4) Either change the path of the destination folder…
… or accept the defaults and then click “Next” (I just went with the defaults).
5) In the Configuration page you can change the path of where you store your Virtual Machines (recommended if the drive chosen is not big enough)…
… or accept the default given. Accept all the other defaults and click “Next”
6) Choose which ICONS and shortcuts you want placed on your Desktop and then click “Next”
7) Click the “Install” button to start the installation.
8. Relax for a couple of minutes while VMware Server installs.
NOTE 1 – If you run into any errors as I did initially installing VMware Server 2 on WHS 2011 please do the following. Download a fresh copy of the installer from another PC, load the installer on a thumb drive, plug the thumb drive to your home server, and run the executable from the thumb drive. Repeat steps 1 thru 8.
John nicely done. I did this install on my Windows 7 machine to host my WHS2011 in a VM and really like the option. Keep the good articles coming!
Jim
Glad you liked it Jim. As you know one of VMWare Servers many usefulness is testing out new Operating Systems on it like Beta Software Windows Home Server “Vail”. This can also be installed on the following Windows Platforms (32bit and 64 bit)…
Windows 2000 (Professional & Server)
Windows XP (All Versions)
Windows Server 2003 (All Versions including R2)**
Windows Vista (All Versions)
Windows Server 2008 (All Versions including R2)
Windows 7 (All Versions)
Windows Home Server Version 1 **
** There is a couple of extra steps before installing VMWare Server in the Windows Server 2003 Code.
There is even a Linux version of this application as well.
For those who want to do the next step and actually create and run a Virtual Machine with VMware Server 2 go to this link (http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/23405/install-windows-home-server-vail-on-vmware-server/) this shows step by step instuctions using snapshots on how it is done at How-to-Geek. Please Note it is a tutorial using Windows 7 as the Host OS and WHS 2011 (Vail)as the guest OS but the principal steps are exactly the same.
John–I prefer the following guide:
http://www.mediasmartserver.net/2010/04/26/installing-vail-onto-a-virtual-machine-part-2-vmware-server/
Nigel caught a few steps that HowToGeek missed.
Jim
Jim,
I like it, I just asked permission if I can reference it as an additional source of information link at the end of this article. Thanks for the input.
John
Jim,
Got the OK from Nigel so will be making the change in the near future.
John
A guide to install WHS in VMWare would be good!
I run VMWare ESXi Server on my HP MIcroserver and then run WHS and W7 in Virtual Machines.
Using a bare metal VMWare playpen makes better use of the resources IMO.
Cheers
Andy
Good For you Andy, However as nice as ESXI Server is and would be the most preferred method for a medium to large business as a virtualization appliance of choice it is not exactly free.
For a home or small business on a budget may want to use VMware Server as an alternative which is free than forking out the money for an ESXI Server.
You are correct that the resources are better on say VMware Player than Server, problem is that if using VMware player you need to stay either logged into the console or your Remote Desktop session to run and control the player. VMware Server you can close and log out from the host machine and it runs quietly in the background plus you can access it using your favorite browser without having to console or remote into your host machine.
Last thing to remember, VMware Server was not designed as to be an everyday appliance by VMware (Even through that is exactly what some businesses do) but as a demo application to wet the taste of Big Business consumers looking for the next best thing in virtualaztion as pointed out in my article.
Thanks for the comment and cheers to you as well.
John
It’s a bit late in the day now – but it’s worth noting that VMWare do a free version of ESXi server for home use. There are some limitations, but for a home user it should have everything you need.
Cheers
Andy
Hi Andy, While you are correct that the software is free you still need to come up with an extra PC/Server to put it on. Not everybody has the $200 to $500 (US) to shell out for a seperate machine to run the virtulization software. So using VMWare Server is still the better way to start out.
However I agree that once experience and opportunity to aquire the hardware presents itself this would be a more optimized and logical step forward for the euthusiast home user or small business owner.
No arguments from me, I didn’t mean to undermine the purpose of the thread, of course it’s horses for courses and there are many reasons why you would use VMWare Player over ESXi server. I’ve even thought about doing this myself recently, as running a ‘headless’ server isn’t always the best option.
Cheers
Andy
Andy,
I did not think that you undermined the thread at all and I extremely appreciate the input. Until you posted the fully free PErsonal edition of EXSI Server I had no idea VMWare offered this other than just the 60 day trial. VMware player is a great alternative for doing one or two virtuals at a time. You can even run headless by doing a Remote session and disconnecting that remote session by just exiting out without logging off the remote session, the only problem is if the host machine is rebooted or shutdown the virtuals. A free option that actually will let you run more than 2 virtuals at a time and has a few more options than VMWare Player like snapshots and cloning is Oracles Virtual Box, it’s not as feature rich as VMWare Workstation but it will allow you to do more than Player, you can also use the remote disconnect method like I mentioned with player.
I appreciate your input and welcome your constructive comments. You’ve actually given me ideas on article’s I plan to do down the road.
V/R John M. Keller (AKA ITBeast)
Hi John
Glad to have been of some use. I use a bit of a mixture at home. I use the free ESXi server to run a Home Server and a Windows 7 VM. It has suited me to have it headless, as it literally only serves as a file server for documents and media sharing. I also have a mac, so using the same hardware to run the Windows 7 is really useful.
I’ve use VMWare Player at work (I work in IT Support so often have the need to test Desktop Images), I’ll definitely have a look at the Oracle offering as the snapshot functionality would be really useful for me.
Keep up the good work with the site, I find your daily email invaluable.
Cheers
Andy
Thanks, Nice Tut