Table of Contents
Ubuntu - Virtual Machine - Install VMware Tools
The VMware Tools package adds drivers and utilities to improve the graphical performance for different guest operating systems, including mouse tracking.
The package also enables some integration between the guest and host systems, including shared folders, plug-and-play devices, clock synchronisation, and cutting-and-pasting across environments.
Please note that VMware recommends using open-vm-tools instead of VMware tools as outlined in this article.
The benefits of using open-vm-tools include improved stability as the package is optimized for each distribution, automatic updates smaller footprint.
Install kernel headers and tools required to compile and install VMware tools
sudo apt install binutils cpp gcc make psmisc linux-headers-$(uname -r)
Mount the cdrom drive inside the guest server
Make sure you have mounted the VMware tools virtual cd from the host before moving on.
sudo mount /dev/cdrom /mnt
Extract VMware tools to the tmp directory
sudo tar -C /tmp -zxvf /mnt/VMwareTools-x.x.x-x.tar.gz
The filename depends on the VMware host version.
Unmount the virtual cd
We have already extracted the files to a temporary locations and the virtual disk isn’t needed anymore.
sudo umount /mnt
Start the installation
sudo /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib/vmware-install.pl
Accept the defaults for every question.
Reboot your server
sudo reboot
VMware tools is now installed and configured.