VMWare Fusion 11 and Pro ships with full Mojave, 18-core iMac Pro, i9 MacBook Pro support

AppleInsider · September 25, 2018 4:55PM

VMware has released new editions of its Fusion 11 and Fusion 11 Pro virtualization software for running Windows applications on macOS, with the latest version featuring Metal-powered Direct3D 10.1 content support, updates to the user interface, and other additions.

A new enhanced metal graphics rendering engine in VMware Fusion 11 has been updated with DirectX 10.1 compatibility on supported hosts. This includes support for anti-aliasing as well as Geometry and Compute shaders, games and apps that require DirectX 10.1 or fall back to it from DirectX 11, when running on a Windows 7, 8, or 10 virtual machine.

Fusion 11's new Application Menu makes it quicker to access the Virtual Machine Library, change view modes and settings, and launch Windows applications from a single click. The menu is able to run without Fusion, allowing users to launch relevant VM instances when required.

A new Finder integration is at the top of the VM Window, which can be used to navigate to anywhere in the running VM's folder tree. Drag and drop file location printing is also supported, by dragging the VM name to Terminal or any text-input field to automatically type the VM file path.

Touch Bar MacBook Pro users will see more options for customizing the touch-enabled strip, with new contextual actions for the VM Library and the VM Window.

Both versions offer one-click SSH to rapidly connect to any Linux VM running an OpenSSH or similar service, with the option to save the password rather than entering it in each time it is required.

Using VMware Virtual Hardware Platform 16, Fusion 11 includes a number of improvements relating to security, performance, and stability, and support for newer Macs including the MacBook pro with a 6-core Intel i9 processor, and the 18-core iMac Pro.

To save space, Fusion can be set to automatically perform a "disk clean up" operation on a Windows virtual machine whenever it is shut down.

For Fusion 11 Pro, there are new controls in the Fusion REST API for configuring virtual networking, and a new vSphere view supporting ESXi 6.7 and with detailed views of Hosts and Clusters.

Available now, Vmware Fusion 11 and Fusion 11 Pro cost $79.99 and $159.99 respectively. Owners of Fusion 8, 8.5, and 10 are eligible for upgrade pricing of $49.99 and $119.99, depending on version, while those who bought Fusion 10 since August 21st will automatically receive an upgrade to the newest version.

djames4242 · September 25, 2018 5:06PM

Okay - but can you yet switch multiple monitors between host and guest operating systems independently? Parallels has allowed this as far back as I can recall, but the previous version of Fusion still did not have this capability and it's been a dealbreaker for me as I often want to work side-by-side in multiple operating systems (without having to necessarily integrate their windows via Unity).

sflocal · September 25, 2018 6:11PM

djames4242 said:

Okay - but can you yet switch multiple monitors between host and guest operating systems independently? Parallels has allowed this as far back as I can recall, but the previous version of Fusion still did not have this capability and it's been a dealbreaker for me as I often want to work side-by-side in multiple operating systems (without having to necessarily integrate their windows via Unity).

I use Fusion on an iMac with a Thunderbolt monitor. I switch my VM’s between monitors often with zero issues. Can you clarify the problem you’re having?

cpsro · September 25, 2018 6:37PM

Fusion 11 supports 16 cores maximum, not the 18 (or 36 with HyperThreads) found in the top-end iMac Pro configuration. Fusion 11 VMs also support 64 GB maximum. Parallels Desktop (which I have no experience with) is advertised as supporting 32 virtual cores and 128 GB memory.

Can someone tell me where Fusion's support for virtual NVMe is hidden?

edited September 2018

sflocal · September 25, 2018 7:07PM

cpsro said:

Fusion 11 supports 16 cores maximum, not the 18 (or 36 with HyperThreads) found in the top-end iMac Pro configuration. Fusion 11 VMs also support 64 GB maximum. Parallels Desktop (which I have no experience with) is advertised as supporting 32 virtual cores and 128 GB memory.

Can someone tell me where Fusion's support for virtual NVMe is hidden?

I'm trying to wrap my head around why anyone would want to run a VM on a Mac utilizing almost all the cores and memory of the host machine? Case use please?

ikir · September 25, 2018 9:50PM

metal acceleration is very welcome

cpsro · September 25, 2018 11:36PM

sflocal said:

cpsro said:

Fusion 11 supports 16 cores maximum, not the 18 (or 36 with HyperThreads) found in the top-end iMac Pro configuration. Fusion 11 VMs also support 64 GB maximum. Parallels Desktop (which I have no experience with) is advertised as supporting 32 virtual cores and 128 GB memory.

Can someone tell me where Fusion's support for virtual NVMe is hidden?

I'm trying to wrap my head around why anyone would want to run a VM on a Mac utilizing almost all the cores and memory of the host machine? Case use please?

Scientific computing

djames4242 · September 26, 2018 1:08AM

sflocal said:

djames4242 said:

Okay - but can you yet switch multiple monitors between host and guest operating systems independently? Parallels has allowed this as far back as I can recall, but the previous version of Fusion still did not have this capability and it's been a dealbreaker for me as I often want to work side-by-side in multiple operating systems (without having to necessarily integrate their windows via Unity).

I use Fusion on an iMac with a Thunderbolt monitor. I switch my VM’s between monitors often with zero issues. Can you clarify the problem you’re having?

The problem I ran into when I had Fusion 7 was that, if I switched one of my displays between host and/or guest, the other display would also switch. To clarify, I could swipe one display between them, but if I clicked in either display, the other monitor would update to display the operating system I had clicked on. I could not, for example, view a Mac application on my left monitor while working in a VM on my right monitor.

According to VMware's knowledge base and forum posts I read, this behavior still existed with Fusion 10. It's a shame because VMware's licensing is far preferable to Parallels' one-license-per-host scheme. I believe a Fusion license can be used on up to three hosts.

djames4242 · September 26, 2018 1:09AM

(Also, one thing I wish Fusion would allow is for a Mac guest to occupy more than one display. Parallels allows you to use multiple displays with Windows and Linux guests, but not with Mac guests which can only occupy a single display. I believe Fusion also does not allow multiple displays with MacOS guest VMs)

bestkeptsecret · September 26, 2018 6:01AM

That last time I used an Virtualisation software was when Fusion was on 4. I bought it and also tried that year's Parallels version for a bit.

I didn't have the need for either after that, until now. Now I'm thinking of buying Parallels only because it is cheaper than Fusion where I stay.

sflocal · September 26, 2018 6:28AM

djames4242 said:

sflocal said:

djames4242 said:

Okay - but can you yet switch multiple monitors between host and guest operating systems independently? Parallels has allowed this as far back as I can recall, but the previous version of Fusion still did not have this capability and it's been a dealbreaker for me as I often want to work side-by-side in multiple operating systems (without having to necessarily integrate their windows via Unity).

I use Fusion on an iMac with a Thunderbolt monitor. I switch my VM’s between monitors often with zero issues. Can you clarify the problem you’re having?

The problem I ran into when I had Fusion 7 was that, if I switched one of my displays between host and/or guest, the other display would also switch. To clarify, I could swipe one display between them, but if I clicked in either display, the other monitor would update to display the operating system I had clicked on. I could not, for example, view a Mac application on my left monitor while working in a VM on my right monitor.

According to VMware's knowledge base and forum posts I read, this behavior still existed with Fusion 10. It's a shame because VMware's licensing is far preferable to Parallels' one-license-per-host scheme. I believe a Fusion license can be used on up to three hosts.

I can place my VM on my iMac (primary monitor) and the MacOS on the 2nd monitor with no problem. Been doing that fine with Fusion 10. Prior to that, I was only using my iMac so I can't really say. I just upgraded to Fusion 11 (I like to remain current) and it still works fine.

The only "quirk" is that when opening a MacOS window, sometime MacOS will attempt to open it on my primary monitor, essentially swiping my VM to another virtual desktop. It's not a big deal for me as I simply swipe back to the VM and all is well again. I'm not quite certain if that is what you're referring to. That quirk is so minuscule to me, I naturally swipe back in an instant, not even thinking about it.

I really have zero issues on it. Many times I'll put the VM on my primary monitor, or simply drag it (as a window) to my 2nd monitor and make it full-screen. 99% of the time it stays put.

Fusion 11 (so far) has been really solid during my 1st full day with it. I use it extensively.

sflocal · September 26, 2018 6:30AM

cpsro said:

sflocal said:

cpsro said:

Fusion 11 supports 16 cores maximum, not the 18 (or 36 with HyperThreads) found in the top-end iMac Pro configuration. Fusion 11 VMs also support 64 GB maximum. Parallels Desktop (which I have no experience with) is advertised as supporting 32 virtual cores and 128 GB memory.

Can someone tell me where Fusion's support for virtual NVMe is hidden?

I'm trying to wrap my head around why anyone would want to run a VM on a Mac utilizing almost all the cores and memory of the host machine? Case use please?

Scientific computing

So there's a group of people that want to run a scientific "something" VM on a Mac and utilize almost all the host resources?

capserghst42 · September 26, 2018 7:14AM

One of the big differences between Parallels and VMware Fusion is the license price - Parallels cost more or less the same as when I got Parallels 4 back in 2008, where as VMware find new and interesting ways to raise the price. Now you have to pay ~180€ the Pro version, last time I upgraded (which was to VMware Fusion 8) I paid 80€ ... I think I"ll be skipping VMware going forward, and find something else when my VMware Fusion 8 stop working.

VMware has been bashed for their licensing over the years, in some ways they are even worse than Oracle....

pmh · September 26, 2018 11:21AM

I'm having a problem justifying upgrading Fusion to 11. Unlike DJames who doesnt seem to have used any recent Fusion versions, I've never had any issues over the last 5 years maximizing a VM in Fusion to either an internal or an external screen. Yeah, if you want the VM to use more than one screen, that's not possible but I'm generally maximizing the VM to a workspace on one or the other and not trying to span VMs. Fusion v10.1.3 seems to work without any issues on my Mojave MacMini that's my test platform before I chance upgrading my 2018 rMBP. Linux VMs, Windows 10 VMs, Windows Server 2012 & connecting to an ESXi server all work without any issues. So, what does Fusion v11 add? - Metal support: I don't game on my Mac: Unneeded as the perf on v10.1.3 is more than sufficient. - i9 support on my rMBP: How so? Does Fusion 10 NOT support the 12 cores it says it does already?!? - Touchbar support: Without _any_ pointers to how this is setup and what the limitations are, this means little. A pointer to some documentation would be wonderful. - Mojave support: What, are they saying that v10.1.3 ISN'T working or that it has bugs on Mojave that they already know about but refuse to fix? - Updated VM infrastructure to counteract Meldown & other predictive weaknesses in Intel CPUs: OK, this speaks to me and has value - Support of the Windows Fall Update: Also has possible value. Is VMWare saying that the Fall Update breaks v10.1.3? - Access to v11.X.Y updates. Understandable.

macpro · September 26, 2018 12:42PM

djames4242 said:

Okay - but can you yet switch multiple monitors between host and guest operating systems independently? Parallels has allowed this as far back as I can recall, but the previous version of Fusion still did not have this capability and it's been a dealbreaker for me as I often want to work side-by-side in multiple operating systems (without having to necessarily integrate their windows via Unity).

I have both VMware and Parallels as I have often mentioned but this year I repurposed a 2012 Macmini with an SSD and more RAM and made the BootCamp parton as large as feasible. It runs Windows 10 Pro perfectly and thanks to Microsoft's latest Remote Desk Top app I can have macOS and Windows on all or any of my three monitors running on the Mac Pro with Mojave. I'll never need to virtualize Windows again. MS's RDT even fully supports copy and paste of not only text and graphics but whole folders full of items.

djames4242 · September 26, 2018 3:49PM

sflocal said:

I can place my VM on my iMac (primary monitor) and the MacOS on the 2nd monitor with no problem. Been doing that fine with Fusion 10. Prior to that, I was only using my iMac so I can't really say. I just upgraded to Fusion 11 (I like to remain current) and it still works fine.

The only "quirk" is that when opening a MacOS window, sometime MacOS will attempt to open it on my primary monitor, essentially swiping my VM to another virtual desktop. It's not a big deal for me as I simply swipe back to the VM and all is well again. I'm not quite certain if that is what you're referring to. That quirk is so minuscule to me, I naturally swipe back in an instant, not even thinking about it.

I really have zero issues on it. Many times I'll put the VM on my primary monitor, or simply drag it (as a window) to my 2nd monitor and make it full-screen. 99% of the time it stays put.

Fusion 11 (so far) has been really solid during my 1st full day with it. I use it extensively.

It sounds like you're using your VM full-screen on a single display. I have both my host MacOS and guest (usually Windows 10, but frequently various Linux distributions) running full screen on both displays. It works perfectly in Parallels (which I believe has a Full Screen option that allows you to either switch both 'spaces' separately or to link them). My experience with Fusion was that, when you switched your 'space' on one monitor from your host to a guest OS display and then clicked on a window on that display, the other display's space would switch to match. That is, you cannot have both your host and guest OSes running full screen on multiple displays and have those displays work independently.

djames4242 · September 26, 2018 3:53PM

MacPro said:

I have both VMware and Parallels as I have often mentioned but this year I repurposed a 2012 Macmini with an SSD and more RAM and made the BootCamp parton as large as feasible. It runs Windows 10 Pro perfectly and thanks to Microsoft's latest Remote Desk Top app I can have macOS and Windows on all or any of my three monitors running on the Mac Pro with Mojave. I'll never need to virtualize Windows again. MS's RDT even fully supports copy and paste of not only text and graphics but whole folders full of items.

That's actually a really interesting solution. It's not quite as seamless, but it would certainly work and allow you to free up resources on your Mac. Earlier this year I finally updated my mid-2011 Mac Mini because its dual core i5 just wasn't enough to run a VM smoothly. It worked okay, but it was definitely slow. The current Mini being four years old and only available with a dual core, I opted for a top-of-the-line quad-i7 iMac. It cost me well over $3000, but it allows me to run multiple VMs simultaneously without noticing any performance issues.

I could have simply bought a new Mac Mini for half the price and repurposed my old one as you did and used RDP to connect. I'm glad to have the performance of the iMac, and the display is gorgeous - but for the development work I do, I really don't need this much power

edited September 2018

VMWare Fusion 11 and Pro ships with full Mojave, 18-core iMac Pro, i9 MacBook Pro support

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