HowTo: Install VMWare Workstation on Fedora 8

Installing VMware Workstation software on Fedora 8 should not be a problem at all using Fedora rpm package installer. Considering an old post of installing VMWare on Fedora 7, I have encountered a strange installation issue and changes of installing VMWare workstations 6.02 on Fedora 8.

Here's how to install VMWare Workstation 6.0.2 on Fedora 8.

Pre-Requirements

First, check my version details pasted below. These packages are needed since VMWare needs to compile some needed kernel modules prior to its installation.

VMWare Workstation 6.0.2 build-59824
kernel-2.6.23.1-42.fc8
kernel-headers-2.6.23.9-85.fc8
kernel-devel-2.6.23.1-42.fc8
gcc-4.1.2-33
gcc-c++-4.1.2-33

To retrieve and extract kernel and gcc package versions, simply issue

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# uname -a
# rpm -qa kernel*
# rpm -qa gcc*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

IF you don't have these packages, simply install them by

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# yum -y install kernel-headers kernel-devel gcc
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You might have a different kernel version from your box right now. The decision of updating your kernel to the latest version is up to you.

VMWare Workstation installation on Fedora 8

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are only three basic steps on how to install VMWare Workstation 6.0.2 software on Fedora 8.

1. Grab and download VMWare workstation 6.0.2 rpm installer from here.

Make sure to register yourseld for further evaluation of VMWare workstation 6.0.2 from the VMWare site. You would need that in order to get evaluation codes as well.

2. Install VMWare workstation rpm package from your box
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# rpm -ivh /root/Desktop/VMware-workstation-6.0.2-59824.i386.rpm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3. VMware workstation comes with its own initialization script. Execute VMWare workstation initialization perl script from command line terminal like so

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

The above command would attempt gather some information and compile VMware kernel modules required by VMware workstation. This could take up some time depending on your hardware specs.

You could see my own transcript details of answering most of the questions presented by the above vmware-config.pl script. This is pasted from the bottom end of this entry. Most of them are easy to understand and answerable by simply hitting the Enter key.

My reason for creating this entry is to document and share a few issues that I have met while installing VMWare workstation 6.0.2 to my Fedora 8 box. You might be facing the same issue, so read on.

VMWare Workstation Installation Issues

One installation difficulty or error that you might have from running vmware-config.pl initial vmware config perl script is shown below:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
make[2]: execvp: /tmp/vmware-config17/vmmon-only/./getversion.pl: Permission denied
./getversion.pl: Permission denied
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

or
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# cd /tmp/vmware-config17/vmmon-only/
# ./getversion.pl
./getversion.pl: Permission denied
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Solution:

Simply, remount your /tmp folder as binary executable and suidable folder like so

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# mount -o remount, exec /tmp
# mount -o remount, suid /tmp
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Then try to execute vmware-config.pl perl script again. At this point, executing getversion.pl from vmware-config.pl perl script should proceed without any problems. Just remember to remount all your devices to its boot time state after all vmware-config.pl compilation went fine. The below command would remount all devices listed from /etc/fstab to its initial boot state.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# mount -a
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another issue that you might be facing from running VMWare workstation for the first time shown below:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
process 12387: Attempt to remove filter function 0x54d7c0 user data 0x9c04790, but no such filter has been added
D-Bus not built with -rdynamic so unable to print a backtrace
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I digged VMWare tecnical docs and Google about this but I have failed to retrieve something that might lead me to steps that I've probably missed out. I really thought I was missing something else until one strange guess of issuing the below command did the trick.

Solution:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# service messagebus stop
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The above issues were not present during my previous installations from earlier Fedora versions. So I guess this would come in handy for some.

At this point, you should be seeing the below dialog box


The next thing to do before managing VMWare workstation is to get and enter the VMWare workstation serial number, which can be accessed from Help Menu and Enter Serial Number selection.



You can get and read more of evaluation details from here.

I am pasting my transcript details of running vmware-config.pl perl script. The answers given here fits to my desktop needs.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# vmware-config.pl
Making sure services for VMware Workstation are stopped.

Stopping VMware services:
Virtual machine monitor [ OK ]
Blocking file system: [ OK ]
Bridged networking on /dev/vmnet0 [ OK ]
Host network detection [ OK ]
DHCP server on /dev/vmnet1 [ OK ]
Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet1 [ OK ]
DHCP server on /dev/vmnet8
[ OK ]
NAT service on /dev/vmnet8 [ OK ]
Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet8 [ OK ]
Virtual ethernet [ OK ]

Configuring fallback GTK+ 2.4 libraries.

In which directory do you want to install the theme icons?
[/usr/share/icons]

What directory contains your desktop menu entry files? These files have a
.desktop file extension. [/usr/share/applications]

In which directory do you want to install the application's icon?
[/usr/share/pixmaps]

Trying to find a suitable vmmon module for your running kernel.

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

Using compiler "/usr/bin/gcc". Use environment variable CC to override.

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/lib/modules/2.6.23.1-42.fc8/build/include]


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-config18/vmblock-only'
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.23.1-42.fc8/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/kernels/2.6.23.1-42.fc8-i686'
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config18/vmblock-only/linux/block.o

..
SNIPPED
..

Using 2.6.x kernel build system.
make: Entering directory `/tmp/vmware-config18/vmnet-only'
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.23.1-42.fc8/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/kernels/2.6.23.1-42.fc8-i686'
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config18/vmnet-only/driver.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config18/vmnet-only/hub.o

..
SNIPPED
..

Do you want to install the Eclipse Integrated Virtual Debugger? You must have
the Eclipse IDE installed. [no]

Starting VMware services:
Virtual machine monitor [ OK ]
Blocking file system: [ OK ]
Virtual ethernet [ OK ]
Bridged networking on /dev/vmnet0 [ OK ]
Host network detection [ OK ]
Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet1 (background) [ OK ]
DHCP server on /dev/vmnet1 [ OK ]
Host-only networking on /dev/vmnet8 (background) [ OK ]
DHCP server on /dev/vmnet8 [ OK ]
NAT service on /dev/vmnet8 [ OK ]

The configuration of VMware Workstation 6.0.2 build-59824 for Linux for this
running kernel completed successfully.

You can now run VMware Workstation by invoking the following command:
"/usr/bin/vmware".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VMWare Workstation Binary Execution

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
# vmware
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VMWare Main Interface ScreenShot:


Oh, I am using i686 by the way. Enjoy.