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Install Qemu and associated software on WinXP
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Test your connectivity to make sure you can work with SME Server
How to use Qemu to test SME updates
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Tips & Tricks

Updated 05Sep2005 - RonM

To save the state of an SME instance running in a Qemu vm

  • Launch a vm (say, SME60) in the normal manner
  • When the vm shows a login prompt, type Ctrl + Alt + 2
  • type savevm SME60.vm (savevm filename)

To create a vm to launch a saved state

  • Click on the Create a New Virtual Machine button in the toolbar
  • Name the new vm (say, SME60-ss)
  • Choose "Linux Distribution" for os
  • Choose "This Virtual Machine Does not require a Virtual Drive"
  • Skip next screen
  • Make sure "View Advanced Configuration Options After Saving" is checked; click the "Save Virtual Machine" button

.

The Virtual Machine Configuration dialog box opens

General Tab

  • check "Do not apply changes to disk image (Snapshot)"

Disk Configuration tab

  • click on the "..." button by "Hard Disk C: (hda)" and navigate to the appropriate .dsk file

Network Tab

  • Check the "Enable TAP Network Support" checkbox
  • type "my-tap" into the "TAP Adapter Name" field

Advanced tab

  • click on the "..." button by "Launch VM With Selected Saved State" and navigate to the appropriate .vm file

You now have an instance of SME Server that you can open from a bare desktop in about 10 seconds!

You can use the same .dsk files that you originally installed SME into, or a copy of it. It is necessary to check the "Do not apply changes to disk image (Snapshot)" to avoid corrupting the .dsk image: SME treats it like sector corruption on a HDD and wants to launch fsck to try to fix it, but fails.

You need to make any changes to a vm booted from a .dsk file - add files, do YUM updates, etc. The .vm file is handy, though, if you just need to check something out - saves a lot of time. SME in a .dsk file, on pretty good hardware, can take 90 to 180 seconds to boot - sometimes longer if it wasn't shutdown cleanly and decides to do a disk repair.

You can use a .dsk file on multiple machines

  • just copy the file to the second machine and create a new virtual machine that points at it.

You can create a vm with more than one NIC

  • add "-nics 2" to the "Specify Optional Command Line Parameters" on the Advanced tab of the VM Configuration dialog box.