Scripts to manage Fusion network settings

[DaveP]

VM@Work Tokamak 1.0.0

Well I have finally found time to finish the scripts to manage the virtual network settings for VMware Fusion. Real world work got in the way of me finishing it for a few weeks. I have been using this for about a month now, and have not seen any ill effects from it. There is a preliminary document describing the functionality of the script, called VM@Work Tokamak. (Yes cheesy pun on Fusion!). The scripts bring the functionality of the VMware Workstation 6 for Linux product to Mac OS X. It allows you to define new networks, modify existing settings, change bridged etc. In this version I have limited the number of configurable vmnets to 10, but if more is needed it can be quickly altered.

The work has been released after VMware gave me permission to re-distribute their code. I would ask that you respect this and don't repost. It will be available here using the new document feature and at my web site, once I have had time to update it. In the meantime, please feel free to post comments here, PM me or use my private email address. All feedback gladly accepted.

My thanks to Pat Lee, Product Manger for VMware Fusion for helping get permission to modify the code and re-distribute.

Dave

Message was edited by: DaveP

There is an issue with the scripts when adding new vmnets. Unfortunately as I am on vacation I can't fix it as no access to Mac. Will fix and upload next week.

[WoodyZ]

Dave I do not have any special requests although I want to say thank you for the time, energy and effort you have put into VM@Work Tokamak as it has made Fusion a more usable product, especially for those of us that are used to the Manage Virtual Networks GUI in Workstation for Windows and had tried switching to a Mac.

[BenBruhl]

First of all, thanks for all you hard work on the scripts. I could not do my job with Fusion without these scripts. Great job.

If you could find a way to assign an IP to the OS X host when setting up the IPs and sub net, it would be nice. Currently, the OS X host takes all the XXX.XXX.XXX.1 address, which some of my other VMs need to use. In order to get the OS X host off that IP address, I have to run "ifconfig down/up" to reassign the host to use a different IP, like XXX.XXX.XXX.20

Does that make sense?

[DaveP]

Ben, I did have some code to do this, but found issues with Fusion when running it. I will go back and take a look at the code again, if I can find it!

[sirozha]

Dave,

Thanks for you work. I have been using your scripts for almost a year now, and I would not have been able to use VMWare on the Mac platform without them. If the functionality of your scripts break down in Snow Leopard, I think this is what you should concentrate on at this point because Snow Leopard is going to be out within a month, and everyone would want to upgrade right away, especially because it is going to be so inexpensive to upgrade.

Thanks!

[barnys]

David,

I want to second the others compliments to your hard work and awesome script. I have used extensively since your first version, and 1) I can't imagine me using Fusion without them, and 2) I can't understand why VMware hasn't included such capabilities natively, via their GUI.

Things set aside, really, THANK YOU!.

Now, down to business:

1) I have been using Snow Loepard's latest seed every time that Apple makes them available, and I can confirm that up until today 8/19, your scripts work with Snow Leopard and the very latest version of Fusion (beta), released today - Version e.x.p (184177).

2) The item that I would like to suggest as an improvement perhaps is the creation of "profiles". Imagine that you create 5,10 or 30 vmnets (like in my case), and I would like to take all of those settings and "Save As" so that I am use another set of vmnets. So there should be a "Save Profile As", and an "Apply Profile", and perhaps a "List Profiles". That is just being extra picky, but I personally can see a lot of functionality in what I do.

Thanks!!!

[BenBruhl]

I wanted to also pass along that I have been using yours scripts for the past year, including with each update of Snow Leopard and they are working fine with the new OS. I also hope to one day see VMware add these capabilities via their GUI.

[DaveP]

Thanks for the ideas.

1. Snow Leopard - will check this out when I get a copy from retail

2. Fusion beta - again will check against builds as they come out

3. Profiles - nice idea and actually something I think I can achieve fairly easily

4. Host IP addresses - as mentioned in another post I did write that code but found some problems with it. Will revisit it.

5. Possibly write a GUI. I have been itching to learn some Cocoa programming so may give this some thought. Also have Realbasic for Mac which would be a quicker option.

[DaveP]

Started work on a new version of the scripts.

1. SL arrives tomorrow but will take a while to setup test system.

2. Not saying too much due to NDA but network setup seems to be changing.

3. Profiles done.

4. Still investigating.

5. Longer term objective but I think will be dependent on beta program

Also did a major edit on the Perl code to remove large chunks that are Linux specific. Makes maintenance easier for me.

[DaveP]

Update 2 - 04/09/09

1. Snow Leopard installed and will test with Fusion 2.0.5 (Can I drop earlier versions from testing?)

2. Talking with VMware over this, but don't use on beta 2 just yet!

3. Profiles done.

4. Different addresses now possible for host vmnet and nat router.

5. Longer term objective but I think will be dependent on beta program

I may get a new beta done this weekend, but if not I am on the road next week, and may not be able to work on them.

Dave

[barnys]

Hi Dave,

I presume that you were just informing of your progress, but you haven't released any updates yet, right?

My biggest focus is on item 2 of your list. Up until the beta 1 of the new version (Version e.x.p (169060)) your scripts worked flawlessly. However with the release from today (build 184177) running your scripts renders the VMs unusable. As soon as you run -–uninstall fromyour scripts, then the vmmon starts and so the VMs, but you loose all the vnets defined

I have a strong motivation to use the latest Fusion build because it has experimental 64-bit support for both the host and guests, but Fusion is practically uselessto me without the faculty of defining more vnets and bridging ad-hoc.

Do you care to comment about this Dave? Will you be updating your wonderful solution to run in the latest build?

Thanks in advance, and also many thanks for your continuous effort to put this out for us.

Barny

[barnys]

Hi Dave, how is it going? did you have a chance to see my post? any progress in your scripts? Hope you can bless us again pretty soon.

Thanks,

[DaveP]

Hi

Do NOT use them with Fusion 3 RC or betas. VMware have changed how some things work in 3. I am working with a VMware engineer to build something for Fusion 3, but it is early (2) days. I am delaying releasing new scripts until I have version for 2.0 & 3.0 with comparable facilities.

Dave

[DonovanBrooke]

Hi Dave,

I just found your recent posts here (so sorry if you find my posts in a couple other threads!) :-).

I will be watching with great interest to see if you can attain something solid for 2.0.6 and Snow Leopard.

Cheers,

Donovan

[DaveP]

Hi

I am working a lot on the scripts at the moment. The Fusion 2 stuff is nearly complete, and working hard with one of the Fusion engineers on an update for Fusion 3. (There are some nice changes in Fusion3 which I will reveal post release!) Work has gotten in the way a bit, with overseas travel, but fingers crossed for end of October.

Dave

[BenBruhl]

Thanks again Dave! You continue to make this product usable for those of us that need more from Fusion than a Windows game machine or Office suite host.

I am looking forward to seeing what the new changes support.

[sirozha]

Dave,

Fusion 3 has just been released. Could you let us know more about what Fusion 3 has added with respect to VM network settings (which obviously lacked a lot of functionality in Fusion 2). What is the status of your scripts for Fusion 3?

Thanks!

[mgartner]

I would also be very interested in getting a solution to configure the network in Fusion 3!

Thanks in advance for your effort!

Regards,

Martin Gartner

[DaveP]

Thanks for everyone's interest in this. Yes there is a new version coming, initially as a beta next week. Unfortunately I can't get hold of the release version of Fusion 3 as I am on holiday with only limited bandwidth. I have completed the coding and need to write some new documentation to describe both the new networking capabilities within Fusion 3's configuration system, plus a few new features in the scripts. For example setting host IP address to a user defined number, profiles and a few other things. The initial release won't deal with all the new possibilities in Fusion 3, but will certainly allow you to do what you currently do with Fusion 2, and I intend to write about manual changes that can now be very easily made to the configuration files. (Thanks to Pat and Nithin from VMware for providing me with the information to do this.)

One question, I have also implemented some of this for Fusion 2. What interest is there in also releasing it for Fusion 2 users? Would you prefer I get Fusion 3 support out the door, or a package that can work for 2 & 3?

Dave

[WoodyZ]

First of all I have to say thanks Dave for all your hard work on this and to VMware for allowing you to use some of their code to do it and Pat and Nithin for supplying you what you need. VM@Work Tokamak is an essential tool since VMware still hasn't provided a Virtual Networks Manager under Fusion in the same vein as what Workstation has and I know it made it much easier for me as I moved between Client Sites when I was using Fusion and my MacBook Pro as my primary Notebook but have put that all on the back burner and my primary Notebook is back to Dell, Windows and VMware Workstation. That said I'd do what's easiest for you to accomplish what you want to with this knowing that your efforts are truly appreciated and we'll gladly take what you have to offer when you have it even tho it seems that either you're working to much or on vacation to get it done

[DonovanBrooke]

Well, I for one would sure appreciate the 2.x version.

Thanks,

Donovan