@VMware Workstation Product manager : please publish the necessary vmx-file hacks that are required to run WS 14 on unsupported CPUs

[continuum]

Hello Workstation product manager
I am shocked to realize that none of my 3 hosts that I used to run Workstation or ESXi qualifies for WS 14.
I was able to find a vmx-file tweak to enable me to try the Beta but the performance was horrible.
Suggestion: publish the best vmx-file hacks that will allow to run WS 14 on unsupported CPUs.
Suggestion: publish a small test tool so that users can check if their hosts will be able to run WS 14.
Suggestion: Do that right now
Regards
Ulli Hankeln

( a former Workstation evangelist and most active user in this community since 2003 )

[kingpint]

Will there be backward compatibility in 14.0.x to work with older CPUs that were disconsidered in 14.0.0, but working with 12.5.7?

Time is if the essence and any answer will do. Thanks

[riahc3]

So right now, if he config.ini doesnt work, its rollback to 12? Stupid choice VMWare. You only care about enterprise where the cash is at and leaving things to Hyper-V, VirtualBox, etc....

[continuum]

Bump ....
do we have any new info regarding useful vmx-file parameters to handle older unsupported CPUs ?
do you have any news about a test-tool so that users can check wether they are affected ?
Ulli

[Wanderer0123]

Come on WMware. Fix this problem.

[continuum]

Bump ....

do we have any new info regarding useful vmx-file parameters to handle older unsupported CPUs ?

do you have any news about a test-tool so that users can check wether they are affected ?

Ulli

[Tanker_Bob]

I just bought the upgrade to Workstation 14.0.0 on Linux only to encounter this problem. I am running Kubuntu 17.10 on an Intel Core 2 Quad-Core Q9000 (Yorkfield E0), 45nm. How do I make Workstation 14.0.0 work?

[blastwave]

Good day Sir and thank you for a very clear and very well pointed post
that highlights a blatantly obvious error on the part of the VMware dev
and sales staff.

Somewhere along the line the folks inside VMware created a product which
drops support for a pile of legacy processors. With a thud. That is just
fine. Should be expected. The "System Requirements" docs for the product
clearly says :

Systems using Processors (CPUs) launched in 2011 or later are supported
except:

    Intel Atom processors based on the 2011 "Bonnell" micro-architecture
            (e.g. Atom Z670/Z650; Atom N570)

    Systems using Intel Atom processors based on the 2012 "Saltwell"
            micro-architecture (e.g. Atom S1200, Atom D2700/D2500,
            Atom N2800/N2600.

    Systems using AMD processors based on the "Llano" and "Bobcat"
            micro-architectures (e.g. code-named "Hondo", "Ontario",
            "Zacate", "Llano")

In addition the following are supported:

Systems using Intel processors based on the 2010 "Westmere" micro-architecture
            (e.g. Xeon 5600, Xeon 3600, Core i7-970, Core i7-980,             Core i7-990)

I lifted that directly from the Release Notes :
    https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/14.0.0/rn/workstation-14-release-notes.html

So that is most likely the "C.Y.A." response that anyone should expect
from the tech and sales folks at VMware.  Lets face it, the real money
is in the vSphere and ESXi license and support channels.  Workstation
has been, at best, a dev support tool since the day it was created. I
also have been using Workstation for at least twelve years. Maybe longer
but certainly since the days when you could actually buy production type
support for it.  Which I did.  I live my life with vSphere and ESXi and
all the wonderful stuff that goes with it. Production grade rock solid
virtualiztion for the datacenter but I also have had Workstation running
on Windows ( in the early days ) and Linux forever.  So I am equally at
odds with ye folks at VMware for dropping support on a pile of older
tech but it was expected. Workstation 12 works great on the older stuff
and a lot of customers may be stuck there for a while. What really needs
to happen is for VMware to have a quick tool, a download binary or silly
little script that will check the /proc/cpuinfo for a valid processor. I
have no idea what would be done on Windows but it must be a similar type
of requirement.

Anyways, I too have yet to see WS 14 Pro work at all. For the moment, on
a brand new shiney Red Hat Enterprise Linux system is won't even install.
Even better, I have seen no one talk about ye AMD Opteron server type
processors and I will report back on what happens there. I am not at all
surprised if I get told "that won't work" but the AMD world is totally a
separate animal when it comes to those weird virtualization options that
intel ships.

[daphnissov]

I just found this thread, so thank you to continuum​ for bringing this to everyone's attention because I had no idea this was the case with WS 14.

To the product and line managers:  We will not recommend to customers (and will, in fact, warn away from) Workstation 14 until there is a resolution to this underhanded tactic.

[gbolcer2]

No love on old Xeons.  No way to to downgrade and get 12 WS working again.  I'm left with abandoning software that I've spent thousands of dollars to maintain over the years.

Greg

greg@salt:/hbase/vmachines/Windows10x64$ cat /proc/cpuinfo

processor    : 0

vendor_id    : GenuineIntel

cpu family    : 6

model        : 23

model name    : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5482  @ 3.20GHz

stepping    : 6

microcode    : 0x60f

cpu MHz        : 3191.931

cache size    : 6144 KB

physical id    : 0

siblings    : 4

core id        : 0

cpu cores    : 4

apicid        : 0

initial apicid    : 0

fpu        : yes

fpu_exception    : yes

cpuid level    : 10

wp        : yes

flags        : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lahf_lm pti retpoline tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2

bogomips    : 6383.86

clflush size    : 64

cache_alignment    : 64

address sizes    : 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management:

processor    : 1

vendor_id    : GenuineIntel

cpu family    : 6

model        : 23

model name    : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5482  @ 3.20GHz

stepping    : 6

microcode    : 0x60f

cpu MHz        : 3191.931

cache size    : 6144 KB

physical id    : 1

siblings    : 4

core id        : 0

cpu cores    : 4

apicid        : 4

initial apicid    : 4

fpu        : yes

fpu_exception    : yes

cpuid level    : 10

wp        : yes

flags        : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lahf_lm pti retpoline tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2

bogomips    : 6383.86

clflush size    : 64

cache_alignment    : 64

address sizes    : 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management:

processor    : 2

vendor_id    : GenuineIntel

cpu family    : 6

model        : 23

model name    : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5482  @ 3.20GHz

stepping    : 6

microcode    : 0x60f

cpu MHz        : 3191.931

cache size    : 6144 KB

physical id    : 0

siblings    : 4

core id        : 2

cpu cores    : 4

apicid        : 2

initial apicid    : 2

fpu        : yes

fpu_exception    : yes

cpuid level    : 10

wp        : yes

flags        : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lahf_lm pti retpoline tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2

bogomips    : 6383.86

clflush size    : 64

cache_alignment    : 64

address sizes    : 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management:

processor    : 3

vendor_id    : GenuineIntel

cpu family    : 6

model        : 23

model name    : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5482  @ 3.20GHz

stepping    : 6

microcode    : 0x60f

cpu MHz        : 3191.931

cache size    : 6144 KB

physical id    : 1

siblings    : 4

core id        : 2

cpu cores    : 4

apicid        : 6

initial apicid    : 6

fpu        : yes

fpu_exception    : yes

cpuid level    : 10

wp        : yes

flags        : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lahf_lm pti retpoline tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2

bogomips    : 6383.86

clflush size    : 64

cache_alignment    : 64

address sizes    : 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management:

processor    : 4

vendor_id    : GenuineIntel

cpu family    : 6

model        : 23

model name    : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5482  @ 3.20GHz

stepping    : 6

microcode    : 0x60f

cpu MHz        : 3191.931

cache size    : 6144 KB

physical id    : 0

siblings    : 4

core id        : 1

cpu cores    : 4

apicid        : 1

initial apicid    : 1

fpu        : yes

fpu_exception    : yes

cpuid level    : 10

wp        : yes

flags        : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lahf_lm pti retpoline tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2

bogomips    : 6383.86

clflush size    : 64

cache_alignment    : 64

address sizes    : 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management:

processor    : 5

vendor_id    : GenuineIntel

cpu family    : 6

model        : 23

model name    : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5482  @ 3.20GHz

stepping    : 6

microcode    : 0x60f

cpu MHz        : 3191.931

cache size    : 6144 KB

physical id    : 1

siblings    : 4

core id        : 1

cpu cores    : 4

apicid        : 5

initial apicid    : 5

fpu        : yes

fpu_exception    : yes

cpuid level    : 10

wp        : yes

flags        : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lahf_lm pti retpoline tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2

bogomips    : 6383.86

clflush size    : 64

cache_alignment    : 64

address sizes    : 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management:

processor    : 6

vendor_id    : GenuineIntel

cpu family    : 6

model        : 23

model name    : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5482  @ 3.20GHz

stepping    : 6

microcode    : 0x60f

cpu MHz        : 3191.931

cache size    : 6144 KB

physical id    : 0

siblings    : 4

core id        : 3

cpu cores    : 4

apicid        : 3

initial apicid    : 3

fpu        : yes

fpu_exception    : yes

cpuid level    : 10

wp        : yes

flags        : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lahf_lm pti retpoline tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2

bogomips    : 6383.86

clflush size    : 64

cache_alignment    : 64

address sizes    : 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management:

processor    : 7

vendor_id    : GenuineIntel

cpu family    : 6

model        : 23

model name    : Intel(R) Xeon(R) CPU           X5482  @ 3.20GHz

stepping    : 6

microcode    : 0x60f

cpu MHz        : 3191.931

cache size    : 6144 KB

physical id    : 1

siblings    : 4

core id        : 3

cpu cores    : 4

apicid        : 7

initial apicid    : 7

fpu        : yes

fpu_exception    : yes

cpuid level    : 10

wp        : yes

flags        : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ss ht tm pbe syscall nx lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl cpuid aperfmperf pni dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm dca sse4_1 lahf_lm pti retpoline tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority dtherm

bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2

bogomips    : 6383.86

clflush size    : 64

cache_alignment    : 64

address sizes    : 38 bits physical, 48 bits virtual

power management:

[continuum]

> No way to to downgrade and get 12 WS working again.
Hmmm - thats what I did here.
Whats the problem with going back to WS 12 ?

[richard612]

wila - Your comment on nested guests is interesting.  I'm using 14.1.1 in homelab and I plan to make extensive use of nesting for learning and troubleshooting purposes.  In my scenario, would you recommend I drop back to 12.5.9 or perhaps something older?  I have an early Haswell proc on a Z87 board, if that matters.

[robsmiler]

> No way to to downgrade and get 12 WS working again.

Same here:

We need to use LTS 18.04.

WS v.12.5.9 does not start.

Of course other 'newer machines' do run with WS 14.

Stupid game.

Replacing old, full blown test machines, because some programmers need to save some code lines.

If Apple wants to sell new hardware. Well...

But VMware...?

[wila]

Hi RM,

As stated in my previous reply, WS 12.x no longer gets any security patches. That alone means that it is not something I can recommend using any more.

For some workloads and older CPU's WS12.x certainly did champion current newer software and processors.

If you use a current OS (for example Windows 10) then you are also not helping yourself by using a retired version of Workstation.

So: No, I do not recommend it unless you are bumping into issues where the newer products don't even run.

An intel Haswell processor is 4th generation, which means that you should have no problem running WS14 or WS15.

--

Wil