Setting hostID of Solaris 10 Virt Machine (Windows XP host)

[Matt_VB]

Trying to determine how to set the hostID of a Solaris 10 Virtual Machine when the Solaris 10 Virtual Machine is created (the host is a Windows XP machine). Since the hostname can be set during virtual machine creation, it is hoped that a way exists to also be able to set the hostID (or possibly change the hostID after the virtual machine is created). Thank you.

[Perryg]

See VBoxManage modifyvm in your VirtualBox users manual.

[Matt_VB]

Thank you Perryg for your response. However, it appears that the 8-hexdigit hostid field (as output via the
"sysdef -h" or the "hostid" commands) is not modifiable or able to be set via VBoxManage, VBoxCreate, etc.
The hostname, the UUID, etc. are modifiable, but not the hostid field. If I am overlooking a detail
or if you have any other suggestions, please let me know.
Thank you very much.

[mpack]

It's the phrase "hostid" which is confusing in the context of VMs. I assume that Solaris refers to the PC it's running on as the host, so in this case "hostid" is actually a guest signature. Windows has a similar 32bit signature stored in the boot sector (MBR), perhaps Solaris does the same. If so then it's a signature created by the guest OS during install, and a guest OS tool would be used (inside the guest) to change it.

[Matt_VB]

Hi mpack,

Yes, I agree. Thank you for your info/post. I am running Virtual Box 4.1.12 . The host machine is a Windows XP machine. The guest/virtual machine I created with Virtual Box 4.1.12 is a Solaris 10 virtual/guest machine (5/2009 or earlier version). I also have a guest/virtual machine ( Solaris 10 10/2009 or later version). When I open a terminal in the Solaris 10 virtual machine ( Java Desktop Environment ), the 'hostid' , 'sysdef -h', etc. commands display the Solaris 10 virtual machine's host ID as being an 8-hexdigit value that seems to be randomly created when the virtual machine is created. I want to set the 8-hexdigit host ID to a specific value just like I can do for the hostname when I create a virtual machine. It does not appear to be possible with VBoxManage, VBoxCreate, any other Virtual Box tool, or any guest/virtual machine (Solaris 10) tool, but I'm hoping that there might be a tool/strategy that exists which I could be overlooking, etc. Maybe it is simply not possible with Virtual Box and/or a Solaris 10 guest. If you or anyone else has any further suggestions (or simply deem it as not possible), that will be very beneficial. Thank you.

[Perryg]

I'm curious as to why you need to change this?

[Matt_VB]

Perryg, the reason for wanting to set/modify the host ID value of a Solaris 10 virtual/guest machine is to determine if a license manager on an old/obsolete system (running SunOS 5.5.1 / Solaris 2.5.1) can be placed on a Solaris 10 guest/virtual machine (where the license manager would need to have the virtual machine's host ID value set to the same host ID value as the original old/obsolete system).

[mpack]

Hmm. The host signature displayed by a license manager is typically a signature gathered from multiple hardware features. Taking it from one easily hacked location would not make for very profitable licensing! Ok, yes I've seen some pretty dumb license managers in my time, but that would be really dumb!

[Matt_VB]

Hi mpack,

Thank you for your post and you might say that I am hoping for some fortunate circumstances regarding the issue of which I am submitting posts to this forum.

To make sure we are talking about the same thing, you mentioned in your post :

"The host signature displayed by a license manager ...".

I take it that you meant to say ------ "The host ID that is used/recognized by a license manager ...".

Assuming that is correct, my understanding (or maybe 'hope' is the better word) is that the license manager uses the host ID of a system to determine if it should recognize the system it is running on as the correct system for using the product to which the license applies. Certainly that applies to non-virtual systems, but my hope is that it applies to a virtual system as well (in this case a guest/virtual Solaris 10 system installed via Virtual Box on a Windows XP host machine). From your post, it sounds like you are saying you do not think it is possible to set/modify a host ID of a virtual machine. If I am interpreting that incorrectly and/or if you think the jury is still out on that, please let me know. Thank you.

[Perryg]

The honest answer is VirtualBox has nothing to do with this. You would need to contact the solaris forums for guidance, if they will even consider your request. Trying to usurp licensing triggers and or work-a-rounds to same is simply not in the scope of this forum not to mention that even offering assistance in this could be considered an infringement of the licensing agreement.

[Matt_VB]

Hi perryg,

That is good information. Thank you.

Any legal concerns would be evaluated, if it were even possible to try the approach I have been discussing.

May have to consider other options/strategies, but before even pursuing further legal analysis, etc.,
the project I am working on needs to know if it is even possible for Virtual Box (and not Solaris as it
does not seem to be Solaris that sets the host ID when a virtual machine is created by Virtual Box), to
be able to set/modify the host ID of a Solaris 10 virtual system (in the same manner that a hostname
and other values can be set/changed).

If it can, then we would continue pursuing the proof of concept effort as well as make sure all is legal.
If it is not possible for Virtual Box to set/create the 8-hexdigit host ID for the Solaris 10 guest/virtual system,
which seems to be what you are implying when you said :

"VirtualBox has nothing to do with this",

then the project I am working on would probably have to consider other options/strategies outside of where
things currently are.

If I am misinterpreting the implication in your response, please let me know. Otherwise, I am very grateful
to you ( and to mpack ) for your posts/responses. Hope all of your projects are going well.

[Perryg]

I am saying that VirtualBox does not provide the UID number that you are wanting to change.
The only exception to this is the DMI code that VirtualBox does set and you can change (See VBoxManage), but that should not effect the OSes UID as it is set by the guest at install.
I know of no other virtualizer that can or will allow you to try to get around this as it would really cause some serious heat from the publisher, in this case Oracle.

[Matt_VB]

Perryg,

If I am following your post correctly, it sounds like I was incorrectly thinking that Virtual Box (i.e., all of the Virtual Box container processing during installation) sets the 8-hexdigit hostID value (which you referred to in your reply as the UID number) of the guest/virtual Solaris 10 machine. As you stated, the guest/virtual operating system itself (i.e., the Solaris 10 operating system during installation via Virtual Box) sets the 8-hexdigit hostID value of the guest/virtual system. Thank you for that clarification.

Also, I meant to say in my prior post that the project I am involved with does not think at this point that there is any concern with regard to trying to have the hostID of the Solaris 10 virtual/guest machine set or modified to a specific hostID. If we are able to find a mechanism to set/modify the hostID (which, from your reply, is apparently not possible), then the project would need to make a final determination as to if there would be any concerns with the mechanism/approach.

Your points are well taken and thank you for mentioning the detail about the DMI code, etc.

[Matt_VB]

perryg,

I tried to see what I could do with the DMI (Desktop Management I/F) code/commands, without any success.
As I recall, I was able to use the "VBoxManage setextradata ..." command and I used a field named 'Dmihostid' just for grins and set it to a value. It did not seem to have any effect, but did not give me an error message either. I was surprised I did not get an error message since "Dmihostid' is not mentioned in the command syntax for the "VBoxManage setextradata ..." set of commands.

Also, when I tried using the "VBoxManage modifyvm ..." command
( e.g., VBoxManage modifyvm xxxxxx --name "yyyyyy" ) where xxxxxx was an existing Virtual machine's name,
the command actually changed the name of the existing virtual machine ( 'xxxxxx' ) to 'yyyyyy' in the
Virtual Box main screen which lists all installed virtual machines. However, when starting up the 'yyyyyy'
virtual machine, it booted up with 'xxxxxx' being shown in the status lines that were displayed during the
boot up process (and was also shown in a Solaris 10 terminal window when the 'hostname' command was executed) . This did not seem to be correct Virtual Box behavior and/or was unexpected behavior.

I could use the set of "VBoxmanage guestproperty ..." commands with a property name of 'hostID' . I did not get any error messages, though the commands did not seem to have any effect. Commands included the 'VBoxmanage guestproperty set' commands for the 'hostID' field/value, which I used just to see the behavior/reaction from Virtual Box. I also did it for the 'name'/'hostname' field/property with no significant success.

It seems, after the execution of many attempts of the VBoxManage command, that the DMI code is not an applicable exception in terms of trying to change the 'hostID' value of a Solaris 10 virtual/guest machine. Maybe you were trying to express that (in a broad sense of fields/values) via your repsonse since the latter part of that sentence in your response states :

"... that [i.e., DMI code modifications via the VBoxManage command -Ed.] should not effect [sic] the OSes [sic]
UID [i.e., hostID value -Ed.] as it is set by the guest at install." .

Anyway, I thought I would do some testing/exploring, based on your most recent post/response and thought I would share the results with you (e.g., no error messages where it seems one might expect one or two error messages, the inconsistency between the virtual machine name that is shown in the main Virtual Box screen and the status lines shown during a virtual machine's boot up (and as shown via the 'hostname' command ) in case it might be of any benefit to you or anyone else.