Using VMware

Workstation Player for

Windows
VMware Workstation Player for Windows 16.0
Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

You can find the most up-to-date technical documentation on the VMware website at:

https://docs.vmware.com/

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Contents

Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows 10

1 Introduction and System Requirements 11

Host System Requirements for Workstation Player 11
Processor Requirements for Host Systems 11
Supported Host Operating Systems 12
Memory Requirements for Host Systems 12
Display Requirements for Host Systems 12
Disk Drive Requirements for Host Systems 13
Local Area Networking Requirements for Host Systems 14
Virtual Machine Features and Specifications 14
Supported Guest Operating Systems 14
Virtual Machine Processor Support 15
Virtual Machine Memory Allocation 15
Compatible Virtual Machines 15

2 Installing and Using Workstation Player 16

Install Workstation Player on a Windows Host 16
Run an Unattended Workstation Player Installation on a Windows Host 17
Installation Properties 18
Start Workstation Player 19
Use the Workstation Player Window 19
Transferring Files and Text 20
Using the Drag-and-Drop Feature 20
Using the Copy and Paste Feature 21
Download a Virtual Appliance in Workstation Player 22
Remove a Virtual Machine from the Library in Workstation Player 22
Uninstall Workstation Player 23

3 Changing Workstation Player Preference Settings 24

Configuring Close Behavior Preference Settings 24
Configuring Software Updates Settings 25
Configuring Connection Settings for a Proxy Server 25
Understanding the Automatic Software Update Process 26
Join or Leave the Customer Experience Improvement Program 27
Configuring Virtual Printers 27
Configuring USB Device Connection Behavior 28
Configuring Workstation Player Color Theme Settings 28

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4 Creating Virtual Machines in Workstation Player 29

Understanding Virtual Machines 29
Preparing to Create a Virtual Machine 30
Selecting a Guest Operating System 30
Specifying the Virtual Machine Name and File Location 31
Specifying Disk Capacity for a Virtual Machine 32
Create a Virtual Machine 34
Use Easy Install to Install a Guest Operating System 36
Install a Guest Operating System Manually 36
Importing Virtual Machines 38
Import an Open Virtualization Format Virtual Machine 38
Import a VMware vCenter Server Appliance 38

5 Running Workstation on a Hyper-V Enabled Host 40

Host VBS Mode on Workstation 40
Host VBS Mode Compatibility with Windows Version 41
Limitations of Host VBS Mode 41
Limitations in the VMs Suspend/Resume Operation 41

6 Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools 43

Installing VMware Tools 43
Upgrading VMware Tools 44
Configure Software Update Preferences 45
Configure VMware Tools Updates for a Specific Virtual Machine 46
Manually Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools 47
Manually Installing VMware Tools on a Windows Virtual Machine 47
Manually Installing VMware Tools on a Linux Virtual Machine 49
Manually Installing VMware Tools on a NetWare Virtual Machine 51
Manually Installing VMware Tools on a Solaris Virtual Machine 52
Manually Installing VMware Tools on a FreeBSD Virtual Machine 53
Starting the VMware User Process Manually If You Do Not Use a Session Manager 55
Uninstalling VMware Tools 55

7 Starting and Stopping Virtual Machines in Workstation Player 57

Start a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player 57
Start an Encrypted Virtual Machine in Workstation Player 58
Download a Virtual Appliance in Workstation Player 58
Power Off a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player 58
Remove a Virtual Machine from the Library in Workstation Player 59
Use Ctrl+Alt+Delete to Shut Down a Guest 59
Suspend and Resume a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player 60

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Reset a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player 60

Enable Autologon in a Windows Virtual Machine 61
Set Workstation Player Preferences for Virtual Machine Closing Behavior 61

8 Changing the Virtual Machine Display 63

Configure Display Settings for a Virtual Machine 63
Use Full Screen Mode in Workstation Player 65
Report Battery Information in the Guest 65
Use Unity Mode 66
Set Preferences for Unity Mode 67
Create Virtual Machine Application Shortcuts on the Host in Unity Mode 67
Use Multiple Monitors for One Virtual Machine in Workstation Player 68
Limitations for Multiple Monitors 69

9 Using Removable Devices and Printers in Virtual Machines 70

Use a Removable Device in a Virtual Machine 70
Connecting USB Devices to Virtual Machines 71
Installing USB Drivers on Windows Hosts 71
Configure USB Device Connection Behavior 71
Select the Machine a USB Device Connects To 72
Delete the Connection Rule for a Specific USB Device 73
Connect USB HIDs to a Virtual Machine 74
Install a PDA Driver and Synchronize With a Virtual Machine 74
Troubleshooting USB Device Control Sharing 75
Enabling a Virtual Machine to Print to Host Printers 75
Add a Virtual Printer to a Virtual Machine 75
Install VMware Virtual Printer 76
Uninstall VMware Virtual Printer 78
Using Smart Cards in Virtual Machines 79
Use a Smart Card in a Virtual Machine 80
Disable Smart Card Sharing 80

10 Setting Up Shared Folders for a Virtual Machine 82

Using Shared Folders 83
Guest Operating Systems That Support Shared Folders 83
Using Permissions to Restrict Access to Shared Files in a Linux Guest 83
Enable a Shared Folder for a Virtual Machine 84
View Shared Folders in a Windows Guest 86
Mounting Shared Folders in a Linux Guest 86
Change Shared Folder Properties 87
Change the Folders That a Virtual Machine Can Share 88

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Disable Folder Sharing for a Virtual Machine 88

Mapping a Virtual Disk to the Host System 89
Map or Mount a Virtual Disk to a Drive on the Host System 89
Disconnect a Virtual Disk from the Host System 90

11 Configuring and Managing Virtual Machines 91

Change the Name of a Virtual Machine 91
Change the Guest Operating System for a Virtual Machine 92
Change the Working Directory for a Virtual Machine 92
Change the Virtual Machine Directory for a Virtual Machine 93
Change the Memory Allocation for a Virtual Machine 93
Configuring Video and Sound 94
Setting Screen Color Depth 94
Using Accelerated 3D Graphics 95
Configuring Sound 96
Moving Virtual Machines 97
Move a Virtual Machine to a New Location or New Host 98
Configure a Virtual Machine for Compatibility 99
Using the Virtual Machine UUID 100
Delete a Virtual Machine 101
View the Message Log for a Virtual Machine 101
Install New Software in a Virtual Machine 101
Disable Acceleration if a Program Does Not Run 102

12 Configuring and Managing Devices 103

Configuring DVD, CD-ROM, and Floppy Drives 103
Add a DVD or CD-ROM Drive to a Virtual Machine 103
Add a Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine 104
Configure Legacy Emulation Mode for a DVD or CD-ROM Drive 105
Configuring a USB Controller 105
Add a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine 106
Enable Support for Isochronous USB Devices 107
Configuring and Maintaining Virtual Hard Disks 107
Configuring a Virtual Hard Disk 108
Compact a Virtual Hard Disk 111
Expand a Virtual Hard Disk 111
Defragment a Virtual Hard Disk 112
Remove a Virtual Hard Disk from a Virtual Machine 113
Using Lock Files to Prevent Consistency Problems on Virtual Hard Disks 113
Moving a Virtual Hard Disk to a New Location 114
Configuring Virtual Ports 114

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Add a Virtual Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine 115

Troubleshoot ECR Errors for Parallel Ports 115
Add a Virtual Serial Port to a Virtual Machine 116
Change the Input Speed of a Serial Connection 117
Configuring Generic SCSI Devices 118
Add a Generic SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine 119
Troubleshoot Problems Detecting Generic SCSI Devices 119
Configuring Sixteen-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing 121
Configure Sixteen-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing 121
Use a Virtual Machine That Has More Than Sixteen Virtual Processors 121
Configuring Keyboard Features 122
Use the Enhanced Virtual Keyboard Feature in a Virtual Machine 123
Use Ctrl+Alt in a Key Combination 124
Configure Keyboard Mapping for a Remote X Server 124
Change How a Specific Key Is Mapped 126
Configure How Keysyms Are Mapped 126
V-Scan Code Table 128
Modify Hardware Settings for a Virtual Machine 131

13 Configuring Network Connections 132

Understanding Virtual Networking Components 132
Understanding Common Networking Configurations 133
Configuring Bridged Networking 134
Assigning IP Addresses in a Bridged Networking Environment 135
Configure Bridged Networking for an Existing Virtual Machine 135
Configuring Network Address Translation 136
Configuring Host-Only Networking 136
Configure Host-Only Networking for an Existing Virtual Machine 137
Changing a Networking Configuration 138
Find the Network Type of a Virtual Machine 138
Add a Virtual Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine 138
Modify an Existing Virtual Network Adapter for a Virtual Machine 139
Enable Jumbo Frames 140
Enable Jumbo Frames on Windows Host 140

14 Configuring Virtual Machine Option Settings 142

Configuring General Option Settings for a Virtual Machine 142
Changing a Virtual Machine Name 143
Changing the Guest Operating System 143
Changing the Virtual Machine Working Directory 143
Use the Enhanced Virtual Keyboard Feature in a Virtual Machine 144

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Configuring Power Options for a Virtual Machine 145

Configuring VMware Tools Options for a Virtual Machine 145
Configuring Unity Mode for a Virtual Machine 146
Configuring Autologin for a Virtual Machine 146

15 Configuring Virtual Machine Hardware Settings 148

Adding Hardware to a Virtual Machine 149
Removing Hardware from a Virtual Machine 150
Adjusting Virtual Machine Memory 151
Configuring Virtual Machine Processor Settings 151
Configuring and Maintaining Virtual Hard Disks 152
Defragmenting Virtual Hard Disks 153
Expanding Virtual Hard Disks 153
Compacting Virtual Hard Disks 154
Mapping a Virtual Disk to the Host System 154
Changing Virtual Hard Disk Node and Mode Settings 155
Configuring CD-ROM and DVD Drive Settings 156
Configuring CD-ROM and DVD Drive Status and Connection Settings 156
Changing Virtual Device Node and Legacy Emulation Settings 157
Configuring Floppy Drive Settings 157
Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Settings 158
Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Device Status Settings 158
Configuring Bridged Networking 159
Configuring Network Address Translation 159
Configuring Host-Only Networking 160
Configuring LAN Segments 161
Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Advanced Settings 161
Configuring USB Controller Settings 162
Configuring Sound Card Settings 162
Configuring Parallel Port Settings 163
Configuring Serial Port Settings 163
Configuring Generic SCSI Device Settings 164
Configuring Printer Settings 165
Configuring Display Settings 165
Installing a Guest Operating System on a Physical Disk or Unused Partition 166

16 Using vctl Command to Manage Containers and Run Kubernetes Cluster 168
Using the vctl Utility 169
Enabling KIND to Use vctl Container as Nodes to Run Kubernetes Clusters 169
Running vctl Commands 170
Syntax of vctl Commands 170

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Examples of vctl Commands 173

Cleaning Up Residual Environment Data 175

17 Using VMware Workstation Player REST API 176

Use the VMware Workstation Player REST API 176

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Using VMware Workstation Player for
Windows

Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows describes how to use VMware Workstation
Player™ to create, configure, and manage virtual machines on a Windows host.

Intended Audience
This information is intended for anyone who wants to install, upgrade, or use Workstation Player
on a Windows host.

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Introduction and System
Requirements 1
Workstation Player is a desktop application that lets you create, configure, and run virtual
machines. You can also use Workstation Player to download and run virtual appliances.

Host computers that run Workstation Player must meet specific hardware and software
requirements. Virtual machines that run in Workstation Player support specific devices and
provide certain features.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Host System Requirements for Workstation Player

n Virtual Machine Features and Specifications

Host System Requirements for Workstation Player

The physical computer on which you install Workstation Player is called the host system and its
operating system is called the host operating system. To run Workstation Player, the host system
and the host operating system must meet specific hardware and software requirements.

Processor Requirements for Host Systems

You must install Workstation Player on a host system that meets certain processor requirements.

Supported Processors
The following host systems are supported.

n Systems using processors launched in 2011 or later except for systems using the following
processors.

n Intel Atom processors based on the 2011 Bonnell micro-architecture. For example, Atom
Z670/Z650 and Atom N570.

n Intel Atom processors based on the 2012 Saltwell micro-architecture. For example, Atom
S1200, Atom D2700/D2500, and Atom N2800/N2600.

n AMD processors based on the Llano and Bobcat micro-architectures.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

n Systems using the following processors.

n Intel processors based on the 2010 Westmere micro-architecture. For example, Xeon
5600, Xeon 3600, Core i7-970, Core i7-980, and Core i7-990.

Processor Requirements for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems

For supported processors to run 64-bit guest operating systems, the host system must use one
of the following processors.

n An AMD CPU with AMD-V support

n An Intel CPU with VT-x support

If you have an Intel CPU that has VT-x support, you must verify that VT-x support is enabled in
the host system BIOS. The BIOS settings that must be enabled for VT-x support vary depending
on the system vendor. See the VMware knowledge base article at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/
1003944 for information about how to determine if VT-x support is enabled.

When you install a 64-bit operating system, Workstation Player performs checks to make sure
the host system has a supported processor. You cannot install a 64-bit operating system if the
host system does not meet the processor requirements.

Supported Host Operating Systems

You can install Workstation Player on Windows and Linux host operating systems.

To see a list of the supported host operating systems, search the online VMware Compatibility
Guide on the VMware Web site.

Workstation Player is not listed, but the information for Workstation Pro is applicable to
Workstation Player. Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a virtual
machine.

Memory Requirements for Host Systems

The host system must have enough memory to run the host operating system, the guest
operating systems that run inside the virtual machines on the host system, and the applications
that run in the host and guest operating systems.

The minimum memory required on the host system is 2 GB. 4 GB and above is recommended.

To support Windows 7 Aero graphics in a virtual machine, at least 3 GB of host system memory
is required.

See your guest operating system and application documentation for more information on
memory requirements.

Display Requirements for Host Systems

The host system must have a 16-bit or 32-bit display adapter. Use the latest graphics driver
recommended for the host system.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

To support Windows 7 Aero graphics, the host system should have either an NVIDIA GeForce
8800GT or later or an ATI Radeon HD 2600 or later graphics processor.

Important 3D benchmarks, such as 3DMark '06, might not render correctly or at all when
running Windows Vista or Windows 7 virtual machines on some graphics hardware.

Disk Drive Requirements for Host Systems

Host systems must meet certain disk drive requirements. Guest operating systems can reside on
physical disk partitions or in virtual disk files.

Table 1-1. Disk Drive Requirements for Host Systems

Drive Type Requirements

Hard disk n IDE, SATA, SCSI and NVMe hard drives are supported.
n At least 1 GB free disk space is recommended for each guest operating
system and the application software used with it. If you use a default setup,
the actual disk space needs are approximately the same as those for installing
and running the guest operating system and applications on a physical
computer.
n For installation, approximately 200 MB free disk space is required on Linux
and 250 MB free disk space is required on Windows. You can delete the
installer after the installation is complete to reclaim disk space.

Optical CD-ROM and DVD n IDE, SATA, and SCSI optical drives are supported.
n CD-ROM and DVD drives are supported.
n ISO disk image files are supported.

Floppy Virtual machines can connect to disk drives on the host computer. Floppy disk
image files are also supported.

Solid-State Drives
If your host machine has a physical solid-state drive (SSD), the host informs guest operating
systems they are running on an SSD.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

This allows the guest operating systems to optimize behavior. How the virtual machines
recognize SSD and use this information depends on the guest operating system and the disk
type of the virtual disk (SCSI, SATA, IDE, or NVMe).

n On Windows 8, Windows 10, Ubuntu, and Red Hat Enterprise Linux virtual machines, all drive
types can report their virtual disks as SSD drives.

Note
n NVMe virtual hard disks are natively supported for Windows 8.1 and later.

n To create a new a virtual machine with a Windows 7 or Windows 2008 R2 guest

operating system using NVMe as the virtual hard disk, apply the appropriate Windows
hot fix. See https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2990941.

n Several Linux operating systems support NVMe while others do not. Check with the
operating system vendor.

n On Windows 7 virtual machines, only IDE and SATA virtual disks can report their virtual disks
as SSD. SCSI virtual disks only report as SSD when used as a system drive in a virtual
machine, or as a mechanical drive when used as a data drive inside a virtual machine.

Use the virtual machine operating system to verify your virtual machine is using SSD as its virtual
disk.

Local Area Networking Requirements for Host Systems

You can use any Ethernet controller that the host operating system supports.

Non-Ethernet networks are supported by using built-in network address translation (NAT) or by
using a combination of host-only networking and routing software on the host operating system.

Virtual Machine Features and Specifications

Workstation Player virtual machines support specific devices and provide certain features.

Supported Guest Operating Systems

A guest operating system can be Windows, Linux, and other commonly used operating systems.

For the most recent list of guest operating systems that VMware products support, see the
VMware Compatibility Guide site: http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.

Workstation Player is not listed, but the information for Workstation Pro is applicable to
Workstation Player. Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a virtual
machine.

For instructions about how to install the most common guest operating systems, see the VMware
Guest Operating System Installation Guide: http://partnerweb.vmware.com/GOSIG/home.html.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Virtual Machine Processor Support

Virtual machines support certain processor features.

n The same as the processor on the host computer.

n One virtual processor on a host system that has one or more logical processors.

n Up to 16 virtual processors (sixteen-way virtual symmetric multiprocessing, or Virtual SMP) on

a host system that has at least 2 logical processors.

Note Workstation Player considers multiprocessor hosts that have 2 or more physical CPUs,
single-processor hosts that have a multicore CPU, and single-processor hosts that have
hyperthreading enabled, to have two logical processors.

Virtual Machine Memory Allocation

The total amount of memory that you can assign to all virtual machines running on a single host
system is limited only by the amount of RAM on the host.

The maximum amount of memory for each virtual machine is 64GB.

Compatible Virtual Machines

Workstation Player can run virtual machines that other VMware products create.

VMware virtual machines

Workstation Player runs virtual machines that were created by using Workstation 4 and later,
GSX Server 3.x, VMware Server, and ESX Server 2.5 and later. Workstation 4 virtual machines
run in legacy mode. You must use another VMware product to upgrade virtual machines
created in versions earlier than Workstation 4 before you can run them in Workstation Player.

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Installing and Using Workstation
Player 2
Installing Workstation Player typically involves running a standard GUI wizard.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Install Workstation Player on a Windows Host

n Start Workstation Player

n Use the Workstation Player Window

n Transferring Files and Text

n Download a Virtual Appliance in Workstation Player

n Remove a Virtual Machine from the Library in Workstation Player

n Uninstall Workstation Player

Install Workstation Player on a Windows Host

You install Workstation Player on a Windows machine by running the installation wizard.

Prerequisites

n Verify that your Windows machine meets the host system requirements. See Host System
Requirements for Workstation Player.

n Download the Workstation Player installer file to your Windows machine. You can obtain the
Workstation Player installer file from the VMware Web site.

n If you are installing the purchased version of Workstation Player, verify that you have a
license key.

You can use Workstation Player free of charge for non-commercial use. When you use
Workstation Player for the first time, you can enter your email address and use it free of charge,
or you can enter your purchased license key to use Workstation Player and have access to
additional features.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Procedure

1 On your Windows machine, double-click the Workstation Player installer file.

The installer filename is similar to VMware-player-xxxx-xxxx.exe, where xxxx-xxxx is the

version and build numbers.

2 Follow the prompts to finish the installation.

3 (Optional) To activate Workstation Player features, start Workstation Player and enter your
license key.

a Double-click the Workstation Player icon or select Start > All Programs VMware Player to
start Workstation Player.

b Select Enter a license key to allow commercial use:.

c Type your license key and click Continue.

Run an Unattended Workstation Player Installation on a Windows

Host
You can use the unattended installation feature of the Microsoft Windows Installer (MSI) to install
Workstation Player on Windows host systems without having to respond to wizard prompts. This
feature is convenient in a large enterprise.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the host system meets the host system requirements.

n Obtain the Workstation Player software and license key.

n Verify that the host computer has version 2.0 or later of the MSI runtime engine. This version
of the installer is available in versions of Windows beginning with Windows XP and is
available from Microsoft. For more information, see the Microsoft Web site.

n Familiarize yourself with the installation properties. See Installation Properties.

Procedure

1 Log in to the host system as the Administrator user or as a user who is a member of the local
Administrators group.

If you log in to the host system as the Administrator user or as a user who is a member of the
local Administrators group.

2 Extract the administrative installation image from the setup file.

The setup filename is similar to VMware=player-xxxx-xxxx.exe where xxxx-xxxx is the

version and build number.

For example, if you enter setup.exe/?, the flag displays a windows message box with the
command line usage for the installer.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

3 Enter the installation command on one line.

The following example installs Workstation Player:

VMware-player-x.x.x-xxxxxx.exe /s /v/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 SERIALNUMBER="xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-

xxxxx"

You can use the optional INSTALLDIR property to specify a file path for the installation that is
different from the default location.

Note The double quotes around the file path are important. All the MSI arguments are
passed with the /v option. The outer quotes group the MSI arguments and the double quotes
put a quote in that argument.

You can also run an unattended Workstation Player uninstallation on a Windows host. The
following example uninstalls Workstation Player and removes the license from the host.

VMware-player-x.x.x-xxxxxx.exe /s /v"/qn REMOVE=ALL"

Installation Properties
When you perform an unattended installation of Workstation Player, you can customize the
installation by specifying installation properties in the installation command.

To specify an installation property in the installation command, use the format property="value".
A value of 1 means true and a value of 0 means false.

Table 2-1. Installation Properties

Property Description Default Value

AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE Enables automatic upgrades for Workstation Player when a 1

new build becomes available.

DATACOLLECTION Sends user experience information to VMware. 1

DESKTOP_SHORTCUT Adds a shortcut on the desktop when Workstation Player is 1

installed.

ENABLE_VIRTUAL_PRINTING Enables support for ThinPrint virtual printing on the Windows 0

host after installing.

EULAS_AGREED Allows you to silently accept the product EULAs. Set to 1 to 0

complete the installation or upgrade.

INSTALLDIR Install Workstation Player in a directory that is different from C:\Program Files
the default Workstation Player location. (86)\VMware\VMware
Player

KEEP_LICENSE Specifies whether to keep or remove license keys when 1

Workstation Player is uninstalled.

KEEP_SETTINGFILES Specifies whether to keep or remove settings files when 1

Workstation Player is uninstalled.

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Table 2-1. Installation Properties (continued)

Property Description Default Value

SERIALNUMBER Lets you enter the license key when Workstation Player is
installed. Enter the license key with hyphens, for example,
"xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx-xxxxx".

SIMPLIFIEDUI Turn on or off certain UI features of Workstation Player. 0

SOFTWAREUPDATEURL Specifies a custom URL for managing software updates

(separate from vmware.com).

STARTMENU_SHORTCUT Adds a Start menu item when Workstation Player is installed. 1

SUPPORTURL Set a support URL or email alias specifically for your users to
contact with product issues through the Workstation Player
Help menu.

Start Workstation Player

When you start Workstation Player, the Workstation Player window opens.

You might have a desktop shortcut, a quick launch shortcut, or a combination of these options in
addition to a Start menu item.

Procedure

u Select Start > Programs > VMware Player.

Use the Workstation Player Window

You interact with Workstation Player and virtual machines through the Workstation Player
window. The best way to learn how to use Workstation Player is to use it. The Workstation
Player window is designed to be intuitive and easy to use.

Procedure

u Use the icons on the Home tab to create a new virtual machine, open an existing virtual
machine, download a virtual appliance, or view the Workstation Player help system.

u Select a powered-off virtual machine in the library see the summary view.

The summary view shows a summary of configuration information and the virtual machine
state. You can start the virtual machine and edit virtual machine settings from the summary
view.

u Select a powered-off virtual machine in the library and click Play virtual machine to start the
virtual machine and see the console view.

The console view is like the monitor display of a physical computer.

u Select a virtual machine in the library and use the Virtual Machine menu on the menu bar to
perform all virtual machine operations for the selected virtual machine.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

u When a virtual machine is powered on, use the icons on the status bar to perform actions on
virtual devices such as hard disks, CD/DVD drives, floppy drives, and network adapters.

You can click or right-click on a removable device icon to connect or disconnect the device or
edit its settings.

u Use the About VMware Player window to access information about your installation of
Workstation Player, including license key information.

Click Player > Help > About VMware Workstation Player.

n If you have an individual license for Workstation Player, the key is displayed in the License
Information section in the Type field. It is labeled Individual and is followed by your
license key.

n If you have a version of Workstation Player licensed for multiple users, the Type field
displays Volume and your license key is not displayed.

n If you did not enter a license for Workstation Player, the Type field displays Not
applicable and a license key is not displayed.

n If you have an evaluation license key for Workstation Player, the Type field displays Not
applicable. The date the evaluation license key expires is also displayed.

Transferring Files and Text

You can use the drag-and-drop and copy and paste features, shared folders, and mapped drives
to transfer text and files between the host system and virtual machines.

Using the Drag-and-Drop Feature

You can use the drag-and-drop feature to move files and directories, email attachments, plain
text, formatted text, and images between the host system and virtual machines.

You can drag files or directories between the following locations.

n File managers, such as Windows Explorer, on the host system and virtual machines.

n A file manager to an application that supports drag-and-drop.

n Applications, such as zip file managers, which support drag-and-drop extraction of individual
files.

n Different virtual machines.

Dragging email attachments is especially useful in Unity mode.

When you drag a file or folder between the host and a virtual machine, Workstation Player
copies the file or folder to the location where you drop it. For example, if you drop a file on the
desktop icon of a word processor, the word processor opens a copy of the original file. The
original file does not include changes that you make to the copy.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Initially, the application opens a copy of the file that is stored in the temp directory. On Windows,
the temp directory is specified in the %TEMP% environment variable. On Linux and Solaris, the temp
directory is /tmp/VMwareDnD. Save the file in a different directory to protect changes that you
make.

Drag-and-Drop Requirements and Restrictions

The drag-and-drop feature has certain requirements and restrictions.

n You must install VMware Tools in a virtual machine to use the drag-and-drop feature.

n The drag-and-drop feature requires Linux hosts and guests to run X Windows and Solaris 10
guests to run an Xorg X server and JDS/Gnome.

n You can drag images between applications on Windows hosts and applications on Windows
guests only. Dragging images is not supported for Linux hosts or guests.

n You can drag files and directories, email attachments, plain text, and formatted text between
Linux and Windows hosts and Linux, Windows, and Solaris 10 guests only.

n Dragging email attachments is restricted to images or files smaller than 4 MB.

n Dragging plain text and formatted text (including the formatting) is restricted to amounts less
than 4 MB.

n Dragging text is restricted to text in languages that can be represented by Unicode

characters.

n Workstation Player uses the PNG format to encode images that are dragged. Dragging
images is restricted to images smaller than 4 MB after conversion to PNG format.

Using the Copy and Paste Feature

You can cut, copy, and paste text between virtual machines and between applications running in
virtual machines.

You can also cut, copy, and paste images, plain text, formatted text, and email attachments
between applications running on the host system and applications running in virtual machines.

Copying and pasting email attachments is especially useful in Unity mode. Use the normal hot
keys or menu choices to cut or copy and paste.

Copy and Paste Requirements and Restrictions

The copy and paste feature has certain requirements and restrictions.

n You must install VMware Tools in a virtual machine to use the copy and paste feature.

n The copy and paste feature works with Linux and Windows hosts and Linux, Windows, and
Solaris 10 guests only.

n The copy and paste feature requires Linux hosts and guests to run X Windows and Solaris 10
guests to run an Xorg X server and JDS/Gnome.

n Copying and pasting email attachments is restricted to images or files smaller than 4 MB.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

n Copying and pasting plain text and formatted text (including the formatting) is restricted to
amounts less than 4MB.

n Copying and pasting text is restricted to text in languages that can be represented by
Unicode characters.

n Workstation Player uses the PNG format to encode images that are copied and pasted.
Copying and pasting images is restricted to images smaller than 4 MB after conversion to
PNG format.

n You cannot copy and paste files between virtual machines.

Download a Virtual Appliance in Workstation Player

You can download a virtual appliance in Workstation Player. A virtual appliance is a prebuilt,
preconfigured, and ready-to-run software application that is packaged with the operating system
in a virtual machine.

Procedure

u Select Player > File > Download a Virtual Appliance.

Results

A Web browser opens to the Virtual Appliance Marketplace page on the VMware Web site. You
can browse to and download virtual appliances from this page.

Remove a Virtual Machine from the Library in Workstation

Player
When you open a virtual machine in Workstation Player, it is added to the virtual machine library.
You can remove a virtual machine that you are not using from the library.

Removing a virtual machine from the library does not delete the virtual machine or any of its files
from the host file system. The virtual machine is removed only from the library. If you open the
virtual machine again, the virtual machine is added back to the library.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

u Select the virtual machine, right-click, and select Remove VM from the Library.

Results

The virtual machine is removed from the library without any confirmation.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Uninstall Workstation Player

You must uninstall the previous version of Workstation Player before you can install the latest
version.

Procedure

u Use the Windows uninstall feature.

For example, on Windows 10, perform the following steps.

a Select Start > Control Panel > Programs and Features

b Right-click VMware Workstation Player and select Change.

c In the Setup Wizard, click Next.

d Click Remove, Next, and Remove again.

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Changing Workstation Player
Preference Settings 3
Workstation Player preference settings are global configuration settings that apply to
Workstation Player and the virtual machines that you run in Workstation Player.

To change Workstation Player preference settings, select Player > File > Preferences.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Configuring Close Behavior Preference Settings

n Configuring Software Updates Settings

n Join or Leave the Customer Experience Improvement Program

n Configuring Virtual Printers

n Configuring USB Device Connection Behavior

n Configuring Workstation Player Color Theme Settings

Configuring Close Behavior Preference Settings

Close behavior preference settings control what Workstation Player does with virtual machines
when you close them.

To configure close behavior preference settings, select File > Preferences.

Table 3-1. Close Behavior Preference Settings

Setting Description

Suspend the virtual machine The virtual machine is suspended when you close it. The
next time you start Workstation Player, the virtual machine
resumes operation from the point at which it was
suspended.

Power off the virtual machine The virtual machines is powered off when you close it. The
next time you start Workstation Player, the virtual machine
is in a powered off state.

Leave the virtual machine running The virtual machine remains running in the background
when you close it. The next time you start Workstation
Player, the virtual machine is in a powered on state.

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Table 3-1. Close Behavior Preference Settings (continued)

Setting Description

Confirm before closing a virtual machine Workstation Player prompts you for confirmation when you
close a virtual machine.

Return to the VM Library after closing a virtual machine Workstation Player returns the virtual machines to the
library after you close it. You can open another virtual
machine or edit virtual machine settings.

Configuring Software Updates Settings

Software updates settings control when Workstation Player downloads software updates to the
host system and whether it uses a proxy server to connect to the VMware Update Server.

To configure software updates settings, select Player > File > Preferences.

Table 3-2. Software Update Preference Settings

Setting Description

Check for product updates on startup Check for new versions of the application and installed components
when you start Workstation Player. This setting is selected by
default.

Check for new software components as needed Check for a new version of a component when a component, such
as VMware Tools, is required. When this setting is selected,
Workstation Player verifies if a new version is available to download
and install.

Download All Components Now Manually download all of the available software components to the
host system. Click this button if you are planning to use a virtual
machine at a later time when you do not have access to the Internet.

Connection Settings Click this button to configure a proxy server to connect to the
VMware Update Server.

Configuring Connection Settings for a Proxy Server

You can configure connection settings to use a proxy server to connect to the VMware Update
Server.

To configure proxy connection settings, select Player > File > Preferences and click Connection
Settings.

Table 3-3. Connection Settings

Setting Description

No proxy Do not use a proxy server.

Windows proxy settings (Windows hosts only) Workstation Player uses the host proxy settings from the
Connections tab in the Internet Options control panel to access the VMware Update
Server.
Click Internet Options to set the guest connection options.

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Table 3-3. Connection Settings (continued)

Setting Description

System proxy settings (Linux hosts only) Workstation Player uses the host proxy settings to access the
VMware Update Server.

Manual proxy settings Select an HTTP or SOCKS proxy, specify the proxy server address, and designate a
port number to access the VMware Update Server.

Username and Password The username and password to use for proxy server authentication. On Linux hosts, if
either the Username or Password text box is blank, Workstation Player uses the
username and password set in the gnome settings.

You must restart Workstation Player for proxy setting changes to take effect.

Understanding the Automatic Software Update Process

When you enable automatic software updates, you are always aware of the latest releases from
VMware.

By keeping your software up-to-date, you can take advantage of new product features and
performance improvements, ensure that your system includes the latest patches, and obtain
timely support for new guest operating systems. You can enable the automatic software update
feature when you install Workstation Player or by configuring Workstation Player preference
settings. You can disable the feature at any time.

To determine if software updates are available, the VMware software updates feature securely
sends the following anonymous information to VMware.

n A universal unique identifier (UUID), which it uses to identify each individual system

n The product name, the product version, and the build number

n Your host operating system name, version, and the locale setting

The VMware software updates feature does not collect any personal data, such as your name,
address, telephone number, or mail address. Your product license key and MAC address are not
sent to VMware, and VMware does not store your IP address with the data that it receives from
you.

VMware might use the information it receives from the software update feature for product
planning purposes. VMware limits access to your data and uses industry-standard controls to
protect your information, including physical access controls, Internet firewalls, intrusion detection,
and network monitoring.

The information collected by the VMware software updates feature is handled in accordance
with VMware Privacy Policy.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Join or Leave the Customer Experience Improvement

Program
The VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program (CEIP) provides information to
VMware. VMware uses the information to improve its products and services, to fix problems, and
to advise you on how best to deploy and use VMware products.

Workstation Player participates in the VMware CEIP. Information about the data collected
through CEIP and how VMware uses it are in the Trust & Assurance Center at http://
www.vmware.com/trustvmware/ceip.html.

The CEIP appears the first time you start Workstation Player after you install the product. You
must then make a selection. You can change your selection any time afterwards.

Procedure

1 Start Workstation Player.

2 Select Player > File > Preferences.

3 Join or leave the CEIP depending on the participation preference currently selected.

Option Description

Join Select Join the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program.

Leave Unselect Join the VMware Customer Experience Improvement Program.

Configuring Virtual Printers

You can configure Workstation Player to support virtual printing on all printers configured on the
host.

Virtual printing is disabled by default. To enable or disable virtual printing, select Player > File >
Preferences and in the Devices section, click Change Settings, then select Enable virtual
printers. You must install the VMware Virtual Printer application on the virtual machine to enable
printing. See Enabling a Virtual Machine to Print to Host Printers. You must have administrator
privileges to enable or disable virtual printers.

The Workstation Player printer feature uses VMware Virtual Printer technology to replicate the
host system printer mapping in the virtual machine. When you enable the virtual machine printer,
Workstation Player configures a virtual serial port to communicate with the host printers.

Note If any virtual printers are powered on when the Enable virtual printers option is selected,
you must reboot the virtual machines, or suspend and resume them, for the setting to take
effect.

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Configuring USB Device Connection Behavior

You can configure Workstation Player for Windows to behave in one of the following ways when
you connect a USB device to the Windows host machine.

n Ask you which machine you want to connect the device to.

n Automatically connect the device to the host.

n Automatically connect the device to the foreground virtual machine.

To configure USB device connection settings, select Player > File > Preferences. For an overview
of connecting USB devices to virtual machines, see Connecting USB Devices to Virtual Machines.
For specific information about configuring the USB device connection settings, see Configure
USB Device Connection Behavior.

Configuring Workstation Player Color Theme Settings

The Color Theme setting controls how the Workstation Player main window appears on a
Windows 10 host system.

Note The Color Theme setting is only available on Windows 10 1809 or later host systems.

Setting Description

System (use app mode of HOS) The Workstation Player window appears consistent with
Windows 10 host's app mode color settings. This is the
default setting.

Light The Workstation Player window is set to the light mode

theme.

Dark The Workstation Player window is set to the dark mode

theme.

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Creating Virtual Machines in
Workstation Player 4
You use the New Virtual Machine wizard to create virtual machines. The New Virtual Machine
wizard guides you through the steps for setting up a new virtual machine, helping you set
options and parameters.

To start the New Virtual Machine wizard, select Player > File > New Virtual Machine, or click
Create a New Virtual Machine on the welcome page.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Understanding Virtual Machines

n Preparing to Create a Virtual Machine

n Create a Virtual Machine

n Use Easy Install to Install a Guest Operating System

n Install a Guest Operating System Manually

n Importing Virtual Machines

Understanding Virtual Machines

A virtual machine is a software computer that, like a physical machine, runs an operating system
and applications. A virtual machine uses the physical resources of the physical machine on which
it runs, which is called the host system. Virtual machines have virtual devices that provide the
same functionality as physical hardware, but with the additional benefits of portability,
manageability, and security.

A virtual machine has an operating system and virtual resources that you manage in much the
same way that you manage a physical computer. For example, you install an operating system in
a virtual machine in the same way that you install an operating system on a physical computer.
You must have a CD-ROM, DVD, or ISO image that contains the installation files from an
operating system vendor.

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Preparing to Create a Virtual Machine

When you create a virtual machine, you specify or accept defaults for a few basic virtual machine
settings.

n How you want to install the guest operating system.

n A name for the virtual machine and a location for the virtual machine files.

n The size of the virtual disk and whether to split the disk into multiple virtual disk files.

n Whether to customize hardware settings, including memory allocation, number of virtual

processors, and network connection type.

Selecting a Guest Operating System

The New Virtual Machine prompts you to select the source media for the operating system that
will run inside the virtual machine. You can specify an installer disc inserted in a physical drive, an
ISO image file, or you can instruct the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a virtual machine
that has a blank hard disk.

If you select an installer disc or an ISO image file and the operating system supports Easy Install,
the guest operating system installation is automated and VMware Tools is installed. If the installer
disc or ISO image file contains a product key number and is already set up to perform an
unattended installation, the only benefit of using Easy Install is the automatic installation of
VMware Tools.

If you instruct the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a virtual machine that has a blank hard
disk, the wizard prompts you to specify an operating system and version and you must install the
guest operating system manually after the virtual machine is created. Workstation Player uses
this information to set the appropriate default values, name files associated with the virtual
machine, adjust performance settings, and work around special behaviors and bugs in the guest
operating system. If the operating system you plan to install is not listed in the wizard, select
Other for both the operating system and version.

If you are installing an operating system that supports Easy Install but you do not want to use
Easy Install, you can instruct the wizard to create a virtual machine that has a blank disk and
install the guest operating system manually.

Supported Guest Operating Systems

A guest operating system can be Windows, Linux, and other commonly used operating systems.

For the most recent list of guest operating systems that VMware products support, see the
VMware Compatibility Guide site: http://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.

Workstation Player is not listed, but the information for Workstation Pro is applicable to
Workstation Player. Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a virtual
machine.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

For instructions about how to install the most common guest operating systems, see the VMware
Guest Operating System Installation Guide: http://partnerweb.vmware.com/GOSIG/home.html.

Providing Easy Install Information

When the New Virtual Wizard detects an operating system that supports Easy Install, the wizard
prompts you for information about the guest operating system. After the virtual machine is
created, the guest operating system installation is automated and VMware Tools is installed.

For Windows guest operating systems, you must provide the following Easy Install information.

Table 4-1. Easy Install Information for Windows Guests

Easy Install Prompt Description

Windows product key (Optional) Type a product key unless the installation media contains a volume
license product key. If you provide a product key here, you are not prompted to
provide a product key when you install the guest operating system.

Version of Windows to install Select the Windows operating system edition to install.

Full name The name to use to register the guest operating system. Do not use the name
Administrator or Guest. If you use one of these names, you must enter a
different name when you install the guest operating system.

Password (Optional) The password to use for an account with Administrator permissions
on Windows operating systems other than Windows 2000. On Windows 2000,
this is the password for the Administrator account. On Windows XP Home, an
Administrator account without a password is created and you are automatically
logged in to the guest operating system.

Log on automatically (requires a (Optional) Save your login credentials and bypass the login dialog box when you
password) power on the virtual machine. You must enter a name and password to use this
feature.

For Linux guest operating systems, you must provide the following Easy Install information.

Table 4-2. Easy Install Information for Linux Guests

Prompt Description

Full name The name to use to register the guest operating system, if registration is
required. Workstation Player uses the first name to create the host name for
the virtual machine.

User name Your user name. You can use lowercase letters, numbers, and dashes, but avoid
using user names that begin with a dash. Do not use the name root. Some
operating systems set up sudo access for this user and other operating
systems require this user to use su to obtain root privileges.

Password The password for the User name and the root user.

See Use Easy Install to Install a Guest Operating System .

Specifying the Virtual Machine Name and File Location

The New Virtual Machine wizard prompts you for a virtual machine name and a directory for the
virtual machine files.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

The name of the default directory for virtual machine files is derived from the name of the guest
operating system, for example, Microsoft Windows 10 x64.

For standard virtual machines, the default directory for virtual machine files is located in the
virtual machine directory. For best performance, do not place the virtual machines directory on a
network drive. If other users need to access the virtual machine, consider placing the virtual
machine files in a location that is accessible to those users.

For shared virtual machines, the default directory for virtual machine files is located in the shared
virtual machines directory. Shared virtual machine files must reside in the shared virtual machines
directory.

Virtual Machines Directory

Workstation Player stores standard virtual machines in the virtual machines directory.

The default location of the virtual machines directory depends on the host operating system.

Table 4-3. Default Virtual Machines Directory

Host Operating System Default Location

Windows Server 2008 R2 C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My

Windows Server 2012 R2 Virtual Machines
username is the name of the currently logged-in user.

Windows 7 C:\Users\ username \Documents\Virtual Machines

Windows 8 username is the name of the currently logged in user.
Windows 10

Linux homedir/vmware
homedir is the home directory of the currently logged in
logged in user.

Specifying Disk Capacity for a Virtual Machine

If you instruct the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a new virtual disk during a custom
configuration, the wizard prompts you to set the size of the virtual disk and specify whether to
split the disk into multiple virtual disk (.vmdk) files.

A virtual disk is made up of one or more virtual disk files. Virtual disk files store the contents of
the virtual machine hard disk drive. Almost all of the file content is virtual machine data. A small
portion of the file is allotted to virtual machine overhead. If the virtual machine is connected
directly to a physical disk, the virtual disk file stores information about the partitions that the
virtual machine is allowed to access.

You can set a size between 0.001 GB and 8 TB for a virtual disk file. You can also select whether
to store a virtual disk as a single file or split it into multiple files.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Select Split virtual disk into multiple files if the virtual disk is stored on a file system that has a
file size limitation. When you split a virtual disk less than 950 GB, a series of 2-GB virtual disk files
are created. When you split a virtual disk greater than 950 GB, two virtual disk files are created.
The maximum size of the first virtual disk file is 1.9 TB and the second virtual disk file stores the
rest of the data.

Disk space is not preallocated for the disk. The actual files that the virtual disk uses start small
and expand to their maximum size as needed. The main advantage of this approach is the smaller
file size. Smaller files require less disk space and are easier to move to a new location.

After you create a virtual machine, you can edit virtual disk settings and add additional virtual
disks.

Disk Size Compatibility

The size of a virtual disk is limited to 8 TB. However, your hardware version, bus type, and
controller type also impact the size of your virtual disks.

Workstation Hardware Version Bus Type Controller Type Maximum Disk Size

10, 11, 12, 14 IDE ATAPI 8192 GB (8TB)

10, 11, 12, 14 SCSI BusLogic 2040 GB (2TB)

10, 11, 12, 14 SCSI LSI Logic 8192 GB (8TB)

10, 11, 12, 14 SCSI LSI Logic SAS 8192 GB (8TB)

10, 11, 12, 14 SATA AHCI 8192 GB (8TB)

14 NVMe NVMe 8192 GB (8TB)

9, 8, 7, 6.5 All All 2040 GB (2TB)

6.0, 5 All All 950 GB

To discover your SCSI controller type, open the virtual machine .vmx file. The value of the setting
scsi0.virtualDev determines your SCSI controller type.

Value SCSI Controller Type

Blank or not present BusLogic

lsilogic LSI Logic

lsisas1068 LSI Logic SAS

Customizing Virtual Machine Hardware

You can click Customize Hardware on the last page of the New Virtual Machine wizard to
customize the virtual machine hardware.

You can change the default hardware settings, including memory allocation, number of virtual
CPUs, CD/DVD and floppy drive settings, and the network connection type.

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Worksheet for Creating a Typical Virtual Machine

You can print this worksheet and write the values to specify when you create a typical virtual
machine.

Table 4-4. Worksheet: Typical Virtual Machine

Option Write Your Value Here

Guest operating system source

Guest operating system type for manual installation

Easy Install information for Windows guests

n Product key
n Operating system version
n Full name
n Password
n Credentials for automatic login

Easy Install information for Linux guests

n Full name
n User name
n Password

Virtual machine name

Virtual machine location

Disk capacity

Create a Virtual Machine

You create a virtual machine in Workstation Player by running the New Virtual Machine wizard.

Prerequisites

n Verify that you have the information the New Virtual Machine wizard requires to create a
virtual machine. See Preparing to Create a Virtual Machine.

n Verify that the guest operating system you plan to install is supported. See the online
VMware Compatibility Guide, which is available on the VMware Web site.

n See the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide for information about the guest
operating system you plan to install.

n If you are installing the guest operating system from an installer disc, insert the installer disc
in the CD-ROM drive in the host system.

n If you are installing the guest operating system from an ISO image file, verify that the ISO
image file is in a directory that is accessible to the host system.

Procedure

1 Select Player > File > New Virtual Machine.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

2 Select the source of the guest operating system.

Option Description

Use a physical disc Select the physical drive where you inserted the installation disc.

Use an ISO image Type or browse to the location of the ISO image file.

Install the guest operating system Create a virtual machine that has a blank disk. You must install the guest
later operating system manually after the virtual machine is created.

3 Specify information about the guest operating system.

Option Description

You are using Easy Install Type the Easy Install information for the guest operating system.

You are not using Easy Install Select the guest operating system type and version. If the guest operating
system is not listed, select Other.

4 Type a virtual machine name and type or browse to the directory for the virtual machine files.

5 Select the virtual disk size and specify whether the disk should be split into multiple files.

6 (Optional) Click Customize Hardware to change the default hardware settings.

You can also modify virtual hardware settings after you create the virtual machine.

7 (Optional) Select Power on this virtual machine after creation to power on the virtual
machine after it is created.

This option is not available if you are installing the guest operating system manually.

8 Click Finish to create the virtual machine.

Results

If you are using Easy Install, guest operating system installation begins when the virtual machine
powers on. The guest operating system installation is automated and typically runs without
requiring any input from you. After the guest operating system is installed, Easy Install installs
VMware Tools.

If you are not using Easy Install, the virtual machine appears in the library.

What to do next

If you used Easy Install and the virtual machine did not power on when the installation finished,
power on the virtual machine to start the guest operating system installation. See Use Easy Install
to Install a Guest Operating System .

If you did not use Easy Install, install the guest operating system manually. See Install a Guest
Operating System Manually .

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Use Easy Install to Install a Guest Operating System

When you use Easy Install, you usually do not need to provide information during guest
operating system installation.

If you did not provide all of the Easy Install information in the New Virtual Machine wizard, you
might be prompted for a product key, username, or password.

Also, if the guest operating system installation consists of multiple discs or ISO image files, the
installer might prompt you for the next disk.

Procedure

u If the installer prompts you for a product key, username, or password, click in the virtual
machine window and type the required information.

Mouse and keyboard input are captured by the virtual machine.

u If you are using physical discs and the installer prompts you for the next disk, use the CD-
ROM or DVD drive on the host system.

u If you are using multiple ISO image files and the installer prompts you for the next disk, select
the next ISO image file.

Option Description

Windows host Click Change Disk and browse to the next ISO image file.

Linux host a Select Virtual Machine > Removable Devices > CD/DVD > Settings and
browse to the next ISO image file.
b Select Connected.
c Click Save.

Install a Guest Operating System Manually

Installing a guest operating system in a virtual machine is similar to installing an operating system
on a physical computer. If you do not use Easy Install when you create a virtual machine in the
New Virtual Machine wizard, you must install the guest operating system manually.

You can install a guest operating system from an installer disc or ISO image file. You can also use
a PXE server to install the guest operating system over a network connection. If the host
configuration does not permit the virtual machine to boot from an installer disc, you can create
an ISO image file from the installer disc.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the operating system is supported. See the online VMware Compatibility Guide on
the VMware Web site.

n See the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide for information on the guest
operating system that you are installing.

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Procedure

1 If you are installing the guest operating system from an installer disc, configure the virtual
machine to use a physical CD-ROM or DVD drive and configure the drive to connect at power
on.

a Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

b On the Hardware tab, select CD/DVD drive.

c Select Connect at power on.

d Select Use physical drive and select a the drive.

e Click OK to save your changes.

2 If you are installing the guest operating system from an ISO image file, configure the CD/DVD
drive in the virtual machine to point to the ISO image file and configure the drive to connect
at power on.

a Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

b On the Hardware tab, select CD/DVD drive.

c Select Connect at power on.

d Select Use ISO image file and browse to the location of the ISO image file.

e Click OK to save your changes.

3 If you are installing the guest operating system from an installer disc, insert the disc in the CD-
ROM or DVD drive.

4 Power on the virtual machine.

5 Follow the installation instructions provided by the operating system vendor.

6 If the operating system consists of multiple installer discs and you are prompted to insert the
next disc, insert the next disc in the physical drive.

7 If the operating system consists of multiple ISO image files, select the image file for the next
CD.

a Select Player > Removable Devices > CD/DVD > Disconnect and disconnect from the
current ISO image file..

b Select Player > Removable Devices > CD/DVD > Settings and select the next ISO image
file.

c Select Connected and click OK.

8 Use the standard tools in the operating system to configure its settings.

What to do next

Install VMware Tools. You should install VMware Tools before you activate the license for the
operating system. See Installing VMware Tools.

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Importing Virtual Machines

You can import virtual machines in other formats into Workstation Player.

Import an Open Virtualization Format Virtual Machine

You can import an Open Virtualization Format (OVF) virtual machine and run it in Workstation
Player. Workstation Player converts the virtual machine from OVF format to VMware runtime
(.vmx) format. You can import both .ovf and .ova files.

OVF is a platform-independent, efficient, extensible, and open packaging and distribution format
for virtual machines. For example, you can import OVF virtual machines exported from VMware
Fusion™ or Oracle VM VirtualBox into Workstation Player. You can import OVF 1.x files only.

You can also use the standalone OVF Tool to convert an OVF virtual machine to VMware runtime
format. The standalone version of the OVF Tool is installed in the Workstation Player installation
directory under OVFTool. See the OVF Tool User Guide on the VMware Web site for information
on using the OVF Tool.

Procedure

1 In Workstation Player, select Player > File > Open.

2 Browse to the .ovf or .ova file and click Open.

3 Type a name for the virtual machine, type or browse to the directory for the virtual machine
files, and click Import.

Workstation Player performs OVF specification conformance and virtual hardware

compliance checks. A status bar indicates the progress of the import process.

4 If the import fails, click Retry to try again, or click Cancel to cancel the import.

If you retry the import, Workstation Player relaxes the OVF specification conformance and
virtual hardware compliance checks and you might not be able to use the virtual machine in
Workstation Player.

Results

After Workstation Player successfully imports the OVF virtual machine, the virtual machine
appears in the virtual machine library.

Import a VMware vCenter Server Appliance

You can import a VMware vCenter® Server Appliance™ and run it in Workstation Player. You can
import both .ovf and .ova files.

Procedure

1 In Workstation Player, select Player > File > Open.

2 Browse to the vCenter Server Appliance .ovf or .ova file and click Open.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

3 Select the license agreement check box and click Next.

4 Continue through the wizard, responding to prompts and clicking through to the next dialog
box.

5 If the import fails, click Retry to try again, or click Cancel to cancel the import.

If you retry the import, Workstation Player relaxes the OVF specification conformance and
virtual hardware compliance checks and you might not be able to use the virtual machine in
Workstation Player.

Results

After Workstation Player successfully imports the vCenter Server Appliance as a virtual machine,
the virtual machine appears in the virtual machine library. Workstation Player then powers on the
virtual machine and applies the vCenter Server Appliance configuration.

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Running Workstation on a Hyper-
V Enabled Host 5
The traditional implementation of Workstation Player relies on direct access to specific hardware
features of the x86 microprocessor.

These features, generally called Intel VT or AMD-V, are also used by recent versions of Windows
that support Hyper-V. Also, it is not possible to run traditional Workstation Player on a Windows
host with the Hyper-V capability enabled because some Windows features like the virtualization-
based security (or VBS), are built on top of Hyper-V. Therefore, a VBS-enabled Windows host is
also incompatible with traditional Workstation Player.

Note This feature is only available in 15.5.5 version of Workstation Player.

System Requirements
Processor Requirements for Host System

n Intel Sandy Bridge or newer CPU

n AMD Bulldozer or newer CPU

Supported Host Operating Systems

n Windows 10 20H1 build 19041.264 or newer

Note For all other Windows host versions, Hyper-V must be disabled for Workstation Player to
power on VMs.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Host VBS Mode on Workstation

n Host VBS Mode Compatibility with Windows Version

n Limitations of Host VBS Mode

n Limitations in the VMs Suspend/Resume Operation

Host VBS Mode on Workstation

A special mode of operation called Host VBS Mode is introduced so Workstation Player can work
with Windows.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

In the Host VBS Mode, Workstation Player uses a set of newly introduced Windows 10 features
(Windows Hypervisor Platform) that permits the use of VT/AMD-V features, which enables
Workstation Player and Hyper-V to coexist. And because VBS is built on Hyper-V, Windows
hosts with VBS enabled can now power on VM in Workstation Player successfully.

Host VBS Mode Compatibility with Windows Version

Host VBS Mode is automatically enabled whenever Workstation Player is launched on a suitably
capable Windows 10 (or later) host with Hyper-V enabled.

If Hyper-V is disabled, Workstation Player operates in its traditional mode. And if Hyper-V is
enabled, but the WHP feature is not sufficiently recent or not installed, Workstation Player fails to
start.

Note WHP is not supported on the Windows Server editions. Therefore, Workstation Player
host VBS mode is not available on these editions.

Limitations of Host VBS Mode

A Workstation Player VM running in Host VBS Mode has functional limitations when compared to
the VM running in traditional mode.

Depending on the workload, a Host VBS Mode VM can run slower when compared to a VM in
traditional mode. The limitations and use overhead introduced by the WHP feature set causes
these issues.

Here is a list of functional limitations of a Workstation Player VM running in Host VBS Mode:

n Nested VMs are not supported:

x86 virtualization features (Intel VT / AMD-V) are unavailable to a guest running on a Host
VBS Mode VM. Therefore such VMs cannot themselves run Windows with Hyper-V or VBS
enabled.

n PMCs are not supported:

x86 performance monitoring counters (PMCs) are unavailable.

n RTM and HLE are not supported:

Restricted transactional memory and hardware lock elision capabilities are not available.

n PKU is not supported:

User-mode protection keys capability is not available.

Limitations in the VMs Suspend/Resume Operation

When Resuming a suspended VM or reverting to a snapshot created in power-on or suspend
states, Workstation Player compares the CPU features with which the VM was created against
the features actually available to the host environment running Workstation Player.

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If features requested during the VM creation are unavailable on the host environment, the VM
resume operation fails. This ensures that a guest does not attempt to use unimplemented
features. Because some CPU features are not supported in Host VBS Mode, attempting to
resume suspended VMs or snapshots that were initially created on previous versions of
Workstation Player may fail.

For example, consider a physical PC that supports the RTM feature. A VM created with RTM
enabled, will power on with RTM available to it, when Workstation Player is running in traditional
mode. However, the same VM running on the same PC will power on with RTM disabled, if
Workstation Player is in Host VBS Mode. This is because, as previously listed in the functional
limitations list, Host VBS Mode does not support RTM.

Now consider a suspended VM which has a particular feature enabled is resumed some time
later. If the particular feature is not available on the host environment of the resumed VM, the
expected behavior is that the resume operation fails.

Note The resume operation can fail on the same physical hardware, when the VM is suspended
while operating in traditional mode and the resumed while in Host VBS Mode.

For example:

1 Create a VM with RTM enabled.

2 Start Workstation Player with Hyper-V disabled and power on the VM on a physical hardware
that supports RTM.

3 Suspend the VM at some point after it is powered on.

4 Enable Hyper-V. (The physical machine must be rebooted and Workstation Player must be
relaunched.)

5 Resume the suspended VM.

6 The resume operation fails.

Even though the physical hardware is the same, the resume operation fails because RTM is no
longer supported in Host VBS Mode.

Note If the VM is launched with Hyper-V enabled, the VM will not have the RTM capability, and
so the suspended image created will also be RTM-free. Regardless of whether Hyper-V is
disabled or left enabled, the resume VM operation will succeed.

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Installing and Upgrading VMware
Tools 6
Installing VMware Tools is part of the process of creating a new virtual machine. Upgrading
VMware Tools is part of the process of keeping virtual machines up to current standards.

For the best performance and latest updates, install or upgrade VMware Tools to match the
version of Workstation Player that you are using. Other compatibility options are also available.

For more information about using VMware Tools, see Installing and Configuring VMware Tools at
http://www.vmware.com/pdf/vmware-tools-installation-configuration.pdf.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Installing VMware Tools

n Upgrading VMware Tools

n Configure Software Update Preferences

n Configure VMware Tools Updates for a Specific Virtual Machine

n Manually Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools

n Starting the VMware User Process Manually If You Do Not Use a Session Manager

n Uninstalling VMware Tools

Installing VMware Tools

Installing VMware Tools is part of the process of creating a new virtual machine, and upgrading
VMware Tools is part of the process of keeping your virtual machine up to current standards.
Although your guest operating systems can run without VMware Tools, many VMware features
are not available until you install VMware Tools. When you install VMware Tools, the utilities in
the suite enhance the performance of the guest operating system in your virtual machine and
improve the management of your virtual machines.

For information about creating virtual machines, see the documentation for the applicable
VMware product.

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The installers for VMware Tools are ISO image files. The CD-ROM in your guest operating system
detects the ISO image file. Each type of guest operating system, including Windows, Linux, and
Mac OS X, has an ISO image file. When you select the command to install or upgrade VMware
Tools, the virtual machine’s first virtual CD-ROM disk drive temporarily connects to the VMware
Tools ISO file for your guest operating system.

You can use the Windows Easy Install or Linux Easy Install feature to install VMware Tools as
soon as the operating system is finished installing.

The most recent versions of the ISO files are stored on a VMware Web site. When you select the
command to install or upgrade VMware Tools, the VMware product determines whether it has
downloaded the most recent version of the ISO file for the specific operating system. If the latest
version has not been downloaded or if no VMware Tools ISO file for that operating system has
ever been downloaded, you are prompted to download the file.

n VMware Tools installer from windows.iso automatically detects the windows version. It does
not proceed with the installation on guest operating systems earlier than Windows Vista.

n VMware Tools installer from winPreVista.iso does not proceed with the installation on
Windows Vista and later.

n VMware Tools installer from linux.iso does not proceed with installation on Linux guest
operating system versions earlier than RHEL5, SLES 11, Ubuntu 10.04, and other Linux
distributions with glibc version earlier than 2.5.

n VMware Tools installer from darwinPre15.iso does not proceed with installation on MAC OS
X guest operating systems versions 10.11 or later.

n VMware Tools installer from darwin.iso does not proceed with installation on MAC OS X
guest operating systems versions earlier than 10.11.

The installation procedure varies, depending on the operating system. For information about
installing or upgrading VMware Tools on your guest operating systems, see the topic about
upgrading virtual machines in the Virtual Machine Administration Guide. For general instructions
about installing VMware Tools, see the VMware Knowledge base article http://
kb.vmware.com/kb/1014294.

Upgrading VMware Tools

You can upgrade VMware Tools manually, or you can configure virtual machines to check for and
install newer versions of VMware Tools.

The guest operating system checks the version of VMware Tools when you power on a virtual
machine. The status bar of your virtual machine displays a message when a new version is
available.

For vSphere virtual machines,

A newer version of Tools is available for this VM

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

is displayed when the installed version of VMware Tools is out of date.

In Windows virtual machines, you can set VMware Tools to notify you when an upgrade is
available. If this notification option is enabled, the VMware Tools icon in the Windows taskbar
includes a yellow caution icon when a VMware Tools upgrade is available.

To install a VMware Tools upgrade, you can use the same procedure that you used for installing
VMware Tools the first time. Upgrading VMware Tools means installing a new version.

For Windows and Linux guest operating systems, you can configure the virtual machine to
automatically upgrade VMware Tools. Although the version check is performed when you power
on the virtual machine, on Windows guest operating systems, the automatic upgrade occurs
when you power off or restart the virtual machine. The status bar displays the message
Installing VMware Tools ... when an upgrade is in progress. The procedure is mentioned
below.

Note Upgrading VMware Tools on Windows guest operation systems automatically installs the
WDDM graphics drivers. The WDDM graphics driver allows the sleep mode available in guest OS
power settings to adjust the sleep options. For example, you can use the sleep mode setting
Change when the computer sleeps to configure your guest OS to automatically go to sleep
mode after a certain time or prevent your guest OS from automatically switching to sleep mode
after being idle for some time.

Some features in a particular release of a VMware product might depend on installing or

upgrading to the version of VMware Tools included in that release. Upgrading to the latest
version of VMware Tools is not always necessary. Newer versions of VMware Tools are
compatible with several host versions. To avoid unnecessary upgrades, evaluate whether the
added features and capabilities are necessary for your environment.

Configure Software Update Preferences

You can configure Workstation Player to automatically download software updates, including
new versions of VMware Tools. When you select automatic software updates, Workstation
Player always includes the latest support for guest operating systems and virtual machines
always have the latest version of VMware Tools.

Procedure

1 Select Player > File > Preferences.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

2 Select when Workstation Player checks for software updates.

You can select one, both, or neither option. If you deselect all of the software update options,
automatic software updates are disabled.

Option Description

Check for product updates on Checks for new versions of Workstation Player available to download and
startup install when you start Workstation Player. This option is enabled by default.
If you do not select this option, your system does not get the latest product
updates.

Check for software components as When a software component is required, for example, when you install
needed VMware Tools, Workstation Player checks for a new version of the
component.

Download All Components Now Immediately download all of the available software components to the host
system. This option is useful if you are planning to use the virtual machine at
a later time when you do not have access to the Internet.

3 If you use a proxy server to connect to the VMware Update Server, click Connection Settings
to configure the proxy settings.

Option Description

No proxy Select this option if you do not use a proxy server. This is the default setting.

Windows proxy settings Workstation Player uses the host proxy settings from the Connections tab in
the Internet Options control panel to access the VMware Update Server.
a Click Internet Options to set the guest connection options.
b Type a user name and password to use for proxy server authentication.
If you leave either the Username or the Password text box blank,
Workstation Player does not use either value.

Manual proxy settings a Select HTTP or SOCKS, specify the proxy server address and designate
a port number to access the VMware Update Sever.
b Type a username and password to use for proxy authentication.
If you leave either the Username or the Password text box blank,
Workstation Player does not use either value (Windows hosts) or it uses the
username and password set in the gnome settings (Linux hosts).

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Configure VMware Tools Updates for a Specific Virtual

Machine
You can configure virtual machines that have Windows or Linux guest operating systems to
update VMware Tools automatically. For other guest operating systems, you must manually
update VMware Tools.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Automatic VMware Tools updates are supported for versions of VMware Tools included in
Workstation 5.5 and later virtual machines only. Automatic updates are not supported for
versions of VMware Tools included in virtual machines created with VMware Server 1.x.

Important If you update VMware Tools in a Windows virtual machine that was created with
Workstation 4 or 5.x, some new components are not installed. To install the new components,
you must uninstall the old version of VMware Tools and install the new version of VMware Tools.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select VMware Tools.

3 Select a VMware Tools update setting.

Option Description

Update manually (do nothing) You must update VMware Tools manually. The virtual machine status bar
indicates when a new version of VMware Tools is available.

Update automatically VMware Tools is updated automatically. The virtual machine status bar
indicates when an update is in progress. If you are logged in to a Windows
guest, a restart prompt appears after the update is complete. If you are not
logged in, the operating system restarts without prompting. An auto-update
check is performed as part of the boot sequence when you power on the
virtual machine. If the virtual machine was suspended and you resume it or
restore it to a snapshot during the boot sequence before this check, the
automatic update occurs as planned. If you resume the virtual machine or
restore it to a snapshot after the check, the automatic update does not
occur.

Use application default (currently Use the default VMware Tools update behavior. The default behavior is set
update manually) in Workstation Player preferences.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Manually Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools

You can manually install or upgrade VMware Tools on Windows, Linux, NetWare, Solaris, and
FreeBSD virtual machines.

If you are installing VMware Tools in a number of Windows virtual machines, you can automate
its installation by using the VMware Tools setup.exe at a command prompt in the guest
operating system. See Installing and Configuring VMware Tools at http://www.vmware.com/pdf/
vmware-tools-installation-configuration.pdffor more information.

Manually Installing VMware Tools on a Windows Virtual Machine

Guest operating system Windows 2000 and earlier, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003,
Windows Vista, and later support VMware Tools.

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Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n Verify that the guest operating system is running.

n If you connected the virtual machine’s virtual CD/DVD drive to an ISO image file when you
installed the operating system, change the setting so that the virtual CD/DVD drive is
configured to autodetect a physical drive.

The autodetect setting enables the virtual machine's first virtual CD/DVD drive to detect and
connect to the VMware Tools ISO file for a VMware Tools installation. This ISO file is detected
as a physical CD by your guest operating system. Use the virtual machine settings editor to
set the CD/DVD drive to autodetect a physical drive.

n Log in as an administrator unless you are using an older Windows operating system. Any user
can install VMware Tools in a Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows ME guest operating
system. For operating systems later than these, you must log in as an administrator.

n The AppDefense component is not installed by default. You must perform a custom
installation and include that component.

Procedure

1 On the host, from the Workstation Player menu bar, select Player > Manage > Install VMware
Tools.

If an earlier version of VMware Tools is installed, the menu item is Update VMware Tools.

2 If you are installing VMware Tools for the first time, click OK on the Install VMware Tools
information page.

If autorun is enabled for the CD-ROM drive on the guest operating system, the VMware Tools
installation wizard starts.
If autorun is not enabled, to manually launch the wizard, click Start > Run and enter
D:\setup.exe, where D: is your first virtual CD-ROM drive. Use D:\setup64.exe for 64-bit
Windows guest operating system.

3 Follow the on-screen prompts.

4 If the New Hardware wizard appears, follow the prompts and accept the defaults.

Note If you are installing a beta or RC version of VMware Tools and you see a warning that a
package or driver is not signed, click Install Anyway to complete the installation.

5 When prompted, reboot the virtual machine.

Results

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What to do next

If a new virtual hardware version is available for the virtual machine, upgrade the virtual
hardware.

Manually Installing VMware Tools on a Linux Virtual Machine

It is recommended that you use Open VM Tools in Linux virtual machines.

For more information about Linux distributions supported by Open VM Tools, see https://
github.com/vmware/open-vm-tools/blob/master/README.md and the VMware Compatibility
Guide at https://www.vmware.com/resources/compatibility/search.php.

VMware Tar Tool for Linux virtual machine is feature-frozen at version 10.3.10, so the tar tools
(linux.iso) included in Workstation Player is 10.3.10 and will not be updated. Due to this change,
the Install/Update/Reinstall VMware Tools menu is disabled for the following Linux virtual
machines:

n Modern Linux distributions not officially supported by tar tools.

n Red Hat Enterprise Linux 8 and later releases.

n CentOS 8 and later releases.

n Oracle Linux 8 and later releases.

n SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 and later releases.

n Linux kernel version is 4.0 or later, and the version of the installed Open VM Tools is 10.0.0 or
later.

n Linux kernel version is 3.10 or later, and the version of the installed Open VM Tools is 10.3.0 or
later.

For the Linux virtual machines that have Open VM Tools installed but are not in the scope
mentioned in the preceding bullet, Install/Update/Reinstall VMware Tools menu is enabled, so
that you can install bundled tar tools on top of Open VM Tools to get Shared Folder (HGFS)
feature support.

For old Linux virtual machines not supported by Open VM Tools, perform the following steps to
install tar tools.

Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n Verify that the guest operating system is running.

n Because the VMware Tools installer is written in Perl, verify that Perl is installed in the guest
operating system.

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Procedure

1 On the host, from the Workstation Player menu bar, select Player > Manage > Install VMware
Tools.

If an earlier version of VMware Tools is installed, the menu item is Update VMware Tools.

2 In the virtual machine, open a terminal window.

3 Run the mount command with no arguments to determine whether your Linux distribution
automatically mounted the VMware Tools virtual CD-ROM image.

If the CD-ROM device is mounted, the CD-ROM device and its mount point are listed in a
manner similar to the following output:

/dev/cdrom on /mnt/cdrom type iso9660 (ro,nosuid,nodev)

4 If the VMware Tools virtual CD-ROM image is not mounted, mount the CD-ROM drive.

a If a mount point directory does not already exist, create it.

mkdir /mnt/cdrom

Some Linux distributions use different mount point names. For example, on some
distributions the mount point is /media/VMware Tools rather than /mnt/cdrom. Modify the
command to reflect the conventions that your distribution uses.

b Mount the CD-ROM drive.

mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

Some Linux distributions use different device names or organize the /dev directory
differently. If your CD-ROM drive is not /dev/cdrom or if the mount point for a CD-ROM is
not /mnt/cdrom, modify the command to reflect the conventions that your distribution
uses.

5 Change to a working directory, for example, /tmp.

cd /tmp

6 (Optional) Delete any previous vmware-tools-distrib directory before you install VMware
Tools.

The location of this directory depends on where you placed it during the previous installation.
Often this directory is placed in /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib.

7 List the contents of the mount point directory and note the file name of the VMware Tools tar
installer.

ls mount-point

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8 Uncompress the installer.

tar zxpf /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-x.x.x-yyyy.tar.gz

The value x.x.x is the product version number, and yyyy is the build number of the product
release.

9 If necessary, unmount the CD-ROM image.

umount /dev/cdrom

If your Linux distribution automatically mounted the CD-ROM, you do not need to unmount
the image.

10 Run the installer and configure VMware Tools as a root user

cd vmware-tools-distrib
sudo ./vmware-install.pl

Usually, the vmware-config-tools.pl configuration file runs after the installer file finishes
running. If you attempt to install a tar installation over an RPM installation, or the reverse, the
installer detects the previous installation and must convert the installer database format
before continuing.

Note For newer Linux distributions, users are prompted to choose the integrated open-vm-
tools.

11 Follow the prompts to accept the default values, if appropriate for your configuration.

12 Follow the instructions at the end of the script.

Depending on the features you use, these instructions can include restarting the X session,
restarting networking, logging in again, and starting the VMware User process. You can
alternatively reboot the guest operating system to accomplish all these tasks.

What to do next

If a new virtual hardware version is available for the virtual machine, upgrade the virtual
hardware.

Manually Installing VMware Tools on a NetWare Virtual Machine

For NetWare virtual machines, you manually install or upgrade VMware Tools by using the
command line.

Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n Verify that the guest operating system is running.

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n Because the VMware Tools installer is written in Perl, verify that Perl is installed in the guest
operating system.

Note VMware Tools 10.1.0 does not support the NetWare operating system.

Procedure

1 On the host, from the Workstation Player menu bar, select Player > Manage > Install VMware
Tools.

If an earlier version of VMware Tools is installed, the menu item is Update VMware Tools.

2 Load the CD-ROM driver so that the virtual CD-ROM device mounts the ISO image as a
volume.

Operating System Command

NetWare 6.5 LOAD CDDVD

NetWare 6.0 or NetWare 5.1 LOAD CD9660.NSS

NetWare 4.2 (not available in load cdrom

vSphere)

When the installation finishes, the message VMware Tools for NetWare are now running
appears in the Logger Screen for NetWare 6.5 and NetWare 6.0 guest operating systems
and in the Console Screen for NetWare 4.2 and 5.1 operating systems.

3 If the VMware Tools virtual disc (netware.iso) is attached to the virtual machine, right-click
the CD-ROM icon in the status bar of the console window and select Disconnect.

What to do next

If a new virtual hardware version is available for the virtual machine, upgrade the virtual
hardware.

Manually Installing VMware Tools on a Solaris Virtual Machine

For Solaris virtual machines, you manually install or upgrade VMware Tools by using the
command line.

Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n Verify that the guest operating system is running.

n Because the VMware Tools installer is written in Perl, verify that Perl is installed in the guest
operating system.

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Procedure

1 On the host, from the Workstation Player menu bar, select Player > Manage > Install VMware
Tools.

If an earlier version of VMware Tools is installed, the menu item is Update VMware Tools.

2 In the virtual machine, log in to the guest operating system as root and open a terminal
window.

3 If the Solaris volume manager does not mount the CD-ROM under /cdrom/vmwaretools,
restart the volume manager.

/etc/init.d/volmgt stop
/etc/init.d/volmgt start

4 Change to a working directory, for example, /tmp.

cd /tmp

5 Extract VMware Tools.

gunzip -c /cdrom/vmwaretools/vmware-solaris-tools.tar.gz | tar xf -

6 Run the installer and configure VMware Tools.

cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl

Usually, the vmware-config-tools.pl configuration file runs after the installer file finishes
running.

7 Follow the prompts to accept the default values, if appropriate for your configuration.

8 Follow the instructions at the end of the script.

Depending on the features you use, these instructions can include restarting the X session,
restarting networking, logging in again, and starting the VMware User process. You can
alternatively reboot the guest operating system to accomplish all these tasks.

Results

What to do next

If a new virtual hardware version is available for the virtual machine, upgrade the virtual
hardware.

Manually Installing VMware Tools on a FreeBSD Virtual Machine

For FreeBSD virtual machines, you manually install or upgrade VMware Tools by using the
command line.

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n Verify that the guest operating system is running.

n Because the VMware Tools installer is written in Perl, verify that Perl is installed in the guest
operating system.

Procedure

1 On the host, from the Workstation Player menu bar, select Player > Manage > Install VMware
Tools.

If an earlier version of VMware Tools is installed, the menu item is Update VMware Tools.

2 In the virtual machine, log in to the guest operating system as root and open a terminal
window.

3 If the distribution does not automatically mount CD-ROMs, mount the VMware Tools virtual
CD-ROM image.

For example, type mount /cdrom.

4 Change to a working directory, for example, /tmp.

cd /tmp

5 Untar the VMware Tools .tar.gz file.

tar zxpf /cdrom/vmware-freebsd-tools.tar.gz

6 If the distribution does not use automounting, unmount the VMware Tools virtual CD-ROM
image.

umount /cdrom

7 Run the installer and configure VMware Tools.

cd vmware-tools-distrib
./vmware-install.pl

Usually, the vmware-config-tools.pl configuration file runs after the installer file finishes
running.

8 Follow the prompts to accept the default values, if appropriate for your configuration.

9 Follow the instructions at the end of the script.

Depending on the features you use, these instructions can include restarting the X session,
restarting networking, logging in again, and starting the VMware User process. You can
alternatively reboot the guest operating system to accomplish all these tasks.

Results

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Using VMware Workstation Player for Windows

What to do next

If a new virtual hardware version is available for the virtual machine, upgrade the virtual
hardware.

Starting the VMware User Process Manually If You Do Not

Use a Session Manager
VMware Tools in Linux, Solaris, and FreeBSD guest operating systems uses the VMware user
process. This program implements the fit-guest-to-window and other features.

Normally, this process starts after you configure VMware Tools, log out of the desktop
environment, and log back in. You can invoke the VMware user process by running the vmtoolsd
-n vmusr command. The startup script that you need to modify depends on your system. You
must start the process manually in the following environments:

n If you run an X session without a session manager. For example, if you use startx to start a
desktop session and do not use xdm, kdm, or gdm.

n If you are using an older version of GNOME without gdm or xdm.

n If you are using a session manager or environment that does not support the Desktop
Application Autostart Specification, available from http://standards.freedesktop.org.

n If you upgrade VMware Tools.

Procedure

u Start the VMware User process.

Option Action

Start the VMware User process Add vmtoolsd -n vmusr to the appropriate X startup script, such as
when you start an X session. the .xsession or .xinitrc file.

Start the process after a VMware Open a terminal window and type the vmtoolsd -n vmusr command.
Tools software upgrade, or if certain
features are not working.

Uninstalling VMware Tools

If the upgrade process of VMware Tools is incomplete, you can uninstall and then reinstall the
VMware Tools.

Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n Log in to the guest operating system.

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Procedure

u Select a method to uninstall VMware Tools.

Operating System Action

Windows 7, 8, 8.1, or Windows 10 In the guest operating system, select Programs > Uninstall a program.

Windows Vista and Windows Server In the guest operating system, select Programs and Features > Uninstall a
2008 program.

Windows XP and earlier In the guest operating system, select Add/Remove Programs.

Linux Log in as root and enter vmware-uninstall-tools.pl in a terminal window.

Mac OS X, OS X, or macOS Use the Uninstall VMware Tools application, found in /Library/
Application Support/VMware Tools.

What to do next

Reinstall VMware Tools.

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Starting and Stopping Virtual
Machines in Workstation Player 7
You can use Workstation Player to start and stop virtual machines on the host system.

When you start a virtual machine, the guest operating system starts and you can interact with
the virtual machine. You can power off, reset, and suspend virtual machines.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Start a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

n Start an Encrypted Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

n Download a Virtual Appliance in Workstation Player

n Power Off a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

n Remove a Virtual Machine from the Library in Workstation Player

n Use Ctrl+Alt+Delete to Shut Down a Guest

n Suspend and Resume a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

n Reset a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

n Enable Autologon in a Windows Virtual Machine

n Set Workstation Player Preferences for Virtual Machine Closing Behavior

Start a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

You can start a virtual machine from the Workstation Player window.

Prerequisites

Verify that the virtual machine files are accessible to the host system.

Procedure

1 If the virtual machine does not appear in the library, select Player > File > Open.

2 Browse to and select the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file, and click Open.

The virtual machine appears in the library.

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3 Select the virtual machine in the library and select Player > Power > Power On.

4 Click anywhere inside the virtual machine console to give the virtual machine control of the
mouse and keyboard on the host system.

5 Log in to the guest operating system.

Start an Encrypted Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

An encrypted virtual machine is a virtual machine that has been secured from unauthorized use.
A lock icon appears next to an encrypted virtual machine in the virtual machine library.

Note You cannot create encrypted virtual machines in Workstation Player. You can only create
encrypted virtual machines using VMware Workstation 7.x and later or VMware Fusion 7.x and
later.

Prerequisites

Obtain the encryption password for the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine in the library and select Player > Power > Power On.

2 Type the encryption password.

3 Click Continue to start the virtual machine.

Download a Virtual Appliance in Workstation Player

You can download a virtual appliance in Workstation Player. A virtual appliance is a prebuilt,
preconfigured, and ready-to-run software application that is packaged with the operating system
in a virtual machine.

Procedure

u Select Player > File > Download a Virtual Appliance.

Results

A Web browser opens to the Virtual Appliance Marketplace page on the VMware Web site. You
can browse to and download virtual appliances from this page.

Power Off a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

As with physical computers, you should shut down a guest operating system before you power
off a virtual machine.

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Procedure

u To shut down the guest operating system, shut down the operating system as you would if
you were using a physical machine.

When the guest operating system shuts down, the virtual machine is powered off and
Workstation Player exits.

u To power off a virtual machine without shutting down the guest operating system, select
Player > Power > Power Off.

If soft power operations are configured for the virtual machine when the virtual machine is
first created, Power Off Guest appears in the menu instead of Power Off.

Remove a Virtual Machine from the Library in Workstation

Player
When you open a virtual machine in Workstation Player, it is added to the virtual machine library.
You can remove a virtual machine that you are not using from the library.

Removing a virtual machine from the library does not delete the virtual machine or any of its files
from the host file system. The virtual machine is removed only from the library. If you open the
virtual machine again, the virtual machine is added back to the library.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

u Select the virtual machine, right-click, and select Remove VM from the Library.

Results

The virtual machine is removed from the library without any confirmation.

Use Ctrl+Alt+Delete to Shut Down a Guest

You can use the Ctrl+Alt+Delete key sequence to shut down or log off of a guest operating
system.

Prerequisites

Power on the virtual machine.

Procedure

u Select the virtual machine and select Player > Send Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

This option is the same as pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete on your keyboard. On Windows hosts,
using the physical keyboard to press Ctrl+Alt+Delete might send the command to the host
operating system and the virtual machine, even when Workstation Player has control of input.

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u If the command is received by both the host operating system and the virtual machine, press
Ctrl+Alt+Ins on the keyboard.

The command is received solely by the virtual machine and shuts down or logs out of the
guest operating system.

Suspend and Resume a Virtual Machine in Workstation

Player
Suspending a virtual machine saves its current state. When you resume the virtual machine,
applications that were running before the virtual machine was suspended resume in their running
state and their content is unchanged.

How quickly the suspend and resume operations perform depends on how much data changed
after you started the virtual machine. The first suspend typically takes longer than subsequent
suspend operations.

Procedure

u To suspend a virtual machine, select Player > Power > Suspend and click Yes to confirm.

If soft power operations are configured for the virtual machine when the virtual machine is
first created, Suspend Guest appears in the menu instead of Suspend.

Workstation Player returns the virtual machine to the library in the Suspended state.

u To resume a suspended virtual machine, select the virtual machine and select Player > Power
> Power On.

u To set the Workstation Player preferences to suspend the virtual machine when you close
the virtual machine window, select Player > File > Preferences and then select Suspend the
virtual machine.

Reset a Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

You can reset a virtual machine in Workstation Player. Resetting a virtual machine causes it to
abruptly power off and restart.

Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n Verify that the virtual machine is in a safe state. Resetting a virtual machine can damage data.
When possible, shut down the virtual machine with its operating system.

Procedure

u Select Player > Power > Reset.

If soft power operations are configured for the virtual machine in Workstation Player, Reset
Guest appears in the menu instead of Reset.

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Enable Autologon in a Windows Virtual Machine

With Autologon, you can save your login credentials and bypass the login dialog box when you
power on a Windows virtual machine. The guest operating system securely stores the password.

Use the Autologon feature if you restart the guest operating system frequently and want to
avoid entering your login credentials. You can also use the Autologon feature to grant users
access to the guest operating system without sharing your password.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the guest operating system is Windows 2000 or later.

n Verify that you have an existing user account to enable Autologon. The account must be a
local machine account, not a domain account.

n Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is running in the guest operating system.

n Power on the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select Autologon.

3 Click Enable, type your login credentials, and click OK.

If you type an incorrect or expired password, you must type your login credentials when you
power on the virtual machine.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

When you enable Autologon or change your login credentials, the Autologon settings are
saved immediately. Clicking Cancel in the Virtual Machine Settings dialog box does not affect
the changes applied to the Autologon settings.

Set Workstation Player Preferences for Virtual Machine

Closing Behavior
You can configure how virtual machines behave when you close them.

Procedure

1 Select Player > File > Preferences.

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2 Select how Workstation Player behaves when you close a virtual machine.

You can select one, both, or neither option.

Option Description

Confirm before closing a virtual Confirm whether you intend to exit Workstation Player or click Cancel to
machine continue using Workstation Player

Return to the VM Library after Workstation Player either suspends or powers off the virtual machine and
closing a virtual machine returns it to the virtual machine library. From the library, you can either open
another virtual machine or edit the virtual machine settings.

3 Select whether Workstation Player suspends or powers off a virtual machine when you close
it.

Option Description

Suspend the virtual machine Workstation Player suspends the virtual machine. The next time you start
Workstation Player, the virtual machine resumes operation from the point
where it was suspended.

Power off the virtual machine Workstation Player powers off the virtual machine. The next time you start
Workstation Player, the virtual machine starts from a powered-off state and
the guest operating system starts.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

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Changing the Virtual Machine
Display 8
You can change the way Workstation Player displays virtual machines and virtual machine
applications. You can use full screen mode to make the virtual machine display fill the screen and
use multiple monitors.

You can also use Unity mode to display applications directly on the host system desktop.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Configure Display Settings for a Virtual Machine

n Use Full Screen Mode in Workstation Player

n Use Unity Mode

n Use Multiple Monitors for One Virtual Machine in Workstation Player

Configure Display Settings for a Virtual Machine

You can specify monitor resolution settings, configure multiple monitors, and select accelerated
graphics capabilities for a virtual machine. You can use the multiple-monitor feature when the
virtual machine is in full screen mode.

For Windows guests, to use DirectX 9 accelerated graphics, the guest operating system must be
Windows XP or later. To use DirectX 10 accelerated graphics, the guest operating system must
be Windows Vista or later. To use DirectX 10.1 or DirectX 11 accelerated graphics, the guest
operating system must be Windows 7 or later.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system.

n Verify that the guest operating system in the virtual machine is Windows XP or later, or Linux.

n If you plan to use DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 10.1, or DirectX 11 accelerated graphics,
prepare the host system. See Prepare the Host System to Use 3D Accelerated Graphics.

n If the guest operating system is Windows 7 or later and you want Workstation Player to
automatically adjust the virtual machine user interface size, update VMware Tools in the
guest to the newest version.

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n If you are using Windows 8.1 (Update 2) or Windows 10, Workstation Player detects the DPI
on each monitor and scales the virtual machine to match the DPI on the host.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Display.

3 (Optional) To run applications that use DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 10.1 or DirectX 11
accelerated graphics, select Accelerate 3D graphics.

4 Specify whether host settings determine the number of monitors.

Option Description

Use host setting for monitors When you select this setting, the SVGA driver uses a maximum bounding
box width of 7680 and a maximum bounding box height of 4320. The virtual
machine uses the number of monitors on the host system. The guest
monitors cannot exceed the maximum bounding box that the SVGA driver
uses, 7680x4320. You should select this setting in most cases.

Specify monitor settings Set the number of monitors that the virtual machine will see, regardless of
the number of monitors on the host system. This setting is useful if you use a
multimonitor host system and you need to test in a virtual machine that has
only one monitor. It is also useful if you are developing a multimonitor
application in a virtual machine and the host system has only one monitor.
After you power on the virtual machine, the guest operating system sees
the number of monitors that you specified. Select a resolution from the list
or type a setting that has the format width x height, where width and height
are the number of pixels.

5 (Optional) Select the maximum amount of guest memory that can be used for graphics
memory using the drop-down menu. The default value of video memory varies by guest OS.

Guest OS Default HW Version

Windows 7 and later 1 GB HW-v18 earlier

Windows XP and earlier 512 MB HW-v18 earlier

Linux 768 MB HW-v18 earlier

All OS types 8 GB HW-v18 and later

Note If you manually edited the .vmx file to change the memory size for the virtual machine,
the value you entered in the .vmx file is displayed, labeled Custom.

6 To enable display scaling for a virtual machine with a Windows 7 or later guest, select
Automatically adjust user interface size in the virtual machine.

7 Click OK to save your changes.

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Use Full Screen Mode in Workstation Player

In full screen mode, the virtual machine display fills the screen, so that you cannot see the
borders of the Workstation Player window.

Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n Verify that the guest operating system display mode is larger than the host system display
mode. If the guest operating system display mode is smaller than the host system display
mode, you might not be able to enter full screen mode. If you cannot enter full screen mode,
add the line mks.maxRefreshRate=1000 to the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file.

n Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system.

n If you are running the virtual machine in full screen mode on a laptop, configure the guest
operating system to report battery information. See Report Battery Information in the Guest.

Procedure

u To enter full screen mode, select the virtual machine and select Player > Full Screen.

u To hide the full screen toolbar and menus while you are using full screen mode, click the push
pin icon and move the pointer off of the toolbar.

This action unpins the toolbar. The toolbar slides up to the top of the monitor and disappears.
To display the toolbar again, point to the top of the screen until the toolbar appears.

u To exit full screen mode and return to windowed mode, select Player > Full Screen from the
full screen toolbar. The check mark next to Full Screen is removed.

Report Battery Information in the Guest

If you run a virtual machine on a laptop in full screen mode, configure the option to report battery
information in the guest so that you can determine when the battery is running low.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select Power.

3 Select Report battery information to guest.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

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Use Unity Mode

You can switch virtual machines that have Windows XP or later guest operating systems to Unity
mode to display applications directly on the host system desktop.

In Unity mode, virtual machine applications appear on the host system desktop, you can use the
virtual machine Start or Applications menu from the host system, and the virtual machine
console view is hidden. Items for open virtual machine applications appear on the host system
taskbar in the same way as open host applications.

On host system and virtual machine applications that are displayed in Unity mode, you can use
keyboard shortcuts to copy, cut, and paste images, plain text, formatted text, and email
attachments between applications. You can also drag and drop and copy and paste files
between the host system and the guest operating system.

If you save a file or attempt to open a file from an application in Unity mode, the file system you
see is the file system inside the virtual machine. You cannot open a file from the host operating
system or save a file to the host operating system.

For some guest operating systems, application windows in Unity mode can appear only on the
monitor that is set as the primary display when you have multiple monitors. If the host and guest
operating systems are Windows XP or later, the application windows can appear on additional
monitors.

Unity mode is not available in full screen mode on Windows.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system.

n Verify that the guest operating system is Windows XP or later.

n Power on the virtual machine.

n If you are entering Unity mode, open applications in the virtual machine to use in Unity mode.

Procedure

u To enter Unity mode, select Player > Unity.

The console view in the Workstation Player window is hidden, and open applications appear
in application windows on the host system desktop. A check mark appears next to Unity in
the menu.

u To display the virtual machine Start menu on a Windows host system, point to the Start
menu on a Windows host system.

u To navigate between multiple Start or Applications menus when multiple virtual machines
are in Unity mode, press the arrow keys, Tab, or Shift+Tab to cycle through the virtual
machine menus and press Enter and the spacebar to select a virtual machine.

u To exit Unity mode, display the Workstation Player window and click Exit Unity in the virtual
machine console view.

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Set Preferences for Unity Mode

You can set preferences for Unity mode to control whether the virtual machine Start or
Applications menu is available from the host system desktop. You can also select the border
color that appears around applications that run in Unity mode when they appear on the host
system desktop.

When you use the virtual machine Start or Applications menu from the host system desktop,
you can start applications in the virtual machine that are not open in Unity mode. If you do not
enable this feature, you must exit Unity mode to display the virtual machine Start or Applications
menu in the console view.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select Unity.

3 Select a Unity window decoration option.

Option Description

Show borders Set a window border that identifies the application as belonging to the
virtual machine rather than to the host computer.

Show badges Display a logo in the title bar.

Use a custom color in window To help distinguish between the application windows that belong to various
borders virtual machines, use a custom color in window borders. For example, you
can set the applications for one virtual machine to have a blue border and
set the applications for another virtual machine to have a yellow border. On
Windows hosts, click Choose color to use the color chooser.

4 To control whether the virtual machine Start or Applications menu is available on the host
system desktop, select or deselect Enable applications menu.

5 Click OK to save your changes.

Create Virtual Machine Application Shortcuts on the Host in Unity

Mode
You can create a shortcut for a virtual machine application on the host system in Unity mode.

You open the application in the same way that you open an application on the host system. You
can open a virtual machine application shortcut from the host system even when the virtual
machine is powered off or suspended.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the virtual machine is configured to display the virtual machine Start or
Application menu on the host system desktop. See Set Preferences for Unity Mode.

n Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is running in the guest operating system.

n Power on the virtual machine.

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Procedure

1 To enter Unity mode, select Player > Unity.

The console view in the Workstation Player window is hidden, and open applications appear
in application windows on the host system desktop. A check mark appears next to Unity in
the menu.

2 Point to the Start button to display the virtual machine Start menu on the host system
desktop, click the Start menu, and select the application.

3 Right-click the application and select Create Shortcut on Desktop, or drag the application to
the host system.

Use Multiple Monitors for One Virtual Machine in

Workstation Player
If the host system has multiple monitors, you can configure a virtual machine to use multiple
monitors. You can use the multiple-monitor feature when the virtual machine is in full screen
mode.

Prerequisites

n Configure multiple monitors for one virtual machine. See Configure Display Settings for a
Virtual Machine.

n Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system.

n Verify that the guest operating system is Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows
8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, or Linux.

n On the host system, verify that the left-most monitor is not placed lower than any other
monitor in the display topology. When you enter full screen mode, the monitor that contains
the window cannot be lower than another monitor.

Procedure

1 Power on the virtual machine and click the maximize button.

2 On the full screen toolbar, click the Cycle multiple monitors button.

On a Windows host, you can mouse over a button on the toolbar to see its name.

If your virtual machine supports more than two monitors, use the Cycle multiple monitors
button to select a configuration with more than two monitors. The monitor in which the virtual
machine entered full screen mode is marked with an asterisk.

The guest operating system desktop extends to the additional monitor or monitors.

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3 If the host system has more than two monitors and you want the virtual machine to use all of
the monitors, click the Cycle multiple monitors button again.

The order in which the monitors are used depends on the order in which the monitors were
added to the host operating system. If you continue to click the button, you return to fewer
monitors.

Limitations for Multiple Monitors

The use of more than two monitors with a virtual machine has certain limitations.

n If you attempt to use more than two monitors with a virtual machine, your virtual machine
must support more than two monitors for this feature to function.

n More than two monitors is supported on Windows and Linux host and guest operating
systems.

n Windows XP guests support more than three monitors. However, only three monitors can be
in use by a Windows XP guest at one time. If more than three monitors are connected to a
Windows XP guest, use the Cycle multiple monitors button to cycle through the monitors to
the configuration you want to use.

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Using Removable Devices and
Printers in Virtual Machines 9
You can connect and disconnect removable devices in a virtual machine. You can also print from
a virtual machine to any printer available to the host computer without having to install additional
drivers in the virtual machine.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Use a Removable Device in a Virtual Machine

n Connecting USB Devices to Virtual Machines

n Enabling a Virtual Machine to Print to Host Printers

n Using Smart Cards in Virtual Machines

Use a Removable Device in a Virtual Machine

You can connect and disconnect removable devices in a virtual machine. You can also change
the settings for a removable device by modifying virtual machine settings.

Prerequisites

n Power on the virtual machine.

n If you are connecting or disconnecting a USB device, familiarize yourself with the way
Workstation Player handles USB devices. See Connecting USB Devices to Virtual Machines.

Procedure

u To connect a removable device, select the virtual machine, select Player > Removable
Devices, select the device, and select Connect.

If the device is connected to the host system through a USB hub, the virtual machine sees
only the USB device, not the hub.

A check mark appears next to the name of the device when the device is connected to the
virtual machine and a device icon appears on the virtual machine taskbar.

u To change the settings for a removable device, select Player > Removable Devices, select
the device, and select Settings.

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u To disconnect a removable device, select the virtual machine, select Player > Removable
Devices, select the device, and select Disconnect.

You can also disconnect the device by clicking or right-clicking the device icon on the virtual
machine taskbar. Using the taskbar icon is especially useful if you run the virtual machine in
full screen mode.

Connecting USB Devices to Virtual Machines

By default, unless Workstation Player is currently configured to remember a connection rule for a
specific USB device, when you plug the USB device into the host system, Workstation Player
prompts you to select a machine to connect the device to. Workstation Player connects the
device to the machine you select, but a remember option is also available, which creates a USB
device connection rule that, in the future, directs Workstation Player to either automatically
connect that device to the host or to a virtual machine, depending on the machine you selected.

If Workstation Player cannot reconnect to the device, for example, because you disconnected
the device, the device is removed and Workstation Player displays a message to indicate that it
cannot connect to the device. If the device is still available, you can connect to it manually. To
connect a USB device to the virtual machine manually, select Player > Removable Devices >
Device Name > Connect (Disconnect from host).

Follow the device manufacturer's procedures for unplugging the device from the host computer
when you physically unplug the device, move the device from the host system to a virtual
machine, or move the device from a virtual machine to the host computer. Following these
procedures is especially important for data storage devices, such as zip drives. If you move a
data storage device too soon after saving a file and the operating system did not actually write
the data to the disk, you can lose data.

Installing USB Drivers on Windows Hosts

When a particular USB device is connected to a virtual machine for the first time, the host detects
it as a new device named VMware USB Device and installs the appropriate VMware driver.

The Windows operating system prompts you to run the Microsoft Windows Found New
Hardware wizard. Select the default action to install the software automatically. After the
software is installed, the guest operating system detects the USB device and searches for a
suitable driver.

Configure USB Device Connection Behavior

When you plug a new USB device into your Windows host machine, Workstation Player
responds according to the USB Connections setting, which you can configure.

The default setting for the USB Connections setting is Ask me what to do. You can change the
setting to suit your needs.

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Procedure

1 Select Player > File > Preferences.

2 Select one of the options and click OK.

n Ask me what to do

n Connect the device to the host

n Connect the device to the foreground virtual machine

Results

Selected Option Result When You Plug a New USB Device into the Host

Ask me what to do If Workstation Player is open and one or more virtual machines is powered on, a dialog box
appears that prompts you to choose which machine to connect the device to. You can choose
the host or one of the powered-on virtual machines.

Connect the device Workstation Player always connects new USB devices to the host machine regardless of whether
to the host a virtual machine is running.

Connect the device If Workstation Player is open and one or more virtual machines is powered on, Workstation
to the foreground Player connects the device to the powered-on virtual machine in the foreground.
virtual machine

What to do next

Plug a USB device into the Windows host machine. If the Ask me what to do option is configured,
when you plug in a device, you must respond to the New USB Device Detected dialog box. See
Select the Machine a USB Device Connects To. Access the USB device from the machine you
selected.

You can manually connect a USB device to the virtual machine by selecting Player > Removable
Devices > Device Name > Connect (Disconnect from host)

Select the Machine a USB Device Connects To

If the USB Connections setting is set to Ask me what to do, when you plug a new USB device
into the Windows host, the New USB Device Detected dialog box appears. You can connect the
USB device to the host or one of the powered-on virtual machines.

A USB device is treated as new when Workstation Player does not have a remembered
connection rule for the USB device. A connection rule is remembered when you select
Remember my choice and do not ask again, and stays remembered until you configure
Workstation Player to forget the rule.

Prerequisites

1 Set the USB Connections setting to Ask me what to do. See Configure USB Device
Connection Behavior.

2 Plug a new USB device into the Windows host machine.

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Procedure

1 Select the machine to connect the USB device to.

Option Description

Connect to host The device connects to the Windows host machine.

Connect to a virtual machine The device connects to the powered-on virtual machine of your choice.
Select a virtual machine in the list.

2 (Optional) If you want Workstation Player to remember your machine selection, select
Remember my choice and do not ask again.

This option creates a connection rule between the specific USB device and the specific
machine.

3 Click OK.

Results

Workstation Player connects the USB device to the machine you selected. If you selected
Remember my choice and do not ask again, in the future, when you connect the USB device to
the Windows host machine, Workstation Player implements the connection rule and connects the
device to the machine you configured without prompting. However, if the target virtual machine
of the connection rule is powered off or deleted at the time the device is plugged into the host,
the USB device automatically connects to the host. Anytime in the future, you can delete the
connection rule. After which, Workstation Player treats the USB device as new again. See Delete
the Connection Rule for a Specific USB Device.

What to do next

Access the USB device from the machine you configured.

Delete the Connection Rule for a Specific USB Device

If you created a connection rule for a USB device to the host or to a specific virtual machine, you
can delete the connection rule.

Selecting Remember my choice and do not ask again in the New USB Device Detected dialog
box creates a connection rule. See Select the Machine a USB Device Connects To. If you no
longer want a specified USB device to connect to a specified machine, delete the connection rule
by configuring Workstation Player to forget the rule.

Procedure

u Use one of the following methods to delete the connection rule.

n Select the virtual machine and select Player > Removable Devices > Device Name >
Forget Connection Rule.

n Right-click the icon of the USB device in the Workstation Player status bar and select
Forget Connection Rule.

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Results

Workstation Player is no longer configured to remember the rule. When you plug a USB device
into the Windows host, the device no longer automatically connects to the virtual machine.
Instead, the New USB Device Detected dialog box appears.

Connect USB HIDs to a Virtual Machine

To connect USB human interface devices (HIDs) to a virtual machine, you must configure the
virtual machine to show all USB input devices in the Removable Devices menu.

By default, USB HIDs, such as USB 1.1 and 2.0 mouse and keyboard devices, do not appear in the
Removable Devices menu in a virtual machine, even though they are plugged in to USB ports on
the host system.

An HID that is connected to a virtual machine is not available to the host system.

Prerequisites

n Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select USB Controller.

3 Select Show all USB input devices.

This option allows users to use special USB HIDs inside the virtual machine.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

5 Power on the virtual machine.

HIDs appear in the Removable Devices menu.

Install a PDA Driver and Synchronize With a Virtual Machine

To install a PDA driver in a virtual machine, you must synchronize the PDA with the virtual
machine.

Procedure

1 Connect the PDA to the host system and synchronize it with the host system.

The PDA driver should begin installing in the virtual machine.

2 Allow the virtual machine to install the PDA driver.

3 If connection warning messages appear, dismiss them.

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4 If the PDA disconnects from the host system before the virtual machine can synchronize with
it, synchronize the PDA with the host system again.

The total time required to load the VMware USB device driver in the host system and install
the PDA driver in the virtual machine might exceed the device connection timeout value. A
second synchronization attempt usually succeeds.

Troubleshooting USB Device Control Sharing

Only the host system or the virtual machine can have control of a particular USB device at any
one time. Device control operates differently, depending on whether the host system is a Linux
or a Windows computer.

When you connect a device to a virtual machine, it is disconnected from the host system or from
the virtual machine that previously had control of the device. When you disconnect a device from
a virtual machine, it is returned to the host system.

Under some circumstances, if a USB storage device is in use on the host system, for example,
one or more files stored on the device are open on the host, an error appears in the virtual
machine when you try to connect to the device. You must let the host system complete its
operation or close any application connected to the device on the host system and connect to
the device in the virtual machine again.

Enabling a Virtual Machine to Print to Host Printers

VMware Virtual Printer is a technology that allows you to print from a virtual machine to any
printer available to the host machine without having to install additional drivers in the virtual
machine. When you enable VMware Virtual Printer, Workstation Player configures a virtual serial
port to communicate with the host printers.

Starting with version 15 of Workstation Player, the version of VMware Tools downloaded from
the VMware software update server no longer delivers VMware Virtual Printer functionality. You
must install the VMware Virtual Printer application separately in the guest operating system to
make the printers on the host visible in the virtual machine.

Before you install VMware Virtual Printer on a virtual machine, you must add a virtual printer
device to the virtual machine.

Add a Virtual Printer to a Virtual Machine

To enable a virtual machine to print to any printer available to the host machine, you need to add
a virtual printer device to the virtual machine, if one is not already present. When you add a
virtual printer to the virtual machine, Workstation Player configures a virtual serial port with the
virtual machine to communicate with the host printers.

Prerequisites

n Enable VMware Virtual Printer globally. See Configuring Virtual Printers.

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n The virtual machine must be powered on or off. You cannot add a printer to a virtual machine
in a powered on or suspended state.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Add.

3 In the Add Hardware wizard, select Printer and Finish.

The default device setting is to connect the virtual machine printer when the virtual machine
is powered on.

What to do next

Install the VMware Virtual Printer application in the virtual machine. See Install VMware Virtual
Printer

Install VMware Virtual Printer

To allow a supported virtual machine to print to any printer available to the host machine, install
the VMware Virtual Printer application on the virtual machine.

The VMware Virtual Printer application is packaged as an image that you can mount in the
CD/DVD drive of the guest operating system for installation.

The following guest operating systems support VMware Virtual Printer.

n Windows 7 and later

n Debian-based and RPM-based Linux distributions

Prerequisites

To install VMware Virtual Printer application in the guest operating system, perform the following
prerequisites.

n Upgrade to or install VMware Tools 10.3.x or later, if not already installed. See Chapter 6
Installing and Upgrading VMware Tools

n On Windows host machines, enable virtual printing globally, if not already enabled. This
prerequisite does not apply to Linux hosts, on which VMware Virtual Printer is always
enabled. See Configuring Virtual Printers.

n Add a virtual printer device to the virtual machine, if one is not present already. See Add a
Virtual Printer to a Virtual Machine .

n Add a CD/DVD drive to the virtual machine, if one is not present already installed. See Add a
DVD or CD-ROM Drive to a Virtual Machine

Procedure

1 Power on the virtual machine.

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2 To mount the VMware Virtual Printer application in the CD/DVD drive of the guest, select
Player > Manage > Install Virtual Printer.

3 Install VMware Virtual Printer using the method appropriate for the guest.

n Windows Guest

n Double-click the Virtual-Printer-version-build.exe file and complete the VMware

Virtual Printer Setup Wizard as guided.

n Linux Guest

On Linux guests, install VMware Virtual Printer on the virtual machine using a .deb or .rpm
installer package.

The .deb packages are for Debian-based Linux distributions, such as Debian and Ubuntu,
and are in the top directory in the CD/DVD drive.

The .rpm packages are for RPM-based Linux distributions, such as Red Hat, SUSE, and
Fedora, and are divided into folders on the CD/DVD drive. Each folder is specific to a
Linux-distribution type and bitness combination. The .x86_64.rpm package is for 64-bit
Linux guests. The .i386.rpm package is for 32-bit Linux guests.

a Open a terminal window and change directories to the CD/DVD drive for a .deb
package or continue to a specific folder for a .rpm package.

b Run the appropriate command for the guest.

DEB package command for 64-bit guests sudo dpkg -i thinprint_version-revision_amd64.deb

DEB package command for 32-bit guests sudo dpkg -i thinprint_version-revision_i386.deb

RPM package command for 64-bit guests Rpm -ivh thinprint_version-revision.x86_64.rpm

RPM package command for 32-bit guests Rpm -ivh thinprint_version-revision.i386.rpm

c To verify that VMware Virtual Printer installed successfully, run the appropriate
commands. If the Thinprint service is listed as active, VMware Virtual Printer is
installed and running.

DEB package commands for 32-bit and 64-bit Command to check the status of VMware Virtual Printer.
guests service thinprint status
Command to list the installed package.
dpkg -l thinprint

RPM package commands for 32-bit and 64-bit Command to check the status of VMware Virtual Printer.
guests service thinprint status
Command for information about the installed package.
rpm -q --info thinprint

Results

The host printers appear on the printer list in the guest.

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What to do next

n In the guest, print a test page to a printer you just configured to confirm that VMware Virtual
Printer works as expected.

n When you upgrade Workstation Player in the future, to ensure that a guest has the latest
version of VMware Virtual Printer, uninstall and reinstall VMware Virtual Printer. See Uninstall
VMware Virtual Printer

Uninstall VMware Virtual Printer

When you upgrade Workstation Player, to confirm that the latest version of VMware Virtual
Printer is installed on a guest operating system, you can uninstall and reinstall VMware Virtual
Printer.

Procedure

u Use the appropriate uninstallation method based on the operating system of the guest.

n Windows guest

Use the Windows uninstall feature to uninstall the VMware Virtual Printer application. For
example, for Windows 10, perform the following steps.

a Select Start > Windows System > Control Panel.

b Click Uninstall a program.

c Select VMware Virtual Printer.

d Click Uninstall.

n Debian-based Linux guest, such as Debian and Ubuntu

In a terminal window, run either of the following commands.

n sudo apt-get purge thinprint

n sudo dpkg -P thinprint

n RPM-based Linux guest, such as Red Hat, SUSE, and Fedora

In a terminal window, run the following command.

n rpm -e thinprint

Results

The VMware Virtual Printer is no longer installed on the guest.

What to do next

Install VMware Virtual Printer again. See Install VMware Virtual Printer.

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Using Smart Cards in Virtual Machines

Virtual machines can connect to smart card readers that interface to serial ports, parallel ports,
USB ports, PCMCIA slots, and PCI slots. A virtual machine considers a smart card reader to be a
type of USB device.

A smart card is a plastic card that has an embedded computer chip. Many government agencies
and large enterprises use smart cards to send secure communication, digitally sign documents,
and authenticate users who access their computer networks. Users plug a smart card reader into
their computer and insert their smart card in the reader. They are then prompted for their PIN to
log in.

You can select a smart card reader from the Removable Devices menu in a virtual machine. A
smart card can be shared between virtual machines, or between the host system and one or
more virtual machines. Sharing is enabled by default.

When you plug a smart card reader into the host system, the reader appears as two separate
USB devices in Workstation Player. This is because you can use smart cards in one of two
mutually exclusive modes.

Shared mode

(Recommended) The smart card reader device is available as Shared

smart_card_reader_model in the Removable Devices menu. In Windows XP guest operating
systems, the shared reader appears as USB Smart Card Reader after it is connected to the
virtual machine. In Windows Vista and Windows 7 guest operating systems, the generic
smart card reader device name appears under the Windows Device Manager list. The smart
card reader can be shared among applications on the host system and among applications in
different guest operating systems.

USB passthrough mode

The smart card reader device is available as smart_card_reader_model in the Removable

Devices menu. In USB passthrough mode, a single virtual machine directly controls the
physical smart card reader. A USB passthrough smart card reader cannot be used by
applications on the host system or by applications in other virtual machines. You should use
USB passthrough mode only if connection in shared mode does not work well for your
scenario. You might need to install the driver provided by the manufacturer to use USB
passthrough mode.

You can use smart cards with Windows operating systems and most Linux distributions. VMware
provides full smart card support for Windows virtual machines running on Linux hosts. Using
smart cards in Linux typically requires third-party software to effectively authenticate to a
domain or enable secure communications.

Note Although smart cards should work with common Linux browsers, email applications, and
directory services, these products have not been tested or certified by VMware.

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Use a Smart Card in a Virtual Machine

You can configure a virtual machine to use the smart card reader on the host system.

Prerequisites

n On a Windows host, start the SCardSvr.exe service.

n Verify that the virtual machine has a USB controller. A USB controller is required, regardless
of whether the smart card reader is a USB device. A USB controller is added by default when
you create a virtual machine.

n Connect the smart card reader to the host system.

n Start the virtual machine

Procedure

u To connect the smart card reader to the virtual machine, select the virtual machine and select
Player > Removable Devices > Shared <smart_card_reader_model> > Connect.

If the smart card reader is a USB device, two items appear for it in the menu. Both items use
the model name of the reader, but one item name begins with Virtual.

u To disconnect the smart card reader from the virtual machine, select Player > Removable
Devices > Shared <smart_card_reader_model> > Disconnect.

u To remove the smart card from the virtual machine, select Player > Removable Devices >
Shared <smart_card_reader_model> > Remove Smart Card.

The smart card is removed from the virtual machine, but it remains connected on the host
system. If the smart card is physically removed from the smart card reader, this option is
disabled.

u To insert the smart card to the virtual machine, select Player > Removable Devices > Shared
<smart_card_reader_model> > Insert Smart Card.

If the smart card is physically inserted in the smart card reader, the smart card is also inserted
in the virtual machine.

Disable Smart Card Sharing

By default, you can share a smart card between virtual machines or between the host system
and one or more virtual machines. You might want to disable smart card sharing if you are using
a PCMCIA smart card reader, deploying virtual machines for enterprise use and do not want to
support drivers for various smart card readers, or the host system has drivers but the virtual
machines do not.

The setting that controls smart card sharing is located in the Workstation Player global
configuration file.

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Procedure

1 Find the global configuration file on the host system.

Operating System Location

Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Workstation 12.0:

Server 2012 R2, Windows Server %PROGRAMDATA%\VMware\VMware Player\config.ini
2016, Windows 7, Windows 8, Workstation 12.1 and later:
Windows 10 hosts
%PROGRAMDATA%\VMware\VMware Workstation\config.ini

2 If the global configuration file does not yet exist on the host system, select Player > File >
Preferences and change at least one Workstation Player preference setting.

Workstation Player creates the global configuration file when you change Workstation Player
preference settings.

3 Open the global configuration file in a text editor and set the usb.ccid.useSharedMode
property to FALSE.

For example: usb.ccid.useSharedMode = "FALSE"

4 Save and close the global configuration file.

5 Set permissions on the global configuration file so that other users cannot change it.

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Setting Up Shared Folders for a
Virtual Machine 10
You can set up shared folders for a virtual machine. Shared folders provide an easy way to share
files among virtual machines and between virtual machines and the host system.

The directories that you add as shared folders can be located on the host system, or they can be
located on network directories that are accessible from the host system. Access to shared
folders is governed by permission settings on the host system. For example, if you are running
Workstation Player as a user named User, the virtual machine can read and write files in the
shared folder only if User has permission to read and write the files.

To use shared folders, the guest operating system must have the current version of VMware
Tools and must support shared folders.

Important Shared folders expose your files to programs in the virtual machine and might put
your data at risk. Only enable shared folders if you trust the virtual machine with your data.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Using Shared Folders

n Enable a Shared Folder for a Virtual Machine

n View Shared Folders in a Windows Guest

n Mounting Shared Folders in a Linux Guest

n Change Shared Folder Properties

n Change the Folders That a Virtual Machine Can Share

n Disable Folder Sharing for a Virtual Machine

n Mapping a Virtual Disk to the Host System

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Using Shared Folders

You can use shared folders to share files among virtual machines and between virtual machines
and the host system. The directories that you add as shared folders can be on the host system,
or they can be network directories that are accessible from the host computer.

Important You cannot open a file in a shared folder from more than one application at a time.
For example, do not open the same file in an application on the host operating system and in
another application in the guest operating system. If one of the applications writes to the file,
data might be corrupted.

Guest Operating Systems That Support Shared Folders

To use shared folders, a virtual machine must have a supported guest operating system.

The following guest operating systems support shared folders.

n Windows Server 2003 R2

n Windows Server 2008 R2

n Windows Server 2012 R2

n Windows Server 2016

n Windows Vista

n Windows 7

n Windows 8

n Windows 10

n Linux with a kernel version of 2.6 or later

n Solaris x86 10

n Solaris x86 10 Update 1 and later

Using Permissions to Restrict Access to Shared Files in a Linux Guest

You can use permissions to restrict access to the files in a shared folder on a Linux guest
operating system.

On a Linux host, if you create files that you want to share with a Linux guest operating system,
the file permissions shown on the guest operating system are the same as the permissions on the
host system. You can use the fmask and dmask commands to mask permissions bits for files and
directories.

If you create files on a Windows host system that you want to share with a Linux guest operating
system, read-only files are displayed as having read and execute permission for everyone and
other files are shown as fully writable by everyone.

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If you use a Linux guest operating system to create files for which you want to restrict
permissions, use the mount program with the following options in the guest operating system.

n uid

n gid

n fmask

n dmask

n ro (read only)

n rw (read-write)

rw is the default.

If you are using a virtual machine that was created with the Windows version of Workstation
Player, or a previous release of the Linux version of Workstation Player, you can change the
owner permissions only.

Enable a Shared Folder for a Virtual Machine

You can enable folder sharing for a specific virtual machine. To set up a folder for sharing
between virtual machines, you must configure each virtual machine to use the same directory on
the host system or network share.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the virtual machines use a guest operating system that supports shared folders.
See Guest Operating Systems That Support Shared Folders.

n Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system.

n Verify that permission settings on the host system allow access to files in the shared folders.
For example, if you are running Workstation Player as a user named User, the virtual machine
can read and write files in the shared folder only if User has permission to read and write
them.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select Shared Folders.

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3 Select a folder sharing option.

Option Description

Always enabled Keep folder sharing enabled, even when the virtual machine is shut down,
suspended, or powered off.

Enabled until next power off or Enable folder sharing temporarily, until you power off, suspend, or shut
suspend down the virtual machine. If you restart the virtual machine, shared folders
remain enabled. This setting is available only when the virtual machine is
powered on.

4 (Optional) To map a drive to the Shared Folders directory, select Map as a network drive in
Windows guests.

This directory contains all of the shared folders that you enable. Workstation Player selects
the drive letter.

5 Click Add to add a shared folder.

On Windows hosts, the Add Shared Folder wizard starts.

6 Browse to, or type, the path on the host system to the directory to share.

If you specify a directory on a network share, such as D:\share, Workstation Player always
attempts to use that path. If the directory is later connected to the host on a different drive
letter, Workstation Player cannot locate the shared folder.

7 Specify the name of the shared folder as it should appear inside the virtual machine and click
Next.

Characters that the guest operating system considers illegal in a share name appear
differently when viewed inside the guest. For example, if you use an asterisk in a share name,
you see %002A instead of * in the share name on the guest. Illegal characters are converted
to their ASCII hexadecimal value.

8 Select shared folder attributes.

Option Description

Enable this share Enable the shared folder. Deselect this option to disable a shared folder
without deleting it from the virtual machine configuration.

Read-only Make the shared folder read-only. When this property is selected, the virtual
machine can view and copy files from the shared folder, but it cannot add,
change, or remove files. Access to files in the shared folder is also governed
by permission settings on the host computer.

9 Click Finish to add the shared folder.

The shared folder appears in the Folders list. The check box next to folder name indicates
that the folder is being shared. You can deselect this check box to disable sharing for the
folder.

10 Click OK to save your changes.

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What to do next

View the shared folder. On Linux guests, shared folders appear under /mnt/hgfs. On Solaris
guests, shared folders appear under /hgfs. To view shared folders on a Windows guest, see
View Shared Folders in a Windows Guest.

View Shared Folders in a Windows Guest

In a Windows guest operating system, you can view shared folders by using desktop icons.

Note If the guest operating system has VMware Tools from Workstation 4.0, shared folders
appear as folders on a designated drive letter.

Procedure

u Depending on the Windows operating system version, look for VMware Shared Folders in
My Network Places, Network Neighborhood, or Network.

u If you mapped the shared folder as a network drive, open My Computer and look for Shared
Folders on 'vmware-host' under Network Drives.

u To view a specific shared folder, go directly to the folder by using the UNC path \\vmware-
host\Shared Folders\shared_folder_name.

Mounting Shared Folders in a Linux Guest

After you enable a shared folder, you can mount one or more directories or subdirectories in the
shared folder to any location in the file system in addition to the default location of /mnt/hgfs.

Depending on the kernel version of the Linux guest operating system, VMware Tools uses
different components to provide shared-folder functionality. In Linux kernels prior to version 4.0,
the VMware Tools services script loads a driver that performs the mount. Linux kernels 4.0 and
later use a FUSE file system component.

You can use different mount commands to mount all shares, one share, or a subdirectory within a
share to any location in the file system. The commands also vary depending on the Linux-kernel
version of the guest.

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Table 10-1. Mount Command Syntax

Linux Kernel Prior to 4.0 Linux Kernel 4.0 and Later Description

mount -t vmhgfs .host:/ /home/user1/ /usr/bin/vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /home/ Mounts all shares to /home/
shares user1/shares -o subtype=vmhgfs- user1/shares
fuse,allow_other

mount -t vmhgfs .host:/foo /tmp/foo /usr/bin/vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ Mounts the share named foo
foo /tmp/foo -o subtype=vmhgfs- to /tmp/foo
fuse,allow_other

mount -t vmhgfs .host:/foo/ /usr/bin/vmhgfs-fuse .host:/foo/ Mounts the subdirectory bar

bar /var/lib/bar bar /var/lib/bar -o subtype=vmhgfs- within the share foo
fuse,allow_other to /var/lib/bar

For Linux kernel prior to version 4.0, you can use VMware-specific options in addition to the
standard mount syntax. Enter the command /sbin/mount.vmhgfs -h to list the options.

For Linux kernel version 4.0 or later, enter the command /usr/bin/vmhgfs-fuse -h to list the
available options.

Note The mount can fail if shared folders are disabled or if the share does not exist. You are not
prompted to run the VMware Tools vmware-config-tools.pl configuration program again.

Change Shared Folder Properties

After you create a shared folder, you can change the folder name, the host path, and other
attributes.

Prerequisites

Create a shared folder. See Enable a Shared Folder for a Virtual Machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select Shared Folders.

3 Select the shared folder in the folders list and click Properties.

4 To change the name of the shared folder as it appears inside the virtual machine, type the
new name in the Name text box.

Characters that the guest operating system considers illegal in a share name appear
differently when viewed inside the guest. For example, if you use an asterisk in a share name,
you see %002A instead of * in the share name on the guest. Illegal characters are converted
to their ASCII hexadecimal value.

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5 To change the host path for the shared folder, browse to or type the new path in the Host
path text box.

If you specify a directory on a network share, such as D:\share, Workstation Player always
attempts to use that path. If the directory is later connected to the host on a different drive
letter, Workstation Player cannot locate the shared folder.

6 To change an attribute for the shared folder, select or deselect the attribute.

Option Description

Enabled Enable the shared folder. Deselect this option to disable a shared folder
without deleting it from the virtual machine configuration.

Read-only Make the shared folder read-only. When this property is selected, the virtual
machine can view and copy files from the shared folder, but it cannot add,
change, or remove files. Access to files in the shared folder is also governed
by permission settings on the host computer.

7 Click OK to save your changes.

Change the Folders That a Virtual Machine Can Share

You can change the folders that a specific virtual machine is allowed to share.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select Shared Folders.

3 In the folders list, select the check boxes next to the folders to share and deselect the check
boxes next to the folders to disable.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Disable Folder Sharing for a Virtual Machine

You can disable folder sharing for a specific virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select Shared Folders.

3 Select Disabled to disable folder sharing.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

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Mapping a Virtual Disk to the Host System

Instead of using shared folders or copying data between a virtual machine and the host system,
you can map a virtual disk to the host system. In this case, you map a virtual disk in the host file
system as a separate mapped drive. Using a mapped drive lets you connect to the virtual disk
without going into a virtual machine.

Map or Mount a Virtual Disk to a Drive on the Host System

When you map a virtual disk and its associated volume to a drive on the host system, you can
connect to the virtual disk without opening a virtual machine.

After you map the virtual disk to a drive on the host system, you cannot power on any virtual
machine that uses the disk until you disconnect the disk from the host system.

Important If you mount a virtual disk that has a snapshot and then write to the disk, you can
irreparably damage a snapshot or linked clone created from the virtual machine. Note that
Workstation Player does not support taking snapshots or deleting them.

Mapping a virtual disk to a host system is not supported in the standalone version of Workstation
Player. Virtual disk mapping is supported in the Workstation Player version included with
Workstation Pro.

Prerequisites

n Power off all virtual machines that use the virtual disk.

n Verify that the virtual disk (.vmdk) files on the virtual disk are not compressed and do not
have read-only permissions.

n On a Windows host, verify that the volume is formatted with FAT (12/16/32) or NTFS. Only
FAT (12/16/32) and NTFS formatting is supported. If the virtual disk has mixed partitions, for
example, one partition is formatted with a Linux operating system and another partition is
formatted with a Windows operating system, you can map the Windows partition only.

n Verify that the virtual disk is unencrypted. You cannot map or mount encrypted disks.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Hard Disk, click Utilities, and select Map.

3 On a Windows host, leave the check box Open file in read-only mode selected in the Map
Virtual Disk dialog box.

This setting prevents you from accidentally writing data to a virtual disk that might be the
parent of a snapshot or linked clone. Writing to such a disk might make the snapshot or
linked clone unusable.

4 Browse to a virtual disk (.vmdk) file, select it, and click Open.

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5 Select the volume to map or mount and select an unused drive letter on the host system.

6 (Optional) On a Windows host, if you do not want the drive to open in Windows Explorer
after it is mapped, deselect the Open drive in Windows Explorer after mapping check box.

7 Click OK or Mount.

The drive appears on the host system. You can read from or write to files on the mapped
virtual disk on the host system.

Disconnect a Virtual Disk from the Host System

To use a virtual disk from a virtual machine after it has been mapped or mounted on the host
system, you must disconnect it from the host system.

On Windows hosts, you must use Workstation Player to disconnect the drive from the host
system. The mapped drive letter does not appear in the list of network drives when you use the
Windows Disconnect Network Drive command.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Hard Disk, click Utilities, and select Disconnect.

Results

You can now power on any virtual machine that uses this disk.

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Configuring and Managing Virtual
Machines 11
You can change virtual machine options, configure video and sound card settings, and move
virtual machines to another host system or to a different location on the same host system.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Change the Name of a Virtual Machine

n Change the Guest Operating System for a Virtual Machine

n Change the Working Directory for a Virtual Machine

n Change the Virtual Machine Directory for a Virtual Machine

n Change the Memory Allocation for a Virtual Machine

n Configuring Video and Sound

n Moving Virtual Machines

n Delete a Virtual Machine

n View the Message Log for a Virtual Machine

n Install New Software in a Virtual Machine

Change the Name of a Virtual Machine

When you run a virtual machine, its name appears in the title bar. Workstation Player uses the
original name of the virtual machine to name the directory where the virtual machine files are
stored.

Changing the name of a virtual machine does not change the name of the virtual machine
directory or rename the virtual machine files on the host system.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select General.

3 Type the new name.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

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What to do next

When you restart the virtual machine the new name appears in the library.

Change the Guest Operating System for a Virtual Machine

If you upgrade the guest operating system that is installed in a virtual machine, or if you specify
the wrong operating system version when you create the virtual machine, you must change the
guest operating system type that is configured for the virtual machine.

When you change the operating system type, the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file
changes. The guest operating system itself does not change. To upgrade the guest operating
system, obtain the appropriate software from the operating system vendor.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select General.

3 Select the new operating system and version.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Change the Working Directory for a Virtual Machine

By default, the working directory and the virtual machine directory are the same. You might want
to change the working directory to improve performance. For example, to create a paging file on
a fast disk that has a lot of disk space but leave the virtual disk and configuration file on a
different disk, you can change the working directory so that it is located on the fast disk.

The working directory is where Workstation Player stores suspended state (.vmss), snapshot
(.vmsn), virtual machine paging (.vmem), and redo log files for a virtual machine.

Changing the working directory does not change the directory where the virtual machine
configuration (.vmx) file or the log files are stored.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select General.

3 Type or browse to the location of the new working directory.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

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Change the Virtual Machine Directory for a Virtual Machine

The virtual machine directory is where Workstation Player stores virtual machine files, including
the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file. By default, the virtual machine directory and the
working directory are the same.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 In the host file system, rename the directory where the .vmx file is stored.

2 Select File > Open a Virtual Machine.

3 Browse to the new location of the .vmx file and click Open.

Change the Memory Allocation for a Virtual Machine

You can adjust the amount of memory that is allocated to a virtual machine.

On 64-bit hosts, the maximum amount of memory for each virtual machine is 32GB. On 32-bit
hosts, the maximum amount of memory for each virtual machine is 8GB. The total amount of
memory that you can assign to all virtual machines running on a single host system is limited only
by the amount of RAM on the host system.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Memory.

The Memory panel includes information to help you select the appropriate amount of
memory for the virtual machine. The high end of the range is determined by the amount of
memory that is allocated to all running virtual machines.

3 Align the slider with the corresponding icon to change the amount of memory.

The color-coded icons indicate the maximum recommended memory, the recommended
memory, and the guest operating system minimum memory amounts.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

5 Power on the virtual machine to implement the changes.

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Configuring Video and Sound

For best color and graphics display, coordinate host and guest operating system color settings.
Workstation Player supports games and applications that use DirectX 9 and DirectX 10
accelerated graphics, but you must perform some 3D preparation tasks on the host and guest
operating systems.

Workstation Player usually installs the necessary drivers for sound support, but you must
manually install a driver on some of the oldest and newest guest operating systems.

n Setting Screen Color Depth

The number of screen colors available in the guest operating system depends on the screen
color setting of the host operating system.

n Using Accelerated 3D Graphics

You must perform certain preparation tasks on the host system and on virtual machines to
use accelerated 3D graphics.

n Configuring Sound
Workstation Player provides a sound device compatible with the Sound Blaster AudioPCI
and supports sound in Windows and Linux guest operating systems. The Workstation Player
sound device is enabled by default.

Setting Screen Color Depth

The number of screen colors available in the guest operating system depends on the screen
color setting of the host operating system.

Virtual machines support the following screen colors.

n 16-color (VGA) mode

n 8-bit pseudocolor

n 16 bits per pixel (16 significant bits per pixel)

n 32 bits per pixel (24 significant bits per pixel)

If the host operating system is in 15-bit color mode, the guest operating system color setting
controls offer 15-bit mode in place of 16-bit mode. If the host operating system is in 24-bit color
mode, the guest operating system color setting controls offer 24-bit mode in place of 32-bit
mode.

If you run a guest operating system set for a greater number of colors than the host operating
system, the colors in the guest operating system might not be correct or the guest operating
system might not be able to use a graphical interface. If these problems occur, you can either
increase the number of colors in the host operating system or decrease the number of colors in
the guest operating system.

To change color settings on the host operating system, power off all virtual machines and close
Workstation Player and then follow standard procedures for changing color settings.

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How you change color settings in a guest operating system depends on the type of guest
operating system. In a Windows guest, the Display Properties control panel offers only those
settings that are supported. In a Linux or FreeBSD guest, you must change the color depth
before you start the X server, or you must restart the X server after making the changes.

For best performance, use the same number of colors in the host and guest operating systems.

Using Accelerated 3D Graphics

You must perform certain preparation tasks on the host system and on virtual machines to use
accelerated 3D graphics.

Support for applications that use DirectX 9 accelerated graphics applies only to Windows XP,
Windows Vista, and Windows 7 guests on hosts running Windows 7 or later, or Linux. OpenGL
applications run in software emulation mode.

Support for applications that use DirectX 10 accelerated graphics applies only to Windows 10.

Prepare the Host System to Use 3D Accelerated Graphics

You must perform certain preparation tasks on the Windows or Linux host system to use 3D
accelerated graphics in a virtual machine.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the host has a video card that supports DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 10.1, or
DirectX 11 and the latest DirectX Runtime required for the DirectX version being used.

The VMware guest operating system OpenGL driver for Windows and Linux supports the
OpenGL 3.3 and OpenGL 4.1 core profile only. The compatibility profile is not supported.

Procedure

1 Upgrade the video drivers on the host system to the latest versions.

ATI Graphics drivers are available from the AMD Web site. NVIDIA drivers are available from
the NVIDIA Web site. Intel drivers are available from the Intel Web site.

2 Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to the Full position.

Option Description

Windows 7, Windows 8, and Right-click the desktop and select Personalize > Screen resolution >
Windows 10 Advanced Settings > Troubleshoot > Change settings.

Prepare a Virtual Machine to Use Accelerated 3D Graphics

You must perform certain preliminary tasks to use accelerated 3D graphics on a virtual machine.

The accelerated 3D graphics feature is enabled by default on Player 3.x and later virtual
machines.

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Prerequisites

n Prepare the host system to use accelerated 3D graphics. See Prepare the Host System to
Use 3D Accelerated Graphics.

n If using DirectX 9, verify that the guest operating system is Windows XP or later. DirectX 9 is
supported on virtual machines running hardware version 11 or earlier.

n If using DirectX 10, verify that the guest operating system is Windows 7 or later. DirectX 10 is
supported on virtual machines running hardware version 12 or later.

n If using DirectX 10.1, verify that the guest operating system is Windows 7 or later. DirectX 10.1
is supported on virtual machines running hardware version 16 or later.

n If using DirectX 11, verify that the guest operating system is Windows 7 or later. DirectX 11 is
supported on virtual machines running hardware version 18 or later.

n Verify that the latest version of VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system.

n Power off the virtual machine. The virtual machine must not be suspended.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Display.

3 Select Accelerate 3D graphics.

4 Configure the virtual machine to use only one monitor.

5 Click OK to save your changes.

6 Power on the virtual machine and install the required DirectX EndRuntime version.

This download is available from the Microsoft Download Center.

7 Install and run your 3D applications.

Configuring Sound
Workstation Player provides a sound device compatible with the Sound Blaster AudioPCI and
supports sound in Windows and Linux guest operating systems. The Workstation Player sound
device is enabled by default.

Sound support includes pulse code modulation (PCM) output and input. For example, you can
play .wav files, MP3 audio, and Real Media audio. MIDI output from Windows guests is supported
through the Windows software synthesizer. MIDI input is not supported, and no MIDI support is
available for Linux guests.

Windows and most recent Linux distributions detect the sound device and install appropriate
drivers for it.

A sound driver is installed when you install VMware Tools in a 64-bit Windows Vista or Windows
7 guest operating system. For 32-bit Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 2003 Server, and
Windows Server 2008 guests, you must use Windows Update to install a 32-bit driver.

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Configure Sound Card Settings

The VMware virtual sound device is compatible with a Creative Technology Sound Blaster Audio
API. The sound device supports sound in Windows and Linux guest operating systems.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Sound Card.

3 Configure one or more sound card settings.

Option Description

Connected Connects or disconnects the sound device while the virtual machine is
running. You can also use the Devices menu and select the drive to connect
or disconnect.

Connect at power on Automatically connects the sound device to the virtual machine when you
power on the virtual machine.

Use default host sound card The virtual machine uses the default sound card in the host system.

Specify host sound card Selects which sound card to use if you have more than one physical sound
card on the host system.

Enable echo cancellation Enables echo cancellation for the sound card.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Moving Virtual Machines

You can move a virtual machine that was created in Workstation Player to a different host
system or to a different location on the same host system and connect to a virtual machine by
using a VNC client.

n Move a Virtual Machine to a New Location or New Host

You can move a virtual machine that is created in Workstation Player to a different host
system or to a different location on the same host system. You can move a virtual machine
to a host system that has a different operating system.

n Configure a Virtual Machine for Compatibility

When you create a virtual machine that you intend to distribute to other users, you should
configure the virtual machine for maximum compatibility with all expected host systems.
Users might be limited in their ability to make changes in a virtual machine so that it is
compatible with their host systems.

n Using the Virtual Machine UUID

Each virtual machine has a universal unique identifier (UUID). The UUID is generated when
you initially power on the virtual machine.

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Move a Virtual Machine to a New Location or New Host

You can move a virtual machine that is created in Workstation Player to a different host system
or to a different location on the same host system. You can move a virtual machine to a host
system that has a different operating system.

Moving a virtual machine typically involves moving the files that make up the virtual machine. The
pathnames for all files associated with a Workstation Player virtual machine are relative to the
virtual machine directory.

When you move a virtual machine, Workstation Player generates a new MAC address for the
virtual network adapter. Workstation Player also generates a new MAC address when you
rename a directory in the path to the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file.

Prerequisites

n Familiarize yourself with how Workstation Player generates UUIDs for moved virtual
machines. See Using the Virtual Machine UUID.

n If you are moving the virtual machine to a different host system, familiarize yourself with the
limitations of moving a virtual machine to a new host. See Limitations of Moving a Virtual
Machine to a Different Host.

n If you configured the working directory to reside in a different location on the host system,
move files from the working directory into the virtual machine directory and change the
working directory to this location.

n Verify that virtual machine devices and any associated files point to locations that you can
access from the new location.

n Verify that all virtual machine files are stored in the virtual machine directory. Some files might
reside outside of the virtual machine directory.

Procedure

1 Shut down the guest operating system and power off the virtual machine.

2 Copy the virtual machine files to the new location.

3 Verify that you copied all of the virtual machine files to the new location.

4 Open the virtual machine in Workstation Player

Option Description

If you moved the virtual machine to Remove the virtual machine from the library, select File > Open a Virtual
a different location on the same host Machine, and browse to the .vmx file in its new location.
system

If you moved the virtual machine to Start Workstation Player on the new host system, select File > Open a
a different host system Virtual Machine, and browse to the .vmx file.

5 When you are certain that the virtual machine in the new location works correctly, delete the
virtual machine files from the original location.

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Limitations of Moving a Virtual Machine to a Different Host

You should be aware of certain limitations before you move a virtual machine to a different host
system.

n The guest operating system might not work correctly if you move a virtual machine to a host
system that has significantly different hardware, for example, if you move a virtual machine
from a multiprocessor host to a uniprocessor host.

n Player 3.x and later virtual machines support up to eight-way virtual symmetric
multiprocessing (SMP) on multiprocessor host systems. Player 6.x and later virtual machines
support up to sixteen-way multiprocessing on multiprocessor host systems. You can assign
up to 8 or 16 virtual processors to virtual machines running on host systems that have at least
two logical processors. If you attempt to assign two processors to a virtual machine that is
running on a uniprocessor host system, a warning message appears. You can disregard this
message and assign two processors to the virtual machine, but you must move it to a host
that has at least two logical processors before you can power it on.

Configure a Virtual Machine for Compatibility

When you create a virtual machine that you intend to distribute to other users, you should
configure the virtual machine for maximum compatibility with all expected host systems. Users
might be limited in their ability to make changes in a virtual machine so that it is compatible with
their host systems.

Procedure

u Install VMware Tools in the virtual machine.

VMware Tools significantly improves the user’s experience working with the virtual machine.

u Determine which virtual devices are actually required, and do not include any that are not
needed or useful for the software you are distributing with the virtual machine.

Generic SCSI devices are typically not appropriate.

u To connect a physical device to a virtual device, use the Auto detect options when you
configure the virtual machine.

The Auto detect options allow the virtual machine to adapt to the user’s system, and they
work whether the host operating system is Windows or Linux. Users who have no physical
device receive a warning message.

u To connect a CD-ROM or floppy to an image file that you ship with the virtual machine, make
sure the image file is in the same directory as the virtual machine.

A relative path, rather than an absolute path, is used.

u For both a physical CD-ROM and an image, provide two virtual CD-ROM devices in the virtual
machine.

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u Choose a reasonable amount of memory to allocate to the virtual machine.

For example, if the host system does not have enough physical memory to support the
memory allocation, the user cannot power on the virtual machine.

u Choose a reasonable screen resolution for the guest.

A user is likely to find it easier to increase the resolution manually than to deal with a display
that exceeds the user’s physical screen size.

Using the Virtual Machine UUID

Each virtual machine has a universal unique identifier (UUID). The UUID is generated when you
initially power on the virtual machine.

You can use the UUID of a virtual machine for system management in the same way that you use
the UUID of a physical computer. The UUID is stored in the SMBIOS system information
descriptor, and you can access it by using standard SMBIOS scanning software, including
SiSoftware Sandra or IBM smbios2.

If you do not move or copy the virtual machine to another location, the UUID remains constant.
When you power on a virtual machine that was moved or copied to a new location, you are
prompted to specify whether you moved or copied the virtual machine. If you indicate that you
copied the virtual machine, the virtual machine receives a new UUID.

Suspending and resuming a virtual machine does not trigger the process that generates a UUID.
The UUID in use at the time the virtual machine was suspended remains in use when the virtual
machine is resumed, even if it was copied or moved. You are not prompted to specify whether
you moved or copied the virtual machine until the next time you reboot the virtual machine.

Configure a Virtual Machine to Keep the Same UUID

You can configure a virtual machine to always keep the same UUID, even when it is moved or
copied. When a virtual machine is set to always keep the same UUID, you are not prompted
when a virtual machine is moved or copied.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Open the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file in a text editor.

2 Add the uuid.action property and set it to keep.

For example: uuid.action = "keep"

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Delete a Virtual Machine

You can delete a virtual machine and all of its files from the host file system.

Important Deleting a virtual machine is irreversible.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Right-click the virtual machine in the library and select Delete VM from Disk.

2 Click Yes to delete the virtual machine.

Results

The virtual machine and all of its files are removed from the host file system.

View the Message Log for a Virtual Machine

You can view the message log to review information about a particular virtual machine. Messages
include warning information about the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Power on the virtual machine.

2 Select Player > Manage > Message Log.

3 Select a message in the message log to a see a detailed description of the message.

Install New Software in a Virtual Machine

Installing new software in a virtual machine is similar to installing new software on a physical
computer. Only a few additional steps are required.

Prerequisites

n Verify that VMware Tools is installed in the guest operating system. Installing VMware Tools
before installing the software minimizes the likelihood that you will have to reactivate the
software if the virtual machine configuration changes.

n Verify that the virtual machine has access to the CD-ROM drive, ISO image file, or floppy drive
where the installation software is located.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

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2 On the Hardware tab, select Memory, set the final memory size for the virtual machine, and
click OK.

Some applications use a product activation feature that creates a key based on the virtual
hardware in the virtual machine where it is installed. Changes in the configuration of the
virtual machine might require you to reactivate the software. Setting the memory size
minimizes the number of significant changes.

3 Install the new software according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Disable Acceleration if a Program Does Not Run

When you install or run software inside a virtual machine, Workstation Player might appear to
stop responding. This problem typically occurs early in the program's execution. In many cases,
you can get past the problem by temporarily disabling acceleration in the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Processors.

3 Select Disable acceleration for binary translation to disable acceleration.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

What to do next

After you pass the point where the program encountered problems, re-enable acceleration.
Because disabling acceleration slows down virtual machine performance, you should use it only
for getting past the problem with running the program

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Configuring and Managing
Devices 12
You can use Workstation Player to add devices to virtual machines, including DVD and CD-ROM
drives, floppy drives, USB controllers, virtual and physical hard disks, parallel and serial ports,
generic SCSI devices, and processors. You can also modify settings for existing devices.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Configuring DVD, CD-ROM, and Floppy Drives

n Configuring a USB Controller

n Configuring and Maintaining Virtual Hard Disks

n Configuring Virtual Ports

n Configuring Generic SCSI Devices

n Configuring Sixteen-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing

n Configuring Keyboard Features

n Modify Hardware Settings for a Virtual Machine

Configuring DVD, CD-ROM, and Floppy Drives

You can add up to four IDE devices, up to 60 SCSI devices, and up to 120 SATA devices (four
controllers with 30 devices per controller) to a virtual machine. Any of these devices can be
connected to a physical or virtual CD-ROM or DVD device. CD-ROM and DVD devices cannot be
connected to an NVMe controller.

A virtual machine can read data from a DVD disc. Workstation Player does not support playing
DVD movies in a virtual machine. If you use a DVD player application that does not require video
overlay support in the video card, you might be able to play a movie.

Add a DVD or CD-ROM Drive to a Virtual Machine

You can add one or more DVD or CD-ROM drives to a virtual machine. You can connect the
virtual DVD or CD-ROM drive to a physical drive or an ISO image file.

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You can configure the virtual DVD or CD-ROM drive as an IDE, SCSI, or SATA device, regardless
of the type of physical drive that you connect it to. For example, if the host has an IDE CD-ROM
drive, you can set up the virtual machine drive as either SCSI or IDE and connect it to the host
drive.

Do not configure legacy emulation mode unless you experience problems with normal mode. See
Configure Legacy Emulation Mode for a DVD or CD-ROM Drive for more information.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

3 In the Add Hardware wizard, select DVD/CD Drive.

4 Click Finish to add the drive to the virtual machine.

5 (Optional) To change which SCSI, IDE, or SATA device identifier to use for the drive, select
the drive and click Advanced.

6 Click OK to save your changes.

Add a Floppy Drive to a Virtual Machine

You can configure a virtual floppy drive to connect to a physical floppy drive or an existing or
blank floppy image file. You can add up to two floppy drives to a virtual machine.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

3 In the Add Hardware wizard, select Floppy Drive.

4 Click Finish to add the drive to the virtual machine.

5 Select the floppy media type.

Option Description

Use a physical floppy drive The virtual machine uses a physical floppy drive.

Use a floppy image The drive connects to an floppy image (.flp) file.

Create a blank floppy image The drive connects to a blank floppy image (.flp) file that you create.

6 If you selected the physical floppy drive media type, select a specific floppy drive or select
Auto detect to allow Workstation Player to auto-detect the drive to use.

7 If you selected the floppy image or blank floppy image media type, type the name or browse
to the location of a floppy image (.flp) file.

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8 To connect the drive or floppy image file to the virtual machine when the virtual machine
powers on, select Connect at power on.

9 Click OK to save your changes.

Configure Legacy Emulation Mode for a DVD or CD-ROM Drive

Use legacy emulation mode to work around direct communication problems between a guest
operating system and a DVD or CD-ROM drive.

In legacy emulation mode, you can read only from data discs in the DVD or CD-ROM drive.
Legacy emulation mode does not provide the other capabilities of normal mode. In normal mode,
the guest operating system communicates directly with the CD-ROM or DVD drive. This direct
communication enables you to read multisession CDs, perform digital audio extraction, view
videos, and use CD and DVD writers to burn discs.

If you run more than one virtual machine at a time, and if their CD-ROM drives are in legacy
emulation mode, you must start the virtual machines with their CD-ROM drives disconnected. By
disconnecting the CD-ROM drives in the virtual machines, you prevent multiple virtual machines
from being connected to the CD-ROM drive at the same time.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select the drive and click Advanced.

3 Select Legacy emulation and click OK.

On Windows hosts, this option is deselected by default.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Configuring a USB Controller

A virtual machine must have a USB controller to use USB devices and smart card readers. To use
a smart card reader, a virtual machine must have a USB controller regardless of whether the
smart card reader is actually a USB device.

Workstation Player provides a USB controller to support the following types of USB devices.

n USB 1.1 UHCI (Universal Host Controller Interface) is supported for all virtual machine
hardware versions.

n USB 2.0 EHCI (Enhanced Host Controller Interface) controllers are supported if the virtual
machine hardware is compatible with Workstation 6 and later virtual machines.

n USB 3.0 xHCI (Extensible Host Controller Interface) support is available for Linux guests
running kernel version 2.6.35 or later and for Windows 8 guests. The virtual machine
hardware must be compatible with Workstation 8 or later virtual machines.

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For USB 2.0 or 3.0 support, you must select USB 2.0 or 3.0 compatibility by configuring virtual
machine settings for the USB controller. USB 2.0 and 3.0 devices are high-speed devices that
include the latest models of USB flash drives, USB hard drives, iPods, and iPhone.

If you select USB 2.0 compatibility, when a USB 2.0 device connects to a USB port on the host
system, the device connects to the EHCI controller and operates in USB 2.0 mode. A USB 1.1
device connects to the UHCI controller and operates in USB 1.1 mode. If you enable USB 3.0, the
xHCI controller can support all USB devices, including USB 1.1, 2.0, and 3.0 devices.

Although the host operating system must support USB, you do not need to install device-specific
drivers for USB devices in the host operating system to use those devices only in the virtual
machine. Linux kernels earlier than 2.2.17 do not support USB.

VMware has tested a variety of USB devices. If the guest operating system has the appropriate
drivers, you can use many different USB devices, including PDAs, Smart phones, printers, storage
devices, scanners, MP3 players, digital cameras, memory card readers, and isochronous transfer
devices, such as webcams, speakers, and microphones.

You can connect USB human interface devices (HIDs), such as the keyboard and mouse, to a
virtual machine by enabling the Show all USB input devices option. If you do not select this
option, these devices do not appear in the Removable Devices menu and are not available to
connect to the virtual machine, even though they are plugged in to USB ports on the host
system.

See Connect USB HIDs to a Virtual Machine for information on connecting HIDs.

Add a USB Controller to a Virtual Machine

A USB controller is required to use a USB device in a virtual machine. You can add one USB
controller to a virtual machine.

When you create a virtual machine in Workstation Player, a USB controller is added by default. If
you remove the USB controller, you can add it back.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

3 In the New Hardware wizard, select USB Controller.

4 Click Finish to add the USB controller.

5 Configure the USB connection settings.

You can select multiple settings.

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Option Description

USB Compatibility Selecting USB 2.0 or 3.0 enables support for isochronous USB devices, including Web
cams, speakers, and microphones.

Show all USB input devices Human interface devices (HIDs), such as USB 1.1 and 2.0 mouse and keyboard
devices, appear in the Removable Devices menu. Icons for HIDs appear in the status
bar. An HID that is connected to the guest operating system is not available to the
host system. The virtual machine must be powered off when you change this setting.

Share Bluetooth devices Enable support for Bluetooth devices.

with the virtual machine

Enable Support for Isochronous USB Devices

Modems and certain streaming data devices, such as speakers and webcams, do not work
properly in a virtual machine unless you enable support for isochronous USB devices.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the guest operating system supports USB 2.0 devices or 3.0 devices.

n On a Windows XP guest operating system, verify that the latest service pack is installed. If
you use Windows XP with no service packs, the driver for the EHCI controller cannot be
loaded.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select USB Controller.

3 From the USB Compatibility list, select USB 2.0 or USB 3.0.

Option Description

USB 2.0 Available if the virtual machine hardware is compatible with Workstation 6
and later virtual machines.

USB 3.0 Available for Linux guests running kernel version 2.6.35 or later and for
Windows 8 guests. The virtual machine hardware must be compatible with
Workstation 8 and later virtual machines.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Configuring and Maintaining Virtual Hard Disks

You can use Workstation Player to configure virtual hard disk storage for virtual machines.

A virtual disk is a file or set of files that appears as a physical disk drive to a guest operating
system. The files can be on the host system or on a remote computer. When you configure a
virtual machine to use a virtual disk, you can install a new operating system onto the virtual disk
without repartitioning a physical disk or rebooting the host.

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The New Virtual Machine wizard creates a virtual machine that has one disk drive. You can
modify virtual machine settings to add more disk drives to a virtual machine, remove disk drives
from a virtual machine, and change certain settings for the existing disk drives.

n Configuring a Virtual Hard Disk

You can configure virtual hard disks as IDE or SATA disks for any guest operating system.
You can set up a virtual hard disk as a SCSI disk for any guest operating system that has a
driver for the LSI Logic or BusLogic SCSI adapter. You can also set up a virtual hard disk as
an NVMe disk for any guest system that includes NVMe drivers. You determine which SCSI
adapter to use when you create a virtual machine.

n Compact a Virtual Hard Disk

Compacting a virtual hard disk can reclaim unused space in the virtual disk. Modern disks
and operating systems are much more efficient at managing disk space than in the recent
past. Therefore, do not expect the compacting procedure to return large amounts of disk
space to the host drive.

n Expand a Virtual Hard Disk

You can add storage space to a virtual machine by expanding its virtual hard disk.

n Defragment a Virtual Hard Disk

Like physical disk drives, virtual hard disks can become fragmented. Defragmenting disks
rearranges files, programs, and unused space on the virtual hard disk so that programs run
faster and files open more quickly. Defragmenting does not reclaim unused space on a
virtual hard disk.

n Remove a Virtual Hard Disk from a Virtual Machine

Removing a virtual hard disk disconnects it from a virtual machine. It does not delete files
from the host file system.

n Using Lock Files to Prevent Consistency Problems on Virtual Hard Disks

A running virtual machine creates lock files to prevent consistency problems on virtual hard
disks. Without locks, multiple virtual machines might read and write to the disk, causing data
corruption.

n Moving a Virtual Hard Disk to a New Location

A key advantage of virtual hard disks is their portability. Because the virtual hard disks are
stored as files on the host system or a remote computer, you can move them easily to a
new location on the same computer or to a different computer.

Configuring a Virtual Hard Disk

You can configure virtual hard disks as IDE or SATA disks for any guest operating system. You
can set up a virtual hard disk as a SCSI disk for any guest operating system that has a driver for
the LSI Logic or BusLogic SCSI adapter. You can also set up a virtual hard disk as an NVMe disk
for any guest system that includes NVMe drivers. You determine which SCSI adapter to use when
you create a virtual machine.

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The files that make up an IDE, SATA, SCSI, or NVMe virtual hard disk can be stored on a hard disk
of any type. They can also be stored on other types of fast-access storage media.

To use SCSI hard disks in a 32-bit Windows XP virtual machine, you must download a special SCSI
driver from the VMware Web site. Follow the instructions on the Web site to use the driver with a
fresh installation of Windows XP.

Growing and Allocating Virtual Disk Storage Space

Most virtual hard disks can be up to 8TB. SCSI disks on the BusLogic controller are limited to 2TB.
Depending on the size of the virtual hard disk and the host operating system, Workstation Player
creates one or more files to hold each virtual disk.

Virtual hard disk files include information such as the operating system, program files, and data
files. Virtual disk files have a .vmdk extension.

By default, the actual files that the virtual hard disk uses start small and grow to their maximum
size as needed. The main advantage of this approach is the smaller file size. Smaller files require
less storage space and are easier to move to a new location, but it takes slightly longer to write
data to a disk configured in this way.

You can also configure virtual hard disks so that all of the disk space is allocated when the virtual
disk is created. This approach provides enhanced performance and is useful if you are running
performance-sensitive applications in the virtual machine.

Regardless of whether you allocate all disk space in advance, you can configure the virtual hard
disk to split into multiple files on the host disk. The split is not visible to the virtual machine, but is
necessary if you move the virtual machine or its disks to a file system that does not support files
larger than 4GB, such as a USB thumb drive formatted with the FAT32 file system.

Add a New Virtual Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine

To increase storage space, you can add a new virtual hard disk to a virtual machine. Workstation
Player supports up to four IDE devices, 60 SCSI devices, 120 SATA devices, and 60 NVMe virtual
disks.

Virtual hard disks are stored as files on the host computer or on a network file server. A virtual
IDE drive or SCSI drive can be stored on a physical IDE drive or on a physical SCSI drive.

As an alternative to adding a new virtual hard disk, you can expand the existing virtual hard disk.
See Expand a Virtual Hard Disk.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

3 In the New Hardware wizard, select Hard Disk.

4 Select Create a new virtual disk.

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5 Select the disk type.

Option Description

IDE Create an IDE device. You can add up to four IDE devices to a virtual
machine.

SCSI Create a SCSI device. You can add up to 60 SCSI devices to a virtual
machine.

SATA Create a SATA device. You can add up to 120 SATA devices, four
controllers, and 30 devices per controller.

NVMe Create an NVMe device. You can add up to 60 NVMe devices, four
controllers, and 15 devices per controller.

6 Set the capacity for the new virtual hard disk.

You can set a size between 0.001 GB and 8 TB for a virtual disk.

7 Specify how to allocate the disk space.

Option Description

Allocate all disk space now Allocating all of the disk space when you create the virtual hard disk can
enhance performance, but it requires all of the physical disk space to be
available now. If you do not select this setting, the virtual disk starts small
and grows as you add data to it.

Store virtual disk as a single file Select this option if the virtual disk is stored on a file system that does not
have a file size limitation.

Split virtual disk into multiple files Select this option if the virtual disk is stored on a file system that has a file
size limitation. When you split a virtual disk less than 950 GB, a series of 2
GB virtual disk files are created. When you split a virtual disk greater than
950 GB, two virtual disk files are created. The maximum size of the first
virtual disk file is 1.9 TB and the second virtual disk file stores the rest of the
data.

8 Accept the default filename and location, or browse to and select a different location.

9 Click Finish to add the new virtual hard disk.

The wizard creates the new virtual hard disk. The disk appears to the guest operating system
as a new, blank hard disk.

10 Click OK to save your changes.

11 Use the guest operating system tools (such as the Windows Disk Management tool or the
fdisk command in Linux) to partition and format the new drive.

Add an Existing Virtual Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine

You can reconnect an existing virtual hard disk that was removed from a virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

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2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

3 In the Add Hardware wizard, select Hard Disk.

4 Select Use an existing virtual disk.

5 Specify the path name and filename for the existing disk file.

6 Click Finish to add the existing virtual hard disk.

7 Click OK to save your changes.

Compact a Virtual Hard Disk

Compacting a virtual hard disk can reclaim unused space in the virtual disk. Modern disks and
operating systems are much more efficient at managing disk space than in the recent past.
Therefore, do not expect the compacting procedure to return large amounts of disk space to the
host drive.

Prerequisites

n Power off the virtual machine.

n Verify that the virtual disk is not mapped or mounted. You cannot compact a virtual disk while
it is mapped or mounted.

n Verify that the disk space is not preallocated for the virtual hard disk. If the disk space was
preallocated, you cannot compact the disk.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select the virtual hard disk to compact.

3 Select Utilities > Compact.

4 Click OK after the disk compacting process is complete.

Expand a Virtual Hard Disk

You can add storage space to a virtual machine by expanding its virtual hard disk.

When you expand a virtual hard disk, the added space is not immediately available to the virtual
machine. To make the added space available, you must use a disk management tool to increase
the size of the existing partition on the virtual hard disk to match the expanded size.

The disk management tool that you use depends on the virtual machine guest operating system.
Many operating systems, including Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 and some
versions of Linux, provide built-in disk management tools that can resize partitions. Third-party
disk management tools are also available, such as EASEUS Partition Master, Acronis Disk
Director, and the open-source tool GParted.

When you expand the size of a virtual hard disk, the sizes of partitions and file systems are not
affected.

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As an alternative to expanding a virtual hard disk, you can add a new virtual hard disk to the
virtual machine. See Add a New Virtual Hard Disk to a Virtual Machine.

Prerequisites

n Power off the virtual machine.

n Verify that the virtual disk is not mapped or mounted. You cannot expand a virtual disk while
it is mapped or mounted.

n Verify that the virtual machine has no snapshots.

Note Workstation Player does not support taking snapshots or deleting them.

n Verify that the virtual machine is not a linked clone or the parent of a linked clone.

You can determine whether a virtual machine is a linked clone by the virtual machine name
string on the summary page. If the string includes "Clone of: virtual machine name", the
virtual machine is a linked clone. If the string includes "Snapshot: Snapshot for virtual machine
name", the virtual machine is a parent of a linked clone.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select the virtual hard disk to expand.

3 Select Utilities > Expand.

4 Set the new maximum size for the virtual disk.

You can set a size between 0.001 GB and 8192 GB for a virtual disk.

5 Select Expand.

6 Click OK after the disk expansion process is complete.

What to do next

Use a disk management tool to increase the disk partition size to match the expanded virtual disk
size.

Defragment a Virtual Hard Disk

Like physical disk drives, virtual hard disks can become fragmented. Defragmenting disks
rearranges files, programs, and unused space on the virtual hard disk so that programs run faster
and files open more quickly. Defragmenting does not reclaim unused space on a virtual hard disk.

Defragmenting disks can take considerable time.

Prerequisites

n Verify that there is adequate free working space on the host system. For example, if the
virtual hard disk is contained in a single file, there must be free space equal to the size of the
virtual disk file. Other virtual hard disk configurations require less free space.

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n Verify that the virtual disk is not mapped or mounted. You cannot defragment a virtual disk
while it is mapped or mounted.

Procedure

1 Run a disk defragmentation utility in the guest operating system.

2 If disk space is not preallocated for the virtual hard disk, use the Workstation Player
defragmentation tool to defragment it.

a Power off the virtual machine.

b Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

c On the Hardware tab, select Hard Disk.

d Select Utilities > Defragment.

e When the defragmentation process is finished, click OK.

3 Run a disk defragmentation utility on the host system.

Remove a Virtual Hard Disk from a Virtual Machine

Removing a virtual hard disk disconnects it from a virtual machine. It does not delete files from
the host file system.

After you remove a virtual hard disk from a virtual machine, you can map or mount the disk to
the host system and copy data from the guest operating system to the host without powering on
the virtual machine or starting Workstation Player. You can also add the disk to another virtual
machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select the virtual hard disk and click Remove.

3 Click OK to save your changes.

Using Lock Files to Prevent Consistency Problems on Virtual Hard

Disks
A running virtual machine creates lock files to prevent consistency problems on virtual hard disks.
Without locks, multiple virtual machines might read and write to the disk, causing data corruption.

Lock files have a .lck suffix and are created in subdirectories in the same directory as the virtual
disk (.vmdk) files. A locking subdirectory and lock file are created for .vmdk files, .vmx files,
and .vmem files.

A unified locking method is used on all host operating systems so that files shared between them
are fully protected. For example, if one user on a Linux host tries to power on a virtual machine
that is already powered on by another user with a Windows host, the lock files prevent the
second user from powering on the virtual machine.

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When a virtual machine powers off, it removes the locking subdirectories and the lock files. If the
virtual machine cannot remove these locking controls, one or more stale lock files might remain.
For example, if the host system fails before the virtual machine removes its locking controls, stale
lock files remain.

When the virtual machine restarts, it scans any locking subdirectories for stale lock files and,
when possible, removes them. A lock file is considered stale if the lock file was created on the
same host system that is now running the virtual machine and the process that created the lock is
no longer running. If either of these conditions is not true, a dialog box warns you that the virtual
machine cannot be powered on. You can delete the locking directories and their lock files
manually.

Locks also protect physical disk partitions. Because the host operating system is not aware of
this locking convention, it does not recognize the lock. For this reason, you should install the
physical disk for a virtual machine on the same physical disk as the host operating system.

Moving a Virtual Hard Disk to a New Location

A key advantage of virtual hard disks is their portability. Because the virtual hard disks are stored
as files on the host system or a remote computer, you can move them easily to a new location on
the same computer or to a different computer.

For example, you can use Workstation Player on a Windows host system to create virtual hard
disks, move the disks to a Linux computer, and use the disks with Workstation Player on a Linux
host system.

Configuring Virtual Ports

You can add virtual parallel (LPT) ports and virtual serial (COM) ports to a virtual machine. A
Workstation Player virtual machine can use up to three parallel ports and up to four virtual serial
ports.

n Add a Virtual Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine

You can attach up to three bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports to a virtual machine. Virtual
parallel ports can output to parallel ports or to files on the host system.

n Troubleshoot ECR Errors for Parallel Ports

A parallel port on the host system does not have an Extended Control Register (ECR).

n Add a Virtual Serial Port to a Virtual Machine

You can add up to four serial (COM) ports to a virtual machine. Virtual serial ports can output
to physical serial ports, files, or named pipes.

n Change the Input Speed of a Serial Connection

You can increase the speed of a serial connection over a pipe to a virtual machine.

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Add a Virtual Parallel Port to a Virtual Machine

You can attach up to three bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports to a virtual machine. Virtual parallel
ports can output to parallel ports or to files on the host system.

Parallel ports are used for a variety of devices, including printers, scanners, dongles, and disk
drives. Although these devices can connect to the host system, only printers can reliably connect
to virtual machines by using parallel ports.

Workstation Player provides only partial emulation of PS/2 hardware. Interrupts that a device
connected to a physical port requests are not passed to the virtual machine. The guest operating
system cannot use direct memory access (DMA) to move data to or from the port. For this
reason, not all devices that attach to a parallel port work correctly. Do not use virtual parallel
ports to connect parallel port storage devices or other types of parallel port devices to a virtual
machine.

Prerequisites

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

3 In the New Hardware wizard, select Parallel Port.

4 Click Finish to add the virtual parallel port to the virtual machine.

5 Select where the virtual parallel port sends output.

Option Description

Use a physical parallel port Select a parallel port on the host system.

Use output file Send output from the virtual parallel port to a file on the host system. Either
locate an existing output file or browse to a directory and type a filename to
create a new output file.

6 To connect the virtual parallel port to the virtual machine when the virtual machine powers
on, select Connect at power on.

Results

When a parallel port is configured for a virtual machine, most guest operating systems detect the
port at installation time and install the required drivers. Some operating systems, including Linux,
detect the ports at boot time.

Troubleshoot ECR Errors for Parallel Ports

A parallel port on the host system does not have an Extended Control Register (ECR).

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Problem

When you power on a virtual machine after adding a parallel port, an error messages states that
the parallel port on the host system does not have an ECR.

Cause

This problem can occur when the hardware supports ECR, but ECR has been disabled in the
BIOS.

Solution

1 Reboot the host system.

2 Early in the boot process, press and hold down the Delete key to enter the BIOS
configuration editor.

3 Find the parallel port field and enable Extended Capability Port (ECP) mode or a combination
of modes that includes ECP.

Most modern computers support ECP mode.

Add a Virtual Serial Port to a Virtual Machine

You can add up to four serial (COM) ports to a virtual machine. Virtual serial ports can output to
physical serial ports, files, or named pipes.

You might want to add a virtual serial port to a virtual machine to make devices such as modems
and printers available to the virtual machine. You can also use virtual ports to send debugging
data from a virtual machine to the host system or to another virtual machine.

Note The virtual printer feature configures a serial port to make host printers available to the
guest. You do not need to install additional drivers in the virtual machine.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

3 In the Add Hardware wizard, select Serial Port.

4 Click Finish to add the virtual serial port to the virtual machine.

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5 Select where the virtual serial port sends output.

Option Description

Use a physical parallel port Send output to a physical serial port on the host system.

Use output file Send output to a file on the host system. Either locate an existing output file
or browse to a directory and type a filename to create a new output file.

Output to named pipe Set up a direct connection between two virtual machines, or a connection
between a virtual machine and an application on the host system.

6 If you selected Output to named pipe, configure the named pipe.

a Use the default pipe name, or type another pipe name.

The pipe name must begin with \\.\pipe\ and must be the same on both the server and
the client.
For example: \\.\pipe\namedpipe

b To send debugging information to an application on the host system, select This end is
the server from the first drop-down menu and select The other end is an application
from the second drop-down menu.

c To send debugging information to another virtual machine, select This end is the server
from the first drop-down menu and The other end is a virtual machine from the second
drop-down menu.

7 To connect the port to the virtual machine when the virtual machine powers on, select
Connect at power on.

8 (Optional) On the Hardware tab, select the new serial port, select Yield CPU on poll, and click
OK.

This option is useful if you are using debugging tools that communicate over a serial
connection. If the serial port in the guest operating system is being used in polled mode
rather than interrupt mode, you might notice performance issues. This option forces the
virtual machine to yield processor time if the only task it is trying to do is poll the virtual serial
port.

What to do next

If you set up a connection between two virtual machines, the first virtual machine is set up as the
server. Repeat this procedure for the second virtual machine, but set it up as the client by
selecting This end is the client when you configure the named pipe.

Change the Input Speed of a Serial Connection

You can increase the speed of a serial connection over a pipe to a virtual machine.

In principle, the output speed, which is the speed at which the virtual machine sends data
through the virtual serial port, is unlimited. In practice, the output speed depends on how fast the
application at the other end of the pipe reads inbound data.

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Prerequisites

n Use the guest operating system to configure the serial port for the highest setting supported
by the application that you are running in the virtual machine.

n Power off the virtual machine and exit Workstation Player.

Procedure

1 In a text editor, add the following line to the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file.

serialport_number.pipe.charTimePercent = "time"

port_number is the number of the serial port, starting from 0. The first serial port is serial0.
time is a positive integer that specifies the time taken to transmit a character, expressed as a
percentage of the default speed set for the serial port in the guest operating system. For
example, a setting of 200 forces the port to take twice as long for each character, or send
data at half the default speed. A setting of 50 forces the port to take only half as long for
each character, or send data at twice the default speed.

2 Assuming that the serial port speed is set appropriately in the guest operating system,
experiment with this setting by starting with a value of 100 and gradually decreasing it until
you find the highest speed at which the connection works reliably.

Configuring Generic SCSI Devices

The generic SCSI feature gives the guest operating system direct access to SCSI devices that are
connected to the host system, including scanners, tape drives, and other data storage devices. A
virtual machine can use the generic SCSI driver to run any SCSI device that is supported by the
guest operating system.

To use SCSI devices in a virtual machine running on a Windows host system, you must run
Workstation Player as a user who has administrator access.

Although generic SCSI is device independent, it can be sensitive to the guest operating system,
device class, and specific SCSI hardware.

n Add a Generic SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine

You must add a generic SCSI device to the virtual machine to map virtual SCSI devices on a
virtual machine to physical generic SCSI devices on the host system. You can add up to 60
generic SCSI devices to a virtual machine.

n Troubleshoot Problems Detecting Generic SCSI Devices

When you add a generic SCSI device to a virtual machine, the device does not appear in the
list of available SCSI devices.

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Add a Generic SCSI Device to a Virtual Machine

You must add a generic SCSI device to the virtual machine to map virtual SCSI devices on a
virtual machine to physical generic SCSI devices on the host system. You can add up to 60
generic SCSI devices to a virtual machine.

Prerequisites

n On a Windows host system, run Workstation Player as a user who has administrator access.

n On a 32-bit Windows XP virtual machine, install the special SCSI driver that VMware provides.
You can download the driver from the VMware Web site.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

3 In the Add Hardware wizard, select Generic SCSI Device.

4 Click Finish to add the device.

5 Select the physical SCSI device to map to the virtual SCSI device.

6 To connect the device when the virtual machine powers on, select Connect at power on.

7 On the Hardware tab, select the SCSI device identifier to use for the device from the Virtual
device node drop-down menu and click OK.

For example, if you select SCSI 0:2, the guest operating system sees the drive as ID 2 on
controller 0.

Troubleshoot Problems Detecting Generic SCSI Devices

When you add a generic SCSI device to a virtual machine, the device does not appear in the list
of available SCSI devices.

Problem

The SCSI device does not appear in the list of available SCSI devices after you add it to a virtual
machine.

Cause

A driver for that device is not installed on the host system, a driver on the host system prevents
the device from being detected, or the virtual machine uses a device for which there are no
drivers available to the host operating system.

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Solution

1 Determine the SCSI bus number that the device uses on the host system.

The SCSI bus is assigned a number by the host operating system after all IDE buses are
assigned numbers. For example, if you have two IDE buses, they are numbered 0 and 1. The
first SCSI bus is assigned bus number 2. You can use a third-party tool, such as winobj, to
determine the SCSI bus number.

2 Determine the target ID that the device uses in the virtual machine and on the host system.

This ID is usually set by some jumpers or switches on the device.

3 Determine whether the device driver for the device is installed on the host system.

If the device driver is not installed, install it and see if the device appears. To avoid a device-
in-use conflict between the host and guest, you might not want to install the driver on the
host system.

4 If an original SCSI device driver is already installed on the host system, disable it.

Some Windows operating systems do not process the send command from the adapter if the
device driver owns the device.

5 Power off the virtual machine and open the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file in a text
editor.

6 Add or change the following line in the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file.

scsiZ:Y.fileName = "deviceName"

Z is the SCSI bus number the device uses in the virtual machine. For deviceName, use
scsiX:Y, where X is the SCSI bus number that the device uses on the host system and Y is the
target ID that the device uses in both the virtual machine and on the host system.
For example, if the problematic device is a CD-ROM drive, the existing entry is
scsi0:4.fileName = "CdRom0" and the device on the host system is located on bus 2 with
target ID 4, change the line to scsi0:4.fileName = "scsi2:4".

7 If the virtual machine does not contain any SCSI devices, to add a generic SCSI device to a
new virtual SCSI adapter, or to use an existing SCSI device as a generic SCSI device, add the
following line to the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file.

scsiZ:Y.deviceType = "scsi-passthru"

8 If the virtual machine does not contain any SCSI devices, or to add a generic SCSI device to a
new virtual SCSI adapter, add the following lines to the virtual machine configuration (.vmx)
file.

scsiZ:Y.present = "true"
scsiZ.present = "true"

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Configuring Sixteen-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing

With virtual symmetric multiprocessing (SMP), you can assign processors and cores per
processor to a virtual machine on any host system that has at least two logical processors.

Workstation Player considers multiprocessor hosts that have two or more physical CPUs, single-
processor hosts that have a multicore CPU, and single-processor hosts that have hyperthreading
enabled, to have two logical processors.

Note On hyperthreaded uniprocessor hosts, performance of virtual machines that have virtual
SMP might be below normal. Even on multiprocessor hosts, performance is affected if you
overcommit by running multiple workloads that require more total CPU resources than are
physically available.

You can power on and run multiple dual-processor virtual machines concurrently. The number of
processors for a given virtual machine appears in the summary view of the virtual machine.

Configure Sixteen-Way Virtual Symmetric Multiprocessing

You can configure sixteen-way virtual symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) for an existing virtual
machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Processors.

3 Change the Number of processors setting to 16.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Use a Virtual Machine That Has More Than Sixteen Virtual

Processors
If Workstation Player is running on a multiprocessor host system, you can open a virtual machine
that has more than 16 virtual processors assigned to it. You must change the number of
processors before powering on the virtual machine.

You can see the number of processors in the virtual machine summary view or by viewing the
virtual machine hardware settings.

Prerequisites

Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

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2 On the Hardware tab, select Processors.

Note that Number of processors is set to Other (x), where x is the number of processors
originally assigned to it. Workstation Player preserves this original configuration setting for
the number of processors, even though eight is the maximum number of processors
supported.

3 Change the Number of processors setting to 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16.

After you commit a change to this setting, the original setting for the number of processors is
discarded and no longer appears as an option.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Configuring Keyboard Features

You can change key combinations for hot-key sequences in Workstation Player and the language
for the keyboard that VNC clients use. You can also configure platform-specific keyboard
features for Windows and Linux host systems.

n Use the Enhanced Virtual Keyboard Feature in a Virtual Machine

The enhanced virtual keyboard feature provides better handling of international keyboards
and keyboards that have extra keys. This feature is available only on Windows host
systems.

n Use Ctrl+Alt in a Key Combination

Because Ctrl+Alt tells Workstation Player to release mouse and keyboard input, hot-key
combinations that include Ctrl+Alt are not passed to the guest operating system. You must
use the Space key if the key combination includes Ctrl+Alt.

n Configure Keyboard Mapping for a Remote X Server

Although the keyboard works correctly with a local X server, it might not work correctly
when you run the same virtual machine with a remote X server.

n Change How a Specific Key Is Mapped

If some keys on the keyboard do not work correctly in a virtual machine, you can set a
property that makes a modification to the map. To change how a specific key is mapped,
you add the appropriate property to the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file or to
~/.vmware/config.

n Configure How Keysyms Are Mapped

When key code mapping cannot be used or is disabled, Workstation Player maps keysyms
to v-scan codes. If a language-specific keyboard does not appear to be supported by
Workstation Player, you might need to set a property that tells Workstation Player which
keysym table to use.

n V-Scan Code Table

You specify v-scan codes when you change how keys or keysyms are mapped.

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Use the Enhanced Virtual Keyboard Feature in a Virtual Machine

The enhanced virtual keyboard feature provides better handling of international keyboards and
keyboards that have extra keys. This feature is available only on Windows host systems.

Because it processes raw keyboard input as soon as possible, the enhanced virtual keyboard
feature also offers security improvements by bypassing Windows keystroke processing and any
malware that is not already at a lower layer. When you use the enhanced virtual keyboard
feature, only the guest operating system acts when you press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

Prerequisites

n If you recently installed or upgraded Workstation Player, but did not restart the host system,
restart the host system.

n Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select General.

3 Select an option from the Enhanced virtual keyboard drop-down menu.

Option Description

Off The virtual machine does not use the enhanced virtual keyboard feature.
This is the default value.

Use if available (recommended) The virtual machine uses the enhanced virtual keyboard feature, but only if
the enhanced virtual keyboard driver is installed on the host system.

Required The virtual machine must use the enhanced the virtual keyboard feature. If
you select this option and the enhanced keyboard driver is not installed on
the host system, Workstation Player returns an error message.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

Install the Enhanced Keyboard Driver on a Windows Host

To use the enhanced virtual keyboard feature in a virtual machine, you must install the enhanced
keyboard driver on the Windows host system. If you did not install the enhanced keyboard driver
when you initially installed or upgraded Workstation Player, you can install it by running the
Workstation Player installer in program maintenance mode.

Prerequisites

Verify that you have administrative privileges on the host system.

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Procedure

1 Log in to the Windows host system as the Administrator user or as a user who is a member
of the local Administrators group.

If you log in to a domain, the domain account must also be a local administrator.

2 Double-click the VMware-player-xxxx-xxxxxxx.exe file, where xxxx-xxxxxxx is the version

and build numbers.

3 Select Modify/Change.

4 Select Enhanced Keyboard Utility.

5 Follow the prompts to finish the installation.

What to do next

Enable the enhanced virtual keyboard feature for the virtual machine. See Use the Enhanced
Virtual Keyboard Feature in a Virtual Machine.

Use Ctrl+Alt in a Key Combination

Because Ctrl+Alt tells Workstation Player to release mouse and keyboard input, hot-key
combinations that include Ctrl+Alt are not passed to the guest operating system. You must use
the Space key if the key combination includes Ctrl+Alt.

Procedure

1 Press Ctrl+Alt+spacebar.

2 Release the spacebar without releasing Ctrl and Alt.

3 Press the third key of the key combination to send to the guest operating system.

Configure Keyboard Mapping for a Remote X Server

Although the keyboard works correctly with a local X server, it might not work correctly when
you run the same virtual machine with a remote X server.

For local X servers, Workstation Player maps X key codes to PC scan codes to correctly identify
a key. Because it cannot tell whether a remote X server is running on a PC or on some other kind
of computer, Workstation Player uses this key code map only for local X servers. You can set a
property to tell Workstation Player to use key code mapping. See Understanding X-Key Codes
and Keysyms for more information.

To configure a keyboard mapping for a remote X server, you add the appropriate property to
the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file or to ~/.vmware/config.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the remote X server is an XFree86 server running on a PC.

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n Power off the virtual machine and exit Workstation Player.

Note If the keyboard does not work correctly on an XFree86 server running locally, report the
problem to VMware technical support.

Procedure

u If you use an XFree86-based server that Workstation Player does not recognize as an
XFree86 server, add the xkeymap.usekeycodeMap property and set it to TRUE.

This property tells Workstation Player to always use key code mapping regardless of server
type.
For example: xkeymap.usekeycodeMap = "TRUE"

u If Workstation Player does not recognize the remote server as an XFree86 server, add the
xkeymap.usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 property and set it to TRUE.

This property tells Workstation Player to use key code mapping if you are using an XFree86
server, even if it is remote.
For example: usekeycodeMapIfXFree86 = "TRUE"

Understanding X-Key Codes and Keysyms

Pressing a key on a PC keyboard generates a PC scan code based roughly on the position of the
key. For example, the Z key on a German keyboard generates the same code as the Y key on an
English keyboard because they are in the same position on the keyboard. Most keys have one-
byte scan codes, but some keys have two-byte scan codes with prefix 0xe0.

Internally, Workstation Player uses a simplified version of the PC scan code that is a single nine-
bit numeric value, called a v-scan code. A v-scan code is written as a three-digit hexadecimal
number. The first digit is 0 or 1. For example, the Ctrl key on the left side of the keyboard has a
one-byte scan code (0x1d) and its v-scan code is 0x01d. The Ctrl key scan code on the right side
of the keyboard is two bytes (0xe0, 0x1d) and its v-scan code is 0x11d.

An XFree86 server on a PC has a one-to-one mapping from X key codes to PC scan codes, or v-
scan codes, which is what Workstation Player uses. When Workstation Player is hosted on an
XFree86 server and runs a local virtual machine, it uses the built-in mapping from X key codes to
v-scan codes. This mapping is keyboard independent and should be correct for most languages.
In other cases (not an XFree86 server or not a local server), Workstation Player must map
keysyms to v-scan codes by using a set of keyboard-specific tables.

An X server uses a two-level encoding of keys, which includes the X key code and the keysym.
An X key code is a one-byte value. The assignment of key codes to keys depends on the X
server implementation and the physical keyboard. As a result, an X application normally cannot
use key codes directly. Instead, the key codes are mapped into keysyms that have names like
space, escape, x and 2. You can use an X application to control the mapping by using the
function XChangeKeyboardMapping() or by the program xmodmap. To explore keyboard mappings,
you can use the xev command, which shows the key codes and keysyms for keys typed into its
window.

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A key code corresponds roughly to a physical key, while a keysym corresponds to the symbol on
the key top. For example, with an XFree86 server running on a PC, the Z key on the German
keyboard has the same key code as the Y key on an English keyboard. The German Z keysym,
however, is the same as the English Z keysym, and different from the English Y keysym.

Change How a Specific Key Is Mapped

If some keys on the keyboard do not work correctly in a virtual machine, you can set a property
that makes a modification to the map. To change how a specific key is mapped, you add the
appropriate property to the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file or to ~/.vmware/config.

Prerequisites

n Verify that the X server is an XFree86 server running on a PC. If the X server is remote,
configure it to use key code mapping. See Configure Keyboard Mapping for a Remote X
Server.

n Determine the X key code and the corresponding v-scan code for the key. To find the X key
code for a key, run xev or xmodmap -pk. See V-Scan Code Table for most v-scan codes.

n Power off the virtual machine and exit Workstation Player.

Procedure

1 Open .vmx or ~/.vmware/config in a text editor.

2 Add the xkeymap.keycode.code property and set it to the v-scan code.

code must be a decimal number and the v-scan code must be a C-syntax hexadecimal
number, such as 0x001.
In this example, the properties swap left Ctrl and Caps Lock.

xkeymap.keycode.64 = "0x01d # X Caps_Lock -> VM left ctrl"

xkeymap.keycode.37 = "0x03a # X Control_L -> VM caps lock"

Configure How Keysyms Are Mapped

When key code mapping cannot be used or is disabled, Workstation Player maps keysyms to v-
scan codes. If a language-specific keyboard does not appear to be supported by Workstation
Player, you might need to set a property that tells Workstation Player which keysym table to use.

Workstation Player determines which table to use by examining the current X keymap. However,
its decision-making process can sometimes fail. In addition, each mapping is fixed and might not
be completely correct for any given keyboard and X key code-to-keysym mapping. For example,
if a user uses xmodmap to swap Ctrl and Caps Lock by, the keys are swapped in the virtual
machine when using a remote server (keysym mapping), but are unswapped when using a local
server (key code mapping). To correct this situation, you must remap the keys in Workstation
Player.

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To configure how keysyms are mapped, you add one or more properties to the virtual machine
configuration (.vmx) file or to ~/.vmware/config.

Prerequisites

n To change the mapping of a few keys, determine the keysym name for each key. To find a
keysym name, use the xev or xmodmap -pk command. The X header file /usr/include/X11/
keysymdef.h also has a complete list of keysyms. The name of a keysym is the same as its C
constant, but without the XK_ prefix.

n To use a different keysym table, determine which mapping table to use. The tables are
located in the xkeymap directory in the Workstation Player installation directory, which is
usually /usr/lib/vmware. The table you must use depends on the keyboard layout. The
normal distribution includes tables for PC keyboards for the United States and a number of
European countries and languages. For most of these, both the 101-key (or 102-key) and the
104-key (or 105-key) variants are available.

If none of the mapping tables is completely correct, find one that works best, copy it to a new
location, and change the individual keysym mappings.

n Familiarize yourself with the v-scan codes. See V-Scan Code Table.

n Power off the virtual machine and exit Workstation Player.

Procedure

u To disable X key code mapping to map keysyms rather than key codes to v-scan codes, add
the xkeymap.nokeycodeMap property and set it to TRUE.

For example: xkeymap.nokeycodeMap = "TRUE"

u If Workstation Player has a table in the xkeymap directory for your keyboard but cannot
detect it, add the xkeymap.language property and set it to one of the tables in the xkeymap
directory.

For example: xkeymap.language = "keyboard_type"

If the failure to detect the keyboard means that the table is not completely correct for you,
you might need to create a modified table and use the xkeymap.fileName property instead.

u To use a different keysym mapping table that is not in the xkeymap directory, add the
xkeymap.fileName property and set it to the path to the table.

For example: xkeymap.fileName = "file_path"

The table must list a keysym for each key by using the form sym="v-scan_code", where the
sym value is an X keysym name and v-scan_code is a C-syntax hexadecimal number, for
example, 0x001. Use a new line for each keysym.

Note Because compiling a complete keysym mapping is difficult, you should usually edit an
existing table and make small changes.

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u To change the keysym mapping of a few keys, type the xkeymap.keysym property for each
key, on separate lines.

For example: xkeymap.keysym.sym = "v-scan_code"

The value of sym must be an X keysym name and v-scan_code is a C-syntax hexadecimal
number, for example, 0x001.

V-Scan Code Table

You specify v-scan codes when you change how keys or keysyms are mapped.

Following are the v-scan codes for the 104-key U.S. keyboard.

Table 12-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard

Symbol Shifted Symbol Location V-Scan Code

Esc 0x001

1 ! 0x002

2 @ 0x003

3 # 0x004

4 $ 0x005

5 % 0x006

6 ^ 0x007

7 & 0x008

8 * 0x009

9 ( 0x00a

0 ) 0x00b

- _ 0x00c

= + 0x00d

Backspace 0x00e

Tab 0x00f

Q 0x010

W 0x011

E 0x012

R 0x013

T 0x014

Y 0x015

U 0x016

I 0x017

O 0x018

P 0x019

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Table 12-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard (continued)
Symbol Shifted Symbol Location V-Scan Code

[ { 0x01a

] } 0x01b

Enter 0x01c

Ctrl left 0x01d

A 0x01e

S 0x01f

D 0x020

F 0x021

G 0x022

H 0x023

J 0x024

K 0x025

L 0x026

; 0x027

' 0x028

` 0x029

Shift left 0x02a

\ | 0x02b

Z 0x02c

X 0x02d

C 0x02e

V 0x02f

B 0x030

N 0x031

M 0x032

, < 0x033

. > 0x034

/ ? 0x035

Shift right 0x036

* numeric pad 0x037

Alt left 0x038

Space bar 0x039

Caps Lock 0x03a

F1 0x03b

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Table 12-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard (continued)
Symbol Shifted Symbol Location V-Scan Code

F2 0x03c

F3 0x03d

F4 0x03e

F5 0x03f

F6 0x040

F7 0x041

F8 0x042

F9 0x043

F10 0x044

Num Lock numeric pad 0x045

Scroll Lock 0x046

Home 7 numeric pad 0x047

Up arrow 8 numeric pad 0x048

PgUp 9 numeric pad 0x049

- numeric pad 0x04a

Left arrow 4 numeric pad 0x04b

5 numeric pad 0x04c

Right arrow 6 numeric pad 0x04d

+ numeric pad 0x04e

End 1 numeric pad 0x04f

Down arrow 2 numeric pad 0x050

PgDn 3 numeric pad 0x051

Ins 0 numeric pad 0x052

Del numeric pad 0x053

F11 0x057

F12 0x058

Break Pause 0x100

Enter numeric pad 0x11c

Ctrl right 0x11d

/ numeric pad 0x135

SysRq Print Scrn 0x137

Alt right 0x138

Home function pad 0x147

Up arrow function pad 0x148

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Table 12-1. V-Scan Codes for the 104-Key U.S. Keyboard (continued)
Symbol Shifted Symbol Location V-Scan Code

Page Up function pad 0x149

Left arrow function pad 0x14b

Right arrow function pad 0x14d

End function pad 0x14f

Down arrow function pad 0x150

Page Down function pad 0x151

Insert function pad 0x152

Delete function pad 0x153

Windows left 0x15b

Windows right 0x15c

Menu 0x15d

The 84-key keyboard has a Sys Req key on the numeric pad. Its v-scan code is 0x054.

Keyboards outside the U.S. usually have an extra key (often < > or < > |) next to the left Shift key.
The v-scan code for this key is 0x056.

Modify Hardware Settings for a Virtual Machine

You can modify memory, processor, virtual and physical hard disk, CD-ROM and DVD drive,
floppy drive, virtual network adapter, USB controller, sound card, serial port, generic SCSI device,
printer, and display settings for a virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 Click the Hardware tab.

3 Select the hardware setting to modify.

4 Click Help for information about how to modify the hardware setting.

You must power off a virtual machine before you change certain hardware settings.

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Configuring Network Connections
13
Workstation Player provides bridged networking, network address translation (NAT), and host-
only networking to configure a virtual machine for virtual networking. The software that you need
for all networking configurations is installed on the host system when you install Workstation
Player

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Understanding Virtual Networking Components

n Understanding Common Networking Configurations

n Configuring Bridged Networking

n Configuring Network Address Translation

n Configuring Host-Only Networking

n Changing a Networking Configuration

n Enable Jumbo Frames

Understanding Virtual Networking Components

The virtual networking components in Workstation Player include virtual switches, virtual network
adapters, the virtual DHCP server, and the NAT device.

Virtual Switches
Like a physical switch, a virtual switch connects networking components together. Virtual
switches, which are also referred to as virtual networks, are named VMnet0, VMnet1, VMnet2,
and so on. A few virtual switches are mapped to specific networks by default.

Table 13-1. Default Virtual Network Switches

Network Type Switch Name

Bridged VMnet0

NAT VMnet8

Host-only VMnet1

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Workstation Player creates virtual switches as needed, up to 20 virtual switches on a Windows

host system and up to 255 virtual switches on a Linux host system. You can connect an unlimited
number of virtual network devices to a virtual switch on a Windows host system and up to 32
virtual network devices to a virtual switch on a Linux host system.

Note On Linux host systems, the virtual switch names are in all lowercase letters, for example,
vmnet0.

Virtual Network Adapters

When you use the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a new virtual machine, the wizard
creates a virtual network adapter for the virtual machine. The virtual network adapter appears in
the guest operating system as an AMD PCNET PCI adapter, Intel Pro/1000 MT Server Adapter, or
Intel 82574L Gigabit Network Connection. In Windows Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8 guest
operating systems, the adapter is an Intel Pro/1000 MT Server Adapter. In Windows 8.1 and
Windows10 guest operation systems, the adapter is an Intel 82574L Gigabit Network Connection.

Player 3.x and later virtual machines can have up to 10 virtual network adapters.

Virtual DHCP Server

The virtual Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server provides IP addresses to virtual
machines in configurations that are not bridged to an external network. For example, the virtual
DHCP server assigns IP addresses to virtual machines in host-only and NAT configurations.

NAT Device
In a NAT configuration, the NAT device passes network data between one or more virtual
machines and the external network, identifies incoming data packets intended for each virtual
machine, and sends them to the correct destination.

Understanding Common Networking Configurations

You can configure bridged networking, NAT, and host-only networking for virtual machines. You
can also use the virtual networking components to create sophisticated custom virtual networks.

Creating custom networks is available only on virtual machines that are created in Workstation
Player. Although you cannot configure custom networking in Workstation Player, you can run a
virtual machine that has custom networking in Workstation Player.

Bridged Networking
Bridged networking connects a virtual machine to a network by using the network adapter on the
host system. If the host system is on a network, bridged networking is often the easiest way to
give the virtual machine access to that network.

When you install Workstation Player on a Windows or Linux host system, a bridged network
(VMnet0) is set up for you. See Configuring Bridged Networking.

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NAT Networking
With NAT, a virtual machine does not have its own IP address on the external network. Instead, a
separate private network is set up on the host system. In the default configuration, a virtual
machine gets an address on this private network from the virtual DHCP server. The virtual
machine and the host system share a single network identity that is not visible on the external
network.

When you install Workstation Player on a Windows or Linux host system, a NAT network
(VMnet8) is set up for you. When you use the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a new
virtual machine and select the typical configuration type, the wizard configures the virtual
machine to use the default NAT network.

You can have only one NAT network. See Configuring Network Address Translation.

Host-Only Networking
Host-only networking creates a network that is completely contained within the host computer.
Host-only networking provides a network connection between the virtual machine and the host
system by using a virtual network adapter that is visible on the host operating system.

When you install Workstation Player on a Windows or Linux host system, a host-only network
(VMnet1) is set up for you. See Configuring Host-Only Networking.

Configuring Bridged Networking

When you install Workstation Player on a Windows or Linux host system, a bridged network
(VMnet0) is set up for you. Bridged networking connects a virtual machine to a network by using
the network adapter on the host system. If the host system is on a network, bridged networking
is often the easiest way to give the virtual machine access to that network.

With bridged networking, the virtual network adapter in the virtual machine connects to a
physical network adapter in the host system. The host network adapter enables the virtual
machine to connect to the LAN that the host system uses. Bridged networking works with both
wired and wireless host network adapters.

Bridged networking configures the virtual machine as a unique identity on the network, separate
from and unrelated to the host system. The virtual machine is a full participant in the network. It
has access to other machines on the network, and other machines on the network can contact it
as if it were a physical computer on the network.

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Figure 13-1. Bridged Networking Configuration

virtual
network
adapter

virtual machine virtual network switch

(VMnet0)
host
virtual bridge network
adapter

You can view and change the settings for bridged networking on the host system, determine
which network adapters to use for bridged networking, and map specific host network adapters
to specific virtual switches.

Assigning IP Addresses in a Bridged Networking Environment

A virtual machine must have its own identity on a bridged network. For example, on a TCP/IP
network, the virtual machine needs its own IP address. Your network administrator can tell you
whether IP addresses are available for virtual machines and which networking settings to use in
the guest operating system.

Typically, the guest operating system can acquire an IP address and other network details from a
DHCP server, but you might need to set the IP address and other details manually in the guest
operating system.

Users who boot multiple operating systems often assign the same address to all systems
because they assume that only one operating system will be running at a time. If the host system
is set up to boot multiple operating systems, and you run one or more operating systems in
virtual machines, you must configure each operating system to have a unique network address.

Configure Bridged Networking for an Existing Virtual Machine

You can configure bridged networking for an existing virtual machine.

To configure bridged networking for a new virtual machine, select Customize Hardware when
you run the New Virtual Machine wizard.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Network Adapter.

3 Select Bridged: Connected directly to the physical network.

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4 If you use the virtual machine on a laptop or other mobile device, select Replicate physical
network connection state.

This setting causes the IP address to be renewed when you move from one wired or wireless
network to another.

5 Click OK to save your changes.

Configuring Network Address Translation

When you install Workstation Player on a Windows or Linux host system, a NAT network
(VMnet8) is set up for you. When you use the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a typical
virtual machine, the wizard configures the virtual machine to use the default NAT network.

With NAT, a virtual machine does not have its own IP address on the external network. Instead, a
separate private network is set up on the host system. In the default configuration, virtual
machines get an address on this private network from the virtual DHCP server.

Figure 13-2. NAT Configuration

virtual
network
adapter

virtual network switch DHCP server

virtual machine (VMnet8)

NAT network
device

The virtual machine and the host system share a single network identity that is not visible on the
external network. NAT works by translating the IP addresses of virtual machines in the private
network to the IP address of the host system. When a virtual machine sends a request to access
a network resource, it appears to the network resource as if the request is coming from the host
system.

The host system has a virtual network adapter on the NAT network. This adapter enables the
host system and virtual machines to communicate with each other. The NAT device passes
network data between one or more virtual machines and the external network, identifies
incoming data packets intended for each virtual machine, and sends them to the correct
destination.

Configuring Host-Only Networking

When you install Workstation Player on a Windows or Linux host system, a host-only network
(VMnet1) is set up for you. Host-only networking is useful if you need to set up an isolated virtual
network. In a host-only network, the virtual machine and the host virtual network adapter are

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connected to a private Ethernet network. The network is completely contained within the host
system.

The network connection between the virtual machine and the host system is provided by a
virtual network adapter that is visible on the host operating system. The virtual DHCP server
provides IP addresses on the host-only network.

Figure 13-3. Host-Only Networking Configuration

virtual
network
adapter

virtual network switch DHCP server

virtual machine (VMnet1)
host
network
adapter

In the default configuration, a virtual machine in a host-only network cannot connect to the
Internet. If you install the proper routing or proxy software on the host system, you can establish
a connection between the host virtual network adapter and a physical network adapter on the
host system to connect the virtual machine to a Token Ring or other non-Ethernet network.

On a Windows host computer, you can use host-only networking in combination with the Internet
Connection Sharing feature in Windows to allow a virtual machine to use the dial-up networking
adapter or other connection to the Internet on the host system. See Microsoft documentation for
information on configuring Internet Connection Sharing.

Configure Host-Only Networking for an Existing Virtual Machine

You can configure host-only networking for an existing virtual machine. You can connect a virtual
network adapter to the default host-only network (VMnet1) or to a custom host-only network. If a
virtual machine has two virtual network adapters, you can connect it to two host-only networks.

To configure host-only networking for a new virtual machine, select Customize Hardware when
you run the New Virtual Machine wizard.

Prerequisites

To connect the virtual machine to two host-only networks, add a second virtual network adapter
to the virtual machine. See Add a Virtual Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab select a virtual network adapter.

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3 Select the host-only network.

Option Action

Use the default host-only network Select Host-only: A private network shared with the host.
(VMnet1)

Use a custom host-only network Select Custom and select the custom host-only network from the drop-
down menu.

4 To connect the virtual machine to a second host-only network, select another virtual network
adapter and select the second host-only network.

5 Click OK to save your changes.

What to do next

Assign IP addresses to the virtual network adapters. To see the IP address that a host-only
network is using, use the ipconfig /all command on the Windows host.

Changing a Networking Configuration

You can determine the type of network that a virtual machine is using, add virtual network
adapters to a virtual machine, and change the configuration of existing virtual network adapters.

Find the Network Type of a Virtual Machine

Unless you configure a custom network connection, a virtual machine uses a bridged, NAT, or
host-only network connection. When you use the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a virtual
machine, the new virtual machine defaults to using the NAT network type.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Network Adapter.

Add a Virtual Network Adapter to a Virtual Machine

You can add up to 10 virtual network adapters to a virtual machine.

Prerequisites

Familiarize yourself with the network configuration types. See Understanding Common
Networking Configurations.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, click Add.

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3 To add the virtual network adapter to the virtual machine, select Network Adapter and click
Finish.

4 Select the virtual network adapter type.

Option Description

Bridged The virtual machine is connected to the network by using the network
adapter on the host system. The virtual machine has a unique identity on the
network, separate from and unrelated to the host system.

NAT The virtual machine and the host system share a single network identity that
is not visible on the external network. When the virtual machine sends a
request to access a network resource, it appears to the network resource as
if the request is coming from the host system.

Host-only The virtual machine and the host virtual network adapter are connected to a
private Ethernet network. The network is completely contained within the
host system.

5 (Optional) Select the Connect at power on checkbox.

6 Click Finish to add the virtual network adapter to the virtual machine.

7 Click OK to save your changes.

8 Verify that the guest operating system is configured to use an appropriate IP address on the
new network.

a If the virtual machine is using DHCP, release and renew the lease.

b If the IP address is set statically, verify that the guest operating system has an address on
the correct virtual network.

Modify an Existing Virtual Network Adapter for a Virtual Machine

You can change the settings of a virtual network adapter that is currently used by a virtual
machine.

Prerequisites

Familiarize yourself with the network configuration types. See Understanding Common
Networking Configurations.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select the virtual network adapter.

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3 Select the virtual network adapter type.

Option Description

Bridged The virtual machine is connected to the network by using the network
adapter on the host system. The virtual machine has a unique identity on the
network, separate from and unrelated to the host system.

NAT The virtual machine and the host system share a single network identity that
is not visible on the external network. When the virtual machine sends a
request to access a network resource, it appears to the network resource as
if the request is coming from the host system.

Host-only The virtual machine and the host virtual network adapter are connected to a
private Ethernet network. The network is completely contained within the
host system.

Custom Select a custom network from the drop-down menu. Although VMnet0,
VMnet1, and VMnet8 might be available in this list, these networks are
usually used for bridged, host-only, and NAT networks.

LAN segment Select a LAN segment from the drop-down menu. A LAN segment is a
private network that is shared by other virtual machines.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

5 Verify that the guest operating system is configured to use an appropriate IP address on the
new network.

a If the virtual machine is using DHCP, release and renew the lease.

b If the IP address is set statically, verify that the guest operating system has an address on
the correct virtual network.

Enable Jumbo Frames

With Workstation Player, you can enable jumbo frames for VMware virtual networks.

Jumbo frames let you send larger frames out onto the physical network or between virtual
machines on the same host.

Enable Jumbo Frames on Windows Host

With Workstation Player, you can enable jumbo frames for VMware virtual networks in the
VMware Virtual Ethernet Adapter on Windows.

Procedure

1 Navigate to Control Panel > Network and Internet > Network Connections.

2 In the Network Connections window, right-click a VMware network adapter and select
Properties. Click Configure on the Networking tab.

3 In the new window that appears, select the Advanced tab and select Jumbo Packet.

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4 In the Value drop-down menu, select the packet size and click Ok.

Results

Jumbo frame is enabled.

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Configuring Virtual Machine
Option Settings 14
Virtual machine options settings control characteristics of individual virtual machines, such as
how files are transferred between the host and guest operating system and what happens to a
guest operating system when you exit Workstation Player. Some virtual machine options
override similar Workstation Player preference settings.

To configure virtual machine option settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player >
Manage > Virtual Machine Settings and click the Options tab.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Configuring General Option Settings for a Virtual Machine

n Configuring Power Options for a Virtual Machine

n Configuring VMware Tools Options for a Virtual Machine

n Configuring Unity Mode for a Virtual Machine

n Configuring Autologin for a Virtual Machine

Configuring General Option Settings for a Virtual Machine

General option settings include the virtual machine name, the guest operating system type and
version, and the location of the directory where virtual machine files are stored.

To configure general option settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage >
Virtual Machine Settings, click the Options tab, and select General.

n Changing a Virtual Machine Name

You can change the name of a virtual machine. Changing the name of the virtual machine
does not change the name of this directory, nor does it rename the virtual machine files on
the host. Workstation Player uses the original name of the virtual machine to create the
directory where virtual machine files are stored.

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n Changing the Guest Operating System

You can change the guest operating system or operating system version for a virtual
machine. You might want to change the guest operating system for a virtual machine when
you upgrade the guest operating system or if you specified the wrong operating system
version when you created the virtual machine.

n Changing the Virtual Machine Working Directory

You can change the working directory for a virtual machine. The working directory is where
Workstation Player stores suspended state (.vmss), snapshot (.vmsn), and virtual machine
paging (.vmem) files. By default, the working directory is where the virtual machine files are
stored.

n Use the Enhanced Virtual Keyboard Feature in a Virtual Machine

The enhanced virtual keyboard feature provides better handling of international keyboards
and keyboards that have extra keys. This feature is available only on Windows host
systems.

Changing a Virtual Machine Name

You can change the name of a virtual machine. Changing the name of the virtual machine does
not change the name of this directory, nor does it rename the virtual machine files on the host.
Workstation Player uses the original name of the virtual machine to create the directory where
virtual machine files are stored.

To specify a new name for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine
Settings, click the Options tab, and select General.

Changing the Guest Operating System

You can change the guest operating system or operating system version for a virtual machine.
You might want to change the guest operating system for a virtual machine when you upgrade
the guest operating system or if you specified the wrong operating system version when you
created the virtual machine.

To select a new guest operating system or operating system version for a selected virtual
machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Options tab, and select
General.

When you change the operating system type, the virtual machine configuration file is changed
but the guest operating system is not changed. To change the guest operating system, you must
obtain the operating system software and upgrade the guest operating system.

The virtual machine must be powered off when you change these settings.

Changing the Virtual Machine Working Directory

You can change the working directory for a virtual machine. The working directory is where
Workstation Player stores suspended state (.vmss), snapshot (.vmsn), and virtual machine paging
(.vmem) files. By default, the working directory is where the virtual machine files are stored.

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To specify a new working directory for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage >
Virtual Machine Settings, click the Options tab, and select General.

You might want to change the working directory in the following situations.

n To run a virtual machine that is stored on a network share or iPod, which might slow
performance, you can change the working directory to your local hard disk.

n To create a paging file on a fast disk with a lot of disk space but leave the virtual disk and
configuration file on a different disk, you can change the working directory so that it is
located on the fast disk.

Changing the working directory does not change the directory where Workstation Player stores
the virtual machine configuration (.vmx) file and log files.

The virtual machine must be powered off when you change this setting.

Use the Enhanced Virtual Keyboard Feature in a Virtual Machine

The enhanced virtual keyboard feature provides better handling of international keyboards and
keyboards that have extra keys. This feature is available only on Windows host systems.

Because it processes raw keyboard input as soon as possible, the enhanced virtual keyboard
feature also offers security improvements by bypassing Windows keystroke processing and any
malware that is not already at a lower layer. When you use the enhanced virtual keyboard
feature, only the guest operating system acts when you press Ctrl+Alt+Delete.

Prerequisites

n If you recently installed or upgraded Workstation Player, but did not restart the host system,
restart the host system.

n Power off the virtual machine.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Options tab, select General.

3 Select an option from the Enhanced virtual keyboard drop-down menu.

Option Description

Off The virtual machine does not use the enhanced virtual keyboard feature.
This is the default value.

Use if available (recommended) The virtual machine uses the enhanced virtual keyboard feature, but only if
the enhanced virtual keyboard driver is installed on the host system.

Required The virtual machine must use the enhanced the virtual keyboard feature. If
you select this option and the enhanced keyboard driver is not installed on
the host system, Workstation Player returns an error message.

4 Click OK to save your changes.

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Configuring Power Options for a Virtual Machine

Power options control how a virtual machine behaves after it is powered off, closed, or
suspended.

To configure power options for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Options tab, and select Power.

Table 14-1. Power Options

Option Description

Enter full screen mode after powering on The virtual machine window enters full screen mode after it is powered on.

Report battery information to guest Battery information is reported to the guest operating system. If you run
the virtual machine on a laptop in full screen mode, this option enables you
to determine when the battery is running low. This option is available only
for Workstation 6.x and later virtual machines.

Configuring VMware Tools Options for a Virtual Machine

You can configure how VMware Tools is updated on a virtual machine. You can also configure
whether the clock on the guest operating system is synchronized with the clock on the host.

VMware Tools Update Options

The virtual machine VMware Tools update options override the Workstation Player preferences
for automatically updating VMware Tools on Linux and Windows guest operating systems.

To configure VMware Tools updates for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage >
Virtual Machine Settings, click the Options tab, and select VMware Tools.

Note Automatic updates are not supported for versions of VMware Tools included in virtual
machines created with older versions of VMware products, such as Workstation 5.5 and earlier or
VMware Server 1.x.

Table 14-2. VMware Tools Update Options

Option Description

Update manually (do nothing) You must update VMware Tools manually. A message appears
on the status bar of the guest operating system when a new
version of VMware Tools is available.

Update automatically VMware Tools is updated automatically when a new version is

available. The status bar indicates when an update is in
progress.

Use application default (currently update Use the default VMware Tools update behavior.
automatically)

To install a VMware Tools update, use the same procedure that you used for installing VMware
Tools the first time.

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Time Synchronization
If you turn on the VMware Tools time synchronization feature, VMware Tools checks once every
minute to determine whether the clocks on the guest and host operating systems still match. If
not, the clock on the guest operating system is synchronized to match the clock on the host.

Native time synchronization software, such as Network Time Protocol (NTP) for Linux and the
Mac OS X, or Microsoft Windows Time Service (Win32Time) for Windows, is typically more
accurate than VMware Tools periodic time synchronization and is therefore preferred.

Configuring Unity Mode for a Virtual Machine

In virtual machines that have Windows XP or later guest operating systems, you can switch to
Unity mode to display applications directly on the host system desktop. Open applications in
Unity mode appear on the taskbar in the same way as open host system applications.

To configure Unity mode settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Options tab, and select Unity.

Table 14-3. Unity Mode Options

Setting Description

Show borders Set a window border that identifies the application as belonging to the
virtual machine rather than to the host computer.

Show badges Display a logo in the title bar.

Use a custom color in window borders To help distinguish between the application windows that belong to
various virtual machines, use a custom color in window borders. For
example, you can set the applications for one virtual machine to have a
blue border and set the applications for another virtual machine to have
a yellow border. On Windows hosts, click Choose color to use the color
chooser.

Enable applications menu The virtual machine Start or Applications menu appears on the host
system desktop.
When you can access the virtual machine Start or Applications menu
from the host machine desktop, you can start applications in the virtual
machine that are not open in Unity mode. If you do not enable this
setting, you must exit Unity mode to display the virtual machine Start or
Applications menu in the console view.

Configuring Autologin for a Virtual Machine

You can configure the Autologin feature for virtual machines that have a Windows 2000 or later
guest operating system. To use Autologin, the virtual machine must be powered on, you must
have an existing user account on the local machine, and the latest version of VMware Tools must
be installed.

To configure Autologin for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine
Settings, click the Options tab, and select Autologin.

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When you enable Autologin, you must type your login credentials. If you type an incorrect or
expired password, you must type your login credentials when you power on the virtual machine.
To change your login credentials, select Change User.

Note When you enable Autologin or change your login credentials, Autologin settings are saved
immediately. If you click Cancel in the Virtual Machine Settings dialog box, the changes applied to
the Autologin settings are not affected.

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Hardware Settings 15
You can use virtual machine hardware settings to add, remove, and modify virtual devices for a
virtual machine.

To configure hardware settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings and click the Hardware tab. When you select a device in the left pane, the
configuration options for that device appear in the right pane.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Adding Hardware to a Virtual Machine

n Removing Hardware from a Virtual Machine

n Adjusting Virtual Machine Memory

n Configuring Virtual Machine Processor Settings

n Configuring and Maintaining Virtual Hard Disks

n Configuring CD-ROM and DVD Drive Settings

n Configuring Floppy Drive Settings

n Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Settings

n Configuring USB Controller Settings

n Configuring Sound Card Settings

n Configuring Parallel Port Settings

n Configuring Serial Port Settings

n Configuring Generic SCSI Device Settings

n Configuring Printer Settings

n Configuring Display Settings

n Installing a Guest Operating System on a Physical Disk or Unused Partition

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Adding Hardware to a Virtual Machine

You can use virtual machine hardware settings to add hardware to an existing virtual machine.

To add hardware to a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine
Settings, click the Hardware tab, and click Add.

Note You cannot add hardware to a virtual machine while it is in a suspended state.

The Add Hardware wizard prompts you to select the type of device that you want to add and to
specify device-specific configuration settings. You can modify many of the configuration settings
after the device is created by changing virtual machine hardware settings.

You can add the following types of devices to a virtual machine.

Virtual hard disks

A virtual hard disk is a set of files that appears as a physical disk drive to the guest operating
system. You can configure a virtual hard disk as an IDE, SCSI, SATA, or NVMe device. You can
add up to 4 IDE devices, up to 60 SCSI devices, up to 120 SATA devices (4 controllers and 30
devices per controller), and up to 60 NVMe devices (4 controllers and 15 devices per
controller) to a virtual machine. You can also give a virtual machine direct access to a physical
disk.

CD-ROM and DVD drives

You can configure a virtual CD-ROM or DVD drive as an IDE, SCSI, or SATA device. You can
add up to 4 IDE devices, up to 60 SCSI devices, and up to 120 SATA devices (4 controllers
and 30 devices per controller). You can connect virtual CD-ROM and DVD drives to a physical
drive on the host system or to an ISO image file.

Floppy drives

You can add up to two floppy drives. A virtual floppy drive can connect to a physical drive on
the host system, to an existing floppy image file, or to a blank floppy image file.

Network adapters

You can add up to 10 virtual network adapters to a virtual machine.

USB controller

You can add one USB controller to a virtual machine. A virtual machine must have a USB
controller to use USB devices or smart card readers. For smart card readers, a virtual
machine must have a USB controller regardless of whether the smart card reader is actually a
USB device.

Sound card

If the host system is configured for sound and has a sound card installed, you can enable
sound for virtual machines.

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Parallel (LPT) ports

You can attach up to three bidirectional parallel ports to a virtual machine. Virtual parallel
ports can output to parallel ports or to files on the host operating system.

Serial (COM) ports

You can add up to four serials ports to a virtual machine. Virtual serial ports can output to
physical serial ports, files on the host operating system, or named pipes.

Printers

You can print from a virtual machine to any printer available to the host system without
installing additional drivers in the virtual machine. Workstation Player uses ThinPrint
technology to replicate the host machine printer mapping in the virtual machine. When you
enable the virtual machine printer, Workstation Player configures a virtual serial port to
communicate with the host printers.

Generic SCSI devices

You can add up to 60 SCSI devices to a virtual machine. A generic SCSI device gives the
guest operating system direct access to a SCSI device connected to the host system. Generic
SCSI devices can include scanners, tape drives, CD-ROM drives, and DVD drives.

Removing Hardware from a Virtual Machine

You can remove certain types of hardware from a virtual machine.

To remove hardware from a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine
Settings, click the Hardware tab, and click Remove.

Note You cannot remove hardware from a virtual machine while it is in suspended state.

You can remove the following types of devices from a virtual machine.

n Virtual hard disks

n CD-ROM and DVD drives

n Floppy drives

n Virtual network adapters

n USB controllers

n Sound cards

n Printers

n Generic SCSI devices

You cannot remove the Memory, Processors, and Display device types.

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You must power off a virtual machine before you remove a virtual network adapter, sound card,
parallel port, serial port, or generic SCSI device. You must also power off Workstation 5 virtual
machines before you remove a USB controller.

Adjusting Virtual Machine Memory

You can adjust the amount of memory that is allocated to a virtual machine. You must power off
a virtual machine before you change its memory allocation setting.

To adjust the memory allocation for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and click Memory.

The Memory panel includes information to help you select the appropriate amount of memory for
the virtual machine. The high end of the range is determined by the amount of memory that is
allocated to all running virtual machines. If you allow virtual machine memory to be swapped, this
value changes to reflect the specified amount of swapping.

The color-coded icons on the Memory panel indicate the maximum recommended memory, the
recommended memory, and the guest operating system recommended minimum memory
amounts. To adjust the memory, move the slider along the range of values, or type a value in the
Memory for this virtual machine text box.

Note Allocating more than the maximum memory to a virtual machine might cause memory
swapping. It can also negatively affect host system performance, including the ability to run
Workstation Player.

Configuring Virtual Machine Processor Settings

You can configure processor settings for a virtual machine, including the number of processors,
the number of cores per processor, and the preferred execution mode for the virtualization
engine.

To configure processor settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select Processors.

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Table 15-1. Processor Settings

Setting Description

Number of cores per processor Select the number of cores per processor.
Workstation Player supports up to 16-way virtual Symmetric
Multiprocessing (SMP) for guest operating systems running on
multiprocessor host machines. You can assign processors and cores per
processor to a virtual machine on any host machine that has at least two
logical processors.

Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI Workstation Player forces the virtual machine execution mode to VT-
x/EPT or AMD-RVI. Physical Address Extension (PAE) mode must be
enabled to use virtualized AMD-V/RVI.
If the execution mode is not supported by the host system, virtualized
VT-x/EPT or AMD/RVI is not available. If you migrate the virtual machine
to another VMware product, virtualized VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI might
not be available.

Virtualize CPU performance counters Turn on this feature if you plan to use performance monitoring
applications such as VTune or OProfile to optimize or debug software
that runs inside the virtual machine.
This feature is available only if the virtual machine compatibility is
Workstation 9 or later.

Configuring and Maintaining Virtual Hard Disks

You can configure virtual hard disk node and mode settings. You can also use command in the
Utilities menu to perform common disk maintenance tasks, such as defragmenting, compacting,
and expanding a disk.

To perform actions on a virtual hard disk for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage >
Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the virtual hard disk.

n Defragmenting Virtual Hard Disks

Like physical disk drives, virtual hard disks can become fragmented. Defragmenting disks
rearranges files, programs, and unused space on the virtual disk so that programs run faster
and files open more quickly. Defragmenting does not reclaim unused space on a virtual disk.

n Expanding Virtual Hard Disks

Expanding a virtual hard disk adds storage space to the virtual machine.

n Compacting Virtual Hard Disks

Compacting a virtual hard disk can reclaim unused space in the virtual disk. Modern disks
and operating systems are much more efficient at managing disk space than in the recent
past. Therefore, do not expect the compacting procedure to return large amounts of disk
space to the host drive.

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n Mapping a Virtual Disk to the Host System

Instead of using shared folders or copying data between a virtual machine and the host
system, you can map a virtual disk to the host system. In this case, you map a virtual disk in
the host file system as a separate mapped drive. Using a mapped drive lets you connect to
the virtual disk without going into a virtual machine.

n Changing Virtual Hard Disk Node and Mode Settings

You can change virtual hard disk node and mode settings.

Defragmenting Virtual Hard Disks

Like physical disk drives, virtual hard disks can become fragmented. Defragmenting disks
rearranges files, programs, and unused space on the virtual disk so that programs run faster and
files open more quickly. Defragmenting does not reclaim unused space on a virtual disk.

There must be adequate free working space on the host system to defragment a virtual hard
disk. If the disk is contained in a single file, for example, you need free space equal to the size of
the disk file. Other virtual hard disk configurations require less free space. You cannot
defragment a virtual hard disk while it is mapped or mounted.

To defragment a virtual hard disk for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, select the virtual hard disk, and select Defragment
from the Utilities menu.

Note Defragmenting a virtual hard disk can take several minutes.

Expanding Virtual Hard Disks

Expanding a virtual hard disk adds storage space to the virtual machine.

When you expand a virtual hard disk, the added space is not immediately available to the virtual
machine. To make the added space available, you must use a disk management tool to increase
the size of the existing partition on the virtual hard disk to match the expanded size.

The disk management tool that you use depends on the virtual machine guest operating system.
Many operating systems, including Windows 7 and later, and many versions of Linux, provide
built-in disk management tools that can resize partitions. Third-party disk management tools are
also available, such as Symantec/Norton PartitionMagic, EASEUS Partition Master, Acronis Disk
Director, and the open-source tool GParted.

When you expand the size of a virtual hard disk, partition and file-system size are not affected.

To expand a virtual hard disk for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, select the virtual hard disk, and select Expand from the Utilities menu.

Note As an alternative to expanding a virtual hard disk, you can add a new virtual hard disk to
the virtual machine.

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Compacting Virtual Hard Disks

Compacting a virtual hard disk can reclaim unused space in the virtual disk. Modern disks and
operating systems are much more efficient at managing disk space than in the recent past.
Therefore, do not expect the compacting procedure to return large amounts of disk space to the
host drive.

You cannot compact a virtual hard disk if disk space is preallocated or if the virtual hard disk is
mapped or mounted.

To compact a virtual hard disk for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, select the virtual hard disk, and select Compact from
the Utilities menu.

Mapping a Virtual Disk to the Host System

Instead of using shared folders or copying data between a virtual machine and the host system,
you can map a virtual disk to the host system. In this case, you map a virtual disk in the host file
system as a separate mapped drive. Using a mapped drive lets you connect to the virtual disk
without going into a virtual machine.

Map or Mount a Virtual Disk to a Drive on the Host System

When you map a virtual disk and its associated volume to a drive on the host system, you can
connect to the virtual disk without opening a virtual machine.

After you map the virtual disk to a drive on the host system, you cannot power on any virtual
machine that uses the disk until you disconnect the disk from the host system.

Important If you mount a virtual disk that has a snapshot and then write to the disk, you can
irreparably damage a snapshot or linked clone created from the virtual machine. Note that
Workstation Player does not support taking snapshots or deleting them.

Mapping a virtual disk to a host system is not supported in the standalone version of Workstation
Player. Virtual disk mapping is supported in the Workstation Player version included with
Workstation Pro.

Prerequisites

n Power off all virtual machines that use the virtual disk.

n Verify that the virtual disk (.vmdk) files on the virtual disk are not compressed and do not
have read-only permissions.

n On a Windows host, verify that the volume is formatted with FAT (12/16/32) or NTFS. Only
FAT (12/16/32) and NTFS formatting is supported. If the virtual disk has mixed partitions, for
example, one partition is formatted with a Linux operating system and another partition is
formatted with a Windows operating system, you can map the Windows partition only.

n Verify that the virtual disk is unencrypted. You cannot map or mount encrypted disks.

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Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Hard Disk, click Utilities, and select Map.

3 On a Windows host, leave the check box Open file in read-only mode selected in the Map
Virtual Disk dialog box.

This setting prevents you from accidentally writing data to a virtual disk that might be the
parent of a snapshot or linked clone. Writing to such a disk might make the snapshot or
linked clone unusable.

4 Browse to a virtual disk (.vmdk) file, select it, and click Open.

5 Select the volume to map or mount and select an unused drive letter on the host system.

6 (Optional) On a Windows host, if you do not want the drive to open in Windows Explorer
after it is mapped, deselect the Open drive in Windows Explorer after mapping check box.

7 Click OK or Mount.

The drive appears on the host system. You can read from or write to files on the mapped
virtual disk on the host system.

Disconnect a Virtual Disk from the Host System

To use a virtual disk from a virtual machine after it has been mapped or mounted on the host
system, you must disconnect it from the host system.

On Windows hosts, you must use Workstation Player to disconnect the drive from the host
system. The mapped drive letter does not appear in the list of network drives when you use the
Windows Disconnect Network Drive command.

Procedure

1 Select the virtual machine and select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings.

2 On the Hardware tab, select Hard Disk, click Utilities, and select Disconnect.

Results

You can now power on any virtual machine that uses this disk.

Changing Virtual Hard Disk Node and Mode Settings

You can change virtual hard disk node and mode settings.

To change the node and mode settings for a virtual hard disk on a selected virtual machine,
select Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, select the virtual
hard disk, and click Advanced. By default, changes are immediately written to the disk.

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Table 15-2. Virtual Hard Disk Node and Mode Settings

Setting Description

Virtual device node Select the SCSI, IDE, SATA, or NVMe device identifier to use for the drive. For
example, if you select SCSI 0:2, the guest operating system detects the drive as ID 2
on controller 0. You determine whether the virtual disk is seen as a SCSI, IDE, SATA,
or NVMe device at the time that you create it.

Configuring CD-ROM and DVD Drive Settings

You can configure CD-ROM and DVD drive settings, including the virtual device node and legacy
emulation modes.

To configure CD-ROM and DVD drive settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player >
Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the drive.

n Configuring CD-ROM and DVD Drive Status and Connection Settings

Device status and connection settings control when a CD-ROM or DVD drive is connected to
a virtual machine, whether to use a specific drive or allow Workstation Player to detect a
drive, and whether to use an ISO image file instead of a physical drive.

n Changing Virtual Device Node and Legacy Emulation Settings

You can use the advanced settings to change the virtual device node and legacy emulation
settings for a CD-ROM or DVD drive. You must power off the virtual machine before you
change these settings.

Configuring CD-ROM and DVD Drive Status and Connection Settings

Device status and connection settings control when a CD-ROM or DVD drive is connected to a
virtual machine, whether to use a specific drive or allow Workstation Player to detect a drive, and
whether to use an ISO image file instead of a physical drive.

To configure device status and connection settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player >
Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the drive.

Table 15-3. Device Status and Connection Settings

Setting Description

Connected Connect the drive or ISO image file while the virtual machine is running.

Connect at power on Connect the drive or ISO image path when you power on the virtual machine.

Use physical drive Select a specific drive or select Auto detect to allow Workstation Player to
detect a drive to use.

Use ISO image file Specify or select an ISO image file for the virtual machine to use.

To disable or enable access to a CD-ROM or DVD drive while a virtual machine is running, select
the virtual machine, select Player > Removable Devices > CD/DVD, and select Disconnect or
Connect.

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Changing Virtual Device Node and Legacy Emulation Settings

You can use the advanced settings to change the virtual device node and legacy emulation
settings for a CD-ROM or DVD drive. You must power off the virtual machine before you change
these settings.

To configure virtual device and legacy emulation settings for a selected virtual machine, select
Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, select the drive, and click
Advanced.

Use the settings to select which SCSI, IDE, SATA, or NVMe device identifier to use for the drive.
For example, if you select SCSI 0:2, the guest operating system detects the drive as ID 2 on
controller 0. You can select the IDE, SCSI, SATA, or NVMe node options regardless of the
physical device type. For example, if the physical drive is an IDE device, you can select a SCSI
node. In this case, the virtual machine detects the drive as a SCSI device.

If you select the Legacy emulation setting, the virtual hardware works as it did in an earlier
release of Workstation Player. By default, Workstation Player attempts to make the advanced
features of your drive available, but sometimes this setting might cause the drive to not work
with the virtual machine. Selecting the Legacy emulation setting reverts Workstation Player to
the previous emulation mode for the drive. Legacy emulation is helpful for troubleshooting
purposes.

Configuring Floppy Drive Settings

You can configure when a floppy drive is connected to a virtual machine, whether to use a
specific drive or allow Workstation Player to detect a drive, and whether to use an disk drive
image file instead of a physical drive.

To configure floppy drive settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage >
Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the floppy drive.

Table 15-4. Floppy Drive Settings

Setting Description

Connected Connect the drive or floppy image file while the virtual machine is running.

Connect at power on Connect the floppy drive when you power on the virtual machine.

Use a physical drive Select a specific floppy drive or select Auto detect to allow Workstation Player
to detect a drive to use.

Use a floppy image file Create or browse to a floppy image (.img or .flp) file. Select Read only to
prevent changes from being made to the file.

To disable or enable access to a floppy drive while a virtual machine is running, select the virtual
machine, select Player > Removable Devices > Floppy, and select Disconnect or Connect.

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Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Settings

You can configure when a virtual network adapter is connected to a virtual machine and the type
of network connection that the adapter provides.

To configure virtual network adapter settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player >
Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the virtual network
adapter.

n Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Device Status Settings

Device status settings control when a virtual network adapter is connected to a virtual
machine.

n Configuring Bridged Networking

When you configure bridged networking, the virtual machine uses physical network
adapters on the host system to connect a network.

n Configuring Network Address Translation

When you configure Network Address Translation (NAT), the virtual machine shares the IP
address and MAC address of the host system.

n Configuring Host-Only Networking

When you configure host-only networking, Workstation Player creates a virtual private
network (VPN) connection between the virtual machine and the host system.

n Configuring LAN Segments

When you select a LAN segment, the virtual machine uses a private network that can be
shared with other virtual machines. LAN segments are useful for multitier testing, network
performance analysis, and situations where virtual machine isolation are important.

n Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Advanced Settings

You can use the advanced virtual network adapter settings to limit the bandwidth, specify
the acceptable packet loss percentage, and create network latency for incoming and
outgoing data transfers for a virtual machine.

Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Device Status Settings

Device status settings control when a virtual network adapter is connected to a virtual machine.

To configure virtual network adapter device status settings for a selected virtual machine, select
Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the virtual
network adapter.

Table 15-5. Device Status Settings

Setting Description

Connected Connect the virtual network adapter while the virtual machine is running.

Connect at power on Connect the virtual network adapter when you power on the virtual machine.

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Configuring Bridged Networking

When you configure bridged networking, the virtual machine uses physical network adapters on
the host system to connect a network.

If the host system is on a network, bridged networking is often the easiest way to give a virtual
machine access to that network.

With bridged networking, the virtual machine appears as an additional computer on the same
physical Ethernet network as the host system. The virtual machine can transparently use the
services available on the network, including file servers, printers, and gateways. Physical hosts
and other virtual machines configured with bridged networking can also use the resources of the
virtual machine.

When you use bridged networking, the virtual machine must have its own identity on the
network. For example, on a TCP/IP network, the virtual machine must have its own IP address.
Virtual machines typically acquire an IP address and other network details from a DHCP server. In
some configurations, you might need to set the IP address and other details manually.

Users who boot multiple operating systems often assign the same address to all systems
because they assume that only one operating system will be running at the same time. If the host
system is set up to boot multiple operating systems and you run one or more of them in virtual
machines, configure each operating system with a unique network address.

When the Replicate physical connection state option is selected, the IP address is automatically
renewed when you move from one wired or wireless network to another. This setting is useful for
virtual machines than run on laptops or other mobile devices.

Changing Automatic Bridging Settings

When automatic bridging mode is configured, you can restrict the physical network adapters that
a virtual switch bridges to.

To change automatic bridging settings, select Player > Virtual Machine Settings > Network
Adapter > Configure Adapters, select the host network adapter(s) to automatically bridge, and
click OK.

By default, a virtual switch bridges to all active network adapters on the host system when it is
configured for automatic bridging. The choice of which adapter to use is arbitrary.

To prevent a virtual switch from bridging to a particular physical network adapter, deselect the
check box for that host network adapter.

Configuring Network Address Translation

When you configure Network Address Translation (NAT), the virtual machine shares the IP
address and MAC address of the host system.

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The virtual machine and the host system share the a single identity that is not visible outside the
network. The virtual machine does not have its own IP address. Instead, a separate private
network is set up on the host system and the virtual machine obtains an address on that network
from the VMware virtual DHCP server. The VMware NAT device passes network data between
one or more virtual machines and the external network. The VMware NAT device identifies
incoming data packets that are intended for each virtual machine and sends them to the correct
destination.

With NAT, a virtual machine can use many standard protocols to connect to other machines on
the external network. For example, you can use HTTP to browse Web sites, FTP to transfer files,
and Telnet to log in to other systems. You can also connect to a TCP/IP network by using a
Token Ring adapter on the host system.

In the default configuration, systems on the external network cannot initiate connections to the
virtual machine. For example, the default configuration does not let you use the virtual machine
as a Web server to send Web pages to systems on the external network. This limitation protects
the guest operating system from being compromised before you can install security software.

By default, NAT is used when you use the New Virtual Machine wizard to create a virtual
machine.

The virtual machine uses NAT to connect to the Internet or other TCP/IP network by using the
networking connection on the host system. NAT works with Ethernet, DSL, and phone modems.
A separate private network is set up on the host system. The virtual machine obtains an address
on that network from the VMware virtual DHCP server.

Configuring Host-Only Networking

When you configure host-only networking, Workstation Player creates a virtual private network
(VPN) connection between the virtual machine and the host system.

A VPN is typically not visible outside the host system. Multiple virtual machines configured with
host-only networking on the same host system are on the same network. The VMware DHCP
server provides addresses on the network.

If you install the proper routing or proxy software on the host system, you can establish a
connection between the host virtual network adapter and a physical network adapter on the host
system. With this configuration, you can connect the virtual machine to a Token Ring or other
non-Ethernet network.

On Windows host systems, you can use host-only networking in combination with the Internet
Connection Sharing feature in Windows. With this combination, the virtual machine can use the
dial-up networking adapter on the host system or another connection to the Internet. See the
Windows documentation for more information on Internet Connection Sharing.

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Configuring LAN Segments

When you select a LAN segment, the virtual machine uses a private network that can be shared
with other virtual machines. LAN segments are useful for multitier testing, network performance
analysis, and situations where virtual machine isolation are important.

If you add an existing virtual machine to a LAN segment, the virtual machine might be configured
to expect an IP address from a DHCP server. Unlike host-only and NAT networking, Workstation
Player does not provide a DHCP server for LAN segments. You must manually configure IP
addressing for virtual machines on a LAN segment. You can either configure a DHCP server on
the LAN segment to allocate IP addresses, or you can configure a fixed IP address for each
virtual machine on the LAN segment.

You can click LAN Segments to create new LAN segments or delete and rename existing LAN
segments. Deleting a LAN segment disconnects all virtual network adapters that are configured
for that LAN segment. When you delete a LAN segment, you must manually configure its
disconnected virtual network adapter to reconnect the virtual machine to the network.

Configuring Virtual Network Adapter Advanced Settings

You can use the advanced virtual network adapter settings to limit the bandwidth, specify the
acceptable packet loss percentage, and create network latency for incoming and outgoing data
transfers for a virtual machine.

The advanced virtual network adapter settings allow you to simulate a network environment that
differs from your own.

To configure advanced virtual network adapter settings for a selected virtual machine, select
Player > Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, select the virtual network
adapter, and click Advanced.

Table 15-6. Virtual Network Adapter Advanced Settings

Setting Description

Bandwidth and Kbps To limit incoming or outgoing data transfers to the data transfer rate for a
specific network connection type, select the network connection type from the
Bandwidth drop-down menu. The value in the Kbps text box changes to the
data transfer rate, in kilobits per second, of the network connection type that
you select. For example, if you select Leased Line T1 (1.544 Mbps), the value in
the Kbps text box changes to 1544.
To limit incoming or outgoing data transfers to a specific data transfer rate,
select Custom and type the data transfer rate in kilobits per second in the Kbps
text box.
The default bandwidth setting for both incoming and outgoing data transfers is
Unlimited.

Packet Loss (%) The acceptable packet loss percentage for incoming or outgoing data transfers.
The default setting is 0.0%.

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Table 15-6. Virtual Network Adapter Advanced Settings (continued)

Setting Description

Latency (ms) To simulate network latency for incoming and outgoing data transfers, set the
number of milliseconds (ms) of latency. The latency range is 0 to 2,000 ms.

Note Expect actual network latency to be up to 10 ms above the number you

set. For example, if you set latency at 200 ms, expect the actual latency to be
between 200 to 210 ms.

MAC Address To assign a new MAC address to the network adapter, either type a new
address in this text box or click Generate to have Workstation Player generate a
new address.

Configuring USB Controller Settings

You can configure whether a USB controller supports isochronous USB and Bluetooth devices
and whether human interface devices (HIDs) appear in the Removable Devices menu.

To configure USB controller settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage >
Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and click USB Controller.

Table 15-7. USB Controller Settings

Setting Description

USB Compatibility Selecting USB 2.0 or 3.0 enables support for isochronous USB
devices, including Web cams, speakers, and microphones.

Show all USB input devices Human interface devices (HIDs), such as USB 1.1 and 2.0 mouse
and keyboard devices, appear in the Removable Devices menu.
Icons for HIDs appear in the status bar. An HID that is connected to
the guest operating system is not available to the host system. The
virtual machine must be powered off when you change this
setting.

Share Bluetooth devices with the virtual machine Enable support for Bluetooth devices.

To connect or disconnect USB devices while a virtual machine is running, select the virtual
machine and select Player > Removable Devices. With the two-port USB controller, you can
connect to both USB 1.1 and USB 2.0 devices.

Important Before you unplug a USB device or select a removable device to disconnect a USB
device from a virtual machine, follow the device manufacturer's procedures for safely unplugging
the device from a physical computer.

Configuring Sound Card Settings

You can configure when a sound card is connected to a virtual machine. You can also configure
whether a virtual machine uses a specific sound card or the default sound card in the host
system.

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To configure sound card settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and click Sound Card.

Table 15-8. Sound Card Settings

Setting Description

Connected Connect the sound device while the virtual machine is running.

Connect at power on Connect the sound device when you power on the virtual machine.

Use default host sound card Make the virtual machine use the default sound card in the host system.

Specify host sound card (Windows hosts only) Select a specific host sound card for the virtual machine
to use.

Use physical sound card (Linux hosts only) Select a specific host sound card to for the virtual machine to
use.

Enable Echo Cancellation Enable echo cancellation for the sound card.

Configuring Parallel Port Settings

You can configure when a parallel port is connected to a virtual machine and whether to send
output to a physical port or to a file on the host system.

To configure parallel port settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage >
Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the parallel port.

Table 15-9. Parallel Port Settings

Setting Description

Connected Connect the port while the virtual machine is running.

Connect at power on Connect the port when you power on the virtual machine.
If the guest operating system cannot access the parallel port device
when you power on the virtual machine, deselect this setting. You can
use the Removable Devices menu to enable access to the parallel port
after the virtual machine is powered on.

Use a physical parallel port Select a host parallel port for the virtual machine to use.

Use output file Send output from the virtual parallel port to a file on the host system.
Either locate an existing output file or browse to a directory and type a
filename to create a new output file.

Configuring Serial Port Settings

You can configure when a serial port is connected to a virtual machine. You can also configure
whether to send output to a physical port or to a file on the host system, set up a direct
connection between two virtual machines, and specify whether the guest operating system uses
the port in polled mode.

To configure serial port settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the serial port.

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Table 15-10. Serial Port Settings

Setting Description

Connected Connect the port while the virtual machine is running.

Connect at power on Connect the port when you power on the virtual machine.

Use a physical serial port Select a host serial port.

Use output file Send output from the virtual serial port to a file on the host system.
Either locate an existing output file or navigate to the desired
directory and type a filename for the file to create.

Use named pipe or Use socket (named pipe) Set up a direct connection between two virtual machines or a
connection between a virtual machine and an application on the host
system.
(Windows hosts) Use the default pipe name, or enter another pipe
name. The pipe name must begin with \\.\pipe\ and must be the
same on both the server and the client. For example:
\\.\pipe\\ namedpipe

Yield CPU on poll The guest operating system uses the port in polled mode rather than
interrupt mode. It yields processor time if its only task is to poll the
virtual serial port.
If the guest operating system uses the serial port in interrupt mode,
do not select this setting.

Note This setting is useful for developers who are using debugging
tools that communicate over a serial connection. Selecting this
setting can improve performance when the guest operating system
uses the serial port in polled mode.

Configuring Generic SCSI Device Settings

You can configure when a generic SCSI device is connected to a virtual machine, specify the
physical SCSI device to connect to on the host system, and select the SCSI identifier to use for
the drive.

To configure generic SCSI device settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage
> Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select the generic SCSI device.

Table 15-11. Generic SCSI Device Settings

Setting Description

Connected Connect the device while the virtual machine is running.

Connect at power on Connect the device when you power on the virtual machine.

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Table 15-11. Generic SCSI Device Settings (continued)

Setting Description

Specify the physical SCSI device to connect to Select a host SCSI device.
(Windows hosts) Select a device. The menu shows the SCSI
devices that are available on the host system.
(Linux hosts) Type the name of the /dev/sg entry for the device
to install in the virtual machine. For example, if the device is
named sga, type /dev/sga.

Virtual device node Select the SCSI device identifier to use for the drive. For
example, if you select SCSI 0:2, the guest operating system
sees the drive as ID 2 on controller 0.
The virtual machine must be powered off when you change this
setting.

Note For specific Windows guest operating systems, you might need to perform additional
configuration steps to use a generic SCSI device.

Configuring Printer Settings

You can configure when a printer is connected to a virtual machine.

To configure printer settings for a selected virtual machine, select Player > Manage > Virtual
Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select Printer.

Table 15-12. Printer Settings

Setting Description

Connected Connect the printer while the virtual machine is running.

Connect at power on Connect the printer when you power on the virtual machine.

Configuring Display Settings

You can specify monitor resolution settings, configure multiple monitors, and select accelerated
graphics capabilities for a virtual machine.

To configure display settings for a virtual machine, select the virtual machine, select Player >
Manage > Virtual Machine Settings, click the Hardware tab, and select Display.

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Table 15-13. Display Settings

Setting Description

Accelerate 3D graphics Select this setting if you run applications that use DirectX 9 or DirectX 10
accelerated graphics. Accelerated graphics capabilities apply to Windows
XP or later guests on hosts running Windows or Linux.
The virtual machine must be a Player 3.x or later virtual machine and must
have the latest VMware Tools installed.

Use host setting for monitors When you select this setting, the SVGA driver uses two monitors, a
maximum bounding box width of 3840, and a maximum bounding box
height of 1920. The virtual machine is configured to have a minimum of
two 1920x1200 monitors, in a side-by-side topology, in both normal and
rotated orientations. If the host system has more than two monitors, the
virtual machine uses the number of monitors on the host system instead. If
the host system's bounding box is wider or taller than the defaults, the
virtual machine uses the larger size. You should select this setting in most
cases.

Specify monitor settings Set the number of monitors that the virtual machine will see, regardless of
the number of monitors on the host system. This setting is useful if you
use a multimonitor host system and you need to test in a virtual machine
that has only one monitor. It is also useful if you are developing a
multimonitor application in a virtual machine and the host system has only
one monitor. After you power on the virtual machine, the guest operating
system sees the number of monitors that you specified. Select a
resolution from the list or type a setting that has the format width x
height, where width and height are the number of pixels.

Graphics memory Select the maximum amount of guest memory that can be used for
graphics memory using the drop down menu. The default value of video
memory varies by guest OS.

Display Scaling Enables display scaling for the virtual machine display. The user interface
is automatically adjusted when the display changes.

Installing a Guest Operating System on a Physical Disk or

Unused Partition
You can install a guest operating system directly on a physical disk or unused partition on the
host system.

A physical disk directly accesses an existing local disk or partition. You can use physical disks to
run one or more guest operating systems from existing disk partitions.

Workstation Player supports physical disks up to 2 TB capacity. Booting from an operating

system already set up on an existing SCSI disk or partition is not supported.

Running an operating system natively on the host system and switching to running it inside a
virtual machine is similar to pulling the hard drive out of one computer and installing it in a second
computer that has a different motherboard and hardware. The steps you take depend on the
guest operating system in the virtual machine. In most cases, a guest operating system that is

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installed on a physical disk or unused partition cannot boot outside of the virtual machine, even
though the data is available to the host system. See the Dual-Boot Computers and Virtual
Machines technical note on the VMware Web site for information about using an operating
system that can also boot outside of a virtual machine.

After you configure a virtual machine to use one or more partitions on a physical disk, do not
modify the partition tables by running fdisk or a similar utility in the guest operating system. If
you use fdisk or a similar utility on the host operating system to modify the partition table of the
physical disk, you must recreate the virtual machine physical disk. All files that were on the
physical disk are lost when you modify the partition table.

Important You cannot use a physical disk to share files between the host system and a guest
operating system. Making the same partition visible to both the host system and a guest
operating system can cause data corruption. Instead, use shared folder to share files between
the host system and a guest operating system.

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Using vctl Command to Manage
Containers and Run Kubernetes
Cluster
16
You can use the vctl command-line utility in Workstation Player to manage containers. In
addition, vctl provides support for KIND so that KIND can use vctl container as "nodes" to run
local Kubernetes clusters.

The vctl is a command-line utility bundled inside the Workstation Player application, it is
supported only on Windows 10 1809 or later. Workstation Player on hosts with Linux OS or
Windows OS earlier than Windows 10 1809 don't support the vctl CLI.

Related executables come bundled in the Workstation Player application and are available in
C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware Player folder by default.

The three executables of the vctl command-line utility are summarized in the following section.

containerd.exe
This is a runtime daemon that runs in the background. The containerd daemon must be started
first before you can run any container related operation. To start it, use the vctl system start
command and to stop it use the vctl system stop command.

containerd-shim-crx-v2.exe
When a new container is started, a new containerd-shim-crx-v2 process is launched and works
as an adapter between the container in CRX VM and the containerd daemon.

bin/vctl.exe
It is a command-line utility that runs in the foreground and relays the user input to the containerd
daemon.

Note The vctl CLI runs every container inside a lightweight virtual machine, called CRX VM. By
default, a CRX VM is created and starts up when a container starts. It shuts down and is removed
when the container stops. The name of the CRX VM is same as the container.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Using the vctl Utility

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n Enabling KIND to Use vctl Container as Nodes to Run Kubernetes Clusters

n Running vctl Commands

n Cleaning Up Residual Environment Data

Using the vctl Utility

The vctl utility is included with Workstation Player and is ready to run in the Command Prompt or
Windows PowerShell window.

Prerequisites

n VMware recommends the use of modern solid-state drive (SSD) as system disk.

n The host operating system must be Window 10 1809 or later.

n Before using vctl to run any operation on a container image or container, the container
runtime must be started first. The container runtime doesn't start automatically when
Workstation Player application launches, and does not stop automatically when Workstation
Player application quits. You must manually run the vctl system start command to start it
and run vctl system stop command to stop it.

Procedure

1 Open a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell window.

2 Run the vctl system info command to check the status of the container runtime.

If the command output displays Container runtime is stopped, run vctl system start
command to start the container runtime.

If the command output shows Container runtime is running, you can start using vctl to
manage containers and container images.

3 Run the vctl command to list the command-line options.

Enabling KIND to Use vctl Container as Nodes to Run

Kubernetes Clusters
In Workstation Player, vctl utility supports KIND. It enables KIND to use vctl container instead of
Docker container as nodes to run local Kubernetes clusters.

Prerequisites

By default, vctl assigns 2 GB memory for every CRX VM that hosts the vctl container node.
Ensure that your physical machine has 2 GB free memory when running single-node cluster, 4 GB
free memory when running two-node cluster. The more nodes configured in your cluster, the
more free memory is needed.

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Procedure

1 Open a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell window.

2 Run the vctl system start command to start the vctl container runtime.

3 Run vctl kind command.

This command performs the following four tasks:

a Creates a bin folder in the <Home_Folder_of_Your_Account>\.vctl folder.

b Downloads kubectl.exe, kind.exe and crx.vmdk files, and saves them to the bin folder.

c Creates a docker shortcut that points to C:\Program Files (x86)\VMware\VMware

Player\bin\vctl.exe by default.

d Opens a Command Prompt or Windows PowerShell window and creates a vctl-based

KIND context by adding <Home_Folder_of_Your_Account>/.vctl/bin to the PATH
environment variable and makes it the first searchable path.

So in this window, the three executables under <Home_Folder_of_Your_Account>\.vctl

\bin folder will take precedence over other existing versions of kubectl/kind/
docker.exe executables that were installed before.

4 The vctl-based KIND context will be lost if you close the window.

Next time you want to interact with the Kubernetes clusters, run the vctl kind command.

This time only Step 3.d will be repeated.

Note
n vctl does not support kind build and kind export logs kind subcommands.

n By default, vctl assigns 2 GB memory and 2 CPU cores for the CRX VM that hosts the
node container, you can use the --k8s-cpus and --k8s-mem options of vctl system
config command to customize the configurations.

Running vctl Commands

The vctl commands have syntax and other requirements that you must follow.

Syntax of vctl Commands

The vctl commands are divided into function categories.

The following tables list vctl commands and their function. Options enclosed in square brackets
are optional. The vertical bar indicates a keyword choice.

Note Use --help to review all the available command options.

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vctl Commands to Manage the Container Runtime Resource

Command Description

vctl system config [OPTIONS] Configures and initializes the host OS environment for the container engine.
The command performs the following tasks:
n Creates a <Home_Folder_of_Your_Account>\.vctl folder if it doesn't exist.
n Updates the config.yaml file in the .vctl folder with the customized configurations
specified by the command options.
n Prepares the storage.

Note The vctl system config command doesn't start containerd daemon.

vctl system info [OPTIONS] Displays the container runtime information.

vctl system start [OPTIONS] Starts the container engine.

The command performs the following tasks:
n Creates a <Home_Folder_of_Your_Account>\.vctl folder if it doesn't exist.
n Updates the config.yaml file in the .vctl folder with the customized configurations
specified by the command options.
n Prepares the storage.
n Starts the containerd daemon.

vctl system stop [OPTIONS] Stops the container runtime.

vctl Commands to Manage the Image Resource

Command Description

vctl build [OPTIONS] PATH Builds a container image using a Dockerfile.

Note If the RUN instructions in the Dockerfile run

network-related commands, add ENV instruction into
the Dockerfile to set network proxy, for example: ENV
https_proxy <Proxy_Server>:Proxy_Port for the
network operations to succeed.

vctl images [OPTIONS] [IMAGE...] Lists container images and displays basic information
about the container images.

vctl push [OPTIONS] IMAGE [REMOTE_URL] Pushes the container image to the registry.

vctl rmi [OPTIONS] ([IMAGE...]|--all) Deletes one or more container images.

vctl tag [OPTIONS] SOURCE_IMAGE TARGET_IMAGE [TARGET_IMAGE...] Tags container images. It creates an image alias with
the TARGET_IMAGE.

vctl pull [OPTIONS] IMAGE Pulls a container image from the registry.

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vctl Commands to Manage the Container Resource

Command Description

vctl create [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARGUMENTS...] Creates a new container from a container image.

Note Ensure the following when you use the --volume option:
n Specify paths to the folder. The --volume doesn't support
path to files.
n Use absolute path. Relative paths are not supported.
n Only anonymous volumes can be mounted, mounting named
volumes is not supported.

Note Ensure the following when you use the --publish option:
n The vctl utility doesn't have a subnet or a link feature to
connect multiple containers to a subnet.

To enable communication between multiple containers, start

the container with the --publish option. This binds the
container port to the host port so that the service provided
by the container is accessible from the outside.

vctl describe [OPTIONS] CONTAINER Displays details about the container.

vctl exec [OPTIONS] CONTAINER COMMAND [ARGUMENTS...] Runs a command inside a running container.

vctl ps [OPTIONS][CONTAINER...] Lists the containers and displays basic information about the
container.

vctl rm [OPTIONS] ([CONTAINER...]|--all) Deletes one or more containers.

vctl run [OPTIONS] IMAGE [COMMAND] [ARGUMENTS...] Runs a new container from a container image.

Note Ensure the following when you use the --volume option:
n Specify paths to the folder. The --volume doesn't support
path to files.
n Use absolute path. Relative paths are not supported.
n Only anonymous volumes can be mounted, mounting named
volumes is not supported.

Note Ensure the following when you use the --publish option:
n The vctl utility doesn't have a subnet or a link feature to
connect multiple containers to a subnet.

To enable communication between multiple containers, start

the container with the --publish option. This binds the
container port to the host port so that the service provided
by the container is accessible from the outside.

vctl start [OPTIONS] CONTAINER Starts a created or stopped container.

vctl stop [OPTIONS] CONTAINER Stops the container.

vctl inspect [OPTIONS] NAME Displays detailed container information.

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vctl Commands to Manage the CRX VM Resource

Command Description

vctl execvm [OPTIONS] (vmx|-c=CONTAINER) COMMAND [ARGUMENTS...] Runs commands from inside a running virtual
machine that hosts the container.

vctl Commands to Manage Volumes

Command Description

vctl volume prune [flags] Removes all unused local volumes.

vctl Commands to Manage Container Images Registry Authentication

Command Description

vctl login [OPTION] [SERVER] Logs in to a remote registry.

vctl logout [SERVER] Logs out from a remote registry.

Note
n On macOS, the credentials are saved in the Keychain. On Windows, the credentials are saved
in the Credential Manager.

n Once the login is successful, future Pull, Push and Build requests will leverage the saved
credential.

n Logout request deletes the corresponding credential from the Keychain or the Credential
Manager.

vctl Commands to Get System Environment Ready for vctl-Based KIND

Command Description

vctl kind Prepares the system environment for vctl-based KIND.

KIND uses vctl containers as nodes for running Kubernetes
clusters.

Examples of vctl Commands

The command-line examples that follow work on Workstation Player.

Commands Related to Image

n When you build a new image, to pull the base image from a private Docker registry
successfully, either use the vctl login command to log in to the private Docker registry first
or use the --credential option to pass a JSON file that stores credentials to vctl build
command for registry authentication. For example:

a Encode your Docker registry username and password in base64 with the following
command:

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echo -n USER:PASSWORD | base64

b Create a config.json file with your Docker registry URL and the base64 encoded string
generated in step 1.

{
"auths": {
"https://index.docker.io/v2/": {
"auth": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx"
}
}
}

c Build the new image whose base image is in a private Docker registry, by passing the
JSON file to vctl build command:

vctl build --file Dockerfile --tag docker.io/mynamespace/myrepo:1.0 --

credential config.json .

Commands Related to Container

n List running containers.

vctl ps

n List all containers, including the running containers and stopped containers.

vctl ps --all

n Run a container in detached mode using the nginx image, which is the same as docker.io/
library/nginx:latest.

vctl run --name myContainer -d nginx

n Run a container using the --publish option and the fluentd image, here fluentd is
equivalent to docker.io/library/fluentd:latest.

vctl run --name myContainer --publish 24224:24224/udp --publish 24224:24224

fluentd

n Run multiple containers and enable discovery and communication with each other.

n The vctl utility doesn't have a subnet or a link feature to connect multiple containers to a
subnet.

To enable communication between multiple containers, start the container with the --
publish option. This binds the container port to the host port so that the service provided
by the container is accessible from the outside.

vctl run --name mydb -m 2048 -e MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=password -p 3306:3306 mysql

vctl run --name mymatomo -m 4096 -p 8080:80 -e

MATOMO_DATABASE_HOST=<Host_IP>:3306 matomo

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n Run a container using the --volume option and the bonita image, here bonita is equivalent to
docker.io/library/bonita:latest.

vctl run --name myContainer -p 8080:8080 --volume %userprofile%\Documents

\container:/opt/bonita bonita

Commands Related to CRX VM

n Get shell access to a CRX VM.

n By specifying the container hosted by the CRX VM.

vctl execvm --sh -c myContainer

n By specifying the vmx path of the CRX VM.

Note To get the vmx path, run the vctl describe myContainer command and refer to
the Host virtual machine value in the output.

vctl execvm --sh %userprofile%\.vctl\.r\vms\myContainer\myContainer.vmx

n Execute a command within a CRX VM.

n By specifying the container hosted by the CRX VM.

vctl execvm -c myContainer /bin/ls

n By specifying the vmx path of the CRX VM.

Note To get the vmx path, run the vctl describe myContainer command and refer to
the Host virtual machine value in the output.

vctl execvm %userprofile%\.vctl\.r\vms\myContainer\myContainer.vmx /bin/ls

Cleaning Up Residual Environment Data

By default, the vctl utility stores all its data in the .vctl folder under the home folder of your user
account.

Perform the following to clean up the environment data:

Procedure

1 Run the vctl system stop -f command to stop all running containers and stop container
runtime.

2 Run the vctl system info command to check if container runtime has stopped.

3 Remove the <Home_Folder_of_Your_Account>/.vctl folder.

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Using VMware Workstation Player
REST API 17
VMware Workstation Player REST API allow you to interact programmatically with the core
VMware hypervisor and virtual machines.

Overview of Workstation Player REST API

You can send standard GET, PUT, POST, and DELETE requests through HTTP and HTTPS to control
configuration and deployment options. For example, you can use VMware Workstation Player
REST API to perform power operations. You can perform network-related operations, such as to
create and update virtual NIC configurations and to retrieve IP addresses from the virtual
machine. You can also configure shared folders. Response payloads are delivered in JSON
format.

Workstation Player REST API Considerations

Keep the following considerations in mind when using the Workstation Player REST API.

n The Workstation Player REST API service depends on the vmrest process.

n The vmrest service runs as the user who starts it. For example, as administrator, you can use
a terminal window to start the vmrest service.

This chapter includes the following topics:

n Use the VMware Workstation Player REST API

Use the VMware Workstation Player REST API

You can access the VMware Workstation Player REST API from a local machine.

Note To view the Workstation Player API online, search VMware API Explorer for the
appropriate version of the Workstation Player API.

Procedure

1 Install Workstation Player on the host machine.

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2 Before you start the REST API service the first time, set up your credentials.

a In a terminal window, change directories to the Workstation Player installation folder and
run the vmrest.exe -C command.

b Enter a user name and password as prompted.

You do not need to set up credentials when you start the REST API on subsequent
occasions.

The user name and password are saved to the %USERPROFILE%\vmrest.cfg file.

3 Configure the REST API service for HTTP and HTTPS access.

You can configure the REST API service to provide HTTP access locally and HTTPS access
locally.
n Provide HTTP service.

a In a terminal window, run the vmrest command.

The command returns the IP address and port number from which you can access the
HTTP service. The default IP address is 127.0.0.1:8697.

b Open a web browser and go to http://address-returned-by-vmrest-command.

c Click Authorize in the top-right corner of the Workstation Player API Explorer page.

d Enter the user name and password you configured in Step 2.

n Provide HTTPS service.

You can configure the REST API service to provide HTTPS service. In this situation, when
you use the vmrest command to start the REST API service, you must use the -c and -k
options together to specify the certificate and private key.

a In a terminal window, run a command to generate a certificate and a private key.

The example command that follows, generates a self-signed OpenSSL-based

certificate and a private key.

openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout playerapi-key.pem -out playerapi-

cert.pem -days 365 -nodes

b To start the Workstation Player REST API service, run the command that follows.
Replace the placeholders with the full path to the certificate file and the full path to
the private key file.

vmrest -c certificate-file -k private-key-file

The command returns the IP address and port number from which you can access the
HTTPS service.

c Open a web browser and go to https://address-returned-by-vmrest-command.

d Click Authorize in the top-right corner of the Workstation Player API Explorer page.

e Enter the user name and password you configured in Step 2.

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