Linux - Software Lifecycle - Install open-vm-tools (VMWare-Tools)

What the open-vm-tools installer does

This Automox Worklet™ installs the open-vm-tools package on your Linux endpoints. Open-vm-tools is the open-source version of VMware Tools, maintained directly by the operating system instead of VMware. The Worklet automatically detects your package manager (yum, apt-get, or zypper) and installs the appropriate package for your distribution.

The Worklet supports Red Hat-based systems (CentOS, RHEL), Debian-based systems (Ubuntu, Debian), and SUSE-based systems (openSUSE, SLES). It checks whether open-vm-tools is already installed before attempting installation, preventing unnecessary package manager operations.

Why install VMware Tools on Linux VMs

Linux VMs without VMware Tools suffer from degraded performance, lack proper time synchronization, and cannot leverage critical VMware features. Missing Tools prevents guest OS customization, blocks vMotion migrations, and disables clipboard sharing between host and guest systems.

VMware recommends open-vm-tools as the modern replacement for legacy VMware Tools on Linux. Your Linux distribution maintains this package and delivers updates through standard package repositories, so you receive security patches and compatibility fixes automatically through your existing update process.

Automating the installation across your Linux fleet maintains consistent VM behavior, eliminates manual installation delays, and reduces support overhead when new Linux endpoints are deployed.

How open-vm-tools installation works

1. Evaluation phase: The Worklet detects which package manager is available (yum, apt-get, or zypper) and checks if open-vm-tools is already installed using the appropriate package query command for that system.

2. Remediation phase: If open-vm-tools is not found, the Worklet installs it using the detected package manager. Installation runs with the -y flag to accept prompts automatically, completing without user interaction.

open-vm-tools installation requirements

• Linux operating system with yum, apt-get, or zypper package manager

• Virtual machine running on VMware vSphere, vCloud, or VMware Fusion

• Root or sudo access to execute package manager commands

• Network connectivity to reach package repositories

• RunNow compatible with Automox FixNow for real-time execution

Expected state after open-vm-tools installation

After the Worklet completes successfully, you can expect these specific outcomes:

• The open-vm-tools package is installed and appears in your package manager query results

• The vmtoolsd service is running and set to start automatically on boot

• Kernel modules (vmxnet, vmci, vsock) are loaded and provide optimized VMware drivers

• VMware hypervisor shows the VM as having complete guest tools installed

You can verify installation by running vmtoolsd --version or systemctl status vmtoolsd.

How to validate install open-vm-tools (vmware-tools) changes

1. Run this Worklet on a pilot Linux endpoint and review evaluation output for install open-vm-tools (vmware-tools).

2. Confirm Automox activity logs show successful completion and exit code 0.

3. Verify endpoint state using checks aligned to evaluation script logic, such as function, elif, get_package_manager.

4. Validate remediation effects from script operations such as function, elif, get_package_manager, then rerun evaluation for compliance.

For technical validation, compare endpoint state to the Worklet evaluation logic and remediation flow for install open-vm-tools (vmware-tools). This supports repeatable software lifecycle workflows, faster change control review, and auditable compliance evidence.

Useful script references for this Worklet include evaluation operations such as function, elif, get_package_manager and remediation operations such as function, elif, get_package_manager. Use these indicators to verify that endpoint changes match intended policy outcomes.