VMWARE

VMWare licenses

• Computer Science maintains a license key for Research and Teaching purposes. See VMwareLicense for details

VMWare is pre-installed on certain versions of the CS Debian installation. (See ImageChangeLog for details.) VMWare 4.5.2 is the current version. This is not site-licensed, use still requires the purchase of a license - this is approximately $100. Additionally, any licenses for the OS you want to install under VMWare are not included; Windows and Office licenses may be purchased from IST.

After installing vmware, one will probably want to share files back and forth between the host Linux box and the guest. Easiest way to do that is to install and configure samba appropriately.

Fedora guests

Fedora Core 1 and 2 plain won't install. FC3 seems to go ok, so we don't care about 1 and 2 any more.

Windows guests

The CSCF standard Windows image will install just fine. I have pre-made disk images that I can make available.

Debian sarge guests

When installing the vmware tools, it will try to change your mouse device from /dev/psaux to /dev/mouse. Don't let it. This goes for woody as well.

VMWARE Freeware

* VMWARE Player, VMWARE Server and documentation

Linux

* \\asimov.uwaterloo.ca\linux\VMWARE

Windows

* \\asimov.uwaterloo.ca\exports\export\COMMON\VMWARE

VMWARE License

* Obtain licenses for VMware Workstation 7 Windows and Linux, and VMware Fusion 3 Mac OS X from Asimov.cscf at exports/export/COMMON/SITE_LICENSE/licenses.txt

Installing VMware Server on Ubuntu Server

Installing VMware Server on Ubuntu 6.06 Server (amd64) as the host operating system using Sun Fire x2100 (with an 80 GB drive) hardware. See below for Gutsy Gibbon specific notes.

There is also a full set of install instructions being maintained on http://www.howtoforge.com/ubuntu_vmware_server.

Install OS (Disk partitioning)

Do a typical OS install from a CD you burned using the iso image. Partition the disk manually:

• Configure to not use the 57.5 MB FAT diagnostic partition (should not be a mount point)
• Delete the existing 80 GB partition
• Create a 10 GB root partition
• Create a 3 GB swap partition
• Create a /vmdata partition with the remaining disk

Get the OS ready

Edit the /etc/apt/sources.list file for local mirror and universe.

Installed the following packages:

• openssh-server
• ntp-simple
• gcc
• make
• linux-headers-amd64-server
• xinetd
• ia32-libs

Rename the pam library (softlink) from ia32-libs since it seems to be broken:

mv /lib32/libpam.so.0 /lib32/libpam.so.0.broken

Create a place for the virtual machines:

ln -s /vmdata /var/lib/vmware

Install VMware Server

Download the software, serial number(s), and the documentation from http://www.vmware.com. When running the config script, say yes to build a module for the kernel, don't worry about perl missing, and be sure to use bridged networking.

You may find it handy to create a /vmdata/iso directory and stick iso install images in there. Any virtual machines you create can use one of the iso images as its CD-ROM device.

Install the VMware Server Console on your workstation and connect to the server. You can then create virtual machines remotely.

Gutsy Gibbon (7.10) Specific Notes

Make sure that you use the latest VMware Server as older ones won't work with Gutsy. On a base server install I didn't have all of the needed VMware dependencies (all GTK/X11). Installing xorg-dev and libgtk2.0-dev seemed sufficient to fulfill the requirements.

In case vmware console takes up your whole desktop, i.e, you cannot see your desktop you probably have Quick Switch enabled. Type Alt+e and you should see vmware's menu. Go to View and uncheck the quick check arrow. This will get you a window size that does not take up your whole desktop when it starts up, i.e., it will not be the default setting. Typing F11 will also switch you back and forth.

-- JasonTestart - 09 Aug 2006
-- DavidBartley - 07 Nov 2007
-- WalterTautz - 12 Nov 2007