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VMware Tools fails to install on SLES 11 with error: Unable to configure the initrd modules file at /etc/sysconfig/kernel. Execution aborted. (2035987)

Symptoms

  • VMware Tools fails to install on SLES 11 SP1 and SP2 virtual machines.
  • This error is displayed during installation of the VMware Tools:

    Unable to configure the initrd modules file at /etc/sysconfig/kernel. Execution aborted.

    Done waiting for process: 4751 (success)
    Writing the command was a success to fd 4
    Child w/ fd 3 exited with code=0
    Waiting on pid 4750 to de-zombify it
    Upgrader: setting sendCancelOnEnd flag to FALSE
    Exiting UpgraderLoop because we are done
    Cleaning up /tmp/vmware-root/22a4ee58... done.
    Rpci: Sending request='tools.capability.hgfs_server tools-upgrader 0'
    Rpci: Sent request='tools.capability.hgfs_server tools-upgrader 0', reply='', len=0, status=1
    Unregistering callback 'f'
    HgfsChannelGuest_Exit: app tools-upgrader rpc = (nil) rpc cb = (nil) chn = 0x80efdb8.
    HgfsChannelExitServer: Teardown Hgfs server.
    HgfsChannelExitChannel: Exit channel returns.

Cause

The VMware Tools vmware-config-tools.pl script parses the /etc/sysconfig/kernel file to determine how to rebuild initrd to include the VMware modules.

If the /etc/sysconfig/kernel file does not have an entry for modules, the script fails to execute.

Resolution

To resolve this issue:
  1. On the SLES virtual machine, create a backup of the file /etc/sysconfig/kernel:

    # cp /etc/sysconfig/kernel /tmp/kernel.bkup
  2. Open and edit the /etc/sysconfig/kernel file.
  3. Add the entry INITRD_MODULES="" to the end of the file.
  4. Save the file and exit.
  5. Install the VMware Tools.

Tags

SuSE SLES Linux Enterprise Server VMware-Tools vmware-config-tools.pl

This Article Replaces

2036249

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