confused about VMware on FreeBSD...

[John Nielsen]

On Wednesday 25 October 2006 13:22, William Bulley wrote:
> I have tried to research this issue on most of 2006's
> worth of freebsd-emulation at freebsd.org, on Wikipedia,
> using Google, on www.vmware.com and by installing the
> emulators/vmware3 port on FreeBSD 6.2-PRERELEASE.

The vmware3 port is an old version of the VMware workstation product. You need 
a license from VMware in order to be able to run it. I don't know if or how 
well it works on FreeBSD 6, but I have used it successfully on FreeBSD 4.x 
with an eval. license.

> I find that I am confused and unable to get to first
> base with vmware.  I think I want the "free" VMware
> Server application to be hosted on FreeBSD 6.2-PRERELEASE
> which will then allow me to try "guest" operating systems
> such as Windows XP and Linux on top of the VMware Server.

That would be nice, but...

> The documentation that comes with the emulators/vmware3
> port (in file:///usr/X11R6/lib/vmware/help/index.htm and
> in /usr/X11R6/share/doc/vmware3/*) doesn't seem to help.
>
> I have run "vmware-wizard" to set up a virtual disk and
> that seems to have worked.  When I run vmware (as normal
> user, not root), I am asked for a license key or serial
> number.  When I went to www.vmware.com (to register and
> obtain a free serial number), the serial number given me
> does not work when entered into the GUI window asking
> for a valid serial number before letting me "in".
>
> My confusion is complicated by such terms as:
>
>   VMware Workstation

"Last-generation" VMware product for non-enterprise use.

>   VMware Server

"Current-generation" free VMware product for non-enterprise use on Windows or 
Linux.

>   emulators/vmware-guestd[345]
>   emulators/vmware-tools[2345]

For use with FreeBSD as a guest under old versions of VMware.

>   emulators/vmware2 (marked as deprecated and broken)

Broken.

>   emulators/vmware3 (vmware3-3.2.1.2242_13,1)

Used to work if you have a license.

> and the fact that the "free" VMware Server download at:
>
>   http://www.vmware.com/download/server/
>
> is labled as:
>
>   VMware Server (for Windows and Linux systems)
>   Latest Version: 1.0.1 | 8/14/06 | Build 29996

VMware Server is a new product that currently has no support for FreeBSD as a 
host operating system.

> Can someone please clear up my confusion and get me started
> on the right path to success with VMware Server on FreeBSD,
> or at least point me in the right direction for some decent
> documentation that I can follow to a similar success?  Thanks!

In order of preference: either use VMware Server on a Linux host, use a 
different virtualization/emulation product (such as qemu) on FreeBSD, or 
track down (I don't know if you can still buy them) a license for the Linux 
version VMware Workstation 3 and give it a go, using an older branch of 
FreeBSD if necessary.

JN