Broadcom has released updates for VMware Workstation Pro for Windows and Linux, the first to arrive since the software became entirely free to use.

Earlier this year, Broadcom made VMware Workstation Pro and its Mac equivalent Fusion Pro free for personal usage, and later for commercial usage. Anyone can download and install VMware’s desktop virtualisation software to use for whatever they want.

— Assuming they have the patience to wade through rerouting links, portals, checkboxes, and dense documentation sites to locate the actual download. A blog post from a VMware team member walks through the 11 step (!) process.

As a result, neither Workstation Pro or Fusion Pro are available to purchase. Customers with an active license (because they bought one before the software went free) can continue to receive customer support for the duration of their license.

VMware Workstation Pro 17.6.2

So what’s new in VMware Workstation Pro 17.6.2?

Nothing that exciting; the update doesn’t deliver any new features.

Instead, the 17.6.2 update brings “bug fixes requested by customers”, including remedies for issues affecting Linux users:

  • Fixes app crash on Linux which occurs after using Snapshot Manager
  • Taking/trying to use snapshots on Linux guest no longer makes app freeze
  • Resolves kcompactd kernel process causing VMs on Linux hosts to freeze

The ongoing issues with VMware’s multi-monitor feature have not, per the release notes, been fixed, and no workaround is yet known.

Finally, as this is the first update since the software switched to a free licensing model, VMware Workstation Pro 17.6.2 no longer asks for or offers any kind of input box for a license key during installation.

Getting the Update

Linux users can access a wide-range of virtualisation software and technologies, many of which are free and open-source. While VMware is free, closed source software it offers certain features, capabilities, and workflow integrations that suit some needs better.

(Saying that as whenever I write about anything, be it a music player, an IDE, a desktop environment, or virtualisation software, some folks will say “Why would anyone use this when there’s {similar}”).

VMware Workstation Pro 17.6.2 is available to download from today from the Broadcom support portal. To access it, creating a (free) account is required.

Anyone encountering issues with vmmon and vmnet modules failing to build during installation may wish to check out a community fix.