Linux guest - X fails at login

[bgee22]

Hello everyone -

I have a strange problem on two of my Linux guest computers. They both start normally and present a graphics login screen. They will present the login dialog box. However, when you complete the login dialog and hit Enter, they just blink and go right back to the login screen. The systems will start correctly in runmode=3, but using startx just produces an error.

I found the following in the Xorg.0.log file under the user account:

Code: Select all

[   150.058] (==) ModulePath set to "/usr/lib64/xorg/modules"
[   150.058] (II) The server relies on udev to provide the list of input devices.
        If no devices become available, reconfigure udev or disable AutoAddDevices.
[   150.058] (II) Loader magic: 0x81ce00
[   150.058] (II) Module ABI versions:
[   150.058]    X.Org ANSI C Emulation: 0.4
[   150.058]    X.Org Video Driver: 20.0
[   150.058]    X.Org XInput driver : 22.1
[   150.058]    X.Org Server Extension : 9.0
[   150.059] (++) using VT number 1

[   150.061] (II) systemd-logind: took control of session /org/freedesktop/login1/session/_32
[   150.061] (II) xfree86: Adding drm device (/dev/dri/card0)
[   150.065] (II) systemd-logind: got fd for /dev/dri/card0 226:0 fd 8 paused 0
[   150.069] (--) PCI:*(0:0:2:0) 80ee:beef:0000:0000 rev 0, Mem @ 0xe0000000/16777216, BIOS @ 0x????????/6553
[   150.069] (II) LoadModule: "glx"
[   150.099] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so
[   150.237] (II) Module glx: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[   150.237]    compiled for 1.18.3, module version = 1.0.0
[   150.237]    ABI class: X.Org Server Extension, version 9.0
[   150.237] (==) AIGLX enabled
[   150.237] (II) LoadModule: "vboxvideo"
[   150.241] (II) Loading /usr/lib64/xorg/modules/drivers/vboxvideo_drv.so
[   150.252] (II) Module vboxvideo: vendor="Oracle Corporation"
[   150.252]    compiled for 1.18.0, module version = 1.0.1
[   150.252]    Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[   150.252]    ABI class: X.Org Video Driver, version 20.0
[   150.252] (**) Load address of symbol "VBOXVIDEO" is 0x7f8d57c122e0
[   150.252] (II) VBoxVideo: guest driver for VirtualBox: vbox
[   150.252] xf86EnableIOPorts: failed to set IOPL for I/O (Operation not permitted)
[   150.252] (II) vboxvideo: kernel driver found, not loading.
[   150.252] (EE) No devices detected.
[   150.252] (EE) 
Fatal server error:
[   150.252] (EE) no screens found(EE) 
[   150.252] (EE) 
Please consult the Fedora Project support 
         at http://wiki.x.org
 for help. 
[   150.252] (EE) Please also check the log file at "/home/bgee/.local/share/xorg/Xorg.0.log" for additional
[   150.252] (EE) 

The host is CentOS 6.7, 64-bit with VirtualBox 5.0.20 installed. The guest is 64-bit Fedora 23 with the 5.0.20 guest additions. The second machine is 32-bit Fedora 23. This problem started while I was using VirtualBox 5.0.16, and continued through 5.0.18. I have several other Fedora 23 machines on the same host which do not show the problem.

The line about "no devices detected" looks suspicious to me, as does the line about "failed to set IOPL". Is there a way to get more details? Is there anything else I should be looking at?

Thanks - Bill Gee

[Perryg]

Post the guests log file ( as an attachment ) of one of the failing machines. Right click on the guest in the Main Manager then click show log. Save and post as an attachment. Compress if it is too large to post.

[bgee22]

Hi Perry -

VirtualBox log file is attached.

Thanks - Bill Gee

[Perryg]

using startx just produces an error.

First it would help to know what the error was exactly as it is given.
I also see that you have the guest additions installed but have not enabled 3D acceleration in the guest settings. I would enable that for sure.

Also post the guests /var/log/vboxadd-install.log ( as an attachment )

[bgee22]

Hi Perry -

Two attached files ... One is a screen shot showing the error when I run startx. The other contains both of the vboxadd-install log files from the guest.

I have never used 3d acceleration, or even 2d! No need for it. None of the working VMs on this host have it turned on. Just for grins I tried it on one of the failing VMs. It made things worse! The boot process proceeds to a line that says

[OK] Started Gnome Display Manager

And from there it does exactly nothing. No graphics mode, no login prompt. The VM is running because it will respond to CTL-ALT-DEL, but that's all I can do to it.

The host computer has an nVidia GS8400 display adapter running the Nouveau driver.

Bill Gee

[Perryg]

Search for serverauth.112 does not exist in your favorite search engine. IIRC this is due to a setting in the startx script and setting it to 0 should allow you to get around it but not sure.

I would also try a new install to see if it reacts the same.

[bgee22]

The message about "serverauth.1112 does not exist" is meaningless. It can be removed by changing startx to have "xauth=0". That did not solve my problem.

After much searching I finally tried something odd. I renamed /etc/X11/xorg.conf to xorg.conf.saver. Rebooted the computer and it works!

The contentx of xorg.conf are pretty plain:

Code: Select all

# VirtualBox generated configuration file
# based on /etc/X11/xorg.conf.

Section "Monitor"
  Identifier   "Monitor[0]"
  ModelName    "VirtualBox Virtual Output"
  VendorName   "Oracle Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Device"
  BoardName    "VirtualBox Graphics"
  Driver       "vboxvideo"
  Identifier   "Device[0]"
  VendorName   "Oracle Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
  SubSection "Display"
    Depth      24
  EndSubSection
  Device       "Device[0]"
  Identifier   "Screen[0]"
  Monitor      "Monitor[0]"
EndSection

So far the only bad effect I have seen is when accessing the virtual machine over the RDP interface. The mouse pointers are not in sync, so I cannot click on most things. I see this when running a VM which does not have guest additions installed.

Perhaps the guest additions installation went awry?? I've been through several versions of VirtualBox with this problem, and have reinstalled the guest additions from each update. Maybe I need to completely uninstall guest additions, reboot and reinstall.

Bill Gee