Virtual Machine Woes

[The Liquidator]

Hi

Undaunted by my persistent failure to get a virtual machine to actually install I tried again today with virtualbox (where I have an empty VM and wanted to install the OS to it) and VM player (where I had yet another go and tried to install it) and here are the eror messages I get upon failure >

Virtualbox

Attempting to install using DKMS
 removing old DKMS module vboxdrv version 

Error! Invalid number of parameters passed.
Usage: remove -m <module> -v <module-version> --all
 or: remove -m <module> -v <module-version> -k <kernel-version>

------------------------------
Deleting module version: 2.0.4
completely from the DKMS tree.
------------------------------
Done.

Creating symlink /var/lib/dkms/vboxdrv/2.0.4/source ->
        /usr/src/vboxdrv-2.0.4

DKMS: add Completed.

Error! Your kernel source for kernel 2.6.27-8-generic cannot be found at
/lib/modules/2.6.27-8-generic/build or /lib/modules/2.6.27-8-generic/source.
You can use the --kernelsourcedir option to tell DKMS where it's located.
Failed to install using DKMS, attempting to install without
Makefile:142: *** Error: unable to find the sources of your current Linux kernel. Specify KERN_DIR=<directory> and run Make again. Stop.

VM Ware

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/usr/src/linux/include] /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-8-server/include

The directory of kernel headers (version 2.6.27-8-server) does not match your
running kernel (version 2.6.27-8-generic). Even if the module were to compile
successfully, it would not load into the running kernel.

On investigating prior errors, the setup is looking for a file marked version.h which appears to be in the server kernel but not in the generic kernel. Is VMWare expecting to find a server kernel running, which might explain it? Or is it saying something different?

I assume that virtualbox is expecting to find something like source code that isn't there?

Notwithstanding this, I feel that slowly I seem to be heading in the right direction. Is amnyone able to give me a clue here, whilst I recognise that this is not technically a 'buntu issue?

Thanks

[Nate]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

The error messages seem to indicate that there's something wrong with your linux headers packages. Do you have linux-headers-2.6.27-8 and linux-headers-2.6.27-8-generic installed....and not linux-headers-2.6.27-8-server?

[The Liquidator]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

No I didn't so I installed them but still no joy.

What is the location of the directory of C header files that match your running
kernel? [/lib/modules/2.6.27-8-generic/build/include] /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-8-generic/include                              

Extracting the sources of the vmmon module.

Building the vmmon module.

Using 2.6.x kernel build system.
make: Entering directory `/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only'
make -C /usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-8-generic/include/.. SUBDIRS=$PWD SRCROOT=$PWD/. modules                                 
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-8-generic'      
 CC [M] /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o
In file included from /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/./include/x86.h:24,
         from /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driver.h:15,
         from /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driver.c:84:
/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/./include/x86paging.h:61:1: warning: "PTE_PFN_MASK" redefined
In file included from include/asm/paravirt.h:7,
         from include/asm/irqflags.h:55,
         from include/linux/irqflags.h:57,
         from include/asm/system.h:11,
         from include/asm/processor.h:17,
         from include/linux/prefetch.h:14,
         from include/linux/list.h:6,
         from include/linux/module.h:9,
         from /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driver.c:12:
include/asm/page.h:22:1: warning: this is the location of the previous definition
In file included from /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/vmhost.h:13,
         from /tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driver.c:115:
/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/./include/compat_semaphore.h:5:27: error: asm/semaphore.h: No such file or directory
make[2]: *** [/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only/linux/driver.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-headers-2.6.27-8-generic'
make: *** [vmmon.ko] Error 2
make: Leaving directory `/tmp/vmware-config1/vmmon-only'
Unable to build the vmmon module.

For more information on how to troubleshoot module-related problems, please
visit our Web site at "[url]http://www.vmware.com/download/modules/modules.html"[/url] and
"[url]http://www.vmware.com/support/reference/linux/prebuilt_modules_linux.html"[/url].

Execution aborted.

Crikey, I need the patience of a saint!

[toad]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

This is weird. Virtualbox is about as easy to install as... as... as anything. It is in the repos.

What is your output of:

apt-cache search virtualbox

Also let's have a look at what you have installed already:

sudo dpkg -l|grep virtualbox

Again, please post the output...

[The Liquidator]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

Ah thanks! I think you may have something here. I am using the file from Sun (as I was not aware it was in the repositories

ian@ian-laptop:~$ apt-cache search virtualbox
vboxgtk - simple GTK+ frontend for VirtualBox
virtualbox-ose - x86 virtualization solution - binaries
virtualbox-ose-dbg - x86 virtualization solution - debugging symbols
virtualbox-ose-guest-source - x86 virtualization solution - guest addition module source
virtualbox-ose-guest-utils - x86 virtualization solution - guest utilities
virtualbox-ose-source - x86 virtualization solution - kernel module source

I would hazard a guess that it's the absence of the last one that's giving me grief

sudo dpkg -l|grep virtualbox

Returns nothing, presumably because by copy of virtualbox (2.0.4) was not installed by .deb package

I would I think be better installing the repository packages. I assume I would be better to remove the one I've got installed now but can't see any way to do it. If I install the .deb files should it simply overwrite what I've now got?

Ian

[toad]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

How did you install? Did it come in form of a *.bin file? If so, there should be an uninstaller as well.

If not, do a

sudo updatedb

followed by a

locate virtualbox

You may want to post the output (at least the main directories).

This is what I have installed:

ingo@dicker:~/downloads/kappsel-1.0$ sudo dpkg -l|grep virtualbox
ii virtualbox-ose 2.0.4-dfsg-0ubuntu1 x86 virtualization solution - binaries
ii virtualbox-ose-source 2.0.4-dfsg-0ubuntu1 x86 virtualization solution - kernel module

So a

sudo apt-get install virtualbox-ose virtualbox-ose-source

should do it. In case of any probs a simple

sudo apt-get install -f

will resolve remaining dependencies.

[The Liquidator]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

Thanks for that.

As I've got the most up to date version I thought I would try installing the kernel source package on its own. Bingo! I am now installing Windows XP in a virtual machine. It will be interesting to see how that pans out.

A bit scary having Windows doing a format within the virtual machine - I assume virtualbox knows what it is doing! The acid test will be to see whether Dragon Naturally speaking, Tom Tom Home and WMP plugins in firefox work. If they do then bye bye dual booting so fingers crossed.

Assuming all works, a couple of ideas please:

How best to get rid of Windows - gparted and make changes in grub or do a kubuntu reinstall
Would you move the virtual machine from its current location (home) to the area freed up, or leave it in (a significantly enlarged) home?

Sorry if any of these questions seem daft.

Ian

[The Liquidator]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

Update:

Win XP now installed. However, there is no sound, which is not much use if I want to use it for dictation . I can't see a way to reconfigure the VM once it has been installed. Is that correct?

Also, I at first thought I would not need to share files with the VM. Of course I will, otherwise I won't be able to access any docs I create from within the VM. I'd also like to copy and paste my Dragon voice files from the d: drive into the virtual machine. I suspect I will need Samba?

[Nate]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

If you shut down your virtual Windows, in the VirtualBox menu you can change tons of settings for each VM you have created. But it doesn't let you access those options if your VM is running at the time. In other words, start VirtualBox, but don't start your VM, then you can edit things like shared folders and sound issues as well, I believe.

[The Liquidator]

Re: Virtual Machine Woes

It doesn't let you change them if you have saved the VM either. I'm at the half-way stage now, I have sound through the speakers but suspect the microphone isn't working at all, as Dragon tells me the volume is too low.

Will have to play around with this I think.