Choosing and Installing Guest Operating Systems : SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9
This section contains product support, installation instructions, and known issues for the SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 operating system.
32-Bit Support
The following VMware products support 32-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9:
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VMware Workstation
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – Workstation 5.0, 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – Workstation 5.0, 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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Service Pack 2 – Workstation 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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Service Pack 3 – experimental support on Workstation 5.5, 5.5.1
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Service Pack 3 – Workstation 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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Service Pack 4 beta – experimental support on Workstation 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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Novell Open Enterprise Server – Workstation 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
Additional Support
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SMP – 2-way experimental support on Workstation 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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VMware ACE
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – ACE 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – ACE 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
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Service Pack 2 – ACE 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
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Service Pack 3 – ACE 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
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Service Pack 4 beta – experimental support on ACE 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
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VMware GSX Server
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – GSX Server 3.2, 3.2.1
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – GSX Server 3.2, 3.2.1
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VMware Server
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0
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Service Pack 2 – VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0
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Service Pack 3 – VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0
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Service Pack 4 – VMware Server 2.0
Additional Support
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SMP – 2-way experimental support on VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0
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VMware ESX Server
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – 2.5, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.4, 2.5.5, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – ESX 2.5, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.4, 2.5.5, 3.0, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
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Service Pack 2 – ESX 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.4, 2.5.5, 3.0, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
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Service Pack 3 – ESX 2.5.3, 2.5.4, 2.5.5, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
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Service Pack 4 – ESX 2.5.4, 2.5.5, 3.0.1, 3.0.2 (requires Patch ESX-1002431. See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1002431.), 3.0.3, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Additional Support
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SMP – full support on ESX 2.5, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.4, 2.5.5, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Support Considerations
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For host machines that use the AMD Opteron processor, see the known issue SLES 9 SP3 Guest Experiences Monitor Panic in SMP Mode on Host with AMD Opteron Processor.
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To avoid a read-only file system issue with SUSE Linux Enterprise 9, Service Pack 3 on ESX Server 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, or 3.5 U3, upgrade to Service Pack 3 Maintenance Release Build 2.6.5-7.286 or Service Pack 4. Refer to knowledge base article 51306 at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/51306.
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The hugemem kernel is not supported on ESX Server 2.5.3, 2.5.4, or 2.5.5, refer to knowledge base article 8964517at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/8964517.
Novell Open Enterprise Server, Support Pack 1 – ESX 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Novell Open Enterprise Server, Support Pack 2 – ESX 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Update Support
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Support Pack 1 – ESX 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
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Support Pack 2 – ESX 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Additional Support
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SMP – full support on ESX 2.5, 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.5.4, 2.5.5, 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Support Considerations
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The hugemem kernel is not supported on ESX Server 2.5.3, 2.5.4, or 2.5.5, refer to knowledge base article 8964517at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/8964517.
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VMware Fusion
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – Fusion 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 2.0, 2.0.1
Update Support
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Service Pack 3 – Fusion 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 2.0, 2.0.1
64-Bit Support
The following VMware products support 64-bit SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9:
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VMware Workstation
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – Workstation 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – Workstation 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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Service Pack 2 – Workstation 5.5, 5.5.1, 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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Service Pack 3 – experimental support on Workstation 5.5, 5.5.1, full support on Workstation 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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Service Pack 4 – experimental support on Workstation 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
Additional Support
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SMP– 2-way experimental support on Workstation 5.5.2, 5.5.3, 5.5.4, 5.5.5, 5.5.6, 5.5.7, 5.5.8, 5.5.9, 6.0, 6.0.1, 6.0.2, 6.0.3, 6.0.4, 6.0.5, 6.5
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VMware ACE
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – ACE 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – ACE 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
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Service Pack 2 – ACE 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
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Service Pack 3 – ACE 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
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Service Pack 4 beta – experimental support on ACE 2.0, 2.0.1, 2.0.2, 2.0.3, 2.0.4, 2.0.5, 2.5
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VMware Server
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0
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Service Pack 2 – VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0
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Service Pack 3 – VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0
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Service Pack 4 – VMware Server 2.0
Additional Support
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SMP – 2-way experimental support on VMware Server 1.0, 1.0.1, 1.0.2, 1.0.3, 1.0.4, 1.0.5, 1.0.6, 1.0.7, 1.0.8, 2.0
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VMware ESX Server
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – ESX 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Update Support
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Service Pack 1 – ESX 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
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Service Pack 2 – ESX 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
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Service Pack 3 – ESX 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
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Service Pack 4 – ESX 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3 (requires Patch ESX-1002431. See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1002431.), 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Additional Support
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SMP – full support on ESX 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, 3.5 U3
Support Considerations
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To avoid a read-only file system issue with SUSE Linux Enterprise 9, Service Pack 3 on ESX Server 3.0, 3.0.1, 3.0.2, 3.0.3, 3.5, 3.5 U1, 3.5 U2, or 3.5 U3, upgrade to Service Pack 3 Maintenance Release Build 2.6.5-7.286 or Service Pack 4. Refer to knowledge base article 51306 at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/51306.
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Only the BusLogic virtual SCSI adapter is supported in a SLES 9 virtual machine on ESX Server 2.5.x. The LSI Logic virtual SCSI adapter is supported for SLES9 virtual machines on ESX Server 3.x. Only the LSI Logic virtual SCSI adapter is supported in a SLES 9 virtual machine with more than 4GB of memory on ESX Server 3.x.
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VMware Fusion
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 – Fusion 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 2.0, 2.0.1
Update Support
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Service Pack 3 – Fusion 1.0, 1.1, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.1.3, 2.0, 2.0.1
General Installation Notes
Be sure to read General Guidelines for All VMware Products as well as this guide to installing your specific guest operating system.
The easiest method of installing SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 (SLES 9) in a virtual machine is to use the standard SUSE distribution CDs. The notes below describe an installation using the standard distribution CD; however, installing SLES 9 via the boot floppy/network method is supported as well. If your VMware product supports it, you can also install from a PXE server.
Before installing the operating system, be sure that you have already created and configured a new virtual machine.
 
Note With many Linux guest operating systems, various problems have been observed when the BusLogic virtual SCSI adapter is used with VMware virtual machines. Unless you are using ESX Server 2.5.x, VMware recommends that you use the LSI Logic virtual SCSI adapter with this guest operating system.
Installation Steps
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Insert the SLES 9 installation CD in the CD-ROM drive.
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Power on the virtual machine to start installing SLES 9.
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Install using the text mode installer. In the first installation screen, use the arrow keys to select Installation, enter the boot option textmode=1, and then press Enter to select the text mode installer.
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At the Installation Settings screen, go to the Change menu and choose Booting.
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The Boot Loader Setup screen appears. Set the Boot Loader Type to LILO instead of the default GRUB.
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The installer displays a warning that indicates you might lose some settings and prompts you to select a course of action. Select Convert current configuration and continue.
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Select Finish to return to the Installation Settings screen.
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Follow the remaining installation steps as you would for a physical machine.
This completes basic installation of the SLES 9 guest operating system.
VMware Tools
Be sure to install VMware Tools in your guest operating system. For details, see the manual for your VMware product or follow the appropriate link in the knowledge base article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/340.
In many Linux distributions, if IPv6 is enabled, VMware Tools cannot be configured with vmware-config-tools.pl after installation. In this case, VMware Tools is unable to set the network device correctly for the virtual machine, and displays a message similar to
Unloading pcnet32 module
unregister_netdevice: waiting for eth0 to become free
This message repeats continuously until you reboot the virtual machine. To prevent this problem in virtual machines running Linux, disable IPv6 before installing VMware Tools.
To disable IPv6 in a virtual machine running Linux
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If the file /etc/sysconfig/network contains the line NETWORKING_IPV6=yes, change the line to NETWORKING_IPV6=no.
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In the file /etc/modprobe.conf, add the following lines:
alias ipv6 off
alias net-pf-10 off
After you disable IPv6, you should be able to install and configure VMware Tools successfully.
Known Issues
64-bit SLES 9 with SP 1 Spontaneously Resets on Intel EM64T Hardware
A 64-bit virtual machine with SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, Service Pack1 might spontaneously reset on Intel EM64T hardware. If this should occur, check to see if the Execute Disable functionality is disabled in the host BIOS. Execute Disable must be enabled for all 64-bit Linux kernels to function properly.
Do Not Use 4-Bit Color
If you change the screen resolution in the SLES 9 guest operating system, be sure you also set a color bit depth greater than 16 colors (4 bit). If you attempt to use a setting of 16 colors (4 bit), it can cause a fatal error in the X server.
Manual Changes Might Be Needed to Use Networking in Copied Virtual Machine
In some cases, networking does not work properly in a copied or cloned virtual machine or a virtual machine deployed to end users as part of a VMware ACE package. If you copy a virtual machine and specify that the copy should have a unique identifier, the MAC addresses for any virtual Ethernet adapters attached to the virtual machine change. When a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 guest operating system is installed, it includes the MAC address as part of a key configuration filename. When the virtual machine’s MAC address changes, the guest operating system might fail to associate this configuration file with the virtual Ethernet adapter. If you experience this problem, you can work around it by copying or renaming the file. For eth0, for example, make the following change:
Old name:
/etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-eth0-id-<MAC_address>
New name:
/etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-eth0
Clock in Guest Operating System Might Run Too Quickly or Too Slowly
If the clock in your guest operating system runs too quickly or too slowly, use one of the workarounds described in the knowledge base article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1420.
Guest Screen Saver
VMware Workstation or VMware GSX Server: On a Linux host with an XFree86 3.x X server, it is best not to run a screen saver in the guest operating system. Guest screen savers that demand a lot of processing power can cause the X server on the host to freeze.
SLES 9 SP3 Guest Experiences Monitor Panic in SMP Mode on Host with AMD Opteron Processor
VMware Workstation 5.0 or VMware ESX Server 2.x.x: On a host machine with an AMD Opteron processor, a virtual machine running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP3 in SMP mode (that is, with more than one virtual processor) fails to boot, with the monitor error BUG F(140):1913 bugNr-18415. The error is caused by specific CPU instructions executed by the guest kernel on AMD platforms.
To work around this problem, you can set the virtual machine to use only one virtual processor. For instructions, see your VMware product documentation.
This problem has been fixed in Workstation 5.5.x and ESX Server 3.x.
Disable PAE in ESX Server Virtual Machines
ESX Server 2.5.x: Although ESX Server 2.5.x virtual machines are compatible with Physical Address Extension (PAE), they are not optimized for it. As a result, guest operating systems with PAE enabled might experience poor performance. For best performance, VMware recommends that you disable PAE in guest operating systems. For more information and instructions on disabling PAE, see the knowledge base article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/2020.
ESX Server 3.x: Note that disabling PAE also disables NX (no execute) and ED (execute disabled) features found in recent AMD and Intel processors. These features are not supported by ESX Server versions before ESX Server 3.x.
Migration to a Different Processor
VMware recommends you do not migrate a Linux virtual machine between hosts when one host is running on an AMD processor and the other is running on an Intel processor.
During installation, many distributions of Linux choose a kernel that is optimized for the specific processor on which it is being installed, and some distributions install a generic kernel by default, but provide architecture-specific kernels that the user can choose to install. The kernel might contain instructions that are available only on that processor. These instructions can have adverse effects when run on a host with the wrong type of processor.
Thus, a Linux virtual machine created on a host with an AMD processor might not work if migrated to a host with an Intel processor. The reverse is also true: a Linux virtual machine created on a host with an Intel processor might not work if migrated to a host with an AMD processor.
This problem is not specific to virtual machines and also occurs on physical computers. For example, if you move a hard drive with a Linux installation from an AMD machine to an Intel machine, you are also likely to experience problems trying to boot from that drive.

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