Specifications

Table Of Contents
VMware, Inc. 25
CHAPTER 2 Creating a New Virtual Machine
This!chapter!describes!how!to!create!a!new!virtual!machine!and!covers!the!following!
topics:
! “Setting!Up!a!New!Virtual!Machine”!on!page 25
! “Installing!a!Guest!Operating!System”!on!page 37
Setting Up a New Virtual Machine
The!New!Virtual!Machine!Wizard!guides!you!through!the!key!steps!for!setting!up!a!
new!virtual!machine,!helping!you!set!various!options!and!parameters.!You!can!then!use!
the!virtual!machine!settings!editor!(VM!>!Settings)!to!make!any!changes!to!your!virtual!
machine’s!setup.
! To!create!a!new!virtual!machine!from!a!console,!see!“Creating!a!New!Virtual!
Machine!with!the!Virtual!Machine!Wizard”!on!page 27.
NOTE You!must!use!the!VMware!Server!Console!to!create!a!virtual!machine.!
What’s in a Virtual Machine?
The!virtual!machine!typically!is!stored!on!the!host!computer!in!a!set!of!files,!all!of!which!
are!in!a!directory!set!aside!for!that!particular!virtual!machine.!In!these!examples,!
<vmname>!is!the!name!of!your!virtual!machine.!The!key!files!are:!
! <vmname>.vmx!!The!configuration!file,!which!stores!settings!chosen!in!the!New!
Virtual!Machine!Wizard!or!virtual!machine!settings!editor.!
! nvram!!The!file!that!stores!the!state!of!the!virtual!machine’s!BIOS.
! <vmname>.vmdk!!The!virtual!disk!file,!which!stores!the!contents!of!the!virtual!
machine’s!hard!disk!drive.!
! <vmname>.log!or!vmware.log!!The!file!that!keeps!a!log!of!key!virtual!machine!
activity.!This!file!can!be!useful!in!troubleshooting!if!you!encounter!problems.!This!
file!is!stored!in!the!directory!that!holds!the!configuration!file!(.vmx)!of!the!virtual!
machine.