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Installing Novell NetWare 5.1 into a Virtual Machine

NetWare 5.1 can be installed in a virtual machine using the standard Novell NetWare 5.1 CD.

Before installing the operating system, keep the following issues in mind:

• VMware recommends you install NetWare 5.1 on a host with at least 384MB of memory.
• Change the color settings of your host system to 256 Colors (8 bit).
• If you are using a Windows .NET Server host, you can set the Compatibility mode for the VMware GSX Server executable (vmware.exe) to 256 colors. To do so, go to the folder where you installed VMware GSX Server. Right-click vmware.exe, select Properties and select 256 compatibility.
• NetWare servers do not idle the CPU when the operating system is idle. As a result, a virtual machine takes CPU time from the host regardless of whether the NetWare server software is idle or busy. To prevent unnecessary slowdowns, VMware recommends that you download the NetWare 5 CPU idle program from www.vmware.com/software/Nw5-idle.nlm and copy it to a floppy disk for use during the installation.

Installation Steps

To install NetWare 5.1 in a virtual machine, complete the following steps.

1. Create a new virtual machine using the VMware GSX Server Configuration Wizard. For the most part, you can choose your own settings, except as noted below.

   1. For the type of configuration, select Custom.
   2. For the guest operating system, select Other.
   3. Keep the memory setting for the virtual machine at its default of 256MB.
   4. Be sure to create a new virtual disk.
   5. Set the display depth to 256 colors (8 bit).

2. After you finish creating the new virtual machine, choose Settings > Configuration Editor and remove both USB controllers.

3. Begin installing the NetWare 5.1 guest operating system. Insert the Novell NetWare 5.1 CD-ROM and power on the virtual machine.

4. Read and accept the license agreement.

5. When prompted, choose IDE CD-ROM.

6. Create a new boot partition. The guest operating system reboots.

7. The installation continues. When the installer finishes copying the files, insert floppy containing the NW5-IDLE.NLM file.

   1. Press Ctrl-Esc to see all screens available in the virtual machine, and choose System Console.
   2. At the command prompt, type
      LOAD: A\NW5-IDLE.NLM
   3. Press Alt-Esc to return to the installation.

8. To configure IP networking, do one of the following:

   • If you chose bridged networking for the virtual machine, enter its IP address.

     When NetWare tries to load the LAN driver (using pcntnw.lan), it fails because it broadcasts for its own IP address. This causes IP networking to fail.

     To work around this, open the System Console (press Ctrl-Esc) and type
     set allow ip address duplicates=on

     Press Alt-Esc to return to the installation.

   • If you chose host-only networking for the virtual machine, look up the host machine's IP address. At a command prompt on the host, type
     ipconfig /all

     Note the host’s IP address for VMnet1 and change the last octal so it is greater than the last octal in the IP address of the host.

     For example, if the host IP address is 192.168.160.1, then the virtual machine’s IP address is 192.168.160.###, where ### is any number greater than 1 and less than 128.

     For the subnet mask, enter 255.255.255.0.

     For the router gateway, enter the host’s IP adddress (192.168.80.1 in our example).

   • If you chose network address translation for the virtual machine, look up the host machine's IP address. At a command prompt on the host, type
     ipconfig /all

     Note the host’s IP address for VMnet8 and change the last octal so it is greater than the last octal in the IP address of the host.

     For example, if the host IP address is 192.168.160.2, then the virtual machine’s IP address is 192.168.160.###, where ### is any number greater than 2 and less than 128.

     For the subnet mask, enter 255.255.255.0.

     For the router gateway, enter the host’s IP adddress (192.168.80.2 in our example).

9. Finish the installation.

10. After you complete the installation, copy the NW5-IDLE.NLM file to SYS:SYSTEM and C:\NWSERVER in the guest operating system.

11. Now that you have the guest operating system installed, you can change the color setting of your host back its original setting.

VMware Tools for NetWare 5.1 Guest Operating Systems

VMware Tools is not included in NetWare 5.1 virtual machines. For more information, see www.vmware.com/download/netware_tools.html.

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