Deep Dive: VMware Workstation Pro (Part 2) – Virtual Machine Configurations

Introduction and Importance of Virtualization

Hello everyone and welcome to Techaptic. Today we will be covering virtual machine configuration, the second episode of our VMware Workstation deep dive series. When configuring virtual machines, the default settings in the wizard are designed to get the system up and running quickly. However, they are often insufficient for performance and stability. Resource assignments made without understanding the underlying logic can bottleneck your physical machine or prevent the virtual machines from performing as they should. In this video, we won’t just discuss how to set up a virtual machine; we will cover why and how to build an ideal virtual environment in great detail, from processor architecture to RAM management, disk controllers to critical BIOS settings. If you’re ready, let’s get started.

Prerequisites: BIOS Virtualization and Hyper-V Settings

Before jumping into creating a virtual machine, we need to be sure some settings are configured accordingly. One of the most important topics is enabling virtualization support on your main computer. To do that, you have to go to your BIOS settings and configure it accordingly. For reference, I’ll be sharing the configuration steps for MSI motherboards. But in your case, if your motherboard is different, you can search the internet and configure it easily. After that, you can confirm it from the Task Manager. To do that, right-click the taskbar and click Task Manager. On the left section, you will see the Performance tab. When you click it and then click the CPU section, you will see if virtualization is enabled.

The second important setting is checking the virtualization layers. In your environment, you may be using Hyper-V, for example. To check it, you can go to the Control Panel, go to Programs and Features, and then click ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ on the left section, and you will see Hyper-V. Until VMware Workstation Pro 17.6.2, it was a must situation; you had to disable it to be able to create and use the VMware Workstation virtualization environment. But in this version, you can use both at the same time. However, in some cases, there may be some performance issues in your environment. To avoid these unexpected results, I strongly suggest disabling it if you are not using it. Otherwise, if you don’t have a problem, you can keep it enabled.

Creating a Virtual Machine: Wizard Options

Let’s start VMware Workstation Pro and get familiar with creating virtual machine settings. We can create a virtual machine from the Home tab and click ‘Create a New Virtual Machine’, or we can go to the File section and click ‘New Virtual Machine’. In this first section, the system asks us what configuration we want. We can either click ‘Typical’ with fewer steps, or we can go with the ‘Custom (advanced)’ one. To be able to display all options, I will choose Custom.

In this section, the system asks us for the hardware compatibility option. I am using Workstation 17.6.2, so I want the latest hardware compatibility on my end. But in your case, this can be different. Maybe if you need to use this virtualized environment on another computer, and if that computer has an older VMware Workstation, you may need to lower the VMware Workstation version accordingly. Otherwise, it’s best to keep the latest one. Let’s click Next.

In this section, the system asks us if we want to specify the ISO file now or decide later on. If we select the ISO file, the system will recognize the operating system according to the ISO file. In some ISO files, for example, Ubuntu versions and also Windows 10, it also allows for ‘Easy Install’ steps. For example, if you go to Windows 10 and click the ISO file, it says this operating system will use Easy Install. Easy Install means it will perform an unattended installation by supplying some configuration settings early on in VMware Workstation, and these settings will be covered by the system itself. We can choose this one if we want to install the operating system and configure some settings quickly. But if we want full control while installing the operating system, we have to choose ‘I will install the operating system later’. I am following these steps and clicking Next.

In this case, since we will install the operating system later, we can choose the version of it. Let’s say I will install Windows 11 x64, and I am clicking it. If you want to install a Linux operating system, you can choose it and also the distro according to your needs. Now, I am just clicking Windows 11 x64 and click Next.

It asks us for the virtual machine name and the location of the virtual machine files. This location is fine for me, but the name is not. Let’s change the virtual machine name and click Next.

Encryption and TPM Module for Windows 11

Since Windows 11 requires encryption with TPM, VMware Workstation asks us to add a TPM module and also encrypt the files. It can enable partial encryption or full encryption. Either of them will work. Let’s choose ‘Only the files needed to support a virtual TPM’ and create a password. In Windows 11, the only option for the firmware type is UEFI. You can either enable Secure Boot or disable it. But in previous versions of Windows, you could also select the BIOS settings. In our case, these settings are fine, and we can click Next.

CPU and Memory Allocation Best Practices

The system asks us to configure the processor. I want to explain how the processor works. Normally, we have a ‘Number of processors’ section and also ‘Number of cores per processor’. These are not the physical ones in our host computer. When we multiply these values, it calculates the total processor cores accordingly. If we say 3 cores per processor, 3 multiplied by 2 equals 6. This 6 is called virtual processor (or virtual CPU). CPU thread equals a logical processor in our main computer. When we go to the Task Manager here and go back to Performance and CPU, you will see that the ‘Cores’ in my main computer is 10, but the ‘Logical processors’ (threads) is 20. I am sharing 6 threading or logical processors to this virtual machine, but it is not permanently allocating them. It is just sharing them. It means that when the computer doesn’t require more CPU, or it consumes very low CPU, my main computer can get those cores back when needed. This is important because when we go to the memory section, you will see a different working logic there. For best practices, I strongly suggest keeping the ‘Number of processors’ at 1 and changing the ‘Number of cores per processor’ according to your needs. Because some operating systems may have some limitations. For example, if you want to install Windows Home Edition, and if you select 2 or 4 processors, it will not get all the processors because it can only use one processor socket. This is also important for some applications whose licenses depend on processor count. To stay on the safe side, I strongly suggest keeping the processors at 1 and changing the cores accordingly. Keep in mind that these are not physical processors. A final recommendation is that please don’t give too much CPU other than needed. Keep it minimum. It is important because there is a misunderstanding among people that if you give more CPU, then the system will run very fast. It is wrong. Furthermore, it only works if you give only the necessary CPU. If you exceedingly give more CPU, then it will cause the system to run slower than before. I strongly suggest checking the CPU usage over time and then giving the CPU accordingly. For now, for Windows 11, I believe 4 cores is very sufficient, and we can click Next.

For the memory, this is a strict allocation. It is not working like CPU. We should give the memory according to the computer’s needs. In my case, 6 gigabytes are sufficient for it, and I can click Next.

Network Types Overview

This section asks us about the network type. Since I will be explaining the network in another video, I will not dive deep into it. But I can explain the network types with a short explanation.

• Use bridged networking: Allows the computer to connect directly to our physical environment. It gets a real IP from our current physical environment.

• Use network address translation (NAT): It also allows the system to connect to the internet and network, but it does it one way. It has an IP address, but it is not an IP address on the current environment. The system translates it to the current environment’s IP address, and it works like a router and allows the system to connect to the current physical network environment. But when other computers or devices try to reach this computer, it will not work. It can be selected for security purposes.

• Use host-only networking: Allows full isolation from the physical environment. If you need to do some tests and if you don’t want to expose this computer to the real network, you can use host-only networking.

• Do not use a network connection: If you don’t need a network connection.

In our case, we can choose either NAT or bridged network to access the internet. Let’s click Next.

Disk Controllers and Disk Types

On this page, the system asks us which I/O controller type do you want to use? We can select the recommended options here, which is LSI Logic SAS, and continue Next.

The system asks us for the disk type. There are some disk types, as you can see: IDE, SCSI, SATA, and NVMe. Currently, modern and latest operating systems use NVMe, as the system also suggested. Let’s select it and click Next.

On this page, it asks us to select a disk. Since this computer is a new computer that we need to install an operating system on, we need to click ‘Create a new virtual disk’. But also, if you already created a virtual disk and want to use it in this virtual machine, you can select ‘Use an existing virtual disk’. For example, you can also select ‘Use a physical disk’. This option is appropriate for different scenarios, but not for creating a standard virtual machine. For example, if we have Windows and Linux operating systems installed on different physical disks on our main computer, we may use ‘Use a physical disk’ and map the physical disk where the Linux operating system is already installed. In this case, while we’re using the Windows operating system, we can also use the Linux operating system on our main computer through a virtualized environment. This is just one scenario. For example, if you want to analyze a physical computer disk that is affected by a virus or ransomware, but you want to do it in an isolated environment, you can also use this option to prevent the threats from spreading to the main computer. Now we are just selecting ‘Create a new virtual disk’ and clicking Next.

Disk Capacity and Allocation Settings

In this step, it asks us to specify disk capacity. According to the operating system, VMware Workstation already recommends the appropriate disk capacity. But if you want to change it, you can increase the size. There are some important settings on this page: ‘Allocate all disk space now’. If you want this virtual machine to run in full performance and if we don’t have any disk size issues on our main computer, we can select ‘Allocate all disk space now’. It allows allocating the disk space entirely right away, and it doesn’t reduce its performance. But if you don’t select it, the system will increase the disk size dynamically as we add data into the disk.

Additionally, we can also store the virtual disk as a single file or split it into multiple files. My suggestion will be to store the virtual disk as a single file because this will help the disk keep its performance. Next, we are clicking Next. It asks to specify the disk file. We can keep this name. But if you want, you can change the name of it and click Next.

The new virtual machine wizard displays the summarization for the configuration. After confirming these settings, we can click Finish. Otherwise, you can customize the hardware or go back to other settings to change them. Now we are just clicking Finish. It successfully created the virtual machine.

Virtual Machine Hardware Settings

Let’s jump onto the virtual machine settings to analyze them further. Right-click the respective virtual machine and click Settings. As you can see, there are two tabs: Hardware and Options.

In Hardware, the first section is Memory. We configured the memory as 6 gigabytes of RAM. But if you need to change it, you can do it here. Keep in mind that to configure most of these settings, you need to shut down the virtual machine.

The second option is the Processor, and we configured the settings here. But in your case, if you need to create a nested virtual environment, you need to also enable the ‘Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI’ option. Otherwise, you don’t need to enable it.

In Hard Disk, it displays the location of the virtual disk, and you can see the current size of it. In some cases, you may need to defragment and also compact it. Defragment allows you to make the data tidy and it consolidates free space. Compacting it allows you to reduce the physical file size on the host disk. For best practices, first defragment files from here and then compact the disk to reclaim unused space. You don’t need to do it every day. You just need to do it every month or 15 days according to your needs. Also, from this section, you can expand the disk capacity here. To make this happen, make sure that you don’t have any snapshots in your virtual machine. Otherwise, you cannot do it. Expanding the disk size from here is not sufficient. After you configure it, you also need to go to the Computer Management in the guest OS and refresh the disk. And then you can extend the partition size in the Windows computer.

The other tab is related to the CD/DVD attachment. You can use a physical drive if you have a CD-ROM, but these days we mostly don’t. The other option will be using the ISO image file. Since we will install Windows 11, we need to select the ISO file accordingly. We will use the ISO image file as a bootable media. Before saving it, make sure that ‘Connect at power on’ should be enabled to be able to boot with this ISO file.

The other section is related to the Network Adapter settings. We configured it as it is.

We also have a USB Controller option and can change its compatibility.

We also have Sound Card options. And if you want to specify a host sound card, we can specify it. We can also change the sound card compatibility. The default one is OK for us. And we can also remove it if you want.

The Display option is generally OK. But if we want to make the Windows movements or mouse movements smooth, we can enable ‘Accelerate 3D graphics’. If we enable this, the system begins to use our physical GPU power and makes the visualization much better than before. And also, if we have multiple monitors on our main computer, we can use multiple monitors for the VM and display it accordingly. For now, I will not use it. I choose ‘Use host settings for monitors’.

And the TPM module, as we know, Windows 11 requires it, and it is here.

Virtual Machine Options Settings

In the Options section, the General option is fine. And I don’t suggest changing the working directory here if we didn’t make any wrong configuration previously.

The second tab is Power options, as we can start, stop, or suspend the virtual machine or restart the guest. These settings are generally fine, but if you want to change their behavior, we can change it accordingly.

The Shared Folders section allows virtual machines to access specific folders on our main computer. If you want to let them access certain files, we can select ‘Always enabled’ and then map as a network drive in Windows. After that, we can select Next and target a specific folder, and after that click Next. I strongly suggest checking the ‘Read-only’ option here because when we change the data in the virtual machine, we affect the real files there. To prevent accidents, I suggest enabling the read-only option here and then click OK. Now we don’t need it, and I am just selecting the ‘Disabled’ option.

In the Snapshots option, we can change the behavior when powering off the virtual machine. The default one is ‘Just power off’. If you want, you can make it revert to a snapshot, or you can take a new snapshot, or allow the system to ‘Ask me what to do’. Normally you don’t need this configuration, but in your case, if you need it, this is how to change it.

AutoProtect is disabled. What does it do? Normally we can take snapshots of the virtual machine. To make it periodically, we can enable it. For example, we can select daily or hourly. In this case, if you specify 3 maximum snapshots count, it means we can keep three snapshots for this time schedule. If you increase it, we can also change the snapshot count according to the time. You may want to increase this. Generally, I don’t suggest enabling AutoProtect because when you take snapshots, it makes the virtual machine slower. If keeping and saving the data is much more important than performance, then you should definitely enable it. Otherwise, you don’t need to enable this. I am just unchecking it and going to the Guest Isolation option.

The Guest Isolation option allows you to drag and drop files from the main computer to the virtual machine or copy and paste between them. It is very useful, but maybe in your case, if you want 100% isolation, you may need to disable these options. Maybe you are working with files affected by very dangerous ransomware and viruses; disabling this option is good to prevent data from transferring accidentally. Otherwise, you can keep it as is.

Access Control, as we enabled encryption for Windows 11, allows us to change the password here. If you want to remove the encryption, you should first remove the TPM device from hardware and then remove encryption here.

The other option is VMware Tools. Normally, the virtual machine will use the time configuration that is defined at the operating system level, but if you want to synchronize it with the main computer, we can enable this. Normally, VMware Tools will update itself automatically, but if you want to do it manually, we can select it here. But I believe these default settings are acceptable and the best ones.

There are some other settings like VNC connections, Appliance view, and Auto login, which are not too important for now.

Advanced settings: just information, if you want to change the firmware type (which I don’t recommend after installing the operating system), you can do it from here. Changing it will mostly not allow the operating system to run. I don’t recommend it, but if you need to change it, you can do it here. And also, if you are experienced with log analyzing, you can change the debugging information data from here to troubleshoot problems by analyzing the logs. Otherwise, you don’t need to touch it. And after these configurations, we can click OK.

Booting and Virtual Machine File Structure

Now the ISO file is already attached in the VMware application. I will just display how you can run the virtual machine and boot with the ISO file. To do that, select the virtual machine, click it, and go to the ‘Power On’ or just click the Play button here. After that, click the blank section inside the VM console and press any key to boot from the CD or DVD. When we do that, the Windows setup will boot from the ISO software and then begin the installation. These are just the settings when we boot the operating system. This can be Ubuntu, this can be CentOS, or Windows Server. You just need to make sure you have chosen the ISO file according to your needs. After that, you can continue with the installation part. Now I am just shutting down the operating machine.

Finally, I want to give some information about the virtual machine files and what they are for. To go there, we can go to the Library, right-click one of the virtual machines, and click ‘Open VM directory’.

• LCK Files: The VMware Workstation creates LCK files to help prevent interruptions that can be done by other applications or a second instance of VMware Workstation. When we open the virtual machine, it automatically creates this file, and it keeps the environment consistent and stable. When we power it off, as you can see, it disappears.

• Log Files: There are log files which contain events regarding the environment and data we can troubleshoot if we want to.

• NVRAM File: The NVRAM file contains the UEFI and BIOS settings. It’s a virtual BIOS chipset that resembles our physical computers.

• Scoreboard Files: There are scoreboard files for the virtual disks. Scoreboard files contain stats and performance data in them.

• VMDK Files: The VMDK file is the main disk file. But as you can see, there may be more than one VMDK file. If you check it closely, you will see that there are some ‘-000001’ and ‘-000002’ files. This means that these files are the delta files (the snapshot files). We can see that there are two snapshot files. When we check the VM and click Snapshots, as you can see, there are two snapshots here. These are the delta files for them. This is the main virtual disk file, and these are the delta files. And for each disk and delta file, you will see a scoreboard file.

• VMSD File: The VMSD file contains the chain between the virtual disk and the delta disks. When we take snapshots, it is important that to be able to return to the exact moment, this metadata should be covered by the VMSD file.

• VMX File: The VMX file contains the hardware information of the virtual machine. When we open it with a Notepad editor, we can see the hardware configuration details here.

• VMSN File: Finally, there is the VMSN file. This file contains snapshot state data. For example, if there are open windows and clipboards, these data are saved inside these VMSN files, and when we want to restore the snapshots, we can go to the exact active moment with the help of these files.

These are also important. I believe we can end today’s session. Thank you for watching, see you on the next one, bye.