VMware Workstation 11 has been released! The product has added latest OS and enhancements which on latest Haswell CPUs can make a significant difference with up to 45 percent performance improvements.
UPDATE: You might want to check the VMware Workstation 12 and 40 New Features post !!!
Latest virtual hardware 11 (vmx-11) is present in Workstation. Performance improvements and latest OS support. Those are two main news to retain from this update by VMware. Also a connection directly to vCloud Air (previously vCloud Hybrid Service) is present in from the file menu allowing to interact with VMs running in the cloud.
You can also use VMware Workstation 11 to manage your vSphere infrastructure VMs. The connect-to-host feature has been introduced in one of the previous releases (In Workstation 8…, yes, times goes by…) and allows to connect directly to ESXi host or to vCenter. Even if now the latest version of vSphere Windows client can modify infrastructure VMs running vmx-10.
Note: Only up to 5th of December – Workstation 11 with 30% off the price (works for upgrades too!). VMware Fusion Too – you'll get 30 % Off the price.
What's New in VMware Workstation 11
- OS Support – VMware Workstation delivers unsurpassed platform compatibility for hundreds of operating systems. Workstation 11 fully supports the latest Microsoft operating systems, from the Windows 8.1 update for the desktop to Windows 2012 R2 for the server. For organizations and technical users that run the latest Linux distribution, Workstation 11 supports Ubuntu 14.10, RHEL 7, CentOS 7, OpenSUSE 13.2 and many more.
- Performance – VMware Workstation supports the latest Intel 64-bit x86 processors, including the new Haswell microarchitecture for maximum performance. Taking advantage of key new Haswell extensions, the solution also delivers up to 45 percent improvement in CPU intensive operations like multimedia and encryption/decryption compared to Workstation 10.
- Allocate up to 2Gb of video memory to VMs.
- High-Res Display – support higher resolution displays such as the new QHD+ (3200×1800) displays used in laptops and x86 tablets.
- Boot virtual machines with EFI support
- Desktop shortucts for VMs – drag and drop possibility to create a shortcut for VMs on desktop.
- Connection to VMware vCloud Air – Connect to VMware vCloud Air to extend and scale virtual machines on a public cloud. Developers can easily connect to VMware vCloud Air and upload, run, and view virtual machines right from the Workstation interface to easily collaborate with remote team members and scale through a public cloud.
- VMware Hardware Version 11 – Hardware versions introduce new virtual hardware functionality and new features while enabling VMware to run legacy operating systems in virtual machines.
New features included in this hardware version:
- New CPU enablement, including Intel Haswell microarchitecture extension support.Workstation 11 is optimized to take advantage of new Haswell extensions, delivering up to 45% improvement in CPU-intensive operations like multimedia, encryption/decryption, and other strenuous performance tests.
- Updated xHCI controller
- Updated NDIS drive
Quick video from the installation process and using Windows 10 VM. Best to watch in HD and full screen. I also noticed that the latest ESXi iso gets recognized as vSphere Beta 2015… -:) Good times ahead. Enjoy…
You can get a good deal currently for Workstation 11 with 30% off the price (works for upgrades too). Only up to 5th of December. VMware Fusion Too – you'll get 30 % Off the price.
