Difference between revisions of "Installing VMware Server 2.0 on Linux Systems"

Revision as of 19:01, 22 September 2008

The first step in deploying VMware Server based virtualization involves the obtaining and installation of the software. The installation process differs considerably depending on the particular operating system running on the host computer. The goal of this chapter of is to cover the steps necessary to download and install VMware Server 2.0 on a Linux host. Installation on the Microsoft Windows family of operating systems is covered in the chapter entitled Installing VMware Server 2.0 on Windows Systems.

Supported Linux Distributions

Whilst VMware Server 2.0 is capable of running on a variety of different Linux distributions, only a subset are officially supported as outlined in the following table. Note that unless otherwise stated, these operating systems are supported in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions:

Although not officially listed as a supported operating system, VMware Server 2.0 will also run on CentOS Linux 5.0 and 5.1 which are essentially re-branded versions of the Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

VMware Server 2.0 and Unsupported Linux Distributions

Although many Linux distributions are not included in the the list of those supported by VMware, Inc, this only means that VMware Server is not officially supported in such environments. It does not, however, necessarily mean that VMware Server will not run these systems. In fact, when the VMware Server 2.0 installer encounters a Linux kernel for which it does not already have a pre-built kernel module ready to load, it will prompt for the location of the kernel sources and a GNU C compiler so that it can attempt to build a compatible module. For this reason, it is important that the GNU C compiler (gcc) package and the kernel sources necessary for building kernel modules are installed on unsupported Linux distributions prior to beginning the VMware Server 2.0 installation process. The steps to achieve this depend on the package management system in use and should be performed with reference to the official documentation for the Linux distribution in question.

Even if the installer is able to build and load a module for an unsupported Linux distribution it is important to note that this is no guarantee that the software will subsequently run. If problems are encountered it is worth searching on the internet or visiting VMware Server or Linus distribution specific online forums to find out if others have encountered similar problems and to identify whether workarounds are available.

Downloading VMware Server 2.0

VMware Server 2.0 for Linux may be downloaded free of charge from the VMware web site located at (www.vmware.com). The download process involves locating VMware Server 2.0 from the products page and submitting a moderately detailed form. Once the form has been submitted and the subsequent license agreement agreed to, the VMware Server 2.0 download page is presented.

VMware, Inc. provide the VMware Server software distribution in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions so it will be important to identify the CPU architecture of the host computer before downloading the software. The VMware software is also distributed as either a compressed (gzipped) tar or Red Hat Package Management (rpm) archive. The archive type to select is as much about personal preference as anything else, although users with non-Red Hat derived Linux distributions may be more included to opt for the compressed tar archive. The archives are approximately 500Mb in size so may take some time to download depending on internet connection speed.

Also displayed on the download page will be serial numbers for both Linux and Windows installations. These will be required to unlock the VMware Server software during the installation process so be sure to make a careful note of them before dismissing the browser window.

Installing VMware Server 2.0

Once the Vmware Server 2.0 archive has been downloaded in either compressed tar or RPM format the next step is to unpack the software so that the installation process may begin. In the case of the tar archive, this may be unpacked in a terminal window by changing directory to a suitable sub-directory and using the following command (keeping in mind that the file name may differ from that used below):

tar xvfz VMware-server-2.0.0-110949.i386.tar.gz

The above command will unpack the VMware Server 2.0.0 files into a sub-directory named vmware-server-distrib. Change to this directory and run the vmware-install.pl script as follows:

./vmware-install.pl

Prior to performing the installation, the above command will prompt for the locations where the software is to be installed. In each case, a default location will be suggested encased in square brackets. The default locations are recommended unless there is a compelling need to install elsewhere. Once the files have been copied, the script will then prompt to start the vmware-config.pl script to configure VMware Server ready for use. At this point proceed to the section below entitled VMware Server 2.0 Configuration.

The RPM package may be unpacked using the following command, noting once again that the actual file name may differ from that used below. This task must be performed as super-user by using either the su - or sudo commands:

rpm -Uhv VMware-server-2.0.0-110949.i386.rpm 

This command will install the VMware Server 2.0 files in the appropriate locations on the system (primarily in /etc/vmware, /usr/bin and /usr/lib/vmware).

Configuring VMware Server 2.0

Once the software has been installed from either the tar archive or the RPM package, VMware Server needs to be configured. This is achieved using the vmware-config.pl script. In the case of installation from tar archive, this may have been invoked already by the vmware-install.pl script. In the case of an RPM based installation it will need to be launched manually. By default, vmware-config.pl is installed in /usr/bin so either ensure that this included in the PATH environment variable, or enter the full path at the command prompt:

/usr/bin/vmware-config.pl