By @Macarlo
Screenshots by NamoCapture

EXCLUSIVE!!!
Click here to see all steps of MS-DOS 6.22 install and running on virtual
machine started in a window on @Macarlo's Beta Test Super-PC P200

Click here to see a report bug for OS/2 Guest on NT4 SP6

Hi All.
Some revolted OS/2 users requested and I tested on my Server NT4 SP6 the latest release of VMware (version 2.0). VMware is offering for OS/2 users an experience with this soft. The problem is that VMware not accept at this time OS/2 Warp as a regular guest. The operating systems accepted are MS-DOS, Windows 3.11, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Linux and Be OS. For a not listed operating system, as OS/2 exist the option "others"and I tried it for Warp unsuccessfully. In the photo below you can see this options:

I downloaded VMware 2.0 build 486 from the developers web site, an evaluation copy, and the developers sent me a key in order to try it. I installed it on my Beta Test Special machine - Pentium 200 + 128MB EDO RAM - without problems, as you can see in the photo below:

When I tried this multi virtual machine for the first time it advised me that a Pentium 266 is the minimum requested and pentium 200 has been detected: You can experience problems, advised me the soft. But I insisted and encountered not any problem. I installed MS-DOS 6.22 and it runs fine into the virtual machine. In the photo below you can see the window with the virtual machine starting, before the guest operating system installation:

If you are not familiarized with virtual machines you can encounter problems for run VMware at the first time. If you are an OS/2 user I think that you not will encounter any problem because OS/2 users are familiarized with virtual machines (VDM for WinOS/2 and for MS-DOS). The problem you will encounter is just this: not existence of OS/2 Warp option for guest. VMware have a help online but this help is deficient and superficial: the developers supposed that all VMware users are experts in virtual machines...In the photo below you can see the VMware Help:

VMWare is offering an experience with OS/2, as you can read in VMware Support page:

Experimental Support of OS/2 as a Guest Operating System
and Known Problems

OS/2 Installation Notes

Get general information on experimental OS/2 support for:

VMware Beta for Linux

VMware Beta for Windows NT and Windows 2000

To enable support for OS/2 as a guest operating system

1. Install VMware as you would a released version of the product.
   • VMware for Linux installation and configuration documents
   • VMware for Windows NT installation and configuration documents
2. Launch VMware.
3. Select Run the configuration wizard.
   Select Next if you are running VMware for Linux.
4. Important: Select OS/2 as the guest operating system.
   Click Next.
5. Select a directory for the virtual machine.
   For example, D:\Program Files\VMware\VMs\OS2 for VMware for Windows NT.
   For example, /home/os2user/vmware/OS2 for VMware for Linux.
   Click Next.
6. Select Virtual Disk.
   Click Next.
7. Choose the virtual disk size.
   Click Next.
8. Choose the options for the CD-ROM.
   Click Next.
9. Choose the options for the floppy drive.
   Click Next.
10. Choose the networking options.
    Click Next.
11. Click Back/Prev if you need to reconfigure any parameters.
    Click Finish/Done to complete the creation of the configuration file.
12. Insert the OS/2 install floppy/CD-ROM into your drive and power on the virtual machine to install OS/2 into the virtual disk that has just been created.

    Note: At this time, installing and using OS/2 from raw disk and SCSI virtual disk is not supported. The installation requirements for OS/2 are:

    • OS/2 Warp 4 with Fixpack 12
    • Netscape 4.6 or later

Installing VMware Tools

Once OS/2 is installed into the virtual machine, you will want to install VMware Tools for OS/2

1. Download the file os2tools.zip (about 4.5MB) to a temporary location on your OS/2 virtual disk.
2. Unzip the file os2tools.zip.
3. Run install.exe and follow the instructions.
4. On reboot, the SVGA driver should be loaded.

To have the VMware OS/2 Toolbox automatically launched on reboot

1. Open the system startup folder by double-clicking the OS/2 System icon on the desktop and then double-clicking the folder labeled Startup.
2. Open the VMware tools folder (default path: c:\VMware\tools).
3. Right-click the file labeled VMTBOX.EXE.
   Select the Create Shadow option. This will bring up a dialog that will allow you to select the folder in which you want to create the shadow.
4. Select the tab labeled Opened if it is not already selected.
   Click the Startup icon.
5. Click the Create button.

Configuring the VMware OS/2 Toolbox

The VMware Toolbox allows you to configure preferences for cursor movement, attached devices and time synchronization.

By default, time synchronization is off. This results in the clock in the task bar being inaccurate. If you care about the clock reflecting time more accurately, check the time synchronization box to turn it on.

Known Problems and Limitations

This is the first release of support for OS/2 as a guest operating system. We are very interested in your feedback, but want to inform you about known limitations and problems.

1. This release has additional overhead and is not fully optimized for speed because the software is compiled to aid debugging. By default, VMware will run with a Debug monitor. To enable a Normal monitor

   In VMware for Linux

   1. Select Settings > Configuration Editor > Misc
   2. Select Logging level Normal (instead of Debug)

      In VMware for Windows NT

   1. Select Settings > Configuration Editor > Misc
   2. Uncheck the box Run with debugging information

   This change must be done prior to powering on the virtual machine.

2. OS/2 as a guest operating system is supported only from an IDE virtual disk. You may not boot OS/2 from an existing raw disk partition and OS/2 is not supported with a SCSI virtual disk.
3. Time may be different from that displayed in the host operating system. Using the toolbox time synchronization option is recommended if you want to see the clock reflect more consistent timing information

What is VMware

VMware allows you to:

• Run several operating systems simultaneously in separate virtual machines on a standard PC.
• Run virtual machine sessions in separate windows on your desktop, or give one of them the entire screen while the others continue to run in the background.
• Concurrently run operating systems already installed on a multiboot computer.
• Install additional operating systems (to be run in virtual machines) without repartitioning your disks.
• Share files and applications among virtual machines using a virtual network within a PC.
• Run client-server, Microsoft® BackOffice®, or Web applications between virtual machines on the same PC.
  
  

  VMware Tools

 VMware installs unmodified operating systems directly from floppy and/or CD-ROM devices.  This installation process is the first and only necessary step in building a virtual machine.

VMware highly recommends that you install the VMware Tools suite within each virtual machine as soon as it is installed.  The suite consists of two components:

1. A graphics driver that is optimized for the VMware virtual graphics card.  For Linux guest operating systems, this consists of our own version of the XFree86 X-server. The graphics driver is installed by the wizard. Once installed, it will be used for subsequent reboots.
2. A small background application that allows users to change configuration settings within the virtual machine. The VMware application controls the cursor settings and the connection state of removable devices (such as floppy and CD-ROM drives). 
   The cursor settings allow users to smoothly transition the mouse cursor between the virtual machine and the host graphical user interface.  The cursor settings also allow users to copy and paste text buffers between virtual machines and the host.  Note that these enhancements are available only when the application is running.

An installation wizard will automatically install all the VMware software that needs to run within a virtual machine.

VMware Tools for Linux and VMware Tools for Windows are included with the product as floppy images. Choosing the VMware Tools Install... option from the Settings menu will automatically configure your virtual machine to use the appropriate floppy image for the guest operating system you are running. Note that while you are installing the VMware Tools, you should not attempt to change the configuration settings of your floppy drive, as these changes will be lost when the VMware Tools installation completes.

To install VMware Tools in a Linux guest operating system:

1. Power on the virtual machine.
2. Prepare your virtual machine to install the VMware Tools. This will reconfigure the first floppy drive in your virtual machine.
   Choose Settings > VMware Tools Install...
   
   If you decide not to proceed with the installation of the VMware Tools, you may cancel the operation.
   Choose Settings > Cancel VMware Tools Install
3. As root, mount the VMware Tools floppy, copy the contents of the floppy to /tmp, and unmount the floppy.
       cd /
       mount -t vfat /dev/fd0 /mnt
       cp /mnt/VMware-linux-tools.tar.gz /tmp
       umount /dev/fd0
4. Untar the VMware Tools tar file in /tmp, and install it.
       cd /tmp
       tar zxf VMware-linux-tools.tar.gz
       cd VMware-linux-tools
       ./install.pl
5. Start X and your graphical environment if it is not started yet.
   
6. In a X terminal, launch the VMware Tools background application.
       VMware-toolbox &
   
   The VMware Tools background application may be run as root or as a normal user. The application will have additional capabilities if run as root.

To install VMware Tools in a Windows guest operating system:

1. Power on the virtual machine.
2. Prepare your virtual machine to install the VMware Tools. This will reconfigure the first floppy drive in your virtual machine.
   Choose Settings > VMware Tools Install...
   
   If you decide not to proceed with the installation of the VMware Tools, you may cancel the operation.
   Choose Settings > Cancel VMware Tools Install
3. Double click the My Computer icon on your desktop.
4. Double click the A: device.
5. Double click VMwareTools.exe and follow the instructions.
6. The VMware Tools background application will be automatically launched upon reboot of the virtual machine.

About VMware

VMware, Inc. is an innovative software company that offers a dramatically new approach to personal computing. VMware shatters the limits of personal computing and frees developers and end users to be more innovative and experimental — without risk.

VMware aims to eliminate the constraints imposed by the traditional "one computer, one operating system" mode of computing.   This mode dictates a one to one mapping between a user's hardware, operating system, and applications, and significantly limits the flexibility and productivity of developers, end users, and their organizations. 

Until now, operating systems have been tied to a standard computer, and developers and other users could run only one operating system at a time on their PC.  In addition, when they upgraded to a new operating system or moved to a new hardware platform, they risked the stability and integrity of their applications.

VMware is shattering these limitations with its powerful, patent-pending technology. VMware lets users mix and match operating systems, applications, and standard PC hardware. VMware provides full fault and security isolation, meaning that applications and data running in each virtual machine environment may be fully protected.

With VMware, people and organizations can use their PCs more flexibly, productively, and confidently than ever before.

CONTACT AUTHOR

VMware

http://www.vmware.com

@Macarlo, Inc.
@Macarlo's Shareware & Web
OS/2
Java Lobby Member
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