Phenquestions
VMware Workstation Player (formerly Player Pro) is available for free download and installation for personal use. It is a free alternative to VirtualBox, which is yet another excellent virtualization application. Please note that unlike VirtualBox, which is a Free and Open-source software (FOSS), VMware is proprietary software. You can run the installer on a Linux host with the following recommended system requirements.
System Requirements
- 64-bit x86 Intel or AMD Processor from 2011 or later
- 1.3GHz or faster CPU
- 4GB RAM recommended
- 1.2 GB of HDD for application plus additional for the Virtual OS that you plan to install
Check this compatibility list if you have any specific system requirements.
Installing VMware Workstation Player on Linux
Step 1) Log in to the host system and launch the Terminal.
Step 2) Change into root using the following command:
su root
Step 3) Get the VMware Player bundle for Linux.
Download VMware Workstation Player for Linux
When downloaded, the installation package comes with the file name 'VMware-Player-12.1.0-3272444.x86_64.bundle' or something similar depending upon the latest version available.
The bundle is not a Debian (.deb) package, and so nothing happens when you double-click or right-click on it on a Ubuntu machine.
Step 4) Use 'cd' command and probably 'ls' command to navigate to the folder where the VMware bundle file is downloaded. Typically, it should be the 'Downloads' folder in your user profile.
cd Downloads
Step 5) After navigating into the folder, change permissions using the following command.
chmod +x VMware*
Step 6) Use the sudo sh command to initiate the VMware installation process. Replace the name before .bundle with what you have.
sudo sh VMware-Player-12.1.0-3272444.x86_64.bundle
7) Step Accept the license agreement, press Enter to go to the bottom, and read the license agreement.
Follow the wizard to finish the installation. The installation process should begin after keying in your administrator password.
