VMware offers a feature called Shared Folders that works without using network protocols. The guest can access certain folders in the host without requiring the host to enable these shares. It is all done via the virtual machine in which the guest system runs, and because there is no networking involved it is more conveniently set up than CIFS or SMBFS.
The VMware Workstation offers in its menu directly to add, remove and configure shared folders while older Player software can't use shared folders at all. The newer Player generation starting with 2.0 can access shared folders in the host system, but they have to be preconfigured in the VMware appliance, because the Player doesn't offer to create or configure shared folders like the Workstation.
If the VMware appliance has no shared folders configured the .vmx file (e.g. DebianEtch.vmx) which holds the configuration info has to be edited manually. Some lines have to be appended at the end of this file. Here is is an example:
isolation.tools.hgfs.disable = "FALSE" sharedFolder.maxNum = "2" sharedFolder0.present = "TRUE" sharedFolder0.enabled = "TRUE" sharedFolder0.readAccess = "TRUE" sharedFolder0.writeAccess = "TRUE" sharedFolder0.hostPath = "C:\Data" sharedFolder0.guestName = "DataOnC" sharedFolder0.expiration = "never" sharedFolder1.present = "TRUE" sharedFolder1.enabled = "TRUE" sharedFolder1.readAccess = "TRUE" sharedFolder1.writeAccess = "TRUE" sharedFolder1.hostPath = "D:\Data" sharedFolder1.guestName = "DataOnD" sharedFolder1.expiration = "never"
These lines above are an example for two shared folders. They have to be adapted to the number of shared folders you want, their path names and the names under which they can be accessed from the guest system. The first line that starts with
isolation.tools.hgfs.disable =
may already be somewhere in the .vmx file. If that is the case remove this other line. There has to be only one line that controls whether shared folders are disabled or not.
The next line
sharedFolder.maxNum = "2"
has to be adjusted for the number of shared folders that the guest shall be able to access. Finally a block of lines declare and configure each shared folder. Copy and paste these blocks and edit:
- the number before the period in each line of the block. Note that the numbering starts with 0 but the single line that defines the number of folders counts from 1. So in this example with 2 folders the last block is numbered as "1" while the maxNum is "2"
- the hostPath which in the first example block is set to: C:\Data
- and the corresponding example guestName: DataOnC