"Could not open /dev/vmmon" error on linux host without secure boot enabled

[shmu26]

I get this error after every reboot of host, when launching a VM, and it is fixed by running "sudo vmware-modconfig --console --install-all".

But why does it happen and how to solve? I do NOT have secure boot enabled on host.  

VMware® Workstation 16 Pro

MX Linux 19 (based on Debian 10) 

[mkubecek]

Some recent distributions no longer install chkconfig command by default (and some even do not provide it at all). If that is the case, "/etc/init.d/vmware start" is not run on boot (and that is also what you should do rather than rebuilding the modules needlessly).

[shmu26]

I think the problem might be even more fundamental than that: MX Linux by default does not use systemd.

MX can boot with systemd enabled if one specifically chooses to do so, and when I did that, the issue did not occur...

[mkubecek]

If it does not have systemd, things should be much easier, as long as it does not use something else that would be incompatible with traditional System V style init scripts. Of course, the problem may still be missing chkconfig command as that is what VMware Workstation/Player installer uses to enable its init script.

[Mellonas]

Just wanted to post than in MX Linux, running /etc/init.d/vmware start solved my problem. I can't believe it was that easy. Thank you!