2023 – Posted in: Learning, Technology, Virtualization – Tags: clones, hardware configuration, snapshots, virtual machines, virtualization, VMware Workstation

Time needed to read: 3-4 minutes.

VMware Workstation is a powerful virtualization tool used by many developers, testers, and IT professionals. It allows users to create and run multiple virtual machines (VMs) on a single physical machine. In this post, we will provide a comprehensive guide for beginners to help them understand the basics of VMware Workstation.

Installation and Setup

Before you can use VMware Workstation, you must first download and install it on your computer. VMware Workstation is available for Windows and Linux operating systems. Once you have downloaded the installer, simply run it and follow the prompts to install the software.

After installation, you can launch VMware Workstation and begin creating virtual machines. To create a new VM, click the “Create a New Virtual Machine” button on the welcome screen. You will be guided through a wizard that will help you set up the VM’s hardware configuration and install an operating system.

Hardware Configuration

VMware Workstation allows you to configure many aspects of a VM’s hardware, such as the number of processors, amount of RAM, and virtual hard disk size. You can also configure the VM’s network adapters and connect it to a virtual network.

It’s important to ensure that the hardware configuration of your VM matches the requirements of the operating system you plan to install. For example, if you plan to install Windows 10, you should allocate at least 2 GB of RAM and a dual-core processor to the VM.

Snapshots and Clones

VMware Workstation allows you to take snapshots of a VM at any point in time. Snapshots are essentially a point-in-time backup of the VM’s state, which can be useful when testing software or making configuration changes. If something goes wrong, you can revert to a previous snapshot to quickly restore the VM to a known good state.

You can also create clones of a VM, which are essentially duplicates of the original VM. Clones can be useful when you need to create multiple VMs with identical configurations.

Conclusion

VMware Workstation is a powerful tool that allows users to create and run multiple virtual machines on a single physical machine. In this post, we have provided a brief overview of VMware Workstation and its capabilities. To learn more about VMware Workstation, visit the official VMware website.