I’m looking at installing openSUSE because I like the idea of using the rolling release provided by Tumbleweed. The only concern I have is that I’d like to run Windows virtualized. I read on the Tumbleweed port that vmware is supported. Does that include the free VMware player? I’ve also read some forum posts that say one shouldn’t be using vmware with tumbleweed. What is the true state of affairs? Should I be able to run vmware player running Windows XP without too much difficulty?
On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:16:04 +0000, cooleric1234 wrote:
> I’m looking at installing openSUSE because I like the idea of using the
> rolling release provided by Tumbleweed. The only concern I have is that
> I’d like to run Windows virtualized. I read on the Tumbleweed port that
> vmware is supported. Does that include the free VMware player? I’ve also
> read some forum posts that say one shouldn’t be using vmware with
> tumbleweed. What is the true state of affairs? Should I be able to run
> vmware player running Windows XP without too much difficulty?
VMware player uses the same modules that Workstation does, so in theory
it should work fine.
Jim
–
Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
Forum Use Terms & Conditions at http://tinyurl.com/openSUSE-T-C
So I guess I’m just verifying that VMware is indeed supported, correct? As mentioned I read that on the Tumbleweed page but then some forum posts I read indicated that one shouldn’t run Tumbleweed if you want to use VMware.
On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 19:16:03 +0000, cooleric1234 wrote:
> hendersj;2374776 Wrote:
>> On Sat, 13 Aug 2011 17:16:04 +0000, cooleric1234 wrote:
>>
>> > I’m looking at installing openSUSE because I like the idea of using
>> the
>> > rolling release provided by Tumbleweed. The only concern I have is
>> that
>> > I’d like to run Windows virtualized. I read on the Tumbleweed port
>> that
>> > vmware is supported. Does that include the free VMware player? I’ve
>> also
>> > read some forum posts that say one shouldn’t be using vmware with
>> > tumbleweed. What is the true state of affairs? Should I be able to
>> run
>> > vmware player running Windows XP without too much difficulty?
>>
>> VMware player uses the same modules that Workstation does, so in theory
>> it should work fine.
>>
>>
>>
> So I guess I’m just verifying that VMware is indeed supported, correct?
> As mentioned I read that on the Tumbleweed page but then some forum
> posts I read indicated that one shouldn’t run Tumbleweed if you want to
> use VMware.
“Supported” is something that you’d get with commercial Linux - if you
had problems getting it running, I’m sure someone here would jump in and
try to help you.
In general, it should work, but you may need to have the kernel
development pattern installed so VMware/Player could build its kernel
modules.
Jim
–
Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
Forum Use Terms & Conditions at http://tinyurl.com/openSUSE-T-C
If you ask this question, then Tumbleweed is not the right thing for you and VMWARE Player.
Why?
Because of with every kernel update you must try again to get vmware to work. At the moment vmware works with kernel 3.0 and patches from 2.6.38=>2.6.39.
But that may change with the next kernel update.
If you know this, then you had not ask this question. And so its better not to use Tumbleweed.
That’s a bit of a chicken-and-the-egg conundrum isn’t it? So you’re saying it’s impossible for me to learn to get vmware to work with each kernel release? Or just that this forum is useless for actually learning something, I need to have already known before asking the question so that I don’t ask the question? How does this reconcile with the post above that vmware should work and with the documentation on the Tumbleweed page that vmware should work? It specifically mentions VirtualBox as being problematic, but says vmware should work.
That’s a bit of a chicken-and-the-egg conundrum isn’t it? So you’re saying it’s impossible for me to learn to get vmware to work with each kernel release? Or just that this forum is useless for actually learning something, I need to have already known before asking the question so that I don’t ask the question? How does this reconcile with the post above that vmware should work and with the documentation on the Tumbleweed page that vmware should work? It specifically mentions VirtualBox as being problematic, but says vmware should work.
The Tumbleweed portal in the openSUSE Wiki says that both VirtualBox and VMware are dubious in Tumbleweed. I think that advice is typically cautious but actually misrepresents the experience in the field because I know that VirtualBox (Sun ver from virtualbox.org) has performed flawlessly and easily since the 11.4-based version of Tumbleweed commenced. VMware server has been almost useless in non-Tumbleweed 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, so it would be less than useless in Tumbleweed. I have no experience with the other VMware products and I’m sure we would be most interested to hear how any of those products fare.
Interesting, thanks for the response. So is this not the right page to be looking at, or has it not been updated?
Here are a few quotes from that page:
Special Concerns
Virtual Machines
openSUSE 11.4 supports VirtualBox. Due to it not being in the mainline kernel and Tumbleweed routinely receiving kernel updates, it has been decided not to support VirtualBox in the main Tumbleweed repo.Tumbleweed does support the vmware and hyper-v virtual machine architectures.
This is because they are in the main upstream kernel and require no significant extra resources to make available with each kernel update.
When you should keep staying at stable release
At this point there is no guarantee to have all additional modules. Like for Vmware or Virtualbox. And as packman Tumbleweed Essential repo tries to deliver these, this might fail in case of too advanced kernels Tumbleweed will provide. Also, if you need to use proprietary graphics modules there will be some problems coming. If you don’t know how to compile your own additional modules and you don’t wish to learn, please don’t use Tumblweed.
Conflicting text?
On Mon, 15 Aug 2011 00:46:03 +0000, swerdna wrote:
> VMware server has been almost useless in non-Tumbleweed 11.2,
> 11.3, 11.4, so it would be less than useless in Tumbleweed. I have no
> experience with the other VMware products and I’m sure we would be most
> interested to hear how any of those products fare.
Server has been pretty useless since VMware decided to stop updating it,
which I think was when they made ESXi available for free.
I use Workstation and have used Player; Workstation 7.1.4 works
flawlessly here on 11.4 (64-bit and 32-bit), but you need kernel dev
stuff installed for it to build the modules.
Jim
–
Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
Forum Use Terms & Conditions at http://tinyurl.com/openSUSE-T-C
For me both are working too (VMWARE Player, VBOX).
But i konw that there could be problems with the next kernel upgrade.
Not with VBOX. VBOX has a higher update frequency as VMWARE. And its OSS. If there are problems, its not a long time to the next update or support in the forum.
VMWARE has more problems with new kernel versions.
But if someone ask this question, he does not know about this problems and so tumbleweed is not a thing he should use.
Once again, that’s begging the question isn’t it? How did you learn and become capable? You were inherently born with the knowledge to make Tumbleweed work? Just the act of me asking the question forever disqualifies me? Without knowing anything about my background you assume I’m forever incapable of being able to accomplish this, because I happened to start my learning by asking on this forum?
I hate that I have to say this, it comes across all wrong. But I’m not an idiot. I have a Masters in electrical engineering, have been using Linux since the days of Slackware and compiling my own kernel, and do a good amount of development for my job. Obviously there are things I don’t know, I’m new to tumbleweed. But what is it with the assumption that unless I already know something Tumbleweed is off limits because I’m incapable of learning? Are people here just really afraid of others using Tumbleweed then coming to cry when something doesn’t work the way they want it to?
On Mon, 15 Aug 2011 20:26:03 +0000, cooleric1234 wrote:
> I hate that I have to say this, it comes across all wrong. But I’m not
> an idiot. I have a Masters in electrical engineering, have been using
> Linux since the days of Slackware and compiling my own kernel, and do a
> good amount of development for my job. Obviously there are things I
> don’t know, I’m new to tumbleweed. But what is it with the assumption
> that unless I already know something Tumbleweed is off limits because
> I’m incapable of learning? Are people here just really afraid of others
> using Tumbleweed then coming to cry when something doesn’t work the way
> they want it to?
I’m going to ask that you both cool down a bit.
I think I understand what meierkurt123 is trying to say, but I don’t
necessarily agree with it.
I think what he’s suggesting is that Tumbleweed is an advanced (and
relatively new to openSUSE at least) idea, and that it’s not a place for
someone to start learning Linux.
That part I can agree with.
What I can’t agree with is that “if one doesn’t know the answer to the
question, tumbleweed isn’t for you” - as you point out, cooleric1234,
asking questions is how we learn.
But at the same time, it’s important to understand the implications of
the decision to use Tumbleweed - that of having to learn about compiling
kernel modules for tools like VMware and VirtualBox. It’s easier if
you use something other than Tumbleweed, because the kernel isn’t updated
to new versions in ways that break things unless you know how to deal
with them.
I think what meierkurt123 is getting at is perhaps trying to figure out
if you value predicatbility, and if that’s the case, to suggest that
Tumbleweed is perhaps too experimental at this stage for you.
If you’re OK with experimental, by all means ask the questions. As you
say, that’s how one learns, and what better way is there to learn than
from others’ mistakes?
Jim
–
Jim Henderson
openSUSE Forums Administrator
Forum Use Terms & Conditions at http://tinyurl.com/openSUSE-T-C
On 13.08.2011 20:16, cooleric1234 wrote:
>
> I’m looking at installing openSUSE because I like the idea of using the
> rolling release provided by Tumbleweed. The only concern I have is that
> I’d like to run Windows virtualized. I read on the Tumbleweed port that
> vmware is supported. Does that include the free VMware player? I’ve also
> read some forum posts that say one shouldn’t be using vmware with
> tumbleweed. What is the true state of affairs? Should I be able to run
> vmware player running Windows XP without too much difficulty?
>
>
Why don’t you install the stable 11.4, then VBox or VMware in it and run
Tumbleweed in it virtually?
The above is a perfect setup for getting to know Tumbleweed.
If you like it you can always change your host machines repos to point
tp tumbleweed and update. Or 12.1. Or 12.1 tumbleweed.
My plan is to change my laptop to 12.1 and keep it that way, tumbleweed
gets updated so plentifully that it’s too much for my laptop use.
OTOH I like my main machine/server to stay up and running stable, so
that’s why evergreen.
My current setup in my sig will change to be:
Evergreen server
Tumbleweed VM desktop
12.1 laptop.
YMMV
Vahis
http://waxborg.servepics.com
openSUSE 11.2 (x86_64) 2.6.31.14-0.8-default “Evergreen” main host
openSUSE 11.4 (x86_64) 2.6.37.6-0.7-desktop in VirtualBox
openSUSE 11.4 (i586) 3.0.1-40-desktop “Tumbleweed” in EeePC 900