By default, the Browser Appliance VM is configured to preserve changes (persistent mode). You can make it to revert to its original state on shutdown (autorevert mode) by editing its configuration file. VMware VMs consist of two main files: a .vmdk file (which is the VM's virtual disk) and a .vmx file (which stores the VM's configurations). The configuration file for the Browser Appliance VM is named Browser-Appliance.vmx.
You can edit Browser-Appliance.vmx using Notepad. To do so, follow these steps:
- Open Notepad, browse to the directory where you installed the Browser Appliance VM, and open the Browser-Appliance.vmx file.
- Add the lines in Listing 1 to the end of the file. Save the file, then close Notepad.
Listing 1: Code to Add to Browser-Appliance.vmx
scsi0:0.mode = "independent-nonpersistent"
snapshot.action = "autoRevert"
snapshot.disabled = "TRUE"
With this configuration, all actions performed in the Firefox browser will be erased each time you shut it down. So, if you want to personalize the browser, do it before you change the Browser-Appliance.vmx file.
In VMs, you can connect to and use different types of removable devices, including DVD and CD-ROM drives, floppy drives, and network adapters.
DVD and CD-ROM drives. You can connect to one or more CD-ROM or DVD drives. You can also connect to disk image (ISO) files.
Floppy drives. You can connect to one or two floppy drives or floppy image files (e.g., .img, .flp).
Network adapters. You can connect to network adapters, which let you control how the VM communicates. You have three options:
- Bridged. The Bridged option gives the VM a virtual network that works like a real one. The VM will be able to connect to your router if you have one and receive its own IP address.
- Network Address Translation (NAT). The NAT option is useful if you don't have a router. The network card of your physical machine will be used to access your network. The VM acts as if a standard network card is installed.
- Host-Only. The Host-Only option prevents the VM from accessing your network, but the VM will be able to connect to your physical machine. This feature is useful for testing software in a completely isolated mode.
As I mentioned previously, you can use VMware Player to create VMs. You can find instructions on how to do so in the VMware Player's Help file and on the VMware Player Documentation web page. You can also use third-party utilities, such as Devfarm Software's free VMX Builder to create VMs.
VMware Player 3.0 is a versatile tool that's good for virtualization novices and experts alike. It's hard to believe that it's free.