Unable to compile hgfs module for Linux kernel 4.2.1

[HarveyHunt]

I'm using the open-vm-tools-dkms AUR package to compile the hgfs module for kernel version 4.2.1 (4.2.1-1-ARCH is the Arch specific version string). I am using VMWare Workstation Pro 12.

Building the modules fails and the build output in /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/make.log is as follows:

hhunt /home/hhunt » cat /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/make.log                                                                    
DKMS make.log for open-vm-tools-10.0.0 for kernel 4.2.1-1-ARCH (x86_64)
Wed 30 Sep 15:00:56 BST 2015
make: Entering directory '/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet'
Using kernel build system.
make -C /lib/modules/4.2.1-1-ARCH/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. \
  MODULEBUILDDIR=/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build modules
make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/lib/modules/4.2.1-1-ARCH/build'
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet/vmxnet.o
In file included from /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet/vmxnet.c:54:0:
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet/./shared/vm_device_version.h:56:0: warning: "PCI_VENDOR_ID_VMWARE" redefined
 #define PCI_VENDOR_ID_VMWARE                    0x15AD
 ^
In file included from include/linux/pci.h:35:0,
                 from /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet/./shared/compat_pci.h:27,
                 from /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet/vmxnet.c:31:
include/linux/pci_ids.h:2252:0: note: this is the location of the previous definition
 #define PCI_VENDOR_ID_VMWARE  0x15ad
 ^
  Building modules, stage 2.
  MODPOST 1 modules
  CC      /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet/vmxnet.mod.o
  LD [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet/vmxnet.ko
make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/lib/modules/4.2.1-1-ARCH/build'
make -C $PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. \
  MODULEBUILDDIR=/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build postbuild
make[1]: Entering directory '/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet'
make[1]: 'postbuild' is up to date.
make[1]: Leaving directory '/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet'
cp -f vmxnet.ko ./../vmxnet.o
make: Leaving directory '/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmxnet'
make: Entering directory '/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs'
Using kernel build system.
make -C /lib/modules/4.2.1-1-ARCH/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. \
  MODULEBUILDDIR=/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build modules
make[1]: Entering directory '/usr/lib/modules/4.2.1-1-ARCH/build'
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/message.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/rpcout.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/filesystem.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/cpName.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/request.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/cpNameUtilLinux.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/stubs.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/cpNameUtil.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/hgfsUtil.o
  CC [M]  /var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.o
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c:59:21: warning: initialization from incompatible pointer type [-Wincompatible-pointer-types]
    .follow_link   = HgfsFollowlink,
                     ^
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c:59:21: note: (near initialization for ‘HgfsLinkInodeOperations.follow_link’)
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c:61:21: warning: initialization from incompatible pointer type [-Wincompatible-pointer-types]
    .put_link      = HgfsPutlink,
                     ^
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c:61:21: note: (near initialization for ‘HgfsLinkInodeOperations.put_link’)
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c: In function ‘HgfsFollowlink’:
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c:127:10: error: implicit declaration of function ‘nd_set_link’ [-Werror=implicit-function-declaration]
          nd_set_link(nd, fileName);
          ^
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c: In function ‘HgfsPutlink’:
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c:238:15: error: implicit declaration of function ‘nd_get_link’ [-Werror=implicit-function-declaration]
    fileName = nd_get_link(nd);
               ^
/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.c:238:13: warning: assignment makes pointer from integer without a cast [-Wint-conversion]
    fileName = nd_get_link(nd);
             ^
cc1: some warnings being treated as errors
scripts/Makefile.build:258: recipe for target '/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.o' failed
make[2]: *** [/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs/link.o] Error 1
Makefile:1386: recipe for target '_module_/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs' failed
make[1]: *** [_module_/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory '/usr/lib/modules/4.2.1-1-ARCH/build'
Makefile:120: recipe for target 'vmhgfs.ko' failed
make: *** [vmhgfs.ko] Error 2
make: Leaving directory '/var/lib/dkms/open-vm-tools/10.0.0/build/vmhgfs'

nd_{g,s}et_link() were removed by commit 680baacbca69, so the vmhgfs driver will need updating accordingly.

[ravindravmw]

With open-vm-tools 10.0, there is no need to build vmhgfs module anymore. This is not required because HGFS implementation is FUSE based in 10.0. Please re-run configure with "--without-kernel-modules" switch.

[ravindravmw]

Well, you are not using our download image, so I don't think I can advise you beyond the fact that "you don't need vmhgfs if you are running open-vm-tools 10.0 on Linux kernel 4.0 or later".

I don't know what is there in open-vm-tools-dkms package. If it has only kernel drivers, it should not be used with open-vm-tools 10.0 on Linux kernel >= 4.0 because we have got all the drivers upstreamed in Linux kernel already and removed the dependency from the last one that was left.

[HarveyHunt]

Excellent, thanks for your help. 👍