Shared Folders in VMWare Tools

[Rumple]

So, this isn't really a question but a poll.

Ever since ESX 2.5 when having the shared folders enabled on a workgroup server kept you from promoting to a DC (workaround was to join to domain first) i have always done a customized install of the tools and removed shared folders. In VServer i can see it as being helpful to have, but I can't fathom why you'd need it in ESX Server. I have yet to ever need it in any of the environment's I've managed.

Does anyone actually use the Shared folders option in ESX Environments, and if not..maybe VMWare should remove the thing as a default installation option (or just remove it altogether I supposed)

So, anyone use the shared folders if they do the default install and if you remove it, why...

[AndreTheGiant]

Does anyone actually use the Shared folders option in ESX Environments

This VMware Tools feature doesn't work in ESX environment.

Andre

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[Rumple]

Good point..since I've always removed it why do they have it in the tools then?

Mark Hodges

Calgarynet

403-333-1275

[AndreTheGiant]

Very good question.

Probably cause VMware Tools could be "universal" for VMware virtualization product.

I think that if you do a full installation, then you do not need to reinstall if you move from ESX to Workstation.

Andre

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[Texiwill · Accepted solution]

Hello,

VMHGFS should NEVER be allowed on and ESX host. That could be very bad from a security perspective. Also,the only 'VM Escape' for VMware Products on record is due to VMHGFS within Workstation. ESX should never be a general purpose file server.

Probably cause VMware Tools could be "universal" for VMware virtualization product.

That is the actual reason. THere is one source base for VMware Tools now, so it includes items for Workstation, Server,and ESX.

For quite a while, there has been a bug report on VMware Tools on modifying fstab to accomodate vmhgfs even though it is not built or used within ESX. It is a bug, etc.

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