Parallels Tools for Linux

Parallels Tools can be installed in Linux guest operating systems that comply with the following requirements:

glibc 2.3.4 and later
libstdc++ 3.4.6 and later (libstdc++.so.6)
gcc 3.4.6 and later (including C++ support)
make 3.80
X Window System X11R6.7, X11R6.8, X11R6.8.99, X11R7.0, X11R7.1, X11R7.2 (1.3), X11R7.3 (1.4)
kernel sources or development package

Note: Some of Parallels Tools, like Shared Folders Tool and Time Synchronization Tool, may also work in the Linux operating systems that do not comply with the requirements listed above.

Preparing for installation

Before installing Parallels Tools in a Linux virtual machine, perform the following actions:

Close all applications running on the virtual machine.
If you use a 3D accelerated window manager, disable it.
Make sure that you have the gcc package and kernel sources installed. If these packages are not installed, the Parallels Tools installer will inform you about this. The kernel sources package name depends on the type of Linux operating system you use: it can be kernel-devel , or kernel-headers , or something else. For more information about the kernel sources, refer to Installing the GCC package and Kernel Sources in Linux .

Note: To install Parallels Tools in your virtual machine, you must have the root privileges.

Installing Parallels Tools in the most recent versions of Linux systems

If you have one of the most recent versions of Linux OSs (Ubuntu, Fedora) in your virtual machine, the prl-tools-lin.iso image file will be mounted automatically after you connect it to the CD/DVD drive. To install Parallels Tools, do the following:

Start the virtual machine.
When the operating system boots up, click Actions and choose Install Parallels Tools .
Note: If the Install Parallels Tools option is grayed out, make sure that your operating system complies with the requirements listed above.

The prl-tools-lin.iso image file will be mounted to the virtual machine's CD/DVD drive.

You can connect and mount the Parallels Tools ISO image file manually. In the Mac menu bar, click Devices > CD/DVD > Connect Image . In the Finder window, go to the hard disk folder (normally named "Macintosh HD"), select the /Library/Parallels/Tools/ folder, select the prl-tools-lin.iso file, and click Open to connect it to the virtual machine.
Start a terminal in your Linux guest OS. Type the following command to gain the root privileges:
su
Change the directory to the CD/DVD drive directory using
cd /media/cdrom/

Note: In some of the Linux operating systems, the mount point for the virtual CD/DVD drive may appear as /media/Parallels\ Tools/ .
In the CD/DVD drive directory, enter the following command to launch Parallels Tools installation:
./install
Follow the Parallels Tools Installer instructions to complete the installation.
When the installation of Parallels Tools is complete, restart your virtual machine.

Installing Parallels Tools in other versions of Linux guest OSs

To install Parallels Tools in the older versions of Linux OSs, you have to mount the prl-tools-lin.iso image file manually. Do the following:

Start the virtual machine.
When the guest OS boots up, choose Install Parallels Tools from the Actions menu.
Note: If the Install Parallels Tools option is grayed out, make sure that your operating system complies with the requirements for Parallels Tools installation.

The prl-tools-lin.iso image file will be connected to the virtual machine's CD/DVD drive.
Start a terminal in your Linux guest OS. Type the following command to gain the root privileges:
su
Check if the Parallels Tools CD image is mounted by entering
mount | grep iso9660

If this command does not return anything, proceed to the next step.

If this command returns anything like

/dev/cdrom on /media/cdrom type iso9660 (ro,exec,nosuid,nodev,uid=0),

skip the next step and proceed to the following one.

If this command returns anything like

/dev/cdrom on /media/cdrom type iso9660 (ro,noexec,nosuid,nodev,uid=0)

with the noexec option present in parentheses, you need to unmount the disc using the following command and then proceed to the next step:

umount /dev/cdrom
To mount the Parallels Tools installation disc image, enter the following:
mount -o exec /dev/cdrom /media/cdrom

Note: /dev/cdrom is the virtual machine's CD/DVD drive and /media/cdrom is the mount point for this device. In some of the Linux operating systems the virtual CD/DVD drive may appear as /dev/hdb and the mount point /mnt/cdrom . Some Linux OSs do not have the CD/DVD drive mount point. In this case, you should create the mount point directory manually.
When the installation disc image is mounted, change the directory to the CD/DVD drive directory using
cd /media/cdrom/
In the CD/DVD drive directory, enter the following to launch Parallels Tools installation:
./install

Note: You must have the root privileges to run this command.
Follow the Parallels Tools Installer instructions to complete the installation.
When the installation of Parallels Tools is complete, restart your virtual machine.
Note: If X Server fails to start in your virtual machine, you can install Parallels Tools manually in text mode.

To edit the settings of Parallels Tools installed in your virtual machine, use the Options tab in the Virtual Machine Configuration dialog.

How to check if Parallels Tools have been installed

You can easily confirm whether Parallels Tools were installed. Start your virtual machine and look at the status bar of its window. If the tip " Press Ctrl + Alt to release the mouse and keyboard " appears in the status bar of the virtual machine's window, this means that Parallels Tools were not installed. When Parallels Tools are installed, you do not need to press any key to release the mouse and keyboard - they are released automatically.

Troubleshooting

Parallels Tools installer can be blocked by SELinux. To solve this problem:

Start a terminal and determine your version of kernel by entering
uname -r

2.6.18-8.el5

2.6.18-8.el5 is the version of your kernel.
Open the /boot/grub/grub.conf file or /boot/grub/menu.lst (depends on the version of your Linux operating system) and find the entry that corresponds to your version of kernel.
title Red Hat Enterprise Linux Server (2.6.18-8.el5)

root (hd0,0)

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-8.el5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet

initrd /initrd-2.6.18-8.el5.img
Type the following text at the end of the entry:
selinux=0

and the whole entry will be:

kernel /vmlinuz-2.6.18-8.el5 ro root=/dev/VolGroup00/LogVol00 rhgb quiet selinux=0
Save the file and restart the virtual machine.

After the restart, mount the Parallels Tools disc image and try to install Parallels Tools.

Update Parallels Tools

If a newer version of Parallels Tools for Linux is available, the Parallels Tools Installation Agent window appears. You're prompted to choose the command to gain root privileges and enter the password (if su - root password, if sudo - your user's password). After that, Parallels Tools update automatically.

Reinstall Parallels Tools

To reinstall Parallels Tools in Linux, first remove Parallels Tools and then install them once again.