Background: We have been using Vmware workstation 4.5 and 5.0, extensivly in our envoironment. We run a propriatary and extreamly strange DOS envoirnment for our product shipping software. This sofrtware will only run under vmware or a true dos 6 workstation. Never have been able to get this to run under any other form of emulation or tweaking. We have abour 200 PC's running this applications, ~150 running Suse linux and ~50 or so running XP. We have purchased licenses for vmware workstation and have been VERY VERY happy. We have 15-20 Macs that would love to be able to access software, but we have had to wait. Untill now, I understand this is a beta and not an eval. but any info I can get or give will greatly help us in expanding our use of Vmware products.
VM Enviornment: Dos 6.0, running with 16mb of memory assigned to the vm session. Session uses a Novell 3.12 DOS 16bit NIS driver to access the legacy server. (also a VM, but thats not the problem). Network is 100% IPX/SPX No tcp/ip is bound to the virtual machines. VM image is a cookie cutter image that is pushed out over network to clients. We use same VM image for Windows and Linux workstations. VM image has not changed in almost 3 years. Starting with Vmworkstation 4.5.
Test hardware: Apple Dualcore 2.66, 2gb memory, 500gb Hdd, geforce 7300, OSX 10.4
Problem: On the virtualization system for the mac, the VM session will start and dectect the virtual network card. The system runs very fast up untill the point where we log onto the server. At this point the VM session will appear to freeze and the CPU utilization on the HOST will hit 100% This will remain at 100% for almost exactaly 2 minutes. At this point I will be given a logon screen in the VM. I will log into the network where is will process the startup sections, VERY slowly. Average speed on file transfer is 20 minutes for a 1.5mb file. The program will eventualy load, however will not operate because the database will time out.
Steps Taken: I have attempted to use updated network drivers. Adjusted the timing (and removed) dosidle, to verify a timing issuse on the network card. I enabled debug on the windows and linux workstations to verifiy if debug was causing delays. (Enabling debug on the windows/linux workstation DOES greatly slow down the logon process, 20-30 seconds with debug on, vs, less then 2 with it off, however that is not close to the 6+ minutes it takes for the process on the mac version).
Theory: I have a few working ideas but they are only ideas. IPX/SPX is a very very chatty protocal, If the Beta is logging and debugging IPX/SPX traffic, it must be handling a ton of data. 150+ machines chatting all hitting the virtual NIC must be alot of CPU overhead. Another idea, is that maybe IPX/SPX traffic is just a dying bread and perhaps the mac version is optimized for tcp/ip only.
Help: Has anyone else had any problems/luck with Dos and Nis? Speed issuses? Solutions? If VMWARE needs a copy of the virtual image I would be happy to provide it, however I doubt they could reproduce it without both the server and clients. I would love to get my hands on a copy of the beta with debug disabled, to verify if the problem does lay in the debug routines. I already have the funding set asside for the product, I just have to make it work first.
Thanks, A solution would make me, and my marketing/graphics department very very happy.
