VMware Tools fail to start after a Linux guest operating system kernel upgrade

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi

Issue/Introduction

Symptoms:

• VMware Tools fail to start after a Linux guest operating system kernel upgrade.
• VMware Tools fail to run after booting to a different Linux guest operating system kernel.
• The guest operating system loses network connectivity if the NIC type is not E1000.

Environment

VMware ESXi 4.0.x Installable
VMware ESXi 4.0.x Embedded
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Installable
VMware vSphere ESXi 6.0
VMware ESX 4.1.x
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.5
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Installable
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.1
VMware ESXi 4.1.x Embedded
VMware vSphere ESXi 5.0
VMware ESXi 3.5.x Embedded
VMware ESX Server 3.5.x
VMware ESX 4.0.x

Cause

This issue occurs because VMware Tools on a Linux guest operating systems depends on kernel library files. After a kernel upgrade or if you boot to a different kernel, VMware Tools fail to start if the configuration points to different library files.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, reconfigure VMware Tools after a kernel upgrade or after booting to a different kernel.

To reconfigure VMware Tools:

1. Log in to the Linux virtual machine as the root user.
2. Run the command:
   
   /usr/bin/vmware-config-tools.pl
   
   Note: On ESXi 5.1 and later, selecting Yes at the prompt below will enable an automatic feature in VMware Tools that will search and install VMware kernel modules at the time of boot. This allows VMware Tools to install missing modules if there is a kernel upgrade or change:
   
   > VMware automatic kernel modules enables automatic building and
> installation of VMware kernel modules at boot that are not already
> present. This feature can be enabled/disabled by re-running vmware-config-tools.pl.
> Would you like to enable VMware automatic kernel modules?

Additional Information

For more information on installing VMware Tools on a virtual machine using the Red Hat Package Manager, see Installing VMware Tools in a Linux virtual machine using Red Hat Package Manager (RPM) (1018392)
For troubleshooting information, see VMware Tools installation fails to start the guest operating system daemon on 64-bit Linux Guest Operating Systems with the 32-bit glibc-common package installed (1023185).
Installing VMware Tools in a Linux virtual machine using Red Hat Package Manager (RPM)
VMware Tools installation fails to start the guest operating system daemon on 64-bit Linux Guest Operating Systems with the 32-bit glibc-common package installed
VMware Tools 在 Linux 客户机操作系统内核升级后启动失败