Discuss VirtualBox 3.0.6 release

[Sasquatch]

I have not yet played with 3.0.6 but I am curious why this was done:

Main: restrict guest RAM size to 1.5 GB (32 bits Windows hosts only)

I'm wondering if there's a mistake in the release notes. I have an existing 32-bit Windows XP guest with 3.5 GB of RAM. It works normally in 3.0.6 and XP sees the whole 3.5 GB.

The changelog says it's Windows hosts, you run a Linux host, which doesn't have the problem of the 2 GB allocation limits that 32 bit Windows has.

[bitti]

I have not yet played with 3.0.6 but I am curious why this was done:
Main: restrict guest RAM size to 1.5 GB (32 bits Windows hosts only)

I'm wondering if there's a mistake in the release notes. I have an existing 32-bit Windows XP guest with 3.5 GB of RAM. It works normally in 3.0.6 and XP sees the whole 3.5 GB.

this was explained by frank from sun in one of the 306beta1 discussions, its not a mistake.

Ah, you are right. I misread the original post and thought that RAM of 32-bit Windows guests was limited. I should have read it more carefully. My 3.5 GB Windows XP guest is running on 64-bit Linux host, so it's a completely different issue.

[bob23450]

Some people reported in the 3.0.4 discussion that their host networking (Windows) was screwed up after a VirtualBox version upgrade (i.e http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic. ... =15#p91827). Did anyone have such an issue with 3.0.6 ? This is a critical point for me. I don't care too much if some guest lose their functionality, after all I could ever downgrade to a previous version, but I absolutely can NOT lose my HOST functionality because I run my main business on it.
Thank you.

[Graham Norris]

A big fat fail here. I've been using 2.2.4, running W7RC 64-bit under XP Pro 32 bit (and a few other guests too) on a Thinkpad with a Core 2 Duo.

With no changed settings at all, W7 just loops on one CPU during boot. It never gets beyond the Windows logo in the middle of the screen.

Removed VBox 3.0.6, rebooted, clean install of 3.0.6. Same.

Removed VBox 3.0.6, rebooted, clean install of 2.2.4. Works (note: no restore or anything of the W7 virtual machine or settings). QED.

I'm convinced that VBox is progressively dying under the load of new features being added while old bugs remain unfixed and new ones are introduced faster than they can be fixed. The beta testing periods are too short, and insufficient attention is being made to ensuring things work.

Graham.

[stkris]

I'm having problems with vRDP on a 64 bit Debian Squeeze host and a 32 bit Win XP client. The UI stops updating when I give the guest 2 CPUs. When going back to one it starts working again.

Typically I start the guest, then connect to vRDP using rdesktop. It looks fine until I try to enter my password. Nothing happens on screen. If I disconnect and reconnect I can do one more mouse click before it stops updating - so I can see that I managed to log in previously - the screen just did not update to show me that.

virtualbox-3.0:
Installed: 3.0.6-52128_Debian_lenny

The guest additions is also up to date. The guest is a fresh install of XP EDIT: but I also have this problem on another system running VB 3.0.2 where the XP guest has been trough several VBox versions.

[marco]

Some people reported in the 3.0.4 discussion that their host networking (Windows) was screwed up after a VirtualBox version upgrade...

I was one of them.

...Did anyone have such an issue with 3.0.6 ? This is a critical point for me...

It is a critical point to me too, that's the main reason why I'm becoming more and more careful about VB upgrades.
So I can not help you; I did not have the same issue with 3.0.6 because I couldn't have anyway: I did not upgrade.

I'm gradually but regularly growing up the idea that once you have a VB version which is well doing what you are in need of (= "no actually critical bugs") you'd better stay with it. If and when a new version comes with features you actually would take real advantage of, than you might try to upgrade, provided you backed up everything and you have a reasonable amount of spare time and placidity.

[bob23450]

Some people reported in the 3.0.4 discussion that their host networking (Windows) was screwed up after a VirtualBox version upgrade...

I was one of them.

...Did anyone have such an issue with 3.0.6 ? This is a critical point for me...

It is a critical point to me too, that's the main reason why I'm becoming more and more careful about VB upgrades.
So I can not help you; I did not have the same issue with 3.0.6 because I couldn't have anyway: I did not upgrade.

I'm gradually but regularly growing up the idea that once you have a VB version which is well doing what you are in need of (= "no actually critical bugs") you'd better stay with it. If and when a new version comes with features you actually would take real advantage of, than you might try to upgrade, provided you backed up everything and you have a reasonable amount of spare time and placidity.

I totally agree, however upgrading is sometimes necessary in order to gain support for newer OS/kernels. For instance, 2.2.x GA doesn't compile on linux kernel version 2.6.31. At the moment I solved the problem installing the 3.0.x GA and running the guest under VirtualBox 2.2.4, but this is quite tricky and may not work in general.

[AntiMatter]

Virtualbox 3.06 runing on WInXP SP3 x32 host. Laptop has CPU=T7200, VTx is enabled in Bios.

Create a new VM: Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard with SP2 integrated 64 bits.
The VM booted and loaded drivers OK from the Windows install ISO (CD1). About 3 minutes later, When reaching the part "Setup is Starting Windows" then the WIndows installer is stalled. I had to power off the VM.

Is it because I tried to installed a 64 bits OS on a 32 bits host?

[Sasquatch]

Virtualbox 3.06 runing on WInXP SP3 x32 host. Laptop has CPU=T7200, VTx is enabled in Bios.

Create a new VM: Windows Server 2003 R2 Standard with SP2 integrated 64 bits.
The VM booted and loaded drivers OK from the Windows install ISO (CD1). About 3 minutes later, When reaching the part "Setup is Starting Windows" then the WIndows installer is stalled. I had to power off the VM.

Is it because I tried to installed a 64 bits OS on a 32 bits host?

No, it's probably due to some instabilities in hardware-v in the 3.0.x versions because of the SMP option being available (not always enabled, but the requirements are the same as for 64 bit). Please downgrade to 2.2.4, that one seems to be the one that is stable enough for 64 bit Guests. Maybe after it's installed, 3.0.6 will run it without issues.

[jacklikevx]

[AntiMatter]

I also confirmed that on v3.06 Windows 32 bits guest can have 1.5 GB max.

Has posted a bug "VirtualBox Network Driver not installed in XP" : http://www.virtualbox.org/ticket/5003

Virtualbox 3.06 installed on a newly rebuilt WinXP 32 bits (the machine doesn't have Virtualbox installed yet).

After installation, The "Virtualbox network bridged driver" is not installed. In VBoxManager GUI, Network settings, after selecting the virtual adpater, Bridged Network, the dropdown box to select the physical network interface is empty.

Uninstall, re-Install, Run Installer as admin, Repair, etc, didn't fix anything. Installing Viirtualbox 3.04 and Network Settings works OK.

This issue doesn't occur on a WinXP where Virtualbox 3.04 was already installed.

Fortunately we can work around as we currently don't use the VMs in extreme conditions. However, these are annoying bugs, when something goes wrong with the VM. It takes time to determine if it comes from Virtualbox bug or from the guest OS.

[SSCBrian]

After awhile of it working just fine, I'm now repeatedly hitting slowdowns in Solaris and Windows 7 guests related to having SMP on. Not sure why it was working fine for a few days and now doesn't. Vista x64 host. Flipping the guests back to single CPU seems to solve the problem though.

[bjh]

A big fat fail here. I've been using 2.2.4, running W7RC 64-bit under XP Pro 32 bit (and a few other guests too) on a Thinkpad with a Core 2 Duo.

With no changed settings at all, W7 just loops on one CPU during boot. It never gets beyond the Windows logo in the middle of the screen.

I have a similar problem. Trying to start an Ubuntu Intrepid 64 bit guest on my 32 bit Ubuntu Jaunty host, the guest freezes very early in the boot process. Revert to 3.0.4 and it works fine.

[frank]

This 64-bit on 32-bit host VBox 3.0.6 regression will be fixed in the upcoming 3.0.8 release.

[NeBlackCat]

@Graham Norris & Marco

Couldn't agree more. It would be great if the next 3 months of releases have no new features at all, but get the platform to a robust, bulletproof state.

Not that 3 months would be enough given all the combinations of host and guest.