February 2011: ESX VM Installation Troubleshooting

Summary:

The document outlines a problem faced by Randal Rioux during the installation of a SmartConnector GUI on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESX) virtual machine using remote SSH and X forwarding. Despite successful installations on physical hardware, he encountered errors related to graphical installers in the VM environment. The error messages indicated issues with missing `xauth` data and attempts to create an authority file for X11 forwarding, suggesting specific configurations or dependencies within the ESX/VM setup. Randal sought advice from others who had experienced similar problems, which led to discussions on forums about potential solutions. A user named Jonathan Katz mentioned that after installing both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of `libXtst`, the issue persisted even though the 64-bit version was installed. Switching to using the 32-bit version resolved the problem, indicating a missing library as the cause. Other users provided additional solutions by suggesting that checking for other related resources like fonts and libraries might be necessary if graphical issues arise in virtual machines. In conclusion, the issue stemmed from the absence of `libXtst` library, which was resolved after installing both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of it. This information helped users to understand how specific configurations within a VM environment could affect installation errors and guided them on troubleshooting steps to resolve such issues in future installations.

Details:

The summary of the provided text is as follows: The user Randal Rioux is encountering an issue while installing a SmartConnector GUI on a VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESX) virtual machine using remote SSH and X forwarding. Despite having no issues with installations directly on physical hardware, he faces errors related to Graphical installers when attempting the installation through SSH. The error message appears only in the VM environment, not on the physical hardware or other VMs. Randal has provided a session log where it mentions warnings about missing xauth data and attempts to create an authority file for X11 forwarding, indicating that there might be issues with graphical installations over remote connections. The user is seeking advice or solutions from others who have encountered similar problems, as the issue seems specific to the ESX/VM setup rather than the underlying operating system (RHEL) itself. The text describes a series of commands and actions performed on a Linux system by an ArcSight user while installing a software product named "ArcSight SmartConnector." The installation process involves extracting resources, configuring the environment, and launching the installer. Despite requesting a graphical user interface (GUI) for the installation, the user encounters an error indicating that the VM (Virtual Machine) does not support graphical installers. Consequently, the console mode is used instead, which results in preparing CONSOLE Mode Installation with no GUI options available. The interaction among users on a forum discussing this issue suggests that there might be specific configurations or dependencies causing the problem. Users have tried adding additional command-line arguments to force the use of the console mode and have checked unpacked files for clues, but without success so far. The installation error seems peculiar because it typically expects GUI support in virtual machines, which is why some users suggest checking if there's a missing font or other related resource that might be causing the issue. The original post in the discussion thread discusses an issue where a GUI installer for ESX/VM could not run due to missing `libXtst`. User Jonathan Katz encountered this problem, and subsequent users Michael Wyman and Charles Grochowski provided solutions. Michael Wyman mentioned that after installing both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of `libXtst`, the issue persisted even though the 64-bit version was installed. He then switched to using the 32-bit version, which resolved the problem. Charles Grochowski provided a list of additional 32-bit libraries that were necessary for his RHEL 6.2 VMs to function correctly, including `libX11`, `libXau`, `libxcb`, and others. In summary, the issue was caused by the missing `libXtst` library. Installing this specific library in both 32-bit and 64-bit formats resolved the installation error for users Jonathan Katz, Michael Wyman, and Charles Grochowski.

Disclaimer:

The content in this post is for informational and educational purposes only. It may reference technologies, configurations, or products that are outdated or no longer supported. If there are any comments or feedback, kindly leave a message and will be responded.