Running Windows And Linux On A Single System

There are minor differences between Linux distributions that affect installing VMware Server. There are also many excellent Linux distribution-specific how-to's. Find a distribution-specific how-to that works for you. This Recipe isn't intended to replace them; rather, it's intended to show you how to optimize your system to make VMware Server / Windows as useful as it can be.

To start, get VMware Server here. Also, you can go to the registration page from there, but you'll need a registration number to complete your VMware Server installation.

Get the any-any patch here. This inserts kernel modules required to support VMware Server.

When you run the VMware configuration script, it will ask for the directory name for VMware devices. Change the /var/lib/VMware/Virtual Machines to /var/lib/Virtual_Machines. The blank space will give you endless trouble when you try to access that directory from command line apps. When you're asked for a guest name in the guest configuration Wizard, it also doesn't need spaces; so, for example, use Window_98, not Windows 98.

After Installation of VMware Server

Whether your guest OS runs in VMware depends just as much on the guest OS configuration as it does running in native mode on a physical machine. If you have a USB problem, go to Windows and check Control Panel > System > Devices. Look for the same error icon you'd look for on a physical machine installation. Do this with audio, network, video, etc., and for drivers.

If you've got a previous VMware Server installation (perhaps you just upgraded the host OS or changed Linux distributions), just move the VMware .vmx and .vmdk file(s) into the corresponding place /var/lib/VMware/Virtual_Machines/ location. Then change ownership/permissions to your userID.

Pull down the VM menu from the VMware Server Console to Install VMware Tools. This will improve your speed and stability. It will also give you access to the VMware audio and video drivers.

Guest host file transfers go through a virtual Ethernet card. The default provided with the system is an AMD PCNet PCI card. Its transfer rate on this system is about 400 Kbits per second. Replace that "card" with a Pro1000, and you can get that up to about 3 Mbits per second.

The VMware Server "virtual Ethernet card" is a single-line text entry in the vmx configuration file. Like a real card, it requires a Windows driver.

To get the required Windows Ethernet driver, download the Pro1000 driver: Win 9x, NT or Win2000+. I used the IBM Win98 site drivers. I don't know if the later Intel drivers will work the same for you in VMware. The Intel site I mentioned above has the most current versions, including one for Vista.

If your driver location looks like the following illustration (i.e., down a few levels of directory tree from C), you should create a shortcut to the driver file off C: drive.

For me, installing the driver required lots of swapping between the Windows OS disk and the driver. (This may not be true of Windows versions subsequent to 9.x.) A shortcut gets to the driver with two clicks:

Enter /var/lib/VMware/Virtual_Machine/Windows_98. Open the .vmx file with a text editor and insert this above the first line of the Ethernet section:

ethernet0.virtualDev = e1000

Save the file, and exit. Then, from Windows running in the VMware guest session, do the following:

1. Remove AMD network adaptor from Windows Start > Settings > System > Devices.
2. Reboot the Windows guest.
3. When it asks you to install a driver for a PCI Network Ethernet adaptor, hit Cancel.
4. Open Start > Settings > System > Devices. Look for a network device in Other that shows a problem.
5. Right-click the network device, then select Install Driver.
6. Go to "choose a card from a list" option (not "have disk"). Select "network device" and "have disk."
7. Go to Drive C: and go to your shortcut. Choose the .inf driver. Hit OK, and you should see a card list.
8. Select Intel Pro/1000 MT Desktop Connection. Then hit OK.
9. When it asks for the Pro/1000 install disk, go to your C: shortcut. When it requests the Windows disk, insert. Alternate until it stops requesting disks.
10. Click on Finish.
11. Reboot.
12. To change card settings, go to Start > Settings > Network > Intel(R) Pro/1000 MT Desktop Connection > Properties (button) > Advanced Tab > Link Speed and Duplex > Select Value = 1000mbps Autonegotiate " reboot after changing settings.