user_VBoxManage.xml@ 47554

Last change on this file since 47554 was 47544, checked in by vboxsync, 12 years ago
VBoxManage: when taking snapshots, --pause is default and --live must be explicitely specified
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1	<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
2	<!DOCTYPE chapter PUBLIC "-//OASIS//DTD DocBook XML V4.4//EN"
3	"http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml/4.4/docbookx.dtd">
4	<chapter id="vboxmanage">
5	<title>VBoxManage</title>
6
7	<sect1>
8	<title>Introduction</title>
9
10	<para>As briefly mentioned in <xref linkend="frontends" />, VBoxManage is
11	the command-line interface to VirtualBox. With it, you can completely
12	control VirtualBox from the command line of your host operating system.
13	VBoxManage supports all the features that the graphical user interface
14	gives you access to, but it supports a lot more than that. It exposes
15	really all the features of the virtualization engine, even those that
16	cannot (yet) be accessed from the GUI.</para>
17
18	<para>You will need to use the command line if you want to</para>
19
20	<para><itemizedlist>
21	<listitem>
22	<para>use a different user interface than the main GUI (for example,
23	VBoxSDL or the VBoxHeadless server);</para>
24	</listitem>
25
26	<listitem>
27	<para>control some of the more advanced and experimental
28	configuration settings for a VM.</para>
29	</listitem>
30	</itemizedlist></para>
31
32	<para>There are two main things to keep in mind when using
33	<computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput>: First,
34	<computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput> must always be used with a
35	specific "subcommand", such as "list" or "createvm" or "startvm". All the
36	subcommands that <computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput> supports are
37	described in detail in <xref linkend="vboxmanage" />.</para>
38
39	<para>Second, most of these subcommands require that you specify a
40	particular virtual machine after the subcommand. There are two ways you
41	can do this:</para>
42
43	<itemizedlist>
44	<listitem>
45	<para>You can specify the VM name, as it is shown in the VirtualBox
46	GUI. Note that if that name contains spaces, then you must enclose the
47	entire name in double quotes (as it is always required with command
48	line arguments that contain spaces).</para>
49
50	<para>For example:<screen>VBoxManage startvm "Windows XP"</screen></para>
51	</listitem>
52
53	<listitem>
54	<para>You can specify the UUID, which is the internal unique
55	identifier that VirtualBox uses to refer to the virtual machine.
56	Assuming that the aforementioned VM called "Windows XP" has the UUID
57	shown below, the following command has the same effect as the
58	previous:<screen>VBoxManage startvm 670e746d-abea-4ba6-ad02-2a3b043810a5</screen></para>
59	</listitem>
60	</itemizedlist>
61
62	<para>You can type <computeroutput>VBoxManage list vms</computeroutput> to
63	have all currently registered VMs listed with all their settings,
64	including their respective names and UUIDs.</para>
65
66	<para>Some typical examples of how to control VirtualBox from the command
67	line are listed below:</para>
68
69	<itemizedlist>
70	<listitem>
71	<para>To create a new virtual machine from the command line and
72	immediately register it with VirtualBox, use
73	<computeroutput>VBoxManage createvm</computeroutput> with the
74	<computeroutput>--register</computeroutput> option,<footnote>
75	<para>For details, see <xref
76	linkend="vboxmanage-createvm" />.</para>
77	</footnote> like this:</para>
78
79	<screen>$ VBoxManage createvm --name "SUSE 10.2" --register
80	VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version $VBOX_VERSION_MAJOR.$VBOX_VERSION_MINOR.$VBOX_VERSION_BUILD
81	(C) 2005-$VBOX_C_YEAR $VBOX_VENDOR
82	All rights reserved.
83
84	Virtual machine 'SUSE 10.2' is created.
85	UUID: c89fc351-8ec6-4f02-a048-57f4d25288e5
86	Settings file: '/home/username/.config/VirtualBox/Machines/SUSE 10.2/SUSE 10.2.xml'
87	</screen>
88
89	<para>As can be seen from the above output, a new virtual machine has
90	been created with a new UUID and a new XML settings file.</para>
91	</listitem>
92
93	<listitem>
94	<para>To show the configuration of a particular VM, use
95	<computeroutput>VBoxManage showvminfo</computeroutput>; see <xref
96	linkend="vboxmanage-showvminfo" /> for details and an example.</para>
97	</listitem>
98
99	<listitem>
100	<para>To change settings while a VM is powered off, use
101	<computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>, e.g. as
102	follows:<screen>VBoxManage modifyvm "Windows XP" --memory "512MB"</screen></para>
103
104	<para>For details, see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm" />.</para>
105	</listitem>
106
107	<listitem>
108	<para>To change the storage configuration (e.g. to add a storage
109	controller and then a virtual disk), use <computeroutput>VBoxManage
110	storagectl</computeroutput> and <computeroutput>VBoxManage
111	storageattach</computeroutput>; see <xref
112	linkend="vboxmanage-storagectl" /> and <xref
113	linkend="vboxmanage-storageattach" /> for details.</para>
114	</listitem>
115
116	<listitem>
117	<para>To control VM operation, use one of the following:<itemizedlist>
118	<listitem>
119	<para>To start a VM that is currently powered off, use
120	<computeroutput>VBoxManage startvm</computeroutput>; see <xref
121	linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" /> for details.</para>
122	</listitem>
123
124	<listitem>
125	<para>To pause or save a VM that is currently running or change
126	some of its settings, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage
127	controlvm</computeroutput>; see <xref
128	linkend="vboxmanage-controlvm" /> for details.</para>
129	</listitem>
130	</itemizedlist></para>
131	</listitem>
132	</itemizedlist>
133	</sect1>
134
135	<sect1>
136	<title>Commands overview</title>
137
138	<para>When running VBoxManage without parameters or when supplying an
139	invalid command line, the below syntax diagram will be shown. Note that
140	the output will be slightly different depending on the host platform; when
141	in doubt, check the output of <computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput>
142	for the commands available on your particular host.</para>
143
144	<screen>$VBOX_MANAGE_OUTPUT</screen>
145
146	<para>Each time VBoxManage is invoked, only one command can be executed.
147	However, a command might support several subcommands which then can be
148	invoked in one single call. The following sections provide detailed
149	reference information on the different commands.</para>
150	</sect1>
151
152	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-general">
153	<title>General options</title>
154	<para>
155	<itemizedlist>
156	<listitem>
157	<para><computeroutput>--version</computeroutput>: show the version of
158	this tool and exit.</para>
159	</listitem>
160	<listitem>
161	<para><computeroutput>--nologo</computeroutput>: suppress the output
162	of the logo information (useful for scripts)</para>
163	</listitem>
164	<listitem>
165	<para><computeroutput>--settingspw</computeroutput>: specifiy a settings
166	password</para>
167	</listitem>
168	<listitem>
169	<para><computeroutput>--settingspwfile</computeroutput>: specify a file
170	containing the settings password.</para>
171	</listitem>
172	</itemizedlist>
173	The settings password is used for certain settings which need to be
174	stored encrypted for security reasons. At the moment, the only encrypted
175	setting is the iSCSI initiator secret (see
176	<xref linkend="vboxmanage-storageattach" /> for details). As long as no
177	settings password is specified, this information is stored in
178	<emphasis role="bold">plain text</emphasis>. After using the
179	<computeroutput>--settingspw\|--settingspwfile</computeroutput> option
180	once, it must be always used, otherwise the encrypted setting cannot
181	be unencrypted.
182	</para>
183	</sect1>
184
185	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-list">
186	<title>VBoxManage list</title>
187
188	<para>The <computeroutput>list</computeroutput> command gives relevant
189	information about your system and information about VirtualBox's current
190	settings.</para>
191
192	<para>The following subcommands are available with
193	<computeroutput>VBoxManage list</computeroutput>: <itemizedlist>
194	<listitem>
195	<para><computeroutput>vms</computeroutput> lists all virtual
196	machines currently registered with VirtualBox. By default this
197	displays a compact list with each VM's name and UUID; if you also
198	specify <computeroutput>--long</computeroutput> or
199	<computeroutput>-l</computeroutput>, this will be a detailed list as
200	with the <computeroutput>showvminfo</computeroutput> command (see
201	below).</para>
202	</listitem>
203
204	<listitem>
205	<para><computeroutput>runningvms</computeroutput> lists all
206	currently running virtual machines by their unique identifiers
207	(UUIDs) in the same format as with
208	<computeroutput>vms</computeroutput>.</para>
209	</listitem>
210
211	<listitem>
212	<para><computeroutput>ostypes</computeroutput> lists all guest
213	operating systems presently known to VirtualBox, along with the
214	identifiers used to refer to them with the
215	<computeroutput>modifyvm</computeroutput> command.</para>
216	</listitem>
217
218	<listitem>
219	<para><computeroutput>hostdvds</computeroutput>,
220	<computeroutput>hostfloppies</computeroutput>, respectively, list
221	DVD, floppy, bridged networking and host-only networking interfaces
222	on the host, along with the name used to access them from within
223	VirtualBox.</para>
224	</listitem>
225
226	<listitem>
227	<para><computeroutput>bridgedifs</computeroutput>,
228	<computeroutput>hostonlyifs</computeroutput> and
229	<computeroutput>dhcpservers</computeroutput>, respectively, list
230	bridged network interfaces, host-only network interfaces and DHCP
231	servers currently available on the host. Please see <xref
232	linkend="networkingdetails" /> for details on these.</para>
233	</listitem>
234
235	<listitem>
236	<para><computeroutput>hostinfo</computeroutput> displays information
237	about the host system, such as CPUs, memory size and operating
238	system version.</para>
239	</listitem>
240
241	<listitem>
242	<para><computeroutput>hostcpuids</computeroutput> dumps the CPUID
243	parameters for the host CPUs. This can be used for a more fine
244	grained analyis of the host's virtualization capabilities.</para>
245	</listitem>
246
247	<listitem>
248	<para><computeroutput>hddbackends</computeroutput> lists all known
249	virtual disk back-ends of VirtualBox. For each such format (such as
250	VDI, VMDK or RAW), this lists the back-end's capabilities and
251	configuration.</para>
252	</listitem>
253
254	<listitem>
255	<para><computeroutput>hdds</computeroutput>,
256	<computeroutput>dvds</computeroutput> and
257	<computeroutput>floppies</computeroutput> all give you information
258	about virtual disk images currently in use by VirtualBox, including
259	all their settings, the unique identifiers (UUIDs) associated with
260	them by VirtualBox and all files associated with them. This is the
261	command-line equivalent of the Virtual Media Manager; see <xref
262	linkend="vdis" />.</para>
263	</listitem>
264
265	<listitem>
266	<para><computeroutput>usbhost</computeroutput> supplies information
267	about USB devices attached to the host, notably information useful
268	for constructing USB filters and whether they are currently in use
269	by the host.</para>
270	</listitem>
271
272	<listitem>
273	<para><computeroutput>usbfilters</computeroutput> lists all global
274	USB filters registered with VirtualBox -- that is, filters for
275	devices which are accessible to all virtual machines -- and displays
276	the filter parameters.</para>
277	</listitem>
278
279	<listitem>
280	<para><computeroutput>systemproperties</computeroutput> displays
281	some global VirtualBox settings, such as minimum and maximum guest
282	RAM and virtual hard disk size, folder settings and the current
283	authentication library in use.</para>
284	</listitem>
285
286	<listitem>
287	<para><computeroutput>extpacks</computeroutput> displays all
288	VirtualBox extension packs currently installed; see <xref
289	linkend="intro-installing" /> and <xref
290	linkend="vboxmanage-extpack" /> for more information.</para>
291	</listitem>
292	</itemizedlist></para>
293	</sect1>
294
295	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-showvminfo">
296	<title>VBoxManage showvminfo</title>
297
298	<para>The <computeroutput>showvminfo</computeroutput> command shows
299	information about a particular virtual machine. This is the same
300	information as <computeroutput>VBoxManage list vms --long</computeroutput>
301	would show for all virtual machines.</para>
302
303	<para>You will get information similar to the following:</para>
304
305	<para><screen>$ VBoxManage showvminfo "Windows XP"
306	VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version $VBOX_VERSION_MAJOR.$VBOX_VERSION_MINOR.$VBOX_VERSION_BUILD
307	(C) 2005-$VBOX_C_YEAR $VBOX_VENDOR
308	All rights reserved.
309
310	Name: Windows XP
311	Guest OS: Other/Unknown
312	UUID: 1bf3464d-57c6-4d49-92a9-a5cc3816b7e7
313	Config file: /home/username/.config/VirtualBox/Machines/Windows XP/Windows XP.xml
314	Memory size: 512MB
315	VRAM size: 12MB
316	Number of CPUs: 2
317	Synthetic Cpu: off
318	Boot menu mode: message and menu
319	Boot Device (1): DVD
320	Boot Device (2): HardDisk
321	Boot Device (3): Not Assigned
322	Boot Device (4): Not Assigned
323	ACPI: on
324	IOAPIC: on
325	PAE: on
326	Time offset: 0 ms
327	Hardw. virt.ext: on
328	Hardw. virt.ext exclusive: on
329	Nested Paging: on
330	VT-x VPID: off
331	State: powered off (since 2009-10-20T14:52:19.000000000)
332	Monitor count: 1
333	3D Acceleration: off
334	2D Video Acceleration: off
335	Teleporter Enabled: off
336	Teleporter Port: 0
337	Teleporter Address:
338	Teleporter Password:
339	Storage Controller (0): IDE Controller
340	Storage Controller Type (0): PIIX4
341	Storage Controller (1): Floppy Controller 1
342	Storage Controller Type (1): I82078
343	IDE Controller (0, 0): /home/user/windows.vdi (UUID: 46f6e53a-4557-460a-9b95-68b0f17d744b)
344	IDE Controller (0, 1): /home/user/openbsd-cd46.iso (UUID: 4335e162-59d3-4512-91d5-b63e94eebe0b)
345	Floppy Controller 1 (0, 0): /home/user/floppy.img (UUID: 62ac6ccb-df36-42f2-972e-22f836368137)
346	NIC 1: disabled
347	NIC 2: disabled
348	NIC 3: disabled
349	NIC 4: disabled
350	NIC 5: disabled
351	NIC 6: disabled
352	NIC 7: disabled
353	NIC 8: disabled
354	UART 1: disabled
355	UART 2: disabled
356	Audio: disabled (Driver: Unknown)
357	Clipboard Mode: Bidirectional
358	VRDE: disabled
359	USB: disabled
360
361	USB Device Filters:
362	<none>
363
364	Shared folders:
365	<none>
366
367	Statistics update: disabled
368	</screen></para>
369	</sect1>
370
371	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-registervm">
372	<title>VBoxManage registervm / unregistervm</title>
373
374	<para>The <computeroutput>registervm</computeroutput> command allows you
375	to import a virtual machine definition in an XML file into VirtualBox. The
376	machine must not conflict with one already registered in VirtualBox and it
377	may not have any hard or removable disks attached. It is advisable to
378	place the definition file in the machines folder before registering
379	it.<note>
380	<para>When creating a new virtual machine with
381	<computeroutput>VBoxManage createvm</computeroutput> (see below), you
382	can directly specify the <computeroutput>--register</computeroutput>
383	option to avoid having to register it separately.</para>
384	</note></para>
385
386	<para>The <computeroutput>unregistervm</computeroutput> command
387	unregisters a virtual machine. If
388	<computeroutput>--delete</computeroutput> is also specified, the following
389	files will automatically be deleted as well:<orderedlist>
390	<listitem>
391	<para>all hard disk image files, including differencing files, which
392	are used by the machine and not shared with other machines;</para>
393	</listitem>
394
395	<listitem>
396	<para>saved state files that the machine created, if any (one if the
397	machine was in "saved" state and one for each online
398	snapshot);</para>
399	</listitem>
400
401	<listitem>
402	<para>the machine XML file and its backups;</para>
403	</listitem>
404
405	<listitem>
406	<para>the machine log files, if any;</para>
407	</listitem>
408
409	<listitem>
410	<para>the machine directory, if it is empty after having deleted all
411	the above.</para>
412	</listitem>
413	</orderedlist></para>
414	</sect1>
415
416	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-createvm">
417	<title>VBoxManage createvm</title>
418
419	<para>This command creates a new XML virtual machine definition
420	file.</para>
421
422	<para>The <computeroutput>--name <name></computeroutput> parameter
423	is required and must specify the name of the machine. Since this name is
424	used by default as the file name of the settings file (with the extension
425	<computeroutput>.xml</computeroutput>) and the machine folder (a subfolder
426	of the <computeroutput>.config/VirtualBox/Machines</computeroutput> folder - this folder name may vary depending on the operating system and the version of VirtualBox which you are using), it
427	must conform to your host operating system's requirements for file name
428	specifications. If the VM is later renamed, the file and folder names will
429	change automatically.</para>
430
431	<para>However, if the <computeroutput>--basefolder
432	<path></computeroutput> option is used, the machine folder will be
433	named <computeroutput><path></computeroutput>. In this case, the
434	names of the file and the folder will not change if the virtual machine is
435	renamed.</para>
436
437	<para>By default, this command only creates the XML file without
438	automatically registering the VM with your VirtualBox installation. To
439	register the VM instantly, use the optional
440	<computeroutput>--register</computeroutput> option, or run
441	<computeroutput>VBoxManage registervm</computeroutput> separately
442	afterwards.</para>
443	</sect1>
444
445	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm">
446	<title>VBoxManage modifyvm</title>
447
448	<para>This command changes the properties of a registered virtual machine
449	which is not running. Most of the properties that this command makes
450	available correspond to the VM settings that VirtualBox graphical user
451	interface displays in each VM's "Settings" dialog; these were described in
452	<xref linkend="BasicConcepts" />. Some of the more advanced settings,
453	however, are only available through the
454	<computeroutput>VBoxManage</computeroutput> interface.</para>
455
456	<para>These commands require that the machine is powered off (neither
457	running nor in "saved" state). Some machine settings can also be changed
458	while a machine is running; those settings will then have a corresponding
459	subcommand with the <computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm</computeroutput>
460	subcommand (see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-controlvm" />).</para>
461
462	<sect2>
463	<title>General settings</title>
464
465	<para>The following general settings are available through
466	<computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>:<itemizedlist>
467	<listitem>
468	<para><computeroutput>--name <name></computeroutput>: This
469	changes the VM's name and possibly renames the internal virtual
470	machine files, as described with <computeroutput>VBoxManage
471	createvm</computeroutput> above.</para>
472	</listitem>
473
474	<listitem>
475	<para><computeroutput>--ostype <ostype></computeroutput>:
476	This specifies what guest operating system is supposed to run in
477	the VM. To learn about the various identifiers that can be used
478	here, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage list
479	ostypes</computeroutput>.</para>
480	</listitem>
481
482	<listitem>
483	<para><computeroutput>--memory
484	<memorysize></computeroutput>: This sets the amount of RAM,
485	in MB, that the virtual machine should allocate for itself from
486	the host. See the remarks in <xref linkend="gui-createvm" /> for
487	more information.</para>
488	</listitem>
489
490	<listitem>
491	<para><computeroutput>--vram <vramsize></computeroutput>:
492	This sets the amount of RAM that the virtual graphics card should
493	have. See <xref linkend="settings-display" /> for details.</para>
494	</listitem>
495
496	<listitem>
497	<para><computeroutput>--acpi on\|off</computeroutput>;
498	<computeroutput>--ioapic on\|off</computeroutput>: These two
499	determine whether the VM should have ACPI and I/O APIC support,
500	respectively; see <xref linkend="settings-motherboard" /> for
501	details.</para>
502	</listitem>
503
504	<listitem>
505	<para><computeroutput>--hardwareuuid
506	<uuid></computeroutput>: The UUID presented to the guest via
507	memory tables (DMI/SMBIOS), hardware and guest properties. By
508	default this is the same as the VM uuid. Useful when cloning a VM.
509	Teleporting takes care of this automatically.</para>
510	</listitem>
511
512	<listitem>
513	<para><computeroutput>--cpus <cpucount></computeroutput>:
514	This sets the number of virtual CPUs for the virtual machine (see
515	<xref linkend="settings-processor" />). If CPU hot-plugging is
516	enabled (see below), this then sets the
517	<emphasis>maximum</emphasis> number of virtual CPUs that can be
518	plugged into the virtual machines.</para>
519	</listitem>
520
521	<listitem>
522	<para><computeroutput>--rtcuseutc on\|off</computeroutput>: This
523	option lets the real-time clock (RTC) operate in UTC time (see
524	<xref linkend="settings-motherboard" />).</para>
525	</listitem>
526
527	<listitem>
528	<para><computeroutput>--cpuhotplug on\|off</computeroutput>: This
529	enables CPU hot-plugging. When enabled, virtual CPUs can be added
530	to and removed from a virtual machine while it is running. See
531	<xref linkend="cpuhotplug" /> for more information.</para>
532	</listitem>
533
534	<listitem>
535	<para><computeroutput>--plugcpu\|unplugcpu
536	<id></computeroutput>: If CPU hot-plugging is enabled (see
537	above), this adds a virtual CPU to the virtual machines (or
538	removes one). <computeroutput><id></computeroutput>
539	specifies the index of the virtual CPU to be added or removed and
540	must be a number from 0 to the maximum no. of CPUs configured with
541	the <computeroutput>--cpus</computeroutput> option. CPU 0 can
542	never be removed.</para>
543	</listitem>
544
545	<listitem>
546	<para><computeroutput>--cpuexecutioncap
547	<1-100></computeroutput>: This setting controls how much cpu
548	time a virtual CPU can use. A value of 50 implies a single virtual
549	CPU can use up to 50% of a single host CPU.</para>
550	</listitem>
551
552	<listitem>
553	<para><computeroutput>--pae on\|off</computeroutput>: This
554	enables/disables PAE (see <xref
555	linkend="settings-processor" />).</para>
556	</listitem>
557
558	<listitem>
559	<para><computeroutput>--longmode on\|off</computeroutput>: This
560	enables/disables long mode (see <xref
561	linkend="settings-processor" />).</para>
562	</listitem>
563
564	<listitem>
565	<para><computeroutput>--synthcpu on\|off</computeroutput>: This
566	setting determines whether VirtualBox will expose a synthetic CPU
567	to the guest to allow live migration between host systems that
568	differ significantly.</para>
569	</listitem>
570
571	<listitem>
572	<para><computeroutput>--hpet on\|off</computeroutput>: This
573	enables/disables a High Precision Event Timer (HPET) which can
574	replace the legacy system timers. This is turned off by default.
575	Note that Windows supports a HPET only from Vista onwards.</para>
576	</listitem>
577
578	<listitem>
579	<para><computeroutput>--hwvirtex on\|off</computeroutput>: This
580	enables or disables the use of hardware virtualization extensions
581	(Intel VT-x or AMD-V) in the processor of your host system; see
582	<xref linkend="hwvirt" />.</para>
583	</listitem>
584
585	<listitem>
586	<para><computeroutput>--hwvirtexexcl on\|off</computeroutput>: This
587	specifies whether VirtualBox will make exclusive use of the
588	hardware virtualization extensions (Intel VT-x or AMD-V) in the
589	processor of your host system; see <xref linkend="hwvirt" />. If
590	you wish to simultaneously share these extensions with other
591	hypervisors, then you must disable this setting. Doing so has
592	negative performance implications.</para>
593	</listitem>
594
595	<listitem>
596	<para><computeroutput>--nestedpaging on\|off</computeroutput>: If
597	hardware virtualization is enabled, this additional setting
598	enables or disables the use of the nested paging feature in the
599	processor of your host system; see <xref
600	linkend="hwvirt" />.</para>
601	</listitem>
602
603	<listitem>
604	<para><computeroutput>--largepages on\|off</computeroutput>: If
605	hardware virtualization <emphasis>and</emphasis> nested paging are
606	enabled, for Intel VT-x only, an additional performance
607	improvement of up to 5% can be obtained by enabling this setting.
608	This causes the hypervisor to use large pages to reduce TLB use
609	and overhead.</para>
610	</listitem>
611
612	<listitem>
613	<para><computeroutput>--vtxvpid on\|off</computeroutput>: If
614	hardware virtualization is enabled, for Intel VT-x only, this
615	additional setting enables or disables the use of the tagged TLB
616	(VPID) feature in the processor of your host system; see <xref
617	linkend="hwvirt" />.</para>
618	</listitem>
619
620	<listitem>
621	<para><computeroutput>--accelerate3d on\|off</computeroutput>: This
622	enables, if the Guest Additions are installed, whether hardware 3D
623	acceleration should be available; see <xref
624	linkend="guestadd-3d" />.</para>
625	</listitem>
626
627	<listitem>
628	<para>You can influence the BIOS logo that is displayed when a
629	virtual machine starts up with a number of settings. Per default,
630	a VirtualBox logo is displayed.</para>
631
632	<para>With <computeroutput>--bioslogofadein
633	on\|off</computeroutput> and <computeroutput>--bioslogofadeout
634	on\|off</computeroutput>, you can determine whether the logo should
635	fade in and out, respectively.</para>
636
637	<para>With <computeroutput>--bioslogodisplaytime
638	<msec></computeroutput> you can set how long the logo should
639	be visible, in milliseconds.</para>
640
641	<para>With <computeroutput>--bioslogoimagepath
642	<imagepath></computeroutput> you can, if you are so
643	inclined, replace the image that is shown, with your own logo. The
644	image must be an uncompressed 256 color BMP file without color
645	space information (Windows 3.0 format). The image must not be
646	bigger than 640 x 480.</para>
647	</listitem>
648
649	<listitem>
650	<para><computeroutput>--biosbootmenu
651	disabled\|menuonly\|messageandmenu</computeroutput>: This specifies
652	whether the BIOS allows the user to select a temporary boot
653	device. <computeroutput>menuonly</computeroutput> suppresses the
654	message, but the user can still press F12 to select a temporary
655	boot device.</para>
656	</listitem>
657
658	<listitem>
659	<para><computeroutput>--nicbootprio<1-N>
660	<priority></computeroutput>: This specifies the order in which
661	NICs are tried for booting over the network (using PXE). The
662	priority is an integer in the 0 to 4 range. Priority 1 is the
663	highest, priority 4 is low. Priority 0, which is the default unless
664	otherwise specified, is the lowest.
665	</para>
666	<para> Note that this option only has effect when the Intel PXE boot
667	ROM is used.
668	</para>
669	</listitem>
670
671	<listitem>
672	<para><computeroutput>--boot<1-4>
673	none\|floppy\|dvd\|disk\|net</computeroutput>: This specifies the boot
674	order for the virtual machine. There are four "slots", which the
675	VM will try to access from 1 to 4, and for each of which you can
676	set a device that the VM should attempt to boot from.</para>
677	</listitem>
678
679	<listitem>
680	<para><computeroutput>--snapshotfolder
681	default\|<path></computeroutput>: This allows you to specify
682	the folder in which snapshots will be kept for a virtual
683	machine.</para>
684	</listitem>
685
686	<listitem>
687	<para><computeroutput>--firmware efi\|bios</computeroutput>:
688	Specifies which firmware is used to boot particular virtual
689	machine: EFI or BIOS. Use EFI only if your fully understand what
690	you're doing.</para>
691	</listitem>
692
693	<listitem>
694	<para><computeroutput>--guestmemoryballoon
695	<size></computeroutput> sets the default size of the guest
696	memory balloon, that is, memory allocated by the VirtualBox Guest
697	Additions from the guest operating system and returned to the
698	hypervisor for re-use by other virtual machines. <size> must
699	be specified in megabytes. The default size is 0 megabytes. For
700	details, see <xref linkend="guestadd-balloon" />.</para>
701	</listitem>
702
703	<listitem>
704	<para><computeroutput>--lptmode<1-N>
705	<Device></computeroutput>
706	Specifies the Device Name of the parallel port that
707	the Parallel Port feature will be using. Use this
708	<emphasis>before</emphasis> <computeroutput>--lpt</computeroutput>.
709	This feature is host operating system specific.</para>
710	</listitem>
711
712	<listitem>
713	<para><computeroutput>--lpt<1-N>
714	<I/O base> <IRQ></computeroutput>
715	Specifies the I/O address of the parallel port and the IRQ
716	number that the Parallel Port feature will be using. Use this
717	<emphasis>after</emphasis>
718	<computeroutput>--lptmod</computeroutput>. I/O base address and IRQ are
719	the values that guest sees i.e. the values avalable under guest Device Manager.</para>
720	</listitem>
721
722	<listitem>
723	<para><computeroutput>--defaultfrontend
724	default\|<name></computeroutput>: This allows you to specify
725	the default frontend which will be used when starting this VM; see
726	<xref linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" /> for details.</para>
727	</listitem>
728	</itemizedlist></para>
729	</sect2>
730
731	<sect2>
732	<title>Networking settings</title>
733
734	<para>The following networking settings are available through
735	<computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>. With all these
736	settings, the decimal number directly following the option name ("1-N"
737	in the list below) specifies the virtual network adapter whose settings
738	should be changed.<itemizedlist>
739	<listitem>
740	<para><computeroutput>--nic<1-N>
741	none\|null\|nat\|bridged\|intnet\|hostonly\|generic
742	</computeroutput>: With
743	this, you can set, for each of the VM's virtual network cards,
744	what type of networking should be available. They can be not
745	present (<computeroutput>none</computeroutput>), not connected to
746	the host (<computeroutput>null</computeroutput>), use network
747	address translation (<computeroutput>nat</computeroutput>),
748	bridged networking (<computeroutput>bridged</computeroutput>) or
749	communicate with other virtual machines using internal networking
750	(<computeroutput>intnet</computeroutput>), host-only networking
751	(<computeroutput>hostonly</computeroutput>), or access rarely used
752	sub-modes (<computeroutput>generic</computeroutput>).
753	These options correspond
754	to the modes which are described in detail in <xref
755	linkend="networkingmodes" />.</para>
756	</listitem>
757
758	<listitem>
759	<para><computeroutput>--nictype<1-N>
760	Am79C970A\|Am79C973\|82540EM\|82543GC\|82545EM\|virtio</computeroutput>:
761	This allows you, for each of the VM's virtual network cards, to
762	specify which networking hardware VirtualBox presents to the
763	guest; see <xref linkend="nichardware" />.</para>
764	</listitem>
765
766	<listitem>
767	<para><computeroutput>--cableconnected<1-N>
768	on\|off</computeroutput>: This allows you to temporarily disconnect
769	a virtual network interface, as if a network cable had been pulled
770	from a real network card. This might be useful for resetting
771	certain software components in the VM.</para>
772	</listitem>
773
774	<listitem>
775	<para>With the "nictrace" options, you can optionally trace
776	network traffic by dumping it to a file, for debugging
777	purposes.</para>
778
779	<para>With <computeroutput>--nictrace<1-N>
780	on\|off</computeroutput>, you can enable network tracing for a
781	particular virtual network card.</para>
782
783	<para>If enabled, you must specify with
784	<computeroutput>--nictracefile<1-N>
785	<filename></computeroutput> what file the trace should be
786	logged to.</para>
787	</listitem>
788
789	<listitem>
790	<para><computeroutput>--bridgeadapter<1-N>
791	none\|<devicename></computeroutput>: If bridged networking
792	has been enabled for a virtual network card (see the
793	<computeroutput>--nic</computeroutput> option above; otherwise
794	this setting has no effect), use this option to specify which host
795	interface the given virtual network interface will use. For
796	details, please see <xref linkend="network_bridged" />.</para>
797	</listitem>
798
799	<listitem>
800	<para><computeroutput>--hostonlyadapter<1-N>
801	none\|<devicename></computeroutput>: If host-only networking
802	has been enabled for a virtual network card (see the --nic option
803	above; otherwise this setting has no effect), use this option to
804	specify which host-only networking interface the given virtual
805	network interface will use. For details, please see <xref
806	linkend="network_hostonly" />.</para>
807	</listitem>
808
809	<listitem>
810	<para><computeroutput>--intnet<1-N>
811	network</computeroutput>: If internal networking has been enabled
812	for a virtual network card (see the
813	<computeroutput>--nic</computeroutput> option above; otherwise
814	this setting has no effect), use this option to specify the name
815	of the internal network (see <xref
816	linkend="network_internal" />).</para>
817	</listitem>
818
819	<listitem>
820	<para><computeroutput>--macaddress<1-N>
821	auto\|<mac></computeroutput>: With this option you can set
822	the MAC address of the virtual network card. Normally, each
823	virtual network card is assigned a random address by VirtualBox at
824	VM creation.</para>
825	</listitem>
826
827	<listitem>
828	<para><computeroutput>--nicgenericdrv<1-N>
829	<backend driver></computeroutput>: If generic networking has been
830	enabled for a virtual network card (see the
831	<computeroutput>--nic</computeroutput> option above; otherwise
832	this setting has no effect), this mode allows you to access
833	rarely used networking sub-modes, such as VDE network or UDP Tunnel.
834	</para>
835	</listitem>
836
837	<listitem>
838	<para><computeroutput>--nicproperty<1-N>
839	<paramname>="paramvalue"</computeroutput>:
840	This option, in combination with "nicgenericdrv" allows you to
841	pass parameters to rarely-used network backends.</para><para>
842	Those parameters are backend engine-specific, and are different
843	between UDP Tunnel and the VDE backend drivers. For example,
844	please see <xref linkend="network_udp_tunnel" />.
845	</para>
846	</listitem>
847	</itemizedlist></para>
848
849	<sect3>
850	<title>NAT Networking settings.</title>
851
852	<para>The following NAT networking settings are available through
853	<computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>. With all these
854	settings, the decimal number directly following the option name ("1-N"
855	in the list below) specifies the virtual network adapter whose
856	settings should be changed.<itemizedlist>
857	<listitem>
858	<para><computeroutput>--natpf<1-N>
859	[<name>],tcp\|udp,[<hostip>],<hostport>,[<guestip>],
860	<guestport></computeroutput>: This option defines a NAT
861	port-forwarding rule (please see <xref linkend="natforward" />
862	for details).</para>
863	</listitem>
864
865	<listitem>
866	<para><computeroutput>--natpf<1-N> delete
867	<name></computeroutput>: This option deletes a NAT
868	port-forwarding rule (please see <xref linkend="natforward" />
869	for details).</para>
870	</listitem>
871
872	<listitem>
873	<para><computeroutput>--nattftpprefix<1-N>
874	<prefix></computeroutput>: This option defines a prefix
875	for the built-in TFTP server, i.e. where the boot file is
876	located (please see <xref linkend="nat-tftp" /> and <xref
877	linkend="nat-adv-tftp" /> for details).</para>
878	</listitem>
879
880	<listitem>
881	<para><computeroutput>--nattftpfile<1-N>
882	<bootfile></computeroutput>: This option defines the TFT
883	boot file (please see <xref linkend="nat-adv-tftp" /> for
884	details).</para>
885	</listitem>
886
887	<listitem>
888	<para><computeroutput>--nattftpserver<1-N>
889	<tftpserver></computeroutput>: This option defines the
890	TFTP server address to boot from (please see <xref
891	linkend="nat-adv-tftp" /> for details).</para>
892	</listitem>
893
894	<listitem>
895	<para><computeroutput>--natdnspassdomain<1-N>
896	on\|off</computeroutput>: This option specifies whether the
897	built-in DHCP server passes the domain name for network name
898	resolution.</para>
899	</listitem>
900
901	<listitem>
902	<para><computeroutput>--natdnsproxy<1-N>
903	on\|off</computeroutput>: This option makes the NAT engine proxy
904	all guest DNS requests to the host's DNS servers (please see
905	<xref linkend="nat-adv-dns" /> for details).</para>
906	</listitem>
907
908	<listitem>
909	<para><computeroutput>--natdnshostresolver<1-N>
910	on\|off</computeroutput>: This option makes the NAT engine use
911	the host's resolver mechanisms to handle DNS requests (please
912	see <xref linkend="nat-adv-dns" /> for details).</para>
913	</listitem>
914
915	<listitem>
916	<para><computeroutput>--natnatsettings<1-N>
917	[<mtu>],[<socksnd>],[<sockrcv>],[<tcpsnd>],
918	[<tcprcv>]</computeroutput>: This option controls several
919	NAT settings (please see <xref linkend="nat-adv-settings" /> for
920	details).</para>
921	</listitem>
922
923	<listitem>
924	<para><computeroutput>--nataliasmode<1-N>
925	default\|[log],[proxyonly],[sameports]</computeroutput>: This
926	option defines behaviour of NAT engine core: log - enables
927	logging, proxyonly - switches of aliasing mode makes NAT
928	transparent, sameports enforces NAT engine to send packets via
929	the same port as they originated on, default - disable all
930	mentioned modes above . (please see <xref
931	linkend="nat-adv-alias" /> for details).</para>
932	</listitem>
933	</itemizedlist></para>
934	</sect3>
935	</sect2>
936
937	<sect2 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm-other">
938	<title>Serial port, audio, clipboard and USB settings</title>
939
940	<para>The following other hardware settings are available through
941	<computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm</computeroutput>:<itemizedlist>
942	<listitem>
943	<para><computeroutput>--uart<1-N> off\|<I/O base>
944	<IRQ></computeroutput>: With this option you can configure
945	virtual serial ports for the VM; see <xref
946	linkend="serialports" /> for an introduction.</para>
947	</listitem>
948
949	<listitem>
950	<para><computeroutput>--uartmode<1-N>
951	<arg></computeroutput>: This setting controls how VirtualBox
952	connects a given virtual serial port (previously configured with
953	the <computeroutput>--uartX</computeroutput> setting, see above)
954	to the host on which the virtual machine is running. As described
955	in detail in <xref linkend="serialports" />, for each such port,
956	you can specify <computeroutput><arg></computeroutput> as
957	one of the following options:<itemizedlist>
958	<listitem>
959	<para><computeroutput>disconnected</computeroutput>: Even
960	though the serial port is shown to the guest, it has no
961	"other end" -- like a real COM port without a cable.</para>
962	</listitem>
963
964	<listitem>
965	<para><computeroutput>server
966	<pipename></computeroutput>: On a Windows host, this
967	tells VirtualBox to create a named pipe on the host named
968	<computeroutput><pipename></computeroutput> and
969	connect the virtual serial device to it. Note that Windows
970	requires that the name of a named pipe begin with
971	<computeroutput>\\.\pipe\</computeroutput>.</para>
972
973	<para>On a Linux host, instead of a named pipe, a local
974	domain socket is used.</para>
975	</listitem>
976
977	<listitem>
978	<para><computeroutput>client
979	<pipename></computeroutput>: This operates just like
980	<computeroutput>server ...</computeroutput>, except that the
981	pipe (or local domain socket) is not created by VirtualBox,
982	but assumed to exist already.</para>
983	</listitem>
984
985	<listitem>
986	<para><computeroutput><devicename></computeroutput>:
987	If, instead of the above, the device name of a physical
988	hardware serial port of the host is specified, the virtual
989	serial port is connected to that hardware port. On a Windows
990	host, the device name will be a COM port such as
991	<computeroutput>COM1</computeroutput>; on a Linux host, the
992	device name will look like
993	<computeroutput>/dev/ttyS0</computeroutput>. This allows you
994	to "wire" a real serial port to a virtual machine.</para>
995	</listitem>
996	</itemizedlist></para>
997	</listitem>
998
999	<listitem>
1000	<para><computeroutput>--audio none\|null\|oss</computeroutput>: With
1001	this option, you can set whether the VM should have audio
1002	support.</para>
1003	</listitem>
1004
1005	<listitem>
1006	<para><computeroutput>--clipboard
1007	disabled\|hosttoguest\|guesttohost\|bidirectional</computeroutput>:
1008	With this setting, you can select whether the guest operating
1009	system's clipboard should be shared with the host; see <xref
1010	linkend="generalsettings" />. This requires that the Guest
1011	Additions be installed in the virtual machine.</para>
1012	</listitem>
1013
1014	<listitem>
1015	<para><computeroutput>--monitorcount
1016	<count></computeroutput>: This enables multi-monitor
1017	support; see <xref linkend="settings-display" />.</para>
1018	</listitem>
1019
1020	<listitem>
1021	<para><computeroutput>--usb on\|off</computeroutput>: This option
1022	enables or disables the VM's virtual USB controller; see <xref
1023	linkend="settings-usb" /> for details.</para>
1024	</listitem>
1025
1026	<listitem>
1027	<para><computeroutput>--usbehci on\|off</computeroutput>: This
1028	option enables or disables the VM's virtual USB 2.0 controller;
1029	see <xref linkend="settings-usb" /> for details.</para>
1030	</listitem>
1031	</itemizedlist></para>
1032	</sect2>
1033
1034	<sect2 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm-vrde">
1035	<title>Remote machine settings</title>
1036
1037	<para>The following settings that affect remote machine behavior are
1038	available through <computeroutput>VBoxManage
1039	modifyvm</computeroutput>:<itemizedlist>
1040	<listitem>
1041	<para><computeroutput>--vrde on\|off</computeroutput>: With the
1042	VirtualBox graphical user interface, this enables or disables the
1043	VirtualBox remote desktop extension (VRDE) server. Note that if
1044	you are using <computeroutput>VBoxHeadless</computeroutput> (see
1045	<xref linkend="vboxheadless" />), VRDE is enabled by
1046	default.</para>
1047	</listitem>
1048
1049	<listitem>
1050	<para><computeroutput>--vrdeport
1051	default\|<ports></computeroutput>: A port or a range of ports
1052	the VRDE server can bind to; "default" or "0" means port 3389, the
1053	standard port for RDP. You can specify a comma-separated list of
1054	ports or ranges of ports. Use a dash between two port numbers to
1055	specify a range. The VRDE server will bind to <emphasis
1056	role="bold">one</emphasis> of available ports from the specified
1057	list. Only one machine can use a given port at a time. For
1058	example, the option <computeroutput> --vrdeport
1059	5000,5010-5012</computeroutput> will tell the server to bind to
1060	one of following ports: 5000, 5010, 5011 or 5012.</para>
1061	</listitem>
1062
1063	<listitem>
1064	<para><computeroutput>--vrdeaddress <IP
1065	address></computeroutput>: The IP address of the host network
1066	interface the VRDE server will bind to. If specified, the server
1067	will accept connections only on the specified host network
1068	interface.</para>
1069	<para>The setting can be used to specify whether the VRDP server
1070	should accept either IPv4 or IPv6 or both connections:
1071	<itemizedlist>
1072	<listitem>
1073	<para>only IPv4: <computeroutput>--vrdeaddress "0.0.0.0"
1074	</computeroutput></para>
1075	</listitem>
1076	<listitem>
1077	<para>only IPv6: <computeroutput>--vrdeaddress "::"
1078	</computeroutput></para>
1079	</listitem>
1080	<listitem>
1081	<para>both IPv6 and IPv4 (default): <computeroutput>--vrdeaddress ""
1082	</computeroutput></para>
1083	</listitem>
1084	</itemizedlist></para>
1085	</listitem>
1086
1087	<listitem>
1088	<para><computeroutput>--vrdeauthtype
1089	null\|external\|guest</computeroutput>: This allows you to choose
1090	whether and how authorization will be performed; see <xref
1091	linkend="vbox-auth" /> for details.</para>
1092	</listitem>
1093
1094	<listitem>
1095	<para><computeroutput>--vrdemulticon on\|off</computeroutput>: This
1096	enables multiple connections to the same VRDE server, if the
1097	server supports this feature; see <xref lang=""
1098	linkend="vrde-multiconnection" />.</para>
1099	</listitem>
1100
1101	<listitem>
1102	<para><computeroutput>--vrdereusecon on\|off</computeroutput>: This
1103	specifies the VRDE server behavior when multiple connections are
1104	disabled. When this option is enabled, the server will allow a new
1105	client to connect and will drop the existing connection. When this
1106	option is disabled (this is the default setting), a new connection
1107	will not be accepted if there is already a client connected to the
1108	server.</para>
1109	</listitem>
1110
1111	<listitem>
1112	<para><computeroutput>--vrdevideochannel on\|off</computeroutput>:
1113	This enables video redirection, if it is supported by the VRDE
1114	server; see <xref lang="" linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
1115	</listitem>
1116
1117	<listitem>
1118	<para><computeroutput>--vrdevideochannelquality
1119	<percent></computeroutput>: Sets the image quality for video
1120	redirection; see <xref lang=""
1121	linkend="vrde-videochannel" />.</para>
1122	</listitem>
1123	</itemizedlist></para>
1124	</sect2>
1125
1126	<sect2 id="vboxmanage-modifyvm-teleport">
1127	<title>Teleporting settings</title>
1128
1129	<para>With the following commands for <computeroutput>VBoxManage
1130	modifyvm</computeroutput> you can configure a machine to be a target for
1131	teleporting. See <xref linkend="teleporting" /> for an
1132	introduction.<itemizedlist>
1133	<listitem>
1134	<para><computeroutput>--teleporter on\|off</computeroutput>: With
1135	this setting you turn on or off whether a machine waits for a
1136	teleporting request to come in on the network when it is started.
1137	If "on", when the machine is started, it does not boot the virtual
1138	machine as it would normally; instead, it then waits for a
1139	teleporting request to come in on the port and address listed with
1140	the next two parameters.</para>
1141	</listitem>
1142
1143	<listitem>
1144	<para><computeroutput>--teleporterport
1145	<port></computeroutput>, <computeroutput>--teleporteraddress
1146	<address></computeroutput>: these must be used with
1147	--teleporter and tell the virtual machine on which port and
1148	address it should listen for a teleporting request from another
1149	virtual machine. <computeroutput><port></computeroutput> can
1150	be any free TCP/IP port number (e.g. 6000);
1151	<computeroutput><address></computeroutput> can be any IP
1152	address or hostname and specifies the TCP/IP socket to bind to.
1153	The default is "0.0.0.0", which means any address.</para>
1154	</listitem>
1155
1156	<listitem>
1157	<para><computeroutput>--teleporterpassword
1158	<password></computeroutput>: if this optional argument is
1159	given, then the teleporting request will only succeed if the
1160	source machine specifies the same password as the one given with
1161	this command.</para>
1162	</listitem>
1163
1164	<listitem>
1165	<para><computeroutput>--teleporterpasswordfile
1166	<password></computeroutput>: if this optional argument is
1167	given, then the teleporting request will only succeed if the
1168	source machine specifies the same password as the one specified
1169	in the file give with this command. Use <computeroutput>stdin</computeroutput>
1170	to read the password from stdin.</para>
1171	</listitem>
1172
1173	<listitem>
1174	<para><computeroutput>--cpuid <leaf> <eax> <ebx>
1175	<ecx> <edx></computeroutput>: Advanced users can use
1176	this command before a teleporting operation to restrict the
1177	virtual CPU capabilities that VirtualBox presents to the guest
1178	operating system. This must be run on both the source and the
1179	target machines involved in the teleporting and will then modify
1180	what the guest sees when it executes the
1181	<computeroutput>CPUID</computeroutput> machine instruction. This
1182	might help with misbehaving applications that wrongly assume that
1183	certain CPU capabilities are present. The meaning of the
1184	parameters is hardware dependent; please refer to the AMD or Intel
1185	processor manuals.</para>
1186	</listitem>
1187	</itemizedlist></para>
1188	</sect2>
1189	</sect1>
1190
1191	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-clonevm">
1192	<title>VBoxManage clonevm</title>
1193
1194	<para>This command creates a full or linked copy of an existing virtual
1195	machine.</para>
1196
1197	<para>The <computeroutput>clonevm</computeroutput> subcommand takes at
1198	least the name of the virtual machine which should be cloned. The following
1199	additional settings can be used to further configure the clone VM
1200	operation:</para>
1201
1202	<itemizedlist>
1203	<listitem>
1204	<para><computeroutput>--snapshot <uuid>\|<name></computeroutput>:
1205	Select a specific snapshot where the clone operation should refer
1206	to. Default is referring to the current state.</para>
1207	</listitem>
1208	<listitem>
1209	<para><computeroutput>--mode machine\|machineandchildren\|all</computeroutput>:
1210	Selects the cloning mode of the operation. If
1211	<computeroutput>machine</computeroutput> is selected (the default),
1212	the current state of the VM without any snapshots is cloned. In the
1213	<computeroutput>machineandchildren</computeroutput> mode the snapshot
1214	provided by <computeroutput>--snapshot</computeroutput> and all
1215	child snapshots are cloned. If <computeroutput>all</computeroutput>
1216	is the selected mode all snapshots and the current state are cloned.
1217	</para>
1218	</listitem>
1219	<listitem>
1220	<para><computeroutput>--options link\|keepallmacs\|keepnatmacs\|keepdisknames</computeroutput>:
1221	Allows additional fine tuning of the clone operation. The first
1222	option defines that a linked clone should be created, which is
1223	only possible for a machine clone from a snapshot. The next two
1224	options allow to define how the MAC addresses of every virtual
1225	network card should be handled. They can either be reinitialized
1226	(the default), left unchanged
1227	(<computeroutput>keepallmacs</computeroutput>) or left unchanged
1228	when the network type is NAT
1229	(<computeroutput>keepnatmacs</computeroutput>). If you add
1230	<computeroutput>keepdisknames</computeroutput> all new disk images
1231	are called like the original once, otherwise they are
1232	renamed.</para>
1233	</listitem>
1234	<listitem>
1235	<para><computeroutput>--name <name></computeroutput>: Select a
1236	new name for the new virtual machine. Default is "Original Name
1237	Clone".</para>
1238	</listitem>
1239	<listitem>
1240	<para><computeroutput>--basefolder <basefolder></computeroutput>:
1241	Select the folder where the new virtual machine configuration should
1242	be saved in.</para>
1243	</listitem>
1244	<listitem>
1245	<para><computeroutput>--uuid <uuid></computeroutput>:
1246	Select the UUID the new VM should have. This id has to be unique in
1247	the VirtualBox instance this clone should be registered. Default is
1248	creating a new UUID.</para>
1249	</listitem>
1250	<listitem>
1251	<para><computeroutput>--register</computeroutput>:
1252	Automatically register the new clone in this VirtualBox
1253	installation. If you manually want register the new VM later, see
1254	<xref linkend="vboxmanage-registervm" /> for instructions how to do
1255	so.</para>
1256	</listitem>
1257	</itemizedlist>
1258	</sect1>
1259
1260	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-import">
1261	<title>VBoxManage import</title>
1262
1263	<para>This command imports a virtual appliance in OVF format by copying
1264	the virtual disk images and creating virtual machines in VirtualBox. See
1265	<xref linkend="ovf" /> for an introduction to appliances.</para>
1266
1267	<para>The <computeroutput>import</computeroutput> subcommand takes at
1268	least the path name of an OVF file as input and expects the disk images,
1269	if needed, in the same directory as the OVF file. A lot of additional
1270	command-line options are supported to control in detail what is being
1271	imported and modify the import parameters, but the details depend on the
1272	content of the OVF file.</para>
1273
1274	<para>It is therefore recommended to first run the import subcommand with
1275	the <computeroutput>--dry-run</computeroutput> or
1276	<computeroutput>-n</computeroutput> option. This will then print a
1277	description of the appliance's contents to the screen how it would be
1278	imported into VirtualBox, together with the optional command-line options
1279	to influence the import behavior.</para>
1280
1281	<para>As an example, here is the screen output with a sample appliance
1282	containing a Windows XP guest:<screen>VBoxManage import WindowsXp.ovf --dry-run
1283	Interpreting WindowsXp.ovf...
1284	OK.
1285	Virtual system 0:
1286	0: Suggested OS type: "WindowsXP"
1287	(change with "--vsys 0 --ostype <type>"; use "list ostypes" to list all)
1288	1: Suggested VM name "Windows XP Professional_1"
1289	(change with "--vsys 0 --vmname <name>")
1290	3: Number of CPUs: 1
1291	(change with "--vsys 0 --cpus <n>")
1292	4: Guest memory: 956 MB (change with "--vsys 0 --memory <MB>")
1293	5: Sound card (appliance expects "ensoniq1371", can change on import)
1294	(disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 5 --ignore")
1295	6: USB controller
1296	(disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 6 --ignore")
1297	7: Network adapter: orig bridged, config 2, extra type=bridged
1298	8: Floppy
1299	(disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 8 --ignore")
1300	9: SCSI controller, type BusLogic
1301	(change with "--vsys 0 --unit 9 --scsitype {BusLogic\|LsiLogic}";
1302	disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 9 --ignore")
1303	10: IDE controller, type PIIX4
1304	(disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 10 --ignore")
1305	11: Hard disk image: source image=WindowsXp.vmdk,
1306	target path=/home/user/disks/WindowsXp.vmdk, controller=9;channel=0
1307	(change controller with "--vsys 0 --unit 11 --controller <id>";
1308	disable with "--vsys 0 --unit 11 --ignore")</screen></para>
1309
1310	<para>As you can see, the individual configuration items are numbered, and
1311	depending on their type support different command-line options. The import
1312	subcommand can be directed to ignore many such items with a
1313	<computeroutput>--vsys X --unit Y --ignore</computeroutput> option, where
1314	X is the number of the virtual system (zero unless there are several
1315	virtual system descriptions in the appliance) and Y the item number, as
1316	printed on the screen.</para>
1317
1318	<para>In the above example, Item #1 specifies the name of the target
1319	machine in VirtualBox. Items #9 and #10 specify hard disk controllers,
1320	respectively. Item #11 describes a hard disk image; in this case, the
1321	additional <computeroutput>--controller</computeroutput> option indicates
1322	which item the disk image should be connected to, with the default coming
1323	from the OVF file.</para>
1324
1325	<para>You can combine several items for the same virtual system behind the
1326	same <computeroutput>--vsys</computeroutput> option. For example, to
1327	import a machine as described in the OVF, but without the sound card and
1328	without the USB controller, and with the disk image connected to the IDE
1329	controller instead of the SCSI controller, use this:<screen>VBoxManage import WindowsXp.ovf
1330	--vsys 0 --unit 5 --ignore --unit 6 --ignore --unit 11 --controller 10</screen></para>
1331	</sect1>
1332
1333	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-export">
1334	<title>VBoxManage export</title>
1335
1336	<para>This command exports one or more virtual machines from VirtualBox
1337	into a virtual appliance in OVF format, including copying their virtual
1338	disk images to compressed VMDK. See <xref linkend="ovf" /> for an
1339	introduction to appliances.</para>
1340
1341	<para>The <computeroutput>export</computeroutput> command is simple to
1342	use: list the machine (or the machines) that you would like to export to
1343	the same OVF file and specify the target OVF file after an additional
1344	<computeroutput>--output</computeroutput> or
1345	<computeroutput>-o</computeroutput> option. Note that the directory of the
1346	target OVF file will also receive the exported disk images in the
1347	compressed VMDK format (regardless of the original format) and should have
1348	enough disk space left for them.</para>
1349
1350	<para>Beside a simple export of a given virtual machine, you can append
1351	several product information to the appliance file. Use
1352	<computeroutput>--product</computeroutput>,
1353	<computeroutput>--producturl</computeroutput>,
1354	<computeroutput>--vendor</computeroutput>,
1355	<computeroutput>--vendorurl</computeroutput> and
1356	<computeroutput>--version</computeroutput> to specify this additional
1357	information. For legal reasons you may add a license text or the content
1358	of a license file by using the <computeroutput>--eula</computeroutput> and
1359	<computeroutput>--eulafile</computeroutput> option respectively. As with
1360	OVF import, you must use the <computeroutput>--vsys X</computeroutput>
1361	option to direct the previously mentioned options to the correct virtual
1362	machine.</para>
1363
1364	<para>For virtualization products which aren't fully compatible with the
1365	OVF standard 1.0 you can enable a OVF 0.9 legacy mode with the
1366	<computeroutput>--legacy09</computeroutput> option.</para>
1367	</sect1>
1368
1369	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-startvm">
1370	<title>VBoxManage startvm</title>
1371
1372	<para>This command starts a virtual machine that is currently in the
1373	"Powered off" or "Saved" states.</para>
1374
1375	<para>The optional <computeroutput>--type</computeroutput> specifier
1376	determines whether the machine will be started in a window or whether the
1377	output should go through <computeroutput>VBoxHeadless</computeroutput>,
1378	with VRDE enabled or not; see <xref linkend="vboxheadless" /> for more
1379	information. The list of types is subject to change, and it's not
1380	guaranteed that all types are accepted by any product variant.</para>
1381
1382	<para>The global or per-VM default value for the VM frontend type will be
1383	taken if the type is not explicitly specified. If none of these are set,
1384	the GUI variant will be started.</para>
1385
1386	<para>The following values are allowed:</para>
1387
1388	<glosslist>
1389	<glossentry>
1390	<glossterm><computeroutput>gui</computeroutput></glossterm>
1391
1392	<glossdef>
1393	<para>Starts a VM showing a GUI window. This is the default.</para>
1394	</glossdef>
1395	</glossentry>
1396
1397	<glossentry>
1398	<glossterm><computeroutput>headless</computeroutput></glossterm>
1399
1400	<glossdef>
1401	<para>Starts a VM without a window for remote display only.</para>
1402	</glossdef>
1403	</glossentry>
1404
1405	<glossentry>
1406	<glossterm><computeroutput>sdl</computeroutput></glossterm>
1407
1408	<glossdef>
1409	<para>Starts a VM with a minimal GUI and limited features.</para>
1410	</glossdef>
1411	</glossentry>
1412	</glosslist>
1413
1414	<note>
1415	<para>If you experience problems with starting virtual machines with
1416	particular frontends and there is no conclusive error information,
1417	consider starting virtual machines directly by running the respective
1418	front-end, as this can give additional error information.</para>
1419	</note>
1420	</sect1>
1421
1422	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-controlvm">
1423	<title>VBoxManage controlvm</title>
1424
1425	<para>The <computeroutput>controlvm</computeroutput> subcommand allows you
1426	to change the state of a virtual machine that is currently running. The
1427	following can be specified:</para>
1428
1429	<para><itemizedlist>
1430	<listitem>
1431	<para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm <vm>
1432	pause</computeroutput> temporarily puts a virtual machine on hold,
1433	without changing its state for good. The VM window will be painted
1434	in gray to indicate that the VM is currently paused. (This is
1435	equivalent to selecting the "Pause" item in the "Machine" menu of
1436	the GUI.)</para>
1437	</listitem>
1438
1439	<listitem>
1440	<para>Use <computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm <vm>
1441	resume</computeroutput> to undo a previous
1442	<computeroutput>pause</computeroutput> command. (This is equivalent
1443	to selecting the "Resume" item in the "Machine" menu of the
1444	GUI.)</para>
1445	</listitem>
1446
1447	<listitem>
1448	<para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm <vm>
1449	reset</computeroutput> has the same effect on a virtual machine as
1450	pressing the "Reset" button on a real computer: a cold reboot of the
1451	virtual machine, which will restart and boot the guest operating
1452	system again immediately. The state of the VM is not saved
1453	beforehand, and data may be lost. (This is equivalent to selecting
1454	the "Reset" item in the "Machine" menu of the GUI.)</para>
1455	</listitem>
1456
1457	<listitem>
1458	<para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm <vm>
1459	poweroff</computeroutput> has the same effect on a virtual machine
1460	as pulling the power cable on a real computer. Again, the state of
1461	the VM is not saved beforehand, and data may be lost. (This is
1462	equivalent to selecting the "Close" item in the "Machine" menu of
1463	the GUI or pressing the window's close button, and then selecting
1464	"Power off the machine" in the dialog.)</para>
1465
1466	<para>After this, the VM's state will be "Powered off". From there,
1467	it can be started again; see <xref
1468	linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" />.</para>
1469	</listitem>
1470
1471	<listitem>
1472	<para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm <vm>
1473	savestate</computeroutput> will save the current state of the VM to
1474	disk and then stop the VM. (This is equivalent to selecting the
1475	"Close" item in the "Machine" menu of the GUI or pressing the
1476	window's close button, and then selecting "Save the machine state"
1477	in the dialog.)</para>
1478
1479	<para>After this, the VM's state will be "Saved". From there, it can
1480	be started again; see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" />.</para>
1481	</listitem>
1482
1483	<listitem>
1484	<para><computeroutput>VBoxManage controlvm "VM name" teleport
1485	--hostname <name> --port <port> [--passwordfile
1486	<file> \| --password <password>]</computeroutput> makes
1487	the machine the source of a teleporting operation and initiates a
1488	teleport to the given target. See <xref linkend="teleporting" /> for
1489	an introduction. If the optional password is specified, it must match
1490	the password that was given to the
1491	<computeroutput>modifyvm</computeroutput> command for the target
1492	machine; see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm-teleport" /> for
1493	details.</para>
1494	</listitem>
1495	</itemizedlist></para>
1496
1497	<para>A few extra options are available with
1498	<computeroutput>controlvm</computeroutput> that do not directly affect the
1499	VM's running state:</para>
1500
1501	<itemizedlist>
1502	<listitem>
1503	<para>The <computeroutput>setlinkstate<1-N></computeroutput>
1504	operation connects or disconnects virtual network cables from their
1505	network interfaces.</para>
1506	</listitem>
1507
1508	<listitem>
1509	<para><computeroutput>nic<1-N>
1510	null\|nat\|bridged\|intnet\|hostonly\|generic</computeroutput>: With this, you can
1511	set, for each of the VM's virtual network cards, what type of
1512	networking should be available. They can be not connected to the host
1513	(<computeroutput>null</computeroutput>), use network address
1514	translation (<computeroutput>nat</computeroutput>), bridged networking
1515	(<computeroutput>bridged</computeroutput>) or communicate with other
1516	virtual machines using internal networking
1517	(<computeroutput>intnet</computeroutput>) or host-only networking
1518	(<computeroutput>hostonly</computeroutput>) or access to rarely used
1519	sub-modes
1520	(<computeroutput>generic</computeroutput>). These options correspond
1521	to the modes which are described in detail in <xref
1522	linkend="networkingmodes" />.</para>
1523	</listitem>
1524
1525	<listitem>
1526	<para><computeroutput>usbattach</computeroutput> and
1527	<computeroutput>usbdettach</computeroutput> make host USB devices
1528	visible to the virtual machine on the fly, without the need for
1529	creating filters first. The USB devices can be specified by UUID
1530	(unique identifier) or by address on the host system.</para>
1531
1532	<para>You can use <computeroutput>VBoxManage list
1533	usbhost</computeroutput> to locate this information.</para>
1534	</listitem>
1535
1536	<listitem>
1537	<para><computeroutput>vrde on\|off</computeroutput> lets you enable or
1538	disable the VRDE server, if it is installed.</para>
1539	</listitem>
1540
1541	<listitem>
1542	<para><computeroutput>vrdeport default\|<ports></computeroutput>
1543	changes the port or a range of ports that the VRDE server can bind to;
1544	"default" or "0" means port 3389, the standard port for RDP. For
1545	details, see the description for the
1546	<computeroutput>--vrdeport</computeroutput> option in <xref
1547	linkend="vboxmanage-modifyvm-other" />.</para>
1548	</listitem>
1549
1550	<listitem>
1551	<para><computeroutput>setvideomodehint</computeroutput> requests that
1552	the guest system change to a particular video mode. This requires that
1553	the Guest Additions be installed, and will not work for all guest
1554	systems.</para>
1555	</listitem>
1556
1557	<listitem>
1558	<para><computeroutput>screenshotpng</computeroutput> takes a screenshot
1559	of the guest display and saves it in PNG format.</para>
1560	</listitem>
1561
1562	<listitem>
1563	<para>The <computeroutput>setcredentials</computeroutput> operation is
1564	used for remote logons in Windows guests. For details, please refer to
1565	<xref linkend="autologon" />.</para>
1566	</listitem>
1567
1568	<listitem>
1569	<para>The <computeroutput>guestmemoryballoon</computeroutput>
1570	operation changes the size of the guest memory balloon, that is,
1571	memory allocated by the VirtualBox Guest Additions from the guest
1572	operating system and returned to the hypervisor for re-use by other
1573	virtual machines. This must be specified in megabytes. For details,
1574	see <xref linkend="guestadd-balloon" />.</para>
1575	</listitem>
1576
1577	<listitem>
1578	<para>The <computeroutput>cpuexecutioncap
1579	<1-100></computeroutput>: This operation controls how much cpu
1580	time a virtual CPU can use. A value of 50 implies a single virtual CPU
1581	can use up to 50% of a single host CPU.</para>
1582	</listitem>
1583	</itemizedlist>
1584	</sect1>
1585
1586	<sect1>
1587	<title>VBoxManage discardstate</title>
1588
1589	<para>This command discards the saved state of a virtual machine which is
1590	not currently running, which will cause its operating system to restart
1591	next time you start it. This is the equivalent of pulling out the power
1592	cable on a physical machine, and should be avoided if possible.</para>
1593	</sect1>
1594
1595	<sect1>
1596	<title>VBoxManage adoptstate</title>
1597
1598	<para>If you have a saved state file (<computeroutput>.sav</computeroutput>)
1599	that is separate from the VM configuration, you can use this command to
1600	"adopt" the file. This will change the VM to saved state and when you
1601	start it, VirtualBox will attempt to restore it from the saved state file
1602	you indicated. This command should only be used in special setups.</para>
1603	</sect1>
1604
1605	<sect1>
1606	<title>VBoxManage snapshot</title>
1607
1608	<para>This command is used to control snapshots from the command line. A
1609	snapshot consists of a complete copy of the virtual machine settings,
1610	copied at the time when the snapshot was taken, and optionally a virtual
1611	machine saved state file if the snapshot was taken while the machine was
1612	running. After a snapshot has been taken, VirtualBox creates differencing
1613	hard disk for each normal hard disk associated with the machine so that
1614	when a snapshot is restored, the contents of the virtual machine's virtual
1615	hard disks can be quickly reset by simply dropping the pre-existing
1616	differencing files.</para>
1617
1618	<para>The <computeroutput>take</computeroutput> operation takes a snapshot
1619	of the current state of the virtual machine. You must supply a name for
1620	the snapshot and can optionally supply a description. The new snapshot is
1621	inserted into the snapshots tree as a child of the current snapshot and
1622	then becomes the new current snapshot. The
1623	<computeroutput>--description</computeroutput> parameter allows to
1624	describe the snapshot. If <computeroutput>--live</computeroutput>
1625	is specified, the VM will not be stopped during the snapshot creation
1626	(live smapshotting).</para>
1627
1628	<para>The <computeroutput>delete</computeroutput> operation deletes a
1629	snapshot (specified by name or by UUID). This can take a while to finish
1630	since the differencing images associated with the snapshot might need to
1631	be merged with their child differencing images.</para>
1632
1633	<para>The <computeroutput>restore</computeroutput> operation will restore
1634	the given snapshot (specified by name or by UUID) by resetting the virtual
1635	machine's settings and current state to that of the snapshot. The previous
1636	current state of the machine will be lost. After this, the given snapshot
1637	becomes the new "current" snapshot so that subsequent snapshots are
1638	inserted under the snapshot from which was restored.</para>
1639
1640	<para>The <computeroutput>restorecurrent</computeroutput> operation is a
1641	shortcut to restore the current snapshot (i.e. the snapshot from which the
1642	current state is derived). This subcommand is equivalent to using the
1643	"restore" subcommand with the name or UUID of the current snapshot, except
1644	that it avoids the extra step of determining that name or UUID.</para>
1645
1646	<para>With the <computeroutput>edit</computeroutput> operation, you can
1647	change the name or description of an existing snapshot.</para>
1648
1649	<para>With the <computeroutput>showvminfo</computeroutput> operation, you
1650	can view the virtual machine settings that were stored with an existing
1651	snapshot.</para>
1652	</sect1>
1653
1654	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-closemedium">
1655	<title>VBoxManage closemedium</title>
1656
1657	<para>This commands removes a hard disk, DVD or floppy image from a
1658	VirtualBox media registry.<footnote>
1659	<para>Before VirtualBox 4.0, it was necessary to call VBoxManage
1660	openmedium before a medium could be attached to a virtual machine;
1661	that call "registered" the medium with the global VirtualBox media
1662	registry. With VirtualBox 4.0 this is no longer necessary; media are
1663	added to media registries automatically. The "closemedium" call has
1664	been retained, however, to allow for explicitly removing a medium from
1665	a registry.</para>
1666	</footnote></para>
1667
1668	<para>Optionally, you can request that the image be deleted. You will get
1669	appropriate diagnostics that the deletion failed, however the image will
1670	become unregistered in any case.</para>
1671	</sect1>
1672
1673	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-storageattach">
1674	<title>VBoxManage storageattach</title>
1675
1676	<para>This command attaches/modifies/removes a storage medium connected to
1677	a storage controller that was previously added with the
1678	<computeroutput>storagectl</computeroutput> command (see the previous
1679	section). The syntax is as follows:</para>
1680
1681	<screen>VBoxManage storageattach <uuid\|vmname>
1682	--storagectl <name>
1683	[--port <number>]
1684	[--device <number>]
1685	[--type dvddrive\|hdd\|fdd]
1686	[--medium none\|emptydrive\|
1687	<uuid>\|<filename>\|host:<drive>\|iscsi]
1688	[--mtype normal\|writethrough\|immutable\|shareable]
1689	[--comment <text>]
1690	[--setuuid <uuid>]
1691	[--setparentuuid <uuid>]
1692	[--passthrough on\|off]
1693	[--tempeject on\|off]
1694	[--nonrotational on\|off]
1695	[--discard on\|off]
1696	[--bandwidthgroup name\|none]
1697	[--forceunmount]
1698	[--server <name>\|<ip>]
1699	[--target <target>]
1700	[--tport <port>]
1701	[--lun <lun>]
1702	[--encodedlun <lun>]
1703	[--username <username>]
1704	[--password <password>]
1705	[--initiator <initiator>]
1706	[--intnet]
1707	</screen>
1708
1709	<para>A number of parameters are commonly required; the ones at the end of
1710	the list are required only for iSCSI targets (see below).</para>
1711
1712	<para>The common parameters are:<glosslist>
1713	<glossentry>
1714	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
1715
1716	<glossdef>
1717	<para>The VM UUID or VM Name. Mandatory.</para>
1718	</glossdef>
1719	</glossentry>
1720
1721	<glossentry>
1722	<glossterm><computeroutput>--storagectl</computeroutput></glossterm>
1723
1724	<glossdef>
1725	<para>Name of the storage controller. Mandatory. The list of the
1726	storage controllers currently attached to a VM can be obtained
1727	with <computeroutput>VBoxManage showvminfo</computeroutput>; see
1728	<xref linkend="vboxmanage-showvminfo" />.</para>
1729	</glossdef>
1730	</glossentry>
1731
1732	<glossentry>
1733	<glossterm><computeroutput>--port</computeroutput></glossterm>
1734
1735	<glossdef>
1736	<para>The number of the storage controller's port which is to be
1737	modified. Mandatory, unless the storage controller has only a
1738	single port.</para>
1739	</glossdef>
1740	</glossentry>
1741
1742	<glossentry>
1743	<glossterm><computeroutput>--device</computeroutput></glossterm>
1744
1745	<glossdef>
1746	<para>The number of the port's device which is to be modified.
1747	Mandatory, unless the storage controller has only a single device
1748	per port.</para>
1749	</glossdef>
1750	</glossentry>
1751
1752	<glossentry>
1753	<glossterm><computeroutput>--type</computeroutput></glossterm>
1754
1755	<glossdef>
1756	<para>Define the type of the drive to which the medium is being
1757	attached/detached/modified. This argument can only be omitted if
1758	the type of medium can be determined from either the medium given
1759	with the <computeroutput>--medium</computeroutput> argument or
1760	from a previous medium attachment.</para>
1761	</glossdef>
1762	</glossentry>
1763
1764	<glossentry>
1765	<glossterm><computeroutput>--medium</computeroutput></glossterm>
1766
1767	<glossdef>
1768	<para>Specifies what is to be attached. The following values are
1769	supported:<itemizedlist>
1770	<listitem>
1771	<para>"none": Any existing device should be removed from the
1772	given slot.</para>
1773	</listitem>
1774
1775	<listitem>
1776	<para>"emptydrive": For a virtual DVD or floppy drive only,
1777	this makes the device slot behaves like a removeable drive
1778	into which no media has been inserted.</para>
1779	</listitem>
1780
1781	<listitem>
1782	<para>"additions": For a virtual DVD drive only, this
1783	attaches the <emphasis>VirtualBox Guest Additions</emphasis>
1784	image to the given device slot.</para>
1785	</listitem>
1786
1787	<listitem>
1788	<para>If a UUID is specified, it must be the UUID of a
1789	storage medium that is already known to VirtualBox (e.g.
1790	because it has been attached to another virtual machine).
1791	See <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" /> for how to list known
1792	media. This medium is then attached to the given device
1793	slot.</para>
1794	</listitem>
1795
1796	<listitem>
1797	<para>If a filename is specified, it must be the full path
1798	of an existing disk image (ISO, RAW, VDI, VMDK or other),
1799	which is then attached to the given device slot.</para>
1800	</listitem>
1801
1802	<listitem>
1803	<para>"host:<drive>": For a virtual DVD or floppy
1804	drive only, this connects the given device slot to the
1805	specified DVD or floppy drive on the host computer.</para>
1806	</listitem>
1807
1808	<listitem>
1809	<para>"iscsi": For virtual hard disks only, this allows for
1810	specifying an iSCSI target. In this case, more parameters
1811	must be given; see below.</para>
1812	</listitem>
1813	</itemizedlist></para>
1814
1815	<para>Some of the above changes, in particular for removeable
1816	media (floppies and CDs/DVDs), can be effected while a VM is
1817	running. Others (device changes or changes in hard disk device
1818	slots) require the VM to be powered off.</para>
1819	</glossdef>
1820	</glossentry>
1821
1822	<glossentry>
1823	<glossterm><computeroutput>--mtype</computeroutput></glossterm>
1824
1825	<glossdef>
1826	<para>Defines how this medium behaves with respect to snapshots
1827	and write operations. See <xref linkend="hdimagewrites" /> for
1828	details.</para>
1829	</glossdef>
1830	</glossentry>
1831
1832	<glossentry>
1833	<glossterm><computeroutput>--comment</computeroutput></glossterm>
1834
1835	<glossdef>
1836	<para>Any description that you want to have stored with this
1837	medium (optional; for example, for an iSCSI target, "Big storage
1838	server downstairs"). This is purely descriptive and not needed for
1839	the medium to function correctly.</para>
1840	</glossdef>
1841	</glossentry>
1842
1843	<glossentry>
1844	<glossterm><computeroutput>--setuuid, --setparentuuid</computeroutput></glossterm>
1845
1846	<glossdef>
1847	<para>Modifies the UUID or parent UUID of a medium before
1848	attaching it to a VM. This is an expert option. Inappropriate use
1849	can make the medium unusable or lead to broken VM configurations
1850	if any other VM is referring to the same media already. The most
1851	frequently used variant is <code>--setuuid ""</code>, which assigns
1852	a new (random) UUID to an image. This is useful to resolve the
1853	duplicate UUID errors if one duplicated an image using file copy
1854	utilities.</para>
1855	</glossdef>
1856	</glossentry>
1857
1858	<glossentry>
1859	<glossterm><computeroutput>--passthrough</computeroutput></glossterm>
1860
1861	<glossdef>
1862	<para>For a virtual DVD drive only, you can enable DVD writing
1863	support (currently experimental; see <xref
1864	linkend="storage-cds" />).</para>
1865	</glossdef>
1866	</glossentry>
1867
1868	<glossentry>
1869	<glossterm><computeroutput>--tempeject</computeroutput></glossterm>
1870
1871	<glossdef>
1872	<para>For a virtual DVD drive only, you can configure the behavior
1873	for guest-triggered medium eject. If this is set to "on", the eject
1874	has only temporary effects. If the VM is powered off and restarted
1875	the originally configured medium will be still in the drive.</para>
1876	</glossdef>
1877	</glossentry>
1878
1879	<glossentry>
1880	<glossterm><computeroutput>--nonrotational</computeroutput></glossterm>
1881
1882	<glossdef>
1883	<para>This switch allows to enable the non-rotational flag for virtual
1884	hard disks. Some guests (i.e. Windows 7+) treat such disks like SSDs
1885	and don't perform disk fragmentation on such media.
1886	</para>
1887	</glossdef>
1888	</glossentry>
1889
1890	<glossentry>
1891	<glossterm><computeroutput>--bandwidthgroup</computeroutput></glossterm>
1892
1893	<glossdef>
1894	<para>Sets the bandwidth group to use for the given device; see
1895	<xref linkend="storage-bandwidth-limit" />.</para>
1896	</glossdef>
1897	</glossentry>
1898
1899	<glossentry>
1900	<glossterm><computeroutput>--forceunmount</computeroutput></glossterm>
1901
1902	<glossdef>
1903	<para>For a virtual DVD or floppy drive only, this forcibly
1904	unmounts the DVD/CD/Floppy or mounts a new DVD/CD/Floppy even if
1905	the previous one is locked down by the guest for reading. Again,
1906	see <xref linkend="storage-cds" /> for details.</para>
1907	</glossdef>
1908	</glossentry>
1909	</glosslist></para>
1910
1911	<para>When "iscsi" is used with the
1912	<computeroutput>--medium</computeroutput> parameter for iSCSI support --
1913	see <xref linkend="storage-iscsi" /> --, additional parameters must or can
1914	be used:<glosslist>
1915	<glossentry>
1916	<glossterm><computeroutput>--server</computeroutput></glossterm>
1917
1918	<glossdef>
1919	<para>The host name or IP address of the iSCSI target;
1920	required.</para>
1921	</glossdef>
1922	</glossentry>
1923
1924	<glossentry>
1925	<glossterm><computeroutput>--target</computeroutput></glossterm>
1926
1927	<glossdef>
1928	<para>Target name string. This is determined by the iSCSI target
1929	and used to identify the storage resource; required.</para>
1930	</glossdef>
1931	</glossentry>
1932
1933	<glossentry>
1934	<glossterm><computeroutput>--tport</computeroutput></glossterm>
1935
1936	<glossdef>
1937	<para>TCP/IP port number of the iSCSI service on the target
1938	(optional).</para>
1939	</glossdef>
1940	</glossentry>
1941
1942	<glossentry>
1943	<glossterm><computeroutput>--lun</computeroutput></glossterm>
1944
1945	<glossdef>
1946	<para>Logical Unit Number of the target resource (optional).
1947	Often, this value is zero.</para>
1948	</glossdef>
1949	</glossentry>
1950
1951	<glossentry>
1952	<glossterm><computeroutput>--username, --password</computeroutput></glossterm>
1953
1954	<glossdef>
1955	<para>Username and password (initiator secret) for target
1956	authentication, if required (optional).<note>
1957	<para>Username and password are stored without
1958	encryption (i.e. in clear text) in the XML machine
1959	configuration file if no settings password is provided.
1960	When a settings password was specified the first time,
1961	the password is stored encrypted.</para>
1962	</note></para>
1963	</glossdef>
1964	</glossentry>
1965
1966	<glossentry>
1967	<glossterm><computeroutput>--intnet</computeroutput></glossterm>
1968
1969	<glossdef>
1970	<para>If specified, connect to the iSCSI target via Internal
1971	Networking. This needs further configuration which is described in
1972	<xref linkend="iscsi-intnet" />.</para>
1973	</glossdef>
1974	</glossentry>
1975	</glosslist></para>
1976	</sect1>
1977
1978	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-storagectl">
1979	<title>VBoxManage storagectl</title>
1980
1981	<para>This command attaches/modifies/removes a storage controller. After
1982	this, virtual media can be attached to the controller with the
1983	<computeroutput>storageattach</computeroutput> command (see the next
1984	section).</para>
1985
1986	<para>The syntax is as follows:</para>
1987
1988	<screen>VBoxManage storagectl <uuid\|vmname>
1989	--name <name>
1990	[--add <ide/sata/scsi/floppy>]
1991	[--controller <LsiLogic\|LSILogicSAS\|BusLogic\|
1992	IntelAhci\|PIIX3\|PIIX4\|ICH6\|I82078>]
1993	[--sataportcount <1-30>]
1994	[--hostiocache on\|off]
1995	[--bootable on\|off]
1996	[--remove]</screen>
1997
1998	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
1999	<glossentry>
2000	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
2001
2002	<glossdef>
2003	<para>The VM UUID or VM Name. Mandatory.</para>
2004	</glossdef>
2005	</glossentry>
2006
2007	<glossentry>
2008	<glossterm><computeroutput>--name</computeroutput></glossterm>
2009
2010	<glossdef>
2011	<para>Name of the storage controller. Mandatory.</para>
2012	</glossdef>
2013	</glossentry>
2014
2015	<glossentry>
2016	<glossterm><computeroutput>--add</computeroutput></glossterm>
2017
2018	<glossdef>
2019	<para>Define the type of the system bus to which the storage
2020	controller must be connected.</para>
2021	</glossdef>
2022	</glossentry>
2023
2024	<glossentry>
2025	<glossterm><computeroutput>--controller</computeroutput></glossterm>
2026
2027	<glossdef>
2028	<para>Allows to choose the type of chipset being emulated for the
2029	given storage controller.</para>
2030	</glossdef>
2031	</glossentry>
2032
2033	<glossentry>
2034	<glossterm><computeroutput>--sataportcount</computeroutput></glossterm>
2035
2036	<glossdef>
2037	<para>This determines how many ports the SATA controller should
2038	support.</para>
2039	</glossdef>
2040	</glossentry>
2041
2042	<glossentry>
2043	<glossterm><computeroutput>--hostiocache</computeroutput></glossterm>
2044
2045	<glossdef>
2046	<para>Configures the use of the host I/O cache for all disk images
2047	attached to this storage controller. For details, please see <xref
2048	linkend="iocaching" />.</para>
2049	</glossdef>
2050	</glossentry>
2051
2052	<glossentry>
2053	<glossterm><computeroutput>--bootable</computeroutput></glossterm>
2054
2055	<glossdef>
2056	<para>Selects whether this controller is bootable.</para>
2057	</glossdef>
2058	</glossentry>
2059
2060	<glossentry>
2061	<glossterm><computeroutput>--remove</computeroutput></glossterm>
2062
2063	<glossdef>
2064	<para>Removes the storage controller from the VM config.</para>
2065	</glossdef>
2066	</glossentry>
2067	</glosslist></para>
2068	</sect1>
2069
2070	<sect1>
2071	<title>VBoxManage bandwidthctl</title>
2072
2073	<para>This command creates/deletes/modifies/shows bandwidth groups of the given
2074	virtual machine:<screen>VBoxManage bandwidthctl <uuid\|vmname>
2075	add <name> --type disk\|network --limit <megabytes per second>[k\|m\|g\|K\|M\|G] \|
2076	set <name> --limit <megabytes per second>[k\|m\|g\|K\|M\|G] \|
2077	remove <name> \|
2078	list [--machinereadable]</screen></para>
2079
2080	<para>The following subcommands are available:<itemizedlist>
2081	<listitem>
2082	<para><computeroutput>add</computeroutput>, creates a new bandwidth
2083	group of given type.</para>
2084	</listitem>
2085	<listitem>
2086	<para><computeroutput>set</computeroutput>, modifies the limit for an
2087	existing bandwidth group.</para>
2088	</listitem>
2089	<listitem>
2090	<para><computeroutput>remove</computeroutput>, destroys a bandwidth
2091	group.</para>
2092	</listitem>
2093	<listitem>
2094	<para><computeroutput>list</computeroutput>, shows all bandwidth groups
2095	defined for the given VM.</para>
2096	</listitem>
2097	</itemizedlist>
2098	</para>
2099	<para>The parameters mean:<glosslist>
2100	<glossentry>
2101	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
2102
2103	<glossdef>
2104	<para>The VM UUID or VM Name. Mandatory.</para>
2105	</glossdef>
2106	</glossentry>
2107
2108	<glossentry>
2109	<glossterm><computeroutput>--name</computeroutput></glossterm>
2110
2111	<glossdef>
2112	<para>Name of the bandwidth group. Mandatory.</para>
2113	</glossdef>
2114	</glossentry>
2115
2116	<glossentry>
2117	<glossterm><computeroutput>--type</computeroutput></glossterm>
2118
2119	<glossdef>
2120	<para>Type of the bandwidth group. Mandatory. Two types are
2121	supported: <computeroutput>disk</computeroutput> and
2122	<computeroutput>network</computeroutput>. See
2123	<xref linkend="storage-bandwidth-limit" /> or
2124	<xref linkend="network_bandwidth_limit" /> for a description of a
2125	particular type.</para>
2126	</glossdef>
2127	</glossentry>
2128
2129	<glossentry>
2130	<glossterm><computeroutput>--limit</computeroutput></glossterm>
2131
2132	<glossdef>
2133	<para>Specifies the limit for the given group. Can be changed
2134	while the VM is running. The default unit is megabytes per
2135	second. The unit can be changed by specifying one of the
2136	following suffixes: <computeroutput>k</computeroutput> for kilobits/s, <computeroutput>m</computeroutput> for megabits/s, <computeroutput>g</computeroutput> for gigabits/s, <computeroutput>K</computeroutput> for kilobytes/s, <computeroutput>M</computeroutput> for megabytes/s, <computeroutput>G</computeroutput> for gigabytes/s.</para>
2137	</glossdef>
2138	</glossentry>
2139	</glosslist>
2140	<note>
2141	<para>The network bandwidth limits apply only to the traffic being sent by
2142	virtual machines. The traffic being received by VMs is unlimited.</para>
2143	</note>
2144	<note>
2145	<para>To remove a bandwidth group it must not be referenced by any disks
2146	or adapters in running VM.</para>
2147	</note>
2148	</para>
2149	</sect1>
2150
2151	<sect1>
2152	<title>VBoxManage showhdinfo</title>
2153
2154	<para>This command shows information about a virtual hard disk image,
2155	notably its size, its size on disk, its type and the virtual machines
2156	which use it.<note>
2157	<para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the
2158	"showvdiinfo" command is also supported and mapped internally to the
2159	"showhdinfo" command.</para>
2160	</note></para>
2161	<para>The disk image must be specified either by its UUID (if the medium
2162	is registered) or by its filename. Registered images can be listed by
2163	<computeroutput>VBoxManage list hdds</computeroutput> (see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" />
2164	for more information). A filename must be specified as valid path, either
2165	as an absolute path or as a relative path starting from the current
2166	directory.</para>
2167	</sect1>
2168
2169	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-createvdi">
2170	<title>VBoxManage createhd</title>
2171
2172	<para>This command creates a new virtual hard disk image. The syntax is as
2173	follows:</para>
2174
2175	<screen>VBoxManage createhd --filename <filename>
2176	--size <megabytes>
2177	[--format VDI\|VMDK\|VHD] (default: VDI)
2178	[--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX]</screen>
2179
2180	<para>where the parameters mean:<glosslist>
2181	<glossentry>
2182	<glossterm><computeroutput>--filename</computeroutput></glossterm>
2183
2184	<glossdef>
2185	<para>Allows to choose a file name. Mandatory.</para>
2186	</glossdef>
2187	</glossentry>
2188
2189	<glossentry>
2190	<glossterm><computeroutput>--size</computeroutput></glossterm>
2191
2192	<glossdef>
2193	<para>Allows to define the image capacity, in 1 MiB units.
2194	Mandatory.</para>
2195	</glossdef>
2196	</glossentry>
2197
2198	<glossentry>
2199	<glossterm><computeroutput>--format</computeroutput></glossterm>
2200
2201	<glossdef>
2202	<para>Allows to choose a file format for the output file different
2203	from the file format of the input file.</para>
2204	</glossdef>
2205	</glossentry>
2206
2207	<glossentry>
2208	<glossterm><computeroutput>--variant</computeroutput></glossterm>
2209
2210	<glossdef>
2211	<para>Allows to choose a file format variant for the output file.
2212	It is a comma-separated list of variant flags. Not all
2213	combinations are supported, and specifying inconsistent flags will
2214	result in an error message.</para>
2215	</glossdef>
2216	</glossentry>
2217	</glosslist> <note>
2218	<para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the
2219	"createvdi" command is also supported and mapped internally to the
2220	"createhd" command.</para>
2221	</note></para>
2222	</sect1>
2223
2224	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-modifyvdi">
2225	<title>VBoxManage modifyhd</title>
2226
2227	<para>With the <computeroutput>modifyhd</computeroutput> command, you can
2228	change the characteristics of a disk image after it has been
2229	created:<screen>VBoxManage modifyhd <uuid\|filename>
2230	[--type normal\|writethrough\|immutable\|shareable\|
2231	readonly\|multiattach]
2232	[--autoreset on\|off]
2233	[--compact]
2234	[--resize <megabytes>\|--resizebyte <bytes>]</screen><note>
2235	<para>Despite the "hd" in the subcommand name, the command works with
2236	all disk images, not only hard disks. For compatibility with earlier
2237	versions of VirtualBox, the "modifyvdi" command is also supported and
2238	mapped internally to the "modifyhd" command.</para>
2239	</note></para>
2240
2241	<para>The disk image to modify must be specified either by its UUID
2242	(if the medium is registered) or by its filename. Registered images
2243	can be listed by <computeroutput>VBoxManage list hdds</computeroutput>
2244	(see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" /> for more information).
2245	A filename must be specified as valid path, either as an absolute path
2246	or as a relative path starting from the current directory.</para>
2247	<para>The following options are available:<itemizedlist>
2248	<listitem>
2249	<para>With the <computeroutput>--type</computeroutput> argument, you
2250	can change the type of an existing image between the normal,
2251	immutable, write-through and other modes; see <xref
2252	linkend="hdimagewrites" /> for details.</para>
2253	</listitem>
2254
2255	<listitem>
2256	<para>For immutable (differencing) hard disks only, the
2257	<computeroutput>--autoreset on\|off</computeroutput> option
2258	determines whether the disk is automatically reset on every VM
2259	startup (again, see <xref linkend="hdimagewrites" />). The default
2260	is "on".</para>
2261	</listitem>
2262
2263	<listitem>
2264	<para>With the <computeroutput>--compact</computeroutput> option,
2265	can be used to compact disk images, i.e. remove blocks that only
2266	contains zeroes. This will shrink a dynamically allocated image
2267	again; it will reduce the <emphasis>physical</emphasis> size of the
2268	image without affecting the logical size of the virtual disk.
2269	Compaction works both for base images and for diff images created as
2270	part of a snapshot.</para>
2271
2272	<para>For this operation to be effective, it is required that free
2273	space in the guest system first be zeroed out using a suitable
2274	software tool. For Windows guests, you can use the
2275	<computeroutput>sdelete</computeroutput> tool provided by Microsoft.
2276	Execute <computeroutput>sdelete -z</computeroutput> in the guest to
2277	zero the free disk space before compressing the virtual disk
2278	image. For Linux, use the <code>zerofree</code> utility which
2279	supports ext2/ext3 filesystems. For Mac OS X guests, use the
2280	<emphasis>Erase Free Space</emphasis> feature of the built-in
2281	<emphasis>Disk Utility</emphasis>. Use
2282	<emphasis>Zero Out Data</emphasis> there.</para>
2283
2284	<para>Please note that compacting is currently only available for
2285	VDI images. A similar effect can be achieved by zeroing out free
2286	blocks and then cloning the disk to any other dynamically allocated
2287	format. You can use this workaround until compacting is also
2288	supported for disk formats other than VDI.</para>
2289	</listitem>
2290
2291	<listitem>
2292	<para>The <computeroutput>--resize x</computeroutput> option (where x
2293	is the desired new total space in <emphasis role="bold">megabytes</emphasis>)
2294	allows you to change the capacity of an existing image; this adjusts the
2295	<emphasis>logical</emphasis> size of a virtual disk without affecting
2296	the physical size much.<footnote>
2297	<para>Image resizing was added with VirtualBox 4.0.</para>
2298	</footnote> This currently works only for VDI and VHD formats, and only
2299	for the dynamically allocated variants, and can only be used to expand
2300	(not shrink) the capacity.
2301	For example, if you originally created a 10G disk which is now full,
2302	you can use the <computeroutput>--resize 15360</computeroutput>
2303	command to change the capacity to 15G (15,360MB) without having to create a new
2304	image and copy all data from within a virtual machine. Note however that
2305	this only changes the drive capacity; you will typically next need to use
2306	a partition management tool inside the guest to adjust the main partition
2307	to fill the drive.</para><para>The <computeroutput>--resizebyte x</computeroutput>
2308	option does almost the same thing, except that x is expressed in bytes
2309	instead of megabytes.</para>
2310	</listitem>
2311	</itemizedlist></para>
2312	</sect1>
2313
2314	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-clonevdi">
2315	<title>VBoxManage clonehd</title>
2316
2317	<para>This command duplicates a registered virtual hard disk image to a
2318	new image file with a new unique identifier (UUID). The new image can be
2319	transferred to another host system or imported into VirtualBox again using
2320	the Virtual Media Manager; see <xref linkend="vdis" /> and <xref
2321	linkend="cloningvdis" />. The syntax is as follows:</para>
2322
2323	<screen>VBoxManage clonehd <uuid\|inutfile> <uuid\|outputfile>
2324	[--format VDI\|VMDK\|VHD\|RAW\|<other>]
2325	[--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX]
2326	[--existing]</screen>
2327
2328	<para>The disk image to clone as well as the target image must be described
2329	either by its UUIDs (if the mediums are registered) or by its filename.
2330	Registered images can be listed by <computeroutput>VBoxManage list hdds</computeroutput>
2331	(see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" /> for more information).
2332	A filename must be specified as valid path, either as an absolute path or
2333	as a relative path starting from the current directory.</para>
2334	<para>The following options are available:<glosslist>
2335	<glossentry>
2336	<glossterm><computeroutput>--format</computeroutput></glossterm>
2337
2338	<glossdef>
2339	<para>Allow to choose a file format for the output file different
2340	from the file format of the input file.</para>
2341	</glossdef>
2342	</glossentry>
2343
2344	<glossentry>
2345	<glossterm><computeroutput>--variant</computeroutput></glossterm>
2346
2347	<glossdef>
2348	<para>Allow to choose a file format variant for the output file.
2349	It is a comma-separated list of variant flags. Not all
2350	combinations are supported, and specifying inconsistent flags will
2351	result in an error message.</para>
2352	</glossdef>
2353	</glossentry>
2354
2355	<glossentry>
2356	<glossterm><computeroutput>--existing</computeroutput></glossterm>
2357
2358	<glossdef>
2359	<para>Perform the clone operation to an already existing
2360	destination medium. Only the portion of the source medium which
2361	fits into the destination medium is copied. This means if the
2362	destination medium is smaller than the source only a part of it is
2363	copied, and if the destination medium is larger than the source
2364	the remaining part of the destination medium is unchanged.</para>
2365	</glossdef>
2366	</glossentry>
2367	</glosslist> <note>
2368	<para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the
2369	"clonevdi" command is also supported and mapped internally to the
2370	"clonehd" command.</para>
2371	</note></para>
2372	</sect1>
2373
2374	<sect1>
2375	<title>VBoxManage convertfromraw</title>
2376
2377	<para>This command converts a raw disk image to a VirtualBox Disk Image
2378	(VDI) file. The syntax is as follows:</para>
2379
2380	<screen>VBoxManage convertfromraw <filename> <outputfile>
2381	[--format VDI\|VMDK\|VHD]
2382	[--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX]
2383	[--uuid <uuid>]
2384	VBoxManage convertfromraw stdin <outputfile> <bytes>
2385	[--format VDI\|VMDK\|VHD]
2386	[--variant Standard,Fixed,Split2G,Stream,ESX]
2387	[--uuid <uuid>]</screen>
2388
2389	<para>where the parameters mean:<glosslist>
2390	<glossentry>
2391	<glossterm><computeroutput>--bytes</computeroutput></glossterm>
2392
2393	<glossdef>
2394	<para>The size of the image file, in bytes, provided through
2395	stdin.</para>
2396	</glossdef>
2397	</glossentry>
2398
2399	<glossentry>
2400	<glossterm><computeroutput>--format</computeroutput></glossterm>
2401
2402	<glossdef>
2403	<para>Select the disk image format to create. Default is
2404	VDI.</para>
2405	</glossdef>
2406	</glossentry>
2407
2408	<glossentry>
2409	<glossterm><computeroutput>--variant</computeroutput></glossterm>
2410
2411	<glossdef>
2412	<para>Allow to choose a file format variant for the output file.
2413	It is a comma-separated list of variant flags. Not all
2414	combinations are supported, and specifying inconsistent flags will
2415	result in an error message.</para>
2416	</glossdef>
2417	</glossentry>
2418
2419	<glossentry>
2420	<glossterm><computeroutput>--uuid</computeroutput></glossterm>
2421
2422	<glossdef>
2423	<para>Allow to specifiy the UUID of the output file.</para>
2424	</glossdef>
2425	</glossentry>
2426	</glosslist> The second form forces VBoxManage to read the content for
2427	the disk image from standard input (useful for using that command in a
2428	pipe).</para>
2429
2430	<para><note>
2431	<para>For compatibility with earlier versions of VirtualBox, the
2432	"convertdd" command is also supported and mapped internally to the
2433	"convertfromraw" command.</para>
2434	</note></para>
2435	</sect1>
2436
2437	<sect1>
2438	<title>VBoxManage getextradata/setextradata</title>
2439
2440	<para>These commands let you attach and retrieve string data to a virtual
2441	machine or to a VirtualBox configuration (by specifying
2442	<computeroutput>global</computeroutput> instead of a virtual machine
2443	name). You must specify a key (as a text string) to associate the data
2444	with, which you can later use to retrieve it. For example:</para>
2445
2446	<screen>VBoxManage setextradata Fedora5 installdate 2006.01.01
2447	VBoxManage setextradata SUSE10 installdate 2006.02.02</screen>
2448
2449	<para>would associate the string "2006.01.01" with the key installdate for
2450	the virtual machine Fedora5, and "2006.02.02" on the machine SUSE10. You
2451	could retrieve the information as follows:</para>
2452
2453	<screen>VBoxManage getextradata Fedora5 installdate</screen>
2454
2455	<para>which would return</para>
2456
2457	<screen>VirtualBox Command Line Management Interface Version $VBOX_VERSION_MAJOR.$VBOX_VERSION_MINOR.$VBOX_VERSION_BUILD
2458	(C) 2005-$VBOX_C_YEAR $VBOX_VENDOR
2459	All rights reserved.
2460
2461	Value: 2006.01.01</screen>
2462	<para>To remove a key, the <computeroutput>setextradata</computeroutput>
2463	command must be run without specifying data (only the key), for example:
2464	</para>
2465
2466	<screen>VBoxManage setextradata Fedora5 installdate</screen>
2467
2468	</sect1>
2469
2470	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-setproperty">
2471	<title>VBoxManage setproperty</title>
2472
2473	<para>This command is used to change global settings which affect the
2474	entire VirtualBox installation. Some of these correspond to the settings
2475	in the "Global settings" dialog in the graphical user interface. The
2476	following properties are available:<glosslist>
2477	<glossentry>
2478	<glossterm><computeroutput>machinefolder</computeroutput></glossterm>
2479
2480	<glossdef>
2481	<para>This specifies the default folder in which virtual machine
2482	definitions are kept; see <xref linkend="vboxconfigdata" /> for
2483	details.</para>
2484	</glossdef>
2485	</glossentry>
2486
2487	<glossentry>
2488	<glossterm><computeroutput>vrdeauthlibrary</computeroutput></glossterm>
2489
2490	<glossdef>
2491	<para>This specifies which library to use when "external"
2492	authentication has been selected for a particular virtual machine;
2493	see <xref linkend="vbox-auth" /> for details.</para>
2494	</glossdef>
2495	</glossentry>
2496
2497	<glossentry>
2498	<glossterm><computeroutput>websrvauthlibrary</computeroutput></glossterm>
2499
2500	<glossdef>
2501	<para>This specifies which library the web service uses to
2502	authenticate users. For details about the VirtualBox web service,
2503	please refer to the separate VirtualBox SDK reference (see <xref
2504	linkend="VirtualBoxAPI" />).</para>
2505	</glossdef>
2506	</glossentry>
2507
2508	<glossentry>
2509	<glossterm><computeroutput>vrdeextpack</computeroutput></glossterm>
2510
2511	<glossdef>
2512	<para>This specifies which library implements the VirtualBox
2513	Remote Desktop Extension.</para>
2514	</glossdef>
2515	</glossentry>
2516
2517	<glossentry>
2518	<glossterm><computeroutput>loghistorycount</computeroutput></glossterm>
2519
2520	<glossdef>
2521	<para>This selects how many rotated (old) VM logs are kept.</para>
2522	</glossdef>
2523	</glossentry>
2524
2525	<glossentry>
2526	<glossterm><computeroutput>autostartdbpath</computeroutput></glossterm>
2527
2528	<glossdef>
2529	<para>This selects the path to the autostart database. See
2530	<xref linkend="autostart" />.</para>
2531	</glossdef>
2532	</glossentry>
2533
2534	<glossentry>
2535	<glossterm><computeroutput>defaultfrontend</computeroutput></glossterm>
2536
2537	<glossdef>
2538	<para>This selects the global default VM frontend setting. See
2539	<xref linkend="vboxmanage-startvm" />.</para>
2540	</glossdef>
2541	</glossentry>
2542	</glosslist></para>
2543	</sect1>
2544
2545	<sect1>
2546	<title>VBoxManage usbfilter add/modify/remove</title>
2547
2548	<para>The <computeroutput>usbfilter</computeroutput> commands are used for
2549	working with USB filters in virtual machines, or global filters which
2550	affect the whole VirtualBox setup. Global filters are applied before
2551	machine-specific filters, and may be used to prevent devices from being
2552	captured by any virtual machine. Global filters are always applied in a
2553	particular order, and only the first filter which fits a device is
2554	applied. So for example, if the first global filter says to hold (make
2555	available) a particular Kingston memory stick device and the second to
2556	ignore all Kingston devices, that memory stick will be available to any
2557	machine with an appropriate filter, but no other Kingston device
2558	will.</para>
2559
2560	<para>When creating a USB filter using <computeroutput>usbfilter
2561	add</computeroutput>, you must supply three or four mandatory parameters.
2562	The index specifies the position in the list at which the filter should be
2563	placed. If there is already a filter at that position, then it and the
2564	following ones will be shifted back one place. Otherwise the new filter
2565	will be added onto the end of the list. The
2566	<computeroutput>target</computeroutput> parameter selects the virtual
2567	machine that the filter should be attached to or use "global" to apply it
2568	to all virtual machines. <computeroutput>name</computeroutput> is a name
2569	for the new filter and for global filters,
2570	<computeroutput>action</computeroutput> says whether to allow machines
2571	access to devices that fit the filter description ("hold") or not to give
2572	them access ("ignore"). In addition, you should specify parameters to
2573	filter by. You can find the parameters for devices attached to your system
2574	using <computeroutput>VBoxManage list usbhost</computeroutput>. Finally,
2575	you can specify whether the filter should be active, and for local
2576	filters, whether they are for local devices, remote (over an RDP
2577	connection) or either.</para>
2578
2579	<para>When you modify a USB filter using <computeroutput>usbfilter
2580	modify</computeroutput>, you must specify the filter by index (see the
2581	output of <computeroutput>VBoxManage list usbfilters</computeroutput> to
2582	find global filter indexes and that of <computeroutput>VBoxManage
2583	showvminfo</computeroutput> to find indexes for individual machines) and
2584	by target, which is either a virtual machine or "global". The properties
2585	which can be changed are the same as for <computeroutput>usbfilter
2586	add</computeroutput>. To remove a filter, use <computeroutput>usbfilter
2587	remove</computeroutput> and specify the index and the target.</para>
2588	</sect1>
2589
2590	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-sharedfolder">
2591	<title>VBoxManage sharedfolder add/remove</title>
2592
2593	<para>This command allows you to share folders on the host computer with
2594	guest operating systems. For this, the guest systems must have a version
2595	of the VirtualBox Guest Additions installed which supports this
2596	functionality.</para>
2597
2598	<para>Shared folders are described in detail in <xref
2599	linkend="sharedfolders" />.</para>
2600	</sect1>
2601
2602	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-guestproperty">
2603	<title>VBoxManage guestproperty</title>
2604
2605	<para>The "guestproperty" commands allow you to get or set properties of a
2606	running virtual machine. Please see <xref linkend="guestadd-guestprops" />
2607	for an introduction. As explained there, guest properties are arbitrary
2608	key/value string pairs which can be written to and read from by either the
2609	guest or the host, so they can be used as a low-volume communication
2610	channel for strings, provided that a guest is running and has the Guest
2611	Additions installed. In addition, a number of values whose keys begin with
2612	"/VirtualBox/" are automatically set and maintained by the Guest
2613	Additions.</para>
2614
2615	<para>The following subcommands are available (where
2616	<computeroutput><vm></computeroutput>, in each case, can either be a
2617	VM name or a VM UUID, as with the other VBoxManage commands):<itemizedlist>
2618	<listitem>
2619	<para><computeroutput>enumerate <vm> [--patterns
2620	<pattern>]</computeroutput>: This lists all the guest
2621	properties that are available for the given VM, including the value.
2622	This list will be very limited if the guest's service process cannot
2623	be contacted, e.g. because the VM is not running or the Guest
2624	Additions are not installed.</para>
2625
2626	<para>If <computeroutput>--patterns <pattern></computeroutput>
2627	is specified, it acts as a filter to only list properties that match
2628	the given pattern. The pattern can contain the following wildcard
2629	characters:<itemizedlist>
2630	<listitem>
2631	<para><computeroutput>*</computeroutput> (asterisk):
2632	represents any number of characters; for example,
2633	"<computeroutput>/VirtualBox*</computeroutput>" would match
2634	all properties beginning with "/VirtualBox".</para>
2635	</listitem>
2636
2637	<listitem>
2638	<para><computeroutput>?</computeroutput> (question mark):
2639	represents a single arbitrary character; for example,
2640	"<computeroutput>fo?</computeroutput>" would match both "foo"
2641	and "for".</para>
2642	</listitem>
2643
2644	<listitem>
2645	<para><computeroutput>\|</computeroutput> (pipe symbol): can be
2646	used to specify multiple alternative patterns; for example,
2647	"<computeroutput>s\|t</computeroutput>" would match anything
2648	starting with either "s" or "t".</para>
2649	</listitem>
2650	</itemizedlist></para>
2651	</listitem>
2652
2653	<listitem>
2654	<para><computeroutput>get <vm></computeroutput>: This
2655	retrieves the value of a single property only. If the property
2656	cannot be found (e.g. because the guest is not running), this will
2657	print <screen>No value set!</screen></para>
2658	</listitem>
2659
2660	<listitem>
2661	<para><computeroutput>set <vm> <property> [<value>
2662	[--flags <flags>]]</computeroutput>: This allows you to set a
2663	guest property by specifying the key and value. If
2664	<computeroutput><value></computeroutput> is omitted, the
2665	property is deleted. With <computeroutput>--flags</computeroutput>
2666	you can optionally specify additional behavior (you can combine
2667	several by separating them with commas):<itemizedlist>
2668	<listitem>
2669	<para><computeroutput>TRANSIENT</computeroutput>: the value
2670	will not be stored with the VM data when the VM exits;</para>
2671	</listitem>
2672
2673	<listitem>
2674	<para><computeroutput>TRANSRESET</computeroutput>: the value
2675	will be deleted as soon as the VM restarts and/or exits;</para>
2676	</listitem>
2677
2678	<listitem>
2679	<para><computeroutput>RDONLYGUEST</computeroutput>: the value
2680	can only be changed by the host, but the guest can only read
2681	it;</para>
2682	</listitem>
2683
2684	<listitem>
2685	<para><computeroutput>RDONLYHOST</computeroutput>: reversely,
2686	the value can only be changed by the guest, but the host can
2687	only read it;</para>
2688	</listitem>
2689
2690	<listitem>
2691	<para><computeroutput>READONLY</computeroutput>: a combination
2692	of the two, the value cannot be changed at all.</para>
2693	</listitem>
2694	</itemizedlist></para>
2695	</listitem>
2696
2697	<listitem>
2698	<para><computeroutput>wait <vm> <pattern> --timeout
2699	<timeout></computeroutput>: This waits for a particular value
2700	described by "pattern" to change or to be deleted or created. The
2701	pattern rules are the same as for the "enumerate" subcommand
2702	above.</para>
2703	</listitem>
2704
2705	<listitem>
2706	<para><computeroutput>delete <vm> <property>
2707	</computeroutput>: Deletes a formerly set guest property.
2708	</para></listitem>
2709	</itemizedlist></para>
2710	</sect1>
2711
2712	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-guestcontrol">
2713	<title>VBoxManage guestcontrol</title>
2714
2715	<para>The "guestcontrol" commands allow you to control certain things
2716	inside a guest from the host. Please see <xref
2717	linkend="guestadd-guestcontrol" /> for an introduction.</para>
2718
2719	<para>Generally, the syntax is as follows:</para>
2720
2721	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> <command></screen>
2722
2723	<para>The following subcommands are available (where
2724	<computeroutput><uuid\|vmname></computeroutput>, in each case, can either be a
2725	VM name or a VM UUID, as with the other VBoxManage commands):<itemizedlist>
2726	<listitem>
2727	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>execute</computeroutput></emphasis>,
2728	which allows for
2729	executing a program/script (process) which already is installed and
2730	runnable on the guest. This command only works while a VM is up and
2731	running and has the following syntax:</para>
2732
2733	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> exec[ute]
2734	--image <path to program> --username <name>
2735	[--passwordfile <file> \| --password <password>]
2736	[--environment "<NAME>=<VALUE> [<NAME>=<VALUE>]"]
2737	[--verbose] [--timeout <msec>]
2738	[--wait-exit] [--wait-stdout] [--wait-stderr]
2739	[--dos2unix] [--unix2dos]
2740	-- [[<argument1>] ... [<argumentN>]]</screen>
2741
2742	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
2743	<glossentry>
2744	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
2745
2746	<glossdef>
2747	<para>The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
2748	</glossdef>
2749	</glossentry>
2750
2751	<glossentry>
2752	<glossterm><computeroutput>--image "<path to program>"</computeroutput></glossterm>
2753
2754	<glossdef>
2755	<para>Absolute path and process name of process to execute
2756	in the guest, e.g.
2757	<computeroutput>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</computeroutput></para>
2758	</glossdef>
2759	</glossentry>
2760
2761	<glossentry>
2762	<glossterm><computeroutput>--username <name></computeroutput></glossterm>
2763
2764	<glossdef>
2765	<para>Name of the user the process should run under. This
2766	user must exist on the guest OS.</para>
2767	</glossdef>
2768	</glossentry>
2769
2770	<glossentry>
2771	<glossterm><computeroutput>--passwordfile <file></computeroutput></glossterm>
2772
2773	<glossdef>
2774	<para>Password of the user account specified to be read from
2775	the given file. If not given, an empty password is
2776	assumed.</para>
2777	</glossdef>
2778	</glossentry>
2779
2780	<glossentry>
2781	<glossterm><computeroutput>--password <password></computeroutput></glossterm>
2782
2783	<glossdef>
2784	<para>Password of the user account specified with
2785	<computeroutput>--username</computeroutput>. If not given,
2786	an empty password is assumed.</para>
2787	</glossdef>
2788	</glossentry>
2789
2790	<glossentry>
2791	<glossterm><computeroutput>--dos2unix</computeroutput></glossterm>
2792
2793	<glossdef>
2794	Converts output from DOS/Windows guests to UNIX-compatible
2795	line endings (CR + LF -> LF). Not implemented yet.
2796	</glossdef>
2797	</glossentry>
2798
2799	<glossentry>
2800	<glossterm><computeroutput>--environment
2801	"<NAME>=<VALUE>"</computeroutput></glossterm>
2802
2803	<glossdef>
2804	<para>One or more environment variables to be set or
2805	unset.</para>
2806
2807	<para>By default, the new process in the guest will be
2808	created with the standard environment of the guest OS. This
2809	option allows for modifying that environment. To set/modify
2810	a variable, a pair of
2811	<computeroutput>NAME=VALUE</computeroutput> must be
2812	specified; to unset a certain variable, the name with no
2813	value must set, e.g.
2814	<computeroutput>NAME=</computeroutput>.</para>
2815
2816	<para>Arguments containing spaces must be enclosed in
2817	quotation marks. More than one
2818	<computeroutput>--environment</computeroutput> at a time can
2819	be specified to keep the command line tidy.</para>
2820	</glossdef>
2821	</glossentry>
2822
2823	<glossentry>
2824	<glossterm><computeroutput>--timeout <msec></computeroutput></glossterm>
2825
2826	<glossdef>
2827	<para>Value (in milliseconds) that specifies the time how
2828	long the started process is allowed to run and how long
2829	VBoxManage waits for getting output from that process. If no
2830	timeout is specified, VBoxManage will wait forever until the
2831	started process ends or an error occured.</para>
2832	</glossdef>
2833	</glossentry>
2834
2835	<glossentry>
2836	<glossterm><computeroutput>--unix2dos</computeroutput></glossterm>
2837
2838	<glossdef>
2839	Converts output from a UNIX/Linux guests to DOS-/Windows-compatible
2840	line endings (LF -> CR + LF). Not implemented yet.
2841	</glossdef>
2842	</glossentry>
2843
2844	<glossentry>
2845	<glossterm><computeroutput>--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
2846
2847	<glossdef>
2848	<para>Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose.</para>
2849	</glossdef>
2850	</glossentry>
2851
2852	<glossentry>
2853	<glossterm><computeroutput>--wait-exit</computeroutput></glossterm>
2854
2855	<glossdef>
2856	<para>Waits until the process ends and outputs its
2857	exit code along with the exit reason/flags.</para>
2858	</glossdef>
2859	</glossentry>
2860
2861	<glossentry>
2862	<glossterm><computeroutput>--wait-stdout</computeroutput></glossterm>
2863
2864	<glossdef>
2865	<para>Waits until the process ends and outputs its
2866	exit code along with the exit reason/flags. While waiting
2867	VBoxManage retrieves the process output collected from stdout.</para>
2868	</glossdef>
2869	</glossentry>
2870
2871	<glossentry>
2872	<glossterm><computeroutput>--wait-stderr</computeroutput></glossterm>
2873
2874	<glossdef>
2875	<para>Waits until the process ends and outputs its
2876	exit code along with the exit reason/flags. While waiting
2877	VBoxManage retrieves the process output collected from stderr.</para>
2878	</glossdef>
2879	</glossentry>
2880
2881	<glossentry>
2882	<glossterm><computeroutput>[-- [<argument1s>] ... [<argumentNs>]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
2883
2884	<glossdef>
2885	<para>One or more arguments to pass to the process being
2886	executed.</para>
2887	<para>Arguments containing spaces must be enclosed in
2888	quotation marks.</para>
2889	</glossdef>
2890	</glossentry>
2891
2892	</glosslist></para>
2893
2894	<para><note>
2895	<para>On Windows there are certain limitations for graphical
2896	applications; please see <xref linkend="KnownIssues" /> for more
2897	information.</para>
2898	</note> Examples: <screen>VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My VM" execute --image "/bin/ls"
2899	--username foo --passwordfile bar.txt --wait-exit --wait-stdout -- -l /usr</screen> <screen>VBoxManage --nologo guestcontrol "My VM" execute --image "c:\\windows\\system32\\ipconfig.exe"
2900	--username foo --passwordfile bar.txt --wait-exit --wait-stdout</screen> Note that
2901	the double backslashes in the second example are only required on
2902	Unix hosts.</para>
2903
2904	<para><note>
2905	<para>For certain commands a user name of an existing user account on the guest
2906	must be specified; anonymous executions are not supported for security reasons. A
2907	user account password, however, is optional and depends on the guest's OS security
2908	policy or rules. If no password is specified for a given user name, an empty password
2909	will be used. On certain OSes like Windows the security policy may needs to be adjusted
2910	in order to allow user accounts with an empty password set. Also, global domain rules might
2911	apply and therefore cannot be changed.</para>
2912	</note></para>
2913
2914	<para>Starting at VirtualBox 4.1.2 guest process execution by default is limited
2915	to serve up to 5 guest processes at a time. If a new guest process gets started
2916	which would exceed this limit, the oldest not running guest process will be discarded
2917	in order to be able to run that new process. Also, retrieving output from this
2918	old guest process will not be possible anymore then. If all 5 guest processes
2919	are still active and running, starting a new guest process will result in an
2920	appropriate error message.</para>
2921
2922	<para>To raise or lower the guest process execution limit, either the guest
2923	property <computeroutput>/VirtualBox/GuestAdd/VBoxService/--control-procs-max-kept</computeroutput>
2924	or VBoxService' command line by specifying <computeroutput>--control-procs-max-kept</computeroutput>
2925	needs to be modified. A restart of the guest OS is required afterwards. To serve unlimited
2926	guest processes, a value of <computeroutput>0</computeroutput> needs to be set (not recommended).</para>
2927	</listitem>
2928
2929	<listitem>
2930	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>copyto</computeroutput></emphasis>,
2931	which allows copying
2932	files from the host to the guest (only with installed Guest
2933	Additions 4.0 and later).</para>
2934
2935	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> copyto\|cp
2936	<guest source> <host dest> --username <name>
2937	[--passwordfile <file> \| --password <password>]
2938	[--dryrun] [--follow] [--recursive] [--verbose]</screen>
2939
2940	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
2941	<glossentry>
2942	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
2943
2944	<glossdef>
2945	<para>The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
2946	</glossdef>
2947	</glossentry>
2948
2949	<glossentry>
2950	<glossterm><computeroutput>source on host</computeroutput></glossterm>
2951
2952	<glossdef>
2953	<para>Absolute path of source file(s) on host to copy over
2954	to the guest, e.g.
2955	<computeroutput>C:\Windows\System32\calc.exe</computeroutput>.
2956	This also can be a wildcard expression, e.g.
2957	<computeroutput>C:\Windows\System32\*.dll</computeroutput></para>
2958	</glossdef>
2959	</glossentry>
2960
2961	<glossentry>
2962	<glossterm><computeroutput>destination on guest</computeroutput></glossterm>
2963
2964	<glossdef>
2965	<para>Absolute destination path on the guest, e.g.
2966	<computeroutput>C:\Temp</computeroutput></para>
2967	</glossdef>
2968	</glossentry>
2969
2970	<glossentry>
2971	<glossterm><computeroutput>--username <name></computeroutput></glossterm>
2972
2973	<glossdef>
2974	<para>Name of the user the copy process should run under.
2975	This user must exist on the guest OS.</para>
2976	</glossdef>
2977	</glossentry>
2978
2979	<glossentry>
2980	<glossterm><computeroutput>--passwordfile <file></computeroutput></glossterm>
2981
2982	<glossdef>
2983	<para>Password of the user account specified to be read from
2984	the given file. If not given, an empty password is
2985	assumed.</para>
2986	</glossdef>
2987	</glossentry>
2988
2989	<glossentry>
2990	<glossterm><computeroutput>--password <password></computeroutput></glossterm>
2991
2992	<glossdef>
2993	<para>Password of the user account specified with
2994	<computeroutput>--username</computeroutput>. If not given,
2995	an empty password is assumed.</para>
2996	</glossdef>
2997	</glossentry>
2998
2999	<glossentry>
3000	<glossterm><computeroutput>--dryrun</computeroutput></glossterm>
3001
3002	<glossdef>
3003	<para>Tells VBoxManage to only perform a dry run instead of
3004	really copying files to the guest.</para>
3005	</glossdef>
3006	</glossentry>
3007
3008	<glossentry>
3009	<glossterm><computeroutput>--follow</computeroutput></glossterm>
3010
3011	<glossdef>
3012	<para>Enables following symlinks on the host's
3013	source.</para>
3014	</glossdef>
3015	</glossentry>
3016
3017	<glossentry>
3018	<glossterm><computeroutput>--recursive</computeroutput></glossterm>
3019
3020	<glossdef>
3021	<para>Recursively copies files/directories of the specified
3022	source.</para>
3023	</glossdef>
3024	</glossentry>
3025
3026	<glossentry>
3027	<glossterm><computeroutput>--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
3028
3029	<glossdef>
3030	<para>Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose.</para>
3031	</glossdef>
3032	</glossentry>
3033
3034	<glossentry>
3035	<glossterm><computeroutput>--flags <flags></computeroutput></glossterm>
3036
3037	<glossdef>
3038	<para>Additional flags to set. This is not used at the
3039	moment.</para>
3040	</glossdef>
3041	</glossentry>
3042	</glosslist></para>
3043	</listitem>
3044
3045	<listitem>
3046	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>copyfrom</computeroutput></emphasis>,
3047	which allows copying
3048	files from the guest to the host (only with installed Guest
3049	Additions 4.0 and later). It has the same parameters as
3050	<computeroutput>copyto</computeroutput> above.</para>
3051	</listitem>
3052
3053	<listitem>
3054	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>createdirectory</computeroutput></emphasis>,
3055	which allows
3056	copying files from the host to the guest (only with installed Guest
3057	Additions 4.0 and later).</para>
3058
3059	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> createdir[ectory]\|mkdir\|md
3060	<guest directory>... --username <name>
3061	[--passwordfile <file> \| --password <password>]
3062	[--parents] [--mode <mode>] [--verbose]</screen>
3063
3064	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
3065	<glossentry>
3066	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
3067
3068	<glossdef>
3069	<para>The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
3070	</glossdef>
3071	</glossentry>
3072
3073	<glossentry>
3074	<glossterm><computeroutput>directory to create on guest</computeroutput></glossterm>
3075
3076	<glossdef>
3077	<para>Absolute path of directory/directories to create on
3078	guest, e.g. <computeroutput>D:\Foo\Bar</computeroutput>.
3079	Parent directories need to exist (e.g. in this example
3080	<computeroutput>D:\Foo</computeroutput>) when switch
3081	<computeroutput>--parents</computeroutput> is omitted. The
3082	specified user must have appropriate rights to create the
3083	specified directory.</para>
3084	</glossdef>
3085	</glossentry>
3086
3087	<glossentry>
3088	<glossterm><computeroutput>--username <name></computeroutput></glossterm>
3089
3090	<glossdef>
3091	<para>Name of the user the copy process should run under.
3092	This user must exist on the guest OS.</para>
3093	</glossdef>
3094	</glossentry>
3095
3096	<glossentry>
3097	<glossterm><computeroutput>--passwordfile <file></computeroutput></glossterm>
3098
3099	<glossdef>
3100	<para>Password of the user account specified to be read from
3101	the given file. If not given, an empty password is
3102	assumed.</para>
3103	</glossdef>
3104	</glossentry>
3105
3106	<glossentry>
3107	<glossterm><computeroutput>--password <password></computeroutput></glossterm>
3108
3109	<glossdef>
3110	<para>Password of the user account specified with
3111	<computeroutput>--username</computeroutput>. If not given,
3112	an empty password is assumed.</para>
3113	</glossdef>
3114	</glossentry>
3115
3116	<glossentry>
3117	<glossterm><computeroutput>--parents</computeroutput></glossterm>
3118
3119	<glossdef>
3120	<para>Also creates not yet existing parent directories of
3121	the specified directory, e.g. if the directory
3122	<computeroutput>D:\Foo</computeroutput> of
3123	<computeroutput>D:\Foo\Bar</computeroutput> does not exist
3124	yet it will be created. Without specifying
3125	<computeroutput>--parent</computeroutput> the action would
3126	have failed.</para>
3127	</glossdef>
3128	</glossentry>
3129
3130	<glossentry>
3131	<glossterm><computeroutput>--mode <mode></computeroutput></glossterm>
3132
3133	<glossdef>
3134	<para>Sets the permission mode of the specified directory.
3135	Only octal modes (e.g.
3136	<computeroutput>0755</computeroutput>) are supported right
3137	now.</para>
3138	</glossdef>
3139	</glossentry>
3140
3141	<glossentry>
3142	<glossterm><computeroutput>--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
3143
3144	<glossdef>
3145	<para>Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose.</para>
3146	</glossdef>
3147	</glossentry>
3148	</glosslist></para>
3149	</listitem>
3150
3151	<listitem>
3152	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>createtemporary</computeroutput></emphasis>,
3153	which allows
3154	copying files from the host to the guest (only with installed Guest
3155	Additions 4.2 and later).</para>
3156
3157	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> createtemp[orary]\|mktemp
3158	<template> --username <name>
3159	[--passwordfile <file> \| --password <password>]
3160	[--directory] [--secure] [--tmpdir <directory>]
3161	[--domain <domain>] [--mode <mode>] [--verbose]</screen>
3162
3163	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
3164	<glossentry>
3165	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
3166
3167	<glossdef>
3168	<para>The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
3169	</glossdef>
3170	</glossentry>
3171
3172	<glossentry>
3173	<glossterm><computeroutput>template</computeroutput></glossterm>
3174
3175	<glossdef>
3176	<para>A file name without a path and with at least three consecutive 'X'
3177	characters or ending in 'X'
3178	</para>
3179	</glossdef>
3180	</glossentry>
3181
3182	<glossentry>
3183	<glossterm><computeroutput>--username <name></computeroutput></glossterm>
3184
3185	<glossdef>
3186	<para>Name of the user the copy process should run under.
3187	This user must exist on the guest OS.</para>
3188	</glossdef>
3189	</glossentry>
3190
3191	<glossentry>
3192	<glossterm><computeroutput>--passwordfile <file></computeroutput></glossterm>
3193
3194	<glossdef>
3195	<para>Password of the user account specified to be read from
3196	the given file. If not given, an empty password is
3197	assumed.</para>
3198	</glossdef>
3199	</glossentry>
3200
3201	<glossentry>
3202	<glossterm><computeroutput>--password <password></computeroutput></glossterm>
3203
3204	<glossdef>
3205	<para>Password of the user account specified with
3206	<computeroutput>--username</computeroutput>. If not given,
3207	an empty password is assumed.</para>
3208	</glossdef>
3209	</glossentry>
3210
3211	<glossentry>
3212	<glossterm><computeroutput>--directory</computeroutput></glossterm>
3213
3214	<glossdef>
3215	<para>Create a temporary directory instead of a file.</para>
3216	</glossdef>
3217	</glossentry>
3218
3219	<glossentry>
3220	<glossterm><computeroutput>--secure</computeroutput></glossterm>
3221
3222	<glossdef>
3223	<para>
3224	Secure creation. The file mode is fixed to
3225	<computeroutput>0755</computeroutput>. And the operation
3226	will fail if it cannot performed securely.
3227	</para>
3228	</glossdef>
3229	</glossentry>
3230
3231	<glossentry>
3232	<glossterm><computeroutput>--tmpdir <directory></computeroutput></glossterm>
3233
3234	<glossdef>
3235	<para>
3236	Directory where the file / directory is created. If not
3237	specified, the platform-specific temp directory is used.
3238	</para>
3239	</glossdef>
3240	</glossentry>
3241
3242	<glossentry>
3243	<glossterm><computeroutput>--mode <mode></computeroutput></glossterm>
3244
3245	<glossdef>
3246	<para>Sets the permission mode of the specified directory.
3247	Only octal modes (e.g.
3248	<computeroutput>0755</computeroutput>) are supported right
3249	now.</para>
3250	</glossdef>
3251	</glossentry>
3252
3253	<glossentry>
3254	<glossterm><computeroutput>--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
3255
3256	<glossdef>
3257	<para>Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose.</para>
3258	</glossdef>
3259	</glossentry>
3260	</glosslist></para>
3261	</listitem>
3262
3263	<listitem>
3264	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>list</computeroutput></emphasis>,
3265	which lists various guest control information such as open guest sessions and
3266	guest processes.</para>
3267
3268	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> list
3269	<all\|sessions\|processes> [--verbose]</screen>
3270
3271	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
3272	<glossentry>
3273	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
3274
3275	<glossdef>
3276	<para>The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
3277	</glossdef>
3278	</glossentry>
3279
3280	<glossentry>
3281	<glossterm><computeroutput>all\|sessions\|processes</computeroutput></glossterm>
3282
3283	<glossdef>
3284	<para>Whether to list guest sessions, guest processes or all information
3285	available.</para>
3286	</glossdef>
3287	</glossentry>
3288
3289	<glossentry>
3290	<glossterm><computeroutput>--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
3291
3292	<glossdef>
3293	<para>Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose.</para>
3294	</glossdef>
3295	</glossentry>
3296	</glosslist></para>
3297	</listitem>
3298
3299	<listitem>
3300	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>session close</computeroutput></emphasis>,
3301	which closes specific guest sessions, based on either the session's ID or the
3302	session's name.</para>
3303
3304	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> session close
3305	--session-id <ID>
3306	\| --session-name <name or pattern>
3307	\| --all
3308	[--verbose]</screen>
3309
3310	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
3311	<glossentry>
3312	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
3313
3314	<glossdef>
3315	<para>The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
3316	</glossdef>
3317	</glossentry>
3318
3319	<glossentry>
3320	<glossterm><computeroutput>--session-id</computeroutput></glossterm>
3321
3322	<glossdef>
3323	<para>Close a guest session specified by its ID.</para>
3324	</glossdef>
3325	</glossentry>
3326
3327	<glossentry>
3328	<glossterm><computeroutput>--session-name</computeroutput></glossterm>
3329
3330	<glossdef>
3331	<para>Close a guest session specified by its name. Multiple sessions
3332	can be closed when specifying * or ? wildcards.</para>
3333	</glossdef>
3334	</glossentry>
3335
3336	<glossentry>
3337	<glossterm><computeroutput>--all</computeroutput></glossterm>
3338
3339	<glossdef>
3340	<para>Close all guest sessions.</para>
3341	</glossdef>
3342	</glossentry>
3343
3344	<glossentry>
3345	<glossterm><computeroutput>--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
3346
3347	<glossdef>
3348	<para>Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose.</para>
3349	</glossdef>
3350	</glossentry>
3351	</glosslist></para>
3352	</listitem>
3353
3354	<listitem>
3355	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>stat</computeroutput></emphasis>,
3356	which displays file
3357	or file system status on the guest.</para>
3358
3359	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> stat
3360	<file>... --username <name>
3361	[--passwordfile <file> \| --password <password>]
3362	[--verbose]</screen>
3363
3364	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
3365	<glossentry>
3366	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
3367
3368	<glossdef>
3369	<para>The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
3370	</glossdef>
3371	</glossentry>
3372
3373	<glossentry>
3374	<glossterm><computeroutput>file element(s) to check on guest</computeroutput></glossterm>
3375
3376	<glossdef>
3377	<para>Absolute path of directory/directories to check on
3378	guest, e.g. <computeroutput>/home/foo/a.out</computeroutput>.
3379	The specified user must have appropriate rights to access
3380	the given file element(s).</para>
3381	</glossdef>
3382	</glossentry>
3383
3384	<glossentry>
3385	<glossterm><computeroutput>--username <name></computeroutput></glossterm>
3386
3387	<glossdef>
3388	<para>Name of the user the copy process should run under.
3389	This user must exist on the guest OS.</para>
3390	</glossdef>
3391	</glossentry>
3392
3393	<glossentry>
3394	<glossterm><computeroutput>--passwordfile <file></computeroutput></glossterm>
3395
3396	<glossdef>
3397	<para>Password of the user account specified to be read from
3398	the given file. If not given, an empty password is
3399	assumed.</para>
3400	</glossdef>
3401	</glossentry>
3402
3403	<glossentry>
3404	<glossterm><computeroutput>--password <password></computeroutput></glossterm>
3405
3406	<glossdef>
3407	<para>Password of the user account specified with
3408	<computeroutput>--username</computeroutput>. If not given,
3409	an empty password is assumed.</para>
3410	</glossdef>
3411	</glossentry>
3412
3413	<glossentry>
3414	<glossterm><computeroutput>--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
3415
3416	<glossdef>
3417	<para>Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose.</para>
3418	</glossdef>
3419	</glossentry>
3420	</glosslist></para>
3421	</listitem>
3422
3423	<listitem>
3424	<para><emphasis role="bold"><computeroutput>updateadditions</computeroutput></emphasis>,
3425	which allows
3426	for updating an already installed Guest Additions version on the
3427	guest (only already installed Guest Additions 4.0 and later).</para>
3428
3429	<screen>VBoxManage guestcontrol <uuid\|vmname> updateadditions
3430	[--source "<guest additions .ISO file to use>"] [--verbose]
3431	[--wait-start] [-- [<argument1>] ... [<argumentN>]]</screen>
3432
3433	<para>where the parameters mean: <glosslist>
3434	<glossentry>
3435	<glossterm><computeroutput>uuid\|vmname</computeroutput></glossterm>
3436
3437	<glossdef>
3438	<para>The VM UUID or VM name. Mandatory.</para>
3439	</glossdef>
3440	</glossentry>
3441
3442	<glossentry>
3443	<glossterm><computeroutput>--source</computeroutput> "<guest additions .ISO file to
3444	use>"</glossterm>
3445
3446	<glossdef>
3447	<para>Full path to an alternative VirtualBox Guest Additions
3448	.ISO file to use for the Guest Additions update.</para>
3449	</glossdef>
3450	</glossentry>
3451
3452	<glossentry>
3453	<glossterm><computeroutput>--verbose</computeroutput></glossterm>
3454
3455	<glossdef>
3456	<para>Tells VBoxManage to be more verbose.</para>
3457	</glossdef>
3458	</glossentry>
3459
3460	<glossentry>
3461	<glossterm><computeroutput>--wait-start</computeroutput></glossterm>
3462	<glossdef>
3463	<para>Starts the regular updating process and waits until the
3464	actual Guest Additions update inside the guest was started.
3465	This can be necessary due to needed interaction with the
3466	guest OS during the installation phase.</para>
3467	<para>When omitting this flag VBoxManage will wait for the
3468	whole Guest Additions update to complete.</para>
3469	</glossdef>
3470	</glossentry>
3471
3472	<glossentry>
3473	<glossterm><computeroutput>[-- [<argument1s>] ... [<argumentNs>]]</computeroutput></glossterm>
3474
3475	<glossdef>
3476	<para>Optional command line arguments to use for the Guest Additions
3477	installer. Useful for retrofitting features which weren't installed
3478	before on the guest.</para>
3479	<para>Arguments containing spaces must be enclosed in
3480	quotation marks.</para>
3481	</glossdef>
3482	</glossentry>
3483	</glosslist></para>
3484	</listitem>
3485	</itemizedlist></para>
3486	</sect1>
3487
3488	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-debugvm">
3489	<title>VBoxManage debugvm</title>
3490
3491	<para>The "debugvm" commands are for experts who want to tinker with the
3492	exact details of virtual machine execution. Like the VM debugger described
3493	in <xref linkend="ts_debugger" />, these commands are only useful if you are
3494	very familiar with the details of the PC architecture and how to debug
3495	software.</para>
3496
3497	<para>The subcommands of "debugvm" all operate on a running virtual
3498	machine. The following are available:<itemizedlist>
3499	<listitem>
3500	<para>With <computeroutput>dumpguestcore --filename
3501	<name></computeroutput>, you can create a system dump of the
3502	running VM, which will be written into the given file. This file
3503	will have the standard ELF core format (with custom sections); see
3504	<xref linkend="ts_guest-core-format" />.</para>
3505
3506	<para>This corresponds to the
3507	<computeroutput>writecore</computeroutput> command in the debugger.
3508	</para>
3509	</listitem>
3510
3511	<listitem>
3512	<para>The <computeroutput>info</computeroutput> command is used to
3513	display info items relating to the VMM, device emulations and
3514	associated drivers. This command takes one or two arguments: the
3515	name of the info item, optionally followed by a string containing
3516	arguments specific to the info item.
3517	The <computeroutput>help</computeroutput> info item provides a
3518	listning of the available items and hints about any optional
3519	arguments.</para>
3520
3521	<para>This corresponds to the <computeroutput>info</computeroutput>
3522	command in the debugger.</para>
3523	</listitem>
3524
3525	<listitem>
3526	<para>The <computeroutput>injectnmi</computeroutput> command causes
3527	a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) in the guest, which might be useful
3528	for certain debugging scenarios. What happens exactly is dependent
3529	on the guest operating system, but an NMI can crash the whole guest
3530	operating system. Do not use unless you know what you're
3531	doing.</para>
3532	</listitem>
3533
3534	<listitem>
3535	<para>The <computeroutput>osdetect</computeroutput> command makes the
3536	VMM's debugger facility (re-)detection the guest operation
3537	system.</para>
3538
3539	<para>This corresponds to the <computeroutput>detect</computeroutput>
3540	command in the debugger.</para>
3541	</listitem>
3542
3543	<listitem>
3544	<para>The <computeroutput>osinfo</computeroutput> command is used to
3545	display info about the operating system (OS) detected by the VMM's
3546	debugger facility.</para>
3547	</listitem>
3548
3549	<listitem>
3550	<para>The <computeroutput>getregisters</computeroutput> command is
3551	used to display CPU and device registers. The command takes a list
3552	of registers, each having one of the following forms:
3553	<itemizedlist>
3554	<listitem><computeroutput>register-set.register-name.sub-field</computeroutput></listitem>
3555	<listitem><computeroutput>register-set.register-name</computeroutput></listitem>
3556	<listitem><computeroutput>cpu-register-name.sub-field</computeroutput></listitem>
3557	<listitem><computeroutput>cpu-register-name</computeroutput></listitem>
3558	<listitem><computeroutput>all</computeroutput></listitem>
3559	</itemizedlist>
3560	The <computeroutput>all</computeroutput> form will cause all
3561	registers to be shown (no sub-fields). The registers names are
3562	case-insensitive. When requesting a CPU register the register set
3563	can be omitted, it will be selected using the value of the
3564	<computeroutput>--cpu</computeroutput> option (defaulting to 0).
3565	</para>
3566	</listitem>
3567
3568	<listitem>
3569	<para>The <computeroutput>setregisters</computeroutput> command is
3570	used to change CPU and device registers. The command takes a list
3571	of register assignments, each having one of the following forms:
3572	<itemizedlist>
3573	<listitem><computeroutput>register-set.register-name.sub-field=value</computeroutput></listitem>
3574	<listitem><computeroutput>register-set.register-name=value</computeroutput></listitem>
3575	<listitem><computeroutput>cpu-register-name.sub-field=value</computeroutput></listitem>
3576	<listitem><computeroutput>cpu-register-name=value</computeroutput></listitem>
3577	</itemizedlist>
3578	The value format should be in the same style as what
3579	<computeroutput>getregisters</computeroutput> displays, with the
3580	exception that both octal and decimal can be used instead of
3581	hexadecimal. The register naming and the default CPU register set
3582	are handled the same way as with the
3583	<computeroutput>getregisters</computeroutput> command.</para>
3584	</listitem>
3585
3586	<listitem>
3587	<para>The <computeroutput>statistics</computeroutput> command can be
3588	used to display VMM statistics on the command line. The
3589	<computeroutput>--reset</computeroutput> option will reset
3590	statistics. The affected statistics can be filtered with the
3591	<computeroutput>--pattern</computeroutput> option, which accepts
3592	DOS/NT-style wildcards (<computeroutput>?</computeroutput> and
3593	<computeroutput>*</computeroutput>).</para>
3594	</listitem>
3595	</itemizedlist></para>
3596	</sect1>
3597
3598	<sect1 id="metrics">
3599	<title>VBoxManage metrics</title>
3600
3601	<para>This command supports monitoring the usage of system resources.
3602	Resources are represented by various metrics associated with the host
3603	system or a particular VM. For example, the host system has a
3604	<computeroutput>CPU/Load/User</computeroutput> metric that shows the
3605	percentage of time CPUs spend executing in user mode over a specific
3606	sampling period.</para>
3607
3608	<para>Metric data is collected and retained internally; it may be
3609	retrieved at any time with the <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics
3610	query</computeroutput> subcommand. The data is available as long as the
3611	background <computeroutput>VBoxSVC</computeroutput> process is alive. That
3612	process terminates shortly after all VMs and frontends have been
3613	closed.</para>
3614
3615	<para>By default no metrics are collected at all. Metrics collection does
3616	not start until <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics setup</computeroutput>
3617	is invoked with a proper sampling interval and the number of metrics to be
3618	retained. The interval is measured in seconds. For example, to enable
3619	collecting the host processor and memory usage metrics every second and
3620	keeping the 5 most current samples, the following command can be
3621	used:</para>
3622
3623	<screen>VBoxManage metrics setup --period 1 --samples 5 host CPU/Load,RAM/Usage</screen>
3624
3625	<para>Metric collection can only be enabled for started VMs. Collected
3626	data and collection settings for a particular VM will disappear as soon as
3627	it shuts down. Use <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics list
3628	</computeroutput> subcommand to see which metrics are currently available.
3629	You can also use <computeroutput>--list</computeroutput> option with any
3630	subcommand that modifies metric settings to find out which metrics were
3631	affected.</para>
3632
3633	<para>Note that the <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics
3634	setup</computeroutput> subcommand discards all samples that may have been
3635	previously collected for the specified set of objects and metrics.</para>
3636
3637	<para>To enable or disable metrics collection without discarding the data
3638	<computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics enable</computeroutput> and
3639	<computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics disable</computeroutput> subcommands
3640	can be used. Note that these subcommands expect metrics, not submetrics,
3641	like <code>CPU/Load</code> or <code>RAM/Usage</code> as parameters. In
3642	other words enabling <code>CPU/Load/User</code> while disabling
3643	<code>CPU/Load/Kernel</code> is not supported.</para>
3644
3645	<para>The host and VMs have different sets of associated metrics.
3646	Available metrics can be listed with <computeroutput>VBoxManage metrics
3647	list</computeroutput> subcommand.</para>
3648
3649	<para>A complete metric name may include an aggregate function. The name
3650	has the following form:
3651	<computeroutput>Category/Metric[/SubMetric][:aggregate]</computeroutput>.
3652	For example, <computeroutput>RAM/Usage/Free:min</computeroutput> stands
3653	for the minimum amount of available memory over all retained data if
3654	applied to the host object.</para>
3655
3656	<para>Subcommands may apply to all objects and metrics or can be limited
3657	to one object or/and a list of metrics. If no objects or metrics are given
3658	in the parameters, the subcommands will apply to all available metrics of
3659	all objects. You may use an asterisk
3660	("<computeroutput>*</computeroutput>") to explicitly specify that the
3661	command should be applied to all objects or metrics. Use "host" as the
3662	object name to limit the scope of the command to host-related metrics. To
3663	limit the scope to a subset of metrics, use a metric list with names
3664	separated by commas.</para>
3665
3666	<para>For example, to query metric data on the CPU time spent in user and
3667	kernel modes by the virtual machine named "test", you can use the
3668	following command:</para>
3669
3670	<screen>VBoxManage metrics query test CPU/Load/User,CPU/Load/Kernel</screen>
3671
3672	<para>The following list summarizes the available subcommands:</para>
3673
3674	<glosslist>
3675	<glossentry>
3676	<glossterm><computeroutput>list</computeroutput></glossterm>
3677
3678	<glossdef>
3679	<para>This subcommand shows the parameters of the currently existing
3680	metrics. Note that VM-specific metrics are only available when a
3681	particular VM is running.</para>
3682	</glossdef>
3683	</glossentry>
3684
3685	<glossentry>
3686	<glossterm><computeroutput>setup</computeroutput></glossterm>
3687
3688	<glossdef>
3689	<para>This subcommand sets the interval between taking two samples
3690	of metric data and the number of samples retained internally. The
3691	retained data is available for displaying with the
3692	<code>query</code> subcommand. The <computeroutput>--list
3693	</computeroutput> option shows which metrics have been modified as
3694	the result of the command execution.</para>
3695	</glossdef>
3696	</glossentry>
3697
3698	<glossentry>
3699	<glossterm><computeroutput>enable</computeroutput></glossterm>
3700
3701	<glossdef>
3702	<para>This subcommand "resumes" data collection after it has been
3703	stopped with <code>disable</code> subcommand. Note that specifying
3704	submetrics as parameters will not enable underlying metrics. Use
3705	<computeroutput>--list</computeroutput> to find out if the command
3706	did what was expected.</para>
3707	</glossdef>
3708	</glossentry>
3709
3710	<glossentry>
3711	<glossterm><computeroutput>disable</computeroutput></glossterm>
3712
3713	<glossdef>
3714	<para>This subcommand "suspends" data collection without affecting
3715	collection parameters or collected data. Note that specifying
3716	submetrics as parameters will not disable underlying metrics. Use
3717	<computeroutput>--list</computeroutput> to find out if the command
3718	did what was expected.</para>
3719	</glossdef>
3720	</glossentry>
3721
3722	<glossentry>
3723	<glossterm><computeroutput>query</computeroutput></glossterm>
3724
3725	<glossdef>
3726	<para>This subcommand retrieves and displays the currently retained
3727	metric data.<note>
3728	<para>The <code>query</code> subcommand does not remove or
3729	"flush" retained data. If you query often enough you will see
3730	how old samples are gradually being "phased out" by new
3731	samples.</para>
3732	</note></para>
3733	</glossdef>
3734	</glossentry>
3735
3736	<glossentry>
3737	<glossterm><computeroutput>collect</computeroutput></glossterm>
3738
3739	<glossdef>
3740	<para>This subcommand sets the interval between taking two samples
3741	of metric data and the number of samples retained internally. The
3742	collected data is displayed periodically until Ctrl-C is pressed
3743	unless the <computeroutput>--detach</computeroutput> option is
3744	specified. With the <computeroutput>--detach</computeroutput>
3745	option, this subcommand operates the same way as <code>setup</code>
3746	does. The <computeroutput>--list</computeroutput> option shows which
3747	metrics match the specified filter.</para>
3748	</glossdef>
3749	</glossentry>
3750	</glosslist>
3751	</sect1>
3752
3753	<sect1>
3754	<title>VBoxManage hostonlyif</title>
3755
3756	<para>With "hostonlyif" you can change the IP configuration of a host-only
3757	network interface. For a description of host-only networking, please
3758	refer to <xref linkend="network_hostonly" />. Each host-only interface is
3759	identified by a name and can either use the internal DHCP server or a
3760	manual IP configuration (both IP4 and IP6).</para>
3761	</sect1>
3762
3763	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-dhcpserver">
3764	<title>VBoxManage dhcpserver</title>
3765
3766	<para>The "dhcpserver" commands allow you to control the DHCP server that
3767	is built into VirtualBox. You may find this useful when using internal or
3768	host-only networking. (Theoretically, you can enable it for a bridged
3769	network as well, but that will likely cause conflicts with other DHCP
3770	servers in your physical network.)</para>
3771
3772	<para>Use the following command line options:<itemizedlist>
3773	<listitem>
3774	<para>If you use internal networking for a virtual network adapter
3775	of a virtual machine, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver add
3776	--netname <network_name></computeroutput>, where
3777	<computeroutput><network_name></computeroutput> is the same
3778	network name you used with <computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm
3779	<vmname> --intnet<X>
3780	<network_name></computeroutput>.</para>
3781	</listitem>
3782
3783	<listitem>
3784	<para>If you use host-only networking for a virtual network adapter
3785	of a virtual machine, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver add
3786	--ifname <hostonly_if_name></computeroutput> instead, where
3787	<computeroutput><hostonly_if_name></computeroutput> is the
3788	same host-only interface name you used with
3789	<computeroutput>VBoxManage modifyvm <vmname>
3790	--hostonlyadapter<X>
3791	<hostonly_if_name></computeroutput>.</para>
3792
3793	<para>Alternatively, you can also use the --netname option as with
3794	internal networks if you know the host-only network's name; you can
3795	see the names with <computeroutput>VBoxManage list
3796	hostonlyifs</computeroutput> (see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" />
3797	above).</para>
3798	</listitem>
3799	</itemizedlist></para>
3800
3801	<para>The following additional parameters are required when first adding a
3802	DHCP server:<itemizedlist>
3803	<listitem>
3804	<para>With <computeroutput>--ip</computeroutput>, specify the IP
3805	address of the DHCP server itself.</para>
3806	</listitem>
3807
3808	<listitem>
3809	<para>With <computeroutput>--netmask</computeroutput>, specify the
3810	netmask of the network.</para>
3811	</listitem>
3812
3813	<listitem>
3814	<para>With <computeroutput>--lowerip</computeroutput> and
3815	<computeroutput>--upperip</computeroutput>, you can specify the
3816	lowest and highest IP address, respectively, that the DHCP server
3817	will hand out to clients.</para>
3818	</listitem>
3819	</itemizedlist></para>
3820
3821	<para>Finally, you must specify <computeroutput>--enable</computeroutput>
3822	or the DHCP server will be created in the disabled state, doing
3823	nothing.</para>
3824
3825	<para>After this, VirtualBox will automatically start the DHCP server for
3826	given internal or host-only network as soon as the first virtual machine
3827	which uses that network is started.</para>
3828
3829	<para>Reversely, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver
3830	remove</computeroutput> with the given <computeroutput>--netname
3831	<network_name></computeroutput> or <computeroutput>--ifname
3832	<hostonly_if_name></computeroutput> to remove the DHCP server again
3833	for the given internal or host-only network.</para>
3834
3835	<para>To modify the settings of a DHCP server created earlier with
3836	<computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver add</computeroutput>, you can use
3837	<computeroutput>VBoxManage dhcpserver modify</computeroutput> for a given
3838	network or host-only interface name.</para>
3839	</sect1>
3840
3841	<sect1 id="vboxmanage-extpack">
3842	<title>VBoxManage extpack</title>
3843
3844	<para>The "extpack" command allows you to add or remove VirtualBox
3845	extension packs, as described in <xref
3846	linkend="intro-installing" />.<itemizedlist>
3847	<listitem>
3848	<para>To add a new extension pack, use <computeroutput>VBoxManage
3849	extpack install <.vbox-extpack></computeroutput>. This command
3850	will fail if an older version of the same extension pack is already
3851	installed. The optional <computeroutput>--replace</computeroutput>
3852	parameter can be used to uninstall the old package before the new
3853	package is installed.</para>
3854	</listitem>
3855
3856	<listitem>
3857	<para>To remove a previously installed extension pack, use
3858	<computeroutput>VBoxManage extpack uninstall
3859	<name></computeroutput>. You can use
3860	<computeroutput>VBoxManage list extpacks</computeroutput> to show
3861	the names of the extension packs which are currently installed;
3862	please see <xref linkend="vboxmanage-list" /> also. The optional
3863	<computeroutput>--force</computeroutput> parameter can be used to
3864	override the refusal of an extension pack to be uninstalled.</para>
3865	</listitem>
3866
3867	<listitem>
3868	<para>The <computeroutput>VBoxManage extpack
3869	cleanup</computeroutput> command can be used to remove temporary
3870	files and directories that may have been left behind if a previous
3871	install or uninstall command failed.</para>
3872	</listitem>
3873	</itemizedlist></para>
3874	<para>The following commands show examples how to list extension packs and
3875	remove one:<screen>
3876	$ VBoxManage list extpacks
3877	Extension Packs: 1
3878	Pack no. 0: Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack
3879	Version: 4.1.12
3880	Revision: 77218
3881	Edition:
3882	Description: USB 2.0 Host Controller, VirtualBox RDP, PXE ROM with E1000 support.
3883	VRDE Module: VBoxVRDP
3884	Usable: true
3885	Why unusable:
3886	$ VBoxManage extpack uninstall "Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack"
3887	0%...10%...20%...30%...40%...50%...60%...70%...80%...90%...100%
3888	Successfully uninstalled "Oracle VM VirtualBox Extension Pack".</screen></para>
3889	</sect1>
3890	</chapter>

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