[Quantian-general] vmtools and vmplayer

[Simon Blomberg]

Dirk Eddelbuettel wrote:
> Hi Simon,
>
> On 18 July 2006 at 10:57, Simon Blomberg wrote:
> | Hi everyone,
> | 
> | I used the following link as a hint to installing VMtools inside my
> | guest Quantian setup. VMtools supposedly provides some performance
> | enhancements, but the most useful thing that I have noticed is that it
> | synchronises the Quantian clock with the host clock. VMtools is only
> | available as part of VMworkstation, but apparently there are no
> | copyright issues with using it with VMplayer.
> | 
> | http://www.brandonhutchinson.com/Installing_VMware_Tools_with_VMware_Player.html
>
> I glanced at that page but found it to be terse. What exactly do the the
> VMtools offer?
>   
 From the vmware Tools help file:


When you install VMware Tools, you install:

    * The VMware Tools Service, also known as vmware-guestd on Linux and 
FreeBSD guests, that runs in the background of your virtual machine. For 
more information, see Understanding the VMware Tools Service.
    * A set of VMware device drivers that smooth operations. Drivers 
include:
          o The VMware SVGA display driver.
          o The vmxnet networking driver for some guest operating systems.
          o The VMware mouse driver.
          o The shared folders driver (for virtual machines running 
under Workstation).
          o The VMware memory control driver (for virtual machines 
running under ESX Server).
    * The VMware Tools control panel that lets you modify settings, 
shrink virtual disks, and connect and disconnect virtual devices. For 
more information, see Using the VMware Tools Control Panel.
    * A set of scripts that help automate guest operating system 
operations; the scripts run when the virtual machine's power state 
changes. For more information, see Using Scripts.
    * A component that supports copying and pasting text between the 
guest and host operating systems.

Installation files for VMware Tools for all supported Windows, Linux, 
NetWare and FreeBSD guest operating systems are built into your VMware 
product.
About the VMware Device Drivers

With the VMware SVGA driver installed, the virtual machine can utilize 
up to 32-bit displays and high display resolution, with significantly 
faster overall graphics performance. If you run a guest operating system 
without VMware Tools, the graphics environment within the virtual 
machine is limited to VGA mode graphics (640x480, 16 color) and display 
performance may be unsatisfactory.

The VMware virtual SCSI driver is a BusLogic driver. Note that some 
recent guest operating systems contain LSI Logic drivers and can take 
advantage of the virtual LSI Logic adapter for better device 
performance. You specify whether to use the BusLogic or LSI Logic SCSI 
adapter when you create the virtual machine.

The vmxnet networking driver improves network performance. Search the 
VMware Knowledge Base for information on which guest operating systems 
are supported with the vmxnet driver. The vlance driver is installed 
automatically when you created the virtual machine

The VMware mouse driver improves mouse performance in some guest 
operating systems. It is necessary for use with third party tools like 
Microsoft's Terminal Services.

The VMware shared folders driver is recommended if you plan on using 
this virtual machine with Workstation. Excluding this driver prevents 
you from sharing a folder between your virtual machine and the 
Workstation host.

The VMware memory control driver is recommended if you plan on using 
this virtual machine with ESX Server. Excluding this driver hinders the 
memory management capabilities of the virtual machine running on an ESX 
Server system.

Cheers,

Simon.

-- 
Simon Blomberg, B.Sc.(Hons.), Ph.D, M.App.Stat.
Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies
The Australian National University
Canberra ACT 0200
Australia
T: +61 2 6125 7800 email: Simon.Blomberg_at_anu.edu.au
F: +61 2 6125 0757
CRICOS Provider # 00120C