Modify a device by double-clicking it in the edit dialog. For example, if you have more than one CD drive, Auto Detect might sense the drive without the installation disk when the OS is powered on. Double-click CD-ROM to change from Auto Detect to a specified drive letter. You are limited to one CD-ROM per virtual machine.
Installing a virtual OS
Once you have configured devices on the new virtual machine, you are ready to install an operating system. Place the operating system installation CD in the drive and power on your new guest by clicking Start This Virtual Machine. You may also create an ISO image and configure the new guest operating system to boot from it by choosing Edit | Virtual Machine Settings, clicking on CD-ROM, and setting the CD-ROM to the location of your ISO image.
Inputting within the new virtual machine
Initially, you must first click the mouse within the VMware window to enter any mouse or keyboard input into the guest machine. To remove focus from the guest, simultaneously press [CTR][ALT]. After you install the new OS and VMware tools, the host and guest systems will automatically grab focus for keyboard and mouse input.
If VMware doesn't boot from the installation CD, access the virtual machine BIOS when booting up by pressing F2. (First, click the mouse within the guest screen to give it focus.) Select the boot menu and add CD-ROM Drive (Figure E). Exit the BIOS by pressing [F10].
| Figure E |
 |
| To boot from the installation CD, add CD-ROM to the virtual PhoenixBIOS Boot menu. |
Your operating system setup program will load and run exactly as it would for a physical machine. Here are a few items to be aware of:
- Disk formatting: Don't be alarmed when the setup program reports that it has found a new hard disk and warns that data on C may be lost. Format the virtual disk—no data on your host will be harmed.
- Windows XP, Office XP, and Office 2003: Licenses for these products are valid for installation on one physical machine at a time. These licenses must be activated through the Internet. If the activation service detects the new virtual machine as separate hardware, then the products on the guest machine will be set to time-limited demo versions. If this happens, call the Microsoft Product Activation Center number given in your product. The staff is usually generous in granting additional activation keys that register multiple installations of products on the same hardware. But you may be required to purchase additional licenses.
- Service Pack 3 issues:A Windows 2000 guest with Service Pack 3 installed may not boot. Before powering down a Windows 2000 guest, upgrade to Service Pack 4. If this isn't possible, VMware has a workaround.
- Linux installations: Linux X System graphic drivers will not work properly until after WMware tools are installed. Therefore, use the text-based installation and do not start XFree 86 until after you install VMware tools from the Linux console. Instructions for installing VMware tools are given below. In addition, VMware recommends deactivating screensavers under Linux guests as they can cause the virtual machine to hang.
For more information, tips, and tricks, check VMware's Guest Operating System Installation Guide and the VMware support page.
Installing VMware tools
VMware tools' SVGA driver is necessary for setting high screen resolutions and accelerating video performance on the guest machine. Other useful features include automatic switching of mouse and keyboard focus between the host and guest screens and the ability to shrink the virtual machine and conserve disk space.
To install VMware tools on a Windows guest, start the guest operating system. When it is running, choose File | Install VMware Tools from the VMware menu.
Additional VMware tool-tweaks for various Windows OSs are listed in the VMware Workstation manual that comes with the program.
To install the tools on a Linux guest, start Linux and log on as administrator or superuser (su -). Do not start the X server. Choose File | Install Vmware Tools from the VMware menu. The next steps are performed in the Linux console:
Mount the VMware Tools virtual CD-ROM image and change to a working directory (i.e., /tmp). (This image is an ISO that appears as a CD-ROM to the Linux guest.) To do so, type:
mount /dev/cdrom /mnt
cd /tmp
tar zxf /mnt/vmware-linux-tools.tar.gz
Next, unmount the CD-ROM image by typing:
umount /mnt
After that, run the VMware Tools installer and exit from the root account by typing:
cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl
exit
Finally, type startx to launch your graphical environment. Once it loads, launch the VMware Tools background application in a terminal window by typing, vmware-toolbox &.
Installing applications, updates, and patches
Once you've installed your guest OSs and VMware tools, you're ready to install applications, updates, and patches. Set these up exactly as you would on any other system. Download and install updates within the virtual machine.
Using Snapshots
The Snapshot feature allows the entire state of guest systems, including disk data, memory, and settings, to be preserved whenever you desire. A Snapshot is useful for testing, as you can revert any virtual machine to a previously saved state. You are limited to one snapshot at a time.
To create a Snapshot, with the guest OS running, choose Snapshot | Save Snapshot from the VMware menu. A progress bar will appear with the message Saving Virtual Machine State. This operation can take some time. Snapshot information is stored in a file with the extension .vmsn, and additional files with REDO as part of the extension. Each time you create a Snapshot, the previous one is updated with the virtual machine's current configuration.
To return the guest OS to a saved configuration, choose Snapshot | Revert To Snapshot from the VMware menu. You can prevent the current Snapshot from being updated by selecting Edit | Virtual Machine Settings, clicking the Options tab, and then clicking Snapshot. Check the box, Lock This Snapshot (Figure F).
| Figure F |
 |
| Locking a Snapshot will prevent accidental configuration changes. Note that the date and time of the current snapshot is displayed in this screen. |
During testing, you may find it useful to revert the guest OS to the Snapshot state each time it is powered down. In the Snapshot Options panel, under When Powering Off, click Revert To The Snapshot. Alternatively, you may choose to update your Snapshot when the virtual machine is powered off.
To remove a Snapshot, first power down the guest OS, then choose Snapshot | Remove Snapshot. If the OS is not powered off, this option will be grayed out.
Copying, backing up, moving, and renaming virtual disks
Copying, moving, and backup operations are as simple as manipulating the virtual machine's files and selecting File | Open from the VMware menu to make VMware aware of a new or moved virtual machine. Note, however, that when moving a virtual machine to a different physical machine, you will need to edit the guest's device settings for the new hardware. Further, if the new computer uses a different processor, a Linux guest may not work on the new machine. This is due to the fact that Linux installations choose a kernel optimised for either an Intel or AMD processor.
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