Fixing VMware Workstation failing to start on Linux Kernel 5.0

As usual, every time the Linux kernel gets an update, VMware Workstation’s vmmon and vmnet modules fail to compile.

No exception this time either.

The fix is blunt: just use a patch.

Thanks to Michal Kubeček for writing this patch.

After you’ve installed the Linux 5.0 kernel and VMware Workstation 15.0, running VMware throws an error saying it can’t compile the vmmon and vmnet modules.

Here’s how to fix it.

git clone -b workstation-15.0.2 https://github.com/mkubecek/vmware-host-modules.git
cd vmware-host-modules
tar -cf vmmon.tar vmmon-only
tar -cf vmnet.tar vmnet-only
sudo cp -v vmmon.tar vmnet.tar /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/
sudo vmware-modconfig --console --install-all

Basically, you’re just compiling straight from the patched directory.

After that, the program runs fine.

Links: http://rglinuxtech.com/?p=2471