vMware

VMware Workstation includes a range of features and capabilities that make it a powerful tool for virtualization. These include:

1. Snapshots: Users can take snapshots of virtual machines at different points in time, allowing them to quickly revert to previous configurations if needed.
2. Virtual networking: Users can create and manage virtual networks within the virtualized environment, allowing them to connect virtual machines to each other and to the host machine.
3. Virtual storage: Users can create and manage virtual disks within the virtualized environment, allowing them to store data and applications within the virtualized environment.
4. Virtual graphics: Users can enable virtual graphics within the virtualized environment, allowing them to run graphical applications and operating systems.

Overall, VMware Workstation is a powerful tool for virtualization that provides users with the ability to run multiple operating systems and applications on a single machine. It is a popular choice for developers, IT professionals, and other users who need to test and run software in different environments.

VMware Workstation comes in two editions:

1. VMware Workstation Player – This edition is designed for personal use and is free for non-commercial use. For commercial use, a license needs to be purchased.
2. VMware Workstation Pro – This edition is designed for professional use and requires a license to use. It offers more advanced features compared to the Player edition, such as support for virtual networks, remote vSphere connections, and the ability to create and manage snapshots.

VMware Workstation Pro licenses are sold as perpetual licenses, which means that the license is valid for the version of the software that is purchased, and customers are entitled to receive updates and support for a specified period of time. After that period, customers can choose to renew their support and subscription contract to continue receiving updates and support.

For the best performance on VMware Workstation, the following hardware requirements are recommended:

1. Processor: An Intel Core i9 or Xeon processor with six or more cores, or an AMD Ryzen Threadripper or EPYC processor with eight or more cores, with a clock speed of at least 3.0 GHz.
2. Memory (RAM): 64 GB or more of RAM. This allows for running multiple virtual machines with heavy workloads and high memory requirements.
3. Storage: At least 1 TB of free disk space on a solid-state drive (SSD) or NVMe drive. The faster the storage, the better the performance of the virtual machines.
4. Graphics: A dedicated graphics card with at least 8 GB of video RAM, such as an NVIDIA GeForce RTX or AMD Radeon Pro graphics card. This is especially important for running virtual machines with heavy graphical workloads.
5. Operating system: Windows 10 or Linux operating system.

It is also important to ensure that the hardware is compatible with virtualization technology and that hardware-assisted virtualization is enabled in the BIOS settings. Additionally, enabling Intel VT-x or AMD-V virtualization extensions can improve the performance of virtual machines. Keeping the host machine’s software and drivers up-to-date can also improve performance.