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Instructional & Research Information Systems

VMware Fusion

Overview

Fusion is a virtualization application which lets you run other operating systems simultaneously with OS X. For example, one could run Microsoft Windows on top of OS X, allowing a Mac user to take advantage of all the Windows site-licensed software that is available on campus.

Obtaining VMware Fusion

As of 2014, the campus now has an IST-sponsored VMware Academic Program subscription. Most students, faculty, and staff can obtain VMware products from the campus software website:
https://software.berkeley.edu/vmware

Installing a New Virtual Machine (Microsoft Windows)

If you wish, you may come to the Helpdesk with a photo ID during business hours to check out a Windows disk (you may be given a separate patch CD as well).

  1. Start up VMware Fusion. The program will give you a list of all your current Virtual Machines. Click New to create a new Virtual Machine.
  2. When prompted, click Continue without disk to begin the installation. On the next page, it will ask you for Operating System and Version.
  3. On the next screen, select an alias for your Virtual Machine and type it into the Save as field.
  4. The next screen will allow you to determine how much hard space to allow the Virtual Machine to use (at most). Since situations and specifications vary from computer to computer, please read carefully each (Advanced disk) option to determine which settings are appropriate for your machine. If you need any guidance, please do not hesitate to contact the Helpdesk. In our installation, we chose to leave the default settings.
  5. This is an important step. The Virtual Machine Setup will now ask you how to install Windows. Make sure you uncheck the option for Use Easy Install. As a result, you will not need a Windows Product Key.
  6. To finish up, make sure to have the box for Start virtual machine and install operating system now checked. Also, select the first option for Use operating system installation disk. Click Finish, and once it prompts you, you may insert the Windows disk that you may have checked out from the Helpdesk.

Make sure that you have applied critical Windows patches to your virtual machine before allowing it on the network. You do not want to finish the installation and find out later that your computer has been compromised and needs to be taken off the network due to security vulnerabilities.

If you were given a separate patch CD, boot into Windows, but do not allow it network access. Then install Microsoft updates from the patch CD. You may also access the most critical updates (using an already patched computer) from \\winsww\sww\public\patches.

After patching and rebooting, you may enable network access for Windows. You should enable Automatic Updates or visit the Microsoft Update Pagefor additional updates.

Installing VMware Tools

During (and after) the installation of your virtual machine, you may notice a couple of prompts suggesting you to install VMware Tools. In order to do so, you will want to wait until after your Windows installation and offline updated have been completed.

  1. To start the installation of VMware Tools, click on Virtual Machine -> Install VMware Tools from the VMware menu (in OS X).
  2. The VMware Tools installation will load up in your (Windows) Virtual Machine and you will see a screen that will prompt that you are ready to begin the VMware Tools setup. To begin, click Next.
  3. VMware Tools setup will ask if you how you would like to proceed with the installation. The easiest and safest choice would be to continue with the Typical setup.
  4. Click Install to begin the installation.
  5. Click Finish to complete the installation.