Trouble installing vbox GAs

[GaryInCO]

Last week I installed half a dozen RHEL VMs. I worked out a script to follow so everything was done properly, including getting the Guest Additions installed.

I tried to create a new VM today, using the same checklist. At first I couldn't insert the GA CD, apparently because it was already mounted? Anyway, long story of futzing around, poking at it, trying to get it to work. I have since uninstalled GA and attempted to reinstall, but I can't build the kernel modules. I got part of it to work, but I'm getting a message "ERROR Kernel configuration is invalid. Include/generated/autoconf.h or include/config/auto.conf are missing. Run 'make oldconfig && make prepare' on kernel src to fix it."

With some digging I think I found the correct dir to run the make -- it's kernel 4.18.0-240.15.1.el8_3.x86.64, so I cd'd to /lib/modules/4.18.0-240.15.1.el8_3.x86.64/build and ran the make there. I'm getting several errors:

Code: Select all

*** No rule to make target '/usr/src/kernels/4.18.0-240.15.1.el8_3.x86.64/tools/build/Build.include'.  Stop
*** [Makefile:43 /usr/src/kernels/4.18.0-240.15.1.el8_3.x86.64/tools/objtool/fixdep-in.o] Error 2
*** [Makefile:65: objtool] Error 2
*** [Makefile:1672: tools/objtool] Error 2

I wondered if I should be doing the make in /usr/src/kernels/4.18.0-240.15.1.el8_3.x86.64/tools/build/, but there's no "oldconfig" or "prepare" target in that Makefile.

Any idea what's wrong?
Gary

[mpack]

This is hardly a suitable question for the "Windows Hosts" forum!

Moving it to "Linux Guests".

I'm no Linux expert btw, but you need to install the prerequisites discussed in the user manual, specifically the correct headers for your kernel, and the gcc compiler.

[scottgus1]

install the prerequisites discussed in the user manual

Find these at https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch04. ... ions-Linux and https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch02. ... nux-prereq

[GaryInCO]

Sorry @mpack, it's running on a Windows host and I figured the GA has to interact with the host. But GA gets installed in the Linux guest, so ...

@scottgus1, I believe I installed all the prereqs. As I said, I did this (successfully) with 6 VMs about 2 weeks ago and documented a checklist. As far as I know I did it right this time. And ... huh. Even though I got errors every time I tried to uninstall/build it, I seem to have ended up with a working install anyway! Mouse capture is disabled, screen scaling works, I can cut/paste in & out, and the shared folders work. I didn't enable drag/drop.

So... I'm not sure why I had so much trouble with it after doing it so smoothly a few weeks ago. And I don't know why it mysteriously started working after spitting out errors in the install. But for now at least it's working. Thanks for the pointers!

[mpack]

I would imagine that GA features appear to be working because a prior install of the GAs is still there (*). That should be evident from a VM log.

(*) I don't know about RHEL, but Ubuntu (and Mint I believe) both tend to bundle old VBox GAs in their standard install.

[GaryInCO]

(*) I don't know about RHEL, but Ubuntu (and Mint I believe) both tend to bundle old VBox GAs in their standard install.

I don't know if there are any old GAs. I always use the GA mounted by Devices -> Insert Guest Additions CD Image. Looking at my latest VM, the only GA objects I see are in the mounted CD.

[scottgus1]

Start the VM from full power off, not save-state. Run until you see the problem happen, then shut down the VM from within the VM OS if possible. If not possible, close the Virtualbox window for the VM with the Power Off option set.

Please right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose Show Log. Save the far left tab's log, zip the log file, and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

[GaryInCO]

Well, the problem doesn't happen now. It's working the way I wanted. If it starts acting up I'll let you know.