All, I'm encountering some confusing and challenging behavior from VirtualBox when trying to script it. In brief, I'm seeing inconsistent behavior even when all factors I can control seem to be the same. I've been seeing this for a while, but today's attempt to update guest additions across all the VMs really hammered it home.
We're trying to build some automation around scripting virtualbox, but I'm not getting results consistent enough to make it reliable. Any thoughts or suggestions would be welcome. Environment: * Ubuntu Lucid host, fully updated, running VirtualBox 4.0.6 * A large variety of Windows (XP, Vista, 7-64, 7-x86) guests Ample disk space and RAM (12 Gb on host, and only 1-2 VMs configured with 1-2Gb each running during this exercise). I started trying to update the guest additions (after having just upgraded to 4.0.6) with the sanctioned approach: >From my script: echo "Updating Guest additions" #VBoxManage guestcontrol updateadditions $vm --source /usr/share/virtualbox/VBoxGuestAdditions.iso --verbose That's in the middle of a loop that starts, updates, and shuts down VMs. It doesn't work so well, because I get results like this: Oracle VM VirtualBox Headless Interface 4.0.6 (C) 2008-2011 Oracle Corporation All rights reserved. VRDE server is listening on port xxxx. Updating Guest additions Updating Guest Additions of machine "Win7Pro_X86_2010" ... Using source: /usr/share/virtualbox/VBoxGuestAdditions.iso 0%...10%... Progress state: VBOX_E_NOT_SUPPORTED VBoxManage: error: Error details: VBoxManage: error: Guest Additions seem not to be installed or are not ready to update yet VBoxManage: error: Details: code VBOX_E_NOT_SUPPORTED (0x80bb0009), component Guest, interface IGuest, callee The progress from 0 to 10 or maybe even 20 or 30, followed by failure, is typical. So, I decided to handle it a different way: Before launching the VMs, I mount the additions with: VBoxManage modifyvm $vm --dvd /usr/share/virtualbox/VBoxGuestAdditions.iso Then I launch the VMs and upgrade the additions with: VBoxManage guestcontrol exec $vm "D:\VBoxWindowsAdditions.exe" \ --arguments=" /reset" --username=xxxxx --password=xxxxx --wait-for exit The results are all over the board (Sleeps are in the loops so the systems can fully boot or completely shutdown before the next machine starts): Success: Starting Build-WinXP_X86_2007_New Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 Failure: Starting WVista_X86_2007 Now sleeping 30 VBoxManage: error: Process could not be started: VERR_IO_NOT_READY. Updating Guest additions Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 Different success: Starting Win7HomeBasic_X86_2007 Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 Starting Win7Pro_X64_2003 Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 Different failure: Starting Win7Pro_X86_2003 Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions VBoxManage: error: The guest execution service is not ready. Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 More success: Starting WinXP_X86_2003 Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 Starting WinXP_X86_2010 Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 Starting WinXP_X86_2007 Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 And more failures: Starting Win7Pro_X86_2010 Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions VBoxManage: error: The guest execution service is not ready. Shutting down now Now sleeping 30 Starting WVista_X86_2003 Now sleeping 30 Updating Guest additions VBoxManage: error: The guest execution service is not ready. Shutting down now ALL of these results came from a single run of the script to update the guest additions. I could just do the guest additions manually...but I'm unfortunately seeing similarly unpredictable behavior on other commands too. Suggestions or ideas? Eric ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ WhatsUp Gold - Download Free Network Management Software The most intuitive, comprehensive, and cost-effective network management toolset available today. Delivers lowest initial acquisition cost and overall TCO of any competing solution. http://p.sf.net/sfu/whatsupgold-sd _______________________________________________ VBox-users-community mailing list [email protected] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/vbox-users-community
