VMware GSX Server 3 Administration, Administration Manual

Page: 109 / 240

C H A P T E R 4 Managing Virtual Machines and the VMware GSX Server Host
109
Changing the Port Number for VMware Virtual Machine
Console Connections
By default, the VMware Virtual Machine Console connects to virtual machines via port
902. If this port assignment poses a conflict for your site — for example, if you use the
ideafarm-chat
program — you can change the port number the console uses
accordingly.
Changing the port number involves manually adding a variable to certain preference
files. The steps you need to take vary depending upon the server host operating
system, the host on which the console is running and whether you are making this
change to GSX Server itself (by assigning the new port number to a variable called
authd.port
) or to the console (by assigning the new port number to a variable
called
authd.client.port
).
The
authd.port
setting is different from the
authd.client.port
setting. The
authd.port
variable tells GSX Server (the server side) which port to listen on for
console connections from remote hosts or clients. The
authd.client.port
variable tells the console (the client side) the port with which to connect. Thus, if you
set only
authd.port
to a different port number, such as 9902, and you try to
connect to a virtual machine on that host with a console on a remote host or client,
the console still tries to connect to port 902. Keep in mind that you can substitute this
new port number manually when you connect with a console. In the Connect to
VMware Server dialog box, in the
Host name field, enter the port number along with
the name of the GSX Server host name and configuration file path, like this:
<server name>:<port> <config file>
Depending upon your site’s needs or configuration (for example, if you have multiple
GSX Server hosts and they use different ports), this might be acceptable. However,
setting
authd.client.port
to the same port number you use for
authd.port
allows for seamless integration between the server and the console. It
also lets you avoid manually entering the port number every time you connect to the
server with a console.
Changing the Port Number on a Windows Host or Client
To change the port number on the GSX Server for Windows host, add the following
line to
config.ini
in
C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware GSX Server
:
authd.port = <portNumber>
Where
<portNumber>
is the port number that all consoles connecting to virtual
machines on this host must use.