Use VMware Tools

 

VMware Workstation installs unmodified operating systems directly from a floppy disk and/or CD-ROM. When constructing a virtual machine, this installation process is the first and only required step. However, VMWare strongly recommends that you install the VMware Tools suite immediately after installing the operating system on each virtual machine. It is important to install VMware Tools in the customer's operating system. If you do not install VMware Tools, the graphic environment in the virtual machine is limited to VGA mode graphics (640 x, 16 colors ). With VMware Tools, The svga driver is installed, and Vmware
Workstation supports up to 32-bit display and high display resolution, significantly improving overall graphics performance. Other tools in the toolkit support the following enhancements to make it easier for you to use your virtual machine. Note that these enhancements are available only when VMware Tools is running.

1. Synchronize time between the host and client
Note: Only when you set the clock in the customer's operating system to a time earlier than the time set in the host can you synchronize the time between the customer and the host operating system.

2. automatically capture and release the mouse cursor

3. copy and paste data between the host and the client, or from one virtual machine to another.

4. Improved network performance

 

The VMware Tools toolkit consists of two components:

1. A graphics driver optimized for VMware Workstation Virtual graphics card. For Linux client operating systems, it includes our own xfree86 X Server version. The graphics driver is installed by the wizard. After the installation, you must restart the instance before using it.

2. A small background application allows you to change the configuration settings in the virtual machine. VMware Workstation controls the connection status of the cursor settings and removable devices, such as floppy disks and CD-ROM drives.

The cursor setting allows you to smoothly move the mouse cursor between the VM and the host graphic user interface. The cursor setting also allows you to copy and paste text cache between the VM and the host, and from one VM to another. Note that these enhancements are available only when the application is running.

 

Install VMware Tools

1. Confirm to install VMware Tools in your customer operating system.

The installation files of VMware Tools for Windows, Linux, and FreeBSD operating systems are constructed as ISO image files in VMware Workstation. (An ISO image file seems like a CD-ROM for your customer operating system, and in Windows Explorer, it even appears as a CD-Rom. You don't need to install VMware Tools using an actual CD-ROM, and you don't need to download a CD-ROM image or burn a physical CD-Rom of this image file .)

Note: VMware Tools is not included in the NetWare 6 virtual machine. For more information, see
Www.vmware.com/download/netware_tools.html.

When you choose Settings> VMware Tools installation from the VMware Workstation window, temporarily connect the CD-ROM drive of the virtual machine to the image file and start the installation process. (If you decide not to continue the installation, choose settings-> cancel VMware Tools installation, and the CD-ROM drive of the Virtual Machine returns to its original configuration .)

2. Install VMware Tools for a Windows Guest, VMware Tools for a Linux guest, or VMware Tools for a freebsd guest on a virtual machine.

Note: When the tool is running, upgrading to an updated version of VMware Tools may not work properly. If a virtual machine running Windows NT or Windows 2000 is upgraded, an earlier version of VMware Tools may still seem to be working. Obviously, VMware Tools is not upgraded normally. As an experience, you should first exit VMware Tools before upgrading. To do this, click "cancel" on the VMware Tools control panel and install the new version of VMware Tools.

 

Set VMware Tools Parameters

1. Set parameters for VMware Tools in a Windows client operating system

1) Open VMware Tools. Double-click the VMware Tools icon in the system tray.

2) The VMware Tools tab contains the status information about the virtual machine. Click the link to access the VMware homepage.

3) The devices Tab allows you to enable or disable removable devices. (You can also set these options from the device menu in the VMware Workstation application window .)

4) The compression Tab allows you to delete unused disk blocks from your virtual disk to reduce (compress) the amount of storage space consumed by the virtual disk. It will also reschedule your virtual disk so that its data blocks are adjacent to each other.

5) other tabs show other options:

1. Synchronize time between the VM and the host operating system.
Note: Only when you set the clock in the customer's operating system to a time earlier than the time set in the host can you synchronize the time between the customer and the host operating system.

2. Display VMware Tools in the toolbar.

 

Set parameters for VMware Tools in a Linux operating system

1. Open VMware Tools. Run the following command on a terminal:
Vmware-toolbox.

2. The devices Tab allows you to enable or disable removable devices. (You can also set these options from the device menu in the VMware Workstation application window .)

3. The compression Tab allows you to delete unused disk blocks from your virtual disk to reduce (compress) the amount of storage space consumed by the virtual disk. It will also reschedule your virtual disk so that its data blocks are adjacent to each other.

4. The "options" tab displays these options:

Synchronize time between the VM and the host operating system. You can synchronize the time between the VM and the host operating system. Note: Only when you set the clock in the customer's operating system to a time earlier than the time set in the host can you synchronize the time between the customer and the host operating system.

 

Copy and paste

If you are running VMware Tools, you can copy and paste text between the VM and the Host application or between the two VMS. To copy and paste:

1. Make sure that you have installed and started VMware Tools on your VM.

2. Select the project to be copied in the source window using the methods supported by the operating system in the source window.

3. Change the cursor and keyboard to control the project to the target window, and paste the project as supported by the operating system in the target window.

Note: You can only copy and paste text, not images or other items.

 

Fragment of a Virtual Disk

You can organize the fragments of a virtual disk and reschedule the data on the virtual disk so that separate blocks that constitute specific files on the Virtual Disk are adjacent to each other. Use the fragment function to improve the performance of your virtual disk, but it does not reduce the amount of storage space that the Virtual Disk consumes in the host operating system.

You can also run the fragment function on an older virtual disk to convert it to the newer vmware workstation 3.1 format. If you run this function on a virtual disk created using a previous version of VMware Workstation and is running vmware workstation 3.1, this option is available.

If you choose to convert (upgrade) Your virtual disk, you will no longer be able to use this virtual disk in earlier versions of VMware Workstation.

Fragment of a Virtual Disk:

1. Select File> open to open the virtual machine configuration file (. vmx) You want to modify ).

2. Keep the VM shut down.

3. Select Settings> Configuration editor from workstation.

4. On the hardware tab, select a virtual disk from the device list.

5. Click "fragment" on the right ".

 

Compressing a Virtual Disk

With the compression feature provided in VMware Tools, You can physically recycle space in a virtual disk. For example, if you have deleted files from a virtual disk and want to reduce the amount of storage space that the Virtual Disk consumes in your host operating system, you can use the compression function to delete extra space from a virtual disk.

Run compression to perform these operations:

1. delete unused disk blocks from your virtual hard disk to reduce (compress) the amount of storage space consumed by Virtual Disks on your host operating system. Your virtual disk can still reach the maximum size specified at the initial creation.

2. Reschedule your virtual disk so that its data blocks are adjacent to each other. This provides better performance when virtual machines access disks.

3. convert old-format Virtual Disks to the new vmware workstation 3.x format (if you are running compression on a virtual disk from a previous version of VMware Workstation ). This prompt is displayed only when you compress a virtual disk created in a previous version of VMware Workstation and run the Virtual Disk in a new version of VMware Workstation. If you choose to convert (upgrade) Your virtual disk, you will no longer be able to use this virtual disk in earlier versions of VMware Workstation.

Note: To upgrade a virtual hard disk to VMware Workstation 3.x, choose Settings> Upgrade disk. Run this command without changing the disk storage mode; however, it changes the version of VMware workstation running on the virtual hard disk. For example, this command affects Virtual Hardware used by VMware Workstation (for example, virtual hardware supporting USB ).

The virtual disk to be compressed must be booted in permanent mode. (Before starting the VM, select Settings> Configuration Editor, select a virtual disk, and select "permanent" as the disk mode to modify the mode of a virtual disk .) This operation requires that the free disk space is equal to the size of the compressed virtual disk.

 

To compress a virtual disk in a Windows operating system:

1. Double-click the VMware Tools icon (usually in the system tray at the end of the task ).

2. Click the "compression" tab.

3. Select the disk you want to compress and click "prepare for compression ".

4. Follow the prompts on the screen.

To compress a virtual disk in a Linux operating system:

1. Open VMware Tools. If it is unavailable, load it by running vmware-toolbox.

2. Click the "compression" tab.

3. Select the mount point of the disk you want to compress and click "prepare for compression ".

4. Follow the prompts on the screen.

 

This article from the csdn blog, reproduced please indicate the source: http://blog.csdn.net/dzassn/archive/2007/05/31/1633577.aspx