VMware Remote Console provides client device connection and console access to virtual machines on a remote host. After installing VMware Remote Console on your local computer, you can launch the external VMware Remote Console application directly from the VMware vSphere or vRealize Automation web client. This article will serve as an informative guide and give you a clear understanding of how to perform a silent installation of VMware Remote Console from the command line using both EXE & MSI installers.
How to Install VMware Remote Console Silently
VMware Remote Console Silent Install (EXE)
- Navigate to: https://softwareupdate.vmware.com/cds/vmw-desktop/vmrc/12.0.2/19968993/windows/vmrc-windows.tar
- Download the vmrc-windows.tar to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Extract the contents of vmrc-windows.tar with 7-Zip to “C:\Downloads\VMRC”
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the “C:\Downloads\VMRC” folder
- Enter the following command:
VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress
- Press Enter
After a few moments you will find VMware Remote Console entries in the Installation Directory and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | VMware Remote Console |
| Vendor: | VMware, Inc. |
| Architecture: | x86_x64 |
| Installer Type: | EXE |
| Silent Install Switch: | VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /v/qn EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress |
| Silent Uninstall Switch: | See Uninstall Section Below |
| Download Link: | https://www.vmware.com/go/download-vmrc |
| PowerShell Script: | https://silentinstallhq.com/vmware-remote-console-install-and-uninstall-powershell/ |
VMware Remote Console Silent Install (MSI)
- Navigate to: https://softwareupdate.vmware.com/cds/vmw-desktop/vmrc/12.0.2/19968993/windows/vmrc-windows.tar
- Download the vmrc-windows.tar to a folder created at (C:\Downloads)
- Extract the contents of vmrc-windows.tar with 7-Zip to “C:\Downloads\VMRC”
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Navigate to the “C:\Downloads\VMRC” folder
- Extract the MSI by entering the following command:
- VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.exe /s /x /v”/qn”
- Press Enter
- Navigate to: “C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Temp\{BB5D80D4-AC3C-4B81-8F2C-1B24E29C7179}~setup” (GUID may vary)
- Copy the vcredist_x64.exe and VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.msi to “C:\Downloads\VMRC”
- Enter the following commands:
vcredist_x64.exe /install /quiet /norestart |
MsiExec.exe /i VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn |
After a few moments you will find VMware Remote Console entries in the Installation Directory and Programs and Features in the Control Panel.
| Software Title: | VMware Remote Console |
| Vendor: | VMware, Inc. |
| Architecture: | x86_x64 |
| Installer Type: | MSI |
| Silent Install Switch (Step 1) | vcredist_x64.exe /install /quiet /norestart |
| Silent Install Switch (Step 2) | MsiExec.exe /i VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn |
| Silent Uninstall Switch: | |
| Download Link: | https://www.vmware.com/go/download-vmrc |
| PowerShell Script: | https://silentinstallhq.com/vmware-remote-console-install-and-uninstall-powershell/ |
The information above provides a quick overview of the software title, vendor, silent install, and silent uninstall switches. The download links provided take you directly to the vendors website. Continue reading if you are interested in additional details and configurations.
Additional Configurations
Create a VMware Remote Console Installation Log File
The MSI installer offers the option to generate a log file during installation to assist with troubleshooting should any problems arise. You can use the following commands to create a verbose log file with details about the installation.
VMware Remote Console (MSI) Silent Install with Logging
MsiExec.exe /i VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 DATACOLLECTION=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn /L*v "%WINDIR%\Temp\VMWareRC-Install.log" |
Change VMware Remote Console Default Installation Directory
You can also change the default installation directory by using the following command line parameters. In this example, I’m installing VMware Remote Console to “C:\VMware Remote Console”
VMware Remote Console (EXE)
|
VMware Remote Console (MSI)
MsiExec.exe /i VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 INSTALLDIR="C:\VMware Remote Console" REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn |
Disable VMware Remote Console Automatic Updates
VMware Remote Console (EXE) Silent Install with Automatic Updates Disabled
|
VMware Remote Console (MSI) Silent Install with Automatic Updates Disabled
MsiExec.exe /i VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 AUTOSOFTWAREUPDATE=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn |
Disable Sending User Experience Information to VMware
VMware Remote Console (EXE) Silent Install with Data Collection Disabled
|
VMware Remote Console (MSI) Silent Install with Data Collection Disabled
MsiExec.exe /i VMware-VMRC-x.y.z-xxxxxxxx.msi EULAS_AGREED=1 DATACOLLECTION=0 REBOOT=ReallySuppress /qn |
How to Uninstall VMware Remote Console Silently
Check out the VMware Remote Console Install and Uninstall (PowerShell) post for a scripted solution.
- Open an Elevated Command Prompt by Right-Clicking on Command Prompt and select Run as Administrator
- Enter the following command:
| Version | VMware Remote Console Silent Uninstall String |
12.0.2 | MsiExec.exe /x {BB5D80D4-AC3C-4B81-8F2C-1B24E29C7179} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress |
12.0.1 | MsiExec.exe /x {E37F6937-B7BA-4D67-A747-9BEAC2E12380} /qn REBOOT=ReallySuppress |
Always make sure to test everything in a development environment prior to implementing anything into production. The information in this article is provided “As Is” without warranty of any kind.
