Run Linux and Win concurrently!

[lgk011 at dma.isg.mot.com (Gordon Keegan)]

>
> This is somewhat off-topic, but I know a lot of Linux users
> here run dual-boot setups on our Thinkpads because our work
> requires us to use a Microsoft OS.  It looks like we'll
> finally be able to do that in a Linux window (and vice versa
> if you want):
> 
> http://www.vmware.com/
> -

Well curiosity got the better of me and I downloaded the 30-day
linux demo and played with it.  It looks as close as I can imagine
to a PC in an X-window.  You run a configuration "wizard" (doh!)
to setup a virtual machine for a target OS, tell it how big of
a virtual disk to see, whether to share devices like , then install the OS
in the virtual machine window.  A directory called vmware is
created under your home directory and under that is a subdirectory
for each virtual machine OS that you install.  There's a config
file, a couple other small files and an osname.dsk file that
represents the hard drive that the guest os sees.

Under the pull-down menus (file, power, settings, view, help)
there are 5 short-cut buttons: "Power" "Reset" "Full Screen"
"Suspend" and "Help".  When you power up, you get a bios message,
the system goes through a memory check, it identifies the virtual
floppy drive and cdrom, then "boots".  It checked my floppy drive
then booted the NT 4.0 cdrom in the cdrom drive.  It went through
the install and ran happily (albeit slowly; I'm running on a
P200.)

Performance improved noticeably after I downloaded and installed
their optimized SVGA Xwindow server, their NT video driver and
NT tools.  I was also able to login to the linux box, export my
DISPLAY back to an HP workstation and run the virtual machine
remotely (it noticed this and notified me that performance would
suffer :)

Installation and setup was very easy; the whole thing took about
two hours from download to running NT in a virtual machine.  Cool!
VMware's FAQ says that when the commercial version is released
in May the list price will be $299.  Not cool.  They go on to say
that there will be student/faculty and volume discounts, but I
can't justify 300 dollars for my home use.  Oh well; a 30-day toy!


-- 
Gordon Keegan, M10-10		Phone: (508) 261-4696
Motorola ISG			Fax:   (508) 261-5757
20 Cabot Boulevard
Mansfield, MA 02048		email: lgk011 at dma.isg.mot.com


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