1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. VMware Manuals
  4. Software
  5. GSX Server 3 Administration
  6. Administration manual

VMware GSX Server 3 Administration Manual

Enterprise-class virtual infrastructure for intel-based servers
Hide thumbs
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Download this manual
TM
Administration Guide

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading

Related Manuals for VMware GSX Server 3

Summary of Contents for VMware GSX Server 3

  • Page 1 Administration Guide...
  • Page 2 The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. VMware, Inc. Copyright © 1998-2005 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. Protected by one or more of U.S. Patent Nos. 3145 Porter Drive 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 Palo Alto, CA 94304 pending.

  • Page 3: Table Of Contents

    Reporting Problems ___________________________________________37 Log Files ____________________________________________________39 Installing VMware GSX Server ___________________________________ 43 Selecting Your Host System _____________________________________43 About the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the Server _____________44 Installing VMware GSX Server on a Windows Host ______________________45 Basic Installation ______________________________________________46 Default Directories ____________________________________________48...
  • Page 4 Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console ________________________70 Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host ___________________________________________70 Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux Host _________73 Installing the VMware Scripting APIs ________________________________75 Installing the VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs...
  • Page 5 Using Virtual Machines Created with Version 1 under Version 3 ___________103 Upgrading Virtual Hardware in the Guest Operating System __________103 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host _______ 107 Remotely Managing Virtual Machines ______________________________108 Changing the Port Number...
  • Page 6 Configuring Startup and Shutdown Options for Virtual Machines ______ 150 Setting User Preferences for the VMware GSX Server Host ____________ 155 Setting Global Preferences for VMware GSX Server __________________ 160 Creating Network Labels ______________________________________ 163 Setting a MIME Type to Launch...
  • Page 7 Creating the First Node's Base Virtual Machine _____________________219 Creating the Second Node in the Cluster _________________________220 Installing the Guest Operating System and VMware Tools ____________220 Adding the Shared Disks to Both Virtual Machines __________________220 Installing Novell Clustering Services on the Cluster Nodes ____________222...
  • Page 8 www.vmware.com...

  • Page 9: Introduction And System Requirements

    C H A P T E R Introduction and System Requirements The following sections introduce you to VMware GSX Server. • VMware GSX Server: Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure for x86-Based Servers on page 10 • Welcome to VMware GSX Server on page 12 •...

  • Page 10: Vmware Gsx Server: Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure For X86-Based Servers

    Virtual Infrastructure for x86-Based Servers VMware® GSX Server is virtual infrastructure for enterprise IT administrators who want to consolidate servers and streamline development and testing operations. GSX Server is easily installed and managed, and provides rapid return on investment (ROI).
  • Page 11 • Automates monitoring and control of virtual machines with VmCOM and VmPerl Scripting APIs. • Runs virtual disk files on any system with current VMware software installed. To discover more new features of VMware GSX Server 3, see What’s New in Version 3...

  • Page 12: Welcome To Vmware Gsx Server

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

  • Page 13: Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure For Intel-Based Servers

    C H A P T E R 1 Introduction and System Requirements Enterprise-Class Virtual Infrastructure for Intel-Based Servers VMware products provide a virtualization layer that turns your physical computers into a pool of logical computing resources. You can then dynamically allocate those resources to any operating system or application in the way that best meets your needs.

  • Page 14: What's New In Version 3

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

  • Page 15: Critical Bugs Fixed In Gsx Server 3.2

    • Fix to improve scalability and performance on NUMA hardware. Features in Version 3.1 Here are some highlights of key features to explore in VMware GSX Server 3.1: Manage Virtual Disks with VMware Virtual Disk Manager Create, manage and modify virtual disk files from the command line or within scripts with the VMware Virtual Disk Manager utility.

  • Page 16: Critical Bugs Fixed In Gsx Server 3.1

    Operating System x86 Platform Edition. VirtualCenter Ready GSX Server 3.1 is enabled for management by VMware VirtualCenter. You can use VirtualCenter to manage and provision virtual machines on multiple GSX Server hosts, then migrate the virtual machines between other GSX Server and ESX Server systems under VirtualCenter management.

  • Page 17: Features In Version 3

    Windows Explorer. The error occurred only when VMware Tools is installed in the guest. • Fix to allow the installation of VMware Tools in Windows NT 4.0 Support Pack 3 guest operating systems. For more information, see knowledge base article 1304 at www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=1304.
  • Page 18 We’ve improved the installers for Windows hosts and for VMware Tools in Windows guest operating systems. GSX Server for Windows hosts and VMware Tools for Windows guests use the Microsoft Windows Installer runtime engine, which allows you to automate the installation of GSX Server on a Windows host and VMware Tools www.vmware.com...
  • Page 19 Windows virtual machine. For information, see Automating the Installation of GSX Server on page 52 Automating the Installation of VMware Tools in a Windows Guest in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide. With the Microsoft Windows Installer runtime engine, you can pick and choose the features you want to install.
  • Page 20 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Easier Sharing of Virtual Machines with Latest VMware Products Virtual machines created with GSX Server 3 are compatible with VMware Workstation 4 and ESX Server 2 for easier migrating and sharing of virtual machines. New LSI Logic Virtual SCSI Adapter for Guest Operating Systems The LSI Logic virtual SCSI adapter is included when you install Windows Server 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 or NetWare guests.

  • Page 21: Before You Install The Release

    C H A P T E R 1 Introduction and System Requirements New Operating System Support VMware GSX Server 3 provides support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0, SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8.0 patch 3, and Turbolinux Server 8.0 and Workstation 8.0 hosts.
  • Page 22 Virtual machines updated for full compatibility with GSX Server 3 can be used only with other VMware products beginning with GSX Server 3, Workstation 4 and ESX Server 2, but not under earlier versions of VMware software.

  • Page 23: If You Are Upgrading From An Earlier Version Of Gsx Server

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

  • Page 24: Host System Requirements

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Host System Requirements What do you need to get the most out of VMware GSX Server? Take the following list of requirements as a starting point. Remember that the virtual machines running under GSX Server are like physical computers in many ways — and, like physical computers, they generally perform better if they have faster processors, more memory and sufficient disk space.
  • Page 25 Management Interface, VmPerl API, VmCOM API and VMware Virtual Machine Console installation • 20MB free disk space on Linux hosts required for server, VMware Management Interface, VmPerl API and VMware Virtual Machine Console installation • Disk space in /tmp on Linux hosts should be equivalent to 1.5 times the amount of memory on the host.
  • Page 26 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Windows Host Operating Systems You need a Windows server operating system. If you intend to use the VMware Management Interface, Internet Information Server (IIS) 5.0 or 6.0 must be installed. Note: Operating systems and service packs that are not listed are not supported for use as a host operating system for VMware GSX Server.
  • Page 27 C H A P T E R 1 Introduction and System Requirements Linux Host Operating Systems Supported distributions and kernels are listed below. GSX Server may not run on systems that do not meet these requirements. 64-bit host computers can run the following operating systems for 64-bit extended systems (experimental support only): •...
  • Page 28 • Linux kernel 2.2.14-5.0 is not supported • Standard Linux server installation is required with glibc version 2.1 or higher and libXpm.so • The inetd process, which must be configured and active for VMware Virtual Machine Console and VMware Management Interface connections www.vmware.com...
  • Page 29 • Perl 5.005x or higher is required to use VmPerl API • X server is required to run the VMware Virtual Machine Console In addition, the VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers: • Firefox 1.x •...

  • Page 30: Remote Client Requirements

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Remote Client Requirements The remote client is a Windows or Linux system from which you launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console or use VMware Scripting APIs to remotely manage virtual machines on the GSX Server host. You access the VMware Management Interface to manage virtual machines on the host using a Web browser.
  • Page 31 Note: Linux kernel 2.2.14-5.0 is not supported. • Perl 5.005x or higher is required to use VmPerl API • X server is required to run the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the client • The VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers: •...

  • Page 32: Virtual Machine Specifications

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Virtual Machine Specifications Each virtual machine created with GSX Server provides a platform that includes the following devices that your guest operating system can see. Virtual Processor • Same processor as that on host computer (but no extended 64-bit support available) •...
  • Page 33 C H A P T E R 1 Introduction and System Requirements • Mylex® (BusLogic) BT-958 compatible host bus adapter • LSI Logic Ultra160 LSI53C10xx SCSI controller Virtual PCI Slots • Six virtual PCI slots, to be divided among the virtual SCSI controllers, virtual Ethernet cards, virtual display adapter and virtual sound adapter Virtual Floppy Drives •...
  • Page 34 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide • Virtual networking supports most Ethernet-based protocols, including TCP/IP, NetBEUI, Microsoft Networking, Samba, Novell® NetWare® and Network File System • Built-in NAT supports client software using TCP/IP, FTP, DNS, HTTP and Telnet Virtual Sound Adapter •...

  • Page 35: Supported Guest Operating Systems

    VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html. Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a VMware GSX Server virtual machine. For the most recent list of supported guest operating systems, visit the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_guest_gsx.html.
  • Page 36 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Linux • Mandrake Linux 8.0, 8.1, 8.2, 9.0, 9.1, 9.2, 10.0 and 10.1 • Red Hat Linux 6.2, 7.0, 7.1, 7.2, 7.3, 8.0 and 9.0 • Red Hat Enterprise Linux (AS, ES and WS) 2.1, including Update 6; Red Hat Enterprise Linux (AS, ES and WS) 3.0, including Update 4;...

  • Page 37: Technical Support Resources

    Use phone support for the fastest response on priority 1 issues for customers with appropriate support contracts. Go to www.vmware.com/support/phone_support.html. Support Offerings Find out how VMware's support offerings can help you meet your business needs. Go to www.vmware.com/support/services. Reporting Problems If you have problems while running GSX Server, please report them to the VMware support team.
  • Page 38 The two log files you should supply, depending upon the problem you encounter on the client, include the VMware Virtual Machine Console log file and the installation log file. See below for more information about these logs.

  • Page 39: Log Files

    The key log file to save is the VMware log file for the affected virtual machine. On a Windows host, the vmware.log file is in the same directory as the configuration file (.vmx) of the virtual machine that had problems. The path to the log file of the active virtual machine appears in the About dialog box.
  • Page 40 /var/log/vmware. 3. Save and close the configuration file. The log is enabled on a Linux host. 4. On a Windows host, restart the VMware Authorization Service. Choose Start > Administrative Tools > Services. Right-click VMware Authorization Service and choose Restart.
  • Page 41 VMware GSX Server and VMware Virtual Machine Console Installation Log Files GSX Server keeps an installation log file on the server host. On a remote client, the VMware Virtual Machine Console keeps an installation log file. If you encounter problems installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console, please submit a support request and this log file.
  • Page 42 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide www.vmware.com...

  • Page 43: Installing Vmware Gsx Server

    C H A P T E R Installing VMware GSX Server The following sections describe how to install VMware GSX Server on your Linux or Windows host system: • Selecting Your Host System on page 43 • About the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the Server on page 44 •...

  • Page 44: About The Vmware Virtual Machine Console On The Server

    Linux host, and vice versa. To use VMware GSX Server on a different host operating system — for example, to use it on a Linux host if you have licensed the software for a Windows host — purchase a license on the VMware Web site.

  • Page 45: Installing Vmware Gsx Server On A Windows Host

    — the first time you start a console after you install GSX Server. 4. Create a virtual machine using the New Virtual Machine Wizard or the VMware Management Interface. See Creating a New Virtual Machine in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide.

  • Page 46: Basic Installation

    GSX Server — the server software, the VMware Management Interface and the VMware Scripting APIs — or you can pick and choose which components to install. In addition, the VMware Virtual Machine Console is always installed.
  • Page 47 Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux Host on page The VMware Virtual Machine Console can run on a remote client and on the server itself. The VMware Virtual Machine Console is available in client packages for Windows (Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003) and Linux.

  • Page 48: Default Directories

    Installing the GSX Server Software on a Windows Host You cannot have VMware GSX Server installed on the same host machine as any other VMware product, such as VMware Workstation, VMware ACE or the VMware Virtual Machine Console. The only VMware product that can be installed on the same host as GSX Server is the VMware VirtualCenter client software.
  • Page 49 C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server Note: A message appears if you are installing GSX Server on a Windows host configured as an Active Directory server. You can safely ignore the message by clicking OK to continue the installation, or choose to cancel the installation.
  • Page 50 Complete Installation A complete installation installs the server software, the VMware Management Interface, the VMware Virtual Machine Console, the VmCOM API and the VmPerl API on the GSX Server host. To choose the complete installation, select Complete, then click Next.
  • Page 51 C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server Custom Installation A custom installation lets you pick and choose which components to install. You can always run the installer again at a later date to install components you did not install the first time.
  • Page 52 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 5. If you want to change any settings or information you provided, now is the time to make those changes. Click Back until you reach the screen containing the information you want to change. Otherwise, click Install. The installer begins copying files to your host.
  • Page 53 Installer runtime engine version 2.0 installed. This version is included with Windows Server 2003. If you are installing on a Windows 2000 host (or are installing the VMware Scripting APIs on a Windows NT 4.0 client), check the version of this file: %WINDIR%\system32\msiexec.exe...
  • Page 54 To exclude a component, use it with the REMOVE option. You always install the bridged and host-only network adapters as part of the Network component. For example, to install everything but the VMware NAT and DHCP services, specify on the command line:...

  • Page 55: Installing Vmware Gsx Server On A Linux Host

    2. Install the VMware Virtual Machine Console and VMware Scripting APIs on Windows or Linux clients. 3. Start the VMware Virtual Machine Console and create a virtual machine using the New Virtual Machine Wizard, or create one from the VMware Management Interface.

  • Page 56: Basic Installation

    VMware or from the reseller from whom you purchased GSX Server. Also, before you install and run VMware GSX Server, check the following notes and make any necessary adjustments to the configuration of your host operating system.
  • Page 57 VMware Management Interface on client computers to the GSX Server host. In order for the VMware Virtual Machine Console to connect to the host, you need to open up port 902. To connect to the host with the VMware Management Interface, you need to open up port 8333 (and port 8222 if you plan to disable SSL for the management interface).

  • Page 58: Default Directories

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

  • Page 59: Installing The Gsx Server Software On A Linux Host

    Linux distribution, some of the commands may be different. You cannot have both VMware GSX Server and VMware Workstation on the same host machine. If you plan to install GSX Server on a host machine that already contains Workstation, the Workstation application is automatically upgraded to GSX Server.
  • Page 60 <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing version and build numbers.) Note: If you are upgrading from VMware GSX Server 2, you must take a special step before you install the RPM package. You need to remove the prebuilt modules RPM package included in the version 2 release.
  • Page 61 C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server You can also use vmware-config.pl to reconfigure the networking options for VMware GSX Server — for example, to add or remove host-only networks. 6. Press Enter to read the end user license agreement (EULA). You may page through it by pressing the space bar.
  • Page 62 11. Enter your GSX Server serial number exactly as it appears (with hyphens) in the email message you received from VMware or from the reseller from whom you purchased GSX Server. When you enter the serial number, it is saved in your license file.

  • Page 63: Installing The Vmware Management Interface On A Linux Host

    C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server Installing the VMware Management Interface on a Linux Host The steps below describe an installation of the VMware Management Interface on a Red Hat Linux host from a CD-ROM. If you downloaded the software, the steps are the same except that you start from the directory where you saved the installer file you downloaded, not from the CD.

  • Page 64: Installing An X Server

    Installing an X Server You need an X server to run the VMware Virtual Machine Console. If an X server is not installed, you must install libxpm.so.4, located on your Linux distribution disk. Before You Install on a SuSE Linux 7.1 or Higher or SLES Host...

  • Page 65: Before You Install On A Suse Linux Enterprise Server 8 Host

    C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server Before You Install on a SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8 Host The gcc program is not installed on a SLES 8 host by default. This compiler is required by the VmPerl API.
  • Page 66 If you installed this package after you installed the management interface software, start the management interface’s Apache server with this command: /etc/init.d/httpd.vmware start The VMware Management Interface and 64-Bit Linux Hosts The VMware Management Interface does not work on 64-bit Linux hosts. www.vmware.com...

  • Page 67: Configuring Web Browsers For Use With Gsx Server

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

  • Page 68: Connecting To The Management Interface On A Proxy Server

    3. Select Trusted sites, then click Sites. 4. In the Add this Web site to the zone entry field, type https://*.<domain> (where <domain> is your organization’s domain name, such as vmware.com). 5. Click Add. 6. Click OK until you return to the browser window.

  • Page 69: Launching Help In Netscape On A Linux System

    Internet Explorer 6.0. Launching Help in Netscape on a Linux System To use VMware GSX Server Help on a Linux system, you must have a Web browser installed on your physical computer. GSX Server expects to find the Netscape browser in /usr/bin/netscape.

  • Page 70: Installing The Vmware Virtual Machine Console

    Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host On the GSX Server for Windows host, the VMware Virtual Machine Console is installed automatically from the master installer when you installed the GSX Server component. If you need to upgrade the console on the GSX Server host, use the master installer.
  • Page 71 C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers. The InstallShield Wizard dialog box appears. Click Next. 2. Accept the end user license agreement (EULA).
  • Page 72 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 4. If you want to change any settings or information you provided, now is the time to make those changes. Click Back until you reach the dialog box containing the information you want to change.

  • Page 73: Installing The Vmware Virtual Machine Console On A Linux Host

    Installing the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Linux Host The steps below describe an installation of the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Red Hat Linux host from a CD-ROM. If you downloaded the software, the steps are the same except that you start from the directory where you saved the installer file you downloaded, not from the CD.
  • Page 74 If the Do you accept prompt doesn't appear, press Q to continue. 6. Run the configuration program vmware-config-console.pl. Note: If you use the RPM installer, you need to run this program separately from the command line.

  • Page 75: Installing The Vmware Scripting Apis

    Installing the VMware Scripting APIs VMware GSX Server supports the VMware Scripting APIs, which include the VmPerl Scripting API and the VmCOM Scripting API. You can use the VMware Scripting APIs to manage the GSX Server host and virtual machines locally and remotely.
  • Page 76 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 3. Acknowledge the end user license agreement (EULA). Select I accept the terms in the license agreement, then click Next. 4. Choose the directory in which to install the scripting API. To install it in a directory other than the default, click Change and browse to your directory of choice.
  • Page 77 C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server 5. If you want to change any settings or information you provided, now is the time to make those changes. Click Back until you reach the dialog box containing the information you want to change.

  • Page 78: Installing The Vmperl Scripting Api On A Linux Host

    1. Download the VmPerl API package from the VMware Management Interface Login page to the machine on which you want to run the VMware Scripting API. 2. In a terminal window, if you have not done so already, become root so you can carry out the installation steps.
  • Page 79 C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server 9. Specify the directory where you want to install the VmPerl API documentation files. These files consist of the README, end user license agreement and copyright information. The default is /usr/share/doc/vmware-api.

  • Page 80: Uninstalling Vmware Gsx Server

    GSX Server master installer, including the server software, the VMware Management Interface and the VMware Scripting APIs. To uninstall the VMware Virtual Machine Console from a Windows client, see Uninstalling the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host on page...
  • Page 81 3. Select Remove, then click Next. 4. When you are ready to begin removing GSX Server, click Remove. 5. During the uninstallation, you are asked whether you want to keep your VMware licenses in the Windows registry. VMware strongly recommends you keep your licenses, in case you reinstall or upgrade your software.
  • Page 82 GSX Server installation. For example, if you decide to not use the VmPerl API, you can remove only that component. Note: Do not use this method to remove GSX Server. Use it to remove the VMware Scripting APIs or the VMware Management Interface only.
  • Page 83 C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server 3. Select Modify, then click Next. The Custom Setup screen appears. 4. Click the arrow to open the menu next to the component you want to remove, select This feature will not be installed, then click Next.
  • Page 84 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Uninstalling the VMware Virtual Machine Console on a Windows Host To uninstall the console on a Windows host, use Add/Remove Programs in the Windows Control Panel. 1. Choose Start > Settings > Control Panel. 2. Double-click Add/Remove Programs (Add or Remove Programs on a Windows Server 2003 host).

  • Page 85: Uninstalling Gsx Server On A Linux Host

    C H A P T E R 2 Installing VMware GSX Server 6. To start removing the console, click Remove. 7. After the wizard finishes removing the console, click Finish. You do not need to reboot the system after you remove the console.
  • Page 86 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide www.vmware.com...

  • Page 87: Upgrading Vmware Gsx Server

    C H A P T E R Upgrading VMware GSX Server The following sections describe how to upgrade VMware GSX Server on your Linux or Windows host system and how to use virtual machines created under earlier versions of GSX Server with the current version: •...

  • Page 88: Preparing For The Upgrade

    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.
  • Page 89 C H A P T E R 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server If the disks are in persistent or nonpersistent mode, be sure the virtual machine is completely shut down. If it is suspended, resume it, shut down the guest operating system and power off the virtual machine.

  • Page 90: When You Remove An Existing Version And Install The New Version

    When You Remove an Existing Version and Install the New Version on page If you have VMware Workstation installed on your host system, you must remove it before you install GSX Server. See the VMware Workstation product documentation for information on how to remove Workstation.

  • Page 91: Upgrading On A Windows Host

    4. If you are prompted, reboot your computer. Removing Version 2 To uninstall version 2, use the VMware GSX Server master installer. For details, see Uninstalling GSX Server on a Windows Host on page 80. You need to keep your existing license in the Windows registry.

  • Page 92: Upgrading On A Linux Host

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Upgrading on a Linux Host To upgrade from version 1 or 2 to version 3, you must have the full VMware GSX Server 3 product. Upgrading Using the tar Installer If you used the tar installer to install your current version of GSX Server, and you plan...

  • Page 93: Using Virtual Machines Created With Version 2 Under Version 3

    C H A P T E R 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server Using Virtual Machines Created with Version 2 under Version 3 The following sections describe how you can set up older virtual machines under VMware GSX Server 3 and how to upgrade the virtual hardware.

  • Page 94: Using An Existing Virtual Machine And Upgrading The Virtual Hardware

    • You must install VMware Tools: You need to install the new version of VMware Tools. Do this before you upgrade the virtual hardware. For details, see...
  • Page 95 OK to continue the upgrade process. • Windows 95 and Windows 98 guests cannot load CD-ROM drivers at first: The first time you run a VMware GSX Server 2 virtual machine under VMware GSX Server 3, the guest operating system discovers new hardware and attempts to install drivers for it before it loads the CD-ROM driver.
  • Page 96 7. A message describes what is about to happen. Click OK to continue. 8. Power on the virtual machine. 9. Windows detects the PCI SVGA adapter, then it detects the VMware SVGA II adapter. Click Yes to continue the installation.
  • Page 97 C H A P T E R 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server Windows XP Guest The following steps provide examples of what you may see as your guest operating system recognizes the new virtual hardware. The specific steps may vary, depending on the configuration of the virtual machine.
  • Page 98 16. Windows detects a game port joystick and installs the driver automatically. 17. Windows detects the PCI SVGA adapter, which it then identifies as the VMware SVGA II adapter and installs the driver automatically. 18. Click Yes to restart the virtual machine.
  • Page 99 14. When you finish installing the AMD Family Ethernet Adapter, restart Windows 98. 15. Plug and Play detects multiple devices and restarts Windows 98. 16. After the virtual machine restarts, install the new version of VMware Tools. For details, see...
  • Page 100 20. A message describes what is about to happen. Click OK to continue. 21. Power on the virtual machine. When Windows boots, it detects the PCI SVGA adapter. Later, it detects the VMware SVGA II adapter and installs the driver for it automatically.
  • Page 101 C H A P T E R 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server Windows 95 Guest The following steps provide examples of what you may see as your guest operating system recognizes the new virtual hardware. The specific steps may vary, depending on the configuration of the virtual machine.
  • Page 102 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Mandrake Linux, Red Hat Linux or SuSE Linux Guest The following steps provide examples of what you may see as your guest operating system recognizes the new virtual hardware. The specific steps may vary, depending on the configuration of the virtual machine.

  • Page 103: Using Virtual Machines Created With Version 1 Under Version 3

    Using Virtual Machines Created with Version 1 under Version 3 If you use an existing VMware GSX Server 1 virtual machine under VMware GSX Server 3, the virtual hardware is upgraded automatically. The upgrade gives you access to new features, but the process is one-way — you cannot reverse it.
  • Page 104 4. Several Plug and Play messages appear. You can safely ignore them. 5. Log on to Windows Me. More Plug and Play messages appear. One refers to the VMware SVGA driver. You can ignore these messages until you are prompted to restart the guest operating system.
  • Page 105 C H A P T E R 3 Upgrading VMware GSX Server 4. Click OK to dismiss the message “A legacy SVGA driver has been detected.” 5. Log on to Windows 98. You see a number of Plug and Play messages. You may need to insert your Windows 98 installation CD.
  • Page 106 8. Again, you see a number of Plug and Play messages. Click Cancel for those listing the Standard host CPU bridge, PCI bridge and PCI Universal bus devices. 9. Windows detects and installs the VMware SVGA II adapter. 10. Restart Windows 95.

  • Page 107: Managing Virtual Machines And The Vmware Gsx Server Host

    Logging GSX Server Events on Windows on page 125 • Backing Up Virtual Machines and the GSX Server Host on page 127 • Using the VMware Management Interface on page 129 • Deleting Virtual Machines on page 148 • Configuring the GSX Server Host on page 149 •...

  • Page 108: Remotely Managing Virtual Machines

    For a more automated way to remotely manage virtual machines and the GSX Server host, use the VMware Scripting APIs. If you are connecting to a GSX Server host from a Windows remote machine, you can use the VmCOM and VmPerl Scripting APIs. If you are connecting to a GSX Server host from a Linux remote machine, you can use the VmPerl Scripting API.

  • Page 109: Changing The Port Number For Vmware Virtual Machine Console Connections

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Changing the Port Number for VMware Virtual Machine Console Connections By default, the VMware Virtual Machine Console connects to virtual machines via port 902.
  • Page 110 GSX Server host. The GSX Server host must have this port number set to the authd.port variable in its config.ini file (Windows host) or vmware-authd file (Linux host). Changing the Port Number on a Linux Host or Client To change the port number on the GSX Server for Linux host, you first need to determine whether your host is configured to use xinetd or inetd.

  • Page 111: Downloading The Vmware Virtual Machine Console

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host must have this port number set to the authd.port variable in its config.ini file (Windows host) or vmware-authd file (Linux host). Note: If the port numbers specified in these files are different, the port number specified in /etc/vmware-console/config takes precedence.
  • Page 112 You can customize the download menu on the Login page to suit your users’ needs. For example, if your site uses the VMware Scripting APIs, you can add the API installers to the download menu. Client packages containing the VMware Virtual Machine Console and the VMware Scripting APIs are available on your GSX Server CD-ROM or in the packages you downloaded from the VMware Web site.
  • Page 113 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Note: On a Windows host with the VMware Management Interface installed, you can find the installers for the console and scripting APIs in C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Management Interface\htdocs\vmware\bin.

  • Page 114: Securing Virtual Machines And The Host

    Checking Permissions in the VMware Management Interface on page 121 • Securing Your Remote Sessions on page 121 The VMware knowledge base has an article about best practices you can use to improve security for the GSX Server host and virtual machines. For information, see www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?&p_faqid=1042.
  • Page 115 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Interacting with a Virtual Machine Interacting with a virtual machine lets you change its power state (power it on or off, suspend or resume it) and connect or disconnect removable devices. You cannot change the virtual machine’s configuration.
  • Page 116 The virtual machine does not appear in the inventory of consoles for other users connected to the host. The virtual machine appears in the VMware Management Interface only when you are logged on with the account that created the virtual machine.

  • Page 117: Authenticating Users And Running Virtual Machines On A Gsx Server For Windows Host

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Authenticating Users and Running Virtual Machines on a GSX Server for Windows Host Every time you connect to a GSX Server for Windows host with the VMware Virtual Machine Console or VMware Management Interface, the VMware Authorization Service requests a username and password, then authenticates only valid users.
  • Page 118 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide An easy way to allow these users to access the virtual machine is to grant Read and Write permissions to all the files in the virtual machine’s directory except for the configuration file. Grant Read & Execute permission to the configuration file and disallow the inheritance of permissions on the file.

  • Page 119: Authenticating Users And Running Virtual Machines On A Gsx Server For Linux Host

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host If you want to limit access to the virtual machine, clear the Allow inheritable permissions from parent to propagate to this object check box.
  • Page 120 If you plan to use a virtual machine and its configuration file you created in other VMware products with GSX Server, you must open the configuration file (choose File > Open Virtual Machine) in order to connect to the virtual machine from the VMware Virtual Machine Console or the VMware Management Interface, then set the default permissions as above.

  • Page 121: Checking Permissions In The Vmware Management Interface

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Checking Permissions in the VMware Management Interface The VMware Management Interface lists the permissions you have for each configuration file on the host machine to which you are connected. The permissions appear on the Users and Events page for each virtual machine.
  • Page 122 Server for Windows host, you need to reassign your certificate to the management interface. On a Linux host, the VMware Management Interface certificate must be placed in /etc/vmware-mui/ssl. The management interface certificate consists of two files: the certificate itself (mui.crt) and the private key file (mui.key). The private key file should be readable only by the root user.

  • Page 123: Identifying A Virtual Machine By Its Uuid

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Identifying a Virtual Machine by Its UUID Each virtual machine is automatically assigned a universally unique identifier (UUID), which is stored in the SMBIOS system information descriptor. It can be accessed by standard SMBIOS scanning software —...

  • Page 124: Specifying A Uuid For A Virtual Machine

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide machine is set up to create a new UUID every time it is moved. Power off the virtual machine and begin using it as a template by copying the virtual machine files to other locations.

  • Page 125: Logging Gsx Server Events On Windows

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Logging GSX Server Events on Windows GSX Server sends information about events that occur in the application to the Event Viewer on Windows hosts. Each event has a unique identifier to assist you in tracking various events with automation tools.
  • Page 126 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide • eventlog.win.register=FALSE — this setting prevents the logging of power state change events and logging of when a virtual machine is added to or removed from the inventory. To modify what gets logged for a virtual machine, add either or both of the options to the virtual machine’s configuration (.vmx) file.

  • Page 127: Backing Up Virtual Machines And The Gsx Server Host

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Backing Up Virtual Machines and the GSX Server Host This section discusses methods for backing up your virtual machines and the GSX Server host. It includes: •...

  • Page 128: Backing Up The Gsx Server Host

    Before implementing a backup method, test and document the method in advance to ensure a successful backup. For more information on scripting and using the vmware-cmd file, read Appendix A of the VMware Scripting API User’s Manual, available on the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/developer. www.vmware.com...

  • Page 129: Using The Vmware Management Interface

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Using the VMware Management Interface GSX Server provides the VMware Management Interface, a Web-based management tool that allows you to • Monitor the state of virtual machines and the GSX Server host on which they are running.

  • Page 130: Setting The Session Length For The Vmware Management Interface

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide the VMware Virtual Machine Console for Windows and Linux hosts. For more information, see Downloading the VMware Virtual Machine Console on page 111. Once your user name and password are authorized by the management interface, the Status Monitor page appears.

  • Page 131: Logging On To The Vmware Management Interface

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host management interface for all users by setting the timeout length to 0 minutes. You can have persistent sessions that never time out by setting the timeout length to -1.

  • Page 132: Using The Status Monitor

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide The Login page contains fields for your user name and password. It also contains a menu so you can download installation packages for the VMware Virtual Machine Console. To download a package, see Downloading the VMware Virtual Machine Console on page 111.
  • Page 133 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host • The amount of memory on the GSX Server host, including the average amount of memory used by virtual machines, other processes on the host and the total being used by the whole system for the previous minute.
  • Page 134 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide information, see Setting a MIME Type to Launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console on page 166. • Properties — opens the Virtual Machine Overview page for this virtual machine in a new browser window. Selecting this option is the same as clicking the virtual machine name link in the Display Name column.
  • Page 135 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host • Suspend — suspends a powered on virtual machine without running a script. • Power On/Resume — powers on a stopped virtual machine or resumes a suspended virtual machine without running a script.
  • Page 136 Note: If VMware Tools is not installed or is not running, the guest operating system does not send any heartbeats to its virtual machine and this meter is disabled.

  • Page 137: Configuring A Virtual Machine

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Logout — This link logs you off of the management interface. You can log off from the Status Monitor and Options pages only. Click Logout to return to the Login page.
  • Page 138 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide • The average percentage of heartbeats received by a virtual machine during the previous minute. See Monitoring the Virtual Machine’s Heartbeat on page 135. • The IP address of the virtual machine. • Links to edit the virtual machine’s hardware and standard configuration options.
  • Page 139 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Configuring a Virtual Machine’s Hardware To configure the virtual hardware inside a virtual machine, click the Hardware tab. The Hardware page appears. The Hardware page lists the virtual hardware in the virtual machine — configured devices like the virtual disk;...
  • Page 140 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide • Configuring a Virtual Machine’s DVD-ROM or CD-ROM Drive from the Management Interface in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide • Configuring a Virtual Machine’s Floppy Drive from the Management Interface the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide •...
  • Page 141 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Setting Standard Virtual Machine Configuration Options To review and modify basic information about a virtual machine, or to access the configuration file directly, click the Options tab. The Options page appears.
  • Page 142 Settings for starting virtual machines include start when the server starts, do not wait to start, wait for a certain number of minutes to start and start when VMware Tools starts. • At System Shutdown, Attempt to — sets the shutdown action for the virtual machine when the server is shut down.
  • Page 143 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host 5. To change whether logging is enabled for the virtual machine, check (to enable) or clear (to disable) the Enable Logging check box.
  • Page 144 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 1. Under Verbose Options, click the click here link. The Options page appears. 2. Click Add. 3. A prompt appears. Enter a name for the option, then click OK. 4. Another prompt appears. Enter a value for option you specified, then click OK.
  • Page 145 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Viewing a List of Connected Users To see a list of users who are connected to a virtual machine with a console or VMware Scripting API, click the Users and Events tab.
  • Page 146 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Viewing a Log of a Virtual Machine’s Events A log of the 25 most recent virtual machine events is available. Click the Users and Events tab. The Users and Events page appears. The Events list displays a log of the most recent actions or events recorded in the virtual machine, such as the questions GSX Server asks, any errors and the powering on or off the virtual machine.

  • Page 147: The Apache Server And The Vmware Management Interface

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host — This type of event indicates the virtual machine generated a question or warning. — This type of event indicates an error occurred in the virtual machine.

  • Page 148: Deleting Virtual Machines

    To use the management interface to delete a virtual machine, do the following. 1. In the VMware Management Interface, find the virtual machine you want to delete. If the virtual machine is powered on, power it off. If it is suspended, resume it, then power it off.

  • Page 149: Configuring The Gsx Server Host

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Configuring the GSX Server Host Configuring the GSX Server host involves: • Securing Remote Connections with SSL on page 149 • Configuring Startup and Shutdown Options for Virtual Machines on page 150 •...

  • Page 150: Configuring Startup And Shutdown Options For Virtual Machines

    When SSL is enabled, a lock icon appears in the status bar of the browser running the VMware Management Interface, and in the status bar of the VMware Virtual Machine Console window, unless the console is connected to a virtual machine on the local host.
  • Page 151 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host significant processor and memory are capacities required to simultaneously start or stop multiple guest operating systems. You can determine the global order in which virtual machines start and stop.
  • Page 152 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 3. Click Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown. The Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown page appears. 4. Under System Configuration, click Edit. The System Startup and Shutdown Defaults page appears. 5. To enable system-wide startup and shutdown policies, check the Start Up and Shut Down Virtual Machines check box.
  • Page 153 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host • To specify a period of time before the next virtual machine starts, in the Continue Starting Virtual Machines After list, either choose the number of minutes to wait or indicate that GSX Server should not wait before starting the next virtual machine.
  • Page 154 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Editing the Startup Sequence for Virtual Machines To edit the startup sequence for virtual machines, click Edit under Startup Sequence. The Virtual Machine Startup Sequence configuration page appears and displays the virtual machines on your system.

  • Page 155: Setting User Preferences For The Vmware Gsx Server Host

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Disabling the System’s Configuration Settings To disable the system-wide configuration settings, complete the following steps. 1. On the Virtual Machine Startup and Shutdown page, under System Configuration, click Edit.
  • Page 156 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide • The virtual machine was powered on and off, or powered on and suspended. If you select the Remember visited hosts between sessions check box, the name of any GSX Server host to which you connected in a previous console session appears in the console’s Login dialog box.
  • Page 157 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Changing Your Input Settings The Input tab lets you adjust the way that the virtual machine captures control of the keyboard and mouse.
  • Page 158 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide think about which of the two identical pointers moves when you move your mouse. • Grab when cursor enters window — the mouse pointer becomes the mouse pointer of your guest operating system when the mouse pointer enters the virtual machine console window.
  • Page 159 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host You can construct your own custom hot-key combination if, for example, the default Ctrl+Alt combination conflicts with another application on the host that processes the same hot-key combination.

  • Page 160: Setting Global Preferences For Vmware Gsx Server

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Setting Global Preferences for VMware GSX Server The Host Settings dialog box allows you to change a number of settings that apply to VMware GSX Server itself. To change these settings, choose Host > Settings. You must be either the root or Administrator user to change these settings.
  • Page 161 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Reserving Host Memory for Virtual Machines Select the Memory tab to adjust the amount of memory reserved for all running virtual machines. The settings on the Memory tab applies no matter what virtual machine is running or who is logged on to the host computer.
  • Page 162 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide To set priority preferences, in the Host Settings dialog box, click the Priority tab. The priority settings here are used by all virtual machines unless a virtual machine configuration overrides the global setting with a local setting. To change the local setting for a particular virtual machine, and override the global settings, open the virtual machine you want to adjust, choose VM >...

  • Page 163: Creating Network Labels

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host • normal - normal: When input is grabbed, GSX Server contends with all the processes on the host. When input is not grabbed, GSX Server contends with all the processes on the host.
  • Page 164 Once your virtual network adapters are configured to your liking, create labels for each adapter so VirtualCenter can correctly manage the virtual machines on the host. Creating Network Labels from the VMware Virtual Machine Console To create network labels for virtual machines managed by VirtualCenter, complete the following steps in a console.
  • Page 165 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host 2. Click the Named Networks tab. Note: If the Named Networks tab does not appear in the Host Settings dialog box, then the GSX Server host has not been discovered by VirtualCenter. For information on adding a GSX Server host to VirtualCenter, see your VirtualCenter documentation.

  • Page 166: Setting A Mime Type To Launch The Vmware Virtual Machine Console

    Setting a MIME Type to Launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console From the VMware Management Interface, you can connect to a virtual machine from a console by clicking the terminal icon ( ) for that virtual machine. Before doing so, Netscape and Mozilla users need to define a MIME type of x-vmware-console and associate it with the console program file.
  • Page 167 C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Setting the MIME Type for the Console Installed with GSX Server 1. Open a text editor and do one of the following. • On a Windows host, write a short batch file called vmwareGSX-helper.bat.
  • Page 168 5. A dialog box asks what you want to do with the file. Click Advanced. 6. In the New Type dialog box, in the Description of type field, type VMware Virtual Machine Console. 7. In the File extension field, type xvm.

  • Page 169: Using Virtualcenter To Manage Gsx Server Virtual Machines

    C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host Using VirtualCenter to Manage GSX Server Virtual Machines If you are using VMware VirtualCenter to manage your GSX Server virtual machines, there are certain steps you need to take before you can create virtual machines on a GSX Server host from a VirtualCenter client.
  • Page 170 • You cannot specify a name for virtual disk files when you create a virtual machine from a VirtualCenter client. The virtual disk files use the virtual machine name as the basis for the filenames. You can use the VMware Virtual Machine Console to create more virtual disks with filenames that do not reflect the virtual machine name.

  • Page 171: Moving And Sharing Virtual Machines

    — or when you rename a directory in the path to the virtual machine’s configuration file — VMware GSX Server generates a different MAC address for each virtual Ethernet adapter (unless you specified the MAC address manually).

  • Page 172: Moving A Vmware Gsx Server 3 Virtual Machine

    It’s always safest to make backup copies of all the files in your virtual machine’s directory before you start a process like this. Caution: VMware recommends you do not migrate a Red Hat Linux 7.3 or 7.2 virtual machine between hosts when one host is running on an AMD processor and the other is running on an Intel processor.

  • Page 173: Moving A Virtual Machine To A New Host

    If you want to keep the snapshot, be sure to move the redo-log (.REDO) files along with all the other files in the virtual machine’s directory. 3. Launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console and open the virtual machine you just moved. Choose File > Open Virtual Machine, then browse to the virtual...
  • Page 174 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 4. The first time you power on the virtual machine, you are asked to keep the existing UUID or create a new one. If you are using the UUID for management purposes, you should select Keep, then click OK to continue powering on the virtual machine.

  • Page 175: Moving A Gsx Server 2 Virtual Machine

    For example, if you are in the virtual machine’s directory, the relative path to the virtual disk file is <machine name>.vmdk. If you intend to move virtual machines created in a VMware product other than GSX Server 2 or higher, or Workstation 3.1 or higher, see Moving Older Virtual Machines on page 178.

  • Page 176: Moving A Virtual Machine To A New Host

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 2. Be sure the guest operating system is completely shut down. If the virtual machine is suspended and its virtual disks are in persistent or nonpersistent mode, resume it, then shut down the guest operating system.
  • Page 177 Considerations for Moving Disks in Undoable Mode on page 180. 3. Launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console and open the virtual machine you just moved. Choose File > Open Virtual Machine, then browse to the virtual machine’s configuration (.vmx) file.

  • Page 178: Moving Older Virtual Machines

    If you have created a virtual machine using GSX Server 1 or another VMware product (not including VMware Workstation 3 and 4), and you want to move it to a different computer or to another directory on your host, you need to perform the following tasks.

  • Page 179: Preparing Your Virtual Machine For The Move

    C H A P T E R 5 Moving and Sharing Virtual Machines Preparing Your Virtual Machine for the Move 1. Open the virtual machine using the VMware product with which you created it. If the virtual machine has more than one virtual disk and if the virtual disks use different disk modes, you must use the Configuration Editor (choose Settings >...

  • Page 180: Considerations For Moving Disks In Undoable Mode

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Select all appropriate network, floppy and CD-ROM settings. Do not make any changes with the virtual machine settings editor at this point. Save your settings and close the virtual machine settings editor. 3. In the directory just created for the new virtual machine, delete the brand new .vmdk files that were just created.
  • Page 181 This is true for virtual machines created under GSX Server 2 or higher; however, virtual machines created with older versions of GSX Server, with versions of Workstation older than 3.1 or with any other VMware product contain path information in their configuration files.
  • Page 182 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide on the original host computer, you must place them in that same location on the new host computer. • You cannot move the disk to another directory on the current system. If your disk file information does not contain a path, it looks like this: Windows 2000.vmdk...

  • Page 183: Sharing Virtual Machines With Other Users

    • If your virtual machine was created under GSX Server 3 or another VMware product (such as Workstation 4 or higher) and uses independent disks in...
  • Page 184 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide www.vmware.com...

  • Page 185: Performance Tuning And The Vmware Gsx Server Host

    C H A P T E R Performance Tuning and the VMware GSX Server Host The following sections offer suggestions for getting the best performance from VMware GSX Server and your virtual machines: • Configuring and Maintaining the Host Computer on page 186 •...

  • Page 186: Configuring And Maintaining The Host Computer

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Configuring and Maintaining the Host Computer You may see slower virtual machine performance if the physical disk that holds the virtual machine’s working directory or the physical disk that holds the virtual disk files is badly fragmented. By default, the working directory holds the virtual disk files and is on the host computer.

  • Page 187: Configuring Gsx Server

    C H A P T E R 6 Performance Tuning and the VMware GSX Server Host Configuring GSX Server The following sections offer advice and information about factors that can affect the performance of GSX Server itself. The sections do not address performance of the guest operating system or the host operating system.
  • Page 188 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide adjusting the settings in the virtual machine settings editor (choose VM > Settings > Memory). If you plan to run one virtual machine at a time most of the time, a good starting point is to give the virtual machine half the memory available on the host.
  • Page 189 C H A P T E R 6 Performance Tuning and the VMware GSX Server Host When you want to use a CD-ROM in the virtual machine, go to the VM > Removable Devices menu and connect the CD-ROM drive.
  • Page 190 VMware has seen this problem with a few programs, including the installer for the Japanese version of Trend Micro Virus Buster, the FoxPro database, the NetWare client in Windows 98, Mathcad, The Sims and Civilization III.

  • Page 191: Gsx Server On A Windows Host

    C H A P T E R 6 Performance Tuning and the VMware GSX Server Host GSX Server on a Windows Host Note: The items in this section describe performance of GSX Server on a Windows host. For tips on configuring GSX Server on a Linux host, see...
  • Page 192 2. Select System Monitor, then click the plus (+) sign on the toolbar, or press Ctrl+I. The Add Counters dialog box appears. 3. In the Performance object list, select VMware. 4. Decide whether you want to add all counters or select one or more counters from the list.

  • Page 193: Gsx Server On A Linux Host

    C H A P T E R 6 Performance Tuning and the VMware GSX Server Host Using Full Screen Mode Full screen mode is faster than window mode. If you do not need to have your virtual machine and your host sharing the screen, try switching to full screen mode.

  • Page 194: Understanding Memory Usage

    For information on memory use for a specific virtual machine, see Allocating Memory to a Virtual Machine in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide. Memory Use on the Host Host operating systems do not behave well when they run low on free memory for their own use.

  • Page 195: Specifying How Much Ram Is Used By All Running Virtual Machines

    C H A P T E R 6 Performance Tuning and the VMware GSX Server Host Specifying How Much RAM is Used by All Running Virtual Machines You can set the amount of host RAM that GSX Server is allowed to reserve for all running virtual machines.
  • Page 196 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide If you set this value too high, the host may thrash when other applications are run on the host. If you set this value too low, virtual machines may perform poorly and you cannot run as many virtual machines at once.

  • Page 197: Memory Usage On Older Linux Hosts

    C H A P T E R 6 Performance Tuning and the VMware GSX Server Host • Allow most virtual machine memory to be swapped — Allow the host operating system to swap as much virtual machine memory to disk as it wants.
  • Page 198 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide • Pass the boot-time switch mem=959M at the LILO prompt, or add it to lilo.conf, to disable CONFIG_BIGMEM and thus allow you to run GSX Server. To do this: To pass the switch at the LILO prompt, type linux-2.2.16xxx mem=959M...

  • Page 199: High-Availability Configurations With Vmware Gsx Server

    C H A P T E R High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server The following sections describe using high-availability configurations with GSX Server: • Using SCSI Reservation to Share SCSI Disks with Virtual Machines on page 200 • Overview of Clustering with GSX Server on page 204 •...

  • Page 200: Using Scsi Reservation To Share Scsi Disks With Virtual Machines

    SCSI Device in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide. Note: VMware supports SCSI reservation when used with preallocated virtual disks. Support for SCSI reservation with growable virtual disks and physical disks is considered experimental. For high-availability configurations, use SCSI reservation with preallocated virtual disks.

  • Page 201: Enabling Scsi Reservation

    SCSI reservation must be enabled in a virtual machine before you can share its disks. VMware recommends you set up any shared disks on the same SCSI bus, which is a different bus than the one the guest operating system uses. For example, if your guest operating system is on the scsi0 bus, you should set up disks to share on the next available bus, typically the scsi1 bus.

  • Page 202: Issues To Consider When Sharing Disks

    To add a virtual disk to a virtual machine, see Adding Virtual Disks to a Virtual Machine in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide. Issues to Consider When Sharing Disks • Do not try to share a disk among multiple running virtual machines that are not collocated on the same host.
  • Page 203 C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server try to share a disk among virtual machines located on different hosts, data could be corrupted or lost. • Do not share a disk on SCSI bus 0. This bus is usually used for the boot disk. If you...

  • Page 204: Overview Of Clustering With Gsx Server

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Overview of Clustering with GSX Server GSX Server clustering capabilities are ideally suited for development, testing and training applications. Note: Always rigorously test and review your cluster before deploying it in a production environment. This section includes: •...

  • Page 205: Applications That Can Use Clustering

    C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server Applications That Can Use Clustering To take advantage of clustering services, applications need to be clustering-aware. Such applications can be stateless, such as Web servers and VPN servers. Clustering- aware applications often include built-in recovery features, like those in database servers, mail servers, file servers or print servers.

  • Page 206: Creating A Cluster In A Box

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Creating a Cluster in a Box With GSX Server, you can create a simple cluster in a box to help mitigate the effects of software crashes or administrative problems. This type of cluster: • Consists of multiple virtual machines (nodes) on a single physical machine.

  • Page 207: Configuring Virtual Machines For Cluster In A Box

    C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server Configuring Virtual Machines for Cluster in a Box To create a set of clustered virtual machines (a cluster in a box), configure each of them with the following: •...
  • Page 208 (node) in the cluster do not have to be preallocated virtual disks. 1. Log on to your GSX Server host as the user who will own the virtual machine. 2. Launch a VMware Virtual Machine Console and create a new virtual machine (for information on creating a new virtual machine, see...
  • Page 209 For information on installing Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition in the virtual machine, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide. It is available from the Help menu or from the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.
  • Page 210 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 5. Use the VMware Virtual Disk Manager to change the name of the virtual disk to SQL2*.vmdk. At a command prompt, type: vmware-vdiskmanager -n SQL1.vmdk SQL2.vmdk For more information about the virtual disk manager, see...
  • Page 211 C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server 7. Using a text editor, manually edit the configuration file d:\cluster\SQL2\SQL2.vmx (on a Windows host) or /home/cluster/SQL2/SQL2.vmx (on a Linux host). 8. Add the following lines to the bottom of the configuration file: scsi1.sharedBus = virtual...
  • Page 212 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide <domain.com> is your DNS domain and <vmcluster> is your Active Directory domain. You can set up this node as a new domain tree or a new domain forest, or join it to an existing domain tree or forest.
  • Page 213 C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server 1. Start the node 2 virtual machine. 2. Repeat step 2 and step 3 in the procedure for the first node. 3. Start the Disk Management tool and assign the first shared disk to Q: (quorum) and the second disk to R: (data).

  • Page 214: Using Network Load Balancing With Gsx Server

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Using Network Load Balancing with GSX Server This section covers procedures for creating a multinode Network Load Balancing cluster using nodes running in virtual machines. These virtual machines can be located on one or more GSX Server computers.

  • Page 215: Creating A Multinode Network Load Balancing Cluster

    For information on installing Windows 2000 Advanced Server or Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition in the virtual machine, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide. It is available from the Help menu or from the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.
  • Page 216 GSX Server. 4. Copy the nlb1*.vmdk files into this directory. 5. Use the VMware Virtual Disk Manager to change the name of the virtual disk to nlb<n>.vmdk (where <n> is the Network Load Balancing node number). At a command prompt, type: vmware-vdiskmanager -n nlb1.vmdk nlb<n>.vmdk...
  • Page 217 C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server Machine in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide). Choose the settings you want (for example, the size of the virtual disk or the amount of memory), except you should specify •...
  • Page 218 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide 7. Right-click the local area connection on which you want to install Network Load Balancing and choose Properties. The Local Area Connection Properties dialog box appears. 8. Under Components checked are used by this connection, select the Network Load Balancing check box.

  • Page 219: Creating Two-Node Clusters Using Novell Clustering Services

    You can install Novell NetWare 6.0 or 6.5 in a virtual machine using the standard NetWare 6.0 or 6.5 CD-ROM. VMware recommends you install NetWare 6.0 on a host with at least 384MB of memory;...

  • Page 220: Creating The Second Node In The Cluster

    Windows host) or /home/Netware/Cluster2 (on a Linux host). Installing the Guest Operating System and VMware Tools For information on installing NetWare 6.0 or 6.5 in a virtual machine, see the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide. It is available from the Help menu or from the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/guestnotes/doc/index.html.
  • Page 221 C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server 1. Open the virtual machine settings editor for the node 2 virtual machine (called Cluster2). Choose VM > Settings. 2. Add the two virtual disks that are to be shared. Instead of creating new virtual disks, use the existing virtual disks created for node 1 (called Cluster1).

  • Page 222: Installing Novell Clustering Services On The Cluster Nodes

    VMware GSX Server Administration Guide Installing Novell Clustering Services on the Cluster Nodes Complete the following steps to install Novell Clustering Services in each virtual machine. 1. Power on the first node virtual machine (Cluster1). 2. Boot into DOS by pressing the F5 key to bypass running the startup files.

  • Page 223: Clustering Using The Iscsi Protocol

    C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server Clustering Using the iSCSI Protocol You can use the iSCSI protocol with virtual machines and physical machines in a clustered environment to provide highly available network storage and failover.

  • Page 224: Creating And Configuring The Iscsi Initiator Virtual Machine

    To create an iSCSI initiator virtual machine, complete the following steps: 1. Log on to your GSX Server host as the user who will own the virtual machine. 2. Launch a VMware Virtual Machine Console and create a new virtual machine (for information on creating a new virtual machine, see...

  • Page 225: Configuring The Iscsi Target In The Cluster

    C H A P T E R 7 High-Availability Configurations with VMware GSX Server 4. Add a second virtual network adapter. For more information, see Adding and Modifying Virtual Network Adapters in the VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide. Again, make sure you specify bridged networking for the adapter.
  • Page 226 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide www.vmware.com...

  • Page 227: Glossary

    Ethernet network as the host. See also Host-only networking. Configuration — See Virtual machine configuration file. Console — See VMware Virtual Machine Console. Current virtual machine — A virtual machine created under the current version of GSX Server, ESX Server or Workstation.
  • Page 228 VMware GSX Server Administration Guide translation (NAT) networking configurations. For instance, different virtual machines can be connected to the host by separate networks or connected to each other and not to the host. Any network topology is possible. EULA — The end user license agreement.
  • Page 229 Instead, a separate private network is set up on the host computer. Your virtual machine gets an address on that network from the VMware virtual DHCP server. The VMware NAT device passes network data between one or more virtual machines and the external network.
  • Page 230 The virtual machine can be powered on, powered off or suspended. Supported partition — A virtual disk partition that VMware Tools can prepare for shrinking, such as one of the drives that comprise the virtual hard disk. You can choose to not prepare certain partitions for shrinking.
  • Page 231 GSX Server. You launch by choosing Host > Virtual Network Settings. VMware Authorization Service — The service VMware GSX Server employs to authenticate users. The process is called vmware-authd on Linux hosts.
  • Page 232 This process is known as vmware-serverd on Linux hosts. VMware Tools — A suite of utilities and drivers that enhances the performance and functionality of your guest operating system. Key features of VMware Tools include...

  • Page 233: Index

    Index Symbols Configuration, virtual machine 231 .vmdk 172, 175, 178 Configure after Linux kernel upgrade 60 memory size 194 Add Hardware Wizard 227 Web browser on Linux host 69 Apache, and management interface Core files 39 Authentication host requirement 24 Linux hosts 119 provided in virtual machine 32 Windows hosts 117...
  • Page 234 Linux host and performance 193 VmPerl API 75, 78–79 Graphics support in virtual machine 32 VMware Management Interface software 63 GSX Server VMware Virtual Machine Console global preferences 160 software 70, 73 software updates 156 VMware Workstation 43 user preferences 155...
  • Page 235 VMware Authorization Service 40 Virtual Network Editor 231 VMware Management Interface 40 Network adapter in a virtual machine VMware Registration Service 40 VMware Virtual Machine Console 39 Network address translation See NAT Master installer, on Windows host 46 Network Load Balancing...
  • Page 236 Linux host 193 encrypted communications 121 using full screen mode on a Linux SSL 121 host 193 VMware Management Interface 108 Permissions VMware Scripting APIs 108 and user accounts 117 VMware Virtual Machine Console Linux host 119...
  • Page 237 Silent install 52 on Windows host 91 virtual hardware 95 SMBIOS virtual machine 93, 103 in a virtual machine 32 VMware GSX Server 87 modifying UUID 123 USB, virtual machine ports 33 Snapshot defined 230 User groups 37 permissions 120...
  • Page 238 133 defined 231 VMware Registration Service log 40 defined 232 VMware community forums 37 log 40 VMware guest operating system service VMware Scripting APIs defined 232 downloading from management virtual machine heartbeat 135 interface 112 installing 75...
  • Page 239 119 See VMware Authorization Service vmware-cmd 108 vmware-config.pl 60 vmware-serverd See VMware Registration Service VNC Viewer, using with virtual machines 108 Windows 95, upgrading guest 106 Windows 98, upgrading guest 104 Windows host authentication 117 configuring permissions 118 Event Viewer 125...
  • Page 240 www.vmware.com...

Table of Contents