Software Update: VMware Workstation 7.0 RC build 197124

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VMware has released a release candidate of its virtualization software Workstation 7.0. This package works under Linux and Windows and is able to run various operating systems on the host computer via a virtual machine. For the guest OS you can choose from different BSD variants, various Linux distributions, Solaris and Windows. For more information, we refer you to this page. The list of customizations of VMware Workstation 7.0 RC build 197124 looks like this:

New Support for 32-Bit and 64-Bit Operating Systems

This release provides support for the following host and guest operating systems in addition to those operating systems already supported:

Operating SystemHost and Guest Support
Windows 7 Home Basic
Windows 7 Premium
Windows 7 Business
Windows 7 Enterprise
Windows 7 Ultimate
Host and guest
Windows 2008 SP2, R2 guest
Windows Vista SP2 guest
Debian 5 guest
Ubuntu 9.04 Host and guest
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.3 Host and guest
CentOS 5.3 guest
Oracle Enterprise Linux 5.3 guest
OpenSUSE 11.x Host and guest
Mandriva 2009 Host and guest
SUSE Linux Enterprise 11.x Host and guest

New Features in Workstation

To provide feedback on the new features of the VMware Workstation 7.0 Release Candidate, go to the Beta Community site. To send comments about graphics and installation, go to the Workstation Release Candidate forum and select the Graphics or Installation Discussions link in the right column. For more information on how to provide feedback see Product Feedback.

  • Aero Glass Support — The new Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) graphics driver, available by default for Windows Vista and Windows 7, provides support for the Windows Aero user interface. The WDDM driver also includes support for OpenGL 1.4 and Shader Model 3.0. VMware recommends that you use the graphics hardware NVIDIA GeForce 8800 and ATI Radeon HD 2600 with Aero. Post any rendering or performance issues caused by the new driver in the VMware Workstation Release Candidate Beta Community forum.
  • 3D Graphics Improvements — OpenGL 2.1 and Shader Model 3.0 support is now available for Windows XP virtual machines. The XPDM graphics driver works with Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7. However, only Windows XP virtual machines install a graphics driver by default. The instructions to switch between graphics drivers in the guest operating system are available on the VMware Workstation Release Candidate Beta Community site in the document How to switch between SVGAII and WDDM Drivers.
  • vSphere 4.0 and ESX Support — Support is now available for running ESX 4.0 as a guest operating system. VMware Certified Professionals (VCPs) and technical professionals can install the latest server virtualization software and experiment with server setup, conduct training, show demos, and test production configurations. Running ESX as a guest eliminates the need for spare hardware available to run ESX natively and enables ESX to run on systems that are not listed on the ESX hardware compatibility list (HCL).
    Running ESX in VMware Workstation Release Candidate works only on processors that support Intel EM64T with VT-x or on the AMD64 Family 10H and later processors with AMD-V. ESX 4.0 guests must be configured with two or more cores. VMware recommends that the host system should have at least as many cores as the guest. Only 32-bit guests can be installed to run as nested virtual machines inside an ESX guest. These virtual machines can only be configured to use binary translation. This feature has been tested on only a limited number of host operating systems, including RHEL 5.2 Desktop and Server editions, Windows Server 2003 R2 SP2, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 11, Ubuntu 9.04 Desktop Edition, and Windows Vista SP1. The nested 32-bit guest operating systems that have been tested are RHEL 5.4, RHEL 5.3, RHEL 4.8, Ubuntu 8.10, Windows 2003 Advanced Server, Windows Vista, Windows XP SP2, Ubuntu 9.04, and CentOS 5.3. Performance of ESX instances should not be compared to ESX running natively because all operations pass through VMware Workstation and the host operating system, which significantly degrades performance.
    This configuration is intended for educational and demonstration purposes only and should not be used in production environments. To use this feature, you must download vSphere 4.0 from the VMware Web site and follow the installation documentation provided with vSphere to install ESX.
  • Multi-Core and Four-Way SMP Support — Support for multi-core processors and four-way SMP allows users to take advantage of the processing power of computers running multiple processors or multi-core processors like the new Intel i7. VMware Workstation Release Candidate allows you to create and run virtual machines with a total of four processor cores, which can consist of four single-core processors, two dual-core processors, or one quad-core processor.
  • Virtual Printing — Support for virtual printing allows you to print from virtual machines without mapping network printers or installing printer drivers in the virtual machine. If virtual printing is enabled in the virtual machine setting, all of the printers installed on the host operating system are available in the guest operating system. This functionality is enabled through a partnership with ThinPrint Inc.
  • On-Demand VMware Tools Download — VMware Tools integrates the guest operating system with the host operating system through drag and drop, cut and paste, time synchronization, and features like Unity. This feature downloads the latest version of VMware Tools when you create a virtual machine, start up an existing virtual machine, or start the download manually. The on-demand download capability provides the latest tools for the guest operating system. This feature is expected to allow VMware to respond quickly to the release of new operating system versions and to issues reported by customers. This feature also reduces the overall download size of VMware products by downloading only the VMware Tools versions that users need.
  • AutoProtect — Create snapshots at scheduled intervals with AutoProtect. Preserve the state of your virtual machine by taking snapshots at specific pre-set regular intervals.
  • Virtual Machine Encryption — Secure your virtual machines with AES256-bit encryption and a password that you set to prevent unauthorized users from accessing or running them. Encrypted virtual machines can run in VMware Workstation and VMware Player Release Candidates.
  • IPv6 Support — Support for IPv6 networks is added for bridged networking.
  • Advanced Linux Sound Architecture (ALSA) — Support for ALSA improves the audio for virtual machines running on a Linux host. Multiple virtual machines can run simultaneously and the sound for each operates on a separate channel mixed together on the host.
  • Pause a Virtual Machine — The pause feature causes a virtual machine to cease operation temporarily, without powering off or suspending. Use the pause feature when a virtual machine is engaged in an lengthy, processor-intensive activity that prevents you from using your computer to do a more immediate task.
  • Drag and Drop Enhancements — Support for drag and drop images, formatted text email attachments, and zip folders is available for both Windows and Linux hosts. The enhancements include new file types and extend the existing ability to drag and drop certain file types to a broader set of guest and host operating systems.
  • Replay Debugging Improvements — Enhancements in Replay Debugging make the feature faster and easier to use. Developers can select a particular process instance to attach to, attach to a process in the middle of a recording, and ensure that the executables and symbols on the host machine match the ones in the guest. Developers can also send the recording to another developer who can attach a debugger to view the exact state of the machine when the system failed, and replay the recording to see the circumstances that led the system to fail.
  • Expand Virtual Disks — Support for expanding virtual disks allows you to increase the size of the disk from within VMware Workstation. For Windows Vista and Windows 7 guests, the disk partitions can be adjusted without the use of additional software.
  • Fuse Mount for Linux — For Linux hosts, Workstation now provides a feature that uses Fuse to mount vmdk disks onto the file system. The Windows version of VMware Workstation already has a Map/Disconnect Virtual Disks feature, which allows users to mount a .vmdk file as a drive letter.
  • Virtual Network Editor Interface — Enhancements to the Virtual Network Editor user interface have simplified the design for ease of use.
  • Centralized Collection of Support Information — Support for centralized collection of information is a menu option that allows you to gather detailed information about multiple virtual machines and the host machine at the same time. The information is packaged in a compressed file so that you can email it to VMware support or post it on the VMware Workstation forums.
  • Virtual Machine Memory — The virtual machine memory limit is increased to 32GB.
  • Workstation License Key — Support for installation of Windows and Linux versions of Workstation using the same product license key.

Version number 7.0 RC build 197124
Release status beta
Operating systems Windows 7, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Linux x86, Windows Server 2003, Windows XP x64, Windows Server 2003 x64, Linux AMD64, Windows Vista, Windows Vista x64, Windows Server 2008
Website VMware
Download http://communities.vmware.com/community/beta/workstation
License type Shareware
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