Find out Guest Addition version NOT from LOG file?

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Windows hosts.
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pstein
Posts: 59
Joined: 20. Nov 2008, 20:48
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
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Find out Guest Addition version NOT from LOG file?

Post by pstein »

How can I find out the current Guest Addition version NOT from log file?

Is there somewhere an entry/menu in VirtualBox Manager?

Or a shortcut in guestOS toolbar?

Do Guest Additions inside a guestOS require a corresponding tool partner in VirtualBox Host installation?
or are they independent?

Peter
mpack
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Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
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Re: Find out Guest Addition version NOT from LOG file?

Post by mpack »

pstein wrote: Is there somewhere an entry/menu in VirtualBox Manager?
How would the manager know what software you installed in a VM?
pstein wrote: Or a shortcut in guestOS toolbar?
Now you're getting somewhere, though of course this assumes that the guest OS has toolbars, but you have not said what the guest OS is. If the guest is Windows then yes, there should be a VirtualBox icon over in the notification area, and if you hover over this it should report the GAs version. Those features are of course themselves version dependent though.
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pstein wrote: Do Guest Additions inside a guestOS require a corresponding tool partner in VirtualBox Host installation?
or are they independent?
They require VirtualBox to be running on the host. The host background service (VBoxSVC) publishes an API which the GAs can call into, for example the graphics and shared folders APIs. They don't have to be strictly "corresponding" in the version sense, the main thing is that the GAs must not be newer than the host software, i.e. they musn't rely on features that don't exist yet. And it's helpful if the GAs are not ancient either. In some cases GAs version XX fixes certain bugs, so if you need that bug fixed then you need to be using GAs version XX or later. Graphics related bugs have been fixed quite regularly in recent versions, due to the introduction of new graphics controllers in 6.x.
scottgus1
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Re: Find out Guest Addition version NOT from LOG file?

Post by scottgus1 »

Another possibility inside the VM, if command-line determination is in scope, is this command in the VM OS's command line:

vboxcontrol -v
pstein
Posts: 59
Joined: 20. Nov 2008, 20:48
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Ubuntu, CentOS

Re: Find out Guest Addition version NOT from LOG file?

Post by pstein »

scottgus1 wrote:Another possibility inside the VM, if command-line determination is in scope, is this command in the VM OS's command line:

vboxcontrol -v
NOT working in Linux Mint v20.1

vboxcontrol: command not found

guestOS Guest Addition version according to log file: Version 6.1.26 r145957 '6.1.26'
mpack
Site Moderator
Posts: 39156
Joined: 4. Sep 2008, 17:09
Primary OS: MS Windows 10
VBox Version: PUEL
Guest OSses: Mostly XP

Re: Find out Guest Addition version NOT from LOG file?

Post by mpack »

Linux terminals are usually case sensitive. Try "VBoxControl -v".
pstein
Posts: 59
Joined: 20. Nov 2008, 20:48
Primary OS: MS Windows XP
VBox Version: OSE other
Guest OSses: Ubuntu, CentOS

Re: Find out Guest Addition version NOT from LOG file?

Post by pstein »

Thank you
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