Video for Linux Guest on Linux Host broken

[m3t4lukas]

Hey you guys,

I am not a huge forums guy and finally got myself to reporting this issue since it is increasingly inconvenient.
Before I start, here some facts I feel I need to point out from reading other forums posts. I use Versions Packaged by Oracle throughout my entire setup. After installing Linux guests I purge the guest dkms delivered with it before proceeding any further.
Now to the problem at hand: Video is jest not working on any Guest dkms version >5.0.10. I update my VirtualBox as soon as I get that notification and afterwards I do a reboot. Just as I did for my current version 5.1.18 r114002 (Qt5.6.1). And ever since 5.0.10 I inserted the guest additions delivered with that version and install them. Then I reboot and video is just not working properly. Crashing Window Managers, render areas remain black and even remain a big black square on my screen even after minimizing the app (e.g. video players like vlc, totem or spotify which uses gpu rendered webkit as far as I know or even chrome in gpu mode). So every time I try the new guest dkms version and always have to switch back to 5.0.10 in order to be able to work. Each time I search the forum and get the feeling that I am the only one having this problem.

As for the host system I have to say that it only rocks an Intel GPU since it's my office station for coding, doesn't need more and I won't get any dedicated GPU, boss won't approve or allow. GPU acceleration is turned on, video memory set to maximum value.

I didn't look into the guest additions git repo (if it is even possible for me to do that) but you should check out those commits and figure out what went wrong. I'd be very pleased (stewie voice).

Greetings
Lukas Wagner

[mpack]

Please provide a VM log file. With the VM fully shut down, right click it in GUI. Select "Show Log" and save "VBox.log" (ONLY) to a zip file. Attach the zip here.

[socratis]

and video is just not working properly

Well, Virtual machines will never be as powerful as the host, especially on the video side. They use after all a virtual graphics card, not your host's real graphics card. Applications that have high requirements on the GPU (drawing, 3D, games, video) are expected to not work as good as on the real hardware, if they work at all.

You only option is to pretty much wait for improved graphics support. I have no clue when this will happen or if it will happen at all. Plus make sure that you use the latest drivers for your graphics card.

or spotify which uses gpu rendered webkit

Another thing is to try with and without 3D acceleration. It may "force" the default behavior of the guest's installed applications.

[m3t4lukas]

Well, Virtual machines will never be as powerful as the host, especially on the video side. They use after all a virtual graphics card, not your host's real graphics card. Applications that have high requirements on the GPU (drawing, 3D, games, video) are expected to not work as good as on the real hardware, if they work at all.

I don't do huge amazing stuff on that VM. Just basic 2D rendering as done by gnome as well.

Another thing is to try with and without 3D acceleration. It may "force" the default behavior of the guest's installed applications.

If I run in software rendereing mode my CPU is at constant 96% on three cores, so there is a reason to wanting to use gpu rendering. And as I might point out: it still works with old dkms just fine. It really has the look and feel of a bug which might have gotten in there.

As for the log: I installed the current 5.1.18 dkms, rebooted opened up spotify in gpu rendering mode, minimized and restored it and closed it again. Afterward I did the shutdown and zipped the log. I tried to get as much of those drawable reservation and releasing stuff without producing too much log overhead.

Thanks for looking into it

[mpack]

Do you have any specific reason to believe this is a VirtualBox problem?

AFAIK other people running Mint do not have this problem, which implies that it isn't systemic in VirtualBox. So, my guess would be to suspect OpenGL drivers on the host. That should be easily tested using OpenGL test apps for your host, then try them in the guest.

One thing: I don't know if I'd give three cores to the VM. That assumes that the host has less use for CPU, which would be a mistaken assumption since the host is responsible for running VirtualBox and finally rendering any graphics. You have a 4-core host, so I'd split the cores evenly: 2 to the host and 2 to the guest.

[m3t4lukas]

I did some tests at home this weekend. So the problem seems to be with Intel HD graphics. Running it on Nvidia or AMD card seems to cause no problem at all. I will try to update the graphics drivers, since I run on a Linux Mint 17.3 here at work and there are no capacities for updating right now. At least with 17.3 and Intel there is a problem. On my Notebook rocking LM 18 everything runs good with Intel HD graphics, too.

[mpack]

I can attest that I too have had OpenGL compatibility problems with Intel HD graphics in the past, as in completely failing to render any 3D models correctly. When I replaced the onboard graphics the problem was fixed - and btw this was with an OpenGL 3D printing tool running on the host, the problem had nothing to do with VMing. But obviously, had I tried it then any guest 3D app would also have been affected.

[m3t4lukas]

Is there any chance for getting this fixed? Where can I file a bug or upvote something for making this priority?

[socratis]

There is call for help from the developers for end-users to pitch in helping with this. 3D support for X11 guests.

Just to summarise the situation: we do not currently have free developer time (as in developers with the required skills who are not already taken up with other work) to investigate this bug, much as we understand that it is annoying to the people affected. This situation might change, but that is not something we can promise. Of course, I quite understand that if this means that something else fits any individual's requirements better than VirtualBox then it is a sensible solution to use that instead.

However, the fact that VirtualBox is open source means that users who are interested have another option to get changes made, by doing the work themselves or crowd-sourcing the work. If you go this way of course, please communicate with us before starting and while doing the work, as we hate to see work go to waste due to misunderstandings like mismatches with our development style. Though this is more a fix than a feature, so likely to be easier to integrate.

See also the X11 guest 3D wiki page. Windows guest 3D is not user-maintained, but we are still rather limited in what we can do.

I would kindly request that as of now people do not add unneeded information to this ticket, such as that this is still not fixed or does not work for a given person. However, if you would like to subscribe to the ticket please add a "me too" comment, and we will delete the comment and add your nickname to the "CC" list.