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Enabling a CD-ROM from a Virtual Machine

You can use the VMware Management Interface to add and remove CD-ROM drives. You can use the Configuration Editor to enable CD-ROM drives. The virtual CD-ROM is connected to the physical CD-ROM device on the server.

To enable a CD-ROM drive:

1. Connect to the virtual machine with a remote console. Make sure the virtual machine is powered off.
2. Select Settings > Configuration Editor from the remote console.
3. Click the + sign next to IDE Drives or SCSI Devices.
4. Select a device node where you want to create a virtual CD-ROM drive. For example, select the S-M node for an IDE drive or the SCSI 0:1 node for a SCSI drive. If a device node is not currently configured, the description reads Not Installed.
5. If your CD-ROM drive is connected, the panel is grayed out. Select Devices > ide1:0 > Disconnect and Edit.
6. Make a selection:
   • CD-ROM. Select this option if you want the guest operating system in the virtual machine to access the physical CD-ROM drive on the server. Enter the path to the physical CD-ROM device. Often, but not always, the device name for the CD-ROM is /dev/cdrom.
   • CD-ROM Image. Select this option if you want the virtual CD-ROM drive to connect to an image file accessible to the server. Click Browse and locate the image file to which this virtual CD-ROM drive should be connected.
   • ESX Server CD-ROM. Select this option if you want the virtual CD-ROM or drive to connect to the ESX Server CD.
7. Click OK.

   Related topics:

   • Automatically connecting to a CD-ROM drive at power on
   • Changing the connection for a CD-ROM
   • Removing a virtual CD-ROM device

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