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Configuring IDE Drives
Virtual hard drives and CD-ROM drives are added and removed using
the IDE Drives panel in the Configuration Editor.
The content of a virtual hard drive may be stored in a file or in a set of
existing (raw) disk partitions on a host hard disk. The virtual CD-ROM
is connected to the CD-ROM device on the host.
Normally a virtual machine has at least one
virtual hard drive (and in most cases also one virtual
CD-ROM drive). If you have neither, you may still boot
from a floppy. If you don't have a floppy either, the virtual
machine will not be able to boot.
See the VMware Web site for more information on the
different disk types and modes.
Follow these steps to add a virtual IDE drive:
- Open the VMware Workstation Configuration Editor by choosing
Settings > Configuration Editor.
- Click the plus sign to the left of IDE Drives.
- Click the IDE drive that you wish to define or
modify.
You can use any device type in any of the four positions.
However, you should not install a device in the "slave" position,
P-S (primary slave) or
S-S (secondary slave),
unless the corresponding "master" position,
P-M (primary master) or S-M (secondary master)
respectively, also contains a device.
If you do this, the virtual machine will not be able
to boot, and you will be asked to correct the problem.
A common convention is to use the first position,
P-M (primary master),
for a hard drive
and the third position,
S-M (secondary master),
for a CD-ROM drive.
- Click Install.
- Follow one set of steps below, depending on what you are adding.
- Click OK or Save to exit the Configuration Editor, or continue
to add or modify other features.
Follow these steps to install a virtual disk stored on
a file system:
- Follow the initial steps above to add an IDE drive.
- Choose Virtual Disk as the
Device Type.
- Choose a Disk Mode.
The default is persistent.
VMware Workstation supports three
disk modes:
persistent,
nonpersistent, and
undoable.
Technical notes on the VMware Web site provide additional information
about
VMware Workstation disk modes.
- Enter a full pathname for the disk in the Name field.
By convention, the filename extension is .dsk.
- In the
Capacity (MB)
field, specify the maximum size
for the disk file.
The specified size is the
maximum capacity of your disk. The actual disk
file is initially much smaller and grows as you
add data to it, up to the specified maximum.
The disk should be large enough to contain the guest
operating system and any applications and data you will
need. Choose the size carefully, because
once a disk is created, its maximum size can never be
changed. You can, however, add more virtual disks in unused
positions.
- Click Create.
To install a CD-ROM:
- Follow the initial steps above to add an IDE drive.
- Choose CD-ROM as the
Device Type.
- Select which CD-ROM drive you want to be used by the
virtual machine.
Often, but not always, the device name for the
CD-ROM is /dev/cdrom.
Some computers such as laptops have CD-ROM drives that can
be removed. To disable access to the CD-ROM when the virtual machine is
powered on, uncheck the Start Connected box in the
disk configuration panel. To disable or enable access to
the CD-ROM drive while a virtual machine is running, use the
Devices menu. This can also be
done from within the virtual machine if the VMware Tools
have been installed.
The VMware Tools may be installed by following these
installation instructions.
To install a virtual hard drive stored in a set of existing
partitions:
- Follow the initial steps above to add an IDE drive.
- Choose
Raw Disk as the
Device Type.
- Choose a Disk Mode.
The default is persistent.
VMware Workstation supports three
disk modes:
persistent,
nonpersistent, and
undoable.
Technical notes on the VMware Web site provide additional information
about
VMware Workstation disk modes.
-
Enter the disk Device you want the
virtual machine to use.
The IDE devices are usually named /dev/hda,
/dev/hdb, etc.
- Enter a full pathname for the raw disk file in the
Name field. This file contains information about the disk
being used, including its name and which partitions are
available to the virtual machine.
By convention, the filename extension is .raw.
- Click
Create Raw Disk....
- Click the
Partitions button to
specify which disk partitions are accessible to the
virtual machine.
See Also