Zamba's VMware page

Since I used VMware for the first time I have been fascinated about the virtualization technology.

On this page I put up some useful things for use with VMware products. Have fun, but use at your own risk.

If you want to contact me, see the end of the page.

Overview

• (Software) VMRemote
• (Software) Shell extension for VMware DiskMount
• (Software) MS-DOS / Windows 3.1 driver package
• (Software) Windows for Workgroups 3.11 driver package
• (Article) Logging on to a Windows Server 2003 domain from older DOS/Windows systems
• (Article) Finding the right virtual sound card and driver for your guest operating system
• (Article) Playing games in virtual machines
• Links
• Page History

(Software) VMRemote

VMware Workstation 5 includes a very nice tool, vmrun, that allows the user to control some VMware functions via the command line, mostly to start and stop virtual machines.

The tool VMRemote takes this further by exposing vmrun's commands to the network so they can be executed from another computer. VMRemote and its client require the .NET Framework 1.1.

Features of version 1.2:

• Supports all commands of Workstation 5.5:
  • List, start, stop, reset and suspend virtual machines or teams
  • Upgrade file format and virtual hardware
  • Install tools
  • List, revert to, take, delete snapshot(s)
• Client API is a separate class library, which makes it reusable
• Server can log all actions executed

Download VMRemote 1.2    Requires .NET Framework 1.1

Download VMRemote 1.2 Client API docs (for developers, extract into client directory)

(Software) Shell extension for VMware DiskMount

On the offical VMware page the command-line tool DiskMount can be downloaded which allows offline mounting of VMware virtual disks as a drive letter.

The shell extension lets you mount such virtual disks via a Windows Explorer context menu.

Download shell extension

Update August 23, 2008: Starting with version 6, VMware Workstation includes its own feature to mount virtual disks offline. This feature also contains a shell extension. Since there is some functional difference to DiskMount, there are still reasons to use DiskMount rather that the Workstation mechanism.

There's one difference between the two mounting mechanisms that almost kills the Workstation feature for me: Safety. DiskMount doesn't let you mount a disk that is part of a snapshot chain. If you modify such a disk, you'll damage your snapshots. The Workstation mechanism doesn't have this safety net and you are on your own. That's why they recommend to mount disks read only. Now, how can you copy files into a VM and feel safe that you don't accidentially corrupt it at the same time?

DiskMount is no longer a standalone download, it is now part of the VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit.

Update October 25, 2008: Updated shell extension to version 1.1 for compatibility to the VMware Virtual Disk Development Kit.

(Software) MS-DOS / Windows 3.1 driver package

I've put together a package containing drivers and tools for using with MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 within VMware products. For Windows for Workgroups drivers, take a look at this other package.

Download driver package

The package contains:

• Microsoft Network Client 3.0
• Network card driver for AMD PCNET cards (NDIS2)
• CD-ROM driver
• Sound driver for SoundBlaster 16
• DOSIdle tool

Basically, I recommend copying all files in the archive into an INSTALL directory within the virtual machine, such as C:\INSTALL. Below I'll outline the steps to install each component.

	Microsoft Network Client 3.0 / Network card driver: In DOS mode, change to the MSCLIENT directory and run SETUP.EXE. As the adapter, select "*Network adapter not shown on list below" and enter C:\INSTALL\AMDPCNET as the driver directory to install the drivers for the "Advanced Micro Devices PCNET Family" adapter. Configure other settings & protocols as you wish. There is a good step-by-step article at WindowsNetworking.com. Note that the TCP/IP protocol, which is vital for connecting to the Internet, is not installed by default.
	Activating the network in Windows 3.1: In Windows, open Windows Setup and go to Options > Change System settings > Network Select "Microsoft Network (or 100% Compatible)". "Microsoft LAN Manager 2.1" also works. Important: The MS-DOS network drivers must be loaded for the network to function in Windows.
	CD-ROM driver: In DOS mode, go into the CDROM directory and run INSTALL.EXE. You should use the "Easy Install" option unless you have problems.
	Sound driver: The included drivers are for DOS and Windows. First you have to change a setting in the virtual machine config file, to get the SB16. This is because VMware products supply a different type of sound card per default. Power off the VM, open the configuration file (.vmx) in an editor, find the line starting with "sound.virtualDev" and change it to sound.virtualDev = "sb16". The line may not be present, in this case you have to add it. After the change power on the VM again. In DOS mode, go to the SB16 directory and run INSTALL.EXE. You should accept the defaults unless you have problems.
	DOSidle tool: MS-DOS does not idle the CPU when there's nothing to do. This does not affect the operating system, but when running in VMware products, it takes up all the processor power on the host. In DOS mode, start DOSIDLE.EXE from the DOSIDLE directory to activate CPU idling. Put it into your AUTOEXEC.BAT to start it automatically when booting.

(Software) Windows for Workgroups 3.11 driver package

I've put together a package containing drivers and important updates for running Windows for Workgroups 3.11 within VMware products. For MS-DOS and Windows 3.1 drivers, take a look at this other package.

Download driver package

The package contains:

• Network card driver for AMD PCNET cards (NDIS2/NDIS3)
• TCP/IP protocol driver
• CD-ROM driver
• Sound driver for SoundBlaster 16
• Y2K Update for File Manager
• Euro support
• Super VGA driver patch

Basically, I recommend copying all files in the archive into an INSTALL directory within the virtual machine, such as C:\INSTALL. Below I'll outline the steps to install each component.

	Network card driver: Requires that the Microsoft Network was installed when Windows was installed. In Windows, open Windows Setup and go to Options > Change Network Settings > Network Drivers > Drivers > Add Adapter > Unlisted or Updated Network Adapter Browse to the AMDPCNET directory to install the drivers for the "Advanced Micro Devices PCNET Family" adapter. TCP/IP protocol driver: For connecting to the Internet, this protocol is vital. For other network connections it's optional, depending on what you want to do. In Windows, open Windows Setup and go to Options > Change Network Settings > Network Drivers > Drivers > Add Protocol > Unlisted or Updated Protocol Browse to the TCP32B directory If you only want to use the TCP/IP protocol, you can remove the other protocols like IPX/SPX or NetBEUI. If you want to keep other protocols, you might want to set the TCP/IP protocol as the default protocol.
	CD-ROM driver: In DOS mode, go into the CDROM directory and run INSTALL.EXE. You should use the "Easy Install" option unless you have problems.
	Sound driver: The included drivers are for DOS and Windows. First you have to change a setting in the virtual machine config file, to get the SB16. This is because VMware products supply a different type of sound card per default. Power off the VM, open the configuration file (.vmx) in an editor, find the line starting with "sound.virtualDev" and change it to sound.virtualDev = "sb16". The line may not be present, in this case you have to add it. After the change power on the VM again. In DOS mode, go to the SB16 directory and run INSTALL.EXE. You should accept the defaults unless you have problems.
	Y2K Update for File Manager: The File Manager shows wrong dates for files changed in or after the year 2000. To fix this, go to the WFWY2KUP directory in DOS mode and run INSTALL.BAT with the name of your Windows directory as parameter, for example "INSTALL C:\WINDOWS".
	Euro support: This updates the keyboard drivers and fonts to include the Euro (€) symbol. It's optional if you don't need Euro support in your VM. In DOS mode, go into EURO_DEU directory and run W31_EURO.BAT with the name of your Windows directory as parameter, for example "W31_EURO C:\WINDOWS". Note that this install batch is german. The last output of that script should read "Fertig", meaning "Done". Then copy the additional Euro fonts from the EUROFONT directory to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.
	Super VGA driver patch: This is a patch Ken Kato wrote to make Super VGA work under WFW 3.11 in a VMware environment. It might also work for Win 3.1, but I did not test that. The patch files are in the VGAPATCH directory, be sure to read the included documentation. To test the new graphics mode, I used a colorful LCARS image I found on the net as a wallpaper.

(Article) Logging on to a Windows Server 2003 domain from older DOS/Windows systems

If you have an MS-DOS or older Windows system running (Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98/ME or below), logon attempts from such versions to a Windows Server 2003 domain fail out of the box because Windows Server 2003 domain controllers have communication signing (SMB signing) enabled by default and the old systems do not support it. SMB signing was introduced to prevent malicious users from tampering or intercepting network traffic.

If you need a quick-and-dirty solution for compatibility reasons, simply turn of SMB signing at the domain controller - see below for how to do this. For more details about this issue and ways to resolve it, see Microsoft's KB entries 811497 and 555038.

How to disable communication signing on Windows Server 2003:

• Open Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Domain Controller Security Policy
• In the tree, open Local Policies > Security Options
• On the right, find "Microsoft network server: Digitally sign communications (always)" and set it to Disabled or remove the check mark in front of "Define this policy setting"

(Article) Finding the right virtual sound card and driver for your guest operating system

The default sound card emulated in VMware Workstation is a Sound Blaster PCI 128. By modifying the machine configuration file (VMX file), the card can also be changed to a different one, like the Sound Blaster 16, which is especially useful for MS-DOS and Windows 3.x VMs.

The following table shows which drivers to use for for Windows and MS-DOS operating systems:

¹The entry is only for selecting the sound card device, not to add a new virtual sound card. It might not be present if the default emulated sound card is in use.

²Some of the systems might already include the necessary drivers and in this case no separate driver needs to be installed.

(Article) Playing games in virtual machines

I also like playing games, not only current ones, but also older games. The following is a list of operating systems that can or cannot be used for playing games in a virtual machine.

This list is specific to VMware Workstation and is solely based on my own opinion.

Experiences with the new Direct3D Support in VMware Workstation 6.5

When I tried out this feature the first time, I set all graphics settings in the games to minimum. It was still too slow for me, not fluid enough. Either my machine was too old for this or there is some improvent potential on VMware's side. On the host, I was able to play all the games in high quality without noticeable problems.

The first lesson I learned, was that upgrading to the Workstation 6.5 hardware version is absolutely necessary, to get something useful regarding 3D performance. Done that, the performance was still unsatisfying. In the end, it turned out that my host machine was underpowered for this task (Intel P4 "Prescott" @ 3 GHz with an ATI Radeon X800 GT).

So a decent machine is required, even for older games. I upgraded the host's hardware and it became better (Intel Core2Duo @ 3,16 GHz with an ATI Radeon HD 3850).

I tested the following games with the new host hardware:

• Max Payne 2 (2003): High quality graphics settings @ 1680x1050x32; Subjective performance: OK
• No One Lives Forever 2 (2004) - High quality graphics settings; Subjective performance: OK
• Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007) - Moderate graphics settings @ 1680x1050; Subjective performance: Moderate, ~15 fps on average (not calculated, just by looking at the FPS counter from time to time)

Graphics settings for Max Payne 2:

Links

The page author is not responsible for the contents of the linked pages.

Page history

VMware is a trademark of VMware, Inc. I'm not affiliated with this company in any way, just another user of their great software.