Installing VmWare Server on UBUNTU 7.10 Server

First, this how-to applies when you are using a kernel that is latest than the one needed by the VMWARE release you are using.

Here is how to do it:

1) Download VMware Server source from the VMware website.
You can use lynx:

sudo apt-get install lynx

2) Download this installer patch:
http://knihovny.cvut.cz/ftp/pub/vmware/vmware-any-any-update113.tar.gz

3) Extract all the archives to a location on your system by using:

tar -zxvf VMware-server*
tar -zxvf vmware*

4) Ensure that you have build-essential installed in order to compile these sources:

sudo aptitude install build-essential

4) Also ensure that you have the proper headers for your running kernel:

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)


This is important because if you don't then all that is needed to build and compile vmware will not be available.

5) Install the xinetd server:

sudo aptitude install xinetd

6) Install the xorg-dev tools because of shared library that vmware-server uses to validate keys.

sudo apt-get install xorg-dev
(sudo apt-get install libx11-dev)
(sudo apt-get install libx11-6)

7) Install wget, a command line http deamon because you will need it later

8) Run sudo ./vmware-install.pl located within the vmware-server-* unpacked archive.

sudo ./vmware-install.pl

8) # Select all the default options *EXCEPT* do not compile the modules at this point. (Do you want this program to try to build the vmmon module for your system? NO)

9) Run sudo ./runme.pl located within the vmware-any* archive. This will install the PATCH and resume step 8 where you said no.

10) Select the default options and this time answer YES to compile the proper modules.

By default your virtual machines will be installed at [/var/lib/vmware/Virtual Machines]


11) Execute the VMware Management Interface (MUI) installer:

do:
apt-get install libxi6

I have found that under cirmcumstances i don't fully understand it will not install without this.

tar xzf VMware-mui-1.0.4-56528.tar.gz
cd vmware-mui-distrib
sudo ./vmware-install.pl

This will install the vmware web services wich will responde as https on port 8333.

10) Download this file: http://www.iki.fi/kuparine/comp/ubuntu/en/httpd.vmware.diff
You can do it by using:

cd /tmp
wget http://www.iki.fi/kuparine/comp/ubuntu/en/httpd.vmware.diff
cd /
patch -b -p0 < /tmp/httpd.vmware.diff

The last command will patch the vmware apache install so that it will work properly.

11) Run vmware-server using the command vmware or via your Applications Menu.

12) Do "cd /etc/init.d" and "sudo ./httpd.vmware start" to start MUI

This how-to was mostly (but not only) based on this excelent how to:
http://users.piuha.net/martti/comp/ubuntu/en/server.html

Check it out for more details!

M