Ever increasing CPU utilization by VM

[afritsche]

Hi,

I copied a VirtualBox-VM created with VirtualBox 4.3 to a new system running VirtualBox 5.2 on Debian Linux. The VM starts normally, Windows 2000 guest boots normally. The guest mostly idles: Around 4% CPU usage reported by Windows Task Manager the entire time. After startup phase, CPU utilization of the VM is around 20%, then it gradually increases until around 100%.

Using VirtualBox 5.0.10 instead of 5.2 does not show the described behavior.

Has anyone experienced a similar problem? Or can anyone come up with a suggestion how to solve it?

Host system: Linux 4.9.0-7-amd64
VirtualBox: 5.2.18r124319
Memory: 32072MB
Extension Pack installed

Guest System: Windows 2000
no Guest Additions

[mpack]

If the VM (not the guest OS) is using lots of CPU then that usually indicates a lot of I/O going on, since I/O (including DMA) is simulated by the host VM process.

So look for a guest process that's doing a lot of I/O.

Incidentally, the GAs are still on 5.0.10, hence very old compared to the host API.

Your extension pack also does not match the host software version, and that is a complete no-no.

[afritsche]

I see, where you're aiming at. I'll get my configuration fixed, especially GA and EP.

About the IO-intensive process: True, there is some network traffic going on. I'd accept load on my system for that. But the CPU utilization is building up over the course of about 2500 seconds time with no relation to guest activity. I saw the same pattern even when I disable all custom processes and disabled most non-vital Windows services.

[mpack]

True, there is some network traffic going on. ... But the CPU utilization is building up over the course of about 2500 seconds time with no relation to guest activity.

I'm not sure we're on the same page here. You say there's network traffic going on, but not in the guest? The previous comment was specifically about guest I/O processes doing network stuff. Usually it's an old Windows version struggling to understand new update servers.

[afritsche]

(..) You say there's network traffic going on, but not in the guest?

There is network traffic in the guest. Usually it runs processes providing network services. I just tried to convey, the irritating behaviour of increasing CPU usage of the VM is independent of these services. It continues even, after these services (and regular Windows services) are stopped. Also: The guest has no access to the internet.

Anyway. I disconnected the (virtual) network cables from the VM (guest untouched) and et voilá: problem gone. This is obviously not a feasible solution, but shifts my focus away from VirtualBox and to vde2.

Thanks for pushing me in the right direction, mpack!