VMWare Discussion

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ok, i think we've hijacked the sp2 thread about vmware enough now. so i've decided to start this one up! basically, it follows on from the sp2 threads pertaining to vmware.

i have a question regarding software licenses for the os'es. for instance, if i had one copy of xp, and wanted to create 2 virtual xp machines, would i have to actually activate the os? and could i use one disc for multiple vm's?

Thanks
Fergal

 

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legally no
every host machine requires its own license
a) just dont activate, and re install every 40 days or whatever it is (Great for learning anyway)
b) get trial versions of thins like server, isa, exchange, that kind of stuff

for training your not likely to get a knock on the door from ms lawyers, so you should be pretty safe, but you are supposed to have a liscence for every machine, virtual or not

 

k. does the same stand for older os'es as well? such as 95/98?

can i install the recovery cd for my laptop into a vm?

 

1) yes ofcourse the same applies lol, but theres no activation so if you can get your hands on a copy of 98 or smething for a fiva, go for it, 95 is unsupported now, but that doesnt mean its now legal to use oem version and such, thats always been against the liscencing terms but no one pays attention it seems

2) unlikely, your recovery cd will be tailered to your hardware and setup, you could try it but i recommend getting your hands on a real copy of a standalone os not all the crap thrown into recovery cds

 

Although a bit expensive (around 100 quid for the packaged version), i believe vmware would be a very valuable study tool for anyone studying A+. think about it:

1) it enables you to gain some experience installing operating systems you need to be able to install (although Phoenix tells me 95 isnt supported, but thats a small hurdle, since in most instances if you had to reinstall 95, you would probably advise a newer system, lol)
2) once the system is running, it provides you with a virtual environment to work on the relevant os techniques for each system (ie performance monitoring tools, etc).

all this without the necessity of purchasing multiple machines to run the different os'es, or having to mess around trying to set up a multiboot system. the only real problem would be (i think) learning about installing new (virtual) hardware, although i admit i havent tried this yet.

in the long run, i think vmware would further ensure that you passed the A+ exam, and provide valuable experience with each OS, for a lower cost. and if you intend to progress to N+, etc, it would probably serve you in good stead for those too.

as another thought, it would allow (i think) you to install a program from the internet, and check for spyware/adware installed alongside before running the program from the host OS.

Fergal

 

um, what i meant was 95 is an unsupport product by microsoft, but that doesnt mean its suddenly free and without liscence restrictions

 

ah ok. apologies. for some reason, i thought you meant that vmware didnt support the OS. (DOH!).

Fergal

 

I do that with most apps I download, it gives you a great oppportunity to sound the program out without adding to your main PC.

There is also an Microsoft Virtual form MS, Im not sure of the price though but its worth a look.

 

ok, can any of you point me in the direction of a reliable source for downloading the current beta of longhorn. i know its available on the msdn site, but im not a member (of course, if anyone would be willing to temporarily change their msdn password and pm me with the details so i could download it before changing their password back, that would be great! lol), so was looking for another source! ive had a look on the web, but all the sources i've found seem to go in circles, and im not sure about the reliability of said sources.

now that i have vmware, i thought i could try longhorn out without putting my system at risk!

Thanks
Fergal

 

its not publicly available, hence why yo ucant find it
i doubt an MSDN subscriber would be willing to do that as its generally tied to thier passport account (a whole lot more than just MSDN access) and it would be a big breach of the TOS

try one of the big bittorrent sites, they will llikely have it, but i dont think i cant give you much more advice than that without having my post deleted lol

 

yeah i suspected as much. i did find a site that provides downloads of the current beta, but they require you to be an actively posting member. i dont really want to join the network, and besides, i think it would be quite cheeky to post for a while to get the link. ill keep looking for alternative sites!

Fergal

 

well at least this will be a good learning curve for muggins here too...thanks Phoenix and Fergal all I need to do now is get money to upgrade my system...I need a bigger HDD (120GB), DVD writer, at least 2GB of RAM and a 256MB AGP card.

 

im guessing the 256mb graphics card is not for vmwares benefit?

 

U got that right Phoenix...hopefully if and when I do get VMWare then I will see what its like to play serious games with full blown graphics...but I take it 128MB will still be ok for VMWare? I mean what sort of spec are we talking here so I can be totally sure?

 

err, i wouldnt even bother installing games in vmware
and you will never get any real 3d graphics

remember VMWare emulates graphics, it uses its own driver (vmware) and its own made up hardware (vmware gfx card) it wont matter what graphics card you have,

and you will have a hard time playing games while vmware is running, so make good use of the 'suspend' and 'off' buttons

will be getting a 256mb Geforce 6800 Ultra PCIe card as soon as i get a new bloomin job (upon return to england)

 

right I see...but what sort of spec would I really be considering?

 

my article recommends some specs
high on the list are memory and processor

disk speed is great, but no ones going to spend a grand on a 200gb SCSI RAID array so dont worry too much about that

really depends on how much you plan on running
im using my Pentium 4 1.8Ghz laptop
512MB DDR333 memory
Radeon 7500 64mb Graphics card
60GB 5400 RPM hard disk
and i run 1 virtual machine at a time, and it really hampers performance on the laptop, but i need a damn linux gui running to tunnell X over SSH from my headless server! (doh)

for a decent VM lab you want 1GB ram, 80GB hdd, P4 2.6 or Approx but will work on lower speced processors

read my article for the run down

 

My host PC is a Athlon XP2700+ with 1gig of PC333 DDR memory and I can have two virtual machines running with no problems. There is a little lag depending on the tasks being carried out but nothing that makes it unbearable.

 

I've just put spec on the other post but I'll put it here so if you want to remove it from the other post guys your welcome. basically my spec is Athlon XP2500+ OCd to Athlon XP3200+ , 512MB PC333 DDR RAM, 80GB HDD 7200 RPM 8MB cache, 128MB AGP, and mobo is MSI K7N2-ILSR Delta. so would this be ok? BTW nice article Phoenix...really helps mate...I got the day off tomorrow so I may start on it then and hopefully even download SP2!!!

 

Make that 512MB of RAM up to a gig and you'll be fine to run at least two virtual machines on that host. There may be some slight performance issues but nothing that will make it unusable.

If your thinking of more that 2 virtual machines then push up the memory another 512mb and I'm sure you'll get 3 running fine.

Taz69 also made a good point: