how to install vmware workstation

[Chris Cohen]

On Wednesday 30 April 2008 15:49:38 Clayton wrote:
> >  I just switched to Kubuntu on my desktop and everything works
> > great. But one thing I really miss is a package of
> > vmware-workstation or at least something that will build one (as
> > with google-earth). I don't want to install using the tgz...
> >
> >  Am I missing something here?
>
> The tgz as provided from VMWare works fine.  It has a shell script
> installer that you launch and answer the questions.
>
> But... as usual with VMWare, it will only install on/with kernels
> that were current at the time of the release of the version of VMWare
> that you are using.... so... you need to use the Any-Any patch, and
> copy a couple of libs around.
>
> So.. assuming you have VMWare Workstation, start the VMWare install
> shell script.  ( sudo ./vmware-install.pl )  and answer the
> questions. When it gets to the point where it asks you if it should
> launch the vmware-config.pl script answer No.
>
> Download the AnyAny update patch from here:
> http://technologytales.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/vmware-any-any-
>update-116.gz
>
> Unzip it and run the installer ( sudo ./runme.pl )  Answer any
> questions it asks you.  It should offer to run the vmware-config.pl
> script as part of the patch.  Answer Yes, and follow the prompts of
> the config script.  The defaults should be fine.  It will compile the
> bits it needs for you... you should be able to just sit back and
> watch it, only needing to nudge it when it asks a new question.
>
> If you use the VMWare management console you will need to do one
> additional step...
>
> sudo cp /usr/lib/libpng12.so.0 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libpng12.so.0/
> sudo cp /lib/libgcc_s.so.1 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgcc_s.so.1/
>
> This is what I did to get my VMWare Workstation and Player installed.
> Works fine.

Thanks for your detailed install instructions.
Though it isn't what I wanted to hear :) Coming from Gentoo I had 
vmware-workstation in my package system which always gave me the 
latest "stable" version automatically. I am sure the manual way will 
work fine (and I will do it your way as soon as I sent this message), 
but I will have to do all these steps after every vmware upgrade...

> Note:  VirtualBox is a lot easier to use and install (the Open Source
> Edition is even in the Ubuntu repositories, and the full release
> binary from VirtualBox is available in DEB for Ubuntu from
> VirtualBox.org), and in most (but not all cases) an equal choice... I
> use it generally more than VMWare, but VMWare still does a few things
> better... so in those cases VMWare still has a home on my computer.
>
I would really like to switch to VirtualBox. But as far as I know, 
VirtualBox doesn't support 64-Bit guests now which is a "must have" for 
me.

Ah, btw.. is there something like modules-rebuild for Ubuntu? 
(Recompiles every 3rd party module, e.g. after a kernel upgrade...)

-- 
Thanks
Chris