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RedNectarChris
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How do I install VMware tools properly on Linux Mint 15 Cinnamon on Fusion 5.0.3

Hi,

Firstly, I understand that Linux Mint is UNSUPPORTED (Aside: Anyone know if this is going to change?), so I appreciate any help.  My main problem is with Shared Folders

Dead Ends

So far I have run into a few dead ends:

1. I watched Installing VMware Tools in Linux Mint 15 Cinnamon (Olivia) - YouTube - but this install was on "VMware Workstation 9.0.2" and the author admits "I don't know whether it works or not with fusion."

2. I downloaded a copy of the latest vmwaretools for linux from CDS Repository - /www/stage/session-32/cds/vmw-desktop/fusion/5.0.3/1040386/packages only to find that it was exactly the same as the vmwaretools package that fusion gives me anyway VMwareTools-9.2.2-893383

Some Success

I have had some slight success in running the following commands before attempting to install - it seems to stop error messages:

apt-get update

sudo apt-get install build-essential

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-`uname -r`

sudo apt-get install xinetd

But my MAJOR PROBLEM IS...

When I try to turn on shared folders while the guest is running, I see a message:

VMware folder sharing failure.jpg

Or if I turn on shared folders when the guest is NOT running, I don't get an error message - but I don't see hgfs folder under /mnt either

Other research

I read Can't see shared folders in Linux Guest (Windows Host) and Re: File sharing on Player betw host and guest doesn't work on Ubuntu 13.04 and even tried running WoodyZ's vmtoolspatch script from that post - with the following result:

user@GNS3WB62 /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib $ ./vmtoolspatch

patching file driver.c

Reversed (or previously applied) patch detected!  Assume -R? [n] n

Apply anyway? [n] y

Hunk #1 FAILED at 152.

Hunk #2 FAILED at 1978.

Hunk #3 succeeded at 1962 (offset -71 lines).

2 out of 3 hunks FAILED -- saving rejects to file driver.c.rej

patching file inode.c

Reversed (or previously applied) patch detected!  Assume -R? [n] n

Apply anyway? [n] y

Hunk #1 succeeded at 62 with fuzz 2 (offset 12 lines).

To install VMware Tools type the following

commands, pressing Enter after each:

cd /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib

sudo ./vmware-install.pl

But after installing VMware tools the shared folders still didn't work.

My plea

Has anyone had success with shared folder with Linux Mint 15 Cinnamon (32 bit - no codecs) guest on Fusion 5.0.3, and if so could you share the steps you used?

My system details

I have attempted this using VMware Fusion 5.0.3 on both a

MacMini running Lion Server (OS X 10.7.5) 2 GHz Intel Core i7 16GB DDR3 and a

MacBook Pro running Mountain Lion (OS X 10.8.4) 2.8 GHz Intel Core Duo 8GB DDR3

I have only attempted this using Linux Mint 15 Cinnamon (32 bit - no codecs)

RedNectarChris Producer: GNS3WorkBench http://rednectar.net/gns3-workbench Moderator: GNS3 Forum
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WoodyZ
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Okay, starting with the base install created using the linuxmint-15-cinnamon-dvd-nocodecs-32bit.iso image under VMware Fusion 5.0.3 I did the following.

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

sudo ln -s /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)/include/generated/uapi/linux/version.h /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)/include/linux/version.h

Extracted vmtoolspatch.zip to my Home Directory.

Extracted VMware Tools VMwareTools-9.2.2-893683.tar.gz to: /tmp

Opened a Terminal, which defaults to the Home Directory, then:

wkz@linuxmint15x86nc ~ $ ./vmtoolspatch

patching file driver.c

patching file inode.c

To install VMware Tools type the following

commands, pressing Enter after each:

cd /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib

sudo ./vmware-install.pl

wkz@linuxmint15x86nc ~ $ cd /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib

wkz@linuxmint15x86nc /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib $ sudo ./vmware-install.pl

Once VMware Tools were installed I rebooted and had access to VMware Shared Folders.

So this works with the base install however I did not run apt-get update or then apt-get upgrade or use a kernel other then the default.  So once that changes then the scrip may not work and I don't have the time to test every variable and am only trying to provide a somewhat automated workaround just to make it easier to patch based on  what's said in the Notes section in the script.  Really do not want maintain this and others can build on it and or do something similar.

Make sure the Date/Time stamp on the vmtoolspatch file is Jul 15 00:04:00 2013 as that is the one that worked with this test.

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WoodyZ
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Have a look at my reply Re: File sharing on Player betw host and guest doesn't work on Ubuntu 13.04 and use the the vmtoolspatch Bash Shell Script that's attached to the reply.  Note that even though it's in the VMware Player Forum and an Ubuntu Guest nonetheless you can use that script in VMware Fusion 5.0.3 and Linux Mint 15 Cinnamon.

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RedNectarChris
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@WoodyZ, I do appreciate you taking the time to look at my question.  However, if you look closely you will see that I have already documented a) the fact that I did already look at this post and b) gave an account of the errors I received when I attempted to run the script.  I will repaste it here for your convenience (hopefully this time the <pre> formatting will work!!)

user@GNS3WB62 /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib $ ./vmtoolspatch

patching file driver.c

Reversed (or previously applied) patch detected!  Assume -R? [n] n

Apply anyway? [n] y

Hunk #1 FAILED at 152.

Hunk #2 FAILED at 1978.

Hunk #3 succeeded at 1962 (offset -71 lines).

2 out of 3 hunks FAILED

-- saving rejects to file driver.c.rej

patching file inode.c

Reversed (or previously applied) patch detected!  Assume -R? [n] n

Apply anyway? [n] y

Hunk #1 succeeded at 62 with fuzz 2 (offset 12 lines).

I did also try answering y to the "Assume -R" questions too - but neither worked.

RedNectarChris Producer: GNS3WorkBench http://rednectar.net/gns3-workbench Moderator: GNS3 Forum
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WoodyZ
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Hey sorry I didn't read the OP completely...  I used the regular version of Linux Mint 15, so tomorrow I'll have to test it with the no codecs version and see how it goes.

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WoodyZ
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Okay, I downloaded and installed linuxmint-15-cinnamon-dvd-nocodecs-32bit.iso under VMware Fusion 5.0.3 and applied vmtoolspatch and the output was exactly as expressed in the previously linked thread and VMware Tools installed and the VMware Shared Folders feature worked.  So obviously something isn't right and apparently I swapped out the default linux.iso and linux.iso.sig files a while back and didn't remember that I did that.  So as I ran diff -Naru against the target files found in the respective tarballs in the linux.iso from VMware Workstation 9.0.2 and what should have been VMware Fusion 5.0.3 and the attached tarbals in  Re: VMtools installation problem on Ubuntu 13.04 I wasn't getting the real results.  So my suggestion would be to use the VMware Tools for Linux from VMware Workstation 9.0.2 as I do not have time at the moment to recode the vmtoolspatch to account for the actual diff between all the pieces.

In short, using the linux.iso from VMware Workstation 9.0.2 with linuxmint-15-cinnamon-dvd-nocodecs-32bit.iso and vmtoolspatch under VMware Fusion 5.0.3 works as expected within the constraints of the original source.

I do not know if/when I'll have time to modify the script to account for both VMwareTools-9.2.2-893683.tar.gz, VMwareTools-9.2.3-1031360.tar.gz and the attached tarballs in the source thread and since using VMwareTools-9.2.3-1031360.tar.gz will work under the circumstances I have no intent at the moment to maintain the vmtoolspatch script.  This issue at the moment AFAIC is how you can get the linux.iso from VMware Workstation 9.0.2 and I'll have to leave that up to you as I just do not have the time otherwise.

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WoodyZ
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Okay, I updated the vmtoolspatch Bash Shell Script so give it another try as it should now work with both VMwareTools-9.2.2-893683.tar.gz and VMwareTools-9.2.3-1031360.tar.gz.  The Date/Time stamp on the old vmtoolspatch script is Jul  7 00:00:00 2013 and the new one is Jul 15 00:02:00 2013.   You can download it again from: Re: File sharing on Player betw host and guest doesn't work on Ubuntu 13.04

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WoodyZ
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Okay, starting with the base install created using the linuxmint-15-cinnamon-dvd-nocodecs-32bit.iso image under VMware Fusion 5.0.3 I did the following.

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

sudo ln -s /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)/include/generated/uapi/linux/version.h /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)/include/linux/version.h

Extracted vmtoolspatch.zip to my Home Directory.

Extracted VMware Tools VMwareTools-9.2.2-893683.tar.gz to: /tmp

Opened a Terminal, which defaults to the Home Directory, then:

wkz@linuxmint15x86nc ~ $ ./vmtoolspatch

patching file driver.c

patching file inode.c

To install VMware Tools type the following

commands, pressing Enter after each:

cd /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib

sudo ./vmware-install.pl

wkz@linuxmint15x86nc ~ $ cd /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib

wkz@linuxmint15x86nc /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib $ sudo ./vmware-install.pl

Once VMware Tools were installed I rebooted and had access to VMware Shared Folders.

So this works with the base install however I did not run apt-get update or then apt-get upgrade or use a kernel other then the default.  So once that changes then the scrip may not work and I don't have the time to test every variable and am only trying to provide a somewhat automated workaround just to make it easier to patch based on  what's said in the Notes section in the script.  Really do not want maintain this and others can build on it and or do something similar.

Make sure the Date/Time stamp on the vmtoolspatch file is Jul 15 00:04:00 2013 as that is the one that worked with this test.

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RedNectarChris
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@WoodyZ.  I really appreciate the time and effort you put into this.  And you DID solve my problem, but i did have to make one tiny change to your script, which I think is worth keeping even if it doesn't work for everything.

I had to change line 47 from:

VMT922=`ls -l driver.c | grep "define compat_bool bool"`

to

VMT922=`cat driver.c | grep "define compat_bool bool"`

So you have been a HUGE help to me - I know it is a pretty thankless job but trust me, your efforts are appreciated by many members of the community, and this is not the first time you have solved a problem of mine - it is just the other problems you solved were posted by other people and I sponged off your answers!

RedNectarChris Producer: GNS3WorkBench http://rednectar.net/gns3-workbench Moderator: GNS3 Forum
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WoodyZ
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I actually edited it again, one last time! Smiley Wink, and the issue was finding a constant or something more practical to determine which version of VMware Tools.  So if you look at it you'll see that I changed the test to:

VMT922VMCI=`grep -m 1 -o "1187840 Oct 31 17:28 vmci.tar" ./vmware-tools-distrib/FILES`

VMT923VMCI=`grep -m 1 -o "1187840 Feb 25 18:37 vmci.tar" ./vmware-tools-distrib/FILES`

if [ -n "$VMT922VMCI" ]; then

if [ -n "$VMT923VMCI" ]; then

So this is much better test for version and will be easier to modify going forward.  I changed a couple other lines but had nothing to do with testing version.

Anyway, glad to see that in the end it all worked out for you. Smiley Happy

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WoodyZ
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I had to change line 47 from:

VMT922=`ls -l driver.c | grep "define compat_bool bool"`

to

VMT922=`cat driver.c | grep "define compat_bool bool"`

That was a typo! Smiley Happy   Actually something that I missed between the previous test which was testing for the date on the file however because it displays differently depending on the Guest OS, etc. I settled for testing against info in the FILES file.

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