VMT driver (VMware Tools driver) on OpenBSD 4.8

[xinform3n]

EHLO !

I'm really interested by "vmt" driver (VMware Tools driver) but I can't get it work.

These driver as been updated on the 4.8 version to support clean shutdown et reboot through hypervisor request as mentionned on the man page (in the past, it was "only" a timedelta sensor).

The vmt driver is a kernel level implementation of VMware Tools.
VMware Tools are intended to provide better support for operating systems running inside virtual machines.
vmt handles shutdown and reboot requests from the host by signalling init(8) with SIGUSR2 and SIGINT respectively.
vmt will log notifications that the guest has been suspended or resumed by the host.
It also provides access to the host machine's clock as a timedelta sensor.
vmt reports the guests hostname and first non-loopback IP address to the host.

More on Manual Pages

So, I have installed OpenBSD 4.8 on my VMware ESXi (4.1) hypervisor.

Then I have tested the following How To:

# cd /usr/src
# wget ftp://your.mirror/pub/OpenBSD/4.5/sys.tar.gz
# tar -xzvpf sys.tar.gz
# cp /bsd /bsd.backup
# cp /usr/src/sys/arch/i386/conf/GENERIC /usr/src/sys/arch/i386/conf/GENERIC.vmt
# vi /usr/src/sys/arch/i386/conf/GENERIC.vmt
-> uncomment the line: vmt0    at mainbus?             # VMware Tools
# cd /usr/src/sys/arch/i386/conf
# config GENERIC.vmt
# cd ..
# make clean && make depend && make
# make install

source

But I don't have any shutdown / reboot functionnality working on my hypervisor.
Could you help me ?

[jggimi]

There's an error in your "How To"

If you used it as you posted it, you did not build a new kernel.

After running the config of GENERIC, "cd .." takes you to the wrong directory. Your kernel build would not occur. It should have been "cd ../GENERIC.vmt"

FAQ 5 needs to be perused, so you understand what you are doing when you rebuild a kernel, and what to expect.

To check what kernel you are running with, just use this command:

sysctl kern.version

You'll get the first two lines of your dmesg, showing the name of the kernel, when and where and by who it was built.

[xinform3n]

Thank you jggimi !

Now the VMT driver is correctly loaded in kernel.

But this version of VMT don't have the last update as mentionned on the Manual Pages.
It's only the timedelta sensor.

How can I update only this module from CVS ?
It seems that the last version have all the new features.

[BSDfan666]

The OpenBSD kernel is not modular, you cannot pick and choose drivers from later releases.. that is unsupported.

[jggimi]

You have now learned a valuable lesson. Never blindly follow any "How To" you find on the Internet.

You can get the latest and greatest version of the driver by running -current. Please read FAQ 5.1.

[xinform3n]

Thank you for details.

So, no clean way to install last VMT driver.

How can I do proper shutdown of my OpenBSD 4.8 VM's on VMware ESXi ?

[jggimi]

Clean way to install latest driver: use -current.

Without that driver, the only way to shutdown your OpenBSD guest is by its console, or, via its network connections.

[xinform3n]

Okay, I'll try current.
I don't have anymore questions.
Thank you