2002.12_Win4Lin 4.0-Windows Emulation with Enhanced Hardware Support.pdf
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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/
24
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
25
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