VMware GSX Server 2.5.2

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What's in a Virtual Machine on a Linux Host?

The virtual machine typically is stored on the host computer in a set of files, all of which are in a directory set aside for that particular virtual machine. In these examples, <vmname> is the name of your virtual machine. The key files are:

<vmname>.cfg — the configuration file, which stores settings chosen in the Configuration Wizard or Configuration Editor.
nvram — the file that stores the state of the virtual machine's BIOS.
<vmname>.vmdk — the virtual disk file, which stores the contents of the virtual machine's hard disk drive. If the virtual disk is larger than 2GB, GSX Server creates multiple .vmdk files, one for each 2GB of disk space. If the virtual machine is connected directly to a physical disk, rather than using a virtual disk, there is no .vmdk file. Instead, a .raw file stores information about the partitions the virtual machine is allowed to access.

Note: Earlier VMware products used the extension .dsk for virtual disk files.
If the virtual machine contains plain disks, a type of virtual disk where all the space for the disk is allocated when you create it, there is no .vmdk file. Instead, a .pln file stores information about the virtual disk, and the actual virtual machine data is stored in a series of .dat files.
<vmname>.log or vmware.log — the file that keeps a log of key GSX Server activity. This can be useful in troubleshooting if you encounter problems. This file is stored in the directory that holds the configuration (.cfg) file of the virtual machine.
<vmname>.vmdk.REDO — the redo-log file, created automatically when a virtual machine is used in undoable or nonpersistent mode. This file stores changes made to the virtual disk while the virtual machine is running. The redo-log file for a virtual disk in nonpersistent mode is stored in the temp directory of the user who created the virtual machine.
<vmname>.vmss — the suspended state file, which stores the state of a suspended virtual machine.

Note: Earlier VMware products used the extension .std for suspended state files.

There may be other files as well, some of which are present only while a virtual machine is running.

By default, the new virtual machine uses an IDE disk in persistent mode for Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 guests. The default for other guest operating systems is a SCSI disk in persistent mode.

Before you begin configuring your virtual machine, check the following notes and make any necessary adjustments to the configuration of your host operating system.

The real time clock function must be compiled into your Linux kernel
GSX Server for Linux requires that the parallel port "PC-style hardware" option (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) be built and loaded as a kernel module (that is, it must be set to "m" when the kernel is compiled).

Permissions and Running Virtual Machines

When you create a virtual machine with GSX Server, its configuration file is registered with the following default permissions, based on the user accessing it:

Read, execute and write — for the user who created the virtual machine (the owner)
Read and execute — for the owner's group
Read — for users other than the owner or a member of the owner's group

You can change these permissions as needed, for example, if users in different groups need to access a particular virtual machine.

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