Fix VMware Workstation Host Modules on Linux Kernel (vmmon/vmnet)

VMware Workstation often breaks on Linux after a kernel upgrade. On Debian or Ubuntu, a new kernel version can prevent the vmmon and vmnet modules from recompiling, which typically results in broken networking or VMware Workstation failing to start.

Even if you attempt to rebuild host modules using:

sudo vmware-modconfig --console --install-all

you may see build errors during compilation, or runtime failures such as:

“Unable to change virtual machine power state: Transport(VMDB) Error 4: Pipe connection has been broken.”

This post explains how to apply a patch and rebuild the VMware Workstation host modules using the patched repository.

Tested Environment

This patch has been tested with:

• Distributions: Debian Testing, Ubuntu, Fedora
• Kernel: 6.10.x
• VMware Workstation: 17.5.2, 17.6.0

Prerequisites

Ensure VMware Workstation (17.6.0 or similar) is installed and your system has build tools and kernel headers.

On Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) git

On Fedora:

dnf update && dnf upgrade

Compile and Install Patched VMware Host Modules

1. Clone the patched repository:

git clone https://github.com/bytium/vm-host-modules.git
cd vm-host-modules

1. Switch to the correct branch:

git checkout 17.6.x

1. Build and install the patched modules:

make
sudo make install

What the Install Step Does

The install process will:

• Compile the patched vmmon and vmnet modules
• Create vmmon.tar and vmnet.tar
• Copy the compiled .ko files to /lib/modules/$(uname -r)/misc/
• Copy vmmon.tar and vmnet.tar to /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/
• Run vmware-modconfig --console --install-all to rebuild and configure VMware using the patched modules

Optional Reboot

If you want a clean reload of kernel modules, reboot:

reboot

Happy virtualizing.