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virtual box on openSuSE 11.1

Posted: 27. Jan 2009, 00:06
by opensuse-717
VirtualBox can NOT find the correct kernel driver module on an openSUSE 11.1 system:

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bwv988:~ # rpm -q --whatprovides VirtualBox
VirtualBox-2.1.2_41885_openSUSE111-1
the driver was setup and started:

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bwv988:~ # /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup
Stopping VirtualBox kernel module                                                                                                                                              done
Removing old VirtualBox netflt kernel module                                                                                                                                    done
Removing old VirtualBox kernel module                                                                                                                                           done
Recompiling VirtualBox kernel module                                                                                                                                            done
Starting VirtualBox kernel module                                                                                                                                               done
bwv988:~ # /etc/init.d/vboxdrv restart
Stopping VirtualBox kernel module                                                                                                                                               done
Starting VirtualBox kernel module                                                                                                                                               done

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bwv988:~ # modinfo vboxdrv
filename:       /lib/modules/2.6.27.7-9-default/misc/vboxdrv.ko
version:        2.1.2 (0x000a0009)
license:        GPL
description:    VirtualBox Support Driver
author:         Sun Microsystems, Inc.
srcversion:     5B091799D558849917B9D26
depends:        built-in,built-in,built-in,built-in,built-in,built-in,built-in,built-in,built-in
vermagic:       2.6.27.7-9-default SMP mod_unload modversions
parm:           force_async_tsc:force the asynchronous TSC mode (int)

but I am still getting the horrible:
The VirtualBox support driver which is running is from a different version of VirtualBox. You can correct this by stopping all running instances of VirtualBox and reinstalling the software. (VERR_VM_DRIVER_VERSION_MISMATCH).
whenever I try to run VirtualBox as root!

Other status monitors give:

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bwv988:~ #  dmesg | grep vbox
vboxdrv: Trying to deactivate the NMI watchdog permanently...
vboxdrv: Successfully done.
vboxdrv: Found 2 processor cores.
vboxdrv: fAsync=1 offMin=0xfbf905cd offMax=0xfbf905cd
vboxdrv: TSC mode is 'asynchronous', kernel timer mode is 'normal'.
vboxdrv: Successfully loaded version 2.1.2 (interface 0x000a0009).
vboxdrv: Trying to deactivate the NMI watchdog permanently...
vboxdrv: Successfully done.
vboxdrv: Found 2 processor cores.
vboxdrv: fAsync=1 offMin=0xfbf9013b offMax=0xfbf9013b
vboxdrv: TSC mode is 'asynchronous', kernel timer mode is 'normal'.
vboxdrv: Successfully loaded version 2.1.2 (interface 0x000a0009).
ioctl32(VirtualBox:14677): Unknown cmd fd(27) cmd(c0305601){t:'V';sz:48} arg(fffb62e4) on /dev/vboxdrv
and

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bwv988:~ # more /var/log/messages | grep vbox
Jan 26 23:58:06 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: Trying to deactivate the NMI watchdog permanently...
Jan 26 23:58:06 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: Successfully done.
Jan 26 23:58:06 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: Found 2 processor cores.
Jan 26 23:58:06 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: fAsync=1 offMin=0xfbf905cd offMax=0xfbf905cd
Jan 26 23:58:06 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: TSC mode is 'asynchronous', kernel timer mode is 'normal'.
Jan 26 23:58:06 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: Successfully loaded version 2.1.2 (interface 0x000a0009).
Jan 26 23:58:16 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: Trying to deactivate the NMI watchdog permanently...
Jan 26 23:58:16 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: Successfully done.
Jan 26 23:58:16 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: Found 2 processor cores.
Jan 26 23:58:16 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: fAsync=1 offMin=0xfbf9013b offMax=0xfbf9013b
Jan 26 23:58:16 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: TSC mode is 'asynchronous', kernel timer mode is 'normal'.
Jan 26 23:58:16 bwv988 kernel: vboxdrv: Successfully loaded version 2.1.2 (interface 0x000a0009).
Jan 26 23:59:04 bwv988 kernel: ioctl32(VirtualBox:14677): Unknown cmd fd(27) cmd(c0305601){t:'V';sz:48} arg(fffb62e4) on /dev/vboxdrv

could anyone please provide some suggestion?
I think I have done everything that the forums suggest but, as you see, to very little avail.

thanking in advance

mimis koltsakis

Posted: 27. Jan 2009, 18:13
by Eck
Something unusual that OpenSUSE 11.1 does is make the virtualbox-ose kmp kernel modules a dependency of a few packages, not sure exactly which but stuff like gcc, make, gcc++, kernel-source, kernel-syms.

When I installed that stuff during installation I noticed the OpenSUSE YaST installer wanted to add that virtualbox-ose kernel module AND the guest additions. Possibly those additions were added because I was installing OpenSUSE as a guest on my Debian Lenny system?

Whatever, I hit cancel, and used the Search pane to search for virtualbox. I right clicked the entries selected to be installed and chose the Never install option for each of them.

Then I went ahead. Actually I had simply chose not to install the first few times, but as I saw that many future package installations wanted to add the virtualbox-ose kmp kernel module, I suggest choosing that Never Install from the right click menu instead of Do Not Install.

Then I was able to do the normal Install Guest Additions, su to root, and install the VirtualBox Guest Additions for Linux from the ISO file that appears when VirtualBox mounts the Guest Additions.

This was using the full downloaded VirtualBox, not ose.

I do find that I occasionally get the console login screen instead of KDM, so I need to login as root and do sax2 -r 0=vboxvideo and set that up again. OpenSUSE seems to lose track of what Sax does to xorg.conf for some reason and so needs a repeat setup. I just do it, then type reboot, and then OpenSUSE starts X and KDM and I'm fine.

At least my KDE 3.5.10 is fine. No idea how KDE 4.1 is, and I noticed that Gnome was having some problems with stuff like Gnome System Monitor not displaying at the same resolution as the desktop (which was fine), making it unusable, and hplip was having problems in Gnome (works fine in KDE 3.5.10 as long as I add myself to the lp group).

So I can run KDE 3.5.10 on an OpenSUSE 11.1 VirtualBox guest fine, but Gnome appears buggy. Of course that may be totally unrelated to VirtualBox.

Keep in mind that the Guest Additions mouse is not usable yet (will not respond to clicks). That's why it keeps using the "mouse" driver in xorg.conf instead of vboxmouse. Switch to that and you'll lose mouse control. So really only the video Guest Additions is working (with some reminding to sax2 occasionally). I'll check out the Shared Folders, but as that's been no problem for a couple of VirtualBox versions on OpenSUSE guests I think it'll still be fine in 2.1.2.