How To Install VMware Workstation on Manjaro
In this tutorial, we will show you how to install VMware Workstation on Manjaro. Virtualization has become an essential tool for developers, system administrators, and power users alike, allowing them to run multiple operating systems seamlessly on a single physical machine. VMware Workstation is a powerful virtualization software that enables users to create and manage virtual machines (VMs) with ease.
This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the VMware Workstation on a Manjaro Linux.
Prerequisites
- A server or desktop running one of the following operating systems: Manjaro, and other Arch-based distributions.
- It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
- SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
- A stable internet connection is crucial for downloading and installing packages. Verify your connection before proceeding.
- Access to a Manjaro Linux system with a non-root sudo user or root user.
Install VMware Workstation on Manjaro
Step 1. Keeping your system up-to-date is crucial for maintaining security and stability. Before installing VMware, run the following command to update your Manjaro Linux installation:
sudo pacman -Syu
Step 2. Installing Dependencies.
Open a terminal and run the following commands to update Manjaro and install the required dependencies:
sudo pacman -S base-devel git linux-headers fuse2 gtkmm pcsclite libcanberra
Step 3. Check Kernel Version and Install Matching Headers.
VMware Workstation requires the matching linux-headers package for your kernel version. To check your current kernel version, run:
uname -r
If the output shows a different kernel version than the one you installed the headers for, install the correct linux-headers package. For example, if your kernel version is 5.10.27-1-MANJARO, you would run:
sudo pacman -S linux510-headers
Step 4. Installing ncurses5-compat-libs from AUR.
VMware Workstation requires the ncurses5-compat-libs package, which is available in the Arch User Repository (AUR). You can install it using an AUR helper like yay:
yay -S ncurses5-compat-libs
Step 5. Installing VMware Workstation on Manjaro.
Since VMware Workstation is not available in the official Manjaro repositories, we’ll need to install it from the Arch User Repository (AUR). The AUR is a community-driven repository that contains package build scripts (PKGBUILDs) for software not included in the official repositories.
First, clone the vmware-workstation AUR package to your local system:
git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/vmware-workstation.git
Before building the package, it’s a good practice to inspect the PKGBUILD and other files to ensure they are safe and trustworthy. Open the PKGBUILD file in a text editor and review its contents.
Navigate to the cloned directory and build the package using makepkg:
cd vmware-workstation makepkg -si
Once the installation is complete, you should have VMware Workstation successfully installed on your Manjaro system.
Step 6. Post-Installation Configuration.
After installing VMware Workstation, there are a few additional steps required to ensure proper functionality and access to certain features:
- Load VMware Kernel Modules:
To enable VMware Workstation to interact with the Linux kernel, you’ll need to load the required kernel modules:
sudo modprobe vmw_vmci sudo modprobe vmmon
- Enable and Start VMware Services:
VMware Workstation requires several services to be running for various features to work correctly. Enable and start these services with the following commands:
sudo systemctl enable --now vmware-networks.service sudo systemctl enable --now vmware-usbarbitrator.service
If you plan to use the VM sharing feature, you’ll also need to enable the vmware-hostd.service:
sudo systemctl enable --now vmware-hostd.service
Step 7. Launch VMware Workstation on Manjaro.
After completing the post-installation configuration, you can launch VMware Workstation Pro or VMware Workstation Player from your desktop’s application menu or by running the appropriate command in the terminal:
vmware
With VMware Workstation up and running, you’re now ready to create and manage virtual machines on your Manjaro system.
Congratulations! You have successfully installed VMware. Thanks for using this tutorial to install the latest version of the VMware Workstation on the Manjaro system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official VMware website.
