ISO boot from FAT/NTFS/USB (GRUB.exe, grldr from boot.ini)

[ruymbeke]

Hello,
I have created a VMware virtual machine (vm) for Knoppix 5.01
with the VMware tools already installed using the ISO boot technique, cf the following 11MB zip file:
http://s94002264.onlinehome.us/grub/VMK501.ZIP
cf: http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/554
You can try it using the VMPlayer from vmware, cf: http://www.vmware.com/download/player/
This is a very nice way to try Knoppix within windows without any risk.
Knoppix running in a vm is actually the fastest Xserver for Windows I have found so far
including cygwin and some other quite pricy ones ...
Have fun,
Gilles

PS: Please update the cdrom image path to match the location of your Knoppix 5.01 CD or DVD iso file.
After the boot process is complete, please use the full screen mode or resize the vmware application window
to match your needs. The guest X server will change the display settings of the Knoppix 5.01 window
to fit the vmware application window (if the Autofit guest and Resize guest options are enabled in the preferences)

FYI: How does it work ?
I have setup a knoppix.sh in a virtual hdd decompressing in the Knoppix ramdisk a tgz file
including all the vmware tools during the boot process just before the init execution. Thanks the unionfs
the vmware tools are "patching" the Knoppix iso with the ramdisk and are then launched by the init process.
I use grub as a boot loader in the virtual hdd to load the Knoppix kernel and the minirt_usb6.gz boot ramdisk
allowing to change the hostname, patch a couple of bugs and finally boot from the VMware virtual cdrom
mounted from the official Knoppix 5.01 cd or dvd iso. The VMware tools include some key features as:
transparent mouse, fast graphics, shared directories (workstation only), ...

[Harry Kuhman]

Lots of things include the tools, including many appliances that VMware publishes on their own site. In fact, the simplest way to get "permission" might be to give it to them to publish, which might save you bandwidth too. I'm looking forward to seeing this.

[ruymbeke]

Lots of things include the tools, including many appliances that VMware publishes on their own site. In fact, the simplest way to get "permission" might be to give it to them to publish, which might save you bandwidth too. I'm looking forward to seeing this.

Hi Harry,
I finally got an answer from vmware, but I am still not sure
I can publish this Knoppix 5.01 vm using their tools.
I guess so. Anyway, please find below the response I got:

Hi Gilles,
Sorry for the delay. There was a mistake on our site (since corrected).
If you wish to list your appliance in our "Community" section of the Virtual Appliance directory,
you may do so using our "self-service" tool
http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliance...nity_appliance
You must be logged in to a VMTN account in order to see this form.
Thanks!
Michael

[Harry Kuhman]

Well, I only have the VMware player, not the full package that lets me install from scratch, so I'm not ever sure what the options with the tools are, I really just know that I see many preconfigured files that the player will run that say they include the tools and some that say they do not. I don't know what they mean by "self service tool". But I am under the imperssion that if you own the full VMware package that you are allowed to ceate "appliances" and distribute them to others for use on the player and that they can contain the tools, I see this happening all the time on their own appliance section of theeir website, and I have never heard of them wanting to prevent it, there or anywhere else. You have made the extra step of making an inquirie to them, but I'm very comfortable that even without asking it's permitted to redistribute any appliances that you build (as far as VMware is concerned. Of course, if that appliance contains copyrighted applications from other vendors it would be a different issue.)

So how can we get your file and how do we use it?

[ruymbeke]

Well, I only have the VMware player, not the full package that lets me install from scratch, so I'm not ever sure what the options with the tools are, I really just know that I see many preconfigured files that the player will run that say they include the tools and some that say they do not. I don't know what they mean by "self service tool". But I am under the imperssion that if you own the full VMware package that you are allowed to ceate "appliances" and distribute them to others for use on the player and that they can contain the tools, I see this happening all the time on their own appliance section of theeir website, and I have never heard of them wanting to prevent it, there or anywhere else. You have made the extra step of making an inquirie to them, but I'm very comfortable that even without asking it's permitted to redistribute any appliances that you build (as far as VMware is concerned. Of course, if that appliance contains copyrighted applications from other vendors it would be a different issue.)

Thank you very much for your input. Even though I didn't get a clear answer from them, I believe that you are right.

So how can we get your file and how do we use it?

I already have updated my previous post with the zip link: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...=107353#107353
Please give me some feedback.
Best Regards,
Gilles

[patelbhavesh]

Well, I only have the VMware player, not the full package that lets me install from scratch, so I'm not ever sure what the options with the tools are, I really just know that I see many preconfigured files that the player will run that say they include the tools and some that say they do not. I don't know what they mean by "self service tool". But I am under the imperssion that if you own the full VMware package that you are allowed to ceate "appliances" and distribute them to others for use on the player and that they can contain the tools, I see this happening all the time on their own appliance section of theeir website, and I have never heard of them wanting to prevent it, there or anywhere else. You have made the extra step of making an inquirie to them, but I'm very comfortable that even without asking it's permitted to redistribute any appliances that you build (as far as VMware is concerned. Of course, if that appliance contains copyrighted applications from other vendors it would be a different issue.)

Thank you very much for your input. Even though I didn't get a clear answer from them, I believe that you are right.

So how can we get your file and how do we use it?

I already have updated my previous post with the zip link: http://www.knoppix.net/forum/viewtop...=107353#107353
Please give me some feedback.
Best Regards,
Gilles

Now that VMWare server is free wouldnt it be easier to just download vmware server from

http://www.vmware.com/products/server/
And then create a virtual machine and add the Knoppix iso image to the virtual machine as a cdrom image.
Or am I missing something.

[Harry Kuhman]

Now that VMWare server is free wouldnt it be easier to just download vmware server....
And then create a virtual machine and add the Knoppix iso image to the virtual machine as a cdrom image.
Or am I missing something.

ruymbeke may know better than I, but I have been led to believe that the free server has some serious limitations, including that it does not support sound or USB devices. So the player still has it's place.

EDIT: I've found that I had been given bad advice, the VMWare free server produce does support USB and sound.

[ruymbeke]

Hello patelbhavesh,
Thank you for your feedback, but I believe that you may have missed something...

Now that VMWare server is free wouldnt it be easier to just download vmware server....

According to the vmware web site, the vmware server as implied by it's name runs on a (windows) server
and is not supposed to work or is not fully functional on a non-server system.
Nevertheless, it looks like working good enough for me on my XP professional if you ignore a couple of errors...
I did not spend a lot of time on the vmserver yet since I have a vmware workstation licence.
BTW, in order to run the server you need a licence and in order to get one,
you will need to enter your informations into a vmware web page which is not required with the player.
Now vm-player versus vm-server... just use what ever works best for you.

And then create a virtual machine and add the Knoppix iso image to the virtual machine as a cdrom image.

Creating a vm using just the iso (as you suggested) works fine, except that since
you cannot install the vm-tools on the (read only) cd, you either have to make a hdd install
and you end up with a huge vm or you run Knoppix without the vm tools installed which is annoying because of:
- X is very slow and no window resize (since the vmware X drivers are not loaded)
- No cut & paste nor smooth mouse handling between host and vm
- the time inside the vm is out of sync with the hosts (no real time, time jumps, ...)
- no shared folders between host and vm (not available with vmplayer, not sure about the vmserver...)
- no hostname customisation (via hostname= kernel cheatcode), which is really annoying in a corporate environment
where all Knoppix vm or real boxes have the same Knoppix hostname on the same local network (minirt_usb6.gz fix it).

The key benefit of my setup is to provide a very small 11MB vmware virtual machine (vm)
WITH the vmware tools already installed using as you suggested the official Knoppix 5.01 cd or DVD
mounted as a cdrom image. (you may have to update the iso filename path within the vmk501.vmx text file)

The only other clean way to do it, would be to remaster the cd to include the vm-tools
within the Knoppix hardware auto detection. But obviously I much prefer my approach since I can use
the same official iso file to burn a Knoppix cd for a friend, boot natively knoppix from that iso,
or run a fast Knoppix in a vm (with the vmware tools installed) using that same iso !
It was not that easy to find a way to dynamically patch the knoppix iso content during boot time
in order to include and load the vm drivers and tools and to make this vm (vm-tools patch) as small as 11MB...

No need to download a big vm nor a new custom knoppix-vmware iso.
Just download a 11MB zip file and re-use your official Knoppix 5.01 iso.
Use it if you like it !

If you are happy with your vm setup without having the vm-tools installed, you have no need for my setup.
My two cents,
Gilles

[patelbhavesh]

Now that VMWare server is free wouldnt it be easier to just download vmware server....
And then create a virtual machine and add the Knoppix iso image to the virtual machine as a cdrom image.
Or am I missing something.

ruymbeke may know better than I, but I have been led to believe that the free server has some serious limitations, including that it does not support sound or USB devices. So the player still has it's place.

I have used it and I dont think there are any limitation on sound or USB device.I have got both sound and have been able to access USB drives with server.
One of the main advantage of VMWare server is that you can add multiple Virtual CPU's also.

[patelbhavesh]

Hello patelbhavesh,
Thank you for your feedback, but I believe that you may have missed something...

Now that VMWare server is free wouldnt it be easier to just download vmware server....

According to the vmware web site, the vmware server as implied by it's name runs on a (windows) server
and is not supposed to work or is not fully functional on a non-server system.
Nevertheless, it looks like working good enough for me on my XP professional if you ignore a couple of errors...
I did not spend a lot of time on the vmserver yet since I have a vmware workstation licence.
BTW, in order to run the server you need a licence and in order to get one,
you will need to enter your informations into a vmware web page which is not required with the player.
Now vm-player versus vm-server... just use what ever works best for you.

And then create a virtual machine and add the Knoppix iso image to the virtual machine as a cdrom image.

Creating a vm using just the iso (as you suggested) works fine, except that since
you cannot install the vm-tools on the (read only) cd, you either have to make a hdd install
and you end up with a huge vm or you run Knoppix without the vm tools installed which is annoying because of:
- X is very slow (the vmware X drivers are not loaded)
- No window resize nor smooth mouse handling between host and vm (the vmware X drivers are not loaded)
- the time inside the vm is out of sync with the hosts (no real time, time jumps, ...)
- no shared folders between host and vm (not available with vmplayer, not sure about the vmserver...)
- no hostname customisation (via hostname= kernel cheatcode), which is really annoying in a corporate environment
where all Knoppix vm or real boxes have the same Knoppix hostname on the same local network (minirt_usb6.gz fix it).

The key benefit of my setup is to provide a very small 11MB vmware virtual machine (vm)
WITH the vmware tools already installed using as you suggested the official Knoppix 5.01 cd or DVD
mounted as a cdrom image. (you may have to update the iso filename path within the vmk501.vmx text file)

The only other clean way to do it, would be to remaster the cd to include the vm-tools
within the Knoppix hardware auto detection. But obviously I much prefer my approach since I can use
the same official iso file to burn a Knoppix cd for a friend, boot natively knoppix from that iso,
or run a fast Knoppix in a vm (with the vmware tools installed) using that same iso !
It was not that easy to find a way to dynamically patch the knoppix iso content during boot time
in order to include and load the vm drivers and tools and to make this vm (vm-tools patch) as small as 11MB...

No need to download a big vm nor a new custom knoppix-vmware iso.
Just download a 11MB zip file and re-use your official Knoppix 5.01 iso.
Use it if you like it !

If you are happy with your vm setup without having the vm-tools installed, you have no need for my setup.
My two cents,
Gilles

Yeah Gilles I agree with you .The only thing I was trying to point out is that with VMware server you have lot of flexibility like adding multiple CPU's and taking snapshots(I dont know whether this is possible with VMware player),adding hard drives/partitions etc.Basically VMware server is the older GSX eidtion of VMware server.

Update
I just downloaded the 11 MB virtual machine to try out on VMWare server.It works with VMWare server also .
So whoever wants to use VMware player can use it or you can also use Vmware server.whatever fits your needs