I have been carrying out some preliminary tests to see how feasible it is to compile the Linux Kernel, and NVIDIA drivers, and VMware, using the ‘alternative’ to GCC – CLANG.. The kernel compile is relatively easy, and well documented: # make CC=clang HOSTCC=clang -j8 (for a 4-core system) The compile seems to be slower than GCC, … Continue reading →
With thanks to huyz for the notification – there is now a patch from baryonix available for VMware 15.5.6 and Kernel 5.8.. The patch is available here: https://github.com/baryonix/vmware-host-modules/tree/fixes-for-5.8 I have – briefly – tested this with Kernel 5.8.5, and it was successful.. As the usual # vmware and # vmware-modconfig still segfault, then vmmon/vmnet have to be … Continue reading →
Since the release of Kernel 5.8-rc1, any attempt I made to run a VMware client on that host system has failed catastrophically. ( see http://rglinuxtech.com/?p=2753 ) and the problem still persists, with 5.8-rc6. I had posted brief details of the issue on the VMware forum some weeks ago, but there has been no useful response. https://communities.vmware.com/thread/638457 I … Continue reading →
VMware have released Workstation 15.5.2, and details are here: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/15.5/rn/VMware-Workstation-1552-Pro-Release-Notes.html This compiles with Kernels 5.5.9 and 5.6-rc6, but with many ‘warnings’… Kernel 5.5.9 (GCC 9) examples: vmmon: ………………………. /tmp/modconfig-rt8PSu/vmmon-only/common/memtrack.o: warning: objtool: .text.__x86_indirect_thunk_rbx+0x0: unsupported intra-function call /tmp/modconfig-rt8PSu/vmmon-only/common/memtrack.o: warning: objtool: If this is a retpoline, please patch it in with alternatives and annotate it with ANNOTATE_NOSPEC_ALTERNATIVE. /tmp/modconfig-rt8PSu/vmmon-only/common/phystrack.o: warning: objtool: … Continue reading →
I have updated some test systems (x86_64 and aarch64) to pre-beta Fedora 32, which now includes GCC 10: $ gcc –version gcc (GCC) 10.0.1 20200216 (Red Hat 10.0.1-0.8) There have been a couple of problems with kernel compilation, but in each case there was already a patch/workaround available.. https://www.spinics.net/linux/fedora/fedora-arm/msg13193.html and https://lkml.org/lkml/2020/1/29/494 The most serious problem was a … Continue reading →
VMware have released version 15.5.1, and details are here: https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-Workstation-Pro/15.5/rn/VMware-Workstation-1551-Pro-Release-Notes.html The Linux-kernel-related stuff appears to be unchanged, and compiles (with several warnings..) with Kernel 5.3 (tested with 5.3.11). I got some odd behaviour (shared folders becoming disabled?) when running this unpatched version, and so applied the patched 15.5.0 vmmon/vmnet, which seems to work better.. Robert Gadsdon. November … Continue reading →
Just updated to the pre-release Fedora 30 (Rawhide) on the test system, and tried out the new version of GCC: $ gcc –version gcc (GCC) 9.0.1 20190209 (Red Hat 9.0.1-0.4) Kernel 5.0-rc7 compiled successfully, and runs OK. As expected, there were quite a lot of compiler ‘warnings’: ………………….. CC net/ipv4/proc.o CC drivers/hid/hid-samsung.o CC net/ipv4/fib_rules.o CC drivers/hid/hid-sunplus.o fs/xfs/xfs_ioctl32.c: … Continue reading →
Thanks – again – to Michal Kubeček, there are now patches available for VMware with Kernel 5.0-rc1, here: https://github.com/mkubecek/vmware-host-modules . There are patched vmmon and vmnet versions available for the latest 12.x, 14.x and 15.x releases, so for 15.0.2, do: # git clone -b workstation-15.0.2 https://github.com/mkubecek/vmware-host-modules.git I have applied these, and can confirm that VMware 15.0.2 now … Continue reading →
Kernel 4.18 has finally arrived, and details of changes since -rc8 are here: http://lkml.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/1808.1/02806.html As expected, after changes in -rc7, the latest NVIDIA and (patched) VMware all compile/load OK.. Tested with VMware 14.1.2 with the vmmon patch, and NVIDIA 390.77 and 396.51. Coincidentally, I can also confirm that 4.18 boots OK on HP PA-RISC (HP9000/785-C3700) – but … Continue reading →
As expected, there is another version of the cmdline patch for Kernel 4.18-rc1 – this time from Linus himself.. at http://lkml.iu.edu/hypermail/linux/kernel/1806.2/03011.html I have applied this, and – as with the previous version – VMware now behaves correctly.. I should mention that is is not a good idea to try to copy/paste patches from a website newsgroup listing, … Continue reading →