http://www.petri.co.il/virtual_install_vmware_server.htm
12dec08 http://www.vmware.com/download/server/ download vmware server (free)
ensure that you have a spare hard drive or partition for VM images, defragmented!
VMWare Server will use IIS as a management console (easy to use gui!) for your vmware machines... BUT windows xp will have a slight problem: The Windows XP IIS web server is limited to a single website. There is already a default website and that is preventing this second website from starting.
From Computer Management (Administration tools or right click on My Computer) "Services and Applications" -> Internet Information Service -> Web Sites Right click "Default Web site" and choose stop Right click VMware management site and choose start
VERSION 1 Now you can close Computer Management, open a web browser to http://localhost:8222 Accept the security certificate
VERSION 2 There is a shortcut that sends you to https://computername:8333 Click through all the hoops to Accept the security certificate You'll need to login with the user account that installed VMWARE (or any user account that is on the domain/workgroup?) (It must use ldap or something... I suppose HTTPS is a security improvement but it also seems more proprietary, even if they do advertise that the "Datastore" is OS/filesystem independent).
start VMware server console
Edit -> Preferences will allow you to control how your console interacts with VM's and the real machine
Host -> Settings check directory for virtual machines (better on a separate hd) check RAM
Host -> Virtual Network Settings notice that it's auto configured to bridge, NAT, and dhcp
File -> New -> Virtual Machine Custom -> MS Windows -> Windows Server 2003 Std. Allot Memory for the VM Network Connection (NAT may be easiest) I/O Adapter doesn't matter much unless you're real hardware is SCSI Virtual Disk: SCSI vs IDE...
MS Virtual PC - but the only source... There are a number of factors to consider: emulated IDE can only support 4 disks, while SCSI supports up to 28 disks emulated IDE can only support up to 128GB disks, while SCSI can support up to 2TB disks *emulated IDE controller has a higher level of driver support for various os than the SCSI controller
The performance of the emulated SCSI controller is slower than the IDE controller.
The reason for this is that the SCSI controller is a lot more complicated to emulate than the IDE controller.
This changes once you have Virtual Machine Additions installed. As part of Virtual Machine Additions we install an
accelerated SCSI driver. Once this driver is installed the performance of our emulated SCSI controller is significantly
faster than our emulated IDE controller.
* If you are running Windows NT, 2000, XP, 2003 with Virtual Machine Additions installed; use SCSI.
* If you are running any other configuration; use IDE unless you specifically use more than 4 disks,
or larger than 128gb disks
IF YOU create the whole virtual disk at once it takes longer and prevents the disk from growing. But the virtual disk may actually perform faster.
You may be prompted to install a "Virtual Console Plugin" which will allow your browser to interact with the Virtual Machine... (pretty important but yet another example of where VMWARE is improving security and becoming more proprietary).
The "Help" tab is very useful though...
WHEN VMWARE SERVER CONSOLE 'CREATES' A DISK IT TAKES A LONG TIME!
VERSION 1 Help -> Enter Serial Number 9A92N-Y628F-15550-41684
VERSION 2 Application -> Enter Serial A808J-F4J84-V1K8L-4VQVM
Windows: 98DF1-RDX4K-K5QDH-4RNJT Linux: 9AXF4-R69D2-JEQ4N-4H4JR
Note, first try loaded puppy linux and then a black screen... hmmm....... Of course! You must have your intended guest os install cd... (or iso)