VMware: Linux ‘Guest’ Fix for Kernel 3.15..

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After further testing, I found that the hgfs ‘shared folders’ function in VMware 10.0.2, which worked fine for Kernel 3.14, did not work for Kernel 3.15…

I tried to find a patch, and eventually created a (fairly unsophisticated!) one for myself, and have tested it with VMware 10.0.2 (Linux ‘host’) and Linux Kernel 3.14.1 and 3.15-rc2 ‘guests’.

The change is to vmhgfs-only/link.c, and replaces vfs_readlink with readlink_copy if the kernel version is 3.15 or greater..

Credit is due to Fabio Rossi, at the Gentoo Bugzilla, for documenting the correct format and parameters for the change..

The patch can be found at http://pastebin.com/FAKn6tj2

Usual disclaimers apply — this has been tested with the standard kernel.org versions of the Linux Kernel, and is unsupported..   Use at your own discretion…

Robert Gadsdon.   April 23, 2014

VMware Linux Guest – Shared Folders Finally Fixed..

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The release notes for VMware 10.0.2 suggested that the hgfs problem with shared folders with a Linux ‘guest’ had been fixed, and I have tested this with Kernel 3.14 – and it (finally!) works again..

Upgrader: To VMX: tools.capability.hgfs_server tools-upgrader 0
Rpci: Sending request='tools.capability.hgfs_server tools-upgrader 0'
Rpci: Sent request='tools.capability.hgfs_server tools-upgrader 0', reply='', len=0, status=1
Unregistering callback 'f'
HgfsChannelGuest_Exit: app tools-upgrader rpc = 0 rpc cb = 0 chn = 6A9DC0.
HgfsChannelExitServer: Teardown Hgfs server.
HgfsChannelExitChannel: Exit channel returns.
# ls /mnt/hgfs
data8  rgadsdon

Robert Gadsdon.   April 21, 2014.

Kernel 3.15-rc2 – No Surprises, So Far…

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Just installed Kernel 3.15-rc2 on the test system, and the same comments apply as for -rc1: (http://rglinuxtech.com/?p=1098)

$ uname -a
Linux rglinux 3.15.0-rc2 #1 SMP PREEMPT Sun Apr 20 22:11:36 BST 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

The changes are – briefly – outlined here:  http://lkml.iu.edu//hypermail/linux/kernel/1404.2/02536.html

Robert Gadsdon..  April 20, 2014.

ARM: Pi to 3.14.1, DreamPlug to 3.15-rc1..

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Updated the Raspberry Pi to Kernel 3.14.1, from the source at GitHub:

# git clone -b rpi-3.14.y --single-branch https://github.com/raspberrypi/linux
Pidora release 2014 (Raspberry Pi Fedora Remix)
Kernel 3.14.1+ on an armv6l (ttyAMA0)
............
# uname -a
Linux rgpi 3.14.1+ #1 PREEMPT Wed Apr 16 09:57:40 BST 2014 armv6l armv6l armv6l GNU/Linux

And… updated the DreamPlug to 3.15-rc1, from the standard kernel.org code..

Fedora release 18 (Spherical Cow)
Kernel 3.15.0-rc1 on an armv5tel (ttyS0)
.............
# uname -a
Linux rgdreamplug 3.15.0-rc1 #1 PREEMPT Mon Apr 14 09:13:21 BST 2014 armv5tel armv5tel armv5tel GNU/Linux

The DreamPlug boot process still shows a string of mvsdio errors:

mvsdio f1090000.mvsdio: unhandled interrupt status=0x0810 en=0x0100 pio=0
mvsdio f1090000.mvsdio: unhandled interrupt status=0x0810 en=0x0100 pio=0
mvsdio f1090000.mvsdio: unhandled interrupt status=0x0810 en=0x0100 pio=0
.... repeated ....

- and the wifi interface is inoperable..    Seems that this (hardware??) issue is not being addressed..

Robert Gadsdon.   April 16, 2014.

Kernel 3.15-rc1 – Less Painful…

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Just install Kernel 3.15-rc1 on the test system, and VMware 10.0.1 (with the vmnet patch, if you need it) and the latest NVIDIA driver – 337.12 – compile and load and run OK…

$ uname -a
Linux rg6830l 3.15.0-rc1 #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon Apr 14 09:20:22 BST 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

One slight quirk that I did encounter, was that – on my test system – the VMware modules were not loaded until a few seconds after the initial boot prompt appeared, but were loaded OK, then..    Tested this on another system, and they loaded before the boot prompt appeared, as normal..     I should mention that I am running Fedora 20..

I will be installing this kernel version on some of my ARM systems, next..

Robert Gadsdon.   April 14, 2014.

ARM: Pi to Kernel 3.14..

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Just updated the Raspberry Pi to Kernel 3.14, from github:

# git clone -b rpi-3.14.y --single-branch https://github.com/raspberrypi/linux
Pidora release 2014 (Raspberry Pi Fedora Remix)
Kernel 3.14.0+ on an armv6l (ttyAMA0)
.............
# uname -a
Linux rgpi 3.14.0+ #1 PREEMPT Wed Apr 2 10:49:25 BST 2014 armv6l armv6l armv6l GNU/Linux

No problems encountered, so far..

Robert Gadsdon.   April 2, 2014.

Kernel 3.14 is Here..

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Just installed Kernel 3.14 on my main system, and (patched) VMware 10.0.1 and (patched) NVIDIA 334.21 install and run OK.

Details of changes from -rc8 are here:  http://lkml.iu.edu//hypermail/linux/kernel/1403.3/03023.html

It is worth repeating the changes for 3.14 relating to VMware modules, from my original article on -rc1:

VMware compile will fail with the VMware versions of vmci and vsock, but this can be fixed by selecting the kernel.org versions of these modules, from the standard 3.14 source tree.   The vmci module can be found under ‘Misc devices‘, and the resulting module will be called vmw_vmci.ko, to distinguish it from the VMware version (vmci.ko)..   You will also need to select/install the kernel.org version of vsock, which can be found under ‘Networking options / Virtual Socket protocol‘  (The ‘VMware VMCI transport for Virtual Sockets’ is only for Linux guests).   Confusingly, the resulting module is called vsock.ko – the same as the VMware one..   You have to select both these kernel.org versions of the modules, as the VMware version of vsock will fail to compile with the kernel.org version of vmci..

As mentioned previously, the latest NVIDIA driver – 334.21 – will need the patch for nv-linux.h applied, to compile with Kernel 3.14..

Robert Gadsdon.   March 31, 2014.

Kernel 3.14-rc8 – ‘Final’ Soon…

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Just tested Kernel 3.14-rc8, and the same comments apply as for -rc7..    Vmnet-patched VMware 10.0.1 and nv-linux.h-patched NVIDIA 334.21 all compile and load/run OK..    If all goes well, the next release should be 3.14 final..

# uname -a
Linux rglinux 3.14.0-rc8 #1 SMP PREEMPT Tue Mar 25 12:59:16 GMT 2014 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Details of changes etc. are here:  http://lkml.iu.edu//hypermail/linux/kernel/1403.3/00475.html

Robert Gadsdon.  March 25, 2014