4.0
Table Of Contents
- Getting Started with VMware Player
- Contents
- Getting Started with VMware Player
- Introduction and System Requirements
- Installing and Using Player
- Creating Virtual Machines
- Understanding Virtual Machines
- Preparing to Create a Virtual Machine
- Create a Virtual Machine
- Use Easy Install to Install a Guest Operating System
- Install a Guest Operating System Manually
- Importing Virtual Machines
- Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools
- Installing VMware Tools
- Upgrading VMware Tools
- Configure Software Update Preferences
- Configure VMware Tools Updates for a Specific Virtual Machine
- Manually Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools
- Manually Install or Upgrade VMware Tools in a Windows Virtual Machine
- Manually Install or Upgrade VMware Tools in a Linux Virtual Machine
- Manually Install or Upgrade VMware Tools in a NetWare Virtual Machine
- Manually Install or Upgrade VMware Tools in a Solaris Virtual Machine
- Manually Install or Upgrade VMware Tools in a FreeBSD Virtual Machine
- Start the VMware User Process Manually If You Do Not Use a Session Manager
- Uninstall VMware Tools
- Virtual Machine Files
- Using Virtual Machines
- Starting Virtual Machines in Player
- Stopping Virtual Machines in Player
- Transferring Files and Text
- Using the Drag-and-Drop Feature
- Using the Copy and Paste Feature
- Using Shared Folders
- Mapping a Virtual Disk to the Host System
- Add a Host Printer to a Virtual Machine
- Using Removable Devices in Virtual Machines
- Install New Software in a Virtual Machine
- Changing the Virtual Machine Display
- Download a Virtual Appliance in Player
- Remove a Virtual Machine from the Library in Player
- Configuring and Managing Virtual Machines
- Change the Name of a Virtual Machine
- Change the Guest Operating System for a Virtual Machine
- Change the Working Directory for a Virtual Machine
- Change the Virtual Machine Directory for a Virtual Machine
- Change the Memory Allocation for a Virtual Machine
- Configuring Video and Sound
- Moving Virtual Machines
- Delete a Virtual Machine
- View the Message Log for a Virtual Machine
- Using the VIX API
- Configuring and Managing Devices
- Configuring DVD, CD-ROM, and Floppy Drives
- Configuring a USB Controller
- Configuring and Maintaining Virtual Hard Disks
- Configuring Virtual Ports
- Add a Virtual Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine
- Configure a Virtual Parallel Port on a Linux 2.6.x Kernel Host
- Configure Permissions for a Parallel Port Device on a Linux Host
- Troubleshoot ECR Errors for Parallel Ports
- Add a Virtual Serial Port to a Virtual Machine
- Change the Input Speed of a Serial Connection
- Configuring Generic SCSI Devices
- Configuring Eight-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing
- Configuring Keyboard Features
- Modify Hardware Settings for a Virtual Machine
- Configuring Network Connections
- Index
Selecting a Guest Operating System
The New Virtual Machine prompts you to select the source media for the operating system that will run inside
the virtual machine. You can specify an installer disc inserted in a physical drive, an ISO image file, or you can
instruct the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a virtual machine that has a blank hard disk.
If you select an installer disc or an ISO image file and the operating system supports Easy Install, the guest
operating system installation is automated and VMware Tools is installed. If the installer disc or ISO image
file contains a product key number and is already set up to perform an unattended installation, the only benefit
of using Easy Install is the automatic installation of VMware Tools.
If you instruct the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a virtual machine that has a blank hard disk, the
wizard prompts you to specify an operating system and version and you must install the guest operating
system manually after the virtual machine is created. Player uses this information to set the appropriate default
values, name files associated with the virtual machine, adjust performance settings, and work around special
behaviors and bugs in the guest operating system. If the operating system you plan to install is not listed in
the wizard, select Other for both the operating system and version.
If you are installing an operating system that supports Easy Install but you do not want to use Easy Install,
you can instruct the wizard to create a virtual machine that has a blank disk and install the guest operating
system manually.
Supported Guest Operating Systems
A guest operating system can be Windows, Linux, and other commonly used operating systems.
To see a list of the supported guest operating systems, search the online VMware Compatibility Guide on the
VMware Web site.
Player is not listed, but the information for Workstation is applicable to Player. Operating systems that are not
listed are not supported for use in a virtual machine.
See the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide for information on installing the most common guest
operating systems.
Getting Started with VMware Player
16 VMware, Inc.