[WorksForMe] Centos 7.5 driver compile problem

[LarryE]

Hi

I'm running Centos 7.5 kernel 4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64 and I can't get the drivers to compile. Here is the error:

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gremlin ~]$ sudo /sbin/vboxconfig 
vboxdrv.sh: Stopping VirtualBox services.
vboxdrv.sh: Starting VirtualBox services.
vboxdrv.sh: Building VirtualBox kernel modules.
This system is currently not set up to build kernel modules.
Please install the Linux kernel "header" files matching the current kernel
for adding new hardware support to the system.
The distribution packages containing the headers are probably:
    kernel-devel kernel-devel-4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64
This system is currently not set up to build kernel modules.
Please install the Linux kernel "header" files matching the current kernel
for adding new hardware support to the system.
The distribution packages containing the headers are probably:
    kernel-devel kernel-devel-4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64

There were problems setting up VirtualBox.  To re-start the set-up process, run
  /sbin/vboxconfig
as root.

Yes I have the matching kernel-devel installed

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gremlin ~]$ rpm -q kernel-devel
kernel-devel-4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64

Yes I have dev tools installed

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Installed Groups:
   Development Tools

Yes I'm running the kernel

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gremlin ~]$ uname -a
Linux gremlin 4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64 #1 SMP Mon Sep 17 13:40:58 UTC 2018 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Even uninstalled all the other kernels

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gremlin ~]$ ls /boot
config-4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64  initramfs-0-rescue-8ef3d6c3a2954d529c943c457be799f6.img  System.map-4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64
efi                           initramfs-4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64.img                      vmlinuz-0-rescue-8ef3d6c3a2954d529c943c457be799f6
grub                          initrd-plymouth.img                                      vmlinuz-4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64
grub2                         symvers-4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64.gz

Any ideas?

[LarryE]

Monte Carlo debugging continues

I've tried installed dkms - same problem
Installed VirtualBox-5.2-5.2.19_125724_el7-1.x86_64.rpm devel release - same problem
Installed VirtualBox-5.2-5.2.97_125811_el7-1.x86_64.rpm snapshot - same problem

This is nuts...nobody else is having a problem with 5.2.18 using the latest Centos 7.5 updates?

Can someone who is running 5.2.18 on Centos 7.5 let me know what kernel you are on?

Thanks.

[LarryE]

Ok I quit doing the random debugging nonsense and started looking at the actual problem.

Turns out that on my system for some reason I have a broken symlink.
This symlink /lib/modules/4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64/build/ was pointing to ../../../usr/src/kernels/4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64 which is one level to shallow.

To fix:

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rm build
ln -s ../../../../usr/src/kernels/4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64 build

Boom!

As to the culprit? Looks like Centos

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rpm -qif /lib/modules/4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64/build
Name        : kernel
Version     : 4.9.127
Release     : 32.el7
Architecture: x86_64

Good night

[socratis]

I've tried installed dkms - same problem

VirtualBox hasn't had the need for DKMS since the 5.0.x days, so that shouldn't change the situation, you're right...

Installed VirtualBox-5.2-5.2.97_125811_el7-1.x86_64.rpm snapshot - same problem

So, I take it that you were trying the official packages from the VirtualBox site, not the repo's depository. Good to know!

This symlink /lib/modules/4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64/build/ was pointing to ../../../usr/src/kernels/4.9.127-32.el7.x86_64 which is one level to shallow.

Any idea how that link got there? Was it something that you did? CentOS did? An app installer did? That's most probably the reason why there were no replies to your post, no one else was seeing that...

Glad you got it going. Thank you for the feedback and for providing the solution, hope someone finds it useful in the future. I really don't know how to "mark" this, but given the unusual link, I tend to want to mark this as a [WorksForMe]. If this is a standard link, and it's an issue that needs to be addressed for every CentOS 7.5 installation, I'll change it to [Solved].

[LarryE]

Yet another update.

It just occurred to me how in world did a 4.x kernel get installed on my Centos 7.5 load? It should be running a 3.10.x kernel!
Turns out I somehow enabled the centos-virt-xen-46 repo which installed the 4.x kernel. The 4.x rpm still should have installed properly but it at least explains why nobody else ran into this problem.

[socratis]

Hey, thanks for letting us know. At least you figured out the issue, that's good...