You can install a newer kernel from the 2.4.x series and then install the headers... then compile against that for both the cisco stuff and the vmware stuff.
Wow, whoda thunk it.
Talk about scary though try installing a new kernel (2.6.6) and switching from LILO to grub, at the same time.
apt-get install kernel-image-2.6.6-1-686 grub;grub-install /dev/hda;update-grub;shutdown -r now
Now how is THAT for a comamnd line.