Ubuntu
open-vm-tools package

open-vm-tools should recommend open-vm-toolbox

Bug #391224 reported by Evan Broder on 2009-06-23

This bug affects 2 people

Affects		Status	Importance	Assigned to	Milestone
	open-vm-tools (Debian)	Fix Released	Unknown	debbugs #561639
	open-vm-tools (Ubuntu)	Fix Released	Low	Evan Broder

Bug Description

Binary package hint: open-vm-tools

open-vm-toolbox is currently necessary for the Nice Things one expects from VMWare Tools when interacting with a graphical VM (such as guest resolution changes on window resize). However, open-vm-tools currently only suggests open-vm-toolbox. Since aptitude doesn't show any information about suggestions, this relationship is never pointed out at installtime.

I think that open-vm-tools should recommend open-vm-toolbox instead of merely suggesting it. For people who only want the non-graphical components of open-vm-tools, the recommendation would still let them punt open-vm-toolbox.

Related branches

lp:ubuntu/lucid/open-vm-tools

Revision history for this message

Evan Broder (broder) wrote on 2009-06-23:

open-vm-tools_2009.05.22-167859-3+ubuntu1.debdiff Edit (1.2 KiB, text/plain)

The + in the version number is intentional and necessary. Without it, version ordering of the kernel modules generated by module-assistant will break. Specifically, kernel modules built from -3ubuntu1 have a lower version number than modules built from -3.

Brian Murray (brian-murray) on 2009-06-24

Changed in open-vm-tools (Ubuntu):
importance:	Undecided → Low
status:	New → Triaged

Evan Broder (broder) on 2009-12-19

Changed in open-vm-tools (Ubuntu):
status:	Triaged → In Progress
assignee:	nobody → Evan Broder (broder)

Revision history for this message

Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote on 2009-12-20:

This bug was fixed in the package open-vm-tools - 2009.11.16-210370-1+ubuntu1

---------------
open-vm-tools (2009.11.16-210370-1+ubuntu1) lucid; urgency=low

* Recommend open-vm-toolbox in open-vm-tools. (LP: #391224)
* Add support for dkms - based on patch from Greek Ordono. (LP: #277556)
-- Evan Broder <email address hidden> Fri, 18 Dec 2009 20:18:42 -0500

Changed in open-vm-tools (Ubuntu):
status:	In Progress → Fix Released

Bug Watch Updater (bug-watch-updater) on 2009-12-30

Changed in open-vm-tools (Debian):
status:	Unknown → Fix Released

Revision history for this message

unsound (unsound) wrote on 2010-04-04:

This "bugfix" totally annoys me, because when I attempt to install open-vm-tools on an Ubuntu Server machine with no X11, I suddently get the entire X server and tons of libraries as dependencies. I have to turn of automatic resolution of 'recommends' and sit and manually pick out which "recommends" I need.

I disagree on the main point of this bug. If you choose to install open-vm-tools, you do _not_ want the toolbox and all its GUI dependencies. I think people can make this choice themselves.

Perhaps the sane thing to do would be to rename the packages like for instance OpenJDK which has openjdk-jre-headless for when you don't run a GUI system and don't want those dependencies, and openjdk-jre for the common case where there is a GUI available. open-vm-tools-headless vs. open-vm-tools (full GUI)?

Revision history for this message

Anders Kaseorg (andersk) wrote on 2010-04-04:

> I have to turn of automatic resolution of 'recommends' and sit
> and manually pick out which "recommends" I need.

Here’s an easier way.

$ sudo aptitude install open-vm-tools
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  liburiparser1{a} module-assistant{a} open-vm-source{a} open-vm-toolbox{a}
  open-vm-tools xserver-xorg-video-vmware{a} zerofree{a}
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?] - open-vm-toolbox
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  module-assistant{a} open-vm-source{a} open-vm-tools
  xserver-xorg-video-vmware{a} zerofree{a}
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?] y