[SOLVED] VMWare Workstation 6.5.5 on Ubuntu 10.04 Install Freezes

android-eve · 01-06-2011, 04:33 PM

I am trying to install VMWare Workstation 6.5.5 (64-bit) on Ubuntu 10.04 (64-bit), but at about 2/3 of the progress bar, it freezes where it says:

Quote:

Installing VMWare Player 2.5.5
Configuring...

Interestingly, it is so frozen, that even after I hit cancel, it is still stuck.

CPU consumption is at 0% and the command with which I launched the installer is:

Code:

sudo sh VMware-Workstation-6.5.5-328052.x86_64.bundle

Anyone has seen this before?

Any idea why this is happening and how to solve this?

unSpawn · 01-07-2011, 08:58 AM

Try again with 'sudo sh VMware-Workstation-6.5.5-328052.x86_64.bundle --ignore-errors'?

android-eve · 01-07-2011, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unSpawn

Try again with 'sudo sh VMware-Workstation-6.5.5-328052.x86_64.bundle --ignore-errors'?

I just tried it and received the same exact behavior as described above.

But thanks to your post I managed to discover that the VMWare installer creates a log file named /var/log/vmware-installer. I don't really understand what's going on there, so I am posting it here, perhaps someone more knowledgeable can find a hint to as why this is.

Note the line where it gets stuck ("Opening database file /etc/vmware/database").

unSpawn · 01-07-2011, 12:26 PM

Posting the log is helpful but I can't read anything from it. I'd say download the VMware Workstation command line tarball (they're at version 7.1.3 BTW) and try that instead as it might have more verbose output and debug possibilities. Note VMware Workstation is a commercially licensed product so you may be entitled to their support (LQ is not the help desk for commercially licensed products). If you have a valid license that is. If you don't then either contact VMware or your representative or choose a differently licensed VMware or other virtualization product. Just to make this perfectly clear (and I'm not saying you do) but please notice LQ does not condone illegal software practices and does not want to be associated or involved with that in any way.

android-eve · 01-07-2011, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unSpawn

If you have a valid license that is.

Sadly, I paid $199 (USD) for the license but their support is useless. I would say that this forum is way much more useful than their forums. So far, the answers I received from you are much better than the answers I received on their forums (I didn't receive any answers there, as if they are clueless).

Quote:

Originally Posted by unSpawn

I'd say download the VMware Workstation command line tarball (they're at version 7.1.3 BTW) and try that instead as it might have more verbose output and debug possibilities.

That's a good tip, I'll try that. I don't have a license for 7.x, only for 6.x and I am not interested in paying for an upgrade to 7.x.

android-eve · 01-09-2011, 10:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unSpawn

I'd say download the VMware Workstation command line tarball (they're at version 7.1.3 BTW)

What tarball? I logged into my http://www.vmware.com/downloads/eula.do account and it has only 4 options:

Linux 32-bit .rpm
Linux 32-bit . bundle
Linux 64-bit .rpm
Linux 64-bit .bundle

There is no .tar, .tar.gz or .tgz option.

android-eve · 01-09-2011, 11:42 PM

Success!

Here is how:

In one xterm, do:

Code:

chmod u+x VMware-Workstation-6.5.5-328052.x86_64.bundle
while true; do sudo killall -9 vmware-modconfig-console; sleep 1; done

In a seprate xterm, do:

Code:

sudo ./VMware-Workstation-6.5.5-328052.x86_64.bundle --ignore-errors

When installer has finished, terminate the previous command (while true…) with a CTRL+C or simply close the terminal window.

Then, do:

Code:

tar xvf /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet.tar -C /tmp
tar xvf /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmci.tar -C /tmp

cd /tmp

perl -pi -e 's,("vnetInt.h"),\1\n#include "compat_sched.h",' vmnet-only/vnetUserListener.c
perl -pi -e 's,("compat_page.h"),\1\n#include "compat_sched.h",' vmci-only/include/pgtbl.h

tar cvf /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmnet.tar vmnet-only
tar cvf /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/vmci.tar vmci-only

And now run:

Code:

sudo vmware-modconfig --console --install-all

Bingo! Works like a charm.

Thanks to:

unSpawn · 01-10-2011, 05:17 PM

Awesome. Thanks for posting back the fix! Please mark this thread solved. I'll have a look at those links now as I have no idea what's causing all the trouble... I see: http://communities.vmware.com/thread/228949 ...

android-eve · 08-25-2011, 10:57 AM

Update: Despite the successful install I had a problem that prevented me from using it:

When the guest VM is Microsoft Windows (2K, XP), the mouse cursor turns from an arrow to a hand when it hovers over the Task Bar (or close to it -- The problem is not limited to the Task Bar area but rather to an arbitrary margin on the outer side of the desktop. This margin can be as wide as 1/8 of the guest's desktop.). When the mouse moves, this hand cursor blinks and the system doesn't respond to mouse clicks. When the hand cursor blinks, the Num Lock LED on my keyboard blinks as well.

When I move the mouse cursor back to "the desktop area" (as defined in the highlighted text above), it functions normally.

That is, the problem exists only outside that "desktop area". Obviously, the same exact VMWare Workstation 6.5.5 (64-bit) on Ubuntu 8.04 (64-bit) doesn't exhibit this problem.

After many months of not touching this, the solution finally found: Simply append

Code:

 export VMWARE_USE_SHIPPED_GTK=yes

to /etc/vmware/bootstrap.

Works perfectly and there is no need to spend money on the newer version of VMWare.