9.0

Using vmrun to Control Virtual Machines
8 VMware, Inc.
 Checkifafileordirectoryexistsintheguest,deleteafileordirectory,renameafile,listfiles,orcreatea
newdirectory.
 Copyafilefromthehosttotheguest,orfromtheguesttothehost.
 Createatemporaryfileintheguestoperatingsystem.
 Addasharedfolderfromthehost,makeasharedfolderwritableintheguest,orremoveasharedfolder.
 Captureascreenimagefromtheguest(WorkstationandVMwareFusiononly).
 Listtheprocessesrunningintheguestoperatingsystem,orendaprocess(withpermission).
 Readorwriteavariableintheguestoperatingsystem’senvironmentorvirtualmachinestate.
Thetimeout(waitforVMwareTools)isfiveminutesforallguest‐relatedcommands.
Maintenance Commands
Thiscategoryincludescommandstolistallrunningvirtualmachines,upgradethevirtualmachinehardware
version,andinstallVMwareToolsintheguestoperatingsystem.
Additionally,exceptonVMwareServer(discontinued),youcancloneavirtualmachineimagetoanother
virtualmachine.
OnVMwarevSphereandVMwareServer(discontinued),youcanregisterandunreg
istervirtualmachines.
VProbes Commands
OnWorkstationandFusion,vmruncaninteractwithVProbes,afacilityforinstrumentingapowered‐onguest
operatingsystem,itsprocesses,andthevirtualizationlayer.SeetheVProbesProgrammingReferencefordetails.
Limitations
VMwareFusiondoesnotsupportsnapshottrees.
VMwarePlayerdoesnotsupportpauseandunpause,snapshotoperations,virtualmachinecloning,orvirtual
hardwareupgrade.
VMwareServer(discontinued)didnotsupportteams,sharedfolders,virtualmachinecloning,ormultiple
snapshots.Whenyoutriedtocreateasecondsnapshot,theUIaskedtooverwriteyo
urexistingsnapshot.
TherecordandreplaycommandsweredeprecatedforWorkstation7.1andremovedinWorkstation8.
Setting Up vmrun
Theprocedureforsettingupvmrunvariesbasedontheoperatingsystemoftheclientcomputer.
How to Get vmrun
ThevmrunutilityinstallswithWorkstationandVMwareFusion.
Forusewithremoteproductplatforms,youcanobtainvmrunbyinstallingtheVIXstandalonelibraries,
availablefreeofchargeontheVMwaredownloadsite.
Linux Setup
To use the vmrun utility on Linux
1Inacommandorterminalwindow,typevmruntoseecommand‐lineoptions.
2IfthisfailsonanoldLinuxdistribution:asrootorsuperuser,editthe/etc/ld.so.conffile,addthe
followinglinewiththedefaultlocationoftheVIXlibrary,savethefile,andruntheldconfigcommand.
/usr/lib/vmware-vix/lib