VMware server now free (gratis)

[Void Main]

Come and get it:

http://it.slashdot.org/it/06/07/12/1942228.shtml

[Void Main]

So far so good. I have an FC5 desktop that was running a copy of VMware Workstation. You can't have both Workstation and Server installed at the same time so I uninstalled Workstation and installed Server. I copied my virtual machine directories into "/var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines/xxx" and edited the configuration files to update the paths to point to the new location of the VM files. I fired up the vmware-server-console on my laptop and connected to VMware Server running on my desktop and opened up the config files from the VMware machines and they fired right up. Updated the VMware tools and everything is smooth.

An added bonus of running server (for me) is now I can take over the consoles of each VM right from my laptop in an easy way if I need console access. I am in the process of doing a network install of Debian testing in a new VM.

Installing:
http://voidmain.is-a-geek.net/i/debian-001.png

This is the vmware-server-console running on my laptop installing Debian on my desktop:
http://voidmain.is-a-geek.net/i/debian-002.png

Installed and up in GNOME with the VMware Tools installed:
http://voidmain.is-a-geek.net/i/debian-003.png

[JoeDude]

That's too cool...makes me jealous...I'd prolly screw it up!

[Void Main]

Yeah, I know it's outdated but it's Ubuntu:
http://voidmain.is-a-geek.net/i/ubuntu-001.png

[Ice9]

I installed it follwoing the instructions located here and all I get is

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Failed to Connect
The connection was refused when attempting to contact 192.168.0.100:8333.

I added myself to the www-data group and logged out/in, even tried to change ownership of /var/run/vmware/httpd to match my user's credentials but didn't help either.

don't know what I did wrong here, is there a way to check the local IP I should try to contact with vmware-mui? Maybe 192.168.0.100 isn't the right IP in my case?

EDIT: I think I might have found something related, will have to check it when I get home though.
vmware forum

[Void Main]

I guess you are talking about the VMware web management server thing? I didn't even install that and forgot that it was included. I just use the vmware-server-console to connect to port 902 on the VMware server. I guess I should install that web management feature to see what it's for.

EDIT: Ok, I just installed it on a server here and it works fine for me. I guess you already checked to make sure you don't have iptables firewalling set up and blocking 8333? I also assumed you checked to see if vmware's httpd is running on your system. If it is you should see it listening:

$ netstat -an | grep 8333
tcp 0 0 0.0.0.0:8333 0.0.0.0:* LISTEN

I don't really see any need to install it personally because it looks like everything provided in that web interface is also in the vmware-server-console GUI.

[Ice9]

OMG this just plain @*!!$

No way for me to connect to the vmware httpd, I don't feel like spending days investigating this so I think "okay the server package might be overkill for what I intend to do with it".
Now I try to install vmware workstation and can't even do taht anymore (used to work just fine)
I get stuck at

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What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/usr/src/linux/include]


I'm sure I running kernel 2.6.16-2-686 with the appropriate sources and headers, the version.h file is present in directory /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.16-2-686/include/linux and still all I get is

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The kernel defined by this directory of header files does not have the same
address space size as your running kernel.


This is starting to feel like hitting a brick wall over and over again.

[Void Main]

Like I said, you don't need the web server installed. I have a few server instances installed between work and home and I don't use the web management piece (mui). I don't even have it installed. If the vmware server service is running you will have a socket open on 902:

$ netstat -an | grep 902

You connect to your vmware server with the vmware client (the command is vmware-server-console). This is pretty cool because you can connect to it from anywhere.

Regarding your headers. If you have the headers installed that match your running kernel they will be found under /lib/modules/<kernelversion>/build (which will actually be a symbolic link). VMware will automatically find them there when they are properly installed. I have to assume that you do not in fact have the headers installed for your currently running kernel. I have run into the exact same situation you are describing on many occasions and on every occasion it was due to not having the proper headers installed. On my debian system I have this header package:

linux-headers-2.6.15-1-686

installed for this kernel package:

linux-image-2.6.15-1-686

where this is the currently running kernel:

$ uname -r
2.6.15-1-686

[Ice9]

uname -r give me

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yc@Icebox:~$ uname -r
2.6.16-2-686

and here is a screenie of y directory structure (I have no /lib/modules directory\


When I point vmware workstation to /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.16-2-686 where I am 100% positive that version.h resides, vmware complains about the same address space as the running kernel.

EDIT:
Oh well I guess this means "THE END" for me as far as vmware is concerned?

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root@Icebox:~/Files/vmware/vmware-distrib# ./vmware-install.pl
A previous installation of VMware software has been detected.

The previous installation was made by the tar installer (version 3).

Keeping the tar3 installer database format.

Error: Unable to execute "/usr/bin/vmware-uninstall.pl.

Failure

Execution aborted.


This is where it gets stuck now and with exactly 1 totally irrelevant link offered by Google ...

[Void Main]

Let me see if we are on the same page. We're talking VMware in Debian right? If you do not have a /lib/modules directory structure then something is severly wrong with your kernel installation. if your headers are properly installed properly you should have a /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build symbolic link pointing to them. You list the header directories but there is no way for me to tell whether there are actually any files in there and whether or not they were really associated with the build of your currently running kernel. I have to assume that they are not since you say the build symbolic link does not exist in the /lib/modules/`uname -r` directory.

Regarding the problem where it is detecting a previously installed version of VMware see if the /etc/vmware directory exists and if it does remove it, then try the installation process again. But if your kernel and kernel headers are not properly installed you'll be wasting your time.

If you are running Debian you should be able to copy and paste this command:

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cat /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build/include/linux/version.h


and get something back similar to this:

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#define UTS_RELEASE "2.6.15-1-686"
#define LINUX_VERSION_CODE 132623
#define KERNEL_VERSION(a,b,c) (((a) << 16) + ((b) << 8) + (c))


If your build symbolic link doesn't exist then you should at least be able to do copy/paste this and have it return the same thing:

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cat /usr/src/linux-headers-`uname -r`/include/linux/version.h


where UTS_RELEASE matches the output of `uname -r` exactly. If this does not work for you then reinstalling your kernel and headers via apt. Also, since you are running a little newer kernel you may have to apply the any any patch after installing VMware and before configuring it:

http://ftp.cvut.cz/vmware/vmware-any-an ... 101.tar.gz

I often have had to install the any any patch in the past to get VMware to compile properly on certain combinations of kernels and VMware version.

[Ice9]

Sorry, I was looking in /usr/lib and didn't see a modules directory, /lib/modules actually exists and I can paste both your commands succesfully.

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yc@Icebox:~$ cat /lib/modules/`uname -r`/build/include/linux/version.h
#define UTS_RELEASE "2.6.16-2-686"
#define LINUX_VERSION_CODE 132624
#define KERNEL_VERSION(a,b,c) (((a) << 16) + ((b) << 8) + (c))
yc@Icebox:~$ cat /usr/src/linux-headers-`uname -r`/include/linux/version.h
#define UTS_RELEASE "2.6.16-2-686"
#define LINUX_VERSION_CODE 132624
#define KERNEL_VERSION(a,b,c) (((a) << 16) + ((b) << 8) + (c))
yc@Icebox:~$


Regarding the problem of VMware not installing, it ws due to a non-accessible directory under /var/run/, I deleted it and now I can get to the point again where it doesn't find my kernel headers
I will try another install now and point vmware to /lib/modules/

EDIT:

Nope, same stuff than when I point it to the "relevant" /usr/src/ directory

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What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/usr/src/linux/include] /lib/modules/2.6.16-2-686/build/include/

The kernel defined by this directory of header files does not have the same
address space size as your running kernel.

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/usr/src/linux/include] 

I will now try to apply the any-any patch.

[Ice9]

It works, thanks a lot Void.

[Void Main]

Cool! Yeah, the any-any patch usually is the answer if you have your kernel and headers installed properly and still have a problem. There was only one period of time that I can remember where even this didn't help. That was with a series of Fedora kernels where there was an issue betwee 4k and 8k stacks.

[Ice9]

The fist one I'm gonna try out is PC-BSD ande next to that prolly FreeBSD.
I've been watching those BSD's for a while now and I've been hesitating to try them out because I didn't want to mess with my partitions too much.
- Never mess with a running system became my motto not too long ago -

Plus there's the incredibly cool add-on that you can take screenies of the install phase and blow your friends windoid droids away

[Void Main]

Actually the screen capture has been there for quite some time and it's built right in to VMware (not an add-on). You can even capture a movie of your VMware session if you have VMware workstation (which I have also run since v1.0):

http://www.vmware.com/support/ws5/doc/w ... pture.html