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Changing the Port Number for VMware Virtual Machine Console Connections
By default, the VMware Virtual Machine Console connects to virtual machines via port 902. If this port assignment poses a conflict for your site — for example, if you use the ideafarm-chat program — you can change the port number the console uses accordingly.
Changing the port number involves manually adding a variable to certain preference files. The steps you need to take vary depending upon the server host operating system, the host on which the console is running and whether you are making this change to GSX Server itself (by assigning the new port number to a variable called authd.port) or to the console (by assigning the new port number to a variable called authd.client.port).
The authd.port setting is different from the authd.client.port setting. The authd.port variable tells GSX Server (the server side) which port to listen on for console connections from remote hosts or clients. The authd.client.port variable tells the console (the client side) the port with which to connect. Thus, if you set only authd.port to a different port number, such as 9902, and you try to connect to a virtual machine on that host with a console on a remote host or client, the console still tries to connect to port 902. Keep in mind that you can substitute this new port number manually when you connect with a console. In the Connect to VMware Server dialog box, in the Host name field, enter the port number along with the name of the GSX Server host name and configuration file path, like this:
<server name>:<port> <config file>
Depending upon your site's needs or configuration (for example, if you have multiple GSX Server hosts and they use different ports), this might be acceptable. However, setting authd.client.port to the same port number you use for authd.port allows for seamless integration between the server and the console. It also lets you avoid manually entering the port number every time you connect to the server with a console.
Changing the Port Number on a Windows Host or Client
To change the port number on the GSX Server for Windows host, add the following line to config.ini in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware GSX Server:
authd.port = <portNumber>
Where <portNumber> is the port number that all consoles connecting to virtual machines on this host must use.
To change the port number that is used by the console installed on a Windows host or client, you must create a file called config.ini and place it in C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Virtual Machine Console. In this file, add the following line:
authd.client.port = <portNumber>
Where <portNumber> is the port number that all consoles on this machine connecting to virtual machines on the GSX Server host must use. The GSX Server host must have this port number set to the authd.port variable in its config.ini file (Windows host) or vmware-authd file (Linux host).
To change the port number for a specific user who is using the console installed on a Windows host, add the following line to the preferences.ini file located in C:\Documents and Settings\<user>\Application Data\VMware:
authd.client.port = <portNumber>
Where <portNumber> is the port number to use only when this user is logged in and using a console to connect to a virtual machine on the GSX Server host. The GSX Server host must have this port number set to the authd.port variable in its config.ini file (Windows host) or vmware-authd file (Linux host).
Changing the Port Number on a Linux Host or Client
To change the port number on the GSX Server for Linux host, you first need to determine whether your host is configured to use xinetd or inetd. If your host is configured to use xinetd, look for the following line in /etc/xinetd/vmware-authd:
port = 902
Change the port number — 902 in this case — to the desired number.
If your host is configured to use inetd, look for the following line in /etc/inetd.conf:
902 ... vmware-authd
Change the port number — 902 in this case — to the desired number. All consoles connecting to virtual machines on this host must use this port number.
To change the port number that is used by the console installed on a Linux host or client, add the following line to either /etc/vmware-console/config or /usr/lib/vmware-console/config:
authd.client.port = <portNumber>
Where <portNumber> is the port number that all consoles on this machine connecting to virtual machines on the GSX Server host must use. The GSX Server host must have this port number set to the authd.port variable in its config.ini file (Windows host) or vmware-authd file (Linux host).
Note: If the port numbers specified in these files are different, the port number specified in /etc/vmware-console/config takes precedence.
To change the port number for a specific user who is using the console installed on a Linux host, add the following line to ~/.vmware/preferences:
authd.client.port = <portNumber>
Where <portNumber> is the port number to use only when this user is logged in and using a console to connect to a virtual machine on the GSX Server host. The GSX Server host must have this port number set to the authd.port variable in its config.ini file (Windows host) or vmware-authd file (Linux host). When this user is logged in, the port number specified in ~/.vmware/preferences supersedes the port number specified in /etc/vmware-console/config or /usr/lib/vmware-console/config.
Substituting a Port Number with the VMware Scripting APIs
With the VMware Scripting APIs, you can supply a different port number when you create a new virtual machine object. This port number must match the port number set on the GSX Server host, which is set by the authd.port variable in the config.ini file (Windows host) or vmware-authd file (Linux host).
If you specify 0 as the port number, the console connects with the port number specified by authd.client.port instead. If authd.client.port is not specified, the console connects with the default port 902.