VMware Communities
tps800
Contributor
Contributor

VMware Workstation 10 virtual console available without any virtualization?

Hi!

I am searching for a virtual console to connect to any VMware Workstation guest. Any software only delivering console over a network connection would be nice. I do not want to install lots of megabytes of software I do not need inside a guest, just to have access to further VM running on the very same hardware.

Reply
0 Kudos
2 Replies
admin
Immortal
Immortal

See http://kb.vmware.com/kb/1246.  Though this KB refers to VMware GSX, the same options are available with Workstation.

Reply
0 Kudos
tps800
Contributor
Contributor

I was aware of being able to connect with a vnc-client, but this is not really what I wanted, because of the various drawbacks this solution has. The article states them all. I am hunting for a solution more like Workstation has build in: connect to a esxi- or vc-server then being able to control all aspects of a virtual machine (snapshots, start, stop, suspend, resume, pause, ...). I thought of something like Workstation, but without all the virtualization stuff -- only the part for remote controlling an elsewhere running workstation/vc/esxi.

Would be nice to have this possibility in a setup like:

Host

\_ OS (minimalistic, X11, no Display Manager)

     \_ VMware Workstation

         \_ Guest

          |   \_ App to control VMware Workstation

         \_ Guest

         |    \_ App to control VMware Workstation

        \_ Guest

        \_ Guest

Setting up a full virtualization environment inside the Guests isn't really something useful (except for some more extraordinary, seldom used exceptions). But is would be useful to have the ability to control the running guests from one or more of the other guests running.

I've tried such a setup even without a Display manager, but got some bad drawbacks which made me install a display- and a window-manager. Idealy this would not be necessary -- just having the OS installed, then using Workstation as display- and window-manager with fullscreen-mode, controlling the virtualization part from an app within one or more of the installed guests.

Reply
0 Kudos