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ACE - 1.0
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VMware ACE - 1.0 Administrator’s Guide

Administrator’s Manual
VMware, Inc.
Please note that you will always find the most up-to-date technical documen­tation on our Web site at http://www.vmware.com/support/. The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.
3145 Porter Drive Palo Alto, CA 94304 www.vmware.com
Table of Contents
Introduction and System Requirements ____________________________9
About VMware ACE _____________________________________________ 10
Ensure Safe Access to Enterprise Resources ________________________ 10 Secure Data on Enterprise PCs __________________________________ 10 Standardize and Secure PC Environments _________________________ 10 Key Features of VMware ACE ___________________________________ 11
The VMware ACE Software _____________________________________ 11 Host System Requirements for VMware ACE Manager __________________ 12 Host System Requirements for End Users ____________________________ 14 Virtual Machine Specifications_____________________________________ 16 Supported Guest Operating Systems _______________________________ 18 Technical Support Resources______________________________________ 20
Documentation on the Web____________________________________ 20
VMware Knowledge Base ______________________________________ 20
VMware User Community______________________________________ 20
Reporting Problems __________________________________________ 20
Learning the Basics of VMware ACE Manager ______________________ 23
Setting Up Your Administrative Workstation __________________________ 24 Creating Packages to Distribute to Users_____________________________ 26
Basic Steps _________________________________________________ 26
Keeping Users Up-to-Date _____________________________________ 27
Troubleshooting Users’ Problems ________________________________ 28
Installing and Configuring VMware ACE Manager __________________ 29
Installing VMware ACE Manager ___________________________________ 30
Installing on a Computer with a Different VMware Product ____________ 30
Installation Steps_____________________________________________ 30
Installing VMware ACE Manager Silently___________________________ 33
Uninstalling VMware ACE Manager ______________________________ 35 Setting Preferences for VMware ACE Manager ________________________ 36 Using Shared Folders in VMware ACE Manager ________________________ 40
Creating Projects _____________________________________________ 43
Creating a Project ______________________________________________ 44
Using the New Project Wizard __________________________________ 44
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Making Project Settings _______________________________________ 46 Checklist: Creating a Project ______________________________________ 49 Adding a Virtual Machine to a Project _______________________________ 51
Adding an Existing Virtual Machine ______________________________ 51
Adding a New Virtual Machine __________________________________ 53 Checklist: Adding a Virtual Machine ________________________________ 63
Setting Policies and Customizing VMware ACE ____________________ 69
Setting Policies for a Project_______________________________________ 71
Using the Policy Editor ________________________________________ 71 Setting Policies for VMware ACE ___________________________________ 74
Hot Fix Policy _______________________________________________ 74
Administrator Access Policy ____________________________________ 75
Troubleshooting Policies_______________________________________ 76
Easy Printer Setup Policies _____________________________________ 77
VMware ACE Window Policies __________________________________ 78
User Preferences Policies_______________________________________ 79 Setting Policies for Virtual Machines ________________________________ 81
Setting Authentication Policies__________________________________ 81
Setting Expiration Policies______________________________________ 83
Setting Copy Protection Policies_________________________________ 84
Setting Device Connection Policies ______________________________ 85
Setting Network Quarantine Policies _____________________________ 85 Configuring the Virtual Machines and Installing Software_______________ 111
Reviewing the Configuration of a Virtual Machine __________________ 111
Installing an Operating System and Applications in the Virtual Machine _ 112 Customizing the VMware ACE Interface ____________________________ 123
Creating and Specifying the Skin File ____________________________ 123
Customizing the VMware ACE Icons_____________________________ 123
Customizing the Title Bar Text _________________________________ 124
Customizing the Removable Device Display ______________________ 124
Shortcut Key Values _________________________________________ 126
Sample Skin File ____________________________________________ 128 Running the Completed Virtual Machine ___________________________ 129
Checking the Configuration before Creating a Package______________ 129
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Creating Packages to Deploy to Users ___________________________ 131
Creating a Package ____________________________________________ 132 Contents of the Package ________________________________________ 136
Deploying and Maintaining Packages ___________________________ 137
Deploying Packages ___________________________________________ 138 Installing a Package Silently______________________________________ 139 Updating Virtual Machines ______________________________________ 141
Distributing Software Updates _________________________________ 141 Creating Update Packages ____________________________________ 141 Updating Network Quarantine Versions __________________________ 142
Using nq-set to Update Network Quarantine Versions_______________ 146 Deploying Update Packages _____________________________________ 149 Responding to Hot Fix Requests __________________________________ 150 Using Administrator Access on the End User’s Computer _______________ 152
Installing and Running VMware ACE ____________________________ 153
Installing a VMware ACE Package _________________________________ 154 Running VMware ACE __________________________________________ 156
Starting VMware ACE ________________________________________ 156
Quitting VMware ACE ________________________________________ 157
Enlarging VMware ACE to Fill the Screen _________________________ 159
Understanding VMware ACE Status Indicators _____________________ 159
Controlling Devices Attached to VMware ACE _____________________ 160
Setting VMware ACE Preferences _______________________________ 161
Printing from VMware ACE ____________________________________ 162
Uninstalling VMware ACE _____________________________________ 162
Troubleshooting Problems ____________________________________ 163
Using Virtual Disks ___________________________________________ 167
Configuring Hard Disk Storage in a Virtual Machine ___________________ 168
Virtual Disk Basics ___________________________________________ 168
File Locations ______________________________________________ 169
Defragmenting and Shrinking Virtual Disks _______________________ 171 Adding Drives to a Virtual Machine ________________________________ 173
Adding Virtual Disks to a Virtual Machine _________________________ 173
Adding DVD or CD Drives to a Virtual Machine ____________________ 174
Adding Floppy Drives to a Virtual Machine________________________ 176
Connecting a CD-ROM or Floppy Drive to an Image File _____________ 177
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Disk Performance in Windows NT Guests on Multiprocessor Hosts _______ 178
Improving Performance ______________________________________ 178
Preserving the State of a Virtual Machine ________________________ 179
Using Suspend and Resume _____________________________________ 180 Using the Snapshot ____________________________________________ 182
What Is Captured by the Snapshot? _____________________________ 182 Removing the Snapshot ______________________________________ 183 Ways of Using the Snapshot ___________________________________ 183 The Snapshot and the Virtual Machine’s Hard Disks _________________ 184 The Snapshot and Other Activity in the Virtual Machine _____________ 184
Networking Virtual Machines __________________________________ 187
Components of the Virtual Network _______________________________ 189 Common Networking Configurations ______________________________ 191
Bridged Networking _________________________________________ 191 Network Address Translation (NAT) _____________________________ 192 Host-Only Networking _______________________________________ 193
Changing the Networking Configuration ___________________________ 195
Adding and Modifying Virtual Network Adapters___________________ 195
Understanding NAT ____________________________________________ 196
Using NAT_________________________________________________ 196 The Host Computer and the NAT Network ________________________ 196 DHCP on the NAT Network ____________________________________ 196 DNS on the NAT Network _____________________________________ 197 External Access from the NAT Network___________________________ 197 Considerations for Using NAT __________________________________ 198 Using NAT with NetLogon ____________________________________ 198
Configuring Video and Sound _________________________________ 201
Setting Screen Color Depth in a Virtual Machine______________________ 202
Changing Screen Color Depth on the Host _______________________ 202 Changing Screen Color Depth in the Virtual Machine _______________ 202
Configuring Sound ____________________________________________ 204
Installing Sound Drivers in Windows 9x and Windows NT Guest Operating Systems __________________________________________ 204
Connecting Devices to Virtual Machines _________________________ 205
Using Parallel Ports ____________________________________________ 207
Parallel Ports _______________________________________________ 207
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Installation in Guest Operating Systems __________________________ 207
Special Notes for the Iomega Zip Drive __________________________ 208 Using Serial Ports ______________________________________________ 209
Using a Serial Port on the Host Computer ________________________ 209
Using a File on the Host Computer______________________________ 209
Connecting an Application on the Host to a Virtual Machine _________ 210
Connecting Two Virtual Machines ______________________________ 211
Special Configuration Options for Advanced Users _________________ 212 Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine ____________________________ 214
Notes on USB Support in VMware ACE___________________________ 214
Enabling and Disabling the USB Controller________________________ 214
Connecting USB Devices _____________________________________ 214
Using USB with a Windows Host________________________________ 215
Replacing USB 2.0 Drivers on a Windows 2000 Host_________________ 215
Installing USB Devices as a Non-Administrator _____________________ 216
Who Has Control over a USB Device? ____________________________ 216
Disconnecting USB Devices from a Virtual Machine _________________ 217
Human Interface Devices _____________________________________ 217
Understanding Policies _______________________________________ 219
Taking Advantage of Policies _____________________________________ 220 Encryption and Authentication Policies_____________________________ 222
Encrypting a Virtual Machine’s Files _____________________________ 222
Determining the Authentication Policy __________________________ 222 Expiration Policies _____________________________________________ 224 Copy Protection Policies ________________________________________ 225 VMware ACE Policies ___________________________________________ 226
Troubleshooting Policies______________________________________ 226
VMware ACE Window Policies _________________________________ 227
Easy Printer Setup Policies ____________________________________ 227
User Preferences Policies______________________________________ 228
Administrator Access Policy ___________________________________ 229 Network Quarantine Policies _____________________________________ 230
Selecting the Type of Network Quarantine________________________ 230
Specifying Access to Networks and Machines _____________________ 232
Allowing Access for Printer, DHCP, DNS and ICMP Traffic _____________ 232
Storing Access Lists for Network Quarantine ______________________ 233
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Using Advanced Network Quarantine _____________________________ 234
Defining Zones _____________________________________________ 235 Defining Host Policies________________________________________ 237 Defining Guest Policies_______________________________________ 240
Writing Plug-In Policy Scripts_____________________________________ 244
Authentication Plug-Ins ______________________________________ 245 Renewal Plug-Ins ___________________________________________ 246 Device Connection Plug-Ins ___________________________________ 247 Network Quarantine Plug-Ins __________________________________ 248 Sample Scripts _____________________________________________ 250
Glossary ____________________________________________________ 259
Index ______________________________________________________ 263
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CHAPTER 1

Introduction and System Requirements

Welcome to VMware ACE. This section covers the following topics:
• About VMware ACE on page 10
• Host System Requirements for VMware ACE Manager on page 12
• Host System Requirements for End Users on page 14
• Virtual Machine Specifications on page 16
• Supported Guest Operating Systems on page 18
• Technical Support Resources on page 20
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About VMware ACE

VMware ACE is an enterprise solution for IT desktop managers who want to rapidly provision standardized and secure PC environments throughout the extended enterprise. VMware ACE installs easily, improving the manageability, security and cost­effectiveness of any industry-standard PC.
VMware ACE enables IT desktop managers to apply enterprise IT policies to a virtual machine containing an operating system, enterprise applications and data to create an isolated PC environment known as an assured computing environment.
Through Virtual Rights Management technology, VMware ACE enables IT desktop managers to control assured computing environment lifecycles, secure enterprise information on PCs and ensure compliance with IT policies.
Unlike other products, VMware ACE is a hardware-independent solution that can be provisioned to any PC and works either connected or disconnected from the enterprise network.
VMware ACE is used across the enterprise to
• Ensure safe access to enterprise resources from remote and guest PCs
• Secure data on enterprise PCs
• Standardize and secure PC environments
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Ensure Safe Access to Enterprise Resources

Reduce the threat from unmanaged and unsecured PCs used by telecommuters, partners and offshore workers to access enterprise resources. VMware ACE enables safe access to enterprise resources from assured computing environments — isolated PC environments that run on top of existing PCs. The assured computing environment contains an operating system, enterprise applications and preconfigured security settings.

Secure Data on Enterprise PCs

Secure enterprise information in assured computing environments on any PC throughout the extended enterprise. With Virtual Rights Management, built-in copy protection controls and automatic encryption, VMware ACE helps prevent theft, tampering and unauthorized copying of applications, data, system settings and files.

Standardize and Secure PC Environments

Self-policing and hardware-independent, VMware ACE improves the manageability, security and cost-effectiveness of PCs. Avoid building and supporting hardware-
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
specific images for PCs. Ensure compliance with IT policies while maintaining end user freedom.

Key Features of VMware ACE

Manageability
• Design once, deploy anywhere. Create standardized hardware-independent PC environments and deploy them to any PC throughout the extended enterprise.
• Virtual Rights Management interface. Control VMware ACE lifecycle, security settings, network settings, system configuration and user interface capabilities.
Security
• Rules-based network access. Identify and quarantine unauthorized or out-of­date VMware ACE environments. Enable access to the network once the VMware ACE environment complies with IT policies.
• Tamper-resistant computing environment. Protect the entire VMware ACE environment, including data and system configuration, with seamless encryption.
• Copy protected computing environment. Prevent end users from copying enterprise information.
Usability
• Customizable interface. Customize the behavior and look and feel for end users.
• Flexible computing environment. End users can revert to a previous state within
seconds and can work online or when disconnected from the enterprise network.

The VMware ACE Software

As an administrator, you install VMware ACE Manager and use it to create virtual machines and package them for distribution to your end users. It allows you to set policies to ensure that your end users have a computing environment that meets your organization’s security requirements.
VMware ACE Manager creates packages that include VMware ACE, the application your end users use to run the virtual machine. VMware ACE is simple to use and automatically runs the virtual machine you have configured.
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Host System Requirements for VMware
ACE Manager
What do you need to get the most out of VMware ACE Manager? Take the following list of requirements as a starting point. Remember that the virtual machines running under VMware ACE Manager are like physical computers in many ways — and, like physical computers, they generally perform better if they have faster processors and more memory.
PC Hardware
• Standard PC
• 500MHz or faster compatible x86 processor (recommended; 400MHz minimum)
Compatible processors include
• Intel®: Celeron®, Pentium® II, Pentium III, Pentium 4, Pentium M (including computers with Centrino™ mobile technology), Xeon™ (including “Prestonia”)
• AMD™: Athlon™, Athlon MP, Athlon XP, Duron™, Opteron™
For additional information, including notes on processors that are not compatible, see the VMware knowledge base at www.vmware.com/support/kb/
enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=967.
• Multiprocessor systems supported
• Experimental support for AMD64 Opteron, Athlon 64 and Intel IA-32e CPU
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Memory
• Enough memory to run the host operating system, plus memory required for each guest operating system and for applications on the host and guest; see your guest operating system and application documentation for their memory requirements
• 256MB recommended, 128MB minimum
Display
• 16-bit display adapter recommended; 8-bit display adapter required
Disk Drives
• 150MB free space required for basic installation
• At least 1GB free disk space recommended for each guest operating system and
the application software used with it; if you use a default setup, the actual disk
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
space needs are approximately the same as those for installing and running the guest operating system and applications on a physical computer
• Additional disk space for building packages; temporary files require about as much space as those of the virtual machine included in the package
• IDE or SCSI hard drives, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives supported
Local Area Networking (Optional)
• Any Ethernet controller supported by the host operating system
• Non-Ethernet networks supported using built-in network address translation
(NAT)
Windows Host Operating Systems
• Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
• Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 1 or 2
• Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 3 or 4, Windows 2000 Server Service
Pack 3 or 4, Windows 2000 Advanced Server Service Pack 3 or 4
Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher is required for the Help system.
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VMware ACE Administrator’s Manual

Host System Requirements for End Users

What systems do your end users need to get the most out of VMware ACE? Take the following list of requirements as a starting point. Remember that the virtual machines running under VMware ACE are like physical computers in many ways — and, like physical computers, they generally perform better if they have faster processors and more memory.
PC Hardware
• Standard PC
• 500MHz or faster compatible x86 processor (recommended; 400MHz minimum)
Compatible processors include
• Intel®: Celeron®, Pentium® II, Pentium III, Pentium 4, Pentium M (including computers with Centrino™ mobile technology), Xeon™ (including “Prestonia”)
• AMD™: Athlon™, Athlon MP, Athlon XP, Duron™, Opteron™
For additional information, including notes on processors that are not compatible, see the VMware knowledge base at www.vmware.com/support/kb/
enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=967.
• Multiprocessor systems supported
• Experimental support for AMD64 Opteron, Athlon 64 or Intel IA-32e CPU
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Memory
• Enough memory to run the host operating system, plus memory required for the guest operating system and for applications on the host and guest; see your guest operating system and application documentation for their memory requirements
• 256MB recommended, 128MB minimum
Display
• 16-bit display adapter recommended; greater than 8-bit display adapter required
Disk Drives
• 80MB free space required for basic installation
• At least 1GB free disk space recommended for the guest operating system and
the application software used with it; if you use a default setup, the actual disk space needs are approximately the same as those for installing and running the guest operating system and applications on a physical computer
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
• IDE or SCSI hard drives, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives supported
Local Area Networking (Optional)
• Any Ethernet controller supported by the host operating system
• Non-Ethernet networks supported using built-in network address translation
(NAT)
Windows Host Operating Systems
• Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
• Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 1 or 2
• Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 3 or 4, Windows 2000 Server Service
Pack 3 or 4, Windows 2000 Advanced Server Service Pack 3 or 4
Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher is required for the Help system.
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Virtual Machine Specifications

Each virtual machine created with VMware ACE Manager provides a platform that includes the following devices that your guest operating system can see.
Processor
• Same processor as that on host computer
Note: A 64-bit processor runs in 32-bit legacy mode inside the virtual machine.
• Single processor per virtual machine on symmetric multiprocessor systems
Chip Set
• Intel 440BX-based motherboard with NS338 SIO chip and 82093AA IOAPIC
BIOS
• PhoenixBIOS™ 4.0 Release 6 with VESA BIOS
Memory
• Up to 3600MB, depending on host memory
• Maximum of 4GB total available for all virtual machines
Graphics
• VGA and SVGA support
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IDE Drives
• Up to four devices — disks, CD-ROM or DVD-ROM (DVD drives can be used to read data DVD-ROM discs; DVD video is not supported)
• IDE virtual disks up to 128GB
• CD-ROM can be a physical device or an ISO image file
SCSI Devices
• Up to seven devices
• SCSI virtual disks up to 256GB
• LSI Logic® LSI53C1030 Ultra320 SCSI I/O controller
• Mylex® (BusLogic) BT-958 compatible host bus adapter (requires add-on driver
from VMware for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003)
Floppy Drives
• Up to two 1.44MB floppy devices
• Physical drives or floppy image files
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Serial (COM) Ports
• Up to four serial (COM) ports
• Output to serial ports, Windows or Linux files, or named pipes
Parallel (LPT) Ports
• Up to two bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports
• Output to parallel ports or host operating system files
USB ports
• Two-port USB 1.1 UHCI controller
• Supports devices including USB printers, scanners, PDAs, hard disk drives,
memory card readers and still digital cameras
Keyboard
• 104-key Windows 95/98 enhanced
Mouse and Drawing Tablets
• PS/2 mouse
• Serial tablets supported
Ethernet Card
• Up to three virtual Ethernet cards
• AMD PCnet-PCI II compatible
CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
Sound
• Sound output and input
• Emulates Creative Labs Sound Blaster AudioPCI (MIDI input, game controllers
and joysticks not supported)
Virtual Networking
• Virtual networking supports most Ethernet-based protocols, including TCP/IP, NetBEUI, Microsoft Networking, Samba, Novell NetWare and Network File System
• Built-in NAT supports client software using TCP/IP, FTP, DNS, HTTP and Telnet
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Supported Guest Operating Systems

The operating systems listed here have been tested in VMware ACE virtual machines and are officially supported. For notes on installing the most common guest operating systems, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide, available from the VMware Web site or from the Help menu.
Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a VMware ACE virtual machine. For the most recent list of supported guest operating systems, see the support section of the VMware Web site, www.vmware.com/support/.
Microsoft Windows
• Windows, code-named Longhorn, beta (experimental)
• Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition,
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition
• Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition with Service Pack 1 or 2 (listed versions also supported with no service pack)
• Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 1, 2, 3 or 4 (also supported with no service pack); Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 1, 2, 3 or 4 (also supported with no service pack); Windows 2000 Advanced Server Service Pack 3 or 4
• Windows NT® Workstation 4.0 Service Pack 6a, Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 6a, Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6
• Windows Me
• Windows 98 (including all Customer Service Packs) and Windows 98 SE
• Windows 95 (including Service Pack 1 and all OSR releases)
• Windows for Workgroups 3.11
• Windows 3.1
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Microsoft MS-DOS
• MS-DOS 6.x
Linux
• Mandrake Linux 8.2, 9.0
• Red Hat Linux 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.0, 9.0
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1, 3.0
• Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 2.1
• SuSE Linux 7.3, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1
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• SLES 7, 7 patch 2, 8
• Turbolinux Server 7.0, Enterprise Server 8, Workstation 8
Novell NetWare
• NetWare 5.1, 6, 6.5
FreeBSD
• FreeBSD 4.0–4.6.2, 4.8, 5.0
Note: If you use SCSI virtual disks larger than 2GB with FreeBSD 4.0–4.3, there are known problems, and the guest operating system does not boot. To work around this issue, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide, available from the VMware Web site or from the Help menu.
Solaris
• Solaris x86 Platform Edition 9 (experimental), 10 beta (experimental)
CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
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VMware ACE Administrator’s Manual

Technical Support Resources

Documentation on the Web

Full documentation for VMware ACE, including the latest updates to this manual, can be found on the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/.

VMware Knowledge Base

You can find troubleshooting notes and tips for advanced users in the knowledge base on the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/kb.

VMware User Community

Community Discussion Forums
The VMware community discussions forums are a set of moderated discussion forums hosted on the VMware Web site and open to all VMware users. In the forums, you can share your experiences in using VMware products, raise technical questions or issues and benefit from the expertise and advice of other VMware users.
To join in the forum discussions, go to www.vmware.com/community/.
Newsgroups
The VMware newsgroups are primarily forums for users to help each other. You are encouraged to read and post issues, work-arounds and fixes. While VMware personnel may read and post to the newsgroups, they are not a channel for official support. The VMware NNTP news server is at news.vmware.com.
For more information on the newsgroups and community forums, see
www.vmware.com/vcommunity.
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Reporting Problems

If you have problems while running VMware ACE, please report them to the VMware support team.
These guidelines describe the information we need from you to diagnose problems.
If a virtual machine exits abnormally or crashes, please run the support script to collect the appropriate log files and system information. Follow the steps below.
1. Open a command prompt.
2. Change to the VMware ACE Manager program directory.
C: cd \Program Files\VMware\VMware ACE Manager
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
If you did not install the program in the default directory, use the appropriate drive letter and substitute the appropriate path in the cd command above.
3. Run the support script.
cscript vm-support.vbs
4. After the script runs, it displays the name of the directory where it has stored its output. Use a file compression utility such as WinZip or PKZIP to zip that directory and include the zip file with your support request.
If you are reporting a problem you encountered while installing VMware ACE, it is also helpful to have your installation log file. The file is VMInst.log. It is saved in your temp folder. The default location is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp. The Local Settings folder is hidden by default. To see its contents, open My Computer, choose Tools > Folder Options, click the View tab and select Show Hidden Files and Folders.
Be sure to register your serial number. You may then report your problems by submitting a support request at www.vmware.com/requestsupport.
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CHAPTER 2

Learning the Basics of VMware ACE Manager

The following sections provide an overview of how to use VMware ACE Manager to create and deploy virtual machines for your end users.
• Setting Up Your Administrative Workstation on page 24
• Creating Packages to Distribute to Users on page 26
• Basic Steps on page 26
• Keeping Users Up-to-Date on page 27
• Troubleshooting Users’ Problems on page 28
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VMware ACE Administrator’s Manual
Setting Up Your Administrative
Workstation
As an administrator, you need to install the VMware ACE Manager software on your workstation, referred to in this manual as your host computer. You can then run the VMware ACE Manager, your tool for creating and managing the virtual machines you distribute to your end users.
For details on how to install the VMware ACE Manager software, see Installing and
Configuring VMware ACE Manager on page 29.
If your company already has a library of standard virtual machines, you need network access to that library from your host computer.
If you are creating new virtual machines, you need access to installers for the guest operating systems and application software you plan to install in the virtual machines.
You can install operating systems from CD, from ISO image files on a local drive or on the network, or from a PXE server. If you need to connect to an ISO file on a network drive, you use the networking capabilities of your host computer to make that connection.
You can install application software from CDs or from installers on a local drive or on the network. If you need to connect to an installer on the network, you use the networking capabilities of the virtual machine to make that connection. For details on networking in a virtual machine, see Networking Virtual Machines on page 187. If you need to use an installer on a local drive, you can use the virtual machine’s networking capabilities or use shared folders in the virtual machine to gain access to the installer. For details on using shared folders, see Using Shared Folders in VMware ACE Manager
on page 40.
You need to provide adequate disk space for three types of files:
• Project files — The files that define projects take up relatively little disk space.
The default location for these files is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Projects. To change the default location, go to Edit > Preferences > Workspace. When you create a new project, you may specify a location for that project’s files that is different from the default.
• Virtual machine files — The files for each virtual machine can be quite large, sometimes as large as several gigabytes. The default location for these files is
C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My
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CHAPTER 2 Learning the Basics of VMware ACE Manager
Virtual Machines. To change the default location, go to Edit > Preferences > Works pace. When you create a new virtual machine, you can
specify a location for that virtual machine’s files that is different from the default.
• Package files — The package files created by VMware ACE Manager may be quite large. The default location for the package files is a folder named Package inside the project’s folder. When you create a package, you can change the location for the package’s files.
In addition, VMware ACE Manager needs a substantial amount of temporary working space when it creates a package. The total is about twice the combined sizes of all the components of the package. The wizard displays information about the amount of space needed and the locations where the space is needed. If you do not have enough free space, the wizard displays an error message. You may move or delete files on the target drives to make room for the wizard’s working files.
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Creating Packages to Distribute to Users

Using the VMware ACE Manager, you create projects that include
• One or more virtual machines
• An application to run the virtual machines
• A set of policies to control the capabilities of the virtual machines
You then create packages, based on the projects, to distribute to your users.
End userAdministrator
VMware ACE
VM
VMware ACE
Manager
Project
VMware ACE
VM
MSI install image
When you create a package, you include VMware ACE and one or more virtual machines from the project. VMware ACE is the easy-to-use application that runs the virtual machines. For more information on VMware ACE, see Installing and Running
VMware ACE on page 153.

Basic Steps

At the most basic level, you need to take the following steps to create and deploy virtual machines:
1. Create a project. Give the project a name that makes it easy to identify. For more information on creating projects, see Creating a Project on page 44. For a handy checklist, see Checklist: Creating a Project on page 49.
2. Add one or more virtual machines to the project. You can add existing virtual machines, create new virtual machines or both. For more information on adding virtual machines, see Adding a Virtual Machine to a Project on page 51. For a handy checklist, see Checklist: Adding a Virtual Machine on page 63.
3. Set policies for the virtual machines. You use policies to control what your users can do with their virtual machines — for example, what network access they have from the virtual machines and what devices on their host computers they may use in the virtual machines. For basic information on setting policies, see
Setting Policies and Customizing VMware ACE on page 69. For a detailed
discussion of policies, see Understanding Policies on page 219.
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CHAPTER 2 Learning the Basics of VMware ACE Manager
4. Install guest operating systems, VMware Tools and other software in the virtual machines. For information on installing VMware Tools, see Installing an
Operating System and Applications in the Virtual Machine on page 112. For
notes on installing particular guest operating systems, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide, available from the VMware Web site or from the Help menu.
5. Create packages to deploy to your users. The VMware ACE Manager guides you through the process and, for large packages, prepares the package so it spans multiple CDs or DVDs. For more information, see Creating Packages to Deploy to
Users on page 131.
6. Give the packages to your users. You may distribute the packages on CD or DVD, or you may make them available on a network. The package includes an installer that installs the full package — VMware ACE and the virtual machines, along with the policies that control their use. For more information, see Deploying and
Maintaining Packages on page 137.

Keeping Users Up-to-Date

VMware ACE Manager gives you tools you can use to ensure that your end users are running up-to-date virtual machines.
You may need to provide updates to users’ packages. You may need to update the guest operating system or provide an update to a program running inside the virtual machine. Or you may need to update either the virtual machine itself or policies set for the package — or add a new virtual machine to the package. There are two basic approaches to updates.
• Deliver updates to the guest operating system or to programs running inside the virtual machine as you would with any other software updates — for example, using a patch management system.
• Provide a new package — to replace the virtual machine, to distribute an additional virtual machine or to change the policies applied to the VMware ACE application or the virtual machine. If you replace an existing virtual machine by supplying a new package, your end users lose any data or custom settings stored in that virtual machine.
If your users connect to your network, you can set network quarantine policies so out­of-date virtual machines have restricted access or no access to the network. You may, for example, give users with out-of-date virtual machines access only to the server where an update is available.
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For information on these topics, see Deploying and Maintaining Packages on
page 137.

Troubleshooting Users’ Problems

Your users may need help with lost passwords, expired virtual machines or copy­protected virtual machines that they have moved to a different location. You can use the hot fix feature to respond to these problems.
For information on using the hot fix feature, see Hot Fix Policy on page 74 and
Responding to Hot Fix Requests on page 150.
You may find it useful to modify the configuration of a virtual machine on an end user’s computer. You may do so if you have enabled administrator access for VMware ACE in that package. For information, see Administrator Access Policy on page 75.
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CHAPTER 3

Installing and Configuring VMware ACE Manager

The following sections guide you through installing VMware ACE Manager on your administrative workstation:
• Installing VMware ACE Manager on page 30
• Installing on a Computer with a Different VMware Product on page 30
• Installation Steps on page 30
• Installing VMware ACE Manager Silently on page 33
• Uninstalling VMware ACE Manager on page 35
• Setting Preferences for VMware ACE Manager
• Using Shared Folders in VMware ACE Manager on page 40
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VMware ACE Administrator’s Manual

Installing VMware ACE Manager

Before you begin installing VMware ACE Manager, be sure you have
• A computer and host operating system that meet the system requirements for running VMware ACE Manager. See Host System Requirements for VMware ACE
Manager on page 12.
• The VMware ACE Manager installation software. If you bought the packaged distribution of VMware ACE Manager, the installation software is on the CD in your package. If you bought the electronic distribution, the installation software is in the file you downloaded.
• Your VMware ACE Manager serial number. The serial number is included in the VMware ACE Manager package or in the email message confirming your electronic distribution order.

Installing on a Computer with a Different VMware Product

VMware ACE Manager cannot be installed on a computer with VMware Workstation or VMware GSX Server installed. If you have one of these products installed on the computer where you plan to install VMware ACE Manager, use the Add/Remove Programs control panel to remove the existing product, then install VMware ACE Manager.
You may install VMware ACE Manager on a computer that has VMware Remote Console or VMware VirtualCenter installed.
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Installation Steps

1. Log on to your Microsoft Windows host as the Administrator user or as a user who is a member of the Windows Administrators group.
Note: On a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 host computer, you must be logged on as a local administrator (that is, not logged on to the domain) in order to install VMware ACE Manager.
Note: Although you must be logged on as an administrator to install VMware ACE Manager, a user with normal user privileges can run the program after it is installed. Keep in mind that you need one license for each user.
2. If you are installing from a CD, from the Start menu, choose Run and enter D:\setup.exe, where D: is the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive.
If you are installing from a downloaded file, from the Start menu, choose Run, browse to the directory where you saved the downloaded installer file and run
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