VMware Server 1.05 fails to start with version 2:1.1.4-2 of libx11-6

Some days ago I have updated my Lenny and VMware stop working, this time it was not a problem of a new kernel usually solved reconfiguring vmware, this time the problem was the new version of libx11-6 does not work with vmware, so the solution is to downgrade it to the Etch version.

First create a file called

/etc/apt/preferences

put this content inside:

Package: libx11-6
Pin: release a=stable
Pin-Priority: 1001

Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 500

Then modify your /etc/apt/sources.list

and add the stable (or Etch) lines, mine looks like this:

deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib
#deb-src http://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ lenny main non-free contrib

#deb http://mirrors.xenir.com/debian/ lenny main non-free contrib

deb http://security.debian.org/ testing/updates main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://security.debian.org/ lenny/updates main contrib non-free

deb http://download.skype.com/linux/repos/debian/ stable non-free

deb http://deb.opera.com/opera lenny non-free
#

#stable
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ stable main non-free contrib

Now run

sudo aptitude update

to update your database.

Now run:

sudo apt-get -t stable install libx11-6

that command will downgrade the libx11-6 package to a version that will work with VMWare.

be sure that your output when running VMware is like this to be sure this is your solution:

Locking assertion failure.  Backtrace:
#0 /usr/lib/libxcb-xlib.so.0 [0xb6f43767]
#1 /usr/lib/libxcb-xlib.so.0(xcb_xlib_unlock+0x31) [0xb6f438b1]
#2 /usr/lib/libX11.so.6(_XReply+0x244) [0xb7dc2c14]
#3 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libXrender.so.1/libXrender.so.1(XRenderQueryFormats+0x109) [0xb7cae969]
#4 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libXrender.so.1/libXrender.so.1(XRenderFindFormat+0x4c) [0xb7caef4c]
#5 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb7af4180]
#6 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb7af4d2c]
#7 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0(gdk_draw_pixbuf+0x270) [0xb7ac4c14]
#8 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb7ad124f]
#9 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0(gdk_draw_pixbuf+0x270) [0xb7ac4c14]
#10 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0(gdk_pixbuf_render_pixmap_and_mask_for_colormap+0x255) [0xb7ad0b34]
#11 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb79d5298]
#12 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb79d5586]
#13 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb79d777e]
#14 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0(g_cclosure_marshal_VOID__VOID+0xd1)
[0xb7bea459]
#15 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0 [0xb7bd23a1]
#16 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0(g_closure_invoke+0x1b1) [0xb7bd2076]
#17 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0 [0xb7be96eb]
#18 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0(g_signal_emit_valist+0x91e) [0xb7be8d46]
#19 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0(g_signal_emit+0x38) [0xb7be90b8]
Locking assertion failure.  Backtrace:
#0 /usr/lib/libxcb-xlib.so.0 [0xb6f43767]
#1 /usr/lib/libxcb-xlib.so.0(xcb_xlib_lock+0x2e) [0xb6f4381e]
#2 /usr/lib/libX11.so.6 [0xb7dc1dc9]
#3 /usr/lib/libX11.so.6(XAddExtension+0x2c) [0xb7da423c]
#4 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libXft.so.2/libXft.so.2(_XftDisplayInfoGet+0x77) [0xb7ca6ed7]
#5 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libXft.so.2/libXft.so.2 [0xb7ca58b1]
#6 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libXft.so.2/libXft.so.2 [0xb7ca5d39]
#7 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libXft.so.2/libXft.so.2(XftDrawPicture+0x10) [0xb7ca5ec0]
#8 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb7af29b6]
#9 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb7af4d75]
#10 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0(gdk_draw_pixbuf+0x270) [0xb7ac4c14]
#11 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb7ad124f]
#12 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0(gdk_draw_pixbuf+0x270) [0xb7ac4c14]
#13 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgdk-x11-2.0.so.0(gdk_pixbuf_render_pixmap_and_mask_for_colormap+0x255) [0xb7ad0b34]
#14 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb79d5298]
#15 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb79d5586]
#16 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0/libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0 [0xb79d777e]
#17 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0(g_cclosure_marshal_VOID__VOID+0xd1) [0xb7bea459]
#18 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0 [0xb7bd23a1]
#19 /usr/lib/vmware/lib/libgobject-2.0.so.0/libgobject-2.0.so.0(g_closure_invoke+0x1b1) [0xb7bd2076]
vmware: ../../src/xcb_lock.c:77: _XGetXCBBuffer: Assertion `((int) ((xcb_req) - (dpy->request)) >= 0)' failed.

You may want to read:

How to apt-get