Index: /trunk/doc/manual/en_US/user_GuestAdditions.xml =================================================================== --- /trunk/doc/manual/en_US/user_GuestAdditions.xml (revision 33767) +++ /trunk/doc/manual/en_US/user_GuestAdditions.xml (revision 33768) @@ -206,9 +206,13 @@ In the "Devices" menu in the virtual machine's menu bar, - VirtualBox has a handy menu item named "Install guest additions", - which mounts the Guest Additions ISO file inside your virtual machine. - A Windows guest should then automatically start the Guest Additions - installer, which installs the Guest Additions into your Windows - guest. + VirtualBox has a handy menu item named "Install Guest Additions", + which either allows to upgrade already installed Guest Additions + (only Windows Guest Additions 4.0 and later) automatically or + mounts the Guest Additions ISO file inside your virtual machine + to perform a manual update. + + In case of a manual update, a Windows guest should then + automatically start the Guest Additions installer, which allows to + install the Guest Additions into your Windows guest. @@ -1413,6 +1417,11 @@ the guest. - To use this feature, use the VirtualBox command line. See for details. + Starting with version 4.0, the Guest Additions for Windows + allow for automatic updating (only already installed Guest Additions 4.0 + or later). + + To use these feature, use the VirtualBox command line or the GUI. See + or + for details. Index: /trunk/doc/manual/en_US/user_VBoxManage.xml =================================================================== --- /trunk/doc/manual/en_US/user_VBoxManage.xml (revision 33767) +++ /trunk/doc/manual/en_US/user_VBoxManage.xml (revision 33768) @@ -2397,158 +2397,307 @@ VBoxManage guestcontrol <command> - At this time, the only available - <command> is "execute", which - allows for executing a program/script (process) which is already installed - and runnable on the guest. This command only works while a VM is up and - running and has the following syntax: - - VBoxManage guestcontrol execute <vmname>|<uuid> - <pathToProgram> - --username <name> --password <password> - [--arguments "<arguments>"] - [--environment "<NAME>=<VALUE> [<NAME>=<VALUE>]"] - [--flags <flags>] [--timeout <msec>] - [--verbose] [--wait-for exit,stdout,stderr||] - - where the parameters mean: - - uuid|vmname - - - The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory. - - - - - pathToProgram - - - Absolute path and process name of process to execute in the - guest, e.g. - C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe - - - - - --arguments "<arguments>" - - - One or more arguments to pass to the process being - executed. - - Arguments containing spaces must be enclosed in quotation - marks. More than one --arguments - at a time can be specified to keep the command line tidy. - - - - - --environment "<NAME>=<VALUE>" - - - One or more environment variables to be set or unset. - - By default, the new process in the guest will be created - with the the standard environment of the guest OS. This option - allows for modifying that environment. To set/modify a variable, a - pair of NAME=VALUE must be - specified; to unset a certain variable, the name with no value - must set, e.g. NAME=. - - Arguments containing spaces must be enclosed in quotation - marks. More than one - --environment at a time can be - specified to keep the command line tidy. - - - - - --flags <flags> - - - Additional flags to set. This is not used at the - moment. - - - - - --timeout <msec> - - - Value (in milliseconds) that specifies the time how long the - started process is allowed to run and how long VBoxManage waits - for getting output from that process. If no timeout is specified, - VBoxManage will wait forever until the started process ends or an - error occured. - - - - - --username <name> - - - Name of the user the process should run under. This user - must exist on the guest OS. - - - - - --password <password> - - - Password of the user account specified with - --username. If not given, an - empty password is assumed. - - - - - --verbose - - - Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose during the - execution. - - - - - --wait-for <action> - - - Tells VBoxManage to wait for a certain action to happen and - react to it. The following actions are available: - - exit - - - Waits until the process ends and outputs its exit - code along with the exit reason/flags. - - - - - stdout or stderr - - - Waits until the process ends and outputs its exit - code along with the exit reason/flags. After that - VBoxManage retrieves the output collected from the guest - process's stdout and stderr. - - - - - - - - - On Windows there are certain limitations for graphical - applications; please see for more - information. - Examples: VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol execute "My VM" "/bin/ls" --arguments "-l /usr" - --username foo --password bar --wait-for stdout VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol execute "My VM" "c:\\windows\\system32\\ipconfig.exe" - --username foo --password bar --wait-for stdout Note that - the double backslashes in the second example are only required on Unix - hosts. + The following subcommands are available (where + <vm>, in each case, can either be a + VM name or a VM UUID, as with the other VBoxManage commands): + + execute, which + allows for executing a program/script (process) which is already installed + and runnable on the guest. This command only works while a VM is up and + running and has the following syntax: + + VBoxManage guestcontrol execute <vmname>|<uuid> + <path to program> + --username <name> --password <password> + [--arguments "<arguments>"] + [--environment "<NAME>=<VALUE> [<NAME>=<VALUE>]"] + [--flags <flags>] [--timeout <msec>] + [--verbose] [--wait-for exit,stdout,stderr||] + + where the parameters mean: + + uuid|vmname + + + The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory. + + + + + path to program + + + Absolute path and process name of process to execute in the + guest, e.g. + C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe + + + + + --arguments "<arguments>" + + + One or more arguments to pass to the process being + executed. + + Arguments containing spaces must be enclosed in quotation + marks. More than one --arguments + at a time can be specified to keep the command line tidy. + + + + + --environment "<NAME>=<VALUE>" + + + One or more environment variables to be set or unset. + + By default, the new process in the guest will be created + with the the standard environment of the guest OS. This option + allows for modifying that environment. To set/modify a variable, a + pair of NAME=VALUE must be + specified; to unset a certain variable, the name with no value + must set, e.g. NAME=. + + Arguments containing spaces must be enclosed in quotation + marks. More than one + --environment at a time can be + specified to keep the command line tidy. + + + + + --flags <flags> + + + Additional flags to set. This is not used at the + moment. + + + + + --timeout <msec> + + + Value (in milliseconds) that specifies the time how long the + started process is allowed to run and how long VBoxManage waits + for getting output from that process. If no timeout is specified, + VBoxManage will wait forever until the started process ends or an + error occured. + + + + + --username <name> + + + Name of the user the process should run under. This user + must exist on the guest OS. + + + + + --password <password> + + + Password of the user account specified with + --username. If not given, an + empty password is assumed. + + + + + --verbose + + + Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose during the + execution. + + + + + --wait-for <action> + + + Tells VBoxManage to wait for a certain action to happen and + react to it. The following actions are available: + + exit + + + Waits until the process ends and outputs its exit + code along with the exit reason/flags. + + + + + stdout or stderr + + + Waits until the process ends and outputs its exit + code along with the exit reason/flags. After that + VBoxManage retrieves the output collected from the guest + process's stdout and stderr. + + + + + + + + + + + On Windows there are certain limitations for graphical + applications; please see for more + information. + + + Examples: VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol execute "My VM" "/bin/ls" --arguments "-l /usr" + --username foo --password bar --wait-for stdout VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol execute "My VM" "c:\\windows\\system32\\ipconfig.exe" + --username foo --password bar --wait-for stdout Note that + the double backslashes in the second example are only required on Unix + hosts. + + + + + copyto, which + allows copying files from the host to the guest + (only with installed Guest Additions 4.0 and later). + + VBoxManage copyto <vmname>|<uuid> + <source on host> <destination on guest> + [--username "<name>"] [--password "<password>"] + [--dryrun] [--recursive] [--verbose] [--flags <flags>] + + where the parameters mean: + + uuid|vmname + + + The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory. + + + + + source on host + + + Absolute path of source file(s) on host to copy over to + the guest, e.g. + C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe. This also + can be a wildcard expression, e.g. + C:\Windows\System32\*.dll + + + + + + destination on guest + + + Absolute destination path on the guest, e.g. + C:\Temp + + + + + --username <name> + + + Name of the user the copy process should run under. This user + must exist on the guest OS. + + + + + --password <password> + + + Password of the user account specified with + --username. If not given, an + empty password is assumed. + + + + + --dryrun + + + Tells VBoxManage to only perform a dry run instead of + really copying files to the guest. + + + + + --recursive + + + Recursively copies files/directories. + + + + + --verbose + + + Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose during the + copy operation. + + + + + --flags <flags> + + + Additional flags to set. This is not used at the + moment. + + + + + + + + + updateadditions, which + allows for updating an already installed Guest Additions version on + the guest (only already installed Guest Additions 4.0 and later). + + VBoxManage guestcontrol updateadditions <vmname>|<uuid> + [--source "<guest additions .ISO file to use>"] [--verbose] + + where the parameters mean: + + uuid|vmname + + + The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory. + + + + + --source "<guest additions .ISO file to use>" + + + Full path to an alternative VirtualBox Guest Additions .ISO file to use + for the Guest Additions update. + + + + + --verbose + + + Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose during the + update. + + + + + + + + Index: /trunk/doc/manual/user_ChangeLogImpl.xml =================================================================== --- /trunk/doc/manual/user_ChangeLogImpl.xml (revision 33767) +++ /trunk/doc/manual/user_ChangeLogImpl.xml (revision 33768) @@ -24,4 +24,13 @@ + + Windows Additions: Support for automatic updating Guest Additions + (only already installed Windows Guest Additions 4.0 and later) + + + + Guest Additions: Support for copying files from host to the guest + +