VMware on Ubuntu

Andrew Hallam | | 28 July 2006, 08:15

In my previous post I relayed my experience with trying Ubuntu Linux as the primary operating system on my notebook. What I didn’t cover was how I transitioned from the Windows applications that I use. VMware Workstation to the rescue!

Moving to Linux doesn’t mean that I can, or want to, ditch Windows. Like everything else it has its problems, but the reality is that it’s a critical part of my IT landscape. For instance, I’m in the middle of developing a Windows application using Delphi. Doing that on Linux is…err…problematic. I also use a Palm application to manage my timehseets, and it syncs to an Access database, and timesheets are important. (Getting Palm Hotsync to work with VMware took a bit of fiddling.)

VMware Workstation

The VMware installation on Linux was a little more complex than the other Linux applications. I had to download the Linux kernel header files first. This was made easy by the Synaptic package manager. Then it was just a case of feeding the right paths to the install script and it was done.

The first time I used VMware was a blast. A 10 GB virtual machine was created for Windows XP. It was strange going through the install process. Seeing XP running inside a window on the Linux desktop, with copy and paste working between them, was a “no way!” moment. Go full screen and it’s just like the old days, only it boots a lot quicker and runs just a tiny bit slower.

As I have been getting the Windows XP installation up to speed I’ve been taking copies of the virtual machine. That gives me the ability to roll back to a known clean and stable configuration at any time. Now I’m free to test applications without worrying about what they will do to Windows. I can just copy a clean virtual machine and go again. VMware also has a snapshot capability which I’m still learning about.

The Good

  • It has been rock solid.
  • Copy and paste between Linux and Windows.
  • Easy to expose Linux directories to Windows.

The Bad

  • USB is 1.1 only. When you are used to USB 2.0 going back to 1.1 is painfully slow.
  • Linux and Windows were fighting over the Palm USB connection. Fixing that required a change in the virtual machine configuration file.
  • An update to the Linux kernel broke VMware. New kernel header files had to be downloaded and an update script run.

The experiment continues. So far so good…

Comments [11] »

  1. i have the same problem with my palm and vmware, but i don't found a solution yet, i removed the visor module from udev to prevent the figth :) but my mayor advance was the virtual machine recognize the device but not sincronize at all. Do you have any tips?

    I have ubuntu dapper.

    Regards

    pegardan — 8 September 2006, 18:05

  2. To get the Palm sync working I added the following line to the VMX file, after the ethernet settings and before the shared folder settings.

    [code]
    # Edit to allow Palm to sync
    usb.generic.skipSetConfig = "TRUE"
    [/code]

    Andrew Hallam — 12 September 2006, 06:07

  3. Excelent, works perfectly.

    thx to reply!

    pegardan — 15 September 2006, 13:28

  4. Thanks for the usb.generic.skipSetConfig = “TRUE” line. That's all I needed to sync my palm!

    Russell Lewis — 11 October 2006, 16:53

  5. I install vmware in kubuntu. after I install win xp in vmware, but in winxp i have some problem to use usb-port. infact, when i insert some pheriperials in the pc, win xp look at nothing.

    file config:

    #!/bin/vmware
    config.version = "8"
    virtualHW.version = "4"
    scsi0.present = "TRUE"
    memsize = "128"
    MemAllowAutoScaleDown = "FALSE"
    ide0:0.present = "TRUE"
    ide0:0.fileName = "Windows XP Professional-000001.vmdk"
    ide0:0.writeThrough = "TRUE"
    ide1:0.present = "TRUE"
    ide1:0.fileName = "/dev/hdd"
    ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-raw"
    floppy0.fileName = "/dev/fd0"
    ethernet0.present = "TRUE"
    ethernet0.connectionType = "bridged"
    usb.present = "TRUE"
    sound.present = "TRUE"
    sound.virtualDev = "es1371"
    displayName = "Windows XP Professional"
    guestOS = "winxppro"
    nvram = "Windows XP Professional.nvram"
    usb.generic.skipSetCfr25onfig = "TRUE"
    ide0:0.redo = ""
    ethernet0.addressType = "generated"
    uuid.location = "56 4d c0 51 fe 19 e8 cd-58 4a 9c bf c0 64 5b 9a"
    uuid.bios = "56 4d c0 51 fe 19 e8 cd-58 4a 9c bf c0 64 5b 9a"
    tools.remindInstall = "TRUE"
    ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:64:5b:9a"
    ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"

    usb.generic.autoconnect = "TRUE"
    uhci.syncWriteback = "TRUE"

    Luca — 12 January 2007, 13:58

  6. where IS the "vmx" file? What is its name?

    Thanks.

    Roger — 17 March 2007, 17:10

  7. Ok, i'm also having issues connecting USB in vmware XP. I'm running ubuntu and when i type lsusb, i see my device.

    when i start wmware and load in windows xp, no usb devices are recognized.


    usb.generic.skipSetCfr25onfig = "TRUE"

    could the above line in vmx file possibly help? what does that line do?

    twistedneck — 2 May 2007, 13:00

  8. Since upgrading to VMware Workstation 5.5.4 this is what I do:

    1. Run: sudo mount -t usbfs usbfs /proc/bus/usb
    2. Start VMware Workstation.
    3. Start Windows XP virtual machine, and log in.
    4. Make sure XP has the focus.
    5. Plug in Palm Pilot.
    6. Start Palm Desktop (which starts the HotSync applet).
    7. Synchronise.

    If someone has a better approach please leave a comment. Also, it looks like USB will be handled differently in the coming VMware Workstation 6.0.

    Andrew Hallam — 10 June 2007, 20:59

  9. Thanks! I used both of Andrew Hallam's tips (from 11 Sep 2006 and 10 June 2007) and it worked! I'm USB Syncing a Sprint Treo 755p to Windows XP Pro on VMWare Workstation 5.5.4 on Ubuntu Fiesta on a Dell Latitude D600.

    Brian Alano — 28 June 2007, 12:16

  10. Wow. Thanks Andrew Hallam! I have been searching for a way to get the treo to sync with a vmware host for a long, long time. I was getting truly sick of seeing

    usb.generic.skipSetConfig = “TRUE”

    which worked for me once and never again...

    So, a different USB filesystem? Fascinating...

    I'm USB Syncing a Verizon Treo 700p to WinXP SP2 on Feisty's free VMWare Server.

    Dave — 18 July 2007, 23:28

  11. I had also several problems syncing my Clie TH55. But unfortunately non of the above version worked for me. I found on a different website the comment that you need to unload the visor module (rmmod visor) and after that it worked perfect in my case.

    Ronald B — 15 September 2007, 11:05

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