VMWare Tools/Ubuntu 9.04 issue - "Unable to build the vmhgfs module."
c718333 Apr 24, 2009 6:50 AM
Because vmhgfs did not built correctly during the VMWare tools installation, I am unable to access my VMWare "Shared Folders".
I tried to create a new virtual machine in VMWare Fusion 2.0.4 (159196) running Ubuntu 9.04 (Jaunty Jackalope) using the ubuntu-9.04-desktop-i386.iso installer. During the creation of the VM I DID NOT use the "Linux Easy Install".
Once the installation was complete I attempted to install the VMWare Tools. Everything was going along fine, until the VMWare tools installer gave the error "Unable to build the vmhgfs module". Now I am unable to access the "Shared Folders" through VMWare.
This is the relevant output from the VMWare Tools installation:
Extracting the sources of the vmhgfs module.
Building the vmhgfs module.
Using 2.6.x kernel build system.
make: Entering directory `/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only'
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.28-11-generic/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic'
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/backdoor.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/backdoorGcc32.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/bdhandler.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/cpName.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/cpNameLinux.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/cpNameLite.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/dentry.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/dir.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/file.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/filesystem.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/fsutil.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/hgfsBd.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/hgfsEscapeLinux.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/hgfsUtil.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/inode.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/kernelStubsLinux.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/link.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/messageBackdoor.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/message.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/module.o
CC /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/page.o
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/page.c: In function ‘HgfsDoWriteBegin':
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/page.c:763: warning: ISO C90 forbids mixed declarations and code
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/page.c: In function ‘HgfsWriteBegin':
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/page.c:867: error: implicit declaration of function ‘__grab_cache_page'
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/page.c:867: warning: assignment makes pointer from integer without a cast
make[2]: *** /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/page.o Error 1
make[1]: *** \[_module_/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.28-11-generic'
make: *** \[vmhgfs.ko\] Error 2
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only'
Unable to build the vmhgfs module.
The filesystem driver (vmhgfs module) is used only for the shared folder
feature. The rest of the software provided by VMware Tools is designed to work
independently of this feature.
If you wish to have the shared folders feature, you can install the driver by
running vmware-config-tools.pl again after making sure that gcc, binutils, make
and the kernel sources for your running kernel are installed on your machine.
These packages are available on your distribution's installation CD.
\[ Press Enter key to continue \]
A blog post at http://laptopbisnis.blogspot.com/2009/04/ubuntu-904-beta-in-vmware-fusion.html addresses this issue, and the solution is to edit a line in the page.c file, re-tar the modified folder, and then re-run the VMWare tools installation. When I try to re-run the VMWare tools installation, however, I get the following error:
The following VMware kernel modules have been found on your system that were
not installed by the VMware Installer. Please remove them then run this
installer again.
vmxnet
vmblock
vmci
vmmemctl
I.e. - 'rm /lib/modules/2.6.28-11-generic/misc/<ModuleName>.{o,ko}'
Execution aborted.
Any help would be appreciated.