Specifications

For Windows and Linux guest operating systems, you can configure the virtual machine to automatically
upgrade VMware Tools. Although the version check is performed when you power on the virtual machine,
on Windows guest operating systems, the automatic upgrade occurs when you power off or restart the
virtual machine. The status bar displays the message Installing VMware Tools ... when an upgrade is in
progress.
IMPORTANT When you upgrade VMware Tools on Linux guest operating systems, new network modules
are available but are not used until you either restart the guest operating system or stop networking, unload
and reload the VMware networking kernel modules, and restart networking. This behavior means that even
if VMware Tools is set to automatically upgrade, you must restart or reload network modules to make new
features available.
This strategy avoids network interruptions and allows you to install VMware Tools over SSH.
Configure Software Update Preferences
You can configure Player to automatically download software updates, including new versions of VMware
Tools. When you select automatic software updates, Player always includes the latest support for guest
operating systems and virtual machines always have the latest version of VMware Tools.
Procedure
1 Select Player > File > Player Preferences.
2 Select when Player checks for software updates.
You can select one, both, or neither option. If you deselect all of the software update options, automatic
software updates are disabled.
Option Description
Check for product updates on
startup
Checks for new versions of Player available to download and install when
you start Player. This option is enabled by default. If you do not select this
option, your system does not get the latest product updates.
Check for software components as
needed
When a software component is required, for example, when you install
VMware Tools, Player checks for a new version of the component.
Download All Components Now
Immediately download all of the available software components to the
host system. This option is useful if you are planning to use the virtual
machine at a later time when you do not have access to the Internet.
3 If you use a proxy server to connect to the VMware Update Server, click Connection Settings to
configure the proxy settings.
Option Description
No proxy
Select this option if you do not use a proxy server. This is the default
setting.
Windows proxy settings
(Windows hosts only) Player uses the host proxy settings from the
Connections tab in the Internet Options control panel to access the
VMware Update Server.
a Click Internet Options to set the guest connection options.
b Type a user name and password to use for proxy server
authentication.
If you leave either the Username or the Password text box blank, Player
does not use either value.
Chapter 3 Creating Virtual Machines
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