VMware ESXi and vSphere Cluster Management

Install VMware Tools on a Linux Virtual Machine in VMware ESXi

Learn how to install, verify, upgrade, and troubleshoot open-vm-tools or the VMware Tools ISO installer on Linux guests managed with vSphere or ESXi.

What VMware Tools Provides

VMware Tools is guest integration software installed inside a virtual machine. It supplies guest-side drivers, services, and integration components that allow the Linux guest operating system to communicate more effectively with the VMware host.

The host is the ESXi system that runs the virtual machine. The guest operating system is Linux running inside that virtual machine. VMware Tools is not a replacement for Linux updates, monitoring, security software, or backups.

• Improved display, pointer, and mouse behavior for supported desktop guests.
• More accurate guest shutdown and restart actions initiated from vSphere.
• Guest IP address reporting to vCenter Server or the ESXi management interface.
• Guest heartbeats, which indicate that the tools service is running and responsive.
• Time synchronization features, when enabled and supported by the guest and VMware configuration.
• Quiesced snapshots where the guest, tools implementation, and VMware product support them.
• Improved storage or network drivers in some guest distributions and VMware versions.

Available features depend on the Linux distribution and release, virtual hardware version, VMware product version, installed tools package, desktop environment, and configuration. Installing the software does not guarantee that every feature is available.

Choose an Installation Method

Modern supported Linux distributions generally use open-vm-tools. This is an open-source VMware Tools implementation distributed through Linux package repositories. It integrates with the operating system package manager and receives updates through the normal guest maintenance process.

The VMware-provided VMware Tools ISO is a virtual CD/DVD image containing an installer. It remains useful for older distributions, isolated laboratories, environments with a specific feature or version requirement, or situations where repository packages do not provide the required support.

Do not run a manually installed ISO-based build together with distribution packages unless the guest vendor or VMware documentation explicitly supports that combination. First identify and remove or upgrade an existing manual installation using its supported procedure.

Pre-installation Checks

1. Identify the distribution and release with cat /etc/os-release. Also note the running kernel with uname -r.
2. Check whether tools are already installed. Useful checks include vmware-toolbox-cmd -v, systemctl status vmtoolsd, and ps -ef | grep -i vmtoolsd. Command availability and service names vary.
3. Confirm access to the VM console and an account with sudo or root privileges.
4. Confirm that the VM is powered on. For the ISO method, verify that the ESXi host or vCenter Server environment can provide the VMware Tools image.
5. Check free space in the temporary extraction location, such as /tmp.
6. For a legacy installer, plan for Perl, kernel headers matching uname -r, compiler tools, make, and required libraries. Exact package names depend on the distribution.
7. Follow organizational backup policy before changing production guest software. Schedule a maintenance window if a reboot or driver change may affect workloads.

Record the current installation method and version before making changes. This prevents accidentally mixing package-managed and manually installed files.

Install open-vm-tools with Linux Packages

Debian and Ubuntu

For a server or other non-graphical guest, install the base package:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install open-vm-tools

For a supported graphical guest that needs desktop integration, install the companion package as well:

sudo apt install open-vm-tools-desktop

The desktop package is not normally needed on a headless server. It can provide desktop-oriented integration such as improved pointer or display behavior when the guest and VMware version support it.

RHEL, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, CentOS Stream, and Fedora

Use the package manager provided by the release:

sudo dnf install open-vm-tools

# Older releases that use yum
sudo yum install open-vm-tools

Install a desktop companion package only when it is available for the release and graphical integration is required. Package names can differ between releases.

SUSE family

sudo zypper install open-vm-tools

Consult the enabled distribution repositories for any desktop companion package required by the specific SUSE release.

Enable and verify the service

Most distributions start the service automatically. If it is not active, enable it for future boots and start it now:

sudo systemctl enable --now vmtoolsd
systemctl is-active vmtoolsd
systemctl status vmtoolsd

Some packages use a distribution-specific unit name or arrange startup through another service. If vmtoolsd is not a recognized unit, list matching units with systemctl list-unit-files | grep -i vm and consult the package documentation. The process name is commonly vmtoolsd.

Install VMware Tools from the vSphere ISO

Mount the virtual CD/DVD

1. Open the vSphere Client and locate the target VM under Hosts and Clusters or VMs and Templates.
2. Confirm that the VM is powered on and open its VM console.
3. Log in to Linux with an account that can use sudo.
4. From the VM actions menu, select the guest operating system action named similarly to Install VMware Tools or Mount VMware Tools. Menu wording varies by vSphere version.
5. Confirm the virtual CD/DVD device is connected to the guest. Linux may show a removable-media notification.

Mounting the image in vSphere makes the virtual optical media available; it does not necessarily mount the filesystem inside Linux automatically.

Discover the mount point

A mount point is a directory through which Linux exposes a filesystem. CD/DVD paths differ between server and desktop installations, so do not assume that the media is at /mnt/cdrom or /media/cdrom.

findmnt
lsblk -f
mount | grep -E 'cdrom|sr0|VMware'

Look for an optical device such as /dev/sr0 and note the directory shown as its mount point. If the image is not mounted, identify the device first and mount it manually:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/vmware-tools
sudo mount /dev/sr0 /mnt/vmware-tools

The device might not be /dev/sr0. Use the device reported by lsblk -f or findmnt.

Extract and run the legacy installer

Find the compressed tar.gz archive on the mounted media. A tar.gz archive is a compressed collection of files commonly used to distribute Linux software. Copying it to a writable temporary directory avoids running an installer directly from removable media.

mkdir -p /tmp/vmware-tools-work
cp /path/to/mounted-media/VMwareTools-*.tar.gz /tmp/vmware-tools-work/
cd /tmp/vmware-tools-work
tar -zxf VMwareTools-*.tar.gz -C /tmp
cd /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib
sudo ./vmware-install.pl

Replace /path/to/mounted-media with the mount point discovered earlier. The legacy vmware-install.pl script is a Perl-based installer. It may ask for target directories, init or service locations, and library locations. Accepting the defaults is normally appropriate. Change them only when local policy or vendor guidance requires a nonstandard layout.

The installer may build kernel modules so that tools can integrate with the running kernel. This requires matching kernel development files and build tools, including Perl, a compiler, make, kernel headers, and required libraries. If the build fails, do not guess at paths; install the correct prerequisites for the running kernel and rerun the installer.

After installation, restart the service if the installer does not do so, or reboot when the installer or changed drivers require it:

sudo systemctl enable --now vmtoolsd
sudo reboot

Use a production maintenance window for a reboot. After the guest returns, unmount the media and remove only temporary extracted files:

cd /
sudo rm -rf /tmp/vmware-tools-distrib
sudo umount /mnt/vmware-tools

If the ISO was automatically mounted elsewhere, unmount that actual path. Eject or disconnect the virtual CD/DVD from the VM settings when it is no longer needed.

Post-install Verification

1. From Linux, check the tools version with vmware-toolbox-cmd -v, when that command is provided by the installed implementation.
2. Check the service with systemctl is-active vmtoolsd and inspect systemctl status vmtoolsd.
3. Confirm the process exists with ps -ef | grep -i vmtoolsd.
4. In vSphere, open the VM summary or guest information and confirm that VMware Tools is running or current. Inventory status can take a short time to refresh after service startup.
5. Test only the features relevant to the guest: guest IP visibility, host-initiated graceful shutdown or restart, desktop clipboard and display integration, and configured time synchronization.

Upgrade, Repair, and Removal

open-vm-tools

Update open-vm-tools through the normal package manager and approved repositories. Package upgrades preserve the distribution's service and dependency handling. Use the same package method for removal whenever possible.

Legacy ISO installation

To upgrade a legacy installation, identify the current version and follow the supported installer upgrade or removal process before running a newer ISO installer. Rerunning the installer may detect an existing installation and offer an upgrade. Accept standard paths unless vendor documentation says otherwise.

Temporary archives and extracted directories can be deleted after installation, but do not delete installed files or service definitions manually. Remove the software through the same method used to install it, and document the result.

Troubleshooting

Security and Operational Practices

• Use sudo instead of unnecessary direct root logins when organizational policy permits.
• Use approved Linux repositories and keep open-vm-tools and other guest packages updated.
• Schedule installations, reboots, and kernel-module changes during an approved maintenance window.
• Continue normal Linux patching, vulnerability management, monitoring, and backups.
• Document the installation method, package or ISO version, service name, and any non-default paths.

Exam-Relevant Notes

• open-vm-tools is generally the preferred method for supported modern Linux distributions because it is managed by the distribution package system.
• The VMware Tools ISO is virtual removable media; mounting it in vSphere does not guarantee that Linux has mounted it.
• A Linux mount point is distribution-dependent. Discover it with findmnt, lsblk -f, or mount.
• The legacy installer may compile kernel modules, so headers must match the running kernel and build tools must be installed.
• Do not mix manual VMware Tools and open-vm-tools installations without explicit vendor support.
• Guest heartbeat and vSphere Tools status depend on a running, responsive guest tools service.

For related administration skills, review installing a guest operating system, editing virtual machine settings, and assigning vSphere permissions.