Virtual Box Headless Server

Discussions related to using VirtualBox on Linux hosts.
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vnn
Posts: 5
Joined: 30. May 2016, 11:55

Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by vnn »

Hello everyone,

I am getting nuts and I hope someone can help me.

First I have installed on my Debian Jessie Client the Virtualbox 5.
It is working fine and no problems at all.

Now I have prepared my Server for the Virtualbox Headless Server .
I have installed the Debian Jessie 64 Bit System in a console mode and add the repo from Virtual Box to this Server.
I have installed sucessfully the headless server and I can connect with the Browser (over the Apache2) to the Virtual Box Headless Server.
I can create new virtual machines at this server over the Browser.
( I am using the console mode from this machines)
The only point is: The virtual machines has wrong keyboard settings.
When I am install the operating system it changes the keys z and x and there are not STRG / CTRL keys on this maschine.
I suppose it is a us keyboard settings.
How can use a german keyboard in this machine?
The settings on the host for the virtualbox headless server is german and it works well.
Has anoyone an idea?

Thanks,

Volker
Perryg
Site Moderator
Posts: 34369
Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
Guest OSses: *NIX

Re: Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by Perryg »

vnn
Posts: 5
Joined: 30. May 2016, 11:55

Re: Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by vnn »

Hello PerryG,

I already tried this settings but no success.
I still have the us settings and I can't start the vi becuse for the exit of the vi I need the ctrl key and it isn't active.

I displayed with cat my keyboard settings ant says the german keyboard.
pc=105 an de

vnn
Perryg
Site Moderator
Posts: 34369
Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
Guest OSses: *NIX

Re: Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by Perryg »

Point is the keyboard layout/locale is set in the guest and really has nothing to do with VirtualBox. You should be asking this on the Debian forums.
vnn
Posts: 5
Joined: 30. May 2016, 11:55

Re: Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by vnn »

I already asked this at a Debian Forum

Thanks anyway
Perryg
Site Moderator
Posts: 34369
Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
Guest OSses: *NIX

Re: Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by Perryg »

I just tested "sudo dpkg-reconfigure keyboard-configuration" and it works as it should with Debian 8.4 console mode only. If it fails for you then you have a step you are not running properly or a package missing. Like I said this has nothing to do with VirtualBox, sorry.
vnn
Posts: 5
Joined: 30. May 2016, 11:55

Re: Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by vnn »

I firgure out something yesterday.
When I am logged in over the PHP surface at the the Browser to the virtual machines I have this keyboard issue.
If am logged in with ssh at the virtual machines it works fine and the keyboard settings are ok.
Sometime it is strange....

However I have another question.
I tired to connect with rdp to the Linux virtual machines but it won't work.
These machines are running in a console mode and I think for rdp it is necessarry to run this with the X Mode.

vnn
Perryg
Site Moderator
Posts: 34369
Joined: 6. Sep 2008, 22:55
Primary OS: Linux other
VBox Version: OSE self-compiled
Guest OSses: *NIX

Re: Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by Perryg »

Read up on remote virtual machines. The best is vRDP. http://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch07.html

Requires the extension pack installed on the host.
dksoba
Posts: 2
Joined: 1. Jun 2016, 00:01

Re: Virtual Box Headless Server

Post by dksoba »

I just ran into this problem last night (so I'm only about 80-90% confident my instructions are valid). I am running virtualbox completely without a GUI and I can confirm that you do not need to run the virtualbox host in a GUI to run graphics on the guest operating system. This is how I would approach this:

1) Use "vboxmanage showvminfo <name_of_vm>" to see if vrde is on. Even if the address is set to 0.0.0.0 it could still work, but not if the extensions are not installed.
2) Check to see if the extension pack is installed: "vboxmanage list extpacks"

Code: Select all

vbox@ubuntucloset:~$ vboxmanage list extpacks
Extension Packs: 1
Pack no. 0:   Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack
Version:      5.0.20
Revision:     106931
Edition:
Description:  USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 Host Controller, Host Webcam, VirtualBox RDP, PXE ROM, Disk Encryption.
VRDE Module:  VBoxVRDP
Usable:       true
3) If the extension pack isn't installed, install it. Make sure the extension pack you get matches the version you have. Skip to step 5.
4) If the extension pack IS installed, but the version number is different, uninstall it and install the correct version. The way to check your vbox version is as follows:

Code: Select all

vbox@ubuntucloset:~$ vboxmanage -v
5.0.20r106931
5) Uninstall the extension pack.

Code: Select all

sudo VBoxManage extpack uninstall "Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack"
6) Install the extension pack if it isn't installed or if you uninstalled it. Make sure that the version that is downloaded and installed matches your virtualbox installation.

Code: Select all

wget http://download.virtualbox.org/virtualbox/5.0.20/Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-5.0.20-106931.vbox-extpack
sudo VBoxManage extpack install Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-5.0.20-106931.vbox-extpack
7) Run your virtual machine with vrde on:

Code: Select all

VBoxHeadless --startvm <uuid|name> --vrde on
8 ) Connect using remote desktop to the ip address of the host and the port shown when you do "vboxmanage showvminfo <name>" (after you start the vm).

Good luck and let me know where my instructions are lacking.
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