Setting up Shared Folders in Ubuntu on Windows Host

csiro · Post by **csiro** » 26. Dec 2008, 11:47

I am trying to setup a Shared Folder in an Ubuntu guest running on a Windows Vista host. I have already done this setup on a Windows XP guest without any problems, but I am new to Ubuntu and Linux and am having problems.

In VirtualBox I am using the shared details that I already created for the Windows XP guest which is also showing in VBox Settings as a Shared Folder for Ubuntu ie Machine Folders:
Name: Documents, Path: D:Documents and Access Full

In Ubuntu when I go into Places, Connect to Server I have changed the Server Type to Windows Share and then completed the other boxes as follows:
Server - vboxsvr
optional info:
Share - Documents
Folder - d:Documents
User Name - Rob
Domain Name -WORKGROUP

On the next screen I am asked "Password required for share documents on vboxsvr"

Password - Here I have tried both no password (there is no passowrk on the docuemnts folder) and the startup password for Vista then click on Connect

After a few seconds I then get the message " Can't display location "Smb://vboxsvr/documents/d:Documents" Failed to mount windows share"

Can someone please let me know what I am doing incorrectly.

Many thanks

Post by **TerryE** » 26. Dec 2008, 13:08

See the Forum FAQ and the user guide. The correct way to mount a Shared folder in Linux is to use the mount command with the filesystem type vboxsf.

csiro · Post by **csiro** » 29. Dec 2008, 14:02

TerryE wrote:See the Forum FAQ and the user guide. The correct way to mount a Shared folder in Linux is to use the mount command with the filesystem type vboxsf.

Thanks Terry, but I can't get that far. When I try to run the VBoxManage sharedfolder add "VM Name" (I am using Ubuntu) -name "sharename" I am using Documents) -hostpath (I am using D:Documents). I am wondering if the server //vboxsvr/ should be entered somewhere?

I get:
"The character device /dev/vboxdrv does not exist.
Please install virtualbox-ose-modules package for your kernel."

By running uname -a I get Linux rob-desktop 2.6.24-22-generic

However the latest package listed in Synaptic is 2..6.24-21-generic

Also when I run sudo /etc/apt/vboxdrv with the option status
I get "no suitable kernel for running kernel found"

and if I try the option start
I get "No suitable module found"

I found a Message where it said to insert a line into the file etc/apt/sources.list which reads
deb http://virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian hardy non-free

However I am still having no success trying to find my kernel version in Synaptic. It just appears to be ignoring this insert. Am I leaving out something or is there some other way to connect to the
deb http://virtualbox.org/virtualbox/debian hardy non-free?
site possibly using a command line?

Can you or someone please assist me?

Cheers
Rob

Post by **TerryE** » 29. Dec 2008, 17:40

Rob,

Yes, you can use the VBoxManage sharedfolder add command but if you do then always use a full path specification. The alternative method is to start the VM through the GUI and use the GUI Devices menu option to select the shared folder dialogue box.

Forget //vboxsvr/. You just don't use this syntax.

The reason that "the character device /dev/vboxdrv does not exist..." error occurs is the that Ubuntu has upgraded your kernel and the GA need to be relinked / reinstalled when you do this because its drivers hook into the kernel.

You also need to decide which version you are going to use: PUEL or OSE. In general if you are using the PUEL version (which you almost certainly are if you have a Windows host) then you should use the PUEL GA. Your error message implies that you have the OSE GA for the 2.6.24-21-generic kernel install. You need to use Synaptic to search for virtualbox-ose and remove these packages. You then need to install the PUEL GA from the host as discussed in the user guide and Forum FAQ. (Basically the host connects a GA ISO, which you then mount and execute a run file on it.)

Do not use apt for the GA on the guest.

csiro · Post by **csiro** » 31. Dec 2008, 06:16

Hi Terry

I uninstalled the virtualbox-ose-modules files as you said and I have downloaded and installed VBox 2.1.0 PUEL edition and reinstalled the 2.1.0 GA but the kernel is still showing 2.6.24-22. Is this correct?

I am now confused - VirtualBox, Settings is showing shared folder as Documents D:\Documents which is correct as far as Windows is concerned. Should I change this shared folder name to share to save confusion with the D:\Documents directory?

I have created a folder named share on my Desktop and am using the following command to mount it:

mount -t vboxsf share /home/rob/Desktop/share

but I receive the follwing error:
/sbin/mount.vboxsf: mounting failed with the error not such file or directory. Could this be because share should be called Documents?

Also, could it be because I am leaving out the following command:

VboxManage sharedfolder add Ubuntu (the VM name) -name share -hostpath D:\Documents ,as I am still getting the error "The character device /dev/vboxdrv does not exist" .. install the Virtualbox-ose-modules.

Can you please help?
Rob

Post by **Sasquatch** » 31. Dec 2008, 14:13

VboxManage sharedfolder add Ubuntu (the VM name) -name share -hostpath D:\Documents ,as I am still getting the error "The character device /dev/vboxdrv does not exist" .. install the Virtualbox-ose-modules.

Where are you running this command? It looks like you run this from the Guest, which is not what you need to do, as Windows is your Host. Create a proper share in the VB GUI. For simplicity, lets make a test folder, D:\test. Now, add this folder to the shared folder list and call it 'test'. Make sure that you enter the exact folder location, so either browse, or enter 'D:\test\'. That trailing \ is needed.
Now in the Guest, do a 'sudo mount -t vboxsf test /home/rob/Desktop/share', enter your password and see how that goes. If it works, you did something wrong with the other share.

csiro · Post by **csiro** » 1. Jan 2009, 09:00

I can get Test to work - having no trailing \ seemed to be causing the problem.

Changing the original shared Documents, D:\Documents\ and running the mount -t command I still get an error which is:
/sbin/mount.vboxsf: mounting failed with the error: Protocol error.

I think this has something to do with both the Host and Guest systems having a folder by the same name. so I created another folder in Windows called D:\Documents\Shared with a name of Shared and now the mount command works.

After mounting the Windows Shared folder I was able to see all the files in it on Ubuntu and vica versa.

Many thanks for your assistance and patience.

Post by **Sasquatch** » 1. Jan 2009, 15:45

You don't state which version you are running. There was a version (or more) where it would give this error if you would share your My Documents folder, your entire profile or Home folder. Sharing a subfolder, or it's parent wasn't a problem.

csiro · Post by **csiro** » 2. Jan 2009, 03:48

Sasquatch wrote:You don't state which version you are running. There was a version (or more) where it would give this error if you would share your My Documents folder, your entire profile or Home folder. Sharing a subfolder, or it's parent wasn't a problem.

I am running VBox 2.1.0-41146 PUEL on a Vista x64 host. It works sharing a subfolder, so I will leave it at that.

smsoft · Post by **smsoft** » 4. Jan 2009, 11:38

1.First of all share a folder of the host operating system using the virtual box interface with a suitable sharename.
2. Open up a terminal
3. Create a directory wherever you want the shared folder and with whatever name you want using the mkdir command
4. Now use this command :

mount -t vboxsf sharename mountpoint

where sharename is the name you used for the folder in the virtual box interface and mountpoint is the location you want the folder to be shared( the directory which you created in the previous step).

http://smsoftdev-tutorials.blogspot.com/

dbeko · Post by **dbeko** » 18. Jan 2009, 08:43

smsoft wrote:1.First of all share a folder of the host operating system using the virtual box interface with a suitable sharename.
2. Open up a terminal
3. Create a directory wherever you want the shared folder and with whatever name you want using the mkdir command
4. Now use this command :

mount -t vboxsf sharename mountpoint

where sharename is the name you used for the folder in the virtual box interface and mountpoint is the location you want the folder to be shared( the directory which you created in the previous step).

http://smsoftdev-tutorials.blogspot.com/

I'm running VirtualBox 2.10 and this mount process no longer works for me. It used to but no longer does. I get a "no such device exists" error (if memory serves). The only thing that I've changed is to add another guest O/S (the new one is Windows Server 2003 R2); the original one is Xubuntu 8.10.

smsoft · Post by **smsoft** » 19. Jan 2009, 13:57

I am also using Virtual box 2.1.0 and this method is working for Ubuntu 8.10.

It used to but no longer does.

Can you please clarify, for what versions of virtual box and the guest OS, did it use to work for you?

The only thing that I've changed is to add another guest O/S

Just adding another guest operating system, should not have any effect on the existing virtual machines. So, if you haven't done any other configuration changes except for adding the new guest O/S and the method worked for you earlier, then it should continue to work. Maybe you have by mistake changed some configuration settings.

http://smsoftdev-tutorials.blogspot.com

dbeko · Post by **dbeko** » 25. Jan 2009, 06:56

smsoft wrote:Just adding another guest operating system, should not have any effect on the existing virtual machines. So, if you haven't done any other configuration changes except for adding the new guest O/S and the method worked for you earlier, then it should continue to work. Maybe you have by mistake changed some configuration settings.

It's working now. I had upgraded VirtualBox to the version before the current one and before that but hadn't installed the Guest Additions (thought I had but guess not). Now that those are installed, the shared folder is working just fine. Thanks..