Vmware-Tools and time synchronization

There are several reasons for installing Vmware Tools in the guest-OS:

• Better network performance by using vmxnet module
• May be better Virtual-disk speed because /etc/init.d/vmware-tools sets up hdparms.
• Time synchronization hetween host & guest OS.

Installation:

1. Install Virtual Machine (e.g. SuSE 9.3 used here) with pcnet32 network module (default) including the kernel sources.
2. Run Yast Online Update you. This updates the packets + kernel + kernel sources.
3. Reboot.
4. Install the Vmware-Tools. We use the

   dc:/pub/software/RPM/VMwareTools-5.5.1-19175.i386.rpm

   which compiles better with 2.6 kernals then the variant distributed with vmware-gsx-server.

   rpm -i VMwareTools-5.5.1-19175.i386.rpm

   .
5. Now we have to configure the kernel sources:

cd /usr/src/linux make cloneconfig make prepare

1. Now we can successfully run

   /usr/bin/vmware-config-tools.pl

   and follow the instructions.
2. Run vmware-toolbox and check button .
3. Unfortunatly the guest OS gives timerevents with maximum 1000Hz, what is to slow fror the Linux-SMP-2.6 default kernel. See Therfore we have to add the kernel boot options: clock=pit noapic nolapic nosmp

vi /boot/grub/menu.lst # Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Tue Feb 21 12:52:40 UTC 2006 color white/blue black/light-gray default 0 timeout 8 gfxmenu (hd0,0)/boot/message ###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux### title SUSE LINUX 9.3 kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz ...showopts clock=pit noapic nolapic nosmp initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd ###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: floppy### title Floppy root (fd0) chainloader +1 ###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe### title Failsafe -- SUSE LINUX 9.3 kernel (hd0,0)/boot/vmlinuz ............... 3 initrd (hd0,0)/boot/initrd

1. Shutdown the VM and configure the network to use vmxnet module instead of pcnet32 .
2. Check if in the Vmwares *.vmx file the entry

   tools.syncTime = "TRUE"

   is correctly set.
3. Power on the VM and choose the right driver for eth0 using yast (it should be named eth? because even /etc/init.d/vmware-tools has to find it) Example:

brn-suse093-1:~ # cat /etc/sysconfig/hardware/hwcfg-bus-pci-0000:00:11.0 MODULE='vmxnet' MODULE_OPTIONS='' STARTMODE='auto' brn-suse093-1:~ # cat /etc/sysconfig/network/ifcfg-eth0 BOOTPROTO='dhcp' MTU='' NAME='VMWare VMware High-Speed Virtual NIC [vmxnet]' REMOTE_IPADDR='' STARTMODE='auto' UNIQUE='7EWs.eUHVfjJn0H8' USERCONTROL='no' _nm_name='bus-pci-0000:00:11.0'

1. Shut down the machine, power off the VM from the GSX-Console and start the VM new.

Hopefully after a reboot all services start correctly and the time is more accurate. If not please add details to this description!

If a kernel-update is installed the steps 3, 5 and 6 have to be repeated!