VmWare plugin for Firefox does not open a console in x64 Suse 11.3

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1

The usual way to access to a virtual machine console from a VmWare server 2 is to use Firefox :

  • you type the URL of your VmWare server, e.g. : https://myserver:8333
  • then you click on the console tab, for the vm you want to access to
  • the first time, firefox tells you to install a dedicated plug-in
  • then, when you click on the right panel, a new window appears for the vm console.

But on a fresh installed x64 Suse 11.3, with Firefox 3.6.6, the plug-in does not open the window and you get an error : “Cannot access virtual machine console. The request timed out.”

There is a workaround that I find much more convenient than to use firefox :

  • you need to access to your vmware server installation :
    /usr/lib/vmware/webAccess/tomcat/apache-tomcat-6.0.16/webapps/ui/plugin
  • you fetch the vmware-vmrc-linux-x64.xpi file and you copy it somewhere on your Suse PC (e.g. /home/myhome)
  • you change the extension : mv vmware-vmrc-linux-x64.xpi vmware-vmrc-linux-x64.tar.gz
  • you unzip it : unzip vmware-vmrc-linux-x64.tar.gz (it will create 2 files and 2 directories : components and plugins)
  • you will run the VmWare plug-in directly : plugins/vmware-vmrc
  • for the hostname, you have to enter : myserver:8333
  • and it works !

ref : VMware Communities: HOWTO: Standalone Linux remote console …

Hope it will serve

Jean-Claude

2

Worked! Thanks for your post!!!
-randy

3

On 2010-10-26 12:06, jcj7421 wrote:
q> There is a workaround that I find much more convenient than to use
> firefox :

Another one - automatic:

/usr/local/bin/start-VMware-console.sh

Code:

#!/bin/bash
################################################################################

Call VMWare Server’s Remote Console in a clean GTK setup.

Author: Holger

URL: http://shellack.de/info/content/vmware-server-20-console-failure

################################################################################

Clean GTK setup for VMWare

export VMWARE_USE_SHIPPED_GTK=yes

Find console executable in Firefox plugins.

vmrc="$(find “$HOME/.mozilla/firefox” -name vmware-vmrc -type f -perm -111
| tail -1)"
-x “$vmrc” ] || exit 1

set -x
cd “$(dirname “$vmrc”)” && “$vmrc” -h 127.0.0.1:8333

It comes when you install vmware via this patch:

> <http://radu.cotescu.com/2010/01/19/how-to-install-vmware-server-ubuntu-fedora-opensuse/">

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)

4

FYI,

You can also use:

vmrc -h <hostname> -u <username> -p <password>

Oddly, none of those are listed with --help

5

On 2010-12-10 14:06, scottknauss wrote:
>
> FYI,
>
> You can also use:
>
> vmrc -h <hostname> -u <username> -p <password>
>
> Oddly, none of those are listed with --help

I don’t have that program.

The script I posted precisely searches for “vmware-vmrc”, which is the
actual program name, but it is not in the path.

Another option: -M “80”, to start the virtual machine numbered “80”. I
don’t know the proper method to list those numbers, but you can see them
when starting a VM.

–
Cheers / Saludos,

Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)