This guide gives a quick overview of installing VMWare in Ubuntu Dapper Drake (6.06)

Introduction

VMWare is a commercial, closed-source application which allows you to run a "virtual machine" on your computer. This virtual machine is similar to an emulator, which creates a computer entirely out of software, allowing you to run programs and operating systems which were not designed to run on your type of computer (see [:Installation/QemuEmulator] for more information on this) . The difference between a virtual machine and an emulated machine is that a virtual machine does not attempt to translate instructions for your computer to understand, instead it sends the instructions directly from the "virtualised" operating system to your computer's CPU, but in a way which does not create conflicts with the currently running operating system. This allows for much greater speed, as emulation is often very slow, but restricts the software which you can virtualise, since you can only virtualise programs which are built to run on your type of computer (for example, you can run a PowerPC version of MacOSX in the PearPC emulator on an x86 "PC", but you cannot virtualise it since an x86 processor cannot understand a PowerPC's instruction set.)

VMWare is only available on the x86 architecture, and is useful for running multiple operating systems, for instance if you have a critical application designed for Microsoft Windows but it does not run using WINE then you can virtualise an entire Microsoft Windows operating system and run the program in there. Remember that running non-Free software, such as Microsoft Windows, inside a virtualiser or an emulator still requires that you purchase a licence key.

Please Note: The End User Licence Agreement for Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition states that it is within the rights of a licencee to install their licenced copy of Windows XP Home onto another computer, provided that it is completely removed from the first computer. It does not say whether a virtual computer is classed as seperate from the physical computer that is running it, but it is clear that a virtual computer running on a different computer than the original installation is counted as seperate. This means that users wishing to run Windows XP Home inside VMWare on an Ubuntu-only computer (or at least one which does not contain an installation of the same licenced copy of Windows) should uninstall any other instances of their licenced copy beforehand, otherwise risk prosecution by Microsoft. For those wishing to install such an operating system in a virtual machine on a computer which you dual-boot with Ubuntu and Microsoft Windows, they should make inquiries to the Microsoft corporation as to whether a seperate licence needs to be purchased.

Also Note: Virtualising any Free Software operating system gives you the same rights to use/copy/modify/redistribute that system, so as such your rights and freedoms are not restricted in any way.

Installing VMWare

Preparing Your System

To build and run VMWare we must first install the programs which are essential to building software. These are, coincidentally, called "build-essential". We must also install some basic information about the Linux kernel which is running. This is called the "headers" and can be installed with the package "linux-headers-<kernelversion>", where you should replace <kernelversion> with your version of the Linux kernel.

You can find your kernel version with the command:

uname -r

Then install the packages with this line:

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-<kernelversion>

Installing VMWare

Firstly you need to buy a license to use the VMWare software, and then download the vmware package. Download the version ending in "tar.gz". Here we will deal with version 5.5, but the same instructions should apply to other versions.

After it has downloaded you should extract it. This can be done by right-clicking on the file in GNOME and selecting "Extract Here", or you can use the terminal command:

tar -zxvf vmware*.tar.gz

To use this command your terminal must be in the same directory as the file. If you don't know how to navigate using a terminal you should type:

cd /the/complete/path/to/the/folder/where/the/file/is/located

Where, obviously, that long string is replaced by the actual folder it describes. (If you still do not understand this process then you can install the package "nautilus-open-terminal" if you have the Universe repository enabled. After restarting GNOME you will be see an option "Open in terminal" when you right click in a folder. This will ensure that your terminal is always in the correct location)

If the extract command failed the first time but you are now in the right directory then retype the command.

Now you need to enter the folder which has just been extracted. This is done with:

cd vmware-distrib

Now we can work on installing the software. We will use the "sudo" command here to give us temporary administrator access. Install VMWare by typing:

sudo ./install.pl

And give your normal, user account's password.

You will now be asked a series of questions. Use the default options for all of these. When you are asked if you want to run "vmware-config.pl" answer Yes.

You will be asked if you want to compile "vmmon", andswer Yes and use the default settings.

the networking options available to your virtual machine (for example, to let it access the Internet) are: NAT, Bridged or Host-Only.

NAT will let you set up a virtual LAN (Local Area Network) between your real operating system and the virtual operating system, as if they were two computers connected to a home or office network. This allows any connections which your real Ubuntu system has to be shared with any virtual operating system you run.

Bridged will let the virtualised operating system access your networking devices, like network cards, via a virtual "bridge" network. This lets the virtualised ("guest") operating system talk directly with any routers/modems or other computers you have connected to your machine.

Host-Only will allow you to set up a network between the guest and the real ("host") operating systems, but not allow the guest any external networks, such as a shared Internet connection.

Select whichever is appropriate and continue the configuration process.

Note: Setting up networks is beyond the scope of this guide. There are other articles and information available, and remember that your virtual machine acts just like a real computer. Therefore any guides, for example on setting up a network between Windows and Ubuntu, will apply even if Windows is being virtualised.

Using VMWare

When the installation and configuration is complete you will have an icon for VMWare in your Applications menu. (If it is not there then use the Alacarte Menu Editor in Applications>Accessories). You can also start VMWare by typing into a terminal/deskbar "vmware" (If you need to create your own launcher from within Alacarte then you should put that into the "Command" box. The other options [name, icon, etc.] you can set to anything you want.)

Note: There is NO advantage of running VMWare as a super user. In fact it is dangerous, so you should never attempt it.

See Also

[http://www.vmware.com VMWare.com] - The homepage of VMWare

[:KQEmu] - A guide for installing the closed-source "kqemu" kernel module for the Free Software Qemu emulator. This module allows Qemu to virtualise an x86 (PC) system when run on an x86 system.

CategoryDocumentation