VMware Tools for Linux Guests

On a Linux guest, you can install VMware Tools within X or from the command line

·  Installing VMware Tools within X

·  Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar Installer

·  Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the RPM Installer

Installing VMware Tools within X

You can install VMware Tools within X using the .tar installer in a terminal window. See Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar Installer.

To install VMware Tools from X with the RPM installer:

1. Choose VM > Install VMware Tools.

The guest operating system mounts the VMware Tools installation virtual CD.

2. Double-click the VMware Tools CD icon on the desktop.

Note: In some Linux distributions, the VMware Tools CD icon may fail to appear when you install VMware Tools within an X windows session on a guest. In this case, you should continue installing VMware Tools as described in Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar Installer, beginning with step 3.

3. Double-click the RPM installer in the root of the CD-ROM.

4. Enter the root password.

5. Click Continue.

The installer prepares the packages.

6. Click Continue when the installer presents a dialog box saying Completed System Preparation.

A dialog appears for Updating system, with a progress bar. When the installer is done, VMware Tools are installed. There is no confirmation or finish button.

7. In an X terminal, as root (su -), configure VMware Tools.

vmware-config-tools.pl

Respond to the questions the installer displays on the screen. Press Enter to accept the default value.

Note: Be sure to respond yes when the installer offers to run the configuration program.

8. Launch the VMware Tools background application:

vmware-toolbox &

Note: Some guest operating systems require a reboot for full functionality.

Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the Tar Installer

The first steps are performed on the host, within Workstation menus:

1. Power on the virtual machine.

2. After the guest operating system has started, prepare your virtual machine to install VMware Tools.

Choose VM > Install VMware Tools.

The remaining steps take place inside the virtual machine.

3. As root (su -), mount the VMware Tools virtual CD-ROM image, change to a working directory (for example, /tmp), uncompress the installer, then unmount the CD-ROM image.

Note: Some Linux distributions automatically mount CD-ROMs. If your distribution uses automounting, do not use the mount and umount commands below. You still must untar the VMware Tools installer to /tmp.

Some Linux distributions use different device names or organize the /dev directory differently. If your CD-ROM drive is not /dev/cdrom or if the mount point for a CD-ROM is not /mnt/cdrom, you must modify the following commands to reflect the conventions used by your distribution.

mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

cd /tmp

Note: If you have a previous installation, delete the previous vmware-distrib directory before installing. The default location of this directory is
/tmp/vmware-tools-distrib.

4. Untar the VMware Tools tar file:

tar zxf /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-5.0.0-<xxxx>.tar.gz

umount /dev/cdrom

Where <xxxx> is the build/revision number of the VMware Workstation release.

Note: If you attempt to install a tar installation over an rpm installation — or the reverse — the installer detects the previous installation and must convert the installer database format before continuing.

5. Run the .tar VMware Tools installer:

cd vmware-tools-distrib

./vmware-install.pl

Respond to the configuration questions on the screen. Press Enter to accept the default value.

6. Log off of the root account.

exit

7. Start X and your graphical environment.

8. In an X terminal, launch the VMware Tools background application.

vmware-toolbox &

Note: You may run VMware Tools as root or as a normal user. To shrink virtual disks, you must run VMware Tools as root (su -).

Installing VMware Tools from the Command Line with the RPM Installer

The first steps are performed on the host, within Workstation menus:

1. Power on the virtual machine.

2. After the guest operating system has started, prepare your virtual machine to install VMware Tools.

Choose VM > Install VMware Tools.

The remaining steps take place inside the virtual machine.

3. As root (su -), mount the VMware Tools virtual CD-ROM image, change to a working directory (for example, /tmp), uncompress the installer, then unmount the CD-ROM image.

Note: Some Linux distributions automatically mount CD-ROMs. If your distribution uses automounting, do not use the mount and umount commands below. You still must untar the VMware Tools installer to /tmp.

Some Linux distributions use different device names or organize the /dev directory differently. If your CD-ROM drive is not /dev/cdrom or if the mount point for a CD-ROM is not /mnt/cdrom, you must modify the following commands to reflect the conventions used by your distribution.

mount /dev/cdrom /mnt/cdrom

cd /tmp

Note: If you have a previous installation, delete the previous vmware-distrib directory before installing. The default location of this directory is
/tmp/vmware-tools-distrib.

4. At the command prompt, enter:

rpm -Uhv /mnt/cdrom/VMwareTools-5.0.0-<xxxx>.i386.rpm

umount /dev/cdrom

Where <xxxx> is the build/revision number of the VMware Workstation release.

Note: If you attempt to install an rpm installation over a tar installation — or the reverse — the installer detects the previous installation and must convert the installer database format before continuing.

5. Configure VMware Tools:

vmware-config-tools.pl

Respond to the questions the installer displays on the screen. Press Enter to accept the default value.

6. Log off of the root account.

exit

7. Start X and your graphical environment.

8. In an X terminal, launch the VMware Tools background application.

vmware-toolbox &

Note: You may run VMware Tools as root or as a normal user. To shrink virtual disks, you must run VMware Tools as root (su -).

Starting VMware Tools Automatically

You may find it helpful to configure your guest operating system so VMware Tools starts when you start your X server. The steps for doing so vary depending on your Linux distribution and your desktop environment. Check your operating system documentation for the appropriate steps to take.

For example, in a Red Hat Linux 7.1 guest using GNOME, follow these steps.

1. Open the Startup Programs panel in the GNOME Control Center.

Main Menu (click the foot icon in the lower left corner of the screen) > Programs > Settings > Session > Startup Programs

2. Click Add.

3. In the Startup Command field, enter vmware-toolbox.

4. Click OK, click OK again, then close the GNOME Control Center.

The next time you start X, VMware Tools starts automatically.

Uninstalling VMware Tools

To remove VMware Tools from your Linux guest operating system, log on as root (su -) and enter the following command:

·  From a tar install

vmware-uninstall-tools.pl

·  From an RPM install

rpm -e VMwareTools