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News (Saturday, 19-Jan-2008 20:16:10 +0200): Here are some notes I've made when I've configured openSUSE for my own use. Here I'll find them easily. And while they're online they can be found by anyone else interested in doing same things.
In case you find errors in the information, please inform me using the feedback link above.
"Only wimps use tape backup:_real_ men just upload their important stuff on ftp,and let the rest of the world mirror it." Linus Torvalds 1996.

Installing VMware in openSUSE Article last modified: Saturday, 07-Jun-2008 13:22:47 +0300

Installing VMware Server in openSUSE

The steps in Installing VMware on an openSUSE OSS host computer is pretty straight forward:

1. Install kernel source and compiler if not installed already.
2. Run online update.
3. Install VMware, preferably RPM with Yast.
4. Prepare the kernel.
5. Configure VMware kernel modules.
6. Run VMware and install guest OS.
7. Install VMTools

The first thing to do before anything else on the host is to make sure to have the kernel source and a compiler available.
So go to Yast Software Management and check kernel source. Iinstall also gcc and gcc-c++ compilers, I'm not sure if just one of them will do. No harm done if they both are there.
If you didn't have the kernel source and you installed it now, let YOU run an update after installing the kernel source, otherwise your current kernel and the source may be different versions. After the update everything should work perfectly in this matter.
When that is all set, it's time to install VMware. I used my normal procedure using the RPM package and Yast. After Yast has done its job:
Become root, then:

cd /usr/src/linux
make mrproper
make cloneconfig
make modules_prepare
After this you go ahead as instructed by VMware and run:
vmware-config.pl
You will be asked a few questions, accepting all the defaults is quite OK. Then exit.
Now it's time to start the virtual environment. You can start it in K-menu System > More programs
or in command line:
/usr/bin/vmware
On the first time go to help first and give the serial number given to you by VMware.

Installing a Windows guest OS

After this you install the Guest OS as you prefer it. Installing the guest OS takes place just the way you would install it on a machine that has a new unformatted hard disk.
The methods depend on the OS. Whichever OS you install, to move in and out of the guest OS window, press Ctrl+Alt. You need to do this until the VMTools is installed after the guest OS is working. You can start the installation of the new machine by booting it from a floppy, CD/DVD or an ISO image. The image to use instead of a disk can be chosen on the setup page of the virtual machine. There's a box you can tick to choose to use an image instead of a CD/DVD and the path to the image.
My first test was Windows 98SE.
Once the guest is installed it's time to install VMTools.
VMTools is a set of drivers that makes your graphical environment work the way it does in the normal OS.
The features of your monitor can be utilized as well as you can move in and out of the Virtual machine window. VMTools is an item in the Windows control panel when installed. The monitor settings are done the normal Windows way when VMTools is installed. This is described in the VM documentation. In linux you need to do a little bit more to install and start VMTools.

VMwareTools in openSUSE

Along with openSUSE 11.0 the open-vm-tools (open source) is included. It should be installed by default whenever you install openSUSE 11.0 as a guest OS.
Power on the OpenSUSE guest and test in terminal as root:
rpm -q open-vm-tools
In case it's not installed, it can be installed with YaST from the software repository.
No additional steps are required for the installation, just check as root:
chkconfig vmware-guest
In case it is not on, turn it on:
chkconfig vmware-guest on
Now you should be in business.

Installing the VMware Tools version that comes with VMware

You'll need, just as it was the case with the host OS, the kernel source and a compiler again also in the guest OS. So install them, again the normal route. Once that is done you proceed to installing VMTools.
All the steps to install VMwareTools
1. Install kernel source and c-compiler if not already installed
2. Make a directory /mnt/cdrom
3. Pull then down the menu VM and choose to install VMTools. You may see warning about guest having locked the CDRom. It, OK, say Yes.
4. Then, as root: mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom
5. A CD ISO image is mounted. Open that directory in Konqueror. There's an RPM VMwareTools. Klick on that and choose to install with Yast when asked.
You can also install the RPM the normal way from the command line:
rpm -Uvh /mnt/cdrom/name.of.the.rpm
If you use command line run also
SuSEconfig (note case)
6. Then in terminal, become root and:
cd /usr/src/linux
make cloneconfig
make prepare-all
7. After the compilation run, still as root:
vmware-config-tools.pl
8. Accept the other questions with enter, but the question of screen resolution requires you to choose one of the options.
9. Run command: vmware-toolbox &
10. Reboot guest.
It's also good practice (it's also very easy) to make snapshots of the installation, so you don't need to reinstall windows anymore when it crashes or just gets corrupted. You just trash your Windows installed files and return to a fresh version. You may also want to run different configurations of Windows. Clone them and then just make another one out of a clone. This comes real handy while running different experiments and tests.
Vahis, Saturday, 07-Jun-2008 13:22:47 +0300.