I'd like to set up a linux environment on a local Virtual Machine to test/develop code before running it on a cluster. I don't need or want a GUI on the VM as all the work I need it for will be command-line based.
What is the best way to set up a VMWare Linux virtual machine with ssh access, without installing a GUI? Ideally the VM would be as light-weight as possible to minimise the impact on the host Mac.
I can't quite tell but I assume you want the guest host to not have a GUI (gnome, kde, etc), so just download whatever distro (I like Ubuntu) and install their server version, which doesn't have a GUI.
Virtualbox is a fast easy to use virtualization application. You can use the headless mode to run the virtual machine without a GUI.
For the guest, I use Ubuntu JeOS, which stands for "Just enough OS". It is an installation option specifically for VMs.
And I use VMware Server, which is free (as is beer) for the VMware host.
