Stuck installing Fedora

[macquigg]

=== Initial Setup ===
Windows XP Home 2002, Service Pack 3, fully updated.
Intel Pentium E5300 2.6GHz, 2GB RAM, 300GB disk (40GB used).
VirtualBox-3.1.6-59338-Win.exe
Fedora-12-i686-Live.iso
Follow standard install, as in help file opened from Sun VirtualBox help menu.
Use "first time wizard" to set up Fedora. Accept the defaults:
384MB Base Memory
12MB Video Memory
8GB Virual Disk in C:\Documents and Settings\User\.VirtualBox\
Network connection OK. Firefox works.
Terminal works. Simple Unix commands - no problem.
Saved a snapshot of the VM.

Now the trouble starts.
Starting the VM is very slow (3 minutes) mostly watching bars move across bottom of initial black window.
Window is very small. Not a clue in help section 3.5 "Display Settings".
- I'll assume these problems will be fixed when I get to Chapter 4 "Guest Additions".
Terminal (bash shell):
$ su
# yum check-update
- surprisingly many packages needing update, considering that the 3.1.6 installer is the latest.
# yum update python
- runs for about a half-hour, then hangs. Can't use mouse or keyboard.
- shutdown signal no effect.
Power OFF. Reboot.
$ yum whatprovides */named
- runs for a long time, then hangs.
Power OFF. Reboot.
=== Linux Guest Additions ===
Help file (section 4.4) not very helpful. This assumes we are installing a Debian-based Linux system (using apt-get).
$ sudo apt-get install dkms
- sudo not allowed for liveuser
- use su instead.
- apt-get - command not found
Try Gnome - System -Administration - Add/Remove Software
Find package dkms
- runs for several minutes downloading file lists, then stalls
ACPI shutdown - no response
Power OFF. Reboot.
Try http://forum.virtualbox.org search [install fedora]
Howto: Install Linux Guest Additions + Xorg config - 21-March-2009
- very well written - this should be in the live help file.

Terminal (bash shell):
$ su
# yum install binutils
- finishes, no problem.
# yum install gcc make patch libgomp glibc-headers glibc-devel kernel-headers kernel-devel
- downloads everything, gets as far as Running Transaction, then stalls.
ACPI shutdown - no response
Power OFF. Reboot.
# yum install gcc make patch
- downloads 15 packages, gets as far as 4th item in Running Transaction, then stalls.
Power OFF. Reboot.
# yum install gcc
- stalls again on 4th item glibc-common
Power OFF. Reboot.
# yum install glibc-common
- installs glibc 842kB, but stalls on glibc-common 11MB
Power OFF. Reboot.

Try Gnome - System - Administration - Add/Remove Software
Install gcc & 12 dependencies.
- gets as far as Installing Packages, then stalls
Power OFF. Reboot.

Observation: During all of these installs, the VM icons show activity on the CD and the network,
but not on the hard disk. Is this normal? seems like every install has to start from scratch,
downloading all the package again. It should at least save the downloaded packages.

Back to VirtualBox forums
Another thread: Guest additions on Fedora 12, 3/30/2010
http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29465
- install fails even after installing the packages above.

HELP!!

[Chris Card]

It could be that it goes slow and hangs up because the os is swapping madly. If you run top while trying to install, what is the memory usage and the wait i/o?
If the system is spending all its time swapping, try allocating more ram to the VM. I use 1 Gb and it works fine.

Chris

[macquigg]

Thanks Chris. That seems to be the problem. I increased the VirtualBox base memory to 767MB (double the default), and now the installs run without swapping.

Continuing with Howto: Install Linux Guest Additions
Installed dkms
Check kernel version:
# uname -r
2.6.31.5-127.fc12.i686
kernel-headers and kernel-devel are 2.6.32, so we may have a problem.

Update the system, following the instructions for yum in the
Deployment Guide at http://docs.fedoraproject.org
# yum check-update
- lists about a hundred packages needing updates
# yum update
- download size 320MB !!
- 417 packages to update
- stalls at package 106 gedit.
Can't even use the cursor, but still some activity on the CD icon.
top still shows Swap: 0k
CD activity stops. Wait a few minutes. Reboot.
# yum check-update
- same list as before, nothing was updated.

I'm still bothered by seeing no activity on the hard-disk icon,
and everything on the CD icon. Looks to me like it is just trying
to install everything to a CD image, and the changes are lost with
the next reboot. Our earlier install of gcc is gone.