VMware Installation Guide

Requirements

VMware Editions

Step 1: Download VMware

Windows

1. Go to: https://www.vmware.com/products/desktop-hypervisor/workstation-and-fusion
2. Download VMware Workstation Player (or Pro)
3. Run the installer with default settings
4. Restart if prompted

macOS

1. Go to: https://www.vmware.com/products/desktop-hypervisor/workstation-and-fusion
2. Download VMware Fusion (or Fusion Player for free personal use)
3. Open the DMG and drag VMware Fusion to Applications
4. Launch and complete the initial setup

Step 2: Download Ubuntu ISO

1. Go to: https://ubuntu.com/download/server
2. Download Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
   • Intel/AMD systems: Download the standard x86_64 ISO
   • Apple Silicon Macs: Download the ARM64 ISO from https://ubuntu.com/download/server/arm
3. Save the ISO file (approximately 2.5 GB)

Step 3: Create the Virtual Machine

VMware Workstation Player (Windows)

1. Open VMware Workstation Player
2. Click Create a New Virtual Machine
3. Select Installer disc image file (ISO) and browse to the Ubuntu ISO
4. Click Next
5. VMware may detect "Ubuntu 64-bit" — click Next
6. Name the VM: codehero
7. Location: Leave default or choose a folder with enough space
8. Click Next
9. Disk size: 40 GB
10. Select "Store virtual disk as a single file"
11. Click Next
12. Click Customize Hardware:
    • Memory: 4096 MB (or more)
    • Processors: 2 (or more)
    • Network Adapter: Change from NAT to Bridged (connects directly to your physical network)
13. Click Close then Finish
14. The VM starts automatically

VMware Fusion (macOS)

1. Open VMware Fusion
2. Click + (Add) or File > New
3. Select Create a custom virtual machine (or drag the Ubuntu ISO)
4. Choose Linux > Ubuntu 64-bit (or Ubuntu 64-bit ARM for Apple Silicon)
5. Click Continue
6. Firmware: UEFI (default)
7. Click Continue
8. Virtual disk: Create a new virtual disk, 40 GB
9. Click Continue
10. Click Customize Settings
11. Save as codehero
12. In the Settings window:
    • Processors & Memory: 2 CPUs, 4096 MB RAM
    • Network Adapter: Change to Bridged Networking > Autodetect
13. Close Settings
14. Click the Play button to start the VM

Step 4: Install Ubuntu

1. When the VM boots from the ISO, select Try or Install Ubuntu Server
2. Follow the installation wizard:
   • Language: Select your language
   • Keyboard: Select your keyboard layout
   • Type of Install: Ubuntu Server
   • Network: Auto-detected. Note the IP address if shown.
   • Proxy: Leave empty
   • Mirror: Leave default
   • Storage: Use an entire disk > select the virtual disk > Done > Done > Continue
   • Profile Setup:
     • Your name: Claude Admin
     • Server name: codehero-server
     • Username: claude
     • Password: Choose a password (remember it)
   • Ubuntu Pro: Skip for now
   • SSH: Check "Install OpenSSH server"
   • Featured Snaps: Skip
3. Wait for installation to finish (5-10 minutes)
4. Select Reboot Now
5. Press Enter if asked to remove the installation medium
6. If the VM boots back into the installer, power off the VM, remove the ISO from the CD/DVD settings, and start the VM again

First Login

At the login prompt:

• Username: claude
• Password: the password you chose

Step 5: Install CodeHero

Run these commands inside the VM. First, copy the ZIP file provided with your CodeHero PRO license into the VM, then:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y unzip wget net-tools
sudo su
cd /root
unzip codehero-pro-release-4.6.3.zip
cd codehero
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

Wait 10-15 minutes for installation to complete.

Find Your VM IP Address

hostname -I

Write down the IP (e.g., 192.168.1.110).

Step 6: Access the Dashboard

On your host machine, open a browser and go to:

https://YOUR_VM_IP:9453

Default Login

• Username: admin
• Password: admin123

Change Default Passwords

sudo /opt/codehero/scripts/change-passwords.sh

Browser Security Warning

Daily Usage

Start the VM

GUI (Workstation Player): Open VMware, select the VM, click Play.

GUI (Fusion): Open VMware Fusion, double-click the VM.

Command line (vmrun):

# Start
vmrun start "/path/to/codehero.vmx"

# Start without GUI (headless)
vmrun start "/path/to/codehero.vmx" nogui

Default VM locations:

• Windows: C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Virtual Machines\codehero\codehero.vmx
• macOS: ~/Virtual Machines.localized/codehero.vmwarevm/codehero.vmx

Stop the VM

GUI: VM menu > Shut Down Guest (graceful) or Power Off (force).

Command line:

# Graceful shutdown
vmrun stop "/path/to/codehero.vmx" soft

# Force power off
vmrun stop "/path/to/codehero.vmx" hard

Suspend the VM

vmrun suspend "/path/to/codehero.vmx"

Saves the current state to disk. Resuming is faster than a full boot.

Delete the VM

GUI: Right-click the VM > Delete from Disk.

Command line:

vmrun deleteVM "/path/to/codehero.vmx"

SSH into the VM

ssh claude@YOUR_VM_IP

Troubleshooting

VM Won't Start: "VT-x/AMD-V is not available"

1. Enable virtualization in your BIOS/UEFI (VT-x for Intel, AMD-V for AMD)
2. On Windows: Disable Hyper-V if it conflicts (VMware and Hyper-V can conflict on some systems):

   bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off

   Restart after this change.

No Network Connection

1. Verify the network adapter is set to Bridged
2. In VMware settings, check the correct physical adapter is selected
3. Inside the VM:

   sudo systemctl restart systemd-networkd
   ip addr show

Cannot Access Dashboard

1. Confirm the VM IP: hostname -I
2. Ensure https:// is used (not http://)
3. Check services:

   sudo systemctl status codehero-web codehero-daemon

4. Check firewall:

   sudo ufw allow 9453
   sudo ufw allow 9867

VM Runs Slowly

1. Increase RAM to 8192 MB in VM settings
2. Increase CPU cores to 4
3. Ensure 3D acceleration is disabled (can cause issues with server VMs)
4. Install VMware Tools for better performance:

   sudo apt install -y open-vm-tools

VM Boots Back Into Installer After Reboot

The ISO is still attached:

1. Power off the VM
2. Go to VM Settings > CD/DVD
3. Change to "Use physical drive" or disconnect the ISO
4. Start the VM again

VMware Tools Installation

For better performance and integration, install VMware Tools:

sudo apt install -y open-vm-tools
sudo reboot