For Linux users, this is a critical decision. You generally have two options for installing VMware Tools on your Linux VMs:
What is the difference between open-vm-tools and VMware Tools ISO?
/usr/lib/vmware/isoimages/
On an ESXi host, these images are typically stored in the /usr/lib/vmware/isoimages/ or /vmimages/tools-isoimages/ directory. Installing VMware Tools - Broadcom TechDocs
Alternatively, you can access the legacy VMware Tools release repository directly: https://packages.vmware.com/tools/releases . The latest folder within always contains the most recent version. vmware tools iso
Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt update && sudo apt install open-vm-tools open-vm-tools-desktop RHEL/CentOS/Rocky Linux: sudo dnf install open-vm-tools
To help tailor any further assistance with your virtualization setup, please let me know: For Linux users, this is a critical decision
VMware is gradually moving away from the ISO model. For Linux, open-vm-tools is now the standard. For Windows, VMware now distributes an offline MSI bundle separate from the ISO. However, for legacy systems, air-gapped environments, and automation scripts, the remains a critical tool in every administrator’s library.