error message on start

[rsail]

When I start up my VM I get the following messages to the screen. (they are not in any of the logs)

[ 2.907290] [drm:vmw_host_log [vmwgfx]] *ERROR* Failed to send host log message
[ 2.910337] [drm:vmw_host_log [vmwgfx]] *ERROR* Failed to send host log message

Is there a way to fix that?

[scottgus1]

Not that I know of. These are common, I see them all the time in my perfectly-running Linux guests. Whatever causes them is happening inside the guest OS, not in Virtualbox, and they do not interfere with the operation of the guest OS.

If you are having other problems, these messages are a red herring and do not apply. If your guest does have other problems, what is going on?

[multiOS]

This: https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/19168 (marked 'Invalid') seems to provide some explanation.

My interpretation (In shorthand):
- The cause lies within the VMSVGA (virtual graphics card software) and apparently occurs only when 3D is enabled (which is my experience).
- The VMSVGA Graphics Card software is developed exclusively by VMWare and is available for other developers to use, but it can only be updated by their development team, not by VirtualBox developers.

When/If VMWare decide to provide an updated version of VMSVGA it will, no doubt, find its way into VirtualBox; and probably any other products that use it. However, as it appears to be a completely benign error, i.e. apart from a certain amount of irritation/confusion, no-one seems to be reporting any 'real' problems that can be directly attributed to the error, it's probably best not to expect any imminent change.

[fth0]

My interpretation

A minor correction / addition to your interpretation:

The VirtualBox Graphics Controller VMSVGA is the virtual graphics device implemented by VirtualBox, virtualized in the host OS and provided to the VM. The Linux kernel driver vmwgfx is implemented by VMware, running in the guest OS and contains the minor bug that it doesn't check if the hypervisor is a VMware software. Anybody who really wants it, can fix this bug, be it a VMware employee, an Oracle employee, or you and me.

[multiOS]

@fth0,

Thanks for the info./correction. Must admit that I wasn't sure after reading the Bugtracker Thread whether the current VMWare software being used was still fully open source which, as you say, anyone with the necessary skills could patch, or 'proprietary freeware', which would preclude 3rd-party patching; and make the response in that thread more understandable.

[fth0]

The Linux kernel driver vmwgfx is licensed under the GPLv2 or the MIT license, according to the source files themselves. If someone develops a patch, they can use it when building the driver themselves, and/or provide it to the maintainer, which is a VMware employee (guessed from their email address ).

[rsail]

Your comment that this only occurs when 3d is enabled is incorrect it happens regardless of whether 3D is enabled or not.

This: https://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/19168 (marked 'Invalid') seems to provide some explanation.

My interpretation (In shorthand):
- The cause lies within the VMSVGA (virtual graphics card software) and apparently occurs only when 3D is enabled (which is my experience).
- The VMSVGA Graphics Card software is developed exclusively by VMWare and is available for other developers to use, but it can only be updated by their development team, not by VirtualBox developers.

When/If VMWare decide to provide an updated version of VMSVGA it will, no doubt, find its way into VirtualBox; and probably any other products that use it. However, as it appears to be a completely benign error, i.e. apart from a certain amount of irritation/confusion, no-one seems to be reporting any 'real' problems that can be directly attributed to the error, it's probably best not to expect any imminent change.

[multiOS]

Yes, sorry, that was an error on my part. It's so long since I bothered about this benign System-D Error message, I forgot which VirtualBox setting option avoided it. What I should have said was that using the 'plain old' VirtualBox VGA Graphics option (which no longer provides any 3D capability) does not display the System-D error message, but VSVGA does.

Unfortunately, it comes back to the same situation, i.e. If we want/need to use VSVGA graphics option, then (for now and probably for some time) then we have to put up with seeing the 'Error' flash past (or not watch ). Of minor interest is that if anyone uses a Linux distribution which does not make use of System-D then they also won't see an error message, so the 'clash' also seems to relate to some action System-D wants to carry out that the alternatives don't consider necessary, or do in a different way.