VMware Workstation - 5.5 User’s Manual
Powerful Virtual Machine Software for the Technical Professional
User’s Manual
Please note that you can always find the most up-to-date technical documentation on our Web site at http://www.vmware.com/support/.
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Revision: 20061116 Version: 5.5.3 Item: WS-ENG-Q406-137
Table of Contents
Introduction and System Requirements __________________________ 17
Product Overview ______________________________________________ 18
Powerful Virtual Machine Software for the Technical Professional _______ 18
Overview of This Manual ______________________________________ 20
About the Host and Guest Computers ____________________________ 20
What’s New in Version 5 _________________________________________ 21
Multiple Snapshots ___________________________________________ 21
Enhanced Snapshot Management (New in v5.5) ____________________ 21
Teams _____________________________________________________ 21
Clones_____________________________________________________ 22
VMware Player (New in v5.5)____________________________________ 22
Improved Performance for Virtual Machines Running Concurrently _____ 22
Improved Networking Performance______________________________ 23
Improved Suspend/Resume and Snapshot Operations _______________ 23
New Host Operating System Support_____________________________ 23
New Guest Operating System Support____________________________ 24
Full Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems (New in v5.5) _________ 25
Improved 64-Bit Host Support __________________________________ 25
New Gigabit Virtual Adapter for 64-Bit Guests (New in v5.5)____________ 25
Experimental Support for Two-Way Virtual SMP (New in v5.5) __________ 25
Isochronous USB support ______________________________________ 26
Command Line Interface ______________________________________ 26
Enhanced Command Line Interface (New in v5.5) ___________________ 26
Autodetect Functionality for More Devices (New in v5.5)______________ 26
Enhanced Autoconnect Automatically Reconnects Manually Connected USB
Devices (New in v5.5) _________________________________________ 26
Movie Record and Playback ____________________________________ 26
Improved Linux User Interface __________________________________ 27
Easier Upgrades and VMware Tools Installation Improvements _________ 27
Support for NX bit____________________________________________ 27
Experimental Support for Direct3D_______________________________ 27
Experimental Support for Guest ACPI S1 Sleep______________________ 27
VMware Virtual Machine Importer (Windows Hosts Only) _____________ 27
Virtual Machine Importer Incorporated into Workstation (New in v5.5,
Windows Hosts Only) _________________________________________ 28
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Virtual Machine Importer Imports LiveState Recovery System Images (New in
v5.5) ______________________________________________________ 28
Toolbar Customization (New in v5.5) _____________________________ 28
Disable Memory Page Trimming in the User Interface (New in v5.5) _____ 28
Support on Linux Hosts for Wireless Ethernet Adapters Used in Bridged
Networking (New in v5.5) ______________________________________ 28
Support for Display Resizing Features for Linux Guests (New in v5.5) _____ 29
Enhanced Product Update Checking (New in v5.5) __________________ 29
Host System Requirements _______________________________________ 30
PC Hardware________________________________________________ 30
Memory ___________________________________________________ 31
Display ____________________________________________________ 31
Disk Drives _________________________________________________ 31
Local Area Networking (Optional) _______________________________ 31
Host Operating System________________________________________ 32
Virtual Machine Specifications_____________________________________ 35
Processor __________________________________________________ 35
Chip Set ___________________________________________________ 35
BIOS ______________________________________________________ 35
Memory ___________________________________________________ 35
Graphics ___________________________________________________ 35
IDE Drives __________________________________________________ 35
SCSI Devices ________________________________________________ 36
Floppy Drives _______________________________________________ 36
Serial (COM) Ports ____________________________________________ 36
Parallel (LPT) Ports____________________________________________ 36
USB ports __________________________________________________ 36
Keyboard __________________________________________________ 36
Mouse and Drawing Tablets____________________________________ 37
Ethernet Card _______________________________________________ 37
Sound _____________________________________________________ 37
Virtual Networking ___________________________________________ 37
Supported Guest Operating Systems _______________________________ 38
Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems _______________________ 38
Microsoft Windows 32-Bit______________________________________ 39
Microsoft Windows 64-Bit______________________________________ 39
Microsoft MS-DOS ___________________________________________ 39
Linux 32-Bit_________________________________________________ 40
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Linux 64-Bit_________________________________________________ 40
Novell NetWare 32-Bit_________________________________________ 41
Novell Open Enterprise Server 32-Bit _____________________________ 41
FreeBSD 32-Bit ______________________________________________ 41
FreeBSD 64-Bit ______________________________________________ 41
Sun Solaris 32-Bit ____________________________________________ 41
Sun Solaris 64-Bit ____________________________________________ 41
Technical Support Resources______________________________________ 42
Self-Service Support __________________________________________ 42
Online and Telephone Support _________________________________ 42
Support Offerings ____________________________________________ 42
Reporting Problems __________________________________________ 42
Experimental Support_________________________________________ 44
Where to Go Next ______________________________________________ 45
Installing VMware Workstation __________________________________ 47
Selecting Your Host System_______________________________________ 48
Upgrading from Previous Versions _______________________________ 48
Workstation Cannot Share a Host with Other VMware Products ________ 48
Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host ___________________ 49
Installing Workstation on a Windows Host _________________________ 50
Installing VMware Workstation Silently____________________________ 53
Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Windows Host ______________ 55
Installing VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host ______________________ 56
Before Installing on a Linux Host_________________________________ 57
Installing Workstation on a Linux Host ____________________________ 57
Configuring with vmware-config.pl ______________________________ 59
Web Browser Required ________________________________________ 59
Uninstalling VMware Workstation 5 on a Linux Host _________________ 60
Where to Go Next ______________________________________________ 61
Upgrading VMware Workstation ________________________________ 63
Preparing for the Upgrade________________________________________ 64
Before You Install VMware Workstation 5 __________________________ 64
Upgrading on a Windows Host ____________________________________ 67
Upgrading from Version 4 or an Earlier Version 5 Release______________ 67
Upgrading from Version 3 to Version 5 ____________________________ 67
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Upgrading on a Linux Host _______________________________________ 68
Using Workstation 4 Virtual Machines in Workstation 5__________________ 69
Create Everything New from the Start ____________________________ 69
Use a Legacy Virtual Machine without Upgrading ___________________ 69
Use a Legacy Virtual Machine with Upgrade _______________________ 70
Where to Go Next ______________________________________________ 72
Learning VMware Workstation Basics ____________________________ 73
Launching VMware Workstation ___________________________________ 74
Launching VMware Workstation on a Windows Host_________________ 74
Launching VMware Workstation on a Linux Host ____________________ 75
Overview of the VMware Workstation Window________________________ 76
The Home Page, Summary View, and Console View__________________ 78
The Toolbar _________________________________________________ 81
The Favorites List_____________________________________________ 85
Checking for Product Updates_____________________________________ 88
Setting Preferences for VMware Workstation__________________________ 89
Workspace _________________________________________________ 90
Input ______________________________________________________ 91
Hot Keys ___________________________________________________ 91
Display ____________________________________________________ 92
Memory ___________________________________________________ 93
Priority ____________________________________________________ 94
Lockout (Windows Hosts Only)__________________________________ 95
Virtual Machine Settings _________________________________________ 96
Hardware __________________________________________________ 96
Options____________________________________________________ 97
Command Line Reference_______________________________________ 104
Startup Options on a Linux Host________________________________ 104
Startup Options on a Windows Host ____________________________ 105
Command Line Application ___________________________________ 106
Keyboard Shortcuts ___________________________________________ 109
What Files Make Up a Virtual Machine? _____________________________ 110
Where to Go Next _____________________________________________ 113
Creating a New Virtual Machine ________________________________ 115
Setting Up a New Virtual Machine_________________________________ 116
Importing Virtual Machines and System Images from Other Formats______ 127
Virtual Machine Importer: Overview_____________________________ 128
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Importer Requirements ______________________________________ 128
How Virtual Machine and System Image Settings Are Affected ________ 129
Opening and Importing a Virtual Machine or System Image __________ 130
Troubleshooting the Importer _________________________________ 136
Installing a Guest Operating System and VMware Tools ________________ 139
Example: Installing Windows XP as a Guest Operating System_________ 140
Installing VMware Tools_________________________________________ 142
Upgrading VMware Tools _____________________________________ 142
VMware Tools for Windows Guests ______________________________ 143
VMware Tools for Linux Guests _________________________________ 144
VMware Tools for FreeBSD Guests_______________________________ 148
Installing VMware Tools in a NetWare Virtual Machine _______________ 149
VMware Tools Configuration Options ______________________________ 151
Using the Control Panel to Configure VMware Tools ________________ 151
Using the System Console to Configure VMware Tools in a NetWare Guest
Operating System___________________________________________ 155
Where to Go Next _____________________________________________ 157
Running VMware Workstation _________________________________ 159
Starting a Virtual Machine _______________________________________ 161
Virtual Machine Location _____________________________________ 161
Checking the Status of VMware Tools ______________________________ 162
Suspending and Resuming Virtual Machines ________________________ 163
Shutting Down a Virtual Machine _________________________________ 164
Power Off vs. Shut Down _____________________________________ 164
Resetting a Virtual Machine ______________________________________ 165
Reset vs. Restart ____________________________________________ 165
Taking and Reverting to a Snapshot _______________________________ 166
Cloning a Virtual Machine _______________________________________ 167
Deleting a Virtual Machine ______________________________________ 168
Using Virtual Machine Teams_____________________________________ 169
Controlling the Display _________________________________________ 170
Using Full Screen Mode ______________________________________ 170
Using Quick Switch Mode_____________________________________ 171
Taking Advantage of Multiple Monitors __________________________ 171
Fitting the Workstation Console to the Virtual Machine Display________ 172
Nonstandard Resolutions _____________________________________ 174
Simplifying the Screen Display _________________________________ 174
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Installing New Software_________________________________________ 176
Cutting, Copying and Pasting Text_________________________________ 177
Using Shared Folders___________________________________________ 178
Viewing a Shared Folder ______________________________________ 182
Using Drag and Drop___________________________________________ 183
Using Devices in a Virtual Machine ________________________________ 184
Adding, Configuring, and Removing Devices in a Virtual Machine______ 184
Connecting and Disconnecting Removable Devices ________________ 184
Creating a Screen Shot or a Movie of a Virtual Machine ________________ 185
Creating a Screen Shot of a Virtual Machine_______________________ 185
Creating a Movie of a Virtual Machine ___________________________ 185
Where to Go Next _____________________________________________ 187
Moving and Sharing Virtual Machines ___________________________ 189
Virtual Machine Identifier — UUID ________________________________ 190
The UUID Location and Format ________________________________ 190
The UUID and Moving Virtual Machines __________________________ 191
Specifying a UUID for a Virtual Machine __________________________ 192
Setting the UUID for a Virtual Machine that Is Being Moved___________ 192
Moving a VMware Workstation 5 Virtual Machine _____________________ 193
Hosts with Different Hardware _________________________________ 193
Virtual Machines Use Relative Paths _____________________________ 195
Preparing a Workstation 5 Virtual Machine for a Move _______________ 195
Moving a Workstation 5 Virtual Machine to a New Host______________ 196
Moving a VMware Workstation 4 Virtual Machine _____________________ 197
Preparing Your Workstation 4 Virtual Machine for the Move __________ 198
Moving a Workstation 4 Virtual Machine to a New Host Machine ______ 199
Moving an Older Virtual Machine _________________________________ 200
Moving VMware Workstation 3.0 Virtual Machines__________________ 200
Moving VMware Workstation 2.x Virtual Machines __________________ 202
Considerations for Moving Workstation Disks in Undoable Mode ______ 203
Sharing Virtual Machines with Other Users __________________________ 205
Moving Linked Clones __________________________________________ 206
Sharing Virtual Machines with VMware Player________________________ 207
Running VMware Player ______________________________________ 207
Configuring VMware Player ___________________________________ 208
Closing VMware Player _______________________________________ 209
Setting Up Virtual Machines for Use with VMware Player _____________ 209
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Using Disks _________________________________________________ 211
Configuring Hard Disk Storage in a Virtual Machine ___________________ 212
Disk Types: Virtual and Physical_________________________________ 212
Disk Files __________________________________________________ 215
Lock Files__________________________________________________ 216
Defragmenting Virtual Disks ___________________________________ 217
Shrinking Virtual Disks________________________________________ 217
Adding Drives to a Virtual Machine ________________________________ 221
Adding a New Virtual Disk to a Virtual Machine ____________________ 221
Adding Physical Disks to a Virtual Machine________________________ 225
Adding DVD or CD Drives to a Virtual Machine ____________________ 228
Adding Floppy Drives to a Virtual Machine________________________ 230
Connecting a CD-ROM or Floppy Drive to an Image File _____________ 231
Using VMware Virtual Disk Manager _______________________________ 232
Running the VMware Virtual Disk Manager Utility __________________ 233
Shrinking Virtual Disks with VMware Virtual Disk Manager ____________ 236
Examples Using the VMware Virtual Disk Manager__________________ 237
Configuring a Dual-Boot Computer for Use with a Virtual Machine _______ 239
Using the Same Operating System in a Virtual Machine and on the Host
Computer _________________________________________________ 240
Before You Begin____________________________________________ 241
Configuring Dual- or Multiple-Boot Systems to Run with Workstation ___ 243
Setting Up Hardware Profiles in Virtual Machines___________________ 249
Running a Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003 Virtual
Machine from an Existing Multiple-Boot Installation ________________ 254
Setting Up the SVGA Video Driver for a Windows 95 Guest Operating System
Booted from a Physical Disk ___________________________________ 254
Setting Up the SVGA Video Driver for Use with a Windows 98 Guest Operating
System Booted from a Physical Disk _____________________________ 256
Do Not Use Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Dynamic
Disks as Physical Disks________________________________________ 258
Configuring Dual- or Multiple-Boot SCSI Systems to Run with VMware
Workstation on a Linux Host___________________________________ 259
Known Issues and Background Information on Using SCSI Physical Disks 262
Installing an Operating System on a Physical Partition from a Virtual Machine 265
Configuring a Windows Host __________________________________ 266
Configuring a Linux Host _____________________________________ 268
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Legacy Virtual Disks ____________________________________________ 270
Upgrading a Legacy Virtual Machine for New Features of Workstation 5 _ 271
Using a Legacy Virtual Machine without Upgrading ________________ 271
Creating a Legacy Virtual Machine with Workstation 5_______________ 271
Preserving the State of a Virtual Machine ________________________ 273
Using Suspend and Resume _____________________________________ 274
Using Snapshots ______________________________________________ 275
Understanding Snapshots ____________________________________ 276
Examples of Using Snapshots__________________________________ 278
What Is Captured by a Snapshot? _______________________________ 279
Taking a Snapshot___________________________________________ 280
The Snapshot Manager_______________________________________ 282
Restoring a Snapshot: Revert or Go To? __________________________ 287
Deleting Snapshots _________________________________________ 288
Making a Clone from a Snapshot _______________________________ 288
Virtual Machine Settings for Snapshots __________________________ 289
Snapshots and Legacy Virtual Machines__________________________ 290
Cloning a Virtual Machine _____________________________________ 291
Understanding Clones _________________________________________ 292
Why Make a Clone?__________________________________________ 292
Full and Linked Clones _______________________________________ 293
Full Clones and Snapshots of the Parent__________________________ 293
Creating Clones _______________________________________________ 294
The Clone Virtual Machine Wizard ______________________________ 294
Working with Clones ___________________________________________ 297
Making a Linked Clone of a Linked Clone _________________________ 297
Making a Full Clone of a Linked Clone ___________________________ 297
Network Identity for a Clone___________________________________ 297
The Linked Clone Snapshot ___________________________________ 298
Linked Clones and Access to the Parent Virtual Machine _____________ 298
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Configuring Teams ___________________________________________ 301
Teams Overview ______________________________________________ 302
Creating and Deleting Teams ____________________________________ 303
Making a New Team _________________________________________ 303
Opening a Team____________________________________________ 307
Closing a Team _____________________________________________ 307
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Deleting a Team ____________________________________________ 308
Adding and Removing Virtual Machines ____________________________ 309
Adding an Existing Virtual Machine to a Team _____________________ 309
Removing a Virtual Machine from a Team ________________________ 309
Cloning and Taking Snapshots of Team Members_____________________ 311
Cloning a Virtual Machine in a Team_____________________________ 311
Taking Snapshots of Individual Virtual Machines in a Team ___________ 311
Starting and Stopping Teams ____________________________________ 312
Powering On a Team_________________________________________ 312
Powering Off a Team_________________________________________ 312
Suspending a Team _________________________________________ 313
Resuming a Team ___________________________________________ 313
Power Operations for Individual Members of a Team ________________ 313
Working with Team Networks ____________________________________ 315
LAN Segment Requirements __________________________________ 315
Creating a Team LAN Segment _________________________________ 316
Connecting to or Changing a LAN Segment ______________________ 316
Renaming a LAN Segment ____________________________________ 317
Deleting a LAN Segment _____________________________________ 317
The Startup Sequence __________________________________________ 318
Understanding the Start-Up Sequence Delay______________________ 318
Working with the Team Console View ______________________________ 319
Displaying Teams ___________________________________________ 319
The Active Virtual Machine ____________________________________ 320
Using Full Screen with Teams __________________________________ 320
Editing Team Settings __________________________________________ 321
Connections _______________________________________________ 321
Virtual Machines ____________________________________________ 322
LAN Segments _____________________________________________ 323
Options___________________________________________________ 324
Command Line for Teams _______________________________________ 325
Configuring a Virtual Network _________________________________ 327
Network Basics _______________________________________________ 328
Components of the Virtual Network _______________________________ 329
Virtual switch ______________________________________________ 329
Bridge ____________________________________________________ 329
Host Virtual Adapter _________________________________________ 330
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NAT Device ________________________________________________ 330
DHCP Server _______________________________________________ 330
Network Adapter ___________________________________________ 330
Common Networking Configurations ______________________________ 331
Bridged Networking _________________________________________ 331
Network Address Translation (NAT) _____________________________ 332
Host-Only Networking _______________________________________ 334
Custom Networking Configurations _______________________________ 335
Changing the Networking Configuration ___________________________ 338
Adding and Modifying Virtual Network Adapters___________________ 338
Configuring Bridged Networking Options on a Windows Host ________ 340
Enabling, Disabling, Adding, and Removing Host Virtual Adapters _____ 345
Advanced Networking Topics ____________________________________ 348
Selecting IP Addresses on a Host-only Network or NAT Configuration ___ 349
Avoiding IP Packet Leakage in a Host-Only Network ________________ 352
Maintaining and Changing the MAC Address of a Virtual Machine _____ 354
Controlling Routing Information for a Host-only Network on a Linux Host 356
Other Potential Issues with Host-Only Networking on a Linux Host_____ 357
Setting Up a Second Bridged Network Interface on a Linux Host ______ 358
Setting Up Two Separate Host-Only Networks _____________________ 359
Routing between Two Host-Only Networks _______________________ 362
Using Virtual Ethernet Adapters in Promiscuous Mode on a Linux Host__ 366
Understanding NAT ___________________________________________ 367
Using NAT_________________________________________________ 368
The Host Computer and the NAT Network ________________________ 368
DHCP on the NAT Network ____________________________________ 368
DNS on the NAT Network _____________________________________ 369
External Access from the NAT Network___________________________ 369
Advanced NAT Configuration __________________________________ 370
Custom NAT and DHCP Configuration on a Windows Host ___________ 374
Considerations for Using NAT __________________________________ 375
Using NAT with NetLogon ____________________________________ 375
Sample Linux vmnetnat.conf File _______________________________ 377
Using Samba with Workstation ___________________________________ 380
Modifying Your Samba Configuration ___________________________ 380
Using a Samba Server for Both Bridged and Host-Only Networks ______ 380
Using Samba without Network Access___________________________ 380
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Configuring Video and Sound __________________________________ 381
Setting Screen Color Depth______________________________________ 382
Changing Screen Color Depth on the Host _______________________ 382
Changing Screen Color Depth in the Virtual Machine _______________ 383
Using Full Screen Mode on a Linux Host ___________________________ 384
Experimental Support for Direct3D ________________________________ 385
Audience for Direct3D Experimental Support _____________________ 385
Accelerated 3-D Limitations ___________________________________ 386
Enabling Accelerated 3-D _____________________________________ 386
Known Issues ______________________________________________ 389
Helping VMware with Experimental Support ______________________ 390
Configuring Sound ____________________________________________ 391
Installing Sound Drivers in Windows 9x and Windows NT Guest Operating
Systems___________________________________________________ 391
Connecting Devices __________________________________________ 393
Using Parallel Ports ____________________________________________ 394
Parallel Ports _______________________________________________ 394
Installation in Guest Operating Systems __________________________ 394
Configuring a Parallel Port on a Linux Host________________________ 395
Special Notes for the Iomega Zip Drive __________________________ 398
Using Serial Ports______________________________________________ 399
Using a Serial Port on the Host Computer ________________________ 399
Using a File on the Host Computer______________________________ 400
Connecting an Application on the Host to a Virtual Machine _________ 402
Connecting Two Virtual Machines ______________________________ 404
Special Configuration Options for Advanced Users _________________ 407
Examples: Debugging over a Virtual Serial Port ____________________ 409
Keyboard Mapping on a Linux Host _______________________________ 411
Quick Answers _____________________________________________ 411
The Longer Story ___________________________________________ 411
V-Scan Code Table __________________________________________ 415
Using USB Devices in a Virtual Machine ____________________________ 419
Notes on USB Support in Version 5______________________________ 419
Enabling and Disabling the USB Controller________________________ 420
Connecting USB Devices _____________________________________ 420
Using USB with a Windows Host________________________________ 421
Replacing USB 2.0 Drivers on a Windows 2000 Host_________________ 421
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Using USB with a Linux Host___________________________________ 422
What Has Control over a USB Device?____________________________ 422
Disconnecting USB Devices from a Virtual Machine_________________ 423
Human Interface Devices _____________________________________ 423
Connecting to a Generic SCSI Device ______________________________ 424
Generic SCSI on a Windows Host Operating System ________________ 424
Generic SCSI on a Linux Host Operating System ___________________ 428
Using Two-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing (Experimental) _______ 431
Moving SMP Virtual Machines between Workstation and ESX Server ___ 432
Performance Tuning __________________________________________ 433
Configuring and Maintaining the Host Computer_____________________ 434
Location of the Working Directory ______________________________ 434
Defragmentation of Disk Drives ________________________________ 434
Adequate Free Disk Space ____________________________________ 435
Overcommitting the Host Processors____________________________ 435
NIC Interrupt Coalescing______________________________________ 436
Configuring VMware Workstation _________________________________ 437
General VMware Workstation Options ___________________________ 437
VMware Workstation on a Windows Host_________________________ 440
VMware Workstation on a Linux Host____________________________ 442
Monitoring Virtual Machine Performance ___________________________ 443
Memory Usage Notes __________________________________________ 445
Virtual Machine Memory Size __________________________________ 445
Memory Use on the Host _____________________________________ 446
Using More Than 1GB of Memory on a Linux Host __________________ 449
Improving Performance for Guest Operating Systems _________________ 451
Windows 95 and Windows 98 Guest Operating System Performance Tips 451
Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 Guest Operating
System Performance Tips _____________________________________ 453
Windows NT Disk Performance on Multiprocessor Hosts_____________ 454
Linux Guest Operating System Performance Tips___________________ 454
Disk I/O Performance Tips _______________________________________ 456
Memory Trimming __________________________________________ 456
Page Sharing_______________________________________________ 456
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Special-Purpose Configuration Options _________________________ 457
Locking Out Interface Features ___________________________________ 459
Removing a Forgotten Password _______________________________ 460
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Restricting the User Interface ____________________________________ 461
Automatically Returning to a Snapshot with a Restricted User Interface _ 462
Using Full Screen Switch Mode ___________________________________ 464
Creating a Virtual Machine for Use in Full Screen Switch Mode ________ 464
Moving a Virtual Machine to the User’s Computer __________________ 465
Setting Configuration Options on the User’s Computer______________ 465
Starting and Stopping Virtual Machines on the User’s Computer_______ 469
Guest ACPI S1 Sleep____________________________________________ 472
Glossary ____________________________________________________ 473
Index ______________________________________________________ 479
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Introduction and System Requirements
This chapter discusses the following topics:
• Product Overview on page 18
• What’s New in Version 5 on page 21
• Host System Requirements on page 30
• Virtual Machine Specifications on page 35
• Supported Guest Operating Systems on page 38
• Technical Support Resources on page 42
CHAPTER 1
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VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual
Product Overview
Thank you for choosing VMware® Workstation, the powerful virtual machine software
for enterprise IT professionals.
Run the operating systems and applications you need — all on a single desktop
Powerful Virtual Machine Software for the Technical Professional
VMware Workstation is desktop software for developers and IT professionals that
allows you to run multiple x86-based desktop and server operating systems
simultaneously on a single PC, in fully networked, portable virtual machines — with
no rebooting or hard drive partitioning required.
With VMware Workstation, you spend less time procuring and configuring, and more
time testing and deploying. Over three million software development, quality
assurance, and IT professionals worldwide find VMware Workstation an indispensable
tool.
Key benefits include:
• Run multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single physical
machine — VMware Workstation is desktop software for software developers
and IT professionals that allows a single PC to simultaneously run multiple x86based operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and NetWare, and their
applications in fully networked, portable virtual machines - without rebooting or
hard drive partitioning. The result is reduced hardware expenditures and quicker
access to different computing environments. Additionally, VMware Workstation
lets users avoid platform lock-in and preserve the freedom and flexibility to
deploy the most appropriate platforms for their needs.
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
• Revolutionize software development and testing — VMware Workstation
streamlines software development and testing by letting users create multiple
development and testing environments as virtual machines on a single PC.
Developers can create a library of virtual machines and use them to easily
develop and test applications on multiple operating systems, or to quickly create
and test “real-world” multi-tier configurations or virtual networks. Developers
can also use the multiple snapshot capabilities of Workstation to capture and
manage point-in-time configurations to facilitate debugging and give a
developer the ability to easily revert back to stable configurations should an
error occur during testing. VMware Workstation enables developers to reduce
configuration and set-up time, and instead focus on development and testing.
• Enhance productivity of enterprise IT professionals — VMware Workstation
allows system administrators, system engineers, and other enterprise IT
professionals to create and test multiple computing environments as virtual
machines on a single PC prior to deploying these environments on physical PCs
or servers in a production environment. This dramatically reduces hardware
costs and the time and risk associated with IT tasks such as deploying new
applications, application updates, and operating system patches. Additionally, IT
help desk departments can create a virtual library of corporate desktop and
server configurations that they can quickly access and manipulate (and then
“undo” if necessary), thereby improving their responsiveness and effectiveness
when troubleshooting end-user problems.
• Facilitate team collaboration — VMware Workstation lets users easily
collaborate with their colleagues and share virtual machines. Once a computing
environment — OS, associated applications, disk images, memory, etc. — has
been turned into a virtual machine, it becomes a set of hardware-independent,
encapsulated files that are highly portable and can be shared with any other
Workstation user. A virtual machine can be placed on a shared drive where
others can quickly access and upload it. Features in Workstation such as linked
clones and video capture further facilitate team collaboration.
• Introduce Virtual Infrastructure to your enterprise — Virtual machines
created in Workstation can be deployed to the other desktop and server
virtualization platforms offered by VMware. Introducing VMware Workstation
virtualization to the desktop is an ideal first step to transforming your physical IT
infrastructure into virtual infrastructure.
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VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual
Overview of This Manual
If you’re a veteran user of VMware products, take a few minutes to see What’s New in
Version 5 on page 21, and check out Upgrading VMware Workstation on page 63.
If you’re new to VMware Workstation, this is the place to start.
• The first chapters of this manual — through Running VMware Workstation on
page 159 — introduce you to some of the things you can do with VMware
Workstation and guide you through the key steps for installing the software and
putting it to work.
• Later chapters provide in-depth reference material for getting the most out of
the sophisticated features of VMware Workstation.
About the Host and Guest Computers
The terms host and guest describe your physical and virtual machines:
• The physical computer on which you install the VMware Workstation software is
called the host computer, and its operating system is called the host operating
system.
• The operating system running inside a virtual machine is called a guest
operating system.
• For definitions of these and other special terms, see Glossary on page 473.
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
What’s New in Version 5
Unless otherwise noted the features in the following sections were introduced in
version 5.0. Features that were introduced after version 5.0 are noted.
Multiple Snapshots
VMware Workstation 5 greatly enhances the snapshot functionality available in
previous releases of the product by allowing you to take a series of point-in-time,
saved-to-disk snapshots of running virtual machines. This makes it easier to capture
and switch between multiple configurations and accelerates testing and debugging.
Should a problem arise during testing, you can easily revert to a prior, stable snapshot.
The new snapshot manager displays thumbnails of all your snapshots on a single
screen, making it easy for you to track and revert to a previously saved snapshot. Also,
when reverting to a previously saved snapshot, Workstation creates a new branch
automatically, so other snapshots continue to be available. See Using Snapshots on
page 275.
Enhanced Snapshot Management (New in v5.5)
In the snapshot manager, you can now select and delete multiple snapshots at once.
See Selecting a Snapshot on page 282.
Workstation 5.5 also enhances the command line interface (vmrun) so you can
manage snapshots of virtual machines more easily. With simple vmrun commands,
you can now quickly create, delete, list, and go to specific snapshots. See Command
Line Application on page 106.
Teams
Teams functionality makes it easier to manage connected virtual machines and
simulate “real-world” multitier configurations. A team is your designated group of
virtual machines and the private networks that connect them.
Teams allow you to configure power operations, such as powering on and off and
suspending or resuming virtual machines, in the exact sequence you desire. You
determine network characteristics between the virtual machines in a team, including
network bandwidth and packet loss percentages. The console view displays active
thumbnails of all the virtual machines in a team, allowing you to easily identify and
switch between any of the virtual machines on your team. See Configuring Teams on
page 301.
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VMware Workstation 5 User’s Manual
Clones
Clones simplify the process of copying a virtual machine. Clones facilitate
collaborative testing and debugging, and let colleagues share virtual machines more
easily. You can duplicate a virtual machine as a linked clone or a full clone.
• Linked clones make it easy to set up a library of baseline virtual machines on a
shared drive, to be accessed and shared by you and others, without using
unnecessary disk space on local machines.
• A full clone — a complete copy — is also available when you need an identical
virtual machine without the need to locate files within the host file system or to
tediously install everything required to duplicate an existing guest configuration.
See Cloning a Virtual Machine on page 291.
VMware Player (New in v5.5)
VMware Player is an application that opens and plays virtual machines created with
VMware Workstation 4 and Workstation 5, GSX Server, and ESX Server. On Windows
hosts, the player also opens and plays Microsoft Virtual PC and Virtual Server virtual
machines and Symantec LiveState Recovery system images. VMware Player makes
your VMware virtual machines accessible to colleagues, partners, customers, and
clients who do not own VMware products. VMware Player is included with
Workstation version 5.5.
VMware Player gives software developers and vendors great flexibility in marketing
and distributing products. You can package complex, sophisticated applications,
complete with a full working environment, in a virtual machine that is playable by
anyone who has VMware Player.
You can also use VMware Player to access the growing library of virtual machines
available from the VMware Technology Network (VMTN) Web site at
www.vmware.com/vmtn/vm/. This library includes virtual machines from various
software vendors, as well as virtual machines that are preconfigured with popular
open source software.
See Sharing Virtual Machines with VMware Player on page 207.
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Improved Performance for Virtual Machines Running Concurrently
Workstation 5 includes significant improvements in memory utilization when virtual
machines are used concurrently. This allows you to efficiently run multiple virtual
machines with much less total memory.
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
Improved Networking Performance
Workstation 5 offers optional, enhanced networking performance by leveraging
VMware's custom network driver. Once you install the updated VMware Tools, the
necessary network drivers integrate seamlessly to offer significantly improved
network performance.
Improved Suspend/Resume and Snapshot Operations
Workstation 5 performs significantly faster suspend/resume and snapshot operations,
enabling you to spend more time testing and less time waiting for power operations
to execute.
New Host Operating System Support
See also Improved 64-Bit Host Support on page 25
• SUSE Linux 10, 10.1
• SUSE Linux Pro 9.2
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.0, 9.0 SP1, 9.0 SP2, 9.0 SP3, 10
• Mandriva Corporate Server 4
• Experimental support for Mandriva Linux 2007
• Mandriva Linux 2006
• Mandrake Linux 10, 10.1
• Windows Server 2003 SP1, R2
• Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition SP1, R2
• Experimental support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0, Update 3, Update 4
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0 Update 7, Update 8
• Ubuntu Linux 5.04, 5.10, 6.06
• Experimental support for Ubuntu Linux 6.10
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New Guest Operating System Support
See also Full Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems (New in v5.5) on page 25
• Experimental enhanced support for Microsoft Windows Vista
• Windows Small Business Server 2000
• Windows Server 2003 R2
• Red Hat Linux Advanced Server 3.0
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.0, Update 3, 4
• Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0, Update 7, 8
• Experimental support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0
• SUSE Linux 9.3, 10.1
• SUSE Linux Pro 9.2
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9.0, 9.0 SP1, 9.0 SP2, 9.0 SP3, 10
• Mandriva Corporate Server 4
• Experimental support for Mandriva Linux 2007
• Mandriva Linux 2006
• Mandrake Linux 10
• Novell NetWare 6.5 SP3
• Novell NetWare 5.1 SP8
• Novell Linux Desktop 9
• Sun Java Desktop System
• Windows Server 2003 SP1
• FreeBSD 6.0, 6.1
• FreeBSD 5.3
• Ubuntu Linux 5.04, 5.10, 6.06
• Experimental support for Ubuntu Linux 6.10
• Turbolinux Desktop 10
• Experimental support for Solaris x86 10, Solaris 10 1/06 (Update 1), Solaris x86 10
6/06 (Update 2)
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
Full Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems (New in v5.5)
Workstation 5.5 introduces full support for virtual machines with 64-bit guest
operating systems, running on host machines with the following processors:
• AMD™ Athlon™ 64, revision D or later
• AMD Opteron™, revision E or later
• AMD Turion™ 64, revision E or later
• AMD Sempron™, 64-bit-capable revision D or later (experimental support)
• Intel® EM64T VT-capable processors (experimental support)
Workstation supports virtual machines with 64-bit guest operating systems only on
host machines that have one of the supported 64-bit processors.
For more about Workstation support for 64-bit guest operating systems, including a
list of the 64-bit guest operating systems supported by Workstation, see Supported
Guest Operating Systems on page 38.
Improved 64-Bit Host Support
Workstation 5 includes hardware support for the following 64-bit processors: AMD™
Opteron™, AMD Turion™ 64, AMD Athlon™ 64, AMD Sempron™ (experimental), and
Intel® EM64T VT-capable processors (experimental). For a complete list of 64-bit host
operating systems supported by Workstation see Windows Host Operating Systems
(64-Bit) on page 32 and Linux Host Operating Systems (64-Bit) on page 33.
New Gigabit Virtual Adapter for 64-Bit Guests (New in v5.5)
For Workstation virtual machines with supported 64-bit guest operating systems,
Workstation 5.5 emulates a new Ethernet adapter type: the Intel® PRO/1000 MT Server
Adapter. This virtual adapter type is supported only for 64-bit guests.
Experimental Support for Two-Way Virtual SMP (New in v5.5)
For all supported configurations of 32-bit and 64-bit host and guest operating
systems running on multiprocessor host machines, Workstation provides
experimental support for two-way virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing (SMP). This
enables you to assign two virtual processors to a virtual machine. You can assign two
processors to the virtual machine if the host machine has at least two logical
processors. See Using Two-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing (Experimental) on
page 431.
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Isochronous USB support
Workstation 5 offers support for isochronous USB input devices such as Web cameras
and microphones, as well as output devices such as speakers. Use your webcam or
work with multitrack audio within your guest operating system.
Command Line Interface
Workstation 5 offers a new command line interface, enabling you to create scripts to
automate certain manual steps. See Command Line Reference on page 104.
Enhanced Command Line Interface (New in v5.5)
Workstation 5.5 enhances the command line interface (vmrun) so you can manage
snapshots of virtual machines more easily. With simple vmrun commands, you can
now quickly create, delete, list, and go to specific snapshots. See Command Line
Application on page 106.
Autodetect Functionality for More Devices (New in v5.5)
Workstation extends existing autodetect support for CD-ROM drives to other
hardware devices. In the virtual machine settings editor (VM > Settings), you can now
set a virtual machine to detect the following hardware devices automatically:
• CD-ROM drive
• Floppy drive
• Sound adapter
• Parallel port
• Serial port
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Enhanced Autoconnect Automatically Reconnects Manually Connected USB Devices (New in v5.5)
When you manually connect a USB device in Workstation 5.5, Workstation retains the
virtual machine’s connection to the affected port on the host machine. You can then
suspend or power off the virtual machine, or unplug the device. When you plug the
device back in or resume the virtual machine, Workstation reconnects the device
automatically. See Automatic Reconnection of USB Devices on page 420.
Movie Record and Playback
Workstation 5 offers the ability to record your actions within a virtual machine and
save the movie in an AVI format, facilitating team collaboration. Replay the resulting
AVI file on any PC equipped with an AVI player. A free Windows player is available for
download from the VMware Web site.
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
Record steps to reproduce defects in a particular configuration, or record
configuration steps prior to running an application. Share the movie with colleagues
to enable team collaboration. See Creating a Movie of a Virtual Machine on page 185.
Improved Linux User Interface
Workstation 5 offers a new GTK+, version 2-based user interface on Linux, which
provides an improved look and feel, and enhanced usability.
Easier Upgrades and VMware Tools Installation Improvements
Starting with Workstation 5, on Windows hosts you can automatically install a new
release over an existing Workstation release. The installer automatically uninstalls the
previous version before installing the new version. Workstation 5 also streamlines
VMware Tools installation for Linux virtual machines by allowing users to install
VMware Tools without exiting the X session. See Upgrading VMware Workstation on
page 63, and Installing VMware Tools on page 142.
Support for NX bit
Support for the NX bit and XD bit improves security for guest operating systems that
take advantage of the feature.
Workstation 5 now supports the no execute and execute disable bit for guest
operating systems that can leverage it. Aimed at thwarting malicious buffer overruns,
NX and XD allow properly written applications to designate memory space as
nonexecutable, so that no code can be executed from that memory space.
Experimental Support for Direct3D
Workstation 5 includes experimental support for Direct3D video acceleration. This
feature is not fully functional. For information on configuring a virtual machine for 3-D
support, see Experimental Support for Direct3D on page 385
Experimental Support for Guest ACPI S1 Sleep
Workstation 5 VMware Tools provide experimental support for guest operating
systems that enable ACPI S1 sleep. (This feature requires you to have the latest
VMware Tools installed.) For detailed configuration options, see Guest ACPI S1 Sleep
on page 472.
VMware Virtual Machine Importer (Windows Hosts Only)
For Windows hosts, this standalone utility allows you to convert your Microsoft® virtual
machines — from either Virtual PC or Microsoft Virtual Server — into a VMware virtual
machine. The VMware virtual machine is compatible with Workstation 4 or 5,
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completely independent of the previous format, ready to use with all the enhanced
VMware Workstation functionality. The original file remains intact. In Workstation 5.5,
the importer is incorporated into Workstation and enhanced with the ability to create
VMware virtual machines from system images created with Symantec® LiveState
Recovery. See Importing Virtual Machines and System Images from Other Formats on
page 127.
Virtual Machine Importer Incorporated into Workstation (New in v5.5, Windows Hosts Only)
In Workstation release version 5.5, the importer is incorporated into the Workstation
program for Windows hosts. When you upgrade to Workstation version 5.5, you no
longer need the separate VMware Virtual Machine Importer application to convert a
Microsoft Virtual PC virtual machine or Symantec LiveState Recovery system image to
a VMware virtual machine: you can now open and convert virtual machines and
system images directly from Workstation. See Importing Virtual Machines and System
Images from Other Formats on page 127.
Virtual Machine Importer Imports LiveState Recovery System Images (New in v5.5)
In Workstation release version 5.5, the importer is enhanced with the ability to create
VMware virtual machines from system images created with Symantec® LiveState
Recovery. See Importing Virtual Machines and System Images from Other Formats on
page 127.
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Toolbar Customization (New in v5.5)
On Windows hosts, you can now customize Workstation toolbars by adding,
removing, and rearranging toolbar buttons. See Customizing the Toolbar on page 83.
Disable Memory Page Trimming in the User Interface (New in v5.5)
To improve performance, you can now disable memory page trimming from the user
interface, in VM > Settings > Options > Advanced. See Advanced on page 102.
Support on Linux Hosts for Wireless Ethernet Adapters Used in Bridged Networking (New in v5.5)
Workstation 5.5 adds support on Linux hosts for wireless Ethernet adapters used in
bridged networking. Support for wireless Ethernet adapters is already present for
Workstation on Windows hosts.
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CHAPTER 1 Introduction and System Requirements
Support for Display Resizing Features for Linux Guests (New in v5.5)
Workstation 5.5 extends the display resizing features Autofit Guest and Fit Guest Now
to Linux guests. These features are already supported for Windows guests. See Fitting
the Workstation Console to the Virtual Machine Display on page 172 and Special
Considerations for Display Resizing in Linux Guests on page 173.
Enhanced Product Update Checking (New in v5.5)
Automatic checking for Workstation product updates has been enhanced. In
Edit > Preferences, the Workspace tab now shows the time and result of the most
recent automatic check for updates, and the time of the next scheduled check. On
Linux hosts, the Workspace tab also now includes a Check now button, so you can
check for product updates manually at any time from Edit > Preferences. See
Workspace on page 90.
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Host System Requirements
What do you need to get the most out of VMware Workstation 5? Take the following
list of requirements as a starting point. Like physical computers, the virtual machines
running under VMware Workstation generally perform better if they have faster
processors and more memory.
PC Hardware
• Standard x86-compatible or x86-64-compatible personal computer
• 400 MHz or faster CPU minimum (500 MHz recommended)
Compatible processors include
• Intel®: Celeron®, Pentium® II, Pentium III, Pentium 4, Pentium M (including
computers with Centrino™ mobile technology), Xeon™ (including “Prestonia”),
EM64T
• AMD™: Athlon™, Athlon MP, Athlon XP, Athlon 64, Duron™, Opteron™,
Turion™ 64
• Experimental support for AMD Sempron™
For additional information, including notes on processors that are not
compatible, see the VMware knowledge base at
www.vmware.com/support/kb/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=967.
• Multiprocessor systems supported
• AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon 64, AMD Turion 64, AMD Sempron, Intel EM64T;
support for 64-bit guest operating systems is available only on the following
specific versions of these processors:
• AMD Athlon 64, revision D or later
• AMD Opteron, revision E or later
• AMD Turion 64, revision E or later
• AMD Sempron, 64-bit-capable revision D or later (experimental support)
• Intel EM64T VT-capable processors (experimental support)
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