Specifications

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VMware GSX Server Virtual Machine Guide
Configuring a Dual-Boot Computer
for Use with a Virtual Machine
Many users install GSX Server on a dual-boot or multiple-boot computer so they can
run one or more of the existing operating systems in a virtual machine. If you are
doing this, you may want to use the existing installation of an operating system rather
than reinstall it in a virtual machine.
To support such installations, GSX Server makes it possible for you to use a physical
IDE disk or partition, also known as a raw disk, inside a virtual machine.
Note: GSX Server supports booting from physical disk partitions only on IDE drives.
Booting guest operating systems from raw SCSI drives is not supported. For a
discussion of the issues on a Linux host, see Configuring Dual- or Multiple-Boot SCSI
Systems to Run with VMware GSX Server on a Linux Host on page 214.
Caution: You cannot use a physical disk that is stored on a SAN. You must use a disk or
a partition on the GSX Server host.
Setting up a physical disk configuration for a virtual machine is more complicated
than using a virtual disk. Virtual disks are recommended unless you have a specific
need to run directly from a physical disk or partition.
Caution: Physical disks are an advanced feature and should be configured only by
advanced users.
Using the Same Operating System in a Virtual Machine and on the
Host Computer
You may sometimes want to run an operating system inside a virtual machine and at
other times want to run that same installation of the operating system by booting the
host computer directly into that operating system. If you want to use this approach,
you must be aware of some special considerations
The issues arise because the virtual hardware that the operating system sees when it
is running in a virtual machine is different from the physical hardware it sees when it is
running directly on the host computer. It is as if you were removing the boot drive
from one physical computer and running the operating system installed there in a
second computer with a different motherboard, video card and other peripherals —
then moving it back and forth between the two systems.
The general approach for resolving these issues is to set up profiles for each of the two
operating environments — the virtual machine and the physical computer. You can
then choose the appropriate profile when you start the operating system. On some