-=PCTechTalk=- Re: VMs
- From: Disastar <disastar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:13:39 -0500
Yipes! That is a lot of questions. Hehe... OK, since you seem to want all
the details I will talk about my experience with VMware Workstation. MS
Virtual PC may be a little different but they are basically the same.
First of all, the VM runs in a window on the host OS (which is the OS you
install the VM software on), so there is no need to uninstall one of your
current OS's unless you need the disk space. VMware has a full screen
option (and I imagine Virtual PC does also) so it can hide the host OS if
you need the full screen to work with. The guest OS is the OS you install
in the VM.
You start out running VMware and telling it to create your first VM. It
asks how much resources to allocate to it like:
- Memory: The memory you allocate will be taken from the host OS when you
run the VM. I find that 600 MB works pretty good for WinXP, but I don't
install a ton of software in the VM.
- Disk space (HD's): This also will be taken from the host OS, but VMware
gives you the option of allocating the whole space up front for better
performance, or allocate the space on the host OS as you use it in the guest
OS. You can allocate as many virtual drives as you like (and have space
for). You can also add a HD that uses a physical drive on the host OS. I
usually allocate between 10 and 20 GB, but the space you allocate depends on
what you plan on installing.
- NIC (Network Interface Cards): Often referred to as Ethernet Cards for
network and/or internet access. VMware has several options available to
customize what kind of network or internet access you use. The most common
option for home use would be 'NAT' which will set up a private network
between the guest and host which will give you access to the host's internet
access.
- CD/DVD drives: You can configure these drives to either use drives on the
host OS or ISO images. ISO's are disk images of a CD-ROM or DVD disk.
- Shared folders: These are folders on your host OS that you will see as a
network share on the guest OS to make it easy to transfer files between the
guest and host OS's.
- You can also configure or add sound cards, serial ports, parallel ports,
and some others.
- The setup wizard also asks what OS you plan on installing in the guest VM
so it knows what hardware to emulate.
Now that you have the VM set up, you can install an OS on the guest from
CD/DVD just like a real PC. Just make sure the drive you put the disk in is
seen in the VM. If its not in the VM, just add a new CD/DVD drive that uses
that drive.
Ed
-----Original Message-----
From: pctechtalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:pctechtalk-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Lilian
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 10:26 PM
To: pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: VMs
Hi Gman
That was a very thorough reply... I have gone through it but will have to do
a few more runs for it to sink in. I am really interested in this, but if I
don´t reply imediately its just that I´m away from puter but will get back
asp.
"Then, you install an operating system within it (on the
virtual hard drive space you dedicated when you set it up) and treat it just
like any other operating system."
How does this work? If you have 2 OSs you install one on the Virtual Drive?
And the other stays where it is? But how do you access the OS in the VM?
Is the "main" computer´s OS (for instance, XP x32) the "gateway"? I´ve been
looking at space, and found I may not have enough space the way it is at the
moment. I have 2 X 250GB, but are both partitioned. I have 2 empty
partitions which could be put together and would give me 150GB. What about
the partition where XP x64 is at the moment (80GB). I don´t quite grasp
this bit... I would have to remove (uninstall) one OS, create the virtual
environment in the space allocated for it then install the second OS inside
this. Is that it???
Another question, is it possible to do all the above and knock 2 or 3
partitions together without formatting the other partitions? Just being
lazy here <bg> I haven´t the time and inclination at the moment to go
through all the bother of reinstalling... XP x64 is still fairly empty but
not XP X32!!!
So, with a VM, when you fire it up it will use up RAM in addition to the RAM
used by the host, instead of just one OS like in a dual boot. I will
deffinitely have to get more RAM... I only have 1.5 GB.
Anyway its a start :o)) Will catch up tomorrow!
Lil
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gman" <gman.pctt@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2009 4:46 AM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- Re: VMs
Glad to see you back, Lil. :)
A Virtual Machine refers to a program that runs on a host computer just like
any other program does, but it allows you to create a completely (or almost
completely) separate virtual system within it.
It works by allowing you to create a virtual computer within it by
dedicating a certain amount of your free hard drive space and some of your
installed RAM to its use. You get to choose just how much space and RAM can
be used by this virtual system and your own system (the host) is reduced by
that amount whenever you have the virtual system running. So, if you have
200GB of free hard drive space and 2GB of RAM installed in your system, you
might dedicate 30GB of hard drive space and 512MB of RAM to a virtual
system. Whenever you run that system, your own computer would be reduced by
those amounts so that those resources can be used within the virtual
machine's program. Obviously, this is not a good idea if you don't have
much space or RAM installed, but it can do wonders for those with a system
that is powerful enough to handle the reduction.
Once you install a VM, you create a virtual system within it by specifying
how much space and RAM you want it to 'borrow' from your main system when
it's running. Then, you install an operating system within it (on the
virtual hard drive space you dedicated when you set it up) and treat it just
like any other operating system. If you install XP or Vista, it will need
to be Activated just like any other XP or Vista installation. Once the OS
is installed, you'll want to also install your favorite security apps and
whatever else you might want to run within it. The same thing goes for
Windows Updates, service packs, etc.. I currently use Ms's VirtualPC 2007
SP1 and have separate VM's set up for XP Pro, Vista Ultimate and a blank
hard drive space I can use to test various operating system installation
disks. Each of these VM's are stored on my hard drive (they take up less
space than what I dedicated to them when they're not running), but they do
not take away any RAM from my main system until I actually fire one of them
up.
The thing you heard about Microsoft and Sun is not related at all to what
we're discussing here. Microsoft used to supply their own version of Java
which would be automatically installed on every WinXP system and they
referred to it as their "Virtual Machine", but it was only a Java substitute
and not a virtual PC creation app. They were sued by Sun for patent
infringement and part of the settlement was that MS could no longer offer
their own version. The first time you install the real Java made by Sun,
the MS version is removed from the operating systems. It's just as well
since MS's version had all sorts of compatability problems they had a hard
time trying to solve. lol
There are several different Virtual Machine programs available. Some, like
Microsoft's VirtualPC 2007 SP1 are completely free to download and use.
Others like Sun's VMWare cost a bit, but provide more options that might be
important to your needs (such as 64-bit OS support). If you tell us what
you've been thinking about doing with one of these, we'll be in a much
better position to recommend the one that will give you all you need.
Ask questions until you're compppletely satisfied that you understand what
they are, how to use them, what they can do for you or any other subtopic
you wish to bring up. There are several of us who use them and not all of
us use the same VM software, so you'll get a nice wide view of what's
available to you. :)
Peace,
Gman
http://www.bornagainamerican.org
"The only dumb questions are the ones we fail to ask"
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lilian" <lilian.oswaldocruz@xxxxxxxxx>
To: "PCTechTalk" <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2009 9:33 PM
Subject: -=PCTechTalk=- VMs
> Hi everyone,
>
> I´ve been AWOL from the group due to internet problems and lack of time.
> Took me some time to get the router and 3G modem to live in peace and not
> having much spare time to do this meant there were quite a few days I
> didn´t
> even switch the computers on! But now all is ok and the 3 computers are
> linked and able to go online. I have a question, though... My main
> computer
> is a dual boot (Win XP 32bits and Win XP 64 bits). I´ve read about
> Virtual
> Machine that allows you to switch from one os to another without having to
> reboot. But I have no idea what a VM is and how it works. I looked it
> up
> in Google and found these sites below that gave me some insight. I also
> read that Microsoft has a virtual machine but because of legal problems
> with
> SunJava its not offering it for download anymore.
>
> http://www.vmware.com/virtualization/
> https://www.vmware.com/tryvmware/?p=esxi
>
> I don´t know if I am reading the correct articles, but any info you can
> give
> me on the subject will be appreciated :o))
>
> Lil
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