Ubuntu Maverick Meerkat + kernel 2.6.35-9 VMWare Tools fails to build

[rhandom]

I am trying to make VMWare Tools to build on th 2.6.34-9 kernel in Ubuntu Maverick Meerkat so it will function properly. At the moment drag and drop does not work well and I need a GRUB2 hack to start Ubuntu properly. On rebuilding VMWare Tools using sudo ./install.pl I get the following errors:

MODULEBUILDDIR= modules

make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.35-9-generic'

CC /tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmxnet-only/vmxnet.o

/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmxnet-only/vmxnet.c: In function ‘vmxnet_load_multicast’:

/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmxnet-only/vmxnet.c:2795: error: ‘struct net_device’ has no member named ‘mc_list’

/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmxnet-only/vmxnet.c:2805: error: ‘struct net_device’ has no member named ‘mc_count’

/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmxnet-only/vmxnet.c:2806: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type

/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmxnet-only/vmxnet.c:2807: error: dereferencing pointer to incomplete type

make[2]: *** Error 1

make[1]: *** module/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmxnet-only Error 2

make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.35-9-generic'

make: *** http://vmxnet.ko Error 2

make: Leaving directory `/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmxnet-only'

The fast network device driver (vmxnet module) is used only for our fast

networking interface. The rest of the software provided by VMware Tools is

designed to work independently of this feature.

If you wish to have the fast network driver enabled, 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.

Full build failure report has been attached.

Any ideas when we will get an updated WMWare Tools that will build on the latest kernel or how I can fix this?

NB See also https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/source/open-vm-tools/bug/598542

[rhandom]

Well, Open VM-Ware just rolled out an upgrade that deails with all the 2.6.35 kernel problems as well as vsock and another issue. When will WMWara Fusion VmWare Tools get an upgrade?

[rhandom]

Well still need to start up Maverick Meerkat using a workaround

#Maverick Meerkat 2.6.35 bootproblem fix

GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text

under VMWare Fusion 3.0.1 . I have had no news on this from the VMWare fusion team nor have I had a reply to this thread. Does anyone know when WMWare Tools will be upgraded to support the kernel used by Ubuntu Maverick Meerkat - 2.6.35.x ?

[stenorman2001 · Accepted solution]

From past experience, both VMWare and Parallels tend to only release updates for their tools as the release of those operating systems is finalised.

There is also a chance that either the kernel version or X might be updated as newer builds of Ubuntu 10.10 become available. I guess they don't want to spend time updating the tools, and then in two weeks find they need to do it again.

If your spending a lot of time using beta UNIX/Linux products, I'd recommend running VirtualBox for those as the tools are updated more rapidly. Just be sure not to try and run a VirtualBox VM and a VMWare Fusion virtual machine at the same time - you'll get a kernel panic on Mac OS X.

[rhandom]

Thanks a lot for the useful answer Stenorman2001. Decided to install Virtual Box alongside VMWare Fusion for the bleeding edge OS such is my current Ubuntu Maverick Meerkat. On the Virtual Box Maverick Meerkat starts up and installs without any problems and works well with the latest kernel. Where VMWare Fusion will only start up with a workaround in /etc/fault/grub/ using GRUB_GFXPAYLOAD_LINUX=text VirtualBox works out of the box .