G73 + VMWare + Ubuntu 11

Sorry but i have not much experience with Vmware or Ubuntu..

IS there any way to install the ATI drivers in Ubuntu 11.04.

I tried and i can even see the Catalyst center in the system settings but when i open it ,it gives me an error saying no compatible graphics card found" or so


SO is it possible to install graphic drivers through VMWare in Ubuntu?

or am i stuck with that stupid display as long as i live with VMware?

 

You can't install hardware drivers inside of a virtual OS. If you are running Ubuntu inside of VMware workstation, ESX, ESXI or VMWare fusion you will need to install the VMWare tools.

 

You can pass control of hardware (e.g. NICs, GPUs, etc) to a virtual OS if your CPU supports I/O MMU virtualization (AMD-Vi and VT-d). When you do this, neither the other virtual OSes nor the hypervisor itself can use that hardware.

That being said, I don't think that VMware Player or Workstation support VT-d. I think it's only supported by ESXi.

EDIT - Unless you were hoping to do something fancy inside Ubuntu, then installing VMware Tools like danielh35 mentioned should be sufficient. For instance, I don't think that you'll be able to use the cool effects provided by Compiz (wobbly windows, rotating cube, etc.), but you'll be able to use VMware's Unity mode to make it look like your Ubuntu workspace is merged with Windows.

EDIT #2 - I also do not think that the graphics driver provided by VMware Tools is capable of running the new "launcher" sidebar in 11.04. At least, when I installed 11.04 in VMware Player on my G53 I was never presented with an option for the new design. On another laptop that I installed 11.04 on (not inside VMware Player), the new design was the default.

 

VT-d is supported in workstation. As for the gfx card, you can allocate some VRAM and enable 3d rendering, but it doesn't work with compiz last I saw. There was something about the OpenGL windows uses (the host os) that doesn't play nice with the vmware tools adapter for Linux. Atleast that was the last I heard, cause I've been too busy to play with VMs lately (roughly since march/April)

 

I wasn't aware that VT- d was supported in Workstation, although I was aware of VT- x support.

If I correctly understand how VMDirectPath (VT-d) works, complete control of the GPU would be given to the virtual OS. I believe that what you are describing, while it is a feature in Workstation not found in Player, is not the full-blown VMDirectPath found in ESXi.

BTW, sam fisher, if you want to Google this stuff, it would be better to search for VMDirectpath vs. VT-d. VMDirectPath is what VMware calls their implementation of VT-d/AMD-Vi.

 

well i installed VMware tools from the additional drivers section and i get the new look with launcher .

Only thing i dont get is the wobbly windows now .so its not a big deal.