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Creating a New Virtual Machine - (Solaris 10)
by Jeff Hunter, Sr. Database Administrator
Contents
Overview
Why post an article like this on the Oracle DBA Tips section of my website?
Well, this product provides a unique opportunity for
me to have Windows XP running on my laptop with the ability to install
another operating environment (Linux, Solaris x86, or even another version
of Windows) on the same machine without the need for dual-booting.
VMware Workstation provides me with a virtual machine that can run any of the
above mentioned operating systems simultaneously with Windows XP on my laptop.
This provides me with the flexibility to perform new installs or test new features
of the Oracle database while not interrupting
my somewhat stable Oracle install on the laptop.
With VMware Workstation, the virtual machine is nothing more than a directory
of several files. After creating a virtual machine (Linux, Solaris, etc.) I typically
close down the virtual machine and backup the directory to my NAS. Once
this directory is backed up, I have a complete copy of the virtual machine
that can be restored at any time. This leaves me the ability to install
and configure Oracle on the virtual machine without the worry of messing anything
up that will take a long time to fix. When I want to go back to a fresh virtual
machine, I simply restore the directory and I am done - back to a fresh install.
As previously mentioned, I prefer to run Windows XP Professional on my main
laptop along with the most recent releases of Oracle9i and Oracle10g
for Windows on that laptop.
I also, however, need the ability to work with different Oracle configurations on Linux
and Solaris x86
when I have only my laptop. Although I have several Linux and Sun machines
at home, I may be on the road with no access to my vast array of equipment.
This is where both VMware and Solaris (x86) come in handy.
For instructions on installing VMware Workstation on to the
Windows XP Professional operating environment, see my article entitled
"Installing VMware Workstation 6.0 - (Windows XP)".
Host Machine and Virtual Machine Configuration
Create a New Virtual Machine for Solaris 10 (x86)
The first screen is simply a Welcome screen. Click [Next] to
start the virtual machine creation process.
The default option in this screen will be to create a [Typical] configuration. Change
this option to [Custom] and click [Next] to continue.
This screen allows you to select the "Hardware Compatibility" features that will be needed for
the new virtual machine. Keep the default "Hardware Compatibility" selection of [Workstation 6]
and click [Next] to continue.
You are now asked for what guest operating system will be installed to this new
virtual machine. Choose [Sun Solaris] as the Guest Operating System
and [Solaris 10] as the version. Click [Next] to continue.
VMware Workstation uses a user defined name to identify each virtual machine.
The default name is the same name as the guest operating system that you chose
for the new virtual machine (i.e. "Solaris 10"). I typically change this to the
server name (host name) I will
be using for the virtual machine. For the purpose of this example, my new server
name for the virtual machine will be [vmsun1] so this is what I will type
in for the name and the directory. Also note that I am creating the new virtual machine
on my external hard drive M:. You can, however, simply leave it to the default.
This is a matter of choice and what you want to name the new virtual machine. After
deciding on the name and location for the virtual machine, click [Next] to continue.
Select the number of virtual processors to be used for this virtual machine.
I typically stick with the default value of one.
Click [Next] to continue.
Both Oracle9i and Oracle10g require a minimum of 512MB of RAM memory although
more memory is always better for performance. In my case, I do have the memory to spare and will be
giving the new virtual machine 1GB of memory (1008MB) given that I have 2GB of RAM on my laptop.
Select the amount of memory you want to dedicate to the new virtual machine and
click [Next] to continue.
You are now being asked for the network configuration. I typically keep the default, which is
a bridged network. This allows other computers on my network to access the virtual
machine. The other option, NAT allows your virtual machine to share the same IP
address of your physical (host) machine. Do not select the NAT option as the Oracle installation
will fail. The third option, host-only networking, allows only your physical (host) machine
access the new virtual machine. If you select this option, other computers on your
network will not be able to access the new virtual machine, but the Oracle install will
still be successful. After making your network choice, click [Next] to continue.
I always accept VMware's default option regarding the SCSI adapter to be
used and click [Next] to continue.
Once again, keep the default option of "Create a new virtual disk" selected and
click [Next] to continue.
You now need to choose a disk type. I always keep the default option which for Solaris 10 (x86)
makes the new virtual disk an IDE disk. Click [Next] to continue.
Since I will be using this new virtual machine for Oracle, I will need
a minimum of around 6GB (O/S files, RDBMS Software and new Oracle Database).
Even at 6GB, space is going to be tight. I would recommend somewhere between 8GB and 32GB
of space. Although I have the space on my internal hard drive for my laptop, I will be using
an external hard drive connected to my laptop, M:, to store the virtual machine.
Using the external hard drive, I now have plenty of spare room and decide to make mine 32GB.
By default, the entire space
you request here is not immediately allocated. As VMware needs more space for the virtual machine,
it will allocate it to the upper limit you supply here. Since I know that I will be using
most of the space, I like to "pre-allocate" this space. You can and should pre-allocate this space (in my case 32GB)
by selecting the check-box "Allocate all disk space now".
After selecting the disk size and choosing to allocate all disk space now, click [Next] to continue.
WMware Workstation implements a virtual machine by using a disk file. This screen
allows you to name the VMware file. It really doesn't matter the name of this
file. I do, however, like to call it "Disk0.vmdk". Again, this is
simply a matter of choice and any name will be fine.
Make your selection and click [Finish] to start the creation process
for the new virtual machine.
After clicking the [Finish] button, the virtual machine process begins.
If you selected to have the space for the new virtual disk pre-allocated, you will
get the (above) [Creating the disk] progress dialog.
If everything was successful, the wizard will display the "Virtual machine created successfully"
dialog. If you do not want the new virtual machine wizard to disaply this dialog after creating a
new virtual machine, select the "Do not show this page again" checkbox and click [Close].
The new virtual machine wizard will place the new virtual machine created in your
[Favorites] list.
Optional Virtual Machine Configuration Steps
Some considerations are removing floppy drives and sound cards. In my configuration,
I want to remove the floppy drive and audio device. Select
[Edit virtual machine settings] and navigate to the device you want
to remove. The following screen shot shows how to remove the floppy drive:
Installing Solaris 10 (x86)
To start, insert Disk #1 of Solaris 10 (x86) into the physical CD-ROM
drive and then power up the new virtual machine. There are several ways
to power up the virtual machine:
As I did in the previous section for creating the new virtual machine, I
provide all screen shots for installing Solaris 10 (x86) to
our new virtual machine.
The first screen is the [GRUB O/S Boot Screen]
which provides a list of which O/S kernel to boot. Leave the default
of [Solaris] selected and hit
[Enter].
You are now being asked for the session type to use for installation.
You will want to select [Solaris Interactive (default)]
and hit [Enter] to continue.
For my configuration, the installer was able to detect my video driver and monitor.
If you need to make any changes, hit [Esc] and make any appropriate modifications;
otherwise, hit [Enter] to continue.
The installer now goes into graphical mode to continue the install.
Select the language you will be using then hit [Enter] to continue.
The installer now goes into full graphical mode to continue the install.
From the [Welcome] screen, click [Next] to start the
installation / configuration process.
If you want this machine to be networked (mine will be), keep the default option of
[Networked] and click [Next] to continue.
Since I will be using this virtual machine to host Oracle,
we DO NOT want to configure this machine for DHCP.
Select [No] DHCP and click [Next] to continue.
Enter the host name for this machine and click [Next] to continue.
Enter the IP Address for this machine and click [Next] to continue.
Depending on the IP address you entered, the installer attempts to choose
the correct netmask based on its class. For my IP address, I will be using
the default option of [255.255.255.0]. Verify the correct
netmask for your subnet and click [Next] to continue.
In most cases, we will not want to configure this machine using the
newest IPv6 Internet Protocol. Keep the default option of [No]
and click [Next] to continue.
The default option is to detect a default route on reboot. I would rather
specify a specify gateway. If you know your default gateway, select the
second option [Specify one] and click [Next] to continue.
I will not require Kerberos security when working with my Oracle
configurations and keep this option to [No]. Click [Next] to continue.
I will be using DNS as the naming service for my new machine.
Choose your naming service and click [Next] to continue.
My domain name is "idevelopment.info". Enter your domain name and click [Next] to continue.
If you selected DNS as the naming service for you machine,
you will need to supply valid IP addresses for your DNS server(s).
When done, click [Next] to continue.
Enter any domain names you would like to be used for DNS queries.
After adding any domain names (if any) click [Next] to continue.
Select which method you want to use to specify your time zone then
select your time zone.
Enter the correct date and time and click [Next] to continue.
Enter the root password you want to use for this node and click [Next] to continue.
Keep the default selection which is to "Enable" remote services and click [Next] to continue.
This is simply a confirmation screen. Review the options you have made and click [Confirm] to continue.
The next several screens specify the Solaris installation options. You are
asked to specify the media you will be using for the installation as well
as reading and agreeing to the Software License Agreement.
I generally select the [Custom Install] type of installation.
Click [Next] to continue.
Select the geographic regions for your install and click [Next] to continue.
Select the locale to be used for your system and click [Next] to continue.
Select any additional (add-on) products to install. I typically select
the "Sun Validation Test Suite", however non of the add-on products
are needed when the node will be used for Oracle.
Plus they can be added at a later
time if needed. Click [Next] to continue.
When installing Solaris for hosting Oracle, I always install the [Entire Group] option.
Click [Next] to continue.
We configured this virtual machine with one 32GB disk.
That disk will be selected by default to be used to install the
Solaris software to. Select this disk to partition. I generally
select to create only one partition for the entire disk.
Then when presented with the file system layout, I like to Modify
the default settings to
remove the /export/home directory and allocate all of its
space to root (/). I then allocate at least 2GB for
the swap partition.
This is simply a confirmation screen. Review the options you have made and
click [Install Now] to start the Solaris installation.
After the installation is complete, you will be asked to reboot the system
in order to continue the installation process. Click [Next] on
the Installation Summary screen then
[Reboot now] to reboot the system.
When the system reboots, you can allow the boot loader (GRUB) boot the
default kernel (Solaris 10).
You can select [No] when asked if you would like to
override the system's default NFS 4 version domain name.
The Solaris installer will continue by asking what media device you will
be using to continue the install. You will select the [CD/DVD] option
and click [Next] to continue. The installer will eject the
CD from the CD-ROM. Insert Disk #2 from the Solaris 10 Software kit
and click [Ok] to continue. After the installer verifies the correct
CD has been entered, you can then continue with the installation process
by clicking [Install Now].
Continue switching out disks 3, 4, and 5 until the Solaris software is
completely installed.
When the installation of disk 5 is complete, the
installation of Solaris 10 is complete.
You will then be asked to reboot the system one final time.
Backing up the New Virtual Machine
The first step is to shutdown the virtual machine. You can power
down the virtual machine by simply shutting down Solaris. I also
like to completely close out VMware before starting the copy.
Once this is
done, simply backup the appropriate files as shown below:
All articles, scripts and material located at the Internet address of http://www.idevelopment.info is the copyright of Jeffrey M. Hunter
and is protected under copyright laws of the United States. This document may not be hosted on any other site without my express,
prior, written permission. Application to host any of the material elsewhere can be made by contacting me at jhunter@idevelopment.info.
I have made every effort and taken great care in making sure that the material included on my web site is technically accurate,
but I disclaim any and all responsibility for any loss, damage or destruction of data or any other property which may arise from
relying on it. I will in no case be liable for any monetary damages arising from such loss, damage or destruction.
This article provides the necessary steps to successfully create
a new Virtual Machine (VM) using WMware Workstation 6.0.0 to host
the Solaris 10 - (x86 Platform Edition / November 2006) Operating Environment.
Before diving into the instructions for creating the new virtual machine,
let's first talk about the host machine and operating system that I have
VMware Workstation installed on. Also in the table below is the configuration I
will be using for the new virtual machine we will be creating in this
article. Note that I have a 300GB external hard drive connected to my
laptop. While the VMWare Workstation software will be installed on the internal hard drive,
(C:), I will be using the external hard drive, (M:), for
all virtual machines.
Host Machine
Host Machine Name
melody.idevelopment.info - (192.168.1.106)
Host Operating Environment
Windows XP Professional
WMware Version
VMware Workstation - Release 6.0.0 (Build 45731)
Host Machine
Dell Inspiron 8600 Laptop
Memory
2GB Installed
(The new virtual machine will take 1GB from this 2GB)
Internal Hard Drive
60GB
External Hard Drive
300GB
Processor
2.0 GHz.
File System
NTFS
Guest Machine
Virtual Machine Configuration
Guest Operating Environment
Solaris 10 - (x86) / November 2006
Guest Machine Name
vmsun1.idevelopment.info - (192.168.1.115)
Memory
1GB
Hard Drive
32GB
Virtual Machine Location
M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0\vmsun1
Finally, we get to actually creating the virtual machine for Solaris 10.
The process for creating a new virtual machine is very straightforward given
VMware's wizard driven menu system. The following screen shots demonstrate how
to create our new virtual machine. Start the VMware Workstation software
and choose "[File] -> [New] -> [Virtual Machine]".
Screen 1: - Welcome
Screen 2: - Select the Appropriate Configuration
Screen 3: - Choose the Virtual Machine Hardware Compatibility
Screen 4: - Select a Guest Operating System
Screen 5: - Name the Virtual Machine
Screen 6: - Processor Configuration
Screen 7: - Memory for the Virtual Machine
Screen 8: - Network Type
Screen 9: - Select I/O Adapter Types
Screen 10: - Select a Disk
Screen 11: - Select a Disk Type
Screen 12: - Specify Disk Capacity
Screen 13: - Specify Disk File
Screen 14: - Creating the disk - Progress Dialog
Screen 15: - Virtual machine created successfully
Screen 16: - New Virtual Machine Created
Since the virtual machine I have created will only be used to host
Oracle, there are several devices that I can successfully remove from
the virtual machine. Having the virtual machine virtualize these
unnecessary hardware components is a waste of resources that could be better served
with running Oracle.
The following screen shows the devices that are now configured for
my new virtual machine after removing the audio device and floppy drive:
Now that we have our new virtual machine, the only step remaining is to
install Solaris 10 (x86) to this virtual machine.
Solaris 10 (x86 Platform Edition / November 2006) comes on five CDs.
in the toolbar.
Screen 1: - GRUB O/S Boot Screen
Screen 2: - Installation Type
Screen 3: - View and Edit Window System Configuration
Screen 4: - Select a Language
Screen 5: - Solaris Install Console
Screen 6: - Network Connectivity
Screen 7: - DHCP
Screen 8: - Host Name
Screen 9: - IP Address
Screen 10: - Netmask
Screen 11: - IPv6
Screen 12: - Set the Default Route
Screen 13: - Kerberos
Screen 14: - Name Service
Screen 15: - Name Service
Screen 16: - DNS Server Address
Screen 17: - DNS Search List
Screen 18: - Time Zone
Screen 19: - Date and Time
Screen 20: - Root Password
Screen 21: - Enabling Remote Services
Screen 22: - Confirm Information
Screen 23: - Welcome / Installation Options / Software License Agreement
Screen 24: - Install Type
Screen 25: - Software Localizations
Screen 26: - System Locale
Screen 27: - Select Additional Products
Screen 28: - Solaris Software Group
Screen 29: - Disk Configuration
Screen 30: - Ready to Install
Screen 31: - Installation Complete / Reboot
Screen 32: - Reboot Screens
Screen 33: - Install Disks 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
Screen 34: - Installation Complete / Reboot
After the Solaris x86 Operating Environment boots for the first time, it will
take longer than normal to fully come up. During the boot process, the screen
may go blank (just a black screen) for several minutes! During this time, do
not power down the virtual machine. Eventually, the GUI Windows Manager will
come up and you will be able to login to further customize Solaris.
Now that you have your new virtual machine configured and working,
this would be a good time to back it up. This is a very straightforward
process as the virtual machine is nothing more than a few files in
a directory.
C:\> dir /A-R "M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0"
Volume in drive M is Maxtor II (1394a FW400 - VMs)
Volume Serial Number is 0C08-8CA4
Directory of M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> .
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> ..
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> racdb1
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> racdb2
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> racdb3
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> racdb4
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmlinux1
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmlinux2
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmlinux3
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmlinux4
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmlinux5
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmlinux6
07/15/2007 07:42 PM <DIR> vmsun1
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmsun2
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmsun3
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmsun4
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmwindows1
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmwindows2
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmwindows3
07/15/2007 06:09 PM <DIR> vmwindows4
0 File(s) 0 bytes
20 Dir(s) 264,422,053,888 bytes free
C:\> mkdir "N:\Virtual Machine Backups\vmsun1"
C:\> xcopy "M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0\vmsun1" "N:\Virtual Machine Backups\vmsun1" /s /e
M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0\vmsun1\Disk0-flat.vmdk
M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0\vmsun1\Disk0.vmdk
M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0\vmsun1\Solaris 10.nvram
M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0\vmsun1\Solaris 10.vmsd
M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0\vmsun1\Solaris 10.vmxf
M:\My Virtual Machines\Workstation 6.0\vmsun1\vmware.log
6 File(s) copied
Tuesday, 17-Jul-2007 01:12:57 EDT
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