD‐ROM or Floppy folders
media, serial or parallel port files
Delete Removes a datastore. HC and VC Datastores Datastores,

Datastore User interface element – Inventory Datastore
datastore context menu, Inventory > folders
Datastore > Remove
Delete Deletes a file in the datastore. HC and VC Datastores Datastores

Datastore File User interface element – Datastore
Browser toolbar button and Datastore
context menu
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Table A-3. Datastore Privileges (Continued)

Move Moves a datastore between folders. VC only Datastore, Datastores,

Datastore Privileges must be present at both the source and Datastore
source and destination. destination folders
drag‐and‐drop
Rename Renames a datastore. HC and VC Datastores Datastores
Datastore User interface element – Datastore
Properties dialog Change button, host
Summary tab context menu
File Carries out file operations in the HC and VC Datastores Datastores

Management datastore browser.
Allocate Space Allocates space on a datastore for a HC and VC Datastores Datastores

virtual machine, snapshot, or clone.
Extensions
Table A-4. Extensions Privileges
Register Registers an extension (plug‐in). VC only Root folder Root folder

Extension
Unregister Unregisters an extension (plug‐in). VC only Root folder Root folder

Extension
Update Updates an extension (plug‐in). VC only Root folder Root folder

Extension
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Folders
Table A-5. Folder Privileges
Create Folder Creates a new folder. VC only Folders Folders

User interface element – Taskbar
button, File menu, context menu
Delete Folder Deletes a folder. VC only Folders plus Folders

User interface element – File menu, parent object
context menu
Move Folder Moves a folder. VC only Folders, Folders

Privilege must be present at both the source and
source and destination. destination
drag‐and‐drop
Rename Folder Changes the name of a folder. VC only Folders Folders
pane object text field, context menu,
File menu
Global
Table A-6. Global Privileges
Cancel Task Cancels a running or queued task. HC and VC Any object Inventory

User interface element – Recent tasks object
pane context menu, Tasks & Events related to the
context menu. Can currently cancel task
clone and clone to template.
Capacity Enables the use of capacity planning for VC only Any object Root folder

Planning planning consolidation of physical
machines to virtual machines.
User interface element ‐ Consolidation
button in toolbar.
Diagnostics Gets list of diagnostic files, log header, VC only Any object Root folder

binary files, or diagnostic bundle.
User interface element – File > Export >
Export Diagnostic Data, Admin
System Logs tab
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Table A-6. Global Privileges (Continued)

Disable Allows servers for VirtualCenter VC only Any object Root folder

Methods extensions to disable certain operations
on objects managed by VirtualCenter.
No user VI Client interface elements are
associated with this privilege.
Enable Allows servers for VirtualCenter VC only Any object Root folder

Methods extensions to enable certain operations
on objects managed by VirtualCenter.
Licenses Sees what licenses are installed and HC and VC Any object Root folder

adds or removes licenses.
User interface element – Licenses tab,
Configuration > Licensed Features
Log Event Logs a user‐defined event against a HC and VC All objects All

particular managed entity. inventory
User interface element – Should ask for objects
a reason when shutting down or
rebooting a host.
Manage Adds, removes, renames custom VC only All objects Root folder

Custom attributes for a managed entity.
Attributes User interface element –
Administration > Custom Attributes
Proxy Allows access to an internal interface VC only All objects Root folder

for adding or removing endpoints to or
from the proxy.
Script Action Schedules a scripted action in VC only All All

conjunction with an alarm. inventory inventory
User interface element – Alarm objects objects
Settings dialog box
Service Allows use of the resxtop command in HC and VC Hosts Hosts
Managers the Remote CLI.
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Table A-6. Global Privileges (Continued)

Set Custom Views, creates, and removes custom VC only All objects All

Attributes attribute fields. inventory
User interface element – Any list view objects
shows the fields defined and allows
setting them
Settings Reads and modifies runtime VC VC only All objects Root folder

configuration settings.
User interface element –
Administration > VirtualCenter
Management Server Configuration
VC Server Prepares or initiates a VMotion send VC only All objects Root folder

operation or a VMotion receive
operation.
Host CIM
Table A-7. Host CIM Privileges
CIM Allows a client to obtain a ticket to use HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Interaction for CIM services.
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Host Configuration
Table A-8. Host Configuration Privileges
Advanced Sets advanced options in host HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Configuration configuration.
User interface element – Host
Configuration tab > Advanced
Settings, Inventory hierarchy context
menu
Change Date Sets time and date settings on the host. HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Time Settings User interface element – Host
Configuration tab> Time
Configuration
Change Allows enabling and disabling of HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Settings background snapshots and setting of
lockdown mode.
Configuration tab > Security Profile >
Lockdown Mode > Edit
Change SNMP Edits, restarts, and stops SNMP agent. HC and VC Hosts Hosts
Settings No user VI Client interface elements are
Connection Changes the connection status of a host VC only Hosts Hosts

(connected or disconnected).
User interface element – Right‐click
Host
Firmware Allows updates to the host firmware on HC and VC Hosts Hosts (ESXi

ESXi hosts. only)
Hyper Enables and disables hyperthreading in HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Threading the host CPU scheduler.
Configuration tab> Processors
Maintenance Puts the host in and out of maintenance HC and VC Hosts Hosts

mode, shuts down and restarts the host.
User interface element – Host context
menu, Inventory > Host > Enter
Maintenance Mode
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Table A-8. Host Configuration Privileges (Continued)

Memory Sets configured service console memory HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Configuration reservation. This setting is applicable
only on ESX hosts.
Configuration tab > Memory
Network Configures network, firewall, and HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Configuration VMotion network.
Configuration tab> Networking,
Network Adapter, DNS and Routing
Query Patch Allows querying for installable patches HC and VC Hosts Hosts

and installation of patches on the host.
Security Configures Internet services, such as HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Profile and SSH, Telnet, SNMP, and host firewall.
Firewall User interface element – Host
Configuration tab> Security Profile
System Allows extensions to manipulate the file HC and VC Hosts Hosts
Management system on the host.
System Updates the configuration of the system HC and VC Hosts Hosts
Resource resource hierarchy.
Settings User interface element – Host
Configuration tab > System Resource
Allocation
Storage Manages VMFS datastore and HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Partition diagnostic partitions. Scans for new
Configuration storage devices. Manages iSCSI.
Configuration tab> Storage, Storage
Adapters, Host Configuration tab
datastore context menu
Virtual Changes auto‐start and auto‐stop order HC and VC Hosts Hosts

Machine of virtual machines on a single host.
Auto‐start User interface element – Host
Configuration Configuration tab > Virtual Machine
Startup or Shutdown
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Host Inventory
Table A-9. Host Inventory Privileges
Add Host To Adds a host to an existing cluster. VC only Hosts Clusters

Cluster User interface element – Inventory
context menu, File > New > Add Host
Add Adds a standalone host. VC only Hosts Datacenters,

Stand‐alone User interface element – Toolbar Host folders
Host button, Inventory context menu,
Inventory > Datacenter > Add Host,
File > New > Add Host, Hosts tab
context menu
Create Cluster Creates a new cluster. VC only Clusters Datacenters,

User interface elements – Toolbar Host folders
button, inventory context menu,
Inventory > Datacenter > New Cluster,
File > New > Cluster
Modify Changes the properties of a cluster. VC only Clusters Clusters

context menu, Inventory > Cluster >
Edit Settings, Summary tab
Move Cluster/ Moves a cluster or standalone host VC only Clusters, Clusters,

Standalone between folders. source and Host folders
Host Privilege must be present at both the destination
source and destination.
hierarchy
Move Host Moves a set of existing hosts into a VC only Hosts, source Clusters,

cluster. and Host folders
Privilege must be present at both the destination
source and destination.
hierarchy drag‐and‐drop
Remove Deletes a cluster or standalone host. VC only Clusters plus Clusters,
Cluster User interface element – Inventory parent object Hosts
context menu, Edit > Remove,
Inventory > Cluster > Remove
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Table A-9. Host Inventory Privileges (Continued)

Remove Host Removes a host in a cluster or VC only Clusters plus Clusters,

From Cluster standalone host. parent object Host folders
drag‐and‐drop out of cluster, context
menu, Inventory > Host > Remove
Rename Renames a cluster. VC only Clusters Clusters

single click, inventory hierarchy context
menu, Inventory > Cluster > Rename
Host Local Operations

Table A-10. Host Local Operations Privileges
Add Host to Installs and uninstalls various agents on HC only Root folder Root folder

VirtualCenter a host, for example, vpxa and aam.
Create Virtual Creates a new virtual machine from HC only Root folder Root folder

Machine scratch on a disk without registering it
on the host.
Delete Virtual Deletes a virtual machine on disk, HC only Root folder Root folder

Machine whether registered or not.
Manage User Manages local accounts on a host. HC only Root folder Root folder

Groups User interface element – Users &
Groups tab (only present if the VI Client
logs on to the host directly)
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Network
Table A-11. Network Privileges
Assign Assigns a network to a virtual machine. VC only Virtual Networks,

Network machine Virtual
machines
Move Network Moves a network between folders. HC and VC Network, Networks
Privilege must be present at both the source and
source and destination. destination
drag‐and‐drop
Delete Removes a network. HC and VC Datacenter Datacenters
Network User interface element – Inventory
network context menu, Edit > Remove,
Inventory > Network > Remove
Performance
Table A-12. Performance Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective
Name Description Affects Object on Object
Modify Creates, removes, and updates VC only Root folder Root folder

Intervals performance data collection intervals.
User interface element –
Administration > VirtualCenter
Management Server Configuration >
Statistics
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Permissions
Table A-13. Permissions Privileges
Privilege Pair with Effective
Name Description Used Object on Object
Modify Defines one or more permission rules on HC and VC Any object All

Permission an entity, or updates rules if already plus parent inventory
present for the given user or group on object items
the entity.
User interface element – Permissions
tab context menu, Inventory >
Permissions menu
Modify Role Updates a role’s name and the HC and VC Any object Root folder

privileges.
User interface element – Roles tab
context menu, toolbar button, File menu
Reassign Role Reassigns all permissions of a role to HC and VC Any object Root folder

Permissions another role.
User interface element – Delete Role
dialog box radio button and associated
menu
Resource
Table A-14. Resource Privileges
Pair with Effective
Privilege Name Description Affects Object on Object
Apply Asks the server to go ahead with a VC only Clusters Clusters

Recommendation suggested VMotion.
User interface element – Cluster DRS
tab
Assign Virtual Assigns virtual machines to a resource HC and VC Resource Resource

Machine To Pool pool. pools pools
User interface element – New Virtual
Machine wizard
Create Pool Creates a new resource pool. HC and VC Resource Resource

User interface element – File menu, pools, pools,
context menu, Summary tab, Resources clusters clusters
tab
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Table A-14. Resource Privileges (Continued)

Pair with Effective
Privilege Name Description Affects Object on Object
Migrate Migrates a virtual machine’s execution VC only Virtual Virtual
to a specific resource pool or host. machines machines
context menu, Virtual Machine
Summary tab, Inventory > Virtual
Machine > Migrate, drag‐and‐ drop
Modify Pool Changes the allocations of a resource HC and VC Resource Resource

pool. pools plus pools
User interface element – Inventory > parent
Resource Pool > Remove, Resources object
tab
Move Pool Moves a resource pool. HC and VC Resource Resource
Privilege must be present at both the pools, pools
source and destination. source and
User interface element – destination
Drag‐and‐drop
Query VMotion Investigates the general VMotion VC only Root folder Root

compatibility of a virtual machine with folder
a set of hosts.
User interface element – Required
when displaying the migration wizard
for a powered‐on virtual machine, to
check compatibility
Relocate Cold migrates a virtual machine’s VC only Virtual Virtual

execution to a specific resource pool or machines machines
host.
context menu, Virtual Machine
Summary tab, Inventory > Virtual
Machine > Migrate, drag‐and‐ drop
Remove Pool Deletes a resource pool. HC and VC Resource Resource

User interface element – Edit > pools plus pools
Remove, Inventory > Resource Pool > parent
Remove, inventory context menu, object
Resources tab
Rename Pool Renames a resource pool. HC and VC Resource Resource
User interface element – Edit > pools pools
Rename, Inventory > Resource Pool >
Rename, context menu
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Scheduled Task
Table A-15. Scheduled Task Privileges
Create Tasks1 Schedules a task. Requires the VC only All inventory All inventory

privileges to perform the scheduled objects objects
action at the time of scheduling.
User interface element – Scheduled
Tasks toolbar button and context menu
Modify Task Reconfigures the scheduled task VC only All inventory All inventory

properties. objects objects
User interface element – Inventory >
Scheduled Tasks > Edit, Scheduled
Tasks tab context menu
Remove Task Removes a scheduled task from the VC only All inventory All inventory

queue. objects objects
User interface element – Scheduled
Tasks context menu, Inventory >
Scheduled Task > Remove, Edit >
Remove
Run Task Runs the scheduled task immediately. VC only All inventory All inventory
User interface element – Scheduled objects objects
Tasks context menu, Inventory >
Scheduled Task > Run
1. Creating and running a task (on‐demand) requires permission to invoke the associated action.
Sessions
Table A-16. Session Privileges
Global Sets the global log in message. VC only Root folder Root folder

Message User interface element – Sessions tab,
Administration > Edit Message of the
Day
Impersonate Impersonates another user. This VC only Root folder Root folder

User capability is used by extensions.
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Table A-16. Session Privileges (Continued)

Validate Verifies session validity. VC only Root folder Root folder

Session
View and Allows viewing of session. Forces log VC only Root folder Root folder

Terminate out of one or more logged‐on users.
Sessions User interface element – Sessions tab
Tasks
Table A-17. Tasks Privileges
Create Allows an extension to create a VC only Root folder Root folder

user‐defined task.
Update Allows an extension to update a VC only Root folder Root folder

user‐defined task.
Virtual Machine Configuration

Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges
Add Existing Adds a virtual disk that refers to an HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Disk existing virtual disk. machines machines
User interface element – Virtual
Machine Properties dialog box
Add New Disk Adds a virtual disk that creates a new HC and VC Virtual Virtual

virtual disk. machines machines
Add or Adds or removes any non‐disk device. HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Remove User interface element – Virtual machines machines
Device Machine Properties dialog box
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Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)

Advanced Changes values in extraConfig. HC and VC Virtual Virtual

User interface element – Virtual machines machines
Machine Properties dialog box >
Options tab > Advanced ‐ General
option > Configuration Parameters
button
Change CPU Changes the number of virtual CPUs. HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Count User interface element – Virtual machines machines
Change Changes resource configuration of a set HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Resource of virtual machine nodes in a given machines machines
resource pool.
DiskExtend Expands the size of a virtual disk. HC and VC Virtual Virtual

machines machines
Disk Lease Leases disks for VMware Consolidated HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Backup. machines machines
Host USB Attaches a host‐based USB device to a HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Device virtual machine. machines machines
User interface element > Virtual
Memory Changes the amount of memory HC and VC Virtual Virtual

allocated to the virtual machine. machines machines
Memory
Modify Device Changes the properties of an existing HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Settings device. machines machines
SCSI/IDE node selection
Raw Device1 Adds or removes a raw disk mapping HC and VC Virtual Virtual

or SCSI pass through device. machines machines
Machine Properties > Add/Remove raw
disk mapping
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Table A-18. Virtual Machine Privileges (Continued)

Remove Disk Removes a virtual disk device. HC and VC Virtual Virtual

User interface element – Virtual machines machines
Machine Properties dialog box > Hard
Disk (but not a raw disk mapping)
Rename Renames a virtual machine or modifies HC and VC Virtual Virtual

the associated notes of a virtual machines machines
machine.
Machine Properties dialog box,
inventory, inventory context menu, File
menu, Inventory menu
Reset Guest Clears guestinfo variables. HC and VC Virtual Virtual
Information No user VI Client interface elements are machines machines
Settings Changes general virtual machine HC and VC Virtual Virtual

settings. machines machines
Options tab
Swap Changes the swapfile placement policy HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Placement for a virtual machine. machines machines
Upgrade Upgrades the virtual machine’s virtual HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Virtual hardware version from a previous machines machines
Hardware version of VMware.
User interface element – context menu,
File menu (appears only if the .vmx file
shows a lower configuration number)
1. Setting this parameter overrides any other privilege for modifying raw devices, including connection states.
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Virtual Machine Interaction

Table A-19. Virtual Machine Interaction
Answer Resolves issues with virtual machine HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Question state transitions or runtime errors. machines machines
User interface element – Summary tab,
Inventory menu, context menu
Configure CD Changes the backing of a CD‐ROM HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Media device. machines machines
DVD/CD‐ROM
Configure Changes the backing of a floppy device. HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Floppy Media User interface element – Virtual machines machines
Summary tab Edit Settings
Console Interacts with the virtual machine’s HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Interaction virtual mouse, keyboard, and screen; machines machines
gets screenshot information.
User interface element – Console tab,
toolbar button, Inventory > Virtual
Machine > Open Console, inventory
context menu
Defragment Defragments all disks on the virtual HC and VC Virtual Virtual
All Disks machine. machines machines
Device Changes the connected state of a virtual HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Connection machine’s disconnectable virtual machines machines
devices.
Summary tab Edit Settings
Power Off Powers off a powered‐on virtual HC and VC Virtual Virtual

machine, shuts down guest. machines machines
Virtual Machine > Power > Power Off,
Summary tab, toolbar button, virtual
machine context menu
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Table A-19. Virtual Machine Interaction (Continued)

Power On Powers on a powered‐off virtual HC and VC Virtual Virtual

machine, resumes a suspended virtual machines machines
machine.
Virtual Machine > Power > Power On,
Reset Resets virtual machine and reboots the HC and VC Virtual Virtual
guest operating system. machines machines
Virtual Machine > Power > Reset,
Suspend Suspends a powered‐on virtual HC and VC Virtual Virtual

machine, puts guest in standby mode. machines machines
Virtual Machine > Power > Suspend,
Tools Install Mounts and unmounts the HC and VC Virtual Virtual

VMware Tools CD installer as a machines machines
CD‐ROM for the guest operating
system.
Virtual Machine > Guest >
Install/Upgrade VMware Tools, virtual
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Virtual Machine Inventory

Table A-20. Virtual Machine Inventory Privileges
Create Creates a new virtual machine and HC and VC Parent Virtual

allocates resources for its execution. folders machine
User interface element – File menu, folders
context menu, Summary tab ‐ New
Virtual Machine links
Move Relocates a virtual machine in the VC only Virtual Virtual

hierarchy. machines, machines,
Privilege must be present at both the parent virtual
source and destination. folders machine
User interface element – Inventory folders
hierarchy drag‐and‐drop in Virtual
Machines & Templates view
Remove Deletes a virtual machine, optionally HC and VC Virtual Virtual

removes underlying files from disk. machines machines
User interface element – File menu, plus parent
context menu, Summary tab folders
Virtual Machine Provisioning

Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges
Pair with Effective on
Privilege Name Description Affects Object Object
Allow Disk Opens a disk on a virtual machine for n/a Virtual Virtual

Access random read and write access. Used machines machines
mostly for remote disk mounting.
Allow ReadOnly Opens a disk on a virtual machine for n/a Virtual Virtual
Disk Access random read access. Used mostly for machines machines
remote disk mounting.
Allow Virtual Reads files associated with a virtual HC and Virtual Root folders

Machine machine, including vmx, disks, logs, VC machines
Download and nvram.
VMware, Inc. 319

Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges (Continued)

Allow Virtual Writes files associated with a virtual HC and Virtual Root folders
Machine Files machine, including vmx, disks, logs, VC machines
Upload and nvram.
Clone Clones an existing virtual machine and VC only Virtual Virtual

allocates resources. machines machines
Virtual Machine > Clone, context
menu, Summary tab
Clone Template Clones a template. VC only Virtual Virtual

User interface element – Inventory > machines machines
Virtual Machine > Template > Clone,
context menu, Virtual Machines tab
Create Template Creates a new template from a virtual VC only Virtual Virtual

From Virtual machine. machines machines
Machine User interface element – Inventory >
Virtual Machine > Template > Clone to
Template, context menu, Summary tab
items
Customize Customizes a virtual machine’s guest VC only Virtual Virtual
operating system without moving the machines machines
virtual machine.
User interface element – Clone Virtual
Machine wizard: Guest Customization
Deploy Template Creates a new virtual machine from a VC only Virtual Virtual

template. machines machines
User interface element – “Deploy to
template” File menu, context menu
items, Virtual Machines tab
Mark As Marks an existing, powered‐off virtual VC only Virtual Virtual

Template machine as a template. machines machines
Virtual Machine > Template > Convert
to Template, context menu items,
Virtual Machines tab, Summary tab
320 VMware, Inc.

Table A-21. Virtual Machine Provisioning Privileges (Continued)

Mark As Virtual Marks an existing template as a virtual VC only Virtual Virtual
Machine machine. machines machines
User interface element – “Convert to
Virtual Machine...” context menu items,
Virtual Machines tab
Modify Creates, modifies, or deletes VC only Root folder Root folder

Customization customization specifications.
Specs User interface element –
Customization Specifications Manager
Read Views the customization specifications VC only Root folder Root folder

Customization defined on the system.
Specs User interface element – Edit >
Customization Specifications
Virtual Machine State

Table A-22. Virtual Machine State Privileges
Take Snapshot Creates a new snapshot from the virtual HC and VC Virtual Virtual

machine’s current state. machines machines
User interface element – virtual
machine context menu, toolbar button,
Inventory > Virtual Machine >
Snapshot > Take Snapshot
Remove Removes a snapshot from the snapshot HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Snapshot history. machines machines
Inventory menu
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Table A-22. Virtual Machine State Privileges (Continued)

Rename Renames this snapshot with either a HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Snapshot new name or a new description or both. machines machines
Revert To Sets the virtual machine to the state it HC and VC Virtual Virtual

Snapshot was in at a given snapshot. machines machines
Inventory > Virtual Machine >
Snapshot > Revert to Snapshot, Virtual
Machines tab
322 VMware, Inc.

B
Files That Make Up a Virtual

Machine B
This appendix contains reference information about virtual machine file management.
Because virtual machine file management is performed automatically by
VMware Server, you might never need to know the names or locations of your virtual
machine files.
This appendix includes the following topic:
“Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine” on page 323
Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine

A virtual machine is typically stored on the host computer in a set of files, in the working
directory created by VMware Server for that specific virtual machine. The General tab of
the Configure VM dialog box in the virtual machine Summary tab displays the location
of the virtual machine working directory and the virtual machine configuration file.
Table B‐1 lists virtual machine file types, by file extension. In these examples,
<vm_name> is the name of the virtual machine.
Table B-1. Virtual Machine Files

Extension File Name Description
.log vmware.log Log files contain detailed information about actions

vmware-<#>.log performed in the virtual machine. Log files are useful
for troubleshooting.
.nvram <vm_name>.nvram The NVRAM file stores the virtual machine’s BIOS

settings.
VMware, Inc. 323

Table B-1. Virtual Machine Files (Continued)

.vmdk Virtual disk files store the information written to a
virtual machine’s hard disk, including the operating
system, program files, and data files. A virtual disk is
made up of one or more .vmdk files.
If you create more than one virtual disk, the
corresponding disk files include a number in the
filename following the virtual machine name.
<vm_name>.vmdk Growable disks increase in size as data is added.
Growable disk files use a small amount of space at
<vm_name>_<#>.vmdk the beginning of the file for virtual machine
overhead.
<vm_name>.vmdk Preallocated disks are created at their maximum size
<vm_name>-flat.vmdk and do not grow.
Two files are created for each preallocated virtual
disk. The file without flat in the name contains
<vm_name>_<#>.vmdk
metadata about the corresponding disk file.
<vm_name>_<#>-flat.vmdk
<vm_name>.vmdk Preallocated virtual disk files split into 2GB chunks.
<vm_name>-f<###>.vmdk The number of files depends on the total size of the
virtual disk. As data is added to a virtual disk, the
.vmdk files grow, to a maximum of 2GB each.
<vm_name>_<#>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>-f<###>.vmdk
<vm_name>.vmdk Growable virtual disk files split into 2GB chunks.
<vm_name>-s<###>.vmdk The number of files depends on the total size of the
virtual disk. As data is added to a virtual disk, the
.vmdk files grow, to a maximum of 2GB each.
<vm_name>_<#>.vmdk
<vm_name>_<#>-s<###>.vmdk
<vm_name>-<######>.vmdk Redo‐log files store changes to disks that are
included in snapshots. These redo files are saved
when the virtual machine is powered off or reset.
<vm_name>_<#>-<######>.vmdk
When you revert to the snapshot, the contents of the
redo log are discarded. Any additional changes are,
once again, accumulated in a new redo log.
Redo‐log files that store changes to nonpersistent
disks are present while the virtual machine is
running, and are discarded when the virtual
machine is powered off or reset.
324 VMware, Inc.

Appendix B Files That Make Up a Virtual Machine
Table B-1. Virtual Machine Files (Continued)

.vmem <vm_name>.vmem The virtual memory paging file backs up the guest

main memory on the host file system. (The virtual
machine uses the physical memory on the host.) The
paging file is present while a virtual machine is
running, and is deleted when a virtual machine is
powered off normally.
<vm_name>-Snapshot<#>.vmem The snapshot memory file stores the state of the
virtual machine’s memory for a snapshot taken when
a virtual machine is powered on.
.vmsd <vm_name>.vmsd Stores metadata and information about snapshots.
.vmsn <vm_name>-Snapshot<#>.vmsn Stores the state of a virtual machine at the time you

take the snapshot.
.vmss <vm_name>.vmss Stores the state of a suspended virtual machine.
.vmx <vm_name>.vmx The primary virtual machine configuration file

stores settings chosen in the New Virtual Machine
wizard and the Configure VM dialog box.
Do not edit the virtual machine configuration file
directly. Instead, use the Advanced tab of the
Configure VM dialog box. See “Changing Virtual
Machine Advanced Settings” on page 127.
.vmxf <vm_name>.vmxf Supplementary virtual machine configuration file.
.lck <paging_file>.vmem.lck Lock files prevent data consistency problems on

<redo_file>.vmdk.lck virtual disks. Lock files are present while a virtual
<disk_file>.vmdk.lck machine is running, and are deleted when a virtual
machine is powered off normally.
If the host system crashes while a virtual machine is
running, a stale lock often remains. When the virtual
machine is started again, it attempts to remove the
stale lock. To verify that the lock file is stale,
VMware Server confirms that:
The lock was created on the same host where the
virtual machine is running.
The process that created the lock is not running.
If either of those conditions is not true, a warning
message appears, indicating that the virtual machine
cannot be powered on. If you are sure it is safe to do
so, you can delete the lock files manually.
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326 VMware, Inc.

Glossary
A alarm
An entity that monitors one or more properties of a virtual machine, such as CPU
load. Alarms issue notifications as directed by the configurable alarm definition.
authorization role
A set of privileges grouped for convenient identification under names such as
“Administrator.”
B BIOS (basic input/output system)
Firmware that controls machine startup and manages communication between the
CPU and other devices, such as the keyboard, monitor, printers, and disk drives.
bridged networking
In hosted products, a type of network connection between a virtual machine and
the host’s physical network. With bridged networking, a virtual machine appears
to be an additional computer on the same physical Ethernet network as the host.
See also custom networking, host‐only networking, NAT (network address
translation).
C child
A managed entity grouped by a folder object or another managed entity. See also
folder.
cluster
A server group in the virtual environment. Clusters enable a high availability
solution.
VMware, Inc. 327

custom networking
Any type of network connection between virtual machines and the host that does
not use the default bridged, host‐only, or network address translation (NAT)
configurations. For instance, different virtual machines can be connected to the
host by separate networks or connected to each other and not to the host. Any
network topology is possible. See also bridged networking, host‐only networking,
NAT (network address translation).
D–E datastore
Virtual representations of combinations of underlying physical storage resources.
A datastore is the storage location for virtual machine files. The storage location
can be the local file system, a CIFS store (Windows only), or an NFS‐mounted file
system (Linux only).
disk mode
A property of a virtual disk that defines its external behavior (how the
virtualization layer treats its data) but is completely invisible to the guest operating
system. Available modes vary by product and include persistent mode (changes to
the disk are always preserved across sessions) and nonpersistent mode (changes
are never preserved).
F folder
A managed entity used to group other managed entities. Folder types are
determined by the kinds of child entities they contain. See also child.
FQDN (fully qualified domain name)
The name of a host, including both the host name and the domain name. For
example, the FQDN of a host named esx1 in the domain vmware.com is
esx1.vmware.com.
full screen mode
A display mode in which the virtual machine’s display fills the entire screen.
G group
A set of users assigned a common set of privileges. A group may contain other
groups.
growable disk
A type of virtual disk in which the disk space is not preallocated to its full size. Its
files start out small in size and grow as data is written to the disk. See also
preallocated disk.
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Glossary
guest operating system
An operating system that runs inside a virtual machine. See also host operating
system.
H host
The physical computer on which the VMware Server software is installed.
host agent
Software that, when installed on a virtual machine host, performs actions on behalf
of a remote client.
hosted products
VMware products (including Workstation, VMware Player, VMware Server,
VMware ACE, and Lab Manager) that run as applications on physical machines
with operating systems such as Microsoft Windows or Linux. By comparison, ESX
is a “bare‐metal” product, which provides a thin software layer (the hypervisor)
that enables it to run directly on the physical machine.
host‐only networking
A type of network connection between a virtual machine and the host. With
host‐only networking, a virtual machine is connected to the host on a private
network, which normally is not visible outside the host. Multiple virtual machines
configured with host‐only networking on the same host are on the same network.
See also bridged networking, custom networking, NAT (network address
translation).
host operating system
An operating system that runs on the host machine. See also guest operating
system.
I-L IDE
Acronym for integrated drive electronics, a standard electronic interface used to
connect mass storage devices to a computer. The ANSI name for IDE is Advanced
Technology Attachment (ATA).
independent disk
A type of virtual disk that is not affected by snapshots. You can configure
independent disks in persistent and nonpersistent modes. See also nonpersistent
mode, persistent mode, snapshot.
VMware, Inc. 329

inventory
A hierarchical structure used by VMware Server to organize managed entities.
This hierarchy is presented as a list that provides a view of all the monitored
objects.
M managed entity
A managed object that is present in the inventory. See also inventory.
MKS (mouse, keyboard, screen)
A set of basic input‐output services for user interaction with a virtual machine.
MSCS (Microsoft Cluster Service)
Software that distributes data among the nodes of the cluster. If one node fails,
other nodes provide failover support for applications such as databases, file
servers, and mail servers.
N-O NAT (network address translation)
In hosted networking, a type of network connection that enables you to connect
your virtual machines to an external network when you have only one IP network
address and the host computer uses that address. The VMware NAT device passes
network data between one or more virtual machines and the external network. It
identifies incoming data packets intended for each virtual machine and sends them
to the correct destination.
NetBIOS (network basic input/output system)
An API that enables applications on different computers to communicate across a
LAN. NetBIOS provides the name service and offers two communication modes:
session service for connection‐oriented communication and datagram distribution
service for connectionless communication.
NIC (network interface card)
An expansion board that provides a dedicated connection between a computer
and a network. Also called a “network adapter.”
nonpersistent mode
A disk mode in which all disk writes issued by software running inside a virtual
machine appear to be written to the independent disk but are in fact discarded
after the virtual machine is powered off. As a result, a virtual disk or physical disk
in independent‐nonpersistent mode is not modified by activity in the virtual
machine. See also disk mode, persistent mode.
330 VMware, Inc.

Glossary
P-Q permission
A data object consisting of an authorization role, a user or group name, and a
managed entity reference. A permission allows a specified user to access the entity
(such as a virtual machine) with any of the privileges pertaining to the role.
persistent mode
A disk mode in which all disk writes issued by software running inside a virtual
machine are immediately and permanently written to a virtual disk that has been
configured as an independent disk. As a result, a virtual disk or physical disk in
independent‐persistent mode behaves like a conventional disk drive on a physical
computer. See also disk mode, nonpersistent mode.
preallocated disk
A type of virtual disk where all disk space for the virtual machine is allocated at
the time the disk is created. See also growable disk.
privilege
Authorization to perform a specific action or set of actions on a managed object or
group of managed objects.
R read‐only user
A role in which the user is allowed to view the inventory but not allowed to
perform any tasks.
resume
To return a virtual machine to operation from its suspended state. When you
resume a suspended virtual machine, all applications are in the same state they
were when the virtual machine was suspended. See also suspend.
role
A defined set of privileges that can be assigned to users and groups to control
access to VMware Server objects.
S-T shrink
To reclaim unused space in a virtual disk. If a disk has empty space, shrinking
reduces the amount of space the virtual disk occupies on the host drive. You cannot
shrink preallocated virtual disks.
VMware, Inc. 331

snapshot
A reproduction of the virtual machine just as it was when you took the snapshot,
including the virtual machine’s power state (on, off, or suspended). If the virtual
hard disks are not set to independent mode, a snapshot also includes the state of
the data on all the virtual machine’s disks. You can take a snapshot when a virtual
machine is powered on, powered off, or suspended. See also independent disk.
suspend
To save the current state of a running virtual machine. To return a suspended
virtual machine to operation, use the resume feature. See also resume.
U user
A user is a principal known to the system.
V–Z virtual disk
A file or set of files that appears as a physical disk drive to a guest operating
system. These files can be on the host machine or on a remote file system. See also
growable disk, preallocated disk.
virtual hardware
The devices that make up a virtual machine. The virtual hardware includes the
virtual disk, removable devices such as the CD/DVD and floppy drives, and the
virtual Ethernet adapter.
virtual machine
A virtualized x86 PC environment in which a guest operating system and
associated application software can run. Multiple virtual machines can operate on
the same host machine concurrently.
virtual machine administrator
A role in which the user is allowed to perform all the virtual machine management
functions.
virtual machine configuration
The specification of which virtual devices, such as disks and memory, are present
in a virtual machine and how they are mapped to host files and devices.
virtual machine configuration file
A file containing a virtual machine configuration. This .vmx file is created when
you create the virtual machine. It is used to identify and run a specific virtual
machine.
332 VMware, Inc.

Glossary
virtual machine user
A role in which the user is allowed to perform power operations on virtual
machines.
virtual network
A network connecting virtual machines that does not depend on physical
hardware connections. For example, you can create a virtual network between a
virtual machine and a host that has no external network connections.
virtual network editor
An editor that runs on the host and is used to view and modify the networking
settings for the virtual networks created by VMware Server.
VMware authorization service
The service that VMware Server employs to authenticate users. The process is
called vmware‐authd on Linux hosts.
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334 VMware, Inc.

Index
A adding
About menu option CD/DVD drives 151
VI Web Access 54 datastores 110
About tab floppy drives 154
VMware Tools 95 generic SCSI devices 157
acceleration hard disks 144
enabling and disabling in guest 128, host virtual adapters 227
280 network adapters 223
hardware in Windows Server parallel ports 177
2003 282 passthrough SCSI devices 157
access permissions 206
inventory objects 201 roles 204
permissions 206 serial ports 166
privileges 299 sound adapters 165
rules for inheritance 208 USB controllers 159
rules for propagation 208 virtual machine to inventory 108
Add Hardware wizard add-on
adding CD/DVD drives 151 VMware Remote Console 52
adding floppy drives 154 addresses
adding generic SCSI devices 157 assigning IP 231
adding hard disks 144 assigning MAC 234
adding network adapters 223 assigning MAC manually 235
adding parallel ports 177 IP on virtual network 230
adding passthrough SCSI network address translation 248
devices 157 using DHCP to assign on virtual
adding serial ports 166 network 230
adding sound adapters 165 Advanced tab
adding USB controllers 159 VI Web Access 127
using the wizard 137 alarms
virtual machine power state 137 privileges 300
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assigning SCSI system requirements 29

IP addresses 230 using ATAPI emulation 150
MAC addresses 234 CIFS datastores 110
ATAPI emulation 150 client devices
audio in virtual machines 31, 165 connecting and disconnecting 132
AudioPCI sound adapter 165 clock
automatic bridging 226, 268 real-time on Linux host 41
synchronize guest and host 93, 126
B clustering
background snapshots applications 288
enabling and disabling 115 cluster in a box 291
backups configuring virtual machines 292
restoring from snapshot 120 overview 287
restoring quiesced 120 software requirements 288
taking quiesced 118 two-node cluster 293
taking using VSS 118 command-line interface
BIOS for VIX API 139
NVRAM file in virtual machine 323 for VMware Tools 104
provided in virtual machine 28 configuring
setup when virtual machine advanced virtual machine
boots 125 options 127
bridged networking automatic bridging 226, 268
configuring 225 bridged networking 225
explained 212 CD/DVD drives 150
Bridging tab custom virtual networks 219
in virtual network editor 268 DHCP on Linux host 231
BusLogic SCSI driver 29, 63, 159 DHCP on Windows host 231
DHCP settings 227, 269
C floppy drives 154
CD/DVD drives groups 203
accessing directly 151 hard disks 141
adding 151 host virtual network mapping 226
autorun polling in virtual memory size in virtual
machines 281 machines 277
connecting and disconnecting 132 NAT 251
editing 152 NAT on Linux host 257
IDE system requirements 29 NAT settings 270
removing 153 network adapters 222
parallel ports 177
336 VMware, Inc.

Index
processors in virtual machines 279 roles 204

SCSI controllers 159 serial ports 166
SCSI devices 156 sound adapters 165
second bridged network on a Linux USB controllers 159
host 237 virtual machines 59
serial ports 166 VMware Remote Console
sound adapters 164 shortcuts 134
USB controllers 159 Web shortcuts for virtual
users 203 machines 133
virtual machine file settings 129 Creative Labs 31, 165
virtual network subnet settings 227
virtual networking settings 267
D
virtual networks 211, 215, 222 datacenters
VMware Tools scripts 125 privileges 301
connecting datastores
CD/DVD drives 132 adding 110
floppy drives 132 managing 110
floppy image files 132 removing 112
ISO image files 132 renaming 111
USB devices 160 DDNS 236
Console tab debugging
VI Web Access 52 effect on performance 281
console, virtual machine 52, 53 enabling and disabling virtual
machine 127
core files 16
default scripts for VMware Tools 97
CPU
defragmenting
host requirement 24
physical host disks 274
provided in virtual machines 28
virtual disks 147, 280
See also processors 279
deleting
creating
CD/DVD drives 153
CD/DVD drives 151
datastores 112
datastores 110
floppy drives 156
floppy drives 154
hard disks 146
generic SCSI devices 157
network adapters 225
hard disks 144
parallel ports 179
permissions 208
parallel ports 177
roles 205
passthrough SCSI devices 157
serial ports 170
permissions 206
sound adapters 166
VMware, Inc. 337

USB controllers 160 disconnecting

virtual machines 108, 130 CD/DVD drives 132
desktop shortcut for VMware Server 38 floppy drives 132
device drivers floppy image files 132
BusLogic SCSI 63 ISO image files 132
LSI Logic SCSI 63 USB devices 164
VMware Tools 74 disk space
devices required on host computer 24
configuring SCSI in virtual disks
machines 156 defragmenting 147
connecting and disconnecting in DMA and performance 283
VMware Remote growable 62, 142
Console 132
IDE drives in virtual machines 29
connecting and disconnecting in
IDE drives supported in host 24
VMware Tools 94
preallocated 62, 142
disconnecting USB 164
SCSI drives in virtual machines 29
using USB in virtual machines 161
SCSI drives supported in host 24
Devices menu
shrinking 147
VMware Remote Console 132
types supported in host 24
Devices tab
DMA and disk performance 283, 284
VMware Tools 94
DNS 249
DHCP
drivers
assigning IP addresses on a virtual
network 230 BusLogic SCSI 63
changing settings 227 LSI Logic SCSI 63
configuring in virtual network video, in older versions of
editor 269 Windows 77
configuring on a Linux host 231 DVD drives
configuring on a Windows host 231 optical drives supported in host 25
on a virtual network with NAT 249 supported in virtual machines 150
server on virtual network 217, 218 See also CD/DVD drives
servers 214 dynamic domain name service 236
troubleshooting on a Linux host 236
E
DHCP tab
editing
in virtual network editor 269
CD/DVD drives 152
dhcpd 236
floppy drives 155
dial-up connections 233
generic SCSI devices 158
direct memory access
hard disks 145
See DMA
338 VMware, Inc.

Index
parallel ports 178 floppy drives

passthrough SCSI devices 158 adding 154
permissions 207 connecting and disconnecting 132
roles 205 editing 155
SCSI controllers 159 removing 156
serial ports 169 supported in virtual machines 30
sound adapters 165 floppy images
Ethernet adapters adding 154
See network adapters connecting and disconnecting 132
events editing 155
virtual machine 57 removing 156
VMware Server 57 supported in virtual machines 30
Events tab folders
VI Web Access 57 privileges 303
exiting VMware Remote Console 133 FreeBSD
extensions VMware Tools for 86
privileges 302 FTP 250
full screen mode
F entering 131
fault tolerance in networks 225 leaving 131
files
BIOS in virtual machines 323 G
redo log 324 gated server processes 235
sharing on a Linux host using General tab
Samba 258 VI Web Access 124
snapshot 325 generating
suspended state 325 VMware Remote Console
used by a virtual machine 323 shortcuts 134
virtual disk 324 Web shortcuts for virtual
virtual machine configuration 325 machines 133
virtual machine locking 325 generic SCSI devices 156
virtual machine log 323 adding 157
Firefox editing 158
requirements for VI Web Access 27 removing 158
requirements for VMware Remote global privileges 303
Console 27 graphics
using VMware Remote Console 52 support in virtual machine 29
firewall 255 groups 201
managing 203
VMware, Inc. 339

growable virtual disks 62, 142 hosts

guest operating system CIM privileges 305
defined 23 configuration privileges 306
installing 68 inventory privileges 308
interacting with 131 local operations privileges 309
pressing Ctrl+Alt+Del 131 host-wide settings 113, 115
supported 31
upgrading 71 I
ICMP 250
H IDE
hard disks drives in virtual machines 29
adding 144 drives supported in host 24
editing 145 importing virtual machines 108
removing 146 independent virtual disks 63
hardware version of virtual machines 61, installing
72 disk space requirements 24
heartbeat guest operating system 68
and clustering virtual machines 292 Linux guests in text mode 279
host computer on Linux host 41
disk space required 24 on Windows host 37
system requirements 23 software in a virtual machine 138
host operating system VMware Remote Console add-
defined 23 on 52
supported Linux 26 VMware Server 35
supported Windows 25 VMware Server silently on Windows
host virtual adapters hosts 39
adding 227 VMware Tools 76
disabling 227 VMware Tools silently on Windows
enabling 227 guests 78
removing 227 Internet Explorer
Host Virtual Adapters tab requirements for VI Web Access 27
in virtual network editor 269 requirements for VMware Remote
Console 27
Host Virtual Mapping tab
using VMware Remote Console 52
inventory
host virtual network mapping 226, 268
access to objects 201
host-only networking
inventory panel
basic configuration 218
VI Web Access 48
selecting IP addresses 230
Iomega zip drives and parallel ports 184
340 VMware, Inc.

Index
IP address VI Web Access 17

assigning 231 virtual machine 16
IP forwarding 233 VMware Authorization Service 16
ISO images VMware host agent 16
connecting and disconnecting 132 VMware Remote Console 17
logging
K enabling and disabling 127
kernel upgrades and VMware Server 42 logging in
key code mappings 187 access permissions 201
keyboards to VI Web Access 48
mapping on a Linux host 184 logging out
keysym VI Web Access 57
defined 185 LSI Logic SCSI devices 29
mapping 187 LSI Logic SCSI driver 63, 159
L M
leaking MAC addresses 234, 235
IP packets in host-only network 232 managing
IP packets in virtual machine 233 datastores 110
licensing, serial number and 39 groups 203
Linux guests users 203
performance 279 mappings
VMware Tools for 80, 82 key code 187
Linux hosts keyboard 184
installing VMware Server 41 keysym 187
performance 274 memory
supported operating systems 26 amount required on host 24
uninstalling VMware Server on 43 available in virtual machine 29
location choosing for best performance 277
virtual machine configuration configuring 277
file 124, 323 editing 277
working directory 124, 323 host-wide settings 113, 275
.lck file 325 reserving for virtual machines 113
locking setting when creating virtual
snapshots 126 machine 61
.log file 323 swapping in host 114
log files virtual machine memory size 277
authorization service 16
host agent 16
VMware, Inc. 341

menu options nat.conf 252, 257

VI Web Access 54 NetWare, Novell 96
virtual machine 54 network adapters
message log adding virtual 223
viewing VMware Remote editing virtual 224
Console 133 removing virtual 225
MIDI 164 teaming 226, 238
MMU 128 networks
modifying automatic bridging 226
CD/DVD drives 152 changing DHCP settings 227
floppy drives 155 changing subnet settings 227
hard disks 145 changing the configuration 222
network adapters 224 common configurations 215
parallel ports 178 components 213
permissions 207 configuring 211
SCSI controllers 159 configuring automatic bridging 268
serial ports 169 configuring bridged 225
sound adapters 165 configuring DHCP 269
mouse driver configuring NAT 270
installed by VMware Tools 74 configuring options 267
MP3 164 custom configurations 219
Mylex SCSI adapter 29 DHCP 230
DHCP server 214
N dial-up connections 233
named pipe 168, 171, 172, 173, 175 dynamic domain name service 236
NAT fault tolerance 225
advanced configuration 251 hardware addresses 234
and DHCP 249 host virtual network mapping 226
and DNS 249 host-only 218
and the host computer 249 host-only subnet 230
configuring 270 IP forwarding 233
external access from a NAT IP packet leaks 232, 233
network 250
MAC addresses 234
on virtual networks 216, 248
managing host virtual adapters 269
sample configuration file for Linux
mapping bridged adapters 268
host 257
NAT 216, 248
selecting IP addresses 230
NAT as firewall 255
NAT tab
NAT subnet 230
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Index
overview of virtual network overview

options 212 VI Web Access 48
packet filtering 233
privileges 310 P
promiscuous mode on a Linux packets
host 247 filtering 233
refreshing virtual 223 leaks in host-only network 232
routing between two host-only leaks in virtual machine 233
networks 243 parallel ports
routing on a Linux host 235 adding 177
Samba 258 and Iomega zip drives 184
second bridged network on a Linux and the Linux kernel 180
host 237
configuring on a Linux host 180
switches 213
editing 178
teamed NICs 226, 238
in a virtual machine 179
token ring 217
removing 179
troubleshooting DHCP on a Linux
paravirtualization 128
host 236
two host-only networks 240
adding 157
virtual adapters 214
editing 158
virtual DHCP server 217, 218
removing 158
Virtual Network Editor 231
passwords in Samba password file 263
virtual switches 213
PCI slots
NFS datastores 110
in virtual machine 29
NFS root squash option 110
limits 29
NICS
performance
See network adapters
CD/DVD drive autorun polling 281
nonpersistent virtual disks 63
debugging mode 281
NTBackup 118
disk options 283
NVRAM file for BIOS settings 323
DMA and disks 283
O eliminating snapshots 280
operating system installing applications in a guest 280
installing guest 68 Linux guests 279
supported guest 31 memory settings 277
supported Linux host 26 memory usage 275, 277
supported Windows host 25 privileges 310
Options tab remote disk access 280
VMware Tools 93
VMware, Inc. 343

Windows 2000 guest 282 resource 311

Windows 95 and Windows 98 scheduled tasks 313
guests 283 sessions 313
permissions 201, 206 tasks 314
access 206 virtual machine 319
creating 206 virtual machine configuration 314
editing 207 virtual machine interaction 317
hierarchy of 208 virtual machine provisioning 319
privileges 311 virtual machine state 321
removing 208 processor count
settings, multiple 208 configuring 279
persistent virtual disks 63 maximum in virtual machine 279
physical disks setting when creating virtual
storing virtual disks on 64, 143 machine 62
ping 250 processors
pipe, named 168, 171, 172, 173, 175 host requirement 24
plug-in provided in virtual machines 28
VMware Remote Console 52 product compatibility 61
power off product registration 15
snapshot options 127, 199 promiscuous mode 247
power state PXE image file 36, 62
changing virtual machine 122
current virtual machine 51 Q
Power tab quiesced backups 118
VI Web Access 125 quiet mode, install VMware Tools 78
preallocated virtual disks 62, 142 quitting VMware Remote Console 133
privileges 201, 299
alarms 300
R
configuration 306 RAM
datacenter 301 amount required on host 24
extension 302 available in virtual machine 29
folders 303 Real Media 164
global 303 real-time clock requirement on Linux
host 41
host CIM 305
redo-log files 324
host inventory 308
refreshing
host local operations 309
virtual network 223
network 310
registration 15
performance 310
permission 311
344 VMware, Inc.

Index
Remote Console routed server processes 235

See VMware Remote Console routing
removing between two host-only
CD/DVD drives 153 networks 243
datastores 112 for a host-only network on a Linux
floppy drives 156 host 235
generic SCSI devices 158 RPM installer
hard disks 146 for VMware Server 42
host virtual adapters 227 for VMware Tools 80, 82
network adapters 225 running
parallel ports 179 suspended virtual machines 193
S
permissions 208
Samba
roles 205
already running on a Linux host 264
serial ports 170
and file sharing on a Linux host 258
sound adapters 166
and printer sharing 259
USB controllers 160
CIFS datastores 110
USB devices 164
on both bridged and host-only
virtual machines from
networks 265
inventory 108, 130
password file 263
renaming
running two Samba servers 265
datastores 111
sample configuration file 259, 261,
roles 205
265
repairing
saving virtual machine state 193, 195
VMware Tools installations 91
scan code 185
reporting problems 15
scheduled tasks
resources
privileges 313
privileges 311
scripts
resuming
creating custom VMware Tools 99
virtual machines 193
enabling, disabling, and running 94
roles 201
running and disabling 100
configuring 203
running during power state
creating 204 changes 97
default 204 VMware Tools 125
editing 205 Scripts tab
managing 203 VMware Tools 94
privileges, lists of 299 SCSI controller 159
removing 205
renaming 205
VMware, Inc. 345

SCSI devices Shared Folders tab

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

Index
sound adapters SVGA drivers

adding 165 installing in Windows guests 77
device compatibility 164 SVGA graphics support 29
drivers for Windows guests 165 swap space on a Linux host 274
editing 165 switches
removing 166 virtual networks 213
sound drivers 165 system requirements 23
specifications for virtual machines 28 memory 24
starting processors 24
suspended virtual machines 193 remote client 27
virtual machines automatically 116 VI Web Access 27
startup VMware Remote Console 27
host-wide virtual machine
settings 115 T
order of virtual machines 117 tabs
startup commands in VI Web Access 49
used by VMware Tools 102 in VMware Tools control panel 91
startup scripts tar installer
using VMware Tools 101 for VMware Server 41
statistics for VMware Tools 82
enabling and disabling 128 tasks
stopping privileges 314
order of virtual machines 117 virtual machine 56
subnet VMware Server 56
changing settings 227 Tasks tab
in NAT configuration 230 VI Web Access 56
on host-only networks 230 teamed network interface cards 226,
Summary tab 51 238
in virtual network editor 267 telnet 250
VI Web Access 51 time synchronization, between guest and
supported guest operating systems 31 host 93, 126
supported host operating systems time.synchronize options for VMware
Tools 93
Linux 26
token ring networks 217
Windows 25
toolbar
suspending
power operations 122
virtual machine files storing
state 325 USB controller 160
virtual machines 193 tools
See VMware Tools
VMware, Inc. 347

U V
uninstalling VGA graphics support 29
host virtual adapters 227 VI Web Access
VMware Server on Linux host 43 changing guest operating
VMware Server on Windows system 124
host 41 changing virtual machine name 124
VMware Tools 91 changing virtual machine power
unplugging USB devices 164 settings 109, 125
updating configuring VMware Tools
guest operating system 71 scripts 125
virtual machine hardware Events tab 57
version 72 General tab 124
upgrading inventory panel 48
guest operating system 71 log files 17
Linux kernel, reconfiguring VMware logging in 48
Server after 42 logging out 57
virtual machine hardware managing virtual machine
version 72 inventory 108
USB menu options 54
connecting devices 160 overview 48
control of devices by host and Power tab 125
guest 163 setting guest operating system 124
devices in a virtual machine 161 setting snapshot options 126
disconnecting devices 164 setting virtual machine name 124
enabling and disabling the setting virtual machine power
controller 159 options 125
on a Linux host 163 Snapshot tab 126
on a Windows host 162 Summary tab 51
port specifications 30 Tasks tab 56
supported device types 161 Virtual Machines tab 109
USB 1.1 161 workspace 48
USB 2.0 161 Virtual Appliance Marketplace 36, 54
USB controllers Virtual Disk Manager 149
adding 159 virtual disks
removing 160 adding 144
users allocating space 142
configuring 203 caching 64
managing 203 constituent files 324
defragmenting 147, 280
348 VMware, Inc.

Index
editing 145 configuring sound 165

growable 62, 142 configuring sound adapters 164
independent mode 63 console to interact with guest 52, 53
nonpersistent 63 constituent files 323
persistent 63 creating 59
preallocated 62, 142 creating virtual disks 62
removing 146 creating VMware Remote Console
SCSI drivers 63 shortcuts 134
setting maximum size 142 creating Web shortcuts 133
shrinking 95, 147 default location 59
shrinking in Netware 96 deleting 108, 130
size 29 deleting floppy drives 156
storing on physical disks 64, 143 editing CD/DVD drives 152
Virtual Disk Manager 149 editing floppy drives 155
Virtual Machine Communication editing hard disks 145
Interface (VMCI) 74 editing parallel ports 178
virtual machines editing serial ports 169
adding CD/DVD drives 151 editing sound adapters 165
adding floppy drives 154 entering BIOS setup at boot 125
adding hard disks 144 events 57
adding parallel ports 177 generating VMware Remote
adding serial ports 166 Console shortcuts 134
adding sound adapters 165 generating Web shortcuts 133
adding to inventory 108 hardware specifications 28
adding USB controllers 159 hardware version 61, 72
and SMP 278 host-wide settings 115
changing guest operating IDE drives in 29
system 124 importing 108
changing power settings 109, 125 installing software in 138
changing snapshot settings 126 interaction privileges 317
changing the name of 124 inventory of 108
choosing datastore location 59 inventory privileges 319
configuration file 325 location 59
configuration file location 124, 323 log files 323
configuration file parameters 129 managing inventory 108
configuration privileges 314 memory settings 61
configuring memory 277 menu options 54
configuring processor count 279 performing disk maintenance 147
configuring SCSI controllers 159 platform specifications 28
VMware, Inc. 349

power operations 122 editing adapters 224

processor settings 62 refreshing 223
product compatibility 61 removing adapters 225
provisioning privileges 319 teamed NICs 226
removing CD/DVD drives 153 Virtual SMP 278
removing floppy drives 156 virtual switches 213
removing from inventory 108, 130 VIX API 23, 139
removing hard disks 146 VMCI Sockets interface 139
removing parallel ports 179 .vmdk file 324
removing serial ports 170 .vmem file 325
removing sound adapters 166 VMI (Virtual Machine Interface) 128
removing USB controllers 160 vmnet1.conf 237
resuming 193 VMnet8 248
setting guest operating system 124 vmrun 139
setting power options 125 .vmsd file 325
setting shutdown order 117 .vmsn file 325
setting snapshot options 126 .vmss file 325
setting startup order 117 vmvsswriter.cfg file 119
setting the name of 124 VMware Authorization Service
starting automatically 116 default port 43
state privileges 321 log 16
status information 51 vmware-config.pl 42
summary information 51 VMware host agent
summary view 51 log 16
suspending 193 VMware Remote Console 17
tasks 56 desktop shortcuts 134
working directory location 124, 323 full screen mode 131
Virtual Machines tab installing Web browser add-on 52
VI Web Access 109 interacting with guest 131
virtual network adapters 214 powering off 132
Virtual Network Editor 267 quitting 133
virtual networks resetting 132
adding adapters 223 shortcuts 134
changing the configuration 222 starting 53
components 213 viewing message log 133
configuring 211 VMware Remote Console shortcuts 134
configuring in virtual network VMware Server
editor 267 host-wide settings 113
DHCP server 218 logging in 48
350 VMware, Inc.

Index
logging out 57 VMware Tools service

serial number for 39 executing commands on halt or
VMware Tools 126 reboot 101
About tab 95 overview of 74
automated install 78 passing strings from the host 101
command-line interface 104 VMware user process, in VMware
configuring 91 Tools 75
configuring in a Netware virtual vmware-user, starting manually 89
machine 96 vmware-config.pl file 42
control panel 91 vmwtool program 96
device drivers 74 .vmx file 325
Devices tab 94 .vmxf file 325
for FreeBSD guests 86 Volume Shadow Copy Service 118
for Linux guests 80, 82 v-scan code
for Solaris guests 84 defined 185
installing 76 table of codes 188
installing from the command line VSS 118
with the RPM installer 82
installing from the command line W
with the tar installer 82 .wav file 164
installing in Windows guests 76 Web shortcuts
interacting with VSS 118 creating 133
modifying installation 91 generating 133
Options tab 93 Windows Backup 118
repairing installation 91 Windows credential manager 111
running 122 Windows hosts
running scripts during power state installing VMware Server 37
changes 97 uninstalling VMware Server 41
Scripts tab 94 working directory 124, 323
Shared Folders tab 95 workspace in VI Web Access 48
Shrink tab 95
silent install 78 X
taskbar icon, displaying 92 X server and keyboard mapping 184
uninstalling 91 xFree86 and keyboard mapping 184
using from command line 96
VMware user process 75 Z
vmwtool commands 96 zip drives
VMware Tools scripts 125 on a parallel port 184
VMware, Inc. 351

352 VMware, Inc.

VMware Server User's Guide

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VMware Server User’s Guide

VMware Server 2.0

VMware Server User’s Guide

Table 1. Revision History

Technical Support and Education Resources

Online and Telephone Support

VMware Professional Services

To run the support script on a Linux host

To run the support script on a Windows host

Virtual Machine Log File

VMware Host Agent Log File

VMware Authorization Service Log File

To enable logging for the VMware Authorization Service

VI Web Access Log Files

VMware Remote Console Log Files

Introduction and System

VMware Server Product Benefits

New Features of VMware Server 2.0

VMware Remote Console

VMware Remote Console also allows you to connect and disconnect client CD/DVD

Increased Memory Support

Increase in Number of Network Adapters Supported

Quiesced Backups of Virtual Machines on Windows

Support for High-Speed USB 2.0 Devices

Additional Host Operating System Support

Additional Guest Operating System Support

Improved 64-Bit Guest Support

64-Bit Sound Driver

Native 64-Bit Host Support on Linux

Updated VIX API

VMCI Sockets Interface

About the Host and Guest Computers

Host System Requirements

Optical CD/DVD Drive

Local Area Networking

Windows Host Operating Systems

Linux Host Operating System Requirements

VI Web Access and VMware Remote Console Client

Virtual Machine Specifications

Serial (COM) Ports

Parallel (LPT) Ports

Mouse and Drawing Tablets

Supported Guest Operating Systems

Windows 64-Bit Operating Systems

Windows 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Linux 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Linux 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Sun Solaris 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Sun Solaris 32-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Novell NetWare 32-Bit Guest Operating System

Processor Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

Installing VMware Server 2

Preparing to Install VMware Server

Sharing a VMware Server Host with Other VMware Products

Installing VMware Server on a Windows Host

To install VMware Server on a Windows host

Installing VMware Server Silently

To install VMware Server silently

Table 2-1. Values for the REMOVE Setting

Table 2-2. PROPERTY Values

Linux hosts: The default location of a virtual machine called My Windows XP is: