virtualbox.org

Hi,
I have an RedHAT version 7 host server and installed various guest OS.
This is my first time creating a guest Win 10 machine.

In this case I want audio support and more specifically audio playback.

My options were: --audiocontroller hda --audioout on --audio pulse --audiocodec stac9700

But when I run VBoxManage showvminfo I get audio playback disabled.

Audio: enabled (Driver: PulseAudio, Controller: HDA, Codec: STAC9221)
Audio playback: disabled
Audio capture: enabled

Any ideas on how to enabled it?

vboxmanage --version
5.2.28r130011

Thanks you in advance

You shouldn't have a codec with an HDA controller, just don't pass the codec.

And are you creating the VM from the command line?

First,
thank you so much for taking the time to assist me.
Yes I am setting up everything through CLI.
I will set the codec to none and let you know.

ok,
so the codec options are:

--audiocodec stac9700|ad1980|stac9221|sb16]

there no option for none.

the
Audio playback: disabled

any idea how to enabled?
I just need the VM to play audio sounds through the hosts audio jack

Again thanks for taking time to assist.
Lazaros

Γεια σου Λάζαρε

I didn't say to set the codec to none, I said don't set the codec, the IntelHDA doesn't have a codec setting AFAIK.

Do you have access to the VirtualBox Manager? If you do, here's what I do in similar cases; I create a VM1 with the GUI using the defaults, then I start creating a VM2 with VBoxManage, and I compare their outputs from the "VBoxManage showvminfo <VM n>". Then I know where my commands/options are wrong.

If you don't have access to the Manager, I can give you a default VM or showvminfo to compare. Just tell me if you need the Win10-32 or the Win10-64 version.

Καλησπέρα,
sorry for the late reply, family issues.
I do have access to the VirtualBox Manager (through ssh, issuing comands through cli).

So what you propose is that I should create a new VM and install win 10 from scratch,
but not set any audio commands, to compare the VBoxManage showvminfo?

again,
thank you so much for taking the time to give me a hand or throw towards me ideas to resolve my issue.

Lazaros

zal wrote:So what you propose is that I should create a new VM and install win 10 from scratch

zal wrote:So what you propose is that I should create a new VM and install win 10 from scratch

There, I fixed it for you!

Just create the VM from the VirtualBox Manager (let's call it GUI). That's it, you don't even have to launch it. Then what you do is to start creating a VM using the VBoxManage commands (let's call it CLI). Then do a:

• 
  VBoxManage showvminfo GUI > GUI.txt
  VBoxManage showvminfo CLI > CLI.txt

and compare the two text files. Obviously you need to do the GUI.txt once. See what's different between what you're doing and what the wizard is doing and adjust your commands/parameters accordingly.

Hi again,
it took me some time to get back to this problem.
You are assuming that I have VM GUI, which I don't.

I will follow your advise and create a new VM (without installation to test you no codec attempt)
Will post here the results.

Again, so much appreciated taking the time to assist.
Λαζαρος

ok, so I created a new VM, without installing OS,
I have not set any audio setting on the vboxmanage on CLI, and the default values are :

Audio: enabled (Driver: ALSA, Controller: AC97, Codec: STAC9700)
Audio playback: disabled
Audio capture: disabled

I want to connect an audio jack on the physical machine and play music through the VM. Apparently I need audio playback to be enabled (I assume).

zal wrote:You are assuming that I have VM GUI, which I don't.

In that case, here's what a default Win10 VM looks like:

Code: Select all

VBoxManage showvminfo Lazaros
Name:                        Lazaros
Groups:                      /
Guest OS:                    Windows 10 (64-bit)
UUID:                        119818af-735c-4a19-b184-99117d390d3a
Config file:                 /Users/Shared/VirtualBox/Machines/Lazaros/Lazaros.vbox
Snapshot folder:             /Users/Shared/VirtualBox/Machines/Lazaros/Snapshots
Log folder:                  /Users/Shared/VirtualBox/Machines/Lazaros/Logs
Hardware UUID:               119818af-735c-4a19-b184-99117d390d3a
Memory size                  2048MB
Page Fusion:                 disabled
VRAM size:                   128MB
CPU exec cap:                100%
HPET:                        disabled
CPUProfile:                  host
Chipset:                     piix3
Firmware:                    BIOS
Number of CPUs:              1
PAE:                         disabled
Long Mode:                   enabled
Triple Fault Reset:          disabled
APIC:                        enabled
X2APIC:                      disabled
Nested VT-x/AMD-V:           disabled
CPUID Portability Level:     0
CPUID overrides:             None
Boot menu mode:              message and menu
Boot Device 1:               Floppy
Boot Device 2:               DVD
Boot Device 3:               HardDisk
Boot Device 4:               Not Assigned
ACPI:                        enabled
IOAPIC:                      enabled
BIOS APIC mode:              APIC
Time offset:                 0ms
RTC:                         local time
Hardw. virt.ext:             enabled
Nested Paging:               enabled
Large Pages:                 enabled
VT-x VPID:                   enabled
VT-x unr. exec.:             enabled
Paravirt. Provider:          Default
Effective Paravirt. Prov.:   HyperV
State:                       powered off (since 2019-06-03T14:39:34.187000000)
Monitor count:               1
3D Acceleration:             disabled
2D Video Acceleration:       disabled
Teleporter Enabled:          disabled
Teleporter Port:             0
Teleporter Address:          
Teleporter Password:         
Tracing Enabled:             disabled
Allow Tracing to Access VM:  disabled
Tracing Configuration:       
Autostart Enabled:           disabled
Autostart Delay:             0
Default Frontend:            
VM process priority:         default
Storage Controller Name (0):            SATA
Storage Controller Type (0):            IntelAhci
Storage Controller Instance Number (0): 0
Storage Controller Max Port Count (0):  30
Storage Controller Port Count (0):      2
Storage Controller Bootable (0):        on
SATA (0, 0): /Users/Shared/VirtualBox/Machines/Lazaros/Lazaros.vdi (UUID: c7f16e6e-8c52-4fb2-9852-a6abd51e1d17)
SATA (1, 0): Empty
NIC 1:                       MAC: 080027B4DC84, Attachment: NAT, Cable connected: on, Trace: off (file: none), Type: 82540EM, Reported speed: 0 Mbps, Boot priority: 0, Promisc Policy: deny, Bandwidth group: none
NIC 1 Settings:  MTU: 0, Socket (send: 64, receive: 64), TCP Window (send:64, receive: 64)
NIC 2:                       disabled
NIC 3:                       disabled
NIC 4:                       disabled
NIC 5:                       disabled
NIC 6:                       disabled
NIC 7:                       disabled
NIC 8:                       disabled
Pointing Device:             USB Tablet
Keyboard Device:             PS/2 Keyboard
UART 1:                      disabled
UART 2:                      disabled
UART 3:                      disabled
UART 4:                      disabled
LPT 1:                       disabled
LPT 2:                       disabled
Audio:                       enabled (Driver: CoreAudio, Controller: HDA, Codec: STAC9221)
Audio playback:              disabled
Audio capture:               enabled
Clipboard Mode:              disabled
Drag and drop Mode:          disabled
VRDE:                        disabled
OHCI USB:                    disabled
EHCI USB:                    disabled
xHCI USB:                    enabled

USB Device Filters:

<none>

Bandwidth groups:  <none>

Shared folders:<none>

Capturing:                   not active
Capture audio:               not active
Capture screens:             
Capture file:                /Users/Shared/VirtualBox/Machines/Lazaros/Lazaros.webm
Capture dimensions:          1024x768
Capture rate:                512kbps
Capture FPS:                 25kbps
Capture options:             

Guest:

Configured memory balloon size: 0MB

zal wrote:Audio: enabled (Driver: ALSA, Controller: AC97, Codec: STAC9700)

No, that's not the default, take a look above.

Audio:                       enabled (Driver: CoreAudio, Controller: HDA, Codec: STAC9221)

But as I said previously, you don't need a codec with the HDA controller. Stop worrying about it, will you?

Καλησπέρα και πάλι,
again thank you for taking the time to give me assistance,

Now, I am not worrying about the codec, I am worrying that I can not enable the audio playback.

On your default VM you get:

Audio playback: disabled

Can you enabled it on your VM?

I tried on mine and cannot, I only want to use the audio jack of the physical server and play audio through the VM
(I have multiple virtual machines (servers) on this VM server, but this particular VM windows 10.

again,
thanx a lot

I think you might have hit a "presentation bug". The "VBoxManage showvminfo <VM>" is backwards and not in agreement with the VM Settigs or Reality™!

Audio:          enabled (Driver: CoreAudio, Controller: HDA, Codec: STAC9221)
Audio playback: disabled
Audio capture:  enabled

But if you look in the VM Settings » Audio, you have "Enable Audio: checked" (correct), "Enable Audio Output: checked" (wrong) and "Enable Audio Input: unchecked" (wrong again).

Looking at the source code (vbox/src/VBox/Frontends/VBoxManage/VBoxManageInfo.cpp, rev. rev=77910, line 1796):

1796	        SHOW_BOOLEAN_PROP(AudioAdapter, EnabledIn,  "audio_in",  "Audio playback:");
1797	        SHOW_BOOLEAN_PROP(AudioAdapter, EnabledOut, "audio_out", "Audio capture:");

The "capture" and "playback" are reversed!

So, your VM is all set if you get "Audio capture: enabled", it doesn't refer to the mic, it refers to the speakers. I'll notify the developers over the IRC, I don't think there's a need to open a bug ticket for this.

zal wrote:I only want to use the audio jack of the physical server and play audio through the VM

I'm not 100% sure that I understand that part, specifically the "play audio through the VM". The VM is going to generate sounds (if any) and those are going to be coming out of the physical host, not the other way around.

socratis wrote:I'll notify the developers over the IRC, I don't think there's a need to open a bug ticket for this.

And action was taken...

The issue was fixed with changeset 78979 and test build 6.0.9 ≥ r131108 and development build 6.0.97 ≥ r131107. The 5.2.x builds haven't been updated, so I haven't tested those.

5.2 has different code (with the same harmless bug), which would need a separate fix. If there's no hint that people using 5.2 have trouble it might simply stay as is.

klaus wrote:If there's no hint that people using 5.2 have trouble it might simply stay as is.

Actually it got fixed with r131151 and later:

$ VBoxManage showvminfo Debian
...
Audio:           enabled (Driver: CoreAudio, Controller: AC97, Codec: AD1980)
Audio playback:  enabled        <<< Correct
Audio capture:   disabled       <<< Correct

$ VBoxManage -version
5.2.31r131151