VMWare Fusion 1.1.2 and Ubuntu 8.04/Linux 2.6.24 - Step By Step

[diamondsw]

All credit goes to Mufassa for coming up with the excellent approach to installing VMWare Tools on recent Linux distros. I turned it into a step-by-step post on my blog, and published it as a document.

In summary:

• Install any dependencies not shipped with a default Ubuntu install (build-essentials, libgtk2.0-dev, libproc-dev, libdumbnet-dev, xorg-dev)

• Get the official and open tools, and extract them

• Compile the open tools

• Rename and tar them as expected by the official tools

• Overwrite the official tools archives with the open ones

• Install them using the official tools install script

Enjoy!

[Pat_Lee]

Thanks to you for taking the time to document this, it is greatly appreciated.

Pat

[hkoster1]

You could also download the "open-vm-source" and "open-vm-tools" packages from Debian testing, http://packages.debian.org/testing/admin/open-vm-{source,tools} to some Download directory. From that directory, installation as follows:

1. Install the "debhelper", "dpatch" and "module-assistant" packages.

2. Run the "sudo m-a prepare" command.

3. Install the above mentioned source package with the "sudo dpkg -i open-vm-source.....deb" command.

4. Compile/install the modules with the "sudo m-a a-i open-vm" command.

5. Install the above mentioned tools package with the "sudo dpkg -i open-vm-tools.....deb" command

That should do it, works for me.

[hankhero]

Thanks for this,

I followed the step by step document, it works but I want to share some minor details.

For VMWare Fusion 1.1.3 Ubuntu 8.04 on 10 july 2008

build-essentials is called build-essential without an s.

Also required was libicu-dev

I got permisson denied on the for ..do line, resolve it like this:

cd vmware-tools-distrib/lib/source

chmod a+rw *

Then continuing as explained.

Thanks again, great! Sad and strange that this issue is not prioritized by vmware.

[hankhero]

After trying it out for an hour or, I am not very happy with the solution. The mouse-movement is very sluggish, the pointer moves very unresponsive. If it doesn't get better I will have to roll back to my snapshot of ubuntu 7.10. I saw another thread with some people upset about VMWare:s slow Linux support, I agree fully with them. Having to mess with things like this for one of the most common software developer platforms (debian/ubuntu) is not what I expected, I think vmware are a bit out of touch with their customers.

Update:

I found a solution:

It need a reboot to work good, restarting only X got me two mouse pointers. Which is a feature I always have wanted for pair programming and for keeping people behind my shoulder from putting greasy fingerprints on my screen. But that bonus dissappeared after a reboot.

[majortom67]

Referring to the following link (document):

http://communities.vmware.com/docs/DOC-4810

at step nr. 4 I immediately get the following line:

simon@KubuntuMacBook:~/desktop/open-vm-tools-2008.07.01-102166/modules/linux$

Nothin happens, it is an immediate result. I'm not English so I hope my explanationis clear.

Is it correct? I don't think so as Shared Folders do not work and networking works regardless routing (roaming) is still enabled and network type is still on DHCP.

Any suggestion?

Many Thanks.

Simon

[majortom67]

OK, npw pt. 4 is OK as for suggestions from previous 3d.

The problem is now lots of errors at pt. 3 regardless also installing the libicu-dev package... very sad for my 2nd experience with a Linux Distro... hope it's just a virtualization problem but I don't want it now as a direct boot until I get familiar with it.