VMPlayer License: can I use it to modify existent Virtual Appliances?

[vass]

Hello everybody,

Our community works on an open source non-commercial project. We want to use Virtual Appliance to demonstrate our project to end users. Since we don't have VMWare Workstation license, we want to use VMWare player to modify some existent Virtual Appliance and distribute it. We also want to place resulting appliance to Virtual Appliances Marketplace.

Does VMPlayer license allow such use of VMPlayer?

Thank you in advance,

Vasily

[KYordy]

The real question may be "Do you have the right to modify the virtual appliance?". If the software on the virtual appliance is copyright protected, there may be an issue. If it is open source I don't think there would be an issue using the VMPlayer as a development PC, which is basically what you would be doing.

Good Luck!

[vass]

Thank you for the answer, Keith.

The Virtual Appliance we wanna use is under GPL, so there is no problem with Virtual Appliance. As far as I understand from your answer, VMPlayer is also not an issue in this case. So, we will use the "method of appliance modification".

If however somebody thinks that there can be any license-related problems - please, post your opinion here.

Thank you, Vasily.

[glibik]

My understanding is that's exactly one of the recommended uses of VMare Player.

So much so that, in my previous position, I setup some of the consultants' laptops

with our 'system' in a couple of VMware Player VMs for demonstration purposes.

[vass]

glibik,

thank you for your answer! Yes, I realize that demonstration is one of the most appropriate apllications of Virtual Appliances. My initial question was slightly different. Let me explain it in more details.

The usual way people create a Virtual Appliance and place it to some public place is:

1) Buy VMWare Workstation (or other VMWare product, which allows to create Virtual Machines)

2) Create a Virtual Machine (== Appliance) using this licensed soft.

3) Place it on Virtual Appliances Market place.

In such scenario there is no any licensing problems.

But we don't want to buy VMWare Workstation (it's to costly for our small community ). We want to do the following:

1) Download some existent Virtual Appliance (as I anwered to Keith, Virtual Appliance in question is under GPL) The question is if it is legal to use VMPLayer to modify Virtual Machine images and distribute them.

Thank you, Vasily.

[asatoran]

You're not redistributing the VMWare Player application so I don't think you have to worry about licensing there. Specifically, you're looking for and "acceptable use" section of the Player EULA. I believe you're fine with using Player to "modify" a VM. As long as the appliance "package" does not include the Player application installer, I don't believe you're going against the Player license.

I'd think of it this way: instead of using a virtual appliance, what if you were doing the modification to a "normal" Linux installed on a physical machine, then creating your own distro or Live CD. Your physical machine is a HP Pavilion or a Dell Optiplex. Any restrictions on "acceptable use" by HP or Dell? Nope. Neither is there with Player AFAIK. (Correct me if I'm wrong.) IOW, you can use Player just as you would a physical machine to modify Linux or whatever application in whatever way you want. The redistribution of modified OS or app is all you need to worry about, which you say is covered by GPL. So no worries.

[vass]

Thank you, Randall!