Contents

Previous Next

Host System Requirements Host System Requirements
What do you need to get the most out of VMware GSX Server? Take the following list of requirements as a starting point. Remember that the virtual machines running under GSX Server are like physical computers in many ways — and, like physical computers, they generally perform better if they have faster processors, more memory and sufficient disk space.
Be aware that system requirements may change after this manual has been printed. For the latest system requirements, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.
Note: VMware GSX Server (for Windows and Linux hosts) is not localized and does not support internationalization. However, virtual machines created with the localized version of VMware Workstation for Windows still work with GSX Server, even though certain elements do not display properly in GSX Server.
Server Requirements
The server is a Windows or Linux system where you install the GSX Server software. Virtual machines can be stored on the server host or located on a network share.
Server Host Hardware
VMware GSX Server supports up to 32-way multiprocessor servers. The number of virtual machines you can run concurrently depends on the resources they require, but VMware recommends you run no more than four virtual machines concurrently per processor. You can run a maximum of 64 virtual machines concurrently on one host. The server must include the following.
  • Standard x86-based server with up to 32 processors
  • Hosts with 32-bit IA-32 processors, and IA-32 processors with 64-bit extensions supported
  • 733MHz or faster compatible x86 processor that supports the Pentium® instruction set
    • Compatible processors include
  • Intel: Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium III Xeon, Pentium 4, Xeon, Xeon EM64T
  • AMD™: Athlon™, Athlon XP, AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon 64
    • Multiprocessor systems supported
    Dual-core processors supported and counted as one processor for licensing purposes
    Memory
    You need enough memory to run the Windows or Linux host operating system, plus memory required for each guest operating system and applications on the host and each guest; see your guest operating system and application documentation for their memory requirements.
  • Minimum: 512MB
  • Maximum: 64GB for Windows hosts and Linux hosts that support large memory or are PAE-enabled, 4GB for non-PAE-enabled Windows hosts or 2GB for Linux hosts with kernels in the 2.2.x series
    • Display
  • 16-bit display adapter or higher
    • Host Hard Disk
  • 130MB free disk space on Windows hosts required for server, VMware Management Interface, VmPerl API, VmCOM API and VMware Virtual Machine Console installation
  • 20MB free disk space on Linux hosts required for server, VMware Management Interface, VmPerl API and VMware Virtual Machine Console installation
  • Disk space in /tmp on Linux hosts should be equivalent to 1.5 times the amount of memory on the host. For information on the /tmp directory, read VMware knowledge base article 844 at www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=844.
  • At least 1GB free disk space recommended for each guest operating system and the application software used with it; using a default setup, the actual disk space needs are approximately the same as those for installing and running the guest operating system and applications on a physical computer
  • IDE or SCSI hard drives, CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives supported
  • Guest operating systems can reside in virtual disk files or on physical (raw) disk partitions
    • Local Area Networking
  • Any Ethernet controller that the host operating system supports
  • Non-Ethernet networks are supported using built-in network address translation (NAT) or using a combination of host-only networking plus routing software on the host operating system
  • A static IP address for your host machine (recommended)
    • Windows Host Operating Systems
    You need a Windows server operating system. If you intend to use the VMware Management Interface, Internet Information Server (IIS) 5.0 or 6.0 must be installed.
    Note: Operating systems and service packs that are not listed are not supported for use as a host operating system for VMware GSX Server.
    64-bit host computers can run the following operating systems for 64-bit extended systems:
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, including Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, including Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, including Service Pack 1
    • 32-bit host computers can run the following operating systems:
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, including Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, including Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, including Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Service Pack 3 and Service Pack 4
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server, Service Pack 3 and Service Pack 4
    • The VmPerl API requires Perl 5.005x or higher.
    The VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.0 (6.0 highly recommended)
  • Firefox 1.x
  • Mozilla 1.x
  • Netscape® Navigator 7.0
    • Note: As new browser versions are released, VMware tests the management interface for stability and reliability with these versions. We make every effort to add support for new browser versions in a timely manner, but until a browser is added to the above list, its use with our product is not supported. For the latest system requirements, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.
    Linux Host Operating Systems
    Supported distributions and kernels are listed below. GSX Server may not run on systems that do not meet these requirements.
    64-bit host computers can run the following operating systems for 64-bit extended systems (experimental support only):
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 AS
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 ES
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 WS
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 AS
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 ES
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 WS
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9
  • SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8
  • SUSE LINUX 9.3
  • SUSE LINUX 9.2
    • 32-bit host computers can run the following operating systems:
  • Mandrake Linux 10.1
  • Mandrake Linux 10.0
  • Mandrake Linux 9.2
  • Mandrake Linux 9.0
  • Mandrake Linux 8.2
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 AS
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 ES
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0 WS
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 AS
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 ES
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 WS
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 2.1
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 2.1
  • Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 2.1
  • Red Hat Linux 9.0
  • Red Hat Linux 8.0
  • Red Hat Linux 7.3
  • Red Hat Linux 7.2
  • Red Hat Linux 7.1
  • SUSE LINUX Enterprise Server 9
  • SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 8
  • SuSE Linux Enterprise Server 7
  • SUSE LINUX 9.3
  • SUSE LINUX 9.2
  • SUSE LINUX 9.1
  • SUSE LINUX 9.0
  • SuSE Linux 8.2
  • SuSE Linux 8.1
  • SuSE Linux 8.0
  • SuSE Linux 7.3
  • Turbolinux Server 8.0
  • Turbolinux Workstation 8.0
  • Turbolinux Server 7.0
    • Platforms not listed above are not supported.
    Note: As new Linux kernels and distributions are released, VMware modifies and tests its products for stability and reliability on those host platforms. We make every effort to add support for new kernels and distributions in a timely manner, but until a kernel or distribution is added to the list below, its use with our product is not supported. Look for newer prebuilt modules in the Download area of our Web site. Go to www.vmware.com/download. For the list of supported kernels, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.
    Other Linux host operating system requirements include:
  • Linux kernel 2.2.14-5.0 is not supported
  • Standard Linux server installation is required with glibc version 2.1 or higher and libXpm.so
  • The inetd process, which must be configured and active for VMware Virtual Machine Console and VMware Management Interface connections
  • Version 2.1.36 of the SCSI Generic (sg.o) driver is required to use generic SCSI devices in virtual machines
  • Perl 5.005x or higher is required to use VmPerl API
  • X server is required to run the VMware Virtual Machine Console
    • In addition, the VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers:
  • Firefox 1.x
  • Mozilla 1.x
  • Netscape Navigator 7.0
    • Note: As new browser versions are released, VMware tests the management interface for stability and reliability with these versions. We make every effort to add support for new browser versions in a timely manner, but until a browser is added to the above list, its use with our product is not supported. For the latest system requirements, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.
    Information about Running GSX Server on Some SuSE Linux Hosts
    Keep in mind the following when you run GSX Server on these SuSE Linux hosts.
  • SLES 8 — Install gcc on your SLES 8 host before installing GSX Server.
  • SLES 7 — If you intend to upgrade the kernel, make sure you deselect any Samba components when you apply the update patch, as the patch incorrectly updates Samba on your host. Running the update with the Samba packages selected can result in serious issues on your host like system hangs or segmentation faults.
    • VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs
    The VmPerl API includes the vmware-cmd utility. The VmCOM API works on Windows Server 2003 and Windows 2000 hosts only. For more information, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/developer.
    Remote Client Requirements
    The remote client is a Windows or Linux system from which you launch the VMware Virtual Machine Console or use VMware Scripting APIs to remotely manage virtual machines on the GSX Server host. You access the VMware Management Interface to manage virtual machines on the host using a Web browser.
    Hardware Requirements
  • Standard x86-based computer
  • 266MHz or faster processor
  • 64MB RAM minimum
  • 20MB (for Windows hosts) or 10MB (for Linux hosts) free disk space is required for installation of the VMware Virtual Machine Console
  • 17MB free disk space is required for VMware Scripting APIs (VmCOM and VmPerl Scripting APIs) installation on Windows remote clients; 14MB is required for VmPerl API on Linux remote clients
    • Software — Windows Remote Client
  • Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003 Web Edition
  • Windows XP Professional and Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2
  • Windows 2000 Professional, Server and Advanced Server, Service Pack 1, Service Pack 2, Service Pack 3 and Service Pack 4
  • Windows NT 4.0 Workstation and Server, Service Pack 6a
  • The VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers:
  • Internet Explorer 5.5 or 6.0 (6.0 highly recommended)
  • Firefox 1.x
  • Mozilla 1.x
  • Netscape Navigator 7.0
    • Note: As new browser versions are released, VMware tests the management interface for stability and reliability with these versions. We make every effort to add support for new browser versions in a timely manner, but until a browser is added to the above list, its use with our product is not supported. For the latest system requirements, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.
    Software — Linux Remote Client
  • Standard Linux installation is required with glibc version 2.1 or higher and one of the following kernels:
  • For single-processor systems: kernel 2.0.32 or higher in the 2.0.x series, or kernel in the 2.2.x, 2.4.x or 2.6.x series
  • For SMP systems: kernel in the 2.2.x, 2.4.x or 2.6.x series
    • Note: Linux kernel 2.2.14-5.0 is not supported.
  • Perl 5.005x or higher is required to use VmPerl API
  • X server is required to run the VMware Virtual Machine Console on the client
  • The VMware Management Interface requires one of these browsers:
  • Firefox 1.x
  • Mozilla 1.x
  • Netscape Navigator 7.0
    • Note: As new browser versions are released, VMware tests the management interface for stability and reliability with these versions. We make every effort to add support for new browser versions in a timely manner, but until a browser is added to the above list, its use with our product is not supported. For the latest system requirements, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/gsx3/doc/intro_sysreqs_host_gsx.html.
    VmPerl and VmCOM Scripting APIs
    The VmPerl API includes the vmware-cmd utility. The VmCOM API works on Windows Server 2003, Windows XP, Windows 2000 and Windows NT clients only. For more information, go to the VMware Web site at www.vmware.com/support/developer.


    Previous Next