Installing build-essentials in CentOS or Ubuntu

This post desrcibes how to install “build-essentials” on CentOS/RedHat og Ubuntu/Debian. build-essentials provides the packages you need to build or compile source code (make and gcc) and create binary files. The build-essentials package is a quick way to install the packages needed to compile VMware Tools on a VMware guest.

In Ubuntu

$ sudo aptitude install build-essentials

In CentOS

# yum groupinstall "Development Tools"

You might also need kernel sources to compile some software

# yum install kernel-devel kernel-headers