These days with cheap memory prices and multi core processors, it's becoming increasingly useful to install virtual machine software on your computer. VMware is an excellent piece software, that provides great compatibility and useful features. Here are some effective ways to use it.
#1 Testing New Software and Service Packs
With Microsoft operating systems, it's often times a gamble to install a new piece of software. Most of the time, things are OK, but every once in a while you really regret having installed something that really screws up your system. Also, Microsoft has a policy of not letting you downgrade for some of their applications and service packs, namely Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player. That's good for Microsoft, but not good for the customer. Well, instead of "gambling", what I do is set up a virtual Windows XP installation that I use to try out new software and upgrades. This way if anything goes wrong, it doesn't trash my entire system. Better yet, I take a snapshot in VMware and have it rollback to that snapshot every time I reboot the virtual machine. So I can mess around all I want and stress test the software knowing that it will go back to a stable state when I reboot the virtual machine.
#2 A More Sensible Way of Testing Shareware
Most shareware these days give you a 30 day trial, after which you need to pay for the application for it to keep working. It's a very fair system and allows you to "try before you buy". Well, I test a lot of software and sometimes I install something, use it once and get caught up doing something else for a while. The 30 days then runs out before I get a chance to really try it out. If this happens a lot to you, then consider testing it out on a virtual machine. The 30 day trial information is typically stored somewhere in the Windows Registry, and if you revert back to a previous snapshot, you can reinstall the software and get a new 30 days, just as if it was your first time running it.
#3 Running an Exchange Server to Keep Outlook Synchronized
I have four computers that I regularly use and I've searched for years to find a way to keep Outlook in synch among them. I've tried a system of copying the .pst files regularly (bad idea), and have looked for software solutions without any success. Finally, I figured out that running a Windows 2003 Server with MS Exchange inside a virtual machine is the way to go. The initial setup is a little bit tricky if you're not familiar with installing servers and server software, but once you get it going, it works very smoothly. Also, for many, the initial cost of buying the software might be prohibitive.
The other benefit is that you really don't have to commit too much in terms of resources to the server. I have a virtual server running all the time and it's very stable with 150mb of RAM. If you only have a handful of users, that's more than enough memory. To put this in perspective, I have a machine with 3 gigs of RAM and Opera is currently using 260mb of RAM. Admittedly, I do have 43 windows (tabs) open.
Synchronization is pretty much flawless with Exchange, so it's really a great way to keep all your computers running Outlook synchronized. I've been doing this for a couple of years now and have had a hassle free experience.
#4 Trying out Linux or Mac OS
I've never installed a Mac OS in a virtual machine and from what I understand the legality of it is hazy. But there are resources on the web to show you how. I do run Linux in a virtual machine and it works very well. I recommend Ubuntu. It's very easy to install and gets you up and running quickly with a lot of useful preinstalled applications.
#5 Creating a Network Environment for Testing
If you're a network administrator and want to test out a new deployment of network machines and/or configurations, VMware is a safe way to test it. You could create a bunch of virtual servers and workstations, and have them isolated in their own private network so that nothing harms your existing network. The other advantage is that it's easy to clone the workstations. Instead of installing Windows XP over and over on several machines, you can create a new virtual machine with the "Clone" feature of VMware and save a lot of time. Actually, you could even just copy the folder of an existing virtual machine to create a new machine and it would work. VMware is very flexible in this regard. Of course, you need a lot of RAM to run a bunch of machines, but RAM is cheap these days, so that shouldn't be a problem.
#6 Running Windows Apps in Linux
Wine for Linux is a great idea and I am very impressed with the work that's been done on it. Cloning the Windows API is no small feat. Unfortunately, a lot of applications just don't work right using Wine. I struggled with it for a while before deciding to just run a virtual Windows XP install under Linux. It works like a charm. I haven't come across any compatibility issues and the performance is good too. So this way you can run Linux, but still have access to the Windows apps that you still use.
#7 Running Legacy Applications
Not many people have a need to run legacy apps, but once in a while, it's fun for me to run one of those old DOS based games that I used to play, like the original "Civilization". Well, if you want to do that, then just load up DOS in a virtual machine and your ready to go! It works well.
#8 Mounting ISO Images of CD-ROMs and DVD-ROMs
If you don't have access to programs such as WinMount or Alcohol, you'd have to burn a disc to access the files in an .iso or .nrg(Nero)file. VMware has the ability to read these files and mount them as virtual DVD drives. A very handy feature in general.
Well, there you have it. I'm sure there are a lot more uses for this excellent piece of software, but this is what I mainly do with it. It's become and indispensable tool for me, so hopefully this will give you some ideas too.
Powered by FireStats