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As an administrator, you need to install the VMware ACE Manager software on your workstation, referred to in this manual as your host computer. You can then run the VMware ACE Manager, your tool for creating and managing the virtual machines you distribute to your end users.

For details on how to install the VMware ACE Manager software, see Installing and Configuring VMware ACE Manager.

If your company already has a library of standard virtual machines, you need network access to that library from your host computer.

If you are creating new virtual machines, you need access to installers for the guest operating systems and application software you plan to install in the virtual machines.

You can install operating systems from CD, from ISO image files on a local drive or on the network, or from a PXE server. If you need to connect to an ISO file on a network drive, you use the networking capabilities of your host computer to make that connection.

You can install application software from CDs or from installers on a local drive or on the network. If you need to connect to an installer on the network, you use the networking capabilities of the virtual machine to make that connection. For details on networking in a virtual machine, see Networking Virtual Machines. If you need to use an installer on a local drive, you can use the virtual machine's networking capabilities or use shared folders in the virtual machine to gain access to the installer. For details on using shared folders, see Using Shared Folders in VMware ACE Manager.

You need to provide adequate disk space for three types of files:

• Project files — The files that define projects take up relatively little disk space. The default location for these files is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Projects. To change the default location, go to Edit > Preferences > Workspace. When you create a new project, you may specify a location for that project's files that is different from the default.
• Virtual machine files — The files for each virtual machine can be quite large, sometimes as large as several gigabytes. The default location for these files is C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\My Virtual Machines. To change the default location, go to Edit > Preferences > Workspace. When you create a new virtual machine, you can specify a location for that virtual machine's files that is different from the default.
• Package files — The package files created by VMware ACE Manager may be quite large. The default location for the package files is a folder named Package inside the project's folder. When you create a package, you can change the location for the package's files.

  In addition, VMware ACE Manager needs a substantial amount of temporary working space when it creates a package. The total is about twice the combined sizes of all the components of the package. The wizard displays information about the amount of space needed and the locations where the space is needed. If you do not have enough free space, the wizard displays an error message. You may move or delete files on the target drives to make room for the wizard's working files.