VMWare Tools Installation - Kernel header files path not valid.

rhoaste · #1 27th May 2011, 03:07 AM

Hi,

I recently installed Fedora 15 under VMware Workstation V7.1.4. I'm now experiencing problems installing VMware tools.

I unpacked the VMware Tools, and then...

Code:

yum install kernel-devel kernel-headers gcc make
reboot
./vmware-install.pl

...then taking all defaults from the script. When I get to the section on entering the kernel header path, this happens:

Code:

Searching for a valid kernel header path...
The path "" is not valid.
Would you like to change it? [yes]

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running kernel?

...and I dont seem to be able to provide a valid directory for the kernel headers at this point.

The system does not seem to have detected the kernel header path, even though I have installed the kernel-headers package.

I've tried: /lib/modules/2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686.PAE/build/include
and also: /usr/src/kernels/2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686.PAE/include
without success.

I would be grateful for some help getting my vmware tools installed please.

Regards.

mfinmun · #2 27th May 2011, 07:31 AM

Hi,

I've got the same problem on Fedora 15 32Bit. 64Bit seems to be working.

When I try uname I got

Code:

uname -r
2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686.PAE

When I try find / -name headers I got

Code:

find / -name headers
/usr/src/kernels/2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686/include/config/headers

Manually entering this path doesn't help.

When I look into this directory there is only one empty file check.h.
I've done yum update yesterday with 96 updates.
This morning I've done yum update again with 16 updates.

Maybe we need some days until it's working.

Regards Sebastian

smr54 · #3 27th May 2011, 01:42 PM

If I remember correctly, it's a vmware issue. There's a line you will have to change and I can't find the link. This is assuming your kernel-devel package matches your running kernel.

If kernel and kernel-devel match, and you have the basic tools, gcc, make, and so on, then it's the more obscure problem.

Extract the tarball from the mounted vmware tools and edit vmware-install.pl, which I think gets placed in /usr/bin. Look for he line that's something like this

Code:

  if (-e $answer . '/generated/utsrelease.h') {
      $uts_headers .= "#include <./generated/utsrelease.h> \n";

Around line 2006
The line will be slightly different, change it to read what I have above.

For reference

http://resalxh.wordpress.com/2010/06...-on-fedora-13/

Now when running vmware-config.pl the correct path is found and you no longer have to edit version.h and/or to look for the correct path. Thank you Mattias!

markkuk · #4 27th May 2011, 03:35 PM

If you are running a PAE kernel you must install the kernel-PAE-devel package instead of the regular kernel-devel.

yuwanglingdi · #5 27th May 2011, 03:44 PM

I'm from China,and I'm a stranger to fedora.unfortunately，I got the same problem with you guys,so,I'm looking to the solutions.

mfinmun · #6 29th May 2011, 01:14 PM

Hi smr54,
hi markkuk,

thank you for your help

@sm54
That seemed to be working.

@markkuk
I've installed F15 using the default settings. I've specified 1GB RAM for the VM. So I don't understand why an PAE kernel is installed.
Next of all I just used the normal yum, so I think the correspending headers should be installed.
Do you know some special actions required?

Thanks

Sebastian

markkuk · #7 29th May 2011, 03:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfinmun

@markkuk
I've installed F15 using the default settings. I've specified 1GB RAM for the VM. So I don't understand why an PAE kernel is installed.

Starting with Fedora 11 PAE kernel is installed by default if the CPU supports it: http://docs.fedoraproject.org/en-US/...ics_for_Fedora

rhoaste · #8 30th May 2011, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markkuk

If you are running a PAE kernel you must install the kernel-PAE-devel package instead of the regular kernel-devel.

Markkuk: Excellent! That worked.

I installed the kernel-PAE-devel package and was subsequently able to successfully install VMware tools.

Thank you very much for your help.

Kind regards.

mfinmun · #9 30th May 2011, 08:00 AM

@markkuk

Thank you! Lessons learned

Regards

Sebastian

caspermy · #10 3rd June 2011, 10:57 PM

I am here because of the same problem but I found the solution.

Firstly, do a uname -a to see if your kernel version (the number, and PAE/not PAE) matches the kernel-devel installed. If not, that is where the problem lies.

Do a YUM install for the kernel[.PAE] again to bring it up to the same version as the kernel-devel[.PAE].
Reboot and that works for me.

Specifically, Fedora 15 installed 2.6.38.6-26.fc15.i686.PAE and any yum install around this time would have pulled 2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686.PAE

ENetARch · #11 31st July 2011, 04:05 AM

Someone asked which file they needed to update to get VMware-Config.pl to compile.

The file is located in /usr/src/kernels/[your version]/include/linux/version.h

add the following line:
#define UTS_RELEASE "[your version]"

note that the quotes are required

I found this in a linux forum thread.
http://www.linuxforums.org/forum/red...ore-5-a-2.html

cbock · #12 27th January 2012, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caspermy

i am here because of the same problem but i found the solution.

Firstly, do a uname -a to see if your kernel version (the number, and pae/not pae) matches the kernel-devel installed. If not, that is where the problem lies.

Do a yum install for the kernel[.pae] again to bring it up to the same version as the kernel-devel[.pae].
Reboot and that works for me.

Specifically, fedora 15 installed 2.6.38.6-26.fc15.i686.pae and any yum install around this time would have pulled 2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686.pae

thank you!

SunJing · #13 24th February 2012, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caspermy

I am here because of the same problem but I found the solution.

Firstly, do a uname -a to see if your kernel version (the number, and PAE/not PAE) matches the kernel-devel installed. If not, that is where the problem lies.

Do a YUM install for the kernel[.PAE] again to bring it up to the same version as the kernel-devel[.PAE].
Reboot and that works for me.

Specifically, Fedora 15 installed 2.6.38.6-26.fc15.i686.PAE and any yum install around this time would have pulled 2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686.PAE

Thank you! I use Fedora 16, and your solution is perfect!!!

Parhelia · #14 28th February 2012, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caspermy

I am here because of the same problem but I found the solution.

Firstly, do a uname -a to see if your kernel version (the number, and PAE/not PAE) matches the kernel-devel installed. If not, that is where the problem lies.

Do a YUM install for the kernel[.PAE] again to bring it up to the same version as the kernel-devel[.PAE].
Reboot and that works for me.

Specifically, Fedora 15 installed 2.6.38.6-26.fc15.i686.PAE and any yum install around this time would have pulled 2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686.PAE

Thank you, it works!

paoiue · #15 19th May 2012, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caspermy

I am here because of the same problem but I found the solution.

Firstly, do a uname -a to see if your kernel version (the number, and PAE/not PAE) matches the kernel-devel installed. If not, that is where the problem lies.

Do a YUM install for the kernel[.PAE] again to bring it up to the same version as the kernel-devel[.PAE].
Reboot and that works for me.

Specifically, Fedora 15 installed 2.6.38.6-26.fc15.i686.PAE and any yum install around this time would have pulled 2.6.38.6-27.fc15.i686.PAE

I made an account just to say, "Thank you very much. This really helped as I am new to Linux."

If the kernel version is different, I did:

yum update kernel
reboot
yum install kernel-devel

and that made it work.

source: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...-devel-382178/
second poster