i found the following Debian bug report, but the reply is that bug is in vmware installer.
https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=949586
install log: https://hastebin.com/nodobogapu.sql
i've tried the following historical workaround (https://communities.vmware.com/message/2550542#2550542),
but making vmnet no longer works:
$ cd /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only
$ sudo tar xvf vmnet.tar
$ cd vmnet-only/
$ sudo make
Using kernel build system.
make -C /lib/modules/5.4.0-0.bpo.3-amd64/build/include/.. M=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. \
MODULEBUILDDIR= modules
make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/src/linux-headers-5.4.0-0.bpo.3-amd64'
CC [M] /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/driver.o
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/driver.o: warning: objtool: .text.__x86_indirect_thunk_r8+0x0: unsupported intra-function call
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/driver.o: warning: objtool: If this is a retpoline, please patch it in with alternatives and annotate it with ANNOTATE_NOSPEC_ALTERNATIVE.
CC [M] /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/hub.o
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/hub.o: warning: objtool: .text.__x86_indirect_thunk_rax+0x0: unsupported intra-function call
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/hub.o: warning: objtool: If this is a retpoline, please patch it in with alternatives and annotate it with ANNOTATE_NOSPEC_ALTERNATIVE.
CC [M] /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.o
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c: In function ‘VNetCsumCopyDatagram’:
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c:571:15: error: ‘skb_frag_t’ {aka ‘const struct bio_vec’} has no member named ‘size’
if (frag->size > 0) {
^~
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c:575:29: error: ‘skb_frag_t’ {aka ‘const struct bio_vec’} has no member named ‘page’; did you mean ‘bv_page’?
vaddr = compat_kmap(frag->page);
^~~~
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c:84:36: note: in definition of macro ‘compat_kmap’
# define compat_kmap(page) kmap((page).p)
^~~~
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c:576:49: error: ‘skb_frag_t’ {aka ‘const struct bio_vec’} has no member named ‘page_offset’; did you mean ‘bv_offset’?
tmpCsum = csum_and_copy_to_user(vaddr + frag->page_offset,
^~~~~~~~~~~
bv_offset
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c:577:17: error: ‘skb_frag_t’ {aka ‘const struct bio_vec’} has no member named ‘size’
curr, frag->size, 0, &err);
^~
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c:578:23: error: ‘skb_frag_t’ {aka ‘const struct bio_vec’} has no member named ‘page’; did you mean ‘bv_page’?
compat_kunmap(frag->page);
^~~~
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c:85:40: note: in definition of macro ‘compat_kunmap’
# define compat_kunmap(page) kunmap((page).p)
^~~~
/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.c:584:15: error: ‘skb_frag_t’ {aka ‘const struct bio_vec’} has no member named ‘size’
curr += frag->size;
^~
make[3]: *** [/usr/src/linux-headers-5.4.0-0.bpo.3-common/scripts/Makefile.build:271: /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only/userif.o] Error 1
make[2]: *** [/usr/src/linux-headers-5.4.0-0.bpo.3-common/Makefile:1665: /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet-only] Error 2
make[1]: *** [/usr/src/linux-headers-5.4.0-0.bpo.3-common/Makefile:179: sub-make] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/src/linux-headers-5.4.0-0.bpo.3-amd64'
make: *** [Makefile:117: vmnet.ko] Error 2
Further possible pertinent reading:
https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/18945
Quote: "It was kindly pointed out that the Linux 5.4 kernel will no longer make interfaces available so that arbitrary kernel modules may modify page attributes to turn the executable bit on/off."
