VMware {code} Community
fabio_dalfonso
Contributor
Contributor

SDK on Windows, Could VMware Thinks On How To Build Things?

Hi,

I find quite questionable that the setup on Windows makes another activestate perl setup disrupting the existing configuration. I, as many others, use Perl daily, and would get the SDK integrated on my environment.

If VMware wants to use another Perl, simply >>embed<< it and configure >>your<< material to use it. Don't make a straightforward setup " I AM COMING!", because you are going... instead.

But the worst is another one: I am moving the stuff to merge to my Perl, and found that the whole WSman (~ 800 objects) relies on a Perl module, UUID, that was latest released (0.02) in 2001, using an unauthorized version (0.03) built in 2007.

This 3 functions module does not build natively on windows, and the only orphan ppm package is the version for 5.8 820, linking to perl58.dll

So, now I am in touch with some expert porters and trying to contact the maintainers to get advice to make the changes needed to get the module build on Windows using the rpcrt4.dll, instead of uuid.h related primitives.

No one complained about this unprobable stuff before? This is simply a bad shortcut.

Regards

Fabio D'Alfonso

http://www.fabiodalfonso.com

-- Fabio D'Alfonso NETWORK ANALYSIS AND VMWARE ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS cell. +39.348.059.40.22 web: http://www​.​dalfonso​.​co email: fabio.dalfonso@dalfonso.co Linkedin: https://it.linkedin.com/in/fabiodalfonso Twitter: https://twitter.com/dalfonso_co FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/dalfonsoco/ fax: +39.06.874.599.581
Reply
0 Kudos
6 Replies
stumpr
Virtuoso
Virtuoso

The actual VMware Perl modules for the SDK Toolkit are source modules.  While not officially supported, I've built virtual appliance under production load and have done manual installs in OS X, Windows, Ubuntu and other Linux versions with no issues over several years.

Just copy lib/VMware/share/VMware/* into your Perl path and install any dependencies (usually need Crypt::SSLeay, MethodMaker, etc).  For Windows you may need to do a bit more module dependency installation than on Linux/OSX in my experience.  If you look at the Install Guide and review the "installing from source" sections, you can get the module dependency list.

I generally CPAN the modules down (or PPM on Windows), so I have used versions greater than the listed, supported dependency versions.  Ignore the actual source make process and the standard installer.

Of course, this may raise issues if you reach out for support on the installation.  But this will let you use you own Perl installation.  There's always a risk of some package module having some conflict, but that's the reason for specific support statements. 

The only time I ran into any issues was with LibXML.  Usually the LibXML issues were related to multiple Perl installations in the env paths.

I haven't done a lot of work with WSMan, but from a quick review of the modules there--you can use the same process.  I don't see any dependencies outside Soap::Lite, UUID, and Data::Dumper after a quick pass through the source modules.

Reuben Stump | http://www.virtuin.com | @ReubenStump
Reply
0 Kudos
fabio_dalfonso
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

I also found my way to do the same.  The module UUID does not build natively on Windows so I replaced the sub (for uuid) code with another, based on a recent module, available for any Perl version on Windows (ActiveState, where they got the orphan ppm version for 5.8 820, of UUID).

I am making an installer with installbuilder to automate all in Windows and in Linux. On Linux the installer is unuseful.

After the classic procedure with Perl Makefile.PL, etc, I will copy remaining files somewhere (e.g. /opt/viperl).

Also, consider that the way the installer copies files in Perl folders, is not working properly. It seems that the pod are not updated. The setup from VMware, makes perl modules not visible to Komodo IDE autocomplete, the standard procedure does.

Setups from VMware are really a problem not a solution. Thinking to integrate to Perl, on Windows would have pointed to them that UUID is not available out of their setup, and would have made what I had to do for myself.

Fabio D'Alfonso

http://www.fabiodalfonso.com

-- Fabio D'Alfonso NETWORK ANALYSIS AND VMWARE ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS cell. +39.348.059.40.22 web: http://www​.​dalfonso​.​co email: fabio.dalfonso@dalfonso.co Linkedin: https://it.linkedin.com/in/fabiodalfonso Twitter: https://twitter.com/dalfonso_co FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/dalfonsoco/ fax: +39.06.874.599.581
Reply
0 Kudos
dionndt
Contributor
Contributor

Greetings,

Perl newbie here so be gentle.

I'm using Komodo for Windows with VMware's Perl SDK 4.1 and I was really looking forward to the autocompletion...actually it was the deciding factor to go ahead and drop the money for Komodo.  And, it doesn't work and I can't figure it out.  This was just about the only thread I could find regarding the matter but it's all so new to me that I'm having a hard time following the thread.

Are there a relatively easy series of steps that will make this work for me?

Reply
0 Kudos
fabio_dalfonso
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

sorry, I did answer from the BlackBerry and the small screen made me not reading that "windows".

I did have issues with Linux and Komodo using the VMware setup. On Windows I do not remember issues with autocomplention. I use a custom setup, made to integrate VMware stuff with my ActivePerl.

On Linux I use the standard procedure

perl Makefile.PL

make

(make test, no test defined)

make install

The dependencies checked on Linux are not sufficient.  They forgot to add Data::Dump and LWP::Protocol::https.

--

Fabio D'Alfonso

'Enabling Business Through IT'

cell. +39.348.059.40.22 *

web: http://www.fabiodalfonso.com

email: fabio.dalfonso@fabiodalfonso.com

twitter: http://www.twitter.com/fabio_dalfonso

linkedin: http://it.linkedin.com/in/fabiodalfonso

fax: +39.06.874.599.581

BlackBerry® Wireless Enabled Address.

  • Hidden numbers are automatically rejected by the phone

-- Fabio D'Alfonso NETWORK ANALYSIS AND VMWARE ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS cell. +39.348.059.40.22 web: http://www​.​dalfonso​.​co email: fabio.dalfonso@dalfonso.co Linkedin: https://it.linkedin.com/in/fabiodalfonso Twitter: https://twitter.com/dalfonso_co FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/dalfonsoco/ fax: +39.06.874.599.581
Reply
0 Kudos
dionndt
Contributor
Contributor

Hey Fabio, thanks so much for the quick reply.

Ok, so I'm removing the vmware cli package and then I'll reinstall using custom in order to integrate with Komodo.  Is that correct?

Reply
0 Kudos
fabio_dalfonso
Contributor
Contributor

Hi,

I did make a custom setup on Windows using InstallBuilder, so the custom does not refer to an option of the VMware msi, it is really another setup.

Fabio D'Alfonso

-- Fabio D'Alfonso NETWORK ANALYSIS AND VMWARE ENTERPRISE SOLUTIONS cell. +39.348.059.40.22 web: http://www​.​dalfonso​.​co email: fabio.dalfonso@dalfonso.co Linkedin: https://it.linkedin.com/in/fabiodalfonso Twitter: https://twitter.com/dalfonso_co FB Page: https://www.facebook.com/dalfonsoco/ fax: +39.06.874.599.581
Reply
0 Kudos