VMware has a track record of releasing a compatibile version of VMware Workstation soon after every major release of Windows. This year was no exception, just one month after Windows 10 became widely available.
It's the last time too, with all future Windows releases delivered as incremental upgrades of Windows 10. It will be interesting to see how often future releases of VMware Workstation arrive.Click image to buy.
I will soon be testing Workstation 12 extensively on my SuperServer Workstation's 2TB Samsung 850 EVO SSD with Windows 10 Pro, and on the go, that same SSD in my laptop. I use Workstation for access to my encrypted work VM that's based on Windows 7 Pro, giving it triple monitor support. That's something that RDP to a Windows 7 VM can't do (Microsoft restriction). Of course, I also love the ability to do snapshots easily, at any time, and easily move VMs into and out of ESXi 6.0.0b.
VMware Workstation 12 Pro Release Notes, here's some excerpts of most interest to me:
VMware Workstation 12 Pro | 24 AUG 2015 | Build 2985596
Last updated: 24 AUG 2015
Full support of Windows 10
VMware Workstation Pro provides the following support for Windows 10:
Run Windows 10 as a virtual machine
Run Windows 10 as a host operating system
Windows 10 Auto Detect and Easy Install
Unity support for Windows 10
Migrate Windows 10 PC to a virtual machine
...
Performance improvements for suspending and resuming encrypted virtual machines
Click image to buy.
...
Support 4K monitors with high resolution UI
Support for multiple monitors with different DPI settings
If you aren't sure if you need Workstation or Player, read:
If you're on a Mac, or you have a Mac that you dual boot between OS X and Windows 10, then VMware Fusion 8 is a great way to go, with Windows 10 bootcamp drivers now out. Click image to buy.
Note that anything 2011 or older isn't listed, such as my family's beloved MacZilla.
These systems still work great for many even 9+ years later, mine included, even with (unsupported) vSphere 8 and Windows 11 Version 21H2. But unless you added the optional TPM module, it may be the end of the line as far as repurposing them for running the latest Windows 11 Version 24H2 and beyond.
After 6 successful years testing then shipping well over 1,000 Xeon D Bundles, Wiredzone had to stop SuperServer bundles in mid-2021 due to cost, supply, and logistics challenges. Bare bones system sales continued for years longer.
What's next in 2025? I don't yet have my answer for my home lab, especially now that VCF certification is required to keep non-production home lab licenses going, even as a vExpert and VMUG Advantage EVALExperience customer.
As for a SuperServer follow-on, the Xeon D-1700/2700 (Ice Lake D) was a minor refresh for 2023, with Xeon D-1800/2800 (Granite Rapids D) refresh slightly better in 2024, and hopefully Xeon 6 (Granite Rapids-D) much better in 2025 featuring PCIe Gen5, MCRDIMMs, and 100GbE networking, wow! Feb. 27 2025 update update looks promising, but pricey. Infortunately, it's become clear to me that Supermicro is less focuses on the mini-tower form factor these days.
As for the CPU industry, it's unfortunate that Pat Gelsinger was apparently ousted from Intel's helm in these challenging times, but I'm also grateful to have had the honor of working at VMware when he was the CIO there. I'll leave it at that, given the whole Broadcom thing.
These systems still work great for many even 9+ years later, mine included, even with (unsupported) vSphere 8 and Windows 11 Version 21H2. But unless you added the optional TPM module, it may be the end of the line as far as repurposing them for running the latest Windows 11 Version 24H2 and beyond.