virtuoso-vm-bridge-setup

name	virtuoso-vm-bridge-setup
description	Use when setting up or repairing host-to-VM control of Cadence Virtuoso through VMware, CentOS/Linux SSH, virtuoso-bridge-lite, Spectre, SKILL CIW load, or when errors mention NO-CARRIER, VMware NAT/DHCP stopped, daemon NO RESPONSE, RBStop in bash, or WinError 10054.

Virtuoso VM Bridge Setup

Overview

Set up a host machine to control Cadence Virtuoso running inside a VMware Linux VM. Treat remote desktop and bridge as separate layers:

• Remote desktop/VMware console: human GUI operation and CIW paste.
• SSH: file transfer, tunnel, and Spectre checks.
• virtuoso-bridge-lite: SKILL execution, screenshots, windows, snapshots, and automation.

Never type SKILL into a Linux shell. RBStop() and load("...virtuoso_setup.il") must run in the Virtuoso CIW.

Core Workflow

1. Inspect host tools:
   • python --version
   • git --version
   • ssh -V
   • uv --version
   • Get-Service VMnetDHCP,"VMware NAT Service"
2. Locate running VM:
   • Use vmrun list.
   • Read the .vmx for guestOS, ethernet0.connectionType, ethernet0.present, and ethernet0.startConnected.
3. Fix VM network before bridge work:
   • In guest, ip -4 addr must show a VMware NIC such as ens33 with an IP on VMnet8 NAT, often 192.168.137.x.
   • If only lo and virbr0 appear, VMware NIC is missing or disconnected.
   • If ens33 shows NO-CARRIER, check VMware UI "Connected / Connect at power on" and host VMware NAT Service plus VMware DHCP Service.
4. Verify guest SSH:
   • sshd active in guest.
   • ss -lntp | grep ':22' in guest.
   • Test-NetConnection <vm-ip> -Port 22 on host.
   • If ping works but port 22 fails, inspect guest firewall: firewall-cmd --list-all.
5. Configure SSH key login:
   • Generate host key if missing: ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -N "" -f "$env:USERPROFILE\.ssh\id_ed25519".
   • Append host public key to /home/<user>/.ssh/authorized_keys.
   • Verify: ssh -o BatchMode=yes <user>@<vm-ip> "echo SSH_OK && hostname && whoami".
6. Install virtuoso-bridge-lite on host:
   • Clone or update under the active workspace, e.g. <workspace>\virtuoso-bridge-lite.
   • Run uv venv .venv.
   • Run uv pip install -e ..
   • Verify .venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe --help.
7. Initialize and start bridge:
   • .venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe init <user>@<vm-ip> --force
   • .venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe start
   • .venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe status
8. Load daemon in Virtuoso:
   • If status says [daemon] NO RESPONSE, copy the exact load("...virtuoso_setup.il") line.
   • Paste it into Virtuoso CIW, not terminal.
   • If CIW says an old daemon is running, run in CIW:

     RBStop()
     load("/tmp/virtuoso_bridge_<remote_user>/<client_id>/virtuoso_bridge/virtuoso_setup.il")
     

9. Verify end to end:
   • .venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe status
   • .venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe eval '1+2'
   • .venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe screenshot
   • Optional: .venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe windows

Quick Diagnosis

Symptom	Likely Cause	Next Check
Guest IP is only 127.0.0.1 and 192.168.122.1	Only loopback and libvirt bridge, no VMware NIC IP	ip link, VMX ethernet config
ens33 is NO-CARRIER	VMware virtual cable disconnected or NAT/DHCP service stopped	VMware UI connected checkbox, Get-Service VMnetDHCP,"VMware NAT Service"
DHCPDISCOVER no offers	Host VMware DHCP/NAT service stopped or wrong network mode	Start services as admin or repair VMnet8
Ping works, SSH times out	Guest firewall or sshd not listening	ss -lntp, firewall-cmd --list-all
SSH asks for password	Key not installed or permissions wrong	authorized_keys, chmod 700/600, restorecon
bridge [tunnel] running, [daemon] NO RESPONSE	CIW has not loaded setup file	Paste load(...) in Virtuoso CIW
-bash: syntax error near unexpected token load	SKILL pasted into Linux terminal	Switch to Virtuoso CIW
WinError 10054 during status	Tunnel exists but daemon closed/missing	Load setup in CIW, then status again

VMware Guest Operations

Use vmrun when VMware Tools is running and credentials are available. Do not print passwords in final answers.

$vmrun = "D:\Application\vmware\vmrun.exe"
$vmx = "<path-to-vmx>"
& $vmrun list
& $vmrun checkToolsState $vmx
& $vmrun getGuestIPAddress $vmx -wait

For guest diagnostics, write output to /tmp, then copy it back:

$script = @'
{
echo "=== ip ==="; ip -4 addr
echo "=== link ==="; ip link
echo "=== sshd ==="; systemctl status sshd --no-pager
echo "=== listen ==="; ss -lntp | grep ":22" || true
echo "=== firewall ==="; firewall-cmd --list-all 2>&1 || true
} > /tmp/codex_vm_diag.txt 2>&1
'@
& $vmrun -gu root -gp "<password>" runScriptInGuest $vmx /bin/bash $script
& $vmrun -gu root -gp "<password>" CopyFileFromGuestToHost $vmx /tmp/codex_vm_diag.txt .\tmp\codex_vm_diag.txt

Common Commands

Host:

Test-NetConnection <vm-ip> -Port 22
ssh -o BatchMode=yes -o ConnectTimeout=5 <user>@<vm-ip> "echo SSH_OK"
.\.venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe init <user>@<vm-ip> --force
.\.venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe start
.\.venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe status
.\.venv\Scripts\virtuoso-bridge.exe eval '1+2'

Guest:

ip -4 addr
ip link
systemctl status sshd --no-pager
ss -lntp | grep ':22'
firewall-cmd --list-all
nmcli dev status
nmcli dev connect ens33
nmcli con up ens33

Safety

• Do not expose passwords, license files, PDK paths with secrets, private keys, or full license server credentials.
• Do not edit VMX while the VM is running unless the change is known hot-pluggable.
• Do not treat Virtuoso installation, PDK installation, license activation, SSH, and bridge as one failure. Verify each layer separately.
• If service start needs Windows admin rights, ask the user to run the exact command in elevated PowerShell.