HowTo: install Linux on WinXP with VMWare Player

Readme first:

- To avoid misunderstandings: although the Relook runs inside on Linux, in normal use there is no Linux knowledge needed at all. Even flashing new firmware (= Relook images) can be done from within a Windows Operating system, or over the network.
The Linux Operating system is only necessary to compile Relook custom images where the user can do it's own modifications on the sourcecode.
Later, there will come also a HowTo for retrieving the sourcecode and Compiling the Relook images. But for now, let's start making a Linux environment on your WinXP PC.

- As the drivers of the free VMWare Player are not the same as these of the VMWare commercial version, it is recommended to use a 'GIGA' PC: processorspeed >2GHz, and one or more GigaBytes of RAM. Otherwise, there is a chance that some applications just won't start in the VM Linux.

- At the moment of this writing, the VMWare Player is still in Beta release. All beta builds of Player will have a built-in hardcoded expiration date. The official release will be before end of year 2005 and won't expire.

- For troubleshooting: VMWare has an excellent forum with a section dedicated to the VMWare Player, where you can browse without being registered.
Link: http://www.vmware.com/community/for...mID=123&start=0

1) Installation of the VMWare Player

The VMWare player can be downloaded here for free: http://www.vmware.com/download/player/

DOWNLOAD HERE for Windows operating systems (.exe)

During installation, you can choose most of the standard options:

However, when asked either or not to disable the 'AUTORUN', probably many people will prefer not to disable the 'AUTORUN' function. This decision is up to you. If the VMWare Player is only used for compiling Relook images, or for doing some CSV checkouts for the Relook sourcecode, then it won't happen that much that you will put a CD or DVD in your CD/DVD drive. So I left the optionfield [Yes disable autorun] empty.

2) Loading an empty Image:

To install an Operating System in the VMWare Player, first you need an empty VMWare Image.

Here you can download a VMWare Image with 2 partitions:8 Giga + 2 Giga.

During installation of VMWare Player there should have been made a folder 'My Virtual Machines' in the folder 'My Documents'. If this folder is not there, make it now. Within the folder 'My Virtual Machines', create a new folder with name e.g. Relook. In this folder you have to extract the vmware-2disks.zip.

After unzip you get these files in My Documents\My Virtual Machines\Relook\

Important: with this empty image, you have a partition of 8 GigaBytes and a partition of 2 GigaBytes. In the last chapter of this article, there is a description how you can change the size of these partitions. However, this MUST be done before starting the VMWare Player the first time with this new empty image.

3) Starting VMWare Player:

Double click on: My Documents\My Virtual Machines\Relook\2disks.vmx

The first time the VMWare Player is started with this file, you get the message:

"The location of this virtual machine's configuration file has changed since it was last powered on..."

Choose 'Create a new identifier'.

Now, the software is looking for an Operating System (at CD, Floppy, HDisk, Network)

As there is not yet an Operating System installed, you will get this error message:

If you whish to reboot the VMWare Player, this can be done via the menu: [Player], Troubleshoot -> Reset

During boot, there is a possibility to go into the BIOS:
First, the mouse and keyboard commands must be redirected to the VMWare Player. The easiest way is simply to maximize the VMWare Player window.
(redirecting back to Windows: Ctrl+Alt)

Redirecting to VMWare without maximising the window: Ctrl+G.

To go into the BIOS:
Immediately after starting the VMWare Player, redirect the commands to the Player and press F2.

The BIOS screen:

4) Installing Fedora Linux:

First, you have to make a bootable Fedora Linux install DVD (recommended) or 4 CD's . The DVD-ISO image or the four CD-ISO images of the installation DVD/CD-ROMs can be downloaded for free.

Downloading the ISO Images

Depending of where you live, choose one of the many mirrors: http://fedora.redhat.com/download/mirrors.html
For a bootable DVD, the most recent (at the moment of this writing) Fedora ISO is:
FC4-i386-DVD.iso

..and for a bootable CD:
FC4-i386-disc1.iso
FC4-i386-disc2.iso
FC4-i386-disc3.iso
FC4-i386-disc4.iso

With the ISO(s), make a bootable DVD or the 4 CD's (not just copying the ISO on the DVD/CD)

Now, you are ready to start the Fedora Linux installation in the VMWare Player on Windows XP!

Put the bootable DVD or CD in your PC, and start the VMWare Player by a double click on: My Documents\My Virtual Machines\Relook\2disks.vmx
If everything is OK, the VM Player starts to boot from the DVD/CD. At the first screen, you can choose between graphical or text install mode. Just press [Enter] for the graphical mode.

Next you will be asked for a media test. The ISO's have a checksum embedded in them. It is strongly recommended that you verify the checksum on any Fedora Core DVD/CD that you create using downloaded ISO images. This will ensure that the disk was burned correctly and prevent installation failures related to bad media.

Press [OK] to run the test.

If the media check result is: PASS, click [OK] to continue the installation, otherwise start over to make a bootable DVD/CD.

On the next screen, you will be asked if you would like to test additional media. If you are using a DVD, click [Continue] to start the installation. If you are using CD's, click [Test] until all 4 CD's are tested and then [Continue] to start the installation.

On the Welcome screen, there is some information about navigating the mouse or keyboard through the various screens.

Next, you can choose which language to use during the installation process, and which keyboard.

For Installation Type, choose 'Personal Desktop'

Disk Partitioning Setup: 'Automatically partition'

You will get a Warning that the partition table on device hda was unreadable. Click [Yes] to initialize this drive.

..and the same for device hdb.

On the Automatic Partitioning Options screen, choose to 'Remove all Linux partitions on this system', and select hda and hdb.

Confirm to remove all Linux partitions:

Take the default Boot Loader Configuration settings: the GRUB boot loader on /dev/hda, Fedora Core.

You can also leave the Network Configuration settings as they are: eth0, automatically via DHCP.

Enable Firewall:

Depending on where you live, select the appropriate Time Zone:

Enter a root Password (min. 6 characters):

Important: If you need to login later as an Administrator, enter as username root, en the password that you will type now.

Write this Password down on a safe place. If you forget it, you will be very limited in this Fedora installation!

Install the recommended default package selection:

Now that all your preferences are entered, the installation of Fedora Core can begin:

When the installation is completed, [Reboot]:

After reboot, you will be asked to create a user for regular (non-administrative) use of your system. This is the user environment where you will do the Relook work.

Your system is now set up and ready to use, you can login with your username:

Here you are: Fedora Linux in the VMWare Player on WinXP !

5) Changing the size of the partitions:

This chapter is intended only for those who like to change the default partition size of the empty VMWare Player image. These modifications MUST be done before starting the first time the VMWare Player with a new empty image.

The empty Image has one partition of 8 Giga-Bytes and one partition with 2 Giga-Bytes.

If you like to change this:

After the unzip and before the VMWare Player has been started the first time with the empty Image, you can change the size of the partitions.

These are the files that are used for the empty Image of 8 + 2 Giga-Bytes:

disk1.vmdk and disk2.vmdk are the configuration files for partition 1 and partition 2. To make modifications in these files, use a simple text editor, or something like PFE(Programmer's File Editor).

In disk1.vmdk you will find:

Code:

# Disk DescriptorFile
version=1
CID=fffffffe
parentCID=ffffffff
createType="twoGbMaxExtentSparse"
# Extent description
RW 4192256 SPARSE "disk1-s001.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "disk1-s002.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "disk1-s003.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "disk1-s004.vmdk"
RW 4096 SPARSE "disk1-s005.vmdk"
# The Disk Data Base
#DDB
ddb.virtualHWVersion = "3"
ddb.geometry.cylinders = "16644"
ddb.geometry.heads = "16"
ddb.geometry.sectors = "63"
ddb.adapterType = "ide"

Code:

# Disk DescriptorFile
version=1
CID=fffffffe
parentCID=ffffffff
createType="twoGbMaxExtentSparse"
# Extent description
RW 4192256 SPARSE "disk2-s001.vmdk"
RW 4192256 SPARSE "disk2-s002.vmdk"
RW 4096 SPARSE "disk2-s003.vmdk"
# The Disk Data Base
#DDB
ddb.virtualHWVersion = "3"
ddb.geometry.cylinders = "4161"
ddb.geometry.heads = "16"
ddb.geometry.sectors = "63"
ddb.adapterType = "ide"

The easiest way to change the partition size is with the value from:
ddb.geometry.cylinders = " "

This value is 4161 per 2 Giga-Bytes.
Therefore 8 Giga-Bytes = 4161 x 4 = 16644
and 20 Giga-Bytes = 4161 x 10 = 41610
and so on...

This was the first step, now you have to change the files diskx-s00x.vmdk.

For each partition there is always one file of 64 KBytes, which is the last one in the row.
In our example: disk1-s005.vmdk, and disk2-s002.vmdk

The other files are each blocks for 2 Giga-Bytes, but before the Linux installation only 320 KBytes of size.

If you would like to change now for instance partition 1 to 6 Giga-Bytes, then you will have to modify in 'disk1.vmdk' ddb.geometry.cylinders = "12483"

..and you will have these files:

disk1-s001.vmdk 320 KByte
disk1-s002.vmdk 320 KByte
disk1-s003.vmdk 320 KByte
disk1-s004.vmdk 64 KByte

So, to reduce a partition size with 2 Giga-Bytes, delete the last file of 320 KBytes and rename the file of 64 KBytes with the name of the deleted file.

Finally, the # Extent description list in diskx.vmdk has to be adapted, to be conform with the actual .vmdk files in the folder and everything is ready!

To extent a partition: for every 2 Giga-Bytes extra, make a copy of one of the 320 KBytes file. Rename the files in a way, that the 64 KBytes file is still the last one in the row.

That's all, Folks! And now, have fun with Fedora Linux on VMWare Player!

Best regards,
relooker