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ravyn
Contributor
Contributor

vmware tools on ESX/ESXi 4 with linux kernel version >= 2.6.29 (patch)

Hi all--

If anyone has already solved this, the solution is pretty well hidden from the all-seeing GooglEye (or my Google-Fu is weak) - but as I discovered last night after upgrading my OpenFiler kernel, parts of VMware Tools for vSphere (some of the important parts, like vmxnet and vmxnet3) don't build on guests using linux kernel version >= 2.6.29. (Latest OF kernel version is 2.6.29.5.something-or-other.)

Here is a patchset that I put together last night that resolves the problem (which is due to changes in a couple of struct members that were introduced somewhere between 2.6.26 and 2.6.29). Don't apply this if you're not running 2.6.29+ guests - it may or may not cause problems with pre-2.6.26 kernels. Although I tried not to do anything which I thought would break backwards-compatibility, I am not a kernel expert. I know with certainty that it works on 2.6.29 and probably will work on anything newer.

Also, there are no magical patching scripts here - you'll have to do it the old-fashioned way - untar a couple of files, apply the patch, and then tar them back up before you run your install.

If this has already been done by somebody else, well, then move along, nothing to see here. If not, the download URL and SHA1 signature appear below.

921ea122da7897e7a1062b44a0fb30e9def358e3

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5 Replies
Texiwill
Leadership
Leadership

Hello,

Moved to the VMware Tools OS-SPecific Packaging.

Have you tried OSP yet? These use the Open Source Vmware Tools which is the first place I would start.


Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009, Virtualization Practice Analyst[/url]
Now Available: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing the Virtual Environment'[/url]
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'[/url]
[url=http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Blog_Roll]SearchVMware Pro[/url]|Blue Gears[/url]|Top Virtualization Security Links[/url]|Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast[/url]

--
Edward L. Haletky
vExpert XIV: 2009-2023,
VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
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charite
Contributor
Contributor

My main problem:

the site is gone. Where to get this patch now?

Thanx,

Udo

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Texiwill
Leadership
Leadership

Hello,

Check out http://open-vm-tools.sourceforge.net/ for some ideas. These are the drivers that include support for the most recent kernels.


Best regards,

Edward L. Haletky VMware Communities User Moderator, VMware vExpert 2009, Virtualization Practice Analyst[/url]
Now Available: 'VMware vSphere(TM) and Virtual Infrastructure Security: Securing the Virtual Environment'[/url]
Also available 'VMWare ESX Server in the Enterprise'[/url]
[url=http://www.astroarch.com/wiki/index.php/Blog_Roll]SearchVMware Pro[/url]|Blue Gears[/url]|Top Virtualization Security Links[/url]|Virtualization Security Round Table Podcast[/url]

--
Edward L. Haletky
vExpert XIV: 2009-2023,
VMTN Community Moderator
vSphere Upgrade Saga: https://www.astroarch.com/blogs
GitHub Repo: https://github.com/Texiwill
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lucasrangit
Contributor
Contributor

Simple google search turned up the following post by the same author: http://ravyn440.livejournal.com/204216.html.

Download the patch from http://cauchy.deadbunny.com/vmware-tools-2.6.29-patches.tgz.

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lucasrangit
Contributor
Contributor

Anyone tried this with ESXi 4, latest vmware-tools, and Ubuntu 9.10 Server's virtual machine kernel version 2.6.31?

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