VMware Workstation vs. Server

[Kurt Granroth]

On Wednesday 13 December 2006 08:49, Nathan England wrote:
> Has anyone used VMware Workstation and the free Server?
> I am wondering if there are any differences, or if you've noticed any
> difference between the two and how they work on your linux box running
> different guest os's.
>
> I use Workstation 5 and love it, but I'm wondering if there is any benefit
> to running Server instead, other than the cool web interface.

I've used Workstation, Server, and Player and each has their niche.  Here are 
the characteristics that matter to me.

Workstation:
1. Can save multiple snapshots.  This is invaluable for doing certain types of 
development.

Server:
1. Can run "in the background" without being attached to an X server.  This is 
absolutely crucial for running headless systems.  Prior to Server, I ran my 
lone WindowsXP image at home in Workstation embedded in VNC.  Now, I run it 
in Server and it restarts itself when the host system reboots and happily 
runs away until I contact it with the web interface or console.
2. Free!

Player:
1. Ultra-simple to use.  I typically install this on boxes where I will 
occasionally run an image.
2. Free!

Overall, I've stopped using Workstation completely since the free versions do 
what I need.  My "go-to" version is Server... although I've been debating 
switching to Player for some development since I rarely run that particular 
dev environment in headless mode.  It's tricky to switch, though... which 
brings me to my two complaints about VMWare products:

1. They don't allow you to install two products at the same time!  For 
instance, you can't have Server and Player or Server and Workstation 
installed on the same machine.  Arg!
2. Server and Player may have serious time-loss problems with Windows guest OS 
on a Linux host yet VMWare (the company) has never officially addressed this 
issue much less fixed it.  There are some workarounds posted in the forums 
but none of them have worked for me yet.