6.0.1

Table Of Contents
Table 111. vmwtool Commands (Continued)
vmwtool Command Description
synctime [on|off]
Lets you turn on or off synchronization of time in the guest operating
system with time on the host operating system. By default, time
synchronization is turned off.
Use this command without any options to view the current time
synchronization status.
idle [on|off]
Lets you turn the CPU idler on or off. By default, the idler is turned on. The
CPU idler program is included in VMware Tools for NetWare guest
operating systems.
The idler program is needed because NetWare servers do not idle the CPU
when the operating system is idle. As a result, a virtual machine takes CPU
time from the host regardless of whether the NetWare server software is
idle or busy.
Using the VMware Tools Configuration Utility
The VMware Tools configuration utility is a command-line interface that you can use in the guest operating
system to modify VMware Tools settings, shrink virtual disks, and connect and disconnect virtual devices.
The VMware Tools configuration utility provides a command-line interface for functionality that was
previously available only in the VMware Tools control panel. The name of this program depends on the
guest operating system.
Table 112. VMware Tools Configuration Utilities for Guest Operating Systems
Guest Operating System Utility
Windows
VMwareToolboxCmd.exe
Mac OS X
vmware-tools-cli
Because the VMware Tools installer does not modify any
PATH environment variables on Mac OS X operating
systems, you must type ./ before the command.
Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris
vmware-toolbox-cmd
Use the utility's help command to display complete usage information and syntax.
The VMware Tools configuration utility is included in the following VMware products:
n
VMware vSphere 4.1 and later
n
VMware Workstation 7.0 and later
n
VMware Fusion 3.0 and later
n
VMware Player 3.0 and later
n
VMware ACE 2.6 and later
Configure Time Synchronization Between Guest and Host Operating Systems
When you turn on periodic time synchronization, VMware Tools sets the time of the guest operating system
to be the same as the time of the host.
After time synchronization occurs, VMware Tools checks once every minute to determine whether the
clocks on the guest and host operating systems still match. If not, the clock on the guest operating system is
synchronized to match the clock on the host.
Chapter 11 VMware Tools Components, Configuration Options, and Security Requirements
VMware, Inc. 213