Escape from a Console

[vmQuint]

I bet this is a simple question, but I've searched for an hour and can't find the answer. 

I'm in XP in a Fusion VM, vCloud Director 5.1, IE, VMRC plug-in.  I can't find the version of

IE because it's under my main problem. 

I opened a pop-out console, powered the machine on.  Now I can't get out of it.

How do I get out of the console?  Something like control-alt? 

[vmQuint]

To elaborate a little more on the symptoms, if my Fusion VM has focus, any text I type shows up in the CentOS console.  And that's all I can do. 

If I control-alt I get my mouse cursor back but can't type in the console anymore. 

If I click the Fusion VM again the CentOS console is the only thing available, even though the console is a window with the standard X to close.  I tried alt-F4 but it doesn't close the console.  I tried alt-tab and nothing.

I did a 'halt' on the CentOS VM in the console and now I can't do anything in that Fusion XP VM.

There must be some keystroke to close the CentOS console or at least get focus back to XP …. ?

[JasonBurrell · Accepted solution]

It's ctrl-alt that will bring focus back

-Jason

[IamTHEvilONE]

so the problem is that you are in a double console which use the same key sequence to escape from the console.

This same issue can happen in VMware Workstation as well.  There are two options, from what I recall.

1. key sequence + ignore key.  In workstation, I think the space bar would make workstation ignore the call and pass it to the guest.

there was something like kb 1011705

2. change the console escape sequence in Fusion ... there has to be a config option somewhere to modify this (just a guess), but you can ask in the fusion forum.

3. Upgrade to vCloud 5.5 ... then you don't need the Windows VM to gain console access (if you don't need it for other reasons), as there is an OSX Console under Chrome & Firefox

[vmQuint]

2. So then, is it true that if I were in a physical XP box, control-alt would get me out of the CentOS console, and back to XP?

And #3, vCloud for Mac?  That's awesome.  Our vCloud server (if that's the right term) is 5.1.  Don't server and client have to match?  Can the server be 5.1 and the client be 5.5?  That would be terrific if I could just run it on the Mac directly.

(I just woke up, I'll try it when I get to work)

[IamTHEvilONE]

your vCloud Director environment would need to be 5.5 and OSX doesn't use a client ... it's an HTML5 based RDP session.

[vmQuint]

Going between Windows and MacBook Pro and different external keyboards and mappings, I didn't realize you had the right answer, Jason.  Command and alt are flipped going from MBP to my external keyboard.  I went back to the MBP keyboard and it is indeed control-alt that takes me back to the XP Fusion VM, and it's control-command that takes me all the way out and back to the Mac.  Thanks.

Keys on Macbook Pro

fn  -- ctrl -- opt -- cmd

--------^------^------------ out of the console and still in the VM

--------^---------------^--  out of the console and out of the VM = all the way out