How to Install CentOS in VMware Workstation

Today I am going to write the method along with snapshots that how we can install a CentOS in VMware. Before going to start the article I think we should have some basic introduction about CentOS and VMware’s.

What is CentOS?

CentOS (Community Enterprise Operating System) is a Linux distribution that attempts to provide a free enterprise class computing platform which has 100% binary compatibility with its upstream source, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). As of version 6.4, it officially supports the x86 architecture with Physical Address Extension and the x86-64 architecture, while a beta is expected to be available for PowerPC.

What is VMware?

VMware's are desktop software’s that run on Microsoft Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X. While its enterprise software hypervisors for servers, VMware ESX and VMware ESXi, are bare-metal embedded hypervisors that run directly on server hardware without requiring an additional underlying operating system.

One thing I should mention that I am writing this post by using CentOS 5.5 and VMware Workstation 7.1. Now let’s start the installation.

First you have to download the ISO. After we’ve downloaded the ISO, we need to start VMware Workstation. Go to File – New – Virtual machine (the following window will popup)

Step 1

Choose Typical and click next.

Step 2

Choose I will install the operating system later, and click next.

Step 3

In the Select a Guest operation System window, select Linux and Other Linux 2.6.x kernel 64-bit as Version and click next.

Step 4

In the specify Disk Capacity window select 30 GB for the maximum disk size (although 20 GB will be sufficient also.

Step 5

In the Ready to create virtual machine window click on Customize Hardware.

Step 6

Remove all unnecessary attributes (like the floppy drive), add extra memory to the VM (I gave 1536 MB) and change the Network adapter from NAT to bridged (internal network) and click add to add a extra NIC.

Step 7

Select Network Adapter and click Next

Step 8

In the Network Adapter Type window choose custom and select the NIC which faces to the external network. Click Finish

Step 9

In the Ready to Create Virtual Machine window click customize hardware again

Step 10

Select the CD/DVD drive and connect ISO image file by browsing to the right image. When selected click Advanced.

Step 11

Make sure the legacy emulation is selected and click OK, OK again and finish.

Step 12

The VM will be created, click power on this virtual machine to start the installation process.

Step 13

When the install screen appears press enter.

Step 14

Select Skip and press enter.

Step 15

Click next

Step 16

Select your language and click next

Step 17

Select the appropriate keyboard and click next

Step18

Click Yes to initialize the drive to go on with the installation

Step 19

Select Review and modify partitioning layout and click next.

Step 20

Click Yes (only if you’re sure about it )

Step 21

Make sure / (root) has enough space (20 GB is more then enough) and click next

Step 22

Click Next

Step 23

Make sure both network cards are active on boot and edit them so they are in the right network, also make sure IPv6 is deselected.

Step 24

After editing click OK and after both cards are edited set the Hosname, Gateway and DNS settings and click Next

Step 25

Select the right time zone (region) and click Next

Step 26

Set the Root password and click Next

Step 27

Click Next

Step 28

Click Next to begin the installation

Step 29

After installation click Reboot

Step 30

After Reboot perform the following steps: click Forward

Step 31

Disable the firewall. And click Forward

Step 32

Step 33

Disable the SELinux setting and click Forward

Step 34

Enable the Network Time Protocol and click Forward

Step 35

Create a user and click Forward

Step 36

In the Sound Card window click Forward and in the Additional CDs windows click finish

Step 37

Login to CentOS with the credentials you’ve just created

Step 38

After you’ve logged in a popup shows that Updates are available. Click view Updates

Step 39

Put the Root password in and press enter

Step 40

Click Apply updates

Step 41

After a while click Import key

Step 42

After installation of the updates click Reboot now

Step 43

After reboot log back in and then right click on the VM and press Install VMware Tools

Step 44

Right click the VMware Tools file and click Extract To

Step 45

Select the Extract in folder and click Extract

Step 46

Open a terminal and do a su ( to become root) and enter the Password and press enter

Step 47

Use the cd command to navigate to vmware-tools-distrib folder. Run ./vmware-install.pl to install the vmware tools (you have to enter several times to install)

Step 48

After installation type reboot and press enter to reboot the VM. When the VM is restarted log in to CentOS.

I hope now you can easily install CentOS in WMware workstations. One thing remember that while writing commands be-careful about spaces and case-sensitivity. I have also done some mistakes first time but its my advice to be-careful while typing the commands. I hope you gained some cool stuff from CooL Stack.