Paste text from host to guest console (linux)

[dezzadk]

Hello everyone. Since I got a new job I got the opportunity to try out the new VMware Workstation 9.

I am troubled by not being able to copy/paste cut/paste from host (Windows 7) to my Linux guest (Debian Wheezy, no GUI) ...

I've attached two files since the "Attach Image" function on this website appears blank.

It seems the only hints in the knowledge base on copy & paste only discusses it in X-environments.

I want to copy/paste into console, like I can do in VirtualBox.

I was also unable to find any way to submit a normal support request, so I hope to get an answer here, this site seems like it has alot of problems with compatability in Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, but finally I reached this far in Google Chrome, the others would keep redirecting me back to home when I tried to log in to communities!

[a_nut_in]

See if this helps

Go to edit settings for the VM > Options tab > Guest Isolation > Enable the Copy and paste option

[dezzadk]

This is not the problem it has been enabled all the time.

I also installed vmtools just in case anyone wanted to mention this.

[Borja_Mari]

Hi,

the vmware tools have to be installed.

If installed, then the copy & paste should work between host and guest.

Select some text in the windows host (ctrl + v, as usual) and put the mouse inside the guest. Then, paste inside the guest is done with right click (or middle click in some mouses).

Hope this helps.

Regards,

Pablo.

[dezzadk]

Look, I tried

• Fedora 18
• Ubuntu (12.10) (no weird spinoff, plain Ubuntu Desktop with Unity and everything)
• Debian Wheezy

within this week only,

This must be representing a great deal of the common linux distributions in todays environments - However, the "COPY & PASTE" doesn't work ...

It seems it's so hard to get something commonly used, I am suspecting there's a problem with a VMware tools module ...

I included additional images to highlight my point and proof of VMware tools install, since people just don't read the topic description.

[Bernd_Nowak]

I tried with Ubuntu Desktop 12.04 LTS and it's working.

But the menu you are using has complete different function. This is for copy/paste in VMware itself. Select a VM in the left tree and you can copy it. And then paste it in the tree.

I checked and if copy and paste is working you can use SHIFT-INSERT to copy text to a terminal and CTRL + V to copy text/files to other stuff like the ubuntu desktop.

[dezzadk]

OK!

Copy/Paste/Shared clipboard from Windows Host to Linux Guest works now in my Ubuntu guest WITH A X-server / Desktop Environment running, however this is not the purpose of this question.

Apparently you can't copy/paste in headless or 'text' mode at all.

I booted the same (working Ubuntu guest, that is verified VMware tools is installed) with a 'text' kernel boot parameter appended so I booted straight into the console.

I can't paste by any common methods like SHIFT-INSERT, CTRL+SHIFT+INSERT or RIGHT-CLICK (this works in VirtualBox in headless 'text' / barebones linux distributions without "Desktop Environments" with a "Shared Clipboard") ...

I am told by someone on #vmware that it is not possible.

Which I am quite ASTONISHED to hear, if this feature is really left out of the commercial product !

[Bernd_Nowak]

In a 'headless' enviroment it does not work for a long time but I was responding to the post above mine. It's a desktop and there it works.

For headless servers I only try to configure the networking and use putty from then

For sure I would love to have the ability to copy and paste.

[dezzadk]

Then I will have to use my boss' VMware account to write to commercial support for our VMware Workstation license and do a proper ranting !

WHAT CAN VMWARE WORKSTATION DO THAT VIRTUALBOX CANNOT!??!?!?

Well, apparently, the clipboard is broken in VMware Workstation, lulz !

I maybe expected too much from it for personal users ... It's not cheap though ...

[bmathis]

It makes sense that this is not possible in a Linux text console because a text console is not the same thing as an SSH console.  A VMWare text console is emulating a VGA display device, so all it can see is a "picture" of the screen, and it does not know what the individual characters are, nor where the cursor is, what's highlighted, etc...  The closest you could get would be similar to taking a screenshot then using OCR software to convert the screenshot into text.  An SSH terminal on the other hand can understand each individual letter, and all kind of other control codes, etc... so you can copy text as you expect.

The only way that "paste" would be possible is by emulating the keyboard as if the user is actually typing the data at the keyboard.  It would be nice if VMWare implemented this, but I guess that the audience for such a feature is pretty small.

VMware tools allows copy/paste from a GUI environment through back-channel memory access and communication between the host and guest software, so it is not done the same way as a typical copy/paste between applications.  This channel is not available from a text console as it would require changes to the operating system directly, which would have a very big impact that is too high for a simple feature like this.

[mikelilin]

It makes sense that this is not possible in a Linux text console because a text console is not the same thing as an SSH console.  A VMWare text console is emulating a VGA display device, so all it can see is a "picture" of the screen, and it does not know what the individual characters are, nor where the cursor is, what's highlighted, etc...  The closest you could get would be similar to taking a screenshot then using free online OCR software to convert the screenshot into text.  An SSH terminal on the other hand can understand each individual letter, and all kind of other control codes, etc... so you can copy text as you expect.

The only way that "paste" would be possible is by emulating the keyboard as if the user is actually typing the data at the keyboard.  It would be nice if VMWare implemented this, but I guess that the audience for such a feature is pretty small.

VMware tools allows copy/paste from a GUI environment through back-channel memory access and communication between the host and guest software, so it is not done the same way as a typical copy/paste between applications.  This channel is not available from a text console as it would require changes to the operating system directly, which would have a very big impact that is too high for a simple feature like this.

thanks for your information, it saves me a lot of time.