====== Using iPXE in VMware ======

You can replace the default [[http://www.vmware.com/|VMware]] PXE ROM with an iPXE ROM, which will enable you to boot your virtual machine via HTTP, iSCSI, AoE, or any other protocol supported by iPXE.

===== Selecting the network adapter =====

VMware is capable of emulating several network adapters:

{{ :clipart:nic.jpeg?237x222|A network card}}

^ VMware name  ^ iPXE driver name ^ PCI vendor:device IDs ^ iPXE ROM image      |
| e1000        | intel            | ''8086:100f''         | ''8086100f.mrom''   |
| e1000e       | intel            | ''8086:10d3''         | ''808610d3.mrom''   |
| vlance       | pcnet32          | ''1022:2000''         | ''10222000.rom''    |
| vmxnet       | (not supported)  | ''15ad:0720''         |                     |
| vmxnet3      | vmxnet3          | ''15ad:07b0''         | ''15ad07b0.rom''    |

Select one of the supported network adapters, and ensure that your virtual machine is configured to use this adapter.  You can do this by editing the [[http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1714|.vmx file]] that defines your virtual machine, and changing the setting

    ethernet0.virtualDev

For example, to select an e1000 network adapter:

    ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"

===== Building the ROM images =====

[[:download|Download]] iPXE and then build ROM images for all of the supported network adapters using:

    make bin/8086100f.mrom bin/808610d3.mrom bin/10222000.rom bin/15ad07b0.rom

Copy the iPXE ROM images ''8086100f.mrom'', ''808610d3.mrom'', ''10222000.rom'' and ''15ad07b0.rom'' to a suitable location (e.g. to the directory ''/usr/lib/vmware/resources/'').

===== Configuring the virtual machine =====

Edit the [[http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1714|.vmx file]] that defines your virtual machine, and add the following lines:

    ethernet0.opromsize = 262144
    e1000bios.filename = "/usr/lib/vmware/resources/8086100f.mrom"
    e1000ebios.filename = "/usr/lib/vmware/resources/808610d3.mrom"
    nbios.filename = "/usr/lib/vmware/resources/10222000.rom"
    # nxbios.filename = ""
    nx3bios.filename = "/usr/lib/vmware/resources/15ad07b0.rom"

(replacing ''/usr/lib/vmware/resources/'' with the name of the directory to which you copied the iPXE ROM images).

===== Booting the virtual machine =====

Boot your virtual machine in the usual way.  You should see VMware detect and use the iPXE ROM:

{{ :screenshots:vmware-rom.png?728x379 |VMware using an iPXE ROM}}

Congratulations on successfully using an iPXE ROM in your VMware virtual machine!

{{ :clipart:smile.png?200x200 |Success}}

===== Advanced features =====

==== The VMware logfile console ====

VMware creates a log file for each virtual machine, which is usually the file ''vmware.log'' in the same directory as the virtual machine's ''.vmx'' file.  You can record the output from iPXE in this log.  For example:

    2012-02-28T23:23:58.016Z| vmx| I120: Ethernet0 MAC Address: 00:0c:29:3a:7d:f2
    2012-02-28T23:23:59.145Z| vmx| I120: VMX_PowerOn: ModuleTable_PowerOn = 1
    2012-02-28T23:23:59.356Z| vcpu-0| I120: Intel VT enabled.
    2012-02-28T23:23:59.359Z| vcpu-0| I120: VMM initialized.
    2012-02-28T23:23:59.362Z| vcpu-0| I120: Monitor has started
    2012-02-28T23:24:02.775Z| vcpu-0| I120: Guest:
    2012-02-28T23:24:02.778Z| vcpu-0| I120: Guest: iPXE 1.0.0+ --  http://ipxe.org
    2012-02-28T23:24:02.781Z| vcpu-0| I120: Guest: Features: iSCSI HTTP DNS bzImage PXE PXEXT

You can record output from iPXE in the VMware log file by enabling the build option ''[[:buildcfg:CONSOLE_VMWARE]]''.

==== VMware GuestInfo settings ====

You can configure iPXE settings directly in the virtual machine's ''.vmx'' file using VMware's GuestInfo feature.  For example, to configure a static IP address, default gateway, DNS server, and boot filename:

    guestinfo.ipxe.net0.ip = "192.168.0.15"
    guestinfo.ipxe.net0.netmask = "255.255.255.0"
    guestinfo.ipxe.net0.gateway = "192.168.0.1"
    guestinfo.ipxe.dns = "192.168.0.1"
    guestinfo.ipxe.filename = "http://boot.ipxe.org/demo/boot.php"

This could be used in conjunction with an [[:embed|embedded script]] to boot without using DHCP.  For example:

    #!ipxe
    
    ifopen net0
    chain ${filename}

You can enable the VMware GuestInfo settings using the build option ''[[:buildcfg:VMWARE_SETTINGS]]''.