Introduction
VMware provides the widest virtualization support for guest operating systems in the industry to enable your environments and maximize your investments. The VMware Compatibility Guide also provides host operating system support for hosted VMware solutions. This guide includes guest support for the following VMware products:
- VMware ESX Server 3.0 and later
- VMware Workstation 6.0 and later
- VMware Fusion 2.0 and later
- VMware ACE 2.0 and later
- VMware Server 2.0 and later
VMware Compatibility Guide search results show actual operating system vendor releases that are tested against the listed VMware product releases. VMware provides support only for the operating systems that are listed in this guide.
To find guest operating system compatibility information for earlier versions of the listed VMware products, refer to the Guest Operating System Installation Guide (Deprecated) at http://www.vmware.com/pdf/GuestOS_guide_deprecated.pdf.
For other VMware solutions not listed here, refer to individual product documentation found at the VMware Documentation Web site at http://www.vmware.com/support/pubs/. To find VMware certified hardware platform compatibility for third-party operating systems, refer to the applicable operating system vendors. The following operating system vendors provide certifications for VMware virtual hardware:
- Microsoft - http://windowsservercatalog.com/
- Red Hat - https://hardware.redhat.com/
- Novell - http://developer.novell.com/yessearch/
- Sun Microsystems - http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/hcl/search.jsp
Supported and Unsupported Operating Systems
VMware product support for operating systems can vary depending upon vendor support and product releases.
Operating Systems That the Operating System Vendor No Longer Supports
For operating systems listed in this guide that the operating system vendor no longer supports, VMware may, at its sole discretion, provide support and fixes to VMware products to address problems that are exposed by running such operating systems on a VMware virtual machine. VMware is not responsible for resolving problems with, or providing support or fixes to, the operating system itself.
VMware ESX and ESXi Version Support
VMware ESX and ESXi versions support the same guest operating systems.
64-Bit Guest Operating Systems
To install and run 64-bit guests you need to fulfill certain host and hardware requirements.
Requirements for 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems
To install and run a 64-bit guest operating system, you must have a supported CPU in the host computer and you must be running a VMware product that supports 64-bit guests. For details, see the documentation for your VMware product.
Running 64-Bit Guest Operating Systems
You can run 64-bit guests on supported 64-bit hardware (Intel or AMD) running either 32-bit or 64-bit host operating systems. For 64-bit Intel hardware with VT support, running either 32-bit or 64-bit host operating systems, you must enable VT in the host machine BIOS.
NOTE For more information about hardware and firmware requirements for 64-bit guest operating systems, refer to knowledge base article 1901 at http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1901.
VMware Experimental Feature Support Definition
VMware includes certain experimental features in some of our product releases. These features are there for you to test and experiment with. We do not expect these features to be used in a production environment. However, if you do encounter any issues with an experimental feature, we are interested in any feedback you are willing to share. Please submit a support request through the normal access methods at http://www.vmware.com/support. We cannot, however, commit to troubleshoot, provide workarounds, or provide fixes for these experimental features.
VMware Tools Support
VMware Tools is a suite of utilities that enhances the performance of the guest operating system and improves management of the virtual machine. Although the guest operating system can run without VMware Tools, you lose important functionality and convenience. VMware Tools includes these components:
- VMware Tools service
- VMware device drivers
- VMware user process
- VMware Tools control panel
VMware Tools is provided in these formats:
- ISOs (contain tar and rpm files) - packaged with the product and are installed in a number of ways, depending upon the VMware product and the installed guest operating system.
- Operating System Specific Packages (OSPs) - downloaded and installed from the command line.
For a complete description and instructions for installing and upgrading VMware Tools, see one of the following manuals on the VMware Documentation Web site:
- VMware Workstation - Workstation User's Manual
- VMware ESX - Basic System Administration Guide
- VMware Server - VMware Server User's Guide
- VMware Player - in-product online help
- Fusion - in-product online help
For a complete set of instructions for downloading, installing, and upgrading VMware Tools OSPs, see the VMware Tools Installation Guide Operating System Specific Packages at http://www.vmware.com/pdf/osp_install_guide.pdf.