Mapping files with vctl

[jmellander]

Are there any plans to support mapping of individual files with vctl? Or is it already supported with latest 12-release?

Documentation says it's not, but documentation page says it's updated Aug 26, 2020, yet does not mention the support for declaring a mount Read-Only, yet in a blog entry found here (https://www.definit.co.uk/2021/09/replacing-docker-desktop-with-vmware-fusion-or-workstation/) is using it. So I'm thinking maybe documentation is just not updated with the details introduced by later Fusion releases?

I'm on Fusion 11.5.7, and considering version 13 seems to be due any time now, it seems "risky" to update/upgrade just to test that detail.

[jmellander]

Bumping this one. (And now that Fusion 13 is out, it turns out it's not an immediate option for me as I'm on macOS Catalina.) So my hope is set to Fusion 12 I guess. Does anyone know the answer to my question? (Edit: I realize now that Fusion 12 requires BigSur, so I guess I'm stuck until I'm ready to upgrade macOS.)

[dempson]

I don't know the answer to your question, but regarding Fusion versions and macOS Compatibility:

• Fusion 12.0 through 12.1.2 run on macOS 10.15.x Catalina, so upgrading to Fusion 12 would allow you stay on the same macOS version as long as you download the installer for an older minor version of Fusion.
• Fusion 12.2.x requires macOS 11 Big Sur or macOS 12 Monterey.
• Fusion 13 requires macOS 12 Monterey or macOS 13 Ventura.

Fusion 12.0 thru 12.1.2 on Catalina is the last combination using VMware's hypervisor. Fusion 12.2 and later on Big Sur or later uses Apple's hypervisor, which changes several behavioural details and has some limitations in areas such as advanced networking and nested virtualisation (depending on the specific processor in your Mac).

Fusion 13 has been released and Fusion 12 is no longer being sold, but you can upgrade from Fusion 11 to 13, and it should be possible to downgrade the Fusion 13 licence to Fusion 12. I haven't tried that.

I also haven't heard confirmation yet whether a "free for personal use" Fusion 13 Player licence allows downgrade to Fusion 12 Player.

[jmellander]

Thanks dempson.

I'm now at the point of upgrading to macOS Monterey after all (mainly for other reasons than VMware Fusion). And I then need to upgrade VMware Fusion anyway. However, I'm looking for details on the hypervisor change that you mention. Is it documented in any detail somewhere? In fact I didn't see anything about it in the release notes for 12.2. I'd like to know if any of the "advanced networking" changes would affect my use, as I do quite a bit of networking between my VMs on my host. I'm just not sure if it's considered advanced in this context or not.

[jmellander]

After writing the above, I saw a bunch of postings about the upgrade path from 11 to 13 and realized it seemed somewhat risky if it was done the right way. Then I realized I could try it on my private computer first (which also has Catalina, and where I have another license of Fusion Pro version 11.)

So I purchased the upgrade at 99 EUR, only to realize that the license key generated only works for Fusion 13 and is not backwards compatible with version 12...

You mentioned it should be down-gradable, @dempson , is there a process for that which I should explore? I opened a support ticket, but the lady that contacted me said the system did not given them the option to generate another key.
Thanks.

[Technogeezer]

License downgrades should be able to be performed from the VMware Customer Connect portal. Go there and choose the Manage Licenses icon from the main Customer Connect page.

Fusion 13 should be viewable in the products list if you've purchased/registered a license for it (it'll be there automatically if you've purchased a license directly from VMware, otherwise you'll have to register your license). The default is to list all of your products. Click on the "Downgradable" button to view products that can be downgraded, and Fusion 13 should still be visible.

Click on the Fusion 13 product. The license key(s) associated with any purchases of Fusion 13 should be shown. Check the box next to the Fusion 13 license, then select "Downgrade" as one of the 2 actions.