VMware Fusion is a virtual machine software product developed by VMware for Macintosh computers with Intel processors. Fusion allows Intel-based Macs to run x86 and x86-64 "guest" operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris as virtual machines simultaneously with Mac OS X as the "host" operating system using a combination of virtualization, emulation and dynamic recompilation. While similar in most respects to VMware Workstation, Fusion contains some unique features such as support for running Mac OS X Server as a guest operating system, and mapping the Mac OS X user's desktop, documents, music and pictures folders to the equivalent Special Folders in Microsoft Windows.

Overview

Fusion is VMware's first entry into the emerging Macintosh x86 virtualization market, which has been made possible by the Apple Intel transition. Fusion utilizes Intel virtualization technology present in the Intel Core microarchitecture platform. Much of the underlying technology in Fusion is borrowed from other VMware products, such as VMware Workstation, allowing Fusion to offer features such as 64-bit and SMP support from the first beta version onward. Built on VMware's history of enterprise virtualization technology, Fusion's strength lies in its high-performance rather than its features and OS X/Windows integration.

Fusion 1.0 was released on August 6, 2007, exactly one year after being announced.

System requirements

• An Intel-based Mac (64-bit guest operating systems require a EM64T-capable processor)
• 1 GB of RAM (2 GB or more recommended)
• 400 MB free disk space for VMware Fusion
• 5 GB free disk space for each virtual machine (10 GB or more recommended)
• Mac OS X version 10.4.11 or later

Features

platforms.

Direct X 9.0 is supported in VMWare Fusion through dynamic recompilation to OpenGL instructions in Windows XP Service Pack 2 virtual machines. Hence, users can play supported games through Fusion or run applications which require 3D graphics.

32-bit and 64-bit guest operating systems are supported by VMWare Fusion . Over 60 operating systems are supported, including Windows Vista, Windows XP, Linux, and Solaris. There is also support for Windows XP Service Pack 2 Boot Camp partitions: a user can use his Windows Boot Camp partition, eliminating the need for two separate Windows installations.1 In addition, VMWare Fusion offers support of up to 8 GB of memory on guest 64-bit operating systems, and up to 16GB of RAM on Mac Pros and Xserves.

Snapshots enable users to save a stable state of the guest operating system to disk, allowing users to quickly return to their virtual machine without the need of rebooting.