VMware Workstation 14 Pro Release Notes
VMware Workstation 14 Pro | 26 Sep 2017 | Build 6661328
Last updated: 26 SEPT 2017
System Requirements
Systems using Processors (CPUs) launched in 2011 or later are supported except:
- Intel Atom processors based on the 2011 “Bonnell” micro-architecture (e.g. Atom Z670/Z650; Atom N570)
- Systems using Intel Atom processors based on the 2012 “Saltwell” micro-architecture (e.g. Atom S1200, Atom D2700/D2500, Atom N2800/N2600.
- Systems using AMD processors based on the “Llano” and “Bobcat” micro-architectures (e.g. code-named “Hondo”, “Ontario”, “Zacate”, “Llano”)
In addition the following are supported:
Systems using Intel processors based on the 2010 “Westmere” micro-architecture (e.g. Xeon 5600, Xeon 3600, Core i7-970, Core i7-980, Core i7-990)
What's New
The following support is new in Workstation 14 Pro:
- Windows 10 Creators Update support
VMware Workstation Pro provides the following support for Windows 10 Creators Update:- Run Windows 10 Creators Update as a virtual machine
- Run Windows 10 Creators Update as a host operating system
- Windows 10 Creators Update Auto Detect and Easy Install
- Unity support for Windows 10
- New Guest operating systems support
Support has been added for the following operating systems:- Ubuntu 17.04
- Fedora 26
- CentOS 7.4
- RHEL 7.4
- Debian 9.1
- Oracle Linux 7.4
- SLE 12 SP3
- OpenSUSE 42.3
- Guest VBS Support
Enabling VBS (Virtualization Based Security) within Windows 10 and Windows Server 2016 running as guest operating systems is now supported on VMware Workstation. You can have advanced security features like Device Guard and Credential Guard within guest operating systems.
Guest VBS support currently is only supported for Intel CPUs. For best performance, use Intel Skylake generation CPUs and above.
- Virtual TPM
Workstation 14 Pro now provides a TPM 2.0 compatible virtual Trusted Platform Module for use with advanced security and encryption technologies, such as BitLocker.
- VMware Hardware Version 14
- New CPU enablement, including Intel Skylake and AMD Ryzen CPU support.
- Secure Boot, Workstation 14 Pro introduces Secure Boot support for virtual machines to ensure only trusted code is loaded by the UEFI firmware prior to the OS "handoff" process.
- Virtual NVMe support Workstation 14 Pro introduces a new virtual NVMe storage controller for improved guest operating system performance on Host SSD drives and support for testing VMware vSAN. NVMe devices require virtual hardware version 13 / ESXi 6.5 compatibility and later.
- Advanced Networking
- Rename Virtual Network (Windows host only), Workstation 14 Pro can rename networks in the Virtual Network Editor for better organization.
- Network Latency simulation, As well as being able to introduce Packet Loss and Bandwidth caps, Workstation 14 Pro provides new virtual networking controls for introducing incoming and outgoing Latency to virtual machines on a per-NIC basis.
- ESXi Host Power Operations
The following ESXi power operations can now be performed from Workstation 14 Pro:- Shutdown
- Restart
- Enter/Exit Maintenance Mode
- Native OVF support
With improved OVF/OVA support, Workstation 14 Pro provides an effortless walkthrough to deploy the VMware VCSA (vCenter Server Appliance) OVA package for testing and experimentation within Workstation. VCSA6.0 and 6.5 are supported.
- Scan for Virtual Machines
Workstation 14 Pro now allows users to quickly refresh their VM inventory by scanning for virtual machines. It supports VMs on local folders as well as on network shared storage and USB drives.
- Automatically Suspend Shared Virtual Machines Upon Host Shutdown
All running shared virtual machines will be automatically suspended(for both Windows and Linux hosts) or shutdown(Linux hosts only) when the host operating system initiates a shutdown.
- Enhanced UI Experience
- IP Address Display on VM Console,The IP and MAC addresses of a VM are now displayed in the VM information area. VMware Tools 10.1.15 or greater is required.
- Auto clean up Windows VM disk space, Clean Up Disks now can be automated upon a VM power off. (Windows hosts only)
- New GTK+ 3 based UI for Linux
Linux Workstation UI has been rewritten to support GTK+ 3.
Known Issues
The following issues might occur in this version of VMware Workstation Pro.
- “Fit Guest Now” is disabled for Fedora 26 virtual machine with bundled VMware Tools installed
When Fedora 26 virtual machine is running with VMware Tools bundled with VMware Workstation Pro, menu “View > Fit Guest Now" is disabled.
Workaround: Uninstall bundled VMTools, and install latest open vm tools.
- In unity/multimonitor mode, after suspend and resume VM, the screen display change to very big image size
When you check menu View -> Autosize -> Center guest, then switch VM to unity or multimonitor mode, after suspend and resume VM, the virtual machine resolution will change to very big size.
Workaround: Check menu View -> Autosize -> Autofit Guest
- "The VMware Tools power-on script did not run successfully in this virtual machine" error prompts out when power on a VCSA6.0 appliance
Power on an imported VCSA6.0 appliance within Workstation Pro, following error message will prompt out:"The VMware Tools power-on script did not run successfully in this virtual machine"
Workaround: Click "OK" button to ignore the error message.
- USB devices on some of the 3.1 xhci controllers are not available for passthrough on windows hosts
USB devices connected to some USB 3.1 controllers are not listed under “VM > Removable Devices”, hence the device cannot be pass-through to the virtual machine.
Workaround: None.
- Windows 10 Insider Preview virtual machine may become black screen after exit Unity or multimonitor
When you have more than 1 monitors connecting to your host, Windows 10 Insider Preview VM may become black screen under following scenarios:- Enter Unity mode and then Exit Unity mode
- Switch to multimonitor mode, then switch back to 1 monitor