VMware – Restarting Virtual Center management agent on ESX Host console

service mgmt-vmware restart

VMware – Installing MS Sysprep tools to customise cloned VM

http://www.vmware.com/support/vc13/doc/c13installsysprep3.html

http://communities.vmware.com/message/825204#

http://communities.vmware.com/thread/117960?tstart=0

Device Manager doesn’t display non-connected devices

Check this out:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/315539

Handy for to tweak an OS that has been converted to virtual.

VMware – Resetting root password for ESX host console

http://www.petri.co.il/vmware-esx-server-root-password-reset-recovery-lost.htm

VMware – Security

http://www.petri.co.il/what-you-need-to-know-about-vmware-virtualization-security.htm

VMware – Installing XP on ESX

http://virtrix.blogspot.com/2007/09/vmware-installing-windows-xp-on-esx.html

VMware – Stopping a VM via the console

Best not to do this unless the VM won’t stop via the VIClient:

1. Logon to ESX host console
2. vmware-cmd /vmfs/volumes/<datastorename>/<vmname>/<vmname> stop

If that doesn’t work:

1. vmware-cmd /vmfs/volumes/<datastorename>/<vmname>/<vmname> stop hard

If that doesn’t work, then:

1. ps auxfww | grep <vmname>
2. Find PID of running vm
3. kill -9 <PID>

Running Linux apps in Windows

andLinux

• Home page – http://www.andlinux.org/
• Review – http://sathyasays.com/2008/02/19/andlinux-run-linux-on-windows-seamlessly-without-virtualizers/
• Review – http://lifehacker.com/358208/seamlessly-run-linux-apps-on-your-windows-desktop

ESX Server – Expanding VM boot partition

Good article here.  Basically:

1. Shut down vm
2. Log onto ESX host via putty
3. Navigate to folder that vm files are in (/vmfs/volumes//
4. vmkfstools -X g .vmdk  (this will increase the size of the boot partition)
5. Boot vm
6. Shutdown vm cleanly
7. Attach gparted.iso to CD rom of VM
8. Boot vm
9. Resize boot partition (this will resize NTFS volume to fill expanded partition)
10. Save
11. Shutdown
12. Remove gparted.iso from CD
13. Reboot vm

ESX 3.x – Virtual Machine templates

If you’re getting the “windows customization resources were not found” error when trying to clone a vm from a template, then check this article out:

http://www.cdh.com/newsResources/articles/LetsGoDeep/

Basically, you have to extract the correct sysprep files for each OS into the following folder on the Virtual Center server:

c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\

For example:

Windows 2003

1. Download sysprep tools from here.
2. Extract to c:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware VirtualCenter\sysprep\svr2003
3. Restart the Virtual Infrastructure Client