VMware Workstation 10 Released - What's New?

VMware Workstation 10 is now available for download. There are some great new features that have been added to the new release including OS support for Windows 8.1, SSD Passthrough and VM Hardware Version 10. As always, the release is available as free Trial (30 Days), Update (119,- USD ex VAT) and Full Version (249,- USD ex VAT).

• Windows: VMware-workstation-full-10.0.0-1295980.exe
• Linux 64-bit: VMware-Workstation-Full-10.0.0-1295980.x86_64.bundle
• Linux 32-bit: VMware-Workstation-Full-10.0.0-1295980.i386.bundle

What's new?

• Guest OS Support for Windows 8.1
• Virtual Machine Hardware Version 10
• 16 vCPUs, 8 TB disks, 64GB memory
• SSD Passthrough
• 20 virtual networks
• USB3 streams support
• Virtual Tablet Sensors
• Advanced Restrictions (Expiring VMs)
• Multiple Monitor Navigation
• Power Off Suspended Virtual Machines

Performance and Scale
One of the most interesting new features is SSD Passthrough which enables the Guest OS to recognize physical SSD and make use of their features. The advantage is, that a virtual Windows 8 can now optimize itself for SSD during startup. The genereal hardware support has also been enhanced. Virtual Machines does now support up to 16 vCPUs (Which are actually 16 threads), 8 TB SATA disks and 64GB of RAM. A new virtual SATA disk controller is also available to improve disk performance

Windows 8.1 Support
VMware Workstation 10 does now support Windows 8.1 as Guest-OS, Host-OS and for P2V convertions. The Unity mode has been enhanced to seamlessly work with Windows 8.1 User Interface changes.

Advanced Restrictions
Starting with Workstation 9, VMware implemented some features that allows the machine owner to add some security features like encryption and change-freezing. With the current release, this feature has been extended with the possibility to let the virtual machine expire at a predefined date. This, and the further developed vSphere ESXi/vCenter management capability makes VMware Worksation come closer to the world of virtual Clouds.

Virtual Tablet Sensors
VMware Workstation 10 provides virtual tablet sensors. That enables the Guest OS to recognize the environment with an accelerometer, gyroscope, compass, and an ambient light sensor. As the workplace becomes more and more mobile, this feature is a great enhancement for the user experience.