On either a Linux server host or a Linux remote computer, you can use only the VmPerl API. The VmCOM API cannot be installed on a Linux host, although the VmCOM API installed on a Windows remote client can communicate with a Linux host. You can make the VmPerl API tar archive available for download by customizing the download menu on the Login page of the VMware Management Interface. See Customizing the Download Menu.

To install the VmPerl API on a 32-bit host or client, complete the following steps.

1. Download the VmPerl API package from the VMware Management Interface Login page to the machine on which you want to run the VMware Scripting API.

2. In a terminal window, if you have not done so already, become root so you can carry out the installation steps.
su -

3. Untar the package.
tar zxf VMware-VmPerlAPI-<xxxx>.tar.gz
(where <xxxx> is a series of numbers representing the version and build numbers)

4. Change to the installation directory.
cd vmware-api-distrib

5. Run the installation program.
./vmware-install.pl

6. Press Enter to read the end user license agreement (EULA). You may page through it by pressing the spacebar. If the Do you accept? prompt doesn't appear, press Q to get to the next prompt. Accept the EULA.

7. Specify the directory where you want to install the VmPerl API executable files. The default is where Perl is installed on your host, typically /usr/bin.

8. Specify the directory where you want to install the VmPerl API library files. The default is /usr/lib/vmware-api.

This directory includes the sample scripts for the VmPerl API. The SampleScripts directory contains example scripts that demonstrate use of the VmPerl API. You may customize these scripts for your particular organization.

9. Specify the directory where you want to install the VmPerl API documentation files. These files consist of the README, end user license agreement and copyright information. The default is /usr/share/doc/vmware-api.

10. When you finish, log out of the root account.
exit