VMware Tech Preview 646643 - vmmon error Ubuntu 12.04 LTS

[kevincrocker]

Hi Everyone

First let me say that I think the VMWare's support people are awesome - they've helped me out even though this is a complimentary support situation. Thanks Roger and Rahul.

Alas, despite all the excellent help, I still don't have a completely functional system.

Ubuntu 12.04 LTS using the Workstation Tech Preview 646643 version. We completely removed it and reinstalled it - and everything seemed to work just fine. I was able to get a VM up and running this morning with Rahul's help.

Somehow though, when I shut my machine down to go to work and then started it up again I can no longet start any VM's and I'm getting a vmmon error.

When I click "Resume this virtual machine" I get a popup that says:

Could not open /dev/vmmon: No such file or directory.

Please make sure that the kernel module `vmmon' is loaded.

Obviously I don't understand what this really means and I have no idea how to fix it. I know that asking for help in a public forum and expecting immediate assistance is pushing the envelope, but I could really use some help getting this fixed. I have to use this VM for a major project tomorrow morning at 8 am but we have to test connectivity to it today. I apologize if I sound desperate, but any help would be appreciated. I have submitted a support request but time just seems to be ebbing away.

[mfelker]

Sorry that you may have missed your deadline.  I get notices of news posts through my email client and am not logged onto to this system all the time - also I boot into several OS's anyway.

I have exactly the same setup as you (WS Tech Preview running on Ubuntu  12.04 LTS).  I have not run into the issues you describe but I don't get exactly what is happening.

So I should ask the following for my understanding

1)  Why did you uninstall and reinstall WS in the first place.  It 'appears" you created one or more VM's and then could not run them but I don't know the clients or what version of WS you used to create these VM's.

2)  When you say you shutdown the machine did you mean the host (Ubuntu) or a guest VM (whatever it might be)

3)  I insatalled (was going to do this anyway) Windows 8 using Tech Previerw of Ubuntu 12.04 - no problems at all.

4)  To test for you I left Windows 8 VM up and running and rebooted the host

  5) Restaratg Vmware and the VM did not "resume" it just came up on the first screen  and I powered it on - no problem.

6)  The only way I could find to use the "resume" operation was to pause the VM - it saves the state and gives you a "picture"" of the suspended state.  Then I use VM - resume and the Windows 8 VM does just that - no p problems .  There may be other ways that could happen but I can't tell from what you say.  If you left the VM in a paused state and then rebooted the host perhaps this  what happended to you. .  I did not try this.  If in fact this what you did let me know and maybe I'll try it.

  7)  Make sure that if you do a ls /dev/vm* you don't see vmmon along with other devices like vmnet0 etc.  If you don't see the vmmon device then somehow the entire WS installation  became corrupted.  because this device is necessary (as it appears you found out!)

8 Go to /var/log.  There will  be a file called vmware-installer. Attach the file.  Do NOT post this file inline as it is quite long and will contain (interesting) but extraneous information and errors .  I will look at it and try to see what install problem there is.

Unforunately, even if you were to do this immediately I will not have the time to get back to you for maybe a day or so and that  seems to be too late for you.  Continue to work with VMware help and/or have the moderator move this thread to the WS Beta forum where it belongs anyway.   Maybe somebody there will see something

Good luck!

[kevincrocker]

MArtin - thanks for the helpful dialog.

1)  Why did you uninstall and reinstall WS in the first place.  It  'appears" you created one or more VM's and then could not run them but I  don't know the clients or what version of WS you used to create these  VM's.

I uninstalled and reinstalled WS because my OS upgraded and then VMWare WS wouldn't work. VM Tech support gave me access to the Tech Preivew because of known issues with the V8 being incompatible with Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.

2)  When you say you shutdown the machine did you mean the host (Ubuntu) or a guest VM (whatever it might be) - both

3)  I insatalled (was going to do this anyway) Windows 8 using Tech Previerw of Ubuntu 12.04 - no problems at all.- good to know - mine on the other hand did have problems and still does. I have to recompile VMWare WS Tech Preview every time I shut down VMWare WS. It seems that it is stilll trying to load my old kernel 2.6.x.x for some reason.

4)  To test for you I left Windows 8 VM up and running and rebooted the host

  5) Restaratg Vmware and the VM did not "resume" it just came up on the first screen  and I powered it on - no problem.

6)  The only way I could find to use the "resume" operation was to  pause the VM - it saves the state and gives you a "picture"" of the  suspended state.  Then I use VM - resume and the Windows 8 VM does just  that - no p problems .  There may be other ways that could happen but I  can't tell from what you say.  If you left the VM in a paused state and  then rebooted the host perhaps this  what happended to you. .  I did not  try this.  If in fact this what you did let me know and maybe I'll try  it.

My resume works just fine.

   7)  Make sure that if you do a ls /dev/vm* you don't see vmmon along  with other devices like vmnet0 etc.  If you don't see the vmmon device  then somehow the entire WS installation  became corrupted.  because this  device is necessary (as it appears you found out!)

This is what is happening - even though I recompiled at the advice of VMWare tech support - the recompile isn't 'sticking' properly and the files aren't getting put in the right places so they load automatically.

8 Go to /var/log.  There will  be a file called vmware-installer.  Attach the file.  Do NOT post this file inline as it is quite long and  will contain (interesting) but extraneous information and errors .  I  will look at it and try to see what install problem there is.

[mfelker]

Thank yo for posting this.  I did catch the following but it is possible this could be a temprory problem.  I'm in Windows now with 2 machines (Windows SBS 2011 and Zentyal running) but will do a better compare when go to ubuntu  12.10 later today.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2012-04-15 22:07:24,775] Stopping VMware services:

   VMware Authentication Daemon#[71G done
   VM communication interface socket family#[71G done
   Virtual machine communication interface#[71G done
   Virtual machine monitor#[71G done
   Blocking file system#[71G done

[2012-04-15 22:07:24,985] Starting VMware services:
   Virtual machine monitor#[71G done
   Virtual machine communication interface#[71Gfailed
   VM communication interface socket family#[71Gfailed
   Blocking file system#[71G done
       * Virtual ethernet#[71Gfailed *
   VMware Authentication Daemon#[71G done
--------------------------------------------------------------------

and perhaps this is the reason????

make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmnet-only/userif.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmnet-only/netif.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-root/modules/vmnet-only] Error 2
make: *** [vmnet.ko] Error 2
Unable to install vmnet


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I'll get back to with my log attached.  We probably won't be able to solve this with somebody much, much more kownleageable 
abou9t the VMware innards.  However I have seen postings of the installer log (I'm sure there have been some

==============================================================================

Note:  The problem reported when starting up the VM is a failure in vmmod - not vmnet.  So I erally don't  understand this :smileyconfused: