All virtual machines have a hardware version. The hardware version indicates which virtual hardware features that the virtual machine supports, such as BIOS or EFI, number of virtual slots, maximum number of CPUs, maximum memory configuration, and other hardware characteristics. The virtual machine hardware compatibility setting determines the hardware features of the virtual machine.
If you select a typical configuration, the wizard uses the default hardware compatibility setting configured in the Workstation Pro preferences. By default, the default hardware compatibility setting is the installed Workstation Pro version.
If you select a custom configuration, the New Virtual Machine wizard prompts you to select a hardware compatibility setting for the virtual machine. When you select a hardware compatibility setting, a list of the VMware products and versions that are compatible with your selection appears. Limitations and features that are not available for your selection are also listed. If a feature compatibility check box is available for your selection, you can select that check box to see a list of the additional limitations.
To deploy virtual machines to run on a different VMware product, you might need to select a hardware compatibility setting that is compatible with that product.
