Issues getting OpenSUSE 13.1 installed in VMWare Workstation 10

English Virtualization
#1

For those who want to know, I’ve done an MD5 check to verify it was not a corrupt download.
http://i.imgur.com/7YXxdCF.png

It all checks out. However, I am having error after error pop up after this error message inside of the installation.
http://i.imgur.com/9HD5PwC.png

This happens with both vanilla hardware settings and modified settings, so I assume that it’s not a hardware specific error.

Are there any boot options to keep it from doing this and would it be that VMWare’s “automated install” could be the culprit? I’d love to be able to do the install myself without VMWare holding my hand.

#2

On 2014-01-11 21:26, ClassANetwork wrote:
>
> For those who want to know, I’ve done an MD5 check to verify it was not
> a corrupt download.
> [image: http://i.imgur.com/7YXxdCF.png]
>
> It all checks out. However, I am having error after error pop up after
> this error message inside of the installation.
> [image: http://i.imgur.com/9HD5PwC.png]

Are you using the automatic install feature available from the initial
vmware setup screen? It is preferable to tell vmware not to install,
that you will do the installation later.

This feature works, I think (not verified) by presenting to the virtual
machine another device, perhaps a virtual floppy image, presenting the
automated install details. This could be what is failing.

> Are there any boot options to keep it from doing this and would it be
> that VMWare’s “automated install” could be the culprit? I’d love to be
> able to do the install myself without VMWare holding my hand.

Ah, so you are using it. I did not read this paragraph till now. Yes,
disable that feature.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 12.3 x86_64 “Dartmouth” at Telcontar)

#3

Alright, thanks! I will try that. Will post an update.

Edit: That worked. Thanks!

#4

Hallo, I have the same problem but i didn’t get what to do. Could you explain again, pls? thx

#5

Don’t use the automatic installation feature of VMWare. I.e. you have to remove the inserted floppy disk (autoinst.flp) and/or the autoinstallation CD (autoinst.iso) in the VM’s settings.

Or just select “I will install the operating system later” when creating the VM and insert the Installation CD/DVD in a virtual CD/DVD drive in the settings.

Then turn the VM on, it will boot from the Installation CD/DVD and start the installation like you would do it on real hardware.

#6

I’m also having trouble installing OpenSUSE 13.1 on a VM under VMware Workstation 10.0.3 build-1895310 (host OS is OpenSUSE13.1), but I wasn’t using the automatic install feature. It always freezes up during the package installation process.

I tried using the text-based installer, I tried removing unneeded virtual hardware (USB, audio), I tried changing around the disk and disk controller hardware, and I tried both the full DVD install image and the network DVD install image. No luck. As a test, I tried installing OpenSUSE 11.2 and that worked.

#7

Well, Factory worked fine here when I last tried with VMware, in March.

Have you tried to select “No KMS” at the boot screen?
I supposed you did, because you say not even text mode install works.

Hm, maybe a host problem?
What graphics card are you using at the host, how much RAM have you allocated to the VM?

I noticed the Beta versions freeing in VirtualBox with only 512 MB of RAM, but 768 MB should be ok.

PS: another problem might be, that the VMware BIOS lies about the floppy drive, which is then a known problem with the 13.1 kernel.
Try to add “brokenmodules=floppy” to the boot options.

#8

I didn’t try “No KMS” before; only “text mode”. Trying that now with also “brokenmodules=floppy” …

nope, still hung. I noticed switching between consoles that it became very sluggish and less responsive before freezing entirely.

Graphics card: NVIDIA GPU Quadro FX 560 (G73GL)
RAM: 768MB, when it was slow about 694MB was used and almost no swap.

(edit: the host system was not slow or unresponsive while this was happening)

#9

Well, is this about the guest now or the host? :wink:

And are you using the nvidia driver on your host system?
In my experience, graphics driver problems on the host can cause problems in the guest as well, especially when trying GNOME.

Otherwise, I’m afraid I cannot really help you.
As I said, the Netinstall-ISO worked fine for me everytime when I tried it in VMware, so I doubt there’s a general problem.

But mostly I prefer VirtualBox to VMware.
Maybe that would be an option for you to try?

#10

I’m running Workstation 10 (fully updated) and have not had any problems installing many versions of openSUSE 13.1 (Primarily I use a 13.1 text mode only and 13.1/LXDE plus only sometimes a 13.1/KDE).

I cannot see the images in the first post, the links don’t work.

Although I originally also chose the “Install OS later” option, upon closer inspection it now hasn’t made a diff for me with latest updated Workstation 10.

Need more information about this error (what it’s saying) and where it’s happening to offer any suggestion.

As for any GPU issues, although I can’t eliminate the possibility some Host GPU issue might affect a Guest, in general I’d highly doubt that scenario would likely happen because the Guest is supposed to be using a virtualized display driver and does not have direct access to the real mode GPU. <Maybe> re-installing VMware (Guest) Tools could be helpful.

KMS has not been an issue for me running 13.1 as a VMware Guest.
I also have not had a problem with a VMware Virtual Floppy. In any case that option should not be enabled by default. Was an old issue in old VMware versions but not today.

Any actions also have to be described in better detail. I see for instance once where a reference was made to “switching consoles” but one is left to guess whether that is in the Guest or the Host, and what was being displayed at the moment the switch was made.

TSU

#11

On 2014-07-15 03:06, tsu2 wrote:

> As for any GPU issues, although I can’t eliminate the possibility some
> Host GPU issue might affect a Guest, in general I’d highly doubt that
> scenario would likely happen because the Guest is supposed to be using a
> virtualized display driver and does not have direct access to the real
> mode GPU.

It is an issue with Gnome on the guest, though. It needs hardware accel,
and if thinks it is not available, refuses to run, or defaults to… I
don’t remember the name, basic mode or something similar. So for gnome
to really work, you need hardware accel on the host, which translates to
the guest as faster or whatever graphics.

Other desktops are not that exigent.

> I also have not had a problem with a VMware Virtual Floppy. In any case
> that option should not be enabled by default. Was an old issue in old
> VMware versions but not today.

I had, with vmware player 6 and openSUSE 13.1, I think. If vmware does
not have the virtual floppy, but the emulated bios config of the virtual
machine still says there is a floppy, the openSUSE install fails.
Actually, it does not fail, but can delay for long time, from minutes to
hours.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 13.1 x86_64 “Bottle” at Telcontar)