configure VMware 

dependencies 

kernelv=`uname -r`
api linux-headers-$kernelv
rm -v /usr/src/linux
ln -sf /usr/src/linux-headers-$kernelv/ /usr/src/linux

vmware-any-any-update 

go to http://platan.vc.cvut.cz/ftp/pub/vmware/ and download the latest vmware-any-any-update.

..
 grep vmware-any-any /linux/linux_bin/tgzs/11getlog.lst
tfe /lfs/cache12/systems/vmware/Support/vmware-any-any-update115.tar.gz
cd vmware-any-any-update115

# as root!
./runme.pl

% ./runme.pl
Updating /usr/bin/vmware-config.pl ... already patched
Updating /usr/bin/vmware ... No patch needed/available
Updating /usr/bin/vmnet-bridge ... No patch needed/available
Updating /usr/lib/vmware/bin/vmware-vmx ... No patch needed/available
Updating /usr/lib/vmware/bin-debug/vmware-vmx ... No patch needed/available
VMware modules in "/usr/lib/vmware/modules/source" has been updated.

Before running VMware for the first time after update, you need to configure it
for your running kernel by invoking the following command:
"/usr/bin/vmware-config.pl". Do you want this script to invoke the command for
you now? [yes]

Using compiler "/usr/bin/gcc". Use environment variable CC to override.

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/lib/modules/2.6.16-grml/build/include]

Extracting the sources of the vmmon module.

Building the vmmon module.

The module loads perfectly in the running kernel.

Do you want networking for your virtual machines? (yes/no/help) [yes]

Configuring a bridged network for vmnet0.

The following bridged networks have been defined:

All your ethernet interfaces are already bridged.

Do you want to be able to use NAT networking in your virtual machines? (yes/no)
[yes] n

Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual machines?
[no]

Extracting the sources of the vmnet module.

Building the vmnet module.

The module loads perfectly in the running kernel.

Starting VMware services:
   Virtual machine monitor                                             done
   Virtual ethernet                                                    done
   Bridged networking on /dev/vmnet0                                   done

The configuration of VMware Workstation 5.5.1 build-19175 for Linux for this
running kernel completed successfully.

You can now run VMware Workstation by invoking the following command:
"/usr/bin/vmware".

$ lgg /etc/rc?.d/*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 18 07-16 18:42 /etc/rc0.d/K08vmware -> /etc/init.d/vmware*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 18 07-16 18:42 /etc/rc2.d/K08vmware -> /etc/init.d/vmware*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 18 07-16 18:42 /etc/rc2.d/S90vmware -> /etc/init.d/vmware*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 18 07-16 18:42 /etc/rc3.d/K08vmware -> /etc/init.d/vmware*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 18 07-16 18:42 /etc/rc3.d/S90vmware -> /etc/init.d/vmware*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 18 07-16 18:42 /etc/rc5.d/K08vmware -> /etc/init.d/vmware*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 18 07-16 18:42 /etc/rc5.d/S90vmware -> /etc/init.d/vmware*
lrwxrwxrwx 1 18 07-16 18:42 /etc/rc6.d/K08vmware -> /etc/init.d/vmware*

rm -rv /etc/rc{,0,1,2,3,4,5,6}.d/*vmware

VMWare Installation 

Install VMware on Debian Etch (grml 0.8) 

To install the VMware v5.5.1.19175 (VMware 5.5.1 build 19175) on Debian:

cd vmware-distrib
ln -s vmware-distrib vmware-workstation-5.5.1_19175
cd !$
NAME= checkinstall -D vmware-install.pl
Important do not run the /usr/bin/vmware-config.pl script when the ./vmware-install.pl script asks you whether you want to configure VMware for the first time.

Note: the generated Debian package was wrongly versioned as 4.5.2_8848.

The Debian package module-init-tools needs to be installed to load the vmmon and vmnet kernel modules for VMware into the linux kernel.

ii module-init-tools  tools for managing Linux kernel modules

install the kernel headers corresponding to your running kernel:

$ acsb linux-headers-`uname -r`
linux-headers-2.6.17-grml - Header files related to Linux kernel, specifically,
api linux-headers-`uname -r`

grml speicific configuration 

update-rc.d vmware defaults 90 08
$ grep vmware /etc/runlevel.conf
08      0,1,6   -               /etc/init.d/vmware
90      -       2,3,4,5         /etc/init.d/vmware
rm -rv /etc/rc{,0,1,2,3,4,5,6}.d/*vmware

VMware Workstation v5.5.1.19175 under grml 0.7 (Debian Etch) 

mkdir /etc/rc{,0,1,2,3,4,5,6}.d
 dir -d /etc/rc*.d
cd vmware-distrib/
vmware-install.pl

Note: do not run the /usr/bin/vmware-config.pl script at the end of ./vmware-install.pl script.

update-rc.d vmware defaults 90 08
rm -r /etc/rc{,0,1,2,3,4,5,6}.d/

VMware Workstation v5 

cd vmware-distrib/

% vmware-install.pl
[...]
make: Leaving directory `/vars/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only'
The module loads perfectly in the running kernel.

Do you want networking for your virtual machines? (yes/no/help) [yes]

Configuring a bridged network for vmnet0.

The following bridged networks have been defined:

All your ethernet interfaces are already bridged.

Do you want to be able to use NAT networking in your virtual machines? (yes/no)
[yes] n

Do you want to be able to use host-only networking in your virtual machines?
[no]

Extracting the sources of the vmnet module.
Building the vmnet module.

Using standalone build system.
make: Entering directory `/vars/tmp/vmware-config0/vmnet-only'
make: Leaving directory `/vars/tmp/vmware-config0/vmnet-only'
The module loads perfectly in the running kernel.

Starting VMware services:
   Virtual machine monitor                                             done
   Virtual ethernet                                                    done
   Bridged networking on /dev/vmnet0                                   done

The configuration of VMware Workstation 5.0.0 build-13124 for Linux for this
running kernel completed successfully.

You can now run VMware Workstation by invoking the following command:
"/usr/bin/vmware".

dependencies 

debfoster linux-headers-2.6.16-grml
rm /usr/src/linux
ln -sf /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.16-grml/ /usr/src/linux

documented on: 2005.04.20

VMWare 2.0 

  1. rpm -i -vv

  2. root@:~/ vmware-config.pl yes, as root

This system appears to have a CIFS/SMB server (Samba) configured for normal use. If this server is intended to run, you need to make sure that it will not conflict with the Samba server setup on the private network (the one that we use to share the host filesystem). Please check your /etc/smb.conf file so that:

  1. The "interfaces" line does not contain "172.16.144.1/255.255.255.0"

  2. There is a "socket address" line that contains only your real host IP address

Hit enter to continue.

Starting VMware services:
  Virtual machine monitor                                 [  OK  ]
  Virtual bidirectional parallel port                     [  OK  ]
  Virtual ethernet                                        [  OK  ]
  Bridged networking on /dev/vmnet0                       [  OK  ]
  Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet1 (background)        [  OK  ]

You have successfully configured VMware to allow your Virtual Machines to access the host filesystem. Would you like to add a username and password for accessing your host filesystem at this time? (yes/no/help) [yes]

Your X server does not support the XKEYBOARD extension. The keyboard indicator lights will not work correctly without this feature.

You are running a "2.2.14-5.0" kernel. There is a known issue with this specific RedHat kernel that can cause corruption of memory on a system wide level under heavy load, such as when running VMware Workstation.

We recommend you upgrade your kernel. See

http://www.redhat.com/support/errata/RHBA-2000013-01.html

Edit the config 

A plain disk can be created using the Configuration Editor. The Configuration Wizard does not yet have the ability to create plain disks.

You must have access rights to the disk and partitions you select. Set the device group membership or device ownership. The master raw disk device(s) needs to be readable and writable by the user who runs VMware. On most distributions, the raw devices (such as /dev/hda, /dev/hdb) belong to group-id disk. If this is the case, you can add VMware users to the disk group. Another option is to change the owner of the device. See

http://www.vmware.com/support/reference/linux/rawdisk_linux.html http://www.vmware.com/support/reference/linux/plaindisk_linux.html

Creating a Plain Disk based on a Hard Disk Partition

  1. Create a virtual machine using the Configuration Wizard. When creating the virtual machine, specify that it uses a virtual disk, any will do.

  2. Use the Configuration Editor to tell the virtual machine to use the Plain Disk. 

    Select IDE drives. Then highlight the drive that corresponds to the
virtual disk you set up in step 1. (The default for IDE is P-M.) In the
right-hand panel, the Name field shows the path to the file containing the
virtual disk. Change this to a file name for the plain disk file (by
convention, the plain disk file name has an extension of .pln), and click
Create.

  1. As described above, choose to base the plain disk on partitions. In the partitions panel, make sure that the partitions that you want to access from the Virtual Machine are writable. The other partitions should be set to read only or deleted. 

    There will be one or more files include in the list along with
the partitions. These files hold data from the disk that lies
outside any partition. These are set to read only by default.
The first file in the list is the master boot record, and if you
plan to install an operating system or boot loader in the
Virtual Machine, this will need to be writable.
    When the partition panel is satisfactory, click OK. The plain
disk is now created.

  2. Exit the Configuration Editor, and power on the virtual machine.

  3. If there is an operating system already installed in the partition, then it should boot up.

documented on: 2001.01.04