VMware Workstation 6.5 Windows Upgrade Download

With VMware Workstation, you can run Windows, Linux and other operating systems simultaneously—no need to pay for separate, dedicated PCs. Just click your mouse and switch between different computing environments. You can:

Increase IT productivity by streamlining the provisioning of physical PCs with virtual machines
Accelerate product time-to-market by developing and testing multi-tier or cross-platform applications on a single computer
Increase product quality by leveraging multiple snapshots and integrated virtual debugging for testing
Eliminate risk by testing patches and applications in isolated sandbox environments

Discover the true power and flexibility of your desktop or laptop computer with VMware Workstation. Reduce hardware costs by 50% or more by running multiple operating systems simultaneously on a single physical PC. Automate and streamline tasks to save time and improve productivity. Join the millions worldwide who use Workstation to:

Host legacy applications and overcome OS migration issues.
Configure & test new software or patches in an isolated environment for easier application migration and updates
Take your desktop with you for secure mobile computing

Use Multiple Operating Systems Concurrently on the Same PC
VMware Workstation makes it simple to create and run multiple virtual machines on your desktop or laptop computer. You can convert an existing physical PC into a VMware virtual machine, or create a new virtual machine from scratch. Each virtual machine represents a complete PC, including the processor, memory, network connections and peripheral ports.

VMware Workstation lets you use your virtual machines to run Windows, Linux and a host of other operating systems side-by-side on the same computer. You can switch between operating systems instantly with a click of a mouse, share files between virtual machines with drag-and-drop functionality and access all the peripheral devices you rely on every day.

Take Snapshots & Videos of your Virtual Machines
With Workstation, you can take a “snapshot” that preserves the state of a virtual machine so you can return to it at any time. Snapshots are useful when you need to revert your virtual machine to a prior, stable system state. Workstation displays thumbnails of all your snapshots on a single screen, making it easy for you to track and revert to a previously saved snapshot.

You can even use Workstation 6.5 to record and play video files that capture all changes to a virtual machine over a period of time. This function is exclusive to VMware Workstation and is incredibly useful for software debugging, Help Desk forensics, sales demonstrations and training.

Run an Entire Multi-tier System on a Single Host Computer
Run multi-tier enterprise applications on a single piece of hardware by managing network-connected virtual machines with the Teams feature of Workstation 6.5. Teams let you create virtual network environments that include client, server and database virtual machines.

With Workstation Teams, you can turn an entire multi-tier environment on and off with a single click of the mouse button. Workstation displays live thumbnails of all connected virtual machines, enabling you to easily identify and switch between the virtual machines associated with a team.

Clone your Virtual Machines to Accelerate Deployment
Installing operating systems and applications can be time consuming. With clones, you can make many copies of a virtual machine from a single installation and configuration process. This capability makes it fast and simple to distribute standardized computing environments to employees and students, or to create a baseline configuration for testing.

Take Your Virtual Machines With You
Workstation 6.5 includes the ability to create and deploy secure virtual machines (called ACEs). Mobility is one of the primary benefits of this feature, as it enables users to securely take their desktops with them on portable media devices such as USB thumb drives.

For IT Professionals
IT professionals around the world use VMware Workstation to create and test multiple computing environments as virtual machines on a single PC. Broad support for a wide range of operating systems makes Workstation an ideal solution for running legacy applications on virtual machines, or to overcome migration issues associated with new operating systems such as Windows Vista.

Key benefits:
■Reduce PC equipment costs by 50-60%
■Facilitate software migration and updates
■Accelerate resolution of Help Desk tickets

Desktop administrators use Workstation to test software updates, patches and hotfixes in an isolated environment before deploying them across the network. Help Desk technicians also benefit from Workstation by creating virtual machine libraries that they can use to replicate and resolve user problems more quickly.

For Software Developers & Testers
Software developers rely on VMware Workstation to streamline their efforts by using virtual machines to work with multiple development and testing environments on a single PC. Workstation makes it easy for development groups to create a readily accessible library of operating systems, pre-installed servers and development tools in virtual machines, accelerating time to market while eliminating many time-consuming setup tasks.

Key benefits:
■Accelerate time to market
■Enhance quality assurance
■Automate repetitive tasks
Quality assurance teams use Workstation to facilitate fast, efficient testing of a large number of cases and configurations. Integration with IDEs such as Visual Studio and Eclipse makes life easier by enabling QA engineers to test and debug applications on all platforms running as virtual machines on their host machine.

For Technical Sales & Training Professionals
Systems engineers and other technical sales professional love Workstation because it gives them the power to demonstrate complex multi-tier applications with ease. Customers use the Teams feature in Workstation to simulate an entire virtual network environment—including clients, servers and database virtual machines—all on a on a single PC.

Teachers and trainers use Workstation to rapidly create virtual machine for students, with all the lessons and labs required for the term. Students can then experiment with multiple operating systems, applications and tools within secure, isolated virtual machines without putting the host machine or external network at risk.

Instructors can also configure their virtual machines to revert automatically to “clean” state at the end of each class, making the virtual machines more readily available for the next set of students.

Key benefits:
■Reduce the cost and complexity of enterprise software demos
■Create isolated “sandbox” environments in which students can experiment safely
■Facilitate computer-based training

Key New Features in Workstation 6.5:
■Integrated desktop experience with “Unity”
■Powerful Record and Replay technology that makes software development easier
■Support for Windows Server 2008
■Link state propagation networking
■Simplified ACE authoring capabilities

Features in Depth
Broadest Host & Guest Operating System Support

■Runs on both Windows and Linux host operating systems and supports most desktop and server editions of Microsoft Windows, Linux, Solaris x86, Netware, and FreeBSD as guest operating systems
■Supports both 32-bit and 64-bit host and guest operating systems
■Supports two-way Virtual SMP™ – Assign one or two processors to virtual machines
■Experimental support for VMI 3.0 enabled paravirtualized Linux kernels
Best-in-class Virtual Machine Architecture

■Fully configurable – each virtual machine has configurable memory size, disks and I/O devices and support for CD, DVD, floppy and USB 2.0 devices
■Specify up to 8GB of RAM per virtual machine
■64-bit sound driver for high-fidelity audio and video
■Easily switch between virtual machines and suspend/resume them
■Easily copy and share virtual machines by creating full and linked clones
■Convert physical into virtual machines and import virtual machine formats from Microsoft, Symantec, Storage­Craft, and Acronis.
Advanced Network Support

■Powerful virtual networking options include Bridged, NAT, host-only and custom virtual network settings
■Built-in DHCP server, and up to 10 virtual switches, enable connection of virtual machines to each other, to the host machine and to public networks
■Specify network bandwidth and packet loss rate between virtual machines in a team
■Edit virtual network configurations for Linux hosts through the Virtual Network Editor
■Customize the preferences for physical network adapters with ‘substring matching’ for the adapter name for both NAT and auto-bridged networking
Richest Desktop Experience

■Access applications within virtual machines as if they were part of the host operating system desktop with “Unity” view
■Support for DirectX 9.0c with Shader Model 2 3D graphics
■Configure a virtual machine to span multiple monitors, or multiple virtual machines to each display on separate monitors.
■Create shared folders and drag-and-drop, and copy-paste data between guest and host OSes
■Connect high-speed USB 2.0 devices, including webcams and iPods
■Resize the guest’s screen resolution automatically to fit the size of a window or full screen, or run virtual machines in the background without using the Workstation user interface
■Map a virtual disk to a drive letter on Windows host
■Capture all screen activity in a running virtual machine with movie record and playback feature

Powerful Development and Test Features

■Record entire VM execution and replay it with instruction-exact precision. Use the graphical interface to browse, add markers to, and edit VM recording
■Diagnose non-deterministic bugs with the integrated Record/Replay technology in the Integrated Virtual Debugger for Visual Studio. Debug your applications running in virtual machines in “record” mode and replay prior executions of the VM in “reverse continue” mode.
■Debug applications in the guest OS, attach to a running process, and revert to a snapshot after the debug session has ended with Visual Studio and Eclipse integration
■Capture and easily manage point-in-time copies of running virtual machines and “undo” changes with multiple snapshot feature
■Manage connected virtual machines and simulate multi-tier configurations with teams feature
■Enable remote users to connect to virtual machines from VNC clients with built-in VNC support
■Invoke any virtual machine command from scripts to automate repetitive tasks with VIX Automation API
Security and Mobility

■Experimental support for shared smart card authentication, enabling virtual machines to access secure, corporate information that requires smart card access
■Seamless networking by optionally replicating the physical network connection state with link state propagation
■Package and deploy virtual machines with VMware ACE authoring capability, enabling encryption, network access and password control on portable media devices
■Includes VMware Player 2.5

Host System Requirements
Like physical computers, the virtual machines running under Workstation perform
better if they have faster processors and more memory.

PC Hardware
�� Standard x86‐compatible or x86‐64‐compatible personal computer
�� 733MHz or faster CPU minimum
Compatible processors include:
�� Intel: Celeron, Pentium II, Pentium III, Pentium 4, Pentium M (including
computers with Centrino mobile technology), Xeon (including “Prestonia”),
and Core 2 processors
�� AMD: Athlon, Athlon MP, Athlon XP, Athlon 64, Duron, Opteron, Turion 64
�� AMD Sempron
�� Multiprocessor systems supported
�� 64‐bit systems supported: AMD Opteron, AMD Athlon 64, AMD Turion 64, AMD
Sempron, Intel EM64T. Support for 64‐bit guest operating systems is available only
on the following versions of these processors:
�� AMD Athlon 64, revision D or later
�� AMD Opteron, revision E or later
�� AMD Turion 64, revision E or later
�� AMD Sempron, 64‐bit‐capable revision D or later
�� Intel Pentium 4 and Core 2 processors with EM64T and Intel Virtualization
Technology

Memory
512MB minimum (2GB is recommended).
You must have enough memory to run the host operating system, plus the memory
required for each guest operating system and for applications on the host and guest.

As of version 6.0 of Workstation, the total amount of memory you can assign to all
virtual machines running on a single host is unlimited. The maximum amount of
memory per virtual machine is 8GB.

Display
16‐bit or 32‐bit display adapter is recommended.

Disk Drives
Guest operating systems can reside on physical disk partitions or in virtual disk files.

Hard Disk
�� IDE and SCSI hard drives supported.
�� At least 1GB free disk space 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.
�� For installation – 200MB (Linux) or 900MB (Windows) free disk space required for
basic installation. You can delete the installer afterwards to reclaim disk space.

Optical CD-ROM/DVD-ROM Drive
�� IDE and SCSI optical drives supported.
�� CD‐ROM and DVD‐ROM drives supported.
�� ISO disk image files supported.

Floppy Drives
Virtual machines can connect to the host’s floppy drives. Floppy disk image files are
also supported.

Local Area Networking (Optional)
�� Any Ethernet controller supported by the host operating system.
�� Non‐Ethernet networks supported using built‐in network address translation
(NAT) or using a combination of host‐only networking plus routing software on
the host operating system.

Host Operating System
VMware Workstation is available for both Windows and Linux host operating systems.
Windows Host Operating Systems (32-Bit)
Workstation supports the following Windows 32‐bit host operating systems:
�� Windows Vista Enterprise Edition
Windows Vista Business Edition
Windows Vista Home Basic and Premium Editions
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition
�� Windows Server 2008, SP1
�� Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition, SP1, SP2
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition, SP1
Windows Server 2003 Small Business Edition, SP1, SP2
Windows Server 2003 Enterprise Edition, SP1, SP2
Windows Server 2003 R2
(Listed versions are also supported with no service pack.)
�� Windows XP Home Edition, SP1, SP2
Windows XP Professional, SP1, SP2
�� Windows 2000 Server SP3, SP4
Windows 2000 Professional, SP3, SP4
Windows 2000 Advanced Server, SP3, SP4

Windows Host Operating Systems (64-Bit)
�� Windows Vista Enterprise Edition
Windows Vista Business Edition
Windows Vista Home Basic and Premium Editions
Windows Vista Ultimate Edition
�� Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition SP1
�� Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition SP1
Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition R2
�� Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
A Web browser is required for the Help system.

Linux Host Operating Systems (32-Bit)
Supported distributions and kernels are listed below. Workstation might not run on
systems that do not meet these requirements.
�� Mandriva Linux 2006 and 2007
Mandriva Corporate Desktop 4.0
Mandriva Corporate Server 4.0
Mandrake Linux 10.1
Mandrake Linux 9.0 — stock 2.4.19
�� Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4.5 (formerly called 4.0 Update 5)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 4.0, updates 1, 2, 3, 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 4.0, updates 1, 2, 3, 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4.0, updates 1, 2, 3, 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 3.0, updates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 3.0, updates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 3.0, updates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 2.1 — stock 2.4.9‐e3
Red Hat Linux 9.0 — stock 2.4.20‐8, upgrade 2.4.20‐20.9
Red Hat Linux 8.0 — stock 2.4.18
Red Hat Linux 7.3 — stock 2.4.18
Red Hat Linux 7.2 — stock 2.4.7‐10, upgrade 2.4.9‐7, upgrade 2.4.9‐13, upgrade
2.4.9‐21, upgrade 2.4.9‐31
Red Hat Linux 7.1 — stock 2.4.2‐2, upgrade 2.4.3‐12
Red Hat Linux 7.0 — stock 2.2.16‐22, upgrade 2.2.17‐14
�� SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP4
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, 9 SP1, 9 SP2, 9 SP3
(Listed versions are also supported with no service pack.)
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 8, stock 2.4.19
openSUSE 10.3
openSUSE 10.2 (formerly known as SUSE Linux 10.2)
SUSE Linux 10.1
SUSE Linux 10
SUSE Linux 9.3
SUSE Linux 9.2, SP1)
SUSE Linux 9.1 — stock 2.6.4‐52
SUSE Linux 9.0 — stock 2.4.21‐99
SUSE Linux 8.2 — stock 2.4.20
�� Ubuntu Linux 7.04
Ubuntu Linux 6.10
Ubuntu Linux 6.06
Ubuntu Linux 5.10
Ubuntu Linux 5.04
A Web browser is required for the Help system.

Linux Host Operating Systems (64-Bit)
Supported distributions and kernels are listed below. Workstation might not run on
systems that do not meet these requirements.
�� Mandriva Linux 2006 and 2007
Mandriva Corporate Desktop 4.0
Mandriva Corporate Server 4.0
Important: On 64‐bit Mandriva hosts, some 32‐bit compatibility libraries are
required. Specifically, 32‐bit glibc, X11, and libXtst.so are required.
�� Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.0
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4.5 (formerly called 4.0 Update 5)
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 4.0, updates 3, 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 4.0, updates 3, 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 4.0, updates 3, 4
Red Hat Enterprise Linux AS 3.0, stock 2.4.21, updates 2.4.21‐15, 6, 7, 8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux ES 3.0, stock 2.4.21, updates 2.4.21‐15, 6, 7, 8
Red Hat Enterprise Linux WS 3.0, stock 2.4.21, updates 2.4.21‐15, 6, 7, 8
�� SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 SP1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9 SP4
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9, SP1, SP2, SP3
(Listed versions are also supported with no service pack.)
openSUSE 10.3
openSUSE 10.2 (formerly known as SUSE Linux 10.2)
SUSE Linux 10.1
SUSE Linux 10
SUSE Linux 9.3
SUSE Linux 9.2, SP1
SUSE Linux 9.1 — stock 2.6.4‐52

Ubuntu Linux 6.10
Ubuntu Linux 6.06
Ubuntu Linux 5.10
Ubuntu Linux 5.04
Important: On 64‐bit Ubuntu 6.x hosts, some 32‐bit compatibility libraries are
required. Specifically, 32‐bit glibc and X11 are required.
A Web browser is required for the Help system.

Virtual Machine Specifications
The following sections describe the devices supported by Workstation virtual
machines.
Processor
�� Same processor as that on host computer.
�� One virtual processor on a host with one or more logical processors.
�� Two virtual processors (two‐way virtual symmetric multiprocessing, or
Virtual SMP™) on a host with at least two logical processors.
The following are all considered to have two logical processors:
�� A multiprocessor host with two or more physical CPUs
�� A single‐processor host with a multicore CPU
�� A single‐processor host with hyperthreading enabled

Chip Set
�� Intel 440BX‐based motherboard
�� NS338 SIO
�� 82093AA IOAPIC

BIOS
PhoenixBIOS 4.0 Release 6 with VESA BIOS

Memory
Up to 8GB, depending on host memory.
No maximum limit for the total available for all virtual machines.

Graphics
VGA and SVGA support

IDE Drives
�� Up to four devices—disks, CD‐ROM or DVD‐ROM (DVD drives can be used to
read data DVD‐ROM discs; DVD video is not supported).
�� Hard disks can be virtual disks or physical disks.
�� IDE virtual disks up to 950GB.
�� CD‐ROM can be a physical device or an ISO image file.

SCSI Devices
�� Up to 60 devices.
�� SCSI virtual disks up to 950GB.
�� Hard disks can be virtual disks or physical disks.
�� Generic SCSI support allows devices to be used without need for drivers in the
host operating system. Works with scanners, CD‐ROM, DVD‐ROM, tape drives
and other SCSI devices.
�� LSI Logic LSI53C10xx Ultra320 SCSI I/O controller.
�� Mylex (BusLogic) BT‐958 compatible host bus adapter (requires add‐on driver
from VMware for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003).

Floppy Drives
�� Up to two 1.44MB floppy devices.
�� Physical drives or floppy image files

Serial (COM) Ports
�� Up to four serial (COM) ports.
�� Output to serial ports, Windows or Linux files, or named pipes.

Parallel (LPT) Ports
�� Up to three bidirectional parallel (LPT) ports.
�� Output to parallel ports or host operating system files.

USB ports
�� USB 1.1 UHCI controller, with a (transparent) virtual hub so that more than two
devices can be connected.
�� USB 2.0 EHCI controller that supports up to six devices.

�� Supports most devices, including USB printers, scanners, PDAs, hard disk drives,
memory card readers and digital cameras, as well as streaming devices such as
webcams, speakers, and microphones.

Keyboard
104‐key Windows 95/98 enhanced

Mouse and Drawing Tablets
�� PS/2 mouse
�� Serial tablets supported

Ethernet Card
�� Up to 10 virtual Ethernet cards.
�� AMD PCnet‐PCI II compatible.
�� For 64‐bit guests: Intel Pro/1000 MT Server Adapter compatible.

Sound
�� Sound output and input.
�� Emulates Creative Labs Sound Blaster AudioPCI. (MIDI input, game controllers
and joysticks are not supported, except for USB devices.)

Virtual Networking
�� Support for 10 virtual Ethernet switches on Microsoft Windows host operating
systems. Support for 100 virtual Ethernet switches on Linux hosts. Three switches
are configured by default for bridged, host‐only, and NAT networking.
�� Support for most Ethernet‐based protocols, including TCP/IP, NetBEUI, Microsoft
Networking, Samba, Novell Netware, and Network File System.
�� Built‐in NAT supports client software using TCP/IP, FTP, DNS, HTTP, and Telnet,
including VPN support for PPTP over NAT.

Supported Guest Operating Systems
This section provides a simplified list of guest operating systems supported for virtual
machines running in VMware Workstation.

Operating systems that are not listed are not supported for use in a Workstation virtual
machine.

Microsoft Windows 32-Bit
�� Windows Vista (3‐D effects not yet supported)
�� Windows Server 2008
�� Windows Server 2003, Small Business Server 2003
Windows Server 2003 Web Edition
�� Windows XP Professional and Home Edition
�� Windows 2000 Professional
Windows 2000 Server
Windows 2000 Advanced Server
�� Windows NT Workstation and Server 4.0
Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Server Edition
�� Windows Me
�� Windows 98
�� Windows 95
�� Windows for Workgroups
�� Windows 3.1
.
Microsoft Windows 64-Bit
�� Windows Vista x64 Edition (3‐D effects not yet supported)
�� Windows Server 2008 x64 Edition
�� Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition
�� Windows XP Professional x64
See the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide for service pack and version
details about these operating systems, at http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
Microsoft MS-DOS
MS‐DOS

Linux 32-Bit
�� Mandriva Linux 2006 and 2007
�� Mandrake Linux
�� Red Hat Linux
�� Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server, Enterprise Server, and Workstation
�� SUSE Linux
�� SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
�� openSUSE Linux
�� Turbolinux Server, Enterprise Server, Workstation, Desktop
�� Novell Linux Desktop
�� Sun Java Desktop System (JDS)
�� Ubuntu Linux
�� Turbolinux 10 Server

Linux 64-Bit
�� Mandriva Linux 2006 and 2007
�� Red Hat Enterprise Linux Advanced Server, Enterprise Server, and Workstation
�� SUSE Linux Enterprise Server
�� SUSE Linux
�� openSUSE Linux
�� Ubuntu Linux
�� Turbolinux 10 Server

Novell NetWare 32-Bit
NetWare
Novell Open Enterprise Server 32-Bit
Open Enterprise Server 32‐bit
See the VMware Guest Operating System Installation Guide for version details about this
operating system, at http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
FreeBSD 32-Bit
FreeBSD 32‐bit

If you use SCSI virtual disks larger than 2GB with FreeBSD 4.0–4.3, the guest operating
system does not boot. To work around this issue, see the VMware Guest Operating System
Installation Guide, at http://pubs.vmware.com/guestnotes/.
FreeBSD 64-Bit
FreeBSD 64‐bit
Sun Solaris 32-Bit
Solaris x86 32‐bit
Sun Solaris 64-Bit
Solaris x86 64‐bit

Support for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems
Workstation supports virtual machines with 64‐bit guest operating systems, running
on host machines with the following processors:
�� AMD Athlon 64, revision D or later
�� AMD Opteron, revision E or later
�� AMD Turion 64, revision E or later
�� AMD Sempron, 64‐bit‐capable revision D or later
�� Intel EM64T VT‐capable processors
Workstation supports virtual machines with 64‐bit guest operating systems only on
host machines that have one of the supported 64‐bit processors. When you power on a
virtual machine with a 64‐bit guest operating system, Workstation performs an internal
check: if the host CPU is not a supported 64‐bit processor, you cannot power on the
virtual machine.
VMware also provides a standalone utility that you can use without Workstation to
perform the same check and determine whether your CPU is supported for
Workstation virtual machines with 64‐bit guest operating systems.

Workstation supports virtual machines with 64‐bit guest operating systems only in
versions 5.5 and later. If your version of Workstation is 5.0 or earlier, upgrade to version
6.0 or later for 64‐bit guest operating system support. A virtual machine created in
Workstation version 5.5 with a 64‐bit operating system cannot be powered on or
resumed in Workstation versions 5.0 and earlier.

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