Fixing VMware Workstation 16.1 after kernel upgrade on Ubuntu 20.04

Today I will talk about making VMware Workstation survive a kernel update


This is a continuation of https://listed.zygoon.pl/21339/installing-vmware-workstation-16-pro-on-ubuntu-20-04

When you get a new kernel you need to re-compile out-of-tree modules in order
for them to continue working, if possible. VMware currently uses two kernel
modules: vmmon and vmnet. Surprisingly after all those years VMware did not
adopt DKMS so you you, the customer, are responsible for doing the hard work
that ought to be just integrated and never seen.

Enough complaints. Let's make it work for us right now, when we updated and are
grumpy that it broke:

sudo vmware-modconfig --console --install-all
sudo /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)/scripts/sign-file sha256 /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.priv /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.der $(modinfo -n vmmon)
sudo /usr/src/linux-headers-$(uname -r)/scripts/sign-file sha256 /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.priv /var/lib/shim-signed/mok/MOK.der $(modinfo -n vmnet)
sudo systemctl restart vmware

If anyone at VMware ever reads this, I would love to know the backstory and
understand the technical problems with adopting DKMS.


You'll only receive email when they publish something new.

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