Question : VMWare network setup basics

I currently have a small network which I use for development work.  I need the ability to run multiple versions of development software and test on different OSs.  Also, I would also like to have a backup method that protects me from ALL hardware failures.  

Here are my questions:
Will using VMWare make my guest OSes truely hardware independent?
Is it simple to back up the guest OSes?
Can guest OSes use non-virtual harddisk partitions - eg. could I set up "My Documents" on a partition where all guest OSes could access it like it was local?
Does the server/PDC see the guests as clients, or only the hosts?
Does the host need to be in the domain before the guest OS can be?
Can the host be Linux and the guest be windows on a MS network, and would USB support still work?

I know that's a lot of questions but the answers are probably simple for those of you who are currently using VMWare

Answer : VMWare network setup basics

Will using VMWare make my guest OSes truely hardware independent?
 - YES

Is it simple to back up the guest OSes?
 - YES

Can guest OSes use non-virtual harddisk partitions - eg. could I set up "My Documents" on a partition where all guest OSes could access it like it was local?
 - YES (but you should avoid accessing them simultaneously unless you go for a VMware server option)

Does the server/PDC see the guests as clients, or only the hosts?
 - It will see them as normal Windows clients

Does the host need to be in the domain before the guest OS can be?
 - NO

Can the host be Linux and the guest be windows on a MS network, and would USB support still work?
 - YES

Steve :)