VMware Workstation Pro 25H2 USB 3.2 Virtual Hardware

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Broadcom Releases VMware Workstation Pro 25H2: Faster USB, Expanded Linux Support, and a New Lease on Life

VMware Workstation Pro 25H2 (Build 24995812) is now available, bringing important updates to the popular desktop virtualization software. The release focuses on improved hardware support,expanded compatibility with the latest Linux distributions,and addresses several key bugs. Notably, the addition of USB 3.2 support dramatically improves performance when using external SSDs within virtual machines. This comes alongside a surprising declaration: VMware Workstation Pro and Fusion Pro are now free for all uses,quashing rumors of the software’s discontinuation.

Key Improvements in Version 25H2

This release isn’t just a minor update; it introduces several critically important changes that enhance the virtualization experience.

* USB 3.2 Support: This is arguably the biggest betterment. USB 3.2 allows for significantly faster data transfer speeds to external storage devices connected to virtual machines. this is crucial for tasks like running databases, editing large video files, or using virtual machines as portable development environments.
* Virtual Hardware Version 22: A new abstraction layer provides access to more modern hardware features within guest operating systems. This improves overall performance and compatibility.
* Hyper-V/WHP Recognition: Improved compatibility when running VMware Workstation Pro alongside other virtualization solutions like Hyper-V and the windows Hypervisor Platform (WHP). This is beneficial for developers and IT professionals who need to test software across multiple virtualization environments.
* Expanded Guest OS Support: The list of supported guest operating systems has been expanded to include the latest distributions:
* red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
* Fedora Linux 42
* openSUSE Leap 16.0 (RC)
* SUSE Linux 16 (Beta)
* Debian 13
* Oracle Linux 10
* VMware ESX 9.0
* Expanded Host OS Support: The following are now supported as host operating systems:
* Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10
* Fedora 42
* openSUSE Leap 16.0 (RC)
* SUSE Linux 16 (Beta)
* Debian 13

Performance and Compatibility Details

The introduction of Virtual Hardware version 22 is a significant architectural change. It allows guest operating systems to leverage more of the underlying host hardware, resulting in improved performance. The recognition of Hyper-V and WHP is particularly critically important for Windows users who may have these features enabled for other purposes. VMware is attempting to coexist peacefully with these technologies, reducing potential conflicts.

here’s a table summarizing the key OS support changes:

Bug Fixes and Known Issues

Broadcom has addressed several bugs in this release, improving stability and usability:

* Fixed: Crashes when exiting full-screen mode on Linux.
* Fixed: Incorrect event viewer messages on Windows.
* Fixed: Performance issues with support bundle capture.
* Fixed: 3D acceleration issues with Intel Meteor Lake GPUs (Core Ultra 100) under Linux.
* Removed: The vctl utility (command-line tool for container operations).

However, some known issues remain:

* Windows 11 Networking: Network problems may occur when using NAT mode during Windows 11 installation. Workaround: Switch to bridge mode during installation.
* RHEL 10 3D Acceleration: With 3D acceleration enabled, the installation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux 10 may freeze with a gray screen.