The next few sections describe how VMware application "fits" on your host operating system.
Environment Variables Used by VMware for Linux
The following environment variables are used by VMware for Linux:
BINDDIR specifies the path for the VMware application binaries.
MANDIR specifies the path for the manual pages.
INITDIR specifies the path for the init scripts.
NETWORKING is expected to be y or n indicating whether VMware should install networking support (vmnets).
VMware also uses the standard environment variables PAGER and TMPDIR.
Directories Used by VMware
A typical installation of VMware application uses the following directories/folders:
This directory is the directory from which you download and unzip/uncompress the VMware application files. There is no default path for this directory. The installation process automatically creates a subdirectory named vmware-distrib. After installing VMware application you can delete both the installation and vmware-distrib directories, as they are no longer needed.
By default VMware application executable files are located in the directory /usr/local/bin. However, you can specify a different path during installation. All VMs must have access to this directory in order to start up and run.
If you plan to run more than one VM, you should create a subdirectory for each virtual machine. This directory will contain the configuration file and disk files for that VM. By default, redo logs for a given VM are written to this directory; you can specify a different location for redo logs using the VM configuration editor.
If you wish to use a subdirectory for each instance of a VM, you should move to that subdirectory before starting the VM. This assures that files that are created by VMware application as it runs, such as log files, are also written to that directory.
A small set of files is required for each virtual machine, described below. These files are typically located in a subdirectory associated with a unique VM, as defined by one configuration file.
Every host machine that will run the VMware application must have a copy of this file. The purpose of this file is to contain pointers to locations of VMware files, specifically the VMware system directory.
Every instance of a virtual machine is defined by a VM configuration file. The configuration file is a short text file that specifies values for configuration parameters. Whenever a VM is powered on, VMware application reads the configuration file to obtain the values for the configuration parameters.
You specify the name of the VM configuration file when you save the configuration parameters for a virtual machine. The file name also appears as the title of the VM, so it can also be considered the ".name" of the virtual machine.
The first line of the VM configuration file is automatically generated by both configuration tools. It is required to support the startup command syntax
You can use the VM configuration editor to change configuration parameters between virtual machine sessions. This makes it particularly easy to test, and undo if necessary, some characteristics of the VM. Note that not all configuration parameters can be modified.
You can view a configuration file directly using a text editor when the associated VM is not running. However, you should always use the VM configuration editor to change the configuration of a VM.
Typically you will define one hard drive for a virtual machine, although you do not always need to. Each hard disk for a VM is actually a file defined in the host operating system (thus the name virtual disk file). You specify the name and size of this file using the VM configuration wizard or the VM configuration editor. Disk files can be created in any directory, but a logical location is the same directory as the configuration file that refers to the disk file. You can define multiple hard drives for a VM.
You should never open or write to virtual disk files with any program other than the VMware application or your host operating system backup utilities. If you should write to this disk, you can lose data.
If you select the undoable mode for a disk drive, VMware application automatically creates a redo log. During each VM session VMware application records all changes to the disk, and at the end of each session you are prompted for whether VMware application should apply, discard, or continue tracking the changes.
Nonpersistent disks also use a redo log to record changes, but the redo log is automatically discarded when the VM session terminates.
Because the redo log can grow large, particularly if you keep changes from many sessions rather than applying them, you can choose a location for the redo log. By default it is written in the same directory as the configuration file used for the VM. You can choose a different location using the Redo Logs entry in the VM configuration editor, where you specify the Redo directory.
See "Using Undoable Disks" for more information about how the redo log is used. Do not edit this file. You may delete it if you do not wish it to be applied; deleting the file while the associated VM is not running is equivalent to answering Discard to the prompt.
You should never open or write to redo logs with any program other than the VMware application or your host operating system backup utilities. If you should write to these files, you can lose data.
VMware application installs online help files. By default the man page for the vmware command is installed in /usr/local/man/man1.