[EN] [WORKAROUND] VMware issue, Debian Jessie

[dibl]

The vmware-modconfig module builder is crashing silently. In the log I find the "No matching PBM set was found for kernel 3.9-1.towo-siduction-amd64" error, which usually means the linux-headers package is missing.  However, the matching linux-headers package is installed and the log shows that it was found by the module builder, so I dunno what the new issue is.  Probably VMware has again fallen behind kernel development.  For the moment I am pinning my kernel version at the last 3.9-0.

[piper]

Not sure if this will help at all considering the patch is for linux kernel 3.8, haven't had time to look for a newer one

http://communities.vmware.com/thread/432897?start=15&tstart=0

[dibl]

I dunno.

Since kernel 3.8, the patch here has been sufficient.  Moreover, in 5 years of using VMware, I have never seen this phenomenon of a silent crash after the module builder begins -- it normally pukes up an error for you, for example if you haven't installed the linux-headers or if there some issue with gcc.

In the thread you linked, they talk about the ".h" files in /usr/src/linux-headers-3.9-1.towo-siduction-amd64/include/linux/ being "grayed out".  I just compared those ".h" files to the same files for 3.9-0 and there is absolutely no visible difference when viewed with dolphin.

So I suspect there is something more going on, but probably smarter people than me will tell us what it is.


EDIT:  I posted the issue on vmware forums.

[dibl]

Learning experience here -- the problem is NOT the new kernel. With a "workaround", the modules will compile for 3.9.1.  I had forgotten that a couple of things changed earlier in the week:

(1) new kernel released, and

(2) major sid upgrades after Wheezy release.

Observing that the problem occurs prior to, or in conjunction with calling /usr/bin/vmware-gksu, resulting in no gksu request for the root password, I tried running the module-updater directly, as root, and the modules built with no problem.

I don't think the problem is in KDE -- but I used my E-17 desktop to do this.  There is something in the recent Debian upgrades that is interfering with the gksu call -- that's the end of my ability to find the root cause.

Workaround:

Open a root terminal and issue

Code: [Select]

/usr/bin/vmware-modconfig --icon=vmware-player --appname=VMware


EDIT 11 MAY:  On one system, the workaround did not run successfully in a root terminal.  It was necessary to go to the tty console, as root, cd to the /usr/bin directory, and issue:

Code: [Select]

vmware-modconfig --console --install-all --icon=vmware-player --appname=VMware