VMware Workstation v.6.0.4.93057 and Fedora 9

[IvanI]

I managed to install (after "yumming" for gcc, kernel-devel, etc.) VMware Workstation in Fedora 9, however, in config.pl part of install, I got this error:

None of the pre-built vmblock modules for VMware Workstation is suitable for 
your running kernel.  Do you want this program to try to build the vmblock 
module for your system (you need to have a C compiler installed on your 
system)? [yes] 

Extracting the sources of the vmblock module.

Building the vmblock module.

Using 2.6.x kernel build system.
make: Entering directory `/tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only'
make -C /usr/src/kernels/2.6.25.6-55.fc9.i686/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/kernels/2.6.25.6-55.fc9.i686'
  CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/block.o
  CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/control.o
  CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/dbllnklst.o
  CC [M]  /tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.o
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.c: In function ‘DentryOpRevalidate’:
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.c:101: error: ‘struct nameidata’ has no member named ‘dentry’
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.c:101: error: ‘struct nameidata’ has no member named ‘dentry’
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.c:102: error: implicit declaration of function ‘path_release’
make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/kernels/2.6.25.6-55.fc9.i686'
make: *** [vmblock.ko] Error 2
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/vmware-config0/vmblock-only'
Unable to build the vmblock module.

The vmblock module enables dragging or copying files from within a guest and 
dropping or pasting them onto your host (guest to host drag and drop and file 
copy/paste).  The rest of the software provided by VMware Workstation is 
designed to work independently of this feature (including host to guest drag 
and drop and file copy/paste).

If you would like the guest to host drag and drop and file copy/paste features,
you can install the driver by running vmware-config.pl again after making sure 
that gcc, binutils, make and the kernel sources for your running kernel are 
installed on your machine. These packages are available on your distribution's 
installation CD.
[ Press Enter key to continue ]

anyone has any idea how to fix this?

[ediamond]

I am running into the same thing.

I am running VMware Workstation 6, V6.0.4 Build 93057 (Licensed copy I run on my workstation at work). That is a Dell 755 running F8 X86_64. The errors started showing up with the kernel update to 2.6.24.7-92.fc8 (or probably more accurately, the kernel-devel package for 2.6.24.7-92.fc8).

I have seen errors like this before with kernel updates, and they have been resolved in the past with subsequent kernel updates. That is not the case this time. The error is present with 2.6.25.6-27.fc8 as well. I had been trying to wait things out by running the previous kernel, but alas, yum has removed that. Which is cramping my style as I am used to being able to cut and paste between my virtual machines as part of how I work...

Does anyone out there know what the dentry structure is for and why it doesn't seem to be in the kernel header files for the past two kernel updates? When I get a chance I will dig into this for myself, but I just got back from vacation and it's pretty busy around here...

TIA for any help that may be forthcoming!

[IvanI]

Well I too hope that someone will reply here who has experience with this. I've seen people with this problem on VMware forums as well.

on the other hand, I have another problem with VMware and Fedora 9 (could be a side effect from this one though...)
When I run guest OS, and then switch to host OS, run firefox for example, and then try to type something, Firefox just closes, and every application window that I try to "type into" reports a crash.
When the guest OS is not running, everything works fine...
Anyone had this kind of trouble? Suggestions...

[AllGNU]

Hello, here is an install of "VMwarePlayer" on my Fedora 9 config (kernel 2.6.25.4-30.fc9.i686)
I think it's the same for "VMware Workstation"
used from: http://blog.creonfx.com/linux/how-to...on-2625-kernel

On my machine here is a sumary of what I have done :

# uname -a
Linux sirna 2.6.25.4-30.fc9.i686 #1 SMP Wed May 21 18:12:35 EDT 2008 i686 i686 i386 GNU/Linux

# Remove the previous VMwarePlayer version
rpm -e VMwarePlayer
\rm -r /usr/lib/vmware

# Install VMware-player 2.0.4 Build 93057
mkdir /tmp/VMWARE
cd /tmp/VMWARE
wget http://download3.vmware.com/software...93057.i386.rpm
rpm -i -v -h VMware-player-2.0.4-93057.i386.rpm

# Patch with any-any-update-117-very-ALPHA (it's not a standard any-any-update patch)
wget http://blog.creonfx.com/temp/vmware-...very-ALPHA.tgz
cd /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source
tar xvfz /tmp/VMWARE/vmware-any-any-update-117-very-ALPHA.tgz
./vmware-2.6.25.sh

# Configure
/usr/bin/vmware-config.pl

# All is done correctly and VMwarePlayer works well under the kernel 2.6.25.4-30.fc9.i686

After updating the kernel to this one 2.6.25.6-55.fc9.i686
I Just need to recompile using "vmware-config.pl" and all works well

Trying to help
--
Chris

[burntbit]

Using 2.6.x kernel build system.
make: Entering directory `/tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only'
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.25.9-76.fc9.x86_64/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/kernels/2.6.25.9-76.fc9.x86_64'
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/block.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/control.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/dbllnklst.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.o
/tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.c: In function ‘DentryOpRevalidate’:
/tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.c:101: error: ‘struct nameidata’ has no member named ‘dentry’
/tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.c:101: error: ‘struct nameidata’ has no member named ‘dentry’
/tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.c:102: error: implicit declaration of function ‘path_release’
make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only/linux/dentry.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/kernels/2.6.25.9-76.fc9.x86_64'
make: *** [vmblock.ko] Error 2
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/vmware-config1/vmblock-only'
Unable to build the vmblock module.

I get the same error in Fedora 9 64bit with the latest kernel. If you examine the todo list in VMware's config file:
###
### TODOs:
### config file hierarchies
### open/close/check file
### error handling
### config file checker
### pretty print should print not present devices not in misc
###
it would seem the program doesn't have a way to handle errors yet. So despite not making vmblock the program continues to build vmware. The program does seem to run despite this problem in compiling. I have some issues with my system aside from anything having to do with vmware... so I'm not sure if my computer locking up is related.

If some one knows how to get vmblock to compile correctly I would greatly appreciate it.

... unless you're saying the patch fixes that?

[angrypanda]

Okay - I found the reference to the fix to this. It was suggested as a fix to similar problems under OpenSuSE 11 - and seems to work on FC9 (x86_64) with VMplayer 2.0.4. Have a look here and follow the instructions.....

http://opsamericas.com/?p=734

Now VMblock compiles with no problems and drag&drop works again. Whoopeee!

Cheers, Jon

[Haber_Nir]

its not working well.
i do step after step but when i click on "power on" it display the message:

"Unable to change virtual machine power state: Failed to connect to peer process."

you know how to solve this?

[kikker46]

I installed the beta from vmware version 6.5 and when starting up I had to chose the /usr/bin/gcc43 .
Maybe if you try with the rpm it all goes well, at least besides the minor gcc version problem. No errors.

[angrypanda]

Hi,

I just installed VMplayer 2.0.5 on fedora core 9 x86_64. The vmblock module compiles perfectly "out of the box", so please don't waste your time applying the patches detailed in my previous mail. Strange, there was no mention of including the bug fix in the changelog

Cheers, Jon

[ediamond]

Yeah, started my machine this morning and VMware workstation notified me of the update. Everything compiled correctly first time. Got through the whole day without a crash, even with using USB serial and network adapters. That hasn't happened since the last update.

I don't know what was up with 6.0.4, but for me at least, it was a major step backward.

[freeofrules]

The configuration of VMware Workstation 6.0.4 build-93057 for Linux for this
running kernel completed successfully.

use this update vmware-any-any-update-117d

http://groups.google.com/group/vmkernelnewbies/files

this took me awhile to find this update. good old google did the trick.