vmhgfs-fuse is part of open-vm-tools. open-vm-tools comes with major Linux distributions. this article shows you how to use it and fix vmhgfs-fuse mount errors. like:
Error -107 cannot open connection
You can find more information about the difference between vmware-tools and open-vm-tools. Also, for in-depth information read VMware documentation.
Install open-vm-tools
for RPM-based Linx like RHEL, centOS, Oracle, and fedora. execute the following command:
yum install -y open-vm-toolsordnf install -y open-vm-tools
for Debian, ubuntu.
apt-get install -y open-vm-tools
Mount vmhgfs-fuse file system
Temporary mount.
To access to the host’s shared folders from your guest operation system by using the open-vm-tools. You need to mount a vmhgfs-fuse block device.
Just execute the following command.
mount -t fuse.vmhgfs-fuse .host:/ /mnt/hgfs -o allow_other
This command allows temporary access to the host’s shared folder, however, you’ll need to execute it every time you restart your virtual machine.
Persistent mount.
We will make OS mount vmhgfs-fuse shard-folders on its startup, Thus, Edit /etc/fstab file with your favorite editor, then append the following entry to the end of the file.
.host:/ /mnt/hgfs fuse.vmhgfs-fuse allow_other 0 0
or execute the following command.
echo ".host:/ /mnt/hgfs fuse.vmhgfs-fuse allow_other 0 0 " >> /etc/fstab if you want to read more about fstab mount options, I mentioned a few while explaining how to mount ntfs partitions in linux
Let’s get rid of
To unmount the host’s shared-folders. follow these steps to avoid any future errors in your virtual machine.
first, umount the shared folder
umount /mnt/hgfs
then, comment the line in /etc/fstab which vmhgfs-fuse word. by adding a # in the line beginning.
Finally, remove the shared from the virtual machine’s settings page. this process will fix vmhgfs-fuse mount error in any new cloned virtual machine.
Fix vmhgfs-fuse mount error.
mount errors happen usually when you clone a machine you previously configured the vmhgfs-fuse in it, or the machine has that entry into /etc/fstab, you’ll get an error and the system might not start. because the operating system tries to mount non-accessible resources ( host’s shared folders).
Solution :
If you faced this issue just do the following
- Initially, power off your virtual machine.
- after that, enable the shared-folder feature from the virtual machine’s setting. then add any drive/folder from your host.
- Finally, start your virtual machine.
This will fix your issue with vmhgfs-fuse shared-folder and your machine will work without any complaints.
As to summarize, In this article we’ve found out how to how to install open-vm-tools, and mount vmhgfs-fuse file system. Also, how to remove the shared-folder, and solve vmhgfs-fuse mount error in Linux startup.
