Getting Started Guide VMware Player 3.0 This document supports the version of each product listed and supports all subsequent versions until the document is replaced by a new edition. To check for more recent editions of this document, see http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs.
Getting Started Guide You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware Web site at: http://www.vmware.com/support/ The VMware Web site also provides the latest product updates. If you have comments about this documentation, submit your feedback to: docfeedback@vmware.com Copyright © 1998–2009 VMware, Inc. All rights reserved. This product is protected by U.S. and international copyright and intellectual property laws.
Contents About This Book 5 1 What Is VMware Player? 7 What You Can Do with VMware Player Features in VMware Player 8 8 2 Host System Requirements for VMware Player 11 Compatible Virtual Machines and System Images Using Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing 12 12 3 Supported Host and Guest Operating Systems for VMware Player 13 Supported Host Operating Systems 13 Supported Guest Operating Systems 16 Processor Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems 4 Installing and Running VMware Player 19 21 Insta
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About This Book ® This preface provides information about the VMware Player Getting Started Guide and links to VMware educational resources. Intended Audience This book is intended for anyone who wants to install and use VMware Player 3.0. VMware Player 3.0 users include anyone who wants to create and run virtual machines or virtual appliances. You can download and safely run prebuilt application environments provided by software vendors or colleagues.
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What Is VMware Player? 1 VMware Player is a desktop application that lets you create, configure, and run virtual machines. With VMware Player you can use the following features: n Create virtual machines that can run on a Windows or Linux PC. n Run virtual machines, making it easy to take advantage of the security, flexibility, and portability of virtual machines. n Access all of the host machine hardware devices, such as USB drives, from the virtual machine.
Getting Started Guide This chapter includes the following topics: n “What You Can Do with VMware Player,” on page 8 n “Features in VMware Player,” on page 8 What You Can Do with VMware Player VMware Player allows you to perform various tasks in a virtual machine. You can create and run virtual machines, use and evaluate prebuilt applications, simplify software distribution, and collaborate with colleagues.
Chapter 1 What Is VMware Player? n Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) - ALSA is available in VMware Player to improve the audio in virtual machines running on a Linux host. n Drag and Drop Enhancements - Ability to drag and drop images, formatted text email attachments, and zip folders is available for both Windows and Linux hosts.
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Host System Requirements for VMware Player 2 Your computer must have the compatible hardware to install VMware Player. The minimum host system requirements for installing and using VMware Player are: n Standard x86-compatible or x86-64 with Intel VT or AMD-V compatible PC n Processor speed – 1.3GHz or faster n Memory – Minimum 1GB is required, however VMware recommends to have 2GB and above available memory.
Getting Started Guide Compatible Virtual Machines and System Images VMware Player runs virtual machines and system images created with other VMware and non-VMware products. The following virtual machines and system images are compatible with VMware Player: VMware Virtual Machines VMware Player runs virtual machines created with VMware Workstation 4 and later, GSX Server 3.x, VMware Server, and ESX Server 2.5 and later. Workstation 4 virtual machines run in legacy mode.
Supported Host and Guest Operating Systems for VMware Player 3 You can check the supported host and guest operating systems list for virtual machines running in VMware Player to verify whether your computer operating system allows you to install VMware Player. n Supported Host Operating Systems on page 13 VMware Player is available for Windows and Linux host operating systems.
Getting Started Guide Table 3-1.
Chapter 3 Supported Host and Guest Operating Systems for VMware Player Table 3-2. Linux Host Operating Systems (Continued) Operating System Type Operating System Edition Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 WS, AS, ES Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.2 WS, AS, ES Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1 WS, AS, ES Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0 WS, AS, ES Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.8 WS, AS, ES Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.7 WS, AS, ES Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.6 WS, AS, ES Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.5 (formerly 4.
Getting Started Guide Table 3-2. Linux Host Operating Systems (Continued) Operating System Type Operating System Edition SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, SP1 SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, SP1, SP2, SP3, SP4 SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10, SP1, SP2 Listed versions are also supported with no service pack. openSUSE 11 openSUSE 11.1 openSUSE 11.2 openSUSE 10.3 openSUSE 10.2 Ubuntu Linux 9.04 Ubuntu Linux 8.10 Ubuntu Linux 8.04 Ubuntu Linux 8.04.1, 8.04.2, 8.04.3 Ubuntu Linux 6.06 NOTE On 64-bit Ubuntu 6.
Chapter 3 Supported Host and Guest Operating Systems for VMware Player Table 3-3. Guest Operating Systems (Continued) Operating System Type Operating System Edition Windows XP Professional Windows XP Home Edition Windows PE Windows RE Windows 2000 Professional Windows 2000 Server Windows 2000 Advanced Server Windows NT 4.0 Workstation with SP6 Windows NT 4.0 Server with SP6 Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition with SP6 Windows Me Windows 95 Windows 3.
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Chapter 3 Supported Host and Guest Operating Systems for VMware Player Table 3-3. Guest Operating Systems (Continued) Operating System Type Operating System Edition Sun 64-bit Solaris x86 64-bit Microsoft MS-DOS MS-DOS Processor Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems When you power on a virtual machine with a 64-bit guest operating system, VMware Player performs an internal check. If the host CPU is not a supported 64-bit processor, you cannot power on the virtual machine.
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Installing and Running VMware Player 4 The installation instructions for VMware Player require a product CD to install on Windows and Linux hosts. If you do not have a product CD, download VMware Player from the VMware Web site. If you are installing VMware Player from a CD and autorun is enabled, follow the prompts when you insert the CD in your CD-ROM drive. If you are installing VMware Player from a CD and autorun is not enabled, double-click the VMware-Player.
Getting Started Guide 4 Click Continue to begin the installation. VMware Player and any shortcuts you selected are installed on your host machine. 5 Click Finish. Install VMware Player on a Linux Host To begin creating and configuring virtual machines you must install VMware Player on your Linux host. If you downloaded the software, follow the installation procedure, but install from the directory where you saved the installer file, rather than the Linux directory on the CD.
Chapter 4 Installing and Running VMware Player Table 4-1. List of Command-Line Installation Options (Continued) Command-Line Installation Option Option Description --custom Shows all the installation questions. You can customize the installation directories, set or reset the Eclipse directories and hard limit for the number of open file descriptors. --regular Shows installation questions that have not been answered before or are required. This is the default option.
Getting Started Guide Procedure 24 n On Windows, select File > Exit. n On Linux, select an option based on the exit behavior settings. n Select File > Power Off and Quit. n Select File > Suspend and Quit. VMware, Inc.
Uninstalling VMware Player 5 The following sections describe how to uninstall VMware Player on Windows and Linux hosts. n Uninstall VMware Player on a Windows Host on page 25 To install the latest version of VMware Player on a Windows host you must uninstall the previous version of the product.
Getting Started Guide Uninstall VMware Player on a Linux Host To install the latest version of VMware Player on a Linux host you must uninstall the previous version of the product. Procedure 26 1 Enter the vmware-installer -u vmware-player command to remove VMware Player from your system. 2 Select Yes or No to confirm whether you want to preserve or remove your configuration files. VMware, Inc.
Index C L compatible virtual machines and system images 12 Linux installation options 22 G guest operating system 64-bit 19 Linux 16 Windows 16 H host operating system Linux 32-bit 14 Linux 64-bit 14 Windows 32-bit 13 Windows 64-bit 13 host system requirements 11 I install VMWare Player Linux host 22 Windows host 21 VMware, Inc.
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