Lost shared folder after updating Linux (Leap 42.1) guest

[IamSteve]

Hello board!

I have (had) a perfectly working setup of OpenSuSe Leap 42.1 on a Windows 7 host with Virtualbox 5.0.10. The computer shop set it up.

Now I've upgraded to 5.0.20 (host) and to the 5.0.16 guest additions on the Leap guest. They came with the usual Leap software updates, there does not seem to be a 5.0.20 version for the guest additions (?) .
I just let the auto update run, did not manually do anything.
The update did not report any problems, neither did the host update or the host guest extensions update.

Now, while all the rest works, the shared folder has stopped being shared:

- the folder itself remains. I can access it as a normal folder on the host and as a normal folder on the guest, too ( /media/sf_Austausch ).
- I can move files inside the guest to the shared folder without problems. But they do not appear on the host's view.
- The files in the HOST's shared folder that reside there since before the upgrade do not appear in the GUEST's folder any more, although they did before.
- weirdly, I can drag and drop a file that was in the linux-shared folder BEFORE the upgrade onto the host without problems
however, a NEW file I can't drag out of the guest window.
- being root does not change anything
- the 'devices' part of the vbox menu shows the shared folder all right, as automount: yes, full access: yes


This is way over my head... please help! Do I have to manually upgrade something? Any ideas?

Best regards from Germany -

Steve

[Perryg]

If you are using the OpenSUSE guest additions you would need to ask them because we do not support their actual build. However if you want to install the official builds you can by selecting insert guest additions from the devices tab at the top title bar. Or you can download them from http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/

[IamSteve]

If you are using the OpenSUSE guest additions you would need to ask them because we do not support their actual build. However if you want to install the official builds you can by selecting insert guest additions from the devices tab at the top title bar. Or you can download them from (virtualbox)

I've looked it up: SuSE gives virtualbox as source for the guest additions... to my lay eyes it looks as if they just handed down the original files from virtualbox. Dolphin gives as Device Name VBOXADDITIONS_5.0.20_106931.

Do I have to run the vboxlinuxadditions.run and runasroot.sh and autorun.sh again manually?

Thanks for thinking along with me -

Steve

[Perryg]

I don't normally use OpenSUSE, but I suspect you would just re-compile what you already have. Debian and RPM OSes usually use rcvboxadd setup. for newer OSes or for older ones /etc/init.d/vboxadd setup, But you should ask OpenSUSE for an accurate determination.

[IamSteve]

I don't normally use OpenSUSE, but I suspect you would just re-compile what you already have. Debian and RPM OSes usually use rcvboxadd setup. for newer OSes or for older ones /etc/init.d/vboxadd setup, But you should ask OpenSUSE for an accurate determination.

Will do, but for the life of me I don't believe they are going to help much. It's here where the vbox pros are...

So clutching at straws:

I understand you would try to re-establish, re-create the shared folder inside the guest?

Do you believe it would be possible to give up on the one I have and create another one, under a different name? Or would that just compound the problem?

What would probably be the basic strategy?

Thanks very much again for helping -

Steve

... who's off to work now, 7 am. More tonight...

[Perryg]

True unfortunatly. OpenSUSE does have a VBox maintainer for their version but most folks don't get the idea of helping.

I don't use suse enough to be of much help and someone might drop by that does, but in the meantime the two different commands are because of the switch to systemd ( not a fan ) so you can try to run them both and see what happens. One should work and one will fail but should not cause a problem. Don't forget these commands need to be run elevated.

[IamSteve]

True unfortunatly. OpenSUSE does have a VBox maintainer for their version but most folks don't get the idea of helping.

I don't use suse enough to be of much help and someone might drop by that does, but in the meantime the two different commands are because of the switch to systemd ( not a fan ) so you can try to run them both and see what happens. One should work and one will fail but should not cause a problem. Don't forget these commands need to be run elevated.

Perryg, lots of thanks for thinking along with me.

The rcvboxadd setup brought at least an error message:

sboxes:/etc/init.d # rcvboxadd status
The VirtualBox Additions are currently running.
vboxadd.service - LSB: VirtualBox Linux Additions kernel modules
Loaded: loaded (/etc/init.d/vboxadd)
Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Mi 2016-05-18 17:49:28 CEST; 3min 49s ago
Process: 764 ExecStart=/etc/init.d/vboxadd start (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)

osboxes:/etc/init.d # rcvboxadd restart
redirecting to systemctl restart vboxadd.service
Job for vboxadd.service failed. See "systemctl status vboxadd.service" and "journalctl -xn" for details.

osboxes:/etc/init.d # systemctl status vboxadd.service -l
vboxadd.service - LSB: VirtualBox Linux Additions kernel modules
Loaded: loaded (/etc/init.d/vboxadd)
Active: failed (Result: exit-code) since Mi 2016-05-18 17:55:37 CEST; 1min 30s ago
Process: 1829 ExecStart=/etc/init.d/vboxadd start (code=exited, status=1/FAILURE)

Mai 18 17:55:37 osboxes vboxadd[1829]: Starting the VirtualBox Guest Additions ..failed
Mai 18 17:55:37 osboxes vboxadd[1829]: (Configuration file /var/lib/VBoxGuestAdditions/config not found)
Mai 18 17:55:37 osboxes systemd[1]: Failed to start LSB: VirtualBox Linux Additions kernel modules.


Mai 18 17:55:37 osboxes vboxadd[1829]: Starting the VirtualBox Guest Additions ..failed
Mai 18 17:55:37 osboxes vboxadd[1829]: (Configuration file /var/lib/VBoxGuestAdditions/config not found)
Mai 18 17:55:37 osboxes systemd[1]: Failed to start LSB: VirtualBox Linux Additions kernel modules.
-- Subject: Unit vboxadd.service has failed
-- Defined-By: systemd
-- Support: [here's a freedesktop address that the board software does not allow me to post]
--
-- Unit vboxadd.service has failed.
--
-- The result is failed.


As I said, I'm way over my head here. Does this point me anywhere? Apparently the Guest Additions actually are not running properly. How to repair?...

Heaps of thanks -

Steve

[Perryg]

The command I pointed to was rcvboxadd setup Notice the setup. Sure it is running but not working.

What was the exact error?

[Perryg]

I am downloading 42.1 leap now and will let you know later today what you should do.

[Perryg]

OK so OpenSUSE is using their own build of guest additions and it is not the same as the official build from virtualbox.org.

I tried to remove theirs and install the ones from VirtualBox but it looses the mouse pointer for some reason. I would use the program management software and search for virtualbox. This should show three (3) that are installed. If you click on them and say re-install it should rebuild them for you. If this also fails you will need to ask OpenSUSE as I have gone as far as I can.

[IamSteve]

OK so OpenSUSE is using their own build of guest additions and it is not the same as the official build from virtualbox.org.

I tried to remove theirs and install the ones from VirtualBox but it looses the mouse pointer for some reason. I would use the program management software and search for virtualbox. This should show three (3) that are installed. If you click on them and say re-install it should rebuild them for you. If this also fails you will need to ask OpenSUSE as I have gone as far as I can.

Sigh... Did that. I would have loved to report success, but unfortunately nothing changed, same error messages, too.

There are, of course, the three installed packages you mentioned. I reinstalled them, reinstall went through without any glitches or errors - only, to no avail.

For the time being, it seems I am stuck with USB sticks for file transfer (snippets of text actually get transferred via the shared clipboard, but files don't).

Perryg, heaps of thanks for thinking along with me. This is certainly the idea of helping out...

all the very best from Germany,

Steve

[socratis]

For the time being, it seems I am stuck with USB sticks for file transfer

Have you considered using true network shares, like Samba?

[IamSteve]

For the time being, it seems I am stuck with USB sticks for file transfer

Have you considered using true network shares, like Samba?

Frankly... no, because rather out of my depth here...

How to put it... I'm not asking for a recipe, but would you sketch the basic steps as to what I'd have to set up... pretty please?

All the very best from Germany -

Steve

[socratis]

SMB (or Samba, the implementation, for a more friendly name) is the "standard" protocol used in Windows networking. For more information, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Server_Message_Block and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samba_%28software%29.

Most operating systems (if not all of them these days) allow file sharing using SMB. What you do is to share a directory from your Windows host (right click, sharing) and then you connect to your host from your guest. Your host is then the Samba server and your VM is the Samba client. You can also do it the other way around, or you can have both your host and the VM act as Samba server and client at the same time.

I did a quick search for "OpenSUSE Leap Samba setup" and there are plenty of information and setup instructions out there, including one from OpenSUSE themselves https://en.opensuse.org/Samba. It should be pretty easy to set it up.

[IamSteve]

Thank you every one for thinking along with me. I guess it will be USB for now, and either I'll try to set up a Samba solution or I'll use some snippet of Web space for transfer. I want to write my master's thesis with TeX, but that's going to be in Winter, so I should have something reasonably working by then.

Thank you, friends -

Steve