Configuring a virtual machine for compatibility

Sometimes, you might want to create a virtual machine with the intention of distributing it to other users. It is recommended to configure the virtual machine for maximum compatibility with all expected host machines and systems.

Here is a list of recommendations that can help you configure virtual machines for maximum compatibility:

• install VMware Tools in the virtual machine.
• determine which virtual devices are actually required. Do not include virtual devices that are not needed for the software you are distributing with the virtual machine.
• if you want to connect a physical device to a virtual device, always use the Auto detect option when configuring the virtual machine. This option allows the virtual machine to adapt to the user’s system, whether the host operating system is Windows or Linux.
• if you want to connect a CD-ROM to an image file that you ship with the virtual machine, make sure the image file is in the same directory as the virtual machine and make sure that a relative path to access the image file is being used (e.g. use images\windows8.iso instead of C:\images\windows8.iso).
• choose a reasonable amount of memory to allocate to the virtual machine. If the user’s host machine doesn’t have enough physical memory to support the memory allocation, the user might not be able to power on the virtual machine.
• choose a reasonable screen resolution for the guest operating system.