Automatically fit the host display in linux

[UlyssesOfEpirus]

This is really a player question, but it seems discussions cannot be started in the player section. How do I get the autofit feature where a booting guest with the vmware tools installed ends up with a display that fits into the host display? I have seen this happens automatically in windows guests, but not in linux guests. I have installed the latest vmware tools, is anything else required?

[AWo]

For Linux and X the following applies:

• Before you can use the Autofit Guest and Fit Guest Now options, VMware Tools must be running.

• All the restrictions for resizing that the X11 Windows system imposes on physical hosts apply to guests:

• You cannot resize to a mode that is not defined. The VMware Tools configuration script can add a large number of mode lines, but you cannot resize in 1-pixel increments as you can in Windows. VMware Tools adds modelines in 100-pixel increments. This means you cannot resize a guest larger than the largest mode defined in your X11 configuration file. If you attempt to resize larger than that mode, a black border appears and the guest stops increasing.

• The X server always starts up in the largest resolution that is defined. You cannot avoid this restriction. The XDM/KDM/GDM login screen always appears at the largest size. But Gnome and KDE allow you to specify your preferred resolution, so that you can reduce the guest display size after you log in.

If it doesn't work after you login check KB 1779.

AWo

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Edited by AWo

[UlyssesOfEpirus]

Thanks. I have no problem resizing the window of the VM and seeing that the guest display changes to any arbitrary size (autofit?). My difficulty is, how do I get the guest to remember the last (arbitrary) display size it had before it was rebooted, which for me is 1262 x 925 on a 1280 x 1024 host (so the VM window fits in the host display).

Windows guests remember this arbitrary resolution and end up with this resolution after a bootup. Can't linux guests do the same? No command to set the guest display to any arbitrary size? If a mouse drag can do it, what's stopping the designers of vmware from providing a command to do it too? It could then be called from the .xsessionrc script or something.

[AWo]

Hmmm, I use KDE and you can configure your preferred size in the controlcenter.

AWo

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[UlyssesOfEpirus]

KDE is probably the same as the LXDE that I am using in this respect: it only allows you to choose standard resolutions like SVGA, XGA, WXGA etc. But I want linux to remember an arbitrary resolution like 1262 x 925 because this fits into the host display. If windows can remember it, why not linux too.

[AWo]

Try KB 1003. It describes on how to create custom resolutions for a VMware guest. In addition it describes on how to use these in Windows. That might not be necessary for Linux....

AWo

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[UlyssesOfEpirus]

From KB 1003 I tried the following in the .vmx:

svga.maxWidth = 1280

svga.maxHeight = 1024

svga.vramSize = 20971520

Linux seems to be ignoring these settings - with gnome you are allowed to choose larger resolutions that the one specified above. And gnome remembers the resolution after a reboot. Putting my custom resolution of 1262 x 925 in the above settings does not work either, gnome ignores the settings. LXDE likewise.

[AWo]

Sorry, don't know.....

AWo

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