In an effort to minimize the number of issues encountered when installing the software used in this course, we will use a virtual machine (VM), which provides an isolated environment for software. All the software required for this course will be installed inside the VM and the process can be automated, courtesy of the pristine environment provided by a clean installation of an operating system.

The instructions that follow are based on VMWare Workstation 15 Player and Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, which is a long-term support release of Ubuntu. VMware is one of the first commercially successful companies to develop virtualization platforms for the x86 architecture. We’ll be using VMware Workstation Player, a hosted hypervisor that is free for non-commercial use, with Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution, for the operating system inside the VM. Appearance, features, etc. may vary if you use different versions of VMware Workstation Player or Ubuntu. Contact the instructor if you encounter any issues with these instructions.

Expected Duration
30–60 minutes

The installation instructions for VMware Workstation Player and an Ubuntu VM were originally written by Dr. Troy Weingart for Comp Sci 483: Operating Systems at the US Air Force Academy.

Objectives

  • Create a virtual machine (VM) using VMware Workstation Player
  • Install the software required for this course inside the VM

Help Policy

Authorized Resources
Any
Notes
Never copy another person’s work and submit it as your own.

You must document all help received from all sources, including the instructor and instructor-provided course materials (such as the textbook).

Assignment

Install VMware Workstation Player

Complete the following steps to install VMware Workstation Player:

  1. Download VMware Workstation Player: https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player.html.
  2. Run the installer (e.g., by double-clicking on it). You will be prompted to enter administrative credentials. You may accept the installer’s default settings but, if prompted, be sure to specify that your use is non-commercial.1

Troubleshooting

The following lists some common issues when installing VMware Workstation Player and their fixes. Contact the instructor if you encounter additional issues or require assistance.

Microsoft VC Redistributable
Error

This installer requires you to restart your system to finish installing Microsoft VC Redistributable and then re-run the installer.

Solution: Reboot and run the installer again.

Intel VT-x
Error

Error while powering on: This host supports Intel VT-x, but Intel VT-x is disabled.

Solution: Enable hardware-assisted virtualization (Intel VT-x) in BIOS.

Secure Boot
Error

VMware Player and Device/Credential Guard are not compatible. VMware Player can e run after disabling Device/Credential Guard.

Solution: Disable secure boot in BIOS.

Install Ubuntu

Complete the following steps to create a VM running Ubuntu:

  1. Download the latest Ubuntu 18.04 LTS release: https://ubuntu.com/download/desktop. The downloaded file will be an ISO image, which is essentially an archive of an optical disk.
  2. Launch VMware Workstation Player. You may use the shortcut added to the Windows Start Menu.

  3. Click the button (or link) labeled “Create a New Virtual Machine.”

    VMware Workstation Player: Welcome

  4. In the New Virtual Machine Wizard, select “Installer disk image file (iso)” and specify the location of the Ubuntu ISO that you downloaded.

    VMware Workstation Player: New Virtual Machine Wizard

  5. Enter the requested information for your Linux account.

    VMware Workstation Player: Easy Install Information

    For simplicity, you can use the following:

    Setting Value
    Full name Student
    User name student
    Password CompSci364
    Confirm CompSci364

    although you are also free to customize the account information.

  6. Enter a name for the VM and select where you want to store the VM’s files.

    VMware Workstation Player: Name the Virtual Machine

    You may want to use the following so that the VM’s purpose is clear:

    Setting Value
    Virtual machine name CompSci364

    When you change the VM’s name, the location should update automatically.

  7. Specify the disk size and storage format. (The defaults should be sufficient.)

    VMware Workstation Player: Specify Disk Capacity

  8. Click on the “Customize Hardware…” button on the next screen.

    VMware Workstation Player: Ready to Create Virtual Machine

    Adjust the following settings to the values shown below and close the “Hardware” pop-up:

    Setting Value
    Memory 4 GB
    Processors 2

    A good rule of thumb is that the memory and number of processors should not exceed half that available on the host machine. For example, 4 GB memory and 2 processors would be the maximum to allocate for a VM when the host machine has 8 GB of RAM and 4 processors (i.e., CPU cores).

    VMware Workstation Player: Hardware

  9. Click the “Finish” button.

    VMware Workstation Player: Ready to Create Virtual Machine

  10. When the installation of Ubuntu finishes (expect the process to take 5–10 minutes), you will see a login screen. Use the account information from Step 5 to log in.

    Ubuntu login screen

    You should spend a few minutes exploring the GNOME desktop, particularly if this is your first experience using Linux. See GNOME Help for how to perform basic functions, including the following:

Install Software

Complete the following steps to install the software required for this course:

  1. Clone the Git repository for VM setup: https://github.com/USAFA-CompSci364/vm. (Alternatively, you may download an archive of a current snapshot of the repository and unpack that archive.)

  2. Download the list of databases to restore in this environment: https://t2m.io/Lp3dStq8.

    Save this file in the repository that you cloned in the prior step. This file contains a list of databases that will be created automatically by the setup script – do not download each database backup individually.

  3. Execute the setup script, by opening a terminal (search for “Terminal” in the application launcher), navigating to the directory that contains the repository files, and typing ./setup.sh at the prompt.

    The setup script installs the software packages and restores the databases from backups. It may prompt you to enter your account password at various points; administrative privileges are required not only to install the software but also to configure it after installation.

    The installation process includes the creation of database roles that you must use when logging into a database. See db/users.yaml for the roles (i.e., database users) and passwords that are created automatically.

  1. You must reevaluate the license terms if you use VMware Workstation Player outside of this course. ↩