VMware Workstation - 5.0 User’s Manual

Powerful Virtual Machine Software for the Technical Professional

User’s Manual

Please note that you can always find the most up-to-date technical documentation on our Web site at http://www.vmware.com/support/.

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Copyright © 1998-2005 VMware, Inc. All r ights 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: 20050916 Version: 5.0 Item: WS-ENG-Q205-062

Table of Contents

Introduction and System Requirements __________________________ 15

Product Overview ______________________________________________ 16

Powerful Virtual Machine Software for the Technical Professional _______ 16 Overview of This Manual ______________________________________ 18 About the Host and Guest Computers ____________________________ 18

What’s New in Version 5 _________________________________________ 19

Multiple Snapshots ___________________________________________ 19 Teams _____________________________________________________ 19 Clones_____________________________________________________ 19 Improved Performance for Virtual Machines Running Concurrently _____ 20 Improved Networking Performance______________________________ 20 Improved Suspend/Resume and Snapshot Operations _______________ 20 New Host Operating System Support_____________________________ 20 New Guest Operating System Support____________________________ 20 Improved 64-bit Host Support __________________________________ 21 Isochronous USB support ______________________________________ 21 Command Line Interface ______________________________________ 21 Movie Record and Playback ____________________________________ 21 Improved Linux User Interface __________________________________ 21 Easier Upgrades and VMware Tools Installation Improvements _________ 22 Support for NX bit____________________________________________ 22 Experimental Support for Direct3D_______________________________ 22 Experimental Support for Guest ACPI S1 Sleep______________________ 22 VMware Virtual Machine Importer _______________________________ 22

Host System Requirements _______________________________________ 23

PC Hardware________________________________________________ 23 Memory ___________________________________________________ 23 Display ____________________________________________________ 23 Disk Drives _________________________________________________ 24 Local Area Networking (Optional)________________________________ 24 Host Operating System________________________________________ 24

Virtual Machine Specifications_____________________________________ 27

Processor __________________________________________________ 27 Chip Set ___________________________________________________ 27 BIOS ______________________________________________________ 27

Memory ___________________________________________________ 27 Graphics ___________________________________________________ 27 IDE Drives __________________________________________________ 27 SCSI Devices ________________________________________________ 28 Floppy Drives _______________________________________________ 28 Serial (COM) Ports ____________________________________________ 28 Parallel (LPT) Ports____________________________________________ 28 USB ports __________________________________________________ 28 Keyboard __________________________________________________ 28 Mouse and Drawing Tablets____________________________________ 28 Ethernet Card _______________________________________________ 29 Sound _____________________________________________________ 29 Virtual Networking ___________________________________________ 29

Supported Guest Operating Systems _______________________________ 30

Microsoft Windows 32-bit______________________________________ 30 Microsoft MS-DOS ___________________________________________ 30 Linux______________________________________________________ 31 Novell Netware ______________________________________________ 31 FreeBSD ___________________________________________________ 31 Sun Solaris _________________________________________________ 31

Technical Support Resources______________________________________ 32

Documentation on the Web____________________________________ 32 VMware Knowledge Base ______________________________________ 32 VMware User Community______________________________________ 32 Reporting Problems __________________________________________ 32

Where to Go Next ______________________________________________ 34

Installing VMware Workstation __________________________________ 35

Selecting Your Host System_______________________________________ 36

Upgrading from Previous Versions _______________________________ 36 Workstation Cannot Share a Host with Other VMware Products ________ 36

Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host ___________________ 37

Installing Workstation on a Windows Host _________________________ 38 Installing VMware Workstation Silently____________________________ 41 Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host ______________ 43

Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host ______________________ 44

Before Installing on a Linux Host_________________________________ 45 Installing Workstation on a Linux Host ____________________________ 45

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Configuring with vmware-config.pl ______________________________ 48 Web Browser Required ________________________________________ 48 Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host _________________ 49

Where to Go Next ______________________________________________ 50

Upgrading VMware Workstation ________________________________ 51

Preparing for the Upgrade________________________________________ 52

Before You Install VMware Workstation 5 __________________________ 52

Upgrading on a Windows Host ____________________________________ 55

Upgrading from Version 4 or an Earlier Version 5 Release______________ 55

Upgrading from Version 3 to Version 5 ____________________________ 55 Upgrading on a Linux Host _______________________________________ 56 Using Workstation 4 Virtual Machines in Workstation 5__________________ 57

Create Everything New from the Start ____________________________ 57

Use a Legacy Virtual Machine without Upgrading ___________________ 57

Use a Legacy Virtual Machine with Upgrade _______________________ 58 Where to Go Next ______________________________________________ 60

Learning VMware Workstation Basics ____________________________ 61

Launching VMware Workstation ___________________________________ 62

Launching VMware Workstation on a Windows Host_________________ 62

Launching VMware Workstation on a Linux Host ____________________ 63 Overview of the VMware Workstation Window________________________ 64

The Home Page, Summary View, and Console View__________________ 66

The Toolbar _________________________________________________ 69

The Favorites List_____________________________________________ 71 Checking for Product Updates_____________________________________ 75 Setting Preferences for VMware Workstation__________________________ 76

Workspace _________________________________________________ 77

Input ______________________________________________________ 78

Hot Keys ___________________________________________________ 78

Display ____________________________________________________ 79

Memory ___________________________________________________ 80

Priority ____________________________________________________ 81

Lockout (Windows Hosts Only)__________________________________ 82 Virtual Machine Settings _________________________________________ 83

Hardware __________________________________________________ 83

Options____________________________________________________ 84

Command Line Reference________________________________________ 91

Startup Options on a Linux Host_________________________________ 91 Startup Options on a Windows Host _____________________________ 92

Command Line Application ____________________________________ 93 Keyboard Shortcuts ____________________________________________ 95 What Files Make Up a Virtual Machine? ______________________________ 96 Where to Go Next ______________________________________________ 99

Creating a New Virtual Machine ________________________________ 101

Setting Up a New Virtual Machine_________________________________ 102

Steps to a New Virtual Machine ________________________________ 102 Converting a VirtualPC Virtual Machine_____________________________ 113 Installing a Guest Operating System and VMware Tools ________________ 117

Example: Installing Windows XP as a Guest Operating System ________ 117 Installing VMware Tools_________________________________________ 120

Upgrading VMware Tools _____________________________________ 120

VMware Tools for Windows Guests ______________________________ 120

VMware Tools for Linux Guests _________________________________ 122

VMware Tools for FreeBSD Guests_______________________________ 127

Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare Virtual Machine _______________ 129 VMware Tools Configuration Options ______________________________ 130

Using the Control Panel to Configure VMware Tools ________________ 130

Using the System Console to Configure VMware Tools in a NetWare Guest

Operating System___________________________________________ 135 Where to Go Next _____________________________________________ 137

_________________________________ Running VMware Workstation 139

Starting a Virtual Machine _______________________________________ 141

Virtual Machine Location _____________________________________ 141 Checking the Status of VMware Tools ______________________________ 142 Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines ________________________ 143 Shutting Down a Virtual Machine _________________________________ 144

Power Off vs. Shut Down _____________________________________ 144 Resetting a Virtual Machine ______________________________________ 145

Reset vs. Restart ____________________________________________ 145

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Taking and Reverting to a Snapshot _______________________________ 146 Cloning a Virtual Machine _______________________________________ 147 Deleting a Virtual Machine ______________________________________ 148 Using Virtual Machine Teams_____________________________________ 149 Controlling the Display _________________________________________ 150

Using Full Screen Mode ______________________________________ 150 Using Quick Switch Mode_____________________________________ 151 Taking Advantage of Multiple Monitors __________________________ 151 Fitting the Workstation Console to the Virtual Machine Display________ 152 Nonstandard Resolutions _____________________________________ 153

Simplifying the Screen Display _________________________________ 153 Installing New Software_________________________________________ 155 Cutting, Copying and Pasting Text_________________________________ 156 Using Shared Folders___________________________________________ 157

Viewing a Shared Folder ______________________________________ 161 Using Drag and Drop___________________________________________ 163 Using Devices in a Virtual Machine ________________________________ 164

Adding, Configuring, and Removing Devices in a Virtual Machine______ 164

Connecting and Disconnecting Removable Devices ________________ 164 Creating a Screen Shot or a Movie of a Virtual Machine ________________ 165

Creating a Screen Shot of a Virtual Machine_______________________ 165

Creating a Movie of a Virtual Machine ___________________________ 165 Where to Go Next _____________________________________________ 167

Moving and Sharing Virtual Machines ___________________________ 169

Virtual Machine Identifier — UUID ________________________________ 170

The UUID Location and Format ________________________________ 170

The UUID and Moving Virtual Machines __________________________ 171

Specifying a UUID for a Virtual Machine __________________________ 172

Setting the UUID for a Virtual Machine that Is Being Moved___________ 172 Moving a VMware Workstation 5 Virtual Machine _____________________ 173

Hosts with Different Hardware _________________________________ 173

Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths _____________________________ 174

Preparing a Workstation 5 Virtual Machine for a Move _______________ 174

Moving a Workstation 5 Virtual Machine to a New Host______________ 175 Moving a VMware Workstation 4 Virtual Machine _____________________ 176

Preparing Your Workstation 4 Virtual Machine for the Move __________ 177

Moving a Workstation 4 Virtual Machine to a New Host Machine ______ 178

Moving an Older Virtual Machine _________________________________ 179

Moving VMware Workstation 3.0 Virtual Machines__________________ 179 Moving VMware Workstation 2.x Virtual Machines __________________ 181

Considerations for Moving Workstation Disks in Undoable Mode ______ 182 Sharing Virtual Machines with Other Users __________________________ 184 Moving Linked Clones __________________________________________ 185

Using Disks _________________________________________________ 187

Configuring Hard Disk Storage in a Virtual Machine ___________________ 188

Disk Types: Virtual and Physical_________________________________ 188

Disk Files __________________________________________________ 191

Lock Files__________________________________________________ 192

Defragmenting Virtual Disks ___________________________________ 193

Shrinking Virtual Disks _______________________________________ 193 Adding Drives to a Virtual Machine ________________________________ 197

Adding a New Virtual Disk to a Virtual Machine ____________________ 197

Adding Physical Disks to a Virtual Machine________________________ 201

Adding DVD or CD Drives to a Virtual Machine ____________________ 204

Adding Floppy Drives to a Virtual Machine________________________ 206

Connecting a CD-ROM or Floppy Drive to an Image File _____________ 207 Using VMware Virtual Disk Manager _______________________________ 208

Running the VMware Virtual Disk Manager Utility __________________ 209

Shrinking Virtual Disks with VMware Virtual Disk Manager____________ 212

Examples Using the VMware Virtual Disk Manager__________________ 213 Configuring a Dual-Boot Computer for Use with a Virtual Machine _______ 215

Using the Same Operating System in a Virtual Machine and on the Host

Computer _________________________________________________ 216

Before You Begin____________________________________________ 217

Configuring Dual- or Multiple-Boot Systems to Run with VMware Workstation

219

Setting Up Hardware Profiles in Virtual Machines___________________ 225

Running a Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 Virtual

Machine from an Existing Multiple-Boot Installation ________________ 230

Setting Up the SVGA Video Driver for a Windows 95 Guest Operating System

Booted from a Raw Disk ______________________________________ 230

Setting Up the SVGA Video Driver for Use with a Windows 98 Guest Operating

System Booted from a Raw Disk ________________________________ 232

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Do Not Use Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Dynamic Disks as Raw Disks___________________________________________ 234 Configuring Dual- or Multiple-Boot SCSI Systems to Run with VMware Workstation on a Linux Host___________________________________ 235

Known Issues and Background Information on Using SCSI Raw Disks ___ 238 Installing an Operating System onto a Physical Partition from a Virtual Machine _ 241

Configuring a Windows Host __________________________________ 242

Configuring a Linux Host _____________________________________ 244 Legacy Virtual Disks ____________________________________________ 246

Upgrading a Legacy Virtual Machine for New Features of Workstation 5 _ 247

Using a Legacy Virtual Machine without Upgrading ________________ 247

Creating a Legacy Virtual Machine with Workstation 5_______________ 247

Preserving the State of a Virtual Machine ________________________ 249

Using Suspend and Resume _____________________________________ 250 Using Snapshots ______________________________________________ 251

Understanding Snapshots ____________________________________ 252

Examples of Using Snapshots__________________________________ 254

What Is Captured by a Snapshot? _______________________________ 255

Taking a Snapshot___________________________________________ 256

The Snapshot Manager_______________________________________ 258

Restoring a Snapshot: Revert or Go To? __________________________ 263

Deleting a Snapshot _________________________________________ 264

Making a Clone from a Snapshot _______________________________ 264

Virtual Machine Settings for Snapshots __________________________ 265

Snapshots and Legacy Virtual Machines__________________________ 266

Cloning a Virtual Machine _____________________________________ 267

Understanding Clones _________________________________________ 268

Why Make a Clone?__________________________________________ 268

Full and Linked Clones _______________________________________ 269

Full Clones and Snapshots of the Parent__________________________ 269 Creating Clones _______________________________________________ 270

The Clone Virtual Machine Wizard ______________________________ 270 Working with Clones ___________________________________________ 273

Making a Linked Clone of a Linked Clone _________________________ 273

Making a Full Clone of a Linked Clone ___________________________ 273

Network Identity for a Clone___________________________________ 273

The Linked Clone Snapshot ___________________________________ 274 Linked Clones and Access to the Parent Virtual Machine _____________ 274

Configuring Teams __________________________________________ 277

Teams Overview ______________________________________________ 278 Creating and Deleting Teams ____________________________________ 279

Making a New Team _________________________________________ 279 Opening a Team____________________________________________ 284 Closing a Team _____________________________________________ 284 Deleting a Team ____________________________________________ 285

Adding and Removing Virtual Machines ____________________________ 286

Adding an Existing Virtual Machine to a Team _____________________ 286 Removing a Virtual Machine from a Team ________________________ 286

Cloning and Taking Snapshots of Team Members_____________________ 288

Cloning a Virtual Machine in a Team_____________________________ 288 Taking Snapshots of Individual Virtual Machines in a Team ___________ 288

Starting and Stopping Teams ____________________________________ 289

Powering On a Team_________________________________________ 289 Powering Off a Team ________________________________________ 289 Suspending a Team _________________________________________ 289 Resuming a Team ___________________________________________ 290 Power Operations for Individual Members of a Team ________________ 290

Working with Team Networks ____________________________________ 292

LAN Segment Requirements __________________________________ 292 Creating a Team LAN Segment_________________________________ 293 Connecting to or Changing a LAN Segment ______________________ 293 Renaming a LAN Segment ____________________________________ 294 Deleting a LAN Segment _____________________________________ 294

The Startup Sequence __________________________________________ 295

Understanding the Start-Up Sequence Delay______________________ 295

Working with the Team Console View ______________________________ 296

Displaying Teams ___________________________________________ 296 The Active Virtual Machine ____________________________________ 297 Using Full Screen with Teams __________________________________ 297

Editing Team Settings __________________________________________ 298

Connections _______________________________________________ 298 Virtual Machines ____________________________________________ 299 LAN Segments _____________________________________________ 300

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Options___________________________________________________ 302 Command Line for Teams _______________________________________ 303

Configuring a Virtual Network _________________________________ 305

Network Basics _______________________________________________ 306 Components of the Virtual Network _______________________________ 307

Virtual switch ______________________________________________ 307

Bridge ____________________________________________________ 307

Host Virtual Adapter _________________________________________ 308

NAT Device ________________________________________________ 308

DHCP Server _______________________________________________ 308

Network Adapter ___________________________________________ 308 Common Networking Configurations ______________________________ 309

Bridged Networking _________________________________________ 309

Network Address Translation (NAT) _____________________________ 310

Host-Only Networking _______________________________________ 312 Custom Networking Configurations _______________________________ 313 Changing the Networking Configuration ___________________________ 316

Adding and Modifying Virtual Network Adapters___________________ 316

Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a Windows Host ________ 318

Enabling, Disabling, Adding and Removing Host Virtual Adapters______ 323 Advanced Networking Topics ____________________________________ 326

Selecting IP Addresses on a Host-only Network or NAT Configuration ___ 327

Avoiding IP Packet Leakage in a Host-Only Network ________________ 330

Maintaining and Changing the MAC Address of a Virtual Machine _____ 332

Controlling Routing Information for a Host-only Network on a Linux Host 334

Other Potential Issues with Host-Only Networking on a Linux Host_____ 335

Setting Up a Second Bridged Network Interface on a Linux Host_______ 336

Setting Up Two Separate Host-Only Networks _____________________ 337

Routing between Two Host-Only Networks _______________________ 340

Using Virtual Ethernet Adapters in Promiscuous Mode on a Linux Host__ 344 Understanding NAT ___________________________________________ 345

Using NAT _________________________________________________ 346

The Host Computer and the NAT Network ________________________ 346

DHCP on the NAT Network ____________________________________ 346

DNS on the NAT Network _____________________________________ 347

External Access from the NAT Network___________________________ 347

Advanced NAT Configuration __________________________________ 348

Custom NAT and DHCP Configuration on a Windows Host ___________ 352 Considerations for Using NAT __________________________________ 353 Using NAT with NetLogon ____________________________________ 353 Sample Linux vmnetnat.conf File _______________________________ 355

Using Samba with Workstation ___________________________________ 358

Modifying Your Samba Configuration ___________________________ 358 Using a Samba Server for Both Bridged and Host-Only Networks ______ 358 Using Samba without Network Access___________________________ 358

Configuring Video and Sound _________________________________ 359

Setting Screen Color Depth______________________________________ 360

Changing Screen Color Depth on the Host _______________________ 360

Changing Screen Color Depth in the Virtual Machine _______________ 361 Using Full Screen Mode on a Linux Host ___________________________ 362 Experimental Support for Direct3D ________________________________ 363

Audience for Direct3D Experimental Support _____________________ 363

Accelerated 3-D Limitations ___________________________________ 364

Enabling Accelerated 3-D _____________________________________ 364

Known Issues ______________________________________________ 367

Helping VMware with Experimental Support ______________________ 368 Configuring Sound ____________________________________________ 369

Installing Sound Drivers in Windows 9x and Windows NT Guest Operating

Systems___________________________________________________ 369

Connecting Devices __________________________________________ 371

Using Parallel Ports ____________________________________________ 372

Parallel Ports _______________________________________________ 372

Installation in Guest Operating Systems __________________________ 372

Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host________________________ 373

Special Notes for the Iomega Zip Drive __________________________ 376 Using Serial Ports______________________________________________ 377

Using a Serial Port on the Host Computer ________________________ 377

Using a File on the Host Computer______________________________ 378

Connecting an Application on the Host to a Virtual Machine _________ 380

Connecting Two Virtual Machines ______________________________ 382

Special Configuration Options for Advanced Users _________________ 385

Examples: Debugging over a Virtual Serial Port ____________________ 387 Keyboard Mapping on a Linux Host _______________________________ 389

Quick Answers _____________________________________________ 389

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The Longer Story ___________________________________________ 389 V-Scan Code Table __________________________________________ 393

Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine ____________________________ 397

Notes on USB Support in Version 5______________________________ 397 Enabling and Disabling the USB Controller________________________ 397 Connecting USB Devices _____________________________________ 398 Using USB with a Windows Host________________________________ 398 Replacing USB 2.0 Drivers on a Windows 2000 Host_________________ 399 Using USB with a Linux Host___________________________________ 399 What Has Control over a USB Device?____________________________ 400 Disconnecting USB Devices from a Virtual Machine _________________ 401 Human Interface Devices _____________________________________ 401

Connecting to a Generic SCSI Device ______________________________ 402

Generic SCSI on a Windows Host Operating System ________________ 402 Generic SCSI on a Linux Host Operating System ___________________ 404

Performance Tuning __________________________________________ 407

Configuring and Maintaining the Host Computer_____________________ 408

Location of the Working Directory ______________________________ 408 Defragmentation of Disk Drives ________________________________ 408 Adequate Free Disk Space ____________________________________ 409 NIC Interrupt Coalescing______________________________________ 409

Configuring VMware Workstation _________________________________ 410

General VMware Workstation Options ___________________________ 410 VMware Workstation on a Windows Host_________________________ 413

VMware Workstation on a Linux Host____________________________ 415 Monitoring Virtual Machine Performance ___________________________ 416 Memory Usage Notes __________________________________________ 418

Virtual Machine Memory Size __________________________________ 418

Memory Use on the Host _____________________________________ 419

Using More Than 1GB of Memory on a Linux Host __________________ 422 Improving Performance for Guest Operating Systems _________________ 424

Windows 95 and Windows 98 Guest Operating System Performance Tips 424

Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Guest Operating

System Performance Tips _____________________________________ 426

Windows NT Disk Performance on Multiprocessor Hosts_____________ 427

Linux Guest Operating System Performance Tips___________________ 427

Disk I/O Performance Tips _______________________________________ 429

Memory Trimming __________________________________________ 429 Page Sharing_______________________________________________ 429

Special-Purpose Configuration Options _________________________ 431

Locking Out Interface Features ___________________________________ 433

Removing a Forgotten Password _______________________________ 434

Restricting the User Interface ____________________________________ 435

Automatically Returning to a Snapshot with a Restricted User Interface _ 436

Using Full Screen Switch Mode ___________________________________ 438

Creating a Virtual Machine for Use in Full Screen Switch Mode ________ 438 Moving a Virtual Machine to the User’s Computer __________________ 439 Setting Configuration Options on the User’s Computer______________ 439 Starting and Stopping Virtual Machines on the User’s Computer ______ 443

Guest ACPI S1 Sleep ___________________________________________ 446

Glossary ____________________________________________________ 447

Index ______________________________________________________ 453

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Introduction and System Requirements

This chapter discusses the following topics:

• Product Overview on page 16

• What’s New in Version 5 on page 19

• Host System Requirements on page 23

• Virtual Machine Specifications on page 27

• Supported Guest Operating Systems on page 30

• Technical Support Resources on page 32

CHAPTER 1

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Product Overview

Thank you for choosing VMware® Workstation, the powerful virtual machine software for enterprise IT professionals.

Run the operating systems and applications you need — all on a single desktop

Powerful Virtual Machine Software for the Technical Professional

VMware Workstation is desktop software for developers and IT professionals that allows you to run multiple x86-based desktop and server operating systems simultaneously on a single PC, in fully networked, portable virtual machines — with no rebooting or hard drive partitioning required.

With VMware Workstation, you spend less time procuring and configuring, and more time testing and deploying. Over three million software development, quality assurance, and IT professionals worldwide find VMware Workstation an indispensable tool.

Key benefits include:

• Run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single physical

machine — VMware Workstation is desktop software for software developers

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

and IT professionals that allows a single PC to simultaneously run multiple x86based operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and NetWare, and their applications in fully networked, portable virtual machines - without rebooting or hard drive partitioning. The result is reduced hardware expenditures and quicker access to different computing environments. Additionally, VMware Workstation lets users avoid platform lock-in and preserve the freedom and flexibility to deploy the most appropriate platforms for their needs.

• Revolutionize software development and testing — VMware Workstation streamlines software development and testing by letting users create multiple development and testing environments as virtual machines on a single PC. Developers can create a library of virtual machines and use them to easily develop and test applications on multiple operating systems, or to quickly create and test “real-world” multi-tier configurations or virtual networks. Developers can also use the multiple snapshot capabilities of Workstation to capture and manage point-in-time configurations to facilitate debugging and give a developer the ability to easily revert back to stable configurations should an error occur during testing. VMware Workstation enables developers to reduce configuration and set-up time, and instead focus on development and testing.

• Enhance productivity of enterprise IT professionals — VMware Workstation allows system administrators, system engineers, and other enterprise IT professionals to create and test multiple computing environments as virtual machines on a single PC prior to deploying these environments on physical PCs or servers in a production environment. This dramatically reduces hardware costs and the time and risk associated with IT tasks such as deploying new applications, application updates, and operating system patches. Additionally, IT help desk departments can create a virtual library of corporate desktop and server configurations that they can quickly access and manipulate (and then “undo” if necessary), thereby improving their responsiveness and effectiveness when troubleshooting end-user problems.

• Facilitate team collaboration — VMware Workstation lets users easily collaborate with their colleagues and share virtual machines. Once a computing environment — OS, associated applications, disk images, memory, etc. — has been turned into a virtual machine, it becomes a set of hardware-independent, encapsulated files that are highly portable and can be shared with any other Workstation user. A virtual machine can be placed on a shared drive where others can quickly access and upload it. Features in Workstation such as linked clones and video capture further facilitate team collaboration.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

• Introduce Virtual Infrastructure to your enterprise — Virtual machines created in Workstation can be deployed to the other desktop and server virtualization platforms offered by VMware. Introducing VMware Workstation virtualization to the desktop is an ideal first step to transforming your physical IT infrastructure into virtual infrastructure.

Overview of This Manual

If you’re a veteran user of VMware products, take a few minutes to see What’s New in

Version 5 on page 19, and check out Upgrading VMware Workstation on page 51.

If you’re new to VMware Workstation, this is the place to start.

• The first chapters of this manual — through Running VMware Workstation on

page 139 — introduce you to some of the things you can do with VMware

Workstation and guide you through the key steps for installing the software and putting it to work.

• Later chapters provide in-depth reference material for getting the most out of the sophisticated features of VMware Workstation.

About the Host and Guest Computers

The terms host and guest describe your physical and virtual machines:

• The physical computer on which you install the VMware Workstation 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 Glossary on page 447.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

What’s New in Version 5

Multiple Snapshots

VMware Workstation 5 greatly enhances the snapshot functionality available in previous releases of the product by allowing you to take a series of point-in-time, saved-to-disk snapshots of running virtual machines. This makes it easier to capture and switch between multiple configurations and accelerates testing and debugging.

Should a problem arise during testing, you can easily revert to a prior, stable snapshot. The new snapshot manager displays thumbnails of all your snapshots on a single screen, making it easy for you to track and revert to a previously saved snapshot. Also, when reverting to a previously saved snapshot, Workstation creates a new branch automatically, so other snapshots continue to be available. See Using Snapshots on

page 251.

Teams

Teams functionality makes it easier to manage connected virtual machines and simulate “real-world” multitier configurations. A team is your designated group of virtual machines and the private networks that connect them.

Teams allow you to configure power operations, such as powering on and off and suspending or resuming virtual machines, in the exact sequence you desire. You determine network characteristics between the virtual machines in a team, including network bandwidth and packet loss percentages. The console view displays active thumbnails of all the virtual machines in a team, allowing you to easily identify and switch between any of the virtual machines on your team. See Configuring Teams on

page 277.

Clones

Clones simplify the process of copying a virtual machine. Clones facilitate collaborative testing and debugging, and let colleagues share virtual machines more easily. You can duplicate a virtual machine as a linked clone or a full clone.

• Linked clones make it easy to set up a library of baseline virtual machines on a shared drive, to be accessed and shared by you and others, without using unnecessary disk space on local machines.

• A full clone — a complete copy — is also available when you need an identical virtual machine without the need to locate files within the host file system or to tediously install everything required to duplicate an existing guest configuration.

See Cloning a Virtual Machine on page 267.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Improved Performance for Virtual Machines Running Concurrently

Workstation 5 includes significant improvements in memory utilization when virtual machines are used concurrently. This allows you to efficiently run multiple virtual machines with much less total memory.

Improved Networking Performance

Workstation 5 offers optional, enhanced networking performance by leveraging VMware's custom network driver. Once you install the updated VMware Tools, the necessary network drivers integrate seamlessly to offer significantly improved network performance.

Improved Suspend/Resume and Snapshot Operations

Workstation 5 performs significantly faster suspend/resume and snapshot operations, enabling you to spend more time testing and less time waiting for power operations to execute.

New Host Operating System Support

• SUSE Linux Pro 9.2

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.0

• Mandrake Linux 10

• Windows Server 2003 SP1

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0

New Guest Operating System Support

• Windows Small Business Server 2000

• Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 3.0

• SUSE Linux Pro 9.2

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.0

• Mandrake Linux 10

• Novell NetWare 6.5 SP3

• Novell NetWare 5.1 SP8

• Novell Linux Desktop 9

• Sun Java Desktop System

• Windows Server 2003 SP1

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 beta

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP1 (experimental support)

• Various other service pack updates and kernel updates

Improved 64-bit Host Support

• Workstation 5 includes hardware support for AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon 64, and

Intel EM64T.

• Software support includes 64-bit host operating systems:

• Windows XP (experimental support)

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 7, 8, 9

• Windows Server 2003 SP1

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0

Isochronous USB support

Workstation 5 offers support for isochronous USB input devices such as Web cameras and microphones, as well as output devices such as speakers. Use your webcam or work with multitrack audio within your guest operating system.

Command Line Interface

Workstation 5 offers a new command line interface, enabling you to create scripts to automate certain manual steps. See Command Line Reference on page 91.

Movie Record and Playback

Workstation 5 offers the ability to record your actions within a virtual machine and save the movie in an AVI format, facilitating team collaboration. Replay the resulting AVI file on any PC equipped with an AVI player. A free Windows player is available for download from the VMware Web site.

Record steps to reproduce defects in a particular configuration, or record configuration steps prior to running an application. Share the movie with colleagues to enable team collaboration. See Creating a Movie of a Virtual Machine on page 165.

Improved Linux User Interface

Workstation 5 offers a new GTK+, version 2-based user interface on Linux, which provides an improved look and feel, and enhanced usability.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Easier Upgrades and VMware Tools Installation Improvements

Starting with Workstation 5, on Windows hosts you can automatically install a new release over an existing Workstation release. The installer automatically uninstalls the previous version before installing the new version. Workstation 5 also streamlines VMware Tools installation for Linux virtual machines by allowing users to install VMware Tools without exiting the X session. See Upgrading VMware Workstation on

page 51, and Installing VMware Tools on page 120.

Support for NX bit

Support for the NX bit and XD bit improves security for guest operating systems that take advantage of the feature.

Workstation 5 now supports the no execute and execute disable bit for guest operating systems that can leverage it. Aimed at thwarting malicious buffer overruns, NX and XD allow properly written applications to designate memory space as nonexecutable, so that no code can be executed from that memory space.

Experimental Support for Direct3D

Workstation 5 includes experimental support for Direct3D video acceleration. This feature is not fully functional. For information on configuring a virtual machine for 3-D support, see Experimental Support for Direct3D on page 363

Experimental Support for Guest ACPI S1 Sleep

Workstation 5 VMware Tools provide experimental support for guest operating systems that enable ACPI S1 sleep. (This feature requires you to have the latest VMware Tools installed.) For detailed configuration options, see Guest ACPI S1 Sleep

on page 446.

VMware Virtual Machine Importer

This standalone utility allows you to convert your Microsoft® virtual machines — from either Virtual PC or Microsoft Virtual Server — into a VMware virtual machine. The VMware virtual machine is compatible with Workstation 4 or 5, completely independent of the previous format, ready to use with all the enhanced VMware Workstation functionality. The original file remains intact. See Converting a VirtualPC

Virtual Machine on page 113.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Host System Requirements

What do you need to get the most out of VMware Workstation 5? Take the following list of requirements as a starting point. Like physical computers, the virtual machines running under VMware Workstation generally perform better if they have faster processors and more memory.

PC Hardware

• Standard x86-compatible personal computer

• 400 MHz or faster CPU minimum (500 MHz recommended)

Compatible processors include

• Intel®: Celeron®, Pentium® II, Pentium III, Pentium 4, Pentium M (including

computers with Centrino™ mobile technology), Xeon™ (including “Prestonia”)

• AMD™: Athlon™, Athlon MP, Athlon XP, Duron™, Opteron™

• Experimental support for AMD Sempron™

For additional information, including notes on processors that are not compatible, see the VMware knowledge base at www.vmware.com/support/kb/

enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=967.

• Multiprocessor systems supported

• 64-bit processor support for AMD64 Opteron, Athlon 64 and Intel IA-32e CPU

(including “Nocona”)

Memory

• 128 MB minimum (256 MB recommended)

You must have enough memory to run the host operating system, plus the memory required for each guest operating system and for applications on the host and guest. See your guest operating system and application documentation for their memory requirements.

Display

• 16-bit or 32-bit display adapter recommended

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Disk Drives

Guest operating systems can reside on physical disk partitions or in virtual disk files.

Hard DIsk

• IDE and SCSI hard drives supported, up to 950GB capacity

• At least 1GB free disk space recommended for each guest operating system and

the application software used with it; if you use a default setup, the actual disk space needs are approximately the same as those for installing and running the guest operating system and applications on a physical computer.

• For Installation — 80MB (Linux) or 150MB (Windows) free disk space required for basic installation. You can delete the installer afterwards to reclaim 56 – 60MB.

Optical CD-ROM/DVD-ROM Drive

• IDE and SCSI optical drives supported

• CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives supported

• ISO disk image files supported

Local Area Networking (Optional)

• Any Ethernet controller supported by the host operating system

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

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

Host Operating System

VMware Workstation is available for both Windows and Linux host operating systems.

Windows Host Operating Systems (32-bit)

• Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, Service Pack 1 (listed versions also supported with no service pack)

• Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 or 2 (listed versions also supported with no service pack)

• Windows 2000 Professional Service Pack 3 or 4, Windows 2000 Server Service Pack 3 or 4, Windows 2000 Advanced Server Service Pack 3 or 4 (listed versions also supported with no service pack)

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Windows Host Operating Systems (64-bit)

• Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 64-bit edition

• Experimental support for prerelease Windows XP 64-bit edition

Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher is required for the Windows online help system.

Linux Host Operating Systems

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

Note: As newer 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 products is not supported. Look for newer prebuilt modules in the download area of our Web site. Go to www.vmware.com/download/.

• Mandrake Linux 10 — stock 2.6.3-7

• Mandrake Linux 9.0 — stock 2.4.19

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS/ES/WS 4.0 — stock 2.6.9-5, 64-bit

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS/ES/WS 3.0 — stock 2.4.21, update 2.4.21-15.EL, 64-

bit

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 — stock 2.4.9-e3

• Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 2.1 — stock 2.4.9-e3

• Red Hat Linux 9.0 — stock 2.4.20-8, upgrade 2.4.20-20.9

• Red Hat Linux 8.0 — stock 2.4.18

• Red Hat Linux 7.3 — stock 2.4.18

• Red Hat Linux 7.2 — stock 2.4.7-10, upgrade 2.4.9-7, upgrade 2.4.9-13, upgrade

2.4.9-21, upgrade 2.4.9-31

• SUSE Linux 9.2 — stock 9.2-2.6.8-24.11

• SUSE Linux 9.1 — stock 2.6.4-52

• SUSE Linux 9.0 — stock 2.4.21-99

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.0 — 32-bit, 64-bit, SP1(listed versions also

supported with no service pack)

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 — stock 2.4.19, 64-bit

• SUSE Linux 8.2 — stock 2.4.20

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

• SUSE Linux 8.1 — stock 2.4.19

• SUSE Linux 8.0 — stock 2.4.18

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 7 — stock 2.4.7 and patch 2

• SUSE Linux 7.3 — stock 2.4.10

Platforms not listed above are not supported.

A Web browser is required for the Help system.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Virtual Machine Specifications

Each virtual machine created with VMware Workstation 5 provides a platform that includes the following devices that your guest operating system can see.

Processor

• Same processor as that on host computer

Note: A 64-bit processor runs in 32-bit legacy mode inside the virtual machine.

• Single processor per virtual machine on symmetric multiprocessor systems

Chip Set

• Intel 440BX-based motherboard

• NS338 SIO

• 82093AA IOAPIC

BIOS

• PhoenixBIOS™ 4.0 Release 6 with VESA BIOS

Memory

• Up to 3.6GB, depending on host memory

• Maximum of 4GB total available for all virtual machines

Graphics

• VGA and SVGA support

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 950GB

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

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

SCSI Devices

• Up to seven devices

• SCSI virtual disks up to 950GB

• Hard disks can be virtual disks or physical disks

• Generic SCSI support allows devices to be used without need for drivers in the

host operating system. Works with scanners, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, tape drives and other SCSI devices

• LSI Logic® LSI53C10xx Ultra320 SCSI I/O controller

• Mylex® (BusLogic) BT-958 compatible host bus adapter (requires add-on driver

from VMware for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003)

Floppy Drives

• Up to two 1.44MB floppy devices

• Physical drives or floppy image files

Serial (COM) Ports

• Up to four serial (COM) ports

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

Parallel (LPT) Ports

• Up to two bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports

• Output to parallel ports or host operating system files

USB ports

• Two-port USB 1.1 UHCI controller

• Supports most devices including USB printers, scanners, PDAs, hard disk drives,

memory card readers and digital cameras, as well as streaming devices such as webcams, speakers, and microphones.

Keyboard

• 104-key Windows 95/98 enhanced

Mouse and Drawing Tablets

• PS/2 mouse

• Serial tablets supported

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Ethernet Card

• Up to three virtual Ethernet cards

• AMD PCnet-PCI II compatible

Sound

• Sound output and input

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

and joysticks are not supported, except for USB devices)

Virtual Networking

• Support for nine or more virtual Ethernet switches, depending on the host

operating system. Three switches are configured by default for bridged, hostonly, and NAT networking.

• Support for most Ethernet-based protocols, including TCP/IP, NetBEUI, Microsoft Networking, Samba, Novell Netware, and Network File System.

• Built-in NAT supports client software using TCP/IP, FTP, DNS, HTTP, and Telnet, including VPN support for PPTP over NAT.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Supported Guest Operating Systems

The operating systems listed here have been tested in VMware Workstation 5 virtual machines and are officially supported. For notes on installing the most common guest operating systems, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide, available from the VMware Web site or from the Help menu.

Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a VMware Workstation virtual machine. For the most recent list of supported guest operating systems, see the following page from the online Workstation 5 documentation on the VMware Web site, www.vmware.com/support/ws/doc/intro_supguest_ws.html.

Microsoft Windows 32-bit

• Experimental support for Windows, code-named Longhorn, beta

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

Business Server 2003; Service Pack 1 (listed versions also supported with no service pack)

• Windows XP Professional and Home Edition Service Pack 1 or 2 (listed versions also supported with no service pack)

• Windows 2000 Professional and Server Service Pack 1, 2, 3 or 4 (listed versions also supported with no service pack), Windows 2000 Advanced Server Service Pack 3 or 4

• Windows NT® Workstation and Server 4.0 Service Pack 6a required, Windows NT

4.0 Terminal Server Edition Service Pack 6 required

• Windows Me

• Windows 98 (including all Customer Service Packs) and Windows 98 SE

• Windows 95 (including Service Pack 1 and all OSR releases)

• Windows for Workgroups 3.11

• Windows 3.1

Microsoft MS-DOS

• MS-DOS 6.x

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Linux

• Mandrake Linux 8.2, 9.0, 9.2, 10

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

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS/ES/WS 4.0 (32-bit)

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS/ES/WS 2.1, 3.0

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server 2.1

• SUSE Linux 7.3, 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2.

• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 7, 7 patch 2, 8, 9, 9 SP1

• Turbolinux 7.0, Enterprise Server 8, Workstation 8

• Novell Linux Desktop 9

• Sun Java Desktop System (JDS) 2

Novell Netware

• Netware Server 5.1 SP8, 6.0 SP4, 6.5 SP3

FreeBSD

• FreeBSD 4.0, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6.2, 4.8, 5.0

Note: If you use SCSI virtual disks larger than 2GB with FreeBSD 4.0–4.3, there are known problems, and the guest operating system does not boot. To work around this issue, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide, available from the VMware Web site or from the Help menu.

CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Sun Solaris

• Experimental support for Solaris x86 Platform Edition 9, 10 beta

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Technical Support Resources

Documentation on the Web

You can find full documentation for VMware Workstation, including the latest updates to the manual, on the VMware Web site, at www.vmware.com/support/pubs/

ws_pubs.htm

VMware Knowledge Base

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

VMware User Community

The VMware user community includes VMware-sponsored discussion forums and newsgroups.

Community Discussion Forums

The VMware Community is a set of moderated discussion forums hosted on the VMware Web site, open to all VMware users. In the forums, you can share your experiences in using VMware products, raise technical questions or issues, and benefit from the expertise and advice of other VMware users. The VMware community forum is at www.vmware.com/community.

Newsgroups

The VMware newsgroups are primarily forums for users to help each other. You are encouraged to read and post issues, work-arounds, and fixes. While VMware personnel may read and post to the newsgroups, they are not a channel for official support. The VMware NNTP news server is at news.vmware.com.

For more information on the forums and newsgroups, see www.vmware.com/

vcommunity/newsgroups.html.

Reporting Problems

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

These guidelines describe the information we need from you to diagnose problems.

If a virtual machine exits abnormally or crashes, please run the support script to collect the appropriate log files and system information. Follow the steps below that apply to your host computer.

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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements

Windows Host

1. Open a command prompt.

2. Change to the VMware Workstation program directory.

C: cd \Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation

If you did not install the program in the default directory, use the appropriate drive letter and path in the cd command above.

3. Run the support script.

cscript vm-support.vbs

4. After the script runs, it displays the name of the directory where it has stored its output. Use a file compression utility such as WinZip or PKZIP to zip that directory, and include the zip file with your support request.

Linux Host

1. Open a terminal.

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

vm-support

If you are not running 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 will 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.

If you are reporting a problem you encountered while installing VMware Workstation, it is also helpful to have your installation log file.

On a Windows host, the file is VMInst.log. It is saved in your temp folder. On a Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 host, the default location is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\Local Settings\Temp.

You can use the command cd %temp% to locate the Local Settings folder, which is hidden by default. To see its contents, open My Computer, go to Tools > Folder Options, click the View tab and select Show Hidden Files and Folders.

Be sure to register your serial number. You may then report your problems by submitting a support request at www.vmware.com/requestsupport.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Where to Go Next

• Installing VMware Workstation on page 35

• Upgrading VMware Workstation on page 51

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CHAPTER 2

Installing VMware Workstation

This chapter discusses how to install VMware Workstation on your Linux or Windows host system:

• Selecting Your Host System on page 36

• Upgrading from Previous Versions on page 36

• Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host on page 37

• Installing Workstation on a Windows Host on page 38

• Installing VMware Workstation Silently on page 41

• Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host on page 43

• Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host on page 44

• Before Installing on a Linux Host on page 45

• Installing Workstation on a Linux Host on page 45

• Configuring with vmware-config.pl on page 48

• Web Browser Required on page 48

• Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host on page 49

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Selecting Your Host System

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

Your serial number allows you to use VMware Workstation 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 Workstation 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 30-day evaluation of the software. For more information, see

www.vmware.com/download/.

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

Workstation 5 on a Windows Host on page 37.

• To install on a Linux host computer, see Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a

Linux Host on page 44.

Upgrading from Previous Versions

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

VMware Workstation on page 51 before you begin.

Workstation Cannot Share a Host with Other VMware Products

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

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Installing VMware Workstation 5

on a Windows Host

Getting started with VMware Workstation is simple. The key steps are

1. Install the VMware Workstation software as described in Installing Workstation

on a Windows Host on page 38.

2. Start VMware Workstation and enter your serial number.

You need to do this only once — during the installation process when prompted or through Help > Enter Serial Number.

If you don't already have a serial number from a previous installation, the installer prompts you for the serial number during installation. If you choose not to enter the serial number during installation, you can enter it later by going to Help > Enter Serial Number.

3. Create a virtual machine using the New Virtual Machine Wizard. See Creating a

New Virtual Machine on page 101.

4. 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 and VMware Tools on page 117.

5. Install the VMware Tools package in your virtual machine for enhanced performance. See Installing VMware Tools on page 120.

6. Start using your virtual machine.

Before you begin, be sure you have

• A computer and host operating system that meet the system requirements for running VMware Workstation. See Host System Requirements on page 23.

• The VMware Workstation installation software. If you bought the packaged distribution of VMware Workstation, the installation software is on the CD in your package. If you bought the electronic distribution, the installation software is in the file you downloaded.

• Your VMware Workstation serial number. The serial number is included in the VMware Workstation package or in the email message confirming your electronic distribution order.

• The installation CD or disks for your guest operating system.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Installing Workstation on a Windows Host

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: To install Workstation on a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 host computer, you must log on as local administrator (that is, not be logged on to the domain, unless your domain account is also a local administrator).

Although an administrator must install Workstation on Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, a normal user — without administrative privileges — can run the program after it is installed.

Note: Keep in mind that you need one license for each user.

2. If you are installing from a CD, from the Start menu, choose Run and enter D:\setup.exe, where D: is the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive.

If you are installing from a downloaded file, from the Start menu, choose Run, browse to the directory where you saved the downloaded installer file and run the installer. (The filename is similar to VMwareWorkstation- <xxxx>.exe, where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers.)

3. Click Next to dismiss the Welcome dialog box.

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4. Acknowledge the end user license agreement (EULA).

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

5. Choose the directory in which to install VMware Workstation.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware Workstation

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.

Caution: Do not install VMware Workstation on a network drive.

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

on a local drive to 255 characters. For a path to a folder on a mapped or shared drive, the limit is 240 characters. If the path to the VMware Workstation program folder exceeds this limit, an error message appears. You must select or enter a shorter path.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

6. Select the shortcuts that you want the installer to create.

Choices include Desktop, Start menu, and Quick Launch toolbar. Deselect any shortcuts you do not want the installer to create.

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

8. The installer has gathered the necessary information and is ready to begin installing the software.

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.

If you do not need to make any changes, click Install. The installer begins copying files to your computer.

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9. (Optional) Enter your name, company name and serial number, then click Next.

Your serial number is on the registration card in your package. The user and company information you enter here is then made available in the About box (Help > About VMware Workstation).

Note: If you skip this step, you must enter your serial number later, before you can power on a virtual machine.

10. Click Finish. The VMware Workstation software is installed.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware Workstation

11. Some installations may require that you reboot your PC. Reboot now to allow VMware Workstation to complete the installation correctly.

Installing VMware Workstation Silently

If you are installing VMware Workstation on a number of Windows host computers — in a corporate environment, for example — you may want to use the silent installation features of the Microsoft Windows Installer.

Before installing VMware Workstation silently, you must ensure that the host computer has version 2.0 or higher of the MSI runtime engine. This version of the installer is available in versions of Windows beginning with Windows XP and is available separately from Microsoft.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

The following steps outline the procedures for a silent install. For additional details on using the Microsoft Windows Installer, see the Microsoft Web site.

1. Silently extract the administrative installation image from the VMware Workstation installer:

setup.exe /a /s /v"/qn TARGETDIR=<InstallTempPath>"

setup.exe is the name of the installer on the CD distribution. If you are using a downloaded installer, the filename is similar to VMwareWorkstation<xxxx>.exe, where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version

and build numbers.

<InstallTempPath> is the full path to the folder where you want to store the administrative installation image.

2. Run a silent installation using msiexec and the administrative installation image you extracted in the previous step:

msiexec -i "<InstallTempPath>\VMware Workstation.msi" [INSTALLDIR="<PathToProgramDirectory>"] ADDLOCAL=ALL [REMOVE=<featurename,featurename>] /qn

Enter the command on one line. If you want to install VMware Workstation in a location other than the default, change the path that follows INSTALLDIR= to specify the desired location.

You may use the optional REMOVE= property to skip installation of certain features. The REMOVE= property can take one or more of the following values:

Value Description

Authd The VMware authorization service

Network Networking components including the virtual bridge and the host adapters for

host only networking and NAT networking; do not remove if you want to use NAT or DHCP

DHCP The virtual DHCP server

NAT The virtual NAT device

If you specify more than one value, use a comma to separate the values. For example, REMOVE=Authd,NAT.

Note: If you specify REMOVE=Network, the installer skips installation of certain networking components, including NAT and DHCP. There is no need to specify DHCP or NAT separately.

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You may customize the installation further by adding any of the following installation properties to the command using the format PROPERTY="value". A value of 1 means true; a value of 0 means false. If you use the serial number property, enter the serial number, complete with hyphens (xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx).

Property Effect of the Property Default

DESKTOP_SHORTCUT Installs a shortcut on the desktop 1

DISABLE_AUTORUN Disables CD autorun on the host 1

REMOVE_LICENSE (Uninstall only) Removes all stored licenses at uninstall 0

SERIALNUMBER Automatically enters the serial number

Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host

To uninstall VMware Workstation 5, use the Add/Remove Programs control panel. Select the entry for VMware Workstation, then click Remove. Follow the on-screen instructions.

CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Installing VMware Workstation 5

on a Linux Host

Getting started with VMware Workstation is simple. The key steps are

1. Install the VMware Workstation software as described in Installing Workstation

on a Linux Host on page 45.

2. Start VMware Workstation

3. Enter your serial number.

You need to do this only once. If you don't already have a serial number configured from a previous installation, you are prompted for the serial number when you start Workstation. To enter the serial number choose Help > Enter Serial Number.

Note: You can install Workstation without a serial number. However you cannot power on a virtual machine without entering a serial number.

4. Create a virtual machine using the New Virtual Machine Wizard. See Creating a

New Virtual Machine on page 101.

5. 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 and VMware Tools on page 117.

6. Install the VMware Tools package in your virtual machine for enhanced performance. See Installing VMware Tools on page 120.

7. Start using your virtual machine.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware Workstation

Before Installing on a Linux Host

Before you begin, be sure you have

• A computer and host operating system that meet the system requirements for running VMware Workstation. See Host System Requirements on page 23.

• Your VMware Workstation serial number. The serial number is included in the VMware Workstation package or in the email message confirming your electronic distribution order.

• The installation CD or disks for your guest operating system.

Check the following notes and make any necessary adjustments to the configuration of your host operating system.

• vmware-distrib — If you have a previous tar installation, delete the previous vmware-distrib directory before installing from a tar file again. The default location of this directory is /tmp/vmware-distrib

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

• Parallel port — VMware Workstation for Linux 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).

Installing Workstation on a Linux Host

Note: The steps below describe an installation from a CD-ROM disc. 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 Linux directory on the CD.

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

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

su -

3. Mount the VMware Workstation CD-ROM.

4. Change to the Linux directory on the CD.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

5. Continue installation with the appropriate section for your desired installer:

• Using the tar Installer

• Using the RPM Installer

Using the tar Installer

Note: You may skip the steps for copying and unpacking the archive and

install directly from the vmware-distrib directory on the CD.

a. Copy the tar archive to a temporary directory on your hard drive — for

example, /tmp.

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

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

cd /tmp

c. Unpack the archive.

tar zxf VMware-<xxxx>.tar.gz

d. Change to the installation directory.

cd vmware-distrib

e. Run the installation program.

./vmware-install.pl

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

documentation files and init script.

g. Answer Yes when prompted to run vmware-config.pl.

This completes the tar archive installation instructions. Skip the RPM installer instructions and continue with step 6.

Using the RPM Installer

a. Run RPM specifying the installation file.

rpm -Uhv VMware-<xxxx>.rpm

VMware-<xxxx>.rpm is the installation file on the CDROM. In place of <xxxx> the filename contains numbers that correspond to the version and

build.

b. Run the configuration program from the command line.

vmware-config.pl

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware Workstation

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

7. The remaining prompts are worded in such a way that, in most cases, the default response is appropriate.

Note: If you do not enable host-only networking when you install Workstation, you cannot allow a virtual machine to use both bridged and host-only networking.

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

9. When done, exit from the root account. exit

Install VMware Tools after you install a guest operating system. See Installing VMware

Tools on page 120.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Configuring with vmware-config.pl

Use vmware-config.pl to configure your installation of VMware Workstation.

Note: If you run 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.

Required Configuration Changes

Configuration with vmware-config.pl is required in the following circumstances:

• When you install VMware Workstation the first time.

• When you upgrade your version of Workstation.

• When you upgrade your host operating system kernel. (It is not necessary to

reinstall VMware Workstation after you upgrade your kernel.)

• To reconfigure the networking options for VMware Workstation — for example, to add or remove host-only networking.

Location of vmware-config.pl

The installer places vmware-config.pl in /usr/bin. If /usr/bin is not in your default path, run the program with the following command:

/usr/bin/vmware-config.pl

Web Browser Required

To use the VMware Workstation Help system, you must have a Web browser installed on your host computer.

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CHAPTER 2 Installing VMware Workstation

Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host

Uninstalling an RPM Installation of Workstation

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

rpm -e VMwareWorkstation*

Note: The asterisk symbol * is a wildcard for the build number.

Uninstalling a tar Installation of Workstation

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

vmware-uninstall.pl

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Where to Go Next

• Learning VMware Workstation Basics on page 61

• Creating a New Virtual Machine on page 101

• Running VMware Workstation on page 139

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CHAPTER 3

Upgrading VMware Workstation

This chapter discusses how to upgrade VMware Workstation 3 or 4 on your Linux or Windows host system, and how to use existing virtual machines under VMware Workstation 5:

• Preparing for the Upgrade on page 52

• Upgrading on a Windows Host on page 55

• Upgrading on a Linux Host on page 56

• Using Workstation 4 Virtual Machines in Workstation 5 on page 57

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Preparing for the Upgrade

Before You Install VMware Workstation 5

There are a few steps you should take — while your previous version of VMware Workstation is still on your computer and before you install VMware Workstation 5 — to ensure the best possible upgrade experience.

Resume and Shut Down Suspended Virtual Machines

If you plan to use virtual machines created in an earlier version of VMware Workstation 5, 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 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 VMware Workstation, a dialog box gives 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.

Remove Snapshots

If the virtual machine you are upgrading has a snapshot, remove the snapshot before upgrading.

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Make Sure All Disks Are in the Same Mode (Workstation 3 Only)

For upgrades from VMware Workstation 3 to Workstation 5:

• 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. See www.vmware.com/info?id=44

• If you plan to use an existing virtual machine that has disks in undoable mode, you must commit or discard any changes to the virtual disks before you remove the Workstation 3 software that 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.

• 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.

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.

CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware Workstation

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 VMware Workstation 5. Depending on your upgrade path, you may not be able to run your virtual machines under both VMware Workstation 5 and your previous version of VMware Workstation.

Workstation 2 to 5 — Upgrading Workstation 2 virtual machines requires that you first upgrade to Workstation 3 or 4. Direct upgrades from a Workstation 2 virtual machine are not supported in Workstation 5.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Workstation 3 to 5 — Virtual machines created under Workstation 3 must be upgraded before they can run under Workstation 5. Once they are upgraded, they cannot be run under Workstation 3.

Workstation 4 to 5 — Virtual machines created under Workstation 4 — or updated to Workstation 4 — offer two options.

• You may update the virtual machine for full compatibility with Workstation 5. However, a virtual machine upgraded to Workstation 5 can no longer be used under Workstation 4.

• You may choose not to update the virtual machine. In that case, you can run the virtual machine under both Workstation 4 and Workstation 5, but you do not enable new features provided by Workstation 5. For example, you cannot take multiple snapshots.

Removing Version 3 or 4 to Install Version 5

There is a key precaution you should take when you remove VMware Workstation 3 or 4 — or an earlier version of VMware Workstation 5 — to install VMware Workstation 5.

• Leave the existing license in place.

VMware Workstation installation procedures for your host may require that you run an uninstaller to remove a previous version.

• On a Windows host, the uninstaller may ask if it should remove licenses from your registry. Do not allow the uninstaller to remove the licenses. You can safely keep licenses for multiple 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.

The actual upgrade installation depends on your host operating system:

• Upgrading on a Windows Host on page 55

• Upgrading on a Linux Host on page 56

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Upgrading on a Windows Host

• You may upgrade from Workstation 4 to version 5 using the VMware Workstation

5 upgrade product.

• To upgrade from version 3 to version 5, you must have the full VMware Workstation 5 product.

Upgrading from Version 4 or an Earlier Version 5 Release

1. Launch the Workstation 5 installer from your download directory or CDROM.

2. Reboot your computer if you are prompted to do so.

3. Allow the installer to complete the installation.

Upgrading from Version 3 to Version 5

1. Uninstall the Workstation version now installed on your computer. For details, see Removing Version 3 on page 55.

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

2. Reboot your computer.

3. Install version 5.

Note: When you are upgrading with an upgrade serial number, the installer checks for the presence of a version 4 license on the computer. If it finds no version 4 license, it prompts you to enter your version 4 serial number.

4. Reboot your computer.

CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware Workstation

Removing Version 3

1. Launch the VMware Workstation uninstaller. Start > Programs > VMware > VMware Workstation Uninstallation

2. Click Ye s.

3. Follow the on-screen instructions. You need to keep your existing license in the Windows registry.

After you reboot, follow the instructions in Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a

Windows Host on page 37.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Upgrading on a Linux Host

You may upgrade from version 4 to version 5 using the upgrade version of VMware Workstation 5. To upgrade from version 3 to version 5, you must have the full version of VMware Workstation 5. Upgrades from earlier versions of VMware Workstation are not supported.

Note: When you are upgrading with the upgrade product, the installer checks for the presence of a license on the computer. If it finds no license, it prompts you to enter your previous version serial number.

Note: Starting with Workstation 5, Samba is no longer automatically configured when you run vmware-config.pl.

The tar Upgrade Process

If you used the tar installer to install version 3 or 4 — or an earlier release of version 5 — and you plan to use the tar installer for version 5, you do not need to take any special steps to uninstall the older version. Just follow the installation instructions

Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host on page 44.

The RPM Upgrade Process

Take the following steps to upgrade to version 5 if you used the RPM installer to install Workstation 3 or 4 — or an earlier release of version 5.

If you are currently using version 3.0, you need to uninstall the RPM package of prebuilt modules that was installed with 3.0 before you uninstall the 3.0 software. You do not need to take this step if you are currently using version 3.1.

1. Uninstall any previous version as root:

If you are running version 3.0, uninstall the prebuilt modules as root, then uninstall VMware Workstation by running

rpm -e VMwareWorkstationKernelModules rpm -e VMwareWorkstation

If you are running version 3.1, 3.2 or 4, or an earlier release of version 5, uninstall it as root by running

rpm -e VMwareWorkstation*

Note: The asterisk symbol * is a wild card to account for the version number of Workstation that was previously installed.

2. Install version 5 following the instructions in Installing VMware Workstation 5 on

a Linux Host on page 44.

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CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware Workstation

Using Workstation 4 Virtual

Machines in Workstation 5

There are, broadly speaking, three approaches you can take when you set up virtual machines. Choose one of these approaches.

• Create Everything New from the Start on page 57

• Use a Legacy Virtual Machine without Upgrading on page 57

• Use a Legacy Virtual Machine with Upgrade on page 58

Only the latter two apply to virtual machines created under previous versions of VMware Workstation.

Create Everything New from the Start

Use the New Virtual Machine Wizard to set up a new virtual machine and install a guest operating system in the virtual machine as described in Creating a New Virtual

Machine on page 101. If you set up your virtual machines in this way, you are using

the latest technology and enjoy the performance benefits of the newest features.

Use a Legacy Virtual Machine without Upgrading

A legacy virtual machine is a virtual machine created in Workstation 4.x, GSX Server 3.x and ESX Server 2.x. You can use such a virtual machine in Workstation 5.

• Upgrade VMware Tools to the new version following the instructions for your guest operating system in Installing VMware Tools on page 120. You should not remove the older version of VMware Tools before installing the new version.

• A VMware Workstation 4 virtual machine set up in this way should run without problems. However, you will not have the benefits of certain new features, including multiple snapshots, streaming USB devices, and performance improvements.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Use a Legacy Virtual Machine with Upgrade

If you upgrade an existing virtual machine from Workstation 4.x, GSX Server 3.x or ESX Server 2.x, you gain access to new features and enjoy the performance benefits of the new virtual machine, including:

• Multiple snapshots

• Streaming USB input devices

• Increased network bandwidth, optimized disk and memory cache

Notes on Upgrading a Virtual Machine

• If you previously installed the version of VMware Tools included in Workstation 5, you must reinstall after the virtual machine upgrade and choose the “Repair” option.

• If you are upgrading a virtual machine that runs from a physical disk, rather than a virtual disk, you may see the following error message while VMware Workstation is upgrading the virtual machine: “Unable to upgrade <drivename>. One of the supplied parameters is invalid.” You may safely click OK to continue the upgrade process.

• When you update a Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 virtual machine, the Microsoft product activation feature requires you to reactivate the guest operating system.

• The virtual machine upgrade is irreversible: Virtual machines upgraded to Workstation 5 are incompatible with VMware Workstation 3, Workstation 4.x, GSX Server 3.x and ESX Server 2.x. Make backup copies of your virtual disks before starting the upgrade.

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Procedure to Upgrade Virtual Machines

1. Shut down the guest operating system and power off the virtual machine,

2. Choose VM > Upgrade Virtual Machine.

A dialog box appears, warning that the upgrade process cannot be reversed.

3. Click Ye s to continue, then follow the on-screen directions.

4. Power on the virtual machine in Workstation 5.

5. Upgrade VMware Tools to the new version

Refer to Installing VMware Tools on page 120. Do not remove the older version of VMware Tools before installing the new version.

Note: If you are upgrading a virtual machine that runs from a physical disk, rather than a virtual disk, you may safely ignore the message: “Unable to upgrade <drivename>. One of the supplied parameters is invalid.” Click OK to continue the upgrade.

CHAPTER 3 Upgrading VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Where to Go Next

• Learning VMware Workstation Basics on page 61

• Creating a New Virtual Machine on page 101

• Running VMware Workstation on page 139

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CHAPTER 4

Learning VMware Workstation Basics

This chapter discusses launching the VMware Workstation program, and introduces the VMware Workstation window.

• Launching VMware Workstation on page 62

• Overview of the VMware Workstation Window on page 64

• Checking for Product Updates on page 75

• Setting Preferences for VMware Workstation on page 76

• Virtual Machine Settings on page 83

• Command Line Reference on page 91

• Keyboard Shortcuts on page 95

• What Files Make Up a Virtual Machine? on page 96

The illustrations in these sections show a Windows XP guest operating system. Some commands used in the illustrations are different from those used in other guest operating systems.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Launching VMware Workstation

The method of starting the VMware Workstation application depends on your host operating system.

• Launching VMware Workstation on a Windows Host

• Launching VMware Workstation on a Linux Host

Launching VMware Workstation on a Windows Host

Launch VMware Workstation by double-clicking the shortcut on your desktop or launch the program from the Start menu (Start > Programs > VMware > VMware Workstation).

The VMware Workstation window opens.

The Workstation window: Windows host

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Launching VMware Workstation on a Linux Host

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Type vmware & and press Enter.

The VMware Workstation window opens.

CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

The Workstation window: Linux host

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Overview of the VMware Workstation

Window

A VMware Workstation virtual machine is like a separate computer that runs in a window on your physical computer. However, VMware Workstation displays more than the screen of a physical computer. From the Workstation window, you can access and run your virtual machines and teams, and switch easily from one to another.

This section shows you how to navigate and use the VMware Workstation window, and how to set up a list of favorites — virtual machines and teams that you use often and want to access quickly

• The Home Page, Summary View, and Console View on page 66

• The Toolbar on page 69

• The Favorites List on page 71

To open the Workstation application, see Launching VMware Workstation on page 62.

To create a new virtual machine and install a guest operating system, see Creating a

New Virtual Machine on page 101.

One Window or Many — Your Choice

In VMware Workstation 5, you can open multiple virtual machines in the same Workstation window. Or you can launch multiple instances of VMware Workstation. You can even run multiple instances of VMware Workstation and have more than one virtual machine in each window. Just be sure you have enough memory and processor power to handle the number of virtual machines you want to run.

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

The VMware Workstation window is divided into three main sections.

To ol ba r

Favo rite s

List

Home Page/Summary/Console

Workstation window sections: toolbar, favorites list, and home page/summary/console

• The Home Page, Summary View, and Console View — Appearing on the right,

this main part of the window is the display screen where your virtual machines display information.

• The Toolbar — These buttons along the top allow you to act on your virtual

machines, offering one-click options for power, suspend, snapshot, screen and summary/console display.

• The Favorites List — Appearing on the left, this area lets you bookmark your

virtual machines and teams of virtual machines for quick access.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

The Home Page, Summary View, and Console View

VMware Workstation displays three views in the main part of the window:

• Displaying the Home Page

• Displaying the Summary View

• Displaying the Console View

Displaying the Home Page

In the Workstation window, select the Home tab to display the Workstation home page. Use the icons on the home page to start creating a new virtual machine or open an existing virtual machine.

To close the home page, click the X to the right of the tabs on a Windows host or the X on the tab on a Linux host. To display the home page again, choose View > Go to Home Tab.

Displaying the Summary View

When you select a tab for a powered-off virtual machine or team, Workstation displays a summary of the configuration information about that item. Workstation also displays a summary for a suspended virtual machine or team.

Summary Toolbar Button

Summary view for a virtual machine ( Windows host)

You can examine settings in the Summary view at any time by clicking the Summary toolbar button. However, some settings can be changed only when the virtual

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

machine or team is powered off (not running or suspended). See Adding, Configuring,

and Removing Devices in a Virtual Machine on page 164 or Editing Team Settings on page 298 for information about editing settings.

Note: Summary tabs are displayed only for virtual machines that are currently open. To open a virtual machine that is not displayed, choose File > Open > Virtual Machine, navigate to the virtual machine’s .vmx file, and select Open. The summary/console tab remains visible as long as the virtual machine remains open.

The Status Bar — In the Summary view, messages from VMware Workstation appear in the status bar, at the bottom left of the summary window.

The status bar

For example, the status bar displays an alert if the version of VMware Tools in a virtual machine does not match your version of Workstation.

The status bar displays an icon for each removable device. On a Windows host, you can right-click an icon to disconnect it or edit its configuration.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Displaying the Console View

The console view for an active virtual machine is like the monitor screen of a hardware PC.

Windows host console window

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

Linux host console window

When a virtual machine is active, the name of the virtual machine — or the name of the team it is on, if any — is always displayed in a tab at the top of the console. To switch from the active virtual machine or team, click the tab of another virtual machine or team. You can use the console tabs in the windowed view, and also in the quick switch view.

Tabs make it easy to switch among active virtual machines (Windows host)

Displaying Multiple Virtual Machines at the Same Time

If you want to view more than one virtual machine when they are not all on the same team, you can open multiple Workstation windows and launch one or more virtual machines in each Workstation window. Alternately you can use a team to coordinate and use multiple virtual machines within a single console window. See Displaying

Teams on page 296 for a complete description of the console view for teams.

The Toolbar

The toolbar, at the top of the Workstation window, contains buttons you can click to power your virtual machines on and off, change the Workstation display, and manage snapshots. The following sections describe the toolbar buttons.

Toolbar for virtual machine (Windows host)

Caution: When a team is active, clicking the power on, power off, suspend, resume, or reset button affects all the virtual machines on that team.

Power Off

This button turns off the active virtual machine or team like the power button on a hardware PC. You can configure Workstation for a soft power off (called shut down) or a hard power off, (called power off ). See Shutting Down a Virtual Machine on

page 144, or Starting and Stopping Teams on page 289 for a description of this

feature.

Suspend

This button stops a virtual machine or team in a manner that allows you to resume your work later, as if you never left. You may be familiar with the concept of suspending your work on a laptop. See Using Suspend and Resume on page 250 for a description of this feature.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Power On or Resume

This button powers on a selected virtual machine or team that is powered off, or resumes a virtual machine or team that is suspended.

• Power on — See Starting a Virtual Machine on page 141, or Starting and

Stopping Teams on page 289 for a description.

• Resume — See Using Suspend and Resume on page 250 for a description.

Reset

This button resets a virtual machine or team, like the reset button on a physical PC.

Snapshot

This button allows you to save the state of a virtual machine in the same manner you might save a word-processing document. You can come back later to that state if you make a mistake with the Revert button. See Using Snapshots on page 251 for a description of this feature.

Revert

This button allows you to return a virtual machine to the parent state, a state previously preserved by taking a snapshot. See Using Snapshots on page 251 for a description of this feature.

Manage Snapshots

This button opens the Snapshot Manager, where you can view the virtual machine’s existing snapshots, revert to a snapshot, take a new snapshot, and make a clone from a snapshot. For more on the Snapshot Manager, see The Snapshot Manager Window

on page 260.

Full Screen

This button enlarges the virtual machine display to cover the entire host monitor. The virtual machine no longer appears in a window.

Note: Workstation menus and toolbar are not visible in full screen mode. Press CtrlAlt to restore the Workstation window.

Note: If you are unable to enter fullscreen mode when the guest's display mode is smaller than the host's display mode, try adding the following line to the virtual machine’s configuration (.vmx) file:

mks.maxRefreshRate=1000

See What Files Make Up a Virtual Machine? for a description of this file.

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

Quick Switch

This button enlarges the Workstation console to cover the entire host monitor. Console tabs are visible, allowing you to switch between your virtual machines and teams with a single click.

Note: Workstation menus and toolbar are not visible in quick switch mode. Move your cursor to the top of the screen to show the menu and toolbar momentarily.

Summary

This button displays the summary view. See Displaying the Summary View on page 66 for a description of this view.

Console

This button displays the console view. See Displaying the Console View on page 68 for a description of this view.

The Favorites List

This section describes the following topics:

• Overview of the Favorites List on page 72

• Adding an Item to the Favorites List on page 72

• Adding the Active Virtual Machine to the Favorites List on page 73

• Removing an Item from the Favorites List on page 73

• Removing the Active Virtual Machine from the Favorites List on page 73

• Changing the Name of a Favorite List Item on page 73

• Organizing Favorites into Folders on page 73

• Hiding and Displaying the Favorites List on page 74

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Overview of the Favorites List

The Favorites list gives you a convenient way to organize and access frequently-used items.

Legacy virtual

machine icon

Powered on icon

Suspended icon

The Favorites list

• Fast access — Like bookmarks in a web browser, the Favorites list helps you quickly access frequently-used items. With your virtual machines and teams on the Favorites list, you can open them without browsing the host file system. Also like browser bookmarks, Favorites list icons can be organized in folders, added, rearranged, or deleted — without affecting the items they open.

• Status — The Favorites list displays the status of virtual machines and teams by using different icons. A Favorites list icon indicates whether the team or virtual machine is powered off, powered on, or suspended. The icon also indicates whether the virtual machine is a legacy virtual machine that needs to be upgraded to use all the features of the current Workstation version.

• Right-click commands — You can right-click on a Favorites icon to display a menu of commands you can use for that virtual machine or team.

Adding an Item to the Favorites List

To add a virtual machine or team entry to the Favorites list

1. Open the virtual machine or team that you want to add.

Choose (File > Open) and browse to the location of the virtual machine (.vmx file) or team (.vmtm file) you want as a favorite.

2. Choose File > Add to Favorites.

The virtual machine or team name appears in the Favorites list.

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

Adding the Active Virtual Machine to the Favorites List

To add the currently open virtual machine, Choose File > Add to Favorites.

The virtual machine name appears in the Favorites list.

Removing an Item from the Favorites List

You can remove the name of a virtual machine from the Favorites list at any time. Removing the name from the list does not affect the virtual machine’s files or operation. You can add the virtual machine to the list again at any time.

To remove a name from the Favorites list, take these steps.

1. Click a name in the list to select it.

2. Choose File > Remove from Favorites.

The virtual machine name is removed from the Favorites list.

Removing the Active Virtual Machine from the Favorites List

To remove the currently open virtual machine from the Favorites list:

Choose File > Remove from Favorites.

The virtual machine is removed from the Favorites list.

Changing the Name of a Favorite List Item

You can rename the Favorites list entry for a virtual machine or team.

To rename a Favorite list entry:

1. Right-click the Favorite you want to rename.

2. Select Rename from the pop-up menu.

3. Type the new name for the Favorite and press Enter.

Note: This change is for display only, and does not rename the virtual machine files on the host.

Organizing Favorites into Folders

You can arrange your virtual machines and teams in folders.

To c reate a fo ld er:

1. Right-click in the Favorites list.

2. Select New > Folder from the pop-up menu.

3. Type a name for the folder and press enter.

4. Drag and drop your virtual machine or team favorites into the new folder as desired.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Hiding and Displaying the Favorites List

To toggle the display of the Favorites list on or off:

1. Choose View > Favorites.

If the Favorites list was visible, it becomes hidden. If it was hidden, now it is visible.

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

Checking for Product Updates

VMware Workstation checks automatically to see if updates for the product are available. By default, it checks once a week, at the time you launch Workstation. You can change the interval for the automatic checks, and you can check manually at any time by choosing Help > Check for Updates on the Web.

To have VMware Workstation check for updates automatically.

1. Choose Edit > Preferences > Workspace.

2. On the Check for software Updates drop-down menu, set the interval.

The choices are: Never, Daily, Weekly, or Monthly.

Note: This check works only if the host computer is connected to the Internet.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Setting Preferences for VMware

Workstation

The Preferences dialog box allows you to change a number of settings that apply to VMware Workstation itself, no matter what virtual machine you are running.

Note: On a Linux host, you must be logged in as root to save global preference changes.

The settings on the Workspace, Input and Hot Keys tabs apply to the user currently logged on to the host computer. They do not affect settings made by any other user on the computer. The settings on the Display, Memory and Lockout tabs apply no matter what virtual machine is running or who is logged on to the host computer. The settings on the Priority tab apply to all virtual machines for the user currently logged on to the host computer. They do not affect settings made by any other user on the computer.

To make changes to these settings, choose Edit > Preferences.

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

Workspace

The Workspace tab lets you change the directory in which newly created virtual machines are stored. The directory Workstation uses by default is displayed under Default location for teams and virtual machines. To set a different directory, type in the path or click Browse to navigate to the directory you want to use. Workstation creates a directory for each new virtual machine under the directory you specify here.

If you select Remember opened tabs between sessions, you see a tab for each opened virtual machine or team in the console window the next time you start Workstation. A virtual machine or team is considered opened if both of the following conditions are true:

• The virtual machine or team was left open.

• The virtual machine or team was powered on and off or powered on and

suspended.

Use the Check for software updates drop-down menu to determine how often VMware Workstation checks to see if new versions of the product are available. You can choose daily, weekly or monthly automatic checks or choose Never to turn off automatic checking. You can check manually at any time by choosing Help > Check for Updates on the Web.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Input

The Input tab lets you adjust the way that the virtual machine captures control of keyboard and mouse.

Note: The option Grab when cursor enters window allows you to move the mouse pointer back into the virtual machine window easily if you have been working in the virtual machine, then temporarily moved the mouse pointer outside the virtual machine window. The mouse pointer is grabbed only when VMware Workstation has focus (is the active application). Also, if you release the mouse pointer by pressing a hot-key combination — Ctrl-Alt by default — you must click inside the virtual machine window to make VMware Workstation grab the mouse pointer again.

Hot Keys

The Hot Key tab lets you change the key combination that determines whether certain combinations of keys are passed to the guest operating system or intercepted by VMware Workstation.

Note: Because Ctrl-Alt is the key combination used to tell VMware Workstation to release (ungrab) mouse and keyboard input, combinations that include Ctrl-Alt are not passed to the guest operating system. If you need to use such a combination —

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

for example, use Ctrl-Alt-<Fkey> to switch between Linux workspaces in a virtual machine — press Ctrl-Alt-Space, release Space without releasing Ctrl and Alt, then press the third key of the key combination you want to send to the guest.

Using this dialog box, you can also construct your own custom hot-key combination.

Display

The Display tab lets you adjust the manner in which the console and the host display accommodate a different guest operating system display resolution.

Autofit

Use Autofit preferences to control how the console window behaves when Autofit is active.

• Select Autofit window to have Workstation change the console window size to match the guest operating system screen resolution. This is the same as choosing View > Autofit Window.

• Select Autofit guest to have Workstation change the guest operating system display resolution to match the console window size. This is the same as choosing View > Autofit Guest.

Note: Selecting Autofit guest also activates Autofit window.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Full Screen

Use Full Screen preferences to configure how the host and guest display settings interact when you enter full screen mode on the host.

• Select Resize host to change the host display settings to match the display settings of the guest while the guest is in full screen mode.

• Select Resize guest to change the guest’s display settings to match the host display settings while the guest is in full screen mode.

• Select Don’t resize to have both host and guest retain their own display settings while the guest is in full screen mode.

Memory

The Memory tab lets you adjust the amount of physical RAM that can be used by all running virtual machines. It also lets you adjust how much virtual machine memory may be swapped to disk, allowing you to run more or larger virtual machines if you are willing to accept slower performance.

For details on adjusting memory settings in VMware Workstation, see Memory Usage

Notes on page 418.

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

Priority

Process Priority (Windows Hosts Only)

Process priority determines the precedence that the Windows process scheduler gives to your virtual machines when mouse and keyboard input are going to a particular virtual machine and when input is not going to that virtual machine.

You can adjust these settings to improve overall system performance based on the relative priority of work you are doing in various virtual machines and on the host computer.

To change the settings for a particular virtual machine, and override the global settings, open the virtual machine you want to adjust, choose VM > Settings, click the Options tab, select Advanced, then use the drop-down lists under Process priorities to make the setting you want for that virtual machine.

There is no corresponding setting on a Linux host.

Snapshots

If you select Take and restore snapshots in the background, you can continue using your virtual machine even when Workstation is taking or restoring a snapshot. Enabling background snapshots for a host with slow hard disks may affect performance. If you experience significant performance problems when taking or restoring snapshots, turn off this option.

Workstation supports only one background snapshot process at a time for a virtual machine. If you take or restore a second snapshot before a previous snapshot operation completes for the same virtual machine, Workstation displays a progress bar until the previous snapshot operation completes. Then the second snapshot operation continues in the background.

A virtual machine that is powered on does not recognize any change to this check box until you restart that virtual machine.

VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

Lockout (Windows Hosts Only)

The Lockout tab lets you restrict who can create new virtual machines, edit virtual machine configurations and change networking settings. For details, see Locking Out

Interface Features on page 433.

There are no corresponding settings on a Linux host.

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CHAPTER 4 Learning VMware Workstation Basics

Virtual Machine Settings

VMware Workstation configures a newly created virtual machine based on the guest operating system you select in the New Virtual Machine Wizard (File > New > Virtual Machine). Use the virtual machine settings editor (VM > Settings) if you want to change any configuration options from the wizard defaults.

Hardware

Use the Hardware tab to add, remove, and configure virtual devices for the virtual machine.

• Memory — See Memory Usage Notes on page 418.

• Virtual Disk — See Adding a New Virtual Disk to a Virtual Machine on page 197.

• CD-ROM — See Adding DVD or CD Drives to a Virtual Machine on page 204.

• Floppy — See Adding Floppy Drives to a Virtual Machine on page 206.

• Ethernet — See Adding and Modifying Virtual Network Adapters on page 316.

• Serial Port — See Using Serial Ports on page 377.

• Parallel Port — See Using Parallel Ports on page 372.

• USB Controller — See Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine on page 397.

• Sound Adapter — See Configuring Sound on page 369.

• Generic SCSI Device — See Steps to a New Virtual Machine on page 102.

• Mouse (Linux host only) — See Human Interface Devices on page 401.

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Options

The Options tab lets you adjust characteristics of the selected virtual machine.

General

Virtual Machine Name — Use this setting to change the virtual machine name. Type a new name in the field and click OK.

This field affects the virtual machine name only as it appears in the console tab and Favorites list. Changing the virtual machine name here does not change the names of the virtual machine files.

Virtual Machine Configuration File (Windows only) — This read-only field displays the path to the file that contains configuration information for the selected virtual machine.

Guest Operating System — Workstation optimizes the virtual machine for the operating system you choose in this field.

Version — Use this field to change the setting for the guest operating system version in the virtual machine's configuration file. This setting does not actually change the guest operating system itself.

When you set the guest operating system type in the New Virtual Machine Wizard, Workstation chooses configuration defaults based on the guest type you choose. Changing the guest type in this field simply changes the guest type setting in the configuration file.

The Version field is useful when you are upgrading the guest operating system installed in the virtual machine, and you want to change the guest operating system version.

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Working Director y — The working directory is where Workstation stores suspended state (.vmss), snapshot (.vmsn) and redo log files. By default, this is the same directory the virtual machine files are stored in.

Power

Power options

• Power on after opening this virtual machine — Select this option to power on the selected virtual machine automatically when Workstation launches. With this option selected, you do not have an opportunity to change the virtual machine's configuration before it starts, since the virtual machine powers on immediately.

• Enter full screen mode after powering on — Select this option to enter full screen mode automatically after powering on the selected virtual machine.

• Close after powering off or suspending — Select this option to close the selected virtual machine automatically after you power it off or suspend it. Closing a virtual machine removes the tab for that machine from the main window in quick switch mode.

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Power Controls

Note: Settings in Power Controls apply only to the active virtual machine.

• You can configure this button to turn off a virtual machine or team in two ways. Select Power Off if you want this button to work the way a power switch works on a power supply. The virtual machine is abruptly powered off, with no consideration for work in progress. Select Shut Down Guest if you want this button to send a shut down signal to the guest operating system. An operating system that recognizes this signal shuts down gracefully.

Note: Not all guest operating systems respond to a shut down signal from this button. If your operating system does not respond to a shut down signal, shut down from within the operating system, as you would with a physical machine.

• The suspend button is not configurable.

• The power on or resume button is not configurable.

• You can configure this button to reset a virtual machine or restart a guest

operating system. Select Reset if you want this button to work as a reset switch. The virtual machine is abruptly reset, with no consideration for work in progress. Select Restart Guest if you want this button to send a restart signal to the guest operating system. An operating system that recognizes this signal shuts down gracefully and restarts.

Note: Not all guest operating systems respond to a restart signal from this button. If your operating system does not respond to a restart signal, restart from within the operating system, as you would with a physical machine.

Run VMware Tools Scripts — This option allows you to run scripts when you power on a virtual machine. See Command Line Reference on page 91 for help with scripting.

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Shared Folders

Shared Folders — This option allows a virtual machine to share a folder with the host file system for convenient file transfers. See Using Shared Folders on page 157 for help configuring this option.

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Snapshots

General — You can disable snapshots for the virtual machine. The virtual machine must not have any snapshots if you want to disable snapshots.

To disable snapshots for this virtual machine, select Disable snapshots.

When powering off — You can specify the way Workstation handles snapshots when you power off the virtual machine. Options when powering off include:

• Just power off — powers off without making any changes to snapshots.

• Revert to the snapshot — reverts to the parent snapshot of the virtual

machine’s current state (that is, the parent snapshot of the You Are Here position in the Snapshot Manager window) so the virtual machine always starts in the state it was in when the parent snapshot was taken.

• Take a new snapshot — takes a new snapshot of the virtual machine state after it is powered off.

• Ask me — always asks what you want to do with snapshots when you power off.

See Using Snapshots on page 251 for more information on setting these options.

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Guest Isolation (Windows only)

Drag and Drop — By default, you can drag and drop files between your host computer and a virtual machine. If you wish to disable this feature, select Disable drag and drop to and from the virtual machine.

One reason to disable the drag and drop feature is to prevent files from accidentally being transferred between the virtual machine and the host.

Advanced

Process priorities (Windows only) — VMware Workstation sets the default priority for

virtual machine processing as Normal for both Input grabbed and Input ungrabbed. This means that the processes within virtual machines contend equally for resources with all other processes running on the host.

To change the default priority for the selected virtual machine, overriding the global priorities, choose the priority you want, then click OK.

You can also set the global priorities directly from a Workstation window by choosing Edit > Preferences and clicking the Priority tab.

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• Settings

• Run with debugging information — You can run a virtual machine so it

collects additional debugging information that is helpful to VMware technical support in resolving issues.

To turn debugging mode on, select Run with debugging information, then click OK to apply your changes

• Disable acceleration — In rare instances, you may find that when you install

or run software inside a virtual machine, Workstation appears to hang. Generally, the problem occurs early in the program's execution. In many cases, you can get past the problem by temporarily disabling acceleration in the virtual machine.

To disable acceleration, select Disable acceleration, then click OK.

This setting slows down virtual machine performance, so it is recommended only for getting past the problem with running the program. After you pass the point where the program was encountering problems, try returning to the virtual machine settings editor and removing the check beside Disable acceleration. You may then be able to run the program with acceleration.

• Log virtual machine progress periodically — This special configuration

option increases logging information for debugging and troubleshooting purposes. When you select this option, you do not have to edit a configuration file or restart the virtual machine to extract more detailed logging for technical support.

• Enable Template mode (to be used for cloning) — See Linked Clones and

Access to the Parent Virtual Machine on page 274 for help configuring this

option.

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Command Line Reference

The following sections describe command line options that are available when you launch VMware Workstation and keyboard shortcuts you can use while VMware Workstation is running.

Startup Options on a Linux Host

The following list describes various options available when you run VMware Workstation from the command line on a Linux host operating system.

VMware [-x] [-X] [-q] [-s <variablename>=<value>] [-m] [-v] [/<path_to_config>/<config>.virtual machinex ] [X toolkit options ]

You can type these commands manually in a terminal window, or create scripts to run multiple commands.

Option Description

-x Automatically powers on the virtual machine

when VMware Workstation starts. This is equivalent to clicking the Power On button in the VMware Workstation toolbar.

-X Automatically powers on the virtual machine,

then switches the VMware Workstation window to full screen mode.

-q Closes the virtual machine’s tab when the virtual

machine powers off. If no other virtual machine is open, it also exits VMware Workstation. This is particularly useful when the guest operating system is capable of powering off the virtual machine.

-s Sets the specified variable to the specified value.

Any variable names and values that are valid in the configuration file may be specified on the command line with the -s switch.

-m Starts the program in quick switch mode on a

Linux host.

-v Displays the product name, version and build

number.

/<path_to_config>/<config>.vmx Launches a virtual machine using the specified

configuration file.

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X toolkit options can be passed as arguments, although some of them (most notably the size and title of the VMware Workstation window) cannot be overridden.

X toolkit options are not relevant on a Windows host.

Startup Options on a Windows Host

Most of the switches described in Startup Options on a Linux Host can also be used on a Windows host. The -m switch is for Linux hosts only. The most convenient way to use the switches is to incorporate them into the command generated by a Windows shortcut.

Create the shortcut, right-click the shortcut, then click Properties. In the Tar get field, add any switches you want to use after the VMware.exe filename. For example, the following command launches the Windows Me virtual machine specified, powers it on automatically and switches to full screen mode.

"C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation\Programs\VMware.exe -X C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Virtual Machines\Windows Me\Windows Me.vmx"

Be sure to enclose the entire command string in quotation marks.

Note: The configuration file has a .vmx extension by default.

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Command Line Application

VMware Workstation includes a separate application, vmrun, for operating teams or virtual machines from the command line.

To launch the vmrun application, from the command prompt, enter:

vmrun COMMAND [OPTION]

Valid vmrun commands and options are described in the following table:

Command Description Option

list Lists all running virtual machines. None

start Start a virtual machine Path to .vmx file

stop Stop a virtual machine or team. Path to .vmx file (virtual

machine)

Path to .vmtm file (team)

reset Reset a virtual machine or team. Path to .vmx file (virtual

machine)

Path to .vmtm file (team)

suspend Suspend a virtual machine or team. Path to .vmx file (virtual

machine)

Path to .vmtm file (team)

upgradevm Upgrade a virtual machine to the current

Workstation version.

Path to .vmx file

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Note: Before running this command on a Windows host, you must do one of the following:

• Change your working directory to the VMware Workstation directory. The default location is:

c:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Workstation

• Add the VMware Workstation directory to the system path. On Windows 2000 and XP, this setting is changed from

Control Panels > System > Advanced > Environment Variables > System variables > Path

Examples for vmrun

For example, to start a virtual machine:

• In a Linux terminal, enter

vmrun start /usr/local/VMs/<virtual_machine_name>.vmx

• On the Windows command line, enter:

vmrun start c:\My Virtual Machines\<virtual_machine_name>.vmx

With virtual machines that require input through a VMware Workstation dialog box, vmrun may time out and fail. To disable Workstation dialog boxes, insert the following line into the .vmx configuration file for a virtual machine:

msg.autoAnswer = TRUE

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Keyboard Shortcuts

If you prefer to work from the keyboard as much as possible, you may find the following keyboard shortcuts handy. If you have changed the Preferences setting for the hot-key combination, substitute your new setting for Ctrl-Alt as needed in the shortcuts listed here.

Shortcut Action

Ctrl-B Power on.

Ctrl-E Power off.

Ctrl-R Reset the power.

Ctrl-Z Suspend.

Ctrl-N Create a new virtual machine.

Ctrl-O Open a virtual machine.

Ctrl-F4 Close the summary/console view for the selected virtual machine.

A confirmation dialog appears only if the virtual machine is powered on.

Ctrl-D Edit the virtual machine’s configuration.

Ctrl-G Grab input from keyboard and mouse.

Ctrl-P Edit preferences.

Ctrl-Alt-Enter Go to full screen mode.

Ctrl-Alt Return to normal (windowed) mode.

Ctrl-Alt-Tab Switch among open virtual machines while mouse and keyboard input are

grabbed.

Ctrl-Tab Switch among open virtual machines while mouse and keyboard input are not

grabbed. VMware Workstation must be the active application.

Ctrl-Shift-Tab Switch among open virtual machines while mouse and keyboard input are not

grabbed. VMware Workstation must be the active application.

Ctrl-Alt-Fx Linux hosts: Switch among open virtual machines while using full screen mode. Fx

is a function key corresponding to the virtual machine you want to use. The key combination to use for a virtual machine is shown in the VMware Workstation title bar when that virtual machine is active and in normal (windowed) mode.

Windows hosts: For an additional similar functionality, see Using Full Screen Switch

Mode on page 438.

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What Files Make Up a Virtual Machine?

You may never need to know the file names or locations for your virtual machine files. Virtual machine file management is performed by VMware Workstation. If the behind the scenes file structure is not interesting to you, skip this section.

A virtual machine typically is stored on the host computer in a set of files, usually in a directory created by Workstation for that specific virtual machine.

The key files are listed here by extension. In these examples, <vmname> is the name of your virtual machine

Extension File Name Description

.log <vmname>.log

vmware.log

.nvram <vmname>.nvram

nvram

This is the file that keeps a log of key VMware Workstation activity. This file can be useful in troubleshooting if you encounter problems. This file is stored in the directory that holds the configuration (.vmx) file of the virtual machine.

This is the file that stores the state of the virtual machine’s BIOS.

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Extension File Name Description

.vmdk <vmname>.vmdk This is a virtual disk file, which stores the contents

of the virtual machine’s hard disk drive.

A virtual disk is made up of one or more .vmdk files. If you have specified that the virtual disk should be split into 2GB chunks, the number of .vmdk files depends on the size of the virtual disk. As data is added to a virtual disk, the .vmdk files grow in size, to a maximum of 2GB each. (If you specify that all space should be allocated when you create the disk, these files start at the maximum size and do not grow.) Almost all of a .vmdk file’s content is the virtual machine’s data, with a small portion allotted to virtual machine overhead.

If the virtual machine is connected directly to a physical disk, rather than to a virtual disk, the .vmdk file stores information about the partitions the virtual machine is allowed to access.

Earlier VMware products used the extension .dsk for virtual disk files.

<diskname>-<###>.vmdk This is a redo-log file, created automatically when

a virtual machine has one or more snapshots. This file stores changes made to a virtual disk while the virtual machine is running. There may be more than one such file. The ### indicates a unique suffix added automatically by VMware Workstation to avoid duplicate file names.

.vmsd <vmname>.vmsd This is a centralized file for storing information

and metadata about snapshots.

.vmsn <vmname>-Snapshot.vmsn This is the snapshot state file, which stores the

running state of a virtual machine at the time you take that snapshot

<vmname>-Snapshot<###>.vmsn This is the file which stores the state of a

snapshot

.vmss <vmname>.vmss This is the suspended state file, which stores the

state of a suspended virtual machine

.Some earlier VMware products used the extension .std for suspended state files

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Extension File Name Description

.vmtm <vmname>.vmtm This is the configuration file containing team

data.

.vmx <vmname>.vmx This is the primary configuration file, which

stores settings chosen in the New Virtual Machine Wizard or virtual machine settings editor. If you created the virtual machine under an earlier version of VMware Workstation on a Linux host, this file may have a .cfg extension

.vmxf <vmname>.vmxf This is a supplemental configuration file for

virtual machines th at are in a team. Note that the .vmxf file remains if a virtual machine is removed from the team.

There can be other files in the directory, some of which are present only while a virtual machine is running.

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Where to Go Next

• Creating a New Virtual Machine on page 101

• Running VMware Workstation on page 139

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VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual

100

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VMware Workstation - 5.0 User’s Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Introduction and System Requirements

Product Overview

Powerful Virtual Machine Software for the Technical Professional

Overview of This Manual

About the Host and Guest Computers

What’s New in Version 5

Multiple Snapshots

Teams

Clones

Improved Performance for Virtual Machines Running Concurrently

Improved Networking Performance

Improved Suspend/Resume and Snapshot Operations

New Host Operating System Support

New Guest Operating System Support

Improved 64-bit Host Support

Isochronous USB support

Command Line Interface

Movie Record and Playback

Improved Linux User Interface

Easier Upgrades and VMware Tools Installation Improvements

Support for NX bit

Experimental Support for Direct3D

Experimental Support for Guest ACPI S1 Sleep

VMware Virtual Machine Importer

Host System Requirements

PC Hardware

Memory

Display

Disk Drives

Local Area Networking (Optional)

Host Operating System

Virtual Machine Specifications

Processor

Chip Set

BIOS

Memory

Graphics

IDE Drives

SCSI Devices

Floppy Drives

Serial (COM) Ports

Parallel (LPT) Ports

USB ports

Keyboard

Mouse and Drawing Tablets

Ethernet Card

Sound

Virtual Networking

Supported Guest Operating Systems

Microsoft Windows 32-bit

Microsoft MS-DOS

Linux

Novell Netware

FreeBSD

Sun Solaris

Technical Support Resources

Documentation on the Web

VMware Knowledge Base

VMware User Community

Reporting Problems

Where to Go Next

Installing VMware Workstation

Selecting Your Host System

Upgrading from Previous Versions

Workstation Cannot Share a Host with Other VMware Products

Installing Workstation on a Windows Host

Installing VMware Workstation Silently

Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host

Before Installing on a Linux Host

Installing Workstation on a Linux Host

Configuring with vmware-config.pl

Web Browser Required

Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host

Where to Go Next

Upgrading VMware Workstation

Preparing for the Upgrade