user_Installation.xml revision 6728a36898fd2be125a28e84d2115d19aa4923ed
6728a36898fd2be125a28e84d2115d19aa4923edvboxsync<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.4//EN"
6728a36898fd2be125a28e84d2115d19aa4923edvboxsync "http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.4/docbookx.dtd">
9562e2d410460d8fae06fa24297f172fee1d1995vboxsync <para>As installation of VirtualBox varies depending on your host operating
9562e2d410460d8fae06fa24297f172fee1d1995vboxsync system, we provide installation instructions in four separate chapters for
9562e2d410460d8fae06fa24297f172fee1d1995vboxsync Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Solaris, respectively.</para>
6728a36898fd2be125a28e84d2115d19aa4923edvboxsync <para>For the various versions of Windows that we support as host
af4f17cef2a9025fd52d548565055c179914fbfavboxsync operating systems, please refer to <xref
af4f17cef2a9025fd52d548565055c179914fbfavboxsync <para>In addition, Windows Installer 1.1 or higher must be present on
af4f17cef2a9025fd52d548565055c179914fbfavboxsync your system. This should be the case if you have all recent Windows
af4f17cef2a9025fd52d548565055c179914fbfavboxsync updates installed.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The VirtualBox installation can be started <itemizedlist>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>either by double-clicking on its executable file (contains
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync both 32- and 64-bit architectures)</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>or by entering <screen>VirtualBox.exe -extract</screen></para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>on the command line. This will extract both installers into
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync a temporary directory in which you'll then find the usual .MSI
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync files. Then you can do a <screen>msiexec /i VirtualBox-<version>-MultiArch_<x86|amd64>.msi</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync to perform the installation.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>In either case, this will display the installation welcome dialog
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync and allow you to choose where to install VirtualBox to and which
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync components to install. In addition to the VirtualBox application, the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync following components are available:<glosslist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>This package contains special drivers for your Windows
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync host that VirtualBox requires to fully support USB devices
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync inside your virtual machines.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </glossdef>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>This package contains extra networking drivers for your
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Windows host that VirtualBox needs to support Host Interface
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Networking (to make your VM's virtual network cards accessible
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync from other machines on your physical network).</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossdef>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>This package contains Python scripting support for the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync VirtualBox API (see <xref linkend="VirtualBoxAPI" />). To get this
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync feature installed an already working Python installation on the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync system is required.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossdef>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Depending on your Windows configuration, you may see warnings
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync about "unsigned drivers" or similar. Please select "Continue" on these
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync warnings as otherwise VirtualBox might not function correctly after
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installation.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The installer will create a "VirtualBox" group in the programs
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync startup folder which allows you to launch the application and access its
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync documentation.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>With standard settings, VirtualBox will be installed for all users
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync on the local system. In case this is not wanted, you have to invoke the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installer by first extracting it by using <screen>VirtualBox.exe -extract</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync and then do as follows: <screen>VirtualBox.exe -msiparams ALLUSERS=2</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync or <screen>msiexec /i VirtualBox-<version>-MultiArch_<x86|amd64>.msi ALLUSERS=2</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync on the extracted .MSI files. This will install VirtualBox only for the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync current user.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>To not install certain features of VirtualBox there is an <computeroutput>ADDLOCAL</computeroutput>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync parameter that can be specified additionally to explicitly name the features
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync to be installed. The following features are available:
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glosslist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Main binaries of VirtualBox.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <note>This feature never can be absent,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync since it contains the minimum set of files to have working VirtualBox installation!</note>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossdef>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </glossdef>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>All networking support; includes the VBoxNetworkFlt and VBoxNetworkAdp features (see below).</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossdef>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossdef>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossdef>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossdef>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glossentry>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </glosslist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync To only install USB support along with the main binaries, do a:
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>VirtualBox.exe -msiparams ADDLOCAL=VBoxApplication,VBoxUSB</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync or <screen>msiexec /i VirtualBox-<version>-MultiArch_<x86|amd64>.msi ADDLOCAL=VBoxApplication,VBoxUSB</screen></para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>As we use the Microsoft Installer, VirtualBox can be safely
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync uninstalled at any time by choosing the program entry in the "Add/Remove
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync Programs" applet in the Windows Control Panel.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Unattended installations can be performed using the standard MSI
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync support.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>For Mac OS X hosts, VirtualBox ships in a disk image (dmg) file.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Perform the following steps: <orderedlist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Double-click on that file to have its contents
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync mounted.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>A window will open telling you to double click on the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>VirtualBox.mpkg</computeroutput> installer file
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync displayed in that window.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>This will start the installer, which will allow you to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync select where to install VirtualBox to.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>After installation, you can find a VirtualBox icon in the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync "Applications" folder in the Finder.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>To uninstall VirtualBox, open the disk image (dmg) file again and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync double-click on the uninstall icon contained therein.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>To perform a non-interactive installation of VirtualBox you can
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync use the command line version of the installer application.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Mount the disk image (dmg) file as described in the normal
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installation. Then open a terminal session and execute:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>sudo installer -pkg /Volumes/VirtualBox/VirtualBox.mpkg \
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title id="install-linux-host">Installing on Linux hosts</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>For the various versions of Linux that we support as host
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync operating systems, please refer to <xref
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>You will need to install the following packages on your Linux
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync system before starting the installation (some systems will do this for
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync you automatically when you install VirtualBox):</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <itemizedlist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>SDL 1.2.7 or higher (this graphics library is typically called
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <computeroutput>libsdl</computeroutput> or similar).</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </itemizedlist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>To be precise, these packages are only required if you want to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync run the VirtualBox graphical user interfaces. In particular,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>VirtualBox</computeroutput>, our main graphical user
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync interface, requires both Qt and SDL;
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>VBoxSDL</computeroutput>, our simplified GUI, requires
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync only SDL. By contrast, if you only want to run the headless VRDP
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync server that comes with VirtualBox, neither Qt nor SDL are
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync required.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>VirtualBox uses a special kernel module to perform physical memory
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync allocation and to gain control of the processor for guest system
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync execution. Without this kernel module, you will still be able to work
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync with virtual machines in the configuration interface, but you will not
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync be able to start any virtual machines.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The VirtualBox kernel module is automatically installed on your
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync system when you install VirtualBox. To maintain it with future kernel
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync updates, for recent Linux distributions -- for example Fedora Core 5 and
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync later, Ubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) and later and Mandriva 2007.1 and later --,
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync generally we recommend installing Dynamic Kernel Module Support
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync (DKMS)<footnote>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dynamic_Kernel_Module_Support</ulink>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync for an introduction.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </footnote>. This framework helps to build kernel modules and to deal
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync with kernel upgrades.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>If DKMS is not already installed, execute one of the following:
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <itemizedlist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>On a Fedora system:<screen>yum install dkms</screen></para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>On a Mandriva system:<screen>urpmi dkms</screen></para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>If DKMS is available and installed, the VirtualBox kernel module
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync should always work automatically, and it will be automatically rebuilt
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync if your host kernel is updated.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>Otherwise, there are only two situations in which you will need to
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync worry about the kernel module:<orderedlist>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>The original installation fails. This probably means that
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync your Linux system is not prepared for building external kernel
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync modules.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>Most Linux distributions can be set up simply by installing
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync the right packages - normally, these will be the GNU compiler
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync (GCC), GNU Make (make) and packages containing header files for
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync your kernel - and making sure that all system updates are
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync installed and that the system is running the most up-to-date
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync kernel included in the distribution. <emphasis>The version numbers
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync of the header file packages must be the same as that of the kernel
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <itemizedlist>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>With Debian and Ubuntu releases, you must install the
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync right version of the
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <computeroutput>linux-headers</computeroutput> and if it
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync exists the <computeroutput>linux-kbuild</computeroutput>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync package. Current Ubuntu releases should have the right
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync packages installed by default.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>In even older Debian and Ubuntu releases, you must
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync install the right version of the
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync package.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>On Fedora and Redhat systems, the package is
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <computeroutput>kernel-devel</computeroutput>.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>On SUSE and openSUSE Linux, you must install the right
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync versions of the <computeroutput>kernel-source</computeroutput>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync packages.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>Alternatively, if you have built your own kernel,
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <computeroutput>/usr/src/linux</computeroutput> should point
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync to your kernel sources. If you have not removed the files
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync created during the build process, then your system will
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync already be set up correctly.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </itemizedlist>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>The kernel of your Linux host got updated. In that case, the
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync kernel module will need to be reinstalled by executing (as
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync root):</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync </listitem>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>In order to use VirtualBox's USB support, the user account under
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync which you intend to run VirtualBox must have read and write access to
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync the USB filesystem (<computeroutput>usbfs</computeroutput>).</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>In addition, access to
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <computeroutput>/dev/net/tun</computeroutput> will be required if you
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync want to use Host Interface Networking, which is described in detail in
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <!--TODO Write a couple of notes about hardened kernels. If PaX is installed, VBox presently doesn't start. I tried with a
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsyncgentoo hardened kernel that had PaX enabled, and VBoxHeadless failed with really funny VERR_NO_MEMORY messages. Discussing
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsyncit with Knut revealed that PaX might be the problem, and running paxctl to disable these protections actually
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsynchelped. For reference:
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsyncFirst run paxctl -C VBoxVDRP to have the executable modified to support PaX flags in the first place.
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsyncThen paxctl -pemrxs VBoxHeadless to disable all protections. TODO: Figure out which ones are really needed.-->
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>VirtualBox is available in a number of package formats native to
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync various common Linux distributions (see <xref linkend="hostossupport" />
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync for details). In addition, there is an alternative generic installer
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync (.run) which should work on most Linux distributions.</para>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <title>Installing VirtualBox from a Debian/Ubuntu package</title>
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync <para>First, download the appropriate package for your distribution.
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync The following examples assume that you are installing to a 32-bit Ubuntu
8821ce866b13cb0b956406c99016e3f2a3f64272vboxsync Karmic system. Use <computeroutput>dpkg</computeroutput> to install the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Debian package:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>sudo dpkg -i VirtualBox-3.2_$VBOX_VERSION_STRING_Ubuntu_karmic_i386.deb</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>You will be asked to accept the VirtualBox Personal Use and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Evaluation License. Unless you answer "yes" here, the installation
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync will be aborted.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The group <computeroutput>vboxusers</computeroutput> will be
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync created during installation. Note that a user who is going to run
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync VirtualBox must be member of that group. A user can be made member of
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the group <computeroutput>vboxusers</computeroutput> through the GUI
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync user/group management or at the command line with</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers username</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Also note that adding an active user to that group will require
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync that user to log out and back in again. This should be done manually
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync after successful installation of the package.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The installer will also search for a VirtualBox kernel module
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync suitable for your kernel. The package includes pre-compiled modules
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync for the most common kernel configurations. If no suitable kernel
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync module is found, the installation script tries to build a module
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync itself. If the build process is not successful you will be shown a
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync warning and the package will be left unconfigured. Please have a look
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync at <computeroutput>/var/log/vbox-install.log</computeroutput> to find
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync out why the compilation failed. You may have to install the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync appropriate Linux kernel headers (see <xref
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync linkend="externalkernelmodules" />). After correcting any problems, do
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>sudo /etc/init.d/vboxdrv setup</screen>This will start a
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync second attempt to build the module.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>If a suitable kernel module was found in the package or the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync module was successfully built, the installation script will attempt to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync load that module. If this fails, please see <xref
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync linkend="linuxkernelmodulefailstoload" /> for further
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync information.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Once VirtualBox has been successfully installed and configured,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync you can start it by selecting "VirtualBox" in your start menu or from
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the command line (see <xref linkend="startingvboxonlinux" />).</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title>Using the alternative installer (VirtualBox.run)</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The alternative installer performs the following steps:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <itemizedlist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>It unpacks the application files to a target directory of
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync choice. By default, <screen>/opt/VirtualBox/</screen> will be
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync used.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>It builds the VirtualBox kernel module
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync (<computeroutput>vboxdrv</computeroutput>) and installs it.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>It creates
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/etc/init.d/vboxdrv</computeroutput>, an init
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync script to start the VirtualBox kernel module.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>It creates a new system group called
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>It creates symbolic links to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>It creates
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/etc/udev/60-vboxdrv.rules</computeroutput>, a
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync description file for udev, if that is present, which makes the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync module accessible to anyone in the group
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>It writes the installation directory to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/etc/vbox/vbox.cfg</computeroutput>.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </listitem>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </itemizedlist>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The installer must be executed as root with either
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>uninstall</computeroutput> as the first parameter. If
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync you do not want the installer to ask you whether you wish to accept
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the license agreement (for example, for performing unattended
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installations), you can add the parameter
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>license_accepted_unconditionally</computeroutput>.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Finally, if you want to use a directory other than the default
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installation directory, add the desired path as an extra
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync parameter.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>sudo /VirtualBox.run install /opt/VirtualBox</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Or if you do not have the "sudo" command available, run the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync following as root instead:<screen>/VirtualBox.run install /opt/VirtualBox</screen></para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>After that you need to put every user which should be able to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync use VirtualBox in the group
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>vboxusers</computeroutput>, either through the GUI
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync user management tools or by running the following command as
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync root:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>sudo usermod -a -G vboxusers username</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The <computeroutput>usermod</computeroutput> command of some
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync older Linux distributions does not support the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>-a</computeroutput> option (which adds the user to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the given group without affecting membership of other groups). In
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync this case, find out the current group memberships with the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>groups</computeroutput> command and add all these
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync groups in a comma-separated list to the command line after the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>-G</computeroutput> option, e.g. like this:
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>usermod -G group1,group2,vboxusers
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync </note>If any users on your system should be able to access host USB
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync devices from within VirtualBox guests, you should also add them to the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync appropriate user group that your distribution uses for USB access,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>If, for any reason, you cannot use the shell script installer
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync described previously, you can also perform a manual installation.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Invoke the installer like this:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>This will unpack all the files needed for installation in the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync directory <computeroutput>install</computeroutput> under the current
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync directory. The VirtualBox application files are contained in
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>VirtualBox.tar.bz2</computeroutput> which you can
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync unpack to any directory on your system. For example:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsyncsudo tar jxf /install/VirtualBox.tar.bz2 -C /opt/VirtualBox</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsynctar jxf /install/VirtualBox.tar.bz2 -C /opt/VirtualBox</screen></para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The sources for VirtualBox's kernel module are provided in the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>src</computeroutput> directory. To build the module,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync change to the directory and issue</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>If everything builds correctly, issue the following command to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync install the module to the appropriate module directory:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>In case you do not have sudo, switch the user account to root
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The VirtualBox kernel module needs a device node to operate. The
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync above make command will tell you how to create the device node,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync depending on your Linux system. The procedure is slightly different
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync for a classical Linux setup with a
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/dev</computeroutput> directory, a system with the now
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync deprecated <computeroutput>devfs</computeroutput> and a modern Linux
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync system with <computeroutput>udev</computeroutput>.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>On certain Linux distributions, you might experience
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync difficulties building the module. You will have to analyze the error
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync messages from the build system to diagnose the cause of the problems.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync In general, make sure that the correct Linux kernel sources are used
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync for the build process.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Note that the user who is going to run VirtualBox needs read and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync write permission on the VirtualBox kernel module device node
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/dev/vboxdrv</computeroutput>. You can either define a
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>vboxusers</computeroutput> group by entering<screen>groupadd vboxusers
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsyncchmod 660 /dev/vboxdrv</screen>or, alternatively, simply give all users access
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync (insecure, not recommended!)<screen>chmod 666 /dev/vboxdrv</screen>You
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync should also add any users who will be allowed to use host USB devices
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync in VirtualBox guests to the appropriate USB users group for your
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync distribution. This group is often called
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Next, you will have to install the system initialization script
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync for the kernel module:<screen>cp /opt/VirtualBox/vboxdrv.sh /etc/init.d/vboxdrv</screen>(assuming
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync you installed VirtualBox to the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/opt/VirtualBox</computeroutput> directory) and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync activate the initialization script using the right method for your
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync distribution. You should create VirtualBox's configuration
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsyncecho INSTALL_DIR=/opt/VirtualBox > /etc/vbox/vbox.cfg</screen>and, for
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync convenience, create the following symbolic links:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>ln -sf /opt/VirtualBox/VBox.sh /usr/bin/VirtualBox
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsyncln -sf /opt/VirtualBox/VBox.sh /usr/bin/VBoxHeadless
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsyncln -sf /opt/VirtualBox/VBox.sh /usr/bin/VBoxSDL</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title>Updating and uninstalling VirtualBox</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Before updating or uninstalling VirtualBox, you must terminate
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync any virtual machines which are currently running and exit the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync VirtualBox or VBoxSVC applications. To update VirtualBox, simply run
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the installer of the updated version. To uninstall VirtualBox, invoke
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the installer like this: <screen>sudo /VirtualBox.run uninstall</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync or as root<screen>/VirtualBox.run uninstall</screen>. Starting with
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync version 2.2.2, you can uninstall the .run package by invoking <screen>/opt/VirtualBox/uninstall.sh</screen>To
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync manually uninstall VirtualBox, simply undo the steps in the manual
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installation in reverse order.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title>Automatic installation of Debian packages</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The Debian packages will request some user feedback when
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installed for the first time. The debconf system is used to perform
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync this task. To prevent any user interaction during installation,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync default values can be defined. A file
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>vboxconf</computeroutput> can contain the following
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync debconf settings: <screen>virtualbox virtualbox/module-compilation-allowed boolean true
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsyncvirtualbox virtualbox/delete-old-modules boolean true</screen>The first line
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync allows compilation of the vboxdrv kernel module if no module was found
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync for the current kernel. The second line allows the package to delete
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync any old vboxdrv kernel modules compiled by previous
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installations.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>These default settings can be applied with <screen>debconf-set-selections vboxconf</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync prior to the installation of the VirtualBox Debian package.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>In addition there are some common configuration options that can be set prior to
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the installation, described in <xref linkend="linux_install_opts" />.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title>Automatic installation of .rpm packages</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The .rpm format does not provide a configuration system
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync comparable to the debconf system. See <xref linkend="linux_install_opts" />
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync for how to set some common installation options provided by VirtualBox.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title id="linux_install_opts">Automatic installation options</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>To configure the installation process of our .deb and .rpm packages, a file
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/etc/default/virtualbox</computeroutput> is interpreted.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync The automatic generation of the udev rule can be prevented by the following setting:
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>INSTALL_NO_UDEV=1</screen> The creation of the group vboxusers can be prevented
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync by <screen>INSTALL_NO_GROUP=1</screen> If the line <screen>INSTALL_NO_VBOXDRV=1</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync is specified, the package installer will not try to build the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>vboxdrv</computeroutput> kernel module if no module according to the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync current kernel was found.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The easiest way to start a VirtualBox program is by running the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync program of your choice (<computeroutput>VirtualBox</computeroutput>,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>VBoxHeadless</computeroutput>) from a terminal. These
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync are symbolic links to <computeroutput>VBox.sh</computeroutput> that
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync start the required program for you.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The following detailed instructions should only be of interest if
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync you wish to execute VirtualBox without installing it first. You should
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync start by compiling the <computeroutput>vboxdrv</computeroutput> kernel
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync module (see above) and inserting it into the Linux kernel. VirtualBox
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync consists of a service daemon (<computeroutput>VBoxSVC</computeroutput>)
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync and several application programs. The daemon is automatically started if
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync necessary. All VirtualBox applications will communicate with the daemon
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync through Unix local domain sockets. There can be multiple daemon
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync instances under different user accounts and applications can only
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync communicate with the daemon running under the user account as the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync application. The local domain socket resides in a subdirectory of your
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync system's directory for temporary files called
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>.vbox-<username>-ipc</computeroutput>. In case of
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync communication problems or server startup problems, you may try to remove
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync this directory.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>All VirtualBox applications
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>VBoxHeadless</computeroutput>) require the VirtualBox
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync directory to be in the library path:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>LD_LIBRARY_PATH=. /VBoxManage showvminfo "Windows XP"</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title id="install-solaris-host">Installing on Solaris hosts</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>For the various versions of Solaris that we support as host
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync operating systems, please refer to <xref
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>If you have a previously installed instance of VirtualBox on your
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Solaris host, please uninstall it first before installing a new instance.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Refer to <xref linkend="uninstallsolhost" /> for uninstall
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync instructions.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>VirtualBox is available as a standard Solaris package. Download
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the VirtualBox SunOS package which includes both the 32-bit and 64-bit
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync versions of VirtualBox. <emphasis>The installation must be performed as
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync root and from the global zone</emphasis> as the VirtualBox installer
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync loads kernel drivers which cannot be done from non-global zones. To
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync verify which zone you are currently in, execute the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>zonename</computeroutput> command. Execute the following
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync commands:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>gunzip -cd VirtualBox-$VBOX_VERSION_STRING-SunOS.tar.gz | tar xvf -</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Starting with VirtualBox 3.1 the VirtualBox kernel package is no
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync longer a separate package and has been integrated into the main package.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Install the VirtualBox package using:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>pkgadd -d VirtualBox-$VBOX_VERSION_STRING-SunOS.pkg</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>If you are using Solaris Zones, to install VirtualBox only into
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the current zone and not into any other zone, use
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>pkgadd -G</computeroutput>. For more information refer
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync to the <computeroutput>pkgadd</computeroutput> manual; see also <xref
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The installer will then prompt you to enter the package you wish
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync to install. Choose "1" or "all" and proceed. Next the installer will ask
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync you if you want to allow the postinstall script to be executed. Choose
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync "y" and proceed as it is essential to execute this script which installs
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the VirtualBox kernel module. Following this confirmation the installer
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync will install VirtualBox and execute the postinstall setup script.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Once the postinstall script has been executed your installation is
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync now complete. You may now safely delete the uncompressed package and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>autoresponse</computeroutput> files from your system.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync VirtualBox would be installed in
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/opt/VirtualBox</computeroutput>.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>The easiest way to start a VirtualBox program is by running the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync program of your choice (<computeroutput>VirtualBox</computeroutput>,
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>VBoxHeadless</computeroutput>) from a terminal. These
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync are symbolic links to <computeroutput>VBox.sh</computeroutput> that
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync start the required program for you.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Alternatively, you can directly invoke the required programs from
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/opt/VirtualBox</computeroutput>. Using the links
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync provided is easier as you do not have to type the full path.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>You can configure some elements of the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>VirtualBox</computeroutput> Qt GUI such as fonts and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync colours by executing <computeroutput>VBoxQtconfig</computeroutput> from
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync the terminal.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title id="uninstallsolhost">Uninstallation</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Uninstallation of VirtualBox on Solaris requires root permissions.
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync To perform the uninstallation, start a root terminal session and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync execute:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>After confirmation, this will remove VirtualBox from your
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync system.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>If you are uninstalling VirtualBox version 3.0 or lower, you need
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync to remove the VirtualBox kernel interface package, execute:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>To perform a non-interactive installation of VirtualBox we have
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync provided a response file named
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>autoresponse</computeroutput> that the installer will
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync use for responses to inputs rather than ask them from you.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Extract the tar.gz package as described in the normal
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync installation. Then open a root terminal session and execute:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>pkgadd -d VirtualBox-$VBOX_VERSION_STRING-SunOS-x86 -n -a autoresponse SUNWvbox</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>To perform a non-interactive uninstallation, open a root terminal
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync session and execute:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>pkgrm -n -a /opt/VirtualBox/autoresponse SUNWvbox</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <title id="solariszones">Configuring a zone for running
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync VirtualBox</title>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Starting with VirtualBox 1.6 it is possible to run VirtualBox from
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync within Solaris zones. For an introduction of Solaris zones, please refer
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync url="http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/features/articles/solaris_zones.jsp">http://www.sun.com/bigadmin/features/articles/solaris_zones.jsp</ulink>.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Assuming that VirtualBox has already been installed into your
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync zone, you need to give the zone access to VirtualBox's device node. This
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync is done by performing the following steps. Start a root terminal and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync execute:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Inside the <computeroutput>zonecfg</computeroutput> prompt add the
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>device</computeroutput> resource and
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>match</computeroutput> properties to the zone. Here's
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync how it can be done:</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <screen>zonecfg:vboxzone>add device
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsynczonecfg:vboxzone:device>end
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsynczonecfg:vboxzone>verify
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsynczonecfg:vboxzone>exit</screen>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>If you are running VirtualBox 2.2.0 or above on OpenSolaris or
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync Nevada hosts, you should add a device for
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>/dev/vboxusbmon</computeroutput> too, similar to what
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync was shown above. This does not apply to Solaris 10 hosts due to lack of
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync USB support.</para>
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <para>Replace "vboxzone" with the name of the zone in which you intend
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync to run VirtualBox. Next reboot the zone using
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync <computeroutput>zoneadm</computeroutput> and you should be able to run
59ed03c7513d48f512fa0683517df4de8a597d3fvboxsync VirtualBox from within the configured zone.</para>