VMware GSX 3 User Manual

Administration Guide

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The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates.

Copyright © 1998-2005 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 6,397,242, 6,496,847, 6,704,925, 6,711,672, 6,725,289, 6,735,601, 6,785,886, 6,789,156 and 6,795,966; patents pending. VMware, the VMware “boxes” logo and design, Virtual SMP and VMotion are registered trademarks or trademarks of VMware, Inc. in the United States and/or other jurisdictions. Microsoft, Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies. Revision 20050707 Version: 3.2 Item: GSX-ENG-Q205-089

Table of Contents

Introduction and System Requirements ____________________________9

VMware GSX Server: Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure for x86-Based Servers ____________________________________________10 Welcome to VMware GSX Server ___________________________________12

Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure for Intel-Based Servers ___________13

What’s New in Version 3 __________________________________________14

Features in Version 3.2 _________________________________________14 Critical Bugs Fixed in GSX Server 3.2 ______________________________15 Features in Version 3.1 _________________________________________15 Critical Bugs Fixed in GSX Server 3.1 ______________________________16 Features in Version 3 __________________________________________17 Before You Install the Release ___________________________________21 If You Are Upgrading from an Earlier Version of GSX Server _____________ 23 Reinstall VMware Tools _________________________________________23

Host System Requirements ________________________________________24

Server Requirements __________________________________________24

Remote Client Requirements ____________________________________30 Virtual Machine Specifications _____________________________________32 Supported Guest Operating Systems ________________________________35 Technical Support Resources ______________________________________37

Self-Service Support __________________________________________37

Online and Telephone Support __________________________________37

Support Offerings ____________________________________________37

Reporting Problems ___________________________________________37

Log Files ____________________________________________________39

Installing VMware GSX Server ___________________________________ 43

Selecting Your Host System _____________________________________43

About the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the Server _____________ 44 Installing VMware GSX Server on a Windows Host ______________________45

Basic Installation ______________________________________________46

Default Directories ____________________________________________48

Installing the GSX Server Software on a Windows Host ________________48 Installing VMware GSX Server on a Linux Host _________________________55

Basic Installation ______________________________________________56

Default Directories ____________________________________________ 58 Installing the GSX Server Software on a Linux Host ___________________59 Installing the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host __________63 Installing an X Server __________________________________________ 64 Before You Install on a SuSE Linux 7.1 or Higher or SLES Host ___________64 Before You Install on a SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 Host _____________65 Before You Install the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host ______________________________________________65

Configuring Web Browsers for Use with GSX Server _____________________67

Launching the VMware Virtual Machine Console from the Management Interface on an Encrypted Server ______________ 67 Connecting to the Management Interface on a Proxy Server ___________68 Launching Help in Netscape on a Linux System _____________________69

Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console ________________________ 70

Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host ___________________________________________ 70 Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux Host _________73

Installing the VMware Scripting APIs ________________________________75

Installing the VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs on a Windows Host ___________________________________________ 75 Installing the VmPerl Scripting API on a Linux Host ___________________78

Uninstalling VMware GSX Server ___________________________________ 80

Uninstalling GSX Server on a Windows Host ________________________80 Uninstalling GSX Server on a Linux Host ___________________________85

Upgrading VMware GSX Server _________________________________ 87

Preparing for the Upgrade ________________________________________ 88

Before You Install VMware GSX Server _____________________________88

When You Remove an Existing Version and Install the New Version ______90 Upgrading on a Windows Host ____________________________________91 Upgrading on a Linux Host ________________________________________ 92 Using Virtual Machines Created with Version 2 under Version 3 ____________93

Creating Everything New from the Start ___________________________93

Using an Existing Virtual Machine without Upgrading

the Virtual Hardware __________________________________________93

Using an Existing Virtual Machine and Upgrading

the Virtual Hardware __________________________________________94

Upgrading Virtual Hardware in the Guest Operating System ___________94

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Using Virtual Machines Created with Version 1 under Version 3 ___________103

Upgrading Virtual Hardware in the Guest Operating System __________ 103

Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host _______ 107

Remotely Managing Virtual Machines ______________________________ 108

Changing the Port Number for VMware Virtual Machine Console Connections __________________109 Downloading the VMware Virtual Machine Console _________________111

Securing Virtual Machines and the Host _____________________________114

Understanding Permissions and Virtual Machines ___________________114 Authenticating Users and Running Virtual Machines on a GSX Server for Windows Host ______________________________117 Authenticating Users and Running Virtual Machines on a GSX Server for Linux Host __________________________________119 Checking Permissions in the VMware Management Interface __________ 121 Securing Your Remote Sessions _________________________________121

Identifying a Virtual Machine by Its UUID ____________________________123

Specifying a UUID for a Virtual Machine ___________________________124 Logging GSX Server Events on Windows ____________________________ 125 Backing Up Virtual Machines and the GSX Server Host _________________ 127

Using a Backup Agent in the Virtual Machine ______________________127

Using a Backup Agent Running on the Host Operating System ________ 127

Backing Up the GSX Server Host ________________________________128

Considerations for Backing Up Virtual Machines ____________________ 128 Using the VMware Management Interface ___________________________129

Setting the Session Length for the VMware Management Interface _____130

Logging On to the VMware Management Interface _________________131

Using the Status Monitor ______________________________________132

Configuring a Virtual Machine __________________________________137

The Apache Server and the VMware Management Interface __________147

Logging Off of the VMware Management Interface _________________ 147 Deleting Virtual Machines ________________________________________148

Deleting a Virtual Machine Using

the VMware Virtual Machine Console ____________________________148

Deleting a Virtual Machine Using

the VMware Management Interface _____________________________148 Configuring the GSX Server Host __________________________________149

Securing Remote Connections with SSL __________________________149

Configuring Startup and Shutdown Options for Virtual Machines ______150 Setting User Preferences for the VMware GSX Server Host ____________155 Setting Global Preferences for VMware GSX Server __________________ 160 Creating Network Labels ______________________________________ 163 Setting a MIME Type to Launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console ____________________________ 166

Using VirtualCenter to Manage GSX Server Virtual Machines _____________169

Creating Virtual Machines on a GSX Server Host from a VirtualCenter Client _____________________________________169 Connecting to a GSX Server Virtual Machine from a VirtualCenter Client _____________________________________169

Moving and Sharing Virtual Machines ___________________________ 171

Moving a VMware GSX Server 3 Virtual Machine ______________________ 172

Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths ______________________________172 Preparing Your Virtual Machine for the Move ______________________172 Moving a Virtual Machine to a New Host __________________________ 173

Moving a GSX Server 2 Virtual Machine _____________________________ 175

Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths ______________________________175 Preparing Your Virtual Machine for the Move ______________________175 Moving a Virtual Machine to a New Host __________________________ 176

Moving Older Virtual Machines ___________________________________ 178

Virtual Machines May Use Relative or Absolute Paths ________________178 Preparing Your Virtual Machine for the Move ______________________179 Preparing the New Host Machine _______________________________179 Considerations for Moving Disks in Undoable Mode _________________180

Sharing Virtual Machines with Other Users ___________________________ 183

Performance Tuning and the VMware GSX Server Host _____________ 185

Configuring and Maintaining the Host Computer _____________________186 Configuring GSX Server _________________________________________187

General GSX Server Options ___________________________________ 187 GSX Server on a Windows Host _________________________________191 GSX Server on a Linux Host ____________________________________193

Understanding Memory Usage ___________________________________ 194

Memory Use on the Host ______________________________________194 Specifying How Much RAM is Used by All Running Virtual Machines ________________________________195 Memory Usage on Older Linux Hosts ____________________________197

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High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server __________ 199

Using SCSI Reservation to Share SCSI Disks with Virtual Machines _________200

SCSI Reservation Support _____________________________________200

Enabling SCSI Reservation _____________________________________201

Issues to Consider When Sharing Disks ___________________________202 Overview of Clustering with GSX Server _____________________________204

Applications That Can Use Clustering ____________________________205

Clustering Software __________________________________________205 Creating a Cluster in a Box _______________________________________206

Configuring Virtual Machines for Cluster in a Box ___________________207

Creating a Two-Node Cluster with Microsoft Clustering Services

on a Single GSX Server Computer _______________________________207 Using Network Load Balancing with GSX Server ______________________214

Overview of Network Load Balancing Clusters _____________________214

Creating a Multinode Network Load Balancing Cluster _______________215 Creating Two-Node Clusters Using Novell Clustering Services ____________ 219

Creating the First Node's Base Virtual Machine _____________________219

Creating the Second Node in the Cluster _________________________220

Installing the Guest Operating System and VMware Tools ____________220

Adding the Shared Disks to Both Virtual Machines __________________220

Installing Novell Clustering Services on the Cluster Nodes ____________ 222 Clustering Using the iSCSI Protocol ________________________________223

Clustering Scenarios Using iSCSI ________________________________223

Creating and Configuring the iSCSI Initiator Virtual Machine ___________224

Configuring the iSCSI Target in the Cluster ________________________ 225

Glossary ____________________________________________________ 227

Index ______________________________________________________ 233

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CHAPTER 1

Introduction and System Requirements

The following sections introduce you to VMware GSX Server.

• VMware GSX Server: Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure for x86-Based Servers

on page 10

• Welcome to VMware GSX Server on page 12

• What’s New in Version 3 on page 14

• Host System Requirements on page 24

• Virtual Machine Specifications on page 32

• Supported Guest Operating Systems on page 35

• Technical Support Resources on page 37

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

VMware GSX Server: Enterprise-Class

Virtual Infrastructure for x86-Based

Servers

VMware® GSX Server is virtual infrastructure for enterprise IT administrators who want to consolidate servers and streamline development and testing operations. GSX Server is easily installed and managed, and provides rapid return on investment (ROI). Unlike other virtualization products, GSX Server is enterprise-proven, preserves freedom of choice and offers an upgrade path to datacenter-class virtualization.

Because it has over four years of proven success, thousands of customers trust VMware GSX Server as their virtualization solution. Easily installed on Windows or Linux platforms, GSX Server provides advanced capabilities that make it the most flexible server virtualization product on the market. GSX Server is part of the widely deployed VMware virtual infrastructure solution with virtual machines compatible across all VMware products, and with unified management and provisioning provided by VMware VirtualCenter.

VMware GSX Server simplifies computing infrastructure by partitioning and isolating servers in secure and transportable virtual machines, each of which can run standard Windows, Linux or NetWare operating systems and applications. GSX Server allows you to remotely manage, automatically provision and standardize virtual machines on a secure, uniform platform.

Thousands of enterprise customers rely on VMware GSX Server to deliver server scalability, reliability and high availability and to maximize return on IT investments. Use GSX Server across the enterprise to:

• Streamline software development and testing operations with easily provisioned and managed server-based virtual machines.

• Implement server consolidation for new and legacy departmental server applications.

• Provision servers rapidly to local or remote locations.

• Streamline operating system and application patch management.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Key GSX Server 3 Benefits

GSX Server 3 offers the following key benefits:

• Shipping for over four years, with thousands of successful customers, VMware GSX Server is the most flexible and easily deployed server virtualization product on the market.

• Offers widest selection of supported host and guest operating systems of any virtualization technology — preserves your freedom to choose the best operating system platform.

• Integrates easily into any environment for ultimate versatility — installs like an application and runs on any standard x86 hardware.

• Supports large server — up to 64GB of host memory, 32 host processors and 64 powered-on virtual machines — for ultimate scalability, extensibility and robustness.

• Offers virtual machine compatibility across the entire VMware family of virtualization products and is ready to run with VMware VirtualCenter.

• Supports advanced virtual machine clustering for high-availability applications.

• Ensures reliable server consolidation through isolated virtual partitions.

• Allows secure remote management.

• Permits full network connectivity for virtual machines.

• Automates monitoring and control of virtual machines with VmCOM and VmPerl

Scripting APIs.

• Runs virtual disk files on any system with current VMware software installed.

To discover more new features of VMware GSX Server 3, see What’s New in Version 3

on page 14.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Welcome to VMware GSX Server

Thank you for choosing VMware GSX Server, the software that provides IT professionals with enterprise-class server consolidation and high availability of server resources by letting them run multiple operating systems in secure, transportable, high-performance virtual computers.

If you’re new to GSX Server, this chapter is the place to start.

If you’re a veteran user of VMware products, take a few minutes to see what’s new in version 3 and review the notes on upgrading your installation.

The VMware GSX Server Administration Guide introduces you to some of the things you can do with GSX Server and guides you through the key steps for installing the software, configuring your server host and managing your virtual machines.

The VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide provides information on creating virtual machines, as well as in-depth reference material for getting the most out of the sophisticated features of GSX Server.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure for Intel-Based Servers

VMware products provide a virtualization layer that turns your physical computers into a pool of logical computing resources. You can then dynamically allocate those resources to any operating system or application in the way that best meets your needs. You’ll be able to spend more time delivering tangible value to your business and less time installing operating systems, rebooting and reconfiguring hardware.

Run the operating systems you need — all at once.

With VMware virtualization technology, you can set up completely independent installations of operating systems on a single machine. Multiple instances of Microsoft® Windows® or Linux® can run side by side in virtual machines that you create with the GSX Server software. Each virtual machine is equivalent to a server with a unique network address and a full complement of hardware devices. You install and run a complete, unmodified operating system and application software, just as you do on a physical server.

Host and Guest

• The physical computer on which you install the GSX 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.

• For definitions of these and other special terms, see the glossary at the end of this manual.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

What’s New in Version 3

Whether you’re a long-time power user of VMware GSX Server or a new user who is just learning what you can do with virtual machines, the new features in VMware GSX Server 3 extend its capabilities and make it easier to use.

Features in Version 3.2

Here are some highlights of key features to explore in VMware GSX Server 3.2:

New Operating System Support

VMware GSX Server 3.2 adds full support for the following 64-bit host operating systems on AMD64 and Intel® EM64T processors:

• Microsoft® Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition as a host operating system on AMD64 and Intel EM64T processors

VMware GSX Server 3.2 adds experimental support for the following 64-bit host operating systems on AMD64 and Intel EM64T processors:

• Red Hat™ Enterprise Linux 4

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 Update 4

• SUSE™ LINUX Enterprise Server 9 Service Pack 1

• SUSE LINUX 9.3

• SUSE LINUX 9.2

VMware GSX Server 3.2 adds support for the following 32-bit host and guest operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1

• Mandrake Linux 10.0 and 10.1

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 Update 4

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 Update 6

• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9 Service Pack 1

• SUSE LINUX 9.3 (experimental support)

• SUSE LINUX 9.2

Support for Clustering with the iSCSI Protocol

Using the iSCSI protocol allows you to set up a clustering environment across hosts. For more information, see Clustering Using the iSCSI Protocol on page 223.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Dual-Core Processor Licensing Compatibility

The two processor version of GSX Server now supports systems with two dual-core processors.

Critical Bugs Fixed in GSX Server 3.2

Bugs fixed in this release include:

• Fix for panic that occurs on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 AS host.

• Fix for core dump when powering on virtual machine on Fedora Core 3 host.

(Fedora is not a supported GSX Server host operating system.)

• Fix to allow USB devices to work in virtual machines on SUSE LINUX 9.1 host.

• Correction for monitor error that occurred when upgrading Windows Server

2003 guest operating system to Service Pack 1 RC1.

• Fix for inability to power on virtual machine with legacy virtual disk.

• Fix for DirectInput error that occurred when GSX Server automatically powered

on a virtual machine when the Windows host starts. The message read:

Failed to create DirectInput object-

HRESULT(0x80004001:sev 1 fac 0 code 16385]:

Unknown error 16385(0x4001)

• Fix for memory issue on hosts with 32GB RAM.

• Fix for VirtualCenter alarm showing maximum memory usage when virtual

machine is idle or under low usage.

• Fix to prompt user to power off any running virtual machines before running the vmware-config.pl configuration program.

• Fix for security vulnerability described in CAN-2004-0700.

• Fix to improve scalability and performance on NUMA hardware.

Features in Version 3.1

Here are some highlights of key features to explore in VMware GSX Server 3.1:

Manage Virtual Disks with VMware Virtual Disk Manager

Create, manage and modify virtual disk files from the command line or within scripts with the VMware Virtual Disk Manager utility. For more information, see Using VMware

Virtual Disk Manager in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

New Operating System Support

Get the freedom to choose the operating systems and applications that work best for you. VMware GSX Server 3.1 provides experimental support for Microsoft Windows

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Server 2003 for 64-Bit Extended Systems (beta), Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 and SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 on hosts with 64-bit processors.

Experimental guest operating system support is provided for Solaris 9 and 10 Operating System x86 Platform Edition.

VirtualCenter Ready

GSX Server 3.1 is enabled for management by VMware VirtualCenter. You can use VirtualCenter to manage and provision virtual machines on multiple GSX Server hosts, then migrate the virtual machines between other GSX Server and ESX Server systems under VirtualCenter management.

GSX Server 3.1 Secured with OpenSSL 0.9.7d

GSX Server 3.1 incorporates the updated version of OpenSSL. OpenSSL 0.9.7d corrects various security vulnerabilities.

Critical Bugs Fixed in GSX Server 3.1

Bugs fixed in this release include:

• Fix for Apache Web server crashes on Linux hosts after VMware Management Interface timed out.

• Fix for problem that prevented the launching of the VMware Virtual Machine Console from the VMware Management Interface on a Linux host.

• Fix for issue where the VMware Management Interface reported incorrect memory and processor usage statistics.

• Fix for VMware Management Interface issue where connections secured with SSL were redirected to insecure port 8222.

• Fix for Windows hosts where the Windows registry keys became read-only after removing GSX Server 2.x. This caused the installation of GSX Server 3 to fail.

• Fix for Linux hosts where users in particular groups could not create virtual machines.

• Fix for Linux hosts where switching to the vmxnet networking driver caused networking to fail in a virtual machine.

• Fix for Windows hosts where a virtual machines froze and the only workaround was to kill the virtual machine process.

• Fixes for SCSI reservation issues including deadlocks, and panics that occurred when powering on clustered virtual machines configured with LSI Logic SCSI adapters.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

• Fix for issue that caused the VMware Registration Service service to hang when starting the host while virtual machines are configured to power on automatically with the host.

• Fix for an application error that occurred in Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 6a (Japanese language version only) guest operating systems when using the search function of Windows Explorer. The error occurred only when VMware Tools is installed in the guest.

• Fix to allow the installation of VMware Tools in Windows NT 4.0 Support Pack 3 guest operating systems. For more information, see knowledge base article 1304 at www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1304.

• Fix for issue where a GSX Server 2.5.x virtual machine on a Windows host configured with a static IP address lost its static IP after it was powered on under GSX Server 3. For more information, see knowledge base article 1307 at

www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1307.

• You can now restrict which users can create virtual machines and virtual disks. For more information, see knowledge base article 1042 at www.vmware.com/

support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1042.

• Virtual machines configured for NAT networking can now use Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP).

Features in Version 3

Here are some highlights of key features to explore in VMware GSX Server 3:

GSX Server 3 Security Update: OpenSSL 0.9.7d Patches

Patches are available for GSX Server 3 that update the version of OpenSSL used in the product. The newer version of OpenSSL corrects security vulnerabilities and is posted on the GSX Server Security Updates Web page at www.vmware.com/download/

gsx_security.html.

GSX Server 3 users are strongly urged to download and install these patches.

Enhanced Virtual Machine User Access Control

On Windows hosts, a virtual machine runs as a user. You can specify the particular user or let the virtual machine run as the user who powers it on. For more information, see

Authenticating Users and Running Virtual Machines on a GSX Server for Windows Host on page 117.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Improved Security for Remote Connections

SSL is enabled by default for remote connections with the VMware Virtual Machine Console and the VMware Management Interface.

VirtualCenter Ready

GSX Server 3 is enabled for management by an upcoming release of VMware VirtualCenter. You will be able to use VirtualCenter to manage and provision virtual machines on multiple GSX Server hosts, then migrate the virtual machines between other GSX Server and ESX Server systems under VirtualCenter management.

New VMware Virtual Machine Console

Connect to and manage virtual machines with the VMware Virtual Machine Console, which combines the best abilities of the local and remote consoles in one application. Create and configure virtual machines locally and remotely. Connect to virtual machines from the local server or remote client at the same time, while other consoles are already connected. Run virtual machines in full screen mode locally and remotely.

The console interface is completely updated. You can run multiple virtual machines in the same window and switch from one to another using the new quick switch mode. The console menus have been streamlined. The console requires less network bandwidth over remote connections than the older console did.

For details, see Running Virtual Machines in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

Take Snapshots of Your Virtual Machines

You can take a snapshot of your virtual machine’s state, a point-in-time copy of the running system state, that is saved to disk. You can revert to that snapshot at any time — making it easier to do challenging tasks like upgrading guest operating systems. Take a snapshot, upgrade the operating system, and if something goes wrong, revert back to the snapshot. Or use the snapshot as a starting point for a sales demonstration.

See Tak ing S naps hots in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide for details.

Automatically Install GSX Server on Windows Hosts and VMware Tools in Windows Guests

We’ve improved the installers for Windows hosts and for VMware Tools in Windows guest operating systems. GSX Server for Windows hosts and VMware Tools for Windows guests use the Microsoft Windows Installer runtime engine, which allows you to automate the installation of GSX Server on a Windows host and VMware Tools

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

in a Windows virtual machine. For information, see Automating the Installation of GSX

Server on page 52 and Automating the Installation of VMware Tools in a Windows Guest in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

With the Microsoft Windows Installer runtime engine, you can pick and choose the features you want to install.

Automatically Start and Stop Virtual Machines When the Host Starts and Stops

You can configure virtual machines to automatically power on when the GSX Server host starts or automatically power off when the GSX Server host shuts down. For more information, see Powering Virtual Machines On and Off When the Host Starts and

Shuts Down in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

Connect to Older Virtual Machines and Older GSX Server Hosts

You can connect to older GSX Server hosts with consoles and run virtual machines from older versions of VMware products. For information, see Connecting to Older

GSX Server and ESX Server Systems and Older Virtual Machines in the VMware GSX

Server Virtual Machine Guide.

Improved VMware Management Interface

Managing virtual machines and the GSX Server host from a Web browser just got better. You can configure more host and virtual machine features, including virtual machine hardware, configuration options and SSL connections. For more information, see Using the VMware Management Interface on page 129.

Log GSX Server Events on Windows Hosts

GSX Server sends information about certain events that occur in the application on Windows hosts to the Windows Event Viewer. For details, see Logging GSX Server

Events on Windows on page 125.

Improved Virtual Disk and Networking Performance

Experience 10 to 20% improvement in virtual disk and networking performance.

Monitor Virtual Machine Performance on Windows Hosts

Use GSX Server specific counters with the Windows Performance console (PerfMon) to monitor the performance of running virtual machines on Windows hosts. For details, see Monitoring Virtual Machine Performance on page 191.

More Memory for Your Virtual Machines

Allocate up to 3600MB of memory to each virtual machine to run large server applications. For more information, see Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Easier Sharing of Virtual Machines with Latest VMware Products

Virtual machines created with GSX Server 3 are compatible with VMware Workstation 4 and ESX Server 2 for easier migrating and sharing of virtual machines.

New LSI Logic Virtual SCSI Adapter for Guest Operating Systems

The LSI Logic virtual SCSI adapter is included when you install Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 or NetWare guests.

PXE Boot

Boot virtual machines over your network and install guest operating systems from a PXE server. For more information, see Using PXE with Virtual Machines in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

Easier Virtual Networking Configuration

On Windows hosts, use the Virtual Network Editor to configure virtual networking easily. For more information, see Networking in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

Network Adapter Teaming Support

On Windows hosts, virtual machines can bridge to teamed or bonded host network adapters. For more information, see Configuring Bridged Networking When Using

Teamed Network Interface Cards on Your Host in the VMware GSX Server Virtual

Machine Guide.

Generic SCSI Tape Backup Support

Back up virtual machines using popular backup software and SCSI tape devices. For more information, see Backing Up Virtual Machines and the GSX Server Host on

page 127.

Using DVD-ROM and CD-ROM Drives on Remote Clients

If you’re connected to a virtual machine remotely from a client, you can use the local DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive to install software or copy data without needing to use the drive on the GSX Server host. For more information, see Using the DVD-ROM or

CD-ROM Drive on a Client in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

Improved Virtual DVD-ROM and CD-ROM Drive Support

Read multisession DVD-ROM and CD-ROM media. Burn CD-ROMs in your guest operating systems.

Debugging Support in Virtual Machines

GSX Server supports user- and kernel-level debuggers in virtual machines.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

New Operating System Support

VMware GSX Server 3 provides support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 patch 3, and Turbolinux Server 8.0 and Workstation 8.0 hosts. New supported guest operating systems include Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0; SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7 patch 2; NetWare 6.5 Server; FreeBSD 4.6.2, 4.8, 5.0 and 5.1 (prerelease version); and Turbolinux Server 7.0, 8.0 and Workstation 8.0. Experimental support for Microsoft Windows code-named Longhorn is provided.

New Linux Kernel Support

Run your Linux guest operating systems with the new 2.6 kernel.

New Support Scripts

When you file support requests, please use the new support scripts to collect data that help us diagnose your problems. For details, see Reporting Problems on page 37.

Automatically Check for Product Updates

VMware GSX Server now checks automatically to see if updates for the product are available. You can specify what interval to use for the automatic check or switch to manual checks only. For more information, see Updating GSX Server Software

Automatically on page 156.

Before You Install the Release

There are a few steps you should take — before you install this release — to ensure the best possible experience with the new version.

Virtual machines created with GSX Server 1.x or higher, or Workstation 2.0.x or higher can be run under GSX Server 3. You must upgrade the virtual hardware for any virtual machine created under GSX Server 1 or Workstation 2. You should test the older virtual machines thoroughly under GSX Server 3 before committing to production use in the new environment. Be sure to back up the virtual machines before you begin your tests.

• Resume and shut down suspended virtual machines.

If you plan to use virtual machines created under earlier VMware products, be sure they have been shut down completely before you remove the release you used to create them.

If the virtual machine is suspended, resume it in the VMware product you used to create it (GSX Server 1 or 2, Workstation 2 or 3), shut down the guest operating system, then power off the virtual machine.

• For virtual disks created under earlier versions of GSX Server or Workstation, commit or discard changes to virtual disks in undoable mode.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

If you plan to use existing virtual machines that have disks in undoable mode, commit or discard any changes to the virtual disks before you remove the release you used to create them.

• Resume or power on the virtual machine in the earlier release, shut down the guest operating system, power off the virtual machine and either commit or discard changes to the undoable disk when prompted.

• Back up virtual machines.

Back up all the files in your virtual machine directories — including the .vmdk or .dsk, .cfg or .vmx and nvram files — for any virtual machines you plan to use under this release.

Virtual machines updated for full compatibility with GSX Server 3 can be used only with other VMware products beginning with GSX Server 3, Workstation 4 and ESX Server 2, but not under earlier versions of VMware software.

• Back up the GSX Server software.

If you intend to use your older GSX Server software, keep the CD-ROM or ESD installation package handy, or else back up the drive on which GSX Server is currently installed.

If you need to install the software on the same computer where you now have an earlier version installed, make sure you back up the current installation and the virtual machine files so that you can restore them later.

• Uninstall any existing version of GSX Server.

If you have GSX Server installed, you must uninstall the previous build before installing the new version:

• To uninstall a previous version of GSX Server 3 or GSX Server 2.x for Windows

hosts, see Uninstalling GSX Server on a Windows Host on page 80 (be sure to reboot your host operating system before installing the software).

• To uninstall a previous version of GSX Server 3 or GSX Server 2.x for Linux

hosts, see Uninstalling GSX Server on a Linux Host on page 85.

• To uninstall GSX Server 1.0 for Windows hosts, see www.vmware.com/support/

gsx/doc/uninstall_gsx_win.html.

• To uninstall GSX Server 1.x for Linux hosts, see www.vmware.com/support/gsx/

doc/uninstall_gsx_linux.html.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

If You Are Upgrading from an Earlier Version of GSX Server

The installation steps for your host require that you run an uninstaller to remove a previous version of GSX Server from your machine.

On a Windows host, the uninstaller asks whether you want to keep licenses in your registry. Do not remove the licenses.

On a Linux host, the license remains in place. You do not need to take any special action. Just leave it where it is.

Take Note of Custom Network Configurations

If you customized any virtual network settings or created a custom network, you must take note of these settings before you uninstall the previous version of GSX Server. Custom network settings cannot be preserved across product upgrades and must be configured again after you install the new version.

Reinstall VMware Tools

Installing VMware Tools ensures the best performance for your guest operating system. See Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

For more information about upgrading, see Upgrading VMware GSX Server on

page 87.

Reinstall VMware Tools

The VMware Tools package has been improved and updated. Be sure to reinstall VMware Tools in your guest operating system after you install VMware GSX Server 3. See Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Host System Requirements

What do you need to get the most out of VMware GSX Server? Take the following list of requirements as a starting point. Remember that the virtual machines running under GSX Server are like physical computers in many ways — and, like physical computers, they generally perform better if they have faster processors, more memory and sufficient disk space.

Be aware that system requirements may change after this manual has been printed. For the latest system requirements, go to the VMware Web site at

www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.

Note: VMware GSX Server (for Windows and Linux hosts) is not localized and does not support internationalization. However, virtual machines created with the localized version of VMware Workstation for Windows still work with GSX Server, even though certain elements do not display properly in GSX Server.

Server Requirements

The server is a Windows or Linux system where you install the GSX Server software. Virtual machines can be stored on the server host or located on a network share.

Server Host Hardware

VMware GSX Server supports up to 32-way multiprocessor servers. The number of virtual machines you can run concurrently depends on the resources they require, but VMware recommends you run no more than four virtual machines concurrently per processor. You can run a maximum of 64 virtual machines concurrently on one host. The server must include the following.

• Standard x86-based server with up to 32 processors

• Hosts with 32-bit IA-32 processors, and IA-32 processors with 64-bit extensions

supported

• 733MHz or faster compatible x86 processor that supports the Pentium® instruction set

Compatible processors include

• Intel: Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium III Xeon, Pentium 4, Xeon, Xeon EM64T

• AMD™: Athlon™, Athlon XP, AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon 64

Multiprocessor systems supported

Dual-core processors supported and counted as one processor for licensing purposes

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Memory

You need enough memory to run the Windows or Linux host operating system, plus memory required for each guest operating system and applications on the host and each guest; see your guest operating system and application documentation for their memory requirements.

• Minimum: 512MB

• Maximum: 64GB for Windows hosts and Linux hosts that support large memory

or are PAE-enabled, 4GB for non-PAE-enabled Windows hosts or 2GB for Linux hosts with kernels in the 2.2.x series

Display

• 16-bit display adapter or higher

Host Hard Disk

• 130MB free disk space on Windows hosts required for server, VMware Management Interface, VmPerl API, VmCOM API and VMware Virtual Machine Console installation

• 20MB free disk space on Linux hosts required for server, VMware Management Interface, VmPerl API and VMware Virtual Machine Console installation

• Disk space in /tmp on Linux hosts should be equivalent to 1.5 times the amount of memory on the host. For information on the /tmp directory, read VMware knowledge base article 844 at

www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=844.

• At least 1GB free disk space recommended for each guest operating system and the application software used with it; using 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

• IDE or SCSI hard drives, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives supported

• Guest operating systems can reside in virtual disk files or on physical (raw) disk

partitions

Local Area Networking

• Any Ethernet controller that the host operating system supports

• Non-Ethernet networks are supported using built-in network address translation

(NAT) or using a combination of host-only networking plus routing software on the host operating system

• A static IP address for your host machine (recommended)

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Windows Host Operating Systems

You nee d a Windows server operating system. If you intend to use the VMware Management Interface, Internet Information Server (IIS) 5.0 or 6.0 must be installed.

Note: Operating systems and service packs that are not listed are not supported for use as a host operating system for VMware GSX Server.

64-bit host computers can run the following operating systems for 64-bit extended systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, including Service Pack 1

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, including Service Pack 1

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, including Service Pack 1

32-bit host computers can run the following operating systems:

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, including Service Pack 1

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, including Service Pack 1

• Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, including Service Pack 1

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Service Pack 3 and Service Pack 4

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Service Pack 3 and Service Pack 4

The VmPerl API requires Perl 5.005x or higher.

The VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers:

• Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.0 (6.0 highly recommended)

• Firefox 1.x

• Mozilla 1.x

• Netscape® Navigator 7.0

Note: As new browser versions are released, VMware tests the management interface for stability and reliability with these versions. We make every effort to add support for new browser versions in a timely manner, but until a browser is added to the above list, its use with our product is not supported. For the latest system requirements, go to the VMware Web site at

www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Linux Host Operating Systems

Supported distributions and kernels are listed below. GSX Server may not run on systems that do not meet these requirements.

64-bit host computers can run the following operating systems for 64-bit extended systems (experimental support only):

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 AS

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 ES

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 WS

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 AS

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 ES

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 WS

• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9

• SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8

• SUSE LINUX 9.3

• SUSE LINUX 9.2

32-bit host computers can run the following operating systems:

• Mandrake Linux 10.1

• Mandrake Linux 10.0

• Mandrake Linux 9.2

• Mandrake Linux 9.0

• Mandrake Linux 8.2

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 AS

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 ES

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 WS

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 AS

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 ES

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 WS

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 2.1

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 2.1

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 2.1

• Red Hat Linux 9.0

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

• Red Hat Linux 8.0

• Red Hat Linux 7.3

• Red Hat Linux 7.2

• Red Hat Linux 7.1

• SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9

• SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8

• SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7

• SUSE LINUX 9.3

• SUSE LINUX 9.2

• SUSE LINUX 9.1

• SUSE LINUX 9.0

• SuSE Linux 8.2

• SuSE Linux 8.1

• SuSE Linux 8.0

• SuSE Linux 7.3

• Turbolinux Server 8.0

• Turbolinux Workstation 8.0

• Turbolinux Server 7.0

Platforms not listed above 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. We make 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 below, its use with our product is not supported. Look for newer prebuilt modules in the Download area of our Web site. Go to www.vmware.com/download. For the list of supported kernels, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.

Other Linux host operating system requirements include:

• Linux kernel 2.2.14-5.0 is not supported

• Standard Linux server installation is required with glibc version 2.1 or higher

and libXpm.so

• The inetd process, which must be configured and active for VMware Virtual Machine Console and VMware Management Interface connections

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

• Version 2.1.36 of the SCSI Generic (sg.o) driver is required to use generic SCSI devices in virtual machines

• Perl 5.005x or higher is required to use VmPerl API

• X server is required to run the VMware Virtual Machine Console

In addition, the VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers:

• Firefox 1.x

• Mozilla 1.x

• Netscape Navigator 7.0

www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.

Information about Running GSX Server on Some SuSE Linux Hosts

Keep in mind the following when you run GSX Server on these SuSE Linux hosts.

• SLES 8 — Install gcc on your SLES 8 host before installing GSX Server.

• SLES 7 — If you intend to upgrade the kernel, make sure you deselect any

Samba components when you apply the update patch, as the patch incorrectly updates Samba on your host. Running the update with the Samba packages selected can result in serious issues on your host like system hangs or segmentation faults.

VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs

The VmPerl API includes the vmware-cmd utility. The VmCOM API works on Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 hosts only. For more information, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/developer.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Remote Client Requirements

The remote client is a Windows or Linux system from which you launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console or use VMware Scripting APIs to remotely manage virtual machines on the GSX Server host. You access the VMware Management Interface to manage virtual machines on the host using a Web browser.

Hardware Requirements

• Standard x86-based computer

• 266MHz or faster processor

• 64MB RAM minimum

• 20MB (for Windows hosts) or 10MB (for Linux hosts) free disk space is required for

installation of the VMware Virtual Machine Console

• 17MB free disk space is required for VMware Scripting APIs ( VmCOM and VmPerl Scripting APIs) installation on Windows remote clients; 14MB is required for VmPerl API on Linux remote clients

Software — Windows Remote Client

• Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003 Web Edition

• Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2

• Windows 2000 Professional, Server and Advanced Server, Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2, Service Pack 3 and Service Pack 4

• Windows NT 4.0 Workstation and Server, Service Pack 6a, with Internet Explorer

6.0 installed

• The VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers:

• Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.0 (6.0 highly recommended)

• Firefox 1.x

• Mozilla 1.x

• Netscape Navigator 7.0

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

system requirements, go to the VMware Web site at

www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.

Software — Linux Remote Client

• Standard Linux installation is required with glibc version 2.1 or higher and one of the following kernels:

• For single-processor systems: kernel 2.0.32 or higher in the 2.0.x series, or

kernel in the 2.2.x, 2.4.x or 2.6.x series

• For SMP systems: kernel in the 2.2.x, 2.4.x or 2.6.x series

Note: Linux kernel 2.2.14-5.0 is not supported.

• Perl 5.005x or higher is required to use VmPerl API

• X server is required to run the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the client

• The VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers:

• Firefox 1.x

• Mozilla 1.x

• Netscape Navigator 7.0

www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.

VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs

The VmPerl API includes the vmware-cmd utility. The VmCOM API works on Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows NT clients only. For more information, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/developer.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Virtual Machine Specifications

Each virtual machine created with GSX Server provides a platform that includes the following devices that your guest operating system can see.

Virtual Processor

• Same processor as that on host computer (but no extended 64-bit support available)

• Single processor per virtual machine on symmetric multiprocessor (SMP) systems

Virtual Chip Set

• Intel 440BX-based motherboard with NS338 SIO chip and 82093AA IOAPIC

Virtual BIOS

• PhoenixBIOS™ 4.0 Release 6 with VESA BIOS

• DMI/SMBIOS-compliant for system management agent support

Virtual Memory

• Up to 3600MB of memory per virtual machine, depending upon the host system’s configuration, the types of applications running on the host and the amount of memory on the host

Virtual Graphics

• VGA and SVGA support

Virtual 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)

• Hard disks can be virtual disks or physical disks

• IDE virtual disks up to 128GB

• CD-ROM can be a physical device or an ISO image file

Virtual SCSI Devices

• Up to 60 devices on up to four virtual SCSI controllers

• SCSI virtual disks up to 256GB

• Hard disks can be virtual disks or physical disks

• Generic SCSI support allows scanners, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, tape drives and other

SCSI devices to be used without requiring drivers in the host operating system

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• Mylex® (BusLogic) BT-958 compatible host bus adapter

• LSI Logic Ultra160 LSI53C10xx SCSI controller

Virtual PCI Slots

• Six virtual PCI slots, to be divided among the virtual SCSI controllers, virtual Ethernet cards, virtual display adapter and virtual sound adapter

Virtual Floppy Drives

• Up to two 1.44MB floppy devices

• Physical drives or floppy image files

Virtual Serial (COM) Ports

• Up to four serial (COM) ports

• Output to serial ports, Windows files, Linux files or named pipes

Virtual Parallel (LPT) Ports

• Up to three bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports

• Output to parallel ports or host operating system files

Virtual USB ports

• Two-port USB 1.1 UHCI controller

• Supported devices include USB printers, scanners, PDAs, hard disk drives,

memory card readers and still digital cameras

CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Virtual Keyboard

• 104-key Windows 95/98 enhanced

Virtual Mouse and Drawing Tablets

• PS/2 mouse

• Serial tablet support

Virtual Ethernet Card

• Up to four virtual Ethernet cards

• AMD PCnet-PCI II compatible

• Wireless networking support with bridged and NAT networking

• PXE ROM version 2.0

Virtual Networking

• Nine virtual Ethernet switches (three configured by default for bridged, hostonly and NAT networking)

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

• 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, HT TP and Telnet

Virtual Sound Adapter

• Sound output and input

• Creative Labs Sound Blaster® AudioPCI emulation (MIDI input, game controllers

and joysticks are not supported)

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Supported Guest Operating Systems

The operating systems listed here have been tested in VMware GSX Server virtual machines and are officially supported. For notes on installing guest operating systems, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide, available from the Help menu or from the VMware Web site at

www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.

Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a VMware GSX Server virtual machine. For the most recent list of supported guest operating systems, visit the VMware Web site at

www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_guest_gsx.html.

Note: Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a VMware GSX Server virtual machine. Guest operating systems using 64-bit extensions to the IA-32 instruction set are not supported.

Microsoft Windows

• Microsoft Windows code-named Longhorn (experimental support)

• Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition,

Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition and Windows Small Business Server 2003, including Service Pack 1

• Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition, including Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2

• Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server, including Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2, Service Pack 3 and Service Pack 4, and Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 4 checked build

• Windows NT® 4.0 Server Service Pack 6a, Windows NT Workstation 4.0, including Service Pack 6a and Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6a

• Windows Me

• Windows 98, including latest 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

Microsoft MS-DOS

• MS-DOS 6.22

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Linux

• Mandrake Linux 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 10.0 and 10.1

• Red Hat Linux 6.2, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.0 and 9.0

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux (AS, ES and WS) 2.1, including Update 6; Red Hat

Enterprise Linux (AS, ES and WS) 3.0, including Update 4; Red Hat Enterprise Linux (AS, ES and WS) 4.0

• SuSE Linux 7.3, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1 and 9.2; experimental support for SUSE LINUX

9.3

• SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7, including Service Pack 2; 8, including Service Pack 3; and 9, including Service Pack 1

• Turbolinux Server 7.0, 8.0, and Workstation 8.0

Novell NetWare

• NetWare 4.2 Support Pack 9, 5.1 Support Pack 6, 6.0 Support Pack 3 and 6.5 Support Pack 1

FreeBSD

• FreeBSD 4.0–4.6.2, 4.8, 4.9, 5.0, 5.1 and 5.2

Solaris

• Solaris 9 and 10 Operating System x86 Platform Edition (experimental support)

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Technical Support Resources

The following sections describe various technical support resources available to you.

• Self-Service Support

• Online and Telephone Support

• Support Offerings

• Reporting Problems

• Log Files

Self-Service Support

Use the VMware Technology Network for self help tools and technical information:

• Product Information — www.vmware.com/support/resources

• Technology Information — www.vmware.com/vcommunity/technology

• Documentation — www.vmware.com/support/pubs

• Knowledge Base — www.vmware.com/support/kb

• Discussion Forums — www.vmware.com/community

• User Groups — www.vmware.com/vcommunity/usergroups.html

For more information about the VMware Technology Network, go to www.vmtn.net.

Online and Telephone Support

Use online support to submit technical support requests, view your product and contract information, and register your products. Go to www.vmware.com/support.

Use phone support for the fastest response on priority 1 issues for customers with appropriate support contracts. Go to www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html.

Support Offerings

Find out how VMware's support offerings can help you meet your business needs. Go to www.vmware.com/support/services.

Reporting Problems

If you have problems while running GSX Server, please report them to the VMware support team.

You must register your serial number; then you can report your problems by submitting a support request at www.vmware.com/requestsupport.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

The steps below describe the information we need from you to diagnose problems. This information largely comes from various log files. Which log file we need depends upon the problem you encounter. The log files are listed after the steps.

You can simplify the process of collecting the needed information by running the support script to collect the appropriate log files and system information. Follow the steps below that apply to your host computer.

Note: The support script runs only on the GSX Server host. If you encounter problems on a remote client, you must supply the log files manually. The two log files you should supply, depending upon the problem you encounter on the client, include the VMware Virtual Machine Console log file and the installation log file. See below for more information about these logs.

Windows Host

1. Open a command prompt.

2. Change to the GSX Server program directory.

cd \Program Files\VMware\VMware GSX Server

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, then include the zip file with your support request.

Linux Host

1. Open a terminal.

2. Run the support script as the user who is running the virtual machine or as root.

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 may ask you to run the script again as root.

3. The script creates a compressed .tgz file in the current directory. Include that output file with your support request.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Log Files

The following log files are generated by GSX Server and are collected by the support script as needed. Since there is no support script on a remote client, you need to submit a support request at www.vmware.com/requestsupport for any issues you encounter on a client and include the console’s log file or its installation log file.

Virtual Machine Log File

If a virtual machine exits abnormally or crashes, please run the support script or save the log file before you launch that virtual machine again. The key log file to save is the VMware log file for the affected virtual machine.

On a Windows host, the vmware.log file is in the same directory as the configuration file (.vmx) of the virtual machine that had problems. The path to the log file of the active virtual machine appears in the About dialog box. In a console, choose Help > About VMware GSX Server, and look under Additional information.

On a Linux host, the <vmname>.log file is in the same directory as the configuration file (.vmx) of the virtual machine that had problems.

Also save any core files (core or vmware-core).

Virtual Machine Event Log File

The virtual machine’s event log, some of which can be viewed in the VMware Management Interface, is stored as a file on the host. This file can also be useful in the event a virtual machine crashes.

Each virtual machine on the host includes an event log file called event-<path_to_configuration_file>.vmx.log.

On a Windows host, the log is stored in C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware GSX Server\vmserverdRoot\eventlog.

On a Linux host, the log is stored in /var/log/vmware.

VMware Virtual Machine Console Log File

The VMware Virtual Machine Console keeps a log. If you encounter problems with the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a remote client, please submit a support request and this log file.

On a Windows host, the log is called vmware-<username>-<PID>.log and is stored in the user’s TEMP directory; by default, this directory is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp. The path to this file appears in the About dialog box. In a console, choose Help > About VMware GSX Server, and look under Additional information.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

On a Linux host, the log is called ui-<PID>.log and is stored in the user’s TEMP directory; by default, this directory is /tmp/vmware-<username>. The path to this file appears in the terminal when you start the console.

VMware Management Interface Log File

The VMware Management Interface keeps a log.

On a Windows host, the log is called mui.log and is stored by default in C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Management Interface.

On a Linux host, the log is called error_log and is stored by default in /var/log/vmware-mui.

VMware Authorization Service Log File

You can enable logging for the VMware Authorization Service (known as vmware-authd on Linux hosts) manually.

1. In a text editor, open the following file:

• On a Windows host, edit config.ini, located in C:\Documents and

Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware GSX Server.

• On a Linux host, edit /etc/vmware/config.

2. Add the following lines to the file:

vmauthd.logEnabled = TRUE

log.vmauthdFileName = "vmauthd.log"

This creates a file called vmauthd.log. On a Windows host, this file appears by default in C:\Windows\system32 or C:\WINNT\system32; on a Linux host, this file appears by default in /var/log/vmware.

3. Save and close the configuration file. The log is enabled on a Linux host.

4. On a Windows host, restart the VMware Authorization Service. Choose Start > Administrative Tools > Services. Right-click VMware Authorization Service and choose Restart. This enables logging.

VMware Registration Service Log File

The VMware Registration Service keeps a log.

On a Windows host, the log is called vmware-serverd.log and is stored in C:\Windows\Temp.

On a Linux host, the log is called vmware-serverd.log and is stored in /var/log/vmware.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

VMware GSX Server and VMware Virtual Machine Console Installation Log Files

GSX Server keeps an installation log file on the server host.

On a remote client, the VMware Virtual Machine Console keeps an installation log file. If you encounter problems installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console, please submit a support request and this log file.

On a Windows host, the file is VMInst.log. It is saved in your TEMP directory; 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 To ol s > Folder Options, click the View tab and select Show Hidden Files and Folders.

On a Linux host, the log is called locations and is stored in /etc/vmware.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

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CHAPTER 2

Installing VMware GSX Server

The following sections describe how to install VMware GSX Server on your Linux or Windows host system:

• Selecting Your Host System on page 43

• About the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the Server on page 44

• Installing VMware GSX Server on a Windows Host on page 45

• Installing VMware GSX Server on a Linux Host on page 55

• Configuring Web Browsers for Use with GSX Server on page 67

• Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on page 70

• Installing the VMware Scripting APIs on page 75

• Uninstalling VMware GSX Server on page 80

Selecting Your Host System

VMware GSX Server is available for both Windows and Linux host computers. The installation files for both host platforms are included on the same CD-ROM.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Your serial number allows you to use VMware GSX Server only on the host operating system for which you licensed the software. If you have a serial number for a Windows host, you cannot run the software on a Linux host, and vice versa.

To use VMware GSX Server on a different host operating system — for example, to use it on a Linux host if you have licensed the software for a Windows host — purchase a license on the VMware Web site. You may also get an evaluation license at no charge for a 15-day evaluation of the software. For more information, see

www.vmware.com/download.

To install on a supported Windows host computer, see Installing VMware GSX Server

on a Windows Host on page 45. To install on a Linux host computer, see Installing VMware GSX Server on a Linux Host on page 55.

To review the list of supported host operating systems on which you can install GSX Server, see Host System Requirements on page 24.

Upgrading from Previous Versions

If you are upgrading from a previous version of VMware GSX Server, read Upgrading

VMware GSX Server on page 87 before you begin.

About the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the Server

VMware GSX Server uses the VMware Virtual Machine Console to manage virtual machines on any GSX Server host directly from the host or remotely from a client workstation or another host.

Multiple consoles can connect to a virtual machine at the same time, giving multiple authorized users concurrent access to the virtual machine; similarly, multiple users can connect to the virtual machine with VMware Scripting APIs and the VMware Management Interface. You can run virtual machines in full screen mode from any console.

When you install the GSX Server software, the VMware Virtual Machine Console is installed automatically. You should install the console on any client workstation from which you want to access virtual machines. This allows for remote management of virtual machines.

To install the console on a client, see Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console

on page 70. You can download the console from the VMware Management Interface

for convenient installation on a remote client. For more information, see Downloading

the VMware Virtual Machine Console on page 111.

For more information about consoles, see Running Virtual Machines in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

www.vmware.com

Installing VMware GSX Server

on a Windows Host

The following sections describe how to install GSX Server on your Windows host operating system:

• Basic Installation on page 46

• Default Directories on page 48

• Installing the GSX Server Software on a Windows Host on page 48

Getting started with VMware GSX Server is simple. The key steps are

1. Install the VMware GSX Server software (including the server, VMware Management Interface, the VmCOM API, the VmPerl API and the VMware Virtual Machine Console) on the server as described in this section.

2. Install the VMware Virtual Machine Console and VMware Scripting APIs on Windows or Linux clients.

3. Start the VMware Virtual Machine Console and enter your serial number. You need to do this only once — the first time you start a console after you install GSX Server.

4. Create a virtual machine using the New Virtual Machine Wizard or the VMware Management Interface. See Creating a New Virtual Machine in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

5. Power on the virtual machine and install a guest operating system. You need the installation media (CD-ROM or floppy disks) for your guest operating system. See

Installing a Guest Operating System in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine

Guide.

6. Install the VMware Tools package in your virtual machine for enhanced performance. See Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

7. Install software in your virtual machine.

8. Start using your virtual machine. Use the VMware Virtual Machine Console, VMware Management Interface and VMware Scripting APIs to manage your server host and virtual machines.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Basic Installation

On a Windows host, you install GSX Server from a master installer. The master installer is a convenient way to install all the components of GSX Server — the server software, the VMware Management Interface and the VMware Scripting APIs — or you can pick and choose which components to install. In addition, the VMware Virtual Machine Console is always installed. All components are installed in their own directories under one master directory.

A basic installation of GSX Server uses two computers — a server hosting a number of virtual machines and a client workstation. The client communicates with the virtual machines on the server over a TCP/IP network link.

In more complex installations, one client can run multiple VMware Virtual Machine Consoles, with each console managing multiple virtual machines on a separate server.

Before you begin, be sure you have:

• A server and host operating system that meet the system requirements for running GSX Server. See Host System Requirements on page 24.

• A remote management client and operating system that meet the system requirements for running the GSX Server remote management software. See

Remote Client Requirements on page 30.

• The GSX Server installation software. If you bought a GSX Server media kit, the installation software is on the CD in your package. If you bought the electronic distribution, the installation software is included with the files you downloaded.

• Your GSX Server serial number. The serial number is included in the email message you received from VMware or from the reseller from whom you purchased GSX Server.

• The installation CDs or disks for your guest operating systems.

• If you plan to use the VMware Management Interface, you must make sure

Internet Information Services (IIS) is installed and configured properly.

On the Server

A complete installation on the GSX Server host includes:

• The GSX Server package for the server (which includes the tools needed to create and configure virtual machines and the VMware Virtual Machine Console to view and control virtual machines).

• The VMware Management Interface package (a Web server for managing virtual machines and the host from a browser; for more information, see Managing

Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host on page 107).

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

• The VmCOM API package, a scripting tool that uses COM to manage virtual machines remotely; for more information, go to

www.vmware.com/support/developer.

• The VmPerl API package, a scripting tool that uses Perl to manage virtual machines remotely; for more information, go to

www.vmware.com/support/developer.

You can choose a custom installation path where you install only the packages you need.

In most cases, you work directly at the server when you install the server software. You can manage and run virtual machines from the server or from any client.

On a Client Workstation

In addition to a Web browser, you can install the following packages on a client:

• The VMware Virtual Machine Console.

• The VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs (the VmCOM API can be installed only on

a Windows client).

These packages are available in the VMware Management Interface and the GSX Server Master Installer (on Windows hosts only). If you are installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux client, see Installing the VMware Virtual Machine

Console on a Linux Host on page 73.

The VMware Virtual Machine Console can run on a remote client and on the server itself. The VMware Virtual Machine Console is available in client packages for Windows (Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003) and Linux.

Typically, you run the console and browser on a client. The browser allows access to the VMware Management Interface. The management interface and console let you

• Monitor the operation of virtual machines.

• Start, stop, reset, suspend and resume virtual machines.

• Create and delete virtual machines.

• Configure host and virtual machine settings.

Essentially, the console allows you to manage virtual machines locally and remotely, while the management interface allows you to remotely manage the server host and all the virtual machines on the host.

The VmPerl and VmCOM APIs can connect to Linux and Windows hosts. However, the VmCOM API can run only on a Windows host or client. You can use the APIs to create scripts to automate management of virtual machines and the server host.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Default Directories

By default, the GSX Server components are installed into the following directories:

• The server components and the VMware Virtual Machine Console are installed in

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware GSX Server

• The VMware Management Interface components are installed in

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Management Interface

• The VmCOM API components are installed in

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware VmCOM Scripting API

• The VmPerl API components are installed in

C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware VmPerl Scripting API

You can change the directory that contains all the components if you wish, but make note of the new paths you intend to use. The instructions in this manual make use of the default paths.

Installing the GSX Server Software on a Windows Host

You cannot have VMware GSX Server installed on the same host machine as any other VMware product, such as VMware Workstation, VMware ACE or the VMware Virtual Machine Console. The only VMware product that can be installed on the same host as GSX Server is the VMware VirtualCenter client software. If you plan to install GSX Server on a host machine that already contains any other VMware product, you must uninstall that product first.

Similarly, you cannot have multiple versions of GSX Server installed on the same host.

If you are upgrading from a previous version of GSX Server, see Upgrading VMware

GSX Server on page 87. You should also read Before You Install the Release on page 21

before installing the software.

To automate the installation of GSX Server on a Windows host, see Automating the

Installation of GSX Server on page 52.

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 Server 2003 host, you must be logged on as a local administrator (that is, not logged on to the domain) in order to install GSX Server.

Although you must be logged on as an administrator to install GSX Server, you can run the program after it is installed as a user with normal user privileges.

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Note: A message appears if you are installing GSX Server on a Windows host configured as an Active Directory server. You can safely ignore the message by clicking OK to continue the installation, or choose to cancel the installation.

2. Start the GSX Server master installer.

If you are installing from a CD, from the Start menu, choose Run and enter D:\Windows\VMware-gsx-server-installer-<xxxx>.exe, where D: is the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive and <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers.

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 (the name is similar to VMware-gsx-server-installer-<xxxx>.exe, where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers).

The master installer starts.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

Click Next.

3. Accept the end user license agreement (EULA).

Select the I accept the terms in the license agreement option, then click Next.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

4. Choose whether you want to perform a complete or a custom installation.

Complete Installation

A complete installation installs the server software, the VMware Management Interface, the VMware Virtual Machine Console, the VmCOM API and the VmPerl API on the GSX Server host. To choose the complete installation, select Complete, then click Next.

If you want to install all the GSX Server components in a directory other than the default, click Change and browse to the directory of your choice. If the directory does not exist, the installer creates it for you.

Caution: GSX Server must be installed on a local drive, not a network drive.

Note: Windows and the Microsoft Installer limit the length of a path to a folder

to 255 characters for a path to a folder on a local drive and 240 characters for a path to a folder on a mapped or shared drive. If the path to the GSX Server program folder exceeds this limit, an error message appears. You must select or enter a shorter path.

When you are ready to continue, click Next and go to step 5.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

Custom Installation

A custom installation lets you pick and choose which components to install. You can always run the installer again at a later date to install components you did not install the first time. Select Custom and click Next. The Custom Setup screen appears.

In the Custom Setup screen, choose the components to install. Click the arrow to the left of the component you do not want to install and select the appropriate option from the menu.

If you need to determine how much free space is on your host, click Space. This is useful if you are choosing a custom installation due to limited disk space on your host.

If you want to install all the GSX Server components in a directory other than the default, click Browse and select the directory. If the directory does not exist, the installer creates it for you.

Caution: GSX Server must be installed on a local drive, not a network drive.

Note: Windows and the Microsoft Installer limit the length of a path to a folder

to 255 characters for a path to a folder on a local drive, and 240 characters for a path to a folder on a mapped or shared drive. If the path to the GSX Server program folder exceeds this limit, an error message appears. You must select or enter a shorter path.

When you are ready to continue, click Next.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

5. If you want to change any settings or information you provided, now is the time to make those changes. Click Back until you reach the screen containing the information you want to change.

Otherwise, click Install. The installer begins copying files to your host.

6. If the installer detects that the CD-ROM autorun feature is enabled, you see a message that gives you the option to disable this feature. Disabling it prevents undesirable interactions with the virtual machines you install on this system.

7. Two shortcuts are created for you on your desktop automatically. They give you easy access to virtual machines from the desktop of your host.

8. Click Finish. The GSX Server software is installed.

9. If you see a prompt that suggests you reboot your server, do so now to allow GSX Server to complete the installation correctly.

Automating the Installation of GSX Server

To automate the installation of GSX Server, you can use the Microsoft Windows Installer runtime engine to install the software silently (in quiet mode). If you are installing GSX Server on a number of Windows hosts, you may want to use the silent installation features.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

The server on which you are installing GSX Server must have Microsoft Windows Installer runtime engine version 2.0 installed. This version is included with Windows Server 2003. If you are installing on a Windows 2000 host (or are installing the VMware Scripting APIs on a Windows NT 4.0 client), check the version of this file:

%WINDIR%\system32\msiexec.exe

If you need to upgrade the engine, run instmsiw.exe, which is located in the directory where you extract the installation packages; see below.

For more information on using the Microsoft Windows Installer, go to the Microsoft Web site — msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/msi/setup/

about_windows_installer.asp.

To install GSX Server silently on a Windows host, complete the following steps.

1. Extract the individual installation packages. Open a command prompt and on one line type:

VMware-gsx-server-installer-<xxxx>.exe /a /s /x /d C:\temp\gsx

(where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing version and build numbers.)

2. Run the silent installation on the extracted installation packages. At the command prompt, on one line, type:

msiexec -i "C:\temp\gsx\VMware GSX Server.msi" ADDLOCAL=ALL /qn

The installation command can be customized using standard Microsoft Windows Installer installation properties as well as any of the following:

Property Name Description Default

DESKTOP_SHORTCUT Installs GSX Server shortcuts on the desktop. By default,

shortcuts are installed on the desktop.

To prevent shortcuts from being installed, add the following in step 2:

DESKTOP_SHORTCUT = 0

DISABLE_AUTORUN Disables CD autorun on the host. By default, autorun is

disabled during the installation.

To enable autorun, add the following in step 2:

DISABLE_AUTORUN = 0

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Property Name Description Default

REMOVE_LICENSE Uninstall only: Removes all stored licenses when you

uninstall GSX Server. By default, GSX Server keeps the licenses on the server.

To remove licenses, add the following in step 2:

REMOVE_LICENSE = 1

Caution: VMware strongly recommends you keep your licenses, in case you reinstall or upgrade your software.

SERIALNUMBER Automatically enters the serial number.

To enter the serial number, add the following in step 2:

SERIALNUMBER=<serialNumber>

none

The ADDLOCAL option defaults to install all GSX Server components. You can customize the installation using a combination of the ADDLOCAL and REMOVE options. You can add or remove the following components:

• All, which includes all the options in this list.

• Network, which includes the bridged networking adapter (vmnet0), the

host-only networking adapter (vmnet1) and the NAT networking adapter (vmnet8). It also includes NAT and DHCP, but these can be removed from the installation.

• NAT, the VMware NAT Service.

• DHCP, the VMware DHCP Service.

To include a component, use it with the ADDLOCAL option.

To exclude a component, use it with the REMOVE option. You always install the bridged and host-only network adapters as part of the Network component.

For example, to install everything but the VMware NAT and DHCP services, specify on the command line:

ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=DHCP,NAT

Note: The DHCP and NAT components are children of the Network component. Thus, you also skip installation of the VMware NAT and DHCP services if you specify:

ADDLOCAL=ALL REMOVE=Network

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Installing VMware GSX Server

on a Linux Host

The following sections describe how to install GSX Server on your Linux host operating system:

• Basic Installation on page 56

• Default Directories on page 58

• Installing the GSX Server Software on a Linux Host on page 59

• Installing the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host on page 63

• Installing an X Server on page 64

• Before You Install on a SuSE Linux 7.1 or Higher or SLES Host on page 64

• Before You Install on a SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 Host on page 65

• Before You Install the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host on

page 65

Getting started with VMware GSX Server is simple. The key steps are

1. Install the GSX Server software (including the server, VMware Management Interface, the VMware Virtual Machine Console and the VmPerl API) on the server.

2. Install the VMware Virtual Machine Console and VMware Scripting APIs on Windows or Linux clients.

3. Start the VMware Virtual Machine Console and create a virtual machine using the New Virtual Machine Wizard, or create one from the VMware Management Interface. See Creating a New Virtual Machine in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

4. Power on the virtual machine and install a guest operating system in the new virtual machine. You need the installation media (CD-ROM or floppy disks) for your guest operating system. See Installing a Guest Operating System in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

5. Install the VMware Tools package in your virtual machine for enhanced performance. See Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

6. Install software in your virtual machine.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

7. Start using your virtual machine. Use the VMware Virtual Machine Console, VMware Management Interface and VMware Scripting APIs to manage your server host and virtual machines.

Basic Installation

A basic installation of GSX Server uses two computers — a server, hosting a number of virtual machines, and a client workstation. The client communicates with the virtual machines on the server over a TCP/IP network link.

In more complex installations, one client can run multiple VMware Virtual Machine Consoles, with each console managing multiple virtual machines on a separate server. And consoles on multiple clients can connect to virtual machines on any server.

Before you begin, be sure you have:

• A server and host operating system that meet the system requirements for running GSX Server. See Host System Requirements on page 24.

• A remote management client and operating system that meet the system requirements for running the GSX Server remote management software. See

Remote Client Requirements on page 30.

• The installation CDs or disks for your guest operating systems.

• The GSX Server installation software. If you bought a GSX Server media kit, the

installation software is on the CD in your package. If you bought the electronic distribution, the installation software is in the files you downloaded.

• Your GSX Server serial number. The serial number is included in the email message you received from VMware or from the reseller from whom you purchased GSX Server.

Also, before you install and run VMware GSX Server, check the following notes and make any necessary adjustments to the configuration of your host operating system.

• The real-time clock function must be compiled into your Linux kernel.

• GSX Server for Linux systems requires that the parallel port PC-style hardware

option (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) be built and loaded as a kernel module (that is, it must be set to m when the kernel is compiled).

• SuSE Linux 7.1 and higher and SLES hosts: The inetd process or xinetd process must be configured to start when the host operating system boots. See

Before You Install on a SuSE Linux 7.1 or Higher or SLES Host on page 64.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

• SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 hosts: The gcc package must be installed on your host before you install GSX Server. See Before You Install on a SuSE Linux

Enterprise Server 8 Host on page 65.

Caution: Some operating systems, such as Red Hat Linux 7.2 and 7.3, include a firewall by default. This firewall prevents access from the VMware Virtual Machine Console and the VMware Management Interface on client computers to the GSX Server host. In order for the VMware Virtual Machine Console to connect to the host, you need to open up port 902. To connect to the host with the VMware Management Interface, you need to open up port 8333 (and port 8222 if you plan to disable SSL for the management interface).

On the Server

You can install up to three software packages on the Linux server:

• The GSX Server package for the server (from an RPM or tar archive available on the GSX Server CD-ROM or the VMware Web site). The RPM file is called

VMware-gsx-<xxxx>.i386.rpm while the tar archive is called VMware-gsx-<xxxx>.tar.gz, where <xxxx> is a series of numbers

representing the version and build numbers.

Note: The VmPerl API package is installed when you install the server software. The VmPerl API is a scripting tool that uses Perl to manage virtual machines remotely; for more information, go to www.vmware.com/support/developer.

• The VMware Management Interface package (from a tar archive available on the GSX Server CD-ROM or the VMware Web site). This tar archive is called VMware-mui-<xxxx>.tar.gz.

• The VMware Virtual Machine Console package (which you download from the VMware Management Interface; the package is also available as an RPM file or tar archive in a client GZip file that also contains the VmPerl API, available on the GSX Server CD-ROM or from the VMware Web site). The RPM file is called

VMware-console-<xxxx>.i386.rpm while the tar archive is called VMware-console-<xxxx>.tar.gz.

In most cases, you work directly at the server when you install the server software. You can manage and run virtual machines from the server or from any client.

On a Client Workstation

In addition to a Web browser, you can install the following packages on a client:

• The VMware Virtual Machine Console.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

• The VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs (the VmCOM API can be installed only on a Windows client); for more information, go to www.vmware.com/support/

developer.

These packages are available in the VMware Management Interface. If you are installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows client, see Installing the

VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host on page 70.

VMware Virtual Machine Consoles can run on clients and on the server itself. Console packages are available for Windows (Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003) and Linux.

Typically, you run the console and browser on a client. The browser allows access to the VMware Management Interface. The management interface and console let you

• Monitor the operation of virtual machines.

• Start, stop, reset, suspend and resume virtual machines.

• Create and delete virtual machines.

• Configure host and virtual machine settings.

The VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs can connect to Linux and Windows hosts. However, the VmCOM API can run only on a Windows client. You can use the APIs to create scripts to automate management of virtual machines and the host.

Default Directories

By default, the GSX Server components are installed into the following directories:

• The server components are installed in

/usr/bin

• The VMware Management Interface components are installed in

/usr/lib/vmware-mui

• The VMware Virtual Machine Console components are installed in

/usr/bin

• The Apache server components are installed in

/usr/lib/vmware-mui/apache/bin

(so they do not conflict with existing Apache software on your server)

• The VmPerl API executable files are installed in

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

/usr/bin

• The VmPerl API library files are installed in

/usr/lib/vmware-api

If you installed the software from a tar installer, you can change these paths if you wish, but make note of the new paths you intend to use. The instructions in this manual make use of the default paths.

Installing the GSX Server Software on a Linux Host

The steps below describe an installation on a Red Hat Linux host from a CD-ROM. If you downloaded the software, the steps are the same except that you start from the directory where you saved the downloaded installer file, not from the CD. If you are using a different Linux distribution, some of the commands may be different.

You cannot have both VMware GSX Server and VMware Workstation on the same host machine. If you plan to install GSX Server on a host machine that already contains Workstation, the Workstation application is automatically upgraded to GSX Server.

Before you install the GSX Server software, ensure your Linux distribution is for a server, not a workstation. If you are running a workstation distribution, you need to install the inetd process in order to connect to the VMware Virtual Machine Console and VMware Management Interface. If you need to, review the Host System

Requirements on page 24.

Upgrade Note: If you are upgrading from an earlier version of GSX Server to a later one, the choices you made during the earlier installation become the defaults for the new installation. As a result, you may see options that are different from those described below. For more information, see Upgrading VMware GSX Server on

page 87. You should also read Before You Install the Release on page 21 before

installing the software.

1. Log on to your Linux host with the user name you plan to use when running VMware GSX Server.

2. In a terminal window, become root so you can perform the initial installation.

su -

3. Mount the CD-ROM drive and change to the Linux directory on the CD.

mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

cd /mnt/cdrom/Linux

4. Do one of the following:

• Use the RPM installer: Run RPM specifying the installation file.

rpm -Uhv VMware-gsx-<xxxx>.i386.rpm

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

(VMware-gsx-<xxxx>.i386.rpm is the installation file on the CD; where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing version and build numbers.)

Note: If you are upgrading from VM ware GSX Ser ver 2, you must take a special step before you install the RPM package. You need to remove the prebuilt modules RPM package included in the version 2 release. To remove the modules, type the following at a command prompt:

rpm -e VMwareGSXKernelModules

• Use the tar installer: Complete the following steps.

a. Copy the tar archive to a directory on your hard drive — for example, to /tmp.

cp VMware-gsx-<xxxx>.tar.gz /tmp

(where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers)

b. Change to the directory to which you copied the file.

cd /tmp

c. Unpack the archive.

tar zxf VMware-gsx-<xxxx>.tar.gz

d. Change to the installation directory.

cd vmware-gsx-distrib

e. Run the installation program.

./vmware-install.pl

f. Accept the default directories for the binary files, daemon files, library files,

manual files, documentation files, init directories and init scripts.

5. Run the configuration program.

vmware-config.pl

Note: If you are installing GSX Server on a Mandrake Linux host, the configuration program asks for the location of lspci. When that prompt appears, enter the following path:

/usr/bin/lspcidrake

Note: If you use the RPM installer, you need to run this 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.

Use this program to reconfigure GSX Server whenever you upgrade your kernel. It is not necessary to reinstall GSX Server after you upgrade your kernel.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

You can also use vmware-config.pl to reconfigure the networking options for VMware GSX Server — for example, to add or remove host-only networks.

6. Press Enter to read the end user license agreement (EULA). You may page through it by pressing the space bar. If the Do you accept prompt doesn’t appear, press Q to get to the next prompt.

7. Configure networking for your virtual machines.

• If you want to use any type of networking with virtual machines, answer Yes to

this prompt: Do you want networking for your virtual machines?

Bridged networking is always enabled if you enable networking. For more information about bridged networking, see Bridged Networking in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

• To enable NAT, answer Yes to the following prompts:

Do you want to be able to use NAT networking in your

virtual machines?

Do you want this script to probe for an unused

private subnet?

This allows you to connect your virtual machines to an external network when you have only one IP network address on the physical network, and that address is used by the host computer. For more information, see Network

Address Translation (NAT) in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

• To enable host-only networking, answer Yes to the following prompts:

Do you want to be able to use host-only networking

in your virtual machines?

Do you want this script to probe for an unused

private subnet?

Host-only networking allows for networking between the virtual machine and the host operating system. For more information, see Host-Only Networking in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

8. Specify the port the VMware Virtual Machine Console uses when connecting to the GSX Server host remotely. Port 902 is the default port. If your site uses this port for another application — for example, ideafarm-chat uses this port — then specify a different port for the console to use here. To change the port later, see Changing the Port Number for VMware Virtual Machine Console

Connections on page 109.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

9. If you are upgrading from an earlier version of GSX Server, the following prompt appears: Do you want the installer to set up permissions

for your registered virtual machines? This will be

done by setting new permissions on all files found in /etc/vmware/vm-list.

Type y. The following permissions are set for all registered virtual machines:

• Read, write and execute — for the user who created the virtual machine (the

owner)

• Read and execute — for the primary group to which the owner belongs

• Read — for users other than the owner or a member of the owner's group

10. Specify the directory where you want to store your virtual machine files. By default, this directory is /var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines. Make sure this location is on a large enough file system to contain the files, as the virtual disk files for each virtual machine are usually are gigabytes in size.

11. Enter your GSX Server serial number exactly as it appears (with hyphens) in the email message you received from VMware or from the reseller from whom you purchased GSX Server. When you enter the serial number, it is saved in your license file.

12. The configuration program displays a message saying the configuration completed successfully. If it does not display this message, run the configuration program again.

13. When you finish, do one of the following:

• Log off of the root account.

exit

• Install the VMware Management Interface. Go to step 3 under Installing the

VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host on page 63.

• Install the VMware Virtual Machine Console. Go to step 3 under Installing the

VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux Host on page 73.

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Installing the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host

The steps below describe an installation of the VMware Management Interface on a Red Hat Linux host from a CD-ROM. If you downloaded the software, the steps are the same except that you start from the directory where you saved the installer file you downloaded, not from the CD. If you are using a different Linux distribution, some commands may be different.

Note: You must install the libdb.so.3 library from your Linux CD-ROM first. For more information, see Before You Install the VMware Management Interface on a

Linux Host on page 65.

1. In a terminal window, if you haven’t done so already, become root so you can carry out the installation.

su -

2. Mount the CD-ROM drive and change to the Linux directory on the CD.

mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

cd /mnt/cdrom/Linux

3. Copy the tar archive to a directory on your hard drive (for example, to /tmp).

cp VMware-mui-<xxxx>.tar.gz /tmp (where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing version and build numbers)

Caution: Make sure the directory to which you plan to untar the tar archive does not contain any files from a previous management interface tar installation.

Change to the directory to which you copied the file.

cd /tmp

Unpack the archive.

tar zxf VMware-mui-<xxxx>.tar.gz

(where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing version and build numbers)

4. Change to the installation directory.

cd vmware-mui-distrib

5. Run the installation program.

./vmware-install.pl

6. Press Enter to continue.

7. Accept the EULA.

8. Specify the directory where you want to install the management components, the binary files, management interface files, init directories and init scripts. Or accept the default directories.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

9. Allow the configuration program vmware-config-mui.pl to run.

10. Specify the number of minutes before a management interface session times out. The default session length is 60 minutes.

11. When you finish, you can:

• Log off of the root account.

exit

• Install the VMware Virtual Machine Console. Go to page 73.

Installing an X Server

You need an X server to run the VMware Virtual Machine Console. If an X server is not installed, you must install libxpm.so.4, located on your Linux distribution disk.

Before You Install on a SuSE Linux 7.1 or Higher or SLES Host

The inetd or xinetd process, which is required for the VMware Management Interface and the VMware Virtual Machine Console to run properly, is not configured to start at boot time on SuSE Linux 7.1 and higher, or SuSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) hosts.

Before you install GSX Server on a SuSE Linux 7.1 or higher host system, or a SLES host system, you need to configure your host so that the inetd or xinetd process starts at boot time. Boot the host operating system and make sure the network card and disk subsystem work as expected.

Configuring the inetd or xinetd Process in the Host Operating System

1. Start your X server, if it does not start by default, and log on as the root user.

2. Run YAST2, the default configuration utility for SuSE Linux 7.1 and higher and SLES.

3. Click Network (SuSE Linux 7.1) or Network/Basic (SuSE Linux 7.2 or higher and SLES), then click Start/stop services (inetd) or Start/stop services (xinetd) depending upon your distribution.

4. Select the On with default configuration option.

5. Click Finish, then click Close to exit YAST2. The inetd or xinetd process automatically starts when you reboot the host operating system.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

Before You Install on a SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 Host

The gcc program is not installed on a SLES 8 host by default. This compiler is required by the VmPerl API.

Before you install GSX Server on a SLES 8 host system, you must install gcc.

Installing gcc in the Host Operating System

1. Start your X server, if it does not start by default, and log on as the root user.

2. Run YAST2, the default configuration utility for SLES 8.

3. Click Software in the left pane, click Install or remove software in the right pane.

4. Check C++ Compiler and Tools in the left pane, then click Accept.

5. When prompted, insert the SLES 8 CD.

6. Click Close to exit YAST2. The gcc program is installed. Now install GSX Server.

Before You Install the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host

If you are running GSX Server on a 32-bit Linux host, you must install the libdb.so.3 library from your Linux distribution’s CD-ROM before you install the VMware Management Interface. The version that comes with a default Linux installation is incompatible with the management interface and returns the following error when you start the management interface:

Couldn't find necessary components on your system. It appears that you are missing the following library: libdb.so.3.

Some Linux distributions are known to ship without these libraries. From your Linux distribution CD, install this RPM package: compat-db-3.3.<##>-<#>.i386.rpm, where <##><#> is a version number particular to your version of the distribution.

If your distribution CD does not have this package, contact your vendor for a suitable library.

If you install this package after you installed the management interface software, start the management interface's Apache server with the following command:

/etc/init.d/httpd.vmware start

To install the correct library, run the version of the Berkeley Database compat-db-<#>.<#>.<##>-<#>.i386.rpm RPM package included with

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

your Linux distribution, as long as you install compat-db-3.3.<##>-<#>.i386.rpm or later. If you installed this package after you installed the management interface software, start the management interface’s Apache server with this command:

/etc/init.d/httpd.vmware start

The VMware Management Interface and 64-Bit Linux Hosts

The VMware Management Interface does not work on 64-bit Linux hosts.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

Configuring Web Browsers for Use with

GSX Server

If you intend to run the VMware Management Interface in Internet Explorer 6.0 on a Windows system, you must take certain steps to configure Internet Explorer properly. These steps are needed whether the browser is running on a GSX Server Windows host or you are using a Windows client machine to connect to a GSX Server host.

In order to run the GSX Server in-product help from a console on a Linux system, you may need to link to the location of Netscape on the system, if it is different from the location where GSX Server expects it to be.

The configuration steps allow you to perform the following activities:

• Launching the VMware Virtual Machine Console from the Management

Interface on an Encrypted Server on page 67

• Connecting to the Management Interface on a Proxy Server on page 68

• Launching Help in Netscape on a Linux System on page 69

Launching the VMware Virtual Machine Console from the Management Interface on an Encrypted Server

You can launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console from the VMware Management Interface automatically. In order to do this in an Internet Explorer 6.0 browser on a Windows system where SSL is encrypting your GSX Server remote connections, you must ensure that the Do not save encrypted pages to disk option is disabled.

For information on encrypting remote connections, see Enabling and Disabling SSL

for Remote Sessions on page 122.

When this option is enabled, Internet Explorer does not save any files to disk, including the files it needs to hand off to helper applications. This prevents the console from launching automatically.

Caution: This option may have been enabled deliberately at your site to prevent the saving of sensitive files to disk. Disabling it may permit other sensitive information to be saved to disk.

Caution: Some patches installed when you run Windows Update reset this setting, so you may need to repeat this process after you run Windows Update.

To disable the option, complete the following steps.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

1. In the Internet Explorer 6.0 window, open the Internet Options control panel. Choose To ol s > Internet Options.

2. Click the Advanced tab.

3. Scroll down to the Security section and uncheck Do not save encrypted pages to disk.

4. Click OK.

Connecting to the Management Interface on a Proxy Server

If your network is protected behind a proxy server, there are certain steps you must take in order to use the management interface in Internet Explorer 6.0 on a Windows system. Follow the steps for the appropriate Windows operating system.

Windows Server 2003 Systems

1. Launch Internet Explorer 6.0.

2. Choose To ol s > Internet Options, then click the Security tab.

3. Select Trusted sites, then click Sites.

4. In the Add this Web site to the zone entry field, type

https://*.<domain>

(where <domain> is your organization’s domain name, such as vmware.com).

5. Click Add.

6. Click OK until you return to the browser window.

When you use Internet Explorer 6.0 to connect to the management interface, be sure to use fully qualified domain names.

Windows Systems Other than Windows Server 2003

Follow these steps for Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows NT operating systems.

1. Launch Internet Explorer 6.0.

2. Choose To ol s > Internet Options.

3. Click the Connections tab, then click LAN Settings.

4. Make sure that Bypass proxy server for local addresses is checked.

5. Click OK until you return to the browser window.

When you use Internet Explorer 6.0 to connect to the management interface, do not use fully qualified domain names.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

Connecting to the Management Interface When There Is No Proxy Server

If you are on a Windows system and your network does not use a proxy server, you must use fully-qualified domain names when connecting to the management interface with Internet Explorer 6.0.

Launching Help in Netscape on a Linux System

To use VMware GSX Server Help on a Linux system, you must have a Web browser installed on your physical computer. GSX Server expects to find the Netscape browser in /usr/bin/netscape. If this matches the configuration of your host computer, you do not need to take any special steps. If you are using a different browser or if your Netscape browser is in a different location, add a symbolic link to it from /usr/bin.

ln -s <path to browser> /usr/bin/netscape

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Installing the VMware Virtual Machine

Console

The VMware Virtual Machine Console enables you to view and control GSX Server virtual machines from a remote client or on the server host. Multiple users can use the console to connect to a virtual machine from the server host or from remote clients at the same time. Use the instructions below that correspond to the operating system running on your system.

Consoles can also be launched from the VMware Management Interface. If you use Netscape or Mozilla as your browser, you need to configure the MIME type for the console. To set the MIME type, see Setting a MIME Type to Launch the VMware Virtual

Machine Console on page 166. Internet Explorer is automatically configured when

you install the console software.

Caution: Do not install a console from a client installer package onto the GSX Server host. Do not download and install a console from an older version of GSX Server or ESX Server onto any client.

The following sections describe how to install the VMware Virtual Machine Console on Windows and Linux computers.

• Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host on page 70

• Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux Host on page 73

Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host

On the GSX Server for Windows host, the VMware Virtual Machine Console is installed automatically from the master installer when you installed the GSX Server component. If you need to upgrade the console on the GSX Server host, use the master installer.

You can download the installer from the VMware Management Interface or find it on the GSX Server installation CD-ROM in the Windows client package. You can run this console on any Windows client.

To download the console from the management interface, see Downloading the

VMware Virtual Machine Console on page 111.

1. After you download the console installation package, go to the directory where you downloaded the installer and run VMware-console-<xxxx>.exe,

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where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers. The InstallShield Wizard dialog box appears. Click Next.

2. Accept the end user license agreement (EULA).

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

Select I accept the terms in the license agreement, then click Next.

3. Choose the directory in which to install the console. If you prefer to install it in a directory other than the default, click Change and change to your directory of choice. If the directory does not exist, it is created for you. Click Next.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

4. If you want to change any settings or information you provided, now is the time to make those changes. Click Back until you reach the dialog box containing the information you want to change.

Otherwise, click Install. The installer begins copying files to your host.

5. When the setup completes, click Finish. You do not need to reboot your host operating system after you install the console.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux Host

The steps below describe an installation of the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Red Hat Linux host from a CD-ROM. If you downloaded the software, the steps are the same except that you start from the directory where you saved the installer file you downloaded, not from the CD. If you are using a different Linux distribution, some commands may be different.

You can download the VMware Virtual Machine Console installer from the VMware Management Interface or find it on the GSX Server installation CD-ROM in the Linux client package. You can run this console on the GSX Server host or any Linux client.

To download the console from the management interface, see Downloading the

VMware Virtual Machine Console on page 111.

1. In a terminal window, if you have not done so already, become root so you can carry out the installation steps.

su -

2. Mount the CD-ROM drive and change to the Client directory on the CD.

mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

cd /mnt/cdrom/Client

3. Unzip the client installer archive to /tmp.

unzip VMware-gsx-server-linux-client-<xxxx>.zip -d

/tmp

(where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers)

Caution: If you intend to install the VMware Virtual Machine Console from a tar package, make sure the directory to which you plan to untar the tar archive does not contain any files from a previous console tar installation.

4. Change to the /tmp directory.

cd /tmp

5. Do one of the following:

• Use the RPM installer. Run RPM specifying the installation file.

rpm -Uhv VMware-console-<xxxx>.i386.rpm

(where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers)

• Use the tar installer. Complete the following steps.

a. Unpack the archive.

tar zxf VMware-console-<xxxx>.tar.gz

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

(where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers)

The archive unpacks to vmware-console-distrib.

b. Run the installer.

cd vmware-console-distrib

./vmware-install.pl

c. Accept the EULA and answer the questions specifying default directories for

the binary files, library files, manual files and documentation files.

d. If the Do you accept prompt doesn't appear, press Q to continue.

6. Run the configuration program vmware-config-console.pl.

You see the following prompt: What port do you want the remote

console to use to connect to server. [902]

If you specified a different port number when you installed the server software, enter that port number here. Otherwise, keep the default of 902.

7. When you finish, log off of the root account.

exit

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

Installing the VMware Scripting APIs

VMware GSX Server supports the VMware Scripting APIs, which include the VmPerl Scripting API and the VmCOM Scripting API. You can use the VMware Scripting APIs to manage the GSX Server host and virtual machines locally and remotely.

For more information, go to www.vmware.com/support/developer.

The following sections describe how to install the scripting APIs on Windows and Linux hosts.

• Installing the VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs on a Windows Host on page 75

• Installing the VmPerl Scripting API on a Linux Host on page 78

Installing the VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs on a Windows Host

On either a Windows server host or a Windows remote computer, you can use either the VmPerl API or the VmCOM API. Both scripting APIs are installed automatically on the GSX Server for Windows host from the master installer if you chose a complete installation. In addition, you can make the APIs available for download by customizing the download menu on the Login page of the VMware Management Interface. For more information, see Customizing the Download Menu on page 112.

You have a choice of installing either the VmCOM or the VmPerl API, or both.

1. Choose Start > Run and browse to the directory where you saved the downloaded installer file (the name is similar to VMware-VmPerlAPI- <xxxx>.exe or VMware-VmCOMAPI-<xxxx>.exe, where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers).

2. The installer starts. Click Next.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

3. Acknowledge the end user license agreement (EULA). Select I accept the terms in the license agreement, then click Next.

4. Choose the directory in which to install the scripting API. To install it in a directory other than the default, click Change and browse to your directory of choice. If the directory does not exist, the installer creates it for you. Click Next.

Note: Windows and the Microsoft Installer limit the path length to 255 characters for a path to a folder on a local drive, and 240 characters for a path to a folder on a mapped or shared drive. If the path to the scripting API program folder exceeds this limit, an error message appears. You must select or enter a shorter path.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

5. If you want to change any settings or information you provided, now is the time to make those changes. Click Back until you reach the dialog box containing the information you want to change.

Otherwise, click Install. The installer begins copying files to your host.

6. Click Finish. The VMware Scripting API is installed.

If you install the VmCOM API, two directories named MiniMUI and SampleScripts are created in the VmCOM API directory. The MiniMUI directory contains a sample Microsoft Visual Basic 6 project that uses the VmCOM API. The SampleScripts directory contains VBScript and JScript samples using the VmCOM API.

If you install the VmPerl API, a SampleScripts directory is created in the VmPerl API directory. The SampleScripts directory contains sample scripts using the VmPerl API.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Installing the VmPerl Scripting API on a Linux Host

On either a Linux server host or a Linux remote computer, you can use only the VmPerl API. The VmCOM API cannot be installed on a Linux host, although the VmCOM API installed on a Windows remote client can communicate with a Linux host. You can make the VmPerl API tar archive available for download by customizing the download menu on the Login page of the VMware Management Interface. See Customizing the

Download Menu on page 112.

Note: There is no 64-bit version of the VmPerl API available for installation on a 64-bit Linux host. To use the VmPerl API with a 64-bit Linux host, install the 32-bit version of the VmPerl API on a 32-bit Linux host and use that API to control a 64-bit host.

To install the VmPerl API on a 32-bit host or client, complete the following steps.

1. Download the VmPerl API package from the VMware Management Interface Login page to the machine on which you want to run the VMware Scripting API.

2. In a terminal window, if you have not done so already, become root so you can carry out the installation steps.

su -

3. Untar the package.

tar zxf VMware-VmPerlAPI-<xxxx>.tar.gz

(where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers)

4. Change to the installation directory.

cd vmware-api-distrib

5. Run the installation program.

./vmware-install.pl

6. Press Enter to read the end user license agreement (EULA). You may page through it by pressing the spacebar. If the Do you accept? prompt doesn’t appear, press Q to get to the next prompt. Accept the EULA.

7. Specify the directory where you want to install the VmPerl API executable files. The default is where Perl is installed on your host, typically /usr/bin.

8. Specify the directory where you want to install the VmPerl API library files. The default is /usr/lib/vmware-api.

This directory includes the sample scripts for the VmPerl API. The SampleScripts directory contains example scripts that demonstrate use of the VmPerl API. You may customize these scripts for your particular organization.

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9. Specify the directory where you want to install the VmPerl API documentation files. These files consist of the README, end user license agreement and copyright information. The default is /usr/share/doc/vmware-api.

10. When you finish, log off of the root account.

exit

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Uninstalling VMware GSX Server

The following sections describe how to remove the GSX Server components from your system. Follow the steps for your host operating system.

• Uninstalling GSX Server on a Windows Host on page 80

• Uninstalling GSX Server on a Linux Host on page 85

Uninstalling GSX Server on a Windows Host

To uninstall GSX Server, complete the following steps. These steps remove all the components you installed with the GSX Server master installer, including the server software, the VMware Management Interface and the VMware Scripting APIs.

To uninstall the VMware Virtual Machine Console from a Windows client, see

Uninstalling the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host on page 84.

To remove specific GSX Server components (for example, the scripting APIs or the management interface), see Removing Selected Components on a Windows Host on

page 82.

If you chose the custom installation path, any components you installed at that time are removed when you use the master installer to uninstall GSX Server.

1. On a Windows Server 2003 host, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add

or Remove Programs. Select the VMware GSX Server Installer and click Change.

On a Windows 2000 host, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/ Remove Programs. Select the VMware GSX Server Installer and click Change.

2. After the master installer launches, click Next.

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3. Select Remove, then click Next.

4. When you are ready to begin removing GSX Server, click Remove.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

5. During the uninstallation, you are asked whether you want to keep your VMware licenses in the Windows registry. VMware strongly recommends you keep your licenses, in case you reinstall or upgrade your software. To keep the licenses in the registry, click Yes . The uninstallation continues.

6. During the uninstallation, you are asked whether you want to keep any login information for any virtual machines configured to run as specific user accounts. If you choose to delete the login information, then reinstall GSX Server, any virtual machines configured to run as specific users will run as the user that powers on those virtual machines. After you decide whether or not to keep the login information, the uninstallation continues.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

7. After all the components are removed, click Finish.

8. If you see a prompt that suggests you reboot your server, do so now to allow GSX Server to complete the uninstallation correctly.

Removing Selected Components on a Windows Host

With the master installer, you can choose to remove specific components from your GSX Server installation. For example, if you decide to not use the VmPerl API, you can remove only that component.

Note: Do not use this method to remove GSX Server. Use it to remove the VMware Scripting APIs or the VMware Management Interface only.

To remove a component, complete the following steps.

1. On a Windows Server 2003 host, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add

or Remove Programs. Select the VMware GSX Server Installer and click Change.

On a Windows 2000 host, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel > Add/ Remove Programs. Select the VMware GSX Server Installer and click Change.

2. After the master installer launches, click Next. The Program Maintenance screen appears.

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3. Select Modify, then click Next. The Custom Setup screen appears.

4. Click the arrow to open the menu next to the component you want to remove, select This feature will not be installed, then click Next.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

5. When you are ready to begin removing the component, click Install.

6. After the component is removed, click Finish.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Uninstalling the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host

To uninstall the console on a Windows host, use Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel.

1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.

2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs (Add or Remove Programs on a Windows Server 2003 host).

3. Select VMware Virtual Machine Console, then click Change.

Note: If the console was installed on Windows NT 4.0, click Add/Remove.

4. A wizard starts. Click Next.

5. In the next screen, select Remove, then click Next.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware GSX Server

6. To start removing the console, click Remove.

7. After the wizard finishes removing the console, click Finish. You do not need to reboot the system after you remove the console.

Uninstalling GSX Server on a Linux Host

To uninstall any GSX Server component, open a terminal and log on as the root user.

If you used the RPM installer to install GSX Server, remove the software from your system by running

rpm -e VMware-gsx

If you used the tar installer to install GSX Server, remove the software from your system by running

vmware-uninstall.pl

Note: Uninstalling the server software removes the VmPerl API installed with it.

To uninstall the VMware Management Interface components, run the program

/usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-mui.pl

To uninstall a Linux console that was installed from an RPM package, type the following

rpm -e VMware-console

To uninstall a Linux console that was installed from a tar package, run the program

/usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-console.pl

To uninstall the VmPerl API that was installed on a remote client from a client package, type the following

/usr/bin/vmware-uninstall-api.pl

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

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CHAPTER 3

Upgrading VMware GSX Server

The following sections describe how to upgrade VMware GSX Server on your Linux or Windows host system and how to use virtual machines created under earlier versions of GSX Server with the current version:

• Preparing for the Upgrade on page 88

• Upgrading on a Windows Host on page 91

• Upgrading on a Linux Host on page 92

• Using Virtual Machines Created with Version 2 under Version 3 on page 93

• Using Virtual Machines Created with Version 1 under Version 3 on page 103

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Preparing for the Upgrade

The following sections describe how to prepare for your upgrade:

• Before You Install VMware GSX Server on page 88

• When You Remove an Existing Version and Install the New Version on page 90

Before You Install VMware GSX Server

There are a few steps you should take — before you remove an already installed version of GSX Server and install the new version of GSX Server — to ensure the best possible upgrade experience.

Shut Down and Power Off All Virtual Machines

If you plan to use virtual machines created under an earlier version of GSX Server, be sure they have been shut down completely before you remove the release you used to create them.

If any virtual machine is suspended, resume it in the earlier release, shut down the guest operating system, then power off the virtual machine.

Note: If you attempt to resume a virtual machine that was suspended under a different VMware product or a different version of GSX Server, a message appears, giving you the choice of discarding or keeping the file that stores the suspended state. To recover the suspended state, you must click Keep, then resume the virtual machine under the correct VMware product. If you click Discard, you can power on normally, but the suspended state is lost.

Make Sure All Disks Are in the Same Mode

If you have an existing virtual machine with one or more virtual disks, and all the disks use persistent or undoable mode, upgrading is straightforward.

If you have an existing virtual machine with one or more virtual disks, and all the disks use nonpersistent mode, you need to take a few special steps when you upgrade VMware Tools. For details, see www.vmware.com/info?id=44.

If you plan to use an existing virtual machine that has disks in undoable mode, commit or discard any changes to the virtual disks before you remove the release you used to create them.

Resume or power on the virtual machine in the earlier release, shut down the guest operating system, power off the virtual machine and either commit or discard changes to the disk in undoable mode when prompted.

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CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server

If the disks are in persistent or nonpersistent mode, be sure the virtual machine is completely shut down. If it is suspended, resume it, shut down the guest operating system and power off the virtual machine.

If you have an existing virtual machine that has multiple virtual disks and the disks are in multiple modes, the simplest approach to upgrading is to convert all the disks to persistent mode.

Resume or power on the virtual machine in the earlier release, shut down the guest operating system, power off the virtual machine and either commit or discard changes to any undoable mode disks when prompted. Then open the Configuration Editor and change all disks to persistent mode. After you upgrade, you can use the snapshot feature to preserve the state of a virtual machine and return to that state at a later time. For more information on the snapshot feature, see Taking Snaps hots in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

If you need to preserve special functionality that requires disks in multiple modes, review the information at www.vmware.com/info?id=40 before you upgrade.

Back Up Virtual Machines

As a precaution, back up all the files in your virtual machine directories — including the .vmdk or .dsk, .vmx or .cfg and nvram files — for any existing virtual machines you plan to migrate to the new version of GSX Server. Depending on your upgrade path, you may not be able to run your virtual machines under both the new version of GSX Server and your previous version of GSX Server.

Virtual machines created under GSX Server 1 must have their virtual hardware updated before they can run under GSX Server 3. Once they are updated, they cannot be run under GSX Server 1.

You have a choice with virtual machines that you created under GSX Server 2 or updated to use the GSX Server 2 virtual hardware.

• You may update these virtual machines for full compatibility with GSX Server 3. In that case, the virtual machines can no longer be used under GSX Server 2.

• You may choose not to update the virtual hardware. In that case, you can run the virtual machines under both GSX Server 2 and GSX Server 3, but you do not have the benefits of the new virtual hardware provided by GSX Server 3. Other new features are not available. For example, you cannot take a snapshot or revert to the snapshot while the virtual machine is running; you must power off before taking or reverting to the snapshot.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Take Note of Custom Network Configurations

Remove VMware GSX Server or VMware Workstation

If you have GSX Server installed on your host system, you must remove it before you install the new version. Also, see When You Remove an Existing Version and Install the

New Version on page 90.

If you have VMware Workstation installed on your host system, you must remove it before you install GSX Server. See the VMware Workstation product documentation for information on how to remove Workstation.

Make the Virtual Machine Accessible to Its Users

If the virtual machine is located on a different host or in a different directory on the GSX Server host, be sure to set permissions on the directory so that it is accessible to all users of the virtual machine. For more information on permissions, see Securing

Virtual Machines and the Host on page 114.

When You Remove an Existing Version and Install the New Version

There is a key precaution you should take when you remove an existing installation of GSX Server and install the new version.

Leave the Existing License in Place

The installation steps for your host may require that you run an uninstaller to remove a previous version of VMware GSX Server from your machine.

On a Windows host, the uninstaller asks whether you want to keep licenses in your registry. Do not remove the licenses. You can safely keep licenses for multiple versions of VMware products on the computer at the same time.

On a Linux host, the license remains in place. You do not need to take any special action. You may safely leave the license where it is.

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Upgrading on a Windows Host

In most cases, upgrading GSX Server is a four-step process.

1. Uninstall the version now installed on your system. If you are uninstalling an older version of GSX Server 3, see Uninstalling GSX Server on a Windows Host on

page 80. If you are uninstalling version 1 or 2, see Removing Version 1 or Removing Version 2, below.

Note: The uninstaller may offer to remove licenses from your registry. Do not remove the licenses.

2. If you are prompted, reboot your computer.

3. Install the latest version.

4. If you are prompted, reboot your computer.

Removing Version 2

To uninstall version 2, use the VMware GSX Server master installer. For details, see

Uninstalling GSX Server on a Windows Host on page 80. You need to keep your

existing license in the Windows registry.

After you reboot, follow the instructions in Installing VMware GSX Server on a

Windows Host on page 45.

CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server

Removing Version 1

To uninstall GSX Server 1, use Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel. Be sure to uninstall GSX Server, the VMware Management Interface and the VMware Remote Console.

After you remove the three packages, reboot your host and follow the instructions in

Installing VMware GSX Server on a Windows Host on page 45.

Note: If you have VMware Workstation installed on your host system, you must remove it before you install GSX Server. See the VMware Workstation product documentation for information on how to remove Workstation.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

Upgrading on a Linux Host

To upgrade from version 1 or 2 to version 3, you must have the full VMware GSX Server 3 product.

Upgrading Using the tar Installer

If you used the tar installer to install your current version of GSX Server, and you plan to use the tar installer for the new version, the only special step you need to take is to make sure the directory to which you plan to untar the tar archive does not contain any files from a previous GSX Server tar installation. You do not need to uninstall the older version. Just follow the installation instructions under Installing VMware GSX

Server on a Linux Host on page 55.

Upgrading Using the RPM Installer

If you used the RPM installer to install your current version of GSX Server, you need to uninstall the software before you upgrade to the new version. See Uninstalling GSX

Server on a Linux Host on page 85.

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CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server

Using Virtual Machines Created

with Version 2 under Version 3

The following sections describe how you can set up older virtual machines under VMware GSX Server 3 and how to upgrade the virtual hardware.

• Creating Everything New from the Start on page 93

• Using an Existing Virtual Machine without Upgrading the Virtual Hardware on

page 93

• Using an Existing Virtual Machine and Upgrading the Virtual Hardware on

page 94

• Upgrading Virtual Hardware in the Guest Operating System on page 94

Creating Everything New from the Start

Set up a new virtual machine and install a guest operating system in the virtual machine as described in Creating a New Virtual Machine in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide. Creating all new virtual machines is the easiest way to use the latest technology and enjoy the best possible virtual machine performance.

Using an Existing Virtual Machine without Upgrading the Virtual Hardware

Upgrade VMware Tools to the new version, following the instructions in Installing

VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide. Do not remove the

older version of VMware Tools before installing the new version.

A virtual machine set up in this way should run without problems. However, you do not have the benefits of certain new features, including better performance, improved networking, the ability to take a snapshot while the virtual machine is running and improved virtual disk formats. Also, the console interface changes to accommodate older virtual machine features. For more information, see Connecting

to Older GSX Server and ESX Server Systems and Older Virtual Machines in the VMware

GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

Note: The first time you power on the virtual machine under GSX Server 3, GSX Server updates the CMOS. As a result, your guest operating system may detect hardware changes and install new drivers for the new hardware even if you do not upgrade the virtual hardware. Similarly, if you switch back to GSX Server 2, your guest operating system may detect hardware changes and install the appropriate drivers.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

You should expect to see this behavior each time you switch from one version of VMware GSX Server to the other.

Using an Existing Virtual Machine and Upgrading the Virtual Hardware

If you use an existing virtual machine and upgrade the virtual hardware, you gain access to new features, but the process is one-way — you cannot reverse it.

Start by using an existing configuration file (.vmx) and virtual disk (.vmdk or .dsk).

Upgrade VMware Tools to the new version, following the instructions in Installing

VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide. Do not remove the

older version of VMware Tools before installing the new version.

Upgrade the virtual hardware so you can take advantage of better performance, improved networking, support for taking a snapshot while the virtual machine is running and improved virtual disk formats. See Upgrading Virtual Hardware in the

Guest Operating System on page 94.

Note: When you update the virtual hardware in a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 virtual machine, the Microsoft product activation feature may require you to reactivate the guest operating system.

Upgrading Virtual Hardware in the Guest Operating System

Upgrading a virtual machine’s virtual hardware gives it access to new features of GSX Server. Before you upgrade the virtual hardware, however, consider the following:

• The virtual hardware upgrade is irreversible: The process of upgrading the virtual hardware is irreversible and makes the disks attached to this virtual machine incompatible with VMware GSX Server 1or 2. You should make backup copies of your virtual disks before starting the upgrade.

• GSX Server 3 updates the CMOS: If you are using a virtual machine created under VMware GSX Server 2, the first time you power on the virtual machine under VMware GSX Server 3, GSX Server updates the CMOS. As a result, your guest operating system may detect hardware changes and install new drivers for the new hardware even if you do not choose to upgrade the virtual hardware.

• You must install VMware Tools: You need to install the new version of VMware Tools. Do this before you upgrade the virtual hardware. For details, see Installing

VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

• An error may appear when upgrading from physical disk: If you are upgrading a virtual machine that runs from a physical disk, rather than a virtual

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CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server

disk, you may see the following error message while VMware GSX Server is upgrading the virtual hardware: “Unable to upgrade <drivename>. One of the supplied parameters is invalid.” You may safely click OK to continue the upgrade process.

• Windows 95 and Windows 98 guests cannot load CD-ROM drivers at first: The first time you run a VMware GSX Server 2 virtual machine under VMware GSX Server 3, the guest operating system discovers new hardware and attempts to install drivers for it before it loads the CD-ROM driver. As a result, it is unable to load drivers from the operating system installation CD. In many cases, the drivers are already available in C:\Windows, C:\Windows\System or subdirectories under those two directories. However, a simpler approach is to skip any files that Windows does not find at this stage. Then, after the guest operating system has finished loading and is able to read from the CD-ROM, you can run the guest operating system’s Add Hardware Wizard and allow it to detect new hardware and install the appropriate drivers.

Upgrading the Virtual Machine’s Hardware

To upgrade the virtual hardware, choose VM > Upgrade Virtual Hardware. A message appears, warning that the upgrade process cannot be reversed. Click Yes to continue, then follow the directions.

When you upgrade the virtual hardware, you may then need to take several steps to be sure the new virtual hardware is recognized properly by the guest operating system. If your guest operating system is listed below, the instructions for that guest operating system provide examples of the steps you may need to take to perform these updates.

Windows 2000 Guest

The following steps provide examples of what you may see as your guest operating system recognizes the new virtual hardware. The specific steps may vary, depending on the configuration of the virtual machine.

1. Power on the virtual machine and let it update the CMOS.

2. Windows automatically installs the software for any devices it detects.

3. Install the new version of VMware Tools. For details, see Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

4. Shut down the Windows guest and power off the virtual machine.

5. Choose VM > Upgrade Virtual Hardware.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

6. A message cautions you that the operation is irreversible and recommends that you back up the virtual disks before proceeding. To continue, click Ye s.

7. A message describes what is about to happen. Click OK to continue.

8. Power on the virtual machine.

9. Windows detects the PCI SVGA adapter, then it detects the VMware SVGA II adapter. Click Yes to continue the installation.

10. A message asks you to insert a disk. Navigate to C:\Program Files\VMware\drivers to install the VMware SVGA II adapter.

11. If you have serial ports configured in the virtual machine, go to the Windows Device Manager and uninstall all the COM ports listed there.

12. Restart the virtual machine.

13. Windows detects the COM ports and installs them properly.

Windows NT 4.0 Guest

1. Power on the virtual machine and let it update the CMOS.

2. Windows displays a message about the video driver in the guest operating system. Click OK.

3. Install the new version of VMware Tools. For details, see Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

4. Restart the Windows guest and confirm that it is operating correctly.

5. Shut down the Windows guest and power off the virtual machine.

6. Choose VM > Upgrade Virtual Hardware.

7. A message cautions you that the operation is irreversible and recommends that you back up the virtual disks before proceeding. To continue, click Ye s.

8. A message describes what is about to happen. Click OK to continue.

9. You can now power on the virtual machine and use the new configuration. Windows NT does not have a Plug and Play process, so no additional steps are required.

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CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server

Windows XP Guest

1. Power on the virtual machine and let it update the CMOS.

2. Install the new version of VMware Tools. For details, see Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

3. Shut down the Windows guest and power off the virtual machine.

4. Choose VM > Upgrade Virtual Hardware.

5. A message cautions you that the operation is irreversible and recommends that you back up the virtual disks before proceeding. To continue, click Ye s.

6. A message describes what is about to happen. Click OK to continue.

7. Power on the virtual machine.

8. Windows detects the VMware SVGA adapter. Select Install the software automatically and follow the on-screen instructions.

9. A message asks you to insert a disk. Navigate to C:\Program Files\VMware\drivers to install the VMware SVGA II adapter.

10. If you have serial ports configured in the virtual machine, go to the Windows Device Manager and uninstall all the COM ports listed there.

11. Restart the virtual machine.

12. Windows detects the COM ports and installs them properly.

Windows Me Guest

1. Power on the virtual machine and let it update the CMOS.

2. Plug and Play detects an Intel 82371 EB Power Management controller. Select Automatic search and click Next. Windows finds and installs the driver automatically.

3. Plug and Play detects an Intel 82443 BX Pentium II Processor to PCI bridge. Select Automatic search and click Next. Windows finds and installs the driver automatically.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

4. Restart the guest operating system.

5. Plug and Play detects an Intel 82371 AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE controller. Select Automatic search and click Next. Windows finds and install the driver automatically.

6. Install the new version of VMware Tools. For details, see Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

7. Shut down the Windows guest and power off the virtual machine.

8. Choose VM > Upgrade Virtual Hardware.

9. A message cautions you that the operation is irreversible and recommends that you back up the virtual disks before proceeding. To continue, click Ye s.

10. A message describes what is about to happen. Click OK to continue.

11. Power on the virtual machine.

12. Windows detects the PCI Multimedia Audio device and installs the driver for the Creative AudioPCI.

13. Windows detects an AMD PCNet adapter. Select Automatic search and click Next. Windows automatically installs the driver for the adapter.

14. Click Finish to restart the virtual machine.

15. Windows detects a Creative game port device and installs the driver automatically.

16. Windows detects a game port joystick and installs the driver automatically.

17. Windows detects the PCI SVGA adapter, which it then identifies as the VMware SVGA II adapter and installs the driver automatically.

18. Click Ye s to restart the virtual machine.

19. If you have serial ports configured in the virtual machine, go to the Windows Device Manager and uninstall all the COM ports listed there.

20. Restart the virtual machine.

21. Windows detects the COM ports and installs them properly.

Windows 98 Guest

1. Power on the virtual machine and let it update the CMOS.

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CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server

2. Windows detects a PCI to ISA bridge. Go to C:\Windows\System and let Windows select the necessary driver.

3. Windows detects an Intel 82371EB Power Management Controller. Go to C:\Windows\System and let Windows select the necessary file.

4. Windows detects lpt.vxd. Go to C:\Windows\System and let Windows select the necessary file.

5. Windows detects an Intel 82443BX Pentium Processor to PCI bridge. Go to C:\Windows\System and let Windows select the necessary file.

6. Windows detects an Intel 82371AB/EB PCI Bus Master IDE controller. Go to C:\Windows\System and let Windows select the necessary file.

7. Windows asks for the file uhcd.sys. Enter the location C:\Windows\System32\drivers, then click OK.

8. Windows detects an Intel 82371AB/EB PCI to USB Universal host controller. Go to C:\Windows\System and let Windows select the necessary file.

9. Windows detects an AMD PCNET Family Ethernet Adapter. Go to C:\Windows\System and let Windows select the necessary file.

10. Windows asks for the file inetmib1.dll. Enter the location C:\Windows, then click OK.

11. Windows asks for the file locproxy.exe. Enter the location C:\Windows\System, then click OK.

12. Windows asks for the file ndishlp.sys. Enter the location C:\Windows, then click OK.

13. Windows asks for the file wsock.vxd. Enter the location C:\Windows\System, then click OK.

14. When you finish installing the AMD Family Ethernet Adapter, restart Windows 98.

15. Plug and Play detects multiple devices and restarts Windows 98.

16. After the virtual machine restarts, install the new version of VMware Tools. For details, see Installing VMware Tools in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

17. Shut down the Windows guest and power off the virtual machine.

18. Choose VM > Upgrade Virtual Hardware.

19. A message cautions you that the operation is irreversible and recommends that you back up the virtual disks before proceeding. To continue, click Ye s.

VMware GSX Server Administration Guide

20. A message describes what is about to happen. Click OK to continue.

21. Power on the virtual machine. When Windows boots, it detects the PCI SVGA adapter. Later, it detects the VMware SVGA II adapter and installs the driver for it automatically.

22. Windows detects PCI Multimedia Audio and offers to install a driver for it. Click Cancel.

23. Windows detects an AMD PCNET Family Ethernet adapter. Click Next.

24. Select Search for the best driver and click Next.

25. Select Specify a location, enter C:\Windows\System and click Next.

26. Select The updated driver (Recommended) AMD PCNET Family Ethernet Adapter (PCI-ISA). Click Next.

27. Windows finds the .inf file for the adapter. Click Next.

28. Windows asks for the file dhcpsvc.dll. Enter the location C:\Windows\System, then click OK.

29. Windows asks for the file inetmib1.dll. Enter the location C:\Windows, then click OK.

30. Windows asks for the file locproxy.exe. Enter the location C:\Windows\System, then click OK.

31. Windows asks for the file ndishlp.sys. Enter the location C:\Windows, then click OK.

32. Windows asks for the file wshtcp.vxd. Enter the location C:\Windows\System, then click OK.

33. A dialog box indicates that Windows has finished installing the software. Click Finish.

34. To install the sound adapter, follow the directions in Installing Sound Drivers in

Windows 9x and Windows NT Guest Operating Systems in the VMware GSX

Server Virtual Machine Guide.

35. If you have serial ports configured in the virtual machine, go to the Windows Device Manager and uninstall all the COM ports listed there.

36. Restart the virtual machine.

37. Windows detects the COM ports and installs them properly.

100

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VMware GSX 3 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Introduction and System Requirements

Welcome to VMware GSX Server

Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure for Intel-Based Servers

What’s New in Version 3

Features in Version 3.2

Critical Bugs Fixed in GSX Server 3.2

Features in Version 3.1

Critical Bugs Fixed in GSX Server 3.1

Features in Version 3

Before You Install the Release

If You Are Upgrading from an Earlier Version of GSX Server

Reinstall VMware Tools

Host System Requirements

Server Requirements

Remote Client Requirements

Virtual Machine Specifications

Supported Guest Operating Systems

Technical Support Resources

Self-Service Support

Online and Telephone Support

Support Offerings

Reporting Problems

Log Files

Installing VMware GSX Server

Selecting Your Host System

About the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the Server

Basic Installation

Default Directories

Installing the GSX Server Software on a Windows Host

Basic Installation

Default Directories

Installing the GSX Server Software on a Linux Host

Installing the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host

Installing an X Server

Before You Install on a SuSE Linux 7.1 or Higher or SLES Host

Before You Install on a SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 Host

Before You Install the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host

Launching the VMware Virtual Machine Console from the Management Interface on an Encrypted Server

Connecting to the Management Interface on a Proxy Server

Launching Help in Netscape on a Linux System

Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host

Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux Host

Installing the VMware Scripting APIs

Installing the VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs on a Windows Host

Installing the VmPerl Scripting API on a Linux Host

Uninstalling VMware GSX Server

Uninstalling GSX Server on a Windows Host

Uninstalling GSX Server on a Linux Host

Upgrading VMware GSX Server

Preparing for the Upgrade

Before You Install VMware GSX Server

When You Remove an Existing Version and Install the New Version

Upgrading on a Windows Host

Upgrading on a Linux Host

Creating Everything New from the Start

Using an Existing Virtual Machine without Upgrading the Virtual Hardware

Using an Existing Virtual Machine and Upgrading the Virtual Hardware

Upgrading Virtual Hardware in the Guest Operating System