2002.12_Win4Lin 4.0-Windows Emulation with Enhanced Hardware Support.pdf

COVER STORY

Win4Lin 4.0

VMware Alternative

Win4Lin is another product that

This allows

Win4Lin to run

Windows applica-

tions directly in a

KDE window

without having to

resort to the virtual

environment of a

guest PC. However,

older versions of

Win4Lin tended to

be so difficult to

install and con-

figure that they

were of little practi-

cal use. Happily,

this is no longer

the case, and this

should open up a

new user market

for the new ver-

sion. As Netraverse

are asking quite a

lot of money for

their product, users

have every right to demand

a fully functional software package.

provides Windows emulation for

Linux. The developers assure us that

several known issues in the 3.0

version have been resolved in the

latest 4.0 version. And as 4.0 offers

enhanced hardware support, we

decided to take a closer look at

Netraverse’s latest coup.

BY ANDREAS REITMAIER AND

THOMAS DRILLING

are all the rage, either as

hardware emulators that

provide virtual PC machines, such as

VMware, or the WINE project.

WINE emulates the major Windows

libraries, allowing you to run Windows

programs natively on Linux. Emulators

like VMware offer a complete virtual PC,

including a BIOS, and support Windows

desktops, and almost any other guest

operating systems on a Linux host

platform.

Win4Lin is a kind of symbiosis and

uses a customized kernel to handle the

requirements of the Windows guest OS.

• The second step involves configuring

system defaults, and also requires you

to copy the required Windows sources

(CAB files) from an original Windows

CD.

• Finally, in step three, Windows is

installed and configured in the current

userspace.

Although root privileges are required for

the first two steps of the installation, you

can use a normal user account for step

three.

This allows any user to create a

customized Windows environment –

which makes Win4Lin more sophisti-

cated than the official Windows version.

After typing the serial number, the

required files are copied to your hard

disk.

The steps for installing the kernel and

configuring the boot loader are not

performed automatically, and unfor-

tunately require the user to confirm each

individual step. Happily, the whole

procedure does not take too long.

Chaotic Installation?

As we noted in earlier tests with version

3, the Win4Lin developers obviously put

a lot of effort into improving the

installation routine for version 4 in order

to make it more easily accessible to

Linux converts. And this only makes

sense, as users moving from Windows to

Linux are a major target group for

Win4Lin. So what’s new: Netraverse

have obviously enhanced the latest

installation routine considerably.

Although the installation procedure

still requires three steps, users no longer

need to worry about where to go next.

Let’s look at the installation procedure:

• In step one the required packages, the

customized kernel and the Win4Lin

application itself, are installed. The

boot loader is configured to use

Win4Lin and you are prompted to

restart your system.

INFO

Manufacturer: Netraverse,

http://www.netraverse.com

Price: £57 software only

£67 CD ROM and

Installation Guide)

Required: x86-CPU, Kernel 2.4 based

distribution

Available from: http://www.its-linux.co.uk/

Dec 02 / Jan 03

www.linux-magazine.com

It doesn’t always have to be VMware

W indows emulators for Linux

Win4Lin 4.0

COVER STORY

Figure 1: Ready made packages are available for most of the major Linux

distributions.

Figure 2: Most standard applications run without glitches on Win4Lin

After rebooting, the installation

program needs to be re-launched. You

might like to insert the Windows CD

before re-launching the installer. Use a

normal user account for the installation

and configuration tasks – you will need

to launch the same installation script

from the command-line to do so.

The installer first checks the system

environment, in order to avoid

additional manual steps. The installation

procedure is far more user-friendly,

although it still involves numerous steps.

Bearing in mind that the design is fairly

complex, it is evident that version 4.0

takes a major part of the burden of

manual configuration and planning off

the user’s hands.

Hardware support has also seen some

notable improvements; most wheel mice

no longer pose a problem, and more

granular control is available for memory

allocation (between 16 and 128 MB),

and virtual storage (between 80 MB and

max free space on your hard disk).

Improved precision with respect to CPU

recognition provides for enhanced pro-

gram stability at runtime, and that boils

down to less hassle for users wanting to

run a variety of standard applications.

The seamless integration of the

product in the Linux environment was

a particularly welcome addition. For

example, you can now use drag&drop

between most Linux and Windows

applications. We also approved of the

option for rescaling the emulation

window without display fallout, and

the fact that the Windows desktop is

automatically refreshed.

lation, but the latest version of Win4Lin

has closed that gap considerably.

Additionally, Win4Lin 4.0 is cheaper

and offers better performance. The

bottom line is that the Texans have

managed to catch up to VMware in

several areas, and even overtaken them

in some. However, there is no substitute

for VMware if you intend to use a

Windows version from the NT familiy

(4.0, 2000, XP), as Win4Lin does not

support any of these systems.

Conclusion

Win4Lin 4.0 quite impressed us through-

out the test series. Installation is a lot

simpler than with previous versions, and

the execution speed of programs running

in the Windows environment is fast. The

question remains, as to what software

you should invest in.

At a selling price of £57, Win4Lin

is cheaper than VMware, although the

price is still too high to attract occasional

users. Unfortunately, you have to add the

price of a valid Windows license. And if

you are interested in games, you should

not consider using Win4Lin, as the

manufacturer explicitly advises against

running games on this product.

Win4Lin is recommended for

developers or professional users who

require parallel access to Linux and

Windows programs. If you are mainly

interested in running Microsoft Office on

Linux, and do not want to experiment

with CrossOver Office / WINE, Win4Lin

is an alternative (albeit an expensive

one), and running MS Office on Win4Lin

should be no trouble at all.

Version 4 – All Brand New?

In addition to the advanced installation

routine Netraverse have also introduced

a few enhancements with regard

to compatibiliy and management with

the latest version. More specifically,

Win4Lin allows you to choose from a

wider range of Windows versions, which

include Windows ME, for example.

Note that Win4Lin is supplied without

a Windows license, so you will

additionally need an original Windows

boot CD. Incidentally, you will not be

able to use a recovery CD that does not

include a Windows license. So, for larger

installations, you might like to opt for

the Win4Lin network license, which

allows you to copy the CAB files from

a Windows CD to a network drive.

Your users can then download a local

Windows installation from the server.

The Alternatives

So, where does Win4Lin stand in

comparison to the two alternative

candidates? Most users will rule WINE

out due to its less than intuitive facilities,

and the fact that some applications

simply refuse to run on WINE. It is a

candidate for software developers

wanting to port their applications to

Linux without too much effort.

The VMware emulator also has its pros

and cons. VMware can emulate multiple

PCs of course, and it supports a wide

range of guest operating systems, but it

does put heavier demands on your hard-

ware.VMware’s big advantage over

Win4Lin has always been ease of instal-

www.linux-magazine.com

Dec 02 / Jan 03

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