How to Install Windows Server 2016 on VMware Workstation

How to Install Windows Server 2016 on VMware Workstation

In the previous post, we have introduced Windows Server 2016 and the new features that have been added to Windows Server 2016. Please visit the following links and have a quick look to review these features. In this post, we will demonstrate a step by step guide to install Windows Server 2016 on VMware Workstation or Player. We assume that you have already downloaded the latest Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview ISO image file.

• Download Windows Server 2016 Technical Preview ISO image
• What’s new in Windows Server 2016

Before installing Windows Server 2016, ensure that your system meets the minimum system requirements. Click here to check the system requirements for Windows Server 2016.

Installing Windows Server 2016

To install Windows Server 2016 on VMware Workstation using ISO image, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Make sure that you have installed the latest version of VMware Workstation or VMware Workstation Player and the VMware console is active.
2. On the VMware console, select File and then select New Virtual Machine to create a new virtual machine.
3. On the New Virtual Machine Wizard, click Next.
4. On the Guest Operating System Installation page, select the Installer disc image file (iso): radio button.
5. Browse the location of the Windows Server 2016 ISO image file and then click Next.

Note: If you use the VMware platform that automatically detects the version of the Windows server, you may be asked to set the product key, operating system edition, and the Administrator account’s password.

6. On the Select a Guest Operating System page, select the Windows Server 2016. If Windows Server 2016 is not listed (if you use an older version of VMware Workstation), select the highest supported version of Windows server, and then click Next.
7. On the Name and Virtual Machine page, specify the name of the virtual machine in the Virtual machine name field. In the Location field, navigate the location where you want to save the virtual machine and then click Next.
8. On the Specify Disk Capacity page, select Store virtual disk as a single file, optionally you can also set the disk size as well. 50 GB disk space would be enough for the testing purpose. Click Next.
9. On the Ready to Create Virtual Machine page, click Finish and close the Virtual Machine Settings window.
10. Power on the virtual machine. The Windows Setup page should be displayed. Press any if the Press any key to boot message appears. Click Next, and then click Install Now.
11. On the Select the operating system you want to install page, select the Windows Server 2016 Desktop Experience, and then click Next.
12. On the License terms page, select the I accept the license terms check box and navigate to the Which type of installation do you want page. Since we are going to perform the clean installation of Windows Server 2016, select the Custom option, and then click Next.
13. On the Where do you want to install Windows page, click Next. The installation process will begin, after 10-15 minutes the Customize settings screen will display.
14. Set the desired password for the Administrator account and sign in to your Windows Server 2016 virtual machine.

That’s all you need to do to install Windows Server 2016 on VMware platform. Drop your queries in the comment box, if you have something to say us. Do share the article.

July 20, 2016 by ProTechGurus

Configuring VMware Network Connections Types

The virtual networking components in VMware Workstation and Player include the virtual switches, virtual network adapters, virtual DHCP server, and NAT device. You can configure any of the following types of VMware network connections for a virtual machine:

• Bridged
• NAT
• Host-only
• Custom

Let’s understand and configure each of the VMware network connections in detail.

Bridged

It connects a virtual machine to a network by using the network adapter on the host system. If the host system is on a network, this option is often the easiest way to allow the virtual machine to access to the physical network as well as the Internet.
Recommended posts:

• Sharing files between host and VMware virtual machine
• Download the latest version of VMware Workstation Player
• Install Hyper-V on VMware virtual machine

To configure the bridged networking between virtual machines and the host system, you need to perform the following steps:

1. Select the virtual machine and open Virtual Machine Settings options.
2. On the Virtual Machine Settings window, under the Hardware tab, select Network Adapter in the left pane, and then select the Bridged: Connected directly to the physical network.

Note: If you use the virtual machine on a laptop, select the Replicate physical network connection state check box. This setting allows the IP address to be renewed when you move from one wired/wireless network to another.

NAT

In this option, the virtual machines get the IP address and other TCP/IP settings from the virtual DHCP server. This is the default selection for the all virtual machines in VMware Workstation. The following figure shows the NAT network connection in VMware Workstation.

Host-only

It creates a network that provides a network connection between the virtual machines and the host system by using a virtual network adapter.
To configure the host-only networking, you need to perform the following steps:

1. On the Virtual Machine Settings window under the Hardware tab, select Network Adapter in the left pane.
2. Select the Host-only: A private network shared with the host radio button and click OK to close the Virtual Machine Settings  as shown in the following figure.

The Custom and LAN segment are two other available options in VMware Workstation. The Custom option allows you to add the virtual machines in a specific virtual network. You can think a custom network as a separate virtual switch. The LAN segment allows you to create a separate LAN segment with the custom incoming and outgoing bandwidth. To set the desired bandwidth for a LAN segment in VMware Workstation, click Advanced and set the desired values as shown in the following figure. 

Note: Some of the VMware network connections may diifer depending on the version of VMware Workstaion/Plyaer being used.

Adding a Virtual Network Adapter

When you create a new virtual machine, a virtual network adapter for the virtual machine is automatically created. If it is not added automatically or removed accidently, you can add a new virtual adapter to a guest operating system at any time.
To add a virtual network adapter to a virtual machine in VMware Workstation or Player, you need to perform the following steps:

1. On the Virtual Machine Settings window under the Hardware tab, click Add.
2. On the Hardware Type page, select Network Adapter, and then click Next.
3. On the Network Adapter Type page, select any of the Network connection, such as Host-only, and then click Finish.

That’s all you need to understand and configure VMware network connections. We hope you found this article useful for you.