VMware Workstation has been updated and expanded regularly since its first release in 1999. Users can also continue to use the endpoint system normally, installing and running conventional, nonvirtualized applications. However, each VM runs as an isolated instance - just like its enterprise-class counterparts - allowing users to install other OSes and applications within the VMs that are completely separate from the host OS. Once Workstation Pro is installed, it is treated as just another application, allowing users to create VM and resources. This means the endpoint system needs its own OS first. The abstraction layer is called the hypervisor, which also manages the virtual representations of hardware, including virtual CPUs, memory, storage, network adapters and so on.Įnterprise-class hypervisors, such as VMware ESXi, which is part of VMware vSphere, are classified as Type 1 (native or bare-metal) hypervisors because the hypervisor runs directly on the underlying computing hardware - the hypervisor is effectively the server's OS - and from there can create and manage virtual machines ( VMs) and other virtualized computing resources.Įndpoint-type hypervisors, like VMware Workstation Pro, are classified as Type 2 (hosted) hypervisors because the hypervisor actually installs atop a host OS, such as Windows 10. Understanding VMware Workstation ProĪs a technology, virtualization creates a layer of abstraction between software - such as operating systems (OSes), services and applications - and the computing hardware that runs beneath.

VMware Workstation Pro is a 64-bit hosted hypervisor intended to implement virtualization on Microsoft Windows and Linux endpoint computers, such as desktop systems.

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