VMware Fusion 5

Hi, all.

Has anyone tried the various NeXT OSes in Fusion 5 yet?  NeXTSTEP 3.3, OPENSTEP 4.2, Rhapsody DR1 & DR2...

Thanks.

eagle

Quote from: "eagle"Hi, all.

Has anyone tried the various NeXT OSes in Fusion 5 yet?  NeXTSTEP 3.3, OPENSTEP 4.2, Rhapsody DR1 & DR2...

Thanks.

eagle

Hi. Both my OS 4.2 and Rhapsody DR2 virtual machines are working.

Hi,

I got a problem with installing the vmmouse drivers, the folder omits files like the important vmmouse.config file, in host os x it shows, but listing in NextStep 3.3 doesn't show (latest vmware fusion 5.0.3).

Please help

Also does anyone have these latest drivers, I only got the old ones (and vmtools is not findable, is it even working with Fusion v5?):

http://mitglied.multimania.de/Morgon_de/
VMXNet-1.5.I.bs.tar.gz
VMTools-1.0.I.bs.tar.gz

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"Hi,

I got a problem with installing the vmmouse drivers, the folder omits files like the important vmmouse.config file, in host os x it shows, but listing in NextStep 3.3 doesn't show (latest vmware fusion 5.0.3).

Please help

Also does anyone have these latest drivers, I only got the old ones (and vmtools is not findable, is it even working with Fusion v5?):

http://mitglied.multimania.de/Morgon_de/
VMXNet-1.5.I.bs.tar.gz
VMTools-1.0.I.bs.tar.gz

These versions are the last ones as the drivers work for me and therefore no development is going on.

Unfortunately the links on my site are broken because it's no longer mitglied.lycos.de where the files are located but mitglied.multimania.de. Relative paths are the same.

Due to huge problems with multimania I can't update the links right now :(

So to get the files just replace lycos with multimania in the download links and you should be fine. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Morgon

Hi Morgon,

thanks a lot, the new links work.

And would you happen to know, why NextStep 3.3, doesn't show any of the .config like "VMMouse.config"?

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"
And would you happen to know, why NextStep 3.3, doesn't show any of the .config like "VMMouse.config"?

Hello,

I'm sorry but I have no idea. Can't test it myself as I haven't been using NS 3.3 for quite some years because I am working under OS 4.3.

Are the other files and subdirectories (e.g. English.lproj, VMMouse_reloc.tproj) from the archive visible after extraction?

Did you extract them using MacOSX or inside NeXT? Maybe when extracting them from MacOSX the system hides the .config directories from the guest as it thinks they are system files (just a guess, I don't own a Mac).

Morgon

Thanks Morgon,

I now have OpenStep 4.2 installed, and I still don't see the files.
I have also tried using the .gz files itself, but when I extract them using Terminal "gunzip", I only get a file instead of a folder.

What I see in OpenStep inside VMMouse-1.2.I.bs.tar.gz is:
- default.tab
- englishl
- germanlp
- vmmouse
- vmmouser.elo

inside VMWareFB.config.1.1.1.tar.gz is:
- default.tab
- display.mod
- englishl
- vmwarefb
- vmwarefb.rel

inside SoundBlaster16PCI-1.0.I.bs.tar.gz is:
- default.tab
- englishl
- germanlp
- soundbla.ste
- soundbl1.ste


When I try installing tar unarchiver, the .bundle is also not shown properly, installing it in Apps and restarting, doesn't add it to tools for opening.


EDIT: I found the error, it was osx's fault, I now just gunzipped on osx host, and mounted iso with .tar files, and then expanded them in nextstep, this worked!
Thanks Morgon

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"Thanks Morgon,

I now have OpenStep 4.2 installed, and I still don't see the files.
I have also tried using the .gz files itself, but when I extract them using Terminal "gunzip", I only get a file instead of a folder.

...

inside SoundBlaster16PCI-1.0.I.bs.tar.gz is:
- default.tab
- englishl
- germanlp
- soundbla.ste
- soundbl1.ste


When I try installing tar unarchiver, the .bundle is also not shown properly, installing it in Apps and restarting, doesn't add it to tools for opening.


EDIT: I found the error, it was osx's fault, I now just gunzipped on osx host, and mounted iso with .tar files, and then expanded them in nextstep, this worked!
Thanks Morgon

On earlier *nix systems tar was the only program to archive multiple files and whole directories to single files (original to tape archives). But it has no ability to compress files. Therefore in a second step gzip is used to compress that archive. Thus you get the archiv.tar file after using gunzip (or gzip -d) which then need to be unpacked with tar. As NS/OS still has no other all compatible archiving program in the base installation tar.gz is the preferred format to transport programs beside the harder to generate NeXT packages.

Newer versions of tar are able to do those two steps internally and even support different compressors for the second step.


You better should not install the SoundBlaster driver as it is likely to make the system lock up under newer versions of VMWare once a sound is played. It worked with several earlier versions of VMWare but got broken when VM changed their audio system (although it still emulates that SB chip).
As sound isn't essential for my daily work I can't spend any time in the near future to track down that bug and fix it. So there won't be any sound from OS/NS unless someone else tries to do that (there had been some efforts I think but without success right now).

Morgon

That makes a lot of sense Morgon.

Now after I installed the vmware network drivers, and installed vmtools (double-click), as well as NextDeveloper, however I get a terminal error on starting the computer up:

Loading OPENSTEP
Can't find $LBL

Boot: ...

It won't let me start up...

EDIT: I'll just reinstall, and check, I think it might have been the vmtools..., mouse and display worked (got a charming 1280x800), and as you said sound doesn't work yet. Just checked, it was VMTools.

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"That makes a lot of sense Morgon.

Now after I installed the vmware network drivers, and installed vmtools (double-click), as well as NextDeveloper, however I get a terminal error on starting the computer up:

Code Select Expand

Loading OPENSTEP
Can't find $LBL

Boot: ...

It won't let me start up...

If you get an error that early in the boot process it isn't driver induced. The error you get is the output from the primary bootloader saying that it can't find a valid NeXT disklabel. That is before any kernel or driver has been loaded.
Seems the start of the disk file got messed up somehow but it's very unlikely that it was caused by any of my VMxxx drivers as they don't touch the disk system.

You really should install VMTools or the clock inside NS/OS will have a really big drift, while VMTools keep the clock synchronized with the host.

Morgon

No I just tested it again, it is the VMXnet driver that messes things up pretty bad.

After I installed all drivers separately, and restarting always afterwards, I found it was VMXNet 1.5 in the end.

Is there a way to fix it manually?

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"No I just tested it again, it is the VMXnet driver that messes things up pretty bad.

After I installed all drivers separately, and restarting always afterwards, I found it was VMXNet 1.5 in the end.

Is there a way to fix it manually?

That's strange. Never heard of that error. From other posts in this forum I know that the system under Fusion sometimes crashes after installing the driver the first time until it finally starts working okay. But never read about a crash that early in the boot process.

You might try version 1.3 (http://mitglied.multimania.de/Morgon_de/downloads/VMXNet-1.3.I.bs.tar.gz) as I did some big changes to memory management between 1.3 and 1.5. Be aware that 1.3 is the version with a really bugged memory management (it runs okay on the start but the number of packages that needs to be resent will raise over time).

If you did set up a completely new VM did you patch the vmx file according the instructions given here (http://www.nextcomputers.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2285) or here (http://www.nextcomputers.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2960)  (vmxnet setting)?

Can't do any tests on my own as I don't own a Mac as stated earlier. But I have several OS VMs in use under OpenSUSE and Windows 7.

I'm sorry that I can't give you any advise in fixing that.

I have not used those steps, I will, and if that may fail, I'll give version 1.3 a shot.

This reminds me, I just got Fusion 5 at work, so I think I shall load my OS4.2 and NS3.3 VMs in it to see how well they run and if anything got broken.

It's strange, just now I did not install the VMXNet drivers, but it showed me Can't find $LBL.
This time I installed all the drivers, just by copying them over and double clicking the .config files, perhaps that's the issue itself, that's also how I installed the previous times where the boot failed.

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"It's strange, just now I did not install the VMXNet drivers, but it showed me Can't find $LBL.
This time I installed all the drivers, just by copying them over and double clicking the .config files, perhaps that's the issue itself, that's also how I installed the previous times where the boot failed.

As I said before I don't think it's caused by the drivers. Something is messing up the first few sectors of the disk file where the NS disklabel is located. Without that the boot loader does not know where the root directory with the kernel file mach_kernel is located.

Beside that when you add a driver to the system by double clicking the .config it is just added to the configuration but not loaded immediately. This isn't done until the system is restarted the next time  but much later in the boot process than the point where your error occurs.

I really have no idea what is causing your problem as I never experienced such a problem with any VM version under Linux or Windows. If you can send me a copy of the first few kByte of your vm disk file I can have a look at it was is messed up maybe I can see something that will help you.

Morgon

Thanks a lot Morgon,

I think it might have been because I hit restart and shutdown via the VMWare, and not via inside NextStep, going to try installing VMXnet as well (though it shouldn't cause problems).

OK, that fixed it seemingly.

Now I still couldn't get networking to work, with both threads editing guidelines followed...

It can't find the internet. Also "/Library/Application Support/VMware Fusion/vmnet8/dhcpd.conf" does not exist, I checked via Terminal "ifconfig" and found vmnet8's data, and used that, the subnet mask however was 0xffffff00 I assumed that was the standard 255.255.255.0

Found the file, its now residing in
/Library/Preferences/VMware Fusion/vmnet8/dhcpd.conf

Now my OpenSTEP machine won't go past the Start Up Stage Window, it displays the wheel for a while, then the wheel disappears and nothing happens infinitely...

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"Thanks a lot Morgon,

I think it might have been because I hit restart and shutdown via the VMWare, and not via inside NextStep, going to try installing VMXnet as well (though it shouldn't cause problems).

OK, that fixed it seemingly.
...

Now my OpenSTEP machine won't go past the Start Up Stage Window, it displays the wheel for a while, then the wheel disappears and nothing happens infinitely...

Using restart and shutdown from VM is like hitting the reset button or pulling the power cord on a real PC. While windows has some tools to get a notice from VM when the buttons are hit and can a clean shutdown there is no such thing inside NeXT.

For your hanging on the boot screen you can enter "-v" (or just hit the space bar) and confirm with return when at the boot prompt:


OPENSTEP will start up in 10 seconds, or you can:
...
boot:


with that you will get a more verbose output what the system is doing during the startup and where it hangs.

Luckily I made a snapshot before I installed the VMXnet driver. Thanks Morgon, really appreciate your help here!

It's always occurring right before it would say "configuring network", so I must have entered wrong settings.
I checked again, with my current settings it hangs a little at startup but successfully goes to login screen, however internet is still not working (I checked with OmniWeb).

1) The .vmx config file is easy changed, that must be right.

2) The dchpd.conf however wasn't easy to read (for inserting in hostmanager.app, perhaps you could help.


This is my ../vmnet8/dhcpd.conf file:
# Configuration file for ISC 2.0 vmnet-dhcpd operating on vmnet8.
#
# This file was automatically generated by the VMware configuration program.
# See Instructions below if you want to modify it.
#
# We set domain-name-servers to make some DHCP clients happy
# (dhclient as configured in SuSE, TurboLinux, etc.).
# We also supply a domain name to make pump (Red Hat 6.x) happy.
#


###### VMNET DHCP Configuration. Start of "DO NOT MODIFY SECTION" #####
# Modification Instructions: This section of the configuration file contains
# information generated by the configuration program. Do not modify this
# section.
# You are free to modify everything else. Also, this section must start
# on a new line
# This file will get backed up with a different name in the same directory
# if this section is edited and you try to configure DHCP again.

# Written at: 03/17/2013 17:06:10
allow unknown-clients;
default-lease-time 1800;                # default is 30 minutes
max-lease-time 7200;                    # default is 2 hours

subnet 172.16.79.0 netmask 255.255.255.0 {
range 172.16.79.128 172.16.79.254;
option broadcast-address 172.16.79.255;
option domain-name-servers 172.16.79.2;
option domain-name localdomain;
default-lease-time 1800;                # default is 30 minutes
max-lease-time 7200;                    # default is 2 hours
option netbios-name-servers 172.16.79.2;
option routers 172.16.79.2;
}
host vmnet8 {
hardware ethernet 00:50:56:C0:00:08;
fixed-address 172.16.79.1;
option domain-name-servers 0.0.0.0;
option domain-name "";
option routers 0.0.0.0;
}
####### VMNET DHCP Configuration. End of "DO NOT MODIFY SECTION" #######


What I read out of it (for hostmanager.app) is:
- option: use local domain only
- option: readable only by local net
- Hostname: openstep
- option: NIS Domain name: none
- Internet Address: 172.16.79.21
- broadcast IP: 172.16.79.255
- net mask: 255.255.255.0
- router IP: 172.16.79.1
(and therefore in /etc/resolv.conf): nameserver: 172.16.79.1)

However when I check my ifconfig (in Terminal):
en1: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
inet 192.168.178.21 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.178.255
media: autoselect
status: active
vmnet1: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
inet 192.168.78.1 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 192.168.78.255
vmnet8: flags=8863<UP,BROADCAST,SMART,RUNNING,SIMPLEX,MULTICAST> mtu 1500
inet 172.16.79.1 netmask 0xffffff00 broadcast 172.16.79.255

Here I suppose vmnet8 is the one, but my main internet usage goes through en1 as active configuration... which IPs should I choose? And is netmask 0xffffff00 (hex code I think) same as 255.255.255.0 ?

For those interested in the original topic, NeXTSTEP 3.3 and OPENSTEP 4.2 still work in Fusion 5, and the drivers provided by Morgon all still work fine.  I tried both v4 compatibility mode and v5 mode, and both work fine.

I'm not sure if it's Fusion 5 or not, but my MBP runs very hot with both of these running.  Perhaps my iMac was the same way and I never noticed it.  Either way, I'm just glad to be able to upgrade to Fusion 5 with fully functional VMs.

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"

Here I suppose vmnet8 is the one, but my main internet usage goes through en1 as active configuration... which IPs should I choose? And is netmask 0xffffff00 (hex code I think) same as 255.255.255.0 ?

As you can see in your dhcp.conf the nameserver in resolv.conf and the router needs to configure to 172.16.79.2 as 172.16.79.1 is only IP of the host in that internal network. I can check that tomorrow at work as I have a similar setup there on one of the computers. Netmasks are okay as your assumption is correct that the hexvalue is equal to the decimal notation.

For accessing the internet from inside the guest with the setup you made vmnet8 needs to be configured as NAT network or the host won't forward the packets from the guest (the guest itself has no direct access this way).

If you want your guest to use the en1 of the host directly you have to configure vmnet8 as bridged network and setup the vm to either use that network or choose bridged network which should be equivalent.
But then you have to assign an IP from the range your main router hands out to your computers.



@eagle: Great to know things still work :) Well beside that broken SoundBlasterPCI driver of course ;)

Great, Morgon, thanks so much it works perfect now! Except for the clock not being synced, not sure why...

Now only need to find a better up-to-date browser tool for handling web 2.0...

Also is there a way to interchange files between host and guest OS instead of the tedious unchangeable .iso files?

I had a problem with time sync at first.  Search the forums, and I'm sure you'll find the answer.

Ah yes eagle, thanks, looked at your profile > posts, and found this:
http://www.nextcomputers.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3162&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

Its just the certain way how to install VMTools, now its all fine, yepee.

I also saw you're interested in developing NeXT Apps, so am I, seeing as it is good old Objective-C, shouldn't be too hard, I am hoping to revive some old stuff.

Quote from: "JazzJohannes"Great, Morgon, thanks so much it works perfect now! Except for the clock not being synced, not sure why...

Now only need to find a better up-to-date browser tool for handling web 2.0...

Also is there a way to interchange files between host and guest OS instead of the tedious unchangeable .iso files?

Unfortunately there is no newer browser than OmniWeb3 I know of. In our office we use CubX to display opera and other browsers from our linux servers under NS and use that for browsing.

For file interchange you have to set up a NFS server on your host and mount the directories from NS. Don't have a real idea how to set up the NFS server in MacOSX but it is either done by editing configuration files or with some OSX configuration program.

For mounting in NS you can use NFSManager.app to add the mounts to NetInfo (more easy than doing it directly in NetInfo).

I think OpenStep should support NFS3, right?
http://www.macnews.com/content/objective-development-releases-sharity-27-0

Here is Sharity for OS X and OpenSTEP (free for non-commerce):
http://www.obdev.at/products/sharity/download2.html

NFS3 was last updated somewhere around 2004, still OpenStep supported I think. Also on latest OS Xs there is under MacPorts a nice implementation on user-level which does not need OS X Server to be installed:
UNFS3 http://unfs3.sourceforge.net/


Going to try Sharity 2 now first, then UNFS3...

Does OPENSTEP/NeXTSTEP support NFS automount?

Quote from: "eagle"Does OPENSTEP/NeXTSTEP support NFS automount?

If you mean "at boot", yes it does.

I know about static mounting NFS directories -- I have an NFS share on my iMac that my NeXT VMs mount.  I'm wondering if it supports NFS automount -- that is, dynamic mounting when a directory is accessed.  My guess is that NFS automounters are too new.

Quote from: "eagle"I know about static mounting NFS directories -- I have an NFS share on my iMac that my NeXT VMs mount.  I'm wondering if it supports NFS automount -- that is, dynamic mounting when a directory is accessed.  My guess is that NFS automounters are too new.

NeXT does support a kind of automounting using the special "/Net" directory. For easiest setup use NFSManager for the setup. Think during setup of each mount you have to select "Mount file system in background" instead of "foreground" to get it working.