vmtools doesn't appear to be installed on Linux host

[_Royce_]

I ran the current 12.01 download for 64bit linux - ie. VMware-Workstation-Full-12.0.1-3160714.x86_64.bundle and it appeared to install Workstation Pro 12 correctly.

But it looks like vmtools isn't installed on the host - which probably explains why copy/paste from guest to host doesn't work.

vmtools IS however working inside the guests.

I don't have any vmtoolsd processes running, there's no /etc/vmware-tools folder, no /usr/sbin/vmtoolsd or /usr/lib/vmware-tools folder

Shouldn't all of this have been installed when I ran the installer?

[wila]

Hi Royce,

VMware tools is for the guests, so for VMs only. You should not install it at the host.

The host has its own counter parts for communicating with VMware Tools in the guests.

Not sure why the clipboard sharing isn't working for you from guest to host. Can you copy from host to guest?

What OS in your guest are you talking about?

Is the guest you are trying to share clipboard with a shared guest (then clipboard sharing operations do not work by design) or normal guests.

--

Wil

[_Royce_]

Hi Wil,

Thanks for the reply and the info about tools on the host. Glad that my host installation is good!

It looks like clipboard sharing works between host/guest for Win 8.1 guest, but not NT4 guest (even though vmtools is installed there and working fine - for example, shutdown scripts are working perfectly). Note that for win 8.1 guest, it only works in console view of guest in Workstation GUI. VNC to guest doesn't work.

But clipboard sharing doesn't work when connected via UltraVNC 1.2.0.6 from another Windows Desktop (I have VNC enabled in VM settings).

And I just found this (in the workstation docs)

You cannot copy and paste text between the host system and the guest operating system.

Silly me.

[wila]

Hi,

clipboard sharing works between host/guest for Win 8.1 guest, but not NT4 guest

That's why I asked for what the guest OS was, yes an old guest like NT4 might not have this properly working.

VNC to guest doesn't work

That's expected I'd say. If you want to use VNC with clipboard sharing then you would have to run a VNC server within the guest.

You cannot copy and paste text between the host system and the guest operating system

Um... I'm not sure where you saw that, but it is supposed to work for non shared VMs. In fact I use that all the time.

--

Wil

[_Royce_]

Sorry for the confusion - the line about not being able to use copy/paste was in reference to VNC.

VMware Workstation 12 Pro Documentation Center

I don't run VNC inside NT4 because the VNC client that works on NT4 is so outdated and creates performance issues for NT4 (and is unreliable). That's one of the reasons I went with Workstation was that it provided its own VNC layer without requiring VNC installation in the guest. Given the choice, I am happy to live without copy/paste if it means not needing to install that VNC client in the guest.