Windows 10: Shared VMs are back (temporarily) in VMware Workstation 16.1.0

In the new release of VMware workstation Pro (16.1.0) , the previously removed feature "Shared VMs" is back. I guess that it wasn't just me that was bent about that feature being removed.

VMware states that the feature is deprecated but it will remain through the lifetime of the version 16.x release.

Ironically, I've moved a bunch of VMs over to Hyper-V because of that very feature missing.

:)

 

Shared VMs are back (temporarily) in VMware Workstation 16.1.0

In the new release of VMware workstation Pro (16.1.0) , the previously removed feature "Shared VMs" is back. I guess that it wasn't just me that was bent about that feature being removed.

VMware states that the feature is deprecated but it will remain through the lifetime of the version 16.x release.

Ironically, I've moved a bunch of VMs over to Hyper-V because of that very feature missing.

 

Wow - VMware has killed off Shared VMs in VMware Workstation 16

One of the great features in VMware workstation was the ability to create Shared VMs. There were several good things about these VMs, only one of which was that they could start automatically without having to log onto the host system.

In VMware Workstation 16 that feature was simply abruptly removed with nothing but a one line sentence in the release notes stating that this feature has reached end of life.

This must have been some sort of knee jerk reaction because they didn't even remove all references to the feature in their version 16 User Guide and a clean install of VMware Workstation still installs the VMware Workstation Server service used for Shared VMs.

I guess that I may be going back to Hyper-V!

 

Shared VMs are back (temporarily) in VMware Workstation 16.1.0

No worries.
Version 6... *Smile It takes you back somewhere between 2007-2008.
VMware Workstation Release and Build Number History | Virten.net

As for the move you made to Hyper-V. OK, it's a good exercise. You already did something you would have done sometime next year, if version 17 would drop support for shared VMs permanently. As long as we can move freely between the programs no big deal, you use what you like.