RHEL 9.5 and VMware Workstation Startup Error: /lib64/libxcb-shm.so.0: undefined symbol: xcb_send_request_with_fds

[Alan Baugher]

Background:   Using RHEL 9.5  latest release with VMware Workstation 17.6.2  [VMware-Workstation-17.6.2-24409262.x86_64.bundle]

I had issue with earlier releases on RHEL 9.4 with VMware Workstation with the module configuration section.    But I am pleased to report those issues have been resolved with this latest release of 17.6.2.

Below is a view of the current system where this release is now working:

$ cat /etc/os-release

NAME="Red Hat Enterprise Linux"

VERSION="9.5 (Plow)"

ID="rhel"

ID_LIKE="fedora"

VERSION_ID="9.5"

PLATFORM_ID="platform:el9"

PRETTY_NAME="Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 (Plow)"

ANSI_COLOR="0;31"

LOGO="fedora-logo-icon"

CPE_NAME="cpe:/o:redhat:enterprise_linux:9::baseos"

HOME_URL="https://www.redhat.com/"

DOCUMENTATION_URL="https://access.redhat.com/documentation/en-us/red_hat_enterprise_linux/9"

BUG_REPORT_URL="https://issues.redhat.com/"

 

REDHAT_BUGZILLA_PRODUCT="Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9"

REDHAT_BUGZILLA_PRODUCT_VERSION=9.5

REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT="Red Hat Enterprise Linux"

REDHAT_SUPPORT_PRODUCT_VERSION="9.5"

 uname -r

5.14.0-503.21.1.el9_5.x86_64

Challenge:

My current challenge was after the module configuration.     

When I would start the vmware binary, I would see the error message:

" /lib64/libxcb-shm.so.0: undefined symbol: xcb_send_request_with_fds"

Resolution:    There appears to be a version challenge between a VMware supplied library file and the OS library file.    The file name (/lib64/libxcb-shm.so.0) in the error message is not the root issue, but the library file that calls it, e.g.   libxcb.so.1

1) Confirm OS library file package is installed for "libxcb"

$ rpm -qa libxcb
libxcb-1.13.1-9.el9.x86_64

2) View both the VMware library file and OS library file for libxcb.

$ file /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libxcb.so.1/libxcb.so.1
/usr/lib/vmware/lib/libxcb.so.1/libxcb.so.1: ELF 64-bit LSB shared object, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, BuildID[sha1]=eee92f55158e394bb77038017d22e8c603ddd2fc, stripped

$ file /usr/lib64/libxcb.so.1
/usr/lib64/libxcb.so.1: symbolic link to libxcb.so.1.1.0

$ file /usr/lib64/libxcb.so.1.1.0
/usr/lib64/libxcb.so.1.1.0: ELF 64-bit LSB shared object, x86-64, version 1 (SYSV), dynamically linked, BuildID[sha1]=cdde44211c195a2f0b721e58af2796ababf05caf, stripped

3) Backup the VMware library file, and then create a softlink to the OS library file.

sudo mv /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libxcb.so.1 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libxcb.so.1.bak

sudo ln -s /usr/lib64/libxcb.so.1 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libxcb.so.1

  

4)  Now start vmware at the command line.

It should now start with no issue.

  

5) Optional: Remove warning message about fonts and proxy.   

 

5a) Create a new file with one line of <xml/> for  proxy.xml   

sudo mkdir -p /etc/vmware/hostd

echo "<xml/>" | sudo tee /etc/vmware/hostd/proxy.xml

  

5b)  Edit the conf file and comment out the line for <reset-dir>  

sudo vi  /usr/share/fontconfig/conf.avail/05-reset-dirs-sample.conf   

    

  

View below of running VMware Workstation 17 on RHEL 9.5

 

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Alan Baugher
ANA
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[Ahmet Deliktas]

I just got the issue out of the blue and the ln solved it for me, but now the window theme switched to light (instead of dark theme like the system and everywhere else). Thanks.

DE: Gnome46

VMware® Workstation 17 Pro 17.6.2 build-24409262

[Alan Baugher]

Thanks Ahmet,

Hope you isolate the other issue.

A

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Alan Baugher
ANA
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