HOW-TO Tutorial Eagle Server VM In 3 Easy Steps

Author, Dwight Hughes CCNA Instructor Clark College Vancouver, Washington USA Revision 1. 2008-04-07 Notes, Comments, and Prerequisites This tutorial does not cover installing Vmware Server and Vmware Server Console. These products can be installed on almost any PC running Windows or Linux and are available for free from http://vmware.com This tutorial does not cover how to download software from the Internet, what an ISO image is, or how to properly burn an ISO image onto a CD. You will need to be able to do these things to create the two bootable CDs used in this tutorial: 1. Cisco CCNA Eagle Server v2.0 ISO 2. Gparted drive partition and format utility ISO This tutorial uses the free Cisco CCNA Eagle Server v2.0. It can be downloaded from Cisco Netacademy (login required) and is found under Tools (a menu option along the rightside of the Netacademy instructor home page. This tutorial uses the free Linux based HDD partition and format utility Gparted. It can be downloaded from http://gparted.sourceforge.net/ Rationale This tutorial was created from my own need and desire to have the Eagle Server running as a VM. I wanted a fully functional VM installation where files added and settings changed would be saved permanently (Cisco only offers a VM of Eagle Server where no settings are saved after reboot/shutdown/power loss). Having Eagle Server running in a VM makes it easy to backup and best of all it's portable. It can be installed on any PC regardless of the CPU, OS, etc (within reason). Contact Author I welcome your comments and changes/fixes to this tutorial. Please let me know what you think. Also, if you get stuck I'd be glad to offer my assistance. email: dhughes@clark.edu

Step 1

Create a new Virtual Machine (VM) for Eagle Server Click on 'Create a new virtual machine' (located as top item on left side menu in Vmware server console). This will start the 'New Virtual Machine Wizard'. Click 'Next' to begin the wizard. On this next screen of the wizard (shown below), 'Virtual Machine Configuration', you must make sure you select 'custom'. Then click 'Next' to continue. Note: The reason to choose 'custom' over the default setting of 'typical' is that we need to make sure the VM HDD is type IDE. The 'typical' setting sets SCSI as the HDD type. And, for some reason the Eagle Server v2.0 ISO CD will not see it and the install will fail!

On this next screen (shown below), 'Select a Guest Operating System', you must make sure you select 'Linux'. Then select Version: 'Other Linux'. Click 'Next' to continue.

On the next screen (not shown), 'Name the Virtual Machine', you may give it any name you wish. I titled mine 'Eagle Server CCNA v2.0'. You will want to note the location where the VM is being put, for making backups of it later on, etc. The next few screens you can accept the defaults and click 'Next' to continue. The screens are: Processor Configuration Default: One Access Rights Default: Private Note: You want to be logged in an administrator account you feel comfortable sharing username/password with all teachers and staff that need access to the Eagle Server virtual machine directly. Memory Default: 256 MB Network Connection Default: Bridged networking Note: You may want/need to choose NAT here depending on your LAN setup. Bridged will let the Eagle Server have it's own IP address on the NIC, which is set by default to 192.168.254.254 /24 I/O Adapter Types Default: BusLogic Disk Default: Create a new virtual disk

OK, time to pay attention again! On this next screen (shown below), 'Select a Disk Type', you must make sure you select 'IDE'. Click 'Next' to continue.

On the next screen (shown below), 'Specify Disk Capacity', you can keep the Disk Size default of 8 GB (can go as low as 4 GB, but it's good to have some room for files, on-line curriculum, etc). Also, for better performance un-check the 'Split disk into 2GB files' choice. Click 'Next' to continue.

On the next screen (not shown), 'Specify Disk File', just Click 'Next' to continue.

Note: At this point the Vmware server will begin to create the virtual 8 GB IDE HDD. This will take 2-5 minutes to complete. End of Step 1.

Step 2

Partition and Format a virtual HDD for Eagle Server

At this point you now have a VM container with an 8 GB IDE HDD. Now we need to partition and format that HDD as a Linux EXT2 file system. To accomplish this we will be using the freeware software GParted. If you do not already have it ready to go you'll want to get it ready now. It needs to be in a bootable ISO and burned on a CD.

After you have placed the Gparted bootable CD into the drive on the host PC then click 'Power on this virtual machine' (located as top item on left side menu in Vmware server console inside your new Eagle Server VM). This will start the new VM and cause it to boot off the Gparted CD. Click your mouse inside the black screen area that appears, then just sit back and watch it boot up. Soon a bootloader screen will appear with a long list of bootable options, the 1st option in the list is already selected. Just press the ENTER key to accept that default choice. At the next prompt, 'Load keymap...', again simply press the ENTER key to accept the default choice. Again at the next prompt, 'Load keymap...', again simply press the ENTER key to accept the default choice.

Now, the Gparted software will load for some time. Eventually a graphical desktop will appear.

RIGHT-click on the single entry, 'unallocated unalocated the drop-down menu that appears. (shown below)

8.00 GiB' and select 'New' from

A pop-up window appears, click the 'Create' button in this pop-up to accept the default choice.

A second a pop-up window appears, click the 'Create' button in this pop-up to accept the default choice. Now you're back at the graphical desktop. Once again RIGHT-click on the single entry, 'unallocated unalocated 8.00 GiB' and select 'New' from the drop-down menu that appears. A new pop-up window appears (shown below). Do not change any of the values in the three white boxes on the left side. On the right side of the pop-up window... Make sure to select Create As: 'Primary Partition' and Filesystem: 'ext2'. Finally, click on the 'Add' button at the lower right corner of the pop-up window. (shown below)

Now you're back at the graphical desktop again. Click on the 'Apply' button towards the top middle of the graphical desktop. A pop-up window will appear, click on the 'Apply' button in that pop-up window. The Gparted software will now format the partition for you.. this will take around 2 minutes or less. Once the pop-up window displaying the status says All operations successfully completed click on the 'Close' button in that pop-up window. Click on the 'Gparted' drop-down menu in the very upper right corner of the graphical desktop and select 'Quit'. At the left side of your keyboard simultaneously press down on both the keyboard keys Ctrl (Control) and Alt (Alternate); this will free your mouse pointer from the Eagle Server VM. After 1-2 seconds stop pressing the Ctrl and Alt keys. You can now move the mouse pointer up to the upper-left corner of the Vmware Server console window and click on the red colored square; this will stop the Eagle Server VM. Once the black screen disappears you may now remove the Gparter CD from the host PC. End of Step 2.

Step 3

Install Eagle Server

At this point you have a VM container with a partitioned and EXT2 formated 8 GB IDE HDD. Now all we need to to do is install the Cisco CCNA Eagle Server v2.0 onto it To accomplish this we'll be using the Eagle Server v2.0 in an ISO format on a CD. If you do not already have it ready to go you'll want to get this in a bootable ISO and burn it on a CD.

After you have placed the Eagle Server v2.0 bootable CD into the drive on the host PC then click 'Power on this virtual machine' (located as the top item on left side menu in Vmware server console inside your new Eagle Server VM). This will start the new VM and cause it to boot up. Click your mouse inside the black screen area that appears, and then press the Esc (Escape) key on your keyboard Note: You MUST press the Esc key before the Vmware logo disappears from the black screen area. If you fail to do so in time the screen will go blank and stay blank. If this happens to you, just simultaneously press the Ctrl and Alt keys to release the mouse cursor and click on the red colored square in far upper-left corner and begin step 3 over again.

After successfully clicking your mouse cursor inside the black screen area with the Vmware logo and immediately pressing the Esc keyboard key a 'Boot Menu' screen will appear with a long list of boot device options. Use the keyboard arrow keys to select/highlight option number 3 'CD-ROM Drive' and press the ENTER key. The Eagle Server v2.0 CD should begin to load... A 'boot:' prompt will appear near the top of the black screen area. Press the ENTER key to continue. At the prompt 'Option:' type installEXT and press the ENTER key. At the next prompt, 'To which partition do you wish to...' type hda1 and press the ENTER key. At the next prompt, 'Proceed with installation...' type y and press the ENTER/ RETURN key.

Sit back and relax. Eagle Server is being installed to the virtual HDD. This takes some time, as long as 15 minutes.

Once Eagle Server is finished being installed you'll be prompted to return to the main menu. Press the ENTER key to do so. Now that you are back at the install menu and the 'Option:' prompt. This time type reboot and press the ENTER key. Your Eagle Server CD should eject from the host PC at this time. You may now remove the Eagle Server CD from the host PC. The Eagle Server VM should be rebooting and will fully load to the KDE graphical desktop.

Congratulations. You now have a fully functional installation of the Cisco Eagle Server running in a Vmware VM. You can now take a snapshot (doing this is NOT covered in this tutorial) of the VM if you wish, to assist you in rolling back to this pristine state at some time in the future if your Eagle Server VM should get really messed up through student/teacher/staff use. End of Step 3.