VMware Command Line Tools

[Introduction] [Details] [Build Notes]

Introduction

NOTE: Most functions of these programs are now covered by "vmw.exe" for Windows and "vmw.com", "vmtsr.com" for DOS (http://chitchat.at.infoseek.co.jp/vmware/vmtools.html). Also some of these programs may not work or may behave differently on recent VMware products, since they were developed on VMware Workstation 3.x and have not been updated afterwards.

VMware Command Line Tools is a set of several small and simple command line programs for DOS and Windows to use VMware's undocumented "backdoor" functions. It consists of the following programs:

Details

vmchk.com (DOS16)
vmchk.exe (WIN32)

Checks if it is running inside VMware and output the result to standard output. Also returns the result as return status (ERRORLEVEL) so you can use it in DOS batch files. If you don't want it to print to screen (for example, when using in a batch file), simply redirect the output to NUL device.

When outside VMware (i.e. in real machine), return status is 0.
When inside VMware, return status is "version number" returned by VMware.
What this "version number " means is anyone's guess.

Options:
None.

Examples:
When outside VM

    C:\>vmchk
    Not running inside VMware.

    C:\>vmchk
    Running inside VMware (version 6).

    @echo off
    vmchk > NUL

    if errorlevel 1 goto inside

    echo Not in VM!
    ...

    :inside
    echo Inside VM!
    ...

vmdev.com (DOS16)
vmdev.exe (WIN32)

Connects and disconnects devices. Also prints current device state to standard output.

Options:
vmdev [<action>][<device>]

When both <action> and <device> options are omitted, it only shows current device state list. Connected devices are marked with '+' in the list.

Examples:
To print current device state list:

    vmdev

    vmdev *
 or vmdev +*
 or vmdev +

    vmdev -*
 or vmdev -

    vmdev 2
 or vmdev +2

    vmdev -1

vmpref.com (DOS16)
vmpref.exe (WIN32)

Enables and disables following preference settings. Also prints current setting list to standard output.

• Grab when cursor enters window.
• Ungrab when cursor leaves window.
• Scroll when cursor approaches window edge.
• Copy and paste between host and guest.
• Time synchronization between host and guest.

Options:
vmpref [[<action>]<feature>]

<feature> options are case insensitive. When <feature> options is omitted, it only shows current preference setting list.

Examples:
To print current preference setting:

    vmpref
 or vmpref +
 or vmpref -

    vmpref c

    vmdev +t

    vmdev -u

vmtime.com (DOS16)
vmtime.exe (WIN32)

Synchronizes guest's clock to host's clock, when executed. Also prints updated current time to standard output. It is not capable of running background so you have to run it periodically to have host and guest in sync for a long period of time. Consider using vmw.exe for Windows guest and vmtsr.com for DOS guest for that purpose.

Options:
None

vmcopy.com (DOS16)
vmcopy.exe (WIN32)

Reads text data from standard input and copy it to host's clipboard.
Although both versions read text from standard input, DOS16 version does not accept keyboard input (actually it does, but it never waits for input so unless you can type very fast it quits before you type anything). This program is intended to be used with pipe and/or redirection.

WIN32 version can send maximum of 65,355 bytes, which I believe to be a limitation imposed by VMware. DOS16 version can handle slightly less, somewhere around 65,000 bytes.

Just like official VMware-Tools, only text data can be transferred. This is, as it turned out, because VMware performs LF - CR/LF conversion unconditionally.

For this program to work, VMware's copy & paste feature must be enabled. VMware simply doesn't pass any data when it is disabled. And here's a catch. When you use this (either DOS16 or WIN32 version) in Windows guest with official VMware-Tools running, you must disable the copy & paste feature after you sent data to host. Otherwise official VMware-Tools overwrites host's clipboard when you release cursor from guest (with text stored in guest's clipboard), so you can never retrieve the text you sent from guest.
You can automate it with a simple batch file, if you like:

    @echo off
    REM ensure that copy & paste is enabled
    vmpref +c

    REM copy data from stdin
    vmcopy

    REM now disable copy & paste
    vmpref -c

Options:
None.

Examples:
To copy text from a file:

    vmcopy < somefile.txt

    dir | vmcopy

vmscr.com (DOS16)

Reads text data from screen and copy it to host's clipboard.
There is no WIN32 version because it would be just plain useless. Use official VMware-Tools instead.

NOTE: vmtsr.com for DOS now provides the same function with a hot key combination support (you can take snapshot almost any time).

In the same way as vmcopy, this program needs that VMware's copy & paste feature enabled because VMware doesn't pass any data when it is disabled.
And be careful when you use it in Windows guest with official VMware-Tools running, you must disable the copy & paste feature after you sent data to host. Otherwise official VMware-Tools overwrites host's clipboard when you release cursor from guest (with text stored in guest's clipboard), so you can never retrieve the text you sent from guest.
You can automate it with a simple batch file:

    @echo off
    REM ensure that copy & paste is enabled
    vmpref +c

    REM copy data from stdin
    vmscr

    REM now disable copy & paste
    vmpref -c

Options:
None.

Examples:
When combined with vmpaste you can take a "screen shot" of DOS guest within the guest alone, borrowing host's clipboard.

    vmscr
    vmpaste > screen.txt

vmpaste.com (DOS16)
vmpaste.exe (WIN32)

Reads text data from host's clipboard and write it to standard output.
Like vmcopy, it is intended to be used with pipe and/or redirection.

VMware passes 65,355 bytes at maximum, and both DOS16 and WIN32 versions can handle that much. When host's clipboard holds larger data than that, VMware doesn't pass any data to guest.

VMware's copy & paste feature must be enabled for this program to work. Other precautions mentioned in vmcopy section are not necessary.

Unlike other VMTools Command Line Tools programs, this program writes error message to standard error (WIN32) or directly to screen (DOS16) because standard output is likely to be redirected.

Options:
None.

Examples:
To save text from host's clipboard to a file:

    vmpaste > somefile.txt

    vmpaste | sort > sorted.txt

vmpop.com (DOS16)
vmpop.exe (WIN32)

This program causes VMware to popup the

    A bootable CD-ROM disc, floppy diskette,
    or hard disk was not detected.

Options:
None.

Build Notes

Here are some notes about compiling/assembling VMware Command Line Tools from source files. Mostly it should be pretty straight forward if you have ever written a program yourself.

About C source files (WIN32)

• Executables in download package are build with Digital Mars Free C/C++ Compiler only because it generates smaller executables than Microsoft Visual C++.
  You can compile them with MSVC without any modification.
  You may have to edit inline assembly parts to compile them with different compilers.
• You can build DOS16 executables from the same source files if the compiler/linker supports it (Digital Mars' compiler does). In fact before I decided to write DOS16 version in assembly language, both WIN32 and DOS16 versions shared the same sources.

About assembly source files (DOS16)

• They use a lot of MASM 6 specific directives and pseudo-codes so you may not be able to build them with other assemblers.
• Segment registers handling is completely omitted from all sources. Be sure to choose DOS tiny memory model when linking them.