How to Create Shared Folder for VM Palyer

Using Shared Folders

With shared folders, you can easily share files among virtual machines and the host computer. To use shared folders, you must have the current version of VMware Tools installed in the guest operating system and you must configure your virtual machine settings to specify which directories are to be shared.
VMware Workstation 5 includes new performance enhancements for shared folders.
You can use shared folders with virtual machines running the following guest operating systems:

Windows Server 2003

Windows XP

Windows 2000

Windows NT 4.0

Linux with a kernel version of 2.4 or higher

To set up one or more shared folders for a virtual machine, be sure the virtual machine is open in Workstation and click its tab to make it the active virtual machine. Choose VM > Settings > Options and click Shared folders.

You can add one or more directories to the list. Those directories may be on the host computer or they may be network directories accessible from the host computer.

Adding a Shared Folder on a Windows Host

(To add a shared folder on a Linux host, see Adding a Shared Folder on a Linux Host.)

1. Choose VM > Settings

2. Select Options

3. Click Shared Folders

4. Click Add to open the Add Shared Folder Wizard and click Next

5. Enter a name and location for the shared folder and click Next

Name — This is the name that appears inside the virtual machine.

Host folder — The path on the host to the directory you want to share. Type in the full path or browse to the directory.

6. Enter attributes for the shared folder.

Enable this share — Select this option to enable the shared folder. Deselect this option to disable the shared folder without deleting it from the virtual machine configuration. You may want to add a folder to the list without enabling it immediately. You can then enable the folder at any time by clicking its name in this list, clicking Properties and enabling the folder in the Properties dialog box.

Read-only — Select this option to prevent the virtual machine from changing the contents of the shared folder in the host file system. Access to files in the shared folder is also governed by permission settings on the host computer.

Disable after this session — Select this option to disable the virtual machine's connection to the folder when the virtual machine is powered off or suspended. Leave this box unchecked to specify that the folder is always enabled.

7. Click Finish.

Adding a Shared Folder on a Linux Host

(To add a shared folder on a Windows host, seeAdding a Shared Folder on a Windows Host.)

1. Choose VM > Settings

2. Select Options

3. Click Shared Folders

4. Click Add to open the Shared Folder Properties dialog box.

5. Enter the following information for the shared folder.

Name — This is the name that appears inside the virtual machine.

Host folder — The path on the host to the directory you want to share. Type in the full path or browse to the directory.

Enable this share — Select this option to enable the shared folder. Deselect this option to disable the shared folder without deleting it from the virtual machine configuration. You may want to add a folder to the list without enabling it immediately. You can then enable the folder at any time by clicking its name in this list, clicking Properties and enabling the folder in the Properties dialog box.

Read-only — Select this option to prevent the virtual machine from changing the contents of the shared folder in the host file system. Access to files in the shared folder is also governed by permission settings on the host computer.

Disable after this session — Select this option to disable the virtual machine's connection to the folder when the virtual machine is powered off or suspended. Deselect this option to specify that the folder is always enabled.

6. Click OK.

Viewing a Shared Folder

Shared folders appear differently, depending on the guest operating system. The following sections describe viewing shared folders in Windows and Linux guests.
Note: You can use shared folders to share any type of file. However, Windows shortcuts and Linux symbolic links do not work correctly if you try to use them via shared folders.

Caution: Do not open a file in a shared folder from more than one application at a time. For example, you should not open the same file using an application on the host operating system and another application in the guest operating system. In some circumstances, doing so could cause data corruption in the file.

Viewing Shared Folders in a Windows Guest

In a Windows guest operating system, you can view shared folders using Windows Explorer. Look in My Network Places (Network Neighborhood for a Windows NT guest) under VMware Shared Folders.
Note: If you have trouble finding a shared folder when using the desktop icon for My Network Places (or Network Neighborhood in Windows NT), instead open Windows Explorer and look in My Network Places (Network Neighborhood). The Windows desktop icon does not display an option for Entire Network.
For example, if you specify the name Test files for one of your shared folders, you can navigate to it by opening My Network Places > VMware Shared Folders > .host > Shared Folders > Test files.
You can also go directly to the folder using the UNC path
\\.host\Shared Folders\Test files.
You can map a shared folder to a drive letter just as you would with a network share.
Note: If your guest operating system has VMware Tools from Workstation 4.0, shared folders appear as folders on a designated drive letter.

Viewing Shared Folders in a Linux Guest

In a Linux virtual machine, shared folders appear under /mnt/hgfs.
To change the settings for a shared folder on the list, click the folder's name to highlight it, then click Properties. The Properties dialog box appears.
Change any settings you wish, then click OK.