Can't get VMTools working on Ubuntu 22

[Mork]

View attachment 2148793

That linux.iso was a file on my desktop copied out of the Application's bundle. In that dropdown just select "choose a disk or disk image..." and navigate to where you have that iso.

I tried this, but it didn't seem to do do anything useful.

It just mounted the Ubuntu ISO and made the folders inside it available.

 

[svenmany]

I tried this, but it didn't seem to do do anything useful.

It just mounted the Ubuntu ISO and made the folders inside it available.

The ISO found at "/Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Library/isoimages/linux.iso" is not an Ubuntu ISO. That ISO is a small image just containing vmtools.

 

[Mork]

The ISO found at "/Applications/VMware Fusion.app/Contents/Library/isoimages/linux.iso" is not an Ubuntu ISO. That ISO is a small image just containing vmtools.

Thanks for that additional information. Yes, I can now get to that file and I copied all the files to the desktop. However, since Linux tells me that open vmtools are already installed and running, do these files help? Not sure. Still no way to actually access anything outside the VM.

Appreciate your help.

 

[svenmany]

Thanks for that additional information. Yes, I can now get to that file and I copied all the files to the desktop. However, since Linux tells me that open vmtools are already installed and running, do these files help? Not sure. Still no way to actually access anything outside the VM.

Appreciate your help.

Maybe the answer is to just give up on VMtools. It's also not working for me, although some subset of its functionality is. However, networking to the host does seem to be working. I don't believe smb networking requires any VMTools support.

I've shared my home folder on my Mac. I have the "Files" app, like the Finder but for Ubuntu (part of Gnome?). In the left sidebar, I expanded "Other Locations". I saw my host computer listed there. From there I was able to access my home directory and copy files from there into my Linux guest. My understanding is that is your only requirement for now.

 

[Mork]

Maybe the answer is to just give up on VMtools. It's also not working for me, although some subset of its functionality is. However, networking to the host does seem to be working. I don't believe smb networking requires any VMTools support.

I've shared my home folder on my Mac. I have the "Files" app, like the Finder but for Ubuntu (part of Gnome?). In the left sidebar, I expanded "Other Locations". I saw my host computer listed there. From there I was able to access my home directory and copy files from there into my Linux guest. My understanding is that is your only requirement for now.

It would be interesting to know how you got this working.

As I've written above, if I go into the Files app on Ubuntu, "Other Locations", it spins and spins, and finally displays:

(when I click on Windows Network).

Back in VM Fusion, Sharing, I've shared a folder on the Mac, but below that sharing folder it says:

"Shared folders will not be available in the virtual machine until VMware Tools is installed and running."

And, as previously noted, according to Linux, vmtools is running. This is crazy!

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I also tried to install pCloud as a possible file sharing mechanism. However, that also didn't work well. Logging in never succeeded.

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I think it's time to try a new distro. Ubuntu isn't doing it and I've already spent about 8 hours just trying basic connectivity with the host OS to do my five-minute test.

Thanks very much for your help and to all the others, too.

 

[bogdanw]

The installation method for Open VM Tools linked by @chrfr in post 4 works on the latest Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install open-vm-tools-desktop

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/cant-get-vmtools-working-on-ubuntu-22.2378313/post-31911098
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-T...UID-C48E1F14-240D-4DD1-8D4C-25B6EBE4BB0F.html
Shared folders appear in /mnt/hgfs

 

[Mork]

The installation method for Open VM Tools linked by @chrfr in post 4 works on the latest Ubuntu 22.04.1 LTS

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install open-vm-tools-desktop

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/cant-get-vmtools-working-on-ubuntu-22.2378313/post-31911098
https://docs.vmware.com/en/VMware-T...UID-C48E1F14-240D-4DD1-8D4C-25B6EBE4BB0F.html
Shared folders appear in /mnt/hgfs
View attachment 2149004

You don't need to do those installs as when I do, Ubuntu says they're already installed.

I've tried this on both 22.04 and 22.10.

Ubuntu reports that the VM Tools is installed and running.

Yet, there is no apparent way to actually get to the host file system.

• There is nothing in /mnt
• There is nothing reachable in "Other Locations" in the Ubuntu Files App. See my comment above.
• There is the message that VM Tools: "Shared folders will not be available in the virtual machine until VMware Tools is installed and running."

If you have actual steps how to reach the host OS, please post them.

Again, your posted installation steps are not required. Sure, you can run them, and I have many times, but Ubuntu just says the latest version is already installed.

What I need is how to ACCESS the host file system, not install these already-installed-by-default VMTools utils.

Thanks,

 

[Mork]

Maybe the answer is to just give up on VMtools. It's also not working for me, although some subset of its functionality is. However, networking to the host does seem to be working. I don't believe smb networking requires any VMTools support.

I've shared my home folder on my Mac. I have the "Files" app, like the Finder but for Ubuntu (part of Gnome?). In the left sidebar, I expanded "Other Locations". I saw my host computer listed there. From there I was able to access my home directory and copy files from there into my Linux guest. My understanding is that is your only requirement for now.

This does not work for me at all. Other Locations only shows "Windows Network". When I click on that it says it can't access anything.

 

[bogdanw]

In Monterey, for Shared folders to work, you have to give VMware Fusion permission to system preferences in System Preferences - Privacy & Security – Privacy - Automation
InVentura, it should be in System Settings - Privacy & Security – Automation.

 

[Mork]

In Monterey, for Shared folders to work, you have to give VMware Fusion permission to system preferences in System Preferences - Privacy & Security – Privacy - Automation
InVentura, it should be in System Settings - Privacy & Security – Automation.

As I wrote you before, there is NOTHING in Automation about VM Fusion.

This is it (below), and it's already enabled.

My Windows VM can access the host OS with no issues so I don't see how this repeated suggestion could be the issue.

Thanks,

 

[bogdanw]

As I don’t have Ventura installed on any Mac, I can’t test and provide other suggestions.

On the VMware forum VMWare Tools installed but shared folders in Ubuntu refusing to work
open-vm-tools and VMWare Shared Folders for Ubuntu guests https://gist.github.com/darrenpmeyer/b69242a45197901f17bfe06e78f4dee3

Good luck!

 

[Mork]

Thanks but the first line above gives me this:

Error -107 cannot open connection!

I give up.

Thanks to all.

 

[svenmany]

dddThanks but the first line above gives me this:

Error -107 cannot open connection!

I give up.

Thanks to all.

Best of luck to you.

Just to reach closure (for me), I wasn't referring to VMware sharing, as set up in the settings of the virtual machine; that does require VMware Tools. I was referring to smb sharing (aka Windows file sharing) which just uses the networking between the client and host.

I did a brand new installation of Ubuntu Desktop from a fresh ISO (22.04 this time). I just used all the defaults set by VMware. I did not install anything other than letting Ubuntu do a default install (not the "minimal" one). I made no effort to install VMware tools. I think VMware automatically did something with VMware tools, but the menu item for it was greyed out after Linux was running. I opened up the Linux Files program. Selected Other Locations. It took maybe 15 seconds to discover what was available. Then I got this showing:

In that screenshot, "m9" is the name of my Mac and it represents normal file sharing that most networked machines support (unrelated to VMware). "Window Network" is the VMware thing, the checkbox in settings "Enable Shared Folders". The former works for me and the latter does not.

I believe the "m9" location is completely unrelated to VMware Tools and the "Windows Network" location is provided by VMware Tools. If you don't see something like that (which you've said you don't), then it's not a VMtools issue. I'm happy to help with the networking issue, but you might not want to bother.

In any case, giving up is always a good option.

 

[Mork]

Best of luck to you.

Just to reach closure (for me), I wasn't referring to VMware sharing, as set up in the settings of the virtual machine; that does require VMware Tools. I was referring to smb sharing (aka Windows file sharing) which just uses the networking between the client and host.

I did a brand new installation of Ubuntu Desktop from a fresh ISO (22.04 this time). I just used all the defaults set by VMware. I did not install anything other than letting Ubuntu do a default install (not the "minimal" one). I made no effort to install VMware tools. I think VMware automatically did something with VMware tools, but the menu item for it was greyed out after Linux was running. I opened up the Linux Files program. Selected Other Locations. It took maybe 15 seconds to discover what was available. Then I got this showing:

View attachment 2149108


In that screenshot, "m9" is the name of my Mac and it represents normal file sharing that most networked machines support (unrelated to VMware). "Window Network" is the VMware thing, the checkbox in settings "Enable Shared Folders". The former works for me and the latter does not.

I believe the "m9" location is completely unrelated to VMware Tools and the "Windows Network" location is provided by VMware Tools. If you don't see something like that (which you've said you don't), then it's not a VMtools issue. I'm happy to help with the networking issue, but you might not want to bother.

In any case, giving up is always a good option.

Nice, thanks.

I'm using VMFusion, not VMWare directly itself so maybe there's something different going on. I only see the Windows Network.

Thanks again for your incredible help and support!

Really appreciated.

 

[chrfr]

Nice, thanks.

I'm using VMFusion, not VMWare directly itself

VMware Fusion is a full app/hypervisor, so I'm not sure what you mean there.
Are you using this on Apple Silicon or an Intel Mac? The tools may not be as full featured on arm64/Apple Silicon as they are in Intel, and that may explain the differences.

 

[svenmany]

I'm using VMFusion, not VMWare directly itself so maybe there's something different going on.

Reaching closure, the sequel. I'm using VMWare Fusion on Intel Mac.

 

[Mork]

Update: I fixed my issue! I can see the host files now.

Solution, here: https://gist.github.com/darrenpmeyer/b69242a45197901f17bfe06e78f4dee3

From URL above:

Install open-vm-tools and run:

sudo mount -t fuse.vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /mnt/hgfs -o allow_other

(Make sure /mnt/hgfs exists and is empty)

You can put configuration stanzas in /etc/fstab to facilitate this, and then mount /mnt/hgfs will work.

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Hope this helps somebody else, too.