Installing VMware Tools on a Linux virtual machine
In this article we will look at how to deploy VMware Tools on Linux virtual machines. Deploying VMTools in a guest virtual machine operating system improves their performance and manageability. With VMTools, some of the drivers included in the OS are replaced with a version optimized for virtualization; One such example is the vmxnet3 driver. In addition, VMTools provide API frameworks, such as VIX, that allow software to manage virtual machines, as well as the disclosure of virtual machine information, such as IP addresses when using clients for vSphere.
VMware Tools is supported on 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, including Microsoft, Apple, NetWare, Solaris, redhat and others. The Guest OS Compatibility Guide provides a complete list of supported guest operating systems along with supported VMware Tools features. We will show how to deploy VMware Tools on two Linux distributions, namely CentOS and Debian.
Depending on the Linux distribution, there are several methods for installing VMware Tools. The first and most commonly used method is an ISO installation. An ISO file containing vmtools binaries (installation files, scripts, etc.) is mounted in a virtual CD-ROM from the guest menu of the virtual machine. After that, vmtools are installed by running a Perl script.
Another popular method that is gaining momentum more and more is the Open-VM-Tools (OVT) from VMware. This allows vmtools to be automatically configured during the installation of the OS. Alternatively, they can be installed at a later time using the OS or from the repository using a package of management tools, such as YUM or APT.
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As of February 2016, Linux distributions supporting OVT are as follows;
We will talk about both methods, starting with ISO. To illustrate the deployment process, we first deploy vmtools on a Centos 6.x 32 virtual machine. As you can see in the figure, vmtools were not initially deployed on virtual machines.
Figure 1 - CentOS VM without vmtools
To start the installation, right-click on the name of the virtual machine, select “Guest” and click “Install / Upgrade VMware Tools”. Click OK to confirm.
Figure 2 - Starting the vmtools installation process
What happens: the corresponding ISO image is mounted for the Linux distribution, on which you want to install vmtools. To do this, make sure that the correct operating system has been selected for the virtual machine. To do this, check the type of operating system in the properties of the VM (Fig. 3). You must turn off the VM if you change the wrong OS type.
Figure 3 - Check OS Type
Once this is done, log in as an administrator and follow the steps below and run the commands. Depending on the distribution, some steps may differ slightly.
Create a folder and mount the ISO image.
Figure 4 - Creating an ISO Image
Then unpack the vmtools archive and copy the folders into Temp.
Figure 5 - Extracting vmtools folders
As is sometimes the case, missing dependencies can be detected, especially on newly installed virtual machines. For example, we first had to execute the following command to extract the YUM and install the packages (Figure 6) necessary to ensure the successful installation of vmtools.
Figure 6 - Installing Missing Dependencies
Now go to the / tmp folder and run the Perl installation script. You should enable the default settings if you are not going to customize the installation process manually.
Figure 7 - Installing vmtools using a Perl script
Figure 8 - Completing the Perl Script Execution Process
You can check whether the installation process has completed by reviewing the status of VMware Tools in the vSphere client (Figure 9).
Figure 9 - vmtools installed correctly
Sometimes, depending on the Linux distribution you choose and its configuration, you may encounter a compiler error during the execution of the Perl installation script.
The next step is optional, but if you have an overwhelming need to keep everything in order, you can run the following commands to clean up unnecessary installation files:
"The video shows the whole process described here: watch
In this example, we install open-vm-tools on a Debian 8 64-bit distribution. A great example is on the VMware website, so we will not reinvent the wheel and show the installation process in the video.
Watch
When installing OVT, you can see that the vmtools status is shown as “Running (Guest Managed)”, as shown in Figure 10. For third-party vmtools, the status will be “Running (3rd-party / Independent)”. This is normal and expected from OSP (Operating System Specific Packages) using basic software and installation mechanisms on guest OSs to upgrade vmtools.
Figure 10 - Status vmtools
VMware maintains a whole list of Linux distributions, as well as other operating systems. A complete list can be found on the VMware website. If a specific distribution is not listed, it will be verified if vmtools are supported only by visiting the provider's site. One such example is Arch Linux.
VMware Tools is supported on 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems, including Microsoft, Apple, NetWare, Solaris, redhat and others. The Guest OS Compatibility Guide provides a complete list of supported guest operating systems along with supported VMware Tools features. We will show how to deploy VMware Tools on two Linux distributions, namely CentOS and Debian.
Installation Methods
Depending on the Linux distribution, there are several methods for installing VMware Tools. The first and most commonly used method is an ISO installation. An ISO file containing vmtools binaries (installation files, scripts, etc.) is mounted in a virtual CD-ROM from the guest menu of the virtual machine. After that, vmtools are installed by running a Perl script.
Another popular method that is gaining momentum more and more is the Open-VM-Tools (OVT) from VMware. This allows vmtools to be automatically configured during the installation of the OS. Alternatively, they can be installed at a later time using the OS or from the repository using a package of management tools, such as YUM or APT.
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As of February 2016, Linux distributions supporting OVT are as follows;
- Fedora 19 and later;
- Debian 7.x and later;
- openSUSE 11.x and later;
- Ubuntu Vesri (12.04 LTS, 13.10 and later)
- Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.0 and later;
- CentOS 7.0 and later;
- Oracle Linux 7.0 and later;
- SUSE Linux Enterprise 12 and later.
ISO method
We will talk about both methods, starting with ISO. To illustrate the deployment process, we first deploy vmtools on a Centos 6.x 32 virtual machine. As you can see in the figure, vmtools were not initially deployed on virtual machines.
Figure 1 - CentOS VM without vmtools
To start the installation, right-click on the name of the virtual machine, select “Guest” and click “Install / Upgrade VMware Tools”. Click OK to confirm.
Figure 2 - Starting the vmtools installation process
What happens: the corresponding ISO image is mounted for the Linux distribution, on which you want to install vmtools. To do this, make sure that the correct operating system has been selected for the virtual machine. To do this, check the type of operating system in the properties of the VM (Fig. 3). You must turn off the VM if you change the wrong OS type.
Figure 3 - Check OS Type
Once this is done, log in as an administrator and follow the steps below and run the commands. Depending on the distribution, some steps may differ slightly.
Create a folder and mount the ISO image.
Figure 4 - Creating an ISO Image
Then unpack the vmtools archive and copy the folders into Temp.
Figure 5 - Extracting vmtools folders
As is sometimes the case, missing dependencies can be detected, especially on newly installed virtual machines. For example, we first had to execute the following command to extract the YUM and install the packages (Figure 6) necessary to ensure the successful installation of vmtools.
Figure 6 - Installing Missing Dependencies
Now go to the / tmp folder and run the Perl installation script. You should enable the default settings if you are not going to customize the installation process manually.
Figure 7 - Installing vmtools using a Perl script
Figure 8 - Completing the Perl Script Execution Process
You can check whether the installation process has completed by reviewing the status of VMware Tools in the vSphere client (Figure 9).
Figure 9 - vmtools installed correctly
Sometimes, depending on the Linux distribution you choose and its configuration, you may encounter a compiler error during the execution of the Perl installation script.
The next step is optional, but if you have an overwhelming need to keep everything in order, you can run the following commands to clean up unnecessary installation files:
"The video shows the whole process described here: watch
Installing open-vm-tools from the repository
In this example, we install open-vm-tools on a Debian 8 64-bit distribution. A great example is on the VMware website, so we will not reinvent the wheel and show the installation process in the video.
Watch
When installing OVT, you can see that the vmtools status is shown as “Running (Guest Managed)”, as shown in Figure 10. For third-party vmtools, the status will be “Running (3rd-party / Independent)”. This is normal and expected from OSP (Operating System Specific Packages) using basic software and installation mechanisms on guest OSs to upgrade vmtools.
Figure 10 - Status vmtools
What about other Linux distributions?
VMware maintains a whole list of Linux distributions, as well as other operating systems. A complete list can be found on the VMware website. If a specific distribution is not listed, it will be verified if vmtools are supported only by visiting the provider's site. One such example is Arch Linux.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/307980/
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