VMware

VMware Workstation 6.5 Beta Release Notes

Workstation 6.5 Beta Portal | Workstation User's Manual | ACE Management Server Administrator's Manual

Notes on VMware Workstation 6.5, Build 99530

Build 99530 is a beta build of VMware Workstation.

The release notes contain the following:

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

Plans for Workstation 6.5 include adding support for additional host and guest operating systems such as CentOS, Oracle Enterprise Linux, Asianux, and newer editions of operating systems already supported. Windows Server 2008 is experimentally supported as a guest.

You are welcome to try Workstation 6.5 on these operating systems and send feedback. Precompiled kernel modules are not available for the newly added Linux operating systems. Therefore, when you start Workstation for the first time, a dialog box might prompt you to compile the kernel modules. If you experience issues with this new module updater feature, use the RPM installer and run the following command: vmware-config.pl --compile.

New Features in This Release

In addition to the new features listed here, be sure to read about new ACE-specific features in the VMware ACE 2.5 beta release notes.

  • Feature updates since the last beta release — Check out the following improvements to Workstation 6.5 features:
    • Virtual machine streaming — You can now download a virtual machine from a Web server and power it on without waiting for the download to complete. Use the command-line startup command (vmware for Workstation or vmplayer for VMware Player) with the URL of the virtual machine. The download can also be paused and restarted. Note that this feature is not available for ACE instances.
    • Installer bundle for Linux hosts — Installing Workstation on Linux hosts just got a lot easier. The new bundle format provides a graphical UI wizard for most Linux operating systems. With a few mouse clicks, Workstation is installed. For users who want a custom installation, a command-line interface provides complete control.
    • (Experimental) Record/replay debugging — Record the execution of an application you want to debug and then use the Visual Studio Integrated Virtual Debugger to examine the recording repeatedly. No debugging is performed during the recording process, so debugging activities do not affect the normal execution of an application. This powerful tool enables you to fix bugs that cannot be reliably reproduced. For the most up-to-date documentation on this feature, see Appendix C of the Workstation User's Manual.
    • Unity mode enhancements — You can now drag and drop files between the host and Linux guests that are in Unity mode. You can also copy and paste text with Linux guests. Previously these features were available only for Windows guests.
    • Text copy and paste enhancements — On Windows guests, you can copy and paste text in rich text format, and copy up to 4MB of text. (On Linux guests, the old limitations still apply. You can copy and paste up to 64K of plain text.)
    • VMCI Sockets interface — Developers who want to write client-server applications for virtual machines can now use this sockets interface for the Virtual Machine Communication Interface. VMCI provides a faster means of communication among applications running on the host and in virtual machines. See the VMCI Sockets Programming Guide.
    • vmrun enhancements — Many command-line options have been added to this command-line interface for operating virtual machines. See Using vmrun to Control Virtual Machines.
  • Unity mode — Integrate your favorite guest applications with your host. Open the application window, enter Unity mode, and the Workstation window is automatically minimized. The guest application windows look just like host application windows, but with color-coded borders. You can access the virtual machine's Start menu (for Windows virtual machines) or Applications menu (for Linux virtual machines) by placing the mouse pointer over the host's Start or Applications menu, or by using a key combination.
  • Accelerated 3-D graphics on Windows XP guests — Workstation 6.5 virtual machines now work with applications that use DirectX 9 accelerated graphics with shaders up through Shader Model 2.0 on Windows XP guests. Hosts can be running Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Linux.
  • Enhanced VMware ACE authoring — Use ACE (Assured Computing Environment) features to package and deploy Pocket ACE and desktop virtual machines with encryption, restricted network access, and device control. VMware ACE authoring features are now fully integrated with Workstation, and no special ACE Edition is required.
  • More powerful record/replay of VM execution activity — Easily enable this powerful debugging tool, which records full system behavior, including all CPU and device activity. You can now insert markers while creating or playing back a recording and quickly navigate to these markers during replay. You can also browse a recording to replay from any spot.
  • Replicate the physical network connection state for mobile users — If you use virtual machines on a laptop or other mobile device, enable this new link state propagation feature if you use bridged network connections (not NAT). As you move from one wired or wireless network to another, the IP address is automatically renewed.
  • Support for smart cards in virtual machines — You can plug a smart card reader into a Windows host and insert your smart card to authenticate yourself on your host or on a guest.
    Smart cards can now be shared between the host and guests or between guests. To enable sharing, add the following line to the global configuration file:
    usb.ccid.useSharedMode = "TRUE"

    On most Windows hosts, it is located in
    C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Workstation\config.ini

    On Windows Vista hosts, it is located in
    C:\Users\All Users\Application Data\VMware\VMware Workstation\config.ini
  • Integration with VMware Converter 3.0.3 — This release includes the Conversion wizard component from VMware Converter 3.0.3. You can now use File > Import to create virtual machines from Acronis True Image files in addition to the Microsoft Virtual PC, Symantec Backup Exec System Recovery, and StorageCraft ShadowProtect file types previously supported. You can also convert Open Virtual Machine Format (OVF) appliances. For Microsoft Virtual PC and Microsoft Virtual Server virtual machines, you now have the option of sharing the source virtual hard disk (.vhd) files.
  • Easy Install option for Windows and Linux guest operating systems — When you create a virtual machine, you now have the option of entering a few pieces of information so that installation of the guest operating system and VMware Tools is performed in an unattended fashion. Easy install is supported on newer Windows operating systems and some version of the following Linux operating systems: Red Hat, Mandriva, and Ubuntu.
  • Virtual Network Editor for Linux hosts — On Linux hosts, the new Virtual Network Editor now provides a graphical user interface for creating and configuring virtual networks.
  • New virtual hardware version — This new hardware version lets you use the following new features if the guest operating system supports them: Add or remove some virtual devices while the virtual machine is powered on ("hot-plug"). Use LSI Logic SAS (serial attached SCSI) adapters in the virtual machine. Hot-add virtual CPUs and memory to a Linux or Windows Server 2008 guest. For all virtual machines with this hardware version, 3-D graphics capabilities are enabled by default.
  • New features for VMware Player — VMware Player now includes the following features, which were previously available only in Workstation:
    • While in full screen mode, you can now switch from one powered-on virtual machine to another.
    • Unity mode is available, so that you can open your favorite guest applications in windows on your host desktop.
    • Both Windows and Linux hosts now support suspending the virtual machine when exiting.
  • Updated VIX 1.5 API — The VIX API allows you to write scripts and programs to automate virtual machine operations. The API is available in the C language. There are additional language bindings for Perl and COM. See the VIX API 1.5 release notes and the VIX API Reference Guide.
  • (Experimental) VAssert API for inserting replay-only code to debug applications — Use virtual assertions as you would regular assertions in the applications you develop. The benefit of VAsserts is that they appear only when you replay a recording using the application and so are overhead-free. Currently available for Windows guests. See the VAssert Programming Guide.
  • VProbes tool for investigating guest behavior — You can write VProbes scripts that inspect and record activities in the guest, VMM, VMX, and virtual device state, without modifying that state. For example, VProbes can track which applications are running or indicate which processes are causing page faults. See the VProbes Reference Guide.

Fixed Bugs

Bugs Reported in the Previous Beta and Fixed in This Release

  • Non-English locales and character sets are temporarily unsupported.
  • On Ubuntu Linux 7.10 guests created with earlier versions of Workstation, VMware Tools might not upgrade properly.
  • For this beta release, the online help for VMware Player has not yet been updated to include the latest feature and UI changes.
  • For this beta release, the experimental VMCI (Virtual Machine Communication Interface) feature is not available on Windows guests.
  • On Linux hosts, when installing and configuring Workstation, avoid using the --d option with vmware-config.pl for this beta release.
  • Smart card administrative functions, such as PIN initialization (of a blank card) and the saving of security certificates, are not currently supported in a virtual machine. Perform these functions with a properly configured host for this beta release.
  • Occasionally, if a virtual machine is running in Unity mode, multiple Start or Applications menus might appear for the same virtual machine on the host's Start menu (for Windows hosts) or upper-left corner in the primary monitor (for Linux hosts).
  • If you place a virtual machine in Unity mode and move one of its application windows to a second monitor, the window will become unresponsive.
  • Hot-adding PCI devices such as a sound adapter or network adapter might fail if the 3D graphics feature is enabled.
  • On some Linux hosts, you cannot enter Unity mode until you change the configuration for accelerated 3D graphics.
  • The default 3D settings for some Nvidia drivers on AMD Dual-Opteron systems are incompatible with the accelerated 3D graphics feature in Workstation.
  • If you use the easy install feature to install a Windows Vista guest operating system, a virtual floppy image with some personal information from the installation remains after installation is complete.
  • When making a recording while the background snapshots feature is enabled, you must dismiss the hint that appears after the first auto-marker is added.
  • During replay, if you select the Go to Marker option, the Play button might remain inaccessible after the operation completes.
  • Occasionally on Linux hosts, when you use the record/replay feature to make a recording and insert automatic markers, the timer in the Recording dialog box stops.
  • After auto-upgrading VMware Tools on some Windows host and guest combinations, the status bar in Workstation might incorrectly report that the upgrade was unsuccessful.
  • For Windows 95, 98, and NT virtual machines that have VMware Tools installed, the status bar says that a VMware Tools update is available when in fact it is not.
  • If you use the same VNC port number for connecting to multiple virtual machines on one host, you might see an "Incorrect function" error on Windows hosts or an "Operation not permitted" tooltip on Linux hosts.
  • On some Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5.1 hosts, the Workstation UI might fail to start due to problems loading shared libraries.
  • On Windows 2000 hosts, Workstation sometimes exits unexpectedly when you try to map a virtual disk to a drive on the host.
  • Memory adjustment in VMware Player is not working properly in this beta release.
  • On some Linux hosts, particularly those using Compiz, exiting from full-screen mode might cause the UI to freeze.
  • For this beta release, you might not be able to use the Eclipse Integrated Virtual Debugger to debug a Linux virtual machine from a Windows host.
  • If you use the Eclipse Integrated Virtual Debugger to debug a Windows guest running any version of a JRE, you must turn off the firewall.

Known Issues

Following are known issues in addition to the known issues for Workstation 6.0.4.

  • On Linux hosts, if you open a Workstation 5.x or 6.0.x virtual machine that has Japanese characters in the .vmx file name, Workstation 6.5 might exit unexpectedly.
  • If you create a Workstation 6.5 virtual machine and then open it with the beta version of VMware Fusion 2.0, you will not be able to open it again in a beta version of Workstation 6.5, VMware Server 2.0, or any future product.
  • On Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 hosts, after installing Workstation, the first time you launch Workstation, you must do so as root. If you do not do so, the VMware kernel module updater will not be able to prompt for root access and will be unable to install the kernel modules.
  • On a Windows host with a DVD/CD-ROM drive that uses a SATA interface, booting a virtual machine from a CD in this drive might take 12 minutes or more. Other operations involving this drive might also be very slow.
    Workaround: Turn on legacy emulation, as follows: Choose VM > Settings > Hardware, select CD/DVD and click the Advanced button. In the Advanced dialog box, select the Legacy Emulation check box.
  • If you install a guest operating system from multiple .iso files, you might need to reconnect the virtual CD/DVD ROM drive to the virtual machine when prompted for the second and subsequent CDs (.iso files). This situation also arises whenever the guest ejects a CD that uses an .iso file.
  • On Linux hosts, if you hold any of the modifier keys down while moving the mouse pointer from inside the virtual machine to the host, modifier keys will stop working on the host. Modifier keys include Shift, Ctrl, Alt, Caps Lock, Scroll Lock, and Num Lock.
  • If you upgrade some virtual machines from Fusion 1.1 to Workstation 6.5, you will not be able to configure or install an update for VMware Tools. Guest operating system that have this problem include Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3 and Solaris 10.
  • The easy install feature does not work for 64-bit Ubuntu 8.04 Linux guests.
    Workaround: Install the lib32stdc++6 package on the Ubuntu host before creating a 64-bit Ubuntu guest.
  • If you attempt to copy more than 4MB of text from a file on the host and paste it into a guest, no text is copied.
  • Occasionally on some 64-bit Linux hosts, if you drag a file from guest to host, Workstation exits unexpectedly.
  • Virtual machines hosted by a Web server for streaming should not have snapshots because streaming of virtual machines with snapshots is not supported.
  • In the Unity mode, all the Start menu options do not appear on SUSE guest operating systems.
  • In Unity mode on some Linux desktops, unmaximizing a window causes the window to incorrectly move to the upper-left corner of the screen on the host. This sometimes prevents mouse input from being accepted by that window.
    Workaround: In some window managers, Alt-dragging the window fixes the problem. If the issue persists, exit and re-enter Unity mode.
  • On Windows hosts, if you enter Unity mode and then maximize a guest application window, the taskbar on the host is hidden.
  • Avoid creating or replaying a recording while a background snapshot is being taken using the record/replay feature.
  • For the record/replay feature, if you select "Delete up to this point" option when replaying a recording with auto markers, the operation may fail.
  • VAssert capabilities are not yet available in 32-bit Windows guests. VAssert does work in 64-bit Windows guests.
  • Some Linux guests on particular hardware configurations might fail to boot and hang while "Starting udev:..." if multiple virtual CPUs are enabled.
    Workaround: Configure the virtual machine to use just one virtual CPU, or try adjusting the virtual memory size to a different value.
  • On Windows Vista hosts, you might not be able to change some settings in the Workstation preferences editor. Changes on the Memory tab and Priority tab in Edit > Preferences might not be saved.
  • If you attempt to disconnect a USB keyboard from the host in order to connect it exclusively to the guest, you might receive a "Found New Hardware Wizard" prompt" in the virtual machine. The prompt requests permission to search for the VMware USB driver. If you dismiss the prompt from the keyboard, mouse control is lost from both host and guest.
    Workaround: Do let the wizard search for the driver. If you lose control of the keyboard, unplug the keyboard and then plug it in again.
  • On Linux hosts, the Virtual Device Node drop-down menu is missing from the Advanced Hard Disk Options dialog box (choose VM > Settings > Hardware > Hard Disk).Workaround: To change the SCSI or IDE device identifier, open the virtual machine's .VMX file with a text editor and change the device number in the two lines that correspond to that hard disk's device. For example, to change the device number from 1 to 2 on controller 1, change the 1 to 2 in the following lines:

    scsi0.1.present = "TRUE"
    scsi0.1.fileName = "vm1.vmdk"
  • For this beta release, a small number of smart cards and smart card readers have been tested. Smart cards that have been tested include Gemplus and ActivIdentity. Smart card readers that have been tested include:
    • Readers with USB interfaces: Gemplus USB-SW, HP USB Smartcard Keyboard KUS0133, Advance Card System ACR30U, and ActivIdentity USB Reader
    • Readers with serial interfaces: Gemplus American Express GCR415
    • Readers with PCMCIA interfaces: Omnikey CardMan 4040
  • If you upgrade from Workstation 6.0.x, or an earlier 6.5 beta release, you might have difficulties logging in to a domain using a smart card. For example, you might see an error such as, "The system could not log you on. Your credentials could not be verified."
    Workaround: Creating a new virtual and re-installing the guest operting system and supporting software sometimes resolves the issue.
  • The HP Smartcard keyboard cannot be connected to any virtual machine. The keyboard is not a visible device under the removable devices menu when the "Show all input devices" option is selected.
  • You cannot use the File > Import command to convert a Windows NT physical machine to a virtual machine.
    Workaround: Use the standalone VMware Converter 3.0.3 to convert a remote Windows NT physical machine.
  • Auto-upgrading VMware Tools on Ubuntu Linux guests does not work if the virtual machine uses a version of VMware Tools included in Workstation 5.5.x. Auto-upgrades from 6.0.x are successful.
  • On Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4, Update 4, virtual machines, the automatic upgrade feature for VMware Tools does not work.
  • On Redhat 9 guest systems with VMware Tools installed, network connectivity may be lost after reboot.
    Workaround: To restore network connectivity, run dhclient.
  • When you install Workstation with the Visual Studio Integrated Virtual Debugger on a Windows Vista 64-bit host you may see an "vsid.dll fail to register" error.
    Workaround: Install and register the vsid.dll:
    1. Restart the Workstation installer.
    2. Select the modify option and deselect the Visual Studio plugin.
    3. Finish the installation and restart the Workstation installer.
    4. Reselect the modify option and select the Visual Studio plugin for installation.
    5. Select continue and finish installation.
  • Visual Studio 2005 with the Visual Studio Integrated Virtual Debugger does not work properly on the Japanese Windows 2000 Professional with SP4 host operating system.
  • When running the Eclipse plugin Workstation on a Linux host the progress manager may stall with the message "Preparing to communicate with virtual machine" or the error log may show "Unable to initialize VMware runtime for this machine".
    Workaround: In the terminal window enter the following line before launching the Eclipse binary:

    export LD_LIBRARY_PATH+=/usr/lib/vmware-vix/Workstation-6.5.0/64bit
  • You cannot use the Eclipse Integrated Virtual Debugger to debug a guest running Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3. Attempting to do so produces an "Unable to establish network connection" error.
  • If a virtual machine is powered off and you use the Eclipse Virtual Debugger for debugging, you may see an "Guest has only loopback IP address. Ensure that it has a properly configured TCP/IP connection to the host." error.
    Workaround: Enable the Shared Folders manually.
  • Eclipse Integrated Virtual Debugger might not work with Eclipse version 3.3.2 on 32-bit Linux distributions.
  • Any 64-bit application that uses the VMCI Sockets API will fail on a 64-bit Windows system, but 32-bit applications work under WoW64 emulation (Windows on Windows 64-bit).
  • When upgrading using RPM on a Linux host, the upgrade to a beta version of Workstation might fail. This issue is due to the version number, which includes "e.x.p." (meaning experimental). RPM sees a version number with "e.x.p." as being an earlier version than the currently installed released version.
    Workaround: Install the beta version of Workstation by using the "rpm -Uhv --oldpackage" option. You are encouraged to uninstall Workstation and install this newest beta version by using the "bundle" installer.