[Invalid] Headless VirtualBox 6.0.12 Host - Win2016 Guest setup

[myhobby]

I'm working with a headless setup without problems. Currently I need a windows server 2016 (x64) setup for testing. When trying to setup this machine I depend on remote desktop access which is per default not enabled. Who encountered this problem also and resolved it ? Booting from the MS ISO

Is this feasible ?

KR

[scottgus1]

A typical Virtualbox guest will have a GUI, whether DOS/Terminal-style text or a graphical desktop, if the guest Display settings has a graphics controller chosen. Even if the host PC is headless. The virtual 'hardware' has no relation to what physical hardware is or is not present.

So if you install the Extension Pack and activate the guest's Virtualbox RDP server, you will get an RDP-able guest window that you can remote into from a GUI-based remote PC, even if your host PC is headless. This RDP channel is from Virtualbox, not the guest OS, so you can see the entire install process in the RDP client. Remote in via host.ip.add.ress:guestRDPport#

[scottgus1]

working with a headless setup...trying to setup this machine I depend on remote desktop access which is per default not enabled.

See the manual, 'vboxmanage modifyvm', 'Remote Machine Settings' (in 6.0.14's manual, Section 8.8.5)

[socratis]

Can you please state clearly your exact versions installed? "Latest" is not a version. In a couple of months your post won't make sense, at all...

[myhobby]

Can you please state clearly your exact versions installed? "Latest" is not a version. In a couple of months your post won't make sense, at all...

Good point you make here . Version 6.0.12

[myhobby]

A typical Virtualbox guest will have a GUI, whether DOS/Terminal-style text or a graphical desktop, if the guest Display settings has a graphics controller chosen. Even if the host PC is headless. The virtual 'hardware' has no relation to what physical hardware is or is not present.

So if you install the Extension Pack and activate the guest's Virtualbox RDP server, you will get an RDP-able guest window that you can remote into from a GUI-based remote PC, even if your host PC is headless. This RDP channel is from Virtualbox, not the guest OS, so you can see the entire install process in the RDP client. Remote in via host.ip.add.ress:guestRDPport#

I can't do that yet. Still in the setup phase of my initial machine where I don't have control over the input during the setup. Simply locked out due to disabled RDP services during the boot/setup process.

[myhobby]

working with a headless setup...trying to setup this machine I depend on remote desktop access which is per default not enabled.

See the manual, 'vboxmanage modifyvm', 'Remote Machine Settings' (in 6.0.14's manual, Section 8.8.5)

The current situation is that I already did define the remote port for RDP for this host. Problem is the RDP services in Windows Server 2016 is not started per default and can only be changed after the setup procedure. In short.. no RDP, no possibility to set the machine up. So far the 1st time I encounter this. Looking for the workaround / additional parameters to resolve this

[socratis]

Problem is the RDP services in Windows Server 2016 is not started per default and can only be changed after the setup procedure.

I'm not sure you understand the concept of the VirtualBox RDP (VRDP) server. You enable it in the VM Settings, and you RDP to the Host. The Guest has no saying in all that. You could use VRDP for a DOS guest...

[myhobby]

Problem is the RDP services in Windows Server 2016 is not started per default and can only be changed after the setup procedure.

I'm not sure you understand the concept of the VirtualBox RDP (VRDP) server. You enable it in the VM Settings, and you RDP to the Host. The Guest has no saying in all that. You could use VRDP for a DOS guest...

It is possible that I don't understand the VBox concept of RDP. I use this concept nevertheless for a lot of years now and indeed never had a problem with connecting to a Guest (except OSX which is a known limitation). Now I have and while booting my guest (server 2016),I'm not able to connect and continue the setup... because via RDP I can't open the assign RDP Port (which is not in use by other guests). Maybe a logging provides more detail, but I'm more an user than a specialist...

So

ClearOS running Vbox 6.0.12 as a hist
New headless machine configured with booting ISO imaging for installation
Remote Headless Video port 6611 for this config

After booting (I have a preview in phpvirtualbox), I can't access this guest and I'm stuck in the initial setup screen of server 2016 (I can see that in the preview window)

[scottgus1]

You could use VRDP for a DOS guest...

Myhobby, I have done this, RDP'd into a DOS 6.22 guest, as well as an NT3.5, and Windows 98...

Virtualbox RDP does not require any RDP servers running in the guest OS. The guest OS might not even know what RDP is and you can still control it. In fact you can have no guest OS at all and still control the guest.

For all intents and purposes you are remoting into the guest Virtualbox window, not the guest OS. It is a completely separate RDP channel, which will give you a view of the entire boot process, including the ability to install an OS in a Virtualbox guest that has no OS in it yet.

As mentioned before, you set up the Virtualbox guest's RDP server using the Vboxmanage commands. Use a different RDP port for each guest, and none of the ports chosen can be the same as your physical PC's RDP port or any other ports, if these are set. Access the desired guest's Virtualbox window through an RDP client by RDPing to the host PC's IP address and the guest's Virtualbox RDP port you set up in the guest settings with the vboxmanage command.

Here's an example:

Your headless host PC is at 192.168.0.2. Virtualbox and the Extension Pack are installed. I assume your headless server has a text screen or some form of text output you can type at (never ran a headless OS myself), and let's say you use the default port 3389 * for remote control of the headless host. (*default 3389: forgot this is Linux hosts, and I'm more a Windows guy )

You set up, using vboxmanage commands, three guests. None of these guests have OS's on them yet. Using vboxmanage, you set guest 1's Virtualbox RDP port to 3391, guest 2 to 3392, and guest 3 to 3393. You open ports in the headless host OS's firewall for these ports. Still no OS's installed in the guests yet.

You set guest 2's virtual CD drive to point to a Windows OS installation ISO, using vboxmanage. You start the guest using vboxmanage.

On another PC, you start the RDP client. You want to watch the guest 2 installation process. Set the RDP client to 192.168.0.2:3392. Voila! the guest 2 GUI appears and you're seeing the guest OS install.

Note, there's no guest RDP yet, because there's no guest OS yet. You're remoting into the guest's Virtualbox window.

[scottgus1]

I might also point put there's no phpVirtualbox required in my example above. Haven't tried that program myself, and these forums don't support phpVirtualbox, as it's a 3rd-party application.

[socratis]

It is possible that I don't understand the VBox concept of RDP. I use this concept nevertheless for a lot of years now and indeed never had a problem with connecting to a Guest

That's a contradictory statement in itself. As 'scottgus1' noted, with the VRDP you don't connect to the Guest, you connect to the Host, that's the concept I was talking about. You seem to want to connect to the Guest's RDP server. That's not what the VirtualBox RDP server does, it connects you to the Host. The Guest may not have an RDP server, it may actually have no network at all!

PS. Scott, yes I've VRDPed in a DOS Guest, they're my favorites actually because they load fast.

PPS. I fixed the title of the thread to not have "Latest Vbox". It wasn't even the latest, the latest as of this writing is 6.0.14.

[myhobby]

The solution after a night sleep.

In the setup of my web-interface, I noticed (again) that in stead of my servers IP, I had the local loop (127.0.0.1) defined.

/etc/hosts

127.0.0.1 localhost localhost.localdomain localhost4 localhost4.localdomain4
::1 localhost localhost.localdomain localhost6 localhost6.localdomain6

That should work also, but for whatever reason I has to change this to the servers IP address. After that it works as expected. In my opinion this is a local issue and not a virtualbox one..

Resolved and........ Thanks for helping me finding this

Php settings.jpg (61.35 KiB) Viewed 2711 times

[socratis]

In the setup of my web-interface, I noticed (again) that in stead of my servers IP, I had the local loop (127.0.0.1) defined.

This is not a VirtualBox dialog, this is a phpVirtualBox dialog. And I believe that they're doing if for security reasons...

However this has nothing to do with VirtualBox, it's all phpVirtualBox. It is not supported on these VirtualBox forums/channels, they have their own phpVirtualBox support channels. If you are having this problem with a standalone version of VirtualBox (after a complete uninstallation of phpVirtualBox), then we can continue this discussion.

Marking as [Invalid].

[myhobby]

In my opinion this is a local issue and not a virtualbox one..

Resolved and........ Thanks for helping me finding this

Thanks again