VMware Workstation Server is a service that runs on the Workstation Pro host system. Remote Workstation Pro users connect to VMware Workstation Server when they run shared virtual machines on the host system.
On a Windows host, VMware Workstation Server is the VMware Workstation Server service. On a Linux host, it is vmware-workstation-server.
When you install Workstation Pro, virtual machine sharing and remote access are enabled by default and VMware Workstation Server starts when the host system starts. When Workstation Pro starts, it connects to VMware Workstation Server by using the credentials of the currently logged in user.
Remote Workstation Pro users connect to VMware Workstation Server through HTTPS port 443 on the host system. You can change the VMware Workstation Server port when you install Workstation Pro and after Workstation Pro is installed by modifying the Shared VMs Workstation Pro preference.
Shared virtual machines appear under the Shared VMs item in the virtual machine library. If virtual machine sharing is disabled, or if the current user does not have permissions to connect to VMware Workstation Server, the Shared VMs item is inactive.
If you click the Shared VMs item when virtual machine sharing is disabled, Workstation Pro returns a message that explains how to enable virtual machine sharing. If the Shared VMs item is inactive because the current user does not have the proper permissions, a login dialog box appears and you can log in as a user who can connect to VMware Workstation Server.
