Contents of the Virtual Machine Package

The files that describe a virtual machine are bundled in a package in Mac OS X.

Virtual machine files have different functions, as shown in Files in the Virtual Machine Package. Some of these files, like the lock files, are created when the virtual machine runs.

Table 1. Files in the Virtual Machine Package

File	Description
Virtual disk file(s) *.vmdk	This can be a single large file or many 2GB portions, depending on how you set up your disk and if you have snapshots.
Configuration file *.vmx	A plain text file describing the virtual machine, such as which files it uses, how much RAM it gets, and a variety of other settings.
BIOS file *.nvram	This contains information such as the virtual machine's boot order.
Log file vmware.log	This is a plain text file that contains information on the most recent run of the virtual machine. The next-most-recent is called vmware-0.log, then vmware-1.log, and finally vmware-2.log. If you ever have a problem with Fusion, you might be asked to provide this file.
Lock files *.lck	These files are created for the configuration and disk files when the virtual machine is running.
Memory files *.vmem	Snapshot files are an example of memory files.