Build guest vmware kernel modules: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
Build guest vmware kernel modules (view source)
Revision as of 17:13, 26 October 2017
, 26 October 2017→vgauth what?
m (→vgauth what?) |
|||
| (9 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown) | |||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
Copy the files to your home folder | Copy the files to your home folder | ||
cd ~ | cd ~ | ||
cp /cdrom/VMwareTools-*.tar.gz . | cp /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-*.tar.gz . | ||
unzip | unzip | ||
tar xfz VMwareTools-*.tar.gz | tar xfz VMwareTools-*.tar.gz | ||
go into sub folder to build the tools | go into sub folder to build the tools | ||
cd vmware-tools-distrib/ | cd vmware-tools-distrib/ | ||
check and run pre-requisites from next paragraph if needed and then run: | |||
sudo ./vmware-install.pl | sudo ./vmware-install.pl | ||
Press <enter> on any questions asked. | Press <enter> on any questions asked. | ||
| Line 31: | Line 31: | ||
====Preconditions for the script to work==== | ====Preconditions for the script to work==== | ||
If you try to run the vmware-install.pl script and you need to build new kernel modules, then the script might give you the following error: | |||
Before you can compile modules, you need to have the following installed... | |||
make | |||
gcc | |||
kernel headers of the running kernel | |||
You will have to get your kernel-headers and a compiler and build system before hand. | You will have to get your kernel-headers and a compiler and build system before hand. | ||
| Line 40: | Line 47: | ||
====Troubleshooting==== | ====Troubleshooting==== | ||
===== available kernel modules ===== | |||
After the manual compile, you can run the lsmod command to see what modules it was able to load: | After the manual compile, you can run the lsmod command to see what modules it was able to load: | ||
$ lsmod | grep -i vm | $ lsmod | grep -i vm | ||
The following kernel modules are currently available: | |||
* vmhgfs - shared folders | |||
* vmxnet3 - virtual network adapter | |||
* vmmemctl - memory | |||
* vmw_balloon - balloon memory driver | |||
* vmw_pvscsi - paravirtual scsi | |||
* vmwgfx - accelerated graphics | |||
* vmblock - enable drag & drop between guest and host OS (desktop feature) | |||
* vmsync - | |||
* vgauth - Guest Authentication | |||
* vmw_vmci - inter-VM and host interface | |||
* vmw_vsock_vmci_transport - | |||
* vsock - virtual sockets | |||
Interesting tidbit, the reason that there's a "vmw_" prefix means it is VMware only and if there's no prefix, like vsock, then it is because it is a hypervisor-independent interface. See [https://communities.vmware.com/thread/497086 (1)] for details | |||
There's also a number of additional commands/scripts to enable other features | |||
* /usr/bin/vmware-toolbox-cmd - shrink, upgrade, statistics, version, timesync, run scripts on power operations, power operations, control devices | |||
* /usr/bin/vmware-user - advanced X features, guest resolution fit, drag and drop, file and text copy & paste. Running this will start the vmtoolsd daemon in /usr/lib/vmware-tools/sbin64 | |||
* /usr/lib/vmware-tools/sbin64/vmware-checkvm - prints VMware software version | |||
* /usr/lib/vmware-tools/sbin64/vmware-modconfig-console - module helper for acquiring status, kernel headers version, is a link to /usr/lib/vmware-tools/bin64/appLoader option --install-all will actually build all of your modules as well. | |||
* vmware-tools-thinprint - printing integration with the host using a virtual printing daemon | |||
===== unable to start services for VMware Tools ===== | |||
Creating a new initrd boot image for the kernel. | |||
NOTE: both /etc/vmware-tools/GuestProxyData/server/key.pem and | |||
/etc/vmware-tools/GuestProxyData/server/cert.pem already exist. | |||
They are not generated again. To regenerate them by force, | |||
use the "vmware-guestproxycerttool -g -f" command. | |||
initctl: Job failed to start | |||
Unable to start services for VMware Tools | |||
Execution aborted. | |||
If you get the above error then you can probably do as is sugggested above. I simply nuked the folder /etc/vmware-tools/GuestProxyData (rm -rf ) and completely reran the installer, after that it worked. | |||
===== vgauth what? ===== | |||
Nowadays VMware Tools asks if you want to enable the CAF agent (Common Agent Framework agent). | |||
If you are like me then you are probably wondering what this is. | |||
At the forums there's an answer ( https://communities.vmware.com/message/2604183#2604183 by VMware employee ykzang) | |||
I'm quoting that here for ease of reading. | |||
''Multiple VMware management solutions (e.g. vCM, Hyperic, Log Insight) require installation of in-guest agents.The Common Agent Framework attempts to provide a common framework to unify and simplify the management of various types of agents, and these agents would be referred to as Common Agent.'' | |||
''Those VMware solutions are working on distinct administrative domains from the guest. VGAuth provides a way to authorize those solutions users' behaviors(install agent for example) within guest.'' | |||
====Alternative solution==== | ====Alternative solution==== | ||
