VMware Communities: 1.1.2 and SuSE 10.3 ...

4 Replies Last post: Apr 25, 2008 12:06 AM by dp_fusion

1.1.2 and SuSE 10.3

Apr 24, 2008 4:04 PM

dp_fusion 232 posts since
Feb 23, 2007

This new build did not improve the problem with installing and running VMWare tools. The Tools rpm installs fine (rpm -ivh ...) and running the configure Perl script seems to work well - the binaries are build and install, but on stopping and starting the X window environment it goes into an infinite loop of flashing screens. The process stops when the X Window counter senses too many restarts. I do love the snaphot feature for the ability to recover from these failures but I also wish the new tools would install and run properly.

Reply Re: 1.1.2 and SuSE 10.3 Apr 24, 2008 4:37 PM

WoodyZ 5,167 posts since
Apr 22, 2004

At the present time Suse 8.3 is not a supported Guest OS and it is my understanding that the Fusion 1.1.2 maintenance release covered only a handful of issues with supported OSes and or kernels.

It is also my understanding that the developers are aware of many of the the issues with unsupported OSes and kernels, however it is further my understanding that it is VMware policy is to not comment on unannounced features, timelines, products, etc. so until they decide to announce something it's a wait and see...

Have you looked at tring to get http://open-vm-tools.sourceforge.net/ to work?

Maybe Mufassa's reply in Problem compiling vmmemctl module after hitting Fedora 8 update button may offer some help with open-vm-tools.

Reply Re: 1.1.2 and SuSE 10.3 Apr 24, 2008 4:52 PM

in response to: WoodyZ

dp_fusion 232 posts since
Feb 23, 2007

My intent was to inform other readers of my experience. You do bring up a good point about supported OS's. Since I got this OS from the Virtual Appliances page perhaps it would be a good addition to add to each appliance offering which VM player a VM will run in.

In my case it runs ok in Fusion exactly as downloaded from the VA site, but is using the original VMWare tools that were installed in the original appliance. My bet is it was not a VM created in Fusion. I've not tried the opensource tools yet but have been following the threads. My preference is that VMWare create a flat model for installing tools that works regardless of the VM player so that these machines retain their portability. I use this exact appliance with VMWare's player for Windows and it works perfectly there and the tools update correctly.

Reply Re: 1.1.2 and SuSE 10.3 Apr 24, 2008 6:27 PM

in response to: dp_fusion

WoodyZ 5,167 posts since
Apr 22, 2004

It is my understanding that a Virtual Appliance of a supported OS will work unmodified in VMware Player, VMware Workstation and VMware Server for Windows and Linux as well as VMware Fusion for the Mac when built according to best practices.

http://www.vmware.com/files/pdf/vam_best_practices_building.pdf

However for what should be obvious reasons the same can't be said for unsupported OSes and or kernels.

There are Certified Virtual Appliance to ensure a virtual appliance is safe to deploy in a production environment and there are even more that are not certified yet are available and may have been built just for the fun of it much less what falls in between. So it's sort of you get what you pay for so to speak. I know that over simplifying it a bit but other then the ones that are VMware Certified I think the standards are not necessarily uniformly enforced throughout nor do I believe VMware regulates the non certified virtual appliances to any more of a degree then the forums as an example. The free Virtual Appliances are nice segment of the technology however caveat emptor certainly applies.

Reply Re: 1.1.2 and SuSE 10.3 Apr 25, 2008 12:06 AM

in response to: WoodyZ

dp_fusion 232 posts since
Feb 23, 2007

If you review this document starting at around page 25 you quickly see that except for Windows and Red Hat linux, support for guests under Fusion is very spotty relative to other VMWare systems. That hardly supports any claim that the virtual machines are portable, generally. It's a shame and to be honest, a bit annoying that a product like Fusion which VMWare claims is intended for a consumer market has such poor support for consumer linux distributions, and not much support for enterprise versions. Add to that their tortured policy of not providing much guidance for what the future holds and what's a buyer to do? It doesn't seem unreasonable that they could provide some strategic guidance without giving away dark secrets. But I've drifted from the topic.

http://www.vmware.com/pdf/GuestOS_guide.pdf

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