Can't run VMware on Azure VM

Question

Hi everybody,

I created a virtual machine in azure with Windows Server 2016 and I installed VMware workstation. Whenever I try to run a VM in VMware workstation I keep getting this error:

VMware Workstation and Hyper-V are not compatible. Remove the Hyper-V role from the system before running VMware Workstation.

Transport (VMDB) error -14: Pipe connection has been broken.

I already checked the roles and made sure Hyper-V was deselected but the error still shows up when I run VMware workstation

Answer 1

You can not run VMware workstation in Azure VM (atleast as of now). The only Virtualization application that supports in an Azure Virtual Machine is Hyper-V. Refer https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/user-guide/nested-virtualization#3rd-party-virtualization-apps.

If you have requirement to create virtual machines inside your Azure VM, you may use Hyper-V and Nested Virtualization.

Refer: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/virtualization/hyper-v-on-windows/user-guide/nested-virtualization#3rd-party-virtualization-apps

Hope this helps

Answer 2

Hi @ELIS ,

Welcome on Microsoft Q&A

Please try Windows 10 OS on your test machine as it's supported by VMware:
https://www.vmware.com/products/workstation-player.html
Please also look into this article created by Pantelis Apostolidis (MVP) - just for reference:
https://www.cloudcorner.gr/microsoft/azure/vmware-workstation-player-on-azure-vm-for-testing/#google_vignette

Please upvote or accept as answer if it helped.

Answer 3

Additional details further to the above answers

VMware workstation software is not compatible in Azure VMs as this needs Virtualization to be enabled from the hardware level. However, Nested virtualization supports installing Hyper-V in Azure Virtual machines.
Note that, nested Virtualization is not supported on non-Microsoft hypervisor like VMWare, as it cannot provide end-to-end support required for sunning a virtual machine inside azure virtual machine as shown below:

You may re-enable Hyper-V and follow the steps to start creating your virtual machines using Hyper-V.

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--please don't forget to upvote and Accept as answer if the reply is helpful--