set help(dummy.text) {Starting the configuration wizard.
When vmware is executed with no arguments, the startup screen has three options: Run the configuration wizard, run the configuration editor, or open an existing configuration. The default selection is the configuration wizard: clicking on the OK button starts the configuration wizard. The configuration wizard can also be started from the File menu (select File->Wizard).
}
set help(welcome.text) {Running the configuration wizard.
The configuration wizard will present you with a series of screens that are navigated using the Next and Prev buttons at the bottom. At each screen, follow the instructions, and click on the Next button to proceed to the next screen. Each screen will ask you a question. You will either have to select an option, or fill in some information.
There is also a Finish button, which is initially grayed out. When there is enough information for the configuration wizard to finish the configuration, then this button displays. Click on the Finish button to have the configuration wizard fill in all of the remaining options with default values. Clicking on Finish is the fastest way of configuring your virtual machine.
Clicking on the Help button will open a pop up window with context sensitive help. That text will also include links to relevant online documents (text in blue - clicking on it will open a browser session and take you to that page).
}
set help(os.text) {Selecting an operating system.
The first screen asks which operating system will be installed in the virtual machine. The configuration wizard uses this information to select appropriate default values, such as the amount of disk space needed. The wizard also uses this information when naming associated virtual machine files.
If the operating system you are using is not listed, select "Other" and give an appropriate name.
}
set help(dir.text) {Selecting a directory for the virtual machine.
For ease of administration, each virtual machine should have its own directory. All associated files like the configuration file and the disk file for the virtual machine are placed in this directory.
This screen lets you select the virtual machine's directory. The default location is in vmware/<OS> in your home directory, where <OS> depends on the operating system previously selected. If you are configuring for Windows98, for example, the default directory will be vmware/win98.
Virutal machine performance may suffer if your virtual hard disk is on an NFS mounted file system. You should make sure that the virtual machine's directory is on a local file system.
}
set help(diskType.text) {Choosing the type of disk the virtual machine will use.
There are two choices for the type of disk. The disk for a virtual machine can be a new virtual disk, or it can be an existing partition on your hard disk.
A new virtual disk is created as a file in the file system of your host OS. Virutal machine performance may suffer if your virtual hard disk is on an NFS mounted file system. You should make sure that the virtual machine's directory is on a local file system.
If you are currently dual-booting, and you want to run the other partition in a virtual machine, then you should choose Existing Partition. However, this feature only works for IDE drives. You cannot use this option with SCSI drives at this time.
To use an existing partition as a disk for the virtual machine, the master raw disk device needs to be readable and writeable by the user who will run vmware. On most distributions, the raw device (e.g. /dev/hda) has group-id 'disk'. If this is the case, simply add yourself to the disk group. To do this, become root and edit the file /etc/group. Then exit the root shell, and log off and on again for the change to take effect. When you select Existing Partition, the configuration screen fills in which drives you have access to.
}
set help(rawDisk.text) {Selecting which partitions to use in the virtual machine - (for Existing Partitions only).
The configuration wizard determines the file system types in each of the partitions that you have access to, and displays this information. Choose the partition you want the virtual machine to be able to access, and the type of access to allow.
You typically need to allow at least Read Only access to the master boot record (type MBR) and the extended partition (type Extended), so that the virtual machine can successfully boot. Enabling access to the extended partition only enables access to the sectors in the extended partition that are not already assigned to another partition.
The partition that you will be running in the virtual machine should be set to allow Read Write access. If you are running LILO as your boot manager, you also need to enable read access to the Linux native partition. Some boot managers require Read Write access to the master boot record.
}
set help(diskSize.text) {Selecting the size of the virtual disk - (for new virtual disks) .
Fill in the size of the virtual disk that you wish to create. The size should be large enough to hold the guest operating system and all of the software that you intend to install in the virtual machine, with room for data and growth. There is no way to increase this number later, although you can install additional virtual disks if you run out of space on this one.
The file which holds the virtual disk is not created at the maximum size of the virtual disk, but at a smaller size. This file grows as the virtual machine writes to the virtual disk. For more details on disk types, read this page.
}
set help(cdrom.text) {Enabling the CD-ROM drive.
Select whether or not to allow the virtual machine to access the CD-ROM drive. If you wish to allow the virtual machine to access the CD-ROM device, the path to that device must be specified. This path is set to /dev/cdrom by default.
Please note that most operating systems will require the use of a CD-ROM for installation purposes.
Even if the virtual machine has CD-ROM access enabled, access to the CD-ROM device can be disabled during the operation of the virtual machine using the Settings menu. This is useful if you wish to control which of several virtual machines that are running is allowed to access the CD-ROM. To control this, select Removable Devices from the Settings menu (Settings->Removable Devices).
}
set help(floppy.text) {Enabling the Floppy disk drive.
Select whether or not to allow the virtual machine to access the floppy disk drive. If you wish to allow the virtual machine to access the floppy disk device, the path to that device must be specified. This path is set to /dev/fd0 by default.
Please note that most operating systems will require the use of a floppy drive for installation purposes.
Even if the virtual machine has floppy disk access enabled, access to the floppy disk device can be disabled during the operation of the virtual machine using the Settings menu. This is useful if you wish to control which of several virtual machines that are running is allowed to access the floppy disk. To control this, select Removable Devices from the Settings menu (Settings->Removable Devices).
}
set help(networking.text) {Configuring the networking capabilities of the virtual machine.
The virtual machine can be configured to operate in a stand-alone mode, or it can be networked to the host machine, or it can be bridged to the real network (assuming the host is on a network). This screen lets you select the option that applies to this virtual machine.
The No Networking option configures the virtual machine to be a stand-alone machine. In this case, the virtual machine has no networking support, like a PC with no network card.
The Bridged Networking option configures the virtual machine to have a network adapter, and this network adapter is connected to the host network card through a bridge. The bridge forwards packets from the host's network interface to the virtual machine, and forwards packets from the virtual machine to the network interface of the host. This allows the virtual machine to appear like a real machine to other machines on the network. If this option is selected, then the virtual machine needs to be assigned an IP address, just like a real machine. DHCP can be used to do this automatically.
The Host-only Networking option configures the virtual machine to have a network, but the virtual machine is visible only to the host machine on which the virtual machine is running, and not to other machines on the network. This is useful for sharing files between the virtual machine and the host machine.
}
set help(confirm.text) {Congratulations.
This screen displays the configuration settings that you have selected, or which have been selected for you by default. If there are any errors in these settings, the Prev button will take you to the earlier screens, where you can modify these settings.
Clicking on the Done button saves the configuration and returns you to the main program window. To start the virtual machine you just configured, click the Power On button.
Please note that the configuration settings can be viewed and modified using the configuration editor, in the Settings menu (Settings->Configuration Editor).
