Specifications

VMware, Inc. 49
Chapter 2 Creating and Configuring Virtual Machines
To start VMware Tools in a Red Hat Linux 7.1 guest using GNOME, for example
1Open!the!Startup!Programs!panel!in!the!GNOME!Control!Center.
Main!Menu!(the!foot!in!the!lower!left!corner!of!the!screen)!>!Programs!>!Settings!
>!Session!>!Startup!Programs
2Click!Add.
3In!the!Startup!Command!field,!enter!vmware-toolbox.
4Click!OK,!click!OK!again,!and!close!the!GNOME!Control!Center.
The!next!time!you!start!X,!VMware!Tools!start!automatically.
Using the VMware Guest Operating System Service
When!you!install!VMware!Tools!in!a!virtual!machine,!the!VMware!guest!operating!
system!service!is!one!of!the!primary!components!installed.!The!guest!service!can!do!the!
following:!
! Synchronize!the!time!of!the!guest!operating!system!with!the!time!on!the!physical!
computer.!See!“Synchronizing!the!Time!Between!the!Guest!and!Service!Consoles”!
on!page 50
! Gracefully!power!off!and!reset!a!virtual!machine.!See!“Shutting!Down!and!
Restarting!a!Virtual!Machine”!on!page 50.
! Execute!commands!in!the!virtual!machine!when!it!is!requested!to!halt!or!reboot!the!
guest!operating!system.!See!“Executing!Commands!to!Halt!or!Reboot!a!Virtual!
Machine”!on!page 51.
! Pass!a!string!from!the!service!console!to!the!guest!operating!system.!See!“Passing!
a!String!from!the!Service!Console!to!the!Guest!Operating!System”!on!page 52.
! Send!a!heartbeat!to!VMware!ESX!Server!so!that!it!knows!the!guest!operating!
system!is!running.
The!guest!service!starts!when!you!start!the!guest!operating!system.!
In!a!Linux!guest,!the!guest!service!is!called!vmware-guestd.!To!display!help!about!the!
guest!service,!including!a!list!of!all!options,
!use!the!following!command:!
/etc/vmware/vmware-guestd --help
In!a!Windows!guest,!the!guest!service!program!file!is!called!VMwareService.exe.!To!
display!help,!right‐click!the!VMware!Tools!icon!in!the!system!tray!and!choose!Help.!