VMware is the premier virtualization software for Linux, Windows and Mac OS X, with both free versions (Player and Server) and commercial (Workstation, and Fusion for Mac OS X). For those unfamiliar with virtualization, it simply means you can run other operating systems inside the one you're currently in. In other words, you could be trying out Ubuntu while in Windows, or running a virtual Windows inside Mac OS X or your favourite Linux distro. For many, this has meant saving time on dual-booting, since you can run in a virtual environment that one Windows app (or bunch of games) you still can't live without, and for many Mac users it has saved the headaches commonly associated with trying to run Windows via Boot Camp.

VMware comes as the free Player for Windows and Linux, which can only run "virtual machines" (or "appliances") that have already been created, and also the free Server edition, which lets you create your own appliances and edit their settings.

For those even more serious about virtualization, you can buy VMware Workstation for Windows and Linux, or VMware Fusion for Mac OS X. You can run your virtual machines full-screen, and Mac users can now enjoy a seamless integration due to the new Unity feature in VMware Fusion, which has Windows programs appearing on the Mac desktop!

Note that if you're considering buying either Workstation or Fusion for all the advanced features, like being able to take "snapshots" of your virtual operating systems that you can return to, or being able to run multiple virtual machines at once, VMware Inc. offer a free 30-day trial of these products. For more info on these products, click the links above.

Time to make the switch to VMware?

Are you sick of booting into Windows just to use one or two programs? Are you a Windows user wanting to venture into the world of Linux, but would like to do so without messing with drive partitions until you're sure? Do you use Virtualbox or other virtualization software only to find all the images available out there are for VMware? Are you a Mac user who hasn't had much success with Boot Camp, or would just prefer something quicker, like using your Boot Camp partition while at the Mac desktop? If you said "Yes!" to any of these, then obviously you should at least be trying a free version of VMware, if not forking out a few dollars for their commercial products (Mac users can only use Fusion).

I need VMware software - Which should I pick?

Windows & Linux users: If you're just curious and want to have a look at some Linux distros without too much fuss, then VMware Player will be quite fine for your needs. It will open 3rd party (ie: pre-made) images and save their state when you close them. Here's a quick look at Player's features:

• Run 32-bit and 64-bit virtual machines

• Use 3rd-party virtual machines and images

• Share data between host computer and virtual machine

• Broad host and guest operating system support

• Support for USB 2.0 devices

• Gain easy access to virtual machines via intuitive home page interface

If you'd like to install some of your own distros, and even have a go at installing a virtual Windows or Mac, then you'll at least need VMware Server. Please note that you probably won't be able to install both free products on one system (at least that's the case with Ubuntu). Here's an overview of some of Server's main features:

• Runs on any standard x86 hardware

• Supports 64-bit guest operating systems, including Windows, Linux, and Solaris

• Supports two-processor Virtual SMP, enabling a single virtual machine to span multiple physical processors

• Runs on a wider variety of Linux and Windows host and guest operating systems than any server virtualization product on the market

• Captures entire state of a virtual machine and rolls back at any time with the click of a single button

• Installs like an application, with quick and easy, wizard-driven installation

• Quick and easy, wizard-driven virtual machine creation

• Opens VMware or Microsoft virtual machine format and Symantec LiveState Recovery images with VM Importer

• Supports Intel Virtualization Technology

For more control over your virtualization, like the "snapshot" feature and being able to run multiple operating systems simultaneously, invest in VMware Workstation (which also installs Player). You can download a free evaluation before committing to buying (or purchase the Programs DVD from this ad for all the latest free & evaluation installers).
Here is a look at some of Workstation's advanced features:

• Support for Windows Vista (both guest and host OS)

• Take Snapshots & Videos of your Virtual Machines

• VMware Converter for effortlessly creating a new virtual machine from a physical disk

• Cloning of Virtual Machines

• Support for USB 2.0 devices – including high-speed storage and iPods

• The ability to run virtual machines in the background without the Workstation UI

• Multiple monitor display – span the VM display across a second monitor

• Continuous state record/replay capabilities

• Run an Entire Multi-tier System on a Single Host Computer

• Take Your Virtual Machines With You

Mac OS X users: Unfortunately, there is no option besides purchasing VMware Fusion. The upside is that not only can you have Windows running in a virtual environment, but with the unique Unity feature your Windows apps will run on your Mac desktop. Also note that you don't even have to install Windows virtually if you have a Boot Camp partition, as you can now load that instead! You can download a free evaluation before committing to buying (or purchase the Programs DVD from this ad for all the latest free & evaluation installers). Here are just some of Fusion's great features:

• Seamlessly run Windows applications alongside Mac applications with Unity

• Find and launch Windows applications quickly with the VMware Fusion launcher

• Switch between Windows and Mac applications quickly with Exposé

• Minimize Windows applications to the Mac OS X Dock

• Play Windows games on your Mac

• Use your existing Boot Camp partition as a virtual machine

• Built-in Windows Easy Install to install a fresh copy of Windows on a new virtual machine

• Create powerful multi-core virtual machines and run 32- and 64-bit operating systems with ease

• Use your iSight camera in Windows and gain access to Windows-only USB 2.0 devices

I need VMware software - Where do I get it?

If you want to save a large download, you can purchase a DVD from this ad that has installers for VMware's free products, Player and Server, as well as evaluation copies of Workstation and Fusion. I include serial numbers to save you having to register Server on the VMware site (Player does not require a serial), but for the commercial programs you must register online (I'll supply the links, and your serials will be sent to you via email once you've registered). Click here to check out what's on this VMware installers DVD.

If you'd like to download your copies, visit the links below:

Free VMware Player Download

VMware Player is free to use, with no need to register.

Free VMware Server Download

VMware Server is free to use. You just need to register on their site to get the serial numbers.

Commercial Evaluation Downloads

Evaluation copies of Workstation for Windows & Linux and Fusion for Mac OS X. They are free to download, with evaluation serials emailed to you after registration. You need to purchase the serial numbers from the company if you want to continue using them.

Open Source Downloads

Player & Server (you just need to register to get the serial numbers), & Evaluation copies of Workstation for Windows & Linux and Fusion for Mac OS X (which are free to download, but you need to purchase the serial numbers from the company if you want to continue using them).

So what is on these DVDs?

The virtual machines on these DVDs are fully-installed operating systems, being a wide variety of Linux distributions (or "distros"). They are ready to go with basic settings, and any changes you make will be saved when you exit or suspend the appliance.

Each disc contains as many virtual appliances as can fit, and note that these are all compressed - meaning some can't even fit on a DVD by themselves once decompressed (so each 4.38Gb disc can easily have 12Gb or more of images). These images are all Linux distros or Unix derivatives, as it is illegal to offer images of Mac OS X and Windows. Along with each image there is extra info, like usernames and passwords for some of the Linux distros. Click here to go straight to the list of appliance DVDs to choose from.

There is also the multi-platform VMware programs DVD if you need it. It has installers for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X, documentation, and even some bonus virtual appliances for you to try out. This is everything you need to get you started in exploring virtualization, no matter what operating system you use. Click here to see what is on the programs disc.

How do I Run these Virtual Machines?

Simply unzip the desired image to its own folder within the folder you've created for your appliances (eg: C:\VMware in Windows, or /home/yourusername/vmware in Linux). Then just simply browse to that folder when opening an existing appliance in VMware and load the corresponding .vmx file. Once loaded, you are in a fully-working operating system which you can run in a window or run fullscreen if you prefer. You can then tinker and set up the OS however you want, for example increasing the screen resolution if planning to always run it fullscreen. When you exit, the settings will be stored just like in any OS, and you can even save the machine state when closing it, and it will resume where you left off the next time.

Can I Share Files & Devices with my OS?

In VMware things like access to your CD-drive, Ethernet and Sound device are pretty much standard, and setting up file sharing between your host and guest operating systems is pretty easy, especially with VMware Tools. Many of these guest operating systems come with VMware Tools preinstalled, and you can easily install it into those that don't. The other great thing about VMware Tools is that you can then move freely between the host and guest without having to Ctrl+Alt to release the mouse from the guest.

Can I Convert these Images to Other Formats?

The short answer is that you indeed can, though this depends on the target format. Unless your virtualization software has a feature for converting VMware images to its native format, you may need to look online for instructions on how to do it. For example, there are plenty of guides on converting VMware images for use with Virtualbox, in a variety of ways; all take some fiddling, but are easy enough to do following instructions given. You may even have some success by simply renaming the extension, but please don't count on that! Look for a conversion feature in your software or search for instructions.

What if I fall in love with Linux?

Well, you can continue to try out distros virtually, or install the latest version of your favourite one into Server, Workstation or Fusion with its install disc. Or you can make the move and install Linux to a new partition, or let it take a spare drive, and join the countless dual-booters out there (or the many who no longer have a Windows partition, and only run it virtually in their favourite Linux distros like Ubuntu). If you'd like to purchase install discs of Linux distros, check out my ad in my store, or view the ad on my site.

Anything else I need to know?

Here are some more important things you may need to know (and recapping a couple already mentioned), so please take the time to read it to avoid any mix-up and subsequent disappointment:

No version of VMware is supplied on any of the appliance DVDs. You need to either download a program or purchase a separate DVD with installers from me (listed after the virtual machines DVDs). Windows & Linux users of Workstation and Mac users of Fusion must purchase a serial from VMware, Inc for continued use.

Many of the images are compressed in .7z format (due to the very high compression ratio) & .tar.bz2, so you need to make sure your archiving software can decompress these formats (apps like WinRAR can). If not, there are free programs available on the web for this task (like 7-Zip).

Have as much RAM as possible! Most virtual machines will require 256Mb or more memory, and 512Mb is fairly common. If you only have about 512Mb of RAM for your whole system, running appliances can make multitasking a little slow in the host OS. You can edit the amount of RAM machines use, but not in Player.

Have as much hard drive space as possible! Most machines will require at least 2Gb just for unpacking from compressed format (4Gb is common). Allocated storage space can be as much as 12Gb, but this is usually dynamic. While that means space is grabbed as it's needed, it's good to have room for the machine to expand.

Due to the variety of sources, I cannot guarantee that all images will work with slightly older versions of any of the VMware programs. This is because VMware continues to evolve with new features older versions can't support. This shouldn't be a problem if you have a recent version or have updated frequently.

Due to the variety of sources, and the fact that many images are created on Workstation, I can't guarantee that all images will work with Server, since Workstation has advanced features that Server doesn't. Player should have no problems with any of them, as those created in Workstation are generally also tested on Player.

VMware Inc does not really supply minimum requirements for their products, so if using an older PC it might be best to search online to avoid disappointment. On a P4 with 512Mb RAM machines should run fine with room for multitasking; on a Quad-core with 4Gb RAM you can run multiple machines and not even notice.

Please note that I've naturally scanned all Windows files thoroughly for viruses.
I also do a file integrity scan on all CDs before sending them off, to ensure no files are corrupt.
 

VMware Virtual Machines DVDs (1 Item = 1 Disc)

Upon receiving payment, you will be notified, and your item will be shipped within 2 working days (the following working day in most cases). I will endeavour to make sure it is securely packed and at your door as soon as possible.

Please note that recycled protective packaging may be used in the packing of this item, in an effort to lower the impact on the environment.

Also note that I assume no responsibility for items that don't show up. I will, of course, do my part in tracking down items that were Registered. However, I haven't had any lost mail coming or going internationally or within Australia (still, insurance and/or registering can be arranged for your peace of mind).

Thanks again, and HAPPY SHOPPING!