vmware-modules should be optional since vmware-workstation works fine without it if you only need to connect to remote locations. This could be incorporated with a 'modules' USE flag that is on by default.
Current situation: We have a circular dependency of each upon the other: A) In vmware-workstation-12.5.7.5813279.ebuild, we have: PDEPEND="~app-emulation/vmware-modules-${PV_MODULES} vmware-tools? ( app-emulation/vmware-tools )" Thus: # equery depends vmware-workstation | grep vmware app-emulation/vmware-modules-308.5.7 B) In vmware-modules-308.5.7.ebuild, we have: DEPEND="${RDEPEND} || ( =app-emulation/vmware-player-12.${PV_MINOR}* =app-emulation/vmware-workstation-12.${PV_MINOR}* )" Thus: # equery depends vmware-modules | grep vmware app-emulation/vmware-workstation-12.5.7.5813279
(In reply to Manfred Knick from comment #1) > Current situation: > > We have a circular dependency of each upon the other: Yes, but it is solved by the workstation being a build time dependency of the modules, so it gets installed first (the workstation package has the module sources). The modules are only a post-merge dependency of the workstation, so they are installed afterwards. More details: https://devmanual.gentoo.org/general-concepts/dependencies/index.html (In reply to Jeffrey Lin from comment #0) > vmware-modules should be optional since vmware-workstation works fine > without it if you only need to connect to remote locations. This could be > incorporated with a 'modules' USE flag that is on by default. Done in vmware-workstation-14.0.0.6661328-r7: https://github.com/stefantalpalaru/gentoo-overlay
VMware Products have been removed from Main Portage Tree during Nov-2017. Further development has been relegated to [vmware] Overlay. Situation as of today, 30-Nov-2017: Workstation : stable in [vmware] = 12.5.8 / released = 14.0.0 : Bug 634770 Player : stable in [vmware] = 12.5.8 / released = 14.0.0 : Bug 639162 Modules : stable in [vmware] = 308.5.8 / released = 329.0.0 : Bug 634862 Tools : stable in [vmware] = 10.1.6 / released = 10.1.15 : Bug 634854 Vmware-Workstation-12.* will EOL soon: 2018 / 02 / 25 @ Fabio : : Incorporate Stefan's "+modules" (c.f. lines 31 and 204) ? : Or "WONTFIX" for 12 ? (In reply to Ștefan Talpalaru from comment #2) > Done in vmware-workstation-14.0.0.6661328-r7: > https://github.com/stefantalpalaru/gentoo-overlay Thanks! + CONFIRMATION for default USE="modules". Test for non-default USE="-modules" will follow.
(In reply to Manfred Knick from comment #3) > Test for non-default USE="-modules" will follow. RESULT: as expected: Startup needs some handling too. # emerge -aC vmware-workstation # emerge -a --depclean <-- /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/misc/vm*.ko <-- from former installation <-- are left behind # reboot # < insert USE="-modules" > # emerge vmware-workstation # /etc/init.d/vmware status * status: stopped # /etc/init.d/vmware start * Caching service dependencies ... [ ok ] * Starting VMware USB Arbitrator ... [ ok ] * Starting VMware services ... insmod /lib/modules/4.14.2-gentoo/misc/vmmon.ko <--- insmod /lib/modules/4.14.2-gentoo/misc/vmblock.ko <--- insmod /lib/modules/4.14.2-gentoo/misc/vmnet.ko [ ok ] <--- Started Bridge networking on vmnet0 Started Bridge networking on vmnet1 Started all configured services on all networks [ ok ] # lsmod | grep vm vmnet 40960 6 vmblock 20480 0 vmmon 73728 0 ebuild, line 527 ff. : # install the init.d script files/vmware-14.0.rc, line 48: unconditional yet: modprobe -av vmmon vmblock vmnet line 62: unconditional yet: modprobe -rv vmmon vmblock vmnet Without a former modules installation, an Error like "file does not exist" would have occured.
# emerge -aC vmware-workstation : >>> Unmerging (1 of 1) app-emulation/vmware-workstation-14.0.0.6661328-r7... works with small hickup only: /var/tmp/portage/._unmerge_/app-emulation/ vmware-workstation-14.0.0.6661328-r7/temp/environment: line 2920: fdo-xdg_desktop_database_update: command not found
(In reply to Manfred Knick from comment #5) > fdo-xdg_desktop_database_update: command not found "fdo-xdg_desktop_database_update" was renamed to "xdg_desktop_database_update" in August: https://gitweb.gentoo.org/repo/gentoo.git/commit/?id=1b62e7745ff3a741d503b0e7f5724f9572f8e8a6 but the documentation was not regenerated: https://devmanual.gentoo.org/eclass-reference/xdg-utils.eclass/index.html "app-office/scribus", in the main tree, still tries to use the old version. Anyway, fixed in vmware-workstation-14.0.0.6661328-r10. (In reply to Manfred Knick from comment #4) > # emerge -a --depclean <-- /lib/modules/$(uname > -r)/misc/vm*.ko > <-- from former installation > <-- are left behind virtualbox-modules also leaves the kernel modules behind. Must be a distro-wide policy.
(In reply to Ștefan Talpalaru from comment #6) > ... Must be a > distro-wide policy. True. Also applies e.g. to modules from nvidia-drivers etc. USE="-modules" : The following REQUIRED_USE flag constraints are unsatisfied: server? ( modules ) Sure - correct! USE="-modules -server" : - emerges fine, - trying to start a VM complains correctly # emerge -aC vmware-workstation # < revert inserting USE="-modules -server" > # emerge vmware-workstation <-- correctly pulls Modules # /etc/init.d/vmware start # chgrp vmware /dev/vmnet* # chmod g+rw /dev/vmnet* :: Starting VMs work again. # /etc/init.d/vmware stop # emerge -aC vmware-workstation # emerge -aC vmware-modules :: No complaints at all. ==> AFAICS, with Stefan's vmware-workstation-14.0.0.6661328-r10, it is possible to dynamically switch between installations with valid { modules | server } combinations. ( No need for reboot etc. ) AFAICS, this bug can be RESOLVED as FIXED. Thanks to Stefan! @ Jeffrey Lin : Please, test and confirm.
Seems to work fine when I connect to a remote host. emerge --info reports: app-emulation/vmware-workstation-14.0.0.6661328-r10::stefantalpalaru was built with the following: USE="-bundled-libs -cups -doc -macos-guests -modules -ovftool -server -systemd -vix -vmware-tools-darwin -vmware-tools-darwinPre15 -vmware-tools-freebsd -vmware-tools-linux -vmware-tools-linuxPreGlibc25 -vmware-tools-netware -vmware-tools-solaris -vmware-tools-winPre2k -vmware-tools-winPreVista -vmware-tools-windows" ABI_X86="(64)" and vmware-modules is not installed.
(In reply to Jeffrey Lin from comment #8) > Seems to work fine when I connect to a remote host. Thanks for your confirmation! Would you be so kind to reveal against which (e.g. plain ESXi?) host (version) you tested?
(In reply to Manfred Knick from comment #9) > Would you be so kind to reveal against which (e.g. plain ESXi?) host > (version) you tested? ESXi version 6.5.0 (Build 4564106)