[vbox-dev] Location of VirtualBox configuration file

Fri Oct 28 14:45:23 GMT 2016

Dear Maxine

Regrettably I am not responsible for the configuration of our lab machines, this is done centrally by the University. I am just poor professor made to find workarounds for my labs.

In time we shall use VBOX_USER_HOME, which ought to provide a proper fix as this can point at the home drive of each student (ie H:\).

In the meantime I am only trying to understand why the students are losing their global configuration every time they restart the program, even though the files remain in the directory. Instead the old file is renamed and a new "empty" file is created in its place. This makes no sense if USERPROFILE is used every time.

Regards

Malcolm

On 28/10/2016 15:34, Maxime Dor wrote:
I think the web documentation needs clarification on this matter, it is missleading I think (but the devs will confirm the actual behaviour).

Here, this is purely a matter of proprer configuration in terms of Windows and user profile/env.
I'm surprised you don't have issues with other software doing it the way you did so far.

Could you give a try to USERPROFILE and see if that helps?

On 28 October 2016 16:28:40 CEST, Malcolm Clarke <Malcolm.Clarke at brunel.ac.uk><mailto:Malcolm.Clarke at brunel.ac.uk> wrote:

Dear Maxine

It seems the web documentation is not keeping up with changes to the software?

Ideas why the global configuration is not being picked up? Could it be using HOMEDRIVE HOMEPATH in one place and USERPROFILE elsewhere?

Regards

Malcolm

On 28/10/2016 15:13, Maxime Dor wrote:
I believe the variable that is used by software to determine the actual home directory of a user is USERPROFILE which is computed from HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH.
If you change HOMEDRIVE and HOMEPATH during login with a profile script, USERPROFILE is already set at that point

On 28/10/16 15:38, Malcolm Clarke wrote:

We continue to have problems with this location issue.

In our labs the students have a profile script that set HOMEDRIVE to h: and HOMEPATH to \. I am expecting directories to be created and files stored in the locations H:\.

This is not the case.

Instead directories are created and files stored in

c:\users\xxxxxx\.virtualbox , etc

I might be able to understand this behaviour, but we are finding that the global configuration file is reinitialised every time the VirtualBox is started - the previous configuration file being renamed to "-prev".

Even if the HOMEDRIVE is not respected, I would at least expect the global configuration file to be used again.

Our environment is Windows 10.

We are investigating, but this is the information we have so far on the issue.

We have yet to try VBOX_USER_HOME as a workaround, but I wanted to bring the other behaviour to your intention in case it is affecting others.

You may understand the frustration of our students having to set up the global and VM configuration every time they use VirtualBox. I have a mutiny on my hands!

Regards

Malcolm

On 16/10/2016 17:22, Andreas Löffler wrote:
Hi Malcolm,

VBOX_USER_HOME also should work on Windows if you set this as system-wide variable. This of course means that this only can point to one profile at a time.

If you mount the current user's profile always to the same location (e.g. "X:\VirtualBox") you can give this at least a try.

Kind regards / Mit freundlichen Grüßen

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On 14.10.2016 19:19, Klaus Espenlaub wrote:
Max's answer is correct for every supported host OS besides Windows. As
usual, on Windows everything is more difficult. On this OS it's COM
which starts the API service, VBoxSVC.exe, and I don't know a way right
now to reliably pass it the required env variable...

On 14.10.2016 19:02, Maxime Dor wrote:
Hi Malcolm,

You can change the location using the ||VBOX_USER_HOME|| env variable.
More info here: https://www.virtualbox.org/manual/ch10.html#idm9569

Max

On 14/10/16 18:52, Malcolm Clarke wrote:
Dear All

Although VirtualBox holds a parameter for the location of the
configuration files of the virtual machines, is there any way to
control the location of the configuration file of Virtual Box?
Currently it installs itself in a directory ".VirtualBox" in the
user's default directory.

Is there a switch or otherwise to place this directory and its
configuration file in another specified location?

I ask this because we are using Virtual Box with students in a lab.
They are allocated a home drive which is connected every time they
log on to a machine, but we do not operate roaming profiles. Although
they can retain the VM configuration directories and files by
configuring to their home drive, they "lose" the Virtual Box
configuration file every time they move to another machine.

Regards

Malcolm

--

*Malcolm Clarke *BSc (Hons), PhD

Reader in Telemedicine and Data Communication Systems

T+44 (0) 1895 265053

*Brunel University London*

College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences

Department of Computer Science

HNZW010, Heinz Wolff Building, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex,
UB8 3PH

*www.brunel.ac.uk <http://www.brunel.ac.uk/><http://www.brunel.ac.uk/>*

Connect with the university on*Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook*

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--
Malcolm Clarke BSc (Hons), PhD
Reader in Telemedicine and Data Communication Systems
T +44 (0) 1895 265053

Brunel University London
College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences
Department of Computer Science

HNZW010, Heinz Wolff Building, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH

www.brunel.ac.uk<http://www.brunel.ac.uk/>

Connect with the university on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook

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--
Malcolm Clarke BSc (Hons), PhD
Reader in Telemedicine and Data Communication Systems
T +44 (0) 1895 265053

Brunel University London
College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences
Department of Computer Science

HNZW010, Heinz Wolff Building, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH

www.brunel.ac.uk<http://www.brunel.ac.uk/>

Connect with the university on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook

--
Sent from my phone. Please excuse my brevity or typos.

--
Malcolm Clarke BSc (Hons), PhD
Reader in Telemedicine and Data Communication Systems
T +44 (0) 1895 265053

Brunel University London
College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences
Department of Computer Science

HNZW010, Heinz Wolff Building, Kingston Lane, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH

www.brunel.ac.uk<http://www.brunel.ac.uk/>

Connect with the university on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook

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