Installing VMWare Tools with VMWare Player

Once you have your virtual environment setup and an OS installed, it is very likely that the system will not perform to its absolute potential. That’s because the “hardware” which VMPlayer and VMWorkstation emulate is not supported by Windows or Linux by default. That’s where VMWare Tools comes into play. VMWare tools supplies all the necessary drivers along with several handy tools and applications to extend the functionality of VMWare Workstation and VMWare Player.

However, here is the catch: VMWare Tools is not available as a separate download and only comes bundled with the VMWare Workstation and, moreover, VMWare Workstation is not a free application.

There is a way to get around this though. As of this writing, it is still possible to download a “trial” copy of VMWare Workstation. You will most likely need to uninstall VMWare Player (if it’s installed) and then install the evaluation copy of VMWare Workstation. Once VMWare Workstation is installed and you boot up your virtual Windows or Linux OS, simply click VM->Install VMWare Tools… in the menu. This will automatically connect an ISO image on your hard drive to the virtual CD-ROM/DVD drive. For Windows users, this means the “autoplay” feature should automatically bring up the installation program for you. For Linux users, it will mount the drive and open a file browser, where you can either install the RPM (recommended) or install from source.

So what happens when the evaluation copy of VMWare Workstation finally expires? If you enjoyed using it and found it to be far superior than VMWare Player – why not consider purchasing the full-blown version? If this is not possible, you can always remove VMWare Workstation from your system (via Add/Remove Programs) and re-install VMWare Player. The installation of VMWare Tools will not be removed if you remove VMWare Workstation.

Another option is to copy the VMWare Tools ISO files (each OS should have its own ISO file) from the VMWare Workstation installation to a backup location for future use. This of course assumes you have purchased the full version of VMWare Tools. Doing a search for “.iso” should show you the location for your installed version. Once copied to a backup location, you can now easily mount the ISO file within your VMWare virtual environment and install VMWare Tools.

Realtek drivers for Vista

Is it just me, or is anyone else experiencing new Realtek drivers being pushed through Windows Update (Vista) every week or two? It seems every time I update my Vista laptop (Toshiba) I am offered yet a new version of some Realtek drivers – WiFi, ethernet, or audio. Can they not get it right the first time? On the same topic, is anyone else having problems with the default wireless connection reconnecting to the access point after resuming from sleep, stand-by, or hibernation? Every once-in-a-while, I need to “disconnect” from the default connection, then, reconnect in order for it to work again. Annoying. Is this a Vista or Realtek driver issue?

Linux + Onboard SATA RAID

Are you considering using the onboard RAID feature of your SATA controller? Before you dive head-on into this project – there are a few things you should know.

Recently, my job took me into territory that was somewhat unfamiliar – the server realm. When I say server, I don’t mean a home server most of us Linux enthusiasts have. I mean a server – dual Opteron, 8GB RAM, and 2 x 320GB hard drives. The kind of server that can handle complex database queries in a matter of a few nano seconds. The kind of server that must be 100% secure and reliable. Our hope was to run the drives in a RAID-1 configuration for maximum stability. For those unfamiliar with RAID, a RAID-1 array mirrors data from one drive to another. This can really speed up disk reads and also gives you a very stable environment when using failover support – i.e. if one drive happens to die on you, the OS will automatically rollover to the backup disk. I had never setup a RAID array before, but felt confident that it could not be too difficult – of course, I was wrong.

The motherboard we selected for our server (a Tyan S2881) has four SATA connectors and a RAID controller. On initial power-up, I entered the BIOS and enabled the RAID controller for the SATA. Once RAID had been enabled, I entered the RAID BIOS and created the RAID-1 array using both disks. Assuming the RAID controller would handle everything else and that Linux would detect it, I continued with my installation of RedHat Enterprise Linux 4.0

I was gravely mistaken. Here is the issue: most newer motherboards that claim to have RAID support, have what is known as FakeRAID – essentially a software RAID. Drivers for these FakeRAID controllers found on most motherboards is not really supported in newer kernels. In my case, a Silicon Image 3114 controller, had a driver in the kernel but only supported the standard SATA protocol and did not enable any of the FakeRAID features of this chipset. Reading on boards and forums around the ‘net, I was informed that disabling the RAID controller in the BIOS and simply using the built-in software RAID within Linux was a much better alternative and was no better or worse than using the FakeRAID for my chipset.

Unsure if these claims were true, I spent some time finding a linux driver for my Silicon Image 3114 RAID controller. The manufacturer had them posted on their website along with installation directions. Half a work day was spent wrestling with these drivers reformating, repartionting. In the end I abandoned the idea of using the onboard RAID controller and proceeded to use the Software RAID option found in RedHat Linux.

After a successful install of RedHat Enterprise Linux 4 onto a RAID-1 array, I found that the boot loader was not correctly installed. If you run into the case where, after a successful install of Linux onto a RAID array, you are presented with simply: “GRUB” at boot up – do not worry. Grab your install CD or DVD and boot using “linux rescue”. Once booted, run:

grub
root (hd0,0)
setup (hd0)

Now reboot and you should be in business. Don’t forget to remove the install CD or DVD from the drive.

Heed my words, unless the RAID controller on your motherboard is a true hardware RAID controller, do not waste your time trying to get the FakeRAID working.