Installing VMWare Playerunder AlmaLinux 9.3

1

After installing the latest Alma Linux 9 updates (AlmaLinux 9.3), I can no longer compile the VMWare Player kernel. The script says :

ast metadata expiration check: 2:36:01 ago on Mon 13 Nov 2023 05:22:27 PM EST.
Package git-2.39.3-1.el9_2.x86_64 is already installed.
Dependencies resolved.
Nothing to do.
Complete!
Cloning into ‘vmware-host-modules’…
remote: Enumerating objects: 4705, done.
remote: Counting objects: 100% (1424/1424), done.
remote: Compressing objects: 100% (213/213), done.
remote: Total 4705 (delta 1352), reused 1231 (delta 1211), pack-reused 3281
Receiving objects: 100% (4705/4705), 1.72 MiB | 16.20 MiB/s, done.
Resolving deltas: 100% (3607/3607), done.
branch ‘workstation-17.0.1’ set up to track ‘origin/workstation-17.0.1’.
Switched to a new branch ‘workstation-17.0.1’
*-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

  • Branch workstation-17.0.1 has been retired on 2023-08-12 and has not been
  • receiving any updates since. Please switch to latest 17.x version
  • available.
  • Latest kernel version this branch is intended to work with is 6.4.
    *-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Do not remember where this script was obtained.

The source follows:

VMWARE_VERSION=workstation-17.0.1
TMP_FOLDER=/tmp/patch-vmware
rm -fdr $TMP_FOLDER
mkdir -p $TMP_FOLDER
cd $TMP_FOLDER
sudo dnf install git -y
git clone GitHub - mkubecek/vmware-host-modules: Patches needed to build VMware (Player and Workstation) host modules against recent kernels
cd $TMP_FOLDER/vmware-host-modules
git checkout $VMWARE_VERSION
git fetch
make
sudo make install
sudo rm /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libz.so.1/libz.so.1
sudo ln -s /lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libz.so.1 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libz.so.1/libz.so.1

2

I found the solution. Before this kernel release, the script I used was required to ensure compatibility with VMware Player. So, I decided to uninstall the latest version of VMware Player and re-install it.

That did the trick.

3

hi
can you please elaborate more or…
or help me solve not being able to compile vmware workstation pro kernel modules no matter what method i follow
i have fallen in a loop of errors and looked everywhere and never got it working only the error messages change
please help me if possible
i spent hours trying all the possible solutions including the one you mentioned here

4

Unfortunately the solution no longer works with the latest kernels (the last 3 versions). I have also searched the new owner site of VMWare (Broadcom) to no avail. Each time I receive a kernel update I attempt to compile VMWare with the same errors.

The only solution I have is to go back to a kernel version that was working before.

5

ok thank you very much
i appreciate your help
i have a machine with opensuse 15.5 and kernel 5,14 almost the same as almalinux and it works flawlessly without the kernel modules patches
i’m very unfortunate not to have vmware working on alma 9.3
it’s ok let it be
i wish we can get it working soon
i’m sorry for the inconvenience

6

i got a good news for you
i tried with kernel 6.1 from user repo kwizart and vmware worked for me

7

What are the steps you followed?

Thanks