VMWare|Ubuntu guest: How the *F* to share folders.

[unclebrudy]

Hey guys.

YES, shared folders is enabled within the VMWare program.

YES, I have mapped various folders on my host WinXP system.

YES, I see the damn /mnt/hgfs folder, but it is empty.

I tried installing VMWare tools, but it says it has no supported module for my version of Linux (Ubuntu 6.06) and asks me for the location of my MAKE, since it wants to try and build its own module from my OS profile, which I can't find.

Help!

(sorry for the semi-rant. system is the Tosh in my sig, WinXP MCE2005 host with VMWare Workstation 5.5 and a virtualized Dapper install. Any help is appreciated, thanks.)

-B

[abf]

thats god punishing you for violating linux by running it on vmware and not installing it native.

[spincricket]

:Angel:

[unclebrudy]

Nice one ABF. FYI, I have half of my HD (45GiB) dedicated to an Arch install I used with your guide's help. Thanks. Whore.

Any other info available? (For the Linux zealots who think virtualizing an install is sacriledge, either don't answer or don't cry and answer. Sheesh.) Just a guy trying out Ubuntu and tired of hearing the LiveCD spinning all the damn time.

-B

[ExplodingLemur]

I'm still trying to figure out sharing in Ubuntu. I've been working on sharing a printer and so far it appears completely impossible to do with any of the pretty GUI utilities they throw at you to make it more of a user-friendly desktop distro, so now I get to poke at some config files.

[jasn]

I tried installing VMWare tools, but it says it has no supported module for my version of Linux (Ubuntu 6.06) and asks me for the location of my MAKE, since it wants to try and build its own module from my OS profile, which I can't find.

You're on the right track. But you need to install VMWare Tools in your Ubuntu Linux Guest.. From https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VmWare/InstallAsGuest

Installing Virtual VmwareTools

There a number of advantages in installing VmwareTools in your Ubuntu guest VM.

1. Open the System->Administration->Synaptic Package Manager

2. Install the following packages
* make
* gcc
* gcc-3.4
* linux-headers-2.6.12-9-386 (these must match your kernel, to check open a terminal an type "uname -r")

3. Goto the desktop and eject the Ubuntu iso.

4. Ctrl-Alt to get the cursor back, VM->Install VMware Tools...

5. Wait for the CD to appear on the desktop. This may require going to Places->Computer and clicking on the CD icon to make Ubuntu read the new disk.

6. Copy VMwareTools-x.x.x-xxxx.tar.gz from the CD to your desktop.

7. Right click on the VMwareTools tarball and select Extract Here

8. Open a terminal
* export CC=/usr/bin/gcc-3.4 to tell the compiler which gcc to use
* cd ~/Desktop/vmware-tools-distrib
* sudo ./vmware-install.pl to start the install
* Accept all the defaults, this should take you through making a few directories and then run the config program. The config program will need to compile the drivers and so it will use make, the gcc you specified and the headers to compile.
* the first non default is screen size. I know 640x480, 800x600 and 1024x768 work, I have had 1280x1024 work (I use this one) and I've had 1600x1200 not work.
* If you pick one that doesn't work, get to a terminal and run /usr/bin/vmware-config-tools.pl to pick a differnt one.
* What you pick here becomes the max setting and you can pick a lower one withing Ubuntu, however the max is used at startup so if it doens't work you are up the creek.

9. Restart the system with System->Log out->Shutdown. Wait untill Ubuntu has shutdown and either turn off or restart the VM.

For more reading on installing VMWare Tools in an Ubuntu guest try;

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/VmWare
http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=36284&tstart=0
http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=415039&start=0
http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?messageID=411331&start=0
http://www.abbeyworkshop.com/2006/06/04/ubuntu-vmware-install.html

Good luck..

[seablade]

Nice one ABF. FYI, I have half of my HD (45GiB) dedicated to an Arch install I used with your guide's help. Thanks. Whore.

Any other info available? (For the Linux zealots who think virtualizing an install is sacriledge, either don't answer or don't cry and answer. Sheesh.) Just a guy trying out Ubuntu and tired of hearing the LiveCD spinning all the damn time.

-B

See post above.

Now the other way to do it while your VM is running you can look into Samba for shared network access over the virtual network VMWare sets up(Or did the last time I used it)

In as far as the quoted post, a sense of humor is your friend. Calling someone a whore is not. Get over it.

Seablade

[bigtrouble77]

I'm not running Ubuntu virtualized, but I don't see why it would be any different as running it natively because your networking hardware is bridged. While vmware tools (<--correction) is critical for other things, I don't think it is important here.

Anyway, Samba worked perfectly out-of-the-box for me in dapper. Breezy is another story. To share a folder (in dapper) simply right click on a directory in nautilus and choose "Share Folder". Choose share with SMB in the drop down menu. Make sure you adjust the windows share settings appropriately. Make sure your domain matches and make sure WINS is turned off.

As far as sharing a printer, I haven't tried that yet. I'd have to do a little research to get that working well with linux and windows machines.

I have network folder shares working both ways with my vmware sessions, but i'm doing it opposite from you... That is, I'm running windows virtualized. I've had great success, win9x performs well in vmware.

[unclebrudy]

Jasn/SeaBlade, will try your helpful tips as soon as I get home from work and report back, it's much appreciated.

In as far as the quoted post, a sense of humor is your friend. Calling someone a whore is not. Get over it.

Seablade

I'd like to think we all share good senses of humor my NBF friend, and it is quite blatant (see just below abf's name, in between it and his avatar) that he in fact refers to himself as a whore. If by "get over it" you mean be more obvious about fairly arrant jokes aimed at one of the most helpful members here in our NBF Linux forum, then I shall be.

-B (btw, I invite you to search all my 77 posts, and you'll find I've established quite a positive rep here, with 100% helpful posts...whoops, it appears someone has left me some negative rep, anonymous at that, and now coupled with the rep nerf I am back down to zero rep. How sad, considering I have made tons of friends on here who will vouch for me. Too bad someone's sense of humor is so shallow and presumptuous.)

[jasn]

I'm not running Ubuntu virtualized, but I don't see why it would be any different as running it natively because your networking hardware is bridged. While vmware tools (<--correction) is critical for other things, I don't think it is important here.

You do need VMWare tools installed if you want to use VMWare folder sharing. (As was stated), Network file sharing (Samba/CIFS) is another way to share folders between "machines", and VMWare tools insn't involved in that.