Install and start the VM

The Authentication Service image is in OVA format, which may need to be converted to VMX format, depending on the VM host you are using to run the VM. For example, VMWare Workstation requires VMX format.

For VMWare, you can use the OVF tool, a free command-line utility available for Windows and Linux. Download the OVF tool from http://www.vmware.com/appliances/getting-started/learn/ovf.html. Follow the installer instructions to install the tool.

Note  You may be asked to register with VMWare as part of this process.

To convert an OVA file to VMX:

1.	Create a directory in your hypervisor's data store (where VMs reside). Name the directory appropriately.

2.	Move to that directory. The OVF tool places output files in the current directory.

Start the converter tool. The tool copies the OVA to a new set of files in VMX format and leaves the OVA file unchanged.

Command: path-to-ovftool -tt=vmx ova-file-name vmx-file-name

Example: /usr/bin/ovftool -tt=vmx fb72-641-32bit-ec-vm.ova central-ec

The operation may take a few minutes. Sample output is shown below.

Opening OVA source: ../fb72-641-32bit-ec-vm.ova

Opening VMX target: central-ec

Target: central-ec.vmx

Disk progress: 36%

…

Disk Transfer Completed

Completed successfully

The output is a .vmdk file (disk image) and .vmx file (VM configuration) in your current directory. For example:

-rw------- 1 root root 1.6G 2010-08-09 14:46 central-ec-disk1.vmdk

-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1.1K 2010-08-09 14:46 central-ec.vmx

Once you have converted the file, if required, do the following:

1.	Add the Authentication Service VM to your hypervisor inventory. Refer to your hypervisor documentation for more details.

2.	In your hypervisor, start the VM. This will boot the VM's operating system, start the Authentication Service processes, and connect to a DHCP server (if present) to acquire an IP address.