How to prevent limited users to create virtual machines?

[alikhani]

Hi all;

Is it possible to prevent limited users to create Virtual Machines in Microsoft Windows environment?

Thanks

[admin]

Hi,

Welcome to the communities.

Please can you elaborate on what you are trying to achieve.

[WoodyZ]

anthonyrr, alikhani has been a member for almost 8 years, considerably longer then you, and frankly it's bit ridiculous to say "Welcome to the communities." under the circumstances!

I agree though a little more information would be helpful since a VM can actually be created without using the VMware Workstation GUI.

[alikhani]

We are some limited users in our network that want to run some Open Source operating systems in virtualized environment with full root access (for example for developing Apps). Although we can (as administrator), create a pre-installed VM and restrict access to the setting of it, but the user can also create VMs by itself and so have full access on it and in our network.

Thanks

[admin]

Hi WoodyZ,

Thank's for bringing that up will help me with bettering myself here on the communities.

Will keep in mind.

[WoodyZ · Accepted solution]

Here's the problem as I see...  as long as the User has the ability to run VMware Workstation you cannot stop them from creating a VM since all it takes is a TextEditor and a Live OS ISO Image and one can create a .vmx configuration file manually, pointing it to the ISO Image and then double-click the manually created .vmx configuration file and its up and running.  Of course not all Users would go to the trouble of creating the .vmx file manually however there are scripts on the Internet that do it and Users have other ways too.

If you do not have the appropriate infrastructure to control your Users then monitor their activities and let them know the'll be fired if they breach policy!

[alikhani]

Thank. Very helpful!