How to install VMWare on Ubuntu 14.10

Long ago we saw how to install VirtualBox on Ubuntu, in order to make use of one of the most recognized tools among those dedicated to virtualization. A space that grows more and more, and therefore the alternatives are also worth highlighting since each one offers interesting and valid characteristics for different groups of users, so in this post we are going to show the steps to install VMWare Workstation 11 on Ubuntu 14.10.

One of the most prominent changes (not for the good in itself, but for the fact that it affects a significant number of users) is to be able to be installed only on 64-bit computers, so the first condition we need to meet to install this tool. Now yes, we get down to work.

We update the software sources:

# apt-get update

# apt-get upgrade

We downloaded the VMWare Workstation 11 installation script from the official website, after which we modify the permissions so that it can be executed:

# chmod a+x VMware-Workstation-Full-11.0.0-2305329.x86_64.bundle

Once that is done, we run it:

./VMware-Workstation-Full-11.0.0-2305329.x86_64.bundle

A window appears before us where the license agreement is shown, which we must accept by checking the checkbox in said option and clicking 'Next'. Here begins the guided installation process, which is really very simple to use since we simply have to answer what the wizard asks us, and that has to do with (in this same order): enable or not VMWare Workstation 11.0 at the time of the start of our team, accept the sending of information anonymously to help in the development and improvements of VMWare, the user who will connect to workstation-server, the folder in which the virtual machines that we are going to create will be stored (image that we see below) or the HTTPS port to connect to Workstation Server (default is 443).

Of course, we can also specify the license number since we do not forget that VMware Workstation 11.0 it is, like previous versions, a payment tool. But we can leave that field blank and in that case we can use the trial version. The time has come, then, to begin installing VMware Workstation 11 on Ubuntu 14.10 so we just click on the button 'Install' and we let this tool do its thing. We will see how the installation process progresses through information and also through a progress bar that will show us how much is missing, and at the end we will see the sign that informs us that 'The installation was successful'.

Now we can execute wmware workstation 11, for which we go to Ubuntu Dash and we enter vmware and when the results are shown we click on wmware Workstation. Once it starts we will see the tool that we know well, and that offers us the options of connecting to a remote server, opening a virtual machine or creating one. Precisely the latter is what we are going to show in a future post, in order to be in a position not only to use virtual machines or images but also to create our own and thus make the most of all the potential that this application has to offer.