How to Install VMware Tools on a Virtual Machine

VMware Tools is a set of services and modules that enable several features in VMware products for better management of, and seamless user interactions with, guest operating systems. In this article, we will introduce two ways of how to install VMware Tools on a virtual machine, specifically on Windows-based machines.

Method 1: Installing VMware Tools via the vSphere Web Client

To start, access the VMware vSphere web client and power on the target virtual machine. Before you begin, make sure that the virtual machine is installed with a guest operating system. Once the virtual machine is powered on, right-click on its name and select Guest OS > Install VMware Tools.

Method 2: Installing VMware Tools via the Virtual Machine

Alternatively, you can also install VMware Tools directly from within the virtual machine. To do this, synchronize the time in the guest operating system with the time on the host operating system. This is an important step as it ensures that the scripts run correctly when the power state of the virtual machine changes.

Once the time has been synchronized, you can then customize the guest operating system by running scripts that help automate guest operating system operations. These scripts can also be used to pass messages from the host operating system to the guest operating system.

Why Install VMware Tools?

So, why is it important to install VMware Tools on your virtual machine? For starters, VMware Tools enables several features that improve the management and interaction with your virtual machines. Some of these features include enhanced graphics and mouse performance, better memory management, and the ability to take quiesced snapshots of the guest operating system.

Important

It's also important to note that VMware Tools has been decoupled from the release of VMware ESXi. This means that new VMware tools versions are no longer released with new versions of ESXi. However, this does not affect the ability to install and update existing VMware Tools on your virtual machines.

In conclusion, installing VMware Tools on a virtual machine is an important step in managing and interacting with your virtual machines. By following the methods outlined above, you can easily install and update VMware Tools on your Windows-based machines, and take advantage of its many features and benefits.

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