Linux crashed after starting VMware
 

My OS is RedHat9 kernel 2.4.20-20-9smp, VMware Workstation 4

It wasn't a nice job to get VMware installed. Searching this forum I got some good hints, and now VMware is installed :-)

After starting VMware I get the VMware GUI. But while trying to start a new guest OS installation RedHat totally crashed :( I have also copied a VMware image (installed under winxp) to my linux system. If I try to start the image linux also crashed :-(

Did someone make the same experience?

I have notice in the VMware documentation that there are two points to
do before installing vmware on a linux system. The points are:
- the real-time clock function must be compiled into you linux kernel
- vmware workstation for linux requires that the parallel port
pc-style hardware option (CONFIG_PARPORT_PC) be built and loaded as a
kernel module (that is, it must be set to m when the kernel is
compiled)

Maybe this cause the crash. I new to linux and I am not sure how to
determine if the two points are applied. Exist an document that
describe how to do these two points? An step-by-step guide for newbies
would be really helpful.

Many thanks for help.

No idea :(

Are you refering to the linux you're trying to install to the VM or your host?
the vmware documentation refers to your host so it should work on winXP regardless, and any more details of the crash? error messages etc?

Dear Demonbane,

thank you for assistance.

Linux is my host system. I tried to install winXP as guest system in the VMWare environment.

Sorry that I can not provide any more details. All what happend is that the system totally stopped. I have to reboot my computer after each crashed (had tested it a few times)! No mouse and no keyboard is available after the crash.

My steps:
1. type 'vmware' (command line)
- the vmware gui starts
2. click to install a new guest system
- system crashes

Thanks for further assistance. Has anyone a running vmware with RedHat9 as host system?

Yea I'm running vmware on redhat9, works perfectly fine, in fact I'm also running vmware on my winXP host sharing the same .vmdk files.
If you use the stock redhat kernel then the kernel shouldn't be a problem(though I never tried it on a smp kernel, that could be an issue, not sure)
If it crashes during the new virtual machine wizard then its probably more of an issue with vmware itself, where exactly does it crash? when you click on the wizard? or when you try to boot the VM you just created? Are you running the latest version(4.0.5(build 6030))?

I have reinstalled the vmware, running the config script with the root account. The script says:
This is the latest version of VMWare, downloaded yesterday.

After installing, I reboot my machine. I noticed the following message during booting:
"Finding module depnedencies: depmod: *** Unresolved symbols in /lib/modules/2.4..20 - 20.9smp/misc/vmmon.o"

No other error or warning.

No I start VMWare
1. type vmware
- GUI displayed
2. Click 'New Virtual Machine'
- Wizzard comes up
3. Virtual Machine Configuration
- select 'Typical'
4. Guest Operating System
- select 'Windows XP Professional'
5. Virtual Machine Name
- type 'XPpro'
- target folder is /home/myuseraccount/
6. Network Connection
- 'Use bridged networking'
7. click the finish buttion
8. click the 'Power on' button
- get the XP hint regardings xp registration
9. activate 'never sho this hint again'
10. click ok
--> System crash

Now I reboot my machine, and noticed the following message:
"rm: cannot remove '/var/run/vmware/myuseraccount': Is a directory"

Here is the logfile after the first crash:

Using log file /tmp/vmware-myuseraccount/ui-4238.log
VMHSRunUtilFileLsJob: error compiling regex with pattern *: Invalid preceding regular expression
DISKLIB-LINK : "/home/myuseraccount/XPpro/XPpro.vmdk" : creation successful.
DISKLIB-LIB : DB: set operation 'geometry.cylinders' = '8322'.
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.cylinders
DISKLIB-LIB : DB: set operation 'geometry.heads' = '16'.
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.heads
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.cylinders
DISKLIB-LIB : DB: set operation 'geometry.sectors' = '63'.
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.sectors
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.heads
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.cylinders
DISKLIB-LIB : DB: set operation 'adapterType' = 'ide'.
DISKLIB-DDB : adapterType
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.sectors
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.heads
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.cylinders
DISKLIB-LIB : DB: set operation 'virtualHWVersion' = '3'.
DISKLIB-DDB : virtualHWVersion
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.cylinders
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.heads
DISKLIB-DDB : geometry.sectors
DISKLIB-DDB : adapterType
VmdbVmCfg_UpdateFile: Could not load dictionary file /home/myuseraccountXPpro/XPpro.vmx: Unable to get information about file "/home/myuseraccount/XPpro/XPpro.vmx": No such file or directory.

Now I tried to start the vmware the second time. Select the XPpro.vmx and klick "Power On" -> crashed.

Demonbane, you mention that smp kernel could be this issue. I will try to setup it without smp, but it can't really a solution for me.

Any further help would be great. Thank you.

Demonbane,

it seems that the smp kernel cause the crash. I have intalled vmware on a machine without smp kernel and it works. I have also find some other people having issuses with smp kernel and linux.

If anyone have a solution, please provide.

Thanks in advance.

Is VMWare for Linux free? I know the VMWare Workstation 4 for Windows costs $300. What about Linux? Anyone :)

in this case, it costs the same as in windows. You have to buy the software also for linux. My company have bought a couple of license some month ago.

We are all worked under windows only and vmware works perfect. No 30-day installation support were needed. But now, several machines are running linux. And I get it not to work with smp kernel. Support is required, but it cost additional. :(

I don't have a smp machine handy that I can test it on otherwise i'd try to figure out a solution.
But anyway try using the vanilla 2.4.22 kernel, or even the 2.5/2.6 kernel and see how it goes, it might just work, you never know.