Howto Install vmware tools in Ubuntu
Posted by admin on January 3rd, 2008 
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Other tools in the package support synchronization of time in the guest operating system with time on the host, automatic grabbing and releasing of the mouse cursor, copying and pasting between guest and host, and improved mouse performance in some guest operating systems.
Click on VM in the top menu of the VMware Server console and select Install VMware Tools.
Now you should be able see the following screen here click on install
Now you should see similar to the following screen on your desktop
First copy the VMware Tools from the mounted iso to the temporary folder
cp /media/cdrom/VMwareTools-1.0.3-44356.tar.gz /tmp/
Afterwards switch to the temporary folder and unpack the VMware Tools:
cd /tmp/
tar xvfz VMwareTools-1.0.3-44356.tar.gz
Next switch to the folder with the unpacked files and execute the installer:
cd vmware-tools-distrib/
sudo ./vmware-install.pl
Now you will be asked a few questions relating to installation paths etc. Choose the default value every time (simply hit enter).
After the installation/configuration finished you have to start the VMware Tools:
vmware-toolbox &
Once it opens you should be able to see similar to the following screen
Vmware tools version details
Note: If you close the VMware Tools window, the VMware Tools will be disabled immediately.
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December 10th, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Great document! I have 2 questions for you:
1. Once you’re in Ubuntu, how do you know the vmware tools have started?
2. I’m using vmware server 1.0.4 and my host is XP. When I’m Ubuntu, I can’t see my windows partition. How can I see it so that I may copy files?
Thanks
February 16th, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Hi Jean-claude:
for the 1. - you can see in systems->preferences->sessions… you can put it (/usr/bin/vmware-toolbox if you use the default) there to run in startup. Note: if you need shrink or scripts you mus run as root
for the 2. you must configure your ubuntu for search the XP in the network and the XP to do the same… configuring SAMBA?
take a look in:
http://pubs.vmware.com/server1/vm/wwhelp/wwhimpl/js/html/wwhelp.htm?href=network_gsx.html#1062056
this is old I hope it is good http://www.vmware.com/support/ws3/doc/ws32_running9.html
well my time…
i´m getting the following error every time I use vmware-config-tools.pl, it ocurr while configuring the net:
If you wish to have the shared folders feature, you can install the driver by running vmware-config-tools.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.
someone help?
February 16th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
well, only more details from my error… before that msg I get:
Building the vmhgfs module.
Using 2.6.x kernel build system.
make: Entering directory `/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only’
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.20-15-generic/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.20-15-generic’
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/cpName.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/cpNameLinux.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/dev.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/driver.o
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmhgfs-only/driver.c: In function \u2018HgfsChangeFileAttributes\u2019:
and some more
June 12th, 2008 at 12:01 am
Yo Masterkey
I’ve got the same problem and I just typed “no”, then the installation kept running.
after it finished i input “/usr/bin/vmware-toolbox” and the toolbox popped up…
i guess typing “no” at that stage wouldn’t hurt
June 12th, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Thank you for the step by step instructions. After entering the location of the C headers
What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running kernel? [/usr/src/linux/include] /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.22-14-generic/include
I get the following error:
The directory of kernel headers (version @@VMWARE@@ UTS_RELEASE) does not match your running level (version 2.6.22.14-generic). Even if the midule were to compile successfully, it would not load into the running kernel.
Any ideas how to fix this?
July 10th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I simply installed package “vmware-player-kernel-modules-2.6.20-15″ through sinaptic manager and vmware-toolbox works correctly.
August 17th, 2008 at 1:43 am
For your information, you don’t need to provide the ‘z’ option to tell tar what type of compressed archive you want to extract. Like our all, we become smarter
August 20th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Hello, this is the best walkthough I have found but I’m having some problems following it. I have no Ubuntu background.
I’ve extracted the .tar file, but I’m having no success opening the vmware-install.pl file. I’ve tried typing “sudo ./vmware-install.pl” which some other guides say to do as well, and I get the message “command not found”. If I click on the file to just open it like I would for windows, and click “run”, nothing happens.
I really can’t work out what is going wrong.
Any help would be very much appreciated,
Thanks
Michael
September 1st, 2008 at 8:25 am
Michael,
I am also very new to Ubuntu and have no experience with VMWare. The first time I installed VMWare Tools it seemed to worked but I lost all network access. I uninstalled the tools and network access was restored. But, I quickly discovered the VMWare is not really very useful without the tools. So, I tried again following the instructions on this site. So far, so good. The tools are installed and I have network access.
None of this was easy. I had to learn some basic linux commands and how to move the directory structure. That’s ok, but I’m not that impressed with VMWare. I’d read great things about it but now, having tried it, my impression is that it lacks polish. It makes me think of the old dancing bear joke - the amazing thing is not how well the bear dances, but that it dances at all.
Steve
September 17th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
Steve, you can simply install vmware tools without the network drivers so that you’ll still have your network after you have the tools installed…
At one point during the install where it asks you many questions there’s a question related to “vmxnet” just say no to installing that driver and you should be fine
September 17th, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Steve, you can also just install like normal then go into System > Administration > Network. Unlock that menu so you can access it, then select wired connection and click properties. Now uncheck “enable roaming mode” and select “Automatic configuration (DHCP)” for Configuration. Now just OK everything and your internet should work fine. Hope that helps =)
November 14th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Great directions. I performed this and am looking at the toolbox now, but it doesn’t seem that the tools installed. I still have to press Ctrl-Alt to get out of the window, and none of the other goodies are there. Any thoughts?