VMware Workstation
VMware Workstation Pro is a hosted hypervisor that runs on x64 versions of Windows and Linux operating systems[4] (an x86-32 version of earlier releases was available);[3] it enables users to set up virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical machine and use them simultaneously along with the host machine. Each virtual machine can execute its own operating system, including versions of Microsoft Windows, Linux, BSD, and MS-DOS. VMware Workstation is developed and sold by VMware, Inc., a division of Dell Technologies. There is a free-of-charge version, VMware Workstation Player, for non-commercial use. An operating systems license is needed to use proprietary ones such as Windows. Ready-made Linux VMs set up for different purposes are available from several sources.
VMware Workstation 16 icon | |
Developer(s) | VMware |
---|---|
Initial release | 1999[1] |
Stable release | 16.1.0 Pro[2]
/ 19 November 2020 |
Written in | C, C++ |
Operating system | Windows Linux |
Platform | x86-64 only[3] (version 11.x and above, previous versions were available for x86-32 as well) |
Type | Hypervisor |
License | Freeware (Workstation Player) Trialware and commercial (Workstation Pro) |
Website | www |
VMware Workstation supports bridging existing host network adapters and sharing physical disk drives and USB devices with a virtual machine. It can simulate disk drives; an ISO image file can be mounted as a virtual optical disc drive, and virtual hard disk drives are implemented as .vmdk files.
VMware Workstation Pro can save the state of a virtual machine (a "snapshot") at any instant. These snapshots can later be restored, effectively returning the virtual machine to the saved state,[5] as it was and free from any post-snapshot damage to the VM.
VMware Workstation includes the ability to group multiple virtual machines in an inventory folder. The machines in such a folder can then be powered on and powered off as a single object, useful for testing complex client-server environments.
2016 company changes and future development
VMware Workstation versions 12.0.0, 12.0.1, and 12.1.0 were released at intervals of about two months in 2015.[6] In January 2016 the entire development team behind VMware Workstation and Fusion was disbanded and all US developers were immediately fired.[7][8][9][10] The company said that "the restructuring activities will not impact the existence of any current product lines", that "roles and responsibilities associated with particular businesses will be moved to other regions and office locations", and that investment would continue "with emphasis on our growth products". The future of Workstation and Fusion became uncertain. On 24 April 2016 maintenance release 12.1.1 was released. In September, same year, the company announced that "we’re very much alive and well".[11] Consequently, on September 13 Workstation 12.5 and Fusion 8.5 were released as free upgrades which added support for Windows 10 Anniversary edition and Windows Server 2016.
Version history
Color | Meaning |
---|---|
Red | Unsupported release |
Green | Current or still supported release |
Blue | Future release |
Version | Release date | Significant changes |
---|---|---|
1.0[12] | 15 May 1999 | First release |
1.1[13] | 11 October 1999 | First Linux release |
2.0[14] | 3 March 2000 | |
3.0[15] | 11 November 2001 | |
3.1[16] | 29 March 2002 | |
3.2[17] | 16 September 2002 | |
4.0[18] | 7 April 2003 | |
4.5[19] | 15 March 2004 | |
5.0[20] | 7 April 2005 | |
5.5[21] | 29 November 2005 | |
6.0[22] | 9 May 2007 | |
6.5[23] | 23 September 2008 | |
7.0[26] | 10 October 2009 |
|
7.1[28] | 25 May 2010 | |
8.0[29] | 14 September 2011 | |
9.0[31] | 23 August 2012 |
|
10.0[32] | 3 September 2013 |
|
10.0.1[33] | 24 October 2013 |
|
10.0.2[34] | 17 April 2014 |
|
10.0.3[35] | 1 July 2014 | |
10.0.4[36] | 30 October 2014 |
|
10.0.5[37] | 27 January 2015 |
|
10.0.6[38] | 5 May 2015 |
|
10.0.7[39] | 2 July 2015 |
|
11.0[40] | 1 December 2014 |
|
11.1[41] | 17 February 2015 |
|
11.1.1[42] | 9 June 2015 |
|
11.1.2[43] | 15 June 2015 |
|
12.0.0 Pro[44] | 24 August 2015 | The following features have reached end of life in Workstation 12 Pro and have been removed:[45]
Added support for, amongst other things:
|
12.0.1 Pro[46] | 29 October 2015 | Maintenance release that resolves some issues. |
12.1.0 Pro[47] | 8 December 2015 | Maintenance release that resolves some issues. |
12.1.1 Pro[48][49] | 21 April 2016 | Maintenance release that resolves some issues. |
12.5 Pro[50][49] | 13 September 2016 |
|
12.5.1 Pro[53] | 27 October 2016 | Bug fixes, security updates for undisclosed vulnerabilities and performance improvements. |
12.5.2 Pro[54] | 13 November 2016 | This release of VMware Workstation 12 Pro addresses an out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability related to the drag-and-drop feature. This may allow a guest to execute code on the operating system that runs VMware Workstation 12 Pro. |
12.5.3 Pro[55] | 9 March 2017 | Bug fixes, security updates, and performance improvements.
|
12.5.4 Pro[56] | 14 March 2017 | This release addresses an out-of-bounds memory access vulnerability related to the drag-and-drop feature. This vulnerability might allow a guest to execute code on the operating system that runs VMware Workstation 12 Pro. |
12.5.5 Pro[57] | 28 March 2017 | This release of VMware Workstation Pro addresses the following issues:
|
12.5.6 Pro[58] | 18 May 2017 | This release includes the following highlights:
|
12.5.7 Pro[59] | 22 June 2017 | This release of VMware Workstation Pro includes some bug fixes and security updates. |
12.5.8 Pro[60] | 16 November 2017 |
Support has been added for the following operating systems:
|
12.5.9 Pro[61] | 10 January 2018 | |
14.0.0 Pro[62] | 26 September 2017 | This major version release includes the following highlights:
|
14.1.0 Pro[63] | 21 December 2017 |
|
14.1.1 Pro[64] | 9 January 2018 | |
14.1.2 Pro[65] | 21 May 2018 |
|
14.1.3 Pro[66] | 14 August 2018 |
|
14.1.4 Pro[67] | 11 September 2018 |
|
14.1.5 Pro[68] | 23 November 2018 |
|
14.1.6 Pro[69] | 14 March 2019 |
This release of VMware Workstation Pro addresses the following issues:
|
14.1.7 Pro[70] | 29 March 2019 |
|
14.1.8 Pro[71] | 12 November 2019 |
|
15.0.0 Pro[72] | 24 September 2018 | This major version release includes the following highlights:
|
15.0.1 Pro[73] | 9 November 2018 |
|
15.0.2 Pro[74] | 22 November 2018 |
|
15.0.3 Pro[75] | 14 March 2019 |
|
15.0.4 Pro[76] | 29 March 2019 |
|
15.1.0 Pro[77] | 14 May 2019 |
|
15.5.0 Pro[78] | 19 September 2019 |
|
15.5.1 Pro[79] | 12 November 2019 |
|
15.5.2 Pro[80] | 12 March 2020 |
|
15.5.5 Pro[81] | 28 May 2020 |
|
15.5.6 Pro[82] | 9 June 2020 |
|
15.5.7 Pro[83] | 19 November 2020 |
|
16.0 Pro[84] | 15 September 2020 | This major version release includes the following highlights:
|
16.1.0 Pro[85] | 19 November 2020 |
|
Host OS support
Operating system | Workstation release |
---|---|
Windows Server 2019 | 15.5 and later |
Windows Server 2016 | 14.0 and later |
Windows Server 2012 R2 | 10.0 and later |
Windows Server 2012 | 9.0 and later[88] |
Windows 10 20H2 | 16.1.0 and later |
Windows 10 May 2020 Update (Version 2004) | 15.5.5 and later |
Windows 10 November 2019 Update (Version 1909) | 14.1.8 and later[89] |
Windows 10 May 2019 Update (Version 1903) | 15.1.0 and later |
Windows 10 October 2018 Update (Version 1809) | 14.0 and later |
Windows 8.1 | 10.0 and later |
Windows 8 | 9.0 and later[88] |
Linux distributions | Varies[86][87] |
Operating system | Workstation release |
---|---|
Windows Server 2008 R2 | 8.0–15.5 |
Windows Server 2008 | 6.0–10.0 |
Windows Server 2003 R2 | 6.0–10.0 |
Windows Server 2003 | 4.0–10.0[90] |
Windows 10 April 2018 Update (Version 1803) | 14.0–15.5 |
Windows 10 Fall Creators Update (Version 1709) | 15.0–15.5 |
Windows 10 Creators Update (Version 1703) | 15.0–15.5 |
Windows 10 Anniversary Update (Version 1607) | 12.5-14.0 |
Windows 10 Version 1507 and November Update (Version 1511) | 11.0-12.5 |
Windows 7 | 7.1–15.5 |
Windows Vista | 6.0–10.0 |
Windows XP | 3.0–10.0[91] |
Windows 2000 | 2.0–6.5[92][93] |
Windows NT 4.0 | 1.0–4.5 |
Variants
There was a free VMware Player distinct from Workstation, with similar but reduced functionality, until VMware Player v7, Workstation v11. In 2015 the two packages were combined as VMware Workstation 12, with a free VMware Workstation Player version which, on purchase of a license code, became the higher specification VMware Workstation Pro.[94] VMware Workstation Player, like VMware Player[95] before it, is free of charge for non-commercial use, or for distribution or other use by written agreement.[6][96] (Workstation Pro is also available for download for a free trial period, and is easily confused with the unlimited-time restricted-functionality version.)
- VMware Workstation Player (formerly known as Player Pro),[97] free for non-commercial use; a license may be purchased for commercial use, also providing eligibility for paid support.[98]
- VMware Workstation Pro,[99] available for a 30-day free trial before purchase but distinct from the permanently free version.
The features of the versions are compared on the VMware web site.[98]
VMware Tools
VMware Tools, a package with drivers and other software available for the various guest operating systems VMware products support, installs in guest operating systems to add functionality. Tools is updated from time to time, with v11.2.5 in January 2021.[100] It has several components, including the following:
- Drivers for emulated hardware:
- VESA-compliant graphics for the guest machine to access high screen resolutions
- Network drivers for the vmxnet2 and vmxnet3 NIC
- Ensoniq AudioPCI audio
- Mouse integration
- Support of shared folders and drag-and-drop file transfer between host and guest. This functionality is described as HGFS (Host Guest File System), and may be disabled by default for security; it may be enabled by changes to the .VMX configuration file
- Clipboard sharing between host and guest
- Time-synchronization capabilities (guest synchronizes with host machine's clock)
- Support for Unity, a feature that allows seamless integration of applications with the host desktop[101] by hiding virtual monitor and drawing the windows of applications running in the virtual machine on the host. Unity support was added for Windows 10 and removed for Linux in Workstation 12.[45]
Third-party resources
Ready-to-use virtual machines
Many ready-made virtual machines (VMs) which run on VMware Player, Workstation, and other virtualization software are available[102] for specific purposes, either for purchase or free of charge; for example free Linux-based "browser appliances" with the Firefox or other browser installed[103][104] which can be used for safe Web browsing; if infected or damaged it can be discarded and replaced by a clean copy. The appliance can be configured to automatically reset itself after each use so personal information and other changes are not stored.[104] VMs distributed legally only have freely distributable operating systems, as operating systems on VMs must be licensed; ready-to-use Microsoft Windows VMs, in particular, are not distributed, except for evaluation versions.
Other tools
- PowerWF[105] - Provides a visual representation of VMware VIX scripts, converting them into workflows, or converting workflows into Powershell cmdlets and modules. VIX is VMware's addition to Microsoft's Powershell for automation of the VMware Player.
See also
References
- Thiruvathukal, George K; Hinsen, Konrad; Läufer, Konstantin; Kaylor, Joe (2010). "Virtualization for Computational Scientists". Computing in Science & Engineering. 12 (4): 52–61. doi:10.1109/MCSE.2010.92. ISSN 1521-9615.
- "VMware Workstation 16.1.0 Pro Release Notes". November 19, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2020.
- "Processor Requirements for Host Systems". VMware Workstation 9 Documentation Center. VMware. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
- https://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=2129859
- Warren, Steven (2008-11-20). "Snapshots in VMware Workstation". Blogs.techrepublic.com.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
- "Download VMware Workstation Player". VMware. Retrieved 11 May 2016. Download site for VMware Player 7.x and Workstation Player 12.x
- "VMware Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2015 Results". ir.vmware.com. 26 January 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
- Cloud; Security; Australia; Vmware; Microsoft; devs, VMware axes Fusion and Workstation US; VMware says vSphere in decline, new multi-cloud plan will ensure growth; Citrix kills Sydney research lab, vows to focus on 'core products'. "VMware axes Fusion and Workstation US devs". Retrieved 2016-01-28.
- Miller, Ron. "VMware Confirms Layoffs In Earnings Statement As It Prepares For Dell Acquisition". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
- chipx86. "A Tribute to VMware Workstation, Fusion, and Hosted UI". ChipLog. Retrieved 2016-01-28.
- Jon Brodkin (30 August 2016). "VMware says, "We're not dead," updates Fusion and Workstation for free". ARS Technica.
- "VMware 1.0.x Changelog Archive". Archived from the original on 13 October 1999.
- "What's New in VMware 1.1 for Linux?". Archived from the original on 27 November 1999.
- "Workstation - What's New?". Archived from the original on 1 August 2001.
- "VMware Workstation 3.0 Release Notes". 11 November 2001. Archived from the original on 13 February 2002.
- "VMware Workstation 3.1 Release Notes". 29 March 2002. Archived from the original on 8 August 2002.
- "VMware Workstation 3.2 Release Notes". 16 September 2002.
- "VMware Workstation 4.0 Release Notes". 7 April 2003.
- "VMware Workstation 4.5". 15 March 2004.
- "VMware Workstation 5.0 Release Notes". 7 April 2005.
- "VMware Workstation 5.5 Release Notes". 29 November 2005.
- "VMware Workstation 6.0 Release Notes". 9 May 2007.
- "VMware Workstation 6.5 Release Notes". 23 September 2008.
- "VMware Workstation 7.0 Release Notes". www.vmware.com. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
- "Introducing Replay Debugging: the end of the heisbenbug? - VMTN Blog". 2008-08-30. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
- "VMware Workstation 7.0 Release Notes". 10 October 2009.
- "Replay Debugging – Try it Today! - VMware Workstation Zealot". 2010-01-19. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
- "VMware Workstation 7.1 Release Notes". 25 May 2010.
- "VMware Workstation 8.0 Release Notes". 14 September 2011.
- "Better Software Development with Replay Debugging: Goodbye, Replay Debugging…". www.replaydebugging.com. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
- "VMware Workstation 9.0 Release Notes". 23 August 2012.
- "VMware Workstation 10.0 Release Notes". 3 September 2013.
- "VMware Workstation 10.0.1 Release Notes". 24 October 2013.
- "VMware Workstation 10.0.2 Release Notes". 17 April 2014.
- "VMware Workstation 10.0.3 Release Notes". 1 July 2014.
- "VMware Workstation 10.0.4 Release Notes". 30 October 2014.
- "VMware Workstation 10.0.5 Release Notes". 27 January 2015.
- "VMware Workstation 10.0.6 Release Notes". 5 May 2015.
- "VMware Workstation 10.0.7 Release Notes". 2 July 2015.
- "VMware Workstation 11.0 Release Notes". 1 December 2014.
- "VMware Workstation 11.1 Release Notes". 17 February 2015.
- "VMware Workstation 11.1.1 Release Notes". 9 June 2015.
- "VMware Workstation 11.1.2 Release Notes". 15 June 2015.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Player Version 12 Release Notes". VMware. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
- Wil van Antwerpen. "VMware Workstation 12 discards unity support for Linux » PlanetVM". Planetvm.net. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Player Version 12.0.1 Release Notes". VMware. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Player Version 12.1 Release Notes". VMware. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
- "Download VMware Workstation Player (always links to latest v12.x and previous versions and release notes)". VMware. 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- "Download VMware Workstation Pro (always links to latest v12.x and previous versions and release notes)". VMware. 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5 Release Notes". pubs.vmware.com. Retrieved 2016-09-13.
- Jon Brodkin (30 August 2016). "VMware says "we're not dead," updates Fusion and Workstation for free". Arstechnica.co.uk. Retrieved 8 September 2016.
- "VMware Workstation 12.5 and Fusion 8.5 - Free Upgrade - ESX Virtualization". 2016-08-31. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.1 Release Notes". VMware. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.2 Release Notes". VMware. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.3 Release Notes". VMware. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.4 Release Notes". VMware. Retrieved 14 March 2017.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.5 Release Notes". VMware. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.6 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.7 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.8 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 12 Pro Version 12.5.9 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.0.0 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1.1 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1.2 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1.3 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1.4 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1.5 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1.6 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1.7 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 14 Pro Version 14.1.8 Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.0.1 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.0.2 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.0.3 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.0.4 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.1 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.5.0 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.5.1 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.5.2 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.5.5 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.5.6 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 15.5.7 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 16 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "VMware Workstation 16.1.0 Pro Release Notes". VMware.
- "Supported host operating systems for VMware Workstation (2088579)". VMware Knowledge Base. September 25, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- "Supported host operating systems for Workstation Pro 12.x, 14.x and 15.x (2129859)". VMware Knowledge Base. September 24, 2018. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- "VMware Workstation 16.x Pro sales, licensing, and compatibility FAQs (80624)". September 21, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- visaac. "VMware Workstation 14.1.8 Pro Release Notes". docs.vmware.com. Retrieved 2019-12-12.
- "VMware Workstation 4.0". VMware. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- "VMware Workstation 3.2". VMware. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- William F. Katz (January 16, 2001). "VMware Workstation 2.0". ITProToday. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- "VMware Workstation 6.5.0 Release Notes". VMware. October 15, 2008. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
- VMware Web site, VMware Workstation Player Pro
- "VMware Player 4.0 EULA". VMware. Retrieved 27 April 2012.
- Michael Roy (26 September 2017). "Workstation 14 Pro and Player Now Available!". VMware Workstation Zealot - Official blog of VMware Workstation. Retrieved 19 October 2017. VMware Workstation v14 (September 2017) continued to be free for non-commercial use.
- "VMware Workstation Player (formerly known as Player Pro)". VMware. VMware, Inc. 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
VMware Workstation 12 Player is a streamlined desktop virtualization application that runs one or more operating systems on the same computer without rebooting.
- "VMware Player Pro: Compare to VMware Workstation 11". Vmware. Archived from the original on 11 October 2016. Version archived 11 October 2016 compares Workstation 12 Player to Player 7 Pro; Workstation 12 Player (Unlicensed) to Workstation 12 Player (Licensed); and Workstation 12 Player to Workstation 12 Pro. Page is updated; as of October 2017 compares Workstation Player and Workstation Pro, only
- "VMware Workstation Pro". VMware. VMware, Inc. 2015. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
- "VMware Tools 11.2.5 Release Notes". VMware. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- "Use Unity Mode". VMware Workstation 9 Documentation Center. VMware. Retrieved 2015-08-25.
In Unity mode, virtual machine applications appear on the host system desktop
- "VMware Virtual Machine Marketplace, with 3691 entries (not all still available) as of 2 June 2016". Vmware.com. Retrieved 2 June 2016.
- "Browser Appliance". Vmware.com. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
- Browser Appliance. Includes brief documentation, including "autoRevert on shutdown"
- "powerwf.com". powerwf.com. Archived from the original on 2012-08-15. Retrieved 2012-09-13.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to VMware. |