Installing Virtual Machine Additions on Server Core

The intrinsic beauty of running a number of virtual machines on a single host lies in the ability to simulate, through a test lab, for example, how an IT infrastructure works without investing heavily on hardware and going through the multifarious tasks of OS installations as well as application setups. Get a fast multi-core processor, a motherboard that supports hardware virtualization, rev up on the RAM, get fast harddisks (as many as the computer's mobo can support), and one can already start building his test lab with, say, a domain controller, an application server and a couple of clients. Fact is, one can even go as far as running multiple virtual machines on different physical computers to generate, as complex as possible, his test IT infrastructure.

Sifting through a number of active virtual PCs/servers can be a drag if the Virtual Machine Additions is not installed on the virtual machine. This excerpt from the Technet details the importance of the VM Additions. To quote:

Virtual Machine Additions is a very important component to running a virtual machine. You must install Virtual Machine Additions on all virtual machines.

Virtual Machine Additions adds the following enhancements to a guest operating system:

• Improved mouse cursor tracking and control

• Greatly improved overall performance

• Virtual machine heartbeat generator

• Optional time synchronization with the clock of the physical computer

To install the VM Additions, navigate to the D:\Windows directory of the D: drive of the virtual machine. Execute the Virtual Machine Additions msi package using msiexec.exe as shown in the first screenshot. At the end of the installation, reboot the virtual machine. Do this for all the virtual machines.