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Table Of Contents
Syntax of vmrun Commands
The vmrun commands are divided into function categories.
The following tables list vmrun commands and parameters for Fusion according to their function.
Parameters are listed one per line. Parameters enclosed in square brackets are optional. The
vertical bar indicates a keyword choice.
The vmrun Power Commands and Parameters
Option Parameters Description
start path to .vmx file
[ gui | nogui ]
Starts a virtual machine. The default gui option starts the machine interactively, which is
required to display the Fusion interface. The nogui option suppresses the Fusion interface,
including the startup dialog box, to allow noninteractive scripting.
Note To start encrypted virtual machines, use the nogui flag. The vmrun utility does not
support GUI mode with encrypted virtual machines.
stop path to .vmx file
[ hard | soft ]
Stops a virtual machine. Use the soft option to power off the guest after running
shutdown scripts. Use the hard option to power off the guest without running scripts,
as if you pressed the power button. The default is to use the powerType value specified in
the .vmx file, if present.
reset path to .vmx file
[ hard | soft ]
Resets a virtual machine. Use the soft option to run shutdown scripts before rebooting
the guest. Use the hard option to reboot the guest without running scripts, as if you
pressed the reset button. The default is to use the powerType value specified in the .vmx
file, if present.
suspend path to .vmx file
[ hard | soft ]
Suspends a virtual machine without shutting down the virtual machine, so local work
can resume later. The soft option suspends the guest after running system scripts.
On Windows guests, these scripts release the IP address. On Linux guests, the scripts
suspend networking. The
hard
option suspends the guest without running the scripts. The
default is to use the powerType value specified in the .vmx file, if present.
To resume virtual machine operations after the suspend command finishes, use the start
command. On Windows, the IP address is retrieved. On Linux, networking is restarted.
pause path to .vmx file Pauses a virtual machine.
unpause path to .vmx file Resumes operations of a virtual machine from where you paused normal operations.
The vmrun Snapshot Commands and Parameters
Option
Parameters Description
listSnapshots path to .vmx file
[ showtree ]
Lists all snapshots in a virtual machine. The showtree option displays
snapshots in tree format, with children indented under their parent.
snapshot path to .vmx file
snapshot name
Creates a snapshot of a virtual machine. Because Fusion supports
multiple snapshots, you must provide the snapshot name.
Because the forward slash defines path names, do not use the slash
character in a snapshot name. Otherwise, specifying the snapshot path
later becomes difficult.
Using VMware Fusion
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