Ubuntu Send Ctrl+Alt+Del command to VMware Server VM
January 30th, 2009 | 
Author: I was surprised to find there is not a “send ctrl+alt+del” menu command in VMware Server 2.0 (updated 01.30.09) when connecting from an Ubuntu desktop. It’s not in the Remote Console menus nor in the Commands section of the Web Interface. Normally that is not a big deal because you can always use “ctrl+alt+ins” to log on to a Windows VM, but it did not work.
I was banging away at my keyboard wondering what was wrong. I had just finished installing Server 2008 remotely from one of my Intrepid desktops and was ready to log back in to run dcpromo but I could not get to the log on prompt. I thought maybe my ins key went bad, but I knew that could not be the case. When I tried to use another Ubuntu desktop I had the same problem. Then I discovered there was not a menu command either! I silently questioned whether the VMware Server team’s parents were married when they were born, and then I did some research.
I quickly found the answer at the following thread on the Ubuntu Forums: vmware server 2.0 in intrepid ibex [Archive] – Ubuntu Forums. Turns out you have to use the Del key from the number pad on your Ubuntu desktop’s keyboard because the keyboard mappings in Ubuntu 8.10 are not correct! The working key combination is therefore “ctrl+alt+[numberpad]del.
updated 4.30.09 – if you do not have a number pad on your keyboard (laptops) then make this quick config change.
add just one line to the file ~/.vmware/config:
xkeymap.nokeycodeMap = true
Close the VM web console and reopen it for the change to take effect.
VMware please add a “send ctrl+alt+del” command to the (update 01.30.09) Linux Remote Console in the next update/version of VMware Server. Ubuntu, why are the keyboard mappings messed up?
updated 01.30.09 – I added the following screen shots to show the menu options when using the Remote Console from my Ubuntu desktops. I should point out I am using Firefox 3.0.5. I also updated the opening sentence of this post by adding “when connecting from an Ubuntu desktop” and the last sentence with “Linux Remote Console”. As Dracolith points out in his comment and screen shot link below, the “send ctrl+alt+del” command exists when connecting from a Windows host. I confirmed The ctrl+alt+ins key combination works as expected too.
updated 02.01.09 - Found a yellow-bricks.com post about ctrl+alt+del not working in VMware Workstation on a Ubuntu host. There is a slightly different work around that involves modifying the Ubuntu config file. http://www.yellow-bricks.com/2008/11/19/vmware-workstation-ubuntu-ctrl-alt-ins-not-working/
There is also a VMware Communities thread about VMware Player having the same problem on Ubuntu. http://communities.vmware.com/message/1159253#1159253
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