Virtualization allows you to work on an operating system different from that of the host machine. This process has several advantages such as testing a system and software in a closed environment but also running several operating systems on the same computer
More complete than its little brother VMware Workstation Player, VMware Workstation is a professional software published by VMware, the world leader in virtualization, which allows you to emulate several operating systems on the same machine and much more. It is compatible with Windows, Linux, Solaris and BSD operating systems.
For each virtual machine, a wizard offers the possibility to define a quantity of memory, graphics acceleration, the number of processors to use, the appropriate physical ports as well as the different sound, network and wireless cards to take into account. The user can also configure the interactions between the host machine and the virtual machine such as drag and drop, shared folders and a clipboard.
Among its advanced features, the software allows, among other things, to convert a computer into a virtual machine and to take remote control of virtual machines. It also integrates tools for sharing virtual machines on a network.
Considering its price and features, VMware Workstation is intended for advanced users and professionals. However, this software is available in two editions: a basic Player version and a complete Pro edition including the launch of several virtual machines simultaneously, the ability to take snapshots and the connection to various services such as vSphere and vCloud Air.
On the interface side, VMware Workstation is easy to use, although in English, and benefits from a complete wizard for creating virtual machines. The latter offers predefined settings according to the operating system.
Finally, note that VMware Workstation is available in a free demo version limited to 30 days of trial.