[NTLUG:Discuss] VM Ware Questions

[Robert Pearson]

Chris Cox wrote:
> All of the engineers at VMware will tell you that VMware under
> Linux is the RIGHT way (well... apart from ESX Server).
> 
> I run several VMs using VMware at the same time.  At work my
> WinXP SP2 is up 24x7 (hosted on SUSE 8.2 and a 2x2.4Xeon with 2.5GB)
> At home I use either a dual Opteron with 2G (Suse 9.2)
> or a dual Xeon 3.2 with 2G (Suse 9.1).
> 
> My laptop also uses VMware and it just has 512M.  I can run
> about 4 VM's there (one Windoze, others are Linux or Solaris).. but
> that's pretty tight.

 It would be a big help to me to get a little clearer picture of
actually using VMware before I download it and install it.
It looks like the sequence to install and use VMware is---
(01) Install a Linux of choice (compatible with VMware) on the hardware
(02) Install VMware
(03) Install Windows
(04) Install Solaris?
(05) Boot the machine
(06) Select session(s)? I could have everything up at once?
(07) Do I hotkey between sessions?
(08) Are just move the mouse to the desired session window?
(09) Some way to end session and start session - shutdown and boot?
(10) Is memory the limiting resource?
(11) Can sessions talk to each other like separate platforms can with
IP or Samba?
(12) If file systems are compatible can the same file be open for
writing in more than one session? Like SUSE and Solaris at the same
time? Or a text file in Windows, SUSE and Solaris?

Any VMware users worried since EMC bought VMware? 

Thanks,

Robert