Migrate Virtual Machines from VMware to VirtualBox

Even if you can add vmdk file as Hard Disks in the VirtualBox Media Manager, you lost your Virtual Machines.
The way giving the best compatibility to migrate your Virtual Machines from VMware to VirtualBox is to convert them in Open Virtualization Format (.ovf) first.

How to install VirtualBox under GNU/Linux

VirtualBox is now embedded in lots of package managers.
For instance, from Fedora 11, it is available in RPM Fusion repository.
Such a way, to install the open-source edition:

Why choose VirtualBox as Virtualization product ?

Today, there is various Virtualization Products like VirtualBox, VMware Server/Player/Workstation, Parallels Workstation/Desktop and Windows Virtual PC.
Choice is not always easy, taking consideration of reputation, age, price, press papers, enterprise policies ...

Install VMware-server 2.0.2 under kernel 2.6.31, 2.6.32 or 2.6.33

The free VMware-server has not evolved since end October of 2009 (v2.0.2), although fortunately Linux kernel keeps evolving.
Such a way, there is a gap between VMware-server modules source code and awaited kernel source code.

Install VMWare-server v1.x under kernel 2.6.27 or 2.6.28

To install VMWare-server v1.x under kernel 2.6.27 or 2.6.28, use the following patch (the vmware-any-any-update115 does not work from this kernel version).

For x86_64 architecture, there may be a lock problem while launching VMware-server, ending with following final error message:
vmware: xcb_lock.c :77 : _XGetXCBBuffer: L'assertion « ((int) ((xcb_req) - (dpy->request)) >= 0) » a échoué.

To solve this issue, install the gtk-nodoka-engine.i386 package (and needed packages).

Install the same packages between two GNU/Linux installation, using yum

There is some cases where it is interesting to ensure having the same installed packages between two GNU/Linux installation.
Those installations must be of same architecture and be as near as possible (ideally the same version), otherwise it is obvious it won't work. In addition, it is needed to have the same rpm packages sources (for instance the same repositories if using yum).
For instance, it gives the ability to create a virtual machine with almost the same configuration, and then to perform lots of "tests" (upgradibility ...) without risk (but the one to get a "dead virtual machine") before performing the same instructions on the "original" installation.
Personally, I've used this ability to test upgradibility between Fedora 8 and Fedora 9.
To get the list of installed packages of an installation (including the architecture, which is particularly important there):
rpm -qa --qf "%{NAME}.%{ARCH} " > /tmp/allPackagesList

Then copy the file to the other installation.

Finally, use yum (or something else), to install all those packages (for instance, under GNU/Bash):
yum install $( cat /tmp/allPackagesList )

Such a way, all the packages installed on the first installation, will be installed on the other one.
Nevertheless, there may be other packages already installed on the second one, so the installed packages would not be exactly the same.
I'll write another post to explain how to remove such packages.

Compile VMwareTools on Linux kernel 2.6.22

To compile the vmhgfs VMwareTools on Linux kernel 2.6.22, it is needed to patch the source code, like explained there, from a tar.gz installation.
The same fix works from rpm installation, although the VMwareTools source code directory may be different (/usr/lib/vmware-tools/modules/source for me):
- move to /usr/lib/vmware-tools/modules/source/
- untar vmhgfs.tar and backup it
- then follow the same instructions:
"Now edit vmhgfs/driver.c and change lines 44 and 45 from
#define INODE_SET_II_P(inode, info) do { (inode)->u.generic_ip = (info); } while (0)
#define INODE_GET_II_P(inode) ((HgfsInodeInfo *)(inode)->u.generic_ip)
to
#define INODE_SET_II_P(inode, info) do { (inode)->i_private = (info); } while (0)
#define INODE_GET_II_P(inode) ((HgfsInodeInfo *)(inode)->i_private)

Also, remove line 763: inode->i_blksize = HGFS_BLOCKSIZE;
"
- create a new vmhgfs.tar with patched source code
- the compilation can now be fully performed -> launch /usr/bin/vmware-config-tools.pl again