VMware refers to a Workstation and a commercial virtualization software of VMware dedicated to x64 computers. This is installed on the top of existing operating system which is running on computer, known as host operating system, and thus it refers to a Type 2 hypervisor. It is supported by both, Linux and Windows host Operating Systems, so it can be installed on both of them.
VMware Workstation allows users to set up more than one virtual machine, in which each one of them having their own guest operating system, and execute the same at the same time. Guest operating systems which are supported can be 32 bit or 64 bit, comprises of maximum distros of Linux, most of the versions of Windows, and other operating systems such as FreeBSD and Solaris.
Steps for Installing VMware Workstation on a Linux Host
A. Install VMware Workstation
To install the VMware Workstation, first of all, it needs to be downloaded. If using for the first time, there is a trial version of VMware Workstation, duration of 30 days, is available, which user can download. Moreover, if looking for the full version, it needs to be purchased from the web store of VMware.
VMware Workstation comes with one file installed for all the distributions of Linux, which is a zipped .bundle file. VMware Workstation's latest stable release is 10.0.
Point to be noted here, steps given below explain the process of installation of VMware Workstation from a CD-ROM disc. If software is downloaded, steps will be the same except when user begin from the directory in which downloaded installer file is saved, instead of the Linux directory on CD.
1. First of all, User needs to Log on to Linux host with their username, which they have decided to use while running VMware Workstation.
2. Next, in a terminal window, become root so that initial installation steps can be performed by the user.
3. Now, mount the VMware Workstation CD-ROM.
4. User is required to change to the Linux directory on the CD.
5. Next, for the installer of users choice, installation must be continued with the appropriate section:
Using the tar Installer
Using the RPM Installer
Point to be noted here: User may skip the steps to copy and unpack the archive and may install direct from the VMware-distrib directory present on the CD.
·1 Tar archive must be copied and pasted to a temporary directory on users hard drive. for instance, /tmp.
cp VMware-<xxxx>.tar.gz /tmp
·2 Next, Change to the directory in which file is copied by the user.
cd /tmp
·3 Now, Unpack the archive.
tar zxpf VMware-<xxxx>.tar.gz
·4 Next, Change to the installation directory.
cd VMware-distrib
·5 Now, installation program must be run.
./vmware-install.pl
·6 Default directories for various types of files such as library files, binary files, documentation files, manual files, and init script is given, so user must accept them.
·7 User must answer ‘Yes' when he wish to run vmware-config.pl.
So, here ends the installation of the tar archive. User is expected that RPM installer instructions are skipped by him, and he may continue with the step no. 6.
Using the RPM Installer
·8 First user must run the RPM, which specifies the installation file.
rpm -Uhv VMware-<xxxx>.rpm
VMware-<xxxx>.rpm is the installation file, present on the CD-ROM. Instead of <xxxx>, filename must have the numbers which correspond to the build and version both.
·9 Now configuration program must be run by the user from the command line.
vmware-config.pl
6. Now the prompts which are left, must be worded in such a way that, in maximum cases, the response received by default is considered as appropriate.
Important Note: While workstation is installed and user is unable to host-only networking, user does not permit the virtual machine to make use of bridged and host-only networking both.
7. Now, a message will be displayed by a configuration program, stating ‘the configuration completed successfully'. If message does not appear, configuration program must be run by the user again.
8. When all is completed, user needs to exit from the root account.
exit
B. Begin the VMware Workstation
C. Enter the serial number
Serial no. must be entered by user only for once. If user does not have a configured serial number from the previous installation, user is prompted for the same at the time of starting the Workstation.
Now, To enter the serial number, User is required to go to the option ‘Help' and then enter the Serial Number.
Here point to be noted, A Workstation can be installed by the user without a serial number. However, a virtual machine cannot be power on without entering a serial number. So, to on the virtual machine, a serial no. must be there.
D. Now using the New Virtual Machine Wizard, User must create a new virtual machine.
E. After a new virtual machine is created, a guest operating system is required to be installed in the same. For this, user requires the installation media such as floppy disk or CD-ROM.
F. After this, VMware Tools package in a virtual machine must be installed by the user for improving the performance.
G. After tools get installed, virtual machine is ready to use. Now User can start the same.
This is how VMware Workstation is installed on a Linux host.