Installing VMware Server is pretty straight-forward on Ubuntu 7.04 (Feisty Fawn). Make sure you have the build-essential package and the correct linux-headers for your kernel.

$ sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`

Download VMware and extract the contents to vmware-server-distrib. Run the installation script and read through it all. I ended up just saying ‘yes’ throughout the entire script

$ sudo ./vmware-server-distrib/vmware-install.pl

I encountered a little problem compiling the vmmon module while installing VMware Server on Ubuntu Feisty Fawn (7.04). At some point, the install script will ask you if you’d like to run /usr/bin/vmware-config.pl automatically. I did and I ran into a problem while compiling the vmmon modules:

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/lib/modules/2.6.20-14-386/build/include]

Extracting the sources of the vmmon module.

Building the vmmon module.

Using 2.6.x kernel build system.
make: Entering directory `/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only'
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.20-14-386/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.20-14-386'
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o
In file included from /tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.c:80:
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21: error: expected declaration specifiers or ‘...’ before ‘compat_exit’
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21: error: expected declaration specifiers or ‘...’ before ‘exit_code’
/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/./include/compat_kernel.h:21: warning: type defaults to ‘int’ in declaration of ‘_syscall1’
make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.20-14-386'
make: *** [vmmon.ko] Error 2
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/vmware-config0/vmmon-only'
Unable to build the vmmon module.

If you experience this exact problem, download vmnet.tar and vmmon.tar and place them (do not extract their contents!) in /usr/lib/vmware/modules/source/.

After doing so, re-run the config script and you should not have any more problems.

$ sudo /usr/bin/vmware-config.pl

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/lib/modules/2.6.20-14-386/build/include]

Extracting the sources of the vmmon module.

Building the vmmon module.

Using 2.6.x kernel build system.
make: Entering directory `/tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only'
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.20-14-386/build/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.20-14-386'
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/linux/hostif.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/common/cpuid.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/common/hash.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/common/memtrack.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/common/phystrack.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/common/task.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/common/vmx86.o
CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/vmcore/moduleloop.o
LD [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/vmmon.o
Building modules, stage 2.
MODPOST 1 modules
CC /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/vmmon.mod.o
LD [M] /tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only/vmmon.ko
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.20-14-386'
cp -f vmmon.ko ./../vmmon.o
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/vmware-config2/vmmon-only'
The module loads perfectly in the running kernel.

Finish up configuration and you’re good to go. To start VMware, simply run vmware from the command line or from Applications > System Tools > VMware Server Console.