Lots of VBoxHeadless process on Virtualbox 4.3 and network socket problems on guest application

[fsero]

Hi,

im using VirtualBox 4.2.0r89960 with extpack Oracle_VM_VirtualBox_Extension_Pack-4.3.0-89960.vbox-extpack on a Debian 7 sytem: $ uname -a Linux 3.2.0-4-amd64 #1 SMP Debian 3.2.51-1 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Im developing an app who uses VBox virtualised machines. The application starts the VM via VBoxManage, revert to snapshots on the same way and launch a guest app via guestcontrol.

I don't know if its important to the matter but my app is runned on Python 2.7.3 and the os command calls for VBoxManage are via Fabric 1.6.0 and local() directives.

Because the app launched should be on foreground, and always opened i also use dtach to leave the VBoxManage on background.

The main app opens a socket on a port, and the guest app also opens a socket for receivend and sending info.

On this scenario, i encountered two bugs:

a) On VirtualBox 4.2.18 and VirtualBox 4.3 stable release, when inside my app do some reverts suddenly the socket is owned vy VBoxSVC and no the app.

b) Commands launched by VBoxManage does not finish. For instance: oot 46118 6.5 0.4 1433876 41588 ? S<l 18:36 0:15 /usr/lib/virtualbox/VBoxHeadless --comment 2013_2 --startvm 269ed457-2748-40b6-955c-327cbd071c59 --vrde config

root 46313 12.5 0.3 1416528 37692 ? S<l 18:37 0:19 /usr/lib/virtualbox/VBoxHeadless --comment 2013_2 --startvm 269ed457-2748-40b6-955c-327cbd071c59 --vrde config root 46347 0.0 0.0 182676 6828 ? S<sl 18:37 0:00 /usr/lib/virtualbox/VBoxManage guestcontrol 2013_2 execute --image cmd.exe --username X --password X --wait-exit -- /C C:\Program Files\Ca\C.bat -s 192.168.200.1 -p 7071 -b 16 -a Ca root 46525 17.0 9.8 1333916 1001920 ? S<l 18:39 0:07 /usr/lib/virtualbox/VBoxHeadless --comment 2013_2 --startvm 269ed457-2748-40b6-955c-327cbd071c59 --vrde config

When VM is already running or stopped: # VBoxManage list runningvms "2013_2" {269ed457-2748-40b6-955c-327cbd071c59}

Also i see this message on /var/log/messages [ 2826.136004] nspr-2[11593]: segfault at 7f400702cff8 ip 00007f4001e275ec sp 00007f400702d000 error 6 in VBoxXPCOM.so[7f4001d6a000+102000]

I dont know if more relevant info is needed, if is that the case, please address me.

Thanks in advance! Cheers!

[Frank Mehnert]

To debug this issue we need a core dump. The messages you see clearly indicate that some process (either VBoxHeadless or VBoxSVC) crashed.

[xdissent]

Could issue (b) be a duplicate of #12232 ? I'm experiencing the same thing - many leftover VBoxHeadless processes. To my mind this is the headless version of the "VM gui won't quit" issue people are seeing in #12232. Make sense?

[Frank Mehnert]

To me it seems there is some mis-understanding here: VBoxHeadless is the actual VM process and will not terminate until the guest powered off his virtual machine. VBoxManage is only used to pass a command to VBoxSVC (a permanent service) to start a VBoxHeadless process. And I also don't understand why you are using some application to keep VBoxManage in the foreground. If you want to see the output of the VM process, just start 'VBoxHeadless --startvm' (not 'VBoxManage startvm').

[aeichner]

Closing as obsolete, please reopen if still relevant with a recent VirtualBox release.