Most of you out there don’t like to “read the instructions”, I know. However, this article isn’t just going to explain how to install VMware server step by step but also help you to know the “gotchas” when installing VMware server.
NOTE: This article is based on VMware Server 1.x
VMware Server will run on any standard x86 hardware, including Intel and AMD hardware virtualization assisted systems. The host operating system can be Windows or Linux. This article assumes you are using a Windows XP machine as the host operating system. The most important thing you should know about installing VMware server is that it will use significant amounts of your RAM. You can control the amount of RAM allocated to running virtual servers but it will require a minimum of 256MB per virtual server. Only allocating that much to the virtual servers may be good for your host operating system but will be bad for your virtual servers. Of course, the RAM requirements depend on what you are using the virtual servers for and if you are using the host operating system while you are using the virtual servers. In the end, you need a lot of RAM on your host system to use virtual server.
Fortunately, RAM isn’t that expensive today so I would just make sure you have at least 1GB of RAM to be able to run 1-2 virtual servers. Also, remember that you are running other servers inside your host machine. That means that other things like CPU and disk will also be pushed to their maximum. Even with a lot of RAM, you can easily max out your CPU utilization. Keep these facts in mind so that when your machine slows down, you know where to look. Another tip is just to remember that your machine is not invincible. With a standard desktop today and 1GB of RAM, your performance will seriously suffer if you start more than 1 virtual machine and try to use your host OS at the same time. You can probably run more machines with more RAM but you still need to make sure you limit the number of machines you run at the same time.
Before you begin installing VMware Server, you first need to obtain it. Fortunately, for all of us, VMware server is available for FREE. However, even though it is free, you must register to obtain a serial number to use it. To register, go to the Download VMware Server website and don’t forget to Register. By registering, you will receive a VMWare Server serial number, like this:
Inside the VMware installation wizard, click Next to get started. Accept the license agreement and click Next. Take the default of a complete installation by clicking Next. If you are running Windows XP as your host operating system, you may get a message like this:
After the install is done, what do you do? Well, the first thing you may notice is a VMware Server Console button down on the quick launch section of your taskbar. It looks like this:
VMware Server is an amazing program and it is even better now that it is free. VMware Server download and installation isn’t difficult but it is important to know the proper steps so that you aren’t just taking your best guess. What is even better is knowing the “gotchas” before they “get you”. This prevents you from spending a lot of time trying to troubleshoot some weird installation error. Best of luck to you in your VMware installation!