The VMware Workstation Shared Folders option is missing in Fedora virtual machines

Products

• VMware Desktop Hypervisor

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• The Shared Folders option in VMware Workstation does not work in Fedora virtual machines.
• You do not see the Shared Folders option in Fedora virtual machines.

Environment

VMware Workstation 8.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 8.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation 10.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation 10.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation Pro 15.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation 9.x (Linux)
VMware Workstation 9.x (Windows)
VMware Workstation Pro 14.x (for Linux)

Cause

This issue occurs if the GCC and PAE kernels are not up to date on the Fedora virtual machine and the hgfs folder is not created in the /mnt folder.

 

Running /usr/bin/vmware-config-tools.pl script indicates that the GCC and kernel PAE path are invalid and display the default option yes to change the path.

 

When you run the script, you see messages similar to:

 

Searching for GCC...
The path "" is not valid path to the gcc binary.
Would you like to change it? [yes]

What is the location of the gcc program on your machine?

The path "" is not valid path to the gcc binary.
Would you like to change it? [yes] no

Searching for a valid kernel header path...
The path "" is not a valid path to the 3.1.0-7.fc16.i686 kernel headers.
Would you like to change it? [yes]

Enter the path to the kernel header files for the 3.1.0-7.fc16.i686 kernel?

The path "" is not a valid path to the 3.1.0-7.fc16.i686 kernel headers.
Would you like to change it? [yes] no

WARNING: This program cannot compile any modules for the following reason(s)...

- This program could not find a valid path to the gcc binary. Please ensure
that the gcc binary is installed on this system.

- This program could not find a valid path to the kernel headers of the running
kernel. Please ensure that the header files for the running kernel are
installed on this system.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, you must update the GCC and kernel headers and then reinstall VMware Tools.

 

To update the GCC and kernel headers and to reinstall VMware Tools:

1. Open a terminal and run this command to log in as a super user:
   
   su -
    
2. Run this command to install the GCC binary packages:
   
   yum install gcc gcc-c++ make binutils
    
3. Run this command to update the Linux kernel:
   
   yum update kernel
    
4. Run this command to reboot the virtual machine:
   
   reboot
    
5. Open a terminal again and login as the super user.
6. Run this command to install the kernel's development packages to update the kernel headers:
   
   yum install kernel-headers kernel-PAE-devel
    
7. Run this command and verify if the update is complete:
   
   uname -rs
   
   You see an output similar to:
   
   Linux 3.1.0-7.fc16.i686
   
   Where 3.1.0-7.fc16.i686 is the kernel version
    
8. Click VM > Install/Reinstall VMware Tools to start the VMware Tools installation.
9. After the VMware Tools ISO is mounted in the virtual machine, extract the contents.
10. Change directory from the terminal Window and run the installer using this command:
    
    ./vmware-install.pl
    
    During the installation, you can see that the kernel headers and the GCC path are auto detected and you are not prompted to change the location. The Shared Folders option is also presented for installation.
     
11. After the installation completes, shutdown the virtual machine.
12. Click VM > Settings to open the virtual machine settings.
13. Click the Options tab and select the Shared Folders option.
14. Enable shared folders and map the required folder or drive to the virtual machine.
15. Power on the virtual machine. The shared folder should be accessible in the given location, /mnt/hgfs/.

Note: If your problem persists even after performing the steps in this article:

• Gather the VMware Support Script Data. For more information, see Collecting diagnostic information for VMware products (1008524)
• File a support request with VMware Support. For more information, see How to submit a Support request.

Additional Information

How to install VMware Tools
VMware Workstation の [共有フォルダ] のオプションが Fedora 仮想マシンにない
Overview of VMware Tools