VMware GSX Server 2.5.2

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You can store a virtual disk on DVD-ROM or CD-ROM, and run the virtual machine from your GSX Server host's DVD/CD-ROM drive. You do not have to copy the virtual disk files from the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM to the GSX Server host.

One suggested use for this method is if you installed GSX Server on a host you want to use for product demonstrations, which could be a laptop. Instead of taking up limited hard disk space with virtual disks, you can have any number of virtual machines with virtual disks burned onto DVD-ROM or CD-ROM and point each virtual machine's configuration file to the virtual disk on the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM.

Other uses include sales or proof-of-concept demonstrations where you want to keep virtual disk files off a customer's system but want to illustrate a multiple machine demonstration in the customer's environment. Or you can have multiple physical servers in a datacenter run virtual machines without copying the virtual disk files to the servers themselves. Yet another method is if you need a "master" virtual machine for some purpose, you can create a write-protected copy of your original virtual machine.

The virtual disk must be in nonpersistent or undoable mode, since any changes you make in the virtual machine cannot be written to the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM. The redo log for the virtual machine must be on the GSX Server host. If you choose to put the virtual disk in undoable mode, and you want to commit the changes to the virtual disk, the virtual disk must be copied onto the GSX Server host's hard drive in order for you to commit the changes in the redo log to the virtual disk. Otherwise, you can keep appending changes to the redo log. For more information on disk modes, see Disk Modes: Persistent, Undoable and Nonpersistent.

In addition, consider whether you may need to modify the virtual machine's BIOS at some point. In this case, the virtual machine's BIOS, which is stored in a file called nvram, must be located on the GSX Server host. Otherwise, you can add a setting to the virtual machine's configuration file that allows for the nvram file to be on the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM, where it cannot be modified.

Note: The performance of the virtual machine accessing a virtual disk stored on a DVD-ROM or CD-ROM depends upon the speed of the DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive. Keep in mind that a virtual machine on a DVD-ROM/CD-ROM drive runs slower than it would if it were running on your host's hard disk.

To run a virtual machine from DVD-ROM or CD-ROM, complete the following steps.

1. Create a virtual machine and install the guest operating system and any applications you need within it.

2. Make sure the virtual machine is powered off. Burn the virtual disk (.vmdk) files onto a DVD-ROM or CD-ROM. Place the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM into the GSX Server host's DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive.

3. Choose Settings > Configuration Editor to open the Configuration Editor for this virtual machine. On the Hardware tab, select Virtual Disk and browse to the virtual disk file on the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM.

   Under Mode, set the disk mode to Nonpersistent.

4. On the Options tab, under REDO log directory, select a location for the redo log on the GSX Server host.

5. Click OK to save your changes. The Configuration Editor closes.

6. In a text editor, open the virtual machine's configuration file (.vmx on Windows hosts, .cfg on Linux hosts) and add the following lines to the file:

   disk.locking = FALSE

   nvram = <path on GSX Server host>\nvram (if you think you need to modify the virtual machine's BIOS)
   or
   nvram.mode = "nonpersistent" (if you do not need to modify the virtual machine's BIOS)

7. Save your changes and close the configuration file.

The virtual machine is now ready to be run from the GSX Server host's DVD/CD-ROM drive.

Note: Another method you can use is to burn all virtual machine files (the configuration file, nvram and virtual disk files) onto DVD-ROM or CD-ROM. First make sure the redo log directory points to a drive on your GSX Server host and that the configuration file has all the desired settings before you burn the files onto the DVD-ROM or CD-ROM.