VMWare Inc. Releases Free Virtual Machine Runtime

rfinnvik writes "VMWare Inc. has released a new free (as in beer) virtual machine runtime called VMware Player. According to VMWare, this free VM runtime makes it possible for anyone to run virtual machines created in their Workstation, GSX or ESX products. It also runs virtual machines created in Microsoft's virtualization products. The runtime is available for both Windows and Linux."

Re:this does what?

[bhtooefr]

Basically, have you seen how there's a QEMU image of ReactOS, and I'm sure other OSes have QEMU and Bochs images?

Well, this means that they can now use a VMWare image, and link to the VMWare Player.

Existing virtual machines?

[eMartin]

AFAIK, the existing virtual machines really just consist of a simple plain text file that describes the machine, and a disk image that can be one created by VMWare or another text file that points to a "standard" image file type.

So, does this mean that if I create those files myself, I don't need the commercial products at all?

Re:Soft bigotry of "Inc." suffix?

[kebes]

I think they wrote "VMWare Inc." rather than "VMWare" to avoid confusion... because alot of people, when they hear "VMWare" will think of the application/product, and not the company. Yes, I know that it would be hard for a product to release another product, but still. The "Inc." qualifier was just thrown in to make it obvious that they were talking about the company.

USB adapters...

[Gopal.V]

So far, no virtualization systems I've used has ever supported dynamic USB support.

I wonder what kernels their Linux player supports usb support. I assume it will be something like FC4 or RHEL ?.

Can someone who has downloaded tell me how the usb hotplugging works for you ?.

Another option

[technoid_]

If you dont want to figure out what is missing with the VMware offering, Parallels is offering 60 day trial licenses for its Parallels Workstation 2.0 Beta3. Check out www.parallels.com

Disclaimer: i have no affiliation to Parallels, I have just been trying out the product.

technoid_

Re:This could be very cool for demoing Linux apps

[cobbaut]

I haven't worked with vmWare in a long time, how does the performance stack up these days?

I have sarge on a P4-3Ghz with 3GB RAM, this allows me to run several vmware machines (Suse 10, FC4, Solaris 9, Solaris 10, MS 2003, MS XP) simultaneously without any visible performance loss. Great for playing around with samba/postfix/whatever networking stuff...

cheers,
pol :)

As long as you don't expect 3D accel.

[khasim]

The video card it emulates is pretty low end. It's acceptable for the old SimCity games (I've tried them) but not for any modern shooter.

There is also the problem where you're still sharing your CPU with the virtual machine so you may experience pauses in the game. Not really noticable with strategy and turn based games, but it may be a problem with shooters.

The good news is that you can load up different Windows versions for different games (you do still have the licenses, right?). So you can run Win95 or Win98 or Win2K or WinXP if you want.

DOS works okay for most games, but the VMWare sound emulation doesn't match any of the old 1980's-era games that I tried.

Re:Wondering

[richmaine]

Games and emulation just don't go together. That applies to pretty much all kinds of emulation - VMWare, Virtual PC, whatever. Games just tend to require performance that emulation can't deliver. Plus games are often picky about hardware such as video cards.

Of course, this overgeneralizes. If you have some text-based game, or even a graphics one old enough to not strain current hardware, then maybe. But generally speaking, assume that games won't work acceptably.

I've used VMWare (though it has been a while). It worked fine for my technical applications. Allowed me to run Windows compilers and make Windows executables of my programs for ussers that wanted such. But forget games.

Re:Existing virtual machines?

[yeremein]

As far as I'm aware, there is nothing out there which can create (Bochs and Qemu can read) VMWare disk images, and they're more advanced than simple raw or dd-created files with filesystems slapped onto them.

Actually, if you create a "pre-allocated" virtual disk (as opposed to dynamically growing), you'll end up with a text file "something.vmdk" that provides disk geometry and points at a raw bit dump "something-flat.vmdk". VMware (Workstation 5.0, anyway) can use an existing dd dump if you create a .vmdk file that refers to it. I've done this several times.

It's "VMware"

[Anonymous Coward]

Not VMWare. Not vmWare. Not VmWaRe. Not v/\/\\/\/4r3.

Re:Existing virtual machines?

[Anonymous Coward]

I have a tutorial with some details up at:

http://www.laportestyle.org/tutorials/ghostinthema chine.php [laportestyle.org]

Re:see, now I'm gonna try linux..

[Nik13]

No need for VMWare for that really. Knoppix is pretty good, and you can even find versions of it that come with QEMU. No need to install anything.

Re:USB adapters...

[ebob9]

USB hotplugging works great for me on my thinkpad with FC4 + VM Workstation 5. I have a windows VM, and use USB devices on that. I have a USB serial adapter for my laptop, and have no problems with the VM hot-plugging it. I however have to add "usbserial" and one other module (mct_u232 I think) to /etc/hotplug/blacklist to prevent linux from trying to load drivers for it first. I also sync my Windows Mobile PDA to the VM, I just had to /etc/hotplug/blacklist the ipaq modules.

Re:VM Machine Building For Free

[pegr]

At that point you might as well save yourself the trouble and pirate the damn thing
 
Actually, if you get on their mailing list, they will invite you to one of their half-day pep rallies and give you a free copy of Workstation...

Re:USB adapters...

[dougnet]

I work for a large company and we have a number of VMWare Workstation licenses. I downloaded the vmplayer today and used my existing VMWare workstation image with it (W2K image on Linux host). It started up fine. I then plugged the USB connector for my Kyocera 7135 Palm phone into my Linux system and hit the hotsync button. A "button" appeared accross the menu bar of the VMWare window with the title of the USB device (something like "Kyocera phone"). I could click on the botton to toggle as to whether or not VMWare was "connected" to the device so the guest OS could use it. What I don't remember is if the focus of the window determines whether or not it initially shows up as attached or disconnected. I believe the first time I did it, the hot sync with my phone started automatically. The second time I did it, I had to click on the soft botton on the menu bar to attach to the USB device. This may have been the result of my window focus at the time I hit the hot sync button.

Re:Xen is not a competitor to VMWare

[Turtle Master]

Xen requires the guest OS to be built with explicit support for Xen. VMWare doesn't require that. Xen can't run any build of Windows or NetWare, but VMWare can.

You haven't been paying attention. Xen will soon be able to run any build of pretty much anything on new "VT-enabled" hardware from intel. http://www.xensource.com/news/pr082305.html [xensource.com]

Re:This is cool

[jtstowell]

Not only that, but it works!

I'm posting this from FireFox 1.0.7 running on Windows 95 4.00.950 (heh. it was on a bet... and the smallest image I had lying around) from within a VMware Player instance running on Suse Linux 9.3 Pro. At 1024x768 resolution with good graphics.

Had a little trouble with compiling the VMware kernel modules, but it was a quick fix.

Oh, and my mouse wheel doesn't work... :-)

Tom

Re:Xen is not a competitor to VMWare

[Rich0]

In my experience custom-building isn't a big deal. You just run the config program, and it notes that it doesn't have a compatible kernel module handy, and asks you if you want to build one. As long as you have your kernel sources installed it just builds the module and runs it, and it usually doesn't take much effort. Then you just rerun the config program any time you install a new kernel.

If you're willing to use vmware on linux I doubt the kernel module will slow you down much...

Re:Existing virtual machines?

[Curunir_wolf]

This looked great, but the verbage on the web site is a little misleading. I downloaded and installed it thinking "Great! Now I can load up those MS Virtual PC Images I've been using for testing (and supporting those legacy VB6/Access applications), and I don't have to boot to Windows anymore!"

When it didn't work, I had to dig around the site, eventually downloading the "VMwarePlayerManual10" PDF file, where on page 3 I found:

Microsoft Virtual PC and Virtual Server Virtual Machines (Windows Hosts Only) On Windows hosts, VMware Player can run Microsoft Virtual PC and Virtual Server virual machines. When you open a Virtual PC virtual machine in VMware Player, it automatically creates a VMware-compatible configuration file (.vmx), while preserving the original Virtual PC (.vmc) configuration file. You can save the VMware-compatible virtual machine.

But can I then load up the VMX in the Linux version of the player? It doesn't seem to like it very much - I guess it just doesn't work.

Crap! I guess I have to plunk down some $ and re-create thost images in VMWare if I want to do that - easier just to keep booting into windows - it takes hours to install and configure Windows on a new virtual machine...

Re:see, now I'm gonna try linux..

[tommy_traceroute]

Is QEMU usably fast?

Depends on your definition of "usably."

I've got a USB stick with Damn Small Linux installed, both bootable and through QEMU, and it's screamin' fast when booted direct, but barely manageable on an Athlon 2500+ under QEMU. If you do most of your work from a terminal, it's fine, but the GUI, not so much.

So, answer = not really, but it's still damn cool.

Re:Xen is not a competitor to VMWare

[Lucractius]

Dont forget AMD are building their own hardware virtualisation support as well and it'll be out at about the same time, Xen will be supporting this too :)

Virtual PC files don't work at all

[assassinator42]

Virtual PC files don't even work on Windows. Well, Virtual PC 2004 files on Windows XP home to be specific. It gets half way through importing the virtual machine, then says it could not be opened. I tried with a dynamic hard drive, no hard drive, and a fixed size hard drive. Same thing every time. I'm not sure why it says it can open vmc files, because apparently it can not.

Re:Existing virtual machines?

[Anonymous Coward]

it takes hours to install and configure Windows on a new virtual machine...

Just this afternoon, I installed a new XP Pro VM in about 45 minutes. This included installing XP, the VMTools and the software I needed for this VM project.

Now my gripe. Vmplayer wipes out vmware and visa versa. Granted, there's no reason to have both on one workstation, I just wanted to check it out. Some kind of warning would be nice.

Re:Can someone please upload a blank virtual machi

[Anonymous Coward]

Do it yourself :)

necessary tools
1) Vmware viewer
2)Daemontools or similar software for loading virtual CDs
3)ISO of freedos (installable version)
http://www.freedos.org/freedos/files/ [freedos.org]

4)ISO of freedoslite
http://www.freedos.org/freedos/files/fdoslite.html [freedos.org]

3)the Browser appliance disk image available from VMware

preliminary steps
The configureation file for the browser appliance disk image sets the amount of ram needed at 256 MB.Not only is this overkill, it prevents the image from running on systems that really are adequete for the task.

To do this open up the browser appliance configureation file with notepad, and change memsize = "256" to a smaller value.I set it as 64MB

Now we need to get rid of the stripped down ubuntu install in the disc image.To do this we're using a CD version of freedos, either as an image or a drive. However, this is a little trickier than it would seem. WMware viewer will consider the LAST drive as the CD drive it can read.Thus it would be a good idea to use a virtual drive with its letter set to Z as the source drive for freedos.

Now, once you have that freedos disc loaded, load up the VMware image you are using.At the initial VMware screen press escape to go to the boot menu, and select "CD-ROM DRIVE"

This should bring you to the freedos installer
select the first option
"prepare the hard disk for installation of freedos...by running fdisk...."
this should bring you to FDISK, and a screen asking you if you want to enable large disk support. press Y and enter.

This brings you to the main Fdisk screen. From here select the third option to delete a partition, and the forth option on the next screen to delete non dos partition. There is only one non dos partition so press 1 and enter.Press escape and go back to the main screen
select the first option, to create a new parition, and the first option again, to make a new FAT partition, agree to make it the maximum possible size (Y then enter), and when you're back to the main screen, exit Fdisk.

This should restart the system. Press escape and choose to boot from CD again.At this point, GRUB (the linux bootloader) is messed so you have little option anyway.

at the Freedos installer, select the first option again, and this time format the disk.
choose to install freedos with freedos setup

choose to configure freedos setup at the next screen(first option)
and choose to start install on the screen after that(first option)

this brings you to a LONG file which you can skip by pressing esc after which you come to the graphical installer. Install.

Now mount freedoslite into your virtual CD drive. choose freeFDISK and create MBR
reboot.

You should now have a Disk image of Freedos,on a FAT 32 filesystem over which you can install your OS of choice.

Faileas Grey

Re:Browser Appliance password

[chungo-nzx]

The browser appliance starts you as the vmware user. The vmware user has sudo permissions. The vmware password is "vmware" i.e. to get to root - Open the terminal - enter "sudo passwd root" - Type the vmware password (i.e. "vmware") - Type in the new root password - Sorted !

Re:what is the ubuntu root password

[moro_666]

at first you are offtopic my friend
but still i wont leave you in the struggle

#shell$ sudo /bin/bash
Password: /// not the root password here, YOUR PASSWORD

#root@yourhost$ passwd
Enter new UNIX password: xxx
Retype new UNIX password: xxx

there you go ....

smack baby smack ...

### smth for the the topic too

vmware is being slashdotted, and being slashdotted hard ...

can anyone provide cached links for some web cached page and can somebody please put out a gentoo image for vmware please ?

thnx a lot in advance