Home OpenSUSE How to Install VMWare Workstation Pro in OpenSUSE

How to Install VMWare Workstation Pro in OpenSUSE

Vmware Workstation is a virtual machine software used to run multiple operating systems in a single machine. The virtual machine can run an instance of an operating system such as Windows or any Linux distribution. Generally, it works as a bridge between the host and virtual machine for hardware resources such as hard disk, network drivers, USB devices, etc.

On the other hand, OpenSUSE is a free open-source Linux distro maintained by the openSUSE project and it is available in two variants which are Leap and Tumbleweed.

In this tutorial, we go over the steps involved in installing VMWare Workstation 16 in the OpenSUSE Linux distribution.

Features of VMWare Workstation

  • New guest operating system support.
  • USB controller support.
  • A larger virtual machine, i.e, 32 virtual CPUs, 8GB graphics memory.
  • Performance improvements such as fast file transfer speeds, faster shutdown.
  • Improved accessibility support.
  • Container and Kubernetes support.

Installing VMWare Workstation Pro in OpenSUSE

Open a terminal and first update your OpenSUSE system as follows:

$ sudo zypper update        [On openSUSE Leap]
$ sudo zypper dist-upgrade  [On openSUSE Tumbleweed]

Next, install the required package dependencies by writing.

$ sudo zypper in kernel-source kernel-devel gcc

Next, download the Vmware Workstation 16 installer script bundle from the VMware official site using the following wget command.

$ wget https://download3.vmware.com/software/wkst/file/VMware-Workstation-Full-16.2.1-18811642.x86_64.bundle

After this operation, you should expect to see a file named VMware-Workstation-Full-16.2.1-18811642.x86_64.bundle as shown.

$ ls | grep "bundle"

VMware-Workstation-Full-16.2.1-18811642.x86_64.bundle

If your output resembles the above it means that the download was successful, now go to the directory where it is currently stored and change its permissions by adding an execute permission for a suitable user group and execute the bundle as follows.

$ chmod +x VMware-Workstation-Full-16.2.1-18811642.x86_64.bundle
$ sudo ./VMware-Workstation-Full-16.2.1-18811642.x86_64.bundle
Install VMWare Workstation in OpenSUSE
Install VMWare Workstation in OpenSUSE

Now we have it installed, it is time to launch it via the GUI through the application launcher or by using the command:

$ vmplayer

If the above command was successful, proceed to the next step. Otherwise, if such a prompt like the one shown below is encountered:

VMWare Kernel Module Error
VMWare Kernel Module Error

To get rid of this prompt we have to reboot the system:

$ reboot

The next time we try to launch VMware again, we should see a screen resembling the following:

Installing VMWare Kernel Modules
Installing VMWare Kernel Modules

After kernel modules are installed we can relaunch the application again. If successful a window resembling the one below should be displayed.

VMWare Workstation Agreement
VMWare Workstation Agreement

Select the radio button saying accept the terms in the license agreement then select the next button to proceed, if there is another similar prompt repeat the selection and proceed.

The next window involves product updates, you can select no if you don’t need product updates or yes if you need them, this is recommended, we don’t want to run an outdated version.

VMWare Workstation Updates
VMWare Workstation Updates

You can choose to participate in the CEIP program or not, select yes to join and no not to join then select next to proceed.

VMWare Workstation Improvements
VMWare Workstation Improvements

Now we are prompted for a license key, if you have one this is the place to enter it and proceed otherwise if you are running it for non-commercial use, select the second radio button.

VMWare Workstation License
VMWare Workstation License

After selecting, press the finish to complete the installation and start VMware.

$ vmplayer
VMWare Workstation Running
VMWare Workstation Running

Uninstalling VMWare Workstation Pro in OpenSUSE

To uninstall the VMWare workstation player write:

$ sudo vmware-installer -u vmware-workstation
Remove VMWare Workstation in Opensuse
Remove VMWare Workstation in Opensuse

If successful you should have an output like shown below:

Removing VMWware in OpenSUSE
Removing VMWware in OpenSUSE

Vmware Workstation is a virtual machine software used to run multiple operating systems in a single machine. In this article, we have learned how to install it along with its dependencies. We have also shown how to start the VMWare workstation and also how to uninstall it from the OpenSUSE system.

Ravi Saive
I am an Experienced GNU/Linux expert and a full-stack software developer with over a decade in the field of Linux and Open Source technologies. Founder of TecMint.com, LinuxShellTips.com, and Fossmint.com. Over 150+ million people visited my websites.

Each tutorial at UbuntuMint is created by a team of experienced writers so that it meets our high-quality standards.

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