Specifications

CHAPTER 6 Using Disks in a Virtual Machine
171
Configuring Optical and Floppy Drives
The following sections describe how to configure your virtual machine’s optical (DVD-
ROM and CD-ROM) and floppy drives. You can use the physical device or point the
virtual machine to an ISO or floppy image file.
• Configuring Virtual DVD-ROM and CD-ROM Drives on page 171
• Configuring Virtual Floppy Drives on page 175
Configuring Virtual DVD-ROM and CD-ROM Drives
Each virtual machine can access a physical DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive on the GSX
Server host or an ISO image file.
Multiple virtual machines can connect to the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive on the GSX
Server host at the same time, unless a virtual machine is configured to exclusively use
the drive. For information about exclusive use of the optical drive, see Exclusively
Using the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM Drive on page 173.
You configure virtual DVD-ROM and CD-ROM drives from the virtual machine settings
editor (VM > Settings) or the VMware Management Interface.
Options you can configure include choosing the device node for the guest, using
legacy emulation mode, using the optical drive on a client instead of the GSX Server
host and exclusively using the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive.
Configuring a Virtual Machine’s DVD-ROM or CD-ROM Drive from the Console
To configure a virtual machine’s DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive, complete the following
steps.
1. Connect to the virtual machine with the VMware Virtual Machine Console.
2. Open the virtual machine settings editor. Choose VM > Settings.
3. On the Hardware tab, select the CD-ROM drive. You can make any of the
following changes.
• Choosing a Device Node for the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM Drive on page 172
• Using Legacy Emulation for DVD-ROM and CD-ROM Drives on page 172
• Exclusively Using the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM Drive on page 173
• Using the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM Drive on a Client on page 173
4. Click OK to save your changes and close the virtual machine settings editor.