trying to instal VMWare Tools on FreeBSD Guest, but can't mount cdrom

[isao]

Hi,

I have a FreeBSD 6 guest OS running in VMWare Fusion 1.1 (62573). I did:

- menu: Virtual Machine > Install VMWare Tools

- command line as root, X not installed: mount /cdrom

I get the following error:

"mount: /cdrom: unknown special file or file system"

I don't know what I'm doing wrong, /cdrom exists (it's an empty dir). I've installed the tools with Red Hat.

Any help appreciated.

Isao

[WoodyZ]

Here is what I did when I installed VMware Tools in FreeBSD 6.2

After installing FreeBSD I was unable to mount the VMware Tools freebsd.iso via the Install VMware Tools command on the VMware Fusion > Virtual Machine menu.

I shutdown the FreeBSD VM

I assigned the CD/DVD to use the freebsd.iso located at:

Macintosh HD > Library > Application Support > VMware Fusion > isoimages > freebsd.iso

Started FreeBSD VM and logged in as root.

Followed the remaining commands in the Help file "To install or upgrade VMware Tools in a FreeBSD virtual machine"

After installing Tools I changed the CD/DVD to Use Physical Disk Drive

[rcardona2k]

In the new machine wizard if you select Operating System: Other and Version: FreeBSD, Fusion will attach the correct ISO via Virtual Machine > Install VMware Tools. In addition to the Help system, VMware's Guest Operating System Guide (GOS) has invaluable steps for setting up the Tools. On the mount command sometimes you have to specify a type, e.g. -t iso9660. Details like this are in the guest operating system guide.

[isao]

thanks woody. i followed these steps exactly (power down, assign /Library/Application Support/VMWare Fusion/isoimages/freebsd.iso to the guest os CD/DVD drive, power up... virtual machines > install vmware tools..), but i get the same result:

1. mount /cdrom

mount: /cdrom: unknown special file or file system

[isao]

thanks rcardona2k, i did this as well without success. i know generally how it's supposed to go, as I've installed vmware tools on a Red Hat linux guest os. i'm just having issues with getting it to work with freebsd-6.1 😕

i also tried `mount -t iso9660 /cdrom` but got mount's usage text

[WoodyZ]

In the new machine wizard if you select Operating System: Other and Version: FreeBSD, Fusion will attach the correct ISO via Virtual Machine > Install VMware Tools.

Not necessarly in all cases as I did exactly that and it did not work! How the OP created the VM I don't know however what I posted should work since it worked for me.

[WoodyZ]

thanks woody. i followed these steps exactly (power down, assign /Library/Application Support/VMWare Fusion/isoimages/freebsd.iso to the guest os CD/DVD drive, power up... virtual machines > install vmware tools..), but i get the same result:

DO NOT invoke the Install VMware Tools command from the Virtual machine menu. As matter of fact Cancel the install from that menu and try again.

Sorry I should have been more clear about manually pointing to the .iso takes the place of the steps involving the menu part.

[isao]

i still couldn't mount the CD/DVD freebsd.iso image that way, regardless of whether I had first chosen the menu item "Install VMWare Tools".... instead, I mounted freefsb.iso on my Mac, then manually copied the tgz file over:

scp '/Volumes/VMware Tools/vmware-freebsd-tools.tar.gz' isao@freebsd6host:/tmp

then, selected the menu item "Install VMWare Tools", and on the vm, untarred and ran the vmware install script, and went thru the command line install steps. now Virtual Machine > Install VMWare Tools has changed to Virtual Machine > Update VMWare Tools, so I think it's properly installed.

so that's fine. but the reason I need vmware tools installed is to use shared folders. I have this set up via the gui, but i don't see it on the vm

on my red hat guest os, I see my shared folder at /mnt/hgfs/_my_shared_folder_

where is it supposed to be on the freebsd guest os..? there's nothing in /mnt/ ...

thanks in advance..

Isao

[WoodyZ]

where is it supposed to be on the freebsd guest os..? there's nothing in /mnt/ ...

According to the Help File FreeBSD is not one of the supported OSes for the Shared Folders feature.

[rcardona2k]

I've certainly given the path to Freebsd.iso here enough times to suspect something is wrong with Fusion mapping Other:Freebsd to freebsd.iso. I've had my freebsd machine for a while so I suspect that's a genuine bug. It's interesting when you give someone that path they figure out how to get the tools into the OS via scp or http.

[isao]

i couldn't get any iso to mount with the guest free bsd environment, although according to the docs, the menu action for "Install VMWare Tools" should make that unnecessary. i'm using a vmx from my company, so perhaps my issue is specific to that.

thanks for the info that freebsd guests don't support shared folders. i tried rtfm, and searching the site for this info without luck. anyway, thanks for all comments and help.

[dordal]

Wanted to bring this back up. Do shared folders work now?

VMWare website (http://www.vmware.com/download/fusion/drivers_tools.html) says "VMware Tools for Linux and FreeBSD guest operating systems enhance mouse, display, and shared folders functionality for Linux and FreeBSD virtual machines. " That would at least seem to imply that shared folders are working in FreeBSD. But I created one, and can't find it.

[resonantwa]

I'm interested in knowing this too. Is the support actually there now? And, more importantly, is this possible without running X? I've got to think the functionality is there regardless of wether X is running. vmware-config-tools.pl won't install without running X.

I just need to access some damn folders without having to set up NFS, AFP, etc