This is part of my install/configuration notes for my latest Ubuntu 12.04 (Precise Pangolin) installation. I use VMware with my PeopleSoft development and testing, so it is very important for me to get it working.
Here’s what I did…
Downloading
VMware is not in the repositories as it is a proprietary program. You have to download it from their website:
I had to login. The account with VMWare was free, but I don’t think there is a way around it. After logging in, it took me to My Account or something like that. I found the download in Products & Downloads > All Downloads.
Then, VMWare Player was in the list on the right-hand side:
By default, it shows the the 4.0 version. I had to search for the 4.0.2 version underneath.
Running the installation
The file downloaded is a text file. But, I think it is actually a script. You can run it from the terminal with (note that root permissions are required):
sudo sh VMware-Player-4.0.2-591240.x86_64.txt
That should bring up an install wizard. I chose to stay up to date…
Also, I would like to contribute by sending statistics…
Then, it was ready to install…
It took a bit to install…
And, after a bit, it was done…
The First Run
The first time that you run the player, you have to install the kernel module.
When you click Install, it first asks for your password. Then, it runs through an installer…
And, it erred!
Go ahead and cancel out of these messages because it isn’t going to compile.
Patching
The solution was to install a patch. I found the answer in these two articles:
- Ubuntu Forums: [SOLVED] Virtual Network Device unable to load/compile-VM Player 4.0.2 in Ubuntu 12.04 Beta 2
- VMware Communities: Failed to compile module vmmon!
I downloaded the patch from the VMware Communities link:
Next, I used File Roller to extract the patch tar ball:
I decided to run it from a terminal so that I could review the output when I was done. It needs to be run as root, so just run it like this:
sudo ./patch-modules_3.2.0.sh
At the end, it said, “All done, you can now run VMWare Player.”
Running
The patch must have complete the VMware module compilations. When I ran it, it asked me to agree to the license, and then, it ran with no problems.
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