VBoxLinuxAdditions-amd64.run needs prerequsites sanity check -> will probably fix some time

[godwinchan]

VBoxLinuxAdditions-amd64.run doesn't do sanity check for the existence of 3 components required for the compilation of kernel modules for Guest Additions (at least under Ubuntu 10.10). For Ubuntu it is: dkms build-essential linux-headers-generic

If the modules are not installed. The script runs, and say it is creating and installing the modules but it doesn't actually make the components.

But lsmod | grep vbox there will be no vboxsf there.

Basically a rehash of the following post, but want to report that adding some kind of sanity check would be nice.

​http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?t=15679

[godwinchan]

A simple test script for checking for prerequistes

[godwinchan]

I have also describe the problem in detail here:

​http://www.blog.10deam.com/2010/11/29/ubuntu-10-10-guest-in-virtualbox-shared-folders-issues/

[Technologov]

"VBoxLinuxAdditions-amd64.run" tries to be cross-distro installer (work on all Linuxes), and you can't check for package names in a cross-distro compatible way.

-Technologov

[godwinchan]

I understand about the numerous distributions out there. However if you look at the Linux Guest OS forum ​http://forum.virtualbox.org/viewforum.php?f=3&sid=45465d2751d5ec8f4b02897dac12172e, most of the issues are due to the false positive installation of Guest Additions Kernel Modules. I mean the script is not reporting failure of modules being compiled.

I think if at the very least tell people to consult the thread ​http://forums.virtualbox.org/viewtopic.php?t=15679 to get the prerequistes installed ahead of time will help too.

[Michael Thayer]

We generally improve these things from time to time but there is rarely much time available to spend on them.