Print

[a_previous_engagement]

I would very much appreciate if anyone could give me a short tutorial on how to install VMware under x-dsl.
ive got the linux distribution of the program on my xbox's E partition already. but as i am not a linux user...i have NO IDEA on how to start the install. Ive got X-dsl working perfectly, but i would really appreciate if someone could please inform me on how to get this program working, regardless of the memory that its gonna take up. i just want to get it RUNNING. any help would be appreciated. thanks!

[torne]

If you don't know how to use Linux you will have trouble running VMware; it's not trivial and requires you to compile modules to insert into the host linux system's kernel. It's not just a matter of run the install and it works. I don't think X-DSL even has the required tools and kernel source to do this installed by default.

[a_previous_engagement]

torne,
you are a very helpful person indeed. =).

so i guess i can scratch Xdsl running VMware.
but i was reading your earlier posts and i had run across something about you saying you had got it running under gentoo? or gentoox , something like that.

i am a total noob when it comes to linux. ive used windows since i was 5, and have my brain programmed to clicking something and it automatically installing itself. is there a tutorial ANYWHERE that you may have posted, or could create that would inform me on how to do this? i would greatly appreciate your help in this matter.

best regards,
seth.

[torne]

I'm an experienced Linux user and I run the regular Gentoo distribution, compiled from scratch, on my Xbox (when it's not happily in XBMC, anyway *grin*). I don't write tutorials; I'd suggest playing with Linux for a while on the PC (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[a_previous_engagement]

ok.
so ive installed Gentoox on my f partition.
not a native install...
but whatever.

how do i just start the install?
ive got vmware stored on my e drive...
i just need to know how to execute vmware-installer.pl.

every time i try to open it...i get this text page filled with directory targets...commands and shit i dont understand.

[torne]

It's a perl script. Either make it executable and run it (chmod +x vmware-installer.pl; ./vmware-installer.pl) or run it explicitly with perl (perl vmware-installer.pl).

If I remember correctly (it's been a while since I actually used vmware, I'm a Xen user these days) it will notice that you don't have one of the supported linux distributions and will want to compile some kernel modules. This will only work if you have the source code for the Gentoox kernel installed in the correct location, and all the required development tools available.

[burgin]

OK, first post so be gentle with me.

I had a go at this with xdsl and vmplayer, basically I did a loopback install and created a 2Gb file system.

Downloaded the kernel, appplied xbox patch and knoppix patch and compiled, installed and rebooted (there is much more to this than that simple explanation, involved a tussle with versions of gcc and gun utils). Ended up with a bootable system that moaned about a few missing modules, although I suspect I needed to recreate the initial ram disk (initrd).

Anyway, thought it was good enough to try vmplayer and it ran (after long install process), but errored about "not enough physical ram" when trying to run the downloaded browser app. Tried assorted settings but no joy - put it down to my bodged kernel compile.

So thought I'd try a more techie linux distribution and have xebian installed as a 2Gb install on my E drive.
Basically been through the same hoops (downloaded the kernel, appplied xbox patch, compiled, installed and rebooted) still think I need to rebuild my initrd but seems ok. To cut a long story short again tried vmplayer and still error message about physical ram. done some reading but still no luck, looks like vmplayer needs loads of RAM and the 64Mb of my xbox just isn't enough.

Will keep trying and let you know how I get on.

tah

burgin

[torne]

You haven't done anything wrong with Linux - if VMPlayer runs at all your kernel is probably fine. The error means exactly what it says - there isn't enough physical RAM.

The downloadable browser appliance VM on VMWare's site is configured to use 256MB of ram (read the .vmx file to see, it's just a text file). If the guest OS requests 256MB, then the host needs to have somewhere between 280 and 300MB of ram available in order to virtualise successfully. Since the Xbox has only 64MB total, and you need enough RAM to actually run the host OS in the first place as well (~10-15MB at least), you are unlikely to be able to run any VM that's configured to use more than about 32MB.

Find a smaller VM to try, or create your own. http://www.easyvmx.com/ is a web tool that will create the .vmx file for a virtual machine for you.

The other thing that may help is adding a large swap partition to the Xbox - not all memory used by VMware can be paged out but some can. This will run pretty slow, though. The other other choice is to get someone to do the 128MB upgrade on your box (or do it yourself if you're a good solderer), but that's a bit extreme (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)