====== VMWare Tools ======

===== General =====

Under //Debian// //Stretch//, you have to install following packages in order to install the //VMWare Tools//, as indicated :
  * ''gcc'',
  * ''linux_headers-...'',
  * ''net-tools''.
''make'' should be already installed.

===== Duplicating =====

To duplicate a virtual machine, simply duplicate the entire directory.

===== Installing Mac OS from installer disk as '.vmdk =====

This procedure is for a //VMWare Player// patched to handle Mac OS.

Use a copy of your //.vmdk//, as //VMWare Player// modifies it (and can corrupt it).

  * ''Create a new Virtual Machine'',
  * ''I will install the operating system later'',
  * ''Next''
  * ''Apple Mac OS X'' (you don't have this entry, than your //VMWare Player// is no patched),
  * select correct version,
  * ''Next'',
  * Fill as you want,
  * ''Next'',
  * Fill as you want,
  * ''Next'',
  * Customize hardware if you want,
  * ''Finish''
  * ''Edit Virtual Machine Setting''
  * ''Add''
  * ''Hard Disk''
  * ''Finish''
  * ''Next'',
  * ''Next'',
  * ''Use an existing virtual disk'',
  * ''Next'',
  * ''Browse...''
  * Select your //.vmdk//,
  * Launch the //VM//,
  * When you have to select the disk where to install the OS, ''Utilities''/''Disk Utility'',
  * Select the right disk (the one created by //VMWare Player//).
  * ''Partition'',
  * ''+'',
  * Fill as you want,
  * ''Apply'',
  * ''Quit Disk Utility...''
  * There should now be a disk available for the installation.

===== Troubleshooting  =====

==== Missing 'd_alias' member issue ====


On march 2015, when installing/confguring the //VMWare Tools// (''vmware-install.pl'' or ''vmware-config-tools.pl'') on //Debian// //Wheezy// or //Jessie//, there was an error when compilng the stuff regarding the shared folder (''error: ‘struct dentry’ has no member named ‘d_alias’'').
To get rid of this error, I took the following (inspired from https://communities.vmware.com/thread/502554) :
  * Go to the source directory of the //VMWare tools// modules (should be ''/usr/lib/vmware-tools/modules/source''),
  * //untar// the ''vmhgfs.tar'' file (''tar -xf vmhgfs.tar''),
  * edit the ''inode.c'' file in the ''vmhgfs-only'' directory (resulting from the above //untaring//),
  * prefix all the ''d_alias'' occurrences with ''d_u.'' (with the dot : ''d_alias'' → ''d_u.d_alias'' ; there was 2 occurrences).
  * //retar// the ''vmhgfs-only'' directory (''tar -cf vmhgfs.tar vmhgfs-only'').
Et voilà !

==== 'The VMware Authorization Service is not running.' ====

Sometimes, after restarting the computer, without any apparent reason, //VMWare// claims that it has no access to the virtual machine, along with this message : //The VMware Authorization Service is not running.//.\\
This means that the //VMAuthdService// was not started as it ought to be. Simply start it with the help of the //Service Manager//.