Noel Tracker

Re: I can't start any virtual machine after updating to 17.5.0

Noel — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 00:13:27 GMT

Workstation 17.5 says, "serial.fileType" has an invalid value "thinprint".

The solution is visible when you go into VM->Settings->Printer, where you will see the message, "The virtual printer support has been discontinued. Please remove the device." Just remove the device, and go with a more traditional means of printing.

Re: strange thin print error after upgrading to Fusion 13.5

Noel — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 22:12:29 GMT

The message in Workstation 17.5 says, "serial.fileType" has an invalid value "thinprint". The solution is visible when you go into VM->Settings->Printer, where you will see the message, "The virtual printer support has been discontinued. Please remove the device."

Linux Guests (Mint 19.3) on Linux (19.3) hosts no longer have drag 'n drop or cut & paste support for files after upgrade to 15.5., even with open-vm-tools 11.1

Noel — Wed, 03 Jun 2020 04:22:13 GMT

The title pretty much makes the point. I am working around the problem by using shared folders, which do work between the guest and host.

When doing a d&d or c&p, the Error while copying dialog detail says 'Error when getting information for file "/Zsv1YQ/<filename>": No such file or directory'I

It appears to be one-way. I can move TO the guest, but not TO the host.

This is reproducible. I've restarted the systems, I've restarted (/etc/init.d/vmware restart) on the host, and restarted vmware-tools on the guest. Nothing has resolved the problem.

All of this was working fine prior to the upgrade (from 15.5.2).

vmtoolsd -v reports 10.3.21.249 (build-14772444)

I have also tried it with open-vm-tools 11.05.17716 and VMwae Tools for MS-Windows 11.0.5 with the same results.

HOWEVER, upgrading MS-Windows to 11.0.6 fixed the problem there. So I manually built open-vm-tools 11.1.0 from source. No success.

----

This is now a bug against open-vm-tools: Linux Guests (Mint 19.3) on Linux (19.3) hosts no longer have drag 'n drop or cut & paste support for files after upgrad…

Message was edited by: Noel Changed to add current status.

Re: Reproducible Crash with WS 7.x and Linux Host

Noel — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:01:20 GMT

I have started testing this with Workstation 8.

VMware Workstation no longer crashes the kernel with the Sennheiser USB headset when using Workstation 8.0.1 and Fedora 14. I have also tested with Workstation 8.0.1 and Ubuntu 11.04, and receive the same results. Given those combinations, after removing the blacklist and loading snd-usb-audio, I can once again toggle the device between a Guest and the Host without crashing the kernel.

I have not yet tested the UVC, but am hopeful that Workstation 8 has resolved the problem. More testing as time permits.

Re: WMware Workstation 8 breaks Ubuntu

Noel — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 22:07:20 GMT

Is there an easy way to repair all of the links, or just a laborious manual process?

Re: VMware Workstation integration (vmware-tray) with Ubuntu Unity (HOST Desktop) issue (and proposed resolution)

Noel — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 01:50:38 GMT

And, yes, I realize that VMware has documented the issue with a workaround:

On an Ubuntu 11.04 host, the virtual machine icon does not appear on the system tray when you set the Show tray icon setting (Edit > Preferences > Workspace) to Always or When a virtual machine is powered on.
Workaround: Whitelist vmware-tray as an application that can show system tray icons in Ubuntu 11.04. Alternatively, enable Notification Area (Systray) for all applications.
[From: http://www.vmware.com/support/ws80/doc/releasenotes_workstation_80.html#New_Bugs]

Re: Unity Applications Menu Missing

Noel — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 21:02:52 GMT

I have a new copy of Ubuntu 11 I'm moving my development environment into, but it's going to be a bit before I'm fully there. I did test that one and the application menu in Unity does work with that VM. I may just have to take the plunge and finish that move.
Chuck

But did you notice that vmware-tray doesn't work with Unity?

VMware Workstation integration (vmware-tray) with Ubuntu Unity (HOST Desktop) issue (and proposed resolution)

Noel — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:58:28 GMT

Ah, it is nice to be able to log into VMware Communities again. Thanks to whomever got my account fixed.

[Please note that Workstation and Ubuntu both have graphical concepts called Unity that have nothing to do with one another. I am specifically referring to the integration of Workstation with UBUNTU'S desktop known as Unity, hencforrth known as Unity for purpose of this discussion.]

Ubuntu's Unity desktop does not support the VMware Tray (vmware-tray). As I understand it, vmware-tray needs to be modified to use the indicator API when present, and the existing API when indicator is not present. Unlike Ubuntu 11.04, the upcoming Ubuntu 11.10 no longer offers the option of staying with the well-tested (and well-liked) Gnome v2, which does support the existing vmware-tray.

As an aid to VMware's developers, I am attaching a sample python program that does this same sort of thing (but for a different problem domain). It acts as an indicator when that API is available, as a Gnome applet otherwise; and works with Fedora, SuSE, and all versions of Ubuntu (with and without Unity). Of course, if you'd publish the source for the linux version of vmware-tray, the community could maintain the code.

There is another thing that my sample code does, which perhaps should be done by vmware-tray as well: it supports inhibiting shutdown. It is exceedingly annoying to shutdown a system having forgotten to suspend all currently running VMs. An alternative, which I looking at, is to suspend any running VMs at system shutdown using a script. A sort of obvious thing for which I am surprised there isn't already a canned script.

Re: Reproducible Crash with WS 7.x and Linux Host

Noel — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 16:16:02 GMT

I have tested this with the low-latency kernel (3.0.0.9 at time of posting) from the low latency kernel PPA and WS 7.1.4. So far, and the sample size is small, I am not seeing this problem with the new kernel.

Please note: if you wish to test this and are an nvidia user, you also need to add the X-Updates PPA.

Re: [Lubuntu] VMware kernel modules compile error

Noel — Wed, 11 May 2011 18:02:42 GMT

More detail would be helpful, since WS 7.1.4 works out of box with standard Ubuntu 11.04.

Re: Workstation 7.1.4 crashes when running VMs on Ubuntu Natty 64 bit host

Noel — Tue, 03 May 2011 02:02:45 GMT

I was using "Ubuntu Classic Desktop" because I still like the feel of Gnome 2. But I rebooted, switched to Unity ("Ubuntu Desktop") - and now Workstation works without any problem for me. Is this the case for anyone else?

Nope. I use the Classic Desktop, and it is working fine. But there might be a configuration tweak; I don't have overlay-scrollbar insetalled, and there appear to be reported incompatibilites.

Re: VMWare WorkStation 7.1.4 is out. It is compatible with all recent Linux kernels. Hooray!

Noel — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:13:17 GMT

plurboy wrote:
Actually the vmnet module fails to compile for me...

WS 7.1.4 works fine with many distros that have temporarily kept the BKL for compatibility, but needs a tiny patch otherwise to remove a dependency on the BKL.

Re: Workstation 7.1.4 crashes when running VMs on Ubuntu Natty 64 bit host

Noel — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:08:02 GMT

VMs are working fine for me under Natty. I am running with the BKL-less patch for vmnet, but that's it and should not be necessary with Natty's kernel.

Re: Debian Sid Guest - Kernel 2.6.38-2 : vmci fails

Noel — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:13:19 GMT

At a guess, you need a similar patch to what we use on the host when there is no BKL. Have the open-vm-* packages been updated, yet, rather than using the version distributed with VMware?

Re: VMware (JJoel) responds to issues -- "how can we improve?"

Noel — Sun, 10 Apr 2011 04:05:21 GMT

AwesomeMachine wrote:
It's not a toy. It's WORKstation, for doing productive work

You mean, like audio and/or video conferencing for professional purposes using software that is not compatible with the host OS?

Ubuntu alpha releases are not supposed to work properly on bare metal, much less seven levels deep of nested virtual machines, with alternating Windows and linux hosts!

Hyperbole much?

The work to support leading edge kernels has been done by volunteers and provided as a community service. No one has objected to being a canary in a coal mine. What *has* been said is that it would be more effective and mutually beneficial if more of the code were available for us to help do that work.

And, ironically, you've got it entirely backwards: the guest tools are fully Open Source. The recent issue with GTK was in a closed portion of host code. And VMware fixed it -- they are simply poor at providing publically accessible tools for reporting and tracking progress on issues.

Sometimes you just need another chassis. There's no way around it. It's impossible to do everything using only one or two PCs! It's impossible to do everything using only PCs! A text-based Workstation program would be great except for no one would buy it besides me.

I don't believe that the Product Manager would quite agree with your implication. It certainly is not how the product is positioned, nor does his recent "Mea Culpa" e-mail concur with your view. VMware Workstation's goal is to be the Gold Standard in desktop virtualization. That means providing as much full feature operation of each guest OS as possible.

It seems like the complainers are trying to wreck Workstation, by using it to perform potentially marvelous but useless tasks. I've never found anything I couldn't do using Workstation, until I came here!

I would be shocked if anyone at VMware agrees with your assessment in any way, shape or form.

Re: VMware Workstation 7.1.4 on Linux Kernel 2.6.38-2

Noel — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 16:08:11 GMT

Works with Natty 2.6.38-8. The GUI issue is also fixed by 7.1.4.

VMware (JJoel) responds to issues -- "how can we improve?"

Noel — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 15:38:50 GMT

Jason Joel wrote:
As the product manager for VMware Workstation it is really dissappointing that some of our most loyal users are experiencing this many issues and are frustrated enough to seek alternatives to Workstation.

Good. I take it as a good sign that you're frustrated and upset, and working to resolve these issues. As you know, many of them are long-standing.

I have problems with USB, as well. As documented for ages, to keep VMware from crashing the kernel, I've had to blacklist various usb drivers, e.g., usb audio, to prevent the host from touching the device. Without blacklisting, VMware crashes the kernel when attempting to connect it to the VM. This happens with both my Sennheiser PC-166USB and my Creative Labs Optia AF. There are still occassional USB issues, but less frequently. Of course, this means that I can't use the device on the host without reconfiguring.

Blacklisting has also been found necessary just to implement proper functionality with some devices, such as upgrading firmware on an iPhone.

Perhaps the USB architecture needs revisiting. Stability is really not optional.

I've also documented relatively minor UI issues, such as the issue on linux where VMware Workstation doesn't properly track which tabs should be open, much less their order.

It might help if you would investigate releasing the source for more of the code, allowing the community to assist, as we do with the available kernel modules. Not everything is a proprietary competitive advantage. Arguably, whatever isn't a competitive advantage puts us both at a disadvantage if you don't allow us to help maintain it.

Another thing that you could do is introduce a proper bug tracker, so that we can better contribute and track bugs. I'm sure you have one internally, but you might have noticed how Canonical, RedHat, Sun (before becoming Oracle) and ultimately successful Open Source projects all have public issue trackers. You tell us about bugs that are fixed, but it is comparatively hard for anyone to report and track bugs in VMware products. In contrats to the VMware Community Forums, when it comes to bug reporting and tracking, VMware still seems stuck in a very distant and archaic past.

Re: VMware Workstation 7.1.3 no longer functional (at all) on Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty)

Noel — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:59:22 GMT

Marty,

I see the message(s) now. But he is a VMware developer, not an Ubuntu developer.

I've got it working with the posted workaround. Will update the thread top.

Re: How do I find and install the VMwareWorkstation patch for linux kernel 2.6.38-7 on Ubuntu 11.04?

Noel — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 03:58:07 GMT

Marty Felker wrote:
therei s a problem - apparently not with Xorg drivers but something else as a developer from the Ubuntu team ? noted somewhere in these convoluted threads (s).
Wait for Natty developers to release the correction they say works internally.

Do you have a reference to "a developer from the Ubuntu team ? noted somewhere"? I don't recall any such comment from an Ubuntu developer. Also, what do you mean by "Wait for Natty developers to release the correction they say works internally"? If there were a Natty fix, it would be available to us testers. If the fix is VMware internal, that's not a Natty fix. Natty is Open Source; VMware is closed source.

Re: VMware Workstation 7.1.3 Linux kernel 2.6.37 (and 2.6.36) patch

Noel — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:40:30 GMT

moebiusstrip wrote:
> Would rebuilding VM with your newer patch be worthwhile?
No.

The question might be whether or not the BKL-less patch might perform better under conditions for which there would be BKL contention. In any event, I'm using the BKL-less patch with this kernel.

Noel Tracker

Re: I can't start any virtual machine after updating to 17.5.0

Re: strange thin print error after upgrading to Fusion 13.5

Linux Guests (Mint 19.3) on Linux (19.3) hosts no longer have drag 'n drop or cut & paste support for files after upgrade to 15.5., even with open-vm-tools 11.1

Re: Reproducible Crash with WS 7.x and Linux Host

Re: WMware Workstation 8 breaks Ubuntu

Re: VMware Workstation integration (vmware-tray) with Ubuntu Unity (HOST Desktop) issue (and proposed resolution)

Re: Unity Applications Menu Missing

VMware Workstation integration (vmware-tray) with Ubuntu Unity (HOST Desktop) issue (and proposed resolution)

Re: Reproducible Crash with WS 7.x and Linux Host

Re: [Lubuntu] VMware kernel modules compile error

Re: Workstation 7.1.4 crashes when running VMs on Ubuntu Natty 64 bit host

Re: VMWare WorkStation 7.1.4 is out. It is *compatible* with all recent Linux kernels. Hooray!

Re: Workstation 7.1.4 crashes when running VMs on Ubuntu Natty 64 bit host

Re: Debian Sid Guest - Kernel 2.6.38-2 : vmci fails

Re: VMware (JJoel) responds to issues -- "how can we improve?"

Re: VMware Workstation 7.1.4 on Linux Kernel 2.6.38-2

VMware (JJoel) responds to issues -- "how can we improve?"

Re: VMware Workstation 7.1.3 no longer functional (at all) on Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty)

Re: How do I find and install the VMwareWorkstation patch for linux kernel 2.6.38-7 on Ubuntu 11.04?

Re: VMware Workstation 7.1.3 Linux kernel 2.6.37 (and 2.6.36) patch

Re: VMWare WorkStation 7.1.4 is out. It is compatible with all recent Linux kernels. Hooray!