6.1.0: Text-mode (VGA) graphical corruption over VRDP (Solaris 11.3 host) => fixed in svn/6.1.x x>16

[TheBloke]

Host: Solaris 11.3 VBox: 6.1.0, with extension pack installed VMs in use: Win10 x64, Linux x64, FreeBSD x64. All VMs are currently set to BIOS mode, with 128MB VRAM, no 2D or 3D acceleration.

All VMs are accessed via VRDP over local network. VRDP client: Microsoft Remote Desktop for macOS.

Issue: Since upgrading to 6.1.0 I have noticed strange graphical corruption appearing when accessing my VMs via VRDP.

It happens on all VMs, and appears whenever the VM is booted or rebooted. Here is a screen capture taken when booting a Win10 x64 1909 VM, accessed via VRDP: ​https://i.imgur.com/56CkYZG.png

In the case of my Windows 10 and Linux VMs, this corruption does not cause any problems. I briefly see the weird blue or red characters on screen whenever I boot or reboot the VM, but then the VM goes into graphical mode and the issue disappears.

However I have just installed a FreeBSD VM (pfSense firewall) which has been rendered unusable by the issue. This screenshot shows what I see when I access this VM over VRDP: ​https://i.imgur.com/hlo6D3M.png

The lower part of the screen is the same blue corrupted chars as before. The top part, in white, is where I should see the pfSense terminal. This corruption makes it impossible for me to configure this VM.

I have confirmed that downgrading the host to 6.0.14 and booting the same VM will allow me to access it via VRDP correctly.

I am guessing that the problem is something to do with VGA mode. Any VGA-mode text (like the FreeBSD console) is corrupted, but then when any OS switches into normal graphical mode, there is no problem.

I have not yet tried tweaking VM parameters, but will do that next and update if anything resolves it.

Note that I have not yet tested these same VMs using the local VirtualBox UI, which is not available for use on my Solaris server. But I will try booting them on my macOS host later and report back if the same issue occurs there, or if it's exclusive to VRDP.

Attached: vbox file for the FreeBSD VM which cannot be accessed via VRDP due to the VGA-mode text corruption.

[TheBloke]

VBox file for FreeBSD x64 host that is unusable via VRDP due to text-mode (VGA) graphical corruption, rendering the console unreadable

[TheBloke]

To clarify, on the Solaris 11.3 host I am running VMs with VBoxHeadless.

Update 1:

I just did copied the FreeBSD VM from my Solaris 11.3 host to my macOS 10.14.6 workstation. I first opened the same VM using the normal VirtualBox UI. The display was fine. Then I connected to it via VRDP, and it was again fine. Finally, I launched the VM using VBoxHeadless on macOS, and connected again via VRDP, and again it worked fine.

Therefore it seems possible that the problem I am having with corrupted VGA output is specific to Solaris host. Or at least, I can't recreate the problem on a macOS host.

Update 2:

On Solaris 11.3 host, I tried changing the graphics controller for the guest. I have tried all of:

vboxvga vboxsvga vmsvga

And the problem persists with all of them.

Update 3:

I changed the FreeBSD guest to an EFI BIOS and re-installed the OS. The OS is now fully accessible through VRDP, with no graphical corruption.

I don't know if this is because the issue is with legacy BIOS, or just because an EFI BIOS doesn't use the same text mode or something?

Anyway, I now have a working VM which I can boot on my Solaris 11.3 host and access through VRDP as normal.

[edged]

I have similar setup and same issue after upgrading to 6.1. I'm also using VRDP + Microsoft Remote Desktop for macOS and my screen looks the same. Tried s11.3 and s11.4 (as host) without any luck. Any VM works just fine with VBox version below 6.1 but VRDP breaks once I upgrade to most recent version.

[TheBloke]

Issues remains in 6.1.2, Solaris 11.3 host running VM in VBoxHeadless.

[Alexander Pyhalov]

Starting from VirtualBox 6.1 we have similar issue in OpenIndiana - VirtualBox screen is unusable ​https://imgur.com/a/Y3H8paF (I don't use VRDP, just run VM directly). This doesn't happen if you boot VM in UEFI mode.

[paulson]

This should be fixed in VirtualBox 6.1.18. Can someone verify whether the issue is resolved for them using the latest VBox?

[paulson]

I was able to reproduce this and also verify the fix in VirtualBox 6.1.18.