Hands-On Virtual Computing Chapter 2 Working with VMware Workstation

Hands-On Virtual Computing

Chapter 2 Working with VMware Workstation

Hands-On Virtual Computing 2

Objectives

• Install VMware Workstation 6.5 on Windows and Linux

• Add virtual machines to the administrative console

• Use the VMware administrative console menus

• Perform common tasks on virtual machines

• Use VMware Converter


Installing VMware Workstation 6.5

• VMware Workstation 6.5 – Includes both standard and silent installation methods

• Standard method– Wizard takes you through each installation step and

select options

• Silent method – Useful when you need to automate VMware

Workstation 6.5 installations on several computers


Performing a Standard Installation

• To prepare for the process:– Ensure computer meets minimum requirements– Note the VMware Workstation serial number– Uninstall any existing VMware products– Determine installation path – Decide whether to disable the CD autorun feature on

your host computer before installation– Determine whether you want to use the typical or

custom installation method


Performing a Standard Installation (continued)

• Activity 2-1: Performing a Standard Installation of VMware Workstation

• Time Required: 15 minutes

• Objective: Perform a standard installation of VMware Workstation 6.5.

• Requirements: The VMware Workstation setup file and serial number you obtained in Chapter 1


Performing a Silent Installation

• With a silent installation– You can set installation parameters ahead of time

from an administrative computer

• Msiexec.exe– Automates installation on a different host computer


Performing a Silent Installation (continued)

• Activity 2-2: Performing a Silent Installation of VMware Workstation


• Objective: Use Microsoft Installer to perform a silent installation of VMware Workstation

• Requirements: Completion of Activity 2-1


Installing VMware Workstation in Linux

• Advantage of VMware Workstation– Being able to run virtual machines on a Linux host

• Microsoft Virtual PC 2007– Limited to running on a Windows host


Installing VMware Workstation in Linux (continued)

• Activity 2-3: Installing VMware Workstation on Ubuntu Linux


• Objective: Install VMware Workstation 6.5 on a Linux host computer

• Requirements: The Linux version of the VMware Workstation 6.5 installation file (downloaded from the VMware Web site in Chapter 1), a serial number, and Ubuntu Linux installed on a host computer


Adding Virtual Machines to the Administrative Console

• Administrative consoles– Can be used to create virtual machines, configure

settings, and manage virtual machine operations

• VMware Workstation – Has GUI administrative console

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Starting the Administrative Console

• To open the administrative console– Use one of the shortcuts added during installation

• Read the license information and accept the license agreement



Creating Virtual Machines

• Before creating a virtual machine, consider: – Type of OS virtual machine will run– Name and location of virtual machine files– Amount of memory to assign to the virtual machine– Network connectivity options– Type of virtual disk adapter (SCSI or IDE)– Disk type (fixed or dynamic)– Maximum disk size

Creating Virtual Machines (continued)

• Custom options– Select hardware compatibility option for the virtual

machine– Select an installation method for the guest OS– Select virtual machine name and storage location for

the configuration and data files– Select number of processors and amount of memory

to allocate to the virtual machine– Select network connection type for the virtual

network adapter– Change I/O adapter type for IDE and SCSI adapters




• Custom options (continued)– Select virtual disk type– Enter maximum disk size and select an option for how

the disk space will be allocated– Enter name of the virtual disk file– Review the settings you selected



• Activity 2-4: Creating a Virtual Machine for Windows Server 2008


• Objective: Create a virtual machine for a later installation of Windows Server 2008

• Requirements: Completion of Activity 2-1 or 2-3


Creating Virtual Machines with Easy Install

• VMware Workstation 6.5 users– Can use the new Easy Install feature to automate

installation of a recent Windows or Linux OS while creating a virtual machine


Creating Virtual Machines with Easy Install (continued)

• Activity 2-5: Installing Ubuntu Linux with Easy Install


• Objective: Perform an automated installation of Ubuntu Linux on a virtual machine

• Requirements: Completion of Activity 2-1 and the Ubuntu Linux ISO image file


Adding Existing Virtual Machines to the Administrative Console

• Reasons for adding an existing virtual machine to the administrative console– Running a virtual appliance– Moving a virtual machine to another computer– Distributing a virtual machine to multiple hosts

• To move or distribute a virtual machine– Copy virtual machine files to new hosts – Add virtual machine to administrative console


Adding Existing Virtual Machines to the Administrative Console (continued)

• Activity 2-6: Adding an Existing Virtual Machine to the Administrative Console


• Objective: Add an existing virtual machine to the administrative console, and practice removing and adding tabs

• Requirements: Completion of Activities 2-4 and 2-5


Using the Administrative Console Menus

• File Menu Options – New – Open and Close – Import or Export – Connect to ACE Management Server – Map or Disconnect Virtual Disks – Add to Favorites or Remove from Favorites – Exit


The Edit Menu

• Preferences dialog box includes the following tabs: – Workspace– Input– Hot Keys– Display– Tools– Memory– Priority– Devices– Lockout



The View Menu

• Options include:– Full Screen– Quick Switch– Unity– Current View– Autofit Window– Autofit Guest– Fit Window Now or Fit Guest Now– Go to Home Tab


The Help Menu

• Contains options for: – Searching help topics– Viewing user manual– Checking for updates– Entering the serial number


The Help Menu (continued)

• Activity 2-7: Working with the Administrative Console Menus


• Objective: Practice using menu options in the VMware Workstation administrative console



VM Menu Options: Always Available (continued)

• Options include:– ACE– Snapshot– Clone– Message Log– Settings– Power– Replay

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VM Menu Options: Available When the Virtual Machine Is Powered On

• Removable Devices

• Install VMware Tools

• Send Ctrl+Alt+Del

• Grab Input

• Capture Screen

• Capture Movie


VM Menu Options: Available When the Virtual Machine Is Powered Off

• Upgrade or Change Version

• Connected Users

• Delete from Disk


VM Menu: The Settings Option

• Settings in the Options tab– General– Power– Shared Folders– Snapshot/Replay– Guest Isolation– Tools– Remote Display– Unity




VM Menu: The Settings Option (continued)

• Activity 2-8: Working with Menu Options


• Objective: Practice using options in the VM menu



Working with Virtual Machines

• Working with VMware Key Combinations– Key combinations are a handy way to communicate

with a virtual machine

• Table 2-3 – Summarizes common VMware key combinations



Configuring Virtual Machine Power Options

• To configure a virtual machine’s power options – Click a virtual machine tab to make it active– Click VM, Settings from the menu to open the Virtual

Machine Settings dialog box– Click the Options tab, then click Power on the left to

display the options listed in Table 2-4



Stopping Virtual Machines

• Options in the VM, Power menu– Suspend– Reset– Power Off


Configuring Virtual Machine Memory Size

• When a virtual machine is powered off– You can set the amount of RAM it uses

• You should have enough physical RAM so that each virtual machine has:– 128 to 256 MB for Windows XP or– 512 MB to 1 GB for Windows Vista

• To change the RAM amount– Double-click Memory in the Devices pane of the virtual

machine’s tab


Working with CD/DVD-ROM Drives and ISO Image Files

• To connect your virtual machine’s CD/DVD-ROM device to an ISO image file while the virtual machine is running or powered off– Click the virtual machine tab to make it active– In the Connection section, click the Use ISO image file

option button– Navigate to the location of the ISO image file, and

double-click the file– Save your changes and return to the administrative

console


Installing a Guest OS

• When installing an OS on a new virtual machine– You can use a CD or an ISO image file

• Installing an OS on a physical computer (with a blank hard drive) – Requires installation from physical media

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Installing a Guest OS (continued)

• Activity 2-9: Installing Windows Server 2008 on an Existing Virtual Machine


• Objective: Perform a manual installation of Windows Server 2008 on an existing virtual machine

• Requirements: Completion of Activity 2-4 and the Windows Server 2008 ISO image file

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Installing VMware Tools

• VMware Tools – Consists of utilities and drivers installed in the guest

OS that improve performance – Available for Linux

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Installing VMware Tools (continued)

• Activity 2-10: Installing VMware Tools on a Windows Virtual Machine


• Objective: Install VMware Tools on an existing virtual machine


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Adding a Virtual Hard Disk

• Activity 2-11: Adding a Hard Disk to a Windows Virtual Machine


• Objective: Use the administrative console to add a hard disk to a virtual machine


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Using Unity View

• Unity view– New feature in VMware Workstation 6.5 – Allows you to separate applications from a virtual

machine – Allows you to access the guest OS Start menu

directly from the host OS

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Using Unity View (continued)

• Activity 2-12: Using Unity View to Share Applications with the Host


• Objective: Use Unity view in VMware Workstation 6.5 to access virtual machine applications from the host computer

• Requirements: Completion of Activities 2-9 through 2-11

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Using Snapshots in VMware Workstation

• Snapshots – Used to save a virtual machine’s current state so

that you can return to it later

• To take a snapshot– Select VM, Snapshot, Take Snapshot from the menu

• To view all existing snapshots– Select VM, Snapshot, Snapshot Manager from the

menu

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Using Snapshots in VMware Workstation (continued)

• Activity 2-13: Working with Snapshot Manager


• Objective: Use Snapshot Manager to restore a virtual machine to previous saved states


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Transferring and Sharing Files with the Host Computer in VMware Workstation

• Three ways to transfer files between a virtual machine and the host computer – Dragging and dropping files– Using shared folders– Mapping virtual disks

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(continued)• Activity 2-14: Sharing Virtual Machine Files with

Shared Folders


• Objective: Use shared folders to transfer files between a virtual machine and a host computer


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• Activity 2-15: Sharing Virtual Machine Files with a Mapped Virtual Disk


• Objective: Use the mapping feature to access virtual disk files when the virtual machine is powered off



(continued)

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Configuring Virtual Network Options

• NAT– Default virtual network configuration

• Virtual network adapter – Connected to an internal virtual network (VMnet8)

that includes itself and the host computer

• Bridged network option (VMnet0) – Provides a connection between the virtual network

adapter and the host computer’s physical network

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Configuring Virtual Network Options (continued)


• Objective: Determine IP addresses of virtual machines and verify communication between them and the host computer


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Cloning Virtual Machines in VMware Workstation

• Linked clone– Changes made to the cloned virtual machine are

stored in files on the host computer

• Full clone – A complete copy of the parent virtual machine– Can operate independently of the parent machine’s

files

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Cloning Virtual Machines in VMware Workstation (continued)

• Activity 2-17: Cloning the UbuntuVM Virtual Machine


• Objective: Create a clone of an existing virtual machine

• Requirements: Completion of Activity 2-5; access to a classroom network containing a shared virtual machine directory or the sample virtual machine files downloaded from this book’s Web site

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Configuring Ports

• VMware Workstation– Provides support for a USB 2.0 controller

• By default– A virtual machine has no COM or LPT ports

• When adding a port– You can have the output sent to a text file on the

host computer’s hard drive

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Working with Floppy Disks and Floppy Image Files

• By default– VMware attempts to detect the floppy drive and

assign it to the virtual machine

• Virtual floppy drive– Can be assigned to an image file

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Using VMware Converter

• VMware Converter – Powerful tool for converting virtual machines created

with other virtualization software to VMware-formatted machines

– You can create a virtual machine from a physical computer

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Using VMware Converter (continued)

• Activity 2-18: Importing a Physical Computer as a

• Virtual Machine


• Objective: Use VMware Converter to create a virtual machine from a physical computer

• Requirements: Completion of Activity 2-9; a volume license key to run the virtual machine you create

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Summary

• VMware Workstation 6.5 – Has many new features, including Easy Install for

installing a guest OS automatically and Unity view

• The VMware File menu contains options to:– Create new virtual machines, open existing

machines

• Edit menu – Gives you access to the Preferences dialog box

• VMware Workstation – Includes support for up to 10 virtual networks


Summary (continued)

• The Virtual Machine Settings dialog box – Contains Hardware and Options tabs

• When creating a virtual machine, you need to – Select the OS version, amount of RAM, disk adapter

type (SCSI or IDE), and disk size type

• Floppy drive – Can be used by only one virtual machine at a time


Summary (continued)

• Snapshots – Can be used to save a virtual machine state and

then revert to it later

• With VMware Converter, you can – Create VMware virtual machines from physical

computers– Convert virtual machines created with other

virtualization software to VMware-compatible machines

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Summary (continued)

• VMware Server and ESX Server– Server virtualization products that optimize virtual

server performance

• Virtual Server 2005 – Free server virtualization product that runs on host

computers using Windows XP and later

• Hyper-V – Microsoft’s latest server virtualization software that

ships with Windows Server 2008

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Documents

Hands-On Virtual Computing Chapter 2 Working with VMware Workstation