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Install VMware Tools in the Gentoo VM

Hi,

Some versions of the VMware Server and Workstation 5.5.X has a newer version of the tools. To install vmware tools do the following:

This can also be followed if you are doing a fresh install of the vmware tools. Also note that this procedure does not follow the Gentoo way of managing packages. So some purists don�t’ like this. There is an alternate way using the emerge, I will cover that install method shortly.

This pretty much follows the standard Linux tools install procedure, except noted otherwise.

Doc Link, KB Link to related references at VMware.com
Install Procedure:

1. Select the option to install vmware tools on the WKS/GSX UI. Usually VM -> Install VMware Tools

2. Then log into the Gentoo VM as tools and mount the cd-rom drive.

#mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

3. Then untar the vmware tools so some temp location like /tmp

#tar xvzf /mnt/cdrom/*.tar.gz /tmp

4. Create a set of empty rc directories to fool the tools installer

#mkdir /etc/init.d/rc{0,1,2,3,4,5,6}.d

5. Run the vmware-tools installer and go with the defaults

#cd vmware-tools-distrib
#./vmware-install.pl

The above installs the vmware tools startup scripts on the rc directories. So to fix it do the following
6. Add vmware tools to startup

#rc-update add vmware-tools default

vollia ur done.

Please do add ur comments as to what�s ur experience.

10 Comments to “Install VMware Tools in the Gentoo VM”

Serge 6 April 2006 at 7:55 am #

Hello,

Well, the tools are indeed get installed but they do not get start during the boot.

Message appears:

Usage: rc {start…

/etc/init.d/vmware-tools start works just fine.
nodh 25 May 2006 at 12:39 pm #

Same here
Rhodizzle 15 June 2006 at 2:51 am #

I just completed setting up gentoo 2.6.16-r9 in VMWare Server 1.0, the free one. After installing vmware-tools and emerging gnome-light, there is still a lot of mouse lag once I get into gnome. Any ideas on how to cut that down?
tobias 16 March 2007 at 6:21 am #

USing VMware 6 beta (build 39849) vmware-config-tools.pl complained that it could not find /etc/init.d/networking and did not compile the vmxnet driver.

Workaround: ln -s /etc/init.d/net.etho /etc/init.d/networking

Cheers,

tobias
Ian Gibbs 30 March 2007 at 6:22 am #

Have applied tobias’ workaround and this allows the install complete, although the vmxnet driver does not compile successfully. Starting fine on boot.
Nicholas Orr 29 April 2007 at 7:17 pm #

Well I installed the latest and it says its all working but when I hit the shutdown button on the Console the machine gets killed instead of shutdown…

Damn thing.

I also have this working on another vm but I can’t remember how I installed it. I have a feeling I used the ebuild vmware-server-tools, but it appears to have disappeared form the portage tree.
Nicholas Orr 29 April 2007 at 7:22 pm #

Bah – I didn’t change the power options in the console for this vm . . .

It’s all systems go using the above method.

I also copied a script that prettifies the output of vmware-tools script. Not sure where I got it from, probably out of the workstation tools ebuild or something. For this new vm i just pinched it from the working box
syrabo 21 December 2007 at 4:38 am #

It’ works on my first look.

My Systems:

Gentoo (Guest) amd64 with Kernel: gentoo-source 2.6.23 on Vmware Fusion 1.1 (Mac OS X 10.5.1)
Stonie 17 January 2008 at 1:06 am #

Install worked… but does anyone know how to compact a vm on the commandline without X? vmware-toolbox seems to want X?

Stonie.
jay 17 January 2008 at 1:50 am #

Hi Stonie, check this thread out http://h0bbel.p0ggel.org/offline-vmware-disk-shrink

it has some reasonable information in it on how to shrink a disk. Personally i use vmware-vdiskmanager to shrink vmdk files and it has worked fine in the past.