VMware Workstation Zealot

Are you still using VMware Server? Now is the time to consider VMware Workstation 8 as an alternative.

In June 2011 VMware ended support for VMware Server and while you are free to continue using VMware Server, you will no longer gain the benefits of newer technologies or support. If you are a software developer, QA engineer, or IT administrators who cannot meet the hardware requirements or dedicate a server to us our free VMware vSphere Hypervisor, we believe the recently released VMware Workstation 8 offers an excellent alternative to VMware server.

Simplicity

Workstation can be easily installed on existing Windows or Linux systems with minimal hardware requirements. Workstation can run on many versions of Windows and Linux including Windows 7 and Ubuntu 11.10. Furthermore, it’s very easy to try Workstation and see if it meets your needs by downloading our free 30-day trial.

Run as a Server

Workstation 8 has a very exciting new feature that allows a user to “share” their VMs. Now you can run virtual machines as a service and it will no longer require a user to always be logged in. This service is the same service used by other VMware products such as VMware Server and ESX and it provides many of the capabilities you need to get your work done.  To run as a service and share a VM, it’s a simple process of dragging and dropping a VM into the shared VM’s folder.  (click to zoom images)

Control

Shared VMs include an extensive permissions interface to allow administrators to control who can access them and what the user can do.  The VMs can even be accessed remotely by another instances of Workstation.  We believe that many of our users will find the sharing function to be a great way to run server operating systems in more of a production like environment.

Transition to the cloud

If you choose to start with Workstation there is a simple process to migrate your VMs to vSphere at any point in the future. Virtual machines running in Workstation are compatible with vSphere. Even better, Workstation makes is very easy to move virtual machines to vSphere. Workstation can be remotely connected to vSphere enabling a ‘drag and drop’ upload of VMs from Workstation to vSphere.

Migrate from VMware Server

To run Workstation on the same hardware as VMware Server, follow the steps below:

1. Shutdown VMs on VMware Server. Check to ensure the hardware meets VMware Workstation’s system requirements.

2. Uninstall VMware Sever before installing VMware Workstation. Be sure not to delete any virtual machines.

3. Install VMware Workstation.

4. VMs can be moved to the “My Virtual Machine” folder under “My documents” if desired, but this is not required.

5. Continue with “final steps” below.

 

To run Workstation on separate hardware from VMware Server, follow the steps below:

1. Install VMware Workstation on selected hardware.

2. Shut down the VMs on VMware Server.

3. Copy the VMs from the VMware Server hardware to the “My Virtual Machine” folder under “My documents” on the hardware running VMware Workstation.

4. Continue with “final steps” below.

 

Final Steps

1. Once VMware Workstation is running, follow these steps to get each virtual machine up and running.

2. From the “File” menu, select “Open” to open the file dialog box.

3. Select a virtual machine. The selected VM will now be listed in the virtual machine library under “My Computer”.

4. To run the VM locally, power on the VM.

5. To run the VM in Workstation’s server mode, within the virtual machine library, drag and drop the VM on top of the “Shared VMs” icon.

6. The “Share VM Wizard” will open. Enter a name, and choose the option to move or clone the VM, and then click “Finish”.

7. Power on the VM. At the prompt: “moved” or “copied”, select “moved”.

8. To control access to the VM, right click on the VM’s icon and select “manage”, “Permissions…”

9. Repeat the above steps for each VM.

Try Workstation today.

 

If you would like to discuss this in more detail, please join us in the VMware Workstation community.

VMware Workstation 8.0.1 released with little fanfare and included an innocuous bullet in the list of highlights "Graphics performance and compatibility enhancements".  We purposely did not provide much more detail until now when our users could begin to take advantage of some of the performance enhancements!

For the past several months we have been working with Microsoft to enable Internet Explorer 9 to use VMware's virtual GPU to accelerate the rendering of graphics displayed in the browser.  VMware included several changes to our graphics driver in Workstation 8.0.1 and Microsoft has just released an update to Internet Explorer 9 that completed the project.

Not surprisingly, the results are astouding!!!!!  Using a graphics processor dedicated to rendering images is radically faster than rendering them on your CPU.

We tested the results using Microsoft's IE Test Drive site and by running speed demos such as the FishBowl Benchmark, FishIE Tank, Galactic, Paintball, Particle Acceleration, Psychedelic Browsing etc.

We achieved improvements from 6-10 frames per second to maxing out at 60 frames per second on many of the tests.  In an unscientific test that I ran on my machine the Psychedelic Browsing benchmark jumped from 12 rotations per minute to 7043.... yes that is an incredible increase in speed!!!  (individual results may vary...) 

The point is that these improvements are not incremental they are exceptional and our users who run Internet Explorer in a virtual machine should be ecstatic about the results!

We encourage you to upgrade to VMware Workstation 8.0.1, install the latest version of VMware Tools ensure that you have run Windows Update to get the latest IE patches and try running these tests yourself.  You can see the difference simply by toggling on and off the IE 9 setting that lets you "Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering".  Please remember to restart Internet Explorer after checking or unchecking this setting.

The setting can be found on the Internet Explorer -> Internet Options menu under the Advanced tab.

Please respond to this post with your own results!

Don’t miss your chance to save 30% on the all new VMware Workstation 8!  (including upgrades).  Now is your chance to buy the product that ZDNet  called the “The Perfect Staging Tool” and was named the 2011 Redmond Readers Choice Award for Best Virtual PC Product. 

With VMware Workstation 8 you can:

• Move to the internal cloud. Build and test your virtual machines locally  and then drag and drop to upload them to VMware vSphere®
• Run Workstation as a server to share virtual machines with your team, department, or anyone in your organization
• Remotely connect to vSphere and VMware vCenter™ to access remote virtual machines
• And much, much more...

     

 

Connect with Team Workstation!

This question has been asked by several VMware Workstation 8 users who have previously used the Teams feature in prior versions of Workstation to create a group of virtual machines that operate together. Teams are a concept that was pioneered in Workstation 5 to simplify the creation of multi-tier environments. Applications installed in a virtual multi-tier environment have many benefits over physical server installations including portability which is why they are also often referred to as a virtual appliances or vApp.

In VMware Workstation 8 the concept of a Team has been removed from the user interface, but all of the functionality has been preserved. We did this because we believe that our implementation had serious limitations that both our users and our developers were going to great lengths to work around.

For instance, thumbnail views, bulk power operations, bandwidth throttling, packet loss, and LAN segments were all artificially restricted to only work within a team. It was also becoming increasingly difficult to add features to our product because we had to write conditional code to handle when a virtual machine was operating in a Team.

Where did all of the features go?

Instead of launching the Teams wizard to create the equivalent of a Team you now can simply create a new folder. Any virtual machine created or copied into that folder can be considered to be equivalent to a member of a Team.

Selecting the folder will now open a new tab that display a folder view of the virtual machines including thumbnails of each running virtual machine.

Figure 1: Folder View (click images to expand)

Double clicking on any one of the virtual machine thumbnails will display the console of the chosen virtual machine on the majority of the screen.

To see both the thumbnail view of the virtual machines in the folder and interact with your chosen VM like you were able to do previously – simply display the Thumbnail bar via the icon on the toolbar and ensure that the Thumbnail bar is set to display “Folder View Virtual Machines”

Figure 2: Toggling the Thumbnail Bar

Figure 3: Console View with Thumbnail Bar of Virtual Machines in the same folder

The result should look familiar (ok… the thumbnails are now on the bottom of the screen instead of the top...)

How do I perform power operations on all of the virtual machines in a folder?

To power on, power off or suspend all of the virtual machines in a folder you can select the folder and you will notice that the “Play / Stop / Suspend” icons on the toolbar are enabled. Selecting one of these operations will act on all of the virtual machines in the folder in the order that they are displayed in the tree.

Since we no longer create an abstract container to hold the virtual machines, we no longer have a place to store settings specific to the virtual machines contained within a folder. Therefore we have moved the ability to control the delay between virtual machines starting to a global preference setting.

Figure 4: Workstation 7 setting the delay between virtual machines within a Team starting

Figure 5: Workstation 8 setting the delay between Virtual Machines within a folder starting

This is admittedly a little less capable than the previous implementation but we felt that the tradeoff was worth it.

How do I throttle the bandwidth of my connection and simulate packet loss?

In a Team, the ability to throttle the bandwidth of a connection or simulate packet loss was restricted to a LAN segment connecting virtual machines within a team. As our development team began to dig into the code behind this feature we discovered (remembered) that the implementation was actually being done by the virtual network adapter so we decided to add these capabilities to all network adapter as advanced settings.

The decision to add this capability makes it easy for anyone to evaluate how their applications work over a dial-up line or unreliable connections.

Where did LAN Segments go?

Network traffic between virtual machines is typically sent via a VMnet. However, all virtual machines on the same VMnet can see and potentially intercept or be affected by the network traffic being transmitted.

Any virtual machine in any folders could be share a single VMnet with the virtual machines that are within the folder that you have created. This could be an issue if you are working with malicious software or highly sensitive data.

Teams provided a solution to this by creating LAN Segments that isolated the network traffic to only the virtual machines on the same segment.

Workstation 8 includes this functionality of LAN Segments as an additional network connection option that can be treated like a local virtual private network. When a virtual machine is connected to a LAN Segment only the virtual machines on the same LAN Segment can communicate with each other. This allows you to create a DMZ or virtual proxy server to bridge a set of virtual machines to the outside network.

A benefit of this implementation is that any virtual machine in any folder can be added to the LAN Segment without having to move its location in the virtual machine library. This allows a user to organize their library however they wish and still communicate securely.

Figure 6: Adding a virtual machine to a LAN Segment

What happens to my existing Teams when I upgrade?

When upgrading from previous versions of VMware Workstation to VMware Workstation 8 the user will be prompted to convert their Teams into folders that take advantage of all of the benefits of this new implementation for multi-tier environments. Once the conversion is made, the user will never be able to tell that the folder was not created natively in the latest version of VMware Workstation!

If you would like to discuss this change further and/or provide some feedback on this change, please join us in the VMware Workstation community.

Ubuntu 11.10 launched yesterday and we have been testing the GA version as both a host and guest OS for VMware Workstation 8.0. So far, most of the core features are working, but we are aware of a few issues that we will fix in an upcoming maintenance release. Please report any issues you find via a service request or the community forums.

Even the Unity desktop appears to be working! Please don't be fooled by this, 3D support for Linux guests is not enabled... yet.... Ubuntu has updated their standard desktop UI with the new graphical interface which is what is being displayed.

8 Things I Really Like About VMware Workstation 8

by BOB PLANKERS on SEPTEMBER 16, 2011 · 1 COMMENT

in VIRTUALIZATION

I’ve been using VMware Workstation 8 for a few days now. I really like it. A lot of posts have been made hitting some of the major highlights, but there are hundreds of small improvements that add up to be a big deal for me. Here are eight.

http://lonesysadmin.net/2011/09/16/8-things-i-really-like-about-vmware-workstation-8/

This is a really good blog post that touches on many of the small improvements in VMware Workstation 8.

If you purchased VMware Workstation 7 between 08/01/2011 and 09/30/2011, you are eligible for a complimentary electronic upgrade under the VMware Workstation 8 Technology Guarantee Program.  Here are the details:

• If you purchased VMware Workstation 7 electronically from VMware or a VMware reseller during this time period, you will automatically receive your VMware Workstation 8 license key(s) via email. No further action is required to receive your upgrade. Please allow up to 30 days to receive your complimentary electronic upgrade to VMware Workstation 8.
  
• If you purchased a VMware Workstation 7 retail box through a VMware Reseller during this time period you will need to submit your license key(s) and proof of purchase online by October 31, 2011. Get started.  Please allow up to 30 days to receive your complimentary electronic upgrade to VMware Workstation 8.
  
• Customers with an active support and subscription ("SnS") contract are eligible to upgrade to Workstation 8 for free on the VMware license portal:
  1. Log into the VMware License portal using your VMware.com account credentials
  2. Locate the VMware Workstation 7 product name for the license key(s) you would like to upgrade
  3. Expand the product name and click the "Upgrade" button
  4. Follow the prompts to upgrade your license key(s) to VMware Workstation 8
  5. After receiving your new license keys, you can download VMware Workstation 8 software from the  Workstation Download Page

If you cannot wait to for your complimentary upgrade to VMware Workstation 8 to arrive, we suggest you make the most of our free 30-day trial offer until then.

We couldn’t be more excited about the VMware Workstation 8 release and our timing couldn’t have been more perfect if we had planned it!

Yesterday, VMware released Workstation 8 within hours of Microsoft releasing a developer preview of Windows 8.

I am currently at the Microsoft Build conference along with a team of VMware engineers and we were delighted to get our hands on a copy of Windows 8 yesterday afternoon. We immediately tried running Windows 8 in a VM on VMware Workstation 8 and VMware Fusion 4 and were ecstatic that it worked great!

 
 

We had plans to go out for a team dinner but instead ended up sitting on the floor of the Anaheim Convention Center for 6-7 hours - fueled by caffeinated beverages and really bad pizza!

I was up until 4am playing with Windows 8 and trying all of the new features – I suspect that the rest of the development team was doing the same. We plan to spend the rest of the week learning everything we can about Windows 8 – including developing for the new Metro UI, multi-touch and pen based input devices, graphics driver enhancements, UEFI boot capabilities, power management, the Windows application store etc. all of which will be considred for the next release of VMware
Workstation.

Yes, I will probably spend a little time trying Hyper-V as well…

(Update 9/15/2011) -

We have found that Workstation INSTALLED on Windows 8 requires a slight configuration change in order to run virtual machines.

After installing Workstation 8 on Windows 8 you can do any one of the following:

1. Add your user to the to __vmware__ group

2. Run Workstation 8 in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP3 - (right click on the desktop icon, click on Properties, select the compatibility tab and check the compatibility mode box)

3. Run Workstation 8 as an administrator - (right click on the desktop icon and select Run as Administrator)

Please download and try VMware Workstation 8 today! http://www.vmware.com/workstation

We look forward to your feedback in the Workstation Community Forums!

We are incredibly excited about the release of VMware Workstation 8. In what some team members have called the biggest improvements in a decade, VMware Workstation 8 is your on-ramp to the cloud. With over 50 new features that include connectivity to vSphere, shared VMs, revamped UI, and ability to run the VMware Micro Cloud Foundry, it’s going to change the way you work with VMs. Let’s take a look at what Workstation 8 can do.

From your PC to the datacenter
As you and your organization start your journey to the cloud, Workstation 8 can help. Build and run a full web or cloud environment, including VMware Micro Cloud Foundry, right on your PC. Then when you are ready to move your virtual machines to the internal cloud, you simply drag and drop to upload them to vSphere.
Start sharing the benefits
Up until now Workstation has been limited to virtual machines running locally on your PC. Workstation 8 can run as a server to share virtual machines or host applications for your team, department or anyone else in your organization with enterprise-caliber control over user access. Say goodbye to the time consuming process of copying virtual machines to file servers or USB hard drives to share them.
Gain anytime, anywhere access
With Workstation 8 we have embraced the cloud. Workstation 8 can remotely connect to virtual machines running on vSphere, vCenter, and even another copy of Workstation on your network. Now you can leverage your PC and the internal cloud to access all of the virtual machines you need, regardless of where they are running.
New UI, new way to work
To harness all this power and connectivity, the Workstation 8 user interface has been completely revamped and streamlined with simplified menus, folder views, a live thumbnail bar and a new virtual machine library. The new virtual machine library makes it easy to view your local and remote virtual machines. Use search to quickly find the virtual machines that you need, whether they are running on your local PC, vSphere, or another instance of Workstation 8 on the network.
Run the most demanding applications
Workstation 8 continues to raise the bar in what you can do with a virtual machine. Workstation 8 supports 64GB RAM, HD audio, USB 3, and Bluetooth devices in a virtual machine with enhanced virtual SMP and 3D graphics performance. Workstation 8 is so powerful you can even run 64-bit virtual machines on vSphere which itself is running in a Workstation 8 virtual machine. This is not for the faint of heart!

For the complete list of new features, check out the release notes. Watch this blog for a deep dive into Workstation 8 features over the next few weeks.

Availability and pricing VMware Workstation 8 is immediately available for purchase from the VMware online store for $199 and upgrades from VMware Workstation 6.x and 7.x are available for $99. VMware Workstation can also be purchased through VMware’s network of resellers and distributors. Or download a free 30-day trial.   Customers with active VMware Basic or Production Support and Subscription Service can upgrade here.

What if I just bought VMware Workstation 7? Customers who have purchased VMware Workstation 7 between 08/01/2011 and 09/30/2011 are eligible for a complimentary electronic upgrade under the VMware Workstation 8 Technology Guarantee Program.  To get your complimentary electronic upgrade click here.  If you cannot wait to for your complimentary upgrade to VMware Workstation 8, we suggest you make the most of our free 30-day trial offer.

Enjoy VMware Workstation today! We hope you enjoy using VMware Workstation 8 as much as we did creating it. The VMware Workstation Team

 

If you love VMware Workstation and you are attending VMworld 2011 in Las Vegas next week, you must attend our session “What’s New in VMware Workstation” (EUC1945).  Be first to see how the Workstation Team is going to completely change the way you work with virtual machines.  Jason and Rajat promise there will be few slides and lots of demos.  If you enjoyed last year’s session, I predicted you will love it this year.

Don’t miss it!.  Add the session to your schedule today.

Date/Time: Wednesday (8/31), 12:30 PM 
Location: Venetian - San Polo 3501

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Workstation Team

Ps.  I can’t resist, here’s a small teaser.